Inspirational spaces

The rise of the front lawn and the height of the trees give the house a subtle presence amid magnificent surroundings.

An expansive skylight gives a feeling of spaciousness to the kitchen/dining area.

With the purchase of a Bogobrush, the company will send one to someone in need. They have also partnered with three Give One members (Detroit, Minnesota, and Atlanta) to ensure that no one lacks adequate access to dental care in the USA.

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.

The materials palette that I chose is light in color with a few splashes of color. This lightness holds the space open and gives it a contemporary feel.

Although the loft is relatively small, high ceilings and an open floor plan give it room to spare.

Lawrence Weiner sits at his daylit desk. The bare walls are perfect for tacking up new projects, and the steel ductwork gives the space an industrious feel.

The runs give the hens plenty of room to zoom and peck.

The black tile in the entryway mirrors that used in the bathroom, giving the small palette of materials a kind of interior coherence.

Fully enclosed by glass, Hiller’s kitchen and living room give the feeling of being in a tree house.

The olive wood collection is made by hand from sustainably certified olive trees. “Give Me Some Sugar” bowl and spoons, shown here.

The knot-flecked staircase leading down to Bornstein's office gives serves as a solid core to the home's circulation.

Opening Keynote presentation by Joao Segurado, Challenge winner at Design Like You Give A Damn: LIVE! 2012. Photo via Architecture for Humanity. Photo by: Betsy Kershner

Exposed beams and a cantilevered loft soar over the high-traffic eating area, giving the family a sense of spaciousness.

Arco’s Jolly Jubilee chairs, designed by Ineke Hans, give the downstairs living room a shot of color.

www.heribertoibarra.com 915-252-70701 babel17@hotmail.com

Another shot of the sun shades gives a sense of their massive size.

The header imagery gives a glimpse of what's to come at Hyperbole and a Half.

The Deans’ new kitchen is long and narrow, punctuated by the small windows that dot the façade and one large light-giving window at the end.

Illustration via drawastickman.com.

The curving, bulbous walls of the bath and shower reveal an unexpected secondary role as a screen for film projections, giving the house a sci-fi glow.

Don't Give Up the Ship printThe dying words of Captain James Lawrence to the crew of his USS Chesapeake "Don't Give Up The Ship" This was definitely our battle cry during the dog days of the recession and we produced this poster ourselves which is why it is extra special to us.

Exposed pine boards dominate the interior, giving a subtle, warm backdrop to the splashes of color that his stove and collection of books provide.

Though the Cook Inlet is nearby, from the street, the house’s simple facade gives little indication of the sights that await a visitor.

Most beachfront houses treat the ocean as part of the visual landscape with panoramic views and wraparound balconies. Tom Lloyd-Butler’s beach house by Ernest Born, however, is deeply interior, and far more interested in its tranquil inner courtyard than anything beyond. One transparent addition later, the avid surfer has a new outlook. Aidlin Darling took pains during construction to preserve the cypress trees that give the Great Highway House so much of its charm.

Pyatt's office is the sparest room in the house, with the straw panels "left raw to give a sense of the monolithic nature of those walls," according to Pyatt.

Photo from blackandwtf.tumblr.com

One of the witticisms found on livethesheendream.com.

Moonshine is beautifully set in an isolated spot in the English countryside outside of Bath. The dramatic juxtaposition of a stone gamekeeper's cottage and a modern timber framed addition gives the home a quaint, pastoral feel while capitalizing on the dramatic view of St. Catherine's Valley.

At a renovated home in Pennsylvania, the orange kitchen countertops were swapped for custom concrete countertops. The cabinets were painted Pink Ground by Farrow & Ball and paired with Build.com hardware, giving the kitchen a warm glow, in particular thanks to the natural light coming in from the double exposure of the windows. The kitchen sink and faucet are from Amazon, while the tile is from Lowes.

dwell Residency: 223

Instead of giving something tangible to someone who has it all, consider giving to someone who has very little. Many non-profit organizations sponsor gift drives, including the UK-based Good Gifts. One effort we particularly like is a funding initiative for subsistence farming in Rwanda. 20x10 foot greenhouse for growing hydroponic food in Rwanda, £1,200 at Good Gifts.

You don’t need to have a complicated harvesting tank built if you want to conserve water. A simpler way is to place a rain barrel—found at your local home and garden supply store—under the downspout on your roof to collect rainwater for gardening. Invest in a good water filtration or treatment system, and you can even use your rainwater for bathing, laundry, cooking, and drinking.

Black stone worktops, waxed concrete walls, and the traditional rustic tiles (called “witjes”) give textural and tonal variety and offset the warm woody tones that dominate this kitchen. The rustic theme is continued in the iron hooks and bars—simple but effective fittings.

Ulysses word cloud poster from beautifulwordsbeautifulart.com.