lighting

In the shower: custom Carocim tile, created in Morocco.

In most of the loft, the original wood flooring and the herringbone pattern of the vaulted brick ceiling have been carefully preserved.

Roberts found the Montauk black slate, which he continued in a second bath.

Connected to the kitchen by a flight of stairs, the bar features cohesive custom fittings and furniture by Eginstill. Each living area flows freely into the next, in effort to “make the space as open as possible, just like it used to be when it was a sugar refinery” says van Hulzen. “We wanted to [return] the building to its old glory.”

The copper-covered volume proceeds to the second floor, where it forms a storage wall in Sherman’s home office

Recessed ceiling lights, speakers, and the range hood ductwork are all concealed by the dropped ceiling. The stools are West Elm.

Three afternoons a week, Wenes opens the gallery and “my private space belongs to the public,” she says. On the box is a piece by Tamara Van San.

This children’s room and playroom caters to one family’s young kids with built-in cabinetry that allows the mess to be hidden away. Hufft designed this marker-board table, which was cut in the shape of Missouri. The ceiling features abstract details from Thomas Hart Benton paintings.

Pendant lamps by Moooi are suspended from the double-height ceiling.

The spacious living room is another of the owners’ favorite spaces. “The double-height ceilings in that room create a very expansive feeling. No matter how many people are in the space, it still feels very open and airy,” says Susan. The soaring 17-foot-high concrete ceilings are original to the schoolhouse, though they were likely not exposed in the same way at that time. A Kilim rug over heated radiant floors bring visual and thermal warmth to the space. A BoConcept sofa and From the Source lounge chair define a seating area, accented by David Weeks Studio hinged wall light.

The San Francisco preschool Sweet Peas is housed in a newly renovated space courtesy of local architect Karen Curtiss. Formerly an electrical warehouse, the 1,400-square-foot interior is now a gleaming example of a modern teaching space. "Rather than hide the industrial past we sought to use it as a metaphor for the building blocks to help little minds grow," Curtiss says. She divided the layout into distinct zones from a quiet area to active learning to dramatic and free play to outdoor play. "A school environment sends a signal to children about the value we place on them in the world," she says. "The space needs to be both organized and malleable."

A writing desk is paired with a classic Series 7 chair by Arne Jacobsen.

A sleek galley kitchen packs function and style into a small space.

The steel-clad Rolling Huts designed by Olson Kundig Architects in Manzama, Washington, sit lightly on the land thanks to wheels that allow the tiny residences to "hover" above the site, optimizing views of the landscape. Photo by Derek Pirozzi.

After a 40-year-old pine tree fell over on a Brentwood estate in Los Angeles, the owner let it lie, and the continued to grow from its newfound horizontal position. He decided to incorporate it into a 172-square-foot office and guest house with the structure floating above the tree. Around the perimeter of the butterfly roof is a clerestory that gives the illusion that the roof is floating.

Faced with the challenge of a 240-square-foot New York apartment in desperate need of a refresh, architect Tim Seggerman went straight to his toolbox to craft a Nakashima-inspired interior. The architect brightens the limited space with warm wood and tiny tile. Photo by David Engelhardt.

Think Small features a nautically inspired New York home and a little red house with a lot of character in Seattle. Photo by: Adam Friedberg

Davor (with his wife, Abbe, and son, August) designed the main living and dining pavilion as a double-height space to increase its perceived volume, and added high cubbies for extra storage.

A seamless, symmetrical, and beautifully functional wall with built in shelf and recessed lighting works around hidden structural beams in the master bedroom. Designed to be behind the headboard as a natural location for art, books and reading lamps. In the corner window, a custom built in conceals heating and cooling systems.