Dream House

Jody’s favorite spot is outside on the deck. “I spend most of my time there. We’ve got two braais, and I braai just about every night,” he says, using the Afrikaans word for barbecue. “It’s not about the food for me,” he adds, “It’s about standing around the fire.” The platform sofas were designed by Scott, the dining table is by James Mudge Furniture Studio, and the Hee lounge and dining chairs are by Hay.

Landscape designer Kenneth Philip worked with mwworks to fill in the forested setting.

The west-facing outdoor patio is protected by deep roof overhangs lined with southern yellow pine.

Floor-to-ceiling windows span the entire width of the living room, illuminating the space with natural light. A sliding door provides access to the wraparound porch and pool in the backyard.

Off-Grid Guesthouse by Anacapa Architecture

Cantilevered out over the hillside the residence, which also serves as the couple's primary residence, is threaded between the trees, anchored by its concrete foundation which stops just short of the tree’s roots.

Nicknamed the "lake of a thousand colors" for its brilliant coloration, Kalamalka Lake was a driving inspiration behind the home’s redesign. In a playful nod to the lengthy renovation process, the remodeled house, which now embraces views of the lake, has also been dubbed the "house of a thousand alterations."

When artist Birgitta Burling and her husband Staffan decided to build a house on the idyllic Swedish island of Gotland, they set their ambitions high. "The brief was to make a house that can do several things…to create a house with very little boundaries and infinite possibilities," says French architecture and landscape firm Collectif Encore.

Large sliding glass doors open onto a backyard retreat complete with a fire pit and swimming pool.

Artworks from James Makin Gallery in Collingwood, Victoria help create impactful interiors.

The front facade is an unassuming composition of dark-painted timber and privacy screening. "We thought about the idea of the house being like a quiet shadow in the foreground of the reserve," says the firm.

With post-and-beam construction, a thin roof profile, and an open floor plan that facilitates an interplay between the interior and exterior, the Dwell Prefab Palm Springs by Turkel Design bears all the signatures of the architecture firm. The show home is its first in California, which allowed Turkel and his team to put extra emphasis on indoor/outdoor living.

Because the area lacks distinctive natural features, House 3000 has quickly become a landmark that helps orientate visitors to the site.

Working with a sumptuous material palette, Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects designed a sprawling new residence in Palo Alto for Mark and Laura Pine. The teak wood and handmade Danish bricks that define the exterior are used inside as well; distressed stainless steel panels by Chris French Metal sheathe one side of the upper volume. Blasen Landscape Architecture chose Peruvian feather grass to flank the entrance walkway.