lime Archives

For our latest lookbook, we have gathered eight examples of homes where tactile and practical lime plaster walls give the interiors a natural, calming feel.

Lime plaster is a traditional wall coating typically made from sand, water and lime. It is often used in heritage buildings, since it is a breathable material that can be a good choice for damp spaces.

It also has a natural look and feel that can help to create a more rustic and peaceful atmosphere in modern homes.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring clever wine storage solutions, space-efficient bedrooms and Mediterranean-style interiors.

MA House by Timothee Mercier from Studio XM — Photo by Simone Bossi

MA House, France, by Timothee Mercier

Architect Timothee Mercier turned a rural farmhouse building in southeast France into a home for his parents that aimed to respect both the site and the region’s architectural history.

Inside, he went for a pared-back, spartan interior, where some of the house’s stone exterior was left exposed. Walls were white-washed with chaux – a local lime plaster – to create a clean backdrop for the living room’s wooden furniture.

Find out more about MA House ›

Polysmith house, London — Photo by Lorenzo Zandri

Cork House, UK, by Polysmiths

Cork-clad living spaces feature in this east London home, which architecture studio Polysmiths’ director Charles Wu designed for himself and his partner.

Wu used locally sourced timber and lime plaster for the house. A lime-plastered wall divides the main bedroom from its en-suite bathroom, which is lit by a corner lightwell.

Find out more about Cork House ›

Window seat in Herne Hill House extension by TYPE — Photo by Lorenzo Zandri

Herne Hill House, UK, by TYPE

The Herne Hill House extension replaced an existing conservatory at a south London terrace house, creating a bigger kitchen and dining room.

A peaceful window nook gives views out of the garden from the open-plan kitchen, which features walls covered in lime plaster. Their pale beige hue contrasts the warm terracotta-coloured quarry-tile floor.

Find out more about Herne Hill House ›

Interior by Menard Dworkind — Photo by David Dworkind

Québec home, Canada, by Ménard Dworkind

This home in Montréal centres around a lime-plastered, curved central block that sweeps around a staircase and forms a mezzanine level that overlooks the living room.

Here, the rounded wall holds a terracotta fireplace. A geometric steel table adds a more modernist and industrial feel to the organic interior.

Find out more about the Québec home ›

Plywood kitchen inside Iceberg apartment by Laila Architecture — Photo by Mikaela Burstow

Iceberg apartment, Israel, by Laila Architecture

Natural lime plaster covers the walls in this Israeli apartment, which gets its name from a large birch plywood storage volume resembling an iceberg.

In the kitchen, the plaster walls were complemented with birch plywood cabinetry and sunny pastel-hued chairs.

Find out more about the Iceberg apartment ›

Kitchen inside Low Energy House designed by Architecture for London — Photo by Lorenzo Zandri and Christian Brailey

Low Energy House, UK, by Architecture for London

The minimalist interior of this energy-saving home in north London was designed using wood, stone and lime plaster by studio Architecture for London.

Designed as a home for its founder, Ben Ridley, it had some problems with dampness. To help solve this, walls were coated with lime plaster to form an airtight layer, mitigating any heat loss.

Find out more about Low Energy House ›

Living room in Casa Soleto — Photo by Salva López

Casa Soleto, Italy, by Studio Andrew Trotter and Marcelo Martínez

Studio Andrew Trotter and Marcelo Martínez renovated this 17th-century Puglia house, using natural materials and colours wherever possible.

Earth-coloured lime plaster decorates the walls, adding to the rustic feel of the space and matching the tactile and rough-hewn materials and furniture used for the interior.

Find out more about Casa Soleto ›

Church Street extension by Whittaker Parsons — Photo by Jim Stephenson

North London home, UK, by Whittaker Parsons

A home in London’s Stoke Newington was given an additional storey made from copper, larch and structural insulated panels, which houses a bedroom suite.

Architecture studio Whittaker Parsons chose lime plaster for the walls of the space, which was designed to have a serene feel.

“Lime render is a calming tactile material, characterful and soft,” said Whittaker Parsons. “It is a low-carbon alternative to gypsum plaster. It’s also a hygroscopic material, so it naturally moderates the moisture level in the bedroom.”

Find out more about this North London home ›

Reference

Spazio Maiocchi’s bar extension in milan

Spazio Maiocchi, a contemporary art space and cultural hub in the heart of Milan, has recently unveiled its new extension, a vibrant and modern bar. Its striking design, conceptualized by Capsule magazine and architect Paul Cournet, features a bold use of color and clear forms, creating a dynamic contrast between the intense shades of red and green. The eye-catching aesthetic is the result of collaborations with renowned designers, including Konstantin Grcic, and Ettore Sottsass among others. This new extension adds to the already rich cultural scene offered by Spazio Maiocchi, providing a stylish and welcoming environment where visitors can enjoy the Milanese energy.

all images by Capsule

One year after the launch of Capsule magazine (see more here), Capsule Plaza was created as a hybrid between a fair and a collective exhibition. This initiative brought together designers and companies from various creative fields, injecting fresh energy into Milan Design Week. The inaugural edition of Capsule Plaza coincided with milan design week 2023, celebrating the city’s lively design scene. On this occasion, Capsule Plaza unveiled the new extension of Spazio Maiocchi — a striking former garage across the street, renovated by architect Paolo Caracini and Laboratorio Permanente, reaching a footprint of over 1600 sqm and reasserting its presence as a new cultural hub.

wooden wall tiles by Ettore Sottsass incorporate natural warmth and texture into the space

a Symphony of Materials

The new bar is a natural extension of Spazio Maiocchi’s mission to bring together artists, creatives, and the community to foster cultural exchange. The space boasts a stunning design, featuring a striking combination of materials, such as Mutina DIN tiles in glossy red and matte black, created by Konstantin Grcic, and wooden wall tiles by the renowned designer Ettore Sottsass. The resulting aesthetic is bold and contemporary, while also incorporating natural warmth and texture into the space.

Adding to the design’s glossy are the horizontal suspended lamps by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec and a USM bar counter in lime green. This diverse material choice imparts a sophisticated and timeless aesthetic to the overall composition, with the patterns and forms lending an illusion of space extension. Other details from aluminum shelves and wall sconces to a pedestal sink in rust-colored reinforced concrete contribute their own unique flair to the imposing design.

the lime green USM bar counter creates a dynamic contrast against the red background.