Don't worry if you aren't quite sure where to start. With this eight-step guide, your space will be sparkling in no time.

Spring cleaning is the perfect time to move larger appliances and heavier pieces of furniture to clean all the dirt, dust, and grime that is usually left unnoticed.

A simple, chic, elegant modern prefab open kitchen.

This "local prefab" home on the Isle of Skye is made mostly from materials sourced in northern Scotland. The timber-framed model, meant to evoke the simple agrarian barns of the area, can be constructed on-site in as little as a day and is designed for affordability.

Black and white kitchen cabinets painted with a triangular pattern add a whimsical touch to this funky kitchen.

Wood envelops the home’s second story. The floor is made of Brazilian pine salvaged from a warehouse. The walls are also recycled boards, sourced from the ceiling of a conventillo, or tenement, in the La Boca neighborhood, and sliced into 12-inch-wide planks. The ceiling is made of ipe from the NET workshop. In the family room, cushions knit by Teresa’s mother, Griselda Sposari, sit on a Lennon armchair by NET.

How to Talk to Contractors: Don’t get lost in building jargon when planning your latest project. Illustration by Blanca Gómez

This round table is made from solid white oak and hard maple.

Handmade Corian butterfly keys were used to join the two kinds of wood.

Concrete is used for the walls and ceiling and stone for the floors to maintain an urban, industrial feeling.

When Abbie and Bill Burton hired Marmol Radziner to design their prefab weekend home, their two requests were “simple-simple, replaceable materials,” says Abbie—such as concrete floors (poured offsite in Marmol Radziner's factory) and metal panel siding—and “the ability to be indoors or outdoors with ease.” Deep overhangs provide shade and protection from rain, so the Burtons can leave their doors open year-round and hang out on their 70-foot-long deck even in inclement weather. They visit the house once a month, usually for a week at a time, with Vinnie and Stella, their rescue Bernese Mountain dogs. Their two adult children occasionally join them. The couple hopes to one day retire here.

The chairs here are by Brazilian designer Zanini de Zanine.

The kitchen is IKEA; the floors, like those in the bathroom, are Brazilian slate.

The office design was inspired by “blues, jazz and Bossa Nova." Tiled walls help optimize acoustics.

With São Paulo on one side and a terrace and garden on the other, the Strozenbergs’ living room feels vast. The sofa is a Harry Large by Antonio Citterio for B&B Italia and the coffee table behind Ticiana Strozenberg (with baby) is a vintage design by Geraldo de Barros. The custom wood paneling throughout the house is by Fiamoncine, as are the window treatments.

Decameron (Sao Paulo, Brazil) Brazilian architect Marcio Kogan turned an empty urban alley into a neon-drenched retreat, complete with a small garden, by repurposing shipping containers. Photo by Pedro Vannucchi

"A flower that rises from the rock" is how Niemeyer described this organic, saucer-like structure, a home for art and design that boasts beautiful views of Guanabara Bay. An inviting red walkway snakes up towards the entrance towards the main cupola.

Instituto Cultural Inhotim, Brazil

Flavin created minimalist sculptures using commercially available flourescent lights, like the 1977 piece seen here, called (In memory of Sandy Calder)V. Placed side by side, the two primary-colored compositions that comprise it recall the work of Alexander Calder. The bed at the end of the space, Single Bed #32 (Daybed), is one of Judd's furniture designs. Image © Judd Foundation; Photo credit: Maris Hutchinson, EPW Studio; Judd Foundation Archive; Flavin artwork © 2015 Stephen Flavin/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York; courtesy David Zwirner, New York/London; Licensed by VAGA

The concrete wall mimics the slope of the hill outside as a reference to early Maori structures that were dug into the land. The simple kitchen has strandboard cabinetry and an MDF island that conceals a fireplace at one end. The ceramic works on the built-in seat at right are by Raewyn Atkinson and Robyn Lewis.

After living on and studying a woodsy acre of land in North Zealand, Denmark, architect Jesper Brask cleared a stand of pine trees and, from the timber, built a getaway open to its surroundings. The house, which Brask shares with his wife, Lene, and sons, Kristian, Jens, and Niels, is used mainly in summer, when the weather is optimal for throwing open the glass doors.

Mami and Goo the Kishu dog return from a frolic in the forest, which the couple, along with Hideaki, has thinned and trimmed back over many weekends. It’s an idyllic escape and a world away from the concrete expanse of Tokyo.

In Seattle's rapidly developing South Lake Union neighborhood, the Art Stable is a classic example of urban infill. Built on the site of a former horse stable, the seven-story mixed-use building carries its history into the future with highly adaptable live/work units.

Japanese showers are usually set low down so the bather can sit on a stool and scrub, then pour cedar buckets of hot water over their heads for a refreshing rinse. This homeowner in Venice, California mounted a handheld shower head on the wall for added flexibility. The drain is under the removable cedar floor slats, keeping the room design uncluttered. Wood tubs are cleaned with a simple rinse and last for decades, as the antiseptic properties of cedar guard against mold and rot. This ofuro was designed by Santiago Ortiz and fabricated by Bartok Design.

The restaurant bar provides a casual hangout for guests. The central credenza, usually occupied by the daily breakfast buffet, was designed by architect Isay Weinfeld.

Choosing a kitchen or bathroom countertop can be nerve-wracking, and we understand why—they can be one of the most expensive aspects of a renovation, with the added responsibility of impacting the aesthetics of a space. Read on as we work our way through the pros and cons of seven of the most common countertop materials.

Tanya, Chris, Jackson, and Zeke spend much of their day outside.

Copacabana might just be the most famous beach in the world, and its promenade along the Rio de Janeiro seaside is certainly the most iconic there is. Here, Marx takes a cue from Portuguese pavement design with an undulating black-and-white pattern.

Because the house is narrow and long (16 by 68 feet), the design team decided to create a huge open-air space to light the interior naturally. Two retractable motor-driven canvas canopies shelter the space during Singapore’s frequent rains.

The hotel’s façade is a stunning combination of wood, stone, and glass. Downstairs, the restaurant allows guests to enjoy the view of a pristine natural lake as they dine indoors or outdoors. Local design stores provided the furniture on the outdoor deck. On the floor above, the lobby terrace also overlooks the lake and allows guests to lounge and perhaps enjoy drinks and snacks while soaking in the views.