In New York, converting an obsolete industrial building into a residence is nothing new. Artists began doing so at the end of the Second World War, when industry moved outside of the city and opened up more economically viable (though raw) options for living. Nearly 80 years later, the challenge remains the same: how to transform facilities designed for large-scale production and storage into far more livable homes.

When tasked with the recent renovation of an especially oversized — at 10 metres wide — NoMad loft, local firm Michael K Chen Architecture (MKCA) introduced a series of deft structural strategies aimed at breaking up the space and creating better flow. “It was so broad and deep that important areas like the kitchen were located far from windows, and the proportions of the main living space were too large for conventional seating,” says firm principal Michael Chen. The solution: installing a curvaceous wall — finished in grapefruit pink–limewashed plaster — that not only allows for a continued sense of openness but also delineates sub-regions or eddies within and outside this core element. The clients are consummate entertainers, hosting everything from craft afternoons to large parties. Accounting for flexibility and different uses was also key from the outset.

A cluster of Achille Castiglioni’s Diablo pendants hang in the living room.

The expressively hued and textured feature wraps around otherwise cumber-some load-bearing ceiling beams and helps to contain discreet alcoves like a coat closet. It also conceals pocketing doors that partition off a portion of the living room to create a hideaway office or guest bedroom; a grouping of multi-sided upholstered volumes from Poliform creates a sofa island for window or TV gazing in the main living space. A 10.9-metre-long built-in “spine” of black-stained white oak and perforated metal runs the depth of the apartment, from living room to kitchen-adjacent lounge, and serves as sideboard, media console and additional storage; it also camouflages the radiator and air conditioning unit, bringing a sense of intimacy to the seating area without encroaching on too much floor space.

The heat-tempered steel ventilation hood with integrated lighting (by Kin & Company) balances the volume, and a back wall of full-height Reform linoleum cabinets in hunter green plays with colour blocking.

Located on the other side of the pink central volume, a fully equipped kitchen incorporates a 4.5-metre stainless-steel and marbled Phoenix onyx island and an oversized heat-tempered steel ventilation hood with integrated lighting. “We were contending with the same challenges of scale and dimension in this area, but it’s also a space that’s almost entirely without natural light, except for a fire escape door on the side,” Chen says. “The materials are about leaning into that moody dimness, and also about breaking up a gigantic volume into working and hangout zones.”

This 1.2-metre-long Arbor pendant by Karl Zahn for Roll & Hill adds a sculptural element over the table.

A careful contrast of forms and materials throughout the space conveys an eclectic yet succinct array of textures. No less impressive, the bathroom features intricately patinated metal-patterned wallpaper and a yellow tile–clad tub. “We love colour and materiality and we’re always looking for mixes and juxtapositions that are exciting and interesting without being overwhelming,” Chen says. “In our spaces, we are always after a kind of ease and gentleness, where the design decisions give someone a clear sense of where they can be, where they can settle, where they can work and where they can socialize.”

Called on to create a private retreat in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Toronto interior design firm ACDO had the opportunity to subvert the conventional waterfront getaway. The client had a clear vision for his home situated on a sandy stretch of Lake Ontario — “Canadian beach house meets Asian resort,” says ACDO founding partner Abraham Chan, one that not only invoked the surrounding natural environment but also incorporated elements inspired by his global travels. 

The space itself was unconventional: 929 square metres spanning the fifth and sixth floors (the penthouse units, which the client had combined) of a mid-construction condominium. A vast blank slate with striking views of the lake, it presented a unique situation, but also a challenge to create intimacy in such a sprawling footprint. The resulting interior finds equilibrium by coalescing local and global inspirations and creating secluded zones amid open spaces.

The juxtaposition begins in the elevator lobby, a small space with lower ceiling heights that the firm embraced, cladding the walls and ceilings with warm wood to create the effect of a spa-like corridor. Upon turning the corner, things expand dramatically into a double-storey volume, where the open dining, living and lounge area offers views of the lake and beyond.

Chan and ACDO partner Sam Khouvongsavanh organized the penthouse with a wooden box at its centre to house the most essential activities, and surrounded it with realms for entertaining, relaxing and wellness. On the main level, the box contains a spacious kitchen, where royal blue lacquered cabinetry punctuates the otherwise warm wood palette. Upstairs, the volume constitutes the primary bedroom. As in the kitchen, sightlines extending to the water have been prioritized; the bedroom adjoins the cantilevered, glass-enclosed solarium, a special addition the client requested of the developers. The room offers panoramic lake views and features a hammam-inspired infinity-edge water fountain that enhances the sensory experience.

While many elements feel exotic — handcrafted tiles in the solarium were sourced from Morocco, and a living moss feature in the primary bath wouldn’t feel out of place in a luxury Balinese retreat — others reflect ACDO’s aim of finding commonalities between laid-back beach house typologies and tropical resorts. For instance, the wood cladding and block motif used throughout is common in Asian resort design, but here, ACDO realized it using Canadian oak and walnut. “The materiality and the way we detailed things felt local,” says Chan, “but we would apply the materials in a way that you would find in resorts.” A palette of deep blues and cool greys complements the weathered timber, both of which are used to subtle and dramatic effect throughout to emphasize the connection to water.

A deeply personal reflection of the client, the home is completed by his extensive art collection, commissioned and sourced largely from artists in Vietnam, Korea and other parts of Asia, as well as Canada and Europe. ACDO studied the collection and collaborated with Toronto- and New York City-based art consultancy Hanabi to effectively — and impactfully — incorporate pieces throughout the penthouse residence. But the most commanding piece of all: the lake beyond the windows. “It changes with the seasons,” Chan says. “It’s like a giant piece of art.”

With all the hallmarks of a laid-back beach house — whitewashed walls, pale wood furniture, creamy upholstery — the apartment is a moment of calm in the Podil district of Kyiv. But it wasn’t always this way. In fact, when interior designer Yana Molodykh first visited the location at the behest of its owners, a recently retired couple wanting a weekend pied-à-terre in the culturally rich neighbourhood, her initial thought was “How can I make something decent out of this?”

Located on the eighth floor, the 50-square-metre apartment was originally intended as the attic level of a new-build multi-unit residence, until the developer decided to add on five more storeys. While the building grew skyward, the unit retained its strong lofty elements, like pitched walls and exposed steel I-beams and columns (and sweeping views of the surrounding area, which is known for its eclectic mix of architectural eras, from ancient to modern), but little else was worth keeping. So Molodykh started over. “Nothing original was left; we even changed the windows,” she says.

One of the biggest challenges: how to deal with all those steel structural bones that imposed on the layout. “The metal beams and columns split the right side of the apartment into sections and I had to fit the rooms — part of the living room, the bedroom and dressing room — between them,” Molodykh explains. To overcome this spatial conundrum, the main area was divided into two and furnished with pieces that wouldn’t overwhelm: On one side, the designer grouped a high-backed sofa from Ukrainian manufacturer Delavega and two Fred armchairs by Jaime Hayon for Fritz Hansen to create a cozy corner for relaxing and intimate gatherings; on the other end of the room, a dining table from Buro 150 (the Kyiv-based modern furniture brand owned by the son and daughter-in-law of the clients and a go-to for Molodykh when specifying for projects) and Sami Kallio’s In Between chairs from &Tradition form an eating nook.

To imbue the space with an airy and peaceful atmosphere, Molodykh painted all the walls, beams and columns in the same “warm shade of wet clay” and replaced the flooring with made-to-order wide planks of tinted ash. In a nod to the older houses in the area, in which wooden beams were traditionally used to separate storeys, a ceiling of pine planks, oiled to highlight the rich graining, was installed. A partition separating a small kitchen from the main living space was removed to open things up and let light from the windows filter throughout; also in the kitchen, protruding mechanical ducts were sheathed in oak wood to resemble pilasters, and new oak cabinetry and speckled black countertops completed the now-more-functional room. Elsewhere, Molodykh designed tinted-oak built-in shelving units that frame the dining corner and offer spots for storage and display. Similar millwork (all by local studio Workshop ST.4) was also installed in the bedroom.

Normally one to use a lot of colour, Molodykh practiced restraint here, only layering in curated accents of matte black, terracotta, blue and red in a “graphic allusion to constructivism.” For the owners, who both grew up in the seaside resort town of Kherson in Southern Ukraine, the breezy character of the newly refreshed apartment is the perfect home away from home to entertain family and friends and engage with Podil’s cultural life.

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Intervalle Shelving by Ligne Roset

French designer Guillaume Delvigne has added a wall-mounted storage system to his Intervalle range of shapely wood furnishings for Ligne Roset. Characterized by the same organic quality as the previous bench, dining table and low coffee table, the shelving is composed of horizontal planes with softly rounded edges that appear seamlessly fused to their fin-like vertical supports. Strikingly simple, the shelving units are available in three sizes, with two wood options for the supports (natural-varnished walnut or white-varnished oak) and two satin-finish lacquers for the shelves (black or green).

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Logos by Molteni&C

Low-slung and sophisticated, the Logos storage system by Vincent Van Duysen for Molteni&C can be customized for composition and finish. Sleek vertical dividers break up the mix-and-match horizontal modules, which include open compartments, drawers and cabinets with doors, and range in height from 36 to 125 centimetres. A refined palette of wood, lacquer, glass or metal can be selected with the option for bronze mirror or fabric back panels; interior LEDs run along the tops and create dynamic reflections against the materials. Logos can be placed directly on the floor, anchored to the wall or set upon a trestle base.

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KGT Wall Unit by UTIL

An evolution of the KGT storage box by industrial design practice CPRV (with studios in London and Marseille) for UTIL — the Lisbon-based maker of minimal yet functional storage furniture — the KGT wall unit can be arranged as a cabinet with one, three or six vertical or three horizontal drawers. Inspired by Donald Judd sculptures, an intentional space was left between each case, lending it visual lightness and a distinct expression. The individual drawers can be removed completely, reverting them back to their original function as a handy portable box. KGT is made from aluminum in a brushed finish or powder-coated in ultramarine, coral, light grey, ivory, pure green or orange.

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Relief by String Furniture

Equally attractive from all sides thanks to the meticulous attention to detail paid by Stockholm-based TAF Studio, the Relief modular storage system for String Furniture can do double duty as an elegant space divider. The series includes three differently sized chests of drawers (with deceptively generous cavities) that can be mixed and matched to create need-appropriate configurations, as well as matching hook rails in three lengths. Named for the graphic relief effect of the tailored edging, the units are made from wood and veneered MDF and are offered in five TAF-chosen matte colourways: grey, white, beige, orange and natural ash.

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Bridge by Tonone

As with the piece of infrastructure that inspired it, the Bridge light by Tonone founder and designer Anton de Groof features multiple evenly distributed supports that maintain balance along the linear design. The dimmable LED is sandwiched between two lengths of transparent recycled Plexiglas — in Fog White, Toxic Green or Lava Orange (shown) — and the power is conducted by the steel-cable suspension for an ultra-clean look. The pendant is available in spans of 110, 150, 180 and 220 centimetres.

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Echo by COR

Munich-based emerging designer Lukas Heintschel describes his charming Echo table for COR as resembling little mushrooms sprouting from the ground. The tone-on-tone toadstools come with three differently sized “stems” that are wrapped in fabric or leather and topped with a removable super-glossy glass “cap” that reflects its surroundings.

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Pallone Soft Seasons by Leolux

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of its distinctive ball-like chair, Leolux turned to Netherlands-based Studio Truly Truly to give it a makeover. Called Pallone Soft Seasons, the new version was inspired by the Earth’s orbit, the changing seasons and the transition from day into night, and features six new colour combinations, a super-soft bouclé seat (rather than the standard leather) and optional chrome-plated legs.

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Ezra by Schönbuch

Designed for Schönbuch by Berlin-based Studio Terhedebrügge, Ezra elevates the humble bench with its graphic asymmetry. Offered in the brand’s range of matte or glossy saturated colourways (and two widths), the versatile seat also works as a spot for a decorative display or storage.

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LOOP by ipdesign

A semicircular backrest that gently curves inward adds an unexpected flourish to the otherwise understated and clean lines of the LOOP sofa by Werner Aisslinger. Created for ipdesign, the modular series has a timeless “unobtrusive nonchalance” and is lifted off the ground by its oh-so-slender legs.

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Mia by Freifrau

Like a series of clouds stitched together, the Mia modular sofa — a first-ever from Freifrau — encourages prolonged relaxation. Designed by Germany’s Ilja Huber, the 11-module system is defined by generously oversized back- and arm-rests that can be adapted for personal preference and is offered in a range of upholstery fabrics.

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Elements Collection by Ethnicraft

Belgian brand Ethnicraft introduces a new material to its portfolio with the Elements collection: microcement. Combining minimal designs with beautiful texture, the two coffee tables, two side tables and streamlined console are artisan-crafted to a fine, earthy finish.

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Mazzu Mattress

British studio Layer flips the conventional mattress with its foamless version for start-up sleep brand Mazzu. Individual hourglass-shaped pocket springs (in firm, medium or soft tensions) are cloaked in a 3D-knit textile and snap together to accommodate personal sleep positions on both sides of the bed. All materials — including the Base Matrix and Cushion Topper — are biodegradable or recyclable.

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Echo by Kvadrat

An eight-shaft threading repeat + 150 single-warp threads + 40 single-weft threads = the distinctive rhythmic pattern of Kvadrat’s Echo rug. The result of years of experimentation by mathematician and designer Jos Klarenbeek, the hand-woven New Zealand wool rug has an inviting tactility and vibrancy. Echo is available in six colourways — three with a white base (Chalk, Marble and Birch) and three with a black base (Shadow, Copper and Ink).

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Lumen by Dibbern

A collaboration between Hamburg porcelain manufacturer Dibbern and lighting designer Tobias Grau, the Lumen table lamp series features four porcelain cylindrical bodies that emit light and four interchangeable glass covers (in amber and grey) that play with that light. Switchless and wireless, the dimmable luminaire is activated through motion — lifting, tilting and setting back down.

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Brady Dining Table by Minotti

Designed for Minotti, the pared-back and rational geometry of Rodolfo Dordoni’s Brady dining table puts the emphasis on the richly veined marble top (variants include Grigio Orobico, Calacatta, Marron Damasco and Nero Marquina), which is placed within a lenticular-shaped frame (in matte Moka scratchproof lacquer), similar to a precious jewel within a ring setting. Combined with the hefty yet handsome metal cylindrical base with decorative ferrule (in satin finish bronze or matte Moka), Brady makes an undeniably striking impression.

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Palatine Dining Table by Roche Bobois

With his Palatine collection for Roche Bobois, French designer Christophe Delcourt both celebrates the brand’s material essence — rich wood and natural stone — and pays homage to the architectural history of Italy. For the dining table, two sculptural semicylindrical travertine legs stand like time-worn columns and beautifully set off the rich walnut surface and support bars. A concave groove running down the table’s centre is filled with more of the perfectly imperfect stone, a considered and poetic detail that is repeated on the coordinating Palatine sideboard. The collection also includes a sofa and armchair upholstered in an alpaca wool–blend bouclé.

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Chatsworth Pedestal Table by West Haddon Hall

Intended as a modern heirloom — one of 14 in the first-ever furniture collection by L.A.-based multidisciplinary design studio West Haddon Hall, helmed by Kate Driver — the Chatsworth pedestal table positions a simple round oak surface atop a trio of sculptural legs, each set slightly askew and lacquered in a warm terracotta. Made to order by local artisans, the table has a charming elegance and bespoke style that speaks to the firm’s “wink and a smile” approach to design.

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Keyhole Communal Table by Fyrn

San Francisco design–build firm Fyrn showcases its woodworking and craft expertise with the Keyhole collection of tables and benches by revealing rather than concealing the structural supports. Employing its own Stemn system (a proprietary fabrication process that allows legs, joints, arms and seats to be easily replaced when necessary), the apron-less trestle-style tables feature visible metal brackets along their solid wood surface and exposed leg connectors, giving them a unique character. A range of North American solid hardwoods in natural oak, oxidized oak or black walnut finishes is available, and the anodized aluminum hardware can be specified in copper bronze or graphite.