A sweeping, sculptural staircase extends through the centre of this monochrome inner-city loft apartment in Melbourne, Australia, by Adrian Amore Architects. More about Sculptural staircase twists through loft apartment in Melbourne by Adrian Amore Architects
Portuguese architect João Branco has converted a small office building in Coimbra into a home by installing softwood joinery that functions as furniture, storage and partitions (+ slideshow). More about Wooden structures combine partitions and furniture inside home by João Branco
The floors of this open-plan apartment in London by local studio Form Design Architecture are covered with timber boards salvaged from an old Welsh chapel (+ slideshow). More about Warehouse loft by Form Design Architecture with floorboards salvaged from a chapel
German studio Von M has rebuilt the interior of an apartment block in Stuttgart to create a trio of open-plan homes where built-in furniture divides rooms and stark walls are offset with colourful objects (+ slideshow). More about Von M modernises three apartments inside a Stuttgart apartment block
A bulky concrete apartment appears to hover above the glass roof of a patisserie at this combined home and workplace in Chiba Prefecture by Japanese studio Yuko Nagayama & Associates (+ slideshow). More about Yuko Nagayama floats an apartment above a patisserie in Japan
Spanish firm Nook Architects has renovated a Barcelona apartment by adding patterned floor tiles plus a combined step and window seat leading out onto the terrace (+ slideshow). More about Nook Architects add patterned floor tiles and window seat to Barcelona apartment renovation
Zaha Hadid Architects is one of 11 international firms designing a studio apartment at a new McDonald's charity house in Hamburg to accommodate the relatives of children receiving hospital treatment nearby (+ slideshow). More about Zaha Hadid designs apartment for Ronald McDonald charity house
The resident of a compact apartment in Madrid demonstrates how she can rearrange walls and pull furniture out of the ceiling in this movie by photographer and filmmaker Miguel de Guzmán. More about Day-in-the-life movie follows the resident of an apartment with moving walls and secret furniture
British architect Alex Graef has combined two art deco apartments in Vienna to create a home with clean white walls, restored oak floors and a row of artificial skylights (+ slideshow). More about Viennese apartment with pretend skylights by Alex Graef
Decorative tiles salvaged from different apartments are rearranged in stripes across the floor of this Barcelona residence by Spanish studio Bach Arquitectes (+ slideshow). More about Traditional floor tiles arranged in stripes in a Barcelona apartment by Bach Arquitectes
British studio 1508 London has converted a Victorian post office in London into an apartment where perforated concrete shutters can be used to open and close different sections of the interior (+ slideshow). More about Victorian post office converted into an apartment by 1508 London
French studio Dank Architectes wanted to make this minimalist apartment they designed near Lyon look "more alive" in the photographs, so they staged scenes depicting the days before and after a messy party. More about Garden flat in Lyon photographed before and after a party
Italian architects Scape have modernised an apartment in one of Rome's oldest neighbourhoods by adding faceted ceilings and a boxy wooden staircase. More about Rome apartment modernised with faceted ceilings and minimalist staircase
Spanish architects Nook have renovated a small apartment in Barcelona's gothic quarter, leaving decorative floor tiles in place to reveal the original layout of the flat (+ slideshow). More about Nook's Barcelona apartment refurb removes walls but leaves original tiled floors intact
Folded steel staircases lead to elevated rooms atop freestanding metal towers inside this old industrial building in Brussels that ADN Architectures has converted into an open-plan apartment (+ slideshow). More about Loft apartment with super-thin staircases by ADN Architectures
The owner of this Madrid apartment moves between living and working spaces like a character in a computer game, using ladders and stairs that connect platforms inserted in a single tall, narrow space. More about Tiny Madrid apartment by MYCC with rooms connected by a ladder
This New York loft conversion by local architect Ali Tayar is divided using bespoke prefabricated panels based on a Swiss modular housing system from the 1960s (+ slideshow). More about New York loft conversion based on a 1960s modular Swiss house by Ali Tayar
Introducing a new feature on Dezeen! This former industrial warehouse in east London has been converted into open-plan apartments by English/Austrian design firm SIRS (+ interactive slideshow). More about Interactive slideshow of East London Penthouse by SIRS
This mixed-use complex in Rotterdam by Mei Architecten en Stedenbouwers features a tower with protruding storage areas that look like welding masks bolted onto the facade. More about Schiecentrale 4B tower with protruding storage by Mei Architecten en Stedenbouwers
Movie: architect David Kohn explains how his studio transformed a neglected Barcelona apartment into World Interior of the Year 2013 in this exclusive video interview Dezeen filmed at Inside Festival in Singapore. More about "There was all this potential but it was being held back by the architecture"