Exterior spaces

Seattle firm Wittman Estes designed this compact cabin floating above a meadow on Whidbey Island.

For more than 70 years, claims have persisted, without much evidence, that a home in Portland, Oregon, is a lost work by Frank Lloyd Wright. Regardless of authorship, the structure—a flat-roofed, cedar and glass ranch—endures as a sterling example of postwar American architecture. Its recessed entryway features panes of translucent glass.

The home nestles comfortably into its surroundings, rather than feeling perched awkwardly atop the sloped landscape.

The architects design for the backyard showcases an outdoor deck, bleacher seating, a lush grass area, and a deck with seating and a fire pit.

The rebuilt “Idea House,” designed by Holly Freres and David Horning of JHL design. The driveway is permeable to encourage good drainage: crushed granite gravel is installed over a stabilization mat. James Hardie exterior siding is painted in Benjamin Moore ‘White Dove,’ with reclaimed wood used for the entry and garage.

The yard includes a custom outdoor shower and enclosed dressing room.

It wouldn't be Fire Island without taking the party outside, and this house's side yard is a small oasis unto itself.

The prefab's footprint was kept small to better highlight its surroundings. The covered balcony was envisioned as a transitional space between the cabin's interior and the nature it wants you to explore.

The house was designed to minimally interfere with the hilltop vegetation, which is what attracted the family to the site.

The rock outcropping in the backyard of this house in Victoria, British Columbia influenced the design scheme of the home's addition. To visually integrate the form, architect Bruce Greenway took shorn-off pieces of rock and constructed a curving wall that extends into the house.

This Toronto workspace designed by architect Anya Moryoussef features an 18-foot-long built-in floating desk with integrated storage.