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    Eight interiors where burl wood provides natural texture

    This week’s lookbook rounds up eight interiors with furnishings and surfaces finished in burl-wood veneer, allowing its swirly, psychedelic graining to serve a decorative function.

    Burl wood is a rare and expensive wood, often only available in thin sheets of veneer. That’s because it is derived from the knobbly outgrowths of tree trunks and branches – also known as burls.
    Like the botanical equivalent of a callous, these outgrowths form in response to different stress factors and grow unpredictably, creating complex unexpected grain patterns behind their gnarled bark.
    Burl wood has been experiencing a renaissance over the last few years, with interior designers including Kelly Wearstler using it to evoke the bohemian flair of its 1970s heyday.
    Mixed and matched with other patterns, the material is now used to communicate a kind of organic understated luxury, much like natural stone.

    From a Michelin-starred restaurant to a home that was designed to resemble a boutique hotel, read on for eight examples of how burl wood can provide textural richness to a modern interior.
    This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring rooms with net floors, interiors with furry walls and homes with mid-century modern furniture.
    Photo by Pion StudioBotaniczna Apartment, Poland, by Agnieszka Owsiany Studio
    This tranquil apartment in Poznań was designed by local firm Agnieszka Owsiany Studio to give the owners a reprise from their high-pressure medical jobs.
    The interior combines a calming mix of pale marble and various kinds of wood, including oak cabinetry, chevron parquet flooring and a console and vanity, both finished in speckled burl.
    “My clients asked for a high quality, almost hotel-like space, as they were in need of everyday comfort,” founder Agnieszka Owsiany told Dezeen.
    Find out more about Botaniczna Apartment ›
    Photo by Adrian GautUlla Johnson flagship, USA, by Kelly Wearstler
    Burlwood brings “a touch of 1970s California nostalgia” to the Ulla Johnson flagship store in Los Angeles, courtesy of local designer Kelly Wearstler.
    The unusual veneer was used liberally to cover walls, ceilings and shelves, as well as forming a statement display cabinet where the material’s natural wavy surface texture provides an added element of tactility (top image).
    Find out more about the Ulla Johnson flagship ›
    Photo by Prue RuscoeKoda hair salon, Australia, by Arent & Pyke
    This hair salon in Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building was designed by Australian studio Arent & Pyke to be “best appreciated from seated height”.
    Drawing attention away from the building’s extra-tall ceilings, freestanding quartzite-rimmed mirrors are placed at angles in front of the styling chairs, framing a vintage hanging cabinet made from pale burl.
    Find out more about the Koda hair salon ›
    Photo by Pion StudioOpasly Tom restaurant, Poland, by Buck Studio
    Buck Studio employed a limited palette of colours and materials to create visual continuity throughout Warsaw restaurant Opasly Tom, which occupies a split-level building that was broken up into a series of rooms of different sizes.
    Coral-orange chair cushions mirror the hardware of the totem-like pendant lights, and several burl-clad cabinets are dotted throughout the eatery. These match the kaleidoscopically patterned panelling in the hallway and the private dining rooms.
    “This contemporary, minimalistic design approach produces the impression of coherence while creating a powerful aesthetic impact,” explained the Polish studio, which is headed up by Dominika Buck and Pawel Buck.
    Find out more about the Opasly Tom restaurant ›
    Photo by Oni StudioWarsaw apartment, Poland, by Mistovia
    Elsewhere in Warsaw, Polish studio Mistovia designed an apartment for an art director and her pet dachshund to resemble an “elaborate puzzle” of contrasting patterns.
    Walnut-burl cabinets dominate the kitchen, with their trippy swirling pattern offset against monochrome tiles, brushed-metal drawers and a terrazzo-legged breakfast bar.
    Find out more about the Warsaw apartment ›
    Photo by Jennifer Chase and Yorgos EfthymiadisImperfecto, USA, by OOAK Architects
    Upon entering Michelin-starred restaurant Imperfecto in Washington DC, diners are greeted by a custom-made maître-d stand clad in panels of burl-wood veneer, creating a mirrored tortoiseshell pattern across its surface.
    The interior, designed by Greek-Swedish studio OOAK Architects, sees neutral tones paired with splashes of blue and white that nod to the restaurant’s Mediterranean menu.
    “OOAK Architects has used varied, high-quality finishes and authentic materials including Greek and Italian marbles, as well as brass and wood from different parts of the world, creating contrasting textures across the space,” the team said.
    Find out more about Imperfecto ›
    Photo by Anson SmartBlack Diamond house, Australia, by YSG
    Australian interiors studio YSG introduced a sumptuous mix of materials to this house in Sydney’s Mosman suburb to evoke the feeling of staying in a luxury hotel.
    This approach is evidenced by a number of custom furniture pieces dotted throughout the home, including a Tiberio marble vanity in the downstairs powder room and a poplar-burl cabinet with a bronzed mirror that looms over the nearby living room.
    Find out more about Black Diamond house ›
    Photo by Åsa LiffnerStudio Frantzén, UK, by Joyn Studio
    Restaurant Studio Frantzén in London’s Harrods department store serves a fusion of Nordic and Asian food that is also reflected in its Japandi interiors – taking cues from both Scandinavian and Japanese design.
    Interiors practice Joyn Studio leaned heavily on both cultures’ penchant for wood, combining seating banquettes made from blocks of end-grain pine wood with gridded timber ceilings and seating booths framed by burl-wood wall panelling.
    Find out more about Studio Frantzén ›
    This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring rooms with net floors, interiors with furry walls and homes with mid-century modern furniture.

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    Anastasiia Tempynska designs futuristic interior for laser clinic in Kyiv

    Ukrainian designer Anastasiia Tempynska combined futuristic details with fleshy materials that evoke the human body when creating the interior of the 13 Laser clinic and spa in Kyiv.

    Tempynska created an interior for 13 Laser that reflects the innovative technologies used by the clinic to perform procedures such as laser hair removal and skin resurfacing, on top of traditional treatments like massage and facials.
    13 Laser is a skin clinic and spa in Kyiv”I aimed to achieve a contrast between natural softness, expressed in textures and materials, and something unnatural that is connected with human activity – mirrors, neon, metal – something that looks like perfection,” Tempynska told Dezeen.
    “I also wanted to achieve an unobtrusive but simple luxury aesthetic,” added the designer, who founded her studio Temp Project in 2021.
    The futuristic interior was designed by Anastasiia TempynskaThe clinic consists of a generous reception and five treatment rooms including a larger space that can be booked by couples or friends. It is located on the ground floor of a modern residential complex and, prior to the fit-out, was an empty shell with red-brick walls and concrete columns.

    Tempynska introduced a palette of muted grey and white tones that provides a minimalist background, upon which she layered metallic finishes and matte textures informed by the design of medical equipment.
    The result is a futuristic aesthetic that is brightened and warmed by accents of pink and sky-blue, applied to furnishings and elements such as a neon sign in the reception area.
    Fleshy elements nod back to the clinic’s focus on skin and the bodyThe technological aesthetic is reinforced by custom-made elements such as an angular mirror that looks like it was cut by a laser.
    Scientific equipment such as flasks and beakers informed the glass block wall in the reception area, while the exposed utilities on the ceiling contribute to the sci-fi feel.
    The designer also sought to evoke the spa’s focus on the human body through the use of tones and textural materials that recall anatomical features.

    Olga Fradina uses natural tones and textures for interior of Ukrainian holistic healing centre

    The bouclé texture of several soft seating areas was chosen to reference the irregularities of skin when magnified under a microscope, while a lumpy side table was painted in a fleshy pink colour.
    “I was looking for a second-order association to manifest the theme of corporeality within the futuristic concept,” said Tempynska.
    “It was the colour pink – the colour of redness on the skin that reacts to cosmetic procedures. It is also the colour of the palm of your hand when you look at it on a sunny day.”
    A monolithic reception desk was designed to resemble solid stoneThe theme of nature was manifested in the monolithic reception desk, which weighs 400 kilograms and is made from concrete painted to resemble a solid chunk of stone.
    Other roughly textured or patterned elements were chosen to enhance the natural feel, with ceramic floor tiles complementing the desk’s stone-like surface.
    The pock-marked edge of a console table evokes the texture of a pumice stone used to exfoliate skin, while the uneven wall behind the reception desk recalls the mud used for some of the spa’s treatments.
    The clinic has five treatment rooms including a larger space for couples or friendsMost of the furniture featured in the project was custom-made, including a tubular floor lamp with integrated flower vases that is situated near the entrance.
    The angular mirror on wheels was designed for taking interesting selfies, while the bespoke neon sign references the pulse of a laser.
    Tempynska worked for several design studios prior to setting up her own office. Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine at the start of 2022 left her briefly without work. However, clients gradually returned and she has since completed numerous projects despite the challenges posed by the ongoing war.
    This rough-edged console table was chosen for its resemblance to a pumice stone”There was a time when we worked without communication and electricity,” the designer recalled. “I couldn’t leave the Dnipro left bank and often couldn’t call the builders.”
    “When I came to their workshop, they illuminated the products with a flashlight, but we work and believe in our victory,” she continued.
    Other projects that have recently been completed in Kyiv include Olga Fradina’s soothing, monochromatic interior for a wellness centre called Space and a refurbished attic apartment with views over the city.
    The photography is by Yevhenii Avramenko.

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    Bird feathers and burls inform New York restaurant by Polonsky & Friends

    New York design studio Polonsky & Friends has lined this tiny New York omakase restaurant with burl wood veneer panels, while its counters and cabinetry are coloured to resemble bird feathers.

    Designed as a sister location of Rosella, an East Village sushi spot that opened in 2020, Bar Miller is located a few blocks away in Alphabet City.
    The compact Bar Miller space seats eight covers around a counter made from rare Avocatus stoneThe owners brought back Polonsky & Friends to complete the interiors so that the two outposts could share the same “warm, welcoming energy”.
    Although the menu borrows from traditional sushi craft, it’s not authentically Japanese, so the designers wanted to steer clear of any tropes that might deceive customers.
    Burl wood veneer panels on the walls are framed in white oak, matching the building’s original floors”The design had to incorporate local and craft-centric elements and honour the food’s Japanese inspiration, but not fall into any folklore since the team isn’t Japanese and the menu is untraditional,” studio founder Anna Polonsky told Dezeen.

    The restaurant only seats eight covers, which surround the open kitchen in the centre of the compact space.
    Custom wallpaper hand-painted by Hollie M Kelley displays the feathers of an eastern rosella birdDeep blue-green Avocatus stone – a rare quartzite with a leathered finish – forms the entire bar counter
    A custom ceiling pendant by Madrid-based designer Pablo Bolumar is suspended above the counter like a string of pearly beads.
    Pieces by several local designers are featured in the restaurant, including ceramic vases by FefostudioOn the walls, panels of burl wood veneer are framed in white oak, which matches the refinished original parquet floors.
    “We were able to sand back [the flooring] after it was hidden for years in the previous restaurant,” Polonsky said.
    To contrast the blue-green dining area, kitchen cabinetry is coloured maroon as another nod to the rosella bird’s feathersA trio of panels feature a custom wallpaper drawn by artist Hollie M Kelley, displaying the feathers of an eastern rosella bird.
    Kelley also drew the icon for the sister restaurant, a western rosella, which has different colours in its plumage.

    Lunar festival informed Studio Tack’s design of Tsukimi restaurant in New York

    The maroon hues in the wallpaper are echoed on the cabinetry behind the kitchen counter, differentiating the food preparation area from the blue-green of the dining space.
    Other details include a panel of vertical wood slats for storing plates above the sink and moulded-glass scones shaped like scallop shells.
    Vertical wood slats provide spaces for storing dishesThe bar stools were crafted by Maderas Collective in Nicaragua and upholstered by Ecua in Queens, while ceramic vases were sourced from New York-based Fefostudio.
    In the bathroom, green tiles laid in a herringbone pattern cover the walls and a rice paper pendant light hand-painted by Claire Dufournier hangs from the ceiling.
    The bathroom features dark green tiles and a hand-painted rice paper pendant lightFor those looking for more Japanese restaurants with notable interiors, New York City has plenty of options to choose from.
    Check out the Rockwell Group-designed Katsuya close to Hudson Yards, Rule of Thirds by Love is Enough in Greenpoint, and Tsukimi in the East Village designed by Post Company – formerly known as Studio Tack.
    The photography is by Nicole Franzen.

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    Nine contemporary homes where ruins reveal layers of the past

    In this lookbook, we feature nine residential projects that demonstrate unique ways of interacting with a site’s history by weaving existing ruins into their designs.

    Until recently, it has been common practice to hide away old structures during adaptive reuse projects.
    However, the architects in this list embrace the past by stitching domestic spaces with the remains of former buildings, creating inventive encounters with preserved architectural remains.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring clever outbuilding interiors, homes with mid-century modern furniture and residential spaces with playful net floors.
    Photo by Tamás BujnovszkyNickzy Apartment, Hungary, by Béres Architects

    Carefully preserved stone walls are featured in this Hungarian guesthouse renovation by local studio Béres Architects.
    20th-century plaster finishes have been stripped back to expose the 400-year-old apartment’s original stonework, reestablishing its visual prominence against modern white-rendered walls.
    Find out more about Nickzy Apartment ›
    The photography is by José HeviaEl Priorato, Spain, by Atienza Maure Arquitectos
    The interiors of this 16th-century Spanish clergy house were restored by Atienza Maure Arquitectos to create ambiguity between the existing structure and new interventions.
    Concrete vaults, white-painted walls and limited fixtures sit alongside heritage-protected arches to create minimal differentiation between the materials and spaces.
    Find out more about El Priorato ›
    The photo is by José HeviaMediona 13, Spain, by Nua Arquitectures
    In the historic centre of Tarragona, Spain, Nua Arquitectures reinforced this home’s crumbling stone and timber structure with brightly coloured steel supporting elements.
    According to the studio, the steel insertions add another layer to the home’s visible “memory” and draw attention to the historic building fabric.
    Find out more about Mediona 13 ›
    The photo is by James MorrisCroft Lodge Studio, West Midlands, by David Connor Design and Kate Darby Architects
    David Connor Design and Kate Darby Architects enclosed the decaying remains of a 300-year-old building under a steel-framed shell in England’s West Midlands area.
    The bold new studio maintains every aspect of the heritage-listed structure within the internal living spaces, including the rotting timber, dead ivy and old birds’ nests.
    Find out more about The Parchment Works ›
    The photo is by Francesca IoveneCascina, Italy, by Jonathan Tuckey Design
    For this farmstead restoration in Italy, British studio Jonathan Tuckey Design prioritised returning the 19th-century buildings to their original state with minimal alterations.
    The existing beams and trusses of the distinctive barn roof had lost their structural integrity, leading the studio to layer a new roof atop the timber without disrupting the internal aesthetic.
    Find out more about Cascina ›
    The photo is by Simon KennedyArdoch House, Scotland, by Moxon Architects
    Moxon Architects expressed eye-catching details of 19th-century ruins within this outbuilding refurbishment in the Scottish Highlands.
    Alongside new finishes of uniform clay plaster, pieces of the crumbling masonry were preserved within the guesthouse’s renovated walls and doorways as subtle connections to the earlier building.
    Find out more about Ardoch House ›
    The photo is by Johan DehlinThe Parchment Works, Northamptonshire, by Will Gamble Architects
    The remains of a 17th-century parchment paper factory and cattle shed were brought into focus within this residential extension by Will Gamble Architects.
    New interventions were intended to be discreet, exposing original structural elements internally, while configuring glazing to look out onto uncovered ruins from the ground floor.
    Find out more about The Parchment Works ›
    The photo is by Rory GardinerRedhill Barn, Devon, by TYPE
    This 200-year-old English barn was in a state of disrepair before TYPE restored it into a modern family home.
    Aiming to distinguish between old and new, the studio lined contemporary wall finishes and wood panelling against remnant stone walls, while using existing columns to dictate the house’s layout.
    Find out more about Redhill Barn ›
    Photo by David BarbourCuddymoss, Scotland, by Ann Nisbet Studio
    Scottish architecture practice Ann Nisbet Studio inserted a timber-framed home into a stone ruin in Scotland and defined new living spaces within the surviving forms.
    To encourage layered encounters of the site, views of the landscape were also aligned with existing window apertures from the bedrooms.
    Find out more about Cuddymoss ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with net floors, mid-century modern furniture and perforated brick walls. 

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    Sam Crawford Architects tops Sydney home renovation with “garden oasis”

    A private roof terrace enclosed by greenery features in Hidden Garden House, a Sydney home reconfigured by Australian studio Sam Crawford Architects.

    Situated within a conservation zone, the home has been updated by Sam Crawford Architects to brighten its dark interior and transform it into an urban “sanctuary”.
    An open-tread staircase has been added to the hallwayAlterations to the 198-square-metre home’s interior are first seen in its entrance, where a stair with open treads and a white-steel balustrade replaces a solid timber structure that previously restricted light from a skylight above.
    Down from the entry hall is a spacious ground-floor kitchen and dining area, which is illuminated by 4.5-metre-high glass openings that lead out to a landscaped patio. The patio is paved with limestone tiles that extend out from the interior.
    A curved concrete roof features in the kitchen”By extending the ground floor finishes through the full-width doors into the rear yard, the garden and high-level green trellises at the rear of the site form the fourth wall to the rear wing,” studio director Sam Crawford told Dezeen.

    “They create a sense of enclosure that draws the occupant’s eye up to the expanse of the sky rather than surrounding suburbia.”
    Angled timber screens and greenery ensure privacy for the bathroomA concrete ceiling in Hidden Garden House’s kitchen curves upwards to help draw in the winter sun and provide summer shading, while operable clerestory windows allow natural ventilation.
    Above, this curved ceiling forms a sloped roof terrace filled with plants, which is situated off the main bedroom on the upper floor.

    John Ellway updates Brisbane cottage with staggered extension and gardens

    An ensuite bathroom, also lined with limestone floor tiles, has expansive openings offering a scenic yet private bathing experience enabled by angled timber screens and the terrace’s greenery.
    “The rolling green roof serves as a visual barrier to the surrounding suburb, whilst allowing the occupants to occupy their private garden oasis,” added Crawford.
    White walls and wooden furniture feature throughout the interiorHidden Garden House’s consistent material palette of bright white walls and wooden furniture ties its living spaces together, while decorative square tiles line both the kitchen and bathrooms.
    Curved details, such as the patio’s shape and the kitchen island and splashback, also feature throughout.
    The home aims to be an urban “sanctuary”Other alterations that were made to improve Hidden Garden House’s layout include the relocation of entrances to the ground floor laundry room and bathroom.
    Elsewhere, Sam Crawford Architects has also created a restaurant topped with an oversized steel roof and a bridge modelled on the curving shape of eels.
    The photography is by Tom Ferguson.
    Project credits:
    Architect: Sam Crawford ArchitectsBuilder: TokiStructural engineer: Cantilever EngineersCivil & hydraulic engineer: PartridgeAcoustic engineer: Acoustic LogicHeritage consultant: Damian O’Toole Town PlanningQuantity Surveyor: QS PlusLandscape design: Gabrielle Pelletier, SCARoof garden supplier: Fytogreen Australia

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    Side Angle Side transforms mid-century Austin post office into restaurant

    Texas architecture studio Side Angle Side has adapted a 1960s post office into a food market and restaurant in Austin.

    Opened in October 2023 in the Hyde Park area, Tiny Grocer serves as a speciality market, bar and cafe while Bureau de Poste is a modern French bistro led by celebrity chef Jo Chan.
    Side Angle Side has transformed a 1960s post office into a food market and restaurantAustin-based commercial and residential architecture firm Side Angle Side renovated the 3,500-square foot (325-square metre) 1967 US Post Office building and added a 1,500-square foot (140-square metre) outdoor dining patio.
    “The Hyde Park U.S. Post Office was an important neighborhood hub in the 1960s – so we were especially careful to keep the integrity and spirit of the mid-century-utilitarian design,” Arthur Furman, founding partner of Side Angle Side, told Dezeen.
    The team sought to preserve the building’s history as a community hub”As the anchor tenant in the space, Tiny Grocer continues to be the centre of the community, a place to gather, shop, eat and drink.”

    The shell of the white brick building was left intact, but the street-facing facade was previously used as a loading dock so the team transformed the back-of-house edge into a welcoming patio for the neighbourhood by removing the asphalt and adding two large live oak trees and a steel trellis and planters.
    The exterior of the building was kept intactA cast-in-place concrete banquette holds the edge of the patio that is paved with antique red brick.
    The steel planter forms a boundary between the parking area and the dining space, while the other edge is held by a light grey-coloured stucco restroom building. White metal furniture from Isimar and Portofino was used to furnish the patio.
    “The patio and wine garden is the real heart of the project,” the team said, mentioning that it wasn’t within the original scope of the project but added later when its larger value was realized. “This is where all the care and thought of the interior spills to the outside, creating a lively environment.”
    The renovated building has exposed concrete floors from the original buildingOn the interior, Side Angle Side complemented the original ceiling and open web joists with metal decking and industrial warehouse pendants by AQ Lighting. The polished concrete floors expose the weathered imperfections and show the history of the building.
    Upon entering, shoppers take in the colourful selection of curated products displayed on white oak mercantile shelving. Green millwork hugs one wall and the space widens to an open interior plan.
    A patio and wine garden is at the heart of the projectA central deli and coffee bar floats in the middle of the room and creates a transition from the market to the bistro. The bar is wrapped in Seneca terracotta tile and topped with grey and white quartz countertops. Wooden Soule barstools are tucked under the waterfall counter.
    The back-of-house spaces hold a kitchen office, storage, and bar equipment.

    Side Angle Side creates gabled home in Austin for an architectural photographer

    “Working closely with the owner, design finishes hint at the building’s midcentury past,” the team said, referencing the custom, built-in leather banquette by Undercover Austin Upholstery that lines the bistro’s back wall.
    Above the banquette and Second Chance Custom wooden dining tables hang black cone light pendants by All Modern.
    The patio features brick flooring and white metal furniture”The single biggest sustainable feature of this project is one that is often overlooked,” the team said, noting the adaptation of the structure. “The ‘loose fit, long life’ style of these old buildings leads to more reuse and far less waste.”
    Recent adaptive reuse projects in Austin include a 1900s house converted to a luxury office by Michael Hsu and commercial units converted to an architecture studio by Baldridge Architects.
    The photography is by Likeness Studio and Mackenzie Smith Kelly.
    Project credits:
    Structural engineer: Creative EngineeringMEP engineer: ATS EngineersBuilder: Archive PropertiesCommercial interior design: Side Angle SideArchitects: Side Angle SideBuilding shell: Thought Barn StudioLandscape design: Side Angle Side & Wild Heart DirtOwner: Steph Steele

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    Bunkhouse and Reurbano convert 1940s Mexico City apartments into boutique hotel

    American hotel brand Bunkhouse and interior design studio Reurbano have used motifs derived from the history of a Mexico City structure when converting it into a boutique hotel.

    Hotel San Fernando is located in the Condesa neighbourhood of Mexico City, a largely residential zone that in recent years has seen an influx of national and international travellers.
    Bunkhouse and Reurbano have converted a 1940s apartment building into a boutique hotel in Mexico CityBunkhouse worked with local interior design studio Reurbano to take a 1940s apartment building and convert it into a 19-room hotel, with finishes informed by the neighbourhood.
    The face of the structure was restored and painted a light green, with darker green used on the awnings that provide coverage for seating attached to the hotel’s lobby and restaurant, which open to the street through glass-paned French doors.
    It features renovated spaces that maintain details of the original structureAn art deco-style logo spells out the name of the hotel above the door. Saint Fernando is known as the patron saint of engineers, and the team wanted to highlight this by maintaining the name of the original building in the branding of the new structure.

    “We wanted to honour this building,” said Bunkhouse senior vice president of design Tenaya Hills.
    “We love the story and the history and like to imagine what it has been for people over the decades.”
    A spiral staircase leads from the lobby to the rooftopThis primary entrance features a metal door with glass panes informed by the original stained glass of the building.
    The entry corridor leads past a lobby lounge, with lighting by Oaxaca studio Oaxifornia and furnishings by local gallery Originario; and design studios Daniel Y Catalina, and La Metropolitana, which also created custom furniture for all of the guest suites.
    At the far end of the lobby lounge is the restaurant’s bar, which features a large semi-circular cabinet with mirrored back to hold the spirits. A chandelier by local sculptor Rebeca Cors hangs above the clay-clad bar.
    French doors feature at the entrance and on some of the roomsThe entrance corridor has green encaustic concrete tiles from the original building. Other original details include the wainscotting and casement windows.
    A reception area is located at the end of the corridor and behind it is a circular staircase with metal-and-wood railing that leads all the way up through the building, with landings on each of its five floors, terminating at a terrace on top of the building.

    Hybrid and Palma include organic elements within brutalist Mexican hotel

    The guest rooms range from single-room setups to multi-room suites, the largest of which are accessed through French doors with opaque windows.
    Here the studio departed from the greens used on the exterior and the lobby and utilised soft orange, pink and white paints.
    Light colours and hand-crafted goods fill the roomsFloors in the rooms are either tile or wood and furniture made from light-coloured wood is covered by locally derived textiles. Three rooms on the rooftop level feature furniture designed by Bunkhouse and fabricated by local design outfit B Collective Studio.
    Pendant lamps and sconces by local ceramicist Anfora are found in the kitchens and bathrooms.
    The rooftop features sculptural breeze blocksThe rooftop features a tiled dining and lounge area surrounded by sculptural breeze blocks, designed to mimic the original building’s patterned stained glass.
    Mexican design studios Mexa and Comité de Proyectos contributed furniture pieces for the rooftop.
    Other hotels in Mexico include a tile-clad structure in San Miguel de Allende by Productora and Esrawe Studio and a hotel in Mexico City with wooden lattices by PPAA.
    The photography is by Chad Wadsworth. 

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    YSG brings boutique-hotel feel to family home in Sydney

    Interiors studio YSG has upgraded a home in Sydney’s Mosman suburb to feature “lavish yet tranquil” interiors that are more akin to those of a luxury hotel.

    The three-storey house previously had drab grey walls and awkwardly placed partitions but now features more coherently connected rooms finished in a sumptuous mix of materials.
    Black Diamond is a house in Sydney’s Mosman suburb”Our clients wanted a home that felt like a boutique hotel with a lavish yet tranquil tonal intensity that was rich in substance, not excess trimmings,” YSG explained.
    “We took a deep dive, converting it into a tactile haven with nooks for respite amongst spaces that freely ebb and flow.”
    YSG expanded the home’s covered balcony to accommodate a large tableThe studio started by reconfiguring the home’s first floor to make way for more outdoor entertainment space.

    A glass alcove that used to jut into the balcony was removed, allowing room for a large table where the clients can sit and take in views of the nearby harbour.
    A custom timber table is the centrepiece of the dining areaThe expanded balcony means there is now less room on the interior. But YSG worked around this by removing the kitchen’s cumbersome bulkhead and two partition walls that once framed its breakfast island.
    The revamped kitchen now features a black counter clad with leathered marble and shimmering mosaic tiles.
    A plaster-washed stairwell leads up to the second floorBlack mosaic tiles also cover a section of the floor and the chimney breast in the living room, leading the studio to nickname the project Black Diamond.
    “Combined with the dark timber floors and ceiling, they provide sheltered respite from the brilliant glare and frenzied harbour activity, enabling the room to take an inward-looking approach,” YSG said.
    The principal bedroom is decked out in natural huesThe living room was dressed with a plump cream swivel chair and an alpaca-wool sofa finished in the same lilac colour as the flowers of the Jacaranda trees that surround the home.
    A custom timber table is the centrepiece of the dining area. It sits beside a partition made of smoked-glass blocks, which YSG constructed around three steel struts that now provide structural support in place of a solid wall.

    YSG designs playful Sydney penthouse for empty nesters

    A plaster-washed stairwell leads up to the home’s second floor and is doused in natural light via a newly installed glass-brick facade. Some of these bricks are made from yellow glass, chosen by YSG to reflect the home’s “sunny disposition”.
    The staircase’s lower steps were ebonised to complement the black tiling that appears throughout the first floor while the upper steps are crafted from a pale timber to signal a change of space.
    Striking raffia-weave wallpaper lines cupboards in the walk-in wardrobeThe home’s top floor accommodates the principal bedroom, entered via a doorway lined in Rosso travertine. The bed is positioned at the centre of the room, set against a new low-lying partition.
    Behind it, the studio installed extra storage and established a new entryway to the walk-in wardrobe, which could previously only be accessed from the en-suite.
    The bedroom’s nook now accommodates a comfy curved banquetteGeometric raffia-weave wallpaper lines the front of all the cupboards, complementing the warm, natural hues that feature throughout the rest of the room.
    The bedroom leads off to a curved nook that used to contain a jumble of furnishings but now has a wooden desk and dramatic boucle-covered banquet that winds around its outer perimeter.
    Sea-green furnishings and decor feature in the studyThe project also saw YSG decrease the size of the kids’ playroom on the home’s ground floor in order to enlarge the utility room.
    A spare bedroom at this level was converted into a study and finished with sea-green furniture.
    Pink-hued Tiberio marble covers surfaces in the first-floor powder roomOutside, the studio replaced weathered decking with “crazy paving” composed of jagged slabs of pale stone and constructed a cushioned day bed that cantilevers over the pool.
    Other fun elements of the home include the ground-level powder room, which is clad top-to-bottom in pinkish Tiberio marble, and the wine cellar door with its tangerine-orange porthole windows that provide a glimpse of the bottles inside.
    The pool area features fresh paving and a cantilevering daybedYSG is behind the design of several residences in Sydney. There’s Budge Over Dover, a tactile home decked out in brick, brass and coloured plasters, and the playful penthouse Dream Weaver, curated to suit the owner’s bolder post-lockdown aesthetic.
    The photography is by Anson Smart.
    Project credits:
    Interior design and styling: YSGBuilder: Promena Projects

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