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Hovering via electromagnets, the key innovation is the laser-guided stabilization system that keeps it floating in one place rather than tilting one way, tipping another or flying off entirely … a definite upgrade from those childhood hovercraft toys that were always impossible to remote control correctly.

While not a direct duplicate of the movie classic version, the zig-zag pattern and use of pink and other atrociously 1980s-era colors clearly makes this a direct homage to the original – but perhaps the next version can look a little more timeless.

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Set within the city’s High Fashion District, the industrial club has plenty of interesting things to look at, not the least of which is the 01, a compact crossover plug-in hybrid featuring a 177-horsepower, 1.5-liter gas engine and an 80-horsepower electric motor. Though it’s available for purchase, the main appeal of the 01 is Lynk & Co’s monthly subscription service, which grants you use of the vehicle whenever you need it without worrying about things like insurance and maintenance. The car can also be borrowed for shorter periods. It’s designed to appeal to a broad range of tastes, and it offers all the functionality most people need in an urban vehicle.

A partnership between Chinese company Geely and the Swedish Volvo, Lynk & Co knew that people curious about renting or borrowing the 01 vehicle would want a chance to see it in person, but they didn’t want it to feel like visiting your neighborhood Toyota dealer. They decided to bring the car to the people who will use it most — those located in large cities — instead of opening a larger public facility in a more suburban location.

Designed in collaboration with Gothenburg-based studio New Order Arkitektur, the company’s Milan location is the tenth such club to open in the past few years. The interiors repeat some motifs like a cocktail bar and a signature mustard yellow sofa, but it also boasts elements that are distinctly Milanese. A neon “whirlpool light” wraps around a column in the center of the mostly concrete space, which is also outfitted with stylish furniture, a curving lamppost sculpture by local brand Seletti, and the Lynk & Co 01 set under a skylight.

The Tarot Room offers guests a chance to look into the future, and the Candy Shop Toilet encloses sweets within glass tubes, with everything else in the restroom painted a lurid pink. The company’s commitment to sustainability is also on display in the form of recycled materials and objects for sale that hew to the same vision (like Triwa watches with recycled plastic straps). A wood-clad meeting room is lined with reproductions of famous Milanese art. Runways also weave through the space, paying homage to Milan’s reputation as a center of the fashion world.

Previously, Lynk & Co opened a second club in Barcelona designed by Masquespacio. That space was designed to evoke “a world of utopias,” drawing in curious passersby on the well-trafficked Paseo de Grácia with big, colorful sculptural elements visible through the front windows. Other clubs are located in Gothenburg, Antwerp, Rome, Berlin, and Amsterdam, with a new location coming soon in Dusseldorf. Lynk & Co seems to be focused on Europe for now, but CEO Alain Visser has said the company sees market opportunities in U.S. states like New York and California.

“Being present in Milan means not only being part of a beautiful city that renews itself on a daily basis, but it also means entering a fabric where the community that lives there pulsates with ideas: with our club and the events we will organize here,” says Visser. “We want to give space to all those people who want to change their concept of mobility and lifestyle. It’s important to have fun while driving towards a more sustainable future.”

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When Cerri first released the Ouverture sofa in 1982, it was unlike any other furniture at the time (or any that had come before). The design draws inspiration from music, architecture, and technology, incorporating industrial elements like a distinctive metal frame perforated by circles. And while the framework of most sofas remains hidden beneath upholstery, the Ouverture puts it on full display, leaving the T-shaped steel bar and simple legs visible as a major design element.

The sofa’s load-bearing beam is free of joints, supporting its weight in such a way that it almost appears to float. Finished with matte black epoxy powder, the metal is meant to evoke a high-tech aesthetic, contrasting with the warmth and malleability of the cushions. Poltrona Frau has only tweaked a few small details from the original for this new reissue: the cushions were modified to be more ergonomic, and the sofa now comes in two sizes, a two-seater measuring 239 centimeters long and a three-seater measuring 318 centimeters.

The Ouverture sofa may be 40 years old, but unlike most other furniture pieces from the 1980s, it remains a contemporary classic. Original vintage sofas from the first release are sought-after collectibles, selling on sites like 1stDibs for $7,000 to $10,000.

“Apparently simple in form, the cushions conceal a wealth of details: from the backrest buttons, a recurring detail of 1980s designs and nod to traditional upholstery, to the slight tapering of the joint between the seat cushions and the backrest, for the optimum overlapping of the two elements,” says Poltrona Frau. “The cushions, with removable covers in either leather or fabric, are filled with goose down and polyester wadding with a polyurethane foam insert that ensures non-deformability and absolute comfort.”

Poltrona Frau rereleased Ouverture as part of its celebration of the company’s 110th anniversary in 2022. It’s available in various upholstery options, including bouclé, twill, piqué, and the company’s signature Pelle Frau leather in a pleasing variety of shades. Dusty eggplant, tomato red, malachite, tranquil marine blue, and a bright goldenrod are among the more colorful options, alongside plenty of neutrals. Prices are available on request.

Pierluigi Cerri died on November 29th, 2022 at the age of 83. He is celebrated as a visionary three-time Compasso d’pro laureate. In addition to his work in the worlds of design and architecture, he was a curator, graphic designer, academic, and editor for Casabella and Rassegna magazines. He handled the design of collections for Italian publishing houses like Electa and Einaudi and designed objects and layouts for well known brands like B&B Italia, Unifor, Desalto, and Fontana Arte.

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Wastewater management tends to be a big problem in rural India. In villages like Kundli, located on the outskirts of Dehli, hundreds of factories have popped up in a matter of decades, often releasing water contaminated with chemicals directly into the ground. The problem is that these factories, which manufacture items like plastics, rubber, jewelry, and polyester, typically don’t have enough space for high-tech water treatment solutions, even if they could afford them. The pollutants in turn make their way into groundwater and nearby waterways, contaminating the local bathing and drinking water.

The Indus tile system’s algae-based bioremediation process involves placing a wastewater tank on top of the building and then allowing gravity to funnel the water though “veins” in the “leaves.” The designers traveled to India and observed the production processes of textile dyers in Panipat and bangle makers in Kolkata, where various processes release different types of heavy metals into the wastewater. The team found that one particular type of algae was able to reduce cadmium levels in the water by 10 times within 45 minutes.

Fabricated in Khurja, India, which is known for its ceramics, the Indus tiles are made of clay and deeply textured to hold onto a viscous hydrogel containing the most promising pollution-busting species of algae. The vein-like channels are shaped by an algorithm to optimize their ability to absorb pollutants. As the water flows over a tile, the microscopic algae cells absorb and store the substances for energy. The hydrogel acts as a “biological scaffold” that keeps the algae alive, and it’s biodegradable. The materials required to prepare the hydrogel and algae cells can be supplied in a powdered form and reapplied to the tiles as needed.

The modular tiles fit together into a beautiful pattern using half-lap joints, so individual tiles can be replaced as necessary without disassembling the entire wall. This also makes it easy to scale the wall size up or down, tailoring it to each site. In the future, the designers hope to integrate a second phase in which the saturated hydrogel packed with heavy metals is removed and sold to high-tech companies, which can use the metals in their own manufacturing processes. The Indus tiles are set to undergo performance tests in the UK and then a pilot project in India itself.

The creators imagine adapting Indus wall tiles to different regions and needs, making them from local materials like stone or even waste materials. Different tiles could be tailored to different pollutants, infused with the particular type of algae that works best in that context. Given that the end result is so beautiful, it’s not hard to imagine the concept extending to residential applications, too. Just imagine installing a wall of these at the edge of your own roof instead of a gutter, cleaning rainwater for personal use later on.

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Speaking of his brand philosophy, Minale says: “We always start a home or space from the small touch points and metal fittings first and then work outwards, which is more in tune with how an industrial designer would tackle the subject of interior design — in short, it’s reversed.”

The company now has storefront locations in London and Stockholm, offering fittings and furniture for kitchens, bathrooms, and living rooms. Hip light switch and electrical plate alternatives remain their bread and butter, but pieces like the burnt steel “Forked” pendant are also natural favorites.

Minale’s aesthetic takes its cues from his after-hours hobby of the past few years. “I was working as an architect by day and making custom motorbikes by night,” he explains. “In a garage in …East London, I taught myself how to transform stock vintage motorbikes into one-off customs. I made all the parts from scratch and started selling my motorbikes to London’s most notorious. Being an architect, requests soon turned from motorbikes to home fittings, and I set about making everything from door handles to toilet roll holders. The seed was planted and my love child between architecture and motorbikes was born, his name — Buster + Punch.”

After finding success in his career with architecture firms Foster + Partners and Richard Rogers, Minale launched his home fashion line in 2013, immediately striking a chord with London’s celebrity and sub-culture scenes with knurled knobs in the style of speaker switches and pendant lights that mimicked hand-held microphones.

Buster + Punch’s glam industrial aesthetic has led to numerous collaborations over the years, including the creation of the Rockstar Bar with Harrod’s, a liquor console made of solid American walnut with a quilted silk backing, a black-caged light, and 24-karat gold hardware. Another partnership with Rolls-Royce resulted in a bespoke version of the Buster Bulb, an LED lamp with a Royce-patented B22-fitting and a gold-plated bayonet cap. The one-off was available for just one night.

The firm’s Skull collection is the product of its most recent collaboration — this time with LA producer and Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker. Inserting the tattoo and skate culture icon into home decor, the anthology is made up of lights, candle holders, door stops, cabinet knobs, and even necklaces. The Skull Table lamp, for example, comes in all polished brass or solid steel with a distinguishing cranial fob on the end of the pull chain.

Attention to details like these is what Buster + Punch is all about. As Minale says on the company website, “In a nutshell, my mission is to reinvent forgotten home fittings into the unforgettable.”

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Not only does the Tower of Light make this industrial facility a lot more beautiful on the outside, it puts on light shows by day and by night in two very different ways. When the sun shines on it, polished reflectors inside it move in the wind, reflecting patterns of light into the tower’s chambers to create a natural sparkling effect. After dark, LED lights directed at the reflectors amp up the drama with animated, programmed light sequences every 15 minutes to mark the passage of time.

The tower’s unusual form derives from “Shell Lace Structure,” a biomimetic structural technique developed by Tonkin Liu in collaboration with engineers at Arup. This innovative technique uses digital design, engineering analysis, and advanced manufacturing tools to achieve complex organic shapes without compromising structural stability. The technique is inspired by the structures of mollusk shells, which gain their strength from optimized curvilinear geometry. Strategically placed perforations give the shell a lightweight quality while spreading loads in multiple directions. The Tower of Light is now the largest Shell Lace Structure ever built.

“The Shell Lace Structure technique represents an adaptive approach to architecture that allows for enhanced means of expression as well as additional opportunities to respond to site, structure, and climatic requirements,” say the architects. “The technique is multi-faceted and by involving both the hand and the machine in its design process, Shell Lace Structure enables us to regain intuition whilst wielding the speed, craft, and precision inherent in digital tools.”

The architects call the street facade enclosing the new energy center “Wall of Energy.” Visually complementing the tower, this facade features glazed ceramic tiles to reflect light and movement from clouds in the sky as well as human activity on the street to give it an ever-changing appearance. The shape of the tiles is inspired by “the dynamic energy of earth’s movements, as seen in patterns left in the sand by ocean waves,” Tonkin Liu explains.

The energy center itself is known as the Civic Quarter Heat Network (CQHN) and Energy Center, providing the neighborhood with low-carbon energy. It’s powered by an engine and two gas boilers, and designed so that future energy technologies can add or adapt to the power supply without disrupting the flow of electricity. Heat from the power-generating engine is harnessed to create hot water, which then runs through insulated district pipework across the city network, improving energy efficiency by as much as 45 percent.

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For decades, this area has no longer served its purpose as a port system, since the waters are too shallow for modern ships. It grew derelict over time and felt disconnected from the community. Today, it’s becoming a lively destination full of interesting architecture that combines older existing buildings with new construction. Project Harbour Club is one of those buildings, boasting three massive salvaged wine silos converted into rooftop homes as its defining feature.

Dutch firm LEVS architecten turned the original low-lying 1901 dock terminal facility and wine warehouse into a nightclub and restaurant that connects to a new six-story L-shaped residential building, which hugs it on two sides. The project offers 81 starter homes, three luxury townhouses, and five live/work homes, as well as the event spaces. Placing a booming club adjacent to housing might seem like poor planning, but the architects integrated a ton of soundproofing as well as buffer spaces in between, reducing vibrations and sound.

The architects explain that “the Harbour Club’s new event space is located on the lower three floors on the Cruquiusweg. Using the box-in-a-box principle, the space has been completely disconnected from the other functions in the building in order to prevent noise nuisance. The box with its own foundation consists of a steel frame with precast concrete. Above it, houses with a through lounge float, supported by four 16-meter-long beams. A second, glass skin also forms a buffer zone and serves as a foyer.”

During renovations to remove an adjacent 1990s industrial hall, the architects uncovered the original brick facade of the building, which lends a sense of age and texture to the restaurant along with the wine warehouse’s old wooden beams. The preserved porthole-style windows enhance the building’s connection to its shipping industry history. Planted with mossy sedum, the roof of this structure is now a shared outdoor space for residents of the building.

Naturally, those huge industrial wine silos are the star of the show. They once stored wine destined for the Dutch market, and they had to be decontaminated and lifted over a line of trees to be installed. “They have been preserved as icons of the island’s history and have been given a new function as elevated luxury town houses,” the architects add. “The three-story dwellings stand on a communal roof terrace in a green landscape. They are rotated slightly to provide the best possible view from the new panoramic window.”

The residents of these luxury units might have the best views of all, but the “starter homes” definitely aren’t bad, either. Some are studios set above the event hall, and others cantilever 16 feet over the old warehouse on the restaurant side. Their half-covered balconies offer privacy while overlooking the harbor and green roof.

“Harbour Club is a multi-level challenge: technically, programmatically, and architecturally,” the architects say. “The combined necessities of affordable densification, restoration of monuments, [and] climate mitigation and adaptation need to be addressed simultaneously. Harbour Club is a contemporary answer, characterized by unconventional solutions.”

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Studio SAAR, a young architecture firm based in both England and India, was commissioned to design the Secure Sanand electronics manufacturing factory in Sanand, Gujarat, India. The firm is dedicated to creating sustainable solutions centered on the needs and aspirations of both local people and the environment. That directive is front and center at the factory, which houses state-of-the-art production facilities, visitor spaces, and comfortable areas for employees connected by open-air walkways across a lush green campus.

The 25-acre site is a former lakebed that was adapted for industrial use (though exactly how that conversion fits into the sustainability aspect of the plan is unclear). The architects have set aside a portion of the campus as a seasonal lake that shifts in size from one to three acres depending on rainfall. This lake helps cool the site, manage flooding, and replenish underground aquifers.

Trees planted at the edges, along with thousands of additional plantings planned in the near future, help soften the facility’s concrete exterior and integrate it with the surrounding fields. Solar panels provide about half of the facility’s power, while insulation and an integrated floor cooling system help reduce energy needs.

The masterplan includes four main buildings: the manufacturing hall, a utility bay, an employee canteen and recreation center, and a reception building. The walkways that connect them are covered in white fabric canopies that flutter softly in the wind and create a geometric effect when viewed from above. Sawtooth facades on the large, open-plan production facilities let in lots of natural light and nod to the history of industrial architecture. The visitor welcome building is an elongated oval topped with a tilted open canopy, and includes meeting rooms, a training room, changing areas, locker rooms, and a medical center.

This reception zone leads to directly to the heart of the facility, the circular employee hub housing a recreational area, canteen, kitchen, and gym with 300-degree views of the lake and greenery. Wide extended eaves cantilever out to provide shade and add architectural interest. Designed and built during the COVID-19 pandemic, the facility also includes both passive and active ventilation for safer conditions.

“We are standing at a crossroads and architecture is not the answer in isolation, but it is a part of the solution,” says Studio SAAR. This is true when it comes to both human rights and the climate crisis. Integrated as part of a holistic effort to improve labor conditions and elevate workers out of poverty worldwide, architecture can help transform the world we live in and bring the interconnectedness of human well-being and environmental health into focus.

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During their first visits to the site, the architects were struck by the look of the large orange gantry cranes, which reminded them of “living alien creatures with a sense of surrealism.” That led them to a vivid color scheme and a sci-fi-flavored vision for elevated buildings that feel like a futuristic, free-walking city, “seemingly arriving here from elsewhere, and perhaps traveling elsewhere once again someday,” says lead architect Ma Yansong.

Working with the China Academy of Building Research (CASR), MAD Architects plans to transform the current cargo terminal in Chongqing’s Liangjiang New Area into a new city complex and tourist attraction. The most visually striking part is called the Yangtze River Skywalk, a 1400-foot-long complex made up of six separate but interconnected buildings that seem to rise and fall in an organic line when viewed from a distance. This mimics the rhythm of the industrial freight terminal cranes in both form and color, while their elevated positions preserve open views of the river.

An aluminum curtain wall lends a surreal feel to the building, which also hosts mixed-use retail spaces, restaurants, and other commercial areas. Beneath the “floating” skywalk is a new Cruise Ship Landscape Park and Cruise Ship Hall that extends the Cuntan Central Golden Axis Pier to form a new link between the adjacent Pier Park and Century Cuntan Park. Together, they’ll create a massive new urban green space offering scenic views of the river and city from a place that’s currently unpleasantly industrial.

“Chongqing has mountains and waters,” says Yansong. “However, the Yangtze River is more than just a natural landscape in Chongqing. Because of human activities such as shipping traffic and industrial transport, this mountain city is also full of energy and movement. We want to transform this energy in Chongqing from traces of industry into an energy that stimulates the imagination. People can feel the kinetic energy of the city here, but also imagine the public spaces of the future.”

MAD says the scheme will create a new urban landmark while shifting the feel from industrial to a greener, more attractive vision of urban life. The Chongqing Cuntan International Cruise Center is part of a larger effort by local officials to transform the area for tourists and residents alike. In fact, they imagine that this stretch of the Yangtze will become “the world’s preeminent river cruise port” with an unusual mix of ship, port, city, tourism, shopping, and entertainment attractions. Construction is expected to begin in November 2022, with completion by 2027.

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Monica, type A personality and chef, generally kept her eclectically decorated Greenwich Village apartment immaculate and ready to host a gathering at a moment’s notice. But, as revealed in “The One with Frank Jr.,” there’s one room that Monica neglected: her bathroom. As Joey Tribbiani points out, “You know, if you move your hamper you can see the color the tile used to be!”

If Monica were a real person, we’d imagine she would have given her bathroom at least a small update by 2021. Now, the folks over at QS Supplies have taken the liberty of giving her bathroom a digital makeover in a range of styles they imagine she might choose, from industrial to Moroccan.

Farmhouse Style

Monica’s real bathroom, like much of the rest of her apartment, was painted a very 90s shade of purple. That loud vibe is pretty much the opposite of contemporary farmhouse style, where predominately black and white palettes are typically accented with beige and gray. Perhaps the most realistic (and likely) makeover on this list, it’s pretty easy to pull off, from the plastered paint and wainscoting to the classic tub filler and checkerboard floor.

Tropical Style

Marrying tropical style with modern sensibilities, this fantasy renovation wows with a lush wall of living vegetation alongside the tub, so you can take a mini-vacation in your very own mini-resort whenever you want. Stone, elaborately carved reliefs on the wooden door and a ceiling fan bring the look together.

Art Deco Style

Everything about this Art Deco style bathroom makeover says “sophistication,” from the gorgeous tray ceiling and bold patterned floor to the capiz sconces and gold accents. Of course, if your bathroom looks like this, one would hope that the rest of your apartment is on the same level.

Moroccan Style

Drama, saturated color, and to-die-for patterns characterize this vibrant conversion, turning Monica’s bathroom from blah to unforgettable. Naturally water-resistant stone flags and mosaic tiling are a great choice for both function and looks. Using a piece of wooden furniture in place of a standard vanity is one designer’s trick more of us should keep in mind for our own renovations, and the arch shapes of the door and bath entry take this look over the top.

Japanese Style

For a personality type that could use a little zen, a Japanese-style bathroom might be a good idea. This redesign feels spacious, open, and relaxing, with an absolutely epic wooden bathtub. Timber slats on the walls bring in some warmth, and who wouldn’t love a gorgeous bonsai growing in their shower?

“Are you familiar with the Japanese concept of unagi?” writes QS Supplies. “According to Ross Geller, it’s a Japanese concept meaning ‘state of total awareness.’ According to the Japanese, unagi means ‘freshwater eel.’ It’s a good lesson in Japanese design style: if you want it for your bathroom, make sure you understand the principles, not just the surface appearance!”

Industrial Style

Perhaps the style that most announces “I’m a successful chef in New York City,” this look reimagines Monica’s apartment as a warehouse conversion with raw concrete walls and flooring, a decorative metal grille ceiling, a sliding door, lots of hard angular shapes, and what looks like a slightly smaller, less comfortable tub than her original clawfoot.

The post How Monica Geller Might Redecorate Her “Friends” Bathroom Today first appeared on Dornob.

The clients wanted to preserve the aspects of the site that felt special, like its rocky terrain, tall trees, and breathtaking views. So the architects created an unusual floor plan that avoids removing any existing trees, arranging triangular volumes to fit in between and around them. These volumes are offset from each other, gently flowing in a stack from the elevated street level down the slope of the hillside. Most importantly, the layout leaves a central private garden around which the living spaces are arranged, allowing sunlight to reach every room.

The structural base of the home consists of concrete textured to resemble the natural boulders and a steel framework that seems to shift from white to silver depending on the light. In between the polished concrete floors and the elongated triangular shapes of the roof panels are floor-to-ceiling expanses of glass, frosted in some areas for privacy and transparent in others. The glass reflects the silhouettes of the surrounding trees and the color of the sky.

The central patio functions as “the heart of the project,” the architects say, planted with lush greenery that’s echoed inside and on a multitude of outdoor terraces. The garage also features glass walls, turning the car into a display piece with a prominent presence directly above the level of the swimming pool. Black cabinetry and mostly monochromatic furnishings help visually anchor the home to the cliffside and keep the focus on the nature outside.

Though this is clearly a luxury residence, it’s not hard to imagine using concrete and steel as relatively affordable materials in a lower-budget project, finding ways to arrange them as artfully as RE+D has done here. The firm’s founder and lead architect, Susana López González, is a former professor of architecture, industrial design, and fabric design with a master’s degree in sustainability design, and it’s interesting to see how those influences come together in her work. Like Casa Cañadas, many of RE+D’s residential projects use the dynamic qualities of diagonal lines, contrasting geometric shapes, and textural materials for spaces that feel uniquely tailored to their locations.

“With a contemporary language and with the use of exposed materials, the social area is developed with the concept of the open plan; in this way the user has the freedom to handle the furniture in different ways and combinations, giving ownership to the space,” the architects explain, adding that “with the help of a curtain wall, the social area is unified with the terrace to generate communion between the spaces and moments of coexistence, which respond to the need to generate more flexible and comfortable spaces.”

The post Casa Cañadas: Angular Mexican Home Sparkles in the Sunlight first appeared on Dornob.

Industrial Design

While it was super hip to have bare pipes and bulbs for a minute, stark and warehouse-like industrial decor is quickly becoming too cold and grim for our current pandemic conditions. People are looking for cozy, welcoming, and warm spaces to soothe their frazzled home-bound nerves. Industrial touches in strategic places will remain chic, of course, but an entire house full of them just isn’t desirable anymore. In fact, a recent survey of 2,4000 people by UK-based home improvement resource HomeHow found that 61 percent of respondents are already regretting going overboard on industrial decor.

Open Shelving

That same survey found that another 52 percent of respondents regretted switching out their wall cabinets for open shelving. Sure, those dishes and glasses look pretty on the shelves in the magazines, but in real life – the one where we’re all stuck at home more than usual – open shelves aren’t so practical. If dishes are close to the stove, they can attract grease or dust. Plus, compared to wall cabinets, open shelves can seriously reduce storage space and look cluttered if not properly arranged each and every time.

Shiplap and Barn Doors

Thanks to the genius styles of Joanna Gaines, farmhouse decor found a serious following in the 2010s. Still, it can feel terribly out of place in, for example, an urban condo. Today, houses full of shiplap (wooden wall siding) and rolling barn doors are quickly fading from popularity and can be very expensive to undo. If you’re still digging this look, consider a few minor rustic touches and muted colors to satisfy your cravings without a forever commitment.

Large Wallpaper Patterns

Oversized wallpaper patterns are certainly dramatic, but amid all the COVID craziness, most people want less drama in their lives, not more. Large, bold wall coverings are now dwindling in popularity as people seek designs that are more soothing and inviting.

Bold Bathroom Tiles

A similar philosophy is starting to prevail with flashy bathroom tiles. As it is, most patterns and colors circulate in and out of trendiness every few years. And while putting in a trendy pattern could make your space the talk of the town for a bit, it’ll cost you a pretty penny to redo when it finally falls out of fashion favor. If you really love eye-catching patterns, try choosing one with mostly neutral hues. Then you can add extra color through paint and accessories.

Rose Gold Metal

Metal finishes are notorious for shifting quickly in their trendiness. Brass was très chic in the 90s, while oil-rubbed bronze was the “it” look of the 2000s. Now rose gold has had its moment, too, but it’s already headed for the out door. If you still love rose gold, opt for using it in decorative accents, like floor lamps, instead of installing it permanently in your fixtures.

Terrazzo Tile

Known for its playful flecks of color, terrazzo tile came back into fashion in recent years, especially thanks to celebrities like Mandy Moore bringing its midcentury flair into their homes. Unfortunately, its appeal will seem old-fashioned again before long. Choosing a peel-and-stick terrazzo tile wallpaper could allow you to enjoy the look for the moment and easily remove it when it’s totally out again.

Minimalism

Since so many Americans spent so much of the past year at home, the minimalistic, straight lines that held sway in the past are quickly falling from grace. People are now looking for softer contours, comfier textures, and all-around more layered spaces. Plus, the sparse and austere lifestyle became way less attainable as parents, children, and pets sat cooped up in their homes for months. The ultra-sleek style is subsequently giving way to the practicality of stuff ending up everywhere.

As we adapt to life in a post-pandemic world, our sense of style is also being revised. If any of these changes in interior design trends make you sad though, don’t worry. They rotate often enough that your favorites will probably come around again, even if they’re in slightly different forms and 20 years in the future.

The post 8 Interior Design Trends You’ll Be Regretting Before Long first appeared on Dornob.

And this apartment building in New Delhi, India is no exception.

While not designed by Kahn himself, he certainly inspired it. The firm responsible for the over 2000-square-foot space, Amit Khanna Design Associates (AKDA), certainly invoked Kahn as a muse when conceiving the bold and dynamic building. Though located on an otherwise-nondescript residential street, the building’s eye-catching exterior is striking, to say the least, and immediately echoes Kahn’s singular design approach.

Amit Khanna, the founder of AKDA, says that the building “is an ode to Kahn and his idea of how a building should be.” Discussing the late architect’s impact on the architecture of the Indian subcontinent, Khanna adds that “crucial to his form-making was the act of puncturing seemingly vast brick and concrete walls with soaring geometric voids, creating dramatic shadows as the harsh Indian sun made its way through the sky.” This poetic assessment is surely true of such buildings as the Indian Institute of Management at Ahmedabad, designed by Kahn and highly representative of his way of “evok[ing] a mystical, yet calm monumentality” in his works.

The facade of the new apartment building is what one immediately associates with Kahn’s “soaring geometric voids”: the cut-out brick, rounded as if to soften the hard lines of the steel it surrounds; the dramatic shape and scope of the brick “screen” itself (it covers the top three stories of the building); and the way it both seems to hover and anchor the building itself. The interior of the building is equally as striking, as the openness revealed by the lens-like brick screen allows for plenty of light to stream through the windows. The upper floor also has an area that’s open to the sky, further allowing light to filter through. The layout itself is almost like a split screen, with bedrooms, bathrooms, a kitchen, a staircase, and an elevator on one side, and the other areas, such as the living and lounge areas, on the other.

The muted colors of the interior decor are the perfect backdrop for the dramatic confluence of more raw materials like brick and concrete, with the exposed brick especially adding a homey and charming feel to the otherwise sharp and angular space. There are surprise bits of light throughout the apartment that peek through and further add a feeling of warmth to the scene, softening it against the space’s more industrial elements.

This striking building in Safdarjung Enclave, New Delhi, with its geometrically attractive brick facade whose thinness belies its strength and whose openness encourages meditation, rises majestically on its stilts and emerges from residential conformity like a great prow of a ship — or like a monument to the late, great architect Louis Kahn. Embodying the monolithic structure and modernist lines and shapes that defined Kahn’s work, this New Delhi space is a fitting homage to one of the most acclaimed architects of the late 20th century—and shows his continuing influence into the 21st century.

The post Modernist, Louis Khan-Inspired Apartment Building Perfectly Evokes the Architect’s “Calm Monumentality” first appeared on Dornob.

Located in the trendy, architecturally stunning department store PARCO (itself located in Tokyo’s Shibuya district), the company tapped Toronto-based design firm UUfie to create a stunning design concept to showcase their fashion-forward brand.

UUfie is no stranger to exciting, eclectic, minimalist design. Their past projects have yielded connective, almost visceral architectural experiences made to be as awe-inspiring as they are thought-provoking. And the Marcomonde space is no exception. Eye-catching and unique, sparse and angular, its seeming contradictions are both intriguing and inspiring. Here, the minimalist elements are almost futuristic in their simplicity, with a stark palette of industrial grays and whites beautifully accentuating the retailer’s bright and colorful clothes and accessories The final result is a store that also feels like an immersive work of art – a place where the shopper is both a participant and an admirer.

But that’s not the only eye-catching element to this new space. In another section, artfully arranged freestanding stairs climb upward, drawing the eye and giving the room a strong sculptural vibe that is aesthetically sparse yet pleasing. Anyone familiar with the works of the Dutch artist M.C. Escher will appreciate the similarity between this design concept and the artist’s famed work “Relativity.” In that piece, Escher focused on creating a work that looked beyond the ordinary, explored hidden realities, and challenged physical laws like gravity. In the Marcomonde store, you can find all those concepts echoed and lovingly recreated through UUfie’s chosen design elements.

The similarities don’t stop there. As Escher’s print delves beneath the surface of things, so too do the stairs in the Marcomonde space. So much more than a place to display product, UUfie’s stairs are functional, not frivolous. Deceptively hollow, they’re also ideal for storage — keeping the space clutter-free and sparse to maximize the impact of the pieces on display.

The industrial look is not only present in the space’s color scheme, but also in its shelving choices. The combination of stainless steel frames and clear glass shelves creates an almost chrome-like appearance that mirrors the space’s aesthetic perfectly.

Even better, the retail space also fits beautifully with the overall look of PARCO’s design concept, making it the ideal location for the brand to integrate fashion, art, culture, food, technology, and entertainment all into an architectural retail marvel. The Shibuya PARCO’s clean lines, creative balance, and inventive design choices are all echoed in Marcomonde’s exciting new space.

No one understands the impact of design built upon both connection and abstraction better than UUfie. The small 215 square-foot retail space is minimalistic, stark, and artful, evoking the angular geometry of M.C. Escher, while the industrial color scheme and futuristic simplicity of the racks and shelves further emphasize the bright and beautiful merchandise. The overall effect is hypnotic, and one sure to keep shoppers coming back for a long time to come.

Marcomonde Shibuya images courtesy of Takumi Ota

The post UUfie Brings Surrealist Form and Minimalist Function to Marcomonde’s New Retail Space first appeared on Dornob.