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      Ten living rooms with statement shelving that is both practical and beautiful

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      For our latest lookbook, we’ve rounded up ten living rooms that have solved the storage dilemma with bespoke shelving that define the room. This is the latest roundup in our Dezeen Lookbook series providing visual inspiration for the home. Previous articles in the series showcased designer bathrooms, colourful kitchens and living rooms with calm interiors.
      Whether they’re used as room dividers, to show off the owners’ book collection or as a hiding place for shy pets, built-in or custom-made shelves create a design statement.
      Read on for our round up of the ten best from Dezeen’s archives (plus a bonus eleventh one, above, which features the spectacular floor-to-ceiling bookcases at Olson Kundig’s Wasatch House in Salt Lake City):

      Mermaid Beach Residence, Australia, by B.E. Architecture
      The living room of Mermaid Beach Residence in Queensland’s Gold Coast region is a study in clever material use, with its concrete surfaces and timber flooring.
      The monolithic built-in wooden shelving that fills one wall creates a decorative grid-effect on top of the concrete. It rests on a stone slab above wooden storage units at floor level.
      Find out more about Mermaid Beach Residence ›

      Artist’s studio, Russia, by Ruetemple
      Architecture studio Ruetemple looked to “drawing and architecture” when designing this artist’s studio in Moscow, which is dominated by a large plywood partition that incorporates both furniture and shelving.
      As well as separating the lounge area from a workspace, the partition works as both storage space and furniture. It has a built-in sofa, shelving, and a set of steps that lead up to a suspended sleeping platform.
      Find out more about Artist’s studio ›

      Spear Building Loft, US, by Ravi Raj and Evan Watts
      This former factory in New York was renovated to create a bright, open living space. In the living room, simple built-in shelves were painted in a creamy pastel-yellow hue that harmonises with the white storage units and the fireplace.
      Rather than building the shelves into a separate wall panel, they have been attached to the white wall on one side, which creates an airy feel and helps open up the room.
      Find out more about Spear Building Loft ›

      Sierra Negra, Mexico, by Hemaa
      Two built-in shelves with wooden panelling serve a decorative function in this Mexico City living room, which has matching wooden floorboards and wood-clad walls.
      Its minimalist interior and simple colour palette, which blends beige, brown and grey hues, means the books in the shelves stand out as a splash of colour. The shelves also hold speakers and picture frames, helping to keep the rest of the room free from clutter.
      Find out more about Sierra Negra ›

      Sausalito Outlook, USA, by Feldman Architecture
      In the living room of this hillside home in Sausalito, California, Feldman Architecture added plenty of storage space for the owners’ book collection, while the white panelling in the middle hides the TV from sight.
      The walls and kitchen space next to the storage wall have been painted a matching glossy white, complemented by more natural hues such as a beige rug and brown Ligne Roset Togo seating.
      Find out more about Sausalito Outlook ›

      Mayfair apartment, UK, by MWAI
      In small apartments, built-in shelving can be the perfect space-saving solution. For MWAI’s design of a 37-square-metre home in London’s Mayfair area, it covered one wall of the open-plan kitchen and living area in a pale-wood storage unit that also includes a desk.
      Colours were kept neutral to reinforce the studio’s idea to look at the design as that of a hotel room where “all functions are carefully and discreetly planned to provide a functional response.”
      Find out more about Mayfair apartment ›

      Kew Residence, Australia, by John Wardle
      Architect John Wardle renovated his own Kew Residence home to make its wood-lined first-floor study the focal point of the house. Built-in shelves hold books and bric-a-brac on one side of the room and the architect’s art collection on another.
      Neutral wood colours were used for the shelves and the built-in reading nook in the room, where the architect said he spends “just about all his daylight hours.”
      Find out more about Kew Residence ›

      House for Booklovers and Cats, USA, by BFDO Architects
      The built-in storage in this colourful home lives up to the project name – it doesn’t just have space for books and art, but also for the owners’ two cats to hide away from visitors.
      The custom-made shelf has dozens of cubby holes while projecting shelves form a staircase for the cats to ascend to the ledge at the top, where they can sit and observe the goings-on below.
      Find out more about House for Booklovers and Cats ›

      The Hide Out, US, by Dan Brunn Architecture
      Dan Brunn Architecture renovated The Hide Out, which was originally designed by Frank Gehry in the 1970s, to pay homage to its initial simple material palette.
      In this living room and bedroom overlooking a meditation garden, the lush walnut seating nook is complemented by a built-in white bookshelf that also hides a fold-out bed.
      Find out more about The Hide Out ›

      Fin House, UK, by RA Projects
      The blue steel staircase in the middle of the living space in this home designed for fashion designer Roksanda Ilincic was designed to look “like a sculpture in a gallery.”
      As well as a staircase, the piece functions as a shelving system with multiple shelves in different sizes. Its back wall is broken up rather than solid, which lets light pass through and stops the colourful piece from feeling too solid.
      Find out more about Fin 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 peaceful bedrooms, calm living rooms and colourful kitchens.

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      Note Design Studio creates colourful interiors to “break the grid” of 1930s office building

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      Stockholm-based Note Design Studio used neutral colours and contrasting bright hues to reinvigorate the interiors of the Douglas House office building in London.Note Design Studio designed the Douglas House office space, which has 700 desks spread over six floors, for office developer The Office Group (TOG). It had previously designed the Summit House property for the company.

      Note Design Studio used natural materials and bright colours for the interiors of Douglas House
      The Swedish studio aimed to “break the grid” of the 14,235-square-metre 1930s office building, which has a vertical layout and red brick-facade.
      “As a building, Douglas House is very ‘rational’ in its architecture,” designer Johannes Carlström told Dezeen. “Even though it stretches quite far horizontally, it was vertical in its structure and spatial program.”

      Pieces by contemporary design brands are used throughout the space

      “We realised early that we wanted to ‘break the grid’ of the building and deliver an interior less predictable than what is expected from the industrial appearance of the facade,” he added.
      “That also related to a more abstract idea about breaking the conformity of our everyday lives, to design a place that actually shakes you up a bit when entering for your workday.”

      The studio focused on how the space would make users feel
      While many office spaces are designed to enhance productivity, Note Design Studio said its focus for Douglas House was more on creating the right feeling and mood.
      To create a space that would, in the words of the studio, bring a “gentle punch” to office design, it used contrasting colours and materials throughout the space.
      “The palette ranges from deep ochres to brisk light blues, calm chalk tones, popping reds and vivid blues,” Carlström said.

      Meeting rooms are painted in calm blue nuances
      The studio aimed to keep as much of the original details as possible but had to replace a lot of materials that were in poor condition. The original wooden floors, however, were lifted, renovated and put back into place.
      “We have worked with giving the building a more defined character by using materials that will live long together with the building itself,” Carlström said.

      A curvilinear glass wall connects the main spaces and adds privacy to meeting rooms
      A curvilinear wall made from glass blocks has been added to the ground floor to connects its three main public spaces.

      Note Design Studio includes recharge room in central London co-working space for TOG

      “It stretches through the whole building giving spatial richness to the promenade between different functions of the ground floor as well as a vivid backdrop enhanced by the activity of the meeting rooms that are blurred through the glass blocks,” Carlström explained.
      “The curve also creates unique footprints for the meeting rooms and the three communal spaces, which with a straight wall would have been more or less identical to one another in terms of space.”

      Materials such as ceramic tiles were chosen for their durability
      Other materials used for the project were chosen for their durability, as office buildings experience extensive wear and tear, and their reusability. They include steel, glass and ceramic tiles, as well as 100 per cent recyclable Tarkett IQ plastic wall and floor coverings.
      Douglas House was also given solar panels and a green biodiverse roof to further enhance its sustainability credentials.

      The Douglas House reception features a desk clad in Ettore Sottsass’ veneer
      Note Design Studio also added a number of design touches to the interior, including a reception desk in Ettore Sottsass veneer for Alpi in a striking blue-grey colour, and pieces from brands including Artrex and Muller van Severen in bright hues.
      Newly commissioned pieces from artists and designers including Jenny Nordberg, Jochen Holz, Wang & Söderström, Philipp Schenk-Mischke, James Shaw, Mijo Studio and Studio Furthermore also fill the building.

      Pale blue chairs contrast beige tiles and dark wood
      Douglas House also includes an “oxygen room” – a plant-filled space where the idea is that workers can relax and connect with nature, the “recharge room”, gym, cafe and a mothers’ room which is dedicated to nursing mothers.
      “We have worked with the whole building and designed small or big things on every square metre basically,” Carlström said. “A lot of the office spaces are done in the same manner, but the public and communal spaces all have their unique design attributes.”

      Earthy, warm hues create a welcoming feel
      Douglas House has 700 desks for over 1,000 employees and opened in November 2020. Note Design Studio thinks the final design has succeeded in creating a different kind of office space.
      “From our point of view it differs on many levels – it has a lot more expression than you normally see in an office space, a diversity of tempos and functions allowing people to choose what suits them best that specific day,” Carlström said.
      Among the studio’s other recent projects are the pastel-coloured Mantelpiece Loft interiors in Stockholm and a reusable trade fair stand for Vestre.
      Photography is courtesy of The Office Group.

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      ASKA creates escapist TV set for Stockholm Design Week interviews

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      Swedish architecture studio ASKA designed a set with terracotta colours, architectural shapes and real sand to create a sense of escapism for live interviews conducted during Stockholm Design Week.The backdrop was created for PR company Trendgruppen’s Design TV initiative, which was shown as a part of the Swedish capital’s annual design week.
      The 15-minute daily live episodes were conceived as a way of reaching an audience that, due to the coronavirus pandemic, were unable to attend the fair this year.

      A sculptural, terracotta-coloured sofa stands out against the peach background colour

      Reflecting the fact the much of the audience may be stuck at home, ASKA aimed to envoke a sense of escapism for the Design TV viewers.
      “Since we haven’t been able to travel for a while now we believe that the longing for exotic atmospheres is getting stronger – and we wanted to respond to this desire,” ASKA co-founder Polina Sandström told Dezeen.
      “The choice of colour therefore goes in tones such as peach, beige and terracotta, and the soft forms are inspired by the organic curves found in the Mediterranean area.”

      Linnea Legerfors and Polina Sandström of ASKA were interviewed by Stefan Nilsson for the live show
      The set also featured architectural shapes and a curated selection of glass, steel and ceramic accessories, as well as a pile of sand to underline the travel theme.
      The studio started the project by deciding on an angle and frame for the digital recording, and then designed and styled the setting from that one camera perspective.

      A variety of different materials including steel and glass created visual interest
      “By working with objects in different heights and placing details in different places – such as the sand pile, the folded fabrics and the vault backdrop – we were trying to create different focus points and thereby a more lively setting,” Sandström explained.
      “While placing interior objects with different distances from the wall and working with shadows we wanted to add a sense of ‘depth’ to the picture.”

      Architectural shapes were used to create a sense of stability
      ASKA chose a rich peach background colour, as digital settings require a lot of artificial light which can make the backdrop disappear.
      It also designed its own furniture, including a backdrop with vault-shaped openings, a coffee table and decorative pedestals to be used for the set. This was in an attempt to create a set design that would feel recognisable and safe.

      Tom Dixon finds “more inventive ways of reaching people” by visiting Stockholm Design Week as a hologram

      “We believe that being part of a very fast everyday rhythm while tangling unpredictable life scenarios has created a desire for stability and that people are drawn to a design language that is recognisable and familiar,” Sandström said.
      “Fundamental architectural elements such as vaults and columns provide this sense of safety and stability. In this setting we chose to reuse some of these large scale elements and show them in a small-scale context, as interior decorations.”

      Trendgruppen PR’s Karin Sköldberg interviewed by Stefan Nilsson
      With the coronavirus having severely affected physical attendance at design fairs, a number of organisers and brands have turned to digital solutions, such as livestreamed interviews, to showcase their events and products.
      Trendgruppen’s aim was for the Design TV broadcasts to share its design news with the media as well as architects, interior decorators and a design-interested audience.
      “The fair was closed, and we couldn’t arrange any press meetings or VIP cocktails – like we usually do – due to the pandemic,” Trendgruppen CEO Karin Sköldberg said.
      “The design companies had news to introduce, and we wanted to do something attractive, digital.”

      Beckmans students create furniture for the work-from-home era

      Though she thinks virtual talks will replace real-life conferences to some extent, Sköldberg still believes physical meetings will remain important.
      “There will still be live meetings and conferences,” she said. “We are humans and need to meet, and see each other. There is a lack of interaction when you only meet virtually.”
      Many other events have gone fully digital this year to reach people during the pandemic, including The World Around, while brands have also come up with innovative solutions – Tom Dixon’s eponymous founder attended Stockholm Design Week as a hologram.
      As part of Dezeen’s Virtual Design Festival, we livestreamed numerous Screentime interviews and events.
      Photography is by David Thunander.
      Trendgruppen Design TV took place during Stockholm Design Week on 8 February – 12 February. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Hugo McCloud’s artworks use plastic bags instead of paint

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      New York artist Hugo McCloud has created a series of artworks that contain no paint or glue, only thousands of small plastic pieces cut from single-use bags and melted together to form a motif.The series, called Burdened, is on view at Sean Kelly Gallery in Hudson Yards, New York until 27 February and spans 31 original pieces created by McCloud while quarantining in his Mexico studio.

      Together shows women carrying goods across the border of Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city in Morocco
      To create the collages, which mainly depict scenes of labour, McCloud first traces them onto a wood panel before filling them in with the multicoloured plastic scraps.
      These are individually cut from plastic bags and layered on top of each other, much like individual brush strokes, before being fused together with an iron.

      Burdened is on show at Sean Kelly Gallery

      “Due to the nature of the material and its thinness, you can always see underneath, so one colour applied on top of another creates a third colour,” McCloud told Dezeen.
      “There has to be a lot of forethought and planning before starting. The plastic is fused onto the panel with an iron, there is no removal or covering up, you must know what you’re trying to achieve. With paint, there is more freedom for chance and emotions. I do miss some of that but working with the plastic is very meditative, with an understood direction.”

      Several of the artworks show refugees crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Libya
      The bags come from recycling yards and waste management companies, or else the artist picks them up off the street himself or reuses ones that were given to him while shopping.
      Often, their branding remains visible in the final art piece, acting as a reminder of the material’s former life and reinforcing its familiarity.

      Each piece is a collage of hundreds or thousands of small plastic shreds
      Based on photographs found on the internet, the collages depict the movement of people and goods around the world, from workers transporting wares on their backs and bikes to refugees attempting to cross the Mediterranean Sea by boat.
      In this way, the Burdened series is not just a commentary on the environmental impact of single-use plastic but also an exploration of how this ubiquitous material transcends class and geography.

      Sweet Sneak Studio’s photo series puts focus on microplastics in the food chain

      “Traveling in India, I saw multi-colour plastic sacks everywhere and started to understand their downcycle, from the companies that purchased and used them to distribute their products, down to the trash pickers in Dharavi slums,” the artist explained.
      “The idea that these plastic bags would always be around – never biodegrade – interested me, and made me curious about the hands and lives of the many people they would pass through.”

      With all your Might is one of several pieces that show goods being transported by labourers
      The exhibition also includes a mini-series of collages showing flower arrangements, which McCloud made to offer the show’s visitors and himself a moment of respite from the dispiriting news cycles and monotony of lockdown.
      McCloud, who has a background in industrial design, is known for creating “paintings” from unusual, often three-dimensional materials like bitumen or aluminium sheeting.

      The exhibition features 31 artworks
      To mark New York City’s ban on plastic bags, local artist Robin Frohardt created a grocery store installation last March that was stocked with produce like tomatoes and berries, all formed from discarded single-use carriers he had collected from the city’s streets.
      Dutch food design studio Sweet Sneak has previously explored pollution and its environmental impact through a photo series, in which common foods and drinks such as beer and sushi were topped with styrofoam bubbles and wrapped in plastic bags.
      Installation view photographs are by Jason Wyche.
      Burdened is on view at Sean Kelly Gallery until 27 February 2021. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Roar Studio decorates Dubai cafe with terrazzo flooring and broken ceramic tiles

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      Design office Roar Studio combined industrial materials such as concrete and stainless steel with decorative terrazzo and broken ceramic tiles for Drop Coffee, a cafe in Dubai’s Dar Al Wasl Mall.The Dubai-based studio was asked to design an interior that would suit the flow of visitors to the cafe, who enter the space from two different entrances – one connected to the outdoors and one to the mall.

      The bar area is framed by a wooden structure
      It chose to keep the design simple by focusing on the materials used and framed the bar area of the cafe in pale wood and LED lights to create an eye-catching centrepiece.
      “This is the second outlet for this homegrown Emirati brand,” Roar Studio founder Pallavi Dean told Dezeen.
      “Their main drive was to achieve a minimal space where the coffee bar is a central feature and creates a theatrical moment – the making of the coffee is at the front and centre stage.”

      A broken-tile mosaic decorates the main wall

      The ceiling of the cafe is concrete and the studio also painted the walls with a concrete paint finish, which is complemented by a terrazzo-effect tiled stone floor in grey and white hues.
      Its colours and shapes are picked up on the main wall, which was decorated with a mosaic of broken ceramic tiles that form an abstract pattern similar to the floor.
      “We sourced basic white tiles from Rakceramics – a local manufacturer – which were then broken on-site to compose a patterned wall,” Dean explained.
      “We aren’t trying to reinvent the wheel by using broken tiles – our idea was to form a counterpoint to the terrazzo effect porcelain flooring as though the chips of the broken tiles were used in the flooring.”

      Stainless steel was used for the countertops
      A large counter in pale wood is connected to the ceiling by beams in the same material, framing the bar area of the store. The counter is covered in stainless steel, which was chosen for both practical and aesthetic reasons.

      BLUE Architecture Studio adds U-shaped glass box to Shanghai coffee shop

      “The coffee bar has a stainless steel countertop which is extremely sturdy and hygienic but also allows the light to bounce through the space because of its reflectivity,” Dean said.

      Orange clamp-style tables for a quick coffee break
      Around the base of the bar, lighted skirting made out of glass blocks give the impression that it is floating above the ground. By the side of the bar, the enclosed kitchen area features a wall made from matching glass blocks, enabling visitors to see the silhouettes of Drop Coffee’s staff while they work.
      The studio also chose to work with certain materials to help create a less noisy atmosphere for the visitors.
      “The ceiling is acoustic foam sprayed, an effect that adds to the industrial aesthetic and helps muffle the noise in the open-plan space – not to mention the noise generated by the coffee machines,” Dean explained.

      Grey hues and pale wood decorate the space
      Drop Coffee already has one cafe in Dubai and the plan is for each of the branches to be associated with a different colour, with burnt orange used for Roar Studios’ design.
      The colour has been dotted throughout the space and was used for seating as well as on clamp-style tables set along one wall for customers who want to have a quick coffee standing up.

      Australia’s dramatic landscape and sunsets inform design of Hong Kong cafe

      Roar Studio was founded in 2013 as Pallavi Dean Interiors by Dean, who was a Dezeen Awards 2020 judge, and rebranded as Roar Studio in 2018. It has previously designed a high-tech learning space for children in Dubai and issued a white paper about the ways in which Covid-19 will impact the design of schools and colleges.
      Photography is by Oculis Project.

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      Simon Hamui creates clean-lined furniture for minimalist Mexico City house

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      Mexican design firm Simon Hamui has created bespoke furnishings for a moody and minimalist Mexico City home by Spanish practice Francesc Rifé Studio, using a tactile palette of eucalyptus wood, glass, quartzite, marble and brass.AdH House, which was completed last year, is a two-storey home in the residential neighbourhood of Lomas de Chapultepec and features a dark grey facade and black aluminium shutters across its two monolithic volumes.

      Top: a marble and glass coffee table centres the living room. Above: Simon Hamui created a series of built-in shelves for the home
      Simon Hamui was commissioned by the owners to create a number of custom furniture pieces that would complement and complete the work of Francesc Rife Studio, which saw the interior finished with cream coloured walls, natural stone and wood surfaces.
      “After working together in the past, [the clients] called on us to design and execute some of the key pieces of millwork and furniture throughout this house, as well as to help them curate and integrate their art collection with the millwork and interior,” explained Simon Hamui who founded his eponymous studio in 1991.
      “The house, which is a masterpiece of contemporary architecture by Francesc Rife, has very clean and minimalistic lines and we needed to strike a fine balance by complementing his architecture and integrating furnishings that amplified the owner’s lifestyle and personal partiality.”

      A quartzite lamp helps to prop up the glass tabletop

      In the living room, the firm created a custom coffee table and matching bench made from honed, grand antique marble and starphire glass — a brand of low-iron, high-clarity glass. It features sculptural solid brass legs and an integrated quartzite lamp, which also serves as a support for the tabletop.
      “To add an element of symmetry, we used the same quartzite featured on the coffee table for the adjacent bar mirrors and the aged brass on the bar’s base,” added Hamui.

      A slatted divider created privacy in the dining room
      A slatted screen divider in the dining room serves as an architectural element that divides the main hallway and living room from the dining room. Its aged brass frame encompasses smoked glass and thin wood slats that provide privacy in the dining room while still allowing light to filter through.
      On the dining room side, an aged eucalyptus wood console with a grey quartzite countertop and brass detailing is integrated into the room divider.

      Display cases in the wine cellar are lit by LED strips
      These same materials are mirrored in the dining table with its stone top and removable extensions made of smoked eucalyptus, that help to accommodate larger parties when needed.
      Sitting at either end of the table, the extensions can also be used as consoles for displaying decorative objects.

      A marble table in the cellar can be used for entertaining
      In the house’s glass-walled, temperature-controlled wine cellar, Hamui has installed rectangular wine display cases made from starphire glass. Bottles are stored on inset satin aluminium racks and lit by integrated LED lights.
      “These are designed to display the bottles in the purest way possible,” said Hamui. “The intentional positioning of the bottles creates a rhythmic and ornamental tapestry-like display that decorates the exterior space and draws people in.”
      The cellar also houses a Grigio Carnico marble table that can be used for hosting small gatherings.

      The wood-clad office was conceived in the wake of the pandemic
      The study was not part of the house’s original design but added by the clients after moving in as a direct response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
      Hamui conceived its interior as a functional wooden box, with ceiling and walls clad in eucalyptus and enhanced with micro-perforations and sound insulation to allow for greater privacy.

      The built-in shelves are by Simon Hamui and the chandelier by Jaime Tresserra
      Hamui also added a floor-to-ceiling bookcase lined with suede leather and brass details while an angular, stainless steel chandelier by Barcelona designer Jaime Tresserra hangs above the desk.
      In the family room, a large ​figured eucalyptus bookcase with brass bookstands and LED lighting is built into the wall behind the sofa, housing a textured Jason Martin painting as well as antique atlases. On the other side of the room, a millwork unit houses a TV and desk.

      A eucalyptus bookcase in the living room houses antique atlases
      Hamui’s Mexico City workshop specialises in the design and manufacture of furniture as well as comprehensive interior design projects for private residences, hotels, restaurants, yachts and art galleries.
      Last year, the studio also completed the millwork for a house with huge “beak-like” windows in New York’s Dutchess County, designed by US studio GRT Architects.
      Photography is by Victor Stonem.

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      Sky-blue cafe in Buffalo features “Alice in Wonderland” staircase

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      Canadian design duo Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster have created a playful all-blue cafe in a century-old house in Buffalo, New York, with an optical illusion staircase.Named Tipico Coffee, the cafe’s identity was formed with the intention of designing a space that encourages social interactions and supports local craftsmanship.

      The cafe’s main bar is grafted from reclaimed furniture
      Reclaimed furniture and lighting made from construction-site string lights feature alongside an oversized staircase to nowhere which forms amphitheatre-style seating.
      The cafe’s main bar is made from ten reclaimed wooden tables sourced from classified advertisements website Craigslist.

      The main bar encourages social interactions

      The tables are grafted together and painted in sky-blue, forming a unified bar which runs along one wall of the cafe.
      “The process of designing the cafe really started with the idea of the social infrastructure of the grafted bar,” Jamrozik and Kempster told Dezeen.

      Drinks on ice are displayed between the bar’s table-tops
      The open bar has clusters of swivelling stools arranged around blue table-tops that jut out of the bar’s customer side, allowing easy socialising between customers and staff.
      “The different shapes of the tables come together to create opportunities for conversations,” continued the designers.
      “This is augmented with the use of swivelling bar stools that allow patrons the ability to turn their bodies to orient themselves to a new connection.”

      Swivelling stools encourage random encounters between customers and staff

      BLUE Architecture Studio adds U-shaped glass box to Shanghai coffee shop

      Groups of circular olive-green garden tables and chairs, as well as built-in blue benches, make up two intimate seating areas behind each side of the bar, which are separated by a wall.
      The tables and chairs used are purposefully outdoor furniture. This means that the seating can be moved onto an exterior patio in the summer months.

      Tipico’s atmosphere is a mix of indoors and outdoors
      Various scattered potted plants blend green and blue furniture together and continue the theme of bringing the outdoors inside.
      Jamrozik and Kempster explained their intentions for using sky-blue as the cafe’s dominant colour.

      Ménard Dworkind creates retro coffee bar in downtown Montreal

      “We wanted to use a vibrant colour to visually tie together the bar and benches to create continuity in the space and give visual emphasis to the bar as the main design gesture.”
      “We chose blue to both complement the olive green furniture and plants, but also to create moments of contrast with the bespoke yellow lights,” they continued.

      Potted plants are scattered around the space
      The bespoke lights designed for the cafe are composed of construction-site string lights, wound around sections of aluminium stock tubes. They hang above the bar and the seating areas.
      “We wanted to transform the string lights, while still making it clear what the source product was,” explained the designers.

      Lighting made from construction-site string lights
      Metal pegboard is another off-the-shelf material used in the space, making up a menu board behind the bar, a merchandise display board and a community message board.
      The bottom of the main bar and built-in-benches was also lined with wooden pegboard in order to “give them both a visual texture, taking advantage of the acoustic properties of the perforations,” said Jamrozik and Kempster

      A merchandise display board made from metal pegboard
      A sense of the building’s historic charm remains in the existing fireplace that is preserved, which is painted in a strip of the same sky-blue paint as the main bar.
      An over-scaled stairwell acts as an additional, cosy seating area fit for a couple of customers at a time.

      The building’s original fireplace and its playful stairwell
      Sealed off by a mirror and leading to nowhere, the stairwell is intended as an “Alice in Wonderland moment,” enhancing the cafe’s playfulness.
      “The stairway’s oversized steps effectively shrink the visitor and act as seats while the mirrored ceiling gives the impression that the space continues up,” explained Jamrozik and Kempster.
      “We imagine people will be drawn to the curious space and hope that they enjoy the tongue-in-cheek reference that plays on the domestic history of the original building,” continued the designers.

      Sealed off by a mirror, the stairwell is an optical illusion
      Jamrozik and Kempster note the importance of playful design in their work, which they believe connects people in public spaces.
      “We use the language of play to create social infrastructures: physical prompts which encourage contact between strangers.”
      “We believe that questioning the way people use and occupy space and their relationship to one another through playful encounters has enormous potential to speak across generations and cultural differences,” they continued.

      The importance of play is an influence in Jamrozik and Kempster’s design work
      Designers everywhere are acknowledging the importance of designing public spaces to maximise social interactions. In Montreal, Ménard Dworkind has created a cafe with a central standing bar, while Central Saint Martins graduates have created blocky outdoor furniture for a public square in Croydon, London.
      Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster have collaborated on design projects since 2003. Their varied work spans temporary installations and permanent interior and architectural commissions.
      Photography is by Sara Schmidle.
      Project credits: 
      Architecture team: Abstract Architecture PC

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      Penthouse of SOM-designed tower transformed into collectible design gallery

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      Seminal furniture designs by Brazilian modernists sit alongside contemporary art in a shoppable exhibition within the 40th-floor penthouse of a recently-opened San Francisco residential tower by architecture firm SOM.Travelling French-Lebanese gallery Gabriel & Guillaume has decorated the interior of the penthouse of the new Fifteen Fifty building in bright colours and patterns, and furnished it with a mix of new and mid-century pieces, all of which are for sale as part of the showcase.

      Top: An open living space is at the centre of the penthouse. Above: The apartment’s office features a sofa by Carlo Hauner and Martin Eisler
      The exhibition, which will run through summer 2021, is a collaboration between the gallery, the building’s developers Related California and branding agency FrenchCalifornia, which specialises in creating exhibitions within model apartments.
      The team was tasked with decorating the three-bedroom, three-bathroom penthouse – with interior architecture designed by Los Angeles firm Marmol Radziner – to create a scheme that is “livable and approachable”.
      “We always work to conceptualise and execute spaces that help visitors see that collectible design can be attainable and fun, so this project came very naturally to us,” FrenchCalifornia told Dezeen.

      The master bedroom features almond green walls and a hand-knotted wool and silk rug by Marguerite le Maire

      Pieces on show hail from Italy, France and Brazil, dating from the 1940s to present day.
      They sit alongside a contemporary art collection curated by gallerist Jessica Silverman, which includes works by American sculptor Davina Semo, multi-media artist Julian Hoeber, painter and photographer Ian Wallace, Israeli artist Amikam Toren and Berlin-based Claudia Wieser.

      A Jacaranda wood and marble dining table by Sergio Rodrigues sits in the dining room area alongside dining chairs by Martin Szekely
      Vivid paint colours such as the deep blue in the open kitchen, almond green in the bedroom and 1980s-style graphic green wallpaper in the office were chosen to reflect the spirit of the city while complementing the furniture and helping to define the different rooms.
      Describing their style as “eclectic”, Gabriel & Guillaume pulled together a diverse selection of furniture from different countries and eras.
      Pieces designed in the 1980s by French designer Martin Szekely sit alongside work by Brazilian modernists such as Martin Eisler and Carlo Hauner, who founded illustrious furniture brand Forma, and Jorge Zalszupin.

      The living space opens up into a dining room
      Contemporary furniture pieces include designs by Beirut-based Ranya Sarakbi and Niko Koronis, who is known for his work with resin. Rugs by Iwan Maktabi and textile designer Marguerite Le Maire, as well as pieces by ceramicist Maloles Antignac were chosen to complement the furniture.
      “When we buy pieces, we don’t think of how they will go together,” Nancy Gabriel and Guillaume Excoffier of Gabriel & Guillaume told Dezeen. “Most great pieces usually go together if proportions work – and when one piece looks uneasy with another one, just add a third one.”

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      In the past decade, an increasing number of galleries and art shows have moved their showcases from traditional gallery spaces to domestic settings.
      “Buyers, designers and decorators alike prefer to see pieces in situ and visualise a piece in a lived-in space, and the model residence is obviously the perfect platform to do this,” said FrenchCalifornia.

      The living room features ballet slipper pink walls
      “With retail moving fast online, when you want to actually bring people to an exhibition, you need to offer them an experience,” Gabriel & Guillaume added.
      “The coldness of a white cube does not do that. In comparison, getting into a home is always a more special moment. While you can see the pieces, you can also discover the way they go together and the curation of the space. The homely format definitely has more soul.”

      Tall windows in the bathroom offer views of the city beyond
      This sentiment is echoed by the founders of Nomad, a travelling art fair founded in 2017 that showcases collectible design in exclusive villas and apartments.
      Speaking about the fair’s residential context, Nomad co-founder Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte told Dezeen: “What is good is that you can relate on a domestic scale with the objects. Most design collectors don’t buy for their storage for investment, they buy pieces to live with them. So to have them in a domestic environment is definitely perfect because you can relate to them.”
      Photography by Douglas Friedman.

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