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Sculptural custom-made furniture adds artistic flourishes to this otherwise minimal showroom and head office, designed by Spanish interiors studio Isern Serra for eyewear brand Gigi Studios.

Isern Serra was tasked with creating a holistic scheme for the 900-square-metre headquarters, occupying one floor of a building in the town of Sant Cugat del Vallès just north of Barcelona.

Isern Serra has filled the Gigi Studios headquarters with custom furniture

The brief called for a design that creates a sense of spaciousness and comfort while reflecting founder Patricia Remo’s vision of Gigi Studios as a brand.

“It is also serene, warm and elegant and conceptually close to the idea of a studio and away from the concept of a traditional office, without losing the practicality and functionality,” Isern Serra explained.

Rows of desks were replaced with more intimate work areas

The building’s rectangular floor plan features a central service core housing the lifts and toilets, with the workspaces, meeting rooms, kitchen and showroom occupying the surrounding O-shaped open space.

Serra and his team positioned the kitchen and showroom at one end of the plan and placed the meeting rooms and client areas at the other, leaving the longer sides open to optimise circulation.

Concrete bases for the work tables were cast in situ

Various bespoke furniture pieces, conceived by Isern Serra as “small works of art”, bring a distinct personality to the different formal and informal spaces.

These interventions were designed to embody Gigi Studios’ design ethos while standing out against the warm and minimal backdrop.

“The project aims to experiment with the limits of the workspace and seek a new concept that goes hand in hand with the idea of domus and museum,” Isern Serra explained.

Curtains can be used to cordon off the lounge area

A large circular sofa framed in stainless steel provides a bold statement in one of the reception areas.

The sculptural piece fulfils a dual function as a seating area and a space for working, with tables and book storage integrated into the backrest around the perimeter.

Similarly, the building’s central core is wrapped in a layer of built-in storage units including circular stainless-steel niches that incorporate shelves for displaying books and materials.

Rather than a typical office layout with rows of workstations, the large open spaces are separated into more intimate zones with a more domestic scale.

A Boa Pouf by Sabine Marcelis provides informal seating

Next to the lobby is a design area featuring tables made from concrete that was cast in situ. Task seating surrounds the work table and a taller table is accompanied by stools, while lenses for the different glasses are stored in a custom-made unit.

The second workspace features a large C-shaped sofa with a concrete base that was also cast in situ. Custom-made tables and one of Sabine Marcelis’s Boa Poufs complete this lounge-style space, which can be visually separated from the rest of the office using curtains on either side.

The showroom is visible from the office through a circular window

A circular window with rounded edges provides a glimpse of the showroom, which is dominated by two sculptural tables with concrete tops supported by rough chunks of travertine stone.

A built-in tiered display is used to highlight different Gigi Studios’ eyewear. The rest of the collection is housed in a backlit cabinet, while a mirror-fronted unit conceals a large screen used for presentations.

The kitchen is located next to the showroom so that the two spaces can easily be used together for events. Here, a homely, Mediterranean feel is created via a five-metre-long sharing table, custom-made alongside the accompanying stools.

Display tables in the showroom are held up by rough chunks of travertine

The sizeable kitchen island is finished in micro-cement and features a curved base that enhances its sculptural presence.

A curved corridor incorporating a sofa niche on one wall provides access to offices and a meeting room positioned to have the best views of the surrounding countryside.

Internal columns are used to support one end of concrete tables built in each of the workspaces, furnished with classic designs including Marcel Breuer’s Wassily and Cesca chairs.

Large sharing tables allow for communal eating in the kitchen

Interior designer Isern Serra founded his self-titled studio in Barcelona in 2008 and works across architecture, interiors and industrial design.

Previous projects including a rose-coloured shop for Barcelona’s Moco Museum that was based on a computer-generated image and a minimalist office for digital artist Andrés Reisinger, which was named small workplace interior of the year at the 2023 Dezeen Awards.

The photography is by Salva López with art direction by Aasheen Mittal.

Reference

Interior Design

Eight serene interiors with decorative lime plaster walls

By Zarkon Group,05/08/2023

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

Interior Design

Eight serene bedrooms with striking natural views

By Zarkon Group,15/07/2023

Far-flung homes from New Zealand to Patagonia feature in this lookbook that showcases bedrooms with calm interiors where glazing has been maximised and clutter minimised to keep the focus on the views.

Installing huge floor-to-ceiling windows is a no-brainer when a house is set in a prime location, whether overlooking Lake Tahoe or Chile’s craggy coastline.

But the real key is to create pared-back interiors that don’t detract from the natural vistas, using minimal furnishings and a natural material palette that brings the outside in.

Read on for eight minimalist bedroom interiors that make the view their protagonist.

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, statement headboards and wood-panelled dining rooms.

Kawakawa House by Herbst Architects — Photo by Patrick Reynolds

Kawakawa House, New Zealand, by Herbst Architects

A clerestory window wraps all the way around this home in the surf town of Piha, New Zealand, allowing light to filter through a canopy of pōhutukawa trees and into the bedroom.

This dappled effect is mirrored in the interior through the use of dark birch on the walls and light plywood on the ceilings, which help to draw sun into the living spaces.

Find out more about Kawakawa House ›

Estancia Morro Chico, Argentinia, by RDR Architectes

Wood, leather and wool help to add warmth to this otherwise spartan bedroom, which belongs to a family of sheep farmers in remote Patagonia.

A floor-to-ceiling window makes the most of the region’s vacillating sunlight while providing views across the surrounding 27,000-hectare ranch and the wild steppe beyond.

“The general aesthetics of the project were inspired by the traditional architecture of the region, which demonstrated extreme austerity and an almost primitive simplicity,” said RDR Architectes.

Find out more about Estancia Morro Chico ›

Wooden bedroom in Finnish cabin — Photo by Marc Goodwin, Archmospheres

Niliaitta, Finland, by Studio Puisto

In the absence of bedside tables, most of the space inside this cabin near Finland’s Salamajärvi National Park is occupied by a custom-made bed, placed directly in front of a glazed wall.

Local practice Studio Puisto kept furnishings to a minimum and covered nearly all of the surfaces in the same pale wood, so as not to compete with the natural spectacle.

“The interior is done purposefully so that it would only serve as a neutral blank canvas, second to the nature outside,” Studio Puisto said.

Find out more about Niliaitta ›

Atelier Andy Carson finishes coastal home in Sydney with stone and bronze — Photo by Felix Forest

Matopos, Australia, by Atelier Andy Carson

When Atelier Andy Carson renovated the home of gallerist Judith Neilson, the Sydney studio set out to provide a minimalist backdrop for her personal collection of art and furniture.

Meanwhile, finishes and window placements throughout the house were chosen to honour nearby Freshwater Beach, with the best views provided by the window seat in the primary bedroom.

“Thoughtfully placed windows frame vistas of the sea, while polished plaster interior walls reflect views of the blue and yellow hues of ocean and sand back into the home,” the studio said.

Find out more about Matopos ›

Casa Ochoalcubo by Ryue Nishizawa — Photo by Cristobal Palma

House in Los Vilos, Chile, by Ryue Nishizawa

This bedroom was carved out of a cliffside on Chile’s Pacific coast, with a glass front and private terrace opening it up to views of crashing waves and craggy rocks.

The building’s board-marked concrete slab roof is left exposed throughout the interior, paired with pared-back wooden furnishings and floors.

Find out more about House in Los Vilos ›

Shelter, Sweden, by Vipp

A huge skylight stretches across the ceiling of this compact loft bedroom, set in a prefabricated cabin on the banks of Lake Immeln in Sweden, to create the impression of sleeping under the open sky.

To keep attention on the stars, the monochrome interior features moody lighting and slate grey felt panels that cover both the walls and the floors.

Find out more about Shelter ›

Lookout House by Faulkner Architects — Photo by Joe Fletcher

Lookout House, USA, by Faulkner Architects

A huge bed is placed diagonally at the centre of this room, effectively displacing all other furniture but taking full advantage of the home’s sweeping Lake Tahoe panorama.

For the interior, Californian studio Faulkner Architects brought together local materials including volcanic basalt, concrete made using local sand and walnut wood sourced from orchards in the nearby Sierra foothills.

“Consistent through the house, the quiet built environment is muted in colour and tonality, which allows the landscape outside to be the focus,” said the studio.

Find out more about Lookout House ›

Casa X by Branch Studio Architects — Photo by Peter Clarke

Casa X, Australia, by Branch Studio Architects

Dramatic sloped ceilings finished in pale wood panelling envelop the bedrooms of this house on Phillip Island near Melbourne, with bedside pendant lights suspended from their highest point.

Glazing covers the better part of one wall, looking out over the trees that encircle the property to provide privacy despite the home’s beachfront location.

Find out more about Casa X ›

Reference

Interior Design

Atelier Tao+C creates serene timber and travertine reading room

By Zarkon Group,12/10/2022

Two vacant ground-floor rooms and an adjoining greenhouse were knocked together and lined with bookshelves to form this private library, designed by Atelier Tao+C for a venture capital firm in Shanghai.

Set in a converted 1980s house, which is home to the offices of VC fund Whales Capital, the reading room can accommodate up to 12 people and is shared between the company’s employees and the owner’s friends.

Reading room by Atelier Tao+C — Atelier Tao+C has created a reading room for Whales Capital

All of the rooms are enclosed by immovable, load-bearing walls, which local practice Atelier Tao+C had to integrate into the design while creating the impression of being in one continuous 76-square-metre space.

To this effect, the original doors and windows were removed and three openings – measuring between two and three metres wide – were created to connect the rooms.

Private reading room — The space is lined with wooden bookshelves

The remaining wall sections are hidden from view by new architectural elements including a set of semi-circular wooden bookshelves, which run through the two ground-floor rooms to form a pair of small, quiet reading nooks.

The structural walls connecting these rooms to the old glasshouse were wrapped in creamy white travertine to create a kind of “sculptural volume”, Atelier Tao+C explained.

Reading room — Skylights funnel natural light into the interior

As a result, the studio says the walls and structural columns are “dissolved” into the space to create the feeling of a more open-plan interior.

In the old greenhouse, a timber structure was inserted into the building’s glass shell, with bookshelves integrated into its wooden beams and columns to create a seamless design.

This structure also forms a wooden ceiling inside the glasshouse, with strategically placed round and square skylights to temper the bright daylight from outside and create a more pleasant reading environment.

Spread across the interior are four different seating areas: a small study table for solo work, a shared meeting table, a reading booth for one person and a sofa seat where multiple people can talk and relax.

Travertine interiors — White travertine was used to obscure the building’s original brick walls

A Private Reading Room has been shortlisted in the small interiors category of the 2022 Dezeen Awards.

Atelier Tao+C, which is run by designers Chunyan Cai and Tao Liu, is also shortlisted for emerging interior design studio this year, alongside Sydney firm Alexander & Co, Barcelona-based Raúl Sánchez Architects and London practice House of Grey.

The photography is by Wen Studio.

Reference

serene

Isern Serra completes “serene” office for eyewear brand Gigi Studios

Eight serene interiors with decorative lime plaster walls

Eight serene bedrooms with striking natural views

Atelier Tao+C creates serene timber and travertine reading room

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