At the end of the harbor is a small peninsula called Grandi. Here you find Kría Cycles, a truly do-it-all bike shop. They’ll fix your flat tire or build you a custom bike from scratch. They’ll even serve up an Espresso in their café while you ponder the benefits of fixed gear vs freewheeling. Kria was started by Iceland-based English architect turned workshop owner David Robertson in 2009. Photo by: Tiffany Orvet

Cycle Pack by Nanamica This new edition of the Japanese-made backpack is a step up in the ever-stylish Herschel category of carryalls. While the dark backpack looks classic, the part resting on your back offers padded protection. Available at the following stockists in North America: Gentry in Brooklyn, Bodega in Boston, Havenin Alberta, and SSENSE in Montreal.

In this glass-enclosed master bedroom, a LC4 armchair faces the master bed. The moveable frame adjusts along the base, allowing the sitter to switch from upright to full recline, or lounge at a number of other sitting angles.

Built in the late 1950s, the National Art Museum of China is a typical example of Soviet-style architecture with a Chinese-style roof. French architect Jean Nouvel has designed a second location scheduled to be built near the Olympic Park.

Donghai Bridge, China-For two years after its completion in late 2005, the Donghai Bridge was the longest cross-sea bridge in the world. Photo by: Wikipedia

Runyang Bridge, China-Part of the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway, crossing the Yangtze River. Fourth-longest span in the world. Photo: sjiong

While Brooklyn brownstones conjure up memories of their turn-of-the-century roots, they also remain the modern-day face of New York’s coolest boroughs. With brownstone living, however, comes responsibility—many of these classic beauties are in need of renovation and restoration. Here are 10 standout, renovated brownstones that retain their original charm with added contemporary cool.

Pedal Pod, a wall-mounted shelving unit designed by Tamasine Osher, provides a compact and tidy way to store both your accessories and bicycle while keeping it off your floors.

How can cities make bike riding more safe? How can designers make bike riding more safe? @LADOTofficial: We can’t continue to treat bicyclists like slow drivers or fast walkers. They’re neither, and the streets should show it. @erikaheet: You gotta keep 'em separated: dedicated bike lanes and bike signals in cities will improve safety. @Shinola: Build more bike paths that aren't shared with buses, etc. This is tough to do, but go to Amsterdam to see how it works. @PUBLICBikes: Bikes in Europe include more safety features standard, like built-in lights. US bike industry should follow suit.

@houseandhomepr: Such cool bikes, @martonecyclingco!

The lights cycled through a spectrum of colors.

Sharing more in common with its Brooklyn brethren than just a love for quality coffee, Beacon also has an emerging bike scene that’s been quickly taking over the area. Opened to cater to this growing demographic, Beacon Cycles has an impressive selection of bicycles ranging from full carbon road bikes to dual-suspension mountain bikes by Kona, Jamis, Surly, DK, and We The People. For those visiting just for the day, Beacon Cycles also offers the chance to rent, providing the perfect opportunity to explore the without needing a car.

WFH House (Wuxi, China) Copenhagen-based Arcgency made something special out of a rigid skeleton of shipping containers—a gorgeous, bamboo-clad modular home that offers stylish customization options and environmental features (solar cells, water cistern, green roof) that push this project beyond mere recycling. Photo by Arcgenvy

A full-service kitchen is nestled under the dome’s loft. Clad in stainless steel, its custom-made cabinets match the appliances and the wine glass holder that hangs over the island. The kitchen’s black marble countertops echo the surface of the dining table.

The developer of Three on the Bund gallery gives us a behind-the-scenes tour of the creative side of Shanghai. Photo by: Andrew Rowat

Temple Restaurant does European fine dining on the grounds of a 600-year-old temple that was used as a television factory during the Cultural Revolution. The beautiful lot is also home to a boutique hotel and gallery.

This exhibition space in Chengdu, China features numerous interior courtyards to let light enter.

The CCTV tower designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas was meant to be the headquarters for China Central Television when builders broke ground in 2004, but it was only over the past year that CCTV staff started moving into the building in significant numbers.

The green roof, wood cladding, and low profile help to integrate the home with its lush, natural surroundings.

Multiple Hytte cabins can be clustered together to create a village layout.

A curving skylight illuminates the minimalist kitchen of a dwelling in Bondi Beach, Australia, that was renovated by Andrew Burges Architects.

The Lais designed their house to be theirs forever. As such, they were able to make design moves that made sense for themselves but that wouldn't have high resale value, like the Japanese-style master bathroom in the middle of the second floor instead of off of the master bedroom. The traditional setup features bath stools from Muji for washing off.

The built-in bench that borders the cantilevered bed features two storage drawers and a hatch that accesses an additional storage compartment.

The crisp white kitchen features appliances built into the cabinetry and marble countertops.

San Francisco’s modernists were faced with the issue of building within a firmly established stylistic tradition—think bay windows and gingerbread. Henry Hill’s 1947 renovation of a 1908 Victorian tucked away on an alley in historic Russian Hill provides a remarkable response to the dilemma.

The kitchen and convertible desk area of the Kugelschiff display a luminous, white-painted ceiling and walls, and white ash cabinetry and flooring.

For architect Stephen Chung, the design of his Wayland, Massachusetts, home was all about blending into the natural environment. The first floor is a serene composition of white and wood. The demand for a domestic office space inspired him to build up, adding a second floor for him to "experiment." In a departure from the Cape Cod aesthetic that rules his block, he was able to give the addition a modernist take, while also literally reflecting the existing landscape of the neighborhood. The entire 1,100-square-foot adjunct that encompasses his second story office-studio, master suite, and fort for his two young sons is swathed in mirrored siding and plate-glass windows.

Le Corbusier, Charlotte Perriand, and Pierre Jeanneret designed the LC4 Villa Church lounge for Cassina.

The dwelling is raised on three marine-grade, aluminum-alloy flotation tubes, each with five sealed compartments for extra safety.

Mike Kurokawa and Paul Fishman set out for the beach from their house in the Puna region of Hawaii. A bridge leads from street level to the upper floor of the house, which is situated in a natural depression, or kipuka.

Homeowner Jay Longtin served as the general contractor and performed the majority of the remodel work, aside from the outdoor floors, concrete, and pool, which were done by Architectural Blue.