Markus Andrews

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    Burberry and Tencent collaborate on interactive WeChat shop in Shenzhen

    Visitors to Shenzhen’s Burberry flagship store can use Tencent’s WeChat app to interact with the window display and play their own music in fitting rooms.The British fashion brand and China’s largest social media company collaborated to design a shop that suited Shenzhen’s growing reputation for technology.

    Shoppers use WeChat, a Chinese messaging and social media app, to engage with the shop in Shenzhen’s MixC development.

    Tencent and Burberry have produced a custom mini program that is unlocked via WeChat. Users create a profile and are given a digital avatar in the form of a cartoon fawn that hatches from an egg.

    Through the app, shoppers can book one of the three themed fitting rooms, pre-select the clothes and play their own music while they try them on. They can also use this program to book a table at the in-house cafe and make appointments with stylists and other services.
    To encourage engagement, the program has a rewards system to earn “social currency” that unlocks custom content, such as new characters and outfits for the animal avatar and exclusive dishes on the cafe menu.

    All the products have QR codes, which can be scanned to display more information and visual hints for styling the project – and give the user more points for unlocking content.
    The interactive window display is currently a sculptural recreation of the runway for Burberry’s Autumn Winter 2020 show. Mirrors and screens capture the movement of people as they interact with it, which users can capture and share with their phones.

    “Social media is an increasingly important part of the customer journey and the interaction between social media and physical surroundings is ever more seamless,” said Burberry senior vice president of digital Mark Morris.
    “Our social retail store in Shenzhen is our response to this. It is a space where the social and physical worlds merge, taking interactions from social media and bringing them into the physical retail environment,” he told Dezeen.
    “The tech we use in the store is intended to provide a seamless journey that augments customers’ online and instore life. Therefore, this is not a tech store, but a beautiful luxury store augmented by technology.”

    Burberry chief creative officer Riccardo Tisci turned to the brand’s archive to create a visual look for the themed rooms that correspond to the digital platform.

    Peter Saville collaborates with Riccardo Tisci to design new Burberry logo and monogram

    The Italian fashion designer used the Thomas Burberry Monogram and the fashion house’s fawn print as a recurring motif – the latter being the inspiration for the WeChat avatar too.

    Furnishings, fixtures and plinths throughout the store are made from plywood and mirrors. Tisci used a palette of beige, pistachio, pink and blue throughout the 10 rooms in the shop, each of which has a different theme.
    The three bookable fitting rooms are decorated around the concept of Burberry Animal Kingdom, Reflections and the Thomas Burberry Monogram, and visitors can book their favourite via the app.

    Thomas’ Cafe is decked out in high-gloss beige with chamfered mirrors, animal-patterned wall panels and layers of sandy-coloured curtains.
    Even the tabletops are mirrored, creating a unique backdrop for diners to capture their meal for sharing on social media.

    In the Trench Experience room, digital displays set in the plywood walls show moving images of nature in reference to the fashion brand’s founder, Thomas Burberry, who designed a waterproof trench coat for British troops in the first world war. This room has more opportunities for customers to unlock custom content.
    “I am fascinated by the balance between nature and technology, and the energy that connects the two,” said Tisci.
    “This store explores this relationship, blending the digital and the physical realms in an exciting new concept. I wanted to bring this love of the outdoors to life through all the elements of the store.”

    Burberry previously brought technology to its London shop, where it installed a robot that appeared to chisel sculptures out of polystyrene blocks.
    Tencent recently opened its new headquarters in Shenzhen, a pair of towers designed by NBBJ joined by multiple bridges to encourage staff to meet and interact.

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    Burnt-red tiles and hessian feature inside Dough Pizza restaurant in Perth

    Interior design firm Ohlo Studio used materials that evoke the “rustic sophistication” of Italy to create the interiors of Dough Pizza restaurant in Perth.Dough Pizza takes over a unit of Westfield Whitford City shopping centre which lies just north of central Perth.

    Locally based Ohlo Studio was tasked with designing the interiors and set out to create an aesthetic that, like the restaurant’s name, is “timeless and no-fuss”.

    The studio also wanted the space to texturally reflect Italy and the country’s “rustic sophistication”.
    “It needed to evoke a distinct atmosphere and personality reinforcing the cultural heritage behind the food,” explained the studio.

    On one side of the restaurant, burnt-red tiles have been used to line the lower half of the wall.
    Just in front lies a seating banquette upholstered in taupe-coloured fabric, accompanied by wooden tables and white wicker dining chairs. Slim disc-like pendant lights have been suspended from the ceiling directly overhead.
    The same red tiles clad the central bar counter. It’s surrounded by wooden fold-out high chairs, where customers can sit and eat within view of the open kitchen or grab a quick drink.

    A wall on the opposite side of the restaurant has been completely lined in hessian, which extends down to cover a chunky plinth that runs in front.
    The plinth serves as a base for a series of tobacco-hued cushioned seats that can be easily pushed together or apart to suit different-sized groups of diners.

    Homely decor elements such as ceramic vases, potted plants and tiny lamps have been dotted throughout to evoke the same feel as a “neighbourhood Italian espresso bar”.
    Large photographic prints that capture scenes from sun-drenched Italian beaches have also been mounted on the walls.

    Pink marble and patchy concrete emulate ancient Rome in Melbourne’s Pentolina pasta bar

    In a bid to contrast the commercial setting of the shopping centre, the studio has applied the same selection of warm materials used inside the restaurant to its exterior.
    “The tiled bar puncturing the facade also activates the boundary and creates a playful entry,” added the studio.

    Ohlo Studio was founded by interior architect Jen Lowe and is based in Perth’s South Fremantle suburb.
    The studio’s Dough Pizza project is one of several trendy Italian eateries across Australia. Others include Glorietta by Alexander & Co, which features wooden furnishings and a caged rattan ceiling.
    There’s also Pentolina by Biasol, which has worn concrete walls and pink-marble fixtures to emulate the materiality of Ancient Rome.

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    Two-storey bookshelf rises inside renovated Madrid house

    Spanish architecture firm Zooco Estudio has covered the walls of this Madrid residence with bookshelves that span two levels.House 6 is a detached single-family home located in northern Madrid. Local studio Zooco Estudio overhauled the residence contrasting white interiors with pale wood cabinetry and herringbone patterned flooring.

    The centrepiece of the design is a white shelving unit that extends two floors and wraps around the walls of the house’s living room and dining area.

    On the lower level, the volume comprises dozens of rectangular cases for storing books, movies and electronics, including a mounted television. A series of narrow cubbies also occupy the space between a glass dining table and entryway creating storage for hanging apparel.

    “As a unifying element, a shelf rises colonising both living and lobby spaces,” the studio said. “This way we integrate aesthetic and functionality in one single element.”
    The shelves continue on the upper level with a rectangular volume along a hallway. Pendant light fixtures hang from the ceiling to illuminate the floor below.

    In the kitchen, pale oak fronts the cabinetry and details the base of a white kitchen island. White tiles form the splashback behind the sink and cover the rectangular range hood hanging above the island.

    Beta Ø Architects completes overhaul of X House in Madrid

    A spiral staircase with black metal steps is carved into the wall to create a sculptural focal point within the space.

    Upstairs the bedroom and bathrooms are concealed by a wall of slender wooden slats lacquered white. The narrow strips separate the master bedroom from the bathroom. A section of the millwork is intentionally left open to expose the shower.

    “A continuous view was required so you can see through the slats to the shower,” the studio added. “However, the private areas of the bathroom are completely hidden.”
    In the bathroom the studio has covered the walls and floors with white tiles and blue grouting. A geometric counter clad with blue tiles snakes across the ground and up the wall to form a storage closet in the space.

    Zooco Estudio is an architecture firm with offices in Madrid and Santander founded by Miguel Crespo Picot, Javier Guzmán Benito and Sixto Martín Martínez. The studio has also completed an art centre in Verín that comprises several granite buildings and a child play area built out of wood for a co-working office in Santa Monica, California.

    Other renovation projects in Madrid include a house with a permeable metal sculpture designed by Beta Ø Architects and an apartment by Lucas y Hernández Gil with sliding wall partitions.
    Photography is by Imagen Subliminal.
    Project credits:
    Project manager: Miguel Crespo Picot, Javier Guzmán Benito, Sixto Martín MartínezConstruction: Nimbo Proyectos S LLighting: Zooco EstudioFurniture design: Zooco Estudio

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    KC Design Studio creates moody grey living spaces in basement of Taipei apartment

    The neglected basement of this apartment in Taipei has been overhauled by KC Design Studio to feature a series of greyscale rooms and an indoor courtyard.The apartment, named House H, is set within a residential block in Taipei’s Shilin district and is occupied by a family of four.
    With the children growing up, the family were starting to feel increasingly constricted in their ground floor apartment, so they approached KC Design Studio to transform the disused basement below into additional living quarters.

    The basement presented some significant problems – as the apartment block is sandwiched between two buildings, it would only be possible for the basement to receive natural light from either the front or the back of the plan.

    As the basement had only a few ventilators, there was also poor air circulation.

    To combat this, the studio decided to carve several openings into the basement’s ceiling. One large rectangular opening towards the front of the basement allows sunlight to stream down from the windows on the ground-floor facade.
    This opening also accommodates a staircase that connects the apartment’s two floors.

    An L-shaped opening has then been made in the ceiling at the rear of the basement, topped with gridded metal sheeting so that air can circulate from the ground floor above. The area directly beneath the opening has been fronted with glass to form an indoor courtyard.
    Inside, it’s filled with an array of leafy green plants and a small chinaberry tree.

    The thick foliage acts as a natural privacy screen between the daughter and the son’s bedrooms, which have been relocated to the basement.
    “In the night, the light and shadow of the leaves become the leading role in the space,” explained the studio.

    Elsewhere at basement level is the apartment’s kitchen, living area, laundry room and additional wash facilities.
    The ground floor now largely acts as a master bedroom suite for the parents, complete with its own walk-in-wardrobe. There is also a prayer room for the family at this level.

    A moody colour palette has been applied throughout the home. Walls have been loosely rendered with grey plaster and a majority of the floor has been poured over with concrete.
    Almost all of the lighting fixtures are black, apart from a row of metal pendant lamps that dangle above the dining table. Slate-coloured cabinetry features in the kitchen behind.

    Pink holiday home by KC Design Studio features dedicated cat room

    “We selected different materials but kept them as monochrome as possible to keep it simple and unadorned – in this case, the main thing to perform is light,” the studio told Dezeen.

    KC Design Studio was established in 2012 and is based in Taipei’s Songshan district.
    House H’s dark interiors are a far cry from the studio’s recent whimsical project, Cat’s Pink House – a bubblegum-pink holiday home that includes ladders and a carousel-shaped climbing frame for the owner’s feline companions.
    Photography is by Hey! Cheese.
    Design: KC Design StudioLead designer: Chun-ta, Tsao

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    Studio Collective revitalises modernist LA tower for Hotel June

    Los Angles practice Studio Collective has renovated a mid-century building in the city designed by modernist architect Welton Becket in the 1960s to create a laid-back hotel.Hotel June is a 250-room property in a white, 12-storey tower designed by Los Angeles architect Welton Becket in 1968.

    Becket built a number of modernist buildings in the city, including the rounded Capitol Records Building, Koreatown’s Equitable Life Building skyscraper and the Los Angeles Music Center’s Ahmanson Theater near Frank Gehry’s metallic Walt Disney Concert Hall.

    This building, which is in Los Angeles’ beachside community of Playa Del Rey on Lincoln Boulevard, was previously another hotel before it was overhauled by Studio Collective.
    While the exterior was left intact, the interiors are refreshed with many built-in oak pieces, terrazzo floors and woven accents. Pink and green details add a pop of colour.

    The interiors have “a sense of the new and dynamic through coastal influences and a true California spirit” said the studio. The hotel features a pared-back feeling with natural materials and subtle use of colour.

    A lobby has cream terrazzo floors, a wood-clad ceiling and a bright painting on a wall designed by Brooklyn artist Alex Proba. Becket’s granddaughter, Alexandra Becket, also created wallpapers for other areas of the hotel.
    Hotel rooms have white walls, woven carpeting and a mixture of modernist and more contemporary furniture pieces, including Hem sofas. Bright blue and grey are integrated into the suites for visual contrast.

    “Hotel June is at once airy and cosy, blending clean lines and warm natural woods, earthy finishes, and custom furnishings,” the studio said.

    Lush courtyards surround 1 Hotel West Hollywood in Los Angeles

    White oak closets, custom platform beds and wooden daybeds are intended to evoke mid‐century designs, like those by Charles and Ray Eames and relate to the building’s history.

    “Guestrooms and corridors play with colour-blocking geometries (that recall the work of local mid-century industrial designers Charles and Ray Eames),” Studio Collective said.
    Bathrooms have black fixtures and showers are clad in small, square tiles in grey with dark grout.

    In the hotel’s restaurant and sitting area, glass walls are shaded by slatted oak wood screens to help filter natural sunlight. A white, curved sofa and a large woven light fixture decorate the lounge, while the dining area has dark terrazzo floors and wood furniture.

    Hotel June is complete with an outdoor swimming pool, patio, an outdoor bar and restaurant, a fire pit and indoor gym.
    The property, which is called Hotel June to reflect new beginnings and California’s year-round summer sensibility, is the brainchild of Proper Hospitality co-founders Brian De Lowe and Brad Korzen.

    The Proper hotels in California, which are designed by Kelly Wearstler, include Santa Monica Proper with a similarly relaxed style and San Francisco Proper overflowing with colourful art and furniture.
    Hotel June joins a number of hotels recently completed in Los Angeles, like Ace Hotel, the West Hollywood Edition Hotel by Ian Schrager and John Pawson, Arts District Firehouse Hotel and 1 Hotel West Hollywood.
    Photography is by The Ingalls.

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    Biasol channels 1980s nostalgia inside Melbourne restaurant Billie Buoy

    Design studio Biasol clashed hot pink and midnight blue to form the bold interiors of this 1980s-inspired restaurant in Melbourne, Australia.Billie Buoy occupies a corner plot in Melbourne’s Essendon neighbourhood and has been designed by local studio Biasol as a “1980s character who was radical, hip and a little offbeat”.
    To capture the mood of the 1980s, the studio closely studied the era and its quirky pop culture.

    “We looked back to the days before the internet and cell phones – we dusted off our Atari and Walkman, put a John Hughes movie in the VHS, and jammed to New Order and Madonna,” said the studio.

    “The interiors and branding were developed in unison to create high impact and strengthen Billie Buoy’s appeal.”

    When it came to creating a colour palette for the 60-square-metre restaurant, the studio selected two shades that it felt were synonymous with the 1980s – blue and hot pink.
    Where possible, different textures and materials have been introduced to foster a greater sense of “depth, richness and variation”.

    Midnight-blue paint covers the walls and ceiling. The same hue of felt has been used to upholster the seating banquette that curves around the wall of the entryway and the accompanying stools.
    A mixture of navy and speckled black bricks have then been laid across the floor, while white-terrazzo dining tables inlaid with blue flecks of aggregate have been dotted throughout the dining rooms.
    A glossy, powder-blue service counter that features a bold scallop pattern has also been erected in front of the drinks bar.

    Vibrant hot-pink details come in the form of the coffee grinders and a neon text sign on the wall. A series of vaulted steel storage shelves also appear throughout the restaurant, two behind the bar and three in the entrance dining area which are used to openly display crockery.
    Doorways that lead through to the customer bathrooms and back-of-house facilities for staff are also arched in form.

    Biasol uses green tones for update of Melbourne’s Main Street cafe

    The project also saw Biasol apply midnight-blue paint across the restaurant’s exterior.
    One street-facing wall is emblazoned with the words “wake me up when I’m famous”, which the studio hopes will become a prime spot to snap photos for Instagram.

    Biasol was founded in 2012 by Jean-Pierre Biasol and works out of offices in Melbourne’s Cremorne suburb.
    Billie Buoy is one of several eateries that the studio has designed around the city of Melbourne. Others include Main Street cafe, which is decked out with monochrome tiles and deep-green furnishings, and Pentolina, a pasta bar with worn concrete walls which are meant to emulate the streets of Ancient Rome.
    Photography is by Timothy Kaye.

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    Wood and white brick feature in Perth extension by David Barr Architects

    David Barr Architects has added a bright and roomy two-floor extension to a cottage near Perth, Australia so that its owners can have their grown-up children come to stay. The cottage is situated in the port city of Fremantle along Marine Terrace road, from where the project takes its name. Marine belongs to a couple
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    Ljubljana apartment by Arhitektura d.o.o features mobile steel furnishings and silver curtains

    Arhitektura d.o.o has fit out this apartment in the Slovenian capital with metallic moveable furniture so its owners can adapt the layout to suit their busy social lives. The apartment, named Rubikum for Three, is situated just outside the centre of Ljubljana and belongs to a young couple and their pet dog. They had previously
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