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 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.

Linen Place Mat From festive gatherings to everyday breakfasts, the Linen Placemat adds warmth and style to any meal. Made from durable and machine washable 100% linen, the Linen Placemat from Fog Linen Work will become softer with each use making it ideally suited for everyday dining rituals and special occasions.

“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!"

The tatami room (pictured) has mats from the Futon Company and a “Hinamatsuri” mobile adds a cheery touch.

Inspirational spaces

The Guiuan National High School, illustrated as mass shelter during a natural disaster. Says To: "The challenge was, 'How can we create a school that is inviting and resilient at the same time without looking like a bunker that would always remind people of the next possible typhoon hitting land?'"

These colorful t-shirt mats are woven in Brooklyn by artist Joegeda from around 40 vintage pullovers each for a 2.5' x 3.5' rug—ideal for kitchens and baths. ($130)

Part of a 1,000-square-foot space the brothers designed for their parents, the master bath features a Whittington Marlon bathtub from Signature Hardware.

MAT-TER chose bamboo as the primary building material, "in order to keep the carbon footprint as low as possible throughout all stages of the building's lifespan," says To. The bamboo and interior modular units resist the effects of climate change and are flexible to local repair should a disaster incur damage. These interior units support each other and the main flooring system and are also elevated aboveground on a grid of concrete pilotis "to allow wind to pass underneath and protect flooding."

This kitchen features a sleek Henrybuilt kitchen system in white.

Shown in Citron, Chilewich's utility mats are just what the kitchen ordered: vibrant, easy-to-clean, made in the USA, and mildew resistant. $75 from chilewich.com.

Fog Linen Massage Bath Mat

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

"We wanted to create an open and inviting space that speaks of the local culture and provides an inspiring learning environment for children and local communities," To says.

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.

Part of a longstanding modernist tradition of visual trickery, the coir coconut fiber Cuboid Door Mat's geometric shape and shading give the illusion of a three dimensional object.

Swedish producer Källemo’s furniture collection has always been an eclectic mix of strong designs with an artistic twist. The brand’s popular National Geographic cabinet—designed by Mats Theselius to store his beloved magazines—has been in production since 1991, and the 25th anniversary is celebrated with a limited edition clad in linen printed with foliage. Theselius has also added a base in patinated brass with two drawers for maps.

Track and spotlights are fixtures that are attached to a track that is mounted to the ceiling or hung off the ceiling, depending on the fixture.

Bend Basket in Copper, designed by Gaurav Nanda for Bend, $320 at the Dwell Store Handcrafted in galvanized iron, then hot-dipped and powder-coated, this geometric bowl is rust-resistant, making it equally useful in the kitchen, bathroom, or office. It also comes in neon red, yellow, or white.

Case Study House No. 22., The Stahl House

Kele Dobrinski and Christina Valencia, of Sacramento, California-based Colossus Mfg., revamped a 2008 Starstream Starcraft camper that allows their family of five to comfortably explore nature in different landscapes for weeks at a time.

A simple kitchen includes a traditional wood stove, but much of the cooking is done outside, on the outdoor wood-fired grill.

The Mini Basketweave utilizes two yarns over two, instead of the traditional four over four found in the signature Basketweave. The result is a subtler, quieter texture and pleasingly uniform surface. Made from durable woven textile and flexible commercial-grade backing, the Mini Basketweave Woven Floor Mat is perfect for everyday use in the home or outdoors.

The Skinny Stripe mat blends slim bands of color for an alluring pattern that gives a sense of movement from a distance. Made from extruded yarns, the mat features a tufted texture that adds visual interest. A strong vinyl backing makes the mat an excellent choice for high traffic areas. The Bend Lucy Chair, pictured, is also available at the Dwell Store.

The Shag Even Stripe mats are available in three sizes.

"Typhoon winds are unpredictable and can change direction anytime, as it was in the case of Haiyan. Realizing this affected our design decision to give our building its curved form that is aerodynamic in all directions," says designer Christin To. "Both the aerodynamic form of the roof and the internal organization of the spaces were derived from the concept of resilient geometries found in nature, such as the morphogenesis of biological cell structures and self-organizing patterns of atoms."