Glamorous country retreat with lake views

Architect Paul Lamb designed this Westlake, Texas retreat with the great twentieth-century British architect Edwin Lutyens, in mind. Lutyens was best known for his imaginative adaptations of traditional style, and both Lamb and interior design firm Fern Santini have followed suit here. This limestone residence is cozy in front, but opens to the lake with mullioned floor-to-ceiling windows. Oushak rugs, a subtle palette, and comfortable sofas aren’t so serious when paired with quirky occasional chairs. Glamour is serious, though, in the master suite where luxe is a pleasure to behold.

Dream home in Österlen with exquisite sea views

This stunning property, spotted on Skeppsholmen, is characterized by light and space is nestled high on a sloping hillside in a private location in Österlen, Sweden. The home features incredible views of the open sea and rolling countryside. The residence consists of 5,382 square feet (500 square meters) of living space spread over a variety of amazing rooms. The austere exterior with horizontal white panels, galvanized metal roof and large glass windows brings nature inside. The home has been designed with both practical and stylish features, with slate flooring creating a calming atmosphere as well as beautiful white oiled oak wood.

The fully equipped kitchen is accessed through a light and airy passageway with a pantry and wine room. The kitchen is open to the spacious dining area and features 6-foot high ceilings and stylish industrial designed lighting. There is also a beautiful atrium and an adjoining living room and lounge area with fireplace, gray plank floors and whitewashed walls with an exit to a terrace. Connected to the lounge is a salon with generous windows and access to another terrace. An office and multi-level studio offer breathtaking views of the sea and surrounding beautiful countryside. The studio exits to the patio and garden.

There are five spacious bedrooms and two tastefully decorated bathrooms, with the master bedroom adjacent to a stunning Moroccan style bathroom.

Externally, this magnificent property offers several patios, gardens and the quiet atrium in contrast to the open countryside. The beautiful scenery and the private mode create a unique atmosphere.

Charming Graine-Ficelle hotel in the French Riviera

Created from scratch by its owner, this French farmhouse opens its doors to those who wish to rediscover the magic of the land, the animals and respect for the environment nestled between sea and the mountains in Saint Jeannet, in the heart of the French Riviera. Graine & Ficelle is a luminous farmhouse transformed into a charming bed and breakfast by the owners, set in the countryside available to accommodate guests. After three years to complete, the property also accommodates visits to the farm for school children, with a myriad of activities and workshops. The 2,798 square foot (260 square meters) house is spacious and bright, with few elements and infusing an aged look throughout.

The home was decorated with furnishings belonging to the owner’s family in wood and iron, sofas with linen covers, neutral hues and soft materials. The home features a large double living room, office, kitchen with cellar and four bedrooms, one of which is independent with its own kitchen and access to a private garden, all featuring their own sumptuous bathrooms. The guest rooms open onto the garden with spectacular views over the valley and the sea where guests are served a gourmet breakfast. Emphasis was placed on the 700 square foot kitchen, at the heart of the owner’s passion, to bring in all the delicacies from the garden.

The farmhouse can be rented in its entirety at a rate of $4,168 – $4,950, or you can stay here for the night at a rate of approximately $200 with breakfast, from here.

Concrete and glass farmhouse nestled in an orchard

Nestled in a mature apple grove in Sebastopol, Sonoma County, California, the Orchard House is a highly site-specific, cast concrete prefab that has been designed by Anderson Anderson Architecture. This approach allows a high degree of adaptability to the landscape, while keeping construction costs to a minimum. The single-story, 4,500 square foot house is home to a family of four who moved here in 2003 from New York City. They could not leave their city life completely behind, they wanted to adopt elements of their loft into their new home in the countryside. The home needed to be completely accessible to their teenage son who gets around in a wheelchair. They also needed to accommodate two home offices and a study area to homeschool their son. They also desired plenty of space not only for cooking, but for massive kitchen projects such as wine making from their homegrown grapes and oil from their olive trees.

The central living space is open and airy, with a comfortable sitting area on one end and a dining table at the other and it between is a spacious cooking zone. The sleeping areas are set apart from the main room, along a sunlit corridor, which is lined with artworks by various family members. There are two “drive-in” bathrooms that feature open showers with long drains. The material used throughout the farmhouse was concrete. A series of identical C-shaped modules form the structural framework, which sits on a continuous slab foundation. To integrate the house into its surroundings, the wall line up exactly with the rows of trees outside, which are planted on a grid and spaced 25 feet apart. The result is expansive floor-to-ceiling glass doors that span the open alleys between the trees, which create endless views in every direction that tapers into the trunks and leaves.

The concrete extends into the interior spaces, which frames the large kitchen island, with custom niches for appliances and sinks. Accents materials consist of wooden doorframes comprised of reclaimed redwood wine barrels and galvanized steel siding on parts of the exterior. Minimal cabinetry and millwork is manufactured of raw Douglas Fir plywood. At the center of the main living area is a massive slab of salvaged cypress, resting on sawhorses with open shelving underneath. Throughout the interior spaces are open storage areas, no cabinets or drawers so that everything is wheelchair accessible.

The house lies low in a century-old apple orchard, far from neighboring houses. The spaciousness of the rural surroundings is echoed inside.

The wide front door opens onto a wide central living space where the entire family—and a regular cast of visitors—spends much of their time.

The dining room table sits at one end of the main room, with an open view onto the rows of trees that extend out from two sides of the house. A suspended fixture made out of a salvaged branch, crystal pieces, and strung bulbs by the homeowner.

A massive slab of cypress perched atop sawhorses provides storage for pots and utensils.

The cooking area features two islands—one more permanent than the other. A concrete island contains various appliances.

The Andersons designed a system of four-by-four-foot concrete modules, created from a reusable formwork of 2-by-12-foot boards that could be easily moved around the site.

By using the units repeatedly, the architects saved on cost and materials as well as scaling the work to be manageable with one concrete truck and a two-person crew. The resulting facades are textured from the rough wooden planks.

Ben’s office contains an impressive reference library for his inventory of antiquarian books.

An outdoor shower is made from one complete concrete module—a visual demonstration of how the entire house was built.

In the master bedroom, more shelves were installed to accommodate the book collection.

The long hallway leading to the bedrooms gets spectacular afternoon sun, lighting up the family’s many works of art.

In the living room fireplace, a bird turns on the antique French spit.

The outdoor hearth is primed for cooking in the summer.

The open office space is partially secluded thanks to the hanging Algues by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for Vitra.

Throughout the house all storage areas are open, leaving crockery, dishware, food, books, and clothes in plain view.

Ben enjoys spending time outdoors on warm days cooking meals for his family.

The oversize hearth (of which there is an outdoor double) was part of the original design specifications. “Ben said he wanted a fireplace big enough to cook a wild boar,” says Mark Anderson of Anderson and Anderson.

Metal buckets of wooden spoons on the counter don’t amount to visual chaos; rather, they’re evidence of a hands-on existence.

The family needed space not just for cooking, which they do a lot of, but for massive kitchen projects like making wine from their homegrown grapes and oil from their olive trees.

Many of the culinary craft projects are an extension of Ben’s work as an artist and dealer of antiquarian books about food and wine.

The material of choice for the loft-cum-farmhouse was concrete, for which the Andersons devised a prefab strategy. A series of identical C-shaped modules from the same formwork compose the structural system, which sits on a continuous slab foundation.

Photos: Anthony Vizzari for Dwell

Fabulous retreat in the Mallorcan countryside

This gorgeous farmhouse in Mallorca, Spain, spotted on Nuevo Estilo, located in a semi-rural enclave, has grown and transformed with its many different owners. The current owners, a family with four children, decided to reform this holiday home, enlarging it to suit their needs of entertaining large groups of family and friends who regularly visit.

Dispersed over two floors, there are six bedrooms, four bathrooms, living room, kitchen and an attractive exterior. Besides a new layout, recent reforms have introduced high technical improvements designed to revalue the property. Equipment and delivery systems of the house were changed to make them more efficient and sustainable and the kitchen and bathrooms were renovated to become highly functional spaces. Special care was taken in the construction to not lose the original essence.

The woodwork of doors, windows, blinds and cabinets, respects the traditional Mallorcan style, which can still be seen in the living room and kitchen, with the primitive thick walls. As for materials, local stone was chosen for floors, countertops and kitchen fronts, and coating of the bathrooms. Interior design studio Mestre Paco was commissioned for the interior decoration, creating a fresh contemporary style infused with light colors, natural fabrics and wood, enhancing the cozy and comfortable atmosphere.

Striking rammed earth dwelling in the countryside

Sun and earth are the essence of this remarkable home called ‘Solterra’, which enjoys a privileged position in the spectacular high country of Victoria, Australia. Rammed earth and ironbark create a striking form, and huge expanses of glass capture the sun’s warmth and light along with panoramic views across bucolic fields to snow-capped mountains and never-ending skies. The property provides an incredibly private and peaceful sanctuary from the constant noise of modern life with opportunity to pursue rural interests on a manageable holding of around 40 hectares (100 acres) of undulating pasture.

The home is naturally warm in winter and cool in summer with zones designed to provide both an intimate couples retreat and the facility to host family and friends in grand style. The four bedroom, three bath residence offers just over 4,305 square feet (400 meters square) of understated luxury accommodation, complemented by extensive ironbark decking, a spectacular infinity edge salt water pool with Italian travertine terraces and striking landscaped gardens all designed by Jack Merlo.

This spectacular property is listed for sale from here.

Picturesque dwelling in the Italian countryside

This beautiful country house is situated in the foothills of the Val Tidone, in the Piacentine countryside of Italy. Designed by Park Associati architects, the home was conceived as a contemporary interpretation of the traditional ‘cascina’ and barns typical of the area, which is reflected in the materials and proportions, presenting itself as a modern design, free from nostalgic elements. The building has been designed with sustainability in mind: from its orientation that enables winter sun to be optimized while minimizing exposure during the hotter months, to the construction materials that have been specified for their high levels of insulation.

The house is developed around a central covered courtyard that forms the heart of the ground floor living area and offers unusual views from the bedrooms at first floor. The ground floor spaces have been designed to be continuous with the external areas for access during warmer weather to the courtyard and decked area from the living room. The ground floor consists of a cloakroom and storage area and two large rooms that are visually connected via large sliding glazed doors: the kitchen and dining area that are conceived as a single space and the living room; these areas have been designed as a series of spaces that lead from one to the other and on to the outside, through the courtyard and out to the timber-decked terrace.

At first floor there are four bedrooms and two bathrooms. The floors are covered in planks of iroko wood and local stone laid in an irregular pattern. The brick of the external elevations continues inside to become one of the interior finishing materials, along with plaster and a large, stone wall with a fireplace and alcove for firewood in sheet metal in the living area.

Beautiful rustic lakeside home in Italy

This beautiful rustic countryside family home in Italy is owned by a woman named Hanne who lives there with her two teenage sons and her partner Rafaelle. Hanne was originally from Norway, and then moved around to various places before making her way to Italy. She purchased a rundown home in the outskirts of Rome and had it rebuilt. Hanne explains, “When we found this place, it was basically just a roof and walls. No one else would buy it because it was so run-down and in the middle of nowhere. I saw the potential though – for me, the uglier the house, the bigger the challenge. It took a year to do all the work and it was very hard. There were no trees here, and the house didn’t even have water or electricity.” It is now the home of her dreams and a place where she can have lots of house guests because it has been built spaciously enough for entertaining. Via

Modern four-cornered villa in Finland

The site is situated on a horse shoe shaped island and faces north and east. The 840 square foot villa is located in Virrat, Finland and was designed by Avanto Architects. The cross like shape of this simple villa reaches towards four very different views. The space is open and defined at the same time. The exterior is treated all black and to contrast the interior is very light. Dark color makes the building disappear totally when seen from the lake. The roof is flat – there is some warm irony to the clichés of modern architecture. The building is insulated well and heated by wood only resulting in a carbon neutral building. There is no running water and the electricity is provided by the sun. Vegetables and herbs are cultivated on site and the Vaskivesi Lake is known as a good place to catch pike-perch. The simple and ascetic life at the countryside differs dramatically from the hectic city life and provides a possibility to live a life with a minimum impact to the nature.

Photos: Kuvio – Anders Portman and Martin Sommerschield

Suspended refuge on the Alentejo Coast

The house in Melides, on the southern Alentejo Coast of Portugal by architect Pedro Reis, represents the desire for a holiday house as a getaway from the bustle of a big city. This incredible 3,700 square foot home presents “drama” of the natural countryside, building it on top of a steep hill relatively protected by the surrounding rugged topography.

Inhabiting this site means “founding a place” by means of a “strong geometric imprint”, achieved by two volumes overlapping in the shape of a “cross”. The aim of this strategy was to not just reduce the “scale and presence” of the construction, but also to “split” the residence into two areas, one more “exuberant” and exposed and the other more “intimate” and contained. The large glass areas open to the scenic countryside, the “anchored” lower volume, clad with sheets of earth-colored concrete, sits on the ground, giving support and stability to the house. Via

The “suspended” upper volume concentrates the main spaces, defining the “minimum housing unit”, while the lower volume acts as an “expansion zone”, hosting more intimate areas or service areas, allowing increased occupation. The kitchen, as the center of the home, takes on paramount importance here, acting as the crossing-point for all movements: entering, going through the inside and moving out into the garden, with the long pergola providing shade and a water tank reflecting the pine trees, set under the house into the main bedroom. The experience of this house aims to concentrate on its essence, on being inside and out, on contemplating and lingering, highlighting a enjoyable sense of living, close to the amenities of urban life.

Photos: Fernando Guerra, Sergio Guerra