Outdoor

Midwest: Hoerr Schaudt Knitting the designed spaces into the greater wilderness beyond was paramount for the ten-acre landscape Douglas Hoerr devised in northern Michigan. “The idea is once you’re there, you can’t tell what we did,” he says. Instead of building formal gardens right to the property line, Hoerr added a meadow planted with mature trees and indigenous grasses to buffer the yard. Naturalistic plantings ebb and flow around the 110-foot-long saltwater lap pool.

High-gloss pots from Vondom contain drought-tolerant sedum. All told, the landscaping project came in under the $20,000 budget.

Midwest: Hoerr Schaudt Ample amounts of Russian sage add visual interest, and manicured bluegrass offers recreation space. “I always like to say, strike half of your original plant list out and double up on the rest. It keeps you from getting too busy.”

With input from her clients, Barensfeld used a computer to generate the circular patterns that were carved into a pair of Cor-Ten steel screens with a water-jet cutter. The perforations allow light and the green of the surrounding Koi bamboo to filter into the space while preserving privacy.

Artist Masayuki Nagase created these stone pieces in the courtyard.

Southwest: Steve Martino The red yucca, brittlebush, and prickly pear at a Palm Springs, California, home also relate to the southwestern climate. “Native plants let your garden tap into the food chain—it becomes a habitat while connecting you to the history of a place.”

California: Andrea Cochran To contrast the billowy tufts, Cochran inserted blue-toned agave. “Drought-tolerant and hardy enough to handle the intensive sun exposure of this location, both of these plants are regionally appropriate,” says Cochran. “California is in the midst of a drought; we need to consider water-conserving plants.”

Permeable hardscaping retains moisture and helps reduce the need for watering.

The landscape Hayes conceived for a private garden in Santa Fe, New Mexico, exploits the desert landscape with drought-tolerant planting. “Walking in the Santa Fe hills is psychedelic. It’s a desert, and there’s all this rock and lichen. The people who live here are really great art collectors. It’s a minimalist art collection, but [they] also collect strange kinds of pottery and baskets.”

Massive sun shades designed by Piano are set up on the piazza; when it's time to process the grapes, they protect the fruit from the intense sunlight. At left, on the ground, is a narrow channel that opens to receive the grapes, which travel down a chute to the vats below.

Rain Sail by Team Strada, Alexa Rosse and Ari Miller Constructed of recycled billboard material, this structure features hammocks under saillike wings of fabric that collect rain to power generators and light the structure at night. Photo by Jack Ramsdale. Courtesy of the Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education.

Solar panels mounted on a shipping container onsite (not pictured) heat this curvy house in Tasmania. The swooping roof cantilevered over the west-facing desk mitigates the intense afternoon sun.

Above the front patio, the de-signers created a trellis of Ipe, a Brazilian hardwood. This transformed the very important function of keeping the Texas sun at bay into one of the most striking elements of the house. The sun break wraps up and then over the second story with an artist’s flair. “It does more than just shade the windows,” says Bercy.

With a fire pit, mobile shades, and drought-tolerant grasses recessed in the Mangaris plank expanse, the roof deck is a communal space in the duplex. The Kookaburra Shade Sail, made of a woven polymer material that prevents mold, can be moved around as needed.

Mermet sun sails inspired by the nearby harbor shield Church and Jett from harsh sunlight, while practical, man-made planks by Veranda simulate wood but offer low maintenance and longevity. Bright orange Butterfly chairs from Circa50 add a pop of color.

Epic Sail To reduce heat load and provide shade, DeSalvo initially tracked down a sail system from Sun Shade Australia. But the $6,000 price tag had the architect and contractor designing their own version out of Mermet solar screen fabric. It was fabricated by Covers Unlimited for $1,800. coversunlimitedinc.com

Moreland House

From outdoors to in, Restaurante La Mar specializes in seafood, particularly the Peruvian classic, ceviche.