A 24-by24-foot Cor-ten-clad pavilion tops the three-story addition.

In the kitchen area and throughout the home, Mads Odgård, shown here, and Mette Lyng Hansen mixed Odgård’s pieces, such as the Odgård kettle for Raadvad and custom table, with Ikea basics and the Workshop pendant lamp by Louis Poulsen.

A PK 22 Easy Chair by Poul Kjaerholm for Fritz Hansen adds a dash of yellow to the breakfast room.

It might not make you popular with your contractor, but for a more streamlined look, Chris recommends forgoing trim. "It lends a clean look with less visual clutter," the architect says. In their house, the doors, lights, cabinetry, and even wall sockets (all 22 by Bocci) are installed without trim. This allows the planar surfaces to recede and do their jobs without unnecessarily distracting the eye.

Abutting a costal reserve, the property has uninterrupted views of the Snowy River and surrounding wetlands

Bocci's 22 Series offers stealthy electrical, cable, USB, and phone outlets.

The Cobb Haus, a wood-sided, 700-square-foot cabin in Cobb, California, features a large wood deck surrounded by towering trees.

The three arms of the Apfel House stretch out to catch the best views of Ranco Lake and the Andes Mountains.

Mary and Kundan Bhullar built a shipshape country escape that sits lightly on the land in the Aravalli hills near Gurgaon, India.

The Armadillo is parked on a 1,000-square-foot lot that gives the couple ample outdoor space.

Graphic and pastel textiles adorn a collection of modern chairs and sofas in the downstairs sitting room. Warm-gray floorboards extend throughout the whole lower level for a fresh, modern look.

From urban-dwellers to empty-nesters, many are now embracing the movement toward smaller, more sensible living. Bosch's new line of 24" kitchen appliances is designed to help them save space without downsizing on style.

Bosch's compact kitchen line, which includes an electric and gas cooktop, wall oven, and refrigerator, as well as an 18" dishwasher, is particularly well-suited for city apartments and secondary hangouts, like basements and guesthouses.

“Every time you challenge a basic assumption, there needs to be some method of expressing the fact that there’s new logic at work.”—Omer Arbel, creative director at Bocci

PeaceBOMB Bracelets by Article 22 "A22PeaceBomb3" $38.00 for three A special product with a special story. PeaceBOMB bracelets are crafted from the reclaimed metal of Vietnam-era bombs dropped on Laos during the United States' conflict in Indochina. Developed through a social enterprise that supports sustainable development through design thinking, its collaborators include Naphia spoon makers, Helvetas’s Rural Income Through Sustainable Energy Project and ARTICLE 22. These bracelets not only represent an opportunity for artisan families to generate income, but also tell a story about their makers and the legacies of a shared history. Buy the bombs back!"

Together, Bosch's sleek 24" kitchen and laundry suites address the trend toward smaller living by extending modern, European-style design to even the closest quarters.

The W.W. Stool by Philippe Starck.

Joining the kitchen line, Bosch recently unveiled an efficient 24" laundry pair. The units can be stacked vertically, further reducing their footprint in the home.

This kitchen features a sleek Henrybuilt kitchen system in white.

On a rocky bank, Hebra Arquitectos builds a breezy home that opens wide to nature.

My favorite detail in the kitchen.

The courtyard is a secure space with a double-height window that offers seamless interior-exterior connection. “It gives a nice sense of containment and peace, while still engaging interior spaces,” says Cashman.

Steel strips form a security screen on the street side of the scullery. One can also hang pots and pans from them. A skylight filters illumination through glass block flooring to the basement below.

The kitchen is accessible from a raised courtyard across from the main living space. “The double exhaust hood looks like an old industrial gantry,” remarks Cashman. Sandblasted brick and sandstone from the original warehouse dialogue with floating white and grey cabinetry.

Rose sourced the green marble for an upcoming Park Avenue apartment from the same quarry used by Mies for the 1929 Barcelona Pavilion.

“The biggest design challenge was the facade,” says architect Mark Cashman. “It had to step back from the street and recede to give prominence to the heritage status warehouse facade.” Above the translucent bedroom level, a balcony with a herb garden steps back further. From the rooftop garden, downtown Sydney comes into full view.

Simultaneously sculptural and pragmatic, the undulating form of the W Magazine Stand’s molded plywood is both pleasing and useful. It’s compact enough for small spaces, though you may be loath to cover up the figurative grain pattern of the walnut with your magazines.

You might not think a sparsely populated world with the merest suggestion of depth would be a compelling one to live in. But the longer you look through Toronto-based My Shadowplay, the closer you'll become to a convert to Minimalism. Follow along at @my_shadowplay.

My BrooklynIn My Brooklyn, Kelly Anderson and Allison Dean address gentrification in downtown Brooklyn. Watch the trailer here:

Ineke Hans, My Storage, 2011.