Jacques Couëlle, The Sculpture House, 1962

Which artist or architect would you choose to design your dream home? Self-taught French architect Jacques Couëlle ranks high on our list, in particular his enviable “landscape houses”, built overlooking the bay of Cannes in the early 1960s. Boasting natural, cave-like forms in order to blend in seamlessly with their surrounding environment, the structures have been heralded as beacons of the architecture-sculpture movement. Inside, some of the various arches and niches are frescoed by local artists, adding to the pleasing medley of media—as in this serene sitting room: our ideal weekend reading spot.