Entrance to the VSA Partners office in Chicago. The branding firm was founded in 1982 by Robert Vogele and works with companies such as IBM and Harley-Davidson.

VSA Partners' office. Ikin noted plenty of trends in office layout during her time in Chicago, including the emphasis on smaller rooms for collaboration

VSA Partners's office. Ikin says the firm chose the space and let designers organically figure out the layout and workflow.

Purple thistles, California poppies, clover, and dandelions have all taken root in the roughly 10-inch-deep, lightweight humus and grape-husk soil in this 580-square-foot green roof. Designer Peter Liang says that he "wanted to plant a green roof for its thermal mass, but I wanted it to be as natural as possible."

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.

The view!

At the top of the stairwell, a sitting area is outfitted with a vintage Eames lounge, a large Jack Goldstein painting, and a 1970s light fixture found by Marcovitz in Paris.

The kitchen features a concrete island topped with marble. Deja-Vu stools by Naoto Fukasawa surround the island. A print by Guy Gormley, as well as a painting bought during holiday in St. Tropez, hang on the walls.

Take a look at some of the most exciting, sustainable buildings around the world, and you may notice something they have in common: green roofs, or rooftops covered with a thin layer of soil to allow for grasses and other low-lying plants to grow.

New Depths Inspired by a local winery, George Kyprianou wanted a glass top on his subterranean wine cellar. The interior is lit, casting soft light into the living space at night and revealing the 132-year-old stone foundation. The three-quarter-inch glass lid sits flush with the floorboards; it opens with an ingenious device that Kyprianou devised using a 12-volt air compressor and a remote-controlled switch. When you push the button, the glass lifts just enough to be removed by hand.

Light Box Peter created a simple uplight at the top of the wood box by wiring together energy-efficient fluorescent fixtures typically used under cabinets and countertops. “The cheaper magnetic models hum unacceptably loudly, so make sure you get the electronic ballast types,” he warns. He then painted the cavity white to reflect light and covered them with quarter-inch-thick acrylic from TAP Plastics. homedepot.com tapplastics.com

The view of Kapiti Island is fully revealed from the tower.

The top container contains Wardell's office—and a "napping nook" above that.

In the dining area, a one-of-a-kind table with a reclaimed Carrara marble top by NET—themultidisciplinary design firm of architect Alejandro Sticotti, with whom Nicolas works—is surrounded by prototypes of the company’s Board chair. The family dog, China, sits on a floor made of travertine tiles.

The restaurant bar provides a casual hangout for guests. The central credenza, usually occupied by the daily breakfast buffet, was designed by architect Isay Weinfeld.

The hotel’s façade is a stunning combination of wood, stone, and glass. Downstairs, the restaurant allows guests to enjoy the view of a pristine natural lake as they dine indoors or outdoors. Local design stores provided the furniture on the outdoor deck. On the floor above, the lobby terrace also overlooks the lake and allows guests to lounge and perhaps enjoy drinks and snacks while soaking in the views.

After a round of golf on the 18-hole course designed by Arnold Palmer, guests can spend the afternoon on the adjacent Wagon Bar deck. The bar itself is inside an antique train car (hence the name) from the 1930s, which once connected the nearby city of Sorocaba with São Paulo.

The suites are all duplexes, with one room upstairs and another below. The chair is called the Oscar, also designed by Sergio Rodrigues, and the workstation is crafted from Brazilian jacaranda wood.

The bathroom features a Duravit sink and gorgeous Brazilian wood paneling. The metal jar and wooden stool are from local designers.

The deluxe apartments have porches that open up to the lake. If guests should fancy a stroll or a swim, they can just head down straight from their verandas. The comfortable rooms are difficult to leave, though, given the goose-down pillows, Egyptian-cotton linen bedding, and natural design pieces, like the wicker baskets, that were sourced from local artisans. The Lucio Costa chairs were created by Brazilian designer Sergio Rodrigues.

Another way that guests can enjoy the surrounding views and nearby trails is on horseback. Architect Isay Weinfeld designed an equestrian center with 29 pickets and 230 stalls.

The architects added a small circular skylight to serve as a vertical focal point in the center of the fifth floor. The quarter-sawn white oak risers produce a beautiful rippled grain highlighted by the abundant natural light.

A small dining space and kitchen area blend into the expansive wood paneling used throughout The Barn.

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.

Most of the furniture in the lobby came from local antique shops, which yielded great pieces from the late 60s to mid-70s. Among the pieces pictured here are Papa Bear and Easy chairs by Hans Wegner. The oak Danish side tables are from Haslev; the sofa is a Hauner; and the tapestry is a Jean Gillon original from 1980. Hotelier Rogerio Fasano was very hands-on with the design, even going so far as to select all the art, music, and design books on display.