Unique Structures

"Some people want a manicured garden, but I'm of a different mindset," says Patnaik. She left the grounds untamed and organic. "If we're building in the wild, I want to live in the wild."

An outdoor breezeway between the storage shed and the main house is ideal for outdoor dining.

When the residents of Sinfonía Verde bought their property in 2002, they had expected to spend most of their time on the beach. But the land changed in the twenty years since the initial purchase, and—drawn to the sounds of the regenerating rainforest—they found themselves spending more and more time inland. They asked Ben Saxe to design a house immersed in the canopy because of the studio’s “beautiful designs that work with the environment rather than against it,” the clients say.

Sitting eight feet off the ground, Erica and Eduardo Heidenreich’s island retreat in the Paraná River delta, north of Buenos Aires, is built to withstand the remote wetland’s periodic flooding.

The three arms of the Apfel House stretch out to catch the best views of Ranco Lake and the Andes Mountains.

White oak slats and cork cladding give texture to the facade of a house that architect Jack Becker designed for himself and his wife, landscape architect Maddie Hoagland-Hanson, in an alley in the Capitol Hill area of Washington, D.C. High awning windows let daylight in while preserving privacy.

Jody’s favorite spot is outside on the deck. “I spend most of my time there. We’ve got two braais, and I braai just about every night,” he says, using the Afrikaans word for barbecue. “It’s not about the food for me,” he adds, “It’s about standing around the fire.” The platform sofas were designed by Scott, the dining table is by James Mudge Furniture Studio, and the Hee lounge and dining chairs are by Hay.

"Our many ideas were floating around the mountain, and we needed someone to bring them down and turn them into reality,

A supposedly impossible site was the perfect plot for Hale (pictured) and Edmonds, who were searching for some sort of break that would afford them the chance to build their own home. Stilting the house over the steep hill gives them direct access to nature while still being located just a ten-minute drive from downtown Seattle.

In the Dank Lounge, a film screen lowers in front of room-darkening curtains on movie nights. The deep sectional was built by Lizz and Isaac while the Blob coffee table is by Project Room, and the Scandinavian rya rug is vintage. The couple’s art collection includes works by many friends and local artists. A print by Alex Smith, along with drawings by Cammie Staros and Karl Haendel, hang in the lounge beside a painting by John Finneran and a photo by Lizz.

The naturally ventilated Kumagaya House has a central breezeway, soaring volumes, and secluded spaces that give its occupants room to breathe.

An artist by trade, and gardener by passion, Allison Paschke commissioned Providence-based architecture firm 3SIXØ to build a modest cottage that would allow her to reconnect with nature. She landscaped the home’s lush gardens herself.