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Ribbed glass accents, both in the shower and throughout the space, add depth without creating visual noise in the apartment's small footprint.

Homeowner Karoline Lange’s family has been known to joke about the choice of cedar for cladding the porch. “My brother said, ‘Oh, that’s perfectly Karoline. It’s a giant sauna,” she says with a laugh. (She’s a member of the 612 Sauna Society, a mobile sauna co-op that moves around the Twin Cities.) “But that warm cedar feel and smell has such a homey, feel-good vibe.”

Porter Loft by CO-G is a celebration of unusual and interesting materials with a focus on local production. Custom furniture by CO-G includes polished stainless steel mirrors that are warped in surprising ways.

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

In the study on the home’s top level, a long window provides a panoramic view of Newlands Forest and Table Mountain. “The light in the morning is amazing, and the view of the mountain is incredible,” Derek says.

The dining room, which features an original pressed-metal ceiling detail and fireplace, has a large window that opens directly to the sidewalk. The step down from the dining room to the living room represents the junction between the original terrace and the newly built addition. The exposed steel beam running above this junction is also new. "In opening up the house to the courtyard, we had to remove two walls," says Joe. "The steel beams and column support the upper floor of the original house in this area."

“MA03 Library House was designed to meet the requirements of a ceramicist and a lawyer in need of a home capable of holding their extensive book collection as well as providing them with spaces for work and creative activity,” say Fria Folket, the architect behind this cabin in Sweden.

The garden was a good size but very overgrown and filled with rubbish.

Floor Plan of Chalet Pic-Bois by Ravi Handa Architect

The home is designed around a central courtyard. During the demolition of a rear addition from the 1930s, the profile of the original rear of the 1885 house was discovered. "We articulated this in the facade as a black silhouette referencing the house’s original form," says architect Joe Agius. "In a sense, it's a public art historic interpretation piece, and is viewable from the courtyard and the side street."

The residents, who live in Calgary, frequently entertain, and with 16 beds, bunks, and twin-bed-wide window seats, there is no shortage of places to sleep.

One of the existing bathrooms hadn't been updated in ages.

Leather dining chairs have been paired with a simple white, round table to create spatial and visual balance in the corner nook by the kitchen.