Casa do Engenho sits within an agricultural estate in Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal, where architect Jorge Prata reworks an ancillary building into the family’s primary house. Once a rigid, compartmentalized volume used mainly for gatherings, the former pool house is now recast as a fluid, light-steered home with contemporary character. Across two levels, everyday life unfolds between preserved stone, new wood, and a renewed connection to the surrounding landscape.

Wooden house next to Konin stands within a young pine forest outside Konin, Poland, where Studio GAB shapes a timber house as a companion to the trees. The single-family house leans on wood for both structure and finish, drawing the surrounding trunks into every room while maintaining a highly energy-efficient envelope. Broad glazing, soft furnishings, and simple forms keep the daily routine closely tuned to the shifting forest light across seasons.

Barão Sabrosa Apartment sits within the semi-basement of a traditional gaioleiro building in Lisbon, Portugal, reworked by Aurora Arquitectos as a calm, luminous retreat. The compact 64 m² apartment unfolds as a single open room where existing arches, new freestanding elements, and a pale, minimal palette organize daily life. Light from the rear courtyard washes across vaulted ceilings and pale flooring, softening the sense of being below street level.

Pine Island Cottage sets a quiet rhythm on a small Canadian island, where Bureau Tempo and Thom Fougere Studio craft a house tuned to weather and rock. The retreat unfolds as a sequence of communal and private rooms, each grounded by stone, wood, and metal surfaces that invite touch and slow movement. Family life gathers around a central hearth while light, texture, and modest changes in level mark the day.

House in Čakovice anchors a young family in Prague, Czech Rep., with a clear, minimalist house shaped by Edit! Architects. The compact volume holds a two-level layout that separates quiet work from shared daily life while drawing long views to the hedge-wrapped garden. Inside, a central gallery ties rooms together with light and sightlines.

Casa M sets an intimate scene inside a Roman apartment, where IRORI interiors works within the urban fabric of Rome, Italy to shape a measured domestic setting. The project treats the 2025 residence as a clear framework for daily living, giving each room a distinct role while keeping the whole apartment visually calm and quietly ordered. Everyday routines unfold in a sequence that feels composed yet relaxed, tuned to the rhythms of the city outside.

The Nest rises from the crest of Keats Island, BC, Canada, as an off-grid retreat by DSS | Daria Sheina Studio. This compact, three-level escape leans on prefabrication and mass timber craft to negotiate rugged topography and dense Pacific Northwest forest while keeping a light footprint. Inside and out, the project turns its tight footprint into a vertical sequence of rooms tuned to mossy ground, filtered canopy light, and views out to Howe Sound.

Los Llanos House stands on rural ground in Paraje los Llanos, TM Lorca, Murcia, Spain, where a near-ruin becomes a lived-in memory. Designed by Pepa Díaz Arquitecta as a house rooted in family history, the project turns a former childhood home into a contemporary dwelling. The restored structure balances emotional continuity with a new way of living that favors shared rooms over compartmentalized domesticity.