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      Holloway Li transforms Munich office building into Wunderlocke hotel

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      Wassily Kandinsky’s abstract paintings influenced the colourful yet understated interiors that design studio Holloway Li has created inside the Locke hotel in Munich.

      The aparthotel, called Wunderlocke, contains 360 serviced studio apartments and is situated in Munich’s Obersendling district, taking over an office building that previously belonged to German tech company Siemens.
      A timber desk anchors Wunderlocke’s receptionLondon-based Holloway Li aimed to celebrate the building’s raw structure and reveal its “inner voice”, avoiding a more traditional “material intensive” approach to retrofitting.
      This decision was chiefly informed by the work of 20th-century Russian painter Wassily Kandinsky – a pioneer of abstract art who spent a significant portion of his career in Munich.
      Adjacent to the reception is a co-working area”Kandinsky’s work explores how we can develop a closer relationship to nature through abstraction, rather than through more figurative approaches favoured at the time,” explained Holloway Li.

      “He believed that by connecting with the ‘innerer klang’ (inner voice) of things, an artist could reveal the natural essence of objects and materials.”
      Teal-coloured leather runs around the edge of the bar counterIn line with this idea, the studio stripped back the building to its concrete shell and added a carefully curated selection of furnishings using natural colours and materials where possible.
      At the heart of the ground-floor reception is a curved timber desk inset with panels of wheat-coloured carpet, which were also used to wrap the lower half of the room’s structural columns.
      Yellow and red furnishings bring a burst of colour to the barBeyond the reception is an informal co-working area dressed with plush sea-green sofas and communal timber desks.
      Holloway Li placed leafy potted plants around the periphery of the room and along the trellis-style shelves, creating the impression that the nearby Grünwald forest has “grown into and occupied” the interior.

      Fettle designs Schwan Locke Hotel in homage to early German modernism

      This floor of the Wunderlocke hotel also houses a drinks bar, with the lip of its countertop upholstered in supple teal-coloured leather to encourage guests to get comfortable and hang around for longer.
      Mustard-yellow tub chairs and a red seating banquette provide extra pops of colour.
      The building’s terrazzo staircase dates back to the 1960sThe upper floors of the hotel can be reached via a terrazzo staircase, which dates back to the 1960s but was updated with a stainless steel handrail.
      Painted in natural blue and green hues, each guest suite is designed to function as a small studio apartment with its own lounge area and kitchenette.
      Guest suites are decked out in shades of blue and greenIf guests don’t want to cook in their room, they have the option of eating at Mural Farmhouse – a group of five food and drinks venues spread across seven floors of the Wunderlocke building.
      Run by the founders of Munich’s Michelin-starred restaurant Mural, the complex encompasses an all-day restaurant, a wine bar, cocktail bar, coffee shop and an upscale eatery.
      All of the venues follow a farm-to-table ethos, making use of hand-picked herbs and vegetables from the hotel’s rooftop farm, which offers views over the Bavarian Alps.
      Each suite comes complete with a lounge and kitchenetteWunderlocke is the second Munich outpost from British aparthotel chain Locke. The first, called Schwan Locke, pays homage to early German modernism and features a colour palette informed by the work of Mies van der Rohe.
      Holloway Li was previously tasked with designing Locke’s location in the London district of Bermondsey, which evokes sunny California deserts.
      The photography is by Ed Dabney.

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      Child Studio transforms 19th-century London townhouse into Cubitts eyewear store

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      London practice Child Studio has created an “intimate and domestic atmosphere” inside this store by local eyewear brand Cubitts, which occupies a townhouse in Belgravia.

      Taking over the building’s basement and ground floor, the shop was designed to draw on both the modernist aesthetic of Cubitts’ frames and the history of Belgravia.
      Cubitts Belgravia has a front room with a cast iron fireplace (top and above)The central London neighbourhood was first established in the 1830s in line with plans by Georgian master builder Thomas Cubitt, who also gave the eyewear brand its name.
      “It was important for us to build a layered narrative for this project and to connect the townhouse architecture with the modernist ethos of the brand,” said Child Studio founders Alexy Kos and Che Huang.
      The store’s display stands are designed to look like room dividersThe studio reinstated many of the building’s Georgian design features, which had disappeared over years of renovation works.

      The original wooden floorboards were uncovered and restored, while the walls were painted a chalky yellow hue that was typical of the period.
      Most of the doorways were either extended to reach three metres in height or adorned with ornate architraves that complement the interior’s wall mouldings and cornices.
      Some of the doorways reach three metres in heightIn the store’s front room, the studio installed a cast iron fireplace that is meant to foster an “intimate and domestic atmosphere”.
      “We imagined a contemporary interpretation of a classic drawing room – an elegant living room where guests may be welcomed and entertained,” explained the studio.
      “We were particularly inspired by the pioneering designer Eileen Gray, who lived in this part of London in the early years of her career in the 1900s.”

      Child Studio transforms 60s London post office into Maido sushi restaurant

      On the other side of the space is a custom concertina display stand that’s meant to resemble a traditional room divider.
      This stand is lined with creamy linen-like wallpaper while another stand at the rear of the store was crafted from mahogany and finished with brass edging.
      Domestic decorative items like lamps and armchairs were placed throughout the storeOther homely design features like mirrors and upholstered armchairs were dotted throughout the store as decoration.
      There are also a number of antique light fixtures including Gray’s domed Jumo lamp and a golden leaf-shaped desk light by 1970s Italian designer Tommaso Barbi.
      This includes a leaf-like brass lamp by Italian designer Tommaso BarbiChild Studio has designed several of Cubitts’ eyewear stores across the UK.
      Among them is a branch in Leeds that takes cues from different design periods through history and an outpost in London’s Soho, which draws inspiration from the neighbourhood’s infamous sex shops.
      The photography is by Felix Speller.

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      Luchetti Krelle creates eclectic bar Jane inside former butcher shop

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      Seventies decor, French bistros and indigenous flowers are some of the references design studio Luchetti Krelle has mixed inside this bar in Sydney, Australia, which occupies a converted butcher.

      Serving local wines and small plates, Jane is meant to be the more casual counterpart to Arthur – a nearby restaurant offering only five-course tasting menus.
      The bar retains the butcher’s original facadeBoth venues are run by chef Tristan Rosier and are named after his late grandparents.
      The building now housing Jane originally served as a butcher but was subsequently reincarnated as various eateries, which made it in desperate need of a revamp, according to Luchetti Krelle.
      A cosy group seating area was created by the entranceThe studio made some minor tweaks to the building’s tiled facade, restoring the brass framework and replacing its tinted windows and door panes with clear glass to allow passersby to look inside.

      A section of the butcher’s original gold-leaf signage was also carefully preserved.
      The seating area features a marble table and vintage chandelierThe interior’s 70-square-metre footprint only allowed Luchetti Krelle to make minimal structural alterations.
      A cosy dining area fit for eight guests was created beside the entrance, featuring a curved seating booth and a Rosso Levanto marble table with a built-in Lazy Susan. Overhead dangles a vintage chandelier, its ornate design reflected in the mirror-clad walls.
      Natural red fibres were sprayed across the ceilingA banquette runs the length of the bar on the right-hand side, its backrest upholstered in caramel-coloured corduroy as a subtle tribute to the 70s-style interiors found in the former home of Rosier’s grandparents.
      The banquette is accompanied by a series of bespoke wooden tables with slanted corners so that even when the bar is busy and guests are in closer proximity, they can’t bump into any sharp corners.

      Four Pillars Laboratory in Sydney is a “sanctuary” for gin enthusiasts

      On the opposite side of the room is a brass-edged drinks bar finished with a Carrara marble countertop.
      High stools upholstered in butter-yellow leather stand in front of the bar, framed by a tiled floral splashback that’s meant to be loosely reminiscent of a Parisian bistro floor.
      A corduroy banquette nods to the 70sPrior to Luchetti Krelle’s intervention, the interior featured a “cold” black-and-white paint scheme. So the studio was keen to introduce some bolder colours – particularly those synonymous with the Australian bush.
      The existing concrete floor was coated in eucalyptus-green paint while the ceiling was finished with a natural red fibre that’s similar in hue to the indigenous Waratah flower.
      Just beneath the ceiling is a sequence of custom shelves, just high enough to fit a typical wine bottle.
      Brass ribboning runs around the base and countertop of the barCorduroy seating and Rosso Levanto tables were installed in Jane’s narrower rear dining room to create an aesthetic connection to the rest of the bar.
      From here, diners can access the bar’s private courtyard and the toilets, which take over the butcher’s former salting room.
      A new skylight brings light to the windowless dining area at the rearThis space was previously accessed via a short flight of steps. But the floor was raised to meet the level of the front room and further enhance the sense of continuity.
      A new skylight and glazed panel in the back door help illuminate the space, while a false ceiling was knocked through to make the walls appear taller.
      This room was also fitted with corduroy-lined furnitureLuchetti Krelle was established in 2008 and is led by Rachel Luchetti and Stuart Krell.
      Jane joins a multitude of bars and restaurants in Sydney, which is known for its vibrant dining scene.
      Other examples include moody gin bar Four Pillars Laboratory and Glorietta, an airy Italian restaurant decked out with timber and rattan furnishings.
      The photography is by Anson Smart.

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      La Firme reorganises centuries-old Montreal loft with contemporary finishes

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      Montreal architecture studio La Firme has reorganised an apartment in a 1800s textile mill, using cabinetry to shape the new interior configuration.

      The Elmire Condo was completed for a young couple in Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal area.
      “This project took a space in a mid-19th century building that’s been a textile mill, a Campbell’s soup factory, and finally a condo complex,” said La Firme, a local studio whose name means simply The Firm.
      The apartment is located Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal areaLa Firme left much of the original structure exposed, including tall, rough-hewn timber beams and brick walls with structural arches as passages between rooms.
      According to the studio, these original elements serve as a “counterpoint” to their intervention, which consists of a series of white oak cabinets that delineate that redefine the rooms, while offering an abundance of storage for the owners.

      La Firme left structural arches and brickwork exposed”These contrasting elements organise the space into a rectangular area for the kitchen and salon, and an L-shaped loft for the master bedroom and bath, with a combination gallery, conservatory and meditative space,” said La Firme.
      The studio was able to include two bathrooms as part of the renovation: one for guests and the other within the primary bedroom. Plenty of stone is used throughout the apartment, reflecting the owner’s passion for geology.
      The apartment features a raised salonWithin the ensuite bathroom, a wall is finished in Calcatta marble that was bookmatched to create a subtle geometric pattern with the veins of the stone. “Natural light comes in from the gallery space through a band of glass blocks, in a wink to 1980s condo design,” La Firme explained.
      The long kitchen countertop sits partially at bar-height, then transitions to table height due to a step in the apartment floor. “The kitchen embodies [the client’s] love of minerals and culinary passion,” said La Firme.

      Talo Studios introduces Japandi elements to historic Montreal house

      “Quebec’s geological richness is brought inside with the island countertop, a slab of Labradorite granite that extends into a table on a raised platform,” they added.
      Beyond the kitchen is the salon, which is raised a few steps higher, and enjoys clear views of the city’s Mont Royal. Within these steps, the architects included a concealed pull-out bed for guests.
      Contemporary elements contrast with the centuries-old buildingOpposite the kitchen is a counter with drawers offering flexible storage or a place to work from home.
      Through the brick arches is the conservatory, a secondary living area separated from the combined living room and kitchen.
      Two bathrooms are included in the renovation”The gallery/conservatory is the loft area’s raison d’être,” La Firme explained. “Bright and open, it puts on display the clients’ other great loves: an impressive collection of contemporary art and a space for playing music.”
      Besides the white oak cabinets and occasional stone accents, the architects kept to a relatively limited palette for the intervention.
      Other apartment renovations in Montreal include a 1920s unit that Naturehumaine renovated with curved walls and pale green cabinetry, and a residential extension wrapped in galvanised metal.
      The photography is by Ulysse Lemerise Bouchard.

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      Soho House Nashville opens in Music City hosiery factory

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      A former hosiery factory in Nashville has been converted into a Soho House hotel and members’ club, designed with nods to its industrial setting and the city’s musical heritage.

      The launch of Soho House Nashville earlier this week marks the company’s second location in the American South, following the opening of the Austin house in 2021.
      Soho House Nashville has opened in the May Hosiery BuildingThe May Hosiery Building, constructed in the early 1900s in the Tennessee city’s artsy Wedgewood-Houston neighbourhood, now contains a series of club spaces and accommodation.
      The Soho House design team used the building’s industrial past and Nashville’s reputation as the Music City to inform the renovation and decor.
      “The house design is influenced by a strong pre-war, European aesthetic, connecting to the building’s history with Bauhaus-inspired, striking geometric patterns, bold industrial finishes, and bespoke fixtures,” said the team.

      Metal shelving divides spaces in the Club RoomPlaying on the colour of original verdigris copper doors, various teal shades were used across the different spaces to visually tie them together.
      Meanwhile, the striped tiling around the swimming pool evokes the pattern of a guitar string board.
      “Music City influences do not escape Soho House Nashville with its warm, rich textures of the rock and roll era and decorative patterns that nod to the jazz and blues genres,” the design team said.
      Striped tiling around the pool is designed to mimic a guitar string boardThe building contains three indoor and outdoor performance spaces, a pool, a health club and a screening room.
      Food is offered at Club Cecconi’s, the first in-house restaurant of the Cecconi’s chain of Italian eateries owned by the Soho House group.
      Soho House Nashville’s hotel has 47 bedrooms that vary in sizeAt the heart of the building, the Club Room is divided by industrial metal shelving into intimate spaces including a library with a fireplace and a games area.
      The Sock Room also celebrates the factory’s prior use for producing socks that astronauts wore to the moon, and now hosts live music and events.

      Soho House Austin blends Texas modernism with Spanish influences

      Referencing the machinery once housed in the space, bespoke bar lamps with an industrial aesthetic contrast softer materials like velvet and textured sheer linen.
      Soho House Nashville has 47 bedrooms that range in size, including a large loft suite that spans over three floors.
      Bedrooms all have large chandeliers and a variety of textilesThe rooms are furnished with bespoke, locally made designs and vintage accessories, as well as large chandeliers and metal screens that conceal the bathrooms.
      “Each bedroom has been designed to feel traditional and cosy with woven tapestries, made with bespoke fabric designed in Nashville specifically for the house, to hide all TVs,” said the team.
      The rooms feature a mix of bespoke local furniture and vintage accessoriesA total of 170 pieces were acquired from 41 local artists to be displayed throughout the hotel and club areas.
      They join the wider art collection exhibited in the Soho House locations across the globe, which the company has gradually added to its portfolio since its founding in London in 1995.
      Metal screen doors enclose the bathroomsAlong with Austin, the group’s outposts in North America include Soho Warehouse in Downtown Los Angeles and Dumbo House in Brooklyn.
      It’s not surprising that the brand chose to open in Nashville – one of several southern US cities that has seen a recent influx of young creative people, and therefore an expanded repertoire of cultural and entertainment venues.
      Also new to the city’s dining and drinking scene is The Twelve Thirty Club , which is owned by restauranteur Sam Fox and musician Justin Timberlake.
      The photography is by Andrew Joseph Woomer.

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      Neil Dusheiko transforms London fashion showroom into light-filled home

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      Architect Neil Dusheiko has converted a showroom in west London into a bright, contemporary residence designed to meet the changing needs of its elderly owners.

      Nicknamed Danish Mews House for its minimalist Scandinavian furnishings, the home is tucked away in a quiet mews lane in the Lancaster Gate area.
      The mews house was once a showroom for the owner’s fashion companyAlthough in recent years the current owners repurposed the building as a showroom and warehouse for their clothing company, it was originally built as a Georgian coach house for storing horse-drawn carriages.
      Dusheiko’s primary concerns when converting the property into a home were bringing in more light, as well as making sure that the interior could support its inhabitants as they grow older.
      The main kitchen and sitting room are on the first floorFor this purpose, the house was fitted with a guest bedroom, kitchenette and toilet on the ground floor, which could ultimately be used by the inhabitants themselves in case their mobility becomes restricted.

      A lift was installed to provide easy access to the upper floors of the house, which can also be reached via a central staircase.
      Glazing in the stairwell brings light into the living spacesIn the stairwell, a newly installed skylight and a wall of gridded glazing on the first-floor landing allow sunlight to seep into the interior.
      Behind the glass partition lies a sitting room and a kitchen with oatmeal-coloured cabinetry as well as a small dining area.
      Light leaks in from a skylight at the top of the stairwell. Photo by Rachael SmithBoth here and throughout the rest of the home, several of the furnishings were sourced from well-known Danish design brands including Carl Hansen, Louis Poulsen and Montana.
      The second floor is illuminated by six new dormer windows and accommodates another two bedrooms plus their respective en-suite bathrooms.

      Neil Dusheiko creates home for his father-in-law featuring a wall of ceramics and glassware

      The principal bedroom is largely clad in wood, save for a section on the rear wall that is finished in chintzy floral wallpaper.
      Glazed doors with black metal frames run along one side of the room and can be slid open to access a sun terrace lined in Douglas fir battens.
      Floral wallpaper features in the principal bedroom. Photo by Rachael SmithThe space is decorated with a couple of folding director’s chairs and a built-in white-brick planter.
      Danish Mews House is one of several residential projects that Neil Dusheiko has completed in London.
      The room also has its own sun terrace. Photo by Rachael SmithPreviously, the architect created a home for his father-in-law in Stoke Newington, in which a striking wall of shelving is used to display ceramics and glassware.
      Dusheiko also overhauled a home in Hammersmith, introducing a curved brick extension and a cinema room.
      The photography is by Ståle Eriksen unless stated otherwise.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Neil Dusheiko ArchitectsStructural engineer: Price and MyersContractor: ABC LimitedQuantity surveyor: White and Lloyd

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