"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.

1993, Pierluigi Cerri.

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

Vitra Fire Station, Weil am Rhein, Germany, 1993

Difference in knit style help to show a difference in material in the finished piece, like here where porcelain is knitted differently than metal.

In Miami, even the supermarkets have flair.

When Cathy and Craig bought the land, it was completely bare. With plenty of sun and rain, these palms have grown a lot in the last two years.

Daughters Uma and Maelle have the run of the house.

The Waterloo International Terminal, 1993, in London. Image courtesy Jo Reid/John Peck.

Kellogg spent five years working on the house, and the structure was completed in 1993.

The Object Design League likes to have a good time.

Let’s All Go and Have Breakfast by Teo Zirinis, from $16 for a 10 x 8 inch print.

Having a home office in an apartment of this size might seem impossible, but flexible furniture transforms one room into two.

Windows have been pushed out with deep concrete wells.

Developer Chris Sally has been known to have conversations with passersby from his “cigar-smoking balcony.”

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Builders, developers, designers, and architects have developed a range of homes that are composed of prefabricated, modular, or kit-of-parts pieces that can allow for lower costs, faster and easier on-site construction, and even higher quality spaces. Here, we delve into the differences—and similarities—among these manufactured residences.

The minimal aesthetic is seen in the galley-style kitchen, where the cabinets have no visible hinges or knobs. The stainless steel appliances are by KitchenAid.

Neither the owner, a self-declared "card-carrying-modernist," or his girlfriend, Stephanie Kiriakopolos, miss having a big bulky refrigerator.

When Rob and Mary Lubera started pulling threads to uncover the origins of their new home—the lone midcentury house amid rows of Tudor Revivals in suburban Detroit—not even architecture scholars could have anticipated what they would find. Theirs is the last surviving residence by Alexander Girard (1907–1993), a modernist visionary who made his name in textiles but tried his hand at virtually everything, architecture included. The shoji-like laminate screens, seen in the entryway, are characteristic of his Japanese-influenced work.

Dylan, 10, and Zoe, 13, have a lazy float down the creek, Huck Finn–style, in a steel horse-watering tank.

Even airplane hangars have a height limit. Photo by Sally McGrane.

We check off the pieces that we have fabricated on the master drawing.

I have a bit of a fetish for concrete inlays. This is our project logo.

Bobbie Callahan and Ed Hayes have summered on North Haven for years; Callahan bought a house there in the late 1970s and has been back every year.

"Custom cabinetry really made all the difference in this project," says Cheng.

Rineke Dijkstra, Long Island, N. Y., USA, July 1, 1993, 1993; chromogenic print; 66 1/8 in. x 55 11/16 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra

In the bedroom, a hanging mobile by Oras over the headboard makes a big difference.

New trees have been planted along the orchard grid to provide privacy.

Surrounded by native grasses, the outdoor entertaining area is lowered to give spatial difference.

Simple walls, geometric flooring, and a handful of modern pieces make all the difference.

Lucky Diaz spent three and a half months on this project, working all hours to get it done. “It was worth it,” he says. “To have Ella grow up in an original space is a gift that is beyond measure.”

Dollahite kept most rooms spare, allowing each piece of furniture and art to have a presence. In the dining room, the table is its own centerpiece.

The concrete footings have cured and now preparations will begin for the concrete slab pour.

Windows stretch from the counter to the ceiling to maximize the view. The difference in ceiling height gives the kitchen a cozier feel.

In this image, the table's legs have been removed and placed on their respective hanging hooks.