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      Eight contemporary living rooms with sculptural coffee tables

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      Block-shaped, curved and wavy tables are among the unusual designs in this lookbook, which features sculptural coffee tables from around the world.

      In these homes. from India to Sweden, interior designers have used coffee tables with sculptural shapes to add a fun detail to the living room.
      While the designs may feel a bit quirky, the tables all manage to be practical as well as eye-catching, whether they’re made from glass, stone, wood or steel.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring homes with pull-out furniture and dramatic circular openings and skylights.
      Photo by Joe FletcherTwentieth House, US, by Woods + Dangaran

      Floor-to-ceiling windows let light into the living room of this Australian home, which was designed around a decades-old olive tree.
      At its centre, a blocky rectangular coffee table made from polished brown stone complements comfortable lounge chairs in a matching brown hue.
      Find out more about Twentieth House ›
      Photo by Prue RuscoePalm Beach House, Australia, by YSG
      The striking stone coffee tables in this home look like solid blocks at first glance, giving them a monolithic effect that grounds the living room.
      Their marble patterning in beige and pinkish shades fit well into the room’s overall colour palette of faded rose and beige hues.
      Find out more about Palm Beach House ›
      Photo by Alice MesguichAmsterdam School house, the Netherlands, by DAB Studio
      The interior of this Dutch house was designed to reference the country’s Amsterdam School movement from the 1920s and 30s but with added contemporary touches.
      Among its many playful details is a sculptural coffee table made from glass that balances on a triangle and a rectangular block, its geometric shapes a nod to the many other angular furniture pieces in the room.
      Find out more about Amsterdam School house ›
      Photo by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenForest Retreat, Sweden, by Norm Architects
      Copenhagen studio Norm Architects used peaceful colours and tactile materials for the interior of this holiday home in Sweden.
      Its furniture is similarly pared back, including a low-slung wooden coffee table with a decorative grainy surface that appears to float above the floor.
      Find out more about Forest Retreat ›
      Photo by David DworkindQuébec home, Canada, by Ménard Dworkind
      A steel table with an angular geometric shape adds a sleek, polished feel to the cosy rug and cushioned white sofa in the living room of this home designed by local studio Ménard Dworkind.
      The table’s steel top rests on stone blocks, creating a surprising material juxtaposition in the calm living space.
      Find out more about the Québec home ›
      Photo by Maarten WillemsteinHome Dijkhuis, the Netherlands, by Studio Modijefsky
      Named Dijkhuis for its setting next to a dyke in Amsterdam, this traditional home was designed by interior studio Studio Modijefsky.
      In its living room, a corduroy sofa in a muted forest green colour and a leather armchair provide seating around a vintage clover-shaped coffee table made from travertine and wood.
      Find out more about the Dijkhuis ›
      Photo by Ishita SitwalaMumbai apartment, India, by The Act of Quad
      This multigenerational Mumbai apartment, which even has its own temple, features orbs and circles throughout its interior, including in the living room.
      Here, a sculptural coffee table and bench are among the custom-made furniture pieces by Indian studio The Act of Quad. The table was designed to match the bench, with alternating brown and wood colour combinations.
      Find out more about the Mumbai apartment ›
      Photo by David MitchellTribeca loft, US, by Timothy Godbold
      New York interior designer Timothy Godbold created panels inspired by “a classic 1970s sci-fi series,” for this Tribeca loft, the studio said. Its living room features a pale rug with a pattern resembling a computer circuit board.
      Sofas with circular details add to the space-age feel, while an oblong-shaped coffee table with its own built-in plant pot contributes some greenery to the pale interior.
      Find out more about the Tribeca loft ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring homes with pull-out furniture and dramatic circular openings and skylights.

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      Dezeen and ASUS Zenbook to host Design You Can Feel exhibition during London Design Festival

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      Dezeen has teamed up with ASUS Zenbook to curate a major exhibition during London Design Festival exploring materiality, craftsmanship and artificial intelligence.

      Titled Design You Can Feel, the exhibition will showcase how material qualities such as form, colour and texture can be combined to create objects or moments that awaken the senses.
      Featured designers include Fernando Laposse, Giles Miller, Natural Material Studio, Niceworkshop and Studio Furthermore.
      The exhibition will also include a specially commissioned piece by Future Facility, the design and research studio led by distinguished designers Kim Colin, Sam Hecht and Leo Leitner.
      Exhibition to tell the story of Ceraluminum

      At the heart of the exhibition will be an exploration of Ceraluminum, an innovative new material that’s used to create the distinct visual identity of the ASUS Zenbook series of laptops.
      Ceraluminum combines the lightness of metal with the resilience of ceramics through an aluminium ceramisation process, resulting in a new proprietary material with distinctive nature-inspired hues that make each object unique.
      Dezeen has teamed up with ASUS Zenbook to curate an exhibition at London Design FestivalUnlike traditional aluminium anodisation, the process eliminates volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals and results in a 100-per-cent recyclable material.
      This will be presented alongside work by other leading designers and curated around themes that speak to the qualities of Ceraluminum and showcase ASUS’s approach to design.
      A celebration of ASUS Zenbook
      The Design You Can Feel exhibition will celebrate Zenbook, the new range of laptops from ASUS.
      These thin and light ultra-portable premium laptops have been crafted with the user in mind. The design features have been dictated by their use with the aim of seamlessly integrating beauty and function.

      Dezeen Events Guide launches digital guide to London Design Festival 2024

      The laptops feature advanced (artificial intelligence) AI tools and are clad in the proprietary Ceraluminum material.
      This light and durable material can be used to create unique, everlasting designs. Each of the pieces in the exhibition – which span furniture, lighting and installation design – will speak to these qualities in different ways, while Niceworkshop has produced a piece of furniture directly using the material.
      The Design You Can Feel exhibition will celebrate ASUS ZenbookThe special commission by Future Facility will also be crafted from Ceraluminum.
      Through this conceptual design, the studio will explore the relationship between the digital and physical worlds and ask how AI and materiality can change our relationship with technology.
      Visitors to the exhibition will also be able to learn about the design story behind ASUS Zenbook and try out the AI tools it features for themselves.
      Design You Can Feel takes place during LDF
      Design You Can Feel will run from 17 to 22 September at Protein Studios in Shoreditch during London Design Festival.
      More details of the exhibition, including details of the work on display, will be announced in the coming weeks at: dezeen.com/designyoucanfeel.
      The exhibition graphic at the top of this post is by My Beautiful City, which used the generative AI tool Midjourney to create the imagery. You can see Dezeen’s policy on AI here.
      London Design Festival 2024
      London Design Festival 2024 takes place from 16-22 September 2024. See our London Design Festival 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.
      Partnership content
      The Design You Can Feel exhibition is a partnership between Dezeen and ASUS Zenbook. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      LABASAD introduces online master in interior design and hospitality

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      Promotion: the Barcelona School of Arts & Design has launched a 12-month master programme that will teach students how to design contemporary interiors and give them an “overview of every facet of the craft”.

      As a design institute, The Barcelona School of Arts & Design (LABASAD) prides itself on having the experience and resources to teach everything in design. Its classes are limited to 25 students and taught in English by industry professionals.
      Chiara Luzzato, director of the online master in interior design and hospitalityFor the online master in interior design and hospitality, students will be taught by professionals currently working in the field, led by Italian architect, stylist and art director Chiara Luzzatto.
      Luzzatto is described as a professional who “loves conceptualising and constructing modern spaces and environments”. She has an extensive background in academia studying architecture in Rome and as a master in interior design in Venice. Subsequently she worked in Milan at the Elisa Ossino Studio and later in Modena to as an art director at an interior and photography company.
      She is now co-founder and art director at Notoo Studio, creating interior images for international furniture brands.

      A roster of artists, architects, photographers and other specialists also teach students as part of the programme.
      NotooStudio creates interior images for international furniture brandsThe 12-month master, taught in English, will comprise 13 courses, grouped into five modules, and integrate project-based knowledge in the set-up and furniture sectors, as well as retail.
      The programme will explore the cultural and technical aspects of design and will look at styling, design and photography, and students will also learn about 3D practices.
      “By the end of the programme, students will be able to create compelling digital images for catalogues, magazines, window displays, commercial spaces, and interiors, which speaks volumes about their new skills,” LABASAD said.
      One of the four objectives of the programme is to reach a deeper understanding of visual composition to create “futuristic design systems”. The course also sets out to balance “aesthetic and performance” in interior design”. Thirdly, students will “master interior industry techniques and design thinking to grasp different contexts, user needs, and business challenges”. Finally, students are expected to gain practical experience with an array of stakeholders in a project.
      Students will attend classes online on a weekly basis”Besides practical aspects of interior design, the program will emphasize the importance of comfort-seeking, individual expression, social cohesion, identity creation, and modern communication,” LABASAD said.
      “As an online programme, it offers students the flexibility to study anywhere,” LABASAD said. “We have students from all over the world from Spain to the UK, Germany, Mexico, Belgium, among others.”
      Classes are regularly scheduled and take place every week. They can also be recorded so that if there is a day when a student is unable to attend, they can watch the class that they missed.
      The LABASAD programme will prepare students for the professional worldThe programme targets students or workers who are passionate about interior design and want to delve deeper into the subject, as well as industry professionals who want to specialise in hospitality and interior design.
      It is also suitable for people who work in agencies and design students and want to specialize in 3D modelling or styling, and for interior styling enthusiasts who want to start a career in the field.
      LABASAD’s online master in interior design and hospitality was designed to give its students a road map and “overview of every facet of the craft”, preparing them for the professional world, the design institute said.
      To find out more about the online master in interior design and hospitality, visit LABASAD here.
      Photography is courtesy of LABASAD and Notoo Studio.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for LABASAD as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Various Associates creates irregular pyramid-shaped flagship store for DJI

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      Chinese interior studio Various Associates has completed an irregular pyramid-shaped flagship store for drone brand DJI in Shenzhen, China.

      Located at OCT Harbour on the shores of Shenzhen Bay, the flagship store was designed to demonstrate the Chinese drone company’s latest technology.
      Various Associates designed the largest DJI flagship in ShenzhenThe 4000-square-metre store contains spaces for product display, a gallery, customer service area and an event space in four floors, in addition to a public park called DJI Oasis, which is used for drone flights.
      The multi-facated facade was clad in granite with large triangular windows on the angled surfaces facing the park, which is connected to the second floor via an outdoor, zigzagging staircase.
      A new staircase connecting all floors is inserted into the buildingGentle ramps in the park lead visitors into the store, while forming a series of triangular patterns, responding to the same geometric form of the architecture.

      To minimise the direct sun exposure from the glass facade, Various Associates inserted an “interior skin” of stainless steel louvres to the outer shell of the building.
      The second layer forms an origami shape on the ceiling that corresponds to the outer shape.

      Various Associates designs Voisin Organique restaurant to resemble a gloomy valley

      “We hope to solve the problems of site mobility and sun exposure through a holistic program, and simplify the visual complexity of the interior walls and window sills, while retaining the original geometric aesthetics of the site architecture,” explained the Shenzhen-based studio.
      “The newly added ‘interior skin’ filters the sunlight, casting unique daylight patterns throughout the day, creating a sense of outdoors.”
      Display tables and lightings are informed by DJI’s classic drones’ propeller bladesOn the ground floor, DJI’s drone products are displayed on custom-made tables in angled shape of the brand’s classic drones’ propeller blades.
      They are lit from above by lights, which are same shape, suspended from the ceiling.
      A gallery-like space on the third floor is used to exhibit photographyThe third floor of the building contains the Hasselblad Experience Station – a joint display area for DJI and Swedish camera and lenses brand Hasselblad.
      The gallery-like space with a darker tone contrasts the bright and airy product section downstairs, which is used for showcasing the photography created by DJI and Hasselblad.
      An event space on the top floor features a 15-meter-high ceilingThe building is topped with the 15-meter-high DJI Horizon Hall, which was designed as an event venue. According to the studio, the dramatic geometric space naturally draws visitors to look up upon entering, evoking the actions of watching a drone taking off.
      Various Associates is an architecture and interior design studio founded by Dongzi Yang and Qianyi Lin in 2017. Elsewhere in Shenzhen, the studio previously designed a cafe and cocktail bar that emulates a small cosy cabin.
      The photography is by SFAP.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Various AssociatesChief designers: Qianyi Lin, Dongzi YangProject management: Hanqun CaiDesign team: Yuwen Deng, Zebing Li, Benzhen Pan, Chao Luo, Junrui Zhang, Qian Xie, Yue ZhangLighting design: GD Lighting DesignMEP design: Tongji ArchitectsStructural design: Tongji ArchitectsContractor: HECIAN

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      Tatjana von Stein fills Mallorcan members’ club interior with the colours of Palma

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      London-based design studio Tatjana von Stein has created a warm and colourful interior for private members’ club Làlia in Palma, Mallorca.

      Set in a historic townhouse overlooking Placa de Santa Eulalia, Làlia was restored and renovated in collaboration with local practice Gras Reynès Arquitectos.
      Tatjana von Stein has designed the Làlia members’ club in PalmaAcross four levels, the members’ club features work and leisure spaces including a restaurant, bar, gym and private art and event spaces.
      According to studio founder Tatjana von Stein, Mallorcan design was “a huge influence, but gently nodded to” in Làlia’s interior.
      Làlia’s interior is filled with decorative vintage findsA jewel-toned palette was implemented throughout to pay homage to the colours of the Palma region.

      “The Thorvaldson museum in Copenhagen is a huge inspiration for colour-blocking rooms, which I then localised with the colours of Palma – the green, yellow, terracotta buildings throughout the town,” von Stein told Dezeen.
      These local colours run through the pistachio green wall drapery in the dining areas and the banquette seating upholstered in red and terracotta velvet from artisanal workshop Textil Bujosa.
      Yellow upholstery was inspired by Mallorcan buildingsThe dining tables crafted from pyrolave lava stone were also commissioned in Palma’s signature colours.
      Contemporary elements were injected into the interior to add “a touch of indulgence and personality”, von Stein explained.
      Tatjana von Stein worked with local craftspeople for the project”Overall our drive was to reinterpret local colours, textures and materials from a new point of view, specific to the location and the brand we were creating,” she added.
      In the main lounge, vivid red-lacquered wood panelling is paired with a statement leopard print carpet alongside antique furniture and decorative vintage finds.
      The main lounge area features a reclaimed marble fireplaceOther graphic elements were added to the interior via the yellow-striped walls and checkerboard fabric ceiling panels in the dining areas.
      During the renovation process, Tatjana von Stein and Gras Reynès Arquitectos worked together to “bring to life existing features and repurpose what could be saved”.
      Gras Reynès Arquitectos worked with von Stein to renovate the buildingIn the dining areas, reclaimed tiled flooring was reinstalled and a reclaimed marble fireplace was fitted in one of Làlia’s main lounge areas.
      “We salvaged the old tiles of the building and designed fountains from them, as well as utilising them where possible as flooring,” said the studio.
      Original floor tiling was restored and reinstated in the interiorThe design studio also collaborated with several Mallorca-based artisans and craftspeople for the project.
      “We worked with the local mountain stones, local textiles and fabricated nearly everything on the island to localise the project with a new design twist,” von Stein told Dezeen. “It was an incredible challenge to really work locally and sustainably.”
      Làlia’s bathrooms feature local Binissalem stone carved into bespoke sinks by Palma-based stone masonry studio D’aigo.
      The interior “gently nods” to traditional Mallorcan designFurniture studio La Pecera Mallorca was responsible for the bar stools while local carpenters Ducoin crafted large wooden tables for Làlia’s workspaces.
      Mallorcan artist and stonemason Diego Sanchez Barcelo also created a bespoke hand-carved bench for the garden area.
      Artist Diego Sanchez Barcelo created a bespoke bench for the garden”The key was to create a flow of spaces which all have their own identities and purpose that makes you want to come back,” von Stain said.
      Other projects featured on Dezeen by Tatjana von Stein, formerly known as Sella Concept, include the Locke hotel in Zurich, Switzerland and an office interior for tech company Sidewalk.
      The photography is by Clemente Vergara.

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      Studio Jean Verville Architectes adds “graphic dimension” to brutalist apartment

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      Bright yellow accents stand out against concrete and metal surfaces within this “creative laboratory” that architect Jean Verville has created for himself inside a residential tower in Quebec City.

      The Canadian architect, who is currently dividing his time between practice and teaching at the School of Architecture of Laval University in Quebec City, designed the 79-square-metre apartment as a space he can both work and reside in.
      A pair of bright yellow lamps extend over the commercial restaurant furniture in the live-work apartment’s kitchenVerville, founder of Studio Jean Verville Architecte, describes the project as “an architectural experiment orchestrating a space with a graphic dimension”.
      The 1970s tower in which the residence is located was designed by architect Marcel Bilodeau and faces the Plains of Abraham Park in front of the St Lawrence River.
      The stainless steel furniture blends with the raw concrete shell of the brutalist building”Like an observation post offering breathtaking views of the Laurentian Mountains, the urban landscape, and the St Lawrence River, the interior comes alive with an immutable body-to-body relationship between transparency and reflection, while transforming realities through distancing and multiplication,” said the architect.

      The residence was completely gutted to leave a raw concrete shell, with windows on the north and south sides ushering light into the deep space.
      Verville inserted a series of glass and mirrored partitions to divide up the space, allowing for various layout optionsInstead of solid walls, Verville installed a series of sliding partitions so he could open up or close off areas as desired.
      These glass and mirror panes are mounted on metal tracks and bounce the natural light through the apartment, allowing the compact unit to feel larger than it is.
      An area furnished as a living room contains a rust-coloured sofa and a black-lacquered chair”By addition or subtraction, this flexible system fragments the plan into six layout alternatives with undetermined functions, offering up to seven distinct sub-spaces,” said Verville. “Meanwhile, flexible blinds with a metallic finish allow the option of openwork borders, as well as total privacy.”
      Beside the south-facing balcony is a kitchen, which features stainless-steel commercial restaurant furniture that blends with the grey concrete shell.
      The partitions are mounted on metal tracks and can be opened and closed as desired to alter the layoutA central island is fitted with two sinks, each with a large balanced-arm lamp in bright yellow mounted on the wall behind.
      The lamps can be adjusted into position above any area of the kitchen counter to aid with food preparation.
      The concrete bedroom is solely furnished with a low bedRooms suggested by the partitions include a sleeping area furnished only with a simple low bed and a study where a simple metal desk faces a window.
      The living area is populated by a rust-coloured sofa and a black lacquered chair arranged around a pair of mirrored coffee tables.

      Jean Verville converts backyard shed into minimalist studio in Montreal

      “The strategic positioning of domestic equipment maintains constant physical and visual permeability to neutralise the compactness of the unit,” Verville said.
      Services, pipes and ductwork are all exposed throughout the apartment, demonstrating how it operates as a functional space.
      Verville considers the space a “creative laboratory” in which he can experimentOther eclectic items peppered through the residence give the feel of a creative laboratory, in which its occupant experiments with space and the act of living within it.
      “Glass vials of all kinds, models and various explorations, utilitarian objects, and plants rub shoulders on the shelves, revisiting the spirit of the cabinet of curiosities in a playful presentation of everyday life,” said the architect.
      Verville frequently inserts himself into the photo sets of his projectsVerville is known for its minimalist material-focused projects, as well as for playfully inserting himself into the photographs of completed – as evidenced in this set.
      He can also be seen wandering around in a cape through a Montreal apartment designed for a music composer, hanging out of a loft in a shed he converted into a workspace and balancing on the roof of an A-frame forest cabin.
      The photography is by Maryse Béland, Maxime Brouillet and Antoine Michel.
      Project credits:
      Studio Jean Verville Architectes team: Jean Verville, architect – lead designer; Gabriel Ladouceur, studio coordinator, professional and scientific MA architecture candidate; Guillaume Turgeon Solis, technical specialist; France Goneau, artistic advisor; Tania Paula Garza Rico, architectSpecial collaborations: Loïc Bard, art furniture; France Goneau, ceramic sculpturesContractor: Nomad Construction

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      Eight homes where pull-out furniture creates flexible interiors

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      Folding desks, hide-away dining tables and Murphy beds are the focus of our latest lookbook, exploring homes where pull-out furniture allows rooms to be used in multiple ways.

      In houses and apartments with limited space, fold-out or wheel-out furniture offers a clever space-saving solution.
      The Murphy bed, which incorporates a hinge that allows it to be stored vertically against a wall when not in use, is one of the most widespread examples.
      Architects and interior designers have also found similar ways of creating occasional dining tables and desks, using hinges or castors to make the furniture easy to move.
      Below, we’ve picked out eight examples including a guesthouse in California, a compact Hong Kong apartment and a home inside London’s Barbican estate.

      For more visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive, discover more lookbooks. Other recent examples explore wooden kitchens, statement bathtubs and nightclub interiors.
      Photo by French + TyeRoom For One More, UK, by Studio Ben Allen
      An adaptable joinery unit creates a work-from-home space and a children’s bedroom in this renovation of a flat in London’s brutalist Barbican estate by local firm Studio Ben Allen.
      The floor-to-ceiling unit creates a new partition wall through the middle of the home. On one side is a red fold-out desk and on the other a bunk bed with a pull-out armchair slotted underneath.
      Find out more about Room For One More ›
      Photo courtesy of Peter KostelovUptown Transformer Apartment, USA, by Peter Kostelov
      Pull-out furniture allows this New York apartment, designed by Russian architect Peter Kostelov, to more easily accommodate guests.
      The living room transforms into a dining space thanks to a table on wheels, which slots into a niche behind the kitchen units, while a slide-out bed allows a study to become a guest bedroom.
      Find out more about Uptown Transformer Apartment ›
      Photo by Tom BirdPoirot’s Bijou Apartment, UK, by Intervention Architecture
      Having previously created an adaptable apartment for a ballet dancer, Birmingham-based Intervention Architecture explored more pull-out solutions in this 24-square-metre London flat.
      A sofa on castors doubles as the support for a fold-down bed, while a collapsible dining table can be stored in the walls when not in use. There is also a study nook featuring a drawing board that can be raised and adjusted.
      Find out more about Poirot’s Bijou Apartment ›
      Photo courtesy of Sim-Plex Design StudioPet’s Playground, Hong Kong, by Sim-Plex Design Studio
      The layout of this compact Hong Kong apartment was designed to allow the owners to keep their two pets – a parrot and a cat – away from one another.
      This prompted local practice Sim-Plex Design Studio to design flexible furniture including a dining table that slides out from the kitchen cabinets.
      Find out more about Pet’s Playground ›
      Photo by Ithai SchoriDutchess County Studio, USA, by GRT Architects
      A Murphy bed allows a living room to become a bedroom in this studio-style home in New York’s Dutchess County, designed by Brooklyn firm GRT Architects.
      Stored away, the bed looks just like the wooden cabinets that span the rest of the wall. When folded down, shelves and lamps are revealed behind.
      Find out more about Dutchess County Studio ›
      Photo courtesy of YLAB Arquitectos BarcelonaArgentona Apartment, Spain, by YLAB Arquitectos
      Storage walls provide multiple uses in this renovated Barcelona apartment, designed by Spanish studio YLAB Arquitectos as the holiday home for a Norwegian couple.
      As well as allowing kitchen areas to be hidden away, the walls include pocket doors that create room partitions and fold-down surfaces that can serve as desks or dressing tables.
      Find out more about Argentona Apartment ›
      Photo by JAG StudioDoméstico, Ecuador, by Juan Alberto Andrade and María José Váscones
      A bed and a table are provided by one piece of fold-down furniture in this 27.5-square-metre apartment in the Safdie Architects-designed Qorner building in Quito.
      Keen to make the most of space, architects Juan Alberto Andrade and María José Váscones designed a Murphy bed that slots into a wall recess. The bed’s underside integrates a fold-down surface that can function as a desk or a dining table.
      Find out more about Doméstico ›
      Photo by Bruce DamonteCrest Guesthouse, USA, by Mork-Ulnes Architects
      California studio Mork-Ulnes Architects designed two flexible pieces of furniture for this 38-square-metre guesthouse in the mountains of Marin County.
      One is a bed that folds out from a wall, while the other is a kitchen island that can be wheeled into different positions.
      Find out more about Crest Guesthouse ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring wooden kitchens, statement bathtubs and nightclub interiors.

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      Nati Minas & Studio installs climbing wall inside São Paulo apartment

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      A bouldering wall in this São Paulo apartment designed by Nati Minas & Studio allows a sports-loving couple to scale their double-height living room.

      The 220-square-metre Musa apartment in the Itaim Bibi neighbourhood was renovated to reflect its residents’ active lifestyles.
      The Musa apartment includes a climbing wall in the living roomLocal firm Nati Minas & Studio added colourful hand and foot holds up one wall in the living room, reaching up to the pitched ceiling of the tall space.
      “The couple’s request for the top floor was to create a meeting place where they could welcome friends and family and spend quality time together,” said the studio.
      Colourful hand and foot grips allow the resident to scale the wallOverall, the renovation involved lightening up the residence, while adding texture in the social spaces with white trowelled-putty walls and porcelain floor tiles cut into shards.

      Beside the climbing wall, where the ceiling height drops, is a TV room tucked into a corner beside a long window and a bank of planters.
      A TV room is tucked beside a long window and planterAudio-visual equipment is housed against a wood-backed unit with a steel frame and metal-mesh shelves, which wraps around the staircase opening.
      On the other side, more pale-wood storage forms a bar that leads towards a sliding door, providing access to the glass-enclosed balcony.
      A glass-enclosed balcony accommodates a hot tub and a dining areaThis area features a hot tub, and a stainless-steel dining table alongside a built-in bench for enjoying casual meals cooked on the adjacent grill.
      The glazed roof and windows provide a panoramic view of the skyline, but can be shaded with a canopy of Roman blinds when it gets too bright.
      Roman blinds shade the glass roof and windows when conditions are too brightBedrooms and the kitchen are located on the lower floor, reached via a flight of slender, floating metal treads.
      “A new staircase was built to add more closet depth to the master bedroom, with a design that is half in depth and half overhanging, with light metal sheets,” said Nati Minas & Studio.

      Deferrari+Modesti designs rock climbing-themed staircase for villa in Tuscany

      The kitchen is separated from a lounge and games room by an arrival area lined with wood, into which cabinets and the front door were built.
      An amorphous wooden island projects from a stainless steel counter, which matches the lower cabinetry, while mesh-fronted storage overhead allows light from the window to pass through.
      On the lower floor is a games room featuring a green ebonised-wood tableAlthough neutrally decorated, the apartment is dotted with colourful furniture and artwork, including a bright-red bed frame in the primary suite.
      “Loose furniture always comes in as a spice to the atmosphere created as a base,” the studio said. “Here, there are neutral tones wandering between ecru, mint green, moss green, light wood and worked stones.”
      The kitchen is situated on the other side of a wood-lined arrival areaThis isn’t the first residence to include climbing apparatus inside and designers have come up with several ways to appease their active clients.
      For example, a villa in Tuscany features a blue staircase that doubles as a climbing wall, while a forest home in Finland is equipped with a climbing wall, gymnastic apparatus and a net covering a cut-out in one of the floors.
      The photography is by Carolina Lacaz.

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