Architect: YAMAMAR Design, Location: San Francisco, California

Tasked with creating a multi-use guest pavilion on a relatively small Northern California vineyard lot that could also host sit down dinners for up to 60 people, designers at Anderson Architects started by asking the key questions: “Where should it be within the property?” “How much floor area do we need for a 60 person dinner?” “How much volume do we need for a basketball court?” “We also always tell ourselves to look at the landscape first, let it dominate and lead it through. The building took the form of a large Napa Valley barn.

The final stop on the tour will take us to the magnificent Jewel Box, a modern tropical residence also designed by Architects Magnus in San Diego’s Pacific Beach community. The homeowners’ main wish was for the house to become their personal paradise. The Magnus duo made their dream come true by creating a handcrafted mahogany screen façade that provides privacy without blocking the views of the bay and foothills. Additionally, a two-story lanai creates a covered area for outdoor living.

The house is made up of low-maintenance elements and materials including exposed plaster, a metal roof, and marine-grade metal columns. In this image, you can see the open area underneath the lanai and how the wood screen ensures the residents have privacy without sacrificing their views.

Cabin at Longbranch | Olson Kundig

Noise-canceling headphones work by producing sound waves that are 180 degrees out of phase with ambient sound waves, like those coming from airplane engines or air conditioners. Basically, the sounds meet and cancel each other out to produce silence, so only the music can be heard.

The newest version is the QuietComfort 25. They’re a mix of the brand's classic aesthetic and new technology. Hardware updates to the preceding QC 15 including noise regulation that Bose says reduces the “hiss” sometimes associated with noise-canceling headphones.

With a minimal and understated look, this floating staircase and landing design evokes a less-is-more philosophy and architectural style. Architect Carlo Gaspari converted a former knife-making workshop in Abruzzo, Italy, into a sophisticated residential property. The design pays homage to the home’s name—Casa del Ferro (the Iron House)—by using iron within the interior design, such as the staircase.

The surrounding green landscape transitions into the interiors

The legend behind the headphones' creation is that founder Amar Bose was dissatisfied with the airline-issue headphones provided on a flight he took in 1978. However apocryphal, he is said to have written down calculations before landing, and those plans led to the first noise-canceling headphones that came out years later.

The Bose QC 25s are “over-ear” headphones, which mean they entirely surround the ear with padding to block out as much noise as possible. Some people find them cumbersome when worn for extended periods, but the padding on the top band keeps them from feeling heavy.

The interior of 25 Lusk, designed by Cass Calder Smith.

“As much as it’s practical, it’s also a very good-looking thing: a sculpture piece. I call it the jewel on the side,” says Noguera of the unique skylight here.

A jewel-toned pile of piastre di oro da spelare.

It’s been over 20 years since Bose invented noise-cancelling headphones, and in that time they’ve updated their lineup’s aesthetics and hardware, including adding an in-ear model. Despite imitation by dozens of other manufacturers, usually for cheaper, Bose’s headphones remain the best at blocking out white noise like airplane engines or air conditioners, so you can enjoy music or a movie.

This 2'5" by 3'3" rug is an improvised interpretation of crazy quilt designs.

Hand towels in Graphite, Terra Cotta, Ivory, French Blue, & Ochre

The only downside to the Bose lineup is that in a realm of extraordinary machines, the Bose’s sound isn’t as magnificent as that produced by other models like the PSB M4U 2, or the wireless Parrot Zik. Cheaper models like those from Audio-Technica can be over $100 cheaper than the Bose, but none of them come close to the original brand’s ability to filter out unwanted noise.

Segments [installation of 25 pieces], oil and enamel on pine, by Frederick Lynch

Managing 25 bundles of rope per bay. Photo by Clifford Ho.

At night, the home glows like a glass jewel box.

“At night, this annex glows like a jewel box,” note the architects.

Primo shelving system.

The living room exudes a bit of glam with jewel tones and gilded details.

There are eight shirts in all, and at $25 are certainly a bargain. Here are three by McGee, Snows and Johanson.

Looking like a jewel box at dusk, Scott Stafne’s Canti-lever House rests easy in the middle of the Washington woods. With miles of hiking trails, lakes, and waterfalls to explore, Stafne’s property provides almost unlimited opportunity for outdoor adventures. The strong and sturdy house acts as a warm respite from the elements when the weather won’t cooperate, which is often—horizontal rain and whipping winds can be the norm.

A 25-foot custom bifold door made of corrugated plastic and twin-wall polycarbonate encloses an artist’s studio designed by Marc Frohn of FAR frohn&rojas.

Designed by Stockholm firm Waldemarson Berglund Arkitekter, this prefab artist studio called Ateljé 25 is shaped like a Monopoly house, serves as an artist’s studio and has simple plywood interiors and massive skylights.

"The central court acts as a glass ‘jewel’ at the heart of the house," say the architects, who styled it in the likeness of a Japanese garden.

Rustic, Scandinavian-style The Hut, in Ohio, is a true family affair; the sustainable cabin, covered in cedar shingles, was built by architect Greg Dutton and his brother and father. Inside, views are amplified through a 25-foot wall of floor-to-ceiling windows.

Another view of the living room. Glimmering metal finishes, polished stone, and jewel-colored furnishings contrast with the heft of the granite blocks that anchor the house.

The crown jewel is Lolo’s collection of more than half a dozen classic cars, not related to farming.