The roof deck, anchored by a gas fire pit from Paloform, boasts an incredible view of the water.

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 family enjoys the outdoor lounge.

The outdoor hearth is primed for cooking in the summer.

After living on and studying a woodsy acre of land in North Zealand, Denmark, architect Jesper Brask cleared a stand of pine trees and, from the timber, built a getaway open to its surroundings. The house, which Brask shares with his wife, Lene, and sons, Kristian, Jens, and Niels, is used mainly in summer, when the weather is optimal for throwing open the glass doors.

+Farm is based in upstate New York, where land can be cheap but new housing prohibitively expensive: when a resident breaks ground on a waterfront site, their taxes can dramatically increase. What if new housing didn't need to technically break ground? "Our thought," says +Farm Director William Haskas, was "let's discuss ideas for a new type of dwelling....one that could potential help the people that actually live in the area."

A single crepe myrtle, which sports red blossoms in summer, defines the courtyard.

Lockyer added native desert plants to a courtyard near the garage.

Gray Organschi took down a worn-out 1970s summer home and reinvented it as a serene pair of bleached cedar volumes connected by a glass bridge.

F-5 Residence Floor Plan

Nestled in a field of praire grass in the Wisconsin woods, the Weekn’der is a dynamic contrast of minimalist black and white.

Ipe paneling and concrete floors continue into the living area, where a photograph by Scott McFarland hangs above the fireplace. Surrounding the dining table, by Riva 1920, are walnut chairs the couple found locally.

Custom bathroom vanities have the benefit of being tailored for space efficiency and personal use. Breakfast Woodworks created this custom teak vanity for a master bathroom.

The highlight of the east wing entry is the oversize front door, fabricated by JIG Design Build, which swings open on a pivot hinge.

Karuizawa Summer House, Antonin Raymond, 1933. Primary Solar Paths and Corresponding Sections. Images provided courtesy The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture Archive of The Cooper Union.

Infinity House Exterior

In Southern Norway, the Summer House by Jarmund/Vigsnæs AS Arkitekter MNAL is designed to blend in with its rocky site. Existing stone walls and a new wood exterior help achieve visual uniformity.

The space was extended on the garden side to create a summer dining room. The cement-tile floor extends out to the garden terrace, so with the doors pulled back, the room becomes part of the garden. An inherited Murano chandelier, Murano glass wall lights, and colored, patterned glass panels salvaged from a church soften the otherwise stark modern space.

Another print from the collection, called Meriheinä, depicts a kind of sea grass.

The basement space now contains an informal sitting room with a summer dining area that leads out into the garden. Salvaged oak floorboards run up the front of one wall, creating a sliding panel that conceals the television.

In the playroom, a velvet Desiron sofa is set off by Down Pipe paint from Farrow & Ball.

The children’s bedroom, which is located next to the playroom, has beds from Bensen and artworks by Aaron Eskridge from Just Modern.

The master bedroom’s fireplace boasts a black slate hearth set in white-painted masonry.

The two combined families return to the home each summer.

The copper roof dominates the landscape, creating plenty of shade for outdoor entertaining.

A swimming pool was on everyone’s wish list. Gray Organschi installed it on the east side of the house, along with an outdoor fireplace. The outside pathways and decks are paved in ipe and bluestone.

A Desiron sofa and a chaise longue from Restoration Hardware furnish the living room.

Heidi's Summer Squash Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts.

In the naturally lit central living space, stained plywood is used for the walls and flooring. The interior boasts high ceilings, a wood-burning fireplace, and a dining table by Robert Ewert Designs.

The wood-and-metal exterior is all about the interplay of angles and planes. White Kynar-coated cladding tops rough-sawn pine planks stained a rich brown shade.

A close-up of the Meriheinä print.

The Merivuokko tea pot.

The team of 15 students and 5 professional volunteers then fabricated the home, seen here at night, using a mix of hand construction and power tools. Hand-made physical models were also part of the design process.

During a two day design charette, the team of students—who range from first year undergraduates to young professionals—used software programs Rhino and Grasshopperto shape the dwelling's sinuous lauan plywood exterior. Their digital models also included the mobile home's structure, fastening, and other components.

21 meter infinity pool on top of the house acts as a roof