Happy new year from Dezeen! We’ll be back tomorrow, but in the meantime, you can read about the biggest design and architecture stories of 2023 and our full review of the year.
The review looks at the most interesting architecture, design and interior stories from 2022. It includes roundups of the the year’s rebrands, innovative materials, restaurant and bar interiors, controversies, US architecture, cabins and more.
Australia has become the first country in the world to ban engineered stone, following rising cases of silicosis among workers who handle the material.
The ban was agreed at a meeting of Australian federal and state workplace ministers on Wednesday, and will come into place across the country from 1 July 2024.
The ban targets engineered stone, also known as agglomerated stone – a type of material made by mixing crushed stone with a resin binder.
“This is a dangerous product”
While it is valued as a durable and affordable alternative to natural stone for kitchen benchtops, the material can be dangerous while being cut because it releases a fine silica dust into the air.
Australia has recorded rising cases of the lung disease silicosis in stonemasons who have handled the product, leading it to be dubbed “the asbestos of the 2020s” by union leader Zach Smith.
“This is a dangerous product that’s known to cause the potentially fatal disease silicosis, and it has no place in our workplaces,” said Queensland industrial relations minister Grace Grace in a statement following the meeting.
“The rate of silicosis illness in Australia for those working with engineered stone is unacceptable,” said her Western Australian counterpart Simone McGurk. “This prohibition will ensure future generations of workers are protected from silicosis associated with working with engineered stone.”
Ban follows report finding no safe level of silica in engineered stone
The move comes nine months after an investigation by three Australian news outlets accused supplier Caesarstone of not doing enough to warn people of the dangers of working with the material and the country’s construction union launched a campaign calling for the ban.
A subsequent report by the national policy body Safe Work Australia found that engineered stone workers were significantly over-represented in silicosis cases and were being diagnosed with the disease at much younger ages than workers from other industries, with most being under the age of 35.
It also found that the risk from engineered stone was distinct from that of natural stone due to the material’s physical and chemical composition, and that this was likely contributing to more rapid and severe disease.
The report concluded that no level of silica was safe in engineered stone and that the material should be prohibited in its entirety.
Silicosis is caused by tiny particles of silica becoming embedded in the lining of the lungs and manifests in symptoms such as shortness of breath, cough, weakness and fatigue.
The condition is life-altering and potentially fatal, with many formerly healthy young sufferers describing being unable to work or play with their kids.
Caesarstone commits to supplying Australia with “alternative products”
In response to news of the ban, Caesarstone commented that while it disagreed with the decision, it is taking the necessary steps to ensure supply of alternative materials to Australian consumers.
“The Caesarstone brand is well known in Australia and its products have earned tremendous success over the years,” said Caesarstone CEO Yos Shiran. “We are already taking steps to supply our Australian market with alternative products while maintaining our strong market presence.”
It has previously argued that its material is safe if handled correctly and that the silicosis danger was the fault of employers and work safety bodies.
The ban will apply to the manufacturing, supplying, processing and installing of engineered stone but not its removal, repair, disposal or minor modifications.
Australia’s workplace ministers will meet again in March 2024 to finalise details of the ban, including the transition period for contracts that have already been implemented and the precise definition of engineered stone.
The country’s Model Work Health and Safety Regulations currently exclude concrete and cement products, bricks and pavers, porcelain, ceramic tiles, roof tiles, grout, mortar and render, and plasterboard from the definition of engineered stone, but ministers have indicated that additional products would be added to the exemptions.
This may allow future engineered stone products to be exempted from the ban if there is “compelling evidence” that they can be used safely.
Four vacation rental apartments within a green-painted building in San Juan, Puerto Rico, are each designed with a slightly different take on “minimalism meets retro-chic”.
Verde contains four minimalist apartments: two studios and two one-bedroom apartments, all a 10-minute walk to Ocean Park Beach.
Each of the four apartments in Verde has a different interior, including the cool-toned Verde 1
The units were designed and are operated by LGBTQIA-owned hospitality group Dreamers Welcome, which manages over 60 rentable rooms across hotels, multi-unit properties and single-family dwellings in Puerto Rico and North Carolina.
All of the spaces at Verde are designed to create a “cohesive contrast where minimalism meets retro-chic charm”, according to the owners.
Verde 1 studio features concrete furniture and a giant keyhole that leads to an outdoor shower
The loft-like Verde 1 studio boasts 12-foot (3.7-metre) ceilings and opens onto a private terrace, complete with a water feature and hammock.
Inside, antique checkerboard tiles cover the floor and polished concrete furniture elements including a table-cum-counter and a centrally positioned headboard add Brutalist touches.
Verde 2 has a warmer palette, with honey-toned floors and colourful accents
Walls are painted pale blue until halfway up, then replaced with beige that continues across the ceiling.
A giant keyhole behind folding glass doors provides access to a small outdoor pool with a shower.
Verde 2 has access to two outdoor spaces, including one with a pink concrete tub and rain shower
Verde 2 features a warmer palette, with honey-toned floor tiles and pink concrete surfaces including the outdoor shower and soaking tub.
This one-bedroom apartment has access to an additional terrace, wrapped with wood slats for privacy, and has colourful accents throughout.
In Verde 3, tinted glass gives the room an amber glow
“The oversized windows overlook a verdant plant enclosure allowing for plenty of natural light to pour in,” said Dreamers Welcome.
Upstairs, Verde 3 is another studio unit, where retro-tinted glass gives the whole space an amber glow.
Neutral hues are used through the majority of one-bed Verde 4
A compact kitchenette opens onto a balcony enclosed by concrete blocks and more tinted glass.
“Midcentury modern pieces like lamp fixtures, peacock chairs, and wood panelling create a unique contemporary vibe rooted in the past,” Dreamers Welcome said.
In contrast, Verde 4’s bathroom features olive green walls and a pink double vanity and shower
The final one-bedroom apartment, Verde 4, is decorated in neutral tones apart from the bathroom, which has olive green walls and pink concrete double vanity and shower.
A hammock is installed in the bedroom and a corduroy sofa in the living area can sleep a third guest.
There’s a full kitchen for those who wish to cook for themselves, and a balcony for eating and relaxing outside.
Two of the four apartments also have access to a secret room, which is lined entirely with silver foil as an homage to Andy Warhol’s Factory in New York City.
Two of the units have access to a Warhol-themed secret room
Guests won’t know if the space they’ve booked is one of those with access until they arrive and discover the room by exploring for themselves.
Dreamers Welcome was founded by entrepreneur Stephan Watts and artist Roy Delgado, and the duo design the interiors for each of their properties themselves.
The apartments are housed within a green-painted building 10 minute’s walk from Ocean Park Beach
Puerto Rico’s Caribbean climate makes it a popular tourist destination, particularly for American tourists, and the island has a wealth of accommodation options to cater to them.
A 1920s residence that was destroyed by Hurricane Maria and then converted into a luxury holiday home in Dorado, and pairs of apartments stacked in rectangular concrete blocks to form a self-sufficient guesthouse are among other choices for holiday makers.
A curvilinear thatched hut has been paired with terracotta-hued tiles at the Amsterdam store for homeware brand Polspotten, which was designed by local studio Space Projects.
The studio created the store to straddle a shop and an office for Polspotten, a furniture and home accessories brand headquartered in the Dutch capital.
Visitors enter the Polspotten store via an oversized triangular entranceway
Characterised by bold angles and arches, the outlet features distinctive terracotta-coloured walls and flooring that nod to traditional pots, Space Projects founder Pepijn Smit told Dezeen.
“The terracotta-inspired colours and materials refer to the brand’s first product, ‘potten’ – or pots,” said Smit, alluding to the first Spanish pots imported by Erik Pol when he founded Polspotten in the Netherlands in 1986.
The interconnected spaces are delineated by cutouts
Located in Amsterdam’s Jordaan neighbourhood, the store was arranged across a series of open-plan rooms, interconnected by individual geometric entryways.
Visitors enter at a triangular opening, which was cut away from gridded timber shelving lined with multicoloured pots that mimic totemic artefacts in a gallery.
A curvilinear thatched hut provides a meeting space
The next space features a similar layout, as well as a plump cream sofa with rounded modules and sculptural pots stacked in a striking tower formation.
Travelling further through the store, molten-style candle holders and Polspotten furniture pieces were positioned next to chunky illuminated plinths, which exhibit amorphously shaped vases finished in various coral-like hues.
Accessed through a rectilinear, terracotta-tiled opening, the final space features a bulbous indoor hut covered in thatch and fitted with a light pink opening.
The hut provides a meeting space for colleagues, according to the studio founder.
“The thatch, as a natural material, absorbs sound as well,” explained Smit.
The store provides an art gallery-style space for homeware
Next to the hut, Space Projects created an acoustic wall illustrated with “hieroglyphics” of Polspotten products, which references the gallery-like theme that runs throughout the outlet.
“The store was inspired by Polspotten’s use of traditional techniques combined with a collage of their reinterpreted archetypes,” said Smit.
It is also used as an office space
Elsewhere in Amsterdam, Dutch practice Studio RAP used 3D printing and algorithmic design to create a “wave-like” facade for a boutique store while interior designer Linda Bergroth created the interiors for the city’s Cover Story paint shop to streamline the redecorating process for customers.
As part of our review of 2023, Dezeen readers have voted Casa Tres Árboles by Direccion the best home interior of 2023.
After 400 votes, the project in Mexico was the clear winner, with almost 35 per cent of people picking it from the poll that ran throughout December.
Dezeen readers named Casa Tres Árboles best home interior of 2023. Photo by Fabian Martinez
Informed by “monastic sanctuaries” and designed to celebrate light and shadows, Casa Tres Árboles is a weekend home in Mexico’s Valle de Bravo.
Mexican studio Direccion, used combined natural materials and an earthy colour palette for the interiors of the split-level home.
Dezeen readers picked the home form a shortlist that included projects from Spain, The Netherlands, UK, Australia, Japan, South Africa and USA.
The rest of the vote was pretty evenly split, with the Hiroo Residence in central Tokyo, the second most popular choice – receiving 12 percent of the vote.
Designed by architect Keiji Ashizawa, the 200-square-metre apartment features numerous wooden finishes combined with subtle tones of grey and beige.
Hiroo Residence was readers second favourite project. Photography by Tomooki Kengaku
Four further projects were joint third most popular – Dumbo loft by Crystal Sinclair Designs, House by the Sea by Of Architecture, Torres Blancas apartment by Studio Noju and Domūs Houthaven apartment by Shift Architecture Urbanism – each receiving nine per cent of the vote
2023 review
This article is part of Dezeen’s roundup of the biggest and best news and projects in architecture, design, interior design and technology from 2023.
Already thinking about your next getaway post-Christmas? Here is Dezeen’s pick of 2023’s top 10 hotels, put together as part of our review of the year.
Our selection of the most popular and noteworthy hotels featured on Dezeen this year includes what is possibly the world’s skinniest in Indonesia, the grand conversion of a 1940s bank building in Rome and a place in Tbilisi that aims to make guests feel like they’re inside a movie.
Read on for the full list:
Photo by David Permadi
PituRooms, Indonesia, by Sahabat Selojene
This seven-room hotel in Central Java is just 2.8 metres wide. Each compact room contains a double bed and bathroom pod with a toilet and shower.
“Aside from the technical difficulties, the biggest challenge was the typical mindset surrounding the hospitality industry that is used to superlative words: biggest, tallest, most luxurious,” Sahabat Selojene studio founder Ary Indra told Dezeen. “Here we are skinniest.”
PituRooms was not the only skinny hotel to capture readers attention in 2023, with 324Praxis’ Sep’on Heartfulness Centre in Vietnam similarly slender.
Find out more about PituRooms ›
Photo by Nikolas Koenig
The Rome Edition, Italy, by The Edition
Dramatic seven-metre-high ceilings, full-height windows with green curtains and travertine surfaces grace the lobby of The Rome Edition.
Created by Amercian entrepreneur Ian Schrager’s hotel group The Edition, the 91-room hotel opened this year in a 1940s bank building. Other highlights include the intimate Jade Bar, which is fully lined in deep green antique marble and furnished with emerald-coloured velvet seating.
Find out more about The Rome Edition ›
Photo courtesy of Blueberry Nights
Blueberry Nights, Georgia, by Sandro Takaishvili
Georgian architect Sandro Takaishvili wanted Tbilisi’s Blueberry Nights to make guests feel “like they’re inside a movie, where everything feels slightly familiar but otherworldly at the same time”.
With a theatrical colour scheme and cinematic moody lighting, its design evokes the visual style of directors such as Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch, while film projectors feature in all 16 rooms.
Find out more about Blueberry Nights ›
Photo by César Béjar
Boca de Agua, Mexico, by Frida Escobedo
Wooden guest quarters perched on stilts characterise Boca de Agua, a resort in the Yucatán Peninsula designed by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo
The villas – including one with a private pool and terrace – were raised up to reduce the environmental impact of the ground plane and to raise guests into the leafy jungle landscape.
Find out more about Boca de Agua ›
Photo by Adrian Gaut
Borgo Santandrea, Italy, by Bonaventura Gambardella and Nikita Bettoni
Overlooking the historic fishing village of Conca dei Marini on the Amalfi Coast, the 1960s Borgo Santandrea hotel was restored by architect Bonaventura Gambardella and interior designer Nikita Bettoni.
The hotel incorporates the atmospheric medieval stone fortifications carved into the cliff below, with some of the guest rooms built into the old ramparts.
Find out more about Borgo Santandrea ›
Photo by Emily Andrews
Maison Brummell Majorelle, Morocco, by Bergendy Cooke and Amine Abouraoui
Located next to the famous Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech, this boutique hotel was designed by New Zealand studio Bergendy Cooke in collaboration with Moroccan architect Amine Abouraoui.
With its sculptural, monolithic aesthetic and recurring arched openings inside and out, it was intended as a playful contemporary twist on the site’s history and the city’s traditional architecture.
Find out more about Maison Brummell Majorelle ›
Photo by Montse Garriga
The Lodge, Spain, by Pilar García-Nieto
From Único Hotels, The Lodge occupies a 500-year-old farmhouse in Mallorca on a 157-hectare estate filled with almond and olive trees, lavender fields and hiking trails.
Interior designer Pilar García-Nieto kept the interiors mostly clean and minimal but left traces of the building’s agricultural past visible – most spectacularly an old stone mill for pressing olive oil, which stands in what is now the hotel reception area.
Find out more about The Lodge ›
Photo by Darren Soh
Pan Pacific Orchard, Singapore, by WOHA
Large, elevated garden terraces are cut into the form of this tall hotel building in Singapore designed by architecture studio WOHA, including one 18 floors up.
The studio wanted the hotel to have verdant views on all storeys despite its urban location, while the terraces also provide passive cooling in the humid climate.
Find out more about Pan Pacific Orchard ›
Photo by Ambroise Tézenas
Vermelho, Portugal, by Christian Louboutin and Madalena Caiado
Fashion designer Christian Louboutin teamed up with architect Madalena Caiado to create this 13-room hotel in the Portuguese village of Melides.
Its traditionalist architecture meets maximalist interiors, with the rooms containing furniture from Louboutin’s personal collection as well as objects produced by local craftsmen. Louboutin talked to Dezeen about design process behind the hotel in an exclusive interview.
Find out more about Vermelho ›
Photo by Felix Brueggemann
Château Royal, Germany, by Irina Kromayer and others
Berlin’s renovated Château Royal references the German capital’s heyday at the turn of the 20th century through abundant oak panelling, art nouveau tiles, sisal carpets and hardware in brass and nickel.
The 93-room hotel comprises two buildings dating from 1850 and 1910, in addition to a newer building and roof extension designed by David Chipperfield Architects.
Find out more about Château Royal ›
2023 review
This article is part of Dezeen’s roundup of the biggest and best news and projects in architecture, design, interior design and technology from 2023.
Continuing our 2023 review, we revisit the most popular lookbooks of the year – from minimalist bedrooms and biophilic homes to marble-lined bathrooms and kitchens with tiled worktops.
This year, the most-read lookbooks included wood-panelled dining rooms, homes with space-saving pocket doors and rooms with beautiful and practical bookshelves.
Read on to discover 10 of our most popular lookbooks of 2023:
Above: photo by Imagen Subliminal. Top: photo by Edmund Sumner
Eight homes with beautiful and practical bookshelves
This lookbook for booklovers was our most-read lookbook this year. It showcased homes where designers have created stylish bookshelves – both wall-mounted and built-in.
Among the projects on show is an apartment in Madrid, Spain, which was designed by Spanish studio Zooco Estudio and features white shelving units that span two floors and provide plenty of space to store reading materials.
See more homes with beautiful bookshelves ›
Photo by Nicole Franzen
Eight kitchens with tiled worktops that are pretty but practical
There’s plenty of kitchen inspiration to be found in this lookbook, which explored kitchens with tiled worktops.
Among the examples is a New York apartment that features a kitchen island covered in oxblood-coloured tiles (above), as well as a pastel-hued Belgian kitchen and a colourful Spanish kitchen in a former motorcycle workshop.
See more kitchens with tiled worktops ›
Photo by Anson Smart
Eight calming bedrooms with minimalist interiors
The bedrooms in this lookbook range from a Mexican bedroom with a concrete bed to a cosy space in a former girls’ school in Puglia, all in a colour palette that mainly features beige, gray, and warm brown hues.
To create soothing, calming bedroom spaces, walls were left bare and the amount of artworks and personal items were kept to a minimum in these projects.
See more calming bedroooms ›
Photo by Delfino Sisto Legnani and Alessandro Saletta from DSL Studio
Ten modern homes with interiors informed by biophilic design
Biophilic design, which aims to create spaces in which humans are more connected to nature, has been a trend this year and looks set to continue its ascent in 2024.
Homes with indoor trees, aquaponic systems with live fish, green roofs and verdant courtyards filled with plants are among the biophilic interior design examples in this lookbook.
See more homes with biophilic design ›
Photo by Sobajima, Toshihiro
Ten residential interiors that make the most of narrow spaces
Narrow interior layouts can be hard to decorate, but this roundup gave plenty of examples of how to work with tight living areas, kitchens wedged into corridors and interiors in skinny Japanese houses.
Tips include adding split-level floors, using built-in furniture to add visual depth and using glass doors to allow more light to penetrate the house.
See more residential interiors with narrow spaces ›
Photo by Megan Taylor
Eight tidy kitchens with slick storage solutions
This lookbook presented eight well-organised kitchens, where smart storage solutions help to hide clutter and create a more pleasant cooking experience. The projects, which range from compact apartments to home extensions, use hooks, nooks, racks, shelves, cubby holes and display units to make the best use of space.
Featured kitchens include the above example from London, which uses multifunctional plywood partitions with arched openings and alcoves for storing belongings.
See more tidy kitchens ›
Photo by Salva López
Ten earthy bedrooms that use natural colour to create a restful environment
Dreamy bedrooms from Mexico to Thailand were showcased in this lookbook, which gathers interiors that use earthy colour palettes and natural materials to evoke a sense of calm and tranquility.
Earthy browns, neutral beige and tan colours are complemented by terracotta and green hues to create bedrooms with a peaceful atmosphere, while materials include stone, timber, linen, clay accents and limewash finishes.
See more earthy bedrooms in neutral colours ›
Photo by Yoshihiro Makino
Ten bathrooms where marble lines the walls
Carrera and Verde Aver marble, as well as similar natural stones such as travertine and quartzite, decorate these 10 bathrooms.
Whether it’s a renovated 1920s Stockholm apartment clad in Swedish Ekeberg marble, or a bathroom in an art-deco building covered in green Verde Aver marble (above), this lookbook showcases how the durable material can be used to create elegant interiors.
See more marble-lined bathrooms ›
Ten homes with space-saving pocket doors that disappear into the walls
Pocket doors – sliding doors that are designed to slot into a wall cavity so they can stay hidden from view – were the subject of this lookbook, which was one of the most popular of last year.
The solution is especially useful for rooms where there isn’t enough space for a door to open outwards and for locations where it makes sense for the door to integrate into surrounding joinery.
See more homes with pocket doors ›
Photo by Roland Halbe
Eight welcoming wood-panelled dining rooms
The cosiness of a wood-panelled dining room was the focus of this lookbook, which collected eight examples of homes where wood took centre stage.
Among the examples is this house in Chile, above, which features an open-plan kitchen and dining room with a vaulted ceiling that is clad in laminated pine.
See more wood-panelled dining rooms ›
2023 review
This article is part of Dezeen’s roundup of the biggest and best news and projects in architecture, design, interior design and technology from 2023.
Several restaurants and a hotel have opened within Detroit’s historic Book Tower as part of a years-long restoration project of the building undertaken by its developer and architecture studio ODA.
The 1920s skyscraper has undergone extensive restoration work over the past seven years by local developer Bedrock, which has transformed the former office building into a mixed-use space.
Among Book Tower’s restored features are a grand glass dome, which sits over the lobby’s Bar Rotunda
A collaboration with Method Co has led to the first phase of restaurant and bar concepts, which were introduced through the course of 2023.
“We have been ever-mindful of what the restoration of Book Tower means to this city,” said Randall Cook, CEO and cofounder of Method Co, “and we’ve worked hard to create hospitality concepts that will excite and reconnect Detroiters to Book Tower once again, and at the same time honour the heritage of this magnificent property.”
Developers Bedrock worked with architects ODA on the restoration of the 1920s neoclassical building
Located on Washington Boulevard in Downtown Detroit, the 38-storey neoclassical building was designed by Louis Kamper – a prolific and celebrated architect in the city during its Gilded Age.
New York architecture firm ODA was hired to update and expand the programming and existing structures, resulting in half a million square feet (46,450 square metres) of mixed-use space.
Method Co was brought on to conceptualise and operate multiple culinary offerings within the building, including Le Suprême brasserie at street level
The work included restoring the exterior windows and stonework and bringing an ornate domed glass ceiling back to life.
Method Co was then brought on to conceptualise three restaurants and bars, as well as a hotel, and operate each of these venues within the building.
Designed with Stokes Architecture + Design, Le Suprême includes a zinc bar top, hand-made tiles and mosaic marble flooring
Dining options include Le Suprême, a classic French brasserie that offers an all-day menu and both indoor and outdoor seating at street level for up to 210 guests.
Designed in collaboration with Stokes Architecture + Design, the 6,200-square-foot space features a traditional zinc bar top, hand-made art nouveau tiles, mosaic marble flooring and oxblood leather booths.
Furniture and decor were chosen to reflect Detroit’s cultural heritage, and photos on the walls of the Le Mans car race tie to the city’s automobile legacy.
On the 14th floor is Kamper’s, a rooftop cocktail bar designed with ODA
On the 14th floor is Kamper’s, a rooftop cocktail bar designed with ODA comprising an indoor lounge that opens onto an expansive outdoor terrace via large French doors.
The cosy interior has exposed brick walls and dark wood accents, complemented by marble mosaic flooring, antiqued mirrors and velvet drapery.
Kamper’s opens onto an expansive terrace with views across Detroit
Bar Rotunda sits below the glass dome and acts as an all-day lobby cafe and bar, with 70 seats surrounded by ornate architectural details that recall the grand eateries of early 20th-century Paris.
“The space is canopied by a beautifully restored 100-year-old Keppler Glass dome that features more than 7,000 individual jewels and 6,000 glass panels making it an architectural centerpiece,” said Method Co, which also worked with ODA on this space.
Also planned to open soon within Book Tower are sake pub Sakazuki, and izakaya and omakase-style dining spot Hiroki-San.
The hotel component of the building, Roost Detroit, offers short and long-stay accommodation in contemporary apartment-style spaces, alongside The Residences that are purchasable as permanent homes.
The building’s accommodation component, Roost Detroit, is Method Co’s latest iteration of its apartment hotel brand
Roost Detroit is the latest iteration of Method Co’s apartment hotel brand, joining multiple outposts in Philadelphia – including the Morris Adjmi-designed East Market – along with Tampa, Cleveland and more across the US.
The company also operates The Quoin boutique hotel in Wilmington, Delaware, which offers 24 guest rooms within a converted bank building, and the Whyle extended-stay property in Washington DC that was longlisted in the hotel and short-stay interior category of Dezeen Awards 2021.
Roost Detroit offers short and extended stays within contemporary spaces of various sizes and configurations
Downtown Detroit’s revitalisation has taken shape over the past few years, and a handful of new hotels have opened to accommodate visitors who are returning to witness its cultural and creative rebirth.
They include The Siren Hotel, designed by ASH NYC to recall the city’s glamorous past, and the Shinola Hotel, which Gachot Studios designed for the local watch company of the same name.
New York studio Civilian has designed the headquarters for a documentary production company in Manhattan’s Flatiron District, which includes an art deco-influenced screening room.
The offices for award-winning Sandbox Films are located in a landmarked 1920s neo-gothic skyscraper, and provide the company with its first dedicated workspace.
Civilian’s interiors of the Sandbox Films offices draw upon multiple references, from old movie theatres to colours used by Danish modernist Poul Henningsen
Spread across 4,200 square feet (390 square metres) of space, the program includes an open-plan reception area that doubles as an events space, a conference room, private and open offices, and production and editing suites.
There’s also a 22-seat screening room with a Dolby Atmos sound system, in which the team and their visitors can preview the completed or in-progress cuts.
In the centre of the reception area is a custom, double-sided sofa upholstered in velvet and boucle fabrics
The non-profit documentary production company makes cinematic science films, many of which have won or received nominations for prestigious awards.
Among them are Fire of Love, which was nominated for Best Documentary Feature at the 95th Academy Awards in 2022; Emmy-winning Fathom; Sundance winner All Light, Everywhere; and Fireball, co-directed by Werner Herzog.
Another custom design is the meeting room table, which has ash legs and a white lacquered top
“Inspired by [our] clients’ love for the craft of storytelling, the space was informed by the grandeur of the amenity-rich yet intimate early movie houses of Stockholm and Amsterdam, art deco cinemas, the architectural colour gestures of Danish modernist designer Poul Henningsen, and the vanished world of interwar New York conjured by the project’s Broadway address,” said Civilian.
The reception area revolves around a circular stone-topped bar, which demarcates a staff pantry area by day, and can be used for serving food and drinks for events.
Vintage pieces sourced for the space include a pair of swivelling Milo Boughman chairs
“With an active roster of screenings, events and a residency program for independent filmmakers, the space acts as an office as well as a dynamic center of gravity for New York’s nonfiction film community at large,” the team said.
A custom double-sided, Pierre Chareau-inspired boucle and velvet sofa sits opposite a pair of refinished Milo Boughman swivel chairs.
A bar area in reception acts as a pantry by day and is used for hosting events in the evening
Marquee lights are installed in rows along the sides of the existing ceiling beams, with additional sconces mounted on the plastered pantry wall.
Structural columns have been wrapped in travertine cladding to highlight thresholds between the different spaces.
Wood panelling and film posters hark back to art deco movie theatres
On either side of the reception, acoustic partitions with glass panels and mint-green frames cordon off the bright conference room and a private office.
Furnishing the conference room is a custom-designed meeting table that combines a solid ash frame and a high-gloss curved lacquer top, surrounded by vintage Tobia Scarpa Sling Chairs.
A communal workspace features sit-stand desks, oak dividers and plenty of ledges for plants
From reception, a neon-lit burgundy door leads into the screening room, where three tiers of seating face the large screen like in a mini movie theatre.
The cushioned seats are upholstered in soft powder-blue fabric, which contrasts with walnut wainscoting, and sound-absorbing brown wool wall panels that conceal the equipment.
Each chair has an individual armrest table for placing drinks or writing notes, complete with a small light created in collaboration with Lambert et Fils.
More private offices, sound-proofed editing suites and an open workspace are accessed via a short L-shaped corridor.
A 22-seat screening room allows the team and their visitors to preview documentary films
In the communal work area, sit-stand desks feature white oak divider panels and are topped with a stone ledge for displaying objects and plants.
“This project has given us an opportunity to draw from so many inspiring references, from its iconic Broadway location to historic theatre architecture, to create an elevated and layered space that supports the work Sandbox is doing to uplift documentary film talent,” said Civilian co-founder Ksenia Kagner.
The screening rooms boasts a Dolby Atmos sound system, and includes chairs with individual armrest tables for drinks or note-writing
“We also felt it was important to be responsive to the changing priorities of the modern workplace, creating open, multipurpose spaces that nurture interaction and foster a sense of community,” she added.
Civilian was founded in 2018 by Kagner and Nicko Elliott, and the designers have since completed projects ranging from the transformation of Detroit’s historic Book Depository into a headquarters for tech company Newlab, to the renovation of a historic Bed-Stuy townhouse for themselves.
Lisbon interior design practice Bacana Studio took cues from Portugal’s coastal traditions for the interiors of a João Luís Carrilho da Graça-designed Anfibio restaurant.
Located alongside the Tejo river, the restaurant was designed to “merge the duality of the sea and the land,” the interiors studio told Dezeen.
Striped benches create a corridor from the bar to the terrace
Named Anfibio – Latin for amphibious, meaning suited for both land and water – the restaurant serves both local seafood and “countryside produce”.
It is located in a glass-walled, pavilion-like structure designed by local architecture studio João Luís Carrilho da Graça alongside the Tejo river and its interiors were informed by its riverfront location drawing on the “dazzling reflections of the sun on the water”.
The lighting is designed to “allow Anfibio to transform between day and night”
Within the 500-square-metre restaurant, which is used as a nightclub in the evenings, wooden flooring was stained with a “watery green” colour and a mirror-like fabric was used on the ceiling to reflect and refract light.
“The building’s architecture aims to blend in and go unnoticed, striving to merge with the river and reflect the city of Lisbon,” said Bacana Studio founder Ingrid Aparicio.
The restaurant is located on the Tejo river
According to the Bacana Studio, the open plan layout and five-metre-high ceilings posed a lighting and acoustic challenge.
As a result, the studio focused on “creating visual and functional interest from the ground up” with decorative elements, lighting and architectural features rising up from the floor.
“It’s the lighting itself that shapes and defines the spaces,” Aparicio explained. “We devised a concept where lighting emanates from the furniture, creating intimate spaces and avoiding the sensation of being in a vast and cold space.”
Light fittings emerge from the furniture
Small brass-shaded table lamps and arched brass and glass lamps, which were crafted to resemble the antennas of aquatic creatures, provide ambient lighting for each table and unify the space.
Visitors are greeted by a curvilinear “snake sofa” that divides the restaurant into two areas – an intimate zone with smaller tables on one side, and a more communal area with a large 10-seater table on the other.
“The design is meant to encourage you to let loose, which is why the organic shapes in the sofas, tables, and chairs, create an interesting flow to the space,” explained Aparicio.
On either end of the intimate zone is a long, 20-seater community table. The studio designed these with an aim to pay homage to the spirit of Lisbon’s traditional fish markets, serving as “a symbolic nod to the shared dining experiences fostered in such lively and communal settings”.
The wait-staff station and the wood, wicker and brass bar separate the kitchen from the dining area.
The “snake sofa” divides the space
Two long, striped benches, positioned with their backs facing each other, lead out to the terrace, “segmenting the expansive layout of the restaurant into more intimate sections”.
The terrace, overlooking the port and the city of Lisbon, aims to “evoke the essence of an authentic beach club”.
Stripes were prominently used on the walls, upholstery, and furnishings, reminiscent of Portuguese fishermen’s cottages and coastal awnings.
Natural materials such as wood and wicker were prominently used
Other restaurant interiors recently featured on Dezeen include a Mexico City restaurant arranged around an upside-down pyramid bar and a converted Norwegian restaurant covered in restored paintings.
