Home Inspiration

Set within the East Asian community of Richmond, BC, Curio House allows two Chinese scholars—the architect’s grandparents—to age in place. "I have a very close relationship with them," says Haeccity Studio Architecture cofounder Shirley Shen, "and it was kind of a family endeavor." The resulting design integrates principles from feng shui, a set of spatial laws meant to direct energy, and siheyuan, a historical courtyard house.

When the owners of this 850-square-foot apartment in Stockholm’s Södermalm neighborhood called upon local architect David Lookofsky to revive their 1920s apartment, they tasked the founder of the eponymous firm with incorporating more storage into the compact space. So, Lookofsky created a seven-meter-long kitchen wall with built-in cabinetry and a seating nook, all painted with a bright, egg-yolk yellow. “In smaller apartments, kitchens often become a kind of social hub, both in everyday life or when you have people visiting,” says Lookofsky. “You want these spaces to reflect the people who use them and support interactions and everyday life.”

City House by SMS Arquitectos features a second-floor townhouse extension that explores new possibilities with plywood.

The home is located far from the road on the northwest corner of the property and oriented toward views of the water.

The main entrance to the home is located opposite the door of the outbuilding.

The kitchen bookends an open-plan layout that also includes a dining area and living room. Full-height windows help create a sense of spaciousness and open the living areas to the backyard.

White windows and trim match the fences and provide a pop of contrast against the natural materials.

The great room is anchored by a 25-foot-high granite, wood-burning fireplace with a reclaimed timber mantle located beneath Alumicor skylights.

About 100 miles southwest of Mexico City, nine black concrete blocks in a forest clearing make up one family's holiday home. Designed by Fernanda Canales with landscaping by Claudia Rodríguez, Casa Bruma makes elegant use of a construction material that's commonplace in Latin America

The Shinomotos have filled their Southern California home with furniture by Taku and pieces by some of the artists and craftspeople whose work they also showcase at their Tortoise shops and showroom. The couple worked with architectural designer Ken Tanaka to remodel the house, once a cramped, two-bedroom rental. A sofa and tables by Taku join Jasper Morrison’s Three Sofa De Luxe sofa for Cappellini. The sliders are by Western Window Systems.

The gabled roof ridge of Höller House by Innauer-Matt Architekten is parallel to the hill.

In the living room, spare Scandinavian design takes center stage. Hans Wegner’s Wishbone chairs surround an Essay dining table by Cecilie Manz for Fritz Hansen; a mostly wood palette is enhanced by slate-gray brick around the fireplace. The paper lanterns throughout the home are a mixture of classics by Isamu Noguchi alongside those picked up in Japan and France.

The western side of the house has a scaffold-like structure for window cleaning.

The larch wood cladding helps the cabins blend in with their forest site.