You may think that a library has to be its own room, but books can be stored and read just about anywhere. Lining a hallway with books turns it into a library that you’ll walk through, and be inspired by, every day. Cabinets below provide extra storage and even a place to sit and read.

The 1968 house’s shape—a rounded triangle topped with a sweeping concrete roofline that suggests a helmet as it rises above huge banks of windows—lends itself totally to Kukkapuro’s philosophy. “It is a structure in waiting, prone to change as the landscape around it—not yet a form, rather a possibility,” he says. “It changes in harmony with the seasons and the moods of its inhabitants.”

In the flat’s living room, midcentury modern art and furniture harmonize with the rich floor tiles, opulent molded ceilings. and original pine wood doors. Prints by Gordon Matta-Clark line the wall near a 1950s Danish dining table that’s paired with Eames chairs. A painting by Kuuti Lavonen hangs above a pink chair and ottoman by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec.

The architects’ two young children occupy this bright bedroom, furnished with Ikea beds. Another custom lamp illuminates the space.

Author and French designer Daniel Rozensztroch's industrial loft was a 17th-century manufacturing plant in the Marais, a historic district that abuts the Bastille. A row of vintage iron cabinets, mostly recovered from doctors’ and dentists’ offices, separate the kitchen from the dining area. The Gervasoni table was designed by close friend Paola Navone. Architect Dominique Perrault and designer Gaëlle Lauriot-Prévost are responsible for the the tubular pendants over the dining table, which resemble old subway lamps.

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.

In the marble-paved bathroom, the architects employed a simple trick to get the most out of the small space. Since the ceilings were already high, they raised the floor level about two feet to fit a Dornbracht bathtub beneath the shower. “By doing so, we also gained a storage space under the bathroom floor, and the window, without moving it, suddenly was in the right place!” Eugeni says. The shower head and sink are by Duravit.

Since the original kitchen was not functional, the architects built a new one from scratch while preserving the original tiles. “We designed very plain oak cupboards so the floor would be the protagonist,” Eugeni says. Ceiling lamps by Vico Magistretti illuminate the warm wood countertops.

A glazed veranda on the flat’s west side offers a cozy spot to enjoy an espresso. The utilitarian table and chairs were purchased second-hand, while the lamp was custom designed.

Two linked 1,000-square-foot pavilions are greater than a sum of their parts. The simply detailed, taut, flat-roofed home’s two wings form a T-shape. One wing runs north to south, parallel to a pool, and contains the open-plan living spaces. Photo by Matthew Millman.

On the opposite side of the veneer wall, a coat closet helps act as a space divider, while defining the entryway. Frequent collaborators, MWAI describes their relationship with INTERIOR-iD as “more fun than work." The architecture team treated the home’s custom pieces as “building blocks” to help define and partition space, while serving critical and specific functions.

Understated décor in the master bedroom lets the floor tiles fully pop. A pendant lamp designed in 1957 by Spanish modernist architect José Antonio hangs above the bed.

The righthand building, which houses two bedrooms, originally had three separate roof structures. "We demolished them and transformed them into one continuous gabled roofline," Safura Salek says. "This also allowed us to raise the height of the roof in order to have higher ceilings in the interior spaces." New bronze aluminum windows and a custom entry door also helped spruce up the facade.

With its easy access, the flat roof is never hard to maintain.

The architect refers to the huge window opposite the bed as their “flat-screen television.”

Though the renovation was significant, you wouldn’t necessarily know it, as the new materials blend well with the old. The transitions between spaces, such as that from the living room to an enclosed veranda, feel completely natural.

Rytis Mikulionis relaxes on a sectional sofa of his design, below a monumental Bul reading lamp by Ligne Roset. He gazes at the winter haze streaming through a grand picture window, the flat’s only source of natural light.

A flat roofline and solid post-and-beam construction create the clean lines of this classic midcentury profile.

The flat is approximately 195-square-feet, forcing a level of economy in the design. This hallway leads to the entrance, as well as provides access to a storage room and bathroom.

Noho Architecture maximized space and natural light to revamp this cramped dwelling on a 14-foot-wide lot in Sydney.

Stretch Bag by Artecnica with TBWA, flat

The home features a flat roofline, and it’s composed of stained red cedar, concrete, and basalt—materials that weather well and blend seamlessly with the land.

The garden was planned by Megan, who selected agaves amongst other plantings as a tribute to her California roots.

In October 2009, La Bodega, a winery and hotel operated by Rough Luxe Experience, opened its doors near the Spanish town of Palamos. The winery structure, designed by RCR Arquitectes, is defined by a sequence of parallel steel blades leaning diagonally backwards and sideways.

The Birch Le Collaboration House and all of the Hygge Supply homes are made from structural insulated panels (SIPs) and steel framing, both of which are designed and cut to spec and delivered to the job site ready for placement, leaving little to no waste onsite. The homes can either be built on a slab-on-grade foundation with concrete floors; pier foundations with Thermory wood floors; or a basement foundation which also includes Thermory wood floors.

When the Casali family gave Michael Krus and Prishram Jain of TACT Architecture free rein to work with unconventional materials, the architects responded by creating a geometric 4,300-square-foot smart home encased in aluminum panels by Agway Metals. The front facade features Cor-Ten steel fabricated by Praxy Cladding.

A bridge spans the home’s steep site for street access.

The L-shaped secondary building perches over a craggy escarpment. It offers the best vantage point for taking in the moss-planted roof, forest, and ocean.

The use of numerous Sky-Frame frameless sliding doors and windows throughout the house creates a direct connection between the permeable nature of the interior spaces and the picturesque countryside surrounding it

The mitered glass window on the southwest corner of the new building is a nod to the entryway on the southwest corner of the existing building.

This eye-catching villa in the Netherlands, designed by Next Architects, proves that you can go big and go home as well. While some homes feature hints of color, the Villa van Vijven structure garners well-deserved attention thanks to its warm orange facade that is meant to mimic the tiled rooftops of Holland’s country buildings. The orange of the exterior also carries over into the communal entrance beneath the building, offset by natural elements such as stones adjacent to the entryway.

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

A glass-walled balcony sits directly above the concrete terrace.