The curved blue kitchen larder has a projecting “nose” that illuminates the worktop and a mirrored eye that “winks” each time the door is opened.

The green backsplash tiles are vintage, reclaimed from another project.

The ladder-like staircase was designed as a modern, whimsical addition to an otherwise midcentury-focused design. "I use it as a drying rack,

Marble is a beautiful natural material—but one of our industry experts thought it received too much attention in 2022.

Lightroom 1.0, a photography studio, is a freestanding structure on the property. “Together, they represent an autobiography of my career,” Carpenter says.

Both the sitting and standing versions of DESK 01, a collaboration between Artifox and IdeaPaint, are outfitted with dry erase surfaces for recording sudden bursts of creativity.

Style: "#1"

"Also check the basement for radon in the winter,” she says. “Radon levels tend to be higher when it’s cold, and if you have to trench the floor, it is better to do it before you fill your basement with stuff.”

Both cabins are elevated on wooden pillars about 260 feet above sea level.

The side walls have been treated as vertical extension of the horizontal surface of the garden, and are used for growing climbers such as jasmine, grapes, honeysuckle, raspberries, beans, peas, and even a climbing fig. Colorful bird’s houses and bug hotels are also mounted on the walls.

Inspirational spaces

Since the home is something of a pied-à-terre for the clients, its design is geared more toward short-term stays than full-time living. That means spaces like the kitchen are set up for entertaining. Notice the curve on the cabinetry, counter, and backsplash, which is Calacatta Macchia Vecchia marble. All of the appliances are from Fisher & Paykel, and the wall sconce is a Gabriel Scott single Welles pendant in smoked glass and brushed brass.

A painting by Yael hangs near the Murphy bed in the make-shift guest sleeping quarters.

The D-Fin House gets its name from a loft space that projects from the main level like the skeg of a vintage surfboard. Owner Mitch Marks uses the area as an office. Steely designed the pine bookcase, and the Eames Group chair is from Herman Miller. A Haiku ceiling fan from Big Ass Fans ushers in fresh air and cool seaside breezes.

The living room is dubbed the "Ladies Who Lunch" room. Benjamin Moore’s Chippendale Rosetone covers the walls, in rich contrast to the preserved wood ceiling, and a medley of vintage furnishings fills out the space. The rug is from IKEA and the chandelier is Schoolhouse Electric.

The home features silent and cozy radiant floor heating—a very forward-thinking feature—and there is not a single heating vent or visible outlet in sight.

One of the home's bathrooms features wallpaper from Etsy retailer AwallonDesign.

The spaces are harmoniously linked by color and material palette. In the dining area, the round travertine table mirrors the paper lanterns by Isamu Noguchi suspended above, and vintage cane Cesca Chairs by Marcel Breuer completes the warm tableau.

The new addition is spanned by a sliding glass door to the kitchen, bringing in much more natural light and creating easy flow between inside and out. The owners especially appreciate how the new deck is at grade with the exterior door for a seamless transition, making the kitchen feel “a part of the garden,” says the homeowner.

The shower room and WC on the lower ground floor is accessed via the utility room, which also features counters by Smile Plastics.

The pink bench enclosure with blue upholstered cushions is a place for the family to nestle and relax. The large mint-green table in the dining area is from Artiform’s Palladio range, and the large yellow Strom jug was designed by Nicholai Wiigh Hansen for Raawii.

Anna and Jakob Busch enlist the help of loved ones to construct a spruce-wrapped tiny home for $35,000.

Top 9 Kitchens of 2020: The nominees for this year’s Dwell Design Awards are the epitome of style and function.

Lauren and Brittan Ellingson, the owners of Notice Snowboards, a custom snowboard and wakesurf company in Whitefish, Montana, approached Workaday Design and builder Mindful Designs to concoct a new lake home for their family. The brief was, perhaps unsurprisingly, focused on getting the family outdoors as much as possible.

Nothing but WOW ❤️❤️❤️

The Lofthouse is built one of the many hills separating it from the couple’s main residence. "Excavation was a challenge, as we wanted to maintain as much of the existing landscape as possible, but needed to clear out trees for the foundation," says Tarah.

The architects designed the home’s expansion with the knowledge that the owners plan to continue the renovation when their budget allows it. "We wanted to put everything in the right place so it doesn’t have to be undone later," says Corti.

Parota wood continues in the spacious kitchen. Marisa and Christopher found the blue tile that runs throughout the home on a trip to León, Mexico. "It called out to us," says Christopher. Festooned with small stars, its tone matches the color of the ocean perfectly.

Houston-based designer Barbara Hill is known for a stripped-down aesthetic that blends art-world cachet with Texas modernism. Vitra’s Slow chair sits in front of a powder-coated-steel bookcase made by Hill’s go-to fabricator, George Sacaris; it was originally built for the Houston house.

The architects embraced the modernist form of the new structure instead of cladding the extension in expensive brick to match the original Victorian’s exterior.

When architect Antonio Monserrat transformed an old 800-square-foot Brooklyn loft into his new home, he imbued his love of colorful, multifunctional design into an eye-catching renovation. Once used as a bakery in the early 20th century, the postindustrial space came with great bones—original exposed timber beams, 12-foot ceilings and large windows—that Monserrat used as a backdrop for his playful color choices, small-scale studio prototypes, and contemporary furnishings. From the emerald-green entryway with a hot-pink ceiling to the sunshine-yellow Kartell storage pieces, the Spanish architect’s loft beautifully blends creative inspiration with functionality.

At Under, a Snøhetta-designed restaurant balanced on the Norwegian coast, guests dine 16 feet below the ocean’s surface. The tilted concrete tube gives the impression that it’s sliding into the sea. “The idea was to make a tube that would bring people from above sea level down under the sea,” lead architect Rune Grasdal told Dezeen. “That transition is easy to understand, but it’s also the most effective way to do it. It also feels secure, but you don’t feel trapped.” The angle was also designed with the building’s aquatic neighbors in mind. Over time the structure will become part of its environment, acting as an artificial reef. Marine research tools like cameras have been installed outside the restaurant to help scientists learn about the population, behavior, and diversity of the species living in this part of the North Atlantic.