Architecture & Design

A closer look at the dining area, which sits just steps away from the kitchen and living room. Floor-to-ceiling sliding doors provide direct access to the covered patio space and backyard.

Bright and airy, the main living areas rest under the dynamic A-frame roof, which is gracefully split open by expansive clerestory windows. Stacked red brick intersect with exposed beams.

At the Institut Mines-Télécom in Paris, France, rhythmic baffles allow light to pour through large windows and into the concrete structure.

Project Name: Tind House

The open-plan living space is filled with natural light from the atrium and a full-height glass wall.

The home displays several applications of the same materials—metal, glass, and concrete—a key characteristic of most Ellwood homes.

The home’s front facade is wrapped with translucent glass panels.

Re-Open House by Matt Fajkus Architecture | Photo by Charles Davis Smith

When Austin-based firm Matt Fajkus Architecture was tasked with renovating this classic midcentury home, they sought to open up the interior—not only by unifying the common areas into an open-plan layout, but also by literally raising the home's roof. This strategy increased the ceiling height on three sides of the home, allowing for the insertion of clerestory windows to create a bright and airy open living space. "The raised ceiling maintains the original pitched roof geometry to stay harmonious with the existing gabled roof in the private zone," explain the architects in a statement.

Nestled within Verholy Relax Park in Sosnivka, Ukraine, these contemporary guest cottages by YOD Design Lab offer a sense of solitude and a meaningful outdoor connection. Highly reflective windows mirror the forest, while an outdoor terrace wraps around each cottage. Inside, interiors are swathed in organic hues and materials to allow the views to be the focal point—each dwelling is arranged so that windows peer at pines rather than another building. The houses are even installed on geo-screens to save the root systems of the surrounding trees in the forest, to prevent them from being cut down.

Named Los Terrenos, meaning The Terrains, this retreat in Monterrey, Mexico, was designed by Mexico City–based architect Tatiana Bilbao to reflect the lush woodland hillside it sits on. The dwelling consists of two volumes made of rammed earth, terracotta clay bricks, and a facade clad in mirrored glass.

Dark timber cladding gives way to airy interiors at this compact holiday home near the Lakes of Vinkeveen in the Netherlands.

A clerestory harnesses natural light for the bath.

In a corner of the living room, where concrete floors provide a minimalist aesthetic, a trio of pendants designed by Frederik Roije suspend near a Gispen 412 armchair and a glass side table, also designed by Frederik Roije.

A grand, granite stair leads up the stone plinth and to the pavilions. The day pavilion has glazed walls, while the night pavilion has granite walls.

The house is part of a working agrarian landscape, with its three distinct volumes—day pavilion, night pavilion, and shed—inspired by the local vernacular architecture.

The 16-foot fireplace is crafted from local granite and features a five-ton, live-edge mantle stone that carries the marks of its making.

The traditional forms of Smith House are inspired by the local vernacular buildings but made modern through their cladding, fenestration, and minimalist detailing.

The mirrored structures are inserted into the landscape