More than a third of the nation's local newspapers have folded in the last 20 years, with the Western U.S. being especially hard-hit, including significant losses in Utah and New Mexico.
On these spacious properties, Western culture is alive and well. You'll drift off to sleep under clear, starry skies and wake up to hot coffee and a warm meal. During the day, you might hop on your trusty steed for a tour of the land by horseback or sit on a sprawling deck with a glass of sweet tea and enjoy the expansive views.
Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen + 19 Category: Barn, Houses, Adaptive Reuse More SpecsLess Specs Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen Text description provided by the architects. Set close to a small harbour, Lakeshore Barn House is shaped by restraint and clarity, drawing from the familiar silhouette of rural barns to sit naturally within the small lakeside village. The simple cross- shaped layout establishes a central axis that opens uninterrupted views through the house in both directions, strengthening the connection between landscape and interior.
Perched high atop a dappled-colored horse at Alisal Ranch, I stroked the equine's coarse hair in an effort to bond before sauntering off to an authentic cowboy breakfast. I was with a group of like-minded women in search of a wellness weekend but we chose to trade our spa robes for cowgirl hats and forgo mani-pedis for dusty trail rides. This was not a typical dude ranch experience. It seamlessly blended nurturing self-care, enriching workshops, nourishing meals, and fostering friendships.
Ross partnered with architect and designer Suchi Reddy to reimagine the interiors, continuing a creative dialogue that has unfolded over more than a decade. Their shared interest lies in neuroaesthetics - the study of how environments affect emotional and physical well-being - and Standing Wave becomes a built expression of that. Rather than adding architectural flourish, the transformation focused inward: the existing floors and ceilings were preserved while walls were repositioned, rooms resized, and sightlines recalibrated to boost views of the ocean, rocks, and sky.
When I arrived at Liberty Tiny Village on a warmer than usual day in November, I thought I knew exactly what to expect. The resort-style, 55-and-older tiny home community in Aubrey, Texas, markets itself as an upscale community for retirees or soon-to-be retirees ready to shed decades of belongings in exchange for a smaller, freer way of living. But that's only part of the story. That afternoon, I sat with two neighbors, widows Debbie Giamalva a retired intensive care nurse, and Sherry Miller, a retired English teacher.
Some people have a negative perception of prefabricated homes because they think that implies a cheap mobile home. But it's actually possible to do very high-quality work in the controlled environment of a factory. And it's far faster and more reliable than doing the work on site.
Pulling off a new build that feels convincingly like an English estate requires more than cosmetic gestures. "The architecture of the home starts with authenticity," says Paragano, who begins projects like this by focusing on the home's massing-its overall form and proportions-and by reestablishing the traditionally defined spaces of a historic house. "Then we reinforce that with authentic detailing through materials," he adds.
High in the Pyrenees, where forests, rock, and weather dictate their own quiet rules, Forestone Cabin appears less like a building and more like a geological event. At just 20 square meters, this experimental wooden dwelling does not announce itself as architecture in the conventional sense. Instead, it feels as though it has always been there, something solid that rolled down the mountain long before anyone thought to give it a name.
The owners accused their new house of being a tad cold and imposing. Designed about 15 years ago by eminent Australian firm Cera Stribley with interiors by Hecker Guthrie, the stone structure presented an impressive modernist take on a ski chalet. "It was conceived as a robust, contemporary alpine house with a strong architectural framework and limited palette, very disciplined and intentional," says designer Brahman ("Brem") Perera. "My clients asked me to step in to soften the interiors," Brem continues. "They deeply appreciated the architecture, but felt the spaces leaned a little austere and formal for how they wanted to live." The family retreat, located slope side on Australia's Mount Buller, has since been given an impressive makeover, courtesy of grained wood paneling, glazed brick, patterned textiles, and a lot of inviting landing spots.
Designed by Habitat Architects, the Solan Hill House is a private residence embedded into a sloping site in Himachal Pradesh, conceived as an architecture that grows out of its terrain rather than resting on it. Completed as a response to complex gradients, access conditions, and visual exposure, the project uses the landscape itself as a generator of form, structure, and spatial sequence.