Fourth

The one element the couple wanted to emulate from their time living in California was the ability to add in more opportunities for indoor/outdoor living. “Living in Manhattan Beach, we would be obsessed about some of the houses on the strand near the beach that would just have these massive rooftop decks,” says Derek. “Since this lot offers beautiful mountain views, the rooftop deck is a great way to be outside and maximize those views.”

In order to achieve ample daylighting, artful windows were imperative—but all that light can also come with lots of heat. Thick glass and overhanging arches were key to the design scheme so that the home was insulated from the harsh Arizona climate. The main living area also features a 20-foot tongue-and-groove ceiling that extends to both patios.

A wooden entrance opens to the lush lot filled with native vegetation and soaring trees.

Inspired by Donald Judd’s minimalist works, the three volumes feature board-formed concrete walls accented with charred wood. Shown here, the tallest contains four double-height bedrooms, each with a “tapanco,” or loft, for sleeping or reading.

The maroon-tiled, walk-in shower has two showerheads and is well lit by a skylight from above.

Lafayette Modern Remodel by Klopf Architecrue

When Zuzana Kovar and Nicholas Skepper set to work updating an aging Queenslander cottage for a young family in Brisbane, the first challenge was the home’s orientation. “We wanted to connect the interior of the house with its garden—a vital space for the family and their children, and one that the cottage previously turned its back on,” says Kovar. Now, an updated layout sets the kitchen, dining, and living room adjacent to the verdant garden, and sight lines through the house connect the indoor and outdoor areas.

Inspired by the modernists, the brothers integrated bespoke furniture into the architecture. The bespoke cabinetry is crafted from raw, unpolished timber that has an earthy, warm colour that complements the colour and texture of the walls.

The open-plan living area comprises an open plan kitchen, dining area, lounge, fireplace and an overlooking study. The stacking doors in the living area disappear into wall pockets leaving the space unhindered of glass, full open to the surrounding nature

Albert Mo, cofounder of Australian firm Architects EAT, designed the long, low-slung Bellows House to be built top-to-bottom with concrete masonry blocks. The south end of the residence is U-shaped and encircles a private courtyard. The communal living spaces open to a north-facing garden where the family gathers and entertains.

Dwellings Winner: Casa Ter by Mesura Mesura designed a retreat for a family of five in the Catalonian countryside, utilizing regional and artisanal building techniques and local materials for a sustainable home that blends with the landscape.

In the primary bedroom, daughters Ellis and Panda play on pieces of a 1972 Camaleonda sofa by Mario Bellini. A Davide Groppi Moon pendant, made of Japanese paper, hangs overhead.

To turn a home into a permanent residence for a family of four, Rama Estudio attached a prefab glass-and-steel box that extends into the surrounding wilderness.

"In some ways the strongest attributes of the house are probably the outside spaces,” says Court. The original cedar deck was replaced with Kebony decking that wraps around a century-old cherry tree. A pair of Andy rockers from Mamagreen face an ottoman by Kenneth Cobonpue. The accordion doors are a NanaWall SL-60 system that allows the main room of the guesthouse to open completely to the deck.

The home is clad in red-painted Norwegian pine, echoing the red-flecked trunks of the surrounding spruce forest. “We wanted to reference a traditional red barn in a modern way and pull it forward into our time and give it a complexity,” says color consultant Dagny Thurmann-Moe.

Ben Allen renovated this old Victorian in London using a rainbow of colored concrete. One of the new bathrooms is cast in mossy green with an arch motif that appears throughout the home.