Fold Weekender, $135.

Parson Russell terriers Pepper and Trixie get a glimpse of the large courtyard through a glassy expanse by Marvin Windows and Doors.

In the kitchen, the couple found barely used appliances instead of new ones to save money. The cabinetry and butcher block counters are from Ikea.

Privacy and respect for the natural environment was foremost in the new owners’ mind when conceiving the home’s redesign. The placement of the addition limits direct sightlines to neighbors and offers unbroken views of the surrounding area. The aluminum frame and glass walls create a light, airy atmosphere.

On an agricultural estate in Portugal, Blaanc Studio designed a simple retreat that does its utmost not to interfere with the scenic backdrop. The home was built with rammed earth, which is known for its thermal properties that help maintain a mild temperature all year long. A large, open fireplace with plenty of wood storage is used to warm the living area in winter. The firewood storage's open shelving is carefully located on the side of the island that doesn't face the living room, making sure that it is only visible in certain locations.

Last but not least, the western-facing master bedroom captures stunning sunsets from its wall-to-wall windows.

The owners are car collectors, especially of “vintage American Mustangs,” Simpson says, so a nearly 23-foot-wide garage door opening was created at the rear of the building to access a space made for six prized rides.

The house is also Build it Green Certified, beating the sustainability requirements of Title 24 (guidelines issued by the California Energy Commission Building Energy Efficiency Program) by over 50%. The house’s laundry is hooked up to a grey water irrigation system and its gutters drain rain into barrels for reuse. The concrete also incorporates 25% fly ash.

Large gum trees offer a natural barrier for the house. Harkness designed the house's footprint in order to minimize the effect on tree roots. “The retained trees offer a sense of layering and age that new vegetation won’t be able to for a long time,” Harkness says.

Murren chose maintenance-free materials, such as Stepstone precast concrete pavers for exterior decks and river-rock-covered flat roofs. He recalls his neighbors’ astonishment and delight when “we went from a giant hole in the ground to a two-story house in just four days.”

The stunning retreat is centered around a serene swimming pool with natural stone touches.

The large terrace on the upper level, which contains the house's bedrooms, is nearly 968 square feet.

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

During the historical review period of the permitting process, Curtiss learned the house was previously owned by three generations of the same family — a fact that deeply informed how she approached the remodel. “We wanted [the family] to drive by and feel like, ‘Oh cool, look what they did to our old house,’” she said, explaining her decision to preserve the house’s original shape. As a reminder of its previous life, workers sandblasted the original floorplate and left it exposed to reveal “the history of little conduit holes drilled before.” They also utilized old framing members when molding the concrete retaining walls in the yard, literally “imprinting the building’s history into the walkways.”

The 82-foot-long pool gets quite a lot of use by Jeff and Millie, and especially by the kids, who are both on the local swim team.

The pergola overlooks the pool with the Baltic Sea in the distance. The couple built the home so that there would be as much outdoor space as indoor space.

The view from the indoor pool.

The large saltwater pool is ringed by concentric circles.

Large Natural Wreath If you really prefer the tradition and smell of an evergreen wreath you can still modernize with scale and styling. via Habitually Chic. Photo by Virginia MacDonald.

Kastehelmi Large Plate Professor Oiva Toikka's Kastehelmi, Finnish for "dewdrop," evolved from a technical challenge when Toikka started using glass droplets to cover joint marks left on the surface of pressed glass pieces. The result was a popular range of glassware decorated with beads of glass that glisten like dewdrops in the morning sun.

The Best Ice Cube TrayTovolo’s King ice cube tray is tops because the larger surface area slows the dilution of melted water in your beverage. See the full analysis, which gives more thought to ice cubes than we ever have, at The Sweethome.

Architecture firm Bromley Caldari transformed a cramped beach house into a spacious vacation getaway filled with natural light and views.

Peg sofa table by Nendo for Cappellini. See it at Salone in Hall 20, Stand E01 - F06.

Gaffney and Kiku take in the air from the large sliding door bought from Timber Tech Scotland.

The focal point of the room is a glass fiber-reinforced concrete sink that weighs 460 pounds. The material is stronger then regular concrete, so the overall thickness of the sink is a mere two inches. By using GFRC, Archuleta was also able to create a more uniform surface with almost no pinholes—important both for maintaining the minimalistic appearance of the room and to avoid leaks in the areas that would be in direct contact with water. Concrete is also incorporated into the bathtub and shower bases.

On the third floor guests enjoy access to a covered swimming pool.

While brick is what was expected for the neighborhood, Mandel used a brick shingle for the extruded extension that occupies what was originally the side yard.

The view from Longchamp Outdoor Living's ipe pool deck. Clark Richardson Architects designed the multi-use space to be perfect all year long.

Opaque, white masonry walls alternate with large glass expanses throughout to create a visual palette of shadow and light.

In the Norwegian town of Larvik in Vestfold County, Oslo-based practice Lund Hagem Architects renovated a summer cabin on a rocky terrain with generous outdoor patios that take advantage of dramatic coastal views.

Two-year-old Annika and five-year-old Soren make music on the "nap swing," a popular hangout spot for kids and adults alike.

The most dramatic view in the apartment, the First Presbyterian Church looms large in the Kovel living room.