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Ana Smud’s studio is in downtown Buenos Aires, yet she also has a home office with built-in bookshelves and a long narrow desk.

One of the side patios on the perimeter of the house features a mix of potted plants and newly planted trees, such as the denuded linden tree in the foreground.

The architect dressed the living room with a soft palette of cream and blush tones. The parquet flooring offers subtle pattern and more texture for the space.

In the dining area, a Guild chandelier hangs above a table and chairs from Carl Hansen.

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.

The cabinets and floating shelf are raw steel, and the handmade table is lime plaster, joined with Zara Home stools.

The gallery includes a built-in bookcase painted in Farrow & Ball’s Hay, which complements the white oak flooring. A sculptural light, chosen in white to match the ceiling and walls, adds visual interests.

Also in the foyer, beside a wall of glass that brings light into the living/dining area, is storagefor coats, bags and shoes.

The couple’s contractor, Tim Schmidt, is an artist whose medium often involves steel fabrication. Tim custom-made the steel window frames and came up with the idea for the steel foundation.

Matthew and Holly opened up the foyer and kept the exposed framing in place to speak to the house’s history. The figurine on the newel post is not original to the house, but a vintage replacement found online and rewired by Matthew.

Low-lying furniture and art makes the high-ceilinged living room appear even bigger. Most of the furnishings were sourced secondhand, though the hanging lamp is a DIY Nick made by fusing two paper shades together.

A desk was built around the Custard Apple tree, and a strip of open roof allows the canopy to grow through it. The door opens to the front yard.

A fireplace from Cheminees Philippe

A custom-built island anchors the kitchen-dining area, the most social area of the home.

The biggest savings here were found in labour: Liz and Matt got hands on with almost everything, and called in favors for the electric work.