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

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.

Classic butterfly chairs from Universal Patio Furniture are stationed by the pool. The mural is by street artist Morley, a close friend.

One of the greatest design challenges, according to Franz and Paré-Mayer, was reimagining the dark, unfinished garage space in a way that would “establish [it] as primary, instead of an afterthought to the original floor above.” This was achieved by layering open, linked spaces on the ground floor and sticking to a few carefully selected materials for cohesion and fluidity. There are hardly any hallways in the home; every space serves a function. Polished concrete floors continue throughout the new living level, and a bent metal dining chair with a reclaimed Douglas fir backrest made by Scholz sits in front of an open white oak staircase.

London based photographer, Ed Reeve used dark cedar to achieve his lifelong goal: to build his own house on a perfect plot of land located in De Beauvoir Town. Photos by: Ed Reeve

Designed in 1936 for the Paris World’s Fair, Alvar Aalto’s Clear vases are a classic must-have.

Markus Linnenbrick makes tables by drilling in acrylic. He's not crazy, or aggressive, necessarily: he simply has a penchant for the shape and thickness of acrylic tables from the 60s and 70s, and so has identified the surface as his canvas. This graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Berlin begins with a sanded, one-inch acrylic surface that he then drills with a whimsical sampling of holes. He fills the holes with vibrantly pigmented epoxy resin. And the effect: a raindrop-splattered puddle reflecting the colors of the world around it.

Wood decking extends out to the yard.

Movable and space-saving design elements define this creative family home in the Mission District. The kitchen was given an economical revamp by adding new drawer and door fronts to the existing cabinet boxes. Countertops were replaced with custom fabricated white oak butcher block surfaces, and a complementary white oak kitchen island was installed. A Wolf range, Vent-a-Hood hood, Franke stainless steel sink, and Bosch dishwasher complete the space.

Movable and space-saving design elements define this creative family home in San Francisco’s Mission District. A midcentury home was transformed, and through the renovation, the molding at the fireplace was taken down, as was the cast plaster mantle. The sleek, new, metal fireplace design features a white oak custom bench made by Zack, accented by a vintage carnation milk crate from his mother’s childhood.

Amending Meeuwissen’s early request for an open bathroom space, the architects devised a more private chamber with an overhead skylight and walls in stone tile from Intercodam Tegels.

After - living room (Rubio monocoat floors, Chantilly lace walls, used fireplace)

Another view of the library and media room. Photo by Francis Dzikowski/ESTO.

Street View showing the matching Cedar Siding Mailbox and flush to face garage door.

In the kitchen, the continuous kitchen worktop and table are made of marble from Caledonia Marble. The pink Tamatik dining chairs are by Connie Chisholm and are from the Canadian design shop Made. The Blinding Love pendant lights are by Periphere, which has shops in Montreal and Toronto. Photo by Naomi Finlay.

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.

The plastic wagon, created in Japan in 1968, is number two from an edition of fifty. It's sold accompanied by a certificate of authenticity from the Kuramata Design Office, signed by Mieko Kuramata.

Boskke's Clear Cube Planter only requires watering once monthly. Giving a clear view of plant growth as it happens, Boskke's planter brings transparency to gardening.

The Bright Side Light by Artecnica has a beautiful message. Inscribed with the phrase "light without darkness," this lamp is certainly illuminating.

Set this handblown beaut directly on your side table for a low glow to light the pages of your nighttime reading. See more of Studio Dunn’s Smoke Grey Standing Cumberland Lamp here.

The larch rainscreen covering the second floor give the house a light appearance and also provides privacy. Though it's difficult for outsiders to look in, the openings between the slats of wood let the family sneak views to the outside.

The focal point of the home’s modernized exterior is a custom, wood-and-steel entry gate designed by atelier KS and built by DeFauw Design + Fabrication, a local fabricator who also made custom closing hardware for the piece. Franz and Paré-Mayer paired angled cypress slats with an industrial metal frame to create the entryway. A few paces behind the gate, a large glass door provides direct access to the home, fulfilling the owners’ wish for an entry vestibule that would be separate from the street. The angled wood slats offer privacy from the exterior, while selectively allowing light to penetrate through.

Margarita McGrath and Scott Oliver of Noroof Architects termed the 1,650-square-foot house in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, “Pushmi-Pullyu,” in reference to the interior-exterior flow they created. Resident Jill Magid, pictured on her front steps with son Linus, is a conceptual artist; she fabricated the neon house numbers.

Olson Kundig refurbished this 1950s building as a flexible off-site exhibition space for SFMOMA's Project Los Altos in downtown Los Altos, California. The firm replaced the front facade with a double-height, floor-to-ceiling window wall that can be raised or lowered at the whim of the user.

The Armadillo is parked on a 1,000-square-foot lot that gives the couple ample outdoor space.

Bright train headlights make their way through the pillars that separate sets of tracks. Photo courtesy Matt Litwack.

Signage on walls let workers know how far they are from the platform. Photo courtesy Matt Litwack.

A section of tunnel in the NYC subway. Photo courtesy Matt Litwack.

Street Seats image courtesy of BSC Architecture

Worker tools left for construction. Photo courtesy Matt Litwack.

An autobiographical diary entry by the graffiti artist REVS, who scattered these pages of his life story throughout the transit system. Photo courtesy Matt Litwack.

Beneath the Streets A train passes through an abandoned station in the New York City subway. Photo courtesy Matt Litwack.

Graffiti artist standing on a wood covering over the third rail. Photo courtesy Matt Litwack.

Masstransiscope—a 228-panel installation by artist Bill Brand—can be viewed from trains headed towards the Manhattan Bridge. It was installed in 1980 and sanctioned by the MTA. Photo courtesy Matt Litwack.

Red and white panels on track walls indicate areas of no clearance in which an individual will be hit by the train