Photo: Julian Wass

Carve out a niche. Arbour and Cernuschi recessed the area behind their wall-mounted flat screen by four inches so the TV fades into the wall, making "the art stand out a little bit more," says Cernuschi. This alteration also frees up the surface of the underlying credenza.

Hide and peek. This custom-built cabinet features a sliding door that conceals DVD and PlayStation equipment but leaves art books visible.

Go low. Because the pair built a loft bedroom above the living area, the space has restrictive, 8-foot-high dimensions. That's why they selected furniture no more than 3 feet tall, conjuring up soaring ceilings.