Markus Andrews

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    United in Design aims to provide a “road map” to make the interiors industry more diverse

    Interior designers Sophie Ashby and Alexandria Dauley have set up United in Design, an organisation that aims to increase racial diversity within the interiors industry.The initiative, which is supported by designers Martin Brudnizki and Joyce Wang, as well as Dezeen columnist Michelle Ogundehin, will invite studios to pledge committing a series of actions to make the interior design industry racially inclusive.
    “Our goal, together with our esteemed steering committee, is to create a UK wide initiative and provide an actionable road map for design studios, magazines and suppliers to follow,” said Ashby and Dauley.
    “We are the definition of grassroots for now, but we are thinking big and in it for the long-haul,” they continued. “We aim to create equal opportunities to those who may previously have been overlooked, side-lined or worse.”

    United in Design was founded by interior designers Alexandria Dauley (left) and Sophie Ashby
    A steering committee comprised of the founders, Brudnizki, Wang, Ogundehin, and a roster of others such as Graeme Brooker, who is head of design at the RCA and Emily Senior, who is digital editor at House & Garden magazine, will determine United in Design’s direction.

    United in Design members will commit to supporting the BAME community
    The organisation aims to support the BAME community in two ways – the first is the creation of a resource hub-cum-online journal, which will provide guidance on how to get a career in interior design and share employment and training opportunities.
    This resource will be overseen by Simon Hamilton, an interior design career coach and former international director of the British Institute of Interior Design (BIID).
    United in Design will also ask interior design professionals to commit to its seven-point action pledge.
    Five of the actions focus on commitments to the BAME community: school outreach, career insight days and work experience, mentoring, apprenticeships, and talks with art schools, design colleges and universities.
    The other two actions – diversity training and promoting the work of BAME designers through press and PR – are commitments that professionals will carry out within their own businesses.
    Members will pay an annual subscription fee
    Those that are able to commit themselves to at least three of the seven pledges will become “a member of the United in Design movement”.
    Members will also have to pay an annual subscription fee to the United in Design charity which will go towards funding initiatives and widening their outreach.

    “Hire black designers first and foremost,” say organisers of Where are the Black Designers? anti-racism conference

    The launch of United in Design comes in light of the murder of George Floyd and wave of anti-racism protests across the globe.
    In the days following Floyd’s death – when several creatives were sharing black squares on Instagram to show solidarity with racial equality – Ashby issued a statement that called out “uncomfortable home truths” about the exclusionary nature of the interiors industry. She also addressed her own “blatant failure” of running a diverse design company.
    “The outpouring of energy and sheer drive for change I received in response to this post was the fuel I needed to take it one step further and start to provide actionable avenues for change,” Ashby told Dezeen.
    United in Design “powered by first-hand experience”
    “My passion for United in Design was ultimately powered by first-hand experience of this reality,” added Dauley, who noted the lack of BAME people when she both studied and tutored at the KLC School of Design. “I began outreach to leading industry figures to specifically promote the benefits of addressing inequality.”
    Others in the interiors and wider designer industry are trying to tackle and talk about the issue of inclusivity. Last month, in an opinion column for Dezeen, Michelle Ogundehin shared her personal experiences with racism and said that more open discussions about diversity need to be provoked.
    Interior designer Rukmini Patel and writer Kate Watson-Smyth, who runs interiors blog Made About the House, have recently collaborated to launch the Design for Diversity campaign.
    It asks brands, influencers and publications to post a sticker to their website or social media channels – by using the sticker, they pledge to consider the visibility, opportunity and accessibility of different races, genders and sexualities.
    Visual designer Mitzi Okou and interaction designer Garret Albury also teamed up to organise Where are the Black Designers?, an online conference that looked into the underrepresentation of black talent in the design and education industries.

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    “Interior design casually borrows from cultures it finds aesthetically pleasing without hiring people from those backgrounds”

    Borrowing aesthetics from a range of cultures masks the lack of racial diversity in interior design and it is now time to change this says Bhavin Taylor.As a BAME designer, I am well aware of the lack of diversity and the dearth of representation within interior design. The issue is not new and has been going on in our industry for years.
    Coming from an Indian background – with its own strong cultural heritage – a creative career is not often understood, nor seen as a stable career path by those around me. Growing up, I was hindered by the fact that there were no role models that looked like me who could offer aspiration or relatability. This made the decision to become a part of the industry a difficult one. It is not an environment for those who aren’t comfortable standing out – luckily, I am not one of them.

    I was only one of two people of colour in my class. All the teaching staff were white

    This lack of diversity was apparent throughout my younger years and especially so when I entered the industry. Starting at interior design school, I was only one of two people of colour in my class. All the teaching staff were white. This has continued throughout my career. In the professional workplace and at industry events, I am always in the minority. This is particularly noticeable in media and television, where the representation of BAME (black, Asian and minority ethnic) designers is sadly lacking.
    Our industry, which is all too often one seen as being crafted only by Magnolia-coloured hands, has a tendency to casually borrow from cultures that they find aesthetically pleasing, without thinking about the context or hiring experience from the backgrounds they find so inspirational.

    “I aim to shed light on what it is like walking in the shoes of a black woman within architecture”

    Everyone will have used or heard the term “tribal”, “boho” or “ethnic”, but do they know where these actually come from and what they mean?
    Tribal is a blanket term usually applied to crafts from the African continent. Quite often, you will see traditional textiles and patterns being used, such as the Kuba cloth, to denote a tribal aesthetic. Such cloth is created by the Kuba people of the Congo and requires a technique that is very time consuming and laborious.
    Boho comes from Bohémien, a French word referring to a group of people who travelled from a region in the Czech Republic known as Bohemia. Later, this term broadened to include the artist, writer, actor, or musician, often poor, who led a nomadic lifestyle making stops at major European cities. Bohemian design today is about incorporating many different things from different philosophies, parts of the world, and ways of life. The result is an eclectic style that’s as diverse as the people who inspire it. Note the key word there – diverse.

    Crafts are translated by the industry as interior design, quite often without the correct exposure or recognition

    Ethnic design is influenced by patterns, motifs and handicrafts from non-industrialised cultures, drawing its ideas from indigenous communities across South America, Africa and Asia. For example, Persian rugs – also known as Iranian Carpets produced in Iran (historically known as Persia) – are rugs of various types that were woven in parallel by nomadic tribes, in village and town workshops, and by royal court manufactories alike. They represent miscellaneous, simultaneous lines of tradition, and reflect the history of Iran and its various people.
    From a quick dig into the history of these styles, it is clear that they stem from traditional local crafts in the countries that they originate from. These crafts are translated by the industry as interior design, quite often without the correct exposure or recognition given to these hardworking, talented men and women.
    My question is if you take inspiration from another culture, are you giving them enough credit? Or are you inadvertently suppressing the faces and voices of these cultures for your personal preference or gain?

    It is our duty to proudly represent our diversity so that we can inspire and educate the younger generation

    This pattern of repackaging cultural artefacts as trends has minimised the visibility of diversity within the industry, even though it has actually been present for years. Everyone that has an influence on how the industry is portrayed should investigate this tendency to erase creative people of colour, as they in some way or another have played their part in creating the misrepresentation of the industry.
    Unfortunately, the past cannot be changed, but the narrative going forward can. I am calling upon our industry, including our major and trade media outlets, our social, our publications and our events to ensure that we collaborate, employ, contract, buy and promote diversely – and be vocal when we see that we are failing to do so.
    I also call upon other BAME designers such as myself, who are already a part of the industry, to come forward and be visible. It is our duty to proudly represent our diversity so that we can inspire and educate the younger generation – and their families – that a creative career is for everyone. In doing so, we may eventually get to a stage where we will only be recognised for our talents and not the colour of our skin.
    Main image is by Juliet Murphy.
    Bhavin Taylor is the founder of award-winning interior design studio Bhavin Taylor Design, based in London. Taking inspiration from his Indian heritage and with his extensive experience in both the fashion and interiors industry, Bhavin creates unique spaces that are bursting with personality, according to his motto “Love Colour. Embrace Pattern.”
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    DIY Recipe Box Using a Wine Crate

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    What can you put into a wooden wine crate after the wine is gone? You can repurpose it and make one chic DIY recipe box for your kitchen to hold and organize all your favorite recipes.

    I promised last week that I would show you one last item that I wanted to make for my kitchen cart island.
    A few posts ago I shared that I added a second shelf to the island. One of the reasons I added the second shelf to my rolling island kitchen cart was that I wanted a handy place for my recipe box.
    I have a small kitchen with no room to keep it handy. 5 years ago, I totally reorganized my recipe box. How I organized it has worked extremely well over the years so I didn’t change that aspect of the box. I did however want to give the box a new look so it would feel more “foodie chic” on my cart.

    I was inspired about a DIY wine crate idea when we were in France last year.
    I have always wanted a wine crate basket for my bike after seeing one like this when I was in NYC a few years ago for a blogging event. A very stylish woman was on her way to work on a black vintage bike with a wine crate on the back holding her tote. So chic…
    When I saw a few again in France, even though I knew I didn’t have a place to ride my bike, I was inspired to find a way to use a wine crate in my home somewhere.

    As you can see, I found a way.

    I custom made it to fit my needs and on the shelf on my kitchen cart island using wine crate fronts so there would be a winery logo on each side of the recipe box.
    I am thrilled with it as it adds a little more of the ” foodie chic” feel to my kitchen. I know it is just a recipe box, but I love it for the fact that I made something I envisioned and custom designed it for my needs.
    How to Make a DIY Recipe Card Box By Repurposing a Wooden Wine Crate

    I made my DIY recipe card box to fit large 5′ x 8″ index cards. I also only used wine crate front panels instead of just one wine crate. This way I could have a winery logo on each side of my box.
    Try to find front panels with the same thickness, but know it still can be made if they are not. One of my panels was thicker and one had grooves.

    supplies needed:
    I cut the panels down to size. If you have one wine crate, you will have enough wood to make the box, but will have only one winery logo, unless your crate has more than one logo on it – some do.
    Further down in the post is a list of where you can find wine crates.
    5 Wine crate front panels
    2 for Front and Back: Cut to size: 9-3/16″ (w) x 4-3/8″ (h)
    2 for Sides: Cut to size: 13″ (w) x 4-3/8″ (h)
    Optional: Wood Divider: Cut to size: 8-1/4″ (w) x 5″ (h)

    1/4″ plywood for bottom – Cut to size: 8-1/4″ (w) x 13″ (l) *If using one wine crate, no need for plywood – you can use bottom of wine crate.
    Clear acetate – saved from packaging or you can buy a few sheets at your local copy shop.
    Pencil
    Straight-edge
    Saw
    Wood glue
    5/8″ long carpet tacks
    100 grit sandpaper
    Hammer
    Drill and thin drill bit
    For recipe cards and dividers:

    Time needed: 2 hours.
    How to Make a DIY Recipe Box Using a Wine Crate
    Take Wine Crate Apart
    If you are using an intact wine crate, you will need to take it apart. Use a small pry bar to carefully take it apart. If you are using wine crate front panels to make a box – proceed to next step.

    Cut Each Panel To Size
    I used 4 wine crate panel fronts and cut them down to fit the width of 5″ x 8″ index cards. When the box is assembled it is 4-4/8″ high.I cut a piece of clear acetate to make a template. This makes it easy to see the logo as you center the template over it when marking each for the size. The sizes are listed in supplies list above.

    Find Center of Each Wine Crate Panel
    Lay clear template over logo, find center and lightly trace around it using a pencil. Repeat for each panel. Using a table saw or jigsaw, cut each out.Note: Front and back panels will be shorter. The side panels will be longer so choose longer winery logos for the sides so you won’t have to cut as much of them off.

    Cut Plywood For Bottom
    Since I used wine crate front panels to make my box, I needed a piece of plywood for the bottom of my box. If you are using a full wine crate, use the bottom of the crate for the bottom, no plywood needed.Use a straight edge to mark the plywood to 8-1/4″ (w) x 13″ (l). Cut on lines.Sand edges smooth.

    Glue Pieces Together
    Lay wine panels and bottom of box on worktable. Apply wood glue to attach the front, back and sides to the bottom. Let dry.Note: You want to make sure to glue the front, back and sides of the box to the side of the bottom. This is important as the inside bottom of the box needs to stay a little wider than 8″ to hold the index cards.

    Drill Holes for Tacks
    Use a small drill bit to make a tiny hole to hammer nails in. Drilling a hole will help keep the nails from splitting the wood.

    Hammer in Tacks
    Hammer in a nail/tack into each drilled hole.

    Add Nails
    Once the glue is dry, reinforce the assembly of the box using rug tacks or very flat head nails that resemble wine box nails. I placed two nails on each side of the box

    Optional: Make a Movable Wood Divider
    I made my recipe card box longer than I needed, not only for when my recipe card collection grows, but also to divide it into two sections. This give me a place to put magazine recipe clippings and recipes I printed out from blogs into the back that I want to try out. If we like them, then they will get a recipe card. If not, the clipping or printable goes into recycling.I used a 5th wine crate front to make this wood divider. I cut it to be very snug inside the box. This way I can move it when needed, but it is snug enough to keep the cards in the front of the box from falling down inside the box.

    Close Up of Divider

    Fill the Box With Recipe Cards
    I made my recipe cards using 5 x 8 index cards and followed the same recipe box organizing I shared in this post: Recipe Box ReDuxI used super thick plain white index cards and stick on insertable tabs to make the category dividers.I printed out the category names using MS Word and the font Century Schoolbook.

    How to Make a Stay-Clean Recipe Card Cover

    I am sure you are familiar with the acrylic cookbook stands that you place an open cookbook in so that you can see your cookbooks through it so it won’t get splattered as you prep and cook.
    I made something similar on a much smaller scale for my recipe cards.

    It is stored right in the recipe box where I can easily grab it when I remove a card to make a recipe.

    To make it I used a thick piece of acetate. I save acetate from packaging to use to cover drawer labels, make clear templates as I did to make sure I cut the winery logos so they were centered.

    I cut the acetate to 8″ wide x 6-1/2″ tall. I then scored a line 1-1/2″ down from the top using the tip of a pair if scissors. Scoring is not cutting, but making a groove in the acetate that you can then fold.
    When the cover sits on the counter, it is raised up a bit and the recipe card slides right in.
    Where to Find Wine Crates for Creative DIY Decor

    Wood wine crates, wine boxes or crate front panels to repurpose can be found:
    At thrift stores and yard sales. Many times they may be holding smaller items for sale so don’t overlook them.
    On Ebay and Etsy. Check the shipping price though, many of the listings are from the UK and shipping is way too much.
    Ask at your local liquor store. They may give them to you or charge a nominal fee.
    More Wooden DIY Wine Crate Ideas

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    Xiaoxi Xiong designs greyscale interiors for Fnji office in Beijing

    The “warm sense of the future” depicted in sci-fi movie Her informed the soft grey workspaces that designer Xiaoxi Xiong has created in the Beijing office of furniture brand Fnji.The 1000-square-metre Fnji office is located northeast of central Beijing in the city’s Shunyi district.
    Chinese designer Xiaoxi Xiong was tasked with developing a striking aesthetic for the new office.

    “As the urban planning policy is tightened in Beijing, the resource of distinctive office space is rare now,” explained Xiaoxi Xiong, who leads Tra & Xi Studio alongside designer Lin Yitong. “After long term research, we chose this space in the end.”

    “Its attractive spatial advantages are the top-floor views, daylight, and the two floors which could be constructed freely.”

    Xiong wanted to imbue the office with the same “blurry and warm sense of the future” they saw in the 2013 sci-fi romance film Her, which chronicles how a shy writer gradually falls in love with an artificial intelligence system.

    Precht creates monochromatic interiors for RayData office in Beijing

    Almost every surface in the office – including the floors – has been washed with pale-grey gypsum plaster, selected for its ultra-matte surface finish.

    The plaster has also been made to cover the balustrade and treads of the curving staircase that leads up to the office’s upper level.
    Towards the back of the lower level are a couple of textural feature walls, which Xiong created by pouring semi-solidified gypsum over jumbled piles of broken bricks.

    “It’s such an interesting process to recreate an installation with recycled materials,” Xiong told Dezeen.
    “This work has a new life and exists in the space naturally.”
    Furnishings throughout the office, from the work desks to the cushioned chairs in the glass-fronted meeting rooms, are also grey.

    Two huge slate-coloured planters are installed on the lower level, and a sheer dark-grey curtain extends down from the office’s ceiling to the lower level.
    Sections of the floor are also covered by striped or checkerboard-pattern grey carpet.

    Translucent paper-like blinds hang in front of the windows to lend a soft and hazy light quality to the office interior.
    Some dark-coloured elements, like the rough black stone counter that sits towards Fnji office’s entrance, have been incorporated to “strike out the softness”.

    Much like Xiaoxi Xiong, architecture practice Precht referenced the film Her for its design of a data office in Chaoyang, Beijing.
    The floor, desks and work booths in the office are upholstered in soft grey fabric, which the practice hoped would emulate the way the film “connects technology with a very warm and tactile atmosphere”.
    Dezeen also included Her in its roundup of 10 films with striking interior design to watch under lockdown.
    Photography is by Mobai except for head image by Yu Ling.
    Project credits:
    Lead designer: Xiaoxi XiongArt director: Guqi GaoDetailed design: Juan LiSoft loading design: Yu LiEngineering manager: Mingyu ZhangEngineering execution: Jiahuan Liu

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    Pale woodwork updates 1920s Riverside Apartment in New York’s Upper West Side

    New York practice Format Architecture Office has reorganised a 1920s apartment with custom millwork in the city’s Upper West Side.The renovated apartment by Format Architecture Office is in a Gothic Revival building on Riverside Drive, giving the project its name, Riverside Apartment.

    Completed before the second world war, the original apartment building had large residences that were later converted into smaller homes, which the studio said formed “a series of unconventional layouts”.

    “The building was originally constructed in 1926 and arranged around opulently scaled residences with multiple bedrooms and gallery spaces,” Format Architecture Office added.

    “It was converted to cooperative ownership in 1968, which created a large variety of accessible unit types, but also a series of unconventional layouts, as formerly single apartments were subdivided into two or even three different units,” it said.
    The renovation reorganised the existing one-bedroom unit to include another bedroom that doubles as an office, as well as a powder room and a reorganised galley-style kitchen. The decor was updated with custom cabinets and enlarged wood-clad corridors across the 1,000-square-foot (92-square-metre) space.

    “The primary goals for the project were to create flexible connections between spaces, enhance access to natural light and maximise storage,” the studio continued.
    Upon entering is a foyer with a coat closet, and a cabinet with a glass portion above that pulls natural light in from windows in a home office. A bedroom adjacent is complete with an ensuite and walk-in closet.

    A sliding wood door separates the office from a living and dining room. The pocket door is in one of the home’s corridors, which are intended to mark different areas.
    “Large thresholds between public spaces celebrate transitions and become extensions of different wood-clad storage solutions that complement the myriad needs of a small domestic space,” said the studio.

    All of the millwork at Riverside Apartment, including the corridors and custom cabinets, are made from Anigre wood – an African hardwood commonly used for furniture and cabinetry.
    Other corridors are in the entry and kitchen, while built-in bookshelves are prominent in the living room and office.

    Format Architecture Office imbues Manhattan office with “boutique sensibility” and cafe seating

    Contemporary details are accompanied by the apartment’s existing elements, like original wood-panelled doors with the glass transoms.
    Format Architecture Office aimed to emulate the early 20th-century style through other details to create “a mixture of clean lines and pre-war inspired details to celebrate the eclectic tastes of its owner”.

    The glass wall in the entry is a reinterpretation of existing glazing, which bring light through the home. Another ribbed glass detail partially conceals the dining room from the kitchen.
    A wood table, 1950s Eames Wire Chairs and a minimal white light fixture furnish the dining room, while the living room has a blue sofa and an Eames moulded plywood lounge chair from the second world war.
    Off-white walls are paired with white moulding and new oak flooring for a pared-down aesthetic, while an orange-painted front door adds another pop of colour that complements teal accents.

    Format Architecture Office founded in 2017 by architects Andrew McGee and Matthew Hettler, who met as undergraduates at the University of Michigan. The studio is based in Brooklyn and has also designed an office for a tech company in New York’s Midtown area with cafe-style seating and muted interiors.
    Other renovated homes in the Upper West Side are an apartment with a built-in bed by Stadt Architecture and a townhouse by Space4Architecture with a white spiral staircase.
    Photography is by Nick Glimenakis.

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    Aesop's London store takes its colour from the red sandstone of Glamis Castle

    Precast stone blocks coloured with red sandstone from Glamis Castle in Scotland form the walls of this refuge-style Aesop store that architecture studio Al-Jawad Pike has created in a west London shopping centre.The studio designed the small store for skincare brand Aesop to be a retreat from the bustling aisles of Westfield shopping centre in Sheperd’s Bush.
    “We wanted the store to be a refuge from the busy mall environment, it is a sort of building within a building – using genuine masonry construction rather than applied finishes or surfaces,” Al-Jawad Pike co-founder Jessam Al-Jawad told Dezeen.

    Al-Jawad Pike chose to build the walls of the store from precast stone blocks, which enclose the space and create a feeling akin to a walled garden. The curved form of the walls is also meant to reference the undulating brickwork of Uruguayan engineer Eladio Dieste.

    “The concept was to create a kind of walled garden within the mall,” said Al-Jawad.
    “It was inspired by the ‘crinkle crankle’ wall of the English countryside as well as the structures of Eladio Dieste, which both use an undulating waveform to give rigidity to a single skin of masonry.”

    Earthy tones have been applied throughout the store. Powder from the same red sandstone that was used to make the 17th-century Glamis Castle in Scotland has been used to colour the precast stone blocks.
    The resulting red blockwork walls, which were built using two standard shapes of precast blocks, have been paired with red concrete-tile flooring and a clay plaster ceiling.

    Frida Escobedo segments Aesop Park Slope with rammed-earth brickwork

    “We wanted to use a warm colour to provide a sense of natural earthiness that reflected the red bricks of typical masonry walled gardens, said Al-Jawad.
    “The colour is called Glamis red named after the red sandstone of Glamis Castle in Scotland.”

    Set against the earthy red backdrop, Aesop’s products are displayed on stainless steel shelves. While the main space is broken up by three cast resin sinks that were produced by Sabine Marcelis.
    “We hope we created a calm ambience that enables customers to engage with the Aesop products,” Al-Jawad explained.
    “The hand-washing sinks which are a big part of the customers’ interaction with the product and the sales people are also given centre stage – being made out of honey-coloured resin they also look a bit like big bars of sculpted soap.”

    Aesop often allows its designers to create monotonal stores. For its Sydney store, architecture studio Snøhetta used granite to covers almost every surface, while Frida Escobedo used rammed-earth brickwork throughout its store in Brooklyn. Bernard Dubois also clad the walls of the brand’s Brussels store in distinctive yellow Belgian bricks.
    London-based Al-Jawad Pike was established by Al-Jawad and Dean Pike in 2014. The studio has previously used pigmented concrete blockwork for the exterior and interior of a south London home extension and combined brick, concrete and timber for an extension to a home in Stoke Newington.
    Photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

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    Stéphanie Livée's interiors for Hotel Le Sud are an homage to the south of France

    White walls, stripey furnishings and colourful ceramics feature in this hotel on France’s Côte d’Azur, which interior architect Stéphanie Livée has designed to reflect the region’s laid-back ambience.Hotel Le Sud is situated in Juan Les Pins, a charming town on the Côte d’Azur recognised for its sandy beaches and seafront promenades lined with eateries and boutiques.
    This setting became a key point of reference for Paris-based interior architect Stéphanie Lizée, who was tasked with designing the hotel’s 29 guest rooms, bar and terrace.

    “I am native to the region, southern blood runs in my veins,” Livée told Dezeen.

    “We have revisited the stylistic codes of the south with subtlety: the sandstone, the terracotta, the stripes, the rattan, interact with objects found in the surroundings and custom-designed furniture, mostly made by local craftsmen,” she continued.
    “The spirit of the South is here both revisited and modernized, without ostentation or caricature.”

    Paved flooring inlaid with jagged offcuts of stone has been paired with white-painted walls in the hotel’s bar.
    Wicker chairs run down one side of the room, while on the other is a series of ornate wire-frame seats dressed with floral yellow seat cushions.

    A stripey orange seating banquette has been set against one peripheral wall, where French artist Franck Lebraly has created a small mural.
    It depicts a trio of arched windows looking out across the ocean, with summer-themed paraphernalia like lemons, wine bottles and plant pots nestled on their ledges.

    Hoy hotel is designed to be a calming refuge at the heart of Paris

    Other surfaces in the bar have been punctuated with rounded niches which display an array of second-hand ceramics found in the local area.

    Stripey and cane furnishings appear again on the hotel’s outdoor terrace, where guests can sit and enjoy their breakfasts.
    A pair of chunky, orange-striped chairs also feature in the lobby, which is anchored by a grooved timber concierge counter.

    The colours applied in the guest rooms upstairs take cues from the wider cultural context of southern France.
    Stéphanie Livée became particularly interested in hues used by Spanish artist Pablo Picasso, who spent several summers creating portraits and ceramics in French Riviera towns like Juan Les Pins, Antibes and Cannes.

    “The series of plates exhibited at the Picasso museum in Antibes guided me in choosing and matching the colours of the rooms – terracotta, Klein blue, pine green, yellow,” explained Livée.
    “The spirits of Pablo Picasso, Fernand Léger, Jean Cocteau, Matisse and the ceramists of Vallauris are still very much present in this radiant and amazing part of the country, which has so inspired grand artists in the mid 20th century.”

    Bands of yellow, orange, emerald and pine-green paint have been created just beneath the rooms’ ceilings, matching the stripey throws that have been laid across the beds.
    Terracotta tiles have then been used to line the vaulted doorways that lead through to the rooms’ showers, which are screened off by blue-striped curtains.

    Paint-splattered or fish-print plates have been used as decor, as well as earth-toned vases. Some of the pieces in the rooms were designed by Livée herself, including the wavy-edged wooden side tables.
    More illustrative details by Franck Lebraly also pop up – streaks of paint have been applied around the curvy headboards and the signs that denote room numbers have also been hand-painted.

    Stéphanie Lizée set up her eponymous studio in 2017. Her Hotel Le Sud project joins a roster of design-focused hotels across France – others include Hoy, which is designed to be a calming “hideaway” from the hustle and bustle of Paris’ city streets, and Le Coucou, a ski-in-ski-out hotel nestled amongst the snow-capped peaks of Meribel.

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    Renovated Montreal house by Atelier Barda contrasts black and white

    Black furniture provides a stark contrast to the white interior of this Montreal residence, which has been overhauled by local architecture studio Atelier Barda.Atelier Barda’s Portland Residence project involved adding an extension to the rear of a historic stone house located in Montreal suburb Mount-Royal, and reconfiguring the floor plan to improve the flow between spaces.

    “This innovative redesign has freed the building’s spirit from its original constraints, giving it fresh expression in a setting that is both classic and resolutely contemporary,” the studio said.

    Architectural details like rounded walls and simple mouldings were preserved and then painted white to offer a contemporary update.
    The team then installed a box clad with black anthracite oak to span all three levels.

    The volume includes storage, a bathroom, kitchen appliances and a staircase, and forms a passageway between the main living space and the bedrooms.
    Its black hue stands out against the white backdrop and chevron-patterned oak parquet floor, defining the material palette throughout the interiors.

    Black steel mullions also frame the glass curtain wall of the extension, which the studio said it chose to protect the house from harsh climatic conditions.
    The windows wrap the kitchen, living and dining room, offering views of the garden and natural light.

    Atelier Barda renovates Montreal apartment with minimalist finishes and custom furniture

    In the living room, translucent white drapes cover the space’s large windows matching the colour of the walls. A circular, plush sofa from de Sede and a grand piano provide touches of black, while the fireplace is grey stone.
    Foraine par Atelier Barda, the firm’s design studio, designed a number of furnishings in the house.

    Many are built with solid black anthracite oak like the rectangular dining table and bench, which have wide legs detailed with thin grooves, and a circular coffee table.

    Smaller round tables for the bedrooms are wrapped in the oak panelling and fronted with drawers.
    The bedrooms and a private office are located on the upper levels of a house. A skylight is situated above the stairwell to bring natural light into the space.

    In the bathrooms, white vanities are finished with a lime and tadelakt plaster and topped with marble, which is used to cover the floors as well.

    Atelier Barda was founded by Antonio Di Bacco and Cécile Combelle, it has completed a number of renovations in Montreal including a loft apartment with black and white interiors and custom furniture and the conversion of a shop into a two-storey residence with pastel accents.
    Photography is by Alex Lesage.

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