Oak boards cover the chamfered entrance to this hair and beauty salon in Osaka, renovated by Okuwada Architects Office to look like a cave (+ slideshow). More about Okuwada gives Mook salon in Osaka an oak-panelled makeover
Japanese architect Jo Nagasaka stripped away the walls of this inherited house in Tokyo, revealing an arrangement of timber columns that give the residence an unfinished appearance (+ slideshow). More about Jo Nagasaka knocks through the walls of a Tokyo house to reveal its aged structure
Architect Shimpei Oda has renovated a 36-square-metre studio apartment in Osaka, Japan, transforming part of a balcony into an extension of the living room. More about Shimpei Oda creates "inner balcony" in renovated Osaka apartment
American studio CHA:COL has incorporated modified IKEA products into a unit that serves as an office and apartment for two visual artists in Los Angeles. More about CHA:COL creates a live-work space in LA using hacked IKEA products
Archiplan Studio has rejuvenated the interior of a villa in northern Italy, reviving original wallpapers and furnishings, and pairing them with contemporary details (+ slideshow). More about Archiplan Studio blends old and new for restoration of early 20th-century Italian villa
Swiss architecture studio Stereo Architektur has completed its first project: a wooden structure that transforms a former Basel machine factory into a shared working space (+ slideshow). More about Stereo Architektur builds wooden "house within a house" inside Basel factory
Berlin architecture firm Atheorem has used dark grey curtains and metallic fixtures to update an apartment that dates back to the late 1800s in the city's Mitte district. More about Atheorem refurbishes compact apartment in Berlin's Mitte district
Brazilian firm Vitrô Arquitetura has renovated a 1960s apartment in São Paulo, revealing structural concrete pillars and brickwork walls (+ slideshow). More about Vitrô Arquitetura exposes structural concrete pillars within 1960s São Paulo apartment
Belgian creative agency Dift has designed the interiors for a loft apartment housed in a former office space in the centre of Ghent (+ slideshow). More about Dift transforms former Ghent office space into WATT loft apartment
Photo essay: London-based photographer John Short was determined to depict the death of New York's creative scene, but his images of its once-legendary arts venues proved that the spaces are far from "lost" (+ slideshow). More about John Short rediscovers New York's lost creative spaces
London architect Simon Astridge has renovated the disused basement of a kitchen showroom in Putney, adding textured materials and a spiral-shaped wine vault with a glass trapdoor (+ movie). More about Simon Astridge creates "wine cave" beneath south London kitchen showroom
Design and architecture studio Conran and Partners is reworking the interior of a 17-storey block that forms part of London's Brutalist Barbican Estate, transforming it from a youth hostel into high-end apartments (+ slideshow). More about Conran and Partners to turn Barbican's Blake Tower into luxury apartments
LA-based CHA:COL has completed a "bare bones" office for tech startups that features a retrofitted shipping container and a wooden bleacher that doubles as a storage unit (+ slideshow). More about California tech incubator by CHA:COL discourages occupants from staying too long
Glass walls and simple furnishings are paired with pale surfaces to give this Bloomsbury renovation by London studio Stiff + Trevillion a minimal aesthetic (+ slideshow). More about Stiff + Trevillion updates Bloomsbury mews house with gridded glazing and double-height bookcase
Pomo summer: branding and architecture firm Anagrama has built a giant bead maze that echoes Postmodernist colours and shapes in Mexico children's clothing store Kindo (+ slideshow). More about Anagrama creates oversized bead maze for Kindo children's boutique
Warsaw firm Mamastudio has launched its own hotel, turning a series of residential spaces into guest rooms that showcase furniture and artwork by Polish designers (+ slideshow). More about Mamastudio transforms historic Warsaw apartments into Autor Rooms boutique hotel
Tamir Addadi Architecture has converted the loft of a north London house, adding a staircase that also serves as a spacious bookcase (+ slideshow). More about Staircase doubles as a bookcase in London loft conversion by Tamir Addadi Architecture
Ceramic tiles arranged in a grid pattern line the interior of this children's shoe store in Barcelona by local studio Nábito (+ slideshow). More about Nábito completes Little Shoes store influenced by children's notebooks
Japanese architects Kunihiko Matsuba and Seitaro Aso have renovated an apartment in Tokyo, pairing exposed structural elements with contemporary details (+ slideshow). More about Saito House in Tokyo features herringbone flooring and an exposed wooden structure
American fashion designer Alexander Wang has worked with Belgian architect Vincent Van Duysen to create a greyscale interior for his latest store, inside a former post office in London's Mayfair (+ slideshow). More about Alexander Wang opens first European flagship store in London