When Aurangabad-based architects Gopal Tanwani and Shruti Tanwani realised that they had to shift from their existing work premises to a larger one owing to acute paucity of space felt by the growing interior design + architectural firm, they were clear that their new office would be owned and that it would be a standalone building.

It was the diffuse afternoon light that attracted Pia Ulin to her north-facing loft in Brooklyn’s Bed-Stuy. “I love the light: I see the sky, a church, and the Empire State Building from my windows. The orientation also means the rooms don’t get very hot,” says the star interiors photographer, who not coincidentally grew up in the north of Sweden and uses only natural light in her work.

Last week, when I shared the evolution of our home after the three years moving in, I shared this current photo below of our study. It’s at the very front of our house, directly to the right when you open the front door. It has a full wall of windows and although it’s small in size, it’s big on functionality.