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    Cliffside hotel in China features cave-like pool with sea views

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    Chinese interior studio GS Design has created the nature-informed Miyue Blue and White Island Pool Homestay near Shenzhen, China.

    Located in Nan’ao Subdistrict, the Miyue Blue and White Island Pool Homestay was designed to reference its surrounding environment.
    Miyue Blue and White Island Pool Homestay is located near ShenzhenThe exterior of the five-storey building is punctuated by a series of arched windows, inviting the surrounding natural landscape of the cliffside hotel into the building. Each storey was stacked above one another, creating balconies and terrace pool areas on the upper three floors.
    The Shenzhen-based studio used white as the base tone of the interiors to contrast the rich blues of the surrounding sea and sky.
    Wood and bamboo were used in the hotel restaurant to reference the natural environment”Elegant vacation is the core idea of this space,” explained GS Design.

    “The whole building takes pure white as the basic tone, combined with blue sea and sky, expressed the relaxation of the exotic vacation, as if people immersed in nature
    A cave-like pool features in one guest roomThe entrance of the hotel on the third floor where a public restaurant is also located. A bamboo ceiling painted in white and wooden furniture add to the overall nature-informed interiors of the hotel. GS Design cladded the bar in black bamboo to create a sense of mystery.
    Other public spaces of the hotel include a water bar, reading recreation area and a conference room. GS Design created 25 different guest rooms spread throughout all floors, each with a unique view framed by various shaped windows.

    GS Design repeats arch motifs throughout Sumei Skyline Coast hotel on Hainan Island

    One room features a cave-like pool that extends from within the inside of the room to the outside. The polished rugged surface of the cave envelopes the bath, protecting the privacy of the guests as well as connecting them directly to the outdoor nature.
    “The natural scenery corresponding to different caves and pools has become the core of space,” said GS Design. “Through the visual, tactile, auditory sensory experience , we create a more delicate appropriate sense of vacation for travellers.”
    The base tone of white contrasts the blues of surrounding sea and skyThe top attic rooms were designed specifically for family with children.
    According to the studio, triangle oblique top modelling and window framing evoke the memory of childhood corner, as they discovered in a survey a huge demand for parent-child serviced rooms for urban hotels.
    GS Design was established in 2014 and is based in Shenzhen. Previously it has designed a similar hotel on the beachside of Sanya, China, with arched windows and sculptural vaulted corridors.
    The photography is by Aoxiang.
    Project credits:
    Design director: Li Liangchao, Huang YuanmanSoft outfitting design director: Feng YuDesign team: Fu Qixin, Xu Zuohua, Zheng Yong, Zhong Zhige

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      Eight cave-like interiors that celebrate curved forms

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      A spa with a spherical swimming pool and holiday homes with sloping plaster walls feature in our latest lookbook, which showcases eight cavernous Greek interiors.

      Cave-like interior designs are becoming increasingly popular, as seen in the Gilder Center by Studio Gang – a recently completed museum extension in New York with a large grotto-like atrium.
      In Greece, which is known for its caves, there is a wide variety of cave-like architecture either built from existing geological structures or designed to mimic these natural dugouts. Thick, curved walls are often chosen to protect interior spaces from the country’s Mediterranean climate.
      As the weather becomes warmer in the northern hemisphere, here are eight cave-like interiors from Greece that are defined by their curved shapes.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with striking bookshelves, outdoor showers and offbeat bakeries.

      Photo is by Yiorgos KordakisSummer houses, Santorini, by Kapsimalis Architects
      Local studio Kapsimalis Architects converted two underground caves at an old property in Santorini into summer houses with bright white facades.
      Inside, the homes are characterised by smoothed-out interiors finished with earthy-hued plaster, while arched doorways and niches nod to the property’s history.
      Find out more about these summer houses ›
      Image is courtesy of Greg Haji JoannidesSterna Nisyros Residences, Nisyros, by Greg Haji Joannides
      Designer Greg Haji Joannides renovated the interior of an earthquake-damaged house on the island of Nisyros using historic photographs as a guide.
      On the ground floor, wide brick archways create an open-plan layout that allows the space to double as an exhibition site for artists in residence.
      “The inspiration behind this design was to keep as much as possible of the original way the Nisyrians would build houses,” Joannides told Dezeen. “They would use the ground floor as a storage or working space.”
      Find out more about this island house ›
      Photo is by Spyros Hound PhotographyWooden Cave, Trikala Korinthias, by Tenon Architecture
      Wooden Cave is a timber-clad suite that forms part of Hyades Mountain Resort – a hotel in the mountainous village of Trikala Korinthias.
      Tenon Architecture split the suite into two sections that intend to mirror the appearance and experience of entering a cave. The front half features ashy black tiles arranged in a linear formation, while the rear half is made from almost 1,000 pieces of curved hand-cut spruce.
      “This division intends to create a clear distinction between the hard, ‘protective’ shell and the curved, ‘inviting’ interior, reminiscent of the form of a cave,” explained the architecture studio.
      Find out more about Wooden Cave ›
      Photo is by Giorgos SfakianakisSaint Hotel, Santorini, by Kapsimalis Architects
      Kapsimalis Architects converted a cluster of former homes, barns and cellars in Santorini into the Saint Hotel – the volumes of which are arranged in a stepped formation down a sea-facing cliffside.
      Inside, smooth cavernous walls were finished in white plaster that creates a subtle backdrop for minimal fittings and amorphous furniture.
      Find out more about Saint Hotel ›
      Photo is by Sylvia DiamantopoulosRetreat in Tinos Island by Ioannis Exarchou
      Retreat in Tinos Island is a 100-year-old stable that was transformed into a cosy holiday home for two by architect Ioannis Exarchou.
      Exarchou set large stones and thick tree branches into the dwelling’s ceiling, clad the walls in smooth white plaster and covered the floors in coloured concrete.
      “My main objective was to retain and preserve the cavernous unique feeling of the space,” the architect told Dezeen.
      Find out more about Retreat in Tinos Island ›
      Photo is by Yiorgos KordakisHoliday home, Santorini, by Kapsimalis Architects
      The cave-like subterranean spaces and vaulted rooms within this Santorini holiday home were renovated by Kapsimalis Architects to retain the building’s existing architecture.
      The studio worked to simplify the complex interior layout, which features a labyrinthine arrangement of spaces that are brightened by all-white plaster walls.
      Find out more about this holiday home ›
      Image is courtesy of DecaArchitectureEuphoria Spa, Mystras, by DecaArchitecture
      Carved into the base of a mountain in Mystras, Euphoria Spa is made up of differently scaled elliptical spaces that are connected by a web of catacomb-style passages.
      One of these areas contains an indoor spherical pool that is characterised by a dark central structure that can be accessed via curved archways.
      “Floating in the centre of this dark orb there is a sense of being suspended in the void of a platonic volume, but also a sense of womb-like calmness,” said DecaArchitecture.
      Find out more about Euphoria Spa
      Photo is by Julia KlimiHoliday apartments, Santorini, by Kapsimalis Architects
      Arched niches and grey cement plaster floors create neutral living spaces within these four holiday apartments, which were built near Santorini’s highest point.
      The complex’s terraces and retaining walls were formed from rocks excavated from the site to create a continuity between the architecture and the surrounding mountains.
      Find out more about these apartments ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with striking bookshelves, outdoor showers and offbeat bakeries. 

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      Arco Suites is a cliffside hotel in Crete with rooms carved out of the rock

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      Cave-like suites and a yoga studio with an arching bamboo roof feature inside this wellness hotel on the Greek island of Crete, which local hoteliers Danae and Konstantina Orfanake have perched on a rocky precipice above the sea.

      The Orfanake sisters spent almost five years designing and developing the Arco Suites resort together with Athenian architecture office Utopia Hotel Design and interior designer Manos Kipritidis.
      Arco Suites is set on a cliffside in Crete’s Mononaftis bayThe complex accommodates 49 suites and villas in buildings constructed from locally sourced stone and wood, which were designed to blend into their surroundings along Crete’s Mononaftis bay.
      Some of the stone was excavated directly on-site while the rest was sourced from Mount Ida, the highest mountain on the island.
      The hotel overlooks the Aegean SeaEach of the hotel’s suites has its own private saltwater pool with views of the Aegean Sea and interiors finished in a palette of natural materials.

      This ranges from raw silk bed covers to furnishings custom-made by local artisans using marble from nearby Feistos.
      The hotel’s Cave Suites are carved out of the cliffsideSome of the suites were carved directly out of the cliffside, with parts of the rockface left exposed around the pool terraces and throughout the interiors to preserve their cave-like feel.
      The stone walls also help to maintain a pleasant temperature all year round, reducing the need for heating and air conditioning.
      The hotel’s external stone walls were crafted by Cretan sculptors, as were the custom-made clay light fixtures in the Cave Suites.
      A thatched roof covers the Circle BarKipritidis worked closely with the Orfanake sisters on the design of the hotel’s Cremnos restaurant and the Circle cocktail bar.
      Echoing the natural look of the suites, the restaurant is furnished with custom-made marble furniture, natural fabrics and copper and wood details.

      KRAK Architects imagines subterranean house on Cretan coast

      The Circle bar features a ceiling made from Makuti – a type of East African thatching that consists of sun-dried coconut palm leaves.
      This natural material provides shade and sways in the breeze, creating a relaxing atmosphere.
      The spa area combines wooden joinery with rough stone surfacesUtopia Hotel Design was brought in to help with the design of the in-house spa, which features an oval layout and smooth stone surfaces contrasted against roughly hewn walls and wooden doors.
      The wellness area houses a Byzantine hammam, a Finnish sauna, two treatment rooms, an outdoor pool and a heated pool.
      The spa contains an outdoor poolThe hotel’s Asana yoga studio is covered by an impressive arching roof that was custom made in Crete using wood and bamboo from Thailand.
      Danae and Konstantina Orfanake are members of a prominent Cretan hotelier family. Arco Suites is the latest addition to their growing portfolio of resorts on the island.
      The hotel’s yoga studio has an arching bamboo roofA number of other design studios have explored the idea of embedding buildings into the rugged topography of the Greek islands.
      KRAK Architects recently developed a concept for an underground house with an infinity pool on Crete’s south coast. And on Mykonos, Kyriakos Tsolakis Architects has blended a wellness hotel into the surrounding hillside using stones excavated on-site.
      The photography is by Giorgos Sfakianakis.

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      Leckie Studio imitates stalactite formations inside Vancouver's AER Skinlab

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      Quarries and caves served as visual references for this marble-lined skincare clinic in Vancouver, Canada, designed by local firm Leckie Studio.

      Set on the ground level of Vancouver’s Waterfall Building, AER Skinlab offers a selection of cosmetic injections and laser treatments.
      Walls throughout the AER Skinlab clinic in Vancouver are lined with grey marbleLeckie Studio wanted to create a calm, grounding interior for the clinic to make it look as if it was “excavated from the stillness of rock”.
      The studio’s key reference point for this aesthetic was a series of photographs by Canadian artist Edward Burtynsky, which captures the dramatic topography of quarries around the world.
      In homage, the clinic’s service desk and almost all of its walls were clad with vast panels of grey marble sourced from nearby Vancouver Island. Each slab was given a subtle striated finish to emulate the irregular surface texture of stone.

      The marble was striated to emulate the uneven surface texture of stoneSimilar striations were made on AER Skinlab’s glass facade, obscuring the interior from passersby to preserve patients’ privacy.
      Crowning the clinic’s reception area is a striking ceiling installation that was produced by Leckie Studio in collaboration with local art and design practice Tangible Interaction.
      It consists of strips of Tyvek, a type of high-density polyethylene (HDPE) fabric, which are hung at different lengths. Clustered together, these resemble pointed mineral formations called stalactites that are created when water drips through a cave ceiling.
      Leckie Studio and Tangible Interaction created a hanging installation for the clinic”The ceiling installation was very ambitious from both a design detailing and installation perspective,” Leckie Studio told Dezeen.
      “We prioritised the experiential aspect while also ensuring compliance with local building codes, life safety, HVAC [heating, ventilation and air conditioning] and lighting performance.”
      Consultation and treatment rooms are simply finishedOne of the walls in the clinic’s reception is punctuated with a narrow niche, where AER Skinlab displays its line of skincare products.
      An arched corridor leads through to a consultation area and a trio of treatment rooms that were finished with pale plaster walls and grey soft furnishings to complement the rest of the interior scheme.
      The clinic’s striated glass facade was designed to preserve patients’ privacyLeckie Studio has completed a number of projects around its hometown of Vancouver. Among them is Courtyard House, a family home that contains only the most essential living spaces.
      The studio also designed the Vancouver office of Slack Technologies – the company behind workplace messaging system Slack – which occupies a former warehouse.
      The photography is by Ema Peter.
      Project credits:
      Design: Leckie StudioCeiling installation: Tanglible InteractionBrand identity: Glasfurd & Walker

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      Ten cavernous interiors that swap corners for curves

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      A nursery by Junya Ishigami and MAD’s Cloudscape of Haikou feature in our latest lookbook, which highlights 10 softly contoured interiors from the Dezeen archive that were modelled on the sinuous shapes of clouds and wind-smoothed caves.

      Whether crafted from plaster, concrete or wooden panels, undulating walls can help to bring a sense of intimacy to otherwise large, impersonal spaces.
      Beyond just looking pretty, they can also be a practical solution to integrate everything from seating to storage into the fabric of the interior, while concealing unsightly mechanical and electrical systems.
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing bright-white kitchens, cosy conversation pits and self-designed homes by architects and designers.
      Photo is by Joe FletcherSoftie, USA, by OPA

      Design studio OPA subverted the rational modernist grid of this house near San Francisco by overlaying a series of cloud-like architectural features on top of its existing structural shell.
      Its load-bearing columns are now enveloped by bulging white walls, while ceilings droop down to form a series of intimate seating nooks as well as a cove that surrounds the freestanding circular tub in the bathroom.
      Find out more about Softie ›
      Photo is by Paola PansiniFerrari flagship, Italy, Sybarite
      Going down a sleeker, more space-age-style route, London studio Sybarite carved out a sinuous display area at the centre of Ferrari’s lifestyle concept store in Maranello to house the carmaker’s debut fashion collection.
      The otherwise open-plan interior is cast in shades of glossy red and white and also incorporates touches of mahogany, which was used to make Ferrari’s original Enrico Nardi steering wheels of the 1950s and 1960s.
      Find out more about the Ferrari flagship ›
      Photo is by Lars Petter PettersenCabin at Norderhov, Norway, by Atelier Oslo
      Curved birchwood panels engulf the walls and ceilings of this cabin, turning it into a cosy refuge on the banks of Norway’s Lake Steinsfjorden while sweeping windows provide panoramic views over the natural landscape.
      Like a winding tunnel, the interior was designed as one continuous space, with the bedroom cordoned off from the open floor plan by a heavy grey curtain.
      Find out more about the Cabin at Norderhov ›
      Photo is by Yiorgos KordakisTwo Holiday Houses in Firostefani, Greece, by Kapsimalis Architects
      Three rocky vaulted caves, which once provided additional storage space for a traditional dwelling on Santorini, were smoothed out and finished with earthy-hued plaster to create this summer house by local practice Kapsimalis Architects.
      Colours, finishes and fittings throughout the interior were designed to reflect the building’s humble origins, incorporating arched niches and doorways, flush built-in storage and furniture made by local craftsmen.
      Find out more about Two Holiday Houses in Firostefani ›
      Photo is by CreatAR ImagesCloudscape of Haikou, China, by MAD
      Designed to evoke “a wormhole that transcends time and space”, the interior and exterior of MAD’s library on Hainan Island were cast as one continuous vessel without any right angles.
      On the inside, the sinuous white concrete shell forms small reading nooks and bookcases recessed into the walls, while concealing all of the building’s electrics and plumbing.
      Find out more about Cloud of Haikou ›
      Photo is by Tom FergusonNational Museum of Qatar gift shop, Qatar, by Koichi Takada Architects
      Around 40,000 slabs of wood were stacked on top of each other and assembled by hand to form the soaring walls and built-in shelves of the gift shop in the National Museum of Qatar.
      The interior, much like the Jean Nouvel-designed building, pays homage to Qatar’s desert landscape – particularly the crystal-crusted cavern of Dahl Al Misfir, which tunnels deep into the earth outside Doha.
      Find out more about the gift shop ›
      Photo is by Simone BossiMyrto, Sardinia, by Studio Wok
      Studio Wok looked to the way that the wind carves granite rocks on the Sardinian coast into sinuous, almost architectural structures when designing this pizzeria, set in the island’s port town of Porto Cervo.
      This erosive process is referenced in the restaurant’s curved, sandy pink plaster walls and arched windows, which are complemented by custom furnishings including a tiled counter in varying shades of green that echo the colours of local shrubs.
      Find out more about Myrto ›
      Photo is by Edmund SumnerCloud Garden, Japan, by Junya Ishigami
      Rather than covering up the bulky columns found in this high-rise office block in Atsugi, Junya Ishigami converted its former cafeteria into a nursery by inserting wiggly concrete partitions, creating archways and pathways as well as various spaces for play.
      “There are crevices that only children can pass through, and absent spaces that are considered large even for adults,” Ishigami said. “It is a space that softly ties in various objects and scales.”
      Find out more about Cloud Garden ›
      Photo is by 1988 Photography StudioTT Pilates, China, by Wanmu Shazi
      Designer Wanmu Shazi used micro-cement to cover up not just the walls but also most of the windows in the TT Pilates studio, which is located in a typical high-rise office building in Xiamen.
      Only a few organically-shaped openings allow visitors to catch glimpses of the sky while letting light dapple into the interior, in a bid to shut out the usual hustle and bustle of the Chinese port city.
      Find out more about TT Pilates ›

      Grotto, Canada, by Partisans
      Cedarwood panelling creates an undulating terrain inside this sauna in Canada, curving up from the floor to form stepped seating and skewed porthole windows as well as enveloping the wood-burning stove.
      Set on a craggy outcrop on the shore of Lake Huron, it was designed to resemble a seaside grotto carved out by the water, while its exterior was moulded perfectly to the rock formation using a 3D scanner.
      Find out more about Grotto ›
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing bright-white kitchens, cosy conversation pits and self-designed homes by architects and designers.

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