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Eight home interiors where full-length curtains add a touch of drama

From a glitzy Parisian apartment to a converted garage in Buffalo, New York, our latest lookbook collects eight residential interiors where floor-to-ceiling curtains inject a theatrical feel.

Curtains aren’t just for covering windows. A set of statement drapes can be an easy way to significantly change the mood of a room, particularly in apartment renovations.

The selection below features curtains in stage-like living rooms, rough-edged bedrooms and cosy working nooks.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring interiors with statement carpets, furry walls and colourful bedrooms.

Ready-made Home by Azab — Photo is by Luis Díaz Díaz

Ready-made Home, Spain, by Azab

Duck-egg blue curtains help to create a flexible open-plan layout at this apartment in Bilbao that was overhauled by architecture studio Azab, running the length of the living-dining-kitchen area to conceal storage space and a bathroom.

“The curtains have theatrical and playful connotations and invites the inhabitant to perform with it, to change the space and to play with the mysteries, contradictions and paradoxes that privacy offers us beyond morality,” said the studio.

Find out more about Ready-made Home ›

Ruckers Hill House by Studio Bright — Photo by Rory Gardiner

Ruckers Hill House, Australia, by Studio Bright

In this extension to an Edwardian family home in Melbourne, architecture practice Studio Bright raised the sitting room on a curved plinth, giving it a stage-like quality.

Enhancing the effect is a heavy green curtain hung from the ceiling, which can be drawn across to turn the space into an impromptu theatre for the children to play in.

Find out more about Ruckers Hill House ›

Uchronia renovated a Haussmann-era apartment in Paris — Photo by Félix Dol Maillot

Avenue Montaigne apartment, France, by Uchronia

Sheer, rainbow-effect curtains cover the balconies of this opulent Haussman-era Parisian apartment, renovated by local studio Uchronia.

Even the walls echo the curtains’ gradations of colour, while the brightly toned furnishings are designed to resemble pieces of jewellery.

Find out more about this apartment ›

Roksanda Ilincic penthouse apartment in London's King's Cross — Photo by Michael Sinclair

Gas-holder apartment, UK, by Roksanda Ilincic

Fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic brought her proclivity for bold colours and shapes to this London penthouse inside a former Victorian gas holder.

Pale pink Kvadrat curtains over the full-height windows cast a rose-tinted hue over the rooms, where the colour palette is kept mostly neutral apart from some pops of bright yellow.

Find out more about this apartment ›

Big Space, Little Space by Davidson Rafailidis — Photo by Florian Holzherr

Big Space, Little Space, USA, by Davidson Rafailidis

Peeling paintwork, uneven concrete floors and distressed wooden beams lend a distinctly rough-and-ready feel to this home-slash-workspace in Buffalo created out of a garage conversion by design studio Davidson Rafailidis.

For the most part, the space is minimally furnished, apart from a set of high and wide drapes that introduce a luxurious twist.

Find out more about Big Space, Little Space ›

Silver curtains in hallway at Landscape House in Japan — Photo by Norihito Yamauchi

Landscape House, Japan, by FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects

Upon entering Landscape House in central Japan, designed by Japanese studio FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects, one is greeted by a lengthy corridor lined entirely on one side by a full-length silver curtain.

The fabric echoes a raw concrete feature wall on the opposite side of the corridor, as well as referencing the extensive use of metal throughout the building.

Find out more about Landscape House ›

Kitchen in Pops apartment by Furora Studio — Photo by ONI Studio

Pops, Poland, by Furora Studio

Furora Studio wanted the design of this holiday apartment in Kraków to be slightly more outrageous than the standard residential interior.

A velvety, salmon-pink curtain dresses an entire wall in the open-plan kitchen and living room, adding to a plethora of sugary colours and rounded edges.

Find out more about Pops ›

Maison-Boutique Coloniale by Michael Godmer and Mathieu Turgeon — Photo by Maxime Brouillett

Maison-Boutique Coloniale, Canada, by Michael Godmer and Mathieu Turgeon

Most of the spaces inside Maison-Boutique Coloniale in Montreal – renovated by designers Michael Godmer and Mathieu Turgeon as their own residence and studio – are pared-back and neutral.

But in an office space on the basement level, plush orange curtains line the walls, combined with dim pendant lighting and a black table arrangement by Muuto and &tradition for an intimate effect.

Find out more about Maison-Boutique Coloniale ›

Reference

Interior Design

Eight homes where mid-century modern furniture adds a stylish touch

By Zarkon Group,10/01/2024

Pieces by designers Charles and Ray Eames and Isamu Noguchi are on show in this lookbook, which features homes with eye-catching mid-century modern furniture.

Mid-century furniture, which often has simple lines and a sculptural feel, adds a modernist touch to these homes, which range from period properties to newly built and renovated houses.

Among the interiors showcased in this lookbook are iconic architect Le Corbusier’s own home and a residence in London’s upmarket Mayfair area that has been filled with mid-century modern and art deco details.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring perforated brick-walls, budget home interiors and immersive saunas in peaceful settings.

Mid-century modern home — Photo by Mariell Lind Hansen

Zero House, UK, by Ben Garrett and Rae Morris

Owners Ben Garrett and Rae Morris updated Zero House, which was informed by Californian Case Study Houses, themselves in a way that would honour its mid-century roots.

The living room features a striking floor-to-ceiling fireplace clad in tiles, as well as a number of furniture pieces in warm colours. Among them is a classic Eames office chair in a dark-brown leather colour that matches the wooden panelling that decorates the room.

Find out more about Zero House ›

Hudson Woods house by Magdalena Keck — Photo by Jeff Cate

Hudson Woods home, US, by Magdalena Keck

Located in upstate New York, this holiday home has an interior that fuses Danish and Japanese design. A dinner table and chairs by designer Finn Juhl are among the Danish pieces used in the house, where they look both functional and elegant.

A simple lamp with a gold-coloured shade above the table adds a decorative touch and matches the brass fastenings at the backs of the chairs.

Find out more about the Hudson Woods home ›

Interior of Madrid apartment — Photo by Polina Parcevskya and Julie Smorodkina

Radikal Klassisk, Spain, by Puntofilipino

The interior of this Spanish apartment in a former bank building has a moody, interesting colour palette and features richly textured materials including terrazzo, clay-rendered walls and marble tiles.

In contrast, the furniture is streamlined and unfussy, including a sculptural lounge chair by Danish designer Hans J Wegner in the living room.

Find out more about the Radikal Klassisk ›

City Beach residence in Perth by Design Theory — Photo by Jack Lovel

City Beach House, Australia, by Design Theory

American artist and designer Noguchi’s iconic coffee table, made from a heavy glass tabletop that rests on two undulating wooden legs, has pride of place in the living room of City Beach House.

The interior, created by Australian studio Design Theory, responds to the design and natural material palette of the house itself, which is from the 1960s.

Find out more about City Beach House ›

White home in Sweden by Asa Hjort Architects — Photo by Jim Stephenson

Hallen, Sweden, by Åsa Hjort Architects

This newly built home in the southern Swedish region of Österlen has a blocky geometric design and large windows that provide views out across the Baltic Sea.

An Eames lounge chair adds a comfortable resting space in one of the rooms, where its dark hues contrast against sheer white curtains and pale wood flooring.

Find out more about Hallen ›

Moore House, US, by Woods + Dangaran

A pair of vintage globe-shaped pendants by Dutch designer Frank Ligtelijn light up the bathroom in this 1960s California home designed by architect Craig Ellwood.

The bathroom also features a dark Emperador marble countertop and a wall clad in Japanese porcelain tiles.

Find out more about Moore House ›

Mid-century modern interior by Child Studio — Photo by Felix Speller and Child Studio

Mayfair residence, UK, by Child Studio

The “Pernilla” lounge chair by Swedish designer Bruno Mathsson is among the many mid-century modern furniture pieces on show in this London apartment.

Local practice Child Studio told Dezeen that the spacious lounge that houses the chair was informed by the grand salon in fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s Paris home.

Find out more about the Mayfair residence ›

Studio apartment, France, by Le Corbusier

Le Corbusier’s apartment in his Immeuble Molitor apartment building in Paris, where he lived for more than three decades, reopened to the public in 2018.

Visitors to the modernist flat can admire mid-century modern furniture pieces including a black leather edition of the designer’s signature LC2 lounge chair, which sits next to a cowhide rug at the entrance of the apartment.

Find out more about Le Corbusier’s apartment ›

Reference

Sustainable News

Could robotics and the personal touch restore rare reefs?

By Zarkon Group,05/01/2024

Spotted: While coral reefs cover just 0.2 per cent of the seafloor, they support around 25 per cent of marine species and underpin the safety, coastal protection, well-being, and food and economic security of hundreds of millions of people. They are also disappearing at a rapid rate. Since 2009, around 14 per cent of the world’s corals have disappeared, and the pace is speeding up.

To support coral restoration, CHARM (Coral Husbandry Automated Raceway Machine) has created an aquaculture robot that cleans, feeds, and monitors coral grown in an industrial aquarium. The idea is to grow the coral in a controlled environment and then place it in the wild to help restore reefs. The system uses a robotic arm connected to artificial intelligence (AI) software to monitor, clean, and feed the coral.

The company has also developed a product, called Coral Charm, that helps connect individuals to the coral. When a customer buys a Coral Charm, their name and an image are engraved onto two identical coral plugs (a small, stationary platform that the coral is fixed to). One plug has a coral placed on it and grows inside the CHARM aquarium. The other plug is sent to the customer, along with a QR code.

The QR code sends Coral Charm owners to a dedicated page where they can view the growth of the coral and includes a button they can press to feed it. When the coral is moved to the ocean, users receive the GPS coordinates of the location.

The concern over the state of the world’s coral has prompted a number of recent innovations, including the use of turmeric to protect the reefs and customer-built clay reefs.

Written By: Lisa Magloff

Reference

Sustainable News

A fresh-produce-packing robot with a human touch

By Zarkon Group,21/08/2023

Spotted: In many countries, agriculture faces a shortage of both skilled and unskilled workers. According to recent research by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), much of the decline comes from the combination of a long-term decrease in agriculture’s percentage of GDP, technological advances, and changes in consumer demand. In order to fill some of the sector’s workforce gaps, UK agritech company Wootzano created a fresh produce packing robotic system called Avarai.

Designed explicitly to work alongside human packers, the robot’s hands have integrated electronic skin called Wootzkin that provides the smart machine with the ability to grasp, pick up, and move fragile produce. Avarai’s algorithm allows distributors to set parameters that include vine length and package weight for every type of produce. When installed on the packing line alongside and amongst current workers, the robot increases productivity by up to 50 per cent, according to Wootzano. Avarai’s arm moves on six axes to allow for optimum angles when handling non-uniform, fragile fruits such as grapes and vine tomatoes.

Using advanced vision technology alongside the algorithms and cloud updates, Avarai continually learns and improves. Each set of robotic fingers is unique, and the e-skin makes it possible for Avarai to handle delicate fruits with no internal or external damage. Additionally, when the robot picks up a piece of produce, it automatically weighs it, making it easy to pack to retailer specifications.

As part of Wootzano’s goal to democratise robotics, the company provides the system via lease, meaning that even very small packhouses can afford the technology. The lease cost per robot is set at the price of a human labourer’s salary. That allows businesses flexibility to decide whether to prioritise production capacity increases of around 25 per cent or salary savings and then make changes as the available workforce expands or contracts.

Already in use by a European provider of table grapes, Wootzano expanded into the United States in the second half of 2023, beginning with partnerships with California producers.

Other examples spotted in Springwise’s archive of robots that help to improve the food supply chain include pest-control indoor robots and a solar-powered weed-seeking field robot.

Written By: Keely Khoury

Reference

Interior Design

Eight interiors where Barbiecore pink adds a playful touch of colour

By Zarkon Group,18/07/2023

As the upcoming Barbie film has created a shortage of pink colour and launched a real-life dollhouse in Malibu, we gathered eight pink interiors to exemplify the Barbiecore aesthetic for this lookbook.

The pink hues that are usually associated with Barbie, a children’s toy first launched by manufacturer Mattel in 1959, are influencing both clothes and interiors ahead of Great Gerwig’s live-action Barbie film.

The style, which has become known as Barbiecore, can add a joyful touch of colour to otherwise pared-back interiors, or be used as a hyper-bright nod to 1980s opulence.

Here, we have gathered eight interiors where pink was used to give interiors additional warmth and a touch of whimsy.

This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring rustic interiors, Wes Anderson-style interiors and welcoming wood-panelled dining rooms.

Living room of Minimal Fantasy, a pink apartment in Madrid — Photo by JC de Marcos

Minimal Fantasy, Spain, by Patricia Bustos Studio

The Minimal Fantasy apartment is anything but minimalist – instead, Patricia Bustos Studio aimed to create an “aesthetic madness” for the interior of this Madrid rental in a 1950s residential building.

The holiday home features 12 different shades of pink, with the entire living room covered in a pastel bubblegum pink.

“Pink vindicates the fall of stereotypes – everything is possible, nothing is planned or established and that’s the beauty of it,” the studio told Dezeen.

Find out more about Minimal Fantasy ›

San Francisco Residence by Jamie Bush — Photo by Matthew Millman

San Francisco house, US, by Jamie Bush

A more discrete take on adding pink to an interior can be found in this San Francisco house by architect Jamie Bush, who gave it an overhaul using an eclectic array of furniture.

Bush added pink walls to the dining room, where they contrast against dark-wood vintage furniture and white details including a lamp and sheer curtains to create a playful, yet elegant atmosphere.

Find out more about San Francisco House ›

Pink bedroom in Barbie's Malibu Dreamhouse — Photo by Hogwash Studios

Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse, US, by Ken

The most Barbiecore interior of them all can naturally be found in the Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse, which is being rented out by the doll’s boyfriend Ken on Airbnb.

Inside the California mansion, located beachside in Malibu, guests can enjoy pink rooms including the bright-fuchsia bedroom that has been decorated with cowboy hats, boots and cowhide rugs to add more “Kenergy”.

Find out more about Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse ›

Mixtape Apartment by Azab — Photo by Luis Díaz Díaz

Mixtape apartment, Spain, by Azab

A dusky baby-pink kitchen decorates the Mixtape apartment in Bilbao, which was designed by architecture studio Azab.

The white and pink cupboards are boarded by light timber strips, and the appliances in the room have also been painted pink. A multicoloured floor with pale green and yellow as well as darker red herringbone tiles give the space a vibrant feel.

Find out more about Mixtape apartment ›

13 Square Metre House By Studiomama — Photo by Rei Moon of Moon Ray Studio

130-square-metre-house, UK, by Studiomama

“London’s smallest house”, a conceptual design by Studiomama, features an abundance of pink details throughout, including in its plywood-clad kitchen.

Here, the clever fold-out seating has been decorated with blush-pink cushions and pillows, with a pink cushion also forming a cosy backrest.

Find out more about 130-square-metre house ›

Pink interior of Moco shop in Barcelona, designed by Isern Serra and Six N. Five — Photo by Salva Lopez

Moco Barcelona, Spain, by Isern Serra

A computer-generated image was transformed into a real-life interior for the Moco Barcelona store, a rose-coloured shop inside the city’s Moco Museum.

Designer Isern Serra used pink micro-cement to achieve the same uniform, ultra-smooth surfaces as those of the computer-generated image, creating a dream-like interior filled with rounded corners and arches.

Find out more about Moco Barcelona ›

Interior of Pigment House by Unknown Works — Photo by Lorenzo Zandri

Pigment House, UK, by Unknown Works

London studio Unknown Works went all in on the pink for Pigment House, a Hampstead home that was renovated to add a pink-toned patio area.

While not technically part of the interior, it adds a splash of colour to the ground floor area, and is used for indoor-outdoor living in the summer months. The choice of pink was a reference to the colourful buildings of Mexican architect Luiz Barragán.

Find out more about Pigment House ›

Cats' Pink House by KC Design Studio — Photo by Hey! Cheese

Cats’ Pink House, Taiwan, by KC Design Studio

This holiday home in Taiwan got its name, Cats’ Pink House, as it includes cat ladders, a rotating carousel-shaped climbing frame and a fluffy pink cat swing.

KC Design Studio used a mineral-based paint to create the pink walls throughout the home, which also features a pink bathroom – with a pink cat litter box.

Find out more about Cats’ Pink House ›

Reference

Interior Design

Dezeen’s Pinterest roundup features nine sauna’s in touch with nature

By Zarkon Group,21/03/2023

Saunas are trending on Pinterest and Dezeen has featured some of the best, including a floating sauna in Stockholm and a three-storey, outdoor sauna in the USA. Follow Dezeen on Pinterest and read on to discover the projects.

Pinners have been attracted to Dezeen’s sauna board. The most popular saunas are inspired by their natural surroundings and have cosy and relaxing interiors.

An out-building sauna in Canada, up a slope behind the main cabin, stood out due to its miniature size and unique shape.

Scroll down to see nine popular projects pinned on Dezeen’s Pinterest and browse our sauna Pinterest board to see more.

Ambassador Crescent, Canada, by BattersbyHowat Architects

This detached sauna, built on the property of a mountainside home in Whistler, British Columbia, was designed by Vancouver-based studio BattersbyHowat Architects.

Clad in standing seam metal, the small sauna mimics the design of the nearby holiday home.

Find out more about the Ambassador Crescent ›

The Big Branzino, Stockholm, by Sandellsandberg

Pine planks clad the exterior of a floating sauna by Swedish studio Sandellsandberg, which they designed to blend in with the surrounding forests.

For the interior, the studio used red cedar and added a fireplace, meaning that the central space can be heated for overnight trips when not used as a sauna.

Find out more about The Big Branzino ›

Bademaschinen, Norway, by ACT! Studio and Borhaven Arkitekter

ACT! Studio and Borhaven Arkitekter designed a collection of floating red and orange buildings in Oslo harbour to be a playful and relaxing space sauna.

For the project, the studio covered the floors with red vinyl. Birch plywood was used for the walls, tiered seating and changing rooms.

Find out more about Bademaschinen ›

Löyly, Switzerland, by Trolle Rudebeck Haar

Graduate Trolle Rudebeck Haar designed another floating sauna in Switzerland to fit up to three people. It has a sloped roof, wooden stove, bench, translucent glass windows and an exterior deck.

Löyly sits on a floating pontoon deck which allows it to be placed on any water with low-wave motion.

Find out more about Löyly ›

Saunaravintola Kiulu, Finland, by Studio Puisto

Simple and traditional materials such as black wood and red epoxy flooring were used by Studio Puisto to create a sombre and crisp atmosphere for this sauna at a lakeside wellness centre in the town of Ähtäri, Finland

Located in its own independent wooden cabin, the studio added a large window with the aim of connecting with the surrounding environment.

Find out more about Saunaravintola Kiulu ›

Sauna Tower, USA, by BarlisWedlick

This treehouse-style, three-storey outdoor sauna in New York’s Hudson Valley was designed by American studio BarlisWedlick.

A concrete sauna acts as the base for stacked-timber platforms made from Alaskan yellow cedar, topped with a viewing platform.

Find out more about the Sauna Tower ›

The Arctic Sauna Pavillion, Finland, by Toni Yli-Suvanto Architects

The surrounding natural environment inspired the design of the Arctic Sauna Pavilion by Tony Yli-Suvanto Architects in Lapland, Finland.

Inside, both bathing and relaxation take place in the same space, in accordance with an ancient arctic tradition. The walls of the building tilt outwards in the local custom to prevent the timber wall construction from getting wet.

Find out more about The Arctic Sauna Pavillion ›

Atmosphere, Australia, by Studio Rain

Studio Rain created a temporary sauna that is prefabricated and off-grid. Polycarbonate panels clads the walls and ceilings and it is heated by a wood-burning stove.

Made of reclaimed timber, it can be built, disassembled and reused without the need for any equipment.

Find out more about Atmosphere ›

House and sauna in Cambridge by Neil Dusheiko Architects

Dark Spa, UK, by Neil Dusheiko Architects

This spa was built in the garden of a renovated Victorian semi-detached home by Neil Dusheiko Architects. Inside the spa, the studio added a Japanese soaking tub, sauna, shower, gym and relaxation room with a fold-down bed.

With walls clad in Sapele timber and black slate flooring, the Dark Spa is intended to be “silent and mysterious”, the studio told Dezeen.

Find out more about the Dark Spa ›

Follow Dezeen on Pinterest

Pinterest is one of Dezeen’s fastest-growing social media networks with over 1.4 million followers and more than ten million monthly views. Follow our Pinterest to see the latest architecture, interiors and design projects – there are more than four hundred boards to browser and pin from.

Currently, our most popular boards are retail interiors and staircases.

Reference

touch

Eight home interiors where full-length curtains add a touch of drama

Eight homes where mid-century modern furniture adds a stylish touch

Could robotics and the personal touch restore rare reefs?

A fresh-produce-packing robot with a human touch

Eight interiors where Barbiecore pink adds a playful touch of colour

Dezeen’s Pinterest roundup features nine sauna’s in touch with nature

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