In the living room, spare Scandinavian design takes center stage. Hans Wegner’s Wishbone chairs surround an Essay dining table by Cecilie Manz for Fritz Hansen; a mostly wood palette is enhanced by slate-gray brick around the fireplace. The paper lanterns throughout the home are a mixture of classics by Isamu Noguchi alongside those picked up in Japan and France.

Lots of Scandinavian design goodness happening at the @theaustereco booth. #DODLA

The Scandinavian pavilion will be decked out with furniture and accessories that embody Hygge—a Danish term implying warmth, coziness, and friendliness. This renovated loft in Copenhagen by Vipp Chief Designer online Morten Bo Jensen and his wife, Kristina May Olsen highlights that concept. Photo by Anders Hviid.

Los Angeles purveyor of Scandinavian wares Austere created a lounge equipped with Alvar Aalto's classic Artek stools.

"Sneak peek of the Dwell on Design Scandinavian Pavilion (booth #1101) featuring Nordic design by @normanncph, @andreasengesvik, @ransmeier for @haydesign, @artekglobal, @theaustereco, @kiitosmarimekko, and more! #dod2014"

This "local prefab" home on the Isle of Skye is made mostly from materials sourced in northern Scotland. The timber-framed model, meant to evoke the simple agrarian barns of the area, can be constructed on-site in as little as a day and is designed for affordability.

The Scandinavian pavilion of Dwell on Design will feature photographs of houses published in the pages of Dwell—such as The Town House by architect Elding Oscarson. Photo by Mark Seelen.

The clients had an impressive collection of Scandinavian midcentury teak furniture that now pops beautifully against the concrete floors, white-painted brick, and pine v-joint walls.

This dwelling joins a number of structures—such as a boathouse and guesthouse—owned by one family and used for vacations. They needed a new house to accommodate new generations at the reatreat.

Best Scandinavian retail representation: Los Angeles-based A+R does a brisk business as one of America's leading online retailers for Scandinavian design (Muuto, Normann Copenhagen). They're also a mainstay at Dwell on Design (for good reason!).

The site faces the sea but is surrounded by tall pines. The green sofas are from Hay.

Black and white kitchen cabinets painted with a triangular pattern add a whimsical touch to this funky kitchen.

A palette of wood, concrete, and painted brick forms a neutral backdrop for Kathryn Tyler’s vintage treasures, including a $30 dining table, $3 poster, and a set of 1950s Carl Jacobs Jason chairs she snagged on eBay for $400.

Life for the couple centers on an open kitchen-dining-living area. Nautical references are kept to a minimum, but a few touches nod toward the home’s habitat. A Rais wood-burning stove recalls a ship’s furnace; soft green and blue fiberglass Eames chairs echo the color of the sea, which is a constant presence thanks to floor-to-ceiling glass doors. The custom dining table sits beneath a sculptural Titania pendant by Alberto Meda. Their yellow Labrador, Buster, rests next to a Hay sofa.

The Blues Are Still Blue Grinding down the concrete floor was too costly, so the Benoits had it painted blue with inexpensive Benjamin Moore latex floor-and-patio paint and then sealed with Zinsser shellac—a natural, nontoxic product that brushes on and can be easily touched up. It darkened the blue paint a bit and gives the floor a hand-worked luster. benjaminmoore.com rustoleum.com/zin... Scandinavian Grace The Benoits bought their Scandinavian modern table from Klassik Living in Berkeley. “Their prices are very reasonable for the uniqueness and quality offered,” says Peter. They chose teak since it darkens nicely and naturally when exposed to sunlight—–helpful since their table gets blasted by morning rays. klassikliving.com

At the Scandinavian pavilion, Birds by Oiva Toikka for Iittala were displayed alongside a Vallila rug.

Wares by Ingegerd Råman and Georg Jensen speak to the authority of the Scandinavian design tradition.

When Abbie and Bill Burton hired Marmol Radziner to design their prefab weekend home, their two requests were “simple-simple, replaceable materials,” says Abbie—such as concrete floors (poured offsite in Marmol Radziner's factory) and metal panel siding—and “the ability to be indoors or outdoors with ease.” Deep overhangs provide shade and protection from rain, so the Burtons can leave their doors open year-round and hang out on their 70-foot-long deck even in inclement weather. They visit the house once a month, usually for a week at a time, with Vinnie and Stella, their rescue Bernese Mountain dogs. Their two adult children occasionally join them. The couple hopes to one day retire here.

@dwellmagazine: A lounge filled with Scandinavian wares from @theaustereco at #DODNY

NV-53 settee designed by Finn Juhl (and fabricated by cabinetmaker Niels Vodder in Copenhagen), 1953. Teak, upholstery, brass; estimate $5,000–$7,000.

The concrete wall mimics the slope of the hill outside as a reference to early Maori structures that were dug into the land. The simple kitchen has strandboard cabinetry and an MDF island that conceals a fireplace at one end. The ceramic works on the built-in seat at right are by Raewyn Atkinson and Robyn Lewis.

After living on and studying a woodsy acre of land in North Zealand, Denmark, architect Jesper Brask cleared a stand of pine trees and, from the timber, built a getaway open to its surroundings. The house, which Brask shares with his wife, Lene, and sons, Kristian, Jens, and Niels, is used mainly in summer, when the weather is optimal for throwing open the glass doors.

Mami and Goo the Kishu dog return from a frolic in the forest, which the couple, along with Hideaki, has thinned and trimmed back over many weekends. It’s an idyllic escape and a world away from the concrete expanse of Tokyo.

In Seattle's rapidly developing South Lake Union neighborhood, the Art Stable is a classic example of urban infill. Built on the site of a former horse stable, the seven-story mixed-use building carries its history into the future with highly adaptable live/work units.

Japanese showers are usually set low down so the bather can sit on a stool and scrub, then pour cedar buckets of hot water over their heads for a refreshing rinse. This homeowner in Venice, California mounted a handheld shower head on the wall for added flexibility. The drain is under the removable cedar floor slats, keeping the room design uncluttered. Wood tubs are cleaned with a simple rinse and last for decades, as the antiseptic properties of cedar guard against mold and rot. This ofuro was designed by Santiago Ortiz and fabricated by Bartok Design.

Choosing a kitchen or bathroom countertop can be nerve-wracking, and we understand why—they can be one of the most expensive aspects of a renovation, with the added responsibility of impacting the aesthetics of a space. Read on as we work our way through the pros and cons of seven of the most common countertop materials.

Tanya, Chris, Jackson, and Zeke spend much of their day outside.

Dwell on Design is once again inviting Scandinavian designers, furniture and technology companies, and product manufacturers, such as Marimekko (whose sleek pitcher is pictured here), to share their latest creations and concepts.

Because the house is narrow and long (16 by 68 feet), the design team decided to create a huge open-air space to light the interior naturally. Two retractable motor-driven canvas canopies shelter the space during Singapore’s frequent rains.

Clean and modern wins the race with this Tumblr. Picture from: Scandinavian Modern.

On the outskirts of Austin, Texas, author Chris Brown and his dog Katsu head to the river; the path was once a dumping ground on top of a long-defunct underground oil pipeline. The green roof was conceptualized by John Hart Asher of the Ecosystem Design Group at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center in Austin.

“Before, the house turned its back on the landscape,” said Parish. “This renovation and addition really animates the garden.” Sliding glass doors match those of the living room beyond the deck, and both can be completely open to the yard.

Tom Givone’s clients, Rose and Steve Smith, teach overseas and have owned their house for 26 years. They intended to fix it up slowly and retire there. As one problem led to another, they reached a point when they felt their only option, as Rose put it, was to “burn it down.”

In the photos that follow, we take a look at the product offerings inspired by the house, which Yeon designed when he was only 27 years old.

"Overall, it is important to me to build in change into the kitchens I design. Via fabrics, artwork, and useful storage on shelves and elsewhere, this kitchen can change its look easily," Serra says. "Wall cabinets can be hung and later removed as desired as well. This kitchen is very flexible."