20 photos of homes that blend in seamlessly with nature

Lydia WarrenMay 28, 2021, 21:25 IST

From afar, Casa do Penedo simply looks like a giant boulder sitting on Portugal's mountainous landscape.StockPhotosArt/Shutterstock

Architects around the world have built structures that blend into the natural beauty around them.
In South Africa, a modern home disappears into the canopy of a nature reserve.
Earth and turf houses across Europe are undetectable from above.

A home called The House of the Big Arch disappears into the canopy of a South African nature reserve.

The home, which has a turf roof, blends in to its surroundings. © Frankie Pappas

So as not to interfere with the landscape, the home is just 11 feet wide in some parts, and due to its remote location, it's off-grid.

The entrance. © Frankie Pappas

Edgeland House in Austin, Texas, is hard to see beneath the grass.

Edgeland House in Austin, Texas. Paul Bardagjy

But as you get closer, you can see a modern pit house emerging from the earth.

Edgeland House. Paul Bardagjy

Beneath its green roof are two distinct living areas - bedrooms on one side and a social room on the other - that lead to a pool.

The pool behind Edgeland House. Paul Bardagjy

From afar, Casa do Penedo simply looks like a giant boulder sitting on Portugal's mountainous landscape.

Casa do Penedo. StockPhotosArt/Shutterstock

The curious building, which is in Montanhas de Fafe in northern Portugal, was initially a residence but is now used as a museum.

Casa do Penedo. Uwe Aranas/Shutterstock

This three-bedroom home in Iceland was designed to blend in perfectly with the surrounding landscape.

"Holiday home by Þingvallavatn." Photo by Marino Thorlacius

The roof, which slopes with the landscape, is covered in grass and moss so that the house doesn't ruin the view.

"Holiday home by Þingvallavatn." Photo by Marino Thorlacius

This house is hard to see against the fir tree-lined coast of an island in British Columbia, Canada, despite spanning 4,500 square feet.

Tula House in British Columbia. James Dow / Patkau Architects

From above, only the glint of the home's skylights give its location away. The roof is covered with moss and native plants.

The roof of Tula House. James Dow / Patkau Architects

The home sits in an opening between the trees 44 feet above the Pacific Ocean.

The view from the living area. James Dow / Patkau Architects

It's hard to spot the Mirrorcube hotel suspended from the trees in Harads, Northern Sweden.

Mirrorcube hotel. Hufton+Crow/View Pictures/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The hotel room, which is accessible via a 40-foot rope bridge, sleeps two.

Mirrorcube hotel. Hufton+Crow/View Pictures/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

A collection of earth houses are tucked beneath the grass in Dietikon, Switzerland.

Earth houses in Dietikon, Switzerland. Prisma Bildagentur/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Similarly, these Hobbit Houses in Turkey would be impossible to detect from above.

Underground homes in Sivas, Turkey. Sercan Kucuksahin/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Turf houses in Iceland use the same technique to blend into their surroundings and keep the home well-insulated.

Glaumbaer farm turf house. Alla Khananashvili/Shutterstock

A traditional home in Norway also camouflages into its surroundings.

House in Gudvangen, Norway. Medvedeva Oxana/Shutterstock

A clifftop cave house takes inspiration from its surroundings in the Blue Mountains in Australia.

Blue Mountains cave house. John Fotiadis/Newspix/Getty Images

The home is accessed through a small, round wooden door on the back of the cave.

John Fotiadis/Newspix/Getty Images

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