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C58 - Dressing Table by London–based designer Florian Schmid is a seemingly rudimentary form comprised of a circular mirror bisected by a horizontal plane of wood. The proportions and shapes are then echoed by its matching stool. The interplay of surrounding light lends texture and depth, resulting in a piece that is anything but simplistic.

With its slender table and wall-mounted mirror, Florian Schmid's Carla, Carlo design for Zeitraum scans as a deconstructed vanity.

The Tower House is made up of tiny houses, clustered at the southern end of the property and clad in white steel panels and western red cedar shingles. Spinning off the living room on the north side of the main house, the children’s study sits separate from the other pavilions. On its upper level, Oxley netting forms a web on which the kids and their friends can sit and read with views of the leafy street and garden.

New Depths Inspired by a local winery, George Kyprianou wanted a glass top on his subterranean wine cellar. The interior is lit, casting soft light into the living space at night and revealing the 132-year-old stone foundation. The three-quarter-inch glass lid sits flush with the floorboards; it opens with an ingenious device that Kyprianou devised using a 12-volt air compressor and a remote-controlled switch. When you push the button, the glass lifts just enough to be removed by hand.

One such vacation inspired the tub, made of aromatic hinoki wood, in the master bathroom.

“To be our own client, to have the architect here—every decision came home.”—Lisa Sardinas, resident

The upstairs showers are particularly ingenious: Operable skylights loom above, and perforated, galvanized-steel platforms open up to spacious, sunken bathtubs.

Concerned that studio was too big compared to other homes in the neighborhood, the 1,060 square-foot structure references the dazzle pattern, a camouflage technique used by WWII battleships. Monti was inspired by the way the pattern

The wood sculpture from the market continues up through the second floor and provides a dynamic backdrop for the contemporary furniture area.

O’Sullivan designed the ceiling “to have a knitted or woven quality like that of wool or silk.” It dives down over the kitchen and dining area, eventually reaching a point at the entry that is low enough to touch. Here, resident Jes Wood leans against the onyx kitchen island while her daughter Ruby hangs out. Replica Jean Prouvé chairs surround the dining table; a vase by Bruce and Estelle Martin for Kamaka Pottery sits on top. The Reel table under the television is by Atelier Oï for B&B Italia.

In the Spotlight“I’m a huge proponent of lighting as architecture,” says Nix, who suggests illuminating objects instead of empty space. “Light on an object creates ambiance.” In their apartment, they’ve trained track lights from the Polish company LightArt on the Cube, as well as on the handmade cabinetry. The fixtures, which Novak-Zemplinski describes as “good quality and inexpensive in comparison to more well-known brands,” are also installed at the MoMA in New York. lightart.pl Practical DecorationOne of the secrets to living neatly in a small apartment, says Nix, is lots of storage space. To that end, the couple built big cabinets along the walls. To create a sense of visual unity throughout the eclectic but compact space, the couple hand-carved the tree pattern from the kitchen into these cabinet doors (from a template) using an electric router. It’s more than ornament: The cutouts eliminate the need for jutting cabinet pulls. biolinia.com

This prefab house is built around a system of 4' by 4' concrete modules and a reusable formwork to save on costs and materials.

#modern #penthouse #kitchen #raised #platform Photo by Hertha Hurnuas

Local plants are abundant inside and out. Natural light and ventilation were key elements when designing the home. The result includes this interior courtyards that connects the house with the landscape by bringing it inside.

A spacious great hall with white walls, panels that look like cross-sections of tree trunks, gray slate accents, and a brown-and-grayscale color palette carries the theme of modest Scandinavian understatement. An impressive array of seats and tables, somewhere between mid-century and contemporary in appearance, make for comfortable spaces for conversation, meeting, and greeting areas.

The kitchen is completely open to the main living area and features a custom birch pegboard wall. Eames dining chairs accent the space.