Ideas

The raspberry red kitchen with equipment from Italian design brand Alessi.

Karol Pasternak of NOKE Architects, who undertook the design project alongside his business partner Piotr Maciaszek. "When the overri

A structure built in a Polish ROD cannot be permanent, nor can it exceed 375 square feet.

DeNiord designed a simple concrete bench with a honed top to run parallel to the randomly sized concrete pads that lead to the covered entry. He planted blueberry bushes behind the bench and a river birch tree behind the boulder. To conjure a wabi-sabi feel outdoors, diNiord poured concrete around a boulder. “It represents the interruption of perfect geometry,” he says.

While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”

“Metaphorically, the cabin’s exterior is like a cut log,” Lane says. “The black-stained Western red cedar is the bark, and the Douglas fir siding under cover is the exposed wood once the log has been cut.” Beyond the house and native sod gardens, a meadowscape blends into the mature pine forest at the lakefront. “We wanted a woodland garden quality,” landscape architect Soren deNiord says.

The home's construction necessitated carving out part of the cliff.

A member of the Apache Shores community, the home comes with amenities like a private boat launch on Lake Austin and a disc golf course.

The rich patina of the existing shed interior is retained and enhanced with selectively placed openings

Beyond lending the suite its crisp appearance, the seamless aluminum cladding also mitigates the risk of bushfires, a threat in the area, since embers can’t slip between the non-existent cracks.

Floor Plan of Schicketanz Residence

In the kitchen, Carrara marble countertops are a luxe addition to the material palette.

The family home that residents Tyler Lepore, Lisa Giroday, builders Hanson Land & Sea, and September Architecture devised in the Sunshine Coast region of British Columbia, Canada, is wrapped with cedar and brick, tying to its wooded surround, which is only a four-minute walk to the ocean. "The house feels like it's part of the setting,

Floor Plan of Roberts Creek Family Home by September Architecture