Design

The Birch Pavilion sits atop a 14-by-26-foot platform composed of hemlock and pressure-treated timbers. Photo courtesy of Moskow Linn Architects.

The 2014 Consumable Sugar Shack

Since there was no natural light inherent to the room, the architects specified a transom window to access the light from the main living area.

In the master bathroom, the teak vanity and wood screens were designed by Isaac-Rae and custom built by a furniture maker. The sinks by Apaiser were also made custom. The lighting is by Flos.

The cabinets are topped with stone—Calacatta Borghini from ABC Stone—which waterfalls to the floor and sheaths the backsplash for a seamless look. "We worked alongside the fabricator to align the veins of the stone to create a fluid move," explains Coffey. Appliances include a Gaggenau range top, steam and convection oven, as well as a walk-in pantry with two drawer refrigerators and a wine fridge.

By removing the raised platform that originally had no use, the team was able to double the size of the kitchen and add in a new bathroom on the main floor. The pendants over the peninsula were sourced by the homeowner from AY Lighting, and now echo the dark tones of the white oak cabinetry, which sport walnut interiors.

The new lounge space connects to the living room via a sliding steel-and-glass door, and hosts the homeowner's gardening hobby via the striking green wall.

As you can see here, the fireplace sported even more flashy red accents.

Flashy silver brick, bright red accents, and a black utilitarian floor obscure the loft's better qualities: high ceilings and exposed wood beams. Coffey notes there was also "an open enclave between the kitchen and living area [that] had a raised platform and no real programmatic use."

In the living room, the team raised the firebox, cladded the hearth in a tactile plaster finish, and installed a floating limestone bench that wraps the column. On the left (unseen) is integrated firewood storage, and a cozy reading nook sits on the right. "The bench was designed to be used as a social space/lounge, and is well-used," says Coffey. The wood beams and red brick were scraped and stripped many times to remove the silver paint and reclaim a natural state.

The interiors of the historic home were completely restored and updated with a modern white color scheme.

When Pablo Pérez Palacios’ Mexico City–based architecture firm PPAA was tasked with building an apartment tower to meet La Colonia Roma's need for additional housing, he faced a problem familiar to developers in historic neighborhoods everywhere. The site was occupied by a dilapidated home that dates to 1925, and local laws required that the facade and part of the structure be maintained. PPAA’s innovative approach was to cut the original three-story home in half, preserving enough of the building to front the street and hold two apartments replete with classic Victorian details like high ceilings and restored millwork. In the back of the lot, they designed a sleek eight-story apartment tower that would hold an additional nine apartments, for a total of 11 units. Not bad for a site that was previously an uninhabited single-family house.

The expansive, cube-like Savion House is a multi-level family home designed by Neuman Hayner. The study floats above the kitchen in a lofted space that provides privacy and accessibility.

MODTAGE Design redesigned the loft's stairwell with open risers. "Due to the varied nature of the reclaimed material, there were several large cracks that we needed to address both aesthetically and structurally. The team came up with beautiful solutions to minimize the appearance of imperfections and address all the stability issues," said the team.

Daylight from the third floor skylights reach deep into one of the Relmar Houses by Lebel & Bouliane, creating a bright, light-filled interior.

The second level of Loft 01 by Nada is reached by climbing a light, circular staircase. The loft was envisioned as an "open integrated space," between the two floors.

Inserting a mix of texture, raw materials and functional elements, SHED Architecture & Design was able to artfully marry the new additions with the original industrial construction in Capitol Hill Loft by using a palette of concrete brick, stainless steel plate, blackened steel, and mirror.

The backyard of Residence 950 glows against the downtown skyline. The renovated one-bedroom cottage is just steps away.

Two additional bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms are located on the top floor of the residence.