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A small side patio offers an un-hindered view of open forest.

An edgeless pool creates a smooth glass-like effect, reflecting the thickly forested surroundings.

Using prefabricated materials for the exterior allowed Koehler and his team to drastically reduce building time during the construction phase. Cross-laminated timber panels (CLT), laser cut in the factory and assembled at the site within two weeks, add structure and aesthetic interest to the top of the home.

An ample sill made of English elm was built into two front windows to create a gathering spot that is visually connected to the street. Donna Wilson’s lively Ernest pouf in coral Nos Da upholstery for SCP adds extra seating in the living room.

Edgeland House, built on a cliff-top lot in Austin by architect Thomas Bercy for lawyer and writer Chris Brown, is topped by a living roof to help it blend into the landscape. The concrete, steel, and glass house is divided into two distinct public and private halves.

Tucked beneath a grassy roof covered by nearly 200 species of plants and grasses, the structure is virtually invisible from the nearby street. In fact, the 1,400-square-foot house is so well hidden in the earth that it doesn’t seem to register on the radar of local wildlife either. Birds, butterflies, bees, dragonflies, hawks, snakes, lizards, and frogs all treat the house like just another grassy knoll.

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 repurposed home, which formerly housed famed flower bulb distribution company Cruickshank’s, is now a local landmark in its own right, standing out on the street as a modern reminder of the building’s history.

Plum accents, including a Saarinen Womb chair in aubergine Rivington fabric by KnollTextiles, complement the apartment’s exposed brick. The trio of Paper tables, designed by GamFratesi for Gubi, can nest in various formations, while a Clear Ice chandelier from ABC Carpet & Home and semisheer curtains made by Beckenstein Fabric & Interiors lend the room a soft glow.

Jason lounges in one of two armchairs by midcentury designer Milo Baughman in the parlor-floor living room. The wood block coffee table is by Eric Slayton, a friend of the couple, and the modular Carmo sofa is from BoConcept. A 1952 piece by French industrial designer Serge Mouille, the Three-Arm Floor Lamp—widely referred to as the "Praying Mantis," for its looming trio of arms—is a nod to the couple’s love of Parisian interiors; a branch-like chandelier by Los Angeles–based artist Gary Chapman hangs overhead.

Entrance By moving the foot of the stairway away from the front door, Bischoff and his team carved out a transition point from the stoop and sidewalk below, providing a welcome measure of privacy. (Visitors must scale the steps and stand at the door before they can peer in.) The concrete floor tiles were left over from an earlier MADE project. “We didn’t have an equal balance of black and white or even the right sizes,” Bischoff says, “so we made a design moment out of what we had.” Saving on the floor tiles meant that Casale and Crofton could spring for hand-finished wallpaper by Swedish company Sandberg.

While Brooklyn brownstones conjure up memories of their turn-of-the-century roots, they also remain the modern-day face of New York’s coolest boroughs. With brownstone living, however, comes responsibility—many of these classic beauties are in need of renovation and restoration. Here are 10 standout, renovated brownstones that retain their original charm with added contemporary cool.

A series of Radient sconces by RBW illuminates the third-floor landing with a subtle graphic pop.

The couple’s bold mix-and-match sensibility applies most unconventionally to the material palette; nearly every surface is different from the next. The cook station pairs a copper Watermark faucet with an Italian marble countertop, a copper-toned stainless-steel range from Blue Star, and a backsplash of masonry Foundation Brick tile by Ann Sacks.

When Alan Ricks and Cristina de la Cierva moved into their Boston condo, a ship’s ladder was taking up space in the main living area. Following a lengthy renovation, a spiral staircase provides rooftop access.

By setting an Amsterdam house a few feet back from the street, 31/44 Architects ensured the city’s planning department that the new construction would not block light to the surrounding structures. The gray brick facade references the building material of choice in the formerly industrial neighborhood, which has seen a residential resurgence.