The idea behind Endémico is "luxury camping." Set on 40 acres of gorgeous, unspoiled terrain, there are 20 bungalows and a shared pool for guests to take a dip in. The Encuentro Guadalupe winery offers guests access to local wines as well as a peek at how they are processed through winemaking courses. Encuentro's restaurant will feature dishes that incorporate local flavors as well as a cooking school where people can learn how to prepare creative meals with the guidance of talented young chefs.

This is Unit 1, the most private of the four units. It's got a cool Milo Baughman sofa, a polished chrome coffee table by J. Wade Beam, a pair of Bertoia barstools, and a Thonet-inspired chair.

Each module is constructed of form-cast concrete clad with Jerusalem stone, and features clerestory windows that surround the perimeter.

This was my room, Unit 2. It's the only one with the bed pushed up against the window, set on a unique cantilevered bed frame created by Trowbridge, a furniture designer. It took a little while to get used to the lack of curtains; the designers opted to keep the glazed walls open, to maximize guests' experience of Lautner's legendary approach to daylight. The surrounding walls offer plenty of privacy from prying eyes, though, and a provided sleep mask blocks out morning rays.

In the lobby, guests are greeted at a reception desk fabricated by NYC company FERRER and illuminated by vintage pendants sourced from Belgium. The ornate tile on the floor is original—a nod to the building's past.

This colorful interior of an Israeli hotel shows that Lissoni, despite some of what the book suggests, loves far more than yawning white spaces. The Mamilla hotel opened in 2009 in Jerusalem.

Treehouse (Jerusalem, Israel) Literally a growing structure—two pines grow through porches on either end of the rustic home—this treehouse by Golany Architects provides a stark contrast to the industrial aesthetic often associated with shipping container construction. Photo by Golany Architects

The hotel's spa space is set right into the banks on the rushing Valldola. The turf roof seems like a contemporary conceit but in fact is a reference to ancient Scandinavian tradition of sod roofs.

The Shrine of the Book is a wing of the museum that houses the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest biblical manuscripts in the world. Also opened in 1965, the wing is a curved dome covered in white ceramic tile that was designed by two American architects, Armand Bartos and Frederick Kiesler.

The walls of the original cabins are painted with black-pigmented oil to minimize reflections in the floor-to-ceiling windows—enhancing the sense of connection with the exterior scene.

There are no closets and no minibars in the guest rooms, reflecting the designers' minimalist approach. Features include a curved wooden headboard and a hammock hanging from the ceiling. Unfinished ceilings reveal partitions of the old structure, even down to the screws.

London's Athenaeum Hotel near Hyde Park features a side living wall designed by well, you guessed it, Patrick Blanc. (Pin).

This is Unit 4, the only one with a redwood dividing wall between the kitchen and the living room (the rest have open concrete islands).

Set against the backdrop of the dry desert hills, the Ace's white buildings are an unpretentious makeover of an existing, rundown roadside motel. L.A.-based firm Commune and the Ace's own design team, Atelier Ace, approached the project as a curatorial endeavor, commissioning a number of artists and artisans from southern California and the Southwest to piece together the design elements. See more of the Ace Palm Springs here.

Another room is done up in shades of green.

The artist Erwin Wurm constructed a piece specifically for the hotel. He and his team created a replica of a boat that appears to be dripping off the 7th floor of the hotel.

Next stop is the brand new Icelandair Hotel Reykjavik Marina Hotel that opened in 2012. A fully functioning dry-dock complete with a towering ship stands literally at its doorstep. Inside lies a quirky combination of whimsical and hipster cool. Many of the design elements and antiques in the rooms are locally sourced. Photo by: Tiffany Orvet

As conceived by Safdie, a pristine ceiling of glass and steel tilts to meet Mamilla Hotel’s grand structure of Jerusalem stone. Sunlight pours through, bathing the interiors with warmth and brightness. Eggplant-hued lounges cozy up the sitting area as well.

The two new cabins, also by Jensen & Skodvin Architects, are built on a steep hillside. They are held aloft by narrow steel rods and clad in a lumber stained to blend into the natural surroundings.

New Jerusalem Orphanage (Johannesburg, South Africa) 4D and A Architects used more than two dozen containers to help give this institution a more expansive, and inexpensive, home. Beyond the incredible service this structure provides, the use of space and the varied angles of each container give it a compelling modernist look. Photo by Dennis Guichard

Once home to a shoe repairer and abandoned for the last two years, Central Hotel & Café received a much-needed makeover from owner Leif Thingtved, who is seen here peering out the one-roomed hotel located above the downstairs café. The single room comes with a bathroom, flat screen television, high-speed internet, Royal Eden bed, and mini bar. Photo by: Martin Kaufmann

Neutral accents offset bright yellow details in this room.

Windows are punctuate the façades of the new cabins at unexpected but strategic locations in order to frame and maximize views.

A vintage wood lamp and turned bowl stands next to the bed. "We wanted to incorporate elements used in residential homes," Hollis says of the eclectic medley of accessories and furnishings in the space. "These would be items that you would collect over time. They don't exactly match, but they all work together—they create a relaxed casual environment while still elevating the interior and amenities to what you expect from a world-class luxury property."

The Conservatorium is outfitted with furniture by Cassina, Kartell, and Living Divani.

The atrium features a wealth of materials: the brick of the original structure, a glass roof, and steel beams supporting the new structure.

The Ale House Inn in Portsmouth, New Hampshire underwent an extensive renovation in 2009 when it was purchased by Doug Palardy and Daniel Innis––and is now one of the finest east coast inns. Photo by Philip Case Cohen.

One of the few five-star hotels in Jerusalem, Mamilla was the talk of the town as its ultra modern aesthetic was thought by some to threaten the sacredness of the Old City. However, once architect Moshe Safdie and designer Piero Lissoni took the reins, all became well. Following municipal law of building with Jerusalem stone, Safdie added a contemporary twist with the material. Inside, the Mirror Bar is lined with reflective glass, accented with mood lighting via glittering fixtures and wood details.

Walls of glass blur the boundary between indoors and out in this bathroom. The floors are Jerusalem Bone limestone.

Set in a beautiful stretch of fjord country about 250 miles northwest of Oslo, the Juvet Landscape Hotel is the kind of place you could not even dream up. The minimalist design of the Juvet's rooms bring guests into close contact with the Valldola River and the sublime valley beyond it.

The boat is a trimaran, a multi-hull steel-constructed boat with one main hull and two outrigger floats. The three-room boat hotel is located on Lake Rummelsburg, a small bay on the Spree River located on the east side of Berlin.

Designed by Jensen & Skovdin, the Juvet's first-generation cabins are built on stilts in order to impact the environment as little as possible. Despite the modernist aesthetic, the buildings were built by local craftsmen using traditional materials and techniques.

Here, the Library Bar, which is equally dark and richly textured, a marked difference from the scruffy Garment District neighborhood right outside.

The Commodore Hotel in Astoria, Oregon, (population 10,000) is not exactly conveniently located, tucked away near the ocean's edge at the mouth of the Columbia River. But the mysterious tale of the hotel's past is enough to draw visitors for a night or two in the now-modern quarters of the historic getaway. The hotel interior sports a distinct maritime feel combined with a pinch of Scandinavian minimalism. See more of the Commodore Hotel here.

Brit firms EPR Architects and Tara Bernerd & Partners joined forces to create the winning warm modernism that lead Thompson Hotels into London hospitalitydom. The subdued 85-room Belgraves opened in February of 2012 in London’s Belgravia neighborhood, a stone’s throw from Sloane Square. Quasi-industrial brick walls with geometric furniture and lend the property a neo-Brooklyn texture, while plush velvet upholstery and contemporary pieces from Brit artists Miranda Donovon and Mat Collishaw amp up the New Britania. Rooms from $350.

Just like the exterior, the interior rooms feature a mix of design influences: traditional blue plates hold court with minimalist furnishings.