History Lessons: Renovations That Rethink the Past

Contemporary design takes its cues from the past and reinterprets the classics, from Shaker furniture to quilts to Tiffany glass.

Renovations rethink the past, new architecture helps people in the present, and progressive planning plots a better future: It’s all in our annual issue about the state of...

American floors weren’t always hewn in hardwood. From shag to low-pile options, here are the trends that have dominated over the decades.

The estate of arguably America’s most famous architect is tied up in a convoluted web of foundations, conservancies, and a trust—one that outlines the state of preservation today.

The founder of the Living Building Challenge and his family join hands to restore a quirky off-grid outpost.

A thoughtful restoration celebrates the only house ever built by architect and activist Kazuo Umemoto.

After expertly updating Louis Kahn’s historic Esherick house, a Pennsylvania couple discover their forever home in a surprising place.

Partly designed by a son for his mother, the structure let a family come together during the worst months of the pandemic.

Design-build firm Spot Lab reimagine an old 980-square-foot corner unit with birch-plywood built-ins for the family’s home library and a U-shaped banquette for entertaining.

Part of a community land trust, the Tempe Micro Estates offer buyers an alternative to an overheated housing market.

For friends Jiminie Ha and Jeremy Parker, renovating and restoring a forgotten home by the controversial architect was a complicated labor of love.

The Ben Smith Welcome Center in New Orleans is a safe haven for formerly incarcerated men to get back on their feet.

Ashley Sargent Price, a creative director in fashion, envisioned a three-part renovation for her family’s home that ended with a show-stopping kitchen.

Andrew Frederick worked with healthy, locally sourced materials to DIY a woodsy compound for his wife and two kids.

Never one to take things too seriously, the cofounder of Los Angeles firm Shin Shin turns her childhood toys into watermarks.

A micro addition in Seattle makes a mighty impact with just 30 square feet.

Diaz + Alexander Studio gives the classic French Château style a modern twist by combining clean, geometric forms with rich materials.

Visual Comfort & Co.’s new Modern Collection infuses a high-tech aesthetic with contemporary glamour.