Landscape

A dedicated fire pit zone means the garden can also be enjoyed in the cooler months.

"We wanted the pavilion to be freestanding and to have minimal columns, so using CLT, which can span a long distance without support, made sense,” explains resident Anyeley Hallová.

Fires can be built on either the north or south side of the rock, depending on prevailing winds.

The five-foot tall fire pit rock is buried three-feet into the ground for stability.

The purple flowers of sage and succulents are part of a landscape that reflects seasonal changes. Blu Dot Hot Mesh Lounge Chairs are on the main bedroom deck.

Along with the sage, citrus trees irrigated by gray water from the house provide the couple with lemons and limes for mixing drinks, among other things.

"It doesn't feel like it's propped in the air," says Appel.

The house is hidden from the road and sits on a hilltop clearing that overlooks the rolling farmland of the Mississippi River bluffs in Western Wisconsin. From this vantage point, there is a 270-degree view, with dramatic sunsets over the distant hills.

The team removed the outdated exterior detailing and replaced it with vertical strips of Kebony Clear siding and a Freedom Gray copper standing seam metal roof. “Kebony offered that same sort of silvery weathering that would get us that [Cape] aesthetic, and the feel of this house being set in the landscape,” says Yoon.

The firm streamlined the window plan for the apartment above the garage.

The addition encompasses two bedroom suites stacked one atop the other, and it’s topped with a roof deck.

From the dining table, "it feels like you're on the outdoor patio," says architect Takashi Yanai.

The Eames Lounge Chair and sunken garden make for a serene combination.

After an unexpected disaster, a homeowner takes a rebuild into his own hands (literally).

A southern view shows the exposed concrete foundation and entrance bridge. “As you approach and enter, the front door is at the top,” explains Sokol. “It’s a three-story house with the entrance on the third story, and the master bedroom in the basement—it’s sort of upside down.”

“The multilayered approach to this house—the use of healthy materials, the prefab, the relation to nature—has definitely changed our practice,” says Laura Briggs, architectural designer.

Using exclusively native plants, landscape designer Karin Ursula Edmondson created a layered garden of creeping sedges, ornamental grasses, bee balm, mountain mint, shrubby St. John’s wort, fragrant sumac, and more. “The eco-system of the site was so spectacular, it was all I needed for inspiration,” she says.