Located in Hiroshima, Japan, this house has quite the minimalist and modern exterior, but head inside and the you’ll discover a traditional tamped earth floor. Japanese architect Makoto Tanijiri of Suppose Office created it with natural local materials for a rustic, earthy effect.

The home is filled with sliding walls and windows and traditional, simple materials, allowing residents to easily fill the space with their own furniture and belongings without worrying about the current style. He used white surfaces, wood, and multiple levels to create a flexible, comfortable atmosphere.

The traditional floor is affordable, made of local materials, and keeps the space warm in the winter and cool in the summer. It is virtually effortless to install, and yet another example of how we can use our natural outdoor materials to create a cozy, minimalist living space that is still close to nature.

Rotunda Living, a small home builder based in the United Kingdom, has designed some small, contemporary round houses inspired by nature’s shapes and elements. They look like the perfect backyard getaway to use as a studio, guest bedroom, pool house, or meditative escape space.

The design is similar to a yurt, but with solid walls. The plan is to use locally-sourced materials and a local supply chain to create quality, sustainable materials that will not sacrifice aesthetics. Each design uses natural, breathable, and efficient materials for insulation and construction, providing a healthy environment that inspires creativity in an atmosphere inspired by nature. Read more »

The Empowerhouse, a home that produces all of its own energy, has just been built in a Washington D.C. neighborhood. It was designed by students at the New School and Stevens Institute of Technology as part of a Solar Decathlon design competition, which partnered with the D.C. Department of Housing and Community Development. This made one of the competition’s homes a reality for the first time ever. Read more »

This gorgeous Bala Park Island cabin designed by Altius Architecture is a 3-bedroom, 2,200 square foot seasonal home located near Lake Muskoka in Ontario, Canada. The home is separated into two sides, consisting of a public and open kitchen, dining and living areas, and a side with private bedrooms. The roof contains clerestory windows, offering views of the nearby ridge, and the Douglas Fir roof joists allow for a clean pattern across the ceiling on the ground floor. Read more »

As a way to cut down on daily commutes and encourage more people to work from home, Victor Vetterlein has designed Micro Office Systems Space (MOSS), a prefabricated home office powered by clean energy. The offices are a 13-foot octogonal shape, designed to be either leased or purchased and installed in employees driveways, backyards, or even on the roof. The best part? They connect right into the main office. Read more »