Here's the weathered wooden dining table where the family gathers for meals and conversation.

Three’s Company Inspired by the minimal color scheme of a hotel they stayed at in Bali, Winterhalder and Ehlers decided to limit their palette to three colors: anthracite black, concrete gray, and a light larch wood. The first move was to paint the backyard wall gray. Next up for a coat of dark paint was the villa’s old-fashioned wooden staircase, which the couple didn’t like but didn’t have the budget to replace. The consistency works to unite the different styles found in the house. “Somehow,” says Winterhalder, “it all fits.”

Architect Tamira Sawatzky used Ikea components—one-inch Lagan butcher block countertops and inexpensive Ekby Lerberg brackets—when designing the bookshelves along the living room wall in the home/studio he designed for himself and his wife in Toronto.

The materials palette that I chose is light in color with a few splashes of color. This lightness holds the space open and gives it a contemporary feel.

“We didn’t go out and buy a living room collection,” Sofie explains. “In our home, we tried to avoid trends. The furniture we have are things we have collected over many, many years.” Vintage Eames for Herman Miller lounge chair; Isamu Nuguchi table; and Rocking elephant by Rocking Zoo.

Sofie and Frank built a box around an ordinary glass fiber shell bathtub, then covered it in a mosaic of shower tiles. Natural light from a large dormer window gives the tiles an almost iridescent glow. The toilet is Duravit.

“The kitchen is the room we use the most,” Sofie says. The dark gray walls and tonal accents make it cozy and cave-like, while natural illumination and light-toned accessories introduce airiness and circulation. Even in the colder months, the Egelunds spend most of their time there, and Sofie maintains that the stark darkness makes it a homey place to entertain guests and spend time with the family. “And,” she adds, “you can always go to the other floors if it gets too dark!” The kitchen island, shelves, glass, and ceramics are by Vipp.

A vaulted loft room complete with a typewriter and natural wood furnishings serves as the perfect hidden workspace. The chair is a vintage Cherner chair, the side table is Nanna Ditzel, and the wood lamp is a Muuto Wood model.

On the upper floors, bright white walls and plenty of natural light make the bedrooms and living rooms feel large and spacious. In the master bedroom, built-in cabinetry hides clutter. The art photography against the wall is by Anders Hviid, the bed is Hästens, the laundry basket is Vipp, and the lamp is Fontana Arte.

The kitchen is “the most exciting room [in the house],” in Sofie's mind. However, the minimal gray interior makes choosing furnishings and accessories extremely important. “You have to be very careful setting the scene, like in a theater.” The dining table and chairs are by Poul Kjaerholm and the light is Ingo Maurer's Zettel’z chandelier.

The iconic waste bin that gave Vipp its start is a mainstay in the Egelunds’ home, as are many of the company’s streamlined design solutions. The waste bins, shelves, glasses, and ceramics are by Vipp.

Even the children’s rooms, though peppered with colorful details, retain the stark white walls and minimal feel of the rest of the Egelunds’ home. The wooden bed is by Juno, the doll bed are by Flos Lampadina, and the shelves are Vipp.

Masters of color, Ingvild and Sidsel Forr Hemma mix many of their own colors by hand. When they blend the tints into the liquid porcelain, they tend to take on softer, milkier tones.

The whole exterior of the home, including the trim, is painted Wrought Iron by Benjamin Moore for a monochromic, quiet look.

Custom details like this corner bed with built-in shelving keep the younger generation’s spaces playful, but still sophisticated. With four children, utilizing space wisely became a top priority, and the family relies on custom shelving and built-ins to keep clutter at bay. The bed is custom with IKEA frames.

The Egelunds rely on the light fixtures and small ceramics to add contrast and texture.

If their everyday mantra sounds something like "reduce, reuse, recycle," these eco-conscious gifts won’t weigh on their conscience.

At the Brooklyn outpost of The Wing, the all-women co-working space, a meeting room is swathed in a mature color palette of monochromatic pinks with matching un-upholstered Beetle chairs. The walls are covered with wallpaper depicting the the face of women.

A bright yellow front door adds a bold pop of color to the minimal exterior palette.

White paint with just a hint of gray dominates the farmhouse, reflecting Kolasiński’s love of bright spaces. The pine wooden floors were also enameled in a white oil imported from Denmark.

This "local prefab" home on the Isle of Skye is made mostly from materials sourced in northern Scotland. The timber-framed model, meant to evoke the simple agrarian barns of the area, can be constructed on-site in as little as a day and is designed for affordability.

The bright orange frame of this glazed door adds a sense of modern exuberance to the deck off of Francesco Moncada and Mafalda Rangel’s bedroom. The sunny, open space reveals both a Loop chair by Willy Guhl and the tile rooftops of Syracuse, where the water is never far off.

CVZ Playing Cards, $12 at the Dwell Store These playing cards will reimagine the way kids of all ages play cards. The cards include distinctive, graphic renderings of suits and face cards and a bright backing.

When the sliding doors are left open, the rooms enter into a playful dialogue with each other, with the dark exterior walls framing the more colorful bedroom within.

In the kitchen, Walker continued an earthy color scheme. The range and wall oven are by BlueStar, the hood is from Zephyr, and the island is Caesarstone.

An upstairs bedroom is at once bright and cozy.

The color of the Fishers’ front door was inspired by an old Land Rover Defender’s hue, which Charlie had Benjamin Moore custom-match.

The 4,500-square-foot, six-bedroom, two-story home has multiple living areas rendered in a neutral color palette and punched up with bright color.

The couple snapped up a 2,600-square-foot late-18th-century flat, which they’ve since filled with vintage finds and Hayon’s own designs and prototypes.

Yolo Colorhouse / Paints Poster-sized sample swatches, a host of attractive colors, and nontoxic paints let pint-sized paint company Yolo Colorhouse handily compete with their mega-sized corporate competitors.

The owners of this home decided to limit their color palate to wood tones, black, and gray. The LC4 fits right in.

Black and white kitchen cabinets painted with a triangular pattern add a whimsical touch to this funky kitchen.

Xystum Color Block vase by CB2. Postmodernism appropriates classical cues in a Pop-y, contemporary manner. Therefore, this vase’s name, a Greek architectural term loosely translated as “portico,” is apropos.

@cozystylishchic: "Love the bright pop of red on this shower handle from #franzwiegener #dod2014 #dwellondesign"

For the style-conscious city dweller who values utility above all else, the DraMaten New York Shopping Trolley from Urbanista features a sleek, foldable frame, water-resistant exterior, and generous pockets that are large enough to carry groceries, laundry, or just about anything else a New Yorker—or other urban inhabitant—might need.

The skylight in the kitchen keeps things quite bright.