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An inorganic pigment was added to the cement mix to give the board-formed concrete walls its reddish hue.

The cabinets are from Ikea, the range is by GE, and the Jenn-Air refrigerator is tucked unobtrusively into the pantry wall. The troweled concrete floor was poured in place by the builder, Peter Knudsen.

Yumi (left) and Maya (right) cheese around on the steps leading into the front door. Inside, there is ample space for removing and leaving one's shoes, another Japanese element.

In this compact Barcelona apartment, the original brick wall remains, but a slim oak panel backsplash has been inserted.

In this off-the-grid cabin in New Zealand is a polished brass-lined kitchen niche with a matching tap by Arne Jacobsen for Vola that contrasts the otherwise spare, black, minimalist interiors.

O'Neill Rose Architects designed each unit of this modern Queens compound based on the personality of the family member occupying it. The kitchen in the brother’s unit is bright and fun with a backsplash made of painted glass. The light fixtures, like many other materials found in the project, were left over from the client’s contracting work; O’Neill Rose bent the found pipes into an array of angles and attached light bulbs.

Passionate about recycling, a Belgium designer couple Michaël Verheyden and Saartje Vereecke upcycled a beautifully veined marble tabletop from Vereecke’s parents’ house as the backsplash for their kitchen, pairing it with metal countertops for a chic industrial look.

The kitchen was the first room to be modernised and revealed some surprises, including the arched stone wall.

A 1968 Pontiac Bonneville mysteriously sinks into a drained midcentury swimming pool.

The expansive, covered patio that extends from the living space features an outdoor kitchen and adjoining pizza oven. “My favorite aspect of the project was that the clients embraced the idea that home can be more than just shelter,” says architect Cavin Costello. “It can be a place that incentivizes you to socialize, think, eat, work, create, and play differently.”

White built-in cabinetry delightfully contrasts with the home's original wood beams and pillars, which the architects have left exposed (along with the aluminum ductwork and perforated metal) to pay homage to the building's industrial past.

The bedroom is enclosed in a cube clad in unlacquered brass. The floors are wide-plank European white oak.

Once hidden away in closed quarters, the kitchen has been moved to a more open and central location in the home, blending historic elements with modern additions.

Master Bath shower

The chipped, exposed stone wall blends in with the other buildings on the street.

The home's living spaces are built around the property rather than in the center.