Aaron and Yuka Ruell transformed a Portland ranch house into a retro-inspired family home with plenty of spaces—like the trellised porch—for their four children to roam.

An early GROW prototype.

InFarm Microgreen Growing Kit Currently raising funds on indiegogo, InFarm is offering this unfoldable, plastic growing kit with seeds for rucola, mustard, and radish as a reward for funding its campaign for indoor gardening. Photo provided by InFarm

Madrone Longboard by Grow Anthology “A bicoastal duo from Minneapolis and Seattle make this out of post-consumer compacted waste. It’s sort of the wildcard piece. We’re certainly not their busiest market, I just love the smart design.”

Captain Smith hand-printed wallpaper in Promenade by Grow House Grow ($5 for one sample) text “GHGcaptain” to 767825 (portal) "Based in Brooklyn, Katie Deedy of Grow House Grow creates narrative inspired hand-printed wallpapers that are uber paste-worthy. Sold both by the roll and by the sheet, they look great framed, papered on an accent wall or hung across an entire room. Each pattern has a story, which makes these wallpapers a unique conversation piece. Thinking of updating your decor? Order a sample of Captain Smith (created for the first and last captain of the RMS Titanic) in our favorite colorway, “Promenade”." photo by Jacob Krupnick

Wakeland goes to work on the garden terraces where the couple grows much of their own food.

Imagine growing architecture just like plants.

Grow Bottles are repurposed wine bottles used to grow basil, chives, mint, oregano, and parsley using hydroponics.

Architect Ken Meffan's ten-years-in-the-making home is located in the tiny Northern California town of Rough and Ready—a term that might as aptly refer to the house itself. Though all the on-site plants are mundane home-center varieties, they grow to uncanny heights in the moist, sunny environment.

Click and Grow Back-to-the-land types may decry the Click and Grow, a sleek Scandinavian-designed assemblage of microchips and NASA-inspired Smart Soil that can help grow plants and herbs indoors all year round. That’s OK, though; when you’re enjoying fresh basil or berries in the middle of the winter, they can go outside and try to forage some root vegetables. Photo by Andres Keil

Self Growing Lab: Diaz Paunetto Arquitectos (San Juan) The other first-place prize went to an amorphous concept by Puerto Rican firm Diaz Paunetto Arquitectos. Built of a genetically manipulated bacteria laid on a structural frame, the concept could theoretically be manipulated and even expand on its own to meet the facility's shifting needs over time.

According to the firm, the lab structure is conditioned to adapt to its environment, so it can be installed outdoors as well.

A detail of Ms. Treat in Teaberry, a wall covering design inspired by naturalist Mary Treat (1830-1923) by Grow House Grow.

The Grow Bottles contain everything you need to grow a wine-bottle-size garden: pot, clay pebbles, seeds, and more.

Helen Rice watering the garden outside of her Charleston residence.

The landscaping appears to be based on the mullet principle: business in the front, as seen here (manicured grid lawn, with native vegetation sprouting in careful symmetry), party in the back (sunflowers and wild mountain grass growing in harmonious chaos).

The houses are set on a three-acre plot of fertile volcanic land, ideal for growing fruit and vegetables.

Grasses and moss grow in plush mats over volcanic rock on the edges of the city.

Lucky Diaz spent three and a half months on this project, working all hours to get it done. “It was worth it,” he says. “To have Ella grow up in an original space is a gift that is beyond measure.”

A prime example of simple sustainable design, this custom rolling Growlarium table is designed to trap heat with the water, soil and plants it holds. The table can be rolled outside at night in order to have the heat released to the ambient air.

Corn, broccoli and artichokes are just some of the crops Begley grows in his backyard.

Nestled into a grassy hillside, the cabins overlook ponds and oak, birch, and linden trees that grow on the property.

Tall indigenous wetland grasses grow fecund, right up to the border of the saltwater swimming pool.

The couple enjoy growing veggies in an on-site greenhouse, and tending to their flock of chickens.

Custom millwork units are strategically located in every space—including hallways—to provide ample storage for the growing family.

Blankespoor grows a variety of botanical remedies indoors, including aloe vera.

Encourage your imaginative niece, nephew, neighbor, sibling, or child to grow their creativity and curiosity with these fun-filled gifts.

A tree grows through the center of the cabin, which is elevated 26 feet in the air and supported by thin metal pillars.

“During summer there is so much greenery, and it grows and changes every day. It’s very different in the autumn and winter—even the acoustics are different,

The cabin structure and arches are made of locally sourced poplar plywood. The design team selected this material because of its fast-growing characteristics and wide availability in the Netherlands. "Because they grow fast, there is a lot of water in the tree," add the architects. "During drying, this water is replaced by air—that’s why this wood insulates, and therefore feels warm and pleasant (it is the same wood type used for making clogs). The wood does not splinter, and it is non-toxic."

A desk was built around the Custard Apple tree, and a strip of open roof allows the canopy to grow through it. The door opens to the front yard.

Norske Mikrohus tells us that demand is growing for their four turnkey tiny home models—but the company cautions against high international shipping costs.

The Skinny coffee table (perfect for unauthorized doggy dining) by Prospero Rasulo for Zanotta is also a display board for Jeanette’s growing collection of Stig Lindberg and Bjorn Wiinblad ceramics.

Madison points out that the pod concept would make it easy to add an extension if necessary. “We see it as a house that can grow with us—and that we can pay for as we go along.”

A large, circular opening with sliding glass doors leads to the curved terrace on the front of each structure. For one of the terraces, the architects designed a cutout to accommodate a mature tree that continues to grow through the platform.

A Robinia tree moved from another part of the site grows in this pocket courtyard and thermal chimney in the heart of the house.