Devan

This overhead view of the VDL residence shows the top level that holds the water pools, garden, rooftop, and the glass-enclosed seating area where Mrs. Neutra would encourage guests to spend time in.

On Vashon Island, about 20 miles southwest of Seattle, architect Seth Grizzle designed a 440-square-foot multiuse structure for his clients Bill and Ruth True.

At street level, the wooden garage door opens its toothed maw.

“They wanted the new cabin to make a ‘L’ shape with the older cabin, but I convinced them to mimic the old cabin on the opposite side,” architect D’Arcy Jones says. “So the new site has two buildings across from each other, like an equal sign.” Birch trees grow between the cabins in a shared courtyard.

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.

superrkül dubbed this project the Stealth Cabin because it's hidden in the landscape and will continue to recede in view over time. Photo by Shai Gil.

South American Beach Escape (Governador Celso Ramos, Brazil) Vacation-worthy beaches are as numerous as one-name soccer stars in Brazil, but this exceptional oceanfront rental offers something a bit different. Sure, the swaying hips of Ipanema aren’t in sight. Instead, you and up to seven other friends can enjoy one of a handful of private beaches, drink on the terrace, perhaps grill fish you caught in the property’s fishing boat or oysters you’ve lifted from neighboring rocks. After a few days stay, the house won’t be the only thing integrated with nature. p>Listing at Exceptional property private beach

The home, clad in natural Australian timber, enjoys a sense of lightness thanks to slender columns that let it float over the dunes. The driveway and entry, at the rear of the building, have an understated design to build to the interior's magnificent ocean views. Firm director Phil Snowdon explains, “By creating an architectural form that draws your eye and leads you up the steep driveway, we could engage new visitors in a welcoming process that first reveals the object and then slowly reveals the main event, being the view."

The kitchen and dining area opens onto a patio. Photo by Ken Pagliaro Photography.

One side of the building contains two simple bedrooms and a bathroom. The other, larger side houses the open-plan living area, kitchen, covered deck with fireplace, and additional bedroom. The deck-hallway that runs the length of the building is partially covered, but the decking boards and inset fiberglass door panels allow air and light to penetrate. The architects wanted to suggest that moving between the different living spaces involved a trip through nature, as it does in traditional camping.

Mike Kurokawa and Paul Fishman set out for the beach from their house in the Puna region of Hawaii. A bridge leads from street level to the upper floor of the house, which is situated in a natural depression, or kipuka.

Native grasses, such as red fescue and California oat, dot the landscape surrounding the house.

Native grasses, large wood timbers, and plentiful amounts of stone help maintain the sense of “living close to nature” that the Treadwells desired.

The structure sits lightly on a stone patio that cuts into the hillside site.

A reclaimed-wood fireplace is a defining feature in the living room.

Architect Mary Ann Schicketanz created a 1,900-square-foot home in Big Sur, California, that hugs its hillside site.

A couple takes a minimalist approach to their Brooklyn apartment, focusing on supple materials, subtle gradations of color, and custom finishes by local craftsmen. The Mandayam–Vohra family gathers under one of Workstead’s signature three-arm chandeliers, shown here in its horizontal configuration. Bartenschlager designed the white cabinets and is responsible for the walnut counters both on the kitchen island and near the stove.

In the kitchen of Floating Farmhouse in Eldred, New York, a custom-built wood-fired oven extends up to the ceiling, accentuating its steep pitch. Photo by Mark Mahaney.

Dan Pacek and John Roynon of Leonia, New Jersey, expanded and renovated their tiny kitchen, integrating it more sensibly into their 1911 house while borrowing natural light from secondary sources, such as a window on the landing leading to the second floor.

A few steps up from the living room, the open kitchen features a granite island, walnut cabinets, and stainless steel appliances. The surrounding clerestory windows usher in the light.

Bar Fausto // 30th & Larimer

The Source // Brighton Blvd

The Treehouse, also part of the Post Ranch Inn, features Cor-ten panels.

There are generously proportioned nine-foot-high ceilings throughout the Desert House. Marmol Radziner designed and built the outdoor table and benches from reclaimed Douglas fir.

With its dramatic facade, the Cornwall House, located in Cornwall, Vermont, is adjacent to the town of Middlebury, Vermont, home to Middlebury College, where John McLeod is a visiting professor of architecture.

When the Casali family gave Michael Krus and Prishram Jain of TACT Architecture free rein to work with unconventional materials, the architects responded by creating a geometric 4,300-square-foot smart home encased in aluminum panels by Agway Metals. The front facade features Cor-Ten steel fabricated by Praxy Cladding.

With input from her clients, Barensfeld used a computer to generate the circular patterns that were carved into a pair of Cor-Ten steel screens with a water-jet cutter. The perforations allow light and the green of the surrounding Koi bamboo to filter into the space while preserving privacy.

The woven wire steel mesh presents a semi-transparent sheath to the interiors.

The woven wire steel mesh used to cloak Xeros’s east façade stands in stark contrast to Phoenix’s blue sky and the palo brea planted along the street.

Norman Millar and Judith Sheine designed the built-ins in the living-dining area, which were made from vertical-grain Douglas fir. Vintage Dutch industrial chairs are arranged around a black walnut dining table that, like the madrone coffee table, is by Urban Hardwoods.

The geometric front facade of the home is made of Cor-Ten steel, segregated into eight vertical panels. Juxtaposed with its lush natural environment, the front elevation is a minimal and abstract counterpoint to its surroundings. An exterior pool meets the facade at its base.

The second floor deck leads into an inviting living room. Throughout the home, green features are employed to achieve near-Passivhaus energy standards. Triple glazed Kneer-Südfenster windows are strong insulators, and polished concrete floors absorb and retain solar energy.

Wrapped in a folded Cor-ten steel curtain, the Walnut Residence has an unforgettable exterior that creates even more surprises indoors. Monti adds that much of the programming had to be pushed toward the front of the home to make room for the tree’s large canopy.

Showcasing his mastery of light, Monti designed these Cor-ten curtains to modulate the light that enters the home, creating a dappled effect all throughout the house. “Light is such a great resource in California and architects tend to lose that when they look into a space,” says Monti. Not one to waste any resource, Monti also re-purposed the circular cutouts into a staircase balustrade that adds an artistic element to the home.

Like the exterior, the open-plan living area combines reclaimed materials, including the pre-existing black walnut floors.