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Taking full advantage of sweeping views of Puget Sound, Hillside Sanctuary by Hoedemaker Pfieffer is sited on a small plateau high atop a steeply sloping hillside. Winter light penetrates deep into the living spaces through a wall of glass that runs continuously across the building’s south elevation.

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

The glass-enclosed living area is furnished with Scandia chairs and a Fjordfiesta table.

This airy home makes the most of its beachside location with sustainable design, careful siting, and an expansive, glazed facade.

At Under, a Snøhetta-designed restaurant balanced on the Norwegian coast, guests dine 16 feet below the ocean’s surface. The tilted concrete tube gives the impression that it’s sliding into the sea. “The idea was to make a tube that would bring people from above sea level down under the sea,” lead architect Rune Grasdal told Dezeen. “That transition is easy to understand, but it’s also the most effective way to do it. It also feels secure, but you don’t feel trapped.” The angle was also designed with the building’s aquatic neighbors in mind. Over time the structure will become part of its environment, acting as an artificial reef. Marine research tools like cameras have been installed outside the restaurant to help scientists learn about the population, behavior, and diversity of the species living in this part of the North Atlantic.

Located in Karuizawa, a popular summer resort town in Japan’s Nagano Prefecture, Four Leaves is a weekend getaway designed to accommodate the homeowner and their guests in a lush, sylvan setting. Designed by Kentaro Ishida Architects Studio (KIAS), the highlight of the stunning, 2,400-square-foot house is its sloping, angular roof sections that are delicately assembled to resemble fallen leaves.

The Plus House—named for the perpendicular trajectories of light and air that pass through on the top and bottom floors—is one in a series of architect-designed homes commissioned by Arkitekthus, a development company founded five years ago with a pledge to improve the quality of prefab architecture. The spruce panels that coat the second-floor exterior will fade in tandem with the zinc-coated steel that rims the glazed windows and doors. "They will go gray like we do," says architect Claesson Koivisto Rune.

Off-Grid Guesthouse by Anacapa Architecture

At Alex Strohl and Andrea Dabene’s Nooq House in the Rocky Mountains of northwest Montana, highlights include a suspended fireplace, cathedral ceilings, and expansive windows. "The windows are my favorite feature. I've loved seeing the colors change in the fall, snow in the winter, and bears in the spring," says Andrea.

Artist Christopher Florentino created this studio to be a source of inspiration. "This space is for me as an artist—to create in, to keep me inspired," he says. "I don’t think there are many spaces that have a Keith Haring and Shiro Kuramata chair in the same space. I’m trying to show who I am as a designer and as an artist."

The interiors are lined with OSB Poplar wood, and insulated with 12cm of recycled cotton.

Now, built-in sofas line the perimeter of the room and utilize the room’s shape better.

Butler Armsden Architects and Leverone Design reimagined this family retreat in Sea Ranch, a 1960s planned community that stretches 10 miles along the Pacific coastline in Sonoma County, California. Clear, vertical grain fir wraps the interior, while ample windows offer stunning glimpses of the sea and surrounding meadows.

The backsplash and counters are marble, which will patina overtime. The couple found the handwoven rug while traveling in Morocco.

“On the first floor, we decided to open the cabins up to views with a floor-to-ceiling window that connects the living area to the sea,” explains Felipe Croxatto. “In the second-floor bedroom, we frame select views through smaller windows.”