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How to Beautifully Blend Indoor and Outdoor Living Spaces

by Rick Anderson

While the physical distances between the homes in the new book Infinite Space (Gestalten, $60) are huge—they are found in such far-flung locations as Mexico, Morocco, Norway, South Africa—the design of the structures is strikingly similar. Documented by architecture and interiors photographer James Silverman, each highlights the idea that living space should expand outdoors, and do so seamlessly. “The primary materials can be wood, stone, or metal, but the various methods of dissolving the boundary between exterior and interior are what allow residents to experience the full potential of modernism’s promise,” writes Alan Rapp in the book. Many of the properties feature spacious terraces , walls of glass, and water features to create that calming connection to the outside world. However, it’s not just about how people feel in these spaces—the homes’ relationships to their surroundings is the real takeaway. “These houses are largely nestled into the landscape in a way that prioritizes the integration of site and structure, and, as a secondary effect, seems to distance or separate them from neighbors,” Rapp writes. “The real kinship of these ideal residences, be they voluminous or not, is to the land.”

Casa Camino a Farellones, Santiago, Chile Concrete walls and generous windows make the lower level of this home, devised by Max Núñez of dRN Arquitectos, feel secluded. But the upper-level kitchen and living area is utterly open, encased entirely in glass for spectacular views of the La Paloma and El Altar glaciers.

Casa Monterrey, Monterrey, Mexico Architect Tadao Ando divided a massive wall of glass on one side of this hillside house into panes that resemble the geometric bookcases within.

Vame, Yzerfontein, South Africa This L-shaped residence by Stefan Antoni Olmesdahl Truen Architects lets you take in the white sand dunes from multiple angles, while also protecting the pool from the wind.

Casa Iporanga, Guarujá, Brazil On the ground floor of this family home, architect Isay Weinfeld designed the glass face to open up, creating a single, seamless indoor-outdoor space.

Condomínio Baleia, São Sebastião, Brazil While this residence by Studio Arthur Casas is boldly geometric, natural materials, such as warm woods and sliding glass screens to the garden and pool, keep it from feeling unapproachable.

Casa Ilhabela, Ilhabela, Brazil Marcio Kogan and Diana Radomylser of Studio MK27 devised the lower living area in this island retreat to be visually integrated with the outdoors. One end of the space looks out on the front yard, where a stacked stone wall provides privacy from the street; the other side extends out to the green pool, acting as a terrace.

Split View Mountain Lodge, Buskerud, Norway From the central kitchen to the three connected wings, this cabin by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter is finished almost entirely in pale Norwegian pine, a nod to the natural world right outside the triple-glazed windows.

Bjellandsbu, Åkrafjorden, Norway Kjetil Thorsen of Snøhetta’s rolling structure is arresting, but it’s also incredibly durable. When severe weather rolls in, a stacked stone wall acts as a wind barrier, the sloped form distributes snowfall, and a glazed southern wall keeps the house warm.

Skogssauna Tomtebo, Gävle, Sweden In this bathhouse on the border of lush forest, designed by Bengt Mattias Carlsson of Meter Arkitektur, natural wood details, such as the framework of rough-sawn glulam logs and spruce hardwood floors, connect the modular spaces.

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