Luxury living: Sustainable homes

This elegant Mediterranean-inspired villa has a private setting on nearly a third of an acre of lush grounds in Honolulu’s Niu Beach neighbourhood. The luxurious five-bedroom, three-bathroom home was renovated in 2019. Eco-friendly features, including solar panels, LED lights, and sustainable strand-woven hardwood flooring, combine with exquisite finishes and details, such as chandeliers in the entryway. The open floor plan includes two separate bedroom wings. French doors open to an enclosed piazza that overlooks a beautiful gunite pool, built-in barbecue area, and tropical landscaping.

Casa de Luz, The House of Light, is a stunning beachfront retreat on the white sands of Playa Langosta on Costa Rica’s north Pacific coast. This luxurious 7,200-square-foot villa, designed by renowned architect Abraham Valenzuela, is exclusive, secluded and environmentally sustainable: solar roof panels and a power plant supply the entire property’s energy needs. There is also a  backup water system. An ocean-facing infinity pool, palapa bar, tropical gardens and tide pools shaded by mangroves are added highlights of this oceanfront paradise.

Camp Endo (also pictured top) is a private 417-acre mountain kingdom threaded with trails and ridgelines, minutes from Stratton. The 9,539-square-foot main house reimagines the classic mountain lodge for the 21st century, offering complete comfort, great light and welcoming spaces. Campo Endo also embraces sustainable living: a combined wind and solar power plant provides 22 kilowatts of renewable energy. There are six en suite bedrooms, a gym and spa, meditation room, theatre, screened-in porch, and a deck with spectacular mountain views. This one-of-a-kind property also includes a barn with guest quarters; a heated half-basketball court; a swimming pond stocked with trout; an orchard; paintball course; and a six-foot square chessboard in the forest.

The Grid House is a contemporary eco-retreat on 42 acres of protected rainforest in Brazil’s Mantiqueira Mountains. This bold modular compound’s main dwelling contains social and entertaining areas, an owner’s suite, and guest room. Satellite structures include three isolated modules with two bedrooms each, a leisure pavilion, and staff quarters. Each structure has a unique, grid-shaped frame, sustainably sourced from native wood and stone and built above ground for cooling during hot, humid summers. Large trussed beams of steel anchor the structural elements, while walls of glass flood the space with light and frame views of the mountains. The living spaces flow out to serene tropical gardens, with a water mirror and the rainforest beyond.

This Martha’s Vineyard estate combines Old Word details with high-tech amenities. The property is LEED-certified, featuring sustainable materials including 200-year-old flooring and beams. More than 9,000 square feet of elegant living spaces include five large bedrooms, six full bathrooms, and three powder rooms. The heart of the home is a double-height great room with a Lew French fireplace, inverted hull mahogany ceiling, and three balconies. Further delights include a theatre, gym, sauna, indoor-outdoor mahogany bar, and a veranda with two fireplaces and a wonderful seating area overlooking the private gardens and pool.