Sam Gabriels and Chrissy Bellmeyer were no strangers to living small. Before they met, Bellmeyer designed and lived in a tiny house on wheels and Gabriels spent four years living out of a van, looping the country to organize pop-up farm-to-table dinners alongside Michelin-starred chefs. So, when the couple bought a half-acre lot in Waitsfield, Vermont’s Mad River Valley in a development called the Waitsfield Ten, where neighbors help each other build, 800 square feet didn’t feel like a constraint.

Architectural designer and builder Andy White of Boreal Design started by creating a simple, 20-by-20-foot box that was drywalled, then painted, in a weekend. Inside it, White built the living spaces as independent, self-supporting platforms arranged at staggered heights. He describes the plan as a counter-clockwise spiral: Down one step from the entry into the living room, up two into the kitchen, up one more into the dining room.

The level variations define each space. “If built traditionally with two floor plates and 9-foot ceilings, the house would feel claustrophobic,” White says. “Here, you experience the full interior volume, with long sightlines from corner to corner.”

Without walls dividing the public spaces, rooms morph to fit current needs and individual elements do double or triple duty. For example, the open cubbies that store Gabriels’s vinyl collection are also perches for overflow dinner party guests in the dining room and extra seating in the living room. Initially, White worried — unnecessarily — that the living room was too small and lacked a wall for a television. The couple got a projector and screen, and noted that the deck expands the experience. The mechanicals and storage are under the floors.

Upstairs, the 8-by-12-foot space in front of the primary bedroom is both a closet/dressing area and mini lounge. In the morning, guests might wander over from the second bedroom to chat; during parties, it’s another spot to hang out. “We’re very open people, so it works for us,” Gabriels says. If things change, the couple could add standard-size French doors to hide their bed. The second bedroom, which already has a pocket door for privacy, could absorb the office nook beside it to become a larger bedroom.

The materials palette celebrates what’s commonly available: nothing is precious, everything is considered. Walls and ceilings throughout are CDX fir plywood — construction-grade sheathing that is normally hidden behind drywall. Structural fir posts, usually buried, are left exposed. The couple planed, sanded, and stained the posts and sanded all the plywood, removing lumberyard stamps. In place of galvanized joist hangers, White used inexpensive angle steel, spray-painted black. Running the length of the staircase and bracketing the bedroom thresholds, it’s the home’s signature accent. It matches the exterior siding — corrugated metal that is distinctive, inexpensive, easy to install, and low-maintenance.

Sustainability was non-negotiable. Fourteen-inch-thick, cellulose-filled walls push the dwelling past passive-house standards for insulation and airtightness. They also leave deep window sills that double as seating, plant shelves, and such. The utility bill for the all-electric home averages just over $100 per month (excluding internet).

Decor-wise, color does the talking. The bright yellow kitchen and pink-tiled bath are odes to homes that Gabriels admired in New Mexico, Oregon, and California. “We took a Pacifico beer bottle cap to Home Depot to find the right canary yellow for the kitchen cabinets,” Bellmeyer says.

White says his construction methods make it easy to add onto the home, although the couple has no plans to do so. Rather, they hope to build an ADU to offer housing to others in the community. “This is a mid-income development, making it cheaper than the median house price but not attainable for everyone,” Bellmeyer says.

Meanwhile, they’re grateful for White’s unconventional approach, fulfilling their wish list within the square footage their budget allowed.

White deflects the praise back onto the couple. “The home wouldn’t have come together the way that it did for anyone else; it’s very much theirs,” he says. “Chrissy and Sam’s vision, willingness to take risks and reimagine typical rooms, informed the design more than any specific space-saving or building strategy.”

Architectural designer and builder: Boreal Design, borealdesignvt.com

Cabinetmaker: Han Hewn, hanhewn.com

Marni Elyse Katz is a contributing editor to the Globe Magazine. Follow her on Instagram @StyleCarrot. Send comments to magazine@globe.com.

The Boston Red Sox will return to action on Friday to kick off the second half of the 2026 Major League Baseball season with a doubleheader against the Tampa Bay Rays.

The last few weeks have been incredible for Boston and have really gotten the organization right back into the thick of the playoff race. Beforehand, the Red Sox looked like one of the worst teams in baseball. Now, Boston is 46-48 and has won 14 of its last 16 games. It’s why you play the games. The MLB season is long and full of ups and downs. Sure, the first few months of the season were full of many down moments for the Red Sox, but they flipped a switch, got hot, and now are right back in the mix.

Now, there are just over two weeks to go until the 2026 trade deadline and Boston should be looking to add. But who should the Red Sox be targeting? Here are four intriguing options for Craig Breslow and the Red Sox’s front office to target.

Gleyber Torres — Detroit Tigers

The former longtime New York Yankee is a member of the Detroit Tigers and was slashing .280/.395/.395 with a .790 OPS, four homers and 18 RBIs before the All-Star break. Torres is on the Injured List, but has already begun a rehab assignment. Torres has the type of right-handed pop Boston’s lineup needs. Plus, he’s just 29 years old.

Luis Arráez — San Francisco Giants

Luis Arráez isn’t a right-handed bat and doesn’t have much power, but this is a guy with three batting titles under his belt and has a shot at another one. He’s batting .330 right now and would go a long way for Boston by getting on base towards the top of the lineup.

James Wood — Washington Nationals

This would be a pipe dream type of move. Wood is under team control for four more seasons and is just 23 years old, and yet he’s already a two-time All-Star. He blasted 31 homers last year and already has 28 this season in 97 games played. If the Red Sox could get a bat like his, they’d be all set. But it would cost quite a bit to pry him from Washington.

Isaac Paredes — Houston Astros

There are few players who were connected to Boston more this past offseason than Isaac Paredes. The Astros don’t look like a team that is going to sell, but Paredes is still worth a call. Houston traded Lance McCullers Jr. to the Milwaukee Brewers on Wednesday in a salary dump.

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