Nestled within a forest clearing near the Argentinian city of Córdoba, this 2,153-square-foot house named "La Negrita" is designed to exist in harmony with nature. Designed by Córdoba–based Morini Arquitectos, the house first reveals itself as a black corrugated wall in the middle of the woodlands. "The house is totally introverted [and] mysterious towards the street and extroverted towards the interior," says Morini.

A Woodchuck-made loft bed anchors Sam's room. The dark green playmat is by Alex Playmats.

The home's wood deck is a neutral base that compliments the home's back and white features.

Composed of overlapping cubes of different sizes, the Gjøvik house by Danish firm Norm Architects gracefully embraces its hillside terrain—naturally blending in with its stunning surroundings near Mjøsa Lake an hour north of Oslo.

A view into the sleeping nook.

Minimalist sliding doors separate the rooms.

Norm 12 comes in two finishes, pure white and simple matt white, the extra large light is intended for hallways or larger rooms, while the small light is meant to be hung over a table or in a nook.

An existing bedroom was sacrificed to make room for a first-floor bathroom, which is fitted with a large skylight. The herringbone wall tiles are from Topps Tiles.

An old sugarcane dock was turned into a swimming pool, which offers views of the Karst mountains and Li River from a distance.

The home’s sunny vestibule features a vibrant yellow door and a photo by William Bailey.

This Sydney home was designed to be an emblem for climate-conscious design. Aspiring to create a self-sustaining mini ecosystem, the architect-owner embraced clean and renewable energy with a facade of photovoltaic panels, a garden rooftop, and myriad green details.

The 4,478-square-foot Yellow Door House features two parallel concrete prefab buildings that are offset from each other. Between the structures, a semi-enclosed area features a bar, outdoor shower, and storage racks for surfboards.

Pockets of greenery add a warmth to the interior courtyards.

An interior courty

The home’s walls are clad in Oregon white oak reclaimed from a dismantled barn on the property. Jessica Helgerson chose to paint them white to create a bright, airy look, but she left the kitchen wall au naturel for a visual pop. With storage at a premium, the kitchen needed ample cabinetry as well as some ingenious solutions—including a pull-out cabinet hidden in one half of the range hood. A vintage cabinet on the left wall provides open storage for everyday dishes.

To further reduce the possibility of water seepage, a vaulted structure was used for the third floor extension, so rainwater flows down from the roof and drains away.

A side view of the front entrance.

Danish designer Cecilie Manz reinterpreted Bang & Olufsen’s classic Beolit Transistor Radio from the 1960s with rounded corners, an iPhone jack, and a leather carrying strap.

Iannis Xenakis, Study for Metastaseis, c. 1953 Ink on paper 9 1/2 x 12 1/2 inches. Iannis Xenakis Archives, Bibliothèque nationale de France, Paris.

12 Craft by Tongyeong City

12 Craft by Tongyeong City, Photo by Sergio Pirrone

In the powder room, a Tom Dixon pendant dangles above a Ferguson Badeloft sink. Dreamy blue watercolor wallpaper from Black Crow Studios lines the walls.

In Grey Lynn, an Auckland suburb, architect Richard Naish shook up the notion of the Victorian villa that is pervasive here by building a trifecta of pavilions separated by courtyards and "garden rooms." The western red cedar facade is offset by the roof's black galvanized corrugated steel.

Linda Hutchins and John Montague hired Works Partnership Architecture to turn a former Portland, Oregon, warehouse and auto repair shop into a versatile live/work space.

An earlier version of the record player and one of a foundational group of designs produced in 1955, the inaugural year of Braun Design. Braun G 12 (Valvo chassis) by Hans Gugelot, on sale for £650. "Although production of Gugelot's G series continued into the early '60s, this vocabulary was soon eclipsed by Ram's development of a less romantic, more affirmatively industrial approach," writes Kapos.

A bed in the studio provides a place for guests to sleep. The plywood floor is painted white.