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The deck, fashioned from ipe, was built around one of the property’s many granite outcroppings. An earthen roof was planted with the same varieties of sedum that were added to the front of the cottage.

The double-height wall of windows in the living room looks out on the property and was a big draw on their first walk-through.

The original home was converted into a bedroom level, and given a second-story addition and roof deck. The dark exterior color, a charcoal-eggplant hue, lets the landscape colors stand out in contrast. “The existing house roof became the roof deck,” says Rogers. “And then I just shifted over the addition so that it floated over the landscape.”

Erica and her mom enjoy cooking together, and this kitchen makes that easy to do so, with an expanded footprint, leathered quartzite counters, and custom white oak cabinetry. Shoe storage was built-in by the exterior door, with a slim cupboard for cleaning supplies.

A closer look at the renovated kitchen, which features a large picture window and a beloved chandelier that once hung in the couple's first Berlin apartment.

The multiple double-glazed apertures of the addition situates the kitchen in close connection to the backyard garden.

"It is something that seems at home in the forest, but at the same time, it’s strikingly strange,” notes Kivi.

Designed by Atelier Lina Bellovicova, House LO marks the country’s first residential project to use hempcrete, a sustainable and fire-and-mold-resistant materil.

To turn a home into a permanent residence for a family of four, Rama Estudio attached a prefab glass-and-steel box that extends into the surrounding wilderness.

Lauren and Brittan Ellingson, the owners of Notice Snowboards, a custom snowboard and wakesurf company in Whitefish, Montana, approached Workaday Design and builder Mindful Designs to concoct a new lake home for their family. The brief was, perhaps unsurprisingly, focused on getting the family outdoors as much as possible.

The front garden area is terraced with custom Cor-Ten steel retaining walls with an oxidized patina. The plantings are inspired by the couple’s love for Palm Springs.

DeNiord designed a simple concrete bench with a honed top to run parallel to the randomly sized concrete pads that lead to the covered entry. He planted blueberry bushes behind the bench and a river birch tree behind the boulder. To conjure a wabi-sabi feel outdoors, diNiord poured concrete around a boulder. “It represents the interruption of perfect geometry,” he says.

“Metaphorically, the cabin’s exterior is like a cut log,” Lane says. “The black-stained Western red cedar is the bark, and the Douglas fir siding under cover is the exposed wood once the log has been cut.” Beyond the house and native sod gardens, a meadowscape blends into the mature pine forest at the lakefront. “We wanted a woodland garden quality,” landscape architect Soren deNiord says.

Arcadia windows and doors with bronze finishes help achieve the homeowners' goal of indoor/outdoor living.

Elina and Otto paired their Iniö model with a sauna from Pluspuu and an adjacent hot tub that sit just down a path beyond the home. In winter months, guests can skinny dip before warming up again.

The flooring switches from warm, engineered white oak in the living room to concrete in the kitchen to make cleaning a breeze.

Linda Taalman and Alan Koch built a home by Joshua Tree National Park, where temperatures can span from 32 degrees to over 100. The two opted for a glass enclosure with raw industrial style and green design that allowed them to live lightly on the land. iT House has floor-to-ceiling windows to take in the landscape, a suspended fireplace by Fire Orb for cold nights, and an abundance of spaces that open up to the outdoors.

The volumes that contain the living room and a guest bedroom were designed with roof terraces, and green roofs cover four of the other volumes.

The green roof, wood cladding, and low profile help to integrate the home with its lush, natural surroundings.