When Anna Gunnarsdóttir remodeled her bungalow near Rejkjavik, she opted to preserve its concrete exterior. The living space has big windows, and the garden features a typical Icelandic thermal bath.

Milan is a center for design. So it’s fitting for architect Giovanna Cornelio to live in a breathtakingly beautiful luxury apartment. What’s surprising is that it’s in a 1950s eyesore whose interior she’s redesigned.

Architect Ülar Mark's weekend home is anything but modern minimalism. His renovation of a captain's house lies on the Baltic Coast in Estonia's Lahemaa National Park. It's an ode to the joys of decorating with color.

Jakob Bruntse and Johan Homgren had a weekend home built near Stockholm in the shape of a triangle, inspired by the surrounding grounds. The main room has glass walls almost all the way around.

At first glance, the house designed by Portuguese architect Manuel Aires Mateus looks unfinished. That’s on purpose! This holiday home is meant to be open and to allow an unimpeded view of the landscape.

Anna Gunnarsdóttir has remodeled her bungalow near Rejkjavik, keeping the concrete look of the exterior. The living space has big windows, and the garden has a typical Icelandic thermal bath.

Austrian cabinet maker Ernst Thaler shows us around a centuries-old alpine chalet on Mount Katschberg. He lovingly restored the building after studying the construction methods used by the old mountain farmers.

There's a house in Poland that, according to architects, uses more concrete than any other private residence in Europe -- but it sure doesn't look like concrete. The facade seems like it was made of wood.

Living in a Nazi-era bunker  - that sounds like heavy concrete, heavy history and little daylight. But in Munich, one has been transformed into a modern building.You can find out more about European lifestyle and culture in our Euromaxx show. The DW magazine program reports on culture and art, countries and lifestyle, fashion and music, celebrities and hobbies in Europe six times weekly. Or follow us on Facebook and Instagram.

On first glance, it looks like a construction site. But it’s part of a modern villa. In Paphos on Cyprus, architect Andreas Vardas has built a home using 360 concrete pipes.