At the entry looking upward towards a Velux skylight, a vertical "sleeve" is made of stacked end grain plywood. The theme of vertical and horizontal architectural elements providing different environmental perspectives carries through to the rest of the home. Horizontal forms look out to the lake, while the vertical columns look up the sky.

A skylit shower.

In the bedroom wing, sunlight shines down from the Plexiglass bubbles. Steel in the cutaways reflects the light.

“A critical aspect of the project was the incorporation of natural light and ventilation within a broad footprint,” Simpson says. Conventionally private areas, like bedrooms and bathrooms, are therefore reinterpreted with more openness in mind. For instance, this bathroom’s skylights mirror those found throughout the rest of the property. The bathtub, basins, and showerhead were all purchased at the Australian retailer Reece.

Blurring the boundaries between indoors and outdoors, this 1,300-square-foot home on the island of Honshu, Japan by architect Keisuke Maeda has multiple windows and skylights surrounding its concrete base.

The Sculpture Gallery in architect Philip Johnson’s Glass House Estate in New Canaan, Connecticut is a skylighted space with an almost entirely glass roof that showcases Johnson’s art collection.

Inside the house, the speed of the planet’s rotation is indicated by the rate of the light beam’s movement over the floor and walls. When the Burkes first moved in, the speed of shifting light made them dizzy.

A gradient of skylights in the hallway ranges from a vermilion triangle at the master bedroom end to a bright yellow at the living area.

The subway tile-lined bathroom was kept as simple as possible, with Hansgrohe fixtures and cabinets made of vertical-grain Douglas fir above a top-mounted Duravit sink. Since installing a window was unfeasible given the bathroom's proximity to other properties, Storey added a skylight over the shower.

Kristine climbs out onto the concrete-tile roof deck through a hatch door in the upstairs loft.

A wedge-shaped skylight allows natural light to suffuse the interiors. The architects preserved a palette of dark, natural materials on the ground floor.

Light is controlled in the studio to facilitate the artist’s work. Half of the studio is flooded with northern light for traditional art forms such as sculpture and drawing, while the other half minimizes light to avoid screen glare for digital work.

Perched just above the edge of the Narrows, the house is an ideal place to live surrounded by the wild beauty of Ketchikan.

The gable roofs of the house are expressed on the second floor, where the lofted ceilings are covered with birch plywood.

A large skylight looms above a Duravit tub and a Runtal Radia towel warmer in the en suite bathroom.

The abstract geometry of the exterior allows for unique openings and this sklylight, which provides natural light to the staff throughout the day. "One of my ambitions is to place openings, windows, and roof lights strategically, so you get a sense of the time of day and the weather," says Brooks.

To add to the feeling of spaciousness, bookcases are set back on the upstairs landing.

Structural changes were immediately made to the original shell to bring in more natural light. The small windows on the front façade were dramatically replaced with a folding window assembly that stretches the entire width of the room. Skylights were cleverly added slightly beneath the peak pitch of the roof to funnel light towards the mezzanine, while still illuminating the main floor below. Warm, rich iroko wood spans the ceiling and wall, and also extends to the seating bench beneath the window.

The bed, also by Hynam, is on casters, allowing ten Hompel to move it to gaze at the stars.

In the bedroom, an IKEA bed frame and CADO wall unit are drenched with natural light during the day from the skylights overhead. “The effect of daylight through skylights is very different than from a window,” Hart says. “You feel every minute of the day as light in the space ebbs and flows with the passing clouds.”

“A building can have far greater impact than the space it stands in.”—William Carpenter, architect and resident

A square skylight is positioned directly above the bed for stargazing.

"When we were going through the spreadsheet and trying to figure out what to remove from the budget, not one person ever said to cut the circular skylight," laughs Alison. "This thing was absolutely staying."

New zoning allowed for a zero-lot-line structure, but required a public storefront, which Carpenter uses as an art gallery.

Lightroom 1.0, a photography studio, is a freestanding structure on the property. “Together, they represent an autobiography of my career,” Carpenter says.

Raymond takes a break on the master bedroom’s interior balcony, which is cantilevered over the dining area.

A circular skylight bathes the staircase in light and views of a changing sky.

The entire structure was crafted from natural materials.

This residence is centered around a 34-foot-tall light well, which floods the home with warm natural light. In the summer, this area is transformed into a heat chimney by drawing warm air up to the operable skylight. Cooler air flows in through the glazed windows at the garden level, blending beauty and sustainability.

A central “Y” post forms a focal point in each space and supports central roof skylights that extend the entire length of each building.

Here, the material palette continues: Plywood makes up the deep window frames, built-in shelving, and wall panels, which have been cut into gently jagged, unconventional forms.

The interior "tubular" shell forms these organic window openings in some spots.