The horizontal layout of the home allows for easy movement throughout the interior, while the line of the continuous roof seems to extend into the trees. Enlarging the opening of the home allowed for impressive views of the river and surrounding area.

Metals broker S. J. Sherbanuk (left) and designer James Campbell (right) created a new home in Collingwood, Ontario, with old scrap. "Repurpose, refurbish, recycle" was the guiding principle for the project. The modern, metal fireplace becomes a sculptural feature of an outdoor deck.

Through their blog, Vimeo, Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook feeds, the editors at Cool Hunting create mini-documentaries and daily updates that highlight well-designed and innovative movements in design, technology, travel, food, and style.

Designed in collaboraiton with Harnisch lamps, who've been manufacturing oil lamps since 1842, the Castor Oil Lamp ($375) blends time-tested design with modern aesthetics. Its chrome-plated brass base supports a flame that seems to float in mid-air.

Karystios also designed the branding for the space. The logo uses mathematical symbols to create a face.

The great room's high, pitched roof and neutral walls give the space an open, tranquil feel, making it a desirable spot for the couple to pursue two of their passions: classical music and literature.

Privacy can often be an issue when living in such close proximity with your neighbors. Each of the units include their own private entrance and there are no shared walkways. Whether the unit has a deck or patio, all the units are separated by a wood wall to ensure privacy.

This "local prefab" home on the Isle of Skye is made mostly from materials sourced in northern Scotland. The timber-framed model, meant to evoke the simple agrarian barns of the area, can be constructed on-site in as little as a day and is designed for affordability.

Porches and rolling glass doors draw in the river breeze to keep the home cool.

Surrounded on all sides by a sweeping Canadian hayfield, the 23.2 House is an angular ode to rural life.

The circularly arranged fluorescent bulbs have been reclaimed from architecturally significant buildings in Canada—like the Mies van der Rohe’s TD Tower, Toronto’s Old City Hall and the University of Toronto. Photo courtesy of Matter.

Made from recycled fluorescent bulbs, steel, rubber and hardware, the Recycled Tube Light measures 8” x 69” and is a great example of creative upcycling. Photo courtesy of Matter.

The fluorescent tubes are lit from the inside, using centrally placed (functioning) bulbs, giving off a soft, warm light. Photo courtesy of Matter.

Black and white kitchen cabinets painted with a triangular pattern add a whimsical touch to this funky kitchen.

"I wanted the bones of the house to be bold, strong and simple,

The architects incorporated sustainably sourced parota wood into the living room’s sunken seating area. The Turn Tall side table is from Blu Dot, and the pillows are from West Elm.

In the Acadian village of Caraquet, YH2 Architecture raised two identical cabins on a site 200 feet from the sandy shores of Chaleur Bay. The home is inhabited by a single family and used as a vacation spot.

A young Finnish designer bypasses building permits by creating an affordable tiny home under 100 square feet.

The journey through the dark tunnel to the new, light-filled addition is both a texturally interesting and atmospheric experience, where the contrast between old and new, dark and light, can be felt.

Many prefab architects and suppliers specialize in either modular or panelized construction. Minneapolis architect Charlie Lazor has worked with both mediums. This lake house in rural Ontario, Canada, is an example of one of his modular projects. It was built in a Wisconsin factory about 400 miles away.

Montreal, QuebecDispassionate about his city's de rigueur "City of Design" designation, architect Gilles Saucier shows us there's more to Montreal than Expo 67. Photo by: Matthew Monteith

Breaking away from the traditional town house, the custom-designed stairs make the most of the space while looking sleek.

Happy Canada Day!

Locally sourced Canadian plywood was used for the flooring throughout the home, and all doors and windows were replaced with low-energy upgrades. The couple shares their space with guide dogs they foster through a local organization.

When Abbie and Bill Burton hired Marmol Radziner to design their prefab weekend home, their two requests were “simple-simple, replaceable materials,” says Abbie—such as concrete floors (poured offsite in Marmol Radziner's factory) and metal panel siding—and “the ability to be indoors or outdoors with ease.” Deep overhangs provide shade and protection from rain, so the Burtons can leave their doors open year-round and hang out on their 70-foot-long deck even in inclement weather. They visit the house once a month, usually for a week at a time, with Vinnie and Stella, their rescue Bernese Mountain dogs. Their two adult children occasionally join them. The couple hopes to one day retire here.

The industrial stair leads to the upper level, where the bedrooms, bathrooms, and play space are located.

Birth of the Cool: California Art, Design, and Culture at Midcentury, $50

Though their unit was gutted, Peart and Weisgerber were highly attentive to the remaining details of Safdie’s design.

@designmilk: "This is my kinda chair. @lolldesigns #dod2014"

This renovated flat in Moshe Safdie's iconic Habitat '67 prefab apartment building in Montreal employs similar massing that looks like stacked concrete boxes.

Joussard, Lesser Slave Lake, Alberta, 2011

Branding, editorial and web design for Spanish cosmetics atelier Attariat.

A tall custom niche displays various tabletop items Sottsass designed for the brands Habitat, Memphis, Egizia, and Anthologie Quartett.

The original design did not exploit the lower part of the house, so Carle added a bar and lounge area facing the lake at the ground level. He also installed water-based geothermal heating in the basement. “It allows the concrete floor to be heated and to generate most of the heating of the house, while a second smaller air pump assures a supplement of air on the ground floor and air conditioning for summer.”