KIKI SOFA - 2 SEATER Elegant and timeless, the Kiki collection of furniture was created by legendary Finnish designer Ilmari Tapiovaara in 1960. For the Kiki Sofa, Tapiovaara envisioned a clean, minimal sofa that could be integrated into any existing environment. Plush yet refined, the Kiki Sofa is crafted with lacquered steel tubing and features a fabric upholstered soft foam cushion.

The original home was preserved and renovated. In the front bedroom, a small window was replaced with a large painted-steel window seat, a favorite of the residents' grandchildren.

Orgone chaise longue by Marc Newson for Cappellini

The Kiki two-seater sofa by Ilmari Tapiovaara for Artek will be featured in Austere's lounge space at Dwell on Design NY. The sofa, designed by a Finnish design great and manufactured by one of Finland's foremost furniture manufacturers, is covered in Hallingdal fabric made in Denmark.

This outdoor bench-bibliotheque brings new meaning to the phrase ‘surrounded by books.’ Promising to bring intellectuals outdoors, this gazebo features a small table for lunch or tea, and easy-to-clean slatted wooden floors. Photo courtesy of Ruetemple Architectural Studio.

A spacious deck was created as part of the addition. A cantilevered concrete bench stretches out to the rear garden and complements the adjacent concrete wall.

Inspired by skateboards, the swing seats are made of European oak. “At first we tried bigger boards, but you can’t sit on them,” Parzyszek says.

Seated on a George Nelson bench, feline resident Miu Miu gazes through the east picture window at the ongoing construction. Sharing the bench is a quarter-inch-to-one-inch-scale model of the house and addition.

The patio outside Wenes's house and gallery.

Elsewhere, the blocks accommodate other uses, like support for a built-in table and benches in the kitchen and a rooftop observatory (next slide) for watching the sun set over the Ilaló volcano.

An important aspect of the home’s design is the seamless flow between inside and outside, which is enhanced not only by large windows and doors, but also by the home’s materials. The majority of the surfaces and structural elements in both the interior and exterior are composed of concrete, stainless steel, and wood, ensuring a unification between the two while guaranteeing durability. Concrete floors require little maintenance, while local wood helps the home blend into its surrounding landscape.

A playful wood screen greets visitors at the front entry, as well as providing support for a cushioned bench seat. Durable materials such as the Doug Fir cabinetry, White Oak flooring and a slate tile floor provide warmth and longevity.

Birdsall and Atticus are seated on an ipe bench designed by Anna Boeschenstein; the stucco exterior cladding was matched to Cast Iron 6202 paint by Sherwin-Williams.

The concrete bench in the living area just past the kitchen is built into the sloping wall. The Pedro wire stool is by Craig Bond for Candywhistle.

The couple has a large collection of cookbooks. To provide storage for them in the kitchen—and also seating—Sawatzky topped narrow bookcases (Bestå units by Ikea) with custom-made cushions, upholstered in gray Circa fabric by Knoll Textiles purchased from Modern Fabrics. The bookshelf-cum-bench was custom upholstered by Tina Morgan Designs.

These wood-wrapped spaces take oriented strand board to new heights.

Conoid Bench is an intricate example of George Nakashima placing minimal adornments on the wood, merely capturing it, preserving it and giving it a second life.

An ergonomic "task stool" and foot rest for standing desks, Focal Upright's Mobis Seat provides relief for those who think and work on their feet.

Street Seats image courtesy of BSC Architecture

Here, Smith sits on a vintage rosewood bench designed by the Swiss-born British architect Richard Seifert.

Sultan of Sit Even if your carpentry skills peaked in eighth-grade woodshop, reclaimed lumber and a bit of sweat can stand you in good stead when it comes to outdoor furniture. Whitlock created a ruggedly beautiful bench (below) from scratch. He bought a chunk of trestle lumber at a local salvage yard and lag-bolted four Ikea Sultan stainless steel bed legs to its base. “It took me two hours, including lumberyard drive time,” he says. “I spent $70 total.” ikea.com

Slagbaenk by Danish designer Rasmus B. Fex is a bench inspired by traditional Scandinavian furniture, based on a simple concept: five boards join two chairs to form a bench with integrated storage space. The size of the bench depends on the dimensions of the boards used.

Conny Plank bench by Al Que Quiere. Principal Matthew Sullivan named his solid walnut bench with a waxed finish after a German music producer. We see a bit of Memphis in the stair-stepped design.

Atop the spiral staircase, a custom iron bench is festooned with Turkish throw pillows from SophiesBazaar.

The reused doors serve as more than floor, walls, and ceiling; several are still functional. In the dining room, the benches lift up for storage, and doors on either side of the banquette open to reveal closets.

A finished Trabecula bench. At six feet long and two feet high, it is one of the largest rapid-manufactured pieces of furniture in the world, and yet, owing to it's materials and biometric cues, it weighs a mere fourteen pounds.

A built-in bench by the window is a cozy perch for Tyler. The herringbone flooring looks like wood but is actually man-made.

A patio spins off the northern end of the house’s main level. It fronts “Main Street,” which unwinds from the heart of downtown Seattle into a pedestrian foot path bordered by a woodland. “We went with a low and robust barrier instead of a tall wood fence to preserve views to the park,” Schaer says. The table and benches are by Crate & Barrel.

This outdoor fireplace in Austin, Texas is generously sized and created out of board-formed concrete, with a spot directly adjacent for firewood storage and a wood shelf running in front for added storage.

“I got rid of the bathtub because I like the idea of a big shower,” Pozner explains. But to achieve a comparable effect, he installed a teak bench from Waterworks on the rear shower wall. “One of the things I like about a bath is that you can soak. Here I can sit and have the water pound on me—it’s a hybrid shower and bath.”

A picnic table from Janus et Cie sits off the kitchen; the landscape architecture is by Richard D. Wood. In addition to passive solar, says Hawkins, “there is the added benefit of a thick concrete slab as a thermal mass that absorbs and stores the heat from the sun.”

Furniture with emphasized linear elements helps prevent the appearance of clutter in small spaces. It's particularly effective when highlighted in playful colors like the blue bench storage rack in this London guesthouse. Photo by Ben Anders.

The deck in the "memory orchard" of the Field House.

“A building can have far greater impact than the space it stands in.”—William Carpenter, architect and resident

Thin legs, thick foliage, and an entirely Swedish take on the indoor planter: Stick a cover on top and this prime place for greens becomes a sweet spot for rear ends. Click here for more information on these Green Pedestals.