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Barragán designed Casa Gilardi, in Mexico City, around this single jacaranda tree.

In the principal bedroom, a freestanding marble bathtub is positioned in front of a glass wall at the entrance to the en suite bathroom. “I never take baths,” the owner admits. “But whoever lives here after us will expect a large tub in a house like this.”

Painting this diamond-plate steel backsplash a charming pink color makes the material feel less cold and industrial.

Furniture designer Tom Deacon teamed up with pal and architect Andrew Jones to renovate his Toronto townhouse. “Architects tend to think of the building first, the interiors second, and last, the furniture. Our approach was the opposite,” Jones says.

In the living room, CH22 Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner for Carl Hansen & Søn and a vintage steamer lounge flank a custom marble coffee table. The Horse Fair, by Dutch painter Willem Carel Nakken, rests on the fireplace, and antique grain shovels lean nearby.

A lofted drawing studio features a sawtooth roof with expansive skylights that frame the branches of a jacaranda tree overhead.

The island helps to define and separate the open-plan kitchen, dining, and living areas.

"Funton Old Chelsea Yellow brick with a Flemish-like bond is used to directly pick up on the existing predominant brick style of the older neighboring houses,

Beneath the postcard-like backdrop of La Concha mountain, a previously abandoned Spanish villa received a modernist revamp for a couple and their young child. Natural, earthy interiors connect the living spaces to the lush surroundings, with the light-filled kitchen opening directly onto an outdoor pergola and pool.

The living area retains the home's original fireplace and masonry wall, with new sliding doors next to the kitchen that connect to the side yard. The sofa and side chair are from Ariake, the ottoman table from Hem, and the rug is from Hay.

The dining room’s preserved built-ins are another great display space.

The team carried through the same Douglas Fir millwork featured in the kitchen into the primary bedroom. These intentional material choices connect the interior to the locale, as Douglas Fir is a native tree species to the coast of British Columbia.

The large pocket doors of Mandeville Canyon House open up the corner of the living room to the concrete terrace and lawn beyond. This house, designed by Dutton Architects, is perfect for informal living and taking advantage of the southern California climate.

On a sought after an idyllic island in the center of Amsterdam an old warehouse, formerly in use as a pillow factory and a garage has been converted to a warm and eclectic family home. The kitchen features a mixture of green tiles, green painted mullions, and exposed wood beams for a warm, soft feeling that contrast sharply with the more industrial stainless steel island. The kitchen island incorporates a stove top and storage, and benefits from natural light from the skylight overhead.

In the dining room, which opens to the backyard terrace, original tilework on the floors and walls complement decidedly modern counterparts—an original 1938 Butterfly chair by Antonio Bonet, Juan Kurchan, and Jorge Ferrari Hardoy, and a 1983 TMC floor lamp by Spanish designer Miguel Milá.

Parota wood continues in the spacious kitchen. Marisa and Christopher found the blue tile that runs throughout the home on a trip to León, Mexico. "It called out to us," says Christopher. Festooned with small stars, its tone matches the color of the ocean perfectly.