Ensure the success of your renovation or new build with this guide to working with an interior designer.

A trio of resin skulls works as manly wall art above a burly end table from Urban Hardwoods and on a wall painted with ICI Paint’s Noble Grey.

Strong lines on the floor and the walls reinforce the notion of old and new.

Architect Christopher C. Deam, Dwell founder Lara Deam's husband, designed Airstream's newest travel trailer, the International Sterling.

A calming vibe is immediately instilled at the entry.

“It was a major decision to put the kitchen in the center where everything would revolve around it,” says Lazor. “We did this simply by following what patterns we observed—it was just where people gravitated.” The bar stools are by Blu Dot, and the chairs by Charles and Ray Eames.

No whiteware here. In this moody apartment in Berlin, multi-toned charcoal gray subway tiles make up the backsplash, which contrasts with the pop of rosy color on the kitchen cabinets.

“I love the house more each day,” says Tamami Sylvester of her and husband Michael's home by Sebastian Mariscal in Venice, California. The kitchen, which includes all Miele appliances, is sheathed in custom woodwork from Semihandmade. Accessories from A+R complement the Caesarstone countertops and Franke faucet. A LifeSource Water System provides filtration. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

Sævik designed the wood tub in the bathroom, which features an adjacent sauna. The Inxx A5 faucet is by Mora.

Pictured here is the door to the bathroom. White curtains inside the bathroom provide privacy.

The bed and side table in the master bedroom are from Loaf. In the adjacent bathroom, an antique mirror hangs above a Duravit sink. “There’s a slight Arts and Crafts feel to it,” says Marston of the house.

The Scandinavian pavilion will be decked out with furniture and accessories that embody Hygge—a Danish term implying warmth, coziness, and friendliness. This renovated loft in Copenhagen by Vipp Chief Designer online Morten Bo Jensen and his wife, Kristina May Olsen highlights that concept. Photo by Anders Hviid.

The units don't even require foundations—simple ground screws from Krinner are enough to support them.

William Krisel designed the Ocotillo Lodge, a hotel that features a number of his signature design moves: post-and-beam construction, walls of glass, and seamless indoor/outdoor connections. Pictured here is one of the hotel’s bungalows.

Sliding fritted glass doors provide privacy and sectioned-off spaces when needed.

Stainless steel with a mirror polish covers the “moving wall” in the dressing room, which opens to one of the bedrooms.

Load-bearing elements are clustered together in the form of storage instead of a typical post-and-beam format.

Play area

David Baird designed the custom sliding doors with materials and hardware from Home Depot. The doors also act as a makeshift critique wall for Bo and Sky’s artwork.

The custom sliding laundry room door by Dotzler Designs was made from glass and steel to allow natural light into the laundry room, and doubles as a ladder to access storage space above.

The interiors are clad in white-glazed pine, a contrast to the black-stained facade. The brick fireplace is original. Near a Polder sofa by Hella Jongerius for Vitra is a coffee table of Sævik’s design. The rocking chair is vintage and came with the house.

The old wood floors throughout the open-plan space are painted a dark eggplant. The vintage PP19 armchair is by Hans J. Wegner for PP Møbler. The painting above it is by Ruben Toledo, a friend of Peter Fehrentz, the resident. A trio of Tom Dixon lights hangs over the Pirkka dining table, with bench seating by Ilmari Tapiovaara for Artek. The Berber rug is from Morocco, purchased from the Paris shop Caravane.

The Japanese brand Muji will begin selling his kit house in 2014, which is prefabricated using furniture (i.e. storage units) as load-bearing modules. House of Furniture’s exterior looks more like a pavilion than a box.

The interior is a spatially open layout with a flexible DIY storage system that supports the ceiling.

Wooten anchored the kitchen with a faux-bois coatrack from France. “Since Greg’s furniture is predominantly wood, we chose to make the interior all wood,” says Massie. “We used laser-cut mahogany and cherry plywood with jigsaw edges to make the house more like a cabin—albeit a very modern one. This puzzle piece motif is something that I’ve done in every project before and after this one—it’s a different way of having surfaces come together without having to abide by a modernist rule of panels. We can snap the whole thing together with eccentric uniformity, and it’s really simple.”

Sheer gray curtains by Ulf Moritz for Sahco add to the apartment’s moody atmosphere.

The kids' room is especially vibrant, with Tango-painted walls by Delux, artwork by Rachel Castle and Beci Orpin, handmade beaded chandeliers by Emily Green, and a kicky pineapple lamp by Down to the Woods. Photo by Phu Tang.

This "local prefab" home on the Isle of Skye is made mostly from materials sourced in northern Scotland. The timber-framed model, meant to evoke the simple agrarian barns of the area, can be constructed on-site in as little as a day and is designed for affordability.

Architects: Kirsten Murray, Tom Kundig

Oficinas Decomarc - Work+

Fusión Corporativa - Work+

The door to Eoghan Mahony’s office is set on a caster and has a hinge that runs the entire ten-foot height.

Pavisa - Work+

GEA Internacional - Work+