Toby Orton

Clad in a copper shell, this contemporary ADU in the grounds of a Toronto family’s residence does its best to blend into the treeline that borders the garden. Aptly named, the Copper House is a compact guest pavilion designed to expand the family’s living space without them needing to move on to pastures new. Created by architects

In Querétaro, Mexico, architecture studio Laboratorio de Arquitectura

Surrounded by towering trees in a wooded setting near the shores of Lake Michigan, the Liten Hytte House was wrapped in functional corrugated cladding to mimic the verticality of the forest while standing out from the woodland shades. The compact cabin was designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson architects for relaxed summer living, its name inspired by the Norwegian phrase for ‘little cabin’.

Set back from the bustle of Bondi Road, flanked by homes displaying a mishmash of architectural styles, the Bondi House by Nick Kent Design stands out for its strikingly simple, box-like structure. Conceived as a lightweight, adaptable retreat for both living and working, the home was designed for the architect’s own family and studio. The home was organized with an open-plan living space and garden at ground level, while bedrooms and a workspace were lifted above to capture the northern sunlight – with a screened terrace extending from the upper floor, offering a more open, outward-looking perspective to the privacy of the level below.

A dense treeline separates the Counter Slope House from Canada ‘s Lake Memphremagog, the home arranged so windows offer glimpses of the shimmering water through the leaves as dappled light streams into the home from the opposite direction. Perched on a steep slope, the house by

While the relationship between architecture and its surroundings is always of great importance to designers, in the case of the Haniyasu House, the line blurs between where the earth stops and the structure begins, with architect AATISMO

In inner-city Adelaide, House in the City offers a gentle negotiation between past and present. The work of James Allen Architects, the home historic home was updated with rustic materials to create a tactile, charming update that elevated what came before. What was a deteriorating Federation villa was carefully reworked into a home that honors its origins while embracing a quieter, contemporary way of living.

In the Berkeley Hills, where it takes in distant views of the San Francisco Bay, this mid-century home was recently reworked by Mork-Ulnes Architects. Originally designed by Roger Lee, an architect prolific in the 1950s and 60s across the Bay area, the gem of a home was carefully updated, with the new design balancing preservation with a lighter, more open approach to contemporary living.

Located in a picturesque spot in Arizona’s Catalina foothills, Casa Luce was the result of architects HK Associates

Removed from the city in the foothills of a national park near to Barcelona, the single-storey Casa Sota la Mola in Matadepera is designed to almost disapp