The windswept sand dunes of Quebec's Magdalen Islands informed the outline of this second home for a retired couple, designed by Canadian firm Bourgeois/Lechasseur Architects. More about Bourgeois/Lechasseur designs geometric Quebec home to withstand blustery weather
US firm Aamodt Plumb Architects has created a spacious, oceanfront home in the Hamptons with a sturdy exterior shell that protects the dwelling from coastal storms. More about Aamodt Plumb stacks concrete boxes to form Hamptons beach house
Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek and architect Iggie Dekkers have transformed a century-old barn in the Friesian village of Woudsend into a guesthouse designed to showcase an aged timber roof. More about Piet Hein Eek and Iggie Dekkers convert Friesian barn into rustic guesthouse
The mint-green shutters, white walls and red tiled roof of this house and studio by architects Enrique Jerez and Jesús Alonso reference the 1940s home it replaces near the Spanish city of Burgos. More about Enrique Jerez and Jesús Alonso incorporate printing press and carpentry studio into house in northern Spain
This blackened timber house in Melbourne curves around an olive tree garden, and was designed by BLOXAS Architecture for a client with a severe sleeping condition. More about Black house in Melbourne provides sanctuary for sleeping-disorder sufferer
Spanish firm Fran Silvestre Arquitectos designed the off-white angular form of this house so it would "hang from the topography" of the Hollywood Hills. More about Minimal Hollywood house by Fran Silvestre Arquitectos juts out from steep hillside
From John Pawson's minimally styled London house to the skinny Rotterdam residence of architect couple Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman, we've rounded up 10 of the best self-designed homes by architects and designers. More about 10 homes architects and designers have created for themselves
A staircase connecting a series of split levels ascends through a void at the centre of this house in Jakarta, which features a cantilevered upper storey that projects over the entrance. More about Multiple mezzanines are connected by an open stair in Delution Architect's Jakarta house
American firm Studio MM Architect has created a modern holiday dwelling for a forested site in upstate New York, which features a giant front door and a garage for its car-lover owner. More about Studio MM clads Hudson Valley hillside cabin in blackened wood
Dutch architects Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman designed this skinny house in Rotterdam for themselves, incorporating hidden windows into the black brick walls and adding a large indoor hammock. More about Skinny Rotterdam house for two architects features black brickwork and concealed windows
Architect Jouke Post has used recyclable materials to create a sustainable house for his family near Rotterdam, which he claims is the first Cradle to Cradle house in the Netherlands. More about Jouke Post uses Cradle to Cradle principles to build family house in the Netherlands
We've rounded up 10 desert houses that make the most of their situations in inhospitable landscapes, including a holiday home in Egypt and a spacious dwelling on the outskirts of Marrakech. More about 10 desert houses that make the most of arid landscapes
Lipton Plant Architects has updated a 1970s house in Berkshire, England, with a small two-storey extension, featuring a concealed brick-patterned door and windows with bright orange frames. More about Lipton Plant's Ugly House is a 1970s property with a black and orange extension
Wyoming firm Dynia Architects has completed a holiday home in Jackson, nestling its L-shaped form into the region's mountainous landscape. More about Gros Ventre house by Dynia sits among rugged Wyoming terrain
NMD Nomadas has arranged this concrete and glass house in Venezuela around a series of courtyards and a slender swimming pool. More about NMD Nomadas' concrete and glass house in Venezuela features skinny swimming pool
A 1905 home in Toronto has been updated by local developer Baukultur/ca to discreetly complement its traditional neighbourhood on the shore of Lake Ontario. More about Baukultur/ca modernises early 20th century beach house in Toronto
Providing ample outdoor living spaces was a guiding factor in the design of this Northern California dwelling by American studio Malcolm Davis Architecture. More about Cedar-clad home in Silicon Valley enables Californian outdoor lifestyle
A historic, ready-to-assemble metal home by noted modernist architect Albert Frey is moving from a New York storage unit to Southern California this week. More about 1930s modernist Aluminaire House moves cross-country to Palm Springs
The story of Mies van der Rohe's iconic Farnsworth House is set for the silver screen, with Oscar-winning actor Jeff Bridges set to play the famous modernist architect. More about Jeff Bridges and Maggie Gyllenhaal to star in movie about Mies van der Rohe's Farnsworth House
This holiday home on the West Dorset coast is made up of four irregular larch-clad blocks, and was designed by AR Design Studio to replace a house destroyed in a landslide. More about AR Design Studio replaces landslide-damaged holiday home with cluster of larch-clad blocks