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Floor-to-ceiling windows span the entire width of the living room, illuminating the space with natural light. A sliding door provides access to the wraparound porch and pool in the backyard.

Seeking an escape from bustling city life, a Manhattan couple embarks on a renovation in the verdant Hudson Valley.

The three-level residence—the basement includes a wine cellar and media room—is joined by a petite, companion carriage house.

The Lake View

In addition to a large wooden island, the bright kitchen also comes with custom cabinetry.

Inside, tall ceilings enhance the sense of space, while expansive windows frame striking views of the rolling hills in the backyard. A black wood stove anchors the main living room.

The black-stained cedar facade pops against the home's sprawling lawn and surrounding countryside. A detached carport sporting a similar style offers additional storage.

“From anywhere in the house, you have a sense of the outdoors,” says Melonie, “and yet it’s very private.” Ikegami agrees. “The building was really about the landscape—it can dissolve into the background,” he says. In the master bedroom, Japanese Tansu chests from the couple’s previous home flank a Duxiana bed. The full-height windows and swing door are from Western Window Systems.

The gabled roof ridge of Höller House by Innauer-Matt Architekten is parallel to the hill.

Designed to sleep eight, the flexible cabin can be used as a quiet retreat for the couple or a gathering place for family and friends.

In New York about two hours north of New York City, architecture and interiors firm BarlisWedlick created an eclectic compound designed to suit a client with an idiosyncratic wish list. In the kitchen, a custom Stickbulb LED lamp hangs above a kitchen island topped by concrete from Get Real Surfaces. The cabinets and island feature a modern version of a traditional board and batten siding that are given an even more contemporary feel with the concrete countertop.

A 3,500-square-foot home in upstate New York was designed by the architecture firm Mapos with simple materials and passive design principles. The contemporary fireplace, which sits on buffed concrete flooring at the center of the ground floor, was custom-made by Mapos.