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  • Creating sets for Normal People took a mixture of intuition and second-hand gems says production designer

    Using second-hand finds to create “clinical but tasteful” spaces reflective of protagonist Marianne Sheridan’s family life drove the set design of hit series Normal People, says production designer Lucy van Lonkhuyzen.Van Lonkhuyzen aimed to create a sense of realism when designing the show, which is set in the small, fictional town of Carricklea in Sligo, Ireland and later in Dublin.
    Making the sets look “lived-in” was one of Van Lonkhuyzen’s main objectives in production design, which she achieved by sourcing all props and details second-hand, from online marketplace Gumtree as well as charity, antique and vintage shops.
    “Finding these things is completely down to chance,” the designer told Dezeen. “That’s why I hoard!”
    “I hate to work with anything new,” she continued. “So I didn’t want to go to any big, major furniture places. I don’t do it and I never will.”
    “I wanted every set to be unique, and for the viewer to see that character in that set. I wanted everything on screen to look the best it possibly could be without looking like a set.”

    Top image and above: The Sheridan house in Sligo. Images by Suzie Lavelle.
    The 12-part production, which first aired in the UK in April 2020, is an adaptation of the best-selling book Normal People by Sally Rooney.

    Along with finding the right props from second-hand sources, the main challenge for Van Lonkhuyzen was forming the sets from the limited visual prompts in Rooney’s original narrative.
    “From a location perspective, Sally Rooney isn’t very descriptive in her books – she lets you kind of do the thinking on it. So it was really tricky,” she said.
    Cold colour palettes emulate Marianne’s family life
    The drama series follows the turbulent relationship between Marianne Sheridan and Connell Waldron – played by Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal – as they grow from teenagers to adults.
    Both the novel and TV series centre around Marianne’s complicated home life. Her father, who is deceased, is revealed to have been a domestic abuser, while her brother Alan is portrayed to carry many of the same traits, and is abusive to Marianne throughout the series.

    Connell’s bedroom in Sligo. Image by Suzie Lavelle.
    Van Lonkhuyzen wanted the sets to feed into this difficult dynamic. The Sheridan household is a large country-style estate featuring a “sedatory” interior colour palette of muted blue and grey tones.
    “I wanted the character of Marianne’s mother to be reflected in her [family] house,” Van Lonkhuyzen told Dezeen. “[Denise] is a solicitor who was born in Dublin but now lives in Sligo. She’s not a nice character, but she has taste.”
    “So, inherently, I wanted the Sheridan household to be quite cold, but yet there’s still little pockets of taste in there,” she continued.
    “By doing that, we literally didn’t buy anything new; everything was from auctions or from Gumtree. I didn’t want the house to look like anything else.”
    “If people notice that [the set] was designed… I haven’t done my job”
    The subdued colour palette provides the backdrop for tasteful pieces of art and furniture that Van Lonkhuyzen imagines to have been inherited from parents and grandparents, which she used to convey a sense of controlled sophistication.
    “It’s even in the way the house is laid out – she’d be quite progressive putting the kitchen in the front room, but yet she still has her traditional dining room across the hallway,” said the designer.

    Marianne’s bedroom in Sligo. Image by Suzie Lavelle.
    According to Van Lonkhuyzen, it was important to contrast Marianne’s cold, and at times dark, upbringing to the love-filled relationship that fellow protagonist Connell has with his mother, Lorraine, who works as a cleaner for the wealthy Sheridan family.
    The two characters live in a terraced house in the suburbs, which features warm tones and walls covered with worn wallpaper that is dotted with framed photographs of the mother and son.
    “Lorraine, even though she’s a single mom and money is tight, she has pride in her house,” said Van Lonkhuyzen. “So I wanted to give her a bit of design as well – the kind that didn’t jump out at you, but where everything just blended in.”
    “I’m not talking about colours or palettes here, I’m talking about look,” she continued. “Because, for me, if people notice that it was designed… well then I haven’t done my job.”
    “With shoots like Normal People, your first instinct needs to be right”
    The process of creating realistic sets was made easier by working with the location manager Eoin Holohan, who also happens to be Van Lonkhuyzen’s husband.
    “Locations are so important in anything like this. But also it was mainly just intuition. As soon as you step into place, you think, yeah, this is right,” she said.

    The kitchen in Marianne’s university house in Dublin. Image by Suzie Lavelle.
    “With shoots like Normal People you don’t really have time to think; your first instinct needs to be right, and if it’s not then you’re in trouble,” she continued.
    “I was lucky in that, instinctively, myself and my team got it correct eight or nine times out of 10. Once the Sheridan house was nailed, it made everything a lot easier because you had a basis to work from.”

    Marianne’s Wellington Road house. Image by Lucy van Lonkhuyzen.
    Later in the series, Marianne and Connell leave Sligo to attend university at Trinity College Dublin.
    For Marianne’s university accommodation, which is located on Wellington Road, Van Lonkhuyzen wanted to bring in some of the same design elements seen in her mother’s home, but with a more vibrant and less constrained touch.
    Marianne’s university flat reflects her freedom from hometown
    While the set conveys her new-found independence and freedom that was granted by moving out of her family home, it still shows that she hasn’t quite been able to let go of the style that formed her, said the designer.
    “She’s come from such a cold and clinical, but tasteful, environment, so I wanted to bring a sense of warmth and security into Wellington road.”
    This was formed with the help of colourful, “bourgeois-style” furniture and “much looser” artworks than was seen in the Sheridan home, which hang on pistachio green walls alongside shelves full of random objects and trinkets.

    The living room in Marianne’s Wellington Road house. Image by Lucy van Lonkhuyzen.
    While Marianne’s family home and Wellington road flat were filmed in-situ, other settings were built from scratch in a studio to better host some of the show’s more intimate sex scenes. This included Connell’s bedroom at his family home in Sligo.
    “Connell’s [family] house was tiny, and the bedroom was even smaller. So because of the nature of the scenes, it made complete sense to put it into a studio,” explained van Lonkhuyzen.
    “We built it so we could have a slightly bigger space that was better for camera angles and lighting and privacy, in order to get the right atmosphere for the scene that they needed to get.”

    Connell’s bedroom in Sligo. Image by Lucy van Lonkhuyzen.
    This room was one that Van Lonkhuyzen worried about the most, she explained, as it was important to make it effortlessly seem like any other ordinary bedroom belonging to a boy in his late-teens.
    The room is characterised by its messy, mismatched bedding and posters taped to the wall, which Van Lonkhuyzen confesses she “hates for various reasons”. However, she still managed to get one of her favourite pieces in – a simple yellow and red lamp from the 1980s, found in a nearby charity shop.
    “I was petrified of getting it wrong,” she said. “But then two women with sons in their late teens visited the set one day, and said ‘oh my god this looks exactly like my boy’s bedroom!’, so it turned out perfect.”

    Dressing scenes for Killing Eve was “like finding treasure” says set decorator

    Normal People was first released in the UK online on BBC Three on 26 April 2020, before premiering on RTÉ One in Ireland on 28 April and in the US on Hulu on 29 April. The full series is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.
    Images courtesy of Suzie Lavelle and Lucy van Lonkhuyzen.

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  • Ritz & Ghougassian uses bricks and Australian wood inside Melbourne's Prior cafe

    The rustic materiality of this Melbourne cafe designed by architecture studio Ritz & Ghougassian is meant to reflect the fuss-free dishes on the menu.Prior is situated along the lively high street of Melbourne’s Thornbury suburb, taking over a building that once served as an industrial printing house.

    Prior cafe occupies a building that was once a printing house
    When Ritz & Ghougassian were brought on board to develop the interiors of the cafe, it stripped back any decorative elements left behind from the old fit-out, only preserving the brick walls and eight-metre-high truss ceiling.

    “It was clear to us that we had to honour the original space by proposing an intervention that sat apart from the original framework of the building,” the studio’s co-founder, Jean-Paul Ghougassian, told Dezeen.

    Bricks cover the cafe’s floor and the base of the service bar
    The space now features just a handful of elements made from unfussy materials that reflect the simple “paddock-to-plate” ethos that Prior applies to its menu.
    Bricks run across the floor and form the base of the service bar that lies on one side of the room.

    Concrete and terrazzo furniture feature in Ritz&Ghougassian’s minimal cafe interior

    Apricot-hued concrete forms the upper half of the bar and the chunky ledge that runs around its outer side, providing a place for customers to rest beverages or snacks.
    The hot drinks menu is presented on a mirrored panel behind the bar. It stands beside a single shelf that displays a curated selection of wine or bags of coffee which are available to buy.

    Apricot-hued concrete forms the top of the service bar
    “Honest, elegant and refined flavours informed the built environment; by taking a reductive approach to the design both in materiality and form ultimately allowed the food to be the hero,” Ghougassian explained.
    “Rather than simply creating a slick new eatery, there’s a warmth and richness to the space, celebrating the unevenness and rough textures of the walls and floors.”

    Seating throughout the cafe is crafted from Australian Blackbutt wood
    Customers can alternatively dine at the black-steel counters that have been built into the cafe’s front windows or along the seating banquette that runs along the far side of the room, upholstered in chestnut-brown leather.
    The banquette faces onto a row of dining tables which, along with the cafe’s bench-style seats and stools, have been crafted from Australian Blackbutt wood.
    “Like much of our work, using materials that are locally sourced and manufactured is important to us – this brings about an authenticity and specificity to the design that isn’t easily replicated,” added Ghougassian.

    There’s also a brown-leather seating banquette
    At the centre of the floor plan is a box filled with timber logs and a wood burner that the studio hopes will serve as a comforting focal point of the cafe, especially during the chilly winter months.
    Surrounding walls and the ceiling were freshened up with a coat of white paint.

    A wood burner sits at the centre of the cafe
    Ritz & Ghougassian was founded in 2016 by Jean-Paul Ghougassian and Gilad Ritz. Prior isn’t the only cafe that the studio has designed in its home city of Melbourne – back in 2018 it completed Bentwood, which boasts brick-red interiors.
    In 2017, the studio also created Penta, a minimal cafe that features concrete, terrazzo and silver-metal surfaces.
    Photography is by Tom Ross.

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  • Aston Martin collaborates with S3 Architecture to design first residential project

    US studio S3 Architecture worked with luxury carmaker Aston Martin’s architectural design service to create Sylvan Rock, an angular black-cedar home in Hudson Valley, New York.With building works set to start in early 2021, Sylvan Rock by S3 Architecture will be the first property to be fully realised under Aston Martin’s Automotive Galleries and Lairs service, which launched last year.

    The form of Sylvan Rock house will mimic jagged rock formations nearby
    The service sees the carmaker team up with architecture practices across the world to design bespoke spaces where its clients can show off their most cherished motors.

    Sylvan Rock will be situated two hours away from Manhattan, hidden amongst a 55-acre plot of forested land in Hudson Valley that will allow inhabitants to “reconnect with nature”.

    Luxury cars will be displayed in a glass gallery-style room
    A sweeping driveway that spans 2,000 feet (609 metres) will lead up to the front door of the house. The facade will be composed of expansive panels of glazing and blackened cedar.
    Its dark metal roof will be faceted to emulate the jagged shape of surrounding rock formations, at one point dramatically dipping downwards to form a covered entryway.

    The house will also include a subterranean office
    “When designing, we always let the land speak first and respond to it,” said Christopher Dierig, partner at S3 Architecture.
    “It’s as if the home is born of and launching from the landscape. The resulting design blends our modernist aesthetic with the privacy and context of the rural location to create a unique luxury experience.”

    Parquet flooring and dark-wood joinery will feature throughout living spaces on the ground floor
    Cars will be displayed in a subterranean gallery-style room that’s completely enclosed by panels of glass.
    It will look through to a wine lounge where bottles are kept in floor-to-ceiling latticed shelves that subtly nod to the intersecting lines seen in Aston Martin’s logo.

    Lounge areas will overlook the green landscape
    At this level there will also be an office where the inhabitants can escape to do work without interruption. It will feature a huge window that offers an up-close glimpse of the craggy rocks outdoors.
    From here guests can head upstairs to the ground floor where there will be a kitchen, cosy den, dining room, formal sitting area and an array of other shared living spaces that look out across the home’s decked pool area and verdant landscape.

    Other rooms will have views of the home’s pool
    Aston Martin – which will be responsible for the home’s interiors – imagines each room to be finished with parquet flooring and rich chocolate-brown storage cabinetry.
    Marble-topped tables and plush, leather-trimmed soft furnishings will further enhance the opulent feel of the home.

    The first-floor master bedroom will cantilever towards the Catskill mountains
    Elevated views across the treetops and towards the nearby Catskill Mountains will be available up in the first-floor master bedroom, which will cantilever over the house’s ground floor.

    Aston Martin launches architectural service to design homes focused around your car

    “Our architecture and design team was immediately in sync with the Aston Martin design team, both emphasizing clean lines and the luxury of natural materials and textures,” the studio’s partner, Doug Maxwell, told Dezeen.
    “Working with them we evolved our creative process to view the residence in a similar way as designing an Aston Martin car – by designing in 360 degrees, where no specific angle or facade took precedence or dominates.”

    Sylvan Rock will also include three pods where guests can stay
    The grounds of Sylvan Rock will additionally accommodate three gabled guest pods that will stagger down a grassy embankment towards a pond.
    They will enable visiting friends and family to have a sense of privacy when they come to stay but, when not in use, can alternatively serve as a health and fitness space or a quiet area for homeschooling.
    There will also be a small produce garden where fruit and vegetables can be grown, as well as a pitched-roof treehouse where inhabitants or guests can choose to spend a night under the stars, closer to the site’s wildlife.

    There will also be a treehouse on site
    Aston Martin’s Automotive Galleries and Lairs service is not the brand’s first venture outside of carmaking. Last year it unveiled its inaugural motorcycle model, AMB 001, which features a 180-horsepower turbocharged engine and a carbon-fibre body.
    Images are by S3 Architecture, courtesy of Corcoran Country Living.

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  • Ten pink interiors that range from rose blush to bright coral

    From homes with peach-coloured walls to rose-tinted shops and restaurants, we’ve rounded up 10 interiors projects to make you think pink.

    Cats’ Pink House, Taiwan, KC Design Studio

    This holiday home in Taiwan is all pink – even the basketball court. KC Design Studio created the house by the sea for a client who owns several cats, so the interior includes pink cat ladders and a fluffy swing for the feline companions to recline on.
    Find out more about Cats’ Pink House ›

    The Daily Edited, Australia, Pattern Studio
    Pattern Studio created a shop in Melbourne entirely in the signature colour of lifestyle brand The Daily Edited.
    Blush-coloured walls are complemented by pale terrazzo floors and slabs of Norwegian rose marble.
    Find out more about The Daily Edited ›

    Ecnesse, China, by Penda China
    Penda China used a rosy colour palette to create cosy cave-like interiors for high-end beauty salon Ecnesse in Beijing.
    The rounded edges of the pink furniture echo the arched mirrors and doorways, which can be screened off using deep red velvet curtains.
    Find out more about Ecnesse ›

    Waterfront Nikis Apartment, Greece, by Stamatios Giannikis
    Colourful flamingo-coloured walls are a standout feature of this apartment in an art deco building in Thessaloniki.
    Architect Stamatios Giannikis, who hosts dinners and exhibitions in this apartment he designed, chose the pink walls to enhance the views of the sea from beyond the balcony.
    Find out more about Waterfront Nikis Apartment ›

    His House and Her House, China, Wutopia Labs
    Part house, part installation, His House and Her House is a pair of structures that Chinese studio Wutopia Labs used to explore ideas around gender.
    The feminine side of the project is painted entirely in pastel pinks, featuring billowing pink curtains across the facade and a patio filled with pink rock salt instead of gravel.
    Find out more about His House and Her House ›

    Minimal Fantasy, Spain, Patricia Bustos Studio
    This striking holiday rental apartment in Madrid is decorated in 12 different shades of pink. Patricia Bustos Studio wanted to create something on of a kind, using bubblegum hues, satin sheets and surfaces with iridescent sheen.
    “Pink is already the colour of a whole generation,” said the studio. “The generation of the brave, those who are not afraid of change.”
    Find out more about Minimal Fantasy ›

    Specus Corallii, Italy, Antonino Cardillo
    Specus Corallii, or The Coral Cave, is a music room in Sicily that’s decorated in homage to the shell imagery associated with the city of  Trapani.
    The walls are covered in rough plasterwork that has been painted a muted pink to create a grotto-like interior, complimented by slabs of honey-coloured limestone.
    Find out more about Specus Corallii ›

    The Olive Houses, Spain, by Mar Plus Ask
    The Olive Houses are a cluster of off-the-grid guesthouses in Mallorca designed as a retreat for artists and writers seeking a place to create free from interruptions.
    Architecture studio Mar Plus Ask built the retreat around the boulders that litter the ancient olive grove, plastering the walls in a pale-pink stucco chosen to compliment the delicate green leaves of the trees.
    Find out more about The Olive Houses ›

    Humble Pizza, UK, Child Studio
    Child Studio created interiors for this vegan pizza restaurant in London that pay tribute to 1950s greasy spoon cafes.
    Candy pink walls and furnishings highlight the pink Formica tables and countertops, all the flatware is pink and pink newspapers are used as decoration as well as reading material.
    Find out more about Humble Pizza ›

    Angle + Eart St Studio, Australia, by BoardGrove Architects
    Three different tones of peach were selected by BoardGrove Architects to decorate the interiors of this shared office space in Melbourne. The trio of colours subtly differentiates between the front of house, workspaces and back of house zones.
    See more Angle + Eart St Studio ›

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  • KCC Design creates monochrome office for own studio in former factory space

    KCC Design has completed the interior design for its own office in Shanghai, which features an exhibition space and 21 enclosed boxes for individual work in a subdued colour palette.The studio, which works in architecture and interior design as well as wayfinding, regional planning and lighting design, created the office in an old factory building that has been converted into office space.
    KCC Design designed its new office, which has been shortlisted for the Dezeen Awards 2020 in the large workspace interior category, to make a move away from open-plan working.

    Top: the KCC Office reception area. Above: the ground floor is taken up by an exhibition space
    “The most important thing is that we have been working in an open office working environment so far,” KCC Design principal and design director Marco De La Torre told Dezeen.

    “We thought it is problematic because more and more people no longer want this kind of working environment but a living environment,” he added.
    “After all, as a design company, we spend a longer time at the office, so we need to re-think how an office should be.”

    The studio wanted the office to be a “living environment”
    Though the studio was working from home in February due to the coronavirus pandemic, life in Shanghai returned to a sense of normalcy after March, De La Torre said, enabling it to come back to the office.
    “We are wearing masks for public transportation and public venues like cinemas, all other activities have returned to normality,” De La Torre said.

    On the first floor, 21 boxes function as more private workspaces
    The studio discussed how to combine ideas of “individual and independent thinking” with “collective and cooperation creating” for the design of its office.
    The solution was to divide the space into separate uses for separate floors. The ground floor of the office is the studio’s public area, which it calls its “living space”.
    This floor has meeting rooms and tea rooms for client meetings, as well as an exhibition space that can also host events.

    White and grey were the only colours used for the interior
    Upstairs on the first floor, the core office area has 21 enclosed boxes that are used as the studio’s main workspaces. They are designed to function as private work areas where team members can also feel at home.
    “This office design is for the people to feel ‘living’ here, not only as work display,” De La Torre said.

    Old nylon factory converted into “cathedral-like” office space

    KCC Design worked with a limited material and colour palette when designing the space. When it came to colour, the studio kept its office mainly white and grey, and said the reason behind its colour and material choices was simple.
    “Concrete and paint are the only two materials,” said De La Torre. “The reason for choosing such materials is their extreme plasticity. These inert materials also symbolise human wisdom and technology.”

    The office entrance features geometric shapes
    “They have no personality,” De La Torre explained. “As dead as an inorganic substance. This extreme quietness is what we need most in a noisy urban environment and an impetuous work environment.”
    “Of course, the white of the whole wall also has the meaning of white paper to the designer,” he added. “It represents the birth can be anything.”
    Describing interior and architectural design as a poetic, logical system, De La Torre said artificial space should be respected as an artefact.
    “Therefore, the space poetry of this office space is ‘we living here instead of working here now’,” he said. “And the logical principle of our interior is a ‘fluid and continuous public space’ and a ‘solid and independent private space’.”
    Many former factory spaces and warehouses have been turned into offices, including an old nylon factory in Arnhem that is now a “cathedral-like office space and a heritage building in Mumbai.

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  • Shaker-inspired rooms feature in Mexico City's Círculo Mexicano hotel

    Architecture studio Ambrosi Etchegaray drew upon the pared-back design ethos of the Shakers to create the minimal rooms within this hotel in Mexico City.The Círculo Mexicano hotel is located downtown of Mexico City, taking over a 19th-century building that previously accommodated private residences.

    The hotel occupies a 19th-century building
    Ambrosi Etchegaray, which is led by architects Jorge Ambrosi and Gabriela Etchegaray, undertook the task of transforming it into a more hospitable space.

    The studio has left behind some time-worn elements that hint at how long the building has been around – for example, the dramatic zigzag staircase that links together all the levels of the hotel backs onto a wall of crumbling bricks.

    A zigzag staircase links together the hotel’s different floors
    However in the 25 bedrooms, which are spread across the building’s second and third floors, the studio has taken a much more contemporary, minimal approach.

    Ryo Kan hotel blends Mexican materials and Japanese traditions

    A key point of reference was the style of the Shakers: a Christian sect founded in 1747 that has become known for their ascetic lifestyles and equally austere approach to designing their living quarters and furniture, which were completely devoid of ornamentation.
    “Originally all the design process was inspired by an ecclesiastical aesthetics,” Ambrosi told Dezeen. “With that premise, we imagined an architecture free of ornament, where the correct use of simple materials enhances the quality of the space.”

    Rooms in the hotel have simple Shaker-inspired interiors
    “When we saw the first room partially finished, we decide to invite different designers to work on the essential elements for the space, lighting, desk, chair, etc,” Ambrosi continued.
    “We had some initial talks with studio La Metropolitana to design a chair for the room and they came back with a proposal to create a group of utilitarian elements that will become part of the room,” he added.
    “Their proposal was inspired in the Shakers – they understand the value of that movement as a community that developed a refined technique working with wood.”

    Some of the rooms boast barrel-vaulted ceilings
    Círculo Mexicano’s rooms are therefore host to just a few blocky plinths, which form side tables or support wooden storage cupboards. The largest plinth is used as a base for the rooms’ beds, which are covered with plain, beige-coloured linens with exposed seams.
    Surrounding surfaces are mostly painted white, but some rooms boast barrel-vaulted ceilings clad in red tiles.

    Beds are covered in beige-coloured linens
    Decor is provided by Shaker-style peg rails, where members of the sect would typically hang clothes, hats and light pieces of furniture when not in use. In the hotel rooms, these are used to suspend mirrors, trinket boxes and wooden chairs created by La Metropolitana.
    Some rooms will also include prints by revered Mexican photographer Manuel Álvarez Bravo, who was born in the hotel building back in 1902.

    Shaker-style peg rails provide decoration
    Most of the communal spaces are situated on the hotel’s rooftop, where there is a pool and a pop-up restaurant called ONA Le Toit that serves Mexican food with a French twist. The menu will change week to week as the chef’s take on different regional dishes.
    Guests can sit around the jet-black dining tables or on the more relaxed woven-back sofa seats while taking in views of notable Mexico City attractions such as the Metropolitan Cathedral and Templo Mayor.

    The hotel includes a rooftop restaurant and pool
    While beachy parts of Mexico like Tulum and Cancun have become holiday hotspots, many also flock to the capital for its rich culinary scene, architecture and annual design week.
    Other spots to stay in Mexico City include boutique hotel Ryo Kan, which takes aesthetic cues from Japanese culture, and Hotel Carlota, which features a lush central courtyard.
    Photography is by Sergio López courtesy of Grupo Habita.

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  • Pinocchio is a tiny bakery in Japan decorated in the colours of bread

    Design studio I IN has used warm, golden hues to decorate the Pinocchio bakery in Yokohama, Japan, which displays bread and pastries on minimalist shelves.Measuring at just 4.2 metres wide, Pinocchio sits in front of Oguchi train station and has been decorated to match the delicacies sold within.
    The tiny bakery project, which I IN also calls Small Icon, has been shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2020 in the small retail interior category.

    Top image: Pinocchio has been decorated to match the delicacies sold inside. Above: The bakery is just 4.2 metres wide
    “Though the space was extremely limited, the store asked to have a strong identity with the facade and interior,” said I IN.

    “Vivid gradient and soft textures that express the quality and colour of the bread are spread both inside and outside the store,” added the studio.
    “It expresses the soft charm of the bread itself and allows the customer to feel the world of bread with their entire body.”

    Pinocchio is spelt out in a slim, sans serif font above the doorway
    The interior and exterior walls are rendered in a textured material that has been painted with a golden hue, like the crust of a freshly baked loaf or a flaky croissant.
    “A plasterer who works in the performing arts collaborated with us,” said the studio. “Along with the vivid colour, the surface has a dense and bold texture.”

    The interior and exterior walls are rendered in a textured material
    Pinocchio is spelt out in a slim, sans serif font above the wide, square doorway. Glazed doors are set deep into the thick outer walls.

    Six bakeries and sweets shops with delectable interiors

    Inside, the ceilings have been painted to match the crust-coloured walls.
    A corridor of wooden floorboards runs down the centre of the shop, flanked by corridors of flooring that have been delicately sponge-painted in bready colours.

    The bakery interior features crust-coloured walls
    The bakery has only 30 square metres of floor space, so the designers created an uncluttered interior that focuses on the products.
    Two rows of minimal floating shelves made of wood run along both walls and around corners. Spotlights on the ceiling and under the topmost shelves bathe the baked goods in a soft glow.

    Two rows of minimal floating shelves line the walls
    Based in Tokyo, I IN is a design studio that was founded in 2018 by Yohei Terui and Hiromu Yuyama.
    More bakeries with interiors that are good enough to eat include this sugar-pink bakery in Ukraine and an artisanal flour shop and bakery in Canada painted in shades of caramel.
    Photography is by Tomooki Kengaku.
    Project credits:
    Client: Yokohama shokusanArchitect: I INConstructor: LegorettaLighting design: I IN

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  • Torrado Arquitectos carries out subtle renovation of 1930s Buenos Aires house

    Argentinian studio Torrado Arquitectos has used material that match the original home for its renovation of House in Barrio Parque in Buenos AiresThe local studio renovated and reconfigured the property, which was completed in 1938 by architect Alberto Rodriguez Etchetoc, but aimed to change the appearance as little as possible.

    Top: The house is on a corner plot in the city. Above: House in Barrio Parque has fresh white walls.
    “The aesthetic concept of imitating is known as mimesis, in which the imitation cannot be compared to the original, on the contrary, it becomes its equivalent,” said Torrado Arquitectos.

    “It is within this frame of work that the renovation and extension of the House in Barrio Parque was planned,” it continued.
    “The addition of new bedrooms, the new circulation and the relocation of service areas blend with the original project, at times completely disappearing.”

    Arched opening leads to garden
    The house is one of two properties built on a corner plot in the Argentinian capital city, giving it an unusual triangular footprint. Two spiral staircases lead up its three floors: one has stone steps while the other has wooden treads.
    Reddish brick forms the exterior, while inside its tall walls are updated with fresh white paint coating tiles and prominent skirting and cornice moulding.

    The main intervention is wood cabinets
    Decorative details include the insertion of glass that is cut to match the ceiling trim so it is difficult to see, and also allows natural light between spaces.
    New materials, including wood veneer and marble flooring, were also chosen to match the existing finishes.

    Windows meet the ornate ceiling detail
    “There is almost no difference in the materials chosen for the renovation,” the studio added.
    “Few new materials were used, the veneer chosen for the furniture and divisions and the travertino marble with a rustic finish for the floors, all blend with the white stucco and the Slavonian oak wooden floor already existent.”

    Modernist furniture alludes to the house’s history
    Torrado Arquitectos said it did make two big interventions in the project: “only two sectors in the kitchen and the dressing room, completely built with wooden panels, are a proper renovation, the rest is a work of invisible conservation and restoration, mimesis of a longed past”.

    Estudio Nu retrofits creative studios in former Buenos Aires workshop

    Wood kitchen cabinetry is paired with marble splashback and limestone flooring in the kitchen. An arched window with doors that open onto the back garden where there is a seating deck and a small pool.

    Wooden herringbone flooring on an upper level
    Storage in the dressing room is also paired with the limestone, which extends to form walls of the bathroom and shower.
    In the adjoining living room and dining room wood herringbone flooring offsets white walls, while modernist furniture allude to the building’s history.

    Wood cabinets are paired with limestone flooring in the dressing room
    Other recently completed residential projects in Buenos Aires include the extension of a courtyard house designed by Hernan Landolfo and Marcos Asa and a small apartment that IR Arquitectura created from a leftover corner of a 1950s building.
    Photography is by Javier Agustin Rojas.
    Project credits:
    Project and design: Torrado ArquitectosProject team: Martin Torrado, Architect Ligia Gaffuri, Architect Gonzalo Yerba, Architect Leandro Valdivieso, Architect Mora Linares

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