Outdoor Spaces

At Casa Cantellano, a class cube sits atop the second level, drawing daylight to the dining room below. The cube meets the owners two hobby rooms in the middle, with one wing for reading and another for film and games.

Greg Knapp and Robyn Traynor worked with architect Peter Braithwaite to design a nature retreat for their family on a slice of Canadian wilderness. It has two shed-roofed structures joined by a boardwalk elevated above a pre-existing walking path on the couple’s land.

Gast Architects embraced the home's original emphasis on indoor/outdoor connections and careful framing of views.

The kitchen overlooks the converted 290-square-foot studio, which was originally a one-car garage.

Folding glass doors connects the living area with the large deck overlooking the water.

Fresh, bright, and cheery, the updated architecturally significant residence complements the couple’s modern lifestyle.

Nestled in its hillside lot, the multi-level home features ample covered outdoor space.

The new home’s covered porch takes inspiration from the porch of the 150-year-old cottage shared by the extended family, just 100 yards away from the main home. The porch is designed for enjoying summer sunsets.

The previous homeowners had cultivated a large, Asian-inspired garden. The courtyard centers around this towering, bushy tree.

Dating back to 1961, the refreshed dwelling is an architectural jewel box, with a price tag to match.

Natalie and Lauren wanted to replicate the feel of a Zen garden with their home’s central courtyard. The garden features a Japanese maple that pops against the charred timber cladding, while structurally, the U-shape design ushers light right through to the back of the house.

The multi-level main residence sits nestled among soaring trees and thick landscaping, offering a tranquil oasis to reconnect with nature.

“You can really feel when you’re in the interior that it is exterior when you make the windows disappear completely,” says architect Ignacio Urquiza. “They disappear completely so the interior dining and living turn into exterior. The architecture tries to not disappear, but rather to blend with the reflection of the windows.”

A giant curved pocket door from Fleetwood — the first of its kind — removes the barrier between outside and in. The deck boards are carefully tapered to fit perfectly together as they radiate outward from the interior.