Markus Andrews

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    Alabama hotel by Avenir Creative occupies three historic buildings

    US studio Avenir Creative has completed the renovation of a historic hotel in Montgomery, Alabama, restoring a trio of buildings in accordance with local heritage.

    Close to the riverfront, the 117-room Trilogy Montgomery has reopened following an extensive overhaul by Chicago-based Avenir Creative.
    Trilogy Montgomery’s airy lobby features whitewashed brick walls and eclectic furnitureThree buildings — two early 20th-century warehouses and a Greek revival mansion built in 1851 — were combined to create a seamless interior flow totalling 72,000 square feet (6,690 square metres) while retaining the character of each.
    “With a commitment to honoring Montgomery’s past while embracing a bright future, the hotel offers a welcoming, inspiring, and inclusive space for all,” said Avenir Creative.
    The Montgomery House Bar pulls from the region’s jazz heritageThe new main entrance was created into a four-storey, red-brick building on Coosa Stree, where guests arrive into a spacious lobby that leans fully into the warehouse aesthetic.

    Tall ceilings with exposed wooden beams, whitewashed brick walls, exposed services and ductwork, and metal-framed partitions all add to the industrial aesthetic.
    The Kinsmith restaurant is decorated with deep blue-green hues across richly patterned wallpaper and textilesThe wooden reception counter, which looks like a giant vintage speaker, is positioned in front of a large library shelving unit with a rolling ladder.
    A mixture of antique and contemporary furniture creates an eclectic feel that continues into the adjacent atrium lounge.
    The portion of the hotel housed within a Greek revival mansion is ornately decorated”Designed as a homage to the region’s multicultural history, elements throughout the hotel pull from materials and motifs important to the city,” Avenir Creative said.
    “The back wall of the front desk has a wood pattern inspired by church window architecture as the King Memorial Baptist Church where Martin Luther King Jr was the pastor is a large part of the community.”
    A muted colour palette of greens and grey in the guest bedrooms is contrasted by brighter accent chairs and carpetsThe guest rooms have lofty ceilings and full-height windows, with those on the upper floors enjoying views across the city.
    A muted colour palette of greens and grey in the bedrooms is contrasted by brighter accent chairs and carpets, while flooring is either maple or pine and works by local artists adorn the walls.
    On the roof, an expansive terrace called Waterworks offers plenty of casual outdoor seating among potted plantsOver in the mansion portion of the hotel, which was originally built for a prominent local merchant, Corinthian column capitals and ornate plasterwork lend a very different aesthetic.
    The hotel’s restaurant, Kinsmith, is decorated with deep blue-green hues across richly patterned wallpaper and textiles, while the bar interior blends olive green leather banquettes, purple velvet curtains and sand-hued walls – all colours also found in the stone bar counter.

    The Eliza Jane hotel takes up seven historic warehouses in New Orleans

    “The Montgomery House Bar pulls from jazz influences with chandeliers that resemble trumpets and lush fabric banquettes that create a cozy jazz lounge environment,” said Avenir Creative.
    Hallways feature checkered floors, and a gallery of vintage photographs and artworks runs up the staircase. Various meeting rooms with gilded mirrors and chandeliers also occupy this section of the hotel.
    The Trilogy Montgomery occupies three buildings, including a red-brick former warehouse where a new entrance was created during the renovationsOn the roof, an expansive terrace called Waterworks offers plenty of casual outdoor seating among potted plants, as well as craft beers and Southern-influenced small plates.
    Dark-toned furniture matches the building’s exterior and a pergola from which string lights are hung.
    The adjacent Greek revival mansion houses the hotel’s restaurant, bar and event spacesAcross the American Deep South, former warehouses in what are now considered prime tourist locations have slowly been transformed into hotels that retain the original industrial character.
    In New Orleans, the The Eliza Jane Hotel occupies a series similar structures close to the historic French Quarter.
    The photography is by Wade Hall.

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    Eight renovated mid-century homes that marry period and contemporary details

    From a modernist villa in Beverly Hills to a flat in one of Brasília’s iconic Superquadra apartment blocks, the mid-century renovations in this lookbook are a masterclass in updating a period home while retaining its distinctive character.

    Originally constructed in the post-war period between 1945 and 1969, mid-century homes have proved enduringly popular due to their prescient emphasis on natural light, clean lines, open floor plans and humble materials such as wood, stone and concrete.
    The renovations below see many of these original features retained and restored, supplemented with contemporary additions such as double-height ceilings and furniture by the likes of Tadao Ando and Mario Bellini.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring art deco homes, sunny yellow interiors and serene bedrooms with striking natural views.
    Photo by Jack LovelCity Beach Residence, Australia, by Design Theory

    Australian studio Design Theory looked to preserve the “considerable mid-century charm” of this home on the coast of Perth during its renovation (top and above), remaining true to the rich palette of natural materials found in the original design.
    Contemporary furniture and lighting with gently curving forms were chosen to soften the rigorous lines of the original architecture and prevent the interiors from feeling like a period pastiche.
    Find out more about City Beach Residence ›
    Photo by An PhamBrandaw Residence, US, by 180 Degrees Design + Build and CBTWO Architects
    A new double-height living room with a pitched roof and full-height glazing was added to modernise this 1960s home in Phoenix, creating sightlines up and out towards nearby Camelback Mountain.
    Modernist touches remain on the interior in the form of plentiful wood panelling alongside finishes and furnishings in muted primary colours ranging from teal to mustard-yellow.
    Find out more about Brandaw Residence ›
    Photo by James O DaviesHampstead House, UK, by Coppin Dockray
    This house in Hampstead was originally designed by British architect Trevor Dannatt in 1960 as London’s answer to the post-war Case Study Houses built by the likes of Richard Neutra and the Eameses in California.
    When renovating and extending the property for a growing family, local studio Coppin Dockray contrasted vintage and contemporary furniture for a “domestic, lived-in” feel, with pieces ranging from a Togo chair to Mia Hamborg’s Shuffle table for &Tradition.
    Find out more about Hampstead House ›
    Photo by Gerhard HeuschBeverly Hills villa, US, by Heusch
    Historical images helped architecture firm Heusch to restore this Beverly Hills villa to its former glory and reverse some of its “unfortunate transformations” over the years.
    Existing terrazzo floors on the ground floor were restored and complemented with fluted glass details and dark timber furnishings, both new and old, including Ando’s cantilevered Dream Chairs and a bookshelf by Italian architect Augusto Romano from the 1950s.
    Find out more about Beverly Hills villa ›
    Photo by Justin ChungPalermo house, US, by OWIU
    California studio OWIU retained several original elements during the renovation of this 1955 home in LA’s San Rafael Hills, among them the glass-block walls and wooden ceiling beams, which were exposed from under false ceilings and sanded down to reveal their natural colour.
    These were contrasted with more neutral contemporary elements such as pale oak flooring and walls coated in Venetian plaster, with assorted lights by Isamu Noguchi and George Nelson – one of the founding fathers of American modernism.
    Find out more about Palermo house ›
    Photo by Joana FranceBrasília apartment, Brazil, by Debaixo do Bloco Arquitetura
    This apartment is located inside Brasília’s historic Superquadra 308 Sul, the first “superblock” apartment complex constructed as part of architect Lucio Costa’s 1957 master plan for the new Brazilian capital.
    Local studio Debaixo do Bloco Arquitetura cut open the building’s exposed concrete walls, opening up its layout to meet the needs of a modern family while preserving period details such as the building’s distinctive white breeze-block screens and its granilite flooring.
    Find out more about Brasília apartment ›
    Photo by Ingalls PhotographyMalibu Surf Shack, US, by Kelly Wearstler
    When interior designer Kelly Wearstler turned this 1950s beachfront cottage in Malibu into a bohemian retreat for herself and her family, she retained the original wood-panelled walls and selected finishes that were “hand-crafted, rustic and raw” to match the existing material palette.
    The interiors feature abundant planting, alongside an eclectic mix of period-agnostic furnishings including a 1980s green marble table by Bellini, paired with a plaster-covered Caféstuhl chair by contemporary Austrian designer Lukas Gschwandtner.
    Find out more about Malibu Surf Shack ›
    Photo by Rafael SoldiGolden House, US, by SHED
    Seattle architecture firm SHED had to make several aggressive interventions when renovating this 1950s building in nearby Shoreline, which was originally constructed as a family home but had previously been divided up to serve as a retirement home.
    Working around the existing post-and-beam structure, the studio updated the interior to maximise views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound while enlarging the kitchen and reorganising it around a central island.
    Find out more about Golden House ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring art deco homes, sunny yellow interiors and serene bedrooms with striking natural views.

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    Odami creates textured minty interior for Aesop Palisades Village store

    Mint green materials cover this store for skincare brand Aesop, which Toronto studio Odami designed for the Palisades area of Los Angeles.

    The Aesop store opened at the end of 2022 in the Palisades, a verdant corner of the city northwest of Santa Monica where several seminal modernist houses are located.
    In the center of the store are stainless steel sinks for testing the brand’s products”Aesop Palisades Village takes inspiration from its natural surroundings, as well as the area’s vernacular architecture, where local buildings are delicately perched within a cascading landscape of lush ridges and valleys,” said Odami.
    “Most notably, this includes celebrated local architect Ray Kappe’s own residence, a critical reference for the project.”
    Planters with tropical foliage are placed behind the sink and along the side wallThe same shade of pale green is used across the walls, ceiling, floors, display stand bases, and a sink for testing products in the centre of the store.

    The velvet curtain and upholstery fabric is matched to the microcement surfaces, resulting in a monotone texture throughout the small shop.
    Textured microcement surfaces and velvet curtains match to create a uniform effectBehind the full-height curtains, Aesop’s distinctive brown bottles are presented on shelves built using reclaimed walnut wood.
    The dark wood is also used for countertops, individual shelves, and a storage unit that sits below a large product display set into one wall.
    The mint-green curtains open to reveal more products displayed on reclaimed walnut shelves”Gently placed amongst this unfolding landscape, the various storage and display requirements are resolved as long horizontal planes, composed of either reclaimed wood or stainless steel, to create an interplay of levity and mass,” Odami said.
    The sinks, which are lined with stainless steel, face a planter brimming with tropical foliage – a feature repeated perpendicularly along the adjacent side wall.

    Victorian balusters pattern surfaces at Aesop Yorkville store by Odami

    A skylight above the flora brings in extra natural light into the space, while a low bench offers customers a place to sit and pause.
    “Together, the design for Aesop Pacific Palisades aims to create a biophilic environment, elevating the ritual of self-care through the presence and evocation of nature,” said Odami.
    A bench is provided for customers to sit and pauseThe Toronto studio was founded in 2017 by Spanish architect Aránzazu González Bernardo and Canadian designer Michael Fohring.
    The team has completed a wide range of projects, from residential and restaurant interiors to a furniture collection, as well as another Aesop store located in Toronto’s Yorkville neighbourhood.
    The store is located in Los Angeles’ Palisades neighbourhoodAesop is renowned for the interiors of its stores, which each have a distinctive design relating to their location.
    Recently completed include an outpost in London’s Marylebone that’s organised to reference a bookshop, and another in Cambridge, England that features handwoven bulrush shelves.
    The photography is by Rafael Gamo.
    Project credits:
    Client: AesopDesign: OdamiGeneral contractor: Precise Contractor IncFabrication: Dayone DesignsArchitect of record: WORD Design x ArchitectureEngineering: RKM Consulting Engineers Inc

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    Small Space Hacks: Collapsible Laundry Bags (7 Ways They Can Simplify Your Life)

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

    If you have a small home or laundry space like me, you will LOVE today’s tip! In a small space, you really don’t have room for bulky items like laundry baskets. And our laundry room isn’t even a room, it is a very small closet so there is absolutely no room for traditional laundry baskets.
    I discovered these collapsible bags when we moved in and we’ve enjoyed them ever since (and use them for more than just laundry!). They have enough shape to stand up straight so you can fill them with laundry, but are squishable so you can squeeze them into a very tight slim spot. We keep ours in the tiny spot between the stackable washer / dryer and the wall.
    Collapsible Laundry Bag
    On the other side we have two super slim racks stacked that works great for our laundry detergent and iron and all the little items that you need to have on hand.
    Isn’t this star laundry bag cute? I just got this one and love it. I will share more styles and patterns below as well as tips for using them to simplify your life!
    With limited space available, you really have to think carefully about your organization and what is necessary for practical use or in daily routines for your family. But as I see it, a small space is far from a limitation in a home. It can actually be so helpful to have limited space because it is what will make you have to think twice about what you actually need!
    Our family has lived in very large homes before and while there are definite advantages to having more room to spread out, the amount of clutter and excess you begin to accumulate isn’t always an advantage or desirable.
    Below is a photo of the other side of our tiny laundry closet where we have these stackable shelves (this 4 tier and a 3 tier stacked together) that work great for our small sized detergents, iron and other laundry items!
    We also have this really great collapsible drying rack that can easily fold and tuck into a narrow spot and be pulled out when you need it.
    Sources for Slim Carts: This 4 tier and a this 3 tier cart stacked together
    Ideas for how to use collapsible laundry baskets to simplify life:

    Reusable grocery bag or farmer’s market tote
    Use in the car to corral items
    Use them to carry your laundry to a room where you fold everything
    Leave them in car empty ready for anything, or pre packed with common items you use on the go (picnic blanket, etc)
    Leave in car (or in the closet) as a donation bag that you add to slowly and donate when full
    Tuck into a closet or corner of the room for tossing used kitchen towels, if you’re laundry room is far from kitchen!
    Use them in a closet to organize clothes or seasonal items

    Click here for all above sources
    Take care of your home and it will take care of you!
    Efficiency in taking care of a home is something I’m passionate about helping others with because it wasn’t something I was naturally good at :). I have always loved decorating, but struggled with cleaning routines. I really had to apply myself to learning how to take care of my home and to find joy in those less-pretty and more mundane every day tasks. Now I love it!
    I’ve been sharing my daily homekeeping routines and tips in our HomeBody Gathering Place this month. We’ve had some good discussions with our community about what is needed to find more joy in taking care of our homes!
    We’re all about creating sanctuaries in the HGP! All year round we share about everything home: from how to decorate and find your style, to how create an atmosphere that inspires us, to embracing daily routines and getting into seasonal rhythms that help us stay on top of what needs to be done so our home runs efficiently and we feel our best in it!
    We’d love to have your join us in the HGP! It is a special community. BUT– there is only A FEW DAYS LEFT to join us before we close our doors to new members until the new year.
    If you love all things home and / or would like to make improvements or regular progress in your own home (and would like to be surrounded by the encouragement of like minded friends!) I hope you’ll hop in the HomeBody Gathering Place! Come enjoy the fall and holiday season with us!

    A Cute & Organized ‘Laundry Room’ in a Closet
    Pretty Laundry Room Inspiration
    Linen Closet Organization Ideas
    No Linen Closet? No Worries! 3 Reasons These Shallow Underbed Storage Bags Can Help!
    Find all laundry and linen inspiration posts on The Inspired Room HERE.
    Find organization posts on The Inspired Room HERE.
    See more laundry and linen storage solutions in my Amazon shop HERE. More

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    Eight open-plan interiors where dining tables take centre stage

    A brutalist apartment in Belgium and a coastal house in Australia feature in this lookbook, which collects open-plan interiors where dining tables are the focal point.

    With dining rooms often forming part of larger, multipurpose living areas in our homes, tables are an easy way to create a focal point that subtly breaks up space.
    As demonstrated by this lookbook, dining tables also present an opportunity for homeowners to bring personal style into a room while carving out an intimate setting to entertain guests.
    This is the latest in Dezeen’s lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks that feature interiors with reclaimed materials, art deco influences and sunny yellow finishes.
    Photo by Jose HeviaLandaburu Borda, Spain, by Jordi Hidalgo Tané

    A dining table takes centre stage in this house extension, which architecture studio Jordi Hidalgo Tané added to Landaburu Borda in rural Navarra.
    Supported by chunky metal legs, the table is formed of two giant pieces of wood and paired with bright red chairs that help it pop against a backdrop of concrete walls.
    Find out more about Landaburu Borda ›
    Photo by Olmo PeetersRiverside Tower apartment, Belgium, by Studio Okami Architecten
    Studio Okami Architecten used the dining table as an opportunity to inject colour into this concrete apartment, which is located in a brutalist tower in Antwerp.
    The bright aquamarine tabletop was married with slender red-metal legs, which draw the eye to the dining area with the help of a black ceramic chandelier plunging overhead.
    Find out more about the Riverside Tower apartment ›
    Photo by Timothy KayeBarwon Heads House, Australia, by Adam Kane Architects
    Slabs of travertine form this monolithic table, located in the large living and dining room at a coastal home in Barwon Heads.
    It brings a lavish aesthetic to the otherwise understated room, which features black wooden chairs, sheer curtains and a pared-back colour palette.
    At one end is a sink, allowing the table to also be used as an island for food preperation.
    Find out more about Barwon Heads House ›
    Photo by Megan TaylorSunderland Road house, UK, by 2LG Studio
    Pink was used throughout this renovated Edwardian house in London by 2LG Studio, including in the playful dining room set.
    Set against white walls and a baby-blue vitrine, the statement table has a top made from waste wood chips and resin and matching sculptural pink chairs.
    Find out more about the Sunderland Road house ›
    Photo by Joe FletcherThree Chimney House, USA, by T W Ryan Architecture
    A mottled-brass chandelier was suspended over this big eight-seater table, which sits at the heart of Three Chimney House in Virginia.
    Its minimalist yet striking wooden form stands boldly against white walls, a pale-brick chimney and delicate spindle-back chairs.
    Find out more about Three Chimney House ›
    Photo by Read McKendreeSag Harbor 2, USA, by Kevin O’Sullivan + Associates
    Smooth edges and a curved cut-out give a sculptural look to the wooden legs beneath this chunky dining table.
    Teamed with vintage Fresco dining chairs by G Plan, it brings a mid-century-style focal point to the contemporary interior of Sag Harbor 2.
    Find out more about Sag Harbor 2 ›
    Photo by Jose CamposNieby Crofters Cottage, Germany, by Jan Henrik Jansen and Marshall Blecher
    Architects Jan Henrik Jansen and Marshall Blecher designed this dining table as an extension of the island in the kitchen at Nieby Crofters Cottage.
    Illuminated by low-hanging pendant lights, the table was surrounded by eight of Hans Wegner’s Wishbone chairs and creates an opportunity for the owner to entertain guests while preparing food.
    Find out more about Nieby Crofters Cottage ›
    Photo by Michael SinclairTelevision Centre apartment, UK, by Waldo Works
    Flanked by a black fireplace and kitchen cabinetry, this dining table stands out because of its glossy pine-green top.
    Waldo Works contrasted it with saffron-coloured chairs a mustard-yellow rug, which helps establish it as the focal point and social heart of the open-plan room.
    Find out more about the Television Centre apartment ›
    This is the latest in Dezeen’s lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks that feature interiors with reclaimed materials, art deco influences and sunny yellow finishes.

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    Relogged house by Balbek Bureau reinterprets traditional log cabins

    Architecture studio Balbek Bureau has revamped a house in Ukraine using stainless steel and concrete to create a modern interpretation of a log cabin.

    The three-bedroom cabin was built from horizontally stacked logs, which the designers kept on display throughout the interior.
    Horizontally-laid logs clad both the exterior and interiorThe Kyiv-based studio aimed to deviate from conventional cabin interiors, instead creating an industrial, utilitarian scheme informed by the style of American fashion designer Rick Owens.
    “The pre-existing interior was in a classic log cabin style,” Balbek Bureau told Dezeen. “The logs were a lighter shade, closer to the natural wood colour – the furniture was mostly made of wood as well with traditional country-style shapes dominating the interior.”
    The stairs have cantilevered steps that appear to floatIn order to lend itself to a more industrial finish, the studio trimmed the interior of surplus logs and timber.

    “Our goal was to achieve a clean geometry of the space with as little extra lines as possible,” said the studio.
    “That is why we removed part of the log beams that were not load-bearing – we did the same with non-bearing walls to create an open space on the first floor.”
    A towering fireplace dominates the living spaceMicrocement flooring and project-bespoke furniture pieces such as stainless steel consoles were added to the spaces to contrast the traditional log walls.
    Vintage lounge and dining chairs from the owner’s own collection were added to character to the spaces, which were hung with paintings belonging to the client.
    Log beams juxtapose industrial finishes in the kitchenThe glass-fronted entryway contains a staircase comprising timber planks cantilevered out from wall. Beyond, the kitchen, dining room, home office and living room are contained within one fluid space.
    The cabin’s construction is most apparent in the double-height living space, where logs form tall bookcases accessed by a sliding metal ladder. These flank a tapered fireplace made from concrete blocks, at the foot of which sits a large sofa.

    Looking Glass Lodge features glass facades that reflect the surrounding woodland

    The use of concrete continues in the kitchen, which is dominated by a monolithic kitchen island flanked by floor-to-ceiling stainless steel cabinets.
    Plywood panelling replaces logs in the curtain lined theatre room leading off of the kitchen.
    Metal consoles on casters sit below the screenModern, black-framed windows were installed throughout the building, with vertical windows added in the home office and dining room to bring more sunlight into the space.
    Original ceiling beams were left exposed to highlight the cabin’s original construction.
    A clear desk contrasts the wooden dining room furnitureRecalling the sofas downstairs, the master bedroom features a sprawling custom-made bed that sits low to the floor. Its upholstered sides were bolstered by stainless steel consoles similar to those in the theatre room.
    Retro lamps were added as a playful touches including a bulbous standing lamp that arches over the bed.
    The main bedroom utilises warmer-toned woodA moveable mirror-panelled screen on castors sits against one wall, and a wooden mid-century console references the warm-toned timber-clad walls.
    Throughout the house black radiators, ceiling lights, window frames and power outlets punctuate the rooms.
    Upholstered sleeping nooks create a cosy atmosphereThe two bedrooms on the other side of the cabin retain the dark-toned log walls of the living room, adjoined by steel shelves and contrasted by soft, padded sleeping nooks.
    Both of the bathrooms are a stark contrast from the rest of the interiors, with almost no wooden finishes at all and housing white fixtures.
    Concrete covers the bathroom walls, floors and ceilings”[Relogged] allowed us to work on rethinking the rather established and traditional form of a log cabin,” concluded the studio.
    Other cabins featured on Dezeen include A-frame cabins in a remote Canadian forest by Atelier l’Abri and a cabin clad in ash wood on a rocky outcrop in Norway by Line Solgaard Arkitekter.
    The photography is by Andrey Bezuglov and Maryan Beresh.

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    Puntofilipino brings noble materials to apartment in former bank office

    Design studio Puntofilipino has created a richly layered interior full of texture and patina for this Madrid apartment, designed to offer an unexpected take on the client’s passion for Danish art and furniture.

    Set in a former bank office building in the Salamanca neighbourhood that dates back to 1929, the one-bedroom apartment was conceived as a refuge for the client.
    Puntofilipino has completed the Radikal Klassisk apartment”He was looking for a space of relaxation, silence and solitude,” Puntofilipino founder Gema Gutiérrez told Dezeen. “Madrid is a very fast city and his need was to find a place where time stopped.”
    Puntofilipino set out to design a space that reflects the client’s love of Danish style without resorting to Scandinavian design cliches.
    Instead, the studio sought to foster a sense of timelessness by balancing modern and historical influences, calling the apartment Radikal Klassisk.

    The interior features natural materials such as stone and wood”It’s a very modern design and yet also with a slightly historical bent,” she said. “There is a perpetual link between the past and the present.”
    “I wanted to show the client the coexistence and communion between classic and contemporary Danish brands,” Gutiérrez added.
    “Pieces by designers such as Hans J Wegner, father of modern Danish design, coexist with contemporary Danish brands such as Overgaard & Dyrman – both free of passing trends, timeless.”
    Layered textiles add depth to the spaceWhile the lines and forms are clean and modern, Gutiérrez says the materials themselves, which range from natural stone to terrazzo and wood, “are historically recognised noble materials, used in palaces throughout the centuries”.
    The work of Danish painter Ebba Cartensen was another influence on the apartment’s aesthetic.
    The late artist’s cubist compositions informed the heavily patinated finishes seen in each room, from the clay-rendered walls to the marbled tiles.

    Studio Noju renovates curvy apartment in brutalist Torres Blancas tower

    “I looked for the pictorial representation of Ebba Carstensen’s painting,” said Gutiérrez.
    “The patinated finishes express time, distance, and memory – a ground-breaking, elegant and sober aesthetic that goes beyond the concept we have of Danish design.”
    Dark botanical wallpaper frames the bedroomIn the bedroom, Puntofilipino used a darkly immersive botanical wallpaper by Instabilelab with a mural-like scale.
    “The client has a predilection for bucolic painting,” the studio said. “In addition, the plant motifs give depth to the space.”
    Here, as elsewhere, the colours are rich and intense, taking their cues from the tonal variations in the stone, metal and wood used in each room.
    A monolithic tub forms the centrepiece of the roomIn the open-plan bedroom-bathroom, a monolithic stone tub takes on a sculptural quality as the central focal point within the space.
    “I considered breaking with architectural patterns and giving more prominence to the centre of the room,” Gutiérrez said. “The inside of the bathtub, metaphorically, reflects a bench where you could see any work of art in a museum.”
    The sofa fulfils a similar function in the living room, this time with an emphasis on curves rather than straight lines.
    The living room is centred by a curvy NORR11 sofaProduced by Danish design brand NORR11, it consists of three distinct elements, each upholstered in a different fabric progressing from off-white bouclé to olive green leather.
    “I studied the soleo, the path of the sun, and how it affects colours and materials in the interior,” Gutiérrez said. “The gradual transition gives depth and makes you look around the space, a dance through the senses.”
    Furnishings include Danish design classics such as this Hans J Wegner chairNearby in Salamanca, locals studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil recently completed JJ16 – a compact family home filled with colour blocking and clever storage solutions.
    Also in the Spanish capital, Studio Noju has renovated a curvy two-storey apartment in the city’s brutalist Torres Blancas tower.
    The photography is by Polina Parcevskya and Julie Smorodkina.

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    Ramy Fischler blends contemporary and historic for Moët Hennessy’s first cocktail bar

    Belgian designer Ramy Fischler has collaborated with Moët Hennessy and cocktail creator Franck Audoux to create the Cravan cocktail bar in the heart of Paris’ Saint-Germain-des-Prés.

    Named Cravan, the bar for luxury drinks group Moët Hennessy was a collaboration between architect Fischler and restaurateur, author, historian and cocktail aficionado Audoux.
    Ramy Fischler designed the Cravan bar for Moët Hennessy”The objective of the design was to amplify a story by Franck Audoux originating from his small bar in the 16th arrondissement of Paris and transforming it into a cocktail house over five levels in the centre of the capital – to imagine the creation of a new house of the Moët Hennessy group,” Fischler told Dezeen.
    “This is not a one-shot but the beginning of a long adventure. It was therefore necessary to define a harmony, a coherence, between all the ingredients of the project, whether it is the decoration, the service, the music or the lighting.”
    The building features three separate barsThe space takes its name from the avant-garde poet-boxer and sometime art critic, Arthur Cravan, a free-spirited figure greatly admired by Audoux, with whom Fischler worked closely on this project.

    “We share a common vision, based essentially on cultural references from literature and cinema, and above all a taste for scenic impact, framing a context, point of view, or narrative,” said Fischler.
    “We started with the desire to freely assemble codes, eras, and styles to craft a new repertoire which made sense to us and expressed the essence of Cravan.”

    Citrons et Huîtres oyster bar creates impression of “diving into an aquarium”

    Set in a 17th-century building in the heart of this historic and literary district, the space was arranged over five floors, with a small invitation-only space on the roof.
    The building has separate bars, each with its own distinct character on the ground, first and third floors, while the second floor hosts the Rizzoli bookstore-cum-library, where guests can come with their drinks to leaf through and buy books. On the fourth floor, there’s another invitation-only atelier-style space.
    Each of the spaces was designed to combine modern elements with the building’s historic fabricAccording to Fischler, the whole project took its cues from the concept of the cocktail.
    “I would never have imagined this project in its current state if it were not a question of drinking cocktails” he said.

    Socca restaurant feels like “a pocket of Southern France in Mayfair”

    “There are a number of ingredients that we blend together to create a unique whole, that seems offbeat but is actually very controlled,” he continued.
    “I thought of the spaces as cinematic scenes, hence the individual atmospheres on each floor which form different sets. You can sit in front of the stage, on the stage, or behind the stage, depending on the experience and viewing angle you prefer.”
    The bar is Moët Hennessy’s firstTo create these different scenes, the project makes use of a wide range of materials, often reclaimed salvaged pieces including parquet floors, stone floors and wood wall coverings, painstakingly installed by a large team of craftspeople.
    In Ramy Fischler’s projects, the textiles always play an important role and the practice features its own in-house textile designer.
    “For Cravan, we tried to use as much re-used material as possible, and in particular textiles from Nona Source, a start-up that makes available leftover, unused fabrics from the fashion houses of the LVMH group.”
    Historic elements were retained throughout the spaceThe practice strived to create a contrast between the warm and natural colours of the historic fittings, and the colder and metallic colours of the contemporary furniture and fittings, “which cohabit one alongside the other”.
    “Depending on the level, the colour palette is totally different, and since no room is alike, and each colour has been chosen according to the universe we have sought to compose,” said Fischler.
    Fischler also designed glasses for the barAll of Cravan’s furniture was custom designed and Fischler’s holistic approach extends to the cocktail glasses, which the practice designed for Cravan and which are displayed in the library.
    “Rather than creating new shapes, we preferred to select, from the history of glassware over the past 300 years, the models that we liked and that we wanted customers to rediscover,” explained Fischler.
    Other recent bars featured on Dezeen include an eclectic cocktail in Los Angeles designed by Kelly Wearstler to feel “like it has been there for ages” and the Ca’ Select bar and distillery in Venice.
    The photography is by Vincent Leroux and Alice Fenwick

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