“A building can have far greater impact than the space it stands in.”—William Carpenter, architect and resident

New zoning allowed for a zero-lot-line structure, but required a public storefront, which Carpenter uses as an art gallery.

Perched just above the edge of the Narrows, the house is an ideal place to live surrounded by the wild beauty of Ketchikan.

Lightroom 1.0, a photography studio, is a freestanding structure on the property. “Together, they represent an autobiography of my career,” Carpenter says.

The two tiny homes were designed by CAST Architecture.

The Jorgensen's Menlo Park home is a model of green design with features that are smart for everyone to consider. "Every project is different, but there are some universal things that will apply from project to project," says Feldman about designing a green home. "The first—and most obvious thing—is to always try to build less, to have a smaller house and be smart about how the rooms are designed and oriented so that you can get by with less space. Smart design will lead to a smaller building, but it won't feel smaller."

A custom pivot door by Archispec opens onto a foyer with a poured-concrete floor. The oil painting at right is by Derrick Buisch.

Stainless-steel cables along the stairs function as a second railing without blocking views through the adjacent windows.

The house that architects Brian Johnsen and Sebastian Schmaling designed for Chele Isaac and John Neis appears to pop up from Wisconsin’s “driftless area,” an effect that is enhanced by a sedum roof that changes color with the seasons.

A sweeping terrace area is home to the hotel's restaurant, run by Chef Jose Enrique.

One of the new cooktop’s highlights is its PowerFlex zone that provides precise and effective heat, while giving you the option to cook with large pans that might need an extra boost of power. You can even combine two cooking zones into one, allowing you to go from handling two pots to working with a single large casserole dish.

Rian and Melissa Jorgensen's 2 Bar House in Menlo Park boasts all the usual green design suspects: energy-efficient lighting, good insulation, renewable material finishes, radiant heat, and the roof is pre-wired for future PV panels. Executed by Feldman Architecture, the house requires only natural lighting during the day which keeps energy costs way down. Still, the most stunning aspect of the green design is the living roof planted with succulents, aloe, viviums, and ice plants. "I'm absolutely glad that we did it," says Melissa. "It turned out so well and I really enjoy sitting up there and taking advantage of it as much as I can. It's very peaceful." Read more about this total remodel here.

The countertops in the kitchen are a mix of quartz surfaces and custom and salvaged stainless steel. "We use the kitchen all of the time, it turned out really nice," says Melissa. "It's very open, certainly one of the central focuses of the house, and is fun for entertaining."

The living room, dining room and kitchen are in one open space. The flooring is bamboo. The cabinetry is a mix of bamboo, walnut, and maple, and was fabricated by City Cabinetmakers out of San Francisco.

A room that Johnsen and Schmaling dubbed the observatory offers panoramic views of the landscape. “I think of it as kind of a tree house,” Isaac says of the space. A pair of Thatcher sofas by Gus Modern bookend a table that Isaac found on the street and refinished. The Tam-Tam tables and Marshmallow ottoman are by Trica.

In the dining area, a Campo d’oro table from De Padova is ringed by vintage Michael Thonet Bentwood chairs. The kitchen features b3 cabinets by Bulthaup and custom stainless-steel countertops. The red Stool_One counter stools are by Konstantin Grcic for Magis.

Shelter No. 2, Broisson Architects, 2008 This prefab made mostly of recycled materials is modest, but not too modest for a spiral staircase. Three levels culminate in a large skylight, which filters natural light all the way down to the ground floor's hydroponic garden.

It Will Get Loud: A Small Speaker That's Big on Sound Home audio companies are managing to make speakers smaller, more portable, and more wallet-friendly while keeping sound quality as robust as their larger (and pricier) brethren. Soundfreaq's co-founder and creative director Matthew Paprocki will demo and deconstruct the award-winning Sound Stack and demo Sound Platform 2 to let you in on the technology behind making big sound come from a tiny package. See this Saturday, June 22, at 12:30 p.m. on the Demonstration Stage.

The couple asked Bryan Richards of Real Natives Landscape Design to incorporate drought-tolerant plants into the landscaping. Surrounding a table from CB2 are chairs from Design Within Reach.

The interior is furnished with Lubi Daybeds from CB2, which Howell and Porter designed to include hidden cubbies behind and beneath the cushions.

“The house feels kind of alive. It picks up the subtlety of the land and is perfectly positioned.” —Chele Isaac, resident

Paul Brown's plotter drawing "BIGDIM / 0 10 10 0 0 0 / 200,120 / 11,969" is an intricate progression and deconstruction of geometric shapes. 1979, from Digital Pioneers.

The restaurant El Pinton in Seville, Spain.

For privacy and quiet, the home's three bedrooms are situated the furthest from the street. Each faces its own courtyard.

Grant Mudford, El Paso, Texas.

“Technical products like hi-fi fit more easily into all kinds of surroundings than those old furniture look-alike ones.”—Dieter Rams, designer

An Arco floor lamp from Flos arches over a Bend sofa by Patricia Urquiola for B&B Italia. A pair of Low Pad chairs by Jasper Morrison and a Sunset chair by Christophe Pillet, all for Cappellini, are arranged around a set of Pebble coffee tables by Ligne Roset.

The term “Internet of Things” was first documented by British visionary Kevin Ashton in 1999. The first Internet appliance was a Coke machine at Carnegie Melon University in the early 1980s. The programmers could connect to the machine over the Internet, check the status of the machine and determine whether or not there would be a cold drink awaiting them, should they decide to make the trip down to the machine.

2-Door Cupboard in scrapwood

The courtyards offer a peaceful respite from the city. "[The home] provides an environment for its inhabitants that is experiential," says Teschendorrf.

2-Door Cupboard in scrapwood

Endless possibilities!

A toy that promotes analog learning and creativity in a digital world without technology? Meet the anaPad 2, $40-70—a magnetic white board housed inside a white acrylic frame with a wooden back and 3D geometric magnetic apps. Perfect for what kids do best—doodling, endlessly arranging things around, and game playing.

The studio shelters the residence's entrance and a wood deck from the street.

The front of the Fisheye 2 SHIAWASE.

The ground floor of the house contains the living and dining areas, as well as four bedrooms. The upper floor contains the master suite with a lake view, as well as two additional bedrooms. The large 'S' sculpture, shaken from a building following the 2001 earthquake in San Salvador, was salvaged and repurposed by designer Gerardo Dumont.