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The native plantings in the courtyard, which is enclosed by a wall for privacy in the suburban setting, visually link it to the established eucalyptus trees at the front and rear of the property. The home’s dark cladding is accented by rose gold stainless steel panels.

A detached garage and guesthouse/studio creates a buffer between a busy street and the rest of the property, which includes the main house as well as a pool, sauna, and pond, so that life in the residence can feel more private and secluded.

Architect Andrew Simpson and the owners wanted to keep the design simple and grounded with “a sense of modest honesty.” In terms of the exterior, “as much of the existing cedar cladding as possible was retained and reused.”

An outdoor bathroom is tucked away, out of sight, in the garden. “The external fencing and outdoor shower were constructed using recycled materials from a collapsed shed near the site,” Simpson says.

Taking a cue from a nearby farm structure, the couple used thin strips of larch to disguise imperfections in the original concrete block structure.

The result: a house that looks like it’s just been dropped into a field, casual, with nary a path leading up to it and a front door that can barely be detected on the red-cedar-shingled facade.

The front door dissolves into the facade.

The owner of this modern, two-bedroom holiday home in Germany’s Black Forest is a carpenter and joiner, so it’s no surprize that wood is the star the design. Most of the wood for the core structure and interior finishings of the house were sourced from the nearby beech and pine forest.

Planning regulations required a gable roof, which the architects split into four shed roofs carefully designed to respond to heavy snow and meet spatial and aesthetic wishes.

From the dining table to the bed frames, custom plywood furniture is installed throughout the home and combined with a few nature-inspired touches, like the green Kvadrat wool felt in the upholstered built-ins.

Waechter Architecture reimagined a traditional gabled home in southeast Portland without significantly altering the original building. A simple coat of red paint abstracts the century-old structure, creating a residential work of art.

White windows and trim match the fences and provide a pop of contrast against the natural materials.

White painted fences define the parking area and entrance pathway to the house.

The garage door was replaced with a new entry to the building, featuring a custom steel canopy over the front door. The door is painted Benjamin Moore Flamingo's Dream to better contrast with the black-stained, tight-knot vertical cedar siding.

Originally, glass doors opened to the deck, but after years of gusty winds, it was decided that a side entrance, protected by a sliding steel door, would be the preferred entrance.

Architects Joan Soranno and John Cook of HGA developed five site-specific cabins that tread lightly on the land at Marlboro College in rural Vermont. These deceptively simple structures update the regional vernacular. Every year, Marlboro College hosts the Marlboro Music Festival in which classical musicians join together to hone their craft. These cabins help support the musicians that live, work, and rehearse together.

Nwankpa Gillespie added a skylight and brightened the palette with a marble shower and the same Cle zellige tiles featured in the kitchen.

Removing the wall between the kitchen and the dining room expanded and enhanced the flow with minimal changes to the layout. A breakfast bar off the kitchen adds additional casual seating.