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Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing for Dwell since 2017. Read more of her work about design and architecture at melissadalton.net.

Before & After: The (Potential) Views Were the Most Promising Part of This Cape Town Home
Architect Werner Lotz and interior designer Jenine Bruce reworked the midcentury’s convoluted, split-level plan to connect it...
Before & After: Their Brooklyn Limestone Was Trapped in the ’90s, so They Set It Free
A couple call on architect Sonya Lee to polish up the historic home’s flooring, fretwork, and built-ins, overhaul its...
Before & After: A Series of Unfortunate Updates Are Reversed at This Brooklyn Brownstone
A couple turns back the clock on the Williamsburg townhome, mixing time appropriate touches with a few funky—but fitting—finds of...
Before & After: Their Job Is Discovering Hidden Gems. Their Brooklyn Townhouse Is One of Them
Charmed by a historic home’s ornate details—but wary of its run-down state—the couple behind Untapped New York save what they can...
NYC Is Old News for This Surf-Crazy Couple Who Moved to Montauk and Built a Beach House
A long vacation in Ditch Plains turned into a permanent one for Kristi and her husband, who built a gable-sided wood-and-glass...
The Pool Was a Priority. So They Dove Into the Details
Tricked out with a green rooftop deck, underwater windows, and a DJ station, this Vancouver family home knows how to have a good...
Before & After: A Couple Crack Open a Cramped Brick House on a Washington Oyster Farm
SHED Architecture + Design refreshes a Kitsap Peninsula home by taking down walls, doubling down on dormers, and polishing up its...
Before & After: A Couple Turn a Bare-Bones Barn Into an Off-Grid Cabin
Barlis Wedlick Architects blend old and new to create a solar-powered getaway for friends, family—and the homeowners themselves,...
Before & After: A Kandinsky Print Inspires a Seattle Rambler’s Radiant Remodel
Best Practice Architecture livens up a tired midcentury with brilliant color, a moody library, and a new deck with views for days.
Before & After: A Designer Fixes Up a Collapsing House on a Kentucky Horse Farm
Natalie Officer refashions her country home with a custom mural, an experimental backsplash, and cozy living areas that welcome...
Before & After: A Next-Level Revamp Elevates a Three-Story Hillside “Cabin”
35th Collective stitches up the plan of a Bay Area midcentury while sticking to its palette of wood, cork, and stone.
Before & After: Just-Right Furnishings and a Few Shades of Paint Punch Up a Brooklyn Brownstone
A young family’s furniture didn’t fit in their new home, so Studio Nato designed custom cabinetry and sourced sofas, lighting,...
Before & After: A Philly Couple Dig Deep to Unearth the Beauty of a Brick Row House
Marina Barnes and Thomas Pittlik peel away wallpaper, wood paneling, fake masonry, and popcorn ceilings to reveal the bones of...
Before & After: A 1989 Airstream Is Reimagined With Marble, a Movie Screen, and Room to Move
Glickman Schlesinger Architects tore out bulky overhead cabinets, exchanged drab finishes for lighter ones, and created a modular...
Before & After: New Homeowners Join the Eichler Fan Club With Their First Remodel
A couple enlist Oakland interior design firm Decorotation to revitalize a 1956 East Bay classic by the renowned developer.
Before & After: An Olympic Gold Medalist Gives His B.C. Cottage a Triumphant Revamp
Drawing design inspiration from Denmark, rower Jake Wetzel assembles a team to take his home’s renovation over the finish line.
Before & After: A Designer Turns Her Tiny Guest Cottage Into a Lab for Big Ideas
Ginger Curtis shows that good things do come in small packages—even in Texas.
10 Modern Chicken Coops That Rule the Roost
From a sculptural hutch in Sweden to a solar-powered caravan, these henhouses are eggstraordinary.
Before & After: A Beloved Family Camper Gets a Minty Fresh Makeover
Lauren Garcia used to have sleepovers in the RV as a kid.
Before & After: A Serene Renovation Saves a Portland Midcentury From Shag Carpet and Pink Linoleum
Architect Risa Boyer collaborates with a design-minded couple to revive a 1950s home with colorful plaster and rift-sawn white...
Before & After: A Wood-Laden Lake Tahoe Cabin Gets a Dose of Scandi Cool
Innen Studio and Gallois Interiors freshen up a fusty retreat with subtle texture, Nordic furniture, and a color palette that...
Before & After: A Couple Fix Up a Dated Townhouse From 450 Miles Away
Bowerbird Architects connects remotely with clients to update a Brooklyn home at the start of the pandemic.
Budget Breakdown: A Designer Polishes Up a Lackluster Guesthouse for $54K
Avalon Rossi uses reclaimed wood, plaster built-ins, and four sets of French doors—a lucky score—to recast an 800-square-foot San...
Before & After: A Bland Brooklyn Loft Is Reborn With Savvy Millwork
Architect Leah Solk reworks every bit of ad-hoc storage to tame clutter and streamline the space.
Before & After: Post Remodel, a Creole Cottage In New Orleans Is Filled With Fresh Local Finds
A jaguar mural, bold yellow butterfly wallpaper, and a spirited collection of artwork and furnishings by local makers complete...
Before & After: A Refreshed Courtyard Helps a Townhouse in London See the Light
The home had little connection to the outdoors, so Simon Knight Architects turned the basement level’s disused yard into a...
Before & After: A Gloomy San Francisco Garage Is Retooled as a Charming English Cottage
Architect Jack Hotho and Innen Studio swap out sloping floors and exposed wires to create a bright and breezy living space.
Before & After: A Single Door Connects This San Francisco Bungalow’s Past With Its Future
“You feel like you’re walking through a time machine,” says architect Robert Edmonds.
Before & After: A Once-Dingy Colonial Style Is Now One Family’s Bright, Bold Forever Home
Taryn Mickus had a vision to transform a 1910 home in her neighborhood with new finishes, custom touches, and an open plan, and...
The Sun Shines on Every Room in This Glowing NYC Loft
Light and Air Architecture redesigns a Manhattan apartment with marvelous millwork and interior windows that allow natural light...
Before & After: Wonderful Woodwork Turns a Tiny Suite Into a Full-Fledged Apartment
BRCJ Designs upgrades a 280-square-foot guest studio in the Hollywood Hills with white oak cabinetry, terrazzo counters, and...
Before & After: A Timeworn Midcentury Home Gets a Reverent Renovation
SHED Architecture + Design preserves the character of a 1959 dwelling in Washington while streamlining the plan, enlarging the...
Before & After: A Dated Palm Springs Midcentury Is Reimagined With Fresh Finishes and Etsy Finds
Michelle Boudreau Design revamps an unremarkable home using striking tile, a slatted-wood motif, and niche designer decor.
Before & After: An Architect’s Ever-Changing Bungalow Evolves Over Seven Years
David Marlatt of DNM Architecture field tests materials and designs as he remodels his 1906 home in Sausalito.
Before & After: A Dark and Disjointed Los Angeles Cottage Sees the Light
Modus Development elevates a Highland Park dwelling with daylighting, archways, and a rooftop deck.
Before & After: A Berkeley Cottage Grows to Embrace Its Boulder-Studded Site
Sogno Design Group reimagines a small 1930s home on an unusually large lot to make room for three generations of a family.
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