The Lost Cottage vacation rental is nestled in the remote lakeside town of Treangarriv in County Kerry, Ireland. The principal bedroom features a massive picture window that looks out over Caragh Lake and the surrounding farmland. A glass roof was also installed above the sunken tub in the bathroom so that guests can gaze up at the stars in the International Dark Sky Reserve.

The living room of Wood H by Dualchas Architects has a sweeping view of the surrounding landscape and the Atlantic Ocean.

"As one moves between levels, a variety of unexpected vantage points and views are revealed," says the firm.

The main living area is connected to the back unit by a modern bridge. Polished concrete is used for both floors and ceilings, and a Mies van der Rohe Barcelona Stool accents the space.

The living room resembles a large eye with a curved window and an eyelash-like eave that protects against dust, wind, sun, and rain.

Inspired by a homesteading commune he documented in Western North Carolina, photographer Mike Belleme built the Nook, a minimalist retreat in the woods that draws from both Japanese and Scandinavian design. He foraged much of the wood for the 400-square-foot cabin. "Every kind of wood has a certain mood and personality," he says. The exterior features an entranceway of oak blackened in the traditional Japanese method known as shou sugi ban.

This cozy perch is begging you to sit down with a good book.

The original home was preserved and renovated. In the front bedroom, a small window was replaced with a large painted-steel window seat, a favorite of the residents' grandchildren.

Windows and skylights have been strategically placed throughout to capture striking views of the surrounding trees. Here, a bedroom cantilevers above the entrance patio.

As a thought-provoking exploration of environment and design, this minimalist ring-shaped holiday home in Aragon, Spain, abandons boundaries and opens itself up to nature. Designed with a distinct shape and circular symmetry, the indoor and outdoor spaces of Solo Circle are visually and physically linked to the house’s hilltop wilderness setting, as well as a sun-soaked interior courtyard with a pool.

A sauna that looks out to the lake.

Potrero Residence Facade

The upper section of the façade is clad in timber, and features large steel-framed windows that extend slightly beyond the siding.

Windows transcend floor levels to discretely frame views of the surrounding neighborhood, offering slices of the vistas beyond.

Available as a holiday rental, the house comes with multiple bedrooms, a spacious kitchen, living areas, a hot tub, and a fitness center.

Like Irving Gill’s Dodge House, Zamarbide’s dwelling is designed to capture changing shadows and daylight with its minimalist surfaces while framing views through arched windows.

Locally sourced, low-emitting materials were used inside and out. The floors throughout are bamboo.

The lower level is clad in locally sourced stone. The punched windows feature weathered steel accents.

The gable roofs of the house are expressed on the second floor, where the lofted ceilings are covered with birch plywood.

Corner Window

Both bedrooms now glory in the inlet views.

The interior features white walls that provide a gallery-like backdrop for the owner’s collection of furniture and art. Windows frame carefully selected views of the landscaped exterior, inviting the lush gardens inside.

A window in one of the bedrooms frames a view of the garden. The wallpaper is from Superflower, a company run by the couple. It uses Andrew’s images of flowers, which Niki says have a beauty in their “formal and objective” quality, adding depth to traditional patterns.

The striking windows at back of The Nook were found on Craigslist. Mike was determined to disturb the surrounding trees and landscape as little as possible during construction.

In the bedroom, a vintage Thonet chair sits with a World Market table in front of the new window. Alex added red Shoji-style doors to the closets to honor the home’s "Japanese vibes."

Another picturesque view outside one of the home's many windows.

A painting by Fleur’s mother is displayed on the stair.

Stepping into the guesthouse’s hot tub brings the eye to ground level, providing a new vantage on landscape designer Marc Peter Keane’s mix of Japanese greenery and native mosses. “We minimized visual cues from the house so that when you’re experiencing it, you’re not thinking about the building, you’re just in life. The reduction of signals creates tranquility,” says Andrew.

Andrea and Alex shortly after construction wrapped in 2019—making the end of a long journey to secure financing on a freelancer's income and design the home they'd imagined.