The entire cabin is powered by the rooftop solar system from Solarwinds Northernlights. "I still can't get over the fact that I can get an ice cube from the sun," Bruce says.

The Lai family—Mayuko, baby Shota on her lap, David, Maya, and Yumi sitting on a cushion on the deck—relaxes in their indoor-outdoor living space, made by opening the glass sliding doors to connect the living room and engawa deck.

The most sustainable element of all is the Lais’ intention to make their first home their last home as well. “Some people have this mentality of getting a starter house, then upgrading from there,” David says. “We just wanted to find a place to live in and then stay there forever.” Eventually they imagine passing the home down to their children.

According to the Coca-Cola company, Loewy did not redesign the contoured bottle created by the Root Glass Company in 1915, which he called "the most perfect ‘fluid wrapper’ of the day and one of the classics in packaging history." He did, however, rework different versions of the bottle, as well as retool a variety of packing and promotional material for the soft drink giant, including soda fountains, coolers and delivery trucks.

This simple plastic-and-aluminum bottle rack, designed with a small footprint and made to be easily stacked, is about as straightforward and crowd-pleasing as a bottle of good cheap merlot.

Before: McDonough #30 in 2016, pre-renovation. "I think what's great about New Orleans is that the history of its buildings are important to everybody here," says Melissa Rome, one of two principals of Rome Office. "They have a lot of great collections for you to find historic photos of whatever building you're working on."

This chic, reusable cutlery is made from organic, food-safe bamboo and water-based adhesives, and finished with premium natural oils. Enjoy the perfect picnic in safe, natural style.

A new kitchen system by Nendo for Scavolini.

The house that Fleetwood Fernandez Architects designed for contractor Mehran Taslimi and his wife, Laila, embraces its surroundings. “They wanted doors that they could just throw open,” designer Hunter Fleetwood says of the retractable wall system from Vitrocsa.

The rain-catchment system next to the outdoor shower collects and disposes of the first five gallons of rainwater to ensure that the cleanest water is diverted into the cistern.

The marbled countertops in the ground-floor bathroom are by Smile Plastics, a company that melts and reuses discarded milk bottles and chopping boards.

The open observatory.

Not only do these colorful bottles make for humble accent pieces, they're also a reminder of the house's past: Whitlock discovered them while building the home, which stands on what was once a Chinese apothecary.

AREAWARE BOTTLE OPENER Once you've got your space-saving bar cart/trolley/trunk chosen you'll have to stock it with all the right tools. Created by designer Brendan Ravenhill with the ultimate functionality in mind, the Bottle Opener in walnut wood features two magnets: one to adhere the opener to the refrigerator door (or any metallic surface), the other to catch the bottle cap. A design innovation worth a round of cheers.

It's tough to be productive when you're uncomfortable: the 11+ Bottle Humidifier ($90) is a superbly sculptural device that can improve any office atmosphere, visually and literally. Its ultrasonic nebulizer automatically deactivates when its water is completed, ensuring no energy is wasted.

These glass bottles from bkr keep toxins at bay and are protected by a sleek silicone sleeve. ($28)

Bottle Stopper by Artecnica

The small but mighty bottle.

“Your first impression is that the house is very closed,” says David Barragán of the building he designed with Jose María Sáez in Quito, Ecuador. Stacked concrete forms, developed by Barragán and Sáez and used as planters along the front facade, offer privacy and integrate the building with the site.

Here's the cafe space, which is set off to the side of the building. The kiln (currently under construction) will be behind the bank of windows in the background. We love how the building hosts a multitude of uses: a social space for the neighborhood, retail, and manufacturing. It's also two local businesses supporting each other—a customer might come in for a coffee and come out with a new place setting, and vice versa.

Geraldine and Kit Laybourne remodeled the kitchen in their High Line apartment with yellow and gray interiors. The kitchen features an Artematica Vitrum glass system from Valcucine, artwork by Craig Kucia, and banquette cushion fabrics by Hella Jongerius for Maharam.

A pressed-steel Parallel shelving system by Terence Woodgate holds books and mementos.

Painting this diamond-plate steel backsplash a charming pink color makes the material feel less cold and industrial.

VIPP's kitchen line launched last year.

FlatBoxLed Contact Track Spotlight by Dinnebier + Blieske, produced by Mawa Design Licht- und Wohnideen GmbH.

Albed's very chic closet systems put regular old coat hangers to shame.

This prefab house is built around a system of 4' by 4' concrete modules and a reusable formwork to save on costs and materials.

These beech wood bottle openers by Brendan Ravenhill are now available in six bright shades.

The United States' National Park Service collateral (which won the US Presidential Design Award in 1985). The Unigrid is a modular system meant to save costs by predetermining everything from "paper size to graphics to cartography and illustration."

The Cocoon wireless sound system for Denon, whose form-meets-function shape is partially inspired by the work of Constantin Brancusi.

The Becerril family embraces stark modernism with a mute facade clad in Hardie board and acrylic panels. Access to the heart of the house is through the bamboo garden.

This adaptive reuse project in San Antonio transformed an early-20th–century warehouse into a lively design studio. Its open floor plan provides long-term flexibility for future users, while 1,200 square feet of roof space was removed to create a new courtyard while maintaining the original facade.

Super packable and water resistant, the Dwell Special Edition Reusable Nylon Bag from BAGGU is a versatile travel companion. Use it as a pool or beach tote to hold bottled water and sunscreen, or as a shopping tote on the go. When not in use, the cheerful quote packs into a slim square.

The Weiners sit in one of the many large window bays, showing how the reused truck bodies look from within.

REPLENISH REUSABLE BOTTLE SYSTEM Did you know that most surface cleaners are a mix of 5% solution and a whopping 95% water? That's a whole lot of bottle you're buying every time for such a small amount of concentrate. Replenish recognizes that ratio can be made the most of with their new bottle design. The large, top half is designed to be reused; The bottom portion carries enough cleanser for four h20-from-the-tap refills, and buying a replacement requires a quick trip to the online store (with free shipping, no less!). We have it on excellent authority from a decidedly tidy and ever-clean colleague that the stuff works wonders.

The rear facade. A system of sliding glass windows and doors underscore the indoor/outdoor nature of the house.