Cedar slats help this Ontario lake house float soundly atop still waters. Photo by: Raimund Koch

Down on the cedar dock, the view of nearby Bowen Island generates a dramatic foreground view, while the British Columbia mainland in the distance appears to be a world away.

Vandemoortele’s young sons and their friends enjoy the house’s nearly one-acre site as well, especially the lily pad–stocked pond.

Farther down on the site is a dock whose ramp is lowered by hand via weight-laden pulleys. The residence is accessible by private boat or water taxi only.

Built with timeless materials - stone, plaster and a range of woods - this house reflects regional Pacific Northwest design. Sited along Lake Oswego, this home’s views, boathouse and terraces all gracefully connect to the water’s edge.

The view from inside the Floating House's boat dock.

This smart metal rack mounts on a wall and holds your bike by the frame, plus has hooks for all of your accompanying gear in a small footprint. The Bike Dock creator Dave Custer came up with the design after moving into a small studio, where he had limited space for his bike and cycling equipment. Best of all, when your bike isn't hanging up, the Bike Dock can fold up and lay flat on the wall, like a piece of modern art. The project is currently available to back on Kickstarter. Photo by: Dave Custer

Niko Power Dock by Most Modest, $135 Designed by San Francisco–based start-up Most Modest, the Niko Power Dock packs a lot of organizational function into one product. Made of solid ash, it includes three grounded power outlets, a slot for keeping your mobile device, and a powder-coated steel pencil cup, and a slot for keeping your mobile device. The concealed storage pocket lid and mesh cord also come available in four different colors each.

A short walk down the road, a ferry service carries passengers on the two-minute journey across the channel to the small town of Whitianga.

Docks by Till Grosch and Björn Meier for Ophelis. Enclosed upholstered seating is the trend du jour. This sofa, available in 57 colors of Kvadrat fabric, also includes a central “e-box” for hiding cables.

This project also includes a swimming dock.

The Radiola Table comes replete with that most modern of convenience: an iPod dock.

The photography-focused Gallery at Dock 410.

The house also comes with a dock.

One of several docks scattered across Willow Island. Here, the solar-powered pontoon boat is docked and ready to make the short journey back to shore.

View from lakeside dock

View from Boat Dock

An in-progress shot of the exhibition. "Outside, it looks like a boat in dry dock," says Bestor.

Construction materials were brought to the site via the dock.

The light-up pegs can also be docked in a wall in the bedroom and used as sconces.

Under the bed platform is a large wardrobe, storage spaces, and a USB docking station.

The roll-up garage doors on the ocean-facing facade open onto a large deck. From the living room the deck appears to extend right out to the sea like a floating dock.

The house is equipped with Nest systems, and has a charging dock for electric cars in the garden.

Sometimes, fishermen pull up to the Ipé docks, offering the day’s catch.

The home is perched on an outcropping above Oswego Lake, with its own boat dock at the bottom of the property.

Sometimes, fishermen pull up to the Ipé docks, offering the day’s catch.

Orca is docked at the north side of Lake Union, conveniently located near Seattle's downtown.

The canal-facing home has a backyard privacy hedge and a gate leading to its own dock.

An old sugarcane dock was turned into a swimming pool, which offers views of the Karst mountains and Li River from a distance.

The three-bedroom home is connected to a dock house, garage, and vegetable garden by a network of wood walkways and decks.

“Design choices, such as heavy bar stools in the kitchen, were made to ensure the boat could function well docked or at sea,” Lyndsay says.

View of Broad Creek, Pierhead and Dock

In the Poplar Dock Marina of London sits a 1924 barge that has been transformed into Beecliffe, a contemporary floating home with simple, sophisticated interiors.

The redwood patio leads directly to a private boat dock.

Neighbors can tell the Holm-Kiehls are at home when their boat is tied at the dock and their Japanese koi kite flies over the front door.