Workers survey the harbor-reclamation efforts.

In an effort to conserve space, the hoodies are stacked to the ceiling.

In an effort to preserve the surrounding mature gardens, the addition did not alter the footprint of the house.

Jorge appreciates his efforts at twilight. The polycarbonate panels that partially clad the exterior of the structure provide a warm glow, adding life to Tijuana’s densely packed rolling hillsides

The neutral color palette was carried over to the interior design, a collaborative effort between Connie Wone, the senior interior designer at Swatt Miers Architects, and Elisa Chambers of Snake River Interiors.

In an effort to keep the rooms as pure and spare as possible, Atherton and Keener forewent traditional moldings in favor of a subtle reveal at the top and bottom of the wall. They sprayed the ceiling with silver Ralph Lauren metallic paint, selected to tonally match the concrete floors and reflect light deeper into the room. As a result, says Keener, “the walls feel more sculptural.”

For the Skyline Residence, Belzberg Architects made a conscious effort to build an environmentally sensitive structure without sacrificing aesthetic and budget. Along with recycling wood framing and flooring from a nearby construction site, they sourced the low e-glazing, steel, and concrete mixes from California manufacturers.

The architect opted not to wall off the kitchenette and the shower area in an effort to preserve workspace in the studio.

In an effort to create an abundance of light and air flow throughout the space, the home follows an L-shaped floor plan that wraps around outdoor areas. “We designed several open spaces, each with a different feel: the garden and pool, the terrace, and the back patio,” says Cesarman. “The idea was to reduce the area to the most basic and essential [elements].”

Clara spent most of her renovation efforts on the backyard, transforming it into her vision of an English countryside.

“The apparent simplicity of prefabricated systems hides a lot of the preparation effort to make them work,” says Gonçalves.

In an effort to produce as little waste as possible, the couple purchase dry food in bulk and keep the pantry tidy with mason jars.

In an effort to make getting dressed easy, the Perezes included a six-foot closet on the first level in the large bathroom area.

Norske Mikrohus built cabinetry and drawers below the kitchen counters, omitting upper cabinetry in an effort to create spaciousness for the interior.

The kitchen features appliances by Dacor, countertops by Corian, and stools by Fyrn. The designers chose an electric range as part of their efforts not to use fossil fuel. The faucets are by CEA Design.

In an effort to maximize space, the architects skipped bulky walls, instead utilizing curtains on curved tracks that allow the residents to manipulate the interiors on a whim.

Peled advised his clients that, "The main effort for the budget needs to be that change of the layout to open all the crucial spaces in the apartment to that beautiful view."

Meticulous efforts to keep columns light and steel connections concealed between posts and beams

“The details in some of the woodwork gets into the realm of cabinetmaking—which, in retrospect, might have been taking things a bit far, but it was well worth the effort,” Jack says.

In an effort to blend into the wooded environment the home is clad in reclaimed cedar siding which has been fire treated to meet with local building codes.

After Mike and Lauren's efforts, the house looks almost unrecognizable. Note the cutouts in the floor of the loft above that provide air circulation to the entire home, and how the once-exposed truss is now hidden.

In an effort to keep costs within budget without sacrificing looks, the fully gutted and renovated kitchen features IKEA cabinetry framework with shaker-style fronts by Semihandmade. The cabinets were painted Farrow & Ball Pigeon.

Massive sliding glass doors frame views of the millpond and champion indoor/outdoor living. The bespoke lighting fixtures were a collaborative effort between DED and Tyson Studio. The sofa is from Habitat.

Hand-painted stripes are another way to add a decorative layer to an interior space. 2LG Studio recommends choosing a contrasting color for the stripes to create maximum impact with minimum effort.

A small “peep” window in the living area looks down on the garage. “I just thought it would be amazing if we could see the garage, because we put so much effort there,” says Maceda.

The kitchen cabinets are from Multiform's Form-1 line, which was designed by Carsten Michelsen in 1982. Per the company's website, Form-1 was Michelsen's effort to "elevate the Scandinavian kitchen to the level of the Danish furniture classics of the 1950s."

A City Farm worker sows the seeds of Ken Dunn's efforts. The proposed Mobile City Farmstead would allow the farms to adjust to their city's evolving economic and social landscapes with ease.

In Auburn, Alabama, architect David Hill purchased a historic brick building that had served as a Baptist church, pool hall, and barbershop. When renovating the space's interior, Hill made an effort to retain its large, open spaces, and carefully restored the original metal ceiling tiles.

Through the efforts of L.A. interior designer Tracy Beckmann and her partner, furniture designer Ryan Trowbridge, you can experience the glamorous Lautner spell that has entranced Hollywood at The Lautner—the only existing John Lautner building that you can actually spend the night in.

Fiedler Marciano Architecture custom-designed the kitchen to complement the rest of the space, including the custom frames around the cabinets. "That kind of detail—that craft and kind of effort couldn’t happen without the best subcontractors we were fortunate to work with," says architect Martin Marciano.

MINI LIVING always makes an effort to work together with local designers on their projects and the bright yellow metal spikes on the exterior were created by the MINI LIVING design team’s NYC-based collaborators Bureau V— injecting an element of surprise into the design.

In an effort to create a more open floor plan, a portion of the wall between the kitchen, family area, and dining room was removed. Part of the dining room wall was also replaced with a huge window that not only makes a statement, but also gives the family a stunning view of the backyard area. Photo by Mariko Reed.

The entire project hinges on the seamless functioning of the large, movable elements, an integral design feature that was not without complications. When initially fabricated, the movable walls were rigid and heavy, requiring too much effort to move. The team had to re-engineer a harder wheel, which would not absorb as much friction from the floor.

The installation provided a design worthy outlet that connected users to Hyundai's social network and the Hyundai brand. Dwell visited with architect Christopher Deam to discuss the conceptualization and design process behind the collaborative effort.

In an effort to unify the hotel with the wild landscape, the roofs are carpeted with two-foot-tall wild grass, the same grass that covers the surrounding area. This also helps with insulation and energy-efficiency. One of the corridors that connect the buildings is left uncovered. This leads to a separate complex with a heated indoor pool, Finnish sauna, and outdoor Jacuzzi.

“Our process is such that once the client has the trailer, we spend a great deal of effort to design the airstream in a 3-D CAD program so that we know exactly what we are building, and the client can visualize the space prior to build,” Stover says. “This often allows us to makes changes to the design to refine it further prior to build, in order to better meet the client’s needs and desires.”