While the residence features four bedrooms, the crown jewel is the master suite, which includes a seating area with a fireplace, dual baths, expansive closets, and panoramic views.

Yang Yeo and his girlfriend Ching Ian relax on the back stoop of their renovated and radically updated Singapore shophouse—an archetypal building type in this busy port city. “Shophouses brought back memories of our childhood,” says Yeo.

Christine (at left), and Amanda (at right) chat with David’s sister Aroha Yates-Smith (center) in the kitchen.

Expansive floor-to-ceiling windows invite natural light into the penthouse throughout the day and frame dramatic views as the sun goes down.

“There was too much visual pollution disturbing the simplicity. The goal was to allow the existing buildings to work within a totally new program, each still distinguishable by its own destiny.” —Architect Bart Len

It’s a good idea to read reviews about specific pieces before buying them, which can help prepare you for the unexpected.

Anglepoise’s Original 1227 was launched in 1934, and is considered the archetypal lamp from the British company. The lamp took off where other contemporary task lamps left off, using a newly developed constant spring technology to create a lamp that was extremely flexible and adjustable, while also maintaining a consistent balance and stability.

A pair of mid-century perches by Kofod-Larsen sit beneath a print by Andy Warhol in an upstairs bedroom.

"Ballerina," a screen-printed silk scarf designed by Dali for Wesley Simpson, circa 1947. Courtesy of the Fashion and Textile Museum.

"Number, Please?" a silk scarf designed by Salvador Dali for Wesley Simpson circa 1947. The design is derived from a sequence in Destino, Dali’s animation for Disney from 1946. Courtesy of the Fashion and Textile Museum.

"White Trellis," an artist’s square designed by Graham Sutherland for Ascher Ltd, 1946. Ascher exhibted a version of this scarf and a companion design at "Britain Can Make It," a 1946 London exhibition of industrial and product designs. Courtesy of the Fashion and Textile Museum.

Henri Matisse’s first design for Ascher, "Echarpe No. 1," was exhibited at the Lefevre Gallery in 1947. One of the two coral-based designs, it was intended to be produced in a limited edition of 275. Courtesy of the Fashion and Textile Museum.

"Family Group," an artist’s square designed by Henry Moore for Ascher, was exhibited both at "Britain Can Make It" in 1946 and the Lefevre Gallery in 1947, as well as being used for the cover of Grace Lovat Fraser’s book Textiles by Britain, 1948. The original sketches for the square date from around 1944. Courtesy of the Fashion and Textile Museum.

"A Fish is a Fish is a Fish," designed by the painter and designer Ken Scott, was featured in Interiors magazine in September 1951. Shown here is a printed version for dresses and skirts. It was also printed as a furnishing textile by W.B. Quaintence of New York and was marketed in the United Kingdom through Sanderson & Son Ltd. Courtesy of the Fashion and Textile Museum.

A collage-based abstract design by Jon Catleugh, produced by David Whitehead Ltd. The Lancashire-based firm produced three textiles by Catleugh, all of which were developed from artworks exhibited in 1953. Courtesy of the Fashion and Textile Museum.

Desk and table lamps typically provide light in a downward direction, illuminating the surface directly below it rather than providing a general glow, which prevents them from often being used as ambient lights.

Occupying the entire top floor in The Century Building, Penthouse 40 looks out over the city like a floating palace, encompassing 9,290-square-feet of custom-designed interior space.

The newly released Original 1227 Brass Desk Lamp in Dusty Blue is both cheerful and sophisticated.

At no more than $25 a pop, these affordable goodies are downright perfect for everyone you know.

The master bedroom features a low-level picture window that opens out to the green space behind the house.

Having lived, he says, in “a number of houses where the living room is the most adorned and the least used,” it was important for Lazor to create a functional family living space. As the gathering above attests, it worked. The carpet is by InterfaceFLOR, and the armchairs by Blu Dot.

With four children under the age of six, the Ruells have learned not to be overprotective of their collection of contemporary and vintage furniture. In the living room, an Eames lounge chair and ottoman sit on a Moroccan rug from M.Montague, while the family’s eldest child, Mirene, surveys the indoor/outdoor view. Throughout the house, Kolbe windows and fixed glass (in existing jambs) were added to increase energy efficiency.

Andy Warhol Museum A must-visit for art fans, the Andy Warhol Museum features a diverse array of the Pittsburgh-born artist's work, from his iconic paintings to lesser-known prints, photographs, and sculptures. Photo by Abby Warhola.

A series of classic cameras.

A classic, the Tolomeo lamp.

Flavor Paper's Andy Warhol prints brought Marilyn to the show floor.

For now, one-year-old Awa is small enough to sleep in the hammock that hangs from the ceiling.

“Who better than the farmer and the farmer's family to know how most effectively and easily to find efficiency?” says architect Alan Barlis. Regional architecture inspired the barn-life structure of the house, an open volume that aides in efficient heating and cooling of the space.

Book jacket for 101 Classic Cookbooks: 501 Classic Recipes, published by Rizzoli.

The Juvet is tucked into the woodsy corner of a classic Norwegian farm on the banks of the rushing Valldola River. The farm has existed here since at least the 1500s.

Shophouses are a staple of Southeast Asian urban architecture. A team of designers including Yong Ter, Teng Wui, Andrew Lee, and Edwin Foo renovated this shophouse into a contemporary sanctuary over the course of two years. They left the roof completely open from the beginning of the original airshaft to the back of the house. The heart is a cooking/dining area with a 13-foot-long Indonesian table made from a single piece of teak.

Rainwater is collected from the rooftop of the Permanent Camping! Mudgee abode by Casey Brown, NSW, Australia. Photo by Penny Clay

From Warhol’s famous hyper-color prints of hibiscus flowers (background), to his little known (unreleased) perfume collaboration (contained within the silver Coke bottles in front). Credit Stefan Altenburger, Courtesy The Brant Foundation

Other interesting additions included Polaroids from the '70s and '80’s featuring familiar faces. Credit Stefan Altenburger, Courtesy The Brant Foundation

Sure to appeal to Warhol purists and art history enthusiasts, the exhibit was carefully organized chronologically: from the early fifties to the artist’s death in 1987. Credit Stefan Altenburger, Courtesy The Brant Foundation