Furniture designer Pat Carson created a plethora of custom fixtures for this guest room, including a riveted aluminum Murphy bed. The best Murphy beds raise and lower easily, often requiring only one hand. This unique wall bed employs a hand-cranked wheel-and-pulley system.

A closet is built into the bed frame in this London guesthouse. With hangers so close by, there's no excuse for not hanging up your clothes before bed. Photo by Ben Anders.

The screen porch serves as an auxiliary dining area and extends past the house to capture views and cross breezes.

The staircase leading to the master suite features aluminum treads supported on stainless steel tubes. "We wanted something that would allow the resin panels behind it to reflect the light from the windows at the top of the stair," Slade says.

The lower level is covered in traditional red brick, while the upper level consists of coil-coated aluminium sheet with large glass panes.

Tilt by German designer Tina Schmid is a morphing object, moving from a flat graphic on the wall to a three-dimensional object. With a simple movement, the image of the cube can be folded downward into a table, the cuboid as a valet on which garments can be hung. Both objects boast an ingenious system of rods with jointed nodes that can be rotated as needed.

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.

The view from Bruce's cabin is a sight for sore eyes. One of the outermost inhabited islands on the American eastern seaboard, Criehaven (technically Ragged Island) is located 20 miles off the Maine coast and one mile south of Matinicus Island.

Get meta with the Trophy hanger, a bike rack made of bike parts. Part art, part utility, this creation from Etsy seller Furniply lets you rest your bicycle atop some soft grip bike handlebars. The material ensures your frame won't get scratched. And a bike seat with attached stainless steel hooks give you room to hang up your coats and riding goods. Photo by: Furniply

Clockwise from top left: Blanc de Blanc 11-4800, Canal Blue 14-4810, Indian Teal 19-4227, Butterfly 12-0322, Sunshine 12-0727, Tea 16-0213, Keepsake Lilac 15-2705, Tangerine Tango 17-1463 (color of the year for 2012), and Anthracite 19-4007.

Master Bath Casale and Crofton’s bedroom is configured as a casual open suite, with a sliding aluminum screen as the only barrier separating an adjacent bathroom and walk-in closet. The screen’s dappled, lacelike pattern was designed by Fiyel Levent, a local artist and architect. Bischoff handed her design to a metalworker, who then carved it into aluminum with a digital laser cutter. It runs on a track in front of a partial wall covered in wallpaper by Neisha Crosland. The vanity, designed and built in the MADE studio, sits atop the legs from an antique refrigerator that Bischoff and his team found in a junkyard. Calacatta mosaic tile, another MADE leftover, lines the floor of the shower (not shown). The firm had a limited surplus, so the amount of tile available dictated the shower stall’s footprint. “We have a keen understanding of the challenges presented by integrating the new with the existing,” Bischoff says of his approach. “We took this blank canvas and tailored it to the needs that Dawn and Dave had for their home. The result is fresh and unique but retains the patina of the many parts from which it was made.”

Andrew Magnes’s hanging screen composed of aluminum circles and lines, cut with a CNC water jet, separates the entry from the staircase and rear kitchen area.

The countertop is a solid aluminum plate. The cooktop, hood, and dishwasher are Miele.

Aluminum "chips."

Sliding aluminum panels on the facade of Green Orchard not only mirror the local flora, they also allow residents Fred and Edna Wadham to control how much sunlight enters their 2,150-square-foot home.

The cement exterior walls were painted in a dark color to blend in with the forest. Aluminum window frames add some texture to the facade.

Plants wrap around the perforated aluminum railings for a natural touch.

Another view Magnes's aluminum screen divider.

Recycled Aluminum Stool Designed by: Space (Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard) for Mater from Branch The aluminum in these stools is salvaged from old cars and the seats are topped with black Italian leather. Produced in a carpentry shop in Jaipur, India, as part of a fair-trade program sponsored by Mater. From $800

Metallic Geology Created by injecting gas into molten metal, aluminum foam was utilized by London's Studio Swine to make a series of cloud-like cabinets. It's an interesting repurposing of a material that mostly has industrial applications, such as insulation.

The framed aluminum of the corner window by Natralight breaks up the roof of recycled slate tiles, which is entirely of a piece with the roofs around it. The Scottish oak cladding comes from Abbey Timber and the black aluminum cladding from MSP Scotland.

Last but not least, this Copper Photo Bar Picture Hanger uses a single nail to hold photos, print, or any graphic material. Designed by Yield Design Co. and Social Print Studio, it can be hung anywhere and - thanks to its six magnets - it won't harm your artwork.

Clip Coat Hanger by Nendo for Discipline, $679 The Japanese studio designed its steel coat rack with a paper clip in mind: Three flat frames in varying heights snap right into each other.

Coat Hanger Art by Colgate Searle ($120.00 for set of three) text “ColgateDogs” to 767825 (portal) text “ColgateDog” to 767825 (portal) $50.00 for one "At Subports we're on a daily mission to simplify who and what we are; it can be a struggle, and it's all in an effort to get to the heart of what our core message is. The act of stripping away and getting to that core message is one that every great artist has perfected. In our opinion, someone who has achieved this art of simplification is Colgate Searle. Anyone who can turn a mundane wire coat hanger into a work of art gets our highest respect." Photo by JJ Sulin.

Measuring is key. Once you’ve decided on your ideal vanity size, confirm that you have enough clearance around any opening doors, shower stalls, and drawers, as there is nothing worse than installing a big new vanity and not being able to open the bathroom door all the way.

The containers’ sides and ends were removed to make way for large, aluminum-framed clerestory windows that provide sweeping views of the east and west.

A crucial aspect you’ll learn about throughout the process is the energy efficiency that will come with your new selection. The range of operating styles and material types offered by Milgard makes it possible to meet Energy Star® requirements, no matter where you’re located. If you’re determined to meet specific performance goals but not sure how to make it happen, their Energy Calculator can help you figure out what choices would be best for you.

After final decisions are made and installation takes place with the expertise of a local dealer, you’ll quickly notice the benefits that come with the inevitable noise reduction. Milgard suggests that double glazed windows and well-designed vinyl frames are two of the best ways to combat noise infiltration. For those windows in which you want to keep closed, consider their Aluminum Picture Windows, shown here in a stunning scale, perfect for enjoying your home’s cherished views each and every day.

The room’s opposite side holds the companion Breuer nesting tables and an Eames Aluminum Group chair and ottoman.

The first step is to think about what role your new windows or doors are going to play in your home. By thinking about how you’ll be using them, you’ll be able to narrow down the various options you’re faced with. To get you started, Milgard will help you find a local dealer that will guide you through the process from brainstorming to installation. Among one of the first choices to make is what material will work best for how they’ll be used. Their options include wood, fiberglass, vinyl, or aluminum.

The Aluminum Rail with Hooks Set is the solution to overcrowded bathrooms and interiors. The rail includes four or five slide-on hooks to hold any item, from loofahs and washcloths in the shower, to make-up bags, towels, and more. It can also be used outside of the bathroom in an entryway, bedroom closet, or on the back of the door.

Crafted from anodized aluminum, each House Industries ornament in this limited edition series celebrates a treasured typographic symbol, including ampersands, arrows, and the letter X. Available in three colors—gold, red, and white—these ornaments are the perfect decoration for any design lover’s Christmas tree. Each ornament is available at the Dwell Store for $38.

The holiday ornaments from font foundry House Industries are defined by their graphic composition. Crafted from anodized aluminum, each ornament in this limited edition series celebrates a treasured typographic symbol, including ampersands, arrows, and the letter X. These ornaments make treasured keepsakes that can be used year after year. Available in Arrow, Koi Fish, Double-Dagger, Pen Nib, and X models.

Metropole Aluminum House (1949) The winner of a 1949 contest to create a portable classroom for French students, the gleaming metal structure might have resembled a sci-fi spacechip to '50s schoolchildren. Prouvé's meticulous metalsmithing is on display in this highly regarded example of portable prefab housing, crafted in his Nancy workshop and easily assembled with a few tools. He included a glassed-in garden and wooden accents to the interior walls to make the structure less imposing.

One of Prouvé’s postwar prefab successes, this portico layout won a Ministry of Education competition to design a rural schoolhouse that could be mass produced. While the building looks spartan, small touches, such as a wood and aluminum interior and space for a glassed-in winter garden, make it more than merely livable.