Jetson Green sneaks a peek at Activ, an $86k modular home from Salem, Ore.based green prefab design studio Ideabox with interiors supplied by the Portland branch of a certain Swedish home furnishings chain. Boasting IKEA products aplenty plus dual-flush toilets, LED lighting, and EnergyStar appliances, this one is sure to appeal to those of you who fantasize about living in an IKEA showroom on the regular. Cinnamon roll-filled closet and randy Chinese seniors not included. The one  bedroom home — that's the kitchen pictured up top — will be on display at the Portland Home & Garden show through Feb. 26.

 

TreeHugger has some thoughts on how give new life to dearly departed trees in your backyard. Among the suggestions: Paint 'em, mulch 'em, and turn 'em into garden bed borders or decorative fences. 

 

Contemporist eyes the Clearview Residence, an eye-catching cantilevered contemporary in Ontario with an impressive laundry list of green specs including geothermal heating, grey water recycling, passive solar heating, water-conserving fixtures, heat recovery ventilation, and the use of local materials. 

 

Core77 crushes on Modknobs, USA-made modernist door fixtures made from hardwoods and hockey pucks. Yep, hockey pucks. These bad boys don't come cheap but are a refreshing departure from your standard mass-produced-in-China doorknobs.

 

The Wall Street Journal recommends roughing it (if you can afford it) in a modernist barn/studio in Healdsburg, Calif. that just hit the market for $925,000. Set on 80 acres, the 1,940-square-foot structure is made primarily from recycled materials, is un-insulated, and has no electricity (although there is cell phone reception). Feeling a bit gritty from all the off-the-grid-ness? Rinse off with natural spring water in a shower made from a converted wine-mixing tank. 

 

The New York Times steps inside the sleekest, shiniest Airstream trailer out there: The Sterling Concept Trailer. Designed by Christoper C. Deam, this uber-modern mobile home boasts LED lighting, capsule-shaped accent windows, and, of course, aluminum interiors. 

 

Dwell digs the Crabill Residence, a barn-inspired green abode in rural Hillsborough, N.C. with a Cor-Ten steel panel facade that, with time, will take on a delightfully rustic weathered look. “As time goes forward, we’re catching up to the past in a way,” owner John Crabill tells Dwell.