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To the left, the home's main entrance is nestled underneath the sloping roof. Views of the river from a large terrace reference the expansive perspective from a ship's upper deck.

Lake Poisson Blanc, some three hours from Montréal and 90 minutes from the Mont Ste. Marie ski resort, is the remote backdrop for Naturehumaine Architects’ compact and monochrome cabin embedded on a slope, a meditation on white.

The architects say that the mirrored finish hasn't caused any problems with the local wildlife.

The home’s geometric silhouette echoes the classic typology of the region’s gable roof barns. “We took our inspiration from this vernacular architecture and re-interpreted it with a contemporary twist,” Dworkind says.

Located in California’s Sugar Bowl neighborhood, this shadowy lair by Mork-Ulnes Architects looks like something out of fairy tale. "We call the house Troll Hus, with a reference to the otherworldly beings in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore that are said to dwell in remote mountains," architect Casper Mork-Ulnes says.

The cabin’s concept was simple: To create a cabin that is small and sparse yet spatially rich. The 55-square-meter (592-square-foot) cabin, commissioned by a private client and completed in 2016, comprises a large living room, bedroom, ski room, and small annex with a utility room. It functions off the water and electricity grids.

The cabin is available to rent all year long, and only accessible by foot, skis, and snowshoes. Transport carts or sleds are available to bring in gear.

L'Abri reinterprets the legendary A-frame to create a secluded shelter just north of Ottawa, Canada.

Depending on the time of year, Aska can serve as an idyllic setting to enjoy the Northern Lights.

Planning regulations required a gable roof, which the architects split into four shed roofs carefully designed to respond to heavy snow shed and meet spatial and aesthetic wishes.

A tiny outbuilding offers a cozy living space inside a simple shell.

Composed of overlapping cubes of different sizes, the Gjøvik house by Danish firm Norm Architects gracefully embraces its hillside terrain—naturally blending in with its stunning surroundings near Mjøsa Lake an hour north of Oslo.

Building the addition upward instead of outward allowed for more space and better views without excavating across the hilltop.

Sitting on a plateau over the rolling landscape of rural Quebec, the residence comprises three joined, gable roof structures, each oriented differently. It takes inspiration from the local farmhouses and barns of the area, whose steep rooflines help shed snow in the winter, and whose wood-clad facades traditionally used lumber from local trees.

Named House With Gable, the 1,680-square-foot home has been beautifully designed by Austria–based studio mia2/ARCHITEKTUR. Constructed predominantly with native timber, a concrete foundation, and expansive glass windows, the modern dwelling also features a massive, eye-catching gable roof.

Architect Robert Swinburne deploys a collaborative building approach and hyperlocal materials to craft a Passive House–certified home that celebrates the land it’s built on.

“It takes a particular type of person to want to live here because it is slightly isolated from the city,” says Anna. “But that also invites a lot of creative possibilities.”