A wall of bamboo adjacent to the atrium floor provides a dramatic and seductive green entrance—“natural art,” Eric calls it.

Among the first Passive Houses in France, this bamboo-clad farmhouse by the Parisian firm Karawitz Architecture only uses a tenth of the energy a conventionally constructed home does. Photo by Nicholas Calcott.

The entrance hall, with bamboo flooring, dark grey paintwork, and a cork wall for added texture.

Stylish display shelving in the entrance hallway.

An infrared sauna.

Bamboo flooring and custom built-ins—fashioned from medium-density fiberboard with a white-lacquer finish—brightened Gavin and Sheila Smith’s 650-square-foot attic. Gavin Smith designed the blackened-steel balustrade, which has cable inserts and a walnut handrail.

Two-inch-thick bamboo treads and a bamboo handrail on the stairs lead the way to the second floor.

Colourful pendant lighting by Muuto hangs above the reclaimed timber dining table.

A close-up of the bookshelves made of MDF clad in bamboo veneer.

Bamboo plywood is used throughout the house for all integrated furniture, including the kitchen cabinets. The pendant lights are prototypes designed by Jamie McLellan for Tom Dixon and the stools are by Konstantin Grcic for Magis.

This chic, reusable cutlery is made from organic, food-safe bamboo and water-based adhesives, and finished with premium natural oils. Set the perfect picnic table in safe, natural style.

Continuing the midcentury modern aesthetic, the dining room includes a tulip-style dining table with Modernica shell chairs.

The 2nd floor corridor creates a light-filled axial connection to all 4 bedrooms and their amenities.

The interiors are furnished with midcentury modern pieces, including this vintage Eames Aluminum Group chair.

With input from her clients, Barensfeld used a computer to generate the circular patterns that were carved into a pair of Cor-Ten steel screens with a water-jet cutter. The perforations allow light and the green of the surrounding Koi bamboo to filter into the space while preserving privacy.

A vintage Danish teak armchair sits against a London stocks brick wall.

Inspired by mid-century furniture designer George Nakashima, Seggerman crafted the components by hand in his home studio. The cabinetry in the kitchen and shelving in the bedroom seamlessly flow, adding the impression that there is more space. Photo by David Engelhardt.

The bamboo garden, home to Oscar the tortoise, abuts the walkway leading to the central courtyard.

Brogan’s home overlooking Lake Michigan is clad in tongue-and-groove new-growth cypress. Vertical basswood slats follow the stairs to the second floor and into the master bedroom, extending outside to serve as the railing for a small balcony.

Natural bamboo flooring was used throughout the home, as well as dimmable LED lighting. The house incorporates a hybrid heat pump water heater, which draws in ambient heat from the surrounding air, moves it across condenser coils, then transfers it into the tank to heat the water. This device creates the same amount of hot water as a traditional electric water heater, but reduces water-heating expenses up to 62%.

Pre-engineered dark stained bamboo flooring closely mimics the exterior decking material, creating a fluid transition from the interior to the exterior.

Seeing Double To cover up his shoe-storage shelves, Sherman bought bamboo bead curtains from the Callaloo Company emblazoned with an image of the Madonna. He separated out every other strand to create two curtains from one, resulting in twinned pixelated images. The resulting pattern is “like a Chuck Close that everyone can afford,” says Sherman.

Laminated tongue-and-groove decking by Lock-Deck was used for the second-level floor. The durable material is sturdy enough to span long distances without joists, maximizing headroom in the first-floor living room.

Smith designed the custom cabinets, which were fashioned from medium-density fiberboard with a white lacquer finish. There are three drawer heights. "The faces are consistent but some, when you open them up, are triple-height," Smith says. "So that helps with things that are really large, like sleeping bags or camping stuff or whatever. They're three feet deep, so it goes into the knee wall, which is really handy. So you get lots and lots of storage."

All told, they hung some 28,000 linear feet of the material with the larger sections composed of around 250 stalks. Each pole is threaded with galvanized steel wire and separated from the next by a small aluminum spacer. A highly renewable resource, the untreated bamboo has aged over time; what started as yellow-green has turned into a muted gray just a year after completion.

Raise a glass to minimalist Native American-inspired style. The tumbler rests on a coaster made of eco-friendly bamboo, laser engraved with a single row of arrows.

This bamboo steamer available through Quitokeeto boasts a simple, yet unexpected silhouette. "We only want to share items that spark joy," Swanson says. "And for that to happen it's often a combination of care in production, design, usefulness, and charm."

Bamboo Cheese Board “We’re very big fans of animals in this shop,” says store manager Alba Ponce de Leon. “We recently came across this cheeseboard, and love it because it’s practical to use when people come over, and it’s something nobody else will have.” Probably safe to say you’re friends didn’t have zinc chicken feet at their last dinner party.

The master bedroom is furnished with V-leg beside tables and a bed from Modernica’s Case Study Furniture line.

An Alvar Aalto stool serves as a side table in the bedroom. The north-facing window brings in ample natural light.

A peek inside the light-filled office on the north side of the house.