Most recently featured on Dwell’s West Side Home Tour, the Preston Way residence by architect Molly Reid includes a freestanding studio she built for her husband, sculptor Cliff Garten.

Ridgewood Residence, Assembledge

Ridgewood Residence, Assembledge

Ridgewood Residence, Assembledge

@jeffmindell: "Living room, Murnane House @dwellmagazine @dwellondesign #dod2014 #dwellondesign #dwellASID #inspiredesign" Dwell on Design East Side Home Tour

Designed by Minarc for a couple in Santa Monica, the Dawnsknoll residence was built using mnmMOD, a system of prefabricated panels that are recyclable, fire- and termite-proof, and efficient. With the structural panels built ahead of time at the factory, this residence was completed in less than a year. The 2,400-square-foot home champions an indoor-outdoor lifestyle with expansive windows that frame views of the outdoor kitchen and pool. Visitors of Dwell on Design's West Side Home Tour will have the opportunity to see Dawnsknoll firsthand.

The architect describes the space as clean, spare, modern, light-filled, and elegant.

This 4,660-square-foot house in Venice opens up onto a similarly sized backyard. The kitchen, dining room, and living room offer easy garden access, thanks to a combination of sliding mahogany screens and glass doors. Designed by Renzo Zecchetto Architects, the Berman Residence is one that will be featured during the upcoming Dwell on Design West Side Home Tour on May 23.

Photo by Julian King

In 2003, Resolution: 4 Architecture was one of 16 firms who participated in the Dwell Home Design Invitational—a competition to design a modern prefab home for $200,000. Their winning design, constructed in Pittsboro, North Carolina, is a groundbreaking case study that combines prefabricated construction with contemporary, modern design.

On an island 20 miles off the coast of Maine, a writer, with the help of his daughter, built not only a room, but an entire green getaway of his own.

In the West Village, Architecture in Formation designed both the architecture and interiors of this two-bedroom, two-bathroom family home.

The Desert House located in Desert Hot Springs is a steel structure designed with large expansive windows, and concrete flooring.

The penthouse kitchen opens up to a two-story living room. Expansive glazing frames a city view, while the open space offers room for entertaining and access to private terrace.

Tanya, Chris, Jackson, and Zeke spend much of their day outside.

Photo by Matthew Williams

Photo by Mike Schwartz.

Dundee is a 2,600-square-foot family home and hillside landscape in Los Feliz, whose owners are a young couple with two boys and a modern art collection. Chet Callahan Design preserved many of the 1934 Spanish-style home’s historic details, while implementing updated components with minimal ornamentation. Most of the home features clean, white walls, however, interior designer Ghislaine Vinas chose to add vibrant design elements and colors to the kids’ rooms.

Here's the kids' room.

The sleek kitchen looks down on the main living space.

The owners of this 2,400-square-foot space inside the Flower Box Apartments enlisted John Handley and Melissa Baker of Pulltab Design to recast it as a garden-themed abode. The striking windows overlooking East 7th Street were additions by the architects.

The design of Brooklyn's historical brownstones heavily influenced the three newly constructed duplexes on Pacific Street.

The duplex residences of the Pacific Street project in Brooklyn, New York, were designed to reduce the environmental footprint by using 35% less energy than standard construction models.

BKLYN DESIGNS is an annual celebration of Brooklyn's makers, architects, and designers. The show will take place May 8-10, 2015, at the Brooklyn Expo Center.

Midcentury architect Frederick Monhoff designed this Santa Monica home in 1951. In the Vukadinovich Residence’s most recent renovation, Synthesis, Inc. expanded the previous 1,200-square-feet of living space to a comfortable and bright retreat that totals 2,680-square-feet. The architects added two bathrooms, two bedrooms, and a den, and replaced the existing windows with floor-to-ceiling glass and folding doors that open up completely to the yard.

In just seven months, the designer transformed a 3,500-square-foot penthouse made up of two apartments' worth of small, dark rooms into a bright, open, minimalist, and modern space.

Here's a look at Method Homes' Paradigm home, a small space that packs a big punch. We especially like the perforated metal awning over the deck.

This new build sits on a one-acre, gently sloping lot in the Pasadena foothills, and offers 360-degree views of the San Gabriel Mountains, Los Angeles, and the coastline. The Walker Residence, which won a 2015 AIA Citation award, is completely transparent—all structural elements are visible in its open floor plan. The great room opens to the courtyard, which is perfect for entertaining. The dining room and wine cellar open to an intimate dining patio with a fireplace.

The project’s unique challenges—a tight budget and steep, difficult terrain—led architecture firm _naturehumaine to a creative solution that gave the house its delightfully sculptural appearance. Making the first floor’s envelope slightly narrower than the top one’s saved money while minimizing the amount of excavation required.

On Friday, October 10, join us for Meet the Architects at 82Mercer, where the minds behind the homes on Dwell's New York Home Tours will share their inspirations, challenges, and design solutions for the exceptional spaces showcased on this year's tour. This presentation is worth .1 AIA CEUs.

Clad in Western red cedar siding and punctuated with floor-to-ceiling windows, this minimalist two-bedroom home boasts sunrise views over the Sonoma hills.

Located in Tribeca, this spacious loft by raad studio blends modern furnishings with the home's impressive Victorian bones.

The stairs leading from the great room to the backyard.