apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We received this impressive peek inside architect Ricardo Bofill's Barcelona home and office via LoftLife — it's an abandoned cement factory that Bofill found in 1973 and has adapted to highlight the industrial past and his own unique design aesthetic...

I had to share this amazing fireplace facade — it's part of a home renovation in Sag Harbor, New York by Jendretzki Design and Planning Consultant. The update to the existing home included the addition of some green technology and an overall plan that better unites the interior with the exterior spaces and amazing wooded views...

We've featured Jennifer Levy's smart solutions before — she repurposed a Marais stool as a sink pedestal. Jennifer has sent us pictures of her office makeover which she completed using a combination of IKEA and leftover materials from previous renovation projects...

Designed by Mathieu Lehanneur and David Edwards, the ANDREA amplifies the natural ability of houseplants to absorb and metabolize noxious airborne chemicals. The concept originated from the collaborators' Bel-Air design for a mini-mobile greenhouse — and after 2 years of development, it is ready for consumer sales and use...

Name: Joyce
Location: Stow, Massachusetts

"We live in an eco-home that we designed and built on the foundation of a 1959 ranch. It was designed to embrace the beauty of simple natural materials, open spaces, and carefully thought-out systems for health and comfort. Inspired by Sarah Susanka's The Not So Big House, every aspect of the design aims to maximize space, making use of the entire footprint (and the vertical space) to accommodate the way a family lives. The result is environmentally sustainable, aesthetically delightful, and lovingly suited to the needs of a family..."

This concept for a cantilevered house on water is from architects Jedrzej Lewandowski and Lukasz Skirzynski. After researching yacht architecture, the pair came up with the idea for a self-sufficient 2 family home that includes an integrated floating dock (rises and falls with tide levels), desalination water treatment, and tidal and solar energy generators...

Architect Anne Menke's update to a very common-looking German home from 1957 successfully met her clients requests — "modern AND cosy" — and artfully blended the new addition into an existing neighborhood in Hameln, Germany...

The modern design of this new home in East Hampton, Long Island was inspired by old barns and environmentally sustainable building practices...

Promoting the ideas of creative reuse and the aesthetics of vintage furniture, Dutch designer Isabel Quiroga has repurposed various tables into Storyteller. This purple shelving and desk combo reminds us of Matt Carr's Biblioteca Bookrack design for Umbra and the fantastical designs of Bay-area designer Thomas Wold...

Check out the design for the Flow2 efficiency kitchen (key word: efficient) — Oregon-based Studio Grom has integrated all the functions of a kitchen so that drying dishes help water plants, condensation from refrigeration helps cool butter (but keeps it soft enough to spread) and composting food waste helps fertilize kitchen plants...

From the archives at Dwell — architect Lynn Gaffney and her husband Bill Backus built a weekend retreat in rural Sharon, Connecticut. Manhattan renters, the couple wanted an escape that was anything but urban. Their new home was designed with sustainability in mind and its simple form was inspired by barns and sheds...

Though we've looked at house boats, yachts and floating homes in the past, The Citadel is an entire apartment complex that floats! Part of The Netherlands' initiative to embrace their watery surroundings, The Citadel is one part of the larger New Water development — reclaiming Dutch wetlands, polders and waterways...

Yesterday, I got a tour of the new line Canvas from Ochre owner Andrew Corrie. As a board member of Aid to Artisans, Andrew's interest in sustainable, quality furnishings and handcraft has formed a foundation to the line that supplements Ochre's high-end pieces with a collection aimed at the style-minded on a smaller budget. My favorite piece was a table made from cedar salvaged from dismantled NYC water towers!

The colors and designs of Alexander Girard inspired these bicycle designs from Electra Bicycle Company. Part of Electra's Amsterdam collection, the bicycles feature 3-speed internal gear systems and all the details you'd expect — a bell (no whistles)...