Boasting a vast 4,920 square feet of living space, Madrone Ridge House in Sonoma Valley really is an extraordinary piece of design both inside and out. It is positioned within the watershed of northern California’s Russian River and this means that it is dry in the summers with heavy rainfall typical in the winter months. As such the plot’s geography was the driving force behind the design along with the client’s desire to co-inhabit the land with the region’s varied plant and animal life.

Nestled among trees on a hill that overlooks the valley’s iconic vineyards, Madrone Ridge House from Field Architecture beckons residents and visitors along a gravel and stone pathway and into the majestic-looking property. A 500-year-old cedar wedge serves as a bench in the entry garden and it is the perfect spot to sit and reflect. The property’s design takes inspiration from the flow of water, with copper-clad pavilions connected by glazed corridors. The pavilions are supported by two stone bases, which is where you’ll find the home’s main living spaces.

The roofs of Madrone Ridge House consist of two triangular planes each that slope toward the centre of the property and these are purpose built to collect rainwater and redirect it to river-rock basins. The roof planes fold down along the edge of each pavilion, turning to copper screens that provide striking shadow patterns on the interior areas of the home and create a visually engaging element to the interior design aesthetic. The palette for the interiors uses natural materials such as stone and oak and madrone wood finishes that really make it a relaxing space for the owners.

Available for the great price of just $90, the Artifox Monument is right up our street aesthetically here at The Coolector and each one is cast from solid cement for a real impactful presence on any creative’s desk. It takes its design inspiration from brutalist architecture on both Earth and Arrakis and the impressive-looking iPhone stand boasts sumptuous sculpted details in a traditional building material providing it with a very different hand-feel from most other stands on the market.

If you’re rocking an iPhone and you want to cultivate the sort of workspace that harbours creativity and productivity then the Monument from Artifox is an essential addition to your line up in our opinion here at The Coolector. Monument is the ideal partner in crime for your iPhone and iOS 17’s StandBy mode and, better still, this top-notch bit of kit from Artifox is also compatible with MagSafe iPhone cases so it has that extra layer of versatility.

Each one is made in the USA and there is a tangible sense of quality to the touch. Artifox’s obsession with material and architecture led their exploration to cement for the creation of the Monument. It is an imperfectly perfect building block and ideally suited to this type of workspace accessory. Every unit is hand mixed and cast, giving each and every Monument a unique one-of-a-kind look and feel that ensures that yours will be unique to you and you alone. Add a touch of brutalism to your workspace this fall – head on over to Artifox now to grab yours.

Brilliantly designed and executed, Timothy Godbold House in the Hamptons was first built in 1973 by architect Eugene L Futterman, who was the architect behind many notable homes in the area during the mid-20th century and, as you can see, Godbold had a lot of awesome design elements to work with when rejigging this property into a villain’s lair. It needed extensive renovation work, so the Australian designer looked to the modernist icons he studied in his youth: namely, those that regularly showcased their skills in the James Bond movies.

Godbold embraced the notion of painting the building’s cedar-clad exterior entirely black, which helped to conceal any imperfections in the siding. The building is made up of two connected trapezoidal volumes that angle upwards away from each other, creating a dynamic roofline. A staircase along the join provides access to the split levels on either side. Vast picture windows do a great job of framing the spectacular views of the surrounding woodlands and the house has an array of skylights with timber louvres that bring in additional natural light from above.

On the ground floor of this, frankly stunning property in the Hamptons, the furniture includes sofas that are part of a vintage Lara sectional by Roberto Pamio, Noti Massari, and Renato Toso, and a coffee table by Lella and Massimo Vignelli. The walls and ceiling have been covered in warm-toned grey plaster to give a neutral feel to proceedings. There is also an impressive, sculptural chimney breast and fireplace flanked by stepped sides.

The house is built on a slope, so the garden is accessed from different levels and this adds to the overall quirky, unusual design aesthetic. Square “lily pad” steps lead up from the street to the front terrace, while a steeper staircase goes to the raised patio at the rear of the home. Set back, deeper into the trees, you’ll find a minimalist fire pit that sits on a circular mosaic platform and has been cleverly designed to resemble the nuclear symbol – leaning into the villain design aesthetic expertly.

The colour of birch leaves changes with the seasons. In the spring and summer, they are bright green. In the fall, they turn radiant yellow. And in the winter, when the leaves are gone, the trees stand colourless against the snow, making them an ideal subject for dreamy black-and-white photos. The three seasonal stages of the birch leaves are replicated in the colours of the staples in the 3-Pack books: green, yellow, and black. The graph colours of the 60# Finch Opaque body paper also reflect the changing seasons.

This limited edition set is part of Field Notes’ Quarterly Edition Series, which is available to purchase as one off or as a year-long subscription that includes two packs of each quarterly release, as well as exclusive bonus pieces with each edition. With the Field Notes “Birch Bark” Edition, subscribers will receive printed “Birch Bucks” worth $10 to use on anything they buy before the end of the year. — in addition to the 10% discount they receive on orders at Field Notes. Annual subscriptions are $120 including shipping in the U.S. (International subscriptions are $130 plus a one-time $20 shipping charge that covers the full year.)

Notepads are an essential cog in any daily carry in our opinion here at The Coolector and the guys at Field Notes are amongst the best in the business when it comes to creating great-looking, functional options for any stationery aficionado. We’re particularly partial to their Quarterly Edition Series of notebooks and this Birch Edition is certainly right up our street. Like what you see as well? Head on over to Field Notes now to bag yours in time for the leaves falling from the trees.

The home had been separated in the 60s to operate as a boarding house and reconfigured again in the 1980s into two apartments before being completely transformed by Austin Maynard Architects in their creation of Helvetia House. The building was particularly tired and in dire need of some TLC and that’s exactly what the clients and architects provided in the course of this fantastic build in Australia.

The owners of the dark and awkward house wanted to convert it into a single dwelling that would be more livable and feel like an inner city sanctuary. Austin Maynard removed two rooms in the centre of the property and made much better use of the side laneway to transform the house into a light-filled family-sized home with multiple garden spaces, a flexible, more versatile floor plan, a dramatic central entryway, and a striking, sunlit atrium.

Rather than following the standard practice of demolishing everything beyond the frontage of the house, the architects found that there was no structural damage to the rear extension. It was not in good condition, of course, but it did not need to be demolished so it could be incorporated into the overall design. They decided to use the existing brickwork and work with the structure that was already there.

Helvetia House has been modified to be adaptable to future changes and boasts a large balcony terrace that was added off the main bedroom, and a large, possum-proof productive garden was added to the rear of the home, with a shed and carport below. We’re always keeping an eye out for new projects from Austin Maynard Architects and it’s fair to say that Helvetia House definitely doesn’t disappoint.

Brilliantly designed and executed by Diller Scofidio + Renfo, Blue Dream House is located in the Hamptons, a stone’s throw from the ocean and it has plenty of nautical style nods throughout the property that we’re loving here at Coolector HQ. It is nestled on the Atlantic Double Dunes and has a particularly eye-catching white roof made from a similar material to that used for the hulls of racing yachts and this is something that immediately makes this home stand out from the crowd.

Blue Dream House in the Hamptons is designed as a series of platforms. The main living space can be located on the ground floor and has a large, wrap-around window that offers impeccable views of the Atlantic Ocean. The study is positioned above the living space, and the master bedroom is on a cantilevered top floor that juts out from the other side of the house. Two bedrooms for children are located below ground level. There is quirkiness throughout the home and always new little design flourishes to be appreciated.

The breathtaking home’s interiors are also dune-like, with walls sloping in mounts towards the ceilings, both of which are crafted from waxed microconcrete for a highly unusual aesthetic that adds to the sense of whimsy throughout this home still further. The continuation of this material along the ceilings, walls and flooring helps to provide a smooth consistency throughout the property.

Blue Dream House has many stairways all made from the same material that serve as real focal points for the home. Each has slight indentations to create circulation throughout the stepped living spaces, while the more angular stairways lead up and down to the bedrooms. There is also plenty of circulation outside the house, with a series of stairways connecting the different floors on one side and leading to an outdoor living space and pool on the other. A magical piece of modern architecture in the Hamptons.

The natural ecology of the Betty’s Bay area is sensitive to disturbances caused by indiscriminate building practices and the windy climate so it was important that Dune House not detract from its surrounding. The home was designed with these factors in mind, and the architects decided to create a building with two defining moments: the first is the connection it has to the surrounding landscape, and the second is ensuring that it is protected from the brutal winds.

Dune House was constructed on stilts to protect the sensitive dune environment and this also ensures excellent views of the ocean beyond. This allows the landscape to recover after construction and delivers a safe passage for small animals, such as mice and moles, which would not be able to pass through a solid wall. The dunes also naturally migrate over time, so raising the structure off the ground allows the landscape to change without disrupting the spaces within.

The living spaces within Dune House are open and connected to the outdoors, providing a refuge from the weather and a connection to the natural world. The extensive glazed sliding doors lead to open decks, which offer stunning views of the ocean, sky, and mountain. The elevated walkway bisecting the living spaces is a continuation of the axis from the mountain to the ocean, creating a sense of flow and connection.

This Ash Street property from Studio 804 is a single-family residence located in Lawrence, Kansas. It was built as a speculative project and was sold upon completion. The home is located in a transitional area in North Lawrence, where urban conditions begin to give way to agricultural fields. It is perfectly positioned on a bluff that overlooks the Kansas River and is adjacent to a trail that runs along the river for the ultimate in serene settings.

The design team behind the build took inspiration from the region’s farmhouses to create a home with a series of gabled volumes on a sloping, rectangular lot. The volumes are arranged at different angles, giving the house a dynamic appearance. The two front volumes make up the main residence, which has one story and measures 1,442 square feet (134 square metres). The rear volume is a 516-square-foot (48-square-metre) ADU with a ground floor and a loft.

The various different buildings are made of wood and have walls and roofs covered in a continuous layer of phenolic resin, a long-lasting material. Inside 722 Ash Street House there is polished concrete flooring, painted drywall, and IKEA cabinets with Richilite fronts and countertops. The front portion of the house has an open-plan kitchen and living room with a high ceiling that reaches up to an impressive 18 feet (5.5 metres). Behind it you will discover two bedrooms and a bathroom. An exceptional piece of modern American architecture.

The photography is by Corey Gaffer Photography.

The house is clad in Corten steel, which has turned a beautiful shade of red. The window sills are crafted from untreated Fraké wood, a thermally modified type of wood with a warm and inviting look and feel. Fraké wood has also been used throughout the interior of the house to add a sense of flow and continuity to proceedings.

This majestic-looking Dutch home is surrounded by an unheated natural swimming pool with a 12-metre swimming lane and a helophyte filter with lava stones and yellow irises to help purify the water. The hexagonal shape of the house creates an inner garden with a raised bar adjacent to the kitchen. The windows of the bar open completely to create a seamless indoor-outdoor space. There is also a raised wooden deck next to the pool.

Nestled in a 5,500 square metre private forest that blends into the larger surrounding forest, there is such a serene feel to C House. The goal was to come up with a recreational home for six people that feels cosy and sheltered, despite being in the middle of the forest. It has separate bedrooms and bathrooms, as well as enough space for privacy so that people can enjoy time together but also retreat to different parts of the house.

Perfectly proportioned, C House has a large, open living space with sliding doors that can close off the bedrooms. The roof and walls are made of steel sandwich panels, which are two steel panels with a layer of insulation in between. The outer walls are finished with Corten steel sheets, which are a type of weathering steel that develops a rust-like finish over time. A first-class piece of architecture that we’re loving here at The Coolector.

Priced at £88, this majestic piece of EDC from Makers Cabinet is right up our street here at The Coolector and it has a pleasing hefty weight to it that sets it apart from cheap feeling stationery on the market. One of the stand features of the LAZLO Pen is the fact that it boasts a patent-pending, one-of-a-kind magnetic mechanism, that will elevate your writing experience to a whole new level.

Diametrically opposed neodymium magnets rotate bidirectionally to engage and disengage the cartridge of the LAZLO Pen from Makers Cabinet to deliver an unbeatable crisp click and it’s these little design flourishes that really set it apart from the crowd. Built to last and shine through generations of use, the quality of the materials and the craftsmanship is second to none. Precision machined in polished brass, the LAZLO has a satisfying balanced weight and grip that will allow you to reach new heights in both writing and drawing.

The profile of this exemplary piece of stationery is marginally tapered, ensuring that it has a sophisticated design aesthetic. Included with each LAZLO purchase is a Schmidt MegaLine ballpoint refill in black, which is the tried and tested favourite of the guys at Makers Cabinet. Lazlo will also fit most popular Eurostyle inserts. Every one of these pens comes with a Cork drop stand or can be paired with a machined solid brass or aluminum stand that is sold separately. An essential addition to any creative’s EDC line up.