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Facundo Ochoa’s beach house is an ode to craft and coastal living with a sprawling deck, DIY details, and lots of room to hang out.

Floor plan of Casa Narra by NODO Arquitectura + Naturaleza

The yellow (which appears lighter in the images than it is in real life) was used on the wood-paneled interior walls of the bedrooms and other details like the headboards and wardrobes.

Architect Matt Wittman’s upbringing in rural Washington nurtured a respect for functional buildings that worked with their surroundings: a utilitarian perspective that would inform his Seattle-based studio’s modular home system. “While prefab houses are sometimes divorced from their context, Puzzle Prefab can be modified according to each site,” Wittmann says. “This system has the ability to create spaces that can expand or contract for a variety of environments, whether remote, suburban, or urban.”Architect Matt Wittman’s upbringing in rural Washington nurtured a respect for functional buildings that worked with their surroundings: a utilitarian perspective that would inform his Seattle-based studio’s modular home system. “While prefab houses are sometimes divorced from their context, Puzzle Prefab can be modified according to each site,” Wittmann says. “This system has the ability to create spaces that can expand or contract for a variety of environments, whether remote, suburban, or urban.”Architect and Majamaja cofounder Pekka Littow designed a seaside retreat in Finland to showcase the potential of self-sustaining homes. The first cabin was built in 2020, and there are now four along the archipelago outside Helsinki. Prefabricated elements like vertical wood cladding and crisp gables allow the cabins to be dismounted with minimal impact on the landscape.

A Parallel Bed in the master bedroom is by Jeffrey Bernett, Nicholas Dodziuk, and Piotr Woronkowicz for Design Within Reach.

Floor plan of SB18 by Gon Architects

A dramatic two-story window offers views of the nearby beach from the lofted upper level. “We carefully worked out the framing of the windows because we were particular about what we wanted to see,” says Olivier. “The views informed the lines of the house.”

“The tent-like shape resembles a mountain. When the snow falls, the triangle becomes embedded in the landscape,” Tham says.

Floor plan of B Cabin by Peter Braithwaite Studio

A home in Karuizawa, Japan, designed by Rei Mitsui of Tokyo-based Rei Mitsui, embraces the land in a gently arced design. In the sunken living room, homeowner Rob Tull relaxes on a lin-en couch designed by Mitsui and made by Tetsuhiro Otsuka of Hiro & Associates. The recessed area’s rounded edges, echoed in the arched entryway to the kitchen and the curved ends of the staircase’s handrail, soften the home’s angularity.

Arriving at the cabin is now a joyous ritual. “Every time we push the gates back and see the view it’s this sense of ‘we’ve arrived’,” Matt says.

Floor Plan of The Nook by Isaac French