Sunlight is plentiful at every level of the house.

Designed in collaboraiton with Harnisch lamps, who've been manufacturing oil lamps since 1842, the Castor Oil Lamp ($375) blends time-tested design with modern aesthetics. Its chrome-plated brass base supports a flame that seems to float in mid-air.

The courtyard offers a glimpse of nature from nearly every angle, including up.

Designed by Danish designer Christian Bjørn for Menu, the Lighthouse Oil Lamps present a visually satisfying outdoor fire option. The lamps are designed as tall, slightly flared cylindrical shapes, much like the lighthouses for which they are named. They are available in black and white finishes, in four sizes ranging from 9.6 inches to 30 inches tall.

Wearing rubber gloves, apply the oil, starting from the corner of the room farthest from the door. Apply an even layer of oil all over the floor, using a wide floor brush or paintbrush. Use a small paintbrush for edges.

Julian Schnabel, Untitled, 1995, oil and polymer resin on canvas. Bowdoin College Museum of Art, Brunswick, Maine, Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection Vogel Collection. Photography by Dennis Griggs.

Kid O's purple Floating Duck Bath Toy brings a pop of color to the bathroom; its streamlined silhouette recommends it to aesthetes of all ages.

Vignettes of contrasting colors, materials, and shapes frame every corner. A one-of-a-kind chair by Peter Shire sits in the hallway; near the sculptural staircase is a sconce for Yamagiwa and a sterling silver centerpiece for Memphis, both by Sottsass.

Duck Timer by Alessi, available for purchase at Dwell on Design 2013.

In the study, an oil painting by David Kroll, one of the artists represented by Sette's gallery hangs above a Le Corbusier daybed.

Inspired by the 1959 newspaper photos of a mother duck crossing the street with her ducklings, this wood duck is handcrafted from teak and features smooth, rounded forms and an elongated beak. A playful celebration of a heartwarming story, the duck can be used as a standalone accent or grouped with a duckling or two.

In 1974, Bertoia began work on a commission for the Standard Oil Building in Chicago. To complement Edward Durell Stone's modernist masterwork, Bertoia envisioned a collection of eleven sound sculptures stationed in a 4,000-square-foot reflecting pool at the skyscraper's foot.

The Standard Oil Sonambient sculptures are composed of rods ranging from four to 16 feet tall. At a June 2013 auction at Wright, fragments and maquettes of the sculpture sold for $12,500 to $374,500. "No other works in Bertoia's extensive oeuvre match the impressive scale of the Sonambients for the Standard Oil Commission," stated the catalog.

It took 8,000 pounds of beryllium copper and 5,000 pounds of naval brass to produce the sculpture. Responding to the environment, the sculpture is activated by Chicago's notorious winds. The plaza was redesigned in 1994 and the sculpture was reconfigured and some portions removed.

Oil bottle by Monica Porter for Montes Doggett.

Almost every element of the interior—from the kitchen cabinetry to the art on the walls—was created by Dollahite himself.

MWT Stainless Steel Oil and Vinegar Cruet Set, $68 With an easy-to-pour spout, this stainless-steel set keeps ingredients cool.

Detail of the Sink and Backsplash

The wood on the exterior has been treated with linseed oil or painted with tar. Seats built directly into the pavilion’s frame allow the family to relax and enjoy the surrounding woodlands without the need for additional furniture.

5. Chubby Carved Wood Folk Art Duck -- Shop Mascot“Pretty wild folk art carving of a duck -- we think it’s a duck, that’s our best guess. Looks like it has a bit of an astigmatism. It embodies all we love about old, hand-carved things. Reminds us of cartoons, kind of got a little de Kooning look to it, lots of things going on. It’s part of our shop, not an item for sale."

If you frequently entertain guests in your home, or love holding long leisurely dinner parties on the weekends, it’s a good idea to keep these points in mind when designing or remodeling your kitchen. Here are some tips on how to turn this functional area into a space that's fit and fun for gatherings.

The simple frame of the Stanwood residence is clad with oxidized steel finished with linseed oil and outfitted with Sierra Pacific windows and doors.

Rose stenciled her bathroom tile with a pattern from Dizzy Duck Designs on Etsy.

The troublemaking inflatable duck Porsche 911 is seen bouncing around on the telephone wires.

Artwork, books, and musical instruments live in every nook of the workshop.

Approximately 100,000 cars pass through the sculpture every hour.

Almost every window in the house was covered in a Girard-designed fabric.

Another tactic is perishable items that look good enough to display on a kitchen counter. This line of Greek olive oil fits the bill--it even won a Red Dot Design Award for packaging in 2012. FIVE Organic extra virgin olive oil, $49 each at Ultra Lavish.

The LV’s master bedroom has direct outdoor access, like every other room in the house. Bed by IKEA.

Segments [installation of 25 pieces], oil and enamel on pine, by Frederick Lynch

She Knows, by Beth Gandy, Oil on Canvas, 36x48, $3000

As Greenfab explains, “Each bedroom is equipped with a wall-mounted, thermostat controlled, convection heater that intakes the ambient air in the room, warms it up and re-diffuses it throughout the room in a silent and consistent way. By using the existing heat in the room to maintain a comfortable temperature, energy and money is saved through this heating method.”

There are balconies off nearly every room. The interior is built around a mature Chinese elm that once dominated the backyard of the front house.

Every evening, the residents climb the 32 flights of steel stairs to retreat in their “nest”.

The acclaimed Italian designers Ludovica + Roberto Palomba carved a serene retreat out of a 17th-century oil mill in Salento.

Bobbie Callahan and Ed Hayes have summered on North Haven for years; Callahan bought a house there in the late 1970s and has been back every year.