An original Eames shell chair manufactured in Gardena, California, before production moved to Michigan.

The darker gray garage door offers a chromatic and textural contrast to the concrete shell.

Acoustic Shells (Flanagan Lawrence: Littlehampton, United Kingdom) A visual response to the sand dunes and sea near the shore, these whisper-thin concrete curves were shaped with material sprayed on mesh, measuring merely 100 millimeters in spots. The twin bell curves function as a bandstand on one side, and a larger version of a seashell on the other—it plays back the sea’s gentle rhythms.

Among the family heirlooms on display are a pair of Hans Wegner Shell chairs from 1963, a rug picked up on vacation in Tibet, and a coffee table made by one of the homeowners’ grandfathers.

The dining area opens to the expansive grounds, and is furnished with Eames fiberglass shell chairs.

Adam Cornish's series of Nature Observations will be shown as part of the Alessi Design Lab exhibit.

The iconic shell chair, designed by Charles and Ray Eames in 1948 and frequently knocked-off since. Today Herman Miller makes the shell from 100% recyclable polypropylene (a.k.a. molded plastic), a more eco-friendly option than the original fiberglass.

For their kitchen, Fabian and Dorothee Heine selected a steel countertop to contrast the matte-black island and cabinets from Vipp. At mealtimes, the family gathers at a Bigfoot table from e15, which is surrounded by vintage Eames shell chairs.

The Eames shell chair also comes in a rocking chair version, and in a slew of colors.

In a renovated Tribeca loft, Eames shell chairs surround a Saarinen Tulip table from Knoll. The Line console is from Design Within Reach and the pendant light is Louis Poulsen's Snowball. While architect Matthew Miller of New York firm StudioLAB gutted the space, some of the original details—like the windows—remain. The rug is from ABC Home.

The dining room features vintage Eames shell chairs with new walnut legs, an Ovaata Dining Table by Element Living, and a Gala 7220 chandelier by Rich Brilliant Willing.

A tiny outbuilding offers a cozy living space inside a simple shell.

Up above the sitting room a duo of Eames shell chairs and a bank of luminous operable windows await a pair of weary readers.

The public was initially reluctant to accept the Three-Legged Shell Chair (1963), an edgier piece of work, from Wegner, which debuted at the 1963 Furniture Guild Exhibition in Copenhagen, but has become more attracted to the wavy, airy design since the chair was reintroduced in 1998. Photo courtesy of Carl Hansen & Son.

The dining room features Eames shell chairs from Herman Miller, a chandelier by Lindsey Adelman, and a vintage Italian bar cart.

"Ben Jacobsen of Jacobsen's Salt Co. in Oregon, collects these oyster shells in the bay where he draws the sea water for his flakey sea salt. We use the shells for holding salt, coarsely ground pepper, and sliced citrus; we also think they make a fine soap dish." Jacobsen's Oyster salt cellar pair at Provisions, $16

Campbell’s Little Bird swing flies high alongside modern classics like the Eames shell chairs and Saarinen Tulip table.

The kitchen cabinets were made with cabinet boxes set into framing, then a primed drywall shell covered with a textural Roman Clay finish, and sealed.

The beach shack's corrugated metal shell is detailed with curved edges. The building faces northeast to take advantage of ample sunlight and ocean views.

Dining takes place at the large custom-fabricated table underneath pendant lighting. Seating is a mix of Eames Shell Chairs and Real Good chairs from Blu Dot.

The shell of the cabin was constructed with thin sections of hardwood, then coated with plain OSB plywood and a Tyvek air and water barrier. Metallic corrugated sheets form the outer layer.

The small cabin's cross-laminated timber (CLT) shell, composed of 72 unique wooden panels, is designed to withstand severe arctic storms and heavy wind conditions.

Architect Sven Matt mixed basic shapes with rich details in this Austrian home. The lattice shell was hewn from silver fir sourced from a nearby forest. Eternit shingles clad the roof.

The jaunty boat-like shell of the Hütte Hut began with a case study undertaken by Brian and Katrina Manzo, a husband-and-wife team of industrial designers behind Sprouting Sprocket Studio.

After the shell of prefab units is 3D-printed, the interiors are outfitted with wiring, plumbing (if the unit is larger than 120 square feet), and the client's preferred interior finishes.

Check out the very mod storefront on Trongate 103. Not a bad Edwardian shell at that.

After nearly a decade of collaboration, Dowie and Shelling continue to work together on projects ranging from their signature line to bespoke pieces for major hotels and restaurants around the world. "Dad and I work incredibly well together. We have and instinctual and intuitive understanding," says Dowie. "He has the engineering brain—a problem solver—but he also has a great creative mind and understanding of scale and proportion combined with his extensive practical skills."

The Nature Pod is available as an empty shell without insulation for €13K. Furniture and millwork throughout the rest of the unit, including the queen-sized futon in the bedroom and storage options, must be purchased as add-ons.

Hard shell, soft core. The industrial exterior shell wraps up and over the warm interior of the great room.

New residential buildings are few and far between in England, so architects like Phillips have increasingly been charged with creating groundbreaking modern environments within the shells of historic houses. “People just find it easier to work within existing houses to transform them to be sleek, stylish and functional,” says Phillips. “Extensions have almost become a requirement for any homeowner who wants to be a part of modern living within the U.K.”

A shell of concrete in the desert

Casey Brown Architecture designed the Hart House, a modern update to the one-room Australian beach shack that overlooks Great Mackerel Beach. The contemporary home mimics the shack vernacular with its simple, boxy construction that’s wrapped in a protective shell of corrugated metal.

Kukkapuro designed his open-plan home and studio with the help of an engineer; together they came up with the unusual parabolic roofline, which they fabricated from eight-centimeter-thick, poured-in-place concrete. This archival photo is from the fall of 1968, before the structure had been built around the roof. Photo courtesy of Yrjö Kukkapuro.

Sobek engineered the curved roof shell and beamless slabs of Burda Media Park in Offenburg, Germany.