Mirror by MAP for Sabi, $160 Not only is it irresistibly cute, Sabi’s mirror is also designed for universal use. Installation is a breeze: Punch out the to-scale template from the packaging and hang it with the included adhesive or easy-mount screw.

The March 1, 1943 issue of Life magazine included one of publishing’s more intriguing fold-outs; the first example of Buckminster Fuller’s Dymaxion Map. Less outlandish today, in an age of Feltron and infographic overload, Fuller’s fold-out projection was an outlier that raised serious philosophical and political points. With no fixed direction and less distortion than then-current maps, the Dymaxion Map sought to do away with judgements based on size and position, and make the underlying point that we’re all together on spaceship Earth. Fuller deliberately presented humanity as "one island, in one ocean," so we could better face our common problems together.

Francesco and Mafalda’s bedroom is open and playful with only a bit of Algue by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec guarding the stairs. The lamp was designed by Francesco himself and the decal on the wall is from My Vinilo.

This "local prefab" home on the Isle of Skye is made mostly from materials sourced in northern Scotland. The timber-framed model, meant to evoke the simple agrarian barns of the area, can be constructed on-site in as little as a day and is designed for affordability.

Black and white kitchen cabinets painted with a triangular pattern add a whimsical touch to this funky kitchen.

Designer Thor ter Kulve spent the first 10 years of his life in the Oostelijke Havengebied. When he returned as student of Slow Lloyd, he was curious whether the spaces where he played as a child are still used by kids today. He made a map for children of Lloyd guests to find these spaces of play in the immediate neighborhood and perhaps to meet local children. Ter Kulve printed the map on a pillowcase, so that the child can sleep with her/his memories. Fabric markers are provided to annotate the map with his/her discoveries.

When Abbie and Bill Burton hired Marmol Radziner to design their prefab weekend home, their two requests were “simple-simple, replaceable materials,” says Abbie—such as concrete floors (poured offsite in Marmol Radziner's factory) and metal panel siding—and “the ability to be indoors or outdoors with ease.” Deep overhangs provide shade and protection from rain, so the Burtons can leave their doors open year-round and hang out on their 70-foot-long deck even in inclement weather. They visit the house once a month, usually for a week at a time, with Vinnie and Stella, their rescue Bernese Mountain dogs. Their two adult children occasionally join them. The couple hopes to one day retire here.

A map on the wall shows where MAR pulls its culinary inspiration from. Photo by: Tiffany Orvet

Last but not least, Emily Fischer and Haptic lab also offer these supremely tactile designs: titled Soft-Map City Quilts, they're a series of hand-stitched, all-white designs that outline the streets of major cities: from Boston (seen here), to Brooklyn, Chicago, London, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Rome, San Francisco, and Washington D.C.

Designed by Ritika Mathur of Denmark’s Copenhagen Institute of Interaction Design, "Memory Maps" uses GPS technology and a radio frequency identification reader to enable individuals with early-stage memory impairment to record and map experiences.

The designers explain, “These steel windows played an integral part in making the interior feel larger and more open by blurring the boundaries between the interior and exterior.” A grey Halcyon Lake area rug, an oak chair from MAP, and Hans Wenger Wishbone chairs make for a simple, neutral palette. The painting over the fireplace is by Kate Hendry.

@angelaishere: "Designer uses survey where people are asked about their sentiment on different parts of LA. The data is then used to help create a unique map on leather. Final product is a messenger bag. #dod2014 #wuho"

A mustardy couch and a large map of the world—Whitlock travels all over the place for work—keep the living room bright and cheerful.

The concrete wall mimics the slope of the hill outside as a reference to early Maori structures that were dug into the land. The simple kitchen has strandboard cabinetry and an MDF island that conceals a fireplace at one end. The ceramic works on the built-in seat at right are by Raewyn Atkinson and Robyn Lewis.

After living on and studying a woodsy acre of land in North Zealand, Denmark, architect Jesper Brask cleared a stand of pine trees and, from the timber, built a getaway open to its surroundings. The house, which Brask shares with his wife, Lene, and sons, Kristian, Jens, and Niels, is used mainly in summer, when the weather is optimal for throwing open the glass doors.

Map of New Canaan, Connecticut, 1962. Courtesy of the artist and P!, New York "Philip Johnson commissioned Lustig Cohen to design a map of New Canaan that identified the location of the Glass House as well as nearby modernist homes, some of which are no longer standing," notes Akers.

Kemp's design inspiration, clearly, comes from all over the map.

"Maps to Help you Navigate Milan Design Week" by Craighton Berman.

The Food Zone Fine-tuning your cooking and dining areas pays off in more ways than just saving resources. As in other functional zones, their success starts with awareness: Where exactly does your food come from? Where exactly does your trash go after you haul it to the curb? Playing an active role in your family’s food cycle can be eye-opening, and it often helps spark an interest in improving other house zones.

Mami and Goo the Kishu dog return from a frolic in the forest, which the couple, along with Hideaki, has thinned and trimmed back over many weekends. It’s an idyllic escape and a world away from the concrete expanse of Tokyo.

A topographic map of Kapiti Island hangs in the tower.

In Seattle's rapidly developing South Lake Union neighborhood, the Art Stable is a classic example of urban infill. Built on the site of a former horse stable, the seven-story mixed-use building carries its history into the future with highly adaptable live/work units.

How House, the site of the May 17, 2014 reception and talk, and included on the May 18 tour. Photo by Tim Street-Porter.

A Map of the World: The World According to Illustrators and Storytellers via Gestalten $60.00 Navigate your way around the world through a series of visual storytelling maps and atlases composed by contemporary designers, illustrators and mapmakers.

The SPUR exhibition Urban Cartography, which is open until February 6, 2015, documents mapmaking in the past twenty years. Eric Fischer's map, one of the myriad pieces on view, documents where locals and tourists in San Francisco take photographs using geotagged images from Flickr and Picasa. Blue signifies locals, red is tourists, and yellow could be either. "His maps are gorgeous," says Allison Arieff, SPUR's editorial director and the show's curator. "It's not immediately apparent what they are showing but a little explanation goes a long way."

Koetter|Kim, OSHER MAP LIBRARY

Japanese showers are usually set low down so the bather can sit on a stool and scrub, then pour cedar buckets of hot water over their heads for a refreshing rinse. This homeowner in Venice, California mounted a handheld shower head on the wall for added flexibility. The drain is under the removable cedar floor slats, keeping the room design uncluttered. Wood tubs are cleaned with a simple rinse and last for decades, as the antiseptic properties of cedar guard against mold and rot. This ofuro was designed by Santiago Ortiz and fabricated by Bartok Design.

Alan Koch and Rebecca Rudolph contemplating how to design the workspace.

Choosing a kitchen or bathroom countertop can be nerve-wracking, and we understand why—they can be one of the most expensive aspects of a renovation, with the added responsibility of impacting the aesthetics of a space. Read on as we work our way through the pros and cons of seven of the most common countertop materials.

Tanya, Chris, Jackson, and Zeke spend much of their day outside.

Because the house is narrow and long (16 by 68 feet), the design team decided to create a huge open-air space to light the interior naturally. Two retractable motor-driven canvas canopies shelter the space during Singapore’s frequent rains.