The tiny budget still allowed room for some strategic splurges, such as the vivid green Verde Ming marble in the house’s only bathroom

Ming Vase by Marcel Wanders for Moooi, $141 at stardust.com Dutch designer Marcel Wanders modeled his white porcelain Ming Vase on a 3,100-year-old Chinese vase found in a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea.

I.M. Pei, Luce Memorial Chapel (1963) When architect I.M. Pei designed this chapel for Tunghai University in Taiwan, he had to take local conditions, like typhoons and earthquakes, into account. His plan, which, included a curved roof of glazed, diamond-shaped tiles and interior ribs of reinforced concrete that run like ribbons towards the cross mounted on the roof, was an elegant solution to the challenges of the local environment. Photo courtesy Valter Wei, Creative Commons

The full-height glass sliding door leads to a balcony that overlooks the backyard. The wall is tiled with Ming Green Marble Fan Tiles from Tera Nova.

I. M. Pei’s 1990 Bank of China tower is an immediately recognizable element of the Hong Kong skyline.

Broken, 2014. I.M. Pei's Fountain Place in Dallas, Texas, built in 1986. “He used angles, triangles, planes and prisms to create a seemingly impossible visual space with this building,” says Olic. “The view from the east makes the structure seem broken and folded down the middle.”

Luce Memorial Chapel in Tunghai, Taiwan, 1963, by I.M. Pei.

A peek at the stunning Pei-designed spiral staircase, capped with an oblong skylight.

Here's IM Pei's Meyerson Symphony Center done up for the holidays.

The wall of the master bathroom is tiled with Ming Green Marble Fan Tiles from Tera Nova, paired with tumbled limestone floor tiles from Tera Nova. A Michael Anastassiades Flos pendant light from Living Edge brightens the space. The bespoke vanity was designed by Carter Williamson and built by House by Hart Joinery. "Again, we used timber half-dowels to tie the look in with the kitchen," says Peake.

The master bath is beautifully dressed with Ming Green tiles from Bisanna to evoke imagery of the nearby forest. The cast concrete freestanding bath is from Concrete Nation, and the taps are from the Brodware Contemporary Halo Collection.

Natural geothermal springs and lush vegetation are the highlights of this modern Relais & Chateaux property. Designer Ming-Hong Chiu successfully weaves the area’s natural elements into the space to create Beitou’s top sanctuary for relaxation and wellness.

Set on the parlor level of the home is a large and airy library, which can easily be converted into a fifth bedroom. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves (designed by Pei) stretch across one wall, while bespoke doors on the opposite side hide even more storage.

Brick Plan: Tray for Yii. Brick. Designer: Rock Wang, Craft Maker: Pei-ze Chen.

The home’s glass-encased living space was inspired by I.M. Pei’s design for the pyramid at the Louvre.

Old marionnette Ming, 17th Century.

Dusk at Yang Ming Mountain , Taipei

Inspired by the fundamental color scheme used by Piet Mondrian and the De Stijl movement, these primary hues also give a nod to the notable colored tiles in Pei’s original building. You can even tell that the staircases are slightly wider in the middle -- its form is a literal stress/moment diagram, as more structural support is necessary at the center.

The 35-story-tower blocks of Hong Kong’s Ying Ming Court housing estate, built in 1989 in the New Territories.

A teenage Katherine Chia and her father, Pei-yuan Chia.

Built to commemorate John F Kennedy, the library and museum contains papers and materials from his time in office, and exhibits about the 35th President's life. Pei was chosen by the Kennedy family to lead the project after JFK was assassinated in 1963, but setbacks and a change of location delayed the completion for 16 years. With a commanding view of the Boston waterfront, the austere building comprised of Pei's signature geometric shapes in concrete, steel and glass and serves as a fitting monument to the former President. Pei is said to consider the John F. Kennedy Library

@takanori8452 captured this lovely image of the Pei-designed Miho Museum.

I.M. Pei with a model of Le Grand Louvre on his head.

Pei's sprawling white stucco museum of Chinese art and craft—only the second building the architect has designed in China—was influenced by the traditional structures in Pei's ancestral hometown. “I’ve never done anything like this before, I’ve used gray and white, which are Suzhou colors. But the form is modern.” Pei told the NY Times in 2006. Indeed the black-outlined white structure with sections of glass roof is inspired by the region's traditional houses and is beautifully reflected in the artificial pond of the surrounding garden.

The Louvre Pyramid by I.M.Pei, installed in 1998. Quite stunning at night!

The Louvre Pyramid by I.M.Pei, installed in 1998. Quite stunning at night!

Situated on a 1,000-foot slope that overlooks Lake Cayuga in Ithaca, the museum was designed by I.M. Pei and John L. Sullivan, with additional help from the firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Totalling 61,000 square feet, the museum has nine stacked floors which house the exhibition spaces.

1999 Embroidered Tablecloth continues patterns derived from Ming vases across plates and cups.

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It may not be as recognizable as the Louvre glass pyramid, but Berlin has its own glass and steel I.M. Pei museum addition which is stunning in its own right. Often viewed as one of the most important museums in Berlin, the German Historical Museum is devoted to German history. The adjacent Exhibition Hall was designed by Pei during a renovation of the façade.

SPACEFLAVOR was named the Honor Award winner for the Live category for The Cube, a live-work space within the apartment of Buddhist practitioner Liu Ming.

Casey (Haley Lu Richardson) and Gabe (Rory Culkin) work at the Cleo Rogers Memorial Library designed by I.M. Pei.

Cocoon Plan: Sofa. Bamboo. Designer: Rock Wang, Craft Maker: Koo-ming Chen. Silkworms eventually covered this piece completely in silk.

Located in the hilly and forested mountainside outside of Kyoto, the Miho Museum was designed to evoke traditional Japanese architecture. Pei was commissioned by Mihoko Koyama and her daughter, Hiroko Koyama to design the structure which is approximately three-quarters underground. The roof is a large glass and steel construction, composed of translucent triangles, while the exterior and interior walls and floor are made of a warm beige-colored limestone from France—the exact same material used by Pei in the reception hall of the Louvre.