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The refrigerator has vintage charm, but is brand new, a Northstar by Elmira Stove Works. Similarly, the hexagonal floor tile is new, but the retro pattern is a natural with the original wood timber teams.

After an update, the dining room dry bar is party ready. The floors and brown woodwork are original. The ceiling and crown molding are painted White Opulence in a flat finish.

The lofted space shag carpet was replaced with bouncy cream colored popcorn Berber Carpet to spark feelings of summer camp nostalgia.

A James Sutherland piece hangs beside the fireplace.

Before: Additional landscaping blocked sightlines of the views, which include the city bowl and harbor, as well as Lion’s Head and Signal Hill mountains.

Architect Jonathan Solomon and city planner Meg Gustafson had experience designing houses, but not together, which made renovating their late-1800s home in Chicago’s Uptown all the more exciting—particularly when you consider their style is anything but traditional.

The Oregon wood used for the countertop on the island unit is reclaimed, and came from an old pub on the outskirts of Perth.

Once the pivot door is opened, the indoor bathing and showering experience becomes an outdoor experience

With the help of Sarah Zames of General Assembly Design, Brian Crano and David Craig merged two apartments into one while preserving their general layout. One apartment serves as a space for entertaining while the other, housing a bedroom and home office, retains a more intimate character.

Bathed in Light To help disperse light in the newly opened-up interior, the designers clad the roof over the guest bathroom with Danpalon, a translucent polycarbonate that brings in lots of softened natural light. The walls and door are frosted glass. Says Kyprianou: “You can’t see much through the glass—just silhouettes—so our guests don’t mind!” danpalon.com.au Hung Up With the budget running out toward the end of the project, Kyprianou wanted to avoid forking out for a custom-designed walk-in closet in the master bedroom. So he conceived of a simple and cheap storage solution: drilling holes through the wooden roof trusses and feeding inexpensive aluminum closet rods through. junolightinggroup.com

The communication between interior and exterior is unmistakable. The polished steel that surrounds the fireplace and the concrete floor’s dark finish recall the home’s exterior, while the contrasting stark white walls create a visual language as striking as the building’s black facade.

A mix of vintage and modern pieces furnish the home, including a table by Arne Vodder for George Tanier, an IKEA rug, and a Lambert & Fils chandelier in the dining room. A bar cart from her grandmother is one of Sarah’s most prized possessions. The ceiling color is Benjamin Moore Marine Blue.