Outdoor

Working with architect Ravi Raj, two siblings crafted a gable-roofed house in Saugerties that’s perfect for gatherings.

The curves of the deck follow the contour of the land.

The firm juxtaposed a standing-seam metal envelope with thin strips of cedar on the exterior. “We're playing with the textures on the outside of the house,” says Campos, pointing out that the cedar brings a “human scale” to the industrial nature of the metal.

Sooke House 01 is located on a multiacre lot on the southern tip of Vancouver Island in British Columbia, surrounded by Douglas fir, Sitka spruce, and cedar trees. At the entry, Campos Studio split the roofline to accommodate an existing tree.

The outdoor bathtub is one of many ways this home makes use of it's stunning natural surroundings.

Designed by Spot Lab, the brand-new home makes the grade with pegboard shelving, cubbys galore, and a bathroom enveloped in pink tile.

The metal awning provides pleasant shade over the front porch on warm summer days.

The west patio, enclosed by a concrete retaining wall, is designed for outdoor living and overlooks the surrounding forest.

When it rains, water spilling off the roofs creates reflecting pools.

An abundance of windows brings the outdoors in, which was a leading priority of the project.

"There was excitement about the site and the possibilities—that excitement was infectious,

The owners' love of Sea Ranch style inspired the architecture of their home, which surrounds a courtyard protecting three large redwoods.

A series of “stacked boxes” laid the foundation for this Sea Ranch–inspired home on a narrow site set on two flood zones and filled with protected redwoods.

“CLT House is built in a forest clearing in upstate New York. Aiming for a light touch on its natural site, the 2,150-square-foot house was built with cross-laminated-timber (CLT) panels and installed in 11 days,” nARCHITECTS tells us. “The live-edge siding and its uneven weathering with time aims to provide a rustic contrast with the contemporary nature of the prefab build and its modern environmental features: geothermal wells, a radiant floor system, and a solar panel array.”

“We demoed the kitchen, installed new bathroom vanities, and sanded and finished the kitchen counters,” says homeowner Malcolm Taylor—and that was just the start.

The living room opens to a terrace made of four slabs of black concrete separated by rows of woolly thyme. A fire pit designed by Jørgensen’s firm and Adirondack chairs from Erin Martin Design provide an ideal setting for taking in the scenery, especially at night. “Strangely, the view here really didn’t change a lot,” says Buttons. “The fire came up behind us, jumped around, and spared a lot of the surroundings. I can’t imagine finding another place like it.”

Sheathed in dark bronze corrugated steel, Buttons and Ridgie Barton’s boldly geometric home in California’s Napa Valley rises on the footprint of the retreat they lost to a wildfire in October 2017. Working with architectural designer Brandon Jørgensen, the couple turned the loss into a chance to build what is now their permanent home with fire resistance baked into the design. A narrow path (below) leads to the recessed entrance.

Sheathed in dark bronze corrugated steel, Buttons and Ridgie Barton’s boldly geometric home in California’s Napa Valley rises on the footprint of the retreat they lost to a wildfire in October 2017.