'100 Contemporary Houses': The Decade’s Most Incredible Homes

Did you ever dream of living in a tree house? Well, sit back and enjoy an armchair architectural tour of the most extravagant, creative, and quirky homes built during the first ten years of the 21st Century. Taschen's recent two volume tome 100 Contemporary Houses features the designs of established "starchitects" such as Richard Meier, John Pawson, Daniel Libeskind, and Zaha Hadid as well as a host of up-and-comers.

Related: Amazing Treehouse Homes

Although many of the abodes are lavishly tricked out, there are also mini-masterpieces such as the Lucky Drops House, which is slotted into a sliver of land about the size of a parking space in crowded Tokyo. A number of the buildings are made from sustainable materials and a few are completely off the grid.

Some of the featured abodes, such as the Wall-Less House (in which even the bathroom is freestanding), push the boundaries of what might be considered a typical shelter. Nonetheless, all were built with the owner's specifications-and dreams-in mind. In the words of Swiss architect Mario Botta: "When I'm tired of the world, I want to go home."

Here are ten of our favorites.

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