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Inside the couple's home, vividly painted rooms intertwine with floor-to-ceiling glass walls and luminous skylights.

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.

A family’s getaway in the California desert includes a spa-like main bath with a large soaking tub that connects to an outdoor shower.

The front door and foyer will make gains not only in aesthetics, but functionality as well. Here, at the Artery Residency by Hufft, a large wood door welcomes visitors while the foyer acts as a buffer zone to the main living areas.

Ojochal, one of a trio of villages that make up the Costa Ballena in Costa Rica, is located at the edge of a tropical rainforest. The village is known for its laid-back vibe and excellent cuisine, with a multicultural expat population.

Custom built-ins, and cabinet-grade cedar from sustainably farmed forests comprise the interiors.

This Beverly Hills kitHAUS is comprised of modernist prefab modules that can accommodate a variety of uses: from yoga studios to home offices, and from weekend retreats to pop-up kiosks and guest rooms.

At 184 square feet, the Bonsai tiny home is one of Bamboo Living's many homes that use timber-grade structural bamboo as a building material. The tiny home has a lofted space of 52 square feet, and is $17,980. However, it's important to note that this home is only appropriate for temperate climates with building codes that allow single-wall construction -- the walls have no insulation, and the home package includes bamboo-framed exterior single wall panels, complete with their natural split bamboo exterior siding. Based in Pahoa, Hawaii, the company seeks to protect and restore the planet by pioneering the use of timber-grade structural bamboo as a tree-free building material.

The KitHaus K3 can serve as a backyard studio, home office, pool house, or playroom.

With no interior partitions to divide up the space, the long side aisle of this converted 1910 church in Toronto, Canada maintains the rhythm of the groin vaults, now plastered over and lit with minimalist fixtures.

Tucked in a historic neighborhood in Barcelona are cloisters dating back to the 19th century amid a large courtyard and small gazebo by Antoni Gaudí. For the last 20 years, the space housed a fabrics warehouse before becoming a residence. The original architectural and structural elements of value were restored and rehabilitated. A number of facets were left exposed including hand-carved stone details, horizontal belt courses, columns, and imposts for the vaults. The interiors were defined by a minimalist, Nordic style with contemporary nods in furnishings.

Zecc Architecten transformed this old Catholic church in Utrecht, The Netherlands into a single family home while managing to work with its original character. Church benches were reintroduced in the dining area as seating and the stained glass illuminates the mostly-white interior with colors and history.

This church conversion in Chicago was completed by Linc Thelen Design and Scrafano Architects, and transformed the brick church into a single-family home. Arched stained glass windows were maintained, and some panels were swapped out for clear glass.

An Anglican church in Melbourne dating back to 1892 was converted by Bagnato Architects to include a modern addition and interior renovation. Spread over multiple levels, the home features a variety of natural materials, like reclaimed wood, limestone, marble, and granite, giving the inside a warm and cozy feel.

A Victorian-style church in London was converted by Gianna Camilotti Interiors into a modern home while keeping its historic charm. The outside may remain a traditional red brick, but the interior features white walls and floors, along with arched windows and wooden beams.

In London, a brick church's stained glass windows provide a pop of color, in contrast to the surrounding stark white walls and black powder-coated steel spiral stair.

In Kelso, Scotland, a centuries-old stone church was converted into a five-bedroom house where the upper floor of the church is one large, open space that houses a kitchen, dining area, living room, and games space.

Located seven miles from Frank Lloyd Wright’s estate, Tim Wright and Karen Ellzey’s prefab home is meant to pay homage to the great American architect’s experiments with modular housing.