As part of Dezeen's yearly review, reporter Natasha Levy has selected the top 10 home interiors of 2019 – among which is a micro flat in Taiwan and a bunker-style apartment in Sydney.
Barbican Apartment, UK, by John Pawson
Just a smattering of furnishings features inside this greyscale flat on London's Barbican estate, which designer John Pawson wanted to strip back to "a state of emptiness".
Key elements like the home's kitchen, study and storage cupboards are tucked away inside a central boxy volume made out of maple wood.
It was one of Dezeen's most-read interiors projects of 2019, attracting droves of commenters who debated whether the home was boring or beautifully sparse.
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Madrid apartment, Spain, by Husos Arquitectos
A young doctor resides in this small Madrid apartment, which was designed to offset the "antiseptic" feel of the local hospital where he works.
Features include a timber sleeping-pod where the owner can take siestas in between shifts and an indoor garden where he can grow his own vegetables.
The floor is even dotted with cushioned cotton pads where his pet bulldog can relax.
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Marylebone Apartment, UK, by Proctor & Shaw
Living and sleeping quarters within this central London apartment are separated by a grooved wall crafted from Douglas fir wood.
Natural hues that appear throughout the home are directly inspired by the colour of ceramics and stoneware – however, in the bathroom, surfaces are entirely covered in dark-grey micro cement to create a "sensuous, cocoon-like atmosphere".
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Kinuta Terrace, Japan, by Norm Architects and Keiji Ashizawa Design
Keiji Ashizawa Design and Norm Architects focused on transparency, light and shadow for the overhaul of this pair of Tokyo apartments, which formerly featured dark and closed-off interiors.
After rationalising the floor plans to form fewer but bigger living spaces, the two practices finished the homes with simple concrete surfaces, earth-toned ornaments and light-hued timber furnishings.
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Function Walls, Sweden, by Lookofsky Architecture
Tasked with creating an interior that was both functional and playful, Lookofsky Architecture decided to place a sunshine-yellow storage wall at the centre of this Stockholm apartment.
The kitchen island and bathroom walls have been completed in the same yellow hue – a deliberate attempt by the practice to move away from the typically restrained Scandi colour palette.
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17.6-square-metre Flat, Taiwan, by A Little Design
Readers applauded the clever use of space inside this Taipei micro-apartment, which measures a meagre 17.6 square metres.
A Little Design reconfigured the space so that rooms were more practically proportioned and used an awkward concrete beam to divide the home's private and communal areas.
The project was also named as small interior of the year in the 2019 Dezeen Awards, where judges praised it for being "simple, extremely well controlled and pleasing for everyday use".
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Casa P82, Spain, by Lucas y Hernandez Gill
A handful of sliding partitions replace the rabbit-warren of walls that once obstructed this Madrid apartment.
The largely white-painted home is dotted with a number of quirky details, including faux skylights and an orange wire-frame bookshelf that's meant to resemble artist Paul Klee's geometric paintings.
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Perfect Storm, Australia, by Killing Matt Woods
Designed for clients who wanted to "shed their home of unimportant accumulation", the Perfect Storm apartment has been completed with a minimalist, bunker-style interior.
While almost every surface has been hand-rendered in cloudy grey paint, touches of warmth are provided by grooved oakwood cabinetry and statement lighting fixtures.
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Pioneer Square Loft, USA, by Plum Design and Corey Kingston
An L-shaped timber volume has been slotted neatly into the corner of this Seattle apartment. Up top lies a bedroom, while behind the series of frosted-glass doors below are bathroom facilities and a sauna room that's clad entirely in charred wood.
The rest of the home has been stripped back to feature exposed-brick walls and a handful of simple spherical pendant lamps.
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Marina Apartment, Spain, by Cometa Architects
A bustling marina informed the interior of this Barcelona apartment, which Cometa Architects has splashed with nautical decor details.
The floor plan is anchored by a cabin-like wooden volume, which accommodates a toilet and storage room, while copper pipes snake across the pale-grey walls – a nod to the colour of concrete docks.
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