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Overlooking the pond, the home’s living room, located in the western wing, is a bright, voluminous gathering space for the family.

“The black char looks flat from a distance, but up close you see the texture and pattern of the wood,” says Höweler. “The char also catches the light and has a luster that shimmers.”

“I would describe the charred exterior as ‘blacker-than-black,’ as it seems to absorb all light striking it,” says Lucy of the home’s striking siding. “The texture is unique and dramatic while still maintaining a connection to nature and sustainable materials.”

Nakamoto Forestry’s Suyaki Tung Oil Black, Gendai Alkyd Light Gray, and Gendai Alkyd Black were selected for the Indiana residence.

A two-story commercial glass and aluminum window is reflected in the property’s pond. The ends of the home taper to form a “knife edge” profile, making the walls appear paper thin. “The detail is more than a detail—it’s a space-defining element,” says Höweler.

Several shapes and configurations were initially presented, but the Neelys immediately fell in love with the “plus sign” concept proposed by the Höweler + Yoon team. “The four wings each face a particular view, so the house becomes like a viewing device—like an inhabitable telescope,” says architect Eric Höweler.

In rural Quebec, La Shed Architecture designed a simple gabled home that echoes the form of the region’s traditional barns.

Taigh Créadha has stunning views northwest across Loch a' Ghlinne to the Cuillin mountain range. To the left of the home, Neil and Laura Stephens’ horse, Dram, can be seen outside its shelter and stable, alongside the couple’s Hebridean sheep. The Dualchas architects’ house is clad in Siberian larch, with an aluminum-clad guest studio to its right.

The Stephens also built a single-bedroom studio that’s used to host friends or rent out to visitors.

The sink units in one of the bathrooms neatly brings together all the work done by Skye Stone Studio and 56 North Kitchens, with the doors being leftover pieces of the oak laminate. The View Mirror is a Soren Lassen design for Audo Copenhagen. The shower and sink fittings are by Hansgrohe.

Vintage furniture in the primary bedroom mirrors the bespoke pieces in the communal living space, with a midcentury A Younger wardrobe and Archie Shine drawers sitting alongside an Arts and Crafts Heal’s bed.

The family’s farming interests spill out onto the terrazzo flooring, with some unexpected additions to the menagerie.

Almost all of the interior wooden features were custom-made by 56 North Kitchens in an oak laminate that was commissioned for the Stephens’ design.

The kitchen lights are Eximia by Whitecroft Lighting, setting a semi-industrial mood that links to the Skye Stone Studio terrazzo counters.

The kitchen at Taigh Créadha was created as a social space by 56 North Kitchens, who also made the doors, dining table, and bookshelves, all in oak veneer. Vintage Ercol stacking chairs are complemented by a pair sourced secondhand.

The Stephens’ whippet, Boswell, can often be found lounging on the bespoke Namon Gaston bench, below a Le Klint 224 Sax lamp by Erik Hansen. The terrazzo part of the bench, countertops, and floor throughout the home are custom-made by local business Skye Stone Studio.

The gable end 10’4” by 6’6” window provides plenty of opportunities to create fleeting live portraits that could hang on any gallery wall. A Santa & Cole floor lamp stands left of an heirloom chair, which is covered by a Skyeskyns sheepskin.