Alex enjoys a sun-filled breakfast at the built-in dining table and bench, one of many space-saving designs.

A massive pine beam defines the master bathroom.

For the spatially challenged, think vertically: lofted beds make every inch count.

Deep eaves prevent the entrance from being buried in snow. The clients can see directly into the valley and mountains below.

A Chilean home’s dramatic stained-pine exterior references local vernacular architecture.

While it was tempting to embed the cabin into the hillside, Balance Associates sought a smarter solution. By elevating the project on two concrete walls, the clients could avoid a costly foundation, improve their view of the landscape, and stay above the thick winter snowfall.

The connecting area between the four houses has an open joisted pine ceiling that offers a masterful transition between the coarse, weathered exterior and the polished rooms—all lined with smooth Sucupira wood and white plaster board. “We wanted to make a clear contrast between the interior surfaces of the house and the corresponding exterior surfaces,” de Carvalho says.

Architect Bruno Despierre built a deck for outdoor activities from pine wood.

Two-by-four inch pine beams were used on the ceiling throughout the home. The bed was constructed by the owners.

Exposed pine dominates the downstairs reception area.

A wood-burning stove from Harvia, of Finland, heats the sauna. The pavilion’s rough-cut pine walls are treated with tar, a preservative that yields a time-worn aesthetic.

The facade of the three-bedroom house sports a series of extruded pine boxes, which create sheltered spaces that stand up to the area’s fluctuating weather. The owners, Isaac Pineus and Andrew Duncanson, spend summers here with their twin sons.

The Seattle workshop’s debut furniture collection uses a pared down, kit-of-parts construction that allows a lounge chair to easily morph into a side bench.

Contrast for Blk Pine, $1,100–$1,400

A pair of lights from IKEA hang above the first floor, which houses the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Pine floors, painted black, run throughout the residence.

Wood envelops the home’s second story. The floor is made of Brazilian pine salvaged from a warehouse. The walls are also recycled boards, sourced from the ceiling of a conventillo, or tenement, in the La Boca neighborhood, and sliced into 12-inch-wide planks. The ceiling is made of ipe from the NET workshop. In the family room, cushions knit by Teresa’s mother, Griselda Sposari, sit on a Lennon armchair by NET.

The juxtaposition of cabinet and drawers of this pine cupboard from New Lebanon, New York adds visual interest without sacrificing honest, minimal design with excessive ornamentation. Photo courtesy Skinner, Inc.

“A summer house is every Swede’s dream,” says Duncanson, who was born in Scotland. “At first I couldn’t understand how they could take four or five weeks off in summer but after my first year, I couldn’t believe how relaxed and hungry I was when I came back.”

The new cabins' pine interiors have been left their natural shade. Furnishings are kept to the absolute minimum to keep guests' focus on what lies outside.

An abstract painting by Michael Young complements the glow of the dining room’s pine walls. A collapsible silicone lampshade by Swedish designers Form Us With Love for Muuto hangs above a Macek Furniture Company table.

Competing grains of laminated pine panels enliven the stairs.

The bedroom is to the immediate right of the entrance; the architects selected plywood for interior surfacing for the warm tones it provided. The aluminum spacers allow for easy installation—they have greater tolerances for gaps as compared to other joints—while doubling as a decorative element.

The entrance is immediately flanked on its left by a mudroom for hiking gear and the bathroom.

Creating a library along a staircase out of open shelving means that the books can be accessed from both the staircase and the stair hall on the other side.

The Pine Plains, New York, home of Elise and Arnold Goodman boasts 48 windows, the largest of which measures 8'6'' by 7'6''. As architect Preston Scott Cohen explains, the "free facade makes it impossible to identify how many levels there are, or even to tell the difference between a door and a window." From without, the windows reveal dramatic glimpses of the 18th-century barn farm and new steel structure that support the house. From within, says Elise, "Each season, each time of day, offers a different view of the world. It's spectacular."

In the living room, a sofa by Vico Magistretti is next to a plywood armchair by Gerald Summers. The coffee table is by Enzo Mari; the Cesta lantern is by Miguel Milá for Santa & Cole. “It’s too expected for us to put Hans Wegner here,” Duncanson explains.

A Fermob table and chairs are on the rooftop terrace. “The weather is unpredictable, to say the least. You want to be outside but you don’t want to sit in the middle of a gale,” says Duncanson. “But [at this house] you can always find a place that’s quiet.”

An IKEA PS Vågö chair sits on a small treated-pine deck off the master bedroom.

On the parlor level, the pigmented plaster walls eschew the finish of paint. A modest reveal between the ceiling plane and the walls ingeniously accommodates a concealed picture rail that runs the perimeter of the room. The 1968 painting above the sofa is by op-artist Julian Stanczak.

“The color Falu-red, or Falu Rödfärg, is used for houses all over Sweden,” says Pineus. “It’s such a strong color, but I think it works.” Each of the house’s protruding boxes feature pine slats painted in a silver tar, which contrasts the larch of the interior and offers a sturdy defense to the ocean air.

The sofa in the family room was designed by Helgerson with Magnifique fabric by Kravet. The 265 Wall Lamp is by Paolo Rizzatto for Flos, and the pine coffee table is from The Good Mod, a local shop in Portland.

Those costs were partially recouped by using knotted pine planks for the exterior.

Pineus and Duncanson converse in their open-plan kitchen-dining space, where Duplex bar stools by Javier Mariscal add a touch of whimsy. A Mamma Cloud chandelier by Frank Gehry hangs above a La Basilica table by Mario Bellini.

Dixon inspects a drawing in the couple’s shared office on the home’s top floor. The space features a sloping ceiling that rises to ten feet at one end. The new wood of the inserted ceiling counterpoints the vintage pumpkin pine floorboards underfoot.

The outside deck, made of local celery-top pine, welcomes both humans and the natural landscape further into the house.

While the home is well insulated on all sides, the hearth can provide extra warmth when necessary.