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    OEO Studio adds Nordic influences to Japandi-style apartment in Tokyo

    Copenhagen-based OEO Studio combined muted colours and textured materials to create the interiors for this renovated Tokyo apartment that is characterised by its Japandi design.

    Located within the Opus Arisugawa housing complex in central Tokyo, the apartment’s interior was renovated to combine design influences from Japan and Scandinavia – a trend known as Japandi.
    The apartment’s interiors take cues from Japanese and Scandinavian designOEO Studio intended to create a serene atmosphere by adopting minimalist interior design and mainly natural materials throughout, both of which are hallmarks of the Japandi style.
    The apartment’s entryway includes a rammed-earth wall surrounded by a slatted rectilinear wardrobe that was custom-made in calming honey-hued wood.
    Curvy sofas feature in the living roomLow-slung concrete seating is also built into the hallway, which doubles as a sculptural plinth for a ceramic vase by Christian Bruun.

    A mixture of deep indigo tiles and paper yarn rugs made from Finnish birch but embroidered with Japanese textile-style patterns cover the floors.
    Wooden cabinetry lines the kitchen”The interiors reflect the studio’s cross-pollination of Japanese and Scandinavian design ideas, drawing inspiration from both cultures and reinterpreting them in new ways,” said the firm.
    The hallway leads to an open-plan living room filled with interiors in neutral tones, including cool stone floors and sleek furniture finished in smoked oak, oiled pinewood and soft wool.

    OEO Studio creates colourful cantina for Copenhagen eatery Hija de Sanchez

    Curvy Taylor sofas by Shanghai brand Stella Works are arranged around an organically shaped timber coffee table, while artworks by Jaakko Mattila line the walls.
    Japanese Ōya stone was used for the columns that divide the living area and brightly lit kitchen, which includes tactile wooden cabinetry.
    A minimal dining space with black-stained ash chairs also features alongside the kitchen.
    The bedrooms are defined by the same refined styleThe apartment’s three bedrooms also have a mixture of refined textures and shapes, while the singular pared-back bathroom displays a statement wooden bathtub at its centre.
    “We worked carefully with the zoning and the transitions between the rooms in the apartment to create an evocative yet calm, welcoming and comfortable atmosphere,” said OEO Studio.
    A light wooden bathtub features in the bathroomFounded in 2003, OEO Studio has created a number of similar projects including a Tokyo restaurant that references both Danish carpentry and Japanese gardens in its interiors.
    The firm recently created a cafe and shop at Designmuseum Denmark that pays homage to architect Kaare Klint’s original design.
    The photography is by Michinori Aoki.

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    Makhno Studio celebrates Ukrainian craft in all-beige home near Kyiv

    Kyiv-based Makhno Studio has paired soft, bumpy textures and intricate ceramic walls inside this all-beige home in Ukraine, which was completed right before the Russian invasion.

    Located in Kozyn, a rural town just south of Kyiv, Mureli House is a celebration of summertime and Ukrainian design, with mureli being an old Ukrainian word for apricot.
    Intricate ceramics feature throughout the Mureli House interior by Makhno StudioThe home, which was completed just two months before the start of the invasion in February 2022, comprises an open-plan living room and kitchen, three bedrooms with three bathrooms, a guest bathroom, a laundry room and a garage with a terrace.
    The clients – a local Ukrainian couple with a large family – requested from the outset that Makhno Studio should work with as many Ukrainian manufacturers and craftsmen as possible to create bespoke products for the house.
    A bulbous sculpture decorates the fireplace mantel in the lounge”All materials in the home are natural,” the studio’s founder Serhii Makhno told Dezeen. “The team used almost all Ukrainian brands and worked with several local contractors to minimise the distance and logistics.”

    The clients wanted a neutral, beige interior across all of the rooms to create a cohesive look. As a result, the house’s second floor is finished mostly in wood while the entire ground floor is decorated with beige-coloured plaster.
    Makhno designed the pendant lights in the lounge to resemble seed podsMakhno Studio emphasised the generous volumes and curved staircase in the home’s entrance hallway through a wall of three-dimensional ceramic tiles and a dramatic cluster of pendant lamps made of clay and polystyrene foam.
    References to the natural world are integrated throughout the interior. Highlights include a cluster of Makhno-designed pendants in the living room that resemble seed pods and washbasins that appear like hollowed-out boulders.
    The entire ground floor including the kitchen is finished in beige-coloured plasterThe only exception to Mureli House’s monochrome colour scheme is the main bathroom, which features pink accents including ombre shower doors and scale-shaped concrete tiles that can be tilted away from the wall to double up as hooks for hanging towels and bathrobes.
    “Ceramic craftsmanship is an ancient Ukrainian tradition,” Makhno explained. “At the end of the 1920s, the ceramic tradition began to be restored in various parts of Ukraine. At Makhno, the tradition is continued today to highlight its uniqueness and naturalistic appeal.”

    Makhno Studio designs conceptual settlement within Martian crater

    Mureli House currently stands empty since the owners were forced to flee to safer areas in the west of Ukraine following Russia’s attempts to storm Kyiv in the early days of the war.
    The exact condition of the home is unknown. But Makhno Studio says a Russian military plane and several missiles were shot down over the surrounding area in Kozyn.
    Russian troops were forced to retreat from Kyiv at the start of April but left behind a trail of destruction in the city’s outskirts and have since carried out a number of airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital.
    The monochrome colour palette extends into the home’s three bedroomsIn total, more than 143 significant cultural sites have been damaged in Ukraine since the start of the war, including the Ivankiv Museum in Kyiv and several second world war memorial monuments in the surrounding region.
    Serhii Makhno says he currently remains safe in Ukraine, while the rest of his team is scattered throughout Europe and is working mainly on international projects.
    Boulder-like sinks and scale-shaped tiles feature in the main bathroomThe studio is among a number of Ukrainian practices that have told Dezeen they are now looking for support and commissions from foreign clients.
    Previous projects from the studio include Makhno’s own thatched-roof house in Kozyn and his duplex apartment in Kyiv.
    The photography is courtesy of Makhno Studio.

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    Eight homes with characterful floating staircases that appear to defy gravity

    A staircase with an in-built swing and a metal structure hung from a ceiling are among the eight floating staircases featured in our latest lookbook.

    A floating staircase is a flight of stairs that appears to defy gravity. They often cantilever from one wall to create overhanging steps that jut outwards and look as if they are suspended in mid-air.
    They often have open risers, which means that the treads are not connected but might be attached by central stringers.
    From a granite house in Spain to a light-filled home in Canada, here are eight residential interiors that feature floating staircases in their designs.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing garden swimming pools, exposed wooden beams and organic modern interiors.

    Photo is by Marcos MiguélezCasa VMS, Spain, by Marcos Miguélez 
    A floating steel staircase with cantilevered treads features in Casa VMS, a granite-clad house in the Spanish town of Magaz de Abajo by architect Marcos Miguélez.
    Connecting the library and the living room, the staircase includes dark wooden steps that mirror a low-slung timber dining table, which sits within an open-plan living space.
    Find out more about Casa VMS ›
    Photo is by Simon KennedyIdunsgate Apartment, Norway, by Haptic
    Idunsgate Apartment in Oslo includes a powder-coated steel staircase that is suspended from a ceiling beam creating a sculptural stepped formation.
    The floating staircase is completed by blocky wooden steps at its bottom, which also double as built-in seating in an open-plan kitchen and dining space.
    Find out more about Indunsgate Apartment ›
    Photo is by Karina TengbergSturlasgade apartment, Denmark, by Jac Studios
    Copenhagen practice Jac Studios designed a staircase in two parts for this Sturlasgade apartment with pale-toned finishes and natural light.
    Suspended from steel poles, a flight of smoked-oak stairs leads to a set of light-coloured, tapered terrazzo steps that provide access to an open-plan living space.
    Find out more about this Sturlasgade apartment ›
    Photo is by Jack HobhouseKenwood Lee House, UK, by Cousins & Cousins
    Architecture office Cousins & Cousins inserted a central floating staircase into Kenwood Lee House – a dwelling in Highgate, London, that is characterised by concrete and marble finishes.
    Complete with light oak treads, the staircase features an indoor swing that hangs underneath it and adds a playful touch to the minimal interiors.
    Find out more about Kenwood Lee House ›
    Photo is by A AvdeenkoHeat 360 House, Ukraine, by Azovskiy & Pahomova Architects
    The two storeys of this house in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, are connected by a chunky cantilevered staircase that juts out from a concrete wall and rises up through an opening in the kitchen ceiling.
    Local studio Azovskiy & Pahomova Architects also added full-height windows to the refurbished property, which includes various quirky features including a hay-bale seating area.
    Find out more about Heat 360 House ›
    Photo is by Ronan MézièreEscher House, Canada, by Naturehumaine
    A labyrinthine steel and wood staircase informed by the architectural paintings of Dutch artist MC Escher travels through the levels of this Montreal home renovated by local firm Naturehumaine.
    “Imposing and phantasmagorical, the staircase with its crossing of flights enlivens the space and personalises the entire house,” said the studio.
    Find out more about The Escher House ›
    Photo is by Josée MarinoLazard House, Canada, by Kl.Tz Design
    Canadian studio Kl.Tz Design renovated this light-filled family house in Montreal to include a staircase defined by suspended wooden steps and a floor-to-ceiling metal balustrade.
    Designed by furniture brand De Gaspé, the minimal structure intends to create a sense of lightness and openness between the home’s two levels.
    Find out more about Lazard House ›
    Photo is by Ben HoskingOgimachi House, Japan, Tomoaki Uno Architects
    Tomoaki Uno Architects added a central flower-like staircase to Ogimachi House, a Japanese home built almost entirely out of cedar and cypress for the materials’ calming properties.
    The staircase features petal-shaped treads that have a generous amount of space between each other, which are designed in wood like the rest of the interiors.
    Find out more about Ogimachi House ›
    This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing bookshelf staircases, white bathrooms and homes with hammocks.

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    Note Design Studio creates “unexpected” restaurant in historic Stockholm food hall

    Off-kilter tiles set in thick blue grout clad the bar of the Tysta Mari restaurant in Stockholm, designed by local practice Note Design Studio.

    Tysta Mari is one of several restaurants set within the city’s recently renovated Östermalms Saluhall – a historic food hall housed in a brick building from 1888.
    Tysta Mari is a restaurant in the historic Östermalms SaluhallThe two-storey eatery serves up fresh seafood and Swedish dishes using ingredients sourced from the indoor marketplace that surrounds it.
    Local design firm Note Design Studio was invited to renovate the interior with the aim of creating a “welcoming environment that feels effortless, unexpected and full of charm”.
    Pale blue accents pop up in the eatery’s bistro tables and in the grouting of the barThe design team used a light, tactile material palette for the interior featuring mirrors, gauzy fabrics, textured walls, glazed ceramics and stainless steel.

    An eye-catching bar is located on the restaurant’s ground floor, visible both from the street and from inside the food hall. Designed to draw customers into the interior, this area is clad in glazed tiles surrounded by thick blue grouting and finished with detailing in polished stainless steel.
    A black metal staircase leads up to the second floorA black metal staircase leads up to a bistro and a private dining room with a large sharing table and balcony providing views of the entire food hall.
    Note Design Studio’s interior scheme was based on the four elements of earth, air, water and fire, according to the practice’s co-founder and design manager Cristiano Pigazzini.

    Note Design Studio creates warm-hued wine bar that doubles as an office

    This theme is picked up in the earth tone and texture of the restaurant’s walls, the smokey hue of the oak furnishings, the gauzy curtains and the ceramic tiles, which were designed to look almost wave-swept.
    “The light half-transparent textiles diffuse the incoming light to give an airy, soft accent to the other hard, heavy materials,” Pigazzini told Dezeen.
    This floor houses a private dining roomFounded in 2008 by Pigazzini and Johannes Carlström, Note Design Studio works across the fields of architecture, interiors, products, graphic design and design strategy.
    Other recent projects from the practice include a warm-hued wine bar that doubles as an office and a collection of pendant lights that recall cake sprinkles.
    All photography is courtesy of Note Design Studio.

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    Memola Estudio leaves concrete structure exposed for Gale Apartment in São Paulo

    Balancing natural and industrial materials was a key focus during Brazilian studio Memola Estudio’s renovation of this São Paulo apartment.

    The gut renovation of the Gale Apartment for a couple in the western area of the city involved creating connections between the various rooms and updating it to better match the owners’ “cosmopolitan” tastes.
    Memola Estudio stripped back walls in the apartment to reveal the concrete structureOther goals for the overhaul included highlighting their art collection, creating better connections with views of greenery outside and generally refreshing the atmosphere inside.
    To contrast the wooden floors Memola Estudio removed walls and parts of the ceiling, and stripped back finishes to expose the building’s concrete structure, piping and ductwork.
    A Portuguese mosaic stone wall was painted white in the double-height living areaAmong the partitions demolished was one between the entry hall and the main living space, so that a direct line of sight now connects the two.

    Coming off the elevator in the centre of the apartment, visitors are now offered a view straight through to floor-to-ceiling windows beyond the dining table, and out to the balcony accessed from the lounge.
    Walls were removed to allow views directly from the entryway to the windowsThe dining area was extended to fill in part of the balcony area, forming an extra indoor space for casual seating.
    “Now transformed into a mix of lounge and bar, a low wooden table at its centre and the comfortable armchairs around it invite long conversations,” said the studio of this space.
    Part of the balcony was converted into a bar and seating areaThe more formal seating area is double-height, with the end wall covered in a Portuguese stone mosaic that was repainted white, and another acting as a gallery wall that displays the clients’ contemporary artworks.
    Furniture in this room is mixed and matched in terms of both style and material, but all items carry earthy tones.
    In the kitchen, the ceiling was removed and pharmacy-style cabinets were added”Old and new share neutral hues and the furniture has been reupholstered to match the new color palette, inspired by the autumn and the sunset colors found in the horizon,” Memola Estudio said.
    Particular attention was paid to the usability of the kitchen, where the ceiling was again ripped out and new cabinets and counters were installed.
    Custom, freestanding metal units based on vintage pharmacy counters are placed along one wall, providing an open surface for appliances, as well as cabinet storage above and below.
    In reconfiguring the layout of this corner of the apartment, a wood-topped kitchen island and a pantry were built and a storeroom was formed in part of the old laundry room.
    Another balcony was turned into a TV and music room”The kitchen’s renovation promotes the sharing of experiences around meal preparation and its everyday enjoyment,” said Memola Estudio.
    The home has three bedrooms, all located at the back of the apartment and decorated in neutral shades.
    A neutral colour palette was used to refresh the bedroomsEach has an ensuite bathroom with walls tiled or wood-lined in a slightly different shade of green.
    There’s also a TV room, created within a space that previously functioned as a second balcony, featuring a deep, green sofa and a drum kit beside the window.
    Bathrooms were also updated in different shades of greenMemola Estudio is based in São Paulo, where apartment living is extremely common in the dense urban environment.
    Other renovations in the city that aim to add personality to the interiors include a home enlivened with green tiles, a residence for a fashion designer decorated in vivid hues, and an apartment where exposed pipes are painted in pastels tones.
    The photography is by Fran Parente.

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    Five “quirky” sleeping pods top Watchet's East Quay arts centre

    UK studios Pearce+ and Fægen have designed the interiors of five sleeping pods that stand on top of the Invisible Studio-designed arts centre on the dockside in Watchet, UK.

    The studios aimed to design the pods, which were created to provide interesting accommodation for people visiting East Quay and the town, to align with the ethos of the arts centre.
    The sleeping pods are located on top of Watchet’s East Quay arts centre”The whole of East Quay is about culture, purpose and imagination – it is a hub of creativity, opportunity, artistry and ideas,” explained Pearce+ founder Owen Pearce.
    “It is also most importantly about community – multiple hands and many eyes,” he told Dezeen.
    “We wanted this to be captured in the pods also, providing inspiring, exciting, different, unusual spaces and involving as many hands as possible in the design, from artists to makers to kids.”

    Two pods are raised on stiltsThe five pods are located in a series of metal-clad boxes on top of the East Quay arts centre, which was designed by Bath-based Invisible Studio with Ellis Williams Architects acting as executive architect for the local social enterprise Onion Collective.
    Two of the pods stand on stilts above the building.

    East Quay arts centre in Watchet takes cues from ad-hoc harbour buildings

    “All the pods are linked to their surroundings by fantastic views of the Bristol Channel, the Quantocks, the marina and the town,” said Pearce.
    “The form of the buildings feels rooted in the area as they jut and protrude as if continuously added to like some of the old houses in the town.”
    The walls of pod two were CNC etchedEach of the five pods is designed by Pearce+ and Fægen to have a different character and involve local artists and the community.
    The first sleeping pod, which was built with reclaimed furniture and materials, was designed as a “living museum” where guests are encouraged to leave an item and take one away.
    Etched illustrations cover the walls of pod two, which is designed by artist Isabelle Mole and aims to tell the story of the town.
    Pod 1 contains a “living museum””Our overarching aim was to provide a connection between guests and the local community,” explained Pearce.
    “This is done, for example, through direct object transfer in pod one as guests donate objects of meaning and take something in return or, in pod two, by visually exploring the stories and myths of the town in CNC etchings on the walls.”
    Pod four contains a cargo netThe third pod aims to evoke the feeling of a 1920s ocean liner, while pod four “is about play” and has semaphore signals painted on the walls. Here there is also a cargo net for sitting, which is reached by a staircase hung from the ceiling.
    Bristol graffiti artist Andy Council worked with local schoolchildren to create the interior of the fifth pod, which will be redecorated each year by an artist chosen by the Onion Collective.
    Bristol graffiti artist Andy Council decorated the fifth podIn line with the ethos of the project, Pearce+ and Fægen moved to Watchet for a year to act as contractor and fabricate the interiors of the pods with the help of a small team.
    Pearce hopes that the pods will provide fun places for visitors to stay and bring income into the community.
    “The brief for the competition was quirky places to stay,” he explained. “The client wanted to have fun with the pods and to provide an opportunity for inventiveness from architects.”
    “The building’s aim is to support a local artistic community and provide opportunities that weren’t available before. A key part of the economic strategy of the building is to attract guests from afar to bring in much-needed income, which in turn supports cultural and education work,” he continued. “The designs are then targeted to create a cool place to visit in order to do that.”
    Pearce+ previously collaborated with UK studio Hugh Broughton Architects and artists Ella Good and Nicki Kent to create the inflatable Martian House, which is currently installed in Bristol.
    The photography is by Joseph Horton.

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    Caged wooden galleries feature in Puzzle Link apartment by Gheorghe

    Architecture and research studio Gheorghe has inserted two triangular cross-laminated timber structures into a loft in Vienna as part of its renovation of the apartment.

    Set within a historic building in Vienna’s 13th district, the top level of the apartment was designed to encourage interaction between a couple and their children.
    Two cross-laminated timber (CLT) structures, which dominate each end of the space, were designed to provide the occupants with places to work, play and look down onto the open-plan living and dining area below.
    Made up of 698 planks the structures incorporate shelves, storage space, seating areas and tables. They are both be accessed by a set of timber stairs.
    Puzzle Link is a loft apartment in a historic building in Vienna”Through the wooden structure the built-in attic becomes a place of approach by enabling visual relationships, warmth through used materials and a hybrid zone between different spatial functions,” said Gheorghe co-founder Andrei Gheorghe.

    “We wanted to create an aesthetic and practical connection, to gain additional spatial functions and to make the spacious intermediate space multifunctional and to make it a meeting place,” Gheorghe told Dezeen.
    Two wooden galleries dominate each end of the spaceThe Vienna-based studio redesigned the attic floor for the family who required a “sustainable, unique and functional” space to live. According to Gheorghe, the warm-toned timber was used for its ability to be reused if needed.
    “The inspiration for the design was marked by the fact that it needed to be sustainable, unique and functional,” Gheorghe explained.
    “This is the perfect material for us, on one hand offering the necessary structural strength and dimensions but also the possibility of being reused,” he added.
    “This is a sustainable material because all the leftovers after the milling process could be further processed towards wood pellets.”
    They are made from 698 planks of cross-laminated timberEach two-by-five plank was CNC-milled by a local carpentry company. The planks were then constructed using 3D-modelling techniques and scripting technology to give the structures their unusual, jigsaw-like shape.
    This is also what led the studio to name the project Puzzle Link.

    IFUB installs bespoke black steel fittings in 1930s Art Deco apartment renovation

    While transforming the space, the studio also looked to maintain its original historical features.
    The Viennese tiles that lined the building’s original staircase, which had been saved and stored by the client, were cleaned and reused for the floor of the raised platform that runs inside alongside the terrace.
    Although the apartment has been sparsely decorated, a few key pieces of furniture that the family collected while travelling abroad are placed around the space.
    The apartment is sparsely furnishedA minimalist Shaker hearth by German fireplace manufacturer Skantherm sits underneath the timber stairs while a floor-to-ceiling bookcase can be found inside one of the timber structures.
    A black storage unit made from coated MDF, paper and acrylic resin in the open plan area provides contrast to the otherwise whitewashed wooden furnishings.
    Elsewhere, a skylight punctuates the slanted roof and along with several smaller windows, floods the space with natural light.
    Other Viennese apartments include Beletage Apartment by British architect Alex Graef, an apartment with restored oak flooring and clean white walls.
    Meanwhile, Slovenian architecture studio Kombinat renovated an apartment in the Austrian capital into a hybrid living space with room for both cooking and working.
    The photography is by Frame9.

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    Dezeen Agenda newsletter features Brad Pitt's foundation defective homes settlement

    The latest edition of our weekly Dezeen Agenda newsletter features the $20.5 million settlement that Brad Pitt’s foundation has agreed with the owners of defective New Orleans homes. Subscribe to Dezeen Agenda now!

    This week, actor Pitt reportedly agreed to a settlement of $20.5 million for the owners of homes built by his Make It Right Foundation housing charity.
    Homeowners brought legal action after numerous defects to their homes – such as water leaks, black mould and foundation issues – were discovered, according to a report by NOLA.com.
    “Hopefully this agreement will allow everyone to look ahead to other opportunities to continue to strengthen this proud community in the future,” Pitt said in a statement.
    Aerial render of planned Angels Landing skyscraper in Los Angeles by Handel ArchitectsOther stories in the latest newsletter include the Architectural Workers United organizer Andrew Daley writing about how “Architects must reject the ‘follow your passion’ narrative and see themselves as workers”, news broke that Adam Neumann is launching his “first venture since WeWork”, a housing startup called Flow and US studio Handel Architects revealed designs for the Angels Landing skyscraper in Los Angeles.

    Dezeen Agenda
    Dezeen Agenda is a curated newsletter sent every Tuesday containing the most important news highlights from Dezeen. Read the latest edition of Dezeen Agenda or subscribe here.
    You can also subscribe to Dezeen Debate, which is sent every Thursday and contains a curated selection of highlights from the week, as well as Dezeen Daily, our daily bulletin that contains every story published in the preceding 24 hours on Dezeen.

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