DENMARK

Like the unseen geothermal energy that fuels the famous bathing pool at Reykjavík’s Blue Lagoon, the city’s design community is also simmering just beneath the surface.

The facade of the three-bedroom house sports a series of extruded pine boxes, which create sheltered spaces that stand up to the area’s fluctuating weather. The owners, Isaac Pineus and Andrew Duncanson, spend summers here with their twin sons.

Susanna Vento, pictured here with her daughter Varpu, is a Helsinki-based editor, stylist, and interior designer. Asked about her design approach in her own apartment, she says: “As an interior designer I choose new designs for my clients, but for my own home, I tend to prefer crafty or old stuff. If I buy something, I want to buy only things that stand the test of time. But even better is to buy nothing at all and do-it-yourself!”

Along the Geiranger-Trollstigen road in western Norway, Oslo-based Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter designed a footpath that traverses rocky terrain before terminating at a scenic overlook. “For me, this is one of the most visionary contemporary architecture projects,” photographer Ken Schluchtmann says. “It doesn’t destroy the landscape, but is instead fitted perfectly into it.”

Three thin slabs have been staggered vertically through the space to create three distinct floors and allow light to flood in from the front, back, and roof. The white Saari kitchen makes the most of a compact space.

Inspired by boutique hotels, the upper level includes the bedrooms and a terrace. Copenhague chairs by the Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec are placed throughout the house. Photo by Andrei Margulescu

This boutique hotel on Norway's Manshausen Island is made up of four sea cabins—one of which juts out from a natural ledge. Each of them fit two to four travelers or a family of five.

"How would a kid draw a house?" architect Per Franson asked himself when designing the Olivero-Reinius family home. The simple prefab structure’s unusual color comes from a traditional source: falu rödfärg, the historic mineral paint that gives the region’s famous barns their red color.

Continuing the material palette, the back patio is furnished with a custom granite-and-steel table and vintage Eames fiberglass chairs.

Track and spotlights are fixtures that are attached to a track that is mounted to the ceiling or hung off the ceiling, depending on the fixture.