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Architects William Neburka and Carrie Strickland set off some spaces with walls that stop shy of the bowstring trusses to preserve an overall sense of openness.

“As America’s design museum, Cooper Hewitt continually seeks new ways to advance thepublic understanding of design and serves as a dynamic, global resource,” said CarolineBaumann, director of the museum. “We are honored to have the opportunity to share ourworld-class collection and groundbreaking interactive experience with an internationalaudience at the London Design Biennale.”

In the living room, a custom chaise by Shimna and an Archibald Gran Comfort chair by Poltrona Frau surround a custom lacquer coffee table by BenchCraft.The lights, made from recycled cardboard, are by Seattle design studio Graypants.

In the master bedroom, expanses of white and peach paint play against the geometric lines of an inlaid-bone nightstand from Anthropologie. The traditional four-poster bed is from West Elm; the brass Cedar & Moss sconce is from Rejuvenation.

The tiny powder room is outfitted with a foliage-print wallpaper from Hermès, a vintage teak mirror, brushed-fold Moderne fixtures from Kohler, and a custom sink made of swirling soapstone.

The mashup of styles is as diverse as the range of RBW designs that peppers the interiors, including the snaking Palindrome 6 chandelier made from a modular, tubular-steel frame. It hangs in the kitchen, above a Corian-and-plywood dining table. Lyons reupholstered the vintage Brickel dining chairs by the late American designer Ward Bennett—who designed with an eye for sensual minimalism—in leather and Rain Dance linen by Schumacher; a randomized pattern of custom cement hex tiles by Original Mission Tile lines the floors.

The dining room's soft color palette combines with its profusion of natural light to produce a sense of calm and spaciousness. Photo by: Scott Hargis

"In the kitchen, we changed the layout," Davison says. "It was a galley kitchen, extending lengthways into the room. We spun it back along the back wall. The tiles are Moroccan concrete tiles that came from a supplier here in Manhattan. The idea was to inject some color and playfulness into the space with the blue cabinetry." Photo by Alan Gastelum.

A detail shot of the window.

Inside Out Architecture renovated an apartment in the Clerkenwell section of central London, removing interior walls to create an open, loft-like living space. The architects were taken in by the "dramatic geometry" of the existing board-formed concrete ceiling, and their design maintained and emphasized its dynamic criss-crosses and texture.

Known for his use of bold color and innovative forms, Verner Panton designed the Panton Chair for Vitra in 1960. Interested in the capability of plastic, Panton designed the chair to be comfortable and versatile enough to be used anywhere. The Panton Chair is the first chair to be created from only one piece of material, using a single mold, and it will be a welcome addition to any midcentury lover’s home.

In this glass-enclosed master bedroom, a LC4 armchair faces the master bed. The moveable frame adjusts along the base, allowing the sitter to switch from upright to full recline, or lounge at a number of other sitting angles.

Produced by Louis Poulson, the light has become a fixture in many museums, concert halls, and homes.

Home Renovation Tip: Get an Understanding of What’s Already Around

Tasked with transforming a 93-square-foot brick boiler room into a guesthouse, architect and metalworker Christi Azevedo flexed her creative muscle. The architect spent a year and a half designing and fabricating nearly everything in the structure save for the original brick walls. "I treated the interior like a custom piece of furniture," she says.

Architect Sven Matt mixed basic shapes with rich details in this Austrian home. The lattice shell was hewn from silver fir sourced from a nearby forest. Eternit shingles clad the roof.

Here, the Eames' ESU Bookcase is topped with an Eames House Bird and Akari lamp by Noguchi.