Outside, the couple clad the house with a rain screen of 1.5-by-1.5-inch strips of spruce to create a “modern rustic barn.” The extra-deep sills of the first-floor window become a bench on the outside and a shelf on the inside.

A vintage stool, a design that once was a staple of Greek classrooms, is tucked under the office desk on a landing leading to a balcony. The visual theme of the vertical wooden slats repeats itself here, including on a closet door. “They have no handles,” Ritenour says of the closet doors. “The lines are the door handles; you have to know to grab them.”

The owners’ goal was to transform the 19th-century building into a bold single-family residence. Historical architectural details were made modern with a striking black facade, while inside, a flexible living space that opens into an exterior garden enables a simplified lifestyle.

In the master bath, sandblasted windows let in light while retaining privacy. The tub is from Dado, the vanity and stool are from Ligne Roset, and the Big Bang light is from Foscarini.

A view from the upper stair landing toward the master bedroom. A bronze track in the walnut flooring provides a guide for a sliding wall which can be seen nested in its pocket on the left. This wall was a feat of engineering on our general contractor's part. Built on site in three panels as it was too large for nyc transport if fabricated off site. Light from a concealed skylight with operable opaque louver to provide a blackout shade can be seen broadcasting along the back wall of the bedroom. A custom steel window can be seen on the right.

A closer look at the craftsmanship. Would you believe that the tan portions are leather?

The dramatic rear elevation showcases the open-plan living and dining room. Apart from the addition, the rest of the home maintained its “traditional” layout, with bedrooms branching off from a central hallway. Windows on all sides of the addition bring light in and make the space feel bright and expansive. Tonal and textural contrast can be seen between the burnt ash cladding at the exterior and the engineered European oak flooring at the interior. Through thoughtful design and space planning, the architects and owners made the biggest impact possible with only 500 square feet of added living space.

Vassiliou and Angeliki tuck into watermelon slices on a patio off the master bedroom. The terrace offers views of Mount Lycabettus, whose peak towers 745 feet above Athens, and the city itself, which splays out toward the mountains in the distance.

A wall of custom cabinets made with Paldao wood veneer defines the kitchen. "We wanted them to be as clean and minimal as possible but to have a warm texture," Slade says. "The aluminum countertop, resin upper cabinets, and satin mirror glass backsplash are designed to reflect light."

"Many of the decisions were about maximizing luminosity within the apartment," principal James Slade says. The open-plan kitchen and dining room features a custom walnut picnic-style table.

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The Circus Maximus As the largest stadium in ancient Rome, the Circus Maximus could seat 250,000 people, stood three stories high, measured 2,000 feet long and stretched 500 feet wide.The sport of choice here was chariot racing, and it was pretty much the ancient Roman’s version of the Indy 500: high speeds and spectacular crashes on a dangerous track.The track held 12 chariots racing a distance of roughly four miles and races were held here for almost 1000 years until 549 AD. Today, it’s a public park in the center of the city, with few remnants of its former glory. Photo by: Niklas Nordlund

This airy addition on the back of a historic house in Boise is a model of sensitive renovation, seamlessly melding new and old. Photo by Lincoln Barbour.

The sheer amount of user information available about the government helps drive everything from e-commerce to the design of bicycle lanes in Copenhagen.

Ritenour carved a window into an L-shaped wall to open the cramped master bedroom to a small, light-filled atrium (below). An unsightly structural beam was covered with wood to create a distinctive sunken bed.

In the Tribeca penthouse of a young bachelor, Reddymade Design kept most of the space intact, focusing on adding bright and appealing furniture and materials. Tropicalia chairs from Moroso surround an El Dom table from Cassina. The pendant is from Petite Friture.

When Bjerre-Poulsen first saw the house, “I instantly saw all the interesting possibilities,” he says. “As an architect you see not what it is but what it could be.” Among those possibilities: transforming an adjacent storehouse into a guest room, connected to the original house via the renovated dining room and sitting area.

Rome, Italy-Who can forget the Romans? They invented the arch and the dome and perfected the use of concrete. Home to such heavy-hitters as the Colosseum, the Pantheon, the Pont du Gard, and the famous bathhouses, Rome is a formidable presence in architectural history and appreciation. No true student of architecture can willingly bypass the opportunity to witness mind-blowing Roman innovation. Photo by: http2007.

The 1,292-square-foot split-level apartment occupies the top two floors of a building in central Athens that was completed in 1995. The apartment’s configuration allows for four balconies and panoramic views of the city and its tallest natural feature, Mount Lycabettus.

The redesign opened up the ceiling to reveal historic but damaged trusses, which were rehabilitated or replaced with Douglas fir depending on their degree of rot. The sofa and side tables below are from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams. The desk chair is from McGuire.

Edmonton architect Vivian Manasc’s 19th-story rooftop penthouse is sustainable and colorful, offering the perfect solution to downtown living. Photo by Garth Crump.

Since the building's facade is landmarked, the existing fence could not be altered. The architects responded by dressing up the perimeter with garden and design elements. Benches punctuate steel planters, creating a sitting area along the terrace walkway.

Angeliki’s toys share space in the living room with an ETR coffee table and Molded Plastic Rocker chair, both by Charles and Ray Eames and purchased from Vitra. Behind the couch, 300 vertical oak strips add a decorative element.

The architect's selected starkly different dark and light hues to echo their contrast of new and old.

An outdoor hangout sits beneath an arbor-like overhang. A waterfall wall partitions a neighbor's terrace, and adds ambient noise.

Reddy swapped out the spiral iron staircase for a modern wood one protected by glass walls.

Custom hammered-copper tiles add texture and reflect light in the master bedroom. The bed, steel-and-walnut side tables, and brass lamps are all custom-made by Cécile & Boyd’s.

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For those who can never get enough of a breathtaking view, the penthouse of the Setai in Miami Beach has it all. With floor-to-ceiling windows that create a graphic visual effect, this modern bathroom shows off sprawling ocean views.

Mojo Stumer Associates Architects and landscape architects Town & Gardens partnered to rejuventate an overlooked outdoor area at a Manhattan penthouse. Their objective was to elevate the terrace to match the inviting, modern interiors.

In the master bedroom, a woven Loom chair by Matteograssi is paired with a wood-and-marble side table from Cécile & Boyd’s. Sliding glass doors lead to the screened outdoor veranda with a custom bronze table and Neutra Batyline chairs from Marlanteak. “The outside-inside flow was important to us, as the apartment is all about views and using the veranda spaces,” says designer Geordi De Sousa Costa.

This former horse stable in Marin County, which was built beside the old Northwest Pacific Railroad in the early 1900s, was used as a guesthouse and garage until recently, when its water pipes burst, resulting in significant damage. Architect Heidi Richardson then stepped in to repair and elevate the historic barn. Today, it is wrapped in recycled redwood, some of which was reclaimed from the original structure.

At night, glowing planters illuminate the outdoor space, guiding guests along the walkway.

Conveniently located outside the entrance, a glass table, surrounded by Eames Molded Fiberglass chairs, provides the perfect place for alfresco dining during warmer months.

If you have the keys to this cool Leblon penthouse, you'll enjoy spectacular views of Rio's famous Christ the Redeemer statue from the swimming pool. The airy four-bedroom home was designed by Luiz Eduardo Indio da Costa, a pioneering Brazilian architect who, in 2006, became the first-ever recipient of the Niemeyer Commendation Award from the Instituto de Arquitetos do Brasil. With retractable walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a palm tree-fringed wraparound deck encircling the property, this is indoor-outdoor living, modern Brazilian-style.

Iason Vassiliou, Maria Voutsina, and their daughter, Angeliki, relax in a landing-level office at their apartment in Athens, Greece.