2011: Peter Zumthor Wrapped in stark, black wood, Swiss architect Peter Zumthor’s Serpentine scheme presented a frame for Piet Oudolf’s lush garden, a use of color and space that manages to create a secret garden in an already outdoor space. Photograph © 2011 Walter Herfst

ISAM with Amon Tobin (2011) V-Squared Labs and Leviathan created this cutting-edge concert setup, which surrounds the Brazilian-born producer and DJ with real-time projection mapping and generative imagery. Image courtesy of Calder Wilson

Hundreds attended the kick-off party at New Center Park for the inaugural Detroit Design Festival in 2011. Photo by Noah Stephens.

"Vertical Emptiness" by Yasuaki Onishi. An installation made using tree branches and hot glue.

Ole Jensen-designed kitchenware for Room Copenhagen.

An architectural sculpture of the Guggenheim by the UK's Chisel & Mouse.

In Japan Style we explore the proliferation of Japanese design and how it's been folded into the story of modernism. Our cover story is actually in San Diego, and we hit a Japanese-inspired home in Edinburgh, Scotland too. Photo by: Daniel Hennessy

Untitled. From series "Funktionsorte," 2011.

Inspiration for the new season, Garden Furniture 2011, shot by Petra Bindel for Elle Interior.

In our 2011 small spaces issue we checked out the home of a pair of design-savvy Portlanders. And in the cover story we check out a small New York spot remade with 36 commercial doors. Photo by: Nicholas Calcott

Untitled. From series "Studie Eins," 2011.

Untitled. From series "Snow Blind," 2011.

Untitled. From series "Studie Eins," 2011.

2011, Studio Cerri & Associatti / Pierluigi Cerri and Allessandro Colombo.

Iwan Baan: Torre David #1 (2011)

Curator Marianne Bernstein and Penn Design students produced Not a Vacant Lot, a five-day exhibition re-imagining a vacant lot in the middle of Center City for DesignPhiladelphia 2011. Photo by Kevin Monko.

A detail shot highlights the stamped, highly reflective surface.

If you're anything like us, you love New York. Our issue dedicated to the Big Apple looks at tiny apartments, communal living in Brooklyn, and hits all five boroughs. Photo by: David Allee

Textile Field, 2011. Installation, Victoria and Albert Museum, London

A day-glo set of chairs exhibited at the 2011 IDS Toronto.

The Santa Monica location, which showcased the same Googie-style neon sign as Norms La Cienega, closed in July 2013. After 49 years of service, and to the lament of many local residents, it was later demolished.

Yves Behar delivers the first lecture at the 2011 Compostmodern conference.

Inspired by nature, this design still highlights the vibrant colors that are characteristic of Marimekko.

Tunnel House by Makiko Tsukada, 2011, Suginami-ku, Tokyo Prefecture

Big Cloud, 2011, Mitch Dobrowner, from the new book, Both Sides of Sunset. RSVP for the free discussion on the book at MOCA on Saturday, June 27 here. Proceeds from the sale of the book—published by Artbook/D.A.P. and Metropolis Books—benefit Inner-City Arts, an arts education center located in the heart of Skid Row.

Chile's Puyehue volcano sends up a cloud of ash in June of 2011.

Simpatico Homes founder Seth Krubiner has lived in the prefab company’s nearly net-zero prototype since it was customized and lifted onsite in 2011.

The hot tub is a highlight of the home. “It was worth the investment,” says Kara. “Especially late at night when you can see the stars.”

A beautiful shot of the roof's framing. Photo ©2011 epic software group, inc.

Norms debuted in 1949 at the famed corner of Sunset and Vine in Hollywood. The 24-hour coffee shop chain, founded by Los Angeles-native Norm Roybark, opened its La Cienega flagship location in 1957. Architects Louis Armet and Eldon Davis, who were known for their post-war Googie architecture, designed the building with a large, neon, saw tooth pennant sign to attract the attention of passersby and to echo the futuristic diamond-shaped roofline and geometric elements throughout the diner.

Architect and historian Alan Hess specializes in Googie design and has authored 19 books on modern architecture, including Googie: Ultramodern Roadside Architecture and Googie: Fifties Coffee Shop Architecture. Hess will join L.A. Conservancy’s director of advocacy, Adrian Scott Fine, at Dwell on Design Los Angeles to discuss the demise of many post-war Googie-style buildings in L.A. and the necessary preservation of the iconic, midcentury modern design.

One of the highlights is the sleek, wood-burning fireplace.

This experimental apartment highlights the forms, lines, and colors of Piet Mondrian’s art.

The garage highlights the Lubkes’ structural engineering expertise with a 13-foot concrete wall built by Dolan Construction.

Crisp white walls serve as blank canvases throughout to highlight the exquisite wooden features.

Philippe Starck's modern Library Kitchen won an imm Cologne 2011 Interior Innovation Award.