Finalists

In front, a patterned brick pathway leads through a cactus garden to the main entrance, which is marked by a low, horizontal facade with wooden accents and splashes of color. The orange-red overhang is inspired by a torii (a traditional gateway to a Japanese Shinto shrine).

Wexler and Harrison's original plan was to create affordable vacation homes for a growing middle class. When this home first went on the market with the others in 1962, it was competitively priced between $13,000 and $17,000. Today, the kitchen has been restored following guidelines from its original configuration, and the landscaping was updated in 2001 with Wexler's oversight.

Architect Line Solgaard, founder of the eponymous Oslo- and Fredrikstad-based firm, designed a getaway for her family in the place where she grew up. Untreated, exposed concrete pairs with cedar cladding; custom, oak-paneled ceilings; and a glass roof in the center of the home that opens like a sunroof for natural ventilation.

"Funton Old Chelsea Yellow brick with a Flemish-like bond is used to directly pick up on the existing predominant brick style of the older neighboring houses,

Aníbal Building by Bernardes Arquitetura

side facade view

“We definitely wanted to preserve the character of the home and make sure that it always fits the neighborhood,” says designer Jenny Bassett. To that end, the team kept the front façade intact, only repainting and adding new landscaping. The fireplace in the living room was also retained, so wood is stored in the front yard for easy access.

Planned Living Architects designed this seaside residence in Blairgowrie for a young couple to accommodate their growing family and future use as a holiday home. The warmth of the extensive timber balances the strength and raw tactile character of the in-situ concrete walls. Glazing along the north end of the home introduces the sun-filled, secluded backyard and encourages engagement with the coastal landscape, where indigenous vegetation is making its return after bushfire.

Pine and gravel sleepers follow the site’s natural slope, weaving through the existing pine trees until reaching the home’s entrance.

Architect Fredrik Nilsson and author Keshni Kashyap blend Scandinavian modernism with a measure of Indian style to create a thoroughly L.A. home.

The deck off the kitchen brings the outdoors in and breaks up the home's north and west facades.

Split House is built for a young professional family wouldfrom-home capabilities, entertainment, additional children in the future etc

With its shou sugi ban exterior, high-pitched roof and monochrome palette, this family home nods to Japanese design.