An Introduction to Modern Textiles: Kit out your furniture in luxurious silk or no-frills leather,; textiles can add just as much dimension to room as art, and can be equally collectible.

Classic butterfly chairs from Universal Patio Furniture are stationed by the pool. The mural is by street artist Morley, a close friend.

"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.”

Living Moss wall in powder room created by Minarc.

“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 Seattle's rapidly developing South Lake Union neighborhood, the Art Stable is a classic example of urban infill. Built on the site of a former horse stable, the seven-story mixed-use building carries its history into the future with highly adaptable live/work units.

Hooper House II's new owner, Richard North, has altered the house very little, though he did convert the carport into an enclosed garage to provide greater protection for his collection of automobiles. Read more about the mid-20th century Marcel Breuer Hooper House here.

Built on the site of a former horse stable, Art Stable is a mixed-use infill project in Seattle, Washington, that boasts an 80-foot-tall hinge for hand-cranked doors. Photo by: Benjamin Benschneider.

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.

A trio of resin skulls works as manly wall art above a burly end table from Urban Hardwoods and on a wall painted with ICI Paint’s Noble Grey.

The Lyons’ younger daughter practices cello in her bedroom, which overlooks the central gallery space.

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

Phillips designed Judith a stark white, glass-fronted art studio.

The main rooms include an art nook.

Wall Relief, Modern Law Firm by Jill Dudensing Lifestyle + Design

A bookshelf by Muller Van Severen.

The gold (nonfunctioning) surveillance camera by artist Camp Bosworth in the stairwell previously hung in the glass entryway of the family’s former house in Houston.

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.

"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

ASU Polytechnic Academic District; Mesa, Arizona RSP Architects and Lake|Flato The architect teams wanted to design ASU’s campus in a way that would reflect the surrounding desert climate. They maximized shade by grouping the new LEED gold buildings in dense clusters and creating courtyards and arcades to maximize airflow. The teams also removed 14 acres of asphalt and concrete sidewalk and replaced it with indigenous plants, which will help alleviate solar heat gain and reestablish the native habitat. ASU hopes that this will increase the amount of pedestrians and build a community around this former commuter campus.

Bright Side of History Recent innovations in solar technology have made photovoltaics drastically more affordable and accessible to individuals. According to the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), a U.S. trade group, the cost of installing residential solar panels decreased 45 percent between 2010 and 2014.

Sun Spots Some homebuilders have already committed to making solar panels standard in all new homes. Lennar Corporation has put photovoltaic installations on thousands of rooftops in more than 100 SunStreet communities in California. The company plans to extend the program to Colorado and Nevada soon.

On the Beam Acknowledging the capacity for individuals to generate their own electricity, Xcel Energy recently unveiled a proposal to add 2,400 megawatts of combined large-scale and residential solar energy to its Upper Midwest system. If enacted, it would cut emissions 30 percent by 2020, and 40 percent by 2030.

State Library of Victoria

At March in San Francisco, kitchen and entertaining products mix with art, such as cake paintings by Gary Komarin.

In Toronto, a painter accustomed to crashing in his studio created an airy artistic haven with both working and living quarters for a more balanced and polished picture. The bedroom mixes a bed and lamps from IKEA with a deep, luxurious bathtub (an inexpensive model from Neptune). The artworks include original prints by New York artist Franco Mondini-Ruiz.

Art Deco Necklaces: We were reminded of Bauhaus jewelry designer Margaret De Patta when we saw these necklaces by Eva Duenas of Sew a Song. From Miss Moss.

Mohawk found this Japanese Boro wall hanging at a local flea market. It's now on sale at the holiday pop-up.

Maine College of Art. Photo via Flickr.

Affordable Pop Art: Bradford Shellhammer, the co-founder of Fab curated a guide to his favorite affordable art spots.

The building’s specific orientation on the site, neither parallel nor orthogonal to the street, allows galleries to receive a maximum amount of natural light.

Skylights allow for the natural variability of light to occur and reproduce the lighting embraced by Long Island artists, showing the versatility of each piece of art depending on weather conditions.

In creating this place for visitors to rest and take in the lush landscape, Herzog & de Meuron's lead architect Ascan Mergenthaler says the built-in benches put the concrete walls on a more “human scale” without interrupting the streamlined façade.