Arbel’s “14” sconces spot the wall to ethereal effect in the master bedroom. “I wanted this place to be habitable. One of my greatest criticisms of modern architecture is that it often forgets to make things cozy.”

The 40-foot-long containers hang 16 feet over the ground. The deep balcony, Gooden says, offers solar protection, keeping strong sunlight out but letting natural light in. The home has three bedrooms, a den, and three and half baths.

A 40 foot by 10 foot pool is designed to echo the house’s tower with an almost reflection-like alignment.

A simple, yet elegant vanity doubles as storage.

The distinctive facade references a traditional thatched English cottage.

Inspirational spaces

Los Angeles–based design firm ORA built this family home in the Mar Vista suburb with two separate buildings: a long, linear home “shaped like a boomerang,” and a bright-red accessory dwelling unit. In the main house, a soothing material palette composed of concrete floors, white walls, and wood is punctuated by spots of color, such as the teal tile backsplash and salmon-toned cabinet in the kitchen, or the sunshine-yellow vanity in one of the bathrooms.

The three kids share a bathroom that's also located in the attic. The penguin basket is from Bloomingville.

Two cabins sit in the vast, empty landscape overlooking the Hekla volcano, around three hours’ drive from Reykjavík. The front part of each cabin—for sleeping—is almost entirely glass, while the rear—where the living, kitchen and bathroom spaces are located—is clad in timber for privacy.

Set in a quiet cul-de-sac in Walnut Grove—a small enclave of Eichlers in Walnut Creek, California—this Claude Oakland–designed Model 14 Eichler truly stands out. With a shingled, hipped roof and a "clipped" gable, the home is designed to reference a traditional thatched English cottage—but we think it looks much more modern than that.

At the northern end of the Stockholm archipelago, a humble cottage becomes a gorgeous seaside retreat for a nature-loving family.

“The transparency and continuity of the spaces allows the landscape, the coast, and the sea to be present at all times,” LLaumett says. While most of the home’s furniture was constructed on site, a sofa by The Popular Design sits in the living room.

Pine was used for the exterior siding and the lower perimeter base is lined in reinforced concrete.

LLaumett refers to the extended patio as its own entity—a calm place to sunbathe or stare out to the ocean at any time of day. It is made of pine and covered in an opaque Osmo glaze. The chairs were constructed by the owners.

“The program of enclosures was developed around a courtyard that is protected from the constant wind. The transparency of the main facade brings the presence of the sea inside the house,” LLaumett says.

A huge rock that Liebermann picked out himself as as a diving board into the pool. Liebermann was very proud to design the house in a way that it reflects in the pool when you first walk in through the front gate. The reflection doubles the size of the house.

A living roof is among the project's many green features.

One of the bedrooms. Photo by Sally Schoolmaster.

The look is tradition with a twist.

Detached Garage with shadow block detail

Tools consists of hand-crafted woodworking tools (saw, plane, knives, axe) and a wooden toolbox that is made up of the tools that it stores. Jakob Jørgensen was inspired by a Viking-age Mästermyr tool chest he found at Gotland and for the Mindcraft 14 exhibition in Milan, he learned to embrace the tradition of a craftsman who makes all his own tools.

Versioned Thonet No. 14 Chair

British artist Hannah Sawtell and technologist Avi Flombaum created sawbaum.com, where users can create visual collages using multiple vine streams. "We wanted it to look like a visual comic book, with overlapping panels," said Flombaum. "And we wanted it to be fun!" Photo courtesy Rhizome.

White-and-blue, wood-grain–patterned UonUon tiles by 14oraitaliana line the bathroom walls in a loft above the garage.

The eight-story structure provides laundry facilities, medical services, psychological services, temporary shelter beds, educational programs (including a library), and gathering spaces. Photo by Chris Mueller.