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Moss-covered rocks and twisted tree trunks give the landscape a fairyland-like quality.

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.”

The 260-square-foot tree house in Melides that Madeiguincho designed was inspired by a pair of centenary pine trees.

The home is divided into different zones that are clearly represented in the built form. The ground floor is open, public and noisy; the first floor houses more private rooms for guests and children; and the new mansard roof extension has a

The kitchen flooring is 24” x 24” DalTile Chadwick Charcoal Tile and the wall tile is by Heath Ceramics.

The outdoor shower situated off of the master bedroom is enclosed to offer privacy and features a courtyard garden. Michael Arp of Lanoha Nurseries designed the house's landscaping.

The kids room is outfitted with built-in bunk beds.

Kid's room

The simple wood deck features innovative cutouts that allow full-grown Yucca trees to peek through.

Three olive trees currently anchor the hot tub and deck area. The architects explain that transplanting them with a crane essentially positioned on a cliff face was one of the biggest challenges of the project.

A translucent glass door leads to the primary suite and yoga room. The walk-in shower is lined in dark blue fiberglass; the fixtures are from Sanwa.

Deep in the Italian countryside a few hours from Rome, a fashion advertising couple left their frenetic life in Milan and remodeled a trio of 15-century buildings into a Japanese-style inn and center for Japanese culture. Their giant Hinoki tub from Bartok Design in Japan was carefully positioned to take advantage of seasonal views through the sliding windows. “The images and scents were extraordinary,” said one Italian visitor to the center who took a soak, “I revisit them in my mind every day.” Photo courtesy of: Bartok Design and WabiSabi Culture Japanese Center