The prospect of retirement doesn’t just signal the end of a career; it offers the chance to recalibrate and re-prioritize in life.
Traditional on the Outside, Modern in the Inside: 6 Homes We Love
August 9, 2013
These six homes are contemporary gems in disguise: traditional on the outside, but strikingly modern within.
With its brick-and-sandstone facade and intricate iron details, an 1880 bungalow in Adelaide, Australia, looks like a beautifully maintained relic of the 19th century. Photo by James Knowler.
Photo by
Courtesy of
James Knowler Photography
Originally appeared in This Luminous Australian Renovation Packs a Lot Into a 23-Foot-Wide Lot
Inside, however, the home's abstract accents and glass walls are as modern as its exterior is traditional; it's a surprising combination of preserved history and progressive design. Photo by James Knowler.
Photo by
Courtesy of
James Knowler Photography
Originally appeared in This Luminous Australian Renovation Packs a Lot Into a 23-Foot-Wide Lot
From the street, it would be easy to assume that Mike McDonald's home is merely one of Oakland, California's, many restored Victorians. Photo by Jason Madara.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Modern Victorian House Preservation in Oakland
The reality is much more complex. McDonald was faced with the challenge of preserving a home that dates back to the 1890s, while making it structurally sound enough to live in. His solution was to lift the entire house off the ground so he could rebuild its foundation; while he was at it, he updated the interior, making it clean and modern. Photo by Jason Madara.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Modern Victorian House Preservation in Oakland
Don't be fooled by the demure 20th-century charm of this San Francisco home; its mint-and-white exterior hides an adventurously modern addition in the back—the result of its latest renovation. Photo by Sharon Risedorph.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Noe Valley Renovation
From bright furniture to glass partitions to a geometrical, terraced porch, each detail of the home's addition is another point of contrast with its facade. Photo by Sharon Risedorph.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Noe Valley Renovation
It would be difficult to find a better example of the stereotypical farmhouse; a three-building summer retreat in Sweden comes complete with A-line roofs, wooden shingles, chunky chimneys, and red walls with a white trim. Photo by Åke E:son Lindman.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Modern Meets Traditional in a Swedish Summer House
But unlike its exterior, the vacation home's interior has been redesigned for the 21st-century. Wood floors and furniture tie into the overall rustic aesthetic, but the chalkboards on the island and the blue wall of the kitchen are two notable components of its modern bent. Photo by Åke E:son Lindman.
Originally appeared in Kitchens We Love: Part 2
Blue from top to bottom, the Geometrie Bleu vacation home in Canada's Magdalen Islands stands out as an adventurous update of a typical rural home without leaving old architectural styles behind. Photo by Matthew Monteith.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Blue in the Facade
The home takes its experimental design further on the inside, though; a sleek wooden island and a set of elegant chairs contrast with the traditional look of exposed rafters. Photo by Matthew Monteith.
Photo by
Originally appeared in Blue in the Facade
An 18th-century flat in Barcelona had a palpably imposing historical beauty even before it was renovated, but its exterior looks more like a tourist attraction than a private home. Photo by Gunnar Knechtel.
Photo by
Originally appeared in The Barcelona Home Like No Other
Architect Benedetta Tagliabue wasn't intimidated by the grandeur of the crumbling flat when she decided to save it. She started to make her home's interior completely modern, but told the decorating crew to stop before they finished painting over the walls completely when she was struck by the bold contrast between original stone and an unfinished layer of paint in her living room. Photo by Gunnar Knechtel.
Photo by
Originally appeared in The Barcelona Home Like No Other
With its brick-and-sandstone facade and intricate iron details, an 1880 bungalow in Adelaide, Australia, looks like a beautifully maintained relic of the 19th century. Photo by James Knowler.
Photo by James Knowler. Image courtesy of James Knowler Photography.
Latest Articles
You don’t have to choose between sustainable energy and curb appeal.
July 19, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
July 06, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
June 29, 2016
Docomomo US announces the winners of this year's Modernism in America Awards. Each project showcases exemplary modern restoration techniques, practices, and ideas.
June 27, 2016
After last year’s collaboration, we were excited to team up with Monogram again for the 2016 Monogram Modern Home Tour.
June 27, 2016
A strategic rewire enhances a spec house’s gut renovation.
June 26, 2016
Coralie Gourguechon's paper objects will make you see technology in a whole new way.
June 26, 2016
Smart technology helps a house in Aspen, Colorado, stay on its sustainable course.
June 25, 2016
The aesthetic appeal of personal electronics has long fueled consumer interest. A new industrial design book celebrates devices that broke the mold.
June 25, 2016
An angled deck transforms a backyard in Menlo Park, California, into a welcoming gathering spot.
June 24, 2016
Today, we kicked off this year’s annual Dwell on Design at the LA Convention Center, which will continue through Sunday, June 26th. Though we’ve been hosting this extensive event for years, this time around is particularly special.
June 24, 2016
Two designers restore a low-slung midcentury gem in Napa, California, by an unsung Bay Area modernist.
June 24, 2016
San Francisco–based designer Maca Huneeus created her family’s weekend retreat near Lake Tahoe with a relaxed, sophisticated sensibility.
June 24, 2016
A Toronto couple remodel their home with a special emphasis on a spacious kitchen and a material-rich bathroom.
June 24, 2016
In Kansas City, an architecture studio designs an adaptable house for a musician on a budget.
June 23, 2016
By straightening angles, installing windows, and adding vertical accents, architect Aaron Ritenour brought light and order to an irregularly shaped apartment in the heart of Athens, Greece.
June 23, 2016
A modest kitchen addition to a couple’s cottage outside of Brisbane proves that one 376-square-foot room can revive an entire home.
June 23, 2016
Each week, we tap into Dwell's Instagram community to bring you the most captivating design and architecture shots of the week.
June 22, 2016
A modern dwelling replaces a fallen farmhouse.
June 22, 2016
Seeking an escape from bustling city life, a Manhattan couple embarks on a renovation in the verdant Hudson Valley.
June 22, 2016
Atelier Moderno renovated an old industrial building to create a luminous, modern home.
June 21, 2016
Anchored in a small San Francisco canal, this floating home takes its cues from a classic city habitat.
June 21, 2016
From the bones of a neglected farmstead in rural Scotland emerges a low-impact, solar-powered home that’s all about working with what was already there.
June 21, 2016
An architect with a taste for unconventional living spaces creates a small house at lofty heights with a starring view.
June 21, 2016
Marjan Van Aubel makes technology a little more natural.
June 21, 2016
Building on the site of a former one-car garage, an architect creates his family’s home in an evolving neighborhood of Brooklyn.
June 20, 2016
In a Brooklyn backyard, an off-duty architect builds a structure that tests his attention to the little things.
June 20, 2016
In the suburbs of Paris, an architect with an eco-friendly practice doesn’t let tradition stand in the way of innovation.
June 20, 2016
Join the Discussion