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    Loewe ReCraft store in Osaka finds ways to let leather live on

    Fashion brand Loewe has opened a store in Osaka that, for the first time, is specifically dedicated to the repair and preservation of its leather goods.

    The opening of Loewe ReCraft continues the “obsessive focus” that the brand has had on leather since 1846, when it initially launched as a leather-making collective.
    The store is set inside luxury department store Hankyu Umeda, and – thanks to the presence of an in-house artisan – is able to offer maintenance services ranging from re-painting and stitching to the replacement of handles and eyelets.
    The store is exclusively used to preserve and repair Loewe’s leather goods”The launch [of the store] builds on Loewe’s ongoing commitment to the longevity of its handcrafted bags,” explained the brand. “It’s about the joy of craft beyond the new; it’s a commitment to breathing fresh life into long-cherished possessions.”
    The store’s open facade allows for uninterrupted sightlines through to the interior, which has been decked out in natural tones and materials.

    Dotted across the recycled-wood floor is a trio of chunky consultation islands, each clad with glossy emerald-green tiles sourced from Spain.
    Thread, cutting tools, and leather swatches lie behind a glass windowThe longest of the three islands has a thickset countertop made from limestone and wood.
    It features a series of inbuilt flat trays from which customers can select straps, charms or studs to customise their items. Monogramming services are also available.
    A window in a tile-covered wall looks through to a small repair room that houses a sewing machine, various cutting tools, swatches of leather, and a rainbow of different threads.
    Loewe bag models with surplus-leather patches and pockets will be for sale in the storeAnother tiled wall at the rear of the Loewe ReCraft store showcases bags crafted from leather left over from Loewe’s past collections, which customers can purchase.
    Limited editions of the brand’s signature Basket bag are also available to buy, updated with patches and pockets made out of surplus leather.
    As well as leather items, Loewe also makes clothing, accessories and pieces for the home.
    Earlier this year the brand released a pair of trainers covered in shaggy green raffia, emulating the appearance of grass. It also collaborated with French metal artist Elie Hirsch to produce a series of bulbous pewter and copper jackets.

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    Atelier Caracas imbues apartment in Caracas with 1980s industrial edge

    Interiors studio Atelier Caracas has brought industrial influences and offbeat materials into this apartment in Caracas, designed around the restrictions posed by Venezuela’s recent political and economic crisis.

    Set in the capital’s Campo Alegre district, Apartamento N.1 belongs to a relative of Atelier Caracas co-founder Julio Kowalenko, who gave the studio a rare carte blanche for the renovation of the 400-square-metre interior.
    Atelier Caracas has renovated an apartment in Caracas”He’s a corporate, traditional Oxford type of guy,” the duo explained.
    “We said to ourselves, there are two ways in which we can approach this project,” they added. “We could either play it safe or go nuts.”
    Ultimately, Kowalenko and his co-founder Rodrigo Armas used the opportunity to experiment with applying industrial design principles at an architectural scale and enhanced the apartment’s loft-like qualities in a nod to the architecture of 1980s Los Angeles.

    Overhead lights are mounted on a system of perforated metal sheets”We’ve always been fascinated with a sort of robotic, mechanical aesthetic that accompanies 80s LA architecture,” the studio said.
    “This popular mechanics approach, as we call it, can be seen in the early works of Frank Gehry and later on in the experimental houses and appendixes of Eric Owen Moss and Morphosis among others,” the duo added.
    “There is a finesse in this artisanal slash industrial approach, which we always like to pay homage to in our designs.”
    The same sheet metal was also used to form room dividersThese influences are seen most clearly across the home’s experimental material palette.
    The studio decided to completely expose the raw concrete slab structure of the ceiling, celebrating it with a textural finish rather than hiding it away.
    The duo avoided the use of pre-fabricated components, instead carefully designing the majority of the elements themselves.
    The kitchen is fronted with unfinished wooden panelsTo preserve the integrity and simplicity of the ceiling, the lighting is mounted on a black-coated perforated metal structure – a reference to the 1980s aesthetic and custom-designed for this apartment by Atelier Caracas.
    The studio also utilised the same perforated sheet metal to create a number of versatile room dividers that break up the largely open-plan space.
    Set on wheels and attached to the ceiling via matching rails, they can be easily moved around to separate the kitchen from the living areas.
    “Microperforated sheet seemed a clever option to generate both permeable and ephemeral separations between private and public spaces within the apartment,” Atelier Caracas said.

    Atelier Caracas models Venezuelan day spa on 2001: A Space Odyssey

    The early stages of the apartment’s design kicked off in 2017 when Venezuela faced intersecting economic and constitutional crises.
    Inevitably, Atelier Caracas says this “difficult period of turmoil” also impacted the availability of materials.
    “There was a scarcity, which in turn led the studio to a never-ending investigation on how what was available could be used differently,” the duo said. “The main goal was to make high-end architecture with simpler materials.”
    Triangular cut-outs serve as door handles for the kitchen frontsThe simple white terrazzo floor – used almost everywhere across the apartment – was produced on-site and chosen for its cooling properties in the city’s tropical climate.
    “Even in high temperatures, it remains fresh and cooled,” the studio said. “Also, the reflective quality of this material was a key factor for bathing the spaces with the natural sunlight coming from the windows.”
    The kitchen is fronted with unfinished wooden panels, decorated only with geometric cutouts that double up as door handles.
    Terracotta floor tiles were repurposed for the wallsMeanwhile, the wall that borders the living room is finished in terracotta flooring tiles from a pool supply store.
    “This type of terracotta is usually found on pool terraces and public areas of middle-class Venezuelan residences,” Atelier Caracas explained. “Nowadays it’s considered to be a kitsch or outdated material.”
    “Contrast between refined and low-tech materials can generate new narratives on what luxury can be. We believe that luxury lies in the way people inhabit their spaces, and not in the number of flamboyant finishes.”
    White terrazzo floors help to reflect the lightIn terms of line and form, the apartment playfully mixes linear grids and diagonals with rounded corners and arches.
    “Monotony and routine can, sometimes, cause a stagnant state of contentment that we like to disturb through our designs,” the studio said.
    “We like to think that architecture should be uncomfortable in some sort of way, by pushing people out of their comfort zone, one can really redefine humans’ relation to design.”
    This same philosophy also inspired one of the studio’s previous projects in Caracas – a day spa modelled on Stanley Kubrick’s film 2001: A Space Odyssey.
    The photography is by Outer Vision.

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    Dog-friendly London club refurbished with giant 3D dachshund relief and Hockney artworks

    Dog-friendly private members’ club George in London has been refurbished by restaurateur Richard Caring with David Hockney murals and Mayfair’s largest dining terrace.

    The revamped club was designed to be dog-friendly throughout as well as displaying a large collection of dog-related artwork.
    British painter Hockney created a mural for the dining room that sits alongside other original works of his, while London sculptor Jill Berelowitz has crafted a giant sculptural relief of a dachshund on the stairs descending to The Hound Club in the basement.
    A bespoke David Hockney artwork fills a mirrored wall panel at the George clubGeorge was designed to be “a home away from home” for its members and their pets, Caring told Dezeen.
    It was painted navy blue and features expansive navy awnings over an outdoor dining terrace that is the now the largest in Mayfair, providing space for guests and their pets.

    London sculptor Jill Berelowitz crafted a giant sculptural relief of a dachshundNamed after the club founder Mark Birley’s own dachsund, the George has been refurbished as “an oasis for both members and their four-legged friends –  continuing its legacy as London’s most dog friendly club”.
    Served from the revamped open kitchen, which has been clad in copper panels, a menu of snacks has been curated just for the canine guests, which includes “dog caviar”.
    The richly decorated interiors were painted a dark navy and furnished with bespoke furniture made in-house by The Birley Clubs’ design team.
    Paintings hang in mirror-tiled panels of the dining room, under a mirrored ceiling recessA circular bar, embellished with ornate metal work, separates the two dining rooms. Metal latticework cornicing echoes the level of decoration and detail throughout the scheme.
    Artworks hang in mirror-tiled wall panels, below similarly mirror-tiled ceiling recesses.
    A private dining room seats 16 and showcase works from Hockney’s iPad series, such as his 2011 work The Arrival of Spring in Woldgate.
    The main bar of George features high stools and intricate metal latticeworkBerelowitz’s dachschund sculpture dominates the main stairwell. The work was cast in bronze and patinated to match the club’s interior palette. The sculpture measures five by three metre and weighs 1.5 tons.
    The navy ground floor area leads to a burgundy red basement that houses The Hound Bar. An Art Deco theme dictated the use of antique brass and fluted mahogany panels for the bar.
    More mirrored glass has been used on columns and doorways almost to the effect of a hall of mirrors, creating an after-dark, subterranean feeling.
    The Hound Bar is a dark and dramatic subterranean space in the basementHighly polished mahogany was used to clad the vaulted ceilings and the same fluted panels from the bar were repeated in niches and around seating areas.
    Caring, who designed the interiors of George with his team, previously commissioned Martin Brudnizki Design Studio to renovate his other London club, Annabel’s, in 2018.

    Monumental Damien Hirst sculptures feature inside Bacchanalia London restaurant

    He also worked with Martin Brudnizki Design Studio on the launch of Bacchanalia London, which features monumental sculptures by Damien Hirst.
    Other restaurant interiors recently featured on Dezeen include nearby 20 Berkeley, also in Mayfair, where Pirajean Lees has created an Arts and Crafts-style interior, and an intimate cocktail lounge in Austin, USA, by Kelly Wearstler.
    The photography is by Ryan Wicks and Milo Brown.

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    Studio Kiki imbues Carlotta restaurant interiors with “old-school glitz and glamour”

    Design firm Studio Kiki has created warmly-lit interiors for an Italian restaurant in London to mimic the decadent but familial atmosphere of a 1980s Italo-American trattoria.

    Located on Marylebone High Street, Carlotta is the latest project by the Big Mamma restaurant group. Studio Kiki, the group’s in-house design team, created its interiors to capture a sense of “old-school glitz and glamour”, it said.
    Carlotta is a restaurant on Marylebone High Street”[Carlotta is informed by] Italo-American neighbourhood restaurants in the 1980s, where the likes of [singer and actor] Frank Sinatra and friends would swing by for a bite to eat or a nightcap, and know the waiters’ names,” the team told Dezeen.
    Visitors enter the trattoria through a burgundy facade emblazoned with neon signage, which glows above clusters of spindly tables and chairs positioned for al fresco dining.
    The bar is defined by glowing sources of lightInside, a gilded bar is concealed behind a red velvet curtain. This space is defined by high stools upholstered with geometrically patterned textiles and a curved marble-topped bar clad with illuminated ribbed panels sourced from New York.

    “We wanted the bar to glow and have a back-lit element, so it feels incredibly welcoming as soon as you step inside, making it the jewelled centrepiece of the restaurant,” explained Studio Kiki.
    A psychedelic-style carpet adds a touch of humour to the main dining spaceBeyond the bar, the main dining space is draped with golden festoon curtains that take cues from 1950s Milanese casinos, and also features a psychedelic-style carpet covered with swirly flowers.
    This was informed by the 1998 film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, a black comedy road movie based on the book by journalist Hunter S Thompson, according to the designers.
    The basement includes a mirror-striped ceilingIn the dining room, curved metallic chairs and burgundy banquettes finished in knotted leather hug small circular tables made from dark wood and dressed with sculptural lamps.
    “[Throughout the restaurant] we liked to ensure each table has its own source of light, which can come in various forms whether that be architectural lighting, back-lit tables or a handmade cordless table lamp,” said Studio Kiki.
    The main dining space also includes arrangements of framed photographs. Among the collection are retro wedding pictures from Italian weddings of the design team’s own parents and grandparents.

    Pirajean Lees creates Arts and Crafts-style interior for Mayfair restaurant

    Downstairs, a “midnight blue hideout” forms a subterranean drinking den, complete with a 1980s-style mirror-striped cavernous ceiling, eclectic crockery and an open kitchen.
    Bathed in bright red light, the bathrooms are equally playful – a haloed Jesus effigy was positioned atop a font-like basin, while slatted mirrored walls reflect the ceiling’s oversized chandelier.
    A Jesus effigy crowns the bathroom basinCarlotta joins a number of other recently designed eateries with decadent interiors.
    These include a pop-up cafe at London’s Harrods department store by Italian fashion house Prada and a bar and restaurant in Canada with rich colours and leather upholstery informed by author Truman Capote.
    The photography is by Jérôme Galland. 

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    11 Things I Bought for Our Kitchen (Decor and Organization)

    This Post May Contain Affiliate Links. Please Read Our Disclosure Policy here

    We’re still waiting on some of the final finishing details in our kitchen (so if you spot anything that doesn’t look finished, don’t worry!). I’ve been trying to finalize some paint colors for the painters so I’ve been working on that, but meanwhile, I couldn’t wait to pull out a few things I’ve stashed away for our kitchen! I’ll share a few of them today!
    The good news is we will probably be able to “move in” to the kitchen this week, even though there will still be some details to finish as well as projects still going on around the house (such as our deck, living room / mudroom / entry / stairwell paint, new wood stair treads and flooring upstairs, plus the Tiny Cottage!).
    If you’ve missed any my last remodel update you can see that here.
    I’m guessing we’re a few weeks out from the contractors being officially “done” and then of course, more fun parts will begin for me! I can’t wait to decorate and put plants in our garden :). I’ve been collecting some vintage dishes that I can’t wait to display in the kitchen and have even bought a few plants for the backyard.
    Today I’ll share some of the items I brought in last week and I’ll share the vintage items once I get them in the kitchen.
    Blue Hobnail Glasses /// Sage Hobnail Glasses (or here are similar hobnail glasses on Amazon!)
    1. Hobnail Drinking Glasses
    We needed new drinking glasses and I couldn’t resist these beauties! I’ve always loved hobnail design and the colors were perfect. They look like seaglass! I decided to get a combination of the blue and the sage colors. There are also similar glasses HERE on Amazon with great reviews!

    2. Over the Sink Roll Up Dish Drying Rack
    This is such a clever drying rack, it works with our farmhouse sink and will be handy when we want to hand wash items or just need to set something, maybe a towel or plant or anything that needs to drip dry! It rolls up and can be stashed away when not in use.
    Over the Sink Roll Up Dish Drying Rack
    Natural Wood Dish Brush // Dark Brown Wood Dish Brush
    3. Wood Dish Brushes
    I always love having wood brushes in the kitchen, I couldn’t decide which one to get so I got both a natural and dark brown.
    Natural Marble Tray
    4. Marble Tray
    We use small trays like this all the time, so I knew we’d love this one. This is marble, another I’ll share below is resin.
    Resin (marble look) Footed Tray
    5. Resin (marble look) Footed Tray
    Woven Rattan Trays
    6. Woven Rattan Trays
    We bought these woven rattan trays to be able to carry food or plates upstairs during the remodel. They are wonderful, so sturdy and just the right size. We’ll use these all the time for serving, so they will be a great addition to our kitchen.
    Plate Holder Easel Display Stand // Sailboat Plates
    7. Plate Holder Easel Display Stands
    I was looking for easel style stands to be able to display plates, platters or books. At first I thought the finish on these would be too bright, but once the plate is on it, they are really pretty! I bought a bunch more in a couple of sizes.

    8. Sailboat Appetizer Plates
    My husband bought me these darling sailboat appetizer plates locally (but we found them online here, too!). I will use them at the table but they will also be adorable for decor. We can’t wait to mix and match all of our pretty dishes to display (and use!) in this kitchen. Stay tuned for another post on that!
    Bamboo Drawer Organizer Set of 5 // Long Bamboo Drawer Organizers (stackable)
    9. Bamboo Drawer Organizers
    I found these bamboo drawer organizers that come in a variety of sizes so you can mix and match to fit your needs. I can’t wait to get our drawers organized! I got this set of 5 in different shapes, and a set of 2 long dividers that can stack (see photos below).

    Tray Organizer
    10. Tray Organizer
    These will be handy to set up cookie sheets or baking pans in a cabinet!

    11. Patterned Animal Bowls
    I love these little bowls I had shared in my recent “pretty kitchen accessories” post! We use little bowls for all kinds of things, so I knew these would get a lot of use. They come in a set of 4 with a bunny, frog, bee and squirrel (2 reddish bowls and 2 blue).
    More on The Inspired Room:
    A Sense of Place: Designing Our Forever Family Home by the Sea (+ kitchen update)
    Charming Kitchen Faucets (4 We’ve Had and Many More)
    The Beauty of Soapstone Counters (+ why we chose them for our kitchen)
    16 Simple Ways to Decorate Your Home for Summer More

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    GRT Architects uses “riot” of materials for Bad Roman restaurant in New York

    Brooklyn studio GRT Architects has designed an Italian restaurant in New York City where a visual cacophony of colour, pattern and materials combine for a maximalist aesthetic.

    Bad Roman is the latest venture from the hospitality group Quality Branded, for which GRT Architects previously completed the interiors for Michelin-starred Don Angie.
    Bad Roman guests are greeted by a sculpture of a boar raised on a patterned podiumServing a “contemporary and whimsical” take on Italian cuisine, Bad Roman is located on the third level of a shopping centre in the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle, at the southwest corner of Central Park.
    “Where The Shops at Columbus Circle are politely elegant, Bad Roman is a riot of rich and varied materials, textures, found objects, shapes and colour,” said GRT Architects.
    The organically shaped bar is clad in stripes of marble and glassThe 6,500-square-foot (604-square-metre) space has an open layout so that diners can enjoy the view of the park through the glass facade.

    To set the tone, guests are greeted by a sculpture of a boar, which is raised on a patterned podium and wears an illuminated collar.
    Booths lined up along the window feature stepped orange backsA curved bar sits in the middle of the restaurant. A light box above is clad in stripes of marble, mirror and cast glass, and emits a soft glow onto the marble bar counter below.
    Throughout the restaurant, a variety of booth seating arrangements are designed to accommodate parties of all sizes.
    Blown-glass lighting, 19th-century sculptures and various decor elements are combined in the colourful spaceThe booths have fabric-wrapped cushioned backs with multiple panels at stepped heights, which form waves when placed side-by-side around the tables.
    “We made these islands into worlds unto themselves, incorporating textured plaster cladding, assemblages of found objects and segmented upholstery in a family of orange fabrics,” said the studio.
    Private dining rooms at the end of the restaurant each have a distinct design languageAt one end of the 160-foot-long (49-metre) space are a pair of private dining rooms, while a fully glazed area is located at the other – each with a distinct design language.
    Greenery spills from planters suspended from the coffered ceilings, and several different types of lighting help to set the mood.

    Don Angie restaurant interior takes influences from Italy and New Jersey

    The bright dining room is contrasted by dark and moody bathrooms, where a two-tiered, classical-style garden fountain sits on a mosaic basin at their entrance.
    “Minimal it is not, but the design of Bad Roman is unified by a high level of handcraft, and a say-yes-to-all-beautiful-materials attitude,” GRT Architects said.
    A classical-style fountain is positioned at the entrance to the bathrooms”Locally blown-glass light fixtures, trompe l’oeil mosaics, 19th-century fragments and intricate tilework all collude to create an exuberant home for Bad Roman’s fresh take on modern Italian.”
    The studio was founded by Tal Schori and Rustam-Marc Mehta in 2014, and their team has since completed a variety of projects across the US.
    The dark and moody bathrooms contrast the bright and colourful dining roomOther restaurants in their portfolio include Cucina Alba in New York and Curtis Stone’s Georgie in Dallas.
    In the residential sector, GRT Architects recently completed the renovation of an East Village apartment and a house perched above the marshes in Connecticut.
    The photography is by Christian Harder.

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    Eight homes where wardrobes are used as a focal point

    Statement wardrobes with red-leather doors and bright yellow shelving feature in this lookbook, which proves clothes storage does not have to be a blight on the interior.

    It’s not unusual for wardrobes to be pared-back and concealed in residential interiors, often in an attempt to hide clutter and retain focus on other furnishings and finishes.
    However, this lookbook spotlights the works of architects challenging this idea and using essential clothing storage as an opportunity to create a focal point in a home.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring pergolas, guesthouse interiors and bedrooms with bathtubs.
    Photo by Nick WorleyLeather Dressing, UK, by Simon Astridge

    Rust-coloured leather lines the floor and sliding wardrobe doors of this dressing room, which architect Simon Astridge designed as an eye-catching centrepiece in a refurbished London house.
    “The best part of the leather tunnel is the lovely fresh leather smell you get every time you get out of bed to get dressed,” said Astridge.
    Find out more about Leather Dressing ›
    Photo by Studio NojuCasa Triana, Spain, by Studio Noju
    This vivid yellow wardrobe is among the brightly coloured spaces in Casa Triana, an open-plan apartment by Studio Noju in Seville.
    Its bright shelves and surfaces pop against its white surroundings and form a striking backdrop to the owner’s clothes. While forming a feature of the home, it also helps to create the illusion of having separate spaces within its open plan.
    Find out more about Casa Triana ›
    Photo by José HeviaThe Magic Box Apartment, Spain, by Raúl Sánchez Architects
    This shiny brass wardrobe at the centre of an apartment near Barcelona in Spain was intended to resemble a precious jewellery box. It also acts as a partition between two rooms, featuring a “secret passageway” in its middle.
    “I love brass, and in this precise project it gave that magic look, that look of a precious object,” said architect Raúl Sánchez.
    Find out more about The Magic Box Apartment ›
    Photo by José CamposYellow Apartment Renovation, Portugal, by Pedro Varela & Renata Pinho
    Yellow was also used by architects Pedro Varela & Renata Pinho to colour this wardrobe, which is located in an apartment in Portugal.
    The wardrobe forms part of a wall of storage that divides the apartment. Finishing touches include different-sized circular openings for use as handles and a step that is pulled out of the wall with a smiley-face cut-out.
    Find out more about Yellow Apartment Renovation ›
    Photo by Salem MostefaouiWood Ribbon, Paris, by Toledano + Architects
    This Parisian apartment is named Wood Ribbon after the sinuous plywood wall that snakes through its interior.
    While dividing the residence into three zones, the structure also incorporates several doorways, a dressing room and storage areas for clothes, including one in the hallway.
    Find out more about Wood Ribbon ›
    Photo by Jan VranovskyNagatachō Apartment, Tokyo, by Adam Nathaniel Furman
    A sugar-sweet colour palette fills every corner of the Nagatachō Apartment, which designer Adam Nathaniel Furman created for a retired expat couple in Tokyo.
    This includes the bedroom, where a built-in wardrobe is outlined by bright baby-blue doors and yellow semicircular motifs that stand out against the white and green walls on either side.
    Find out more about Nagatachō Apartment ›
    Photo by Filippo PoliGalla House, Spain, by Cavaa
    Though it sits seamlessly against the wall, the detailed design of this wardrobe ensures makes it a standout feature of the Galla House in Spain.
    It features wooden drawers for shoes and taller blue-painted cupboards for hanging clothes, alongside a deep window seat that is enjoyed by the home’s feline occupants.
    Find out more about Galla House ›

    Versailles Studio Apartment, Australia, by Catseye Bay Design
    Catseye Bay Design designed the wooden wardrobe of Versailles Studio Apartment to double as a privacy screen for the bed.
    Projecting diagonally from one of the bedroom walls, the two-metre-high structure incorporates clothes storage and shelving on the other side. Alongside the bed, it conceals an upholstered bench that looks out to a window.
    Find out more about Versailles Studio Apartment ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring pergolas, guesthouse interiors and bedrooms with bathtubs.

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    Alex Cochrane Architects designs shops to “embrace the elegant proportions” of National Portrait Gallery

    London studio Alex Cochrane Architects has created a trio of museum shops at the recently revamped National Portrait Gallery in London.

    Completed as part of a wider three-year refurbishment of the Victorian Grade I-listed building by Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell, the retail outlets had to be respectful and, where possible, non-intrusive.
    Alex Cochrane Architects overhauled the National Portrait Gallery’s shopsAlex Cochrane Architects worked closely with the lead studios to create a main shop next to the museum’s new entrance, and two further shops that service temporary exhibition spaces,  that each “brought together the monumental and the intimate”.
    “The challenge with this project was to design hard-working retail spaces that would provide an inspiring shopping experience while delivering a design that embraced the elegant proportions of the Grade I building,” Alex Cochrane Architects founder Alex Cochrane told Dezeen.
    Arched architectural details are repeated in the displaysThe main shop’s two adjoining rooms have impressive ceiling heights of between six and 7.5 metres and Cochrane designed the space to emphasise verticality.

    “The best way to celebrate these magnificent heights was for our retail architecture to reach tall and stop respectfully short of the period cornicing,” said Cochrane.
    “There’s an obvious vertical accent to our designs that allows you to look up and appreciate the vast heights and period detailing.”
    Tall cabinets emphasise the height of the spaceMindful that their display framework would need to be taller than conventional retail furniture, they have made it deliberately architectural in scale.
    “We wanted to celebrate the heights of these two rooms,” he said. “We wanted the visitor to look up, as well as ahead. And of course, we wanted visibility from the street.”
    A green marble cash counter adds a subtle pop of colourThe practice used arched forms in their design, taking their cues from the historical door and room openings within the space and in the wider gallery.
    “We repeated the shape of these soaring arches around the room creating a rhythm so all the arches, both old and new, became of a singular and familiar language,” Cochrane said.
    To bring definition to the space without the need for further structural intervention, he used thin “halos” of light to outline the arches, as well to highlight the large plaster-cast busts that hang within the display arches, increasing the shop’s visibility from the street.
    The two rooms are connected via a row of archesThe plaster casts, representing the artists Holbein, Chantry and Roubillac, were discovered in the gallery’s attic during the refurbishment and are prototypes for the stone versions seen on the rear elevations of the building.
    “We love how they are framed in the arches,” said Cochrane. “They have a roughness, a texture that compares well with our metallic finishes.”
    Similarly, an original lantern light in the roof, which had been boarded up for many years, now takes centre stage, amplifying the impressiveness of the space.

    National Portrait Gallery revamp establishes connection to London surroundings

    Several factors shaped the pared-back material palette of the project.
    “The materials needed to be complimentary to those of the period finishes, but also remain easily distinguishable,” said Cochrane.
    “And we chose our materials in consideration of their low-impact environmental credentials. Local, reusable, recycled, second-hand and certified materials were prioritised, while materials with high embodied carbon and VOCs were avoided.”
    Alcoves are highlighted via narrow strip lightsThe stone was sourced within Europe, while the signature material of choice was brushed metal, “which is neutral in both tone and colour.”
    Mindful of the carbon footprint of steel and other metals, Cochrane chose Arper for the metallic furniture because of their innovative and “low-impact” manufacturing processes.
    “We favoured matt finishes over polished ones, as they reflect less light ensuring the products remain the focus,” he said.
    The second room features punchy yellow cabinetsFor the first-floor exhibition shop, much of the furniture was constructed in Richlite. Durable and sustainable, it’s an FSC-certified material made using post-consumer recycled paper.
    For the ground floor exhibition shop the mid-floor furniture was constructed in Linoleum, made from 97 per cent natural materials, that are 30 per cent recycled and 100 per cent recyclable and compostable.
    The practice sampled numerous paint colours, settling on Farrow & Ball’s ‘Lamp Room Gray’ for the walls, with ‘School House White’ on the ceilings.
    The cabinets are designed for displaying jewellery”These colours follow on well from those in the adjacent entrance hall and the east staircase and contrast subtly with our own metallic finishes.”
    “We wanted to be strategic about using strong colours, as we were conscious that the merchandise would also have a considerable amount of colour.”
    The cabinets are centred between the two monumental teak-framed windowsThe practice opted to use a vivid colour for the stand-alone jewellery cabinet, centred between the two monumental teak-framed windows, “that could really catch the eye of the passer-by with an invigorating colour”.
    “We explored different colours, settling on a punchy yellow that we called ‘Starling’s Yellow’ due to the commercial director’s love for this colour.”
    Likewise, Cochrane wanted the payment counter to be eye-catching and used a highly patterned green marble to draw the customer to this end of the space, where there are views out over the newly re-landscaped forecourt and Charing Cross Road beyond.
    “As a practice, we are minimalists, with a love for bold colour. We feel colour can really invigorate a room,” said Cochrane.
    The museum reopens today following its renovationThe National Portrait Gallery reopens its doors for the first time this week, following its renovation as well as a wider rebrand. Earlier this year, the museum unveiled an overhaul of its logo by illustrator Peter Horridge based on a sketch by the gallery’s first director.
    The photography is by Alex Cochrane Architects and Andrew Meredith.

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