Black and white kitchen cabinets painted with a triangular pattern add a whimsical touch to this funky kitchen.

A salvaged 19th-century soaking tub wrapped in stainless steel is topped by Hudson Reed faucets.

This 19th-century New York factory houses the apartment of Brandon and Amy Phillips as well as the workshop for their company, Miles & May Furniture Works.

A Seattle family tasked Atmosphere Design Build with creating a sustainable dwelling in Nevada City, California, the matriarch's hometown and a historic mining community. The firm's material-driven approach channels the pioneer spirit of the gold rush, without compromising comfort or high-efficiency standards.

Measuring only 180 square feet, this exquisite, off-grid tiny home features a big sense of style.

Keeping the original mottled, worn-brick walls and outfitting the kitchen with their own custom cabinetry were among this couple’s cost-saving measures.

The bathroom evokes the building’s industrial bones. The pendant light is from Ikea, and the towel racks are repurposed train car luggage racks. The Carrara tiles are mismatched seconds. “It works if you let yourself not try to fix it,” says Brandon.

Simpatico Homes founder Seth Krubiner has lived in the prefab company’s nearly net-zero prototype since it was customized and lifted onsite in 2011.

Components for low-cost prefab homes designed by Habitat for Humanity and the firm Minarc for South Central Los Angeles were trucked in and assembled over three days. Photos by Art Gray.

Rice surfs the net at the built-in desk.

The home office of 19th St. Residence by Ehrlich Yanai Rhee Chaney Architects peeks into the lush side yard.

We snapped a shot just as workers poured the copper-brass alloy over a Bocci 19 series mold, click through the slideshow to see the rest of the process.

Most impressive of all, a solar array on the roof empowers the residents to produce more energy than they consume on-site.

Lyng Hansen steamed and framed remnants of 19th-century wallpaper found during the renovation.

Farnley Hey’s heart is a large, double-height living area, dubbed "the dance floor

A view of the installation at the House for Contemporary Art in Belgium.

Numen's Net, occupied by gallery attendees.

This award-winning home by New York–based West Chin Architects is situated on a narrow corner lot in a Long Island neighborhood. The cedar-clad residence features a garage-style glass door that opens to welcome the salty sea breeze from the neighboring beach.

For our In the Modern World section, we shared a process shot of a Bocci 19 series. Here is a finished product of a Bocci 19 series bowl. Photo by Gwenael Lewis.

At a net-zero home in San Francisco, the house's green roof is more of a brown roof: a desert-like array of native and non-native succulents that require minimal irrigation. The soil area is maintained with motorcycle tires (including one from a Harley hog), which control erosion. Composting takes place here as well.

Metal shingles cut from scraps of sheet metal mix with new material as well as odds and ends, such as a road sign Baker bought at the Alameda Flea market. Baker designed stainless steel clips that allow any tile to be easily moved or replaced without the use of tools. Planter box panels add functionality to the facade and can be swapped out or relocated throughout the year.

The board-formed concrete retaining wall holds firewood and is also a bench. Beyond, the garden lounge backs up against the studio and a retaining wall. “It’s a study in how little you can do to define a space,” Thomas says.

Nicolas Grospierre, Hydroklinika, 2004, D-Print on Wood, 19 3/4" x 19 3/4"

The result is a “frozen lava texture, which contrasts with the inside of the bowl that we polish to an almost mirror finish,” says Arbel. “This is the first series of objects that has very little function. Mostly they exist for some sort of emotional response.”

Activities diagram

reading corner - living room

Rather than a one-off custom piece, Baker designed the daybed as a prototype and worked with Ohio Design on its fabrication.

The Catch lamp is based on a butterfly net.

“These are homes that are truly sustainable—they don’t create any waste in fabrication, and there’s no waste onsite.” —Tryggvi Thorsteinsson, Minarc. Photos by Art Gray.

“There’s no drilling or chopping,” says Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir, cofounder of Minarc. “It’s a very elegant way to build.” Photos by Art Gray.

The patio below the custom pergola is laid in a herringbone pattern with Techo-Bloc Borealis pavers and transitions to Blue Grande Slab laid in a running bond pattern for the uncovered patio

The lower ceiling of the breezeway giving way to the voluminous vaulted ceiling and expansive views

Summa 19 calculator designed in 1970 by Ettore Sottsass for Olivetti.

NET was founded by renowned architect Alejandro Sticotti in 1990. The firm prefers to use South American hardwoods that, in addition to being durable, anchor their products in their Argentine origins. For instance, the Silla ska chair (seen here) is made from lenga, a patagonian wood that resembles American cherry. The satin black floor lamp is also from NET.