The first thing designers Craig Bassam and Scott Fellows did after purchasing a 1955 four-bedroom house by Willis N. Mills was strip it. "We didn't realize the exterior was straight-grain redwood," says Bassam. "It was covered in layers of gray paint." Bassam replaced the terrace's concrete pavers with bluestone and removed a concrete-block wall.

“The site drops away dramatically beneath the living room,” homeowner Craig Bassam notes. “You really feel like you’re in this big floating box way above the landscape.” Read more about this four-bedroom glass home here.

The designer Nate Berkus, center, appeared with LG Electronics executives on the floor of the 2014 International CES in Las Vegas on Jan. 6. Photo courtesy LG Electronics.

LG Electronics premium Studio line of kitchen appliances. Photo courtesy LG Electronics.

Library of Congress in Washington, DC, USA-The McAllen Public Library may be the largest single-story library in the nation, but the Library of Congress in Washington, DC is the largest library in the world with over 151.8 million items sitting on 838 miles of bookshelves. Maybe the massive collection is trying to compensate for its smallest book—a 1/25" x 1/25" copy of Old King Cole, the pages of which can only be turned with the help of a needle. Photo: maveric2003

Hagerty House (Cohasset, Massachusetts, 1938) When this minimalist, L-shaped modern structure was first erected on the Massachusetts coastline, neighbors said it “looked like the ladies’ wing at Alcatraz,” according to the original resident, John Hagerty. Decades later, guests are still stopping by to explore this inspired Gropius/Breuer collaboration. Exposed pipes and steel staircases provide a streamlined look, while towering glass windows magnify the grandeur of the churning Atlantic Ocean below. Dwell spoke with the current owner, who said the compact-yet-open floor plan results in a “liberating” living experience. Photo Credit: Diana, Creative Commons

The Pop-up Party Bins from Hobnob USA direct guests to the right bin with their bold graphics. They are made out of cardboard and 100% recyclable, making them perfect for any summer barbecue or work party.

Atlanta Central Library (Atlanta, 1980) The last structure that Breuer designed (he was too ill to attend the dedication ceremony), the Atlanta Central Library was an evolution of the style and shapes used for the Whitney, a sculptural structure of cubes right angles. The airy shapes, combined with the heavy massing of concrete, led Barry Bergdoll, the chief curator of architecture at the Museum of Modern Art, to refer to this type of construction as “the invention of heavy lightness.” Photo Credit: Alexsandr Zykov, Creative Commons

Constructed from shipping containers, this temporary art housing has become a traveling exhibit; the paper tubes are packed up in between showings in a spare shipping container, moved to the next city, and then used to set up shop with rented containers from that area. It was first used to house the 'Ashes and Snow' photography and film exhibition by Gregory Colbert at the West Piers in Manhattan.

Embarcadero Center San Francisco California USA

Pink Peacock and White Dangles make happy wall-fellows.

Rendering of the upcoming Blu Homes model home in Southern California, opening Fall 2013. The modified Breezehouse design sports 2,300 square feet of decking.

AMERICAN MODERN Brilliant Design Across the USA October 2012, Vol. 12 Issue 10.

Ban’s attached his own signature to the growing cadre of Manhattan condominiums designed by acclaimed architects with this Chelsea project. Between the motorized metal shutters and a series of sliding glass doors on the first floor, these duplex units play with concepts of space and light.

"Designed to soften with use and absorb with efficiency, these 100% linen tea towels are carefully sewn and handprinted one by one." Linen tea towel made in San Francisco by Studiopatró at Provisions, $24.

Breuer House I (New Canaan, Connecticut, 1948) During the post-war period, the Harvard Five architects turned a Connecticut suburb into a Modernist testing ground, presenting stylish visions of how the era’s insatiable construction boom could look. This house was Breuer’s first entry into the “Canaan canon,” and it struck quite the chord, literally pushing the boundaries of cantilevered construction. An Architectural Record article from the time gushed that “the irresistible appeal of the cantilever is here developed to the ultimate degree. What Breuer has done, in effect, is to build a small basement story above ground, and then balance a full-size one-story house nearly atop it.” A difficult balancing act, to be sure, but the horizontal structure would show Breuer leaning out and pushing the boundaries. He’d later gain notoriety for a second New Canaan house, and a model he built for display in the gardens next to the Museum of Modern Art was one of the institution’s most popular and influential architectural displays of the 20th century.

Armchair by Barber Osgerby for Knoll. Pennsylvania-based Knoll—known for its midcentury classics—outsourced production to Indiana for this contemporary armchair with aluminum legs that peek out from the upholstery.

Solfire by Brandon Williams for Modfire. This propane- or natural gas–fueled steel fireplace produced in Phoenix will ensure you can enjoy the flicker of a fire without heavy smoke.

Alan I W Frank House (Pittsburgh, 1940) As a symbol of modernism’s rise, you can’t really do better than the multi-level, cantilevered staircase in this elegant residence, a signature Breuer touch that would appear in many other residential projects. A collaboration between Breuer and Walter Gropius, the 12,000-square-foot home for a Pittsburgh industrialist and engineer was a synthesis of stone, rich wood paneling, and curves, furnished in custom Breuer furniture. As influential as the design and aesthetic proved to be, the home’s environmentally conscious construction—including a green roof and an energy conservation system that used water from the indoor pool to heat and cool the house—showcased just how far ahead of the game the Bauhaus duo was at the time. Photo Credit: Joseph, Creative Commons

Whitney Museum of American Art (New York, 1966) A muscular concrete stack amidst the stately homes of Manhattan’s Upper East Side, the Whitney imposes itself on the neighborhood, an architectural statement as challenging as the work housed inside. The granite exterior, ascending edges and upside-down windows, initially seen as pushy and gauche, are now recognized as inspired and grandiose. Photo Credit: Jules Antonio, Creative Commons

My tourmate and fellow writer Stefan Marolachakis poses pensively next to the dog.

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Dwell is proud to announce a new line of architectural tile produced as a collaboration with Heath Ceramics.

The 510 Cabin is one of Leggitt's designs, executed with the help of student apprentices.

Blu Homes made some additional modifications to the floor planin order to create a larger, grander central Breezespace through the central living space.

A metal wire map of the United States and southern Canada hangs at the Western Group's Portland, Oregon headquarters.

St. Edward's University Dorms, Austin, Texas (2008) By aligning the residential units along the structure's perimeter, the design also maximizes natural sunlight.

Church at St. John’s Abbey (Collegeville, Minnesota, 1961) In 1950, Abbot Baldwin Dworschak solicited forward-thinking designs from leading architects to remake his Minnesota church and create a monument to the service of God. Breuer answered the call. There's a certain majesty to the bell tower greeting the faithful, a massive panel supported by a curvaceous stand. That Breuer then follows it up with the church itself, with a massive wall of hexagonal stained glass and concrete tresses, makes this a classic. Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

Walls are covered in Clark+Kensington paint, ‘On the Green,’ while the floors are finished in Benjamin Moore Floor & Patio paint in Balsam 567, as well as three coats of Minwax polyurethane ($120). The sectional is from Burrow ($2800) and the shag rug found on Rugs USA ($500).

Cone stop by Studio Gorm. Debuted at Salone Satellite in April 2014, the conical wood doorstop from Eugene, Oregon–based Studio Gorm has a looped handle for hanging when not in use.

Hombre pendant light by Damm. St. Petersburg, Florida–based design studio Damm worked with motorcycle painters to achieve the gradient finish on its ten-inch tall ceramic-and-ash pendant light.

St. Edward's University Dorms in Austin, Texas (2008) Tasked with accommodating 300 beds and social areas within a narrow lot, ELEMENTAL designed a structure in which various parts of the building are carved out or raised on plinths, opening up the ground floor to various meeting spaces and plazas.

Solstice Table Lamp by Ample. Seattle company Ample pairs a linen shade with a solid walnut base and fabric-wrapped cord. The lamp measures 22 inches tall and 15 inches wide.