The prospect of retirement doesn’t just signal the end of a career; it offers the chance to recalibrate and re-prioritize in life.
6 Homes Framed by Trees
April 3, 2015
New houses that respect the existing landscape.
Thanks to a prefab in-law unit, an octogenarian modernist lives independently on a peaceful, verdant, tree-lined site in Northern California. Though the daughter didn’t want all-glass walls, natural light and airflow were key. Architect jared Levy and Connect:Homes fellow cofounder Gordon Stott used an LED system to offset light from windows and doors. Says Stott, “It’s about 150 watts to light the whole house.”
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Originally appeared in This Modern Prefab is Perfect for Mom
A mature avocado tree shades the hardscaped patio located just outside the great room of a Los Feliz renovation.
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Originally appeared in The Modern Renovated Home of Glee Star Jayma Mays
Mark Word Design did the landscaping, with an emphasis on water conservation, surrounding this Austin, Texas, house by Alterstudio Architecture. "It's about usage levels, but it's also about the way we treat storm water and runoff since it all goes back into our supply at the end of the cycle," designer Sarah Carr says. Word and his team chose plants that help reduce erosion, require little watering, and allow storm water to percolate. Mulch and living ground covers—including Big Blue liriope, marsilea, and Palisades zoysia turf—keep moisture within the soil and lower the temperature of the soil, protecting the roots of the live oak trees.
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Originally appeared in A Sensitive Modern House in Austin, Texas
In the gravel-lined entry court shaded by a Japanese maple tree, furniture from Beall and Bell—an antique shop in Greenport, New York—mixes with Pendant Globes by Primelite Manufacturing. Bobo pillows by Adler outfit the banquette, and cedar clads the interior of the seating area.
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Originally appeared in Jonathan Adler and Simon Doonan's Shelter Island Vacation Home
Architect Andrew Heid created this long-term home for his parents around a glass enclosure built to celebrate the greenery of its Northwestern site. “Because you have this incredible proximity and connection to the outside, you have a higher aesthetic awareness,” he says.
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Originally appeared in This House Gets Better with Age
Claire and Ken Stevens approached architect Ko Wibowo to create a modern addition to their 1970s home in Tacoma, Washington. Originally designed by architect L. Jane Hastings, the house is located on a steeply sloped site that backs up to a state park.
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Originally appeared in Designing a Home to Accommodate Alzheimer’s
Thanks to a prefab in-law unit, an octogenarian modernist lives independently on a peaceful, verdant, tree-lined site in Northern California. Though the daughter didn’t want all-glass walls, natural light and airflow were key. Architect jared Levy and Connect:Homes fellow cofounder Gordon Stott used an LED system to offset light from windows and doors. Says Stott, “It’s about 150 watts to light the whole house.”
Photo by Joe Fletcher .
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