Christopher Cornwell

Poist Studio, Hanover PA

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

Andreas von Einsiedel

Glass-walled patio with succulents. LIGHTING: Kim Cladas Lighting and Design PHOTO: Indivar Sivanathan Photo & Design

Ryan Garvin

The mammoth phalanxes of white-brick apartment houses that proliferated in the 1960s occupy an architectural purgatory; generic, with boxy interiors devoid of detail, many aren’t even interesting enough to excite a raised eyebrow. Our solution for this exemplar near Astor Place, which fortunately was blessed with premium skyline views, was to relieve the interior ordinariness by stimulating the senses with tactile variety. Axis Mundi created a complexly layered textural palette that injects visual adrenaline into the architectural envelope: a television set into a waxed steel panel topped by clerestory windows with a built-in planter for grasses; wenge wood walls rising from richly figured walnut floors; white subway tile surrounding a subtly colored penny-tile mosaic tub and wall; in the kitchen, Venetian plaster, steel, stone and wood mix harmoniously as a surprisingly spiced exotic concoction. The interiors exude a confident masculinity that challenges the complacency of bland, white-box living. Project Team: John Beckmann and Esther Sperber | Studio ST Photography: Andrew Garn © Axis Mundi Design LLC

conservatory/sun room

Update of existing home in Pelham.

Anlehn-Gewächshaus am Swimming Pool

This sunroom/greenhouse addition featured post and beam cedar construction with custom site built doors and windows. The roof material is made from poly-carbonate panels. Photos were taken byPaul Wedlake Photography

Darragh Hehir

The challenge was to create a sophisticated conservatory, hosting an array of technical functions, yet providing a real connection to the outdoors. A self-sustaining koi pond, motorized windows and shades, fire suppression system, radiant heating and diverse lighting systems were some of the functions cloaked by the sapele wood frame. The simplicity of the Jerusalem stone flooring, bluestone pond coping and marine varnished sapele wood create an understated grace, thereby letting the symbols, shape and feel of the space set the spiritual stage.