Lightroom 1.0, a photography studio, is a freestanding structure on the property. “Together, they represent an autobiography of my career,” Carpenter says.

Fashion designer Josie and her husband Ken Natori are big fans of traditional Japanese architecture, so when Brooklyn-based practice Tsao & McKown Architects designed their home in Pound Ridge, New York, they used a heavy, exposed-timber structure, and included Japanese-style gardens and landscaping.

The owners of this 2,300-square-foot converted loft in SoHo have a penchant for color and collections. To make way for these elements, BC-OA kept new materials simple and desaturated with super white walls; oil-finished, white oak flooring; and white lacquered cabinetry. In the dining area, a custom designed, built-in, tufted banquette adds soft juxtaposition against the live edge dining table. The velvet upholstery is meant to provide contrast against the exposed, white-washed original brick in both texture and era. Overhead a brass chandelier with exposed Edison bulbs references the former Swan Incandescent Electric Light Co. which occupied the loft after construction was completed in 1897.

A look at the home's front facade. In a Melbourne suburb, Splinter Society Architecture designed the versatile home for Mark and Cara Harbottle and their three young children.

Inspired by modern Japanese minimalism, Hong Kong practice JAAK demolished the walls of this two-bedroom apartment and remodelled it into a studio with an

The living area boasts nearly 10-foot-high ceilings that impart a feeling of airiness and spaciousness. Discreet, built-in storage in the floor at the top of the steps prevents clutter from accumulating.

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"In this project, we got so much benefit out of this 'secret garden' for the master suite along with all of these environmental benefits that the residents were excited to embrace. It's one of the pieces we are happiest about," says architect Jonathan Feldman.

Living in between the woods

Love the tile, and great solution for a small space - put the tub in the shower !

Livning room through slide away glass doors to patio. Indoor/Outdoor living at its best.

Front entry with peekaboo door and walnut slat screen.

This living/bedroom space showcases neutral tones and shades of white to contrast the continued use of natural, treated wood surfaces.

Newly relined pool, and original cement lined patio with Schultz Patio pieces

al Fresco dining 60's style

In their concrete-walled courtyard, Yuka and Aaron watch as twins Emerson and Jasper, daughters Maude and Mirene, and Alfie the dog play. The house is painted in Black Bean Soup by Benjamin Moore, a color in keeping with the period of the original architecture. The garden was designed by Lauren Hall-Behrens of Lilyvilla Gardens.

Day takes a swim in a new lap pool framed by a lush Southern California garden. The lower wall next to the pool is made from stacked Pennsylvania bluestone, which was used for all exterior stone as well.

Niko Architect and landscape firm Ecopochva designed a Moscow home that doesn’t play by the rectilinear rules of conventional architecture. Vegetation blankets the home’s concrete form, and its walls sweep upward and outward to become roofs. Molded floor-to-ceiling windows curve to grant panoramic views of the backyard and swimming pool.

Homeowner Simon Doonan stands next to the front door. "We have flamboyance, and we’re not inhibited about anything. [Architect] Gray Organschi gave [the house] that intellectual rigor needed to make it beautiful. We were well matched."

V60by Volvo In showrooms early 2014, the new V60 sports wagon features fold-down seats for versatility. Like all of Volvo’s fleet, the V60 includes the company’s low-speed collision-avoidance technology, called City Safety. It works at speeds up to 31 mph, automatically braking the car to prevent collisions. Responding to increasing traffic congestion and the fact that most accidents occur at low speeds, the systems in 2014 models will now include cyclist detection. volvocars.com

Karen White, David MacNaughtan, and their sons, Griffin and Finlay, hang out on the front deck, which lines up next to the neighbors' porch.

The bathroom features an Astra Walker A69.10.V2.A shower arm.

The goal for the first floor was to embrace the shade provided by the mature trees, create a rich material moment, and incorporate all of the storage that the family would need.

Thanks to a robust solar panel array, the house is net-zero, with enough energy to charge the couple's electric car as well.

The SSB is made of four pieces that slot together to create the central V design and comes in two types of wood or steel. It can hold an open cookbook in the kitchen, display favorite titles in the living room, and it also works well for kids.

The materials, Japanese-style burnt wood, Canadian dark wood, and concrete, accentuate simplicity while simultaneously adding depth.

“We wanted to make each internal element of the Hytte feel considered and intentional,” explains Little. “Small spaces demand a high level of design consideration to ensure that we maximize every piece of space. We have been deliberate in designing the furniture to be crafted into the fabric of the cabin. Our bed, kitchen, storage and seating has all been imagined as an extension to the structure of the cabin.”

Love the walnut wrapped bookshelves, and the original tile on the fireplace. That smoked glass vintage dining table and Eames chairs help finish the Mad Man look.

Set in the pine forests and beaches of Lubiatowo, these tiny cottages are an idyllic getaway.

This Southern Californian home by architect Sebastian Mariscal has a wabi-sabi spirit, and is built with shou sugi ban timber, has a koi pond, wand a protective overhang, and a tertiary space known in in traditional Japanese homes as the