"The city is getting more sophisticated, but people don't want to forget about its past, " says Stefan Sklaroff, who just opened a 10, 000-square-foot, two-level modern-furniture store called Cella Luxuria in a 19th-century brick building downtown.

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She hired designer Kristy Kropat, who turned a Mediterranean-style casita into a modern-industrial room with modular furniture, LED accent lights, metallic gray walls with pixelated Space Invader vinyl decals and bright pops of color.

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"Henri Samuel used '70s furnishings to fill in gaps, things like large coffee tables and lighting accoutrements for our modern lives, " says 20th-century furniture dealer Liz O'Brien, who notes that prices have been slowly rising over the last decade.

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Surrounded by peaceful rice paddies, the modern, two-storey suites are simply designed with beautiful teak furniture.

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After extended negotiations with the local government, the Lindens were afforded a 40-year lease on an intact pre-revolutionary property, which now boasts modern amenities and 14 guest rooms decorated with furniture made by local artisans.

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