Top 10 Houses on Dwell This Week January 30, 2014

A second bedroom was converted into a home office/dining room. A Dieter Rams 606 Universal Shelving System (below and opposite) lines the wall. The “Ziggy Diamond” wallpaper (behind the surreal Erle Loran painting) comes from Flavor Paper, a New Orleans firm that prints wall coverings to order, and the ingenious folding table is by Swedish designer Bruno Matthson.

Cognizant of concrete’s excessive greenhouse gas emissions, Gregory built with the future in mind: The modular structure of his home could just as easily accommodate the demands of a nursery, restaurant, or office, as suggested by the various seating and dining arrangements situated throughout the house, particularly in the dining and living area. The space is outfitted with an Eames chair and an unfinished wood shelving unit and dining table. The room opens to the yard and pool, enhancing the room’s circulation to the outdoors.

A wide cut across the top of the structure made room for a second-floor courtyard where the family can catch some sun but maintain their privacy. On the ground level, the front door is tucked into an ivy-covered alcove lined with ipe, a material used throughout the house. Photo by: Juliana Sohn

All of the plywood, concrete, and steel surfaces inside the house were left unfinished. “We like to use natural materials in their raw state and minimize the use of synthetic surfaces and drywall,” says Mihalyo.

Architect Lorcan O’Herlihy designed the Shermans’ Mill Valley, California, home on top of an existing foundation that was intended for an 8,600-square-foot McMansion, but left abandoned for ten years.

The open-plan living-kitchen-dining area is a repository of design icons, both classic and contemporary. There’s a Louis Poulsen pendant lamp over the Eero Saarinen dining table; Mirror Ball pendants by Tom Dixon over the kitchen counter; and Tab F1 floor lamps from Flos behind the Edward Wormley–designed Dunbar sofa. In the living room, chairs modeled on Jens Risom’s swivel design enable people to face either the sofa or to spin 180 degrees toward the kitchen.

Alex devised a system that takes advantage of ocean views while protecting the cottage from that same northeasterly orientation. The large windows and doors can be shuttered with corrugated aluminum panels.

At a renovated farmhouse in the Italian countryside, a crisp, modern white plaster fireplace and hearth infuse the interior with coziness and warmth. The firewood is stacked in a nearly-frameless niche next to the fireplace that is lined with metal, adding a bit of shine that contrasts with the rustic firewood and wood ceiling and beams above.

The living-dining area of their own residence is lined with doors and windows from Phoenix Glass for Columbia Aluminum Products.