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An activity as prosaic as clearing the table of crumbs can take on an air of ceremony with the right tools. This diminutive sweeper—made from oil-treated beech and horsehair bristles—gets the job done with a restrained flourish.

Toronto architect Gregory Neudorf creates a pristine and practical 400-square-foot dwelling with nautical storage below deck.

Painted Aluminum Tryptic by Tony Mullin; Pankow side table by Civilian; Wood Sculpture by Harbert Reinhold (1960’s); Capsule Mirror by Bi-Rite Studio; Phillips yellow table lamp (rare); Vintage Phillips blue table lamp (rare)

Plumbing fixtures are by Kohler.

The kitchen tap is a Pegasi M pulldown sink mixer from Faucet Strommen. The brass detail brings a sense of warmth to the kitchen island.

The wood waterfall vanity was built by Chris’ brother, Jeremy, who used oak wood reclaimed from an old barn that was then sanded down and finished with water-based polyurethane.

Bathroom

White penny tiles reflect natural light in the bathroom.

Large openings on both side of the living spaces facilitate natural ventilation. The home creates the sense of being outdoors while providing shelter from the elements.

Emily Henderson styled this kitchen, using greenery and mirrors to lighten its moody aesthetic.

A walnut vanity is topped with a Silestone White Zeus quartz counter. The pendant lights framing the mirror are from Cedar & Moss and the wallpaper is from Heath Ceramics + Hygge & West. “We decided to add in some pops of color and pattern in the kids' bathroom with the bright tile, and then the master bathroom with that cool wallpaper,” says Foken.

An island with seating from Blu Dot is joined by a custom walnut table fabricated by SOBU. The paint color on the island, Pigeon by Farrow & Ball, syncs with the new poured concrete floors.

The same ceramic tiles are used in the master bathroom.

A simple, yet elegant vanity doubles as storage.

As with the kitchen island bench and the cabinetry for the media unit, the bathroom vanity was custom designed by Studio Jackson Scott and built on-site using Australian Blackbutt.

The main bathroom features a soaking tub, Hansgrohe faucets, and bathroom tiles from Heath Ceramics and American Universal Penny.

For this Briarcliff beach cottage, designer Charlie Hellstern selected two different types of stone countertops, travertine (a natural stone formed from limestone, like marble) for the island and a clean and bright Pental Quarts for the sink on the island. "Travertine has character and movement—looks like sand on the beach, so it was perfect for this home, which is right on the water," says Hellstern.

A stainless steel chimney painted red pierces through this two-story chestnut-clad holiday pad facing the sea, the handiwork of ECE Architecture's Nick Evans. Built into a sandstone hill in East Sussex, England, the highlights include the kitchen—Evans's wife is a chef—a room enlivened by a shiny 16-foot steel countertop and cabinetry in custom hues of green. For a breezy beach feel, reclaimed roof beams, sawed and painted white, were converted into floorboards.