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      Michaelis Boyd captures “the spirit of the absurd” in Moxy Lower East Side

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      Hotel brand Moxy has opened its fifth venue in New York City, with an eclectic design that includes a rooftop bar filled with plants and a piano room lined in blue velvet.

      Architecture and design studio Michaelis Boyd spearheaded the interior design of Moxy Lower East Side, while Rockwell Group designed two of its restaurants and Stonehill Taylor oversaw the architectural works.
      The ambition was to push the playful design of the Moxy brand even further than its sister venues, reflecting the vibrancy of the Bowery, where the Lower East Side meets SoHo.
      The Highlight Room is a rooftop bar with a palm tree at its centreThe 303-room hotel brings together different styles and narratives to create a “spirit of the absurd”.
      “We wanted to create a quirky yet stylish play on the absurd,” said Rina Kukaj, NY director at Michaelis Boyd.

      “The goal was a design that’s up to date but nods to the Bowery’s past, with a good dose of Moxy’s trademark whimsy and elements of surprise,” she told Dezeen.
      Silver Linings is a piano lounge furnished with blue velvet banquettes and curtainsMoxy is a subsidiary of hotel chain Marriott International, aimed at a younger market more focused on modern lifestyle experiences than traditional forms of luxury.
      Developed by real-estate company Lightstone, the hotel features four restaurant and bar venues, a lobby lounge with a bar and all-day cafe, and three studios that can be used for meetings, co-working or hospitality.
      Plants hang from the ceiling in the lobby”The Lower East Side has always been iconically cool,” said Mitchell Hochberg, president of Lightstone. “We saw it as the next logical frontier for Moxy.”
      “People come to the neighbourhood to indulge their thirst for discovery, and they’ll get that at the Moxy too.”
      The lobby lounge is brought to life by “hipster animals”In the lobby, a mix of seating types create opportunities for lounging, working or socialising, dotted amongst details that include game tables, overhead plants, “hipster animals” and chandeliers featuring 3D-printed pin-up girls.
      “We wanted to create a contemporary, leafy oasis,” said Michaelis Boyd co-founder, Alex Michaelis.

      Rockwell Group and Yabu Pushelberg team up for Moxy Chelsea hotel

      “As you walk through the lobby, wherever your eye takes you, you’ll see things happening,” he told Dezeen.
      “Hanging plantings overhead, a circular pattern on the terrazzo floor, and dome light fixtures that shine very softly down towards you. Guests are almost the artist at play, the focal point of the experience.”
      An all-day cafe, The Fix, can be found within the lobbySilver Lining is a lobby-adjacent piano lounge, furnished with blue velvet banquettes and curtains, and featuring imagery that references the life and work of Bowery’s one-time resident, Andy Warhol.
      “Silver Lining is sumptuous and sophisticated; it feels really intimate,” said Kukaj.
      Sake No Hana features Kimono-inspired tapestries and lantern-like pendantsRockwell Group took charge of Sake No Hana, a Japanese restaurant that combines references to New York’s 1980s punk scene and Japanese street culture.
      Kimono-inspired tapestries and lantern-like pendants light hang from the ceiling, while a pair of symmetric curving staircases wrap a blue-tiled bar.
      Loosie’s is a basement bar and club with an “exploded disco ball” chandelierLoosie’s – a basement bar and club – is Rockwell Group’s other contribution. This dark, atmospheric space centres around an “exploded disco ball” chandelier.
      On the 16th floor, Michaelis Boyd designed The Highlight Room to feel like a 19th-century pleasure garden. A palm tree is at the centre of this rooftop bar.
      Studios can be used for meetings, co-working or hospitality”We wanted to recreate this sense of a hidden garden amidst the rooftops,” said Kukaj.
      “Hanging plants and fabric lanterns sway from the ceiling above the bar, foliage springs from hidden corners and, at the centre, a majestic tree spreads its branches towards all four corners of the room.”
      The hotel has 303 bedrooms, with details including coloured glass screensMoxy Lower East Side is completed by simple and pared-back guest rooms. There are only a few design flourishes here – like the Hollywood-style lighting and coloured glass screens.
      The Moxy brand has been in New York since 2018, when it opened the Yabu Pushelberg-designed Moxy Times Square.
      Rockwell Group has created restaurants for all four New York venues and oversaw the entire design of Moxy East Village.
      Bedrooms feature Hollywood-style lighting and lava stone sinksFor Michaelis Boyd, Moxy Lower East Side is its first completed collaboration with the brand. The London and New York-based studio has previously created interiors for Soho House and The Williamsburg Hotel.
      “We’re known for our work with Soho House and although the communal spaces of the hotel are open to the public, in places we wanted to create the intimate feel of a member’s club,” added Kukaj.
      Moxy Lower East Side is the brand’s fourth hotel in New York”As for the guest rooms, they are designed as the quiet moment within the hotel, a step back from all the activity,” she added.
      Moxy Lower East Side opened in October and was the venue for Heidi Klum’s 2022 Halloween Party – where the supermodel memorably dressed in a head-to-toe worm costume.
      The photography is by Michael Kleinberg.

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      Random Studio creates “giant fragments of a woman's body” for Mugler pop-up

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      Dutch design studio Random Studio has created Bodyscape, a “futuristic” pop-up store, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of French fashion brand Mugler’s fragrances.

      The Mugler installation, which was designed for luxury department store Selfridges, includes sculptural, chrome-effect fragments designed to evoke a woman’s body. These were organised across the ground floor of the Corner Shop, an ever-changing retail pop-up space.
      The pop-up was created to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Mugler’s fragrance”For Mugler, we had dreamt up Bodyscape; a giant sculptural installation of a woman reclining, fragments of her body parts breaking the space up into a cluster of retail experiences,” said Random Studio.
      “Amplifying the brand’s surreal fascination with the female body, the hyper-feminised curves, crevices and folds of the installation were to be accentuated by a futuristic reflective material.”
      Sculptural fragments of a woman’s body were installed in the Corner ShopThroughout the space, sculptural fragments were used as walls, partitions and display areas that aim to take visitors on a journey through the chrome-effect-finished body. The interior walls of the shell-like fragments were painted in Mugler’s signature blue hue.

      Pieces of the sculptural body, which Random Studio explained mimicked the form of a woman reclining, were displayed in full view along the street-facing windows of the Corner Shop.
      It was constructed in collaboration with Xylotek”Seen from the street, the sculptural installation forms an abstract side view of a woman elegantly reclining,” said the studio.
      “The curves, crevices and folds of the body are rendered in a reflective material that mirrors the viewer’s gaze, throwing back a distorted image – a nod to Mugler’s sense of humour and seduction.”

      Jacquemus creates surrealist interpretation of his own bathroom for Selfridges pop-up

      Instead of opting to use easily manufactured but less sustainable materials such as fibreglass or metal, Random Studio collaborated with Bristol-based timber company Xylotek to construct the installation using wood.
      Xylotek manufactured the shell-like structures, which were painted across the exterior and interior with a metal-effect finish rather than “higly-toxic” chrome.
      This was done so that the paint could eventually be stripped off and the wood recycled.
      The structures were painted blue and silverThe centrepiece of the installation, encased by the chest and buttocks of the fragmented body, is a drop-shaped object that releases a cloud of fragrance and triggers starry lighting as visitors near it.
      “A polyphonic soundscape of siren-esque voices coaxes visitors into the space and towards a scent sculpture, illuminated by undulating lights,” said Random Studio.
      “As the visitor approaches the drop-like structure, the lights intensify and the sculpture emits a short burst of fragrance whilst a projection lights up the space with stars which slowly transforms into the abstract shapes of heavenly bodies.”
      The curving walls guide visitors through the pop-upEarlier this year, Random Studio designed a series of surrealist pop-up installations at Selfridges for fashion brand Jacquemus that included a luxury-bag vending machine and a swimming-pool changing room.
      Also at Selfridges, trainer brand Axel Arigato created an “upside-down” office-themed pop-up with wall-mounted trainers and polystyrene ceiling tiles across the floor.
      The photography is by Jasper Fry.

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      Colleen Healey combines old and new for historic DC house renovation

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      Colleen Healey Architecture has revamped a home on a radial lot facing Washington DC’s Logan Circle, retaining historic details while updating the spaces for contemporary living.

      The renovated eight-bedroom house fronts Logan Circle, one of the city’s grand rotaries that connects several major avenues, created as part of engineer Pierre L’Enfant’s original masterplan.
      During the renovation, brick walls and floor joists were exposed to contrast a contemporary kitchenDue to its location, the lines of the building’s plan are subtly radial and therefore none of its walls are parallel to one another.
      This proved a challenge for local architect Colleen Healey, who had no choice but to embrace this and incorporate the unusual parameters into the design.
      A garden room was created at the rear of the building, where sliding glass doors open onto a patio”The effects of the radial lot not only informed design decisions, but provided inspiration for rounded references and other geometric subtleties,” said the studio.

      Built in 1883, the home’s three-story front section once comprised an entry hall, living and dining room on the ground floor, an owner’s suite and two spare bedrooms on the first floor, and two further bedrooms on the second.
      Since none of the walls are parallel, wooden flooring was laid diagonallyThe rear section is set at half levels and features smaller rooms and lower ceiling heights.
      “Much of the original elements and bones of the house were in great shape and our clients desired a mix of historic charm and modern upgrades,” said Healey.
      Rooms at the front of the house, which have taller ceilings, retain many of their historic detailsThe back portion received the most attention during the renovation, remade as the “heart of the house” where a large kitchen features a U-shaped quartzite counter and a garden room faces the patio.
      Skylights were created in the roof, allowing light to wash down original brick walls and through gaps between wooden floor joists exposed above the kitchen.
      In the bedroom, a fireplace was sacrificed in favour of a headboard and art wallSince the walls are positioned at angles, wood flooring was laid diagonally in this area.
      An arched opening between the two sections of the house was extended to 10 feet, allowing a powder room and storage space to be added behind its plaster surfaces.

      Colleen Healey adorns restored Maryland carriage house with colourful facades

      “A new finished lower level and existing bathrooms are upgraded with a mix of vintage and industrial charm, blending tastes of both clients and using elements original to the house whenever possible,” Healey said.
      The upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms retained their dark wood window trims and shutters, baseboards and ornate fireplaces, but are refreshed with bright white walls and contemporary light fixtures.
      The bathrooms also feature a mix of original details and new industrial-style fittingsHowever, in the primary suite, the fireplace was removed to make way for a widened headboard and art wall.
      In the remaining rooms, items belonging to the clients are combined with mid-century furniture and minimal lighting to contrast the historic details.
      The house was built in 1883 and faces onto Washington DC’s Logan Circle”The result is a modern sensibility that unites the old and new spaces and creates a striking juxtaposition with the home’s architecture,” the team concluded.
      This isn’t the first time that Colleen Healey Architecture has worked with an atypical lot. The studio previously restored and expanded an early 20th-century carriage house in Maryland, on a site shaped like a smoking pipe.

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      Gema Arquitetura brings colour to Sallve offices in São Paulo

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      Shades of pink, purple and yellow run through the workspaces that Brazilian studio Gema Arquitetura has designed for skincare brand Sallve in São Paulo.

      Sallve’s offices, studios and labs sit above the company’s inaugural retail space in an existing five-storey building in the city’s Pinheiros neighbourhood.
      Sallve’s offices and studio spaces occupy a five-storey building in PinheirosThe studio transformed 1,500 square metres of space, spread across an elongated floor plan that allowed for a flow to be created between the different levels.
      “Focal points organise and direct the user’s trajectory, in a path that welcomes from the street and leads along the floors,” said Gema Arquitectura, which has offices in São Paulo and Belo Horizonte.
      Bright colours used in meeting rooms echo the skincare brand’s packagingThese focal points include splashes of bright colour on walls, floors and furniture, immediately visible when entering the building.

      The chosen hues echo those used across Sallve’s product packaging and visual identity to align the space closely with the brand.
      Flexible workspaces are incorporated throughout the building”We immersed ourselves in the brand, its positioning, vibration and sought a language that represented the company in a true, uncomplicated and unique way,” Gema Arquitectura said.
      From the front door, a corridor is lined in glossy bold purple film on one side, and bands of yellow and pink paint on the other.
      Pastel-toned furniture and glass partitions define areas across the different levelsThe ground floor includes areas for greeting guests, flexible meetings, making coffee and product testing.
      Pastel-toned tables and chairs are available for casual working, while further desk space is accessed through a row of bespoke pivoting screens framed in pale yellow.
      On the ground floor, bespoke glass doors pivot to open up the spaceOne level up are Sallve’s laboratories for developing skincare formulas, where the interiors continue the same colour scheme used in a more clinical environment.
      Meeting rooms and creative studios on the upper storeys are demarcated by glass partitions and feature pink and purple carpets.
      The ground floor is used for greeting guests, flexible meetings and making coffeeElsewhere in the building, the carpet was removed to reveal terrazzo floors that were restored. Ductwork and services were left exposed across the concrete ceilings throughout.
      Bathrooms were expanded to be more comfortable, and now include enclosed stalls, benches and large mirrors.

      Rapt Studio fashions soothing interiors for Goop HQ in Santa Monica

      On the exterior, the building’s front facade was covered in a wavy metallic veil, while walls that define the property boundaries were painted white.
      Separate entrances to the store and the workspace were clearly defined, and are set back from the street to create a welcoming forecourt.
      Bright purple and yellow line the corridor from the entrance”Intuitively, the building expands into the surroundings, seeking an affective connection with the city and the people,” said Gema Arquitetura.
      “Fluidity and dynamism define the space, in a tailoring of design, building this identity through simple and real connections.”
      The existing building facade was re-clad in a wavy metallic veilOther skincare and wellness brands have similarly used their office interiors to reflect the visual identity of their products, from Goop’s soothing HQ in Santa Monica to Aesop’s “simple and elegant” workspaces in London.
      The photography is by Felco.
      Project credits:
      Architecture: Gema ArquiteturaConstructor: Its InformovResponsible architects: Nara Grossi, Priscila Almeida, Joseana CostaTeam: Giuliana Mora, Renan Merlin, Luiza Langeani

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      Ten interiors tickled pink with Color of the Year Viva Magenta

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      For our latest lookbook, we’ve cherry-picked 10 interiors clad in shades that recall Viva Magenta after American colour company Pantone named the bright pink hue as its Color of the Year for 2023.

      Pantone describes Viva Magenta as “a brave and fearless red shade that vibrates with vim and vigour” and reflects current attitudes towards experimentation and fearlessness.
      “It’s assertive but it’s not aggressive – we refer to it as a fist in a velvet glove,” said vice president of the Pantone Institute Laurie Pressman.
      Shades of bright pink magenta have been used by interior designers in the projects below to brighten up spaces in locations ranging from Copenhagen to Tokyo.
      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 sliding doors, lounges with suspended fireplaces and cottage interiors.

      Photo is courtesy of BHDMShoreline Waikiki, Hawaii, by BHDM
      The interior of the beachside Shoreline Waikiki hotel in Hawaii has a flamboyant colour scheme, giving it a jubilant feel that matches the island’s surrounding tropical flora and fauna.
      Redesigned by US studio BHDM for the “millennial-minded traveller”, the accommodation has a hot-pink carpet that stretches from the reception to the ground floor lounge and contrasts the brightly coloured yellow, teal, blue and red furniture upholstery.
      Find out more about Shoreline Waikiki ›
      Photo is by Tim LenzAtrium, US, by Smith Hanes Studio
      Rich tones of green, raspberry and gold collide with smooth terrazzo, shiny tiles and tropical wallpaper in Atlanta bistro and restaurant Atrium.
      Local architecture studio Smith Hanes Studio looked to the lines, patterns and shapes found in colourful French cafes and art deco buildings for the space, which is filled with an array of large leafy plants.
      Find out more about Atrium ›
      Photo is by James McDonaldFamily Kitchen, UK, by Mizzi Studio
      British design studio Mizzi Studio renovated this restaurant in London botanical garden Kew Gardens, creating a whimsical eatery that wouldn’t look out of place in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film.
      Designed to introduce young children to new foods, the space features playful decor such as an apple-shaped seat, giant timber-weaved fungi sculptures and a magenta-coloured Ethiopian Enset tree.
      Find out more about Family Kitchen ›
      Photo is by John ShortMaggie’s Centre, UK, by Ab Rogers Design
      At this Maggie’s Centre cancer treatment site in Sutton, England, patients can rest and convalesce in a pinky-purple-toned living area that studio Ab Rogers Design wanted to feel cheerful, yet sensitive.
      “Believing in colour’s sensual and psychological power, we coloured the surrounding rooms to suit the functions and activities they host,” said Ab Rogers Design founders Ab Rogers and Ernesto Bartolini.
      Find out more about Maggie’s Centre ›
      Photo is courtesy of Patricia UrquiolaRotazioni and Visioni by Patricia Urquiola
      The rust, mustard, dusty pink, baby blue, yellow and caramel block colours and black lines in these rugs by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola contrast the circular openings that punctuate the walls in this pared-back room.
      Made from Himalayan wool and silk, the soft rugs have been used to add depth and warmth to the space.
      Find out more about Rotazioni and Visioni ›
      Photo is by John ShortScape, UK, by Ab Rogers Design
      A ribbon of magenta pink courses through the central areas of Scape, a housing block that Hackney-based studio Ab Rogers Design refurbished for students in London’s East End.
      Vibrant colour-coding knits the buildings’ internal parts together, while the bedrooms are informed by the sleeping quarters of train carriages, with space-saving furniture such as cupboards that double up as desks and seating nooks nestled in the windows.
      Find out more about Scape ›
      Photo is by Shingo NakashimaToggle Hotel, Japan, by Klein Dytham Architecture
      Sandwiched between a raised expressway, a railway line and Tokyo’s Kanda River, Toggle Hotel was designed by Tokyo-based Klein Dytham Architecture to stand out from the neighbouring infrastructure.
      Inside each of the rooms, which guests are able to choose based on their colour preferences, the furniture, bedding, carpets and soft furnishings are all coloured in the same shade.
      Find out more about Toggle Hotel ›
      Photo is by Gianluca Di IoiaCasa Lana, Italy, by Triennale di Milano
      A plush pinkish-red carpet covers the floor of this model apartment, which was recreated within the Triennale di Milano as part of a permanent new installation.
      Originally designed by Memphis Group founder Ettore Sottsass for a friend, Casa Lana is arranged around a wooden enclosure with built-in shelving and sofas.
      Find out more about Casa Lana ›
      Photo is by MasquespacioResa San Mamés , Spain, by Masquespacio
      Valencia-based studio Masquespacio injected splashes of its signature colour-blocking style throughout Resa San Mamés, a 1,850 square-metre building that houses 351 students in Bilbao, Spain.
      In the main lobby, millennial pink paint clashes with the crimson tiles that line the walls, while soft furnishings and partitions were used to define zones elsewhere on the ground floor.
      Find out more about Resa San Mamés ›
      Photo is by Itay BenitHayarden school, Israel, by Sarit Shani Hay, Chen Steinberg Navon and Ayelet Fisher
      A rainbow of colours, including a bright pink that straddles fuschia and magenta, have been used to brighten up this two-storey school in Tel Aviv, which local designer Sarit Shani Hay, architect Chen Steinberg Navon and Ayelet Fisher overhauled in 2019.
      Situated in Tel Aviv’s Hatikva Quarter – a neighbourhood with a high number of asylum-seekers – the school has a house-shaped reading nook and colourful paintwork, which the team hoped would help to create an inspiring learning area for the children of refugees.
      Find out more about Hayarden school ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring Bauhaus-informed interiors, homes in converted warehouses and neutral living rooms.

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      This week we announced Dezeen Awards grand prize winners

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      This week on Dezeen, we revealed the overall architecture, design and interiors winners of the 2022 Dezeen Awards at a party in London.

      At the ceremony, Argo Contemporary Art Museum and Cultural Centre by Ahmadreza Schricker Architecture North was named architecture project of the year, Ecole Camondo Méditerranée by Émilieu Studio won interiors project of the year, and the Wheeliy 2.0 wheelchair by Quantum was named design project of the year.
      The winners of the six studio categories were also announced, with all the winners receiving a Dezeen Awards trophy designed by Dutch studio Atelier NL.
      Plans to revamp the Sainsbury Wing were approved this weekAlso in London, planning permission was granted for the controversial revamp of the Grade I-listed postmodern Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery, originally completed in 1991 and designed by Denise Scott Brown and Robert Venturi.
      Ahead of the decision, Scott Brown has urged planners to refuse permission for the remodel, describing the plans by US studio Selldorf Architects as “destructive”, “arbitrary” and “irreversible”.

      Foster + Partners revealed its design for the King Salman International AirportIn other architecture news, British studio Foster + Partners this week unveiled its design for the six-runway King Salman International Airport in Riyadh, which will be Saudi Arabia’s principal airport.
      Named after Saudi Arabia’s king Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, the building is the third airport the studio is currently designing in the country.
      SANAA’s Art Gallery of New South Wales completed this weekIn Sydney, Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning studio SANAA completed the Art Gallery of New South Wales ahead of its public opening today.
      Occupying a series of overlapping pavilions that step down towards Sydney Harbour, the gallery was designed to contrast the 19th-century neo-classical architecture of the existing art gallery.
      We began our review of the year by focusing on reuse projectsAs 2022 draws to an end, we kicked off our review of the year with a round-up of the 10 most eye-catching reuse architecture projects completed over the last 12 months. Among them is a Dezeen Award-winning art museum in Tehran, a Marcel Breuer-designed hotel and the renovation of a former church in Edinburgh (above).
      We continued by looking at 10 skyscrapers that had the greatest impact this year, including the EU’s tallest building by Foster + Partners and the world’s skinniest skyscraper in New York.
      CLT House was one of this week’s most-viewed projectsPopular projects this week included a vibrant yellow-rendered CLT extension to a house in London (pictured), a concrete house in the Mexican desert and a Kéré Architecture-designed community centre in Uganda.
      Our most recent lookbook showcased homes with sliding doors and lounge areas with fireplaces suspended from the ceiling
      This week on Dezeen
      This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top news stories. Susbscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don’t miss anything. More

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      Architects and designers from around the world celebrate at Dezeen Awards 2022 party

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      Dezeen Awards judges joined architects and designers from all over the world for this year’s Dezeen Awards party where this year’s overall winners were revealed.

      The event at One Hundred Shoreditch hotel in London welcomed guests from Australia, Mexico, India, Iran, USA, China, Brazil and Japan to celebrate 50 winners.
      The three overall project winners, which recognise the best building, interior and design of the year, were chosen from the project winners and were revealed at the party by head of Dezeen Awards Claire Barrett.
      Winners joined co-CEOs Benedict Hobson and Wai Shin Li (centre) for a group photographGuests included Italian architect Fabio Novembre, Sharjah Architecture Triennial curator Tosin Oshinowo, artist Rosey Chan, designer Tom Dixon and experiential designer Nelly Ben Hayoun, amongst others.
      Studios MVRDV, RSHP, Scott Whitby Studio and Proctor and Shaw were among the project category winners that attended to collect their Dezeen Awards trophies designed by Dutch studio Atelier NL.

      Guests networking and celebrating at the Dezeen Awards partyGuests at One Hundred Shoreditch enjoyed drinks provided by this year’s Dezeen Awards drinks sponsors X Muse, Pasqua, Maestro Dobel and The Dalmore, as well as music by Next Door Records. The winners also received a bottle of X Muse vodka.
      The photography is by Luke Fullalove. More

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      Yinka Ilori draws on “unapologetic” architecture of Burkina Faso for debut pop-up shop

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      Modular display stands modelled on buildings in Burkina Faso feature in the first brick-and-mortar shop that London-based designer Yinka Ilori has created for his self-titled homeware brand.

      Taking over a compact retail space in Shoreditch in the leadup to Christmas, the pop-up shop features a colour-block interior designed to match the products on sale, as slime-green walls clash with pink and orange flooring.
      Yinka Ilori has opened a pop-up shop in LondonThis “more is more” philosophy to colour also extends onto the store’s glossy lacquered product displays, designed by Ilori to reference the construction of mosques and homes in Burkina Faso.
      “I am really obsessed with their design language which is very African, very rich and very unapologetic,” he told Dezeen.
      “There is a recurring use of squares and triangles and you sometimes also see poles sticking out of the structures. I found these poles fascinating. They are structural but also used to make it easy for people to climb up and repair the building.”

      Products are displayed in modular colour-block storage unitsIn the store, these shapes are reflected in the modular storage units, which are constructed from medium-density fibreboard (MDF) and each topped with a stepped pyramid.
      Strategically placed holes can be used much like those on a pegboard to add poles of different sizes and provide storage for a changing array of products.
      Longer rails can be slotted in to hang T-shirts and throws, while smaller pegs can hold umbrellas or prop up shelves for presenting mugs, notebooks and other lifestyle items.
      The units end in stepped pyramidsBulkier items such as the designer’s collection of tableware and limited-edition basketballs are displayed on counters panelled in ribbed MDF that is sprayed in a gradient of colours to emphasise their sinuous shapes.
      At the store’s entrance, six of Ilori’s hand-painted Square Stools are arranged into a towering window display that shows off their stackability.

      “I use colour as a way of starting a conversation” says designer Yinka Ilori

      The opening of the pop-up also coincides with Ilori’s latest product drop. Themed around “memory-making, togetherness and play”, this includes everything from notebooks and basketballs finished in sunny, childlike patterns to a collectible version of the traditional Yoruban strategy game Ayo.
      In line with this idea, the shop will also host different events for the local community, from an Ayo tournament to a tasting of Nigerian palm wine.
      The counters have slatted legs painted in a gradient of coloursOpening his first physical store is “an absolute dream come true”, Ilori said.
      “My public projects are all about interaction both between audiences and with the work itself but I don’t often get to interact directly with people and I feel it’s time for me to do that,” he added.
      “Through the store, I’m able to get their feedback on my work and also see how they interact with each of the products and the stories I’m trying to tell through these pieces.”
      The shop’s floor was finished in a vibrant colourIlori started his homeware brand in 2020 with the aim of reworking “unexpected, functional household items as artworks” by imbuing them with bold colours and patterns that reference his British-Nigerian heritage.
      The products feature many of the same patterns he previously developed for his large-scale installations, such as The Colour Palace pavilion he created for the London Festival of Architecture together with local studio Pricegore.

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