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    Beacon House extension by Office S&M features bubblegum pink tiles

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    A London house extension designed by Office S&M features a ceramic facade with the same pink glaze used for Tube station tiles on the Hammersmith and City Line.

    Office S&M designed Beacon House, a single-storey rear extension, for a Victorian terraced house in Tottenham, north London.
    Pink “pillow-shaped” tiles clad the extensionIt creates a larger kitchen and dining space for a couple and their two young children.
    The architects chose “pillow-shaped” tiles for the extension’s facade, giving the structure a puffy aesthetic.
    The pink glaze is the same used for tiles on Hammersmith and City Line stationsThe bubblegum pink glaze is specifically used on Hammersmith and City Line station tiles, to match the colour that indicates the line on the London Underground map.

    Here, it was selected to complement the original brickwork and reflect the clients’ love of municipal architecture.
    Pale green window frames contrast the pink”Alex and Ella showed us examples of public buildings they grew up with and ones they visited on their travels, which included sun-bleached climbing frames, tiled swimming pools, leisure centres and stations,” said Catrina Stewart, co-founder of Office S&M along with Hugh McEwen.
    “Just like with these buildings, they wanted their home to be both robust and joyful,” Stewart told Dezeen.
    The extension creates a generous kitchen and dining areaThe extruded clay tiles, handcrafted by manufacturers Materials Assemble and Teamwork Italy, contrast with the pale green colour of the window frames and downpipe.
    “Ella grew up in west London and her dad used to take the Hammersmith and City line every day; the pink tiles reminded her of home,” added Stewart.
    Curved details include a kitchen island and the wall wrapping a downstairs WCThe renovation also involved improving the building’s performance, making it better insulated and ventilated, and bringing a contemporary feel to the interiors throughout.
    The design features the bold colours and graphic style that have become Office S&M’s calling card, as previously seen in projects like Mo-tel House and Graphic House.
    As with Graphic House, the interior features several bespoke elements that inject a sense of the owners’ personality. Stewart points to the kitchen island as an example.
    Bold colours feature throughout the houseThe central focus of the extension, it features a resin and timber worktop made by surface design studio Mirrl, using a technique inspired by Japanese lacquer craft Tsugaru Nuri.
    “A bespoke pattern was created, referencing the clients’ memories of pastel hues and fading colours found along the British seaside,” Stewart said.
    The hallway includes monochrome tiles and a round yellow mirrorTiled surfaces and curved details feature all over, continuing the aesthetic of the building’s exterior.
    Examples of tiles include a yellow-grouted kitchen splashback, the monochrome flooring in the entrance hallway, and the soft yellow and pink surfaces in the first-floor bathroom.
    Pale pink and yellow tiles were installed in the first-floor bathroomProminent curves include the kitchen island, as well as a rounded wall framing the downstairs toilet and a yellow-framed hallway mirror.
    “Many of the municipal buildings that they showed us were associated with a story or a memory,” said Stewart.
    “The subtle references in their home serve as a reminder of these stories and experiences.”
    The three-bedroom property is home to a couple with two childrenThe colour scheme naturally progresses through the building, with richer tones at the front of the house and lighter tones as you move through to the top-lit extension.
    Local craft makers were involved in many of the smaller details, from the baby blue banquette upholstery in the kitchen, to the hand-painted gold number fixed to the front door.
    The photography is by French + Tye.
    Project credits
    Architect: Office S&MStructural engineer: Foster StructuresContractor: YG BuildersFurniture build: YG BuildersKitchen surfaces: MirrlGlazed pink external tiles: Materials Assemble, Teamwork ItalyGlobal paints: YesColoursUpholstery: Studio SwadeGold number sign: Mark Errington

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      Eight offbeat red-and-green home interiors that prove opposites attract

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      Interior designers are finding interesting ways to pair red and green – a combination more typically associated with Christmas – to create quirky colour-block interiors. This lookbook brings together recent examples of how it can be done.

      Set on opposite sides of the colour wheel, red and green are inherently compatible, each helping to offset the other.
      Combining two such bright colours in a residential interior can sound daunting, even without their festive affiliation. But a slew of recent projects show that they can have a place in modern interiors.
      Below, we’ve collated eight home interiors that prove this colour combination isn’t just for Santa, combining subdued green tones with warmer hues ranging from pink to crimson.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring clerestory windows, exposed ceiling beams and kitchen skylights.

      Photo by Yannis DrakoulidisTrikoupi Apartment, Greece, by Point Supreme Architects
      Colourful built-in furniture pieces define different areas inside this Athens apartment in the wake of a renovation by local studio Point Supreme Architects, which saw many of the home’s partition walls removed to make the interior feel more sunny and spacious.
      Among them is a stained plywood storage wall that runs along one side of the apartment, providing a dramatic contrast with the oxblood-coloured kitchen cabinets and the glossy Ferrari-red island.
      Find out more about Trikoupi Apartment ›
      Photo by José HeviaCasa Milc, Spain, by Lucas y Hernandez Gil
      Spanish studio Lucas y Hernandez Gil aimed to bring personality back to this 19th-century Madrid apartment, which had been renovated one too many times, with the addition of playful shapes and “warm and friendly” colours.
      Painted a pale sage green from floor to ceiling, the kitchen features a crimson dining table from the studio’s own furniture brand Kresta Design that was brought in to mirror the gently curved walls.
      “The kitchen is designed as a play of opposites between materials and shapes,” co-founder Cristina Domínguez Lucas told Dezeen.
      Find out more about Casa Milc ›
      Photo by Joe FletcherRedwood House, USA, by Studio Terpeluk
      Unexpected colour combinations help balance out the timber-heavy interiors of this Albert Lanier-designed house in San Francisco’s Noe Valley, renovated by local firm Studio Terpeluk.
      A baby pink kitchen and minty green storage unit shine against the Douglas fir flooring and red cedar walls, alongside classic furniture pieces including a red-lacquered version of Carl Hansen’s Wishbone Chair.
      “Color was a recurring theme in the exquisite and eclectic art collection of the owners,” studio founder Brett Terpeluk said. “This went perfectly hand in hand with my interest in mid-century Italian design and its bold use of color.”
      Find out more about Redwood House ›
      Photo by José HeviaRelámpago House, Spain, by H3O
      Zigzagging partitions nod to the history of this lightning-struck home, renovated by Spanish studio H3O and painted in pastel primary colours inspired by the “radical, fun and optimistic spirit” of 1970s pop art.
      Even the floors are finished in a pale green resin, providing a counterpoint to the coral pink and butter yellow of the walls.
      Find out more about Relámpago House ›

      Berlin apartment, Germany, by Gisbert Pöppler
      Berlin studio Gisbert Pöppler has renovated an apartment that occupies a glass pavilion on the roof of a 1930s residential building in the city’s Mitte neighbourhood.
      Custom furnishings and fixtures – including mint-coloured cabinetry and cherry red-lacquered wood panelling – were added to help the home fit its owner like a “tailor-made suit”.
      Find out more about this Berlin apartment ›
      Photo by Félix Dol MaillotUnivers Uchronia, France, by Uchronia
      French studio Uchronia, crowned emerging interior designer of the year at the 2023 Dezeen Awards, is known for its fearless use of colour. And the home of founder Julien Sebban is no exception.
      The Parisian apartment was designed as a homage to the 1970s, with reddish-brown walnut burl surfaces, wavy wainscoting and patterned green tiles that match the poured resin floor.
      Find out more about Univers Uchronia ›
      Photo by French + TyeGraphic House, UK, by Office S&M
      This Edwardian terrace home belongs to a couple of graphic designers, whose love for art deco forms and adventurous colours informed the interior scheme by architecture studio Office S&M.
      “In this project, colours and shapes have been used to help define key moments throughout the house and tell a story about the building’s function and history,” Office S&M co-founder Catrina Stewart told Dezeen.
      Find out more about Graphic House ›
      Photo by Taran WilkhuForest Gate House, UK, by PL Studio
      This London townhouse belonging to a couple and their chihuahua puppy brims with shades of green and blue, while details in various pinkish hues bring a sense of overall “warmth and joy” to the palette.
      “We wanted to create a home that reflected our clients’ personalities and joyful spirit, a home filled with positive energy,” design firm PL Studio told Dezeen.
      “They were not afraid of mixing different shades and colour combinations, so we went for bright, bold and fearless.”
      Find out more about Forest Gate House ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring clerestory windows, exposed ceiling beams and kitchen skylights.

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      Xanadu is a “fun and maximum” roller disco in Brooklyn

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      Local entrepreneur Varun Kataria has unveiled a venue with a mix of colourful, retro details that contains the only permanent roller rink in New York City.

      Set in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Xanadu occupies a former industrial warehouse, which was converted by Kataria and his team, who also run the nearby restaurant and venue Turks Inn and Sultan Room.
      Xanadu is a multi-functional space with a massive roller rink in BrooklynThe multi-functional space now contains a roller rink, stage, bar area and large bathrooms, one of which can be converted into a smaller “club within a club”.
      According to Kataria, the space originally had columns throughout, but to make a large enough surface for an uninterrupted roller rink the ceiling needed to be supported without columns.
      It includes a mix of colours and patternsWorking with a local architect friend, Kataria created a structure around the existing structure, suspending the ceiling from the superstructure in order to support the weight, essentially creating a second ceiling.

      This allows for a wide space centred around the hand-painted, maple-wood rink, but without sacrificing details for the attendant spaces.
      Plentiful seating lines the leisure spaces around the rinkThe result is a “fun and maximum” space that contains a dizzying mix of patterns and colours.
      At the entrance, a desk was placed to rent out custom skates. From here, a walkway passes under an archway anchored by a sofa that wraps around a pole. Guests pass a long bar and on the wall across from it are raised seating areas.
      Banquet seating wraps the far side of the space and throughout, multiple entryways have been placed to give access to the massive rink.
      It has a massive maple wood roller rinkThe ceiling has incongruous shapes cut into it with track lighting. Kataria said that the Memphis Group design movement in part influenced the shape, giving the space the sense of an “elevated adult day care.
      “It’s not afraid to be playful,” said Kataria. “And the relationship with color became a real joy.”
      A stage sits adjacent to the ringHe added that the combination of many influences and time-periods was meant to have an “uncanny” effect on the visitors.
      Details such as infinity mirrors in the long sloping bar, colourful patterns in the carpet and vinyl surface coverings – almost every vinyl surface has a different pattern – create a mix of historical time periods that Kataria said work together to “push nostalgic buttons”, while being contemporary.

      Fendi creates oversized “pinball machine” for Autumn Winter 2023 runway show

      He said that the idea was to revive a entertainment form that people often associate more squarely with the past.
      “I’m not gonna say it’s an industry in decline, but the spaces themselves are in decline, right?” Kataria told Dezeen.
      “They’re usually old. But there’s more skaters than ever now. So I think as a cultural practice, it’s exploding, you know, with new energy.”
      One bathroom can be converted into a mini clubThe bathrooms are mostly monotone – one red and one blue. The red one has a hidden DJ set up so that it can become Club Flush.
      Other recent rinks include an ice skating rink built in Canada by architecture studio Lemay, which it says is the largest in the world.
      The photography is by Matt Harrington.

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      Alarquitectos lines Lisbon apartment with colour-blocked walls and pine wood

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      Portuguese studio Alarquitectos has used walls of pink and blue to brighten São Sebastião 123, an apartment converted from a 20th-century office in Lisbon.

      Tasked with revitalising the old workspace’s dark and poorly ventilated interiors, Alarquitectos opened it up by removing the existing partitions and adding a courtyard.
      Along with an existing outdoor space that has been reorganised, this courtyard doubles as a lightwell for the 167-metre-square apartment.
      Walls of pink and blue decorate the São Sebastião 123 apartmentSão Sebastião 123 is organised with a series of “fluid” living spaces at its front and more private spaces, including the bedrooms, at the rear.
      Narrow corridors brightened by the colour-blocked walls lead into the airy, open-plan living area that is illuminated by a window and full-height opening connected to a slim balcony.

      In the living area, a shelving unit runs the length of the room and is paired with pine flooring and grey-toned furnishings.
      A sliding door connects the living space to the kitchenA sliding door leads from the living space into a kitchen “box”, which is enclosed on both sides by deep-blue cabinets topped with metal counters, and complemented by terrazzo flooring.
      Bronze detailing is used for lighting fixtures, mirrors and door knobs throughout the home.
      The kitchen features deep-blue cabinets and terrazzo flooring”We envisioned the kitchen as a vibrant focal point, hence the striking colour of the kitchen box,” studio co-founder Mafalda Ambrósio told Dezeen.
      “We sought cool colours that contrast with the warm tones of the pine wood,” she continued.
      “This colour palette was inspired by the aggregates in the kitchen terrazzo, resulting in a deep blue with green pigments and a light pink.”
      There is a dining room with an oak table and three pendant lightsAdjacent to the kitchen is a dining area with an oak dining table and three pendant lights. Further counter space and shelving are provided along one side.
      To the back of the dining area, a full-height door opens up to the new enclosed courtyard, which is lined with ceramic-tiled walls and terrazzo flooring and decorated with black-steel furniture and leafy plants.

      H3O creates “unpredictable” zigzagging interiors for lightning-struck home

      A glazed opening onto the courtyard draws light into a bedroom, while a smaller circular opening illuminates the adjacent corridor – operating as a “physical bridge between the interior and exterior”.
      “We extended our focus to the exterior space, not merely as a source of natural light and ventilation but also as an extension of the living experience,” Ambrósio said. “The materials for the patios were meticulously chosen to create a sense of refinement and tranquillity.”
      Ceramic-tiled walls and terrazzo flooring features in the courtyardSão Sebastião 123 is complete with two small workspaces beside the living area and a shared bathroom lined with ceramic tiles and terrazzo flooring matching the external courtyard.
      Other recent projects defined by colourful interiors include a playful seaside hotel that uses colour blocking to distinguish different areas and a residential conversion with jagged walls that reference a lightning bolt.
      The photography is by Do mal o menos.

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      H3O creates “unpredictable” zigzagging interiors for lightning-struck home

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      Three jagged walls delineate the colourful spaces inside this converted barn in Sant Just Desvern, Spain, transformed by Barcelona studio H3O to reference a lightning bolt that struck the building generations ago.

      The one-storey Relámpago House is a former barn with a white-painted barrel-vaulted ceiling in the Spanish town of Sant Just Desvern on the outskirts of Barcelona.
      Relámpago House features a colour-block interiorFor the interior scheme, H3O took cues from an old family legend told by the homeowner, whose ancestors are said to have survived a lightning bolt that struck the barn and entered the building through the chimney, narrowly avoiding the family members sheltering under the dining table.
      “Transforming a story into architecture seemed to us a fascinating and fun challenge,” the studio told Dezeen.
      H3O delineated spaces with jagged walls informed by lightning boltsH3O inserted three intersecting walls shaped like lightning bolts into the plan, defining rooms within the otherwise open space.

      “This geometry choice is not random – it emulates the unpredictable trajectory and rapid dispersion of a lightning bolt’s energy,” added the studio.
      The all-pink bedroom is accessed via a colourful doorThe colourful intersecting walls enclose a private bedroom and bathroom, as well as forming the perimeter of the open-plan kitchen and living area.
      This communal space features zigzagged strip lighting suspended above a boxy metal kitchen island and walls clad in green glazed tiles.
      Strip lighting was suspended above a metal kitchen islandSugary pink walls delineate the bedroom, accessed via a contrasting door that is painted dark green on one side and deep blue on the other.
      “The interaction of these colours with the opening and closing doors creates an experience of spatial fluidity inspired by the pop art aesthetic of the 70s, reflecting a radical, fun and optimistic spirit,” explained H3O.
      The angular bathroom has a blue ceiling and wallsCharacterised by a mixture of green tiles and floor-to-ceiling dark blue paint, the bathroom is the smallest and most angular of the spaces, with a jagged, asymmetric mirror that wraps one corner of the room and tops a geometric sink.
      “The construction of the walls involved a meticulous design and execution process, ensuring that every angle and twist served an aesthetic function and optimised habitability and indoor living,” the studio said.
      Stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handlesSmall stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handles throughout the dwelling, adding organic accents to the otherwise colour-blocked interior.
      As a final nod to the home’s tumultuous history, a sculptural silver lightning bolt now protrudes from the chimney.

      Masquespacio founders create home and office where “everything revolves around play”

      “The idea of a lightning bolt redefining space, filling it with form and colour, pushed us to explore beyond conventional boundaries,” reflected H3O.
      “Relámpago House transforms a forgotten barn into a visual spectacle.”
      A silver lightning bolt protrudes from the building’s chimneyVarious other architectural projects have been defined by zigzagging motifs.
      London-based Outpost studio created a jagged zinc kitchen extension in Haggerston while German practice Wulf Architekten designed a sports centre for a school in Überlingen with a folding roof to reference the mountains of the surrounding Alps.
      The photography is by José Hevia. 

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      Masquespacio founders create home and office where “everything revolves around play”

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      The founders of Spanish studio Masquespacio have transformed a traditional Valencian farmhouse into their self-designed home and studio, with maximalist interiors that nod to the Memphis movement.

      Creative and life partners Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse renovated the 1920s villa, which was once a farmhouse on the outskirts of Valencia, to create a hybrid home and studio that reflects their maximalist approach to interiors.
      Masquespacio has designed a live-work space in Valencia”Everything revolves around the concept of play,” explained Hernández Palacios, who co-founded Masquespacio with Penasse in 2010.
      “We’ve been influenced by many styles over the last decade, from New Memphis to art deco and futurism,” Penasse added. “We can say that our private home is a mix of it all.”
      The ground floor holds the studio’s workspacesThe duo maintained the building’s original timber front door and white facade decorated with light-blue window frames and ornate grilles.

      Inside, the ground floor was reserved for their studio, spread across several interconnected meeting rooms in the former farmstead, known locally as an alquería.
      Masquespacio restored the building’s original hydraulic floor tilesHere, Masquespacio restored the building’s decoratively patterned hydraulic floor tiles alongside its traditional doors and windows.
      Painted in bright hues, they help to colour-code the different office spaces, filled with the studio’s characteristic chunky, lumpy and latticed furniture.
      There is a double-height interior courtyard at the centre of the home”As always, the project includes a mix of colours, textures and forms – one of the main aspects of all our designs, no matter what aesthetic we’re working with,” Penasse told Dezeen.
      At the centre of the home is a double-height interior courtyard illuminated by skylights, with exposed-brick walls painted in lilac surrounded by wiggly flowerbeds with lush statement cheese plants.
      From the courtyard, visitors can see up to an interior balcony on the first floor, which is accessed via a purple concrete staircase and contains the living spaces.
      The couple’s bed is encased in a green dome next to a hot-pink seating booth.The balcony reveals two sculptural objects – a giant green dome that conceals the couple’s bed and a curved hot-pink screen that hides a seating booth.
      This immersive furniture – Penasse’s favourite part of the project – creates a focal point that connects both levels of the house but also provides more private quarters for the couple despite the open nature of the overall plan.
      A mosaic of yellow tiles defines the bathroom”There are no wall partitions to hide our home [from downstairs] but it’s kept private by the bed’s form and a semi-transparent green curtain that allows us to take advantage of the natural light almost everywhere on the upper floor,” explained Penasse.
      The sleeping area is connected to the main living space via a tunnel-like corridor, which includes an all-yellow bathroom with triangular cabinets and walls clad with a mosaic of handmade ceramic tiles.

      Ten self-designed studios by architects and designers

      Opposite the bathroom is a colourful open-air terrace featuring circular windows and similar built-in seating to Bun Turin – an Italian burger joint designed by Masquespacio with boxy blue-tiled tables created to look like swimming pools.
      “Geometry can be found all over our house,” explained Hernández Palacios. “Everything is a game of circles and triangles.”
      The terrace follows a similar geometry to the interiorsThe light blue kitchen includes large, triangular alcoves and cupboards finished in natural stone and aluminium, designed to conceal utilities.
      There is also an island made from veiny marble and petite glazed tiles. Bespoke Masquespacio bar stools were wrapped in matching pale blue fabric.
      Triangular cupboards feature in the kitchenNext to the open-plan kitchen, the living and dining spaces include more brightly coloured furniture from the studio’s Mas Creations collection, which features the same twisted and angular shapes and soft upholstery as the pieces downstairs.
      Floor-to-ceiling curtains form a backdrop for a snaking lime green sofa, while dark green dining chairs with pyramidal backrests were positioned around a jewel-like glass table.
      Striking pyramid-shaped dining chairs continue the maximalist theme”Ninety-five per cent of the furniture and objects in our house are part of our Mas Creations collection, locally designed and produced by our studio,” said Penasse.
      Similarly bold projects from Masquespacio include a restaurant in Milan, Italy, with interiors that take cues from futuristic spaceships and the first Mango Teen store in Barcelona featuring vivid graphic shapes.
      The photography is courtesy of Masquespacio. 

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      Nine home interiors brightened with colourful window frames

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      Shades of green, red and yellow run throughout this lookbook, which collects nine home interiors enlivened by colourful window frames.

      Whether painted wood, plastic or metal, opting for colourful window frames is an easy way to brighten a residential interior.
      The examples in this lookbook demonstrate how they can be used to create a focal point in a pared-back space, draw attention to a view or simply help establish a colour theme.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring organic modern interiors, eclectic hotels and flooring that enhances the connection between indoors and outdoors.
      Photo by Fred HowarthCamberwell Cork House, UK, by Delve Architects

      A bright forest green paint lines the window frames at Camberwell Cork House, helping to draw focus to the lush planting outside.
      The paint juxtaposes the deliberately simple, white-walled interiors of the house extension, while outside it pops from against walls of tactile cork cladding.
      Find out more about Camberwell Cork House ›
      Photo by Mikael OlssonHouse 669, Sweden, by HelgessonGonzaga Arkitekter
      HelgessonGonzaga Arkitekter incorporated sunny yellow frames throughout House 669, a prefabricated home it created in Stockholm.
      The irregularly placed windows help enliven the otherwise neutral finishes to the home while adding a sense of “individuality” to its uniform structure, the studio said.
      Find out more about House 669 ›
      Photo by Megan TaylorCork House, UK, by Nimtim Architects
      Another studio to have married bright window frames with cork cladding is Nimtim Architects. At this extension in London, the studio punctured the cork-lined walls with Barbie pink timber frames, offering a contemporary counterpoint to the Victorian house to which it is attached.
      The windows are complemented by more subtle pops of pink inside, including the kitchen splashback and metal legs of the dining chairs.
      Find out more about Cork House ›
      Photo by José CamposBouça Family House, Portugal, by Fahr 021.3
      Turquoise accents feature throughout this family home by Fahr 021.3 in Porto, including its window frames and doors.
      The colour was intended to help liven up the interiors, which are finished with white walls, wooden floorboards and wall panelling, while also giving the home “an element of distinction”, the studio said.
      Find out more about Bouça Family House ›
      Photo by French & TyeValetta House, UK, by Office S&M
      Among the distinguishing features of the Valetta House loft extension in London are its yellow-framed arch windows, three of which feature in one of the bedrooms.
      Office S&M modelled these on the arched sash windows found in neighbouring Victorian residences but gave them a vivid yellow finish to appeal to the client’s children. The colour was based on a light fitting the client had picked for the kitchen.
      Find out more about Valetta House ›
      Photo by Séverin MalaudDailly, Belgium, by Mamout
      Slender sage-green frames trim the window openings in Dailly, a courtyard house nestled between two buildings in Belgium.
      It is among the pastel tones that its architect Mamout has used to bring character to the home, in addition to an array of reclaimed materials sourced from a warehouse that previously occupied the site.
      Find out more about Dailly ›

      Ugly House, UK, by Lipton Plant Architects
      Ugly House is a 1970s house in Berkshire that Lipton Plant Architects expanded with a contrasting two-storey extension.
      A bright orange finish was chosen for the windows, including the large garden-facing opening in the kitchen that juxtaposes pastel-blue cabinetry and wooden floorboards.
      Find out more about Ugly House ›
      Photo by Francisco AscensãoHouse in Ancede, Portugal, by Atelier Local
      Large rectangular and circular windows bring light inside House in Ancede, which Atelier Local completed on a sloped site in a nature reserve near Porto.
      The openings are outlined with bright red aluminium, brightening the cool-toned interiors that are defined by exposed blockwork and concrete to evoke brutalist architecture.
      Find out more about House in Ancede ›
      Photo by Megan TaylorYellow House, UK, by Nimtim Architects
      Another project on the list by Nimtim Architects is Yellow House, named after the spectrum of yellow-green hues that run throughout its interior.
      This includes the buttercup-coloured wooden frames of the rear picture window and three skylights in the living room, which stand out against a backdrop of white walls and neutral furnishings.
      Find out more about Yellow House ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring tactile organic modern interiors, eclectic hotels and flooring that enhances the connection between indoors and outdoors. 

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      Uchronia founder designs own home as “love letter to French craft”

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      Glossy walls, ruched curtains and oversized flower-shaped cushions characterise this eclectic 1970s-style Paris apartment, designed and owned by Uchronia founder Julien Sebban.

      Called Univers Uchronia, the apartment is in the city’s 18th arrondissement, close to the Uchronia office – a Parisian architecture and interiors studio known for its bold application of shape, colour and reflective surfaces.
      Julien Sebban designed Univers Uchronia as his homeSebban designed the dwelling as his home, which he shares with his husband and Maison Royère artistic director Jonathan Wray.
      The Uchronia founder created the apartment as an extension of his studio – “it’s truly a manifesto of our universe,” he told Dezeen.
      Colourful interiors anchor the apartmentSebban worked with local studio Atelier Roma to create all the walls and ceilings, which are either lacquered and glossy or made of matte pigmented concrete, respectively reflecting or absorbing light throughout the day.

      Finished in hues ranging from cloud-like pale blue to lemony yellow, the walls and ceilings complement the poured-in-place resin floor that spans the apartment and features a bold motif that “waves and moves in relation to the architecture”.
      A metallic island features in the open-plan kitchenThe home is anchored by a predominantly pink living space, which includes Uchronia-designed pieces such as low-slung interlocking coffee tables made from walnut burl and orange resin.
      Translucent and gathered pink curtains were paired with a geometric vintage bookshelf and a blocky but soft sofa finished in purple and orange.
      A bespoke onyx dining table was created for the home”The apartment is very colourful with ’60s and ’70s inspirations and a mix of our contemporary pieces and vintage objects,” said Sebban.
      In the open-plan kitchen and dining room, a veiny Van Gogh onyx table was positioned next to a metallic kitchen island, illuminated by a blobby seaweed-shaped table lamp.
      Ornamental jellyfish decorate the home officeA portion of the otherwise orange wall was clad with tiny, mirrored tiles. Reflected in the gleaming ceiling, the tiles have the same effect as a shimmering disco ball.
      Opposite the dining area is Sebban and Wray’s home office, characterised by a bright orange, built-in day bed topped with silk flower-like cushions and a wave-shaped backrest.
      The dwelling’s bathrooms follow a similar designAbove the bed, ornamental jellyfish were suspended like planets against a constellation of gold stars, which decorate the ombre orange and yellow wall that nods to the colour-drenched interior of the city’s Cafe Nuances – also designed by Uchronia.
      The dwelling’s bathrooms follow a similar design. Accents include dusty pink alcoves and ceramic tiles depicting underwater scenes, as well as a lily pad-shaped rug and a mirror resembling a cluster of clouds.

      Ten self-designed homes that reflect the unique styles of their owners

      “The apartment defines the codes we have tried to develop at Uchronia over the last four years,” concluded Sebban.
      “It’s a play on colours, textures and materials, and a love letter to French craft.”
      Univers Uchronia is “a love letter to French craft”Uchronia was named emerging interior designer of the year at the Dezeen Awards 2023. The studio previously renovated a Haussmann-era apartment for a pair of jewellery designers with multifaceted furniture pieces created to mirror the appearance of precious stones.
      Various architects have designed their own homes, such as John Pawson, who created this minimalist second home in the Cotswolds in the UK.
      The photography is by Félix Dol Maillot. 

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      FDA designs playful colour-block interiors for Italian seaside hotel

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      Italian architecture office FDA has updated several guest rooms and suites at the family-friendly Hotel Haway on Italy’s Adriatic coast, introducing bespoke furniture in colours that evoke the sea and mountains.

      Fiorini D’Amico Architetti (FDA) was tasked with modernising the interiors of the 50-room hotel in Martinsicuro, a popular seaside resort in the Abruzzo region.
      FDA has updated the 1980s interiors of Hotel HawayThe first phase of the project involved refreshing rooms on the fifth floor of the 1980s building to make them more appealing for all sorts of families.
      “The main goal we wanted to achieve with the design of the new rooms was to create a unique space where guests can discover a new way of feeling at home,” said Alessio Fiorini, who founded FDA together with fellow architect Roberto D’Amico.
      The studio brought in colours of the nearby sea”The spaces emphasise the importance of being together, the joy of sharing happy moments and the refreshment that comes from a sense of community,” he added.

      The architects sought to inject a sense of creativity and surprise into the rooms by incorporating colourful bespoke elements such as bed frames, bunk beds and built-in furniture.
      Bespoke details include lozenge-shaped mirrors by PolvanesiHotel Haway has views of the sea as well as the nearby Apennines mountains, which led FDA to reference both of these features in its welcoming colour palette.
      Colour blocking was used to create visual separation between different zones within the rooms, where walls, floors, ceilings and furniture are finished in shades of blue or green.
      One of the custom-made elements in the sea-facing rooms is a double bed with a pull-out cot hidden underneath. A headboard that emerges from one side functions as a backrest so families can lounge together on the bed.

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      Some of the rooms feature bunk beds with curtains for privacy and guard rails incorporating playful tensioned bungee ropes in matching colours.
      Other bespoke details include vertical lozenge-shaped mirrors fabricated by Polvanesi – an industrial carpentry workshop and regular FDA collaborator.
      The lighting was designed to create different atmospheres throughout the day, with bright ambient lights for daytime play and more targeted task lighting for evening relaxation.
      Several of Hotel Haway’s rooms also feature a small deskThe en suite bathrooms are decorated with ceramic tiles featuring playful geometric patterns. High-quality fixtures and finishes including speckled Staron countertops bring these spaces up to modern standards.
      According to FDA, the rest of the hotel is set to be refurbished in a similar style over the next four years. The project will include the ground floor areas including the lobby and breakfast room, as well as all outdoor spaces and two top-floor suites with private terraces.
      Other Italian hotels that have recently been featured on Dezeen include a converted 12th-century monastery and a cliffside hotel that incorporates medieval stone defences.
      The photography is by Carlo Oriente.

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