Favorites

In the shower, handmade Bubble Hex tile from the Futura collection at the Portland–based company Clayhaus Tile makes a stunning statement.

Gray, full-height, seamless cabinetry matches the gray-painted original brick wall. The contrast with the white kitchen island is striking.

Concrete pavers line the new hardscape, which steps up to a deck built of ipe wood. Ipe wood has also been used for the built-in benches and fencing.

Villa Engels, the home of the esteemed Belgian modernist Lucien Engels (1928–2016), was falling apart when its second owners bought it in 2013. Yet due to its heritage status, any changes they planned would have to be approved by the provincial preservation office. Engels completed the elongated, cantilevered residence in 1958, the same year he finalized the master plan for Expo ’58, the Brussels World’s Fair that famously featured the Atomium.

The home’s program is split between two structures, each completing one arm of the L shape, and connected by an enclosed, second-story bridge.