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The sky blue stair was inspired by one of Miriam’s childhood memories. “We used to stay in a cottage with a blue staircase and I remember painting them with my dad,” she recalls. “There was always this sense that the blue stairs brought happiness. It’s also a bit of a revolt against the ‘beige on beige’ trend.”

Terrestre is a solar-powered retreat in Oaxaca’s Punta Pájaro from boutique hotel developer Grupo Habita.

"We did our best to tuck the buildings into the site—the goal was to get up high on a perch. It was a matter of setting that elevation and working back down with the topography," says architectural designer Riley Pratt.

"Fantastically secluded, the house is surrounded by rolling countryside,

Barcelona-based Slow Studio builds a bioclimatic home for a couple who work with the United Nations.

The ground floor of the home features wide spaces that open out to greenery. “You don’t need walls everywhere to make the house feel big,” explains Eduardo Ugalde from All Arquitectura. “By creating a large garden on the site that is open to the sky, you create a feeling of spaciousness.”

The kitchen doors allow for a connection to the balcony garden while cooking, an aspect that the architect believes is often overlooked. “The light-filled living areas bring the outside in, with the kitchen garden bed creating a feeling of being in the garden whilst cooking and preparing meals,” say the clients.

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.

Another color-infused space, the new second floor office of Abbie’s husband Malik, includes a rich green accent wall — a later decision. “I felt good about knowing we had green downstairs already selected,” Abbie says of the bold choice. “I think where I chose color, I knew there would be some repetition.”

The public areas are completely exposed to the wooded ravine.

The kitchen was the first room to be modernised and revealed some surprises, including the arched stone wall.

The kitchen is steps from the garden, which grows as an ever-changing backdrop on the far end of the room.

The architects specified an aluminum roof that “ghosts” the structure—it’s a material that recalls the typical use of corrugated metal on agricultural buildings, yet it subtly contrasts with the historic form. “It’s not quite what you’d use on a normal barn,” says Powell.

Floor plan of House in Chailly by Julien Pilon

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