Small is often a necessity not a choice. This alteration/addition to a terrace house in inner city Carlton, Melbourne by architectural firm 4site was constrained by the narrow site. Compact and clever the new addition contains bathroom, laundry, living, dining, kitchen, master bedroom and ensuite all with those most valuable of design solutions in a tight space… storage and light.

Pastel pretty behind the blue door. Vaucluse house by one of my favourite Australian interior designers Karen Akers.

Images by Thomas Dalhoff

They cling stubbornly to sand dunes and hillsides along the Australian coast. Simple beach shacks slapped together in the 50s and 60s. Collective histories of family summer holidays, fishing, sand in bathing suits left strewn on railings after the obligatory post beach outdoor shower. A man’s castle but definitely no mansion. Passed from generation to generation. Rare. Endangered. Swallowed up by McMansions. Lost forever. Unless they are saved, renewed and once again cherished. Like this Seal Rocks shack brought back by Bourne Blue Architecture. Nothing precious but such a treasure.

Sometimes it’s about respecting the site. That’s all. Sunset Rock House by Canadian MacKay-Lyons Sweetapple Architects.

A 21st century apartment in a 19th century house in Kiev, Ukraine. A sleek contemporary space pieced together carefully within a rough brick shell. Subtle changes in floor heights lead you from living room and kitchen to the dining room or up a few a few stairs to the bedroom and bath. A cool urban pad by Olga Akulov DESIGN.