This bathroom, tiled in bright blue mosaic to offset the home’s limited materials and color palette, calls for a simple vanity. The sinks, toilets, and tubs are by Villeroy & Boch, while the faucets and towel rails are by Grohe and Avenir, respectively.

The budget was nearly as tight as the space in this cheerful renovation of a 516-square-foot flat in Bratislava. The centerpiece of Lukáš Kordík’s new kitchen is the cabinetry surrounding the sink, a feat he managed by altering the facing and pulls of an off-the-rack Ikea system. The laminate offers a good punch of blue, and in modernist fashion, Kordík forwent door handles in favor of cutouts. “I wanted the kitchen to be one simple block of color without any additional design,” he says.

The children’s rooms, which are reserved for family and an extended network of friends, feature more custom Crasset-designed beds set against a vivid blue backdrop, courtesy of the French paint brand Zolpan.

A sky-blue vintage trailer blends in with the sky.

In such a small space “you have to organize, and every piece takes a decision,” says resident Heidi Wright. The couple keep things they use less frequently, like guest bedding, in the higher cabinets.

Bold color is embraced in the home’s first bathroom, with tilework by Trend Mosiacs. Faucets are by Grohe and vanities are by Hastings. A Flos Glo-Ball pendant light illuminates the space.

Here, laminate kitchen cabinets are topped with Corian in Glacier White for a fresh and fun color-blocked look.

Short StackA tiny cabin in the Wisconsin Woods makes a big impact with Johnsen & Schmaling's innovative stacked design. The resulting cozy abode is stylish and durable, with stunning views of the surrounding landscape.

The kitchen window was designed to look into the Goodchilds' daughter's home. Photo credit: Dale Christopher Lang PhD AIAP

Preservation Props Since the house is in a historic district, Beebe and Skidmore’s interventions were constrained by local guidelines, including a stipulation that the walls of the addition couldn’t line up with the walls of the existing house. They bumped the walls in by five feet on either side and painted the addition, clad in siding from Capital Lumber, a color complementary to the original building’s deep, bright blue. “A guy from Boise’s preservation office came by and said, ‘This is a perfect example of how we’d like people to build additions,’” says Dana. “We were pretty proud of that.” beebeskidmore.com capital-lumber.com

Rock stands in the doorway to the boys’ bathroom, which is lined with semi-gloss Modern Dimensions tiles from Daltile. “We wanted it to be playful,” Hufft says, “so we chose each color and laid out the tile distribution in Photoshop.”

The bathroom, located just adjacent to the kitchen, features a pattern of gray and turquoise tiles that climbs from the floors up the walls. They serve as a burst of color among the predominately white walls elsewhere, transforming the bathroom into one of the apartment’s most striking spaces.

A mosaic tile wall softens the laboratory-like effect of the glossy kitchen cabinets.

Dunbar describes the bathroom as an outside-in room because it has light, air, and sometimes, when it drizzles and the skylight left open, even rain. Designed for exactly these circumstances, a blue-glass mosaic tile floor is laid at an angle to drain with ease.

Shannon and his wife, Amy, take the air on a small patio in two Acapulco chairs.

The finished product (in blue)! Clad in elegant bamboo, simply pluck out the soft nylon bristles when its life is over to recycle.

Five new models from the Natural collection, exhibited at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile, draw their inspiration from Japanese Tatamis. Photo courtesy of Nanimarquina.

Furniture with emphasized linear elements helps prevent the appearance of clutter in small spaces. It's particularly effective when highlighted in playful colors like the blue bench storage rack in this London guesthouse. Photo by Ben Anders.

"There is a triangle in projects between budget schedule and design," Curtiss says. "The common wisdom is you can hit any two but hitting all three is hard. We tried to hit all three." The raw space featured concrete floors and since it was formerly industrial, had oil spills on the slab. To create a floor that was safe for the kids, Curtiss opted for an epoxy. "Epoxy floors are used in hospitals and labs and are super easy to clean. We also knew it was an economical way to coat concrete." Custom colors are available, but for an extra charge. To rein in expenses, Curtiss chose a blue hue that's normally used for ADA striping. Natural light floods the interior thanks to Solatubes. Barn lights from HiLite offer additional illumination. Curtiss left the Ultratouch blue denim insulation exposed in the ceiling. "We asked the insulation supplier if we could check the denim batch colors," she says. "We didn't want black mixed in with the washed blue color. He thought we were crazy."

In the living room, a warm woodsy palette reigns, with a few blue-gray notes to create a serene mood.

Aumas outfitted a vintage steel-frame sofa by George Nelson in navy blue fabric from Kvadrat and hung one of his own photos just above it. The lamp to the left of the sofa is a 1960s design found at a Lisbon flea market, and to the right of the sofa is a Two-Arms rotating sconce by the mid-century French designer Serge Mouille.

The windows on the right look out to Manhattan. The blue Acapulco chair echoes the aquatic tones of the bathroom tiles.

This stylized vintage trailer is the image of small-scale luxury.

“There’s no right answer except to play and experiment,” Adler says about furnishing the interior. He reupholstered vintage Warren Platner chairs with velvet from Kravet. Drawings by Eva Hesse inspired the custom ceramic wall tile. Adler also created the coffee table, rug, planters, and gold stool. The pendant lamp is from Rewire in Los Angeles and the artwork is by Jean-Pierre Clément.

In order to bring a Turkish spirit into the space, Autoban created textured blue ceramic tiles inspired by Marmara marble to line the interior. Traditional Iznik tiles, handmade by Turkish craftsmen in Istanbul, are also integrated into the design.

@francesasales: "Little boy blue. #dwellrooms"

The residents have a particularly strong sense of color and love to cook with their son, so no-fuss finishes likes these blue tiles from Heath Ceramics were an ideal choice. The tiles combine with colorful tableware and custom walnut cabinetry to make a vibrant inteiror.

The lamps play with our perception of depth and space. Photo courtesy of Vera & Kyte.

A blue BoConceptcandelabra can function as a conversation piece on any tablespace.

L.A.-based designer Gere Kavanaugh is now in her eighties and is still creating new pieces, like these minimalist plates and bowls for CB2. $5–8 each from cb2.com.

A superior sofa must be versatile, accommodating any number of potential scenarios; who knows what will play out on a spread of comfy cushions? Anna Hart’s settee sets a stylish scene with unlimited possibilities. Solo night in? Stretch out and relax. House party? Extrawide armrests provide perfect perches for social butterflies. Read more about this electric-blue Slide here.

80 years Founded in 1934, Molteni & C quickly went from an artisan workshop to an industrial company. Recently, after a two year research period, the company recreated furniture and furnishings by renowned designer Gio Ponti. Photo courtesy of Molteni & C.

Vera & Kyte's Topiary lamps are elegant in their pastel colors and almost two-dimensional character. Photo courtesy of Vera & Kyte.

Pro and Con(crete) For Whitlock, using concrete for the first floor was an inexpensive alternative to stone, wood, or tile. “I just poured the foundation and it gave me my finished floor,” Whitlock says. “Way simpler!”

Spark by Chevrolet from $12,170 (from $19,185 for electric) chevrolet.com An affordable option in the urban car space, the Spark is available in gas-powered or electric versions.

Luciano Lorenzatti’s Penguin soap dispenser is playful and minimal, plus it allows for infinite soapy refills. $16