Toikka Mediator Dove Statue Designed by Oiva Toikka | Iittala

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 Statue of Liberty in the distance.

Eleanor Raymond, Dover Sun House (with Maria Telkes), 1948.

Becca was uneasy about a network of slats over the windows in the living room, but she came to love the mediated views they provide.

There are buddha statues and then there are Buddha Statues, like this 200-foot-tall standing buddha, viewed from the roof of the Phra-Nakron Norn-Len Hotel.

World-renowned architect Daniel Libeskind, designer of the World Trade Center master plan, will appear as Dwell on Design New York’s keynote speaker to trace his design history, from early building influences to his own drawings that have informed his architectural language. Dwell Editor-in-Chief Amanda Dameron will join Libeskind onstage to discuss his work. (AIA CEU)

The rebuilt “Idea House,” designed by Holly Freres and David Horning of JHL design. The driveway is permeable to encourage good drainage: crushed granite gravel is installed over a stabilization mat. James Hardie exterior siding is painted in Benjamin Moore ‘White Dove,’ with reclaimed wood used for the entry and garage.

Stone stairs on the perimeter of a main courtyard ascend to a rooftop garden. Large windows on the other side of the living area overlook an enclosed water feature with a statue of a monk.

Dodo by Oiva Toikka for Magis

The entry, mediating between the dominant volumes, is marked with red doors; the kitchen cupola is visible above.

The full-height sliding glass doors have been added to mediate the threshold between the garden and house.

The verandas provide a threshold between the internal and external spaces. “They soften the abrupt change and mediate the relationship between inside and out,” says architect Ben Shields.

Statue of Ghana’s first president Kwame Nkrumah, looking towards the National Museum of Ghana, Accra.

An equestrian statue of King Phillip III presides over Madrid’s central square, Plaza Mayor.

The ring-shaped building was formerly the BBC Television Center. A refurbished Helios statue stands in the courtyard.

The careful coordination of color continues in the kitchen, where the gray and white marble backsplash, lit with faint orange lights, mediates between the ashen column and ochre cabinets.

An assortment of figurines from Iittala's Birds by Toikka collection, designed by Oiva Toikka, on display at the Corning Museum of Glass.

Another statue I adored was this of Scotland's greatest economist: Adam Smith. Just behind is St. Giles Cathedral.

For the open kitchen, Peter, a former chef, ordered a colorful Bertazzoni range through a showroom in Portland, then decorated the rest of the space around it. The fixture contrasts with the neutral walls, which are painted in Rodda’s Dove White.

In the great room, a Splendor sofa bed by Innovation, an Eames Wire Base Elliptical table, and an Eames Wire Base Low table sit atop a Tufenkian rug from Dover Rug & Home near a #11 dining table by Skovby.

Everything has been planned with particular attention to the character of the streetscape and the preservation of the landscape. The garage door has been integrated with a timber screen, which provides visual relief and delicately mediates between public and private space.

Beautiful views of the Buddha statue and lagoon can be seen in the approach to the front entrance flanked by Japanese maples. The homeowners often leave the rear LaCantina doors wide open for continuous indoor/outdoor connection.

The dining room was freshened with an all-over coating of Dove White paint by Benjamin Moore. The Big Irony metal table is by Maurizio Peregalli for Zeus, and the Tilda chandelier is from Arteriors Home. All of the existing fir floors were replaced with wide-plank white oak.

A cozy leather chair anchors the living room and adds traditional flair. The bookshelves are decorated with personal items, a Samsung television that looks like a piece of art, and a miniature horse statue Simon bought in Round Top.

Moreland House

Birds for Iittala Official designed by Oiva Toikka in 1972.

The Burkes eliminated glare by minimizing the number of windows on the east and west sides of their house. On the south, though, windows are taller and offer views of trees even though the house is in the heart of downtown Charlottesville. The direct light that enters through the flanks of the house is mediated via a sophisticated array of blinds, tints, a trellis calibrated to cut light from April through August, and several bald cypress trees that provide shade in summer but lose their leaves in winter, allowing light (and heat) to infuse the house. Baby cypress trees, about nine feet tall, should cost around $100 each at your local nursery.

One of the biggest challenges was working around the existing trees. "The site slopes downward, so we tried to mediate around that and curve the building so it feels as if it's hugging the trees," Megan Lin says. "It's an integral element of the design."

These include the Cesta floor lamp by Miguel Milá and the wall cabinet by Studio Junction in the living room. The photograph hanging above the cabinet is by Joshua Jensen-Nagle. A ceramic dove—a vintage piece by the sculptor Cleo Hartwig—shares space with an antique Zulu beer pot. The painting is by Max Papart.

A collection of finished birds designed by Toikka, from previous demonstrations.

OIVA TOIKKA, Polar Night Owl Male, Iittala. Photo: Panik.

The Birds by Toikka collection features five birds, each inspired by the architecture and landscape of a different city. Selected individuals were asked to share their influences from Seoul, Hong Kong, Kyoto, Washington D.C., and Minneapolis with Toikka, who then created each bird in reflection of those elements.

OIVA TOIKKA, Polar Night Owl Female, Iittala. Photo: Panik.

The large central corridor is a soothing study in black and white. A graphite drawing on canvas by German artist Peppi Bottrop hangs near a stool from La Redoute. The 18th-century wood male and female statues were purchased by Marc in Jaipur, India.