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    Pirajean Lees and Olly Bengough design “timeless” interiors for House of Koko members' club

    Low-lit bathrooms informed by dressing rooms and a stage-kitchen-like restaurant feature in a members’ club at iconic music venue Koko, which pays homage to its theatrical past. 

    Local studio Pirajean Lees and owner and creative director of Koko Olly Bengough collaborated to create a members’ club within the London venue, which has been renovated over the past three years.
    Top: soft furnishings in Ellen’s bar control its acoustics. Above: Modular furniture that is easy to move features throughout the clubNamed The House of Koko, the members’ club consists of numerous bars, dining areas, lounges and a speakeasy arranged over several floors in a space alongside the public areas of the venue.
    The members’ club is directly connected to the refurbished 122-year-old, Grade II-listed theatre, which was renovated by architecture firm Archer Humphryes Architects.
    “The heart of the whole project is the theatre,” Bengough told Dezeen.

    A 1970s-style private dining room sits close to the main theatrePirajean Lees and Bengough took cues from Koko’s history as a music venue when designing the members’ club interiors, which intend to playfully reflect how traditional theatres used to run.
    On the first floor, The Battens Bar is a cocktail lounge that features a central banquette with punk-era red leather trim and a ceiling canopy crafted from cloth by Richmond Design Inc that has previously only been used to make speakers.
    Next to this space, there is a minimalist restaurant featuring Japandi interiors and an open-plan kitchen and dining area that was informed by the simplicity and community of old stage kitchens.
    Vinyl-listening, train-like booths create a sense of intimacyAnother bar is Ellen’s – an intimate 1940s-style speakeasy named after actor Ellen Terry, who opened Koko when it officially started as The Camden Theatre in 1900.
    The space is defined by soft furnishings that control its acoustics and a one-of-a-kind carpet with quirky illustrations of cigarettes.
    A bespoke bar in the penthouse by Pirajean LeesA private dining room with a geometric glass chandelier has panelled walls that hint at the main theatre located next to it, while dedicated vinyl-listening rooms with under-seat record storage give occupants the feeling of being in a vintage train carriage.
    “Because we inherited such a rich history of Koko, I don’t think anything contemporary or very modern would’ve allowed everything to carry on as if it had never closed and as if we had always been here,” explained Pirajean Lees co-founder Clémence Pirajean.
    The rooftop restaurant includes a funnel-like fireplaceAlso included in the members’ club is a piano room and library that are designed in the same eclectic material palette as the rest of its spaces.
    There is also a penthouse with a recording studio and a lounge with numerous hidden microphones to allow artists to record music all over the room.
    An airy roof terrace and restaurant lead to The House of Koko’s final space, an attic-like bar hidden in the venue’s famous dome, which was restored after a fire in 2020 destroyed it and extended Koko’s closure.

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    Deep olive doors informed by those that were located backstage throughout Koko in the 1920s run through the entire building and feature bespoke handles designed by Pirajean Lees.
    Bathrooms with illuminated, angular mirrors intend to give visitors the feeling of getting ready for a performance backstage in a hair and make-up room.
    Wooden joinery in various rooms also intends to reference the main theatre’s fly tower, which is a 360-degree stage and shaft formerly used to store props and scenery that was discovered during Koko’s renovation.
    A curved staircase leads to the dome bar”The thinking was let’s really go back to the past and get the past right, which sets you up to do the future in quite an interesting way,” said Bengough, describing the designers’ process.
    “Because if you make it beautiful, and timeless, and classic and all connected, then you’re like, wow, part two is as interesting and as beautiful as part one,” added Pirajean Lees co-founder James Michael Lees.
    The dome features an attic-like bar with views of the rooftop restaurantAs well as the members’ club, Pirajean Lees and Bengough also designed the interiors for two public spaces at the music venue.
    These are Cafe Koko, a pizzeria featuring a bar that doubles as a small stage for live performances and a shop selling Koko merchandise.
    Koko will officially reopen to the public on 30 April, with live streaming capabilities installed throughout the venue so that artists can reach audiences all over the world.
    Previously, Pirajean Lees also created the interiors for a jazz-age-style restaurant in a converted Dubai nightclub.
    The images are courtesy of Pirajean Lees and Olly Bengough. 

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    Meta to open first physical retail shop for virtual reality products

    Social media brand Meta, formerly the Facebook Company, is opening its first permanent Meta Store for customers to purchase its virtual reality products as a “gateway to the metaverse”.

    The 1,550-square-foot shop will open on 9 May in Burlingame, California, near the company’s Reality Labs campus – a research and development hub for virtual reality products.
    Meta Store is the social media company’s first physical storeHead of Meta Store Martin Gilliard said that the shop will demonstrate how the brand’s products are a “gateway” to the metaverse” – a parallel virtual world where people operate as avatars.
    “The Meta Store is going to help people make that connection to how our products can be the gateway to the metaverse in the future,” he said.
    It is located in California close to the company’s Reality Labs campusIn the shop, which will be open Monday to Friday, customers will be able to try out and play games on Oculus Quest 2, an updated version of the virtual reality headset Oculus Go, in a dedicated demo area.

    A large, floor-to-ceiling LED screen will project what is being seen in the headset.
    Meta’s video-calling device Portal will be displayed on backlit wooden shelves on the main shop floor. Customers will be able to try out Portal in another demo area, as well as place video calls to retail associates to see the gadget in action.
    Customers will be able to try virtual reality productsA separate cubicle with glass walls is reserved for Meta’s selection of Ray-Ban Stories, smart glasses that allow wearers to record videos via in-built 5MP cameras. Visitors will be able to try a range of style, colour and lens variations.
    Unlike the other products in Meta Store, the glasses will not be available to purchase in-store. Customers will have to order them directly from sunglass retailer Ray Ban’s website.

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    Other accessories such as headphones, earphones and charging cables will also be on show and available to purchase in the store.
    “We’re not selling the metaverse in our store, but hopefully people will come in and walk out knowing a little bit more about how our products will help connect them to it,” explained Gilliard.
    “Once people experience the technology, they can gain a better appreciation for it.”
    The store will house virtual reality headsets, smart glasses and Meta’s video calling deviceMeta’s first physical store represents the company’s move further into what it calls a “social metaverse company” and away from its origins as a social media company. Last year the brand changed its name from Facebook to Meta.
    Gilliard also said that the Burlingame store marks Meta’s expansion further into the retail sphere.
    “Having the store here in Burlingame gives us more opportunity to experiment and keep the customer experience core to our development,” said Gilliard. “What we learn here will help define our future retail strategy.”
    The minimalist store displays products on wooden shelvingA number of brands are working on real-life and metaverse cross-over products, such as shoe brand Giuseppe Zanotti, which has released a digital edition of its Cobras trainers in the metaverse.
    Design studio Layer recently unveiled a pair of smart glasses for tech company Viture that lets the user play games or stream media via a virtual screen.
    Photos are courtesy of Meta.

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    Space Caviar creates “liquid landscape” inside Uzbekistan pavilion at Venice Art Biennale

    Italian studio Space Caviar has constructed Dixit Algorizmi: The Garden of Knowledge, an indoor garden with reflective steel steps for the Uzbekistan pavilion at this year’s Venice Art Biennale.

    The installation at the Uzbekistan National Pavilion mirrors the interiors of the Quarta Tesa, an old shipbuilding warehouse at the Arsenale – one of the international contemporary art exhibition’s two main sites.
    Dixit Algorizmi: The Garden of Knowledge is the country’s first pavilion at the Venice Art BiennaleThe layout of the 500-square-metre garden is informed by the garden at the House of Wisdom, an academic centre in 9th-century Baghdad where medieval scholars, including the renowned Persian mathematician Muhammad al-Khwarizmi, studied.
    Visitors at the 59th Venice Art Biennale can walk across the shiny floor of the installation and sit on glossy steps around what resemble traditional water basins.
    Space Caviar drew on the forms of historic Islamic gardens”Gardens are very important in the tradition of Islam and the Arabic tradition in many parts of Central Asia,” said Joseph Grima, co-founder of architectural research studio Space Caviar.

    “While today we’re accustomed to thinking of buildings and enclosed spaces such as research labs and universities as the space for the production of knowledge, in the days of al-Khwarizmi, gardens were typically the points of encounters, of discussion,” Grima told Dezeen.
    The pavilion is inside the Venice ArsenaleSpace Caviar constructed the interiors of Uzbekistan’s first pavilion at the Biennale in Venice from pine wood and sheets of stainless steel, which Grima chose to create the illusion of water.
    The material choice also means that when the installation is dismantled at the end of the seven-month-long Biennale, the steel can be melted and turned back into metal sheets once again.
    Stainless steel covers the floor”Stainless steel was chosen to create the effect of walking on water — one of the perceptions that you have when you are inside the pavilion is that you are in a liquid landscape,” Grima explained.
    “This was one of the effects that we wanted to achieve with the pavilion, we wanted to create a landscape that was kind of a miracle, that suggested a dream more than a literal garden,” he added.
    “We see it as a technologically augmented landscape in that sense.”

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    Throughout the Venice Art Biennale, the Uzbekistan pavilion will host a program of workshops and public events on the history of technological development in art with digital artists such as Andrés Reisinger.
    Visitors will also be able to listen to Uzbek piano compositions against a backdrop of floral sculptures and hanging clouds of sea lavender by Berlin-based Studio Mary Lennox.
    The steel will be melted into sheets and reused when the pavilion is dismantled”We tried to transform our pavilion into an Islamic garden so that visitors could sit by the water, listen to various sounds, smell the air and enjoy the botanic installation,” said Gayane Umerova, executive director of the art and culture development foundation under the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Uzbekistan.
    “The Islamic garden is a place of rest and reflection par excellence, it provides means for contemplation through sensory experience – aromas, plants, water,” she told Dezeen.
    “Undulating waters and ambiguous lines together with plants and smooth surfaces offer a meditative yet contemporary attitude to the interior of the pavilion, bringing together traditions and new technologies,” she continued.
    Bunches of sea lavender hang from the ceilingGenoa-based Space Caviar was founded by Joseph Grima and Tamar Shafrir in 2013. The studio focuses on the intersection between design, technology, critical theory and the public space.
    Previous projects have included an algorithmic journalism machine that produces magazines on the fly and an exhibition at Biennale Interieur that explored how perspectives on the home have changed over time.
    Last year Grima took part in the Dezeen 15 virtual festival, where he proposed a new type of non-extractive architecture that conserves the earth’s resources.
    Photography is by Gerda Studio.
    Project credits:Curation: Space Caviar and Sheida GhomashchiCommissioner: Gayane Umerova
    Venice Art Biennale takes place from April 23 to November 27 in Venice. See Dezeen Events Guide for up-to-date details of architecture and design events around the world.

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    Concrete dominates INC Architecture & Design's offices in NYC

    The offices of INC Architecture & Design in New York City’s SoHo are filled with eclectic furniture and plants that contrast the primarily concrete interiors.

    INC, founded by architects Adam Rolston, Gabe Benroth and Drew Stuart, moved to a 1930s building on Varick Street after scaling up from its previous location on 19th Street.
    INC’s offices are located in a 1930s building on Varick StreetThe new space is dominated by concrete, which forms the walls, floors, ceilings, and nine mushroom columns that form square bays across the plan.
    “The space was peeled back to its essential architectural shell,” said the studio, which sandblasted the concrete to a raw finish.
    A grand marble-topped desk greets visitors upon arrivalMeanwhile, the flooring was polished to a soft sheen, to reflect the light pouring in from large windows along the west facade.

    Collaborative work areas are arranged along these windows. They range from a long communal table to informal lounges comprising an eclectic mix of vintage furniture.
    The studio stripped back the space to its concrete bones”The furnishings are decidedly residential in character and include antiques, custom upholstery, custom casegoods, custom raw silk rugs, polychrome raw leather, polished stainless steel, solid ash and polychrome marbles,” the team said.
    Upon entering the offices, a grand marble-topped desk supported on two polished-chrome cylinders is positioned in front of a dark green wall.
    Desks are lined up through the centre of the officeTo the right are conference rooms, divided by partition walls painted pale pink and lined with acoustic panels.
    A circular aperture provides a view from one meeting to a communal lounge on the other side.

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    “Simple secondary architectural elements were developed to provide for the more private functional requirements of the studio, and to define spatial subdivisions which break down the space but that maintain the open studio format so critical to our way of working together,” INC said.
    Wooden desks are lined up in rows through the centre of the office, running from the collaborative areas to an expansive material bank on the opposite side.
    An expansive material bank is displayed towards the back of the spacePlants are used abundantly throughout the space, adding life and offering a contrast to the grey and brown tones.
    “Our space is filled with greenery, collected materials, prototypes, objects and details drawn from our projects, our wanderings and our passions,” said the INC team.
    Polished concrete floors reflect the light entering from large windowsOther offices of architecture firms in NYC include BIG’s bright space in Dumbo, while we rounded up 10 self-designed studios by architects and designers in a recent lookbook.
    The photography is by Eric Laignel.

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    Studio McW carves up “post-lockdown” London home extension with darkened oak joinery

    Umber-coloured oak joinery divides the interior of this end-of-terrace home in London’s Willesden Green, which has been extended and refurbished by local architecture firm Studio McW.

    The two-storey Aperture House now features an additional pitched-roofed volume at its rear, that can be accessed via the main home or a second, less formal entrance set at the side of the property alongside a small planted courtyard.
    A darkened oak cabinet sits under Aperture House’s pitched roofThe residence’s owners, a journalist and a psychiatrist, worked from home throughout the coronavirus lockdowns of 2020 and grew to dislike using their kitchen, which was visually cut off from the rest of the house and the outdoors.
    They tasked Clerkenwell-based Studio McW with establishing a more versatile “post-lockdown” extension that can be used for cooking, dining, working and entertaining.
    The cabinet transitions into low-lying cupboards in the kitchenStudio McW’s approach sought to find a middle ground between a more sequestered layout and a vast, open-plan space, which can often feel impersonal according to the firm’s director Greg Walton.

    “I think lockdown has certainly compounded the failures of modern open-plan living,” he told Dezeen.
    “Open-plan layouts offer little privacy and occupants can feel a bit lost in the room. Residential architecture needs to work harder to meet new demands.”
    Walls throughout the extension are finished in plasterIn the case of Aperture House, this is achieved using blocks of dark-stained oak joinery. The largest is a cabinet, which is nestled beneath the eaves of the roof and acts as a divider between the external entryway and a small dining room.
    At its centre is a rectangular opening that offers a place to perch and remove shoes on one side, while in the dining area it acts as a reading nook and an additional seat when hosting larger gatherings.
    “By using joinery to break up the spatial layout you have the opportunity to create, in the same room, separate spaces to eat, cook, welcome visitors and relax whilst still maintaining a form of connection,” Walton said.
    In front of the kitchen there is space for a lounge areaThe cabinet transitions into a low-lying oak cupboard in the kitchen, which allows residents to rustle up meals while keeping the garden, guests and each other in sight.
    To the side of the kitchen is a series of taller oak cabinets, interrupted by another nook where small appliances like the kettle and toaster can be tucked away to keep the counters free of clutter.
    Just in front of the kitchen, Studio McW made space for a lounge area where the owners can retreat to work or relax during the day.
    Another opening in the joinery provides room for small appliancesRather than installing glass doors all the way along the home’s rear facade, Studio McW opted to front the extension with a pivoting glazed panel.
    “I think the ubiquitous sliding or bifold doors across the rear of a London terrace are becoming an unromantic ideal,” Walton explained. “They don’t offer places for respite and repose, there is no shadow or play of light.”
    “In this house, openings in the new extension are set back within deep, angled brick thresholds, which are designed to focus views and draw in light at specific times of the day.”
    The extension is fronted by a pivoting glass doorAnother example of this is the off-centre skylight that punctuates the extension’s roof and casts shafts of light into the plaster-washed interior.
    “Just like in photography, the apertures in a property affect focus and exposure,” Walton said.
    “Often, the act of bringing light into a home is interpreted as putting in as many windows as possible. But in doing so you create all the characteristics of an overexposed photograph.”
    The door is set within an angled brick recessA growing number of homes are starting to reflect the effects that the coronavirus pandemic has had on people’s lifestyles.
    Earlier this year, the co-founders of Studiotwentysix added a plywood-lined loft extension to their own family home in Brighton to make room for more work and rest areas. With a similar aim, Best Practice Architecture recently converted the shed of a Seattle property into a home office and fitness room.
    The photography is by Lorenzo Zandri. 

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    Ten residential interiors illuminated by statement skylights

    A New York townhouse with elliptical openings features in our latest lookbook, which collects 10 residential projects brightened up by skylights.

    A skylight is a window placed on a roof, which is generally positioned at an angle so that natural light from the sky can illuminate the interior space below it.
    Architects and designers often use skylights in their projects as an alternative to traditional windows, whether it is for the purpose of giving a building a greater sense of privacy or simply as a decorative source of light.
    A similar effect can be reached by installing clerestory windows, which are windows that sit very high up on walls.
    From a weekend retreat in Norway to an Australian island home, we have collected 10 residential interiors with striking skylights.

    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing compact bedrooms, innovative room dividers and self-designed studios by architects and designers.
    Photo is by Michael MoranOculi House, USA, by O’Neill Rose Architects
    Local office O’Neill Rose Architects transformed this New York City brownstone, which was previously characterised by dark interior spaces, using two elliptical skylights.
    The curved openings were carved out of the property’s white plaster ceiling, while rectilinear glass doors also contribute to the home’s airy atmosphere.
    Called Oculi House, the project was shortlisted for a 2019 Dezeen Award in the house interior of the year category.
    Find out more about Oculi House ›
    Photo is by Einar AslaksenWeekend House Fredrikstad, Norway, by Line Solgaard
    The pyramid-shaped skylight that tops this coastal holiday home illuminates its interior spaces, including an oak-lined dining room with vast windows that look towards the sea.
    Norweigan studio Line Solgaard added darker cabinets and flooring to the kitchen, which contrast with the shafts of natural light that flood the space and create dramatic shadows.
    Find out more about Weekend House Fredrikstad ›
    Photo is by Peter ClarkeCasa X, Australia, by Branch Studio Architects
    A mid-century armchair and rounded Muuto coffee tables sit beneath clerestory windows at Casa X, a home on Australia’s Phillip Island by Branch Studio Architects that also has a number of large skylights.
    “Three ‘pop-up’ high-level windows or light-catchers allow northern light to penetrate deep into the house throughout the day,” explained the studio.
    Find out more about Casa X ›
    Photo is courtesy of Fala AtelierHouse in Lisbon by Fala Atelier
    Porto architecture firm Fala Atelier converted a windowless garage in Lisbon into a bright living space that was opened up by placing skylights on the roof and painting the walls white.
    Pops of colour brighten up the spacious interior. In the kitchen area, a teal-hued, funnel-shaped extractor fan is suspended above a long marble counter.
    Find out more about this Lisbon home ›
    Photo is courtesy of Yoshihara McKeePhotographer’s Loft, USA, by Yoshihara McKee
    Natural light enters this Chelsea apartment via an angled skylight that illuminates the dwelling, which is located on the ground floor despite its name, Photographer’s Loft.
    Architecture studio Yoshihara McKee removed the apartment’s existing full-height partitions in order to make the most of the skylight, which frames sculptural furniture in neutral shades.
    Find out more about Photographer’s Loft ›
    Photo is by James FlorioADU, USA, by Tres Birds Workshop
    Architecture firm Tres Birds Workshop created an operable skylight from dichroic glass in this accessory dwelling unit (ADU), which is located in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains.
    The multicoloured glass was added to the building’s triangular timber roof in a position that means that light is cast all over the interior spaces.
    “As the angle of the sun changes throughout the day and season, so do the visual effects within the living space, creating a vibrant show of coloured light throughout,” explained Tres Birds.
    Find out more about this ADU ›
    Photo is by Aryeh KornfeldMogro House, Chile, by Rodolfo Cañas
    Morgo House in Santiago features a protruding stainless steel volume with an oversized skylight that gave the property its nickname, Skylight House.
    Chilean architect Rodolfo Cañas also inserted a floating metal staircase into the volume, which leads to the roof. Monochrome furniture was chosen to mirror the palette of steel and exposed concrete used throughout the house.
    Find out more about Mogro House ›
    Photo is by Katsuya TairaHouse with a Light Void, Japan, by FujiwaraMuro Architects
    Privacy is achieved in this home in Japan by FujiwaraMuro Architects through a series of geometric skylights that replace traditional windows.
    Each of these openings is arranged above five cement-clad volumes that are positioned within the minimal project, which is aptly named House with a Light Void.
    Find out more about House with a Light Void ›
    Photo is by José CamposCasa Boavista, Portugal, by Pablo Pita Architects
    Casa Boavista is a Porto townhouse located on a busy street, which was renovated to include skylights on multiple levels to afford the property a sense of privacy.
    Pablo Pita Architects added an extension to the back of the house as well as a new storey on top of it, while a trio of skylights illuminate the neutral interiors in three different places.
    Find out more about Casa Boavista ›
    Photo is by Andy StaggHouse in London by R2 Studio
    A bold colour palette takes centre stage in every room of this Victorian London home that was livened up by local practice R2 Studio.
    Central to the renovation is one of two feature staircases, which has a bright orange hue accentuated by a skylight that adds warmth to the already colourful interiors.
    Find out more about this London home ›
    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 basement conversions, co-working spaces and residential interiors with plaster walls.

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    Daytrip transforms east London terrace house into understated apartments

    Design studio Daytrip has taken a less-is-more approach to the renovation and extension of this Victorian terrace house in London’s Clapton, which is now home to three separate apartments.

    The 250-square-metre Reighton Road development was designed as a “minimalist sanctuary” that could act as a blank canvas for residents’ belongings.
    A two-bedroom flat takes over Reighton Road’s ground floor and two basement levels (top and above)”A good home should be flexible and speak of its owners,” explained Hackney-based Daytrip. “The ability to cultivate and populate it over time with art, objects and personal items makes the home unique.”
    The largest of the flats has two bedrooms and takes over the building’s ground floor as well as two new subterranean levels, which are illuminated by a number of lightwells.
    Another apartment is self-contained on the building’s first floor and a third occupies the second floor and a new loft extension.

    Walls in the apartment’s kitchen are finished with tadelakt plasterIn the bottom apartment, the first basement floor accommodates a pair of spacious bedrooms, both of which were finished with poured concrete floors.
    Below that, the second subterranean level is meant to serve as a versatile studio-like space, where the residents can do home workouts or indulge in artsy hobbies.
    The kitchen’s rear wall is finished with grey bricksThe ground floor houses the apartment’s main living spaces including a new kitchen suite with handleless alabaster-white cabinetry.
    Save for a grey brick wall at the rear of the room, surfaces were washed with creamy tadelakt – a traditional lime-based plaster from Morocco.
    “It’s a purposely minimal and subdued kitchen, reserving the chaos to the cooking,” the studio said.
    The living room features white-oiled oak flooring and restored cornicingAt the front of the kitchen are wide glass doors that can be slid back to access the garden.
    London-based landscape design studio Tyler Goldfinch was brought in to give the paved outdoor space a wild, textured look using tiered planters overspilling with different types of grasses.
    There is also a silver birch tree surrounded by a circular bed of pebbles.

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    Unlike the rest of the apartment, the living room was finished with white-oiled oak flooring while the ceiling’s original cornicing was restored. These same features also appear throughout the other two apartments on the upper floors.
    To create a sense of cohesion, all three flats were styled by East London galleries Beton Brut and Modern Art Hire, which carefully curated a mix of Italian and Japanese furnishings for the development.
    The other apartments on the upper floors also feature white-oiled oak flooringMany of the pieces were crafted from velvet, boucle or raw timber, bringing a sense of warmth and tactility to the interiors.
    With this aim, all of the bathrooms were also finished with tadelakt walls and limestone floors.
    All furnishings were selected by Beton Brut and Modern Art HireThis is the second residential project in Clapton from Daytrip founders Iwan Halstead and Emily Potter.
    In 2020, the duo overhauled a five-storey townhouse in the east London district by turning its dated 1970s-style rooms into serene white-washed living spaces.
    The photography is by Jake Curtis.

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    Home Studios' Laurel Brasserie and Bar brings European dining to Salt Lake City

    This bar and restaurant in Salt Lake City is designed by Brooklyn-based Home Studios as an updated, American take on the brasseries of Europe.

    The Laurel Brasserie and Bar opened in February 2022 inside The Grand America Hotel, a palatial building on South Main Street in the heart of downtown Salt Lake City.
    Laurel Brasserie and Bar is designed as an American take on European brasseriesThe hotel was built in 2001 with interiors based on classic European styles. Home Studios retained these influences for the brasserie, but with a contemporary spin to create bright and colourful spaces for casual family-style dining.
    “The menu is fueled by the client’s love for European food, culture and design, filtered through a decidedly American sensibility,” said Home Studios founder Oliver Haslegrave.
    The main dining room features cherry-red leather banquettes”So we sought out to create that environment and treat it like an extension of the client’s home, where a collection of European heirlooms and treasures have been passed down from generation to generation,” he added.

    The establishment is split into several rooms, each of which has a distinct design and colour scheme.
    An adjoining patisserie, Bonne Vie, serves to-go treats from a pastel-toned spaceFor grab-and-go coffee and pastries, Bonne Vie features duck-egg-blue millwork, a checkerboard marble floor, and crushed velvet chairs in pastel tones.
    Opal globe lights mounted on brass fixtures continue from the patisserie into the main dining room, where cherry-red leather covers banquette seating that forms a strip down the centre.
    The bar faces both the restaurant and a separate area for cocktailsA symmetrical procession of columns with chamfered corners are wrapped in reclaimed tile and connect with sculptural ceiling beams.
    The wood-panelled bar faces both the restaurant and an adjacent seating area for enjoying cocktails, surrounded by tall arched windows framed with green marble.
    Marble frames the large windows of The Grand America Hotel, in which Laurel is located”Laurel is grounded in the present but full of history — and thoroughly unique,” Haslegrave said.
    “We incorporated a wealth of materials to elicit an upscale brasserie with approachable warmth.”

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    An additional dining space is decorated in a spectrum of blue hues. A bold floral-patterned carpet and illustrated wall coverings are joined by velvet chairs and walnut-topped tables.
    This room also features a green blown-glass chandelier and olive trees placed between the windows.
    Reclaimed tiles, wood panelling, and opal and brass lighting all add to the contemporary flairAntiques and vintage pieces are also scattered through the interiors, overall creating a “transportive guest experience that feels right at home within the context of the Grand America Hotel”.
    “We sought to create a distinctly modern and American spin on the classic all-day brasserie, built to delight and inspire locals and tourists alike,” said Haslegrave, who set up Home Studios in 2009.
    Another dining space is decorated in blue, including illustrated wall coverings and a floral-patterned carpetThe firm has a growing portfolio of hospitality projects across the US, with recent additions including the Alsace LA hotel with Mediterranean influences and The Harvey House restaurant in a Wisconsin train station.
    The photography is by Brian W Ferry.

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