"Beauty," Olafur Eliasson, 1993. In this work, a spotlight shines through a layer of mist to create a rainbow that's only visible from certain angles.

In this glass-enclosed master bedroom, a LC4 armchair faces the master bed. The moveable frame adjusts along the base, allowing the sitter to switch from upright to full recline, or lounge at a number of other sitting angles.

Holding Pattern, a Tumblr devoted to aerial shots of airports, showcases their industrial beauty.

The refrigerator is by Jenn-Air, and the oven cooktop and dishwasher are by Thermador.

According to this Forbes article, Loewy told an Air Force general that the President’s plane had a terrible paint job, and an overhauled jet could become a symbol of the office. After collaborating with Kennedy, Loewy concocted a new, elegant color scheme that remains in use.

The master suite’s bathroom unfolds from a glass-walled bathing room, outfitted with a Signature Hardware tub and Lefroy Brooks fixtures, to an open-air shower.

In the living room, the architects painted the limestone fireplace a dark shade of blue-green. The walnut coffee table is by Noguchi for Herman Miller. The Barcelona chair is by Mies van der Rohe.

Deceptively straightforward, Morrison’s Air Chair, a playful, mass-produced design classic in air moulded polypropylene and glass fibre, has incredible range for such a seemingly simple piece.

A quartet of Jasper Morrison Air Chairs for Magis provide outdoor seating.

1993, Pierluigi Cerri.

Walnut panels and touches of bright red warm up the minimalist space, which the owners wanted to be “clean, eclectic, and modern.” The pendant is Big Bang by Foscarini.

The green roof, wood cladding, and low profile help to integrate the home with its lush, natural surroundings.

Multiple Hytte cabins can be clustered together to create a village layout.

A curving skylight illuminates the minimalist kitchen of a dwelling in Bondi Beach, Australia, that was renovated by Andrew Burges Architects.

The Lais designed their house to be theirs forever. As such, they were able to make design moves that made sense for themselves but that wouldn't have high resale value, like the Japanese-style master bathroom in the middle of the second floor instead of off of the master bedroom. The traditional setup features bath stools from Muji for washing off.

The built-in bench that borders the cantilevered bed features two storage drawers and a hatch that accesses an additional storage compartment.

The crisp white kitchen features appliances built into the cabinetry and marble countertops.

San Francisco’s modernists were faced with the issue of building within a firmly established stylistic tradition—think bay windows and gingerbread. Henry Hill’s 1947 renovation of a 1908 Victorian tucked away on an alley in historic Russian Hill provides a remarkable response to the dilemma.

The kitchen and convertible desk area of the Kugelschiff display a luminous, white-painted ceiling and walls, and white ash cabinetry and flooring.

For architect Stephen Chung, the design of his Wayland, Massachusetts, home was all about blending into the natural environment. The first floor is a serene composition of white and wood. The demand for a domestic office space inspired him to build up, adding a second floor for him to "experiment." In a departure from the Cape Cod aesthetic that rules his block, he was able to give the addition a modernist take, while also literally reflecting the existing landscape of the neighborhood. The entire 1,100-square-foot adjunct that encompasses his second story office-studio, master suite, and fort for his two young sons is swathed in mirrored siding and plate-glass windows.

The dwelling is raised on three marine-grade, aluminum-alloy flotation tubes, each with five sealed compartments for extra safety.

Mike Kurokawa and Paul Fishman set out for the beach from their house in the Puna region of Hawaii. A bridge leads from street level to the upper floor of the house, which is situated in a natural depression, or kipuka.

Homeowner Jay Longtin served as the general contractor and performed the majority of the remodel work, aside from the outdoor floors, concrete, and pool, which were done by Architectural Blue.

Kindest and gentlest: This year's Dwell on Design show floor saw not one but two air purifiers that excel in both form and function. Above, the Swedish company BlueAir; below, California's own Rabbit Air.

Bathroom

Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, and Pierre Jeanneret designed the LC4 Villa Church lounge for Cassina.

Marita is an avid reader, clocking about a book a day, so she built this bookcase for her family’s collection and painted it a bright plum shade.

BioGS 2.0 HEPA Air Purifier, $370–$400 at the Dwell Store Featuring a whisper-quiet technology and intelligent display, the BioGS 2.0 was designed to blend in with existing interiors and complement your home. The efficient air purifier is defined by its curvaceous body, which reflects its attention to minimalist design and exceptional functionality.

A photo of Verner Panton from 1993. © Panton Design, Basel

Alexandra Lange: In a few cases, I think the designer is right but not the piece: why Jasper Morrison's Monopod chair and not the much cheaper Air Chair [for Magis, actually from 1999], an excellent example of the supernormal idea?

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