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“When it came to designing the inside of the home, we wanted to have your eye continue on through the glass instead of landing on a lot of details,” comments Liz.

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.

Located on an island in the Noorderplassen nature area in the Dutch city of Almere, the House with 11 Views was designed as “an abstract white box,” according to architect Marc Koehler. The architect used 17th-century Dutch landscape paintings as references for the home’s windows, which frame different parts of the natural landscape.

Designed by Minneapolis firm Sala Architects, the 820-square-foot Metal Lark Tower marked the first rental cabin to open at Nordlys Lodging, a 140-acre property in Frederic, Wisconsin. Small windows on the northwest side of the two-story structure provide privacy and protection from winter winds. Solar panels and natural heat insulated by the triple-paned windows add to the structure’s efficiency.

The Nook exterior features shiplap cypress siding, a reclaimed oak deck, and an entranceway of oak blackened in the traditional Japanese method.

The kitchen showcases seamless maple cabinetry and soapstone counters, elements that pair well to create a simple, cozy atmosphere.

A soapstone island contrasts with white oak cabinetry and flooring in the kitchen. The stools are from Palecek.

The firm modeled the home’s interior after typical seaside houses, with a light palette meant to provide a canvas for dramatic plays of sunlight.

The living room holds a Mags Soft Low sofa from Hay, a Mara coffee table from Article, and a Jotul woodstove.

The ever-changing, lush wooded surroundings of Minnesota, such as those experienced at this 8,000-square-foot Type Variant House outside of Minneapolis designed by Coen and Partners, are right near the small town of New Richland.

Surrounded by wheat fields on a high-altitude plateau stands a small glass house and a solid, traditional barn. The owners, inspired by Philip Johnson’s Glass House, wanted a refuge that opens up to the prairie and mountains.

The living room leads up to a pitched-roof alcove, the perfect meditation and lounge space. It features a bean bag chair from GAN, and a Trifecta Table by Future Perfect.

The house is hidden from the road and sits on a hilltop clearing that overlooks the rolling farmland of the Mississippi River bluffs in Western Wisconsin. From this vantage point, there is a 270-degree view, with dramatic sunsets over the distant hills.

There’s a one-foot level change down to the primary bedroom, which is Shaker in spirit. Instead of closets, each bedroom has a set of deep, built-in drawers. “The architects kept us to our word that the house is meant for short-term stays,” the husband says. Lachapelle sourced the Ethnicraft bed and side table from Fiore Home in Portland, Maine, and the vintage velvet Ligne Roset chair from the Brimfield Antique Market.

In a sophisticated main bathroom in Seattle, sea-green concrete floor tiles with a geometric pattern provide a lawn of color against wood walls and white tile. The paper lanterns are also a clear homage to the building’s Japanese inspirations.

Architect Johan Sundberg looked to Japanese architects like Kengo Kuma for inspiration for the design of a holiday home in southern Sweden. "We call it the Katsura typology, but that's probably sacrilegious," he says. The eaves of the gently sloped hipped roof extend generously in all directions, turning the deck into a covered retreat that’s part veranda, part engawa, the Japanese version of a porch.

An office nook is tucked behind sliding doors in the bedroom closet.