He worked around existing oak and eucalyptus trees for the new building, and retained the vernacular of an original barn, at right, where Frankel hosts concerts. Check out MVRDV's Balancing Barn.

A Simple Plan A Marmol Radziner–designed prefab house, trucked onto a remote Northern California site, takes the pain out of the construction process.

Orpilla pecks, Apolo pedals.

The reflecting pool is surrounded by foliage and breathtaking views of the bay.

The cedar-and-glass structure rises over an expansive rear patio. Although it is larger than some of its neighbors, the home nearly matches the height line of the surrounding houses due to its flat, modern roof.

The resident, a Tokyo transplant, commissioned architect Tadashi Murai to create a fully-equipped structure that comes with its own power, heating and cooling, water, and waste-disposal systems.

“There’s a presence to that place—it’s vast, and constantly shifting,” Moffitt says. “It was clear that this house should be an observation shed for the changing landscape beyond.”

Some 35 percent of the materials from the renovation were resurrected in the yard: Redwood panels became fencing. Blocks cut from original concrete patios form the snake wall. And Purdy plans to crochet colorful cozies over various branches and stumps.

"We imagined how six people would use the space and developed the shape accordingly," says Hello Wood cofounder Dávid Ráday. "We took inspiration from the design of space capsules, and the cabin was refined step by step before reaching its final form."

Working with salvaged and donated materials (and without ferry service), the Stinn Family assembled this dreamy getaway piece by piece.

If you’re traveling to Puglia in Italy, one of the most iconic sights are trulli (trullo is the singular), an ancient hut that's specific to the Itria Valley in the Apulia region of Southern Italy. Made with dry stone, trulli date back to medieval times.

At night, the exterior screen provides privacy when the house is illuminated.

A glass-fronted walkway leads from the main house to the office/play area.

The architects inserted skylights in an artful pattern in the rooftop.

Yellow vinyl floor tile defines the new living room and keeps the interior from veering too industrial. “You need to offset the brick with something simple,” says Tom. “Otherwise, you get too many textures.” The lights and coffee table were found at local vintage stores.

The materials for the prefab were chosen to help the lodge blend into the wood. According to the architects, “the lodge features an intentionally limited palette of natural materials, including the same species of timber, western red cedar, on the external cladding and internal lining. Left unfinished, the exterior will weather naturally to a silver-gray color that is reminiscent of the local landscape, which will contrast the cozy, warmer tones of the interior."

Oak flooring runs throughout the home, creating a subdued backdrop for the aged furniture. "It really lets everything around it stand out,

The modestly scaled master bedroom opens to a view of the woods located behind the property.

Full-height sliding glass doors bring a sense of the outdoors into the home.

This 180-square-foot cabin offers 360-degree views of the Hudson Valley.

The exterior of the Mill House.

Lambert pours wine in the kitchen, which is defined by a low concrete-block wall and serves as the home’s central core. The seating-area chairs are from Herman Miller.

For architect Stephen Chung, the design of his Wayland, Massachusetts, home was all about blending into the natural environment. The first floor is a serene composition of white and wood. The demand for a domestic office space inspired him to build up, adding a second floor for him to "experiment." In a departure from the Cape Cod aesthetic that rules his block, he was able to give the addition a modernist take, while also literally reflecting the existing landscape of the neighborhood. The entire 1,100-square-foot adjunct that encompasses his second story office-studio, master suite, and fort for his two young sons is swathed in mirrored siding and plate-glass windows.

Setsumasa and Hideaki toss on the rain fly. The solar panel in the foreground supplies daytime electricity.

Van Beek’s extra space is home to her office. She works on a Tense table by Piergiorgio and Michele Cazzaniga and Flow chairs by Jean Marie Massaud, both for MDF Italia.

Glass-and-steel corridors link each of Austin and Lida’s studios to the main pavilion, where they share the kitchen and a central living and dining space.

Many tiny home dwellers develop eco-friendly habits when they downsize—like adopting a capsule wardrobe, carpooling more, and harvesting rainwater.

Beyond the terrace, the backs of the Flatiron Peaks reveal themselves. Revegetation of the 35-acre property began immediately following construction of the home—a 2,500-square-foot structure that blends into its woodsy surroundings. Photo by Ron Johnson.

Located in Aarhus, Denmark, Villa R is a minimalist, serene structure clad in zinc panels. "The objective was to create a house that brings the forest inside through large glass panels—and create an ever-changing seasonal backdrop for the interior living spaces," stated the architecture firm, C.F. Møller, of the 3,200-square-foot abode.

The dining room and upstairs view from the courtyard.

The master bedroom opens onto the backyard. “The view is beautiful year-round,” Fatima says.

The glass and wood walls of the bathhouse, like other retractable panels on the house, offer shade with a view.

The Parisian flat that American-born architect Michael Herrman shares with his wife, Cécile, and their 2-year-old daughter, Rose, had been nearly untouched since the 1790s, when it was built. “But I wanted to try and reveal some of its age in a fresh new context,” Herrman said.

Designed by AKT II, Harvard GSD Students, and OFIS Architects in 2015, this bivouac in Slovenia's Skuta, the third-highest peak in the Kamnik Alps, was informed by traditional alpine structures and the challenge of building for extreme mountain weather conditions.

Located at 9,459 feet in elevation and run by the Swiss Alpine Club, the Monte Rosa Hut has been a popular destination at the Gorner Glacier since 2009. Designed by Bearth & Deplazes Architekten and dubbed the “rock crystal” because of its striking, ultra-modern design, the innovative structure is also virtually self-sufficient.

Madison points out that the pod concept would make it easy to add an extension if necessary. “We see it as a house that can grow with us—and that we can pay for as we go along.”