Office

The Lighthouse office is clad in fiberglass with Awlgrip Topcoat.

Teak Desk by George Nelson for Herman Miller

Atelier Riri devised a creative way to make living inside a shipping container in Indonesia’s tropical climate both comfortable and economical. The architects layered recycled pine, glass wool, and planter mesh on top of the home to help keep temperatures down.

Located on New Zealand’s North Island along the Coromandel Peninsula, this timber-clad shipping container house by Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects captures the simplicity of living with nature. An open-plan layout extends the interior toward the surrounding landscape and ocean, while a built-in mechanism reveals a drop-down deck on one side of the unique holiday home.

Large, sliding glass doors connect the interior living spaces to the garden, while drawing in plentiful daylight.

For Bret and Dani Stone’s house in Santa Barbara, California, Barber Builders erected a concrete-and-steel ground level capable of supporting a second story made mostly of shipping containers. While the project as a whole took 19 months, the containers were craned into place in a single day in 2016.

Here are eight ways to turn your space into a warm, welcoming oasis that helps you get your work done while reflecting your personal style.