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    Eight homes with pergolas where residents can make the most of summer

    An oak pergola that protrudes from a glazed extension in a conservation area and a concrete pergola covered in shrubbery are included in our latest lookbook.

    A pergola is a structure that is attached to a home to protect and shelter it from the elements. Pergolas can provide shade to the interior or outdoor area they cover, as well as create some protection from rain.
    Outdoor spaces covered by pergolas are often used as dining or lounge spaces, which means residents can spend time outside while being less exposed to the sun.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cherry red interiors, lavish bedrooms with bathtubs and concrete kitchens.
    Photo is by Rory GardinerPergola House, UK, by Will Gamble Architects

    British architecture studio Will Gamble Architects renovated this Georgian home in a conservation area in Leicestershire that now includes a glass-walled extension surrounded by a wooden pergola.
    When designing the extension, the studio looked to garden pergolas to create a contemporary contrast to the existing Georgian structure. The oak framework extends past the perimeters of the extension to form a shaded pergola.
    Find out more about Pergola House ›
    Photo is by Hèlén BinetMonticello house, Italy, by Di Gregorio Associati Architetti
    Concrete pergolas covered in overgrown shrubbery were added to this brick home in northern Italy, completed by architecture studio Di Gregorio Associati Architetti.
    The concrete pergola shields and surrounds an extension that was added to the house, as well as an outdoor seating area that sits at the centre of the new building. Floor-to-ceiling windows line the interior of the home.
    Find out more about Monticello house ›
    Photo is by Magi GalluzziCasa di Confine, Italy, by Simone Subissati Architects
    Italian architecture firm Simone Subissati Architects designed this home in Le Marche that aims to immerse its residents in the surrounding landscape.
    The studio created a fragmented frame that follows the long and narrow profile of the home. A void at the centre of the building sees the fragmented frame carried over to form a pergola between two volumes of the home. The pergola-covered courtyard leads out to a pool.
    Find out more about Casa di Confine ›
    Photo is by Yiorgis YerolymposNCaved, Greece, by Mold Architects
    On the island of Serifos in Greece, Mold Architects built a partially submerged home on a rocky hillside that features large glazed openings, walled terraces and a large swimming pool.
    The terraces are flanked by stone walls that follow the topography of the landscape and partially covered by slatted pergolas that cantilever from the main structure and help to shade the interior.
    Find out more about NCaved ›
    Photo is by Cesar BelioAvándaro 333, Mexico, by Zozaya Arquitectos
    Located in Valle de Bravo, Mexico, this home is part of a 27-house complex that was named after a nearby lake.
    Architecture studio Zozaya Arquitectos used masonry and clay across the exterior of the home, which was then contrasted with contemporary additions such as wood and steel pergolas.
    A balcony on the upper levels of a home is accessed through retractable glazed walls and sits beneath a wooden pergola.
    Find out more about Lake Avándaro ›
    Photo is by Claus Brechenmacher and Reiner BaumannVilla Mandra, Greece, by K-studio
    A latticed chestnut-wood pergola covers an outdoor dining area Villa Mandra, a holiday home on the Greek island of Mykonos that was designed by Greek architecture practice K-studio.
    Alongside covering an outdoor dining area, the large pergola also shades a lounge area. Metal pendant lights were fixed to the pergola and provide the shaded area with light at night.
    Find out more about Villa Mandra ›
    Photo is by Felix MooneerThe Weathered House, UK, by Selencky Parsons
    Architecture studio Selencky Parsons extended a Victorian home in south London and added a steel-framed structure and large sliding doors that better link the interior with the outdoors.
    The extension is characterised by the weathered-steel structure. This begins at the kitchen area and forms a pergola over an outdoor dining space that is directly accessed via glass sliding doors from the interior.
    Find out more about The Weathered House ›
    Photo is Masao NishikawaPergola House, Japan, by Apollo Architects & Associates
    Designed by Apollo Architects & Associates and located in Kawaguchi, a city just north of Tokyo, Pergola House is a two-storey home that has an L-shaped plan with courtyards covered by pergolas.
    The pergolas are formed of wooden ceiling beams that extend beyond the walls of the interior. Expanses of glass line the walls and double-height spaces help to create an open-plan design and blur the boundaries of the interior.
    Find out more about Pergola House ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cherry red interiors, lavish bedrooms with bathtubs and concrete kitchens.

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    Checkerboard walls wrap Awake NY store by Rafael de Cárdenas

    Local architect Rafael de Cárdenas referenced lost landmarks of New York for the interiors of this streetwear store in the city’s Lower East Side.

    De Cárdenas worked with Angelo Baque, the former brand director of streetwear brand Supreme, on the design of a retail location for Awake NY, which Baque founded in 2012.
    Large sculptures are placed throughout the store, including a replica of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park UnisphereThe new home for the men’s clothing line at 62 Orchard Street is a homage to New York City’s fashion meccas of the 1980s and 90s, many of which have since shuttered.
    “Both De Cárdenas and Baque grew up in New York around the same time, which informed their design direction,” said a joint statement from the duo. “They built upon shared memories of lost landmarks in New York design and youth culture: Canal Jean, Antique Boutique, and Unique — and used them as reference points for the store identity.”
    Several elements leftover from the store’s previous occupants were retained, including carved wooden frames above the clothing racksThe store retains some of the features leftover from the family-owned suiting business that formerly occupied the space.

    Logos of brands carried by the previous tenants are still visible on the glass vitrines on either side of the entrance.
    The walls at the back of the space are covered in a checkerboard patternThese display cases now carry bright blue carpets and colourful portraits by local artist Alvin Armstrong.
    Other remnants from the store’s past include the original exterior signage, which reads “Mens Clothiers”, and carved wooden frames above the clothing racks inside.
    Other large sculptural elements include a giant plywood ‘A’New elements include the flooring, sourced from a school gym in Cleveland, and wood shelving affixed to the walls with ratchet straps.
    At the back of the boutique, the walls are covered in a checkerboard pattern that is repeated on a display stand closer to the centre.

    Space-age design informs Nodaleto shoe store by Rafael de Cárdenas

    Some of the industrial-style columns and areas of the metal-panelled ceiling are left exposed, while other structural elements are painted white or wrapped in mirrors.
    Murals by Larissa De Jesús Negrón adorn the fitting room area, and checkered chairs were sourced from B&B Italia.
    Plywood is also used to form storage and display casesThere are also several large sculptural pieces placed on the shop floor, helping to create a flow for shoppers.
    “The store is anchored by a replica of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Unisphere, originally built for the 1964 World’s Fair in Baque’s hometown of Queens, and a floor-to-ceiling Awake NY ‘A’ built from plywood in the centre of the store,” said the design team.
    The flooring was sourced from a school gym in ClevelandDe Cárdenas, who is one of the judges for this year’s Dezeen Awards, has designed a variety of retail projects during his career.
    His studio recently completed the Miami store for French shoe brand Nodaleto, with sci-fi-influenced interiors, and previously created a split-level bar in Nordstrom’s flagship store in Midtown Manhattan.
    The photography is by Adrian Gaut.

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    Eight guesthouse interiors designed for peace and escapism

    A one-room hotel kitted out with a miniature nightclub and twin dwellings with labyrinthine staircases informed by MC Escher are among the guesthouses featured in our latest lookbook.

    Guesthouses are accommodations for travellers, including cabins, rental cottages and private rooms, sometimes located in close proximity to permanent structures such as homes or offices.
    Despite their temporary nature, guesthouses can feature distinctive designs created to be remembered for longer than just during their occupants’ stay.
    From a bird nest-style retreat in Namibia to a micro dwelling in South Korea, here are eight guesthouses with impactful interiors from across the globe.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring gardens with swimming pools, cave-like interiors and striking accent walls.

    Top image: Trunk House in Tokyo features a miniature nightclub. Above: Photo by José HeviaLa Hermandad de Villalba, Spain, by Lucas y Hernández-Gil
    Spanish studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil sought to honour the original architecture of this eighteenth-century building, which was renovated to feature decorative doorways and original arched ceilings.
    Nestled in a wine-growing town in Spain’s Extremadura region, the guesthouse takes visual cues from its site, with hues of deep red and pale green that nod to the town’s natural terrain and surrounding vineyards.
    Find out more about La Hermandad de Villalba ›
    Photo is courtesy of Den OutdoorsDen Cabin Kit, USA, by Den Outdoors
    Prefabricated in New York, Den Cabin Kit is a flat-packed kit-of-parts for a steeply pitched cabin that is designed to be assembled in a few days.
    Cabin-design company Den Outdoors created the structure to cater to a guesthouse, study or yoga studio. Slanted wooden walls and a single triangular window create a cosy atmosphere inside.
    Find out more about Den Cabin Kit ›
    Photo is by Katinka BesterThe Nest at Sossus, Namibia, by Porky Hefer
    The Nest at Sossus is an off-grid guesthouse in Namibia with a thatched facade informed by the amorphous shape of bird nests.
    Thatching also features on the interior, which South African designer Porky Hefer created with bulbous protrusions and built-in furniture to mimic the stacked components of a nest.
    Pieces include a sunken Chesterfield-style sofa upholstered in oxblood-coloured leather.
    Find out more about The Nest at Sossus ›
    Photo is by Chao ZhangDream and Maze, China, by Studio 10
    Shenzhen-based Studio 10 designed a pair of guest rooms in Guilin, China, which take cues from the optical illusions of the seminal Dutch graphic artist MC Escher.
    Called Dream and Maze, the rooms feature colour-coded arched doorways and disorientating anti-gravitational staircases built within a seven-metre-high structure with a pitched roof.
    “The challenge was in keeping the balance between the practical need of a hotel suite and the illusionary, spatial effect we wanted to achieve,” the studio told Dezeen.
    Find out more about Dream and Maze ›
    Photo is by José HeviaAlfondac, Spain, by Aixopluc 
    Catalan studio Aixopluc filled a guest apartment above its offices with modular furniture that can be assembled using DIY techniques.
    Named after an Arabic word describing a place for both guests and for storing goods, Alfondac features various exposed appliances and living areas amalgamated into one space.
    “This iteration is an exploration of the potential benefits of having different activities and their smells – shit, lavender soap, pee, escudella [a type of Catalan stew], incense, linen sheets after sex, hyacinth flowers, baby’s poo and half-full glasses of Priorat wines – coexist rather than being segregated,” said Aixopluc.
    Find out more about this apartment ›
    Photo is by Texture on TextureNuwa, Korea, by Z_Lab 
    Nuwa is a tiny guesthouse in northern Seoul that measures under 30 square metres. Local studio Z_Lab renovated a traditional Korean home, known as a hanok, to create the apartment out of a single room.
    A porthole window inserted next to the bed provides views of the surrounding garden, while a sunken bath and walnut and stone accents define the rest of the space.
    Find out more about Nuwa ›
    Photo is by Tomooki KengakuTrunk House, Japan, by Trunk and Tripster
    Hailed by its designers as containing Tokyo’s smallest disco, this one-room hotel in the city’s Kagurazaka neighbourhood features a miniature nightclub with a bright red interior, a curved bar and an illuminated dance floor.
    Hotel brand Trunk collaborated with design studio Tripster to create the interiors within a traditional 70-year-old geisha house. Living spaces are characterised by muted palettes, including a tearoom with tatami mats arranged around a sunken fireplace.
    Find out more about Trunk House ›
    Photo is by Piet Albert GoethalsThe Olive Houses, Mallorca, by Mar Plus Ask
    Architecture studio Mar Plus Ask designed a pair of guesthouses in the Mallorcan mountains to celebrate the craggy boulders that jut through their walls.
    The Olive Houses are off-grid dwellings created for solo creatives as a silent refuge. Sloping cave-like walls were rendered exclusively in blush-pink stucco to complement the pale green shade found on the underside of an olive tree leaf.
    “To us, the [boulders] became a piece of art – suddenly the house was more about sculpting its backdrop and being its lightbox,” explained the studio.
    Find out more about The Olive Houses ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring gardens with swimming pools, cave-like interiors and striking accent walls.

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    Apple reveals Battersea Power Station store as latest “evolution of the Apple Store”

    Technology company Apple has unveiled its latest Foster + Partners-designed store in the recently revamped Battersea Power Station in London, which features updated fixtures and furniture.

    Set to open later today, Apple Battersea is the brand’s 40th UK store and represents an evolution in its retail design thinking with more of an emphasis placed on accessibility and sustainability.
    “We developed this material palette and this fixture set that is really trying to align with like Apple’s goals,” said Bill Bergeron Mirsky, a global retail design lead at Apple.
    “This material palette is new for us, it’s an evolution of the Apple Store,” he told Dezeen.
    Apple Battersea opens todayDesigned by UK studio Foster + Partners, the store is set on the ground floor of the shopping centre within the 1930s Turbine Hall A at the former power station, where the studio also designed the technology brand’s offices.

    The shop is arranged around four original brick piers and has steel roof supports exposed on the ceiling. On top of this base, Foster + Partners overlaid a revamped fixture set that Mirsky said “will become familiar over time”.
    Apple Battersea is the second store – after the recently reopened Tysons Corner store in the USA, which replaced Apple’s first ever store – to feature the redesigned fixtures.
    It features an updated fixture setAround the edge of the store is an oak framework of shelving that was developed with Foster + Partners.  The timber structure also defines a space dedicated to watches, a pick-up area and a redesigned Genius Bar.
    The Genius Bar has a counter for stand-up service along with a lowered area where people can be served sitting down. Along with its standard Parsons tables, which are made from sustainably harvested European oak, the store also has several lowered tables.
    The redesigned Genius Bar has a lower counter”We’ve thought about mobility issues across the whole fixture set,” explained Mirsky. “We have our traditional Parsons table with our standard height, but you notice that the tables in the back are varied and our new genius bar as well.”
    “We have a standing height because the team really prefers to stand and it lets them work with more people and then they can stand at the tables, but customers who want to sit or need to sit can actually use these slightly modified tables,” he continued.
    As part of the focus on mobility, Apple also increased the amount of circulation around the edge of the store.
    There is more space around the edge of the storeAlong with the timber framework, Apple aimed to replace other more carbon-intensive elements in the store with biomaterials.
    The floor, which was first used in the Brompton Road store, was made from aggregates bound together with a bio-polymer, while the acoustic baffles in the ceiling were made from biogenic material.
    The acoustic baffles and bright floor form part of a focus on improving visual and acoustic clarity in the store, with a dark band placed around the base of the walls to provide visual differentiation with the flooring.

    Foster + Partners designs Apple Brompton Road as “calm oasis” in London

    “Something I want to point out that is really part and parcel of the material palette, but also goes to our universal design, is the contrast in the store,” said Mirsky.
    “We wanted to make sure we have this really enhanced kind of navigation,” he continued. “So the floor is brightened – it helps us with our low energy – but it also makes it so that you can clearly see the table and the walls are defined.”
    The store has a dedicated pick-up cornerThe fixture set, flooring and ceiling baffles were also used at the Tysons Corner store and Mirsky believes the base can create a feeling of familiarity for Apple’s customers.
    “Each store is really dealt with as a unique circumstance Battersea has this incredible, incredible existing architectural fabric to work in,” he said.
    “We use the same fixture set at Tysons Corner in a mall setting in America which doesn’t have this sort of grand grandiose architecture, but the same fixture set can generate an environment that’s very familiar and welcoming no matter where you are.”
    The store is the latest to open in London, following the Brompton Road store that opened last year, which was designed to be a “calm oasis”. Other recently completed Apple Stores include the band’s first shop in India and a store in Los Angeles’ historic Tower Theatre.

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    Isern Serra turns renderings into reality to form pink Moco Concept Store in Barcelona

    Design studio Isern Serra has transformed a computer-generated image by digital artist Six N Five into a rose-coloured retail space for the Moco Museum in Barcelona.

    Situated in Barcelona’s El Born neighbourhood, the Moco Museum exclusively exhibits the work of modern artists such as Damien Hirst, Kaws, Yayoi Kusama and Jeff Koons.
    The institution’s eponymous concept store has a similarly contemporary offering, selling a mix of design, fashion and lifestyle goods.
    The store’s interior is completely covered in pink micro-cementIts surreal pink interior started out as a computer-generated image by Six N Five, a digital artist known for envisioning other-worldly dreamscapes in pastel hues.
    Barcelona-based design studio Isern Serra then brought the image to life, using pink micro-cement to achieve the same uniform, ultra-smooth surfaces seen in the drawing.

    Products are displayed inside huge circular display niches”The Moco Concept Store represented an interesting challenge, as I had to combine the purpose of the store with actual architecture remaining true to our original dreamy world I had built in CGI,” explained Six N Five, whose real name is Ezequiel Pini.
    “But these concepts were able to go one level further, both in decisions and execution, thanks to Isern Serra who brought its extraordinary talent and experience.”
    Arched and square niches have also been punctured into the wallsThe store’s rosy interior can be seen through two large openings in its facade – one of them is rectangular, while the other is slightly curved and contains the entrance door.
    A series of chunky columns run through the middle of the space. Surrounding walls have been punctured with arched, square and circular display niches, some of which are dramatically backlit.
    Rows of shelves and a frame for a tv screen have also been made to project from the wall.
    A faux skylight sits directly above pink display plinthsThe store’s largely open floor plan is only interrupted by a few pink cylindrical plinths used to showcase products, and a bespoke pink cashier desk with an integrated computer system.
    Custom spotlights have been installed on the ceiling, along with a faux skylight.
    The store’s custom furnishings, like the cashier desk, are also rendered in pinkAn increasing number of creatives are making their virtual designs a reality.
    Last year, digital artist Andres Reisinger collaborated with furniture brand Moooi to produce a physical version of his Instagram-famous Hortensia chair, which was initially a rendering.
    The piece is covered with 20,000 pink fabric petals, emulating the almost fluffy appearance of a hydrangea flower.
    In Sweden, designer Christoffer Jansson passed off a virtual apartment as an Instagram home renovation project.
    The photography is by Salva Lopez.
    Project credits:
    Authors: Six N Five and Isern SerraBuilder: Tegola Rosso SL

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    Kelly Wearstler adds pattern-filled bar to Austin Proper Hotel

    American designer Kelly Wearstler has created an intimate cocktail lounge within a hotel she designed in Austin, Texas, which is intended to evoke “a balance between old-world opulence and modern elegance”.

    The Quill Room forms an extension to the existing dining and drinking options at the Austin Proper Hotel and Residences, which Wearstler completed the interiors for in 2019.
    The Quill Room offers hotel guests and residents an additional lounge and bar spaceThe lounge is tucked away on the second floor of the Handel Architects-designed building in Downtown Austin, and offers a French-inspired menu and live music programming for the hotel’s guests and residents.
    Wearstler’s interiors for the bar are awash with pattern, mixing gold, brown and black to create a space that appears warm, rich and elevated.
    A variety of vintage and contemporary chairs populate the spaceMany of the design elements blend nostalgia and contemporary twists, like tufted leather armchairs positioned beside funky sculptural lamps.

    “The design of The Quill Room is a balance between old-world opulence and modern elegance,” she told Dezeen. “The salon-style bar pairs the aesthetics to transport guests to another time within Downtown Austin, while still reflecting the city’s creative and music scenes.”
    Golden patterned wallpaper covers the wallsGolden patterned wallpaper covers the majority of the walls and continues across the ceiling, helping to make the room feel more intimate.
    “A highlight would have to be the gold wall covering,” said Wearstler. “It’s actually an adaptation of a piece from my own archive, originally created during the UK’s 1920s Arts & Crafts movement.”
    Within niches, folded screens feature a checkerboard of gold mirrorSmall tables and mismatched seats are positioned in recesses, against folding panels with a checkerboard of gold mirrors and floral motifs within wooden frames.
    Wearstler’ also included low leather and upholstered seats, as well as taller dining chairs along the sheer-curtained windows.
    Furniture pieces were sourced from Europe and a famous Texas antiques marketMost of the furniture pieces are vintage, or were crafted specifically for this project, including the rugs, lighting and additional decorative items.
    “The Quill Room features a lot of inspired furnishings that represent design through the decades – mainly from the 1960s to 1990s – which we’ve sourced from Europe and as nearby as the famed Round Top Antiques Market,” Wearstler said.

    Kelly Wearstler creates sculptural oak staircase for hotel in Austin

    The bar itself runs straight along the back wall, fronting an open cabinet filled with liquor bottles that is topped with red neon tubes. “It’s a detail crafted by an Austin artist, bringing the modern and the local to the forefront amongst the vintage-inspired,” said Wearstler.
    Another feature element is the illuminated, self-playing Edelweiss piano that was custom designed to offer “a uniquely Texan experience” for guests. There’s also a small, shaded outdoor terrace for enjoying drinks and bites in the warm Austin weather.
    An illuminated, self-playing Edelweiss piano was custom designed to entertain guestsThe new space joins the hotel’s Mediterranean-influenced restaurant The Peacock, private ground-floor cocktail bar Goldie’s, and Mexican-inspired rooftop restaurant and bar La Piscina.
    “I see The Quill Room as a complement to The Austin Proper’s existing restaurants and bars,” Wearstler said. “Like the rest of the property, it embodies modern elegance and refined luxury that heightens guests’ experience of the city while offering an immersive escape.”
    The Quill Room serves cocktails and French-inspired light bitesWearstler has completed multiple locations for the Proper hotel group, including several outposts in her home state of California, such as San Francisco and Santa Monica – which was named AHEAD Americas Hotel of the Year in 2020.
    Her most recent project for the franchise, in Downtown LA, opened last year and features a suite with its own indoor swimming pool.
    The photography is by The Ingalls.

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    YSG draws on beach clubs of Ibiza and Cancun for redesign of Sydney coastal home

    Australian interiors studio YSG has updated a holiday home in Sydney’s Palm Beach suburb, layering it with a maximalist mix of colours, patterns and textures.

    The 400-square-metre house belongs to a young family who wanted a place to escape during the holidays while still providing space for remote working.
    YSG renovated a holiday home in Sydney’s Palm BeachThe home’s original furnishings were included in the sale but the clients were less than enthused by the nautical colour palette, seashells and model yachts.
    “The weathered features and cliched seaside tropes, amongst other things, deterred their visits,” said Yasmine Ghoniem, founder and director of YSG.
    Its living and dining area are separated by a small stepYSG took cues from the rustic beach clubs of Ibiza and Cancun for the revamp, with a touch of French Riviera refinement to create “a palpably playful mood for entertaining”.

    The house was given a full overhaul, with worn floorboards sanded back to reveal warmer timber accents while windows and doors were replaced with more slimline versions.
    Details from a painting in the lounge were carried over onto the wallsIn the sunroom, tongue-and-groove panelling was removed for a more contemporary look while a mirrored wall was taken out because it caused the room to overheat.
    A new rose-tinted marble floor extends to skirting height, amplifying the sense of space while helping to keep the room cool. In the kitchen, YSG added a stone island “that recalls the ombre shades of a freshly poured tequila sunrise”.
    Chequerboard tiles surround the poolThe couple also asked for a second master suite, so that they could each have their own retreat while working remotely.
    “We designed integrated marble and timber desks, enabling both to simultaneously work privately from their rooms whilst enjoying views from the upper level,” Ghoniem said.

    YSG designs playful Sydney penthouse for empty nesters

    For the all-important exterior areas, which wrap around the house on each level, YSG provided a material refresh by removing the old heavy paving and weathered grey timber as they distracted from the views.
    The pool area now features a chequerboard pattern of tumbled marble cobblestones while the dark blue pool tiles were replaced with a lighter finish and the chrome fence posts were powder-coated in a soft white tone to prevent glaring reflections.
    The home’s stone kitchen island is made from thickly veined stoneYSG added a playful painting in the living room that acted as a starting point for the home’s entire interior scheme, including the colour palette of ochres, yellows, and reds.
    Its motifs such as palm trees and fruit are repeated throughout the house across prints and cushions, as well as being hand-painted onto walls and doors.
    The home also has a second lounge areaEven the painting’s chequered top border is continued as a hand-painted datum line across the living room to enliven the otherwise plain walls.
    Ghoniem also repeated the same device on the side of the raised step that lead to the dining area, “artistically acknowledging a trip hazard”.
    The bedrooms were designed to provide space for remote workingIn the sunroom, hand-painted swirls soften the beams while in one of the master bedrooms, the vertical red lines of a nude painting were playfully continued onto the wall above the artwork.
    The rich material palette features many types of marble, including Giallo, Toledo and Tiberio along with honed travertine and French wash walls, while the textiles include linen and kimono silk.
    Chequerboard tiling also features in some of the bathroomsYSG has completed a number of projects across Sydney, including another house in a coastal suburb with tactile finishes and a penthouse for a couple of empty nesters.
    The photography is by Prue Ruscoe.

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    Nina+Co uses salvaged materials and biotextiles for Big Beauty’s first store

    Design studio Nina+Co has used materials informed by the ingredients used in natural skincare products for Big Beauty’s first store in Hackney, London.

    For its first retail space, Big Beauty founder Lisa Targett Bolding wanted to create a space that was an extension of the brand’s ethos. She worked closely with Nina+Co, which chose to incorporate waste materials and biomaterials like mycelium into the design.
    According to Nina+Co founder Nina Woodcroft, every material choice was aimed at minimising waste or reviving waste products.
    The Big Beauty shop was designed by Nina+Co”Lisa was determined to push the boundaries of material use and circularity and is willing to take risks, which is necessary when experimenting with materials and processes that are new,” she told Dezeen.
    “There are many great materials and solutions that we desperately need to become mainstream, but making them commercially viable can be a slow and long-winded process,” she continued.

    “The goal at Nina+Co is to bridge this gap, to show how beautiful and useful these materials and processes can be, and to work on changing attitudes towards waste and considering end-of-use.”
    The project features salvaged and biomaterialsRaw stone edges, metal patination, and earthy tones were blended with soft, oversized, rounded forms to create a calming effect throughout the space where, besides the retail area, there is a private treatment room for massages and facials.
    The main space was designed to be flexible and host events, with seating arranged around a large travertine stone table, which was sourced 50 per cent from salvage and 50 per cent from offcuts.
    Salvaged travertine stone was used for the central table with only minimal shaping to some edgesThe travertine used for the central table was kept in the large slabs in which it was found, with only minimal shaping to some edges, in a bid to reduce wastage and retain integrity for future applications.
    As well as the reclaimed natural stone, Nina+Co used expanded cork blocks that were shaped into storage units and salvaged steel, which has been re-worked into shelving.
    Expanded cork blocks are used to create storage unitsMany of the materials chosen were informed by the minerals and ingredients used in natural skincare such as clay, seaweed and mushroom extracts.
    Mycelium was grown to form plinths and legs using the reishi species. Reishi mushroom and clay were also used to pigment curtains of a seaweed biotextile, which have tiny trapped air bubbles to look like sea foam or bath bubbles.
    The seaweed biotextile, along with hemp fabric, was hung as a backdrop for the window display that shades the interior.
    Seaweed biotextile panels feature tiny trapped air bubblesWhen asked about the challenges of working with mycelium, Woodcroft said “every project has its hiccups. Mycelium needs precise conditions to grow and contamination is tricky to avoid without serious lab facilities.”
    “We inoculate organic waste with mushroom spores then the fungus digests the substrate and binds together with tiny hyphae threads into a homogenous form within a mould; when gently dried, the mycelium becomes inert and we are left with strong, organic pieces of furniture that are ultimately compostable,” she explained.
    “There’s so much more to explore with mycelium and I intend to.”
    A glass block wall encloses a private treatment room.Also as part of the renovation, the studio removed the existing timber floor and underlay, which were both sold locally with proceeds going to charity.
    The grey concrete beneath was then stained to a warmer brown using iron sulphate, a common grass fertiliser. Cork tiles with a natural hard wax finish were used for the kitchen and toilet. The walls and ceiling were coated with a limewash paint made from clay, minerals and natural pigments.
    Mycelium and Reishi mushroom species were used to create plinths and legs for the displaysAccording to Woodcroft, each area of the shop tells a story of material exploration and experimentation.
    The space offers – as the brand puts it – “a sense of provenance, connection and reverence” for the natural components of the skincare products on the shelves.
    Big Beauty’s windows feature panels of mycelium biotextileNina+Co has previous experience working with ancient and pioneering materials like mushroom mycelium, algae and bioplastics. The design studio worked on the fit-out of Silo, a zero-waste restaurant in the London suburb of Hackney Wick, and more recently the MONC eyewear store also in the British capital.
    The photography is by Anna Batchelor

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