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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.”

In the primary bath, which includes the home’s only indoor shower, Lachapelle used plumbing fixtures and hardware with an oil-rubbed bronze finish that relate to the touches of black in the living space. The wood dowel and leather triangle towel holders are from Schoolhouse.

“They’re well-traveled New Englanders who had always lived in older, traditional homes,” Lane says of the clients. “They wanted a contemporary home with warmth, texture, and craft.”

Sherry, Anthony, and their children, Zuri and Mateo, make the most of the kitchen and dining area in their new home. Harbour chairs by Menu surround a Tulip table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll. The A-Beam pendant is from Hand&Eye, and the ceramics are by Gopi Shah. Appliances include a Fisher & Paykel stove and a wine cooler from KitchenAid.

For Gabriel Ramirez and his partner Sarah Mason Williams, following the Sea Ranch rules—local covenants guide new designs—didn’t mean slipping into Sea Ranch clichés. The architects love Cor-Ten steel, with its ruddy and almost organic surface, and they made it the main exterior material, along with board-formed concrete and ipe wood. The Cor-Ten, which quickly turned an autumnal rust in the sea air, and the concrete, with its grain and crannies, mean the house isn’t a pristine box, Ramirez says. His Neutra house “was very crisp and clean,” he says. “This house is more distressed, more wabi-sabi.”

Black leather West Elm sofas anchor the room atop a gridded Annie Selke rug.

Photo: Willem-Dirk du Toit

Photo: Willem-Dirk du Toit

The master bedroom has chairs by Hay and a Wittus stove. The ceiling is a custom blue from Benjamin Moore. “It changes in response to what’s happening outside more than any other surface,” says Kathy.

Light-wood flooring and furnishings warm up the black-and-white interior.

Maria Milans del Bosch’s Catskills home is attuned to the changing seasons. Sunlight pours into the double-height living room, where a Stûv fireplace and radiant floors keep the space warm in winter.

A Cor-Ten steel planter running along one side is filled with Carex Ice Dance. “The plantings are minimalist, yet rich in color and texture,” says landscape architect H. Keith Wagner. The wood planters on the top level were custom designed by Kelton Woodwork.

Lantern Studio floor plan

Architect Steven Ehrlich reflects on his experiences in Africa and Japan to build a sustainable, ever-changing home in Los Angeles.