Restrictions abounded in this project: we navigated through 19′ height limitations, historic commissions, coastal construction regulations and a tiny site to build a single-family home with spectacular views of Carmel Bay and Point Lobos, California. Nestled tightly in a storybook-style village of artists’ bungalows, the home uses every foot of buildable land to express its English cottage aesthetic. We integrated architectural antiques direct from Europe with some ornaments we recreated ourselves to decorate the exposed frame structure, with hand-hewn timbers curved and set purposefully out of plumb to invoke a fanciful feel.