Every space, including the living and dining sections seen here, has “furniture, objects and artworks that bring us memories,” says Smud. The bench, coffee tables, and dining table are by the late Alejandro Sticotti.

A PK 22 Easy Chair by Poul Kjaerholm for Fritz Hansen adds a dash of yellow to the breakfast room.

It might not make you popular with your contractor, but for a more streamlined look, Chris recommends forgoing trim. "It lends a clean look with less visual clutter," the architect says. In their house, the doors, lights, cabinetry, and even wall sockets (all 22 by Bocci) are installed without trim. This allows the planar surfaces to recede and do their jobs without unnecessarily distracting the eye.

Abutting a costal reserve, the property has uninterrupted views of the Snowy River and surrounding wetlands

Bocci's 22 Series offers stealthy electrical, cable, USB, and phone outlets.

The three arms of the Apfel House stretch out to catch the best views of Ranco Lake and the Andes Mountains.

Mary and Kundan Bhullar built a shipshape country escape that sits lightly on the land in the Aravalli hills near Gurgaon, India.

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

Ai Weiwei’s Grapes makes use of ten Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) stools. 2008. Courtesy fo the artist; Friedman Benda, New York; photo by Bill Orcutt.

“Every time you challenge a basic assumption, there needs to be some method of expressing the fact that there’s new logic at work.”—Omer Arbel, creative director at Bocci

PeaceBOMB Bracelets by Article 22 "A22PeaceBomb3" $38.00 for three A special product with a special story. PeaceBOMB bracelets are crafted from the reclaimed metal of Vietnam-era bombs dropped on Laos during the United States' conflict in Indochina. Developed through a social enterprise that supports sustainable development through design thinking, its collaborators include Naphia spoon makers, Helvetas’s Rural Income Through Sustainable Energy Project and ARTICLE 22. These bracelets not only represent an opportunity for artisan families to generate income, but also tell a story about their makers and the legacies of a shared history. Buy the bombs back!"

Refraction, a wing-like structure in the New Industries Building at Alcatraz, is composed of reflective panels from Tibetan solar cookers. “When you constrain freedom, freedom will take flight and land on a windowsill,” Ai says.

Refraction can only be viewed via the gun gallery, where armed guards once patrolled. The sculpture, made up of Tibetan solar panels, seems poised to fly, yet too heavy and constrained to do so.

With Blossom, Ai fills the vessels in the hospital and psychiatric wing with white porcelain flowers, infusing a healing element to a bleak canvas.

Stay Tuned is an audio exhibition, which pipes protest songs and speeches through the grates in individual cells, made infamous for becoming the passageway allowing the famous escape from Alcatraz.

Ai incorporated himself into the show in a subtle way, with these words on the With Wind dragon.

Another clear juxtaposition takes place in With Wind, which pairs a delicate, joyful Chinese dragon with quotes about freedom and justice from those depicted in Trace. With Wind is housed in a building reserved for prison labor—considered a privilege at Alcatraz. Its light materials and joyful colors are brought down to earth by its oppressive, crumbling surroundings.

The exhibition concludes with the interactive Yours Truly, in which visitors select postcards to send to the subjects of the Trace portraits.

Inspirational spaces

The W.W. Stool by Philippe Starck.

Erika: Ai Weiwei Forever Bicycles Sculpture As part of Scotiabank Nuit Blanche Toronto, a weeks-long art celebration, world-renowned Chinese artist and activist Ai Weiwei has just opened an exhibition of his Forever Bicycles sculpture in Toronto's Nathan Phillips Square. The exhibition consists of 3,144 interconnected bicycles forming a three-dimensional structure that creates an incredible visual effect.

This brightly colored streamlined dispenser is designed to hold a roll of toilet paper just like a box of tissues.

This kitchen features a sleek Henrybuilt kitchen system in white.

Trace comprises 175 abstracted portraits of prisoners both past and present, rendered with 1.2 million Legos. The colorful medium is a direct, stark contrast to the subject.

On a rocky bank, Hebra Arquitectos builds a breezy home that opens wide to nature.

British artist Hannah Sawtell and technologist Avi Flombaum created sawbaum.com, where users can create visual collages using multiple vine streams. "We wanted it to look like a visual comic book, with overlapping panels," said Flombaum. "And we wanted it to be fun!" Photo courtesy Rhizome.

The courtyard is a secure space with a double-height window that offers seamless interior-exterior connection. “It gives a nice sense of containment and peace, while still engaging interior spaces,” says Cashman.

Steel strips form a security screen on the street side of the scullery. One can also hang pots and pans from them. A skylight filters illumination through glass block flooring to the basement below.

The kitchen is accessible from a raised courtyard across from the main living space. “The double exhaust hood looks like an old industrial gantry,” remarks Cashman. Sandblasted brick and sandstone from the original warehouse dialogue with floating white and grey cabinetry.

“The biggest design challenge was the facade,” says architect Mark Cashman. “It had to step back from the street and recede to give prominence to the heritage status warehouse facade.” Above the translucent bedroom level, a balcony with a herb garden steps back further. From the rooftop garden, downtown Sydney comes into full view.

Simultaneously sculptural and pragmatic, the undulating form of the W Magazine Stand’s molded plywood is both pleasing and useful. It’s compact enough for small spaces, though you may be loath to cover up the figurative grain pattern of the walnut with your magazines.