How should universal design be applied to electronics like the radio? This series of articles investigates ways to design creatively.

A custom-designed chairlift system from Versicor allows Matthew access to the tower. “The new house has really liberated Matthew. My goal is that he will have access to everything by one means or another,” says Ed Slattery.

One of the home’s more fanciful features is a meditation tower that offers views to Baltimore’s Loch Raven Reservoir and beyond.

A sculptural skylight bathes the master bathroom in natural light. A single level of tile floor allows easy access to the full height glass shower at the room's end.

“The new house has really liberated Matthew. My goal is that he will have access to everything by one means or another.” —Ed Slattery, resident

Inside, cedar beams add warmth while polished concrete floors provide easy passage for Matthew’s wheelchair. Other universal-design features include drop-down mechanisms for the kitchen counters and cooktop from Freedom Lift Systems.

Ed Slattery, seen here with his son Matthew, wanted to create a sustainable home that is accessible without feeling like a hospital.

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.

Cedar siding and fiber cement panels, painted a soft blue grey, assures the home blends into the natural landscape. The home's linear plan and shed roofs takes full advantage of the site's views and solar orientation.

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

The basic requirements of a good stocking stuffer are: portable size, ingenuity, and of course, the fun factor. This brightly-colored universal adapter from Flight 001 satisfies all three. ($25)

Universal Construction Panels by ECOR.

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.

Color and material cues help Matthew navigate the house. Reclaimed wood from a local barn marks the dining room, which also features a table from BoConcept, a Graypants pendant lamp, and molded-fiberglass chairs by Charles and Ray Eames. In the living room, the color palette of the Design Within Reach sofa and built-in bookshelves was inspired by maple trees in fall. “That’s really what universal design is about: making it as stylish as anything you’d put in anyone else’s house, but having the ability for it to be accessible,” says Coplen.

The 606 Universal Shelving System, designed in 1960 for Vitsœ by Dieter Rams.

Review the number of sinks you need. While two sinks can help ease morning traffic, they also reduce countertop space. Ask yourself: would a double sink with little countertop space be more useful than a single sink with more surface space?

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.

Designed to follow universal design principles, this Santa Monica prefab home by Connect Homes delivers modern and environmentally friendly design on a budget.

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.

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.

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.

Sabi's wall-mounted detachable hand mirror ($50) magnifies two times and is encased in cheery yellow or neutral gray.

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. Mirror ($160) and shelf ($80-$110) at sabi.com.

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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.

On the outskirts of Austin, Texas, author Chris Brown and his dog Katsu head to the river; the path was once a dumping ground on top of a long-defunct underground oil pipeline. The green roof was conceptualized by John Hart Asher of the Ecosystem Design Group at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.

Sabi's silicone towel ring retails for $50.

The Sabi Space line designed by MAP includes a caddy ($60) and hanger ($50).

“Before, the house turned its back on the landscape,” said Parish. “This renovation and addition really animates the garden.” Sliding glass doors match those of the living room beyond the deck, and both can be completely open to the yard.

Each piece comes with a template for easy wall markup and installation; brackets can be mounted with a screw and Allan key (shown above) or an adhesive backing developed by 3M.

Tom Givone’s clients, Rose and Steve Smith, teach overseas and have owned their house for 26 years. They intended to fix it up slowly and retire there. As one problem led to another, they reached a point when they felt their only option, as Rose put it, was to “burn it down.”