Six-year-old twins Nicolas and Constanza use Pentimento as their “little battleground,” says Pasternak. “They have some options here that they will not find anywhere else.” Among those options are a climbing wall offering easy access to the roof.

Nix and Novak-Zemplinski designed the black-steel bookshelves and had them fabricated at a local metal shop.

ShapeMaker Wooden Blocks by Miller Goodman via Dwell Store $75.00 Get creative with ShapeMaker's twenty-five colorful hand printed blocks made of sustainable rubber wood.

Designed by Alex Hochstrasser, this award-winning rocking toy could be a chair, a sled, a spinning top, a cradle, or anything the developing mind can imagine.

BLOCK TABLE The light and airy design of Block Table, created by Danish designer Simon Legald, offers a fresh take on the familiar tray table. Outfitted with wheels and four handles extending from the legs, it is easy to move around as well as highly versatile. May be used as a bar cart, side table, tea table, coffee table or bedside table.

This set of faceted balancing blocks from Fort Standard is a sculptural upgrade from stackable cubes.

Blocks by Tegu.

Eliminate the pain in house chores with gadgets that will do the heavy lifting for you.

Sawatzky designed the bookshelves along the living room wall out of Ikea components: one-inch Lagan butcher block countertops and inexpensive Ekby Lerberg brackets. She also used pieces of the strong and attractive countertops for built-in shelves in the upstairs lounge as well as for trim in the kitchen.

A sweeping terrace area is home to the hotel's restaurant, run by Chef Jose Enrique.

On the north-facing facade, it’s easy to discern where the original glass doors used to open directly to the deck. In spring of 2012, Block Island contractor John Spier replaced the entire wall of glass panels.

Interior spaces feature Mahogany floors and casework. The thick walls, courtesy of the 12" Rastra Blocks, allow for deep storage niches.

With neighboring duplexes supplying rental income, two Knoxville architects patiently—and affordably—craft their dream home. Their deck has a two-sided concrete block fireplace and antique wooden furniture.

Block It OutSeeking an inexpensive way to create a screen effect between the bathroom and bedroom, Novak-Zemplinski and Nix hit on the idea of stacked open-cell concrete blocks, more typically used in parking areas. They discovered blocks with a more-interesting-than-average pattern in Chyżne, a town near Kraków. Better still, they cost just two dollars each. “When we saw how good these parking blocks looked in the bedroom, we thought they’d be a good way to hide clutter in the kitchen, too,” says Novak-Zemplinski. chyzbet.pl

Fortification can be as obvious or well hidden as a client demands; indeed, some of the most protected homes are the ones that seem not to have a single security guard or camera in sight.

Originally, glass doors opened to the deck, but after years of gusty winds, it was decided that a side entrance, protected by a sliding steel door, would be the preferred entrance.

The Dado Cube set from Fat Brain Toy Company includes ten plastic blocks which can interlock to create countless surreal structures.

The Block bench by L.A. studio Sitskie is made of an interlocking block system that molds itself according to the sitter’s position. Each block in this handmade chair can be taken out and replaced without disrupting other blocks.

Eames House Blocks via House Industries $150.00 Take a tour of your own through the Eames House (also known as Case Study House No. 8) with this basswood block puzzle, which pays tribute to the iconographic midcentury landmark.

Photo by Colin Block

Block by Tom Dixon Also never formally trained as an architect, Tom Dixon conceived his home more as an “industrial product." Block comprises a build-as-you-go kit that can expand with the addition of modular spaces, whether that’s another bedroom, kitchen, or outdoor deck. The exterior is made of foreboding aluminum, while the interiors are softened with cork, which also adds to the home’s sound and heat insulation.

The kitchen features stainless steel prep counters, a Samsung stove, and Panasonic over-the-range microwave. The room is bordered by two full walls of windows, allowing light to flood the space at all times of the day. A custom birch butcher block table furnishes the family gathering space.

A bright-yellow “R” sign, from a truck that used to deliver furniture from Jens Risom Design, sets off the southern facade. When Jens designed the house, he stipulated that he wanted cedar shingles, not the asphalt ones that came with the original design from the catalog.

Jett rolls dough on a butcher block-topped storage unit that slides under the countertop to save space.

Shown in Citron, Chilewich's utility mats are just what the kitchen ordered: vibrant, easy-to-clean, made in the USA, and mildew resistant. $75 from chilewich.com.

Perforated concrete blocks in the guest bathroom provide ventilation and discreet views of the patio.

Selective D.I.YNix and Novak-Zemplinski made the narrow concrete sinks with tilted basins in the bathrooms. “We couldn’t find any sinks we liked,” says Nix. “So we decided to make our own. But those are the most expensive sinks ever, at least in terms of man-hours.” Novak-Zemplinski concurs—while they are happy with the way the sinks turned out, “one of the lessons we learned is that some things are not worth doing yourself.”

The Risom plot, located on the northern portion of the island, is bordered by a low stone wall, an aesthetic element that appears throughout Block Island.

Mid-century designer Jens Risom's A-framed prefab family retreat, located on the northern portion of Block island, is bordered by a low stone wall, an aesthetic element that appears throughout the land.

These blocky units lock together with the help of five holes per side––allowing them to take the shape of a miniature library, a bench, or an asymmetrical shelving unit. Read more about this clutter buster here.

Utility Mirror Pocket by Visibility for Good Thing, $24 Available in three shapes, these handheld, stainless-steel mirrors are polished to a reflective finish then given a colorful, industrial rubber tool grip.

Utilities, such as the radiators, were recessed from view.

This dorcas knife holder from Lostine is double sheath for kitchen knives—stitched leather attaches nicely with with copper nails for use with butcher block tables

5.4.3 BlockBowl (Walnut Cutting Block and Bowl) by On Our Table "Whenever I’m having people over for dinner, I’m always looking for simple serving pieces," Hesser says. "I also happen to serve a lot of cured meats, so this naturally appeals to me. It’s a nice, solid piece that would last for decades."