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Playing off the design of the concrete pad outside the living room, Frank laid out a series of stepping stones that lead from the house to the pool. “These circles bring you through the grass, but when you hit the pool, the baja shelf is itself another big circle,” he says.

"We had three-and-a-half inches between the stove and the window, and I just didn't want to see the side of the stove,

The couple opted for IKEA Lerhyttan cabinets, but sourcing was a challenge. "You can't really preorder the elements, so every Monday at 9, I'd be on their website to see what other elements I could find,

Oak flooring runs throughout the home, creating a subdued backdrop for the aged furniture. "It really lets everything around it stand out,

The couple doused the interior in Benjamin Moore’s Simply White to create a bright canvas for their antique furniture and to focus attention on the outdoors.

A bird's-eye view of the light-filled living space from the second level.

Art on the walls will hang in rotations and eventually be available for purchase.

For the renovation of this Portland midcentury kitchen, Risa Boyer started by removing a wall and converting the former galley kitchen into an open plan that shares space with the living and dining areas. Now, the centerpiece of the kitchen is a generous island with plywood cabinetry veneered with vertical-grain Douglas fir and a Caesarstone counter with a waterfall treatment at one end.

Designed in 1972 by local architect Edgar Waehrer, this home was renovated by creative director Ben Watson and his partner, painter Claudio Tschopp. As a later example of Northwest modernism, the home combined the clean lines and open plans of mid-century modernism with an emphasis on natural local materials and natural light. However, while the 16-foot ceilings in the home gave a sense of airiness, the plentiful wood paneling on the walls kept it dark and feeling damp, and so the couple bleached the walls to better reflect natural light.

The Palacio des Bellas Artes, located west of the Zocalo, or Plaza de la Constitución, is home to an extravagant art nouveau lobby and murals by José Clemente Orozco and Diego Rivera.

Agustín Hernandez's home office.

The Villacarillos freshened up the exterior with a sleek two-tone facelift. The wood siding is painted Sherwin-Williams Caviar, and the brick is painted Sherwin-Williams Pure White.

The Fish Camp acts as the couple’s forest getaway, just a quarter mile from their main house.

The ceiling drops down significantly over the built-in bench in the living area to create a cozy nook. “Like the kitchen, it’s a space within a space,” Thomas says. The wooden boards are flush with the window frame, allowing the sun to wash down the wall.

Rediscover your living room’s potential with our coffee table picks that’ll get you back to spending some quality time in your common areas.