Using another service, Outback Power, Pendl can see how much energy he's drawing from (or sending to) the grid when his 450 watt wind turbine and 800 watts of solar panels are operating. This all being said, the trailer isn't yet fully integrated with smart technoly: climate control and HVAC are still a separate system. "Another nice addition down the road would be to add smart tires to the trailer so that I can monitor and adjust air pressure from afar," Pendl says. "I take the Airstream on some pretty bumpy forest roads—the high desert of Nevada for Burning Man included—and it'd be great to quickly see an adjust tire pressure for better traction."

Maggie Treanor waters plants around her rural home.

With Control4 automation, everything from music to lighting can be managed with the tap of a touchscreen. The Casalis balanced their home’s high-tech features with rich materials including a marble backsplash by Ciot, a wood table from Kantelberg + Co., and quartz countertops by Caesarstone. The casual dining area features Kartell Masters chairs and an airy Triumph chandelier by Eurofase.

“First, determine a technology budget, then pick the most important features to have,” Raizin advises. “Many want a fully integrated, ultra-high-tech home, but the cost for that can be in the six-figures.”

Easton and Wright in their dining room. The redwood flooring in the living and dining rooms continues onto the deck.

But onto the real question: The pavilion is a definite delight to the eyes, but does it make the wine more tasty? “Absolutely!” Warner and McCabe assert. “Each pavilion is elegantly unobtrusive and offers a rustic yet refined experience evocative of picnicking with a bottle of wine under an oak tree. In this way, the pavilions serve to bring the visitor a greater depth of understanding and appreciation for the place where Quintessa is made and the process that creates its uniquely sophisticated character.”

To install Charles Willson’s prefab house, Stillwater Dwellings lifted the structure over an existing barn on the one-acre property. Willson, who is often on the road, wired the house with the latest in smart technology.

The system has a main hub and comes with six sensors to install around the house. Power comes from batteries that are designed to last ten years. Each of the sensors use copper wiring as a signal booster, which relays their findings to the central unit, which is connected to your home Wi-Fi network. Set the sensors in a bathroom, basement, or any other room, and press a button to activate it.

Corrugated siding usually used for roofing is used for the exterior.

Lambert pours wine in the kitchen, which is defined by a low concrete-block wall and serves as the home’s central core. The seating-area chairs are from Herman Miller.

The Lai family—Mayuko, baby Shota on her lap, David, Maya, and Yumi sitting on a cushion on the deck—relaxes in their indoor-outdoor living space, made by opening the glass sliding doors to connect the living room and engawa deck.

OneButton chose Definitive Technology’s DI 6.5S models for their superb sound quality and matte-white finish. A Corian grille hides the subwoofer.

The most sustainable element of all is the Lais’ intention to make their first home their last home as well. “Some people have this mentality of getting a starter house, then upgrading from there,” David says. “We just wanted to find a place to live in and then stay there forever.” Eventually they imagine passing the home down to their children.

The living area opens up to a patio with views of a neighboring vineyard. Paulistano armchairs from Design Within Reach and a Ligne Roset Togo sofa surround a Dunn coffee table from Room & Board. The fireplace is from Montigo.

In the kitchen, the continuous kitchen worktop and table are made of marble from Caledonia Marble. The pink Tamatik dining chairs are by Connie Chisholm and are from the Canadian design shop Made. The Blinding Love pendant lights are by Periphere, which has shops in Montreal and Toronto. Photo by Naomi Finlay.

When Pendl wanted a second home for road trips, Airstream was the clear choice: it matched his own love for modern and industrial aesthetics. He picked the International Sterling model for its especially contemporary interior, what he calls "a sleek...interpretation of that classic Americana style." But there was a hitch: this retro-futuristic dwelling couldn't support present-day security systems. Due to due to liability concerns, security companies won't typically install their products homes on wheels. Luckily Pendl already had some experience with smart technology systems: "Home automation has been on my radar for quite a while. Initially I was drawn to just the ability of being able to turn things on and off remotely, then I began to play with...[making] a smart home." In 2014 he learned about Wink, an app that lets users manage their smart home devices like Nest, Honeywell, Canary, and Phillips Hue. He set about improving his home in Seattle, first with just a few smart light bulbs then "I organically grew my ecosystem of products from there."

Inside the prefab residence, molded plastic Eames chairs from Design Within Reach rest beneath a Splugen Brau pendant light from Flos.

Sobek's extensive use of glass cladding for his projects effectively blends interior and exterior space, while providing plenty of natural light.

Foodini And for the ultimate product in futuristic, small-space kitchen appliance design, the combination 3D printer and oven system, currently a prototype being developed by a company in Barcelona, will help “print” different types of food.

A variety of drought-tolerant plants cascade down a 10-foot-wide vertical garden wall near the entrance to the property.

The kitchen is a vibrant deep blue. "It's the same color Le Corbusier used in the corridor of his Villa Savoye in Poissy," Van Everbroeck reports.

An outdoor dining area is shaded by a mesh canopy suspended by old drilling pipes.

Quirky and GE announced seven new smart home products that have been under development in the two years since the companies announced their partnership. The initial ideas for the products were submitted by members of Quirky's crowdsourcing platform and were brought to market by the tech startup.

Pam stools from Ligne Roset pull up to the kitchen island; the custom birch cabinetry complements a Caesarstone Raven countertop.

A 55-inch Samsung Smart TV, a gift, is one of few indulgences.

Michael Taylor of Canton, Georgia, submitted the idea for the Tapt light switch. It features two buttons: a traditional on/off control and one that can be programmed to do any action, say, dim a bulb or turn all the connected lights in your house on. When smart bulbs are turned off by traditional switches, connectivity is lost. Not so with Tapt. Additionally, there's no need for a separate dimmer. Ben Kaufman, Quirky's founder and CEO, says that lightbulbs make up 40 percent of the products that Wink users control through the app. "Lightbulbs are the gateway to the connected home," he says. Over 100,000 people have started to use Wink since the app launched 126 days ago.

In addition to revealing the product fleet, Quirky announced plans to build a factory in San Francisco that will manufacture made-to-order smart home electronics, like the Spotter Uniq, a device that can be custom configured to include sensors for temperature, humidity, sound, light, and motion, among others. Based on what's detected, the Spotter can trigger actions in other connected devices. For example, if it detects motion, a light turns on. Moreover, users can specify what colors they'd like the housing to be. "Sensors are going to be a part of our lives and they should be nonobtrusive," Kaufman said during the press conference. "We can customize electronics to the needs of consumers; you can build your own ecosystem." The entire device will be made under one roof from start to finish (components, too) and the nature of the item required a Stateside manufacturing facility.

The Outlink smart wall outlet and energy monitor demystifies energy bills by allowing users to see exactly what appliances and electronics are using how much energy. Michael Taylor invented this product.

Recognizing that water damage is often one of the most costly catastophes to happen to a home, Michael Taylor (who invented three of the seven new products) sought to create a sensor that will alert you to moisture levels in your home. The Overflow retails for $35, which is far less than the ost of water damage to a home—insurance companies say the average sum is $10,000. Suggested install locations are near water heaters, toilets, and washing machines.

The property includes a rental unit and several outdoor living areas.

Leroy tools around on his mini turbo tractor while munching on a gigantic cookie; his parents look on with envy.

Smart ForTwo BoConcept Editionby Smart To appeal to design-savvy consumers, Smart collaborated with the Danish furniture company BoConcept to develop the ForTwo’s leather-trimmed interior. On the market in the USA in late 2013, it offers a top speed of more than 78 mph. When fully charged, its range is 76 to 90 miles. Smart’s handy mobile app alerts drivers to real-time battery status and the closest charging stations. At 8.8 feet long, it’s among the smallest cars on the market today. smartusa.com

In the master bath, the architect managed to combine privacy and a view by adding a horizontal-line pattern to the glass wall.

Architects Alice Fung and Michael Blatt designed their own home in Los Angeles, complete with a modern fireplace design clad in galvanized steel.