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Exterior House Wood Siding Material Shingles Roof Material Curved Roofline Design Photos and Ideas

Organic lines mimicking those in nature can be soothing. Architect Tono Mirai, known for his "earth architecture," was inspired by the lush context for the design of this holiday home in Nagano, Japan.

The asphalt shingles that clad the exterior curve into the window openings, and an awning over the entrance appears to peel away from the facade. These details create the appearance of a skin wrapped around the entire building. The rammed earth walls are combined with seven-inch-thick wool insulation for thermal comfort.

The window and door frames are mainly crafted from cedar. They sit within the curved shell, which has deep eaves that protect the interior from the sun and reference traditional Japanese architecture.

The home is elevated about four feet above the ground to avoid moisture from the forest floor. The entire ground-floor living space opens up to a timber deck through sliding glass doors.

The home’s entrance is a timber door set into the “shell.” This leads into the heart of the ground-floor living space, which opens out to a timber deck.

The clients requested “architecture that is unusual, beautiful, and does not make you feel old in time.” Over the years, the timber and earth used to construct the home will develop a rich patina.

The shell is closed to the west and north elevations and open to the east and south elevations—an arrangement that responds to the location and orientation of the house in the forest.

The shingle roof juts out over an ample timber deck adjoining the living area, extending the living space outside.

A shingle roof is “draped” over the curved structure, connecting the interior and covered outdoor spaces. The shingles are crafted from Alaskan yellow cedar, which doesn’t require any treatment. The home operates off the grid, so rainwater is collected from the roof for drinking.

It was essential that the home felt nestled into the landscape, rather than perched on the edge of the dramatic clifftop site. “My client had commissioned a house design that was rejected by members of his family—the formidable force that is his sisters,” says architect Belinda George. “They felt the site deserved a more considered approach. As I had worked for Tom before on more urban projects, he asked me to design a bach for him and his family. He wanted it to feel relaxed and connected to the land.”

The second-floor porch was designed to sit under the branches of a large oak.

Rollingwood Residence cascades over the ledges while keeping existing trees intact.

Located in Karuizawa, a popular summer resort town in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, Four Leaves is a weekend getaway designed to accommodate the homeowner and their guests in a lush, sylvan setting. Designed by Kentaro Ishida Architects Studio (KIAS), the highlight of the stunning, 2,400-square-foot house is its sloping, angular roof sections that are delicately assembled to resemble fallen leaves.

In the L-shaped home, one wing houses the public rooms—living, dining, and kitchen—and the other the bedrooms, with the master on the curved end opposite the living room.

The southern side uses glass for solar gain, as Edwards Anker designed the home using Passive House principles.

Edwards Anker clad the home in cedar shingles in a nod to the local context, as many traditional homes on Long Island use the material. "Because it's such an old craft, and cedar shingles have been around in Long Island for hundreds of years, they've developed technologies for double curving these shingles for a lot of curved shapes," says Edwards Anker.

The site’s views face south and the neighbors are to the north, so Edwards Anker positioned the thick, curved walls of the house on the northern side for privacy, while the glass planes capture the setting and ocean breezes. "It’s a very lucky orientation," says Edwards Anker. The house gains its name—Cocoon—from the curved walls.

The rear of the home faces the forest, and a wall of firewood creates a sense of seclusion. Operable windows allow for passive ventilation on the upper and lower floors.

The home is surrounded on three sides by forest, and its most prominent facade faces the water. Its unique acorn shape efficiently sheds rain and snow, and creates an architecturally interesting interior space.

The residence includes four bedrooms, a library, three-and-a-half bathrooms, a wine closet, and a bright office. There is also a two-car garage with interior access to the home and a private roof deck.

The villa as it fits into the local landscape.

One portion of the roof arches.

The roofs’ concave and convex forms are elegantly layered and integrated into the home's forested setting.

Viewed from above, the home wraps around itself and is folded around a small central courtyard. The roof sections overlap in an organic way, giving the home its name: Four Leaves.