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      Eight contemporary kitchens brightened by skylights

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      Residential kitchens illuminated by skylights are the focus of this lookbook, which includes homes everywhere from Australia to Mexico and Japan.

      A popular feature in many contemporary kitchens, skylights are typically used to maximise natural light in rooms that sit below ground or in the depths of a plan.
      However, they are also helpful for saving valuable wall space in areas for food preparation, leaving more room for cabinets and shelving, or they can simply be installed to create a focal point.
      The eight examples below show how skylights can be made in all shapes and sizes to enhance and brighten kitchens in any style.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring exposed structural ceiling beams, clerestory windows and nightclub interiors.

      Photo by Helen CathcartThe Maker’s Barn, UK, by Hutch Design
      A square-shaped skylight casts light over the glossy tiled kitchen in The Maker’s Barn, a home that Hutch Design created on the site of a concrete pig shed near London.
      The soft light from overhead enhances the warm and tactile finish of the space, which is finished with wooden cabinetry and a mix of rough terracotta and wooden floor tiles.
      Find out more about The Maker’s Barn ›
      Photo by Peter BennettsBismarck House, Australia, by Andrew Burges Architects
      Rather than opting for a traditional square skylight, Andrew Burges Architects punctured the ceiling of the Bismarck House’s kitchen with a curved sheet of glazing.
      It follows the shape of the undulating first floor above and helps brighten the industrial aesthetic of the room, which pairs utilitarian tiles with exposed brick walls and concrete flooring.
      Find out more about Bismarck House ›
      Photo by Danny BrightMontauk House, USA, by Desciencelab
      Desciencelab slotted rectangular skylights across the pitched roof of Montauk House, maximising natural light in the teak-lined cooking and dining area below it.
      The light drawn in through the glazing bounces off the white-painted ceiling, helping to distribute it around the open-plan room, which also contains a lounge area.
      Find out more about Montauk House ›
      Photo by Rory GardinerHouse VO and House WO, Mexico, by Ludwig Godefroy
      This kitchen skylight has been carved into the sculptural concrete form of a Mexican house designed by Ludwig Godefroy.
      It helps to illuminate the kitchen counters, which would otherwise be lowly lit due to their position below ground level.
      Find out more about House VO and House WO ›
      Photo by Tololo StudioYamaguchicho House, Japan, by Slow
      Exposed concrete walls form a backdrop to this black kitchen, which is partially lit by angled, fluted skylights on one side.
      This was designed by Slow to provide the owners with ample light while cooking, due to the Japanese house having a mostly windowless exterior for privacy.
      Find out more about Yamaguchicho House ›
      Photo by Jim StephensonWalled Garden, UK, by Nimtim Architects
      Nimtim Architects placed skylights to one side of this kitchen, which sits deep in the plan of a townhouse it has extended in London.
      The square panes are framed by Douglas fir beams and filter just enough light to brighten the space while retaining the cosy, earthy quality achieved through a palette of exposed brickwork, rough plaster and concrete flooring.
      Find out more about Walled Garden ›
      Photo by Benjamin HoskingBrunswick Apartment, Australia, by Murray Barker and Esther Stewart
      Murray Barker and Esther Stewart kept it simple for the skylight in this kitchen, opting for a square-shaped design that sits above the dining table.
      It helps light up the space that would otherwise have little natural light, due to its other windows sitting close to a brick wall and reducing the amount that can filter inwards.
      Find out more about Brunswick Apartment ›
      Photo by Virtually Here StudiosMalibu beach house, USA, by Sophie Goineau
      In Malibu, Sophie Goineau has renovated a family beach house to allow more light in. In the kitchen, this involved adding skylights to its wavy roof.
      The skylights are partially obscured with ash battens that cloak the entire ceiling, letting in light but blocking out the bright overhead sun.
      Find out more about this Malibu beach house ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring exposed structural ceiling beams, clerestory windows and nightclub interiors.

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      This week we revealed Buckingham Palace’s interiors

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      This week on Dezeen, we published photos of the inside of Buckingham Palace’s newly refurbished east wing.

      Opened to the public for the first time in its 175-year history earlier this month, the chinoiserie interiors contain porcelain lions, nine-tiered pagodas and a lotus-shaped chandelier.
      The wing also contains the room with the palace’s famed balcony that overlooks the Mall.
      OODA has designed Bond Tower for TiranaIn architecture news, Portuguese studio OODA unveiled the latest eye-catching design set to be built in the Albanian capital, Tirana.
      Named Bond Tower, the studio designed a pair of connected skyscrapers that bend away and towards each other.

      OMA unveils the Simone Veil BridgeIn France, the Simone Veil Bridge in Bordeaux designed by Dutch studio OMA opened to the public.
      Described by the studio as “anti-iconic”, the bridge is overly wide with a 28-metre-wide unprogrammed public space.
      “Our design for the Simone Veil Bridge is like a stage but without the theatre,” explained OMA partner Chris van Duijn.
      Dyson launched its first headphonesIn design news, technology company Dyson unveiled its first audio-only headphones with the aim of disrupting the market.
      “At Dyson, we are driven by the opportunity to disrupt established categories,” Dyson principal industrial designer Phil Douglas told Dezeen.
      “The Dyson OnTrac is our first standalone pair of headphones,” he continued. “So, our main aim was to create a piece of technology which really serves its primary purpose well – to create a pair of headphones that people want to listen to.”
      On launched a trainer with a sprayed-on upper ahead of the OlympicsAhead of the Olympics starting next week, Swiss running brand On unveiled its latest trainer, which will be worn by athletes at the Games.
      Named Cloudboom Strike LS, the trainer is topped with a lightweight, low-carbon upper created by spraying filament using a robotic arm.
      A lookout in Belgium was one of this week’s most-read storiesPopular projects on Dezeen this week included a lookout on a Belgium beach, a multi-generational Melbourne home made with pale bricks and a giant bubble added to a century-old Japanese house.
      Our latest lookbooks featured interiors with exposed structural ceiling beams and interiors brightened by clerestory windows.
      This week on Dezeen
      This week on Dezeen is our regular roundup of the week’s top news stories. Subscribe to our newsletters to be sure you don’t miss anything.

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      You can still be listed in Dezeen’s guide to London Design Festival 2024

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      Ahead of London Design Festival’s 22nd anniversary, there’s still time to feature in Dezeen Events Guide’s digital guide to the festival.

      The 2024 edition takes place from 14 to 22 September, inviting hundreds of thousands of people to 11 districts in the UK’s capital city.
      If you’re hosting an event as part of the festival programme – including an exhibition, workshop, product launch, talk, tour, fair or market – you can feature in our guide and festival map.
      The London Design Festival (LDF) celebrates a range of disciplines, including craft, art, architecture and fashion, as well as graphic, interior and urban design.
      There’s still time to be listed in Dezeen’s digital guide to London Design Festival 2024

      Get in touch with the Dezeen Events Guide team at [email protected] to book your listing or to discuss a wider partnership with Dezeen. There are three types of listings:
      Standard listings cost £125 and include the event name, date and location details plus a website link. These listings will also feature up to 50 words of text about the event.
      Enhanced listings cost £175 and include all of the above plus an image at the top of the listing’s page and an image in the listing preview on the festival guide homepage. These listings will also feature up to 100 words of text about the event.
      Featured listings cost £350 and include all elements of an enhanced listing plus a post on Dezeen’s Threads channel, inclusion in the featured events carousel on the right hand of the festival guide homepage for up to two weeks and 150 words of text about the event. This text can include commercial information, such as ticket prices and offers and can feature additional links to website pages such as ticket sales, newsletter signups and more.
      About Dezeen Events Guide
      Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.
      The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks.
      For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide, including in our guide to London Design Festival, email [email protected].
      The illustration is by Justyna Green.

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      Aesop store interior references Louisiana Museum of Modern Art

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      The Danish bricks and narrow floor plan of this Aesop store in Copenhagen nod to the “humble” design of the nearby Louisiana Museum of Modern Art.

      Located on Kronprinsensgade in Copenhagen’s old town, the neutral-hued store was created by skincare brand Aesop’s in-house design team to complement its setting without “unnecessary flourishes”.
      The Aesop store is on Kronprinsensgade in CopenhagenThe interior takes cues from the architecture of the famed Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, completed in 1958 in Humlebæk, 35 kilometres north of Denmark’s capital.
      A long and low-ceilinged rectangular room makes up the store, which features a circular space at the back with a curved brick-clad basin.
      Danish red bricks feature throughout the interiorThis floor plan mirrors the museum’s “understated horizontal building” with its thin glass corridors, according to Aesop’s head of store design Marianne Lardilleux.

      “We were drawn to the Louisiana Museum because it was designed as a home for Danish, rather than international, modern art,” she told Dezeen.
      A backlit circular opening illuminates the curved basinDanish red brick tiles were laid across the floor by local stonemasons, arranged in a “radiating” pattern that recalls several Copenhagen landmarks, according to Lardilleux. These bricks replaced the store’s original painted concrete screed flooring.
      Stained oak timber was used to create sleek geometric shelving, which spans the length of one of the walls and provides a gallery-style display unit for neat rows of Aesop products.
      This material was also applied to the ceiling, characterised by slatted wood interrupted only by an oversized and backlit circular opening above the brick-clad basin with aged brass elements.

      Louisiana Museum works with Stellar Works to relaunch original mid-century furniture

      A smooth timber door leads to the back-of-house area, concealed behind a sandy-coloured curtain.
      “The focus is on the warmth of the materials,” explained Lardilleux.
      “At the museum, the humble materials used – bricks, wood, white paint – come together in a way that is simple yet striking. At Aesop, we hope to design spaces that are similarly direct in their approach.”
      Stained oak was used to create the slatted ceiling”Just as every work of architecture relates to its site and context, every Aesop store is sensitive to its environment,” added the designer.
      “We are not interested in rolling out identical interiors – our surroundings have always inspired us.”
      Since the first Aesop outlet was designed in St Kilda, Melbourne, in 2003, the brand has opened hundreds of global stores that respond to their settings.
      Recently, architect Jakob Sprenger installed 1920s plaster medallions above a sculptural sink as the centre of a Paris store while design studio Odami chose minty green interiors for a location in Los Angeles.
      The images are courtesy of Brian Buchard.

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      Danielle Brustman designs Harbour Early Learning facility to “inspire delight and joy”

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      Bold colours and graphic elements that represent the sea and sky add personality and context to the interiors of this Sydney children’s centre by Australian designer Danielle Brustman.

      Brustman was responsible for the interior package of the Harbour Early Learning educational facility, which is situated in the city’s Vaucluse suburb and aims to connect children with educators, nature and the broader community.
      The brief for the project called for a high-quality facility arranged over three levels with a focus on design integrity and the well-being of both the children and staff.
      Danielle Brustman has designed the interiors of Sydney’s Harbour Early Learning facilityBrustman employed oversized graphic elements throughout the spaces to help stimulate the imaginations of the children and create thematic experiences that respond to the building’s harbourside setting.
      “I wanted the design to inspire delight and joy for the people occupying the spaces,” the designer told Dezeen.

      “I also wanted to create a healthy space using environmentally sustainable and quality materials that would stand the test of time and toddlers!”
      The educational children’s centre responds to the building’s harbourside settingBrustman worked closely with architects SJB and Supercontext, as well as with landscape designer Fiona Robbe and signage experts Citizen to deliver a range of bespoke indoor and outdoor play and learning spaces that reflect the client’s educational philosophy.
      The building’s external and internal spaces were designed to reference the surrounding nature, with large openings framing views of the neighbouring mature fig trees.
      The interior was heavily influenced by the building’s seaside context, with each room given a specific theme including the Sky room, Sunset room, Rainbow room, Under the Sea room and Boat room.
      Oversized graphic elements and large openings frame neighbouring mature fig treesThe themes lend the rooms a unique character whilst reinforcing the thoughtful layout of spaces, with water-based elements on the ground floor and sky references on the upper floor.
      Graphic details were used throughout the interior to complement architectural features, including the arched windows and circular skylights.

      CLOU Architects stacks blocks to form kindergarten in China

      Marmoleum flooring and carpet inlaid with geometric shapes also feature alongside bespoke murals depicting simplified elements like waves and clouds.
      The raw materials and neutral tones used for the exterior give way to more vibrant hues inside the building.
      Murals, marmoleum flooring and carpet inlaid with geometric shapes depict seaside waves and cloudsBrustman selected colours that she said have “a slightly muddied feel to them” to maintain consistency and a connection to nature.
      “It was important that the colour and materials palette was unique in each room but there was also a cohesive thread throughout,” she added. “The palette was designed to be enjoyed by both children and teaching teams.”
      Materials that appear on the building’s exterior, such as raw concrete and pale wood, recur in the reception area where they contrast with colourful elements that help with wayfinding and circulation.
      Primary colours, including a vibrant blue staircase, inform a palette enjoyable to children and teaching teamsThe primary hues in this space reference the work of Dutch abstract painter Piet Mondrian, while the blue staircase in particular evokes the colours of Sydney Harbour.
      Wherever possible, Brustman chose furniture that was designed and made in Australia, focusing on pieces that are robust enough to handle being used by children.
      Many of the furnishings have a graphic quality to them, including the Love benches by designer Daniel Emma, the stacked-cone pendant light by designer Edward Linacre and the Big Friendly sofa designed by CJ Anderson for Dowel Jones.
      Graphic furnishings are featured throughout the interior design, including the Love benches by Daniel EmmaBrustman is based in Melbourne and specialises in residential interior design and commercial design for the education, hospitality and retail sectors.
      The designer’s previous projects include a children’s centre in Melbourne featuring similar graphic elements in various pastel hues and a hair salon decorated using the client’s signature yellow colour.
      The photography is courtesy of Harbour Early Learning.

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      Buckingham Palace’s chinoiserie interiors revealed following five-year renovation

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      Porcelain lions, nine-tiered pagodas and a lotus-shaped chandelier feature in Buckingham Palace’s newly refurbished east wing, which has opened to the public for the first time in its 175-year history.

      The east wing at London’s Buckingham Palace, which opened this month, houses a series of decadent interconnected rooms including the centre room, which leads to the palace’s famed balcony overlooking the Mall.
      Buckingham Palace’s east wing has opened to the public for the first time in its historyOriginally built by Edward Blore between 1847 and 1849 to “provide space for Queen Victoria’s growing family”, the wing encloses what was previously a U-shaped courtyard, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
      After five years of restoration work by the trust’s curators and conservators, involving the temporary removal of over 3,500 artworks and other objects, the wing has opened to the public as part of the palace’s State Rooms tours that take place every summer.
      The centre room features a lotus-shaped chandelierIt reveals an interior filled with King George IV’s 18th-century chinoiserie designs, which were transferred to Buckingham Palace after the 1850 sale of his seaside retreat – Brighton’s Royal Pavilion. Prince Albert oversaw the original decoration.

      The centre room features an oversized lotus-shaped chandelier finished in glass and lacquer, illuminating a large carpet with geometric floral patterns. Visitors can also find a pair of 18th-century Chinese imperial silk wall hangings.
      Nine-tiered Chinese pagodas feature in the yellow drawing roomA duo of Chinese pagodas with nine ornate tiers characterise the yellow drawing room, named for its sunny drapes and sofas, which includes hand-painted wallpaper that was “painstakingly” cleaned and conserved by the team.
      A “kylin clock” – complete with turquoise porcelain lions and a tiny Japanese hotei, or god of luck – also sits on the room’s gold-trimmed mantlepiece.
      There is also a clock decorated with porcelain lionsElsewhere in the wing, the 240-foot principal corridor spans the entire length of the palace and has a bright red carpet. Ebonised cabinets feature Japanese panels, which contrast with the various royal paintings by historical European artists such as Thomas Gainsborough and Franz Xaver Winterhalter.
      Striking motifs including dragons and gilded curtain poles can be found throughout the wing.
      Ebonised cabinets line the principal corridor”The pavilion’s contents – which reflected King George IV’s love of Asian art and design – were transferred to the east wing, inspiring the Chinese-themed decor of its principal rooms,” said the Royal Collection Trust.
      Visitors to the palace’s state rooms can also see the recently unveiled portrait of King Charles III, painted by Jonathan Yeo in bright red hues, housed in the ballroom.

      Opposite Office redesigns Buckingham Palace as co-living space for 50,000 Londoners

      The refurbishment is part of a longer 10-year reservicing programme at the palace, which includes improvements to the palace’s electrical cabling, plumbing and heating systems that have not been updated since the 1950s, according to the Royal Collection Trust.
      Architect Thomas Heatherwick designed a sculpture containing 350 trees and erected it outside Buckingham Palace to mark the late Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum jubilee in 2022.
      Visitors can also see Jonathan Yeo’s recent portrait of King Charles III in the palace’s ballroomAfter her death, writer Stefan Simanowitz and architect Antonio Pisanò also proposed a memorial garden that would have seen part of the palace’s gardens converted into a “natural sanctuary” for the public.
      The photography is by Peter Smith. 

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      Estudio Ebras and Hause Möbel create live-work concept with VR and desert-influenced spaces

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      This space with futuristic “virtual reality” style LED strip lighting was designed by Argentinian firm Estudio Ebras and furniture brand Hause Möbel to be used as both a home and an office.

      The temporary Green Home Office project was created for the Casa FOA 2024 architecture and design exhibition in Córdoba, Argentina, inside an under-construction building complex named Pocito.
      At the Green Home Office, an immersive workspace features a grid of LED lights to mimic a virtual reality environmentEstudio Ebras was presented with a windowless space to transform into a flexible environment designed to facilitate both living and working, using furniture from Argentinian brand Hause Möbel.
      Entry to the 110-square-metre space was through a low, warmly lit antechamber that offered options to turn left into a compact workspace, or right into the larger central area.
      Entry to the exhibition was via a compressed, warmly lit antechamberThe dark, “immersive” office was panelled with wood veneer squares between strips of LED light that formed a grid across the walls and floor.

      “The immersive space features a luminous grid that simulates the grid of virtual reality,” said Estudio Ebras. “On one side is a desk, and on the other, a chaise lounge for resting and transporting us to a natural environment in virtual reality.”
      The space was divided into the immersive office and a larger room decorated in desert huesReached via a short cork-floored corridor, the living space featured peach, orange and rust hues that created a contrasting desert-like aesthetic.
      “Upon entering the central area, a change in scale is perceived due to its dimensions and height,” Estudio Ebras said.
      The larger space was designed for both living and working, and echoes the desert-like climate of CórdobaIn place of windows, the designers worked with a light artist to install illuminated, elongated pill-shaped panels behind translucent floor-to-ceiling curtains.
      The light panels displayed sunset colours, while soil and dried plants ran around the perimeter to evoke “a mountainous, wild, and arid landscape typical of the area”.
      Suspended over a dining or meeting table was a light fixture with rings of LEDs insideCurved-edge surfaces flowed into one another, such as a kitchen counter that swooped down from one wall and extended along another.
      In the centre of the room was a large table that could be used for either dining or meetings, accompanied by four orange chairs on castors.
      A separate space with sliding glass partitions was intended for video calls or quiet contemplationOverhead, a rough-textured fixture housed concentric rings of LEDs that gradually ascended inside the structure.
      At the end of the room, a bench was suspended from the ceiling, shaped to frame the trio of “window” lights behind.

      Eight home offices with stylish set-ups for remote working

      A separate space for quiet contemplation or taking video calls was tucked behind the entry corridor wall and closed off by sliding glass panels.
      This small room was lined with cork and furnished with a purple two-seater sofa. “The acoustic box allows for privacy to make a call, work with a laptop, or, within a home-like setting, provides recreational space,” said Estudio Ebras.
      The installation also included a bench that hung from the ceilingAs the project’s name suggests, it was designed with sustainability in mind, and a carbon footprint analysis was conducted throughout the design, exhibition and dismantling processes.
      To offset the installation’s footprint, native trees were planted in nearby Cerro Champaquí with the help of local nonprofit organization Fundación Sembradores de Agua.
      In place of windows, panels illuminated to mimic a sunset were installed behind translucent curtainsRecently completed projects in Córdoba include a house with weathering steel screens, a home lifted above a sloped site and  an office building wrapped in perforated metal.
      The photography is by Gonzalo Viramonte.
      Casa FOA 2024 took place 3 May to 2 June 2024 in Córdoba. For more events, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide.

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      Ten interiors with exposed structural ceiling beams

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      Living spaces that make a feature of pre-existing beams are the focus of this lookbook, which includes examples of apartments and homes that showcase integral structural elements made from wood and metal.

      Beams are parts of a building’s structure that serve as support for ceilings, roofs and upper floors. Depending on the area’s vernacular and the structure’s age, they manifest in a variety of shapes and materials, from wooden beams that still resemble logs and tree trunks to machined steel beams.
      While beams can be concealed by installing dropped ceilings, contemporary designers often choose to celebrate and highlight them, incorporating them into interior design schemes as a reminder of a building’s origins.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring interiors animated by shimmering zellige tiles and living rooms furnished by statuesque pieces of furniture.
      The photo is by Roberto RuizPalau apartment, Spain, by Colombo and Serboli Architecture

      Hefty trunk-like wooden beams span the ceiling of this apartment in Barcelona by local studio Colombo and Serboli Architecture.
      Their rustic presence is accentuated by the otherwise sleek and polished interior, with uplights installed on top of the wardrobe literally highlighting them in the bedroom.
      Find out more about Palau apartment ›
      The photo is courtesy of Colleen Healey ArchitectureRenovation on Logan Circle, USA, by Colleen Healey Architecture
      A ceiling composed of X-shaped, white-rendered braces crowns this kitchen in a Washington DC house renovated by local studio Colleen Healey Architecture.
      The unusual, original feature provides support to the floor above, and adds to the industrial atmosphere created by the raw and painted brick walls.
      Find out more about Colleen Healey Architecture ›
      The photo is by Alex BaxterBarn at the Ahof, the Netherlands, by Julia van Beuningen
      Architectural designer Julia van Beuningen installed a plywood spiral staircase into the open-plan living space of this barn conversion.
      The naturally patterned plywood element joins a combination of both squared-off, machined wooden beams and age-warped timber beams, which support the first floor and thatched roof.
      Find out more about Barn at the Ahof ›
      The photo is by Salva LópezCasa Vasto, Spain, by Mesura
      Spanish studio Mesura turned this industrialised factory building in Barcelona into an apartment-cum-gallery space, dominated by an undulating vaulted ceiling.
      The fins that make up the structure are an example of vernacular construction techniques developed in the 19th century and create a sculptural effect that chimes with the new function of the space.
      Find out more about Casa Vasto ›
      The photo is by Yevhenii AvramenkoKyiv attic apartment, Ukraine, by Yana Molodykh
      Wooden planks and steel beams intercross on the ceiling of this attic apartment in Kyiv by Ukrainian designer Yana Molodykh.
      Despite the heaviness of the materials above, the interior has a light, airy appearance thanks to warm wooden furniture, neutral upholstery and diaphanous curtains.
      Find out more about Kyiv attic apartment ›
      The photo is by Fabian MartinezCasa Tres Árboles, Mexico, by Direccion
      A succession of dried fronds arranged in a chevron pattern is visible between cylindrical exposed beams in this house in Valle de Bravo by Mexican studio Direccion.
      The ceilings contribute to the sepia-like colour scheme apparent throughout the interiors, which is broken up by dark grey and terracotta elements.
      Find out more about Casa Tres Árboles ›
      The photo is by Lorenzo ZandriHouse by the Sea, UK, by Of Architecture
      Designed by London-based practice Of Architecture, this lofty open-plan living space in a house in Cornwall has a bright and airy atmosphere
      The whitewashed beams are studded with spotlights, light fittings, exposed services and square skylights, creating a functional yet clean ceiling scape.
      Find out more about House by the Sea ›
      The photo is by BoysPlayNiceMasná 130, Czech Republic, by ORA
      The 500-year-old chamfered wooden beams were retained in this Renaissance-era house renovated by Czech architecture studio ORA.
      The carved beams have a glossy, polished finish and are intersected by a thicker central beam decorated by more elaborate carved detailing, including a centrally-positioned roundel.
      Find out more about Masná 130 ›
      The photo is by Yevhenii AvramenkoDzen House, Ukraine, by Shovk
      Japanese and Ukrainian aesthetics meet in this house designed by architecture studio Shovk situated on the outskirts of Kyiv, which has a cosy living room capped by a series of slimline wooden beams.
      Wooden planks sit atop these structures, and together they match the thick window surround and create a grounded and cosy interior brightened by a broad, pale sofa and cool-toned walls and floors.
      Find out more about Dzen House ›
      The photo is by José Hevia105JON, Spain, by Vallribera Arquitectes
      Inside this modernised terraced house in Barcelona, Spanish studio Vallribera Arquitectes created a contrast between original features and newly inserted elements.
      The old roof, which is covered in red-coloured tiles, and the new mezzanine, lined with oriented strand board, both feature prominent structural beams – the former is supported by whittled tree trunks and the latter with metal struts picked out in blue paint.
      Find out more about 105JON ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring interiors animated by shimmering zellige tiles and living rooms furnished by statuesque pieces of furniture.

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