A couple takes a minimalist approach to their Brooklyn apartment, focusing on supple materials, subtle gradations of color, and custom finishes by local craftsmen. The Mandayam–Vohra family gathers under one of Workstead’s signature three-arm chandeliers, shown here in its horizontal configuration. Bartenschlager designed the white cabinets and is responsible for the walnut counters both on the kitchen island and near the stove.

At a design-focused mansion in Belgium, the soaring atrium is home to a jacaranda high board from the 1960s, a chrome and glass lamp from Italy, a black leather chair and footstool by Sergio Rodrigues, a Berber rug, and a pair of photographs by the Brazilian artist Luiz Braga.

The fourth-floor kitchen features appliances by Miele, and Heracleum II pendants by Bertjan Pot for Moooi hang over both the kitchen island and the dining table.

Often a designer or client may start their search in an inspirational place like a showroom or a project they love and admire. Showrooms are spaces (and sometimes entire stores) that are used to display goods for sale by specific companies.

Tall and surprisingly open, the Tel Aviv Town House by Pitsou Kedem Architects continues in the tradition of its Bauhaus-inspired neighbors with a white facade and black window frames.

Power House High This structural reboot of a former power plant now has a much different purpose. Another post-industrial, LEED Platinum-certified showpiece, this century-old structure, which once housed rows of massive coal burners that provided all the power for Sears, Roebuck & Company's 55-acre corporate headquarters (as well as the air pressure for the pnuematic mail tubes), now boasts a pair of charter schools.

Looking from the open-plan dining area, through the kitchen to to the new living space, one gets views of the tree canopy through a high-level band of frameless glazing.

Riga High-Rises Z-Towers (NRJA, 2004-2015); Preses nams (Jānis Vilciņš, Ābrams Misulovins, 1978); Saules akmens (ZENICO PROJEKTS, TECTUM, 2002-2004). Photo by: Uldis Lukševics, NRJA

The urinals are life-size.

The open plan, high ceilings, and white walls all amplify the light that streams into the living room, accented with a Barcelona Couch by Mies van der Rohe for Knoll and two Blythe Pony Cube ottomans by Gus Design.

Four-year-old Ian plays in the courtyard, which is the center of family life in warmer months.

High windows on the east and west façades catch the sunrise and sunset, increasing light within the home. “They’re very simple and lo-fi,” Larsen says.

Using i.design EFFIX, a high performance material conceived by Italcementi, Luca Galbusera designed a table centerpiece for outdoor use. Luca Galbusera, winner of the Concrete Design International Competition, will show work as part of Alessi's Design Lab exhibit at WantedDesign.

Dacor products suit tech-savvy home cooks. The Discovery Dual Range oven wirelessly connects to a tablet via the brand's iQ app for a customizable kitchen experience.

Tangent Vase by High Gloss, $90 Handmade to order in Brooklyn, this asymmetrical vase features a raw speckle and a luscious, almond-dipped glaze.

Plans for the QueensWay call for turning an inaccessible area at its northern end into a small park featuring a playground and rain gardens to reduce flooding in heavy rain.

At Elevation After hiking nearly 20km through steep terrain, Syangboche was a very welcome sight. I’ve experienced high-altitude hiking before when I summited Kilimanjaro, but in Mustang, with elevations reaching 15,000 feet, it was definitely a new and challenging experience. I often had to stop to catch my breath along the path.

An inaccessible, overgrown space on Yellowstone Boulevard could become an access point to the QueensWay, with seating, landscaped plantings, and a small play area and garden.

High Tide Shelving System.

Jeffrey Shumaker, chief urban designer for the New York City Department of City Planning, calls out the High Line, the wildly popular public park built on an elevated abandoned railway, as an example of cities seeing potential in underutilized spaces. "As delegations from other cities and countries visit the High Line, they always ask, 'How can we create our own High Line?' The answer I always give is the same: Think of something that's unique to your place, some place that's embedded in the fabric of your city that can have a similarly transformative effect," he says.

The viaduct between Atlantic and Liberty avenues in Ozone Park will feature new walkways, seating areas, and a bike bath.

A rendering of the QueensWay as it would appear near Metropolitan Avenue. Supporters say the QueensWay would provide safe walkways and bike paths for easier access to shopping areas and Forest Park, in addition to creating outdoor learning areas for three nearby schools.

Recreation areas would be added atop the QueensWay's elevated section, while pathways would connect commuters to the A subway line.

The QueensWay would run below grade for nearly a mile through Forest Park. Currently overgrown and unused, this section, called the ravine, would provide opportunities for year-round recreation.

Life Along the Elevated, by Megan Canning, Krisanne Johnson, and Whitney Johnson, $25 from designtrust.org Published by the non-profit organization the Design Trust for Public Space, the book is the product of a photojournalism fellowship documenting life in New York City near its nearly 700 miles of elevated infrastructure, which includes bridges, highways, subway tracks, and rail lines. This title offers a glimpse the cityscape that is misunderstood, something the urbanism enthusiast or landscape designer on your list would appreciate. (Plus proceeds benefit a good cause.) “The reality is the elevated looks beautiful from afar, especially at sunset, but after spending a great deal of time photographing along it, you quickly notice the intense noise pollution, the poor lighting, and the chaotic nature of a transit hub. And these conditions are exactly what the Under the Elevated project is trying to improve,” noted photographer Krisanne Johnson.

Made entirely of yarn, Vincent's Locker Room is a life-size recreation of the high school gym experience.

Here, the high ceiling, a style borrowed from industrial lofts, serves a utilitarian purpose. Gymnast rings hung overhead allow athletes to suspend themselves 25 feet in the air.

Iconic and modern furnishings mingle at Luminaire, which has showrooms in Chicago and Coral Gables, Florida.

The Blue Sky prototype house leads a second life as desert getaway for David McAdam and his partner Scott Smith.

A perfect stocking stuffer, the Minim Playing Cards are a minimalist take on traditional playing cards. This refined deck will help traveling friends pass the time, and is a great set for home use as well.

Macrae-Gibson designed this competition swimming pool for Truman High School in the Bronx. The space features glazed acoustic concrete block walls and a ceramic mosaic pool and deck.

Over the years, it has hosted now-famous designers like Jasper Morrison, Philippe Starck, and the Bouroullec brothers early in their careers.

Manitoba Hydro Place (Winnipeg, Manitoba: 2009) How refreshing is it to see a power company be so respectful of power? Manitoba Hydro didn’t merely create a new headquarters when it unveiled this towering 23-story building, it created a case study in intelligent high-rise construction. A center chimney between three six-story atria cools, warms, and recycles air before its distributed to the rest of the structure, part of an almost organic system that utilizes geothermal systems to provide energy for 100% of the cooling and 75% of the heating. Along with a system of radiant slabs embedded in the concrete and automated lighting systems, the LEED Platinum-certified design by KPMB Architects showcases the power of passive energy. Photo by Maris Mezulis

Amanda: Design in Film I spent a very pleasant 11 minutes this morning previewing this mish-mash of modern homes appearing in films across many decades and eras. I appreciate the time it took to edit this one together—there are tons of homes represented.

With 400 bicycle parking spaces, the Collaborative Life Sciences Building—a partnership between Oregon Health & Science University, Portland State University, and Oregon State University—earned a Bike Score of 91.