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The main living space was previously two separate volumes with different floor and ceiling heights. To make the queen-size Murphy bed clear the kitchen cabinets, Ash had to cut a curve into the corner of the mattress.

“When we first set out on this crazy adventure, we always pictured parking Woody in a place like this,” Brian says. “We honestly couldn’t have imagined it would be this spectacular.”

A dramatic black-painted wall is a backdrop for the home office. The renovation has compelled the couple to move into the home full-time and rent their Seattle townhome.

An open plan helps the apartment feel larger. Translucent curtains that act as room dividers, allowing a measure of privacy while still letting light pass through. They also hide the double-stacked Maytag washer and dryer from view.

All furnishings were purchased on a budget. The rug and Friheten sleeper sectional in the living room, the Luftig oven hood, Norrsjön sink, Sektion cabinetry, and countertop in the kitchen, and the small dining counter with Glenn bar stools were all sourced from IKEA.

By replacing a wall with a custom wood-and-glass partition, architect Matt Krajewski transformed a previously dark one-bedroom railroad apartment in Manhattan into a light-filled home. Compact furnishings, like a Mandal bed frame from IKEA with integrated storage, maximize every inch of the 390-square-foot unit, housed in a former tenement building.

Inside the Cube, a Wishbone chair by Hans Wegner pulls up to a built-in painted lacquer desk.

A custom whitewashed oak mirror, White paint by Benjamin Moore, and a lighting program by Melanie Freundlich carry the brightness throughout the loft. The Grid sofa is by Resource Furniture. The public spaces are separated from the private bedrooms by the new Sheetrock addition.

Across from it, a Murphy bed by Resource Furniture—lined with Camilla Meijer wallpaper and featuring a customized niche—allows the space to function as a guest room. An electric Velux skylight frames views of the original tin plates above. The architects chose to leave space between the top of the structure and the ceiling to maintain the rectangular proportions of the loft. “It reads right away,” Singer says of the volume. “It’s very satisfying.”

"It was a malfunctioning bathroom that led them to first reach out," recalls Eng-Goetz. "I think this is often the case with renovations—a malfunction such as a leaking plumbing fixture prompts one to think, ‘What else could be improved?’ and before you know it, a whole-house renovation is underway."

Custom-made by JHID in collaboration with The Works Construction and Trio Upholstery, the wraparound sofa features emerald-green, cotton velvet upholstery by Maharam. The wall sconce is by Allied Maker, and the ceiling mount lighting is by Illuminate Vintage.

Architectural elements like coffered ceilings and columns were added to the dining room to give the space the charm and character that is usually associated with older homes.

Eng-Goetz hand-painted a magical mural of sword ferns around the kitchen to give the room a "forest view." The tiles are from Tempest Tileworks; the wall sconce and sink pendant lighting are from a collaboration between JHID and GKA Lighting. Adding another metallic accent, a brass faucet from Waterworks rises from a rich western walnut countertop. The room is painted with Benjamin Moore’s Storm Cloud Gray.

The ferns encircle the kitchen and even camouflage the refrigerator. "I worked with Tempest Tileworks here in Portland, who made each tile by hand and gave me guidance on how to paint with glaze, which I'd never done before," says Eng-Goetz. The green range is from Lacanche.

"Objects placed within the open shelving provide additional pops of color and interest, and compliment the closed storage on the opposite side."

In the kitchen, a sliding glass door provides direct access to a large adjacent terrace.