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      Zaytinya NYC restaurant by Rockwell Group “transports” diners to the Mediterranean

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      Blue glass discs, hand-painted linen pendants and ombre curtains were combined by design studio Rockwell Group to evoke the Mediterranean coast at this restaurant in New York City.

      Zaytinya opened in July 2022 inside the new Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Manhattan’s NoMad district, housed within a tower designed by Rafael Viñoly.
      Zaytinya’s interior features a screen of two-toned blue discs behind the barLocated on the ground floor, the all-day restaurant occupies a 3,000-square-foot (280-square-metre) wedge at the corner of the hotel, facing onto 28th Street and Broadway.
      The interiors by New York-based Rockwell Group were designed to echo the menu created by chef José Andrés, which combines mezze-style dishes influenced by Turkish, Greek, Lebanese and Italian cuisines.
      The restaurant benefits from high ceilings and full-height glazingThis Eastern Mediterranean flavour is echoed across the light and neutral space, which benefits from high ceilings and full-height glass along two walls.

      Entering from Broadway, diners are greeted by a custom mural painted in blues that recalls vistas of the Aegean sea.
      The interior has a neutral palette injected with hints of blueThe same cobalt colour can be found on leather banquette seats and the patterned fabrics used for their backs, as well as in the ombre linen curtains that gently blend to white from the bottom upward.
      “Distinctive pops of blue are injected throughout for a playful nod to the pristine waters of the Mediterranean Islands,” said Rockwell Group.
      Arched openings and tambour walls allude to ancient Greek and Roman architectureBehind the bar is a backlit screen comprising two-toned blue glass discs based on the Greek “evil eye” talisman, housed within a frame that curves towards the ceiling.
      Blue Lavastone forms the bar counter, while the surrounding floor tiles feature an abstract motif of olives and leaves.
      Other splashes of blue include leather banquette seat and ombre curtainsThe remainder of the flooring is wood, laid in chevron patterns in rows divided by lines of blue tiles that follow beams installed across the ceiling.
      Curved and arched elements were introduced to subtly divide the dining areas, and as a nod to ancient architecture.

      Rockwell Group models Casa Dani restaurant in New York on Andalusian patios

      Sections of the walls feature tambour details, also alluding to the fluting of Greek and Roman columns, and a neutral plaster effect is applied to others.
      “Soft curves and a variety of textures transport guests to a modern abstraction of the coast,” the studio said.
      Booth seating runs along a wall of bronze-toned mirrorsPendant lamps in a variety of shapes and sizes are illustrated with scenes drawn by Rockwell Group’s graphics team, which were hand-painted onto the linen shades by The Alpha Workshops – a non-profit dedicated to arts education based nearby.
      “The line drawings celebrate Mediterranean culture, its harvests and ancient arts,” said Rockwell Group.
      Linen lampshades were hand-painted by arts non-profit The Alpha WorkshopsZaytinya is the latest of several restaurant interiors completed by the firm, founded by architect David Rockwell, in New York City.
      Earlier this year, the studio’s Spanish-influenced Casa Dani opened in the Citizens food hall at Manhattan West, closely followed by sushi spot Katsuya in the same development.
      The photography is by Jason Varney.

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      Norman Kelley remodels Chicago apartment to showcase chair collection

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      Design studio Norman Kelley and architect Spencer McNeil have completed Apartment for Chairs, a two-storey unit that features ample space for guests and a diverse collection of chairs.

      Located in a contemporary, high-rise building in Chicago’s Near North neighbourhood, the apartment was designed for a couple.
      Apartment for Chairs is located in a Chicago high-riseOne of the clients is a longtime local resident who collects art and furniture, and the other is a Detroit transplant who prefers cosy environments with organic materials and neutral colours.
      The goal was to create a home that suited both personalities and offered plenty of space for hosting guests and displaying the owners’ extensive chair collection.
      The dwelling was designed to house a diverse collection of chairsSpanning from the early 20th century to the present, the collection includes a Shaker tilter chair and pieces from the Bauhaus and De Stijl movements. Designers include Gerrit Rietveld, Piero Fornasetti, Gio Ponti, Marcel Breuer and Lina Bo Bardi, among others. The exact number of chairs is not being disclosed.

      “It is very much a living collection,” said local studio Norman Kelley, which designed the apartment in collaboration with Chicago architect Spencer McNeil.
      Norman Kelley created the project with Spencer McNeilThe project entailed combining two apartments – one atop the other – to form a spacious, two-storey unit.
      In total, the conjoined apartment encompasses 4,000 square feet (372 square metres).
      The apartment exists on two levelsThe lower level serves as the main apartment, while the bulk of the upper level is meant to act as its own private apartment – similar to an in-law suite, the team said.
      A range of modifications were made throughout the unit, including spatial changes and new finishes.
      Neutral wooden interiors are interrupted by small pops of colourThe most drastic change involved opening up a room on the upper level to form a mezzanine overlooking the lower-level living room. The double-height living room was pre-existing.
      The mezzanine, which holds an office, is connected to the room below by a new spiral staircase.
      A spiral staircase connects the two storeys”Our mandate from the owner was to create an object worthy of inclusion with the collected works of design in the home,” the team said of the staircase.
      Near the stair is a 20-foot-tall (six-metre) display area where books and chairs are on view. The steel display system has pegs, shelves, and backlit niches.
      Eames side chairs feature in the living roomOverall, the unit features a mix of vintage and contemporary decor, along with finishes such as white oak, walnut and limestone. In several areas, concrete structural elements were left exposed.
      The living room is fitted with a sectional by Molteni, Eames side chairs and a vintage Noguchi coffee table. An adjacent reading nook is adorned with chairs by Ponti and the Eameses. Overhead are globe-shaped lights by Jasper Morrison.
      Ample space was created to allow for entertainingJust off the living room, the kitchen and dining area were expanded, which was made possible by the elimination of a powder room.
      Finishes in the kitchen include lacquer cabinets, quartz countertops and a back-painted glass backsplash.
      The kitchen includes walnut stoolsWalnut stools were conceived by Norman Kelley and fabricated locally by Jason Lewis – one of several bespoke pieces.
      In the dining area, the team placed a walnut table by George Nakashima and caned-wood chairs by Emanuele Rambaldi. Above is a lighting fixture by BBPR and manufactured by Arteluce.
      A walnut table also defines the dining roomIn addition to the common areas, the first level has a main suite and two additional bedrooms. The team took an unusual approach by blurring the division between public and private spaces.
      For instance, the main bedroom’s door is a frameless, sliding wall that disappears when opened.

      Norman Kelley preserves “layered history” inside revamped Notre store in Chicago

      “In a home for two adults, we saw no reason for the bedroom to be considered a separate space,” the designers said.
      “There is no threshold between living room and the primary bedroom,” they added. “The whole apartment is a living space.”
      Plugs are built into a white oak bedThe sparsely adorned main bedroom features a white oak platform bed with built-in plugs – another element designed by Norman Kelley. Floor-to-ceiling windows are covered with gauzy curtains.
      The main bathroom has raked limestone walls, a walnut-and-Corian vanity and a Norman Kelley-designed ipe shower bench inspired by George Nelson’s mid-century platform bench.
      The main bathroom has raked limestone wallsUpstairs, the team made limited changes to the layout beyond the mezzanine. The upper level has two bedrooms, a kitchen and a living room.
      “We specified furnishings for the upper unit, but there were no significant architectural changes,” the team said.
      “The majority of the renovation was limited to the lower unit and its connection to the upper unit.”
      Other Chicago projects by Norman Kelley include an Aesop store that features reclaimed bricks arranged in pinwheel patterns and the update of a lobby inside a postmodern tower by John Burgee and Philip Johnson.
      The photography is by Kendall McCaugherty Ristau and Sarah Crowley.

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      OEO Studio adds Nordic influences to Japandi-style apartment in Tokyo

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      Copenhagen-based OEO Studio combined muted colours and textured materials to create the interiors for this renovated Tokyo apartment that is characterised by its Japandi design.

      Located within the Opus Arisugawa housing complex in central Tokyo, the apartment’s interior was renovated to combine design influences from Japan and Scandinavia – a trend known as Japandi.
      The apartment’s interiors take cues from Japanese and Scandinavian designOEO Studio intended to create a serene atmosphere by adopting minimalist interior design and mainly natural materials throughout, both of which are hallmarks of the Japandi style.
      The apartment’s entryway includes a rammed-earth wall surrounded by a slatted rectilinear wardrobe that was custom-made in calming honey-hued wood.
      Curvy sofas feature in the living roomLow-slung concrete seating is also built into the hallway, which doubles as a sculptural plinth for a ceramic vase by Christian Bruun.

      A mixture of deep indigo tiles and paper yarn rugs made from Finnish birch but embroidered with Japanese textile-style patterns cover the floors.
      Wooden cabinetry lines the kitchen”The interiors reflect the studio’s cross-pollination of Japanese and Scandinavian design ideas, drawing inspiration from both cultures and reinterpreting them in new ways,” said the firm.
      The hallway leads to an open-plan living room filled with interiors in neutral tones, including cool stone floors and sleek furniture finished in smoked oak, oiled pinewood and soft wool.

      OEO Studio creates colourful cantina for Copenhagen eatery Hija de Sanchez

      Curvy Taylor sofas by Shanghai brand Stella Works are arranged around an organically shaped timber coffee table, while artworks by Jaakko Mattila line the walls.
      Japanese Ōya stone was used for the columns that divide the living area and brightly lit kitchen, which includes tactile wooden cabinetry.
      A minimal dining space with black-stained ash chairs also features alongside the kitchen.
      The bedrooms are defined by the same refined styleThe apartment’s three bedrooms also have a mixture of refined textures and shapes, while the singular pared-back bathroom displays a statement wooden bathtub at its centre.
      “We worked carefully with the zoning and the transitions between the rooms in the apartment to create an evocative yet calm, welcoming and comfortable atmosphere,” said OEO Studio.
      A light wooden bathtub features in the bathroomFounded in 2003, OEO Studio has created a number of similar projects including a Tokyo restaurant that references both Danish carpentry and Japanese gardens in its interiors.
      The firm recently created a cafe and shop at Designmuseum Denmark that pays homage to architect Kaare Klint’s original design.
      The photography is by Michinori Aoki.

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      Makhno Studio celebrates Ukrainian craft in all-beige home near Kyiv

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      Kyiv-based Makhno Studio has paired soft, bumpy textures and intricate ceramic walls inside this all-beige home in Ukraine, which was completed right before the Russian invasion.

      Located in Kozyn, a rural town just south of Kyiv, Mureli House is a celebration of summertime and Ukrainian design, with mureli being an old Ukrainian word for apricot.
      Intricate ceramics feature throughout the Mureli House interior by Makhno StudioThe home, which was completed just two months before the start of the invasion in February 2022, comprises an open-plan living room and kitchen, three bedrooms with three bathrooms, a guest bathroom, a laundry room and a garage with a terrace.
      The clients – a local Ukrainian couple with a large family – requested from the outset that Makhno Studio should work with as many Ukrainian manufacturers and craftsmen as possible to create bespoke products for the house.
      A bulbous sculpture decorates the fireplace mantel in the lounge”All materials in the home are natural,” the studio’s founder Serhii Makhno told Dezeen. “The team used almost all Ukrainian brands and worked with several local contractors to minimise the distance and logistics.”

      The clients wanted a neutral, beige interior across all of the rooms to create a cohesive look. As a result, the house’s second floor is finished mostly in wood while the entire ground floor is decorated with beige-coloured plaster.
      Makhno designed the pendant lights in the lounge to resemble seed podsMakhno Studio emphasised the generous volumes and curved staircase in the home’s entrance hallway through a wall of three-dimensional ceramic tiles and a dramatic cluster of pendant lamps made of clay and polystyrene foam.
      References to the natural world are integrated throughout the interior. Highlights include a cluster of Makhno-designed pendants in the living room that resemble seed pods and washbasins that appear like hollowed-out boulders.
      The entire ground floor including the kitchen is finished in beige-coloured plasterThe only exception to Mureli House’s monochrome colour scheme is the main bathroom, which features pink accents including ombre shower doors and scale-shaped concrete tiles that can be tilted away from the wall to double up as hooks for hanging towels and bathrobes.
      “Ceramic craftsmanship is an ancient Ukrainian tradition,” Makhno explained. “At the end of the 1920s, the ceramic tradition began to be restored in various parts of Ukraine. At Makhno, the tradition is continued today to highlight its uniqueness and naturalistic appeal.”

      Makhno Studio designs conceptual settlement within Martian crater

      Mureli House currently stands empty since the owners were forced to flee to safer areas in the west of Ukraine following Russia’s attempts to storm Kyiv in the early days of the war.
      The exact condition of the home is unknown. But Makhno Studio says a Russian military plane and several missiles were shot down over the surrounding area in Kozyn.
      Russian troops were forced to retreat from Kyiv at the start of April but left behind a trail of destruction in the city’s outskirts and have since carried out a number of airstrikes on the Ukrainian capital.
      The monochrome colour palette extends into the home’s three bedroomsIn total, more than 143 significant cultural sites have been damaged in Ukraine since the start of the war, including the Ivankiv Museum in Kyiv and several second world war memorial monuments in the surrounding region.
      Serhii Makhno says he currently remains safe in Ukraine, while the rest of his team is scattered throughout Europe and is working mainly on international projects.
      Boulder-like sinks and scale-shaped tiles feature in the main bathroomThe studio is among a number of Ukrainian practices that have told Dezeen they are now looking for support and commissions from foreign clients.
      Previous projects from the studio include Makhno’s own thatched-roof house in Kozyn and his duplex apartment in Kyiv.
      The photography is courtesy of Makhno Studio.

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      Eight homes with characterful floating staircases that appear to defy gravity

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      A staircase with an in-built swing and a metal structure hung from a ceiling are among the eight floating staircases featured in our latest lookbook.

      A floating staircase is a flight of stairs that appears to defy gravity. They often cantilever from one wall to create overhanging steps that jut outwards and look as if they are suspended in mid-air.
      They often have open risers, which means that the treads are not connected but might be attached by central stringers.
      From a granite house in Spain to a light-filled home in Canada, here are eight residential interiors that feature floating staircases in their designs.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing garden swimming pools, exposed wooden beams and organic modern interiors.

      Photo is by Marcos MiguélezCasa VMS, Spain, by Marcos Miguélez 
      A floating steel staircase with cantilevered treads features in Casa VMS, a granite-clad house in the Spanish town of Magaz de Abajo by architect Marcos Miguélez.
      Connecting the library and the living room, the staircase includes dark wooden steps that mirror a low-slung timber dining table, which sits within an open-plan living space.
      Find out more about Casa VMS ›
      Photo is by Simon KennedyIdunsgate Apartment, Norway, by Haptic
      Idunsgate Apartment in Oslo includes a powder-coated steel staircase that is suspended from a ceiling beam creating a sculptural stepped formation.
      The floating staircase is completed by blocky wooden steps at its bottom, which also double as built-in seating in an open-plan kitchen and dining space.
      Find out more about Indunsgate Apartment ›
      Photo is by Karina TengbergSturlasgade apartment, Denmark, by Jac Studios
      Copenhagen practice Jac Studios designed a staircase in two parts for this Sturlasgade apartment with pale-toned finishes and natural light.
      Suspended from steel poles, a flight of smoked-oak stairs leads to a set of light-coloured, tapered terrazzo steps that provide access to an open-plan living space.
      Find out more about this Sturlasgade apartment ›
      Photo is by Jack HobhouseKenwood Lee House, UK, by Cousins & Cousins
      Architecture office Cousins & Cousins inserted a central floating staircase into Kenwood Lee House – a dwelling in Highgate, London, that is characterised by concrete and marble finishes.
      Complete with light oak treads, the staircase features an indoor swing that hangs underneath it and adds a playful touch to the minimal interiors.
      Find out more about Kenwood Lee House ›
      Photo is by A AvdeenkoHeat 360 House, Ukraine, by Azovskiy & Pahomova Architects
      The two storeys of this house in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, are connected by a chunky cantilevered staircase that juts out from a concrete wall and rises up through an opening in the kitchen ceiling.
      Local studio Azovskiy & Pahomova Architects also added full-height windows to the refurbished property, which includes various quirky features including a hay-bale seating area.
      Find out more about Heat 360 House ›
      Photo is by Ronan MézièreEscher House, Canada, by Naturehumaine
      A labyrinthine steel and wood staircase informed by the architectural paintings of Dutch artist MC Escher travels through the levels of this Montreal home renovated by local firm Naturehumaine.
      “Imposing and phantasmagorical, the staircase with its crossing of flights enlivens the space and personalises the entire house,” said the studio.
      Find out more about The Escher House ›
      Photo is by Josée MarinoLazard House, Canada, by Kl.Tz Design
      Canadian studio Kl.Tz Design renovated this light-filled family house in Montreal to include a staircase defined by suspended wooden steps and a floor-to-ceiling metal balustrade.
      Designed by furniture brand De Gaspé, the minimal structure intends to create a sense of lightness and openness between the home’s two levels.
      Find out more about Lazard House ›
      Photo is by Ben HoskingOgimachi House, Japan, Tomoaki Uno Architects
      Tomoaki Uno Architects added a central flower-like staircase to Ogimachi House, a Japanese home built almost entirely out of cedar and cypress for the materials’ calming properties.
      The staircase features petal-shaped treads that have a generous amount of space between each other, which are designed in wood like the rest of the interiors.
      Find out more about Ogimachi House ›
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing bookshelf staircases, white bathrooms and homes with hammocks.

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      Note Design Studio creates “unexpected” restaurant in historic Stockholm food hall

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      Off-kilter tiles set in thick blue grout clad the bar of the Tysta Mari restaurant in Stockholm, designed by local practice Note Design Studio.

      Tysta Mari is one of several restaurants set within the city’s recently renovated Östermalms Saluhall – a historic food hall housed in a brick building from 1888.
      Tysta Mari is a restaurant in the historic Östermalms SaluhallThe two-storey eatery serves up fresh seafood and Swedish dishes using ingredients sourced from the indoor marketplace that surrounds it.
      Local design firm Note Design Studio was invited to renovate the interior with the aim of creating a “welcoming environment that feels effortless, unexpected and full of charm”.
      Pale blue accents pop up in the eatery’s bistro tables and in the grouting of the barThe design team used a light, tactile material palette for the interior featuring mirrors, gauzy fabrics, textured walls, glazed ceramics and stainless steel.

      An eye-catching bar is located on the restaurant’s ground floor, visible both from the street and from inside the food hall. Designed to draw customers into the interior, this area is clad in glazed tiles surrounded by thick blue grouting and finished with detailing in polished stainless steel.
      A black metal staircase leads up to the second floorA black metal staircase leads up to a bistro and a private dining room with a large sharing table and balcony providing views of the entire food hall.
      Note Design Studio’s interior scheme was based on the four elements of earth, air, water and fire, according to the practice’s co-founder and design manager Cristiano Pigazzini.

      Note Design Studio creates warm-hued wine bar that doubles as an office

      This theme is picked up in the earth tone and texture of the restaurant’s walls, the smokey hue of the oak furnishings, the gauzy curtains and the ceramic tiles, which were designed to look almost wave-swept.
      “The light half-transparent textiles diffuse the incoming light to give an airy, soft accent to the other hard, heavy materials,” Pigazzini told Dezeen.
      This floor houses a private dining roomFounded in 2008 by Pigazzini and Johannes Carlström, Note Design Studio works across the fields of architecture, interiors, products, graphic design and design strategy.
      Other recent projects from the practice include a warm-hued wine bar that doubles as an office and a collection of pendant lights that recall cake sprinkles.
      All photography is courtesy of Note Design Studio.

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      Memola Estudio leaves concrete structure exposed for Gale Apartment in São Paulo

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      Balancing natural and industrial materials was a key focus during Brazilian studio Memola Estudio’s renovation of this São Paulo apartment.

      The gut renovation of the Gale Apartment for a couple in the western area of the city involved creating connections between the various rooms and updating it to better match the owners’ “cosmopolitan” tastes.
      Memola Estudio stripped back walls in the apartment to reveal the concrete structureOther goals for the overhaul included highlighting their art collection, creating better connections with views of greenery outside and generally refreshing the atmosphere inside.
      To contrast the wooden floors Memola Estudio removed walls and parts of the ceiling, and stripped back finishes to expose the building’s concrete structure, piping and ductwork.
      A Portuguese mosaic stone wall was painted white in the double-height living areaAmong the partitions demolished was one between the entry hall and the main living space, so that a direct line of sight now connects the two.

      Coming off the elevator in the centre of the apartment, visitors are now offered a view straight through to floor-to-ceiling windows beyond the dining table, and out to the balcony accessed from the lounge.
      Walls were removed to allow views directly from the entryway to the windowsThe dining area was extended to fill in part of the balcony area, forming an extra indoor space for casual seating.
      “Now transformed into a mix of lounge and bar, a low wooden table at its centre and the comfortable armchairs around it invite long conversations,” said the studio of this space.
      Part of the balcony was converted into a bar and seating areaThe more formal seating area is double-height, with the end wall covered in a Portuguese stone mosaic that was repainted white, and another acting as a gallery wall that displays the clients’ contemporary artworks.
      Furniture in this room is mixed and matched in terms of both style and material, but all items carry earthy tones.
      In the kitchen, the ceiling was removed and pharmacy-style cabinets were added”Old and new share neutral hues and the furniture has been reupholstered to match the new color palette, inspired by the autumn and the sunset colors found in the horizon,” Memola Estudio said.
      Particular attention was paid to the usability of the kitchen, where the ceiling was again ripped out and new cabinets and counters were installed.
      Custom, freestanding metal units based on vintage pharmacy counters are placed along one wall, providing an open surface for appliances, as well as cabinet storage above and below.
      In reconfiguring the layout of this corner of the apartment, a wood-topped kitchen island and a pantry were built and a storeroom was formed in part of the old laundry room.
      Another balcony was turned into a TV and music room”The kitchen’s renovation promotes the sharing of experiences around meal preparation and its everyday enjoyment,” said Memola Estudio.
      The home has three bedrooms, all located at the back of the apartment and decorated in neutral shades.
      A neutral colour palette was used to refresh the bedroomsEach has an ensuite bathroom with walls tiled or wood-lined in a slightly different shade of green.
      There’s also a TV room, created within a space that previously functioned as a second balcony, featuring a deep, green sofa and a drum kit beside the window.
      Bathrooms were also updated in different shades of greenMemola Estudio is based in São Paulo, where apartment living is extremely common in the dense urban environment.
      Other renovations in the city that aim to add personality to the interiors include a home enlivened with green tiles, a residence for a fashion designer decorated in vivid hues, and an apartment where exposed pipes are painted in pastels tones.
      The photography is by Fran Parente.

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      Five “quirky” sleeping pods top Watchet's East Quay arts centre

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      UK studios Pearce+ and Fægen have designed the interiors of five sleeping pods that stand on top of the Invisible Studio-designed arts centre on the dockside in Watchet, UK.

      The studios aimed to design the pods, which were created to provide interesting accommodation for people visiting East Quay and the town, to align with the ethos of the arts centre.
      The sleeping pods are located on top of Watchet’s East Quay arts centre”The whole of East Quay is about culture, purpose and imagination – it is a hub of creativity, opportunity, artistry and ideas,” explained Pearce+ founder Owen Pearce.
      “It is also most importantly about community – multiple hands and many eyes,” he told Dezeen.
      “We wanted this to be captured in the pods also, providing inspiring, exciting, different, unusual spaces and involving as many hands as possible in the design, from artists to makers to kids.”

      Two pods are raised on stiltsThe five pods are located in a series of metal-clad boxes on top of the East Quay arts centre, which was designed by Bath-based Invisible Studio with Ellis Williams Architects acting as executive architect for the local social enterprise Onion Collective.
      Two of the pods stand on stilts above the building.

      East Quay arts centre in Watchet takes cues from ad-hoc harbour buildings

      “All the pods are linked to their surroundings by fantastic views of the Bristol Channel, the Quantocks, the marina and the town,” said Pearce.
      “The form of the buildings feels rooted in the area as they jut and protrude as if continuously added to like some of the old houses in the town.”
      The walls of pod two were CNC etchedEach of the five pods is designed by Pearce+ and Fægen to have a different character and involve local artists and the community.
      The first sleeping pod, which was built with reclaimed furniture and materials, was designed as a “living museum” where guests are encouraged to leave an item and take one away.
      Etched illustrations cover the walls of pod two, which is designed by artist Isabelle Mole and aims to tell the story of the town.
      Pod 1 contains a “living museum””Our overarching aim was to provide a connection between guests and the local community,” explained Pearce.
      “This is done, for example, through direct object transfer in pod one as guests donate objects of meaning and take something in return or, in pod two, by visually exploring the stories and myths of the town in CNC etchings on the walls.”
      Pod four contains a cargo netThe third pod aims to evoke the feeling of a 1920s ocean liner, while pod four “is about play” and has semaphore signals painted on the walls. Here there is also a cargo net for sitting, which is reached by a staircase hung from the ceiling.
      Bristol graffiti artist Andy Council worked with local schoolchildren to create the interior of the fifth pod, which will be redecorated each year by an artist chosen by the Onion Collective.
      Bristol graffiti artist Andy Council decorated the fifth podIn line with the ethos of the project, Pearce+ and Fægen moved to Watchet for a year to act as contractor and fabricate the interiors of the pods with the help of a small team.
      Pearce hopes that the pods will provide fun places for visitors to stay and bring income into the community.
      “The brief for the competition was quirky places to stay,” he explained. “The client wanted to have fun with the pods and to provide an opportunity for inventiveness from architects.”
      “The building’s aim is to support a local artistic community and provide opportunities that weren’t available before. A key part of the economic strategy of the building is to attract guests from afar to bring in much-needed income, which in turn supports cultural and education work,” he continued. “The designs are then targeted to create a cool place to visit in order to do that.”
      Pearce+ previously collaborated with UK studio Hugh Broughton Architects and artists Ella Good and Nicki Kent to create the inflatable Martian House, which is currently installed in Bristol.
      The photography is by Joseph Horton.

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