Architect Tamira Sawatzky used Ikea components—one-inch Lagan butcher block countertops and inexpensive Ekby Lerberg brackets—when designing the bookshelves along the living room wall in the home/studio he designed for himself and his wife in Toronto.

The Convex Votive is an elegant tabletop accessory that is available in both soft and bold colors. Featuring both a soft, round opening and an angular silhouette, the Convex is an inviting geometric home for a votive candle. With a small footprint, the Convex can be grouped with others to create a colorful candle display, or it can be used as an accent on its own, on a dining table, mantel, or even on a bathroom sink.

The Convex Votive Holder from Niche Modern is an elegant tabletop accessory that features both a soft, round opening and an angular silhouette.

If their everyday mantra sounds something like "reduce, reuse, recycle," these eco-conscious gifts won’t weigh on their conscience.

White paint with just a hint of gray dominates the farmhouse, reflecting Kolasiński’s love of bright spaces. The pine wooden floors were also enameled in a white oil imported from Denmark.

The bright orange frame of this glazed door adds a sense of modern exuberance to the deck off of Francesco Moncada and Mafalda Rangel’s bedroom. The sunny, open space reveals both a Loop chair by Willy Guhl and the tile rooftops of Syracuse, where the water is never far off.

When the sliding doors are left open, the rooms enter into a playful dialogue with each other, with the dark exterior walls framing the more colorful bedroom within.

An upstairs bedroom is at once bright and cozy.

The skylight in the kitchen keeps things quite bright.

Furniture with emphasized linear elements helps prevent the appearance of clutter in small spaces. It's particularly effective when highlighted in playful colors like the blue bench storage rack in this London guesthouse. Photo by Ben Anders.

Based in Minneapolis, photographer Chad Holder captures people and spaces around the world. He returned to Ann Arbor, Michigan, to shoot a creative home designed by Tonino Vicari that he first captured in 2006 for Dwell, when the residents’ son was only five. “It was so much fun to walk back into the home and see the family again,” Holder says. “Gary is now 14 years old, and he was much more helpful—I put him to work as my assistant.”

LUP CANDLE HOLDER Inspired by Scandinavian tradition and the short daylight hours of the Northern climate, the Lup Candleholder brings warmth and light into the home. The minimal construction creates a continuous line and minimal form.

LUMBERJACK CANDLE HOLDERS Danish designer Simon Legald was inspired by the silhouette created in a tree trunk as lumberjacks slowly chop away toward its center when he conceived of this colorful series of Lumberjack Candle Holders. Each set is carved from a single, cylindrical piece of solid wood. Made in Denmark.

Product Design: You’ll be the star of the next charrette by throwing around some of these words. Illustration by Andrew Holder

Something Festive: Giving something festive is all well and good but even better is if that something can also be displayed year round. Consider a beautiful candle holder like the Lup Candle Holder designed by Shane Schneck for HAY.

Each featured artist is introduced before a selection of his or her work is presented on the following pages. Here, one of the images used in the opener for San Diego-based printer Andrew Holder.

Check holders are made from aluminum-cast bones.

Joining an august panel that includes Michael Bierut of Pentagram, landscape architect Thomas Balsley, FASLA, Susan Chin, FAIA, of Design Trust for Public Space, will be landscape architect Claire Fellman, ASLA, of Snøhetta, the firm behind the design for the Times Square reconstruction, to be completed in 2015. The talk, Reimagining New York City's Terra Firma, will focus squarely on the city's changing landscape, and possibility in the built environment. (AIA CEU)

Photograph courtesy the Beijing Times.

Of the Nick and the Candlestick, Santos says, “I'm obsessed with these simple candle holders. Unusual and ethereal, these are the perfect addition to any tablescape or mantlepiece.” The piece is comprised of nine brass candleholders that rest on a rich walnut tray.

Consider this lively bathroom that sits within a recently completed waterfront home in Bridgehampton, New York. Situated on two-and-a-half acres of land with 360-degree views of the nearby bay and ocean, it's covered with brightly colored floor-to-ceiling tiles that reflect the shades of the neighboring water. One step through the sliding glass doors and you’ll find yourself on an open terrace.

Available in a variety of eye-catching colors, this retro-modern and ergonomically friendly chair from Innit Designs is "in every way cool".

LES PERLES CANDLE HOLDERS For Les Perles Candle Holders, FX Balléry drew inspiration from classic wooden beads produced in the Jura Mountains. Its steel base comes with eight interchangeable wooden pieces that can be put together to create unique and changeable candlestick designs.

The owners, who are a couple with three children, requested a bright home with a gentle, pervasive light that is far from cold.

PAPER POT TISSUE HOLDER Be sure you've got plenty of tissues at hand in a nice holder like this one...

Posada also shares a topographic candle holder, pictured here.

The Double Octahedron Ring Planter from Eric Trine is a geometric accent made of powder-coated steel. The planter instantly sophisticates a standard ten-inch terracotta pot by adding visual interest to the exterior, raising the pot upward, and giving the plant a new footprint. This product launched at Dwell on Design Los Angeles in May 2015.

Field Candlestick Set, $27 at the Dwell Store The colorful Field Candlestick Sets from Good Thing are a perfect gift for the hosts and hostesses on your holiday list. They blend the traditional appeal of taper candlesticks on a table while adding a playful punch of color and shape. The holders are also small enough to easily slide into a stocking.

Bob Gervais, "Times Square Preacher."

Upgrade your holiday table with the Asymmetrical Candle Holders by Umbra Shift. These candle holders are a functional work of sculpture; the bowl-like silhouette of the holder is designed to reflect light and catch wax drips. And when the holder stands without a candlestick, it creates a striking accent for a tabletop or mantel.

Designed with two rubber inner sections, this holder separates brush and paste for an orderly appearance.

All prototypes have been designed, manufactured and glazed in Heath's San Francisco studio.

BAMBOO BASKET TOOTHBRUSH HOLDER Part of the same collection as the Bamboo Basket Lotion Pump, the Native American-inspired geometrics on this toothbrush holder are also laser-engraved on eco-friendly bamboo. We think it would also look great on a desk and filled with pens and pencils.

The aptly named Chunk Candleholder from Menu is a solid, substantial piece that looks purposeful and strong when set on a shelf or table. The cylindrical marble slab features a copper top, which counters the organic, raw nature of the marble with sophisticated shine. The result is a well-balanced accent that is an attractive decorative element whether it is holding a candle or resting on its own. Available in two sizes: Large and Small.

And the book! Guaranteed good times inside!

Pencil Holder, Carla Tennenbaum