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Barache describes the metal roof as essentially a deformed plane, placing an apple beneath a sheet of paper to demonstrate his point. He chose zinc for its malleability and the high level of the craftspeople who work with it.

Bo Bardi designed the Tripé, or Tripod, armchair, around 1948. Made of painted tubular metal and hand-stitched leather and possessing the same design principles as the hammock, several examples existed throughout the Glass House.

Arguably the most prominent feature of the property is the wall of Jerusalem stone. Look closely and you will find that each stone is numbered, making construction much easier. A steel staircase floats up from the ground floor to the first floor. It was designed as a contemporary accent to the historic charm of the hotel’s stone structure and aesthetic. This theme of merging new and old, and modern comforts and timeless design, flows throughout the hotel.

Chemosphere 7776 Torreyson Drive, Los Angeles Cantilevered over the edge of a steep slope in the Hollywood Hills, John Lautner's 1960 creation has been compared to a flying saucer. The eight-sided house is supported by a concrete column, one of several ambitious technical decisions Lautner used to create this spectacular home. Photography by Darren Bradley

Magenta is one of Grunbaum’s favorite colors, so he picked out a magenta Tufty-Time couch by B&B Italia and added a hot pink powder-coated faucet by Vola for the downstairs bath.

The stairwell of this Melbourne house by LLDS looks like it could be inside the Goethenaum.

In addition to featuring shou sugi ban cladding, the home's exterior utilizes charred spotted gum timber that harmonizes with the spotted gum timbers used on all decks and trims.

In the evening, the house looks like a lantern. Originally, the homeowners planned to paint the house a light color. “Bassel encouraged us to go bold,” says Ming. “The contrast at night is more intense.” The exterior is painted in Calico Blue from Benjamin Moore, which is a dark green.

A wall of built-in shelving runs the length of the space, providing ample room for the residents' book collection.

Since spending time in the great outdoors may not be accessible, cultivate your own green spaces at home—whether that be a balcony or your backyard. Check out our guides for propagating houseplants, starting vegetable seeds indoors, or tackling your own victory garden.

A courtyard creates visual separation between the main house and the addition.

Cultivating a garden not only helps you and your family live a greener lifestyle, but also saves on grocery bills, too. Start a fruit and vegetable patch in your backyard or roof terrace; and if you live in an apartment with limited outdoor space, try growing herbs and even vegetables inside.

Gently graded steps covered in pine needles wander through the home’s L-shaped garden, designed by landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh. A

A section of the facade—a cross between a shoji screen and a barn door—slides open. Planter boxes contain edible varieties that fuel Mary’s culinary explorations.

A variety of drought-tolerant plants cascade down a 10-foot-wide vertical garden wall near the entrance to the property.

Just up a ladder is the green roof, which is planted with maintenance-free sedums and tall grasses near the patio that Monkman tends carefully.

Hutchins and Montague worked with Samuel H. Williamson Associates Landscape Architecture on the garden, which is planted with sword ferns, vine maple, and wild ginger. “When we look at it from the bedroom, it’s our private little forest,” Montague says.

Stepstone's narrow concrete pavers add a graphic touch to the garden in the Mill Valley home of Dwell founder Lara Hedberg Deam and architect Chris Deam. Photo by Dustin Aksland.

Architectural designer Sebastian Mariscal and project manager Jeff Svitak created a house in Venice, California, for Michael and Tamami Sylvester. Known as Dwell Home Venice for its role as an exemplification of modern architecture, the house is an homage to indoor-outdoor living. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

Near the house, Cooper clustered lush, big-leafed plants philodendron, purple heart, and flowering canna. Farther out, vegetable gardens sprout in raised beds, and thyme and mint thrive beneath citrus trees. Native California silver wild rye and matilija poppies bind the slope, bordering the low “snake wall” that winds around the yard, narrowly ducking beneath a big ficus tree with just enough clearance for a sprinting kid. Wide stadium steps connect the garden levels, turning the steep hillside into amphitheater seating.

At over 500 square feet, the house’s green roof may be its most powerful—and most expensive—environmental statement. It cost $8,000 to waterproof, and $7,000 to landscape. Water from the roof feeds the toilet and the garden’s watering system, and the garden itself insulates the house and keeps gas bills low in winter. Photo by Nic Granleese.

“Many people said ‘you’re crazy,’ because it’s a circular house,” says homeowner Sergio Goyri. “But in the end, we just love how easy it is to go from one place to the other and how we communicate. Every room is integrated, and that’s what we were looking for for a weekend family house."

Dellekamp + Schleich built this C-shaped weekend getaway in Valle de Bravo with a central courtyard that prioritizes play.

Upon his first visit to Tasmania, an island south of the Australian mainland, resident David Burns was immediately smitten with its varied, pristine landscape. Working with architecture firm Misho+Associates, he built a self-sustaining, 818-square-foot retreat that would allow him to completely unplug from urban life.

After: Kelly uses her office less, but the cabinet hides one element that's used every single day: a foldout ironing board, a necessity for the couple who founded the gender-defying fashion brand Kirrin Finch.

After: The front room on the top floor was split into two offices, near mirror images of each other.

After: The stacked tiles were one of the most challenging parts of the renovation, as the design leaves no room for error. The tiles need to be exactly the same size to achieve the look.

After: Situated under a new skylight, the tub setup is Anderson's favorite part of the space. "You can be in the tub at night, with just the wall lights on, and look up at the night sky,

After: Double showerheads were a must-have, as was a large soaking tub. The vermillion wall sconces from RBW playfully contrast the neutral color scheme.