Bent steel plate and bamboo stair. Architect: Cathy Schwabe Architecture Interior Design: John Lum Architecture Landscape Architect: Arterra LLP, Vera Gates Lighting Design: Alice Prussin Color Consultant: Judith Paquette Photograph: David Wakely

This house is discreetly tucked into its wooded site in the Mad River Valley near the Sugarbush Resort in Vermont. The soaring roof lines complement the slope of the land and open up views though large windows to a meadow planted with native wildflowers. The house was built with natural materials of cedar shingles, fir beams and native stone walls. These materials are complemented with innovative touches including concrete floors, composite exterior wall panels and exposed steel beams. The home is passively heated by the sun, aided by triple pane windows and super-insulated walls. Photo by: Nat Rea Photography

Schlafzimmer. Fotograf: Bruzkus Batek

Mauricio Cruz

Kathleen Brennan http://www.brennanstudio.com/

-- photo credit Ben Hill Photography

Valerie Borden

This stair by chadbourne + doss architects incorporates mahogany flooring and a custom steel handrail with a mahogany cap. The warmth of the stair contrasts with the cool concrete floors.

Bob Narod

epoxy concrete floor, hickory and maple custom wall system, custom metal floating stairway

This kitchen has a strong connection to the outdoors. Photo by Trent Bell

Photographer: David Whittaker

The driving impetus for this Tarrytown residence was centered around creating a green and sustainable home. The owner-Architect collaboration was unique for this project in that the client was also the builder with a keen desire to incorporate LEED-centric principles to the design process. The original home on the lot was deconstructed piece by piece, with 95% of the materials either reused or reclaimed. The home is designed around the existing trees with the challenge of expanding the views, yet creating privacy from the street. The plan pivots around a central open living core that opens to the more private south corner of the lot. The glazing is maximized but restrained to control heat gain. The residence incorporates numerous features like a 5,000-gallon rainwater collection system, shading features, energy-efficient systems, spray-foam insulation and a material palette that helped the project achieve a five-star rating with the Austin Energy Green Building program.

An interior build-out of a two-level penthouse unit in a prestigious downtown highrise. The design emphasizes the continuity of space for a loft-like environment. Sliding doors transform the unit into discrete rooms as needed. The material palette reinforces this spatial flow: white concrete floors, touch-latch cabinetry, slip-matched walnut paneling and powder-coated steel counters. Whole-house lighting, audio, video and shade controls are all controllable from an iPhone, Collaboration: Joel Sanders Architect, New York. Photographer: Rien van Rijthoven

View from hall into kitchen and dining areas. Cathy Schwabe Architecture. Photograph by David Wakely.

Photo credit: WA design