All About Sage Green

Image via Studio McGee

Muted colors are coming in like a warm blanket to give our interiors an ultra-calming vibe, and none are looking more popular for 2023 than sage green. This soothing, slightly dusty hue works for contemporary and antique design styles alike, pairing beautifully with just about everything — including black, white, and natural wood tones.

Finding Meaning

This past year was dominated by eclectic, maximalist interior design trends, with designers buying all kinds of attention-drawing objects to place on clients’ their tables and shelves. As we move into 2023, the process of choosing those objects is becoming more intentional. Instead of random trinkets, people are choosing items that resonate on a personal level for their homes. Perhaps that’s an antique passed down from a relative, a gift from a friend, or an object that reminds you of a favorite memory.

Arches and More Arches

Image via Vaunt Design

Hallways, doors, shower niches. Arches are coming back in a big way in 2023, building on the curved furniture trends we’ve seen in previous years. More recently, they’ve taken over luxury commercial spaces like hotels and designer retail stores. We’ll soon see homeowners renovating their interiors to achieve a similar effect.

Multi-Use Rooms

Modern life can change in the blink of an eye, so we could all use a little more flexibility. Perhaps one day you want to use that little corner of your living room as a music listening area, and the next day you want to use it as a home office. Perhaps your extra room needs to work for both yoga practice and a guest space. Adaptable furniture and multi-use setups are a top priority nowadays, so it’s time to get creative to make the most of our spaces.

Natural Stone

Image via Lynn Byrne

Bold, textural, and evocative of nature, natural stone is never really out of style, but be on the lookout for interiors using it in a whole new way next year. Designers are using stone slabs with interesting colors and patterns as backsplashes, countertops, bathroom floors, and even ceilings.

Small Luxuries

Maybe you can’t afford that one-of-a-kind sculptural sofa on 1stDibs, but it’s not as much of a stretch to save up for an amazing table lamp or an original work of art. These kinds of small-scale luxuries can make a big impact in a space, especially if you make them a focal point. When possible, it’s nice to invest in higher quality and handmade pieces instead of mass-produced “fast furniture” objects and decor, most of which fall apart after just a few years.

Restoring Thrift Store Finds

Image via A Ray of Sunlight

Thrift stores are full of items that have tons of potential, if only you can see past their current condition. Sometimes all it takes is a little elbow grease, polish, paint, or new hardware to give a junky-looking piece a whole new life. The process can be a lot less involved than you imagine, even if you don’t have a lot of experience. Pinterest is packed with DIY thrift store furniture projects you can browse for inspiration.

A Balance Between Minimalism and Maximalism

Minimalism was king for a long time before maximalism swung in like a wrecking ball to shake things up. But the reality is that most people’s preferences lie somewhere in the middle, and we’re starting to see that reflected in higher-end interior design, too. That means one thing you’re doing is on-trend without you even trying. Congrats! In the coming year, we’ll likely see a lot more professional examples of well-balanced spaces to give us inspiration for our own homes.

The post Top 8 Interior Design Trends to Refresh Your Home in 2023 first appeared on Dornob.

The roughly 322 square feet of Zhima Health’s “Beijing Youli” store at the new Universal Beijing Resort posed a significant challenge to WUUX and its founder Wang Yong. That small space was to be the first stop for visitors coming to experience the thrill of movie magic in the Chinese iteration of the Universal Studios theme park.

The designers had to somehow create a space that provided both function and “strong emotional value” for visitors to the park. Taking inspiration from the Hollywood blockbuster Inception, Yong infinitely expanded the small square footage with a series of steel arches and ceiling-mounted staircases that appear to be replicating themselves from multiple points in the room.

“The entire space, thanks to the arches and stair structures, resembles an unfolded accordion which is waking up the folded time and space,” explains the Beijing-based firm.

The design started with five tall mirrored steel arches that run the length of the store and intersect each other at the midpoint of the ceiling. Then three blonde wood “endless ladders” were positioned to look like they were coming out of the walls from above. To achieve this psychedelic look, Wong and his team added full-length mirrors on the back wall and the ceiling. Finally, the rammed earth walls were outfitted with display space for Zhima Health products, which in turn get visually boomeranged throughout the M.C. Escher-like space.

“‘A whole glass on the ceiling and one side of the wall, together with the stretching structures that present a distortion in time and space, seems to have eliminated the boundary of the room and distorted time in a dazzling way,” says Wong of the design. “With light projecting from underneath the ground and structured light belts on the arches, a metaverse is throwing its arms wide open to all customers.”

As the first stop off the subway into the park, the Zhima Health Beijing Youli store fulfills its call to “carry on the essence while pursuing innovations” of the time-honored brands it stocks. The illusion of warped reality provides an ideal realm for social networking and grabbing a refreshing drink before entering the theme park for a day of thrills.

WUUX’s eye-catching store has been hailed as a “disruptive new retail experience” that caters to the “diversified preferences” of China’s youth that also “conforms to resort culture.”

Since being founded in 2015 by Wang Yong, Wuxiang Architecture Design Studio has been involved in everything from interior design and architecture to environmental art design and space art consultation. The firm “pays attention to the sense of temperature in space and is dedicated to the purpose behind things.” The Zhima Health store at Universal Studios Beijing is the latest in a long list of work WUUX has done in commercial real estate, hotels and resorts, high-end clubs, corporate space customization, and retail experience stores.

The post Inception-Inspired Universal Studios Store Appears to Infinitely Unfold on Itself first appeared on Dornob.

“Indeed, the arch connects the dots of the various periods of the building’s architecture,” the firm explains. “It is also linked directly to the museum’s collections as the arch is showcased in the Mesopotamian section, but also in the Assyrian, Egyptian, Etrurian, and Roman collection, amongst many others. Regarding its shape and position, the Louvre Pavilions will fit naturally in Paris’ Royal axis, a tribute to the perspective of L’Arc de Triomphe and La Grade Arche de la Defense.”

“It creates a new connection to Paris’s architectural major landmarks such as the arcades located on the rue de Rivoli, la Seine’s iconic rivers bridges, or la Tour Eiffel just to name a few. Resolutely timeless and yet contemporary, these 21st-century arches are in direct continuity to those built in Le Louvre since the 12th century, enlightening the Louvre’s fundamental DNA.”

The arch modules are designed to connect to each other in various ways, including face-to-face, back-to-back, and at right angles. Some are vertical, creating alcoves within which visitors can shelter. Others are horizontal, encircling guests within intimate banquette seating areas. These configurations echo the geometries of the museum, including its vaults and domes. The arches’ acoustics also provide another practical function: noise reduction. Sit within one of the vertical arches and you’ll find that it offers a micro-environment with reduced distractions (a nice accommodation for visitors with autism and sensory processing disorders, whether the architects actively considered those needs or not).

Studio Malka also envisions the pavilions as adaptable modules that can respond to future needs, such as new pandemic-related distancing regulations that might arise. “We must be able to prepare for various possibilities and create suitable scenarios in order to be able to welcome users in the best possible conditions,” the architects explain. “This is also why our reception pavilions are not only modular but also mobile; Thus, their positioning and combinations may evolve depending on the different requests, but also at the rate of peak periods, like celebrations or school holidays.”

The new pavilions look like they’ll be a great example of temporary, modular, and mobile interventions that have a low impact on the historic buildings they occupy. Instead of permanently altering the Louvre itself, they respectfully augment its functionality and the way it serves the roughly 10 million visitors who pass through its doors each year. When they’re no longer needed, they can simply be removed, leaving the museum as it was before without a trace of their former presence.

The post Arched Modular Mini Pavilions by Studio Malka Will Soon Fill the Louvre first appeared on Dornob.

Located on the Via Dell’Orso in Milan, the plain white exterior belies the vibrantly painted scene inside. Sticking with the chain’s pool-changing-room aesthetic, the design company’s co-founders Christophe Penasse and Ana Hernández contained the subway-style tiles to small segments of the walls, filling in the remainder of the roughly 1500 square feet with chunks of daffodil yellow, mossy green, ballet pink, and luxuriant lavender.

Although the colors aren’t as bold as the studio’s norm, the firm explains that “this time …the palette is a bit less splashy, to give it a more mature look and adapt it to the historic (Brera) neighborhood where the new Bun is located.”

The architectural details begin with decorative arches that frame each dining booth, creating cozy eating compartments with seatbacks made of upholstered circles, and wooden tables trimmed in gold.

“Goldish touches are one of the elements that make it more sophisticated,” said co-founder and marketing director Christophe Penasse. “We used dry plants for this space to add this more mature touch.”

Terrazzo tiles shift in color across the floor, following the flow of the rooms, while playful portholes in the booths echo the globe lighting throughout the diner.

This is the second Bun burger location that Masquespacio has tricked out for the company. The artists created a swimming pool-esque feel for the first (Located on Milan’s Viale Bligny) through a mix of olive and lilac tiles.

Masquespacio’s designers took the pool room idea one step further with this build though, creating an entire eating space encased in iridescent mirroring on the ceiling and top half of the walls, and gray subway tiles below. A pool ladder mounted on the wall completes the impression. “The outcome became a place to discover where a mirrored effect recreates the feeling of being surrounded by waves of water,” their website says.

Penasse adds that “while you can find an evolution of the swimming pool concept we used previously… here has a completely new approach for which we try to recreate the waves and blurry effect of being under the water.”

The restaurant’s serving bay is delineated from the rest of the restaurant by its green walls, counters, and floor. Mirrored tiles cover the ceiling here too, casting green above patrons as they choose their smashed-style burger of choice.

The collaboration between Bun burgers and the Valencia-based designers has been so successful that they’ve already announced plans for a third partnering for a branch in Turin.

Masquespacio (Spanish for “More Than Space”) was founded by Hernández and Penasse over a decade ago and has since won numerous design awards for projects in locations around the world. Most recently, the company was named “Young Talent of The Year” in 2020 by Elle Decoration International Magazine and awarded “Interior Designers of The Year” in 2019 by the Spanish edition of The New York Times’ T Magazine. Their continued mission is to “draw a smile on your face and make you feel excited every time we present a new creation.”

The post Bun: Italian Burger Joint Serves Up Stunning Pastel Interiors first appeared on Dornob.

Petr Janda of Brainwork Studio is the principal architect of the three-phase project, which starts with the renovation of 20 vaults set into the Rašín and Hořejší embankments in the area known as Náplavka. These hollowed-out spaces are referred to by the Czech government as “dungeons,” and in the past likely served as storage spaces for ice and goods arriving and departing in ships along the river. Now, they’ve been converted into shops, galleries, cafés, workshops, and public restroom facilities with curving walls and ceilings made of sandblasted concrete.

Six of the vaults have the stunning 5.5-meter (18-foot) pivoting windows in place of doors, which open at an offset angle and allow customers to step within their plastered minimalist interiors. Stepped stone details at the base of each arched doorway disguise elements like air conditioning ducts and flood prevention features. The rest of the vaults on the Hořejší embankment boast sculptural blackened steel doors. Each one has a multipurpose freestanding furniture unit that can function as a reception desk or bar counter, and the individual businesses occupying them are free to customize them as they like. At night, when the glass-fronted vaults are aglow, they draw in curious passersby who come to the area for farmers’ markets, exhibitions, concerts, and theater performances.

The next two phases of the restoration project, also spearheaded by Brainwork Studio, will include a floating pool (echoing the historical placement of swimming pools along the Vltava embankment) and a terminal for cruise ships. The floating pool facility is supported by a structural system of steel ribs, and the deck “appears boundless, thanks to its infinite water surface,” with a variety of depths suitable for different users and types of swimming. Floating restroom facilities that visually complement the pool will also be included in the design, accessible directly from the riverbank promenade.

The terminal will function as an amphibious intersection between the bank and the river, its appearance drawing from the visual character and traditional shapes of shipbuilding.

“Its predominant feature is the balance between the (in)visibility of the terminal and its strong architectural design derived from the nautical morphology, as well as the visual mimicry connecting the terminal with its native environment,” says Janda. “Thanks to the optical effect created by the deck edges tapering into cutting edges, it dematerializes more on both sides, which is emphasized by the reflection of the water and sky on both surfaces of the terminal wings. The basic shape is based on the spatial rotation of three propeller blades, which was further shaped with regard to the functional arrangement of the building.”

The post Prague’s Vltava River Vaults Feature Giant Pivoting Hobbit Doors first appeared on Dornob.

Yasmine started with 16 assembled blocks of stone measuring 16.5 inches on each side, making a single continuous cut into each one to produce two objects, one the negative shape of the other. That means no material was lost in the process of carving the stone into its final form, a dual-purpose table/stool. As you can imagine, that’s not easy to pull off. Less skilled creators might make a far simpler cut to ensure that the two objects were perfectly intact at the end, but Yasmine’s vision is a little more ambitious.

“Flowing Fragments” is inspired by the remnants of Greco-Roman civilization as we view them today, thousands of years later. Once, these architectural fragments were whole and nearly perfect. Now, most of the arches and columns have cracked and fallen so we only see them as parts of each other. But the fragmenting hasn’t necessarily interrupted the beauty of these objects. We can still sense the harmony and rhythm in their proportions and outlines.

With these sculptural objects, Yasmine hopes to remind us all of the importance of our global cultural heritage. “It’s an awareness to save remaining forgotten fragments of previous civilizations in addition to help protect abandoned sites while highlighting on the antiquities trafficking [and] the destruction of authentic and deserted landmarks nowadays when heritage is threatened by urban development,” he says.

Classic shapes and graphic motifs commonly find their way into Yasmine’s work. Another collection, “After Ego,” takes references from Postmodernism, Memphis Design, and Art Deco but distills them to their simplest forms. Each piece was created by drawing layered arches and then rotating and flipping them so they intersect and interact in new ways. “After Ego” is a tribute to Yasmine’s home city of Beirut in the aftermath of the blast that occurred on August 4th, 2020, and the complex mixture of emotions that arose from the tragedy. Made of foam, lightweight concrete plaster, acrylic, and clay, the series represents Yasmine’s quest to communicate these emotions through the use of simple lines.

“As a person filled with imagination, I use my imaginary world as a simulation to try out new ideas and create new objects, and that’s how it all starts,” Yasmine said in an interview with The Artling. “My inspiration comes from everyday life, objects, and emotions. From the human body, its physiology, and its needs. But also from an internal chaos combined with a certain innate sensitivity, sometimes extreme and provocative and not even expected by others but still minimal. I always practice my imagination to create new objects. I never tend to identify the difference between reality and imagination, this is what helps me create intriguing and controversial design objects that are complicated in their production process. However, this is also distinctive in my personality.”

The post Flowing Fragments: Graphic Stone Objects Made of Manufacturing Offcuts first appeared on Dornob.

When architecture firm Studio Razavi was approached to renovate an apartment within one of those historic buildings, they wanted to craft a design that was rooted in the Vieux-Lyon’s historic past, but modernized for its current occupant. The client, a young scientist, lives mostly alone, and needed just one bedroom within the 864-square-foot space, leaving the rest of the apartment open for a generously proportioned living and dining area.

The apartment already had a lot going for it. 14-foot ceilings, oversized oak beams, and two enormous stone fireplaces were among the original features the architects wanted to preserve and celebrate for the new design, contrasting them with modern minimalist interiors and surfaces. To make the space as cohesive and simple as possible, they used nothing but concrete, wood, and rough plasterwork for all of the new walls and arches.

“Relying primarily on the use of a single material with a limited color palette, we designed a series of events so as to create what we refer to as an ‘introspective space,’ a place to allow for reflection, for creative seclusion,” the architects say.

Part of the appeal of the space is the irregularity of the apartment’s footprint, itself a testament to the age of the building. Visible in the architects’ plans, the slight slopes and angles in the walls clearly called for some creative solutions that can subtly help even out the lines and angles within the apartment to keep it from feeling disorienting.

In addition to its single bedroom and bathroom, the newly renovated apartment features a living room, dining room, and kitchen. The archways used throughout the space, from doorways and windows to built-in shelves and niches, echo the Renaissance architectural features outside so the space still feels tied to its historic context. The sleek, uncluttered surfaces and lines are balanced by the weight and texture of the oak beams overhead, and the repeated use of a gorgeous gradient of jade greens gives the home a decidedly tranquil vibe.

The curated color palette is especially striking in the kitchen, where the brightest green shades anchor the cabinetry and single wall-mounted shelf directly beside one of the original fireplaces. Stepped blocks of color echo the stepped shapes built into the recessed bookcase on the opposite wall. The mottling of the plaster surfaces adds a lot of nuance, too – an effect you can mimic in your own home with zero-VOC lime paint, even on ordinary drywall.

The result of this refreshing renovation is a space that feels unified and creative, never lacking anything interesting to look at, and it certainly doesn’t hurt that it’s decorated with restraint and a keen eye for detail. Clearly, mostly-monochromatic interior designs don’t have to be boring.

The post A Renaissance-Era Apartment in France Gets a Curvy Modern Renovation first appeared on Dornob.

Architecture firm Frankie Pappas envisioned the home as a way to marry the cliffs and the forest of the picturesque site, located in a nature reserve in the Waterberg Mountains of South Africa. In this way, it’s both literally and metaphorically a bridge, and it’s designed to offer shelter not just to its human inhabitants, but also to the local plants and animals.

The architects wanted to slot the home carefully into the building site with minimal disturbance. Most architectural projects with this goal choose to go with lightweight materials and post-style foundations, resulting in both a contemporary appearance and a sense that the building isn’t permanent. Brick, in contrast, has a weightiness and solidity that creates the opposite effect. It feels strongly rooted to the site, and almost impossible to extricate.

As you can see more clearly in architectural drawings, the unusual asymmetrical layout of the home, with its arm-like appendages, is completely informed by the landscape. Not a single tree was removed to accommodate it, resulting in what the architects call “funky bulges and protrusions in the plan of the building.” If the home stood alone in a field, with nothing to obscure it, its shape would look very odd, but here, it just enhances the sense that it contains secrets waiting to be uncovered.

“The shapes of the additions to the central building are dictated by the position and size of the surrounding trees,” they say. “The building makes use of a very simple set of materials which all play their part in making the building part of its landscape. The most abundant material is a rough stock brick which was selected to match the site’s weathered sandstone. The ‘bridge’ portions of the building are constructed from sustainably-grown timbers, whilst glass and aluminum fill in the non-structural wall.”

“The first floor offers to its inhabitants a planted courtyard, a reclusive lounge, a sunlit dining room, a farmhouse kitchen and scullery, a tree-shaded deck, a small pool, and a fireplace — around which most of the cooking and living occurs. The ground floor provide yet more courtyards, a study, library, and a small swing bench under the arch. The cellar creates a climate conducive to curing meats, storing food supplies, and aging wines.”

Refreshingly unique in a time when a lot of architecture looks alike, “House of the Big Arch” illustrates Frankie Pappas’ belief that architecture, landscape, and garden should function as one, incapable of being divided.

And if you’re wondering who Frankie Pappas is, exactly, that question has a similar answer, because there’s actually no one architect with that name. It’s a fictional persona and collective pseudonym chosen by architects who work in collaboration with coders, engineers, artists, and mathematicians to come up with “remarkable solutions to fascinating problems.”

The post This Romantic Brick Home Offers a Bridge Between Forest and Cliffs first appeared on Dornob.

The brief was to take over the factory, located in Los Angeles’ Culver City area, and make it a showroom in which minimalist bathroom fixtures by The Splash Lab could shine. Founded by brothers Justin and Fraser Lovell, The Splash Lab emphasizes craftsmanship, cutting-edge manufacturing processes, modularity, and rich raw materials like marble and copper in its washroom designs. Their work challenges conventional ideas of what these spaces can look like and offer, combining high functionality with streamlined looks.

Highlighting these products meant designing a flagship showroom that got to the essence of The Splash Lab’s identity, granting mundane objects an air of dignity. The designers’ solution? Introducing an interior scheme that looks a lot more like a church than it does a public bathroom.

“The Splash Lab wanted to create something unique that resonated with their passion for design, experience, and exploration,” says McLaren Excell. “They were, however, open minded as to how this intent might be communicated as a work of architecture…We introduced a series of monumental insertions that would create an evocative user experience, whilst establishing a clear spatial hierarchy to the unit. The design needed to have enough tactility to achieve the weight and presence necessary to establish this identity but without competing with the existing building fabric.”

The designers created four “monumental interventions” to establish six distinct areas, all separated by large cathedral-like archways that “suggest a theme of spirituality and ritual cleansing.” Visitors first walk through the “portal” arch at the entrance to transition into the gallery and proceed through the rest of the space.

“Much like a church or cathedral, the interventions establish a simple structuring to the space. To continue the analogy, from the narthex you enter a central nave which is flanked by two side aisles. There is a transept with a sculptural steel table as the central altar, which is intended to encourage participation through interactive displays and formal seminars. An triple-arched apse provides the axial focal point and marks the end of journey, while a screen divides the public areas of showroom ‘worship’ from the private area of the staff ‘choir’ — or, in this instance, meeting rooms — helping to establish a clear threshold between public and private spaces. This simple and timeless format provides the setting for showcasing The Splash Lab.”

Simple geometries, muted colors, and carefully chosen lighting frame the products without overpowering them. Concrete plinths, built-in display niches and extensive use of marble reinforce the subtle theme. If there’s one thing that draws your attention away from the goods, it’s that stunning ceiling, but you can only crane your neck for so long. The result presents the brand’s serene faucets, basins, hand dryers, grab bars, and other products within a sanctuary, which is just what The Splash Lab intended.

The post Arches, Plinths, and Lots of Marble Make This L.A. Showroom a Sanctuary first appeared on Dornob.

Inside the old part of the house, you’ll still find the original finely crafted crown molding and millwork, though now its complemented by contemporary elements and furniture. But when you look out the windows, you’ll find the view has changed dramatically thanks to the addition of a curving backyard volume full of arches and round windows. A new courtyard containing an appropriately circular swimming pool separates the two structures. It’s been imagined for year-round use: swimming pool in warm weather, and beautiful decorative water feature in the winter.

The main house used to be highly compartmentalized, fitting all of the necessary functions into a small footprint. Now, all it contains are two generously sized bedrooms. The new addition offers an open plan living space complete with sitting area, dining area, and kitchen on the first floor, and a master bedroom and study upstairs. The courtyard-facing wall of the addition arcs to embrace the shape of the pool, with tall windows gazing out at the reflective water. Inside, custom wooden furniture wraps itself to fit the curves of the wall.

The architects say they wanted to take a “whimsical formal approach” to creating a balanced relationship between the interior and exterior spaces. This is clear in the contrasts glimpsed within the addition, like a green stairway that cuts a diagonal line across a wall of square windows, and the curving facade looming in the foreground.

They add that “the design approach of the Caroline House is best characterized by an eccentric formal quality which accommodates the complex program of a family home efficiently and comfortably. Functional aspects are not compromised by the playful forms — the courtyard is able to fulfill the conventional requirements of passive solar design: cross ventilation, north orientation to rear rooms, and multiple garden aspects. The inclusion of a swimming pool in the courtyard augments it’s function — having a decorative presence all year round, but also providing evaporative cooling effects in summer.”

“The principle curved wall allows for a layered and nuanced interior and a dramatic and compelling exterior space. The first floor is monolithically clad in charred timber as a counterpoint to the abstracted planes of white brickwork and includes a balcony using the principles of the Jali — a sequestered zone with veiled views. A meticulous and complete approach to the interior allies old rooms to the new and results in a narrative experience which provides moments of delight and discovery within a singular aesthetic. This architecture is unexpected formally and visually, playfully referencing many things in our collective memory whilst avoiding the specific so that new memories can be created.”

The post Curves and Arches Make Melbourne’s Caroline House a Visual Delight first appeared on Dornob.

Thankfully, there’s a movement in place to protect some of these remarkable residences and preserve their historical value while also making them livable for people who want modern creature comforts. Homeowners, architects, and developers are restoring these neighborhoods known as “hutongs” to transform them for both private and public use. Some remain family homes while others are becoming hotels, tea houses, and community spaces.

Beijing-based architecture firm ARCHSTUDIO has helmed more than one of these transformations with sensitivity and skill, bringing in beautiful modern elements that augment and complement the existing structures. Their latest is called “Qishe Courtyard,” a small siheyuan located within one of Beijing’s old hutong quarters.

Before the renovation, the building was in poor shape, with most of the roofs, walls, doors, and windows damaged or missing. But potential remained in the framework, arched door openings, and other elements, and ARCHSTUDIO wanted to “renovate the old and insert the new.” They repaired and reinforced what they could with the goal of restoring the building to look like a traditional siheyuan, but added a bathroom, kitchen, and garage as well as HVAC lines and new verandas. One of the biggest challenges of living in unrestored siheyuan is the fact that most of them don’t have indoor plumbing, so these simple additions make a big difference.

This siheyuan was originally a cluster of three houses: one on the north and two on the sides. ARCHSTUDIO followed its original layout to create a new tea room, living room, dining room, and kitchen. But their design deviates from the traditional one in two major ways. Firstly, the billowing of both the roof and new glass enclosures creates spaces that are protected by the weather but almost seamlessly connected to the outdoors. Covered indoor pathways have also been created between what would have been strictly outdoor spaces, fluidly leading from one side of the building to another. The architects say this “veranda” ensures ample light and ventilation while bringing in undulating organic shapes.

The architects add: “ARCHSTUDIO embedded a veranda — a basic element of traditional Chinese architectures, into the old siheyuan to link up the seven separated pitched-roof houses. The veranda functions as a circulation route, reshapes the spatial pattern and layers, and provides a playful walking experience as well as fantastic views. The front courtyard is mainly used as a garage. ARCHSTUDIO retained its pitched roof, removed the front and back walls, and shifted the entrance door to the side so as to leave more space for parking. The design team restored and preserved many valuable historical elements such as the gateway and carvings of the arched door opening, and even a dry tree. In addition, the wall between the front and middle courtyards w[as] dismantled and replaced by a transparent veranda.”

“The veranda features a curved plane and presents variations according to different landscapes and spatial functions. It’s closely combined with the curved edges of the pitched roofs, hence forming several arc-shaped transparent spaces, which integrate the houses, landscape, and sky into the same picture. In the front courtyard, part of the veranda’s roof was bended downwards to form a curved wall, behind which are some functional spaces, including the washroom, service room, equipment room, and so on.”

Check out ARCHSTUDIO’s other strikingly beautiful siheyuan restoration, which integrates a curving courtyard floor that pierces into the indoor spaces.

The post Billowing Glass Rooms Enlarge a Traditional Beijing Courtyard House first appeared on Dornob.

Some cities are so deeply associated with their history, it’s hard to see them as living, evolving places with modern identities. Take Venice, for instance. Italy’s grand canal city is best known for its gondolas, museums, old crafts like glassblowing, and ornate architectural details. So what does “modern Venice” even look like? Just head to Hotel Il Palazzo to find out.

Set in an ancient palazzo off the beaten path in the quiet residential neighborhood of Dorsoduro, Hotel Il Palazzo Experimental is a beautiful study in transmuting all of the essential elements of a city’s core identity into a space that feels fresh and cutting edge. Offering 32 elegantly designed rooms and suites along with a back garden that opens out onto a canal, the hotel is fittingly outfitted considering its proximity to both the Peggy Guggenheim Collection and the Galleria dell’Accademia art museum.

Designer Dorothée Meilichzon is the mastermind behind the hotel’s chic look. The longer you look around, the more small details you’ll note that reference archetypal elements of Venetian style, starting with all of those signature arches. Home to a spectacular array of Gothic architecture, Venice is awash with arches in a variety of sizes and degrees of ornamentation, like those on the famous Doge’s Palace.

Terrazzo, the composite material consisting of chips of marble, granite, glass, or quartz in a binding material like cement, originated in Venice. So naturally, you’ll see terrazzo everywhere in the Hotel Il Palazzo, from the floors to the sign fixed onto the brick facade outside. There’s plenty of Venetian marble and glass around as well, in addition to luxe textiles like richly colored velvet. In other parts of the hotel, you’ll find stripes referencing the shirts of the gondoliers who navigate the city’s iconic boats through the canals.

But even with all of these references, there’s nothing cheesy or overdone about the design. The hotel still feels warm and welcoming, deeply rooted within its setting and unquestionably unique.

The designers explain: “We have worked on the interior of the hotel and the restaurant using very classical Venetian elements that we love, but also by using more contemporary elements such as tributes to the Memphis movement, [including] bright colors, brushed aluminum, scalloped edges, glass lamps from Luciano Vistosi, Breccia Capraia marbles, pand] arches on [the] bathtub… We have saved as many architectural existing elements as we could from the existing palazzo: the beams, the huge ceiling height on the first floor, the gallery, the amazing gothic windows, [and] the double wooden doors.”

“Elements that are already very strong in terms of identity, we have tried to reinforce with strong Venetian inspirations: symmetrical architecture, marble, many forms of stripes (painted, metal marquetry, fabrics…) “Gothique Fleuri” inspiration, colors from the laguna and from the Venetian facades — and also by using traditional timeless Venetian savoir faire such as black lacquer, traditional cement terrazzo from Venezia, some marmorino, and calce on the walls.”

The hotel also features a large restaurant on the ground floor, with an open kitchen that uses only seasonal, locally-sourced ingredients and a cocktail bar, to boot. Room rates start around €170 including taxes and fees, if you’d like to check it out in person.

The post Modern Gets Warm and Cozy at Venice’s Hotel Il Palazzo first appeared on Dornob.

One of the influences behind this shift is a unique intersection of local culture and opportunity. For many decades, this underrated coastal city was a bit economically depressed, leading to a lot of derelict tenements and abandoned buildings. Even beautiful historical architecture began to deteriorate.

Starting in the 1970s, modernism began to creep in, as seen in the stark concrete silhouettes of the social housing complexes of the era. More recently, striking new modern projects have begun to pop up — along with breezy minimalist flats in freshly renovated buildings.

Step just a bit off the tourist path and you’ll find some of these gems, particularly in residential areas. Among the standouts are textural additions to matching townhouses by NPS Arquitectos, which now serve as the headquarters for the Portuguese Architectural Association, and Exmo Hotel by Floret, which infuses a prized historic building with modern industrial elements.

The cruise terminal at the Port of Leixões, designed by Luis Pedro Silva, is quite a magnificent way to enter the city. It looks like a ribbon unspooling from afar, and when you get up close, you can see that it’s covered in millions of tiny hexagonal azulejos, traditional tiles of the region.

A graphic facade on an Alegria residential building by MiMool Arquitectura & Design de Interiores manages to complement the surrounding traditional architecture without overpowering it, which isn’t an easy feat when it comes to bold patterns.

Arcs of curving steel adorn the glass facades of a marina complex in Porto by architects Barbosa & Guimarães. The Douro buildings are set on stilts to mimic the look of small gangways that connect the harbor wall and jetties nearby. White-painted steel on the exteriors features circular indentations meant to resemble the rivets on a ship.

Japanese architecture firm Kengo Kuma is collaborating with OODA to transform an abandoned slaughterhouse in the parish of Campanhã into a cultural center. The new building will have an undulating roof covered in glass panels and red ceramic tiles in a nod to one of the city’s most enduring architectural features.

OMA’s Casa da Musica has become one of Porto’s major landmarks, and it’s often referred to as lead architect Rem Koolhaas’ best work. The building is conceived as a single solitary mass standing atop a travertine-based plateau adjacent to a new public square in the historic Rotunda da Boavista.

Porto is also the birthplace of the great Pritzker Prize-winning Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura, who designed the town’s Cantareira Building, along with many other “neo-Miesian” (after architect Mies van der Rohe) works scattered throughout the country. He also designed the modern subway station that sits alongside the Casa da Musica.

Wallpaper Magazine points out a few more examples, noting that “Porto has seen museums, concert halls, and an entire metro system join its churches and bookshops as architectural highlights in the past 25 years, and it’s keeping the momentum up.”

All the more reason to give Porto a second look, if you haven’t already.

The post Porto, Portugal: A Rising Star of Modern Architecture first appeared on Dornob.

Modern eateries often concentrate on creating a scene. They want to take you back in time, propel you into the future, or even dress up the present. When CuldeSac created the design for Partiggiano in the quaint town of Paterna in Valencia, they shunned those options and came up with something unique: a gathering place with great cuisine that would stand out among the high-end restaurants and street food options.

The Challenge

The goal was to incorporate the rich Mediterranean history and architecture of the town, the iconic warmth, spirit, and quality of Italian family meals, and an aura of artistic expression tempered with a healthy dose of fun. Before it was finished, Partiggiano had been dubbed a “social foodie club.”

The Vision

Lucía del Portillo, creative director at CuldeSac Custom and Partner of CuldeSac, oversaw the design of Partiggiano. He explains that his team “wanted to revive the Mediterranean tradition of the Italian town squares, of mamma welcoming everyone to eat at a large table. From this concept came the design of a grandstand and arches. A simple atmosphere with arcades.”

Lucky for them, there was ample space to integrate it all. The main restaurant interior is 2,100 square feet, the covered terrace another 730, and the kitchen (where the real magic happens) another 1,300 still.

The Aesthetic Visualization

Melding simple, traditional, and progressive themes started with the architecture. The basic structure is simple, like an ancient village mansion that’s grand without being garish, elegant but not pretentious. And much like Italian family culture, the central grandstand of Partiggiano promotes interaction and camaraderie. The kitchen and dining room reflect Italian design traditions with covered passages, massive whitewashed walls, wrought-iron trims, rich walnut accents, pedestals, platforms, and broad partitions.

To offset the conventional influences, the back of Partiggiano is home to several universally recognized arcade games from the 1980s. But the restaurant’s pièce de résistance is the graffiti-covered walls, all of which were merrily decorated by local street artists hired to christen the oversized white spaces with their unique drawings and images.

Mission Accomplished

Partiggiano is the most unique location in Paterna’s new Heron City shopping center. Aside from its distinctive mix of architecture, art, and influences across centuries — not to mention a menu that boasts Italy’s most delectable cuisine passed down through generations — it’s a place where people of all ages can meet and actually connect.

Watching the guests at the restaurant intermingle conjures up remembrances of old stories and paintings that depicted passionate people exchanging ideas, freely expressing opinions and thoughts, and laughing with abandon at life and its many challenges. When the natural light falls on the faces of young and old so comfortably enjoying each other, the scene seems to glow like a canvas. For a brief moment, it seems like all is right with the world, and that transparency and sincerity have been reborn.

The post History Meets Pop Culture in CuldeSac’s “Social Foodie Club” Design first appeared on Dornob.

While the original bistro is known for its wood-clad comfort, capturing the spirit of its Bedford Avenue location in the Greenpoint neighborhood, the Los Angeles location takes inspiration from its own unique location within an old art deco building. Designers Home Studios are based in Brooklyn themselves, but they didn’t hesitate to dive right into West Coast style and make it their own.

Certain details in the new restaurant echo those seen on the other side of the country, including the arched shape of the bars, metallic accents all throughout, and a general sense of casual airiness. But fittingly enough, Five Leaves LA feels remarkably sunnier than its predecessor, thanks in part to high ceilings, light walls, and curving built-in banquettes in mustard yellow and a shade of coral that verges on terra cotta.

The new 2,430-square-foot space occupying the first floor of Hollywood’s Merrick Building is split into dining and bar areas, each given a window into the other. The long white bar top stretches like a ribbon over its bright turquoise base, with glass bottles carefully arranged behind it like an apothecary.

The back bar itself is custom-made from black steel by Shelton Studios, as are the plant shelves holding succulents and tropicals, which run just below the ceiling and through the entire space. In the dining area, all of the building’s rounded and arched shapes are echoed by modern pendant lighting.

The Los Angeles space is about twice the size of the restaurant in Brooklyn, giving the designers more to work with, but that presents its own challenges in terms of keeping the vibe cozy, says designer Oliver Haslegrave. Dropping the pendant lights down low over the tables was one way to achieve their desired mood.

“On the whole, if you were to put the two in front of somebody, and ask which is in New York and which is in L.A., I think they’d guess right,” says Haslegrave in an interview with Architectural Digest. “The new one is lighter and softer in materials and finishes. There’s a lot of reclaimed woodwork. There’s a little bit more color in the upholstery and paint finishes. The floor and metalwork are very true to the original in terms of their rawness. Ultimately, it’s going to be about energy. For the design part, you want to read the room, so to speak, in terms of what is the energy there, and the building.”

Serving a New American menu with an Aussie twist all day long, Five Leaves Los Angeles offers everything from breakfast with grapefruit mimosas to dinner with its signature Turmeric Bees Knees cocktail, which features gin, lemon, turmeric-infused honey, orange bitters, and spices.

Some standout plates at Five Leaves L.A. include “gravlax,” a breakfast plate with house-cured char, watercress, beet-cured egg, pickled onion, caper cream cheese, and toasted rye, as well as minted cavatelli with English peas, green garlic, Meyer lemon, and smoked ricotta.

The post Art Deco Meets California Charm at L.A.’s Five Leaves Restaurant first appeared on Dornob.

That could change as more architects, designers, and urban planners turn to strategies like “Design for Disassembly,” which plans for the end of a structure’s usefulness as well as its potential for reincarnation. The goal is to create enduring projects that are “closed loop,” in which as many of their materials are recovered as possible and adapted for new purposes. Above all, it necessitates looking at the supply chain in reverse, thinking about the ways a building will eventually be disassembled.

When the owner of a real estate business decided he needed a new sales center in China’s Henan province, he approached architecture firm LUO Studio looking for an innovative, budget-friendly, and green solution. More specifically, he wanted to target consumers who prioritized sustainable living with a building that was environmentally responsible and made from natural materials — and he wanted it designed, constructed, finished, and decorated in less than two months.

The Beijing-based architects responded with Longfu Life Experience Center: a design that delivered on all of those goals without compromising an ounce of elegance or beauty. Drawing inspiration from Mies van der Rohe’s Crown Hall at the Illinois Institute in Chicago, the firm envisioned a series of modular structures held within a crystalline envelope. These tree-shaped units are made from renewable, cost-effective timbers and joined together using simple metal connectors.

Each structure is independent of the others, but when they’re combined, they form strong and stable continuous arches. Infinitely expandable, the system produces a series of stackable columns, producing mezzanine levels as they branch out at the top.

It was a challenge, says LUO, but the system they came up with is clearly worth all the hard work. They even established a set of standard assembly tactics to make the construction and installation processes as quick and smooth as possible, with many components prefabricated offsite.

“All components can be completely dismounted, installed, moved and reused for other constructions, making the building thoroughly reversible,” they explain. “If the building is a person, all the equipment, electromechanics, pipelines of it are the respiratory systems, collaterals, and blood vessels of the body. All these systems in the body are by no means isolated, but are highly integrated with the skeletons and muscles in a symbiotic state, resulting in a more effective and intensive space.”

“Other parts of the building were also designed in a way similar to the structure of body. Taking furniture as example, all the furniture ‘grows’ on the structural column, with each table surrounding a single ‘clustered column.’ All the furniture and guardrails stretch out of the core structure and even weave a surface by extending outward. These necessary parts are concomitants of the main structure, providing support against it and making it more stable.”

The resulting “universal space” offers infinite possible usages rather than being constrained to a certain specific function, ensuring that its life will last well beyond the needs of the business owner who commissioned it. Any part of it can be enlarged, removed, replaced, or moved based on current needs, and when it’s time for it to come down, all of the materials can be reused for new projects.

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