In Grupa's Model line of light fixtures, the skeletal construction of the powder-coated metal frame holds a plain light bulb. A splash of color is added through colorful textile cables.

A dim Toronto Tudor gets an airy new look. The home’s second-story hallway, which serves as an open office and library, was suffering from a severe lack of light. Lifting up one side of the old pitched roof made room for a linear skylight, which faces south to allow in as many rays as possible, and the modification transformed the top floor into a loftlike double-height space. Inexpensive detailing then added texture and scale: Simple plywood panels attached to cold-rolled-steel frames serve as guards along the stairs.

Because the residents wanted lighting “to fade away,” the home makes the most of natural light and minimizes fixtures. Each room has two sources of daylight, usually in the form of floor-to-ceiling windows and skylights. Fluorescent lights integrate into the surface of the skylights so they don’t protrude into the space.

Architect Janna Levitt devised a creative emellishment for a residence in Canada. Photo by: Philip Cheung

To maintain a uniform look in the kitchen, Bjerre-Poulsen secreted most of the appliances, including the fridge, behind white Kvik cabinets. He installed can lights with brass-colored interiors on the ceiling; the halogen bulbs reflect the golden interior, giving off a warm glow. Every light in the house is an overbright fixture on a dimmer, for maximum flexibility—if you can adjust different levels for every situation, from working to entertaining, then you don’t need to rely on secondary floor or table lights, Bjerre-Poulsen points out.

Branching Bubble Chandelier available in oil-rubbed bronze, brushed brass, vintage brass and satin nickel with 7" and 9" clear globes, two with 24k gold foil.

Another simple, white kitchen with black countertops is this diminutive kitchen in Singapore. Light pours in through the large window, and a tiny but tasteful farmhouse kitchen table rests in the middle of everything.

In the house’s front room Monkman relaxes on a stool from local retailer Andrew Richard Designs. A new window system draws in sunlight and views of the front courtyard designed by local landscape architect Terry McGlade, the building’s former owner.

In the bathroom beneath the stairs, copper fixtures and subway tile feel at once sensitive to the home's roots and very of the moment. It is this attention to cohesiveness that the Don't Move Improve! award seeks to recognize.

A Toto toilet and bathroom sink, with a faucet by GROHE, are illuminated by a Leucos light fixture. Birgit Piskor designed the sculpture in the garden beside the shower.

Flax light fixture by Christien Meindertsma.

The couple really liked Prologue can lights by Kreon but couldn't afford them. So they bought aluminum sheets, sanded them, and folded them around standard track fixtures for a similar look. The total cost, including the transformer: about $40 per fixture.

Uni exposed the ceiling beams, formerly concealed by drywall and a kitschy light fixture upon which Schenk would hit his head. They built a platform bed using a couple of hollow doors as a surface for the mattress.

The flooring in the master bath is vein-cut Ocean Silver travertine. The custom bathroom vanity is stained birch, the polished chrome fixtures are from Hansgrohe’s Axor Uno2 line, and the chair is upholstered in Checker by Alexander Girard for Maharam.

Six staircases, many open to outside light, serve as pathways between the private interior spaces.

Kartheiser's courtyard also includes a dry sauna with a ceiling made from 2,500 pieces of wood.

All fixtures and faucets are from CEA.

Second ComingIt took multiple weekend trips, but the couple finally landed upon enough green tiles to cover their kitchen wall. Overstock tiles and seconds can be purchased from Heath Ceramics in its Sausalito showroom. Though the surfaces aren't as uniformly colored nor as flat as first-run tiles, they offer a unique tone ans texture when the tiles are laid out.heathceramics.com Don't miss a word of Dwell! Download our FREE app from iTunes, friend us on Facebook, or follow us on Twitter!

The sisters in their colorful bathroom with Kohler fixtures.

Vintage light fixtures add warmth and rustic charm to the base of the main stairwell. Built in cabinets and niches blend with the owner's antique furnishings.

Though most of the home's interior comes without a splashy designer's name attached, the bathroom is kitted out with a toilet, sink, and bath/shower from Jasper Morrison's line for Ideal Standard. The cabinets are from an Ikea kitchen system.

Local wood, contrasted with steel and concrete elements, comprise the home's modern palette. The light fixture is by German designer Ingo Maurer; the dining room table and chairs are from Crate & Barrel.

Plywood stair guards painted white accentuate natural and artificial bright lighting and lend a pared-down geometry to this Tudor home in Toronto. Read further here.

A custom light hangs from the beveled plaster ceiling.

"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.

Well-lit cocktail bar Ramona opened in the Greenpoint neighborhood in Brooklyn at the beginning of the year. The chandelier is custom.

The first-floor bathroom is divided into separate functions so that it can be used by more than one person at a time: the space includes a water closet,a shower, and a larger area with a pair of sinks. The towel racks and fixtures are from Kohler.

O’Sullivan designed the ceiling “to have a knitted or woven quality like that of wool or silk.” It dives down over the kitchen and dining area, eventually reaching a point at the entry that is low enough to touch. Here, resident Jes Wood leans against the onyx kitchen island while her daughter Ruby hangs out. Replica Jean Prouvé chairs surround the dining table; a vase by Bruce and Estelle Martin for Kamaka Pottery sits on top. The Reel table under the television is by Atelier Oï for B&B Italia.

Arbel’s projects—both products and architectural commissions—follow a chronological numbering system. The house itself is his 23rd design, while the one-of-a-kind glass pendants that accent nearly every room like a starscape are called “28.”

@emilylauren.au posted this pared-down bathroom with monochromatic matte fixtures by Chanee Vijay.

Architect Bruce Bolander made the most of a limited footprint in a house he designed in a Malibu canyon. With the small bedroom unable to accommodate any "normal" size desk, the architect designed a very thin custom steel desk where resident Heidi Wright works. The floor-to-ceiling sliding glass doors from Metal Window Corporation open the entire corner of the room up to the outdoors. “The mountains across the way are almost like another wall—they contain the space to the point that you feel like you’re in a much bigger space, that you’re part of the overall landscape,” says Bolander. Photo by J Bennett Fitts.

“We’re here for almost three months every summer—and it works so well that you never feel it’s a small space. The separation and steps between each perfect little box create a great flow.”—Nadja van Praag

At one end of the space, which is topped by a barrel ceiling, a hammock offers a tantalizingly cozy place to nap.

The renovated home maintains its original layout. To refresh the dated appearance of the space, Stonefox added cedar tongue-and-groove panels to the ceiling and refinished the floors. The living room rug is from Creative Matters, the WL Daybed is from Niedermaier, and the circular coffee table is a Tie and Die model from Holly Hunt.