Achieving true indoor-outdoor living, the 2,200-square-foot Los Angeles home of Minarc's husband-wife principals underwent a renovation that not only looks good but also does good where the environment is concerned. Tryggvi Thorsteinsson and Erla Dögg Ingjaldsdóttir reasoned that ridding their house of chemicals, carpet, and tile would also simplify the design process. Drywall remains exposed; new windows maximize natural light, cutting down on electricity use. Bathroom sinks are made from recycled silicone rubber, kitchen cabinetry from recycled tires. "The materials flow together," Thorsteinsson says. Just about everything serves dual purposes. The master bedroom's headboard conceals storage for clothing. In the family room, cushions turn a steel sill into a window seat. Doors in the base of the kitchen island open to store stools.

Wellness was another important factor in the redesign. To promote "outside" time, the couple built a heated dining patio off the kitchen and a partially covered ipé deck off the master suite. Surrounding that deck is a bed of pebbles. Warmed by the sun, they become a reflexology walking ground. Off the master suite of their house in Los Angeles, the couple built an ipé sleeping platform; the surrounding stones, warmed by the sun, serve as a reflexology walking ground.