David Hertz shows how he used a pre-fabricated panels typically used for walk-in refrigeration buildings for the Panel House (above) and a 747 wing to build the 747 Wing House in Malibu.

Socializing is for the birds. Thanks to a clever design that absolves the need for metal hardware on the roof, your avian neighbors can perch atop their swinging modern home, the better to chirp hello.

A late-1960s spiral stair designed by an aeronautical engineer to lead passengers to the bar inside a 747. From Off the Wall Antiques.

You would be hard pressed to find an issue of Dwell without a Bertoia barstool or chair in it. Launched in 1952, the industrial-strength steel seat is a modern classic without drawing too much attention to itself. $747

AIA architect David Hertz, known for 747 Wing House, looked to the structure of a butterfly wing when designing this Venice home. The inverted roof of Silver Triangle House (or Butterfly House) captures water that collects in a sump and is used for subsurface irrigation. The roof is just one of the home's sustainable features, which, Hertz says, "are not compromises to the design; they're part of the design." Photo by Laura Doss.