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This funky New Mexico earthship home is powered by the sun and embedded in the land with curvaceous walls and lots of gardening space—inside and out.

The rusting steel is an important part of the house’s patina, Campbell says. “We appreciate materials in the raw,” he adds. “The tables aren’t stained; the steel isn’t painted. The materials are what they are.”

The main living area.

While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”

Robert Harvey Oschatz describes himself as an "organic architect,

A structure built in a Polish ROD cannot be permanent, nor can it exceed 375 square feet.

A crackling fireplace—faux, as well—is the centerpice of the living room,

They essentially pulled nature over the top of the structure like a blanket. The inside curve of the structure became a round, planted patio, with the front door tucked to the side. And the landscaping extended up and over the sloping southern side of the structure to turn the whole home into a kind of hill. There’s a walkway up the side of the house, to a patio on the roof of the house, with expansive views out across the flat Pampas grasslands.

In Joshua Tree, Tyler Quinn built a tub—which looks like a mirage you’d stumble upon while wandering the landscape—right into the bed rock next to his off-grid house (and very first build). “I accomplished this with a concrete saw, with my cuts about four to six inches deep. I would then remove the entire layer of granite with hand tools; chisels and hammer,” says Quinn.

Architect Ray Kappe made a name for himself as an LA modernist, designing over 100 private residencies.

A side table in the style of Mid-Century designer A

The brass backsplash was a risky experiment carried off by Natalie, who started with unlacquered 4x8 foot sheets, then gave them patina by covering them in vinegar, ketchup, and salt, and leaving them out in the sun. The resulting pattern was aligned as carefully as possible, and the surface sealed. “We just had to essentially cut the topography into a way that felt really great,” says Natalie.

The kitchen is composed of stainless steel, from the cabinetry fabricated by Barcelona company Timblau, to the counters and backsplash, the latter given a mirror polish for contrast to the former’s patina on the surfaces. The boxes were brought in on a crane and then the group put them together in place. “The kitchen shouldn't be a closed dirty area of the house,” says Jon. “But [rather] the heart.” Fitting, as social life in the Basque culture revolves around eating together.

Integrated storage custom crafted with walnut lends warmth and texture to the water vapor fireplace and stark white fire surround.

One of the homeowner’s daughters, Julia, works at Unique Art Glass, a multi-generational stained glass company owned by her boyfriend’s family. The couple designed two windows for the house, including this one in the dining area.

Step by step, Georgina “Geo” Giner Gallardo and Zoe Barceló Vicedo converted a Lanzarote farm into a place to live, work, and surf.

We felt more freedom then to make the kitchen fit but do it the way we needed to do it with a lot of comfort.

Arranged in a U shape around a small olive grove, each of the Villa's three wings has a separate entrance.

The kitchen's initial finishes are still intact, acting as a time capsule to the home's construction and design.

A highlight of the overhaul is the floor-to-ceiling glass on the north side, which includes a five-panel bifold door. The door opens to the couple’s favorite area of the house, the backyard. The deck is shaded by the cantilevered roof, and Ren planted drought-resistant brush amid the existing oak trees.

A Pastille Collection sofa by Hlynur Atlason joins a Tricolor LC4 Chaise Lounge by Cassina, both from DWR. The black marble-and-rebar coffee table is from Hay. Next to the staircase is a 19th-century Japanese samurai suit of armor. A Noguchi Akari pendant hangs from the 14-foot ceiling.