GRAPHĒ

At-Home Wellness Is Going High Design

From mirrored outdoor saunas to smart steam showers, sculptural and tech-forward fixtures are redefining how we treat ourselves at home—and how home feels.

The Thermasol Vue allows the sauna to become an integral and playful part of the architectural vision.

A proper steam or sauna has long meant leaving the house to find one at a spa, gym, or hotel with a day rate. That’s quickly changing, and at-home wellness is more than a trend—the global sauna market is expected to grow from $950 million in 2025 to more than $1.5 billion by 2033, with private homes making up the biggest share of this growth.

For many design-conscious homeowners, steam showers and backyard saunas are now just as desirable as chef’s kitchens, pools, and outdoor entertaining spaces. And, when it comes to at-home wellness, few companies have been shaping the category for as long as Thermasol.

The company introduced the first residential electric steam shower in 1958, and has spent the 68 years since proving that wellness belongs at home. Now owned by Finnish sauna pioneer Harvia, which acquired it in 2024, Thermasol is continuing to elevate and revolutionize the way we experience wellness at home.

The Thermasol Vue sauna is an elegant glass form that reflects its surroundings, making it a visually unobtrusive way to introduce a sauna to the home.
Photo courtesy Thermasol

"We’ve officially outgrown the era where a home wellness space meant cramming a stationary bike into a spare bedroom and calling it a day," says Nathan Hagemeier, president of Harvia. "Today’s homeowners are demanding intentional, architecturally stunning sanctuaries built directly into the floor plan. We are no longer designing houses just to shelter people; we are designing them to actively restore them, turning ancient thermal rituals into the ultimate modern domestic luxury."

The Thermasol Vue sauna epitomizes this approach. Unrecognizable from the typical cedar box in the corner of the garden, Vue—which has been awarded a Luxe RED Award for its design—features panoramic glass walls framed in black enamel and thermally treated wood. The glass reflects its surroundings, allowing it to dissolve into the landscape while offering privacy to those inside.

Thermasol Fortis is an elegant outdoor sauna with timber cladding and glass front that creates a contemporary take on the classic sauna typology. — Thermasol Fortis is an elegant outdoor sauna with timber cladding and a glass front that creates a contemporary take on the classic sauna typology.
Photo courtesy Thermasol

See the full story on Dwell.com: At-Home Wellness Is Going High Design
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Before & After: How a Portland Couple Took Their Midcentury Kitchen From Cramped to Chef’s Kiss

After a decade living in the 1965 house by a celebrated local architect, the pair tasked Risa Boyer Architecture with reconfiguring a few of its common spaces—which went a long way in rejuvenating the residence.

As soon as Jeff saw this midcentury-modern house by renowned architect John Storrs in Portland, Oregon, he knew it was the one.

Jeff, based in San Francisco, was being transferred to Portland for his job as a marketing executive in 2013, and his East Coast–based husband, Todd, was about to join him. Together, the couple planned to divide their time between Portland and Massachusetts.

After 10 years of living in this post-and-beam house designed by celebrated local architect John Storrs, Jeff and Todd knew they wanted a renovation to focus on opening up the kitchen. — After 10 years of living in this post-and-beam Portland house designed by celebrated local architect John Storrs, Jeff and Todd hired Risa Boyer Architecture to renovate. They knew they wanted to focus on opening up the kitchen.
Luke & Mallory

To prepare for the move, Jeff and a friend convened in Portland to scout 12 houses with his real estate agent in a single weekend. Their focus was mostly historic homes in walkable central-city enclaves—but then the car weaved upward into the Southwest Hills neighborhood and they reached this house at the end of a quiet street.

"My friend literally walked in the front door and she said, ‘We live here,’" Jeff recalls with a laugh. Todd had to make a leap of faith, not seeing the house in person before they made an offer, but he trusted Jeff and loved what he saw—first electronically, and then in person after the purchase.

Before: Kitchen

The kitchen, like in many midcentury-modern homes, was relatively closed off from the adjacent dining area, but the hanging upper cabinets above the peninsula counter were not in the original plans. — Before: The kitchen, as in many midcentury-modern homes, was relatively closed off from the dining area, but the hanging upper cabinets above the peninsula counter were not in the original plans.
Photo: Risa Boyer Architecture

Before: In the cramped kitchen, even some cupboards were hard to access without bumping into the fridge or knocking over the dog bowls.
Photo: Risa Boyer Architecture

See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: How a Portland Couple Took Their Midcentury Kitchen From Cramped to Chef’s Kiss
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Women-Led Repair Workshops Are Teaching Hard Skills—and Confidence Too

Much of the U.S.’s housing stock is suffering from deferred maintenance. So those who weren’t taught to DIY growing up are turning to newcomer-friendly classes to fix up their pads.

As the sun sets over Chicago, a group of 20 gather in a parking lot in Logan Square watching Juliana Masci, their home repair instructor, hold up a wall anchor. "This will need to be drilled into the drywall," Masci says, with a power drill in her other hand. "Who’s up first?"

One volunteer, Lauren, takes a cautious step forward. "I’ll try, I guess," she says nervously. Lauren takes the anchor in one hand, while Masci shows her how to place it against a sheet of drywall mounted on a box of two-by-fours. She demonstrates how to use her full bodyweight to lean into the drill as she pulls the trigger. It takes a few tries; there’s not enough pressure on the drill to get the anchor into the drywall. She tries again. The group starts clapping, shouting "you got this!" as she tries again, then again. Finally, the anchor slides right in. The group erupts into cheers.

"It’s perfect," Masci beams.

This is the scene at Babe’s, Chicago’s first-ever women’s sports bar. But these 20 visitors aren’t here to watch the Chicago Sky WNBA game—they’re here for Tool School, a training program that teaches women and femmes DIY home repair skills. Founded and led by Masci, Tool School is part of a growing movement to impart a set of basic construction and renovation skills to homeowners and renters who weren’t necessarily taught to hold a hammer or wield a drill as children. In a digital-first world, it’s a surprisingly novel idea: Unlike the usual DIY training that comes from YouTube videos or Home Depot online learning, Tool School is focused on the IRL meetups and group training that build community around the often-assumed niche (and gendered) skills like replacing a light fixture or mounting your television. During this Tuesday evening’s Drywall Mounting course, several students said they hoped to learn how to properly hang art in the apartments, or secure floating shelves that could hold the weight of their library. For these attendees, home repair is more than a chore done alone in one’s apartment; it’s a reflection of the growing numbers of woman homeowners and the rising costs of renovation.

Students at Chicago’s Tool School meet at Babe’s, the city’s first-ever women’s sports bar.
Photo by Taylor Moore

The idea for Tool School stemmed from Masci’s own love for tinkering and building, which she developed as a child through her father. Though she went on to study architecture, she gravitated toward the construction side. After years of working in the industry as a construction project manager, it dawned on her that many home and business owners might actually be able to do some of these projects themselves if only they had the skills. Those who grew up with parents who taught them, like Masci, had an advantage. "I determined that more people need DIY education, specifically women and femme folks."

This is especially true in recent years, as women have become a force in the housing market. Though women weren’t legally permitted to obtain a mortgage without a man’s signature until 1974, they are, today, surpassing men in buying homes. A 2025 report from the National Association of Realtors found that single women account for 25 percent of first-time home sales, up 14 percent since 1985; single men account for merely 10 percent. Though some might opt to hire out even minor projects, a survey by Lombardo Homes found that 27 percent of women don’t feel safe being alone with a contractor, and 60 percent felt that they were treated differently from men by contractors.

Though DIY projects are often framed as making aesthetic changes like remodels or refreshes, many first-time homebuyers end up addressing unseen, basic maintenance issues within the first year of buying a home. Especially for those lower-income buyers, neglecting even minor repairs—recaulking bathtubs or fixing cracked drywall, for example—can have an outsized impact on income in the future. The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies notes that deferring maintenance can increase a household’s long-term expenses; a study by anthropologist Robin Bartram finds that "routine dilapidation makes otherwise affordable housing unaffordable."

The ContractHer founder Tisha Jordan, in blue, with workshop participants.
Photo courtesy The ContractHer / Tisha Jordan

In Baltimore, The ContractHER, a DIY training company for women, provides multiday home repair and improvement workshops; they also teach students how to bid out projects and hire contractors if needed. Founder Tisha Jordan was navigating a difficult divorce and purchased a fixer-upper, opting to do renovations herself to save money, she told Washington’s NBC4. In New Hampshire, Mill Hollow Works teaches a variety of co-ed carpentry, woodworking classes, but understanding the need for peer support they also provide a Handy Woman Master series where participants learn framing, flooring, plumbing and electrical, and more. These IRL programs like Tool School teach skills and techniques, but Masci adds that they most importantly build self-assurance for those jumping into the unknown.

"It’s not a lack of skill," she says. "It’s a hundred percent a lack of confidence—a feeling of I’ve never done that before, so I don’t feel like I could do it." That sentiment echoes other findings from the Lombardo survey, where 40 percent of women feel they are treated differently from men at hardware stores and one in five report feeling judged by store employees. It can lead to insecurity, not just in these physical spaces but in their own abilities, says Masci. "It’s a natural progression of what's happened throughout history; women have to be overprepared, you have to be twice as knowledgeable," she explains. Showing up to a hardware store as a woman or femme might require extra confidence, which can be fostered in supportive, positive group settings like these.

The Women’s Carpentry Weekend held by Mill Hollow Works took place outside.
Photo by Heather Holloway / Mill Hollow Works

See the full story on Dwell.com: Women-Led Repair Workshops Are Teaching Hard Skills—and Confidence Too
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Their Mediterranean Courtyard House Is Warmed by the Sun and Cooled by Sea Breezes

Slow Studio used passive design principles to craft a flexible home with a thriving garden on a tricky L-shaped lot overlooking Spain’s Costa Daurada.

Guillem and Arantza Pujadas spent years searching Spain’s Costa Daurada for a home that matched their family’s lifestyle. With three children, they wanted a place where family life, work and their love of the outdoors could naturally coexist.

Guillem, founder of Shaka Surf Castelldefels on the Catalan coast, has built his life around the Mediterranean, and he prioritized having a daily connection to the water and the natural landscape. Arantza works as a doula, supporting women and families through pregnancy, birth and the postpartum period, and she dreamed of a peaceful home that could accommodate her practice.

On Spain’s Costa Daurada, Slow Studio used passive design principles to create an efficient, flexible family home for Guillem and Arantza Pujadas.
Photo by Ariadna Puigdomenech

For Guillem and Arantza Pujadas, the home was designed around everyday family life unfolding in spaces made to be lived in. — The residence is composed of two wings connected by a central courtyard.
Photo by Ariadna Puigdomenech

Together, they imagined a residence with an edible garden where they could host friends—and where their children could grow up with room to explore. They visited plenty of houses with beautiful sea views and generous layouts, but none felt right. "We gradually realized none of them brought together everything we were looking for," says Arantza. "So we decided to build it."

The family found an unusual, L-shaped lot overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. While the southern edge offered spectacular light and coastal vistas, its narrow footprint made building a standard family home impossible without taking up most of the outdoor space.

Framed by views of the courtyard, the dining area is positioned within the home’s central circulation path, making it a natural meeting point between the two wings. — Framed by views of the courtyard, the dining area is positioned within the home’s central circulation path, making it a natural meeting point.
Photo: Ariadna Puigdomenech

See the full story on Dwell.com: Their Mediterranean Courtyard House Is Warmed by the Sun and Cooled by Sea Breezes
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Wake Up to Fjord Views at This $1.5M Island Home in Norway

In a small fishing village in the Lofoten archipelago, this 1950 wood-paneled house sits at the literal end of the road, with a berry-filled garden, a practically private beach, and a brand-new outdoor sauna.

Location: Kjerkveien 35, Ramberg, Norway

Price: 15,000,000 NOK (Approximately $1,555,695 USD)

Year Built: 1950

Renovation Date: 2012

Footprint: 1,862 Square Feet (4 Beds, 2 Baths)

Lot Size: .72 Acres

From the Owners: "Kjerkveien 35 sits at the very end of a quiet road on a small grass headland, surrounded by white sand beaches, mountains, farmland, and open ocean. One of those beaches is, for all practical purposes, private, reachable only across the property’s own land, while the other curves out toward the broader bay. From the deck, the view looks over farmland, summit, fjord, and sky.

When the home first went on the public market, it drew bids well over the asking price. We had approached the past owners privately, off-market, before any of those bids closed, and they accepted ours—not because it was the highest, but because they trusted we would continue the tradition of caring for the place. We have lived here since, and we hope to pass it forward in the same spirit.

Part of what makes the home feel so rare is that the privacy is built into the landscape around it. The surrounding farmland is protected from development, and the house itself cannot be seen from the main road. The only approach is a private farm track that ends at the property. The fields are also a designated bird-nesting sanctuary, which during the summer months keeps the public out entirely.

Ramberg is a small village on the island of Flakstadøya, midway through the Lofoten archipelago, with Leknes airport a short drive away and Reine, Nusfjord, and Henningsvær within easy reach. There are only a few neighboring households, all of whom live here year-round, creating a small, family-friendly community even through winter.

After two years, we’ll say it plainly: We do not believe there is another home in Lofoten with quite this combination of privacy, a central location in the archipelago, views, and access to the wild and the northern lights. To us, it is the gem of Lofoten."

Built in 1950, the three-level home has been gently modernized over time, with white-painted paneling and simple rooms that keep its traditional Lofoten character intact. — Built in 1950, the three-level home has been gently updated. It has white-painted paneling and simple rooms that keep its traditional Lofoten character intact.
Photo by Charles Post

A wraparound deck extends the living space outdoors during the long summer evenings.
Photo by Charles Post

See the full story on Dwell.com: Wake Up to Fjord Views at This $1.5M Island Home in Norway
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For £675K, You Can Score a Subversive Suburban Home in the U.K.

Location: Salcombe Way, Ruislip, United Kingdom

Price: £675,000 (Approximately $906,525 USD)

Year Built: 2025

Architect: Wadhal

Footprint: 712 square feet (2 bed, 1 bath)

From the Agent: "Set within a historic manor estate in Ruislip, Wade House is a contemporary reimagining of the detached suburban home, defined by a materially honest palette and Scandinavian influences. Ruislip itself holds a notable connection to early modernism; with the arrival of the London Underground, the area saw the emergence of a distinctly progressive architectural language, later associated with the so-called "Metroland" ideal, where suburban living and modern design ambitions converged. Wade House is a two-bedroom home that takes these influences and brings them into the modern day. Contemporary stained glass filters shifting light across warm Ketley tiles, which, together with underfloor heating, run throughout the ground floor. A sculptural silver fir stair rises into a vaulted volume of beams and sky. Bedrooms remain calm and pared back: white walls, timber ceilings, concealed detailing, and warm, indirect light. Sustainable principles have been applied throughout, with the house being highly efficient. Advanced insulation and an air source heat pump deliver low-cost, low-emission living. Passive airflow cools in summer; drainage is concealed to maintain clean lines."

Designed by Wadhal, the Wade House strikes an uncanny balance between traditional and contemporary residences.
Photo by Lorenzo Zandri

See the full story on Dwell.com: For £675K, You Can Score a Subversive Suburban Home in the U.K.
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A Bright Yellow Foyer Is Just the Start of a Color-Coded Transformation for This Madrid Flat

A blue partition marks the living area, red shutters bring in light and air, and green tile forms a threshold from the bedroom into the en suite bath.

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Madrid, Spain

Architect: Gon Architects / @gonarchitects

Footprint: 1,162 square feet

Builder: REDO Construcción y Arquitectura

Photographer: Imagen Subliminal / @imagensubliminal

From the Architect: "The story of Casa EME begins with a memory and a desire. A memory belonging to Manuel, its owner—an enthusiast of design and cooking—when he first entered the apartment, before purchasing it, during one of many visits to flats in central Madrid. He had the feeling of having already lived in a similar place, at least with the same spirit, but in another time. And a desire: to imagine himself reading in that house on an ordinary Sunday afternoon, sitting on the sofa as light pours in through the five large windows of the living room, framing the views of Madrid.

"Located in a corner building in the Madrid de los Austrias, Casa EME acts as a watchtower inserted into a dense and compact urban fabric of Baroque origin, surrounded by the hustle and bustle and tourism characteristic of contemporary historic centers. With a floor plan whose geometry recalls the shape of a bow tie, the original apartment, fully oriented toward the exterior, lacked a clear spatial logic. It was composed of five rooms of varying sizes, six balconies, and two street-facing windows, unified by an impressive continuous floor of solid tropical ipe wood in multiple tones. Like a large carpet, the flooring covered the entire apartment, with only exception of the bathroom, which was finished in ceramic.

"The new proposal is based on a strict and deliberate premise: to preserve the existing wooden floor in its entirety, not only as a covering, but as a material memory that anchors the project to place and time. This decision conditions an intervention whose main virtue lies in working with what already exists, while reestablishing the topological and programmatic relationships of the apartment to suit Manuel’s way of living.

"The existing floor was left untouched. Upon this same wood, the new home unfolds, maintaining the system of rooms from the previous configuration. Like a game of sliding pieces, the program shifts across the plan until it reaches a new order, a clearer, more efficient, and more suggestive way of reading the domestic space.

"Among the most significant reprogramming operations, the bedroom is now directly linked to the bathroom, whose interior evokes an outdoor landscape through the use of greens in varying tones. This connection is articulated by a closed, cloud-green pass-through volume that promotes flexibility of use and integrates clothing storage. Both spaces are now connected through the footprint of the former bathroom, materialized as a ceramic trace that is deliberately exposed, emphasizing time and the memory embedded in the house. The kitchen now occupies the heart of the home, a social space that becomes the center and meeting point when friends gather to taste Manuel’s specialty: beef ragu lasagna. The entrance, the most fragile and narrow point of the apartment, is redefined by lowering the ceiling and marking it in yellow. Finally, one of the doors that previously connected to the living room has been removed, transforming that space into an unnamed, flexible room of multiple uses, equally suited for studying or accommodating guests without disrupting Manuel’s daily rhythm."