On a clear day, you can catch a whiff of sea salt from atop the cliffside.
Thanks to the California weather, the couple can make use of the outdoor dining and living area for much of the year.
Another move that reduces the house's environmental impact is the inclusion of photovoltaic panels on the roof. The panels generate enough energy to offset 95% of the house’s consumption.
A covered breezeway connects the main house and the guest house. Here, Legge took the opportunity to play with perspective, framing part of a tree and the sky with an abstract roof cutout.
On the entrance deck, a hand-crafted wooden couple welcomes visitors. The U-shaped deck surrounds the entire lower level.
A firepit and an inflatable hot tub with a wicker surround add a bit of luxury to Joe and Rachel’s Venice Beach rental.
North Elevation
Designed by award-winning Sant Architects, this four-bedroom vacation rental near Topanga elevates the concept of a mountain retreat to new heights—from its raw, concrete facade and hillside pool, to the Bauhaus-inspired interiors that feature expansive glass walls that overlook the Pacific Ocean. The clean, architectural lines are expressed using iron beams, concrete slabs, timber-panelled walls, and glass, and the sprawling, open-plan living area features a slide-away fireplace and enormous windows that seamlessly transition the property from cosy winter retreat to breezy summer getaway.
The house is divided into three sections connected by a series of outdoor galleries. “When I walk from one room to another, I have to go outdoors and feel the weather and nature—rain, cold, and sun,” says Sævik.
Instead of emphasizing the expansive panorama of oak, pine, and aspen trees, the house frames select views—a move inspired by Japanese design.
A vast terrace overlooks a nearby park, while the ground floor patio (connected to Vanbesien’s office) opens up to a garden.
“Typically people don't have pools on a small city lot like this, so we really had to work with what we had,” says Monika. The couple’s child, Sullivan, peaks through the pool’s window.
The courtyard brings natural light into the lower level of the home, which has a den/media room, guest suite/workout area, and storage and mechanical.
The terrace is a favorite gathering place. The house is positioned facing south to get the most sun exposure.
Surrounded by oak trees and lush grasslands, Field Cabin features a steeply pitched roof and an expansive glass door and decking on the front facade.
ENA GAIA F - type of the house
ENA GAIA F - type of the house
ENA GAIA F - type of the house
Sea Ranch House
The home is perched lightly on the site and the landscape has been integrated into the architecture through a sympathetic form and materiality, and the expansive windows. “We long for this untouched nature,” says architect Line Solgaard of the site. “It brings us calmness and maybe even helps us be more in touch with ourselves.”
The home features a combination of interior and exterior living spaces that afford privacy to the occupants. “There are social spaces for everyone to be together, but also spots outside the building where people can have a private coffee—and that’s so important,” says architect Line Solgaard.
The summer home is located on the west coast of Zeeland in Denmark. Egelund’s son had also recently built a summer house nearby, and Egelund and Dahl appreciated the work of the architect, Mads Lund. “We felt we could have a good collaboration with him, rather than being a small client with a big company,” Egelund explains. “We started to talk with him about what we liked about my son’s house, as well as our own ideas for our summer home.”
The entrance to the home is through a timber-clad passageway, which connects the different spaces, which are all under one roof. Over time, the Canadian cedar timber cladding will develop a silver patina and the built form will dissolve further into the landscape.
A triangular pool is also terraced into the landscape surrounding the pavilion-like house.
The open-space interior is divided by furniture and clusters of columns. Here, the kitchen flows into the dining and living room areas, heated by a wood-burning fireplace.
The island of Møn in Denmark has a remarkable landscape with dramatic white-chalk cliffs, so it’s fitting that Birkedal—a vacation rental property not far from the beach—features a shape and form that matches its impressive locale.
The use of the stone as a foundation allowed the budget to be reduced as it minimized the amount of work and materials.
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