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In Vaðlaheiði near Akureyri, the capital of north Iceland, these three strikingly modern cabins place you in the midst of nature where you can watch the Northern Lights in the winter and the midnight sun in summer.

Protected by an overhang, and floating above ground level, this tertiary space is known in traditional homes as the "engawa." To sustain a unified look throughout, the floor and ceiling are clad in ipe wood.

metal. entrance. taller white structure is the greenhouse. david nash sculpture.

view when you walk in front door. operating principle. doctor livingston you're in the jungle in the far. through the jungle there's a fire burning and you're in this night very drawn into the space. kitchen.

Stacked concrete blocks and roof deck give diverse sea views.

The back wall of the garden, made from stacked concrete blocks, was initially meant to be a row of vertical planting boxes.

This Victorian-era home in Melbourne, renovated by OOF! Architecture, maintains privacy from the street, but does so in an unusually "friendly" manner—with a giant brick wall that spells out "Hello," a collaboration with local artist Rose Nolan. The residents wanted their house to appeal to passersby, since it sits on a well-trafficked block near a café.

Nakada works from an Alvar Aalto table in the living and dining area, adjacent to the kitchen. He saved on some elements, such as the plywood cabinetry, and splurged on others, such as the Finn Juhl chairs and Vilhelm Lauritzen lamp. A skylight beneath the angled roof allows in a sliver of constantly changing light.

The interiors of many of Mickey Muennig’s houses emphasize natural building materials such as wood, concrete, and stone.