house styles

The screened porch at the rear of the property overlooks the forest, and it was a response to the request of architect Tom Knezic’s mother for a space that embraced the morning light from the east. “I got a lot of head scratching from people wondering why you would put a porch on the back—but it’s actually kind of nice to look at the forest, and you get the east light,” says Knezic. “It also means we have three aspects, while it’s more typical to have just the single aspect toward the lake.”

When Dunin first went for measurements, the whole family was out on their tiny porch, gardening, reading, and listening to the radio—it was clear that a great outdoor space was all but necessary. A new deck with a built-in planter box is now their go-to hangout.

The modern dwelling incorporates its woodsy-yet-urban surrounds through copious glazing.

At the northern end of the Stockholm archipelago, a humble cottage becomes a gorgeous seaside retreat for a nature-loving family.

Landscape architect Kevin Campion went to great lengths to protect the poplar trees during construction. Delta Millworks charred the cedar gable fronts following the shou sugi ban technique.

Nestled within a forest clearing near the Argentinian city of Córdoba, this 2,153-square-foot house named "La Negrita" is designed to exist in harmony with nature. Designed by Córdoba–based Morini Arquitectos, the house first reveals itself as a black corrugated wall in the middle of the woodlands. "The house is totally introverted [and] mysterious towards the street and extroverted towards the interior," says Morini.

Architect Michelle Linden worked with Brothers to create a minimalist house. Inspired by the inward-looking approach of Cistercian abbeys, Linden oriented the U-shaped structure around a courtyard.

Although synthetic slate roof tiles have been around since the 1970s, the way architect Stephen Bruns used them to completely clad Woven House is unusual. "I love this material," says Bruns. "The way light reflects off the tiles creates a specular effect, almost like a mosaic." That reflective quality is enhanced by the floor-to-ceiling windows by Loewen.

Designed by Montreal-based practice APPAREIL Architecture, Grand Pic Chalet is inspired by the colors and vertical lines found throughout the forest around the property.

The verandas provide a threshold between the internal and external spaces. “They soften the abrupt change and mediate the relationship between inside and out,” says architect Ben Shields.

Even as the square footage of this cottage in Fayston, Vermont, shrank in response to budget constraints, architect Elizabeth Herrmann remained focused on making the space feel warm and functional for a family of four and their dog and cat. "I think the trick to making small spaces feel much larger is to design the experience of being there,

Top 10 Black Gable Homes of 2020: A dramatic take on an archetypal shape, these pitch-roofed residences cut a striking figure.

A multi-gabled house designed by architect Corey Yurkovich for a couple and their longtime friend sits amid beech trees, cattails, and seagrasses on New York’s Shelter Island.