“Who better than the farmer and the farmer's family to know how most effectively and easily to find efficiency?” says architect Alan Barlis. Regional architecture inspired the barn-life structure of the house, an open volume that aides in efficient heating and cooling of the space.

The Tilt Pendant Light from Nyta delivers open, soft lighting in an interior. Featuring intuitive handling, the Tilt Pendant can be turned and swiveled to redirect lighting as needed. The Tilt Pendant Light is currently marked down to 20% off at the Dwell Store until October 31, 2015.

The Nest Caddy is a versatile storage solution that can be used in several ways. The wood caddy can be used to store pens, pencils, jewelry, or even makeup. The caddy’s lid can be used to conceal contents, or can be flipped over to hold additional items, or can be used as a tray. The metal holder can be used as its primary function—to transport the caddy—and can also be used to hold a tablet or display an art print. The versatile Nest can be used in a home office, as storage on a bedroom dresser, or even in a kitchen.

With its simple profile, the Cup Lamp is an unexpected multitasker. In addition to its primary function as a dimmable LED lamp, the aptly named lamp includes a storage cup at the base of the lamp. Designed to hold pens and pencils or other small knickknacks, the Cup Lamp is ideal for a desk or bedside table.

From On Our Table, the BlockBowl is an innovative walnut accessory that is both a cutting block and serving bowl.

Outside, the back of the fireplace functions as a minimalist sculpture.

A streamlined multi-tasker, the D’E-Light Task Lamp is defined by its strong horizontal lines and an LED panel that gives off consistent light. The lamp features a charging dock for an iPhone, too.

Simple black tiles and a basic, exposed showerhead kept costs down, allowing other parts of the house to function as the showpieces.

The design of the Mushroom family of stools was function driven: They can be seats or tables.

Functioning as a stool, coffee table, and magazine rack, the Pumpkin is a multifunctional design.

A Dwell Store exclusive from J. L. Lawson & Co., this key shackle and bottle opener is defined by its anchor shackle inspiration, geometric silhouette, and triangle pin that keeps the key shackle closed. The simple and refined piece is precisely cut within thousandths of an inch, requiring tremendous attention to detail and skill. This bottle opener is a multi-tasker that is created to inspire new traditions and to be passed down from generation to generation.

An Airborne Snotty vase, reflecting his determination to make even bodily functions beautiful.

Yoly and Mandi in the living room full of Tag Front–designed furniture. “The loft also functions as our showroom,” Mandi says, “which works well for me.”

Until Hindman and Carr moved in, the space had never been a home. Carr cooks every day, so the compact kitchen was a natural starting point for the renovation. It features an industrial curving steel counter, which also functions as a breakfast bar. The Scrap stools are by contemporary Dutch designer Piet Hein Eek.

The view from the kitchen to the newly opened terrace is one of Serboli's favorite parts of the home. “I love being in the kitchen, looking at the living room with the big window totally open. I think it's a privileged position because you can cook or eat (I love both) looking towards a space with unclear and undefined limits.”

Prerak and Krina wanted to be able to open the room to guests when hosting parties, so the window installation functions as both storage and additional seating.

The kitchen has incorporated Congdon's collections and Walsh's minimalism to achieving a bright balance between form and function.

The screened porch functions as the building’s primary bedroom, creating a cabin-like experience.

Top 9 Kitchens of 2020: The nominees for this year’s Dwell Design Awards are the epitome of style and function.

The spacious open floor plan maintains a utilitarian sense of function. The floors are made from colored concrete.

DW0107_NZWELLING-01

Before: The homeowners found it difficult to organize furniture groupings in the large, undefined space.

It's easy to keep the two functions of the NewYorker clear: the desk pulls down (here) and the bar opens out.

These bright blocks and non-functioning ladders came from artist Ben Jones shown by Johnson Trading Gallery.

Here's a proper view of the back of the house that reveals the height of the space and how the courtyard really does function as an outdoor room.

Rather than opting for the schematic, open-plan design of the renovated Queensland worker's cottage, the formalized living, sitting, and dining areas are compartmentalized; each room is dedicated to their function.

Elam unveiled its new Opera Kitchen System, which is all about form and function. The modular system is completely customizable, leaving it to the individual to determine and design its function. (The materials, from laminates, lacquered colors, glass and marble are all for the choosing). A stylish groove runs through the system, adding a bold design element based on its geometry.

A long, narrow rectangle functions as a kitchen, dining, working, and general gathering area. Skylights set at a 90-degree angle to the workstation boost the dynamism in the room and cast a bright glow over the unit's walnut-and-steel seam.

Above the front patio, the de-signers created a trellis of Ipe, a Brazilian hardwood. This transformed the very important function of keeping the Texas sun at bay into one of the most striking elements of the house. The sun break wraps up and then over the second story with an artist’s flair. “It does more than just shade the windows,” says Bercy.

jalis

The library contains an extended windowsill that functions as a small desk. The two bedroom doors are visually integrated into the library. Photo by Laura Stamer.

The original owners of the 1969 glass house had converted an existing barn on site into an art studio. The new homeowners wanted to update it to function as a guest house and at-home work studio.

The home's exposed concrete skeleton, wrapped in oak, creates a warm, layered space for living. Oman split the floors by function, with common areas on the ground level, followed by the kids' rooms and then a third-floor suite for the parents.

“The house was designed in such a way that it could function as a house without an upper floor, because we were not 100 percent confident we would get planning consent to build above the existing boundary wall,” says Pile.

Set at the edge of Stoney Lake in Ontario, Canada, is a photographer's home, studio, and boat house designed by Toronto-based studio GH3. The glass box unites landscape and architecture while providing ideal spaces for photography, programmatic functions for living, and boat storage.

Entrance to the northwest. The building is sectioned vertically similar to magazine buildings in the surrounding area. Here they have been given a function as the downpipes of the building is hidden in the pillars. The movement through the house ends with an evening sun balcony that overlooks the entrance hall