Christopher: Olalla, Washington, is a small rural community on the Kitsap Peninsula accessible to Seattle via ferry, or a long drive through Tacoma. We're about one mile from Puget Sound, one mile from a freshwater lake and a few miles from a popular sailing harbor. We're Olympic Peninsula adjacent, and, most importantly, we are less than 45 minutes from Amy's favorite oyster farm in the Hood Canal, Hama Hama. In addition to a family of deer, dozens of birds, and hundreds of frogs, our property is also home to occasional wandering coyotes and a very strange-looking creature that Amy has convinced herself is a chupacabra. There are cougars and black bears in the area as well, but thank God we haven't eyeballed them yet. Amy: For us, the primary driver for us to move from Los Angeles and abandon our urban existence was our love of the property.

Bell Labs (Holmdel, New Jersey: 1957) History: As Silicon Valley titans like Apple seek to create their own corporate superstructures, it’s instructive to look back at Bell Labs, not merely a birthplace of American ingenuity but also a masterclass in corporate construction by Eero Saarinen. The man behind “the Versailles of Industry,” (the GM Tech Center), Saarinen built this ahead-if-its-time tech incubator with interconnected skyways and a mirrored ball exterior, a 472-acre campus where an impressive number of scientific discoveries took place. Status: Shuttered in 2007, the campus is owned by Somerset Development, which is trying to figure out ways to redevelop the site. Plans that have been floated over the past few years include scenarios that replace this iconic office complex with upscale homes. What You Can Do: Late last fall, Somerset committed to a $100 restoration plan, promising to develop the largest vacant office building in the country with a preservationist mindset, conserving features like the architect’s conversation pits while turning it into a more elaborate live-work space with medial offices, a library, restaurants, offices, and cafes. Looks like now may be the time to invest in your own Saarinen-designed office space. Image Credit: Lee Beaumont, Creative Commons

The more planning you do and the fewer changes you make, the higher chance you have of staying within your budget. Take the time to figure out what the scope of the project is and get a sense of how much work is needed so that you can make educated decisions when presented with options.

Method cofounder Eric Ryan helps us investigate the mystery of the sock-eating dryer. Though none of the machines we reviewed have pair-preservers, we discovered their many other merits in the process.

The BetaBox mobile prototyping lab is outfitted with a 3D printer, a CNC mill, a laser cutter, and other tools for innovating.

The look of the BetaBox was a collaboration between Nicholas Sailer, BetaVersity's director of creative, who studied industrial design at the College of Design in Raleigh, North Carolina; and Michael Hobgood, an architectural designer and the company's director of operations.

With white-board walls, the BetaBox is set up to encourage creative thinking.

Students at work in the BetaBox on the Duke University campus in 2014.

Sugar cubes “printed” by the Sugar Lab for 3D Systems.

Sally Clarke, method's design director.

Teachin classroom, by means of the Abramovic Method.

Amy: We were very opinionated when it came to the siding as well. Hardie board was suggested because it's so economical and we did have budget realities, but we felt it was too played out. We feel it will look very dated soon. Cedar was always a must on top, so that the house would blend into the woodland scenery and grey and weather naturally over time. We selected a dark charcoal color to coat the reverse standing seam metal by Taylor Metals. It adds some subtle contrast in texture and finish.

The unit will also feature a freestanding outdoor kitchen area with stainless steel cabinetry, a built-in refrigerator, and a barbecue.

Here's a look at Method Homes' Paradigm home, a small space that packs a big punch. We especially like the perforated metal awning over the deck.

Hangar Meeting Table for MG LAB – This table premiered in 2012. It was designed with a space underneath the tabletop to stow away electronic devices that need to be close at hand without contributing to tabletop clutter.

Amy: The original plan called out for planters on the upstairs deck areas, but we caused a few headaches by requesting greenroof areas instead. Our home's design features expansive deck spaces, so the marriage of inside and outside really creates an illusion of twice the space. Hands down, the windows are the best feature. As Chris puts it, we feel like we're outside all the time, but we're warm.

To build a home on a remote plot of land in Washington State accessible by ferry from Seattle, former Angelenos Amy Staupe and Christopher Roy commissioned Method Homes to construct a highly personalized prefab structure. "For us, the primary driver for us to move from Los Angeles and abandon our urban existence was our love of the property," Staupe says.

Amy: Because winters in the Pacific Northwest are so long and dark, it was important that our interior be light and warm. Also, the spectacular scenery and wildlife is really the star, so we wanted the view out of the windows to be the main focal point. The design of our home is narrow so we can really capitalize on natural light. Chris: I really like the flow of the house. Everything from the way you can easily move through rooms, to the way light travels, to the way air flows through on warm days. The insteon-powered lighting is also one of the best decisions we made. We pre-programmed settings like "movie time" and "middle of the night baby feeding" so that we can press a button on the wall or using our mobile phones and control the entire house. The other major life saver has been the fireplace. It was something Amy really wanted, but it wasn't on our "Minimal Viable Product" list. However, when another design/structural challenge presented itself—the need to add a support beam between the dining and living open floor plan spaces—Method suggested we could integrate a fireplace to obscure the support. It's great. It adds cozy ambience, provides real heat when the power goes out, and provides slight separation between rooms without closing them off at all.

Hourglasses made from Method bottles and wine corks.

Dado Labs has developed a user-friendly smartphone interface that helps connect users to their home appliances. The company's first partnerships are with Char-Broil and Saber grills and the coffee-maker company Behmor.

Giulio Iacchetti's barware will be displayed at WantedDesign 2014 as part of the Alessi Design Lab exhibit. Photo by Miroza and Olimpia Zagnoli.

Husband-and-wife team (and former architecture students) Kyle and Liz Von Hasseln of the Sugar Lab show off their 3D-formed icing. The technology works the same as 3D-printed objects, only instead of polymers and adhesives, the couple uses a mixture of sugars and water to form their creations.

The Method Cabin, shown here, is the company's most popular model.

Amy: Because I got pregnant shortly after we started the design process, it became clear that we would need details that weren't too austere, complicated, or unsafe. We use FLOR rugs throughout, knowing that spills are our new way of life—and changing out tiles makes it easier not to sweat it. The crib is from Land of Nod and the bookshelf is vintage, which Chris refurbished.

Method recently introduced this handy refill, good for 85 loads.

"Most of us overlap on informal and formal ventures all the time," Benson says. "I'm currently working on some pro-bono work with one of the downstairs neighbors on design research. The parking lot serves as a living laboratory at times as well."

Haptic Lab continues to expand its offerings, including its new coastal quilt series, which will feature even more designs for the holiday season. Says the designer, “I want to privilege the real, physical world our bodies occupy through design; to make someone put down their iPhone for a moment, to play, and to experience a profound feeling of embodiment.”

Self Growing Lab: Diaz Paunetto Arquitectos (San Juan) The other first-place prize went to an amorphous concept by Puerto Rican firm Diaz Paunetto Arquitectos. Built of a genetically manipulated bacteria laid on a structural frame, the concept could theoretically be manipulated and even expand on its own to meet the facility's shifting needs over time.

According to the firm, the lab structure is conditioned to adapt to its environment, so it can be installed outdoors as well.

Originally funded via Kickstarter, the Constellation Quilt revels in the mysteries of the universe with its design of the Milky Way. Designed by Emily Fischer, this quilt is 5 feet by 5 feeet, 100% cotton, and is from Haptic Lab.

In the mususem's new iteration, a Process Lab will allow visitors to brainstorm design solutions through hands-on activities.

Although from afar this ivory quilt looks simple, up close, the quilt has detailed neighborhoods like New York City’s Battery Park and Los Angeles’s Studio City. Available at the Dwell Store, $450

Haptic Lab is comprised of a small group of artisans and designers. An architect by trade, Fischer strove to move away from the strictly visual tendencies of architecture. “My mom was diagnosed with glaucoma and macular degeneration while I was studying architecture at the University of Michigan back in 2002," Fischer says. "As a design student, it occurred to me that architects and designers always privilege the visual over the tactile; design should ideally satisfy a wide range of sensation.”

Col-lab: Jaehun Woo, Youra Cho, Sang Hoon Park (Seoul) The third-place project suggests a new, raised roof structure that would house the learning facility on the upper levels, in addition to a public gathering space for the Navy Yard on the lower level.