Reeded glass partitions, stucco walls and red walnut joinery feature in this renovation of a compact apartment in Tokyo by local studio I IN.
Created for Smarg, the renovation arm of Japanese real estate firm Goodlife, The Life concept apartment was designed to reframe the way that Japanese homeowners perceive renovated apartments.
Red walnut joinery features throughout the apartment (top and above)
“There is a common image of renovated apartments in Japan, which is not always positive,” said I IN.
“The majority of people prefer new buildings and spaces because of their appearance and reinforced structures as we have earthquakes.”
The kitchen cupboards are rendered in the same wood
To combat this preconception, I IN was commissioned to turn a 56-square-metre one-bed in a 1980s residential building into an understated luxury residence.
Set within Tokyo’s eastern Suitengūmae neighbourhood, the flat features an open-plan layout with the kitchen, living room and bedroom all located in one connected space.
Reeded glass partitions separate the bathroom from the living area
The kitchen sits at one end of the flat while the bedroom sits at the other, with the bed hidden from view behind a built-in walnut sideboard that the architects said serves as a “soft separation”. To separate these two domains, the living area was placed at the centre of the space.
I IN incorporated a palette of neutral colours and subtle textures throughout to create a light, restful and calming ambience.
The screens allow light to filter into the windowless bathroom
Reeded glass partition walls allow light to penetrate into the windowless toilet and bathroom while red walnut joinery, polished chrome lighting fixtures and off-white stucco walls were chosen to evoke a sense of luxury.
“We wanted to show the wooden architectural essence from old Japan through the texture of the wood and the three-dimensional layers of light, which you see in sci-fi movies,” I IN told Dezeen.
“The soft ambience from the slit light and textured glass was also important.”
In the future, the studio says the plan is to roll the design out to other buildings in central Tokyo.
I IN, which was founded by interior designers Yohei Terui and Hiromu Yuyama in 2018, was previously shortlisted for small retail interior of the year at the 2020 Dezeen Awards.
The bedroom is hidden from view thanks to another glass partition
Other renovated Tokyo flats featured on Dezeen include an overhauled 1960s apartment by design studio Minorpoet, which has its kitchen hidden behind folding wooden doors, and a refurbished flat by architect Masatoshi Hira where a family of four shares one bedroom, living space and wardrobe.
Dezeen promotion: working from home during the pandemic has changed people’s expectations of their workplaces, according to research from office design leader Steelcase.
The Steelcase Global Report finds that issues concerning safety, productivity, comfort, control and a sense of belonging – all stemming from experiences over the past year – will lead to changes in the way that offices are designed in the future.
“After spending months at home during a crisis, workers have never been more in touch with what they want from their work and workplace,” reads the report.
“They have new and increased expectations of their employers and workplaces — desiring a dramatically different and better experience than the one they left.”
The report identifies four “macro shifts” that it believes organisations will need to address as employees return to working at the office.
These trends were already developing before the impact of Covid-19, the research suggests, but have been accelerated as a result.
Design for Safety
Safety has emerged as the primary cause of change in office design going forward.
Companies will need to reassure their employees that the office is a safe environment, by enforcing measures that minimise risk of infection.
“Pre-pandemic, when organisations addressed safety in the workplace, their focus was primarily on occupational health and safety standards,” reads the text.
“Now, they will need to take a multifaceted, systemic approach that prioritises mitigating the spread of disease.”
Steelcase’s research found that offices will likely become multi-functional environments
Social distancing measures, such as spaced-out furniture and partition screens, could form part of a long-term safety strategy, while advanced HVAC systems can monitor and maintain safe levels of humidity, filtration, air dilution and air movement in a contained space.
Companies will also need to optimise cleanability, by specifying materials that reduce the spread of infection. Sensor technology could also be introduced, to identify high-traffic areas that need to be cleaned more regularly.
Design for Productivity
During the pandemic, many suggested the office would develop into a social hub, primarily centred around group work and meetings, while focus work would primarily be carried out in the home.
However, the research indicates that the office is more likely to develop into a multi-functional environment.
In all 10 countries surveyed for the report, employees identified “collaboration” as one their top five requirements for their workplace. However, eight out of 10 also listed “focus”.
“Moving forward, organisations will benefit from creating multimodal spaces that support collaboration and focus work equally,” reads the report.
“The workplace can’t simply be a social hub that brings people together with the expectation that individual work will happen at home. Research tells us this is not an inclusive strategy since many people struggle to focus at home.”
It is recommended that workspaces provide spaces that support four types of activity: in-person collaboration, virtual collaboration, privacy and movement.
Design to Inspire Community
In every country surveyed, people identified connection to others and a shared sense of purpose among their top reasons for wanting to return to the office.
Although working from home offered some benefits, many also found it to be an isolating experience.
Workers desire comfort and flexibility from their workplaces, the report discovered
Going forward, the indication is that the most successful offices will promote community amongst their employees.
“Organisations will need to rethink the purpose of the office from simply a place to work to becoming the infrastructure for building social capital and fostering a sense of purpose and belonging,” reads the report.
Design for Flexibility
The research identified a clear need for comfort and control in the future workplace.
Those who have been comfortable working from home, in terms of their physical, cognitive and emotional needs, will demand the same from the office. Whereas those who have been uncomfortable at home will be more acutely aware of their comfort needs.
Similarly, people report being more able to reconfigure their home environment to suit their needs, whether that means moving furniture or changing the temperature.
As a result, flexibility looks likely to become more important than ever in the office.
“Organisations need to design spaces that can be easily adapted, especially as more flexible work policies are implemented,” reads the report.
“The workplace must be designed to provide individuals and teams greater control over their environment so they can change it on demand.”
Steelcase’s Design Principles
Additionally, Steelcase has compiled four design principles for workspaces that meet new employee needs. These include Me + We, Fixed to Fluid, Open + Enclosed and Braiding Digital + Physical.
Me + We involves balancing the needs of individuals and teams. It aims to create environments designed for both focused and collaborative work to ensure a professional working environment.
Fixed to Fluid encourages greater flexibility and mobility, championing spaces that can change to fit individual and organisational needs.
Open + Enclosed provides both enclosed “me” and open “we” spaces. According to Steelcase, individual workers may require shielded working environments “to control privacy and safety”. It also references how teamwork may require increasingly flexible spaces that can change based on their activities.
Braiding Digital + Physical advocates enhancing human experiences with technology. It aims to create solutions for group and individual video interactions – not constrained to phones or laptops – to support artificial intelligence-guided or data-driven experiences.
In the first of a trio of spring lookbooks this Easter weekend, we’ve selected ten bright kitchens that are flooded with light from wide windows, skylights and full-height glass doors.
This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous articles in the series feature inspiring outdoor living spaces, calming green kitchens, and living rooms with beautiful statement shelving.
Tibur House, UK, by Paul Archer Design
This 15-square-metre addition to the rear of a house in north London contains a bright, open-plan kitchen and dining area.
Architecture studio Paul Archer Design topped a side extension with a skylight that runs the length of the kitchen while full-height glass doors let light into a dining area.
Find out more about Tibur House ›
Akari House, Spain, by Mas-aqui
Mas-aqui renovated an apartment near Barcelona into a light-filled home named Akari House after a Japanese term for light.
The apartment has a large skylight built into a roof terrace above that provides the kitchen with light.
Find out more about Akari House ›
Overcast House, UK, by Office S&M
Designed for a colour consultant, this kitchen extension by Office S&M in London combines several on-trend colours including Millennium Pink and Mint Green.
The space also doubles up as an area for the consultant to work and meet with clients, so it was essential that the kitchen was evenly lit.
Find out more about Overcast House ›
Vikki’s Place, Australia, by Curious Practice
Curious Practice used birch plywood throughout the interiors of this multi-generational home in the Australian city of Newcastle.
In the kitchen, which is bookended by sliding glass doors, birch plywood was also used to make simple open-face cabinets that were paired with countertops clad in stainless steel.
Find out more about Vikki’s Place ›
House in Los Vilos, Chile, by Office of Ryue Nishizawa
Designed as a retreat on the Chilean coast by Pritzker Prize-winning architect Ryue Nishizawa, House in Los Vilos has a spectacular kitchen flanked on both sides by full-height glass walls.
Set under the home’s wavy concrete roof, the kitchen has expansive views of the Pacific Ocean.
Find out more about House in Los Vilos ›
Brasília apartment, Brazil, by Bloco Arquitetos
Brazilian studio Bloco Arquitetos stripped back this 1960s apartment in Brasília and divided it up using translucent partitions.
At the front of the apartment, the kitchen is backed by a lattice-like wall with square cutouts that provides natural light and air to the apartment.
Find out more about Brasília apartment ›
Casa Aguantao, Chile, by Guillermo Acuña Arquitectos Asociados
This rural house in Chile occupies a pair of structures elevated on stilts and topped with grooved-metal roofs.
Placed at the end of one of the raised buildings, the long kitchen is enclosed by a wall of full-height glazing to give views across the surrounding countryside.
Find out more about Casa Aguantao ›
AR Residence, UK, by DeDraft
Architecture studio DeDraft added a kitchen extension clad in green aluminium panels to this house in London.
The compact addition contains a small dining area alongside large windows and a glass door next to a kitchen that is topped with a skylight.
Find out more about AR Residence ›
Wyoming house, USA, by Olson Kundig
In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, US studio Olson Kundig designed a house with large windows that can be covered in wooden shutters.
On the ground floor, the kitchen was positioned alongside one of the large windows so that it receives plenty of light.
Find out more about Wyoming house ›
Burrows Road, UK, by Rise Design Studio
Rise Design Studio created a large kitchen-cum-dining room at the rear of this mid-terrace house.
To bring plenty of light into the space, an extension made almost entirely of glass was added to the side of the home with full-height glass doors at the rear.
Find out more about Burrows Road ›
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing peaceful bedrooms, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens.
Granite, oak and rattan are among the materials found in a California winery’s hospitality building that has been refurbished by Danish designer David Thulstrup.
The Donum Home facility is part of the 200-acre (81-hectare) Donum Estate, which sits within the rolling hills of Sonoma County, just north of San Pablo Bay.
The Donum Home winery building features rattan elements
Founded in 2001, the winery is well known for its pinot noirs, along with the dozens of distinctive sculptures that dot its estate. The collection features work by famed artists such as Doug Aitken, Yayoi Kusama and Ai Weiwei.
Donum Home – which functions as a venue for tastings, dining and entertainment – opened in 2017 with a design by Matt Hollis of MH Architects in San Francisco. The modern-style building has a crisp profile and white cladding.
Sonoma County’s hills can be seen from the winery
In advance of the winery’s 20th anniversary this year, designer David Thulstrup – who leads an eponymous studio in Copenhagen – was brought in to freshen up the interior.
The project entailed adding new finishes and decor, along with reconfiguring the space to form three new tasting rooms. The aim was to create an environment that felt refined yet relaxed through a careful use of light and local materials.
“The outcome is an honest, simple and not over-designed place that reflects its surroundings, while also paying an ode to my Scandinavian roots without any Nordic clichés,” said Thulstrup.
Rooms feature neutral colours and earthy materials, such as oak-and-rattan screens designed by Thulstrup, and walls and floors covered in oak.
A rounded walnut table is surrounded by woven chairs in a tasting room
In one room, a rounded walnut dining table by e15 is surrounded by woven chairs by Thulstrup. An exuberant light fixture from Louis Poulsen hangs overhead.
In another room, a streamlined walnut table by Thulstrup is paired with a row of simple pendants designed by architect Peter Zumthor for Viabizzuno.
Original artworks feature all through the building
For the building’s great room, where skylights usher in soft daylight, Thulstrup created a table made of California granite.
Floating near the ceiling are three mirrored-glass balloons that were created by Danish artist Jeppe Hein. The sculpture, called Three Colours for Donum, moves gently with the wind and refracts sunlight.
Skylights bring soft light into the building’s great room
“Their mirrored surfaces reflect the surroundings and you at the same time, so you become a part of the artwork,” said Hein.
The Donum Home also features a custom, hand-blown-glass vase by Danish artist Lene Bødker, and artwork by Chinese artists Yue Minjun and Liu Xiaodong. There also is a neon piece, titled Surrounded by You, created by UK artist Tracey Emin.
A neon work by Tracy Emin can be seen through a doorway
Studio David Thulstrup has designed a wide range of spaces and decor, including a photographer’s studio inside a former factory building and the Michelin-star Noma restaurant in Copenhagen.
Last year, the studio teamed up with Danish furniture brand Møbel to create a pair of tables – one made entirely from ceramic and the other from powder-coated steel.
If your home doesn’t have a garden or a balcony, a well-chosen houseplant can bring the natural world inside. The second of a trio of spring lookbooks this Easter weekend showcases 10 domestic interiors with carefully chosen plants.
The projects feature plants ranging from full-sized trees to smaller houseplants such as aloe, peace lilies and ferns.
This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous articles in the series feature stylish home offices, children’s bedrooms, inspiring outdoor living spaces, and living rooms with beautiful statement shelving.
The Gymnasium by Robbert de Goede
This ground-floor apartment in Amsterdam was once a gymnasium. Converted by architect Robbert de Goede, the airy dwelling features a couple of statement potted plants.
A narrow-leafed fig (Ficus maclellandii Alii) is located next to the glass doors that lead to the terrace while a large fiddle-leaf fig (Ficus lyrata) is placed beside the staircase.
Find out more about The Gymnasium ›
Trevi House by Studio Venturoni
A peace lily (Spathiphyllum) in a raised silver planter complements a Nemo chair by Fabio Novembre in this one-bedroom apartment in Rome designed by Studio Venturoni. The room also features a corn plant (Dracaena Fragrans).
Find out more about Trevi House ›
Yurikago House by Mas-aqui
Architecture studio Mas-aqui transformed this Barcelona apartment into a multi-level home featuring a variety of materials including ceramic, plywood, terrazzo and steel.
A single plant, a snake plant or mother-in-law’s tongue (Dracaena trifasciata), guards the entrance to the bathroom.
Find out more about Yurikago House ›
A Forest House by Aquiles Jarrín
This spectacular apartment in Quito by architect Aquiles Jarrín features several large, architectural plants. Swiss cheese plants (Monstera Deliciosa) are clustered around the indoor pool while an internal courtyard is filled with umbrella trees (Schefflera), ferns and more Swiss cheese plants.
The apartment also features hanging baskets planted with a chain of hearts (Ceropegia woodii).
Find out more about A Forest House ›
Apartment in Lavapies by Leticia Saá
Architect Leticia Saá’s conversion of a Madrid apartment features a plant in every room. A large Kentia palm (Howea forsteriana) occupies a bright corner in the dining area while a giant white bird of paradise plant (Strelitizia nicola) is a key feature in the living area.
Smaller plants are dotted around the rest of the apartment (although it looks as if the photographer has used the same specimen in several of the photos).
Find out more about Apartment in Lavapies ›
Newry House by Austin Maynard Architects
Austin Maynard Architects transformed a narrow Melbourne house by adding a raised indoor bed beneath a glass roof over the dining area.
Planted with a range of species including a philodendron and ferns, the border creates a leafy, living backdrop to the built-in banquette.
Find out more about Newry House ›
Apartment A by Atelier Dialect
Atelier Dialect chose a spectacular cereus peruvianus as the finishing touch to its elegantly minimal conversion of an Antwerp apartment.
The giant cactus is the only plant in the home, which is otherwise finished with materials including cement, exposed-aggregate concrete and mirrored steel.
Find out more about Apartment A ›
Casa SD by Escribano Rosique Arquitectos
There are more plants than furnishings in this spartan house near Valladolid in Spain by Escribano Rosique Arquitectos.
Arranged around an open courtyard and featuring open-sided living spaces, the white-brick interior is dotted with including various species of ficus including a rubber plant (Ficus elastica) as well as a snake plant (Dracaena trifasciata).
Find out more about Casa SD ›
Brutalist Tropical Home by Dan Mitchell and Patisandhika
A large screw pine (Pandanus utilis) grows out of the living room floor in this brutalist home in Bali.
Created by designer Dan Mitchell and architectural studio Patisandhika, the concrete dwelling sits amid lush tropical vegetation and features a terrace planted with palms.
Find out more about Brutalist Tropical Home ›
A White House, A Growing Home by RIGI Design
An aloe plant in a raised planter has been paired with a white Hee dining chair by Hay in the bedroom of this converted Shanghai home by RIGI Design.
The succulent is one of many plants artfully placed around the home, which also features a courtyard scattered with more plants in containers.
In the third of a trio of spring lookbooks this Easter weekend, we’ve rounded up ten verdant rooftop gardens including a penthouse garden in Australia and a stepped vegetable garden in Vietnam.
This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous articles in the series feature terrazzo kitchens, stylish home offices, children’s bedrooms and inspiring outdoor living spaces.
Sydney penthouse garden, Australia, by CO-AP
The luxurious garden of this penthouse in Darlinghurst, Sydney, is made up of raised beds filled with indigenous plant, tree and shrub species.
Designed by landscape architect Matt Dillion, the plants were carefully selected to suit harsh rooftop conditions. The garden surrounds a pavilion-inspired penthouse with large windows.
Find out more about Sydney penthouse garden ›
Casa Verne, Mexico, by Zeller & Moye
This Mexico City rooftop garden was created as a getaway within a crowded neighbourhood in the bustling city.
Walkways made from white marble pebbles meander through different leisure areas, which feature plots of vegetation carefully planted to make the space seem bigger. Curved lines, artificial hills and dense planting add to the spacious feel.
Find out more about Casa Verne ›
San Francisco Residence, US, by Jamie Bush
A series of rooftop gardens were added to this stepped San Francisco building.
Los Angeles architect Jamie Bush used a landscape firm to choose plants to suit the California climate, which can quickly change from very hot to very cold. Among these are ornamental grasses, which are both attractive and hardy enough to thrive in windy conditions.
Find out more about San Francisco Residence ›
Veranda Roof Studio, India, by Studio Course
Studio Course revived this penthouse in Pune, west India, which opens up to a rooftop space. The local studio connected the apartment’s library with its courtyard garden where a raised patio makes for a perfect space for reading and relaxing.
Practical gravel lines the ground while shrubs and trees in wide terracotta pots add touches of green to the stone walls and floor.
Find out more about Veranda Roof Studio ›
The Red Roof, Vietnam, by TAA Design
This house in Vietnam is named after the large red bricks that make up its stepped roof, which is covered in an abundance of roof planters filled with vegetables for the local community.
The garden was designed to function as a closed cycle of growth, harvest and consumption, and grows a number of different vegetables in its raised plant beds and a number of terracotta pots.
Find out more about The Red Roof ›
Forest House, Thailand, by Shma Company
Bangkok’s Forest House has over 120 trees planted on its green roofs. As the roof terrace receives the most sunlight, it has also been planted with fruits, herbs and vegetables for the family who lives here.
Shma Company, which designed Forest House, believes that plant-covered buildings can help to mitigate many of the effects of climate change.
Find out more about Forest Roof ›
Maggie’s Centre Leeds, UK, by Heatherwick Studio
Heatherwick Studio’s design for Leeds’ Maggie’s Centre for cancer patients has a grassy rooftop garden as well as a plant-filled interior.
The studio wanted to immerse the building in “thousands of plants” to make it feel soulful and welcoming. The rooftop garden uses species native to Yorkshire’s woodlands, with evergreen shrubs and trees to provide colour throughout the year.
Find out more about Maggie’s Centre Leeds ›
Tokyo home, Japan, by Suzuko Yamada
Permanent scaffolding containing garden spaces encapsulates this Tokyo home.
Though it’s not a traditional rooftop garden, the different levels of the scaffolding allow the owners to experience a wide variety of plants, from a large tree on the ground to smaller potted plants higher up.
Find out more about Tokyo home ›
Rooftop garden, USA, by Piet Oudolf
Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, the designer of the High Line in New York, used herbaceous perennials ranging from flowering plants to decorative grasses for this rooftop garden.
The plants are placed in fibreglass planters with built-in benches and were used to frame four different zones on the rooftop, including a piazza and a dining area.
Find out more about Rooftop garden ›
House in Nha Trang, Vietnam by Vo Trong Nghia
The roof of this house in Vietnam is formed by a large tiered garden that was created to offer the owners as much outdoor space as possible. Trees, plants and flowers have been planted in rows on the staggered roof.
“The client wanted a large house with a large garden,” architects Vo Trong Nghia and Masaaki Iwamoto said. “Answering this request, a single roof is designed as a hanging garden to plant numerous trees and plants on.”
Find out more about House in Nha Trang ›
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing peaceful bedrooms, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens.
For this lookbook, we’ve rounded up ten home interiors decorated in pastel tints that show how ice-cream colours can give spaces a fresh, calming look.
The selection from our archive, which includes bathrooms to bedrooms and kitchens, shows how pastels – made by adding white to pure colours to make them more luminous and less saturated – can create a spring-like feeling.
Never really out of fashion, pastels have strong psychological associations with new life with their pale, cheery tints representing a midway stage between the darkness of winter and the full-blown colour of summer.
This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous articles in the series feature rooftop gardens, bright kitchens, interiors with statement plants, terrazzo kitchens, and stylish home offices.
Hidden Tints, Sweden, by Note Design Studio
A warm, yellow tint covers the walls of this Stockholm apartment designed by Note Design Studio, which is filled with different pastel colours. A pale, spring-like green complements the yellow and is picked up in the plants dotted around the space.
Wooden furniture matches the gleaming wooden floors, while a pale orange Mango lounge chair by Note Design Studio for Wendelbo adds a touch of colour. The light above the table is SILO Trio by Note Design Studio for Zero.
Find out more about Hidden Tints ›
Longhouse, Australia, by Partners Hill
The dining room of this shed-style home in Australia has been decorated in a pale blue colour that contrasts with its wooden floor and wooden door frame, as well as the rolling plains of bushland outside the windows.
Tomato-red dining chairs give the room a contemporary, vibrant feel and stand out against the soothing blue walls.
Find out more about Longhouse ›
Suburban Canny, Australia, by Tribe Studio
Each bathroom in this Sydney home is tiled in a different colour – pink, teal and blue. The almost apricot-pink shade of the tiles is matched with a pale pink, wall-hung basin as well as the door and door frame.
The geometric shapes of the small tiles create a graphic pattern on the wall that adds interest to the monochrome interior.
Find out more about Suburban Canny ›
Co-working space, US, by Beauty Shoppe
While the walls have been kept a discrete grey colour, pastel colours were used for other parts of the interior in this Cleveland co-working space. A Tulip side table by Eero Saarinen for Knoll sits between two of West Elm’s Thea chairs in a very pale pink shade.
Green and pink is used throughout the space, on a reception desk in pistachio green and the apricot-coloured curtains, as well as a comfy green sofa accessorised with a pink pillow.
Find out more about the co-working space ›
Melbourne extension, Australia, by Dan Gayfer Design
A banana-leaf ficus (ficus maclellandii) peaks in from the courtyard at this tile-clad blue bathroom in Melbourne. The tiles match the exterior of the house, which is also clad in pale blue tiles.
White-tiled walls and wooden drawers complete the clean, simple interior of the bathroom.
Find out more about the Melbourne extension ›
Skyhouse, US, by David Hotson and Ghislaine Viñas
This comfy sleeping nook in a Manhattan penthouse has been livened up with a very pale, almost pear-green colour that creates a peaceful feeling.
Light streaming in from a large window in the slanted wall adds to the fresh, crisp feel of the space which has been decorated with a small, practical stool as well as selected art pieces.
Find out more about Skyhouse ›
Paris apartment, France, by Les Ateliers Tristan & Sagitta
Colour was used generously throughout this Paris flat and used in a clever way to divide the children’s room for two brothers.
One side of the space has pale blue paintwork and beige carpet, while the other has white walls and wooden floorboards laid in a zigzagging pattern. The same pale blue was also used on the side with white walls to create a decorative geometric design on the wall.
Find out more about Paris apartment ›
A Brockley Side, UK, by CAN
Architecture studio CAN added a blue and white striped extension to a Victorian terrace in London and used a pastel pink curtain to give added privacy to the kitchen and dining space inside.
Pale turquoise Eames DSW chairs are set around a white dining table, with the colour picked up by the speckled sink splashback and the blue accessories on the shelves above it.
Find out more about A Brockley Side ›
London flat, UK, by Nimtim
Hans J Wegner’s sculptural Wishbone chair for Carl Hansen & Søn functions almost as a piece of art in this bedroom in a London flat, which has wooden fitted wardrobes and a fold-down bed.
The kitchen and dining space next to it has colourful turquoise cabinetry and a grey marble wall, which adds a luxurious touch to the space.
Find out more about London flat ›
Leman Locke, UK, by Grzywinski + Pons
Pale blue was used in this bedroom of the Leman Locke hotel in London, which was designed to bridge the gap between a home and a hotel stay.
Sami Kallio’s In Between chair for &Tradition matches the elegant wooden bed, and the natural wood – which is also used on the bedside table – gives the sleek space a more organic feel.
Find out more about Leman Locke ›
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing peaceful bedrooms, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens
For our latest lookbook, we’ve rounded up ten outdoor seating areas that incorporate stylish fireplaces and roaring fire pits to warm yourself on chilly spring evenings.
This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home.
Previous articles in the series featured pastel interiors, bright kitchens, living rooms with statement shelving and interiors with statement plants.
House of the Big Arch, South Africa, by Frankie Pappas
Built within a South African nature reserve, House of the Big Arch was designed by architecture collective Frankie Pappas to avoid existing trees.
Supported on an arch that gives the house its name is an outdoor patio that contains a circular brick hearth, an oven and a small pool.
Find out more about House of the Big Arch ›
Guadalajara House, Mexico, by Alejandro Sticotti
Argentinian architect Alejandro Sticotti created a covered outdoor lounge and dining area alongside this house in the Mexican city of Guadalajara.
Connected to the home’s indoor, open-plan kitchen and dining room, the sheltered area contains a seating area with a timber-framed sofa and a dining table alongside an outdoor chiminea set against a wall.
Find out more about Guadalajara House ›
AutoCamp, USA, by Anacapa Architecture
Created to be the social hub of a luxury campground in California designed by Anacapa Architecture, this open-air clubhouse is used for guest check-in and socialising.
Within the clubhouse, chairs are gathered around a square floor-level hearth similar to a Japanese irori beneath a suspended conical steel flue.
Find out more about AutoCamp ›
Butterfly House, USA, by Surface Design
Landscape architecture studio Surface Design created a series of planted terraces at this house in San Francisco to be “a serene respite from the city”.
A raised concrete hearth hosting an ethanol fire anchors the ground floor courtyard, which is completed with benches, ferns and anemones and pots containing agaves and euphorbias.
Find out more about Butterfly House ›
Equinox Hotel, USA, by David Rockwell and Joyce Wang
Designed by Rockwell Group and Joyce Wang Studio, the Equinox Hotel occupies 14 floors of a skyscraper designed by architecture firm SOM in Hudson Yards.
The hotel has two large terraces – one with a pool overlooking Thomas Heatherwick’s Vessel, and one containing seating arranged around a water feature and a decorative ethanol fire.
Find out more about Equinox Hotel ›
Minimalist Urban Residence, USA, by Anacapa Architecture
Anacapa Architecture designed this home for a residential neighbourhood in the Californian city of Santa Barbara.
The open-plan living space and main bedroom in the L-shaped house both open onto a backyard that has an outdoor fireplace set in a wall and a seating area arranged around a raised rectangular concrete fire pit.
Find out more about Minimalist Urban Residence ›
Ravine House, USA, by Wheeler Kearns
American studio Wheeler Kearns Architects designed this single-storey house on a wooded site on the outskirts of Chicago.
At the rear of the home is a seating area enclosed by a low, curved gabion wall made from rubble found on the site. A fireplace is integrated into this gabion wall.
Find out more about Ravine House ›
Midden Garden Pavilion, South Africa, by Metropolis
This concrete outdoor dining pavilion was designed by Metropolis as part of a renovation of a house in the Cape Town suburb of Constantia.
Designed to take advantage of views over nearby Table Mountain, the open-sided pavilion includes a square concrete hearth topped with a suspended funnel-shaped flue surrounded by concrete seating.
Find out more about Midden Garden Pavilion ›
Yō no Ie, Japan, by Muji
This single-storey prefabricated home designed by Japanese retail company Muji is fronted by three full-height doors that open onto a large wooden deck.
The outdoor terrace contains a sunken seating area with a fire pit.
Find out more about Yō no Ie ›
Casa SS, Chile, by Pablo Saric and Cristian Winckler
Designed by architects Pablo Saric and Cristian Winckler Perched, Casa SS is a blackened pine house perched above the Pacific Ocean in Chile.
The main living area has large glass windows facing the ocean and opens out onto an enclosed sandy courtyard with deck chairs arranged around a circular steel fire pit at the rear of the home.
Find out more about Casa SS ›
This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing peaceful bedrooms, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens.
For our next lookbook, we’ve selected ten courtyards and enclosed outdoor spaces where the designers have created inviting places to sit and relax.
Courtyards are areas that are enclosed by walls yet open to the sky. They allow natural light and fresh air to enter buildings with deep plans and can also serve as gardens or patios if designed well.
These ten projects have made the most of these outdoor spaces to create calm seating areas to hang out in.
This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbooks series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous articles in the series feature plant-filled interiors, lush rooftop gardens and spaces for outdoor dining.
Casa Octavia in Mexico City, Mexico, by PPAA
Casa Octavia, a hotel opened by a fashion brand in Mexico City, has a gravel-lined outdoor space down one side.
A polished concrete bench that doubles as a fern-filled planter provide a place to sit with your back against the wall and catch the sun. Smooth wooden stools provide additional seating for groups to gather and chat.
Find out more about Casa Octavia
House for a Ceramic Designer in Ljubljana, Slovenia, by Arhitektura d.o.o
Angular black ceramic sculptures made by the occupant decorate this courtyard at the centre of a house and studio built for a ceramicist living in Ljubljana.
A looping chair by Zett made of fibre cement matches the concrete walls and floors and provides another sculptural element when not in use. White curtains can be used to screen off the glass walls from the outdoors for privacy.
Find out more about House for a Ceramic Designer
Fairfield Hacienda in Melbourne, Australia, by MRTN Architects
A patio at the front of this home in Melbourne acts as an outdoor living room for the family that lives there.
Windows and doorways are formed by the simple breeze-block walls, which also form a wood-topped bench down one side. Bright red metal chairs and grey bar stools provide extra seating around the outdoor dining table.
Find out more about Fairfield Hacienda
Martinez 3458 in Mendoza, Argentina, by Primer Piso Arquitectos
A patch of grass has been planted in a section cut away from the tiled floor of this walled patio on the ground floor apartment of this brick building in Mendoza.
A pair of acid-yellow Original Acapulco Chairs by OK Design sits on the lawn, and an outdoor fire shelf with a chimney provides a spot for an outdoor barbeque that won’t bother the upstairs neighbours.
Find out more about Martinez 3458
Palma Hideaway in Palma, Mallorca, by Mariana de Delás
Glazed green tiles on a planter filled with crotons (Codiaeum variegatum) provide a pop of colour against the white-painted walls and terrazzo floor of this courtyard for an apartment in Mallorca.
A pair of HAY’s Hee Lounge White chairs match the backdrop and are draped with mismatching cushions.
Find out more about Palma Hideaway
Pointing House in Rome, Italy, by Studio Strato
This 110-square-foot one-bedroom apartment overlooking a park in Rome wraps around this small outdoor space with a tiled floor.
The wooden sliding door is painted a deep teal, providing a backdrop for a pair of bamboo and rattan chairs and a table holding a baby blue glazed ashtray. A wild banana plant (Strelitzia nicolai) in a terracotta pot adds a splash of greenery.
Find out more about Pointing House
House in Sonobe, Sonobe, Japan, by Tato Architects
A corrugated polycarbonate door slides open to reveal the wedge-shaped atrium of this house in the town of Sonobe.
A simple wooden swing hangs from a steel beam. A sink in one corner serves the downstairs bathroom while a circular table with a chair and an articulated task lamp provide a semi-outdoor workspace.
Find out more about House in Sonobe
Casa Piraja in São Paulo, Brazil, by Estúdio BRA Arquitetura
This narrow courtyard to the rear of a slim house in São Paulo features an outdoor kitchen and bar tucked against the back wall.
A Nature Tri Bistro Table and a pair of Cascade Stools from Brazilian brand Cremme complete the outdoor setup, turning it into a private bar for the residents.
Find out more about Casa Piraja
House of Reticence in Shiga, Japan, by Formkouichi Kimura Architects
This tranquil courtyard in a house on an 18-metre-wide plot in Shiga provides a meditative space with plain rendered walls and square white tiles on the floor.
A built-in bench made of long glazed bricks sits below a glazed wall that lets in soft diffuse light while maintaining privacy.
Find out more about House of Reticence
Wall House in Bien Hoa, Vietnam, by CTA
Walls of punctured bricks create an intriguing pattern and let breezes waft through the courtyard of this multi-generational house in Bien Hoa.
A wooden-topped table provides a sunlit dining area surrounded by vegetation planted in the earth between the exposed-aggregate concrete floor.
A rainforest-style atrium with a cedar tree lies within a two-storey unit designed by Leckie Studio, located inside the new Vancouver House tower.
The penthouse is found within the sculptural, 59-storey tower that rises up from a triangular site in downtown Vancouver, near Granville Bridge. The building was designed by architecture firm BIG and was completed last year.
A rainforest-style atrium sits at the heart of the penthouse
The two-level apartment is on the northwest side of the skyscraper, where it is afforded views of English Bay and the North Shore Mountains.
The unit’s owner desired an inviting atmosphere and spaces to accommodate natural artefacts and artwork from her travels. She turned to local firm Leckie Studio to oversee the design.
The apartment has views far-reaching views of Vancouver and beyond
The team set out to create a layered environment that looked both inward and outward, and was infused with organic elements.
“Through an iterative design process, the studio and client arrived at a highly bespoke, biophilic design that is attuned to the passage of time,” the team said.
A kitchen on the lower level features a giant island
The unit is divided into public and private areas. On the bottom level, one finds a living room, dining area, kitchen and an office. A half-turn stair leads to the upper level, which holds two bedrooms.
There also is a 167-square-metre roof deck that is accessed via a private elevator.
“The experience of the penthouse is quite varied, depending on the time of day and which space is being occupied,” said architect Michael Leckie.
The unit’s focal point is a tall, glazed atrium filled with lush vegetation.
The atrium runs alongside the stairwell leading to bedrooms
Acting as the “spine” for the penthouse, the atrium runs alongside the stairwell and extends from the unit’s bottom level all the way to its roof terrace. At the top, it is open to the sky.
“Conceived as a microcosm of the Pacific Northwest rainforest, its centrepiece is a full-size, red cedar tree that lends a contemplative and grounding element to the onlooking interiors,” the team said.
Finishes and fixtures are kept minimal in the bathroom
“The ecosystem surrounding this tree will be sustained long term by a ‘nurse’ log, which replenishes the space with nutrients from decay.”
Beyond the atrium, earthy elements are found throughout the dwelling and form a rich backdrop for the client’s belongings.
Marble lines the walls of the powder room
American black walnut makes up the woodwork in the living room, kitchen and bathing areas. The high-quality wood was also used for the stair treads.
Travertine was used for flooring and custom-milled bathroom sinks. Smokey grey marble lines the walls in a powder room.
Blackened-steel accents can be found throughout the apartment
Blackened-steel accents run throughout the unit and act as a counterpoint to the natural materials.
The penthouse’s sparse furnishings include an oak-topped dining table with a cast-bronze base, and a low-lying, multidirectional sofa that support various postures and orientations.
A lighting installation from Bocci illuminates the stairwell
Floating in the stairwell is a lighting installation from Bocci that evokes a cluster of sparkling fireflies. The piece is made of copper and 122 glass luminaires.
The rooftop terrace is meant to serve as an extension of the living space. It is fitted with a stainless-steel jacuzzi, an outdoor shower, a kitchenette and plenty of seating.
The lighting installation is made from copper and glass
Founded by Michael Leckie in 2015, Leckie Studio has designed a number of residential projects, including mirrored cabins that blend into the forest. The firm also designed Slack’s Vancouver office, located within a repurposed industrial building.
