"Beauty," Olafur Eliasson, 1993. In this work, a spotlight shines through a layer of mist to create a rainbow that's only visible from certain angles.

1993, Pierluigi Cerri.

A photo of Verner Panton from 1993. © Panton Design, Basel

Vitra Fire Station, Weil am Rhein, Germany, 1993

(Film still from "The Environmental Witch Hunt") Subtle decay, a democracy of leaves.

The Waterloo International Terminal, 1993, in London. Image courtesy Jo Reid/John Peck.

Kellogg spent five years working on the house, and the structure was completed in 1993.

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The footprint of the home was configured to accommodate all of the existing trees without risking damage to their roots. An exception was made for a tree which sat in the middle of the property which was showing signs of decay. A dense Canadian Maple, the tree was milled and repurposed as the central island/dining room table—also built by Duerksen himself—and is now located only 10 feet from its original location.

Amateur Architecture Studio of China displays their 'Decay of a Dome,' the exploration of a western form with traditionally Chinese construction techniques.

The newly built house, just feet from the water’s edge, occupies the space where a decaying farmhouse once stood.

In keeping with the home’s motif, the bathroom features a wall of religious paintings. A crystal chandelier set against the decayed stone walls adds an element of lighthearted drama.

Western Red Cedar naturally resists rot, decay, and insects. Architect Jeff Jordan also chose to leave the wood unfinished, a prominent part of the house’s look.

Along with its modern, refined appearance, the architects also relied heavily on concrete due to the material's resistance to seaside aggression—such as salt, humidity, and wind, which are unsparing agents of rapid decay.

The deck offers views and a quiet spot for outdoor dining. The Western red cedar vertical siding is naturally resistant to rot and decay, making it a hardy choice for the exterior. The bronze wolf sculpture is by Sharon Loper.

Rineke Dijkstra, Long Island, N. Y., USA, July 1, 1993, 1993; chromogenic print; 66 1/8 in. x 55 11/16 in.; Courtesy the artist and Marian Goodman Gallery, New York & Paris; © Rineke Dijkstra

The eponymous founder and principal of Michael K. Chen Architecture resuscitated a four-story, 3,600-square-foot home in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill neighborhood that was built in 1895 and had been abandoned for 20 years. Its newest owners—a tech investor and an art teacher at a public school—were inspired by the playful color palette that was still apparent underneath the building’s decay. "We had epic color palette meetings, looking at deck after deck for paint colors that spoke to us or provoked a particular sensation,” says Chen. “You don’t look at the color, you inhabit it.”

With a last-minute deadline, architect Burton Baldridge transformed a decaying trailer into a modern green home for Stubb's, an Austin, Texas club. Baldridge teamed up with Branson Fustes of Pilgrim Building Company to work on the interiors and building custom furniture, such as a bar on one end.

With a last minute deadline, architect Burton Baldridge transformed a decaying trailer into a modern green home for Stubb's, an Austin, Texas club. Baldridge teamed up with Branson Fustes of Pilgrim Building Company to work on the interiors and building custom furniture, such as a bar on one end.

San Diego California Temple — 7474 Charmant Dr., ldschurchtemples.com/san...

It’s hard to believe that, only two years ago, Jessy Moss and Steve Jocz’s glistening white home in Indian Wells, California, was being marketed as a teardown. Jessy, an interior designer who used to be a singer/songwriter, and Steve, a realtor who was once a member of the band Sum 41, saw the stucco-clad home’s potential and made it their mission to fix 50 years of decay. As the project unfolded, they researched the home’s origins, turning up troves of documents that strongly suggest it is an unrecognized work by midcentury icon William F. Cody. The circular concrete pavers in the driveway, replicas of originals, are reminiscent of pavers that Cody used for a motor court at another Southern California home.

The home’s previous owner’s father was one of the first wine importers to Denmark, and the cellar still contains some of his bottles, first placed there 40 years ago and now dusty, with obscured labels and decaying corks. The couple opens one once in a while—"they’re usually very bad, but sometimes very good," says Østergaard.

Before: Old and decayed, the original kitchen needed to be completely renovated.

A photo of Verner Panton from 1993

Belgian artist Eva Claessens bought a decaying, 1,000-year-old stone structure in a village in Provence and turned it into a home and studio.

When Rob and Mary Lubera started pulling threads to uncover the origins of their new home—the lone midcentury house amid rows of Tudor Revivals in suburban Detroit—not even architecture scholars could have anticipated what they would find. Theirs is the last surviving residence by Alexander Girard (1907–1993), a modernist visionary who made his name in textiles but tried his hand at virtually everything, architecture included. The shoji-like laminate screens, seen in the entryway, are characteristic of his Japanese-influenced work.

An aerial view of Washington, DC, circa 1993.

Products from Rudy’s Barbershop, which started in Seattle in 1993, are available in the shower.

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An orange door and metal grille make for a warm, if industrial, contrast to the stones and plants on the patio. They also weather well, something critical in a place where the climate leads to a palpable sense of decay.

1993 Stefano Giovannoni designs Merdolino toilet brush for Alessi.

Decay and termite resistant, and beautiful even when unfinished, redwood proved to be the best choice for this pergola.

Two decaying and non-working chimneys lopped off, leaving only a "footprint".

Orgone Stretch and Lounge, 1993. Photo by Fabrice Gousset/Courtesy of Galerie Kreo.

1993 Dolce & Gabbana create costumes for Madonna's "Girlie Show" tour.

Maison Latapie when first completed in 1993, looking much less lived in.