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An opening in a Cor-Ten steel—clad wall on the terrace frames the Paola Lenti chaise longue.

In the master bathroom, a tub and sink from ADM join Cifial fixtures.

Building with Cor-Ten steel—weathering steel's nom de plume—is a bit like watching a painting slowly come to life over time. Exposure to the elements adds textured hues of red and orange to the material until it steps into a character completely its own. From the Dwell archive, we bring you nine Cor-Ten steel homes with facades that will continue to shift through shades of ochre, amber, rust, and sienna.

A charcoal triptych by Gina Jacupke hangs above the Living Divani bed in the master suite.

Overlooking the double-height living/dining area is the mezzanine level, where the master suite and office are located.

In the kitchen, bar stools by Living Divani pull up to an island with Bretonstone countertops; the faucet is by Blanco.

Located in Orinda, California, a three-bedroom house by architect Greg Faulkner took its first aesthetic cue from a large oak tree on the site. Cor-Ten steel panels clad the exterior, while white oak offers a material counterpoint on the interior. A 12-foot-wide sliding pocket wall opens the living/dining area to a terrace with a Wave Chaise longue by Paola Lenti. The landscape design is by Thuilot Associates.

Clients can choose a variety of finishes, coatings, and layouts. Each SysHaus home is built with smart, durable materials, and all projects come with a 20-year factory warranty.

Made of 100-percent recyclable materials and equipped with smart home technology, this prefab known as SysHaus is a new model by a Brazilian construction and engineering start-up.

Cho’s recently completed vacation retreat, the Concrete Box House, was inspired by the use of raw materials. Cho decided on grape vines as an unusual landscape element.

Wood from the property’s felled trees was incorporated into every room in the 3,000-square-foot house.

One of the most significant of Mies' works, the Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois, was built between 1945 and 1951 for Dr. Edith Farnsworth as a weekend retreat. The home embraces his concept of a strong connection between structure and nature, and may be the fullest expression of his modernist ideals.

Wheelhaus founder and CEO Jamie Mackay creates prefabs with the same quality and durability of the log cabins he grew up with, while also incorporating his values of green production and modern design. Although it takes about four months to construct his prefabricated properties, it takes about a week for the home to be delivered, and then three to five days for the house to be set up on site.

Anna Hoover, founder of the non-profit First Light Alaska, sought a "thought refuge, a room with a view to sit and contemplate future projects and reflect on recent travels and interactions, plenty of ‘headspace’—tall ceilings—and the ability to host other artists for studio time," she says. A longtime resident of the Pacific Northwest, Hoover was familiar with the work of Olson Kundig and contacted the Seattle-based firm to design her abode.

Cabin at Longbranch | Olson Kundig

Interior spaces appear to flow seamlessly to the outside as materials continue from inside to out through invisible sheets of glass.

Simple, readily available materials were used throughout: wood-framed walls are sheathed in plywood or recycled boards, and doubled pairs of steel columns support beams that in turn support exposed roof structures.