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Red-stained plywood is a twist on the familiar green construction plywood so often found lining New York City construction sites; the rough plaster finish on the bathroom walls is an allusion to the texture of city sidewalks. “It’s really a streetscape,” explains Khoi.

The renovated living room gave the space a splash of white, icluding a fireplace makeover, but retained the original red oak floors.

The redesign created two arched passageways into the kitchen as part of a rebuilt dividing wall, improving circulation and doubling as built-in storage.

Sheer, lightweight curtains can be closed to separate the studio from the garden. “It’s a very quiet space where you can retreat into your own thoughts, read, write, and think,” says architect Cristian Stefanescu.

After: The kitchen’s countertops and backsplash are “all those 1950s-30s enamel card tables,” Geoffrey explains. “That was a decision I made early on; it took me a year and a half to collect them all.” The beams were a great surprise; they were hidden away in the ceiling. The appliances are former Consumer Reports test appliances bought at auction, and the ceiling lights are a custom design, intended to look mid-century.

Architect Sarah Jacoby uncovers the beauty in a timeworn home with moody interiors, a bevy of built-ins, and an unusual bedroom sink.

Refinished floors and a coat of Benjamin Moore’s Devon Cream helped breathe new life into the space. The original ceiling fixture remains in place.

A BoConcept sectional is joined by a Yngve Ekström lounge chair and ottoman and an Eames chair in the living area. The couple found the vintage Danish coffee table at a flea market, while the traditional Indian stools were purchased for their wedding. Whitewashed poplar clads the far wall.

In the dining room, enlarging the window opening brings more light and connections to the exterior, while a new wet bar creates opportunities for entertaining. The table is custom, and chairs and rug are from CB2. The pendant lights are Design Within Reach.

After: The living room overlooks the great room below. Now when you walk in the house, you can see clear out to the trees in the back—an idea sparked by an interior designer friend who commented that the most important aspect of a design is what you see when you walk in the front door.

“I’ve done shelves in front of windows here and there throughout my life,” says Lanigan, who grew up in a hippie commune in the ‘70s, where plants were always hanging in the windows. “I grew up in a geodesic dome my parents built. That organic ‘70s design is very much a touchstone for me.” Beside nostalgia, this choice offers extra accessible shelving and blocks a boring driveway view while still letting in light.

Arched Brazilian cherry doors open to a spacious laundry room/pantry set near the kitchen.

Walls are covered in Clark+Kensington paint, ‘On the Green,’ while the floors are finished in Benjamin Moore Floor & Patio paint in Balsam 567, as well as three coats of Minwax polyurethane ($120). The sectional is from Burrow ($2800) and the shag rug found on Rugs USA ($500).

On choosing the dining table and chairs from Ikea ($1700) Kara had a moment of: “Are orange chairs too much? But I had a dream about it that night, so I was like, no, it's not too much,” says Kara. The rhubarb print is a commission from Soft Side Prints for $800. “That ties back to our time living in Copenhagen,” says Kara. “The Danes will never admit this, but they love rhubarb."

In the bathroom, the cast iron tub is a Paris flea market find, and the cement floor tiles were designed by Alix and made in Istanbul. “I love to use mosaic tiles in gradations of color,” she says.

Bedrosians ceramic tile was used on the walls and ceiling in the master bathroom.

Ben Allen renovated this old Victorian in London using a rainbow of colored concrete. One of the new bathrooms is cast in mossy green with an arch motif that appears throughout the home.

The powder room is wrapped in Josef Frank wallpaper.