Collection by Jacqueline Leahy

Innovative Urban Homes

These 10 urban homes run the gamut from renovated commercial spaces to new constructions on small, irregular plots.

The Brick screen by Eileen Gray for Aram Designs blocks off a small office from the dining room.
The Brick screen by Eileen Gray for Aram Designs blocks off a small office from the dining room.
Architect Grant explains that the recessed orange wall with built-in storage shelving is a counterpoint to the view of Boston in the opposite direction.
Architect Grant explains that the recessed orange wall with built-in storage shelving is a counterpoint to the view of Boston in the opposite direction.
The kitchen system and rolling island are by Henrybuilt.
The kitchen system and rolling island are by Henrybuilt.
Up on the ninth floor, their sober Neo sofa and chaise from DWR and classic Florence Knoll credenza are contrasted by more exotic accessories like Patrick Townsend’s Orbit chandelier and an offbeat white vase from Creative Growth, an Oakland, California, workshop for disabled artists.
Up on the ninth floor, their sober Neo sofa and chaise from DWR and classic Florence Knoll credenza are contrasted by more exotic accessories like Patrick Townsend’s Orbit chandelier and an offbeat white vase from Creative Growth, an Oakland, California, workshop for disabled artists.
Architect Tamira Sawatzky and artist Elle Flanders get an awfully good view of their busy Toronto street from their office and dining room.
Architect Tamira Sawatzky and artist Elle Flanders get an awfully good view of their busy Toronto street from their office and dining room.
The interior consists of five different levels, all linked by a steel-and-wood staircase. Carbone sourced the chandelier from a local shop.
The interior consists of five different levels, all linked by a steel-and-wood staircase. Carbone sourced the chandelier from a local shop.
Karen White, David MacNaughtan, and their sons, Griffin and Finlay, hang out on the front deckof their narrow home in Toronto’s leafy Roncesvalles neighborhood. A narrow modernist composition of glass panes and purple brick, the house slips like a bookmark between two older buildings, a bright three-story abode on a lot narrower than most suburban driveways.
Karen White, David MacNaughtan, and their sons, Griffin and Finlay, hang out on the front deckof their narrow home in Toronto’s leafy Roncesvalles neighborhood. A narrow modernist composition of glass panes and purple brick, the house slips like a bookmark between two older buildings, a bright three-story abode on a lot narrower than most suburban driveways.
In his home office, Wardell runs his online art gallery Chester's Blacksmith Shop and researches his next project: opening a boutique hotel in New Zealand. His nephew peeks down from the "napping nook" secreted above the office. The desk is from Room & Board.
In his home office, Wardell runs his online art gallery Chester's Blacksmith Shop and researches his next project: opening a boutique hotel in New Zealand. His nephew peeks down from the "napping nook" secreted above the office. The desk is from Room & Board.
The bright orange frame of this glazed door adds a sense of modern exuberance to the deck off of Francesco Moncada and Mafalda Rangel’s bedroom. The sunny, open space reveals both a Loop chair by Willy Guhl and the tile rooftops of Syracuse, where the water is never far off.
The bright orange frame of this glazed door adds a sense of modern exuberance to the deck off of Francesco Moncada and Mafalda Rangel’s bedroom. The sunny, open space reveals both a Loop chair by Willy Guhl and the tile rooftops of Syracuse, where the water is never far off.