Deck

Embedded in a woodland landscape, this retreat has art gallery-like spaces that open to nature. Built on the top of a hill on Orcas Island, WA, Collector's Retreat provides gorgeous views of a forest landscape. Seattle-based Heliotrope Architects designed the dwelling for a couple who owns an art gallery in Los Ang...

A dream getaway in Costa Rica. Built right near a beach between Playa Tamarindo and Playa Langosta in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, Villa Monoi is a beautifully designed private retreat. Perfect for a family or a group of friends, the villa features four bedrooms and sprawling lounge areas both indoors and outdoors. Architect ...

A minimalist cabin built in a pine forest on a rural property in the south of France. [dropcap]N[/dropcap]estled in a forest in Marseille, France, Pine Nut Cabane is a minimalist cabin that takes cues from vernacular architecture. London-based architecture and desig...

A retreat designed with a cantilevered form that extends toward water views in the Pacific Northwest. Designed by architecture studio Heliotrope, this retreat on Orcas Island, Washington, makes the most of a challenging site to optimize the dialogue betwe...

A lakefront guest house inspired by the movement of water. Built on Lake Rosseau, Ontario, the Tobin Island Boathouse stands between a forest and the serene surface of the water. The AKB Architecture firm looked to the local context for inspiration, referencing both the s...

An extension and interior redesign for a Brooklyn townhouse. Located in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn, this townhouse is the home of a family of four, who had been living there for more than ten years before the parents decided to expand the living spaces. They tasked B...

A contemporary, Corten house inspired by dogtrot barns. Built in a gorgeous landscape outside of Jackson, Wyoming, the Dogtrot Residence bridges the gap between vernacular, agrarian buildings and contemporary architecture. CLB Architects designed the modern barn house for a retired couple from Pennsylvania who will eventual...

In the beautiful countryside of Bomporto, Italy, an unfortunate event turned into a great opportunity. After an old barn was damaged by an earthquake, the owners decided to transform it into a stylish home and they hired the Archiplan Studio to handle the project. The e...

A duplex transformed into a single-family home in the heart of Montreal. Located in the popular Plateau-Mont-Royal neighborhood in Montreal, Canada, this compact duplex was transformed into a four-story, single-family home by local architecture and interior design firm

It is always a delight to find a salient engineering solution integrated with architectural design. MHM Architects have seamlessly blended the two in the project Boat’s House at Millstätter Lake. Because of docking restrictions at the waterfront, the wooden façade of the building folds down to create an extern...

A family home designed with three gabled volumes oriented toward different views. Rising from the shores of the Rupanco Lake in Chile, this home is a great example of sustainable architecture. Design organization Citic collaborated with Constructores de ...

A wood-clad home inspired by tree houses. Named Caterpillar Hill, this wood-clad house rises from the top of a steep site in a woodland on Maine’s rugged coast. Architecture firm Whitten Architects designed the forever home for a family of three. The clients have ties to the area and wanted a durable, accessible home they ...

A weekend retreat that references traditional yurts. Designed by the JRKVC studio, Attila cabin doubles as a weekend retreat and meeting space. Located in the village of Vojka nad Dunajom, some 20km away from Bratislava, Slovakia, the cottage stands on a small plot of land in the rural landscape, overlooking a

A treetop walkway and observation tower nestled in a protected forest in Denmark. Located about an hour drive south from Copenhagen, Denmark, Camp Adventure provides the opportunity to enjoy the landscapes of a protected forest in new, fun ways. The park features climbing courses and hiking trails as well as a zip line and viewing platforms. Copenhagen-based architecture firm

A retreat designed for a cycling enthusiast and nature lover. Seattle-based architecture firm SKB Architects completed the Sonoma Farmhaus project for a client who is a cycling enthusiast. Located in the town of Graton, California, the house takes inspiration from the traditional forms of rural buildings and

A cozy retreat designed as a sustainable, low-cost, modular cabin. Built in a forest in Finland, close to a lake, this cabin blends into the landscape with a simple design. The idea to build the retreat came to Jonas Becker and Timm Bergmann of Berlin-based

Modern apartments and hotel suites built in a Czech ski resort. Located in the small town of Pec pod Sněžkou, at the base of the highest mountain in the Czech Republic, the Aparthotel Svatý Vavřinec is a complex of multiple buildings that house 90 suites. The client hired Prague-based OV-A architecture studio to design a resort that would occupy the footprint of a former store from th...

A black beach house with two wooden volumes connected by a light-filled space. Located in a forested area in La Juanita, in the José Ignacio resort, Uruguay, this beach retreat optimizes comfort while preserving the integrity of the natural landscape. Designed in a collaboration between the Fram ...

A contemporary house built in a nature reserve in Mexico. Built with great respect for nature, Casa en El Torón is a perfect example of sustainable architecture. Mexico City–based architecture practice Ignacio Urquiza Arquitectos designed the vacati...

A modern take on the archetypal country house. Located near the top of a slope in Saint-Julien-le-Petit, west-central France, this black house overlooks a bucolic landscape. French architecture firm Ciguë designed the dwellin...

A hotel that re-imagines vernacular tradition with a minimalist aesthetic. Millions of tourists visit the Italian Alps every year and they have plenty of hotels to choose from to make their stay comfortable. However, not every hotel can claim to have deep roots in local traditions and ancient architecture like Olmo. Nestled in the village of Ponchiera, the Province of Sondrio, Italy, ...

A stunning house that showcases the refinement of contemporary Japanese architecture. Built at the top of a hill in the historic city of Kamakura, Japan, T3 House overlooks a breathtaking coastal landscape and the snowy peak of Mount Fuji in the distance. The clients, a couple based in Japan, the UK, and France, hired CUBO design architect to design their ideal home: a modern dwelling...

This house, located in the suburban area of North Kanto in the Saitama Prefecture in Japan, aims to reconcile the need for unique design and the convenience of prefabricated materials. Even though they are cheaper, increasingly more widespread, but also more practical and faster to build than traditional houses, prefabricated homes are still not completely embraced by the older or the younger g...

A sprawling garden designed with open areas that create a winding path from a chalet to a lake. Designed by Daniel Zamarbide, founder of multidisciplinary studio Bureau, Mr. Barrett's Garden in Switzerland is a beautiful outdoor space that creates a dialogue between a new chalet and the nearby Lake Geneva. The sprawling area features lush vegetation and a

A modern six-module house in the Hamptons. Located in Bridgehampton, New York, the 3,500 sq ft Six Square House re-interprets vernacular gabled architecture in a creative and distinctly contemporary way. NYC-based practice Young Projects designed the dwelling with six

A stunning three-pavilion retreat inspired by nature. Designed as a serene retreat where the clients will eventually retire, the Butterfly House is a beautiful dwelling that shares a special link to the landscape it now calls home. The house stands on a plot of land between a valley and rolling hills in the breathtaking Santa Lucia Preserve, near Carmel, California. To provide generou...

A tiny house built in a garden in France. Located close to the sea in Longueil, France, this tiny house makes the most of an existing lush garden. Paris-based architecture firm arba designed the small, minimalist cabin as a retreat for the clients, but the prope...

A special hotel designed to be a home away from home. Nestled into a bucolic landscape in northern Spain, Villa Slow welcomes its guests into a quiet, warm, and homelike space that also celebrates the beauty of nature. It’s an ideal choice for those who are exploring the region and want to find accommodation near Santander. Architect

A Nordic-inspired black cabin that creates a symbiosis between a woodland landscape and modern architecture. Nature stands at the very heart of Grand Pic Cottage. Before Appareil Architecture started the conceptualization stage for this house in Austin, Quebec, the architects immersed themselves into the woodland a...

A house extension designed with a warm gray, hipped roof. Located in Epsom, Surrey, this 1920s house was transformed with a contemporary extension by London-based studio Oliver Leech Architects. Named Hipped House, the residence required extensive renovations throughout the int...

A seaside holiday retreat designed with four black wood cabins linked by pathways. Built in a quiet area among wild pine trees, this residential retreat in Comporta, Portugal, allows the clients to relax and unwind in the middle of a gorgeous coastal landscape. Lisbon-based architecture and design firm

A modern house partly built within the ruins of a stable in the Italian Alps. Located right next to Olmo, in the village of Ponchiera, the Province of Sondrio, Italy, Emma’s House is the boutique hotel owners’ home. Both projects were completed by Sondrio-based architect Rocco...

A creatively designed family home in Porto. Designed by Porto-based studio FAHR 021.3, the Bouça Family House aims to create a dialogue between the street and passers-by on one hand and contemporary architecture on the other. Built in the center of Porto, Portugal, the house is part of a new wave of both urban consoli...

A T-shaped home with three garden spaces. Built in the middle of a pine forest near a beach in Ljunghusen, Sweden, Villa MSV is a home designed for a couple who also want to entertain family and friends. Architect Johan Sundberg designed the T-sha...

A cabin with views of a Norwegian fjord. Located on a steep site in Rones, north of Trondheim, Norway, this cabin overlooks gorgeous views of woodland, mountains, and a fjord. Sanden+Hodnekvam Archi...

A minimalist cabin built in a pine forest on a rural property in the south of France. [dropcap]N[/dropcap]estled in a forest in Marseille, France, Pine Nut Cabane is a minimalist cabin that takes cues from vernacular architecture. London-based architecture and desig...