outdoors

In Seattle’s Greenwood neighborhood, architect Tiffany Bowie built an efficient house for her father, Dave, a retired engineer. A prototype system by Kirio monitors the home’s energy use. Shou sugi ban cladding in a herringbone pattern provides a striking backdrop.

As they follow the slope, each volume shifts slightly to capture different frames of the surrounding water and mountains. Large sliding glass doors provide access to both these expansive views and to green roof patios.

Sited on a sloping plot in Suffolk County, New York, this cantilevered house takes full advantage of its forest-meets-sea locale. Designed, built, and furnished by New York City-based firm Leroy Street Studio, this 5,935-square-foot home was born from the client's request to create a warm and stylish modernist house that would be intimate enough for private family retreats, yet impressive and expansive enough for entertaining large groups.

The home’s board-and-batten siding is black-stained pine punctuated by Jeld-Wen windows. Scaly Mountain, North Carolina Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

Like the entry bridge (below), the deck is surrounded by welded-wire fencing made by West Macon Welding. Scaly Mountain, North Carolina Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

One of the pitched roofs shelters a side deck, which has a SwingLab bench. Scaly Mountain, North Carolina Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

Pine slats, which were intentionally spaced unevenly, partially enclose the side deck. Outdoor areas add nearly 300 square feet to the cabin, whose interior measures about 1,000 square feet. Scaly Mountain, North Carolina Dwell Magazine : September / October 2017

Each cabin is spacious enough to accommodate six guests with two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen, dining and lounge area, and a covered outdoor terraces. The banks of windows on either side of the huts illuminate the interiors and allow for natural cross ventilation.

The defining feature of this lakeside cabin in northern Idaho is a 30-by-20-foot window wall that opens the living area to the surrounding lake and forest. Concrete blocks, steel, and plywood make up the simple palette of materials.

“There’s a presence to that place—it’s vast, and constantly shifting,” Moffitt says. “It was clear that this house should be an observation shed for the changing landscape beyond.”

The 484-square-foot room offers a cool respite from summer sun and a warm place to relax in winter.

The iridescent exterior allows light to enter while maintaining a sense of privacy thanks to a wall of greenery.

Photo by Tom Bies