Modernism

When Pablo Pérez Palacios’ Mexico City–based architecture firm PPAA was tasked with building an apartment tower to meet La Colonia Roma's need for additional housing, he faced a problem familiar to developers in historic neighborhoods everywhere. The site was occupied by a dilapidated home that dates to 1925, and local laws required that the facade and part of the structure be maintained. PPAA’s innovative approach was to cut the original three-story home in half, preserving enough of the building to front the street and hold two apartments replete with classic Victorian details like high ceilings and restored millwork. In the back of the lot, they designed a sleek eight-story apartment tower that would hold an additional nine apartments, for a total of 11 units. Not bad for a site that was previously an uninhabited single-family house.

Pictured is the largest of the units, the "not-so-tiny home." Its two bedrooms anchor each end of the home, offering privacy. The homes feature 9-foot ceilings, and this unit can accommodate a king-sized bed.

Ori takes its name from the Japanese art of origami. Says Béhar, "Every element such as the logo, app interface, and furniture design was designed to represent a sense of playful and elegant origami, a seamless intertwining of shapes."

A pullout desk is hidden underneath one of the shelves.

"We have created small spaces before, but this was a great challenge as it was impossible to get a small space like this to work using off-the-shelf furniture," says Studiomama cofounder Nina Tolstrup, who hired East London carpentry firm Commission by you to build the bespoke furniture units. A fully concealed workstation and storage reside next to a cozy bench seat.

One of the walls hides a pull-out sofa and a wardrobe.

An ingenious small-space solution turns a wall into a sitting area.

A VOLA KV series kitchen faucet extends from the wall.

Lookofsky Architecture was unsure if the original wall in what would become the living room could be removed; luckily, it turned out not to be a load-bearing wall.

Robertson restored the existing rooms in the front of the original house, and redesigned the back of the home to have a much more modern, indoor/outdoor living experience.

In true mid-century fashion, a George Nelson Bubble Lamp is paired with an Eames Lounge by Charles and Ray Eames in a corner of the living room. The glass walls and mitered corner are original features of architect Saul Zaik’s 1956 design.

This open-concept Amsterdam loft features soaring 15-foot ceilings, an Eames lounge chair and ottoman, and a Jielde light. Throughout the home, Standard Studio architects Wouter Slot and Jurjen van Hulzen favored raw materials, including concrete, oiled oak, and hot-rolled steel, all of which complemented the original space's industrial feel. Tucked smartly underneath the loft, a compact home office features functional built-in shelving and an Eames DSR chair.

The lower level of the home features an indoor pool.

A courtyard connects a bedroom with the kitchen and dining area

The black-stained wood siding of the Crossfield St House references London’s timber-clad houses from the 17th and 18th centuries.

A small outdoor patio with precast concrete pavers is placed on the west side of the home to soak up the afternoon sun. The patio connects to a series of trails that lead through the forest and to the beach.

Full-height windows blur the distinction between indoor and outdoors in the living area.