Sky-High City Apartments

In Vienna, a dazzling penthouse by Delugan Meissl has boldly inserted itself between traditional rooftops of the city’s Wieden district like a recently landed alien intruder. The engineering of House Ray 1’s load-bearing structure was extremely complex. Since the house had to be built on top of an old building, the architects opted for lightweight steel skeleton construction. The living/dining area has sliding glass walls that open to the back terrace and pool.

Geraldine and Kit Laybourne’s apartment is inside architect Neil Denari’s HL23 building in the Chelsea arts district of New York. It hovers above the High Line, a former elevated rail line now transformed into a public park. A pair of Bouquet chairs by Tokujin Yoshioka for Moroso are comfy perches from which to gaze down on the High Line.

Dr. Kenneth Montague’s Toronto loft is both home and art gallery—and the ultimate party house, thanks to two kitchens, a rooftop deck, and no shortage of conversation pieces. In warm weather, Montague’s parties spill onto the roof deck. To encourage guests to explore, Peterson designed two built-in light fixtures, made from LEDs behind white acrylic panels, that cast a dramatic glow across the sauna’s custom-made wood door, designed by Peterson and crafted by carpenter Daniel Liebster.

For Felix Claus, a 1930s rental apartment is more than an idyllic pied-à-terre—it’s an architectural gem that requires reverence and careful tending. Photo by Hotze Eisma.

A densely packed apartment in Wellington, New Zealand, divides the kitchen area from the living room, and provides streamlined storage for appliances and kitchenware. The Bieringas are avid collectors of New Zealand art; the painting to the left is by Peter Robinson, and the many photographs peppering the apartment are by important Kiwi artists Luit has championed over the years.