The office houses the letter “U" as well as cameras.

The best.

This wall shelf, made of powder-coated steel and oak, is available in different sizes and colors, all of which give an almost invisible, shadow-box effect when mounted.

An archival photo shows the interior of the detached studio with drafting tables awash in light through the enormous skylight above.

Built in the early 60s, the separate concrete-and-glass studio echoes the original home.

Inspirational spaces

A stone path leads from the backyard, up the hillside, and arrives at the streetside entryway. The rhythmic pattern of the concrete garage, as well as the pedestrian walkway, are front and center. The privacy of the living and sleeping areas, seen at the left through floor-to-ceiling windows, are shielded from public view by the hill and the stone wall.

Architect Barbara Bestor added a striped floor of Santander Granada Tile, Douglas Fir cladding, and Granada Serengeti tile flipped to create a one-of-a-kind pattern on the wall.

The four neutral shades of the tile are also suitable for outdoor applications.

The master bath commands one of the best views in the house.

Just as the stairs use movement to change how residents experience the space, the walls also provide a new and subtle awareness: concrete ridges—seen right—cast changing shadows that mark the passage of the sun. Features like these, in the words of Carmona, “manipulate your experience, bring [a] different consciousness,” and elevate your awareness of the space.

The house is built into the hillside but its top floor entrance is level with the street. The stone wall provides privacy while the garage and a pedestrian walkway—seen exact center, by the tree—bridge the gap.

Natural wooden walls clad the dining room corner, while a marigold lantern hangs above.

Ample floor-to-ceiling windows mean residents rarely have to turn on lights during the day. The living room flooring, seen here, also features oak but in warmer tones.

Designed for an artist and entrepreneur client, this guest house features lots of light, access to the outdoors, and an industrial vibe.

At the base of the first floor landing, black recinto volcanic stones divide the first floor’s informal dining area from the living room. This floor also features a bedroom and kitchen while the floor above holds a master bedroom, master bath, two bedrooms, two bathrooms, an entertainment room, and patio. The stairs—which are all-oak—descend to a ground-floor playroom and outdoor deck.

British artist Hannah Sawtell and technologist Avi Flombaum created sawbaum.com, where users can create visual collages using multiple vine streams. "We wanted it to look like a visual comic book, with overlapping panels," said Flombaum. "And we wanted it to be fun!" Photo courtesy Rhizome.

The panel of judges awarded Best Material to Mosa.

The Big U is the firm’s ambitious plan to protect Manhattan from a Sandy-like hurricane by ringing the lower half of the island with 10-foot, sculptural berms.

The three-by-12-inch porcelain pieces are inspired by the industrial wood floors of the 1970s, but are of the moment thanks to their subtle grain pattern and versatile applications.

The tiles are ink-jet and cold-glazed porcelain, and are meant to weather slightly over time, like wood.

The tiles range from $10 to $22 per square foot.

Bestor Architecture, Blackbirds, Echo Park, Los Angeles Blackbirds is a development of eighteen houses embedded in the hills of Echo Park; a progressive solution for high-quality dense housing in a city with little available land. The homes range from 1,200 to 1,900 square feet and are built around a living street; a central courtyard that comprises both landscape and parking areas, and serves as a stage for larger community functions. The placement of the houses in the hills mimics the older wooden houses of the area and deploys a strategy of “stealth density,” combining several houses into a single house-shaped volume. For instance, two free-standing houses are connected by flashing and the roofline creates the illusion of one house mass. Three houses, whose separation is masked, creates the illusion of two houses. This conceals the density of units by maintaining the neighborhood shape and landscape across the site. The community is a blend of private, semi-private, and public space, and promotes a sense of neighborhood by encouraging interaction and exchange.

For their 2012 'Best of Boston' issue, Boston Magazine commissioned the designer to create a toolkit, which included various sub-section headers, opening DPS, and lock-up for the table of contents.

Beats by Dre office by Barbara Bestor

And the winner for Best Craftsmanship went to Kaikado (even though their design hasn't changed since 1875!).

A closer look at the shadow-casting type.

The stair’s ceiling, delicately inscribed with the grain of its wooden formwork, direct views toward the path below and the backyard beyond. The steps on each flight are carefully widened or shortened to change your pace; here they double as you walk, slowing your pace, playing with the perception of your surroundings, and reducing the sense you are descending.

Riffing on the Los Angeles phenomenon of people "murdering out" their cars—that is, removing all the trim and blacking everything out—architect Barbara Bestor and craftsman Eric Lamers covered most surfaces in this Los Angeles kitchen with matte black laminate, including the fridge and the overhead cabinets.

An outdoor version of one of Foscarini’s best sellers, the Havana Outdoor is ideal for lining paths. $588

“As an architect, I’m interested in making social hubs and creating communities that people feel connected to tribally," Bestor says.