LLaumett refers to the extended patio as its own entity—a calm place to sunbathe or stare out to the ocean at any time of day. It is made of pine and covered in an opaque Osmo glaze. The chairs were constructed by the owners.

A closer look at a Wallpiercing.

A closer look at the typography.

A closer look at "Power Up."

A closer look at the Gramophone Chandelier.

A wider look at the building's siting.

A tall, slender window in front of the sink creates a built in light well, allowing daylight to reflect further inward.

View of the interior looking toward the door.

Architect Michelle Linden worked with Brothers to create a minimalist house. Inspired by the inward-looking approach of Cistercian abbeys, Linden oriented the U-shaped structure around a courtyard.

The Weiners sit in one of the many large window bays, showing how the reused truck bodies look from within.

Stephen Malkmus looking out the window.

While he was designing the Hazy Wall Clock, Ivan Kasner was inspired by blurred images. For Kasner, the images created a sense of excitement, imagination, and—despite their blurred nature—a sense of clarity. The clock features a translucent face, which recalls the experience of looking through fogged or frosted glass. As a result of the face’s blurry look, the hour and minute hands are visible but slightly distorted.

Looking for the lost reindeer, Máze, 2005

Leroy tools around on his mini turbo tractor while munching on a gigantic cookie; his parents look on with envy.

Another look at the Soft Architecture in action.

Tube Station Never enthralled with high-tech for its own sake, the architects make use of age-old passive cooling techniques like the stone “cool tube” that runs through the kitchen and second floor.

Here's a closer look at the Otto bookcase.

View from upstairs looking to street.

From the deck you really get a sense of the two main volumes of the house. One faces inward and the other out, a fine representation of Boone's ideas about the division between work space and living space.

Blacktop originally wrapped around two sides of the building. Today, 10-foot-high sliding windows let in abundant light, and overlook a lush garden with mature trees to the rear, and a 22-foot-wide side yard with water features and alluvial boulders brought in from Long Island. “We had to move them with a huge forklift and almost crushed a car with one of them when they were being lifted off the truck,” says Berridge.

“I wanted more of a skeletal look for this house, and less of a chunky, log-cabin look,” says Panton, who added stark steel bracing across the entire length of the porch’s roof structure.

Looking upwards at the Chinese Culture Center in the Hilton.

A simple four-inch cube with complex technological advances, the Bluetooth-enabled Beacon Blazar includes two internal speakers and an incorporated passive radiator sub-woofer, which yields balanced, natural sound. With only four buttons, the Beacon Blazar is also easy to operate.

A view of the Promenade, looking out to Cascoe Bay.

In Tower 1, looking up towards the skylight.

A view looking up from outside Knowlton Hall. “The exterior is an encyclopedia of landscape architecture, from a plaza to a porch to a terrace in the sky,” Scogin says.

Here's what the kitchen looked like before.

A closer look at a Chilewich bamboo rug .

Looking south down our street in Fall.

View from courtyard looking through glass.

Looking Market street toward the Embarcadero Ferry Building.

While traveling on a train or plane, ditch the iPad and revisit a classic analog game, like this Domino Set from The Principals. Sculptural and refined, this set is as attractive as it is fun to play. The dominoes come in a soft cloth bag, making it easy to travel with the game.

Here's what the living room looked like before.

Another look at the glass boxes, from Seventh Street.

The 510 Cabin is one of Leggitt's designs, executed with the help of student apprentices.