Swedish studio MatssonMarnell invited Stockholm Design Week visitors to the home of co-founder Magda Marnell, where local designers showcased beeswax candles, sculptural chairs and hairy lamps.The design duo, which works in interior design as well as creating collectible objects and furniture pieces, chose Marnell's flat as its exhibition space because they thought it represented their aesthetic well.The One Day Exhibition featured pieces by contemporary designers"We realised that this piece of art that we're standing in represents our practice pretty well and shows a part of the Stockholm design scene that we really love," co-founder Katarina Matsson told visitors at the Stockholm Design Week event.Each room in the flat featured art and design pieces by 15 designers and artists alongside botanical installations by local firm Stockholm Slow Flowers.Wooden tables by MatssonMarnell were on display in the living roomIn the living room, MatssonMarnell's own wooden tables kept rough and organic to evoke the forest were at the centre."In here, the idea was to not really know what is the home and what is the exhibition," Matsson said. "We have so many of our favourite designers represented here.""Even though it's quite a broad collection of designers and artists and brands, they all come together very naturally here," co-founder Magda Marnell added.The bedroom featured a purple lamp by Gnilmyd KcabIn the same room, the duo showcased other pieces including a spiky ashtray by Gnilmyd Kcab and Hyfer Objects' undulating armchair Eel Lounge.The designers underlined that the exhibition space wasn't an art gallery or a museum, encouraging visitors to touch and feel the objects on show.A wood-branch beeswax candle was designed by BjrnlundaarvetIn the bedroom of the apartment, recently renovated by local studio Norell/Rodhe, visitors could admire Gnilmyd Kcab's Standing Lampshade Lamp adorned with a lilac wig.It jostled for attention with Bjrnlundaarvet's sculptural beeswax candle, melted onto a tree branch to create a light installation with a pagan feel.Read: Swedish designers doing things that have "never been done before"One of the kids' rooms was decorated with wooden mobiles by designer Michelle Eismann, who also made artful mirrors that were dotted around the apartment.The idea to create a house show, which isn't very common at Stockholm Design Week, came from historical precedents, according to MatssonMarnell."We've always both had a dream of the French salon in the 1910s, like Gertrude Stein," Matsson said.In one of the kids' bedrooms, wooden mobiles hung from the ceilingOnce the concept was decided, finding the collaborators proved easy as many of their designs were already represented in the home."We looked at 'who do we have in our network?'" Marnell said. "Both of us want to have a personal connection when choosing objects, to choose objects that say something and come with a meaning.""Many of them had a lot of pieces and we could choose what we wanted to use," Matsson added.The family cat enjoyed a stroll among the floral installations in the hallwayWhile many exhibitions this Stockholm Design Week were dominated by male designers, MatssonMarnell's One Day Exhibition so-called because it was only on for one day featured a majority of works by women, though this wasn't a conscious choice by the designers."I've chosen objects and art from women for a long time," Marnell said."I think it was a subconscious choice," Matsson added.In the main bedroom, a mirror shaped like a woman decorated one wallOther pieces on show at the exhibition included glass vases and marble windowsills by local firm Public Studio, a paper holder by designer Alfred Sahln and sculptures by artist Kajsa Melchior.The photography is by Caroline Borg.Stockholm Design Week 2025 took place at various locations around the city from 3 to 9 February. SeeDezeen Events Guidefor an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.The post One Day Exhibition showcases private flat filled with unusual design pieces appeared first on Dezeen.

Yrj Kukkapuro, the Finnish furniture and product designer who dreamt up ideas "until the very end" over more than 70 years of creating, has passed away at his home in Kauniainen at the age of 91.Yrj Kukkapuro died last Saturday 8 February at his house just outside of Helsinki, according to a statement released by his studio, which is led by his daughter Isa Kukkapuro-Enbom and his granddaughter Ida Kukkapuro.Born in Vyborg in 1933, furnituremaker and interior architect Yrj Kukkapuro was a pioneer of postmodernism whose design approach was anchored in ergonomics.Yrj Kukkapuro was born in 1933. Photo courtesy of Wikimedia CommonsAlthough his chairs are included in the collections of international museums, from MoMA in New York to London's V&A, the functional but experimental furniture has served Finland's schools, airports and doctor's surgeries over many decades."Almost every Finn has sat on a chair he designed at a metro station, in a bank, at school, or in a library," said Studio Kukkapuro."Yrj focussed on public space furniture and office chairs, but their comfort made them well-suitable for homes," it added.The designer is known for his postmodern chairsAmong the designer's most famous work is his Karuselli (or 'carousel') lounge chair, designed in 1964 to echo the curves of the human body.Produced by furniture brand Artek, the chair caught the eye of designer Terence Conran in 1966 after architect Gio Ponti put it on the cover of his Domus magazine, prompting Conran to declare Karuselli "the most comfortable chair in the world"."I lie back in it with a glass of whisky and a cigar and immediately feel that life is worth living," said the late British designer.Among his most famous works is the Karuselli lounge chairYrj Kukkapuro studied at Finland's Institute of Industrial Arts (now known as Aalto University) before qualifying as an interior architect in 1958.The Finnish designer is also remembered for his iconic 1982 Experiment Chair, featuring an angled black seat but contrasting colourful and wavy armrests, which caused a stir for its unusual design.Although production ceased in the 1990s, Swedish brand Hem reproduced the chair in 2021 with minor adjustments for a contemporary audience.Yrj Kukkapuro created the YK lounge chair in 2021"We are saddened by the news of Yrj's passing, and our thoughts are with his family, said Hem founder Petrus Palmr. "He was a furniture design trailblazer, and showed us that a non-conformist approach is the only way to achieve a lasting legacy."Yrj Kukkapuro's self-designed Kauniainen home and studio was built in 1968. Characterised by a swooping concrete roof and no right angles, the house is scheduled to become a museum next year and display Yrj Kukkapuro's life's work alongside that of his wife Irmeli, the graphic artist who passed away in 2022.He designed many pieces for the home over his lifetime, including his 1980s Perhonen (or 'butterfly') multicoloured floor lamps, which although decorative, were characteristically produced for functionality.Read: Five classic chairs making a comeback at 3 Days of Design"The building was completed in 1968, and it was a rather experimental environment," reflected Yrj Kukkapuro. "I forgot to design electrical points for lighting fixtures on the ceiling. There was nothing for it but to design my own collection of lamps that stand on the floor."The designer continued to produce work well into his later years, such as his solid birch and aircraft plywood YK lounge chair produced for furniture brand Alkeis in 2021.Yrj Kukkapuro "never stopped designing and coming up with new ideas. Until the very end, he pondered a concept of his new chair, the plan of which was clear in his mind. His assistant didn't have time to make drawings of the chair," said his studio.The designer "pushed that design should be clear, functional and somewhat personal if possible," said Swedish architect and former student Eero Koivisto in a tribute to the Finnish creative. "A life well lived," he added.His 1968 home in Kauniainen is scheduled to become a museum next year"His style of design is characterised by his experimental treatment of form and his respectful approach to the inherent properties of his materials, ergonomics and ecological values," said Yrj Kukkapuro's studio in 2023.The designer was often known to ask, "does it make any sense to design a chair which is not good to sit on?", carrying that philosophy with him until his final days.The photography is courtesy of Studio Kukkapuro unless stated otherwise.The post Postmodernist Finnish designer Yrj Kukkapuro dies aged 91 appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Showroom:White Tiger granite and golden-hued bronzed brass combine dramatically in the Skywalk kitchen, designed by British kitchen brand Eggersmann.Eggersmann aimed to create a "captivating symbiosis" with Skywalk, whose two complementary materials meet in a bold diagonal deliniation across the kitchen island.The Skywalk kitchen combines White Tiger granite and brushed brassThe granite element cantilevers out from the brass base, appearing to float but in fact being firmly anchored to the central structure.Eggersmann's design brings out the richness of the materials by giving them a handcrafted finish, bronzing the brass to achieve a warm, cloudy effect that sits elegantly against the intricate natural pattern of the granite.The brushed brass gives a warm, handcrafted feelAs in all of the company's creations, there is great attention to detail through precise bevels and seamless concealed joints, which adds to the monolithic and luxurious character of the kitchens."Every detail counts and has a great impact on the overall appearance of an Eggersmann: every joint, every miter, every screw," said Eggersmann owner and creative director Michael Wunram. "With this obsession for detail, we create distinctive, one-of-a-kind kitchens. That is our credo."Product details:Product: SkywalkBrand: EggersmannContact: marketing@eggersmann.comMaterials: White Tiger granite, bronzed brassColours/finishes: selected natural stones, metals and veneersDimensions: 4260 x 1277 x 1815 millimetres or 4260 x 1277 x 2970 millimetresDezeen ShowroomDezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.The post Skywalk kitchen by Eggersmann appeared first on Dezeen.

Danish studioBIG has designed a curving folded roof informed by traditional Kosovan skirts for the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Kosovo in Pristina.Created in collaboration with local architecture studio ALB-Architect, the performance venue will be home to the Kosovo Philharmonic, Ballet and Opera and contain a 1,200-capacity concert hall, a 1,000-capacity theatre hall, 300-seat recital hall and an education and conference centre.BIG has designed an undulating roof for the Opera and Ballet Theatre of KosovoA sculptural roof informed by the shape of the Xhubleta, a traditional bell-shaped folk skirt, will top the venue and peel away from the ground to reveal glazed facades.The roof will be clad in photovoltaic tiles and a stone-paved public square will surround the building.A public square will surround the theatre"Our design for the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Kosovo is designed like an efficient factory for the fabrication of artistic performances," said BIG founder Bjarke Ingels."The rational nucleus is wrapped in a continuous canopy, creating an engaging public space open in all directions," he continued."The undulating roof creates a flowing and inviting gesture evocative of the Xhubleta, the traditional national dress of Kosovo."Read: BIG set to top Museum for Paper Art with "a single sheet of paper"Wide outdoor staircases will flank the theatre, which is located next to the Palace of Youth and Sports, Fadil Vokrri Stadium and Public Services Ministry, to give pedestrian access through the site.BIG designed the building to reflect Kosovo's cultural heritage while also being a contemporary venue that celebrates the country's performing arts.BIG drew from the shape of the Kosovan Xhubleta when designing the curving roof"The design for the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Kosovo allows for the flexibility to accommodate the precise needs of the organisations who will occupy the spaces within, while providing a modern facility that can elicit joy and delight for future generations of visitors and performers alike," said BIG London partner Andy Young."The theatre's design symbolises a new era of the arts and culture of Kosovo, with the potential to touch the heart of everyone who experiences it."Theatre halls at the Opera and Ballet Theatre of Kosovo will be lined with timber. Image by Bucharest StudioA lobby connected to the four performance halls will be illuminated by a skylight.The halls will have curved timber interiors with velvet upholstery and acoustic curtains designed to have a sculptural and inviting appearance.Other projects recently unveiled by BIG include luxury apartments for Saadiyat Island in Abu Dhabi and housing for the first phase of Toyota Woven City in Japan.The images are by Bloomimages unless otherwise stated.The post BIG to wrap Kosovo opera and ballet theatre in sculptural photovoltaic roof appeared first on Dezeen.

London studio Satish Jassal Architects has completed Rowan Court, a cluster of brick-clad social housing blocks in Seven Sisters that "repairs the frayed edges" of an existing 1970s estate.Commissioned by Haringey Council, the development provides 46 apartments on a left-over strip of land between an existing housing estate and a railway line in north London.Satish Jassal Architects has completed Rowan Court in north LondonIntended to diversify the available housing types at the estate with a focus on larger families, Rowan Court includes four wheelchair-accessible apartments and four multi-generational maisonettes.Satish Jassal Architects' design mirrors the zigzagging plan of the existing housing blocks and is organised around an L-shaped apartment block, flanked on either side by a series of lower terrace blocks. This creates a new courtyard and mews-style street.The development includes 46 apartment social homes"The core concept revolves around repairing the frayed edges of the urban fabric," founder Satish Jassal told Dezeen."This involves enhancing the public space and developing sustainable and inclusive housing for the community," he continued."The most significant gesture is the creation of a new public square and mews street, which transforms a neglected, unsafe area into a gentle, secure, and community-oriented space for all residents, both new and existing," he added.Read: David Chipperfield adds social housing and offices to Lyon riverside developmentThe central block of Rowan Court is six storeys in height and contains 31 apartments. Each one has access to an external terrace cut out of the brick facade that overlooks communal outdoor areas.To the east, two blocks of maisonettes and townhouses create the mews-style street, while to the west a single block of townhouses completes the partial enclosure of a small green square by the existing estate.All of the blocks have been finished in hand-laid red brick, contrasted with semi-glazed white bricks used to highlight pillars framing the windows and create narrow horizontal bands that bring scale to the facades.Its L-shaped layout frames a courtyardThese bricks cloak the concrete structure of the main block and steel framework used for the smaller buildings."The primary material, brick, was selected for its local resonance, durability, and design flexibility," explained Jassal. "Semi-glazed bricks introduce rhythm and depth, reflecting architectural facade patterns in the area while maintaining budget constraints."A mix of red and white bricks clad the buildingsIn line with the council's sustainability goals, the homes are predominantly car-free and have access to 96 cycle spaces. There are also onsite solar panels and air-source heat pumps.Jassal founded his eponymous London-based studio in 2014. Its previous projects include a skylit bungalow that was squeezed into a small site in Haringey and the addition of an oak-framed conservatory to a Victorian townhouse.The photography is by Richard Chivers.The post Satish Jassal Architects adds red-brick social housing blocks to London estate appeared first on Dezeen.

Data journalist and illustrator Mona Chalabi has worked with architecture studio Situ to examine the proposed international crime of domicide in Patterns of Life, an installation at the Smithsonian Design Triennial at New York's Cooper Hewitt museum.Presented under the triennial's theme of "Making Home", Patterns of Life explores the impacts of the systematic destruction of housing by focusing on three real-world examples, represented by three architectural models.The models recreate in dimensionally precise detail the homes of Osman and his wife in Manbij, Syria, damaged in 2016; Basim and his family in Mosul, Iraq, destroyed in 2015; and an unnamed woman and her son in Gaza, Palestine, destroyed in 2023.The Patterns of Life installation recreates homes destroyed by domicide as architectural modelsAlongside the models, Chalabi's illustrations both situate the homes within their wider cities and provide a window into the lives that were lived within.Chalabi conceived the installation in collaboration with Situ Research, a wing of Brooklyn-based practice Situ, to put a human face on the widespread destruction in overseas conflicts that the public sees in the media.She was first approached by the triennale in 2023 and initially began developing a work around US housing and inequality before pivoting once the scale of the Israeli offensive in Gaza began to dwarf her other concerns.There is still a connection to the US, however all three of the homes featured in the exhibition were destroyed by American munitions, with a direct link proved through Situ's research.The largest of the models depicts the home of Osman and his wife in Manbij, Syria"A large part of this project was to recast how a lot of these countries are represented in US media," Situ Research deputy director Gauri Bahuguna told Dezeen. "You're not really shown these private, intimate moments of domestic life.""Another part of that is just this relentless depiction of rubble," added Chalabi. "The rubble only shows the after it doesn't really show you what's been lost.""It's so hard for us [as viewers] to look at piles and piles of grey concrete broken into stones and to visually be able to construct what was there, whereas a resident of that city will look out and they will see what was there before," she continued.The homes in Patterns of Life all have different typologies. Basim's home in Iraq is the single-family house of someone relatively affluent, while the home in Gaza is a low-rise multi-family residence and Osman's in Syria is a larger apartment building.A smaller apartment building forms the home of woman X and her son in Gaza, PalestineSitu's fabrication unit constructed the models as accurately as possible based on satellite imagery gathered by Situ Research as well as the photographs and personal testimonies of the participants that Chalabi interviewed.Inside the models, the team took a more non-literal approach. On one facade, the models are cut to reveal a cross-section of the interior, recreated with an almost dreamlike quality that aims to communicate a feeling of loss.Here, Chalabi's illustrations of domestic details remembered by her interviewees such as books, toys and heirlooms are presented as digital prints on layers of translucent silk, giving both a sense of three-dimensionality and fragility.Bahuguna said that this approach arose in an effort to combine architectural models and illustration without entering "doll house territory".Read: "Data replicates the existing systems of power" says Pulitzer Prize-winner Mona Chalabi"There were conversations about, how do you get someone to feel a bit more softness or evoke some sense of domesticity without then veering into the twee?" she said."We talked about having 3D objects, but it would have felt too twee or too much like a doll's house," added Chalabi. "There needed to be some degree of abstraction.""If it was a full replica of the home, you would almost lose sight that this had been destroyed. We wanted to communicate that something has been lost here this is an attempt to recreate memories, rather than to recreate the home itself," she continued.Fragrance also helps to evoke emotion, with peppermint oil in the Syrian home honouring Osman's memories of mint tea, lavender oil in the Iraqi home nodding to Basim's garden, and orange oil in the Palestinian home evoking surrounding orchards.Basim's home in Iraq is a single-family houseChalabi and Bahuguna hope that, after walking through many other rooms exploring housing in the USA, visitors to Patterns of Life are drawn to reflect on the country's connection to these homes overseas and their destruction.Domicide is not currently a crime under international law, but it has been on the agenda since it was recommended in a 2022 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal.The report considers not just the deliberate destruction of homes through military conflict but through urban development or social upheaval as kinds of domicide."It felt really important to communicate that domicide isn't about the destruction of a house, it's about the destruction of a home," said Chalabi."Under international law, a home is not protected; the only protections that exist reduce home to private property," added Bahuguna. "But there is something more than just the physical property that is being destroyed."The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum's seventh triennial exhibition, Making Home features a wide range of works, including an installation by The Architecture of Reentry imagining the best way for individuals to reenter communities from prison and an intervention by the Black Artists + Designers Guild restocking the museum's library.The photography is by Elliot Goldstein.The Smithsonian Design Triennial is on show from November 2024 to 10 August 2025 in New York City. For more exhibitions, talks and fairs in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.Project credits:SITU Research team: Gauri Bahuguna, Martina Duque Gonzalez, Sam Rabiyah, Frederick Rapp, Bradley Samuels, Candice StrongwaterThe post Patterns of Life installation recreates homes destroyed by domicide appeared first on Dezeen.

Ecological concerns and the pressures of the modern world mean designers no longer have the luxury of seeing their work as a form of self-expression, Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa tells Dezeen in this interview."Many designers in the past believed that design was merely a medium for self-expression, but we are now in an era where it is crucial to carefully assess whether such an approach is truly appropriate," Fukasawa said."Success means creating something that brings joy to people, while failure occurs when the design contributes to harming the natural environment or disrupting the peace of people's daily lives."Fukasawa has produced furniture and product designs for companies such as Herman Miller, Alessi, B&B Italia, Emeco, Magis, Issey Miyake and Hay.Fukasawa's wall-mounted CD player for MUJI is possibly his best known design. Photo by Hidetoyo SasakiHe is perhaps best known for his wall-mounted CD player for Muji, which is now part of the permanent collections of the Museum of Modern Art in New York and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London.The first major exhibition in the US celebrating the designer's career has now opened at The Philadelphia Museum of Art (PMA), curated by the institute's curator and historian of decorative arts, design and craft, Colin Fanning.Titled Naoto Fukasawa: Things in Themselves, it looks back at the last 25 years of Fukasawa's work.The show is too small to exhibit more than the 1,000 designs he has created, so Fukasawa said it provided him with "a great opportunity to focus on symbolic works that aligned with the key concepts behind my designs".Naoto Fukasawa: Things in Themselves is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art until 20 April. Photo by Sarah Croop"I realised that both my ideas and the quality of my designs have remained consistent," he said. "I am simply given ideas or insights from something, and then I transform those into a tangible image."At the start of a project, Fukasawa said, he asks a client or collaborator what their best-selling product is."The question is essentially asking which product design is loved by the most people," he explained. "If the answer aligns with what I feel, I will be convinced and put in the effort to create great designs with the client."From then on, his process is meticulous."I start by sketching, turning it into a drawing, creating a hand-made, highly accurate shape model," he said."Then [I] adjust and modify the design by adding technology and regulations, refining it further through the process of trial and error, creating functional prototypes, and repeatedly checking whether it matches the original vision. Ideas and execution are inseparable."Read: Naoto Fukasawa inserts Issey Miyake store into 132-year-old Kyoto townhouseIn 2025, the first question designers must ask themselves is whether or not to create more stuff in the first place, Fukasawa believes."Good design should be something that is loved for a long time," he said. "Designers and humanity in general must avoid creating things that are deemed undesirable in the context of life itself."While he still believes that "design is essential for living well", Fukasawa argues that designers are now required to think harder about their work than in the past."It's not just about creating good designs, but about making the right ones," he said. "I believe that design should serve as a tool needed by people, not merely as a source of stimulation.""I hope designers will create with humility, crafting things that blend into the background of everyday life."Fukasawa designed the Cha teapot for AlessiDesign fairs have come under increasing scrutiny in recent years from some commentators who argue they encourage unnecessary production.But Fukasawa believes they still have value, as long as they do more than simply exhibit products."Their value lies in the ability to physically engage with products and experience, whether they improve usability and enhance daily life," he said."I think fairs should be places where the value becomes clear through experience. They shouldn't just be trade shows."Nevertheless, he expressed some reservations about brands pouring large amounts of resources into fully immersive installations at various design weeks."While it's not a bad thing to have a space where brands that offer experiential products come together, I don't think it's ideal to spend a huge amount of money on building stands that are then dismantled and discarded after a week," he said.Grande Papilio chair was designed by Naoto Fukasawa for B&B Italia. Photo courtesy of B&B ItaliaFukasawa said his principles will continue to apply as artificial intelligence becomes more commonly used in the design process."AI has already become an indispensable tool in bringing images to life," he said."While the benefits of AI are clear, recent trends showing a growing interest in folk crafts and handmade items suggest that people are increasingly drawn to things created directly by the human body, not just driven by convenience, reflecting a deeper sense of attachment and emotion."Other designers recently interviewed by Dezeen include art-design duo the Haas Brothers and Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis.The photography is courtesy of the PMA unless otherwise stated.Naoto Fukasawa: Things in Themselves is on show at the Philadelphia Museum of Art until 20 April. See Dezeen Events Guidefor more architecture and design events around the world.The post Design should "blend into the background of everyday life" says Naoto Fukasawa appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Showroom: South Korean brand Vobia has released a kitchen made from stainless steel that gains character over the course of time.The Ark T5 kitchen comprises a stainless steel kitchen island and wall units that are designed around the properties of five-millimetre thick plates.The Ark T5 kitchen is made of textured stainless steelVobia focused on infusing life into the material by drawing out its lines to create a bar table on one side, and by embracing a rough surface finish that both disguises and embraces the scratches that come as a result of day-to-day use."Ark T5 is a design that gives rhythm to repetitive machine production by combining it with human handicraft," said Vobia. "Vertical machine production creates lines, and human hands create surfaces that are filled with soul."A pull-out shelf adds functionality"The weight of stainless steel expresses simplicity through its lines and depth through its surfaces," the brand continued. "This harmony between lines and surfaces acquires the permanence of time."Study of efficient circulation also informed the design of the Ark T5, which features a pull-out shelf in the centre of its wall unit that shortens the distance between it and the island when desired.Product details:Product: Ark T5Brand: VobiaContact: vobia200@naver.comMaterial: stainless steelDimensions: 2748 x 1192 x 915 millimetresDezeen ShowroomDezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.The post Ark T5 kitchen by Vobia appeared first on Dezeen.

Montreal-based designer Ying Gao has created a pair of garments embedded with soft mirrors and eye-tracking robotic components that transform when people look at them.The collection, which features mirrors made by fusing glass and silicone, aims to challenge conventional notions of self-perception and visibility in the digital age.Ying Gao has created a pair of garments embedded with soft mirrorsEmbedded with eye-tracking technology, the garments react to the observer's gaze, triggering micro-actuators that cause the material to ripple and shift.Microcontrollers and sensors are discreetly integrated into the pieces and powered by lightweight, rechargeable lithium batteries.The collection was inspired by Italian philosopher Umberto EcoExpanding on Gao's long-standing exploration of interactive design, the collection draws on Italian philosopher Umberto Eco's idea that mirrors offer an impression of both virtuality and reality."Mirrors are not just reflective surfaces they are thresholds where reality and illusion converge," Gao told Dezeen. "Within clothing, they create a layered experience, one that does not simply reflect an image but fragments and reshapes perception."The garments ripple when people look at themThe garments aim to explore the idea of perception in an age where AI and digital culture continuously reshape how we see ourselves."Self-perception today is shaped as much by screens as by direct experience," Gao said. "These garments embody that condition, both literally and conceptually.""Like digital reflections, they do not offer a singular, stable image but a shifting, fragmented presence."The collection utilises eye-tracking technologyTo create a flexible mirror surface that can move with its wearer, Gao experimented with different combinations of glass and silicone, eventually creating a hybrid material that retains its reflective properties while allowing for movement."The soft mirror material does not simply reflect, it shifts, fragments, and distorts, making the wearer both present and displaced," Gao said.The mirror pieces were assembled using medical cotton gauze refined with 18-carat gold finishing and sewn onto the garments.Read: Rahul Mishra adorns couture pieces with skyscrapers at Paris Couture WeekWhile not intended for everyday use, the garments are not purely conceptual. Gao compares them to haute couture and says they are built to last and "designed to withstand interaction"."Like haute couture, which serves as a laboratory for experimentation, the pieces challenge materiality, movement, and perception," Gao said."Their purpose is not practicality in a conventional sense, but to shift perspectives, to propose new ways of thinking about clothing, technology, and presence."Glass and silicone were combined to create a flexible mirror surfaceThe electronic components were designed to be modular, allowing for maintenance and repair, while cleaning involves localised treatments rather than traditional washing."These pieces invite us to rethink our relationship with clothing, one that values preservation, interaction, and continuity over disposability," Gao said.The mirror pieces are assembled using medical cotton gauze with gold finishingThrough this collection, Gao wants to push the limits of what clothing can be by combining fashion and technology."My work has always questioned the limits of textiles, how they move, how they interact with the body, and how they respond to external forces," Gao said."Incorporating materials like mirrors, robotics and responsive elements allowed me to push this further, transforming clothing into something more than just fabric on skin an active participant in perception."Modular electronic components allow for maintenance and repairGao's previous works include a pair of dresses that expand and contract in response to colours and a collection with fibrous panels that become animated in the presence of strangers.The photography is by Malina Corpadean.The post Ying Gao's All Mirrors clothing responds to the observer's gaze appeared first on Dezeen.

Waxed plaster walls, rainbow onyx surfaces and an olive tree create a spa-like atmosphere inside the store that Canadian studio Ste Marie has designed for luggage brand Monos.The new Monos location is situated on Ossington Street, a few blocks away from Toronto's Little Portugal neighbourhood.An olive tree sits in front of a vertical light box at the heart of the Monos store in TorontoThe brand draws influence from the Japanese concept of "mono no aware" an appreciation of fleeting moments of beauty and Ste Marie used this to guide the interior design."The space invites guests to embark on a multi-sensory journey that connects them to moments of awe, discovery and the joy we crave with travel," said the studio, which has offices in Toronto and Vancouver.The store's minimalist design includes serene beige tones and stone display shelvesPortuguese bed and breakfasts known as "pousadas" also provided a reference for the welcoming ambiance that the team aimed to achieve."This dreamlike space on Ossington, influenced by gentle surrealism and the cultural hospitality of Portugal's pousadas, is timeless and wistful," said Ste Marie.Through the centre of the space, a water feature flows from the rainbow onyx counter and cascades into a lower basinAn olive tree stands at the heart of the store, against a light box that rises up the wall behind and traces across the ceiling.On either side, waxed plaster walls and monoliths of split-faced cottonwood limestone help to frame the central installation.The brand draws influence from the Japanese concept of "mono no aware" an appreciation of fleeting moments of beautyA larger central counter is topped with a slab of Turkish rainbow onyx, patterned with veins of blue-grey and orange.From the countertop, a raised water feature flows towards the front of the store and cascades into a lower basin, "cuing the simplicity and connection between nature and humanity" according to Ste Marie.Read: Ste Marie spotlights the art of flower arranging inside Cadine store in VancouverThe beige colour scheme extends from the ceiling to the flooring and across wall displays and lighting elementsCove lighting illuminates the large stone shelves upon which the luggage products are presented against the neutral backdrop.Cove lighting illuminates the display shelves along the walls"Softly encased wall niches, adorned with subtle Italian Onice Striato Avorio stone, showcase the brand's curated collection of luggage and accessories thoughtful products for the mindful traveler," Ste Marie said.Back-of-house areas are concealed by taupe curtains, while full-length mirrors installed in the corners allow the space to feel larger than it is.The store is located on Ossington Street, close to the city's Little Portugal neighbourhoodSte Marie is best known for its hospitality interiors across Vancouver, with recent projects including a restaurant influenced by Hong Kong's "love motels" and a bakery decorated in malty hues.The studio's previous forays into retail have included a lifestyle store that spotlights the art of flower arranging.The photography is by Doublespace.The post Ste Marie designs "dreamlike" interior for Toronto luggage store appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio Urko Snchez Architects has created a series of classrooms for a school in Nairobi, Kenya, which are wrapped inwooden logs to blend into their forested surroundings.Situated in clearings within the forest, the development by Urko Snchez Architects contains a series of temporary classrooms designed as a "small village" for the existing Nairobi Waldorf School.Urko Snchez Architects has added a series of classrooms to a school in Nairobi"The main concept was to create a village for children hidden in the forest, fostering a strong connection with nature," the studio told Dezeen."The project prioritised cost-effective and reusable materials like wood, soil, and forest leaves to minimise environmental impact," it added. "Classrooms were dispersed in forest clearings to preserve native trees and avoid disruption."Reusable materials were used to construct the classroomsThe 3,1620-square-metre project comprises several classrooms topped with overhanging wooden roofs, informed by the region's vernacular architecture.Among them is an existing, lofty structure, repurposed to accommodate additional classrooms and services, supported by a framework of tall logs.The structures are topped with overhanging roofsUrko Snchez Architects designed the structures for a 10-year lifespan because of a lease on the site. This led it to use lightweight, cost-effective and reclaimed materials that could be repurposed in the future.This included the use of wooden logs of various heights, which wrap around the base of each classroom, and reclaimed roof tiles, which were repurposed and used to create paths around the site.Read: Andblack Design Studio designs undulating preschool to "foster creativity and play"Polycarbonate sheets encase some of the teaching spaces, creating transparent walls that also help draw light into their interiors.In a bid to offer both a natural aesthetic and promote biodiversity on the site, portions of the polycarbonate walls are filled with layers of reclaimed soil and forest leaves that act as "living walls".Polycarbonate panels were used for some of the walls"The design addressed the temporary 10-year lease by prioritising cost-effective and quick construction methods," the studio said."Recycled materials were creatively repurposed, emphasising sustainability and collaboration," it added. "Children, parents, and teachers participated in the soil filling process, fostering a sense of community."Sheltered corridors wind around the classrooms to provide access to the interiors, which offer children well-lit workspaces finished with earthy tones thanks to the use of natural materials.Natural materials create earthy tones within the classroomsUrko Snchez Architects works out of studios in Madrid and Nairobi. Previous projects by the studio include a concrete compound in Djibouti designed as a home for vulnerable children.Other schools recently featured on Dezeen include an elementary school in northeast Vancouver built from mass timber and a cuboidal primary school in rural Austria designed as a "village within the village".The photography is by Javier Callejas.The post Urko Sanchez Architects prioritises reusable materials for temporary school in Nairobi appeared first on Dezeen.

Data journalist and illustrator Mona Chalabi has worked with architecture studio Situ to examine the proposed international crime of domicide in Patterns of Life, an installation at the Smithsonian Design Triennial at New York's Cooper Hewitt museum.Presented under the triennial's theme of "Making Home", Patterns of Life explores the impacts of the systematic destruction of housing by focusing on three real-world examples, represented by three architectural models.The models recreate in dimensionally precise detail the homes of Osman and his wife in Manbij, Syria, damaged in 2016; Basim and his family in Mosul, Iraq, destroyed in 2015; and an unnamed woman and her son in Gaza, Palestine, destroyed in 2023.The Patterns of Life installation recreates homes destroyed by domicide as architectural modelsAlongside the models, Chalabi's illustrations both situate the homes within their wider cities and provide a window into the lives that were lived within.Chalabi conceived the installation in collaboration with Situ Research, a wing of Brooklyn-based practice Situ, to put a human face on the widespread destruction in overseas conflicts that the public sees in the media.She was first approached by the triennale in 2023 and initially began developing a work around US housing and inequality before pivoting once the scale of the Israeli offensive in Gaza began to dwarf her other concerns.There is still a connection to the US, however all three of the homes featured in the exhibition were destroyed by American munitions, with a direct link proved through Situ's research.The largest of the models depicts the home of Osman and his wife in Manbij, Syria"A large part of this project was to recast how a lot of these countries are represented in US media," Situ Research deputy director Gauri Bahuguna told Dezeen. "You're not really shown these private, intimate moments of domestic life.""Another part of that is just this relentless depiction of rubble," added Chalabi. "The rubble only shows the after it doesn't really show you what's been lost.""It's so hard for us [as viewers] to look at piles and piles of grey concrete broken into stones and to visually be able to construct what was there, whereas a resident of that city will look out and they will see what was there before," she continued.The homes in Patterns of Life all have different typologies. Basim's home in Iraq is the single-family house of someone relatively affluent, while the home in Gaza is a low-rise multi-family residence and Osman's in Syria is a larger apartment building.A smaller apartment building forms the home of woman X and her son in Gaza, PalestineSitu's fabrication unit constructed the models as accurately as possible based on satellite imagery gathered by Situ Research as well as the photographs and personal testimonies of the participants that Chalabi interviewed.Inside the models, the team took a more non-literal approach. On one facade, the models are cut to reveal a cross-section of the interior, recreated with an almost dreamlike quality that aims to communicate a feeling of loss.Here, Chalabi's illustrations of domestic details remembered by her interviewees such as books, toys and heirlooms are presented as digital prints on layers of translucent silk, giving both a sense of three-dimensionality and fragility.Bahuguna said that this approach arose in an effort to combine architectural models and illustration without entering "doll house territory".Read: "Data replicates the existing systems of power" says Pulitzer Prize-winner Mona Chalabi"There were conversations about, how do you get someone to feel a bit more softness or evoke some sense of domesticity without then veering into the twee?" she said."We talked about having 3D objects, but it would have felt too twee or too much like a doll's house," added Chalabi. "There needed to be some degree of abstraction.""If it was a full replica of the home, you would almost lose sight that this had been destroyed. We wanted to communicate that something has been lost here this is an attempt to recreate memories, rather than to recreate the home itself," she continued.Fragrance also helps to evoke emotion, with peppermint oil in the Syrian home honouring Osman's memories of mint tea, lavender oil in the Iraqi home nodding to Basim's garden, and orange oil in the Palestinian home evoking surrounding orchards.Basim's home in Iraq is a single-family houseChalabi and Bahuguna hope that, after walking through many other rooms exploring housing in the USA, visitors to Patterns of Life are drawn to reflect on the country's connection to these homes overseas and their destruction.Domicide is not currently a crime under international law, but it has been on the agenda since it was recommended in a 2022 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Balakrishnan Rajagopal.The report considers not just the deliberate destruction of homes through military conflict but through urban development or social upheaval as kinds of domicide."It felt really important to communicate that domicide isn't about the destruction of a house, it's about the destruction of a home," said Chalabi."Under international law, a home is not protected; the only protections that exist reduce home to private property," added Bahuguna. "But there is something more than just the physical property that is being destroyed."The Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum's seventh triennial exhibition, Making Home features a wide range of works, including an installation by The Architecture of Reentry imagining the best way for individuals to reenter communities from prison and an intervention by the Black Artists + Designers Guild restocking the museum's library.The photography is by Elliot Goldstein.The Smithsonian Design Triennial is on show from November 2024 to 10 August 2025 in New York City. For more exhibitions, talks and fairs in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.Project credits:SITU Research team: Gauri Bahuguna, Martina Duque Gonzalez, Sam Rabiyah, Frederick Rapp, Bradley Samuels, Candice StrongwaterThe post Patterns of Life installation recreates homes destroyed by domicide appeared first on Dezeen.

For our latest lookbook, we've rounded up eight retail spaces that use metal to define their interiors, demonstrating its ability to elevate the shopping experience.From sculptural aluminium clothing racks to curved metal-clad walls, the stores featured in this lookbook embrace metals versatility.Ranging from industrial and futuristic to sculptural and refined, here are eight retail stores that showcase how metal can be both functional and expressive.This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring living rooms with the Togo sofa, dental clinics and stylish bookshelves.Photo courtesy of Crosby StudiosAvgvst, Germany, by Crosby StudiosWhile this jewellery store occupies the ground floor of a 19th-century building and retains a traditional shop front, its interior aims to break away from convention.New York-based Crosby Studios outfitted jewellery brand Avgvst's store with a faux industrial kitchen, featuring repurposed stainless steel appliances and yellow camping furniture.Find out more about Avgvst Photo by Thomas AdankNatalino, UK, by Mooradian StudioSculptural aluminium display fittings feature alongside textured walls coated in spray-on newspaper pulp in this menswear store.Working with design studio Mitre & Mondays, Mooradian Studio created custom-made clothing display structures made from aluminium strips that are bent and folded into shape.Find out more about Natalino Photo by Pankaj AnandNezo, India, by Sanjay Puri ArchitectsMumbai studio Sanjay Puri Architects paired reflective chrome furniture with cobalt blue flooring to design a futuristic interior for Nezo's showroom.The clothing racks that line the boutiques perimeter, cast and shaped to resemble molten liquid, are made from the same reflective chrome steel as the reception desk.Find out more about Nezo Photo by Salva LpezGigi Studios, Spain, by Isern SerraTo add contrast to the otherwise minimal and serene palette of this showroom and office, Spanish studio Isern Serra placed a large circular sofa framed in stainless steel in one of the reception areas.The sculptural piece serves as both a seating area and a workspace within eyewear brand Gigi Studios' head office, complemented by a circular built-in shelf crafted of the same material.Find out more about Gigi Studios Photo courtesy of DE-YANBigface, USA, by DE-YANInformed by the sci-fi film 2001: A Space Odyssey, this coffee shop created by NBA star Jimmy Butler embraces the minimal aesthetic reminiscent ofthe film's spaceship setting.Design agency DE-YAN positioned a pilled-shaped service counter at the centre of Bigface while backlit niches set within brushed stainless steel walls showcase the store's merchandise.Find out more about Bigface Photo by Erik Stackpole UndehnDepartamento, USA, by 22RELos Angeles-based studio 22RE drew on 20th-century modernists like Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra as well as the industrial character of this boutique's warehouse setting for its interior.Along with metal grids and custom display cases, Departmento features a pair of curved metal-clad walls that form a narrow corridor that leads from one area to another.Find out more about Departamento Photo by Katie KutuzovaEstil.io, Armenia, by Studio ShooMilan-based Studio Shoo combined sculptural elements, chrome furniture and bright accents to create a calm interior for Estil.io's homeware store, reflecting its brand identity.A large, undulating metal strip curls down like a ribbon from the ceiling to the floor, framing the reception desk as a dramatic focal point.Find out more about Estil.io Photo by Yongjoon ChoiSVRN, USA, by WGNBAiming to present fashion brand SVRN's products as artworks and ideas, South Korean studio WGNB applied a muted, monochrome selection of materials to the store.In the back room, the walls and ceilings are clad in brushed stainless steel while a curved bench mirrors the circular opening punctuating the ceiling above.Find out more about SVRN This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring living rooms with the Togo sofa, dental clinics and stylish bookshelves.The post Eight retail stores that make a statement with metal appeared first on Dezeen.

Multitude of Sins founder Smita Thomas has used brutalist forms and whimsical elements to overhaul her duplex apartment in Bengaluru.Named Pearls on Swine in reference to its location within an ordinary-looking building, the home combines Thomas' whimsical taste with her husband's desire for minimalism."Our differing perspectives opened doors to unexpected artistic expression: a dynamic space that celebrates the interplay of artistry and function, a home that's a true reflection of who we are," Thomas told Dezeen.Multitude of Sins founder has overhauled her apartmentThe apartment is split over two levels with an open-plan living, lounge and dining area occupying the majority of the lower floor. A kitchen, library and guest bedroom complete the lower floor with the main bedroom and large terrace on the floor above.All of the spaces share the same grey walls, while in the main living area, Multitude of Sins created a concrete floor with a mosaic described as "a game of tic-tac-toe that's been abandoned halfway"."The flooring itself is an example in artistry and craftsmanship, transforming what could be mere surfaces into a tactile experience," said Thomas.The apartment features whimsical elementsWithin the living area is a multi-textured couch upholstered in micro velvet, cotton and corduroy, accentuated by leather straps and stainless steel inlay designed with the aim of being formal yet laid-back."Think James Bond in a business suit and sneakers suave, but ready for a good time," said Thomas.A flower-shaped artwork hangs above the couchHanging above the couch is an unusual flower-shaped mosaic artwork made with square tiles of varying sizes, sprouting tendrils resembling Maleficent's horns.A pet-proof wall clad in fluted charcoal basalt stone topped with a stripe of Toronto marble runs along the living room and foyer.A multifunctional screen was installed in the foyerExtending out from the living room is a geometric bar unit and pub-style seating nook. Dark concrete flooring with mauve tiles and wood inlay was chosen to distinguish the nook from the rest of the house.The unit itself is shaped like an inverted trapezoid, covered in brown-grey veneer and topped with a stone counter.The bar unit draws upon brutalismThe shutters feature tall, mauve-toned metal handles a detail which is satisfyingly mirrored in the flooring inlay below.On the opposite side of the room, a L-shaped bench was added with a small counter supported on a floor-to-ceiling pole as bar-style seating.Pub-style seating was createdIn the dining space a three-metre-long table covered in concrete-finish tiles with a marble inlay border is supported by large grey-stained wooden legs that resemble concrete blocks.This space is separating from the open kitchen by a sculptural partition wall featuring a collage of materials.Read: Studio Est adds "brutalist elements" to Battersea Power Station apartmentIt is embedded with a rugged concrete slab embossed with the names of the couple's pets, connected to the other elements of the wall with construction rods."I envisioned an experimental piece that would be a showstopper, yet also withstand the reality of daily life: dogs darting around, meals being made, and messes that come with living fully," explained Thomas.The kitchen partition wall is a collage of materialsAlongside the main living area, the library-cum-TV room has a vaulted ceiling covered in weathered grey bricks.Next to it the guest bedroom has a distinctive headboard shaped like a capsule, connected to the bed with metal rods. Flower-shaped lights made in metal moulded to mimic clay flank the bed on both sides.The guest headboard resembles an abacusIn the principal bedroom a stainless steel lattice structure was created for the headboard of the bed, which was cushioned with pink fabric and silver leather.The flooring of this bedroom was embedded with a triangle-shaped marble piece near the foot of the bed, mimicking an area rug.A steel lattice supports the master bedOverall, Thomas hopes that the space successfully blends layers of meaning and materials."I'm most proud of how functional objects and materials in our home gently transform into artistic installations and experiences, blurring the lines between utility and art," Thomas told Dezeen."I aimed to create layers of meaning in every choice, ensuring that every material, every detail, and every curve speaks to who we are as a couple and individuals, without any fear of judgement."The apartment also features a library-cum-TV roomMultitude of Sins is based out of Bengaluru. The studio's project, The Circus Canteen, was the winner of the sustainable interior category at the 2022 Dezeen Awards.Elsewhere in Bengaluru, local studio A Threshold have designed a skylit home offering a "seamless transition between indoor and outdoor living" and 4-site Architects have designed a home informed by Bengaluru's green spaces.The photography is by Ishita Sitwala.The post Multitude of Sins founder revamps own apartment with "interplay of artistry and function" appeared first on Dezeen.

Mexican architecture and materials have informed the interior of this restaurant in Midtown Manhattan, designed by LA-based Jordana Maisie Design Studio.On the corner of 52nd Street and 2nd Avenue, Animo! is a 2,394-square-foot (222-square-metre) eatery that utilises material and culinary references from Mexico, especially its breakfast culture.A row of booths set within curved niches provides seating for diners at nimo!Jordana Maisie Design Studio (JMDS) envisioned the space as a respite from the commotion of the business-focused neighbourhood it serves."In Spanish, animo signifies the act of reassuring, of encouraging someone to overcome a challenge; not to give up," said founder Jordana Maisie.A dropped ceiling follows the curved line of the banquettes and tables below"This is a sentiment intended to liberate you from the day-to-day grind of a bustling city like Manhattan," she added.A facade of reeded concrete tiles, chrome sconces and white awnings over the large windows and doors invites passersby.Deep red tiles cover the front of the rounded service counterInside, a row of semi-circular booths below the windows creates a wavy line that's replicated in a dropped ceiling above."We wanted to break from the linear grid of Midtown, and introduce flow, play and texture into a space that pushes out into the city grid from the corner, inviting people in," said Maisie.Terrazzo counters top the point-of-sale volume and provide surfaces for casual diningThe undulated upper area and leather seat cushions below are coloured pistachio green, matching the Heath Ceramics tiles laid along the rounded banquette backs and bases.Between each alcove is a curved terrazzo counter, reflected in the mirrored panels that wrap the columns between each window.Read: Jordana Maisie designs "deco meets industrial" interior for Una Pizza Napoletana in New YorkContrasting the otherwise muted palette are the rich sapele wood tables and the deep red tiles laid across the front of the service counter.Arranged vertically, these handmade Fireclay Tiles surround food and beverage displays set into the curved volume.Pistachio-coloured leather tonally matches the tiled seat backs and basesMore black and white speckled terrazzo tops the point-of-sale counter and forms another high-top dining area along the front wall."Inspired by the dynamic curves and fluid lines found throughout Mexican architecture, each piece is a testament to the beauty of craftsmanship and attention to detail," said the design team.Reeded concrete tiles, chrome sconces and white awnings feature on the restaurant's exteriorBorn in Australia and now based in Los Angeles, Maisie has completed multiple projects in New York City.A store for shoe brand Feit, a pizzeria with a "deco meets industrial" aesthetic and a boutique filled with white scaffolding are among her studio's portfolio.The photography is by Seth Caplan.The post Jordana Maisie looks to Mexican craft for NYC restaurant interior appeared first on Dezeen.

Hempcrete and timber form the rough-hewn walls of this south London house extension, designed by local studio Nimtim Architects with a focus on low-carbon materials.Named Hemp House, the project updates a traditional semi-detached home in Upper Norwood, Croydon, to provide its owner room to host dinner parties and flexible space for their growing family.Nimtim Architects has extended a house in south LondonNimtim Architects added the single-storey extension to the rear of the home, introducing a new living and dining area that overlooks the patio and garden.The kitchen has been moved from the back of the house to the centre, connecting to the living and dining room and creating a more sociable space and flow. This has also provided views of the back garden from the front door.It is built from hempcrete and timber"The clients wanted an open plan, flexible layout for both parents, children, grandparents and guests to enjoy," said Nimtim Architects project director Allie MacKinnon."We designed a space that was open but also created different zones and areas allowing the clients to spend time together whilst doing different things," she told Dezeen.The extension contains a dining areaIn addition to providing more space, the family also wanted the Hemp House extension to "impact the world lightly" through the use of natural materials, according to Nimtim Architects.Instead of using traditional brick for the extension's structure, the studio used a timber frame infilled with hempcrete a durable and insulating bio-material formed of hemp fibres and lime. Hemp can be grown locally in the UK and absorbs carbon during its growth.It links to a central kitchen"Both ourselves and our clients were aware of the carbon footprint of building an extension and therefore keen to consider more carbon-conscious materials," co-director Nimi Attanayake said."We proposed hempcrete as a response to this. It gives a natural, soft quality to the extension," she added.Existing openings on the rear facade lead into the extensionWorking with the material for the first time, Nimtim Architects collaborated with specialist company Hempcrete UK. It used a mix of pre-dried hemp blocks and hemp that was hand-pressed on site in layers a process that takes time to dry.In some areas, such as the wall facing the garden, the hempcrete wall construction has been left exposed.Read: Cork walls and pink window frames characterise London house extension by Nimtim Architects"This was a challenge as it meant that everything that is normally concealed such as bolts and studs needed to be considered aesthetically as well as structurally," explained Attanayake.Initially, the studio intended to expose the hemp on the extension's exterior too, in a similar way to the practice's 2019 house extension where cork cladding was used inside and out.The hempcrete is exposed internallyThe plan was to protect the hemp with a transparent rainscreen cladding but this idea was rebuffed by the local planning authority. To avoid delays, the studio and client opted instead for a natural render, accented with cornflower blue window frames.Existing openings on the rear facade have been retained as the entrance into the extension. This created a broken plan with connected spaces that are still distinct from each other.Linoleum flooring juxtaposes the rough-hewn wallsHints of blue feature throughout Hemp House's interior, chosen to work in contrast to the warm hues of the natural material palette. Marmoleum a type of linoleum flooring is used to offer a smooth counterpoint to the rough-hewn walls."In contrast to the textured envelope of the extension, other materials were chosen for their sharpness and seamlessness," added MacKinnon. "The Marmoleum flooring is flat, sharp and seamless in comparison to the textured hemp and timber grain."The client opted for a type of Marmoleum called cocoa, which contains recycled materials like wood flour and cocoa husks. This material adds visual interest, while the specks in its surface help to hide mess.Nimtim Architects described the hempcrete as a "textured envelope"Hemp House is one of many residential projects in London completed by Nimtim Architects, a studio founded in 2014 by Attanayake with Tim O'Callaghan.Other recent examples include Walled Garden, a renovation of a Victorian terrace in Camberwell, and the upgrade of a 1920s house in Peckham.The photography is by Megan Taylor.The post Nimtim Architects creates "textured envelope" for Hemp House extension appeared first on Dezeen.

Glistening interiors feature in our latest lookbook, which spotlights eight kitchens and dining rooms lined with glazed concrete floors.Aside from their seamless appearance, polished concrete floors are a durable option for cooking and eating spaces within the home, where surfaces are prone to mess and spillage.Often neutrally-toned, concrete floors also offer versatility serving as a backdrop that can complement a range of materials, hues and finishes.Highlighted among this list of projects is a home renovation finished with green-toned concrete floors in Belgium and an almost entirely concrete home with a pared-back interior in the Czech Republic.This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring living rooms that use Ligne Roset's iconic Togo sofa, dental clinics with inviting interiors and homes with stylish shelves for book lovers.Photo by Nick DeardenConcrete Plinth House, UK, by DGN StudioDGN Studio introduced a sunken concrete floor to maximise the ground-floor ceiling height of this Victorian terrace house in London.Named Concrete Plinth House, the extension sought to create a bright, open kitchen and dining space, which is complete with polished concrete floors and a neutral colour scheme.Find out more about Concrete Plinth House Photo by Alex Shoots BuildingsHouse of Seven Floors, Czech Republic, by Mal ChmelExposed surfaces feature throughout this home in the Czech Republic composed of staggered concrete floors.Completed by local studio Mal Chmel, the home's ground floor living, dining and kitchen areas share a polished concrete floor and a pared-back finish.Find out more about House of Seven Floors Photo by EvenbeeldHouse Y&A, Belgium, by Memo ArchitectuurGreen-hued polished concrete flooring unites the ground floor of this home in Moetsel, Belgium, renovated by local studio Memo Architectuur.Raw concrete and wooden furniture bring cool tones to the home's interior, which is set off by colourful accents and leafy plants.Find out more about House Y&A Photo by Ariadna PuigdomenechCampo Atelier, Spain, by Ibiza InteriorsLocal studio Ibiza Interiors renovated and converted the 200-year-old building of Campo Atelier into a vacation home in Ibiza.Renewed as part of a group of rentable guesthouses, the single-storey structure was finished with wood-panelled cupboards and a polished concrete floor that extends from an external patio to the interior spaces.Find out more about Campo Atelier Photo by James RetiefDatum House, UK, by DHausThe extension of this Victorian maisonette in London saw the expansion of its ground floor and the addition of a full-width skylight to draw light into the space.Architecture studio DHaus used polished concrete flooring throughout the interior, which is wrapped with oak panelling.Find out more about Datum House Photo by French + TyeQueen's Park House, UK, by Rise Design StudioAlso in London, local practice Rise Design Studio completed side and rear extensions to this Victorian house in Queen's Park.Illuminated by large windows, the design saw the addition of an open-plan kitchen and dining room, which sit against a backdrop of polished concrete floors and bricks.Find out more about Queen's Park House Photo by Olmo PeetersSofie, Belgium, by Madam ArchitectuurBrussel-based studio Madam Architectuur used green-pigmented concrete to create the base for a green-tiled extension to a home in Dilbeek, Belgium.In contrast to the existing white house, the polished concrete base forms both the flooring for the home's dining space and an external terrace.Find out more about Sofie Photo by Richard ChiversHoj House, UK, by Studio MerlinScandinavian design informed the design of this concrete home extension completed by architecture practice Studio Merlin.Connecting the extension to the garden, polished concrete flooring extends from an external patio into the dining space, which is illuminated by a large roof opening.Find out more about Hoj House This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring living rooms that use Ligne Roset's iconic Togo sofa, dental clinics with inviting interiors and homes with stylish shelves for book lovers.The post Eight kitchens with shiny polished concrete floors appeared first on Dezeen.

The latest newsletter in our US edition of Dezeen Agendafeatures all the news from the US, including office-to-residential plans in New York and 3D-printed houses in Texas . Subscribe today!In this US edition of our Dezeen Agenda newsletter, we reported on plans for two major projects: Foster + Partners redevelopment of Television City in Los Angeles and Gensler's conversion of Pfizer's former New York HQ into apartments.Gensler featured elsewhere in our American coverage across the last fortnight with the studio designing a pair of data centresfor Microsoft in northernVirgina, which featurea noteworthy hybrid, CLT structure.Read: Microsoft building first data centres with cross-laminated timberElsewhere in the newsletter, Cara Greenberg examined the impact of Brooklyn's first supertall skyscraper and talking of supertalls, we have put together everything you need to know about America's next tallest building, planned for Oklahoma City.In an exclusive interview, National Civic Art Society president Justin Shubow weighed in on Donald Trump's push to promote classical architecture wonder what they'd both think of 3D-printed homes, one of which has recently been completed in Texas.GRT Architects converts Harlem rectory into home for an artistThis week's newsletter also featured GRT Architects' conversion of a Harlem rectory, a serpentine installation at Santiago Calatrava's Oculus and plans for a series of luxury residences in the Utah desert.The US edition of Dezeen AgendaThe US edition of Dezeen Agenda is a curated newsletter sent every second Friday containing agenda-setting news, opinions, interviews and projects from across America. Read the latest US edition of Dezeen Agenda or subscribe here.You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; The global edition ofDezeen Agenda is sent every Thursday containing a selection of the most important news highlights from the week.Dezeen Debate is sent every Tuesday and features the hottest reader comments and most-debated stories.Dezeen Daily is our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours.Dezeen In Depth is sent on the last Friday of every month and delves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.The post US edition of Dezeen Agenda features all the news from the last fortnight in America appeared first on Dezeen.

This week on Dezeen, theRoyal Institute of British Architects awarded Japanese studio SANAA its Royal Gold Medal for the firm's "impactful leadership".SANAA was given the award for its contribution to the advancement of architecture."Exemplifying an unassuming yet impactful leadership in the evolving practice and theory of architecture, SANAA's designs demonstrate that architecture can balance functionality with profound elegance," said RIBA presidentMuyiwa Oki.To celebrate the win, we rounded up 10 notable projects by the studio.The Dezeen team reported live from Stockholm Design WeekStockholm Design Week took place this week and the Dezeen team reported live from the city, covering everything from designers' pets to an office rollercoaster and terrazzo beer taps.We also launched our first print magazine, Dezeen Dispatch, during the week, which has features on Swedish design and radical designers as well as interviews, Stockholm tips and much more.A trio of skyscrapers by Foster + Partners were revealed this weekIn London, British studio Foster + Partners revealed a trio of skyscrapers that will overlook the river Thames. The office development is said to be "London's lowest whole-life carbon high-rise development".The Albanian capital of Tirana is also focusing on skyscrapers, with a numerous high-rises currently under construction. Our roundup of the eight most unusual includes towers by MVRDV, Stefano Boeri and OODA.Designer Maarten Baas has shown distorted pianosA hanging piano that looks like it's melting made an impact on Dezeen readers this week. Designer Maarten Baas' Crescendo! exhibition showed pianos that were hung from butcher's hooks and distorted to resemble how animals' flesh stretches out after they have been slaughtered."The pianos are hanging almost like a piece of meat from a butcher," said Baas. "Just like how an animal used to live and used to have a soul, it is now a few kilos of meat."This week's opinion piece discussed Brooklyn skyscrapersSkyscraper Brooklyn Tower has "brought some heft to Brooklyn's skyscape," wrote Cara Greenberg in an opinion piece for Dezeen.Greenberg argues that, while some compare Brooklyn Tower to the Tower of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings films, it and the numerous other skyscrapers that have started popping up in Brooklyn are what the borough needs to compete with Manhattan.A Scottish house was among the most popular projects this weekPopular projects on Dezeen this week include a house on a Scottish coast with views of the estuary, a raised steelcabin in Australia and an Italian-informed loft extension in London.Our latest lookbooks focused on living rooms with Ligne Roset's Togo sofa and well-designed dental clinics.This week on DezeenThis week on Dezeenis our regular roundup of the week's top news stories.Subscribe to our newslettersto be sure you don't miss anything.The post This week SANAA won the RIBA Royal Gold Medal appeared first on Dezeen.

New York-based Distributed Art Publishers and Designers & Books have partnered with Archigram magazine and designer Miko McGinty to create remakes of all ten issues of the 1960s counter-culture architecture magazine for the first time.The ten fully reprinted issues will come in a clamshell box, along with a "reader's guide" with additional essays and archival material, including tributes by architects such as Tadao Ando, Norman Foster, Bjarke Ingels and theorist Beatriz Colomnia.The "first-ever" facsimile of all ten issues of Archigram is set for printDistributed Art Publishers (DAP) worked with co-publisher Designer & Books, book designer Miko McGinty and Archigram to "faithfully" reproduce the often-complicated layout of Archigram issues, which contained elements such as pop-ups and gatefolds that could vary copy to copy."Perhaps DAP's most ambitious publishing project to date, this has been a labor of love conducted over the past two years," said DAP.New York publishers DAP and Designers & Books worked with Archigram and designer Miko McGinty to recreate the issues"All the original surprises and idiosyncrasies are faithfully reproduced: flyers, pockets, a pop-up centerfold, 8 posters, 5 gatefolds and an electronic resistor, printed on 12 different paper stocks and housed in a large-format clamshell box. This is the first ever authorized facsimile of all ten issues."Founded in London in 1961, Archigram encompassed a collective of designers and the print magazine of the same name focused on disseminating and exploring ideas in architecture, largely informed by the work of architect Buckminster Fuller, Antonio Sant'Elia and Yona Friedman.The set will come with the magazine issues, plus a readers guide with new and archival materialsThe magazine and collective asserted an experimental, futurist and high-tech slant, all under a sci-fi meets pop-art design identity. It also appealed to an international design audience, including groups such as the Metabolists in Japan and the Viennese Haus-Rucker-Co.The magazine ran from its launch in 1961 to 1974.Read: "At first, almost nobody took any notice of Archigram" says Peter Cook in exclusive Dezeen interviewThe group and publication consisted of founding members architects Warren Chalk, Peter Cook, Ron Herron, David Greene, Michael Webb and Dennis Crompton, who recently passed away in January 2025.Crompton, who curated the Archigram Archives until his passing, served as a "point-person" over the past two years to bring the facsimile to print, contributing elements such as technical details, high-resolution scans of each issue and guidance.It is the first time the magazine has been recreated in totalityAccording to the DAP, original copies of the magazine are rare.Beyond Archigram, the team accessed copies for research through organisations such as Avery Architectural and Fine Arts Library at Columbia University and Hong Kong's M+ museum, which acquired the complete Archigram archive in 2019.Elements such as foldouts were reproducedTo help offset the costs of the project, a Kickstarter campaign will go live on February 19.According to the team, the box set will be available for purchase in Fall 2025.Associate member of Archigram Colin Fournier also recently passed away, following co-founders Chalk in 1988 and Herron in 1994.In 2020, Dezeen explored architectural concepts found in the magazine through a video series for VDF.The images are courtesy of Distributed Art PublishersThe post Archigram to print "first ever" remakes with tributes by Tadao Ando and more appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen Showroom: South Korean brand Vobia worked with designer Ungdon Kim to create a kitchen made from stainless steel that gains character over the course of time.The Ark T5 kitchen comprises a stainless steel kitchen island and wall units that are designed around the properties of five-millimetre thick plates.The Ark T5 kitchen is made of textured stainless steelKim focused on infusing life into the material by drawing out its lines to create a bar table on one side, and by embracing a rough surface finish that both disguises and embraces the scratches that come as a result of day-to-day use."Ark T5 is a design that gives rhythm to repetitive machine production by combining it with human handicraft," said Kim. "Vertical machine production creates lines, and human hands create surfaces that are filled with soul."A pull-out shelf adds functionality"The weight of stainless steel expresses simplicity through its lines and depth through its surfaces," Kim continued. "This harmony between lines and surfaces acquires the permanence of time."Study of efficient circulation also informed the design of the Ark T5, which features a pull-out shelf in the centre of its wall unit that shortens the distance between it and the island when desired.Product details:Product: Ark T5Designer: Ungdon KimBrand: VobiaContact: vobia200@naver.comMaterial: stainless steelDimensions: 2748 x 1192 x 915 millimetresDezeen ShowroomDezeen Showroom offers an affordable space for brands to launch new products and showcase their designers and projects to Dezeen's huge global audience. For more details email showroom@dezeen.com.Dezeen Showroom is an example of partnership content on Dezeen. Find out more about partnership content here.The post Ark T5 kitchen by Ungdon Kim for Vobia appeared first on Dezeen.

Late film director David Lynch adored design and architecture and mastered the art of wielding it to evocative effect, writes Anthony Paletta.Any director of consequence will pay close attention to set design in their films, but few design interiors in the real world. Many directors are attentive to the furniture that appears in their work; few are sawing it in their own carpentry workshops.David Lynch was different. Since his death there has been a torrent of heartfelt tributes to his legacy in all sorts of spheres. Let's not forget his deeply informed enthusiasm for architecture and design.With architecture and design his replies tended to be unusually precise and unusually goodLynch was not a man who explained himself much on most topics. That doesn't just apply to interviewers trying to unlock some simple meaning from his surreal films; he painted prolifically but discussed it rarely. But with architecture and design his replies tended to be unusually precise and unusually good.Asked about his favourite architects by the German design magazine Form in 1997, he replied, "From Bauhaus, all the students of the Bauhaus School, and Pierre Chareau he did the House of Glass in Paris Ludwig Mies van de Rohe, all the Wright family, Rudolph Michael Schindler and Richard Neutra. I like really beautifully designed, minimal things."In the same interview he recalled a lunch with Charles Eames: "He was one of the most intelligent, down to earth, greatest persons I ever met. He was just a pure, kind of happy person, somehow childlike, enjoying life." He went on to cite Vladimir Kagan and Charlotte Perriand as other favourites.Read: Charles and Ray Eames changed the landscape of design with "just a few chairs and a house"Lynch bought Lloyd Wright's Beverly Johnson House in 1986. Lloyd, the son of Frank, was a highly impressive architect overshadowed by the father with whom he shared most of his name.I obtained a quote from Lynch for a story about Lloyd's work last year. "I personally like Lloyd Wright more than Frank Lloyd Wright because Lloyd Wright is more minimal, more pure. But just as beautiful."Lynch kept hiring from the family, employing Lloyd's son, Eric Lloyd Wright, to design a pool house for the property. He used another adjoining house he owns as Bill Pullman and Patricia Arquette's home in Lost Highway, actually modifying its facade for the film. What do you see in that house? Bertoia's Diamond Chair and the Eames' Elliptical table, as well as furniture of his own design.Drapes were the design tool that Lynch used to greatest effectFrank Lloyd Wright's Ennis House was the set for Twin Peaks' internal soap opera Invitation to Love. Lynch directed an Yves St Laurent commercial set in Chareau's Maison de Verre in Paris, and he made use of all sorts of notable properties otherwise."Assessed as a whole, Lynch's career constitutes an idiosyncratic history of architecture and design," Richard Martin wrote in his book The Architecture of David Lynch. "Perhaps, then, we might consider his films as forming an imaginative and unconventional architectural project in their own right."Drapes that rather overlooked soft lining of glassy modernism, employed repeatedly by Mies, Loos and Neutra were the design tool that Lynch used to greatest effect. They are there in Pullman and Arquette's bedroom in Lost Highway, and they define his most iconic space: the Red Room in Twin Peaks.Read: Crosby Studios looks to the "signature red" of David Lynch for Silencio New YorkThe associations with theatre are inescapable, and red curtains appear again on a stage in Mulholland Drive's Club Silencio, a space that (sort of) became real in Lynch's Silencio nightclub in Paris, which features chairs of his design. These sorts of directorial forays have become more common; Wes Anderson designed a bar in Milan, and Luca Guadagnino a hotel in Rome, but Lynch was there first.He is the rare director who can actually build his own furniture, having started in art school, and he adored the stuff. In an interview with LA Weekly, he once said: "Every word has, you know, its spread of power. You could care a little bit or you could care a lot. But if you put this word caring at the maximum-level intensity, it wouldn't begin to be enough to say how much I love furniture."Lynch was largely building for himself, designing his own bed and much else, but did step slightly into the market. He had an exhibit of his work at Salone del Mobile in 1997. Now-defunct Swiss furniture company Casanostra produced a limited run of several of his designs subsequently.The minimalism he favoured at home would be deliberately eschewed to evocative purposeSome of these pieces border on absurdism, but a number were designed for an almost-hilarious specificity of use: there is an espresso table and a whiskey and cigar table. The most obvious inspiration seems to be Chareau's discordant-but-perfect meldings of the hand-hewn natural and industrial materials.He was also a prolific lamp designer, veering between driftwood dadaism and Bauhaus rectilinearity. There's a short film of him working on his lamps, proof that he wasn't just handing off sketches to someone else.What are we to make of this all? Among all the glorious traits that might define the Lynchian style is its hallucinogenic attention to the atmosphere of given locations. It's cinematic lingering that flows naturally from someone who was acutely attuned to the vibe of spaces he's in all of the time. As he wrote in his semi-autobiography, tellingly titled Room to Dream, "the more pure the room, the more the people and the furniture can come forth."Read: "As architectural drama The Brutalist does not wholly convince"The average person might bump into a table if it's too large but likely wouldn't say it was deranging their thoughts. Lynch did. In that Form interview, he said: "To my mind, most tables are too big and they're too high. They shrink the size of the room and eat into space and cause unpleasant mental activity."And he made viscerally clear to his audience just what this sort of sensitivity constitutes. The minimalism he favoured at home would be deliberately eschewed to evocative purpose in his work.His was not an uniform cinematic aesthetic in the manner of directors whose film sets look rather the same, but conveyed concentrated attention to the essence of a variety of spaces, whether art deco theatres or Googie diners or various Hollywood fantasyland locations.He knew precisely how to use design and spaces to make us feel a certain wayIn other words, Lynch was a superb director of architecture. He knew precisely how to use design and spaces to make us feel a certain way, and keep on feeling it long after Twin Peaks, or Mulholland Drive, or Lost Highway are over. These are media that explore the power of space a good deal better than most films ostensibly about architecture.Lynch's last foray into design was at the 2024 edition of Salone del Mobile, where he designed A Thinking Room. What was in it? Deep blue walls, a golden ceiling, and a throne with seven "chimneys" connected to the ceiling, for ideas to vent in or out. In some ways, he needn't have bothered; every space he created had us thinking.Anthony Paletta is an architecture journalist based in New York City. His writing has appeared inThe Wall Street Journal, The Guardian, Bloomberg CityLab, The Architect's Newspaper and Metropolis, among others.Dezeen In DepthIf you enjoy reading Dezeen's interviews, opinions and features,subscribe to Dezeen In Depth. Sent on the last Friday of each month, this newsletter provides a single place to read about the design and architecture stories behind the headlines.The post "David Lynch was a superb director of architecture" appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studioPopulous has revealed its plans to renovate Lake Como's Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium and regenerate the surrounding lakeside urban landscape.The stadium, which originally opened in 1927 and is home to top tier football club Como 1907, will be upgraded into a multifunctional venue for sports and other events.Collaborating with the Municipality of Como, Populous hopes to revitalise the wider lakeside area of Como with the renovation.Stadium revamp the "missing piece" of Lake Como regeneration"The redevelopment of the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium should be seen as the missing piece in the complete revitalisation of the lakeside area of the city of Como," Populous Italia senior principal Silvia Prandelli told Dezeen."The project aims to be a powerful driver of renewal for all the surrounding open spaces," she continued."The stadium will become a more modern, multifunctional, efficient facility capable of hosting large, internationally significant events."Populous is set to revamp the 1920s Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium at Lake ComoAlthough the design has not been finalised, renders unveiled at the press conference show a stadium with four regular stands sheltered by roofs. The lakeside stand features a stepped roof overlooking Lake Como.Populous aims to better connect the stadium to Como city centre while celebrating its location on the edge of Lake Como, surrounded by historic buildings.The studio plans to improve pedestrian and cycling routes around the Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium and transform it into a venue that can be used by the local community year-round.Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium to be "a new strategic hub for Como""Its unique panoramic location by the lake, nestled between the gardens of the Tempio Voltiano and near historic buildings, is significant," said Prandelli. "It represents a great example of the integration between sports architecture and the urban context.""However, the stadium is currently perceived as somewhat isolated and peripheral in relation to the city centre," she added."The redevelopment project, which is effectively an urban regeneration project, will reconnect the stadium to the city's fabric, turning the area into a new strategic hub for Como while respecting its social, environmental and landscape characteristics."Read: Populous unveils Wrexham AFC stand that will "emerge organically from the ground"According to Prandelli, sustainable design will play a key part in the stadium renovation."Como 1907, the promoter of the project, aims to create a modern and efficient sports facility designed to meet the highest environmental and energy sustainability standards," Prandelli said."The work will use eco-friendly materials and incorporate the best innovative solutions into the existing structure."Populous is currently working on numerous sporting venues around the world, includinga92,000-seat stadium in Riyadhanda 47,000-seat stadium in Al Khobarthat are set to host games during the2034 FIFA World Cup, an event that hasrecently been criticised for human rights violations.The images are courtesy of Populous.The post Populous set to revamp Giuseppe Sinigaglia Stadium at Lake Como appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studio Diller Scofidio + Renfro has unveiled a one-hundred-metre-tall structure comprised of cascading pool terraces for the Therme Dubai wellness resort.Set to be built in Dubai's Zabeel Park, the resort will feature a series of staggered, rounded platforms populated with pools, lush planting and waterfalls.Designedfor developer Therme Group, visualisations show a lake surrounding Therme Dubai and a swooping transparent facade partly wrapping its structure to form indoor and outdoor spaces.Therme Dubai will contain terraces partly covered with a transparent facadeDiller Scofidio + Renfro designed the resort to rise to one hundred metres tall, intending to create a landmark that provides a relaxing retreat from the city.Spaces and amenities will be divided across three sections Play, Relax and Restore and will include indoor and outdoor thermal pools, saunas, steam rooms, mineral baths, water slides, restaurants, an indoor botanical garden and events space.The design has been approved by Dubai ruler Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and aligns with the city's Quality of Life Strategy 2033, according to the developer.Its staggered structure will rise to one hundred metres tall"Elevated high above the concerns of everyday urban life, Therme Dubai is an oasis in the sky," said Diller Scofidio + Renfro founding partner Elizabeth Diller."It emerges from the lake of a revitalised Zabeel Park as a series of botanical islands stacked into a tower," she continued."Each island is a platform for thermal pools, decks, and verdant indoor and outdoor vegetation; each offers a distinctive atmosphere, and each is oriented toward the dramatic view of the Dubai skyline."Read: Foster + Partners unveils Dubai skyscrapers linked by penthouse swimming poolTherme Group hopes that Therme Dubai will help improve wellbeing in the city by combining nature with leisure facilities.According to the developer, 90 per cent of the resort's thermal pool water will be recycled.Therme Dubai will contain multiple pools"Dubai is a city that understands the future must be built with wellbeing at its core," said Therme Group founder Robert Hanea."We are creating more than a destination we are shaping how cities can integrate nature, water and culture to elevate quality of life at scale."Construction on Therme Dubai is due to commence in 2026 and is expected to be completed in 2028.Other projects in Dubai that have recently been revealed include a pair of skyscrapers by Foster + Partners that will be linked by a penthouse swimming pool and the Dubai Walk masterplan, which will feature an elevated air-conditioned looped path.The images are by Bucharest Studio courtesy of Diller Scofidio + Renfro.The post Diller Scofidio + Renfro designs cascading "oasis in the sky" for Dubai wellness resort appeared first on Dezeen.

British studio Mole Architects has overhauled the Stone's Throw bungalow on the coast of Suffolk, adding a timber-framed extension containing sunny south-facing living spaces.Named after its proximity to the shoreline, the 1960s bungalow in a quiet cul-de-sac in Aldeburgh has been expanded and reworked for a couple to use as a holiday home.Mole Architects has overhauled a bungalow in SuffolkCambridge-based Mole Architects removed Stone's Throw's under-used garage, which occupied its sunny south-facing end with views over neighbouring trees.In its place, the studio has added a 74-square-metre extension containing a living room, dining space and kitchen, which have been moved from the opposite side of the home.The studio added an extension clad in timber"We saw that if we could place the living room in an extension at the opposite end of the house, it would have fantastic south-facing views onto adjacent trees," said studio founder Meredith Bowles.The Stone's Throw extension has a timber-framed structure and a roof made of exposed softwood, treated with a translucent white stain.It replaces an under-used garage at one of the homeInside is a high ceiling, punctured by a triangular rooflight and angled column. This separates the main dining and kitchen from the elevated living space beyond. More light is brought into the space through north-facing clerestory windows.At the heart of the kitchen is an island formed of belvedere quartzite stone with swirling patterns reminiscent of a painting of the sea by Suffolk-born artist Maggi Hambling a favourite of the client. This sits against a floor made of end-grain woodblock.Read: Mole Architects creates barn-like holiday home within Suffolk farmyardMole Architects updated the exterior of Stone's Throw with a painted render on the existing bungalow and its masonry chimney.Meanwhile, the face of the extension is clad with vertical cedar battens around tall narrow windows, forming a contemporary counterpart to the existing dwelling.The extension's floor is made of end-grain woodblockIn the early design phases, Bowles referenced another 1960s single-storey house in Suffolk designed by the architect Bryan Thomas.Other references included Elizabethan and Jacobean long galleries such as that in Blickling Hall, a stately home in Norfolk.It contains south-facing living spaces"We wanted to give our ordinary bungalow some of the panache of the era, with a larger scale and sense of openness," said Bowles."It feels like a completely different house. The clients have described the transformation as 'more an epiphany' than a refurbishment," he added.Other recent projects completed by Mole Architects include The Big Shed educational space in Cambridgeshire and Alde Valley Barn, a brick-clad holiday home on a Suffolk farmyard.The photography is by Nick Guttridge.The post Mole Architects' revamp of Suffolk bungalow "more of an epiphany than a refurbishment" appeared first on Dezeen.

The Dezeen team have been reporting live from Stockholm Design Week in the Swedish capital, where office rollercoasters, cardboard cities and leather alternative were on the menu on 6 February.6pm klart slutDezeen's cocktail at the newly opened Stockholm Stadshotell is underway and our editorial team is raising a glass to the end of a busy few days.Dezeen Dispatch is never too far away as it has been all week!Although the real belle of the ball might be these cut-glass Anne Nilsson vases that attendees (and now Dezeen Live readers) can sneak a first peek at.The asymmetrical pieces were created specifically for the hotel by the legendary Swedish glass designer and her newly founded glassworks Nybruk billed as the country's "first design-driven glassworks to open in 100 years".Anne Nilsson has created a vase for Stockholm StadshotellSkl from everyone here in Stockholm! And thanks for following along with our live coverage (klart slut is Swedish for over and out at least I hope it is).Discover what's still happening at Stockholm Design Week on Dezeen Events Guide Dezeen's editorial team enjoys a drink5.30pm fun facts about acneDezeen's Jennifer Hahn has snuck off for a quick tour of the Acne Studios headquarters a hulking brutalist building erected in 1972 by Czech architect Jan Boan that originally served as the Czech embassy in Stockholm and filed the below report.Acne Studios HQ was formerly the Czech embassy in StockholmPlease enjoy these fun facts I gleaned along the way:The Max Lamb stone furniture in the lobby is so heavy it had to be craned in and the building's floor had to be haphazardly reinforced so it wouldn't collapse.Some of Acne's mannequins were modelled on the Daniel Silver sculptures you can see nearby.All 400 employees working across the building are encouraged to eat in the company's own canteen, casually arranged around a wooden sculpture created by Helmut Lang a few years after he retired from fashion design (rumour has it he would quite like to buy it back).The building's top floor originally housed the embassy's living quarters and had tiny windows to prevent Allied Forces from spying on their inhabitants during the Cold War.For some slightly less fun but much more practical information about the renovation of the building, you can revisit our 2019 story on the project.Daniel Silver sculptures are displayed at Acne HQCanteen tables surround a wooden sculpture by ex-fashion designer Helmut LangThe brutalist building has been renovated to reflect Acne's more colourful aestheticColourful stairs!Pink lights and a handbag!Still brutalist. Images by Jennifer Hahn5.10pm dog treatsThe team has met two more design pets! Dante and Aston are rescue dogs from Ireland whose humans are design practice All Matters Studio.Dante, or possibly Aston, enjoying the All Matters Studio takeover of a flower shopThe dogs were hanging out at the brand's Sder flower shop takeover, where it was showing its green-marble table as well as a matching speaker made with Transparent. Cajsa CarlsonAston, or possibly Dante, said hello to members of the Dezeen teamFind out more on Dezeen Events Guide about All Matters Studio flower shop takeover All Matters Studio's green marble table makes for a statement feature in the little flower shopIn a departure from their usually, ahem, transparent designs, Transparent have collaborated with All Matters Studio on a speaker using green marble5pm rugs in windowsDezeen's Max Fraser has been to see the window displays of established department store NK on busy Hamngatan, which have been dedicated to the Made in Sweden and Together 2025 project.Together is an annual initiative by NK Interiors which celebrates the strength of Swedish design. This year, they joined forces with Swedish rug brand Kasthall.The windows of NK have been used as an exhibition space for the projectEstablished designers including Jonas Bohlin, Monica Frster, Lisa Hilland and Pia Walln have created textile items specifically for the display. Where is the younger talent?A whole window was devoted to scholarship-winner Lukas Carpelan's rugsGiven pride of place in the window this year is scholarship winner Lukas Carpelan. His textile designs reference the landscape of Havng in southern Sweden and the soft landscape found there.Another neat stack of Dezeen Dispatch pops up in a suitably design-y spot of Stockholm. Images by Max FraserMeanwhile, inside the department store, Dezeen Dispatch was spotted displayed atop a Piet Hein Eek table in the interiors department!Find out more on Dezeen Events Guide 4.30pm life is a rollercoasterWhile design week might be an emotional rollercoaster for some, deputy editor Cajsa Carlson took things a step further and went on an actual rollercoaster!The great Exhibition have installed a functional rollercoaster in their officeTrying out creative studio The Great Exhibition's60-metre-long rollercoaster The Frontal Lobe, Carlson enjoyed feeling the wind in her hair as she took the sharp turns in the chrome, capsule-shaped train.Images by Cajsa Carlson4.00pm more lamps and vasesPaola Bjringer, curator and founder of womxn design collective Misschiefs, has turned her home into a gallery, writes Dezeen design editor Jennifer Hahn.There, amidst the clutter of her own life, her personal design collection and her son's action figures, she has displayed work by six Swedish designers based around the theme of upcycling.Kajsa Willner's Craft Punk Vases are displayed in Paola Bjringer's homeIn Bjringer's bedroom, there's a lace quilt by textile designer Anna Nordstrm made from "generations of lace textiles from Paola's family".Anna Nordstrm made a lace quilt from Bjringer's family archive.Image by Sanna Lindberg"When Paola asked me to work with her family's lace archive I was excited but a little scared," Nordstrm said. "It wasn't going to be the first time I have cut and stabbed into a collection of textile heirlooms, but this was the first time it was not my own family's belongings."The everyday, if very design-friendly, domestic setting includes Bjringer's Michel Ducaroy-designed Togo sofa"If we don't use our archives, what's the point? All those untouched boxes in the attic."Meanwhile, Kajsa Willner's Craft Punk Vases and Sara Szyber's Reclaim armchairs in the living room are both made from reclaimed waste wood.Images by Jennifer Hahn unless otherwise stated"Do we really need more lamps or vases?" Bjringer questioned. "What we need are spaces that encourage conversations about the state of the world."Find out more on Dezeen Events Guide 3.30pm material innovationFollowing on from the amadou entry below (2.30pm), Amy Frearson has zoomed out for this report on how a wave of radical designers in Sweden are experimenting with digital technology and alternative materials to invent new ways of making furniture.Read: Swedish designers doing things that have "never been done before"3.00pm going once, going twiceA 1950s cabinet by mid-century Danish designer Hans J Wegner retailing for a cool 2.4 million is among the pieces that architects Claesson Koivisto Rune have pulled from the Jackson Design archives for Stockholm Design Week.The exhibition features rare design pieces, which are for sale from Jackson Design archivesTheir Aiiro exhibition brings together lesser-known products created by some of the most important designers of the 20th century, including a one-off table that Poul Henningsen designer of the PH lamp created for a friend (which at 1.6 million looks downright affordable next to the Wegner). Jennifer HahnThe idea of the exhibition was to display pieces that "you will never see again""Usually, you as journalists and other people who come here, you see a lot of contemporary design," said CKR co-founder Eero Koivisto. "So we thought, wouldn't it be nice to see 35-40 pieces that you will never see again?"The exhibition runs until 29 March"These projects will probably be sold to people around the world. So this is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to see them all in one room."Find out more on Dezeen Events Guide Images by Jennifer Hahn2.30pm amadou you know about me?Over the past few years, a slew of materials companies have used highly engineered, complicated processes to coax mycelium and bacterial cellulose into something resembling leather."Something resembling leather", made from a material called amadouFinnish designer Mari Koppanen has gone in the opposite direction and looked to the past for answers which she found in amadou, a suede-like material derived from tinder fungus that has been used to make clothes and hats for hundreds of years.Mari Koppanen's Kp exhibition is on show at the Nordiska Museet"In the small mountain village of Corund in Romania, which used to have the largest community of amadou artisans, only a few people now still have the skills to work with the material," Koppanen said.Amadou has been used for design objects from bowls to seats to lamps. Images by Jennifer HahnHer Kp exhibition at Nordiska Museet hopes to revive the craft by adapting it to create a range of modern design objects ranging from bowls and mushroom-shaped seats to lamps made from a composite of amadou offcuts that resembles cork and is held together by natural cellulose glue. Jennifer HahnNordiska Museet is on an island in central Stockholm1.45pm Jenny Nordberg for SoecoAmy Frearson has written up her visit to lvsj Grd the section of Stockholm Furniture Fair dedicated to limited-edition design and gallery pieces where she focussed on a collection of office furniture by Swedish designer Jenny Nordberg with Soeco.Read: Jenny Nordberg creates office furniture from "library" of unwanted parts1.30pm truth zeekrEarlier today in the Stockholm showroom of electric car brand Zeekr, Dezeen deputy editor Cajsa Carlson conducted a conversation with Chris Martin of Massproductions and Delphine Mac, Zeekr's chief interior designer.Dezeen's Cajsa Carlson (centre) moderates a discussion about the interior design of carsThey explored the influence of domestic furniture in the design of car interiors, something the brand has developed for its Zeekr Mix vehicle.The car, not yet available in Europe, is on display and explores the concept of a mobile living room, where the front seats swivel to face the back seats and "homely comfort" is prioritised.The Zeekr Mix vehicle's front seats swivel to face the back seatsMassproductions have a display for their new Astro chair as part of an installation called "sculptures from the factory". Max FraserChris Martin of Massproductions looks at the brands new Astro chair design. Images by Max Fraser1.20pm on the hoofI've taken my noble steed (Lime scooter) to Djurgrden island, where Finnish designer Mari Koppanen is exhibiting at Nordiska Museet. More on that in a bit! Jennifer HahnFind out more on Dezeen Events Guide in the meantime Ride safe, Jen!1.00pm lunch breakIt's lunch time for deputy editor Cajsa Carlson, who chose to work from one of her favourite places in Stockholm this morning: Kungliga Biblioteket, Sweden's national library, which is open to the public and located in a 19th-century building in the fancy stermalm part of town. It's a great quiet place to work or study.Kungliga Biblioteket Sweden's national libraryIt also has an excellent and well-priced restaurant in its basement where you can get the lunch of the day. Today, Carlson chose the Danish-style fried cod with remoulade sauce the Scandinavian equivalent of tartar sauce which provided a much-needed energy boost for day four of design week.Remoulade sauce is the Scandinavian equivalent of tartar sauce. Images by Cajsa Carlson12.45pm second pourTrailed in this live coverage yesterday (5.00pm entry), you can now read Jane Englefield's full write up of the terrazzo beer taps and their environs at the Bobo showroom the work of designer Gustav Winsth.Read: Gustav Winsth designs tavern-style showroom for glassware brand Bobo12.30pm trend for hairy thingsSeveral designers have had hair on the brain this Stockholm Design Week, Dezeen design editor Jennifer Hahn writes, with several projects across the city incorporating synthetic strands.In the home of collector Paola Bjringer, Botswana-born artist Ayesha Quraishi exhibited a metal sculpture decorated with hair pieces, while South African designer Nkuli Mlangeni-Berg and Konstfack student Anna Babenko showed an installation made from colourful braids for the Plastic Perspectives exhibition at the Stockholm Furniture Fair.Ellen Aduofua Bernardsson's tapestry is woven from hair extensionsNearby, Swedish-Ghanaian designer Ellen Aduofua Bernardsson (who's among our six emerging designers to watch) exhibited a tapestry woven from hair extensions."The ritual of tending to someone's hair is intimate and caring and takes time, like working with any craft," she told Dezeen.Images by Ellen Aduofua Bernardsson12.00pm burn lace in SdermalmAnd in another report from last night, Dezeen's editor-at-large Amy Frearson writes: Stockholm interiors don't get much better than the house where I spent the evening.Built in 1889, the Sdermalm residence has been preserved in its original grandeurLocally based design duo Frg & Blanche teamed up brands Vitra and Artek to host a dinner in an ornate residence in Sdermalm.The home has been in Emma Marga Blanche's family for four generationsBuilt in 1889, the striking home has belonged to Emma Marga Blanche's family for four generations.Eagle-eyed Dezeeen readers may recognise it as the venue for Frg & Blanche's 2019 exhibition The Baker's House.Frg & Blanche's Burn Lace lights are made from heat-treated polyester feltThe showpiece of the evening was Frg & Blanche's Burn Lace, a tactile lighting collection made from heat-treated polyester felt, although guests were also treated to a spot of piano playing from Fredrick Frg.11.30am Dezeen Awards 2025 is goLast night we celebrated the launch of Dezeen Awards 2025, kicking off with a panel on "design that matters", followed by Campari spritz paired with Dezeen Dispatch at Nordiska Galleriet.The panel discussion moderated by Dezeen's Max Fraser (that's the back of his head just above the DJ decks!) preceded a party to launch Dezeen Awards 2025"I'm tired of talking about dead designers" said Mirkku Kullberg rom Kasthall and Glasshouse Helsinkiin the panel discussion about respecting designers legacies whilst making space for newness and innovation.Campari spritz and Dezeen Dispatch at the end of Wednesday in Stockholm. Images by Jennifer HahnModerated by Dezeen's editorial director Max Fraser, the panel included Kullberg, Front's Sofia Lagerkvist,and Johan Oscarson from Elding Oscarson, who were winners of Dezeen Awards 2024 cultural project of the year. Clara FinniganEnter Dezeen Awards today 11.00am cardboard cityHow much can you build with cardboard? London-based design studio Hunting & Narud set out to answer that question with its exhibition design for Flokk, the workplace furniture manufacturer and parent company for brands including Offecct, HG and Profim.Flokk's signature logo spelled out in cardboard shapesDezeen editor-at-large Amy Frearson dropped by the stand at Stockholm Furniture Fair, where she discovered house-shaped meeting rooms, partitions made from cardboard tubes and a bar with a zigzagging backdrop.Meeting rooms were styled with the outline of a pitched-roof house in cardboardPartition walls rendered in cardboard tubing. Images by Amy Frearson10.30am the trees have eyesThe forest is taking over at surfaces company Cosentino's Stockholm showroom!The plants are planted directly into the floorDesigner Monica Frster has created an interior where plants and pine trees are planted into the floor using a synthetic soil made from waste material from Cosentino's own production.Lush vegetation contrasts sleek stone surfacesThe result is an unusually eye-catching showroom with a natural vibe, where the green plants create a Scandinavian feel and contrast against Cosentino's sleek stone surfaces. And where other than in Stockholm would you have a forest-feeling showroom? Cajsa CarlsonThe planting is positioned throughout the showroom. Images by Cajsa Carlson10.00am wild at heartThe sun has come out in Stockholm! As reports from last night's festivities trickle in, catch up on everything that happened yesterday.Furniture is on display upholstered in the Wild at Heart collectionDezeen's Jennifer Hahn took a trip to the Kvadrat showroom, where textile brand Sahaco is presenting its 2025 collection in an installation themed "Wild at Heart".The installation is taking place at the Kvadrat showroom in StockholmThe collection was largely informed by the designs of the late Austrian artist Franz West, and includes three upholsteries and seven drapery fabrics.Sahaco describe the collection as "daring and poetic". Images by Jennifer HahnCheck out what happened on Tuesday and Wednesdayat Stockholm Design Week.See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.All times are Stockholm time.The lead image is by Jennifer Hahn.The post Thursday from Stockholm Design Week 2025 appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studio Form Us With Love has transformed its waterfront workplace into a bistro for Stockholm Design Week, where visitors can meet, eat and "actually use and test" the furniture on display.The project is the second iteration of Testing Grounds, an installation that Form Us With Love debuted at last year's Stockholm Design Week by reconfiguring its studio as a future workplace prototype.Form Us With Love has transformed its Stockholm studio into a buzzy bistro. Photo courtesy of Form Us With LoveThis year, the space is being used to present design collaborations with lighting manufacturer Blond, furniture brand +Halle and modular shelving specialist String.It was also transformed into a meeting and eating hub to make use of the studio's existing open-plan kitchen, Form Us With Love co-founder Jonas Pettersson told Dezeen.+Halle is debuting its Nest Club Chair"We have this long-term culture of cooking together every Wednesday," he said. "About half a year ago, someone said during that lunch, maybe we should start a restaurant, in the way that you'd say 'maybe we should start a band'.""Then we started talking about what kind of cuisine we would have, what we would be drinking, how we would decorate it," Pettersson continued. "So we thought we would do a prototype for Stockholm Design Week."Clusters of tables and chairs create a restaurant-style experience. Photo courtesy of Form Us With LoveForm Us With Love arranged clusters of white tables and metal Torno chairs, a former collaboration with +Halle, across the studio to provide bistro-style seating for diners. +Halle is debuting its Nest Club Chair an enveloping red armchair that adds pops of colour to the otherwise "austere" space, explained Pettersson.The studio is illuminated by thin, red-accented lighting created with Blond. Called Catena, the customisable lighting components can be both suspended and wall-mounted together or as standalone objects."The idea is that interior designers can play around with single pieces or a system," said Pettersson.Read: Swedish designers doing things that have "never been done before"Form Us With Love clad the central kitchen unit in white-hued perforated metal storage to create a drinks bar. The adaptable storage, called Center Center, was previously created with String and is now available in a series of colours.Considering the decision to present the design collaborations in a functional space where interacting with the pieces is actively encouraged, Pettersson said, "it's nice that you can actually use and test them".Blond lighting and String storage also features in the interior design"Products on podiums are interesting in some ways," he reflected. "But it's interesting to see how people experience things. We can design something, but we can't dictate how it's going to be used. So this place is a testing ground for us to see."Inviting illustrations of wine glasses, food and furniture characterise the studio windows, adding a playful contrast to the utilitarian interiors.The bistro is holding multiple dinners and other events throughout Stockholm Design Week.The photography is by Jonas Lindstrm, unless stated otherwise.Stockholm Design Week 2025is taking place at various locations around the city from 3 to 9 February. To see what's on, visitDezeen Events Guide.The post Form Us With Love turns Stockholm studio into buzzy red bistro appeared first on Dezeen.

Architecture studios HOK and CF Mller Architects have completed the overhaul of the spherical Avicii Arena in Stockholm to "ensure its relevance for decades to come".The giant steel, concrete and glass globe, which is the world's second-largest spherical building after the MSG Sphere Las Vegas, has been updated to improve its function as a contemporary multipurpose arena.HOK and CF Mller Architects carried out the overhaul of the 16,000-seat sphere in collaboration with engineering firm Schlaich Bergermann Partner (SBP) and local construction company NCC.Avicii Arena has reopened in Stockholm following a renovation. Photo by Mrten LindquistTheir goal was to celebrate the existing architecture of the heritage-protected building, which was inaugurated in 1989, while bringing it up to the standards of a modern-day venue for sports, entertainment and gaming events."This project celebrates the past while embracing the future," said HOK senior project manager Kirsty Mitchell. "Our design solutions honour the arena's iconic architecture while introducing innovative and forward-thinking features that ensure its relevance for decades to come.""By blending technical innovation with intelligent design, we have ensured that the arena continues to be a cultural and architectural landmark," added CF Mller Architects partner Mrten Leringe.HOK and CF Mller Architects updated the arena's seatingPreviously known as Stockholm Globe Arena and Ericsson Globe, the landmark Avicii Arena was the world's largest spherical building before the completion of the MSG Sphere Las Vegas in 2023. It was originally designed by Berg Arkitektkontor.With a diameter of 110 metres and an inner height of 85 metres, it represents the Sun in the Sweden Solar System the largest permanent scale model of the Solar System in the world.The building was renamed the Avicii Arena in 2021 to commemorate the late Swedish DJ Avicii.Its redesign forms part of wider regeneration in Stockholm and was carried out by HOK and CF Mller Architects for the client Stockholm Globe Arena Fastigheter (SGAF).Read: Ten spherical buildings from around the globeAlterations to the building include the introduction of a retractable roof, as well as improved acoustic and rigging systems. The seating has also been updated.Meanwhile, SBP has upgraded the arena's original structure while honouring its heritage-listed status."Updating a structure as unique as the Avicii Arena requires a careful balance of preservation and innovation," SBP managing director Knut Stockhusen."This project showcases how engineering excellence contributes to architectural heritage and modern performance."A new acoustic system was introducedAnother notable spherical building that recently made the headlines was the MSG Sphere Las Vegas. Designed by Populous, the building is wrapped in a 54,000-square-metre LED screen the largest of its kind. It is now the world's largest spherical building.Populous also designed a sphere-shaped venue for Stratford in east London. However, the venue was highly contentious and ultimately led to its creators, US company Madison Square Garden Entertainment, withdrawing the plans.It has since been revealed that the second version will be built in the UAE.The photography is by HOK unless stated otherwise.The post Giant spherical arena reopens in Stockholm following revamp appeared first on Dezeen.

Local studio SHED Architecture & Design has created a house clad in vertical wood siding and a sloped roof in in Seattle, Washington that evokes the steep peaks of Swiss mountains.The 2,714 square-foot (252-square metre) house sits in West Seattle stands out from its context with two roof forms sloping in different directions.SHED Architecture & Design has completed a house in SeattleOur clients spoke fondly of their years living in Switzerland, so we leaned into the idea of designing a home whose form evoked a jagged peak," Prentis Hale, SHED Architecture & Design principal, told Dezeen. "The intersection of the peaked upper volume with a low front range of a porch connects the house to the street and to the sky."The relationship between the two roof forms serves as the focal point of the design. The primary shed roof faces south to maximize solar exposure on the photovoltaic array, while the lower-standing seam metal form folds down to cover the deep front porch and wraps around the garage and north side of the house, serving as a mediator between the residence and the adjacent property.The sloped roof of the house is inspired by the peaks of Swiss mountainsLocated on a dead-end street where close-knit neighbours gather regularly, the front yard and porch become a social space for the residents.In addition to the porch, which is set off the sidewalk by a small stoop, a covered deck on the upper level allows residents to communicate from a distance, while enjoying views of the Olympic mountains.Reminiscent of Swiss mountain structures, stained, rough-sawn vertical siding climbs up the exterior and allows for natural weathering that compliments the metal siding and flashing. Hella exterior blinds are integrated and concealed behind the siding for a seamless finish.A covered deck on the upper level allows the residents to socialiseThe plan which was informed by a foundation that already existed on the site was driven by the design to have multiple living spaces on the interior and exterior.The front porch leads into an entryway and office space, while the kitchen and staircase comprise the centre of the main level. The open dining and living rooms share a wall of windows with built-in benches, divided by a piece of custom millwork. A lightweight metal staircase extends off the side of the kitchen, stepping down to an outdoor dining space behind the garage.Read: Schwartz and Architecture updates Silicon Valley house by Frank Lloyd Wright protgUpstairs, the primary suite takes up the east side of the floor while the west side is divided between a media room and a deck that connects to the upper porch that runs along the front of the house. Below the main level, a guest suite leads out to the sloping rear garden, and storage and a sauna sit under the front side of the house."Interior materials were drawn from a limited palette for simplicity and economy," the studio said. "Rift white swan oak was chosen for all wood trim, paneling, and casework, in conjunction with drywall and accent tiles to create an elegant yet understated backdrop for the clients' furnishings and art."The dining and living room share a wall of windows with built-in benchesEach space was designed to be used throughout the day whether that be drinking a cup of coffee on the window seat in the morning or watching the sunset from the upper deck."The clients were very involved in the design process, from a detailed program to sketches about how they wanted to live," the studio said. "The transparency in the design process was a success, and certainly something weve brought to current and future projects."The kitchen sits at the centre of the main levelPreviously, SHED Architecture & Design overhauled a mid-century adult living facility into a family home in Shoreline north of Seattle and created an indoor-outdoor play space for a preschool in Pike Place Market.The photography is by Rafael Soldi.Project credits:Architect: SHED Architecture & DesignStructural Engineer: Todd PerbixThe post SHED creates wood-clad house with "jagged peak" in Seattle appeared first on Dezeen.

The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features plans for a residential tower in Paraguay by Architecture firm Estudio AMA. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now.Estudio AMA unveiled designs for a 90-metre-high residential tower in Asuncin, the capital of Paraguay. The tower, which will have a gridded concrete facade, will contain apartments, street-level restaurants and shops.Read Dezeen Dispatch online now!This week's newsletter also featured the launch of Dezeen's first newspaper, Populous' plans for a brick stand at Wrexham AFC's stadium and a portable phone keyboard by designer Justin Mitchell.Dezeen AgendaDezeen Agenda is a curated newsletter sent every Thursday containing the most important news highlights from Dezeen. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Agenda or subscribe here.You can also subscribe to our other newsletters; Dezeen Debate is sent every Thursday and features the hottest reader comments and most-debated stories, Dezeen Dailyis our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours andDezeen In Depthis sent on the last Friday of every month anddelves deeper into the major stories shaping architecture and design.The post Dezeen Agenda features a gridded skyscraper in Paraguay appeared first on Dezeen.