The mountain landscape of Washington's Methow Valley is the setting for this family retreat, conceived by architect Tom Kundig as four structures arranged "like a little campground" around a big rock (+ slideshow). More about Tom Kundig's Studhorse is a rural retreat for both snowy winters and scorching summers
Slovenian studio OFIS Arhitekti has converted a run-down old cattle barn into an Alpine holiday cabin (+ slideshow). More about Alpine Barn Apartment by OFIS Arhitekti is a holiday home in a converted cattle shed
This holiday home in the Scottish Highlands by Glasgow-based Dualchas Architects features a glazed base that hugs a gravelly slope and a cantilevered upper level that stretches out towards the sea (+ slideshow). More about Beach House by Dualchas Architects stretches out towards the sea
After almost five years in the making, architecture studio FAT and artist Grayson Perry have completed their fairytale-inspired Essex holiday home, which was designed as a shrine to the fictional character Julie Cope (+ slideshow). More about Grayson Perry and FAT reveal the elaborate interiors of their House for Essex
A drystone wall frames the glazed pavilions that make up this family summer house, which is perched on a hilltop on the southern tip of Melbourne's Mornington Peninsula (+ slideshow). More about Rugged drystone wall frames Whitehall Road Residence by B.E. Architecture
A glazed corridor connects the four house-shaped buildings that make up this holiday home on the outskirts of Porto, designed by young Portuguese studio PROD (+ slideshow). More about PROD's House of Four Houses comprises a family of interlinked buildings
This holiday home near the northern tip of Cape Cod, Massachusetts, features a balcony-like room that allows residents to enjoy the scenic surroundings all year round (+ slideshow). More about Hammer Architects completes a cabin retreat in the Cape Cod woodland
A canyon at the foothills of the Cascade Mountains in rural Washington is the setting for this timber and concrete house designed by Seattle firm Balance Associates (+ slideshow). More about Nahahum Cabin is a canyon retreat built into the landscape
Four concrete boxes make up this holiday home by Paris architect Pascal Grasso, which nestles into a verdant hillside on the southern coast of France (+ slideshow). More about Concrete Maison Le Cap house features mirrored glazing to reflect the seaside scenery
The stacked horizontal volumes that make up this house in Jammu, India, are clad in vertical timber battens to regulate the amount of sunlight that enters (photos by Edmund Sumner + slideshow). More about Sameep Padora's Lattice House is an Indian holiday home wrapped by wooden screens
The blackened timber walls of this family holiday home by WT Architecture are hidden within the shell of an old stone mill in the Scottish countryside (+ slideshow). More about Scottish holiday home by WT Architecture masquerades as an old stone mill
A swimming pool on a "massive concrete cone" sits in front of this summer house, which has been elevated above the tree canopy of a Croatian island to offer views out to sea (+ slideshow). More about Turato Architects raises Gumno House above the forest canopy of a Croatian island
Glass sliding doors surrounding the living areas of this coastal house in South Africa can be retracted to create open-air spaces overlooking the ocean (+ slideshow). More about Pearl Bay Residence provides ocean views from South African coast
Architect Will Harkness was careful not to disturb any large gum trees with this compact holiday home for a retired couple in Lorne, just off Australia's Great Ocean Road (+ slideshow). More about Lorne Hill House is a retirement residence built among trees on Australia's coastline
Described by the architect as being "a bit like a treehouse for adults", this wooden house in rural Sweden boasts a triangular profile that allows the sloping facade to become a climbing wall (+ slideshow). More about Leo Qvarsebo designs himself a triangular summer house in the Swedish countryside
What appears to be a cupboard is actually a staircase leading up to a tiny loft bedroom in this 18th-century barn in Norfolk, England, that Lynch Architects has converted into a holiday home (+ slideshow). More about Converted barn by Lynch Architects includes an interpretation of a Norfolk winder stair
A folded roof shelters a pathway between the indoor and outdoor rooms that form this holiday home in Costa Rica by Obra Architects (+ slideshow). More about Costa Rica residence by Obra Architects boasts indoor and outdoor rooms
A concrete volume projects from the top of a sand dune to form the upper level of this holiday home on the Argentinian coastline by local architect Luciano Kruk (+ slideshow). More about Concrete retreat by Luciano Kruk sits on a sand-dune in Buenos Aires
Portuguese studio SAMI Arquitectos has slotted a modern concrete house behind the crumbling stone walls of a ruined building, located on an island in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean. More about Ageing stone walls frame concrete structure of E/C House by SAMI Arquitectos
This wooden summer house raised off the forest floor on three concrete beams was designed by architect Johan Sundberg for a patch of woodland by the Swedish coastline (+ slideshow). More about Timber summer house by Johan Sundberg expresses "Scandinavian architectural DNA"