The kitchen, which the architect tucked into the back of the house, contains wooden cutting boards by Studio Simple and knives by Studio Simple and Antoine Van Loocke.

These handcrafted cutting boards made from Vermont maple are ideal for charcuterie or cheese trays—and will look just as good on their own, long after the food is gone.

Cutting boards by Nao Tamura for Discipline.

Masahiro and Mao Harada of Mount Fuji Architects Studio wanted to break with the traditional definition of a house when they designed this small Tokyo home. They achieved their goal by using the same material for the ceiling, the walls, and the floor, creating a space that flows beautifully. Photo by Ryota Atarashi.

Cutting boards by Reykjavik Trading Co.-Designer Anthony Bacigalupo grew up in a very different environment from the one he now calls home. With the culture, climate, and aesthetics of central California as early reference he and his Icelandic girlfriend Ýr Káradóttir now combine a nowhere-but-there Pacific Coast aesthetic with vintage Icelandic design. "Our focus is on sustainability,” explained Bacigalupo. “Our serving boards are painted with natural and food-safe milk paint." The color-blocked oak boards made it on to my mental wish list. Would I use them for their intended purpose? Maybe not, but just like many of the products from companies Bacigalupo has worked with before (Apple, Bang and Olufsen), there is a certain must-have quality to them. The oak is grown in Kentucky which makes me question their eco credentials somewhat, but I like the way they look and the feelings they trigger. Photo by: Tiffany Orvet

These beautifully grained raw wood boards from West Elm are a prep surface and serving platter all in one. Designed for serving charcuterie and cheeses, they also transport snack bowls and appetizer plates with ease.

Wood cutting and display boards, $44–$157 at Hampson Woods. Each board, in woods ranging from elm to sycamore, is handmade at the U.K. shop’s Hackney location, and no two are alike.

After just one day of using the kitchen, the team realized that they could design special cutting boards that slide on and off the Gaggenau modular cooking units. This way, they’d be extending the amount of usable counter space while introducing a whole new level of customization. They made it happen that same night.

A corner of the store holds baskets from F/Style and Kanaami-Tsuji, cutting boards from Etoetoteato, and utensils from Kohchosai Kosuga.

"The cedar siding is simply stained with a black semi-transparent oil stain [from Cabot], which allows the color of the wood to still emerge through,” architect Robert Hutchison says. “We love how the black color makes the building recede into the background, and how it in turn allows the trees on the site to emerge as the highlight.”

A Dornbracht tap sits above a custom-built glacier white Corian countertop and sink. The sink is covered by a removable cutting board that can be kept in place for an added work surface, or removed for dedicated sink use. The cutout in the center allows water from the tap to flow straight through to the custom Corian drainer.

Two no-fuss cutting boards, both finished with food-grade beeswax and mineral oil Isabella makes himself. The large serving board ($105) measures 12" x 6.5"; the smaller version ($85) is 10" x 12".

“They wanted to keep the house to one level so that they could retire there without worrying about stairs and access,” Hutchison says. The home features two bedrooms, and the second one is available to guests and the homeowners’ college-age son.

Olson Kundig refurbished this 1950s building as a flexible off-site exhibition space for SFMOMA's Project Los Altos in downtown Los Altos, California. The firm replaced the front facade with a double-height, floor-to-ceiling window wall that can be raised or lowered at the whim of the user.

In their previous life, the boards were bleachers for a school sports stadium.

"Very ugly countertops are common," Perelman says. "I've mostly gone in the grin and bear it camp, but at the same time I think investing in a beautiful cutting board will make you feel much better about your kitchen. I bought a beautiful black maple cutting board and I'll always have it. You could probably get one the size of your counter. The whole idea is you can take it with you." This 12-by-20-inch walnut board is available from Jewett Farms Workshop for $46.

Replacing the dated bathrooms was a priority of the renovation. Highsmith embraced the tight quarters, cladding the walls in horizontal oak boards. The custom tub surround in the master bath is Calacatta marble from ABC Worldwide Stone. The fixtures are by Zucchetti.

The installation "In a State of Repair" seeks to highlight the work of craftspeople, artisans, and technicians who repair things that break. Martino Gamper, a designer and the exhibition's curator, hopes this inspires people to keep the belongings they have instead of throwing them away if they break.

The design for MATCH uses unorthodox elements like Muller Van Severen’s signature material, a durable and wax-like polyethylene traditionally used in cutting boards.

Arrow board by Noble Goods, from $120 Whimsical, handcrafted details mark this food-safe, solid cherry board with an inlaid resin design.

5.4.3 BlockBowl (Walnut Cutting Block and Bowl) by On Our Table "Whenever I’m having people over for dinner, I’m always looking for simple serving pieces," Hesser says. "I also happen to serve a lot of cured meats, so this naturally appeals to me. It’s a nice, solid piece that would last for decades."

White and red cedar boards—also typical Cape Cod materials—clad the exterior.

Circuit boards await the quality control department’s eagle eye. Every component undergoes rigorous testing before placement into a product.

New York State Pavilion (Queens, New York: 1964) History: Designed by modernist icon Philip Johnson and dubbed the “Tent of Tomorrow,” this World’s Fair pavilion once held a cable suspension roof and was clad in a terrazzo floor featuring a Texaco highway map of the state. Critic Louise Huxtable said it was “a sophisticated frivolity…seriously and beautifully constructed…a ‘carnival’ with class.” Status: After the fair, the site had a series of second lives as a concert venue and roller rink, but has since become a rusted relic. What You Can Do: The group People for the Pavilion has organized a series of fundraisers and continues to raise awareness of the structure and support restoration efforts. Image Credit: People for the Pavilion

Wooden and marble cutting boards by Kaat Collection.

A tiled niche sports cutting boards from the local Steelwood Design.

1.3.2 CHISEL: WALNUT CUTTING BOARD $130 Made from solid and durable walnut wood, the 1.3.2 Chisel is a dynamic, multi-purpose kitchen tool perfectly suited for cutting, serving and charcuterie and cheese. Its unique form lends a contemporary feel while venerable craftsmanship provide an artisanal quality.

The BlockBowl from On Our Table is a versatile tabletop product that features two distinctive surfaces. The flat circular surface can be used as a cutting board or serving board for cheeses and charcuterie, while the other side features a lipped bowl that can be used to serve nuts, olives, and other snacks.

Slice cutting board by Jonathan Fundudis and David Holgreaves for Snapp Design-The Johannesburg-based team at Snapp Design set out to make a cutting board that both functioned better in the kitchen and that looked good enough for a coveted countertop resting place. Their solution rests on wedges on both the top and underside of the board. It elevates the look of an ordinary bamboo board while also making it easy to scoop cut foods. Fundudis acknowledges the strong movement of design in craft in South Africa. "We look at the industrial processes in a very specific aesthetic which is not African by nature. Which is challenging locally, but does set us apart from our competitors," says Jonathan Fundudis. "In our case, beauty is in simplicity." Slice was a finalist for Design Indaba's Most Beautiful Object in South Africa 2013 and was nominated for the German Design Award 2013.

Lara and Ethan's easygoing lifestyle is evident from their Airbnb host profile, which concludes by notifying visitors that they're "100% pro-gluten, but won't be offended if you've gone g-free."

Stocking home goods, accessories, and furniture by close to 400 artisans and makers, the selection at Portland-based retailer Beam & Anchor is equal doses global and homegrown. Among its local wares are cutting boards and a credenza by newly launched Marrow Goods, cofounded by Ryan Fitzpatrick and one of the store’s proprietors, Robert Rahm; the serving set is by ceramics workshop Mazama Wares.

Virginia State Capitol, Richmond, Virginia (1788) Designed by Thomas Jefferson, and constructed while he was Minister to France, the Virginia State Capitol underscored Jefferson's permanent repudiation of the monarchy (as well as the prevailing Colonial architecture he loathed). Its form ignited the American tradition of modeling government buildings on Roman and Greek temples.

Arizona State University's Polytechnic Campus.

Charrier’s son, Fabian Fonnesbæk Charrier, 14, pauses on a staircase of white oil-finished pine floorboards.

"In the near future, the question won't be if you have solar, but what kind you have."—Scott Franklin, CEO of Lumos Solar, a solar module company