Favorites

The Bloomhouse was designed and built by architects Charles Harker and Dalton Bloom when they were students back in 1984—and since then it’s been compared to everything from a seashell to a unicorn. It was restored in 2017 and has become arguably one of the world’s weirdest rental homes. Located in a wooded valley on the outskirts of Austin, Texas, the whimsical home is all sinuous curves and sweeping organic lines. As the Airbnb listing puts it: “Without one straight line or corner in the entire structure, your thoughts are free of the constraints that our angular world creates.”

Floor plan of House DL by David D’Hulst and Annemie Lathouwers

Concrete from the exterior continues indoors as a fireplace surround. For the couch, Annemie found the wooden base and cushion covers in a secondhand store and used baby mattresses as inserts. David made the oak back.

The master bedroom features a closet in the corridor to use less space. Sight lines lead to the forest from nearly every space.

A Nelson Bubble pendant from Design Within Reach hangs above a dining table and chairs by Jasper Morrison for Maruni.

In California's idyllic Sea Ranch community, a vacation home privileges views of the Pacific Ocean and fog-shrouded trees. The bright and airy interiors, following a crisp, Scandinavian aesthetic, are pared back to retain focus on the spectacular surroundings.

"The guest house studio is of equal quality to the main house and offers a quiet and multi-functional space,

Floor Plan of Palms Residence by Olson Kundig

Braithwaite's custom L-Shaped sofa features pull out storage underneath.

Double-height cedar cladding enhances the verticality of the structure.

Tight confines meant only a few feet of foyer before giving way to the stairway and kitchen, yet the small footprint (and a glass door) helped fill the home with natural light.

The living and dining rooms are crowned by pitched beamed ceilings with large skylights. Steps away is the kitchen, featuring top-of-the-line appliances and custom cabinetry.

Twelve electrically heated windows pierce the facade, framing views of the surrounding forest and fields.

The bedroom is lined in spruce and sparsely furnished, save for a built-in bed designed by Ateljé Sotamaa. The coverlet and pillows feature a folkloric pattern by Klaus Haapaniemi & Co.

The dining table is where Kate starts her day with a cup of tea and her laptop, sorting out her calendar, booking travel, and catching up on emails. Typically, she has music playing to keep her focused while she’s home alone. And, as she’s bouncing around so often, when she’s not unpacking, doing laundry, and repacking for her next trip, she’s planted on her back porch with friends, garlic cheese bread, and a bit of vino.