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.

Inspirational spaces

20K Show Homes The centerpiece of the Rural Studio program is the 20K House. The price is calculated by looking at the highest mortgage someone on Social Security can afford. They normally cost roughly $12,000 for materials and $8,000 for contracted labor and profit. Photo by Tim Hursley

To complete The Incomplete Dictionary of Show Birds series, British photographer Luke Stephenson had to enter the close-knit world of dedicated bird breeders. The subject matters' beauty, in all of its variations and colors, gracefully perch against a simple backdrop. Seen here: Red Canary #1. Via Luke Stephenson. (Pin)

One of the four photography promos sent to us by Toby Burditt

1966 Superstudio holds Superarchitettura show.

British artist Hannah Sawtell and technologist Avi Flombaum created sawbaum.com, where users can create visual collages using multiple vine streams. "We wanted it to look like a visual comic book, with overlapping panels," said Flombaum. "And we wanted it to be fun!" Photo courtesy Rhizome.

A vibrant yellow pocket door adds a playful splash of color in the bathroom/laundry area on the lower level.

The bedroom is a comfortable show of geometric regularity.

INsite: Farnsworth House Light Show. These photographs are offered as pledges to backers of the Kickstarter, which ends May 31. Photo by Kate Joyce

Home Show House by William Krisel.

The designer recently was part of a group exhibition called 'The October Show' at Salon 91 in Cape Town, South Africa. On view was Metcalf's collection of circular pieces, 2 light-boxes, and a crop of collaborative artworks.

The aluminum housing protects birds year-round and attaches to trees with a fastener and lashing strap that does no damage to the tree.

The 15th annual Palm Springs Modernism Show & Sale returns to the Palm Springs Convention Center with rare goodies offered by top dealers. The show kicks off on Friday, February 13 with a gala kickoff party and runs through Monday, February 16.

2010 Elementary Design, a two-man show of Normal Studio’s work, opens at Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris.

This photo shows how Wageman shows modern goods alongside more traditional fare.

The house’s street-level entrance shows an openness to its surroundings, and a glass door allows curious passersby a glimpse of the interior.

This shot of the Ravine House's interior shows its glazed back facade and clear geometry.

A small terrace outfitted with an H55 easy chair by Björn Hultén offers a view of the San Francisco Bay.

Onstage, green lifestyle expert and media personality Danny Seo will speak about sourcing American kitchen products, and preview the kitchen renovation inside his 1950s rural Pennsylvania home, to be featured in the July/August issue of Dwell. Photo by David Englehardt.

The houses show the traditional style alongside the contemporary.

Magazzino at the Armory Show, NY 2010. From the Series "Art Fares"

A streetside vegetable purveyor shows his offerings.

This photo, taken from designtaxi.com, shows off three views of Paris's Librarie la Hune.

A few of the tables exhibited at last year's show.

Neptune’s Temper by Paul Wackers is a standing sculpture assemblage.

The bulb takes center stage in Jessica Hans's Lava Lamp.

Painter Eric Shaw's Loop Lamp is one of the few pieces in the show to riff on the traditional shade.

Chris Lux's Sweet Potato (yellow) blends ceramic, epoxy resin, lighting elements, and oil.

An artist and designer known for her exuberant multimedia creations, Katie Stout used fringe, mesh, and vinyl to create her Trojan Sconce.

Porches are a beloved element of the Southern vernacular and lifestyle, traditionally serving as an extension of the indoors—a shady place to gather, socialize, or share a meal. So when the students of Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina, entered the Solar Decathlon, a biennial energy-efficient residential design competition, the iconic space figured prominently in their concept. Here, a canopy of bifacial solar panels covers the porch and provides energy for the home.

The LV prototype’s bathroom shows how buyers can vary finish levels according to budget.