Using another service, Outback Power, Pendl can see how much energy he's drawing from (or sending to) the grid when his 450 watt wind turbine and 800 watts of solar panels are operating. This all being said, the trailer isn't yet fully integrated with smart technoly: climate control and HVAC are still a separate system. "Another nice addition down the road would be to add smart tires to the trailer so that I can monitor and adjust air pressure from afar," Pendl says. "I take the Airstream on some pretty bumpy forest roads—the high desert of Nevada for Burning Man included—and it'd be great to quickly see an adjust tire pressure for better traction."

The Lai family—Mayuko, baby Shota on her lap, David, Maya, and Yumi sitting on a cushion on the deck—relaxes in their indoor-outdoor living space, made by opening the glass sliding doors to connect the living room and engawa deck.

The most sustainable element of all is the Lais’ intention to make their first home their last home as well. “Some people have this mentality of getting a starter house, then upgrading from there,” David says. “We just wanted to find a place to live in and then stay there forever.” Eventually they imagine passing the home down to their children.

In the kitchen, the continuous kitchen worktop and table are made of marble from Caledonia Marble. The pink Tamatik dining chairs are by Connie Chisholm and are from the Canadian design shop Made. The Blinding Love pendant lights are by Periphere, which has shops in Montreal and Toronto. Photo by Naomi Finlay.

A 55-inch Samsung Smart TV, a gift, is one of few indulgences.

Smart ForTwo BoConcept Editionby Smart To appeal to design-savvy consumers, Smart collaborated with the Danish furniture company BoConcept to develop the ForTwo’s leather-trimmed interior. On the market in the USA in late 2013, it offers a top speed of more than 78 mph. When fully charged, its range is 76 to 90 miles. Smart’s handy mobile app alerts drivers to real-time battery status and the closest charging stations. At 8.8 feet long, it’s among the smallest cars on the market today. smartusa.com

This compact Brooklyn kitchen features a white Corian counter and integrated sink, IKEA cabinets with custom pulls, and geometric floor tiles in black, white and green from a collaborative series by Heath and Dwell. Black appliances pull the look together nicely.

Earth tone tiles back a Kohler sink at this energy efficient home in Davis, California. The backsplash is from Heath Ceramics, the sink is Kohler, and the custom millwork is by Schmidt's Cabinetry.

No compromises were made throughout the development process or the various stages of production. The sleek and clever city car in essence is a transportation solution to urban living challenges.

Arias said a core concept of the design was to focus on something approachable, made with soft material you’d want to grab with your hand, instead of overloading people with technology. Booo eventually wants to collaborate with designers to design new versions of the Smart Booo with even more tactile variation.

"Smart is not just a car. It is a statement of urban living and the perfect city car in terms of beautiful, functional design" says Claus Ditlev Jensen, Collection Director at Boconcept.

A second-floor balcony overlooks a landscaped garden and a 1,000-square-foot detached garage.

Tech enthusiasts will recognize August Smart Lock as the DIY security device that allows homeowners to create virtual keys for guests to come and go. Design seekers will notice the second-generation lock, soon to ship, has a more tactile, intuitive form profile that resembles a traditional knob. The latest model is also Apple Homekit enabled.

Jestico + Whiles created this five-bedroom villa for a family near Prague, Czech Republic, outfitting it with the latest smart-home technology.

A signature feature is the natural oak stairs, whose treads appear to be suspended between the wall and a transparent railing.

A skylight emphasizes the division of the upper level into master's and children's wings, and draws natural light deep into the core of the ground-floor kitchen and dining area.

Floor-to-celing glass overlooks a deck and the garden beyond. The facade is a combination of light-gray stucco and cement panels.

For their full court "Simply.Connected." push, Bosch brought to CES a holistic smart home system that can be governed centrally via a single platform and smart controller. Lighting, shades, smoke alarms, windows, and other features work in concert to deliver efficiency, convenience, and security.

Smart Locks–No need to carry house keys ever again. Or wonder if you locked the front door when you left for work. Smart door locks work through an automated system you control via an app on your smartphone or other web-enabled mobile device. Whether you’re letting the kids in the house after school or granting remote access to a neighbor to water plants or feed the family pet, smart lock technology gives you total control of your door locks from anywhere and at anytime.

The collaboration birthed a unique, compact design from interior to exterior. Using specific materials and colors to emphasize a warm sense of home, lead designer Adriana Balko explains "the car really shows bipolarity of both brands. We have a radical exterior and a cozy interior".

The kitchen features button-free appliances, and carbonated water on tap.

Local 123 and Flowerland is the East Bay's version of S.F. favorite Flora Grubb.

Before the 1969 Airstream was home to Local 123, it belonged to Oakland's Remedy Coffee. Hoffman and her team of helpers worked for three months to revamp the interior and bring it up to Alameda County's rigorous health code. "We enlisted the help of our artist friend and Local 123 Gallery curator Alex Case to fix the shoddy cover-up work, build out a proper hand sink, add storage shelving and stereo cabinet areas, install aluminum cove base, clean up and seal existing wood finishes, repair plumbing lines, reroute the precariously hung electrical conduit, and rodent- and weatherproof the trailer's floor. Friends and family helped repaint, deep clean the interior and aluminum exterior, and adorn the trailer," recounts Hoffman.

Local 123 is open Wednesday through Monday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Tuesdays from 8:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. (though the nursery is closed Tuesdays. Find the cafe at 1330 Solano Avenue in Albany, California. For more information, please visit local123cafe.com.

The nursery has continually been in operation since the 1940s and is peppered with vintage artifacts.

Local 123's creamer station rests atop an orange metal ironing board found at Berkeley's Urban Ore.

Here's some of the cafe's glassware emblazoned with their logo.

Some fine latte work by Ebel; the drink was excellent.

"Most of the existing brewing equipment was damaged or beyond repair, so we bought a Fetco Extractor for small-batch drip brewing, set up an inexpensive but sleek pourover bar (scale, Hario v60 dripper, Able Kone metal and paper filters), installed a new Ditting for grinding bulk coffee and Mazzer Kony-E for espresso," says Hoffman.

Once inside, Hoffman (right) and Ebel (left) make an espresso drink. "With the help of our roaster friends at Four Barrel, we revived a 3-group Linea-AV La Marzocco, our workhorse of an espresso machine," says Hoffman.

Hoffman let us tour the interior. Here's the side door.

A diorama inside the nursery shop, which is prime for perusing.

Cake stands sourced from local thrift shops display an array of cookies and sandwiches. On any given day you might find dark chocolate sea salt cookies, flourless peanut butter cookies, and hand-rolled vegan truffles.

The cafe is situated in Flowerland Nursery, which was first opened in the 1940s. The current owner, Carly Dennett, bought Flowerland about three-and-a-half years ago (she's only the third person to own the historic business). At the time, it was mostly selling sod, pesticides, and fertilizers. "It was kind of stuck in time," she says. Now, green-thumbed shoppers can peruse aisle upon aisle of flowers, vegetable starters, succulents, garden accessories, outdoor furniture, and more at the shop. "Dennett, a Local 123 regular, approached me about setting up a coffee cart at her nursery. We had been looking for the right second location for over a year at that time and I knew immediately from her vibe and her gorgeous shop that this was it," says Hoffman.

Local 123 serves coffee and pastries daily, and sandwiches on weekends.