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    Mexico City restaurant by RA! arranged around upside-down pyramid bar

    A bar counter shaped like an inverted ziggurat sits at the centre of this restaurant in Mexico City, designed by local architecture studio RA!

    Tana is a tapas spot located in the city’s wealthy Polanco neighbourhood, within a compact and intimate space facing Parque Lincoln.
    The Tana restaurant is organized around a central concrete barRA! gutted the 65-square-metre unit to make way for its cave-like concept, achieved by applying textured plaster and concrete across the four-metre-high walls.
    “The intervention began by demolishing the superimposed finishes of the old premises, in order to discover the structure and the materials that originally constituted the space,” said RA! co-founder Pedro Ramírez de Aguilar.
    The bar’s inverted ziggurat form features cove lighting along its tiered sides”The balance of the sounds, colours, textures and tones of the space creates a cave atmosphere that shelters those who inhabit it,” he contined.

    The main dining area is organised around a central bar counter, which has a stepped form reminiscent of an ancient pyramid – similar to those located at the Aztec archeological site of Teotihuacan just outside of the city.
    Cove lighting also illuminates the plaster and concrete walls and floors around the restaurant’s perimeterRough concrete also wraps the bar’s tiered sides, under which cove lighting is installed to illuminate each layer.
    “The bar questions the traditional linear organization of bars to create a square distribution that allows greater coexistence between users and the mixologist,” Ramírez de Aguilar said.
    Slender-framed metal stools provide seating for dinersFurther cove lighting encircles the room just above floor level, and about two-thirds of the way up the walls, as well as beneath the narrow drink shelves.
    Behind the bar, a copper lighting fixture comprises two concentric circles, with a soft glow emanating from behind the small, front disk.
    Cylindrical concrete pendants lamps hang above the dining areaThe copper fixture was mounted on a floor-to-ceiling shelving system built from thin metal pipes, which displays liquor bottles and holds hanging plants at the top.
    “The plate made in Michoacán, Mexico, is positioned on a large formation of rods that go from the support cabinet to the ceiling, generating a series of shelves on which the bottles and other service elements are positioned,” said Ramírez de Aguilar.

    Sofía Betancur references nearby church for Pizzeria Della Madonna

    Tall, slender-framed stools surround the bar, and provide additional seating along either side of the space.
    Above hang cylindrical concrete pendant lamps with steel caps, which direct the light downwards as a series of spots.
    RA! designed the restaurant to look and feel like a caveBehind the shelving unit is a small, omakase-style dining area that offers guests a direct view of the kitchen.
    The restaurant opens fully to the street, where more tables are placed on a covered patio surrounded by plants.
    Tana also has a covered outdoor patio surrounded by plantsRA! was founded in 2017 by Ramírez de Aguilar along with Cristóbal Ramírez de Aguilar and Santiago Sierra in Mexico City, where the dining scene is booming and many creative minds are helping to shape interiors for its chefs.
    Along with Tana, new spots include Pizzeria della Madonna in Roma Norte, which designer Sofia Betancur modelled on a neighbouring church, and Ling Ling, an Asian fusion restaurant on the 56th floor of the Chapultepec Uno skyscraper.
    The photography is by Ariadna Polo.

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    Eight bright and airy interiors illuminated by perforated brick walls

    Dezeen’s latest lookbook explores eight interiors – from bright, airy residential spaces to cool, open-plan offices – illuminated by perforated brick walls.

    Perforated brick walls are often used as a cooling strategy in warmer climates. This lookbook highlights their effect on the lighting and shading of interior spaces and how they can be used to create a playful, light atmosphere.
    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 light-filled kitchens, sculptural wooden staircases and airy, pared-back loft conversions.
    Photo by Hemant PatilStudio by the Hill, India, by Mind Manifestation
    This converted apartment in Pune, India – designed by architecture studio Mind Manifestation to house the studio’s office – uses perforated bricks to create a well-lit and ventilated workspace.

    Bricks was used extensively across the flooring and complemented by green lime plaster walls.
    “The material palette has been tastefully chosen so as to match with the different shades of the hill throughout the year,” Mind Manifestation explained.
    Find out more about Studio by the Hill ›
    Photo by Oki HiroyukiCuckoo House, Vietnam, by Tropical Space
    Cuckoo House, designed by Tropical Space, is a two-storey home situated atop a cafe in Da Nang, Vietnam, encased by a shell made from local clay bricks.
    Living spaces on the upper floor feature perforated brick for privacy and ventilation, with the design resulting in a playful chequered lighting pattern across the wooden and concrete interior.
    Find out more about Cuckoo House ›
    Photo by Oki HiroyukiWall House, Vietnam, by CTA
    Square perforated bricks salvaged from nearby buildings sites are used on the exterior of CTA’s Wall House in Bien Hoa, Vietnam.
    Stacked in an irregular formation, the punctured bricks filter sunlight and air into the space, creating dotted shadows across the plant-filled double-height living room.
    Find out more about Wall House ›
    Photo by Hemant PatilGadi House, India, by PMA Madhushala
    Gadi House in Maval, India, by PMA Madhushala is a compact arrangement of volumes and courtyards.
    Dimly-lit courtyards and living spaces are illuminated by pockets of sunlight accessed through perforations in the brick and stone walls.
    Find out more about Gadi House ›
    Photo by Federico CairoliIntermediate House, Paraguay, by Equipo de Arquitectura
    The Intermediate House by Paraguay-based studio Equipo de Arquitectura is a narrow residence in Asunción organised around an open-air courtyard.
    Manually pressed, unfired bricks form the perforated street-facing facade – drawing sunlight and air through the vaulted brick-roofed dining room and into adjacent spaces.
    Find out more about Intermediate House ›
    Photo by Oki HiroyukiThe Termitary House, Vietnam, by Tropical Space
    Patterned shadows decorate the dimly-lit brick and wood interior of The Termitary House in Da Nang, Vietnam, designed by Tropical Space.
    Inspired by earthen termite nests, the studio used perforated brick on the facade and internal walls to bring natural light into the interiors during the day and draw in artificial light at night.
    Find out more about The Termitary House ›
    Photo by Timothy KayeCloud House, Australia, by Dean Dyson Architects
    Australian studio Dean Dyson Architects designed the Cloud House – a two-storey home in Malvern – using an exterior layer of grey, perforated brickwork.
    Intended to create a “private oasis” for the clients, the perforated brick pours light into the interior living spaces, with passive ventilation enabled by operable windows.
    Find out more about Cloud House ›
    Photo by Joana FrançaTropical Shed, Brazil, by Laurent Troost Architectures
    Located on a long, narrow plot in Manaus, Tropical Shed is a plant-filled office with a centralised courtyard designed by Brazilian studio Laurent Troost Architectures.
    Interlocking bricks – repeated throughout the design – form a perforated wall in the double-height office to create a cool work environment decorated with playful shadows.
    Find out more about Tropical Shed ›
    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 light-filled kitchens, sculptural wooden staircases and airy, pared-back loft conversions.

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    Framery predicts focus spaces to be key office design trend in 2024

    Promotion: the need for well-considered focus spaces will come to the fore in workplace design in 2024, driven by the uptake of artificial intelligence, according to office pod brand Framery.

    Framery says that the increase in AI in the workplace will result in it taking more responsibility for mundane, repetitive tasks, resulting in the need for additional focus spaces in open-plan offices to help support employees’ deep and focused tasks.
    “If it happens how it’s expected and AI takes more responsibility for repetitive tasks, the office design should reflect this development and support deep, focused work,” said Tomi Nokelainen, head of Framery Labs, the company’s research and innovation unit.
    Framery predicts focus areas will be the key office design trend of 2024According to Framery, while post-pandemic hybrid office design placed an emphasis on the creation of collaborative spaces and “flashy common areas embodying organisational culture”, the next phase of this evolution will centre on creating areas that minimise distraction and allow for focused work.
    “It’s noteworthy that employees value focused working spaces beyond collaborative spaces,” said Nokelainen. “With work complexity on the rise, there is a heightened demand for both acoustic and visual privacy.”

    The company points to the findings of research company Leesman, which has reported that workers are still choosing to stay at home for solitary work. Leeman’s research suggested that some working activities were “better supported at home” including individual-focused work and planned meetings.
    However, Framery says that when employees have the option to work from home, that may not be sufficient to fulfil their productivity needs.
    “It can’t be assumed that all employees have the luxury of a dedicated home office room, or are willing to invest in expensive desks or ergonomic chairs,” said Nokelainen.
    Office workers value focus areas more than collaborative spaces, Framery research findsFramery, a Finnish brand, was one of the first to enter the office pods space in 2010, creating soundproof booths that drown out external distractions so that employees can undertake focused work or conduct video conferencing calls.
    According to Framery Labs’ research, focus spaces are the number one desired perk for employees that would draw them into working in the office rather than at home and they address distractions to focused work, for example, noise.
    Only 33 per cent of employees report finding noise levels satisfactory in their workplace and dissatisfaction with noise has the strongest correlation to an employee saying that the design of their workplace does not support their personal productivity.
    The pods are soundproof so external noise is not a distractionThis can be especially consequential for neurodiverse people, who constitute around 15 to 20 per cent of the global population and who can have a greater sensitivity to sensory stimuli, according to the brand.
    With workplaces becoming more inclusive, the next step will be to design them to function as “a catalyst not a barrier to productivity”, said Nokelainen, with a recognition that different people have different needs.
    “There are no one-size-fits-all focus spaces – they can be everything from silent open areas, library-like spaces, private offices or pods,” said Nokelainen. “Each role and industry has their own special needs that must be taken into account.”
    The Framery One pod is Framery’s bestselling productThese considerations can be addressed with products like the Framery One, Framery’s bestselling office pod. A single-person workstation for focused work that is also optimised for virtual meetings, it includes soft lighting and adjustable ventilation to help create a personalised environment.
    In a closed pod like this, neurodiverse people can apply “sensory integration techniques”, said Nokelainen which means incorporating the sensory tools or approaches that promote calm and focus for them.
    There are also multi-person pods like the Framery Q Flow, one of the newest models. It is designed to help enable workers to achieve the “flow” state of mind, where work feels effortless and time switches off, and includes a height-adjustable electric table so that users can shift positions without interrupting their thought process.
    The office pods come with Framery Connect, an integrated workplace management tool that supplies detailed data and analysis around how often and when they’re being used.
    The pods include the Framery Connect workplace management systemFramery says it prides itself on the quality of its soundproof office pods, as well as having been among the first to bring the product category to the market. The company launched 13 years ago after its founder – Samu Hällfors – devised a solution to address the distraction caused by his boss’s loud phone calls.
    “Our founder and CEO Samu Hällfors invented the office pod category in 2010,” said Framery. “Now we have over 200 competitors globally. To ensure we stay the market leader we are relentlessly innovating to engineer the most advanced pod in the world.”
    Framery also has a sustainable and responsible ethos and has made a commitment to converting to a circular business model.
    To find out more about Framery and its products, visit the brand’s website.
    Partnership content
    This article was written by Dezeen for Framery as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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    Kin designs Dentons law firm office interior for more than “just a business meeting”

    Design studio Kin has created the Edinburgh office interior for global law firm Dentons, featuring a communal rotunda with no doors and an open-plan bar.

    Manchester-based Kin designed the office at 9 Haymarket Square – a mixed-use development in Edinburgh.
    Oranges and greens feature throughout the interiorThe studio sought to “challenge the conventional approach to design for legal practices” when creating the interior, which includes a central rotunda designed as a casual place to gather.
    Built from Scottish oak, the round structure features a circular footprint to counterbalance the existing building’s angles and straight lines.
    Kin positioned a rotunda in the centre of the office”We wanted it to have a homely familiar feeling with no physical doors, just a series of connected spaces,” Kin director Matt Holmes told Dezeen.

    The rotunda was also partially clad with acoustic panels made from recycled plastic bottles, which were fitted to absorb sound and reduce ambient reverberation from around the rest of the office.
    Statement timber arches frame the welcome deskIlluminated, amphitheatre-style seating was positioned in the middle of the rotunda, while individual meeting booths were placed on its perimeter.
    The welcome desk was framed by oversized statement arches set within a boxy timber shelving unit.

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    Elsewhere, Kin added an open-plan bar to the office, made from bespoke wooden rods and solid terrazzo.
    “The bar was designed to act as a focal point for the client space – somewhere for people to gravitate around as they leave the concierge desk,” said Holmes.
    “A visit [to Dentons] is not just a business meeting, but an experience,” he added.
    Potted plants add a lush touchThroughout the office, the studio opted for orange and green hues for working areas and used both smooth geometric tiles and more tactile surfaces.
    “The materiality draws inspiration from Scotland’s abundant natural landscape through warm timbers and rich and textured fabrics,” said Holmes.
    “Whilst balancing them against the warm tonal colour palette and strong geometry of Edinburgh’s built environment, the rooftops and tenement tile patterns provided so much inspiration.”
    Materials were informed by “Scotland’s abundant natural landscape”Kin worked with local craftspeople when building the project.
    Other offices designed to make their occupants feel at home include a real estate office in Tokyo created by Flooat to be “as stress-free as possible” and Mason Studio’s self-designed office in Toronto that also doubles as a space for community programming such as exhibitions and other events.
    The photography is by Amy Heycock.

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    Chongqing’s hidden factories inform interiors of Harmay beauty store

    Conveyor belts and cog-like display stands appear within this beauty store in Chongqing, China, designed by AIM Architecture, which takes cues from the city’s underground network of factories.

    Harmay is located at the heart of Chongqing inside a former shopping mall, with its entrance set below street level.
    A skylight punctures the ceiling of Harmay’s Chongqing store”The store is located underneath a large plaza with a multitude of steps going down into it,” explained Shanghai practice AIM Architecture.
    “So, to work with this unique spatial setting, we explored typologies of underground structures within the local context.”
    Products are displayed on conveyor belts, creating a factory-like settingA particular source of inspiration was the hundreds of bomb shelters that can be found beneath Chongqing, which were used to hide from Japanese air raids during world war two but have now been widely converted into shops, eateries and small-scale factories

    To imitate the enclosed feeling of these shelters, the practice used gypsum panels to form a dropped ceiling within the store, simultaneously concealing its exposed service ducts.
    These boards were also used to clad the store’s facade and have all been rendered in a brick-red hue on the interior.
    Some display stands were made to look like generatorsStainless steel was used to create a series of industrial-style display fixtures, nodding to the factories that now inhabit some of the shelters.
    This includes a long conveyor belt that snakes throughout the store’s main room with small grey crates placed at intervals along its surface, each containing different beauty products.
    Other stands look similar to machine cogsIn the store’s smaller peripheral rooms, products are showcased on gridded steel shelves and stands that were designed to look like generators or oversized machinery cogs.
    Simple strip lights were hung from the ceiling and a skylight was installed so that shoppers can look upwards to the outdoors, further enhancing the feeling of being underground.
    Gridded steel shelves were also been added to the storeAIM Architecture has designed a number of locations for beauty retailer Harmay, including an apothecary-style store in Hong Kong, and another in Hangzhou that resembles a 1970s office.
    This branch in Chongqing is shortlisted in the large retail interior category of the 2023 Dezeen Awards.
    Here, it is competing against other projects such as the Super Seed shop by FOG Architecture, which features more than 100 moving display boxes, and Kooo Architects’ Freitag store, which occupies an old textile factory.
    The photography is by Wen Studio. 

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    Cox Architecture celebrates heritage features of its own Sydney studio

    A brick, steel and timber structure is left exposed in this office interior in Sydney, which local firm Cox Architecture has revamped to house its own studio.

    Cox Architecture removed previous alterations to the structure, which occupies five floors of the heritage-listed Metcalfe Bond Stores warehouse in Tallawoladah, to highlight its original features and complement them with pared-back, flexible workspaces.
    Cox Architecture has designed its own studio in a Sydney warehouse”Our objective was to do more with less, balancing the poetic with the pragmatic,” explained the studio.
    “Restrained interventions allow the heritage to be the hero and minimise the project’s embodied energy,” it continued. “Our starting point was a process of reduction, removing non-heritage elements to create clarity.”
    The studio exposed its existing structureThe interior is defined by the original steel and timber structure’s columns and beams that have been painted white, and the brickwork of the outer walls that are left exposed.

    New elements such as glass doors and walls, room dividers, curtains and furniture were chosen to touch the existing structure “as lightly as possible”, and feature alongside dark-wood carpentry and gallery-style lighting tracks.
    Dark-wood carpentry features throughoutThe workspaces themselves are designed to be flexible and “hackable”, allowing areas to be reconfigured and subdivided easily by staff.
    This includes a forum space on the fifth level of the building, which has a wall lined with magnetic whiteboards and can be used as anything from a collaborative workshop space to a presentation area for 200 people.

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    Alongside it is a kitchen with a backdrop of exposed brickwork and two long counters topped with unsealed brass that will patinate over time.
    A black-steel stair leads up to a mezzanine level above containing further desk spaces. This sits at the top of the building, lit by skylights in the apex of the pitched roof.
    The workspaces are designed to be flexible”Anchored by a generous kitchen, a flexible forum space is a magnet for serendipitous exchange between Cox’s own people and the wider design community,” said the studio.
    “The majority of elements within the space are movable, creating an experimental, nimble workspace allowing teams the autonomy to control their space and future-proofing the studio as the workplace evolves,” it continued.
    The presentation space is lined with magnetic whiteboardsFacing the street, Cox Architecture created a “shopfront window”, giving staff the opportunity to populate vitrines with the studio’s work.
    Cox Sydney Studio has recently been shortlisted in the large workplace interior category of Dezeen Awards 2023. Another office interior completed by the studio is the Midtown Workplace in Brisbane, which features a large, plant-filled atrium with by a weathered-steel staircase.
    The photography is by Nicole England and Cameron Hallam.

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    Linda Bergroth designs “user-centric” Cover Story paint shop in Amsterdam

    Interior designer Linda Bergroth has added colourful beams to the Amsterdam concept store for plastic-free paint brand Cover Story, which was designed to streamline the redecorating process for shoppers.

    The “paint studio” is the second iteration of Cover Story outlets designed by Bergroth, who also created the interiors for the Finnish brand’s flagship Helsinki store.
    The Cover Story shop in Amsterdam features oversized colourful beamsShortlisted in the small retail interiors category of this year’s Dezeen Awards, the paint shop features oversized colourful beams. These were informed by cranes in the port city, as well as the decorative vignettes that top many of Amsterdam buildings’ facades, according to the brand.
    “The design playfully explores the use of colour, incorporating three-dimensionality through roof bars and considering how light interacts with colour to influence perception,” said Cover Story.
    Linda Bergroth designed the interiorFollowing a similar format to the Helsinki outlet, the Amsterdam shop also serves as a showroom, office and events space, despite its small size.

    A large colour chart made from hand-painted swatches in 47 different shades, designed to make choosing colours easier for customers, was attached to the wall.
    Colourfully painted blocks and plinths were incorporated to show how light responds to each Cover Story shadeChunky painted plinths were positioned in the shop window, as well as smaller colourful blocks on a central silvery table, to emphasise the different ways in which light and shadow respond to various paint options.
    Cover Story explained that Bergroth chose to highlight the old building’s “unique characteristics”, rather than introduce new furniture, including its sloping walls and the metal supports that adorn its structural pillars.

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    “Despite the significant influence that wall colour holds in shaping the atmosphere of a room and influencing interior design, paint is often perceived merely as a renovation accessory,” said the brand.
    “Cover Story’s mission is to position paint as a design product, which is why the Amsterdam paint studio is strategically located on a bustling shopping street alongside other concept stores where interior design products are sold,” it added.
    “Every aspect is thoughtfully crafted to promote a sustainable and user-centric experience.”
    The beams were informed by Amsterdam’s architectureFounded in 2020 by Anssi Jokinen and Tommi Saarnio, the brand produces 100 per cent plastic-free paint, which is also odourless.
    Finnish designer Bergroth has completed a number of colour-infused projects including Durat’s Helsinki showroom and a blue pop-up restaurant in New York built from recycled food packaging.
    The photography is by Paavo Lehtonen. 

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    RooMoo reuses distillery’s old whiskey barrels to decorate its bar

    Chinese interiors studio RooMoo has used nearly 6,000 pieces of oak from discarded distillery barrels to adorn this whiskey bar in Shanghai.

    Laizhou Bar is located in the city’s buzzy Xuhui District and is an offshoot of Laizhou Distillery, a Chinese whiskey producer based out of Sichuan province.
    Wood offcuts from Laizhou Distillery’s whiskey barrels feature across the bar’s facadeThe distillery prides itself on reducing its environmental impact by using low-temperature saccharification machinery and collecting wastewater so it can be converted into biogas energy.
    So Shanghai-based studio RooMoo placed a similar emphasis on sustainability when designing the bar, where almost 6,000 pieces of wood from the distillery’s discarded oak barrels were reused as decoration.
    The offcuts were then used to construct a ringed structure on the bar’s ceiling”The bar imports the materials used in the distillery’s production process, creating a symbiosis between the two spaces,” said the studio.

    “Each dismantled barrel piece was different in terms of width, length and grain, so we classified them and applied them to different positions.”
    RooMoo assessed and classified all of the offcuts before useBarrel pieces are first seen on the bar’s facade, where they have been placed horizontally to create a lattice-like effect.
    The facade is otherwise only punctuated by a wide-set door and an expansive window, where barrels printed with the distillery’s logo are displayed.
    The bar’s slatted partition walls are also made from barrel offcutsOnce inside, guests step into a whiskey sampling area with a green marble tasting counter. Suspended directly above the space is a dramatic double-ringed sculpture crafted from barrel offcuts.
    More wooden barrel pieces were used to construct a curving, slatted partition in front of the main bar.
    A long seating banquette bends around the back of the room, accompanied by a series of black tables and leather chairs. There is also a huge light-up wall where liquor bottles are put on display.
    Black leather furnishings were incorporated throughout the main bar areaOn the ceiling here are the beginnings of another ringed sculpture, which will be completed as soon as the distillery has used up more barrels for the studio to use.
    “We made the ceiling structure beautiful enough to open the bar first,” explained the studio. “We are not hurrying to finish it, but following the production process and waiting for the wasted materials to be produced.”
    Off to the side of the main bar is a more private VIP tasting room. At its centre hangs a bespoke light crafted from the circular metal bands, which once held together the distillery barrels.
    The ceiling sculpture will be completed once the studio receives more offcutsLai Zhou Bar has made it to the shortlist in the sustainable interior category of the 2023 Dezeen Awards.
    The project is up against Edit restaurant by Elly Ward and Joe Morris, which is clad with salvaged terracotta tiles, and the Big Beauty store by Nina + Co, which is decked out in biomaterials like mycelium.

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