Whatever you like

A door leads out from the romantic courtyard, lush with plants. “Although we live in a big city, it doesn’t feel like it,” Kolasiński says. “The neighborhood and the nature are very relaxing and quiet.”

This four-level penthouse apartment in New York has some quieter moments (to contrast with the multistory reflective slide snaking throughout). Designed by architect David Hotson_Architect with interiors by Ghislaine Viñas, this top-floor bedroom is a minty moment of repose. Set into the dormer at the opposite side of the bedroom, the alcove bed occupies a wedge of space extending up to the attic-level oculus window. Photo: David Hotson.

The pair take in the expanse of Lake Michigan. The Douglas House's views are completely unencumbered.

Two green accent walls—one seen here in the dining room—are the only departures from the strategically white backdrop. Wierciński and team designed the dining table and its orange steel frame, along with the seating benches and wall-mounted seat backs. A Sticks pendant light from Nowodvorski illuminates the space.

Apartment T by KC Design Studio

Natural light is an important factor in creating biophilic spaces. The primary bathroom of this house in Venice, California, sits deep in the plan but has three sources of natural light—a skylight, small window, and translucent glass wall shared with the kitchen.

Pros: Marble is elegant, heat resistant, and comes in a range of colors. Cons: Its high price, especially for more unusual types like Calacatta marble (known for its purer white and bolder veining compared to more common marble like Carrara), means that it isn’t an option for everyone. It is also quite high maintenance, requiring regular resealing.

The walls of the toilet room are decorated with an abstract composition of overlapping black lines printed on a screen that is lit from behind.

The front door is tucked under a cantilevered terrace.

Clad in Western red cedar siding and punctuated with floor-to-ceiling windows, this minimalist two-bedroom home boasts sunrise views over the Sonoma hills.

With four children under the age of six, the Ruells have learned not to be overprotective of their collection of contemporary and vintage furniture. In the living room, an Eames lounge chair and ottoman sit on a Moroccan rug from M.Montague, while the family’s eldest child, Mirene, surveys the indoor/outdoor view. Throughout the house, Kolbe windows and fixed glass (in existing jambs) were added to increase energy efficiency.

Aaron and Yuka Ruell transformed a Portland ranch house into a retro-inspired family home with plenty of spaces—like the trellised porch—for their four children to roam.

Wooden beams extend beyond the structure to create shading trellises for the terraces at the front and the back of architect Ray Kappe's Los Angeles home.

Cutouts in the concrete slab floor allow for an indoor forest of taro, fig, and bamboo—and a subsurface drain connected to a perforated underground pipe slowly filters out excess moisture to the groundwater. The cabinets were custom designed by Nick Damner, while the refrigerator and dishwasher are by Thermador.