Toikka Mediator Dove Statue Designed by Oiva Toikka | Iittala

This bathroom, tiled in bright blue mosaic to offset the home’s limited materials and color palette, calls for a simple vanity. The sinks, toilets, and tubs are by Villeroy & Boch, while the faucets and towel rails are by Grohe and Avenir, respectively.

The ceramic design of this birdhouse will keep the sparrows out, yet create a welcoming home for smaller birds like wrens and chickadees.

Frondesco by Statue Price upon request A handwoven cotton cloak meets a wooden arm to form a cozy corner. The studio is working with a French company on an affordable version for 2014.

The budget was nearly as tight as the space in this cheerful renovation of a 516-square-foot flat in Bratislava. The centerpiece of Lukáš Kordík’s new kitchen is the cabinetry surrounding the sink, a feat he managed by altering the facing and pulls of an off-the-rack Ikea system. The laminate offers a good punch of blue, and in modernist fashion, Kordík forwent door handles in favor of cutouts. “I wanted the kitchen to be one simple block of color without any additional design,” he says.

Deluxe Bird Blue Mobile, $66.

The children’s rooms, which are reserved for family and an extended network of friends, feature more custom Crasset-designed beds set against a vivid blue backdrop, courtesy of the French paint brand Zolpan.

A sky-blue vintage trailer blends in with the sky.

In such a small space “you have to organize, and every piece takes a decision,” says resident Heidi Wright. The couple keep things they use less frequently, like guest bedding, in the higher cabinets.

Bold color is embraced in the home’s first bathroom, with tilework by Trend Mosiacs. Faucets are by Grohe and vanities are by Hastings. A Flos Glo-Ball pendant light illuminates the space.

Here, laminate kitchen cabinets are topped with Corian in Glacier White for a fresh and fun color-blocked look.

Short StackA tiny cabin in the Wisconsin Woods makes a big impact with Johnsen & Schmaling's innovative stacked design. The resulting cozy abode is stylish and durable, with stunning views of the surrounding landscape.

The kitchen window was designed to look into the Goodchilds' daughter's home. Photo credit: Dale Christopher Lang PhD AIAP

The Statue of Liberty in the distance.

Preservation Props Since the house is in a historic district, Beebe and Skidmore’s interventions were constrained by local guidelines, including a stipulation that the walls of the addition couldn’t line up with the walls of the existing house. They bumped the walls in by five feet on either side and painted the addition, clad in siding from Capital Lumber, a color complementary to the original building’s deep, bright blue. “A guy from Boise’s preservation office came by and said, ‘This is a perfect example of how we’d like people to build additions,’” says Dana. “We were pretty proud of that.” beebeskidmore.com capital-lumber.com

Originally a piece of Appalachian folk art in Charles and Ray Eames’s living room, the Eames bird rose to popularity in the 1950s and was reproduced by Vitra. $235

To write about the Geo Metria House, Winifred Bird took a train from Tokyo to the historic castle city of Odawara, Japan, where her hosts entertained her with tales of medieval battles and mischievous monkeys. Although she was hoping to glimpse a monkey or two in the woods behind the house, she settled for a gorgeous view of Sagami Bay under a perfectly clear December sky.

Beijing, China-With thousands of years of history, China has paved the way for many artistic styles and expressions in the Eastern world. China has contributed historical and structural wonders such as the Great Wall of China, the Forbidden City, and Tianning Temple. The recent construction of the Bejing National Stadium, also known as the “Bird’s Nest”, garnered worldwide attention not only for its modern design, but also for its hefty price tag. Photo by: sHzaam!.

Rock stands in the doorway to the boys’ bathroom, which is lined with semi-gloss Modern Dimensions tiles from Daltile. “We wanted it to be playful,” Hufft says, “so we chose each color and laid out the tile distribution in Photoshop.”

The bathroom, located just adjacent to the kitchen, features a pattern of gray and turquoise tiles that climbs from the floors up the walls. They serve as a burst of color among the predominately white walls elsewhere, transforming the bathroom into one of the apartment’s most striking spaces.

A mosaic tile wall softens the laboratory-like effect of the glossy kitchen cabinets.

Dunbar describes the bathroom as an outside-in room because it has light, air, and sometimes, when it drizzles and the skylight left open, even rain. Designed for exactly these circumstances, a blue-glass mosaic tile floor is laid at an angle to drain with ease.

Shannon and his wife, Amy, take the air on a small patio in two Acapulco chairs.

Schmidt selected Oeuf’s Robin crib for Finn’s soon-to-be sibling. The bird mobile is by Tamar Mogendorff.

Photo by Bess Petty.

The finished product (in blue)! Clad in elegant bamboo, simply pluck out the soft nylon bristles when its life is over to recycle.

Five new models from the Natural collection, exhibited at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, draw their inspiration from Japanese Tatamis. Photo courtesy of Nanimarquina.

The Eames House Bird is made of solid alder with a black lacquer finish and steel wire legs. Image courtesy of Vitra.

The Eames House Bird has become a popular decorative item in many mid-century inspired homes. Image courtesy of DWR.

In the living room fireplace, a bird turns on the antique French spit.

The home’s informal dining space has a slightly rustic feel, sporting bronze and wood in the form of a Lindsey Adams Adelman chandelier for Roll & Hill and a table by Terry Dwan, mixed with folk-art touches like the Eames House Birds and a cuckoo clock from Diamantini & Domeniconi. The PK8 chairs from Republic of Fritz Hansen were designed by Poul Kjærlholm and sourced from Kuhl-Linscomb in Houston, Texas.

Eames House Bird, $195

Furniture with emphasized linear elements helps prevent the appearance of clutter in small spaces. It's particularly effective when highlighted in playful colors like the blue bench storage rack in this London guesthouse. Photo by Ben Anders.