Lomac Treehouse, USA.

Nestled amidst dense eucalyptus trees, this dramatic and beautiful house is perched high up on the edge of a canyon in the Mission Hills area of San Diego. It is designed by the architects Taal Safdie and Ricardo Rabines, who just happen to be the neighbours. “They knew us, they knew how we entertained, and they just designed it,” owner Jill Schmidt says. Although encompassing only 1,600 square feet, the house is just the right fit for her, husband John Lomac, their macaw, Mookie, and their chocolate Labrador. This is a wonderful example of site-specific architecture that is both socially responsible and environmentally sustainable. Design features include wall-to-wall pocket doors and clerestory windows that let in tons of light, as well as offering dramatic views over the canyon, and the deck system makes the space feel bigger than it is. Wooden African sculpture and furnishings animate the interior, which are however kept relatively open and sparse in order to maximise the limited space. But as the owners would tell you, “Sometimes small is nice.”... view interior feature

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Palm Tree House. USA

This example of modern architecture takes its name from the large palm trees that surround it, and whose rich fronds intrude into the house itself. This is the home of Todd and Lisa, and located at the head of a canyon in San Diego in Southern California. Todd, a machine tool broker, wanted a building made out of recycled materials which he himself could source, mainly sheet metal and wooden beams, and he called on the services of the experienced architects Safdie-Rabines to create a three storey home on a plot which had already several mature palm trees. Todd’s wife Lisa, a fashion photographer, was also fully involved in the project, lending her eye to the style as well as helping the ingenious solutions of the architects of how to build and support the structure amidst and around, and without compromising, the trees. Brightly coloured yet simple in design, the home fully lived up to its expectations – it is an environmentally conscious structure, fully immersed within and respecting its natural surroundings, which give not only give it its unique quality but also offers the floor to ceiling windows and open terraces on each storey some privacy from the street above and from across the canyon. The interiors are simply laid out with modern furnishings and bright colours as well as with local cactus plants, which both complement and enhance the sunny and airy feel of the house. This is living with nature in the middle of a major city... view feature

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