retro Archives

Following the release of American filmmaker Wes Anderson’s eleventh motion picture Asteroid City, we have collected eight interiors that embody his distinctive cinematic style for our latest lookbook.

Anderson is known for his retro pastel colour palettes and use of symmetry, as seen in the sets from his latest feature film that are currently the subject of an exhibition at London’s 180 the Strand.

From a Milanese cafe designed by the director himself to a quirky makeup store in China that was styled to mimic 1970s offices, here are eight interiors that were either directly influenced by Anderson or look as if they are taken straight out of one of his films.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring bedrooms with bathtubs, Parisian apartments and striking art gallery interiors.

Bottle shop informed by Wes Anderson with central wooden counter and displays on either side — Photo is by Ye Rin Mok

Boisson, USA, by Studio Paul Chan

Local firm Studio Paul Chan took cues from the opening scene of Anderson’s 2021 film The French Dispatch when designing the interiors for this bottle shop by non-alcoholic drinks brand Boisson in Los Angeles.

Elements of mid-century Hollywood design and art deco were combined in a space that includes walnut-stained wooden wall panelling, dusty green accents and a bespoke glass-block counter.

Find out more about Boisson ›

A yellow and orange store interior — Image is courtesy of AIM Architecture

Harmay store, China, by AIM Architecture

A colour palette of muted yellow, orange and brown characterises this shop by makeup brand Harmay, which is set across the renovated second floor of a business park in Hangzhou.

Chinese studio AIM Architecture designed the space to mimic a 1970s office by using rows of yellow desks to display stock and incorporating a retro woollen carpet and frosted-glass sliding “meeting room” doors.

“Creating an ‘old fashioned’ physical retail experience in an actual office space just seemed a fun way to translate this duality of space and time,” the studio’s founder Wendy Saunders told Dezeen.

Find out more about this Harmay store ›

Shelves and a fridge inside a cannabis dispensary — Photo is by Alex Lysakowski

The Annex, Canada, by Superette

The vivid colour palettes and geometric shapes often associated with Anderson’s cinematography also feature at The Annex, a marijuana dispensary in Toronto that was modelled on Italian delis.

Green and beige checkerboard flooring was paired with deli props, tomato-red stools and hanging pendant lights while various cannabis paraphernalia was laid out like groceries.

Find out more about The Annex ›

Bar Luce by Wes Anderson — Photo is by Roland Halbe

Bar Luce, Italy, by Wes Anderson

Created by Anderson himself, Bar Luce is located within the OMA-designed Fondazione Prada in Milan.

Pastel colours and veneered wood panelling were applied to the space, which was designed to reference iconic city landmarks and cafes – particularly those dating back to the 1950s and 60s.

“I tried to make it a bar I would want to spend my own non-fictional afternoons in,” said the filmmaker, who stressed that the bar was not designed as a set but rather as a “real” place.

Find out more about Bar Luce ›

Interior of Cafe Bancado with colour palette informed by Wes Anderson — Photo is by Mikael Lundblad

Cafe Banacado, Sweden, by ASKA

Cafe Banacado is an all-day breakfast cafe in Stockholm designed by local architecture studio ASKA.

ASKA followed “a strong symmetry” when creating the interiors, which feature checkerboard flooring, arched mirrors and a sunny colour palette that was specifically chosen to evoke the dreamlike atmosphere of Anderson’s films.

Find out more about Cafe Banacado ›

The Budapest Cafe by Biasol — Photo is by Derek Swalwell

The Budapest Cafe, Australia, by Biasol

Local studio Biasol designed this salmon-hued cafe in Carlton, Melbourne, to reference Anderson’s 2014 feature film The Grand Budapest Hotel – in particular its symmetrical compositions and “nostalgic” colour palettes.

Stylised steps to nowhere decorate the walls, while a curved archway frames a glossy point-of-sale counter with a tubular base finished in terracotta.

Find out more about The Budapest Cafe in Melbourne ›

Budapest Cafe informed by Wes Anderson — Photo is by James Morgan

The Budapest Cafe, China, by Biasol

Biasol also designed another outpost for The Budapest Cafe in Chengdu, China, that references the titular film.

Here, Biasol combined pastel shades and marble surfaces with similar chunky elevations to those found in the Melbourne cafe. The centrepiece of the room is a tiered terrazzo seating area topped with a pink ball pit and an original Eero Aarnio Bubble chair.

Find out more about The Budapest Cafe in Chengdu ›

Hotel Palace restaurant, Finland, by Note Design Studio

When Note Design Studio renovated a restaurant within Helsinki’s Hotel Palace, the Swedish firm set out to honour the history of the modernist building, which was opened in time for the city’s 1952 Summer Olympics.

Teak panelling, luxurious teal carpet and expansive windows lend themselves to a cinematic atmosphere, while white tablecloths add a touch of glamour to the space, where visitors can imagine Anderson’s characters dining.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring bedrooms with bathtubs, Parisian apartments and striking art gallery interiors.

Reference

Interior architect Irina Kromayer has overseen the design of Berlin’s Château Royal hotel, creating a series of eclectic spaces that reference the heyday of the German capital at the turn of the 20th century.

The 93-room Château Royal is located in the heart of Mitte, on a street parallel to Unter den Linden boulevard and close to the iconic Brandenburg Gate.

Fireside lounge of Château Royal hotel — Château Royal has 93 rooms (top image) as well as a fireside lounge (above)

The hotel comprises two buildings dating from 1850 and 1910, as well as a newer building and roof extension designed by David Chipperfield Architects.

The renovation project, led by Kromayer with support from Swiss architect Etienne Descloux and interior designer Katariina Minits, aims to reflect the periods during which the heritage-listed buildings were constructed.

Wooden staircase in guest room of Berlin hotel by Irina Kromayer, Etienne Descloux and Katariina Minits — Built-in joinery features in all the guest rooms

“Our design goal was to provide the traveller with an ‘authentic’ experience of being in Berlin, using materials and colours that traditionally stand for the city’s heyday,” Kromayer told Dezeen.

Oak panelling, art nouveau tiles, sisal carpets and hardware in brass and nickel were incorporated into the scheme based on the finishings commonly found in Berlin’s historic buildings.

Sitting area and bathroom of guest room in Château Royal hotel — This was informed by the storage walls of traditional West Berlin apartments

Kromayer designed much of the furniture herself – as well as in collaboration with Porto-based German designer Christian Haas – in order to achieve a seamless merging of contemporary and classic details.

“We didn’t want the hotel to be retro but rather to feel classic so we simplified things into less decorative shapes,” she explained.

In addition, vintage pieces were sourced from all over Europe to give a lived-in “patina” to the interior and explore a more sustainable approach to furniture sourcing.

Seating area of guest room in Berlin hotel by Irina Kromayer, Etienne Descloux and Katariina Minits — Loupiotte pendant lights emphasise the building’s high ceilings

The pendant lights for the guest rooms were created in collaboration with Berlin-based manufacturer Loupiotte and are intended to emphasise the building’s high ceilings.

Made from Japanese paper and brass, the lamps are based on a 1920s design from Josef Hoffmann, one of the co-founders of the Wiener Werkstätte art movement.

The hotel’s custom-made wooden beds feature headboards crafted from Viennese wickerwork. Kromayer also created outdoor lanterns that reference traditional Berlin street lights and include unique glass panels made by artist Paul Hance.

Built-in joinery found in each of the bedrooms was informed by the partition walls with integrated storage, which are typical of traditional West Berlin apartments.

Blue-tiled guest bathroom of Château Royal hotel — Glazed blue tiles can be found in the guest bathrooms

Paintings by early 20th-century artists associated with the expressionist and new objectivity movements influenced the hotel’s bold colour scheme, which is applied across surfaces including tiles and upholstery textiles, along with curated artworks.

The interior features colourful glazed bricks and tiles similar to those found in Berlin’s underground stations, as well as stained glass and coloured marble.

Stained glass backsplash to bar in Berlin hotel by Irina Kromayer, Etienne Descloux and Katariina Minits — Stained-glass panels brighten up the hotel bar

The hotel bar is made from tin – a material Kromayer says was widely used at the turn of the century but is rarely found in contemporary German interiors. Nickel and chrome bathroom fixtures were chosen to reference the modernist and Bauhaus design movements.

Alongside its guest rooms, which include 13 suites and an apartment, Château Royal also accommodates a lobby, bar, restaurant, private dining room, fireside lounge and winter garden.

Dottir restaurant inside Château Royal hotel — A Karl Holmqvist artwork hangs inside the hotel’s Dóttir eatery

Built-in carpentry used throughout the public areas helps to create a sense of consistency with the bedrooms, while vintage furniture, rugs and lamps made for the hotel by KL Ceramics add to the eclectic feel of the spaces.

The hotel’s restaurant, called Dóttir, features upholstered oak seating by Bauhaus designer Erich Dieckmann. Artworks including a neon piece by Karl Holmqvist bring character to the ground-floor eatery.

Other recent renovation projects from Berlin include a pistachio-toned revamp of one of the city’s oldest cinemas and a hotel housed inside an abandoned women’s prison.

The photography is by Felix Brueggemann.

Reference

retro

Eight retro interiors that capture the mood of a Wes Anderson film

Irina Kromayer designs Château Royal to feel “authentic” rather than retro

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