Taking cues from this home's Japanese-influenced slatted screen, Hufft Projects applied a ring of ipe wood around the perimeter of this outdoor fire pit.

Purple thistles, California poppies, clover, and dandelions have all taken root in the roughly 10-inch-deep, lightweight humus and grape-husk soil in this 580-square-foot green roof. Designer Peter Liang says that he "wanted to plant a green roof for its thermal mass, but I wanted it to be as natural as possible."

A departure from the mod-meets-baroque dining room, Turin’s breakfast area is far more sedate. She and her daughter, Helena, have a chat at a Progetto 1 table by Monica Armani for B&B Italia surrounded by four Lia chairs by Roberto Barbieri for Zanotta. The painting behind Helena is by Ricci Albenda.

The owners toured this home, which surrounds a mature tipu tipu tree, while visiting relatives for the day. The brick is original to the 1947 construction.

Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.

Sliding doors by Quantum were made to look like the original panes that couldn't be saved, and they lead to a fire pit outside.

In a small seating area at the base of a two-story tower, Oslo chairs and sofas by Anderssen& Voll are paired with Around tables by Thomas Bentzen, all from Muuto. The lamp from Svenskt Tenn was designed by Josef Frank in 1938.

The cozy interior is wrapped in hemlock wood, which Esherick also used in the house he designed following this one in the Kent Woodlands area. A Thonet chair joins a Ben Soleimani rug for Restoration Hardware in the seating area.

The view!

Philippe Starck’s outdoor chairs for Kartell provide cozy fireside seating. These and the sofa version were selected by Salmela. “They’re very much an art form,” he says.

The backyard features a vertical garden, called the “picking wall” by the designers of Weller Landscapes, for its selection of kitchen herbs. In regards to the courtyard's wood and concrete finishes, the architects explain how “[The] materials all had an honest raw quality about them, allowing them to age gracefully and acquire their own patina over time.”

At the top of the stairwell, a sitting area is outfitted with a vintage Eames lounge, a large Jack Goldstein painting, and a 1970s light fixture found by Marcovitz in Paris.

The kitchen features a concrete island topped with marble. Deja-Vu stools by Naoto Fukasawa surround the island. A print by Guy Gormley, as well as a painting bought during holiday in St. Tropez, hang on the walls.

Their dining room and sitting area used to be an uninsulated greenhouse; now it’s a light-filled space where the family gathers for meals at a weathered table and Åsa curls up on two custom daybeds, designed by Bjerre-Poulsen, to read and look at the garden.

The living area contains a Poul Kjærholm PK 31 sofa and PK22 chairs. The table is custom.

Turning aggression into art, Israeli designer Itay Ohaly's Fracture Bench explores the effects of smashing materials.

Take a look at some of the most exciting, sustainable buildings around the world, and you may notice something they have in common: green roofs, or rooftops covered with a thin layer of soil to allow for grasses and other low-lying plants to grow.

New Depths Inspired by a local winery, George Kyprianou wanted a glass top on his subterranean wine cellar. The interior is lit, casting soft light into the living space at night and revealing the 132-year-old stone foundation. The three-quarter-inch glass lid sits flush with the floorboards; it opens with an ingenious device that Kyprianou devised using a 12-volt air compressor and a remote-controlled switch. When you push the button, the glass lifts just enough to be removed by hand.

Combo ColabXtool seating is a collection of portable, modular stools crowned with standard plastic crates.

Construction of the seating element.

A collection of Juhl's chair designs can be found in the seating area of the master bedroom; a 1942 prototype chair, Karmstool (1953), three 48 chairs and a two-seat sofa (1948). Poul Henningsen's 1962 chrome plated Contrast lamp 1962 hangs over the table.

In the kitchen, matte-finish oak cabinetry, a black countertop and black backsplash provide a masculine, monochromatic feel.

Light Box Peter created a simple uplight at the top of the wood box by wiring together energy-efficient fluorescent fixtures typically used under cabinets and countertops. “The cheaper magnetic models hum unacceptably loudly, so make sure you get the electronic ballast types,” he warns. He then painted the cavity white to reflect light and covered them with quarter-inch-thick acrylic from TAP Plastics. homedepot.com tapplastics.com

The view of Kapiti Island is fully revealed from the tower.

Architect Cass Calder Smith embarked on a gut renovation to join two apartments inside a SoHo building, resulting in a 1,600-square-foot residence. He redid the floors in oak and redesigned the wall of windows that frames views to the east.

Kyle compares the selected shades.

The Virgola lounge chairs in the Roseau print.

The Nap seating collection in the white chevron Rivas print.

The top container contains Wardell's office—and a "napping nook" above that.

In the dining area, a one-of-a-kind table with a reclaimed Carrara marble top by NET—themultidisciplinary design firm of architect Alejandro Sticotti, with whom Nicolas works—is surrounded by prototypes of the company’s Board chair. The family dog, China, sits on a floor made of travertine tiles.

The Kelleys furnished the cottage with help from Suzanne’s daughter Betsy Burbank of Betsy Burbank Interiors. Classic modernist icons, such as a Saarinen Womb chair for Knoll, a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, and an Eileen Grey E1027 side table look at home alongside present-day pieces such as an Encore sofa (which handily folds down into a sleeping surface) from Room & Board and a Doka rug designed and produced by Stephanie Odegard. The Wohlert pendant lights from Louis Poulsen were designed by Vilhelm Wohlert in 1959, but grouped as such, they appear distinctly contemporary.

The living room is the one room in the house that feels particularly spacious thanks to its soaring ceiling. The original fireplace still works. A sofa designed by Edward Wormley for Dunbar, two Knoll stools, and a Ben Soleimani rug help furnish the space. Four doors in the house that lead to the outdoors create a strong connection to the environment.