Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.

The owners toured this home, which surrounds a mature tipu tipu tree, while visiting relatives for the day. The brick is original to the 1947 construction.

Sliding doors by Quantum were made to look like the original panes that couldn't be saved, and they lead to a fire pit outside.

The Kelleys furnished the cottage with help from Suzanne’s daughter Betsy Burbank of Betsy Burbank Interiors. Classic modernist icons, such as a Saarinen Womb chair for Knoll, a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, and an Eileen Grey E1027 side table look at home alongside present-day pieces such as an Encore sofa (which handily folds down into a sleeping surface) from Room & Board and a Doka rug designed and produced by Stephanie Odegard. The Wohlert pendant lights from Louis Poulsen were designed by Vilhelm Wohlert in 1959, but grouped as such, they appear distinctly contemporary.

Purple thistles, California poppies, clover, and dandelions have all taken root in the roughly 10-inch-deep, lightweight humus and grape-husk soil in this 580-square-foot green roof. Designer Peter Liang says that he "wanted to plant a green roof for its thermal mass, but I wanted it to be as natural as possible."

Haines House by Christopher Polly in Newtown, Australia

“A building can have far greater impact than the space it stands in.”—William Carpenter, architect and resident

aesarstone counters in the kitchen, which best highlights the homes mix of light and wood. White conversion varnish was used on the sink side of the island for durability, with wood on the side of entertainment.

Architect Ryan Leidner reimagined this 2,500-square-foot home in San Francisco.

New zoning allowed for a zero-lot-line structure, but required a public storefront, which Carpenter uses as an art gallery.

The slim, steel staircase is designed to allow maximum light and sight-lines.

At the top of the stairwell, a sitting area is outfitted with a vintage Eames lounge, a large Jack Goldstein painting, and a 1970s light fixture found by Marcovitz in Paris.

The view!

The flooring is terrazzo. Vanbesian designed custom ash-wood cabinetry for storage throughout the home.

The kitchen features a concrete island topped with marble. Deja-Vu stools by Naoto Fukasawa surround the island. A print by Guy Gormley, as well as a painting bought during holiday in St. Tropez, hang on the walls.

For the interior of the Stanwood residence, Logan returned to his minimalist palette of color and materials. The Stanwoods took particular zeal in furnishing the living area with a number of pieces from Limn in San Francisco, including a pair of B&B Italia chairs and a custom rug from Ligne Roset.

This spacious kitchen was designed for simplicity and functionality. Black and white kitchens that incorporate elements of gray tend to have a softer look. Seen here, gray accents, like the pendant lights and backsplash color, abound. Says the architect, "The design of the interior achieves a softer touch by using bespoke detailing and a rich palette of materials such as stone and timber."

In the top floor study area, a pair of Copenhague Desks by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec for HAY are stationed below a Sax hanging light by Vertigo Bird.

Take a look at some of the most exciting, sustainable buildings around the world, and you may notice something they have in common: green roofs, or rooftops covered with a thin layer of soil to allow for grasses and other low-lying plants to grow.

New Depths Inspired by a local winery, George Kyprianou wanted a glass top on his subterranean wine cellar. The interior is lit, casting soft light into the living space at night and revealing the 132-year-old stone foundation. The three-quarter-inch glass lid sits flush with the floorboards; it opens with an ingenious device that Kyprianou devised using a 12-volt air compressor and a remote-controlled switch. When you push the button, the glass lifts just enough to be removed by hand.

In the office are Metropolitan chairs by Jeffrey Bernett for B&B Italia. Most artwork hung throughout the house comes from Sette’s art gallery.

Light Box Peter created a simple uplight at the top of the wood box by wiring together energy-efficient fluorescent fixtures typically used under cabinets and countertops. “The cheaper magnetic models hum unacceptably loudly, so make sure you get the electronic ballast types,” he warns. He then painted the cavity white to reflect light and covered them with quarter-inch-thick acrylic from TAP Plastics. homedepot.com tapplastics.com

The view of Kapiti Island is fully revealed from the tower.

See Arch restored the exterior fireplace wall and painted it a deep blue hue to match the repainted blue timber cladding.

The juxtaposition of black and white is perhaps the most notable detail of the home’s interiors. In the guest bathroom, black and white tiles provide visual interest.

Remo Kommnick and Emi Moore wanted a minimalist home that could blend with its site in rural Virginia. “We had to keep things really simple,” says architect Patrick Farley. The cabin is clad in stained western red cedar, and its form is inspired by shelters on the nearby Appalachian Trail.

Designed by Michael Kendrick Architects, the 503-square-foot prefab cabin hovers above the forest floor to reduce its impact on the nationally protected woodland.

The top container contains Wardell's office—and a "napping nook" above that.