Dwell's September 2014 issue.

A dramatic departure from your typical cabin on the lake, this unique retreat adds shades of black to a tiny island awash with local color. A modern brick outdoor fireplace, tall and slim, is flanked by Philippe Starck’s outdoor chairs for Kartell for cozy fireside seating.

For the second year in a row, experts in landscape design offered free consultations as part of “The Landscape Designer Is In” program.

The April 2013 “Outdoor” issue is available on newsstands now.

Closet space comes at a premium, so peruse our editor-approved racks to add some easy clothing storage.

The outdoor shower situated off of the master bedroom is enclosed to offer privacy and features a courtyard garden. Michael Arp of Lanoha Nurseries designed the house's landscaping.

Architect Janna Levitt devised a creative emellishment for a residence in Canada. Photo by: Philip Cheung

@kchou311: Who knew you could find so much greenery in #DTLA today at #DODLA

We've got glamping, a beer garden, and more at our largest #dwelloutdoor ever! #DODLA

Our June issue cover features the modern L.A. home of Glee star Jayma Mays and her husband, actor Adam Campbell.

Two-year-old Annika and five-year-old Soren make music on the "nap swing," a popular hangout spot for kids and adults alike.

Lest you think the suburbs are breed only outsized homes, this Palo Alto abode proves otherwise in our 2005 issue Small is the New Big. Our cover story is about a San Francisco home built on a 20-foot-wide lot. Photo by: Todd Hido

Ryan Anderson of RAD Furniture designed the stools as well as the table and benches on the pool deck.

A 500-square-foot outdoor space with a grill, a table, and a hammock sits just off the entrance level of the townhouse, offering extra room for dining, relaxing, and entertaining. The corner couch is a custom piece inspired by the large cushions of Moroccan sofas. The Fermob table is paired with Hay Hee dining chairs by Hay.

An outdoor shower was the family’s first construction project. “Doing the shower made us realize we can build things the way we want to build them,” says Meg.

Their daughters, Annapurna, left, and Siddartha, play with their dog, Anouck, beneath the kangaroo paws in the entry garden courtyard.

During construction, Mariscal’s team adjusted the design to accommodate the boughs of an old pine tree in the backyard. The unique detail imbues the home with a spirit of wabi-sabi—or beauty through imperfection.

Classic butterfly chairs from Universal Patio Furniture are stationed by the pool. The mural is by street artist Morley, a close friend.

Russell-Clarke tends a small garden.

There's little concern about privacy considering the canopy of trees that surrounds the house. Alexander, and the chickens, take advantage of their sunny Northern Californian clime.

In our 2011 small spaces issue we checked out the home of a pair of design-savvy Portlanders. And in the cover story we check out a small New York spot remade with 36 commercial doors. Photo by: Nicholas Calcott

Dwell Outdoor Takes Center Stage at Dwell on Design This year, for the first time, the ever-popular Dwell Outdoor will live right in the middle of the show floor, immediately viewable at the entrance. Beneath a stylized “rope-art” canopy created by Sausalito-based Shades of Green and outfitted with their myriad trees and plants, the new Dwell Outdoor, sponsored by Blu Homes andLumos Solar, promises to inspire. Populating the 18,000-square-foot-plus space will be full-scale structures from prefab companies like Sett Studio, who is “obsessed with energy efficiency, sustainable building materials, and designing thoughtful space.”

The land is adjacent to the Colorado River, along which Brown and his girlfriend, Agustina Rodriguez, walk their dogs.

The glassy pavilion containing kitchen, dining, and living areas is elevated three feet off the ground on posts so it appears to hover among the dunes.

Check out all of our 2014 holiday gift guides at a glance, and don't forget to comment here with your best modern gift ideas.

@bromco: These pillows flipping rock!! Literally! @rockpillows. #DODLA

Indoor and outdoor furniture company Grandin Road arrived with three high-design teepees in tow to give attendees a lesson in modern glamping.

@jordan_renee: "So many great outdoor seating options! #dod2014"

The metal shed, where Lisa Sette and her husband lived temporarily, was featured on the cover of Dwell’s first issue.

Architectural designer Sebastian Mariscal and project manager Jeff Svitak created a house in Venice, California, for Michael and Tamami Sylvester. Known as Dwell Home Venice for its role as an exemplification of modern architecture, the house is an homage to indoor-outdoor living. Photo by Coral von Zumwalt.

“The home is quite small, but designed in such a way that you don’t feel it,” Herrin says. Lift-slide openings by Quantum Windows & Doors, which were fabricated fewer than 50 miles from the house, make the main living space seem larger.

"It only cost about $48,000 to build, which was incredibly cheap," says Turner of the Stealth Barn. "We got the Timber Frame Company to supply the shell, then we clad it and fitted out the interior and windows ourselves. The idea was to take the archetypal black tar-painted agricultural building and make an almost childlike icon of that."

Stepstone's narrow concrete pavers add a graphic touch to the garden.