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"A lot of people thought we were crazy to put in a fireplace in a Florida home, but the biggest surprise for my wife and me has been how much we use it,

Built on a tight budget of $120,000, a retirement home in the mountains delivers unexpected contemporary design to a rural township.

Clad in cypress and charged with color, the North Fork getaway of author Julie Satow and editor Stuart Elliott is something to write home about.

Hanging bookshelves in the writing nook add another element of warmth to Julie's special place.

Gables in a lofted area above the bed filters another layer of colorful light into the main bedroom.

Redone with tranquility and escape in mind, the primary suite bathroom feels spa-like with a wash of Bedrodsians Magnifica Calacatta in super white.

OCM House floor plan

Though the mild climate allows for alfresco meals year-round, an outdoor fireplace adds warmth on cool evenings. Charred wood paneling can be seen along the wall.

A view of the connecting vestibule for which the house is named. The exterior is clad entirely in tiles made from recycled rubber and plastic—technically a roofing material—giving the eaveless home a tightly wrapped skin. “Although we used a traditional gabled form, we wanted to clean it up quite a bit,” says Bruns.

The rear of the house looks onto a lush backyard. The rough, industrial prefabricated concrete panels by the German manufacturer Syspro are the building blocks of the home.

About 100 miles southwest of Mexico City, nine black concrete blocks in a forest clearing make up one family's holiday home. Designed by Fernanda Canales with landscaping by Claudia Rodríguez, Casa Bruma makes elegant use of a construction material that's commonplace in Latin America

The pink hue of the concrete is inspired by the minerals in the surrounding landscape. Alongside the grasses and brush, rosy rocks abound.

“Simple rectangular volumes with simple details” is how designer Thomas Egidi describes the house he created for architect Carlos Dell’Acqua in Malibu. “I wanted to stress its horizontality,” Dell’Acqua notes. Inside the dwelling, which is entered via a bridge that pierces the 25-foot-high main facade, the view opens up to a panorama of mountains and sea. Ipe flooring is used for the walkway and throughout the interior.

Large, dramatic openings bring transparency and contrast to the 10-inch-thick concrete facade, framing perspectival views of the landscape.