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Cafe interior with white oak tables, burnt orange seats and a wall mural

Cafe Kitsuné Los Angeles features Parisian interiors with “Japanese twist”

By Zarkon Group,27/01/2024

Paris-based lifestyle brand Kitsuné has opened a cafe next to its boutique in Silver Lake, Los Angeles, both with minimalist interiors featuring white oak and stainless steel.

The interiors of the new Cafe Kitsuné and the renovated Maison Kitsuné store were designed by co-founder Masaya Kuroki to reflect the brand’s French-Japanese culture as well as the West Coast setting.

Facing Sunset Boulevard on the east side of the city, this is the brand’s fourth cafe in North America – following locations in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Vancouver – and its first in LA.

“A sprawling city of diverse findings, from cutting-edge restaurants to pockets of art and architecture second to none, LA has lent design inspiration and a backdrop to several campaigns for the fashion house,” said the Kitsuné team.

White oak counter front with stainless steel panels behind — White oak tables and surfaces are set against stainless steel counters and panelling for a minimalist look

“Now, it’s the perfect setting for Café Kitsuné, a physical extension of the brand’s Franco-Japanese DNA, and reinvention of the classic Parisian cafe and wine bar experience with a Japanese twist,” they added.

The building’s red-tile exterior and poured concrete flooring were preserved, and hand-painted signage by Californian artist Jeffrey Sincich was added over the large street-facing windows.

Burnt orange dining chairs and upholstered benches highlight the colours of the mural

Inside the 700-square-foot (65-square-metre) cafe, white oak tables and brushed stainless-steel counters feature alongside burnt orange dining chairs and upholstered benches.

Another Sincich mural covers the full length of a wall, offering “a whimsical take on Café Kitsuné’s standard appearance” and presenting the space as an “old-school market”.

A speaker system by Japanese audio company Rotel was installed in the cafe “to provide a top-notch sound experience for customers”, according to Kitsuné.

Next door in the boutique, a similar material palette is used for elements including a built-in storage and display unit across the back wall.

Maison Kitsuné boutique with oak panelling and bright blue central table — The existing Maison Kitsuné boutique next door has also received a refresh

White oak forms the framing, shelves and doors that lead to the stock and fitting rooms, while ribbed stainless-steel sheets provide a backdrop for the items on show.

More oak was used for the minimalist service counter and panelling behind, and a bright blue table sits in the centre to add a pop of colour.

White oak built-in shelving display for clothing, with bent metal chair in front — White oak and stainless steel are repeated in this space to create a visual connection with the cafe

Kitsuné was founded by 2002 by Kuroki and Gildas Loaëc and encompasses the fashion brand, Maison Kitsuné; a music label, Kitsuné Musique; and its line of cafes, bars and restaurants.

Back in 2017, French designer Mathieu Lehanneur designed the Kitsuné store interior in New York’s Soho, adding snaking metal rails for displaying garments.

The photography is by David Kitz.

PlayLab Inc centres “space for conversation” in Los Angeles retail store

By Zarkon Group,03/01/2024

LA studio PlayLab Inc has created a flagship store that contains a sky blue conversation pit at its centre for local clothing brand MadHappy.

PlayLab Inc split the West Hollywood store into two distinct zones – one for retail space and the other for “intimate gathering spaces”, including a cafe and a courtyard.

“Our collective goal with the design was to put space for conversation at the heart of the retail experience, creating a place that is equal parts for community dialogue and product,” PlayLab Inc co-founder Jeff Franklin told Dezeen.

“To do this we split the space down the middle, making one half a clear utility for shopping and the other a collection of intimate gathering spaces.”

a conversation pit made of light blue seating — The space was divided into separate zones for gathering and retail

Visitors enter the 2,800-square-foot (260-square-metre) store through a glass facade, which leads into a large open space with powder blue concrete flooring running throughout.

At the entrance, a blue bench emerges from a small exterior porch, while a boulder sits opposite.

a courtyard with large sliding glass doors and various stools — A cafe and courtyard were placed at the back of the store

Towards one side, the store contains a 70’s style conversation pit underneath a large skylight. Plush, sky-blue couches line the seating area, with satin aluminium side tables by Berlin-based studio New Tendency placed alongside them.

Along an adjacent limewashed wall, the studio installed built-in shelving flanked by large custom wooden speakers by New York music studio designer Danny Keith Taylor of House Under Magic.

small light green stools and tree with blue floor — The courtyard was populated with a single tree and green-stained plywood stools by Waka Waka

The social area leads into a small open-air courtyard populated by a single Tree Aloe installed by Cactus Store and green-stained plywood stools by LA studio Waka Waka.

The same green plywood was used to line the takeout window of the store’s Pantry cafe, which sits in an enclosed corner and serves local and global cuisines from brands including Japanese-based café Hotel Drugs and LA bakery Courage Bagels.

a cafe space in a retail store — Custom signage was installed along the cafe’s takeout window

A custom lightbox and a large standing menu were installed next to the takeout window to display the cafe’s signage and goods.

In the remaining interior, PlayLab Inc created a large metallic “retail bar” that spans the shop’s length for “open views of the product”, according to Franklin. The studio also dispersed custom Lego-like benches around the space, which were covered in a candy apple red gloss.

an illuminated cube sign — The store will act as a retail space and venue

Faux-stone stools and a bench were installed throughout the space.

The store also contains a multimedia room, called the Local Optimist Space, a creative venue that will host audio and visual artwork.

“The design was inspired by the concept of conversation between things – a balance of scales, materials and textures,” said Franklin.

This is the first flagship store for the clothing brand MadHappy, which previously operated from a host of pop-up concepts and stores.

wooden speakers — Local designers worked on furniture and other pieces for the store

“From the beginning, physical retail has been essential to Madhappy and its success. We’ve always viewed our shops as spaces that go beyond something purely transactional – we want them to allow our community to engage with Madhappy beyond what’s possible digitally,” MadHappy co-founder Mason Spector said in a statement.

Other recent projects by PlayLab Inc also include a plexiglass skatepark for Vans and a lifesize toy racetrack set for a Louis Vuitton menswear show.

The photography is by Sean Davidson.

Madera displays custom wood products in Los Angeles showroom

By Zarkon Group,17/10/2023

Design and fabrication firm Madera has unveiled its latest showroom in Los Angeles, which was designed to showcase wood flooring and millwork products and has been captured in this exclusive video produced by Dezeen.

The West Coast hub, which is Madera‘s second showroom, is located in the Arts District of Los Angeles while its flagship showroom is in New York City.

The showroom features a selection of wood products ranging from the brand’s signature wide-plank Thrasher flooring to custom cabinetry and benches.

The space, which was converted from a former metal foundry into a showroom, aims to encourage clients to embrace wood and view it as an essential and natural element in design.

The entryway features bespoke Douglas fir tables and benches, while the living room space has made-to-order Thrasher cabinetry showcasing the various finishes the brand offers.

The kitchen displays a large custom island combining Madera’s Dogwood Ash and Travertine finishes, while a nearby conference room houses the brand’s Abechi Façade cladding in black.

Madera showroom in Los Angeles California — The showroom kitchen features a custom island that combines Madera’s Dogwood Ash and Travertine finishes

Madera’s mission is to bring the natural beauty of wood into the spaces their clients inhabit to “redefine its place in the modern home”, according to the brand.

Its Los Angeles wood shop, where custom stair parts and millwork elements are produced, is located only a short distance from its showroom.

outside of Madera showroom in Los Angeles — Madera’s showroom is located in the Arts District of Los Angeles

The brand recently launched its Seamless Wood Design system, which aims to ensure wooden products in an interior all complement each other.

The system was created to offer designers and homeowners a customisable option that enables them to retain the character of wood throughout an interior.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen for Madera as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Pink accessory dwelling unit in Los Angeles

John Friedman and Alice Kimm include crane in Los Angeles house

By Zarkon Group,17/08/2023

Architects John Friedman and Alice Kimm have stacked a white concrete mass with sinuous cutouts into a hillside as a home for their family in Los Angeles, complete with a yellow crane in the kitchen and a pink accessory dwelling unit.

Named the JArzm house – using the first initial of each family member – the home is set into a 60-foot slope in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake neighborhood.

The 3,725-square foot (346-square metre) residence is “intensely livable and playful, as well as architecturally inventive, open, and highly crafted” according to the architecture studio.

John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects (JFAK) completed the house – and 540-square foot (50-square metre) accessory dwelling unit (ADU) – in November 2021.

ADU with curved roof structure — It is set into a slope in Los Angeles’ Silver Lake area

The white cement plaster envelope is “neither box nor blob” with curved cutouts and large expanses of glass removed from a flat cube combining the arched influences of Alvaro Siza (for whom Friedman worked in the late 1980s) and the crisp detailing of Richard Neutra, Rudolph Schindler and John Lautner (whose designs are scattered throughout the neighbourhood).

Accessed from the top of the slope, the house is inverted and sits below the street level preserving views out to the Silver Lake Reservoir and Dodger Stadium for the surrounding homes.

The entry’s curving concrete steps transition to a stainless steel staircase that leads down into the open living, kitchen and dining area, as well as two children’s bedrooms.

“Designing our own house was great because we didn’t have to ask permission,” Friedman told Dezeen. “We could do whatever we want, and we did in fact integrate some ideas and elements that other clients turned down for their particular houses.”

Yellow construction crane above the dining space — A yellow construction crane was mounted into a linear skylight in the dining area

The studio included a yellow construction crane mounted into a linear skylight above the kitchen and dining room that lifts the mirrored aluminium dining table, extends it out over the balcony and lowers it to the pool deck two storeys below.

A large central staircase with open teak treads, a glass railing and a powder-coated aluminium bookcase wall connects all three levels.

Large central staircase with teak treads — All three levels are connected by a large central staircase

The middle floor contains the primary suite, laundry room, two home offices, and the third child’s bedroom, which is separated from the rest of the house by a small glass bridge that spans a triple-height light well adjacent to the staircase.

The ground floor includes a multipurpose family room that leads out to the pool deck, which is set at the same height as the roof of the pink accessory dwelling unit (ADU).

Colourful interiors within LA hillside house — Large windows open the various rooms to the forest-like landscape

The ADU sits atop an embedded garage and is topped by an urban roof garden with a sinuous aluminium sunshade structure.

“The pool deck and roof garden together create a ‘middle ground’ suspended between the streets at the site’s top and bottom,” the team explained.

Because the house is lowered in the steep terrain, it doesn’t align with the neighbouring properties.

Large windows open the various rooms to the forest-like landscape on each side of the house, while skylights and interior glazing allow sunlight to reach deep into the plan.

Bedroom with sliding glass walls — Sliding glass walls dissolve the transition between interior and exterior

Disappearing sliding glass walls dissolve the transition between interior and exterior.

The studio said that “functional domesticity” was a key requirement for the home.

“The functional and workaday are the foundation for achieving artfulness and architectural innovation,” said the studio. “[These traits] are hallmarks of JArzm House that place it firmly within the rich lineage of experimental Southern California domestic architecture.”

White house with curved openings — The house does not align with neighbouring properties

Established in 1996, JFAK Architects is the only studio to receive two Rudy Bruner Silver Medals for Urban Excellence and was longlisted for the website of the year in the 2021 Dezeen Awards.

Nearby in Los Angeles, Anonymous Architects recently embedded a concrete house into a hillside with a two-storey pool.

The photography is by Benny Chan.

Project team:

Architect: John Friedman Alice Kimm Architects, John Friedman FAIA (lead)
General contractor: Bonomo Development
Landscape contractor: Pablin Arevalo
Special fabrications: Chris Berkson, BerksonFab
Cabinetry: Evan Pohlmeier
Structural engineer: Parker Resnick
Landscape architecture: Kathleen Ferguson Landscapes, Matson Walter
Civil engineer: JMC-2

Johnston Marklee converts historic Los Angeles car showroom into gallery

By Zarkon Group,06/07/2023

A vaulted ceiling punctured with skylights features in a 1940s auto dealership that architectural studio Johnston Marklee has converted into a bright home for the Roberts Projects art gallery.

Roberts Projects chose the local studio to transform the brick and cinder-block building into its new home as it moved from Culver City to the mid-Wilshire district, which has seen an influx of art galleries in recent years.

The architects conceived a total overhaul of the 10,000-square-foot (929-square-metre) former auto dealership, which was built in 1948 and features an arched, 30-foot-high (nine-metre) ceiling.

For many years, the building housed a Chrysler-Plymouth dealership known as the “Auto Dealer to the Stars”, as it drew celebrity clients such as actors Fred Astaire, Lucille Ball and Bob Hope.

Gallery renovation by Johnston Marklee — Roberts Projects acquired a historic building in the area

“We searched for a space for over four years and felt this building was ideal due to the raw talent of the structure, incredible ceiling height and great location,” said Roberts Projects co-owner Julie Roberts.

The exterior of the building – which once featured large stretches of glass for the display of cars – was replaced with solid walls in grey stucco, which suits the “gallery’s minimalist aesthetic”, the gallery said.

Solid grey stucco walls — The exterior was replaced with solid walls in grey stucco

Marking the entrance are a glazed garage door and an existing ficus tree.

“The elemental facade and building mass will integrate the new gallery into the cultural landscape of the arts and architecture across the city,” Johnston Marklee founding partner Sharon Johnston said.

Johnston Marklee conceived a total overhaul of the car showroom

Inside, the building houses four exhibition spaces, offices, study areas and a reception with a bookshop.

Throughout the building, “cavities of light” reveal architectural elements and enhance the viewing experience, the architects said.

Glazed garage door by Johnston Marklee — A glazed garage door marks the entrance

The main exhibition space sits under the vaulted ceiling, which was given a fresh layer of paint.

Here, skylights usher in daylight. In other areas, illumination is provided by “clearstories” made of panels uplit by LEDs.

Concrete flooring and bright white walls lend to the gallery’s austere character. Furnishings include pieces by Alvar Aalto, Gijs Bakker and Jean Prouvé. Shelving is made of birch plywood.

Illuminated shop area of Roberts Projects gallery — Illumination is provided by “clearstories” made of panels

In the office area, the flooring consists of red-tinted concrete with exposed aggregate, which is original to the space. The concrete was polished and given a terrazzo-like appearance.

The gallery’s new home was inaugurated with an exhibition of colourful portraits by renowned US painter Kehinde Wiley, whom Roberts Projects has represented for over two decades.

“This new space is the next chapter in our long history of being at the forefront of the Los Angeles art scene,” said gallery co-owner Bennett Roberts, who said that LA is in the midst of a “creative renaissance”.

“With access to outstanding exhibitions year-round, dedicated collectors, and creative energy from those who call this city home, Los Angeles is poised to be one of the most important creative hubs for years to come,” he added.

Red-tinted concrete flooring in the office area — In the office area, the flooring consists of red-tinted concrete with exposed aggregate

The opening of Roberts Projects’s new home follows a period of continual growth for the city’s arts scene.

Galleries such as Hauser & Wirth and The Future Perfect have recently opened venues in Los Angeles, and an annual edition of the Frieze Art Fair was introduced here in 2019.

Other art-related buildings in Los Angeles include a new home for auction house Phillips that was designed by local studio Formation Association, and the recent completion of a 20-year renovation and expansion of the Hammer Museum that was overseen by Michael Maltzan Architecture.

The photography is by Eric Staudenmaier.

Project credits:

Architecture: Johnston Marklee
Lighting design: Buro Happold
Furnishings consultant: Ellen Brill

Swimming pool outside of La Casa de los Olivos in Valencia by Balzar Arquitectos

Balzar Arquitectos nestles La Casa de los Olivos into Valencian olive grove

By Zarkon Group,03/07/2023

Spanish studio Balzar Arquitectos has added a copper-toned family house named La Casa de los Olivos to an olive grove in Valencia, Spain.

Aiming to blend into its site in the town of Quesa, the long and low-lying home has been finished with a red-hued lime mortar that mimics the surrounding soil.

Balzar Arquitectos also preserved as much of the existing planting as possible by designing the house with a linear form that fits within a grid of trees.

“The landscape was already wonderful as it was, so when it came to the intervention, we wanted to respect this place, trying to keep as many olive trees as possible,” said studio co-founder Laura Moreno Albuixech.

“We wanted to create a dialogue between the natural and the artificial, between the olive trees and the house,” Moreno Albuizech told Dezeen.

Built with a steel frame, the copper-toned home is nestled into the gaps of the eight-by-eight-metre grid of trees. Inside, rooms are arranged across a single floor.

Person standing on opening of red-toned house in Spain — La Casa de los Olivos is designed to blend in with its surroundings

“The olive trees are arranged in a perfect grid of eight by eight metres and this was a key factor in the geometry of the house,” said Moreno Albuixech.

“Both the house and the swimming pool take advantage of the free spaces left in the grid of olive trees and insert themselves between them.”

Patio outside La Casa de los Olivos in Valencia — Its red exterior mimics the colour of soil nearby

Running down the centre of a gravelled courtyard is a long swimming pool. It extends towards the main building, curving to meet a porch that is covered by an overhang perforated with a circular skylight.

A large glass door separates this porch from the open living space, which extends into a dining area and kitchen with green-toned cupboards and brass surfaces.

“The muted green colour of the leaves of the olive trees was used for the woodwork and the gold of the sun at sunset was reinterpreted in the kitchen with natural brass,” said Moreno Albuixech.

Throughout the home, red walls and accents mimic the soil-informed colour of the exterior, including terracotta-toned floors and Iranian travertine marble surfaces that feature in the bathrooms and interior pool.

Interior of Spanish house by Balzar Arquitectos — The reddish tones continue inside the home

“The choice of materials and colours was clear from the beginning,” said Moreno Albuixech. “Both the clients and we were looking for colours that respected the chromatic range that the plot already had when we visited it for the first time.”

Two ensuite bedrooms branch off from the main living space and open onto private patios that frame views of the surrounding olive trees.

Bedroom of La Casa de los Olivos in Valencia — Green elements mirror the leaves of the olive trees

“The home integrates with the rural environment through patios that embrace the existing olive trees and a longitudinal platform that reinforces the linear perspective towards the horizon,” said the studio.

“Through the patios, the olive trees and the wide terrain become part of the dwelling and lives of the people.”

Other Spanish homes recently featured on Dezeen include a narrow home designed for indoor and outdoor living and a house spread across six pavilions arranged around a courtyard.

The photography is by David Zarzoso.

Aerial view of the nieghbourhood with foothills in the background

GAF applies solar-reflective coating to mitigate Los Angeles heat islands

By Zarkon Group,09/06/2023

American roofing firm GAF has completed the first phase of a public-private initiative that seeks to mitigate urban heat in Los Angeles through solar-reflective coating.

The GAF Cool Community Project completed the first phase of their public project in Los Angeles’ Pacoima, covering asphalt roads and public areas in a 10-block radius to see if a reflective coating might reduce the effects of urban heating.

Members of the GAF team and its street coating arm Streetbond worked with NGOs and city officials including the Global Cool Cities Alliance, Climate Resolve, and the Los Angeles Bureau of Street Service to coat over 700,000 square feet (65,032 square metres) of the neighbourhood’s pavement.

The project was initiated to mitigate the heat in heavily paved neighbourhoods, a problem in urban areas sometimes referred to as “heat islands”.

Playground with colourful solar-reflective coating — The initiative is called the GAF Cool Community Project

“This is one of the hottest neighborhoods in Los Angeles,” said Streetbond general manager Eliot Wall.

“There’s not a lot of alternative solutions. There are not a lot of shade structures. There are not a lot of trees – things that we also believe are necessary to help combat this – but this was something that without any other structural changes you could do tomorrow.”

Basketball court with solar-reflective coating in blue and tan — The coating was applied to a 10-block radius

Because asphalt needs to be sealed and coated in dark colours to reduce tire marks and glare, it traps heat and holds it at street level.

The team’s solution was to paint over roads, parking lots and recreational areas with a proprietary coating that the company says may reduce the heat effect by 10-12 degrees Fahrenheit (5.5-6.6 degrees Celsius). The coating comes in a variety of different colours, with brighter colours used for recreational areas and dark ones for the roads.

The coating can be applied directly on top of preexisting asphalt. It can be applied by hand or by a paint-spraying machine.

Ball court with solar reflective coating — The coating reflects sun and mitigates the heat island effect

Instead of simply lining sections of street with the product, the team wanted to test how the coating could affect the ambient temperature of the neighbourhood as a whole.

Some of the more recreational areas within the project’s scope, such as a basketball court and public park, were coated with colourful paint mocked up in patterns approved by the residents and a mural by local artist Desiree Sanchez was commissioned to be completed with the coating.

Aerial view of basketball court — Community members were consulted on a series of designs for the public park

Phase one of the project was completed last year and now the team is utilising a variety of measuring systems to monitor the heat in the neighbourhood as the summer approaches. Wall said that the felt effects of the coating are “pretty much instantaneous”.

“The community members themselves are saying it feels cooler,” he said.

Since the application last summer, the team has noted not only a drop of up to three degrees Fahrenheit (1.6 degrees Celsius) but changes in temperature downwind from the coated area.

Wall ball court with solar-reflective coating — The team is testing the effects of the coat through monitoring systems

GAF director of building and roof science Jennifer Keegan added that there could added benefits from cooling large urban areas beyond the experience on the street.

Typically, the conversation around cooling technologies is limited to the application of materials on roofs and for cooling inside buildings, but paved public spaces present opportunities for bringing down the heat in the area in general.

“Not only are we helping the environment with that perspective of reducing the urban heat island effect, and if we keep our cities cooler, we’re reducing our carbon footprint,” she said.

Wall and Keegan said that the initiative hopes to expand the procedure to other areas that suffer from the heat island effect.

Sports field with solar-reflective coating — Residents have already commented on reduced temperatures

Other products that have been introduced to help reduce heat include a “chameleon-like” facade material developed by researchers at the University of Chicago.

Last year, Dezeen contributor Smith Mordak put together a guide for different strategies to reduce urban heating, read it here.

The photography is courtesy of GAF.

Kadre Architects converts Los Angeles motel into homeless shelter

By Zarkon Group,02/06/2023

California studio Kadre Architects has used bold graphics and vibrant colours to transform a dilapidated motel into The Alvarado, which offers beds for families experiencing homelessness.

Designed by local firm Kadre Architects, the adaptive reuse project involved converting a 20,000-square-foot (1,858-square-metre) motel built in 1984 into a shelter for families transitioning out of homelessness in LA’s Westlake neighbourhood, one block north of MacArthur Park.

The Alvarado project was led by Los Angeles County and its nonprofit partner, Hope the Mission. It was designed and completed in eight months.

The four-storey building contains 43 units with a total of 172 beds, along with support spaces and offices.

The Alvarado project was led by Los Angeles County and its nonprofit partner, Hope the Mission. It was designed and completed in eight months.

The four-storey building contains 43 units with a total of 172 beds, along with support spaces and offices.

Interior corridor with green and white glossy walls — Bold colours feature throughout the building

The majority of tenants are single mothers and children. The project is part of the state of California’s Project Homekey initiative, which provides funding for local governments to rapidly create housing for the homeless.

Working on a limited budget, the architects opted to use bold colours and graphics to bring “new life to the blighted building”.

The entrance facade formerly had a pale green colour and Italianate-style detailing. The team replaced it with a blue-and-white graphic that spells out “Hope”.

“Paint goes a long way when budgets are low, and the welcoming graphic greets each resident with an inspiring message, creating a sense of belonging and dignity,” the team said.

Graphics in hues such as yellow, purple and green are also found indoors, providing a sense of “moving through a colourful composition”.

Yellow and white interior with yellow shelving along the wall and a wall-mounted TV — The shelter contains space for 172 beds, offices and support spaces

“[We] used the palette to enliven spaces and bring about a sense of ownership, with each floor having its own graphic identity throughout each of the rooms, floors, walls and furnishings – like one’s own neighborhood,” the team said.

The ground level holds a covered gathering area and support spaces. The upper three levels encompass the living units, each of which has bunk beds, a bathroom, a microwave and small refrigerator. The units average 280 square feet (26 square metres).

Interior corridor with purple and white glossy walls — The building was originally built in 1984

An outdoor area has been transformed into a dining deck for tenants, who are provided three meals each day.

The project has a number of sustainable features, including drought-tolerant landscaping and a white-painted roof that helps reduce heat gain. A photovoltaic array meets about half of the building’s energy needs.

Large open venue space with a white, yellow and black graphic design on the walls and floor — A gathering space is located on the ground floor

“Collaborating closely with the contractors and specialty consultants, the architects were able to eliminate fossil fuels completely and switch the entire building to electric power, in-step with the goals of the California Energy Commission,” the team said.

The project marks the first of three designed by Kadre Architects and Hope the Mission. The other two are slated to open later this year.

Green and white interior with green shelving along the wall and a wall-mounted TV — It forms part of California’s Project Homekey initiative

They are all part of the state’s Project Homekey initiative, which aims to address California’s escalating homelessness crisis. In 2022, there were over 171,000 homeless people in the state. About 30 per cent of the nation’s homeless population lives in California, according to a federal government report.

The founder of Kadre Architects, Nerin Kadribegovic, is a third-generation architect who has experienced “chaotic social and environmental disruption” due to being a refugee of the wars in Yugoslavia and Bosnia.

His refugee experience ignited his interest in addressing complex urban problems like homelessness.

“This awareness evokes deep empathic connection to critical issues facing metropolitan urban centers around the world,” said his studio.

Prior to launching Kadre, Nerin was a partner at the LA-based studio Lehrer Architects, which has designed a number of housing projects for the homeless in Los Angeles. These include an apartment complex in the Willowbrook neighbourhood with shared patios and splashes of yellow, and a tiny home village on a narrow plot in North Hollywood.

The photography is by Nerin Kadribegovic.

Ringo Studio completes colourful store for Our Place in Los Angeles

By Zarkon Group,17/04/2023

Brooklyn-based Ringo Studio designed a store for kitchenware brand Our Place that features colourful tile displays and expressive drapery that hangs from the ceiling.

The Our Place Melrose store is the brand’s second location in Los Angeles, following the inaugural shop in Venice, and is situated in West Hollywood’s busy shopping district.

The interiors by Ringo Studio are based on the identifiable colour palette of Our Place cookware sets, which are known for in a variety of pastel, neutral and jewel-toned hues.

“It retains the warmth and intricacy of Our Place’s first store in Venice, concepted by Mythology, while also taking Our Place’s design ethos into new and unique expressions,” said the team.

Cookware displayed on three shelves and cabinets below, against a tiled wall — Many of the surfaces are covered in long rectangular tiles laid in a straight stack pattern

Elements derived from classical architecture were included, from fluted columns that support a wavy-topped table to arches that curve over shelving units and form punctured openings for showcasing small items.

Storage cabinets have rounded corners, as do the doors that front them, and many of the built-in elements also feature filleted edges.

An entirely terracotta-coloured space with a dining table laid with Our Place products — At the back is a space coloured entirely terracotta, which features a table displaying the brand’s products

Long rectangular tiles laid in straight stack patterns cover several of the walls and display stands.

Each tiled block or surface is a different colour, with large panels including terracotta, lilac and cream, and smaller sections in pale blue and green.

An area towards the back is decorated entirely in terracotta, which covers the floor and walls, as well as matching strips of fabric hung in rows from the ceiling.

There’s also a side room where Our Place products are laid out on a dining table with mirrors on three sides, creating infinite reflections intended to “welcome everyone to have a seat at the table”.

A small room with a dining table and two purple chairs, with mirrors on three sides — A side room features mirrors on three sides to create infinite reflections of a dining table setup

Covered in mosaic tiles and with an undulating front, the table is accompanied by a pair of purple velvet chairs, and from the ceiling hangs purple drapery.

“Infused with the cozy feeling of home, the streamlined suite of products are artfully displayed throughout the store, making them feel like chic, sculptural objects,” said the Our Place team.

The exterior of the Our Place store on Melrose Avenue — Our Place Melrose is located in West Hollywood’s busy shopping district and is the brand’s second location in LA

Ringo Studio was founded by architectural designer Madelynn Ringo, who has created retail experiences for companies such as Glossier, Studs and Funny Face Bakery.

Last year, the studio completed a store for fitness brand Bala in New York City, which includes scaled-up versions of its products.

The photography is by Jenna Peffley.