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Raising the bed above floor level, architect Kyu Sung Woo converted this tiny studio into an open and comfortable home for Wonbo Woo. Photos by: Adam Friedberg

Sarti is only too happy to demonstrate one of his favorite inventions: a mobile kitchen-supply box/cocktail station/breakfast bar with casters that hides beneath the stairs.

The entire room is surfaced in white mosaics from Hisbalit; the bath fixtures are brass and sourced from a local Czech retailer.

The Nomad Shelf System from Skagerak is part of an innovative storage system that has a thin, space-saving profile. Designed to resemble a ladder, the Nomad rests on the wall, keeping a small footprint. The ladder comes with four hooks, which make it easy to hang small accessories, and the rungs of the ladder can be draped with towels. The Nomad Ladder can be used with the Nomad shelf to create more surface area for storing other items.

This living/dining space is the social center of the apartment. For that reason, the architect designed the cabinet walls as a unifying visual feature that anchors the two rooms and provides practical storage space.

The ultimate luxury: a hot bath in the clawfoot tub, with the fiberglass door open wide to the woods.

Sævik designed the wood tub in the bathroom, which features an adjacent sauna. The Inxx A5 faucet is by Mora.

Davor (with his wife, Abbe, and son, August) designed the main living and dining pavilion as a double-height space to increase its perceived volume, and added high cubbies for extra storage.

The couple's daughter reads in the cozy nook just inside the front door painted in a vibrant blue from Benjamin Moore. Of the storage area below, Fredrik says, "In Sweden, there's always a place to sit and take off your shoes. This is a version of that."

Floor plan of Gaines Landaverde Residence by TOLO Architecture

Sliding doors open to the balcony off the enlarged living room where a work by Sol LeWitt hangs. When the panels went up, the house became a curiosity in the neighborhood. “People actually stand in front of it and try to figure it out,” says Roxana. Charles adds: “This guy that we’d been neighbors with for probably eighteen years at that point—we never said a word to each other. But when the new stairs were built, he came over and started talking about how much he loves them.”

The wood-and-glass home has an adaptable layout, with a kitchen, a bathroom, and two closets hidden behind pocket doors.

Masa Arquitectos designed this minimalist house in Montevideo, Uruguay, for a young family on a tight budget who wanted to do most of the carpentry themselves.

All of the furnishings are by Uruguayan designers. The wooden console and iron-framed sofa are from Estudio Diario, the black metal chairs are from Estudio Claro, and the round dining table is from Samic.