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Collection by Allie Weiss

Most Popular Homes of 2014: City Living

To celebrate 2014, we're rounding up the homes that were most popular on Dwell.com this year. Here, we've gathered the most-viewed city apartments, from a tiny London flat to a New York apartment with a transformable home bar.

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"I think that small spaces inherently demand inventiveness," architect Michael Chen says. So when a client presented him with a brief to create a multi-functional element that was kitted out with refrigeration, storage, a beer tap, a humidor, and a dining area, Chen created what he calls a magic box. It boasts an army of features, but discreetly hides them all when not in use. "Sometimes we call them architectural appliances or transformers because that’s what they do," Chen says. "Conceptually they are appliances; experientially we like to think of them as magic boxes because they’re fun in that way."
"I think that small spaces inherently demand inventiveness," architect Michael Chen says. So when a client presented him with a brief to create a multi-functional element that was kitted out with refrigeration, storage, a beer tap, a humidor, and a dining area, Chen created what he calls a magic box. It boasts an army of features, but discreetly hides them all when not in use. "Sometimes we call them architectural appliances or transformers because that’s what they do," Chen says. "Conceptually they are appliances; experientially we like to think of them as magic boxes because they’re fun in that way."
The New Project Group renovated a cramped, uninviting space on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The company gave the 400-square-foot apartment a gut renovation, with a new kitchen and bathroom designed for efficiency. A parallelogram-shaped window pane, rescued from an architectural salvage yard, was outfitted with steel edges and casters, and repurposed as a coffee table.
The New Project Group renovated a cramped, uninviting space on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. The company gave the 400-square-foot apartment a gut renovation, with a new kitchen and bathroom designed for efficiency. A parallelogram-shaped window pane, rescued from an architectural salvage yard, was outfitted with steel edges and casters, and repurposed as a coffee table.
Hynam designed and built the cabinets under the stairs and a drawer that slides out from beneath the bottom step. Drink H1 pendant lamps from Rotaliana hang in the kitchen and above a Grassworks dining table by Jair Straschnow.
Hynam designed and built the cabinets under the stairs and a drawer that slides out from beneath the bottom step. Drink H1 pendant lamps from Rotaliana hang in the kitchen and above a Grassworks dining table by Jair Straschnow.
In a renovated Tribeca loft, Eames shell chairs surround a Saarinen Tulip table from Knoll. The Line console is from Design Within Reach and the pendant light is Louis Poulsen's Snowball. While architect Matthew Miller of New York firm StudioLAB gutted the space, some of the original details—like the windows—remain. The rug is from ABC Home.
In a renovated Tribeca loft, Eames shell chairs surround a Saarinen Tulip table from Knoll. The Line console is from Design Within Reach and the pendant light is Louis Poulsen's Snowball. While architect Matthew Miller of New York firm StudioLAB gutted the space, some of the original details—like the windows—remain. The rug is from ABC Home.