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

The Jorgensen's Menlo Park home is a model of green design with features that are smart for everyone to consider. "Every project is different, but there are some universal things that will apply from project to project," says Feldman about designing a green home. "The first—and most obvious thing—is to always try to build less, to have a smaller house and be smart about how the rooms are designed and oriented so that you can get by with less space. Smart design will lead to a smaller building, but it won't feel smaller."

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

3041 Windsor Avenue in Los Angeles, California, is currently listed for $2,388,000 by Michelle St. Clair-Zsakany of Sotheby's International Realty.

Rian and Melissa Jorgensen's 2 Bar House in Menlo Park boasts all the usual green design suspects: energy-efficient lighting, good insulation, renewable material finishes, radiant heat, and the roof is pre-wired for future PV panels. Executed by Feldman Architecture, the house requires only natural lighting during the day which keeps energy costs way down. Still, the most stunning aspect of the green design is the living roof planted with succulents, aloe, viviums, and ice plants. "I'm absolutely glad that we did it," says Melissa. "It turned out so well and I really enjoy sitting up there and taking advantage of it as much as I can. It's very peaceful." Read more about this total remodel here.

The countertops in the kitchen are a mix of quartz surfaces and custom and salvaged stainless steel. "We use the kitchen all of the time, it turned out really nice," says Melissa. "It's very open, certainly one of the central focuses of the house, and is fun for entertaining."

The living room, dining room and kitchen are in one open space. The flooring is bamboo. The cabinetry is a mix of bamboo, walnut, and maple, and was fabricated by City Cabinetmakers out of San Francisco.

Beach chalet, at 388 square feet, designed by Studiomama.

The 1,200-square-foot apartment suite comes with a cozy bohemian couch by Busnelli and an orange-hued hanging light and futuristic, blue Bianco table by Knibb Design. Every room at the Line hotel offers floor-to-ceiling windows that appear to frame views of the city, including the surrounding 1960s modernist skyscrapers, and in some cases the distant cityscape and Hollywood sign. Concrete is the main design element of the hotel, and it adds an authentically urban ambiance to each of the 388 rooms, which also showcase large-print photographs from LA-based artist Kevin Hanley and furnishings designed by Sean Knibb.

A couple enlist Butler Armsden Architects and Leverone Design to reimagine their home as a multigenerational meeting point. In 1963, landscape designer Lawrence Halprin devised a master plan for a community that would live in harmony with the natural environment. The resulting Sea Ranch, which stretches 10 miles along the Pacific coastline in Sonoma County, California, is characterized by timber-frame, wood-clad structures that are in dialogue with the local climate and terrain. Sited on a bluff within this pioneering community is the vacation home of a lawyer couple. After purchasing the residence in 2007, they lived in the home as it was for four years, even keeping the previous owners’ furniture. Envisioning a retreat that would accommodate their extended family and guests, they then recruited Butler Armsden Architects and Leverone Design to help guide the project.

The basic kitHAUS k7 measures 388 square feet and starts at $86,000.

The W.W. Stool by Philippe Starck.

Sleeping nooks that look like the grooves in a block of cheese.

Shelter No. 2, Broisson Architects, 2008 This prefab made mostly of recycled materials is modest, but not too modest for a spiral staircase. Three levels culminate in a large skylight, which filters natural light all the way down to the ground floor's hydroponic garden.

Sketch of Soma Water

It Will Get Loud: A Small Speaker That's Big on Sound Home audio companies are managing to make speakers smaller, more portable, and more wallet-friendly while keeping sound quality as robust as their larger (and pricier) brethren. Soundfreaq's co-founder and creative director Matthew Paprocki will demo and deconstruct the award-winning Sound Stack and demo Sound Platform 2 to let you in on the technology behind making big sound come from a tiny package. See this Saturday, June 22, at 12:30 p.m. on the Demonstration Stage.

The couple asked Bryan Richards of Real Natives Landscape Design to incorporate drought-tolerant plants into the landscaping. Surrounding a table from CB2 are chairs from Design Within Reach.

The interior is furnished with Lubi Daybeds from CB2, which Howell and Porter designed to include hidden cubbies behind and beneath the cushions.

388 Cordova, Pasadena, California Located in the outskirts of Los Angeles, 388 Cordova is known as the first luxury high-rise residential building in the affluent city of Pasadena. 388 Cordova will bring two and three-bedroom units with walk-in showers or deep soaking-tub/shower combinations. Select units, including penthouses, will have a separated deep soaking tub and shower option – a perfect way to soak in the best views in Pasadena spanning from the San Gabriel Mountains to the north and Downtown Los Angeles out to the west. Developed by LA-based developer Adept, 388 boasts 105 one, two, three-bedroom luxury condominiums and penthouses with 23,000 square feet of office, bringing elevated urban living to the city. All showers include rain heads and chrome finishes for a timeless, less trendy feel. Penthouses include natural stone on the floors and walls, shower benches, options for beautiful glass enclosures and an enclosed toilet for added privacy. One-two-bedroom units start in the $900,000s, while two-story penthouses go upwards of $5 million.

A passage between the walls for hide and seek.

"4x4," S2 Architecture This modernist cube by S2 Architecture features transparent Plexiglas windows that emit a warm glow from the interior.

For privacy and quiet, the home's three bedrooms are situated the furthest from the street. Each faces its own courtyard.

The courtyard is a secure space with a double-height window that offers seamless interior-exterior connection. “It gives a nice sense of containment and peace, while still engaging interior spaces,” says Cashman.

Steel strips form a security screen on the street side of the scullery. One can also hang pots and pans from them. A skylight filters illumination through glass block flooring to the basement below.

The kitchen is accessible from a raised courtyard across from the main living space. “The double exhaust hood looks like an old industrial gantry,” remarks Cashman. Sandblasted brick and sandstone from the original warehouse dialogue with floating white and grey cabinetry.

“The biggest design challenge was the facade,” says architect Mark Cashman. “It had to step back from the street and recede to give prominence to the heritage status warehouse facade.” Above the translucent bedroom level, a balcony with a herb garden steps back further. From the rooftop garden, downtown Sydney comes into full view.

Simultaneously sculptural and pragmatic, the undulating form of the W Magazine Stand’s molded plywood is both pleasing and useful. It’s compact enough for small spaces, though you may be loath to cover up the figurative grain pattern of the walnut with your magazines.

The master bedroom features wallpaper by Erika Wakerly. The glass tables next to the Croft House bed were gifts.

“Technical products like hi-fi fit more easily into all kinds of surroundings than those old furniture look-alike ones.”—Dieter Rams, designer

The term “Internet of Things” was first documented by British visionary Kevin Ashton in 1999. The first Internet appliance was a Coke machine at Carnegie Melon University in the early 1980s. The programmers could connect to the machine over the Internet, check the status of the machine and determine whether or not there would be a cold drink awaiting them, should they decide to make the trip down to the machine.

In need of more room for their growing brood, Eric and Emma Gimon, with Luc, Paul, baby Louise, and their dog, Nefi, asked for a private space to accompany the house designed for Eric’s great-aunt.

2-Door Cupboard in scrapwood

The courtyards offer a peaceful respite from the city. "[The home] provides an environment for its inhabitants that is experiential," says Teschendorrf.

2-Door Cupboard in scrapwood