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The materials were selected with consideration for how they’ll age and patina over time.

The exterior’s concrete walls pick up on the tones of the rocks that emerge from the surrounding hillside.

Floor-to-ceiling glazing and a linear skylight help welcome the landscape within the cabin’s small footprint.

Having bought and restored several quirky properties in Washington over the years, including a five-story tree house and a 100-year-old barracks, architect Jason F. McLennan and his wife, artist Tracy McLennan, bought the camp-like retreat in 2020—even though it had no power or running water at the time and is on a secluded island with no ferry service.

“The kitchen building is hunkered down and has a flat roof, which is a very different architectural language than the large volume of the guest bedroom tower,” Shaw says.

The Sento’s layered decks reflects the clients’ love of Japanese architecture.

Poured polished concrete floors, plaster walls, and the pine ceiling with hemlock beams infuse subtle interest and warmth. The bend in the gathering pavilion follows the site’s topography.

The primary bedroom cabin sits in a natural clearing amongst the trees, allowing for a water view and copious sunlight. The boulder-studded coast offers gently sloping paths to the ocean for a quick dip.

Faulker Architects designed this concrete-and-steel home for a family looking to escape to their property near Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.

The concrete-and-steel home by Faulkner Architects gives one family a refined escape in the mountains of Northern California.

The units come with waxed spruce interior wall paneling and laminate flooring, but both can be customized at added cost.

Architect Sarah Bullock McIntyre worked with the homeowner – whom she first befriended in college – to reimagine this pier and beam cottage in Rosedale. The 2,238-square-foot property boasts a thoughtful, light-filled layout with minimalist “hygge” detailing, a low-sloped gable roof, and a perched front porch. Altogether, the residence serves as a testament to the benefits of homeowners and architects working in unison to realize a shared vision.

Originally featured on the tour in 2002, the Foothill Terrace residence marks another first for the 2023 event. “As far as I know we have never brought back a house from the past and featured it again,” says Spencer. The home, which has been remodeled and expanded by Furman + Keil Architects, is a blend of historic and contemporary styles, woven together by architectural legacies, including the renowned Roland Roessner.