This unusual looking weekend house is the work of Japanese architect Takao Shiotsuka. Designed to utilise both garden and sea aspects, the house is unusually deep, shaped in a wedge, with its widest point closest to the sea. They explained that they planned the first floor as a place to enjoy the garden. The entire house, cloaked in a white colour scheme, even utilises white in the outdoor areas with white gravel illuminating the garden floor. The second floor, utilises large glass windows at either end of its long cylindrical space. The indoor partition wall is also glass, so that from any point of the second floor, you can view the sea. They explain, 'the first floor enjoys the yard, the second floor enjoys the sea [and that] the two spaces [are] divided clearly'.

Atop a cliff in Almuñécar, Spain, sits this nearly all-white home. With interiors by Susanna Cotts, the objective for the 'Pure White House' was to create a neutral interior that allows the scenic location of the home to take precedence over furnishings. With its sunny disposition, all aspects of this home face outward toward the view to make the most of its warm location. Inside, the windows are lined with sheer curtains in white and a metallic gray and the light wooden floors are made comfortable with the aid of a plush rug. On the balcony, Patricia Urquiola's famous Canasta loungers provide the perfect respite for taking in the impressive surrounds.

For the purists among us (and we know a few), it's hard to beat a white on white interior for tranquility. Get back to basics with this beautiful villa carved into the mountainside in picturesque Santorini. Katikies hotel, is a luxury boutique hotel which has been deemed one of the best places to vacation in this village since its recent renovation. Utilising Aegean architecture with contemporary décor, it embodies all that is celebrated about holidaying in the Mediterranean. With sweeping coastal views, you can relax in the awe-inspiring infinity pool, or in your suite in a Jacuzzi. Made for entertaining, many of the suites come equipped with large living rooms and dining rooms. Or, if you fancy taking a step back from being host, dine in their candlelit dinner overlooking the water.

Nendo, our favourite architecture firm and design studio, has designed the interior for a small clothing shop in Kyoto, Japan. The store, named 'Indulgi' features a myriad of false doors and mirrors, all displayed at different angles, adding a fantastical element to the interior. The black floors, soft grey  walls with highlights of pink, adds further dimension to a monochromatic interior. Nendo's intention was to 'create a space that could never be seen in its entirety, one in which different elements appear and disappear from view, changing the customers' experience of the shop as they move about.'

A1 Architects have just completed this new attic loft in Prague. The 'Rounded House' as they call it, echoes the theme of "boundless space" that became the main motif of their work. When they created the layout for this house they knew each area had to be cohesive with the next. Using materials that start in one space, carrying on to the next, was one such way they achieved such continuity. With all of the standard rooms for living plus an additional elevated gallery space for hosting with a rounded staircase, the interior is clean and simple with an overall feeling of tranquility.

Hel Yes, a design studio by Helsinki architect Ville Hara and designer Linda Bergroth launched a greenhouse and shed kit a couple of years ago for gardeners. Substantially more aesthetically pleasing that garden sheds we're accustomed to seeing, Hel Yes designer Linda Bergroth clearly thought so too. She customised the garden shed to make a summer home for herself. By adding a wooden floor, steps made from reclaimed bricks and solar panels for lighting, the simple shed takes on an architectural approach with this transformation, enabling it to fit seamlessly in with its surroundings, whilst providing the perfect view from the inside out.

Sanlitun Road in Beijing's shopping district has another gem to add to its already decent crown. Exemplifying how quickly China is moving in the fashion stakes, Maison Martin Margiela, a designer synonymous with understated cool, has opened his largest flagship store in the bustling city. The multi-floor boutique equipped with his iconic white interior, hosts a complete range of his apparel, homewares and accessories. Equipped with a large slide, it also means shopping has never been so fun, or efficient.

(N2-18/N2-28, Village North, No.11 Sanlitun Road, Chaoyang District, Beijing).

In Germany, the Dusseldorf loft with a whopping floor area of 600 square metres, embraces the owners' passion for architecture. AABE architects' Bruno Epricum was entrusted with designing this warehouse conversion. With brick throughout, the loft is a large cavernous space that houses the owners' penchant for furniture and art. The reconversion of this loft was monitored closely due to the building's heritage; it was one of the few buildings that miraculously avoided damage during the many bombings of World War II. They explain their design below:

A vast white space devoid of any accessories houses the sleeping accommodation in the conversion; the rotating door appears to be floating in the air. An enormous living room is arranged between the pilasters that are displayed with pride. The artist’s design highlights the existing brickwork that supports the flagstone roof; here again the wear inflicted over time is openly displayed. The architecture unpretentiously magnifies the materials. The kitchen is arranged in the exterior deambulatory. The bedroom is housed in a “white box” that has been perfected with the utmost care. It is encircled by a “night patio” illuminated using zenithal light that sweeps across the surrounding brickwork. 

Charles and Ray Eames nurtured a design imagination that knew few boundaries. Between them, the design duo produced not just some, but a vast majority of the most famous design furniture pieces in the world. So it can be said that if you were to look for its center — its heart — you may well have found it in the living room of their landmark Pacific Palisades house. 

Inside its 17-foot-high ceiling, with panels of glass opening to the courtyard of eucalyptus outside, houses a vast range of objects that have been collected over a lifetime. After the Eameses died — Charles in 1978, Ray 10 years later, to this day — the room, like the house, has been left largely untouched. Magazines have been left out for reading; the fresh flowers had been changed out — the entire scene still kept tidy by a caretaker whom the Eames’ hired more than three decades ago.

That frozen-in-time tranquility of the Eames’ home has finally been shattered- albeit respectfully. Movers and conservators from the Los Angeles County Museum of Art have descended upon the Eames House and cataloged the living room's contents — 1,864 items — and transported them to the museum as an installation of a full-scale replica of the Eames living room. The room is a key component of the exhibition "California Design, 1930-1965: Living in a Modern Way.’

When the "Living in a Modern Way" exhibition closes next spring, the contents of the Eames living room will be delivered back to the house in the Palisades - but their inspiration, no doubt, will have been taken back to an entire new generation of homes. 

You can view a time-lapse video of the room being dismantled below.

Authentic Eames furniture can be found locally at Matisse.

Story by Louisa Penney

This impressive house, situated in Sao Paulo was designed and built by Fernanda Marques Arquitetos. Occupying 250 square metres, the objective to create a seamless transition between the interior and nature was met, as was the owners' idea of perfect architecture: a country home with a nod to architect Mies van der Rohe. Stone schist was used throughout along with limestone floors and a combination of glass and steel. Exterior living was equally as important to the owners, with a deck, nearly the same size as the house, surrounding the interior. Inside, the furnishings have a mid-century/ modernist appeal, with furniture pieces from many of the greats including Oscar Niemeyer's Lounge chair. Likewise, glass objects by coveted designer Jeff Zimmerman can be found lining the bookcases. A stunning execution from the architecture right down to the soft furnishings.

For more work by this architect go here.