Interior Archives

8 Adventurous Ways Architects Innovated in Interior Design in 2022

Architizer’s 11th Annual A+Awards is open for entries! With a Final Entry Deadline of January 27th, 2023, the clock is ticking — get started on your submission today.

The exterior experience of a building — marveling at a remarkable structure in the midst of a busy skyline, for instance — differs wildly from the interior experience. Crossing a threshold into an internal space is a transformative act. With it, the environment becomes intimate. The senses are enveloped by the spatial and material surroundings; the architect’s intent is suddenly palpably personal.

As these A+Award-winning projects demonstrate, the best interior schemes deftly position the user, both practically and emotionally. From stations, theaters and cafés to places of worship and residential structures, take a look at eight ways architects are innovating interior design and creating immersive schemes that scintillate and astound.

1. Stylizing Ceilings

Shanghai Subway Line 14 Yuyuan Station by XING DESIGN, Shanghai, China

Jury Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Transport Interiors

Shanghai Subway Line 14 Yuyuan Station by XING DESIGN Concealed underground, Yuyuan Station is Shanghai’s deepest transport hub. Elevating the experience of this subterranean space came with its challenges. Essential elements of the site, including the walls, columns and flooring, could not be altered. Nevertheless, the architects delivered an immersive scheme that consumes the senses of its users.

A liminal passing place and the gateway to the suburb, the remarkable design embodies both the transience of the space and the topography of the landscape above. Tens of thousands of aluminum panels ripple across the ceiling and around the arches in a complex geometry of waves that echo the Huangpu River, which runs over the metro line. LED lights illuminate the unique undulations of the canopy. Like the passers-by below, the rhythmic ceiling courses in a multitude of diverse routes.

2. Transforming Translucent Materials

Santa Maria Goretti Church by Mario Cucinella Architects, Mormanno, Italy

Jury Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Religious Buildings & Memorials

Santa Maria Goretti Church by Mario Cucinella Architects Revising religious architecture can be an imposing task, one that calls for reverence in the same breath as reinvention. This contemporary church in the Calabrian region of southern Italy negotiates that careful dance between tradition and innovation. While its organic, cross-shaped plan is inspired by some of the country’s most impressive Baroque churches, the interior is something of an inversion of the ornate domed designs of its predecessors.

Instead of exposing the structure’s towering scale, the ceiling is filled with a series of translucent veils that fall in soft curved forms. While the design may be a radical departure from historic typologies, it remains steeped in religious language. Natural light, a Christian symbol of holiness, hope and wisdom, cascades down through the church and is cradled in the folds of the drapes. The result is atmospheric ebbs and flows of illumination that reference natural phenomena like the Northern Lights.

3. Utilizing Unobtrusive Divisions

Nil Dos House by Valentí Albareda Studio, Gràcia, Spain

Jury Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Residential Interiors (<3000 sq ft)

Nil Dos House by Valentí Albareda Studio In another life, this building in Spain’s Catalan region was a warehouse. Once a dark space of industry, it’s now been sensitively transformed into a modern light-filled residence. However, traces of the structure’s history still take center stage thanks to considerate spatial organization.

Encased by an exposed brick ceiling and original whitewashed brick walls, the impressive double-height living space is imbued with its industrial roots. An ingenious light wood frame acts as an unobtrusive room divider, simultaneously zoning the kitchen and forming a tabletop, as well as providing a floor for the loft above. While the scheme accommodates modern living, the absence of opaque barriers places meaningful emphasis on the original form and fabric of the building.

4. Merging Past and Future

CoCo Tea Coffee Juice shop in Shiquan Street by OYTT Design, Suzhou, China

Popular Choice Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Restaurants (S <1000 sq ft)

CoCo Tea Coffee Juice shop in Shiquan Street Situated in the Chinese city of Suzhou, this pioneering café was inspired by the concept of returning to the origin of life. The interior is an unexpected convergence of old and new, responding to the historic street outside while reimagining commercial typologies through a futuristic lens.

The space is framed by curvaceous forms and undulating lines that merge the distinction between walls and ceiling. The effect is a cocooning embrace that channels the topography of caves and the ancient environment, emphasized by punctuations of rugged exposed rock and mottled, organic paint effects. However, these natural emblems are skillfully translated into a contemporary vocabulary, from the sleek architectural staircase to the surprising apertures. Past and future convene in a fascinating conversation, at once forward-looking and mindful of what came before.

5. Experimenting With Solid Surface Patterns

Zhengzhou Grand Theater by The Architectural Design and Research Institute of HIT, Zhengzhou, China

Popular Choice Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Hall / Theater

Zhengzhou Grand Theater by The Architectural Design and Research Institute of HIT A performance complex of impressive proportions, the Zhengzhou Grand Theater encompasses four large venues with distinct architectural characters. In one hall, the walls ripple with a daring solid surface design in pink and orange hues. Narrow, repetitive channels envelop the room, resembling the interior architecture of a living, breathing organism, while the carefully considered contours were crafted to meet high acoustic standards.

While the stage is the focus within the halls, the gaze is guided upwards in the lobby and corridors. Droplet-shaped motifs adorn the ceiling; the intricate design combines engraved shapes with perforated apertures. These unusual skylights illuminate a path between the venues, as well as reducing the roof’s weight and construction costs.

6. Internalizing the Outdoors

Fort 137 by Daniel Joseph Chenin, Ltd., Las Vegas, Nevada

Jury Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Private House (XL >6000 sq ft)

Fort 137 by Daniel Joseph Chenin, Ltd.
Nestled in the arid Nevada desert, this residence reads as an extension of the topography, both externally and internally. Retractable walls of glass, which span across two different aspects, peel away in the main living and dining zone, erasing the boundary between natural and built environments. Exposed rock excavated from the site lines the walls of the living spaces and orients the home within the same tactile language as the rugged terrain.

The color palette throughout the interior is earthy and warm, a combination of cream, peach, terracotta and deep brown that blurs with the desert. In the kitchen, veined surfaces across the countertops and backsplash mirror the relief of the landscape outside in the same sand hues, internalizing the outdoors with stunning effect.

7. Articulating Unusual Arches

SOMESOME Bar & Restaurant by MARS Studio, Beijing, China

Jury Winner and Popular Choice Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Bars & Wineries

SOMESOME Bar & Restaurant by MARS Studio This visually striking bar and restaurant in Beijing eschews right angles and straight lines. Approaching the curved threshold to this daring space is like delving into a warren. The arched entrance draws the eye down through a cocoon-like portal defined by dark, earthy colors.

Inside, warped surfaces shape the unconventional hospitality scheme, offering an atmospheric spatial journey from start to finish. A complex arrangement of archways creates a sinuous pathway between the tables, bar and glass-fronted outlook. Their intersecting forms serve as elaborate picture frames, revealing unexpected internal and external perspectives to the restaurant’s patrons. The design succeeds in embodying diverse qualities — a large, open interior where air can flow freely, at once segmented into intimate rooms of experience.

8. Innovating Installations

550 Madison Lobby by Gensler, Manhattan, New York

Popular Choice Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Commercial Interiors (<25,000 sq ft)

550 Madison Lobby by Gensler Dating back to 1984, the lobby of this postmodern building in New York City underwent a contemporary update by architectural firm Gensler. While remaining respectful of the scheme’s heritage materials and capacious proportions, the towering, triple-height ceiling now arches softly around the space. The convex lines of the engraved oculus emphasize the vaulted barrel design, accentuated by the illuminated perimeter, which imparts a celestial, almost weightless effect.

The spherical motif reappears in the remarkable art installation suspended from the ceiling by Alicja Kwade. Called Solid Sky, the presence of the 24-ton marble orb is profound — it presides over the lobby with a quiet intensity, much like its namesake. Visually, the installation anchors the dramatic space and establishes a line of sight to the outdoor garden beyond.

Architizer’s 11th Annual A+Awards is open for entries! With a Final Entry Deadline of January 27th, 2023, the clock is ticking — get started on your submission today.

Reference

Interior Design

AIA Estúdio designs cave-like interior for clothing store in Rio de Janeiro

By Zarkon Group,07/11/2022

Organic shapes and stone-like surfaces characterise the interior of the Haight clothing store in Rio de Janeiro, which was designed by interior and landscaping design practice AIA Estúdio.

A large pillar with a rough, textured surface dominates the 110-square-metre shop interior, expanding as it ascends before merging into the ceiling to create a cave-like space.

Haight clothing store by AIA Estúdio — A pillar transforms into a cave-like structure

“Its height starts small and in the back part it ends higher in a nonlinear form, just like a cave,” AIA Estúdio founder Alice Tepedino told Dezeen.

“The infinite and diverse processes of erosion that form cliffs, caves, stalactites, sands, stones and the movements of water with its tracks and shapes led to our creative process being part of the concept developed for the store’s spatiality.”

Rather than being a cumbersome obstacle, the pillar helps organise the shop’s circulation and movement of shoppers, according to the studio.

“It is from the occupation around the pillar that the space fluidity is achieved. This disposition is enhanced by curved lines that define the path inside the store,” said Tepedino.

Slabs of soapstone and Bahia beige marble encircle the pillar at different heights and are propped up by Bahia beige marble rocks that create a display surface and a place for shoppers to sit.

On the perimeter walls, niches with stainless steel bases display Haight’s clothing on brushed-brass rails.

The metallic surfaces and straight edges of the niches contrast with the organic shapes and materials in the centre of the shop, which is located in the Shopping Leblon retail centre.

Tepedino used indirect lighting in the niches to illuminate the space, mimicking cracks in cave walls where sunlight can seep through.

Interior of the Haight clothing store — Clothing is displayed on brushed-brass rails

“The exhibition interspace was thought of as a cut in the walls, an operation emphasised by the transition of materiality,” said Tepedino.

“Inside, there are exhibition racks in brushed brass, which, with their more solar aspect, contribute to subtly warming up the store’s ambience, together with the soapstone and its greyer tone.”

Tepedino’s design is the first of Haight‘s stores to be located inside a shopping centre, which prompted the designer to approach the project in a different way.

The entrance to the shop is a large opening that provides open access from the shopping centre to the nature-inspired shop interior.

Exterior of the Haight clothing store — It is the first Haight store to be located in a mall

“The design adopted a contrasting strategy between the store and mall, which, despite the rigid and controlled environment, offers opportunities such as the possibility of not having a door,” said Tepedino.

“The brand’s conceptual basis is related to natural landscapes but when you are inside the mall, you find a language that is the opposite of Haight’s conceptual basis, with artificial elements and cold materiality.”

Stone surfaces at the Haight clothing store — Natural materials and surfaces were used throughout the shop interior

“Once you’re inside the store you get disconnected from the artificial atmosphere of the rest of the building,” Tepedino continued.

The project has been shortlisted in the small retail interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022, alongside a surfaces showroom in Helsinki with colourful terrazzo-like walls and an oxblood red shop interior with walls decorated with Victorian-style balusters.

The photography is by Maira Acayaba.

Reference

Interior Design

YOD Group designs Terra restaurant interior to “mirror its surroundings”

By Zarkon Group,04/11/2022

Ukrainian design studio YOD Group dressed this restaurant interior in Vynnyky with terracotta tiles and slabs of green glass to reflect the earthy landscape outside.

Called Terra, the eatery features a colour and material palette that takes cues from the rolling hills and a lake that border the restaurant. It was completed in February 2022, just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Terra restaurant — YOD Group designed Terra’s interior to reflect the landscape outside

YOD Group created the interior across a single hall, which features clusters of plush, low-slung armchairs and sofas arranged around both meandering and rectilinear dark wooden tables.

These seating areas are interrupted only by large rounded columns clad in glass bricks, which are illuminated from the inside to create a watery green glow designed to echo the nearby lake.

Terracotta tile column — Waiter stations are clad in terracotta tiles

The largest of these columns houses a curved wine cellar within an internal spiral staircase, while the transparent glass reveals the ghostly silhouettes of stored wine bottles.

Textured terracotta tiles make up rounded waiter stations, which were designed to mirror the earthiness of the restaurant’s exterior setting.

The stations also nod to the Ukrainian tradition of covering furnaces and fireplaces with tiles, according to YOD Group.

Curved wine cellar by YOD Group — A curved wine cellar includes an internal staircase

“We aimed to extract colours, textures and impressions from the landscape to translate them into the interior design language,” explained the studio.

“Like the eyedropper tool in Photoshop, but on a real-life scale, we designed the space to mirror its surroundings.”

Another wall is covered in adjustable copper-hued glass slabs that feature decorative markings made by imprinting local grasses on their surfaces.

The moveable wall is intended as a metaphor to symbolise the way reeds sway in the wind, said YOD Group.

“Guests can not only touch the glass slabs but also interact with them and change the pattern on the wall, becoming co-creators of the design.”

Copper-hued glass slabs can be moved across a large wall

Bouquets of pampas grass are interspersed throughout the interior, in a nod to the restaurant’s lakeside terrace where visitors can dine outside.

Terra is shortlisted in the restaurant and bar interior category of the 2022 Dezeen Awards, which announces its winners later this month.

Last year, the category’s winning eatery was another restaurant in Ukraine – Yakusha Design’s Istetyka in Kyiv, which has an interior characterised by rough concrete, polished stone and smooth steel.

YOD Group also designed a coffee shop in Ukraine’s capital that features pixel-like mosaics in a hole-in-the-wall-style bar.

The photography is by Yevhenii Avramenko.

Reference

Interior Design

Semba Corporation creates own office interior from reclaimed materials

By Zarkon Group,26/10/2022

Interior construction firm Semba Corporation has renovated the interior of its headquarters in Tokyo to include reclaimed materials discarded during the demolition of other offices.

The company’s redesign of its own office interior is shortlisted in the sustainable interior category for the upcoming Dezeen Awards, which will announce its winners next month.

Semba Good Ethical Office interior — The interior is made from materials salvaged from demolished offices

Called Semba Good Ethical Office, the project features various pared-back tables, seating and shelving created from materials salvaged from previous office demolitions.

This furniture is positioned across a single open-plan space in Japan’s capital, which is brightly illuminated by overhead lighting and rectilinear windows.

Reclaimed wooden structure — Plinth-like seating and stairs forms a centrepiece

A plinth-like centrepiece takes the form of both a staircase and a designated desk area, which was formed from boxy arrangements of surplus wood and old filing cabinets.

Semba Corporation centred the interiors around two principles – “ethical” and “hackable” design – in order to complete the project, the company said.

Semba Corporation office — Semba Corporation applied its own design principles to the project

“To incorporate ‘ethical design’, a circular interior design [theory], into the office renovation, we mined materials from unnecessary stuff generated by office demolitions,” Semba Corporation told Dezeen.

“Under the theme of ‘hackable design’, we can redefine our working style and attitudes. We completely renovated our office to be friendly to the Earth, people and society,” explained the firm.

Reconstituted foam padding by Semba Corporation — Reconstituted foam was used to create padding on benches

According to the company, 80 per cent of the furniture in the Semba Good Ethical Office is reused, while the office achieved a waste-recycling rate of 99 per cent.

Reconstituted foam was used to create the padding on benches that make up informal meeting booths, while various offcuts of wood were used to construct geometric shelves throughout the interior.

Semba Corporation explained that it hopes that other firms will begin to adopt similar design principles when creating their office interiors.

“Especially in Japan, the lifespan from construction to demolition and disposal has become very short since [increasing] economic growth, and waste has been dumped in landfill,” the firm said.

“However, Japanese culture has originally valued attachment to things and has an aesthetic sense to continue to use them with creative ideas. So I think our principles have an affinity to that culture.”

“We hope that ‘ethical design,’ a future-friendly interior design, will be a basic principle in interior design for the future.”

Wooden shelving — Reclaimed wood was used to form various shelving

Semba Good Ethical Office joins a group of existing self-designed studios that other firms have created to be more sustainable than the average office, according to the companies.

These include German studio Urselmann Interior’s renovation of its studio to include biodegradable, recycled or upcycled materials.

The images are courtesy of Semba Corporation.

Reference

Sustainable News

The Circus Canteen restaurant interior is “collage of unwanted items”

By Zarkon Group,22/10/2022

Local studio Multitude of Sins has created an eclectic restaurant interior in Bangalore out of a mishmash of reclaimed materials, including discarded bicycle bells and cassette tape boxes.

Officially called Big Top but known as The Circus Canteen, the restaurant is shortlisted in the sustainable interior category for a 2022 Dezeen Award.

Multitude of Sins restaurant — The Circus Canteen interior is made of almost all reclaimed materials

Multitude of Sins sourced the components that make up the interior from a city-wide waste donation drive held over several weeks.

The materials were then painstakingly curated into distinct categories, ranging from home appliances to toy cars, and used to design an eclectic interior featuring mismatched furniture and flooring.

Scrap metal archways — Visitors enter through a series of scrap metal archways

Less than 10 per cent of the materials used to create the interior were sourced as new, according to the studio.

“The Circus Canteen [was informed by] the concept of creating a collage of unwanted items with a curatorial spirit,” Multitude of Sins founder Smita Thomas told Dezeen.

Abandoned sofas in restaurant — Multitude of Sins created booths out of mismatched objects

Visitors enter the restaurant through a bold scarlet door decorated with unwanted bicycle bells and humourous hand horns, which is accessed via a series of labyrinthine archways made from teal-hued scrap metal.

The archways are illuminated by alternative chandeliers composed of dismantled bicycle chains and old vehicle headlights.

The Circus Canteen — Some of the restaurant tables are decorated with old CDs

Inside, the two-level dining area is made up of custom tables and seating that double as a set of striking installations.

Salvaged objects used to create these booths include abandoned sofas, obsolete bathroom ventilators and colourful coffee tables created from old oil barrels sliced in half and topped with glass surfaces.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” acknowledged Thomas. “We have seen and felt this phrase come to life as we pieced together The Circus Canteen.”

The restaurant’s flooring is a jigsaw puzzle-style mosaic of sample tiles sourced from ceramics stores, while a kitchen serving hatch is framed by a colourful collection of outdated cassette tape boxes.

Restaurant interior — A serving hatch is framed by cassette tape boxes

Prompted by the desire to create an eatery interior with a minimal carbon footprint, Multitude of Sins’ project responds to many designers’ growing concerns about the wastefulness of their industry.

“The creation of each element – from custom lighting and flooring to art installations and furniture – was attributed to the mercy of the waste donation drive,” said Thomas.

“It reminds us of adapting skillfully, to reinvent with agility.”

The Circus Canteen tables — The Circus Canteen intends to address wastefulness in the design industry

The Circus Canteen is part of Bangalore Creative Circus – a project formed by artists, scientists and other “changemakers” who host various community-focussed events in the Indian city.

Other eateries that feature reclaimed materials include a restaurant in Spain with elements made from upcycled junk and site construction waste and a cafe in Slovenia defined by recycled components that create a mix of patterns and textures.

The photography is by Ishita Sitwala.

Reference

Sustainable News Zero Energy Homes

Interior Design Ideas for Living Big in Small Spaces

By Zarkon Group,13/10/2022

While some large-scale builders still cling to huge home floor plans and many upscale buyers still demand them, there is a rapidly growing interest in smaller homes. Small homes use less energy, require a lower carbon input, and cost less to maintain than the typical suburban estate. If you’re building a new home, you have many options for reducing size and living very comfortably (link to Part I). If you’re buying or living in an existing small home, you also have opportunities to make it live bigger without ripping into walls or raising the roof. It’s amazing how creative interior design can expand the visual space and increase the comfort and utility of a small home. Here are some tips.

Interior Design

Keep it light. Paint the walls a light color. Various shades of white or beige are classic choices. If you’re more adventurous, consider light yellow or pastels. Accent walls of brighter hues can add interest. To make a room seem brighter, select an eggshell finish that is slightly more reflective than flat wall paint. Use semi-gloss paint in bathrooms to reflect light and reduce vapor diffusion into walls.

Choose flooring material. Using the same flooring material for connected spaces will tie the spaces together visually and make them look larger. For example, a kitchen and dining area could have the same tile flooring. Using different materials, distinguishes spaces without actually interrupting the view. A living room next to the dining area can be defined with a hardwood floor, but not blocked off.

Install mirrors. Reflecting light and extending interior views can be accomplished with strategically placed mirrors.

Occupy window sills. Most zero energy homes have thick walls, which brings the added benefit of wide window sills. Consider enhancing their interest with bold sill material, such as stone, tile, or another unique finish. Make the most of these built-in shelves to grow houseplants or display decorative items.

Enhance trim and detail. High-quality trim and detail can be a key focus of a small house. For example, high-quality hardware and moulding, and other aesthetic touches, can draw attention to the details creating more visual interest with less need to clutter the room with knick-knacks.

Add a focal point. Each room should have one attractive attention-getting feature. This can be a building element, such as built-in furniture, a work of art, or an intriguing light fixture.

Furnishings

Choose quality. Too much clutter makes homes seem small. Small homes should have small comfortable furniture or a smaller amount of carefully selected larger furniture.

Open up. Select chairs and sofas with open legs instead of those with enclosed bases. These pieces seem lighter and offer a bit more visual space in the room because you can see below them.

Include storage. Some furniture pieces come with storage, such as an ottoman or footstool, that opens up and contains storage. Some bed frames come with storage below the mattress, either in drawers or the mattress itself may lift.

Make it tall. Well-designed small homes have high ceilings. Much like clothes with vertical stripes make people look taller, tall furniture pieces will accentuate tall ceilings and draw the eye upward. Similarly, a tall plant will reach into the higher spaces and create visual interest.

Fold it. Find furniture that transforms to different uses. A coffee table can become a dining table. Tables that hinge down from the wall will allow them to be deployed without moving objects sitting on the floor. The classic space-saving transformer is the Murphy bed. This allows the bedroom to have a day job, too.

Hidden offices. There are many “hidden” desk ideas that allow for a home office to be discreetly hidden or camouflaged in a living area or bedroom.

Seek niche storage. Look for the small empty spaces that can hold your stuff and reduce clutter. Cabinets can hide less attractive household items, while open shelves can display your treasures. Examine the back side of the closet and pantry doors. Is there space for wall-mounted storage baskets or hooks that will be out of site, but easily accessible?

Few small homes will use all these ideas, but each one has its merits. Apply the ones that make sense for your situation to make your small home look and live bigger. Be proud that your small home reduces your carbon footprint, has less upkeep, and saves you money without sacrificing comfort.

Reference

Interior Design

AMO cocoons Jacquemus store in pillows to create “bedroom-like” interior

By Zarkon Group,07/10/2022

Dutch studio AMO has used pillows to form the display stands and line the walls in this tactile womenswear boutique by fashion brand Jacquemus in Paris, France.

The 60-square-metre shop, set in the department store Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, was designed to feel like a bedroom according to AMO, which is the research and design arm of architecture firm OMA.

A store interior filled with cream pillows — AMO has lined a Jacquemus store with large cream-coloured pillows

“The location of the shop within the Galleries Lafayette – without windows or daylight – led to the idea of creating a bedroom-like environment: a room entirely made of pillows,” said OMA partner Ellen van Loon.

“It is a cocooning and relaxed atmosphere, inviting customers to lounge and browse for as long as they want,” she told Dezeen.

Pink and white clothes displayed in a Jacquemus store — The store is designed to feel like a bedroom

The linen pillows were designed to reference the textiles of Provence, where Jacquemus founder Simon Porte Jacquemus grew up.

“We explored a material palette that aims to capture the atmosphere of Provence,” said OMA architect Giulio Margheri.

“The fabric of the pillows is a reference to the linens of the South of France,” he told Dezeen.

Cream pillows and a Jacquemus sign — Linen pillows reference the textiles of Provence

AMO also added a stack of pillows to serve as a seating area for shoppers, as well as a spot to showcase Jacquemus’ signature tiny bags.

The studio completed the store’s easy-going atmosphere with the help of a stripped-back scheme, including cream-coloured carpet, soft lighting and clothing rails in a milky beige hue.

AMO previously designed another store for Jacquemus inside the London department store Selfridges. Much like the brand’s Paris outpost, the shop was wrapped entirely in a single material – clay.

“The design of the Jacquemus boutiques in London and Paris began with the idea of testing the limits of working with a single material,” Van Loon explained.

“Instead of working on the design first and deciding on the materials afterwards, we let the materials dictate their presence in the space.”

A cream coloured changing room — Changing rooms are coloured in the same creamy hue

The Jacquemus store is one of many retail interiors AMO has designed in Paris.

Among them is a pop-up shop by Tiffany & Co that showcases an array of jewellery pieces and a flagship store for clothing brand Off-White that features abstract interpretations of Parisian courtyards and flea markets.

Project credits
Partner: Ellen van Loon
Architect: Giulio Margheri
Team: Valerio Di Festa, Camille Filbien and Mattia Locci

The photography is by Benoit Florençon, courtesy of AMO.

Reference

Interior Design

Venice floodwaters inform two-tone interior of Va Bene Cicchetti bar

By Zarkon Group,06/10/2022

Sea green floors and skirting tiles are contrasted against the all-red interior of this bar in Warsaw, Poland, which local studio Noke Architects has designed to recall the high waters of Venice.

Billed as Poland’s first cicchetti bar – an Italian bar selling drinks alongside small plates of food – Va Bene Cicchetti is located in a huge Socialist Realist housing estate from the 1950s called the Marszałkowska Housing District.

Exterior of Va Bene Cicchetti bar by Noke Architects — Va Bene Cicchetti is a bar in Warsaw

Customers enter the bar via an arched doorway lined with antique mirrors. Inside, they are met by a huge red travertine counter with a large drinks cooler, which is hollowed out of the stone and filled with ice and bottles of prosecco.

Most of the interior is rendered in warm hues of red and gold in a nod to the colours of the Venetian flag.

But the floor, and everything up to about 20 centimetres in height, is finished in sea green to suggest the high waters of the Veneto region, locally known as acqua alta.

Red travertine bar by Noke Architects — Its interior was informed by Venice’s floodwaters

Several times a year, when the tide in the Adriatic Sea rises, these floodwaters will cover streets and piazzas in Venice in a layer of water.

To recreate this “flood effect” inside the interior of Va Bene Cicchetti, Noke Architects coloured the floors and skirting tiles, as well as the base of table legs, chairs and plinths in a watery shade of turquoise.

Red and turquoise interior of Warsaw bar Va Bene Cicchetti — Tables resemble Venice’s red-and-white striped mooring poles

“We wanted the place to be unambiguously associated with Venice but we also wanted for this reference to be fresh and unique,” said Piotr Maciaszek, who co-founded Noke Architects alongside Aleksandra Hyz and Karol Pasternak.

“We took inspiration from the colours of the Venetian flag, which dominate all finishings, and incorporated the acqua alta motif in the interior as an element of surprise.”

Shadow of wave decal on floor of Warsaw bar — Turquoise skirting tiles run along the perimeter of the room

The scheme is completed with glass lamps that resemble rippling water and bespoke furniture pieces including tables that pay homage to the red-and-white striped mooring posts found in Venice’s canals.

Taking over an entire wall of the bar is an intricate mosaic made from reclaimed materials including glass panes from the Murano glass factory in Venice and fragments of wine bottles from Va Bene Cicchetti’s sister restaurant Va Bene.

The mural depicts the bar’s owners and their dog Koko enjoying wine and food at a table in Venice.

“Veneto is where the famous Murano glass and antique mirrors are manufactured,” Maciaszek explained.

“The region is famous for its ceramics and wine. We came up with the idea to use mini pieces of Venice as the building blocks of our artwork. Mosaic was the perfect solution for this.”

Va Bene Cicchetti bar in Warsaw by Noke Architects with all-red interior and turquoise floors — The bar is centred on a red travertine counter

The bar’s basement level is completely saturated in the same greeny-blue hue as the floors upstairs to create the impression of being underwater.

Bathrooms, meanwhile, are finished in black and white stripes and topped with a red ceiling in a reference to the uniforms worn by Venetian gondoliers.

Wall mosaic in Warsaw bar — An intricate mosaic covers an entire wall of the bar

Polish illustrator and graphic designer Ola Niepsuj was responsible for creating the bar’s visual identity, which depicts the Lion of Saint Mark – a winged lion that represents the patron saint of Venice and is found on buildings across the city.

At Va Bene Cicchetti, this motif can be found in the form of door handles and the neon light above the entrance.

Stairwell with colour-block red and green walls — The bar’s basement level is covered in sea green tiles

Elsewhere in Poland, local practice Paradowski Studio recently channelled the glamour of Kraków’s interwar cafes and the clean functionalism of its mid-century modern cinemas for a hotel renovation.

The Puro Stare Miasto hotel is located next to Kraków’s historic old town and spans 138 rooms alongside an extensive open-plan reception, lobby space and restaurant.

The photography is by Piotr Maciaszek.

Reference

Sustainable News

Urselmann Interior renovates own office using recycled materials

By Zarkon Group,26/09/2022

Düsseldorf studio Urselmann Interior has renovated its own office interiors using biodegradable, recycled or upcycled materials, including glueless joinery and a cellulose-based wall cladding.

The interior design studio said that it renovated its self-described “circular” office in the German city to only feature materials that are either recycled, upcycled or biodegradable.

Urselmann Interior office — Urselmann Interior’s office is in Düsseldorf

These include existing wooden and terrazzo flooring that was salvaged during the renovation, as well as heaters obtained from resource-efficient building material platform Concular.

Spread over one main workspace, a kitchen and a meeting room, the single-level office features clay paint walls and is designed to be used as both a co-working space and a showroom.

Kitchen in office — The renovation includes a kitchen

“The office also serves us as a laboratory in that we can [use it to] test new qualities, materials and construction methods,” project manager Liz Theißen told Dezeen.

A solid wooden frame was used to create simple kitchen cabinets, which were constructed without glue so that the structure is fully demountable.

Urselmann Interior kitchen — Joinery was created without glue in much of the project

The frame was fitted with panels formed from recycled strips of fabric supplied by textile brand Kvadrat from its Really collection.

For its walls, the studio used Honext wall cladding – a cellulose-based material that is produced using paper sludge and cardboard waste.

Poplar wood from a tree felled in the nearby city of Krefeld was chosen for the ceiling, which was also assembled without glue.

Throughout the office, neutral and minimal colour and material palettes were applied to the interior design, which also includes clusters of carefully arranged potted plants and books.

Second-hand lighting encased in wiggly orange felt from Hey-Sign adds a splash of colour to the otherwise sandy-hued atmosphere.

Orange lighting in office — Wiggly orange lighting adds a splash of colour

Theißen explained that all of the components that Urselmann Interior used for the renovation have been listed in a published “material passport” that can be referred to for future projects.

“We want to develop a new design language for ourselves, in which we smartly combine high-quality materials such as solid wood with ecological building materials as well as reusable components [to achieve] a positive footprint in the construction industry,” she said.

“Our design principles follow the school of thought of ‘cradle to cradle’, which is the safe and potentially infinite circulation of materials and nutrients in cycles.”

“All constituents are chemically harmless and recyclable. We aim to eliminate the design flaw of waste in our processes,” concluded Theißen.

Urselmann Interior is a Düsseldorf-based interiors studio founded by Sven Urselmann.

Similar projects to the studio’s office renovation include a Madrid restaurant by Lucas Muñoz with furniture formed from site construction waste and a bar made out of recycled stereos, bottle crates and fridges by Michael Marriott.

The photography is by Magdalena Gruber.

Project credits:

Design and build: Urselmann Interior
Founder and designer: Sven Urselmann
Designer: Petra Jablonická
Project manager: Liz Theißen

Reference

Interior Design

University of the Arts London spotlights six interior design projects

By Zarkon Group,21/09/2022

Dezeen School Shows: an app that makes use of disused car parks and a community cafe feature in Dezeen’s latest school show by students at the University of the Arts London.

Also included is a museum that examines the role of female workers in the industrial revolution and a scheme that aims to integrate the physical and digital worlds to connect people to their surroundings.

Institution: University of the Arts London
School: Camberwell College of Arts
Course: BA Interior and Spatial Design

School statement:

“Camberwell College of Arts is a renowned art and design college. We give students the space to explore their creativity. Staff will support and challenge you to rethink current practices. Our facilities embrace both traditional craftsmanship and digital technology.

“Our design and fine art courses will make you think about your social responsibility, as well as develop your critical and making skills.

“View our recent graduate’s work online at the Graduate Showcase website.

“Join our online and on-site open days to learn more about Camberwell College of Arts and our courses. Click here for more information.

“For the following projects, Camberwell’s BA Interior and Spatial Design students collaborated with students at IED Kunsthal, a design university located in Bilbao, Spain.

“Students focused on the regeneration of Zorrotzaurre, a post-industrial area of Bilbao built on an artificial island.

“The project’s aim was to design proposals for a former biscuit factory site, which required remote online working with students at IED Kunsthal as they researched and explored the area together.

“Each student created a map of the urban landscape through a variety of media including textiles, projection and interaction.

“Some Camberwell students also visited the site in Bilbao, where they exhibited their urban fabric mappings of the current condition of Zorrotzaurre and design proposals for the future of the island.

“They also took part in a show at the university, as well as delivered presentations and workshops as part of the DRS2022.”

Community and the Vernacular: Physical and Virtual by Lea Fakhouri

“Community and the Vernacular is an expansion of my thesis around the idea that people in today’s society are considered inert consumers that only use the spaces that they inhabit, and are not actually part of the process of designing them.

“My project explores the merging of the physical and digital world to help revitalise the connection between people and space.

“The physical world houses six separate pavilions suspended across the site of the Artiach Cookie Factory in Bilbao, Spain.

“The virtual world houses the united pavilions suspended together to represent the capabilities of the community to inform and transform its topography.”

Student: Lea Fakhouri
Course: BA Interior and Spatial Design

Visualisation showing multi-use outdoor space

Mobile Community Repair Cafes by Mia Bizard

“Using my research on themes exploring accessibility, connection and communities, this project continues my investigation into the architecture of connection – connecting people, city, and environment.

“Proposing a series of workshops and gallery spaces that essentially become repair cafes, all connected with foldable canopies, this project promotes the reduction of waste and sustainable, social community-focused lifestyles.

“The idea is to bridge and connect these places – located around the island of Zorrotzaurre in Bilbao, Spain – as well as the local community through this fragmented series of spaces.

“It aims to empower residents to take an active part in shaping their communities, as well as building on the legacy of the site by adding a participatory and engaging design that will help promote and attract people to the area.”

Student: Mia Bizard
Course: BA Interior and Spatial Design

Zorrotzaurre’s Art District by Maya Hammoud

“The project offers a unique experience to its visitors by taking them through a ‘designed walk’ across three spaces: a gallery, an auditorium and a multi-purpose social space.

“The project is aimed at the local community and those with a common interest in Bilbao’s growing art scene.

“The spatial layout explores the act of observing, using thresholds and viewports to make visitors see, experience and question their surroundings.

“The aim of using viewports as a tool for observing fragments of other spaces, allowing sudden interactions to happen between visitors.

“It also forms a deeper understanding of visitor experiences and how it is influenced by the creation of space.”

Student: Maya Hammoud
Course: BA Interior and Spatial Design

3D view of building layout on white background

Time Traveller by Qiao Wang

“I created a temporary exhibition to promote local cultural heritage in Zorrotzaurre, Bilbao, Spain.

“This solar-powered installation is based on the simplified shape of Zorrotzaurre, which is intended to provide visitors with a quick tour of the island.

“To arouse the interest of visitors, they will feel as if they are exploring the maze while walking inside the installation, just like they are discovering and seeking knowledge in an unfamiliar city.

“This project promotes the industrial heritage culture of the region to visitors from all over the world while boosting the local tourism economy and providing educational cultural dissemination.

“In the installation, I used the pulley structure of the factory and woven fabric, which was inspired by my map. All materials used are sustainable.”

Student: Qiao Wang
Course: BA Interior and Spatial Design

Visualisation showing entrance to gallery

Fabric-Women-Museum by Shiyuan Liu

“Fabric-Women-Museum aims to spatialise the inequalities suffered by women in the workplace during the industrial revolution.

“The project is based on research into the history of Artiach during the industrial revolution when approximately 80 per cent of the workers were women.

“Although Artiach offered work opportunities for women, their working conditions and treatment were poor.

“The design translates the inequality of women in the workplace into four thematic rooms: control, inconvenience, isolation and vulnerability.

“The interactive exhibition helps visitors understand the conditions suffered by women workers in workspaces during the industrial revolution.”

Student: Shiyuan Liu
Course: BA Interior and Spatial Design

Visualisation showing outdoor cinema made from converted multi-storey car park

(Junk)scape – Rethinking and Recycling Non-Places by Kiwi Chan

“This project represents creative ways to transform car parks from non-place, anonymous spaces to ones with urban character.

“The (Junk)scape app is a system and service that proposes efficient uses for ‘wasted’ spaces and energy around ‘non-places’ i.e. car parks.

“This app rethinks and recycles underutilised parking lots by using a renting and scheduling system.

“My primary design proposal for my rented ‘non- place’ explores ‘placeless’ people, in hopes to provide support for the local homeless community and raise awareness around this ‘invisible class’ through film.

“This proposal also aims to incorporate responsible involvement with Bizitegi, a non-profit organisation that contributed to the construction of services for individuals from the worlds of exclusion and mental illness in Bilbao.”

Student:Kiwi Chan
Course: BA Interior and Spatial Design

Partnership content

This school show is a partnership between Dezeen and the University of the Arts London. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Reference

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2. Transforming Translucent Materials

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3. Utilizing Unobtrusive Divisions

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4. Merging Past and Future

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Popular Choice Winner, 10th Annual A+Awards, Restaurants (S <1000 sq ft)

5. Experimenting With Solid Surface Patterns

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6. Internalizing the Outdoors

Fort 137 by Daniel Joseph Chenin, Ltd., Las Vegas, Nevada

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7. Articulating Unusual Arches

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8. Innovating Installations

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Jury Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Transport Interiors

Jury Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Religious Buildings & Memorials

Jury Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Residential Interiors (<3000 sq ft)

Popular Choice Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Restaurants (S <1000 sq ft)

Popular Choice Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Hall / Theater

Jury Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Private House (XL >6000 sq ft)

Jury Winner and Popular Choice Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Bars & Wineries

Popular Choice Winner, 10^th Annual A+Awards, Commercial Interiors (<25,000 sq ft)