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The bathroom is elevated for privacy but offers nice views through large windows.

“When considering the design, look for something that inspires you to spend time outdoors on your own and with friends or family,” says Simone Vingerhoets-Ziesmann, the Executive Vice President of Ligne Roset Americas.

At the ranch of Nancy and Tony Lilly in the hills of Sonoma, an area plagued by drought and fires, landscape designer John Greenlee struck a balance between beauty and resiliency with a water-wise meadow-garden.

Techo-Bloc’s Ocean Grande in Beige Cream and the smaller, rough-hewn Valet pavers in Onyx Black have been used to create a visually exciting layout with charcoal grout to emphasize the basket-weave pattern. “Stunning textures are revealed under different angles of the sun,” says Ciccarello.

Exposed support posts become a design feature with a swooping cut-out in the kitchen counter.

Architect Johan Sundberg looked to Japanese architects like Kengo Kuma for inspiration for the design of a holiday home in southern Sweden. "We call it the Katsura typology, but that's probably sacrilegious," he says. The eaves of the gently sloped hipped roof extend generously in all directions, turning the deck into a covered retreat that’s part veranda, part engawa, the Japanese version of a porch.

Jewel tones and floral prints define the drawing room’s furnishings, which were sourced from around the world. The room’s centerpiece is a large double-face fireplace finished in handmade olive-green ceramic tiles. In the evenings, a champagne cart rolls through the room and a pianist plays in the background.

Working with salvaged and donated materials (and without ferry service), the Stinn Family assembled this dreamy getaway piece by piece.

"I wanted to create a really timeless base throughout the house while still incorporating some punches of color in areas like the bathrooms and in some of the furnishings,

The materials for the prefab were chosen to help the lodge blend into the wood. According to the architects, “the lodge features an intentionally limited palette of natural materials, including the same species of timber, western red cedar, on the external cladding and internal lining. Left unfinished, the exterior will weather naturally to a silver-gray color that is reminiscent of the local landscape, which will contrast the cozy, warmer tones of the interior."

The brass backsplash was a risky experiment carried off by Natalie, who started with unlacquered 4x8 foot sheets, then gave them patina by covering them in vinegar, ketchup, and salt, and leaving them out in the sun. The resulting pattern was aligned as carefully as possible, and the surface sealed. “We just had to essentially cut the topography into a way that felt really great,” says Natalie.

“They really wanted to have tile in the kitchen and at the front door, but everyone disliked that hard edge line,” says Gregga. “Doing the organic edge of the tile helped make the entry space and kitchen feel like one, and then it disintegrates into the living and dining room.”

A dry-stacked rock hearth supports a Charnwood freestanding wood stove, which was carefully chosen to fit the scale of the surroundings.