Black and white kitchen cabinets painted with a triangular pattern add a whimsical touch to this funky kitchen.

The concrete wall mimics the slope of the hill outside as a reference to early Maori structures that were dug into the land. The simple kitchen has strandboard cabinetry and an MDF island that conceals a fireplace at one end. The ceramic works on the built-in seat at right are by Raewyn Atkinson and Robyn Lewis.

Choosing a kitchen or bathroom countertop can be nerve-wracking, and we understand why—they can be one of the most expensive aspects of a renovation, with the added responsibility of impacting the aesthetics of a space. Read on as we work our way through the pros and cons of seven of the most common countertop materials.

Just because your kitchen is on the smaller side doesn’t mean you can’t make it as efficient and effective as possible.

A double bowl sink is also quite self-explanatory, created either out of one large sink with a divider or from two distinct bowls framed into a single sink.

Their creative confections may ruin our diets, but we’re happy to be their taste testers anytime.

“The client wanted an interior space where you could read the materiality of the building elements like understanding the ingredients in a recipe,” principal architect Elizabeth Webster explains. The extension features distinctly textured materials: an exposed timber ceiling, painted brick walls, and polished concrete floors. Warm lighting by Brinklicht unifies the space.

@ehrlicharchitects: Cantilevered kitchen - finding inspiration at Dwell on Design.

The architect placed the windows at Sabrina’s eye level so that she’d be able to see her son, Rocco, playing in the yard outside. "You can feel the seasons changing here," says Chiavelli. "I grew up three miles from here, outside in nature. This is a house for experiencing life."

A Model 78 side chair by Niels Otto Møller tucks into a custom desk in the master bedroom, a home base from which Friedlander works remotely. The brass pendant light is by Allied Maker.

Customized with Monogram appliances, the prefab is traveling across the United States, with upcoming stops in Phoenix, Austin, Dallas, and Boston.

For the kitchen, Tyler hired David Restorick, a furniture maker and friend, to build an island for storage and to wrap Ikea cabinets with oak for a customized look. He also built a staircase that doubles as display space for Tyler’s vast collection of colorful cookware by the likes of Finel, Copco, Cathrineholm, Jens Quistgaard, and Stig Lindberg.

Sub-Zero, which is celebrating its 70th anniversary, debuts its Wolf Gourmet line, a luxury set of countertop appliances and kitchen tools.

The budget was nearly as tight as the space in this cheerful renovation of a 516-square-foot flat in Bratislava. The centerpiece of Lukáš Kordík’s new kitchen is the cabinetry surrounding the sink, a feat he managed by altering the facing and pulls of an off-the-rack Ikea system. The laminate offers a good punch of blue, and in modernist fashion, Kordík forwent door handles in favor of cutouts. “I wanted the kitchen to be one simple block of color without any additional design,” he says.

Dacor is hosting live kitchen demonstrations with Jan Datri. Stop by the booth for a chance to win a new Renaissance 30" all gas range.

Omer Arbel, the creative director at industrial design firm Bocci, was given three parameters when he began designing a home for his colleague Randy Bishop: Create a “profound” connection between the internal and external spaces; build only one level; and, most crucially, utilize a wealth of 100-year-old beams salvaged from a series of warehouses owned by Bishop’s ancestors.

An overview of the Dwell Outdoor section, which encompasses over 25,000 square feet and more than 50 exhibitors.

Shades of Green Landscape Architecture designed this striking walkway using climbing vines and metal arches by Terra Trellis.

This fun, modular piece furniture by Drift Studio offers a playful storage solution for kids' rooms.

A highlight of the Outdoor section—always with a line out the door—are the three fully furnished prefab houses, by Livinghomes and Ecofabulous; Sustain Mini-Homes; and Connect Homes, pictured here.

"@dwell cupcakes from LA Tourism #dod2014"

Quench Design, an exhibition showcasing designers from Queensland, Australia, won Best in Show.

Hard Goods's modern Muskoka chair won first place in the very competitive Furniture category.

Best Outdoor Product went to the G Pod.

A single bowl sink is self-explanatory: it consists of a sink that is not divided up into separate areas.

A modern riff on the classic Windsor chair, the Colt High Back by O&G Studio is made in Warren, Rhode Island. Seen here in black, it also comes in a poppy blue and yellow.

IdeaPaint, the creator of dry erase paint for home, schools, and offices, installed an art wall for the Modern Family Pavilion.

A stop into the Remodelista Market is rewarded with a chance to score one of L.A. designer Brendan Ravenhill's lighting fixtures.

Indoor and outdoor furniture company Grandin Road brought two high-design teepees to the Dwell Outdoor area, and another to the Modern Family Pavilion.

Via their American headquarters, Lyon-based Fermob will bring their modern take on bistro furniture to the Dwell on Design show floor. Photos by Stephane Rambaud.

O’Sullivan designed the ceiling “to have a knitted or woven quality like that of wool or silk.” It dives down over the kitchen and dining area, eventually reaching a point at the entry that is low enough to touch. Here, resident Jes Wood leans against the onyx kitchen island while her daughter Ruby hangs out. Replica Jean Prouvé chairs surround the dining table; a vase by Bruce and Estelle Martin for Kamaka Pottery sits on top. The Reel table under the television is by Atelier Oï for B&B Italia.

By inserting a tunnel made from 36 reclaimed commercial doors and tearing down a handful of walls, LOT-EK and contractor Andreas Scholtz brought light into the formerly unused dark hallway in Maurice Russell (right) and Jorge Fontanez’s apartment. The glossy Safety Red paint by Benjamin Moore catches the light by day but “becomes a richer, darker, very relaxing red at night,” Fontanez says.

The chromatic Paris apartment of Jean-Christophe Aumas holds a treasure trove of rare vintage furniture, displays from his work, and items curated from his travels. As the artistic director of the creative agency Voici-Voilà, he designs store windows and special events for clients like Louis Vuitton, John Galliano, Lacoste, Céline, and more; and so it’s no wonder that his own 1,023-square-foot apartment is teeming with character. The entire flat is self-designed in a fusion of his professional and personal flavors. Over herringbone wood floors, walls with painted shapes frame hanging artworks; colored cubes, created for a Sol LeWitt–themed Louis Vuitton display, pepper the space; and foraged furnishings ranging from flea market finds to designer pieces outfit the home.

"Book signings all weekend long at #dod2014 / courtesy of Skylight Books (booth #1815)."