Barcelona-based designer Nani Marquina not only produces some of the best rugs in the business, but she also sponsors a school for nearly 400 children in India.

Topissimo, 2008, designed by Nani Marquina.

Topissimo by Nani Marquina.

Nani Marquina stands in front of her latest line of rugs, Chillida, a reinterpretation of artist Eduardo Chillida's work, released in 2012 at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile.

Kala, 2009, designed by Nani Marquina and Care and Fair.

The past and present collide in style with these handcrafted color-block rugs conceptualized by Barcelona designer Nani Marquina. Crafted using the traditional kilim technique, these woven wool floor coverings transform age-old weaving into a modern accent piece that brings instant impact to any room.

Nani Marquina, and some of the students at the Amita Vidyalaya school in Bhadohi, India.

An earlier version of the Losanges rug, part of Marquina’s 2011 collection, anchors the master bedroom of Nani Marquina's Ibiza home. Photo by Albert Font.

Rug designer Nani Marquina and photographer Albert Font created their home in a peaceful corner of the Spanish island of Ibiza. In their living room is a pair of kilim-covered chairs by Philippe Xerri, a chest of drawers by Piet Hein Eek, and a handmade Tunisian rug that provides bursts of color amidst the overall color scheme of white, ecru, and cream.

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.

Sir Victor’s rooms and suites were conceived by Sir Hotels’ in-house design team. This bedroom pairs a Harbor chair by B&B Italia with handmade rugs by Nani Marquina and paintings by local artist Bernat Daviu.

Black and white kitchen cabinets painted with a triangular pattern add a whimsical touch to this funky kitchen.

A Hella Jongerius vase for Ikea, Saarinen chair and table, and a Nani Marquina rug fill this sunlit apartment.

Furniture from Nani Marquina, Vitra, Piet Hein Eek, and Foscarini, are found inside the Frozen Fountain.

RUG DESIGNER NANI MARQUINA'S SERENE HOME IN IBIZA Jamaica barstools by Pepe Cortès for Knoll and two Ikea pendants pair nicely with the plaster walls, restored wooden beam ceilings, and polished cement floors in the kitchen. Photo by Albert Font.

A slatted walkway leads into the new library, which the Gimons have outfitted with a Topissimo rug by Nani Marquina, Grove Garden wallpaper from Osborne & Little’s Tara collection, and a pink Chroma Sassy sliding wall panel by 3form.

When Abbie and Bill Burton hired Marmol Radziner to design their prefab weekend home, their two requests were “simple-simple, replaceable materials,” says Abbie—such as concrete floors (poured offsite in Marmol Radziner's factory) and metal panel siding—and “the ability to be indoors or outdoors with ease.” Deep overhangs provide shade and protection from rain, so the Burtons can leave their doors open year-round and hang out on their 70-foot-long deck even in inclement weather. They visit the house once a month, usually for a week at a time, with Vinnie and Stella, their rescue Bernese Mountain dogs. Their two adult children occasionally join them. The couple hopes to one day retire here.

Nero Marquina marble defines the bathroom. The fixtures are Agape.

I had no idea that Barcelona–based designer Nani Marquina is the daughter of Rafael Marquina, who created this simple and beautiful oil decanter set in 1961. This is why it pays to walk around with an exhibition's curator!

The concrete wall mimics the slope of the hill outside as a reference to early Maori structures that were dug into the land. The simple kitchen has strandboard cabinetry and an MDF island that conceals a fireplace at one end. The ceramic works on the built-in seat at right are by Raewyn Atkinson and Robyn Lewis.

After living on and studying a woodsy acre of land in North Zealand, Denmark, architect Jesper Brask cleared a stand of pine trees and, from the timber, built a getaway open to its surroundings. The house, which Brask shares with his wife, Lene, and sons, Kristian, Jens, and Niels, is used mainly in summer, when the weather is optimal for throwing open the glass doors.

A Losanges rug by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, part of Marquina’s 2011 collection, anchors the simple master bedroom of Nani Marquina's vacation home on Ibiza.

Rather than throwing away and replacing the existing French doors, paint was removed from the doors and their corresponding interior shutters by sandblasting.

Mami and Goo the Kishu dog return from a frolic in the forest, which the couple, along with Hideaki, has thinned and trimmed back over many weekends. It’s an idyllic escape and a world away from the concrete expanse of Tokyo.

In Seattle's rapidly developing South Lake Union neighborhood, the Art Stable is a classic example of urban infill. Built on the site of a former horse stable, the seven-story mixed-use building carries its history into the future with highly adaptable live/work units.

"The Rabari Collection by Nani Marquina and Doshi Levien."

Rafael Marquina, Nani Marquina’s father and the rescuer of this Thonet chair, was an accomplished Catalan architect and designer who was best known for his nondrip oil cruet. The younger Marquina keeps the chair, still unrepaired, in her Barcelona studio.

Japanese showers are usually set low down so the bather can sit on a stool and scrub, then pour cedar buckets of hot water over their heads for a refreshing rinse. This homeowner in Venice, California mounted a handheld shower head on the wall for added flexibility. The drain is under the removable cedar floor slats, keeping the room design uncluttered. Wood tubs are cleaned with a simple rinse and last for decades, as the antiseptic properties of cedar guard against mold and rot. This ofuro was designed by Santiago Ortiz and fabricated by Bartok Design.

Choosing a kitchen or bathroom countertop can be nerve-wracking, and we understand why—they can be one of the most expensive aspects of a renovation, with the added responsibility of impacting the aesthetics of a space. Read on as we work our way through the pros and cons of seven of the most common countertop materials.

Spanish designer Nani Marquina speaks at the Museo de Arte Moderno.

Tanya, Chris, Jackson, and Zeke spend much of their day outside.

Because the house is narrow and long (16 by 68 feet), the design team decided to create a huge open-air space to light the interior naturally. Two retractable motor-driven canvas canopies shelter the space during Singapore’s frequent rains.

On the outskirts of Austin, Texas, author Chris Brown and his dog Katsu head to the river; the path was once a dumping ground on top of a long-defunct underground oil pipeline. The green roof was conceptualized by John Hart Asher of the Ecosystem Design Group at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.

“Before, the house turned its back on the landscape,” said Parish. “This renovation and addition really animates the garden.” Sliding glass doors match those of the living room beyond the deck, and both can be completely open to the yard.

Tom Givone’s clients, Rose and Steve Smith, teach overseas and have owned their house for 26 years. They intended to fix it up slowly and retire there. As one problem led to another, they reached a point when they felt their only option, as Rose put it, was to “burn it down.”

Nero Marquina marble is used in multiple rooms. In the living room, a strip of stone defines a bench that wraps around the space. Both the sofa and armchair are vintage.