Bring the outside in

When your house measures just 1,100 square feet, it's important to make all the space inviting and livable. That's the challenge design team John Jennings and Sasha Tarnopolsky confronted when they remodeled their small fixer-upper.

To make the house work for a family (including baby Josephine and two rambunctious dogs), the couple made the most of the interior space by beefing up storage and by opening the house to the front and the backyard.

At the rear, both bedrooms open onto a new deck made of Ipe wood. Set three steps above the lawn, the deck is a private backyard retreat that creates a graceful transition to the garden.

See how to build a transitional deck like this

Light now flows unobstructed through the house, allowing a view from front to back.

What makes it work

New deck: It spans the width of the house at the same level as the door thresholds

Doors replace windows: They improve indoor-outdoor circulation and brighten the interior

Calm palette: Tan stucco and cocoa-colored window and door frames are complemented by metal furniture and red-hued plants

Design:  John Jennings and Sasha Tarnopolsky, Dry Design, Los Angeles (323/954-9084, ext. 21)