A new office sits at the front of the house, and its moody walls and bookshelves contrast the other rooms' mostly light and neutral palette.

Chickens foraging in an enclosed garden with vertical planters.

Completed in May 2018, the Crossfield Street House is the residence of architect Jonathan Pile, his wife Katherine, and their five-year-old son.

In this updated 1950s Portland home, a light gray Neo sofa by Bensen harmonizes with warm wooden walls, ceilings, and floors, as well as a red-and-mustard-yellow vintage rug.

The box-shaped extension plays off the familiar farmhouse typology, creating a series of intriguing contrasts.

A painting by Ginger’s grandmother hangs above a midcentury dining set Ginger found on Craigslist.

A modular shelf system by Alu provides a more sculptural take on the classic bathroom vanity in this Toronto home.

Linda Taalman and Alan Koch, of Taalman Koch Architects, completed work on their glass iT House, a lovely, minimal home that tests the limits of living lightly on the land in the desert near Joshua Tree National Park. The bath and basin in the bathroom are by Duravit, and the orange wall is by Three Form.

Detail of the kitchen

Illustration via drawastickman.com.

Illustration Play 2 goes on sale September 6. For more information, visit victionary.com or gingkopress.com.

Inspirational spaces

One of the witticisms found on livethesheendream.com.

Stereo — Harju 6, stereolounge.ee

A look at the small reading nook located on the level between the bedroom and ground floor.

During the worst of the recession, companies looked to DIY and low-cost creativity to innovate. One company to jump aboard the creative revamp bandwagon is the notoriously cheap Motel 6 chain. The pillar of downmarket roadside accommodations, Motel 6 is reskinning their shabby (and not chic) interiors to give them a touch of modern minimalism and an air of modest luxury. Check out the changes here.

The leftmost cabinet above the Duravit bathtub (equipped with KWC fixtures) occupies the space where a doorway once lead into the living room, creating unnecessary traffic from the home’s public spaces through to the master bedroom.The new bathroom features a minimal palette of white and teak. “It’s able to hold up on boat decks so is good for a bathroom,” Klug says. It also makes the heated floor that much nicer to walk on in the morning. Photo by Eric Roth

The 510 Cabin is one of Leggitt's designs, executed with the help of student apprentices.

This sleeping area includes a bookshelf and sconce.

Parked for lunch were Torchy's Tacos, Man Bites Dog, and Holy Cacao.

Ulysses word cloud poster from beautifulwordsbeautifulart.com.

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.

Botanical Carden by Postcarden

Bag by Chester Wallace.

Photo by Ty Cole.

The Magnolia Handbag by Alchemy.

Annemie Lathouwers grew up in a forested enclave on the outskirts of Antwerp, Belgium. A nature preserve filled with stately pines, the area lured her back when she and her husband, David D’Hulst, began thinking about trading their house in the city for greener surroundings.

Elfa by the Container Store / containerstore.com

In the open-plan living area, one of the highlights is the natural light-filled kitchen from Italian manufacturer Armony.

The kitchen countertops are soapstone and the faucet is by Axor.

The end of the Parkmobiles bear the names of their creators and partners: CMG Landscape Architecture, Recology, and Gardners' Guild, Inc.

Anchoring a corner of the Design Lab floor was the trifecta of David Mast, Kendall Wilkinson, and Black Mountain Construction, who team up on design projects to create a seamless design-build experience for their clients. Here's Mast (center) discussing his "zen, less-is-more" design philosophy with two attendees.

Designed by a little-known architect in 1949, the now streamlined home honors its original bones.