Architecture studio BoND has designed the New York headquarters for Brazilian fashion brand PatBo, which features pink scaffolding and rugs based on drawings by Roberto Burle Marx.
The office and showroom for PatBo occupies a 7,000-square-foot (650-square-metre) loft, which spans the entire seventh floor of a historic building on Fifth Avenue.
The PatBo showroom is located in a light-filled loft in New York’s Flatiron District
As the brand’s global headquarters, this space serves multiple purposes: showcasing the brand’s apparel; providing office space for staff; hosting buyers and events.
“Our biggest challenge was to divide the space according to the showroom’s new program while keeping its loft-like openness,” said BoND co-founder Noam Dvir.
To divide the open space, BoND used pink-painted scaffolding that doubles as clothing rails
To create partitions that double as displays, the designers chose scaffolding elements on which clothing can be hung and shelving can be installed.
“They are so readily available, so New York in their character, and very easy to adapt to different conditions,” said Daniel Rauchwerger, BoND’s other co-founder. “Moreover, they’re inexpensive and have a younger, fresher feel that works so well with the spirit of a PatBo studio.”
The showroom also serves as an office space for the PatBo team
Scaffolding has been used in a variety of retail environments for its versatility and ease of installation, including a bright yellow Calvin Klein store transformed by Raf Simons and Sterling Ruby, and a boutique for Wardrobe NYC designed by Jordana Maisie.
Painted pale pink in the PatBo showroom, the industrial scaffolding takes on a more feminine appearance, which sets the tone for the rest of the showroom.
Feminine touches like pleated pendant lights align with the brand’s aesthetic
Curved couches, pleated pendant lamps and tambour panelling all add to the soft aesthetic and further align with PatBo’s brand expression.
Circular fitting rooms surrounded by curtains allow clients to try on the colourful clothing in the main showrooom.
Private offices feature tambour panelling and a mix of furniture
A second showroom area for hosting buyer appointments and casting calls includes minimal clothing racks with brass rails and oak frames.
This space is closed off from the reception, but still visible through large glass panels that allow light from the exterior windows to pass through.
The historic building overlooks Fifth Avenue
Private offices along the far side of the loft also feature glass doors for the same purpose, and add to the feeling of openness and transparency throughout the showroom.
“It’s not meant to be too precious or delicate, but rather a place where a group of creative professionals can feel encouraged to move things around and make it their own,” said Dvir.
Atop the wooden floors are rugs based on the drawings of Brazilian modernist and landscape architect Roberto Burle Marx, designed in collaboration with São Paulo-based Punto e Filo.
Colourful furniture and potted plants also contribute to the Brazilian vibe in the space, and complement PatBo’s vibrant garments.
Rugs throughout the space are based on the drawings of Brazilian modernist Roberto Burle Marx
At the back of the showroom is a bar area, featuring a pink stone counter with rounded corners, and a sink placed within a curved niche that has mirrored sides.
“This is a space that combines elements of office, retail, and hospitality,” said Rauchwerger. “With that, it is able to serve as a real embassy for PatBo as a brand.”
A bar area with pink stone counters is used for hosting events
Rauchwerger and Dvir, both former journalists, founded BoND in 2019 after working as architects at OMA, WeWork and more.
Their studio’s previous projects have included the renovation of a dark Chelsea apartment into a light-filled home.
Copenhagen-based Natural Material Studio and designer Zuzanna Skurka have created an installation at Milan design week from soft bio textiles made from surplus bricks.
Called Brick Textiles, the project is on display at Alcova – a travelling exhibition platform for independent design that is held at a different disused site in Milan each year.
Natural Material Studio and Zuzanna Skurka created textiles from waste bricks
Natural Material Studio worked with Polish designer and researcher Zuzanna Skurka to create the textiles from highly porous repurposed bricks that were classified as waste after demolition projects.
“Rule one is, you should work with materials that are already there,” studio founder Bonnie Hvillum told Dezeen in Milan.
The project is on display at Alcova in Milan
The textiles were made from a combination of crushed bricks bonded together with Procel – a home-compostable, protein-based bioplastic of natural softener and pigments developed by Natural Material Studio.
Featuring a distinctly reddish hue, the textiles were divided into large, roughly-cut slabs that hang suspended from the roof on metal bars in a room at Alcova to form a dramatic installation illuminated by skylights.
Swirly patterns made by the crushed bricks characterise the textile
Natural Material Studio and Skurka drew upon traditional weaving techniques to create the textile, which was made by incorporating bricks and Procel into a “biomaterial matrix”, according to Hvillum.
The material owes its strength, colour and texture to the bricks, which create unique swirly patterns on each slab that are produced randomly during the “fluid casting process”, she explained.
Hvillum described the product as a “biomaterial matrix”
“We were very curious about this question of how can architecture be flexible, more simple and translucent even? added Hvillum. “It’s all the opposite aspects of a brick.”
“When we think of brick it’s like a solid, rigid, structural wall,” she continued. “But how can we make more flexible and fluid architecture today?”
Examples of the bricks the designers used are positioned underneath the textiles
Holes were pierced into the corners of the slabs so that they can be linked together.
While the water-resistant textile is already being used by interior architects as room dividers, Hvillum said that the studio hopes that one day it could form whole walls.
“The way we build and how we live in the built environment shapes us, so if we can build a more flexible and organic biomaterial, we want to start the exploration of what that experience is,” she continued.
This year, the Alcova exhibition takes place at a former slaughterhouse in Porta Vittoria. The formation of brick-based textiles hangs from metal bars where meat once hung at the site.
“There’s something funny and a little bit rough about that image,” acknowledged Hvillum.
The textiles hang where meat was once suspended in the former slaughterhouse
The materials specialist explained that Brick Textiles intends to salvage something from the past and propose fresh ways of thinking about an existing resource.
“It’s new materials we’re developing, so we still don’t know everything about them,” she reflected. “And that’s the beauty and honesty of it.”
Established in 2018, Natural Material Studio has created a number of repurposed materials for wide-ranging projects. These include crockery for a seafood restaurant made from leftover scallop shells and clothing created with algae, clay and foam.
Brick Textiles is on display at Alcova from 17 to 23 April 2023 as part of Milandesignweek.See our Milandesignweek 2023 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.
A red “cave” hides behind the main dining space of this wine and small plates bar in Madrid designed by interiors studio Plantea Estudio.
Located on the ground floor of a neoclassical building in Madrid’s buzzy Justicia neighbourhood, Plantea Estudio designed Gota to appear “dark, stony and secluded”.
Gota sits on the ground floor of a neoclassical building in the Justicia neighbourhood
Guests ring a bell to enter the 70-square-metre bar, and are then welcomed into a dining room enclosed by thickset granite ashlar walls. While some of the walls were left exposed, others have been smoothly plastered over and washed with grey lime paint.
The floor was overlaid with black volcanic stone tiles that the studio thought were suggestive of a “newly discovered terrain”.
A counter in the first dining space is inbuilt with a record player
A bench seat runs down the left-hand side of the bar, accompanied by lustrous aluminium tables and square birchwood stools from Danish design brand Frama.
Guests can alternatively perch on high stools at the peripheries of the room, where lies a slender stone ledge for drinks to be set down on.
Shelving displays wine bottles, vinyls, and other objects
More seating was created around a bespoke chestnut counter at the room’s centre; its surfacetop has an in-built turntable on which the Gota team plays a curated selection of music.
Behind the counter is a storage wall where wine bottles, vintage vinyl records and other music-related paraphernalia are displayed.
A cave-like dining room hides at the bar’s rear
An open doorway takes guests down a short corridor to a secondary cave-like dining space, which boasts a dramatic vaulted ceiling and craggy brick walls. It has been almost entirely painted red.
“It’s relatively common to find this kind of vaulted brick space in the basements of old buildings in Madrid – this case was special because it’s on the ground floor with small openings to a garden,” the studio told Dezeen.
“It was perfect for a more quiet and private area of the bar,” it continued.
“The red colour is an abstract reference to the brick of which the cave is really made, and also a reference to wine.”
The space is arranged around a huge granite table
At the room’s heart is a huge 10-centimetre-thick granite table that’s meant to look as if it has “been there forever”, surrounded by aluminium chairs also from Frama. Smaller birch tables and chairs custom-designed by the studio have been tucked into the rooms corners.
To enhance the cosy, intimate feel of the bar, lighting has been kept to a minimum – there are a handful of candles, reclaimed sconces and an alabaster lamp by Spanish brand Santa & Cole.
Red paint covers the space’s vaulted ceiling and brick walls
Established in 2008, Plantea Estudio is responsible for a number of hospitality projects in Madrid.
Others include Hermosilla, a Mediterranean restaurant decked out in earthy tones, and Sala Equis, a multi-purpose entertainment space that occupies a former erotic cinema.
Architecture studio Office Alex Nicholls has fused two penthouse apartments in Melbourne into one large flexible home, converting their basement parking spots into a private spa and pool.
Adaptability was key to the home in Melbourne’s Elsternwick suburb, which needed to provide enough space for a multi-generational family as well as accommodating visiting relatives in guest rooms that double up as studies.
Office Alex Nicholls fused two apartments to create Elsternwick Penthouse
“Spaces were designed to adapt to a multitude of uses, with flexible working and living spaces as well as areas that could expand for large groups or contract to provide intimate settings,” the studio’s founder Alex Nicholls told Dezeen.
Office Alex Nicholls was brought on board while the apartment block was still under construction and was able to make significant changes to suit his clients’ needs – improving the layout, adding skylights and up-speccing on key details like the windows.
Timber staircases lead to the roof garden
“The design intent was to create variety and different spatial experiences across a very expansive and potentially monotonous floorplan,” Nicholls said.
“I wanted to create a light yet grounded and natural-feeling space that was contrasted with some stronger formal elements such as sculptural skylights and coloured functional volumes.”
A “library spine” runs through the apartment to provide storage
To navigate this vast apartment, Nicholls devised a central “library spine” – a corridor running the entire length of the apartment that houses the family’s collection of books, art and artefacts while creating an opportunity out of what could have been a dark and monotonous space.
“The idea for the library spine was born from a storage requirement of the clients,” the architect said. “However, it became a key architectural intervention.”
“From a practical standpoint, it allowed everything to be easily accessible and displayed but it also helps to draw people through the apartment and celebrate the two staircases to the roof garden at either end.”
Oculus skylights funnel sunlight into the interior
To provide vital light to the heart of the apartment and enhance the two main living spaces, Nicholls designed a series of circular and semi-circular oculus skylights, which reference the clients’ love of Elsternwick’s art deco architecture.
“They create a sense of movement and symmetry in the composition of otherwise rectilinear volumes,” he explained.
The apartment has three kitchens, partly to meet the family’s religious requirements and partly to allow the different generations who are sharing the apartment to enjoy their own independence.
Described by Nicholls as a series of “magic boxes”, each monolithic kitchen is defined by one vivid colour. This helps to delineate spaces and provides a counterpoint to the otherwise warm and natural material palette, which includes Blackbutt timber and Gosford sandstone.
The apartment has three colourful kitchen units
“The kitchens were designed to be largely concealed within these coloured volumes to give each one more spatial presence while ensuring the apartment did not feel too kitchen- and appliance-heavy as a result of the clients’ complex requirements,” Nicholls said.
In the basement, Nicholls turned the penthouses’ lift-accessed parking spots into a private 100-square-metre wellness space that features a fitness pool, sauna, kitchenette, changing rooms and a flexible rehabilitation area.
Nicholls also converted the apartments’ parking spots into a private spa
To make up for the lack of natural light in this subterranean space, Nicholls deployed atmospheric indirect lighting and a warm colour palette.
“Lighting the space via a datum of timber niches helped give the spa a restorative atmosphere, enhanced by the use of natural materials such as sandstone, timber, terracotta and lime render,” he explained.
The spa is home to a timber sauna
Elsternwick is a thriving suburb in the southeast of Melbourne, brimming with buzzy shops, restaurants and bars.
Among them is the Hunter & Co Deli, whose interiors were informed by the cold cuts on offer, and the minimal Penta cafe with its monolithic concrete counter.
Design studio Linehouse has used natural, tactile materials for the interiors of the Coast restaurant in Shanghai for China’s casual dining brand Gaga.
The restaurant is set inside a traditional mid-century Shikumen house – a blend of Western and Chinese architecture – with a renovated interior informed by its Mediterranean menu.
“We aimed to create a deep connection with coastal elements and Mediterranean soul,” said Linehouse co-founder Alex Mok.
Linehouse has completed the Coast restaurant in Shanghai
According to the studio, the restaurant’s aesthetic is one of “refined rusticity” – a contemporary reframing of rough-hewn vernacular styles, that creates a laid-back and tranquil atmosphere.
Throughout the scheme, Linehouse was informed by the idea of coastal terrain, including earthy and fired elements.
Linehouse chose a natural material palette, which in turn informed the colour scheme that flows throughout the interior of the three-storey restaurant.
Green-glazed lava stone surrounds the ground-floor cafe and bar
The aim was to take the visitor on a “vertical journey” by giving each of the three floors its own unique identity.
“The colours and materials shift on each floor, telling a different part of the story,” Mok said.
The bar is finished in the same tiles
On the ground floor, where a daytime cafe transitions into an evening bar, green and earthy tones link to the leafy garden beyond. Walls are wrapped in a green-glazed lava stone, with a deliberately hand-made patina, “representing the earth element”.
Custom furniture pieces designed by Linehouse were used throughout the restaurant, while lighting was chosen for its intriguing, sculptural forms from designers including Santa & Cole and Studio KAE.
Natural timbers were used for the centrepiece bar counter, while the timber-framed windows open up to the silver-grey of the olive trees outside.
An open-hearth grill features on the first floor
Above this on the first floor is an intimate dining space lined with white-washed stone and timber panelling. Layered oak panels hung horizontally from the ceiling create intimate dining nooks, with taupe-toned banquette sofas and oak dining tables.
The focal point of this room is the parrilla – an open-hearth grill – and a chef’s table.
“The concept of the open parrilla grill captures the quintessence of Mediterranean cuisine,” Mok told Dezeen.
On this level, fire-informed red and brown tones punctuate the space including the tiles that line the kitchen, which were repurposed from used coffee grounds.
Finally, on the top floor under the exposed timber beams of the pitched roof, Linehouse created a string-wrapped wine room and a lofty private dining space.
Panels of string line the staircase structure
The walls were again clad in white-washed stone. But here, it is contrasted with the intense black of yakisugi, or fire-preserved wood, which serves as a backdrop to a chef’s table.
The space also features a generously-sized balcony, providing views out across this bustling neighbourhood.
Linehouse created a string-wrapped wine room on the top floor
The spaces are linked by a staircase that weaves up through the centre of the building. Its chalky-white outer walls are patterned with a sculptural relief of sea creature exoskeletons, echoed by collections of shells displayed in glass jars nearby.
Panels of string, woven into simple grids, line the staircase structure, allowing natural light to flow into the heart of the building.
“We chose materials that tell the story of the coastal journey, while the exoskeleton wall is a modern representation of the sea,” said Mok.
The top floor also houses a private dining room
Linehouse was founded by Mok and Briar Hickling in 2013 and the duo went on to win emerging interior designer of the year at the 2019 Dezeen Awards.
The studio has completed a number of other projects in Shanghai, including a space-themed cafe decorated with real meteorites and an office housed in a former swimming pool.
The photography is by Wen Studio, courtesy of Linehouse.
Austin-based KKDW Studios has designed the headquarters for a yoga subscription app called Find What Feels Good, including a space for filming instructional videos.
KKDW Studios founder Kelly DeWitt collaborated with yoga teacher Adriene Mishler – who became well-known through her Yoga With Adriene instructional videos – to create a base for Find What Feels Good, the platform she co-founded that offers video tutorials for at-home workouts.
KKDW Studios used a modular system to build offices within the space for Find What Feels Good
Located in East Austin, the 5,000-square-foot (465-square-metre) space was previously an empty shell with blue walls and a high-gloss, yellow-tinged concrete floor.
DeWitt’s team described an intention to create “a space to evolve in and experiment with, a place to be inspired and inspired others.”
Communal workstations are positioned in front of private offices
“The space should feel welcoming with a warm, homey ambiance that makes you want to take a deep exhale,” the team added.
To add this warmth, the majority of the interventions were made with wood, which forms wall panelling, louvred partitions, frames for glass walls, and furniture. The concrete floors were refinished in matte grey.
A bright kitchen includes an island mounted on castors, which can be moved when needed
Designed for a quickly growing team and to be multi-functional, all the elements of the interiors are either bolted together or mounted on wheels, so they can be easily moved if needed.
The linear space is divided up along its fenestrated facade. At one end is a cosy lounge area for receiving visitors or communal work, while a bright, fully equipped kitchen is located at the other.
Warm-toned materials were chosen for the space
In between, the modular timber-framed glazed walls form a row of private offices, while an open workspace with large tables is positioned in front.
Facing the windows is an uninterrupted wall that stretches 80 feet (24 metres), which is used by Mishler and her team as a backdrop for filming yoga videos for their app and Youtube channel.
Air ducts and other visual obstacles had to be moved to ensure that the shot is unobstructed, while the vertical slat in the lounge partition pivot to ensure the lighting is just right.
“Natural light can be inspiring, but when filming, sometimes what they need is control – this allows them the best of both worlds,” said KKDW Studios.
Slats in a partition can be adjusted to control light levels when filming in the space
Cushions for sofas and armchairs are wrapped in tufted, textured beige fabric in a variety of tones that are echoed in the rugs.
From the exposed, angled ceiling hang a series of spherical pendant lamps, as well as power outlets on retractable cords for use at the workstations.
An uninterrupted wall provides a backdrop for Adriene Mishler’s instructional yoga videos
“All furniture is completely custom, designed after getting to know Adriene and her team, their needs, workflow, etc,” said KKDW Studios, which also acted as general contractor for the project.
Yoga – a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices – continues to grow in popularity around the world, and demand for at-home workouts like those facilitated by Find What Feels Good skyrocketed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Here are 10 homes with dedicated spaces for practising yoga and meditation.
American clothing brand Kith has created a flagship store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that uses brick, wood and steel to reference the industrial history of the neighbourhood.
Designed by Kith‘s founder Ronnie Fieg and the brand’s in-house team of architects, the Williamsburg location is located in the Gensler-designed 25 Kent Plaza office building, where Kith also has its corporate offices.
Kith designed a store for its apparel in Williamsburg
The design takes elements that carry through some of the other Kith stores, such as marble finishes and metal fins, and adds details that situate it in the context of Williamsburg.
These include a massive circular structure at the heart of the store that is covered with red brick on the outside and lined with white oak inside. The piece was custom-made at a nearby, undisclosed wood workshop.
It features a central structure made of brick and wood
This central element has a domed wooden ceiling with a wooden column and circular light fixtures that radiate out towards the edges concentrically.
A number of sloping arched voids in the structure have metal-lined undersides and provide an entryway on two sides and display cases for the brand’s collection of sneakers on another.
“We constructed the central dome completely from scratch and created the exterior from the same exact bricks used on the outside of the main building so it feels very cohesive as you enter,” said Fieg.
“Every inch of that dome is custom which meant our precision down to the last minute detail was crucial.”
“Outfitting the interior with rounded wood panels, shaping the footwear shelves to sit flush within the windows, every detail was poured over.”
It steps down from an outdoor plaza
Outside the circular area, the lights radiate perpendicularly, like sun rays, towards the walls.
The perimeter of the store is lined with metal fins that block the sun from the glass-lined eastern exposure while also creating a massive logo when viewed from outside.
Also lining the perimeter of the store are custom wooden clothing racks.
A custom mosaic was placed in the floor
Polished concrete flooring runs through the space, which steps down from the public plaza at the centre of 25 Kent.
The designers oriented the entrance towards the plaza and placed garden boxes in the corners of the store to better connect it with the public space outside.
Marble clads the snack bar
“The industrial ambiance is balanced with lush oak trees outside, and an abundance of greenery spread throughout the store,” the brand said.
The Kith Treats Area at the entrance – where a combination of ice cream and cereal are served – was lined with Rosa Aurora marble and has a to-go window that opens up to the plaza.
The wooden elements were custom made nearby
A wall of stainless steel panels separates the treats area from the retail space, while the walls opposite the street-facing glass are matte concrete with wooden insets for further display and service areas.
On the floor, Kith installed a brand logo made of mosaic tiles.
It is the third store in New York City for the brand, which was founded in 2011, and creates apparel for men, women and children.
To celebrate the opening, the brand launched a sneaker with footwear companies Clarks and Adidas.
It is in a Gensler-designed building in Williamsburg
This is the twelfth store opened by Fieg, who moved to Williamsburg himself with his family in 2017, and the Kith headquarters there in 2021.
“The restaurants, the shops, the people, and the atmosphere make it a very special area in New York and were all factors in us moving our brand HQ there in 2021,” he said.
“It’s my home, our team’s home, and it only made sense for us to make it a home for our community.”
Many of Kith’s prior locations, in Miami and Los Angeles, for instance, were designed by designer Daniel Arsham and his studio Snarkitecture.
In both the Paris and original downtown Brooklyn locations, Kith installed chandeliers made up completely of Nike Air Max sneakers.
A variety of monolithic furniture pieces direct the flow of movement around this fashion boutique in Chicago, designed by South Korean studio WGNB.
The space for lifestyle brand SVRN is intended to highlight the products for sale as artworks and ideas, rather than simply as garments.
Benches balanced on irregularly shaped rocks also act as product displays in the store
“Spatial design of the SVRN store began with our interpretation of the SVRN’s brand identity and narrative through the eastern perspective,” said WGNB.
“While the western perspective looks at the object itself, the eastern perspective rather focuses on the surrounding relationship of the object.”
Thin black railings are used for hanging garments
The 4,200-square-foot (390-square-metre) store on North Aberdeen Street, in the Fulton Market area, is split into two sections: the main sales floor and a back room, which are connected by a narrow corridor.
A muted, monochrome selection of materials creates a serene atmosphere in both of the spaces, while the architectural elements dictate purposeful paths that connect them.
Various architectural and furniture elements form pathways for shoppers to meander
Black railings transverse the walls, puncturing curved and flat vertical partitions made from materials including concrete, steel and black-stained thermowood.
Curved benches that act as both accessory displays and seating are balanced on large irregularly shaped stones.
The walls and ceiling in the back room are lined with stainless steel
Together, all of these elements suggest multiple meandering routes for customers to trace through the store.
In the back room, the curvature of the benches corresponds with a circular opening in the brushed stainless steel ceiling, while a round patch of carpet sits offset on the floor.
A section dedicated to footwear features multiple shelving units
Hot-rolled steel continues across three walls, creating a sci-fi feel in certain areas of the room.
Micro-cement plaster paints are used to contrast the metal, adding a rougher texture against the smooth surfaces.
A monochrome colour scheme is applied throughout
“Overall, usage of the materials are manifestations of the SVRN’s brand identity and narratives,” said WGNB.
The fourth wall in the rear space is reserved for displaying shoes, which sit on shelves of unequal heights that are silhouetted against backlighting.
“The spatial layout of the store considers the current that customer’s circulation creates in the space with the objects and openness,” said the studio.
“And, the visual tension is created by the constantly changing eyesight of the customers while navigating the store.”
A variety of smooth and textured surfaces create subtle contrasts across the boutique
Minimalist fashion boutiques can be found worldwide, with many brands opting for a simple and pared-back interior to allow the products to shine.
Recently completed examples include Snøhetta’s Holzweiler store in Copenhagen and a Jonathan Simkhai store in New York’s SoHo by Aruliden.
The store was designed by WGNB, the Dezeen Awards Emerging Interiors Studio in 2021
WGNB, which won the Dezeen Award for Emerging Interior Designer of the Year 2021, has also created monochromatic interiors for fashion brand Juun.J’s flagship store and a golf supply shop – both in Seoul.
Architecture firm MEE Studio has designed the interiors and bespoke wooden furniture for a cafe and boutique in the Nikolaj Kunsthal art gallery within an old church.
The municipality-run gallery, which is set in a deconsecrated church in central Copenhagen, asked MEE Studio to design a “lively and functional” space.
Before designing the interior spaces, which feature warm and tactile materials such as copper and wood, the rooms in Nikolaj Kunsthal first had to be restored.
The gallery is located in a former church
“The spaces had been used for various purposes since the 1980s including art installations and other changing uses,” MEE Studio founder Morten Emil Engel told Dezeen.
“This has left the spaces with remnants of ad-hoc electrical wiring, bricked-up arches, blocked-off windows and arbitrary lighting. Additionally, there was no water supply or plumbing in the spaces that now have the cafe.”
The studio reestablished the grand door and window openings in the space and replaced the old acrylic paint with breathable lime-based paint, while also adding acoustic plaster to improve the acoustics of the spaces.
Untreated copper was used as a backsplash for the bar
At the centre of the cafe, Engel created a long bar that also functions as a ticket counter and is made from solid oak wood.
Wood was also used for all the other furniture, including benches, tables and sculptural shelves, which Engel designed specifically for the project using European oak from sustainable forestry.
“I wanted the benches to reference church benches – a bit chunky and heavy,” he said. “The church architecture is very robust with the church tower having two-metre thick walls. So the furniture had to have some substance to them.”
The furniture complements the “robust” church architecture
Engel also aimed to give the pieces a contemporary feel by fusing their “heavy look” with more contemporary elements.
“All the furniture has visible joinery and tectonics in fumed oak, which allows the user to see how they are made and assembled,” he said.
“I added some decorative inlays in the bar counter and boutique shelves. Inlays were traditionally used as a way of repairing wood and I wanted to symbolise that repair can be beautiful and sustainable,” he added.
“In this way, it is sending the message that the furniture should have a long life and be repaired if it ages.”
Artworks decorate the walls, here Pull by Martha Hviid
Behind the central bar, a copper backsplash adds an eyecatching material detail together with the matching sink and worktops, which were designed in reference to the roof of the old church.
“As many traditional buildings in Copenhagen, the roof of St Nikolaj Church is made with traditional copper roofing, which has aged to a rich green patina over time,” Engel said.
“I wanted to reference the existing material palate of the church but use it in a new way. So the kitchen features worktops, sinks and backsplash in raw untreated copper, which will evolve beautifully with time.”
Lime-based paint was used for the walls
The white walls of the cafe and store were contrasted with not just the copper and wood but also a burgundy red fabric designed by fashion designer Raf Simons for Kvadrat, which was used for the cushions and backs of the sofas and chairs.
The colour was a nod to some of the space’s original colour but could also help disguise red wine spills in the cafe.
“Oakwood was already used throughout the church so it seemed natural to use oak as a material,” Engel explained.
“There was also the burgundy red paint which had been used originally for some woodwork, for instance, the stairs in the tower and the ceiling in what is now the cafe,” he added.
“So it seems natural to work with an interpretation of the burgundy red for the color of the cushions. I matched the burgundy red to a fantastic Kvadrat textile designed by Raf Simons and it worked in providing vibrancy, but also as a practical colour in a cafe where red wine is served.”
Red fabric was used for the seating, with the artwork Mercury (socks) hanging above
As well as the bespoke furniture pieces, the space was also decorated with carefully chosen artworks that have ties to the city of Copenhagen.
“Mercury (socks) is a photograph by the famous Danish/Norwegian artist duo Elmgreen & Dragset from a series of classical sculptures by the world-famous Danish sculptor Bertel Thorvaldsen,” Engel explained.
“The Thorvaldsen Museum is located only a few minutes away from Nikolaj Kunsthal, so the work relates both to art from the 19th century and contemporary art from the 21st century which is what you find in Nikolaj Kunsthal.”
Other recent interior projects in Copenhagen include Space10’s headquarters, which has a kiosk-like design library, and the cafe and shop design for Designmuseum Denmark by OEO Studio.
Our latest lookbook features cross-laminated timber interiors, including a colourful German vacation home and a tenement-style housing development in Edinburgh, and is part of Dezeen’s Timber Revolution series.
Architects looking to offset the carbon emissions of a building often choose cross-laminated timber (CLT), a type of mass-timber made from laminated timber sections that can be used as structural building materials.
The material, which is normally made from larch, spruce or pine, absorbs atmospheric carbon as it grows and subsequently retains it during its life in a building.
In interiors, CLT can create a luxurious effect even for projects with a tight budget and gives rooms a light, modern feel.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring interiors with split-level living areas, mix-and-match flooring and homes with cleverly hidden lifts.
Photo is by Jeremy Bitterman / JBSA
Octothorpe House, US, by Mork-Ulnes Architects
The natural forms, custom furniture and organic colours and textures that appear throughout Octothorpe House were selected by studio Mork-Ulnes Architects for their resemblance to the surrounding Oregon desert landscape.
The cabin-cum-house was built using American-made CLT for a client that wanted an “environmentally progressive” and flexible design.
Find out more about Octothorpe House ›
Photo is by Christian Flatscher
Bert, Austria, by Precht
Hidden in the woodland surrounding the Steirereck am Pogusch restaurant in the rural village of Pogusch, this playful tubular guest dwelling was informed by cartoon characters.
It was designed by Austrian architecture studio Precht to feel dark and cosy inside, with the structural CLT walls providing contrast against the black flooring and dark textiles.
Find out more about Bert ›
Photo is by Rasmus Norlander
Haus am Hang, Germany, by AMUNT
German architecture office AMUNT was drawn in particular to CLT’s sustainability credentials when creating this hillside vacation home in the Black Forest.
Designed for a client who wanted to promote sustainable travel, the home features surfaces and joinery finished in shades of green inspired by local tree species and its layout was organised to make the most of natural light.
Find out more about Haus am Hang ›
Photo is by Marc Goodwin
Kynttilä, Finland, by Ortraum Architects
Structural CLT was used to form the floor walls and angled roof of this 15-square-metre cabin on Lake Saimaa in Finland.
Its gabled form encloses a bedroom and a small kitchen, which feature natural CLT walls. A large bedroom window provides views of the forest outside the cabin.
Find out more about Kynttilä ›
Photo is courtesy of Unknown Works
CLT House, UK, by Unknown Works
Named after its spruce CLT structure, CLT House is a semi-detached house in east London that architecture studio Unknown Works remodelled and extended to open up and improve its connection to the back garden.
On the ground floor, the timber walls, storage and seating areas create a minimal backdrop for the family’s musical and creative pursuits, parties and family gatherings.
A combined kitchen and dining space are housed in a bright yellow rear extension that opens onto the garden’s brick-paved patio.
Find out more about CLT House ›
Photo is by Jack Hobhouse
Rye Apartments, UK, by Tikari Works
The four-storey Rye Apartments block in south London was designed by local studio Tikari Works, which used CLT for the structure and left it exposed across the majority of the apartments’ gabled walls and ceilings.
This was combined with spruce wood kitchen cabinetry, storage units and shelving. Terrazzo-style flooring with amber and cream-coloured flecks was added to compliment the timber finishes.
Find out more about Rye Appartments ›
Photo is by Brigida González
R11 loft extension, Germany, by Pool Leber Architekten
The R11 loft extension is a two-storey CLT extension that Pool Leber Architekten added to a 1980s housing block in Munich, creating a series of loft spaces.
Inside the lofts, the structural timber was left visible on the walls, ceilings and floors. The material was also used to create sculptural storage cabinets that double as window seating.
Find out more about Pool Leber Architekten ›
Photo is by Tim Soar
Barretts Grove, UK, Amin Taha Architects
Amin Taha Architects created this six-storey CLT block, which contains six apartments, between a pair of detached brick buildings in Stoke Newington, London.
“The ability of the CLT to serve as structure and finish removed the need for plaster-boarded walls, suspended ceilings, cornices, skirtings, tiling and paint; reducing by 15 per cent the embodied carbon of the building, its construction cost and time on site,” the studio said.
Find out more about Barretts Grove ›
Photo is by Markus Linderoth
Twelve Houses, Sweden, by Förstberg Ling
The CLT structure that forms the foundations of Twelve Houses by Förstberg Ling has been left exposed throughout the walls, floors and ceilings of the interior living areas, giving the space a warm and inviting feel.
A back bedroom on the first floor overlooks a double-height area of the living room, which has a concrete floor and reddish-brown wall panelling.
Find out more about Twelve Houses ›
Photo is by Gabrielle Gualdi
Villa Korup, Denmark, by Jan Henrik Jansen Arkitekter
A CLT structure made from Baltic fir was used to construct this home on the Danish island of Fyn, which features exposed CLT panels throughout the interiors.
Designers Jan Henrik Jansen Arkitekter, Marshall Blecher and Einrum Arkitekter treated the material with soap and lye to lighten and protect the timber inside.
Find out more about Villa Korup ›
Photo is by Fredrik Frendin
Simon Square, UK, by Fraser/Livingstone
Comprised of six flats set within a mass-timber tenement-style housing development in Edinburgh, Simon Square has a structural timber frame that has been left exposed internally.
Architecture studio Fraser/Livingstone hoped that the presence of CLT indoors would improve the residents’ well-being. Potted plants and a neutral interior colour scheme provide an added sense of calm.
“When solid timber is exposed internally, the D-limonene the timber gives out has been shown to produce calm environments, with occupants’ hearts beating slower, and stress reduced,” project architect Ayla Riom told Dezeen.
Find out more about Simon Square ›
Photo is by Nancy Zhou
Biv Punakaiki, New Zealand, by Fabric
In an attempt to balance the high carbon levels of the cabin’s concrete floor and aluminium cladding, architecture studio Fabric chose to use CLT for the cabin’s structure, which was left exposed inside.
From the double-height living room, the residents can look up through large skylights that punctuate the ceiling and gaze at the stars above.
Find out more about Biv Punakaiki ›
Photo is by José Hevia
MAS JEC, Spain, by Aixopluc
Catalan architecture office Aixopluc used lightweight materials for this CLT extension, which it added to a traditional Catalan house in the city of Reus.
The building was prepared off-site and erected in just two weeks. Another advantage of using CLT is that the thermal mass of the exposed CLT interiors helps to ensure a comfortable internal temperature when the afternoon sun hits the building.
Find out more about MAS JEC ›
IJburg Townhouse the Netherlands, by MAATworks
This Amsterdam townhouse was designed to reference wooden Scandinavian homes.
Architecture studio MAATworks arranged it around an angular staircase made from cross-laminated pine wood, which was also used to create the wall and ceilings of the home.
Find out more about IJburg Townhouse ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring interiors with split-level living areas, mix-and-match flooring and homes with cleverly hidden lifts.
This article is part of Dezeen’s Timber Revolution series, which explores the potential of mass timber and asks whether going back to wood as our primary construction material can lead the world to a more sustainable future.
