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Outdoor Boulders Design Photos and Ideas

The house is divided into three sections connected by a series of outdoor galleries. “When I walk from one room to another, I have to go outdoors and feel the weather and nature—rain, cold, and sun,” says Sævik. Instead of emphasizing the expansive panorama of oak, pine, and aspen trees, the house frames select views—a move inspired by Japanese design.
The lower level features Lezanne's in-house studio.
An exterior shot of the hillside residence offers a glimpse of the property's spectacular vistas.
An outdoor shower built into the stone is located at the rear of the tiny house.
Ceramic artwork gazes onto Bridge House, and Bridge House shall gaze back!
Ridge Mountain Residence was designed to blend into the existing Palm Springs landscape. Cor-Ten steel cladding provides a naturally weathering material, while the concrete structure and flagstone terrace complement the light tones of the surrounding mountains.
The owners built the house as a place to gather with their three adult children on Loon Lake, where they had vacationed at the husband’s family home for years. The modern Adirondack chairs are by Loll Designs.
While the owners really liked the idea of shou sugi ban, they opted for a more cost-effective black stain. The random-width, reverse board-and-batten siding reflects the wabi-sabi concept. “The builder said the math for the random siding was torturous,” the wife said. “We didn’t know how hard it was to make things look simple.” DeNiord planted hay-scented fern and lowbush blueberry sod around the house. “We didn't want any side of the house to feel unconsidered,” he says. As for the local boulders he placed around the house and terrace, he says, “They give the feeling that the house grew up around the outcroppings.”
DiNiord collaborated with craftsman Ken Hood to design the concrete bench with firewood storage and detachable wood back. Douglas fir columns along the walkway creates a colonnade. The mono-sloped roof is a nod to the long roofline of the original house that stood on the property. “Reducing the angles also reflects the strictness to budget,” the wife says.
The angled steel staircase has perforated steel mesh side panels.
“For the owner, it was important that the exterior require as minimal maintenance as possible,” says architect Hunter Gundersen. “We clad the exterior in metal accordion-panel siding, as it will require little maintenance over many decades. The shadows cast by the panels’ W shape change dramatically with the position of the sun, indicating the time and season by the play of shadow and light.”
A couple transform their backyard into a botanical children’s playland and an ideal entertaining spot.
“The project was about peeling back layers. From there, we had to be creative and utilize what the house was giving to us,” adds Levitt Halsey.
The five-foot tall fire pit rock is buried three-feet into the ground for stability.
Fires can be built on either the north or south side of the rock, depending on prevailing winds.
An award-winning, modern masterpiece inspired by Neutra
The view from the deck. Bike rides, barbecues, wood fires, and sunsets are all part of the cabin experience, although Dignard’s favorite feature is the outdoor shower: "You don't have any neighbors," he says.
Bloomberg windows and large sliders by LaCantina Doors bring ample light into the home.
The dining area is completely open to the outdoors. “Ian and Krista wanted to celebrate their everyday routine and abandon things they don’t use, like a formal dining space,” says Jess. The Jorn dining table is by Minotti while the Mariposa chairs are by Fyrn. The grill is by Lion and the heater is by Heatstrip.
FabrikG architects Gonzalo Elizarraras and Manu Ponte designed Hawks Nest House to be symbiotic with the landscape of Baja California.
The modern structure is in striking contrast to the area’s predominantly traditional homes, including the Kellys’ own Dutch Colonial.
A three-story mahogany screen partially veils the backyard retreat designed by Flavin Architects for Ed and Kathy Kelly in Wellesley, Massachusetts. Incorporating a renovated garage, it includes both closed and open spaces and a potted rooftop garden. The garage door is by Garaga and the Exotic Red paint is from Benjamin Moore.
At night, carefully orchestrated lighting illuminates the house like a lantern in nature.
One of the building challenges was transportation through the steep and windy roads to the isolated site, which is 0.5km away from Cornwall, one of Connecticut's smallest towns.
"Since we're completely off grid we operate off of hauled water, so we have three 1,800 gallon tanks that get filled up every other week. But for those same reasons, people off the grid don't really have pools because they're hard to maintain, but we did it anyway."
Whisper Rock Ranch just north of Pioneertown, California.
When Oslo-based architect Marianne Borge was approached in 2004 by a client who wanted an actual cabin rather than a second home, she was instantly inspired by the challenge of working on a smaller scale. The home, called Woody35, has a distinct shape that makes it stand out from its surroundings despite the modest size of the building.
Built in 1962, Steel House #4 is one of the seven steel-and-glass prefab homes designed by Wexler and Richard Harrison.
This 1959 Alexander home features vaulted tongue-and-groove ceilings, porcelain tile floors, and classic furnishings from Warren Platner, George Nelson, and the Eameses. It is available to rent on HomeAway.
Phoenix design-build firm The Construction Zone renovated an old concrete-and-steel barn, turning it into a sleek new guesthouse with an open-plan, three-room layout. Completed for approximately $300,000, the 790-square-foot adaptive reuse project carefully preserves the character of the existing structure while upgrading it to match the modern aesthetic of the main residence.
Garden Patio with Cedar Hot Tub
In inclement weather, covered walkways courtesy of the cantilevered roof come to the rescue.
A view of the restored waterfall from a walkway in front of the main entrance. The water feature isn’t just for looks—it also functions as a cistern that collects rainwater from drains in the flat roof.
Located 328 feet from the mainland and 2.5 hours from Stockholm, Gåsharsskäret and its five buildings provide the bones for an ideal weekend getaway with family and friends.
Joel Loblaw, a landscape designer, created "a series of outdoor rooms," including an alfresco kitchen that is sheltered beneath a cedar trellis. The Butterfly chairs are from Fresh Home and Garden in Toronto.
A rendering of Kanye West's housing development is brutalist in form and muted in color.
The Dwell team took a hike up to a few waterfalls—talk about a view!
Wild Geese Rugs in Peach echo the landscape in color and composition.
Set on the Blue Lagoon, Silica Hotel is one of Iceland’s ultimate indulgences. The location is unbeatable for its landscape, curative waters, and wellness services.
The South Elevation provides complete transparency through the main level to established gardens beyond
A natural, stacked-stone fin is the grounding element below the cantilevered bedroom wing.
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