Outdoor

Designed by Sydney-based practice Akin Atelier, this Bondi Beach abode is comprised of two volumes connected by a central courtyard that draws in natural light. The orientation of the 2,010-square-foot home allows for a playful rhythm of light, shadow, and air that gives it its atmospheric name, Cloud House.

This airy home makes the most of its beachside location with sustainable design, careful siting, and an expansive, glazed facade.

BACKYARD & REAR FACADE Photo © Ashok Sinha

courtyard designed to address unusual property shape

The soaring canopy roof provides visual impact offering protection and shelter to the renewed indoor and outdoor living spaces to the rear of the home.

The garden room frames the landscape and becomes an extension of the interior spaces. White painted lining boards wrap the space and echo the traditional palette of the cottage.

Steel-framed glass doors provide plenty of natural light. Harding took extra steps to ensure that the house was properly insulated. “We aren't great at thermally designing houses in Australia,” he says.

The home's courtyard is ideal for indoor/outdoor living. By opening the sliding glass doors, the kitchen space is connected to a courtyard dining space, which is ideal for family gatherings and entertaining.

The couple added a 50-year-old olive tree to create a sense of arrival for guests.

For Mount Washington Residence, McBride Architects use prefabrication to save on costs while going big on functionality and style.

This one-bedroom NODE prefab slots perfectly into a Seattle backyard and produces all of its own energy—with enough leftover to power the neighboring house.

A large circular skylight is positioned over the cozy lounge space.

A large dining table with bench seating is ideal for family gatherings. Complete with a wood-burning pizza oven, the kitchen and dining spaces have all the cooking amenities you need.

The new rear, two-story addition adds over 2,000 square feet of living space without sacrificing the backyard. The repetition of the curved elements, such as the tall, cement-rendered columns that band the exterior, are a subtle reference to the scale and proportions of the Victorian style.

Robertson restored the existing rooms in the front of the original house, and redesigned the back of the home to have a much more modern, indoor/outdoor living experience.

The original main house.

The townhouse's brilliant extension is defined by the garden, located just off the living room.

When taking a vacation is as simple as stepping outside.

The front façade was redesigned with large openings that create a connection to the ocean views. Accordion style glass doors were installed on the lower floor to form an indoor-outdoor space with the front garden. The exterior palette is a subtle mix of smooth trowel stucco and honed limestone, emboldened with dark stained mahogany siding.