MICHAEL PALMORE

An Englander wood-burning stove warms the living room, and the two round windows were inspired by architect Paolo Soleri’s Arcosanti, which the couple visited on a cross-country van trip.

With nods to both Maine vernacular and contemporary forms and materials, the home is clad in cedar boards and capped with steeply pitched roofs to dispatch snow and water.

“I’ve been really surprised at how well-designed space can positively make you feel,” Wayne says. “My productivity levels have shot through the roof.”

“For me, architecture is pragmatic yet joyful,” Andrew says. “The entrance cut away allows for a deep cantilevering overhang that gives shelter when it's raining, and the 1400mm-wide pivot door is pure theatrics.”

Annemie Lathouwers grew up in a forested enclave on the outskirts of Antwerp, Belgium. A nature preserve filled with stately pines, the area lured her back when she and her husband, David D’Hulst, began thinking about trading their house in the city for greener surroundings.

In Melbourne, Australia, a smart addition transforms a backyard shed into a guest suite for visiting parents, while wrapping the two living volumes around a central courtyard. The minimalist kitchen, although decidedly modern, offers a subtle reference to the "retro suburbia

This single-family residence in Bloomfield, Michigan, known as the Treehaus, embodies the iconic style of midcentury modernism. Thanks to a thoughtful renovation, this rare dwelling has been restored to its original state of refined elegance.

The team painted the exterior brick after patching it in places, like the section left by the removal of the door. “We could find the exact texture of brick, that classic Roman running bond, but we could not find it in the right color,” says architect Kailin Gregga. Painting the entire exterior unifies the façade. Rich Brilliant Willing “Hoist” sconces in Black was also added.

The family home that residents Tyler Lepore, Lisa Giroday, builders Hanson Land & Sea, and September Architecture devised in the Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, is wrapped with cedar and brick, tying to its wooded surround, which is only a four-minute walk to the ocean. "The house feels like it's part of the setting,

Inspired by the Ice Age rock formations found throughout the region, the Meteorite, so named for obvious reasons, is a faceted dwelling designed by Kivi and Tuuli Sotamaa, the brother-and-sister team behind Ateljé Sotamaa.

Sitting eight feet off the ground, Erica and Eduardo Heidenreich’s island retreat in the Paraná River delta, north of Buenos Aires, is built to withstand the remote wetland’s periodic flooding.

A classic Big Easy house with a fanciful facade renovated by Adamick Architecture.

Perched below the Griffith Observatory and overlooking Hollywood is a lush lot crowned with four towering olive trees and a 1965 home designed by modernist architect Craig Ellwood. When a young couple purchased the home in 2018, it needed substantial work. For a historic restoration, they called on Woods + Dangaran, a local firm fluent in modernist history. The team completed a meticulous restoration of the home while keeping original components like the linear shape, open plan, and expansive windows. One of the most striking features is the original koi pond (a feature deemed so essential that its preservation was a condition of escrow) that is now crossed via a bridge that leads to a new lap pool—perhaps the biggest intervention on the property.

The dining table is generally positioned like a desk at a picture window, but can also be rotated to seat a dinner party. The clients' top-shelf of whiskey takes pride of place on the open shelving above the doorway.

In addition to a private terrace, the apartment also comes with access to the rooftop deck.

The home is clad in corrugated iron coated with Zincalume. “We chose the cladding so we could curve the metal sheets and create barrel vaulted roofs,” says architect William Samuels. “The finish gives a natural reflection to the surface of the house, picking up on the colors of the surrounding bush and the changing daylight.”

Perched high above a ravine in rural Virginia, Riverledge is an early showcase of the panelized building system pioneered by architect Charlie Lazor.

In 2014, Jeff and Karen Gunning began researching building another house, hoping to create a single, contained volume without compromising their retirement funds. The resulting Tree House comprises three pitched volumes with cutaways to create a porch in phase one and recessed window planter ledges in phase two. Simple wood columns provide support.

“MA03 Library House was designed to meet the requirements of a ceramicist and a lawyer in need of a home capable of holding their extensive book collection as well as providing them with spaces for work and creative activity,” say Fria Folket, the architect behind this cabin in Sweden.

The sod roof is angled to create a sweeping elevation on approach and is planted with grass tussocks cut from the hillside during construction. “The tussocks camouflage the house, melting it into the landscape,” explains architect Kate Brown.

Perched in the hills above Silver Lake, the Lee Residence is the personal home of the founding principals of leeMundwiler Architects.

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 design team retained the old supports, which now frame the kitchen. Jessica picked DeVol cabinets and systems for their traditional-meets-streamlined style.

Writer Penny Craswell explores the potential of secondhand and upcycled materials to craft new homes.

Mike and Bryce planted dripping Algerian ivy to hang suspended against the raw concrete for a touch of greenery. "I always had a vision of growing plants on the facade,

The café’s polished concrete floors are ground down to “expose some of the aggregate,” Mike says. Vintage leather chairs balance a custom banquette, upholstered in a forest-green wool felt by Kravet.

“We definitely wanted to preserve the character of the home and make sure that it always fits the neighborhood,” says designer Jenny Bassett. To that end, the team kept the front façade intact, only repainting and adding new landscaping. The fireplace in the living room was also retained, so wood is stored in the front yard for easy access.

Spotted gum slats screen the interior from the street, while allowing light to pass through and occupants to look out. “The vertical battens mimic the rhythm of the trees. A sharp-edged roof accent highlights the sensibility to the rock below, and draws the eye up to the tree canopy, [both] internally and externally,” says Litera.

The dreamy rooftop looks out over Noe Valley. Built-in redwood benches surround a concrete fire pit; the bluestone pavers are part of a Bison deck system. An oversize, barrel-like teak hot tub from Roberts Hot Tubs allows for a soak in the garden-like setting, which features plants selected and installed by Danielle Coulter of Collecting Flowers.

The punchy-colored base of the kitchen work table is a note of contrast against the predominant green accents. The table was custom-designed by Mariana de Delás & 2Monos Studio.

Completed in 2018 on a 2.6-acre site in the San Juan Islands, the two-bedroom modular home was installed in a day.