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After raising the rear patio to the level of the kitchen, the team reused the original redwood decking and supplemented it with recycled pieces from other projects. Recessed planters punctuate a garden wall. Scott and Regina warm themselves by a Solus fire pit on chilly evenings.

A new porch sits off the connective family room. Haden had previously built a deck on the property, which the design team disassembled. They then used the boards to construct the new outdoor space.

In Bangkok, this family residence by Looklen Architects features four different courtyards with trees that stretch beyond its double-height interiors.

The main entry flows into the living room, which now accesses the outdoor terrace via the door to the left.

Architect Minwook Choi’s 710-square-foot Seroro House rises from a tiny urban lot in Seoul that had long been neglected because of its challenging size.

A dusty-pink facade is only a hint of what’s inside this 18th-century structure. For Sérgio Antunes, cofounder of Lisbon-based Aurora Arquitectos, the charming exterior and its rich pigment provided a fascinating starting point for the renovation of the Rose Building—a single-family residence in southern Portugal that his team turned into five glowing apartments in collaboration with Lisbon architecture studio FURO. Throughout are huge swaths of color with unique touches: For example, painted on the ceiling of the central stair is a moody mural of a woman in the style of a fresco, and in one of the unit’s bathrooms, more ceiling artwork depicts a mermaid emerging from a swirl of waves. Elsewhere, arched windows, sloped ceilings, ornate moldings, and wooden doors elegantly play off Portuguese marble and patterned ceramic tiles. With the go-ahead from the city, the architects were also able to construct a modern addition at the rear—The Mustard Building—that pairs natural wood partitions with the subdued tones of creamy terrazzo.

Cooper Studio swivel chairs create a cozy setting and pair well with the Vienna round cocktail table’s simple geometry and creamy marble top. With a decanter of red at the ready on the handsome Dark Sky tray made with painted glass and walnut, there’s no better place to settle into a long conversation.

Cape Long lights by Cedar and Moss illuminate the kitchen, which features dark Dekton countertops and Thonet Bentwood counter stools.

Anyeley Hallová and her family outside their renovated 1920s Prairie-style home in Portland, Oregon. The wispy landscaping, inspired by Hallová’s Florida roots, is by Lango Hansen.

The kitchen, which was moved to the sunny side of the house, embraces Anyeley’s taste for simple, modern forms. Cabinetry painted in Hague Blue by Farrow & Ball surrounds a central island fitted with Nerd bar stools by Muuto and a Dot Line Suspension pendant by Lambert & Fils. Completing the kitchen is a Litze faucet by Brizo and a Crosstown sink by Elkay, along with rangetop and wall ovens by Dacor and a Benchmark refrigerator from Bosch.

Lever set the pavilion a few feet away from the sliding glass Fleetwood doors to make sure that natural light could still enter the home. The pavilion features a Havsten sofa and lounge by IKEA, along with a Finn coffee table by Norm Architects for Design Within Reach.

Section of Five Yard House by Miró Rivera Architects

Take Dry January beyond the 31st with these non-alcoholic sips.

The traditional facade of this Craftsman home in San Francisco’s Noe Valley doesn’t give away its industrial-inspired interiors and the ultra-modern, glass rear facade. Originally built in 1906, the Valley Street Project was completely reimagined by architect Ross Levy and architect and interior designer Kevin Hackett for a tech entrepreneur, a community organizer, and their two children.

When Austin-based firm Matt Fajkus Architecture was tasked with renovating this classic midcentury home, they sought to open up the interior—not only by unifying the common areas into an open-plan layout, but also by literally raising the home's roof. This strategy increased the ceiling height on three sides of the home, allowing for the insertion of clerestory windows to create a bright and airy open living space. "The raised ceiling maintains the original pitched roof geometry to stay harmonious with the existing gabled roof in the private zone," explain the architects in a statement.

The view from the kitchen.

The new open-plan living/dining/kitchen space benefits from the raised ceiling height and the addition of the clerestory windows on the south, west and north sides.

The renovation opened the kitchen to the living space and added an island for increased prep and storage space.