American interior designer, fashion influencer and “geriatric starlet” Iris Apfel has passed away at the age of 102.
The death of the multidisciplinary creative, who was recognised for her flamboyant personal style, was announced on her Instagram account with an image of Apfel in her trademark oversized glasses.
Apfel, who worked in the interiors and fashion industries throughout her career, shot to international fame in her 80s and 90s after New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art exhibited a show of her eclectic clothes and accessories in 2005.
Born Iris Barrel in 1921 in Queens, Apfel studied art history at New York University and art at the University of Wisconsin.
After graduating, she worked for fashion magazine Women’s Wear Daily before interning for interior designer Elinor Johnson.
Together with her late husband Carl Apfel, whom she married in 1948, she set up the brand Old World Weavers – a company that specialised in striking textiles informed by things found on the Apfels’ travels.
Under Old World Weavers, the duo completed high-profile projects such as restoring the White House interiors for nine presidents including Harry Truman and Bill Clinton.
The designer became a visiting lecturer at the University of Texas in 2011, where she taught fashion students about textiles and crafts.
In later life, Apfel became a staple of the fashion industry. In 2018, toy manufacturer Mattel created a Barbie doll in the designer’s image, although it was not for sale. At the age of 97, she signed a modelling contract with IMG Models.
Apfel playfully called herself a “geriatric starlet” and described the prospect of retirement as “a fate worse than death” shortly after turning 100.
Following the news of her passing, designers around the world paid tribute to Apfel’s legacy. “Iris Apfel has become a world-famous fashion icon because of her incredible talent not only as an artist but as an influencer,” said fashion designer Tommy Hilfiger.
The photography is by Ron Adar courtesy of Shutterstock.
Collectible design gallery StudioTwentySeven has taken over a huge space in a Tribeca textile building, creating a warm and serene environment to present museum-sized, limited-edition pieces.
The gallery’s New York City flagship at the corner of Church and Leonard Streets covers 7,000 square feet (650 square metres) across the ground floor of a 1901 neoclassical building by architect Henry J Hardenbergh.
StudioTwentySeven founders Nacho Polo and Robert Onsuka introduced curved walls and archways to the interior of their flagship gallery
Formerly Jean-Georges Vongerichten’s Restaurant 66, the grand space benefits from double-height ceilings and eight 16-foot-tall windows on two sides, overlooking the mirrored Anish Kapoor sculpture squashed beneath Herzog & de Meuron’s “Jenga Tower”.
StudioTwentySeven founders Nacho Polo and Robert Onsuka, who started their venture in Miami in 2018, chose this location for the New York flagship for its “monumental scale” and ability to showcase huge sculptural works.
The double-height ceilings allow large-scale pieces to be displayed, like a hanging bear sculpture by Paola Pivi
“The building’s elaborately carved facade, and its stone entry staircase leading to beautifully restored original triple doors, set the tone for what clients of StudioTwentySeven will experience inside – a space that is sophisticated yet genuinely welcoming,” said the duo.
Led by Polo, the renovation of interiors involved the introduction of curved walls and a rotunda, along with an archway fitted with a 12-foot-tall, hand-carved chestnut door.
A giant bronze and glass chandelier hangs above an organic-shaped dining table
The team worked with lighting specialists L’Observatorie to design a custom system that imbues the space with a warm atmospheric quality, complementing the pieces on display.
A massive bronze and glass chandelier comprising hundreds of individual petals is suspended above an organically shaped French oak and waxed bronze dining table.
Pale oak floors run throughout the gallery, in places separated from the walls by glowing bands of light, and sheer curtains diffuse the abundance of natural light that enters during the day.
Other architectural details include a tall fireplace shaped into the hand-plastered walls and a chestnut-lined library hidden behind a pair of discreet doors, designed to “create moments of surprise”.
The founders also created a rotunda space for displaying specific pieces
For the gallery’s opening in February 2023, several museum-sized works from Polo and Onsuka’s private collection were installed in the space.
These include a hanging bear by Italian artist Paola Pivi, which had to be transported from the Aspen Art Museum in a special truck, and a bronze sculpture titled Owl and Boy by Japan-based Otani Workshop.
“Moments of surprise” include a hidden library lined in chestnut
Polo and Onsuka, who were judges for Dezeen Awards 2023, also have gallery spaces in Miami’s Little River and London’s Mayfair – open by appointment only.
Their new flagship in Tribeca joins a multitude of collectible design galleries in the Downtown NYC neighbourhood, like R & Company and Egg Collective, where expansive former industrial lofts provide ideal settings for presenting furniture, lighting and art.
The team at global architecture firm Gensler’s Los Angeles office has redesigned a floor of its workspace with a hospitality approach, as a pilot for the remaining spaces.
The Gensler LA team’s renovated its space to give it more of the “warmth and comfort” that its staff became used to during its time working from home.
The team at Gensler LA redesigned the third floor of their offices to better suit their current workplace needs
The studio’s return to the office post-pandemic came seven years into a 15-year lease of its spaces in Downtown Los Angeles, the firm had converted from an empty bank building in 2011 then expanded to two floors in an adjacent, connected structure.
With a growing workforce and a desire to rethink the layout, functionality and appearance of the office, a group of the studio’s “next generation” of designers and strategists led an effort to redesign the interiors of the third floor.
The pilot project incorporates several products from Gensler collaborations, including open shelving and communal tables
“The look and feel of our space, though contemporary, lacked the warmth and comfort of the hospitality touches we integrate for our clients’ workspaces and that we had become accustomed to while working from home,” Gensler senior strategist Sarah Koos told Dezeen.
“Coupled with the changing nature of hybrid work, the space necessitated a transformation that would support a renewed sense of a work-lifestyle.”
A warm aesthetic that captures the essence of Los Angeles was chosen for the interiors
The group spent a year listening and learning from surveys, workshops and feedback sessions in which each of the 500-plus employees was able to have a say about their future work environment.
Many team members had been highly mobile even before hybrid working became popular, so the previous dedicated desk system seemed redundant.
“Working from home for two years effectively rewired peoples’ expectations of their work environments, a sterile, single-use corporate office no longer spoke to the warmth, variety, and comfort they were afforded in their own homes,” said Koos.
Plenty of lounge areas with comfy seating were created for employees to use
They therefore set about redesigning the offices with a focus on flexibility, communal work areas and presentation spaces.
“Rather than confine our designers to a desk or a conference room, we developed a kit-of-parts inclusive of typical sit-stand workstations, communal tables, focus pods, booths, material layout islands, and more,” said Gensler senior designer Kirk Bairian.
“Gensler is built on a studio system which is critical to our design culture, and each studio was able to use this kit-of-parts to customise their space to reflect the specific ways in which they work.”
The team devised a “kit of parts” for the different studios to customise their own workspaces
A warm, hospitality-forward aesthetic that mirrors the “informal but elevated, casual but curated” essence of Los Angeles was chosen.
Materials including maple plywood, blackened metal and subtle textiles provide a backdrop for more colourful additions in the form of ever-changing pin-up display boards, styled shelving, artwork by local students and books from local creative businesses.
Lounge-style furniture and jewel-toned textiles are placed in the co-working areas to evoke a hotel lobby or coffee shop vibe.
Several of Gensler’s furniture and fixture collaborations were also introduced, among them the communal tables and open shelcves from a product line created with Fantoni and custom focus pods from a partnership with Tangram’s Studio Other.
Traditional conference rooms are available alongside more flexible spaces for group work
Since the project completed in 2023, the data from badges suggest that employee office attendance has increased by 35 per cent for the studios located in the renovated pilot space, according to the firm.
“Studios in the new space shared that they felt that working in the renovated space made them more productive, enabled more effective collaboration, and overall, greatly improved their in-office experience,” the team added.
Maple plywood and blackened metal were among the materials chosen to give the space more of a hospitality feel
Gensler is the world’s largest architecture firm and has locations 53 locations globally. Its European head offices in Wapping, London, was longlisted in the business building category of Dezeen Awards 2020.
In 2022, co-CEO Andy Cohen told Dezeen in an exclusive interview that architecture should abandon “top-down” management to improve working conditions.
Interior design studio Hollie Bowden Interiors has created fine jeweller Rachel Boston’s flagship store and showroom in London.
Located in Shoreditch’s Redchurch Street, the store is split into four main areas – the retail space, private appointment area, workshop and office space for the jeweller’s team of 12.
The space blends a neutral palette of glass, steel and sycamore wood veneer
The store aims to blend a neutral material palette of glass and steel with sycamore wood veneer and velvet mohair upholstery.
“Jewellery stores can be read as quite uninviting and exclusive,” Hollie Bowden Interiors founder Bowden told Dezeen. “I wanted to create the opposite experience to that, something that felt open and un-intimidating, yet special and elevated.”
Bowden and designer EJR Barnes have created bespoke displays from mirror polished steel
Placing the jewellery centre stage was a key objective for Rachel Boston when briefing Bowden’s team.
“Even though our pieces are striking, they are ultimately small objects by nature, so I didn’t want a huge amount of fussy furniture or bold colours to detract from the experience of customers viewing our pieces,” Rachel Boston told Dezeen.
In response to the brief, Hollie Bowden created a compact 19-square-metre front retail space “inspired by the concept of a jewellery box that draws your attention into the small, intricate objects within”.
The store on Redchurch street is split into four main areas
Sycamore veneer wall-cladding, limestone flooring and lining the display cases with ivory silk combine to create the jewellery-box effect, “emphasising this feeling of being cocooned in the space” Bowden told Dezeen.
“I wanted to focus on materials that have a quiet beauty about them, that you have to get up close to really appreciate,” she continued.
Bowden employs a refined approach to materials for this retail project in London
This process of refinement has been a hallmark of Bowden’s style since establishing her London-based studio in 2013.
“Not over-designing projects with too many materials is very important – to give objects the space to sing,” she explained. “I’m always trying to reduce and simplify.”
Jewellery is displayed in floating window vitrines and a cantilever display desk, designed in collaboration with London-based artist and designer, EJR Barnes.
Made from mirror polished steel, these bespoke displays introduce a “vertiginous moment that makes the space feel unique,” according to Bowden.
For these cabinets, Bowden and Barnes drew on the utilitarian design language of archives which “display, protect, and organise what they contain in quite a neutral way”.
Hollie Bowden’s retail space in Shoreditch has been designed in reference to jewellery boxes
Rather than using big ornamental gestures more common in jewellery retail, Bowden says this approach “represents a unique and original way of presenting jewellery”.
“The idea of ‘subtle luxury’ feels like a great counterpoint to retail design at the moment that can feel like you’re in a casino,” she added.
The frames of the cases are simple and uninterrupted, maximising the display of the jewellery and encouraging guests to roam freely around any area.
The red cab chair placed at the front of the store is by Mario Bellini
A Mario Bellini Cab Chair in a deep wine red, placed at the front of the store, works along the lines of the unexpected-red-theory interior trend, featured in our recent lookbook.
Through a stainless steel-lined open doorway, the rear space is curtained off for private appointments. This larger 42-square-metre showroom in the back has a more relaxed and intimate feel that mirrors the art-deco style of Boston’s jewellery.
The rear of the store is reserved for private appointments
Upon entering the rear space, a brown short-pile carpet and bespoke sofa upholstered in Claremont mohair signals the transition from the storefront.
“We wanted to create two distinct spaces, independent of each other yet with a subtle link that reflects Rachel’s jewellery,” Bowden said.
“While the spaces contrast, the continuations of steel and limestone allow for a striking continuity throughout.”
The rear showroom features a bespoke sofa upholstered in Claremont mohair
Other projects by Hollie Bowden Interiors featured on Dezeen include a pared-back jewellery showroom and a London office space inspired by the sultry lighting of gentlemen’s clubs.
Czech architecture studio ORA has renovated a Renaissance-era house in the town of Český Krumlov, preserving original features like its carved wooden beams while adding free-standing contemporary furniture.
Local entrepreneurs Petra Hanáková and Radek Techlovský purchased the dilapidated house in the town centre in 2016 and asked ORA to oversee a modernisation process that retains the interior’s historical character.
Masná 130 is a renovated home by ORA in Český Krumlov
The 500-year-old building, now called Masná 130, had been neglected for decades and was not even connected to the town’s sewage system. It also had flood-damaged foundations and a roof in need of major repairs.
Despite its issues, the owners saw potential in the property and spent two years transforming its ground floor into a cafe that has become a gathering place for the local community.
The architects added bespoke furniture made from dark-stained birch plywood
The latest phase of the project involved renovating the first-floor living spaces. The original intention was to redevelop them as rental flats, but Hanáková and Techlovský eventually decided to create a single apartment that they could occupy themselves.
ORA’s design for the apartment reveals aspects of the building’s past while introducing modern features that reflect the owners’ love for contemporary design and minimalist style.
The building’s original carved wooden ceiling beams are left exposed
“We did not want to create a historical ‘museum’ interior, nor a design showroom,” said Hanáková and Techlovský. “We wanted to organically connect the historical and contemporary layers.”
The architects began by removing an existing partition wall in the main living space and reinstating the original open layout. This created a large salon that reveals the full splendour of the Renaissance-era wooden ceiling.
The kitchen was designed as a standalone unit that is raised above the floor
The restoration process also uncovered original stone walls that were painted a deep crimson colour. Together with the wooden rafters, this informed a material palette that complements these dark, saturated tones and creates a cosy atmosphere.
The apartment’s bedroom features a small remnant of the original ceiling fresco. The rest of the room is painted a cream colour to lend the space a calm and relaxing feel.
In the bathroom, ORA chose to combine cool colours with white tiles and large mirrors to brighten the space. Playful details such as the irregularly shaped bathtub, curved sinks and tiles with rounded edges help to soften the overall aesthetic.
Throughout the apartment, the architects added bespoke freestanding furniture that performs the necessary functions without disturbing or concealing the existing heritage features.
The bed is dominated by an oversized headboard
“The interior design is approached as a collage of motifs,” said ORA. “The furniture is inserted into the historical space in the form of separate objects that create distance from the historical elements.”
The kitchen, for example, was designed as a standalone unit that is raised above the floor and stops well short of the ceiling. Its sink, hob and countertop occupy a central void, with all other functions concealed within the cabinetry.
It takes pride of place in the centre of the bedroom
The bed features an oversized headboard that connects with a wardrobe on its reverse side. It is placed in the centre of the bedroom and is angled to provide the best view of the window and the original painted ceiling.
Custom-made furniture is built from dark-stained birch plywood with contrasting brass legs that help to enhance the sense of separation from the existing spaces.
Lighting is either freestanding or integrated into furniture such as the kitchen unit and bed. An overhead light above the dining table is mounted on a bracket so it does not touch the historical ceiling.
ORA combined cool colours with white tiles in the bathroom
ORA, which stands for Original Regional Architecture, was founded in 2014 by Jan Veisser, Jan Hora and Barbora Hora. The studio is based in the small town of Znojmo, with previous projects including the conversion of a 16th-century home in Mikulov to create a modern guesthouse.
Other recent attempts at revamping the historical residences of the Czech Republic include a 1920s villa in Prague that was renovated by No Architects and a 100-year-old apartment in Karlovy Vary, where Plus One Architects uncovered the building’s original paintwork.
Montreal-based Ivy Studio has chosen a variety of dramatic marble to outfit a Middle Eastern restaurant, which features a colour palette influenced by “the earthy tones of the Syrian deserts”.
In Montreal’s Old Port neighbourhood, the 1,500-square-foot (140-square metre) Hayat restaurant is designed to reflect the cuisine served by chef Joseph Awad.
The marble host stand at Hayat sets the tone for the restaurant’s Middle Eastern-influenced colour palette
“This Middle Eastern restaurant’s colour palette was inspired by the earthy tones of the Syrian deserts and their surrounding greenery,” said Ivy Studio.
Upon entering is a screen of black hammered-glass panels, which also conceals the kitchen in the far corner.
In the main dining space, banquette seating runs along two walls below a fabric ceiling installation
In the main dining room, built-in benches form an L along two walls, while a pair of U-shaped booths sit against another that arches over them.
The seat backs are upholstered in mauve velvet and the cushions are wrapped in contrasting deep green leather.
Private booths are positioned below an arched ceiling and behind a partition of black hammered glass
Closer to the kitchen is another small, semi-circular booth built into the walnut millwork.
Here the cushioned seats are covered in ruby-toned velvet, and a metallic light fixture is suspended above.
The bar is made from a dramatic marble variety with streaks of teal, pistachio and cream colours
Ivy Studio selected a wide variety of striking, richly veined marbles, “each contributing their own touch of colour into the space” according to the team.
The bar is made from a dramatic stone with teal, cream and pistachio striations, while the host stand and dining table tops in the main area are purple and white.
A red-hued semicircular booth is tucked into the walnut millwork close to the kitchen
The building’s exposed brickwork is painted cream to match the other walls, while the original historic stone between the large windows is left exposed.
“The ancient stone walls at the front and rear facades were left intact to showcase the building’s history,” Ivy Studio said.
Curved layers across the ceiling, which hide indirect lighting, are designed to evoke the smooth landscapes of the Middle East.
A fabric installation suspended above the dining tables curves around more strips of lighting, diffusing the light to create a warm glow.
The bar is made from a dramatic marble variety with streaks of teal, pistachio and cream colours
Walnut, stone and cream walls are also found in the bathrooms, which echo the colour and material scheme throughout the restaurant.
“The overall intention of the palette was to bring together the worlds of Middle Eastern nature and Old Montreal construction,” the studio said.
The same material palette continues in the moody bathrooms
Ivy Studio has completed several interiors across Montreal that include colourful marble.
These include the Italian restaurant Piatti where the dark green stone contrasts the building’s rough walls and co-working office Spatial where purple surfaces pop against mint green millwork.
New York studio Post Company has designed warm, wood-filled interiors for a boutique hotel in Aspen, Colorado, which offers a pared-back take on the Arts and Crafts style.
Mollie Aspen occupies a new timber-clad building designed by CCY Architects and developed and operated by HayMax in the mountain city’s downtown area.
With an open fireplace as a backdrop, the lobby lounge at Mollie Aspen features earth-toned furniture and a gridded wood ceiling
Post Company was tasked with creating the interiors for the 68-room hotel, combining contemporary Scandinavian and Japanese design elements for a serene take on Rocky Mountain luxury.
“Mollie is designed for those with a natural curiosity and appreciation for connection and offers visitors a unique, welcoming respite in the bustling mountain town,” said the hotel’s team.
An all-day cafe in the lobby serves pastries and beverages from a walnut-wrapped counter
An abundance of wood can be found throughout the different spaces, with numerous varieties creating a layered effect of different colours and grain patterns.
The timber is crafted into elements like gridded wall and ceiling panels with built-in lighting, which evoke an Arts and Crafts aesthetic, as well as fluted counterfronts and a range of furniture pieces.
Burl wood counters and displays present goods in the hotel’s retail space
The majority of the materials used in Mollie’s construction were sourced from the Western United States to reduce waste, according to the team.
Meanwhile, other accents like earthen ceramics, hand-dyed textiles and sand-casted brass add to the cosy atmosphere.
Guest rooms offer an even more pared-back take on the neutral decor palette
“These materials are incorporated throughout the hotel to mimic the area’s rough-hewn mountains while large windows frame views of the surrounding landscape and bring an abundance of light into the hotel,” said the team.
The lobby lounge is designed as a cosy gathering space for guests and the public, with a large open fireplace providing a backdrop.
Beige plaster walls and textured carpets complement the wood ceilings in the guest rooms
Chunky leather, velvet and boucle sofas and armchairs in a range of earthy hues form comfy conversation nooks.
At one end of the room, the black-topped bar spans the full width and is illuminated by a row of globe-shaped pendant lights suspended from thin brass bars.
Black leather furniture in the larger suites offers a contrast to the other furniture pieces and snowy mountain views
A repeated geometric pattern across the pale counter front is also found on door panels leading to other hotel areas.
An all-day cafe at the opposite end of the lobby serves pastries and an assortment of beverages from a walnut-wrapped counter, and the restaurant
Dark green tiles in the bathrooms match the spruce trees outside
In the adjacent retail space, burl wood counters and displays with curved edges, some of which are topped with glass vitrines.
On the third floor is a roof terrace with a bar and a spa pool set to open in Spring 2024, while a fitness facility and flexible meeting space are located at ground level.
The guest rooms continue the soft, neutral palette in a more pared-back style.
Beige plaster walls, textured carpets and green-grey curtains complement the wood ceilings and built-in furniture, while black leather chairs add contrast.
Mollie Aspen is located within a newly constructed building by CCY Architects
Dark green stacked tiles that line the bathrooms match the spruce trees outside and freestanding tubs beside the windows allow guests to enjoy the view while soaking.
“Guests are left with a sense of Aspen’s cultural and recreational history, providing a lens to appreciate its contemporary personality and influence,” the team said.
The building was constructed largely from materials sourced from the Western US
Aspen is a renowned destination for winter sports and affluent vacationers, and CCY Architects has designed several private residences in and around the town – among them an extension to a Victorian house, a residence nestled in a grassy valley and a retreat that overlooks the dramatic mountainous scenery.
Formerly known as Studio Tack, Post Company’s previous hotel projects include the Anvil Hotel in Wyoming, The Sandman in California, and Scribner’s Catskill Lodge in New York.
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.
