A family of cost-conscious Hamburgers converted a kitschy turn-of-the-century villa into a high-design home with a strict budget in place. To unite the quaint masonry of the original villa with the squat, ugly add-on built flush against it, the architects decided to paint the old-fashioned facade graphite gray and then covered the box next door in plain, light-colored larch. Photo by Mark Seelen.

Sebastian Heise’s wooden structure, seemingly atilt, overlooks a green valley in Oberwiesenthal, Germany. The two horizontal windows on the side and the front porch give the home its own unique sense of balance.

A family in Hamburg, Germany, turned a kitschy turn-of-the-century villa into a high-design home with a few exterior tricks, including sheathing the exterior in one-dimensional, murdered-out black.

In 1994, artists like Sandro Porcu and Kaeseberg drew attention to the Spinnerei, and in 2001 it was completely converted into an artist's haven. Now, nearly 100 artists, dancers, photographers, and designers have studios and residences, and the 11 galleries put on a combined 70 exhibitions a year. A cafe and art store cater to visitors and residents alike.

Designer Christiane Hogner, Bruxelles

Built as a cotton mill in 1884 with the utopian ideal to be a "city within a city" for its employees, the Bauwallspinnere (Cotton spinnery) was one of the biggest spinning works in Europe. With employee housing, gardens, stores, and a hospital, the area became a modern example of industrial society. In 1993 after the wall fell and Liepzig lost 90 percent of its industry, the Spinnerei was sold and became a tire cord factory. The empty rooms and large spaces began to draw artists, who started setting up studios, workshops, and exhibitions. Photo courtesy Spinnerei.

Phenomenon Wind Mosaic by Tokujin Yoshioka, produced by Ceramiche Mutina Spa.

Photo courtesy Reinhold Andris Office, Walddorfhäslach.

The large terrace on the upper level, which contains the house's bedrooms, is nearly 968 square feet.

Corner of a building in Berlin, Germany.

This modern prefab shipping container home in Germany was designed by Cologne-based studio LHVH Architekten.

The Buzz Chair by Bertjan Pot and Arco BV.

The large industrial space allows ample room for large-scale exhibitions, such as The Politics and Pleasures of Food (shown), which has a garden, art, sculptures, and videos.

Building and stairwell in Essen, Germany.

Artist also have the opportunity to sell their products to visitors, we especially loved the sculptural porcelain pieces by Claudia Biehne.

Artist Franz von Lenbach built his studio in 1886, four years after he added his home. He commissioned German architect Gabriel von Seidl to design it in Neo-Classical Tuscan style. von Lenbach's intention was to build a monument to his art. He filled it with paintings and statuary from his many trips to Europe and furniture from Tuscany. When the villa was built, it was on the only road now called Luisenstrasse, that let up to the Nymphenburg Palace, (c. 1664) the summer home of the royal family of Bavaria. Because the royals would be passing it and going to and from their palace, the city of Munich set out rigorous rules for its design. In other words, the villa had to be stunning, giving the royals something nice to look at. And, it is. Today, 450,000 visitors each year enjoy von Lenbach's studio and home. Image courtesy of Lenbachhaus Gallery and Museum.

This structure in Düesseldorf, Germany, is part home, part workshop, and part showroom for designer and resident Joachim Jasper. Located in a former factory, it features modern furnishings from the likes of Tom Dixon and Agape.

The architects say their concept is inspired by the lack of privacy in typical lane houses in Shanghai.

Another area of The Politics and Pleasures of Food offers a new way to appreciate art…

An apartment building in Darmstadt, Germany calls to mind layers upon layers of sediment compressed beneath newer forms of plant life; its rooftop garden is just one aspect of its unique appearance. Photo via Huffington Post.

Another painting by Neo Rauch, Der Landgang, demonstrates strategic use of color over a red-brown background (a common theme throughout the exhibition), which is meant to represent the lighting before or after a storm.

Blaine Bronwell, an associate professor at the University of Minnesota School of Architecture and author of Material Strategies: Innovative Applications in Architecture, calls out biomimicry and biodesign. "The engineering firm Arup created a promising system for a German building expo: it has a living algae curtain wall, which harvests the building's algae as an energy source through a bioreactor," Bronwell writes.

Allianz Arena (Munich, Germany: 2006 World Cup) Luminous and lofty, Allianz Arena lit up the 2006 competition with its revolutionary façade, a membrane of inflated plastic panels that can change color. Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron designed the stadium to put spectators as close to the action as possible. Photo by Mohamed Yahya, Creative Commons

When the villa was completed in 1890, its architect, Gabriel von Seidl designed the peaceful Italian Renaissance garden that surrounds it. The café in the Foster & Partners addition will overlook the restored gardens. Image courtesy of Lenbachhaus Gallery and Museum.

Visitors to the Lenbachhaus Museum used to enter through the villa's front door. To the left is architect Ulrich Hamann's new entrance into the skylit atrium. Image courtesy of Lenbachhaus Gallery and Museum.

Pia Wustenberg

Stuttgart City Library in Stuttgart, Germany-Designed by Korean architect Eun Young Yi, the new Stuttgart City Library opened in 2011 to mixed reviews from locals, library enthusiasts, and architects. It's been derided as a two-color Rubik's Cube, a block-shaped prison for books, and a sterile unfriendly environment. But with the funnelling staircases connecting the book-filled floors skyward and hidden cozy seating areas, I think it looks more like a less-fluffy heaven for nerds.

The Berlin Elevations Architectural Print celebrates building from the German capital, including iconic structures alongside lesser known places, focusing on the often overlooked details that comprise the modern urban experience. This print provides architectural drawings of five of Berlin’s buildings— Brandenburger Tor, Berliner Siegesäule, Am Kupfergraben 10, Berliner Fernsehturm, and Neue Nationalgalerie.

Even in a country known for its eco-friendly regulations, the JustK house stands out; its triple-glazed windows and geothermal heat exchanger make it as green as it is modern.

Placed beneath a series of circular skylights, the sunken bathtub in this Stuttgart, Germany home designed by Matthias Bauer of MBA/S Associates is the stuff of dreams.

In Weimar, Germany, Mark Pohl remade a 1907 building that hadn't been renovated since the 1970s. The space is outfitted with designs from graduates of Bauhaus University.

Colorful winding facade of a building in the Wilhelmsburg neighborhood in Hamburg, Germany.

A garden pavilion in Germany.

Although the furniture’s orientation may set your sense of direction spinning, the beds and chairs are stowed underneath the floorboards.

After meeting in Milan in 2007, Jerry Helling, CEO of Berhardt Design, asked HANSANDFRANZ to give him some thoughts on a new piece for the company. After analyzing the Bernhardt portfolio, they decided to create a bench and a stool in a timeless shape: a light frame of two intersecting loops made of polished stainless steel with a thin cushion of alluring color. “Our thought was that they should be minimalist multifunctional seating elements for private and also public rooms, which do a little more than the usual,” says Landuris. “Cycle’s open character wants to encourage people to communicate, for example, and its generous face invites people to take a seat. Berhardt liked the idea and the collaboration began."