Dwell May/June 2021

I’m excited to go to a barbecue. More specifically, I’m excited to go to a barbecue where I don’t have to worry so much about how close I can get to people I don’t live with. I’m excited to hug my friends again. I’m excited to talk to strangers in real life. Compared to 2020, summer 2021 is full of possibility. The pandemic is not over. We have a long way to go before vaccines are accessible to everyone the world over. But it’s encouraging that it’s starting to be safe for small groups to get together for actual face time. So, in our annual outdoor issue, we’re celebrating gathering outside by choice rather than by necessity—and for occasions ranging from impromptu pool parties to small outdoor weddings (Modern World,…

“I want to see this project in ten more years with big trees and a beautiful jungle inside.”@matiasgarcesz via Instagram Comments Thank you so much for the article on inclusive design [“Design for Everyone,” March/April]. One of my pet peeves is not being able to find a beautiful and livable one-level home. I have a friend who can no longer do steps, so she can no longer visit me. As we have found in this pandemic, having spaces where we can readily and easily visit each other safely is priceless. back from his frat house to an aqua floral paradise! Not only is he learning manners and polite conversation again; he is learning to appreciate interior design. M. BOUDREAUX, VIA DWELL.COM [Re “Back to the Future,” March/April]: Pre-Covid, I had…

Seeing all the neighborhood doggos walk by is the best! I would take a bit more greenery. @ellianaasha Being able to see the Golden Gate Bridge over the fig leaf tree. Need a bigger window! @its_tamme I see friends and neighbors go by. But they also see me in my kitchen. @katieehume A big banyan tree planted by my grandfather. I don’t think there’s anything to change. @jesuis_luis Trees. I would add a lake if I could. @eglefever Dogwoods. I’d remove the incredibly bright lamppost lights put in by the university across the street. @bluwindow Best: mountain. Worst: garage. @dlaneh1979 I see lots of sky. I’d love to have more greenery on my deck. @sheryllwolffbaker I’d remove the hundreds of defunct cable wires hanging off every building in Brooklyn! @theupstudio…

“Our idea was to create something artisanal, close to the building’s origins.”Jorge Frias, architect Never underestimate a man’s love for his horse. Las Cuadras, a delightful casita on the outskirts of Benidorm, in the Alicante province of Spain, was built as much to give comfort to an aging horse as to provide a weekend home for its owner, photographer Viçent Llorens. Measuring only 430 square feet, the house is a refit of one of the simple, box-shaped concrete sheds scattered across the countryside. They are mostly used to store farm equipment and an animal or two, and Las Cuadras was no different—until Viçent contacted Jorge Frias and Irene Zurdo of Estudio JI Arquitectos and asked them to design a space for occasional human habitation as well. “He really just wanted…

FEEL FREE PADDLE Round21 Perfect your smash in style with the boldly graphic Feel Free Ping-Pong paddle from Round21. One of five designs in the limited-edition “Pieces” collection by Berlin-based visual artist Ju Schnee, the paddle is made of lightweight Japanese beech and has an ergonomic grip. YOMI SOFA Mojow Made with biodegradable TPU—a material sometimes referred to as the bridge between rubber and plastic—Mojow’s inflatable YOMI Sofa (electric pump included) comes in four translucent options plus opaque white and rests on a black metal or wood frame. CAPE OUTDOOR CHAISE EQ3 The outdoor Cape Collection from EQ3 features clean lines, lightweight aluminum (ideal for following the sun), and texteline fabric for comfort and easy cleaning. The 13.5-foot-long Cape Chaise reclines in five positions, always providing the perfect angle of…

We put in an outdoor shower at the same time that we got a hot tub. We converted this little private alleyway behind our house in a very scrappy way. Our contractors dug a French drain, and then we put cement tiles over it. On one wall we added a shower stand connected to the inside plumbing, so we have warm water out there, which is key to having a really great outdoor shower. I hung some little reclaimed mirrors on the opposite wall so that when I’m washing my face or doing my hair, I have a vanity. It’s like the comfort of indoors meets the wildness of the outdoors. I imagined that we would pretty much use it just to rinse off before and after we went into…