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    Dezeen's top 10 staircases of 2022

    As part of our review of 2022, we have selected 10 eye-catching staircases published on Dezeen this year, including stairs that turn, twist or double as seating.

    This year’s roundup of staircases features a children’s library in China with two intertwining timber stairs, a 25-metre-tall staircase in the Netherlands and a plywood spiral staircase in a barn conversion.
    Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 staircases of 2022:
    Photo by Leonardo FinottiCasa Thomé Beira da Silva, Brazil, by Marcos Bertoldi Arquitetos
    This helical wooden staircase anchors the large living space in Casa Thomé Beira da Silva, a Brazilian house designed by Marcos Bertoldi Arquitetos.

    The winding staircase leads to the bedrooms on the first floor of the home, which features a screen of chevron-patterned wooden planks wrapped around the exterior.
    Find out more about Casa Thomé Beira da Silva ›
    Photo by Ronan MézièreEscher House, Canada, by Naturehumaine
    Informed by the works of Dutch artist MC Escher, Canadian studio Naturehumaine inserted an angular staircase into this family home in Montreal as part of a renovation project.
    The centrepiece of the Escher House transformation, the new staircase is top-lit by a skylight and made up of wooden treads with black steel sides and guard rails.
    Find out more about Escher House ›
    Photo by Alex BaxterBarn at the Ahof, the Netherlands, by Julia van Beuningen
    Architectural designer Julia van Beuningen converted a late 19th-century barn into a residence with this plywood spiral staircase as the central focus.
    The staircase has a curved, swooping form designed to contrast with the barn’s rustic structure and leads from the open-plan living space on the ground floor to the newly added first floor, where bedrooms and bathrooms are located.
    Find out more about Barn at the Ahof ›
    Photo by Kenya ChibaKappa House, Japan, by Archipelago Architects Studio
    A series of staircases divide the spaces inside Kappa House in Kanagawa, Japan, designed by architecture practice Archipelago Architects Studio.
    The first two sets of stairs connect the house’s three floor levels, while the third staircase extends to the ceiling and is used as a place to sit, eat, drink or read.
    Find out more about Kappa House ›
    Photo by Lorenzo ZandriFarleigh Road House, UK, by Paolo Cossu Architects
    UK architecture studio Paolo Cossu Architects renovated the basement of Farleigh Road House in London, adding a chunky oak staircase to connect the floor with the rest of the house above.
    Designed to double as a place for the residents to sit and chat, wooden blocks were inserted on one side of the stairs to define the walking route, while deep steps that align with bookshelves on the adjacent wall provide seating.
    Find out more about Farleigh Road House ›
    Photo by Stijn PoelstraDe Niewe Herdgang, the Netherlands, by Architectuur Maken
    De Niewe Herdgang is a sculptural staircase designed by Dutch studio Architectuur Maken that rises 25 metres above the landscape to create a viewpoint overlooking the city of Tilburg in the Netherlands.
    Built from a galvanised steel frame with thin planks of Accoya wood, the watchtower aims to reconnect people with the landscape, which has been fragmented by roads.
    Find out more about De Niewe Herdgang ›
    Photo by Marcela GrassiLoft in Poblenou, Spain, by NeuronaLab
    This blue stair unit provides additional storage and a mezzanine bedroom in a compact Barcelona apartment renovated by local architecture studio NeuronaLab.
    The unit also divides spaces in the residence, transforming it from a studio loft to a two-bedroom apartment with separated work and living areas.
    Find out more about Loft in Poblenou ›
    Photo by Roberto RuizPalau Apartment, Spain, by Colombo and Serboli Architecture
    In another Barcelona apartment, Spanish studio Colombo and Serboli Architecture designed a multi-part staircase made up of micro-cement bottom steps with recessed shelving, timber box steps and suspended timber steps.
    The micro-cement base extends and dog-legs to form the backrest of the sofa on one side and a bench for the dining area on the other side.
    Find out more about Palau Apartment ›
    Photo courtesy of Kengo Kuma and AssociatesHisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza, Japan, by Kengo Kuma and Associates
    Japanese studio Kengo Kuma and Associates designed this student hub for the Tokyo Institute of Technology, which is built partially underground with a stepped roof made up of bleachers.
    The stepped roof is accessed by an external staircase that extends into the interior of the building, separated by glazing to blur the boundary between inside and out.
    Find out more about Hisao & Hiroko Taki Plaza ›
    Photo by Zhao SaiPingtan Book House, China, by Condition_Lab
    A double-helix staircase with deep treads and spacious landings provides space for children to read and play in this library located in China’s Hunan province, designed by architecture research studio Condition_Lab.
    Accessed from the ground floor, the two spiral timber staircases at Pingtan Book House intertwine around a square void before meeting again on the top level.
    Find out more about Pingtan Book House ›

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    Dezeen's top 10 shop interiors of 2022

    A fashion store filled with pillows and a furniture showroom that looks more like a luxury apartment are among our pick of the best shop interiors of the year, in the next instalment of Dezeen’s review of 2022.

    Designers continued to play with retail conventions this year, and 2022’s roundup of shop interiors also featuring a supermarket-style second-hand book store and a cosmetics brand outlet modelled on a 1970s office.
    Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 shop interiors of 2022:
    Photo by Michael RygaardGarde Hvalsøe Aarhus, Denmark, by Bunn Studio
    This showroom, for Danish cabinet maker Garde Hvalsøe, was designed by New York practice Bunn Studio to look more like a grand apartment than a retail space.

    Housed in a majestic Renaissance building in Aarhus, the interior showcases the brand’s signature handcrafted kitchens and walk-in wardrobes alongside other domestic furniture.
    The idea was to help customers visualise how the cabinets would look in their own homes.
    Find out more about Garde Hvalsøe Aarhus ›
    Photo by Hu YanyunDeja Vu Recycle Store, China, by Offhand Practice
    Dezeen’s most-viewed retail interior of 2022 is a store in Shanghai that puts a new spin on second-hand shopping.
    Intending to counter the “shabby” image associated with flea markets, local studio Offhand Practice created an interior featuring supermarket-style crates and minimalist railings, displaying pre-owned books and fashion.
    The design was named large retail interior of the year at Dezeen Awards 2022.
    Find out more about Deja Vu Recycle Store ›
    Photo by Benoit FlorençonJacquemus Shop-in-Shop, France, by AMO
    French accessories brand Jacquemus unveiled one of its most playful retail interiors to date in 2022, designed by OMA’s design and research studio, AMO.
    Pillows form everything from wall coverings to display stands in this 60-square-metre boutique, located in department store Galeries Lafayette Haussmann.
    OMA partner Ellen van Loon told Dezeen she wanted to create “a cocooning and relaxed atmosphere, inviting customers to lounge and browse for as long as they want”.
    Find out more about Jacquemus Shop-in-Shop ›
    Photo by Alex LysakowskiThe Annex, Canada, by Superette
    Marijuana retailer Superette opened another of its retro-style stores in 2022, this time in the Annex neighbourhood of Toronto.
    Superette, which is French for “mini supermarket”, has created a nostalgic feel in all of its shops. Here, the brand’s in-house team modelled the design on an Italian deli, with chequerboard flooring, vintage-style posters and tiled surfaces.
    Find out more about The Annex ›
    Photo by Maris MezulisCowboy, France, by Ciguë
    French design studio Ciguë had a car-free future in mind when designing this retail outlet for electric bicycle brand Cowboy.
    Located in Paris department store Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, the shop features a winding concrete walkway reminiscent of a cycle path, surrounded by areas of crushed earth.
    Roughly hewn limestone provides seating, while the walls are covered in raw earth.
    Find out more about Cowboy ›
    Photo by HandoverMONC, UK, by Nina+Co
    Sustainable materials play an important role inside this debut store for eyewear brand MONC, designed by Nina+Co.
    The entire interior is formed of either bio-based or recycled materials, on the basis that the brand only had the London retail space on a short-term lease. These include cornstarch foam, which forms the undulating ceiling and display shelves.
    This circular design ethos led to the project being named small retail interior of the year at Dezeen Awards 2022.
    Find out more about MONC ›
    Photo courtesy of DuratDurat Showroom, Finland, by Linda Bergroth
    Finnish designer Linda Bergroth chose bold colour combinations in her design for the Helsinki showroom of tile manufacturer Durat.
    Almost every element in the 100-square-metre showroom is formed of Durat’s terrazzo-like surface material, which is made from plastic waste and is 100 per cent recyclable.
    The most eye-catching colour pairings include salmon-pink and mustard, and apple-green with bright orange.
    Find out more about Durat Showroom ›
    Photo courtesy of HarmayHarmay Hangzhou, China, by AIM Architecture
    Chinese office AIM Architecture has designed a series of interiors for cosmetics brand Harmay, but the most imaginative so far is this one in Hangzhou, which is modelled on a 1970s office.
    The design draws on its setting in the Renzo Piano-designed OōEli business park. The space features a wool carpet and suspended ceiling tiles, with products displayed on desks, meeting tables and bookshelves.
    Find out more about Harmay Hangzhou ›
    Photo by Felix SpellerCubitts Leeds, UK, by Child Studio
    Different design periods combine in this store in Leeds, designed by Child Studio for British eyewear brand Cubitts.
    Set in a historic shopping mall that boasts pink marble columns and mosaic ceilings, the shop features Victorian-style joinery, a mid-century counter, an Eileen Gray-designed modernist lamp and an art-deco-style bakelite clock.
    Find out more about Cubitts Leeds ›
    Photo by Sharon RadischJonathan Simkhai, USA, by Aruliden
    Irregular, overlapping arches wrapped in soft-toned fabric defined shopping areas in this temporary installation for fashion brand Jonathan Simkhai in New York City.
    Created by design agency Aruliden, the interior drew on the geometric shapes and signature cut-outs of the brand’s clothing.
    Find out more about Jonathan Simkhai ›

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    Dezeen's top 10 restaurant and bar interiors of 2022

    For the latest roundup in Dezeen’s review of 2022, we have selected 10 restaurant and bar interiors published this year, including a coastal cocktail bar in Italy and a space-themed cafe in South Korea.

    This year’s roundup 0f restaurant and bar interiors also features a European-influenced eatery in a palatial hotel in Salt Lake City, a bar with floors that were designed to look like the flooded streets of Venice and a monochromatic Chinese restaurant.
    Read on for 10 restaurants and bars we covered in 2022:
    Photo by Edmund DabneySketch, UK, by Yinka Shonibare and India Mahdavi
    Artist Yinka Shonibare and architect India Mahdavi replaced the famous pale pink interior of London restaurant Sketch with warm, golden yellows and textured materials.

    “I didn’t want everybody to ask me what the new colour at the gallery is and therefore, I really worked on textures and materials that are evocative of the richness of Africa,” said Mahdavi. “Warmth is the new colour at Sketch.”
    Find out more about Sketch ›
    Photo by Brian W FerryLaurel Brasserie and Bar, US, by Home Studios
    Designed by Brooklyn-based architecture and interiors practice Home Studios, the Laurel Brasserie and Bar is a restaurant inside Salt Lake City’s The Grand America Hotel.
    The hotel was built in a palatial style and includes interiors based on classic European designs. Home Studios retained the brasserie’s European influences but added a contemporary look, incorporating bold and colourful areas to suit family-style dining.
    Find out more about Laurel Brasserie and Bar ›
    Photo by Gregory AbbatePiada, France, by Masquespacio
    Spanish interior design studio Masquespacio used design elements from traditional Italian restaurants to inform the interior of this Italian eatery in the French city of Lyon.
    Booth seating in hues of lilac and nude line the restaurant between wooden tables, chairs and tiled mint-green walls and floors.
    Find out more about Piada ›
    Photo by Peter Paul de Meijer/Eline WillaertBlueness, Belgium, by Space Copenhagen
    In Antwerp, interior design studio Space Copenhagen combined original carved sandstone and marble columns with contemporary Scandinavian furniture to decorate Blueness, a French and Japanese-influenced restaurant.
    A custom bar crafted from red walnut wood by Brussels and Antwerp-based design studio Destroyers Builders was inserted into the space and paired with brushed steel surfaces, dark wooden barstools and a cast aluminium waiter’s station.
    Find out more about Blueness ›
    Photo by Carlo OrienteCivico 29, Italy, by Gae Avitabile
    Ocean blues, wave-like forms and nautical materials fill the interior of Civico 29, a coastal cocktail bar by architect Gae Avitabile in the seafront town of Sperlonga in Italy.
    An aluminium mesh curtain that moves as wind blows through the bar lines two walls of the space and complements a waving, blue-to-white gradient bar that references the nearby ocean and sits at the centre of the space on top of dark red-and-white floor tiles.
    Find out more about Civico 29 ›
    Photo by Jeremie Warshafsky PhotographyBao, China, by StuidoAC
    Canadian design firm StudioAC used a skewed perspective to draw visitors’ eyes to the open kitchen at the rear of this micro-cement-lined Chinese restaurant.
    Cubic and rectilinear tables and benches were similarly clad in micro-cement and line the walls of the restaurant beneath rows of vertical vinyl blinds that were concealed within bulkheads but visible enough to provide a shimmering, sequin-like look.
    Find out more about Bao ›
    Photo by PION studioSyrena Irena, Poland, by Projekt Praga
    Set within a 1950s building in the centre of Warsaw, Syrene Irena bistro designed by Polish architecture firm Projekt Praga combines contemporary and mid-century features.
    The self-serve restaurant uses mid-century design references such as terrazzo-style tables, neon signs and frosted glass sconces to nod to the building’s history as well as the restaurant’s nostalgic menu.
    Find out more about Syrena Irena ›
    Photo by Piotr MaciaszekVa Bene Cicchetti, Poland, by Noke Architects
    Designed by Polish architecture and design studio Noke Architects, Va Bene Cicchetti is an Italian bar in Warsaw informed by Venice that serves drinks and small plates.
    The bar is accessed via an arched doorway that is lined with antique mirrors. Inside a monolithic, red travertine bar is surrounded by hues of red and gold in a nod to the colours of the Venetian flag. The floors of the bar and the bases of chairs were coloured in a sea-like shade of turquoise that aimed to recreate the look of the flooded streets of the Italian archipelago.
    Find out more about Va Bene Cicchetti ›
    Photo by Yevhenii AvramenkoTerra, Ukraine, by YOD Group
    Glass bricks, large columns, terracotta tiles and coppery hues define this restaurant interior in Vynnyky, Ukraine, designed by YOD Group. Named Terra, the restaurant borrows its colour and material palette from the surrounding rolling hills and lake.
    “We aimed to extract colours, textures and impressions from the landscape to translate them into the interior design language,” said the studio. “Like the eyedropper tool in Photoshop, but on a real-life scale, we designed the space to mirror its surroundings.”
    Find out more about Terra ›
    Photo by Yongjoon ChoiSik Mul Sung, South Korea, by Unseenbird
    Sik Mul Sung is a space-age-themed cafe in downtown Seoul, South Korea. Designed by South Korean studio Unseenbird, it incorporates sheets of stainless steel wrapped across the walls, countertops and fixtures.
    The metallic surfaces are contrasted against a red pebble floor and spacey decorative rocks, while a glass-fronted vitrine is a focal point at the cafe and is used to grow vegetables in a vertical farming system.
    Find out more about Sik Mul Sung ›

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    Dezeen's top 10 home interiors of 2022

    As part of our review of the year, we look at 10 home interiors that our readers admired in 2022, including a home with a mirror-cube bathroom and a concrete apartment in a brutalist tower block.

    Natural materials took centre stage in homes this year, with many projects using wood to create calm, peaceful interiors. Also popular were exposed concrete walls, colourful glazed tiles, and minimalist interiors with plenty of green plants.
    Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 home interiors of 2022:
    Photo by German SáizConde Duque apartment, Spain, by Sierra + De La Higuera
    Traditional Moroccan zellige tiles in vibrant colours were used to define the different spaces inside this Madrid apartment by Spanish studio Sierra + De La Higuera.

    The interior design was informed by the owners’ Mexican and Galician heritage and features timber and terracotta walls, as well as a Mexico-influenced kitchen and dining area finished with emerald green tiles.
    Find out more about Conde Duque apartment ›
    Photo by Lorenzo Zandri and Christian BraileyEnergy-saving home, UK, by Architecture for London
    British studio Architecture for London designed this home in Muswell Hill, north London, for its founder Ben Ridley. The minimalist interior of the three-floor Edwardian house is clad in natural materials including wood, stone and lime plaster.
    The home was designed to be energy-saving, with the lime plaster used to form an airtight layer throughout, mitigating any heat loss.
    Find out more about the energy-saving home ›
    Photo by Joe FletcherTwentieth, US, by Woods + Dangaran
    The winner of this year’s Dezeen Award for House interior of the year, Twentieth by Los Angeles studio Woods + Dangaran was designed with its living spaces organised around a decades-old olive tree.
    The interior of the three-storey house features exposed white bricks, as well as floor-to-ceiling glazing and a large travertine fireplace, while wood-panelling gives the home a mid-century modern feel.
    Find out more about Twentieth ›
    Photo by Serena EllerDiplomat’s Home, Italy, by 02A
    This Italian apartment, designed for a diplomat who goes on frequent work trips, was left intentionally unfinished. In the bedroom, mirrored screens enclose a small bathroom to create what interior studio 02A describes as an “immaterial cubic volume”.
    The whole flat is filled with antique and mid-century furnishings, which have been combined with contemporary cabinetry. A vibrant colour palette contrasts with the building’s original tiled flooring.
    Find out more about Diplomat’s Home ›
    Photo by Fran ParenteGale Apartment, Brazil, by Memola Estudio
    The concrete structure of the building was left exposed for local studio Memola Estudio’s renovation of this São Paulo apartment, with dark, polished wooden floors contrasting against the industrial-looking walls.
    A mosaic stone wall and a picture wall that showcases the owners’ artworks also feature in the home, which was opened up to create better sightlines.
    Find out more about Gale Apartment ›
    Photo by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenForest retreat, Sweden, by Norm Architects
    This traditional timber cabin was turned into a pared-back holiday home, which Danish studio Norm Architects described as “designed for a simple life.”
    The studio used a minimalist colour palette for the house, with walls covered in beige dolomite plaster. Oakwood was used for the flooring and cabinetry in the cabin, in which Norm Architects also inserted a raised daybed-cum-window seat where residents can sit to take in the view of the forest.
    Find out more about the forest retreat ›
    Photo by Nicole FranzenEast Village apartment, US, by GRT Architects
    Warm colours, oak wood and glistening ceramic tiles create a welcoming feel in this New York flat, which was renovated by GRT Architects.
    The studio added metallic details such as brass bars to the interior, creating a stylish contrast against the wood. Herringbone parquet flooring adds to the cosy feel of the home inside Onyx Court, a six-storey corner Beaux-Arts structure in the city’s East Village.
    Find out more about the East Village apartment ›
    Photo by Olmo PeetersRiverside Tower apartment, Belgium, by Studio Okami Architecten
    Located inside a 20-storey brutalist tower in Antwerp, the duplex Riverside Tower apartment was renovated by Bram Van Cauter, founding partner of Studio Okami Architecten, for himself and his partner.
    The result is a thoroughly modern flat that combines exposed concrete walls with bright colours and contemporary furniture, as well as plenty of green plants that give life to the grey interior.
    Find out more about Riverside Tower apartment ›
    Photo by Michinori AokiTokyo apartment, Japan, by OEO Studio
    Copenhagen-based OEO Studio drew on both Scandinavian and Japanese design to create this Japandi-style apartment in Tokyo’s Opus Arisugawa housing complex.
    It features striking details such as a rammed-earth wall and built-in concrete seating in the entryway (pictured). Furniture finished in smoked oak and oiled pinewood nods to Scandinavia, while Japanese Ōya stone was used for the columns that divide the living area and kitchen.
    Find out more about Tokyo apartment ›
    Photo by Peter BennettsWest Bend House, Australia, by Brave New Eco
    Shortlisted for the House interior of the year category at Dezeen Awards 2022, West Bend House was designed by Australian studio Brave New Eco as a “forever home” filled with timber, terracotta and other eco-friendly materials.
    The home also features saturated colour details such as a bathroom clad in sapphire tiles and a khaki green sofa and purple curtains in the living room.
    Find out more about West Bend House ›

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