A handful of boxy protrusions on the facade give the modernist residence an additional three-dimensionality. The colorful window frames and door also give variety and depth to the gray structure.

A Clear Advantage Modernists love glass, but large windows can be massive energy-wasters, letting in (and out) far too much heat to be sustainable. The windows at Green Orchard, from the British firm George Barnsdale, are sealed units (meaning no gaps between the panes of glass), double-glazed, and filled with argon gas for protection against both heat loss and gain.

Large double-hung windows, like this one from Loewen, help illuminate the home's three stories.

A telescope looks out upon the Saint Petersburg cityscape.

The perimetral circulations became into interior corridors

Floor-to-ceiling windows bring plenty of light into the master bedroom.

Triple-glazed, frosted windows emit soft, filtered light against pale gray and blue surfaces inthe master bathroom. Lucian Field matte-glass and Lucian Mosaics penny round tiles, both by Ann Sacks, line the floor and walls.

Whitlock relishes his home's proximity to downtown Bozeman and the foliage native to his little lot: century-old hedgerows and a trio of ash trees.

Detail of the windows in metal

White walls, a luxurious marble double-sink, and an area rug give this bathroom an inviting atmosphere. “The natural light, open spaces, and light color palette make it a great place to wake up in the morning,” Flournoy says of his home. The sink is from Restoration Hardware and the rug is from West Elm.

Doors and triple-glazed casement windows from Loewen work hard to form a tight thermal envelope.

Argosy

Details

The veneer is glazed with adhesive.

Once past the main threshold, the house opens up to the outside, literally and figuratively. Three courtyards built around existing trees flow seamlessly into a series of rooms with glazed walls and sliding glass doors.

Marco Becerril, at the left end of the table, presides over his extended family in the double-height dining area.

Garden terrace

In the primary bedroom, the other wall of exterior windows. Neufeld installed a custom oak window seat to cover the radiator.

Thanks to the double-leaf bearing hinges, the swing doors provide greater support for large panel weights.

Hatchet restored the three-over-three window pattern, so the primary bedroom now looks into a magnolia tree in the backyard.

Soundfreaq updates its monaural, single-speaker Sound Spot wireless sound system with Double Spot, it's twin-speaker, stereophonic counterpart. Double Spot will sell for $119 or $149 for a version equipped with a rechargeable battery. Photo courtesy of Soundfreaq.

Double Barrel Lamp by Raul Cabra, Emily Jan, Rie Hirai Dion, Michele Marti, Zak Timan and Maria Magdalena Angeles (2009) A Venezuelan-born educator and designer working in the Bay Area, Raul Cabra took a class to Oaxaca to craft these lamps with local artisans as part of the Oax-i-fornia design exchange.

The pitched facade has a sculptural play of spruce siding and triple-glazed windows that reflect the surrounding treetops.

Rear Patio

A vintage wood-stove is sandwiched between two of the nine-foot windows. The iron fixture perfectly complements the adjacent spiral staircase.

Vast windows were added to fill the living , kitchen and dining area with natural light.

A full-height, double-glazed window lets ample light into the secondary bedroom.

Exterior of the house with custom mural

The front facade was purposefully created to minimize the size of the home and make sure it fit in to the scale of the surrounding neighborhood.

Dunbar and Astrakhan's low-cost, high-impact tour de force is a storefront facade constructed from salvaged double-insulated window glass panels arranged in a shingle pattern.

A former closet was transformed into a double-height library, complete with a reading nook and a rolling ladder from Spiral Stairs of America. “That’s my favorite part of the house,” says Dan. “When I see Stella reaching for a book, there’s nothing better.”

The positioning of the home’s roof allowed for a double-height, north-facing wall with four matching windows and an accompanying skylight. “The house refers to rural houses: a sloping roof, completely coated by stone and with no eaves,” Vanotti says.