The concrete and chipboard components of this irregularly shaped holiday home in Japan have been designed to deal with the difficult conditions of its woodland site, from restricted lighting to hilly topography (+ slideshow). More about House by Double Negatives Architecture adapted to suit a difficult woodland site
Mirrors create a reflective facade on this pair of holiday homes in the South Tyrolean Dolomites, but have been coated with a glare-reducing film to help prevent bird collisions (+ slideshow). More about Peter Pichler's mirror-clad guesthouses are designed to be visible to birds
Lengths of black-painted timber clad this single-storey holiday home in Japan by Studio Aula, which steps across a wooded site in three volumes of increasing sizes (+ slideshow). More about Blackened timber retreat by Studio Aula built in the woods outside Tokyo
Modern furniture and fittings are paired with stone walls and exposed roof trusses inside this old Spanish farm that Dom Arquitectura has transformed into a residence and guest house (+ slideshow). More about Spanish farmhouse revived by Dom Arquitectura with modern materials and details
Greek office Kapsimalis Architects has renovated a small white house on the cliffs of a Greek island, adding two roof terraces with plunge pools, and a third and more sizeable swimming pool in the basement (+ slideshow). More about Santorini Island retreat by Kapsimalis Architects features rooftop and underground pools
Wooden walls concertina across open-plan living areas to subdivide this renovated stone house and extension by Spanish office XLMS (+ slideshow). More about XLMS extends 19th-century stone house in Mallorca to create a holiday home
Belgian studio B-ILD has converted a wartime bunker into an austere holiday home where guests sleep beside raw concrete walls and home comforts are reduced to the bare essentials (+ slideshow). More about Concrete bunker in the Netherlands transformed into a tiny vacation home
![Rural Tourism in Odemira by [i]da arquitectos](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2014/10/Rural-Tourism-in-Odemira-designed-by-ida-arquitectos_dezeen_sq.jpg)
The two main buildings of this Portuguese holiday complex by I-da Arquitectos are dug into a hillside, partly burying them in the sloping terrain (+ slideshow). More about I-da Arquitectos sinks holiday apartments into the Portuguese countryside
Three small-scale timber and glass cabins on the Norwegian coast form a holiday home designed by Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter for three generations of the same family. More about Reiulf Ramstad creates three glass-fronted cabins as Norwegian holiday home
Behind the black steel exterior of this home on the Stockholm archipelago, Tham & Videgård Arkitekter has created a living space with vaulted ceilings, and bedrooms with one big skylight overhead (+ slideshow). More about Tham & Videgård's Husarö House is a scenic retreat on the Stockholm archipelago
Slovenian studio Architektura d.o.o. has converted this Slovenian loft space into an open-plan two-bedroom holiday apartment – the second project we've featured by the architects today (+ slideshow). More about Arhitektura d.o.o. renovates cross-shaped attic in Slovenia into holiday home
A warren of interconnecting spaces moulded to resemble melting snow form an après-ski apartment in China's Hebei province by Vienna and Beijing-based studio Penda (+ slideshow). More about Penda creates snowdrift-inspired interiors for a Chinese ski retreat
A minimal arch frames the entrance to this former farmhouse that architect Manuel Aires Mateus has transformed into a modern retreat in the rural landscape of Portugal's Alentejo region (+ slideshow). More about Manuel Aires Mateus revives a Portuguese farmhouse to create Casa no Tempo
Views of the Andes are framed by the steeply pitched roof of this A-frame house, designed by Santiago studio DRAA for a Chilean ski resort (+ slideshow). More about DRAA adds sharply pointed roofline to La Leonera Mountain Retreat
Canadian architect Alain Carle added cedar panelling to selected parts of this black-painted brick house in Quebec, highlighting terraces, window reveals and entrances (+ slideshow). More about Sprawling Quebec house by Alain Carle contrasts black brick with warm cedar
This wedge-shaped cabin in the Czech Republic, by Prague studio FAM Architekti, has a folding screen set into one of its slatted timber facades to open the interior out to a nearby lake (+ slideshow). More about FAM Architekti's Lake Cabin provides a waterside retreat in a Czech forest
Behind the dark facades of these farmhouse-inspired cabins in northern Italy, designed by local studio Pedevilla Architects, is a pair of bright homes that combine traditional elements with modern detailing (+ slideshow). More about Alpine cabins by Pedevilla Architekten build on traditions of Tyrolean farmhouses
Opinion: when the creative industries across Europe go offline for the holiday season, the archetypal English country cottage becomes an incubator for problem-solving design brilliance says Kieran Long. More about "Holidays bring out the best in designers"
An old farmhouse in France's picturesque Loire Valley has been converted into a summer retreat by Paris architects Septembre (+ slideshow). More about Septembre converts old French farmhouse into holiday home
Briefed to design a holiday home that feels like a campsite, Australian studio Dunn & Hillam Architects has completed a residence in New South Wales based on the old "dogtrot houses" of the American deep south (+ slideshow). More about Dunn & Hillam's Dogtrot House centres around an open-air corridor