The landscaping appears to be based on the mullet principle: business in the front, as seen here (manicured grid lawn, with native vegetation sprouting in careful symmetry), party in the back (sunflowers and wild mountain grass growing in harmonious chaos).

The Shudio exterior and interior.

The Pierre | Olson Kundig

Looking like a jewel box at dusk, Scott Stafne’s Canti-lever House rests easy in the middle of the Washington woods. With miles of hiking trails, lakes, and waterfalls to explore, Stafne’s property provides almost unlimited opportunity for outdoor adventures. The strong and sturdy house acts as a warm respite from the elements when the weather won’t cooperate, which is often—horizontal rain and whipping winds can be the norm.

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.

Eschewing the typical white barn vernacular commonly found throughout Napa Valley, Fernandez turned to the rustic architectural traditions of western mining communities for inspiration.

A verdant tundra that the architect dubbed the “courtyard” separates Bullitt’s house from his 900-square-foot studio. The space, which is planted with Bog Myrtle, bearberry, and other native plants, “reinforces...the dominance of the landscape over the building,” the architect says. “The end result was an exceedingly naturalized setting.”

Stargazing Portal

A small terrace outfitted with an H55 easy chair by Björn Hultén offers a view of the San Francisco Bay.

Exterior

The ever-changing, lush wooded surroundings of Minnesota, such as those experienced at this 8,000-square-foot Type Variant House outside of Minneapolis designed by Coen and Partners, are right near the small town of New Richland.

"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."

A rendering of Kanye West's housing development is brutalist in form and muted in color.

The bocce court sits between the master bedroom patio and an outdoor dining area featuring Jean-Marie Massaud’s Seashell chairs from Dedon. To bring in natural light while limiting direct exposure, the couple designed a horizontal window for the music room.

Light is particularly important during the dark Pacific Northwest winter.

The decks span an area of 2,000 square feet.

Perched over a cliff face, the hooded deck of the Gambier Residence reads like a ship’s prow over Howe Sound, the scenic waters near Vancouver.

No two suites are the same, and the modernized rooms are artfully designed to incorporate Japanese elements, such as tatami mats and shoji screens.

Set high on a cliff along the south end of the beach, this residence of three glass-and-copper pavilions offers a mighty reward for conquering the steep ascent.

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.

Ceramic artwork gazes onto Bridge House, and Bridge House shall gaze back!

Each features its own custom teak soaking tubs placed under illuminating skylights. Balancing touches like sand-colored, full-height limestone walls evoke a California spirit.

masonry West and South wall joinery giving rise to the corner window. Luminarias leading down to Fabric entry scrim.

The landscape design, by Anna Boeschenstein of Grounded, followed a 2,200-square-foot extension by Formwork architects Robert and Cecilia H. Nichols. The front door is painted in Chinese Red by Sherwin-Williams.

Upon his first visit to Tasmania, an island south of the Australian mainland, resident David Burns was immediately smitten with its varied, pristine landscape. Working with architecture firm Misho+Associates, he built a self-sustaining, 818-square-foot retreat that would allow him to completely unplug from urban life.

Surrounded by glass panels, the deck has an infinity-edge effect.

Sited parallel to each other, the two autonomous bedroom cabins frame perspectival views of the surrounding landscape. Exteriors of all three structures feature mitered corners and cross-laminated timber panels, all nailed by hand.

The backyard’s emphasis on nature is mirrored in the front of the home, which also underwent extensive landscaping by Considered Design. The owners and Parish wanted to “tone everything down” and turn the home into a backdrop for a natural setting.

Achieving such efficiency and maintaining the integrity of the wetlands and woodlands on the property meant more research for both the designers and the resident—just getting approval for the siting of the buildings and the driveway took eight months—but Hague is hardly one to do things half way. “A lot of times couples engage in house-building, like birds. I'm doing this solo, more like a monk,” he says of the deeply personal undertaking.

To combat the site’s steep, uneven grade, Boeschenstein staggered a series of ipe decks around the two main volumes of the house. Atticus joins his brother, Bodhi, on the zigzag decks.