Every space, including the living and dining sections seen here, has “furniture, objects and artworks that bring us memories,” says Smud. The bench, coffee tables, and dining table are by the late Alejandro Sticotti.

The residents use either the black steel staircase or a glassed-in elevator by Wittur to get around the house.

In the kitchen, the custom cabinets contain special compartments that hide appliances from sight. The room draws in natural light from the balcony.

Haines House by Christopher Polly in Newtown, Australia

The fourth-floor kitchen features appliances by Miele, and Heracleum II pendants by Bertjan Pot for Moooi hang over both the kitchen island and the dining table.

Suzanne and Brooks Kelley at the back of their 1,100-square-foot guest cottage.

The owners toured this home, which surrounds a mature tipu tipu tree, while visiting relatives for the day. The brick is original to the 1947 construction.

“A building can have far greater impact than the space it stands in.”—William Carpenter, architect and resident

Sliding doors by Quantum were made to look like the original panes that couldn't be saved, and they lead to a fire pit outside.

New zoning allowed for a zero-lot-line structure, but required a public storefront, which Carpenter uses as an art gallery.

Previously, the apartment featured a substantial balcony that David converted into additional living space. Cherner bar chairs pull up to the island. The dining table is surrounded by Wishbone chairs by Hans Wegner and Tom Dixon pendant lights.

On the other side of the apartment, a bedroom doubles as a workspace.

The bathroom integrates a sense of the outdoors.

Originally designed as two separate apartment buildings in 1925, The Norman hotel brings them together: one half features Renaissance and oriental influences, while the other is a clean-lined, modernist structure.

See Arch restored the exterior fireplace wall and painted it a deep blue hue to match the repainted blue timber cladding.

As part of the update, the two bedrooms were expanded, and a number of smart features were added: automated lighting and curtains, along with double glazed windows with an electric shading system.

While a two-story structure did not meet the zoning code, Richard Neutra bypassed that via his design of a "gloriette," an outdoor room flanked by aluminum louvers. Those panels shelter the home against the harsh desert elements and were recreated as part of the five-year restoration of Richard Neutra's original design. Photo: Tim Street-Porter

The bath’s Kohler Purist fixtures and Frederick Weinberg animal figures sit on a Corian countertop

The Airstream Haus’s interior is minimalist, but comfortable, boasting a fully functional kitchen and queen-size bed that doubles as a couch.

The Kelleys furnished the cottage with help from Suzanne’s daughter Betsy Burbank of Betsy Burbank Interiors. Classic modernist icons, such as a Saarinen Womb chair for Knoll, a Herman Miller Eames lounge chair, and an Eileen Grey E1027 side table look at home alongside present-day pieces such as an Encore sofa (which handily folds down into a sleeping surface) from Room & Board and a Doka rug designed and produced by Stephanie Odegard. The Wohlert pendant lights from Louis Poulsen were designed by Vilhelm Wohlert in 1959, but grouped as such, they appear distinctly contemporary.

Kai and Téa brush their teeth in the upstairs bathroom shared by all. “We went with the 1950s thing—a family bathroom,” explains Blatt. The sinks are by Kohler.

The Airstream Haus, parked in Ojai, California. August says that when your dwelling is small, it’s important to make the most of outdoor space.

Architect and designer Roy David was tasked with renovating a 1,184-square-foot apartment located in a luxury tower in Tel Aviv. The remodeled living room features a Gus* Modern sofa and an Eames lounge chair.

In the bedroom, black blinds and a headboard together form a single rectangular block that anchors the space. The pendant lamp is from Exclusive Lighting.

The Diaghilev hotel is located in a 1934 building that served as the first printing house for the Israeli newspaper Haaretz. Changing art exhibitions throughout the hotel ensure that the guest experience mirrors Tel Aviv’s constantly evolving creative scene. The hotel includes its own studio to nurture young designers; every handmade decorative piece on display in the hotel is for sale.

On the ground floor of the new 23-room Hotel Berdichevsky—named for the philosopher and writer Berdyczewski, born to Hasidic Rabbis in the Ukraine in 1865—a 1920s-inspired cocktail bar and lounge takes center stage; the reception is tucked off to the side.

Each suite at The Norman is one-of-a-kind, showcasing an aesthetic that blends old and new.

Hangar Meeting Table for MG LAB – This table premiered in 2012. It was designed with a space underneath the tabletop to stow away electronic devices that need to be close at hand without contributing to tabletop clutter.

“I really believe buildings are part of a city as an organism.”—William Carpenter, architect and resident

The designers played with temperature in their selection of materials, contrasting glass with white-painted wood, and gray cement tiles with oak. They also mixed natural colors with bolder ones—black, yellow, turquoise, and even small pops of pink. “They create a luxurious look while opening up the space, providing a clean and fresh feel,” Zusman says. The living room couch is custom and the chairs are from Habitat.

“Apartments in Tel Aviv are usually in old buildings with some history,” Zusman says. They chose to reveal some of that by leaving sections of brick exposed. By the window, an Elephant chair by Kristalia tucks into a custom desk.

The Rothschild Hotel, which opened in a historic buliding in December 2013, is an homage to the Zionist vision of its legendary entrepreneurial namesake, Baron Edmond de Rothschild. Every room is adorned with paintings of the Baron’s accomplishments, from his Tantura glass factory to Israel’s first winery.