When the architect of the raumplan - the compositional principle based on the interlocking of volumes and planes of different sizes and heights - met Josephine Baker after seeing one of her performances at the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées, it was immediately magic: a meeting of opposites - the instinctual, animalistic vitality of the dancer on the one hand, the iron intellectual rigour of the architect on the other. The result was a project for a four-storey dwelling that was to occupy a corner site between Avenue Bugeaud and Rue du Général-Clergerie in the 16th arrondissement of Paris: a building with pure geometries (prism and cylinder) enclosed in an envelope finished in alternating bands of black and white marble, reminiscent of a mix between a Tuscan cathedral and a Moorish bathing establishment, coherently with the cultural contamination promoted by the artist. Behind the striped epidermis, Loos designed a generous alternation of lounges and entertainment spaces while the heart of the house was a double-height swimming pool - as Baker liked to swim - surrounded by glass walls and lit from above.

When one thinks of the dolce vita and luxury of wealthy holidaymakers in the South of France, apart from Francis Scott Fitzerald, one immediately thinks of this sumptuous modernist villa perched on the cliffs of the Gulf of San Juan. Here, amidst card games and parties, politics and revelry took place, flirtations and passions were intertwined; illustrious personalities have passed through here, from Winston Churchil to Coco Chanel, from Somerset Maugham to Cecil Beaton, from Liz Taylor to Gianni Agnelli, enjoying the coastal sun at the edge of the disproportionate swimming pool and on the terrace dotted with umbrellas.

In the wildest and most authentic Sardinia, the Vitti-Anonioni couple wanted their buen retiro from the set and the limelight: a house in the shape of a hemisphere, enveloped by the scent of Gallura and the sound of the sea, built using the Binishell technique, a construction process that involves shaping the concrete casting through air pressure. The building contained five rooms and four bathrooms connected by a sinuous staircase accessible from the living room. The exterior cladding, made of a mixture of plaster and crystals of local rock in pinkish hues, helped create an intimate bond with nature. Now abandoned, the building - which Rem Koolhaas described as "one of the best architectures of the last hundred years" - is protected by a historical-cultural interest bond and awaiting revitalisation.

About an hour and a half from New Yourk, Fire Island is the opposite of the congested metropolis: here there are no cars and the colours of the landscape are the blue of the ocean, the green of the trees and the beige-brown of the beach and the wooden houses. In the Pines area in particular, architect Horace Gifford designed many modernist houses in the 1960s and 1970s, integrating them with nature and minimising environmental impact. Built for a couple with four children, the house with its soft shapes and covered entirely in wood was conceived to emphasise the visual continuity between the outside and the inside thanks to the large windows overlooking the sea. Purchased by Calvin klein in 1977, the designer hired architect Horace Gifford to design a swimming pool, gymnasium, accommodation for the pool and garden. After the devastation of Hurricane Gloria in 1985 and the transfer of ownership, the villa still looks out to sea with its composed and somewhat rugged charm.

In Palm Springs, where the modernist taste exploded in the design of homes for wealthy holidaymakers during the mid-20th century, the villa designed by John Lautner for comedian Bob Hope and his wife is a triumph of soft, sinuous forms in close contact with nature. The concrete building is covered by a mighty roof that looks like a mushroom cap, perforated in the middle to provide zenithal views of the Californian sky and direct light to the patio below, and houses, in addition to the 10 bedrooms, a sumptuous party room. In the lush grounds outside, a rock garden, a swimming pool, a pond and a large boulder penetrating into the living room, quoting Frank Lloyd Wright's Fallingwater, reaffirm a strong link with organic architecture.

For the release of the second album by the French band AIR entitled "10000 Hz Legend", French designer Ora ïto iconceptualised a virtual house completely dedicated to music exploration and production, in a decidedly mystical space suspended between heaven and earth and set in a natural setting that looks like the Rocky Mountains. A minimal and ethereal atmosphere that reflects the band's "cool" soul.

For its multifaceted client - model, actor, director, writer, musician and painter, car expert - OMA conceived an intimate retreat with a breathtaking view of the surrounding cityscape. The flat is a duplex with living spaces on the lower floor and work spaces on the upper floor, based on the principle of leaving the view of the outside as unobstructed as possible. OMA's engineering flair has indulged in a flexible design approach, allowing a wide range of uses to coexist: a music studio, a concert hall, a guest room and a garage/workshop. In short, a house/"laboratory" that best interprets the spirit of its owner.

Contrary to expectations, the home of Kim Kardashian and Kanye West is not an apotheosis of ostentation and excess in the name of the most unbridled and massive luxury: on the contrary, it is a work of almost monk-like elegance and sobriety, the result of the work of Belgian designer Axel Vervoordt, architect Claudio Silvestrin - who designed the main bathroom - Vincent Van Duysen - who helped furnish the living room and children's rooms - and Peter Wirzt - who designed the gardens. The immaculate white house is a triumph of composure and minimalism, skilfully blended with the surrounding nature.

Faced with a house like Drake's designed by Ferris Rafauli, it is easy to get a genuine "wow" out of it. The monumental building, with its classical and vaguely mausoleum-like forms, is an explosion of luxury and decoration, from the bronze details to the fluted marble walls, from the furniture - custom designed by Rafauli - to the lighting, curtains and carpets. Skilled craftsmanship and an evident taste for ostentation characterise the sumptuous interiors that house, in addition to the living quarters, music rooms, an indoor basketball court, huge indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a hammam and a massage centre. Because the demands of super-luxurious living are never-ending.