NOEM, a Barcelona–based architecture firm, created a metal-clad house for a young client just outside Madrid. It’s raised 12 feet off the ground to offer better views of the landscape, lending it "the futuristic feeling that it just landed," says Pol Guiu, one of NOEM’s cofounders.

Gray-purple iron railings, a fuchsia and green wooden entry, and garage doors provide contrast to the white walls of this Santa Barbara home. Photo by Steven Holmes.

New pine and spruce wood from the Pyrenees (both recyclable and PEFC certified) were selected for the façade of the 1,000-square-foot prefab. Smart blinds cover the windows, rigged to open and close depending on the weather forecast.

GilBartolomé Architects says the metal facade looks like "the skin of a dragon set in the ground when seen from below" but "waves of the sea when seen from above."

In the living room of the Barcelona apartment designer Elina Vila D’Acosta-Calheiros shares with her husband, Ginés Gorriz, Arne Jacobsen Swan chairs join a sofa by Piero Lissoni for Living Divani. The cabinet is from Cappellini, as is the Marcel Wanders Big Shadow lamp.

The home is divided into two floors: seen here is the second floor, where the bedrooms enjoy private balconies and ocean views. The shared spaces, such as the living room and kitchen, are below.

That heat is then transferred to the old stone walls underneath. From there, the stone slowly radiates the warmth into the interior, keeping it around 70°F even as night temperatures drop to 25°F. A wood-burning stove compensates for cloudy days. (For the thermally-savvy, the polycarbonate has a U value of 1.1 W/m²K).

A built-in desk by NOEM FabLab folds into the wall when not in use.

Automated shutters overhead provide privacy when closed and shade the deck when open.

NOEM integrated the mechanical systems behind a purple screen for users to access. This “hub” is the first thing visible upon opening the front door.

Zaragoza Airport, in northern Spain. Photo courtesy of Luis Vidal + Architects.

The best way to integrate different furniture styles is to treat “the space like a gallery and place objects according to their colors,” internationally acclaimed designer Jaime Hayon says. He cautions against using too much natural wood furniture in a space with wood floors: “You need contrast.” In his newly renovated home in Valencia, Spain, contrasting materials, small porcelain objects, and an occasional black form enliven a palette of light gray furniture. Photo by: Nienke Klunder

The ornate facade of the Art Nouveau building carries over into the entrance. The floral pattern of the original tile floor begins in the entrance hall and continues throughout the apartment; it is offset by a sleek iron table from Minim.

The restaurant El Pinton in Seville, Spain.

Puente Nuevo, Spain-Three impressive bridges span the gorge that cuts through the southern Spanish town of Ronda. The "new bridge" is the most dramatic. Photo: papalars

Aside from its dramatic appearance, the home's subterranean construction comes with an energy efficiency advantage: the surrounding soil is a constant 67 degrees, thereby helping to keep the interiors comfy year-round.

The Campus Palmas Altas serves as the corporate headquarters for Abengoa, one of Spain's largest engineering and energy companies, in Seville. Completed in 2009, it has been awarded LEED platinum status. Photo courtesy of Luis Vidal + Architects.

Leroy with his menagerie and the highway-spanning bridge beyond.

Inside the home, soft oak flooring and the immaculate white walls and furniture “maximize the sensation of light,” Martín says.

Spruce clads the interior walls and ceilings.

In sharp contrast to the industrially-manufactured components used to build the first floor, the second floor features a hand-made Catalonian vaulted brick roof.

The undulating roof is reinforced concrete covered with hand-made and hand-installed metal tiles. The home was built when the Spanish economy was especially depressed, so in lieu of factory-made construction components, the architects used local labor for fabrication and installation whenever possible.

“The plan was to enter the house through the machine room, like in Han Solo’s spaceship, the Millennium Falcon,” Guiu says.

The fiberglass furniture was designed digitally but manufactured on site as well.

The Hospital Can Misses in Ibiza, Spain. Photo courtesy of Luis Vidal + Architects.

Floor plan of Spaceship House by NOEM

The rest of the building is insulated with recycled cotton—4.75 inches in the walls, almost 8 inches in the roof—to keep the interior temperature stabilized.

Olivia: Kate Spade Saturday Home Collection Back-to-school season always prompts a flurry of organization, which inevitably leads to an impromptu shopping trip. This month, I am turning to Kate Spade’s Saturday home collection for bright, geometric home goods like this windowpane print wooden tray.

Spanish Rooftop Ready for Its Closeup (Barcelona, Spain) While the owner claims this designer apartment is where Bond would stay in El Born, the rustic rooftop could even drag M out of M16 headquarters for a Spanish holiday. Panoramic views of the Catalan playground contrast nicely with the sleek, slate-colored interior, which, based on the incredible perspective, probably isn’t where you’ll be spending most of your trip. Listing at Petit Lego Barcelona WiFi 007

Nani Marquina stands in front of her latest line of rugs, Chillida, a reinterpretation of artist Eduardo Chillida's work, released in 2012 at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile.

Outdoor facilities were also carefully considered to cater to the residents' desire to spend plenty of time outside. The pool in the front yard is complemented by a designated barbecue area and outdoor bathroom. Garden sensors monitor soil moisture and irrigation levels.

In the guest room, for example, the built-in unit contains a pull-down Murphy Bed, which makes the most of the elongated space.