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Collection by Miyoko Ohtake

Nature Framed

A recently released book from the Monacelli Press celebrates the connection between indoor and outdoor space in residential architecture. In Nature Framed: At Home in the Landscape, author Eva Hagberg profiles 24 homes and the ways in which they blend inside and outside spaces. Many of the architects in the book are ones we've written about in Dwell—Tom Phifer, Lloyd Russell, MOS, Marlon Blackwell, Marwan Al-Sayed, and more—so it's no surprise the 216-page book caught our eye. Though the images in the book show the multitudinous manners in which the architects have designed organic spaces, here we present some of our favorite window views from the book.

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Korean-born, Cambridge-based architect Kyu Sung Woo designed the Putney Mountain Residence in Putney, Vermont, as a retreat for his family of three generations. This lofted viewing space sits above the living room, which features an even larger window for taking in the fog—and the mountains once it has lifted. Photo by Paul Warchol.
Korean-born, Cambridge-based architect Kyu Sung Woo designed the Putney Mountain Residence in Putney, Vermont, as a retreat for his family of three generations. This lofted viewing space sits above the living room, which features an even larger window for taking in the fog—and the mountains once it has lifted. Photo by Paul Warchol.
Next to a house in Wilton, Connecticut, architecture firm Hariri & Hariri designed the sculptural Pool House. The ipe wood frame extends beyond the 1,200-square-foot enclosure and encloses the outdoor showers (shown here). Photo by Tim Hursley.
Next to a house in Wilton, Connecticut, architecture firm Hariri & Hariri designed the sculptural Pool House. The ipe wood frame extends beyond the 1,200-square-foot enclosure and encloses the outdoor showers (shown here). Photo by Tim Hursley.
On a hilltop in Sonoma, California, the House in Dry Creek Valley by Fernau & Hartman Architects overlooks wine country's rolling hills and valleys of vineyards. It'd be hard to beat waking up to this view of the countryside. Photo by John Linden.
On a hilltop in Sonoma, California, the House in Dry Creek Valley by Fernau & Hartman Architects overlooks wine country's rolling hills and valleys of vineyards. It'd be hard to beat waking up to this view of the countryside. Photo by John Linden.
The first floor of the Artreehoose by Della Valle Bernheimer in New Fairfield, Connecticut, is completely wrapped in glass. One side overlooks Candlewood Lake and the other (shown here) butts up against a large boulder. The sleek staircase to the second floor offsets the rough texture of the stone wall behind it. Photo by Francis Dzikowski.
The first floor of the Artreehoose by Della Valle Bernheimer in New Fairfield, Connecticut, is completely wrapped in glass. One side overlooks Candlewood Lake and the other (shown here) butts up against a large boulder. The sleek staircase to the second floor offsets the rough texture of the stone wall behind it. Photo by Francis Dzikowski.
In Hayden, Idaho, the Tom Kundig-designed Chicken Point Cabin sits on the edge of a quiet lake. The 20-by-30-foot, glass wall transforms into a door and can be completely opened with the help of a pulley system. "The problem that humans have is that we fetishize nature," Kundig says in the book. "It's almost as if we have divorced ourselves from the fundamental idea that we are just another species on the earth that happens to be a little more clever, a little more vicious, and a little more dangerous to the earth." Photo by Benjamin Benschneider.
In Hayden, Idaho, the Tom Kundig-designed Chicken Point Cabin sits on the edge of a quiet lake. The 20-by-30-foot, glass wall transforms into a door and can be completely opened with the help of a pulley system. "The problem that humans have is that we fetishize nature," Kundig says in the book. "It's almost as if we have divorced ourselves from the fundamental idea that we are just another species on the earth that happens to be a little more clever, a little more vicious, and a little more dangerous to the earth." Photo by Benjamin Benschneider.
The Dutchess County Guest House by Allied Works Architecture with landscape design by Michael Van Valkenburgh is located, unsurprisingly, in Dutchess County, New York, approximately 80 miles north of New York City. The house's steel frame extends beyond the main structure to outline exterior spaces. "The frame holds you to that place—it begins making boundaries, it gathers you in, it affords a scale of rhythm and volume," architect Brad Cloepfil says in the book. Photo by Dean Kaufman.
The Dutchess County Guest House by Allied Works Architecture with landscape design by Michael Van Valkenburgh is located, unsurprisingly, in Dutchess County, New York, approximately 80 miles north of New York City. The house's steel frame extends beyond the main structure to outline exterior spaces. "The frame holds you to that place—it begins making boundaries, it gathers you in, it affords a scale of rhythm and volume," architect Brad Cloepfil says in the book. Photo by Dean Kaufman.
Anderson Anderson Architects' Chameleon House along the Lake Michigan Shores is all about taking in the scenery that surrounds it. "I think of the building as a viewing stand," architect Peter Anderson says in the book. The focal point of the living room is not a television but the changing landscape outside. Photo by Anthony Vizzari. Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!
Anderson Anderson Architects' Chameleon House along the Lake Michigan Shores is all about taking in the scenery that surrounds it. "I think of the building as a viewing stand," architect Peter Anderson says in the book. The focal point of the living room is not a television but the changing landscape outside. Photo by Anthony Vizzari. Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!