16 Ideabooks by Louise Lakier

Peta Kaplan and Ben Sandzer-Bell first traveled from Chicago to Nicaragua in 2005 for a family vacation, but volcanoes, wildlife, markets, colonial architecture and beaches made them want to call the area home. "On the last day of our trip, having...

Oren Pollack moved from the United States to Nicaragua two years ago to join his parents in finding ways to make the world a better place. He quickly founded a nonprofit agency called Sports Donations...

When Austin, Texas, native Robert Dull visited Nicaragua for the first time in 1997, he fell in love with the country and vowed to come back and buy land as soon as possible. Two years later he fulfilled his dream by buying 10 acres on a hillside 320...

For general contractor Francisco Wheelock and his wife, Myriam Caldera, the move to this dream house was a happy homecoming. After studying civil engineering in Texas, Wheelock returned to his hometown of...

The Sou'wester Lodge in Seaview, Washington, has a long history of housing creative freethinkers. When friends Thandi Rosenbaum and Anastasia Corya heard the seaside property was up for sale in...

Two years after meeting as neighbors in southeast Portland, Oregon, Sam and Stephanie Dyer jumped right into their first project together: remodeling a 1911 bungalow. The home was in serious disrepair, with black mold, small pests, stained carpeting and...

This Salem, Oregon, home has been undergoing remodeling for 18 years, transforming into a beautiful refuge. Geri and Sal Ortega have done everything from building furniture and cabinetry to placing rock and tile, to installing windows and built-ins. The...

Peggy and Bob Aronson found their 5-acre property on Craigslist, then built their home from the ground up. The couple devoted themselves completely to planning, building, decorating and landscaping their new home, resulting in a comfortable and cozy space...

Dayna McErlean's seven-year remodeling project transformed a debilitated Portland, Oregon, building into a vibrant multiuse project. Drawing on her childhood and inspired by her hands-on, creative family, McErlean created four dynamic spaces — the

Although the "Salsa House" was originally named for the salsa made on the property (the ingredients are grown there as well), this eclectic little home on Washington state's Vashon Island lives up to its festive and colorful name. Recycled materials,...

Marsha Donaldson and Bill Ferris remodeled their house to look and function like any other contemporary home, but the real beauty of the new design lies in the subtle details. The couple's space-efficient design choices also make the house fully accessible...

A pocket community of cabins built in the 1920s sits atop wooden piers in Puget Sound, a short commute away from Seattle. Joel and Kitty, Seattle artists, curators and consultants, discovered the historic Fragraria area while looking for...

When Gay Silvestri and Ted Kadet purchased their 1960s home on Seattle's Lake Washington, it screamed pink from top to bottom. Pink tiles ran underfoot, and the previous homeowners had painted the ceiling beams pink to match. Gay asked her...

Homeowners Kathy and David Sandefur built a beach house by Ocean Shores, Washington, for weekend getaways and a permanent home after retirement. The plans were purchased, but with creative choreography using salvaged materials, off-the-shelf items and...

Seattle artists Jethaniel Peterka and Yvette Endrijautzki were looking for a rental where they could live and work when they came across an empty storage space above a pet store in the heart of the city's Georgetown arts district. The space had potential,...