Sometimes all it takes is a little luck. For a young married couple, it came in the form of this rare find: a 19th-century, three-story, single-family home in the heart of Paris. The building was a charmer with good bones, but was in need of some serious care. In a vibrant retrofit by architect Pierre-Louis Gerlier that includes structural reinforcements, the reimagined design is set off with a new floor plan. The lower level now serves as a space for the couple’s children, with the public areas—including an open-plan living/dining room and kitchen—on the floor above. Upstairs, the attic has been transformed into a very large primary bedroom with a green-and-white bathroom suite. The living room (pictured) showcases the firm’s bespoke carpentry work with a beautiful, mossy-green built-in bookcase that frames a new fireplace, and a staircase surrounded by arched doorways that hold hidden storage. “We created visual breakthroughs in order to connect the different spaces,” says Gerlier. “The rounded arches are there to help magnify these moments.”

Perched below the Griffith Observatory and overlooking Hollywood is a lush lot crowned with four towering olive trees and a 1965 home designed by modernist architect Craig Ellwood. When a young couple purchased the home in 2018, it needed substantial work. For a historic restoration, they called on Woods + Dangaran, a local firm fluent in modernist history. The team completed a meticulous restoration of the home while keeping original components like the linear shape, open plan, and expansive windows. One of the most striking features is the original koi pond (a feature deemed so essential that its preservation was a condition of escrow) that is now crossed via a bridge that leads to a new lap pool—perhaps the biggest intervention on the property.

Mazpazz Arquitectur

Interior designer Laura Britt followed WELL Building Standards to source the home’s non-toxic furnishings and finishes, which include living room chairs and a sofa from Thayer Coggin that use flame retardant– and formaldehyde-free cushions.

“It’s so nice back here in the summer in the shade,” says Sherry. “We don’t even have to put sunscreen on the kids. It’s a true little oasis.”

Kick off your summer with these stellar sales from your favorite fashion, beauty, home decor, and bedding brands.

The floor-to-ceiling sliding doors and windows were the most expensive line item in the renovation. “The house would simply not be the same without them,” says architect Miguel Rivera. “When you are in the living area with the doors open, it creates one large indoor/outdoor space that is simply stunning.” Just beyond the kitchen, a bookcase in the hallway is painted to appear red from one side and gray from the other.

In 2009 on a quiet Los Angeles corner, Mel Elias found a severely water-damaged, crumbling 5,000-square-foot house hidden behind a tangle of overgrown vegetation. Its former owner, the late Hollywood acting coach Milton Katselas, had filled his property with industrial skylights and enormous, wood-burning fireplaces. The glass-and-concrete construction was framed by high ceilings, rusted steel beams, and varied elevations across the single-story plan. Thanks to an 11-year long, multiphase renovation by designer Carter Bradley, the home—with all of its quirks and character—shines again.

A dusty-pink facade is only a hint of what’s inside this 18th-century structure. For Sérgio Antunes, cofounder of Lisbon-based Aurora Arquitectos, the charming exterior and its rich pigment provided a fascinating starting point for the renovation of the Rose Building—a single-family residence in southern Portugal that his team turned into five glowing apartments in collaboration with Lisbon architecture studio FURO. Throughout are huge swaths of color with unique touches: For example, painted on the ceiling of the central stair is a moody mural of a woman in the style of a fresco, and in one of the unit’s bathrooms, more ceiling artwork depicts a mermaid emerging from a swirl of waves. Elsewhere, arched windows, sloped ceilings, ornate moldings, and wooden doors elegantly play off Portuguese marble and patterned ceramic tiles. With the go-ahead from the city, the architects were also able to construct a modern addition at the rear—The Mustard Building—that pairs natural wood partitions with the subdued tones of creamy terrazzo.

The house has a front door, but it’s actually not the main entrance: That’s found around the side, via a soothing, wood-lined courtyard. It’s a natural space for outdoor entertaining, too, thanks to the built-in fireplace and bench.

The floors are an engineered hardwood oak, limewashed with a tumbled finish. The dining table is a hand-me-down from Daisy’s parents. Upstairs, the primary bedroom opens right up onto a rooftop terrace, but for nights when Pete and Daisy feel like hosting, Loader installed an Arne Jacobsen–inspired, thin spiral staircase on the outside for guests to climb.

The zig-zag ceiling adds a sense of playfulness and maximizes the visual volume of the open-concept kitchen and dining area. Combined with the oversized sliding doors, the space feels incredibly open and airy.

Interior designer Laura Britt and architect Stephen Andrews took notes from WELL Building Standards—and their physician client—to craft a nurturing family residence that also protects against harsh weather.

Woodcraft Mobiliar created built-in cabinetry in almost every room of the home, keeping furniture needs to a minimum.

Sophia and Henry relax in the open-plan living area of their tiny home with their dog Cora, a Labrador retriever and Siberian husky mix.

A sliding barn door accesses the bathroom, where the Jungbauers installed a compost toilet and low-flow fixtures for the sink and the shower.

Custom cabinets in a mix of white oak and lacquered paint join Miele appliances and a honed quartz countertop.

Mauricio Ceballos X Architects

Situated on a small-footprint site on the banks of the Westport River, Mark Lawton Architecture constructed a high-functioning home for a total of $851,000.

Every square foot of the home has a purpose, including the built-in hidden bar integrated into the living area – a favorite element of Ken and Korina's.

The apartments feature 23-foot-tall domed ceilings.

“The bedroom is in the southwest corner, where the home gets the most sun,” says Ada Corral, cofounder of Jobe Corral Architects. “It’s also the place where we wanted more of that sheltered, cozy feeling.” The architects incorporated furniture to separate the bedroom from the living area.

The architects removed the shutters and swapped in casement windows. Benjamin Moore Gray now coats the brick, and a metal roof protects the porch.

The new loft runs the entire expanse of one side of the house. Ruffin wanted the cross-braces at the ceiling peak visible, as well as the patina on the new wood. “We left all the stamps on the lumber to just let it be really honest,” says Ruffin.

NASA astronaut Nicole Stott and Russian cosmonaut Roman Romanenko, both Expedition 20/21 flight engineers, are pictured at the galley in the Unity node of the ISS. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Robert Thirsk, Expedition 20/21 flight engineer, is mostly out of frame at right. Photo taken October 5, 2009. Courtesy of NASA

The Chandler Boulevard Bridge Home Village opened its doors to its first residents on February 2, 2021.

Announcing: the winners of the 2021 Dwell Design Awards! We’re thrilled to share the projects that wowed our expert judges panel and our readers this year.

Bedding gets a bold streetwear treatment in this set from Curves. The 2021 catalog was shot in a 1962 home in Los Feliz, Los Angeles.

A playhouse sided in Hemlock was built in 2021 during the pandemic.

Method Homes collaborated with atelierjones to rebuild three homes that were destroyed by the 2021 Dixie Fire in Northern California.

Artwork on view in a wood-paneled corner of the home from left to right: Alma Allen, Not Yet Titled (2020); Marina Perez Simão, Untitled (2021); Kiva Motnyk, Afternoon Light - Multi (2021).

The bedroom has an original Gerald Luss, Chaise for Lehigh Furniture Company from the 1950s alongside work from Eddie Martinez, Ideal Location (2021); and Kiva Motnyk, Botanic Study - Indigo (2021).

Exterior 2021

The home includes handcrafted details such as built-in cabinetry and shelving. The open-plan living space is anchored by a floor-to-ceiling stone inlay fireplace and framed by a warm wood paneled post-and-beam ceiling. Artwork on view: (foreground left to right): Gerald Luss, Sofa for The Gerald Luss House (c. 1950s); Frances Palmer, Terracotta Planter; two Not Yet Titled works by Alma Allen (2020) (2017); Gerald Luss, Coffee Table for The Gerald Luss House (c. 1950s), porcelain vases by Frances Palmer (2021); micaceous clay vessels by Johnny Ortiz (2021); Alma Allen bronze dish, Not Yet Titled (2019); Green River Project LLC, Aluminum and Leather Lounge Ch air (2021); (background left to right): Ritsue Mishima, Seed Crystal (2017), Fonte (2020), Arca (2012); Gerald Luss, Untitled (2020); two Untitled (2021) works by Yoichi Shiraishi; Cecily Brown, Reasons to be Cheerful (2020 - 2021).

Marina Perez Simão, Untitled (2021).

Original Guest Bathroom: pre-remodel (top left), 2021 remodel (bottom left). Original Maid's Bathroom: pre-remodel (top middle), 2021 remodel (right).