Alex enjoys a sun-filled breakfast at the built-in dining table and bench, one of many space-saving designs.

A massive pine beam defines the master bathroom.

For the spatially challenged, think vertically: lofted beds make every inch count.

Deep eaves prevent the entrance from being buried in snow. The clients can see directly into the valley and mountains below.

A Chilean home’s dramatic stained-pine exterior references local vernacular architecture.

While it was tempting to embed the cabin into the hillside, Balance Associates sought a smarter solution. By elevating the project on two concrete walls, the clients could avoid a costly foundation, improve their view of the landscape, and stay above the thick winter snowfall.

The connecting area between the four houses has an open joisted pine ceiling that offers a masterful transition between the coarse, weathered exterior and the polished rooms—all lined with smooth Sucupira wood and white plaster board. “We wanted to make a clear contrast between the interior surfaces of the house and the corresponding exterior surfaces,” de Carvalho says.

Architect Bruno Despierre built a deck for outdoor activities from pine wood.

Two-by-four inch pine beams were used on the ceiling throughout the home. The bed was constructed by the owners.

Exposed pine dominates the downstairs reception area.

Jessica Helgerson Interior Design, with project manager and lead designer Emily Kudsen Leland at the helm, remade a Portland abode with a crisp paint palette: Benjamin Moore’s Wrought Iron for the cladding and Venetian Gold for the front door. The home was originally designed by Saul Zaik in Southwest Portland, complete with a wood-clad exterior, in 1956. As part of the renovation, landscape design was completed by Lilyvilla Gardens.

A wood-burning stove from Harvia, of Finland, heats the sauna. The pavilion’s rough-cut pine walls are treated with tar, a preservative that yields a time-worn aesthetic.

The facade of the three-bedroom house sports a series of extruded pine boxes, which create sheltered spaces that stand up to the area’s fluctuating weather. The owners, Isaac Pineus and Andrew Duncanson, spend summers here with their twin sons.

A pair of lights from IKEA hang above the first floor, which houses the living room, kitchen, and bathroom. Pine floors, painted black, run throughout the residence.

Wood envelops the home’s second story. The floor is made of Brazilian pine salvaged from a warehouse. The walls are also recycled boards, sourced from the ceiling of a conventillo, or tenement, in the La Boca neighborhood, and sliced into 12-inch-wide planks. The ceiling is made of ipe from the NET workshop. In the family room, cushions knit by Teresa’s mother, Griselda Sposari, sit on a Lennon armchair by NET.

The Seattle workshop’s debut furniture collection uses a pared down, kit-of-parts construction that allows a lounge chair to easily morph into a side bench.

Contrast for Blk Pine, $1,100–$1,400

“A summer house is every Swede’s dream,” says Duncanson, who was born in Scotland. “At first I couldn’t understand how they could take four or five weeks off in summer but after my first year, I couldn’t believe how relaxed and hungry I was when I came back.”

The juxtaposition of cabinet and drawers of this pine cupboard from New Lebanon, New York adds visual interest without sacrificing honest, minimal design with excessive ornamentation. Photo courtesy Skinner, Inc.

The gold (nonfunctioning) surveillance camera by artist Camp Bosworth in the stairwell previously hung in the glass entryway of the family’s former house in Houston.

The new cabins' pine interiors have been left their natural shade. Furnishings are kept to the absolute minimum to keep guests' focus on what lies outside.

An abstract painting by Michael Young complements the glow of the dining room’s pine walls. A collapsible silicone lampshade by Swedish designers Form Us With Love for Muuto hangs above a Macek Furniture Company table.

Competing grains of laminated pine panels enliven the stairs.

Heart of Gold Flatware Set ($70)

The bedroom is to the immediate right of the entrance; the architects selected plywood for interior surfacing for the warm tones it provided. The aluminum spacers allow for easy installation—they have greater tolerances for gaps as compared to other joints—while doubling as a decorative element.

The entrance is immediately flanked on its left by a mudroom for hiking gear and the bathroom.

Boxes Gold Ornament This 3D geometric ornament creates a sense of modern movement with a gleaming brass or silver finish. We think they would be extra eye-catching in multiples on the tree or mantel.

The Pine Plains, New York, home of Elise and Arnold Goodman boasts 48 windows, the largest of which measures 8'6'' by 7'6''. As architect Preston Scott Cohen explains, the "free facade makes it impossible to identify how many levels there are, or even to tell the difference between a door and a window." From without, the windows reveal dramatic glimpses of the 18th-century barn farm and new steel structure that support the house. From within, says Elise, "Each season, each time of day, offers a different view of the world. It's spectacular."

Creating a library along a staircase out of open shelving means that the books can be accessed from both the staircase and the stair hall on the other side.

In the living room, a sofa by Vico Magistretti is next to a plywood armchair by Gerald Summers. The coffee table is by Enzo Mari; the Cesta lantern is by Miguel Milá for Santa & Cole. “It’s too expected for us to put Hans Wegner here,” Duncanson explains.

A Fermob table and chairs are on the rooftop terrace. “The weather is unpredictable, to say the least. You want to be outside but you don’t want to sit in the middle of a gale,” says Duncanson. “But [at this house] you can always find a place that’s quiet.”

An IKEA PS Vågö chair sits on a small treated-pine deck off the master bedroom.

On the parlor level, the pigmented plaster walls eschew the finish of paint. A modest reveal between the ceiling plane and the walls ingeniously accommodates a concealed picture rail that runs the perimeter of the room. The 1968 painting above the sofa is by op-artist Julian Stanczak.

The red wall cabinet was designed by August. The floors throughout the home were replaced with wide, salvaged heart pine floorboards with radiant heat.

“The color Falu-red, or Falu Rödfärg, is used for houses all over Sweden,” says Pineus. “It’s such a strong color, but I think it works.” Each of the house’s protruding boxes feature pine slats painted in a silver tar, which contrasts the larch of the interior and offers a sturdy defense to the ocean air.

Big Ass Fans keep the loft from getting too hot in summer; SIP insulation helps keep it warm in winter. This second level accommodates the master suite and a small office space, furnished with a CB2 desk and a vintage chair purchased in Chicago. Another unique feature of the space is the hardwood floors, which are heart pine salvaged from the bottom of Lake Superior.