Mint green-painted ironwork and tiles connect the indoors to the outside more fluidly.

Kitchen

The Max-A studio is also built with a pine frame, though it has pine panelling on the ceiling, while the main house ceiling is painted a warm white.

At a home in California, wood and glass take the lead, including wood drawers with cutout pulls for a custom but simple look.

Custom Leather & Aluminum Door Handle by Rob Zinn for blankblank, Martis Camp Residence by Jill Dudensing Lifestyle + Design

99 by Von Tundra and Lydia Cambron $13,000 Oregon-based Von Tundra’s unit combines three different storage options—a rack, drawers, and boxes—into a multipurpose dresser.

Lightroom 1.0, a photography studio, is a freestanding structure on the property. “Together, they represent an autobiography of my career,” Carpenter says.

Both the sitting and standing versions of DESK 01, a collaboration between Artifox and IdeaPaint, are outfitted with dry erase surfaces for recording sudden bursts of creativity.

Style: "#1"

The Wire Potato Basket from Lostine is inspired by old potato farming baskets, matching the silhouette, sturdiness, and functional handles with a colorful twist.

BRONZE HANDLE BUTTER DISH $110 We love the simple, beautiful work of Portland based ceramicist Lisa Jones of Pigeon Toe. This hearty porcelain butter dish is enhanced by a square bronze handle giving it a modern but timeless elegance.

Designer Thomas Bentzen designed the DLM Table for Danish design studio HAY to blend the necessity of a side table with the portable functionality of a tray. The DLM acronym means “Don’t Leave Me,” which is a clever call to the table’s function. The round side table features an easy-to-grab handle that comes out of the center of the table, making it easy to carry the DLM with you around the house.

The curved handle straightens your wrist and forces you to push the scoop with your palm, which uses your chest and arm muscles rather than your wrist, making scooping easier.

In chic black aluminum and nylon, the Hook City Umbrella is light, durable, and fit to withstand a strong wind. Whatever the forecast and wherever you're going, this umbrella is guaranteed to suit the local climate.

A collaboration by renowned designers Sebastian Wrong and Richard Woods, the Wrongwoods Tray is a distinctive serving tray with a bold pattern and functional details. Created for Established & Sons, the tray is crafted from plywood and features a playful, colorful palette that lightens the density of the wood pattern within the tray. The Wrongwoods Tray includes two handles on either side, making it easy to transport.

Titanium Bottle Opener, $40 at the Dwell Store The Titanium Bottle Opener from Brooklyn’s Pat Kim Design is a simple accessory that can be easily carried in one’s pocket or hung on a hook. Made of durable titanium, this is an enduring bar accessory.

Tina Frey Large Champagne Bucket, $300 This large bucket is the perfect home for some bottles of bubbly. It is handcrafted from resin in Tina Frey’s Bay Area studio.

Top 9 Kitchens of 2020: The nominees for this year’s Dwell Design Awards are the epitome of style and function.

Lauren and Brittan Ellingson, the owners of Notice Snowboards, a custom snowboard and wakesurf company in Whitefish, Montana, approached Workaday Design and builder Mindful Designs to concoct a new lake home for their family. The brief was, perhaps unsurprisingly, focused on getting the family outdoors as much as possible.

The Lofthouse is built one of the many hills separating it from the couple’s main residence. "Excavation was a challenge, as we wanted to maintain as much of the existing landscape as possible, but needed to clear out trees for the foundation," says Tarah.

Parota wood continues in the spacious kitchen. Marisa and Christopher found the blue tile that runs throughout the home on a trip to León, Mexico. "It called out to us," says Christopher. Festooned with small stars, its tone matches the color of the ocean perfectly.

The architects designed the home’s expansion with the knowledge that the owners plan to continue the renovation when their budget allows it. "We wanted to put everything in the right place so it doesn’t have to be undone later," says Corti.

Houston-based designer Barbara Hill is known for a stripped-down aesthetic that blends art-world cachet with Texas modernism. Vitra’s Slow chair sits in front of a powder-coated-steel bookcase made by Hill’s go-to fabricator, George Sacaris; it was originally built for the Houston house.

The architects embraced the modernist form of the new structure instead of cladding the extension in expensive brick to match the original Victorian’s exterior.

When architect Antonio Monserrat transformed an old 800-square-foot Brooklyn loft into his new home, he imbued his love of colorful, multifunctional design into an eye-catching renovation. Once used as a bakery in the early 20th century, the postindustrial space came with great bones—original exposed timber beams, 12-foot ceilings and large windows—that Monserrat used as a backdrop for his playful color choices, small-scale studio prototypes, and contemporary furnishings. From the emerald-green entryway with a hot-pink ceiling to the sunshine-yellow Kartell storage pieces, the Spanish architect’s loft beautifully blends creative inspiration with functionality.

At Under, a Snøhetta-designed restaurant balanced on the Norwegian coast, guests dine 16 feet below the ocean’s surface. The tilted concrete tube gives the impression that it’s sliding into the sea. “The idea was to make a tube that would bring people from above sea level down under the sea,” lead architect Rune Grasdal told Dezeen. “That transition is easy to understand, but it’s also the most effective way to do it. It also feels secure, but you don’t feel trapped.” The angle was also designed with the building’s aquatic neighbors in mind. Over time the structure will become part of its environment, acting as an artificial reef. Marine research tools like cameras have been installed outside the restaurant to help scientists learn about the population, behavior, and diversity of the species living in this part of the North Atlantic.

Located within walking distance to the coastal village of Matanzas, the two Maralto cabins are named La Loica and La Tagua after local bird species.

The Franklin stove adds an authentic touch to the updated cabin.

In lieu of a checkerboard effect, Kovel kept his carpet squares all vibrantly verdant. With the bamboo cabinets and countertops the whole space has a pastoral feel. “I wanted it to be like the Bradys’ backyard,” he says.

A "time and materials" contract outlines a set price for labor and materials based on hourly rates or price per quantity.

Tweak, another kitty, sits at the brass-clad kitchen island on a Ghost stool by Philippe Starck.

Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves provide ample storage for books and memorabilia.