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    Format Architecture designs “delightfully untraditional” Cafe Mars in Brooklyn

    Bright colours, neon lighting and expressive furniture create a playful mood inside this Brooklyn restaurant, designed by local studio Format Architecture Office.

    Cafe Mars is an Italian eatery located in Gowanus, founded by co-chefs Jorge Olarte, and Paul D’Avino – whose grandfather lived across the street when he first emigrated from Campania in 1901.
    Playful furniture throughout Cafe Mars includes chairs with hot-pink arched and zigzag legsHonouring these roots, the restaurant is designed as a celebration of all things Italy: from the Memphis design movement of the 1980s to the glamorous Amalfi Coast.
    “It was important to connect the intent of the culinary experience with the intent of the spatial experience,” said Format principal and co-founder Andrew McGee.
    The bar and open kitchen are framed by white oak panels”If the driving force of the menu was to showcase knowledge and love of traditional Italian cuisine, twisted and subverted at just the right moments to create something playfully rebellious and unusual, it seemed only natural to reference the character and movement in [Ettore] Sottsass and the Memphis style with a similar vintage in the architecture and design realm,” he continued.

    Above each table in the main dining space is a yellow panel with a hole cut-out, exposing the building’s original brickTo enter the 1,100-square-foot (100-square-metre) restaurant, visitors must turn a pasta die door handle sourced from local third-generation manufacturer D Malardi & Sons.
    “The detail is a charming nod to the building’s pasta factory and Italian grocery history whilst ushering in its restaurant future,” the studio said.
    The custom banquettes are coloured one yellow for every two whiteOnce inside the long narrow front space, the bar area can be found on the right and a row of back-to-back banquettes runs along the left.
    The bar and the open kitchen further down are framed by white oak panelled arches, revealing a bright blue back bar that echoes the same shape.
    The “blue room” in the back features cobalt-coloured seating that contrasts the exposed brickworkA tall, light grey counter forms an L-shape within the first arch, with a lower surface for diners seated in custom chairs by Studio Apotroes with hot pink zig-zag legs.
    More seats – this time with white details – face the kitchen area, beside a bright green shelving unit for tableware tucked under the bar counter.
    Hot pink reappears in the cords of pendant lights, which have shades made from mushroom myceliumOpposite, the custom double-sided banquettes have ribbed edges and are coloured one yellow for every two white.
    In between are arched yellow panels with circular holes that expose the original brick walls behind, and Stuff by Andrew Neyer globe pendants that hang above each table.
    Pasta illustrations by artist Massimo Mongiardo are found throughout the interior, including in the bathroomThe “blue room” in the back features cobalt-coloured seating that contrasts the exposed brick walls, black window frames and white hexagonal floor tiles.
    Hot pink reappears in the cords of pendant lights with MushLume shades made from mushroom mycelium, while bespoke wooden tables have puzzle-piece tops that slot together in various configurations.

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    At night, colourful LED lights within the circular wall elements, under the bar counter and above the back bar all match a neon sign in the window, which traces the Cafe Mars logo designed by artist Massimo Mongiardo.
    His illustrations of pasta shapes can be found throughout the interiors, including in the bathrooms, and across the black-painted roller shutters pulled down when the restaurant is closed.
    Mongiardo’s illustrations also cover the black roller shutter on the exterior”The goal was to strike a delicate balance between fanciful and comforting, transformative and familiar,” said Format co-founder and principal Matthew Hettler.
    “The design, however loud, becomes a backdrop for a quality experience, and that is something we are excited about.”
    A neon version of the Cafe Mars logo sits in the window, matching the colorful LED lighting insideOther relative newcomers to Brooklyn’s ever-evolving culinary scene include Nabila’s, a Lebanese spot designed by Frederick Tang Architecture, and Usonian-inspired eatery Sereneco featuring interiors by Carpenter + Mason.
    Over in Manhattan, the number of Italian restaurants continues to balloon, with Bad Roman and Cucina Alba among the many to have opened in the past year.
    The photography is by Nick Glimenakis.
    Project credits:
    Architecture and interior design: Format Architecture OfficeProject team: Clare Hačko, David Hettler, Matt Hettler, Andrew McGeeConstruction: RuskStructural engineer: Blue Sky DesignMEP engineer: Department of Approvals

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    Alp Bozkurt creates “calming” interior for Brooklyn tattoo parlour

    Arched niches provide stations for tattoo artists at Atelier Eva, located in a former Brooklyn hardware store transformed by designer Alp Bozkurt.

    The Atelier Eva Grand Street parlour is the second in Brooklyn run by tattoo artist Eva Karabuda, who is renowned for her detailed, micro-realism tattoos.
    Polycarbonate panels punctured by arched niches line the interior of Atelier Eva’s Grand Street studio”Created with an ambitious vision to reimagine tattoo culture following Eva’s own experiences feeling uncomfortable and unsafe as a woman in her early work environments, Atelier Eva offers a new kind of tattooing experience with the goal of providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all people,” said the studio.
    While her first location on Havemeyer Street was designed in house, Karabudak turned to Alp Bozkurt for the Grand Street space – which at 3,000 square feet (280 square metres) is almost twice the size.
    The arches reveal details of the original building, which was formerly a hardware storeThe building dates back to 1895 and was originally constructed as a hardware store, occupying a single story space that extends 115 feet back from the street facade.

    Original features such as large roof trusses, skylights and brick walls were all restored and highlighted during the renovation work.
    A pink-concrete table used for tattoo consultations is shrouded by a sheer curtainThe trusses are painted black, drawing the eye up to the ceiling, while the remaining structural elements are whitewashed for a clean look.
    “A distilled material palette is deployed to create a warm and calming environment from otherwise industrial materials retaining the building’s original ethos,” said Bozkurt.
    In the main space, the arched niches provide areas for the tattoo artists to store their equipmentWrapping the perimeter of the interior are translucent polycarbonate panels that sit a few inches in front of the brickwork, unifying the sequence of spaces.
    All the way around, arches puncture the panels to frame original corbeling, and reveal other historic elements.
    A planter is positioned in the centre of the otherwise sparsely populated spaceIn the front of the studio, beside the floor-to-ceiling glass facade, one arch provides a backdrop for a seating area with boucle-covered chairs, and pendant lights by Apparatus above.
    Behind a pink-concrete reception counter is a consultation area, shrouded by a sheer curtain suspended from a curved metal track.

    Williamsburg tattoo parlour Atelier Eva is designed to feel like a spa

    “Visitors are offered glimpses of activity in the studio flooded by natural light while the artists and their clients maintain privacy,” Bozkurt said.
    The group of artists offering a range of tattoo styles and piercings work in the large space beyond, where each is allocated a station aligned with an arch.
    Pink concrete is also used for the reception counter and other furnitureFoldable padded tables for clients to lay on, stools for the artists and cabinets for storing equipment all tuck neatly into these niches when not in use.
    The open space – which also hosts creative gatherings and events – is sparsely populated, other than a central pink-concrete planter that matches the consultation table and the counter.
    The location on Grand Street is Atelier Eva’s second in BrooklynTogether, Bozkurt’s interventions create “a carefully choreographed sequence of experiences through varying degrees of transparency offered by various design elements”.
    Other tattoo parlours with unconventional interiors include a minimalist space in Kyiv with holes slashed through its walls, a stark monochromatic space in New York and a studio in Paris featuring curtains printed with Hieronymus Bosch paintings.
    The photography is by Atticus Radley.

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    Light and Air opens up Z House in Brooklyn to the outdoors

    Local studio Light and Air has introduced a light-filled void at the centre of a Brooklyn townhouse as part of a major reconfiguration and extension project.

    The home in the leafy Clinton Hill neighbourhood was bought by a family of four with roots in India and required a complete gut renovation to open up the spaces to the outside.
    The overhaul of Z House involved a significant rear extension, comprising cube volumes clad in pale brick”They wanted a house that exhibited a strong connection to nature, featuring a more seamless integration between inside and out,” said Light and Air.
    The project involved extending the building one level vertically, bringing its total number of storeys to four, as well as pushing it out significantly at the back.
    The brick continues into the kitchen and dining area on the lower floorWhile the historic front facade was carefully restored, the rear elevation now presents as a contemporary stack of pale-brick cube volumes.

    The interior was completely reorganized to allow sightlines between the original spaces, the new extensions and the outdoors.
    Oak millwork in the kitchen continues through the minimal interiorsThe most dramatic change involved swapping the stacked staircase with a switchback configuration – a similar approach taken by the studio at another Brooklyn townhouse in 2018.
    This arrangement allows for improved visual connections between the levels and gave the project its name, Z House.
    Reconfiguring the house involved swapping the stacked staircase for a switchback arrangement from the parlour level to the top floorIn addition, an angled skylight was added above the staircase void, bringing in light all the way down to the parlour 40 feet (12 metres) below.
    “Filled by light and air, the stair’s drama is heightened by the placement of large windows punctuating the rear facade, allowing the vertical space to open to the exterior,” said the studio.
    A skylight over the staircase void brings light down into the homeOf the home’s four storeys, the lower levels are occupied by the public spaces including the kitchen, dining, living and media rooms.
    The top two levels are reserved for the children’s rooms and the primary suite respectively. The uppermost floor also accommodates a home office and provides access to a roof terrace created by the rear extension.

    Light and Air Architecture transforms Brooklyn row house with “switchback” staircase

    “This private, elevated, exterior space offers a unique domestic experience not typically found in most Brooklyn rowhouses,” Light and Air said.
    Interiors throughout are clean and minimal, with white walls and custom oak millwork, built-ins and furniture.
    The primary bedroom on the top floor features a custom oak bed and built-insThe pale brick of the rear facade is also expressed inside the double-height kitchen and dining area, which is open to the back patio.
    “Located above the garden level addition is a green roof that buffers sightlines from the parlor floor, creating the effect of a floating garden beyond,” said Light and Air.
    The historic street facade of the Clinton Hill townhouse was also restored as part of the renovationFounded by Anne Diebel in 2018, the studio has completed many staging and interior design projects across New York City.
    These include a Brooklyn apartment retrofitted with ample custom cabinetry and a spiral staircase and a Financial District loft where partitions were removed to create an open, inviting space.
    The photography is by Kevin Kunstadt.

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    Mattaforma considers “plants as clients” for Public Records outdoor space

    Local design studio Mattaforma has created a plant nursery and community space for Public Records, a music venue and restaurant space in Brooklyn.

    The Nursery at Public Records sits in an outdoor space adjacent to the Gowanus institution’s other programming, a vegan cafe, club and listening lounge. It serves as a nursery for plants and as an outdoor music venue.
    Public Records expanded its programming to an adjacent empty lot, adding a DJ booth and plantsThe team at Public Records wanted to turn the adjacent, empty lot into a functioning space.
    To do so while limiting new construction, the team took advantage of several storage units already on the site, positioning them as both separators and inhabitable spaces for both humans and plants.
    Mattaforma created a system of wooden trusses to shelter the plants and equipment”The brief was an over winter nursery for their garden plant collection, as well as a community space that people could enjoy and learn about plants,” Mattaforma co-founder Lindsey Wilkstrom told Dezeen.

    “With this in mind, we focused first on designing a space that relied solely on passive heating in the winter, treating the plants as our clients first, then adapting a plant-oriented space towards humans as our secondary clients.”
    The trusses are lined with polycarbonate panelsTo house the plants, Mattaforma installed wooden pratt trusses lined with polycarbonate panels.
    The trusses were made on-site out of Microllam R laminated-veneer lumber (LVL), a manufactured wood that combines micro-layers of different kinds of woods like fir and larch.
    The space is meant to hold plants year-roundAccording to Wilkstrom, the material was chosen for its durability and also its manufacturer, Weyerhaeuser.
    “[It’s] the first American timber company to call for regenerative forest stewardship over 100 years ago and who still maintains today some of the highest ethical standards in their replanting initiatives, meeting SFI certification and transparency in their evolving ESG performance metrics,” said Wilkstrom of the company.
    Vents were included in the trusses to allow for passive cooling during the summer months. The trusses also extend out over the sound system and DJ booth to celebrate the DJ booth “like an altar”.

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    Public Records also created the sound system for The Nursery, working with audio engineer Devon Ojas and manufacturer NNNN to develop a custom system that includes two blue-green and black speakers.
    In addition, the team brought in engineering firm Arup to advise on the acoustics of the space and New York-based Cactus Store to supply additional vegetation for the site.
    Besides the plants within the containers, trees and a grove of bamboo were installed around the concrete dance floor.
    Sustainable timber was used for the trusses”The Nursery is intended to be an ecological/urban intervention that serves to bring people and plants together, in reaction to the challenge of re-imagining an asphalt parking lot,” said Public Records, which was founded by Shane Davis and Francis Harris and has existed on the north end of Brooklyn’s Gowanus Canal since 2017.
    The once-industrial areas of Brooklyn have seen a variety of art and culture institutions moving in past years. Recently, a derelict powerplant, once known for its graffiti culture, was renovated by Swiss architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron into an arts centre.
    Elsewhere in the borough, Ennead Architects and Rockwell Group converted a 19th-century train warehouse into a headquarters for a charitable organisation.
    The photography is by Adrianna Glaviano.

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    Oak panels and slatted screens adorn Carroll Gardens Townhouse in Brooklyn

    New York studios Starling Architecture and Emily Lindberg Design have renovated a Brooklyn townhouse for a young family, combining two units into a single home and unifying them through the use of white oak.

    The Carroll Gardens Townhouse was previously laid out as a two-family dwelling, but the owners needed more room for their growing kids, so decided to connect the units.
    White oak acts as a unifying element throughout the renovated townhouseStarling Architecture and Emily Lindberg Design were initially briefed to convert and cosmetically upgrade the townhouse, and add spaces such as a mud room, work-from-home and living areas, and a large dining room.
    Once the project was underway, the scope expanded to include a complete overhaul of the layout, a new staircase, an extensive millwork package, and the replacement of the furniture and artwork.
    A large dining area was created to accommodate group gatherings”Aside from giving everyone a little more space to work, live and grow, we also quickly focused on bringing in more light and connection between the various levels,” said Starling Architecture founder Ian Starling.

    Spanning five storeys, the building has a total living area of 3,700 square feet (344 square metres), with four bedrooms and four-and-a-half bathrooms.
    Oak millwork continues in the kitchen, which was relocated from the centre of the houseRearranging the program involved moving the second-floor kitchen from the centre of the plan to the south facade, where it received much more light.
    The dining room occupies the adjacent space, enveloped in European white oak panels that extend from a long built-in bench seat, across the ceiling, and down to a slatted screen in front of the stairs.
    Cool hues offset the warm oak flooring throughout the home, including in the lounge areaA walnut table with rounded corners provides enough space for hosting friends and extended family.
    White oak is continued on the staircase across all levels and the flooring throughout, to a corridor and the mudroom, powder room, office and wet bar at garden level.
    Oak panels define a corridor at garden level”All wood for the house was sourced from the same mill in Belgium, where they custom fabricated and finished it to our exact specifications,” said Starling.
    “All of the panels were CNC cut, so we were able to specify exact panel sizes based on as-built dimensions and each panel was divided into equal veneer widths.”
    A mud room was created as part of the renovation scopeThe earthy tones of the wood helped to guide the remaining decor choices, which include cool blue undertones offset by family-friendly materials like purple slate and clay brick.
    Cork lines the office space, while the children’s playroom in the cellar features brighter colours without feeling too juvenile.

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    “With a new layout overall, the clients were in an ‘out with old in with the new’ mentality, going forward with some bold splashes of color along the way,” said Starling.
    “There is a purity about much of the palette, working with organic texture and form rather than applied pattern,” added Lindberg.
    Cork covers the walls in a room used as an officeStarling Architecture is based in Brooklyn, while Emily Lindberg Design has a presence in both New York City and Providence, Rhode Island.
    The two studios previously collaborated on a similar project for friends of the Carroll Gardens Townhouse owners, who recommended them for this job.
    Brighter colours are introduced in the children’s playroom, located in the cellarBrooklyn’s townhouses are in high demand, and new owners waste no time in renovating these historic buildings to meet their needs.
    Recently completed examples include a property on Warren Street, for which Studio Vural used Kyoto merchant houses as a reference point, and a home in Park Slope that was designed to meet Passive House standards.
    The photography is by Eric Petschek.
    Project credits:
    Architecture: Starling ArchitectureInterior design: Emily Lindberg DesignContractor: Euro Art ConstructionWood surfaces: Madera Surfaces

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    Another Seedbed is a Brooklyn apartment that doubles as a performance space

    In this renovated loft in Brooklyn, the owner both resides and hosts public art performances within a space divided by a variety of inserted volumes.

    The loft is located in a late 19th-century cast iron building in Williamsburg that once served as a hat factory, and was renovated by a team of architects.
    A team of architects renovated the loft, inserted volumes to conceal private areasIgnacio G Galán, Jesse McCormick, Khoi Nguyen and Julie Tran of Future Projects collaborated to turn the industrial space into a residence that could also serve as a venue for artistic performances and other public events.
    Named Another Seedbed, the project recalls the use of lofts in New York City by artists in 1960s to 1980s for developing experimental works.
    The bedroom is hidden behind red-stained plywood panels and accessed through a concertina doorThe owner and activator of this apartment began organising parties, performances and other events in a similarly industrial space in Bushwick.

    He then decided to create a dedicated space for himself to live and work, as well as host other artist friends who needed square footage to bring their ideas to life.
    Hand-troweled earthen clay plaster covers the bathroom volume”Neither just a private studio nor an art gallery, the space is equipped to welcome gatherings that operate between a dinner party and a public performance,” said the project team.
    “Artists appropriate the space and become hosts themselves, expanding the communities which the project brings together.”
    Inside, the bathroom is lined with blue penny-round tilesThe apartment is organised as a largely open-plan space, with private areas concealed inside inserted volumes.
    Red-stained pine plywood panels hide the bedroom, which is accessed via a concertina door, and also contain storage.
    Moveable furniture helps to arrange the apartment for performancesThe bathroom occupies another volume that’s covered in hand-troweled earthen clay plaster outside and lined entirely is blue penny-round tiles inside.
    An open kitchen with grey cabinetry sits below a framework of coloured wood, featuring smokey polycarbonate panels that are lit from behind.

    Vipp Studio in Manhattan functions as both showroom and apartment

    This frame extends into the living area to form a floor-to-ceiling shelving unit, on which books and objects are displayed, and a projector for screening videos onto the opposite wall is housed.
    A variety of moving furniture pieces, including an ochre-toned sofa on wheels, help to choreograph the events and arrange the apartment as desired by whoever is using it.
    The owner and his artist friends are able to transform the space to present their work”The space will not advertise its performances,” said the team.
    “Some neighbors might not know of its existence. Others will hear about an event through friends. Some might find themselves there often and will develop networks of neighbourliness within it.”
    Performances are open to the public but not advertisedBrooklyn has both a thriving arts scene and a wealth of defunct industrial buildings for hosting exhibitions, performances and events.
    Herzog & de Meuron recently completed the transformation of a derelict power plant in the borough into arts centre, while the Public Records creative venue added a bar and lounge on an upper floor of its former warehouse building earlier this year.

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    Basile Studio enlivens Moxy Williamsburg hotel with “eclectic grab-bag” of spaces

    Hotel brand Moxy has opened its first outpost in Brooklyn, with plentiful gathering spaces including a bar with motorised 20-feet-tall liquor shelves and an eatery modelled on Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture.

    Californian hospitality design practice Basile Studio spearheaded the interior design of the 216-room hotel, set in the heart of Williamsburg on bustling Bedford Avenue.
    The aim was for the design to reflect the area’s rich history and its eclectic inhabitants while creating a slew of public spaces for locals and visitors to enjoy.
    Moxy Williamsburg’s public spaces include the lobby (above) and Jolene lounge (top)”The design for Moxy Williamsburg was inspired by the neighbourhood’s history as a magnet for mavericks, immigrants and creators while taking its place at the centre of Brooklyn’s contemporary social scene,” Basile Studio’s lead designer Ashley Evans told Dezeen.
    “The hotel’s eclectic public spaces reflect the area’s melting pot character, finding inspiration in both past and present with influences from both near and far.”

    Among the hotel’s communal spaces are several co-working studios with modular rearrangeable furnishings as well as four different dining and nightlife venues created in collaboration with Bar Lab – the hospitality company behind Miami’s famous Broken Shaker cocktail bar.
    Bar Bedford lies just off the lobby”For Moxy Williamsburg, we envisioned an eclectic grab-bag of experiences that mirrors Williamsburg’s diversity,” said Bar Lab founders Elad Zvi and Gabe Orta. “Once you enter, you don’t want to leave.”
    It is housed in an 11-storey building, designed by local studio Stonehill Taylor, which has a glass-fronted facade that opens completely onto the sidewalk of Bedford Avenue.
    Guests enter via a lobby with exposed 20-foot ceilings, reminiscent of Brooklyn’s many converted warehouses.
    The room is organised around a curved barOn one side, custom timber joinery frames a small seating area with a built-in bench and a long planter, helping to soften the otherwise industrial space.
    A monumental artwork by creative studio RareCulture presides over the hotel’s two blacked-steel check-in counters. Stretching up all the way across the ceiling, this shows a pointillist depiction of nearby Williamsburg Bridge formed from thousands of colourful crayons.
    Immediately to the right lies Bar Bedford, which was designed to resemble a comfortable living space.
    Oblong windows connect the bar to the neighbouring Mesiba restaurant”Our seating is miscellaneous and meant to feel warm and inviting, modular in the sense that we want to invite people to move around and get social,” Evans said.
    The room’s centrepiece is a curved bar, which houses 1,500 bottles of wine and liquor inside a custom 20-foot-tall cabinet made from white oak and glass, with motorised shelves that move up and down like dumbwaiters.
    Although designed largely for entertainment value, the system was actually modelled on New York’s historic automat restaurants.
    The restaurant features plentiful planting and leather-upholstered booths”The automats, ubiquitous in New York in the first half of the 20th century, were fast food restaurants where customers would pick up their food from a wall of glass-fronted cubbies,” said Mitchell Hochberg, president of the hotel’s developer Lightstone.
    “We thought it would be fun to take something that was iconically New York and introduce it into the design.”
    Timber also features here in the form of the dramatic pendant lights – designed by Basil to resemble a giant nest of twigs – and the portals that provide a peek into the neighbouring Levantine restaurant Mesiba.

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    With its textured plasterwork, abundant greenery and curved seating booths upholstered in burgundy-red leather, the eatery was designed to reference the buildings of Tel Aviv.
    “The curvilinear lines of Bauhaus architecture find echoes in the rounded bar overhang and the oblong wood-framed etched-glass windows that offer a glimpse into Bar Bedford,” Evans said.
    “Travertine tabletops hearken back to Tel Aviv’s historic architecture, providing a striking contrast to the Bauhaus-influenced elements.”
    The hotel’s club has marquee-style lights integrated into its ceilingMoxy Williamsburg has three co-working and meeting rooms that can be used independently or combined to host larger groups thanks to their modular furnishings.
    After hours, the hotel also has its own club, named Jolene in homage to the iconic Dolly Parton song and outfitted with a sound system designed by DJ Nicolas Mater – the owner of infamous New York nightclubs Output and Cielo.
    Informed by 70s interiors and mid-century recording studios, the space is lined with rows of integrated high-fidelity speakers and rectangular acoustical panels in shades of green and gray.
    The hotel also has a rooftop bar and terraceWalnut, leather and fabric finishes ensure warm, resonant acoustics while hundreds of multicoloured, marquee-style lights that sync to the music are integrated into the ceiling.
    Modular furniture, including floating banquettes and low semicircular armchairs, allows the space to act as a lounge, a club or something in between.
    On the top floor, Basile Studio imbued the LiliStar rooftop bar with Balinese influences that can be seen in the hand-shaped timber chairs and the theatrical ceiling lights, which resemble giant lotus flowers carved from copper, glass and leather.
    Custom birch wood joinery defines the guest rooms”It’s much more playful here with an elevated tropical feel while, again, not being too literal,” Evans said. “We stuck to patterns and textures along with shelving inspired by shutters and exteriors of homes in Bali.”
    The hotel’s 216 bedrooms are pared back and fitted with space-saving birchwood joinery such as collapsible desks and wall-mounted pegs, that guests can be folded away when they are no longer needed.
    Moxy has recently completed a number of other outposts across the US. Among them is New York’s Lower East Side branch designed by Michaelis Boyd and another in Downtown Los Angeles by Yabu Pushelberg.

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    Krista Ninivaggi looks to “future rather than nostalgia” for Brooklyn Tower lobby interiors

    International architecture studio Woods Bagot has completed the lobby design of the Brooklyn Tower, a supertall skyscraper that is the tallest in the New York City borough.

    Woods Bagot was commissioned for the interior spaces – including lobbies, amenities spaces and furniture – for the SHoP Architects-designed skyscraper, which is completing this year. So far, it has completed the two entrances that will usher residents into the lobby.
    Woods Bagot designed the lobby for Brooklyn’s tallest towerThe tower itself rises from the historic Dimes Saving Bank in Downtown Brooklyn, so Woods Bagot needed to navigate the historic design as well as the “future landmark”.
    “Together with the architect we looked to the future rather than focus on a nostalgia for the past,” Woods Bagot principal Krista Ninvaggi told Dezeen.
    It features oak panelling”Ironically, [American architect] Hugh Ferriss’s work and dedication to retro-futurism influenced our designs,” she added.

    “We very much wanted the interiors to be in dialogue with the ethos of the exterior of the building, so that it felt like a complete work and continued the vision of the exterior. The goal was for the inside and outside to be unified as a total work.”

    SHoP Architects principal knew Brooklyn Tower would be “like the Empire State Building of Brooklyn”

    Woods Bagot’s solution to create this unification was to focus on small details, such as the wood panelling in the main lobby, which was milled at one-half the scale of the exterior facade extrusions.
    The design included both of the two residential entrances to the tower, one of which passes through the Dimes Savings Bank building on Fleet Street.
    Both entrances have oak panelling and cream-coloured hexagonal flooring that was based on the original flooring for the bank.
    The elevator entrance room has a ceiling clad in dimesThe Flatbush Avenue entrance, through the extension built for the tower, acts as the primary lobby and has a concierge desk positioned in front of a recess.
    Gold and bronze detailing and custom furniture designed by Ninvaggi – such as a built-in stone bench – were arranged around the desk and the wood panelling is backlit.
    From here, a passageway with arches clad in stone connects the main lobby with the Fleet Street entrance. Also accessed from the main lobby is the elevator bank.

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    This area has a vaulted ceiling clad in liberty dimes, another reference to the bank, and the elevators are framed by gold detailing.
    “We also used an abstracted mercury dime face as the signage for the ATM tucked away in the lobby,” said Ninvaggi.
    “Though we wanted to reference the bank we intentionally incorporated wood, which was not found in the bank’s original material palette. This warmed the space and gives it a more residential feel and the lighter wood tone compliments the stone.”
    “Overall, we made strides to abstract our references for a modern-day audience,” she added.
    A passageway connects the two entrancesWoods Bagot was founded in Adelaide, Australia in 1869. Other recent projects by the studio include a convention centre in Christchurch with a curved, tile facade in collaboration with New Zealand studio Warren & Mahoney and an expansion to Seattle’s Sea-Tac airport.
    The Brooklyn Tower is scheduled to be completed in the next few months, with most of its black facade already having been installed.
    The photography is by Adrian Gaut.

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