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Eric added a skylight and new wood in a chevron pattern to the ceiling. The green concrete sink is from Concretti Designs and the floors are Kayan river pebble mosaic by Pebblino Mosaici. April stripped and sanded down a kitchen cabinet for storage, and added plaid wallpaper to the interior.

Warwas finished the high-ceilinged ADU kitchen with a skylight and a large square window that fills the space with natural light. The artworks are by Antonio.

Ceramic pendants by Courtney Duncan and a yellow sculpture by Antonio join a Hay sectional in the living room. Antonio crafted the stained glass panel at left.

In the living room, the built-in daybed was fabricated by Michael Mellon and Benjamin Winslow out of old-growth redwood. The vintage Japanese and Turkish rugs were sourced from Slow Roads. “We chose the green fabric for the daybeds because we wanted it to be retro looking,” explains Nick, who worked with San Francisco company Hardesty Dwyer & Co. on the upholstery. The Noguchi pendant light is vintage, and the orb sconces were sourced from In Common With.

Wenes chose to keep the original brick floors to tie the older building to its past.

The new kitchen is defined by a 14-foot island and bank of windows overlooking the backyard. The counters are stainless steel and maple butcher block. The ceiling sconces are Cedar & Moss.

Bright red laminate shelves hold the family’s coffee supplies in a delightful reveal.

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.

Ali Fraenkel and Mentor Dida prepare for one of the many gatherings they host in their penthouse in Prishtina, Kosovo. Self-described “changemakers,” they regularly open their home to 20 or more people for get-togethers with live music from local artists or guest speakers like Uta Ibrahimi, the first Albanian woman to climb Mount Everest. The couple worked with designers Fitore Syla and Njomza Havolli of local firm Muza to create a balance of open and intimate spaces. “Gathering people is our shared calling,” says Ali.

Red bricks from central Mexico are used throughout the outdoor areas as a colorful patio material.

She has a passion for textiles, he’s into making art, and their home in the village of Teguise is nothing less than a Gesamtkunstwerk. It was renovated by Bernjus, but Dieter and Brigitte keep adding layers of texture and color throughout.

The firepit is made from an old water tank taken from a friend’s property and is surrounded by woven-resin chairs from CO9 Design.

The outdoor atrium of Family House Litvínovice is a completely private space that's well-suited for the installation of a hammock, outdoor bath, or shower. A11 designed the home to be an exploration of minimalism and privacy from the outside world.