Oman and his partner Andrej Gregoric had the cupboards, stairs, and bed all custom-made. The interior casework provides storage and adds warmth to the concrete walls.

The home's exposed concrete skeleton, wrapped in oak, creates a warm, layered space for living. Oman split the floors by function, with common areas on the ground level, followed by the kids' rooms and then a third-floor suite for the parents.

The simple yet spacious master bedroom opens up to a private terrace.

Rok Oman of OFIS Architects started the renovation of what would become Villa Criss-Cross by tackling a thorny site issue. Since it is located close to the street and perpendicular to the old Roman wall near Ljubljana's ancient fortress, zoning laws require buildings to be set four meters back from the street. By maintaining the original wall and adding steel panels, Oman grandfathered in the new structure and maintained the original orientation.

In the master bathroom, wrapped in custom oak casework, plenty of natural light permeates the steel panels.

The view from the living room shows how the exterior allows for plenty of light yet maintains privacy. The structural steel brace outside repeats the cross-hatch motif, and a cantilevered overhang provides a shaded outdoor patio underneath.

Wood, carpet, glass, and concrete: the entryway is a nexus of material and textures.

Perforated steel panels provide a contrasting sense of roughness and lightness, which Oman played with throughout the home's design. The skin adds transparency and graphic energy to the exterior, though Oman did worry about people fixating on the tic-tac-toe element. "It's like calling a rectangular building the Tetris house," he says.

Though the minimal layout maxmizies open space, moments of contrast, such as the wood grain against the perforated metal divider, animate the interior.

Offi Riga Roo Rocker, $249 at AllModern.

The 3,700-square-foot space includes a rainwater collection system and heat pump, and thanks to the double-panel facade, is both well-insulated and energy efficient.

“If the kitchen is where most time is spent, consider a smart appliance, like Samsung’s refrigerators with Wi-Fi. For a smaller commitment, a smart thermometer, like Williams-Sonoma’s, can monitor cooking progress and send alerts directly to a smartphone."

The Phoebe credenza by Bellboy is tailored for hi-fi-equipment and records so you can keep your listening station nice and tidy.

Wi-Fi Plant Sensor Indoor by Koubachi, $99 Who says recreation has to be noisy? Watch plants grow like magic while monitoring statistics on the dirt’s water content, temperature, and light exposure. If you’re especially prone to botanicide, the sensor can be set to remind you to water the plants, too.

Designed by AKT II, Harvard GSD Students, and OFIS Architects in 2015, this bivouac in Slovenia's Skuta, the third-highest peak in the Kamnik Alps, was informed by traditional alpine structures and the challenge of building for extreme mountain weather conditions.

Play:1 Wi-Fi speaker by Sonos, 2014

The home's sci-fi structure seems to hover over the landscape.

Automatica by Inrete, $159 This plugs into your car’s USB port to play podcasts, music from your Dropbox folder—anything you can upload to a cloud server. Anytime it gets near a secure wi-fi connection, it’ll update with the latest content.

NC10FF

LED Lighting and GFI electrical strips are hidden underneath cabinets for a clean look.

The historic heyday of this property was the 60’s and 70’s which inspired the FF&E to take on an up styled spirit and color to feel vaguely familiar and yet newly minted.

Scrubby Bay is completely private yet still connected—guests have access to Wi-Fi, digital television, and even laundry services and catered meals.

Klipsch has been in the audio business for 65 years, and the Music Center Stadium is the Indiana-based company's first foray into the wireless sound system game. Which isn't to say it doesn't pack a punch. The same engineering that goes into Klipsch-programmed LiveNation venues is evident here. It wallops at loud volumes, and even more impressive, sound is crystal clear even at low levels. It connects via Bluetooth to mobile devices or can plug into a mixer. Available Fall 2013.

The curving, bulbous walls of the bath and shower reveal an unexpected secondary role as a screen for film projections, giving the house a sci-fi glow.

A look at the sink in the galley kitchen with a subway tile backsplash. Eccotemp FVI 1-2 tankless water heater (purchased from Home Depot) is hooked up to the water supply.

Designed by OFIS Arhitekti, the Kanin Winter Cabin is a compact wooden volume with three platforms extending out over the valley. A large, glazed panoramic window provides breathtaking views of the surrounding Kanin Mountains.

We are all bibliophiles and magazine-philes so Offi’s Embrace Media Table by John Green is perfect for extra storage. $299

Nearly every room has a Nest Mini, and the house also has a Nest Wi-Fi router, a Google Home Max sound system, and a Nest Thermostat.

In addition to food safety and working conditions for farmworkers, EFI certification sets standards for workplace development; the EFI leadership teams are a hallmark of the certification and ensure that the team is representative of the workforce. EFI facilitators train the team members in problem solving, conflict resolution, and communications skills.

The Dacor Wi-Fi-enabled seven-inch LCD Touchscreen puts cutting-edge kitchen technology at your fingertips.

Vintage chairs and a credenza are joined in the living room by a sofa from Article and an Offi coffee table. The rug is from West Elm.

Rooms don't come with televisions to encourage guests to disconnect (but don't worry—there's Wi-Fi). Pool Suites come with a private plunge pool.

Sparano works in the dining area, where books about travel, architecture, and food, as well as framed architectural drawings from his grad school days, line the back wall. The hollow glass-walled light fixture is from Ikea; every few months, the family fills it with a different season-inspired item, such as pinecones in the fall and feathers in the winter, as pictured here.

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FF PLAN