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    Enter Projects Asia enlivens Belgian office with “fluid” rattan sculptures

    A rattan sculpture winds its way across the ceilings of this office and factory building in Waregem, Belgium, which has been overhauled by Thai architecture studio Enter Projects Asia.

    Named A Factory Facelift, the installation was commissioned by the owners of an ice-making factory to bring “balance and calm” to the interior of their small concrete office block in West Flanders.
    Enter Projects Asia has overhauled an office interior in BelgiumEnter Projects Asia’s (EPA) design includes sculptures, planters, light fittings and seating across two storeys, which are constructed from rattan – a flexible plant with a woody stem.
    Beginning with an eight-metre-high sculpture in the glazed lobby, many of these elements take the form of curved sections that are suspended from the ceilings by metal wires and appear to flow through the building.
    Curved rattan sculptures have been introduced into different rooms”[We] were given what felt like a ‘wellness’ brief for the space, inviting nature and creativity into an industrial setting,” said EPA.

    “The site was an ice-making factory, so the design was to be fluid and liquid, like the properties of pure spring water crystallising, incorporating raw and sustainable materials wherever possible,” it continued.
    Some elements are suspended from the ceilingsBeneath the ceiling sculptures and continuing the same design language, EPA has also designed rattan seating areas that help to divide the office spaces.
    Planters have been built into these curved seating structures, complemented by trailing plants that hang from the rattan ceiling sculptures.

    Enter Projects Asia weaves rattan sculptures through Spice & Barley restaurant in Bangkok

    The project was commissioned early on during the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning the relationship between the studio and the client was entirely remote.
    This led to the rattan works being digitally designed and then split into segments that could be built and transported as efficiently as possible to the site, and assembled “like a 3D jigsaw”.
    There is also rattan furniture including office chairsEPA believes that it is important to give the craft of working with rattan new applications, as many rattan factories became threatened with closure during the pandemic.
    “As a byproduct of this project, rattan factories were able to stay afloat during the darkest days,” said EPA Director Patrick Keane.
    “This project became a lifeline for many craftsmen who otherwise would have been without work. Maintaining these factories ensure local, sustainable arts & crafts production could continue,” he added.
    Some seating incoporates plantersEPA has made extensive use of rattan in its previous projects, including another large-scale rattan sculpture for the interiors of the Spice & Barley restaurant in Bangkok.
    Elsewhere in Thailand’s capital, it used the material to create a series of rattan pods with dynamic forms for the yoga brand Vikasa.
    The photography is by Edmund Sumner.

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    Get listed in Dezeen's digital guide for London Design Festival 2022

    Are you exhibiting at this year’s London Design Festival? Get your event listed in our digital guide to the week on Dezeen Events Guide, which will feature the festival’s key events.

    Taking place from 17 to 25 September 2022, London Design Festival features hundreds of events across the city, including the trade fair Design London and a programme of must-see events, exhibitions, talks and installations.
    Dezeen’s guide will go live one week before the London Design Festival. It will provide visitors with all the information they need to know about the festival.
    The digital guide will benefit from Dezeen’s high-ranking SEO and will sit on Dezeen Events Guide, which has received over 700,000 views since it launched in 2020.
    It follows the success of our digital guide for Milan design week 2022, which received over 40,000 page views.

    To be considered for inclusion in the guide, email [email protected]. Events will be selected by the Dezeen team to ensure that the best events are included.
    Get listed in Dezeen’s digital London guide
    For only £100, you can include your event in the list, which includes up to 75 words of text, the date, location, a link to your website and an image.
    For more information about partnering with us to help amplify your event, contact the team at [email protected].
    About Dezeen Events Guide
    Dezeen Events Guide lists events across the globe, which can be filtered by location and type.
    Events taking place later in the year include Tallinn Architecture Biennale 2022, Design Miami 2022 and Top Drawer S/S 2023.
    The illustration is by Rima Sabina Aouf.

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    Studio Paolo Ferrari combines wood and granite for Canadian lake house

    Exposed finishes that draw cues from the forests and geology of Canada come together in this remote holiday home by Toronto-based architect Studio Paolo Ferrari.

    Named after the Muskoka region where the project is located, the retreat overlooks Lake Rosseau, an area that is known as one of Canada’s most sought-after vacation destinations.
    The retreat overlooks Canada’s Lake RosseauThe area sits roughly two hours north of Toronto, and is known for its natural setting. It inspired a collective of painters, known as the Group of Seven, who produced some of the most iconic Canadian imagery of the early 20th century.
    “We wanted to create a place of respite from the intensity of city life and also to build as sensitively as we could, complementing, but never overwhelming, the surrounding environment,” said Studio Paolo Ferrari.
    Granite and Douglas fir define the interior designTwo primary materials were used for the two-storey building: granite, which forms many of the islands in the area, and Douglas fir, which the architects used in the exposed roofs found throughout the home, as well as in cabinetry and on certain walls.

    “The granite is coarse-grained and hard,” said the studio. “It references the minerality of the site and imbues the interiors with a sense of ruggedness.”
    “The Douglas fir offers tactility and warmth, and it connects the house with vernacular building traditions,” the studio added, noting that some of the materials used came from the site itself.
    Studio Paolo Ferrari placed the communal areas on the upper floorStudio Paolo Ferrari designed an inverted layout for the two-bedroom home, placing the communal areas on the upper floor to give them the best views of Lake Rosseau.
    The open-concept kitchen, living, and dining room is anchored by a granite kitchen counter that appears to be made of a rough block of stone. Its edges cantilever out, creating a place to sit for a casual meal.
    Two bedrooms feature on the ground floor”The kitchen island – a large, unfinished block of granite – evokes the boulders and outcroppings one sees across the Canadian Shield, an expanse of bedrock that extends from the Great Lakes to the Arctic Coast,” said Studio Paolo Ferrari.
    “With its size and monumentality, the island offsets the expertly crafted cabinetry that surrounds it.”
    A granite island takes centre stage in the kitchenThe living room is fronted by tall, sliding glass doors that open onto a terrace that offers sweeping views of the lake below.
    Most of the surfaces are covered in a light-coloured wood, which helps the space feel airy and bright.

    Ali Budd Interiors transforms Muskoka log cabin into art-filled cottage

    The bedrooms were located on the ground floor. The primary suite faces out onto the lake, while a guest bedroom is located at the back of the home. Its windows open out onto rocky outcroppings and thick trees, lending the space a sense of privacy.
    “Windows frame views in all directions, not only outward to the lake but also inward to the granite escarpment, which is every bit as exquisite as the dappled water,” added the studio.
    Furnishings were kept simple throughout the homeThe home’s bathrooms were finished in dark granite, creating a sense of contrast from the bright open spaces in the bedrooms and communal areas.
    Throughout the home, the furnishings were kept as simple as possible.
    “Our guiding ethos was warm minimalism,” Studio Paolo Ferrari explained. “The interiors derive their elegance from a lack of visual clutter.”
    The lake house includes a gabled roofOther natural retreats in Canada include a dramatic, cantilevered structure overlooking a lake, and a ski cottage that appears to have been split in two, by Montreal-based firm Naturehumaine.
    The photography is by Joel Esposito.

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    Frama designs apartment for filmmaker Albert Moya in Renaissance villa

    Copenhagen design brand Frama has contrasted modern furnishings against dark wood panelling inside this hybrid apartment and workspace in Florence, which belongs to Spanish director Albert Moya.

    The self-contained residence occupies a number of rooms inside the Villa Medicea di Marignolle, a Rennaisance villa and estate nestled among the hills of Florence’s southwestern suburbs.
    Frama has furnished the Florence home of Albert MoyaThe building once belonged to the House of Medici – a powerful Italian banking family that achieved prominence in Florence in the 15th century – and was often frequented by Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei.
    Today, it is split into multiple apartments including Moya’s, which was renovated in the 1970s and consequently has a different feel and appearance compared to the more traditional parts of the villa.
    The brand introduced modern furnishings to contrast against the dark wood panellingMoya, who became known for his 2013 short film American Autumn, asked Frama to turn the space into a modern residence that encourages “artistic encounters” by offering spaces for living as well as for hosting small events and collaborative workshops.

    “I teamed up with Frama to create a studio, a space acting as a school where artists can meet students, a place where everyone can learn something new, absorb knowledge and exchange ideas,” he explained.
    “There is a natural interaction between the interior architecture, Frama’s universe and each selected piece. It is a harmonious, unified and balanced approach.”
    Touches of stainless steel and aluminium help to brighten the interiorDespite the need for introducing “contemporary comforts”, Moya wanted the final design to respect the building’s heritage.
    As a result, the Frama team didn’t make any structural changes and didn’t mount anything on the walls in order to preserve the warm wood panelling that was introduced as part of the renovation.
    Instead, understated furniture, lighting and textiles from the brand’s collection were brought in to style the flat, using a simple material palette of wood, cork, marble, stainless steel and aluminium.

    Frama creates ultra-minimal interiors for Juno the Bakery in Copenhagen

    Apart from Moya’s own bedroom, the apartment encompasses a kitchen and studio space, a living room, a second bathroom and two mezzanines – one housing a gym and the other a guest room.
    The interior is designed to encourage socialisation, connection and meaningful conversations between the filmmaker and his guests.
    For this purpose, it features two different kinds of workspaces: a quiet area in the kitchen designed for independent work during the mornings and more social areas in the living room and on the mezzanines for gathering in the afternoon.
    Frama made no structural changes and left all walls untouched”The residence will allow the creative mind to wander in solitude or in relation to others,” said Frama.
    “Albert seeks to explore silence and spaciousness and, at the same time, to experience a non-conforming living studio where focus, imagination, expressiveness and mindfulness are free flowing.”
    The apartment looks out at the estate’s cypress treesFrama is a multi-disciplinary brand that creates everything from homeware to furniture, lighting, scents and skincare, all the way up to entire interiors projects.
    Previously, the company has designed a Beirut concept store with limewashed surfaces and simple concrete fixtures, as well as a collection of fabrics made from biodegradable materials such as algae and terracotta.
    The photography is by Teodora Kaolchagova and Fredrik Aartun.

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    MK&G Hamburg presents optimistic visions for an uncertain future

    Inflatable “teahouses” and futuristic foods feature in Ask Me if I Believe in the Future, a conceptual exhibition at Museum für Kunst und Gewerbe Hamburg.

    Curated by Maria Cristina Didero, Ask Me if I Believe in the Future comprises a series of objects and installations based around topics that could shape the future of humanity.
    The exhibition features the work of New York-based Objects of Common Interest, Dutch designer Carolien Niebling, Italian duo Zaven and Israeli designer Erez Nevi Pana.
    Ask Me if I Believe in the Future features four design visions for the futureEach has used the thematic question as a starting point to explore their hopes and fears for a changing world, in the light of recent events that include climate change, the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine war.
    “Ask Me if I Believe in the Future is a project about optimism,” said Didero.

    “While the title of this exhibition might sound simple, we have probably all thought about it at least once in our lives without finding a precise answer,” she continued.
    “This exhibition contains a seed of hope, just like the word future itself; it is as much about the future as it is about us.”
    Objects of Common Interest highlights the changing nature of human interactionsThe show is staged across a series of rooms within MK&G Hamburg, with exhibition design by Okolo.
    Objects of Common Interest, led by Greek designers Eleni Petaloti and Leonidas Trampoukis, has created three inflatable sculptures that invite visitors to clamber inside.
    Called Teahouses of Domesticity, these tunnel-like spaces reflect on the changing nature of human interactions in the age of digital media.
    The installation consists of three large inflatables with different properties”The walk-in works were conceived in analogy to Japanese teahouses, where the traditional tea ceremony provides a moment of deceleration and meditation,” said Didero.
    Each inflatable has its own properties: one is wrapped in silver foil to shield the occupant from the outside world, one uses memory foam to briefly map movements, and the third creates space for two people to come together.
    Carolien Niebling proposes algae and seaweed as a future source of foodSwitzerland-based Carolien Niebling, who is best known for her Future Sausage research project, offers a look at food consumption in the future.
    On the grounds that mass-produced food has been a significant contributor to climate change, Niebling proposes a future where algae and seaweed become important sources of nutrition.
    The installation invites visitors to imagine these crops on their dinner platesHer installation, Future-Proof Plating, celebrates these high-yield but largely under-utilised crops through large-scale close-up imagery.
    The designer also suggests how they might one day end up on our dinner plates.

    Erez Nevi Pana designs banana-plant “cocoons” for humans to shelter from climate change

    “This project magnifies the beauty of edible (water) plants such as seaweed and wild leaves and reintroduces them back onto our plates,” said Niebling.
    “Taking food out of its original context allows us to look at it with new eyes and an open mind.”
    Zaven looks at objects that can transcend time, including a coat and vessels for foodZaven founders Enrica Cavarzan and Marco Zavagno have taken a more survivalist approach with their contribution, titled Why Not? Their aim was to pinpoint the “bare necessities” that will transcend time.
    Imagining a time of limited resources, the Venice-based duo have worked with local makers to craft a series of essential objects using only natural and locally available materials.
    The objects, which also include a chair, were made from locally sourced, natural materialsThese objects include a lamp, vessels for holding drinks and food, a coat and a chair.
    “The objects they created, including ceramics, lamps, clothing and chairs, may indeed prove to be essential even in a distant future,” said Didero.
    “The message: when it comes to essentials, our environment gives us everything we need to produce the bare necessities ourselves.”
    Erez Nevi Pana explores a future of multi-planetary lifestylesIn the final room, Nevi Pana – a vegan and passionate animal rights activist – imagines a future where humans are able to travel between different planets.
    His Homecoming installation includes a water basin that represents Earth as seen from above and a flag representing world unity. Pana hopes that a multi-planetary lifestyle would encourage us to take better care of our home planet.
    Ask Me if I Believe in the Future is on show at MK&G Hamburg”A multi-planet species sounds exciting to me, but this doesn’t mean that we should ignore the problems we face here,” he said.
    “I imagine our future on other planets, not as refugees, but as species that chose to cross boundaries and still have the ability to return home.”
    The photography is by Henning Rogge.
    Ask Me if I Believe in the Future is on show at MK&G Hamburg from 1 July to 23 October. See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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    Oak furniture and parquet flooring feature in Scandi-style Asket office

    Swedish studio Atelier Paul Vaugoyeau worked closely with fashion label Asket to design its minimalist office in Stockholm, which features oak wood tables, parquet floors and soft white furnishings.

    Atelier Paul Vaugoyeau has transformed a 450-square-metre space on a high street in Södermalm into an office and workshop for fashion retailer Asket.
    Asket has transformed an office space in StockholmThe single-story space, which is located within an 18th-century building, was previously occupied by two separate offices that had been divided up into several small rooms.
    The aim of the renovation project was to celebrate the character of the existing building and pay homage to its “industrial roots”.
    The designers referenced minimalist Scandi design”We wanted to ensure that the design honoured the building’s original industrial roots,” said co-founder of Asket August Bard-Bringeus.

    “The new headquarters is located in an old industrial building from the 18th century which is typical for the district of Södermalm – the former working-class quarter of Stockholm,” he told Dezeen.
    Large oak wood tables are dotted throughout to encourage collaborationBard-Bringeus decided to create a workspace where the fashion label’s employees could meet but also work on new designs for its clothing range.
    The renovated open-plan office consists of a meeting room, a small kitchenette and a designated workspace, which is stocked with tools such as sewing machines and materials to help them design and develop new garments.
    The office has a small kitchenetteIn an effort to embrace the building’s original features, the team chose to strip back the interiors, leaving the original parquet flooring and metal pipes exposed.
    “I’ve always been drawn to the functionalist design movement,” Bard-Bringeus explained. “The work of Dieter Rams was a formative influence – and especially his approach to involve as little design as possible. ”
    “So we followed this doctrine and stripped back the space, consisting of two offices with different identities, to its structural foundation.”
    Soft furnishings were chosen in muted tonesLarge tables custom made by Paul Vaugoyeau were installed in the middle of the main office space, as well as in the meeting rooms and dining area.
    Designed to promote collaboration, the tables are made from oak wood that was sourced in Nyköping – a municipality south of Stockholm.
    The studio hoped that the material, which is commonly used in Scandi interiors, would make the office feel timeless.

    Amos and Amos takes cues from Scandinavian design for AKQA’s new Gothenburg studio

    “What has proven to stand the test of time is the tactile beauty of natural materials,” said Bard-Bringeus.
    “We worked with a lot of wood which lends a natural warmth to the industrial features, balancing out the lustre from metallic fixtures,” he continued.
    “Instead of changing the given space, we worked with what was here and used natural, long living materials, such as metal and oak wood for a timeless design that will last and last.”
    Light enters through multiple generous windowsThe Asket office benefits from plenty of natural light through multiple large windows that provide generous views of the nearby Baltic Sea and the town.
    To amplify this and make the space appear larger, Bard-Bringeus and Atelier Paul Vaugoyeau cast the walls in muted tones such as brown and beige, while translucent cream curtains provide privacy in the two large working areas.
    Metallic tones contrast the warm wood furnitureScandi is a term used to describe designs from Denmark, Sweden and Norway – but has also become a buzzword for minimalist interior design that uses plays with tactile, natural materials.
    Other offices that exemplify Scandi design include Danish brand Menu’s showroom, office cafe and in Copenhagen, which was designed by Norm Architects and Norm Architects’ stripped-back workspace for Kinfolk magazine in Copenhagen.
    The photography is by Erik Lefvander.

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    Ten homes that use colour to turn stairs into statements

    A Swedish house with a stairway hidden behind a bookcase and an architect-revamped new build in the Netherlands feature in our latest lookbook of ten homes with colourful staircases that draw the eye.

    Adding a layer of paint makes it possible to turn even simple stairs into standout architectural features, rather than just functional ones. This is especially helpful in renovation projects, where larger structural changes would be considerably more time- and money-intensive.
    Below, we’ve curated ten examples of residential stairwells from across the colour spectrum, including a baby-blue storage unit that also incorporates stairs leading to a mezzanine and a sunshine-yellow spiral staircase made from gridded steel sheets.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing timber-clad bathrooms, light-filled glass extensions and exposed wooden floorboards.
    Photo is by Noortje KnulstMatryoshka House, Netherlands, by Shift Architecture Urbanism

    When Shift Architecture Urbanism split this derelict four-storey townhouse in Rotterdam into two modern apartments, the Dutch studio removed large sections of the upper floor in each flat to create imposing double-height living spaces.
    The bedrooms are housed on what remains of the upper floors and can be accessed via brightly coloured staircases – painted red in one apartment, electric-blue in the other. The stairs are set inside steel-clad volumes that also conceal a toilet, storage space and kitchen equipment.
    Find out more about Matryoshka House ›
    Photo is by Åke E:son LindmanFagerström House, Sweden, by Claesson Koivisto Rune
    This house in Sollentuna just north of Stockholm was designed by local practice Claesson Koivisto Rune to curve around a huge old oak tree.
    On the interior, the home’s curvature is mirrored by a staircase that is concealed behind a built-in bookcase and painted the same deep red colour as the timber cladding on the building’s exterior.
    Find out more about Fagerström House ›
    Photo is by José HeviaDuplex in Sant Gervasi, Spain, by Arquitectura-G
    Tasked with overhauling a dark, cramped duplex for a “nuclear family” in Barcelona, Spanish studio Arquitectura-G didn’t just knock through some walls but also finished most of the surfaces in bright sunshine-yellow in a bid to lighten up the interior.
    The colour was used for everything from the carpet to the bathroom tiles and the spiral staircase, which features risers made from gridded steel sheets to allow light to filter through the apartment.
    Find out more about Duplex in Sant Gervasi ›
    Photo is by Marcela GrassiLoft in Poblenou, Spain, by NeuronaLab
    Architecture studio NeuronaLab placed a huge baby-blue module at the centre of this compact loft in order to turn it from a bachelor pad into a home for a young family.
    Made from pressed recycled cellulose panels, the unit helps to separate the open floorplan into separate zones and provides extra storage, while also incorporating a staircase that leads up to a newly-created mezzanine.
    Find out more about Loft in Poblenou ›
    Photo is by Andrew MeredithWhite Rabbit House, UK, by Gundry & Ducker
    A sweeping triple-height staircase curves around into a cantilever at the heart of this renovated 1970s house in London by architecture firm Gundry & Ducker.
    Its contrasting material palette is tied together with different shades of green, ranging from pistachio-coloured walls to racing-green railings and teal-speckled terrazzo steps.
    Find out more about White Rabbit House ›
    Photo is by Matthijs van der BurgtRiverside Tower apartment, Belgium, by Studio Okami Architecten
    Studio Okami Architecten stripped away all the surface coverings inside this apartment in Antwerp’s brutalist Riverside Tower in order to highlight its original concrete structure.
    This rough backdrop is contrasted against a collection of vibrant artworks, alongside peachy resin floors and a sky-blue spiral staircase, which was welded and painted in place due to the limited size of the tower’s circulation areas.
    Find out more about Riverside Tower apartment ›
    Photo is by Joe FletcherCut Out House, USA, by Fougeron Architecture
    Various cut-outs were made in the floor slabs of this century-old Victorian house in San Francisco to create a series of voids that usher in natural light.
    One of these voids is filled with a neon orange staircase, complete with a perforated-metal rail that folds in and out to mimic the shape of the home’s new canted glass facade.
    Find out more about Cut Out House ›
    Photo is by French + TyeMo-tel House, UK, by Office S&M
    London studio Office S&M reimagined the traditional narrow staircase of this Georgian townhouse using a toy box palette of pale pink, butter yellow and bright red.
    Storage is integrated into the spandrel in keeping with the rest of the renovation, which also saw a huge freestanding seating nook with built-in cupboards installed in the kitchen.
    Find out more about Mo-tel House ›
    Photo is by Rubén Dario KleimeerWorkhome-Playhome, Netherlands, by Lagado Architects
    When Victor Verhagen and Maria Vasiloglou of Dutch studio Lagado Architects sought to give their own home in a cookie-cutter new build a more “outspoken character”, they turned the central staircase into a key focal point.
    Instead of altering its structure, the duo simply painted the existing steps in cornflower blue and added a sculptural balustrade punctuated with triangular cut-outs that reveal glimpses of different rooms.
    Find out more about Workhome-Playhome ›
    Photo is by Juan SolanoCasa Blanca, Peru, by Martin Dulanto
    A curving concrete staircase finished in fluorescent orange is the only pop of colour inside this otherwise minimalist, neutral-toned home in Lima.
    “It is very plastic and playful,” architect Martin Dulanto told Dezeen. “As a powerful personality element, you either love it or hate it.”
    Find out more about Casa Blanca ›
    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 timber-clad bathrooms, light-filled glass extensions and exposed wooden floorboards.

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    Unusual colour combinations make up Durat showroom in Helsinki

    Finnish interior designer Linda Bergroth has brought together unexpected colour combinations for the Durat showroom in Helsinki, which is filled with the manufacturer’s terrazzo-like surface material made from plastic waste.

    The showroom occupies around 100 square metres of space in central Helsinki on the site of a former coffee shop.
    Durat’s showroom shows off the brand’s surfacing material across multiple displaysDurat’s speckled surface material can be used in sheets or moulded into basically any shape, so the company wanted a showroom that would convey a sense of endless possibilities.
    To this end, Bergroth made almost everything in the store out of Durat surfacing, including three display areas, a wall of colourful samples and a central kitchen-style island.
    Interior designer Linda Bergroth combined unusual coloursThe display areas were designed to show off the material’s different thicknesses, joints and mounts while using a broad selection from the brand’s range of more than 1,000 colours.

    One display features different washbasins, either integrated into a countertop or mounted on top. This area combines tones of turquoise, salmon pink and mustard with a white worktop that looks as if it was topped with a scattering of rainbow sprinkles.
    The displays showcase some of Durat’s different shapes, joints and thicknessesAnother display features a freestanding orange soaking tub set against an apple-green wall. Two shelves line the walls, holding more colourful material samples cut into contrasting shapes to invite play.
    “The showroom is mostly serving architects and designers,” Bergroth told Dezeen. “So it was easy for me to relate to the needs of the customer, who wants to understand the anatomy and possibilities of the material.”
    Material samples are displayed on floating shelves”Many of the decisions were made to communicate these possibilities and not define how someone’s compositions should look,” she continued. “Untypical colour combinations and mismatched patterns are also a way of freeing the user to find new ways of thinking.”
    Bergroth finished the showroom with minimal furnishings and fittings, including matt white Vola faucets she describes as resembling “immaterial cut-outs in the heavily patterned surfaces”.

    Cover Story plastic-free paint shop encourages visitors to play with colour

    There is also a storage room and a private office area, both concealed behind doors that blend into the display areas.
    The shopfront features big windows in two directions, which Bergroth and Durat used to their advantage by creating a design that could be experienced from the street as much as from the inside.
    An office and storage area are hidden behind doors in the displays”The layout is designed in a way so it can be well explored from the street, also outside office hours,” said Bergroth. “This brings a nice brand visibility and brightens up the neighbourhood during the dark months.”
    Durat surfacing is made from 30 per cent post-industrial plastics and is fully recyclable. The company aims to create a closed-loop material cycle where all Durat surfaces are repurchased at the end of their life and turned into new products.
    Durat surfacing can also be used to form furniture piecesBergroth also worked with the material in some of her previous projects, including the pop-up Zero Waste Bistro she designed for the WantedDesign Manhattan fair.
    Other projects by the interior designer include another Helsinki shop interior for the brand Cover Story, which makes plastic-free paint.

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