A case of architecture imitating life, Marine Court’s aquatic, art deco sensibilities were inspired by the Queen Mary – a transatlantic cruise ship that sailed the open seas in the 1930s. The bracing views from this seventh-floor, one-bedroom flat are spectacular. From the wide, recessed balcony, the pebbled shoreline and glaucous seas of St Leonards stretch into the distance. From the kitchen and bedroom, rows of Regency terraces place you more firmly on dry land. Inside, portholes have been replaced with generous windows that make for a brilliantly bright living room. The original kitchen is in ship-shape condition with open curved shelving and continued coastal views. Coming and going is an art deco delight, too: the checkerboard-floor in the foyer and wood-panelled lift will transport you through the building and back in time. 

High up in the Cornish village of Polruan along a quiet lane sits this unique mid-century home, which has been angled to follow the course of the River Fowey. Built in 1963, these warm and transportive interiors retain their original teak floors, varnished beams and timber-panelled ceilings, creating a uniquely cosseting atmosphere from which to gaze out over the rugged views. On the ground floor, the glass-fronted hallway and vine-draped conservatory encourage coastal light into the space year round. On the upper level, clerestory windows afford a glimpse of two historic headlines: Dodman Point and Gribben Head – a view that will have you reaching for your knapsack and walking boots in no time …

The clean lines and clay plaster walls of this award-winning holiday home make it a striking architectural outlier along the lesser-known Lincolnshire coastline. Step out of the house and straight on to the tussocky, windswept dunes of Anderby Creek, which give way to miles of unspoilt sand – a natural environment that is an official cloud spotting area (according to the Cloud Appreciation Society). The tactile and mutable interiors are as changeable as the coastal scenery and have been designed to open up as the summer months roll in, or hunker down as autumn descends. Generous glazing welcomes the view regardless of season. Light the woodburner and wave watch from the wood-panelled living room, or cloud gaze from the privacy of the bathtub. Outside, a raised wooden deck will set you firmly within this wild, untrammelled landscape.

This silvery brace of exceptional timber-framed homes sit lightly in the landscape on the Isle Of Harris, where rare machair grassland, crystalline sea lochs and impossibly white sandy beaches make up your back garden. Both houses benefit from the site’s southerly vantage point and have been thoughtfully positioned to harness the effects of this unique and ancient landscape. In the larger of the two houses, the open kitchen and living areas offer storybook views of the loch and the green, bristling islets that rise from the waters like fabled sea creatures. In fairer months, the patio beyond encourages you to embrace the scenery head on. The smaller of the two houses – which is currently being used as a holiday let – offers no less vital views.

These four, as-yet-unbuilt beachfront homes have been designed with beach life in mind. Set across three floors in a palette of sweepable polished concrete and light oak, the top floor living space will have a generous wraparound balcony that provides immersive views of the immediate landscape. At ground floor level, generous storage and wide entranceways facilitate all manner of waterborne hobbies, whilst a hidden wine fridge and small kitchen area make sand-based sundowners a cinch. The first floor offers three bedrooms and a large family bathroom. From the outside, the contemporary, ice-cream coloured façades have been influenced by the hues of nearby beach huts. Consider the unspoilt beach your back garden, with its characterful shingle shoreline and sandy dunes. Nearby is the desert landscape of Dungeness, but even closer is Greatstone beach, where windsurfers and wild swimmers congregate year round.