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A 200-year-old hay barn in southern Styria has been given a new lease on life as a holiday house. The conversion process involved the barn being completely disassembled, its wooden beams being carefully restored and then carefully reassembled once again.

Are you dreaming of a holiday that brings the whole family – or all your closest friends – together? In the south of France perhaps? Accommodation with traditional charm and casual flair? In the countryside, but close to the sea and the mountains. Voilà: Loft by LIEU.

Trecubi – a holiday home situated near the town of Noto in the southeast of Sicily – offers magnificent views over the region’s hilly landscape, all the way to the sea five kilometres away.

Just a short drive from the capital of Catalonia, the Barcelona Sanctuary is located on the edge of a natural park and close to the coast. The building, consisting of two white cubes, extends over several levels.

This holiday home is situated in the north of Mallorca on the edge of the little town of Campanet – in a large garden overlooking the village and the Tramuntana mountains.

The Little Stone House is situated six kilometres from the Spanish city of Tarifa, the surfing paradise on the south coast of Andalusia.

Casa Afife is situated in a rural settlement near the Atlantic Ocean in the northwest of Portugal – between Viano do Castelo and Caminha, a small town on the border to Spain.

The sister villas Tinos Hearts are located on a steep slope in Kardiani, which is considered one of the most beautiful villages on the Cycladic island of Tinos. The houses are a modern interpretation of the typical local architecture.

With panoramic views of the bay of Soller and the mountains, Cingle 30 is located on a steep slope in the coastal town of Port de Soller. It consists of a concrete cube that rises above a substructure with traditional quarry stone walls.

High above Merano, the Miramonti Boutique Hotel has been offering a stylish place for nature and design lovers for many years. The three individually designed wooden houses of the Monti House complement the ensemble, offering understated luxury - and a spectacular view of the mountains.

Seehotel Ambach beams its guests back to the seventies. At the beginning of the decade, architect Othmar Barth, considered a pioneer of modernity in South Tyrol, created a complete work of art – merging architecture, design and nature – on the northern shore of Lake Caldaro.

The northern Italian city of Mantua, Lombardy, is surrounded by lakes on three sides. Many old noble palaces adorn this Renaissance city, the historical centre of which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Palazzo Beccaguti Cavriani surprises with modern design and contemporary art.

Surrounded by mountains and rows of olive and almond trees, SpronkenHouse is situated on a spacious plot of land in the hinterland of the Costa del Azahar, north of Valencia.

Villa Jones is situated in the hilly landscape of olive groves and forests in the Haut Var, the hinterland of the Cote d'Azur. Edward Jones, partner of the renowned London architecture firm Dixon Jones, and his architect wife Margot designed this holiday home for themselves and their family.

At the South Tyrolean Schgaguler Hotel in Castelrotto at the foot of the Alpe di Siusi, you can admire the amazing transformation of an 80s building into an elegant modern boutique hotel.

Podere 500 is situated in a picturesque location in the Tuscan hills. Behind the old stone walls of the former farmhouse lies a surprisingly modern holiday home with spacious rooms and a light and airy ambience.

The two holiday homes are situated far from from the tourist hotspots of Tenerife in the village of El Poris on the island’s southeast coast. Casacosta is a modernist villa from the late 1970s.

Villa Cozzo Tre Venti is situated on the edge of the little port town of Portopalo di Capo Passero in the far south-east of Sicily.

Porcignano, near the Tuscan village of Radda in Itatly’s Chianti region, was once the private summer house of Leo Lionni (1910-1999).Today, guests can experience the villa with its sculpture garden.

Set in a lush Mediterranean garden near the historic center of the wine village of Kaltern am See, you will find an extraordinary ensemble of buildings: a classic 1950s villa and her extravagant modern "little sister".

Casa Ceppi is a rural property on the Croatian peninsula of Istria. The historic complex, which comprises a main building and outbuildings grouped around a central square, was in ruins until it was discocerd by the Berlin architecture firm Wietersheim, who lovingly restored it and gave it a new, contemporary lease of life.

The small boutique hotel Mezi Plutky in the Czech Carpathian Mountains effortlessly blends apparent contradictions. Old and new, darkness and light, privacy and community come together to create a haven of peace and tranquility.

Le Casuzze and La Balza are two holiday homes located on a ridge behind the Sicilian town of Noto – with broad views of the city and the sea. The former stables strike a successful balance between simplicity and comfort.

The Camino de Playa is located on the edge of the Galician nature reserve of Costa da Vela, near a kilometer-long sandy beach. From the outside, the house has a traditional appearance; from the inside, it is emphatically modern.