Japanese architect Keiji Ashizawa has created the interior for a skincare clinic in Tokyo, using textiles and custom-made furniture to make it feel more residential than medical.
The Aloop Clinic & Lab, which provides “skin cure and care”, is located in the city’s upscale Ginza area and run by Japanese beauty company POLA. Ashizawa wanted to give it an interior that would feel peaceful, while also representing the brand.
The Aloop clinic has a calm minimalist interior
“As a clinic that uses medical technology to deal with beauty, we thought that the space should have sincerity, calmness, and beauty in order to create a comfortable time for customers to feel at ease,” Ashizawa told Dezeen.
“In addition, considering that this is a completely new business for the POLA beauty brand, we felt that it was necessary to create a space that would enhance the brand.”
Wood was used throughout the space
To do so, Ashizawa looked at the design of the 210-square-metre clinic like he would if he were designing a residential space, giving it a calm, minimalist interior.
“Although it is a clinic, I considered the space to be similar to a hotel or a living space,” he said. “Therefore, I used materials that I use in designing living spaces and hotels.”
“The walls are plaster and the floor is a wool rug from Hotta Carpet,” he added. “The sofa and furniture at the characteristic entrance are made of Kvadrat wool textile to create a pleasant texture.”
Treatment rooms were designed to have a residential feel
The architect used a clean, simple colour palette throughout the space, with white-painted walls contrasting against wooden panelling and wooden doors.
“Wood was used for doors, furniture and details because we wanted to create a residential calm rather than a clinic,” Ashizawa said. “We felt that a bright and healthy atmosphere was necessary.”
“The extensive use of wood was to create a residential atmosphere, and we wanted the space to be as far away from a typical clinic as possible,” he added.
Keiji Ashizawa created custom-made sofas with furniture brand Karimoku
His studio worked together with wooden furniture brand Karimoku to design the custom-made sofas for the space, which welcome customers as they enter the clinic.
“Of particular importance to this project were the custom sofas,” Ashizawa said.
“We asked Karimoku, with whom we communicate on a daily basis for furniture development and wood projects, to work with us on the development of the furniture.”
He compared his collaboration with the brand to that of mid-century modern Finnish architect Alvar Aalto and furniture brand Artek.
“For me, Karimoku has become an indispensable partner in thinking about space, just as Aalto is for Artek,” he explained.
Neutral colours contrast against pale wood
By creating the sofas with rounded edges, Ashizawa aimed for them to “gently envelop” customers after their treatments.
“The mere fact that something looks hard or painful makes the body tense, so we thought it would be desirable to eliminate such things,” he said.
“However, in order to maintain a comfortable sense of tension in the room, delicate details of metal and wood were used to achieve a balance.”
Small sculptures decorate the space
Small sculptures were dotted throughout the Aloop clinic, including in the treatment rooms.
Ashizawa has previously designed an interior with a similar colour palette for the Hiroo Residence in Tokyo, and also used plenty of wood for his and Norm Architects minimalist Trunk Hotel design.
The Sims has been allowing players to act out their architecture and interior design fantasies for more than two decades. Jane Englefield finds out how the makers of the iconic life-simulation video game keep up with shifting trends.
“People laugh when I mention playing The Sims, but it was hugely significant in terms of spatial planning and was a key part of how and why I have ended up in the line of interior design work that I have,” interiors stylist and editor Rory Robertson told Dezeen.
“The Sims offered people the opportunity to get a feel for design,” he reflected. “You could be as extravagant and outrageous, or as briefed and restricted as you liked.”
The Sims was first released in 2000 with three sequels since developed
Created in 2000 by American game designer Will Wright, The Sims is a video game where players make human characters – or “sims” – and build their virtual houses and lives from scratch, catering to their needs and desires.
With four iterations of the main game and dozens of themed expansion packs focussing on topics such as university, parenthood and cottage living, The Sims is one of the best-selling video-game franchises of all time.
“It’s really accessible”
Architecture and interior design has been a major part of The Sims experience from the very beginning.
Having previously created the city-building game SimCity in 1989 – which itself has been credited with inspiring a generation of urban planners – Wright was originally motivated to develop The Sims after losing his home in the Oakland firestorm of 1991 in California.
Design remained a core part of the offering, however, and the interface features tools that allow players to instantly build structures and decorate and furnish them from an extensive inventory of items.
Players can choose from a wide inventory of decor and furnishing options
“It’s really accessible, so I think a lot of people get into it without even realising that they’re playing with architecture and playing with space,” said video-games expert and historian Holly Nielsen.
“While it was like catnip for design budding minds, it was also just a wonderful opportunity for procrastination and frivolity for people who aren’t particularly confident or tuned in to interiors or architecture,” echoed Robertson.
Since the original The Sims, a broad set of options has been available for players to suit their tastes and imaginations.
Possibilities have ranged from minimalist bungalows filled with neutral furniture to more outlandish dwellings, such as castles defined by Dalmatian-print wallpaper or hot tubs parked in the middle of multiple living rooms.
“We’ll take any source”
The team behind these possibilities described how they ensure that the architecture and interior design options stay feeling fresh and contemporary with each new game in the series.
“Since we’re a game about real life, anytime we step outside our door we have inspiration by just looking at what’s in our immediate environment,” game designer Jessica Croft told Dezeen.
Art director Mike O’Connor added that he and his team scour the real world and the web for up-to-date references.
“We’ll take any source,” he said. “We’re looking for patterns. If we start to see round furniture, or bouclé, or whatever the trend is, [we ask] has it already gone?”
“The internet doesn’t scrub old ideas. So you know, it’s seeing if there’s a trend, is it sticking, does it apply to what we’re doing now?”
The in-game design possibilities have evolved over time to keep up with trends
Furniture and appliances within the game are regularly revised over time to reflect cultural and technological progression in the real world, Croft explained.
“In Sims 2 [released in 2004] I would not be surprised if there was a landline phone – and there definitely isn’t a landline phone in my own house, or Sims 4,” she said.
“Even things like VR [virtual reality] didn’t really exist back in The Sims 2 days, so things like VR consoles, computers – we just added dual-monitor computers, and LEDs are now in most households,” she continued.
That in turn sees the team take a surprisingly deep dive into how interiors are changing, O’Connor acknowledged.
“Over the life of this game, you see an evolution,” he said. “Electronics are probably the biggest category [of change]. Even just how people use TVs, how they place them, has changed.”
The idea, says Croft, is to ensure that The Sims players feel a close connection to the world they are building for their sims.
“The most fun thing for me is being able to allow players to craft stories that are relatable to them,” she said. “So, looking for opportunities to make players feel seen.”
“An element of freedom and fantasy-building”
But, as Nielsen points out, there is an additional aspect to the game’s architecture and design possibilities that is central to its appeal.
“In one sense, it’s reflective of society, but in another way, it’s aspirational,” she said.
“There’s an element of freedom and fantasy-building to playing The Sims,” she continued. “Homeownership is a thing that a lot of us will not get to do.”
As in real life, everything you build or buy in The Sims has a cost.
However, unlike in real life, punching “motherlode” into The Sims cheat-code bar will immediately add a healthy 50,000 simoleons to your sim’s bank account, putting that luxury sofa easily within reach.
The game offers people “the opportunity to get a feel for design”
That possibility remains central to Robertson’s nostalgia for playing The Sims as a young would-be interior designer.
“Once you double-clicked The Sims graphic on your Microsoft desktop, a multi-roomed mansion cost nothing to design,” he said.
This aspirational element has become an increasingly large part of The Sims’ commercial model over the years.
The Sims 4, as an example, is accompanied by 19 purchasable “Stuff Packs” that expand the options of items available to buy, including “Perfect Patio”, “Cool Kitchen” and one based on the products of Milan fashion label Moschino.
And the latest of the more extensive expansion packs is For Rent, which allows players to build rental houses where some sims are landlords and others are tenants.
Within the game, landlords encounter various true-to-life issues, including the potential for toxic mould build-up in their properties – although, unlike in the real world, the mould feature can be toggled on and off.
For Nielsen, that traces back to a significant foundational element of the game’s widespread appeal – as well as being one of the reasons it has had such strong interior-design influence.
“It didn’t feel like it was aiming for anyone,” she explained. “One of the things that people bring up a lot is that it has a very female player base.”
“For me, it was a big turning point – it was getting to create the spaces but also play around with the people inside them. It felt like a socially acceptable way to play dollhouses.”
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Prague studio Plus One Architects has restored the “original splendour” of this 1902 apartment in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, by reinstating some of its original features.
Located in a turn-of-the-century apartment block, the two-bedroom flat was renovated by Plus One Architects, who exposed the original paintwork present on the walls and ceilings.
The Karlovy Vary Apartment features minimal furnishings
The studio also streamlined the circulation inside the apartment by removing doors to open up pathways, as well as undoing dated additions that had been installed over the top of the original walls and floors.
“We think the first renovation was probably done in the late 70s,” architect Kateřina Průchová told Dezeen. “It was full of wooden cladding on the walls, a lot of doors and carpet that covered the original floors.”
Transom windows let light flood through the rooms
The revamped interior has a bright, airy atmosphere, as natural sunlight comes in through the large unobstructed windows and continues deeper into the rooms thanks to the addition of transom windows on some of the interior walls.
Remnants of colourful mottled paintwork appear on the walls and ceilings alongside brown and beige sections of plaster.
Mottled blue and yellow paintwork decorates the primary bedroom
Neutral-coloured paint and plasterwork feature in the kitchen and living room, where Plus One Architects retained the apartment’s original masonry heater clad in glossy brown tiles.
Painted details are also apparent on the ceiling, with concentric bands of red, blue and yellow delineating the perimeter of the room.
Doors were removed to improve the flow between spaces
Pink paint appears in the corridor and smaller bedroom while blue paintwork can be seen in the primary bedroom, complementing the restored wooden floorboards.
In the bathroom, white tiling lines the walls, interspersed with iridescent tiles and sections of exposed paintwork.
The rooms are sparingly furnished, allowing the paintwork to be the interior’s focal point.
Plus One Architects brought in furniture with minimalist forms by Czech design studio Janský & Dunděra alongside decorative pieces from local design brand Todus.
The bathroom is fitted with white flooring, tiling and fixtures
“I hope we managed to return the apartment to the original splendour of the period, in which the house was built,” said Průchová.
“You can feel how the building looks from the outside – it is an old house in the historic part of a spa town.”
The kitchen and dining room overlook neighbouring rooftops
Kateřina Průchová and Petra Ciencialová founded Plus One Architects in 2019. The studio is based in Prague and works on projects across the Czech Republic.
Other apartment interiors that have recently been featured on Dezeen include a home in Milan centred around a monolithic green marble partition wall and a pastel-decorated apartment in Kraków.
This week’s lookbook rounds up eight interiors with furnishings and surfaces finished in burl-wood veneer, allowing its swirly, psychedelic graining to serve a decorative function.
Burl wood is a rare and expensive wood, often only available in thin sheets of veneer. That’s because it is derived from the knobbly outgrowths of tree trunks and branches – also known as burls.
Like the botanical equivalent of a callous, these outgrowths form in response to different stress factors and grow unpredictably, creating complex unexpected grain patterns behind their gnarled bark.
Burl wood has been experiencing a renaissance over the last few years, with interior designers including Kelly Wearstler using it to evoke the bohemian flair of its 1970s heyday.
Mixed and matched with other patterns, the material is now used to communicate a kind of organic understated luxury, much like natural stone.
From a Michelin-starred restaurant to a home that was designed to resemble a boutique hotel, read on for eight examples of how burl wood can provide textural richness to a modern interior.
This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring rooms with net floors, interiors with furry walls and homes with mid-century modern furniture.
Photo by Pion Studio
Botaniczna Apartment, Poland, by Agnieszka Owsiany Studio
This tranquil apartment in Poznań was designed by local firm Agnieszka Owsiany Studio to give the owners a reprise from their high-pressure medical jobs.
The interior combines a calming mix of pale marble and various kinds of wood, including oak cabinetry, chevron parquet flooring and a console and vanity, both finished in speckled burl.
“My clients asked for a high quality, almost hotel-like space, as they were in need of everyday comfort,” founder Agnieszka Owsiany told Dezeen.
Find out more about Botaniczna Apartment ›
Photo by Adrian Gaut
Ulla Johnson flagship, USA, by Kelly Wearstler
Burlwood brings “a touch of 1970s California nostalgia” to the Ulla Johnson flagship store in Los Angeles, courtesy of local designer Kelly Wearstler.
The unusual veneer was used liberally to cover walls, ceilings and shelves, as well as forming a statement display cabinet where the material’s natural wavy surface texture provides an added element of tactility (top image).
Find out more about the Ulla Johnson flagship ›
Photo by Prue Ruscoe
Koda hair salon, Australia, by Arent & Pyke
This hair salon in Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building was designed by Australian studio Arent & Pyke to be “best appreciated from seated height”.
Drawing attention away from the building’s extra-tall ceilings, freestanding quartzite-rimmed mirrors are placed at angles in front of the styling chairs, framing a vintage hanging cabinet made from pale burl.
Find out more about the Koda hair salon ›
Photo by Pion Studio
Opasly Tom restaurant, Poland, by Buck Studio
Buck Studio employed a limited palette of colours and materials to create visual continuity throughout Warsaw restaurant Opasly Tom, which occupies a split-level building that was broken up into a series of rooms of different sizes.
Coral-orange chair cushions mirror the hardware of the totem-like pendant lights, and several burl-clad cabinets are dotted throughout the eatery. These match the kaleidoscopically patterned panelling in the hallway and the private dining rooms.
“This contemporary, minimalistic design approach produces the impression of coherence while creating a powerful aesthetic impact,” explained the Polish studio, which is headed up by Dominika Buck and Pawel Buck.
Find out more about the Opasly Tom restaurant ›
Photo by Oni Studio
Warsaw apartment, Poland, by Mistovia
Elsewhere in Warsaw, Polish studio Mistovia designed an apartment for an art director and her pet dachshund to resemble an “elaborate puzzle” of contrasting patterns.
Walnut-burl cabinets dominate the kitchen, with their trippy swirling pattern offset against monochrome tiles, brushed-metal drawers and a terrazzo-legged breakfast bar.
Find out more about the Warsaw apartment ›
Photo by Jennifer Chase and Yorgos Efthymiadis
Imperfecto, USA, by OOAK Architects
Upon entering Michelin-starred restaurant Imperfecto in Washington DC, diners are greeted by a custom-made maître-d stand clad in panels of burl-wood veneer, creating a mirrored tortoiseshell pattern across its surface.
The interior, designed by Greek-Swedish studio OOAK Architects, sees neutral tones paired with splashes of blue and white that nod to the restaurant’s Mediterranean menu.
“OOAK Architects has used varied, high-quality finishes and authentic materials including Greek and Italian marbles, as well as brass and wood from different parts of the world, creating contrasting textures across the space,” the team said.
Find out more about Imperfecto ›
Photo by Anson Smart
Black Diamond house, Australia, by YSG
Australian interiors studio YSG introduced a sumptuous mix of materials to this house in Sydney’s Mosman suburb to evoke the feeling of staying in a luxury hotel.
This approach is evidenced by a number of custom furniture pieces dotted throughout the home, including a Tiberio marble vanity in the downstairs powder room and a poplar-burl cabinet with a bronzed mirror that looms over the nearby living room.
Find out more about Black Diamond house ›
Photo by Åsa Liffner
Studio Frantzén, UK, by Joyn Studio
Restaurant Studio Frantzén in London’s Harrods department store serves a fusion of Nordic and Asian food that is also reflected in its Japandi interiors – taking cues from both Scandinavian and Japanese design.
Interiors practice Joyn Studio leaned heavily on both cultures’ penchant for wood, combining seating banquettes made from blocks of end-grain pine wood with gridded timber ceilings and seating booths framed by burl-wood wall panelling.
Find out more about Studio Frantzén ›
This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring rooms with net floors, interiors with furry walls and homes with mid-century modern furniture.
Fashion retailer Aro Archive’s pastel-hued east London store was designed by founder Ariana Waiata Sheehan to evoke “a sense of otherworldliness”.
The store, located in Shoreditch, replaces the brand’s previous, more industrial store on nearby Broadway Market and was intended to have a frivolous feel.
The Aro Archive store has pastel-coloured floors in pink and blue
The interior has “a sense of otherworldliness, escapism and fun,” Waiata Sheehan explains, comparing it to “a mixture between a mushroom trip and going to visit someone’s rich aunty who runs a gallery”.
“We’ve always had very neutral industrial spaces,” she told Dezeen. |But you can get an industrial Zara these days, so time to switch it up and go full personality, which has been scary but so worth it.”
It is located inside an old Victorian warehouse
Located inside a five-storey former Victorian warehouse, Aro Archive, which sells pre-owned clothing by avant-garde designers, was organised so that each floor has a different colour.
Monochrome pastel pink, blue and white hues decorate the different levels, which also feature a wide range of reclaimed and recycled materials, furniture and artworks.
Founder Ariana Waiata Sheehan created the interior design
“The pink floor is supposed to feel very warm, womb-like and enclosed,” Waiata Sheehan said. “The blue floor is more light and otherworldly. And the two white floors are very ethereal and calm.”
White duvet covers by fashion house Maison Martin Margiela were used to create curtains for the changing rooms, while interior pillars are made from reclaimed 1990s metal lamp posts that the designer sourced from a scrapyard in Preston.
Duvet covers by Maison Martin Margiela frame the changing rooms
“The building and surrounding area feel very London, so we did want to bring in a sense of that for example with the lamp posts, metal works and details, bright neon lights and so forth,” Waiata Sheehan said.
She sourced a number of unusual furnishings for the Aro Archive store, including an industrial control station from a paper-manufacturing plant that is now used as a till.
“The industrial paper control station I’ve been watching on eBay for nearly 4 years, waiting for a time I had the space to buy it,” Waiata Sheehan explained. “I wanted something different to the normal till, they’re all so boring and square.”
The store also has another large metal till and metal drawers that originally came from a 1980s Mary Quant store and were rescued from a squat in Hackney Wick.
A large metal till was originally from a Mary Quant store
Waiata Sheehan also sourced several smaller pieces for the boutique, where customers can purchase everything down to the artwork, furniture and accessories.
“I do all the buying so everything is here because I love it in some way,” she explained. “But in terms of favourite pieces in store right now?”
“For fashion, it’s the Rick Owens orange shearling gimp mask gilet, for objects the Shirin Guild ceramic incense holders and for furniture the wobbly glass table with magazine racks.”
Waiata Sheehan bought an old industrial control station from eBay
Waiata Sheehan hopes the Aro Archive boutique will feel like a home away from home and help to create a community feel in the area.
“I think Shoreditch is lacking a sense of community and I wanted to work that into the space,” she said. “The feeling of a chaotic family home and a feeling of togetherness.”
Lampposts from a scrapyard form pillars inside the store
Other London stores with notable interior design recently covered on Dezeen include Swedish fashion brand Toteme’s newly-opened Mayfair store and a Coach pop-up store at Selfridges that had fixtures made from recyclable materials.
Bright hues define the different interventions that New York architecture studio Ideas of Order has made in this apartment at the northern tip of Manhattan.
The 1,000-square-foot primary residence in Hudson Heights was partially renovated for a couple, who had been living in the space for several years before deciding to invest in making it better suited to their needs, rather than buying another apartment.
One side of this Manhattan apartment was overhauled by Ideas of Order to make it function better for its owners
“Their sons had been sharing a room, but were beginning to need their own spaces,” Ideas of Order told Dezeen.
“They also wanted a space that could be designed for flexibility for when their children left for college.”
In the newly created bedroom, a lime green built-in houses a bed, a desk and storage
The kitchen also needed updating, to make it more suitable for entertaining, and more efficient storage space was required in the entryway.
So the architects reworked one side of the open living area, adding a bedroom on one side of the kitchen and refreshing the other areas.
A new wall divides the bedroom from the kitchen
The husband is French, and the couple spent several years living together in France.
During this period, they both became enamoured by the midcentury architecture and design in the country and wanted to apply this style to their own home.
Raspberry and periwinkle cabinets surround the cooking area, which also features aluminium panels
“Inspired by their stories and the history of how colour was used by French midcentury designers like Charlotte Perriand, we suggested a series of polychrome millwork pieces inspired by Perriand’s design language, but updated for a contemporary home,” said Ideas of Order.
The different areas of the home were therefore given their own identities by applying bright hues.
A porthole looks through from the bedroom into the kitchen, which has rubber flooring
Lime green is used in the bedroom across a full wall of built-ins that incorporate a single bed, a workstation and plenty of storage.
Sliding doors with fritted glass panels pull across to enclose the slightly raised room, while a porthole window with double shutters looks through the new wall that separates the kitchen.
Storage in the entryway was made more efficient by new pink and grey built-ins
This adjacent space is denoted by raspberry and periwinkle millwork, which surrounds a small preparation area with an aluminium backsplash and matching panels above.
The same metal also fronts the bar counter between an arched opening to the living area, which is topped with concrete.
Archways between spaces throughout the apartment have curved corners
Rubber flooring in the kitchen offers a practical alternative to the wood used through the rest of the apartment.
Finally, in the entryway – which is again raised slightly higher than the living area – an L-shaped cabinet system was constructed in a corner beside the door.
Pale pink is applied to the frames, while the doors and drawer fronts are finished in light grey and walnut is used for the trim. Choosing the right hues was a challenge that took many iterations to find the right balance, according to the architects.
“It was important that each pair of colours in the millwork work together, but that the colours also harmonise when viewed as a whole,” they said. “We wanted the colours to be bright, but not overpowering. And we wanted the colour pairings to feel timeless and not too trendy.”
The architects went through many iterations to find the right balance of colours
Another challenge was the budget, which was modest by New York City standards and required some conscientious spending – particularly on small details that would make a big impact.
“We love the custom pulls for the millwork, the shutters for the circular window, and the rounded end to the partition between bedroom and kitchen, which reflects the rounded openings throughout the apartment,” the architects said.
The couple had been living in the space for several years before deciding to invest in making it better suited to their needs
Ideas of Order was founded by Jacob Esocoff and Henry Ng, who are both Fosters + Partners and WORKac alumni.
Their renovation is one of the most colourful interiors we’ve featured in New York City of late, compared to a neutral show apartment inside the One Wall Street skyscraper and a loft in Dumbo with a subdued palette.
New York design studio Polonsky & Friends has lined this tiny New York omakase restaurant with burl wood veneer panels, while its counters and cabinetry are coloured to resemble bird feathers.
Designed as a sister location of Rosella, an East Village sushi spot that opened in 2020, Bar Miller is located a few blocks away in Alphabet City.
The compact Bar Miller space seats eight covers around a counter made from rare Avocatus stone
The owners brought back Polonsky & Friends to complete the interiors so that the two outposts could share the same “warm, welcoming energy”.
Although the menu borrows from traditional sushi craft, it’s not authentically Japanese, so the designers wanted to steer clear of any tropes that might deceive customers.
Burl wood veneer panels on the walls are framed in white oak, matching the building’s original floors
“The design had to incorporate local and craft-centric elements and honour the food’s Japanese inspiration, but not fall into any folklore since the team isn’t Japanese and the menu is untraditional,” studio founder Anna Polonsky told Dezeen.
The restaurant only seats eight covers, which surround the open kitchen in the centre of the compact space.
Custom wallpaper hand-painted by Hollie M Kelley displays the feathers of an eastern rosella bird
Deep blue-green Avocatus stone – a rare quartzite with a leathered finish – forms the entire bar counter
A custom ceiling pendant by Madrid-based designer Pablo Bolumar is suspended above the counter like a string of pearly beads.
Pieces by several local designers are featured in the restaurant, including ceramic vases by Fefostudio
On the walls, panels of burl wood veneer are framed in white oak, which matches the refinished original parquet floors.
“We were able to sand back [the flooring] after it was hidden for years in the previous restaurant,” Polonsky said.
To contrast the blue-green dining area, kitchen cabinetry is coloured maroon as another nod to the rosella bird’s feathers
A trio of panels feature a custom wallpaper drawn by artist Hollie M Kelley, displaying the feathers of an eastern rosella bird.
Kelley also drew the icon for the sister restaurant, a western rosella, which has different colours in its plumage.
The maroon hues in the wallpaper are echoed on the cabinetry behind the kitchen counter, differentiating the food preparation area from the blue-green of the dining space.
Other details include a panel of vertical wood slats for storing plates above the sink and moulded-glass scones shaped like scallop shells.
Vertical wood slats provide spaces for storing dishes
The bar stools were crafted by Maderas Collective in Nicaragua and upholstered by Ecua in Queens, while ceramic vases were sourced from New York-based Fefostudio.
In the bathroom, green tiles laid in a herringbone pattern cover the walls and a rice paper pendant light hand-painted by Claire Dufournier hangs from the ceiling.
The bathroom features dark green tiles and a hand-painted rice paper pendant light
For those looking for more Japanese restaurants with notable interiors, New York City has plenty of options to choose from.
Check out the Rockwell Group-designed Katsuya close to Hudson Yards, Rule of Thirds by Love is Enough in Greenpoint, and Tsukimi in the East Village designed by Post Company – formerly known as Studio Tack.
Texas architecture studio Side Angle Side has adapted a 1960s post office into a food market and restaurant in Austin.
Opened in October 2023 in the Hyde Park area, Tiny Grocer serves as a speciality market, bar and cafe while Bureau de Poste is a modern French bistro led by celebrity chef Jo Chan.
Side Angle Side has transformed a 1960s post office into a food market and restaurant
Austin-based commercial and residential architecture firm Side Angle Side renovated the 3,500-square foot (325-square metre) 1967 US Post Office building and added a 1,500-square foot (140-square metre) outdoor dining patio.
“The Hyde Park U.S. Post Office was an important neighborhood hub in the 1960s – so we were especially careful to keep the integrity and spirit of the mid-century-utilitarian design,” Arthur Furman, founding partner of Side Angle Side, told Dezeen.
The team sought to preserve the building’s history as a community hub
“As the anchor tenant in the space, Tiny Grocer continues to be the centre of the community, a place to gather, shop, eat and drink.”
The shell of the white brick building was left intact, but the street-facing facade was previously used as a loading dock so the team transformed the back-of-house edge into a welcoming patio for the neighbourhood by removing the asphalt and adding two large live oak trees and a steel trellis and planters.
The exterior of the building was kept intact
A cast-in-place concrete banquette holds the edge of the patio that is paved with antique red brick.
The steel planter forms a boundary between the parking area and the dining space, while the other edge is held by a light grey-coloured stucco restroom building. White metal furniture from Isimar and Portofino was used to furnish the patio.
“The patio and wine garden is the real heart of the project,” the team said, mentioning that it wasn’t within the original scope of the project but added later when its larger value was realized. “This is where all the care and thought of the interior spills to the outside, creating a lively environment.”
The renovated building has exposed concrete floors from the original building
On the interior, Side Angle Side complemented the original ceiling and open web joists with metal decking and industrial warehouse pendants by AQ Lighting. The polished concrete floors expose the weathered imperfections and show the history of the building.
Upon entering, shoppers take in the colourful selection of curated products displayed on white oak mercantile shelving. Green millwork hugs one wall and the space widens to an open interior plan.
A patio and wine garden is at the heart of the project
A central deli and coffee bar floats in the middle of the room and creates a transition from the market to the bistro. The bar is wrapped in Seneca terracotta tile and topped with grey and white quartz countertops. Wooden Soule barstools are tucked under the waterfall counter.
The back-of-house spaces hold a kitchen office, storage, and bar equipment.
“Working closely with the owner, design finishes hint at the building’s midcentury past,” the team said, referencing the custom, built-in leather banquette by Undercover Austin Upholstery that lines the bistro’s back wall.
The patio features brick flooring and white metal furniture
“The single biggest sustainable feature of this project is one that is often overlooked,” the team said, noting the adaptation of the structure. “The ‘loose fit, long life’ style of these old buildings leads to more reuse and far less waste.”
Recent adaptive reuse projects in Austin include a 1900s house converted to a luxury office by Michael Hsu and commercial units converted to an architecture studio by Baldridge Architects.
Structural engineer: Creative Engineering MEP engineer: ATS Engineers Builder: Archive Properties Commercial interior design: Side Angle Side Architects: Side Angle Side Building shell: Thought Barn Studio Landscape design: Side Angle Side & Wild Heart Dirt Owner: Steph Steele
American hotel brand Bunkhouse and interior design studio Reurbano have used motifs derived from the history of a Mexico City structure when converting it into a boutique hotel.
Hotel San Fernando is located in the Condesa neighbourhood of Mexico City, a largely residential zone that in recent years has seen an influx of national and international travellers.
Bunkhouse and Reurbano have converted a 1940s apartment building into a boutique hotel in Mexico City
Bunkhouse worked with local interior design studio Reurbano to take a 1940s apartment building and convert it into a 19-room hotel, with finishes informed by the neighbourhood.
The face of the structure was restored and painted a light green, with darker green used on the awnings that provide coverage for seating attached to the hotel’s lobby and restaurant, which open to the street through glass-paned French doors.
It features renovated spaces that maintain details of the original structure
An art deco-style logo spells out the name of the hotel above the door. Saint Fernando is known as the patron saint of engineers, and the team wanted to highlight this by maintaining the name of the original building in the branding of the new structure.
“We wanted to honour this building,” said Bunkhouse senior vice president of design Tenaya Hills.
“We love the story and the history and like to imagine what it has been for people over the decades.”
A spiral staircase leads from the lobby to the rooftop
This primary entrance features a metal door with glass panes informed by the original stained glass of the building.
The entry corridor leads past a lobby lounge, with lighting by Oaxaca studio Oaxifornia and furnishings by local gallery Originario; and design studios Daniel Y Catalina, and La Metropolitana, which also created custom furniture for all of the guest suites.
At the far end of the lobby lounge is the restaurant’s bar, which features a large semi-circular cabinet with mirrored back to hold the spirits. A chandelier by local sculptor Rebeca Cors hangs above the clay-clad bar.
French doors feature at the entrance and on some of the rooms
The entrance corridor has green encaustic concrete tiles from the original building. Other original details include the wainscotting and casement windows.
A reception area is located at the end of the corridor and behind it is a circular staircase with metal-and-wood railing that leads all the way up through the building, with landings on each of its five floors, terminating at a terrace on top of the building.
The guest rooms range from single-room setups to multi-room suites, the largest of which are accessed through French doors with opaque windows.
Here the studio departed from the greens used on the exterior and the lobby and utilised soft orange, pink and white paints.
Light colours and hand-crafted goods fill the rooms
Floors in the rooms are either tile or wood and furniture made from light-coloured wood is covered by locally derived textiles. Three rooms on the rooftop level feature furniture designed by Bunkhouse and fabricated by local design outfit B Collective Studio.
Pendant lamps and sconces by local ceramicist Anfora are found in the kitchens and bathrooms.
The rooftop features sculptural breeze blocks
The rooftop features a tiled dining and lounge area surrounded by sculptural breeze blocks, designed to mimic the original building’s patterned stained glass.
Mexican design studios Mexa and Comité de Proyectos contributed furniture pieces for the rooftop.
Other hotels in Mexico include a tile-clad structure in San Miguel de Allende by Productora and Esrawe Studio and a hotel in Mexico City with wooden lattices by PPAA.
Subtle nods to traditional Chinese architecture can be found throughout this restaurant in California, designed by LA-based Jialun Xiong.
Sichuan Impression‘s third outpost, located in Alhambra, occupies a 2,000-square-foot (186-square-metre) space that “takes an elegantly pared-down approach to family-style dining”.
Jialun Xiong chose a pared-back palette for the Sichuan Impression interiors, creating a relaxed atmosphere
Jialun Xiong took an equally relaxed approach to the interiors, combining warm and soft colours with walnut furniture and metal accents.
“For Sichuan Impression, I chose a muted palette and natural materials to encourage guests to look a little longer and see the intricacies and textures that aren’t so obvious at first glance,” said Xiong.
A free-seating area beside the bar features walnut furniture and floating metal cabinets
The restaurant is roughly divided into four dining areas, each open to one another but defined by the style of seating.
To the left of the entrance is a sequence of partitions that alternate between heavy grey plaster and delicate metal mesh screens supported by antique brass frames.
Plaster partitions separate the various sections of the restaurant
Each has a circular opening, which align to provide a continuous view along the minimalist walnut tables and benches that run along the same axis.
One table extends through an opening, accommodating larger parties when needed, and each compartment features an oversized, raw silk cloth light shade suspended above.
Walls and screens of different heights and thickness create a hierarchy of spaces
“The custom chandeliers nod to traditional Chinese lanterns and reflect Xiong’s skeletal furniture designs,” said the restaurant team.
In front of the bar is a free-seating space furnished with more wooden tables and chairs, which match the cabinetry against the far wall, while glass-fronted metal cabinets are mounted above.
A pair of chunky plaster-wrapped columns and low partitions separate a collection of booths with leather seats and upholstered cushioned backs on the other side.
The green fabric was chosen to resemble bamboo – a common material used in Sichuanese design.
Booth seating is upholstered with a green fabric chosen to evoke bamboo
At the back of the restaurant is the private dining area, which can accommodate 16 guests altogether, or two groups of eight when a sliding partition is closed.
A circular window offers a glimpse into the private space, where the pared-back material palette is continued.
A private dining room at the back has an intimate feel and can be spied through a circular window
“The secluded space is designed to feel like home with its bespoke circular dining table and ambient lighting,” said Xiong. “I believe good design doesn’t always have to be instantly recognisable, it can simply blend in.”
Xiong, who is originally from Chongqing, has also completed the retro-futuristic Chinese restaurant 19 Town close to Downtown LA. The designer recently showed her furniture and lighting pieces as part of the INTRO/LA showcase in November 2023, and at the Alcova exhibition during Art Basel in Miami in December.
