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The rough concrete is balanced out with a peach coloured liquid floor trough-out. The concrete walls form the ideal backdrop for the homeowners’ art collection, existing holes and plugs define the position of every artwork.

Studio Okami tore down the walls of this five-bedroom apartment and stripped all the layers of finishing from the walls and ceilings revealing the beautifully textured concrete.

"It is also possible to add a separate kitchen island in a different color than the rest of the kitchen," suggests Christensen.

The side walls have been treated as vertical extension of the horizontal surface of the garden, and are used for growing climbers such as jasmine, grapes, honeysuckle, raspberries, beans, peas, and even a climbing fig. Colorful bird’s houses and bug hotels are also mounted on the walls.

Originally dating to the 1970s, Hotel Carlota was revamped by JSa Arquitectura and completed in 2015. As part of the renovation, a pool became the focal point of the courtyard, and its modernized, streamlined design makes a dramatic statement.

Archisbang saw the value in materials that had been left exposed, so it amplified the look with mesh wiring, galvanized steel, and wood and concrete fiber panels.

Italian design firm Archisbang transformed an unfinished family villa—acquired through a bankruptcy auction—into additional office space for a company called Chemsafe. The volume is wrapped in a metal mesh and the walls are clad in exposed wood fiber and concrete insulating panels and galvanized metal sheets, creating a striking contrast between precise detailing and raw materiality.