Garden

Solar panels facing the sunniest part of the home help heat its water and charge its electricity.

While restoring Hektor, the couple realized how important shade from the sun and protection from the wind would be for daily life on Lanzarote.

The rough-hewn stone stairs that lead to the cottage were made by a local stone worker.

Concrete tiles and gravel allowing stormwater drainage pave the side entrance to the garden.

The owners of the Field House in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, wanted their home to have a sense of place within the forested plot of land.

The original details are perfectly preserved in this countryside home.

, wood bumps out to allow space for stove.

Bilbao-based BABELstudio and Bonadona Arquitectura completed the reconstruction of an abandoned 19th-century farmhouse and its outbuildings, which had fallen into disrepair.

Internal walls on the ground floor were re-jigged and the old conservatory replaced with a modern timber-frame extension, to create an open-plan kitchen and dining space at the rear of the property. Large aluminium sliding doors flood the once dark interior with natural light.

Cedar, glass, and concrete combine in this minimalist pool house that draws inspiration from Mies van der Rohe’s 1929 Barcelona Pavilion. The pool house, built into a mountainside west of Montreal and designed by Halifax–based MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects, employs board-formed concrete for the home's expressive exterior.

Modern Perennial Plants

These no-fuss landscaping ideas yield gardens that practically take care of themselves.