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Collection by Luke Hopping

How Different Countries Around the World Do Indoor-Outdoor Living

What techniques do cultures in foreign climates use to let nature inside? We revisit idyllic homes in eight countries to find out.

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In the outdoor dining room, wire chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll surround a mango wood table made by a local carpenter, Diego Madrazo.
In the outdoor dining room, wire chairs by Harry Bertoia for Knoll surround a mango wood table made by a local carpenter, Diego Madrazo.
In the open living-dining area, a sofa by Antonio Citterio joins a Metropolitan chair and ottoman, all from B&B Italia. A Big Bang fixture from Foscarini hangs above the dining room table, designed by Feldman and surrounded by chairs from Ligne Roset.
In the open living-dining area, a sofa by Antonio Citterio joins a Metropolitan chair and ottoman, all from B&B Italia. A Big Bang fixture from Foscarini hangs above the dining room table, designed by Feldman and surrounded by chairs from Ligne Roset.
Architects Simone Carneiro and Alexandre Skaff transformed a cramped São Paulo apartment into a mid-city refuge. On the terrace, plants, vines, and pergolas form a barrier against the city’s notorious noise and pollution.
Architects Simone Carneiro and Alexandre Skaff transformed a cramped São Paulo apartment into a mid-city refuge. On the terrace, plants, vines, and pergolas form a barrier against the city’s notorious noise and pollution.
Indoor/outdoor living abounds, with plenty of room for entertaining, especially in the custom courtyard that has held hundreds of guests at many a party.
Indoor/outdoor living abounds, with plenty of room for entertaining, especially in the custom courtyard that has held hundreds of guests at many a party.
"The house plan is composed of a grid with alternating interior and exterior spaces, so that every interior space is adjacent to at least two exterior ones," architect Roberto Javier Dumont says. Designed as a weekend house for a family that lives in San Salvador, the retreat totals 3,500 square feet.
"The house plan is composed of a grid with alternating interior and exterior spaces, so that every interior space is adjacent to at least two exterior ones," architect Roberto Javier Dumont says. Designed as a weekend house for a family that lives in San Salvador, the retreat totals 3,500 square feet.
The kitchen features a white stone countertop from Stone Italiana and Hoop Pine plywood cabinets. The cooktop is Bosch, the oven is from Ariston, and the refrigerator is Samsung.
The kitchen features a white stone countertop from Stone Italiana and Hoop Pine plywood cabinets. The cooktop is Bosch, the oven is from Ariston, and the refrigerator is Samsung.
“Segovia is a very central region, but an underdeveloped one,” de la Quadra-Salcedo says. “Traditionally devoted to agriculture and mainly livestock, it flourished in the sixteenth century but now that the older generations are disappearing, there is a problem of abandoned villages and fields.” The structure highlights the rural surroundings.
“Segovia is a very central region, but an underdeveloped one,” de la Quadra-Salcedo says. “Traditionally devoted to agriculture and mainly livestock, it flourished in the sixteenth century but now that the older generations are disappearing, there is a problem of abandoned villages and fields.” The structure highlights the rural surroundings.