Charred larch slats now cover the exterior of this Modernist house in north London, thanks to a "macabre" upgrade intended by architecture studio Denizen Works to reference the nearby Highgate Cemetery (+ slideshow) More about Denizen Works adds burnt wood cladding to Modernist house in London's Highgate
This holiday home by Stuttgart firm Yonder is designed to look like a traditional Alpine house, but with a huge chasm carved out of its middle (+ slideshow). More about Yonder's Haus P is an Alpine chalet with a courtyard carved out of its middle
Dark-stained cedar gables contrast with knapped flint walls at this English countryside house, designed by London-based Jestico + Whiles for one of the firm's directors (+ slideshow). More about Rugged flint walls contrast dark cedar gables of House 19 by Jestico + Whiles
Oregon firm Scott Edwards Architecture has created a home in Portland that includes soundproof rehearsal spaces for a family of musicians (+ slideshow). More about Scott Edwards Architecture creates home with acoustically separate spaces for a Portland family
US firm In Situ Studio has clad this rural North Carolina cabin in darkened wood and set it far back from the road to protect it from view (+ slideshow). More about In Situ Studio hides black Corbett Residence in a North Carolina forest
Johnsen Schmaling Architects has created a family dwelling in rural Montana that consists of interlocking volumes clad in charred wood and is topped with a glass-enclosed viewing room. More about Glass observatory rises from roof of Montana mountain home by Johnsen Schmaling
New York studio Architensions has enlarged a Brooklyn townhouse by adding two boxy volumes clad in vertical slats of burnt wood (+ slideshow). More about Architensions clads rear facade of historic Brooklyn townhouse in charred wood
Swiss architect Peter Zumthor has built visitor facilities at a historic mine in Norway, with one structure that hangs off a wall and two that are raised on stilts over a steep cliffside (+ slideshow). More about Peter Zumthor creates buildings on stilts for tourist trail at a Norwegian mine
Milwaukee-based Johnsen Schmaling Architects has completed a family retreat in rural Wisconsin featuring blackened pine cladding, concrete floors and wide-span glass doors (+ slideshow). More about Johnsen Schmaling clads cabin in a Wisconsin forest with blackened pine
Möhring Architekten clad this holiday home in rural Germany in black-painted wood to look like a traditional barn, but then cut windows out of the corners to give it a contemporary edge (+ slideshow). More about House Wieckin by Möhring Architekten features black-painted walls and deep corner windows
This northern California cabin by Mork-Ulnes Architects is clad in tar-coated timber and sits atop a concrete plinth – measures that both help protect the structure from heavy snowfall. More about Mork-Ulnes completes California ski chalet coated in black tar
Edinburgh practice A449 has adapted a "nondescript" mid-20th-century dwelling in the Scottish Borders to create a home with scenic views for a writer (+ slideshow). More about A449 converts Scottish cottage into writer's home with scorched larch cladding
Dutch designer Ineke Hans has created a collection of outdoor furniture, including a table and pair of benches that fit neatly together for storage (+ slideshow). More about Ineke Hans' Berit outdoor furniture slots together when not in use
Glass walls provide woodland views from inside this structure by Japanese architect Takuya Hosokai, which contains a market and restaurant serving only locally produced food (+ slideshow). More about Japanese woodland market by Takuya Hosokai promotes local food produce
SAM Architects chose century-old brickwork and charred larch for the exterior of this mews house in southeast London, which features a brightly coloured kitchen and a folding facade (photos by Edmund Sumner + slideshow). More about SAM Architects uses recycled brick and charred wood for London mews house
Five blackened timber structures dot the shoreline of a remote island in the Stockholm archipelago to form a holiday home by Margen Wigow Arkitektkontor (+ slideshow). More about Margen Wigow Arkitektkontor models blackened timber holiday home on Swedish fishing huts
Stockholm 2016: responding to the rise of digitalised texts and e-reader devices, Swedish design duo Folkform has created a set of revolving units for presenting "increasingly desirable" physical books. More about Folkform's Revolving Bookcases designed to make physical books look desirable
Canadian firm Architecture Open Form had to negotiate strict preservation requirements with this renovation of a 125-year-old dwelling in Montreal (+ slideshow). More about Architecture Open Form creates black facade for historic Montreal home
Stockholm 2016: a group of students from Helsinki's Aalto University have designed and built a collection of chairs using a single material: black-stained solid ash wood. More about Aalto University students experiment with stained-black wood to create chairs
Texas architecture firm AlterStudio has turned an Austin bungalow into a three-bedroom home with a black timber extension connected by a glass corridor (+ slideshow). More about AlterStudio adds black-stained angular extension to renovated 1920s bungalow in Texas