Design and architecture are creative professions within which work and life are continually interwoven as passion and innovation grow. In this round-up of homes, personal residences mesh with design studios to create thought-provoking spaces.

A Victorian Home in London's Modern Addition

Location: London

Architect: Alison Brooks Architects

The Lens House involves the conversion of a 19th-century residence in north London to a live/work space for a client who works in photography and design publishing. The additions, including the office, were designed as volumetric lenses, framed by large planes that capture light and draw the exterior into the home.

Maximizing a Very Narrow Site in Echo Park

Location: Echo Park, Los Angeles

Architect: Anonymous Architects

A narrow lot resulted in vertical organization and massing, providing open-plan living, sleeping quarters, a roof terrace, and a third-story architecture studio. The architect designed and built most of the furniture in the house himself. With an architecture studio that overlooks the street, and design creations all around, creativity is sure to fly.

Bellemo & Cat's Cradle

Location: Melbourne, Australia

Architect: Bellemo & Cat

An eccentric, split-level cube wrapped in a painted facade is the primary home and headquarters for Bellemo & Cat, an architect-sculptor pair. Ingenious space planning provides separation between life and work, layering of elements, and unique divisions of functions. As the builder on the project, the owners were able to instill their creativity into creating a an artistic, individualistic home.

A Midcentury Manhattan Loft

Location: Manhattan, New York

Architect: Messana O'Rorke

Live/work environments blend organically in this Chelsea district, 5,600-square-foot loft with concrete floors, 18 windows, and 12-foot high ceilings. Two interlocking Ls create an organization of living spaces and work spaces that are connected by a pair of frosted Plexiglass pocket doors. The simple material palette is accented by midcentury modern classic pieces by Knoll, Saarinen, and Risom.

A Corrugated Metal Home and Studio

Location: Houston, Texas

Architect: Interloop-Architecture

Work and life blend in an efficient 1,200-square-foot home in Houston, Texas. A big life in a small house allows the architect-teacher pair to house their five-person architecture firm, Interloop-Architecture, as well as their growing family, under one roof. The two-story rectangular box, wrapped in corrugated metal, contains the architecture studio on the ground floor, with living quarters above.

A Tiny Live/Work Addition in London

Location: London

Architect: Michael Trentham Architects

Suspended atop a brick bakery in London is the live/work space of Michael Trentham Architects, which blends studio space and housing in a 325-square-foot unit. Wrapped in full-height structural glass, the space is light-filled, reflective, and bright with a single window oriented to grab the maximum amount of daylight. Custom storage solutions allow the workstations to fold away when not in use.

The Architect Next Door

Location: Halifax, Canada

Architect: Susan Fitzgerald Architecture

A home, a commercial space, and a live/work rental unit cohesively blend in this three-unit project connected by a shared courtyard and modern bridge. Concrete, vast glazing, and birch millwork decorate the interiors while allowing flexibility and functionality in both the home and office.

Also Appears In

Bellemo & Cat's Cradle