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Melissa Dalton is a freelance writer in Portland, Oregon, who has been writing for Dwell since 2017. Read more of her work about design and architecture at melissadalton.net.

Before & After: You’d Never Guess This Tiny Oasis Is in the Middle of São Paulo
Architect Orlando Denardi uses adobe brick, tropical plants, and giant sliders to give an ’80s penthouse a bright, new outlook.
Before & After: A Gut Remodel Corrects a Century of Quick Fixes in This Brooklyn Row House
Office of Architecture addresses sagging joists, crooked stairs, missing bricks, and exposed pipes to create a richly textured...
Before & After: Color Runs Wild in This Once-Beige Clinton Hill Apartment
The Brooklyn home now relishes in a range of blues, greens, and orangey-reds, with terrazzo and tile to spare.
Before & After: Ann Edgerton Takes the ’80s Out of Her Texas Ranch House
The Dwell 24 alumnus jumps into Hill Country life with a holistic remodel that pairs vintage finds with new works from her...
Budget Breakdown: This Edwardian Got An Overhaul—and a Salmon-Pink Addition—for $1M
“Basically everything had asbestos in it,” says architect Aleksandra Popovska—but that was the first of many pricey surprises as...
Before & After: Vintage Tile Rules In This Remodeled Fisherman’s Flat in Spain
“Everything is kind of shiny here,” says David the homeowner. “I think these funky patterns grew on us.”
Before & After: Copious Cabinetry Makes a Compact Flat Work for a Family of Four
Sugarhouse Design & Architecture sought to “pack in storage at every opportunity” as they revised this 1,171-square-foot...
Budget Breakdown: An $838K Brooklyn Townhouse Renovation Keeps Two Families Connected
An unlocked door between levels, a shared backyard, and opened-up spaces make it easy for the adults to share in the day-to-day...
Before & After: Here’s What It Took to Give a Historic Palazzo a Royal Revamp
Living in an Italian villa might sound like a dream—but restoring this property involved rebuilding the structure, updating the...
Before & After: Touring Midcentury Homes Was an Obsession. Then They Got to Revive One by Saul Zaik
Removing a mezzanine level shrouding a skylight in the 1963 Portland residence was just the first step.
Budget Breakdown: For $213K, a Creative Couple Remodel a Cozy California Cabin—Without Drywall
Color and vintage furnishings make this 1977 gem “feel like a hug.”
Budget Breakdown: A Designer Embraces the Hippie Vibes in Her Portland Kitchen for $45K
Stephanie Dyer and her husband, Samuel, celebrate the quirks, handicraft, and patchwork of wood in their 1898 home.
Before & After: In Merida, a Remodeled Concrete Bungalow Honors Tradition
FMT Estudio refashions a 1928 home with custom wooden windows, modern ironwork, and a serene courtyard pool.
Before & After: Trees Grow Right Through the Roof of This Revived Farmhouse in India
The founders of the firm D’Well turn a crumbling dwelling into a serene architecture studio where nature takes center stage.
Before & After: They Gave Their Portland Ranch House a “Midsommar Modern” Revamp
Moody florals meet custom millwork and gleaming brass in this Pacific Northwest midcentury reno by Bright Designlab.
Before & After: This 1881 Schoolhouse Conversion Is a Master Class in Adaptive Reuse
Bowerbird Architects preserved the building’s windows, wainscot, and chalk rail while converting it into a three-bedroom getaway...
Before & After: They Brought Their Buff and Hensman Midcentury Back to Its Original Glory
A couple tap Cover Architecture and EEK Studio to install custom casework, ribbed glass, and a grand fireplace while staying true...
Before & After: Rich Color and Millwork Revive a Historic New Orleans Shotgun Home for $198K
A designer couple collaborate on a breakneck, six-month remodel to ready their 1910 home for their new baby.
Budget Breakdown: One of the Oldest A-Frames In Arrowbear Lake, CA, Gets A Moody Makeover for $177K
“Think old Hollywood speakeasy rather than your grandfather’s cabin,” says designer and owner Jacqueline Blum.
This Tiny Seattle Houseboat Is Just What the Doctor Ordered
Charmed by the life aquatic, a physician tasks GO'C to create a 618-square-foot floating home with three decks, a full kitchen,...
Before & After: In Seattle, a 1904 House Sheds Decades of Remodels—and Five Tons of Debris
Best Practice Architecture founding partner Ian Butcher helps a friend carve away layers of a historic home while embracing its...
Before & After: They Gave Their Tiny Kitchen a Donald Judd–Inspired Upgrade
“It was too boxed in. It was what some people call a one-butt kitchen.”
Before & After: They Gave Their Fussy Hill Country Cabin a “Subtractive” Makeover
In Texas, where everything is bigger, a couple bring a 1908 home back to basics by paring away the decorative excess of past...
Budget Breakdown: They Gave a Bland ’70s Cabin a Psychedelic Glow-Up for $120K
For their first DIY renovation, Whimsy Soul cofounders Kara Harms and Robin Berenson infuse a woodsy getaway with vintage vibes,...
Before & After: Savvy Storage Makes This Mumbai Flat Work for Three Generations
Kaviar Collaborative livens up a blank-slate three-bedroom apartment with a pastel palette and custom built-in furniture.
Construction Diary: It Took a Decade, But Their Experimental, DIY Home Was Worth the Wait
Using an abandoned Portland house as their personal design lab, the couple behind JHL Design craft a sustainable, cost-effective...
Before & After: The Brownstone Boys Overhaul a Brooklyn Garage Into a Family Home
Barry Bordelon and Jordan Slocum convert an 1894 carriage house into a bright dwelling with a central courtyard, two rooftop...
Before & After: Old Beams Meet a New Metal Staircase in a 1700s Farmhouse in New Jersey
Fuller/Overby Architecture inserts treads and railing in perforated steel, a colorful bathroom, and sleek millwork that...
Before & After: In Austin, a New Life Out West Starts With a First Remodel for $176K
“When you have a beginner’s mind, you don’t know what you don’t know.”
Before & After: With a Crisp Addition, a Cookie-Cutter Eichler Breaks Out of Its Shell
In Sunnyvale, Blaine Architects expands a run-of-the-mill midcentury with a serene courtyard and a subtle yet stylish studio.
Before & After: An Old Montreal Apartment Embraces Sharp Contrast—and a Surprise Sauna
La Firme designs a strikingly unconventional pied-à-terre to feel like “a tunnel transporting us to a new dimension.”
Before & After: The (Potential) Views Were the Most Promising Part of This Cape Town Home
Architect Werner Lotz and interior designer Jenine Bruce reworked the midcentury’s convoluted, split-level plan to connect it...
Before & After: Their Brooklyn Limestone Was Trapped in the ’90s, so They Set It Free
A couple call on architect Sonya Lee to polish up the historic home’s flooring, fretwork, and built-ins, overhaul its...
Before & After: A Series of Unfortunate Updates Are Reversed at This Brooklyn Brownstone
A couple turns back the clock on the Williamsburg townhome, mixing time appropriate touches with a few funky—but fitting—finds of...
Before & After: Their Job Is Discovering Hidden Gems. Their Brooklyn Townhouse Is One of Them
Charmed by a historic home’s ornate details—but wary of its run-down state—the couple behind Untapped New York save what they can...
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