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While most homes have their front doors centered on a flat wall, this home in Canada by Omer Arbel is entered through two solid walnut doors at the corner of the home.

Impromptu reading time in the open-plan kitchen is encouraged.

Framed family photos hang, clustered and skylit, in the corridor.

Arbel’s projects—both products and architectural commissions—follow a chronological numbering system. The house itself is his 23rd design, while the one-of-a-kind glass pendants that accent nearly every room like a starscape are called “28.”

“The house is a piece of origami made out of triangular shapes, which we then draped over the landscape,” says Arbel.

Omer Arbel, the creative director at industrial design firm Bocci, was given three parameters when he began designing a home for his colleague Randy Bishop: Create a “profound” connection between the internal and external spaces; build only one level; and, most crucially, utilize a wealth of 100-year-old beams salvaged from a series of warehouses owned by Bishop’s ancestors.

Orpilla and Alexander’s first furniture purchase, a Christopher Deam credenza, now inspires a much larger collection of furniture.

The hallway leading to the master bedroom is lined with an assortment of framed photos of family and friends and floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the verdant James River Valley.

The living room sports a panoply of wood: Douglas fir for the ceiling, hemlock for the walls, and stained oak for the floor. The sofa is the Neo model by Bensen and the rug is vintage.

The dining table is the Hex Table for Six by Wyrmwood, and doubles as a gaming table. It's placed with Cesca Fully Upholstered Chairs by Knoll. Roth added eleven E27 Pendants by Muuto overhead, which the brothers like for their game play: "You can actually read and see the cards,

In the kitchen, Unfold Pendants by Muuto hang above the Silestone countertops and Svelti Counter Stools by Article.

The wallpaper is Pixel by Drop it Modern, paired with the Radar Sconce by Schoolhouse. A Concretti sink sits on a custom plywood and laminate counter, affixed to a Lowdown locker from Mustard Made.

Nick created a built-in display case downstairs, on the opposite side of the door from the bookcase. The scone next to it is by Emily Thurman.

The Mushroom lamp is also by Nick, and the painting is by Ben Day Todd.

The residents collaborated with the architects to achieve the sharp graphic sensibility they desired. Part way through the project, they realized the space would be more compelling in muted tones.

Shophouses are a staple of Southeast Asian urban architecture. A team of designers including Yong Ter, Teng Wui, Andrew Lee, and Edwin Foo renovated this shophouse into a contemporary sanctuary over the course of two years. They left the roof completely open from the beginning of the original airshaft to the back of the house. The heart is a cooking/dining area with a 13-foot-long Indonesian table made from a single piece of teak.

The architect placed the windows at Sabrina’s eye level so that she’d be able to see her son, Rocco, playing in the yard outside. "You can feel the seasons changing here," says Chiavelli. "I grew up three miles from here, outside in nature. This is a house for experiencing life."

Despite their dark color palette, black and white kitchens can still feel bright. This tiny kitchen perfects the art of chiaroscuro with white shiplapped walls, custom-built open shelves and dark concrete floors. The owners selected sleek faucet fixtures by Santec and a sink by Blanco to complement the white laminate countertops. The stainless steel appliances include a Bertazzoni oven, Fisher & Payel refrigerator, and Thermador dishwasher.

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.