Houses

In the guest bedroom, a painting by Monique Crine hangs on the original brick wall above a Miles & May bed and side table. The rug is from ABC Carpet & Home.

Sandy Chilewich and architect Joe Sultan, proprietors of textiles firm Chilewich|Sultan designed their own vacation home together in Columbia County, in upstate New York. On a simple wooded lot, they developed a contemporary loft-style home with furnishings from B&B Italia, Feel Good side chairs by Flexform, and a suspended, contemporary Ergofocus fireplace from Focus.

“We sleep in a Murphy bed, but we never close it; it’s like living in a loft.”—Sandy Chilewich, resident

Furnished with Rakks shelving, a Blu Dot table, and a sofa bed from ABC Carpet & Home, the floor also includes a spacious guest bedroom. A bright-yellow color accent, painted onto the wall in Benjamin Moore’s Sunburst, acts as a subtle, minimalist headboard.

When folded down, deep navy-blue cushions give the effect of a lush headboard. While the home does not yet have a proper master bedroom, the couple plans to create an addition sometime next year.

Jason lounges in one of two armchairs by midcentury designer Milo Baughman in the parlor-floor living room. The wood block coffee table is by Eric Slayton, a friend of the couple, and the modular Carmo sofa is from BoConcept. A 1952 piece by French industrial designer Serge Mouille, the Three-Arm Floor Lamp—widely referred to as the "Praying Mantis," for its looming trio of arms—is a nod to the couple’s love of Parisian interiors; a branch-like chandelier by Los Angeles–based artist Gary Chapman hangs overhead.

In a family home in Mill Valley, California, Lauren Goldman of l’oro designs kept her clients’ goals of “modern yet accessible” in mind while also looking for opportunities to add functionality. This proved successful when she discovered that the empty space under the steel-and-glass stair landing was the perfect scale for children to sit and read under. The team was inspired to create a kid-sized library, turning a useless space into a perfectly cozy reading nook.

The dining room features 1970s leather-and-brass dining chairs and a table concocted from a brass-and-silver base and a custom lacquered top. The cheerful blue paint enlivening the doorway is from Emery & Cie.

Wall sconces can be either uplights or downlights, providing ambient or task lighting, depending on the fixture, but are rarely powerful enough to provide enough illumination alone to light a large space.

Store magazines and more in this sturdy felt tote. Leather laces and handles create a sophisticated mix of materials. The tote stands upright so you can easily place it next to your sofa or under your desk.

Monaci Delle Terre Nere

Spello Garden Villa, Umbria

The kitchen and dining room enjoy panoramic mountain views. Local pine was hand-hewn for the flooring, windows, doors, and furniture throughout the residence.

After an unprecedented year of earthquakes, hurricanes, and fires, a bright light has been shed on the benefits of building with concrete.

Once immortalized by master architectural photographer Julius Shulman and currently being considered as a historic landmark in Los Angeles County, this four-bedroom, two-bath residence was built in 1954 by builder and craftsman Ken McLeod to be his personal home. In 1964 architect Rufus Turner restored the rear after a fire damaged the living room.

Nicknamed the Floating Farmhouse, this 200-year-old home inspired one former copywriter to delve into architecture as a living. Inside, renovator and owner Tom Givone mixes vintage and industrial decor. Photo by Mark Mahaney.