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Floor-to-ceiling windows and doors connect the primary space downstairs to the outdoors and to the view of the lake beyond.

The convergence of space inside reflects the convergence of landscape outside, with the great room being one of the clients’ favorite areas of the home. “While the space accommodates distinct functions—kitchen, dining, living, and entertaining—it ultimately reads as a cohesive whole,” says homeowner Bill Joost. “We particularly appreciate the sense of continuity.”

Floor plan of Detached Sonoran ADU by Silva + Havens

Michael Cooper and Ailsa Wong spent weekends camping out on their Catskills property before calling on longtime friend Tom Gluck to design a low-impact home that floats above the forest floor.

Located off paved roads, across a river, and up a mountain, Pablo Pérez Palacios’s cabin in the Mexican wilderness has a rooftop terrace designed for entertaining.

The concrete foundation was poured on top of a rock outcropping, so that the house would feel like part of the natural features of the site.

The primary bedroom cabin sits in a natural clearing amongst the trees, allowing for a water view and copious sunlight. The boulder-studded coast offers gently sloping paths to the ocean for a quick dip.

While the house is prefab, the interior and finishes are almost entirely designed by Jussi-Pekka. One of his favorite custom-made elements is an LED light he designed for the window wall on the view side—an idea inspired by the lighting strips in planes that guide to emergency exits. "It’s there to highlight the importance of the glass wall that faces one of the most important aspects of the house: the view,

Concrete counters extend to the exterior.

The home enjoys a connection with the surrounding landscape with views from every room that invite the 100-acre site into the interior. “The framed views from each room are a source of pride for us,” says architect Meelena Oleksiuk Turkel. “They illustrate the way in which we design for a specific site, bringing the outdoors into the home and making the most of what the homeowners love about their land.”

The outdoor dining nook echoes the interior curves in the back corner of the garden. "Built-in seats just generally give you more space, basically,

“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.

A queen-sized murphy bed folds out from the millwork and over the sofa.

A November 1978 plan for Disney World’s EPCOT in central Florida, as it was expected to look.