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Cornuelle, who’s from Hawaii, chose both older and contemporary Hawaiian art for the walls.

Black leather West Elm sofas anchor the room atop a gridded Annie Selke rug.

Architects Ernesto Cragnolino and Krista Whitson designed and built an efficient four-bedroom home for their family in Austin.

A Carrara marble backsplash adds cool contrast and a sense of drama when set against the custom oiled-steel black cabinetry in the renovation of the kitchen in this A. Quincy Jones home in Los Angeles.

In Chile's Chiloé Archipelago, architect Guillermo Acuña developed a 12-acre island for his friends and family to unwind, first with a boathouse, later with pathway-connected cabins at the water's edge. Design details include glazed walls, eco-friendly pine, and a bright red palette that calls to mind the intensely colored chilco flowers that bloom here come spring and summer.

Since the renovation, the full-length window at the back of the kitchen is populated by dense greenery, offering even more privacy to the homeowners.

"In response to the brief and the tapered shape of the site, we started off with two pavilions that ran parallel to the northern and southern boundaries. This approach resulted in an overlap of both structures. The intersecting part of the north wing was sliced off and made space for the central entrance and foyer. This naturally developed roof form is a contextual response to the outstanding alpine landscape" Daniel says.

"Some see in the cutouts the portrait of a pirate; some, the profile of a whale," Garziano says of the residence's silhouette. "It is interesting to hear different interpretations, but they all belong to the same maritime sphere."

“Instead of confining the house’s different uses into separated rooms, they have been connected with each other, aiming at producing the general feeling of spatial expansion,” said the firm.

Luciano Kruk perforates a concrete volume with glass walls to fashion a simple yet elegant vacation home in the province of Buenos Aires. On a quiet lot populated with aged pinewood, Luciano Kruk designed a modest vacation home for three sisters and their families. The 807-square-foot, two-level home is ensconced in its forest setting. The firm employed board-formed concrete inside and out to connect the building with its environment. "Pine planks were used to set the formwork so that the partitions, as well as the slabs, would preserve the texture of the wood veins in an attempt to establish a harmonious dialogue with the bark of the local trees," said the firm.

Cero offers an offset vanity and a circular bowl.

"The hut is a series of simple design moves," says the firm. "The form is reminiscent of a surf lifesaving or observation tower."

Guillermo used fast-growing, sustainable radiata pine for the cabins, both of which feature a living/dining area and kitchen on the upper level and three bedrooms on the ground floor.

The upper floor of one of the cabins features a wood-burning stove, beanbag chairs, and a hanging paper lantern.