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Tucked behind a massive stone facade and surrounded by private gardens and five rolling acres, this island residence is designed for uninterrupted relaxation.

A custom-made sofa fills the wall, with a coffee table from Sun City Exports. The rug is from West Elm.

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

In October 2017, the catastrophic Nuns fire incinerated the ’70s-era A-frame in Napa County, California, that had served as a family retreat for 20 years and that the owners, who are mostly retired, were in the process of turning into their permanent home. (When the fire hit, the couple had already brought nearly all their family keepsakes and heirlooms, making the loss especially poignant.) Working with architectural designer Brandon Jørgensen, the couple turned the loss into a chance to build what is now their permanent home with fire resistance baked into the design.

Dellekamp + Schleich built this C-shaped weekend getaway in Valle de Bravo with a central courtyard that prioritizes play.

The experience of the farm includes to the permaculture vegetable garden, fresh farm eggs, interactions with the goats and horses, and hiking through a landscape populated by giraffes, zebras, antelopes, and warthogs.

Built with specially-formulated concrete made of volcanic ash, this micro-house in Tokyo maximizes space through vertical construction. When Tokyo-based architecture firm Atelier TEKUTO received a brief from their clients to build a distinctive, environmentally-conscious concrete home, they embarked on a two-and-a-half year journey of spacial and material exploration. Built in 2015, the result—the R Torso C project—recently won the Overall Excellence Award and first place in the low-rise buildings category at the 2017 American Concrete Institute Awards.

Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP used 87 translucent bricks to reframe a family’s connection to nature and the city.

The home’s expansive terrace and garden tows the line between privacy and connection. “You'll feel more in tune with nature—embracing sunlight, wind, and the sky—and loosely connected to the urban landscape,” shares Nakamura.

Repositioning the original staircase transforms the new apartment, created the experience of a continuous second floor while adding a hidden study beneath the stairs, which lead to the downstairs bedroom.

Seattle firm Wittman Estes designed this compact cabin floating above a meadow on Whidbey Island.