Calling all design lovers and real estate junkies: The Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour returns on Saturday, May 14th, with five cool houses and the chance to meet the architects and homeowners.

Originally designed by Joseph Eichler, this open-plan Palo Alto house begins with great bones. Courtesy of Modern Home Tours

1. 731 Holly Oak Drive, Palo Alto / architect KC Cullen (Design for Living Architecture), landscape architect Keith Willig (Keith Willig Landscape Architecture and Construction)

Updated last year, this charming little Eichler home retains its Mid-Century Modern integrity but gets an update with natural materials including white oak, honed slate, Caesarstone, and porcelain tiles.

The time-worn landscape was also revitalized to work for contemporary family life with a new front courtyard, hidden storage area, and a back yard designed for entertaining and fun—think built-in firepit, a tree swing, and custom play house. Green thumbs will love the raised vegetable beds and fruiting trees.

(Courtesy of Modern Home Tours)

2. 4246 Pomona Avenue, Palo Alto / architect Leonard Ng (LNAI | Architecture)

Contemporary design fanatics will dig this 3,400-square-foot cubist wonder with interiors that open onto a spacious deck and outdoor gardens set amidst redwood trees. Design flourishes include custom casework and a floating staircase. The home is also a Build-It-Green Greenpoint–rated home with water-efficient plumbing fixtures and landscaping.

(Photography by Drew Kelly)

3. 102 University St., Palo Alto / architect Joseph Bellomo

For Palo Alto folks yearning for the modern luxury of city living, this University Avenue condominium in a mixed-use building has floor-to-ceiling windows, Miele appliances, cool concrete floors, and lush rooftop gardens.

(Photography by Hari Sripadanna)

4. 18524 Montpere Way, Saratoga / architect Hari Sripadanna, AIA LEED AP (Srusti Architects)

When designing his own home, Saratoga-based architect Hari Sripadanna drew from his love of Northern California's famed Mid-century Modern architecture. The home is also the very definition of going green—completely "grid neutral," the house has a live green roof built with 100 percent FSC-certified reclaimed and recycled and renewable materials and water efficient fixtures. The best part? No electric bill!

// Silicon Valley Modern Home Tour is self-paced on Saturday, May 14 (11am to 5pm); tickets are $35 in advance, $40 same day; modernhometours.com