This light and airy canal-side loft in Amsterdam is perfect for modern city living.

Shoreditch is a neighbourhood bursting with creative energy, achingly hip but with a distinctive rough edge which keeps it firmly grounded in reality.

Container houses are not uncommon but few are as stylish as the RDP House in Pichincha, Ecuador.

Klass Kuiken is one of those designers whose source of creativity is his fascination with production processes. 

Sometimes a man's man needs a man's pad and nothing is quite as manly as a masculine industrial style loft. 

New York may be the spiritual home of lofts but few are as inspiring as the Crosby Street Loft in Soho. 

Barn conversions rank high in many people's dream of country living and this remarkable conversion in Kent by architects Liddicoat & Goldhill reminds us why.

The grand canals which loop around the centre of old Amsterdam are lined with graceful canal houses, many of which date back to the 18th century.

As this duplex penthouse in Tel Aviv by Toledano Architects shows, when combined with a dash of natural wood, concrete and steel can be used to create industrial-style spaces that feel warm and effortlessly cool at the same time.

Inspired by post-Soviet architecture, St. Petersburg-based designer Maxim Scherbakov has created a series of modular planters designed to simulate urban / industrial environments.

The allure of loft living is easy to understand when you see homes such as this airy loft apartment designed by Cloud.

Living and working in the same space is a dream come true for many people, especially if the space is as attractive as this Tribeca loft designed by Desai Chia Architecture.