Favorites

Houle designed the ofuro tub in the master bath to mesh with the home’s tallowwood wall paneling. The Ikea sink is outfitted with Vola faucets.

This bedroom's monochromatic and moody green feels calming rather than oppressive.

In October 2017, the catastrophic Nuns fire incinerated the ’70s-era A-frame in Napa County, California, that had served as a family retreat for 20 years and that the owners, who are mostly retired, were in the process of turning into their permanent home. (When the fire hit, the couple had already brought nearly all their family keepsakes and heirlooms, making the loss especially poignant.) Working with architectural designer Brandon Jørgensen, the couple turned the loss into a chance to build what is now their permanent home with fire resistance baked into the design.

The single-level home in Los Angeles includes a large swimming pool and surrounding garden.

Windows, windows everywhere! Erickson was an early proponent of indoor/outdoor living.

The patio dining chairs are by Dedon and the iroko wood table is custom.

Canted asymmetrical ceilings and a mix of concrete, steel, and iroko wood define the main living area.

When glass dominates a home, the result is a borderless residence that syncs with its environs, creating a stunning, new visual and psychological sense of space. See how these glass homes use the versatile material to create ambiance and connect with the outdoors.

Homeowner and interior designer Julie Crosby worked with developer Soheil Nakhshab to transform a rundown midcentury property in the coastal Del Mar neighborhood of San Diego. The 5,400-square-foot, four-bedroom residence incorporates a natural palette and tall windows.

Designed by Vincent Appel, principal of Of Possible Architectures, and built by Kent Hicks Construction, this single-story residence in the Berkshires of Massachusetts frames the surrounding landscape.

After renting in San Francisco for a decade, DIY couple Molly Fiffer and Jeff Waldman bought 10 acres in the Santa Cruz Mountains, where the pair and their friends built a cabin compound complete with sheds, tree decks, a pavilion, a wood-fired hot tub, an outhouse, and an outdoor shower. The cabin is made from locally sourced, rough-sawn redwood, which the couple stained with nontoxic Eco Wood Treatment to give the panels an aged appearance and a dark patina.

Seeking $2.9M, this Matthew Leizer–designed bungalow has tree-house vibes and plenty of period charm.

On an undulating stretch of California coastline, a hidden guesthouse runs free of the grid. "The house is elemental," says project architect Dan Weber of Santa Barbara–based firm Anacapa, who collaborated on the project with designer Steve Willson. "We endeavored to make it out of materials that would wear and take on a patina over time, so they could feel like part of the landscape." Unfinished steel, board-formed concrete, and glass continue inside, where rich black walnut—used for ceilings, cabinetry, and furniture—provides an inviting contrast. "On a foggy day, you want that feeling of warmth around you," says Margaret. Brass fixtures complement the deep-hued wood.

Located in southern Chile’s Lake District at San Agustín, ZeroCabin Krul backs into a forest and faces an inlet of the Pacific Ocean. The cabin is also close to the Andes mountains and the Patagonian fjords.

"We focused on what would be the least intrusive approach to support contemporary living," explains the firm. The architects removed a number of walls in the home to optimize the amount of light and space in the interior living areas.

"In some ways the strongest attributes of the house are probably the outside spaces,” says Court. The original cedar deck was replaced with Kebony decking that wraps around a century-old cherry tree. A pair of Andy rockers from Mamagreen face an ottoman by Kenneth Cobonpue. The accordion doors are a NanaWall SL-60 system that allows the main room of the guesthouse to open completely to the deck.