A dramatic departure from your typical cabin on the lake, this unique retreat adds shades of black to a tiny island awash with local color. A modern brick outdoor fireplace, tall and slim, is flanked by Philippe Starck’s outdoor chairs for Kartell for cozy fireside seating.

The roofs of each of the three sections of the home are constructed of zinc and are insulated for added protection.

The studio is located in the natural context of the Scottish coast, with the island of Jura in the distance. A significant design challenge, according to Blake, was “building something quite refined in an extreme and remote environment.” To overcome this logistical obstacle, much of the material was prefabricated offsite and transported to the building location. At the facade, elemental zinc is elevated from raw material to art piece by the unique cladding pattern. The custom embossed standing seam zinc system was designed in collaboration with VM Zinc, and fitted by HLMetals.

The outdoor shower situated off of the master bedroom is enclosed to offer privacy and features a courtyard garden. Michael Arp of Lanoha Nurseries designed the house's landscaping.

A tall gray wall, made of acid-washed zinc metal, marks the entryway and visually grounds the roof planes. It also separates the living and bedroom volumes.

Architect Janna Levitt devised a creative emellishment for a residence in Canada. Photo by: Philip Cheung

European baroque architecture, especially the Gesù Nuovo in Naples, is closely referenced in the diamond cladding pattern of the zinc. This connection plays into Blake’s interest in “how buildings become vessels for cultural meaning.” Although the theme of continental influence on Scottish architecture punctuates the design, Blake emphasizes the pure and joyous nature of the structure. “In some ways it’s a serious building about architecture, but it is also just meant to look pretty, glisten in the sunlight, talk to the water, and just feel right.”

Two-year-old Annika and five-year-old Soren make music on the "nap swing," a popular hangout spot for kids and adults alike.

Ryan Anderson of RAD Furniture designed the stools as well as the table and benches on the pool deck.

A 500-square-foot outdoor space with a grill, a table, and a hammock sits just off the entrance level of the townhouse, offering extra room for dining, relaxing, and entertaining. The corner couch is a custom piece inspired by the large cushions of Moroccan sofas. The Fermob table is paired with Hay Hee dining chairs by Hay.

An outdoor shower was the family’s first construction project. “Doing the shower made us realize we can build things the way we want to build them,” says Meg.

Their daughters, Annapurna, left, and Siddartha, play with their dog, Anouck, beneath the kangaroo paws in the entry garden courtyard.

During construction, Mariscal’s team adjusted the design to accommodate the boughs of an old pine tree in the backyard. The unique detail imbues the home with a spirit of wabi-sabi—or beauty through imperfection.

Classic butterfly chairs from Universal Patio Furniture are stationed by the pool. The mural is by street artist Morley, a close friend.

Kitchen thermometer by iDevices, $80 at idevicesinc.com This dual-probe smart thermometer takes oven-hovering out of the equation at food-prep time. Sync the device to your smart phone and monitor food temparature within a range of 150 feet.

Russell-Clarke tends a small garden.

There's little concern about privacy considering the canopy of trees that surrounds the house. Alexander, and the chickens, take advantage of their sunny Northern Californian clime.

The land is adjacent to the Colorado River, along which Brown and his girlfriend, Agustina Rodriguez, walk their dogs.

The glassy pavilion containing kitchen, dining, and living areas is elevated three feet off the ground on posts so it appears to hover among the dunes.

Architectural designer Sebastian Mariscal and project manager Jeff Svitak created a house in Venice, California, for Michael and Tamami Sylvester. Known as Dwell Home Venice for its role as an exemplification of modern architecture, the house is an homage to indoor-outdoor living. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

“The home is quite small, but designed in such a way that you don’t feel it,” Herrin says. Lift-slide openings by Quantum Windows & Doors, which were fabricated fewer than 50 miles from the house, make the main living space seem larger.

"It only cost about $48,000 to build, which was incredibly cheap," says Turner of the Stealth Barn. "We got the Timber Frame Company to supply the shell, then we clad it and fitted out the interior and windows ourselves. The idea was to take the archetypal black tar-painted agricultural building and make an almost childlike icon of that."

Stepstone's narrow concrete pavers add a graphic touch to the garden.

A guest bedroom, with furniture from Room & Board, overlooks the bridge above the dining courtyard. The home’s landscape architecture is by Ventura, California–based Jack Kiesel. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

The outdoor fire pit.

"In this project, we got so much benefit out of this 'secret garden' for the master suite along with all of these environmental benefits that the residents were excited to embrace. It's one of the pieces we are happiest about," says architect Jonathan Feldman.

Six-year-old twins Nicolas and Constanza use Pentimento as their “little battleground,” says Pasternak. “They have some options here that they will not find anywhere else.” Among those options are a climbing wall offering easy access to the roof.

The outdoor hearth is primed for cooking in the summer.

iGrill is a meat thermometer that wirelessly communicates with your smart device. This is pretty neat in and of itself, but the implications it represents are something even more interesting. Have smart devices finally made the jump into food preparation? Will the day soon come when your phone will be able to brew you coffee and fry you up some bacon with the touch of a button or a spoken command?

Orpilla pecks, Apolo pedals.

At one end of the L-shaped terrace, interior designer Martine Brisson included room for a full outdoor kitchen so the family could prepare meals without stepping inside during the warmer months.

From the deck you really get a sense of the two main volumes of the house. One faces inward and the other out, a fine representation of Boone's ideas about the division between work space and living space.

The view from the bathroom.

The living and dining room look out to the central courtyard, promoting indoor/outdoor living. Here, five doors slide into a pocket in the wall to create a nearly 23-foot-wide opening on one side looking into the garden. Another set on the opposite side enhances cross ventilation.

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