House

Bathroom

It is all very mindful. “We proceeded with a philosophy and a vision,” says Chamberlin. “All of us understood that the poetry of what you look at is very important.”

Exterior walls are clad in an sealed, unpainted western red cedar to mirror the colors of the site’s tawny meadows. As the wood ages naturally, it appears as though it emerged organically from the earth.

After entering through the front door, visitors pass over the large koi pond on a cast-concrete footbridge chiseled to look like stone.

Bookshelves add extra utility to the undulating staircase in Tokyo's 921-square-foot Coil house. The space was designed by architect Akihisa Hirata for Sakura and Ryo Sugiura, a young couple with two children.

In line with the family’s active lifestyle, the kitchen is also situated outside; to the south of it, a screened-in area of the porch, clad in ipe and black fiberglass mesh, serves as the impromptu dining area. The table and chairs are from Black’s Farmwood, and the ceiling fan is by Fanimation.

The property is divided into zones, including a shade garden with a meandering path of staggered concrete pavers flanked by bamboo. As this area is sloped, the designers created a swale effect with permeable river rocks on one side.

Landscape architects Reed Hilderbrand helped fill out the completed prefab by planting sedge grass on one of the house’s two green roofs to reflect the texture of the surrounding meadow.

The couple, both surfers and beach lovers, wake up to stunning views of the azure-blue Southern Ocean in their otherwise monochromatic eucalyptus master bedroom. Wardle's firm designed the bed base, and the panel in the ceiling hides a television.

"I went on my first trip to Norway in 1996," Schluchtmann says. "The landscape and the light left such a strong impression on me that I decided to give up my law studies and to go to Berlin to become a photographer."

Neighbors can tell the Holm-Kiehls are at home when their boat is tied at the dock and their Japanese koi kite flies over the front door.

#alpinemodern #design #lifestyle #modern #elevatedliving #quiestdesign #refugeinconcrete #concrete Photo courtesy of Gaudenz Danuser

Helsinki architect Ville Hara and designer Linda Bergroth collaborated on a prefab shed-meets-sleeping cabin, which can be assembled with little else than a screwdriver. Bergroth, inspired by nomadic yurt dwellers, wanted an indoor/outdoor experience for her property in Finland.

Click here to read more about Linda Bergroth's prefabricated summer retreat in Finland.