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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 kitchen was originally long, narrow, and completely closed off from the rest of the apartment. Miller opened up the plan to create a more spacious feel.

A drop ceiling defines kitchen and dining area and also provides storage. "It’s the basement we never had, hidden right in plain sight," says Rios. "The other thing that’s worked well about the dropped ceiling is that it creates a sense of intimacy when we’re sitting at the table, which is a really nice feature when you are in fact floating in the midst of a much larger space."

"Architecture helps influence the mood and set the scene," architect Jon Handley of Pulltab Design says. That mindset is quite evident in this 700-square-foot Manhattan apartment, where a young couple now maximizes their small space with a clever, fold-away dining table.

A series of levels gives the house a sense of separation between the main rooms.

Living small means evaluating what you really need. "Think about what you need rather than what your friends have," advises Michelle. Everyone uses their home differently and you can get rid of a lot of the excess. For example, we didn't need a walk in closet or a dining room." The 600-square-foot home is where Linden's architecture office, Atelier A+D is based, so they did need to create an office space, shown here in the background.

Architect Christi Azevedo, along with homeowners Lorena Siminovich and Esteban Kerner, transformed this 1,485-square-foot, multilevel, mid-century maze into a modern and efficient family home in just three months. “It was the craziest frickin’ thing,” laughs Azevedo. “It was like a Tetris game, putting it all together, trying to squeak out space wherever we could.” Purchased as if straight out of 1955, the home is now the ideal small space for Siminovich and Kerner to raise their young daughter, Matilda.

The studio’s redwood siding was milled from trees salvaged from a road-widening project in Sonoma County, California. The hardware, “two-hundred dollars’ worth of stainless-steel screws,” says Deeds, was purposefully left exposed as an architectural detail. Photo by Lenny Gonzalez

Shibata made the 10-person dining table using $130 sawhorse legs from Maruki Wood Products Company topped with a sheet of birch plywood. A hole in the sliding wall fits over the table, enabling it to be used in both the library and the meeting room. malki.jp A movable wall clad in wainscoting on one side slides along tracks in the dining-room ceiling, dividing the room into a meeting space and a library. The Shiro Simple Modern Pendant lights can be easily removed and reattached after moving the wall. vanilladesign.jp

Last, but certainly not least, Dwell's Small Spaces Pinterest board contains some of the most innovative methods in efficient living. These pins prove that you don't need thousands of square feet to enjoy your ideal home. This is a must-see board if you are sizing down completely or simply renovating a small room! See why less can definitely be more here.

On certain occasions, inspiration means getting as far away from home as possible. In this board, we do a bit of the travelling for you. See the travel pins for yourself.

Unlike previous slides, the Kitchen & Dining board is a growing compilation of examples from Dwell's past. Take a look; you might be reminded of something you liked from a 2011 issue, or spot an incredible dining area for the first time. See the full collection or modern kitchen and dining pieces here.

Typography is an oft-forgotten but effective tool in facilitating creativity and inspiration. Whether the purpose is to enhance a written message with the right font or be used as a message itself, typography has a firm place in modern design. See more typography by clicking here.

These homes are the standard in residential modern architecture. What you see is what we want! Click here to see the entire Iconic Modern Homes board.

Our Friday Finds board is perhaps the most pertinent if you're looking for what directly inspires the Dwell staff. Posted by editors and writers, these pins are both helpful suggestions for followers and the essence of the modern Dwell perspective. View Dwell's Friday Finds here.

Though not always apparent, there is an inherent connection between modern art and modern home design. You may not want to fill your home with these precise examples, but perhaps you'll think twice about putting the same old posters up on the wall. See more modern art pins here.

The modern pool allows architects to bring the aesthetics of modern design and water together in harmony. These examples from around the world are designed to fit their environments while maintaining their unique qualities and cohesiveness. The results are truly inspiring. To view our dream pools, click here.

A splash of color can provide life to an otherwise dull space and a whole lot of color can transform just about anything. We've "pinned" a few of our favorite uses of color on this board that inspire us and challenge homeowners to go bold! Click here for more uses of bold color.

Many experts and enthusiasts alike would argue that chairs are the building block of modern design. With some of these examples we've "pinned," it's easy to see why. View Dwell's modern chair picks.