The wall beneath the stairs holds hidden storage, including an Enomatic wine dispenser and Sub-Zero refrigerated drawers.

Shibata made the 10-person dining table using $130 sawhorse legs from Maruki Wood Products Company topped with a sheet of birch plywood. A hole in the sliding wall fits over the table, enabling it to be used in both the library and the meeting room. malki.jp A movable wall clad in wainscoting on one side slides along tracks in the dining-room ceiling, dividing the room into a meeting space and a library. The Shiro Simple Modern Pendant lights can be easily removed and reattached after moving the wall. vanilladesign.jp

“One of the goals of Zenkaya was to create employment in a country crippled by [an unemployment rate of over 25 percent],” explains the architect, who likes to call himself a social entrepreneur.

Resident Brian Whitlock saved some serious cash by taking on much of the construction and electrical work himself.

Their tenants include veterinary student Leslie Carter and intern architect Brad Raines.

With doors open, Shino and Ken pull an Eames LCW chair for Herman Miller outside to enjoy the space.

In the living room Daphne the dog keeps company with a Case Study Day Bed from Modernica, a LCM chair by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller, and a painting by the Brooklyn artist Joyce Kim.

One-Family Custom Housing: Olson Kundig Architects created this home in Washington's remote Methow Valley as four structures oriented around a central courtyard, each positioned to best enjoy the surrounding vistas in all four seasons.

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.

Clerestory windows in Tyler's design studio provide plenty of light, while built-in bookshelves and flat files offer ample storage.

In this glass-enclosed master bedroom, a LC4 armchair faces the master bed. The moveable frame adjusts along the base, allowing the sitter to switch from upright to full recline, or lounge at a number of other sitting angles.

The Lyons’ younger daughter practices cello in her bedroom, which overlooks the central gallery space.

Crisis Chair in nude plywood

Durango Urbano - Eskema Arquitectos

Durango Urbano - Eskema Arquitectos

Durango Urbano - Eskema Arquitectos

Durango Urbano - Eskema Arquitectos

Durango Urbano - Eskema Arquitectos

Durango Urbano - Eskema Arquitectos

Durango Urbano - Eskema Arquitectos

Durango Urbano - Eskema Arquitectos

Durango Urbano - Eskema Arquitectos

After entering through the front door, visitors pass over the large koi pond on a cast-concrete footbridge chiseled to look like stone.

We queried Perelman about her essential kitchen tools and one of the most versatile for her is a cast iron skillet. Lodge manufactures its wares in the USA and they're easy on the wallet. This 12-inch option is $37. "You can use it as a roasting pan and you can use it as a frying pan to cook anything on the stove," she says. "Mine cost $20 full price. If you take care of it, you could hand it to your grandkids. Cast iron pans are great, especially if you're feeling broke and it's your first kitchen."

Then the individual leaves are cast.

“Concealing a stair leading to trail access to the park, the wall’s form suggests the folds and striations of the sandstone geology,” explains SurfaceDesign. While the wall and fence provide more privacy for the backyard, their transparency restores visual connections with the park.

The Crisis Chair and Table in grey plywood

Crisis Chair in nude plywood, stacked.

The development's four distinct yet interconnected volumes share a garden.

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.

The roof-mounted EcoHat conceals solar panels and gives a unique look to the property.

The prefabricated Oxley Woods houses are erected in about a week.

Typical refugee tents only last about six months. These shelters, designed by Swedish designers from the Refugee Housing Unit with the UN Refugee Agency, can last for years.

Tennessee. Lodge Cast Iron has been manufacturing its classic, durable cooking tools in South Pittsburg, Tennessee since 1896.