Six-inch-square blue tiles cover the walls and floor of the girls’ upstairs bathroom. The towels and rug are also by H&M Home.

"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.

5. "What are the top 10 most important things I must have in a home?" "If there are two people buying the home, write your answers down separately, starting with your absolute must-haves," Hoffman explains. “Putting together a list separately can give both parties and the realtor a clear picture of what the perfect home will have for both of you."

This dwelling joins a number of structures—such as a boathouse and guesthouse—owned by one family and used for vacations. They needed a new house to accommodate new generations at the reatreat.

This tree house in Sweden with a mirrored exterior by Tham and Videgård Arkitekter is just large enough to host two people.

Swedish designer Lisa Bengtsson

Swedish designer Lotta Kühlhorn

Pros: Laminate is at the low end of the price range for countertops, is scratch- and stain-resistant, and comes in a tremendous range of colors. It’s also easy to install, making it a viable DIY option for the handy crowd. Cons: Because laminate countertops are created by layering pieces of plywood and plastic, edges can chip off easily, and the surface can even melt if too much heat is applied directly.

Barbara Hill's Dancehall/House in Marfa, Texas September 14, 2010 Misty Keasle

The roughly 160-square-foot modules, dubbed Mini House 2.0, were built in collaboration with Swedish manufacturer Sommarnöjen, and are delivered flat-packed. The homes are painted wood, and include a shaded deck space, plus full insulation and electricity, for a price of about $29,000. The modules come in various layouts, and can be configured and combined to include a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living space.

Designer Monica F�rster

Franson Wreland also designed the court-yard and a pair of 160-square-foot outbuildings—one is used as guest quarters and the other as storage space. While residents Julia and Fatima Olivero-Reinius chat outdoors, Chippie the dog approaches an Asplund desk and a chair by LucidiPevere.

Outside, Kartell Masters chairs surround a Tom Dixon Screw table.

“There is a lot of glass so you can enjoy the view and the outdoor lifestyle even inside,” Henrik explains. “You live in the middle of the weather somehow. It’s a really harsh environment, as you have these southwesterly winds blowing through the house. But it is really beautiful as well.”

Upstairs, each daughter’s bedroom was designed as a sanctuary, with cozy touches like Simon Key Bertman quilts and cushions. The bed and Pile bedside table by Jessica Signell Knutsson sit on top of a Carpet Honeycomb by designer Maria Löw.

In the dining area, Splügen Bräu pendant lamps for Flos hang over a Super-Elliptical table by Piet Hein and Bruno Mathsson for Fritz Hansen.

In the master bedroom, a Hästens bed is atop a Mats Broberg & Johan Ridderstråle rug.

Zebra-print cushion covers from H&M Home and a pair of tables by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia provide a colorful counterpoint to the neutral palette of the living area’s B&B Italia sofa and Pernilla 69 armchairs by Bruno Mathsson for Dux. A Lotta Döbling painting from Domeij Gallery hangs on the wall.

The second floor holds three bedrooms and a living area for the girls. Here, Paula, 11, and Sofia, 9, hang out near an IKEA PS 2012 sofa by Nike Karlsson. The slatted wall at left allows a view to the downstairs.

Meg’s inspiration: The design of the Lucky Linden was something Meg carried along with from many years in her sketchbook. She loves the Art and Craft styled RV’s and was sure that if she built a tiny house RV someday, this would be a her inspiration. What she like most of this pattern is the low sloped roofs, pop out dormers on the front as well as back and especially the bungalow look from the Sears and Roebuck kit houses which were prevalent in the 1990’s.

A glassed-in first floor in Mölle, Sweden, makes the home appear to hover over the ground. Via My Modern Me

Industrial designer Louise Hederstrom loves to play with ideas of old and new and draws inspiration from the industrial edge still visible in parts of Malmö, Sweden, where she works. Goethals loved to discover that, mixed within Hederstrom's stack of design books, sat a few volumes on Swedish Death Metal.

Furniture designer Sami Kallio may work in Gothenburg, Sweden, but his Finnish heritage comes through strongly in his chairs and lighting (his breakout collection was called "The Finnish Blood in Me").

Making use of the hilltop location, each window was planned to frame interesting vistas or to find the best sight lines around adjoining buildings.

A landscape of native grasses designed by GSLA Studio complements the raw textures of the concrete-and-ipe front facade.

Designed by Tham & Videgård Arkitekter, this house is located in the outer region of the Stockholm archipelago. To keep expenses low, the architects opted for a simple gabled design and simple materials—the sheet metal facade and OSB walls within, for instance.

A double-height corridor runs the length of the house, and a slatted wall on the second floor overlooks the space.

The family are avid fans of watersports of all stripes: “Windsurfing and the stand-up paddling board—the beach is right outside,” says Henrik. “It’s a fun house.”

The master bedroom opens onto the backyard. “The view is beautiful year-round,” Fatima says.

A wood-burning stove from Harvia, of Finland, heats the sauna. The pavilion’s rough-cut pine walls are treated with tar, a preservative that yields a time-worn aesthetic.

Skultuna Brushed Brass Flower Pot, from $125 Swedish designer Monica Förster elevates the form of the traditional terra-cotta flower pot in this spun-metal planter.

A detail shot illustrates the delicate arching back of the Antelope chair by Monica Förster for Swedese.

In the living room, guests gather on a matching ebony sofa and daybed from Hudson and a pair of Jorge Zalszupin lounge chairs. An Yves Klein coffee table—filled with the artist’s signature International Klein Blue pigment— provides a vivid burst amid otherwise organic tones. The walnut-and-bronze cabinetry is a custom design.

The house that Fleetwood Fernandez Architects designed for contractor Mehran Taslimi and his wife, Laila, embraces its surroundings. “They wanted doors that they could just throw open,” designer Hunter Fleetwood says of the retractable wall system from Vitrocsa.

“We didn’t want panel-formed, smooth-like-glass concrete; we wanted texture,” Fleetwood says. A cast-resin piece by DeWain Valentine sits at the foot of the sculpted walnut stairs.