A global tour of remarkable homes designed around nature-filled, light-filtering outdoor retreats

Courtyards are the heart of the home. Serving as centerpieces around which the rest of the living spaces flow, these private, tranquil spaces offer a connection to the sky and earth. This captivating global survey invites readers into 20 extraordinary contemporary courtyard residences, each uniquely designed to integrate the natural environment into everyday life.

Richly illustrated with more than 150 color photographs, Courtyard Homes features a diverse range of homes designed by distinguished architects and designers from around the world, including Craig Steely Architecture, mwworks, Mary English and Xavier Vendrell Architects, Leckie Studio, Práctica Arquitectura, Shieh Arquitetos Associados, Fria Folket + Hanna Michelson, Matharoo Associates, Ted’A Arquitectes, Pham Huu Son Architects, Eliza Blair Architecture and Studio MKN, and Breakspear Architects.  

From a triangular courtyard in an off-grid home in Hawaii, to twin oculi punched into a concrete home in Mexico, to a plant-filled central courtyard in Australia, these awe-inspiring spaces reveal the creative ways that homeowners and designers have embraced innovative, nature-infused living.

Joann Plockova has been writing about design and architecture for over a decade. Her bylines include the New York Times, Monocle, Wallpaper*, and Architectural Digest. She is the author of Come Together: The Architecture of Multigenerational Living (2021) and contributed to Country and Cozy (2021) and The Monocle Guide to Hotels, Inns and Hideaways (2018).