Markus Andrews

More stories

  • 113 Shares99 Views

    Studio Venturoni warms up Rome apartment with earthy hues

    Bands of terracotta and sand-coloured paint wrap around the walls of Trevi House, a one-bed apartment in Rome that’s been overhauled by Studio Venturoni.The apartment is situated at the heart of the Italian capital, just a stone’s throw away from the famous Trevi fountain.

    Its interior had previously been dominated by heavy masonry partitions that were splitting up the sizeable 80-square-metre floor plan into several small, cramped rooms.

    Custom wooden cabinets and bookshelves accumulated by the owner were also blocking natural light from coming in.

    Tasked with creating a greater sense of space inside the apartment, Milan-based Studio Venturoni decided to knock through all of the existing partitions.
    This more open floor plan has allowed room for a central dining area. Surrounding walls here feature wide bands of terracotta and sandy-beige paint, two earthy hues which the studio felt were synonymous with Rome.

    Studio Strato creates cosy reading den in renovated Rome apartment

    Studio Venturoni also hoped that the horizontal bands of colour would make the room appear wider.

    Terracotta and orange surfaces appear again in the adjacent living area, which has been dressed with a lengthy grey sofa that slightly rises up on one end like a chaise lounge.
    This piece was specifically selected for its slight resemblance to a triclinium: a type of seat that would appear in the formal dining rooms of affluent Roman homes, composed of three adjoining chaise lounges on which residents would recline while being attended to by servants.

    Other striking furnishings – like Fabio Novembre’s face-shaped Nemo armchair – have been included to match the “monumental feel” of the apartment’s grandiose mahogany doors and wooden ceilings, which the studio decided to preserve during the renovation works.
    “My career has allowed me to understand the importance of detail: everything must be in the right place and we should not be afraid to express bold concepts, even in a domestic setting,” the studio’s founder, Francesca Venturoni explained.

    Burnt-orange tiles have been used to line the floor and the lower half of the walls in the kitchen, which was given a complete re-fit with jet-black cabinetry.
    A curved black counter has also been installed directly beside the kitchen’s window, so that inhabitants can overlook the bustling tourist crowds or listen to the sound of the waters from the Trevi fountain while enjoying breakfast.

    Cooler tones appear in the apartment’s bathrooms, where surfaces have been lined with grey-flecked stone tiles.
    The bedroom also features a blue headboard and curtains, tempered by rich, mustard-coloured dress cushions and brass lighting fixtures.

    Other homes in the historic city of Rome include a cosy apartment by Studio Strato, which has its own reading nook and an industrial-feel flat by architect Alessandro Tomei that boasts exposed concrete surfaces and iron-framed glass partitions.
    Photography is by Michele Bonechi.

    Read more: More

  • 100 Shares199 Views

    SuperLimão converts warehouse into colourful SouSmile dental office

    A rounded polycarbonate-clad pink volume forms a consultation room in a dental office and laboratory in São Paulo designed by local firm SuperLimão.SouSmile is a dental health treatment centre in Pinheiros, a district on the west side of São Paulo, that manufactures dental appliances, such as clear aligners and teeth whitening technologies.

    It is located in a warehouse building with tall ceilings that SuperLimão has converted into office space, a clinical room and a manufacturing lab.

    For the design the local firm focused on SouSmile’s key messages of “efficiency, transparency, joy, self-esteem and care” and used hues of bright pink and light blue to match its colourful branding.

    “Brand attributes were integrated to the architecture to convey SouSmile key messages, such as efficiency, transparency, joy, self-esteem and care,” the studio said. “The brand’s colour palette was also considered to be used in the project.”

    On the exterior of the office the brick facade has been painted white with several bricks painted pink and blue to tie in with the brand’s marketing. A large awning with a foldable garage door is located at the front of the building along with a small patio area for employees and patrons.

    The main intervention to the 500-square-metre building is a rounded volume that creates the consultation room and laboratories on the ground floor, and lounges and meeting rooms on the upper level that overlook the floor below.

    Pink-painted metal framing is covered with translucent polycarbonate panelling to form the structure, which is furnished with a dental chair, equipment and a sink counter for clinical use.
    The bright colour is also used on the staircase that leads to the upper level and to frame the windows on the manufacturing lab and meeting rooms.

    The fabrication lab situated alongside the stairs is filled with machinery and shelves for testing and engineering the dental appliances. It is outfitted with mechanics and ventilation duct work to ensure proper air exhaustion during the manufacturing process.
    At the front of the office a break area offers staff a comfortable space to relax with a kitchen area furnished with two stone counters for enjoying and preparing meals.

    Pink pendant light fixtures and a set of shelves for storing glassware and decorative plants hang from the ceiling in the space.
    Large wood tables form shared workspaces on both levels of the office. Meeting and conference rooms on the upper floor also feature brightly coloured walls painted yellow, blue and green.

    A sculptural blue bleacher seating covered with cushions and a phone booth station outfitted with acoustic paneling are among the other architectural details in the office.
    SuperLimão is an architecture studio with offices in São Paulo. It has completed a number of projects in Brazil, including an apartment with a pink ceiling and a beer hall with gabion walls.

    Other thoughtfully-designed dental facilities include an office in Berlin that takes cues from the nightclub Berghain, an orthodontist practice in Quebec outfitted with slatted wood panels and a clinic in Taiwan with a dining table in its waiting room.
    Photography is by Maíra Acayaba.
    Project credits:
    Architecture: SuperLimãoProject team: Thiago Rodrigues, Antonio Figueira de Mello, Lula Gouveia, Larissa Burke, Pamela PaffrathLighting design: LDArtiConstructor: EdifisaWorkstations, meeting tables and bleachers: Zero MáquinaWoodwork: KW MóveisPhone booth: HUB

    Read more: More

  • 163 Shares159 Views

    Whale Design Lab references Louis Kahn for makeover of Mài Apartment in Vietnam

    Geometric forms and graphic terrazzo surfaces feature in this duplex apartment in Ho Chi Minh City that has been updated by Whale Design Lab. Locally based studio Whale Design Lab revamped the formerly lacklustre interiors of the Mài Apartment to reflect the client’s penchant for modernist architecture. A particular point of reference was the work
    The post Whale Design Lab references Louis Kahn for makeover of Mài Apartment in Vietnam appeared first on Dezeen. More

  • 125 Shares99 Views

    This week, we unveiled the longlists for Dezeen Awards 2020

    This week on Dezeen, we revealed the longlisted architecture, interiors and design projects that are in line to win this year’s Dezeen Awards, as well as the studios producing the best work.In total, we received over 4,300 entries from 85 countries for the third edition of Dezeen Awards. There are 302 projects on the architecture longlist, 305 projects on the interiors longlist and 318 projects on the design longlist.
    All longlisted projects and studios are featured on a dedicated page on the Dezeen Awards website, alongside information about each practice.

    IKEA unveils first branded fashion and accessories collection
    In this week’s design news, we revealed to our readers Swedish furniture company IKEA’s first branded clothing and accessory collection, called Efterträda.

    The 10-piece line includes t-shirts, hoodies, bottles, umbrellas, towels and tote bags that are emblazoned with the IKEA logo and the barcode of its well-known Billy shelving system.

    Virgil Abloh and AMO design flexible flagship Off-White store in Miami that “can host a runway show”
    Over in the world of fashion, Virgil Abloh unveiled his flagship Off-White store in the Miami Design District, created in collaboration with AMO director Samir Bantal.
    The store is designed to be flexible, functioning as a fulfilment centre that can easily be turned into a multipurpose events space.
    “The shop can host a runway show, it can host a talk, it can host a cafe,” explained Abloh.

    Beyoncé’s Black Is King film aims to start “a global conversation” says stylist Zerina Akers
    Dezeen also interviewed Beyoncé’s stylist Zerina Akers this week on creating the costumes for the artist’s latest visual album Black Is King.
    Looks included a cowhide outfit by Burberry inspired by the Zulu people of South Africa and a Valentino leopard-print sequined catsuit that took over 300 hours to hand-sew.
    “I wanted to have this global conversation with the wardrobe,” Akers told Dezeen. “I hope that people of all colours recognise and respect the power and beauty of brown skin.”

    Anti-drone antennas set to be built on top of Oscar Niemeyer palaces in Brasília
    In Brazil, the country’s national heritage institute stepped up to protect three Oscar Niemeyer-designed buildings in Brasília. The heritage body condemned plans by the government to install anti-drone antennas on top of the Alvorado, Planalto and Jaburu palaces, saying they would “directly impact” the iconic structures.
    Elsewhere in the city, Italian architect Carlo Ratti revealed the design for a one-million-square-metre high-tech innovation district that will be an extension to Brasília’s masterplan that was created by Niemeyer and Lúcio Costa.

    MAD reveals Wormhole Library overlooking the South China Sea
    In architecture news, Chinese studio MAD revealed its design for a library in the Chinese city of Haikou that is intended to be “a wormhole that transcends time and space”.
    Foster + Partners also unveiled visuals of a 39-storey skyscraper that it has designed to be constructed over the Pitt Street metro station, which it is also developing, in Sydney, Australia.

    The Nest at Sossus guesthouse in Namibia features a thatched facade
    Other projects popular among Dezeen readers this week include a Zurich home with lake and vineyard views by Think Architecture, an off-grid guesthouse in Namibia with a thatched roof and a house screened by perforated, black cobogó bricks in São Paulo.
    This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don’t miss anything.

    Read more: More

  • 188 Shares169 Views

    ARC Club is a London co-working space for people wanting to escape working from home

    Architect Caro Lundin took a less-is-more approach for the creation of ARC Club, a fuss-free co-working space in east London for those struggling to work from home during the coronavirus pandemic.It took just six weeks for Lundin and her self-titled studio to complete ARC Club, which takes over a formerly characterless retail unit in the neighbourhood of Homerton.
    The co-working space is meant to cater to the growing number of individuals who, according to surveys observed by Lundin, are finding it tricky to efficiently do their job from home during the pandemic due to lack of proper workspaces.

    Its “starkly beautiful” interiors have been decked out with a selection of low-cost and durable materials that Lundin felt reflected a climate where co-working is “a necessity and not a nice-to-have”.

    Designing a more modest space also meant that membership would be cheaper for those interested in working at ARC Club according to the architect.
    “Intricate details and indoor gardens are fun, but they come with a big price tag – and they’re a lot harder to keep clean,” said Lundin, who founded ARC Club alongside Hannah Philp.

    “When designing ARC Club, I asked myself ‘what do people need to work?’ A comfortable seat, natural light, thoughtful acoustics; the physical and emotional space in which to think,” she told Dezeen.
    “Functional doesn’t have to be boring, it’s a neutral space that enables the people who visit it to be their best professional selves.”

    At the centre of ARC Club, which measures just over 232 square metres, are a pair of boxy, sound-proofed pods crafted from birch plywood.
    Inside, they accommodate a handful of private meeting rooms, storage cupboards, printers and a kitchenette complete with silver-metal cabinetry.
    Lundin chose to house these services inside a pod-style system so that it can be scaled up or down to suit different-sized branches of ARC Club that open in the future.

    The pods are surrounded by various work areas. A few of the furnishings, like the birch-ply tables with the arched legs, were made by Lundin’s studio while some of the chairs were sourced second hand.

    “Offices are going to get much smaller” after pandemic says Sevil Peach

    Pops of colour have been introduced to brighten up the space. Heavy orange curtains are used as room dividers, blue cone-shaped pendant lights have been suspended from the ceiling and bands of yellow paint have been made on the concrete structural columns.
    Yellow tiles also clad surfaces in the bathrooms.

    Further branches of ARC Club co-working spaces are planned to open in 2021.
    Like the Homerton location, they will occupy vacant high-street commercial units in popular residential areas so that members can do what Lundin has monikered “WNH” – work near home.

    “A neighbourhood workplace like ARC Club allows people to retain the best of what the office has to offer – full functionality, work-life separation and human interaction – without having to get on a bus or a train,” Lundin explained.
    “In essence, it’s an accessible flexible option for a new breed of remote worker who has grown used to scheduling their work around their day, instead of the other way.”

    The global coronavirus crisis has forced many to re-think offices and the way in which we work.
    Interior designer Sevil Peach predicts that, post-pandemic, companies will scrap working in corporate towers and instead opt to have central “hubs” where just a small per cent of staff will gather.
    Architecture practice Weston Williamson + Partners also released a series of graphics that illustrated how businesses could create socially-distanced offices. Tips included wrapping screens around desks, having touch-free doors and employing a cook so that employees don’t have to use a shared kitchen.
    Photography is by Andrew Meredith.

    Read more: More

  • 163 Shares109 Views

    Ravi Raj and Evan Watts expose chunky timber in Spears Building Loft renovation

    Architects Ravi Raj and Evan Watts have created a monolithic, concrete-like chimney in the overhaul of a loft apartment inside a former cigarette packing factory in New York City’s Chelsea neighbourhood. Raj, who runs RARARA, worked with Watts of D&A Companies to overhaul the residence in the former factory, which was completed by the Kinney Brothers in 1880. It also served as a furniture warehouse before it was converted into a condo building in 1996.

    Previously featuring “dark dwelling spaces”, as described by the team, the residence was renovated to create a bright and open living space for a couple.

    This included stripping out walls and dropped ceilings to create larger spaces and revealing existing brickwork and timber columns and beams.

    At the rear of the residence, the team reconfigured the layout of the bedrooms and bathrooms, creating a third bedroom and making a new hallway.

    “Extraneous millwork and partitions blocking daylight to the interior were thoughtfully removed to help open each room and improve the flow between them,” said Ravi Raj Architect.
    “The great room presented an unexpected discovery after the team removed the dropped ceilings and unnecessary wall enclosures, revealing the original heavy timber structure – in surprisingly great condition. This move both simplified the layout while also paying homage to the building’s historical fabric.”

    Throughout Spears Building Loft, the designers chose a soft and pale material palette that complements the existing details and also brightens the interiors.
    Bleached walnut planks covers the floor in the living area, while the walls and built-in storage are painted bright-white or yellow.

    Gold paint drips down green mural at Chelsea Pied-à-Terre by Stadt Architecture

    A wood-burning stove is updated with a hearth covered in a plaster that looks like concrete and extends into a bench either side. The team chose the render because it is meant to reference the warehouse’s poured concrete floors.

    Pale wood also forms the base of the white-marble island in the kitchen topped and old corner cabinets are ebonized black. They form a series of dark detail throughout, like the dark wooden dining chairs and artwork.
    “The owners took care in selecting minimal yet soft and textured furnishings paired with colourful art that highlight the industrial-like quality of the space,” the team added.

    The red brick is painted white in the bedrooms to make them all them light and bright, while the bathrooms display a mix of black, white and grey marbles.
    Spears Building Loft is located in New York’s Chelsea neighbourhood next to the city’s elevated park, the High Line.
    Other renovation projects in the area include a residence that architecture duo BoND turned into a light-filled home with a stainless steel fireplace surround and an apartment with a green mural dripping in gold paint.
    Photography is by Nick Glimenakis.

    Read more: More

  • 100 Shares99 Views

    ACDF outfits Montreal FlightHub office with vibrant colours

    Curving glass walls and brightly coloured curtains for partitioning workspaces are among the details Canadian studio ACDF Architecture has used in an office renovation for a Montreal travel agency. FlightHub, an online travel agency, asked the local studio to design a workspace to accommodate the expanding operations in its Montreal headquarters.

    The office occupies 12,800 square feet (1,189 square metres) and spans an entire floor. Its design is intended to embody the agency’s three key elements: technology, travel and tribes.

    Private offices, open-plan workstations and conference rooms are set up around the perimeter of the floor and divided into the company’s teams.
    In the centre a circular room houses communal spaces, including a reception area, kitchen, lounge and game room.

    “The design includes common areas at its core, with distinct ‘tribal’ zones beyond those spaces where teams can retreat to their different lines of business,” said ACDF partner Joan Renaud. “The layout provides a functional balance of flow and concentration that is conducive to the FlightHub culture.”

    A circular glass wall detailed with narrow translucent panes wraps around the common area concealing the interior from the outer spaces. Inside, a rectangular volume, reminiscent of aerospace technology, is clad with perforated aluminium foam to block ambient sounds.

    Playster Headquarters by ACDF includes brightly coloured workspaces

    To separate the spaces within the communal zone the studio has installed several fabric curtains and used vibrant wall colours and furnishings that also act as a wayfinding system.

    In the kitchen stainless steel appliances and a rounded counter are paired with a green ceiling and floor, while the lounge features red office chairs and matching walls. Blue chairs in the reception area blend with the hues used on the walls and in the game room the bright yellow paint stands out against the foosball table and other furnishings.

    On the outer ring each of the four zones is outfitted with storage, a printing room, a small kitchenette, private phone call booths and a conference room.
    Workspaces comprise clusters of eight desks arranged in two rows of four. A low-lying black screen divides the row of desks to create a privacy wall between workers.

    ADCF completed the project in April 2020 before businesses reconsidered how to layout offices to adhere to social distancing protocols as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. However, it believes the design scheme reduces contact between people.
    The circular plan forms two pathways and entrances for moving through the space and the small kitchen and meeting rooms in each “tribe” reduce the likelihood of large gatherings in the communal areas.

    ACDF is led by Canadian architects Maxime-Alexis Frappier, Joan Renaud and Étienne Laplante Courchesne.
    The studio has completed a number of office projects in Montreal, including a colourful workspace for entertainment service Playster and offices for software company Lightspeed that combines historic brickwork with pastel hues.
    Photography is by Maxime Brouillet.

    Read more: More

  • 188 Shares149 Views

    Kelly Wearstler's “fiercely local” Santa Monica Proper Hotel named AHEAD Americas Hotel of the Year

    American designer Kelly Wearstler describes how she worked with local artisans and artists on the Santa Monica Proper Hotel in this video produced by Dezeen for the AHEAD Awards.Wearstler is the designer of Santa Monica Proper Hotel, a 271-room boutique hotel seven blocks away from the beach in Santa Monica, California.

    American interior designer Kelly Wearstler designed the Santa Monica Proper Hotel
    The project was named Hotel of the Year at the 2020 AHEAD Americas hospitality awards, as well as winner of the Guestrooms and Lobby & Public Spaces categories.

    The Californian interior designer, who has appeared as a judge on the Bravo reality show Top Design and designed homes for celebrities including Cameron Diaz and Gwen Stefani, described the hotel as “fiercely local” in an exclusive interview filmed by Dezeen.

    Santa Monica Proper Hotel was named Hotel of the Year at the AHEAD Americas awards 2020
    “We wanted to design a hotel where it felt like you’re in Santa Monica,” she said. “The inspiration came from everything that surrounds the hotel, the palm trees, the organic nature of the architecture, everything that you would find at the beach.”
    Natural and heavily textured materials, neutral colours and vintage furniture are used throughout the hotel to create a sensory experience that references Santa Monica’s beachside identity.

    Kelly Wearstler designs relaxed and beachy Santa Monica Proper hotel

    “There is a connection of materiality that speaks to the location” said Wearstler. “Organic materials, neutral colour stories, everything has a texture.”
    “There’s a patina, there’s a hand, there’s something that feels very warm.”

    The hotel also won in the Guestrooms and Lobby & Public Spaces categories
    Santa Monica Proper Hotel is filled with artworks and furniture pieces created specifically for the property by local artists and artisans.
    “Everything’s connected to somebody that is local in the city,” Wearstler said. “We’re so lucky to be in Los Angeles, the talent pool here is extraordinary.”

    The site comprises an historic 1920s building and a new curvilinear extension
    The site consists of the 1920s Santa Monica Professional Building, to which an extension by local firm Howard Laks Architects was added.
    “There’s an historic building that was built in 1928, in the Spanish Colonial Revival style, and then there’s a new contemporary building,” explained Wearstler. “We had to connect these two buildings with one voice.”

    Kelly Wearstler furnishes San Francisco Proper hotel with vintage European design

    “The atmosphere is something that’s just very relaxed,” the designer asserted. “When you come to California, it’s just super relaxed and it’s friendly, and there is a sense of style – it’s just cool. We can connect you to that coming to Santa Monica Proper.”
    The hotel is the latest in the Proper brand, which was founded by Wearstler’s developer husband Brad Korzen alongside hotelier Brian De Lowe, following the San Francisco Proper which Wearstler also designed.

    Wearstler collaborated with local artists and artisans to furnish Santa Monica Proper Hotel
    Previous hospitality collaborations from Wearstler and Korzen include the Tides hotel in South Beach, Florida, the Avalon and Maison 140 hotels in Beverly Hills, and hotels for the Viceroy brand in Miami, Palm Springs and Santa Monica.
    This year’s AHEAD Americas awards were shown in a video ceremony as part of Dezeen’s Virtual Design Festival after the event was called off due to the coronavirus pandemic. Previous winners of the Hotel of the Year award include the opulent Siren Hotel in Detroit and the Calistoga Motor Lodge and Spa, a renovated motel in California.

    Natural materials and neutral colours reference the hotel’s beachside location
    This video was produced by Dezeen for AHEAD. Photography is by The Ingalls and Matthieu Salvaing.

    Read more: More