Plot site

After: The soaring new living and dining space benefits from an abundance of natural light from every side, and they spent a lot of time trying to find the best lighting for the kitchen. The final choice: long, narrow copper pendants from Denmark suspended by ultra thin wires to not disrupt the visual flow of the room.

Listed for the first time since it was built in 1979, the cliffside home of architect Barry Downs is located in a waterfront area that is at risk of redevelopment.

The rebuilt “Idea House,” designed by Holly Freres and David Horning of JHL design. The driveway is permeable to encourage good drainage: crushed granite gravel is installed over a stabilization mat. James Hardie exterior siding is painted in Benjamin Moore ‘White Dove,’ with reclaimed wood used for the entry and garage.

Greenway Studio designed this home addition In Victoria, British Columbia, to blend in with an existing natural rock formation.

Similarly, from the grounds below, the home peeks out below in contrast with the sky.

The 1969 summer house needed a gut remodel—so Carisa Salerno and Aaron Levin rebuilt it piece by piece: “In the end, we feel like we built a sculpture, not a house.”

“Living in a home that we worked on with our own hands alongside our family—it’s so much more nourishing,” says Carisa.

Not only was extra living space necessary for the growing family of four, but the existing house also failed to take advantage of the striking views that drew the couple to the site. The homeowners tapped architect Malcolm Davis of San Francisco–based Malcolm Davis Architecture to redesign and expand the dwelling without damaging the many established oak trees.

The Barn Gallery faces southwest to a secluded waterfront bluff, and is surrounded by 4 acres of woodland and a private meadow. Collection and filtration of rain water, and a focus on natural landscaping are integral parts of the Barn Gallery sustainable design philosophy. The rain garden (foreground) functions as a natural filtration system for stormwater runoff headed to the channel below, and is one of the most talked-about features.

Eric Baldus’s pond-pool has a particularly short season of use because of Minnesota’s cold climate. If you’re similarly confined by the weather, plan for a drainage route ahead of time: No one wants to get stuck with water they can’t move when it’s time to empty the pool.

Built in 1951, this well-preserved home is nestled on nearly 10 acres next to Chabot Park.

Years of neglect had taken their toll on the 1950s Atlanta bungalow that Briana Babani and Dominic Cancilla bought in 2017.

Wrapped in glass on three sides, the Woodnest tree houses offer panoramic views of the surroundings mountains and fjord.

"The porch was designed to use most of the concrete slab surface," Sopeoglou says. "The metal panels fold out from the kitchen and allow for maximum openness. I removed the structural column from the corner so the space is free from obstruction, and the clients can enjoy the views when they gather during lunchtime."

Steps lead down the sloped site from the patio to the pool, allowing the home to “drape” over the topography.