Outdoor Spaces

A covered exterior dining area around the pool.

A pool villa near Cape Town in South Africa.

The drive for durability and worry-free maintenance didn’t preclude the Blue Lake Flathouse’s elegant design and surprising sense of lightness. Transparency was achieved not only through ample glazing, but also with the architects’ decision to place the staircase on the side of the home, enclosed in an expanded metal scrim. Large outdoor terraces and balconies on every floor also reinforce a connection to the landscape.

The private setting of Casa Meleku's pool area offers spectacular views of the Cabo Blanco Nature Reserve and the majestic Pacific Ocean.

While Edwardian timber homes are common in Sandringham, a beachside suburb in Melbourne, this one features a custom rear extension with two gable roofs that house the master bedroom, kitchen, and dining room. The open plan allows the spaces to flow into the yard, which features a new patio with a timber pergola for open-air dining.

In Washington’s Methow Valley, a modern cabin with an outdoor living room allows views of the surrounding woodland and meadow to perforate its volume. By day, the Chechaquo Lot 6 cabin gives the impression of floating in a forest clearing; by night, its windows glow against the wooded darkness. From all vantage points, the landscape permeates this 1,000-square-foot cabin, designed for two outdoor enthusiasts and tucked at the toe of a dramatic slope in Winthrop, Washington.

Stunning panoramic views.

Brick stairs lead to the entrance of the midcentury abode.

In this Brazilian home, São Paulo studio Jacobsen Arquitetura placed laminated timber porticoes approximately 1.31 feet apart, to create a dynamic linear aesthetics that brings to mind the tori gates of Kyoto’s famous Fushimi Inari shrine.

A “Schof” – a type of closed porch that’s common in the Alpine region of Austria, links the corridor-kitchen to the western side of the house.