Houzz Tours
5 Dream Homes with Mountain Views
Be inspired by this roundup of the most beautiful mountainside homes from our Houzz Tours
In need of some armchair travel? Treat yourself to a tour of this collection of homes set within sight of beautiful mountain ranges. From a rural stone cottage in Wales to off-grid living in Washington, USA, these homes all have one thing in common – a breathtaking location and clever design that makes the most of it. Have a browse and make sure to save your favourite photos to an ideabook.
2. A stone cottage in Wales
This rural stone cottage in Wales had belonged to architect Eilir Sheryn of VESP Architects’ great great grandmother’s sister and had been in the family for five or six generations. It’s sandwiched between the Brecon Beacons and the Cambrian Mountains in Wales, and has the River Towy running across the bottom of the garden, a location Eilir describes as “special and unique”.
The downstairs of the original stone building consists of a double-size, dual-aspect living/dining room with stunning views on both sides.
Maintaining a traditional style that was true to the roots of the home was important to Eilir and his wife and business partner, Frederieke van Ellen. “We didn’t want to try to be too clever or to change things too much, and we tried to be fairly honest with what it was,” he says. “It’s something we’ve really enjoyed.”
The house is largely furnished with vintage and antique pieces bought locally and there are some treasured family heirlooms on display. “My great aunt was born in the house and lived here until she was 100 years old,” Eilir says. “We tried to keep some of her things. There’s a little black cat that was her childhood toy on a shelf and also an old sampler she made in 1904, which we framed and hung next to the window [opposite this one].”
Look around all of this cottage.
More: 6 Dream Homes with Lakeside Views
This rural stone cottage in Wales had belonged to architect Eilir Sheryn of VESP Architects’ great great grandmother’s sister and had been in the family for five or six generations. It’s sandwiched between the Brecon Beacons and the Cambrian Mountains in Wales, and has the River Towy running across the bottom of the garden, a location Eilir describes as “special and unique”.
The downstairs of the original stone building consists of a double-size, dual-aspect living/dining room with stunning views on both sides.
Maintaining a traditional style that was true to the roots of the home was important to Eilir and his wife and business partner, Frederieke van Ellen. “We didn’t want to try to be too clever or to change things too much, and we tried to be fairly honest with what it was,” he says. “It’s something we’ve really enjoyed.”
The house is largely furnished with vintage and antique pieces bought locally and there are some treasured family heirlooms on display. “My great aunt was born in the house and lived here until she was 100 years old,” Eilir says. “We tried to keep some of her things. There’s a little black cat that was her childhood toy on a shelf and also an old sampler she made in 1904, which we framed and hung next to the window [opposite this one].”
Look around all of this cottage.
More: 6 Dream Homes with Lakeside Views
3. A new-build farmhouse in New Zealand
Creating a home that complemented the magnificent mountain backdrop was the brief for this contemporary farmhouse in New Zealand. The new-build home sits on a spectacular site just outside the historical gold rush village of Arrowtown, Queenstown, just behind Lake Hayes and beneath magnificent mountain peaks.
The owners wanted a modern farmhouse that could cope with both the hot summers and snowy winters the area experiences. “It needed to feel cosy and intimate around the fire on cooler nights, while being open and breezy in the hotter summer months,” architect Hamish Muir of Mason & Wales Architects says.
The resulting design is a series of light and airy buildings centred on a main living area, the shape and style of which references the farm buildings local to the area.
Inside, the living space is arranged around a wood-burning fire, creating a cosy spot for the family to enjoy in the cooler months, while generous glazing provides views of the setting sun and connects inside and out in the summer when the doors are fully opened.
The colours and finishes of the home’s exterior also echo those in the surrounding countryside. “The owners wanted a weathered cedar look with anodised silver joinery,” Hamish says. “The block plaster finish – the same as the one used inside the house – was added to give contrast to the cedar weatherboard buildings.”
Discover more about this spectacular home.
Find a reviewed architect on Houzz today.
Creating a home that complemented the magnificent mountain backdrop was the brief for this contemporary farmhouse in New Zealand. The new-build home sits on a spectacular site just outside the historical gold rush village of Arrowtown, Queenstown, just behind Lake Hayes and beneath magnificent mountain peaks.
The owners wanted a modern farmhouse that could cope with both the hot summers and snowy winters the area experiences. “It needed to feel cosy and intimate around the fire on cooler nights, while being open and breezy in the hotter summer months,” architect Hamish Muir of Mason & Wales Architects says.
The resulting design is a series of light and airy buildings centred on a main living area, the shape and style of which references the farm buildings local to the area.
Inside, the living space is arranged around a wood-burning fire, creating a cosy spot for the family to enjoy in the cooler months, while generous glazing provides views of the setting sun and connects inside and out in the summer when the doors are fully opened.
The colours and finishes of the home’s exterior also echo those in the surrounding countryside. “The owners wanted a weathered cedar look with anodised silver joinery,” Hamish says. “The block plaster finish – the same as the one used inside the house – was added to give contrast to the cedar weatherboard buildings.”
Discover more about this spectacular home.
Find a reviewed architect on Houzz today.
4. An off-grid home in Washington
The location of this custom-designed home in the foothills of the Cascade Range of mountains in Washington, USA, is truly spectacular, and it heavily influenced the design and build of this family home.
The house sits on the edge of 20 acres of land and Jesse Garlick of Platform Architecture + Design walked the site many times in search of the best spot on which to build the home. In the end, he chose a knoll that wasn’t the highest thing on the landscape, but wasn’t the lowest, either. “Go too low and you lose the views; go too high and it’s like what Frank Lloyd Wright said about if you build on top of a hill, you lose the hill,” he says.
The remote location threw up many challenges, but Jesse took it as an opportunity to explore the off-grid systems he was already interested in. Solar panels were installed to power the fridge, which they turn off in the winter when outside temperatures hover around freezing, plus all the lighting, the water pump system and all their electronics.
There’s also a septic field and a propane tank used to power the gas stove, plus an on-demand water heater and a backup electrical generator. The footprint of the house is deliberately compact, making it more efficient to heat and run.
The interior decor is sparse but cosy, putting a firm emphasis on the views as the star of the show. Looking out of the living room windows, you can see the edge of the Cascade Range in full, sweeping view. Jesse loves watching the light change across the landscape.
Take a tour of this off-grid home.
The location of this custom-designed home in the foothills of the Cascade Range of mountains in Washington, USA, is truly spectacular, and it heavily influenced the design and build of this family home.
The house sits on the edge of 20 acres of land and Jesse Garlick of Platform Architecture + Design walked the site many times in search of the best spot on which to build the home. In the end, he chose a knoll that wasn’t the highest thing on the landscape, but wasn’t the lowest, either. “Go too low and you lose the views; go too high and it’s like what Frank Lloyd Wright said about if you build on top of a hill, you lose the hill,” he says.
The remote location threw up many challenges, but Jesse took it as an opportunity to explore the off-grid systems he was already interested in. Solar panels were installed to power the fridge, which they turn off in the winter when outside temperatures hover around freezing, plus all the lighting, the water pump system and all their electronics.
There’s also a septic field and a propane tank used to power the gas stove, plus an on-demand water heater and a backup electrical generator. The footprint of the house is deliberately compact, making it more efficient to heat and run.
The interior decor is sparse but cosy, putting a firm emphasis on the views as the star of the show. Looking out of the living room windows, you can see the edge of the Cascade Range in full, sweeping view. Jesse loves watching the light change across the landscape.
Take a tour of this off-grid home.
5. A modern ‘barn’ in Vermont
The owner of this home initially asked Joan Heaton (architecture) and Raycroft/Meyer Landscape Architecture (landscape design) to create a holiday home in the Adirondack Mountains in the USA away from the stresses of city life. But soon after the home was completed, she fell in love with the Vermont lifestyle and decided to ditch the city to live there full time.
Although the house is modern, Joan looked to vernacular farm buildings in the area for inspiration and the result is a simple, barn-like structure. The house was also built with energy-efficiency in mind. It has a tight envelope – it’s insulated with 10cm of rigid foam on the exterior and with rock wool in the wall cavity, and has air-to-air heat pumps, so it doesn’t require the use of any fossil fuels.
Inside, the house has a large, double-height living space with sliding glass pocket doors to maximise the views of rolling fields and hedgerows beyond and provide easy access to the outdoors. Large windows on the western side of the house provide an expansive vista of the Adirondacks. Upstairs, a mezzanine bedroom has a steel-and-glass railing to offer unimpeded views to the downstairs and outdoors.
Learn more about this beautiful new-build.
Tell us…
Which of these homes would you most like to visit? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
The owner of this home initially asked Joan Heaton (architecture) and Raycroft/Meyer Landscape Architecture (landscape design) to create a holiday home in the Adirondack Mountains in the USA away from the stresses of city life. But soon after the home was completed, she fell in love with the Vermont lifestyle and decided to ditch the city to live there full time.
Although the house is modern, Joan looked to vernacular farm buildings in the area for inspiration and the result is a simple, barn-like structure. The house was also built with energy-efficiency in mind. It has a tight envelope – it’s insulated with 10cm of rigid foam on the exterior and with rock wool in the wall cavity, and has air-to-air heat pumps, so it doesn’t require the use of any fossil fuels.
Inside, the house has a large, double-height living space with sliding glass pocket doors to maximise the views of rolling fields and hedgerows beyond and provide easy access to the outdoors. Large windows on the western side of the house provide an expansive vista of the Adirondacks. Upstairs, a mezzanine bedroom has a steel-and-glass railing to offer unimpeded views to the downstairs and outdoors.
Learn more about this beautiful new-build.
Tell us…
Which of these homes would you most like to visit? Share your thoughts in the Comments.
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This original hill farm cottage in the remote lakeside area of Treangarriv in County Kerry, Ireland, predates the first Ordnance Survey mapping of the area in 1820 and offers a slice of rural history. The cottage sits in splendid isolation amid a wilderness of rolling green farmland and majestic mountains, and owner Brian Spain was determined to restore it carefully and sympathetically to retain its character.
The cottage was originally built entirely from local materials: stone and dirt walls, a thatched timber roof, and a wide door so animals could be brought inside (it was once a winter refuge for a herd of mountain goats).
To retain the authenticity of the property, Brian set about restoring it with the help of skilled craftspeople, using new larch roof timbers foraged from the forest behind the cottage, lime-rendered walls, wooden sash windows and furnishings crafted from local Douglas fir.
The interior of Lost Cottage, as it was renamed, was kept deliberately simple and pared back, so it didn’t compete with the incredible views of the countryside in which it’s set. “There’s so much going on outside the cottage – an ever-changing landscape of 100 square kilometres – that the interior needed to be comfortable, cosy and uncluttered, using a simple palette of natural materials,” Brian says.
Take a tour of this beautiful mountain retreat.