This black-and-white cotton rug is a bold anchor for any room. Designer Suki Cheema was inspired by traditional Indonesia prints, which he’s re-worked to make a modern, graphic statement. Hand-woven in India. Price: $680.

Martí Guixé's Ghost rug for Nanimarguina plays with shadows in black and white, as pictorial motifs of birds, flowers, horses, and deep appear and disappear in it like ghosts. "I worked on a small part each day, sometimes painting during the day and sometimes at night," Guixé says. "The graphic arrhythmias reflect my different moods over a period of three months of work and give Ghost a touch of mysticism."

Douglas fir lines the walls of the entryway. A narrow striped rug adds texture to the white-painted wooden floor from Dinesen.

In the living room, Hansen’s convertible Night couch and coffee table join a Black Marble rug by Suki Cheema and Slovenian Bear from Charles Fréger’s Wilder Mann series.

A Carrara marble backsplash adds cool contrast and a sense of drama when set against the custom oiled-steel black cabinetry in the renovation of the kitchen in this A. Quincy Jones home in Los Angeles.

In this Issaquah, Washington, renovation, a Jill Rosenwald rug adorned with a blue-and-orange hexagons adds a vibrant note to the dining area.

Architect Craig Steely has become fast friends with Russell-Clarke and Moolsintong. He hangs out in the kitchen and lives not far from the house.

The Salvatori marble tiles in the bathroom were added at the last minute, once everyone was confident that they would not put the project over budget.

Davor and August check out the yard from the living room. “The bifold Vistalite doors allow us to open the house up completely and enjoy the fresh, warm air,” Davor says.

“The walnut unit between the kitchen and dining room ties into the fumed oak floor,” Dubbeldam says. “The rest of the materials in the house—glass, marble, stone—were selected to offset the wood.”

Susanna Vento, pictured here with her daughter Varpu, is a Helsinki-based editor, stylist, and interior designer. Asked about her design approach in her own apartment, she says: “As an interior designer I choose new designs for my clients, but for my own home, I tend to prefer crafty or old stuff. If I buy something, I want to buy only things that stand the test of time. But even better is to buy nothing at all and do-it-yourself!”

Prioritize either storage or easy cleaning. While extra storage is always nice, it is important to note freestanding vanities are also known for being harder to clean, since there are more corners and nooks where dust can hang out around them.

The bathrooms are lined in luxurious Estremoz marble.

In the master bathroom, Chris clad the tub and walls in Carrara marble. An AJ Wall sconce by Arne Jacobsen for Louis Poulsen sheds some light on bathtub reading.

In the kitchen, the continuous kitchen worktop and table are made of marble from Caledonia Marble. The pink Tamatik dining chairs are by Connie Chisholm and are from the Canadian design shop Made. The Blinding Love pendant lights are by Periphere, which has shops in Montreal and Toronto. The iron rails were inspired both by screens the couple had seen on their travels in the Middle East and by the ornate wrought ironwork favored by their Portuguese neighbors. Barzel Ironworks fabricated the banister to Sawatzky’s design by slicing up iron pipe, welding it, and painting it.

The kitchen features a concrete island topped with marble. Deja-Vu stools by Naoto Fukasawa surround the island. A print by Guy Gormley, as well as a painting bought during holiday in St. Tropez, hang on the walls.

Eileen Gray, Black Board rug, 1930.

The tiny budget still allowed room for some strategic splurges, such as the vivid green Verde Ming marble in the house’s only bathroom

A dramatic black island is expertly balanced by a wall of white cabinetry and a refrigerator that blends perfectly. The kitchen’s black countertops were cut from Nero Assoluto granite. The sink and faucet are from Quebec-based company Rubi. Appliances are from Wolf.

The juxtaposition of black and white is perhaps the most notable detail of the home’s interiors. In the guest bathroom, black and white tiles provide visual interest.

The countertop is Portuguese marble. A Purist faucet from Kohler also features a black matte finish. The pendant lights are vintage glass models, painted in black.

The boys have set up an almost plein air painting station on the stair landing in the new addition.

White walls, a luxurious marble double-sink, and an area rug give this bathroom an inviting atmosphere. “The natural light, open spaces, and light color palette make it a great place to wake up in the morning,” Flournoy says of his home. The sink is from Restoration Hardware and the rug is from West Elm.

Handcrafted in Chicago, the Doppio Serving Tray from Felicia Ferrone is a centerpiece, serving board, and tray, all in one elegant design. Comprised of two sides—one in white Carrera marble and the other in black Nero Marquina, the Doppio Serving Tray can be used to present cheeses and charcuterie, showcase candles or flowers, or can be used as a serving tray for cocktails or snacks.

The kitchen is beautifully textured and veined thanks to white Carrara marble countertops installed by New Marble Company and reclaimed cypress cabinets built by Wayne Berger.

Angelica Becerril prepares food at the kitchen island; the Carrara marble countertop is one of the few luxury materials used in the house.

Architects Anne Marie Lubrano and Lea Ciavarra limited the material selection in their renovation of a town house dating from 1899. The powder room on the first floor is located in a former waiting area (the previous resident used the level for his dental practice). It features a custom Alabastro marble sink and fixtures by California Faucets. The architects kept the original marble fireplace, paying homage to the structure’s history. Benjamin Moore’s Super White paint was applied to the ceiling and the White Dove hue to the walls. "Positioning the faucets on the side wall emphasizes the horizontal," Lubrano says. "Wall-mounted fixtures feel less grounded and materials can continue uninterrupted below. We wanted the spaces to feel light, spacious and light-filled."

In the living area of Daniel Rozensztroch’s Paris apartment, an Eames La Chaise and a butterfly chair complement a Moroccan Berber rug.

The careful coordination of color continues in the kitchen, where the gray and white marble backsplash, lit with faint orange lights, mediates between the ashen column and ochre cabinets.

In the living room Daphne the dog keeps company with a Case Study Day Bed from Modernica, a LCM chair by Charles and Ray Eames for Herman Miller, and a painting by the Brooklyn artist Joyce Kim.

Homeowner Simon Doonan stands next to the front door. "We have flamboyance, and we’re not inhibited about anything. [Architect] Gray Organschi gave [the house] that intellectual rigor needed to make it beautiful. We were well matched."

A shaft of sunlight streams into the marble shower, through a glass atrium that connects the master suite to the outdoors while maintaining privacy; the fixtures are by Vola.

In a home largely outfitted in wood, this marbled bathroom designed by Peter Russell-Clarke and Craig Steely provides a respite for the eyes, with its white, gray, and black palette and minimalist fixtures and details. Dramatic veining in the stone provides visual interest and movement, and the freestanding bathtub contrasts with the dark marble on the wall behind.

A side view of the house and of Salmela’s signature architectural feature: the “unchimney.” All windows are from Loewen.

To accommodate his passion for cooking, Renaldi insisted on the long Carrara marble countertop, a niche for cookware, and ultra-contemporary appliances.

New marble Salute tables by Sebastian Herkner in La Chance's Brera showroom.