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    Pink-tinged paint store Lick pays homage to London's art deco buildings

    Dusky pink surfaces appear throughout the Lick store in southwest London, which local practice Oskar Kohnen Studio has designed as a “deliberate celebration of paint”.

    Lick’s store is nestled among a parade of boutiques on Northcote Road and is the first brick-and-mortar outpost opened by the paint brand since its launch in 2020.
    Lick has opened its first physical store in LondonTo honour the occasion, Oskar Kohnen Studio wanted to design the 55-square-metre store as a “deliberate celebration of paint”, which he describes as “one of the most immediate and most intuitive ways to create a space”.
    “We live in a time where interiors are full of marble and precious finishes and I wanted to do the opposite,” said the studio’s titular founder.
    Pink paint was applied to the store’s ceiling and part of the wallsPink-tinged paint store Lick pays homage to London’s art deco buildings

    Lick’s facade, ceiling and a majority of its walls were therefore painted a bespoke dusky pink hue called Northcote 65 that the brand created specifically for the opening.
    Walnut wood trims run around the central tableKohnen says this largely monochromatic colour scheme is a nod to the Northcote Road of the past.
    “Looking at old pictures of the high street shops from the 1950s, every one of those stores used their own simple colour combination to give identity,” he explained. “It’s so beautiful how colour was used back then.”
    The store’s floor has white and grey tilingIn the store’s central room, the lower half of the walls was painted off-white to create a contrast with the ceiling and in turn draw more attention to the loftiness of the space.
    This room was designed to have a distinctly art deco feel with the help of a handful of clean, shapely details. At its centre is a white oval table with walnut wood trims and a curved metal pendant lamp suspended directly above.
    “Northcote Road pretty much ends at the iconic Battersea Power Station, which has exactly those deco elements,” said Kohnen. “I’ve always been a fan of London art deco, which is somehow less fancy and simple, quite often just painted simple ornaments.”

    Oskar Kohnen Studio adds pastel cabinetry to Lunettes Selection store

    Lick’s paint tins are showcased on a custom shelving unit, with one side finished in pegboard panels for mounting brushes, rollers, finishing tape and other handy tools.
    “I wanted to create the feeling of a workshop or atelier,” added Kohnen. “I wanted to stay true to the Lick DNA, making sure the store was a place one could not only pick colours but also try them out and get creative.”
    In this spirit, the store’s grey-and-white tiled flooring mimics that seen in the Atelier Martel – an art studio that architect Robert Mallet-Stevens completed for sculptors Jan and Joël Martel in Paris in 1927.
    Products are mounted on pegboard panellingShould customers want a more in-depth consultation with one of the Lick team, they can head to the back of the store. This area is centred on a vintage steel-legged table by Danish designer Nanna Ditzel and black editions of the curved 3300 chair by Swiss designer Bruno Rey.
    Another small seating area located near the storefront features a duo of sage-green velvet armchairs.
    Vintage furnishings feature throughout the interiorAnother striking paint store to be featured on Dezeen is Helsinki’s Cover Story, in which a number of unfinished details are meant to evoke thoughts of renovation and home improvement.
    Previous colour-focused retail projects by Oskar Kohnen Studio include a mint-green eyewear store in Berlin with towering floor-to-ceiling cabinets.
    The photography is by Alexander Edwards.

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    Studio Vural reinterprets Japanese interiors for Warren Street Townhouse

    New York City architecture firm Studio Vural used Kyoto merchant houses as a reference point when renovating the interiors of this Brooklyn townhouse for a couple.

    A trip to the Japanese city in 2009 left such an impact on the clients that Studio Vural decided to adapt and update elements of the traditional minimalist architecture for the interiors of the Warren Street Townhouse.
    The townhouse renovation involved adding plenty of storage using European oak”Our design is the embodiment of an early memory our clients experienced as a young couple in Kyoto, an experience so powerful and authentic, that it found its way to a new reality in Brooklyn through our imagination,” said studio founder Selim Vural.
    The four-storey building was overhauled to create a rental apartment at the garden level, leaving the upper three floors for the clients to live in.
    A dining nook was created at the back of the parlour level, behind the staircaseWith a total of 3,200 square feet (300 square metres), the project involved reorganising rooms while bringing in contemporary renditions of traditional Japanese home features, such as a sunken hearth, folding and sliding screens, and undulating soffits.

    “[We] studied Kyoto houses’ serene interior emptiness, flow of asymmetrical spaces, rhythm of tatami mats and the placement of courtyards to make that interpretation possible,” Vural said.
    The nook is based on a recessed space in Japanese reception rooms known as a tokonomaAt parlour level, where the main entrance is located, the plan was opened up so the living and kitchen spaces flow together.
    Exposed brick walls were painted white, creating a blank canvas onto which a variety of light-toned European oak elements were placed.
    Traditional Japanese home features like a sunken hearth, folding and sliding screens, and undulating soffits were interpreted with a contemporary twistThe custom wooden furniture includes a window seat and a sofa. Both feature built-in storage, as well as a range of cabinets and shelves that run along one wall and incorporate a bar.
    Oak boards wer also laid across the floor to create homogeneity throughout the open-plan space.
    The staircase is enclosed by wooden slats and incorporates limestone platforms for displaying objectsAt the back of this level, the kitchen area is framed by a concrete-topped breakfast bar and includes a dining nook – based on a recessed space in Japanese reception rooms known as a tokonoma – tucked in behind the staircase.
    The stairs are enclosed by slatted oak screens, and the first seven treads are widened thanks to beige limestone slabs that act as platforms for displaying objects.
    The simple white and oak palette is continued in the bedroomsThree bedrooms and two bathrooms can be found on the storey above, while a further two bedrooms and a bathroom are located on the top floor.
    All of these rooms continue the same simple white and oak palette, and character is added by exposing the original wood ceiling beams.

    Civilian reorganises Bed-Stuy Townhouse to create family-friendly layout

    The upper level also includes a lounge area, where the historic vertical columns are also made a feature.
    Skylights were added to bring more natural light into the centre of the long, narrow space, which reaches the windowless hallway below through a glass panel in the floor.
    A glass partition between the primary bedroom and bathroom helps the spaces to feel larger”Our work at the Warren House Townhouse powerfully demonstrates architecture’s capacity to cast distant memories into contemporary forms, revitalise historic typologies,” said Vural. “It is a prime example of a historic building’s rebirth for a new family in the history of Brooklyn.”
    Much of Brooklyn’s townhouse stock has been bought up and renovated over the past few years, after homeowners jumped at the opportunity for extra space compared to nearby Manhattan.
    Sklylights bring natural light into a lounge on the upper level and down through a glass panel in the floor to a windowless hallwayRecently completed examples include a passive house that features a dramatic cedar screen and a project that took its architect owners 17 years to complete.
    Studio Vural, which is based in the borough, has previously released images of a speculative off-grid house in the dunes of Cape Cod and a vision for a mixed-use Manhattan skyscraper covered with Asian lilies.
    The photography is by Kate Glicksberg.
    Project credits:
    Principal architect: Selim VuralProject architect: Rima AskinDesign team member: Angela TsaveskaEngineering: Ilya VeldshteynConstruction: David Nahm

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    Eight tidy kitchens with slick storage solutions

    As people’s interest in ultra-organised homes shows no signs of abating, we’ve collected eight clutter-free kitchens with smart storage solutions in our latest lookbook.

    Spearheaded by Japanese organisational guru Marie Kondo, well-organised interiors have become a global trend. In no room is this more evident than in the kitchen, where pantries are stocked up with decanted jam jars, spice racks are labelled and shelving units are customised to house specific utensils.
    The following projects, which range from compact apartments to home extensions, use hooks, nooks, racks, shelves, cubby holes and display units to create tidy kitchens where not a grain is out of place.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring Spanish apartment renovations, cosy cabins and interiors with statement carpets.
    Photo is by Edmund SumnerMap House, UK, by SAM Architects

    Paolo Vimercati and Melanie Schubert of SAM Architects demolished a garage hidden behind several listed buildings in south London in order to create this mews house for themselves.
    Designed to accommodate their “modern lifestyles”, the home’s interior is clad in vertical planks of charred larch and has plenty of open-plan spaces.
    The kitchen has pink, blue and orange plywood units that are filled with cooking books and glassware, while a pegboard display area is used to hang crockery.
    Find out more about Map House ›
    Photo is by Perry E HallFifth Avenue Kitchen, US, by Handwerk Art and Design
    Space-saving storage solutions can be found in Fifth Avenue Kitchen, a compact New York apartment created by interior design studio Handwerk Art and Design for a client who works in the film industry.
    Aiming to make the most of the 160-square-foot (15 square-metre) space, Handwerk retrofitted the kitchen with features including a pegboard wall for hanging mugs, aprons and other items.
    “Starting with a study of their cooking habits and spatial needs, we designed a set of custom cabinets for the whole kitchen that placed everything specifically and precisely,” said the studio.
    Find out more about Fifth Avenue Kitchen ›
    Photo is by Megan TaylorFruit Box, UK, by Nimtim Architects
    Plywood and planed softwood structures with square tiles characterise this playful galley kitchen designed by Nimtim Architects for a home extension project in Forest Hill, London.
    A kitchen island features a tiled waterfall countertop above a sink and shelving. The kitchen walls were designed to be filled in to increase privacy, or easily removed to maximise open space depending on the family’s future needs.
    Find out more about Fruit Box ›
    Photo is by Hey CheeseThe Family Playground, Taiwan, by HAO Design
    This family home in Taiwan was reorganised by studio HAO Design so that its occupants could spend more time with each other. In the kitchen, the parents are able to watch their children play games or listen to them play the piano while they are making dinner.
    High ceilings in the kitchen meant there was room for a large black steel storage rack to be hung above a white-tiled island. The cage-like storage system serves as a “visual focus” and can also be used to hold plants or kitchenware.
    Find out more about The Family Playground ›
    Photo is courtesy of Position CollectiveAir-BnP, Hungary, by Position Collective
    This former studio flat in Budapest was reorganised by Hungarian studio Position Collective to create an Airbnb property suitable for two guests. Rather than rearranging the layout – and mindful of the small budget – the studio installed a plywood furniture and storage system that caters to temporary occupants’ needs.
    In the kitchen, it features a modular pegboard storage wall with adjustable shelves to showcase different pieces of local Hungarian art books, home accessories and cooking equipment.
    Find out more about Air-BnP ›
    Photo is by Megan TaylorCurve Appeal, UK, by Nimtim Architects
    London studio Nimtim Architects transformed a 1920s semi-detached house in Southwark using multifunctional plywood partitions with arched openings and alcoves for storing belongings.
    A limited, neutral-toned material palette was employed in the kitchen, comprised of handmade terracotta floor tiles, laminated countertops and sustainably sourced plywood.
    Find out more about Curve Appeal ›
    Photo is by Richard ChiversMaison Pour Dodo, UK, by Studio Merlin
    For the revamp of a flat in Stoke Newington, British interior firm Studio Merlin added an abundance of storage to form serene, clutter-free living spaces.
    An opening in the living room connects the kitchen, where there’s a wall of deep-set IKEA cabinets with smokey blue door fronts and a seating nook. Above this, a series of pantry-style shelves means the owner can easily access jars of cooking ingredients.
    Find out more about Maison Pour Dodo ›
    Photo is by Cristobal PalmaPunta Chilen, Chile, by Guillermo Acuña Arquitectos Asociados
    Named after the peninsula of land that the residential complex sits on, this red home extension was constructed by Santiago-based architecture studio Guillermo Acuña Arquitectos Asociados using pine stilts.
    An open-plan room in the heart of the home is a communal space designed for cooking and eating. Large pine shelves filled with ornaments and tableware line the walls.
    Find out more about Punta Chilen ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with sliding doors, earthy bedrooms with natural colours and kitchens with marble surfaces.

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    Rotating fluorescent panels define zones in “co-being space” by Ab Rogers Design

    Ab Rogers Design has completed an artist’s studio and residence in Kanazawa, Japan, featuring a series of fluorescent partition walls that can be rotated to transform how the space is used.

    Called Fishmarket, the multipurpose creative and living space was designed for Japanese artist Hiraki Sawa, who lives in London but regularly visits his home city of Kanazawa.
    Ab Rogers Design introduced rotating walls that define spacesSawa met Ab Rogers in 2019 when the pair were both working on projects for the Wonderfruit music festival in Thailand.
    At the time, they were both living in east London and over the course of several conversations decided to work together on what Rogers calls the “co-being space” in Kanazawa.
    The interior was stripped back to its shellNamed after the duo’s shared love of fish, the former commercial space was converted into a place for Sawa to stay while in Kanazawa, as well as a place to host workshops around design, culture and food.

    Rogers’ studio stripped the interior back to its industrial shell before adding foil-backed insulation to some of the walls and introducing interventions including the rotating plywood walls.
    The fluorescent partition walls are made from plywood”We didn’t want to make it cosy or glossy, we wanted to work with the bones of what was there,” Rogers told Dezeen.
    “We tried to let the light in as much as possible while keeping it raw and creating these interventions, these objects in space.”
    The walls were painted in different colours to add characterThe insertion of the four movable partitions on the building’s second floor allows this open space to be transformed into three smaller multipurpose zones.
    Pivoting doors conceal the bathroom and enable the bedroom to become a workshop for making art, a place for viewing it or a social space for gatherings.

    Edgardo Giménez creates colourful artist residency in Uruguay

    Each panel is painted in a different fluorescent highlighter hue to bring a sense of vibrancy and character to the otherwise pared-back space.
    “I love fluorescent colours because they’re really alive and dynamic,” Rogers explained. “When daylight hits them they become electrified and they transform into something else.”
    The kitchen is located on the upper floorA concrete staircase ascends to another open space where a monolithic nine-metre-long workbench functions as a kitchen, a worktop and a table for cooking, eating and sharing.
    “The kitchen can be used as a kitchen but it’s also adaptable depending on what actions are being performed in the space,” Rogers explained.
    “If you put a plate on it, it becomes a restaurant,” he added. “If you put a computer on it then it’s an office and if you put a sewing machine on it then it becomes a workshop for designing or making textiles.”
    A long tiled bench provides space for food preparation and diningAll of the materials used in the project were sourced locally and chosen for their affordability. Building regulations also dictated some of the design decisions, such as the need to line certain walls with plywood panels.
    Rogers never visited Kanazawa, so Sawa was responsible for solving problems on-site and finding materials to turn his ideas into reality.
    Some walls were lined with plywood panelsThe project evolved over time with lots of back and forth between the client and designer. According to Rogers, this organic process produced an outcome that embodies both of their visions.
    “I love these small projects where you have a strong affiliation with the client,” said the designer. “This symbiotic way of designing through a conversation is really fluent and means you’re always building ambition.”
    The studio was previously a commercial spaceRogers works across fields such as health, culture, retail, hospitality and housing.
    Previous projects by the multidisciplinary design studio include a cancer treatment hospital clad in glazed red terracotta and a space-efficient apartment with a floor area of just 19 square metres.
    The photography is by Takumi Ota.

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    Studio8 transforms 1930s Hangzhou villa into hotpot restaurant

    Promotion: Chinese architecture practice Studio8 has renovated the interior of a 1930s villa in Hangzhou, China, transforming it into a hotpot restaurant and cocktail bar that celebrates the building’s history.

    The Gud restaurant and bar includes a roof terrace, dining space on the upper floors and bar on the ground floor.
    The 496-square-metre space occupies a three-storey building that was built in 1939, as well as a later-built extension and the ground floor of an adjacent property.
    Antique hotpots are displayed throughout the interiorAlthough the villa had previously undergone a number of renovations, when designing the restaurant Studio8 aimed to maintain the building’s original features, including the street-facing facade.
    Service areas, including the kitchen, restroom and staircase, are located in the extension and adjacent building, leaving the full space of the historic villa for restaurant dining and the cocktail bar.

    The cocktail bar features red velvet seatingThe Gud restaurant specialises in hotpots, which lead Studio8 to study the culture of the cuisine and introduce aspects of it into the interior design, creating a “museum-like experience”.
    The project’s design was informed by three stages of making and experiencing hotpots – the heat from the fire that cooks it, water as the main medium of the food, and the elevation of the flavour coming from the steam.
    Studio8 used the themes of “heat, medium and elevation of flavour” to influence the function, materials, textures and light used in each space.
    The restaurant interior was informed by hotpot cuisineThe cocktail bar on the ground floor of the historic villa was designed to be a lively space. It features a red floor, a fireplace, structural columns that display antique hotpots and red velvet sofas.
    Part of the original brick wall was left exposed and a recessed mirrored ceiling at the perimeter of the room makes the space feel larger and more luxurious.
    The interior nods to the building’s history”As the first element, heat is a fundamental design factor on the first floor, where human interactions were planned out accordingly,” said Studio8.
    “The aim was to create a warmer and more welcoming space at the beginning of the hotpot experience, where people and friends meet first, have a cocktail and wait for everyone to arrive.”
    The restaurant features glass-brick nichesOn the upper floor is the restaurant’s main dining area, which features glass-brick niches in the walls where windows used to be.
    At the sides of the dining area, Studio8 opened up the ceiling to expose the wooden roof structure.
    The third floor includes a private dining room”After passing through the heated cocktail bar, comes the second element, water – the medium that reunites all elements,” said Studio8.
    “Family and friends are seated together in groups around the round tables on the second floor for the food experience, a process that the architects relate to water reconstructing the atoms of the ingredients.”
    A roof terrace overlooks the cityThe building’s original timber staircase was removed and a new enclosed staircase that connects the three floor levels was added in the patio area.
    The staircase has double glazed U-shaped glass partitions along its floors with a “lighting system to represent the continuous energy flow transition”.
    A terrace and private dining room are located on the third floor of the villa.
    A new enclosed staircase that connects the three floor levels was added in the patio area.”Here, the customers are reconnected with the city and able to look at it from different heights and angles, corresponding to the last element, steam, the elevation of taste,” said Studio8.
    “The simply designed interior shows off the geometric shape of the attic, while benches on the roof allow customers to have a more exclusive interaction with the city.”
    The staircase has double glazed U-shaped glass partitions along its floorsStudio8 is currently working on a number of renovation projects that aim to respect the history of the building, including the transformation of hotels and restaurants.
    The photography is by Sven Zhang.
    Partnership content
    This article was written by Dezeen for Studio8 as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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    Recompose human composting facility “transforms your loved one's body into soil”

    American startup Recompose has opened a funeral home in Seattle designed by architecture firm Olson Kundig, where human remains are composted and turned into a nutrient-rich soil that can nurture new plant life.

    Set in a converted warehouse in the city’s SoDo district, the facility is one of the first to make use of a burgeoning practice known as natural organic reduction  – or human composting, which was legalised in the state of Washington in 2019.
    This sees the body of the deceased placed on a bed of plant materials inside a stainless steel vessel, purpose-built to accelerate the natural process of decomposition.
    Recompose has opened a human composting facility in Seattle. Above photo by Austin WilsonOver the course of 60 days, their remains are converted into one cubic yard of fertile soil – enough to fill the bed of a pickup truck. Loved ones can then take this compost home and use it to nourish their garden, plant trees in memory of the deceased or donate it to a local conservation area.
    The aim is to offer a less polluting alternative to cremation or burial, which are hugely emissions and resource intensive, and instead create a meaningful funeral practice that allows people to give back to nature.

    “Clients have shared with us that the idea of their person becoming soil is comforting,” Recompose founder Katrina Spade told Dezeen.
    “Growing new life out of that soil is profound and the small ritual of planting, using soil created from a loved one’s body, is so tangible.”
    Remains are left to decompose in cylindrical stainless steel vesselsRecompose’s 19,500-square-foot flagship facility in Seattle accommodates an array of 31 cylindrical composting vessels, stacked inside a hexagonal steel framework.
    This vertical construction helps to conserve space in a bid to overcome the land-use issue associated with traditional burial and make human composting feasible even in dense urban areas.
    “Recompose can be thought of as the urban equivalent to natural burial – returning us to the earth without requiring lots of land,” said Spade, a trained architect who developed the vessels as part of a residency at Olson Kundig’s Seattle studio.
    The building’s lobby brings in elements of nature including plants and woodThe building itself was designed in collaboration with the architecture studio to reimagine the experience of being in a funeral home, making the process more transparent and bringing in elements of nature instead of overt religious iconography.
    In the spirit of regeneration, much of the warehouse’s original shell was preserved. Warm wooden flooring and a planted wall enliven the central lobby, while strips of green glass are inset into the walls to provide glimpses of the intimate ceremony space beyond.
    Here, loved ones can participate in a “laying-in ceremony”, similar to a traditional funeral service.
    Green glazing provides glimpses into the main ceremony room”The Gathering Space has floor-to-ceiling coloured glass windows that let light in, similar to the way light filters between trees in a forest,” said Olson Kundig design principal Alan Maskin.
    “In a way, Recompose is a funeral home turned inside-out. There’s a suggestion of transparency and openness about death – including the ability to see and understand the entire process – that’s very different from a traditional funeral home experience.”
    At the end of the funeral service, the body is moved through a transitional vessel. Photo by Austin WilsonDuring the ceremony, a simple wooden lectern allows the bereaved to share words about their loved ones while the body of the deceased is draped in a cotton shroud and presented on a dark green bed called a cradle.
    Mimicking the ritual of throwing dirt on a casket, guests can place flowers and plant materials on their person, which will help their transformation into soil.
    The funeral home also has dedicated rooms for those who want to perform more hands-on care for their deceased ahead of the ceremony by bathing the body or reciting prayers and songs.

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    At the end of the service, the cradle is moved through a so-called threshold vessel embedded into the wall and into the Greenhouse, where it will join the other vessels in the array.
    “A tremendous amount of care was taken to consider the experience of the body,” Maskin said. “There’s even a bit of poetry inscribed along the inside of the transitional vessel used during ceremonies.”
    “That poem isn’t for the living; it’s only visible inside the vessel.”
    On the other side is the Greenhouse – home to an array of 31 vesselsEach vessel in the array contains a mix of plant materials developed by Recompose that includes wood chips, straw and a cloverlike plant called alfalfa, with ratios adapted based on the person’s body and weight.
    Over the course of 30 days, the natural microbes found in the plants and the body will break down the remains, with any unpleasant odours filtered out and fresh air – and sometimes moisture – pumped into the vessel, which is intermittently rotated to speed up decomposition.
    At the end of this process, any remaining bone fragments are ground down using a cremulator and any medical implants are removed for recycling.
    The remaining soil is placed in a curing bin to dry out for another two to six weeks before it can be collected by friends or family.
    The body is deposited inside one of these vessels along with different plant materialsUnlike cremation, this process does not require huge amounts of energy and fossil fuels, Recompose says, while the carbon contained in the human body is sequestered in the soil rather than released into the atmosphere.
    The process also forgoes the vast amounts of embalming chemicals and emissions-intensive materials like steel and concrete that are needed for burials.
    In total, the process to “transform your loved one’s body into soil” saves around one metric ton of CO2 emissions per person compared to burial or cremation, Recompose claims.
    Friends and family can collect the soil and use it as they wish. Photo by Austin WilsonSince 2019, a number of US states have followed in Washington’s footsteps and legalised natural organic reduction, with New York joining Colorado, Oregon, Vermont and California in the last month.
    This comes as people are increasingly becoming aware of the hidden environmental impact of the deathcare industry and moving towards alternative funeral practices from liquid cremation to burial pods that grow into trees.
    “Members of the baby boomer generation have started experiencing the deaths of their parents and I think many are asking: was that the best we can do,” Spade said.
    The facility is housed inside a converted warehouse in SoDo. Photo by Austin Wilson”But what’s interesting is that it’s not only older folks,” she added.
    “Over 25 per cent of our Precompose [prepayment plan] members are under 49. I think this is because the climate crisis has played a role, too. People are wondering why our funeral practices haven’t been considered when it comes to our carbon footprint.”
    Recompose plans to expand into Colorado in 2023 and California in 2027, while rival company Earth Funeral has set its sights on Oregon.
    The photography is by Mat Hayward unless otherwise stated.

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    Wood and stone surfaces bring “rich texture” to Primrose Hill House interior

    Architecture for London has updated a 1960s house in London, creating an open-plan interior filled with natural materials and an improved connection to the rear courtyard garden.

    The house is one of two detached properties set in a modernist estate in Primrose Hill that primarily consists of painted brick courtyard houses and small terraces.
    Primrose Hill House was designed by Architecture for LondonThe new owner asked Architecture for London to transform the interior into a modern layout that is better suited to their lifestyle.
    “The house had a very broken plan consisting of lots of small rooms,” the studio’s director Ben Ridley told Dezeen. “The client wanted to create a family house that was more open plan with better views of the garden.”
    The studio added a rooftop extension clad in white bricksThe remodelled interior improves the connection with the garden by incorporating a large picture window in the kitchen, along with sliding wood-framed doors in the living area.

    The ground floor also contains a smaller reception area next to the entrance hall, with folding doors allowing this space to be separated from the kitchen and dining area.
    Sliding wood-framed doors open the living room up to the gardenA bespoke blackened-steel staircase provides access to four bedrooms on the first floor, including a main suite with a juliet balcony overlooking the garden.
    Following a detailed cost and sustainability review, a decision was made to demolish all of the property’s interior walls and rebuild them in order to achieve the required spaces.
    The interior was finished in a rich material paletteThis solution also offered the best energy-efficiency potential, according to Ridley, with a layer of wall insulation added alongside a heat recovery ventilation system (MVHR).
    The home’s first-floor plate was replaced using steel beams and timber joists to enable the demolition of the ground-floor walls and the opening up of the interior.
    Flooring was used to define different zonesspThe project also involved the addition of a timber-framed rooftop extension, clad with white-painted brick to tie in with the rest of the house and set back so it’s largely hidden from view.
    The extension contains a flexible mezzanine space for yoga and meditation that is accessed from the main bedroom suite.

    Architecture for London uses natural materials to renovate studio founder’s home

    Throughout the home, Architecture for London applied a pared-back palette of natural materials that is intended to create a sense of calmness and connection with the garden.
    Internal walls treated with breathable lime plaster provide a neutral backdrop for furniture including a dining table made from locally sourced London plane trees.
    Doors and windows are framed with wood”We intentionally didn’t use a lot of colour so there’s a strong feeling of consistency,” Ridley said. “The choice of stone and timber brings a rich texture to the palette.”
    A reference image of a Portuguese manor house, featuring a tiled trompe l’oeil frieze around a doorway, informed the use of materials to define space within the interior.
    The shared living areas have an open-plan layoutIn the living room, stone floor tiles in different shades create a border around the room, as if an area rug has been placed on the floor to demarcate where furniture could be placed.
    Ben Ridley founded Architecture for London in 2009 following his studies at London’s Barlett School of Architecture. The studio aims to create places that improve how people live and work, with a focus on reducing their operational emissions.
    Wood lines the interior walls of the homeRidley’s own London house recently featured in our round-up of five UK house renovations designed to improve energy efficiency.
    “Ultimately we are going to have to accept some changes in the appearance of our traditional homes,” he said, speaking to Dezeen as part of a feature on architects who have retrofitted their own homes.
    The photography is by Christian Brailey.

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    TPG Architecture creates “memorable moments” within NHL Headquarters in Manhattan

    Bold graphics and a tall media wall are among the features in the TPG Architecture-designed home office for North America’s National Hockey League, which spans five floors in a new skyscraper.

    The project is located in One Manhattan West, a glazed, 67-storey tower designed by SOM. The building is part of an emerging mixed-use development atop railroad tracks in the city’s Far West Side district.
    Bold graphics define the office interior by TPG ArchitectureThe NHL occupies floors 23 through 27, encompassing a total of 160,000 square feet (14,864 square metres). About 600 employees work in the office.
    Local firm TPG Architecture – which has designed several NHL projects since the 1990s – aimed to create a flexible and high-functioning work environment that captures the spirit of the professional ice hockey league.
    The project intends to capture the spirit of the ice hockey league”We set out to develop a connected, tech-enabled workplace that showcases the NHL’s commitment to its players, fans and employees,” the architecture studio said.

    “The result is an inspiring office that features memorable moments throughout, immersing both staff members and their guests into the League’s culture.”
    One Manhattan West skyscraper provides the setting for the headquartersThe league was started in 1917 and consists of 32 member clubs – 25 in the US and seven in Canada. The organisation was formerly based in a tower on Sixth Avenue in Manhattan.
    The new headquarters encompasses a range of spaces, including private offices, open workspaces, meeting rooms, media suites, social areas and a cafeteria that doubles as a “town hall”. The main entry and executive suite are on the 27th level.
    Interior finishes include concrete flooring and beige carpetingTo unify the different areas, the team used a black-and-white scheme with pops of colour – a move inspired by the NHL’s logo, which consists of a monochromatic shield.
    Interior finishes include concrete flooring, beige carpeting and warm-toned wood.
    Floors are connected by a feature staircaseFloors are connected by a feature staircase lined with an 18-foot-tall (5.5-metre) media wall. Games, graphics, social media feeds and staff announcements are showcased on the wall.
    NHL memorabilia is found throughout the headquarters, including a wall with pucks signed by players, a partition made of hockey sticks, and a corridor lined with uniforms from the league’s member clubs.
    An etching of the Stanley Cup features within the buildingOne area features a freestanding glass pane with an etching of the Stanley Cup trophy.
    “This area is great for visiting players to come in and take part in media interviews and other content-capturing activities,” the team said.

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    The work zones offer plenty of opportunities for group activities, which was somewhat lacking in the league’s former headquarters.
    “We interspersed more collaborative environments to boost productivity,” the team said.
    “Huddle booths, whiteboards with tabletop seating, and informal lounge areas are found throughout the office.”
    Various other spaces are included within the headquartersOther spaces in the headquarters include a Player Safety Area, where games are monitored in real-time and video clips are created for disciplinary review. The office also has a newsroom, broadcasting studio and editing suites.
    TPG Architecture was founded in 1979 and is based in New York City. Its extensive portfolio of office projects includes the conversion of a former tobacco factory in North Carolina into an advertising agency.
    The photography is by Eric Laignel.

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