Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Culture

3 Eco-Friendly Homes That Are as Stunning as They Are Green

Kelsey Machado
By

Just in time for Earth Day, here’s a look at three of our favorite stylish eco-friendly homes from around the world.

Taslimi Residence (Santa Monica, California)

1 of 3
eco friendly homes taslimi residence exterior front
Fleetwood Fernand Architects
eco friendly homes taslimi residence exterior dining room area
Fleetwood Fernand Architects
eco friendly homes taslimi residence exterior
Fleetwood Fernand Architects

Achieving the designation of LEED Platinum is no small feat, but Fleetwood Fernandez Architects was able to make it happen with  Taslimi Residence. From demolition of the old home right down to the faucets, every last detail had to be carefully considered to ensure the home met the highest in sustainability standards. Living an eco-friendly life was critical to the owners, and Fleetwood Fernandez took this to heart. Waste was diverted from landfills, landscaping was created using only indigenous plants, and windows were carefully placed to not only take advantage of great views but allow for natural light and temperature control. This house was so advanced, they even discovered a flaw in the LEED point system. The architects developed a way to naturally air condition the home, something LEED does not account for and therefore no points were awarded for this ingenious system. Ultimately, it didn’t matter — the home is ultra eco-friendly and was easily awarded the Platinum seal.

Recommended Videos

Compass House (Ontario, Canada)

1 of 3
eco friendly homes compass house exterior
Ben Rahn/A-Frame Inc/Superkul
eco friendly homes compass house exterior patio
Ben Rahn/A-Frame Inc/Superkul
eco friendly homes compass house dining area
Ben Rahn/A-Frame Inc/Superkul

Old traditions and modern style combine to create this stunning LEED Gold weekend home in the Niagara Escarpment. Compass House, the brainchild of architectural firm Superkül, was built to take full advantage of the surrounding landscape. A grove of trees on one side acts as protection from the wind. Inspired by traditional long homes, Compass House is made up of two perpendicular sections that create an intimate outdoor courtyard for the family to gather. Inside, the home’s contemporary finishes aren’t just sleek, they are all Earth-friendly. White oak and white cedar create warm, welcoming spaces that are naturally ventilated and flooded with natural light. The green materials on the exterior — cement board siding, aluminum windows, and a steel roof — helped earn the home enough points to become LEED Gold certified.

Related

Copia (Cape Town, South Africa)

1 of 3
eco friendly homes copia ecocabins living room
Copia Eco Cabins
eco friendly homes copia ecocabins outside patio
Copia Eco Cabins
eco friendly homes copia ecocabins outside
Copia Eco Cabins

Located on a family farm in South Africa, Copia is a set of luxurious eco-cabins that are completely off-grid. To look at the cabins, you would never know they are converted shipping containers. The modern exterior and sleekly adorned interior make Copia feel like a built-from-scratch home. Plenty of windows not only allow for jaw dropping views of the surrounding farm and rolling hills, they allow natural light to flood each room, keeping energy usage down during the day and allowing heat to build ensuring the cabin stays a comfortable temperature at night. Powered by the sun, the two cabins feature an open living space with kitchenette, a minimalist bedroom, and a spacious bathroom. Outside, there are wood fired hot tubs and grills connected by a spacious, open patio. The most exciting part about Copia? These cabins are available for vacation rentals — a perfect way to spend your Earth Day weekend.

Editors' Recommendations

Kelsey Machado
Kelsey Machado
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kelsey is a professional interior designer with over a decade of experience in the design field. With a passion for…
How to Cultivate Industrial Style in Your Own Home
industrial-interior-design

Urban Industrial design is unique in comparison to other home styles. Instead of manifesting from an architectural movement, this gritty look came from a lifestyle choice of artists and musicians. Forgoing traditional housing for makeshift live-work spaces inside of abandoned warehouses and factories, artists created this thrown-together look of street finds, thrift store purchases, and pieces made out of whatever happened to be laying around.

In the last decade, industrial has gone from a style of necessity to a trendy, cultivated look that meshes disparate styles inside of brick-walled lofts.
Principles of Urban Industrial Design

Read more
How To Cultivate a Minimalist Style in Your Own Home
minimalism home style guide minimalist 2

If your ideal home is a relaxing space with bright white walls, massive windows, and crisp, clean lines, minimalism may be the style that best suits you. With little ornamentation, the idea behind minimalism is to create a calm, uncluttered space that lets you unwind after a hectic day and reconnect with nature while enjoying the finer things in life. Read on to learn how to cultivate a stylishly simple minimalist home.
Principles
Minimalism first began in the 1960s as an extension of the midcentury modern style. Midcentury modern architects and designers took the idea of reduced ornamentation and simple lines in both furnishings and architecture to its extreme. While midcentury modern saw hints of influence from Japanese aesthetics, minimalism went even further, fully embracing the philosophy that simplicity is the ultimate way to connect with nature.

Contemporary minimalism has seen a shift toward all-white structures dotted with deep black accents or incorporating natural elements like wood and stone. Silicon Valley has embraced tech-centric minimalism with crisp white interiors, white furnishings, and even white electronics designed to be a blank slate that lets creativity blossom.

Read more
How to Cultivate Modern Rustic Style in Your Own Home
rustic modern home

If the dream home you envision is a rugged reflection of your passion for the outdoors, modern rustic style is the look you need. Rough stone fireplaces, exposed wood beams, and a cozy sofa with a buffalo check flannel blanket, this style isn’t the feminine chic look popularized by Joanna Gaines and Fixer Upper. Rustic homes are masculine retreats that can be anything from a cabin in the woods to a farmhouse on a ranch.
Principles
The term "rustic" can be used to refer to a range of looks. The key is in the way the home reflects its natural surroundings. Where other styles like minimalism or mid-century modern want the connection to nature to be built around the view to the outside, rustic brings the outdoors in. The abundance of natural materials often left raw (untreated and in their natural form) creates a feeling of still being in nature while relaxing in the comfort of your own home.

This is one style that has seen a dramatic shift in recent years, forgoing the “revival” of other trends and instead morphing into something fresh and new. While in the past rustic was divided into two distinctly different looks -- farmhouse was the feminine answer to the masculine mountain cabin -- today’s rustic can be used in either setting and focuses on blending rugged materials with luxurious finishing touches.

Read more