Danish architecture firm Lykke + Nielsen launched a side business designing modular cottages for summer living. Created from a simple modular template, the houses can be ready within six months of ordering and can be configured to fit different needs: There's a bedroom module, a kitchen/bath module, a living room module, and a connecting breezeway module. Here are two examples from Lykke + Nielsen's portfolio that caught our eye. We just need an architect in the US to riff off this idea and we'll be all set.

Photographs via Small House Bliss.

Above: A breezeway connects two living areas in the Længehus modular cottage in the countryside south of Copenhagen. We like the way the exterior door opens to create a windbreak.

 Above: The cottage with the door closed. The siding is tar-treated larch.

Above: This version is larger than the one above it; it's located in a forest an hour north of Copenhagen. The summer cabin is made of two modules that sit at right angles; a deck adjoins the space between and extends the length of the living area.

Above: The black metal windows and iron wood-burning stove provide a visual contrast to the all-white interior.

Above: Floor-to-ceiling windows run the length of the living room allowing for plenty of light.

Above: A view from the loft bedroom.

Above: The streamlined white kitchen with black accents.

Above: The downstairs bedroom opens to the outdoors.

Above: The wall-mounted sink vanity gives the small bathroom a more spacious feel.

Above: The attic bedroom is accessed by a ladder with skylights.

To learn more about Lykke + Nielsen's modular designs, go to Moen Huset.

Browse our archive of Scandinavian finds, such as a Bohemian Island Cabin in Sweden and Rhapsody in Blue: Stylist Tiina Laakonen's Hamptons House and her Finnish Midsummer Table.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on August 29, 2013, as part of our Into the Wild issue.

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Whenever I catch a whiff of citronella, I’m taken back to family camping trips. We had an oily bug repellent in a sticky brown bottle that we’d pass around—usually well after we’d suffered our first bites—and we'd slather it on until our skin shone. While the citronella oil in the bottle did keep the mosquitoes away, it was repellent to us humans as well. 

As an adult, I’m still interested in keeping mosquitoes at bay (see my post-bite efforts in Stop the Itch: Natural Mosquito Bite Remedies), but less keen on covering my skin with something that smelly. Instead, I like to take a tip from Michelle and surround myself with candles, which sets a mood and deters the bugs.

Most insect-repellent candles on the market are filled with deet or other toxins and reek of citronella. So I decided to make my own scented tea lights that keep pests away without sending dinner guests running. I settled on a woodsy combination of rosemary, geranium, and lavender oils—three scents known for repelling mosquitoes and other insects. Here's how to make my candles.

Photographs by Erin Boyle for Gardenista.

Materials

• ½ lb beeswax (1 lb Raw Settled Beeswax; $6 from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm)
• Rosemary Essential Oil; $8.29 for 0.25 fluid ounces from Aura Cacia
• Geranium Essential Oil; $20.79 for 0.25 fluid ounces from Aura Cacia
• Lavender Essential Oil; $14.65 for 0.25 fluid ounces from Aura Cacia
• Double boiler (or use a pan and metal bowl)
• 6 Fluted Dessert Cups; $1.99 each at New York Cake 
• Pre-Assembled Tea Light Wicks; 100 for $5.95 from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm

Above: Use an old knife to break half a pound of beeswax into small pieces that will melt evenly. Fill the bottom pan of your double boiler with water and place the wax in the top pan. Heat until the wax melts. If you’re a stickler for details, use a thermometer; the wax is ready when it reaches about 160°F. A 12-inch Wax and Honey Thermometer is $14.50 from Brushy Mountain Bee Farm.

Above: Add several drops of each essential oil to the melted wax. I used a wooden chopstick to stir in rosemary, geranium, and lavender oils. Beeswax has a distinctive smell, so add more than you think you need to make sure your candles are scented enough to repel insects. (If you prefer citronella or another bug-deterring essential oils, swap it in.) 

Above: Pour the scented wax into the tart tins. (If the pan you’re using doesn't have a pour spout, consider putting the hot wax into a glass measuring cup or other spouted vessel to help with pouring.) I filled each tin until almost full. N.B.: If you don’t have aluminum molds, you can use glass instead. To avoid shattering the glass, start with a small amount of wax and let it cool a bit before pouring in the rest. 

Above: Let the wax cool slightly until a skin starts to form. Then place a pre-assembled tea-light wick (see below) in the center of each mold. The wax will smooth out around the wick as it hardens.

Above: Pre-assembled wicks come already primed (i.e., coated in wax). If yours aren't coated, you can prime them yourself by dipping them in wax. This ensures a longer burn time.

Above: Let the wax harden, then trim the exposed wick to a quarter inch. Use your tea lights during your next outdoor cocktail hour or dinner party under the stars.

Above: Each tea light burns four to six hours.

Speaking of dinner parties, see Gardenista's Steal This Look: The Last Outdoor Dinner of the Season and A Starlit Greenhouse Dinner. Then get on with hosting one of your own.

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Not your typical Viennese pastry shop: The bakery at the Hotel Daniel in Vienna is a greenery-filled oasis in the center of the city.

Designed by Atelier Heiss Architects, the interior features a mix of vintage furniture, upholstered seating from modern craft artist Donna Wilson, iconic 1938 BKF chairs by Jorge Ferrari-Hardoy, and custom furniture, including coffee tables made from wooden pallets. It all adds up to a bohemian vibe, complete with Viennese pastries. 

Photographs courtesy of Hotel Daniel via Yatzer.

Above: A white tile counter curves around the open lobby area.

Above: Vintage wood is used throughout the project.

Above: Chairs upholstered in Donna Wilson fabric mingle with leather butterfly chairs and a coffee table made from palettes. Read about the history of the butterfly chair and where to source the classics in Object Lessons.

Above: Distressed tables and chairs add a note of informality.

Above: A collection of succulents occupy a bookshelf.

Above: Ferns planted in a vintage case. Go to Hotel Daniel for more information.

Consult our City Guides for recommended hotels, restaurants, and shops all over the world. For another plant-accented cafe, see Lush Life: Ginger & Fig in South Africa, and consult Gardenista for the World's Best Houseplants.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on June 4, 2012, as part of our Summer Color issue.

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When Carolyn Leonhardt and her husband, Ted, sold their Seattle graphic design business more than a decade ago, she had no idea she would find herself in the home design/renovation business. After successfully remodeling three small cottages in Napa Valley, word got out and Leonhardt found herself with several clients looking for help with their renovations. And then they led to more projects.

Leonhardt's remodels are not lavish affairs, but they're sensibly and tastefully refurbished and have taught her where to spend and where to save. How does she pull it off? As she tells us, “I study the space to understand how it does and does not work, and I try to use what's there when possible. Sometimes cosmetic work is enough—new cabinets, new appliances, etc. Other times, major surgery is required, but careful planning and smart choices can keep costs down.” Read on to learn Leonhardt's secrets.

Photography by Douglas Sterling.

Above: In a 1920s Napa cottage, Carolyn Leonhardt opened up the roof and added French doors with transom windows above to let light into the living room.

1. Pay attention to the foundation. If you're buying a house, ask the agent about setbacks and lot coverage. Not every house is expandable. Always examine the foundation before you buy; replacement is expensive and disruptive. It's almost always most cost-effective to maintain the footprint and envelope of the existing building.

2. Make at least one spectacular change. I think the biggest bang for the buck is to open up a ceiling. If you have an attic or a pitched roof, it's likely that you can open it up. It's not cheap, but it's life changing.

Above: The doors in this three-bedroom cottage are the standard seven feet tall, but the ceiling was opened up to 15 feet at the highest point to provide a greater sense of space.

3. Keep the same size windows, if possible. That said, you can also make a spectacular change with really big windows or French doors. Increasing natural light is always a good investment. If you have single glass windows—even if they're in decent shape—it may be worth replacing them with insulated windows, which will save money on heating and cooling and also help reduce sound.

4. Use existing plumbing locations, if possible. In the UK and Canada, plumbing is outside of the building, but in the US it's in the walls, so changing it requires much more work. (Many houses have a crawl space or a basement, which makes plumbing and wiring more accessible.)

5. Insulate all exterior walls and ceilings. If you open up any internal walls, put in insulation, particularly around bedrooms and bathrooms. It's cheap and it helps reduce sound.

Above: Custom cabinets in a kitchen with a marble countertop. The existing window above the sink was replaced by one with double-paned glass.

6. If you can afford it, go for custom cabinets. If you're on a budget, Ikea cabinets are a great buy.

7. Two words about countertops: Remember resale. Spend a little, and it usually pays off in the long run. The newest quartz products (Caesarstone and Silestone, for example) include many lovely and discrete options. Also, Ikea sells great, well-priced Numerar butcher block counters. For the low-down on each option, see our Remodeling 101 posts on Engineered Quartz Counters and Butcher Block Counters.

8. Unless you're a serious cook or money is no object, don't buy an expensive commercial-style range and fridge. There are many mid-priced, great-looking appliances out there. Appliances are standard sizes, so start with what you can afford, you can always move up later. Save your money for custom cabinets and countertops.

9. There's a trend now to make kitchens and bathrooms huge, but they needn't be—after all, they're also the most expensive to build. Opt for functionality over size. A nice touch in a shared bathroom is a separate room for the toilet. It can be pretty small, but include a window if you can, and if not, add an exhaust fan.

10. Buy a good toilet—the new ones are quiet and use less water. Most showrooms don’t have working models, so be sure to check reviews. The Toto Drake ($271.68 at Amazon) is a favorite of mine. In general, dual-flush models are a good option.

11. Choose shower curtains over custom glass shower doors. Glass doors cost about $1,500; great-looking shower curtains cost next to nothing—and you can change them out regularly to get a new look. Plus, you don’t have to squeegee them every time you take a shower.

Above: Leonhardt turned a small pass-through leading to a kitchen into a study. She painted the space a dark color to make it feel bigger.

12. Study your lighting needs—it's much more cost effective to introduce lights during a remodel than after. I'm a natural light freak and also a big fan of incandescent lighting, though it's no longer PC. The good news is that CFL's and LED's have come a long way in the past few years, and many are available on dimmers. I use dimmers (almost) everywhere. They let you completely control the light and are well worth the extra dollars.

13. Don’t overlook the big-box hardware stores as a source for materials and inspiration. Home Depot has Velux skylights, Daltile tiles, Kohler cast iron bathtubs and sinks, and a pretty decent selection of kitchen and bathroom faucets.

14. Spend on door hardware, light fixtures, and faucets. Details that get used daily need to be not only good-looking but durable.

15. Never underestimate the transformative powers of color. Paint offers immediate gratification, even the good stuff is relatively inexpensive, and a careful amateur can do a good job. Hate your house? Try paint first.

Interested in seeing one of Leonhardt's houses? Go to Spring Street Cottage in St. Helena. On Gardenista, have a look at a 186-square-foot garage remodeled into a guest cottage, aka The Grottage.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on May 14, 2014, as part of our Renovation and Reclamation issue.

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J. Wes Yoder usually refers to the 1962 Shasta camper that sits in his leafy East Nashville backyard as "the camper," but he says that when he's feeling especially Southern, he likes to call it "the trailer." Whatever you decide to call it, I think you'll agree that the tiny aluminum outbuilding on wheels is 100-percent charming. I first read about the Yoder's backyard retreat on Megan McEwen's Daytripper and I've been drumming up reasons to head to Nashville ever since. 

Photographs by Laura Dart for J. Wes Yoder.

Above: The recipe for a pretty perfect weekend retreat: wooden deck, hammock, bathhouse, and camper. 

The Nashville novelist and author of Carry My Bones had been wanting to make room for a garden house or writing shed in his yard, when he came across a listing on eBay for a beat-up camper—available immediately and ready for pickup just 45 minutes outside town. With its canned-ham design, the camper wasn't the exact 1950s aluminum model Yoder originally had in mind for his outdoor workspace, but it was an affordable entry-level variation on the theme. Undaunted by the extensive renovations his new charge would require, he set to work gutting the camper and building an accompanying outdoor shower, bathhouse, and deck.

By the time Yoder finished the remodel last October, he had decided to recoup the renovation costs by listing the camper on Airbnb the very same day he completed the project. No surprise, it's been booked almost every night since.

Above: Inside, Yoder worked wonders with a coat of fresh white paint. Cozied into one end of the camper is a double bed with built-in storage below. Clever grommeted curtains can be moved during the day to let in the light.

Above: Originally festooned in Budweiser paraphernalia, the camper's clean lines were emphasized with the addition of simple handmade and vintage furniture.

Above: A tiny kitchen complete with sink and hot plate provides guests with a place to prepare meals.

Above: Less than two miles from downtown Nashville, the camper sits in a quiet residential neighborhood that doesn't have many other lodging options. Yoder provides a hand-drawn walking map of the neighborhood for guests. 

Above: Yoder built a transomed bathhouse complete with clawfoot tub with the help of his dad and uncle. He sought inspiration from garden sheds and outbuildings online and cobbled together plans for the simple outbuilding.

Above: A peek inside the bathhouse.

Above: For guests who prefer to shower al fresco, a simple outdoor shower above slate pavers set in gravel is hidden between the bathhouse and camper.

To book your own stay, visit Yoder's listing on Airbnb. Rates start at $95 per night. 

Inspired? See Wanderlust: 10 Airstream Trailers for Living Small and 5 Essentials for the Retro Camper, and browse Gardenista's Outbuildings archive.

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• Remodeling 101: Extras Worth Considering in Your Remodel
• Steal This Look: Guest Cottage Kitchenette by Ikea

Wondering how to extend summer? Allow the Gardenista team to fill you in.

Above: When the nights turns nippy, there's no need to retreat indoors—just add some sheepskin to your dining setup. Learn how re-create this ensemble, DIY tables included, in Steal This Look: Scandinavian Outdoor Dining Space.

Above: A Colonial favorite—and an ideal way to make use of ripe fruit—thirst-quenching, vinegar-based drinks known as shrubs. Ten sweet-and-sour versions await in Erin's Recipe Roundup.

Above: The perfect place to take in the end of the season? Writer Vita Sackville-West's Sunset Garden—full of lurid hues and no whites—at Sissinghurst, in Kent, England. Writes Kendra in this week's Garden Visit, "Vita and her husband, Harold Nicolson, liked to keep pots around the area where they sat for scent and movable color. Lemon verbena was a particular favorite, to be crushed between the fingers while reading."

Above: Faced with a mountain of zucchini? Gardenista's newest contributor, Laura Silverman of Glutton for Life, is in the midst of harvesting her own crop, shown here. She photographs and details how to make Garden-to-Table Zucchini Carpaccio and other "squash solutions."

Above: This week's Landscape Architect Visit—historic Goosewing Farm in Little Compton, Rhode Island—incorporates ocean views, two ponds, and an old barn bigger than a house.

Above: Most of us bring home beach finds only to discover that they don't translate in regular room settings. A better approach: Follow Justine's lead and distill the feel of summer into a series of DIY Vacation Portraits.

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• Trending on Gardenista: Blooming Down Under
• Trending on Gardenista: Fragrant Gardens and Floral Fabrics

Let the warm weather continue. These lightweight, hard-wearing wood and enamel plates—the perfect alternative to disposable paper and plastic—stand ready for the beach, picnics, and backyard festivities.

ENAMELWARE

Above: West Elm Market's Enamelware Dinnerware is inspired by vintage designs, and is made of steel with a shatterproof porcelain-enamel finish. The dinner plates come in white with a black rim and are $40 for a set of four.

Above: From Italian designer Stefania di Petrillo, Variopinte Enamelware Plates are created by crushing natural pigments and mixing them with glass powder, all applied by hand before firing. The enamel is nontoxic and dishwasher safe; $26 for the blue-and-white dinner plate (shown top) at the Vitrine. 

Above: At Labour and Wait in the UK, Marble Enamel Plates in red are €8.50 ($11.20) each.

Above: From the UK, Falcon Enamelware Plates are available with a blue, red, or gray rim; €24.99 ($33) each.

Above: Best Made Company's Seamless & Steadfast Enamel Steel Plates are hefty and durable—rims are reinforced with a double dipping of enamel; $35 for two, $90 for six.

WOOD

Above: Tony Farrell's Wooden Plates are Christine's favorite tableware for outdoor dinners. Farrell, a wood turner from Cork, Ireland, hand turns the plates from Irish ash and finishes them with a natural oil; €22 ($29) from Makers & Brothers.

Above: The Tondo 12-Inch Platter (left) and the Tondo 6-Inch Plate (right) are made of acacia harvested in the forests of the Philippines under a local government reforestation program; $14.95 and $4.95 each respectively from Crate & Barrel. 

Above: Honore Natural and White Dinner Plates are made in Morocco from lemon tree wood; $35 for the 7.5-inch diameter plate (bottom of the stack) at Lost & Found, in LA. The Honore Natural and White Bowls start at $18.

Above: From Colorado furniture maker David Rasmussen, Wud Walnut Trays (shown), $51, and square Wud Plates, $61 each.

Above: Brook Farm General Store's Wooden Plates are made of acacia and finished with nontoxic mineral oil. They're are available in three sizes: small for $12, medium for $17, and large for $22.

Above: Sur la Table's Acacia Wood Salad Plates measure 10 inches square and are $12.95 each.

Above: Designed by Rino Ono in the Takahashi Kougei wood workshop in Hokkaido, Japan, the Cara Wood Plate is made of linden and finished with food-grade polyurethane; $55 for the small plate and $90 for the medium size from Muhs Home.

Looking for flatware, glassware, and other dinnerware? Browse our Tabletop selects in our Shop section. And go to Gardenista for more Outdoor Dining ideas, including the Perfect Picnic Basket.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on July 31, 2014, as part of our Entertaining: Summer Edition issue.

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"It's a lovely immigration story," says Alexander Hall, who came to the United States "with nothing" eight years ago. Hall grew up in Melbourne and has worked for more than 20 years in the restaurant business. Since arriving in New York, he's been busily opening a slew of cafes and putting his distinct mark on each.

According to Hall, there's a big difference between Australian and North American coffee shops. "Australian cafes are more like modern diners," he says, "with an emphasis on customer service." His cafes serve breakfast and lunch only, and though the mood is casual, they have quality food, table service, and friendly staff (no surprise that almost half of Hall's 48 employees are Australian). Of course, there's great coffee as well. 

Whatever the theory behind it, Hall's approach seems to be working. He now owns five cafes in Brooklyn and Manhattan, with a sixth about to launch and more in the works. We stopped by Brunswick, which recently opened in Brooklyn's rapidly gentrifying Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood, to see what Hall is up to.

Photographs by Douglas Lyle Thompson for Gardenista.

Above: The entrance to Brunswick is on a leafy block of Decatur Street. Owner Alex Hall designed the two planters outside to be waist-high so customers can see them from inside, and had them custom-made by a steelworker he knows. He also oversees the plantings, which are changed regularly. (This time it's fragrant lavender.) Did we mention that Hall has a hand in every detail?

Above: Ty Tan Designs creates the cafe's plantings. A horticulturalist who trained at Cornell, Tan also installed a vertical garden at Hall's Rosella Coffee Shop, on the Lower East Side. The wall of terracotta pots at Brunswick is inspired by the ones built by Australia's leading eco-gardener, Joost Bakker. (For more on his approach, see Joost Bakker's Vertical Gardens.)

Above: "Alex is really into plants," Ty Tan says. "He'll tell you what he wants, but then he lets you go with it. He doesn't micromanage." That said, it was Hall who requested the pots of succulents, and then specified that the pots should be aged. Tan got the pots from the New York Botanical Garden and aged them with garden lime. "It only takes a few days for the white look to appear," she says. "Then it keeps going as you water the plants and the water seeps through the clay."

Above: Hall planned the interior to have several seating areas, including this quiet corner toward the back. The patterns painted on the tables and pegboard lend a midcentury modern look. The white metal industrial chairs are by Lyon of Aurora, Illinois. 

Growing up with an architect father, Hall took an early interest in design, which has become a passion for him. "I sell coffee," he says. "I see design as my way of being creative." 

Above: Now spick and span, Brunswick was carved out of a storefront space that had been boarded up for a decade. The reclaimed pine used to build the bar was found on the site. The anodized brass pendant fixtures come from Tom Dixon's Dixon Branded. And the flower arrangements are by Park Delicatessen, a combined skateboard shop and florist (only in Brooklyn, folks).

Above: Brunswick's pastries are made at a sister cafe, Bluebird Coffee Shop. Besides the Aussie-influenced Nutella scones, you can snack on coconut Anzac cookies (originally made to send to the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps serving in Gallipoli in World War I) and Sasquatch cake (with oats, chocolate chips, and banana).

Above: The excellent coffee is supplied by Counter Culture of Durham, North Carolina. Barista Henry Rodriguez, who grew up in the neighborhood (i.e., not Australian, but still friendly), plies his trade with almost surgical precision. 

Above: Though it appalls some New York brunchers, Hall's cafes are all "bagel-free zones." There are no French fries, either. "Try something different," he cheerfully suggests, such as the fried egg sandwich with tomato kasundi sauce (left) or the avocado toast (right). The meatball panini (not shown) has become a favorite: "There are people who just walk out when they find we've run short," says chef Cynthia Albarran.

Above: Customers tend to live in the neighborhood—and when they're here, they talk to each other. That's part of Hall's master plan. "I only put one electrical outlet for customers in each cafe," he reveals. "It's meant to be a place to socialize." 

Brunswick Cafe is at 144 Decatur Street, in Brooklyn. For hours and information, see Brunswick Cafe.

For a combination florist/coffee shop in Brooklyn, see Shopper's Diary: Caffé Spina in Greenpoint, Brooklyn on Gardenista. Combination florist/bar? You got it: Stems, Brooklyn's Only Flower Shop in a Bar.

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• Sun-Stained Afternoons (and Yoga) at Nelson the Seagull, in Vancouver
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Here's a look at what we're loving lately:

• Above: A peek inside artists' and makers' toolboxes. Photograph via Design Sponge. 
• For a good laugh: an Athens architect creates several absolutely useless products.
• Keep track of where you're going and where you've been with Oliver Jeffers's Places on Earth map.

• Above: Brian Paquette, a finalist in Remodelista's Considered Design Awards Best Professional Bedroom category, revamps his clients' Seattle house. Photograph by Belathée. 
• News flash: The majority of Ikea's images are computer generated. 
• We're thrilled to see that the 1953 Weidlinger House on Cape Cod has been restored thanks to Kickstarter and the Cape Cod National House Trust.

• Above: It looks like these concrete knobs may inspire a future DIY. Photograph via Design Milk. 
• Katie Holmes leaves New York for a house on a cul-de-sac in Calabasas, California.  

• Above: Alexa has been thinking about buying a set of vintage Marcel Breuer chairs. This kitchen in Casablanca, Chile, by Ricardo Atanacio Balbontin is helping her decide. Photograph by Aryeh Kornfeld.

• Above: We're ogling House Tweaking's latest DIY project: pillow covers. 
• Next door to the Remodelista San Francisco office: a two-bedroom industrial loft with a
  "steam punk vibe" and a $1.75 million dollar price tag. 
• It turns out that people who work from home get more done than most office workers. 

• Above: A house tour with California furniture maker Sean Woosley. Spoiler: just about everything was made by Woosley, including this credenza. Photograph by Lonnie Webb.
• If you want to travel like Paul, John, Ringo, and George, take a look at this roundup of hotels that hosted The Beatles. 

See more from this week's Summer Wrap-Up issue here—and don't miss Gardenista's week of Chasing Fireflies. 

More Stories from Remodelista

• Table of Contents: Summer Wrap-Up
• Current Obsessions: Back to School
• High/Low: Leather Sling Chair

The late-summer song of the crickets is reminding us: it's time to get back to school and work. Toward that end, we're devoting this week to getting things at home in order.

Above: Labware lines the kitchen shelves at Christina Kim's Dosa 818 in LA. Photograph by Matthew Williams from Remodelista: A Manual for the Considered Home.

Monday

Above: It's not too late for a beach escape—or to take inspiration from a seaside boutique motel with furniture made by small workshops around the country. Watch for Izabella's Hotels & Lodging post later today.

Tuesday

Above: Wouldn't it be nice to wake up to a well-organized closet? Alexa shows us how to recreate this black-white Swedish design in Steal This Look.

Wednesday

Above: Are desks outmoded now that laptops are everywhere? We don't think so—but finding real estate for a work table can be challenging. In 10 Easy Pieces, Margot presents desks for small spaces.

Thursday

Above: In Thursday's Architect Visit, Christine details an apartment in Barcelona neatly divided for two brothers.

Friday

Above: The perfect, affordable fall addition: a new floor mat. Watch for Friday's Domestic Science post.

Gardenista is getting organized this week, too—see the latest issue, and catch up on summer posts, here.

More Stories from Remodelista

• Current Obsessions: So Long, Summer
• Table of Contents: Summer Wrap-Up
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Many of us aspire to an organized life, but for those living in open lofts, it’s the only way to stay sane. Nine hundred square feet for a family of four never seemed so airy and spacious as in this Paris loft renovation by Septembre Architecture. With the perimeter of the space lined with multi-functional cabinetry, there's a place for everything, leaving the open quarters super organized and clutter free. 

Photography by Maris Mezulis via Septembre Architecture of Paris.  

Above: The loft is in a former manufacturing warehouse that sits in a Paris alley. The apartment has one large, open, multi-functional space for living, cooking, and dining. The bathroom is behind the black kitchen wall, and the bedrooms are situated offthe other end of the room.

Above: Floor-to-ceiling open and closed storage along one wall is accessed by a library ladder. See 5 Favorites: Library Ladders in the Kitchen for more. 

Above: The kitchen wall and appliances are all in black to contrast with the white island, which, in addition to providing additional counter space, creates a separation from the overall space.

Above: The library ladder hooks onto a rail that runs the length of the cabinets.

Above: The planks of the whitewashed wood floor run lengthwise, giving the illusion that the room is longer than it is. (Learn about wood floor patterning tricks in Remodeling 101.) A long window bench extends for the length of the room; it incorporates underseat storage and becomes a desk at one end. On the other side of the room, mid-height cabinets demarcate an area for a wall hanging and the television.

Above: The ribbon bench and desk are designed to take advantage of the views. Meanwhile, a projector suspended the ceiling takes advantage of the opposite wall for movie screenings.

Above: An Eames Molded Plastic Rocker does double duty as a desk chair. 

Above: A detail of the desk shows a pull-out keyboard tray and ventilation holes for heat from a radiator. 

Above: Glass-and-metal partitions and doors allow natural light—and the sense of openness—to flow into the bedrooms. 

Above: Curtains provide privacy and sound absorption between the bedrooms and living space. A window in the wall between the two bedrooms allows natural daylight from the children's bedroom into the master bedroom. 

Above: An Eames Chair provides comfortable seating. Read more about The Iconic Eames Lounge and learn why it's the chair of choice for readers, psychiatrists, afternoon nappers, and writers (it's Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon's work chair).

Above: A walk-through closet area outside the bathroom provides efficient wardrobe storage.

Above: The wood bench and desktop detail in the living area are repeated in the white-tiled bath. See creative uses for white subway tiles in Remodeling 101: White Tile Pattern Glossary.

Above: A small window between the bathroom and the main space brings in natural daylight. 

Above: The remodeled loft floor plan by Septembre Architecture.

Interested in more chic Parisian living? See Designer Visit: Paris Meets Provence, A Scandi Furniture Designer at Home in Paris, and A Minimalist (and Soulful) Loft in Paris.

Curious to see more of novelists Michael Chabon and Ayelet Waldman's quarters? Go to The Mysteries of Berkeley: A Literary Couple at Home.

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Spatial efficiency down to the last detail—that's the way we like it. Here are five stackable bowls that will save you kitchen storage space. Look carefully: Some of these designs even have other uses. 

Above: Best known for his iconic Tea Kettle, Japanese designer Sori Yanagi also designed a set of simple and functional stainless-steel mixing bowls that come in three sizes with accompanying sieves. Available via Amazon, the 6-Piece Set is $122.37, and in the UK, the 6-Piece Set is £79.26.

Above: Joseph Joseph's Nest 100 is the ultimate space saver: the nine-piece food preparation set includes two sizes of stainless-steel mixing bowls, a stainless-steel fine sieve, a large stainless-steel colander, and a set of five measuring cups. In the US, the Nest 100 Bowl Prep Set is on sale at Best Buy for $134.99 (marked down from $169.99 until September 4). In the UK, the Nest 100 Bowl Prep Set is available through Joseph Joseph for £100.

Above: A five-piece earthenware Nesting Mixing Bowl Set is $29.99 from Crate & Barrel.

Above: Tried and tested, the Duralex 10-Piece Glass Stackable Bowls are a kitchen classic. Available via Amazon, the 10-Piece Set is $47.36, and in the UK, the 10-Piece Set is £92.70.

Above: A set of seven Ceramic Mixing Bowls in black and white tonal shades is $99.95 from Williams Sonoma.

French company Duralex also make some of our favorite glassware. Read about it in Object Lessons: Iconic Café Ware from Durlaex. If you're looking for more ways to organize your kitchen, see DIY: Pegboard Kitchen Organization. 

On Gardenista, it's time to organize the garage with 10 Easy Pieces: Garage Organizers.

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• 10 Easy Pieces: Design-Worthy Dustpans

The perfect summer chaser: Brew master Sam Calagione's new boutique hotel, the Dogfish Inn, is set in a former motel on the harbor in Lewes, Delaware, not far from beaches, pretty coastal towns, and his own Dogfish Head brewpub and distillery. Catering to design purists and beer fans alike, the motel's overhaul was masterminded by Studio Tack, a Brooklyn team with impressive hospitality creds—partner Jou-Yie Chou is a former brand director and "cultural engineer" of the Ace Hotel Group.

Photography via Dogfish Inn, unless otherwise noted. 

Above: The 16-room motel was completely transformed inside and out.

Above: The lobby is located inside what was formerly a single family house.

Above: New features include green-painted doors and slatted wooden panels for added privacy.

Above: The Dogfish Inn lobby has a high-style seaside vibe, copper diver's helmets included. The couch, which has a blue powder-coated metal frame and khaki canvas cushions, is the custom work of LA designer Stephen Kenn and his wife, Beks. The leather and oak chairs are by Ben Erickson. Jeremy Bennett of Black Point Mercantile designed canvas rugs for the lobby and for all the guest rooms.

Above: The motel teamed up with Woolrich to create the Dogfish Inn signature green blankets; they're on each bed and for sale at the front desk. The white sheets are by Mascioni and the comforters are from Lewes, Delaware's own Midwest Feather & Down. Las Vegas lighting company OneFortyThree pulled individual details from designs in their inventory to create custom lighting for the inn. 

The hotel comes complete with a treasure hunt: Somewhere on the walls of each room, Delaware artist Steve Rogers painted a portrait of the Lightship Overfalls, a National Historic Landmark (and one of only 17 remaining lightships). The actual lightship is docked just a few hundred feet away, in Lewes Harbor.

Above: The rooms have a clean-lined midcentury feel. 

Above: Guest-room amenities include a large wood peg board stocked with a retro beach chair by Lawn Chair USA, and a custom Apolis market bag designed to hold several 750 ml bottles of beer. Each room also has a Fort Hanger mobile closet made by Jacqueline Sharp of Fort, and a bleached ash desk by Austin Robbins.

Beer isn't for sale at the hotel, but guests are encouraged to bring it back from the Dogfish Brewery and Brewpub, and barware (plus a mini fridge stocked with locally made snacks) is provided. Photograph by Morgan Hungerford West. 

Above: The bedside tables were designed by Eric Trine and each is equipped with a Tivoli Audio radio. Photograph via Selectism. 

Above: Named after the old motel that the inn occupies, the guest library features a collection of 50 great American novels curated by the City Lights, the famous San Francisco bookstore. Photograph by Morgan Hungerford West. 

Above: Behind the inn, there's a gathering spot with a bonfire—the Cowboy Cauldron—surrounded by picnic benches and tables with metal trays in the middle to hold ice and beer. Here's how you can build your own DIY Picnic Table Wine Bar. To learn more about the hotel and its surroundings, visit the Dogfish Inn. Go to Dogfish to learn about the company's craft ales and brewpub.

 Below: The Dogfish Inn is on the harbor in Lewes, Delaware, a short walk from Lewes Beach. Rehoboth Beach, home of the Dogfish Head Brewpub, is six miles away (35 minutes by bike).

Check out our CIty Guides to explore more design-minded hotels and restaurants. Graham & Co. in the Catskills is another revamped motel you might want to learn about. Gardenista's got you covered when it comes to Backyard Fire Pits and Bowls.

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Last month I moved into an apartment that is just shy of 400 square feet. Its two closets each are a generous seven (or so) square feet, but they fit no more than 20 garments on the existing hanging bars. And so I've become storage obsessed, spending late hours combing through Pinterest images and reading up on strategic stacking methods. And what I've learned via trial and error is that for best use of space, nothing beats a chest of drawers in the closet (open storage requires too much tending to keep tidy).

This rather minimal closet, which I spotted on Stadshem, a Swedish real estate site, presents a series of smart, affordable solutions, including the use of staggered dressers to allow space to hang longer garments. Here, we've deconstructed the design.

Above: This well-organized black-and-white closet makes good use of air space above and below the hanging rack. Photograph via Stadshem in Sweden.

The Basics

Above: Benjamin Moore's Decorator's White is a shade that is much brighter than it looks on the swatch; $36.99 for a gallon of Ben Interior Paint. For more options, see our post 10 Easy Pieces: Architects' White Paint Picks.

Above: The simple, inexpensive Ekby Amund Shelf is made of white-painted particleboard and measures 59 inches by 11 inches; $19.99 at Ikea.

Above: The Ekby Valter Bracket is untreated birch that can be customized with paint; $4 each from Ikea.

Above: My Fix It Up Life fashioned a similar closet rod using a Black Steel Gas Pipe ($19.98 for a 72-inch-long, 3/4-inch pipe at Home Depot), 2 Iron Threaded Floor Flanges ($5.41 each for the 3/4 -inch size at Home Depot), and Black Sharp Point Drywall Screws ($21.97 for a 5-pound pack at Home Depot).

Furniture and Lighting

Above: Recreate the cluster light fixture using a string of black lights, such as the Loop of 10 Bulbs for 449 SEK ($62.12) from Granit, and the DIY tutorial from Swedish blog Avenymamma.

Above: Ikea's new Nordli 6-Drawer Chest is 31 1/2 inches wide and 56 1/4 inches tall; $219.

Above: The Nordli 3-Drawer Chest is 31 1/2 inches wide and 29 1/2 tall; $129 from Ikea.

Above: CB2's Carpenter Chrome Lamp is $79.95. Alternatively, Ikea's Forså Work Lamp—another a chrome task lamp with an adjustable arm and a flat base—is $29.99.

Storage Accessories

Above: Ikea's Bumerang Curved Clothes Hangers are available in white (shown here), black, gray/brown, and natural; $4.99 for a pack of eight.

Above: Keep accessory clutter at bay with Muji's Paper Organizer Box. Made of dark gray cardboard, the 10.2-inch-by-14.4-inch box is $19.50.

Above: Display inspirational photos in wood frames, such as these Black Gallery Frames from West Elm; $12-$95 depending on size.

Reorganizing your closets? See our posts 10 Easy Pieces: Modular Closet Systems, High to Low and Expert Advice: Architects' 10 Favorite Closet Picks.

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• Sleep and Stow: Bed Frames with Built-in Storage
• 11 Wood-Paneled Walls as Headboards
• Best Professionally Designed Bedroom: Hyde Evans Design

Spotted lately: wire baskets with a vintage vibe used as wall storage (in the bath, the kitchen, the nursery, anywhere where clutter collects).

Kitchen

Above: Create an instant pantry with wall-mounted wire baskets, via House & Home.

Above: Baskets as utensil storage at Brook Farm General Store.

Above: The wall-mounted Fintrop dish drainer frees up valuable counter space; $14.99 from Ikea.

Bath

Above: A wall-mounted wire basket as necklace organizer, via Smile and Wave.

Above: Towel storage via Hunter's First Home on AT.

Above: Toilet paper storage via Modern Frills.

Children's Rooms

Above: Wall-mounted storage in a nursery via Hello Hue.

Above: Toy storage via April and May.

Above: Circular baskets as stuffed animal holders via Bleu Bird Vintage

Entry

Above: A Fog Linen basket from Father Rabbit in New Zealand hung in an entryway offers storage opportunities for mittens, gloves, hats, etc. For sourcing ideas, go to Down to the Wire: Baskets with Style.

For more storage ideas, see 7 Baskets as Wall-Mounted Storage and 5 Favorites: Leather Baskets Too Pretty to Hide.

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• Bed and Beer: The Dogfish Inn on the Delaware Coast
• Aussie Style Invades Brooklyn at Brunswick Cafe
• A Verdant Bakery in Vienna

Two adjustable laptop stands at different ends of the price spectrum (one is pretty enough to be on permanent display).

Above: Erin Strater, a Pratt Institute grad, came up with the idea for Plunk, her handsome, portable standing desk, when she became "frustrated by the desks that were available. I knew the health implications of sitting for hours on end, and that was a factor, but I didn't just want a standing desk. Our computers were rapidly becoming lighter, faster, and more portable, while our desks remained the same." The height of her design can be adjusted from a seated level of 25 inches high up to 42 inches high, and the desk weighs just over 8 pounds.

Above: All components are made in Los Angeles, where Strater is based; prices start at $495 for the Plunk Walnut & Nickel Desk and go up to $795 for the Plunk Carpathian Elm Burl & Nickel Desk. The base is made of aluminum with either a brass or nickel finish.

Above: The desk disassembles and can be toted in the Plunk Desk Custom Carrying Bag ($295) made from waxed canvas ("Outside the office, there are a ton of other uses for the Plunk," says Strater, by way of explaining its portability. "It's ideal for keeping your laptop nearby while giving a presentation, for instance.").

Above: Ikea's adjustable (and admittedly less attractive) Svartasen Laptop Stand is $21.99 and is available in black or white. It can be raised to a maximum height of 30 3/8 inches and lowered to 18 1/2 inches.

Interested in more desk ideas? See 5 Favorites: Longevity-Promoting Standing Desks. And on Gardenista, see the gardener's equivalent: 10 Great Potting Benches.

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• Object Lessons: The Indispensable Desk Stapler
• For the Up-to-Date Office: 10 LED Suspension Lights

Looking to upgrade your office overhead lighting? By replacing fluorescent bulbs with LEDs, you're assured 50,000 lifetime hours of light—no need to change a bulb for five years—and you'll save on energy bills in the long run. 

As an alternative to harsh—and often flickering—old-school standbys, here are 10 bar-shaped LED pendants, all well suited for (but not limited to) the office:

Above: The Plank Suspension Light by Norwegian Northern Lighting is an LED pendant made of poplar and steel. The lamp hangs from a brown silk wire; $998.72 at Nest.

Above: The 2x4 Pendant Light is made of whitewashed 2x4 pine and suspended from a red cord and a monofilament that makes the pendant appear to be floating. An LED strip is hidden behind a frosted glass lens; $460 from Alex Allen Studio.

Above: The Truncheon Suspended Light by Zoe Coombes and David Boira—the duo behind NY design studio Commonwealth—contrasts cool LED light with a custom-milled wooden enclosure available in maple or black walnut and six different cord colors; $2,750 at Matter.

Above: The Woody Endless pendant by Jason Miller is a modular LED lighting system featuring half‐cylinder sections made of aluminum, acrylic, and wood. The cylinders can be joined back to back or end to end, allowing for linear as well as three‐dimensional installations. The aluminum hardware comes in bronze, black, polished aluminum, and brushed brass finishes. Prices start at $4,800 for three units and $8,000 for five units at The Future Perfect.

Above: Named after the hand-rolled Cuban cigar that it's shaped like, the Cohiba Pendant Lamp by Benjamin Hopf for Formagenda is made of aluminum and leather (available in brown, black, and white); €643 ($844) at Connox. Contact the retailer directly for color availability. 

Above: The Large Branch Pendant made by Rich Brilliant Willing features perforated metal sheets placed on top of diffuser lenses. The pendant is available in gold (brass) and natural aluminum finishes with an LED board; $1,525 at Horne.

Above: Designed by TAF for Swedish lighting company Zero, the Poster pendant resembles a cardboard poster tube. It's made of extruded aluminium (available in black, white, and cardboard-colored) with an LED strip that lasts up to 50,000 hours. Contact Zero for purchasing details. 

Above: The Pipeline Large is the work of Caine Heintzman, cofounder of Vancouver's AndLight studio. It's made of copper and aluminum, available in three finish combinations, and is suspended from an aircraft cable. Contact AndLight for pricing.

Above: Kiessler of Berlin's Numerouno Pendant Lamp is made of cardboard. Choose between the Basic Version, €89 ($117) which uses a low-energy tube, and the Numeround LED, which comes in blue, red, mint, and gray, and also has a low-energy consumption; €159 ($209) from Kiessler.

Above: The Virga Pendant Lamp is by Cerna, a California industrial design and manufacturing company specializing in LED lighting. Made in the US, it comes in black (shown) or brushed aluminum; $490 at Horne.

Upgrading your work space? Have a look at our Office Posts for more ideas. And for inspiration, browse the 567 photos of Well-Designed Offices in our Photo Gallery. Did you know that plants enhance productivity? See Gardenista 10 Tips for Office Plants from The Sill.

N.B.: This post is an update; the original story ran on May 13, 2014 as part of our Working It issue.

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Before the advent of the stapler, documents were held together with thread, string, ribbons, and, in the case of legal documents, red tape. In 1879, American inventor George McGill came up with the McGill Single-Stroke Staple Press, which closely resembled a Singer sewing machine and loaded one staple at a time. But it did manage to drive that single quarter-inch length of wire through several sheets of paper before folding the wire at both ends with a thump-like push of the machine. By the 1920s, the stapler had been reduced greatly in size and with a spring-load action was able to hold many staples. As the twentieth century progressed the stapler took on more streamlined curves which have given it an even greater air of efficiency as it continues to corral the papers on our desks. 

Five to buy

Above: The Ace Pilot Stapler was introduced in 1938 by Chicago company Ace Fastener. This retro model, made of aluminum, is 6.6 inches long and 3.5 inches tall; $38 at Schoolhouse Electric. 

Above: The Folle 26 Stapler was designed in 1977 by noted Danish designer Henning Andreasen and is in the collections at the Museum of Modern Art and the Cooper Hewitt Museum in New York. Made of lacquered steel and iron, the stapler is 6 inches long and a mere 1.75 inches tall; $78 at Craft & Caro.

Above: The Zenith Stapler was designed in Italy in 1943 and took its inspiration from cars of the time. It's made of steel and enamel and is 10.5 centimeters long and 8.5 centimeter tall; £38 ($63), including a box of 1,000 staples, at Labour and Wait in the UK.

Above: Spanish company El Casco made its name in the manufacture of revolvers, but during the Depression decided to add desktop accessories to its arsenal. Precision-made of chrome-plated steel, the El Casco Small Desk Stapler is featured in the Remodelista 100 in the Remodelista book. It's 4 inches long and 4 inches tall, and available in red or white at Kaufmann Mercantile for $109. 

Above: Made in Sweden, this Stapler is Kiosk's choice in good-looking office efficiency. It's provenance is a bit of a mystery, but the duo behind Kiosk say that "based on our research we would guess 1940s." Made of steel with rubber feet, the stapler is 7 inches long and 3.75 inches tall; $52.

Object Lessons columnist Megan Wilson is the owner of Ancient Industries and curator of the Remodelista 100, a collection of essential everyday objects presented in the Remodelista book. Watch for her column every Tuesday, and have a look at her past lessons on iconic designs, including two office favorites: the IBM Wall Clock and the Trusty Stainless Steel Tiffin Box. We featured her Connecticut shop in our post Purveyor of the Practical and the Timeless.

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Those of us with laptops work at our kitchen tables, in bed, on trains, and all points in between. But having a desk to call one's own is a Pavlovian thing: It allows the real creativity to happen. For workers and dreamers who are short on space, here are 11 compact examples at all points on the price spectrum.

Above: Desk Three by UK craft furniture company Another Country is made of natural beech and has a central drawer, round edges, and a trestle base; £895. It was awarded a Design Guild Mark in 2014 for excellence in design, and is also available in oak and in a range of colors. Learn about Another Country in Shopper's Diary.

Above: Modeled after school desks, the single-drawer Orson Compact Desk by UK designer Matthew Hilton has a hardwood top (walnut with a Danish oil finish is shown here) and cast-iron legs. A cable management system is incorporated into the top, which is also available in oak with a white oil or Danish oil finish; $2,965 at Future Perfect, which also offers companion storage trays and a pencil holder.

Above: The Blue Dot Stash Desk, $399, has a pencil drawer that can be installed on either the left or right side. It's available in white ash (shown), gray with a walnut top, and ash with a black finish.

Above: TabLED, a prototype by furniture and interior designer Vladimir Stajic of Belgrade, Serbia, won an ICFF Studio Award at Accent on Design, in New York City last spring. The worktable has a hidden metal substructure and incorporates an LED light into the top support. Inquire about availability.

Above: The Midcentury Mini Desk, $399 from West Elm, is a downsized interpretation of the store's Midcentury Desk. It's made of FSC-certified eucalyptus and is available in white, black, and a natural wood finish.

Above: Designed by artist Josef Albers in 1927 when he was a teacher at the Bauhaus Weimar—and featuring a geometry reminiscent of his famous paintings—the Albers Desk was recently put back into production in Germany. It has a side wing that flips up, as shown, to allow two people to collaborate; $5,000 at the MoMA Store.

Above: The Georg Console Table and Stool from Design Within Reach is the work of contemporary Copenhagen designer Christina Liljenberg Halstrom. It's made of raw oak—for those who desire a protective finish, Halstrom recommends soaping the wood—and, at only 13 inches deep, works well as a hallway desk or entry table; $599, stool with wool cushion with leather strap included.

Above: The Alex Desk from Ikea, $159, has built-in details for keeping cables and cords out of sight; it comes in white and gray.

Above: The A-frame White Desk by UK designer Alex Swain is made of FSC-certified birch plywood and has a tilting worktop with a pencil tray; £515 ($848.50).

Above: The Treble White Desk from Crate & Barrel has a divided drawer and a side bookcase topped with a lidded charging station. It's made of painted and lacquered poplar; $499.

Above: The rustic precursor to the previously mentioned Desk Three, Another Country's Desk One is made of oak and has an indentation for pens and pencils, a center drawer, and a "cable tidy"; $1,870 from McNally Jackson Store. In the UK, Desk One is available from Another Country for £945. It's also made in chestnut with a black lacquered finish.

Looking for more work-space solutions? See our posts on Desks and Home Offices, including:
     • Longevity-Promoting Standing Desks
     • Trestle Desks
     • Wall-Mounted Desks for Children (and Teens)
     • 10 Ways to De-Clutter Your Tech Experience
     • Five Favorites: Desk Organizers in Natural Wood

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• Object Lessons: The Indispensable Desk Stapler
• For the Up-to-Date Office: 10 LED Suspension Lights
• High/Low: Portable Laptop Stand

In the empty space between two houses in Gentilly, a southern suburb of Paris on the IIe-de-France, NeM Architectes inserted that magical extra room we all dream of. The original dwelling is on a street of attached houses—with one blank just wide enough for a carport. In the gap above it, NeM Architectes of Paris built what they call "a suspended cabin."

Photographs by Rémy Castan via Archdaily.

Above: The addition belongs to the house on the left. NeM Architectes were commissioned to create a floating suite for the owner's son. 

Above: The ground-level space between the buildings is used as a carport. The cabin addition on the street side is sheathed in slatted siding that matches the fence—and offers few clues about what's inside.

Above: On the back of the addition, a window wall and balcony overlook the Bièvre valley. The cabin is linked to the main house via a second-story window turned into a door. One side of the addition is weight-bearing ("using hidden pillars fixed to a gable," the architects told Arch Daily), and the other, they explain, simply rests against the adjoining building.

Above: The main room of the cabin is a study with a view.

Above: The work space is all plywood, from floor to desk to daybed. 

Above: A bedroom with a skylight opens off the study.

Above: The architects detailed the office with shelves and built-in drawers beside the balcony. 

Above: A sectional drawing of the addition by ReM Architectes.

Above: The floor plan shows the addition and existing house's renovated attic.

For Architect Visits in France with a rustic twist, see Villa Solaire: A Farmhouse Rental and The Secret Garden: An Artists's Atelier. On Gardenista, learn 10 Garden Ideas to Steal from France.

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