Black

Bottle Grinder

“To do the color, I separate the sections from the whole,” Gardner says. “I ink the section in black, scan it into the computer, make a bitmap, then add color in Adobe Illustrator. Each part is a separate layer that I can move forward or backward. It makes it easy to change the colors.”

Linden specified a black stain from Cabot for the house’s exterior. The shade draws on Scandinavian and Japanese building traditions and helps the structure blend into the landscape. Native grasses populate the courtyard.

This spare and square limited edition rug by Sir Terry Frost for Christopher Farr is also new for 2013.

Carl Turner and Mary Martin pose on the porch of the Stealth Barn, a multipurpose structure that plays as a guest cottage, office space, and escape from whatever may be cooking at Ochre Barn.

Gray studied the craft of lacquer work under the Japanese master Seizo Sugawara. Although she drew directly from the technique, she incorporated distinctly modern elements into this 1928 screen’s design, decorating the sleek piece with geometric designs against a stark black background.

Channel is a minimal take on lighting, a line in space. Working back from the light source, high efficiency LEDs in a linear configuration, the lamp is named after the aluminum channel that houses the bulbs. An etched lens diffuses the light and a vertical wood dowel mounted to a circular metal base complete the simple geometric structure.

"The cedar siding is simply stained with a black semi-transparent oil stain [from Cabot], which allows the color of the wood to still emerge through,” architect Robert Hutchison says. “We love how the black color makes the building recede into the background, and how it in turn allows the trees on the site to emerge as the highlight.”

German designer Ernest Sohn created household products such as lazy Susan trays, candlesticks, and fruit bowls after emigrating to New York in 1936. The “Esquire” coffee pot set and casserole dishes from 1963 feature matte-black exteriors and shiny white interiors and lids. Photo by John Halpern.

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.

The owners’ goal was to transform the 19th-century building into a bold single-family residence. Historical architectural details were made modern with a striking black facade, while inside, a flexible living space that opens into an exterior garden enables a simplified lifestyle.

Both the Eclipse and Silhouette lamp models produce light with low-energy LED bulbs embedded in the lower half of the lampshade.

A cluster of black and white houses gives a view of the possible origami creations from the Archifold Architectural Origami Set.

This black-and-white cotton rug is a bold anchor for any room. Designer Suki Cheema was inspired by traditional Indonesia prints, which he’s re-worked to make a modern, graphic statement. Hand-woven in India. Price: $680.

Atherton made the bathtub and sinks by hand, out of marine-grade plywood held together with aluminum spline joints and dyed with Behlen Solar Lux in jet black. To make them waterproof, he coated every surface in a thick layer of West System marine epoxy, popular with builders of wooden boats. The components are inexpensive, but the process is time consuming: Each piece took five days to make.

The bathroom includes a stainless steel-and-aluminum Vipp bath module with integrated sink, faucet, and Corian countertop; Vipp spot lamp; glass-walled shower with a complete set of Vipp bathroom accessories; towels; and a Duravit toilet.

The cafeteria in the Research building was outfitted with furniture of Saarinen's design. Though the center was completed over 50 years ago, it remains symbolic of what the company strives to stand for today. "Since the opening of the General Motors Technical Center in 1956, this campus is still, and again, the place where the future products of this company are being invented," Skarsgard says. "And just as we are continually influenced and inspired by the undeniable legacy of General Motors in the history of American design, this campus and everything it symbolizes, lays a fertile ground for future innovation and discovery."