Upon his first visit to Tasmania, an island south of the Australian mainland, resident David Burns was immediately smitten with its varied, pristine landscape. Working with architecture firm Misho+Associates, he built a self-sustaining, 818-square-foot retreat that would allow him to completely unplug from urban life.

The Element House by MOS Architects stands on pylons, creating the illusion of it hovering over the desert floor. Nine thermal chimneys, one of which can be seen right, channel hot air out from the interior living areas.

A small airspace separates the building's aluminum skin from the wall underneath. The aluminum acts like a heat sink during the day: it absorbs heat but remains thermally separated (by the narrow gap) from the Element House walls.

Sunlight permeates the interior thanks to skylights within the thermal chimneys. A single common area, comprising a kitchen, dining, and living area, links all the three bedrooms.

The Element House stands on pylons, creating the illusion of it hovering over the desert floor. Nine thermal chimneys, one of which can be seen right, channel hot air out from the interior living areas.

The Element House is powered by solar panels, seen right.

The kitchen island, also Douglas fir, showcases the material’s rich striations and color variations. Behind the kitchen are two bedrooms and a single bathroom. A large open air pavilion, built concurrently with the cabin, can be seen from the windows on the right.

Outside, a gridded trellis with sheet-punched panels overlays the structure and extends into the landscape, providing shade in the warm desert climate.

GRID, Carter Williamson Architects, 2012 Envisioned as emergency housing for after tsunamis, this steel prefab from Australia arrives flat-packed and can be assembled in four hours. With solar panels and rainwater tanks, it's possible for it to house up to 10 people in a pinch.

Off-The-Grid Desert Escape (Pioneertown, USA) Dwell profiled this counterintuitive desert concept near Joshua Tree, an uncoupled, environmentally friendly escape with glass walls and cross-ventilation instead of air conditioning and shade. Wrapped in glass, the waystation is more a watchtower for the desert scenery. Just imagine the stars at night as you huddle around the indoor fireplace. Named the "iT House” as a reference to the “It Girl,” not any IT (there’s no wifi here), it’s an ideal space to disappear amidst the thermals and 100-plus temperatures. Listing at Off-grid itHouse

“Often when we talk about sustainability we focus on the gadgetry, what makes things feasible off grid,” Moffitt says. “But to me there are more interesting things in passive design that rely on the available sun and wind.” An eight-panel solar array does chip in significantly, generating all the electricity the house needs.

The grid pattern ebbs and flows in popularity in art and fashion as well as in design. Artist Jean-Pierre Raynaud is famous for his home in Paris, La Maison in La Celle-Saint-Cloud, which sported an interior composed almost entirely of 15-centimeter-square white tiles, evenly spaced out with black grout.

For Design Miami 2014, gallerist Patrick Parrish showed a Superstudio-inspired tableau of RO/LU furniture and clothing by Various Projects.

AP Works of Japan created this playful placemat, which uses an illusion to make it seem "as if the pattern has sunk under the weight of tableware."

Grid of all the promo cards included in the separate envelope.

Designed by Peter Bohlin of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, the 3,000-square-foot house "incorporates the natural world by allowing one to experience the temperature, sights, and smells of the island as you travel through the house," Kasper says. He calls it "the house that Nirvana built," from his time as a producer for the world-famous band, along with their Seattle grunge brethren Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, and the Foo Fighters.

The 3,000-square-foot house sits partially on stilts to tread as lightly as possible on its natural island site.

Bay and clerestory windows from Window Craft abound throughout.

A horizontal sliver of window allows light into the bathroom, with tile by Ann Sacks, a Zuma Collection C Series tub, a Kohler tub filler, and an Elkay faucet.

The opposite view reveals a modest open kitchen.

From the water, the house blends into the landscape, which was the intention of the owners and the architectural team.

I-beams extend beyond the house and add a perpendicular gesture to the otherwise elongated home. With virtually no neighbors, the family enjoys a private indoor-outdoor lifestyle. The doors throughout are from Northstar Woodworks.

The Element House also features eight balconies, two of which (seen left) border the living area.

While a lengthy building lifespan minimizes environmental impact—for example, the charred cedar will last 80 years—an array of solar panels 50 yards from the house also allows it to operate independently from the electrical grid. A cistern collects fresh water from a nearby natural spring.

Entirely off the grid, the house is powered by four photovoltaic panels that supply electricity to lights, small appliances, and water pumps.

Apply the grid look from floor to ceiling with Ferm Living's WallSmart wallpaper, a new generation of non-woven wallpaper that is supposed to be easier and faster to hang.

Ying Chang's Grid System desk sports a plethora of wire cages that function as easy-to-see storage cubbies.

Grid, designed by POOL for Petite Friture, is a modular seating system inspired by the Bauhaus that comes in a range of seating configurations (with the option of an integrated side table).

The tape is removed to reveal the orange grid.

The Grid Compass, the first laptop, was designed by Moggridge in 1979, and came onto the market three years later. The computer featured a die-cast clamshell case of magnesium alloy, an Intel 8086 processor, a 320 × 240-pixel electroluminescent display, 340-kilobyte magnetic bubble memory, and a 1,200 bit/s modem.

Clad in rough-sawn timber, a series of folding metal screens open the interior to the deck.

The bright ochres of the Douglas Fir beams and window framing accent the gray and white hues of the furniture, floors, and walls.

The armrests of this gridded option from Dot & Bo become a headboard and footboard when the couch is fully flat. At 7’6" long, it works just as well for kids' sleepovers and visiting grown ups.

Inspired by medieval armors, helmets, and fencing masks, these silver grid vases reflect the grandiose history of Britain and the story of its knights. Stylish and beautiful, these metallic vases can be used to hold your favorite kind of flowers or function as striking decorative pieces.

Soft Grid Cushions by Anderssen & Voll, $109