The sea has captivated humans for centuries. Water, after all, has long been a muse for poets, painters, and, as these beautiful oceanfront homes prove, architects too. The best designers often strive to honor the water—they’ll ensure incredible views from as many rooms as possible, use natural materials so the home is in conversation with the landscape, or designate plenty of space for outdoor living. Of course, buyers are often just as eager for these properties as architects are to design them—in fact, a waterfront view carries a premium in almost every markets.
While it’s impossible to definitively rank every beachfront home, we’ve surveyed nine that do this exceptionally well. In California, Frank Lloyd Wright’s only coastal home resembles the front of a ship, cutting through the wave with an incredible octagonal living room. And an Art Nouveau mansion in Istanbul on the banks of the Bosporus is so striking that we let the fact that it’s technically bordering a strait slide. Whether sitting on rocky shorelines or tucked away in sandy coves, find nine incredible oceanfront homes below.