The Naked House, Koh Samui, Thailand

After years spent shooting lavish private homes and jaw-dropping projects by the likes of Zaha Hadid and Norman Foster, photographer and architect Marc Gerritsen did the only sensible thing and created a pared-down retreat. ‘It’s naked. It’s honest. I haven’t dressed it up,’ says Gerritsen of his antidote to bling. Planted on a hillside among the lush greenery on the south-western fringe of Thailand’s Koh Samui, the property’s five storeys of polished concrete and warming terrazzo and deng woods run fluidly from the top floor master bedroom down through to an open-plan living space, terrace, pool, two further guestrooms, a steam room and yoga suite. The sleek lines continue through to the furniture – all designed by Gerritsen himself – which comprises a series of minimal pieces interspersed with the occasional bright red or green. Highlights include the zen-like Yoga Chair and the Lilly Light- a witty bedside lamp fashioned from aluminium and gauze.