Fed up with flashy, environmentally insensitive beach homes, architect Gerald Parsonson and his wife, Kate, designed a humble hideaway nestled behind sand dunes along the New Zealand coastline. Crafted in the image of a modest Kiwi bach, their 1,670-square-foot retreat consists of a group of small buildings clad in black-stained pine weatherboards and fiber-cement sheets.

Kayak in hand, Tom and Will make a break for the beach.

The Casa Cuatro sits above a 180-foot cliff that overlooks the Pacific Ocean. The locally quarried stone makes the house blend in with the landscape and acts as a thermal-mass wall, absorbing heat during the day and releasing it through the evening.

The house was built on piers (save for the lower-level bedroom) so that little of the natural landscape would be disturbed.

Having purchased the land from a friend who also has a house in the community, Schneider had a better sense of what she wanted—and what she didn't—her site. "From the experience at the neighbor's house," Foster says, "she knew she didn't want the house to have its back to the morning sun so we created a deck and somewhere to sit outside that faces east." Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!

This 3,200-square-foot structure was assembled with a prefabricated foundation, concrete panel siding, and efficient built-ins, minimizing construction debris and toxins—such as concrete foundation tar—on the site.

Mike Kurokawa and Paul Fishman set out for the beach from their house in the Puna region of Hawaii. A bridge leads from street level to the upper floor of the house, which is situated in a natural depression, or kipuka.

266 Bay Walk by Horace Gifford (1968). Gifford wrote of the house, also encapsulating his work as an architect, that "The outstanding feature of the house is that we did not diminish the beauty of the site in any way. Glass tends not to enclose—that's why we used so much of it."

547 Beachcomber Walk by architect Andrew Geller (1958-61), Restoration helmed by Larson and Paul Architects in 2006.

616 Shore Walk by Marcel Bretos (1971).

While Fire Island boasts work by a bevy of big-name architects, this Bay Walk house from 1961 proves that the island's architectural ties run much deeper. A typical early '60s beach shack by an unknown architect, it transcends its humble origins through the meticulousness of its restoration and the modernist garden design by current owners James Streacker and Scott Ahlborn.

632 Fire Island Boulevard by James McCleod (1969).

The couple, both surfers and beach lovers, wake up to stunning views of the azure-blue Southern Ocean in their otherwise monochromatic eucalyptus master bedroom. Wardle’s firm designed the bed base, and the panel in the ceiling hides a television.

Joined by architect Michael Lee and friend Gus McConnell, Jacobson shouts up to Dukes that they’re headed out for an impromptu surf session.

“The steep site lends itself to the ‘upside down’ configuration,” Harkness explains. “It certainly wouldn’t work as well if you could only access the house via the lower level, as this is through the bedroom zone, so we included two entrances. The upper one involves walking across a little bridge.”

Gerald designed the bach to feel as casual as possible, hence the lack of a paved driveway and garage.

Though the fire pit was “kind of an after-thought,” says Hannah, the family uses it year-round. “In the spring and fall, it warms you up on cool nights, and in the summer, it just adds ambience.”

The courtyard with its fire pit and infinity pond—extends the living area outdoors. The family has hosted events, weddings, and even a funeral here, and annual solstice parties are always a big hit with the neighbors.

A corrugated metal roofing, pine walls stained a warm blonde hue, and an abundance of glass make this modern prefab feel much roomier than its 1,600-square-feet size.

The chromatic Paris apartment of Jean-Christophe Aumas holds a treasure trove of rare vintage furniture, displays from his work, and items curated from his travels. As the artistic director of the creative agency Voici-Voilà, he designs store windows and special events for clients like Louis Vuitton, John Galliano, Lacoste, Céline, and more; and so it’s no wonder that his own 1,023-square-foot apartment is teeming with character. The entire flat is self-designed in a fusion of his professional and personal flavors. Over herringbone wood floors, walls with painted shapes frame hanging artworks; colored cubes, created for a Sol LeWitt–themed Louis Vuitton display, pepper the space; and foraged furnishings ranging from flea market finds to designer pieces outfit the home.

519 Porgie Walk by Horace Gifford (1963). Restored in 1983 by Bromley Caldari Architects.

Warm wooden walls ensure the simple bedroom setup, a low mattress next to a Muuto Leaf table lamp, offers more comfort than the cold stone exterior.

By eliminating walls and incorporating a series of interior gardens, architect José Roberto Paredes creates an eclectic and inspired El Salvador beach house. In the kitchen, rough-hewn materials like a eucalyptus-log-and-thatch roof offset the monolithic concrete island and glossy subway tile backsplash. Claudia & Harry Washington built the vivid wooden sliding walls, which are inspired by the palm leaves that change color and create diagonal patterns in trees near the house. The bar stools were a street market discovery.

274 Bay Walk by Harry Bates, now of Bates Masi (1967).

Fire Island Beach House Floor Plan

The clients insisted that none of the trees on the property be disturbed, so Kevin Alter and his team at Alterstudio Architecture built a deck and an overhang around two of them.

Another view of the deck.

“The house is a piece of origami made out of triangular shapes, which we then draped over the landscape,” says Arbel.

Alterstudio Architecture of Austin designed this house in the Texas capital for a young family of four.

In consultation with the clients, Alterstudio opted to clad the house in local cypress rather than imported, FSC-certified ipe.

According to Remijnse, since the only direction they could build on the small site was up, they decided to add height with a gabled roof.

Built to go off the grid, this remote beachside cottage can open up completely to the outdoors with its series of movable wall-sized glass panels and screens. Designed by Herbst Architects, the modest New Zealand bach comprises two rectangular pavilions built with mostly natural materials chosen for their durability, texture, and weathering characteristics.

The family spends summers and school vacations at the bach. New Zealand's relatively mild winters mean they use the house year-round.

This 1965 home on Tarpon Walk updates the the shingle-style beach house so common in Long Island vernacular architecture. Delicately balanced on slender tower bases—a “spaceship” as Gifford called it—it hovers over its earthbound neighbors.

Set amid the greenery of Shore Walk, this 1964 beach house is a charming early work of post-and-beam construction by Harry Bates of Bates Masi Architects. The modern structure was once occupied by a member of the Rockefeller family.

The steps lead to a roof deck, where the owners can enjoy sweeping views of the ocean.