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.

“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!"

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.

Walsh and Strongin's living room strikes a more rustic note.

Inspirational spaces

The master bedroom in Holden Shannon’s unit in Houston’s Row on 25th development features a Nook bed from Blu Dot, a pair of Base table lights by Tom Dixon, and a painting by artist Elva Stewart.

The dresser at the other end of the bedroom is by Paul Frankl; the plywood lounge chair is by Ib Kofod-Larsen; and the huge cork-based floor lamp is from Reeves Antiques.

A pair of mid-century perches by Kofod-Larsen sit beneath a print by Andy Warhol in an upstairs bedroom.

This kitchen features a sleek Henrybuilt kitchen system in white.

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

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.

Cabin at Longbranch | Olson Kundig

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.

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

An illustration of 25 New Yorkers by Maria (Walnut) Nogueira.

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.

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.

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