City Life

When not in use as the headboard, the large redwood slab folds down to become a desk.

A second-story balcony overlooks a small yard.

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

Our view of dynamic life on the High Line inspires our rectangular furniture and elements of nature that we brought into the residence.

The owners’ goal was to transform the 19th-century building into a bold single-family residence. Historical architectural details were made modern with a striking black facade, while inside, a flexible living space that opens into an exterior garden enables a simplified lifestyle.

To create a bit more texture in the kitchen and baths, the couple added classic checkered tiles from the local hardware store—an inexpensive option that broke up the polished concrete floors spanning the rest of the house. Pavonetti designed and built the pedestal sinks using reclaimed cedar siding.

Yvette Leeper-Bueno and Adrian Bueno’s home, on West 112th Street in New York City, is recognizable by its two-story bay window angled to bring light and views into the dark, narrow structure. "There’s a threshold of planting between the outside and inside,” says architect Laura Briggs, citing the blooming boxes on the sidewalk, the rear deck, and the master-suite terrace (above the bay window). Photo by Adam Friedberg. See how the rooms stack up inside the narrow shell.

Via Dezeen, photo by Tim Soar.

In an industrial neighborhood in Brooklyn, a verdant green roof of native grasses, wildflowers, and fruits creates an oasis.

The space was conceived as a showcase for the client's collection of midcentury modern furniture. Photo by Francis Dzikowski/ESTO.

The rear facade. A system of sliding glass windows and doors underscore the indoor/outdoor nature of the house.

The interior consists of five different levels, all linked by a steel-and-wood staircase. Carbone sourced the chandelier from a local shop.

A spiral staircase descends from the glass deck to the rain garden, which replaced a concrete pad.

Jinhee Park and John Hong, in a doorway that opens to the building’s shared roof deck. Behind them is the upstairs lounge of their neighbors, adorned with Eames chairs, Kartell stools, and a woodstove from Rais Wittus.