Dwell July/August 2021

Our photographers, writers, and other contributors do an excellent job of translating the feeling of being inside a home into stories for these pages, but of course there is no substitute for experiencing architecture in person. That simple fact is why a year without travel has been a challenge for those of us who thrive on seeking out new design. Here in the U.S., many cities are starting to open up as more people are vaccinated, and there’s a sense of optimism that we may someday soon be visiting distant places again. With that in mind, we couldn’t be happier to reintroduce our annual issue looking at the intersection of design and travel. You may not be able to visit them just yet, but in our Modern World section (p. 27),…

“I’ve never seen a round house that looks like it would function well—until now. Well done!”—April, via Dwell.com Comments [Re “Clutter Control,” May/June]: Peg boards can be handy, but they look terrible, especially close up. I have repurposed old flat-slab hollow-core doors (especially bifold closet door slabs because they don’t have door handle holes) by mounting them to a wall and then drilling holes to accept the brackets, hooks, etc. that are designed for peg boards—works very well, looks way better, no unnecessary holes… ADRIAN VAN MIERLO, VIA DWELL.COM [Re “An Open Invitation,” March/April]: How do they deal with mosquitoes and other bugs with those big patio doors? I love the disappearing wall look but imagine a house full of critters. @ERIKANUNLEY VIA INSTAGRAM ARCHITECT ERIC HUGHES REPLIES: There are screens on the sliding doors, but…

1. Moritz Kundig’s Historic Wallmark House This landmarked midcentury home just outside Spokane, Washington, offers lakefront living for $1.1 million. 2. A Seaside Cabin in Guilford, Connecticut Listed for $1.5 million, this triangular retreat by architect Vincent C. Amore served as his own inspirational getaway. 3. A Portuguese Pied-à-Terre This renovated 18th-century apartment selling for $815,000 occupies the top floor of a Pombaline-style building in Lisbon. 4. A Remixed Midcentury Ranch Artfully reimagined by A1000xBetter, this open-plan Southern California residence is available for $2.375 million. PHOTOS: EUGEN MICHEL (1); DENNIS CARBO/COURTESY SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY (2)…

A crazy, colorful footstool from Rio. @rian_withani A teapot from Spin Ceramics in Shanghai. @kolbykayworth A vintage catchall dish from Kyoto—I use it daily. @lilyskatz I love the square wooden salad bowl we brought back from Santiago, Chile. @kserles A Murano desk clock from Venice. @jingantonio Black-and-white bone salt and pepper shakers from a trip to Kenya. @jazzzyjade A Picabia drawing picked up in Portugal. @renee_killough A seersucker scarf from the Design Museum of Helsinki. @nicolemckernan A clear, solid crystal apple from Sweden. @moss._and._fern A raffia cactus sculpture from Morocco. @majawieblerstudio A Luis Barragán Mercury globe. @casabotanica design A miniature handpainted ceramic rooster from Lisbon. @stephanie_fois Dopper water bottles from the Netherlands—they’re both beautiful and functional. @lostonmydesktop A painting by a street artist in Sri Lanka of a monk taking his last steps to Nirvana. @architecturalist_ A handmade copper tea canister from Kyoto with our family name hammered into the scoop. @atxaylin Books—especially with cool covers. @garethe.smith2225 Carpets galore! Postcards that are…

“If I had built this house after design school, it would have felt like a warehouse, all cold concrete and glass,” says Susie St. John, founder of Embrio Design Studio in San Diego. But supporting her mother through years battling cancer in environs ill-suited to someone with impaired mobility fundamentally redefined Susie’s concept of home. The 2,740-square-foot, butterfly-roofed house she designed for herself, husband Rick, and their 11-year-old son, Otto, in Carlsbad, California, is squarely focused on family, including extended family in the area. “I wanted it to feel like a home for everyone, like somebody giving you a hug,” she says. Four bedrooms connect to a double-height kitchen/living/dining space—half the size of the whole house—where sunlight streams through a wall of steel-framed windows. An everyone’s-welcome, twelve-and-a-half-foot-long table accommodates large family dinners…

Outside of its UNESCO-listed historic center, the Ecuadorian capital has become a magnet for such international “starchitects” as Jean Nouvel, Bjarke Ingels, and Carlos Zapata. But for Quito architects Daniel Moreno Flores and Marie Combette, the projects that represent the city’s emerging design ethos come from a different cohort. “Quito’s young designers are motivated to make significant changes for the city by emphasizing local resources, social concerns, tradition, and artisan capabilities,” Flores says. “As global cities become more homogenized, it’s an act of cultural conservation to understand the place where we live and take advantage of regional resources.” Flores and Combette’s Quitobased firm, La Cabina de la Curiosidad, designs unconventional spaces in and around the city. Their projects prioritize reused materials, such as shipping containers, as well as locally sourced mediums. “There is…