A stunning glass villa nestles at a corner of a lake in the picturesque Cotswolds village of Lechlade, glistening in the sun like a jewel box. Created by Dutch architects Mecanoo, the house is designed to optimise the views of the lake.

Tourists have long flocked to the city of Guilin in China, famous for its spectacular limestone hills towering over serene lakes and rivers. Those who stay at The Other Place, a local guest house, however, may be surprised by scenery which is rather unexpected but no less spectacular.

The elegant and minimalist furniture by Belgian designer Casimir is not only beautiful: by stripping his designs to their core, the designer often reveals thought-provoking questions and also a hint of subversion.

A cool space often looks best in a calm, orderly interior design scheme. A good example is this sleek villa on the outskirts of Kiev, designed by architect Denis Rakaev, which uses a restrained colour palette and carefully selected design elements.

Ettore Sottsass, father of the Memphis movement, is well known for his outlandish and colourful designs.  Trained as an architect, Sottsass also designed numerous buildings, seven of which are private residences.  One of these rare gems is now on the market. 

The Design Academy in Eindhoven has a well-earned reputation for nurturing future design stars.  It should therefore come as no surprise that their graduation show is full of delightful and thought-provoking design ideas. 

Architect Stephane Malka's passion is to renew urban life by making clever use of under-utilised spaces in cities.  This remarkable house in the Boulogne Billancourt area of Paris is a great example.

When asked to modernise a charming but dilapidated art-deco house in Melbourne, the team at C. Kairouz Architects created an uplifting modern space which sits in delightful contrast with the original building.

Miist is a new furniture brand founded by designer Alex Baser featuring sleek, minimalist lines with a dash of design flair, imbuing the products with a sense of refinement and warmth.

The archetypal loft apartment might have been born in New York, but this apartment shows that when it comes to effortless cool the West coast is hard to beat.