Ethan Schussler built his first tree house at 12 years old. His tree house in Sandpoint, Idaho, sits 30 feet above the ground and can be accessed by an "elevator" consisting of a bicycle that, when pedaled, ascends a pulley system to the top.

Haines House by Christopher Polly in Newtown, Australia

Airstream’s Flying Cloud 30FB Office travel trailer includes a designated workspace in the back corner.

Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.

The owners toured this home, which surrounds a mature tipu tipu tree, while visiting relatives for the day. The brick is original to the 1947 construction.

Sliding doors by Quantum were made to look like the original panes that couldn't be saved, and they lead to a fire pit outside.

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

Fir-veneer plywood wraps the entire interior of a compact guest cabin with a 12-by-15-foot footprint, smaller than a single-car garage.

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

In the bathroom, the teal mosaic tile hug the curves of the walls, ceiling, and built-in shelving.

Architect Barbara Hill sits on a Casalino chair from Design Within Reach in the living room; on the wall is Quivers, a sculpture by her daughter, Claire Cusak. Collaborator George Sacaris made the stump table.

The design team restored the existing wood beams, giving nod to the home’s former rustic life, while introducing big windows, white walls, and clean lines.

Bay Point Landing offers cabin and Airstream accommodations, RV sites, a communal clubhouse, an indoor saltwater pool, an event hall, a private beach—and plenty of open spaces for surfing, whale watching, crabbing, fishing, or hiking.

The upper floor of one of the cabins features a wood-burning stove, beanbag chairs, and a hanging paper lantern.

A single bowl sink is self-explanatory: it consists of a sink that is not divided up into separate areas.

With Maze and Dream, the architect had to find a balance between the practical needs of a hotel suite and awe-inspiring, spatial effects.

A sunlit, open-plan living room, dining room, and kitchen are located on the first level.

The architect's selected starkly different dark and light hues to echo their contrast of new and old.

See Arch restored the exterior fireplace wall and painted it a deep blue hue to match the repainted blue timber cladding.

For cosmetics company CO/CO, Tatabi created the branding and packaging design. Taking a cue from nature, the simple packaging almost transforms the beauty goods to food products.

The backyard evokes the serenity of a Japanese Zen garden with a beautiful leaning tree and a shou sugi ban shed.

While a two-story structure did not meet the zoning code, Richard Neutra bypassed that via his design of a "gloriette," an outdoor room flanked by aluminum louvers. Those panels shelter the home against the harsh desert elements and were recreated as part of the five-year restoration of Richard Neutra's original design. Photo: Tim Street-Porter

The bath’s Kohler Purist fixtures and Frederick Weinberg animal figures sit on a Corian countertop

The Airstream Haus’s interior is minimalist, but comfortable, boasting a fully functional kitchen and queen-size bed that doubles as a couch.

The Kelleys furnished the cottage with help from Suzanne’s daughter Betsy Burbank of Betsy Burbank Interiors. Classic modernist icons, such as a Saarinen Womb chair for Knoll, a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, and an Eileen Grey E1027 side table look at home alongside present-day pieces such as an Encore sofa (which handily folds down into a sleeping surface) from Room & Board and a Doka rug designed and produced by Stephanie Odegard. The Wohlert pendant lights from Louis Poulsen were designed by Vilhelm Wohlert in 1959, but grouped as such, they appear distinctly contemporary.

Kai and Téa brush their teeth in the upstairs bathroom shared by all. “We went with the 1950s thing—a family bathroom,” explains Blatt. The sinks are by Kohler.

The Airstream Haus, parked in Ojai, California. August says that when your dwelling is small, it’s important to make the most of outdoor space.

ICON developed its Vulcan I 3D printer over a period of about two years. The gantry-style printer on rails is mobile and weighs about 2,000 pounds.

The bed is flanked by two staircases, one of which is hidden behind a white curtain. Hidden storage is integrated into the stair design.