An interior glass courtyard anchors the central living areas—the dining room, foyer, living room, and kitchen all circulate a living tree. This was installed for natural light and to reinforce a connection between the indoors and outdoors.

The house features several courtyards, conveying an ever-present sense of indoor-outdoor living. Concrete walls are lined with yellow jasmine, and the wall sculpture is taken from Manuel Felguérez’s fence for the National Anthropology Museum.

The outdoor shower situated off of the master bedroom is enclosed to offer privacy and features a courtyard garden. Michael Arp of Lanoha Nurseries designed the house's landscaping.

Located in the woods of Malborghetto Valbruna in the Italian Dolomite commune of Tarvisio, this egg-shaped tree house appears to hover in midair like a giant pinecone.

A covered walkway provides a sheltered passage between the main house and studio. The fire pit is used during social gatherings.

The home’s enclosed courtyard sits at “the heart of the structure,” says Baumann, who resides with his wife, Lisa Sardinas, and eight-year-old son, Oskar. “This is clearly the dominant space; everything flexes towards it.” Baumann cast the square concrete floor tiles himself, enlisting the help of his son. A small, neat patch of grass—a playful nod to the archetypal domestic lawn—is edited down to a charming folly.

At once part of the city and protected from it, the house benefits from plenty of open space and light and creates its own courtyard enclosure.

The curving glass and steel wall, designed by Deam and executed by Sand Studios, is a tour de force of engineering and design.

The back courtyard is meant to feel like a haven from the outside world; a place where the family can easily escape the stresses of everyday life. The flickering lights from the fire pit shed a soft, relaxing glow over the area.

Their daughters, Annapurna, left, and Siddartha, play with their dog, Anouck, beneath the kangaroo paws in the entry garden courtyard.

Pavers and succulents in a yard in Malibu, California, help save water.

Other artists represented in the park include Lynn Chadwick, Tony Cragg, Sarah Sze, and Matt Johnson. But what makes this garden most compelling? The way the art practically disappears into the sprawling landscape of green meadows and Nordic pines.

The house's elevation was inspired by Paul Rudolph's nearby Sanderling Beach Club.

Taking inspiration from the Printemp's cupola, this sculpture features petal-shaped pieces of dichroic glass: the glass changes color depending the viewer's position, thereby creating a visually dynamic experience for shoppers moving through and up the atrium.

The smoothness of the poured concrete is strikingly juxtaposed against the rugged surrounding terrain.

The simple stunning structure that houses the public restroom features a concrete ceiling that emulates the shape of a wave forming from the surface of the terrace.

The wave-shaped structure glows from within.

When it came to paint the 40-foot-long curving steel-and-glass window wall designed by Chris and fabricated by Sand Studios, the Deams turned to Steve Bauer of Baumar, who specializes in custom paint finishes, to get the job done. Metallic automotive paint stands up well to the elements—from blaring sunlight to heavy rain—and comes in an almost infinite array of colors.

Italian prefab company LEAPfactory built this alpine shelter off-site and had it flown in via helicopter. Cantilevered off the edge of a mountain, the structure features a living room, a dine-in kitchen, bunk beds, storage closets, and an integrated computer to keep mountaineers and climbers up-to-date on the weather conditions.

The Zen-inspired retreat is divided into two volumes, a private and communal wing. A Terracotta Army sculpture keeps watch in the courtyard.

Clad in SPF lumber, zinc, and glass, David Bronskill and Mark Dilworth’s vacation home on Oblong Lake fans out to capture wide views of the forest. “Nothing is straight in the plan,” says architect Roland Rom Colthoff of RAW Design, who conceived the 2,500-square-foot escape. From left to right, there are three structures: a three-bedroom guest wing, a voluminous communal area, and a semi-detached master suite. Two of the wings share an unusual fin-shape design because of their varied ceiling heights.

An abandoned airport terminal at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport was reborn as the TWA Hotel, a stylish stay that harkens on the romance of flying when it was still a novelty. Paying homage to the original architecture of the 1962 building designed by architect Eero Saarinen, JFK's only on-airport hotel is complete with midcentury modern guest rooms, a 10,000-square-foot rooftop deck with pool, and immersive experiences.

An aerial view of TWA Hotel.

Van Beek’s extra space is home to her office. She works on a Tense table by Piergiorgio and Michele Cazzaniga and Flow chairs by Jean Marie Massaud, both for MDF Italia.

A brick fireplace feature creates a low window from the kitchen into the living room to keep a connection between the rooms without relying on a completely open floor plan. Energy-efficient MR16 halogen lights are recessed into the wood ceiling to further emphasize the clean lines throughout the interior spaces.

The sculptural roof appears to float above the glass-walled living space on the ground floor.

The house’s new lime plaster walls, seen here in the courtyard, contrast with the old brick wall that divides the house from Kolasiński’s adjoining carpentry shop. Though the house itself is small, the outdoor spaces and furniture studio bring its total square footage to nearly 11,000 square feet.

Parson Russell terriers Pepper and Trixie get a glimpse of the large courtyard through a glassy expanse by Marvin Windows and Doors.

The inner courtyard is the core of the home.

The Wave House seamlessly combines solid timber with glass.

The apartments face a landscaped common courtyard. The site is an irregular trapezoid, a fact the zig-zagging sidewalks reflect well.

With a comfy bed, a built-in kitchenette and plenty of storage, this tiny trailer will provide all the amenities needed for a quick getaway.

He worked around existing oak and eucalyptus trees for the new building, and retained the vernacular of an original barn, at right, where Frankel hosts concerts. Check out MVRDV's Balancing Barn.

Located in Aarhus, Denmark, Villa R is a minimalist, serene structure clad in zinc panels. "The objective was to create a house that brings the forest inside through large glass panels—and create an ever-changing seasonal backdrop for the interior living spaces," stated the architecture firm, C.F. Møller, of the 3,200-square-foot abode.