Dezeen promotion: holidaymakers can rent architect-designed buildings around the world through rental site BoutiqueHomes, including a stone-walled Mexican house and a hilltop house in Portugal with a missing corner.

The BoutiqueHomes website lists over 1,200 homes and hotels around the world, each hand-picked for their unusual and interesting design.

The site was launched by founders Heinz Legler and Veronique Lievre in 2010, shortly after they opened their own hotel in Mexico. Having spoken to many travellers, the duo pinpointed a need for design-led holiday homes at an affordable price.

"Often, when you look for a well-designed rental home, you get to sites offering 'luxurious escapes' that are way too expensive for most people," said Lievre. “So we thought, enough, let's do a site for people who want affordable design."

The Chic and Cheap section of the site lists cabins, farmhouses, apartments and hotels for under $200 a night, while contemporary and historic houses by well-known architects are categorised in the Architectural Gems section.

Properties include a hilltop house in Portugal designed by Manuel Aires Mateus with a cross-shaped plan and a missing corner, as well as a stone-walled mountain home by EDAA, which sits at the foot of Tepozteco mountain in Mexico.

Holidaymakers can also rent a house in Wisconsin designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1938 from $295 per night. A John Lautner-designed hotel and a Rudolph Schindler-designed penthouse, both in California, are among the other historical properties.

Users can sort through the properties using categories such as Cabins, Beach Houses and Pet-Friendly. BoutiqueHomes has also branched into event venues and house sales more recently.

Legler and Lievre say that the landscape has changed considerably since the business was founded, with more and more people renting out their own homes. The duo say they are busier than ever and are inviting increasing numbers of property owners to join the site.

"The sharing economy coupled with the expansion of the internet, is why the vacation rental business has had such a boost over the last few years," said Legler and Lievre. "This has created a new breed of entrepreneurs – micro-hoteliers."

Find out more about the properties to rent via BoutiqueHomes.