SWEDEN

"How would a kid draw a house?" architect Per Franson asked himself when designing the Olivero-Reinius family home. The simple prefab structure’s unusual color comes from a traditional source: falu rödfärg, the historic mineral paint that gives the region’s famous barns their red color.

While you’re there, make sure to try out activities or sports that take advantage of the incredible natural surroundings. You’ll be able to rent a boat, kayak, snow shoes, a bicycle, or fishing and diving equipment. You can even sign up for a group fishing trip or have a chance to see the winter lights.

Located in California’s Sugar Bowl neighborhood, this shadowy lair by Mork-Ulnes Architects looks like something out of fairy tale. "We call the house Troll Hus, with a reference to the otherworldly beings in Norse mythology and Scandinavian folklore that are said to dwell in remote mountains," architect Casper Mork-Ulnes says.

The facade of the three-bedroom house sports a series of extruded pine boxes, which create sheltered spaces that stand up to the area’s fluctuating weather. The owners, Isaac Pineus and Andrew Duncanson, spend summers here with their twin sons.

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Designed by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter, the low structure has a simple rectangular shape and concrete walls that protect a central atrium, with huge sliding windows opening up the interior towards the bucolic meadow landscape.