“One of the goals of Zenkaya was to create employment in a country crippled by [an unemployment rate of over 25 percent],” explains the architect, who likes to call himself a social entrepreneur.

Hidden Storage The Murphy bed in the guest bedroom sits behind Montague’s desk, allowing the compact room to function comfortably for working and sleeping at different times. It’s made with customized millwork, Häfele bed hardware, and an Ikea mattress. When it’s open, it reveals hidden shelving. hafele.com ikea.com

Michael tends to his capons in a Big Green Egg.

Choosing not to make a big to-do of itself, this cottage blends in with its surroundings. A wall of glass on one end allows a merger of the outdoors with the interiors, while white trim leaves the appearance of a snow-kissed façade year-round. Berlin, Germany. By Atelier st Gesellschaft von Architekten mbH from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.

Transformer or beach hut? Positioned in a coastal erosion zone, this holiday retreat for a family of five is completely capable of being relocated. An oversized shutter allows for protection from the elements when not in use and opens to allow sun in during the winter or provide shade on hot summer days. Waikato, New Zealand. By Crosson Clarke Carnachan Architects, from the book Rock the Shack, Copyright Gestalten 2013.

An overview of the Dwell Outdoor section, which encompasses over 25,000 square feet and more than 50 exhibitors.

Shades of Green Landscape Architecture designed this striking walkway using climbing vines and metal arches by Terra Trellis.

This fun, modular piece furniture by Drift Studio offers a playful storage solution for kids' rooms.

A highlight of the Outdoor section—always with a line out the door—are the three fully furnished prefab houses, by Livinghomes and Ecofabulous; Sustain Mini-Homes; and Connect Homes, pictured here.

Quench Design, an exhibition showcasing designers from Queensland, Australia, won Best in Show.

Hard Goods's modern Muskoka chair won first place in the very competitive Furniture category.

Best Outdoor Product went to the G Pod.

The veranda looks out onto the harbor.

Stuth and Shelton's bedroom.

The office looks out on the spacious deck.

Winter takes care of chores like tree trimming and the tending of his succulents.

The architects added a small circular skylight to serve as a vertical focal point in the center of the fifth floor. The quarter-sawn white oak risers produce a beautiful rippled grain highlighted by the abundant natural light.

Organic, hand-painted wallpaper is still going strong in many design quarters. This range by Eskayel, designed by Shanan Campanaro, also comes in an eco-friendly contract version, made of 31% post-consumer recycled content with a Class “A” fire rating and low VOC emissions.

Johan Bouwmeester built a library out of oak.

Ando, a Shiba Inu, was in the first Puppy Cam litter.

Librii (David Dewane: 2014) In a bid to leap-frog past analog ideas of what a learning center should be, the Librii concept, a shipping-container based digital library designed by architect David Dewane and funded on Kickstarter, may serve as an educational franchise for Africa. Currently in development, a test version is being constructed in Washington, D.C.

insidenorway's prototype exhibition at ICFF, called New Norwegian Design: Plain and Simple, was curated by Paul Makovsky of Metropolis. One of the neatest pieces (among many) was a Røros Tweed blanket designed by architecture firm Snøhetta (shown at right), which folds into a shape that perfectly emulates the practice's logo.

RUX Design, out of Manhattan, designed these modular LED lamps called Stickbulbs.

An aluminum-framed door leading to the terrace provides an added sense of depth, integrating outside with inside. Here, the metal contrasts sharply with the natural birch flooring.

Best New Product went to the Cabrio Wall Bed by CLEI, distributed by Resource Furniture.

Amuneal shows off its fabrication skills with a box that was proposed and built in less than one day before its ICFF debut.

Miele's "super booth" featured live kitchen demos on one half and their new upright vacuum on the other.

The ever-popular Murphy bed gets a mod update in the Cabrio Wall Bed by CLEI distributed by Resource Furniture .

The show floor as it looked Thursday, June 21, at about 3:00 p.m.

See you next year, Javits!

Two people take a break on Oyler Wu's screenplay installation.

The roving robot from Whiteyboard, a maker of paint you can draw on with whiteboard pens—a less dusty option to chalkboard-paint walls.

At the Dwell Materials Lab, show goers had the opportunity to touch, feel, and learn about common—and not so common—construction materials.

More from the Materials Lab.