Architect: YAMAMAR Design, Location: San Francisco, California

Tasked with creating a multi-use guest pavilion on a relatively small Northern California vineyard lot that could also host sit down dinners for up to 60 people, designers at Anderson Architects started by asking the key questions: “Where should it be within the property?” “How much floor area do we need for a 60 person dinner?” “How much volume do we need for a basketball court?” “We also always tell ourselves to look at the landscape first, let it dominate and lead it through. The building took the form of a large Napa Valley barn.

Cabin at Longbranch | Olson Kundig

Every space, including the living and dining sections seen here, has “furniture, objects and artworks that bring us memories,” says Smud. The bench, coffee tables, and dining table are by the late Alejandro Sticotti.

With a minimal and understated look, this floating staircase and landing design evokes a less-is-more philosophy and architectural style. Architect Carlo Gaspari converted a former knife-making workshop in Abruzzo, Italy, into a sophisticated residential property. The design pays homage to the home’s name—Casa del Ferro (the Iron House)—by using iron within the interior design, such as the staircase.

The surrounding green landscape transitions into the interiors

Noise-canceling headphones work by producing sound waves that are 180 degrees out of phase with ambient sound waves, like those coming from airplane engines or air conditioners. Basically, the sounds meet and cancel each other out to produce silence, so only the music can be heard.

The newest version is the QuietComfort 25. They’re a mix of the brand's classic aesthetic and new technology. Hardware updates to the preceding QC 15 including noise regulation that Bose says reduces the “hiss” sometimes associated with noise-canceling headphones.

The legend behind the headphones' creation is that founder Amar Bose was dissatisfied with the airline-issue headphones provided on a flight he took in 1978. However apocryphal, he is said to have written down calculations before landing, and those plans led to the first noise-canceling headphones that came out years later.

The Bose QC 25s are “over-ear” headphones, which mean they entirely surround the ear with padding to block out as much noise as possible. Some people find them cumbersome when worn for extended periods, but the padding on the top band keeps them from feeling heavy.

The interior of 25 Lusk, designed by Cass Calder Smith.

It’s been over 20 years since Bose invented noise-cancelling headphones, and in that time they’ve updated their lineup’s aesthetics and hardware, including adding an in-ear model. Despite imitation by dozens of other manufacturers, usually for cheaper, Bose’s headphones remain the best at blocking out white noise like airplane engines or air conditioners, so you can enjoy music or a movie.

This 2'5" by 3'3" rug is an improvised interpretation of crazy quilt designs.

Managing 25 bundles of rope per bay. Photo by Clifford Ho.

The only downside to the Bose lineup is that in a realm of extraordinary machines, the Bose’s sound isn’t as magnificent as that produced by other models like the PSB M4U 2, or the wireless Parrot Zik. Cheaper models like those from Audio-Technica can be over $100 cheaper than the Bose, but none of them come close to the original brand’s ability to filter out unwanted noise.

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

Bias Block : Walnut This handmade walnut block is not only rich and beautiful but practical for catching juices when carving the holiday bird or roast.

Located 328 feet from the mainland and 2.5 hours from Stockholm, Gåsharsskäret and its five buildings provide the bones for an ideal weekend getaway with family and friends.

Primo shelving system.

There are eight shirts in all, and at $25 are certainly a bargain. Here are three by McGee, Snows and Johanson.

The sunken living room is just one of many grade changes inside the structure. “We were adamant that we didn’t want something domestic,” says Andrew. “We wanted something surprising, that was hyper-animated, and that, when you moved through it, changed all the time.” The sofa, designed by the couple and Levenbetts, is upholstered in cotton velvet. The Habibi side tables are by Philipp Mainzer for e15, the fireplace tools by Fort Standard, and the doors by Fleetwood.

The 260-square-foot Hytte module features tall ceilings of up to nearly 12 feet. Multiple windows fill the interior with natural light and frame views of the outdoors.

Stepstone's narrow concrete pavers add a graphic touch to the garden.

When designer Hilton Carter furnished the industrial-style Baltimore apartment and work studio he shares with his wife Fiona, their dog Charlie and two cats Zoe and Isabella, he created a wondrous indoor woodland that offers all the benefits of being outdoors without leaving home.

The colors used in the interior were inspired by the surrounding landscape. The kitchen island is clad in solid timber fluting crafted from durable plantation-grown iroko with with a granite top. “The green-blue-brown color of the granite benchtops very much reminded me of the colors of the water in the nearby harbor of Tutakaka,” says architect Belinda George.

A 25-foot custom bifold door made of corrugated plastic and twin-wall polycarbonate encloses an artist’s studio designed by Marc Frohn of FAR frohn&rojas.

A custom sofa was installed on the far side of the bathroom for even more space to relax.

“I wanted to bring in a little bit of apricot to nod to the name of the studio,” says Troup of the $25 USD orange velvet curtain he hung as a space divider.

"A well-performing house extension facing south on a small inner-city block built in rammed earth is not easy to achieve," said Welsch. "However, in this challenge was our opportunity: We decided that our extension will curl around to capture the sun, creating a communal courtyard and allowing the occupants to look at their own house rather than a paling fence."

Double doors connect the outside to a main living space in this “garden cottage” ADU.