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.
Tangram House occupies a gently sloping lakefront site in Lagoa Santa, Brazil, and comes from the studio TETRO Arquitetura. The house holds the street with a discreet horizontal line, then turns inward to frame trees, lawn, and water rather than traffic and cars. Across two levels, the project choreographs daily life between a sheltered upper volume and an open lower level that leans directly toward the lake.
Experimental Châlet Val d’Isère sits at the foot of the slopes in Val d’Isère, France, where CHZON turns a 113-room hotel into a rich alpine narrative. The project riffs on American lodge imagery, Savoyard craft, and the daily rhythm of skiing to build a contemporary mountain spirit that feels both graphic and grounded. Guests move through rooms and lounges shaped by forest textures, ski-inspired curves, and familiar materials used with easy confidence.
