SubscribeSign In

Make the most with the home you have. Modern renovations are one of the most popular design stories on Dwell. Renovation presents challenges, and smart design delivers solutions. Modern design and architecture allow old construction to meet new ideas and materials. Hire an architect or interior designer whenever possible, because professional training helps mitigate issues and yield truly beautiful spaces.

7 Brooklyn Row Houses Renovations
The dream of owning a Brooklyn brownstone is just one of many reasons why people make the move to the popular outer borough.
Renovation Opens Up a London Apartment
In Clerkenwell, an architect re-imagines a space to bring out the "dramatic geometry" of its concrete ceiling.
7 Effective Tips For Integrating Open Kitchen Shelving
Although the concept looks effortless and versatile, is open kitchen shelving really as easy as it appears?
This Bilbao Apartment Takes the Open Floor Plan to the Extreme
Stripped to its basic elements—no walls, only curtains to divide the living spaces—this colorful flat is inspired by Marcel...
A Simple Plan
A Marmol Radziner–designed prefab house, trucked onto a remote Northern California site, takes the pain out of the construction...
7 Bathroom Renovation Ideas to Rejuvenate Your Space
Gone are the days of bathrooms simply being utilitarian spaces.
A Major Renovation Opens Up a Brooklyn Loft Apartment
A tech executive renovates a 1980s loft in a former paper factory.
Open Kitchen
A San Francisco architect turns his “inefficiency” kitchen into a modestly scaled and well-lit place to cook, eat, work, and...
A Los Angeles Renovation Opens Up to Coastal Climes
In the Pacific Palisades neighborhood, a couple turn to architect Ken Ungar for a home that maximizes ocean views and meshes...
This May Be the Most Ecologically Ambitious Home Renovation on the Planet
On Bainbridge Island, off the Washington coast, Charlie Hellstern Interior Design and The Miller Hull Partnership create the...
A 1957 Midcentury in Seattle Receives a Striking Makeover
By removing walls, inserting new windows, and using a lighter color palette, Mowery Marsh Architects give this historic home a...
An 11-Year Renovation Helps a Couple Grow Simpatico With the Original Homeowner’s Quirky Vision
An inspired, if poorly constructed, Los Angeles home gets a proper retrofit that preserves its many idiosyncrasies.
In Berlin, an Auto Repair Shop Becomes a High-Performance Home for a Painter and Her Family
Playing into the building’s raw, industrial character, Studio Karhard converts a space to be fit for children—without losing its...
A Major Restoration Updated This Midcentury Landmark in Belgium
A Belgian couple abide by strict preservation rules to breathe new life into an International Style villa by architect Lucien...
Before & After: A Country Home Blossoms in the Ruins of an Old Stone Barn
Type rehabs a rundown stone structure into an elegant dwelling—and then sets about rewilding its site in the English countryside.
A Minimalist Bungalow in Miami Welcomes a Sleek New Addition
In South Miami, a thoughtful revamp and extension embraces the outdoors on an intimate scale.
Outside Paris, a 19th-Century House Conceals a Minimalist Tableau Rich With Color
In a nature preserve, two creative directors design a colorful country home.
Before & After: An L.A. Loft in a Former Nabisco Factory Gets a Japanese-Inspired Makeover
Amanda Gunawan of OWIU Design turns a cookie-cutter space into an Asian-inflected haven with an industrial edge.
To Update a Midcentury With a Striking Open-Truss Ceiling, They Tracked Down Its Original Architect
Designed in 1949 by Donald Edwin Pedersen—a lesser-known member of Southern California’s roster of midcentury architects, the now...
An Antwerp Apartment Captures the Spirit of the Belle Époque
In Antwerp, Belgium, a historic flat is transformed into a bright and airy, dreamy oasis.
An Off-the-Grid Prefab that Combines Open Plan Living With Rugged Durability
In Tasmania, an eco-conscious architect builds a vacation home that can stand up to an untamed island.
Fashion Designer Lezanne Viviers’s Johannesburg Digs Double as a Studio and Concept Store
The glass-fronted, 1960s gem acts as a display case for her eponymous label, vibrant artworks, and modernist furniture.
A Grand Victorian Glows Like a Lantern After a Luminous Retrofit
Timmins + Whyte carves out a sun-soaked haven in a heritage-listed Melbourne home.
A Midcentury Relic in Perth Gets a Gut Renovation—and the Results Are Stunning
With its modernist, ’60s flair preserved, the coastal family home now features flowing living spaces that combine bespoke...
A Victorian Home Takes Over the Ruins of an Old Parchment Factory in England
Will Gamble Architects revives a crumbling, 17th-century structure with a svelte addition of steel, brick, and glass.
Before & After: A Faux Mountain Inspired by Disneyland Caps This Riotous Renovation in London
Architect Mat Barnes transforms his Edwardian home into a postmodern playground of pattern and color.
Before & After: Curving Glass Walls Give This Traditional Beijing Home an Otherworldly Appeal
A derelict courtyard residence gets revitalized with a sinuous, glass-walled pathway.
A 17th-Century Building in the Swiss Alps Is Reimagined as a Residence, Rental, and Wine Bar
Designer Jonathan Tuckey rescues a stone-and-timber structure from demolition and reconfigures it as a site for contemporary...
A Former Vegemite Warehouse in Sydney Is Transformed Into a Colorful Family Home
This warehouse conversion by Ian Moore Architects also features an equine genetics laboratory and an enormous garage filled with...
Before & After: This Historic Midcentury With a Slinky Roofline Debuts at Modernism Week 2020
Once destined for destruction, the Miles Bates House—better known as the Wave House for its curvy roof—will finally open to the...
A Dilapidated Workshop Becomes an Eclectic, Live/Work Haven for Artists Nick Cave and Bob Faust
Artist couple Nick Cave and Bob Faust work with Carlo Parente Architecture to craft a creative space in a 1920s industrial...
Renovation Near Sydney Opens Home Onto a Lush Garden
A modern addition in Annandale strengthens a home's connection to the outdoors and enhances natural light.
A Giant Ribbon of Wood Wraps This Mind-Bending Parisian Apartment
Sculptural plywood walls weave new life into a 19th-century Parisian apartment while preserving its historic Haussmannien...
What’s the Most Overlooked Feature When Planning a Kitchen Renovation?
We turned to our panel of Dwell Pros for the answer—here's what they said.
This Boulder Home's Unique Bedroom-Bathroom Puts a New Twist on the Open Plan
A pair of Coloradans work with a design-build firm to create an airy, 2,100-square-foot modern home.
Renovation: A Breezy Modern Addition Opens Up a Historic Melbourne Home
A family with three young sons asked Mitsuori Architects to renovate and expand their venerable Victorian house to accommodate...

10.1k more articles