At last, the client was able to hire Raúl Sánchez Architects to give the space a new lease on life. That required ripping out almost everything inside and starting from scratch, maintaining only the facades, dividing walls, and roof slab. As hard as it was to get past all of these hurdles, the slow progression gave the architects a few striking moments of inspiration. They began to see the building as a vessel for what would become its defining feature: a stunning four-story spiral staircase at its heart.

“The construction process, slow and complex, at least allowed decisions to be made as the essence of the estate was revealed with the demolitions,” they explain. “Thus, once all the floors slabs had been demolished and the building was seen as a slender and tall prism formed by walls with a completely heterogeneous composition of all kinds of bricks and stones arranged without apparent order or composition, the idea of leaving all these walls exposed became conceptual: these four walls, over 15 meters high, are a museum of the building’s history, where any trace of its construction (arches, lintels, stairs, and beams), and of its use (mortar remains, furnishings, claddings) will be left unaltered, exposed in all its crudeness.”

When putting in the floors for the three upper levels, the architects chose not to extend them all the way to the original brick walls. Instead, they placed sheets of glass in between, creating a four-story void looking all the way up to the roof. Not only does this help transmit daylight through the home, it continually draws attention to the sculptural beauty of the staircase as you ascend.

The juxtaposition of the smooth spiral staircase with the textural original brick is what makes the space sing. Left exposed and visible, the remnants of the building’s past hint at a complex history that seems even more remarkable when placed beside new elements like the gleaming brass kitchen suite. The kitchen was placed on the ground floor and a bathroom lined with lacquered wood on the second.

The architects add: “In terms of materiality, a certain refinement has been pursued in the new elements to be implemented, in opposition to the crude expressiveness of the existing walls, conscious that the space must house a home. Thus, the kitchen is a frosted brass piece of furniture, shiny and with reflections, with a white marble top; the bathroom equipment is paneled with lacquered wood in a slightly cream color, with black and brass details; the ‘headboards’ of the floors are covered in white microcement; the hydraulic mosaic, microcement, and oak floors add warmth and color to the interior; and the lacquered wood ceilings incorporate registers and grids to ‘design’ these needs.”

Service elements like the electric cables, air conditioning system, and telephone wires are routed within six steel tubes running vertically along one wall, themselves forming another interesting visual element. The other levels have been left mostly empty so the occupants can use them as bedrooms, offices, or anything else they like without restrictions.

Outside, the tall and narrow home maintains its historic charm, complete with balconies at every level, but the architects added what might be one of the coolest front doors you’ve ever seen. Made of three different kinds of aluminum, it features a graphic rhomboid-based design in a tribute to the traditional tile motifs found inside.

The post A 4-Story Staircase Spirals Up the Heart of This Beautiful Barcelona Remodel first appeared on Dornob.

The company’s latest collection of 32 pieces of furniture and many more accessories, “French Art Deco,” softens the bold, graphic style of Art Deco with a romantic French influence. Founder Sara Sugarman and her team of designers took inspiration from the Art Deco movement’s centennial anniversary, adding their own fresh spin to it. The collection was photographed within a classically detailed space to show off how beautifully it all fits together.

The Lulu & Georgia website explains that they “kept the color palette simple, allowing the pieces themselves to make a statement. Our Senna Rug steals the show with its bold, geometric pattern and handwoven details. We layered our Bruin coffee table and side table to provide an added dimension and scale to the room — not to mention added surface space. Lighting is key in this look, and the sculptural Josline wall sconce adds just the right amount of character to space. Though this look is quite minimalist, layered accessories in the same tonal range give texture and visual interest to the built-in bookshelves and mantle.”

“A soft rug underfoot in a bedroom is essential, and our Braeburn rug is no exception. Made entirely by hand, the graphic pattern is a high-low combination of cream and varied-gray wool. The abstract, linear pattern is echoed in both the channel-tufted bed and subtle curves of the wall art. We kept the bedding clean and simple in keeping with the Art Deco style, with soft linen sheets and a pop of color and texture in the mohair throw.”

Other standout pieces in the collection include the Pomona accent chair in rich terra-cotta, the rounded-back Belmont sofa in goldenrod velvet, and the comfy Renzo accent chair clad in fuzzy upholstery reminiscent of sheepskin. The Kianni round dining table is a stunner with its angular brass base, and the Hannah cabinet brings in some subtle texture with its translucent woven cane doors.

The French Art Deco collection is exceptionally well-rounded, so it’s easy to completely redecorate an entire space (or even your entire home, if you’re feeling ambitious) for a cohesive effect down to the smallest details. After all, not everyone has the time and inclination to search antique stores and flea markets for the right accent pieces, even pre-COVID-19.

Some of the effortless finishing touches include a baroque framed print of Mary Hoare’s “Lady Dungarvan, Countess of Ailsbury,” the more streamlined “Motion Study No. 14″ print by Karlos Marquez, the all-brass Arc Table Lamp, and the beautifully simple Ateriors Savion Sconce.

“My roots in home decor run deep: I was raised in a family business that glamorized houses, hotels, and other residences around the world since 1955,” says Sugarman. “As a young woman surrounded by people who were considered pioneers in the interior design scene, starting my own home decor company seemed like a natural evolution for me. Lulu & Georgia is actually named after my grandfather, Lou, and my father, George.”

Check it all out at LuluandGeorgia.com.

The post Online Retailer Lulu & Georgia Launches French Art Deco Furniture Collection first appeared on Dornob.

But as germaphobes are well aware, plenty of low-tech tools to help you avoid touching potentially infectious public surfaces already exist. They’re almost always made of copper or one of its alloys, like brass or bronze, which possess antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-fungal properties. When microbes land on a copper surface, the metal’s ions prevent cell respiration, punching holes in the cell membrane or disrupting the viral coat to destroy the DNA and RNA inside.

It would be cool to see more copper doorknobs, countertops, and seating in hospitals, airports, train stations, gyms, and other places known for harboring microbes, but in the meantime, you can pick up a small, affordable keychain tool that will let you open door handles, punch keypads, sign checkout screens, and press elevator buttons without directly using your hands.

One thing to note: there are many, many products like these available on Amazon, Wish, Alibaba, and other websites, but you should always make sure you’re getting the real (copper alloy) deal, and not a spray-painted imitation.

CleanKey

The ergonomic design of the CleanKey makes it easy to press buttons, pull levers, and open many public doors (at least, those with handles rather than knobs) without actually touching potentially contaminated surfaces yourself. It hooks onto your keys, and you can get it with a retractible carabiner to ensure you’ll never lose it.

Hygiene Hand

Designed by a New York City paramedic, the Hygiene Hand is almost identical to the CleanKey, but it’s always nice to have options. Recently launched on Kickstarter, this antimicrobial door opener will definitely help reduce the amount of hand washing and disinfecting you have to do while you’re out running errands or performing other essential jobs. As its makers point out, coronavirus can only survive on copper and brass for a couple hours, compared to several days on plastic or stainless steel.

Dino-Phobe

If you prefer something that looks more like an ornamental keychain, the Dino-Phobe pocket tool is a fun option. Made in the USA, it’s brass and significantly larger and thicker than other tools, and it performs all of the same functions. Best of all, you can also use it as a bottle opener.

Pull Pro

Want a full range of designs to choose from? The PullPro and PushPro come in dozens of shapes, though some appear to be more functional than others. They’re made of solid copper, manufactured in Scottsdale, Arizona, and have the lowest cost of the bunch at just $14.99.

Heart-Shaped Door Opener Keychain

Individual crafters and small businesses are selling their own versions of the tool on Etsy, too. This 100-percent copper heart-shaped door opener keychain is handcrafted and comes on a silver split ring. The creator doesn’t specify whether it would work on touch screens, but it can be used to open doors, carry bags, and press keypad buttons.

Antimicrobial Antique-Style Skeleton Key

Offered by a New York-based company that usually makes custom laser-cut architectural signage, this solid quarter-inch brass skeleton key has a fun antique style that’ll look great dangling from your key ring.

The post 6 Antimicrobial Tools for Hands-Free Door Opening and Button Pushing first appeared on Dornob.

An especially topical study was recently conducted by a group of scientists from the National Institute of Health, the CDC, UCLA, and Princeton University. They concentrated on the interaction between COVID-19 and a number of different materials.

Primarily, they determined that the virus remained viable in aerosol form for the entire length of each experiment, or three hours. they also found that the virus appears to survive longest on smooth surfaces like plastics (72 hours) and stainless steel (48 hours), and an even shorter time on paper, cardboard, and clothing (24 hours).

The biggest revelation came from copper, on which the virus disappeared after just four hours.

Brass and Copper Revival

According to Mark Wilson of Fast Company, copper’s antimicrobial properties have been known for a long time. He explains that “when influenzas, bacteria like E. coli, super bugs like MRSA, or even coronaviruses land on most hard surfaces, they can live for up to four to five days. But when they land on copper, and copper alloys like brass, they die within minutes.” Bill Keevil, Professor of Environmental Healthcare at the University of Southampton, adds that “we’ve seen viruses just blow apart. They land on copper and it just degrades them.”

Back in 2015, researchers working on a Department of Defense grant evaluated infection rates at three hospitals. They discovered that when copper alloys were used in three hospitals, it decreased infection rates by 58 percent. A year later, a comparable study was conducted inside a pediatric intensive care unit that revealed a similar drop.

Flooring Materials

Carpets and rugs obviously increase your home’s chances for germ retention, but some solid floors and materials also present problems.

Vinyl and Linoleum

Vinyl flooring, which is now rebranded as LVT for Luxury Vinyl Tile, is making a comeback, and does a pretty good job of quickly dealing with invading microbes. Linoleum is another good choice here, which is why so many hospitals choose it for its easy cleaning and natural bacteria-killing assets.

Forbo, the maker of Marmoleum, the most popular brand of linoleum, conducted a number of studies and found that their flooring repressed the growth of MRSA and other pathogens, and that it all but completely eradicated the norovirus. Further tests have proven that Marmoleum not only inhibited the growth of MRSA, but that the superbug actually lost feasibility in its presence, i.e. it began to die.

Cork

Cork is also completely natural and also antibacterial. Again, what works with bacteria doesn’t necessarily mean that it works with coronaviruses, but it’s still worth noting that a recent study revealed that the material displayed high antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus.

Concrete and Tile

Easy to clean and maintain, painted concrete and tile don’t catch a lot of bacteria, except for the grout in the tile.

Terrazzo

This lovely concoction of attractive stones put in cement and ground smooth was once commonplace in hospitals. It lasts into infinity, is fairly easy to clean, and simple to run up walls for artistic appeal. Try it in your next outdoor makeover.

Wood Flooring

There are many advantages to old-fashioned wood floors, especially when they are made from sustainably harvested real wood found close to home. Unfortunately, they’re just not a good choice in terms of preventing the spread of the current pandemic.

The post Essential Interior Design Takeaways from the Coronavirus Crisis first appeared on Dornob.

Bold Marble

Image via Maddux Creative

Skip the standard Carrera marble and try something a little bit out of the ordinary instead. Unusual marble patterns like Zebrino, Arabascato, and Paonazzo add artistic flair and the grounding influence of natural materials in one. And when it comes to 2020 bathroom trends, this design by Maddux Creative practically has it all: an interesting marble pattern, gold accents, open shelving, and vessel sinks.

Brass and Gold

Image via Blaze Makoid Architecture

It’s hard to be mad about the continued popularity of warm, elegant-looking brass and gold accents in interior design. You can bring these metallic materials into the bathroom in all sorts of ways, including lighting, mirror trim, faucets, and cabinet hardware.

Dramatic Black

Image via HGTV

Bathrooms are usually fairly small, so they may not seem like great candidates for dark hues. But you don’t have to paint your whole bathroom black in order to pull off this trend. Black brings in some contrast that sets off other elements in the room: daylight streaming in through the windows, living plants, white walls, beautiful marble, gleaming lighting fixtures, and reflective surfaces. Try incorporating it through your vanity, an accent wall, shelving, or accessories. Black cast iron tubs set against white walls are also very popular this year.

Integrated Lighting

Image via Grand Mirrors

Good news for your makeup application routine: we’ll likely see a lot more diffused LED lighting integrated into bathroom elements like mirrors, shelves, and vanities in 2020. The effect is much softer than that of a standard lighting fixture, and it tends to be a lot more flattering, too.

Open Shelving

Image via Septembre Architects

The idea of open shelving in the bathroom isn’t to keep all your clutter in full view, but rather to mimic a spa-like feeling with well-curated vignettes. Shelves on the wall or beneath your vanity might display baskets full of plush towels, aesthetically friendly bath oils and salts, plants, or apothecary jars full of cotton balls.

Smart Features

Image via Kohler

If you’re disappointed that, in the decidedly futuristic-sounding year of 2020, we still don’t have all the cool tech predicted back in the 80s, you can at least soothe yourself with a shower that’s perfectly customized to your preferences down to the single degree. Smart features are invading one of our most private spaces, and while to some people that sounds like a nightmare, to others it’s a dream.

For instance, Kohler has a new smart toilet with built-in speakers, ambient lighting and, for some reason, Amazon Alexa support. Their Verdera Voice Lighted Mirror supports Google Assistant, as well, playing music, telling you the weather, or changing the color of the integrated lights. And Kohler’s PerfectFill bathtub technology will draw a bath “to your preferred preset temperature and desired depth with a simple voice command.”

The post 6 Bathroom Trends That Feel Fresh for 2020 first appeared on Dornob.

New York City-based architecture and design firm Stonehill Taylor aims to bring that feeling back at the TWA Hotel. The only in-airport hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport, the TWA makes use of the head house of the TWA Flight Center airline terminal, designed in 1962 by renowned architect Eero Saarinen. The terminal was preciously declared a city landmark in 1994, which protected it from demolition even as other parts of the airport were knocked down and renovated around it.

The building itself already had the iconic look of air travel from yesteryear. Stonehill Taylor was brought in to infuse the guest rooms, Sunken Lounge, Connie cocktail lounge, and other public spaces with that same flair, simultaneously updating them for modern sensibilities. The design team took inspiration from the year 1962, the first time an American was able to circle the Earth and a time when aviation was “the promise of the future” signifying the beginning of a new era.

Outfitted in period-appropriate furnishings, the guest rooms enjoy views of the tarmac. There’s definitely something Mad Men about them, but you’re not entering a time warp. The vintage details that accent each space feel tasteful rather than forced, and the inclusion of TWA-branded toiletries in the bathrooms is fun.

But the standout is definitely the cocktail lounge set in the vintage Lockheed Constellation “Connie” L-1649A Starliner, which features refurbished vintage airplane seats in cherry red, banquette seating, and what the architects describe as a “reveal moment,” when guests can see the plane’s original interior frame encased in glass. The cockpit is also visible, restored with authentic controls and switches.

The firm explains that “by offering a modern refuge with a thoughtful, strong sense of design and space, the rooms are meant to make guests feel the same appreciation and excitement for aviation that travelers once felt during the rise of the industry.”

“Set back on either side of Eero Saarinen’s iconic TWA Flight Center, two newly built wings designed by architects Beyer Blinder Belle and Lubrano Ciavarra house the 512 guest rooms. Sixties-inspired elements include select Saarinen-designed Knoll furnishings, a martini bar, a vintage rotary phone, and gleaming terrazzo tiles in the bathroom with Hollywood-style vanities. The rooms have a crisp white palette accented with warm walnut elements and brushed brass.”

They add that “custom furnishings and lighting, like the wood trim, which follows along the ceiling edge and softly illuminates the room, [reference] midcentury design. In many of the rooms, beds are positioned to let guests enjoy the exciting rhythm of the runway or the glory of Saarinen’s TWA Flight Center.”

The TWA Hotel officially opened in May 2019, and rates are quite reasonable, currently running between $160 and $200 per night.

The post Stonehill Taylor Designs Retro Air Travel-Inspired Interiors for the TWA Hotel first appeared on Dornob.

Now, over a century later, many carriage houses have been converted into homes, and they often have significant historic value. In Dublin, on a 200-year-old estate called Bolton Hall, both the main house and carriage house are protected structures. So when Ferreira Architects was commissioned to helm a renovation, they had to adhere to strict rules about what could be updated, and about what must be restored.

To preserve all of the carriage house’s original details while bringing in some modern flair, the architects worked alongside interior design firm Kingston Lafferty Design from the very beginning, involving them in fundamental decisions that would influence the overall look and feel. The renovation also involved reimagining the interior architecture and incorporating a new contemporary addition and exterior terraces.

The firm also developed the home’s interior design, landscape design, and much of the furniture design, bringing together a cohesive palette of colors and materials that you might not expect to find in a rural setting.

“The new design combines and juxtaposes the old and new buildings as one interesting and exciting multi-level, unique space,” they explain. “The existing coach house is brimming with character, charm, and original detail, so we opted to maximize this with the design. We deliberately created interesting spaces, nooks, and crannies, contrasting the old building with a juxtaposing minimal and streamlined extension design.”

“We wanted to provide the user with the optimum exciting experience, with multiple routes and ways to use the space. We employed mild steel portals to link the different areas and a floating timber stair[case] to act as a strong feature connecting the stone walls. To maximize the beautiful exterior spaces, we designed two exterior terraces, with one linking the indoor to outdoor via a fully tiled cantilevered table and bi-folding window detail.”

The vaulted brick ceilings and stonework of the original carriage house are clearly the dominating element, setting the tone and providing a whole lot of character. To balance its ruggedness, Kingston Lafferty brought in clean-lined, minimalist elements like smooth, pale wood floors, sharply defined doorways, and translucent panels, all of which have been married to the stone by way of textured concrete.

What makes this renovation stand out, however, is the elegant, feminine sensibility of the custom furnishings and fixtures, like a striking pink couch accented by red hanging lamps. A lot of designers would have leaned into the industrial nature of the building’s history, giving it a bit more of a masculine energy, but instead of an overabundance of concrete and metal pipes, we find polished marble, patterned tile, and gleaming brass.

The juxtaposition of these elements is thrillingly effective and enhanced by the fluidity of the spatial layout, making it seem like there’s always something interesting to discover around the next corner.

The post Modern Accents Meet Historic Stone in Dublin’s Bolton Coach House first appeared on Dornob.

Design firm Molos Group made that happen with a beautiful blend of materials that contrast and complement each other, with some of them coming from slightly unexpected sources. Rustic wood, textural hunks of solid rock, and living greenery are set against polished metallic surfaces in copper, gunmetal, and brass, along with gleaming glass and transparent acrylic.

The use of rock is really what sets these interiors apart. At every turn, it’s used to either literally or figuratively counterbalance other elements in the space, like the cantilevered log reception desk, the clear seats in the waiting area, the base of each staircase, and each stylist’s station. It’s even been carved out to serve as basins for pedicures.

Its raw materiality anchors the main room, playing off the mirrors ringed with graphic strips of LED lights. Overhead, a massive skylight is softened by fans made of translucent white textiles. Full-size trees and plenty of dripping ivy lend the salon a sense of vitality.

“We wanted to create a visually-unified interior that follows up this beauty salon’s identity, starting from the meaning of the name ‘Angel’ itself and its logo representation; elements of wings and feathers can be found in almost every corner, each with a different beautiful twist and unique design, which as a result came together perfectly to create a unique and elegant interior for this beauty salon in the center of Prishtina,” explains Molos Group.

“This space greets you with a four-meter elegant door, welcoming you with a console reception built from 200-year-old barn wood, which is supported by a huge unprocessed natural stone. Golden handmade feathers are dropped from the high entrance ceiling, creating beautiful reflections and shadows. The main waiting area is quite minimalistic, all in soft blush pink, with a natural stone base for the crystal-clear seats.”

The designers add that “upon entering, you discover soft pastel colors [and] elegant arched doorways that lead you inside a dominance of gold rose heaven. The main stairways hall with a full blush pink color is contrasted by a unique rail, all in white, that divides this space with unique patterns and different art. The glass wall behind the pedicure area is built by approximately 4,000 empty nail bottles that follow a curved form of the custom-designed seats, with handmade stone sinks.”

Using so many reclaimed glass nail polish bottles as decorative elements could have felt gimmicky, but with their necks and caps removed, they actually look more like tiny glass bricks. The “angelic” details, including the wing-like shapes of the mirrors and the feathery relief carved into the walls, further reinforce the salon’s branding.

The more you look, the more such details you’ll find, like sculptural elements mimicking dragonfly wings and a room divider made from hundreds of hairstylists’ shears. Together, these things make each trip to the Angel salon an unforgettable experience.

The post The Raw Beauty of Solid Rock Gives This Salon a Unique Look first appeared on Dornob.

The setting is a typical “bourgeois” apartment in a 1960s building on Corso Sempione in the historic city center. Calling the project “Teorema Milanese,” the architectural duo of Andrea Marcante and Adelaide Testa transformed the apartment’s classically-styled interiors into a bright, open, and playful living space that feels utterly of its time without being too trendy.

The architects wanted to retain the apartment’s original layout but brighten it up, so they only made one major structural change. Knocking down a partition wall to combine the living and dining rooms into a single large space, they connected the living room to the entrance and helped maintain visual contact with the kitchen. A central corridor leads to private areas like the bedrooms and bathroom.

Translucent partitions outlined in brass transmit daylight from a large bank of windows on the outer wall and establish interesting lines for the eye to follow as you move through the common areas. These lines interact with those of contrasting marble flooring, which is the real star of the apartment. Verde Alpi marble in a rich, deep green anchors the dining space, leading into the streaked blue-and-white Cipollino Tirreno marble in the entranceway. The glossiness of the marble reflects the daylight, giving the home a subdued glow all throughout.

A write-up for the renovation on HomeWorldDesign reads: “The design of the marble slabs and the pattern of the veins within them create visual pathways, guiding the inhabitants through a pattern of precise spatial hierarchies. The floor joints also form the base for a screen in brass and glass, another custom-made piece, which acts both as a visual filter between the entrance and the dining area and also as a storage feature, and whose metal ‘arms’ indicate more intimate visual pathways between the apartment’s entrance, the kitchen, and the living area. The use of marble continues in the corridor and the bathrooms, again covering the walls to provide a luxurious backdrop and base for the washbasins, in gray ‘Salomè’ marble.”

The reflectiveness of the marble is echoed by that of the metallic accents and the diamond-shaped mirror set into the dividing wall. On the ceiling, a rose mimics the look of traditional ceiling ornamentation that you’d usually see in this sort of apartment in Milan, but updates it with geometric simplicity.

Part of the beauty of this project lies in its expert blending of styles and elements, producing something that feels truly original. As the architects draw from Italy’s mastery of marble, the clean-lined elegance of art deco, and the bright, playful style of Memphis design (which actually originated in Milan), they create a home that’s rooted in history and a sense of place, yet refreshingly new.

The post Contemporary Marble-Clad Apartment in Milan Defies Interior Design Trends first appeared on Dornob.

Unless you’re a literal hermit living in a remote place with little human contact, it’s nearly impossible to stay “off the grid,” so to speak, when it comes to facial recognition databases. But for now, at least, there are a few ways to stymie the technology, and one of them involves obscuring your features in ways that the software finds confusing.

The Incognito Mask by Polish designer Ewa Nowak offers an easy way to do just that. Looking like a pair of strange sculptural sunglasses, the accessory is made of brass and features a vertical piece that sits on your forehead and two circles that hang over your cheeks, just below your eyes.

It may look a bit ridiculous, but according to Nowak, it actually works. She uploaded images of models wearing the device to Facebook, and its algorithms were unable to detect the wearers’ faces.

She explains: “The project touches on the subject of social surveillance and protection of one’s own image in public places. The object is designed to protect the image against [the] face recognition algorithms used in modern cameras installed in public space[s]. It is a kind of mask made of brass, shaped to the shape of the face.”

“The three elements on it make the human face unrecognized by the camera. This project was preceded by a long-term study on the shape, size, and location of mask elements so that it actually fulfill[ed] its task. When testing solutions, I used the DeepFace algorithm, which is used by Facebook. The second part of the project is a kind of object — a joke, a mirror hood [likening] the user to the environment.”

This kind of “face camouflage” confuses cameras by making it hard for them to discern features. This technique can also be used with makeup and hairstyles, as modeled by the open-source face detection toolkit CVDazzle, which derives its name from the cubist-inspired designs used by the World War I naval camouflage system Dazzle. Facial recognition algorithms rely on the identification and spatial relationship of key facial features like the symmetry of eyes and tonal contours of cheeks and noses.

Unfortunately, only a few people will want to walk around looking quite so avant-garde — at least for the time being. Perhaps fashion will evolve in the near future with these kinds of privacy-protecting styles in mind. Nowak’s Incognito Mask has the benefit of being easy to put on and take off, which is particularly handy if you’re trying to be relatively inconspicuous.

Who knows — maybe this is the future of fashion for those who don’t want to be relentlessly tracked at every moment. Or maybe facial recognition technology will advance far enough to see beyond such tricks, and we’ll have to fight for our privacy in ways that are a little more direct.

The post Evade Facial Recognition Software With This Anti-AI Mask first appeared on Dornob.

When it came time to give that former factory the makeover it deserved, Mills was more than ready. His firsthand knowledge of the way industrial spaces should be used and changed has resulted in a dramatic transformation, with an emphasis on precise acoustic engineering to dampen the building’s tendencies to echo while preserving the sounds of adjacent parklands. The factory is now an opulent five-bedroom home built to house three generations in comfort and refinement.

“When you design for yourself, there are no frames of reference,” he says. “I was keen, however, to ensure that there is enough light, that the materials push a strong design ethos and, moreover, that it becomes a family home as opposed to a bachelor pad.”

The heart of the home is a shimmering golden kitchen almost entirely outfitted in brass − a material that’s carried throughout the rest of the home in the form of lighting and bathroom fixtures, ventilation grates, fireplace surrounds, and the lining of each recessed doorway. Materiality is one of the most important elements of the renovation, and Mills’ work in general. He works with things like stone, wood, steel, brass, glass, and stucco to create a sensory experience that’s both visual and tactile.

The velvety stucco creates smooth curves that complement the angular lines of the cabinetry and the gleam of the metal, and it also helps absorb sound. The black and white spiral staircase, which itself has been topped with a round skylight, stands as a sculptural centerpiece that connects the ground level, which serves as its own self-contained apartment for guests and extended family, to the main living spaces on the first floor and the private bedrooms above that.

The black marble that lines this staircase, sourced from a sixth-generation quarry in Verona, contrasts with the paler Fior di Pesco Carnico stone flooring, appearing again in the home’s striking bathroom. Oak, velvet, leather, and linen help make the space feel warm and welcoming, and wide expanses of glazing on the rear walls ensure plenty of natural daylight.

Sustainability was another hugely important factor, Mills explains: “With Armadale Residence we aimed to create a healthy building. To achieve this we looked not only at fresh air and the proximity to the trees and the park but also at the use of organic and low-VOC paints and glues, indirect lighting, cross-ventilation, and low-e glass. It is the experiential aspect of architecture and we are paying more and more attention to it at RMA.”

The post Spinning Cardboard into Gold: Luxurious Factory Renovation in Australia first appeared on Dornob.

The post Nature & Nurture: 100% Recycled Furniture + Organic Style first appeared on Dornob.