The designs might be minimal but the color palette is friendly.

LEATHER MIRROR You can really add some drama to a room with the size of this distressed leather framed mirror lined with wood. 72" diameter.

For the Product Design Novice: These five classics will beef up your understanding of design considerably; learn the process behind global design, ordinary objects, and the work of the greats.

Detail of the kitchen counter.

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.

TOTO showcases its range of bathroom products designed with the environment in mind, such as its one gallon flush toilets.

@3hatch: "Cute product design and display! #dod2014 #dwellondesign #losangeles #design"

Oxo tools by Femme Den.

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

The store features designers such as Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, Margaux Keller, Constance Guisset, Ionna Vautrin, Pauline Deltour, Sam Baron, Vitra, Petite Friture, and Lexon.

Based in Swaziland, Quazi Design started as a jewelry maker in 2009, and now produces home accessories and furniture. Whether bowls, pendants, or pillows, all of the studio's designs are made out of paper.

"The danger is that e-commerce can turn good design into a commodity. You lose the value of how and why it was made. We maintain a history-based, philosophy-based online store. Every product we feature has a description written by us, not taken out of a catalog." — Nasir Kassamali

Cement Product Design presented a wealth of winsome products, including the Face Two Face series of plates, a two-sided cutting board/plate system that is laser-etched in Atami, a city located on one end of the Shizuoka Prefecture that is known for its regional proficiency in wood joinery techniques.

When Abbie and Bill Burton hired Marmol Radziner to design their prefab weekend home, their two requests were “simple-simple, replaceable materials,” says Abbie—such as concrete floors (poured offsite in Marmol Radziner's factory) and metal panel siding—and “the ability to be indoors or outdoors with ease.” Deep overhangs provide shade and protection from rain, so the Burtons can leave their doors open year-round and hang out on their 70-foot-long deck even in inclement weather. They visit the house once a month, usually for a week at a time, with Vinnie and Stella, their rescue Bernese Mountain dogs. Their two adult children occasionally join them. The couple hopes to one day retire here.

Takt Project's 3-Pring Product line.

OneLessOffice by Heckler Design. A space-saving office suite that stacks, expands, and hides clutter is made from commercial-grade steel in Phoenix, Arizona.

Mitt chair by Claudia & Harry Washington for Bernhardt Design, $2,100. Inspired by a baseball glove’s shape and stitching detail, the versatile upholstered lounge chair features soft, rounded edges—a boon for families with young children.

"New @sorenrose collection for @fermliving at #maisonetobjet."

Axor Shower Products by Front Design AB, produced by Hansgrohe SE.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Ferm Living is a Danish design company that designs quality (and luxurious!) baby and home products at a reasonable price.

These products for the bedroom, bathroom, laundry room, and hall closet will make improve your mind and body.

The festive finished product.

Oggetto is a home accessories brand founded by Helen and Charlie Camm.

The concrete wall mimics the slope of the hill outside as a reference to early Maori structures that were dug into the land. The simple kitchen has strandboard cabinetry and an MDF island that conceals a fireplace at one end. The ceramic works on the built-in seat at right are by Raewyn Atkinson and Robyn Lewis.

After living on and studying a woodsy acre of land in North Zealand, Denmark, architect Jesper Brask cleared a stand of pine trees and, from the timber, built a getaway open to its surroundings. The house, which Brask shares with his wife, Lene, and sons, Kristian, Jens, and Niels, is used mainly in summer, when the weather is optimal for throwing open the glass doors.

The store is completed with custom music by DJ Judith Grynszpan for visitors to listen to while shopping.

Mami and Goo the Kishu dog return from a frolic in the forest, which the couple, along with Hideaki, has thinned and trimmed back over many weekends. It’s an idyllic escape and a world away from the concrete expanse of Tokyo.

In Seattle's rapidly developing South Lake Union neighborhood, the Art Stable is a classic example of urban infill. Built on the site of a former horse stable, the seven-story mixed-use building carries its history into the future with highly adaptable live/work units.

Japanese showers are usually set low down so the bather can sit on a stool and scrub, then pour cedar buckets of hot water over their heads for a refreshing rinse. This homeowner in Venice, California mounted a handheld shower head on the wall for added flexibility. The drain is under the removable cedar floor slats, keeping the room design uncluttered. Wood tubs are cleaned with a simple rinse and last for decades, as the antiseptic properties of cedar guard against mold and rot. This ofuro was designed by Santiago Ortiz and fabricated by Bartok Design.

Choosing a kitchen or bathroom countertop can be nerve-wracking, and we understand why—they can be one of the most expensive aspects of a renovation, with the added responsibility of impacting the aesthetics of a space. Read on as we work our way through the pros and cons of seven of the most common countertop materials.

Tanya, Chris, Jackson, and Zeke spend much of their day outside.

Because the house is narrow and long (16 by 68 feet), the design team decided to create a huge open-air space to light the interior naturally. Two retractable motor-driven canvas canopies shelter the space during Singapore’s frequent rains.