A black side table rests outside the bedroom hallway.

For the Minster Adib Pacha (shown), walnut, glass, and enamel were used to create contrast. "My dad goes over the sketches for the furniture design, and sometimes he laughs. He sits on the mockup chairs and says the armrest needs to be one-fourth inch shorter or tilt the back another degree. He’s always right. He’s also the tie-breaker if Grace and I can’t agree on a specific design,” Sevak says.

A detail shot of the Adib Pacha highlights the easily accessible, glass-topped drawer.

A nine-foot solid walnut dining table (shown) was made for a couple that fell in love with Grace’s desk. The table was designed specifically to their preferences and plate sizes. Sevak painted the legs white to visually separate the table from the hardwood floors in the house.

The Pixo Desk Lamp is a consistent Dwell Store best seller. Designed by Pablo and Fernando Pardo with sustainability in mind, the lamp was created with a small footprint and a compact, energy-saving LED light. The ultra-efficient lamp features a swiveling light shade that makes it easy to focus and redirect light as needed. The Pixo Desk Lamp is currently on sale for 15% off at the Dwell Store until 10/23/2014.

The main rooms include an art nook.

The tiered side table was designed by Jasper Morrison.

Plastolux Cube Side Table by Eastvold Furniture $985 Built in Minnesota from walnut or white oak, Eastvold’s versatile design is at home next to a bed or sofa.

On an island 20 miles off the coast of Maine, a writer, with the help of his daughter, built not only a room, but an entire green getaway of his own.

The Desert House located in Desert Hot Springs is a steel structure designed with large expansive windows, and concrete flooring.

Design runs in Grace and Sevak Karabachian’s, of Karabachian Design Office, family. Their father was a furniture designer and builder in Beirut, Lebanon, and their mother designed and tailored her own clothes. Sevak went on to study architecture at Harvard, while Grace pursued a career graphic design. “Initially we were very hesitant about working together. We both were starting our careers and I was getting ready for grad school. We had zero clients. The only thing we could do was build and create art for ourselves and share it with one another. The good thing about working with my sister is that she wont spare my feelings. If she didn’t like something she’d say ‘that’s the ugliest thing I’ve seen so far,’” Sevak says.

A custom table surrounded by NET’s Museo chairs and poplar stools provides a space for the Sarmiento Tovo boys, Manuel, 5, and Julián, 3, to play with the toys their mother makes.

The Botón side tables by Guatemala and Florida-based Labrica make a subtle nod to their namesake with tops resembling buttons.

Kangaroo by Henk Desmet and Paul VermeulenA smaller cousin of the Loose Fit table, the occasional table can move around the home with ease. Photo by Filip Dujardin

In 2013, they obtained a business license in Pasadena, California, although they both are keeping their day jobs and each takes responsibility for different clients. Pictured, a detailed shot of the Minister Rafik Hariri side table.

Side table by Karakter, Hall 15 Stand C32, at Rho.

Smart Marble Top C table by CB2, $129

The LV Series homes by Chilean-American designer Rocio Romero are simple, modern, and environmentally conscious. These homes are meant to connect their owners to the outdoors through steel load-bearing posts that create large openings for glass windows. Specific designs can be tailored to the location and lifestyle of the customers. Although flat-packed and easily shipped, the LV series requires a contractor for construction.

An eight-foot-high sliding glass door leads to the backyard's ipe deck, ideal for informal gatherings. The bench cushions are custom from Studio Collins Weir and the tables and chairs are from Design Within Reach.

Ryan Anderson of RAD Furniture designed the stools as well as the table and benches on the pool deck.

The project’s unique challenges—a tight budget and steep, difficult terrain—led architecture firm _naturehumaine to a creative solution that gave the house its delightfully sculptural appearance. Making the first floor’s envelope slightly narrower than the top one’s saved money while minimizing the amount of excavation required.

The dining room is a more formal setting where classic Series 7 Arne Jacobsen chairs mingle with a contemporary Essay table by Cecilie Manz for Fritz Hansen. The lighting overhead is the same John Pomp Studios pendant lights from the kitchen, here clustered for a more dramatic display.

James's bedroom furniture was custom designed by Hatch Workshop.

Adrian designed the Basic coffee table.

The lightweight MDF top of this side table from BoConcept can be lifted off its wire base to double as a tray—perfect for entertaining!

Of-the-moment designers Stine Gam and Enrico Fratesi have been raking in awards and collaborating with renowned companies like Christopher Farr, Gubi, and Ligne Roset. The duo created the three-legged Key table, which has a wood top ($199).

The family also built the nightstand, but we found a similar version: the solid walnut Darwinizm side table by IZM. There is a special slot for your reading material so the tabletop stays tidy. $1,150

Berry Street Side Table This entire collection features rich wood tones (this piece is mahogany), and is both versatile and affordable. It’s “attainable but still has a lot of class,” says Ponce de Leon.

The kitchen table.

H Furniture's Pie Chart System is a modular collection that forms countless coffee and side table configurations.

The courtyard acts like an outdoor living room, where the Arnolds’ daughter, Josie, plays freely, safe from nearby traffic. The family dines here most of the year at the custom-designed wood-and-steel table. The picnic table set reappropriates the century-old eucalyptus tree that once grew on the site.

The Side Box Side Table brings simple order to a living room, bedroom, or office. This distinctive side table is crafted in solid walnut or maple wood in California. Built to endure, the Side Box is a versatile solution for creating a table surface with storage. The visible joints give the simple table added visual interest.

In Vancouver’s Strathcona district, two side-by-side lots now hold seven residences—thanks to a thoughtful renovation of a pair Edwardian houses and the addition of a laneway, or alley, building by Shape Architecture. The team salvaged as much 120-year-old siding as they could for use on the street-facing facades.

“Timber” side table.

Pix Table by OCD Furniture “This exemplifies really simple design with endless function. It’s a simple, awesome design, with a steel base and a walnut or maple top.”

The innovative Plurimo extension table can be expanded in both width and length, making it the ideal addition for parties and holidays.