GRAPHĒ

A Curvy Catwalk Dotted With Plants Buffers a Tokyo Home From the Street

It also provides outdoor access to the home’s second level.

Houses We Love: Every day we feature a remarkable space submitted by our community of architects, designers, builders, and homeowners. Have one to share? Post it here.

Project Details:

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Architect: HOAA

Footprint: 1,037 square feet

Structural Engineer: MSE

Photographer: Takuya Seki

From the Architect: "This project is an architect’s home and office located in a densely populated residential area of Tokyo. As there were other houses adjacent to the site boundary on all sides except for the north side where the road is located, we decided to install a large window facing the road. The challenge was in creating a bright garden view through the north-facing window. Therefore, a curved terrace called the ‘kazari garden’ was extended from the large second-floor window, circling the air along the road in search of sunlight. The kazari garden’s smooth curves escape the shadow of the building, adding a sparkle to the view from the north-facing dining room window, creating a buffer zone between the city and the residence.

"The interior features a split-floor design that takes advantage of the site’s elevation difference. Views to the kazari garden and back garden are generated throughout the building, and a spiral circulation system alternates between these gardens. We considered cherished vessels, books, photographs, and plants to be representations of our lives up to now, and by surrounding the flow of movement with shelves on which to display these items, we thought that we could create just the right amount of tension in the home, like a small art museum, and foster the motivation to live mindfully in the future. Stepping out through the second-floor door into the kazari garden and watering the plants sparks conversations with passersby."

See the full story on Dwell.com: A Curvy Catwalk Dotted With Plants Buffers a Tokyo Home From the Street
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A Norman French Manor in Salt Lake City Asks $4.7M

Find ornate details including hand-painted ceilings, leaded and stained glass, custom wrought iron, and exquisite woodwork.

1220 E Yale Avenue in Salt Lake City, Utah, is currently listed at $4,700,000 by Mimi Sinclair at Summit Sotheby’s International Realty.

Nearly a century ago, this extraordinary French château was sited in one of Salt Lake City’s most serene and beautiful settings. Located in the Gilmer Park Historic District (on the National Register of Historic Places), the estate enjoys a rare park-like setting along Red Butte Creek, just three miles from downtown. Tucked into a wooded ravine between Harvard and Yale Avenues, it offers exceptional privacy and natural beauty.

Commissioned in 1926 as a statement of luxury, the residence stands as an architectural triumph—engaging in a seamless dialogue with its natural setting. Built in 1926 as a true trophy home, the residence was designed as an architectural masterpiece seamlessly integrated into its surroundings. The private grounds feature mature trees, manicured lawns, ponds, stone bridges, and abundant wildlife—evoking the timeless charm of Monet’s gardens.

A meticulous restoration in 2006 returned the home to its original grandeur while thoughtfully updating it for modern living. European details include hand-painted ceilings, leaded and stained glass, custom wrought iron, and exquisite woodwork throughout. Highlights include a two-story library with quarter-sawn oak built-ins, an updated primary suite with private balcony, spa-style baths, and custom closets.

The walk-out lower level opens to the grounds and swimming pool, perfectly positioned near an entertainer’s kitchen. Stone stairways lead through lush gardens down to the creek below. The château at 1220 Yale Avenue is one of Salt Lake City’s most iconic legacy estates—offering historic significance, architectural excellence, and unparalleled natural beauty.

Listing Details

Bedrooms: 3

Baths: 4 full, 2 partial

Year Built: 1926

Square Feet: 8,004

Plot Size: 0.83 acres

Courtesy of Summit Sotheby's International Realty

See the full story on Dwell.com: A Norman French Manor in Salt Lake City Asks $4.7M
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Live in One of Palm Springs’s Iconic Rock Houses for $1.5M

Architectural charm meets panoramic drama.

2550 South Araby Drive in Palm Springs, California, is currently listed at $1,500,000 by Jason Cochran and Craig Chorpenning at Desert Sotheby’s International Realty.

Perched high above Araby Cove, 2550 South Araby Road is a rare and storied treasure and one of Palm Springs’s iconic Rock Houses, originally built in 1929 by R. Lee Miller. This historic residence is a singular blend of architecture, history, and landscape, offering sweeping panoramic views across the desert floor and exceptional privacy. Access is provided via a private road with restricted entry.

Designated a Class One Historic Landmark by the City of Palm Springs, the home showcases handcrafted artistry throughout. Stone walls rise organically from the mountainside, while original details remain beautifully intact, including hand-carved doors and windows, custom shelving, exposed ceiling beams, ironwork door latches, handmade fireplace tools, and two original fireplaces, one of which includes a preserved stove pipe.

A hidden room concealed behind a bookcase adds intrigue, and a deeply personal historical detail remains etched into the stone, as the original owner, Perle Martin Wheeler, carved her name into a nook in 1931. Honoring the home’s architectural legacy, the current owners acquired the property in late 2024 and completed a thoughtful transformation, bringing the residence into the modern era while preserving its soul. Extensive upgrades include updated plumbing, electrical, and HVAC systems, new appliances, an EV charger, and infrastructure improvements throughout the property. The roof was fully replaced in August 2022, providing long-term durability.

The main residence features one bedroom and two bathrooms, complemented by two detached studio casitas, each with its own en suite bathroom. These spaces offer exceptional flexibility and are ideal for guests, multigenerational living, creative use, or private retreats. Meandering pathways, updated irrigation, and curated desert landscaping create a serene environment where native wildlife and natural beauty take center stage.

A morning walk along the northern path reveals the desert awakening from the rock garden below. The extensive desert landscaping was thoughtfully designed by renowned Palm Springs landscape consultant Paul Ortega, an expert in desert horticulture and water management, and president emeritus and co-founder of the Desert Horticultural Society of the Coachella Valley.

This historic property allows short-term rentals, a rare benefit for a Class One designation. In addition, Class One homes in Palm Springs may qualify for Mills Act contracts, which can offer potential property tax benefits. This residence is a living work of art where architectural significance, timeless craftsmanship, and some of the most breathtaking views in Palm Springs converge into a truly unique desert retreat.

Listing Details

Bedrooms: 3

Baths: 4 full

Year Built: 1929

Square Feet: 1,600

Plot Size: 0.45 acres

Courtesy of Desert Sotheby's International Realty

See the full story on Dwell.com: Live in One of Palm Springs’s Iconic Rock Houses for $1.5M
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What America’s Favorite Home Reno Show Reveals Now

25 years after its debut, "Trading Spaces" exposes the reality of wanting something different out of our homes.

Americans live in cruel homes. People think that owning a home will transform them, but cruel homes make people feel lacking—in security, company, stability, love—even while promising to provide those things, a cycle leading to people feeling hollowed out, scraped to the point of feeling separated from themselves, not feeling real even while being tricked into thinking they’re better off than they are. Cruel homes sell back bits of the feeling of reality that they take away.

This cruelty isn’t uniquely American. It has roots in some of the most fundamental ways that many people think about being in the world. It springs up through the origins of colonialism from the basic promises of Christianity that find a perfect vessel in which to blossom in America. And in reality TV homes, those vessels take some surprising shapes.

Consider Trading Spaces, TLC’s classic home-improvement show, which I took in as a teenager, slack-jawed, on afternoons in the early 2000s. Trading Spaces was a happy show with its bright colors, funky background music, and radiant host, Paige Davis, with her perfect pixie cut. Mostly the show was comforting and fun, not cruel, and it inspired me to paint my bedroom a questionable hot dog combo of mustard yellow and ketchup red. Like millions of others, I was rapt by the show’s positive glow.

Trading Spaces had a pretty simple structure: Every episode, neighbors swapped homes for a couple of days, and with the help of designers and carpenters and $1,000, redid one room in each other’s homes. At the end, the neighbors would go back to their homes, and cameras would watch while they saw their new spaces for the first time.

Some of the renovations were modest—new wall colors, rearranged furniture, and built-in shelving, maybe—and others were more extreme: a basement turned "beach" with real sand covering the floor, an upside-down room with the furniture hanging from the ceiling. Reactions varied from squeals of joy to sobs. The show traveled around the United States, featuring different residents each time and a rotating cast of designers, who became the show’s stars alongside Davis and the carpenters. It premiered in 2000, originally in a 4 p.m. weekday slot, but when it was so successful, executives added a prime-time airing. It became a smash and was nominated for prime-time Emmys in 2002 and 2003. It was light, it was fun, it was breezy. It was a hit.

Ty Pennington, who was one of the show’s on-screen carpenters, became a particularly popular personality on the show, and he tells me about a Beatlemania-esque moment when fans mobbed one of the show’s sets: "I couldn’t even get to my car to get out, and I had to put a trash can over my head, and like, I could smell, like, the garbage juice that was already dripping on me. And I was like, wow, so this is it. This is fame. Like, it smells like garbage."

"It was a movement," Genevieve Gorder, another of the show’s designers, tells me. "It wasn’t just a show."

A living room transformation from TLC’s home reno show *Trading Spaces.*

Photos © A. Smith & Co. Productions / Courtesy Everett Collection

<i>Trading Spaces</i> host Paige Davis and Ty Pennington, one of the shows carpenters. — The show’s host Paige Davis and one of its carpenters, Ty Pennington.

Photo © TLC / Courtesy of Everett Collection

Designers Genevieve Gorder and Douglas Wilson were part of the show from 2000 to 2008. — Designers Genevieve Gorder and Douglas Wilson were designers on the show.

Photo © A. Smith & Co. Productions / Courtesy Everett Collection

See the full story on Dwell.com: What America’s Favorite Home Reno Show Reveals Now

When Did Scandinavian Design Get So Boring?

Everyone’s been thinking it. Now, legacy brands and emerging designers alike are talking about how to keep the region a part of the conversation.

This story is part of Fair Take, our reporting on global design events that looks up close at the newest ideas in fixtures, furnishings, and more.

At a dinner in Stockholm earlier this month celebrating the late Danish designer Verner Panton’s 100th birthday, Erik Rimmer, editor of Bo Bedre, the unofficial bible of Nordic design, put questions to a panel of design-world honchos to get a pulse check on the future of the region’s long-standing dominance over our homes. The room shimmered tip-to-toe in chrome, including Panton’s Panthella lamps and Pantonova seating, runners lining banquette tables, and a cascading backdrop for the panel. Rimmer had a mischievous twinkle in his eye as he baited a big hook. "I’ve covered a lot of Scandinavian design in my career," he said, "and I must say, it can be quite boring." What did they think about that, he wanted to know.

Nobody swallowed the barb, but there was nibbling. Phillipp Materna, the design lead for Ferm Living, a high-output Danish brand that makes blob mirrors and bouclé lounges for millennials matriculating from Ikea, said he "wasn’t going to go there." (If we did need a new perspective, though, he suggested we might look to distant shores; Materna himself is from Canada.) Louis Poulsen’s chief design officer, Monique Faber, gave Rimmer’s prompt the side eye, too—was she really going to say the modernist goliath she helms is snoozy? Nobody on the panel of four was ready to agree with Rimmer—fair enough. But collectively, there was an admission that yes, there might be room for some fresh thinking.

The squeamish moment during Stockholm’s design week embodied what has now become a long-simmering anxiety for Scandinavian design: that it might finally be losing its luster. Its aesthetics and now-clichéd descriptors—sleek, minimalist, clean-lined, natural, hygge, timeless—surged through the late 2010s. (In the last few years of the decade, Dwell ran no fewer than 50 headlines using the word "Scandinavian" to describe a home—since 2020, there have been far fewer than that.) Several of the influencers, critics, and designers Dwell spoke with at the beginning of the year said they were done with minimalism (to many, shorthand for the Scandi aesthetic) and ready for richness and complexity, or at least to step away from the idea that subtlety is the only path toward serenity—or that paring things down is an end in itself.

An exhibit curated by furniture shop Nordic Nest celebrated Vernor Panton’s 100th birthday, showing the designer’s Pantonova wire-frame modular seating and Flowerpot pendants, and Poul Henningsen’s PH lamps, all in chrome. — An exhibit during Stockholm design week curated by furniture shop Nordic Nest celebrated the late Danish designer Verner Panton’s 100th birthday, showing his Pantonova modular seating and Flowerpot pendants, and Poul Henningsen’s PH lamps, all in chrome.

Photo by Duncan Nielsen

Pockets beyond the Nordics reflect a desire for something punchier, too. From Puerto Rico, Estudio PM won a design contest last year at ICFF, North America’s biggest furniture fair, for tables and stools made from reclaimed textiles, one of which draws inspiration from horned masks worn during festivals on the island to ward off evil. The pieces are essentially collages celebrating ephemerality, "intended to change over time as an exploration of form and narrative." Some of the most memorable pieces from 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen last year came from Belgium. Valerie Objects, based in Antwerp, debuted Klasky-Csupo–colored lighting by design duo Muller Van Severn based on a lamp shade they unearthed from a flea market—the results might feel precious, but the input isn’t. At We Design Beirut in Lebanon, which ran its second edition in 2025, if designers put anything on a pedestal, it was only to knock them off of it. In one moment that can really only be described as performance craft, Dwell’s managing editor Jack Balderrama Morley looked on as a ceramics artist shattered pieces on the ground only to work them into new pieces on the fly. "It was a simple but effective metaphor for the continual reconstruction that Lebanese designers must take on," he says. More important than the act of preservation, or sealing an object in time as to crystallize it into some kind of gesamtkunstwerk, is the practice itself of destruction in the name of perpetual renewal.

Those holding the keys to the masterworks of the Nordics, including Faber at Louis Poulsen, do not enjoy this kind of liberty. (Although it is exhilarating to imagine Carl Hansen & Søn sledgehammering a Wishbone chair and puzzling it into some kind of new seating and the horror devotees of the Danish designer might suffer.) In Stockholm, it was apparent that heritage brands were grappling with how, exactly, they might evolve. Often, a brand’s biggest obstacle is its own legacy, and the farther back it reaches, it seems, the more difficult to stray from its core offering: In celebration of its 300th anniversary, Rörstrand, the Swedish tableware brand, only now released a colorway that marks a meaningful departure from its usual greens and blues, a caramel tone called Jubilee. (For tea cup sets gifted to press, including this writer, it was the classic blue.)

Rörstrand is the second oldest homewares brand still in existence in Europe, after German company Meissen. Founded in 1726, the company showed pieces in its classic delft-inspired blue, a newish green colorway, and a 300th anniversary collection in a caramel hue.

Photo by Duncan Nielsen

Swedish rug maker Kasthall, founded in 1889, partnered with London design studio Barber Osgerby to bring a fresh perspective to the brand, says the company’s CEO, Mirkku Kullberg. The new collection will debut in Milan this year. In Stockholm, Edward Barber explained how he iterated in real time with weavers in Sweden to determine new colorways.

Photo by Duncan Nielsen

See the full story on Dwell.com: When Did Scandinavian Design Get So Boring?

Before & After: They Rebuilt Their Home’s Historic Brick Facade—but the Back Is a Different Story

"These clients really wanted it to be as dead accurate as it could be," dSPACE Studio architect Jordan Snittjer says of the Chicago town house’s masonry, which transitions to an overhauled interior and a glassy rear extension.

In Chicago’s landmarked Ukrainian Village, rows of brick town houses still stand from the late 19th century, when waves of Ukrainian immigrants settled in the district. The densely populated neighborhood was largely spurred by the 1895 construction of an elevated train line, and today many of the homes are finding new life through historic preservation.

Having restored several homes in Chicago, local firm dSPACE Studio Architecture was excited to take on a project in Ukrainian Village, where they had yet to work. "The neighborhood is just 15 minutes from our studio," says the firm’s founder Kevin Toukoumidis, who worked with Jordan Snittjer on the design. "The project was a negotiation between historic preservation and a contemporary architectural intervention—the past and present converging."

The homeowners, Murat Ahmed and Katherine Mackenzie, are patrons of the arts and avid collectors—and they were game to treat the home like a livable objet d’art.

Before: Exterior

The home's original brick facade had been covered over with a faux finish called Permastone in the 1970s. — Before: The home’s original brick facade had been covered over with a faux finish called Permastone in the 1970s.

Photo courtesy dSPACE Studio

While the couple were hopeful the original brick underneath the Permastone could be saved, it had been too damaged over time, so the designers set out to recreate the historic brick details. — Before: While the couple were hopeful the original brick could be saved, it had been too damaged over time, so dSPACE Studio set out to recreate the facade.

Photo courtesy dSPACE Studio

When Murat and Katherine bought the property in 2020, they were excited to move out of their downtown apartment and into a historic home where they could literally touch grass. "We were drawn to this neighborhood as one that would retain its design and history over time," recalls Katherine. "Over the years, the house had been split into three small rental units and had seen a variety of renovations, so we knew we wanted to turn it back into a single-family home."

The street-facing facade had been covered over with a concrete faux stone material called Permastone in the 1970s, but Murat and Katherine were hopeful they could remove it and bring the home’s original character back to life. "After finding a photo of the house before the Permastone went up, we knew we wanted to restore the original brick facade," says Katherine.

After: Exterior

Working with local company Bricks Incorporated, the designers faithfully recreated the home's original brick facade, including custom-made decorative shapes to match the historic condition. — Working with local company Bricks Incorporated, the designers faithfully recreated the home’s original brick facade, complete with custom-made decorative shapes.

Photo: Mike Schwartz

See the full story on Dwell.com: Before & After: They Rebuilt Their Home’s Historic Brick Facade—but the Back Is a Different Story
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Tall Trees Surround This $3.6M Mountainside Midcentury Near Vancouver

Barry Downs and Fred Hollingsworth designed the 1967 home with long banks of windows, extensive wood paneling, and a pool at the forest’s edge.

Barry Downs and Fred Hollingsworth designed this 1967 home with long banks of windows, extensive wood paneling, and a pool at the forest’s edge.

Location: 6510 Madrona Crescent, West Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Price: $4,950,000 CAD (approximately $3,631,400 USD)

Year Built: 1967

Architect: Barry Downs & Fred Hollingsworth

Renovation Date: 2020

Renovation Architect: Burgers Architecture

Footprint: 3,662 square feet (5 bedrooms, 4 baths)

Lot Size: 0.21 Acres

From the Agent: "A secluded woodland sanctuary reimagined for modern life, Madrona House by Barry Downs and Burgers Architecture offers a rare synthesis of West Coast heritage, privacy, and refined family living in West Vancouver. The arrival sequence—from open street, across the bridge, and into the sheltered light of the entry—acts as a decompression chamber, gently washing away the urgency of the city. The layout is intuitive, vertically separating public treetop living above from the private retreat below. The bedrooms are tucked into the lower level, all oriented toward the secluded pool terrace."