HAY's About a Chair is available from sondotter.com for $398.

Front view of the FlatPak House in Minneapolis, Minnesota. When the architect first told his wife about his idea, she said, “It’s about time you focus on a house for me!” He continues, “It’s like the old story about the cobbler whose kids have no shoes.”

Dwell talked to Natasha Case about the first Coolhaus cookbook in April. Photo courtesy of Coolhaus.

Holly Hotchner's selection of books that symbolize the spirit of New York City.

Stevens’s office is inside a refrigerated shipping container, which he bought used for about $1,300.

Clayden is perfectly happy enjoying the subtropical sun on the balcony, though his much-beloved cat Ginger appears far more enthusiastic about lolling on the patio.

Many of the culinary craft projects are an extension of Ben’s work as an artist and dealer of antiquarian books about food and wine.

Becca was uneasy about a network of slats over the windows in the living room, but she came to love the mediated views they provide.

Architect Craig Steely designed this house for himself, his wife Cathy Liu, a painter, and their son, Zane, that looks out to the Pacific Ocean from a lava flow on the big island of Hawaii.

The long, narrow space is about a 2,000-square-foot renovation in Lafayette, Louisiana.

The home was built in only about five months using a hybrid system.

A tree root wrapped in mud, burlap and plastic is about to be encased in concrete.

Fold one end of the strap under about 1/3 of an inch, then slip the other end in about the same amount. Pin the two together and sew along the seam.

A mixed-media nightstand by Paul Kopkau has a surrealist look about it.

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The architects took about eight months to design the treehouse. Construction of the inhabitable sculpture, with its studio and lounge, took another 18 months.

“Good architecture is always about the site, never about style,” says Dieter Van Everbroeck, who used a 300-year-old beech tree as a starting point for his design.

A detail of one of Jongstra’s “hides” distributed by the textile manufacturer Maharam. Each hide measures about 4¼ feet by 8½ feet, retails for about $4,000, and is produced in the Spannum workshop.

Even the reading light was worth writing home about—and of course fit the color palette.

Meret Aebersold waxes lyrical about one of his favorite cities, Zurich, Switzerland.

Sew along the rough edge about a quarter of an inch in, from end to end.

Interiors like that of V2K Akmerkez keep Autoban thinking about architectural space.

"Grupo Habita is instrumental in bringing a minimalist/austere aesthetic to Mexico," the owners explain. "Luxury is about experiences, unique and unrepeatable." Endemico is about getting in touch with the surrounding nature and involving oneself with local artisanal and cultural activities. Thus, each cabin is furnished minimally with simple yet sleek furnishings, featuring a king size bed, wireless Internet, and a private terrace overlooking the valley.

Matthew sets about finishing his latest knitting project while lounging on furniture of his dad’s design. A sound system and lighting by Halo are recessed into the ceiling.

Past the computer nook is this curved wall of pamphlets, books, and literature about cancer, coping, and surviving.

Graphic designer Joana Niemayer gives us the dirt on what she loves about London.

Part of the goal of the take-out window is to get people talking about political and social issues.

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Originally constructed in 1970, the Wilson residence was updated by the architect couple in 2004. They expanded the home by about a third, but the original design of the rear elevation (seen here at dusk) was largely maintained.

LeMae and Vigil extended their environmentalist leanings outdoors. “In landscaping, we thought a lot about low-water and native plants,” LeMae explains. “The lawn we selected needs 50 percent less water than a normal Kentucky bluegrass lawn.”

In Kansas City, Missouri, a family sought to construct a new home using prefabricated structural insulated panels (SIPS) instead of traditional frame construction. The entire kit house is composed of 4' x 8' sections, and the shell was constructed in about a week. The project’s relatively low cost, quick build time, and highly insulated envelope were positives, but the panels also have their limitations. “Most SIP projects look pretty stupid,” Jamie says. “They haven’t been manipulated by someone who’s thinking creatively.” In this case, Jamie augmented the simple panel system with a dynamic cantilever.

"There was excitement about the site and the possibilities—that excitement was infectious,

The front garden needs some work. We're thinking about hummingbird and butterfly-attracting plants.

Once the bags are finished many of the make their way over to the F-Shop about a quarter mile away.

Often the couch doubles as a parkour course—which we also don’t have to worry about.