Luxury Living: Homes in harmony with nature

This extraordinary luxury compound near the historic town of Ketchum, Idaho, is situated in the Sawtooth National Forest, a two million-acre protected wilderness. Award-winning architect Frederick Fisher designed the modern mountain home as an art space and centre of family and social entertainment. The 18-acre grounds adjoin a 33-acre parcel which is also offered for sale. Both front the Bigwood River with access to blue ribbon fly-fishing. The protected forest surrounding the house is a habitat for moose and bald eagles.

This contemporary mountain residence is poised 800 feet above the valley floor amid an aspen and sagebrush forest bordered by the Gros Ventre Wilderness. The 6,489-square-foot home has been built into the hillside to blend in with its pristine natural setting. A façade of Indian Kota stone, concrete and glass opens to stunning interiors at one with nature yet completely protected from the elements.

The Klarenbeek Estate is a circa-1842 landmark in the village of Doornspijk, Holland. The 70-acre grounds that surround the stately manor house are protected under the Dutch Nature Conservation Act of 1928, and are composed of meadows and woodland, landscaped parkland, neoclassical walled gardens and a river. The property is also a working stud farm with 43 stables, an equipment barn, outdoor arena, and an original 19th-century coach house.

This beautiful villa boasts 150 metres of private beachfront and 10 acres of grounds in a protected conservation area overlooking Spain’s Costa del Azahar. The estate comprises a 4,090-square-foot main residence with four bedrooms and three bathrooms, a separate 1,614-square-foot guest house, a swimming pool, and a garden that leads down to a sandy, sheltered cove. The property is close to village ameneties and includes two moorings at Alcossebre marina.

This 17th-century château is set in protected parkland in the Dordogne Valley. Designed by a German countess in the mid-19th century, Le Ballet’s magnificent formal gardens were awarded the label ‘Jardins Rémarquables de France’ due to their diverse array of plants and trees, which include 300 varieties of roses, a boxwood labyrinth, palm grove, orchards and ancient oak woodland. The restored 10-bedroom château is complemented by a swimming pool, stables and garages, guest house and staff cottage.