Another year, another crop of homes featuring fresh, contemporary architecture, striking décor, and seamless transitions between inside and outside spaces. Peruse our picks below to find the inspiration you need to make indoor-outdoor living part of your next home design.
Stunning and Sustainable
On the outskirts of Dallas, 5G Studio Collaborative designed a certified LEED platinum home meant to blend in with its surroundings near a greenbelt conservation area. The façade is fully one-third glass and, during the day, the residence can be illuminated using only natural light. “The home really presented itself to the landscape,” says 5G’s Paul Merrill. “The profile is amazing and pleasing to the eye.”
Hillside Retreat
A previously undeveloped one-acre Berkeley-area hillside lot was the perfect site for a home whose glass and cedar exterior, monolithic concrete chimney, and butterfly roof is the very definition of eye-catching, capturing the energy of the site’s topography. Designed by ODS Architecture, this 5,000-square-foot house allows its residents to enjoy the hilly views from almost any place in the house. “Functionally, as well as aesthetically,” says architect Alan Ohashi, “the design gives the house a lot of advantages in terms of more glass area, which means more view and more sunlight.”
Positively Provo
Salt Lake City-based Blackbox Design Studios set out to maximize the views of its natural landscape. By using as much glass as possible on this home’s west façade, the homeowners have unrivalled views of Provo and the huge Utah Lake beyond the city. Besides the views, the big glass served another purpose, according to Blackbox’s Richard McCann. “The owners have a less-conventional décor taste that really benefits from a lot of light,” he says.
Denver Delight
In a previous life, this Englewood home was a dark, dreary, and dated Cape Cod-style residence. Thanks to Denver-based Architectural Workshop, now the 7,660-square-foot residence is a bright, modern-looking home with an open floor plan, huge glass, and a bit of Old World flair. “We had the opportunity to maximize the openings,” says architect Brett Linscott, “and we were able to offer a through-house transparency that did not exist before.”
A Refreshing “Idea” in Beverly Hills
The popular Sunset Idea House 2018 in Beverly Hills is a classic 1955 ranch-style home turned into a modern statement complete with an open floor plan and huge potential for indoor-outdoor living. “Large openings and big glass were essential to bringing the indoor-outdoor living aspect of the home to life,” says designer Joe Bowcott of Pemwood Designs.
Now that you're feeling inspired to incorporate indoor-outdoor design into your projects, take a look at these 5 Incredible Indoor-Outdoor Spaces for Fall for more ideas!
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Western Window Systems designs and manufactures moving glass walls and windows that bring indoor and outdoor spaces together. Inspired by contemporary living, our high-quality products are available in custom sizes, standardized sets, and massive dimensions for unlimited design possibilities in residential, multi-family, and light commercial projects. From superior craftsmanship and timeless design to exceptional customer service, Western Window Systems is a preferred choice of architects, builders, and homeowners throughout North America.
