Windows

Standing-seam copper siding accentuates sections of the structure that provide shear support for the steel moment frame.

The LC4 lounge is by Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, and Pierre Jeanneret for Cassina. Operable porthole windows on the east facade offer ventilation.

In the tiny town of Auvilliers, France, architect Jean-Baptiste Barache designed an elegant cedar-shingled home with an A-frame construction.

Raymond takes a break on the master bedroom’s interior balcony, which is cantilevered over the dining area.

When Jeff Taylor and Alex Miller designed the Pull House in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, they took “form follows function” one step further: Form describes function. Along the house’s facades, deep window openings pop through the silvery, white-cedar cladding in bright bursts. “The punches of color are points of personal expression,” says Taylor, cofounder of Taylor and Miller Architecture and Design. “They let the vitality of the residents leak out so passersby can experience the inside from the outside."

Three afternoons a week, Wenes opens the gallery and “my private space belongs to the public,” she says. On the box is a piece by Tamara Van San.

The family room is situated at the apex of the house, with picturesque views that extend up the meticulously landscaped north slope. The concrete floor sits just low enough that the main elements of the scene—the succulent garden and large limestone ledges—are at eye level. A bank of NanaWall folding windows breaks up the fourth wall.

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.

A double-height space encompasses the kitchen, dining and living area, and features 36-feet-wide glass doors that pocket into southern and northern walls.

In the kitchen, the couple found barely used appliances instead of new ones to save money. The cabinetry and butcher block counters are from Ikea.

The picture wall is adorned with images collected from family, colleagues, and estate sales. ”I kill plants, so cacti are our friends,” Peter says of the succulents along the low table behind the Design Within Reach sofa, just over which an Established & Sons Font clock keeps time.

McMinn, an architect, helps Soren construct a TinkerToy tower. The cowhide rug is from Perfect Leather Goods, and the Wassily Chair is by Marcel Breuer for Knoll.

For this project, the husband loved ultra-modern design, while the wife leaned towards a more traditional aesthetic. How to please both? “Through the design process, we learned that their tastes were actually more closely aligned when we focused on the desired 'feel' of the home versus specific design details,” Field says. He and his colleagues balanced rustic, exposed ceiling beams with elegant venetian plaster walls, and artful aluminum storefront windows with functional white oak plank flooring.

The tatami room (pictured) has mats from the Futon Company and a “Hinamatsuri” mobile adds a cheery touch.

Agustín Hernandez's home office.