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Interior Design

Eight concrete kitchens with raw and tactile surfaces

By Zarkon Group,27/05/2023

Kitchens with exposed concrete surfaces take centre stage in this lookbook, which includes homes in Mexico, Japan and Ireland.

Concrete is a ubiquitous material in architecture, but it is less commonly used in interiors – particularly in residential spaces such as kitchens.

However, its durability and impermeability make it an ideal surface material for cooking and food preparation, while its raw aesthetic can create a striking backdrop for dining and entertaining.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. Other recent editions showcase airy balconies, marble bathrooms and gallery interiors.

House in Jiyugaoka, Japan, by Airhouse Design Office

Airhouse Design Office created this kitchen as part of its renovation of an apartment for a fashion fanatic in Nagoya, Japan.

Like the rest of the home, the kitchen’s walls, floor and ceiling have been stripped back to expose the concrete beneath. While some areas were left with chipped edges and plaster, others have been polished for a smooth finish.

Find out more about House in Jiyugaoka ›

Interior of Casa H3 by Luciano Kruk — Photo by Daniela Mac Adden

Casa H3, Argentina, by Luciano Kruk

This open-plan kitchen and dining room sits on the ground floor of a holiday home by architect Luciano Kruk in Mar Azul.

Blending seamlessly into the home’s concrete structure, it features geometric shelving and kitchen counters that extend from the walls and floor. Its industrial look is complemented by an enamel pendant light and a pair of wireframe chairs.

Find out more about Casa H3 ›

Concrete kitchen of Casa Alférez by Ludwig Godefroy — Photo by Rory Gardiner

Casa Alférez, Mexico, by Ludwig Godefroy

In a pine forest in Mexico, architect Ludwig Godefroy created a brutalist cube-shaped home that is built from concrete cast in situ.

This includes its kitchen, where the shelving and worktops are also all cast from concrete. Here, their raw finishes are juxtaposed with delicate ceramics and Danish designer Hans Wegner’s Wishbone chairs, visually softening the space.

Find out more about Casa Alférez ›

Sunken kitchen inside Flower House by Ezzo — Photo by João Ferrand

Flower House, Portugal, by Ezzo

The concrete worktops of this sunken kitchen double up as a smooth floor for the dining room at Flower House, a renovated dwelling in Porto.

Wood-fronted cabinets slot in beneath the flooring, which was hand-poured on site and has been covered with a waterproof coating to give it a polished look.

Find out more about Flower House ›

Toad’s House, Mexico, by Espacio 18 Arquitectura

Throughout the minimalist Toad’s House on Zapotengo Beach in Oaxaca, architecture studio Espacio 18 has left the concrete structure unfinished and exposed.

In the bar-style kitchen, the board-marked walls are teamed with glass ornaments and woven baskets, while a central island has been topped with a wooden countertop.

Find out more about Toad’s House ›

House T, Japan, by Suppose Design Office

This concrete kitchen is among the purposely dark and cave-like living spaces in the monolithic home that Suppose Design Office designed for its founder in Tokyo.

Its concrete walls and worktops have tactile finishes, which stand against a backdrop of large stone floor tiles and wooden furnishings.

Find out more about ›

Hollybrook Road extension in Ireland by TOB Architect — Photo by Aisling McCoy

Hollybrook Road, Ireland, by TOB Architect

Irish studio TOB Architect designed this concrete kitchen extension to evoke the feeling of “being a child under a very robust table”.

It was cast in situ as one geometric form with the goal of creating a seamless and cavernous look inside. The architect chose an otherwise restrained material palette of terrazzo, walnut and Accoya wood in an effort to retain focus on the texture of the concrete.

Find out more about Hollybrook Road ›

Casa Golf, Argentina, by Luciano Kruk

Another concrete kitchen by architect Luciano Kruk is found in Casa Golf, a holiday home on the Argentinian coastline.

Paired with black cabinets and extractor ducting, its dark-grey surfaces add texture to the space without distracting from the outward views framed by the variety of windows that line the space.

Find out more about Casa Golf ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. Other recent editions showcase airy balconies, marble bathrooms and gallery interiors.

Reference

Birch Selsdon hotel occupies a 19th-century mansion

Interior Design

Birch Selsdon hotel takes over 19th-century Croydon mansion

By Zarkon Group,26/05/2023

British hotel chain Birch has opened an outpost in south London, with grounds rewilded by designer Sebastian Cox and interiors conceived by local studios A-nrd and Sella Concept.

Birch Selsdon is housed in a 19th-century mansion in the borough of Croydon and accommodates 181 rooms alongside a wellness space and lido, co-working facilities and a medley of restaurants and bars.

The building was first turned into a hotel in the 1920s, with slapdash extensions and modifications added over the following century.

Local studios A-nrd and Sella Concept took a “restorative approach” to the interior works, stripping back much of the existing fit-out to allow the building’s original architecture to come to the fore.

Entrance lobby hotel by A-nrd and Sella Concept — The building’s original stone walls and bas-relief ceilings can be seen in the lobby

Restoration was also the focus for Sebastian Cox, who developed a woodland management plan for the hotel’s grounds as well as a rewilding strategy for its 18-hole golf course.

This will involve introducing grazing pigs and ponies, which can naturally distribute seeds and shape growing vegetation. The former fairways of the golf course will become wetlands, while the sandy bunkers will eventually attract small reptiles and other animals.

Entrance lobby of Birch Selsdon hotel — Timber from the grounds was used to create the shingled reception desks

Cox has also turned trees harvested from the grounds into a series of furnishings for the hotel, creating affordable, locally produced products while providing ecosystem benefits for the woodland.

“Managed woodlands have higher biodiversity because when you harvest the trees, light gets onto the woodland floor and other vegetation can grow,” Cox explained during a recent episode of Dezeen’s Climate Salon podcast.

“So we can categorically say that our furniture actually makes a net contribution. It doesn’t just harvest materials, it actually contributes to the spaces that the materials come from.”

Vervain restaurant inside hotel by A-nrd and Sella Concept — An arched nook discovered during the hotel’s renovation is now a dining space

Among Cox’s furniture contributions is a pair of shingled timber reception desks in the entrance lobby, backed by an ombre curtain that mirrors the shifting seasonal hues of the landscape around Birch Selsdon.

The lobby’s floral bas-relief ceiling was preserved alongside the original masonry walls, which peek out from behind the curtain.

Meadow Bar inside Birch Selsdon hotel — Peach-coloured surfaces appear in Birch Selsdon’s Meadow Bar

Dotted throughout the space are moss-green velvet sofas as well as wicker armchairs, potted plants and vintage petal-shaped pendant lamps made from Murano glass.

When guests are hungry, they can head to the hotel’s all-day restaurant Vervain, which serves a farm-to-table menu.

The space is anchored by two huge, arched banquettes featuring seat cushions upholstered in an abstract camouflage print and sawn-timber backrests, which were also sourced from the hotel’s woodland.

Oversized rice paper lanterns hang from the ceiling overhead, which is painted a rich apricot shade to highlight the existing ornate bas-relief.

The Snug inside hotel by A-nrd and Sella Concept — The hotel includes another bar called The Snug with wood-panelled walls

For drinks, guests can head to the hotel’s peachy-hued Meadow Bar or to the Snug, which has a slightly more grown-up aesthetic thanks to the dark, wood-panelled walls that are original to the building.

The space is dressed with vintage travertine coffee tables and an array of lounge chairs in sumptuous colours like ochre, olive green and damson purple.

The Orangery inside Birch Selsdon hotel — Chequerboard flooring in The Orangery nods to the Victorian period

To one side of the room lies a curved seating nook that was uncovered during the renovation works. Its interior was rendered in blush pink to foster a warm, intimate dining ambience.

There’s also the option to relax in The Orangery, a light-filled space centred by a wiggly cobalt-blue sofa. Terracotta tiles are arranged in a traditional checkerboard pattern across the floor in a nod to the building’s Victorian past.

Guest bedrooms inside hotel by A-nrd and Sella Concept — Bedrooms are filled with textural details like linen curtains and sisal rugs

The aesthetic of the hotel’s communal spaces is maintained in the guest bedrooms, which are finished with textural decorative elements like linen curtains and hand-blown glass lamps that cast dappled light across the limewashed walls.

Larger suites come complete with lounge areas, dressed with plump armchairs and sisal rugs.

Timber from the hotel’s woods was also used to produce 352 bedside tables for the rooms, all crafted in Cox’s Kent workshop.

Guest bedrooms inside Birch Selsdon hotel — The bedside tables are also made with timber from the hotel’s grounds

The launch of Birch Selsdon comes just three years after the opening of the inaugural Birch branch near Hertfordshire.

It was designed by architecture studio Red Deer to challenge the notion of a luxury hotel and features a series of pared-back rooms with quirky, unfinished details.

The photography is by Adam Lynk.

Reference

Interior Design

6a Architects brings Soho sex shop windows to JW Anderson Milan store

By Zarkon Group,25/05/2023

British fashion brand JW Anderson has opened a flagship store in Milan that was designed by British studio 6a Architects and draws on the local atmosphere as well as Soho sex shops.

The 53 square-metre-store is located on the Via Sant’Andrea luxury shopping street in Milan’s Quadrilatero shopping district. It is set across a single floor and comprises two rooms.

While the boutique primarily draws reference from its “bourgeoise” Milanese surroundings, the retail space also pulls from designer Jonathan Anderson’s first JW Anderson store in Soho and from the 2017 exhibition Disobedient Bodies, which was curated by him.

It was designed by 6a Architects, who Anderson began working with in 2017 after selecting the studio to design the set for Disobedient Bodies at The Hepworth Wakefield.

Interior photo of the JW Anderson store — It draws on a Milanese atmosphere

“I thought [6a Architects] really grasped how to take my visual language and turn it into something which was able to be educational,” Anderson told Dezeen.

“They’re very good at hybrid, old or new. They’re very good at this combination, they’re great architects.”

“The store actually is a combination of Disobedient Bodies and a store. It’s a little bit more elevated,” he said. “The front of the building feels Soho, and as you go in, it feels more kind of domestic Milanese.”

Interior photo of the JW Anderson store in Milan — It carries over elements from the Soho store

In a nod to the store frontages of the sex shops found in London’s Soho area, the windows of the Milanese store were decorated with neon lighting and rainbow-slatted curtains.

Anderson and 6a Architects used the design as a juxtaposition against the more typical Milanese interior.

“For me, there is something very sexual about neon lighting,” said Anderson. “I think we associate it with grand gestures and I felt like a window is kind of like a television set. There’s something with neon that it does, it kind of tricks you.”

Photo of the JW Anderson store — Traditional Italian furnishings and finishes fill the interior

“There are little alleyways and they have all these amazing sex stores on and these curtains,” Anderson continued.

“I liked the idea that we have this in Milan and then suddenly you enter into a kind of Milanese setting, something which is very bourgeoise.”

Inside, gridded handmade terrazzo covers the floor and visually divides areas of the interior through bespoke contrasting tones of grey and sand.

Brassy, metallic curtains ripple along the rear walls of the store, in a similar way to 6a Architects’ use of curtains in the exhibition design for Disobedient Bodies.

Photo of artworks at the store — Jonathan Anderson selected furniture and artwork for the interior

Aluminium scaffolding, which was also carried over from Anderson’s Soho store, was translated into display shelving and brought an “angst” to the interior that contrasts against traditional Italian furnishings, such as fluted walnut panelling that envelops two curved walls.

“There is something slightly more underground in terms of the construction of a JW Anderson store, whereas, I think Loewe [for which Anderson is creative director] is about a heightened perfection,” said Anderson. “With JW Anderson, there’s always a bit of slight angst to it.”

“It’s softer inside, and then you have this harshness with the windows where there’s neons and sex curtains and it’s kind of like a theatre. It has moveable parts and in a weird way the store becomes a giant window.”

Photo of the store — It has furniture by Mac Collins

Furniture and artworks personally selected by Anderson fill the interior.

Designer Mac Collins’ black Iklwa chair was paired with matching side tables, while a Cardinal Hat pendant light by Lutyens Furniture is suspended from the ceiling of the main space.

Oil paintings by Chinese artist Hongyan appear to float on the ripples of the brass-coloured curtains, and images by photographer Wolfgang Tillmans sit on the walls of the store’s fitting room.

Photo of the fitting room — An image by Wolfgang Tillmans is placed in the fitting room

“I don’t believe that stores should be completely cookie-cutter,” said Anderson. “I feel like the key is to make sure that each store has a different universe because there’s no point in having something which is just a duplication, duplication, duplication.”

Jonathan Anderson founded his eponymous label JW Anderson in 2008 and was appointed creative director of Spanish luxury house Loewe in 2014, which recently announced the winner of its sixth annual craft prize.

During London Fashion Week, JW Anderson presented a “parallel world of people trapped in their computers” for its Spring Summer 2023 collection.

The photography is by DePasquale+Maffini, courtesy of JW Anderson.

Reference

Store interior with walnut shelving and mosaic floor

Interior Design

Ringo Studio positions sex toys in athletic-themed room for Contact Sports

By Zarkon Group,24/05/2023

Brooklyn-based Ringo Studio has reimagined the experience of shopping for sex toys, creating a store in New York modelled on a collegiate locker room.

The Contact Sports shop on Mercer Street in Soho is designed to feel very different to the typical spaces in which products for sex are purchased.

“In a survey conducted before launch, the majority of people reported feeling uncomfortable walking into a sex store,” said the studio. “Uninviting exteriors felt intimidating, the aisles were hard to navigate, and the shelves stocked hundreds of products that were hard to decipher.”

Working with Ringo Studio founder Madelynn Ringo – who has designed retail spaces for Glossier, Bala and Our Place – the brand devised a shopping experience based around sport, and used cues from this world to inform the interiors.

Merchandise displayed on brass rails and shelving — Merchandise is displayed on brass rails and shelving

The retail space includes an area at the front that sells long-stem roses in singles or bundles, including a 15-foot (4.5 metre) wall on which the fresh-cut red flowers are stored.

Beyond, dark walnut panelling, brass rails and shelves, and green cushions give the store a collegiate atmosphere, while mosaic floor tiles and baskets of towels evoke a locker room.

Walnut panelling forms cubby holes for displaying products — Walnut panelling forms locker-like cubby holes for displaying products

Vintage sporting ephemera like tennis rackets, boxing gloves and American football helmets are displayed on higher shelves.

Below, the selection of “entry-level gear and sensual gifts” from brands such as Kiki de Montparnasse, Lelo, Dame, Maude, Future Method and more are merchandised in locker-style cubbyholes.

“Contact Sports flips the traditional model on its head and takes a more curated approach, stocking only 70 products at launch,” the studio said.

“Their team spent more than a year vetting a category that includes tens of thousands to offer only the best of the best, with unexpected touches that enhance the full experience around the sport.”

Jonathan de Pas baseball glove chair in front of counter — The store features a Joe Chair shaped like a baseball glove

The space is illuminated from above by a light box behind a wooden lattice, while softer lighting is installed in the cubbies.

An iconic chair shaped like a giant baseball mitt by designers Jonathan de Pas, Donato D’urbino and Paolo Lomazzi sits next to the white counter, above which the brand’s cursive logo glows in neon.

Long-stem red roses displayed in trophy-like vases — Long-stem red roses are sold at the front of the store

The sex toy industry has grown significantly in recent years, as taboos have broken and social acceptance has widened. See some of the most unusual sex toys featured on Dezeen.

However, “the retail experience itself had yet to evolve,” said the Contacts Sports team, which hopes the store will change how shopping for sex gear should look and feel.

The photography is by Anna Morgowicz.

Reference

Interior of Boyy flagship store in Milan designed by FOS

Interior Design

Boyy flagship in Milan reveals layers of the store’s history

By Zarkon Group,23/05/2023

Danish artist Thomas Poulsen, also known as FOS, has revamped the flagship store of accessories brand Boyy in Milan, keeping time-worn surfaces left over from the site’s former fit-outs.

This marks the third time that FOS has refreshed the space on Via Bagutta since 2021, as part of the artist’s plan to create a dynamic “evolving” store.

In its first incarnation, the Boyy flagship had funhouse-style mirrors, walls draped in faded pink fabric and cobalt-blue carpets emblazoned with everyday objects.

This colour scheme was inverted for the second iteration of the store featuring blue walls and bubblegum-pink carpet. Elements of both of these schemes now remain in the store’s third and final form, which was left purposefully unfinished.

“This space was an experiment in formulating a shared language for how Boyy could develop as a brand,” FOS explained.

“We started by creating an installation – the first rendition – then used that experience to create a second installation, and finally built upon the combined experience to create this final permanent space that we have now arrived at.”

“We always envisioned the third rendition as the final act,” added Boyy co-founder Jesse Dorsey.

The Boyy flagship now has walls panelled with the same grey ceppo stone that clads the store’s facade.

Some areas were left without panelling, revealing the aged, fabric-lined walls left behind by a previous occupant – a 50-year-old antique shop that sold quaint Americana-style objects for the home.

Blue fabric can also be seen hanging in the rear corner, saved from FOS’s second overhaul of the space.

These swathes of time-worn fabric were enclosed inside aluminium window frames, as were some of the store’s display units.

Elsewhere, Boyy’s selection of shoes and handbags can be showcased in several illuminated glass vitrines or on the ledge that runs around the periphery of the store.

FOS also created a display shelf around a crumbling structural column that sits in the middle of the floor plan.

A couple of tiered, sea-green bench seats were dotted throughout the store as decoration, complementing the flecks of greens stone that are found in the terrazzo floor.

Milan is home to an abundance of visually striking retail spaces.

Others include the Moschino flagship, which was designed to reference the history of ancient Italy, and the Off-White store, which is decked out with natural materials like Patagonia granite.

Reference

Interior Design

Eight airy terraces and balconies that become extensions of the interior

By Zarkon Group,22/05/2023

From a plant-enclosed terrace in Mexico to a large rooftop garden set beneath a metal pergola in Tokyo, Dezeen’s latest lookbook highlights eight interiors with impressive balconies and terraces.

Each of these balconies and terraces is accessed via glazed walls or floor-to-ceiling glass and provides their homes with not only a physical but also a visual extension of the interior that merges the in- and outdoors.

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, gallery interiors, and garden swimming pools.

Terrace With a House by the Lake, Poland, by UGO

This summer holiday home was created by Poznań architecture studio UGO and is located near a lake in Wielkopolska, Poland.

From the home’s main living area, a large 120-metre-long wooden terrace is accessed via expanses of floor-to-ceiling glass sliding doors and double-height glazed walls. The studio described the terrace as an additional room for the home.

Find out more about Terrace With a House by the Lake ›

House in Xalap by Lopez Gonzalez — Photo is by César Béjar

House in Xalap, Mexico, by Lopez Gonzalez

House in Xalap is a 528-square-metre residence that was built on a slight slope. The exterior of the home was rendered in cement which was painted black to mimic the look of a rock formation.

From a dining area, which was clad in black marble and wooden panels, maroon-framed glass doors lead out to a volcanic stone-tiled patio that is walled by lush and tropical planting and geometric sculptures.

Find out more about House in Xalap ›

Exterior of Espirit House in Tokyo by Apollo Architects & Associates — Photo is by Masao Nishikawa

Espirit House, Japan, Apollo Architects & Associates

A large roof terrace tops Espirit House in Tokyo, which was designed by Apollo Architects & Associates. The terrace is covered by a metal pergola that transforms the open-air space into an additional room of the home.

The terrace is accessed on the third floor of the home from behind a fully glazed wall. A sectional sofa, dining table and large planters filled with local shrubbery decorate the terrace.

Find out more about Espirit House ›

Photo of Villa KD45 by Studio Symbiosis — Photo is by Niveditaa Gupta

Villa KD45, India, by Studio Symbiosis

This concrete home in Dehli was designed by Studio Symbiosis for a large family of eight. As a result of thinly framed floor-to-ceiling windows and the home’s exterior concrete floors carrying through to the interior, the boundaries of the indoors and outdoors are blurred.

Studio Symbiosis also nestled small terraces between both of the home’s floors. Decorative seating provides residents with relaxing outdoor areas that are shaded from the Indian sun.

Find out more about Villa KD45 ›

Interior of Rescobie Pavilion by Kris Grant Architect — Photo is by Dapple Photography

Rescobie Pavilion, Scotland, by Kris Grant Architect

A cantilevered balcony wraps around the exterior of the two-storey Rescobie Pavilion in rural Scotland. The structure was created as a free-standing extension of a nearby home so that its residents could immerse themselves in the landscape.

The structure was topped with a mono-pitched roof that orients the interior to the landscape, and is enveloped in expanses of glass that provide the pavilion with unobstructed panoramic views of the hamlet.

Find out more about Rescobie Pavilion ›

835 Hightstreet by Carr — Photo is by Rory Gardiner

835 High Street, Australia, by Carr

At 835 High Street, a residential apartment block in Melbourne, Australian architecture studio Carr looked to play with feelings of openness within the interior.

It added large wrap-around floor-to-ceiling windows that lead out to covered balconies, which aim to complement and juxtapose the relationship between the interior and exterior. The interiors feature a paired-back scheme and were decorated with designer furniture, including a Mario Bellini Camaleonda sofa.

Find out more about 835 High Street ›

Moenda House by Felipe Rodrigues arquiteto — Photo is by Pedro Vannucchi

Moenda House, Brazil, by Felipe Rodrigues

This split-level home in southeastern Brazil was designed by Brazilian architect Felipe Rodrigues and has undisrupted views of the Mantiqueria mountains.

The ground floor of the home contains shared living spaces, which have an open-plan design. The open-plan kitchen, living and dining room are surrounded by a cantilevered wrap-around balcony that is covered in grey tiles similar to those used throughout the interior.

Find out more about Moenda House ›

Ying’nFlo, Hong Kong, by Linehouse

An angular balcony protrudes from the interior of the Ying’nFlo guesthouse in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. The guesthouse was designed by Chinese interior design studio Linehouse, which looked to create the feeling of an inviting home.

One of the rooms at the guesthouse features a neutral palette and incorporates hand-rendered walls, timber panelling and linen cabinetry. From here, glass sliding doors lead out to a beige tiled balcony that was fitted with a built-in bench and an olive tree at its centre.

Find out more about Ying’nFlo ›

Reference

Interior Design

Sukchulmok adds curved brick forms to rooftop of Parconido Bakery Cafe

By Zarkon Group,21/05/2023

Curved forms and arched openings feature in this cafe, which Seoul studio Sukchulmok has added to an existing building in South Korea’s Gyeonggi-do province.

Named Parconido Bakery Cafe, the cafe is made from red bricks and features playful curved shapes and rounded walls designed to create an illusion-like effect.

“The space, created through one rule, was designed to give a sense of expansion and the experience of an optical illusion image,” lead architect Park Hyunhee told Dezeen.

Arranged across three floors including a rooftop level, the cafe was designed by architecture studio Sukchulmok to resemble European public squares in reference to the client’s time spent in Italy.

Photo of the rooftop at Parconido Bakery Cafe — The studio topped the roof with curving brick volumes

“The client who spent his youth living in Italy is a clothing businessman, opening the cafe as a business expansion to provide people with a space for peaceful rest,” said Park.

“These two aspects naturally reminded me of the image of the European square, where people are huddled together talking on a sunny day between red brick buildings and stone pillars.”

On the rooftop level and terrace, the outdoor dining spaces are punctuated by clay brick columns with arched connections and walls with U-shaped openings.

Built around steel frames that extend into curved forms above the brick walls, the curved elements are coated in bricks cut to two-thirds of their original thickness to lighten their weight.

Interior photo of the Seoul cafe — The walls and floors have curved edges

A long stainless steel table with a curved underside, along with circular stools and planting, is shaded by a removable canopy made from green, orange and white fabrics.

Curved walls lined with white tiles join with the tiled floor and ceiling to create rooms with rounded forms on the interior levels of the cafe.

The rooms are covered in small tiles of travertine limestone, selected for its use in the fountains of European squares.

Kitchens are built into recesses in the curved walls, while wooden elements, including wall panels and pipes that line a portion of the ceiling, add a feeling of warmth to the interior.

Throughout the spaces, uniquely designed seating areas and bespoke circular furnishings provide spaces for dining.

Photo of the interior of the cafe — The interior was covered in different textural materials

Comprising twelve different designs, the cafe’s set of furniture was designed to exhibit a variety of shapes, textures, and materials, including leftover finishing materials, wood, overlapping pipes, and concrete castings.

“Although they have slightly different shapes and textures, the pieces of furniture are all in harmony with the space and show good synergy with space as an object,” said Park.

Photo of a kitchen — The cafe’s curved edges all have a radius of 600 millimetres

To maintain a sense of uniformity, the studio based the design of each element, including the walls, columns and furniture, around a circle with a constant radius of 600 millimetres.

“A radius of 600 millimetres was used as an act of connecting spaces that were not monotonous,” said Park. “It was simply based on the idea that the distance from the height of the door and window to the ceiling finish is 600 millimetres.”

Other South Korean cafes recently featured on Dezeen include a bakery with a curved courtyard designed to act as an “artificial valley” and a Seoul cafe with a vertical farm.

The photography is by Hong Seokgyu.

Reference

Marble bathroom in Habitat 100, Sweden, by Note Design Studio

Interior Design

Ten bathrooms where marble lines the walls

By Zarkon Group,20/05/2023

Our latest lookbook shines a light on homes where marble and similar natural stones have been used as the primary material in the bathrooms.

Marble can be a great solution for bathrooms, as it is durable enough to withstand a wet environment better than alternative materials such as wood or concrete.

Many homeowners opt to use the same material across all surfaces, creating a uniform aesthetic that extends from the sink and shower areas across the walls.

Read on to see 10 different examples, featuring a range of marbles that include Carrera and Verde Aver, as well as similar natural stones such as travertine and quartzite.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. Other recent editions showcase Scandinavian kitchens, outdoor showers and eclectic interiors.

Habitat 100, Sweden, by Note Design Studio

Note Design Studio used two types of marble in its renovation of this 1920s Stockholm apartment, echoing the tones of an Italian marble floor in the hallway.

For the main bathroom, the designers opted for a pale Swedish marble known as Ekeberg. Some slabs were polished, while others were milled in different directions to create a subtle chequered pattern.

Elsewhere in the home, green-toned Brännlyckan marble offers a striking counterpoint.

Find out more about Habitat 100 ›

Eastern Columbia Loft, USA, by Sheft Farrace

Tasked with redesigning an apartment in Los Angeles’ Eastern Columbia building, a block with an iconic turquoise art-deco facade, architecture studio Sheft Farrace decided to work with the same palette in the main bathroom.

The architects did this with a statement wall of Verde Aver marble, an Italian stone with a similar green hue.

The marble forms a counter that spans the width of the room, integrating two basins, and also forms a splashback that extends all the way up to the ceiling.

Find out more about Eastern Columbia Loft ›

Botaniczna Apartment, Poland, by Agnieszka Owsiany Studio

A warm-toned travertine features in the bathroom of this apartment in Poznań, which was renovated by Agnieszka Owsiany Studio for a professional couple.

While travertine is a limestone, so not technically a marble, it has a similarly patterned finish.

The stone wraps the walls and the bath, and also forms a cuboidal washbasin. The same stone also features in the home’s kitchen, where it was used to create an island counter.

Find out more about Botaniczna Apartment ›

Marble wall above bath in The Village apartment by Gisbert Pöppler

The Village, Germany, by Gisbert Pöppler

Wood and marble are combined throughout this apartment renovation by Berlin designer Gisbert Pöppler, in the city’s Mitte district, but the juxtaposition is particularly striking in the bathroom.

The room features a bathtub set within a niche that is lined with highly variegated South American marble.

The warm tones of the stone are echoed by the wooden flooring, as well as by a basin unit that combines dark oak with white-glazed lava stone.

Find out more about The Village ›

Flat #6, Brazil, by Studio MK27

Studio MK27 chose highly textured materials for this renovation of a four-bedroom flat in São Paulo, home to a couple and their three teenage sons.

For the washrooms, the designers selected grey Armani, a Mediterranean marble that combines dark tones with white accents.

The stone has been carefully arranged to ensure the white streaks run through niches set into the walls, which provide space for storing soap and shampoo.

Find out more about Flat #6 ›

D2 Townhouse, UK, by Jake Moulson

Multi-coloured stone offered a good fit for the eclectic interiors of this renovated townhouse in Dublin, designed by architect Jake Moulson.

The most striking example can be found in an under-stairs toilet, where a Brazilian quartzite called Azul Imperial combines shades of purple, blue and gold.

Find out more about D2 Townhouse ›

ER Apartment, Brazil, by Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos

This family home in São Paulo, designed by Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos, features different types of Brazilian stone.

In the bathroom, white Parana marble forms the walls and floor, and also provides surfaces within a trough-shaped bronze sink that was custom-made to echo the curves of a mirror above.

Elsewhere in the home, panels of jade-coloured onyx serve as surfaces and also conceal an in-wall light fixture.

Find out more about ER Apartment ›

Twentieth, USA, by Woods + Dangaran

A marble known as Bronze Vena, or “bronze vein”, is the focal point of the en-suite in the main bedroom of this Santa Monica home by Los Angeles-based Woods +Dangaran.

Large-format slabs of this stone cover the walls, floor and ceiling of the bath area, toilet and walk-in shower.

The slabs were cleverly book-matched at the centre of the room for a symmetrical effect. Slabs effectively mirror each other, creating zigzags within the vein patterns.

Find out more about Twentieth ›

West 76th Street, USA, by Messana O’Rorke

This apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side is home to the founders of the skincare brand Malin + Goetz, so special attention was naturally paid to the bathrooms.

New York-based studio Messana O’Rorke combined brass fittings with Carrera marble – the hugely popular Italian stone – with the ambition of creating a “spa-like” feeling.

One bathroom features a marble recess with an integrated sink and mirror, while the other boasts a shower that is illuminated by a hidden pocket in the ceiling.

Find out more about West 76th Street ›

Villa Waalre, Netherlands, by Russell Jones

To match the minimal aesthetic of this woodland home in Waalre, near Eindhoven, bathrooms are finished in Statuario, a white marble quarried in Italy.

The effect works particularly well in the main bedroom, where a free-standing partition wall divides off part of the space for an en-suite. This volume incorporates a marble basin, as well as timber-fronted drawers.

Find out more about Villa Waalre ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. Other recent editions showcase Scandinavian kitchens, outdoor showers and eclectic interiors.

Reference

Colourful garments on display at the Design Museum in London

Interior Design

The Offbeat Sari exhibition opens today at London’s Design Museum

By Zarkon Group,19/05/2023

The first sari to be worn at the Met Gala and sequins made from discarded X-ray film sourced from hospitals feature in the Offbeat Sari exhibition, which showcases around 60 contemporary saris at London’s Design Museum.

The Offbeat Sari is the first UK exhibition to explore the contemporary sari, according to the Design Museum. The show opens today in a cavernous space within the museum’s subterranean gallery, illuminated by thin neon pendant lights.

Hailing from India and wider South Asia, a sari is traditionally thought of as an unstitched drape wrapped around the body from shoulder to waist.

In recent years, designers have been reinventing the 5,000-year-old garment to serve young people’s growing interest in the sari, which has led to its revival, according to Design Museum head of curatorial Priya Khanchandani.

“Women in cities who previously associated the sari with dressing up are transforming it into fresh, radical, everyday clothing that empowers them to express who they are, while designers are experimenting with its materiality by drawing on unbounded creativity,” said the curator.

First sari worn to the Met Gala — The first sari worn to the Met Gala features in the exhibition

Split into various themes such as identity and resistance, the exhibition presents around 60 contemporary saris created by a range of established and emerging designers.

Among the garments is the first sari to be worn at New York’s Met Gala in response to the annual ball’s 2022 theme, Gilded Glamour.

Embellished with semi-precious stones, the tulle Sabyasachi-designed sari worn by Natasha Poonawalla features a statement train and was paired with a gold Schiaparelli bodice with protruding, orbit-shaped elements.

A sari embellished with sequins made from recycled X-ray film — Fashion brand Abraham & Thakore created sequins from recycled X-ray film

Another navy blue sari by Abraham & Thakore is characterised by delicate sequins that were made using discarded X-ray film salvaged from hospitals – a design that aims to address the issue of sustainability within the fashion industry.

Also on display is a purple georgette silk sari embroidered with shimmering acrylics, sequins and crystals. Founder of the #DeGenderFashion movement, author and comedian Alok previously wore the garment to highlight their belief that saris can be worn by anyone, regardless of gender identity.

Blue wall with photographs of women wearing saris — Photographs showing different ways of wearing saris are pasted across a blue wall

Contrasting textiles such as distressed denim and woven stainless steel make up other saris in the exhibition, highlighting the garment’s versatile evolution.

Within the show’s “movement” section are a number of saris worn by young people while engaging in sports. These include a garment adorned with cherry blossom motifs that was donned during a cricket match as well as a polyester chiffon sari, which is among the outfits worn by a group of women who have begun to skateboard in saris – a growing trend, according to the museum.

A mannequin in a colourful outfit holding a skateboard — Sari wearers are increasingly wearing the garments to engage in sports, especially skateboarding

There is also an area dedicated to the craftsmanship involved in sari-making that explores how its history has transformed over the 21st century.

“The sari is experiencing what is conceivably its most rapid reinvention in its history. It makes the sari movement one of today’s most important global fashion stories, yet little is known of its true nature beyond South Asia,” explained Khanchandani.

“For me and for so many others, the sari is of personal and cultural significance,” reflected the curator.

“But it is also a rich, dynamic canvas for innovation, encapsulating the vitality and eclecticism of Indian culture.”

There is also an area dedicated to materials and craftsmanship

Chinese artist Ai Weiwei’s first design-focussed exhibition is another show that is currently on display at the Design Museum until late July. In other recent fashion news, designer Rick Owens has released a collection of wearable helmets that double as fluorescent floor lamps.

The photography is by Andy Stagg.

The Offbeat Sari is on display at London’s Design Museum from 19 May to 17 September 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Project credits:

Curator: Priya Khanchandani
Associate curator: Rashmi Varma
3D design: Studio Mutt
2D design: Stuthi Ramesh

Reference

Norman Foster looking through a circular hole in a large sculptural structure at his exhibition in the Centre Pompidou

Interior Design

Norman Foster retrospective exhibition opens at Centre Pompidou in Paris

By Zarkon Group,18/05/2023

An exhibition dedicated to the work of British architect Norman Foster has opened at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, showcasing drawings and original models produced by the architect over the last six decades.

The exhibition, which according to the Norman Foster Foundation is the largest-ever retrospective display of Foster’s work, features around 130 of the architect’s projects including the Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Headquarters, Hong Kong International Airport and Apple Park.

Designs that informed Foster’s work are also exhibited, including works by Chinese artist Ai Weiwei, French painter Fernand Léger, Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi and Italian painter Umberto Boccioni, and even cars, which the architect is passionate about.

The exhibition, simply called Norman Foster, was designed by Foster with his architecture studio Foster + Partners and nonprofit organisation the Norman Foster Foundation.

Model of a yellow structure by Norman Foster at the Centre Pompidou — On display are sketches, drawings and models of the architect’s buildings

Curated by Centre Pompidou deputy director Frédéric Migayrou, the exhibition aims to showcase examples of Foster’s innovation and technology, his approach to sustainability and his ideas for the future of the built environment.

“This exhibition traces the themes of sustainability and anticipating the future,” said Foster.

“Throughout the decades we have sought to challenge conventions, reinvent building types and demonstrate an architecture of light and lightness, inspired by nature, which can be about joy as well as being eco-friendly.”

Architecture and cars models at the Norman Foster exhibition at the Centre Pompidou — Examples of Foster’s work are interspersed with cars that have inspired him

The 2,200-square-metre exhibition begins with a room dedicated to Foster’s sketches and drawings, a practice he uses to communicate ideas and log design inspiration.

“For me, design starts with a sketch, continuing as a tool of communication through the long process that follows in the studio, factories and finally onto the building site,” said Foster.

“In 1975 I started the habit of carrying an A4 notebook for sketching and writing – a selection of these are displayed in the central cabinets, surrounded by walls devoted to personal drawings.”

Architectural drawings in the Centre Pompidou in Paris — Visitors begin the exhibition in a room filled with Foster’s sketches

The exhibition continues in a large space with partition walls that separates it into seven themes: Nature and Urbanity, Skin and Bones, Vertical City, History and Tradition, Planning and Place, Networks and Mobilities, and Future Perspectives.

The Nature and Urbanity section explores Foster’s approach to preserving nature by building “dense urban clusters, with privacy ensured by design,” the studio said.

Referencing a critic’s comment that the external appearance of Foster’s projects could be categorised as having a smooth “skin” facade or expressing its skeletal structure, the Skin and Bones portion of the exhibition showcases projects that illustrate the relationship between structure, services and cladding.

In the Vertical City section, the studio showcases how it created “breathing” towers by designing open, stacked spaces.

Architectural models and drawings in the Centre Pompidou in Paris — The exhibition features around 130 Norman Foster projects

“We were the first to question the traditional tower, with its central core of mechanical plant, circulation and structure, and instead to create open, stacked spaces, flexible for change and with see-through views,” said Foster.

“Here, the ancillary services were grouped alongside the working or living spaces, which led to a further evolution with the first ever series of ‘breathing’ towers.”

Architectural models and drawings at the Norman Foster exhibition in the Centre Pompidou in Paris — It showcases projects spanning Foster’s six-decade-long career

“In the quest to reduce energy consumption and create a healthier and more desirable lifestyle, we showed that a system of natural ventilation, moving large volumes of fresh filtered air, could be part of a controlled internal climate,” the architect continued.

The History and Tradition section aims to provide insight into examples of historic and vernacular architecture that influenced Foster, while the Planning and Places portion explores masterplanning and placemaking in urban spaces.

Towards the open exhibition space’s exit, the Networks and Mobility section displays examples of transport and infrastructure and leads to the final room, Future Perspectives, which exhibits concepts for future methods of travel and communication.

On display are details of autonomous self-driving systems and designs for habitats on Mars and the moon that were developed with NASA and the European Space Agency.

Foster recently spoke with Dezeen about his views on sustainability in architecture, in which he said “there are lots of dangerous myths”.

The photography is by Nigel Young from Foster + Partners.

The Norman Foster exhibition is on display at the Centre Pompidou in Paris, France, from 10 May to 7 August 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Reference

Interior Design

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Ten bathrooms where marble lines the walls

The Offbeat Sari exhibition opens today at London’s Design Museum

Norman Foster retrospective exhibition opens at Centre Pompidou in Paris

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