Whether mid-century modern, Victorian, or something even older, these clever renovations hold on to their historic bones.
Above: A modern addition designed as a "blank canvas" brings this 19th-century home just outside London directly into the 21st century. Meanwhile, plantings inspired by the Australian landscape put an unexpected twist on the traditional English garden.
After 200 years, a tobacco factory in Spello, Italy, was little more than a romantic ruin. When Andrea Falkner-Campi and her husband commissioned designer Paola Navone to renovate it, they brought the building back to life, and into livability.
Though it dates to 1892, two years after Queen Victoria's death, this Oakland residence is a stunning example of a historic home that's been updated without losing its period charm. To create space for a first-floor office, builder and homeowner Mike McDonald had the original Victorian structure lifted—a surprisingly common practice in Bay Area renovations.
In the Spanish city of Barcelona, a crumbling 18th-century flat found new life at the hands of architect Benedetta Tagliabue, who had the construction crew leave the demolition unfinished, allowing original details like Roman-style arches and patterned tiles to show through in the new, modern apartment.