DDAR stands on a 10-hectare hillside just outside Essaouira, Morocco, by Othmane Bengebara Studio. The project reads as a contemporary douar—rooted in local climate, craft, and community—yet tuned for present-day life. Designed in 2024 in collaboration with the owners and regional makers, this house embraces vernacular intelligence and bioclimatic thinking, from wind-calibrated openings to robust water management. It’s a home built by many hands, and for many conversations.
Moldova’s Hobbit Houses settles into a lakeside wake park near Pănăseşti, Moldova, where three earth-sheltered cabins read as shaped mounds in the grass. Designed by LH47 ARCH, the hotel turns unused shoreline into a quiet retreat that faces the water and hides its mass in the land. Inside, local craft and timber work carry the idea forward without fuss.
Casa N I D O sits in Mérida, Mexico, as a house shaped by climate and family rituals. Designed by Arkham Projects in 2024, the dwelling turns a quiet face to the street and opens wide to a planted courtyard and pool. Across two levels, the plan balances privacy with easy gathering, drawing steady light from the north and breeze from the east for daily comfort.
Casa en Asturias sits on a raised terrace in northern Spain, composed by Jovino Martínez Sierra Arquitectos as a contemporary house tuned to long coastal views. The project organizes daily life around a double‑height living room and a concrete walkway that threads the home like a quiet promenade. Broad glazing frames the Cantabrian horizon, while the pool and lawn extend the plan outward.
Horní Malá Úpa Mountain Chalet anchors a steep hillside in the Czech Republic with a panoramic gaze toward the Úpa River valley and Sněžka. Designed by OK Plan Architects, the new-build chalet balances National Park constraints with a modern family brief, reading traditional Krkonoše cues through a crisp, durable shell. Inside, warm textures and large glazing steer daily life toward the views, while discreet energy systems keep comfort steady year-round.
Janošík Headquarters and Showroom sits in the Czech Rep., where the White Carpathians drop from forest to meadow, and it carries the hand of designer Jakub Janošík. The project converts a 1950s grain hall into an office and showroom for a windows-and-doors maker, binding daily work to distant views and a working landscape. It’s an office, yes, but also a live laboratory for openings, thresholds, and light.
Since 1774, BIRKENSTOCK has shaped a legacy of craftsmanship and innovation. The Birkenstock 1774 showroom on Rue Saint-Honoré embodies this spirit—set within a Haussmannian Parisian apartment, it unites history, architecture, and contemporary design. Curated furnishings, vintage classics, and artisanal details create a space where functionality and timeless aesthetics coexist, echoing the brand’s ethos of quality and longevity.
Apartment in the Center of Florence sits on the ground floor of a 19th-century building in Florence, Italy, with an internal garden tucked just beyond. Designed by Sante Bonitatibus, the 150-square-meter (1,615-square-foot) apartment was reimagined for a young entrepreneurial couple who collect ancient indigenous crafts, giving their everyday rooms the quiet poise of a gallery. Light and silence shape the mood, and the plan stays refreshingly open.
