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A basement flat makes you consider a cramped and dark area with light and ceilings. And that’s what designers Timothy Mitanidis and Claudia Bader of Creative Union faced when they began renovating their dilapidated townhouse from Toronto’s Queen and Bathurst neighborhood. They finished the lower-level apartment first so they may live there while operating on another flooring upstairs. The result of the overhaul: a contemporary, color-happy area that barely feels like a cellar. Working on a tight budget, Bader and Mitanidis minimized walls, maximized light and crafted a cheerfully contemporary home that reinterprets rustic fragments of the older apartment to retain a sense of its history. in a GlanceWho lives here: That is a basement rental unit; Timothy Mitanidis and Claudia Bader reside in the main house over. Location: Queen Street Fashion District of TorontoSize: 650 square feet; 1 bedroom, 1 bathroomPrice: $120 Canadian (roughly U.S.$118) per square foot Andrew…

Chris McCormick purchased this north Portland house in his bachelor days and did some structural work to mend this up. After he and Jennifer married four years ago, it was time for a new period of remodeling and remodeling. They tore up the carpeting, refinished the hardwood flooring, painted every room (twice), spruced up the back porch and gutted the kitchen and back entry. Here is the result. in a GlanceWho lives here: Chris and Jennifer McCormickLocation: Portland, OregonSize: 900 square feet plus a 700-square-foot cellar; two bedrooms, 1 1/2 bathrooms Whitney Lyons Chris and Jennifer’s’ personal styles have meshed. “After I moved in, he was going for a vintage-ugly vibe,” says Jennifer, laughing. “But we began working together to find styles that we both liked.” A gallery wall in the entry comprises things they love, such as a typographic map of Portland, vibrant artwork, classic car parts, a classic motorcycle…

Besides Iceland, Ballyconneely peninsula in Ireland’s Connemara, County GalwayIreland is one of the westernmost parts of Europe. Mountains, coves and rocky inlets define the rugged area as much as the Atlantic stretching to the west. Ellis and Seamus, a married couple with two children, constructed a weekend house in this beautiful landscape, an hour’s drive from their home in Galway. The couple met with architect John Dorman in 1998, hired him after liking his initial plan and moved to the house just before Christmas in 1999. A decade and a half after, they”still find this construction completely fit for purpose… a construction that’s both timeless and sensitive to its environment,” the customers wrote in an overview of the work. Their description strikes upon what makes the construction so successful: It responds to the environment and the place’s history without sacrificing any modern needs. in a GlanceWho lives here: This really…

For interior designer Linda Hayslett along with her husband, Mark Sadi, decorating their new-build condo in Los Angeles provided a clean slate of possibilities. Hayslett’s history in fashion magazines aided as they painted accent walls, installed window treatments and added budget-friendly fixtures. “I’d like to use a star stylist, so I see my home as my own star that I get to style whichever way I wish to,” she says. at a GlanceWho lives here: Linda Hayslett, new-home builder Mark Sadi and their 2 dogsLocation: Los Angeles Size: 1,900 square feet; 3 bedrooms, 3 1/2 bathrooms Madison Modern Home The spacious floor plan allowed Hayslett to create several romantic zones, such as this cozy TV area and the two dining areas in the background. High ceilings created a lot of wall space, so the layout had to strike a balance between blank walls and an area which, ” she says, “has…