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taying in a barn that’s balancing on the edge of a hill may not seem like a particularly appealing proposition, but bear with us – we’ve a feeling you’re going to like it.

The imaginatively-titled ‘Balancing Barn’ is one of four unique homes designed by top international architects, which you can stay in for as little as £20 a night. They’re all part of the Living Architecture project – a non-profit body set up by philosopher Alain de Botton – which aims to give everyone the chance to stay in a cutting edge contemporary home. Sounds good to us.

Seen from outside, the silver-tiled Balancing Barn has one end ‘hanging’ over the edge of a grassy bank, which makes you a tad nervous about standing too long at the ‘dangling’ end at first.

It’s fine of course (as you’ll quickly realise) and with sweeping views of a Suffolk nature reserve, you’ll probably find it difficult not to look out of the windows anyway. The inside of the barn is pretty special, too – the walls, ceilings and floors all lined in pine and decked out withcontemporary artwork.

However, if you’d prefer to be right on the coast, why not check out The Shingle House instead? Perched on the beach at Dungeness in Kent, it’s finished in tarred black shingles (as the name suggests), with a minimalist interior that reflects the emptiness of the coastline outside. Take a peek through the floor-to-ceiling glass walls and you’ll see what we mean…