Collection by Heather Corcoran

Northern Lights: 5 High-Latitude Houses We Love

This time of year, aurora borealis lights up the northern skies. Celebrate this natural phenomenon with five of our favorite modern houses with serious views of nature's best light show.

A super-insulated envelope and a heat-recovery ventilator help keep the Leaf House comfortably warm, even in the brutally cold Canadian winters.
A super-insulated envelope and a heat-recovery ventilator help keep the Leaf House comfortably warm, even in the brutally cold Canadian winters.
Though the Cook Inlet is nearby, from the street, this Anchorage house’s simple facade gives little indication of the sights that await a visitor.
Though the Cook Inlet is nearby, from the street, this Anchorage house’s simple facade gives little indication of the sights that await a visitor.
Tree Hotel in Sweden is known for its array of unique dwellings from their Bird’s Nest to the UFO, all of which are suspended above ground. Husband-and-wife owners Britta Jonsson Lindvall and Kent Lindvall enlisted several different designers to develop their contemporary tree house community, which has garnered international interest. One of the most iconic of their dwellings is the 13' by 13' Mirrorcube made of reflective glass, straddling the trunk of a pine. From the outside, it appears as if there’s nothing there at all, while inside, warm interiors are swathed in light plywood with three windows, a sky light, and balcony hidden behind the mirror facade—which means you can step outside the box without being seen.
Tree Hotel in Sweden is known for its array of unique dwellings from their Bird’s Nest to the UFO, all of which are suspended above ground. Husband-and-wife owners Britta Jonsson Lindvall and Kent Lindvall enlisted several different designers to develop their contemporary tree house community, which has garnered international interest. One of the most iconic of their dwellings is the 13' by 13' Mirrorcube made of reflective glass, straddling the trunk of a pine. From the outside, it appears as if there’s nothing there at all, while inside, warm interiors are swathed in light plywood with three windows, a sky light, and balcony hidden behind the mirror facade—which means you can step outside the box without being seen.
Prayer flags flutter alongside Leinicke and Navitsky's house, which was designed by Steve Bull to require very little upkeep, both inside and out.
Prayer flags flutter alongside Leinicke and Navitsky's house, which was designed by Steve Bull to require very little upkeep, both inside and out.