Mammoth

The Meranti wood and glass doors are over nine feet tall, and have a custom arch detail at the top. The clay coating on the walls and ceiling are by Matteo Brioni. “We mixed some colors together to give the space a perfect warm and serene feel,” says Valérie. “We like to add the same clay finish to the ceiling as the walls to create a sense of intimacy.”

Opening the connection between the basement and the main floor, Plum Projects made the staircase the center of the home. Polished concrete floors anchor the space.

Redone with tranquility and escape in mind, the primary suite bathroom feels spa-like with a wash of Bedrodsians Magnifica Calacatta in super white.

The renovated kitchen is open, airy, and connected to the rest of the main level. Plum Projects used Bedrosians Magnifica Luxe polished white porcelain for the island, countertops, and backsplash. The black upper cabinets are made from Richlite: a durable, sustainable material made from recycled paper.

The office enclosure is made from white oak, with slats crafted in Plum Projects' studio workshop.

The open layout brings breathing room to the new dining area. To the right is the home's central opening, built around a set of custom stairs.

Natural forms and a neutral palette of stucco and wood bring a refined touch to interior spaces.

Under the extension of the A-frame is the dining area and a large sofa for gathering. According to Pablo, the family gathers there in all weather. "Listening to the rain on the roof and in the trees is a wonderful experience," he notes.

Morten Bo Jensen, of Danish industrial design company Vipp, and his partner, graphic designer Kristina May Olsen, have mixed repurposed vintage items with their own creations inside their Copenhagen apartment. In the kitchen, the dining table—Jensen’s first piece for Vipp—is made of a powder-coated aluminum frame with a recycled, untreated teak top. The lamps overhead are salvaged and rewired Copenhagen streetlights.

Choosing a kitchen or bathroom countertop can be nerve-wracking, and we understand why—they can be one of the most expensive aspects of a renovation, with the added responsibility of impacting the aesthetics of a space. Read on as we work our way through the pros and cons of seven of the most common countertop materials.

A new kitchen at the front of the house completes the trifecta of reworked rooms on the main level. It fits nicely into the notion of balancing new and old elements throughout the house, with oak detailing married to exposed brick, offset by strip lamps. The Hee bar stools are by HAY, the Caravaggio P3 pendants are by Light Years, and the range oven is from Britannia.

In the bathroom, a concrete sink basin and shelf cast by a local artisan sits over a birch vanity.

The door to the bathroom has a steel detail that recalls the exterior. "It's the only interior door in this little micro-building," says Shaw. "Therefore, we felt like it couldn't just be a door; it had to be, in a sense, like a piece of furniture."

The window seat can also double as a bed. "It's particularly long, which was so that an adult can sleep there, or two kids could comfortably cozy up and sleep there," says Shaw, noting that it’s tucked around the corner from the bed for privacy.

California: Andrea Cochran On a two-and-a-half acre landscape in Geyserville, California, Andrea Cochran found that compatibility was key. “Although not all of the plants are native to California, they are native to the Mediterranean and arid regions with similar climates,” she says. Lomandra— an Australian herb—flanks a Cor-Ten steel staircase and a walkway lined with Yosemite tan pebbles and concrete.

The main aim of the project was to create a functional and beautiful kitchen that would let the parents keep an eye on their children's activities while they were cooking.

Tall windows and floor-to-ceiling wood shelving enhances the apartment's sense of space.