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    Ten gallery interiors that are artworks in their own right

    A subterranean gallery carved into a sand dune and a treehouse-style art museum feature in our latest lookbook, which collects striking gallery interiors from around the world.

    Art galleries are specifically designed as spaces for showcasing artworks such as sculptures and paintings. As a result, they are often characterised by neutral and minimalist interiors so as not to divert attention from the objects on display.
    However, some galleries are defined by statement designs that not only complement the artworks they house, but transform their interiors into masterpieces themselves.
    From a converted Iranian brewery to a Milanese basement, read on for 10 galleries with memorable interior designs.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring inviting entrance halls, terracotta kitchens and Crittal-style windows.

    Top: Helsinki’s Amox Rex museum. Above: image is courtesy of IK LabIK Lab, Mexico, by Jorge Eduardo Neira Sterkel
    Curving cement walls and undulating vine floors provide an alternative backdrop for artwork within the gallery at the Azulik resort in Tulum.
    The gallery, which visitors must enter without shoes via a winding walkway, is elevated above the ground and reaches the height of the surrounding tree canopy. Circular windows of various sizes flood the space with natural light.
    The gallery was opened by the resort’s founder and designer, Jorge Eduardo Neira Sterkel, after the great-grandson of the famed American art collector Peggy Guggenheim and a Tulum local suggested the idea.
    Find out more about IK Lab ›
    Photo is by Wen StudioTaoCang Art Center, China, by Roarc Renew
    TaoCang Art Center is comprised of two disused granaries located in the village of Wangjiangjing in China’s Zhejiang province. Shanghai studio Roarc Renew connected the volumes with a pair of sweeping brick corridors that are lined with arches.
    Functioning as distinct gallery spaces, the granaries are characterised by striking arrangements of lotus flowers on their floors – an ode to the village’s lotus-flower industry and a pond adjacent to the site.
    Find out more about TaoCang Art Centre ›
    Photo is by Ye Rin MokMaison Lune, USA, by Sandrine Abessera, Lubov Azria and Gabriella Kuti
    Designers Sandrine Abessera and Lubov Azria, founders of the contemporary art gallery Maison Lune, worked with interior designer Gabriella Kuti to set it within a former private house in California.
    Spread across rooms in neutral hues, the gallery is laid out like a collector’s home featuring a varied cluster of artworks and design pieces. Multiple terraces and internal stepped areas provide plinth-like display units for the objects throughout the property.
    “We want to build an alternative to traditional galleries, which are often perceived as too elitist and intimidating,” explained Abessera and Azria.
    Find out more about Maison Lune ›
    Photo is by Tuomas UusheimoAmos Rex, Finland, by JKMM Architects
    Finnish studio JKMM Architects designed the Amos Rex art museum in Helsinki with a series of domed subterranean galleries, which bubble up through the ground to create a sloping outdoor playground.
    While a portion of the museum is housed in the renovated Lasipalatsi, a functionalist 1930s building at street level, Amos Rex was also extended underground to include the domed galleries. These subterranean spaces feature minimalist monochrome interiors illuminated by large round skylights.
    Find out more about Amos Rex ›
    Photo is by Sergio LopezStudio CDMX, Mexico, by Alberto Kalach
    A multi-purpose artist residency and gallery come together at Studio CDMX, a space in Mexico City designed for Casa Wabi founder Bosco Sodi in which to work and exhibit his pieces.
    Constructed on the site of a former warehouse, the building reflects its location’s industrial roots with concrete, metal and brick elements arranged in chunky formations. Sodi’s sculptural works, finished in materials including stone and ceramic, also influenced the interiors.
    Find out more about Studio CDMX ›
    Photo is by William Barrington-BinnsPrivate gallery, Thailand, by Enter Projects Asia
    A winding rattan installation traces an overhead route through this private gallery in Chiang Mai, Thailand.
    Architecture studio Enter Projects Asia used an algorithm to design the structure, which snakes in and out of the gallery’s various indoor and outdoor spaces.
    “We sought to create an immersive experience, giving the space a warmth and depth uncharacteristic of conventional art galleries,” said studio director Patrick Keane.
    Find out more about this private gallery ›
    Photo is by Duccio MalagambaFondazione Luigi Rovati Museum, Italy, by Mario Cucinella Architects
    Layered stone walls line the new basement of the Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum, an art gallery housed within a 19th-century palazzo in Milan that was both preserved and expanded by Italian studio Mario Cucinella Architects.
    The basement walls were created from overlapping layers of limestone ashlar, which curve upwards to form domed ceilings. Free-standing and wall-mounted cases designed by the architecture studio display two hundred Etruscan artifacts, including ancient jewellery and cinerary urns.
    Find out more about Fondazione Luigi Rovati Museum ›
    Photo is by Ahmadreza SchrickerArgo Factory Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre, Iran, by Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture North
    US studio Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture North renovated a 1920s brewery in central Tehran to create the Argo Factory Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre, preserving many of the factory’s original industrial features.
    Designed without middle supports, a curvilinear concrete staircase was inserted into the building to connect the museum’s lobby and its six galleries above. The staircase is one of a number of new elements with a rounded shape, created to contrast the uniform brick architecture.
    Find out more about Argo Factory Contemporary Art Museum & Cultural Centre ›
    Photo is by Wu QingshanUCCA Dune Art Museum, China, by Open Architecture
    Carved into a dune on a beach in Qinhuangdao, this coastal art museum is comprised of a network of subterranean concrete galleries.
    Beijing-based firm Open Architecture took cues from caves for the interlinked spaces, which are illuminated by organically shaped openings and feature an irregular texture.
    “The walls of ancient caves were where art was first practiced,” Open Architecture co-founder Li Hu told Dezeen.
    Find out more about UCCA Dune Art Museum ›
    Photo is by Kevin ScottMini Mart City Park, USA, by GO’C
    Mini Mart City Park is a community arts centre with a gallery built on the site of a former 1930s petrol station in Seattle.
    Local studio GO’C referenced the location’s history when creating the design for the centre, opting for classic signage, an overhanging roof and divided metal windows.
    Inside, the gallery space is characterised by exposed wooden rafters and smooth grey-hued floors, providing a neutral backdrop for the exhibition of artwork.
    Find out more about Mini Mart City Park ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring inviting entrance halls, terracotta kitchens and Crittal-style windows.

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    Linehouse designs Hong Kong hotel to evoke the comfort of home

    Shanghai-based interior studio Linehouse used natural materials and a muted colour palette to give the Ying’nFlo hotel in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, the feel of an inviting home.

    The hotel occupies the podium of a 24-story tower on a hilly street in Hong Kong. Its ground floor holds a series of communal spaces that Linehouse designed to provide “home comfort” for guests.
    The ground floor comprises a series of rooms referencing living roomsThe Collectors Room, which greets guests at the entrance of the hotel, has a neutral palette of hand-rendered walls, timber paneling, and linen cabinetry that display curated objects and artworks. A communal oak table serves as a counter where guests can interact.
    This room also connects to an outdoor terrace through sliding glazed doors. Built-in bench seating and an olive tree sit at the centre of the terrace and invite guests to relax and socialise.
    A communal table and outdoor bench invite guests to socialiseA gridded timber screen leads further into the space through to the lift lobby and the Arcade room, where guests can gather to relax and play.

    Soft-rendered walls, timber shutters and an eclectic mix of furniture create a sense of intimacy, while floor tiles in various geometrical motifs add a sense of playfulness.
    The Music Room features ceramic tilesAdjacent to the Arcade is the Music Room, the social hub of the hotel. Here, ceramic tiles, a bespoke oak shelving system, a custom sofa and curated art and lifestyle objects were added to evoke a sense of a residential living room.
    The Music Room opens up to the Garden Terrace, where undulating greenery sits behind circular seating in yellow-striped fabric, a colourful contrast to the overall neutral colour palette of the Ying’nFlo hotel.
    Yellow-striped fabric seating on the terrace adds playfulness”The spaces are designed to have a warm, welcoming and familiar feel,” Linehouse said.
    “Against this backdrop of curated simplicity is an edge of youthful attitude and local context, with vibrant elements giving the hotel its own unique flavour.”

    Linehouse creates tactile restaurant with “Mediterranean soul” in Shanghai

    The guest rooms of the Ying’nFlo hotel are located on the upper floor and feature ceilings painted in a muted green hue, which the same green tone used to frame window seating nooks and for the hand-glazed tiles in the bathroom and kitchen.
    A clean palette of plaster, wood, white-washed oak and canvas add texture to the rooms. Seating nooks and lounge furniture serve multiple functions as spaces where guests can work, relax or dine.
    Muted green and selection of wood furniture create a warm feeling for the guest roomsLinehouse was founded by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling in 2013 and the duo went on to win emerging interior designer of the year at the 2019 Dezeen Awards.
    The studio has recently completed a Mediterranean restaurant with natural, tactile materials, as well as a space-themed cafe decorated with real meteorites, both in Shanghai.
    The photography is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.
    Project credits:
    Design principle: Briar HicklingDesign team: Ricki-Lee Van Het Wout, Lara Daoud, Justin Cheung
    Dezeen is on WeChat!
    Click here to read the Chinese version of this article on Dezeen’s official WeChat account, where we publish daily architecture and design news and projects in Simplified Chinese.

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    Ember Locke hotel channels Kensington’s decadent heyday

    Warm saturated colours and maximalist touches are combined inside Locke Hotels’ latest outpost in west London, designed by local studios Atelier Ochre and House of Dré.

    Occupying an imposing Victorian mansion block in Kensington, the Ember Locke hotel was designed as a homage to some of the area’s historic architecture.
    Atelier Ochre and House of Dré have designed the Ember Locke hotelAmong the references brought in by the designers were the art deco Kensington Roof Gardens and the now-defunct Biba department store, which rose to popularity in the Swinging Sixties.
    “We wanted to create interiors that are an extension and interpretation of the neighbourhood, a space that reflects the cultural heritage of Kensington but also somewhere that shows the area’s evolution over time,” Atelier Ochre founder Pauline Dellemotte told Dezeen.
    “We wanted to delve into the world of bold patterns, rich colours, eclectic furniture and art deco details, to tap into the sense of opulence that once dominated the Kensington scene.”

    The hotel accommodates 121 serviced apartmentsInstead of traditional guest rooms, Ember Locke accommodates 121 serviced apartments over eight floors, alongside a bakery, restaurant and conservatory cocktail bar, a stage for live performances, a co-working space, a gym and a garden.
    Its interiors were designed to offer a contrast to the hotel’s location on bustling Cromwell Road – home to three of London’s most important museums including the V&A and the Natural History Museum.
    Velvet banquettes in the rooms are trimmed with ultra-long fringingThe building’s original arch-topped windows are mirrored in the arches and curves found in each room, from tubular-backed banquettes and chairs to the sculptural meandering clothes rail of the deconstructed wardrobe.
    “The curved edges of the banquette, the rotating mirror and the wardrobe rail are attempts to combine the unlikely trio of playfulness, comfort and practicality,” said House of Dré founder Andreas Christodoulou.
    “We’ve introduced some bold furniture and sculptural objects to spark a sense of curiosity and playfulness, and to allow guests to interact and reflect themselves within the space,” Dellemotte added.
    Each apartment also has a small kitchenetteThe velvet banquettes are trimmed with ultra-long fringing, echoed by the fringed pendant lights that hang low above the circular table in each room to zone the seating area.
    Brass detailing across coat hooks, wall lights and clothes rails adds to the sense of opulent modernity.

    Fettle designs Schwan Locke Hotel in homage to early German modernism

    An intense colour palette, which layers red, orange and mustard tones, is offset by the deep green of the apartment kitchenettes, highlighting the more practical nature of this area.
    “With the fringing and warm earthy colours, the rooms flirt with maximalism but still possess the calm and contemporary sophistication that one would expect from a Locke hotel,” said Christodoulou.
    The bed is separated from the kitchen via a cotton curtainHeavy recycled-cotton curtains in a claret colour, custom-created by London textile company Yarn Collective, track around the walls and create a flexible room divider, separating the bed and kitchen areas when needed.
    Many of the communal spaces feature art by local and up-and-coming artists alongside specially created works by House of Dré.
    Striped shower curtains jazz up the bathroomsThe project was a close creative collaboration between Dellemotte and Christodoulou.
    “We are old friends who met at a previous practice,” said Dellemotte. “Our friendship grew to include exciting collaborations across hospitality projects, where we combined our passions for design and art.”
    “At Ember Locke, we’ve been given the opportunity to blend the interior aesthetics and art curation of the spaces with the overall branding of the hotel in a holistic way.”
    Surfaces are finished in a salmony peach colourLocke Hotels already has a number of other outposts in London. Among them is one in Bermondsey – with interiors designed by Holloway Li to echo sunny California deserts – and one near St Paul’s Cathedral that is housed in a converted 1970s office block.
    The photography is by Kensington Leverne

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    Winning a Dezeen Award “made me feel like anything is possible” say past winners

    With just three weeks until Dezeen Awards entries close, last year’s winners detail the positive outcomes of winning and encourage other studios to enter.

    One studio said that winning a Dezeen Award was “a thrilling, rewarding and inspiring experience” while another said it created “new relationships with retailers, media and customers”.
    “Winning a Dezeen Award has considerably raised my profile and helped me secure further collaborations,” said a studio that won for their consumer product design.
    Dezeen Awards 2023, in partnership with Bentley Motors, is open for entries. There are only three weeks left to submit your project before midnight London time on 1 June and avoid late entry fees.
    Read on to see what last year’s winners had to say:

    British company MysteryVibe won for their a sex toy designed to help with erectile dysfunctionSex toy company MysteryVibe, which won wearable design of the year for its vibrator aimed at tackling erectile dysfunction, considered winning a Dezeen Award “the ultimate honour”.
    “It’s the ultimate honour for us to be recognised for all the hard work over many years that has gone into improving the health and happiness of people across the globe,” said the studio.
    “The award resulted in press coverage and media attention in publications that we wouldn’t normally be featured in.”
    Japanese startup studio Quantum won Dezeen Awards 2022 overall design project of the yearJapanese firm Quantum won product design of the year and design project of the year for its lightweight foldable wheelchair and told Dezeen that winning last year offered the practice new clients and media exposure, and encouraged other studios to also enter.
    “We have received more inquiries from new clients and media who had heard about us winning the award,” said Quantum. “It also resulted in being selected as a part of the permanent collection of the museum Designmuseum Danmark.”
    Architecture practice Studio Bua won residential rebirth project of the year for its Icelandic artist’s studio and residence and agreed that winning has led to new opportunities.
    “It has positively affected our previous client relationships and it helps when acquiring new clients,” said Studio Bua. “We did see an increase in followers on our social media and clients have mentioned it after they saw that we posted about it.”
    Designer Kathleen Reilly playfully rests her winning designs on her trophy”It made me feel like anything is possible and I saw my future career as an artist and designer a lot more clearly,” said designer Kathleen Reilly, who won homeware design of the year for Oku, a knife informed by chopstick rests.
    “As a result of winning, I have managed to secure a new collaboration, as well as several press articles and new relationships with retailers, media, and customers.”
    “The wooden board which comes with Oku is now being made with Karimoku, Japan’s leading furniture manufacturer, and we are looking to launch this new collaboration this year.”
    Studio G8A Architecture’s Dezeen Awards trophy pictured in front of a scale model of the winning factoryThe team at Dutch practice Olaf Gipser Architects won housing project of the year for their apartment block with planted balconies and their win has served as motivation for future projects.
    “We display our Dezeen Awards 2022 trophy at our office close to the entrance and next to a 1:200 scale wooden model,” said Olaf Gipser Architects.
    “It reminds us of our achievements and recognitions and gives us all extra motivation to keep on going towards our goals.”
    Office G8A Architecture, which won for its stainless steel manufacturing factory designed in collaboration with Switzerland-based Rollimarchini Architects, told Dezeen that winning gained the studio international validation.
    “Winning a Dezeen Award can be described as a thrilling, rewarding and inspiring experience,” said G8A Architecture. “It helped us gain international recognition, reaching new clients and new talent for our team.”
    Practice Atelier Boter’s trophy and certificate are displayed on the shelves in their officeTaiwanese architecture studio Atelier Boter won small workspace interior for its glass-fronted community hub and also has its trophy on display in the office.
    “We put the trophy on the shelf together with all the books we gain inspiration from – it is a shelf we only place things that we’ve filtered through, as it is what falls in sight every time we walk into our studio,” said Atelier Boter.
    “Winning a Dezeen Award is certainly an important encouragement to us as a small studio and it reassures us that we are doing the right thing,” added the studio.
    Dezeen Awards 2023
    Dezeen Awards celebrates the world’s best architecture, interiors and design. Now in its sixth year, it has become the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent. More

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    Cliffside hotel in China features cave-like pool with sea views

    Chinese interior studio GS Design has created the nature-informed Miyue Blue and White Island Pool Homestay near Shenzhen, China.

    Located in Nan’ao Subdistrict, the Miyue Blue and White Island Pool Homestay was designed to reference its surrounding environment.
    Miyue Blue and White Island Pool Homestay is located near ShenzhenThe exterior of the five-storey building is punctuated by a series of arched windows, inviting the surrounding natural landscape of the cliffside hotel into the building. Each storey was stacked above one another, creating balconies and terrace pool areas on the upper three floors.
    The Shenzhen-based studio used white as the base tone of the interiors to contrast the rich blues of the surrounding sea and sky.
    Wood and bamboo were used in the hotel restaurant to reference the natural environment”Elegant vacation is the core idea of this space,” explained GS Design.

    “The whole building takes pure white as the basic tone, combined with blue sea and sky, expressed the relaxation of the exotic vacation, as if people immersed in nature
    A cave-like pool features in one guest roomThe entrance of the hotel on the third floor where a public restaurant is also located. A bamboo ceiling painted in white and wooden furniture add to the overall nature-informed interiors of the hotel. GS Design cladded the bar in black bamboo to create a sense of mystery.
    Other public spaces of the hotel include a water bar, reading recreation area and a conference room. GS Design created 25 different guest rooms spread throughout all floors, each with a unique view framed by various shaped windows.

    GS Design repeats arch motifs throughout Sumei Skyline Coast hotel on Hainan Island

    One room features a cave-like pool that extends from within the inside of the room to the outside. The polished rugged surface of the cave envelopes the bath, protecting the privacy of the guests as well as connecting them directly to the outdoor nature.
    “The natural scenery corresponding to different caves and pools has become the core of space,” said GS Design. “Through the visual, tactile, auditory sensory experience , we create a more delicate appropriate sense of vacation for travellers.”
    The base tone of white contrasts the blues of surrounding sea and skyThe top attic rooms were designed specifically for family with children.
    According to the studio, triangle oblique top modelling and window framing evoke the memory of childhood corner, as they discovered in a survey a huge demand for parent-child serviced rooms for urban hotels.
    GS Design was established in 2014 and is based in Shenzhen. Previously it has designed a similar hotel on the beachside of Sanya, China, with arched windows and sculptural vaulted corridors.
    The photography is by Aoxiang.
    Project credits:
    Design director: Li Liangchao, Huang YuanmanSoft outfitting design director: Feng YuDesign team: Fu Qixin, Xu Zuohua, Zheng Yong, Zhong Zhige

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    Anne Holtrop organises Parisian jewellery boutique around wavy acrylic wall

    Dutch architect Anne Holtrop has used rippled sheets of acrylic to create a water-like partition inside this Parisian boutique by jewellery designer Charlotte Chesnais.

    The store is set along Boulevard Saint Germain and is the second retail location that Anne Holtrop has devised for the brand.
    Anne Holtrop has designed a boutique for Charlotte ChesnaisLike the inaugural branch – which features a striking acrylic display table – Chesnais wanted this space to present her jewellery in a way that fosters a “unique spatial experience”.
    Holtrop’s answer was to use acrylic again – but this time to construct a towering partition wall.
    A wavy acrylic wall runs through the middle of the boutique”In the first store, we included a very large table that is almost the full size of the space,” he told Dezeen. “In the second store, we flipped this concept as the existing space has a great height and small floor area.”

    The translucent partition runs across the middle of the store and was CNC milled to have a rippled, almost watery surface texture. The divider is also inbuilt with tiered shelves and drawers, meaning any rings, necklaces or bracelets showcased inside seem to float.
    An infinity mirror is one of the few other decorative items in the storeThe rest of the store’s interior was largely kept simple. Walls surrounding the partition were washed with beige marmorino plaster and decoration was restricted to a curvaceous gold sculpture that mimics the form of Chesnais’ designs.
    There is also a trompe l’oeil infinity mirror and a small wooden stool.

    Studio Anne Holtrop creates gypsum walls that look like fabric for Maison Margiela store

    A doorway in the acrylic partition guides customers to a curved flight of stairs at the rear of the store.
    These lead up to a mezzanine-level room that’s dedicated to showcasing the brand’s fine jewellery collection.
    A curved staircase leads up to a room where fine jewellery is displayedAcrylic was used here again to make an expansive wall-mounted display unit. Other surfaces were coated with glossy forest-green epoxy paint.
    A plump sofa was set into the room’s back wall and a thick jade-coloured carpet was been laid across the floor.
    “We wanted to give it a different, more intimate atmosphere, in which you sit and relax like in a little cocktail bar,” Holtrop said.
    The second room is covered with glossy green paintThis isn’t the first time that Anne Holstrop has designed a space for a fashion brand.
    In 2021, the architect remodelled Maison Margiela’s London store, where he inserted a series of gypsum walls that resemble fabric cuttings.
    The photography is by James Nelson. 

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    Daniel Boddam converts Sydney warehouse into calm and plant-filled office

    Local firm Daniel Boddam Studio has transformed a warehouse in Australia into a workplace for landscape design practice Wyer & Co, bringing nature into the space by using greenery and natural materials.

    “I saw the project as an extension of Wyer & Co’s desire to bring in nature,” said Daniel Boddam, founder of Daniel Boddam Studio.
    “Sustainability was discussed with the client from the outset and informed every aspect of the design – from materials and furniture to services and staff amenities.”
    Green plants at the front door soften the red brick and black steel of the industrial warehouseLarge green plants at the entrance were used to conceal the building’s oversized dark steel doors, with the aim of reducing the scale and softening the red brick industrial warehouse.
    A sandblasted limestone floor was extended from the building’s exterior to the interior to connect the spaces.

    At the front foyer, a large miniature date palm (Phoenic roebelenii) reaches towards the skylight above, reflecting the tone of the entrance garden.
    Locally designed and crafted furniture was selected by the studioBehind the foyer is a gallery used for client presentations, industry events, talks and workshops. A series of bespoke, honey-coloured plywood cabinets decorate the space and showcase materials the studio uses in its work.
    Throughout the office, workstations and meeting rooms were clad in various natural materials. Pine plywood, Tasmanian oak, walnut and sandblasted limestone create a warm palette that has been subtly embellished with cork and brass.
    The office interiors features a variety of natural materialsDownstairs, an underground staff area holds plywood lockers and a kitchen space, and was designed to encourage staff to gather and socialise away from their desks.
    Swiss cheese plants (Monstera deliciosa) were selected as the main indoor plant and used to trail the walls and ceilings to create a green environment over time.
    Custom pots made with milled steel and finished in a clear powder coat nod to the industrial origin of the warehouse.

    SSdH tucks Melbourne warehouse apartment into former chocolate factory

    Daniel Boddam Studio also curated a series of locally designed and crafted furniture for the workspace, including its low-lying Booham chair and the Wave sofa and armchair in the welcome foyer that nod to the coastal location of the office.
    A meeting room opposite the foyer features the studio’s Geo Long table, accompanied by a custom-designed cabinet.
    Materials used in the client’s work are displayed on plywood cabinets”The result is a quiet and considered interior that harmonises with the Australian landscape and celebrates the artisanal; a testament to simplicity, comfort, calmness and wellbeing,” Boddam concluded.
    This project was longlisted in the small workspace interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022.
    Elsewhere in Australia, Dane Taylor Design has completed a multipurpose garden room in New South Wales with a compact form clad in charred wood, while Matt Gibson Architecture + Design has transformed a Victorian home in Melbourne’s suburbs with a faceted extension clad in black metal.
    The photography is by Pablo Veiga.

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    Basile Studio enlivens Moxy Williamsburg hotel with “eclectic grab-bag” of spaces

    Hotel brand Moxy has opened its first outpost in Brooklyn, with plentiful gathering spaces including a bar with motorised 20-feet-tall liquor shelves and an eatery modelled on Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture.

    Californian hospitality design practice Basile Studio spearheaded the interior design of the 216-room hotel, set in the heart of Williamsburg on bustling Bedford Avenue.
    The aim was for the design to reflect the area’s rich history and its eclectic inhabitants while creating a slew of public spaces for locals and visitors to enjoy.
    Moxy Williamsburg’s public spaces include the lobby (above) and Jolene lounge (top)”The design for Moxy Williamsburg was inspired by the neighbourhood’s history as a magnet for mavericks, immigrants and creators while taking its place at the centre of Brooklyn’s contemporary social scene,” Basile Studio’s lead designer Ashley Evans told Dezeen.
    “The hotel’s eclectic public spaces reflect the area’s melting pot character, finding inspiration in both past and present with influences from both near and far.”

    Among the hotel’s communal spaces are several co-working studios with modular rearrangeable furnishings as well as four different dining and nightlife venues created in collaboration with Bar Lab – the hospitality company behind Miami’s famous Broken Shaker cocktail bar.
    Bar Bedford lies just off the lobby”For Moxy Williamsburg, we envisioned an eclectic grab-bag of experiences that mirrors Williamsburg’s diversity,” said Bar Lab founders Elad Zvi and Gabe Orta. “Once you enter, you don’t want to leave.”
    It is housed in an 11-storey building, designed by local studio Stonehill Taylor, which has a glass-fronted facade that opens completely onto the sidewalk of Bedford Avenue.
    Guests enter via a lobby with exposed 20-foot ceilings, reminiscent of Brooklyn’s many converted warehouses.
    The room is organised around a curved barOn one side, custom timber joinery frames a small seating area with a built-in bench and a long planter, helping to soften the otherwise industrial space.
    A monumental artwork by creative studio RareCulture presides over the hotel’s two blacked-steel check-in counters. Stretching up all the way across the ceiling, this shows a pointillist depiction of nearby Williamsburg Bridge formed from thousands of colourful crayons.
    Immediately to the right lies Bar Bedford, which was designed to resemble a comfortable living space.
    Oblong windows connect the bar to the neighbouring Mesiba restaurant”Our seating is miscellaneous and meant to feel warm and inviting, modular in the sense that we want to invite people to move around and get social,” Evans said.
    The room’s centrepiece is a curved bar, which houses 1,500 bottles of wine and liquor inside a custom 20-foot-tall cabinet made from white oak and glass, with motorised shelves that move up and down like dumbwaiters.
    Although designed largely for entertainment value, the system was actually modelled on New York’s historic automat restaurants.
    The restaurant features plentiful planting and leather-upholstered booths”The automats, ubiquitous in New York in the first half of the 20th century, were fast food restaurants where customers would pick up their food from a wall of glass-fronted cubbies,” said Mitchell Hochberg, president of the hotel’s developer Lightstone.
    “We thought it would be fun to take something that was iconically New York and introduce it into the design.”
    Timber also features here in the form of the dramatic pendant lights – designed by Basil to resemble a giant nest of twigs – and the portals that provide a peek into the neighbouring Levantine restaurant Mesiba.

    Yabu Pushelberg references multi-faceted LA culture in conjoined hotels

    With its textured plasterwork, abundant greenery and curved seating booths upholstered in burgundy-red leather, the eatery was designed to reference the buildings of Tel Aviv.
    “The curvilinear lines of Bauhaus architecture find echoes in the rounded bar overhang and the oblong wood-framed etched-glass windows that offer a glimpse into Bar Bedford,” Evans said.
    “Travertine tabletops hearken back to Tel Aviv’s historic architecture, providing a striking contrast to the Bauhaus-influenced elements.”
    The hotel’s club has marquee-style lights integrated into its ceilingMoxy Williamsburg has three co-working and meeting rooms that can be used independently or combined to host larger groups thanks to their modular furnishings.
    After hours, the hotel also has its own club, named Jolene in homage to the iconic Dolly Parton song and outfitted with a sound system designed by DJ Nicolas Mater – the owner of infamous New York nightclubs Output and Cielo.
    Informed by 70s interiors and mid-century recording studios, the space is lined with rows of integrated high-fidelity speakers and rectangular acoustical panels in shades of green and gray.
    The hotel also has a rooftop bar and terraceWalnut, leather and fabric finishes ensure warm, resonant acoustics while hundreds of multicoloured, marquee-style lights that sync to the music are integrated into the ceiling.
    Modular furniture, including floating banquettes and low semicircular armchairs, allows the space to act as a lounge, a club or something in between.
    On the top floor, Basile Studio imbued the LiliStar rooftop bar with Balinese influences that can be seen in the hand-shaped timber chairs and the theatrical ceiling lights, which resemble giant lotus flowers carved from copper, glass and leather.
    Custom birch wood joinery defines the guest rooms”It’s much more playful here with an elevated tropical feel while, again, not being too literal,” Evans said. “We stuck to patterns and textures along with shelving inspired by shutters and exteriors of homes in Bali.”
    The hotel’s 216 bedrooms are pared back and fitted with space-saving birchwood joinery such as collapsible desks and wall-mounted pegs, that guests can be folded away when they are no longer needed.
    Moxy has recently completed a number of other outposts across the US. Among them is New York’s Lower East Side branch designed by Michaelis Boyd and another in Downtown Los Angeles by Yabu Pushelberg.

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