A 12th-century monastery in Italy’s Umbria region has become a boutique hotel in the hands of Florence studio Archiloop, which aimed to retain the site’s “rustic simplicity” during its renovation.
Vocabolo Moscatelli sits in the countryside near the hamlet of Calzolaro, close to the Tuscan border, on a remote estate surrounded by woodland.
Vocabolo Moscatelli occupies a converted monastery in Umbria
The property was discovered by chef concierge Frederik Kubierschky and his partner Catharina Lütjens, who set about restoring the various 800-year-old stone buildings with the help of architect Jacopo Venerosi Pesciolini of Archiloop.
Aiming to retain the historic charm and as much of the original features as possible, the team kept the original wooden floors, exposed terracotta brickwork and ceiling beams, alongside brass, iron and stone details.
The original brick and stone buildings were restored by Archiloop
They worked with local craftspeople on the restoration of these elements and incorporated new pieces by artists and designers from across the region, too.
“Vocabolo Moscatelli brings together the stone mason, blacksmith and woodworker with the artisan makers: ceramicists, tile makers and painters, creating a boutique style canvas that plays homage to the past while bringing in the design references of the now,” said the hotel team.
Timber ceiling beams are left exposed throughout the hotel
New additions to the site include a travertine swimming pool, coloured to match the surrounding woodland and Mediterranean landscaping by Fabiano Crociani.
“Threaded smoothly together, the effect is a template of rustic simplicity with heart,” the team said.
Each of the property’s 12 guest suites is unique and includes a custom bed frame
Vocabolo Moscatelli offers 12 spacious guest suites: eight in the main building and four more dotted around the landscaped grounds, all with a “monastic chic” style.
Each includes a unique colour palette and collection of design pieces, like a sculptural black two-person bathtub on one of the terraces and the various handmade beds.
The Bridal Suite includes a round canopy bed and a private garden, while the Spa Suite has its own sauna and jacuzzi.
Some of the suites have sculptural al fresco bathtubs
Furniture and products were sourced from Italian brands, such as outdoor furniture by Paola Lenti and lighting from Davide Groppi and Flos.
Handmade glazed tiles by local Umbrian company Cotto Etrusco adorn the bathrooms, contrasting the rough stonework of the building’s thick walls.
Vocabolo Moscatelli is part of hotel group The Aficionados, which brings together 90 design-led properties across Europe.
New additions to the estate include a travertine swimming pool
Many historic buildings across Umbria have been converted into guest accommodations, from remote holiday homes like the Torre di Moravola watchtower to sprawling rural estates like Castello di Reschio.
Several monasteries in Italy have also found new life as hotels, including the Monastero Arx Vivendi near Lake Garda.
Harnessing soft whites and gently curving plaster forms, interior designer Johanna Amatoury has brought a holiday-house feel to this apartment in the peaceful Paris suburb of Neuilly-sur-Seine.
The duplex belongs to a couple who work in real estate and their three young children – a globetrotting family with a particular love for the Greek islands.
Interior designer Johanna Amatoury has renovated a Paris duplex
Amatoury designed their apartment as a homage to the region’s vernacular architecture.
“Because of their love for this part of the world, we arrived in this apartment and imagined a holiday house feeling, using warm and textural materials – very unlike typical Parisian apartments,” she told Dezeen.
“We worked with mineral materials, textures and raw colours in the apartment to provide depth and achieve the desired ambience.”
Curving plaster-covered surfaces feature heavily in the entryway
The design of the home was also shaped by its layout, arranged over the ground and first floors of a large 1980s building that opens onto a small garden.
This encouraged Amatoury to model the apartment on a single-family house.
The design draws on the vernacular architecture of the Greek islands
“We wanted to imagine it as a house, to create a more outside-in atmosphere, increasing all the size of the windows,” she said.
“The apartment is on the garden level, so my guideline was to open as much as possible to the outside and the planting there.”
Violetta marble tables anchor the living room
The apartment’s whole floorplan was reworked in order to create a living room, dining room and kitchen that all look onto the gardens outside.
The staircase was relocated to a more logical location close to the entrance, while upstairs the space was completely reconfigured to create four bedroom suites.
Artworks reflect the Grecian theme of the interior
As a homage to Greek island architecture, Amatoury used Roman plaster to soften the forms within the apartment, particularly in the entrance hall.
“We used warm, textural materials including lots of softly curving and tactile plaster finishes that give the space a sculptural look,” she said.
“Roman plaster is a very ancient technique that has a mineral appearance with a smooth, soft and slightly glossy finish, which catches the eye and dresses the wall through classic mineral colours while also embracing brighter nuances.”
In the kitchen, smoked walnut timber cabinetry is paired with splashbacks and worktops made of Navona travertine.
Set in an otherwise open-plan space, the area is enclosed in glazed panels.
“The family entertains a lot and cooks a lot, both the parents and the children,” Amatoury said. “As a result, it was necessary to be able to close off the kitchen while maintaining this visual openness.”
The kitchen is enclosed by glazed partitions
Much like a window, the glazed panels feature curved grilles and are set on an oak base that creates a visual link with the built-in oak banquette upholstered in white boucle wool.
“We create a lot of benches because they’re so practical, incorporating storage chests, but most importantly for their cosy appeal,” Amatoury said. “Benches introduce a mix of fabrics and through these fabrics, the space becomes more welcoming.”
Amatoury fashioned an oak seating banquette for the dining area
For Amatoury, the furniture edit was a balancing act between creating a “harmonious yet eclectic atmosphere” that blends sophistication and comfort.
Taking a central role is the curving sofa in the living room, which is upholstered in off-white linen and paired with monolithic Violetta marble tables.
A staircase leads up to the second floor
“Its design not only provided a focal point but also added a touch of elegance and softness to the space,” she said.
“The curving shape offered a sense of flow and organic grace, enhancing the room’s visual appeal. The choice of off-white linen contributed to a serene ambience here, promoting a feeling of openness and lightness.”
The upper level houses four bedroom suites
Amatoury, who has worked on several residential and commercial interiors across Paris, says she was tasked with the project after the owners admired a home she had completed for friends of theirs.
“They liked our work and especially the warmth we bring to our projects, almost like a cocoon,” she said.
Other residential interiors in the French capital that have recently been featured on Dezeen include a loft apartment in a former textile workshop and a Haussmann-era flat that was restored to its “former glory”.
The storied location of this brasserie in Paris inspired interior studio B3 Designers to fill the restaurant with tasselled chairs, disco balls and other flamboyant decor.
Brasserie des Pres is set in Paris’s Latin Quarter, which was a hub of creativity throughout the 19th and 20th centuries, its cafes filled with artists, publishers and prominent writers including Ernest Hemingway and Jean-Paul Sartre.
Brasserie des Pres’s ground-floor dining space features red-panelled walls with decorative tiling
London-based studio B3 Designers aimed to infuse this same buzzy ambience into the quarter’s latest eatery, undeterred by its awkwardly narrow interiors.
“Brasserie des Pres has a very unique floor print and we’ve used the existing architecture to create layers of dining experiences,” the studio said. “We’ve created a feeling of community and delight, a welcoming backdrop to the great food served here.”
Built-in shelving transforms walls on the first floor into a cabinet of curiosities
Lush with greenery, the exterior of the restaurant features a striped orange awning and classic Parisian terrace seating.
Once guests step inside, they find themselves in a large dining room with red-panelled walls, inset with mirrored shelves that display an assortment of shapely glass vessels.
Decorative tiles depicting limes, lemons and oranges are incorporated at the top of each panel.
Guests can also relax in the top-floor lounge, which houses a rich selection of vinyl records
Tables throughout the room are dressed with white linen cloths and bijou brass lamps, nodding to the table set-up of the Latin Quarter’s traditional eateries.
Guests also have the option to sit at a high marble counter that directly overlooks Brasserie des Pres’s bustling kitchen or enjoy a drink at the bar, which is fronted by velvet-lined orange stools.
More dining space is provided on the first floor, where the shelves along the walls are filled with antique books and candelabras to mimic the worldly look of a cabinet of curiosities.
Finally, on the top floor of the restaurant is a lounge-style space where guests can relax while selecting tracks from the brasserie’s vinyl record library.
A crimson-red bar hides behind a curtained doorway
A curtained partition can be drawn back to reveal a secret bar, complete with a mirrored ceiling. From its centre hangs a cluster of disco balls, enclosed by a circular neon sign that spells the word groovy.
A plush, crimson banquet winds around the periphery of the space, accompanied by matching tassel-backed chairs and marble tables.
Even the toilets at this level are finished with eccentric details including a pearl-laden chandelier that droops above the washbasin and surreal gold-framed paintings that depict the eyes of “unsung Parisian anti-heroes”, according to B3 Designers.
Surreal paintings and a pearl chandelier appear in the bathroom
Paris’s rich culinary scene is constantly expanding.
Other spots that have recently opened up around the city include Citrons et Huîtres, an oyster bar that’s designed to resemble a fishmonger, and Chinese restaurant Bao Express, which has a retro interior informed by Hong Kong diners of the 1970s.
Dubbed the first major design trend of 2024, our latest lookbook collects cosy, lived-in interiors that embody the “bookshelf wealth” aesthetic movement taking over social media.
While using books for interior decoration is not a new idea, it has been brought back into focus by a now-viral TikTok video posted in December by San Diego-based interior designer Kailee Blalock.
In the video, Blalock explains that “bookshelf wealth” is not just about creating perfect book displays, but instead about capturing the warmth and homeliness of book collections to curate “a whole home vibe”.
“Bookshelf wealth”, which the Financial Times called this year’s “first major design trend”, suggests pairing bookshelves with mismatched interior patterns, cosy seating areas and layered, loosely organised art pieces to create a tastefully eclectic space for reading.
Despite their contemporary qualities, the projects in this list capture the intimate atmosphere of “bookshelf wealth”, from colourful bookshelves that span an entire room to subtle reading nooks for deeply personal collections.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring spaces punctuated by structural columns, rooms embracing the “unexpected red theory” and playful homes integrating indoor slides.
Photo by Nicole Franzen
East Village Apartment, USA, by GRT Architects
A wooden bookcase with sienna-coloured backing panels complements this warm New York apartment renovation by GRT Architects.
The bookcase spans the length of the living room behind patterned, textural furniture pieces and is lined with multicoloured books stacked in different directions against small sculptural objects.
Aiming to preserve the home’s “turn-of-the-century disposition”, GRT Architects concealed a TV behind a light pink panel at the centre of bookcase.
Find out more about East Village Apartment ›
Photo by Felix Speller
Mayfair home, UK, by Child Studio
London-based Child Studio designed this entertainer’s home in Mayfair with mid-century modern furniture and deep-toned material finishes, aiming to enhance the art deco atmosphere by carving bookshelves into dark mahogany walls.
“We worked closely with the client to create a space that reflected his personality and interests, encompassing art, design, literature and travel,” Child Studio founders Che Huang and Alexy Kos told Dezeen.
“This approach made us think of Saint Laurent’s salon – an eclectic interior where design objects and art pieces from different eras and parts of the world are assembled together, forming a highly personal environment.”
Find out more about the Mayfair home ›
Photo by The Ingalls and Matthieu Salvaing
Santa Monica Proper Hotel, USA, by Kelly Wearstler
The Santa Monica Proper Hotel by American designer Kelly Wearstler includes reading niches with artwork and furniture by local artists and artisans.
A brimming bookcase flanks low-lying lounges and walls covered by misaligned artwork, with Wearstler explaining that the idea was to connect the original building’s Spanish colonial revival style with the new contemporary building.
“Everything’s connected to somebody that is local in the city,” Wearstler explained. “We’re so lucky to be in Los Angeles, the talent pool here is extraordinary.”
Find out more about Santa Monica Proper Hotel ›
Photo by Victor Stonem
AdH House, Mexico, by Francesc Rifé Studio
Spanish practice Francesc Rifé Studio conceived this moody house in Mexico City with a eucalyptus floor-to-ceiling bookcase to display antique atlases.
The bespoke unit was finished with brass bookstands and embedded LED lighting to complement the tactile and neutral interior palette, capturing the luxurious undertones of “bookshelf wealth”.
Find out more about AdH House ›
Photo by Rafael Soldi
Whidbey Dogtrot, USA, by SHED
A dedicated reading nook punctures this bedroom suite for a compact home in the Pacific Northwest by US studio SHED.
Wrapping the bright white walls, stacked books and mismatched objects line dark metal shelf extrusions that are interrupted by a square window looking out to the surrounding landscape.
Find out more about Whidbey Dogtrot ›
Photo by Trevor Mein and Sharyn Cairns
Kew Residence, Australia, by John Wardle Architects
Remodelled by John Wardle Architects for the founder’s own Melbourne home, Kew Residence leans into the informal and cocooning atmosphere of “bookshelf wealth” in its wood-clad first-floor study.
Built-in shelves made from Victorian Ash are the focal point of the room and have been densely filled with a collection of ceramic art and books. Next to the shelves, an inset window seat and a slim suspended desk were added, creating a practical and uniform interior.
Find out more about Kew Residence ›
Photo by Chris Mottalini
Silver Lake home, USA, by Lovers Unite
As part of renovation works for a 1950s Los Angeles home, California studio Lovers Unite converted an unused balcony into a long, teal-upholstered window seat below a floating bookshelf.
Paired with contrasting embroidered cushions and vintage decor pieces, the book display adds colour, depth and a feeling of occupation to enliven the timber-clad interiors.
Find out more about Silver Lake home ›
Photo by Derek Swalwell
St Vincents Place, Australia, by BE Architecture
Australian studio BE Architecture renovated this Victorian home to highlight the client’s vast art collection, while also rejecting “stark minimalism” and embracing the interior’s existing heritage features.
Large-format books form a centrepiece in the home’s lounge area under transparent coffee table cubes, adding to the home’s eclectic, richly textured and academic character.
Find out more about St Vincents Place ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with indoor slides, colourful home renovations and built around ruins.
The Malin has designed its work-oriented member’s club in Nashville, its first outside of New York City, with an earthy colour palette and a mix of vintage and contemporary furniture to give it a hotel-like feel.
Located in the Wedgewood Houston neighbourhood, The Malin is one of a number of creative businesses within the Nashville Warehouse Co, which claims to be the city’s “first large-scale mass-timber building”.
The mass-timber structure of the Nashville Warehouse Co building is visible throughout The Malin’s interiors
The building’s timber structure is highly visible throughout the interiors, and the pine ceilings and deep beams add to the warm, earthy palette of the various work areas.
Designed by The Malin‘s in-house team, the club encompasses 16,000 square feet of space that encompasses 48 dedicated desks, seven private offices, five meeting rooms and two libraries.
Wood varieties including light oak and dark walnut are used throughout the member’s club
All of these rooms feature rich colours and an eclectic mix of vintage and contemporary furniture, intended to feel more like a hotel than a co-working space.
“We’re in the hospitality business, so we carefully tailor each location of The Malin to fit the needs of the neighbourhood and professional community,” said The Malin founder and CEO Ciaran McGuigan. “Not only are we providing the highest level of hospitality, but we’re doing it in a refined and beautiful space that contributes to a productive workflow.”
The club offers both dedicated workspaces and casual areas for members to meet and relax
The design team decorated The Malin Wedgewood Houston with deep-toned Benjamin Moore paints, Schumacher wallpapers and glazed zellige tiles, while bespoke millwork is executed in dark walnut and white oak.
A variety of formal and casual seating areas are available for members to utilise as desired, either for individual or group work, or entertaining guests.
Sofas, communal tables and banquettes are all available for use as desired
Large communal tables accompanied by cushioned tubular metal chairs, sofas and armchairs with brightly coloured velvet upholstery, and cafe tables beside leather banquettes are among the options available.
Surfaces of limestone, travertine and multiple varieties of marble – including Giallo Siena, Irish Green, Onice Brecia and Aresbecator Oribico – complement the wood tones and colourful furniture.
Private meeting rooms are similarly designed to look more like a hotel than an office
Members also have access to an acre of outdoor community park space for hosting events, and receive discounts and perks at several neighbourhood hotspots.
“The Malin is committed to providing an environment equipped with personalised services and high-touch amenities,” said the team. “In catering to a tight knit community with a finite number of members, The Malin is able to provide tailored lifestyle management services while offering both the comforts of a home and the resources of an office.”
The Malin’s first location in Manhattan’s Soho, which opened in 2022, was longlisted in the small workspace interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022.
The company has since added spots in Williamsburg and the West Village to its portfolio, making The Malin Wedgewood Houston its fourth.
The colour scheme throughout the club is warm and earthy, aided by richly toned upholstery and deep paint hues
Long-known for its thriving music scene, Nashville is now quickly growing as a destination for other creative industries.
Recent openings in the city include an outpost of members’ club Soho House – just down the street from The Malin – and a multi-venue dining and drinking destination designed by AvroKO and owned by Sam Fox and Justin Timberlake.
American fashion brand Kith has returned to the location of its first Manhattan flagship to open a women-dedicated store, in which olive trees grow up through display podiums.
The inaugural Kith Women Flagship in Soho opened last December at 644 Broadway, the same historic landmark building where the brand debuted its Manhattan retail offering in 2011.
Custom-built podiums run through the middle of the Kith Women flagship store in Soho
Previously the Manhattan Savings Institute Bank, the red sandstone and brick structure’s exterior features wrought iron gates at the entrance and set the tone for the materials palette inside.
Kith founder and creative director Ronnie Fieg designed the interiors to include signature elements of the brand’s retail concepts, but with adjustments to acknowledge its context.
The main room displays apparel and accessories in walnut and brass-trimmed niches
“The ambiance exudes modern elegance with its warm and calming aura, constructed with materials like Venetian plaster, travertine, and rosa aurora [marble],” said the Kith team.
The spacious main room benefits from tall ceilings and an open floor plan, and presents Kith Women in-house and multi-brand ready-to-wear apparel against Venetian plaster and Kith monogrammed suede wallpaper.
In a room dedicated to footwear, shoes are presented on travertine shelves
Clothing is displayed on rails installed in walnut and brass-trimmed niches around the perimeter, with accessories like hats and bags placed on shelves above.
A row of square walnut podiums runs through the middle of the room, each with an olive tree growing up through the centre of its pink marble surface.
A cafe and flower shop is run in partnership with PlantShed, and features mosaic floors and a fluted marble service counter
Custom-built by Brooklyn-based woodworker Mark Jupiter, these units contain drawers for product storage, and alternating ones are topped with glass vitrines for showcasing jewellery and other small accessories.
Oak flooring is laid in a grid pattern transversed by walnut strips, and the darker wood also lines the fitting rooms.
Footwear has a dedicated room, in which shoes are displayed on shelves with integrated lighting that run from one end to the other.
“Entering the footwear space, you will find a grand arched plaster ceiling, travertine shelves, and a custom chandelier from Italy by Viabizzuno,” the team said.
The cafe leads out to a courtyard behind the historic building’s wrought iron gates
In the final room is a cafe run in partnership with New York-based flower and plant shop PlantShed, which serves light bites and drinks and offers custom floral arrangements.
The space features a mosaic tiled floor, walnut wall panelling, a service counter with a fluted pink marble front and floral displays on stepped stone plinths.
The cafe leads out to a courtyard area behind the building’s impressive iron gates, which furnished with cafe tables and chairs in between topiary plants shaped into spirals.
Kith Women is located at 644 Broadway, the same building where the brand opened its original flagship retail space in 2011
Feig also designed Kith’s recently opened Williamsburg store, located in the 25 Kent Plaza office building where the brand also has its corporate offices.
The company had previously worked with design studio Snarkitecture on its retail spaces around the world, including outposts in Miami, Los Angeles and Paris.
Local design studio Hauvette & Madani drew on the Haussmannian history of this Paris apartment to create a gallery-like interior for its occupant’s vast art collection.
Located in the city’s historic Triangle d’Or, the dwelling previously featured minimalist marble surfaces and gilding leftover from a recent renovation.
Hauvette & Madani “re-appropriated” the apartment, originally designed as part of Georges-Eugène Haussmann’s famed reconstruction of the French capital during the mid-19th century, to reflect its architectural past.
Hauvette & Madani added cornices and mouldings to the apartment to reflect the dwelling’s Haussmannian roots
“The challenge was to completely revamp the apartment, which had just been refurbished,” said studio co-founder Samantha Hauvette, who designed the dwelling with Lucas Madani.
“We carried out meticulous research to find the right motifs and decorations to restore the place to its former glory and Haussmannian charm,” she told Dezeen.
The living room features various artworks
The designers recreated delicate white cornices and mouldings – hallmarks of Haussmannian design – within the apartment, which had been previously stripped of these details.
This created a considered but neutral backdrop for the resident’s eclectic collection of artwork and a curated selection of furniture “mixing eras and styles,” according to Hauvette and Madani.
Sarah Crowner designed a bold fireplace for the dining space
Visitors enter at a small round vestibule clad in straw marquetry – a “common thread” that also features on a pair of curved sofas and a sleek coffee table as well as sliding doors, the main bedroom’s headboard and the dining table.
The light-filled living room is characterised by sculptural furniture and art pieces, including rounded vintage armchairs finished in a dark green hue and metallic base.
An amorphous ceiling work by Austrian artist Erwin Wurm was suspended above the sofas, while a deep blue painting by Swiss practitioner Miriam Cahn adds a bold hue to the room.
“It’s a real living space, where the homeowner shares a lot with her artist and designer friends,” said the designers. “All the pieces have a strong identity.”
The kitchen balances traditional elements with more alternative details
For the dining room, American artist Sarah Crowner created a striking turquoise fireplace, which was clad in a blocky mosaic of geometric tiles and positioned alongside a burnt orange vintage egg-shaped chair.
“We wanted to take the codes of classicism and break free from them,” explained Hauvette and Madani, who aimed to balance traditional interior details with more contemporary colourful touches.
A blocky drinks bar was finished in the same design as the kitchen table
Continuing this theme, the designers sandwiched a bright green stove between more subtle, light pink cabinets in the kitchen, which includes a patterned feature wall.
Blocks of light-coloured timber were stacked by French furniture maker Hervé van der Straeten to create a singular lumpy leg for the kitchen table as well as the base of a drinks bar elsewhere in the apartment.
Hauvette and Madani also constructed an in-house sauna for the home, finished in dark wooden slats and tucked behind a bespoke green-hued daybed, made by the designers themselves.
“We have a strong belief that everything that you love independently will work perfectly once put together,” said Madani, who highlighted the power of trusting your instincts when curating eclectic interiors.
Hauvette & Madani also added a home sauna
Summarising the overall look and feel of the apartment, the pair declared, “it’s Paris Haussmannian style, with a hint of craziness!”
Hauvette & Madani is not the first studio to renovate a traditional Parisian apartment with contemporary touches.
Local studio Uchronia recently filled a home for jewellery designers with multifaceted furniture pieces crafted to mirror the appearance of precious stones. The studio also previously added a wine-red kitchen to an otherwise neutral flat in the French capital.
Los Angeles design studio Gharib Studio has contrasted concrete floors and exposed ceilings with soft-pink walls and clean lines for a jewellery store in Austin.
Created for the friendship jewellery brand Little Words Project (LWP), Gharib Studio used elements of the merchandise to inform the store’s pink material palette and incorporated arches throughout the space to contrast the industrial elements of the building, which were left exposed.
Gharib Studio has outfitted a jewellery store in Austin with dusty pink
According to Gharib Studio founder Nora Gharib, the team followed the common phrase “everything is bigger in Texas” when designing the concept store.
“I wanted to amplify the brand in a grand way by taking the LWP brand aesthetic and localizing it to Texas by pushing the standard design elements, such as the brand’s bracelet arches and beading table experience, then accentuating it,” said Gharib.
Arches and soft tones contrast with the space’s industrial elements
Visitors enter the store into a large, primary space, where built-in display cases were integrated into the walls.
On one side, the display resembles small bookcases and on the other, the bracelets are displayed throughout a series of arches.
Long tables lead to the seating area at the back of the space
At the centre of the primary space are two long tables with metallic-coated bases, also used for display. A circular display table in the middle was created to resemble a vanity, with merchandise incorporated throughout.
Gharib inserted three arches along the back of the space, in part to accentuate the height of the space, and to draw visitors to the space beyond them, which serves as a beading area.
Metallic details were informed by the charms found on the bracelets
This space was outfitted with CB2 Castell Chairs in burgundy, with similar tables as the main space, except with pink bases instead of silver.
A neon sign that reads, “You can sit with us” hangs above the tables.
Textured dusty-pink wallpaper by Belarte Studio was used to line the space, while the remaining interior was covered in a rose pink hue.
Metallic accents throughout the store, including aluminium light pendants, a metal trimmed mirror and the display table’s metallic bases, were informed by the metal charms found in LWP bracelets.
It is the brand’s first store in Austin
The space’s utility elements were left exposed on the ceiling, with red track lighting running the perimeter of the space.
Other retail projects recently completed in Austin include a mid-century post office turned grocery by Side Angle Side.
Gharib Studio is a Los Angeles-based studio founded by Nora Gharib in 2023, focused on retail and brand design.
Swedish furniture brand IKEA has released two images from a series of photographs taken by Annie Leibovitz, its first-ever artist-in-residence, showing people in their homes across the world.
The American photographer, who is best known for her portraits, travelled to twenty-five homes around the globe to take photos of people in their residences. She visited houses and apartments in Sweden, India, Italy, Japan, Germany, England and the US.
“The home has always been important in my work,” Leibovitz said when appointed artist-in-residence in 2023.
“I’ve been photographing people in their homes since I began,” she added. “It’s a way to understand who a person is. The advice I give to young photographers is to photograph their families. It’s one of the best ways to start.”
Annie Leibovitz photographed 25 homes for IKEA, including this one in Germany
Leibovitz’s photos for IKEA show a variety of different interiors in seven different countries.
“The result is a powerful photographic document that illuminates the nuances of life at home – across borders, ethnicities and professions,” the furniture brand said of the project.
The series, which comprises 25 photos in total, was commissioned by IKEA after its IKEA Life at Home Report showed that 48 per cent of people globally don’t feel the media represents their home.
The first two images released by IKEA, show the homes of Yusuke Onimaru in Japan and Maria Arrechea in Germany – specifically Onimaru’s ceramic workshop and Arrechea’s living space filled with friends.
Leibovitz’s photos will be shown as part of the IKEA+ exhibition in Paris, which will take place during Paris Fashion Week.
It will also feature a collaboration with online radio station Rinse and showcase the Tesammans collection made by IKEA together with Eindhoven-basd design duo Raw Color.
Six emerging designers from the Casa93 fashion education program are also taking part in the IKEA+ showcase. They worked with “home furnishing mentors” from IKEA to create designs that focus on upcycling and sustainable design.
The photography is by Annie Leibovitz for IKEA.
IKEA+ will take place on 28 Rue de Lappe, Paris, from 29 February to 3 March. For more worldwide events, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design, visit Dezeen Events Guide.
Interiors studio Barde vanVoltt has renovated this early 1900s house in the Dutch city of Haarlem to forge a strong connection between the building’s past and present, grounding the space with warm woods and tactile textures.
The owners – a young family of four – wanted a home that would stand the test of time while telling Dutch practice Barde vanVoltt to “surprise us”.
Barde vanVoltt had overhauled an early 20th-century house in Haarlem
In answer, the studio worked to create an interior that fuses the past and the present.
“Stepping into this house is a journey through time, a reminder that architecture is a dialogue between generations,” the studio told Dezeen.
“Meticulously preserving its historical charm, the house’s design seamlessly integrates contemporary features, creating a harmonious blend that transcends eras.”
The studio added an extension to the rear of the home
To address the narrow footprint of the house – a typically Dutch feature – internal walls were either removed, widened or replaced with glass panel doors.
The back of the property was transformed with an extension and concertina glass doors to maximize the sense of light and space.
The extension houses the kitchen and dining area
“With the extension on the ground floor, we wanted to create contrast with the original architecture,” said Barde vanVoltt. “The understated square modern architecture, due to its shape and angular position, blends perfectly with the past.”
“With the historic facade at the front, we took advantage of the space at the rear, extending the kitchen and living areas into the garden.”
A vintage sandstone table centres the living room
The practice carefully aligned the new design elements with shapes drawn from the architectural features of the house, with the new full-height door openings echoing the proportions of the living room’s original windows.
In the attic, a guest room doubles as a playroom. Barde vanVoltt infused this once-dark space with natural light via a skylight, “allowing guests to sleep under the stars”.
Barde vanVoltt retained Haarlem House’s original stained glass windows
“Dutch houses are noted for their sloping attic roof lines,” the studio said. “For the children’s bedrooms, we followed this structural line and created custom bunk beds that combine sleep, storage, and space for play.”
The material palette includes a range of mid- and dark-toned timbers that bring a sense of warmth and tactility to the home.
These are complemented by natural materials including stone and linen.
“Our colour scheme always consists of earthy colours like moss green, a faded terracotta, grey concrete and off-whites,” the studio said. “For this residence, we brought them in line with the original colours from the existing tiles and stained glass.”
Custom bunk beds feature in the children’s bedrooms
The furniture edit features Barde vanVoltt’s favoured mix of statement pieces alongside handmade and bespoke elements.
Selected pieces reflect the architectural style of the building such as the Lot table by Tecta in the study, as well as Gerrit Thomas Rietveld’s 1934 Zig Zag chair and his Steltman chair from 1963, which was the last chair ever created by the Dutch designer.
The playroom, dining area and bedroom all have specially-made seating upholstered in Kvadrat fabrics, while the bedrooms and study feature bespoke beds and closets.
Wooden blinds mirror the linear pattern of the bathroom tiles
“We love creating interiors full of handmade, bespoke furniture pieces with refined details,” said Barde vanVoltt. “The headboard of the master bedroom is an art piece in itself. The walnut slats are slightly curved and give it a very sophisticated look.”
The square coffee table in the living room – made from a single piece of sandstone – is a vintage piece from Atelier Uma.
Barde vanVoltt created a custom headboard in the primary bedroom
For the lighting scheme, Barde vanVoltt set out to create the right balance between functional and decorative lighting, collaborating with lighting experts PSLab to create a “warm and cosy atmosphere.”
Other Dutch homes that have recently been featured on Dezeen include a house with a hexagonal footprint in Amsterdam and a Hobbit-style residence that is partially buried underground.
