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Two hours north of New York City, an unusual barn emerges from a hill just off a country road. Its black siding and bright-red window frames hint at the imaginative playground inside. This space, with its rope-railed catwalk and indoor tent, is just one element of the multifaceted getaway architecture and design firm BarlisWedlick Architects designed for fund manager Ian Hague.

Connected to the main house by a narrow bridge, a three-story cedar tower with a sauna at its base recalls a tree house. The screened-in second level includes a table and chairs for enjoying an outdoor meal, while a swing on the tower’s top level provides a perch to take in the surrounding birch trees.

In the living room of the main house, a sofa by Patricia Urquiola surrounds a Nathan Young coffee table, capped with a floor lamp by Achille Castiglione.

Set in Sausalito‘s famed floating community, this revamped three-story houseboat comes with a circular fireplace and a Japanese-style soaking tub.

"The design intent was to calm down the geometry of the house," says Blue Truck Studio’s Peter Liang of the renovation.

Wherever possible, the family retained original details, like the textured teal floor tiles and triangular island in the kitchen. They weren’t able to save the plywood millwork, which had deteriorated, but liked the look, so Baab added new cabinetry in a similar finish. The previous residents left behind much of their furniture, including the yellow barstools. The pendant is a Glo-Ball from Flos.

When it rains, the water is captured from the rooftops, stored in tanks, and expressed as reflecting pools in the courtyard.

Wittman calls the couple a Jack and Jill of all trades due to their wide-ranging hobbies. In the workshop, there’s a glass-art studio and woodshop connected by a room for model making and storing collections.

Seen from a distance, the farmhouse has a time-honored quality, though it’s still clearly a product of the 21st century.

The couple’s bedroom features a platform bed designed and built by designer Brandon Jørgensen, along with a steel bench and a leather-and-brass chair, both from Erin Martin Design. The painting is by L.A. artist Donnie Molls, while the 3-Squared floor lamp is by Blackman Cruz. “In the morning, we take turns going down to get coffee,” says Buttons. “And then we lie in bed and read, looking at the trees. It’s heaven.”

Sheathed in dark bronze corrugated steel, Buttons and Ridgie Barton’s boldly geometric home in California’s Napa Valley rises on the footprint of the retreat they lost to a wildfire in October 2017. 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. A narrow path (below) leads to the recessed entrance.

Sheathed in dark bronze corrugated steel, Buttons and Ridgie Barton’s boldly geometric home in California’s Napa Valley rises on the footprint of the retreat they lost to a wildfire in October 2017.

Mike and Jewlsy designed the furniture both to fit into the apartment and to work in any future home they may have. The sofa, for example, is designed to work as a corner sofa in its current location, but could also be split into two pieces in a different context.

The cabin was the first structure he built and exhibits some of the features seen elsewhere, like the tin roof, clerestory windows, and use of pressure-treated lumber.