Spotted: The fashion industry has been in for a lot of criticism over its poor environmental record – and with good reason. Textile production makes up 10 per cent of global carbon emissions and produces more than 20 per cent of global wastewater. Luckily, awareness of these issues is leading to innovations that are driving change in the sector.
One of the companies working to make textiles greener is Smartex, which has developed a suite of software tools that make fabric production more efficient. Smartex’s Core platform uses cameras, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning to make fabric production more efficient. The system identifies defects before they can create waste, aids in article management, and creates digital twins of textile rolls produced, among other features.
At the same time, the company’s more recently unveiled Loop platform provides suppliers with precise data down to each roll of fabric, enabling greater transparency across the supply chain. The result is much greater efficiency and communication between suppliers and brands – all of which reduce waste.
The increased interest in making fashion more sustainable means there is a big demand for this type of platform. Smartex completed a $24.7 million (around €23 million) series A funding round in 2022, building on a $2.9 million (around €2.7 million) seed round in 2019.
Smartex’s Taylor Bradley told Springwise that the company “will continue to tackle enormous, pervasive problems across the global textile industry by providing tailored AI, software and hardware solutions which will help the industry become modernised and digitised. Our goal is to provide essential tools for every Modern Textile Factory.”
The fashion industry has been working to improve its environmental track record with a wide number of innovations. In the archive, Springwise has also spotted 3D weaving to reduce textile waste and leather alternatives made from brewing waste.
step inside saint of athens’ renovated upper house in kypseli
Located in the heart of Kypseli, one of Athens’s most historic urban areas, the floor-through Upper House apartment occupies the first level of an iconic building designed and constructed in the 1920s following the architectural style of eclecticism. Saint of Athens founder Nikos Palaiologos teamed up with A&O Architects to renovate his understatedly luxurious 220 sqm property, devising an interior space reminiscent of New York’s Upper East Side apartment houses of the aristocratic flats on the 7th arrondissement of Paris. The house was originally built for the family of a wealthy Greek industrialist of the previous century, which explains many of its rare and inherent features, such as the five-meter high ceilings, the intricate plaster motifs, and the genius overall layout offering easy access to all spaces and a soothing, flowing sense of comfort.
combining retro aesthetics and modern convenience.
The Upper House apartment’s recent renovation by Saint of Athens (see more here) and A&O Architects (more here) joins together a selection of premium materials and appliances — chevron wood flooring, Greek marbles, Internet of Things (IoT), state-of-the-art heating and cooling technology — resulting in a sui generis combination of retro aesthetics and modern convenience. ‘A perfectly preserved one century-old wooden staircase, two reception rooms (living rooms), a dining area, a master bedroom with a walk-in bathroom, a guestroom and a guest bathroom, a library, a kitchen, and a pantry constitute parts of a functional home synthesis that blends practicality with fine craftsmanship and unique taste,’writes Nikos Palaiologos.
first reception room of the eclectic Upper House in Kypseli
Furthermore, the design team introduced upscale custom-made creations like the one-of-a-kind closet, the Japanese wallpaper, and the boiseries gracing the walls give the house an eye-pleasing added value, while lavish bits and pieces — from designer furniture and light fixtures to hip ceiling fans and memorabilia/works of art — bless every single space with a careful touch of arty elegance. ‘The Upper House is the epitome of a modern house experience grounded in the finest aesthetic principles of a glorious past,’concludes Nikos Palaiologos.
Saint of Athens teamed up with A&O Architects to renovate the 220 sqm property
Dezeen has announced the 150 projects longlisted for this year’s Dezeen Awards in the interior categories, including interiors by studios Olson Kundig, Neri&Hu, Patricia Urquiola and Morris+Company.
The 150 longlisted projects, which are in the running for awards in nine different interior project categories, are by studios located across 32 different countries including India, Slovakia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark and Latvia.
The top three represented studio countries are the UK, with 27 longlisted entries, followed by the US with 23 and Australia with 15.
The top project city locations are London, with 18 longlisted entries, followed by Shanghai with seven and Sydney and Paris tied with four each.
Amongst the longlisted interiors this year are a refurbished 280-year-old courtyard house in Beijing, a textured beige ceramic home interior in Kyiv and a playful red brick-clad rooftop cafe in South Korea’s Gyeonggi-do province.
Other longlisted projects include a monochromatic office in Barcelona, a restaurant with a curved metal-mesh ceiling in London and a retail space featuring salvaged and biomaterials.
All Dezeen Awards 2023 longlists revealed this week
Dezeen Awards 2023, in partnership with Bentley Motors, will reveal all longlisted projects this week. The architecture longlist was published yesterday and the design longlist will be announced tomorrow, followed by the sustainability longlist on Thursday.
Longlisted projects have been selected from over 4,800 entries from 94 countries for the sixth edition of our awards programme, which celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design, as well as the studios and individuals producing the most outstanding work.
Above: Sun Dial Apartment by Manuelle Gautrand Architecture. Photo by Gaelle Le Boulicaut. Top: Shiny Gold by Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios. Photo by Vinciane Lebrun
The next stage of Dezeen Awards 2023 will see all longlisted projects assessed by our international jury of leading professionals including interior designers Eny Lee Parker, Nick Jones and Tola Ojuolape.
The judges will determine the projects that feature on the shortlists, which will be announced in October. A further round of judging by our master jury will determine the winners, which will be announced in November.
One of the nine winners of the interior project categories will then be crowned the overall interior project of the year.
Read on for the full interiors longlist:
Union Street House by Prior Barraclough. Photo by Ben Hosking
Home Interior
› WKA Penthouse, Antwerp, Belgium, by Bruno Spaas Architectuur › Leaside Avenue, London, UK, by Emil Eve Architects › Another Seedbed: From Domesticity to Hospitality, New York, USA, by Future Projects › House FC, Taipei City, Taiwan, by Fws_work › Atelier Chabot, Montreal, Canada, by Indee Design › Hiroo Residence, Tokyo, Japan, by Keiji Ashizawa Design › Cape Drive Residence, Hong Kong, China, by Linehouse › Mureli House, Kozyn, Ukraine, by Makhno Studio › Sun Dial Apartment, Paris, France, by Manuelle Gautrand Architecture › Kamoi House, Barcelona, Spain, by Mas-aqui › Hargrave Cottage Paddington, London, UK, by Michiru Higginbotham › Adventures in Space, London UK, by Owl › Union Street House, London, UK, by Prior Barraclough › North London Family Home, London, UK, by Retrouvius › Mexican and Galician influences in Madrid, Spain, by Sierra + Delahiguera › Belgravia Townhouse, London, UK, by State of Craft Limited › Tembo Tembo Lodge, South Africa, by Studio Asaï › Light House, Singapore, by Studio iF › Villa San Francisco, California, USA, by Studio Mortazavi › A Resolutely Maximalist Mini Loft, Bagnolet, France, by Zyva Studio
Browse all projects on the home interior longlist page.
Taproom in the Brewery Tenczynek by Projekt Praga. Photo by ONI Studio
Restaurant and bar interior
› Kiln at Ace Hotel, Sydney, Australia, by Atelier Ace › Frescohallen, Bergen, Norway, by Claesson Koivisto Rune Architects › Nebula, London, UK, by Common Ground Workshop › Dolly, Unley, Australia, by Genesin Studio › Mala Sichuan Bistro, Houston, USA, by Gin Design Group › Beefbar Milan, Italy, by Humbert & Poyet › Chleo, New York, USA, by Islyn Studio › Gaga Coast, Shanghai, by Linehouse › Blue Bottle Zhang Yuan Cafe, Shanghai, by Neri&Hu Design and Research Office › Noma Kyoto, Kyoto, Japan, by OEO Studio › Prime Seafood Palace, Toronto, Canada, by Omar Gandhi Architects › Taproom in the Brewery Tenczynek, Poland, by Projekt Praga › Xokol, Guadalajara, Mexico, by ODAmx and Ruben Valdez Practice › Colemans Deli, Hathersage, UK, by SJW Architects › Cozinha das Flores and Flôr, Porto, Portugal, by Space Copenhagen › AOC Restaurant, Copenhagen, Denmark, by Spacon & X › Ikoyi, London, UK, by David Thulstrup › Light Years Asian Diner, Byron Bay, Australia, by Studio Plenty › Parconido Bakery Cafe, Gyeonggi-do, South Korea, by SukChulMok › Saint Hotel, Melbourne, Australia, by Telha Clarke
Browse all projects on the restaurant and bar longlist page.
SABI by Grounded Living. Photo by Lean Timms
Hotel and short-stay interior
› Birch (Selsdon), London, UK, by A-nrd studio › Drift Hotel, California, USA, by Anacapa Architecture › Ace Hotel Toronto, Canada, by Atelier Ace › Ember Locke, London, UK, by Atelier Ochre & House of Dré › Capella, Sydney, Australia, by BAR Studio › Bos-Cos Sevilla, Seville, Spain, by Febrero Studio › SABI, Tasmania, Australia, by Grounded Living › Albor Hotel, Tapestry Collection by Hilton, Guanajuato, Mexico, by Héctor Esrawe › Ying’nFlo, Hong Kong, China, by Linehouse › Monasty Hotel, Thessaloniki, Greece, by Not a Number Architects › The Standard, Ibiza, Spain, by Oskar Kohnen Studio › Our Habitas San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, by Our Habitas › Six Senses Rome, Italy, by Patricia Urquiola › Som Land Hostel, Shanghai, by RooMoo › Heymo 1, Espoo, Finland, by Rune & Berg Design Oy › The Standard, Bangkok, Thailand, by Standard International › Hay Boutique Hotel, Polyanytsya, Ukraine, by YOD Group
Browse all projects on the hotel and short stay longlist page.
Folk Kombucha by Spacon & X. Photo by Hedda Rysstad
Workplace interior (small)
› The Joint Works, Birmingham, UK, by 2G Design and Build › Lincoln St Workplace, Boston, USA, by Atelier Cho Thompson › Carnaby Club, London, UK, by Buckley Gray Yeoman › Mitsui & Co, Minato-ku, Japan, by Flooat › Studio Reisinger, Barcelona, Spain, by Isern Serra › LAJ Office and Shop, Vancouver, Canada, by Marcela Trejo › Workplace for the preparation of medicine in Riga, Latvia, by MUUD Architects › ScienceIO Headquarters, New York, USA, by Office of Tangible Space › Folk Kombucha, Copenhagen, Denmark, by Spacon & X › The Forest of Knowledge – CCI Library, Mumbai, India, by Studio Hinge › Artis Ventures, San Francisco, USA, by Studio O+A › Alera, Vancouver, Canada, by Studio Roslyn › Terroir Hobart Office, Hobart, Australia, by Terroir › Chief London, London, UK, by Thirdway › WOA Second Home, Ernakulam, India, by Workers of Art
Browse all projects on the workplace interior (small) longlist page.
Carlsen Publisher Campus by de Winder Architekten. Photo by Mark Seelen
Workplace interior (large)
› Government Office, Abu Dhabi, UAE, by Agata Kurzela studio › COX Sydney Studio, Australia, by Cox Architecture › Carlsen Publisher Campus, Hamburg, Germany, by de Winder Architekten › NeueHouse Venice Beach, California, USA, by DesignAgency › Here+Now, Reading, UK, by Hawkins\Brown › Sony Music UK HQ, London, UK, by MoreySmith › 215 Mare Street, London, UK, by Morris+Company › 800 Fifth Avenue, Seattle, USA, by Olson Kundig › Dice, London, UK, by Sella Concept › Bay Area Research Company by SkB Architects › Canopy Menlo Park, California, USA, by Studio Mortazavi › Adidas (GOLD, Performance Zone, and RED) campus, Portland, USA, by Studio O+A › World of Klarna, Stockholm, Sweden, by Studio Stockholm › 210 Euston Road, London, UK, by Universal Design Studio › Convene at 22 Bishopsgate, London, UK, by Woods Bagot
Browse all projects on the workplace interior (large) longlist page.
Dreams by Adi Goodrich of Sing-Sing. Photo by Adi Goodrich and Ye Rin Mok
Retail interior (small)
› Aesop Palisades Village, Los Angeles, USA, by Odami › Big, London, UK, by Nina+Co › Bisque Golf Amsterdam, The Netherlands, by Barde vanVoltt › Buff, Edinburgh, Scotland, by GRAS › Camper Pop-Up Galeries Lafayette, Paris, France, by Penadés office › Chimi Store at NK, Stockholm, Sweden, by Campus › Coachtopia, London, UK, by Studio XAG › Cover Story Paint Studio, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, by Cover Story Paint › Dreams, Los Angeles, USA, by Adi Goodrich of Sing-Sing › Finesse, Melbourne, Australia, by Studio Edwards › Garrett Leight New York, USA, by West of West › Glossier, New York, USA, by Glossier › Mimco Flagship Store, Chadstone, Australia, by Studio Doherty › Net Zero Ecoalf Store, Madrid, Spain, by Medina Varela MVN Arquitectos › SOM Store, Bratislava, Slovakia, by D415 › The Art Gallery of NSW, Sydney, Australia, by Akin Atelier
Browse all projects on the retail interior (small) longlist page.
Superseed Concept Store by FOG Architecture. Photo by SFAP
Retail interior (large)
› Harmay Chongqing, China, by Aim Architecture › Maison Special/Prank Project Fukuoka, Japan, by AtMa › Calico Club Cottage, Nistelrode, The Netherlands, by Barde vanVoltt › ToSummer Beijing Guozijian, China, by FOG Architecture › Xiaozhuo Shanghai Boutique, China, by FOG Architecture › Super Seed Concept Store, Hangzhou, China, by FOG Architecture › Freitag Store Shanghai, China, by Freitag Lab › GANT Flagship Store, Stockholm, Sweden, by GANT › Jasmin Black Lounge, Seoul, South Korea, by Hyundai Department Store Group › The Forum, Daegu, South Korea, by Hyundai Department Store Group › GrubStreet Arts Center, Boston, USA, by Merge Architects › XiaoZhuo Flagship Store, Shanghai, by Offhand Practise › Salvatori Showroom, New York, USA, by Salvatori › Cake 0 Emissions US Headquarters, Los Angeles, USA, by Shin Shin › BSTN Store, London, UK, by Sunst Studio › SVRN, Chicago, USA, by WGNB
Browse all projects on the retail interior (large) longlist page.
Leisure Area of Pediatric Ward of Hospital São João by ARG studio. Photo by Ivo Tavares Studio
Health and wellbeing interior
› Eterno Health Hamburg, Germany, by Ahochdrei – Labor für Gestaltung › Leisure Area of Pediatric Ward of Hospital São João, Porto, Portugal, by ARG studio › Insight Body and Mind, Aberfeldie, Australia, by Biasol Studio › Placidus Student Welfare Spaces for Marcellin College, Melbourne, Australia, by Branch Studio Architects › Chi Chi Club, Hamburg, Germany, by Deglan Studios › Hooke London, UK, by Holland Harvey › Gym Town, Hong Kong, China, by MR Studio › Practice Dr. Sell + Dr. Stocker, Nuremberg, Germany, by Markmus Design › Seattle Children’s Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, USA, by NBBJ › Ocean Cosmetics Clinic, Cottesloe, Australia, by Nickolas Gurtler Office › Paw, Beijing, China, by Office AIO › Symphony Orthodontics, Bristow, Australia, by OLI Architecture › La Maison de Beauté Carita, L’Oréal-Luxe, Paris, France, by Rev/Studio › Paste, Toronto, Canada, by Studio Author › Flow Space, Shanghai, by Super Rice Architects
Browse all projects on the health and wellbeing longlist page.
Søylerommet – The Pillars by 2050+. Photo by 2050+
Exhibition design (interior)
› Søylerommet – The Pillars, Oslo, Norway, by 2050+ › Objects Of Desire: Surrealism and Design 1924, London, UK, by Alexander Boxill › Plastics: Remaking Our World, Dundee, Scotland, by Asif Khan › Scandinavian Design and the United States, 1890-1980 at LACMA, Los Angeles, USA, by Bestor Architecture › Flow, Milan, Italy, by Daisuke Yamamoto Design Studio › The Golden Age of Grotesque, Hannover, Germany, by Didier Fiuza Faustino / Mesarchitecture › Fashioning Masculinities: The Art of Menswear, London, UK, by JA Projects › Nature. And us?, Lenzburg, Switzerland, by Kossmanndejong & Stapferhaus › BIO27 Super Vernaculars Exhibition Design, Ljubljana, Slovenia, by Medprostor › Batman x Spyscape: Immersive Interactive Experience, New York, USA, by Mona Kim Projects › Shiny Gold, Paris, France, by Nelly Ben Hayoun Studios › Refik Anadol: Unsupervised, New York, USA, by Refik Anadol Studio › Illustration corner, Ljubljana, Slovenia, by Sara&Sara › The Welcome Center, Washington, USA, by Studio Joseph › Flugt Refugee Museum of Denmark, Oksbøl, by Tinker imagineers › Our Time on Earth, London, UK, by Universal Design Studio
Browse all projects on the exhibition design (interior) longlist page.
Dezeen Awards 2023
Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.
Spotted: As coal mining winds down, innovators are coming up with some novel ways to repurpose disused mines. One of these is Australian startup Green Gravity, which is using vertical ventilation shafts in decommissioned coal mines to store clean energy.
Green Gravity stores energy using the principles of gravity and kinetic energy. Ultra-heavy weights, made from 30 tonnes of steel coil, are lifted and then lowered in the shafts. As the weights are lowered, the cable holding them passes through a device called a ‘winder’, which is used to turn a motor, generating energy. The weights are lifted using excess renewable energy, then remain at the top of the shaft, holding potential energy, until demand rises, when they are lowered to generate energy to meet that demand.
While gravity energy storage is not new, Green Gravity aims to save money and resources by using old mine shafts, rather than purpose-built towers. This makes the company’s technology lower cost than similar options. In addition, because it is installed using existing equipment and sites, it uses fewer resources and is thus more environmentally friendly.
In September 2022, the company announced a partnership with leading Australian artificial intelligence (AI) and automation company xAmplify. Under the partnership, Green Gravity will use xAmplify’s AI to enable digital simulation, data processing, deep learning, and automated operations. In the words of Green Gravity CEO Mark Swinnerton, “Deploying advanced AI platforms will accelerate the rollout of Green Gravity energy storage, bring down the cost of renewable energy, and reduce carbon emissions from the electricity grid.”
Springwise has previously spotted energy storage systems such as a hi-tech fluid that makes pumped hydro storage more affordable, underground storage for hydrogen, and the world’s first large-scale sand battery.
Whether they’re structure, infrastructure, or comfort and decor, we are selecting sustainable materials for how they will be used in our homes. It’s important to identify the key factors that impact how long you will utilize and enjoy a product. Here is where cost-effective and eco-friendly come into harmony. A product that is expensive to run is likely consuming energy and/or excessive resources and materials throughout its usable life. Interestingly, people are inclined to hold on to—or pass along for reuse—a product or building that functions flexibly, is durable, or brings delight. If you are less than satisfied, it’s likely headed for the curb no matter how much it cost.
Considering the amount of time you will need a particular product can help determine whether it might be better to pay for use as opposed to owning it outright. Paying for use can take the burden of maintenance away, while giving you the flexibility to change things up. Renting furniture versus outright purchases keeps quality, usable pieces out of landfills and in homes. And if you love the piece, there are options like rent-to-buy.
Quality counts
For lasting useability, we’re selecting sustainable materials for their quality, innovative design, and durable construction. Often these attributes will cost more up front than less-expensive commodity goods (that’s why they call them cheap). But higher quality products and materials usually withstand the test of time. Materials that last are far more sustainable, avoiding the landfill or recycling plant for longer. And durable furnishings that you love can follow you on your next move, or be sold or passed along for someone else to use and enjoy. The Transformer Table, for instance, offers six-in-one flexibility, extending for large gatherings or breaking down into small sitting pieces. Flexible design and beautiful hardwood construction mean you’re more likely to use it, love it, and take care of it.
Mexico-based architect Ludwig Godefroy has completed the renovation of a”simple” house and studio in Mexico for himself and his family that is integrated with an adjacent garden.
Godefroy and his partner renovated a former residence, focusing on the home’s orientation towards the site’s pre-existing greenspace.
Ludwig Godefroy has completed a house and studio for himself and his family in Mexico
“Casa SanJe is a very simple project,” said Godefroy. “The main idea behind the project was to reconnect the house with its garden, opening large windows everywhere on the ground floor. In and out are always connected in this house.”
Almost half of the square site is dedicated to the garden, while the other half contains the architect’s residence.
It is organized around the site’s substantial garden
“Casa SanJe was an ordinary Mexican house from the ’80s, without any style, a simple house with tiles on the floor and texturized plaster finishing on the walls,” said Godefroy.
The architect replaced the former materials with concrete, wood and tezontle – a red volcanic stone – to “calm down the atmosphere of the house”.
Godefroy renovated a house originally built in the 80s
The ground level of the home contains two entrances protected by iron doors.
A car park sits adjacent to the building’s first entrance, which is accessed through a patio populated with stone, planting beds and a concrete and brick sculpture.
The ground floor contains large windows and doors that open directly into the garden
A second entrance is located further into the garden and leads to a vestibule space at the centre of the ground-level plan.
The interior program circulates around the vestibule, with the kitchen, dining area and living room located opposite the architect’s studio and library.
It is made of concrete with wood and stone elements
The kitchen and studio spaces were pushed along the back wall of the house, with slim windows placed periodically among cabinets and shelves.
On the side opposite, Godefroy installed large doors and windows that open the living room directly into the garden.
Furniture like a dining table and shelving was also made of concrete
Much of the interior furniture was made of caste concrete, like the living room sofa, the dining table, side tables, kitchen shelving and an island. And some are built directly into the floor.
Godefroy’s studio also contains concrete shelving and a concrete desk that runs along the wall.
A wall clad in volcanic stone rungs along the back of the house
In the same space, a wall was clad in warm wood panels, while a vaulted ceiling sits above the architect’s desk. A chimney sits adjacent.
Like some of Godefroy’s previous projects, geometric openings were cut into interior walls.
An exposed wall made of red volcanic stone runs along the back wall of the house.
Located between the kitchen and living room, a wooden staircase leads to the second floor, which contains bedrooms and a primary bath.
The architect’s studio opens onto the entrance patio
The primary bath contains a sunken, circular cutout in the floor, with multiple shower heads for bathing.
In one corner, a spigot drops water onto a stepped feature.
An upstairs bathroom features a circular, sunken floor
Concrete was used for the ceiling, walls and floor.
Native plants were placed throughout the house, with a large semi-circle planter made of concrete placed above the house’s entrance.
“We wanted the space to become timeless, out of any trend or decoration, just made out of simple material, able to get old instead of getting damaged under the action of time,” said the architect.
Godefroy recently completed a number of projects in and around Mexico City, including a brutalist cube-shaped home and a hotel that recalls the design of an Oaxacan temple.
Brooklyn-based Studio Becky Carter has pulled varied references, from Bauhaus luncheonettes to comedic characters, for the interiors of a bistro in Manhattan’s West Village.
Art deco dining rooms, 1960s Milanese architecture and “a distinctly New York feel” are all evoked at Cecchi’s, the first establishment from veteran restaurant maitre d’ Michael Cecchi-Azzolina.
At the entrance to Cecchi’s, pistachio leather banquettes sit below a mural by Jean-Pierre Villafañe
Studio Becky Carter was given creative control to produce an environment that felt distinctively New York, but also presented a departure from the typical bistros.
“My style is retro-futurist, so I take strong cues from historic design narratives and process them through the lens of an imagined future society,” Carter told Dezeen. “When people enter Cecchi’s, I want them to feel like they’ve stepped into old-school, underground, NYC exclusivity, only this time everyone is invited.”
Elements retained from the space’s previous iteration as Café Loup include a marble lectern used as a host stand
A starting point for the design was the whimsical murals of artist Jean-Pierre Villafañe, who was brought on early in the process to create scapes for the restaurant’s walls.
His “transportational” depictions of lively party scenes helped to inform the colour palette for the rest of the space, a mix of reds, blues and tonal browns.
Villafañe’s murals informed the colour palette for the restaurant’s interiors
Some of the dancing figures appear as historic European comedic characters, so Carter also looked to these for influences.
The spheres placed within dividing screens, for example, are reminiscent of those found on a Pierrot costume, a figure in French pantomime theatre, while mosaic floor tiling at the entrance is adapted from Harlequin patterns.
Large columns and louvred dividers break up the space into different yet visually connected areas
“The beautifully finished spheres are just so tactile,” said Carter.”I can’t not touch them every time I’m in the restaurant.”
The long, narrow space posed several challenges, such as the lack of natural light towards the rear and large structural columns that interrupted the flow.
The mahogany bar top was also retained, while high-gloss burgundy lacquer was added to the front
Carter’s approach involved dividing up the restaurant into multiple areas, demarcated by the wood-wrapped columns, louvred dividers and built-in seating – all at different heights to allow visual connections across them.
At the entrance, pistachio green leather banquettes occupy the bright window niches, then the mood shifts to darker and cosier as guests venture further inside.
Soft lighting around the bar adds to the mood in the space
Several elements from the space’s previous iteration as Café Loup were retained or refinished as part of the new design, including the mahogany bartop and the restored caned bistro chairs.
The marble lectern that serves as the host stand and a chrome cash register were also saved, while 1970s Czech lighting was introduced overhead.
White tablecloths lend to the classic, old-school atmosphere, while contemporary details like custom wall sconces and the burgundy lacquered bar front add a more casual twist.
“Michael envisioned the servers being able to pull up a chair and have a conversation about the menu in a convivial manner, and the style was to reflect this,” Carter said.
A private dining room for parties is located at the back of the restaurant
A private room for parties at the back features another Villafañe mural, as well as a rust-coloured ceiling and sci-fi lighting.
Overall, Cecchi’s offers a fine-dining experience that still feels approachable, warm and not too serious.
The private room features another Villafañe mural, as well as a rust-coloured ceiling and sci-fi lighting
Carter founded her eponymous studio in 2016 and has completed a mix of residential and hospitality spaces on both coasts.
Other recently completed restaurants in the US that feature retro-futurist interiors include 19 Town, a Chinese eatery in Los Angeles by Jialun Xiong, while new openings in the West Village include the worker-owned Donna designed by Michael Groth.
Spotted: It is estimated that around half the world’s population are dependent on food produced using synthetic fertilisers. While these fertilisers can increase crop yields and reduce the amount of land we use for agriculture, they also come at a high environmental cost in the form of pollution and carbon emissions.
One way to make fertilisers more sustainable is to improve their efficiency. This is exactly what Phospholutions is accomplishing with its RhizoSorb fertiliser. With conventional fertilisers, as little as 10 per cent of the active ingredients, such as phosphorus, are actually used by the crops after application. The rest is often washed into water sources, causing devastating contamination.
Phospholutions’ RhizoSorb, in contrast, delivers the same amount of phosphorus to the plants while using just half the fertiliser. More of the nutrients end up in the plants and, because less fertiliser is used, less ends up in waterways. This represents a potential reduction in runoff by 58 per cent, a reduction in leaching by up to 87 per cent, and as much as a 50 per cent reduction in greenhouse emissions.
The company’s process also decreases production costs for phosphate manufacturers, and an increase in profit margin that outweighs the reduction in applied volume per acre compared to conventional fertilisers. This is one reason why Phospholutions has been able to complete a recent funding round that raised $10.15 million from leading global fertiliser companies and investors.
Reducing the environmental impact of fertilisers is a crucial step in limiting global warming and increasing crop productivity. Other innovations in this space include the development of affordable, low-carbon fertilisers and a fertiliser made from waste cellulose.
The latest edition of “Architizer: The World’s Best Architecture” — a stunning, hardbound book celebrating the most inspiring contemporary architecture from around the globe — is now available. Order your copy today.
Today, our lives are no longer compartmentalized into rigid schedules, nor is the line separating work from leisure as clear-cut as before. When the global pandemic hit in 2020, everyone was forced to work from home, bringing their meetings and busy agendas to the middle of their living rooms, changing much of what we know about the workplace and further blurring the line between the office and the home. That shift later promoted many businesses to uphold the “working from home” setup, at least in a hybrid format with some in-office days, having realized its environmental, financial and social benefits for many.
Following these trends, many businesses are now adopting a comfortable home-like environment — sometimes prioritizing comfort over formality and other times upping their interior decor game to lure employees back to work. These office designs, of course, come without the challenges of WFH policies, such as unexpected family cameos in Zoom meetings and the difficulty of unplugging at the end of a day in the home office. The following trailblazing honorees from the 11th Annual A+Awards awards showcase examples of offices that are so comfortable that employees will feel right at home.
Bay Area Research Company
By SkB Architects, CA, United States
Entering this think tank feels like entering someone’s living room, you almost feel like you need to knock first. Designed as an engaging and emotion provoking workplace that seamlessly flows between what used to be two warehouses in the Bay Area in California, this design research company adopts what the designers termed as a “better-than-home” concept, achieved through the selection of furniture, carpets, plants and materials that have contributed to producing a very relaxing and tranquil work environment. The workspaces are distributed over a wide variety of smaller spaces anchored in the open floor plan and staggered vertically across a number of split levels that together enrich the user experience for the employees, guests and collaborators.
EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin
By TCHOBAN VOSS Architekten GmbH,
From the outside, the two newly designed EDGE office buildings facing Hedwig-Dohm-Strasse in Berlin give no hint of what their insides look like, presenting employees a pleasant surprise once they enter. Inside the “Carré” building, the larger of the two buildings, a generously naturally lit atrium almost looks like a play area for adults, with its design blurring the boundary between the inside and the outside.
This atrium is playfully furnished with a web of tree like wooden structures that offer a variety of platforms for recreation and communication, connected by a network of by filigree steps that facilitate circulation across the building’s different parts. The sustainable state of the art design of both the buildings, which won the project the DGNB Platinum and DGNB Diamond awards, produces a healthy and vibrant work environment for employees and ensures the longevity of the buildings and the reusability of its materials.
DB55 Amsterdam
By D/DOCK, Amsterdam, Netherlands
Photo by Niels Vlug
Photo by Niels Vlug
Photo by Niels Vlug
It is hard to tell what this place is for at first glance, given the variety of activities taking place around the miscellaneous furniture spread out across this building’s different sections. From a bed to a huge dining table and an abdunance of plants, the open floor plan contains a variety of levels where so much is going on at the same time. For those reasons, it comes as no surprise that this building, which used to be a timber warehouse, has a program that combines work and leisure, giving space to different events and even making room for a children’s playground. The array of windows on the top of the building connect the building with the outside and create a pleasant indoor experience, flooding the central open space with its double volume with natural sunlight, while the natural wood that is used in various elements of the interior give a soft and tranquil work ambiance.
Kabelovna Studios
By B² Architecture ,Praha, Czechia
Photo by Alex Shoots Buildings
Photo by Alex Shoots Buildings
Photo by Alex Shoots Buildings
Set in what used to be a cable making factory, the super cozy atmosphere of this recording studio was established through the generous use of plants and the floods of natural sunlight that light up the entire space and allow an interplay of shades and shadows that complement the interplay of the musical notes across the sheets. The different recording studios are distributed around a central “living room” with a seating area and a kitchen, with the high ceiling giving a generous breathing space and the restored brick walls giving the studio a rustic and authentic character that offers a rich background for the recording artists.
Shenzhen Yeahka Office
By JSPA Design, Shenzhen, China
The interiors of the Yeahka headquarter office look like an ultra modern apartment set in a futuristic movie scene, with meeting tables hovering over the building’s central space inside glass boxes and the exposed structure of the refurbished building boldly exposed. The rough appearance of the building’s envelope is nicely contrasted with the use of softer materials and lighter colors for the partitions and the furniture, while the high ceilings allow floods of natural sunlight to travel across the office’s atriums and establish a variety of visual connections for visitors and employees across the different floors.
Casa Pich i Pon. LOOM Plaza Catalunya
By SCOB Architecture & Landscape
Aesthetically, the organization of this office space is remarkably appealing, allowing the eye to travel across a variety of layers and vertical lines around every corner. Whether it is through the contrast of materials, or the perfect positioning of the working chambers inside the open floor plan, a lot is happening inside this refurbished historical building whose celebratory classic exterior celebrates a masterpiece of its time. The color white, which dominates the interior, sets the stage for the other materials to occupy the space, particularly the red brick walls that stand as a reminder of the building’s rich past.
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In this lookbook, we select eight apartments that prove basements are the new penthouses, from an art deco flat in Paris to a sci-fi-style hideaway in Madrid.
Often associated with limited space and poor natural light, basement homes have not always been particularly coveted.
But as the world’s cities get more expensive, busier and hotter, below-ground living can be a relatively affordable, private and temperate option.
Below are eight of the best basement apartments previously featured on Dezeen.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cave-like interiors, residential entrance halls and pocket doors.
Photo by Jim Stephenson
Unearthed Vault, UK, by Daab Design
Architecture studio Daab Design turned a former art storage vault in London into a two-bedroom basement flat.
Georgian period features were meticulously restored as part of the renovation and paired with a soothing colour palette of creams, greens and blues, turning what was previously a dark and cramped interior into a modern living space.
Find out more about Unearthed Vault ›
Photo by Simone Bossi
The Whale, France, by Clément Lesnoff-Rocard
The Whale takes its name from the huge structural elements that punctuate this home in the basement of a Parisian apartment building, which reminded architect Clément Lesnoff-Rocard of being inside an enormous animal.
Lesnoff-Rocard stripped back the apartment to reveal the chunky concrete beams, while extensive mirrored glass, brass and geometric shapes inject an understated sense of art deco.
Find out more about The Whale ›
Photo by José Hevia
Yurikago House, Spain, by Mas-aqui
Architecture studio Mas-aqui used half-levels in its renovation of this semi-basement apartment in Barcelona to maximise space.
The previously unused bottom level was excavated to create a staircase down to a new guest bedroom featuring a structural arch above the bed and an exposed-concrete retaining wall.
Find out more about Yurikago House ›
Photo by by Yiannis Hadjiaslanis (also top)
Ilioupoli Apartment, Greece, by Point Supreme
Sunken into the ground at the bottom of an apartment building in Athens, this small, one-bedroom flat was previously a storage space.
Point Supreme sought to retain the interior’s “magical-cave-like” feeling by leaving raw concrete surfaces exposed and using floor finishes, curtains and sliding partitions rather than walls to separate the space.
Find out more about Ilioupoli Apartment ›
Photo by Hey! Cheese
House H, Taiwan, by KC Design Studio
The basement of House H in Taipei leans into its underground setting with a dark and moody colour palette provided by concrete flooring, loosely rendered grey plaster walls and black or grey fixtures and fittings.
To filter more natural light and fresh air into the basement, KC Design Studio carved several openings into the ceiling, accommodating a staircase and an indoor courtyard.
Find out more about House H ›
Photo by José Hevia
Apartment Tibbaut, Spain, by Raúl Sánchez
Architect Raúl Sánchez converted a vaulted basement beneath a house in Barcelona into a subterranean apartment using curving panels of laminated pine.
The partition curls around a central living area, separating each of the rooms but stopping short of the ceiling to ensure the building’s original architecture remains visible, as well as allowing natural light to spread throughout the space.
Find out more about Apartment Tibbaut ›
Photo by José Hevia
Casa A12, Spain, by Lucas y Hernández-Gil
This semi-basement Madrid apartment features fun, Stanley Kubrick-esque features such as shiny silver curtains, cobalt-blue accent walls and an indoor courtyard with orange grass.
Lucas y Hernández-Gil designed the space to be a “world of work and leisure” where the homeowners can escape from the street above.
Find out more about Casa A12 ›
Photo by Jérôme Fleurier
Studio LI, France, by Anne Rolland Architecte
A secret room sits beneath this sunken studio apartment created by Anne Rolland Architecte in a long-abandoned space in a 17th-century Parisian townhouse.
Accessed via a mechanical trapdoor and granted natural light by a window in the kitchen floor, the former slurry pit was restored to create a music room and home cinema.
Find out more about Studio LI ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cave-like interiors, residential entrance halls and pocket doors.
Whether they’re structure, infrastructure, or comfort and decor, we are selecting sustainable materials for how they will be used in our homes. It’s important to identify the key factors that impact how long you will utilize and enjoy a product. Here is where cost-effective and eco-friendly come into harmony. A product that is expensive to run is likely consuming energy and/or excessive resources and materials throughout its usable life. Interestingly, people are inclined to hold on to—or pass along for reuse—a product or building that functions flexibly, is durable, or brings delight. If you are less than satisfied, it’s likely headed for the curb no matter how much it cost.
Entering this think tank feels like entering someone’s living room, you almost feel like you need to knock first. Designed as an engaging and emotion provoking workplace that seamlessly flows between what used to be two warehouses in the Bay Area in California, this design research company adopts what the designers termed as a “better-than-home” concept, achieved through the selection of furniture, carpets, plants and materials that have contributed to producing a very relaxing and tranquil work environment. The workspaces are distributed over a wide variety of smaller spaces anchored in the open floor plan and staggered vertically across a number of split levels that together enrich the user experience for the employees, guests and collaborators.
From the outside, the two newly designed EDGE office buildings facing Hedwig-Dohm-Strasse in Berlin give no hint of what their insides look like, presenting employees a pleasant surprise once they enter. Inside the “Carré” building, the larger of the two buildings, a generously naturally lit atrium almost looks like a play area for adults, with its design blurring the boundary between the inside and the outside.
The interiors of the Yeahka headquarter office look like an ultra modern apartment set in a futuristic movie scene, with meeting tables hovering over the building’s central space inside glass boxes and the exposed structure of the refurbished building boldly exposed. The rough appearance of the building’s envelope is nicely contrasted with the use of softer materials and lighter colors for the partitions and the furniture, while the high ceilings allow floods of natural sunlight to travel across the office’s atriums and establish a variety of visual connections for visitors and employees across the different floors.
Aesthetically, the organization of this office space is remarkably appealing, allowing the eye to travel across a variety of layers and vertical lines around every corner. Whether it is through the contrast of materials, or the perfect positioning of the working chambers inside the open floor plan, a lot is happening inside this refurbished historical building whose celebratory classic exterior celebrates a masterpiece of its time. The color white, which dominates the interior, sets the stage for the other materials to occupy the space, particularly the red brick walls that stand as a reminder of the building’s rich past.
