A See-Through Shell Gives This Tiny Cabin Endless Views of Woods and Sky

It was the condors that did it. Gloria Montalva, a salon owner from Santiago, wasn’t necessarily looking for a sign during her second visit to La Invernada, a reserve in the foothills of central Chile. She’d already decided to buy property in this dense forest, located some 150 miles south of the capital. However, when she spotted a pair of condors at the summit of Cerro Pelado, Gloria knew there was no turning back. "It may sound clichéd, but I’m super mystical," she says. "I’m also impulsive—by my third visit I had signed the papers for the purchase."