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While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”

The 1969 summer house needed a gut remodel—so Carisa Salerno and Aaron Levin rebuilt it piece by piece: “In the end, we feel like we built a sculpture, not a house.”

A detached garage and guesthouse/studio creates a buffer between a busy street and the rest of the property, which includes the main house as well as a pool, sauna, and pond, so that life in the residence can feel more private and secluded.

The basement is meant for entertaining, with a large family room and direct access to the pool.

Each of the three smaller cabins has a full kitchen.

While most of the interior is clad in wood, the bathroom is covered in a sleek gray tile.

Designed for a creative couple from Los Angeles seeking a quiet retreat, this 380-square-foot sanctuary was conceived as something between a tent structure and a viewfinder: Openings draw focus to specific views across Great Oyster Bay and the Freycinet Peninsula while providing immediacy to the vegetated dunes of Dolphin Sands. From burying the utilities to paving access around the undulating terrain, Matt Williams Architects made every effort possible to minimize their encroachment on the site and blend the structure into the landscape.

Whisper Rock Ranch just north of Pioneertown, California.

In one kitchen, the countertops are Corian, while in the other, you’ll find stainless steel. “We changed materials for each to give them a different identity,” says Elsley.

Built for a scholar, Casa Biblioteca is a sanctuary for reading, stargazing, and enjoying a cigar or two. Floor-to-ceiling glass allows light to freely flood the interior and illuminate its jewel-like structure.

About 100 miles southwest of Mexico City, nine black concrete blocks in a forest clearing make up one family's holiday home. Designed by Fernanda Canales with landscaping by Claudia Rodríguez, Casa Bruma makes elegant use of a construction material that's commonplace in Latin America

In the 1950s, Ramat HaSharon, close to Tel Aviv, was home to numerous brutalist structures. There, architect Pitsou Kedem, craving the same style for his own family house, built it as two squares of concrete stacked atop each other. Materials like iron, wood, and silicate brick, along with a skylight that runs along the length of the stairwell, imbue it with a welcoming sense of earthiness.

The shared second-floor bath has a black tile backsplash that references the home’s shou sugi ban siding. The oak and cold-rolled steel vanity echoes the design of the kitchen’s furniture-like island.

Flywheel Industrial Arts fabricated and installed the floating steel and oak stair based on Herrmann’s design which balances geometry with organic rhythms. If Herrmann noticed a repeated pattern when she glanced at it, she played with the spacing until her eye wasn’t drawn to any single spot. “We were excited by the combination of a massive, steel superstructure and a non-repeating baluster pattern,” says Benjamin Cheney, a partner at the Montpelier-based firm. Bocci pendant lights illuminate the stair evenly and look beautiful.

Herrmann and the building team from Red House collaborated on the hardscape and simple landscape gestures. “The owners didn’t want to worry about maintaining fussy gardens while they’re there,” Herrmann says. Flywheel Industrial Arts fabricated the powder-coated railings.

The lower level, which has a polished concrete floor and comfy Blue Dot sectional, is where the kids run around, do craft projects, and watch television. A plain barn door separates this area from the guest suite. There are also sliders that spill out into the yard.

Board-formed concrete provides a pleasing but not overly decorative finish for the backside of the lower level. The living room volume and concrete terrace sit atop the garage.

The Rose Coast Residence, illuminated at dusk, makes an impactful contribution to the unique coastal landscape, bravely looking towards the future.