At once part of the city and protected from it, the house benefits from plenty of open space and light and creates its own courtyard enclosure.

Viewed from the entryway, the living room is the main gathering space of the home. Dated parquet floors were replaced with modern ceramic tile. All walls and ceilings were re-plastered, and old windows were upgraded with energy-efficient double-glazed glass.

Given Lima’s dry climate, the architects were able to introduce clever indoor-outdoor gestures such as an open stairwell, and semicovered walkways that allow the trees to provide cover.

Homeowners Cecilia Tham and Yoel Karaso renovate their home in Barcelona, harmoniously overlapping elements of the old and the new. Photo by: Gunnar Knechtel

The concrete wall echoes the curves of the pool’s portholes.

Lisette requested the central work island, which cantilevers over the pool.

For a family in Lima, a team from local firm 51-1 Arquitectos built Casa Serpiente, which meanders around 25 existing trees. Husband Irzio’s study is among the few ground-level rooms in the 4,300-square-foot house.

The sunken family room is enlivened by Alvarez-Calderón’s addition of fabrics from Designers Guild and glossy paint.

The dining area holds an adjunct kitchen designed for Lisette, a chef; the table base was repurposed from one from her former restaurant.

The entrance is reached via a long ramp perforated by uplights.

In the master bedroom is a four-poster bed by Javier Rubio and a vintage Warren Platner chair.

The walls are covered in Graniplast, a tinted acrylic finish. Nathan Pereira Arquitectos y Diseño advised on the facade, floors, and finishes. All the bedrooms are off one hallway; the three children’s rooms were designed by Vanessa Clark.

A playful toy dog by Muebles Casas.

Casa Malaparte is perched on the cliffs of Capri and was designed by Adalberto Libera in 1938.

White tiles — hydraulic ones on the floor and “biselado” (meaning “beveled”) ones on the walls — make for a tranquil bathroom.

This open-ended box, lined in mirrored glass, performs like a kaleidoscope, amplifying the mature Melia tree’s presence within the dining room.

Architect Francesco Librizzi built the staircase for the Casa G project as a means to slow the ascent, to create stations that infused the interior with life.

With library's Cor-Ten shield open, the home’s facade is seen at night. The L shaped pedestrian pathway forces visitors to travel around the perimeter before entry, gradually experiencing the architectural composition step by step.

A structural steel wall in the living area doubles as a built-in bookcase. The side chairs, floor lamps, and dining chairs were salvaged from the Hotel Crillón in Lima. The daybed and coffee table were designed by Maria Eugenia Alvarez-Calderón, who helped Irzio and Lisette with the interiors. The fireplace is from Fireorb and, as throughout, the floor is poured white acrylic by Química Suiza.

When the sliding doors are left open, the rooms enter into a playful dialogue with each other, with the dark exterior walls framing the more colorful bedroom within.

The Casa de vidro, shortly after its completion.

Designed by architect David Day and manufactured and constructed by Green Modern Kits, Casa Ti is a passive solar, one-story modern modular with a whopping 1200 square feet and three bedrooms. That makes it one of the largest modular homes under 40k that we’ve seen.

Architect Bergendy Cooke, who worked for Zaha Hadid and Peter Marino before returning to her home country in 2007, is an admirer of the strong, sculptural architectural forms that appear in Japanese and Spanish architecture. Outside Queenstown, she put her ideas into practice in a home that would be the benchmark for bc+a studio, her own venture. The combination bunk bed and playhouse is a whimsical gesture the architect designed specifically for her two daughters. The spaces are organized in such a way that they can play independently or together.

Illustration via drawastickman.com.

Inspirational spaces

The perforated concrete panels on the façade of Casa Delpin.

One of the witticisms found on livethesheendream.com.

In this kitchen and dining room, architect Bergendy Cooke rethought traditional wood panelling using black pigment-stained veneer. The kitchen has expansive surfaces, including a long, wood-topped kitchen island where the couple cook and entertain, and where the children eat and play. "All of the materials were selected for their integrity and longevity," says Bergendy.

Finished in 2013, the 3,660-square-foot Casa Incubo was built from stacking and sliding four shipping containers to create a residence and gallery for photographer Sergio Pucci (who took all the photos of his new home). Set on flat ground, the two-story structure ended up being much easier for architect Maria Jose Trejos to complete than a typically constructed home, saving roughly 20 percent of the cost of a standard concrete block design.

Trejos positioned the containers about 60 centimeters above the ground floor, which gives the main gallery and workspace a bit of a sunken feel. The double-level main room offers a spacious interior, perfect for large events and easily altered so it can be utilized as a photo studio for indoor shoots.

At Tramshed, spearheaded by Luis de Oliveira of the increasingly progressive Portuguese furniture label De La Espada, Søren Rose Studio showed off a bristly chandelier that is a good example of a species of pendant light that a number of designers have been experimenting with lately.

The small bedroom is outfitted with two beds, and can sleep up to three people. The kitchen can be seen through the adjacent hallway. María José and Enrique were intimately involved in the design process, and their changing needs can be met by shifting the positioning of the rooms as often as needed.

The tableware collections are showcased in a modern interpretation of a classic butler’s pantry with indirect lighting and polished stainless steel frames.

Casa Malaparte by Librera.

Sliding bamboo panels on the west side of the house can be adjusted to provide shade during the later part of the day.

Nestled in the jungle of São Paulo, Casa de Vidro (or Glass House) was the first built project by architect Lina Bo Bardi. Its glass volume stands on thin support columns that allow greenery to grow into the home.