Cliff Hangers: Big Sur, California

Architecture & Interior Design: Fougeron Architecture, fougeron.com

Square Feet: 3800 Bedrooms: 3 Baths: 3.5 Altitude: 250 feet

To capture the power of the California landscape, architect Anne Fougeron followed the contour of the topography. Cantilevering over the bluff, the appropriately named Fall House appears from certain angles as if a swift slide into the Pacific Ocean is imminent. “The overall design strategy is one of embedding the building into the land, creating a structure that is inseparable from its context,” she says. Aware of the site’s accessibility challenges, Fougeron chose materials with what she calls optimal life cycle costs. “Long-lasting and easily maintained materials like copper, concrete, steel, and glass constitute the majority of the design,” she says. To balance the dizzying sense of flying off a cliff, she chose warm, embracing materials for the interiors like mahogany (which complements the warmth of the exterior copper) and a rich palette for the furnishings.