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March / April 2017 issue

Two hours north of New York City, an unusual barn emerges from a hill just off a country road. Its black siding and bright-red window frames hint at the imaginative playground inside. This space, with its rope-railed catwalk and indoor tent, is just one element of the multifaceted getaway architecture and design firm BarlisWedlick Architects designed for fund manager Ian Hague.

The relatively simple construction incorporates clever sustainable design: a two-level wood roof structure keeps the sun’s heat away from the interior, and small windows at either end facilitate powerful cross-ventilation. It’s natural air-conditioning, and it works beautifully.

“We did our best to tuck the buildings into the site—the goal was to get up high on a perch. It was a matter of setting that elevation and working back down with the topography.”—Riley Pratt, architectural designer

The Langs use an outbuilding as a rec room of sorts. "We call that the Grace Studio," Lang says. "It's designed so a car can pull in there, but we use it as more of a rec room and work space."

The Outward Bound cabins, designed by the University of Colorado Denver's design-build program, have steel frames that lift the structures above a three-foot snowpack while supporting corrugated-steel "snow roofs."

The shed was custom-designed with a shed kit company, and is clad in heritage-grade corrugated galvanized iron. It houses land-care equipment, as well as the PV panels and battery.

Lights Arrows by Apparatus in aged brass and black python, table and benches are custom made from a very rare and heavy reclaimed oak. Vintage brass candlesticks sourced from an auction and black candles by Cire Trudon. Benches are lined with Icelandic sheepskin throws.

The oversized custom made concrete trough sink sits on a bronze base with a beautiful patina, industrial coper piping and taps. The mirror, which is suspended from the ceiling by braided leather straps, was manufactured by PSS Design Cult. An xl oval NativeStone bathtub.

The renovated basement has curtains made of shiny bubble wrap, steel grate catwalks, and reflective surfaces everywhere.

All of the fixed furniture is designed by Sundberg and made of oak. The clients worked with a local designer on the custom furniture, like the green sofa and chair in the living room. While the trees surrounding the property offer a decent amount of privacy, billowy white curtains add an additional layer.

Architect Johan Sundberg looked to Japanese architects like Kengo Kuma for inspiration for the design of a holiday home in southern Sweden. "We call it the Katsura typology, but that's probably sacrilegious," he says. The eaves of the gently sloped hipped roof extend generously in all directions, turning the deck into a covered retreat that’s part veranda, part engawa, the Japanese version of a porch.

In a sophisticated main bathroom in Seattle, sea-green concrete floor tiles with a geometric pattern provide a lawn of color against wood walls and white tile. The paper lanterns are also a clear homage to the building’s Japanese inspirations.