From the start of the project, a tangible connection to the rear garden was at the top of the clients’ wish list. This fluid transition from the living room is enhanced by ceiling height steel framed double-glazed sliders. Clerestory windows bring additional light in, and enhance the feeling of openness.

The industrial stair leads to the upper level, where the bedrooms, bathrooms, and play space are located.

Designers are encouraged to apply by February 20, 2015.

"We don't have any specific rituals for entertaining, it changes each time depending on the party and the people. Music's always very important as a way to get people to relax and be in the moment. Of course there's always a good glass of wine, great food and flowers, and a few pieces of Dinosaur Designs to add color to the table,” says Ormandy.

A fluid, pastel interpretation of a crazy quilt, at 1'8" by 2'10".

With a slender body and easy-to-move rotating arm, the Pixo light from Pablo Designs is a stylish, multifunctional task lamp. Fashioned with modern design in mind, this sleek illuminator comes equipped with a convenient USB port to charge your mobile devices and boasts energy-efficient LED technology.

“We work so closely with our pieces,” Olsen says, “they're all 'born' in our studio. When you see a still life of them, in whatever setting, you are drawn to look at the relationship between them and how someone has chosen to put them together. I always think they have a quiet conversation between themselves, and with the pieces that surround them. It's fascinating to see, as each piece has a personality of its own because of the way we make them by hand. I find that people love touching them and feeling their individual contours.”

The door opens with a push and the clean lines of the Jackanory wardrobe give a sophisticated finish to a playful piece.

The Jackanory locker-style wardrobe's chalkboard panel can be replaced with either a mirror or clock fingers. ("Jackanory" was a British children's TV show in the mid-1960s aimed at getting kids to read.)

Karim Rashid's designs for Cierre.

@designmilk: Loving these @stikwooddesign colors and patterns.

Although outdoor recreation company MSR (Mountain Safety Research) brand was founded to meet the challenges of backcountry life, its Flex 4 set will appeal to gourmet chefs whose culinary aspirations exceed their prep space. Nested together, the compact cookware set weighs less than 4 pounds, and includes two pots, two strainer lids, and plates and mugs for four

The designers at Fahz can create a 3-D printed vase whose form is determined by the profiles of the people of your choice.

A 28 prototype is stowed away with some books in the bedroom.

A collaboration between Think Fabricate and Resource Furniture, the Kinetic collection features transformable furniture designed to maximize small spaces.

Molly FitzSimons and Christopher Moore of Noble Goods have recently expanded their line from resin-inlaid hardwood pieces to new "folded" tables and planters, each made with a single seam and covered in washes of poured resin.

The printed textiles created by Emily Diehl of Au Retour start as experiments with block printing, weaving and folding paper, and watercolor sketches before she finishes them digitally.

Peg Woodworking's charming furniture begins with artfully made Shaker-simple wood frames created by designer Kate Casey, which she painstakingly embellishes with cotton-cord patterns that reference the traditions of Danish cord-weaving and '70s-style macrame.

Westkill's cheerful clocks, coasters, and platters start with raw Northeastern wood and are hand-printed and gilded.

A Whistler A-Frame | British Columbia, Canada Scott & Scott Architects design an outdoorsy Vancouver family’s dream cabin

Industrial designer Andrew Jones is known for his furniture and lighting designs.

Mint green-painted ironwork and tiles connect the indoors to the outside more fluidly.

Scott set the windows into deep recesses.

Here's how a designer makes money: One day she dreams up a chair. She spends months developing the concept, selecting materials, devising the exact curve of the arm, the dip of the back. Satisfied with the piece, she works with a manufacturer to produce it. The manufacturer refines the design, invests in tooling to build it, promotes it, and gets it to market. You, the consumer, buy it. This is an original, authentic design. We discuss why knockoff furnishings may be cheap, but for the design industry, they come with a heavy price.

Topo Designs Klettersack 22L Backpack, $169 at store.dwell.com Handmade in Colorado with 1000d Cordura fabric, this steamlined backpack's cloth-lined inteiror holds 22 liters of volume. Leather lash tabs can hold extra gear or serve as simple decorative features, making this item perfect for daily commutes or longer-distance journeys.

In Weimar, Germany, Mark Pohl remade a 1907 building that hadn't been renovated since the 1970s. The space is outfitted with designs from graduates of Bauhaus University.

Obelish Clock designed by Timothy Liles These vibrant, Egyptian-inspired clocks are simple and require just a few materials: A clock, Post-it Arrow Flags and a few tools. “The Post-it flags look like an obelisk and the clocks themselves are a nod to the fact that the original obelisks were supposed to honor the sun god Ra,” says Azzarito. “In a lot of ways, our lives are ruled by clocks, in the same way they thought their lives were ruled by the gods. Our god is the clock these days.”

The Jackanory wardrobe is a long, lean number with a similar shape to the Scribble table. It too comes in solid oak with a high-gloss clear lacquer. It comes in over 50 colors.

With details reminiscent of an industrial photography light box, this fabulous piece will wow party guests, sits two adults comfortably, and can be dimmed for a wide array of lighting options. Light Bench 52 by Pablo Designs.

Thingk Designs: The GKILO Scale and CLOGK These two devices from the new Thingk design collective—GKILO, a scale and clock with a subtle LED display that switches functions when flipped, and GLOGK, a wooden object that flips between clock and timer when touched—are a vision of what the kitchen may look like in the Internet of Things era. They're both available on indiegogo. Photo courtesy of Thingk

The sculpted eyeballs ornamenting the wheelthrown porcelain Giant Gilded Eye planter by Helen Levi are covered in a lustrous overlay with particles of real gold in it. This planter looks expensive in an entirely unique way.