The Specs:2,000 square feet, 3 bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms
Good for:Design buffs with a heart for the old and a head for the ultranew

Preservationists, close this window now. Everyone else, check out 217 West Eugenie Street, an endearing 19th-century cottage gutted to the studs for a modernist redo. “There’s a huge juxtaposition between the historic façade, which can’t be changed as part of the Old Town historic district, and the inside,” says Tim Salm, the agent who listed the home for $2 million in October.

That isn’t just real estate hyperbole. After a year of work directed by Wheeler Kearns Architects, the cottage reemerged as a minimalist refuge. Among the highlights: a central staircase landing that morphs into a kitchen counter, abundant natural light from lofty windows and a floor-to-ceiling sliding back door, and a blown-out backyard (buh-bye, 400-square-foot addition from the ’80s). Bonus: a nearly unheard of (in the city) two-car garage.