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    PL Studio applies Moroccan-inspired palette to London townhouse

    Interior design office PL Studio has transformed an east London townhouse using colours and graphics that take cues from the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh.

    The three-storey, new-build house features similar shades of blue, green and yellow to the Morrocan villa that was once home to artist Jacques Majorelle.
    The home’s colour palette draws from the Jardin Majorelle in MarrakeshFurther green tones allude to the villa’s verdant garden, while soft pink hues bring a sense of overall “warmth and joy” to the palette.
    PL Studio designed the scheme for creative couple Tom Lalande and Julian-Pascal Saadi, who live in the house with their chihuahua puppy, Sasha-Lee.
    A green shade was applied to the main bedroomThe studio founders, couple Sabrina Panizza and Aude Lerin, felt the design should reflect their clients’ love of colour.

    “Although we admired the architecture and loved how the townhouse was beautifully filled with natural light, we felt that overall, the property was lacking character and positivity,” said the pair.
    “We wanted to create a home that reflected our clients’ personalities and joyful spirit, a home filled with positive energy.”
    The reception room features cobalt blue walls and arch graphicsLalande and Saadi had recently returned from a trip to Marrakesh, which led this to becoming the starting point for the design.
    The reference is most evident in a reception room at the house’s entrance, which features cobalt blue walls, a colour-block rug, plants and a Tom Dixon Etch pendant light in gold-toned brass.
    The arch graphics feature on both walls and doorwaysThe effect is heightened by paint graphics that include arched openings – both real and illusionary – and stepped blocks that create the suggestion of extra staircases.
    As Saadi works as a psychologist, this room primarily serves as a waiting room for his clients.
    Picture-frame-style graphics provide a backdrop to the dining tableThe couple’s main living space occupies the uppermost floor, where an L-shaped room gives the pair a combined kitchen, dining area and lounge.
    Geometric wall graphics tie these three spaces together but also highlight the divides between them. The most striking of these is a triptych of picture-frame-style blocks that frame the dining table.

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    “Our clients didn’t have a clear idea of what they wanted, but they had a strong desire to be surrounded by pieces of art, colours and objects that would give them good energy, which is so powerful,” said Panizza and Lerin.
    “They were not afraid of mixing different shades and colour combinations, so we went for bright, bold, and fearless!”
    A guest bedroom features a striped ceiling akin to a market stall awningThe main bedroom, located on the middle floor, uses subtly different shades of green to create colour depth. This is offset with monochrome stripes and pops of pink and blue.
    Also on this floor is a guest bedroom that doubles as a dressing room, featuring a striped ceiling that looks like a market stall awning and a pink bathroom framed by black linear details.
    Arches feature throughout these spaces, in the form of mirrors and wardrobes as well as wall graphics.
    A pink bathroom is framed by black linear detailsSaadi’s ground-floor office takes the place of a third bedroom. This room has a different character from the rest of the house, with details inspired by surrealist art.
    Key features include a sculptural table in the shape of a hand and ceiling wallpaper depicting a cloudy sky.
    A ground-floor office takes cues from surrealist art. Photo is by Aude LerinPanizza hopes the “kaleidoscopic” project can serve to inspire people who see London’s new-build homes as characterless compared with the city’s older properties.
    “We want to show it is absolutely possible to create a home with lots of personality and character. It just takes a bit of courage,” she told Dezeen.
    The photography is by Taran Wilkhu unless otherwise indicated. Top image is by Aude Lerin

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    Cake Architecture draws on Bauhaus principles for Hoxton bar

    Cake Architecture has renovated A Bar with Shapes for a Name, an east London cocktail bar featuring “utilitarian” interiors.

    A Bar with Shapes for a Name owes its title to the yellow triangle, red square and blue circle that are emblazoned on its facade in a nod to the primary colours and understated geometry commonly associated with the Bauhaus.
    Tall tubular chairs feature on the ground floorWhen creating the bar’s minimalist interiors, Dalston-based Cake Architecture took cues from the influential German art and design school that was established in 1919 and advocated for an emphasis on functionality, among other similar principles.
    Located at 232 Kingsland Road in Hoxton, the cocktail bar was renovated by the studio to serve as a multipurpose venue.
    Cake Architecture created a smooth ground-floor bar from reddish plywoodCake Architecture doubled the bar’s capacity by adding a basement, which acts as a “kitchen-bar” room, and refurbished the ground floor’s existing seating area as well as a classroom-style space that offers a location for rotating events or workshops.

    “These spaces have specific functional requirements and we selected colours and materials to suit,” studio director Hugh Scott Moncrieff told Dezeen.
    It was positioned opposite a rectilinear light installationUpon entering the bar, visitors are greeted by the main seating area or “showroom”, which was designed to be warm and inviting.
    Tall tubular chairs finished with neutral rattan were positioned around chunky geometric tables made from birch ply stained to a rich, reddish-brown hue.
    The renovation included the addition of a new basementThe team also used the same timber to create the space’s curving bar, which is illuminated by a squat, cordless table lamp by lighting brand Flos.
    Opposite the bar, a glowing rectilinear light installation by photographer Steve Braiden was fitted to the wall underneath bench-style seating reminiscent of early Bauhaus furniture designs.
    A steel, glass-topped table sets an industrial tone”We looked in particular at projects by the Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius,” reflected Scott Moncrieff.
    “Gropius is a master of this elegant zoning through the application of colour and form,” he added.
    The “classroom” includes steel-framed tablesDownstairs, the low-lit basement was created to house additional seating as well as “all of the crazy machinery they use to prepare the drinks,” the designer said.
    The basement is characterised by a bespoke central table by Cake Architecture and furniture designer Eddie Olin.
    Red, yellow and blue accents define a sculptural lampConsisting of a steel frame that “floats” over a central leg, the table was topped with a glass surface and its base was clad in phenolic-coated plywood to match the floor and walls.
    “This new basement is predominantly a production space – so the palette reflects this with hardwearing, utilitarian and industrial materials,” said Scott Moncrieff.

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    A thick, felt curtain in ultramarine adds a pop of colour to the otherwise pared-back space.
    With its pale blue walls and Valchromat-topped, steel-framed tables, the ground-floor “classroom” pays homage to the Bauhaus as an educational institution.
    A tall blackboard provides space to learn in the classroomBrighter blue vinyl covers the floors while a sculptural lamp featuring red, yellow and blue circles echoes the bar’s logo.
    A tall blackboard and overhead strip lighting add to the classroom feel of the space, which is used for various group events.
    Thin vertical lights frame the bathroom sinkCake Architecture worked closely with the bar’s founders Remy Savage and Paul Lougrat when creating the interiors, which were primarily informed by the duo’s way of working.
    “The team has a conceptually driven ethos drawn from the theory and practice of Bauhaus embedded in everything they are doing. We found that incredibly exciting,” explained Scott Moncrieff.
    A Bar with Shapes for a Name is located on London’s Kingsland Road”The Bauhaus phrase ‘party, work, play’ was pertinent to some early ideas and this carried through all our design discussions,” noted the designer.
    “The space enables these three things. Separately as individual functions and simultaneously as a representation of the overall atmosphere of a bar!”
    Cake Architecture previously worked with interior designer Max Radford to create a curtain-wrapped speakeasy in London’s Soho. The studio also designed a workspace for London agency Ask Us For Ideas in the same part of the city.
    The photography is by Felix Speller. 

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    Furora Studio designs Kraków rental apartment Pops with “very sugary interior”

    Bespoke scalloped edges and a Verner Panton S-Chair feature at the Pops holiday apartment in Kraków, which Furora Studio designed to be more playful than a permanent home.

    Named Pops after lollipops, the dwelling was conceived by Diana Żurek and Gutek Girek of Polish firm Furora Studio.
    “The project is a temporary apartment for anyone who wants to spend time in an attractive and very sugary interior,” said the designers.
    Pops is a holiday apartment in central KrakówSpread across one level of a multi-storey building in central Kraków, the rental home includes an open-plan kitchen and living room.
    This space was dressed with a velvety salmon-pink curtain, which stretches the length of one of two of the walls, and a central display cabinet finished in pistachio green and “crowned with frills”.

    Furniture including a decorative display cabinet was custom-made by Furora StudioMuch of the furniture and other design elements were custom-made by Furora Studio and follow the same toy-like geometry as the cabinet – a combination of round and wavy motifs created in pastel pinks, greens and creams.
    For example, a white and turquoise pendant light with scalloped edges was suspended above a circular dining table, while a ribbed half-moon alcove was created as a backdrop for the wall-mounted television.
    Pastel hues define the apartment”First and foremost, we aimed to find suitable forms,” said Żurek, describing the studio’s starting point for the project.
    “Most of the elements were custom-made because we wanted to maintain the coherence of the interior while ensuring proper functional arrangement,” she told Dezeen.
    “Essentially, each element was its own small project. The selection of shapes, milling, small details, and perfecting the form – all of these were important considerations.”
    A ribbed, half-moon alcove was created as a backdrop for the televisionAn olive-hued, L-shaped sofa was tucked into one corner of the living space and echoed by the kitchen splashback, finished in the same green colour.
    Żurek described the apartment’s double bedroom as “a pink box with a whimsical headboard and an abundance of pillows”.
    Designer Diana Żurek described the bedroom as “a pink box”In one corner, a light green built-in desk was positioned in front of a sculptural Verner Panton chair.
    The iconic S-shaped seating was originally designed by Panton in the early 1960s and recently influenced the furniture created for the Dreamhouse at the centre of the set design in this year’s Barbie film.
    “We rarely have the opportunity to be in interiors that evoke memories of earlier years, when as children, we had few responsibilities and sought joy and playfulness,” noted Żurek.
    “But this is not about returning to preschool or infantilising the space,” stressed the designer.
    “It’s about positive energy. We sought solutions that would more literally create a colorful space, full of rounded patterns, light colours and a sense of relief,” she added.
    The studio added a Verner Panton chair to the apartmentThe bathroom is also awash with pattern, featuring a jumbo scalloped-edged cabinet and pink and brown terrazzo tiles.
    Bulbous pendant lighting illuminates the space, which contains a walk-in shower.
    Summarising the holiday apartment, Żurek called it a place to “have fun and cuddle”.

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    “Certainly, there are many enthusiasts of such candy-like solutions, but this interior may not be for everyone, especially for long-term use, such as in the case of a private home,” reflected the designer.
    “For short-term rentals, I believe most people would be tempted to experience how it feels to be in such a vibrant interior,” she added.
    “These projects allow for the use of [design] solutions that might be somewhat tiring on a daily basis, but spending a brief moment in such a place opens us up to new experiences, feelings of peace and relaxation.”
    A jumbo scalloped-edged cabinet features in the bathroomElsewhere in Kraków, London-based office Studio Mills transformed an apartment at a converted monastery into a family home. Polish practice Projekt Praga created a bar with a self-service beer fountain within the taproom of a centuries-old brewery just outside of the city.
    The photography is by ONI Studio. 

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    Linda Bergroth designs “user-centric” Cover Story paint shop in Amsterdam

    Interior designer Linda Bergroth has added colourful beams to the Amsterdam concept store for plastic-free paint brand Cover Story, which was designed to streamline the redecorating process for shoppers.

    The “paint studio” is the second iteration of Cover Story outlets designed by Bergroth, who also created the interiors for the Finnish brand’s flagship Helsinki store.
    The Cover Story shop in Amsterdam features oversized colourful beamsShortlisted in the small retail interiors category of this year’s Dezeen Awards, the paint shop features oversized colourful beams. These were informed by cranes in the port city, as well as the decorative vignettes that top many of Amsterdam buildings’ facades, according to the brand.
    “The design playfully explores the use of colour, incorporating three-dimensionality through roof bars and considering how light interacts with colour to influence perception,” said Cover Story.
    Linda Bergroth designed the interiorFollowing a similar format to the Helsinki outlet, the Amsterdam shop also serves as a showroom, office and events space, despite its small size.

    A large colour chart made from hand-painted swatches in 47 different shades, designed to make choosing colours easier for customers, was attached to the wall.
    Colourfully painted blocks and plinths were incorporated to show how light responds to each Cover Story shadeChunky painted plinths were positioned in the shop window, as well as smaller colourful blocks on a central silvery table, to emphasise the different ways in which light and shadow respond to various paint options.
    Cover Story explained that Bergroth chose to highlight the old building’s “unique characteristics”, rather than introduce new furniture, including its sloping walls and the metal supports that adorn its structural pillars.

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    “Despite the significant influence that wall colour holds in shaping the atmosphere of a room and influencing interior design, paint is often perceived merely as a renovation accessory,” said the brand.
    “Cover Story’s mission is to position paint as a design product, which is why the Amsterdam paint studio is strategically located on a bustling shopping street alongside other concept stores where interior design products are sold,” it added.
    “Every aspect is thoughtfully crafted to promote a sustainable and user-centric experience.”
    The beams were informed by Amsterdam’s architectureFounded in 2020 by Anssi Jokinen and Tommi Saarnio, the brand produces 100 per cent plastic-free paint, which is also odourless.
    Finnish designer Bergroth has completed a number of colour-infused projects including Durat’s Helsinki showroom and a blue pop-up restaurant in New York built from recycled food packaging.
    The photography is by Paavo Lehtonen. 

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    Colour-drenched coffee shop by Uchronia references “sunsets in the Tunisian desert”

    Gradated lava stone flooring and suspended planet-like orbs feature at the Cafe Nuances coffee shop in Paris, which was created by Dezeen Awards-nominated studio Uchronia.

    Located on the city’s Rue de la Tremoille, the coffee shop is the third Uchronia-designed branch for Parisian coffee roaster Cafe Nuances.
    Cafe Nuances’ latest branch has a bright white facadeThe one-room shop is fronted by a bright white facade in stark contrast to its vivid-hued interior.
    Studio founder Julien Sebban was informed by the landscapes he experienced on a recent trip to Tunisia when creating the cafe’s walls and lava stone flooring, which are decorated in ombre swathes of red, orange and blue.
    The colorful interior was informed by sunsets in Tunisia”They reminded him of the sunsets in the Tunisian desert – a veritable ode to the gentleness of summer days,” said the studio, known for its playfully eclectic designs and shortlisted in the emerging interior designer category at this year’s upcoming Dezeen Awards.

    The coffee shop’s entrance is flanked by two bright red benches topped with metallic-effect fabric – one curved, and the other straight.
    Uchronia crafted the counter from stainless steelLow-slung interlocking tables, which can double as stools, can be reconfigured to suit customers’ needs.
    Uchronia placed a chunky stainless steel counter at the back of the intimate cafe, which is overlooked by deep orange lacquered shelving – a design element found in the other two Cafe Nuances outlets.

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    “This new address picks up on the codes present in the second shop, accentuating the [coffee] brand’s colourful, futuristic retro universe,” explained the studio.
    A cluster of striking, spherical objects were finished in the same colours as the rest of the space and suspended from the reflective ceiling.
    Planet-like orbs add decoration to the space”Unlike [this branch’s] two big sisters, whose interiors feature striated shapes, here, the poly mirror tiles are complemented by half-spheres in saturated colours, accentuating the dreamlike feel of the coffee shop,” continued Uchronia.
    “They create the illusion of floating balls, which could be mistaken for Saturn.”
    Bespoke interlocking tables also function as stoolsThe studio previously livened up a Haussman-era Paris apartment for a pair of jewellery designers with furniture crafted to nod to the appearance of precious stones.
    Elsewhere, Canadian design duo Julia Jamrozik and Coryn Kempster created a sky-blue coffee shop in a century-old house in Buffalo, New York, with an optical illusion staircase.
    The photography is by Félix Dol Maillot.

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    Familien Kvistad brings colour to 1950s house in Oslo

    Vibrantly coloured tiles and textiles feature in this house renovation in Oslo, Norway, designed by locally based duo Familien Kvistad.

    The Yellow House in the Apple Garden is a 1950s house in Oslo’s Voldsløkka area, home to a family of four and their cat, “the rambunctious Caspian”.
    Familien Kvistad has renovated a Oslo homeFamilien Kvistad founders, married couple Astrid and Ziemowit Kvistad, have completely remodelled the interior using a palette that also includes solid ash joinery and lightly speckled terrazzo surfaces.
    “When they bought the house, the family envisioned painting some walls, moving the kitchen and building two new bathrooms,” the pair told Dezeen. “Over time, things naturally escalated, resulting in a complete change of layout, roof windows, new insulation, siding… absolutely everything was replaced.”
    The kitchen features solid ash cabinetsThe three-storey house has an enviable setting in a large garden filled with fruit trees. It was this that primarily attracted the owners, rather than the building itself.

    “The house was relatively old, not architecturally distinctive and outdated inside on all levels,” said the designers.
    The house was originally built in the 1950sHowever, shortly after they bought the property, the council enforced new conservation zone restrictions that made it impossible to alter the building’s exterior in any way.
    The task for Astrid and Ziemowit was to modernise the house without changing or extending its structure.

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    “This is obviously a costly project; it would have been cheaper to build a new house,” they explained.
    “However, the outer structure had to remain.”
    A terrazzo floor and ochre sofa are installed in the conservatoryThe renovation removed many of the old internal partitions, creating a more open layout. This gives the ground floor a broken-plan feel, made up of various separate but connected living and dining spaces.
    The old loft was also removed and replaced with small mezzanines, revealing the sloping roof beams and increasing the ceiling height in the first-floor bedrooms and bathroom to up to four metres.
    Wooden ceiling joists are exposed throughoutThe colour scheme was based on “earthy shades” of the owners’ favourite colours.
    On the ground floor, this resulted in a feature fireplace clad in mustard-yellow Kaufmann tiles, a lounge sofa upholstered in a plum-coloured Kvadrat textile and a storage bench topped by forest-green cushions.
    A storage bench topped with green cushions lines the main living spaceAn abundance of wood brings balance to this bold palette, with Douglas fir flooring from Dinesen and solid ash kitchen cabinets matching the exposed ceiling joists.
    This level also includes a sunken conservatory featuring large plants, a terrazzo floor, an ochre-toned sofa and electric-blue cushions. On the wall, an expressive painting displays similar colours.
    Custom-designed wall carpets adorn the primary bedroom”During the renovation, the family sold most of what they already owned,” said Astrid and Ziemowit. “This meant that all the furniture was purchased new.”
    “However, they did have some art from before,” they added. “Much to our delight, they fit perfectly into both the colour palette and the style.”
    In one of the children’s rooms, a staircase doubles as a shelving unitUpstairs, the primary bedroom features a pair of tufted wall carpets designed and made by Familien Kvistad, depicting abstract landscapes.
    One of the two children’s bedrooms features a playful storage unit that doubles as a staircase, while the other has a ladder to provide access to the mezzanine loft above.
    The family bathroom combines green tones with terrazzoThe bathroom has a more mellow character, combining terrazzo sanitaryware with calming green tones. The basement floor mainly serves as a utility area, although it does include an extra bathroom and a living room that doubles as a guest bedroom.
    Other recently completed homes in Norway include a “house of offcuts” by Kolman Boye Architects and a villa on piloti by Saunders Architecture.
    The photography is by Magnus Berger Nordstrand.

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    Eight bold showers that add a pop of colour to the bathroom

    Showers enclosed in dichroic glass and wrapped in speckled terrazzo are featured in our latest lookbook, which showcases eight unique showers that bring a touch of colour to the bathroom.

    Bathtubs often hold the spotlight in a bathroom, but this round-up proves showers can be just as showstopping – and luxurious.
    From an all-pink shower in Taiwan to a minty-green shower in an Antwerp apartment, these colourful showers add a bold touch to brighten up the surrounding space.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring pared-back loft conversions, lattice screens and outdoor showers.
    Photo is by Dylan ChandlerCrosby Studios apartment, USA, Crosby Studios

    Crosby Studios founder Harry Nuriev and partner Tyler Billinger outfitted their New York City apartment in a palette of purple and grey.
    The bold colour scheme was carried into the bathroom, where the shower was clad in grey tile and enclosed with a purple shower screen.
    Find out more about the Crosby Studios apartment ›
    Photo is by Christian HarderThe Siren Hotel, USA, Quinn Evans Architects
    The Siren Hotel in Detroit was originally built in 1926 by architect Robert Finn before being refreshed by design development firm ASH NYC with the help of Quinn Evans Architects in 2018.
    The renovation included the addition of pastel hues and an assortment of rich textiles, while the hotel’s showers were updated with red-speckled terrazzo and a glass-brick divider.
    Find out more about The Siren Hotel ›
    Photo is by Maxime BrouilletUnit 622, Canada, Rainville Sangaré 
    Unit 622 by Rainville Sangaré is located inside architect Moshe Safdie’s famous brutalist Habitat 67 in Montreal, Canada.
    Sangaré updated the apartment to include walk-in showers enclosed in dichroic glass that appears to change colour when viewed from different angles.
    Find out more about Unit 622 ›
    Photo is by Hey! CheeseCats’ Pink House, Taiwan, KC Design Studio
    Not only does the Cats Pink House by KC Design Studio include an entire room dedicated to the owner’s cats, but it also contains a spacious pink bathroom.
    Large pink tiles cover the walls and floor of a walk-in shower, which is also outfitted with a stand-alone tub.
    Find out more about Cat’s Pink House ›
    Photo is by Karen Van der BiestSpinmolenplein penthouse, Belgium, Jürgen Vandewalle
    Located on the top floor of the tallest residential building in Ghent, Belgium, the 60-square-metre Spinmolenplein penthouse updated by Jürgen Vandewalle was designed to maximize space.
    A bathroom unit clad in white wood panels opens to reveal a colourful shower stall finished with a micro-cement in a muted red.
    Find out more about Spinmolenplein penthouse ›
    Photo is by Luis Díaz DíazReady-made Home, Spain, Azab
    Located in an apartment building in Spain built in the 1960s, the Ready-made Home by Azab features a colourful palette of soft pinks, blues and yellows.
    A corner bathroom in the main bedroom is partitioned by a light blue curtain, while a deeper shade of blue was carried into the tiles that cover the floor and walls of the bathtub and shower.
    Find out more about Ready-made Home ›
    Photo is by Piet-Albert GoethalsApartment A, Belgium, Atelier Dialect 
    While an en-suite shiny steel tub makes quite the statement in this Antwerp apartment updated by Belgian design studio Atelier Dialect, the shower is equally intriguing.
    Contrasted by the stark white and black palette of the surrounding bedroom, the shower was wrapped in minty green, with a single shelf cut into the wall for toiletries and a bench installed opposite.
    Find out more about Apartment A ›
    Photo is by Megan TaylorLouisville Road house, England, 2LG Studio
    Located in Tooting, south London, interior design studio 2LG overhauled a period home with blue tilework and coral-orange cabinetry.
    The walk-in shower features baby blue floor tiles and matching hardware, as well as sky-blue bordering that surrounds the fluted-glass shower screen.
    Find out more about Louisville Road house ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring basement apartments, mid-century homes and textural kitchens.

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    Beata Heuman designs colour-drenched Hôtel de la Boétie in Paris

    Saturated greens and blues contrast pale pink sheets and playful flower details at Hôtel de la Boétie in Paris, which Swedish designer Beata Heuman created to be “a bit like a stage set”.

    Set in a 19th-century building, the 40-room hotel in Paris’ 8th arrondissement was designed with Heuman’s signature colourful interior style.
    Beata Heuman’s Dodo Egg Light hangs in a lounge area at Hôtel de la BoétieWhile it was a renovation of an existing hotel, the designer was able to make large changes to the interior as the building had been altered numerous times since it was completed.
    “The building didn’t have any original features left and has been re-configured over the years,” Heuman told Dezeen. “We spun off the simplicity of the bones that were there, working with strong, simple ideas.”
    The hotel’s reception area has a warm red colourGuests are met by a reception room with a vibrant, bright-red nook for the front-of-house staff and two lamps designed like winding red-and-yellow flowers. A dark-blue leather seat complements the room.

    Next to the reception area, Heuman created an all-silver lounge that was designed to have a theatrical feel and is brightened by an orange velvet sofa and a forest-green coffee table.
    Guests can relax in a silver lounge areaThe colour palette was very deliberately chosen by Heuman, who thought about the wider impact it would have on the space.
    “It’s about contrast and balance,” the designer said. “When you work with rich colours my instinct is to off-set that using simpler materials around it to complement and enhance.”
    Woven headboards create striking centrepieces in the bedroomsThe bedrooms have a saturated colour scheme, with lower-level floors that feature dark blue walls, which change to shades of brown on the ascending floors.
    The two top levels have pale, airy blue hues, with classic French cast-iron balconies providing views of central Paris from the top floor.
    A grassy green carpet was used throughout the hotel to create a vibrant contrast to the blue and brown hues.
    The bathrooms feature pale pastel coloursSome bedrooms have been decorated with oversized headboards that were woven as rugs and then upholstered, creating an unusual and eye-catching centrepiece.
    These were informed by the inlaid marble floor of the Medici Chapel in Florence and sit above the solid-ash beds, which have been made with pale-pink satin sheets that add to the vibrant feel of the room.
    In the bathrooms, Heuman used pale blue and green pastel hues juxtaposed with pink towels to give the rooms a luxurious retro feel, while checkerboard-patterned tiles in yellow and green add a fun touch.
    bedrooms on the lower levels have dark-blue wallsThe designer also used her own products to decorate the hotel, including her Dodo Egg Light – an egg-shaped light with green fittings designed to resemble planet leaves.
    This decorates one of the ground floor lounge areas, which also features posters for art exhibitions by artists Pablo Picasso and Paul Klee.

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    The designer used mainly natural materials for the hotel, including wood and brass.
    “The solid ash furniture used in all the rooms have a humble quality which anchors the more theatrical elements of the schemes such as the headboards, ensuring the expression stays true to the nature of the building,” she said.
    Heuman aimed to use natural materials throughout the spaceHeuman also created the branding for the hotel, which was made for French hotel group Touriste.
    “A hotel is about having an experience for a day or two, which means that we have been able to explore a concept and a mood to a greater extent,” Heuman said.
    “We can treat it a bit like a stage set, which is not the approach I would take when it comes to someone’s home.”
    Flower lamps decorate the reception areaThe project fulfilled a long-time dream for the designer, who had previously never designed a hotel and works more on private home interiors.
    “I’ve been wanting to do a hotel for ages and it has been a fantastic experience,” Heuman said.  “I am drawn to the theatrical, although that is often not appropriate for a residential setting.”
    “A hotel is an experience for a few nights, therefore you can exaggerate and do more of a ‘look’,” she added. “In a residential project the design is centred around the personal preferences of an individual client.”
    Previous hotels by Touriste include Hotel Les Deux Gares in Paris, which has an interior that was created by British designer Luke Edward Hall. Also in Paris, local studio Uchronia created a colourful Haussmann-era apartment as a “chromatic jewellery box”.
    The photography is by Simon Brown.

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