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A small cabin for storing and chopping firewood is located on the property, as well.

“The things we splurged on still look raw, which is what we wanted,” adds Nick.

For the bathroom, local studio Dusty Whipple Designs created a custom concrete sink. It sits within waterproof tadelakt plaster walls that run into the shower and around the room.

The raw texture of the Mesa rug adds depth and natural beauty to contemporary interiors. Here, two rugs have been used to create clear zones within an open space.

At the eastern edge of Texas Hill Country, a private retreat known as the Hill Country Wine Cave is embedded into the face of a rocky hillside. Austin- and San Antonio–based firm Clayton Korte carefully designed the 1,405-square-foot subterranean cellar and lounge, utilizing lush vegetation and large boulders collected on-site to further conceal the main entry.

A breezeway complete with swings connects the front and back decks. “We knew we wanted a covered entry, but we left it open to create a larger outdoor space,” says Scott, who admits to occasionally using the swings himself. Mud guards are built into the Kebony decking to keep dirt from being tracked inside. The teak chairs are by Skagerak.

The apartment above the garage received a dormer to enlarge the interior footprint.

The passage that leads to the bedrooms doubles as a library, with large bookshelves and a reading window.

Inspired by the modernists, the brothers integrated bespoke furniture into the architecture. The bespoke cabinetry is crafted from raw, unpolished timber that has an earthy, warm colour that complements the colour and texture of the walls.

The open-plan living area comprises an open plan kitchen, dining area, lounge, fireplace and an overlooking study. The stacking doors in the living area disappear into wall pockets leaving the space unhindered of glass, full open to the surrounding nature

Witklipfontein Eco Lodge is off the grid, and features solar panels and solar water heating on the roof. Water is pumped from a borehole, used, and then treated in a French drain before it goes back to into the ground.

The entrance is carved into the hillside and leads down earthen steps, past the reading window of the passage and between the two wings of the home to an entrance hall.

Architect Charlie Lazor designed this peaceful, lakeside prefab in Ontario, Canada, with a Japanese-style bathroom clad in richly stained teak with a matching tub and sink by Bath in Wood.

Inspired by a homesteading commune he documented in Western North Carolina, photographer Mike Belleme built the Nook, a minimalist retreat in the woods that draws from both Japanese and Scandinavian design. He foraged much of the wood for the 400-square-foot cabin. "Every kind of wood has a certain mood and personality," he says. The exterior features an entranceway of oak blackened in the traditional Japanese method known as shou sugi ban.

In California's idyllic Sea Ranch community, a vacation home privileges views of the Pacific Ocean and fog-shrouded trees. The bright and airy interiors, following a crisp, Scandinavian aesthetic, are pared back to retain focus on the spectacular surroundings.

walls are lined in flush timber skirting with a neat shadow gap detail to the clay render.

To fully maximise the available space and reduce clutter, trench radiators in the floor replace conventional wall heaters.