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    Patricia Urquiola and Keiji Ashizawa among judges to decide Dezeen Awards 2024 winners

    Eighteen leading architects and designers met this week to decide the winners of Dezeen Awards 2024, which will be revealed at the Dezeen Awards 2024 party in November.

    The Dezeen Awards master jury took place at the One Hundred Shoreditch hotel in London and included architect Keiji Ashizawa and designers Patricia Urquiola and Lee Broom.
    Designers Peter Mabeo and Pilar Zeta, as well as interior designer Claudia Afshar and architect Alexandra Hagen also joined to finalise the 46 award winners.
    A dedicated panel of industry experts including Mina Hasman and Pooran Desai met to determine the winner of the Bentley Lighthouse Award, a special award supported by Bentley that rewards an individual whose work has had an overwhelmingly beneficial impact on social and environmental sustainability.
    Winners will be announced in November 

    Winners will be announced at the end of November at the Dezeen Awards 2024 party in London with shortlist announcements made in October. Guests at the party will be the first to find out who has won the prestigious project of the year awards across architecture, interiors, design and sustainability.
    Also unveiled at the ceremony will be this year’s Designers of the Year, where we asked readers to put forward designers for consideration who have been finally shortlisted and selected by Dezeen’s editorial team.
    White Arkitekter CEO Alexandra Hagen was on the architecture master jury panelThe master jury discussed 225 shortlisted entries selected from 4,000 projects from just under 100 countries around the globe.
    Joining Ashizawa and Hagen on the architecture master jury panel were Saudi-based architect Sumaya Dabbagh, Spacon & X co-founder Nikoline Dyrup Carlsen and Reddymade founder Suchi Reddy.
    Hagen was joined by Japanese architect Keiji Ashizawa”Design is a powerful tool to achieve change and it’s clear much of the creativity in architecture today is directed towards building more sustainable societies,” said Hagen.
    “It gives me hope for the future.”
    Patricia Urquiola was one of the master jury judgesUrquiola and Afshar were joined by Carolina Maluhy + Partners founder Carolina Maluhy, and Bentley head of design collaborations Chris Cooke.
    On judging the interiors winners, Urquiola remarked “we were all connected to interior design but with very different perspectives”.
    “Yet, in the end, there was a shared sensitivity”, she continued, “it confirmed that we are a community with diverse ways of exploring, driven by a shared vision, even where our approaches differ.”
    Lee Broom discussing a design project with Pilar ZetaBritish industrial designer Tej Chauhan, who was part of the panel to decide the winners of the design categories, concurred.
    “Evaluating the unique sensitivities of each was incredibly interesting,” he said. “While our perspectives differed at times, we all came to a joint decision on very deserving winners.”
    “A really enjoyable day of judging”
    Chauhan continued, “we had to wrap our minds around some exceptional projects across a wide range of sectors. It was a really enjoyable day of judging projects that ultimately left us feeling nourished and inspired.”
    Deliberating alongside Chauhan to decide the winners of the design categories were Broom, Mabeo and Zeta and Parisian designer Inga Sempé.
    Botswana-based designer Peter Mabeo joined the design master jury panelHenrik Taudorf Lorensen, founder and CEO of Copenhagen-based furniture design studio Takt, and Malin Orebäck, design strategist and senior advisor at the Research Institutes of Sweden’s (RISE) Circular Business Lab, were on the sustainability panel alongside Hasman and Desai.
    “The imagination this year’s entries embody is truly an inspiration,” said Desai.
    “It is exactly what we need to put our society back on a track to build a better world for us all.”
    Dezeen Awards judge Alessio Nardi and Human Nature chief impact officer Joanna Yarrow, joined for dinnerFollowing the day of judging, an exclusive drinks reception and dinner took place on the night of the master jury day in the One Hundred Room at One Hundred Shoreditch, where the master jury was joined by the Dezeen Awards community including judges past and present.
    These included product designer Jasper Morrison, Design, Bitches co-founder Rebecca Rudolph and multidisciplinary designer Bethan Laura Wood.
    Dezeen Awards winners’ party tickets on sale
    Following the shortlist announcements in October, the next big date in the Dezeen Awards calendar is the pinnacle of this year’s programme – the Dezeen Awards winners’ party, which will take place on Tuesday 26 November at Hackney Church in London.
    The event will be a chance for everyone who entered this year’s Dezeen Awards to celebrate their achievements alongside fellow nominees, winners and our esteemed Dezeen Awards judges. We also invite the wider architecture and design community to join us for this special occasion.
    Guests will be treated to a night of drinks, food, live entertainment and music, and Dezeen Awards winners will be able to collect their trophies and certificates on stage.
    Tickets are available at a 20 per cent discounted rate of £216 for all studios that entered this year’s Dezeen Awards, and £270 for everyone else. Plus, save an additional 10 per cent on the standard ticket price when you book a package of five or more tickets. Subscribe to the Dezeen Awards newsletter to keep up to date with the latest announcements on the party.
    The photography is by Mark Cocksedge.
    Dezeen Awards 2024 in partnership with Bentley
    Dezeen Awards is the ultimate accolade for architects and designers across the globe. The seventh edition of the annual awards programme is in partnership with Bentley as part of a wider collaboration to inspire, support and champion design excellence and showcase innovation that creates a better and more sustainable world. This ambition complements Bentley’s architecture and design business initiatives, including the Bentley Home range of furnishings and real estate projects around the world. More

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    Schemata Architects transforms 145-year-old townhouse into Le Labo flagship

    Tokyo studio Schemata Architects has combined Japanese and Western designs inside a traditional wooden townhouse in Kyoto to create a store for perfumery brand Le Labo.

    The building, otherwise known as a machiya, is located in the Kiyamachi area and has been revamped to incorporate Le Labo’s typical finishes while respecting its 145-year-old architecture.
    The flagship store is located in an old Kyoto townhouse”How can a brand born and loved in the USA, a country with a culture of shoes-on, be in step with the values of traditional Japanese architecture, a culture of shoes-off, and blend in with Japanese culture?” Schemata Architects founder Jo Nagasaka told Dezeen.
    “The project was a struggle between the two.”
    Schemata Architects’ design respects the original interiorLe Labo stores are normally located in pared-back modern concrete buildings, but here, Schemata Architects kept the feel of the old townhouse, while making concessions for Western customs.

    “We were discussing all the time how much of the existing weathered textures should be retained,” Nagasaka said.
    A craftsman room is located on the second floorThe first floor, which showcases the brand’s products, feels more like other Le Labo stores, while the second, which houses offices, a craftsman room and a “fragrance organ”, has a more traditional feel.
    “The first floor was furnished as a place to spend time standing up with shoes on, and products were displayed,” Nagasaka said.
    “The second floor, on the other hand, was designed as a place to go up without shoes due to the height of the floor and the structure of the floor, so it consists mainly of low furniture.”
    Antique and vintage furniture is used throughoutAs the store is located in an ancient city – Kyoto has been a city since 794 – Schemata Architects wanted the interior fittings to adhere to the traditional style of a machiya.
    “The countertops, wall shelves, staircase, and other architectural elements are composed using the language of the machiya, and the paint scheme is consistent with the existing one, using antique colours of bengara, red earth pigment, and shown, pine soot,” the studio said.
    Schemata Architects designed a pine staircase for the interiorThe studio has used mostly antique Japanese furniture pieces for the display cases and vintage Western metal lamps for the lighting design.
    Schemata Architects also designed a staircase and shelving in pine wood for the interior, dying them to match the building’s existing structures.

    Schemata Architects clads Komaeyu bathhouse in “patchwork” of turquoise tiles

    “We wanted the staircase and shelves to be as close to the existing structure as possible, so we applied an ‘old colour paint’ over the common type of wood, the same as is applied to the existing structure,” Nagasaka said.
    “Old colour paint is a colour-controlled mixture of persimmon tannin and soot of burnt pine.”
    Walls are left bare with products displayed on pine shelvesThe store, which also has a cafe in an adjacent building across a small courtyard, now embodies the “spirit of Le Labo,” according to Schemata Architects.
    “By carefully connecting and blending the machiya building with new fixtures, furniture, and products, it embodies the spirit of Le Labo, which treats time, age, craftsmanship, handiwork, and textures with great care,” the studio concluded.
    Other recent projects by Schemata Architects include a concrete-and-brick gallery in Seoul and a public bathhouse clad in turquoise tiles.
    The photography is courtesy of Le Labo.

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    22RE takes “deconstructivist” approach to menswear store in LA

    Los Angeles-based studio 22RE has combined metal grids, black and mirrored surfaces, and bold splashes of colour inside this men’s multi-brand boutique in the city’s Arts District.

    The second Departamento location is situated in the Signal retail enclave, which occupies a series of warehouses southeast of Downtown LA.
    The Departamento store features custom elements like a green fibreglass and resin jewellery displayUsing the building’s industrial bones to inform design decisions, 22RE took styling sensibilities of 20th-century modernists like Rudolph Schindler and Richard Neutra.
    “Inside, 22RE leans into the original architecture’s industrial elements through a deconstructivist lens,” said the studio.
    From inside a coffee shop, visitors pass through a concealed entrance and a mirrored portal to access the storeThe store’s entrance is concealed inside a Concierge Coffee, leading to a mirrored portal that opens onto the shop floor.

    While the layout follows a typical grid, the designers have inserted a variety of partitions, volumes and displays that “disrupt” the flow and encourage shoppers to explore.
    A triangular niche with mirrored walls creates infinite reflections”This non-linear layout challenges the traditional browsing experience and provides an unconventional yet effective approach to shopping,” said 22RE.
    A pair of curved metal-clad walls that evoke a Richard Serra sculpture form a narrow corridor from one area to another, while also displaying garments on their concave sides.
    Partitions and volumes are strategically placed to frame views and encourage explorationBlackened wood panels form an enclosed space, inside which bright white walls and repurposed wooden framing contrast dramatically with the rest of the store interior.
    “The space, entered via a slatted, sliding door, invites guests to experience the collection in a ryokan-inspired setting, evoking the traditional Japanese inn,” said 22RE.
    A red cylindrical element acts a fitting roomThis shop-in-shop was designed in collaboration with fashion brand Taiga Takahashi, and also features shelving made from tatami mats and flooring intended to resemble pebble stones.
    Another triangular niche features mirrored walls that create infinite reflections of the apparel and the aubergine-coloured carpet on the floor.

    22RE invokes “stillness” inside green Miami golfing boutique

    “Collections are hung and displayed via monolithic and sculpturesque forms that divide up the space, creating a fluid but juxtaposing dichotomy between the heavier wood forms and the lighter metallic elements,” 22RE said.
    A red cylindrical volume is used as a fitting room, while further dressing areas are tucked away behind silver curtains.
    22RE collaborated with Taiga Takahashi on a blackened wood shop-in-shop spaceCustom elements include a green fibreglass resin-and-foam jewellery case and a chiselled aluminium side table.
    A white aluminium ceiling grid stretches across the entire store, extending over all of the freestanding elements, with lighting embedded behind creating futuristic glowing patches.
    Influenced by Japanese ryokan inns, the space features white walls and repurposed timber framing22RE was founded by principal Dean Levin in 2021, and has since completed a range of interior design projects across the US.
    The studio recently wrapped up the offices for a creative music agency in LA that include a 1970s-style sunken meeting room and a golf clothing boutique in Miami lined with pale-green stucco.
    The photography is by Erik Stackpole Undehn.

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    Eight characterful kitchens with sleek metal details

    Our latest lookbook focuses on eight homes fitted with metal kitchens, from a flat in London informed by fish-and-chip shops to a 19th-century apartment with period details in Paris.

    While stainless steel has long been a material associated with restaurant kitchens due to its durability and functionality, it can bring a sleek, modern feel to residential kitchens and many now opt to integrate metal kitchens into their homes.
    Here, we spotlight eight homes that make use of metal in residential kitchens in various ways.
    Included in this collection of projects is a fish-and-chip-shop-inspired kitchen in London, a live-work apartment space in a brutalist building in Quebec City and a 24-square-metre micro apartment in Melbourne.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring conversation pits, living rooms with autumnal hints of red and orange and members’ clubs with lavish interiors.

    Photo is by Edmund DabneyHighbury apartment, UK, by Holloway Li
    Local studio Holloway Li renovated this apartment set in a converted Victorian house in north London, creating a single-storey home with an open-plan layout for its co-founder Alex Holloway.
    Designed to reference materials found in London’s many fast food outlets and fish and chip shops, its custom-built kitchen was clad in circle-brushed stainless steel with a curved splashback.
    Find out more about the Highbury apartment ›
    Photo by Maryse Béland, Maxime Brouillet and Antoine MichelBrutalist apartment, Canada, by Jean Verville
    Metal surfaces were juxtaposed against bright yellow wall lamps within this live-work apartment space that architect Jean Verville designed for himself as a “creative laboratory” inside a residential tower in Quebec City.
    Stainless-steel commercial restaurant furniture was used for the kitchen, blending in with the raw concrete walls of the 1970s brutalist building.
    Find out more about the brutalist apartment ›
    Photo is by French + TyeTrellick Tower apartment, UK, by Archmongers
    Surfaces and fixtures made from industrial-style materials were paired with newly exposed concrete aggregate walls in this home renovation by London studio Archmongers in North Kensington’s Trellick Tower.
    In the kitchen, speckled brown and cream terrazzo was incorporated alongside brushed stainless steel counters, white cabinets and matt-black linoleum flooring.
    Find out more about the Trellick Tower apartment ›
    Photo is by Giulio GhirardiHaussmann-era apartment, France, by Rodolphe Parente
    Set within a 19th-century Parisian apartment, French interior designer Rodolphe Parente balanced cabinet finishes of stainless steel and pastel pink with a frame-like marble splashback for the kitchen.
    During the overhaul of the Haussmann-era apartment, Parante set out to preserve and restore some of the classic features while improving the sense of flow by connecting the dining room with the kitchen.
    Find out more about the Haussmann-era apartment ›
    Photo is by Félix Dol MaillotUnivers Uchronia, France, by Uchronia
    Named Univers Uchronia, this eclectic Paris apartment was designed by Uchronia founder Julien Sebban as his home, intended to be an extension of his studio – known for its bold application of shape, colour and reflective surfaces.
    A metallic island was incorporated in the open-plan kitchen, topped with a blobby seaweed-shaped table lamp, alongside an array of contrasting materials and colours.
    Find out more about Univers Uchronia ›
    Photo is by Yevhenii AvramenkoStalinist-era apartment, Ukraine, by Mirzoyan Studio
    Partition shelves and built-in furniture were used to distinguish open-plan spaces in Ukrainian architecture practice Mirzoyan Studio’s renovation of this Stalinist-era flat in the historic centre of Kyiv.
    Fitted in the corner of the open-plan living and dining room, the cabinets and countertops in the primary working area of the kitchen were finished in polished stainless steel.
    Find out more about the Stalinist-era flat ›
    Photo is by Pier Carthew Kerr, Australia, by SSdH
    Metal surfaces were combined with wooden cabinetry in this mezzanine-style apartment by local studio SSdH, located in a warehouse building in Melbourne that once housed a chocolate factory.
    Part of an open-plan living space, the kitchen was fitted with geometric cabinetry made from local spotted gum timber, as well as brushed stainless steel and nickel fixtures.
    Find out more about Kerr ›
    Photo is by Peter Bennetts Microloft, Australia, by Studio Edwards
    Australian architecture practice Studio Edwards remodelled this 24-square-metre micro apartment on the top floor of a 1980s apartment block in Melbourne.
    A horizontal raw aluminium surface was used for the angled wedge-shaped countertops in both the kitchen and dining area, designed to seamlessly merge the two spaces.
    Find out more about Microloft ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring conversation pits, living rooms with autumnal hints of red and orange and members’ clubs with lavish interiors.

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    FMA creates flexible offices within former Mexican convent

    A meditation room and an outdoor work area are available to employees at this office in Mexico, which was remodelled by architecture firm FMA within a 17th-century convent.

    The GO Headquarters is located in the historic centre of Morelia, a city in the state of Michoacán, and is arranged around a cloister at the heart of the building.
    The GO Headquarters takes advantage of a cloister space that is used as an outdoor work and dining areaThis central courtyard offers employees a space to work or relax outside, while surrounded by five planters with orange trees set against the old stonework.
    “The primary challenge of the project was to honor the original architectural elements of the building while maximizing available space,” said FMA founder Francisco Méndez.
    A coffee bar wrapped in clay tiles anchors a space for employees to relax”Moreover, careful recognition of the alterations that the convent had undergone over time was needed, distinguishing between those that were appropriate and those that were not,” he added.

    All of the interior office space is on the level above, accessed from the main entrance via the courtyard and a stairwell.
    Larger rooms feature long conference tables for desk-style workingOn this upper floor, interconnected rooms open onto the colonnaded central space overlooking the verdant enclosed garden below.
    “Moving upstairs, the work areas were conceived as living spaces with a disruptive approach,” said Méndez. “While the architectural program remains straightforward, the diversity and multifunctionality of each area are striking.”
    A variety of clay elements made by local artisans are incorporated throughout the officesLarger rooms accommodate long oak tables that offer more traditional desk-style workspace and meeting areas.
    Meanwhile, a library with lounge furniture and a large shelving system the covers a full wall acts as both a reception and a casual work area.
    A library has a full wall of display shelving and casual furnitureAnother room features a horseshoe-shaped coffee bar fronted with clay tiles and a wooden ping-pong table, where team members can gather and socialise.
    There’s also a dedicated meditation room, nicknamed “the nest”, which acoustically optimised with oak panelling and a padded floor for comfort.

    RootStudio transforms former Oaxaca convent into culinary centre

    “This tranquil space is dedicated to introspection, providing a sanctuary for individuals to rejuvenate their minds and break away from routine, thus emphasising the significance of mental and physical well-being, ultimately enhancing the quality of life and productivity of workers,” Méndez said.
    Throughout the building, lighting was upgraded to an intelligent system that adjusts according to the circadian cycle and saves energy.
    Sand-coloured plaster walls and white oak stave flooring complement the historic buildingMaterials including sand-hued plaster walls, white oak stave flooring, and furniture in warm, earthy tones complements the existing building’s palette.
    Clay lamps, planters and decorative objects crafted by artisans from Michoacán are also incorporated.
    “An emphasis was placed on natural and regional finishes to sustain a sense of warmth and harmony within the project, as well as to support local artisans and commerce,” said the architect.
    Employees have access to a meditation room lined with white oak panelsCompanies and organisations across Mexico are finding a variety of new uses for abandoned or unused convent buildings.
    In Oaxaca, RootStudio converted a historic building into a centre for celebrating the rich culinary legacy of the region – earning the project a spot of the Heritage Project shortlist for the 2023 Dezeen Awards.
    The photography is by César Belio.

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    Eight home kitchens finished with tactile brick floors

    Our latest lookbook collects eight houses from around the world that feature kitchens with tactile brick floors, including a mid-century home in the USA and a coastal dwelling in Denmark.

    Widely used for their durability and low maintenance, bricks are a long-time favourite material across the fields of architecture, interiors and design.
    They are most commonly used on walls and patios, but also popular as internal flooring because of their ability to add rich, earthy tones and tactile qualities to an interior. 
    While brick flooring may conjure up images of old rustic farmhouses, this roundup shows how they can also be adapted to suit contemporary homes around the world. 
    The examples below include those that have been arranged in herringbone format, used as a backdrop to oak cabinetry or designed to connect homes to their matching patios outside.

    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring conversation pits, autumnal living rooms and lavish members’ clubs.
    Photo by Carlos NaudeHacienda Granada, USA, by Working Holiday Studio
    Working Holiday Studio sought to create a “hacienda vibe” for this mid-century home that it overhauled in Los Angeles.
    Among the alterations was a revamp of the kitchen, which involved adding a floor of warm terracotta bricks handmade in Tijuana, Mexico, arranged in a herringbone format.
    They contribute to a warm and earthy aesthetic in the room, which is enhanced by dark green plaster walls and wooden joinery and furniture.
    Find out more about Hacienda Granada ›
    Photo by Agnese SanvitoGallery House, UK, by Neil Dusheiko
    Chunky reclaimed bricks extend down from the lower half of the walls of this kitchen and continue out across its floor.
    Designed by architect Neil Dusheiko for his father-in-law, the terracotta lining forms a backdrop to a wall of storage built from oak that displays ceramics, glassware and framed pictures.
    Find out more about Gallery House ›
    Photo by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm ArchitectsFjord Boat House, Denmark, by Norm Architects
    Handmade ceramic bricks are inlaid across the floor of this kitchen, which Danish studio Norm Architects created at the Fjord Boat House in Denmark.
    Married with warm oak finishes and a custom washi-paper pendant lamp, the textured flooring is intended to contribute to a warm and cosy atmosphere.
    “A refined abundance of warm textures and hues are used throughout, creating a deep sense of cosiness and comfort,” said Norm Architects.
    Find out more about Fjord Boat House ›
    Photo by David SouthwoodArklow Villa III, South Africa, by Douglas & Company
    During their renovation of a century-old house in Cape Town, architects Liani and Jan Douglas revamped the kitchen with a tactile material palette that includes brick flooring.
    The terracotta floor continues onto the adjoining patio and is teamed with a structure of exposed South African pine and bespoke wooden units finished with green marble counters.
    Find out more about Arklow Villa III ›
    Photo by Chris WhartonVinyl House, UK, by Benjamin Wilkes
    Elongated bricks are arranged in a herringbone formation across the floor of the Vinyl House extension, recently completed by British studio Benjamin Wilkes in London.
    Designed to help connect its kitchen area to the matching patio outside, the earthy flooring is complemented by warm wooden cabinetry and off-white terrazzo countertops.
    Find out more about Vinyl House ›
    Photo by Prue RuscoeBudge Over Dover, Australia, by YSG
    Terracotta brick was teamed with aged brass and tactile plaster across the interior of Budge Over Dover, a house in Australia renovated by YSG.
    Bricks line much of the ground floor, including its textured kitchen that is complete with a chunky prep counter made with a veiny marble countertop.
    Find out more about Budge Over Dover ›
    Photo by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenHeatherhill Beach House, Denmark, by Norm Architects
    Norm Architects also opted for brick flooring in the kitchen of Heatherhill Beach House, a wooden holiday home on the Danish coast. It was designed as a contemporary twist on the traditional brick flooring found in Denmark.
    “The bricks are placed side by side instead of in the traditional pattern and have minimal cuts – instead, the grout size changes minimally to achieve a homogenous and harmonious look,” the studio explained.
    Find out more about Heatherhill Beach House ›
    Photo by Fred HowarthCamberwell Cork House, UK, by Delve Architects
    A floor that acts as a continuation of the brick paving outside features in the open-plan kitchen of Camberwell Cork House, conceived by Delve Architects in London.
    Its design formed part of a wider strategy for the home that sought to better connect it to its garden. This is also achieved by introducing large green-framed windows that enhance sight lines and maximise natural light.
    Find out more about Camberwell Cork House ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring conversation pits, autumnal living rooms and lavish members’ clubs.

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    Armourcoat launches Limewash paints for “environmentally conscious” interiors

    Promotion: surfaces brand Armourcoat has launched a range of textured and eco-friendly paints for interiors, designed to celebrate the distinctive look and feel of traditional limewash.

    Named Limewash, the collection by Armourcoat is intended as a surface coating suited to both residential and commercial interiors.
    It has a soft matt appearance in 45 shades of limewash – a mix of lime and water used for coating walls – but has a less chalky and more durable finish than traditional forms.
    Armourcoat has launched a range of textured and eco-friendly paintsArmourcoat Limewash is composed of a mix of carbon dioxide-absorbing slaked lime, clay mineral kaolinite, water, mineral pigments and natural plant additives, ensuring it is free from solvents and Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs).
    According to Armourcoat, this ensures the paint aligns it with “top-level environmental and health accreditation” in the architecture industry.

    The brand claims it is the only paint of its kind with Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and Health Product Declaration (HPD) documentation, making it suited to projects striving to obtain the BREEAM and LEED sustainable building certifications.
    It is available in 45 shades”Here at Armourcoat we believe material transparency is fundamental to designing beautiful interiors that have minimal impact on our planet,” said creative director Duncan MacKellar.
    “Our goal as creative manufacturers is to reduce both embodied carbon and environmental toxins, and ultimately drive sustainable innovation within the built environment,” added MacKellar.
    “With our Environmental and Health Product Declarations, architects and designers can be confident that all Armourcoat finishes align with efforts to create environmentally conscious, healthy interiors.”
    It is intended to celebrate traditional limewashBenefiting from the properties of limewash, Armourcoat’s collection has a “naturally high alkalinity owing to its slaked lime”, a critical ingredient which makes it resistant to bacteria and mould. It is also non-combustible.
    Limewash is the latest addition to Armourcoat’s collection of surface finishes developed by the brand to offer “sustainable luxury finishes” to architects and designers around the world.
    To find out more about Limewash and Armourcoat, visit the brand’s website here.
    Partnership content
    This article was written by Dezeen for Armourcoat as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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    YSG adds 1970s-style elements to Sydney’s Superfreak cafe

    Australian studio YSG has added carpet-lined seating, cork flooring and high-gloss green paint to the Superfreak cafe in Sydney.

    Located in the city’s Marrickville suburb, the space was converted from an ice cream factory into a pilates studio, which is located at the rear and the Superfreak cafe on the street front.
    YSG has completed interiors with 1970s motifs for the Superfreak cafe in SydneyDrawing on a relaxed 1970s-style aesthetic, YSG opted for a colour palette of pale sandy yellows, avocado greens and deep earthy brown tones.
    Contributing to the retro feel are checked brown and green cafe curtains, as well as vintage furniture pieces including a low, tile-clad wooden table and timber dining chairs sourced from online marketplace 1stDibs.
    A semi-enclosed lounge-like seating area is off to the left of the entranceTo the left of the entrance, a large U-shaped timber banquette made with maple joinery marks out the main seating area It was upholstered in soft brown carpet material often associated with 1970s interiors.

    The deep wrap-around, bench-style seating has inbuilt storage and an integrated plinth containing a record player and vinyl storage cavity.

    YSG creates “eccentric beats of nostalgia” in Byron Bay seaside home

    “Our clients wanted a space where locals felt like they could hang out,” YSG director Yasmine Saleh Ghoniem told Dezeen. “Also, they wanted to welcome pilates students to stretch out comfortably post-class.”
    “A key component was to build sunken lounge-like seating via banquettes that created a cosy enclosure,” she continued.
    Banquette-style seating with maple timber joinery is upholstered in a plush brown carpet materialReplacing the previously all-white decoration, YSG used glossy green paint for the walls and ceiling surrounding the timber service counter.  A statement lamp crafted by American artist Autumn Casey sits on top of the wooden counter.
    “Possessing a child-like expression of a classic Tiffany lamp, we granted it pride of place by the entrance beside the coffee machine,” said Ghoneim.
    Elsewhere, the cafe is illuminated by an array of rice paper lanterns and vintage sconces paired with an angular wall lamp by Olivia Bossy.
    The ceiling and walls surrounding the service counter are painted in a high-gloss greenThe same brown carpet material used for the lounge seating was also added to the exterior of an open kitchen counter and the tops of its high stool seats.
    Above the counter, the ceiling and suspended storage shelves were painted in a high-gloss green.
    Brown carpet material also lines the top of the bar stoolsA mural of a leafy green garden scene by Creative Finish was painted across concealed storage and refrigeration space behind the bar, with a gold-toned corner mirror feature off to the side.
    While the clients initially intended to continue the brown carpet for the floor, YSG opted for cork flooring instead due to the nature of the space as a hospitality setting.
    “Prioritising tonal and textural interest, we laid spongey caramel-hued sealed cork underfoot, also aiding the acoustics,” said Ghoneim.
    The facade of the building was also painted greenTaking cues from the interior concept, the building’s facade was painted green with a street-side coffee hatch cutout incorporated for takeaway orders.
    Other projects by YSG recently featured on Dezeen include a seaside home renovation in Byron Bay and a suburban home in Sydney finished with sumptuous materials intended to evoke a boutique hotel feel.
    Photography is by Phillip Huynh.

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