Here's what you need to know before undergoing a building project with a contractor but no architect.

An office nook and library can participate in the open plan or disappear behind pocket doors.

Pricing is not yet available for ENSAMBLE, but a single board of cholguán retails for about $5. By keeping assembly simply and using glue to join the system, the Andes House hopes to make it a cost-effective solution for the office and beyond.

The kitchen, which the architect tucked into the back of the house, contains wooden cutting boards by Studio Simple and knives by Studio Simple and Antoine Van Loocke.

Tools by Jakob Jørgensen is a series of handcrafted woodworking tools intended to explore craft traditions and act as a counterpoint to machines.

The downstairs office houses the tools of the trade.

A Dornbracht tap sits above a custom-built glacier white Corian countertop and sink. The sink is covered by a removable cutting board that can be kept in place for an added work surface, or removed for dedicated sink use. The cutout in the center allows water from the tap to flow straight through to the custom Corian drainer.

These handcrafted cutting boards made from Vermont maple are ideal for charcuterie or cheese trays—and will look just as good on their own, long after the food is gone.

The second-floor office is housed inside a rounded rectangle of concrete that the architect inserted on top of the old farmhouse.

Cutting boards by Nao Tamura for Discipline.

A familiar scene in the Benoit home: Peter paints at the Steelcase desk—"I do all my work here," he says—while Ando sits nearby, waiting for attention.

Whether you’re battling noise or are short on space, these guides can turn your office into a distraction-free zone.

In addition to the aforementioned designers, catch work from artisan textiles and apparel studio Small Trade Company; textile artist Llane Alexis; handwoven apparel and textile maker Voices of Industry; and jewelry maker Liz Oppenheim. "It's a very diverse group, which we like," Chiang says. "What unifies the participants is a deep relationship with both design and material. Great craft is not complete without design."

Tools of the trade.

That said, even their closet clutter is minimal and well-organized.

By creating a desk out of roof beams, this home office perfectly integrates into an open-plan renovation of a Northern Italian farmhouse.

Laminated-MDF cabinetry helps to hide clutter in the kitchen.

The office houses the letter “U" as well as cameras.

Working is much more pleasant when you have natural light to brighten up your space. If you aren’t lucky enough to have a window, then invest in some stylish lighting.

Regain focus and boost your productivity—here, we walk you through seven steps to soundproofing your home office.

The study features floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors that bring the outdoors in. Space-saving custom walnut desks are accented by a Pixo Optical LED Table Lamp, an AJ table lamp, and a 1958 Eames Management Chair.

Agustín Hernandez's home office.

"Very ugly countertops are common," Perelman says. "I've mostly gone in the grin and bear it camp, but at the same time I think investing in a beautiful cutting board will make you feel much better about your kitchen. I bought a beautiful black maple cutting board and I'll always have it. You could probably get one the size of your counter. The whole idea is you can take it with you." This 12-by-20-inch walnut board is available from Jewett Farms Workshop for $46.

The playroom later became Xenia’s office.

Bo, the family’s Old English sheepdog, keeps Sherry company in the office.

The abstract geometry of the exterior allows for unique openings and this sklylight, which provides natural light to the staff throughout the day. "One of my ambitions is to place openings, windows, and roof lights strategically, so you get a sense of the time of day and the weather," says Brooks.

Near the room’s curving wall, a Verner Panton chair joins a K2 B console table by Tecta, topped by a vintage mirror by Robert Welch. The wall light is from Flos. “If I had more space, I’d just fill it with more stuff,” says Pearce.

In most of the loft, the original wood flooring and the herringbone pattern of the vaulted brick ceiling have been carefully preserved.

An installation by Willem Cole hangs in the gallery, which leads to an open stairway to the office and private bedrooms upstairs.

The couple's firm specializes in illustration and photography for the advertising industry. The framed art is by Anthony Burrill and the wall calendar is the work of Crispin Finn. The Ikea office table is ringed by Fritz Hansen Butterfly Chairs and Herman Miller Aeron Chairs. The lighting is by Artemide.

Designed by Jagoda, the door swings open to fit in front of a bookshelf.

Everything from lighting to curtains to video and audio can be controlled from a smartphone, enhancing the loft’s sense of effortless elegance.

IITTALA TOOLS SAUCEPAN $295 Developed with the insight of professional chefs and the material mastery of designer Björn Dahlström, this range of highly designed cookware was created for people with a large appetite for life. The generously sized pieces are perfect for even the most demanding occasions, adding ease and control to every aspect of cooking and serving.

Song waxes poetic about her medium. "Wood is constantly in flux, even when it has been felled," she says. "It is a breathing material. It expands and contracts, depending on its environment. I work with wood because it primordial to me. It feels like an intuitive process to study wood. I need to understand and work with it and allow it to become what it wants to be." The round cole jaw and chucks she uses on her lathe hang on a wall in her studio.

Although woodworking has been an interest for as long as Michael Rupich can remember, the first time he picked up a saw was when, at seven years old, he started building his own skateboard ramps. “Skateboarding was definitely a huge influence and motivation for me, because I needed to build ramps in order to skate them,” he says. “That continued into my early teens and gave me a great understanding of basics like making things structurally sound and the uses of tools and machinery. In my later teens, I started moving away from the carpentry aspect and began doing more refined wood working.” Photo by: Esther Nisanova.