Shifting ceiling heights, sliding partitions and contrasting materials create a variety of spaces inside this house in Shiga, Japan, by Kouichi Kimura of Japanese studio Form (+ slideshow). More about Kouichi Kimura's Tuneful House features contrasting materials and split levels
The mountain landscape of coastal Mexico provides an idyllic setting for this red concrete house by Mexican architect David Pedroza Castañeda (+ slideshow). More about Casa Narigua by David Pedroza Castañeda thrusts out from the Mexican landscape
A spiralling concrete staircase connects the 12 platforms that make up this split-level house in San Pedro de la Paz, Chile, by Chilean firm Pezo von Ellrichshausen (photos by Cristobal Palma + slideshow). More about Concrete staircase spirals up through Pezo von Ellrichshausen's Casa Gago
Australian studio Wolveridge Architects ran a brickwork pathway through the inside and outside of this timber-clad extension to a house in Melbourne, using old bricks found in the garden (+ slideshow). More about Wolveridge Architects adds timber-clad extension to Northcote Residence
Architect duo Mauricio Pezo and Sofia von Ellrichshausen built this seven-storey concrete tower in the Chilean countryside to house their own living quarters as well as a studio for their firm (photos by Cristobal Palma + movie). More about Pezo von Ellrichshausen's Casa Cien is a home and studio with a bumpy concrete finish
This small gabled house by Japanese architect Naoko Horibe has two openings in its facade – the first is triangular and contains a recessed balcony, while the second is rectangular and comprises a protruding terrace (+ slideshow). More about Geometric shapes puncture facade of House in Fukai by Horibe Associates
The facade of a 1950s house in south-west Germany has been transformed into a giant funhouse mirror as part of a renovation by German architect Bernd Zimmermann. More about Bernd Zimmermann's mirror-clad House wz2 offers distorted reflections
This house in the Swedish seaside town of Mölle by Stockholm studio Elding Oscarson has an upper storey clad with roughly sawn Douglas fir and a lower section that is entirely transparent (+ slideshow). More about Elding Oscarson completes Swedish seaside house in Mölle
French architect Noel Dominguez has added a timber-clad residence with an angular penthouse to the former garden of a townhouse on the outskirts of Paris (+ slideshow).
More about Noel Dominguez inserts timber cube house into Parisian garden
This house in the Oxfordshire countryside was designed by London studio The Manser Practice with a Cotswold stone facade and a cantilevered terrace overlooking the woods (+ slideshow). More about Dry-stone walls surround English countryside house by The Manser Practice
A 100-year-old house in Paris has been renovated and extended by local studio CUT Architectures to frame a garden facing the morning sun and create a shaded terrace overlooking a nearby park (+ slideshow). More about Red cedar clads extended Parisian house by CUT Architectures
Australian architecture office Iredale Pedersen Hook has renovated a 1930s property in Perth and added an angular rear extension that contrasts with the traditional street-facing facade (+ slideshow). More about Iredale Pedersen Hook updates a traditional Perth house with a faceted extension
Japanese studio Level Architects squeezed this all-black house onto a narrow plot in Tokyo's Fukasawa district, adding sloping offset walls around the lower floors to protect residents' privacy (+ slideshow). More about Black house in Tokyo by Level Architects reveals little to its neighbours
Architecture studio Piercy & Company has slotted a family house behind a nineteenth-century stable facade in south-west London, creating a pair of rusted gable walls with a glazed stairwell in between (+ slideshow). More about Weathered steel sits alongside ageing brickwork at Kew House by Piercy & Company
London architect Ben Kilburn has renovated a Victorian property he owns in Hackney, transforming three separate flats into a large family home featuring a double-height library and an attic playroom. More about Kilburn Nightingale remodels Hackney townhouse with sweet-chestnut joinery
A clay-based black paint forms a protective layer across the facade of this woodland cabin in Finland, designed by Playa Architects as the second home for a Finnish family living abroad (+ slideshow). More about Villa Kettukallio by Playa Architects provides a woodland holiday home
Japanese architect Eto Kenta has hidden a narrow garden behind the metal-clad exterior of this house in Ōita Prefecture, Japan (+ slideshow). More about Metal-clad house in Japan by Eto Kenta conceals its garden
This zigzagging house in Australia by Iredale Pedersen Hook is raised above the ground on stilts to minimise its impact on the native landscape and wildlife (+ slideshow). More about Nannup Holiday House by Iredale Pedersen Hook rises above the Australian bush on stilts
This bright white house in Portugal by GSMM Architetti uses the trees on its hillside site to create a sense of intimacy, providing a counterbalance for the openness of its central courtyard (+ slideshow). More about Hillside hideaway by GSMM Architetti features a courtyard for stargazing
American firm Bohlin Cywinski Jackson designed this wooden lodge as the holiday home for a family at the Kicking Horse Mountain ski resort in Canada (+ slideshow). More about Kicking Horse Residence provides a holiday home at a Canadian ski resort