Marcus Lee and Rachel Hart’s wonderful wooden home sits at the end of a quiet London lane and politely turns its back on the workshops next door.

Corporate high-flyers and admitted neat freaks Bruce Thatcher and Kirsty Leighton couldn’t handle the chaos anymore. Read more about this Victorian terrace in London here.

Seen in the architectural context of its London neighborhood, the house is all the more extraordinary: compact, materially innovative, and easy on the eyes.

Pros: Concrete countertops are durable, resistant to heat, and can be less expensive than natural stone, especially when completed as a DIY project. Cons: Concrete must be sealed before being used; otherwise, its porous nature means that it will stain very easily.

“The client wanted an interior space where you could read the materiality of the building elements like understanding the ingredients in a recipe,” principal architect Elizabeth Webster explains. The extension features distinctly textured materials: an exposed timber ceiling, painted brick walls, and polished concrete floors. Warm lighting by Brinklicht unifies the space.

Architect Gregory Phillips connected the original house to a new modern extension that doesn’t interfere with the surrounding houses. “I try to be true to the location,”he explains, “so it doesn’t seem like some spaceship has landed.”

The kitchen is situated in a sunken basement, underneath the staircase’s walnuts steps. The same joiner who built the house’s timber elements built the white cabinetry which are finished in a 40% gloss lacquer. Silestone countertops and integrated appliances maintain the space’s simple lines. Additional storage is fitted under the staircase.

Kaffeine Tozer refurbished the interior and exterior of this tiny retail space in Fitzrovia, preserving the existing shopfront and painting it jet-black.

In the kitchen, white MDF cabinets stow tools. A Lebanese cedar island and stainless-steel countertops provide ample work space—and a place to display treasured items, such as the Buono V60 drip kettle by Hario. The island features a Franke sink with a Vola faucet. The oven is by Siemens.

The renovated industrial compound is clad in metallic bronze-glazed bricks from Modular Clay Product, which match the neighboring Victorian terrace homes. The reflective bricks change in appearance as the sun moves through the sky, but always echo the Bronze Casements by Vale windows.

Each of the sliding trays in Pozner’s tidy office desk serves a different function.

ROULE TRAY Designed by Pauline Deltour for Discipline, the Roulé tray is inspired by classic copper pots used in jam making. Carrying through with this inspiration, the tray features an exaggeratedly large rolled edge that is not only an aesthetic choice, but also a practical one—the edge facilitates handling and stacking with other Roulé trays. Made from copper or brass, this tray has a distinctive shine that has a mirror-like effect on the objects it holds. The classic shape of the Roulé tray recalls traditional and simple serving trays, but the luxe materials give the tray a refined elegance that will add sophistication to a cocktail party or dress up a side table arrangement.

Inside Out Architecture renovated an apartment in the Clerkenwell section of central London, removing interior walls to create an open, loft-like living space. The architects were taken in by the "dramatic geometry" of the existing board-formed concrete ceiling, and their design maintained and emphasized its dynamic criss-crosses and texture.

In the bathroom beneath the stairs, copper fixtures and subway tile feel at once sensitive to the home's roots and very of the moment. It is this attention to cohesiveness that the Don't Move Improve! award seeks to recognize.

Where once there was a timeworn 1950s bungalow in the Metropolitan Green Belt south of London, there now stands a dynamic house whose two volumes are joined by a glass atrium. The project was designed by Grant Freeman of OB Architecture.

The house’s stacked floors progress vertically from the communal basement, through the mixed-use mezzanine, to the private bedroom. Its staircase responds to these functions. Perforated folded steel steps between the ground level and mezzanine allow for greater access to sunlight. Between the mezzanine and upper level, solid folded steel stairs and partitions serve as the bedroom’s acoustic barrier.

The renovation was designed to preserve and call attention to the angular pattern of the crisscrossing concrete ceiling beams. Photo by Jim Stephenson.

The bedroom is located on a mezzanine just below the roof of a church. The minimal decor and simple arrangement of the room reflect the client’s modest tastes. The small pewter spotlights and pendant by Holloways of London connect to an exposed galvanized conduit that is set against the brick above the bed.

The staircase is about 46 feet tall from top to bottom.

In the dining room, a James Burleigh table sits beneath a sizeable skylight. Throughout the ground floor, additional lighting is recessed in the coffered ceilings. Painted brick walls provide a reminder of the building’s industrial past.

The rear of the house features Victorian brick, a modern extension, and Velfac windows. Landscape designer Matthew Wright was inspired by the art of Henri Rousseau when choosing plants to set amid the garden’s Dorset pebbles.

The renovated kitchen/dining area boasts views of the garden through sliding doors by IQ Glass. Ultratop flooring by Mapei and custom millwork in Lebanese cedar give the space a practical, industrial quality.

The adjoining master bathroom is connected by mirrored pocket door with bronze trim at the frame. The graphic space features a Kaldewei tub, Domus tiles, and Dornbracht faucets and fixtures. A marble vanity top and medicine cabinet sit against the far wall; a compact wood bench slides smartly under the vanity.

Sandblasted glass gives the bathroom window a frosted finish and—together with white mosaic tiles and mirrors—brightens the small space.

The kitchen features custom stained white oak cabinetry by INTERIOR-iD with eye-catching brass accents. A custom brass extractor hood sits over a Gaggenau range. The space-efficient workstation is anchored against one wall, and the mirrored panel helps reflect light and visually integrate the kitchen into the rest of the living area. A utensil rail, along with ample cabinet and drawer space, all offer organizational solutions. An open shelf above the cookspace is cleanly accented by minimal strip lighting.

The home’s living room is located on the lower level, opposite the kitchen. The herringbone-patterned brick floor is partially covered by a carpet purchased in Istanbul. A sofa and Muuto sideboard anchor opposite sides of the space.

Light My Fire “I didn’t want to compromise the Victorian nature of the house,” she says. Although the original fireplace was in good shape, the flooring needed to be replaced. Kiely didn’t want to use new wood, so she sourced the weathered ebony-colored boards from an architectural salvage yard. “I wanted the floors to really feel like they were part of the house,” she says. Kiely found the rug at Heal’s and the chandelier and art are vintage.

The opposite wall of the kitchen features built-in Siemens appliances and concealed storage. The custom INTERIOR-iD cabinets feature mitered doors, and brass trim, which passes fluidly around the edge of the doors, terminating at the back wall.

London's Athenaeum Hotel near Hyde Park features a side living wall designed by well, you guessed it, Patrick Blanc. (Pin).

Red & Black TrayA simple graphic tray with an elegant carrara marble inset. $195

Perfect for colorful macaroons, this geometric tray is designed by Clara Von Zweigbergk and is arrangeable to fit your appetite.

The décor was deliberately kept unfussy, down to the cool green French chairs. The patterned chair is upholstered in one of the client’s own distinctive tweed designs. Salvaged oak parquet flooring was used throughout, laid in a Mondrian-esque grid pattern, rather than the traditional herringbone arrangement. Left with its original patina intact, it lends warmth to the area.

The hallway’s matte-white paint is a crisp backdrop to refurbished details like the balustrade.

Serve treats on a tray as rich as dessert itself with the marble-and-walnut Duo serving tray from Bower.

AJ SERVING TRAY There is something undeniably refined about a stainless steel bar set. Whether it’s the subtle shine or the coolness of the metal, Stelton’s Cylinda-Line, designed by Arne Jacobsen, presents the essential elements for a modern bar. The series uses simple cylindrical shapes to provide a minimalist, clean continuity between the pieces. The AJ Serving Tray features two side handles for easy carrying, and is an attractive way to serve cocktails to guests, or to place hors d’oeuvres on a coffee table. As a standalone item, the tray adds elegance to a cocktail party. Grouped with other pieces from the Cylinda-Line? That’s a comprehensive, sophisticated modern bar.

Wolfum The L.A.-based design shop led by Annabel Inganni sets itself apart with a combination of materials and textiles. Its serving tray exemplifies Wolfum’s infatuation with patterns in a simple form created from Baltic Birch plywood.