Architecture

Subterms

    More stories

    • 138 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Shiftspace brings IM Pei rowhouse in Philadelphia back to “original vision”

      by

      US studio Shiftspace has renovated a rowhouse in Philadelphia originally designed by Chinese-American architect IM Pei, restoring its original qualities after decades of alterations.

      Designed by Pei as part of a row of houses in the 1950s, the three-storey unit in the Society Hill neighbourhood had undergone several renovations and extensions over the years.
      Shiftspace was tasked with paring back these alterations to restore Pei’s original vision while enhancing it with contemporary details.
      Shiftspace has renovated an IM Pei-designed rowhouse in Philadelphia”Understanding Pei’s original vision for these houses, we approached this project with a sense of reverence that allowed us to see our design as enhancements to that original vision rather than starting from a blank canvas,” said Shiftspace partner Tim Barnes.
      Rowhouses are common in Philadelphia and sometimes referred to colloquially as “rowhomes”. Much of the city’s housing of this typology was built in the late-18th and early-19th centuries.

      According to Shiftspace, Pei designed the Society Hill townhouses to “bridge the gap” between these brick rowhomes and his nearby condominium, Society Hill Towers.
      It was originally built in the 1950sThe original exterior of the home has been retained. It consists of a mostly brick facade punctuated at the street-facing side by a large window with a small steel balcony.
      At the top of the home is a band of concrete-framed clerestory windows.
      Wooden louvres replace wallsInside, a central staircase that reaches from the basement to the third storey is essential to the redesign. Cleaving to Pei’s vision, Shiftspace has reoriented the home around this spiral stair and introduced a series of open-concept living spaces.
      The updated floorplans follow a typical format, with public spaces on the first three floors and three bedrooms on the fourth.
      At ground level, a curved breakfast nook with banquet seating leads to a kitchen that sits between the central staircase and a wall, and back into a dining area that has access to a garden patio. Here, some solid walls have been replaced with wooden louvres.
      The home is oriented around a spiral staircaseAbove are a living room and a study, separated by the staircase, as well as rearranged bedrooms and bathrooms.
      Two of the bedrooms on the top floor share a bathroom, while the main sleeping space has an ensuite. The bathrooms are tucked into spaces attached to the central core.
      “Our design reverted back to Pei’s original concept using a centralized core for all circulation, bath and mechanical spaces while reconfiguring for a master suite, kitchen, and entry area,” said founding partner Mario Gentile.

      “With IM Pei’s death, the last of the modern monument makers has passed”

      The studio added a new frame to the oculus at the top of the staircase that circulates additional light to the largely windowless structure. It also added skylights to the bedrooms.
      Minimising divides between rooms also allowed for further circulation throughout the home and for more light to penetrate the lower levels from the oculus.
      Shiftspace wanted to honour Pei’s original visionThe design was geared towards a more active lifestyle, which led to the addition of bike storage tucked away into nooks in the basement and on the ground floor.
      Shiftspace completed the renovation with a light-toned colour palette for the more public spaces and darker hues for the bedrooms and study.
      Pei was born in Guangzhou, China in 1917 and emigrated to the United States in 1935, where he founded a studio today known as Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. He designed a number of noteworthy buildings including Dallas City Hall and the Grand Louvre pyramid in Paris.
      Other buildings of his to be renovated include the Eskenazi Museum in Indiana.

      Read more: More

    • 75 Shares129 Views

      in Rooms

      Ten Foster + Partners-designed Apple Stores

      by

      With Apple opening its latest Foster + Partners-designed store in the newly renovated Battersea Power Station, our latest roundup spotlights 10 Apple Stores designed by the British architecture studio.

      Apple has been working with Foster + Partners since 2014, when the technology company and architecture studio initiated its almost decade-long relationship to complete a retail location in Istanbul, Turkey.
      Apple describes its first stores as looking “like nothing else”, but is now more focused on renovating and restoring buildings such as its Los Angeles store, Champs-Élysées store and Rome flagship.
      “I think that the evolution of retail for Apple is really interesting – starting with very bold statement with stores that look like nothing else,” said Bill Bergeron Mirsky, a global retail design lead at Apple, at the opening of the brand’s Battersea Power Station store.
      “And then over time, you move to the Apple Store being very ubiquitous. And now it’s come around to being a responsibility approach,” he continued. “As we see the rise of Apple in the world and the importance people place on the brand and the values that it represents.”

      With Apple now having stores in 526 locations across the world Dezeen has selected 10 striking recent stores from its archive:

      Battersea Power Station, UK, 2023
      Apple’s most recently opened store is located within the newly renovated Battersea Power Station in London, which marks the technology company’s 40th UK store.
      The store is set on the ground floor of the shopping centre within the power station’s 1930s Turbine Hall A. The interior was organised around four original brick columns and beneath steel roof supports that were left exposed.
      Find out more about Battersea Powerstation Apple store ›

      Mumbai, India, 2023
      India’s first flagship Apple Store contains a wooden canopy made from 450,000 hand-crafted oak elements that form 1,000 triangular ceiling tiles.
      The walls of the store were made from stone sourced from Rajasthan and have a fine grain that is meant to convey the texture of Georgette fabric. It was enclosed by two eight-metre-high glass walls that allow light to flood the double-height interior.
      Find out more about Mumbai Apple store ›
      Photo by Nigel YoungBrompton Road, UK, 2022
      An arched timber ceiling with seven-metre tall interiors defines the Brompton Road Apple store in west London. The arched timber ceiling mirrors the profile and shape of the window bays located at the facade of the building.
      The studio removed a mezzanine level from the shop interiors and incorporated six Castagna stone columns, four Ficus trees and a terrazzo floor made from castor oil resin, aggregate and recycled glass.
      Find out more about Brompton Road Apple store ›
      Photo by Nigel YoungAbu Dhabi, UAE, 2022
      Apple’s Abu Dhabi store on Al Maryah Island was built on top of a raised podium and surrounded by a stepped waterfall around all of its four sides.
      The podium the building is set on is pyramid shaped and constructed from black granite stone. The store is accessed via two bridges that extend over the water feature from a waterfront promenade.
      Find out more about Abu Dhabi Apple store ›
      Photo by Nigel YoungLos Angeles, US, 2021
      In Downtown Los Angeles, Foster + Partners worked with Apple to renovate a historic 1920s, baroque revival-style movie theatre that was designed by American architect S Charles Lee in 1927.
      The sensitive renovation of the formerly abandoned theatre saw the studio restore its corner clock tower, terracotta facade, exterior canopy, and grand entry hall that is complete with bronze handrails and marble columns.
      Find out more about Los Angeles Apple store ›
      Photo is by Nigel YoungIstanbul, Turkey, 2021
      Two large travertine walls flank the interior of Istanbul’s Bagdat Caddesi Apple store. Benefitting from a column-free interior encompasses two levels with a sunken double-height space at its rear.
      The building is set back from the street and appears to be a single-storey structure as a result of its sunken lower level. The structure was topped with a large overhanging roof.
      Find out more about Istanbul Apple store ›

      Via Del Corso, Italy, 2021
      Another restoration project saw Foster + Partners convert and restore a historic palazzo in Rome, which is located in the centre of the Italian city.
      Palazzo Marignoli was constructed between 1873 and 1878 and served as a home for Italian politician Marquis Filippo Marignoli. Foster + Partners wanted to celebrate the building’s history by restoring and highlighting its grandeur and historic features. Hand-painted patterned ceilings and frescos were restored throughout.
      Find out more about Rome Apple store ›

      Singapore Apple, Singapore, 2020
      Noted as Apple’s “most ambitious retail project”, its Marina Bay Sands store in Singapore is a spherical glass structure that is completely surrounded by water and accessed via a 45-metre-long underwater tunnel.
      The store’s interior is an open-plan space that measures 30 metres wide beneath a self-supporting glass and steel dome, which is made from 114 pieces of glass with 10 steel vertical mullions that provide structural support.
      Find out more about Singapore Apple store ›
      Photo by Bear and TerryBangkok Apple, Thailand, 2020
      Named Apple Central World, this Bangkok store is organised around a timber-clad column and a large overhanging roof that was designed to resemble the canopy of a tree.
      The store has a 24.4-metre diameter with a timber column that is clad in 1,461 slats of European white oak at its centre. The column fans out at ceiling level and adjoins the roof and extends past the glass perimeter of the store, forming a three-metre cantilever over the glazing.
      Find out more about Bangkok Apple store ›

      Miami, US, 2019
      An undulating white concrete roof, which draws on Miami’s art deco buildings, tops the Apple Aventura store that is located in Aventura Mall in the north of Miami.
      The structure is a boxy, two-storey building with glass walls and indoor trees. The roof of the store is made up of seven, precast six-metre-wide white concrete arches to form a barrel-vaulted ceiling.
      Find out more about Miami Apple store ›

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Benedetti Architects uncovers forgotten Victorian skylights inside BAFTA headquarters

      by

      The Grade II-listed BAFTA headquarters in London’s Picadilly have received an overhaul from local studio Benedetti Architects, who raised the roof to squeeze in a new top floor while unifying its disparate interiors.

      Constructed in 1883, the building originally served as the Royal Institute of Painting in Watercolours and was adapted ad hoc over the subsequent years before the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) took over in 1976.
      Benedetti Architects was brought on board in 2016 after winning a competition to completely rework the space.
      Benedetti Architects renovated the BAFTA headquarters in London. Photo by Rory MulveyScrambling around in the loft as part of his research, project lead Renato Benedetti discovered two vast Victorian roof lanterns, complete with ornate plasterwork, that had been boarded up more than 40 years prior when BAFTA created a cinema in the space below.
      The practice’s pitch centred on lifting up the roof and turning the loft into a members’ area, with the two huge skylights being removed, restored and reinstated as the crowning glory of the new top storey.

      “BAFTA loved the idea although they didn’t think it was possible,” Benedetti told Dezeen. “But that’s exactly what we did and it has been the driver for the whole project.”
      The studio uncovered the building’s two hidden skylightsMoulds were made before the intricate plaster was carefully removed, allowing specialist restorers to match new sections seamlessly with the original design.
      Other than the roof lights, almost all the building’s original features such as flooring and staircases were lost as sections of the building were rented out by different tenants over its haphazard history.
      Under the bank of seating in the cinema though, the team found just enough of the original oak flooring to fit inside the new top-floor boardroom.
      “The long strips were quite damaged, so we cut them down to shorter lengths and laid them in a geometric pattern,” said Benedetti.
      Ornate plater mouldings were carefully restoredSimilarly, the remaining bits of marble from different schemes around the BAFTA headquarters were collaged together to create a statement countertop for the boardroom.
      The room is centred by an oval timber table, which the studio designed to feel “more friendly and less hierarchical” than a typical boardroom, complete with comfortable “wrap-around” chairs that can also be stacked.
      “We used a character grade of oak with big knots and imperfections, which I love,” said Benedetti. “It makes the timber more interesting.”
      The BAFTA boardroom is centred on an oval wooden table. Photo by James NewtonElsewhere across the building, responsibly sourced European oak was laid in a variety of patterns to cover floors and walls.
      For the main circulation areas such as the entrance hall and the stairs, the studio used an ivory-coloured terrazzo with brass trims peeking out between the large-format tiles.
      Brass accents are repeated throughout the building on handrails, trims, lighting and on the reveals around the lifts. “Here, the sheet brass has a slight sheen, a little lustre but not too blingy,” said Benedetti.

      Benedetti Architects chosen to refurbish RIBA headquarters

      The terrazzo, too, is flecked with gold-coloured specks that increase in quantity as the user ascends up through the building and peak on the members’ floor at the top.
      “The top floor feels like the culmination, the crescendo of the space,” said Benedetti.
      This same idea is repeated across the walls, with the lower floors wrapped in stained-oak slats punctuated by black acoustic panels while on the members’ floor, there’s a more refined profile to the oak slats and the panels are replaced by a brass mesh.
      The new top floor houses a members’ area. Photo by Jim StephensonTravertine is the final key element of the headquarters’ material palette, used in huge slabs and as fluted tiles as well as forming one of the building’s bars.
      “It has a great texture and it has been in use since Roman times, so it’s quite timeless,” the architect explained.
      The building’s trio of roof lanterns, including the two that were newly uncovered, now sit over the David Attenborough rooms – a members’ area that looks out across the tree canopy of St James’ churchyard.
      A red marble bar inspired the colour palette for the adjacent cinema. Photo by Thomas AlexanderThe furniture here was chosen by the architect in collaboration with Soho Home – the interiors arm of members’ club Soho House.
      To reduce heat gain and keep out harmful UV rays, the roof lights are integrated with solar shading windows by Dutch company Eyrise.
      “It’s an interesting new material, from the inside it appears to be clear, but from outside it looks almost black,” Benedetti explained.
      European oakwood panelling features throughout the interior. Photo by Jim StephensonThe members’ floor also houses a new intimate 41-seat cinema, its rich red colour palette informed the choice of red Italian marble for the adjacent bar.
      The larger original cinema was completely updated in partnership with Dolby, integrating a high-tech audio-visual system.
      Meanwhile, the Ray Dolby Room is designed as a versatile event space, where the conventionally wood-panelled walls and moulded ceiling can be quickly transformed into a space for 360-degree wall-mapping projections.
      The Ray Dolby Room can be used for 360-degree wall-mapping projections. Photo by Jordan AndersonBenedetti was recently named as the architect on another high-profile renovation in the British capital – the £20-million revamp of the Grade II-listed RIBA headquarters.
      Previously, the architect was one half of McDowell+Benedetti, which was known for innovative bridge designs including Hull’s Scale Lane Bridge and Castleford Bridge in West Yorkshire before the duo disbanded in 2016.
      The photography is by Luca Piffaretti unless otherwise stated.
      Jorda Anderson, Thomas Alexander, Rory Mulvey, James Newton, and Jim Stephenson.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      Get listed in Dezeen’s digital guide for London Design Festival 2023

      by

      If you are hosting an event during the 2023 edition of London Design Festival, you can be listed in Dezeen Events Guide’s digital guide to the festival.

      The guide covers the 21st annual design festival’s key events, including exhibitions, installations, open showrooms, tours, talks and workshops.
      London Design Festival 2023 takes place from 16 to 24 September 2023 at various locations across the city.
      One of the largest events taking place during the nine-day festival is the Design London trade show, which hosts an exhibition, talks and networking events.
      Last year, 12 districts across the London took place in the festival, which was attended by 600,000 visitors.

      Get listed in Dezeen’s digital guide to London Design Festival
      Get in touch with the Dezeen Events Guide team at [email protected] to book in your listing or to discuss a wider partnership with Dezeen. There are three types of listings:
      Standard listing: For only £100, we can include the event name, date and location details plus a website link. These listings will also feature up to 50 words of text about the event. Standard listings are included at the discretion of the Dezeen Events Guide team.
      Enhanced listing: For £150, you will receive all of the above plus an image at the top of the listing’s page and an image in the listing preview on the London Design Festival festival guide page. These listings will also feature up to 100 words of text about the event.
      Featured listing: For £300, your listing will feature everything as part of an enhanced listing plus inclusion in the featured events carousel and social media posts on our @dezeenguide channels. This includes one post per channel: Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and up to 150 words of text about the event. This text can include commercial information such as ticket prices and offers, and can feature additional links to website pages such as ticket sales, newsletter signups etc.
      The London Design Festival guide follows the success of our digital guide for Milan design week 2023, which received over 75,000 page views.
      About Dezeen Events Guide
      Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.
      The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks.
      For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide, including in our guide to London Design Festival, email [email protected].
      The illustration is by Justyna Green.

      Read more: More

    • 163 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Apple reveals Battersea Power Station store as latest “evolution of the Apple Store”

      by

      Technology company Apple has unveiled its latest Foster + Partners-designed store in the recently revamped Battersea Power Station in London, which features updated fixtures and furniture.

      Set to open later today, Apple Battersea is the brand’s 40th UK store and represents an evolution in its retail design thinking with more of an emphasis placed on accessibility and sustainability.
      “We developed this material palette and this fixture set that is really trying to align with like Apple’s goals,” said Bill Bergeron Mirsky, a global retail design lead at Apple.
      “This material palette is new for us, it’s an evolution of the Apple Store,” he told Dezeen.
      Apple Battersea opens todayDesigned by UK studio Foster + Partners, the store is set on the ground floor of the shopping centre within the 1930s Turbine Hall A at the former power station, where the studio also designed the technology brand’s offices.

      The shop is arranged around four original brick piers and has steel roof supports exposed on the ceiling. On top of this base, Foster + Partners overlaid a revamped fixture set that Mirsky said “will become familiar over time”.
      Apple Battersea is the second store – after the recently reopened Tysons Corner store in the USA, which replaced Apple’s first ever store – to feature the redesigned fixtures.
      It features an updated fixture setAround the edge of the store is an oak framework of shelving that was developed with Foster + Partners.  The timber structure also defines a space dedicated to watches, a pick-up area and a redesigned Genius Bar.
      The Genius Bar has a counter for stand-up service along with a lowered area where people can be served sitting down. Along with its standard Parsons tables, which are made from sustainably harvested European oak, the store also has several lowered tables.
      The redesigned Genius Bar has a lower counter”We’ve thought about mobility issues across the whole fixture set,” explained Mirsky. “We have our traditional Parsons table with our standard height, but you notice that the tables in the back are varied and our new genius bar as well.”
      “We have a standing height because the team really prefers to stand and it lets them work with more people and then they can stand at the tables, but customers who want to sit or need to sit can actually use these slightly modified tables,” he continued.
      As part of the focus on mobility, Apple also increased the amount of circulation around the edge of the store.
      There is more space around the edge of the storeAlong with the timber framework, Apple aimed to replace other more carbon-intensive elements in the store with biomaterials.
      The floor, which was first used in the Brompton Road store, was made from aggregates bound together with a bio-polymer, while the acoustic baffles in the ceiling were made from biogenic material.
      The acoustic baffles and bright floor form part of a focus on improving visual and acoustic clarity in the store, with a dark band placed around the base of the walls to provide visual differentiation with the flooring.

      Foster + Partners designs Apple Brompton Road as “calm oasis” in London

      “Something I want to point out that is really part and parcel of the material palette, but also goes to our universal design, is the contrast in the store,” said Mirsky.
      “We wanted to make sure we have this really enhanced kind of navigation,” he continued. “So the floor is brightened – it helps us with our low energy – but it also makes it so that you can clearly see the table and the walls are defined.”
      The store has a dedicated pick-up cornerThe fixture set, flooring and ceiling baffles were also used at the Tysons Corner store and Mirsky believes the base can create a feeling of familiarity for Apple’s customers.
      “Each store is really dealt with as a unique circumstance Battersea has this incredible, incredible existing architectural fabric to work in,” he said.
      “We use the same fixture set at Tysons Corner in a mall setting in America which doesn’t have this sort of grand grandiose architecture, but the same fixture set can generate an environment that’s very familiar and welcoming no matter where you are.”
      The store is the latest to open in London, following the Brompton Road store that opened last year, which was designed to be a “calm oasis”. Other recently completed Apple Stores include the band’s first shop in India and a store in Los Angeles’ historic Tower Theatre.

      Read more: More

    • 138 Shares199 Views

      in Rooms

      Dezeen launches China edition of Dezeen Awards in partnership with Bentley

      by

      Dezeen has launched a new edition of Dezeen Awards to celebrate the best architecture, interiors and design in China. Start your entry today!

      Dezeen Awards China is the first regional edition of Dezeen Awards, which has grown rapidly to become one of the most entered awards programmes on the planet and is a benchmark for international design excellence.
      Dezeen Awards China to spotlight Chinese design talent
      Launched in partnership with Bentley Motors, Dezeen Awards China will shine a spotlight on the best Chinese architecture, interiors and design, providing international recognition from around the globe.
      Dezeen Awards China will be a celebration of Chinese design talent. It is therefore for architects, designers and studios based in China, rather than for projects by international firms that are built in China.

      Multinational firms that have an office in China are free to enter, as long as the majority of the work on the project was completed by the Chinese office.
      Just like the international edition, Dezeen Awards China is open to studios large and small and will celebrate both established names and emerging studios working in China today.
      Judges include Rossana Hu, Alex Mok and Michael Young
      Dezeen Awards China will be judged by a stellar jury made up of the top Chinese architects and designers, as well as high-profile international names with experience working in China.
      Judges confirmed so far include architect Rossana Hu, interior designer Alex Mok and designer Michael Young. More names will be announced in the coming weeks.
      Seventeen categories spanning architecture, interiors and design
      There are 17 project categories to enter across architecture, interiors and design. The winners of these project categories will go head to head for the chance to be crowned one of three project of the year winners across architecture, interiors and design.
      In addition, six China Designers of the Year awards will celebrate the leading emerging and established names working in China across architecture, interiors and design.
      However, these awards are nomination-only and our judges will shortlist names – it is not possible to enter these awards.
      Dezeen Awards China is open for entries now until 24 August 2023, but studios can save money on their entry if they enter before 13 July 2023.
      Scan the code above using WeChat to download entry formsGo to dezeen.com/awards/china to find out more about Dezeen Awards China, including how to enter and information on the categories and entry prices and deadlines.
      Or, scan the code above using WeChat to access the WeChat mini app for all the information about Dezeen Awards China in Chinese and to download entry forms.
      Dezeen Awards China launches in partnership with Bentley
      Dezeen Awards China launched in partnership with Bentley, as part of a wider three-year collaboration that also includes headline sponsorship of the international edition of Dezeen Awards, which closed for entries last week, and a design competition to redefine the future of luxury retail that launched last month.
      “We are thrilled to be working with Bentley to launch Dezeen Awards China, our first regional awards programme,” said head of Dezeen Awards Claire Barrett.
      “We are looking forward to discovering a wealth of design talent and promoting it both locally and on a global stage, showcasing the country’s rising position as a design powerhouse.”
      “We are delighted to be working with Dezeen to deliver a new global platform that will celebrate both new Chinese design talent and established names,” added Steven De Ploey, Bentley’s global head of marketing.
      “Partnering with Dezeen in this way enables us to reward and support cutting-edge innovators in the design industry who strive to deliver transformational experiences and best solve the design challenges of our age.”
      Winners to be announced in December 2023
      Dezeen Awards China is open for entries until 24 August 2023
      Shortlists will be announced in October and the winners will be revealed at a ceremony in December 2023.
      Sign up to our Dezeen Awards China newsletter
      Join our mailing list to get updates about Dezeen Awards China 2023! Subscribe here.
      Questions?
      If you have any questions about Dezeen Awards China, please email [email protected] or send a message to our WeChat account DezeenCN and someone from the team will get back to you.
      Good luck with your entries!

      Read more: More

    • 113 Shares99 Views

      in Rooms

      Capella hotel takes over former government building in Sydney

      by

      Architecture firm Make and interior design practice BAR Studio have converted Sydney’s heritage-listed Department of Education building into the latest outpost from Capella Hotels.

      The adaptive reuse project involved adding a modern extension with curved glass corners to the building’s roof, set back from its sandstone facade to respect the original Edwardian Baroque architecture.
      With these four additional floors, the building now measures eleven storeys high and houses 192 guest rooms alongside bars, restaurants and a 20-metre swimming pool that occupies the former sixth-floor gallery.
      Sydney’s Department of Education building was converted into a Capella hotelSince the Department of Education was constructed in Sydney’s historic Sandstone Precinct in 1912, its interior had been compromised with countless ad-hoc changes, according to Make.
      The studio worked to restore the sense of grandeur envisioned by the original architect George McRae, for example by reinstating the internal garden courtyard on the ground floor.

      “Stitching together the existing Edwardian Baroque-style structure with a new contemporary layer of architecture is one of many things that makes this landmark project stand out as a hotel,” Make designer Michelle Evans told Dezeen.
      It now houses 192 guest rooms and restaurants including Brasseries 1930″Capella Sydney has been a joy to work on, as it builds on our growing portfolio of reusing and adapting existing and heritage buildings,” she added.
      Picking up the baton from Make, hospitality design firm BAR Studio was tasked with creating luxurious yet contemporary interiors for the hotel that work seamlessly with the history of the building.
      “The heritage building that houses Capella Sydney provided us with the underpinning for the interior design,” said co-founder Stewart Robertson.
      A swimming pool occupies the building’s sixth-floor galleryWhile the building’s exterior was largely intact, only a few areas of historical significance remained inside.
      Some of these spaces offered incredible opportunities for reinvention, such as the gallery on the former top floor, which has become the Auriga spa and pool.
      Meanwhile, references to the original steel-framed windows were incorporated into the interiors via a recurring motif of framed forms.

      Make completes dramatic arched link for Chadstone shopping centre

      Steel in black and bronze finishes was used throughout the building to frame doors, windows and screens, making a subtle reference to the district’s origins in the age of industry.
      This serves the practical purpose of delineating and dividing spaces but also brings a restrained form of embellishment, Robertson said.
      “We’ve used framing techniques to create separation but also to build an organic connection between the public spaces,” he explained.
      “We wanted the colour and finish to feel appropriate to the original era but also for these elements to read as new and sophisticated insertions.”
      The same floor also houses a spaA palette of natural materials brings a sense of subtle luxury to the bedrooms and communal spaces.
      Steel was used alongside honed marble, sandblasted travertine, natural wall coverings and light and dark timber. This approach enables the heritage features as well as the art and objects to become the focal points.
      The colour palette, too, is simple and neutral, taking its cues from the material palette with stone-coloured walls and tan leather upholstery.
      Each treatment room sits under a one of the original roof lanterns”The neutral base palette of cream stone and dark and light timber integrates with the existing architectural and design elements but sets a warm and soothing mood, creating a real sanctuary from the surrounding city,” explained Robertson.
      In keeping with the light touch of the new architectural interventions, much of the furniture draws on the concept of campaign furniture – traditionally made for military campaigns and therefore easy to transport.
      “These portable and ingenious pieces bring the comforts of home to remote places,” said Robertson.
      A recurring motif of framed forms features throughout the hotel’s interiorsOther Capella hotels include the Norman Foster-designed Capella Resort – set on an island off the coast of Singapore – and the Capella Sanya, which won the 2020 AHEAD Asia award for best landscaping and outdoor spaces.
      The photography is by Timothy Kay.

      Read more: More

    • 150 Shares169 Views

      in Rooms

      Il Capri Hotel receives pink-heavy revamp from Graziella Buontempo and Arnaud Lacombe

      by

      A husband-and-wife hotelier duo has renovated a hotel in a Venetian-style palazzo on the island of Capri, refreshing its pastel-pink facade and continuing the hue into the guest rooms.

      Il Capri Hotel was built in the 19th century as a private villa in the Neo-gothic Venetian style before being transformed into a hotel in 1899.
      Il Capri Hotel is located in a Venetian-style palazzo in the centre of CapriIts current owners, Graziella Buontempo and Arnaud Lacombe, redesigned the interiors to reflect the grandeur of the property while imbuing it with a sense of contemporary chic.
      The duo retained the building’s signature pink-and-white facades, repairing and repainting them. They also chose to repeat some of the same hues and external architectural details throughout the interiors.
      The reception area features a marble-topped desk and a retail space”Honoring the property’s history and location, the hotel’s colour palette is inspired by the pink found across the island of Capri and the striking volcanic reds of Mount Vesuvius,” said the hotel team.

      A bright red curved awning signals the hotel’s entrance, located close to the town square in the centre of the famous Italian holiday destination, leading guests to a reception desk topped with reddish marble.
      A checkerboard floor runs through the communal lounge spacesRoom keys are stored individually in small arched niches within a wood-panelled wall behind, while local gifts are displayed on built-in shelves nearby.
      The hotel’s public areas feature checkerboard flooring, black lighting fixtures and red curtains to the match sofa cushions and rug trims.
      The hotel has 21 guest rooms spread over several floorsA variety of antique furniture pieces were curated to make the lounges feel homely while artworks and photos were sourced from the personal collection of Buontempo, whose family has long associations with the island.
      Archways divide various seating areas from corridors and one another, creating several distinct areas where guests can relax.
      The pink of the building’s exterior is continued in the guest roomsIn the bedrooms, pink appears again as wainscoting and on upholstered headboards shaped as ogee arches.
      The rooms include sisal floors and other natural materials and are simply decorated so that attention isn’t drawn away from the views.
      The rooms are decorated sparingly to draw attention to the views”Each of the 21 guest rooms pays homage to the culture of the island with decor imbuing a feeling of comfort, no-frills luxury and understated elegance,” the hotel team said.
      Il Capri offers several options for dining and drinking, many of which allow these activities to be enjoyed al fresco with views of the island’s dramatic coastline and the Gulf of Naples.

      Two buildings in Rome merge to form boutique hotel Condominio Monti

      These include the street-level Caprirama Bar, connected to the lobby and extended onto an expansive terrace with a herringbone-pattern tiled floor and groupings of terracotta plant pots, landscaped by garden designer Jonathan Froines.
      The all-day restaurant Vesuvio also has a shaded outdoor dining terrace, where caned bistro chairs accompany wood-topped tables.
      The hotel has several terraces for relaxing outdoorsSun loungers line up along the rooftop swimming pool, shaded by red parasols with crenellated white edges.
      There’s also a subterranean nightclub, Rumore, which is used as a cinema and an events space during the off-season.
      The terraces feature herringbone-tiled floors and groups of potted plantsA short boat ride from Naples on the Amalfi Coast, Capri is a popular destination for both Italian and international tourists.
      Elsewhere in the country, recently opened or revamped hotels include the Palazzo Daniele in Puglia, the Condominio Monti in Rome, and the Aeon Hotel near Bolzano.
      The photography is by Jonathan Froines.

      Read more: More