In this rental treehouse in Florence, a chalkboard doubles as a headboard and a message area for hosts to go away welcome missives to guests. It might sound counterintuitive, however in a bedroom with comparatively small square footage, sizing up the bedside tables can make the most of every inch. In this Brooklyn Heights house, a West Elm dresser is repurposed as a roomy nightstand to deal with bouquets, books, and beauty products. Yes, the bedroom of Colombian designer Johanna Ortiz’s Cartagena vacation house enjoys the profit of giant glass doors leading to a hammocked balcony al fresco.

When you …