The exterior was sealed through shou sugi ban, an environmentally friendly fireproofing practice common in Japanese architecture. The black exterior seems to disappear into the evergreens from one angle, and pops against the white snow from another.
Nestled among a ring of trees, the 1960 residence offers ample privacy. In addition, a wide deck wraps around the entire exterior, allowing plenty of space to enjoy the natural setting.
Mary and Kundan Bhullar built a shipshape country escape that sits lightly on the land in the Aravalli hills near Gurgaon, India.
The builders created new, more expansive decks for the cabin and employed larger windows from Marvin.
The organic placement of the windows echoes the knots on the trunks of the surrounding trees.
Perched just above the edge of the Narrows, the house is an ideal place to live surrounded by the wild beauty of Ketchikan.
Curtis completely overhauled the shelving, changing the shapes of the niches and covering them in micro-cement.
The 1969 summer house needed a gut remodel—so Carisa Salerno and Aaron Levin rebuilt it piece by piece: “In the end, we feel like we built a sculpture, not a house.”
A detached garage and guesthouse/studio creates a buffer between a busy street and the rest of the property, which includes the main house as well as a pool, sauna, and pond, so that life in the residence can feel more private and secluded.
Excavating the site and setting the home into the cliff allowed the architects to create an entrance that doubles as a sunny central courtyard where the kids can play outside while still protected from stiff southerly gusts.
The custom retreats embrace sustainability in a grove of mature pine trees.
Almost every room in the extension has direct access to the outside so the relationship with the grounds is immediate. In addition, carefully considered windows frame views of the surrounding landscape—especially the large window facing the valley in the first-floor living space. “It’s incredibly joyful to see how the views, smells, and emotion of being in the extension changes throughout the different seasons,” says architect Je Ahn. “It’s very tranquil and a retreat in the true sense of the word.”
The kitchen doors allow for a connection to the balcony garden while cooking, an aspect that the architect believes is often overlooked. “The light-filled living areas bring the outside in, with the kitchen garden bed creating a feeling of being in the garden whilst cooking and preparing meals,” say the clients.
Sitting lightly above the eelgrass, this tiny dwelling serves as a port of entry for a family getaway on the Salish Sea.
The entire home is wrapped in pine tongue-and-groove, which matches the original finish on the ceiling.
Uruguay’s beach towns dot the Atlantic coast northeast of the capital, Montevideo, becoming less crowded and developed the farther up you go. The second floor of Sticotti’s house floats above its neighbors to take in views of the ocean a couple of blocks away. It’s capped by a roof deck that the architect says is “great for watching fireworks.”
Green roofs are aesthetically pleasing and have multiple positive environmental benefits, even if they are small in terms of square footage. Here, a green roof blooms atop the detached garage of a home.
Architect Mary Ann Schicketanz created a 1,900-square-foot home in Big Sur, California, that hugs its hillside site.
Upon relocating to the Methow Valley, a family finds their compact cabin to be a little too cozy—so they roll up their sleeves and break ground.
The green roof, wood cladding, and low profile help to integrate the home with its lush, natural surroundings.
Bowick says the shingles were at first a golden honey hue. “As it patinated, they became this beautiful silver-gray. It’s similar to the decks and railings, which are hemlock. They also have a nice patina,” he says.
Since moving in three years ago, the family has adapted to the smaller size of the home, especially as the children have become teenagers. “There's a shed outside that was for our gardening tools and surf boards and stuff, and we've just converted that into a living room for them,” says Maclean.
Clad in cypress and charged with color, the North Fork getaway of author Julie Satow and editor Stuart Elliott is something to write home about.
An Eilersen Chess sofa anchors the living space.
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