Artek was founded in 1935 by four young idealists, Alvar and Aino Aalto, Maire Gullichsen, and Nils-Gustav Hahl. The business idea of the company was "to sell furniture and to promote a modern culture of habitation by exhibitions and other educational means." The founders of Artek advocated a new kind of environment for everyday life. They believed in a grand synthesis of the arts and wanted to make a difference in town planning, as well as architecture and design. Today, Artek is renowned as being one of the most innovative contributors to modern design, building on the heritage of Alvar Aalto. Functionality and timeless aesthetics are the essential elements in the creation of every product that bears the Artek name. Artek's comprehensive furniture system is based on the original idea of standards and systems, which has its origin from Alvar Aalto's L-system. The standard and system thinking makes the furniture range versatile and allows it to be customized for individual projects. Artek's furniture can be found in various types of spaces; from public spaces to homes, museums to schools, and hotels to offices.

KBHA is a Full-Service Design + Build firm, with the goal of proving human comfort and an incredible experience of living at home in the desert. We specialize in custom desert homes from the architecture and construction, to the final details of the interiors.

B&B Italia, founded in 1966, is a recognized leader in the area of modern interior decoration, the company's products represent a collection that reflects the history and achievements of Italian design, a process through which Italian creativity and expertise have become world-famous.

We are the team of interior architecture designers who create an emotional spatial experience. Each of our projects is an individual story inscribed between the walls. We have our own approach to design - we believe that space should continue and reveal its inhabitants, convey its interests, style and even character. Therefore, we do not just arrange the furniture correctly and choose the right color, we create the concept, functionality and mood. What lies between the walls - really matters to us.

B-ILD is a Brussels, Belgium based architecture firm.

Alden B. Dow, the son of the founder of The Dow Chemical Company, started designing structures with leaves when he was eight. He opened an architectural office in 1934 in his hometown of Midland, Michigan, and added on a home for his young family to move into in 1941. Open today as a learning center for design, architecture, and creativity, and designated as a National Historic Landmark, visitors are inspired by the blending of nature into inside spaces. Designed with "honesty, humility and enthusiasm," three of the guiding principles in all his future works, the building is a classic in the successful and delicate blending of landscape and architecture. In addition to over sixty homes in Midland, Michigan, Alden B. Dow designed many residences in other parts of the United States. During World War II, he designed and personally supervised the construction of the entire town of Lake Jackson, Texas, as his father’s chemical company expanded there and needed homes for plant workers. Submitted by Cindy Newman