Rooms

Subterms

    More stories

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Akram Fahmi gives Etch restaurant monochrome revamp to reflect two-ingredient dishes

      by

      Interior designer Akram Fahmi has revamped the Etch restaurant in Hove, East Sussex, creating black and white interiors to reflect its minimalist menu.

      Located in a space that was originally a bank, Etch was first renovated and opened as a restaurant in 2017.
      It has been reimagined by Fahmi, the founder of interiors studio London Design House, with an open kitchen and subterranean speakeasy bar.
      Two modern arches were added to complement the three period arches of the existing buildingFahmi chose the simple colour palette to echo the approach of the restaurant’s menu, where most of the dishes are comprised of just two ingredients.
      Wide-plank chalk-washed timber floors and white walls contrast black banquette seating and timber framing.

      “We identified, and tried to achieve, three key principles in the design; refinement, texture, and locality,” Fahmi told Dezeen.
      Black-framed windows stand in stark contrast to the white interior wallsRough quarry tiles, matte-finished stone and sinuous stretched-fabric lighting were chosen to reflect the textures of the nearby South Downs, the coastline and the urban landscape.
      “The balance in texture and tone is key to the guests’ journey through every space in the restaurant and bar,” Fahmi explained.
      The renovation involved merging two ground-floor units together and uniting a single space that is flooded by natural light from five arched windows.
      The lighting fixtures continue the monochrome themeThe studio kept three original Victorian arched windows on the corner and added two further full-height arches with modernised detailing to create a uniform facade.
      This was further united by painting the whole ground-floor facade charcoal grey.
      The subterranean speakeasy is decorated all in black with dramatic lighting”You want to feel as though the architecture and interiors that you journey through are as curated and elegant as the food in front of you,” Fahmi said.
      Internally, cast iron columns from the old bank were retained and suspended ceilings in the main spaces were stripped out to expose the original high ceilings.
      Stretched lampshades recall the nearby coastal landscapeFahmi worked with the local council to find solutions for extract routes and plans that would “retain and respect the fabric of the historic building as much as possible”.
      The studio used passive devices, such as tinting the glazing to reduce solar glare, to help control the internal temperature more efficiently.

      Muted material palette defines monochrome Chinese restaurant by StudioAC

      New external planting troughs soften the austere facade and hard pavement. The studio chose plants, herbs and grasses that would be suitable for the local coastal environment.
      London Design House also worked with local craftspeople and suppliers on the project to reflect Etch’s ethos of sourcing its produce locally and seasonally.
      A speakeasy bar is underneath the restaurant”I wanted the restaurant to feel like an extension of the food and service we offer, which I would describe as British contemporary, but also minimalist  – mainly using two quality ingredients,” Etch’s chef and owner Steven Edwards told Dezeen.
      The monochrome palette “gives a slightly nordic minimalist feel that works completely with my food style,” he added.
      “I think the relationship between the food you eat and the setting you eat it in is really important. It’s not just about the food – although it’s hard for me to say that being a chef!”
      Other restaurant interiors recently featured on Dezeen include Studio Becky Carter’s “distinctly New York” interiors for Cecchi’s and Otherworlds’ transformation of a Goan villa into restaurant.
      The photography is by Justin de Souza and David Charbit.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares159 Views

      in Rooms

      The Hoxton Charlottenburg draws on Berlin’s brutalist and art nouveau architecture

      by

      The Hoxton hotel has opened its first German outpost in Berlin’s Charlottenburg, with interiors designed to blend the contrasting architectural styles that rub shoulders in the affluent neighbourhood.

      Located just off the Kurfürstendamm shopping street in West Berlin, the 234-room hotel was styled on a cross between the area’s Jugendstil mansion blocks and the comparatively rugged concrete buildings of the brutalist era.
      The Hoxton has opened a hotel in BerlinThe result is an aesthetic concept that the company’s in-house design team AIME Studios has dubbed “rough nouveau”.
      “By drawing inspiration from the surrounding area and celebrating the contrasting styles, we were looking to create a unique interpretation of this corner of the city, which will be recognisable to locals and let visitors get a sense of the area,” AIME Studios design associate Charlie Cruickshank told Dezeen.
      Vintage mid-century furniture features in the lobbyBrutalist influences can be seen in the oversized concrete columns that run through The Hoxton’s lobby, which is finished in a textured plaster to match.

      This provides a rough backdrop for more elaborate decorative touches, ranging from mosaic flooring to bespoke Murano glass chandeliers with botanical-inspired forms that draw on the art nouveau ironwork and tiling found in the surrounding buildings.
      Patterned tiles were used to decorate some of the joinery”One of the features we noticed many times while walking around Charlottenburg were the tiled doorways with elaborate designs,” Cruickshank said.
      “Tiles are used in many decorative and creative ways throughout the area and they are also integrated into some of our joinery pieces.”
      The lobby is defined by an airy blue and green colour paletteAt the back of the blue- and green-toned lobby with its vintage mid-century furniture sits the Winter Garden bar, finished with patterned mosaic tiles to create a conservatory-meets-courtyard atmosphere.
      Here, a Delft-inspired tiled fireplace nods to traditional Swedish stoves while fostering a cosy atmosphere during Berlin’s frosty winters.
      “The references to the beautiful tiles in the local area were emphasised wherever possible, and the finely painted botanical designs echo classic art nouveau motifs,” Cruickshank said.
      The Winter Garden bar features mosaic flooring and a tiled fireplaceAlso on the ground floor are the House of Tandoor restaurant and the Teahouse cafe and bar, both designed to fuse the elegant Charlottenburg aesthetic with Indian influences, taking design cues from the grand palaces of Kolkata and Mumbai in the 1920s.
      In the cafe, shell-patterned mosaic tiles pick up the subtle green hues in the bar’s marble countertop while oversized windows flood the space with light.
      “The show-stopping scalloped marble floor tiles feature colours inspired by Indian spices and herbs that are used for the cocktail menu,” said Cruickshank.
      A curved bar with a scalloped countertop features in the Teahouse cafeIn the next-door restaurant, an open-plan copper-and-wood kitchen takes centre stage alongside richly upholstered banquettes.
      Framed vinyl covers and vintage-style gramophones reference India’s jazz era, representing the fusion of Indian and Western cultures.

      The Hoxton opens Ricardo Bofill-informed hotel in Barcelona

      “The concept for the restaurant is to emulate the vibrant colour palette of the spices and textiles found in the markets of Mumbai as well as the quirky curiosities often found within the markets, such as gramophones,” said Cruickshank.
      “This also has a nod to the theatricality of the 1920s Weimar era and the cultural importance of jazz during this time.”
      The House of Tandoor restaurant serves modern Indian fareThe “rough nouveau” concept continues in the 234 bedrooms, where a restrained take on the whiplash curves of art nouveau can be seen in features such as the headboards while the lighting brings a raw, unpolished element to each room.
      A muted colour palette of soft pinks and greens provides a sense of warmth that is amplified by the vintage furniture, herringbone flooring and patterned rugs.
      The hotel has 234 guest roomsBuilding on the hotel’s links to its locale are the illuminated room numbers.
      “Illuminated house and apartment number signs are a quintessential feature you see all over West Berlin,” Cruickshank said. “Using these signs references this distinctive design marker of the neighbourhood.”
      A curved headboard nods to the swirling lines of art nouveauA top-floor party and event space, The Apartment, includes three flexible private rooms arranged around a central kitchen.
      The Apartment’s aesthetic was informed by the life and work of Mary Wigman, a German dancer and choreographer who pioneered expressionist dance and lived in West Berlin in the early 20th century.
      The Apartment offers a space for hosting private parties and events”We imagined the space to be like a 1920s apartment looking out over the vibrant city with art nouveau influences in the floral and botanical wallpapers and the soft pastel colour palette,” Cruickshank said.
      “The location of The Apartment on the top floor of the hotel adds to the residential feel of the space.”
      The space features homey furnishings reminiscent of an apartmentThe Hoxton’s other outposts include a hotel informed by the work of Spanish architect Ricardo Bofill in Barcelona and one housed in Chicago’s old meatpacking area.
      The photography is courtesy of The Hoxton.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares189 Views

      in Rooms

      Madera displays contemporary flooring and millwork products in Los Angeles showroom

      by

      Design and fabrication firm Madera has unveiled its latest showroom in Los Angeles, which was designed to showcase wood flooring and millwork products and has been captured in this exclusive video produced by Dezeen.

      The West Coast hub, which is Madera’s second showroom, is located in the Arts District of Los Angeles while its flagship showroom is in New York City.

      The showroom features a selection of wood products ranging from the brand’s signature wide-plank Thrasher flooring to custom cabinetry and benches.
      The space, which was converted from a former metal foundry into a showroom, aims to encourage clients to embrace wood and view it as an essential and natural element in design.
      Madera’s made-to-order Thrasher cabinetry is displayed in a living room spaceThe entryway features bespoke Douglas fir tables and benches, while the living room space has made-to-order Thrasher cabinetry showcasing the various finishes the brand offers.
      The kitchen displays a large custom island combining Madera’s Dogwood Ash and Travertine finishes, while a nearby conference room houses the brand’s Abechi Façade cladding in black.
      The showroom kitchen features a custom island that combines Madera’s Dogwood Ash and Travertine finishesMadera’s mission is to bring the natural beauty of wood into the spaces their clients inhabit to “redefine its place in the modern home”, according to the brand.
      Its Los Angeles wood shop, where custom stair parts and millwork elements are produced, is located only a short distance from its showroom.
      Madera’s showroom is located in the Arts District of Los AngelesThe brand recently launched its Seamless Wood Design system, which aims to ensure wooden products in an interior all complement each other.
      The system was created to offer designers and homeowners a customisable option that enables them to retain the character of wood throughout an interior.
      Partnership content
      This video was produced by Dezeen for Madera as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Dorothée Meilichzon nods to Alice in Wonderland for Cotswolds hotel interior

      by

      French interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon has created the interior for boutique hotel Cowley Manor Experimental, adding chequerboard details and hidden keyholes to the rooms of the former country house.

      Meilichzon drew on the history of the Cowley Manor Experimental, which is said to have inspired author Lewis Carroll to write Alice in Wonderland, when designing the interior for the hotel.
      According to the hotel, Caroll was walking in the gardens of the then Cowley Manor with Alice Liddell – for whom he wrote Alice in Wonderland – when he saw a rabbit disappear down a hole under a hedge.
      Nodding to the chessboard around which the classic story is constructed, Meilichzon designed bespoke chequerboard carpets that were produced by Hartley & Tissier.
      The designer added baldachin beds and colourful accents to the bedroom suites”Alice is subtly spread all over the place,” the designer told Dezeen.

      “Small doors are hidden in the rooms for the White Rabbit, there are hidden keyholes, rabbit ears, hearts and spades on the checkerboard carpet,” she explained.
      “We have used the checkerboard in many ways: hand-painted, tiled, on fabrics and wallpaper.”
      Touches of rattan, mixed with strong colour, glossy lacquer and lava stone feature throughout the 36-room hotel. Large bedroom suites have baldachin beds and interiors accented with blurred maple and verdigris.
      The games room features chequerboard rugsThe project, which Meilichzon designed for Experimental Group, saw her update an existing hotel at the site, which sits within 55 acres of Cotswolds countryside. The hotel also incorporates a spa, restaurant, cocktail bar, lounge, library and living rooms.
      Other than respecting the heritage-listed elements of the property, Meilichzon had full design freedom.
      Heritage-listed elements of the existing Cowley Manor were preserved”Historical buildings are something we are used to; we work a lot in Europe and often in very old buildings,” the designer said.
      “So we always try to respect them and start from there: the shape of the space, an architectural detail, a listed element.”

      Hotel Il Palazzo Experimental designed to be “deeply rooted” in its Venetian setting

      Meilichzon combined classical and contemporary elements, keeping all historical listed elements from the building, such as doors, wooden panels and windows.
      However, she added “some modernity through the furniture, the geometric patterns and colours,” she said.
      Hearts derived from the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland are worked into the stair carpet”Colour is everything, I am really not a grey and beige person,” explained Meilichzon.
      The hotel also features a restaurant and cocktail bar by chef Jackson Boxer that is focused on Cowley Manor’s kitchen garden, which has increased in size and is growing wider varieties of produce. The cocktail bar features a lacquered blue bar and tables.
      The bar has blurred walnut panelling and blue lacquered tablesMeilichzon, founder of Paris-based design agency Chzon, is a frequent collaborator of Experimental Group and has designed the interiors for several of its properties.
      “I see my work for Experimental Group as separate pieces but with a common DNA – the same hand. Because they are context-based, a hotel in Menorca cannot look the same as one in Venice or in the Cotswolds,” she said.
      Earlier this year, she gave a bohemian refresh to Ibiza’s first hotel, now called the Montesol Experimental, and has also renovated a Belle Epoque-era hotel in Biarritz, France.
      The photography is by Mr Tripper.

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      Australian hardwood lines Melbourne cottage extension by Prior Barraclough

      by

      Architecture practice Prior Barraclough has expanded a modest workers’ cottage in Melbourne to include an extension panelled entirely in Australian hardwood.

      Located in the neighbourhood of Northcote, Union Street House is a single-fronted workers’ cottage owned by a recently retired couple who wanted their home to have more functional living space.
      Local practice Prior Barraclough was tasked with extending the site but had to find ways to work around its strict planning regulations with “sensitivity to the heritage streetscape”.
      Union Street House is lined with Australian hardwoodThe extension was designed to sit neatly between two houses that lie on either side of the original cottage and features a dramatic slanting roof complete with solar tiles.
      The peak of the roof aligns with those of the two flanking properties, minimising the extension’s visual bulk and overshadowing.

      Its sloping form also allows for rainwater to trickle down and be collected in an underground tank, which is then recycled and used to service the home’s bathrooms or irrigate its outdoor spaces.
      A kitchen sits beneath the highest point of the extension’s slanted roofInside, the extension was clad all over with boards of Australian hardwood to both evoke a sense of warmth and soften the “folded geometry” of its interior architecture.
      “The entire extension is arranged on a 75 milimetre grid that governs joinery openings, door positions, room dimensions and material alignments,” explained the practice.
      “To align timber boards with this grid across surfaces pitched at different angles, each board had to be milled to precise and often varying dimensions.”
      Stainless steel-lined cupboards contrast surrounding wooden surfacesA comfy lounge was created beneath the lowest point of the roof, giving the space a more enclosed, intimate ambience. Light floods in from the expansive glazed panel that fronts the extension, granting views of the cottage’s leafy back garden.
      This is followed by a dining area, anchored by a large table crafted from hardwood boards that were left over from the construction works.
      Gridded white tiles feature on the bathroom wallsUnder the highest point of the extension’s roof is a minimalist kitchen. Hardwood boards overlay its central breakfast island and rear wall, concealing a series of storage cupboards.
      The inside of the cupboards was contrastingly lined with stainless steel, specifically chosen by Prior Barraclough to “emphasise the singularity” of the rest of the extension’s material palette.
      Narrow rectangular tiles that “maintain the precision of the project grid” were also applied in the bathroom suite that hides behind the kitchen.
      The extension’s mezzanine level provides additional living spaceA small mezzanine was built above the kitchen, which can serve as a study, guest bedroom or secondary sitting area.
      Slatted wooden screens were installed in front of the glazed opening here to provide privacy when needed.
      Inhabitants can go back to the cottage proper via a faceted wood-lined corridor, angled in such a way as to conceal the flight of stairs that leads up to the extension’s mezzanine level.
      A faceted corridor leads back to the original cottageUnion Street House has been shortlisted in the home interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.
      Other nominees include a residence in Tokyo filled with wooden furniture and artwork, a Madrid apartment divvied up by vibrant glazed tiles and Another Seedbed in Brooklyn, which doubles as a performance space.
      The photography is by Benjamin Hosking.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Prior BarracloughBuilder: Ben Monagle/Camson HomesEngineer: Adams Consulting Engineers

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares179 Views

      in Rooms

      Kriskadecor uses aluminium to create “warm and inviting” interiors

      by

      Promotion: metal-chain manufacturer Kriskadecor is challenging the perception of aluminium as a cold material with a series of projects where it is used to brighten an interior.

      Kriskadecor has used its aluminium metal chains to adorn the interiors of public and residential buildings to create relaxing and welcoming spaces, ranging from bars to co-housing.
      Kriskadecor has used its aluminium chains to adorn a range of interiors. Photo by Lucía GorosteguiAccording to the brand, using aluminium to create an inviting interior comes down to the shapes and colours with in the material is finished and paired.
      For example, Kriskadecor specialises in versatile aluminium chains, designed to be used for everything from space dividers and wallcoverings to sculptural lighting and installations.
      It also installed them in a co-working space in Madrid”Despite being a metallic and seemingly cold material, aluminium can play a fundamental role in interior design when used strategically and in conjunction with other elements,” said Kriskadecor.

      “To counteract this perceived coldness, at Kriskadecor, we play with two concepts: colour and shape,” it explained.
      The brand is challenging the perception of aluminium as a cold material. Image by Petit OiseauAccording to the brand, its team of experts approaches “each project in a completely personalised manner” to ensure the products are used in the best way possible.
      Key examples of interiors where Kriskadecor has installed its aluminium chains include the LATAM Airlines lounge in an airport in Chile designed by local studio Grupo Arquitectos. Here, the brand suspended a sculptural installation formed of three bronze-hued cylinders above the bar area.
      They are suspended above a bar in a LATAM Airlines lounge. Photo by Aryeh Kornfeld”Grupo Arquitectos conceived the design of the VIP lounge for LATAM Airlines at Santiago de Chile’s airport as a warm and inviting space where passengers could relax and have a more enjoyable journey,” said Kriskadecor.
      “The floating effect of all the elements, in addition to the light reflecting on the chains, softens and provides a more pleasant and balanced ambience.”
      In France, Kriskadecor contributed to “an atmosphere of wellbeing and serenity for students and young professionals” at the Ecla Paris Villejuif co-living residences by Studio Chantal Peyrat.
      Colourful aluminium chains are used as part of a wider lighting scheme intended to “add dynamism” to the common areas and reception.
      In the workspaces, they are used as privacy curtains. Photo by Lucía GorosteguiMeanwhile, in Spain, a series of green-toned aluminium chain curtains have been used as more than decoration – lining the glass-enclosed meeting rooms of a coworking space in Madrid by local studio Ballarín Mendoza.
      They are used to add privacy “without obstructing the visual field” while allowing light to enter, Krisakdecor said.
      For more information on Kriskadecor and its aluminium chains, visit its website here.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for Kriskadecor as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Branch Studio Architects designs student welfare space for Melbourne college

      by

      Branch Studio Architects has created a dusty-pink student welfare centre at an all-boys school in Melbourne to provide a space for discussing mental health.

      Marcellin College principal Marco Di Cesare saw a need to offer a space where students could come together and seek help for mental health issues, particularly after Australia’s state of Victoria experienced some of the strictest lockdowns during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic.
      The creation of the student welfare centre involved renovating an “undercroft” spaceThe faculty therefore decided to renovate a 387-square-metre space for this purpose inside the existing Placidus Building on campus, instead of knocking it down.
      “Marco came to us with a brief for a refurbishment to a lower-ground space within an existing building, which – under previous management – was flagged for demolition,” said Brad Wray, co-founder of Branch Studio Architects and the project’s design architect.
      The majority of the centre is occupied by a common space for studentsThe space had previously been used as a series of nondescript classrooms and staff offices, with a lack of natural light.

      “Given the poor amenity and general dark ‘undercroft’ feeling of the existing space, it was a space that not many staff or students particularly liked to use and saw any real value in,” said Wray. “Let alone, the potential of the space becoming a place for student welfare.”
      Multiple spaces for studying and relaxing are incorporated throughout the common areaThe brief called for a lighter, brighter area in which students could relax, study, contemplate and converse with one another, as well as provide offices for faculty members who specialise in student welfare and private rooms for one-on-one discussions.
      The smaller rooms were pushed to the edge of the floor plan, leaving a spacious common area to occupy the bulk of the centre’s footprint.
      Lightly textured, dusty-pink plaster was chosen as a unifying materialThis open space is partially divided by sculptural geometric partitions and fixed furniture elements into a series of seating areas, workspaces and hang-out niches.
      “We wanted to create an environment which embodied a sense of a ‘home away from home’, where students could feel more comfortable through direct visual associations with their own homes,” Wray said.
      A space for reflection is modelled on a chapelFor instance, a kitchen island – where many students might speak casually with family and friends – was integrated to encourage similar instances.
      Lightly textured, dusty-pink plaster was chosen to highlight the architectural interventions, while a burgundy hue was selected for seat-cushion upholstery and cabinetry in the kitchen area.
      Branch Studio Architects chose to translate elements from The Hermitage”Given Marcellin College is an all-boys school, there was a keen interest from early on in pushing the boundaries of gender-based colour stereotypes,” said Wray.
      The team also used the college’s associations with Marist Catholic history to inform the design.
      Sculptural furniture pieces are based on features found at the Marist pilgrimage siteEstablished in the 1950s, Marcellin College is named after Saint Marcellin Champagnat, who built The Hermitage community on a property near Lyons, France, in 1824.
      Wray and his team translated multiple references from this pilgrimage site into architectural elements through the welfare centre.

      Branch Studio uses plywood and perforated metal for Arts Epicentre

      Most prominent is the enclosed reflection space in the middle of the common room, which is modelled on the original chapel that sat on The Hermitage site.
      Landscape features, archways, a cabinet, a fireplace and a relic found at the site in France were reinterpreted as minimalist curved walls and sculptural furniture pieces that appear to be carved from the welfare centre’s interior.
      Tiered seating is based on the amphitheatre built into the landscape at The Hermitage”We are under no illusions architecture will solve student mental health, but we hope it facilitates a positive experience – a calm and relaxing place to open up a dialogue between students and staff,” said Wray.
      The Placidus Student Welfare Space is shortlisted in the health and wellbeing interior category for this year’s Dezeen Awards, along with a children’s clinic in Seattle, a high-end dental practice in Toronto and two more projects. See the full interiors shortlist here.
      The minimalist interior is intended to help the students focus and contemplateFounded in 2012 by Wray and Nicholas Russo, Branch Studio Architects has seen previous Dezeen Awards success – having won interior project of the year in 2019 for a school administration office in Melbourne.
      The firm’s portfolio of completed education projects in Australia also includes an arts centre at another college in Victoria, a weathering steel bridge for a secondary school and a wooden extension to a school library.
      The photography is by Peter Clarke.
      Project credits:
      Branch Studio Architects team: Brad Wray, design architect; Nicholas Russo, project realisation; Jax Lam, project architect; Arun Lakshmanan, graduate architectBuilder: MDC Building GroupBuilding surveyor: Michel Group Building SurveyorsStructural engineer: OPS EngineersServices engineer: BRT Consulting

      Read more: More

    • 125 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      Anacapa Architecture converts historic building into Drift Santa Barbara hotel

      by

      US studio Anacapa Architecture has transformed an early 1900s, stucco-clad building that was formerly closed off to the public into a welcoming hotel filled with compact rooms and handcrafted decor.

      Located in the heart of downtown Santa Barbara in central California, the 45-key hotel is the second outpost from Drift, with the first located in San José del Cabo, Mexico.
      Anacapa Architecture has renovated an early 1900s building to create the Drift HotelThe hotel occupies a three-storey, Italian Mediterranean-style building that totals 15,617 square feet (1,451 square metres).
      Guest rooms are spread across all three levels, and a penthouse suite is found on the top floor. The ground level contains a coffee shop and a bar.
      It is located in a three-storey, Italian Mediterranean-style buildingWhile the building’s original architect is unknown, the firm Soule, Murphy & Hastings performed a renovation following a 1925 earthquake. The building has served various uses over time.

      “One of the only downtown survivors of the 1925 Santa Barbara earthquake, the building has stood for well over 100 years and has had many lives,” said local firm Anacapa Architecture.
      Guestrooms and a penthouse occupy the top floors, while a coffee shop and bar are located on the ground levelA hotel operated in the building from 1901 to the 1980s. More recently, it served as a home for the Church of Scientology, which took over in the 1990s and kept the building closed off from the community.
      Making the building more welcoming and honouring its original character were key concerns for the design team. The project was envisioned as a “modern reincarnation” of the hotel that once operated on the site.
      The building’s original arched windows, stucco walls and terracotta roof were kept intact”As part of a restoration, the challenge was to work within the historic context while creating experiences that are appealing to the modern traveler,” the team said.
      The exterior facades, featuring white stucco and arched windows, were kept largely intact. The building’s terracotta tile roof was retained, as well.
      The hallways are darkly clad and feature wooden crossbeamsOn the ground level, the team added folding glass doors on the front wall, which faces a pedestrian promenade. Behind the doors are the coffeeshop and a bar, called Dawn and Dusk, respectively.
      The large openings draw in passersby and help reconnect the building to the neighbourhood.

      Anacapa Architecture creates minimalist residence for entrepreneur in Santa Barbara

      “Space for both locals and travelers is accommodated, returning the building to its roots as a true hospitality venue,” the team said.
      While the exterior has a historic look, the interior is much more modern.
      Local goods from California and Mexican makers were used throughout the designThe team incorporated materials such as concrete and wood. The hotel brand’s Mexican property inspired much of the contemporary furnishings and decor.
      “The hotel is dressed with goods from Californian and Mexican makers, paying homage to the brand’s Baja roots while celebrating its coastal Californian locale,” the team said.
      Soft beige and greys were used throughout the projectThe guest rooms, which range from 145 to 165 square feet (13 to 15 square metres), are compact in comparison to average hotel rooms in the area. Creative solutions, such as under-bed storage, help maximize space.
      Overall, the project has revitalized a building that has long been a fixture in downtown Santa Barbara.
      The building was once closed to the public”The team brought modern life to a building inaccessible to most of the community for so long, bringing a breath of fresh air to downtown, and catering to all,” the team said.
      Anacapa Architecture has offices in Santa Barbara and Portland, Oregon. Additional work by the studio includes a minimalist residence for a California entrepreneur and a glamping resort in Sonoma County that features customised tents and Airstream trailers.
      The photography is by Erin Feinblatt.
      Project credits:
      Architecture and interior Design: ANACAPA ArchitectureContractor: Parton + Edwards ConstructionCivil and structural engineering: Ashley VanceMEP engineering: Consulting WestKitchen, bar, and coffee shop consultant: New School

      Read more: More