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A splash of dark green paint in the sleeping nook introduces an old world drama to the space. The paint color is Billiard Green from Sherwin Williams. The crochet pendant is from World Market, and the brass bull was an eBay find. The couple's dog Waylon lounges in the pull-out dog bed drawer.

The concrete-and-steel home by Faulkner Architects gives one family a refined escape in the mountains of Northern California.

Built-in benches provide plenty of storage and reduce the need for free-floating furniture.

The shapely silhouettes of the Juice table from Miniforms and the 675 dining chairsfrom Case Furniture are complemented by the sculptural Hashira suspension lamps from Menu.

Perched on the third floor, the primary bedroom is spacious enough include a sitting area.

Side tables traditionally serve a function, but as far as I’m concerned, all that Draga & Aurel’s candy-colored drums need to do is sit pretty. Thick slabs of resin that look more like jello are layered atop a reflective metal surface, basically making them adult Barbie furniture in the best way.

Woods & Water studio/living

An Oslo apartment by architect Johan Tran features a Nordic and Japanese sensibilities. A Japanese-inspired sliding door made of birch plywood acts as a flexible room divider.

Architect Johan Sundberg looked to Japanese architects like Kengo Kuma for inspiration for the design of a holiday home in southern Sweden. "We call it the Katsura typology, but that's probably sacrilegious," he says. The eaves of the gently sloped hipped roof extend generously in all directions, turning the deck into a covered retreat that’s part veranda, part engawa, the Japanese version of a porch.

Steps from the main residence is an angular glass studio, which can easily be converted into a small guest unit. Set three hours from Tokyo, the home offers a serene city escape.

Thick arches added to transitional spaces become a focal point in their own right. “You don't add art to the wall as much,” says Mila. “The wall is the art.”

bathroom Neolith

The southwest-facing corner with the wood stove and the forest views is the spot in the home Emilie loves best. “It’s the spot where we do everything,” she says.

A lofted drawing studio features a sawtooth roof with expansive skylights that frame the branches of a jacaranda tree overhead.