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      New Practice brings warmth and colour to Glasgow's century-old Kinning Park Complex

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      A historic community centre that was saved from demolition by activists – including Scotland’s first minister, Nicola Sturgeon – has been given a new lease of life by architecture studio New Practice.

      New Practice founders Becca Thomas and Marc Cairns opted for a light-touch approach in the renovation of Kinning Park Complex, a century-old former school building in the southwest of Glasgow.
      A new roof dotted with skylights makes the building weather-proof againAlthough the building was in a poor state, with an extremely leaking roof, faulty electrics and a broken heating system, the Glasgow-based architects’ approach was to save as much of the existing structure and interior as possible.
      They adopted a reuse and recycle strategy, while also making subtle changes that improve the building’s functionality and accessibility.
      Pink denotes the community space on the first floorThe revamped interiors are animated by a system of colour-blocking, which helps to ensure the building can be easily navigated by people of all literacy levels.

      “One of our key aims was to keep the building feeling familiar,” explains Thomas in a video about the project.
      First-floor workspaces are picked out in yellow”Lots of people have hugely strong memories and love for the building and we didn’t want to change that too much. By taking this adaptive reuse approach, we just kept the building feeling like itself and tried to elevate that,” she said.
      “Every choice to remove something original has been taken only where we absolutely needed to remove that, for the safety and for the future of the building.”
      Kinning Park Complex was originally a school buildingKinning Park Complex first became a community centre after the school closed down in 1976, but looked set for demolition when the council announced plans to close it in 1996.
      Local residents and campaigners, including a then-25-year old Nicola Sturgeon, staged a sit-in to protest the closure. After 55 days, the council agreed to let the community take over the building’s running.
      The building stayed in use for another two decades, but over time its problems became hard to ignore.
      A reconfigured ground floor features a large community kitchenThe trustees, led by local resident Helen Kyle, approached New Practice after seeing Many Studios, a creative hub that the architects created in a converted Glasgow market hall.
      The challenge was not only to refurbish the building but also to help support the community’s ambition to buy the property, by improving opportunities for income generation.

      RCKa designs Nourish Hub to tackle food poverty in London

      Thanks to government and lottery funding, the architects were able to plan a full overhaul of the interior in collaboration with engineering firm Max Fordham.
      The roof was replaced as sensitively as possible, while the interior layout was gently adjusted to make room for a lift.
      A double-helix staircase, originally sub-divided, has been opened upThe atrium, which was once subdivided to separate boys and girls, is now opened up. The result is a space that feels generous and bright, thanks to the skylight overhead.
      Three floors of classroom and office spaces have been adapted for a range of uses. A community kitchen can be found on the ground floor, while the second level has become a co-working space.
      The building was taken over by the community following a sit-in in 1996″A key decision that we had to make was to ensure that the work that we were doing in the building didn’t sanitise this rich, abrasive history of activism and community-led dialogues and debates,” said Cairns.
      “We really tried to keep that at the forefront of our thinking.”
      Original wood floors have been rejuvenatedFlexible partitions allows the ground- and first-floor halls to be easily subdivided if required.
      Other spaces include a quiet room that could be used for anything from prayer to breast-feeding, and a series of small studios and workshops.
      The restored handrails are painted in the same burgundy they were in the pastRealising the project in the context of the pandemic proved a challenge. With the architects unable to be on site all the time, they found it difficult to fully realise their ambition to reuse as much as possible.
      Thomas and Cairns recall coming to site to find elements such as doors and balustrade railings had been thrown away by builders, despite their instructions.
      Nonetheless there are still plenty of recycled details to be found, including a framed patch of original wallpaper and a series of storage cabinets built into the walls.
      Original details, like a patch of ageing wallpaper, are celebratedThey hope the building can help to become a positive example of adaptive reuse, particularly in light of the COP26 environmental conference that recently took place in Glasgow.
      This sentiment is echoed by Sturgeon: “The challenge of refurbishing and imagining a building like this, for decades to come, is fantastically dynamic for the architecture and design industries,” she said.
      “We just took it for granted that buildings would reach the end of their natural life and then they would sort of fall into dereliction, and thankfully communities decided that that wasn’t going to happen. So we’ve learned how to reimagine things for the future and preserve for the future.”
      Photography is by Will Scott. Video is by Pretend Lovers.

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      Ten outlandish shop interiors that reimagine the retail experience

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      A pink furry fashion boutique, a cosmetics store styled like a 1970s office and a streetwear outlet adorned with a chandelier of Nike trainers feature in this roundup of weird and wonderful retail interiors.

      The past year has seen a growing trend for over-the-top shop interiors, from stores containing surreal sculptures and installations to those masquerading as something else entirely.
      Below are 10 unusual retail spaces recently covered on Dezeen:
      Photo courtesy of BalenciagaBalenciaga Mount Street, UK
      Designer fashion label Balenciaga has temporarily covered its Mount Street store in London with fluffy bright pink faux fur to celebrate its Le Cagole bag and launch a collection of accessories and shoes.

      The maximalist look is intended to match the Le Cagole identity, which takes its name from French slang for an “over-the-top attitude”.
      Find out more about Balenciaga’s Mount Street store ›
      Photo is by Anna MorgowiczBala SoHo, USA, by Ringo Studio
      Brooklyn-based Ringo Studio designed this retail space in New York City for fitness brand Bala as a pastel-coloured “playground” containing giant replicas of its products.
      These include a 12-foot version of the Bala Beam weight propped against a mirrored wall and an oversized ankle weight forming a squishy leather seat.
      Find out more about Bala’s SoHo store ›
      Photo is by Alex LysakowskiSuperette Toronto, Canada
      Marijuana store chain Superette bases its shops on nostalgic retail environments, and for this outlet in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto its in-house design team took cues from a classic Italian deli.
      The cannabis dispensary’s lime-green walls, tomato-red stools and checkerboard floor were intended to create a “convivial spirit” in a bid to appeal to the area’s student population.
      Find out more about Suprette’s Toronto store ›
      Photo courtesy of HarmayHarmay Hangzhou, China, by AIM Architecture
      Shanghai studio AIM Architecture transformed the second floor of a business park in the Chinese city of Hangzhou into a cosmetics store resembling a 1970s office for Harmay.
      The brand’s perfumes and make-up products are displayed in rows of yellow desks, on phoney bookshelves and on boardroom tables hidden behind frosted-glass “meeting room” doors.
      Find out more about Harmay’s Hangzhou store ›
      Photo courtesy of FormoralFormoral Hangzhou, China, by Lialawlab
      This skincare store, also in Hangzhou, was designed for Formoral by interiors studio Lialawlab on a theme of retro-futurism – meaning the future as envisioned in the past.
      With its spherical gateway, limited palette and otherworldly lighting, the space was likened to a “desert planet” by Lialawlab’s chief designer, Liya Xing.
      Find out more about Formoral’s Hangzhou store ›
      Photo is by Ye Rin MokDreams, USA, by Adi Goodrich
      Spatial designer and artist Adi Goodrich filled the Dreams lifestyle store in Los Angeles’ Atwater Village with surrealist details such as a lobster phone that references a Salvador Dalí artwork.
      A large Klein-blue rock sculpture covered in non-reflective paint provides the focal point and adds to the interior’s dreamlike feel.
      Find about more about the Dreams store in Los Angeles ›
      Photo courtesy of KithKith Paris, France, by Snarkitecture
      New York-based design studio Snarkitecture created a flagship store for American streetwear brand Kith inside a 19th-century Parisian mansion.
      It added two ceiling installations made with casts of white Nike sneakers, one lining the barrel-vaulted ceiling at the shop’s entrance and the other arranged to replicate a teardrop chandelier.
      Find out more about Kith’s Paris store ›
      Photo is by InspaceToSummer Beijing, China, by F.O.G. Architecture
      With curved walls, mirrored surfaces and faux stone, this flagship store in Beijing for aromatherapy brand ToSummer was designed to be reminiscent of a cave.
      “We chose not to directly create the natural appearance of caves but, instead, present the characteristic elements of material textures to inspire the sensory experience,” explained Chinese studio F.O.G. Architecture, which created the space.
      Find out more about ToSummer’s Beijing store ›
      Photo courtesy of Forte ForteForte Forte, USA, by Forte Forte 
      Italian fashion label Forte Forte’s art director Robert Vattilana designed its Los Angeles boutique based on the “volumes and lines of Californian modernism”.
      The shop features light fixtures inspired by James Turrell artworks, a circular golden changing room and two giant stones taken from the Palm Springs desert balanced on top of one another in front of full-height muslin curtains.
      Find out more about Forte Forte’s Los Angeles store ›
      Photo courtesy of GlossierGlossier Seattle, USA
      Beauty brand Glossier is known for the playful, pastel-coloured interiors created by its in-house design team at its physical outlets.
      At the centre of this store in Seattle is a sculpture of a large boulder covered in moss and colourful mushrooms, surrounded by contrasting pale-pink furniture.
      Find out more about Glossier’s Seattle store ›

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      Magdalena Keck employs “warm minimalism” for interiors of glazed house in Hudson Valley

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      Interior designer Magdalena Keck has filled a glass-and-steel home in New York with a restrained but eclectic mix of furnishings that are meant to complement the existing architecture.

      The Hudson Valley Glass House is located in Westchester County, about an hour’s drive from New York City.
      The home has floor-to-ceiling glazing all aroundThe modernist home was designed by architect Robert Fitzpatrick and built-in 1967. Rising two levels, it contains a public zone on the upper level and three bedrooms and a family room down below.
      The clients – a couple with a young daughter – recently purchased the home and tapped Magdalena Keck, who runs an eponymous Manhattan studio, to oversee the interior design. For their full-time residence, the owners desired furnishings that were modern, function-driven and meaningful.
      The dwelling’s interiors intend to complement its modernist architecture”The clients, a family of three, are well versed in design and art, and it was important to them to have a personal connection to each of the items selected for their home,” the studio said.

      Drawing upon her penchant for “warm minimalism”, Keck chose a range of pieces that complemented the architecture and the existing finishes, including wood flooring and vanilla-hued window drapes.
      Magdalena Keck framed a brutalist-style coffee table with a grey bouclé sofa”Magda likes to think of the home as a glass envelope, serving as a vessel for the furnishings, lighting, art and objects that she has worked carefully with the client to fill the space with,” the studio said.
      In the living room, she placed a grey bouclé sofa by French designer Christophe Delcourt and an octagonal, brutalist-style coffee table in resin.
      A hyper-realistic painting is in the dining spaceIn the adjacent dining area, beech-and-fabric chairs by Sergio Rodrigues surround an Extenso table from Desalto.
      Rather than hang a light fixture over the table, the designer added a Mito floor lamp by Tom Fereday and a 1960s Tripod Cocoon floor lamp to provide illumination and visual interest. A large, hyper-realistic painting of choppy water by Ran Ortner rounds out the dining space.

      Andrew Franz updates 1960s home on New York’s Fire Island

      Downstairs in the family room, the atmosphere is casual and cosy. The space is adorned with a sofa by Piero Lissoni for Living Divani, Scandinavian nesting tables in rosewood, and a side chair by Børge Mogensen. Underfoot is a Soumak rug from ALT for Living.
      Audio and visual equipment is housed in a cabinet made of waxed aluminium by Jonathan Nesci.
      The Hudson Valley Glass House is located in Westchester CountyIn the main suite, there is a king bed from Camerich, Danish rosewood nightstands and two Bauhaus table lamps by Wilhelm Wagenfeld.
      The daughter’s room is fitted with custom pieces designed by Keck’s studio, including a  bed platform in oak and a desk with modular storage pullouts. There is also an Adorno wall lamp made of wood and brushed brass, and an astronaut painting by American artist Michael Kagan.
      Large windows provide views of the surrounding sceneryThe home’s guest bedroom features a bed by Lawson Fenning, a ceramic-painted nighstand by Reinaldo Sanguino, and a rare Valet chair by Hans Wegner dating back to the 1950s.
      Keck’s furnishing work also extends to the backyard, where there is a patio and swimming pool. Furnishings include a sofa and coffee table from Unopiù. A rounded, white dining table by Eero Saarinen is paired with white chairs by Harry Bertoia.
      Other projects by Magdalena Keck include a stark-white residence in a Four Seasons tower in Lower Manhattan, and the outfitting of a Catskill Mountains home, where she fused Danish and Japanese design.
      The photography is by Jeff Cate.

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      The Standard and Oskar Kohnen design island hotel to reference “golden age of Ibiza”

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      Boutique hotel group The Standard has housed a hotel in Ibiza in a former movie theatre with interiors designed by its in-house design team and architect Oskar Kohnen.

      Located in the heart of Ibiza Town in a former movie theatre, The Standard Ibiza contains 67 guest suites, restaurants, a rooftop bar and a swimming pool with panoramic views of the island. The project was overseen by architect and interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán.
      The Standard Ibiza was designed by its in-house design team and Oskar Kohnen”The specific location was the former site of an old movie theatre in the heart of town,” The Standard International’s chief design officer Verena Haller told Dezeen. “It was a place where locals came together throughout the year.”
      “Inspired by that, we knew we wanted to create something which would revive that energy for the local crowd, which is also always a hallmark of what we do so it was a good match in that regard.”
      The hotel is housed within a former movie theatreWhen designing the interiors, The Standard team and London-based interior architect Oskar Kohnen drew on the “lore and sensibility” of the island’s bohemian and “flower power” history, which emerged from Ibiza’s role as a haven from Spain’s dictatorship and the Vietnam War draft.

      This design choice was a “perfect nod” to the island’s style and provided a juxtaposition with the starker exterior of the former movie theatre, said Haller.
      The interiors take cues from 1960s bohemian design”Our team rallied around this direction because it felt spot-on for us and it’s something that has been lost over time despite it perhaps being the golden age of Ibiza in a way,” Haller added.
      Kohnen and The Standard designed the guest suites as a respite from the business of the town and the hotel’s public spaces. The suites have a pared-back beach-villa look with retro-informed furnishings that speak to the hotel’s bohemian identity.
      The hotel is located in the heart of Ibiza townTones of white, grey and beige were used for the walls and floors.
      The furnishings and fixtures are made with natural materials and light woods.

      Marià Castelló designs Ibiza retreat formed of five bright white volumes

      The team used the “layering” of texture, furniture and plants to bring dimension to the interiors and play off the Spanish sun, which enters the hotel through its shutter-lined windows.
      “It is important to see layering and pattern, textures and colour, the shadow play of the plants inside and out through sunlight during the day and warm temperature lights at night,” said Haller.
      Natural materials were used throughout the hotelContrasting to the hotel’s guest suites, the hotel’s public spaces, which include Jara, a ground-floor restaurant, and Up, a rooftop lounge and pool, were designed with more of a maximalist look.
      Retro-style shapes and patterns were incorporated throughout the interior of the ground-floor restaurant while seating was upholstered in rich greens and tropical leaf-printed fabrics.
      Public spaces employ a maximalist look”We wanted the interiors to convey the feelings we love about Ibiza,” said Haller. “The effortlessness of a chic holiday on the island with your closest friends. Not the mega clubs!”
      “The public spaces are a clear departure from that, filled with rich layers of colours, patterns and textures and the type of casual vibrancy that only The Standard can create.”
      The hotel opened in AprilIn 2o19, The Standard opened its first UK hotel inside the former Camden Town Hall Annexe, a brutalist building in King’s Cross, which featured colourful interiors.
      Elsewhere in Ibiza, architecture studio Marià Castelló designed a retreat that is formed of five bright white volumes and linked by glass corridors.
      Images are courtesy of The Standard.

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      Pitsou Kedem covers Hiba restaurant in Tel Aviv with geometric timber latticework

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      Gridded oakwood panels sit alongside rough slabs of granite inside Hiba, a restaurant in Tel Aviv designed by local architecture practice Pitsou Kedem.

      Located in the city’s midtown area, Hiba serves a menu of Arab-Israeli fusion food.
      The restaurant’s use of fresh local ingredients influenced Pitsou Kedem to curate an equally raw, natural material palette for its interior.
      A gridded oak partition runs along Hiba’s entrance corridorGuests are guided into the venue via a narrow corridor with a gridded oak divider on one side.
      Some of the partition’s rectangular slots are blocked off while others are left open, allowing visitors to get brief glimpses of the hubbub happening in the restaurant proper.

      Hiba’s facade and ceiling feature the same latticework, loosely informed by the mashrabiya window screens that are traditional to Islamic architecture.
      The restaurant can seat up to 40 guestsThe corridor opens up into an intimate dining room, which accommodates just 40 guests.
      Dotted throughout are a series of circular oak tables, each accompanied by curved-back oak chairs with woven seats.
      The dining room features oak tables and chairs alongside granite countersSome of the tables back onto a powdered concrete bench that runs along one side of the room.
      Concrete was also applied to the restaurant’s floor, where it was polished to reveal the aggregate within.

      Aluminium screens shield the interiors of Pitsou Kedem’s MA House

      At the back of the room, the practice created what it describes as an “inverted bar”, where liquor bottles are displayed inside a backlit niche in the wall rather than a typical bar counter that projects out into the room.
      Drinks can be prepared here or on the chunky slab of granite that forms a counter at the centre of the room.
      Diners can also sit on a curved concrete benchAnother craggy block of granite forms the base of an oak-topped dining counter that extends directly into Hiba’s kitchen in the corner of the restaurant.
      The kitchen was intentionally left open so that diners can watch the chefs at work and get an insight into the culinary process.
      A niche in the restaurant’s rear wall doubles up as a drinks barPitsou Kedem was founded by Israeli architect Pitsou Kedem in 2000.
      Hiba joins a number of trendy eateries across Tel Aviv including the minimalist vegan restaurant Opa and Bana – a cafe where fresh fruit and produce are arranged into colourful eye-catching displays.

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      Norway's remote Hotel Finse 1222 undergoes subtle update by Snøhetta

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      Architecture firm Snøhetta has carried out a sensitive refurbishment of this hotel in Finse, a tiny mountain village in Norway that can only be reached by railway.

      Built in the shadow of Norway’s Hardangerjøkulen glacier, Hotel Finse 1222 sits 1,222 metres above sea level and started life as a humble lodge for railroad workers before becoming a fully-fledged hotel in 1909.
      Hotel Finse 1222 is located in a tiny Norwegian mountain villageOver the decades, the establishment attracted a steady stream of visitors but its interiors grew tired.
      When Snøhetta was tasked with bringing the hotel up to date, the firm steered away from major structural changes and instead settled for making a few aesthetic tweaks.
      Snøhetta introduced colour to the hotel’s reception and lounge”We wanted to ensure we preserved the historical qualities of the place by attentively adjusting and upgrading the existing building mass, only adding new elements where it was absolutely needed,” said Heidi Pettersvold Nygaard, senior architect at the firm.

      “Bringing back to life the long and diverse history of Finse’s heydays was a delight, ensuring that also new visitors could become aware of this completely unique nature and hotel experience.”
      Floral-print William Morris wallpaper covers surfaces in the dining roomThe firm wanted to foster a “warm and hearty” ambience in the hotel’s reception and lounge area so that arriving guests feel instantly at ease.
      Here, surfaces are painted tangerine orange while the soft furnishings are different hues of red.
      Just beyond the lounge, Snøhetta designed a new wooden terrace to match the building’s original carpentry.
      The room’s original ceiling was preservedIn the dining room, floral William Morris wallpaper now blankets the walls. This is a nod to some long-forgotten furnishings Snøhetta found in the hotel’s attic that were upholstered in a similar fabric by the prominent British textile designer.
      The room’s decorative plaster ceiling was preserved and complemented with ornate brass-stemmed lamps, which the studio says are historically appropriate.
      Photographs of famous guests that have passed through the hotel are mounted on the walls, including portraits of Prince Charles and Norwegian figure skater Sonia Hennie.

      Snøhetta designs library in Beijing to resemble a ginkgo-tree forest

      A moodier atmosphere reigns in the hotel’s lounge, where surfaces are rendered in a deep shade of indigo to amplify the dazzling blueish light of Finse’s winter sunsets.
      Guests can sit back and observe the day drawing to a close on the room’s plump blue sofas or bench seats lined with furry throws.
      The hotel’s lounge is filled with shades of blueThe most dramatic intervention made by Snøhetta as part of the refurbishment involved elevating the hotel’s roof to make way for two more guest suites beneath its peak.
      Both suites come complete with expansive floor-to-ceiling windows that offer uninterrupted views of the surrounding landscape. Even the bathtubs are positioned to overlook nearby mountain Lille Finsenut.
      Draped over the beds are bespoke woollen throws depicting an abstract image of the Hardangerjøkulen glacier.
      Two new guest suites were created beneath the hotel’s roofSnøhetta currently has a number of projects in the works.
      Earlier this month, the firm released plans to extend the Hopkins Centre for the Arts at Dartmouth. It is also erecting a library in Beijing that will feature a “forest” of pillars on its interior.

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      Esme Hotel in Miami draws on the “bohemian grandeur” of its past

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      Saturated tones, Mediterranean patterns and decadent furnishings are found throughout this renovated boutique hotel in Miami with interiors by New York studio Jessica Schuster Design.

      Originally built in 1927 as a cultural hub for artists, the building, formerly known as Spanish Village, is located on Miami Beach’s pedestrian plaza, Española Way.
      Esme Hotel is located along Miami Beach’s pedestrian stripEvent planning and design company Infinity Hospitality Group collaborated with Jessica Schuster Design on the transformation of the hotel, which has 145 guest rooms.
      The architecture of Española Way resembles the Mediterranean villages of Spain and France. Schuster looked to the rich local architectural history as a starting point for the interiors.
      Jessica Schuster Design transformed the building into a boutique hotel”We wanted to create an artful collage of bohemian grandeur alongside Miami’s historic Española Way,” said Jessica Schuster, founder of Jessica Schuster Design.”We had fun playing with furniture, lighting and fabrics to create something timeless and exciting at the same time,” Schuster told Dezeen.

      The interior has Art Deco elementsGuests arrive at a lobby with plush velvet flooring and benches clad in a fabric that recalls the patterned ceramic tiles often seen in southern European countries. Plants potted in wicker pots add to the hotel’s bohemian theme.
      “We wanted to create something that spoke to the Mediterranean culture of South Beach, Miami,” said Shuster.
      “This was achieved using vibrant colours, fun textures and details that remained true to the historical aspect of the hotel’s original design.”
      Clashing patterns feature throughout the hotelAfter passing through the lobby, visitors can sip cocktails or sample Latin-inspired dishes at El Salón, a cocktail bar inside the Esme Hotel.
      Here, stools fringed with tassels are stationed around the edge of a circular mahogany bar. The adjoining, dimly lit dining area has a similar decadent arrangement, with candlelit tables spread across the checkered floor.

      Pharrell Williams’ Goodtime Hotel in Miami Beach channels a “reimagined art deco” aesthetic

      Schuster worked closely with the Historic Preservation Board of Miami to replicate some of the original building’s elements.
      The studio used materials such as the limestone travertine and plaster, which featured heavily in Mediterranean revival design in Miami.
      The rooms are coloured in saturated, rich hues associated with opulence”It was a historical property, so we worked to bring back the integrity of the original designs that are unique to South Beach, being that most buildings are from the Art Deco period,” Shuster explained.
      “We reused a lot of pecky cypress wood detailing on the ceilings and throughout the hotel. We also uncovered an original fireplace that we gave life to again and kept the original arches,” she added.
      The bathrooms incorporate gold elementsThe Art Deco aesthetic is continued upstairs in the hotel’s bedrooms and bathrooms where bath and skincare products by Grown Alchemist can be found.
      Many of the rooms have a rose and emerald colour scheme with gold accents and vibrant clashing patterns that create striking decorations for floors and walls.
      On the rooftop, there is a vintage bar and swimming pool with frilly red awnings and pinstriped seating.
      The rooftop has pinstriped furnishingsEsme Hotel isn’t the only interior that references the opulence of Miami’s past. American designer Ken Fulk styled The Goodtime Hotel to reflect the art deco architecture of the area.
      Fulk also decorated the interior of the Swan restaurant in Miami with soft, candy colours that remind diners of Miami’s 1920s heyday.
      Photography is by Christian Harder.
      Project credits:Client: Infinity HospitalityInterior design: Jessica Schuster Design

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      Ten kids' rooms with space-saving loft beds and bunk beds

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      Our latest lookbook features 10 compact children’s bedrooms that use bunk beds to conserve precious space and make more room for play.

      By stacking two beds on top of each other to form a single unit, bunk beds can free up floor space and create a greater sense of privacy in shared rooms. Loft beds, which are raised high above the floor, can help to achieve a similar space-saving result.
      Examples in this lookbook include a three-tiered bunk bed in a rural Chilean cabin and a birch plywood unit in London’s Barbican that integrates not just two beds but also a fold-out desk for doing homework.
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing kitchens with social seating nooks, statement skylights and living rooms with sculptural furniture.
      Photo is by Ståle EriksenBirch and Clay Refugio, UK, by Rise Design Studio

      Rise Design Studio used bespoke birch plywood joinery to help maximise the space in this London garden flat, which the practice remodelled and extended to accommodate a family of four.
      In the kid’s room, the material was used to create an intricate bunk bed, which sits perched on a platform housing a small play area and numerous drawers.
      Find out more about Birch and Clay Refugio ›
      Photo is by Michael SinclairA Room for Two, UK, by Studio Ben Allen
      In this children’s bedroom, two beds are stacked on top of each other within an architectural plywood structure, which bisects the room to conserve both space and privacy.
      The result are two “miniature houses”, each with its own arched doorway and built-in desk, while the steps leading to the upper bed double as shelving.
      “Inspired by the painting St Jerome in His Study by Antonello da Messina, our departure point was to create an installation that is as much a small piece of architecture as it is a piece of furniture,” said Studio Ben Allen.
      Find out more about A Room for Two ›
      Photo is by Mariell Lind HansenAlbergo Miramonti hotel, Italy, by Boxx Creative
      Albergo Miramonti is a renovated 1950s hotel in the Alpine village of Corteno Golgi that was overhauled by London studio Boxx Creative to maximise the space provided by its poorly organised floorplan.
      Family suites now house roomy single and double bunk beds, designed to prove that compact living doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort or taste.
      Find out more about the Albergo Miramonti hotel ›
      Photo is by Bruce DamonteMylla Hytte, Norway, by Mork-Ulnes Architects
      Pinewood lines both the interior and exterior of this home, which overlooks a lake in the Nordmarka woodland north of Oslo and was designed to resemble a traditional Norwegian “hytte” cabin.
      The same plywood used to panel the walls and ceilings also forms a number of built-in furniture pieces, including a bunk bed for the family’s two children as well as benches, shelves and a dining table.
      Find out more about Mylla Hytte ›
      Photo is by Stephen Kent JohnsonOne Manhattan Square apartment, USA, by Jamie Bush
      American designer Jamie Bush made bold and liberal use of colour to help liven up an off-the-shelf bunk bed from Casa Kids in this mustard-hued room.
      This helps the interior blend in with the rest of the apartment and its sculptural 1970s furnishings, set on the 60th floor of the luxury residential skyscraper One Manhattan Square on the Lower East Side.
      Find out more about One Manhattan Square apartment ›
      Photo is by Felipe UgaldeBL1 and BL2, Chile, by Umwelt
      Chilean studio Umwelt designed this home with expansive windows for a young family that just moved from Santiago to the beach town of Cáhuil in order to help bring them closer to nature.
      The kid’s room houses a three-tiered bunk bed that looks out over the rolling countryside, while other rooms offer sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.
      Find out more about BL1 and BL2 ›
      Photo is by French + TyeRoom For One More, UK, by Studio Ben Allen
      In order to add an extra bedroom to the beloved flat of a growing family in the Barbican estate in London, Studio Ben Allen inserted a full-height timber volume at the centre of the plan. This houses an office area with a fold-out desk on one side and a bunk bed on the other.
      The new kid’s bedroom can be separated from the rest of the apartment using a sliding door, and the teal-coloured steps leading up to its bed can be pushed back to form another small desk for doing homework.
      Find out more about Room For One More ›
      Photo is by Olivier-Martin GambierHouse for a Photographer, France, by Alireza Razavi
      All of the floor space in this kid’s room is designated for playing, as double-height ceilings allow the sleeping area to be raised up in the form of an oversized loft bed for two.
      Architect Alireza Razavi also installed a similar mezzanine level over the home’s dining area that houses a post-editing room for the owner, who is a professional photographer.
      Find out more about House for a Photographer ›
      Photo is by Jeff CateHudson Woods home, USA, by Magdalena Keck
      New York interior designer Magdalena Keck recruited a cast of American makers and artisans to design custom furniture pieces for this holiday home in the Catskill Mountains.
      Among them is a chunky timber bunk bed that blends in with the wood-panelled walls and pays homage to the property’s natural setting.
      Find out more about Hudson Woods home ›
      Photo is by Maxime BrouilletFahouse, Canada, by Jean Verville
      Jean Verville nestled a double-width loft bed inside the steep gable of this cottage, set in a forest near Quebec.
      Wooden ceiling beams are left exposed and matched to the light wooden bed and the floor, which stand in stark contrast to the home’s blackened steel cladding.
      Find out more about Fahouse ›
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing kitchens with social seating nooks, statement skylights and living rooms with sculptural furniture.

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