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      Dezeen and ASUS Zenbook to host Design You Can Feel exhibition during London Design Festival

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      Dezeen has teamed up with ASUS Zenbook to curate a major exhibition during London Design Festival exploring materiality, craftsmanship and artificial intelligence.

      Titled Design You Can Feel, the exhibition will showcase how material qualities such as form, colour and texture can be combined to create objects or moments that awaken the senses.
      Featured designers include Fernando Laposse, Giles Miller, Natural Material Studio, Niceworkshop and Studio Furthermore.
      The exhibition will also include a specially commissioned piece by Future Facility, the design and research studio led by distinguished designers Kim Colin, Sam Hecht and Leo Leitner.
      Exhibition to tell the story of Ceraluminum

      At the heart of the exhibition will be an exploration of Ceraluminum, an innovative new material that’s used to create the distinct visual identity of the ASUS Zenbook series of laptops.
      Ceraluminum combines the lightness of metal with the resilience of ceramics through an aluminium ceramisation process, resulting in a new proprietary material with distinctive nature-inspired hues that make each object unique.
      Dezeen has teamed up with ASUS Zenbook to curate an exhibition at London Design FestivalUnlike traditional aluminium anodisation, the process eliminates volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and heavy metals and results in a 100-per-cent recyclable material.
      This will be presented alongside work by other leading designers and curated around themes that speak to the qualities of Ceraluminum and showcase ASUS’s approach to design.
      A celebration of ASUS Zenbook
      The Design You Can Feel exhibition will celebrate Zenbook, the new range of laptops from ASUS.
      These thin and light ultra-portable premium laptops have been crafted with the user in mind. The design features have been dictated by their use with the aim of seamlessly integrating beauty and function.

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      The laptops feature advanced (artificial intelligence) AI tools and are clad in the proprietary Ceraluminum material.
      This light and durable material can be used to create unique, everlasting designs. Each of the pieces in the exhibition – which span furniture, lighting and installation design – will speak to these qualities in different ways, while Niceworkshop has produced a piece of furniture directly using the material.
      The Design You Can Feel exhibition will celebrate ASUS ZenbookThe special commission by Future Facility will also be crafted from Ceraluminum.
      Through this conceptual design, the studio will explore the relationship between the digital and physical worlds and ask how AI and materiality can change our relationship with technology.
      Visitors to the exhibition will also be able to learn about the design story behind ASUS Zenbook and try out the AI tools it features for themselves.
      Design You Can Feel takes place during LDF
      Design You Can Feel will run from 17 to 22 September at Protein Studios in Shoreditch during London Design Festival.
      More details of the exhibition, including details of the work on display, will be announced in the coming weeks at: dezeen.com/designyoucanfeel.
      The exhibition graphic at the top of this post is by My Beautiful City, which used the generative AI tool Midjourney to create the imagery. You can see Dezeen’s policy on AI here.
      London Design Festival 2024
      London Design Festival 2024 takes place from 16-22 September 2024. See our London Design Festival 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.
      Partnership content
      The Design You Can Feel exhibition is a partnership between Dezeen and ASUS Zenbook. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Under One Roof exhibition celebrates Scotland’s “vibrant” emerging design scene

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      Design platform Slancha has curated Under One Roof, a furniture and homeware exhibition in Glasgow that spotlights 14 up-and-coming Scottish designers.

      The inaugural exhibition from Slancha, which is run by designers Findlay MacDonald and Harvey Everson, presented a hand-picked selection of furniture, ceramics and lighting pieces united by an emphasis on materiality and form.
      Under One Roof is the inaugural exhibition by SlanchaMacDonald and Everson were prompted to curate the exhibition after visiting Milan design week and observing Scotland’s comparative lack of a cohesive design community, despite the exceptional work being produced by local makers.
      “The more exhibitions and shows like this that happen in Scotland, the more people will start to see the vibrant design scene emerging here,” MacDonald told Dezeen. “We’re excited to be part of that movement.”
      Nicholas Davis’s Fireside Chair is made from African sapele woodAmong the pieces on display as part of Under One Roof was Nicholas Davis’s Fireside Chair, crafted using African sapele timber.

      The chair features a durable structure and bold graphic silhouette, informed by the designer’s background studying graphic design at the Glasgow School of Art before pivoting to furniture.
      “The Fireside Chair is a great example of contemporary design in Scotland, with a distinctive Scandi-Scot influence,” MacDonald said, adding that Davis’s practice exemplifies “exceptional craftsmanship and eye-catching forms”.
      Oliver Spendley (left) and Richard Goldsworthy (right) explored raw natural materialsOliver Spendley utilised locally sourced materials from his base in Durness – a small village on the north coast of Scotland – to create his Endless Orbit collection.
      The totemic sculptures are made using discs of Scottish timber, fitted onto Lewisian gneiss stones to suggest a celestial object and its orbit.
      SHY Design’s vases are crafted from scagolia plaster”Each timber base is hand-finished with precision, alternating between sleek and textured surfaces,” said MacDonald.
      “This careful attention to detail reflects the natural textures found in our environment, from the undulating ripples of rivers to the layered patterns of tidal sands.”

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      Other pieces in the exhibition that pay homage to nature include the Vessel IX vases from SHY Design, a Glasgow-based studio exploring the emotional connection between user and object.
      Crafted from scagolia – a plaster typically used for surface decoration – the vases feature expressive forms with craggy rock-like surfaces.
      “SHY nod to material origins, first building their pieces into strong simple architectural forms before unexpectedly carving into and destructing the surfaces to create new forms and reveal the patterns laced below,” MacDonald said.
      Charles Myatt (left) and Frances Ross (right) contributed sculptural screensFluid Screen by ceramicist Frances Ross is a divider comprised of 72 translucent Parian porcelain tiles set within an ash frame, which diffuse light and shift in colour to resemble flowing liquid.
      And Greenlaw-based Richard Goldsworthy, whose work celebrates the inherent beauty of the natural world, contributed a sculpture crafted from charred walnut and pewter.
      Kiko was informed by graffitiAlso included in the exhibition was furnituremaker Laurence Veitch’s piece Kiko, designed in collaboration with architect Dafni Michalaki, which features a vernacular form inspired by graffiti.
      Similar themes lie in the work of Glasgow-based Charles Myatt, including his Lichen Stone assemblage crafted from lime, silica and cement that takes cues from urbanism and the materiality of cities.
      Ruth Mae Martin creates colourful ceramicsThe exhibition also presented works by Rory Middleton, Neal Cameron, Calum Bettison, Ruth Mae Martin, James Grossman, Ruth Elizabeth Jones and an oak and aluminium table by the Slancha founders.
      MacDonald and Everson hope that Under One Roof can help the Scottish design movement continue to grow.
      Under One Roof also showcased work by Ruth Elizabeth Jones”This event has brought such an energy to the designers and the local design scene,” MacDonald said. “We’ve had so many people express a desire for more events like this, which really highlights there’s a strong appetite for design in Scotland.”
      “Our hope is to keep building on this collective energy, maintaining the momentum while inspiring more people to design and create here in Scotland.”
      Under One Roof took place at Stallan Brand’s gallery space in Glasgow from 6th July to 16th August 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      R & Company highlights seven “archetypes” of American collectible design

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      New York gallery R & Company has curated collectible design work by 55 contemporary artists and designers based throughout the United States.

      The exhibition Objects: USA 2024 is the second instalment in a series of triannual exhibits by the gallery surveying the current state of collectible design practices in the country.
      The show touches on topics such as revived craft traditions, material experimentation, political instability, environmental degradation, and cultural re-appropriation.
      R & Company has showcased 55 designers and artists from across the United States. Works by Dee Clements, Justin Favela, Luam Melake, and Coulter FussellDesigners that represent different generations and backgrounds are on show, including Minjae Kim, Chen Chen and Kai Williams, Roberto Lugo, Katie Stout, and Hugh Hayden.
      “In recent years, collectible design has increasingly entered popular consciousness, in part, thanks to the diversity of individuals embracing handmade processes and propelling them in new directions,” R & Company said.

      “Objects: USA offers an incisive exploration of the formal innovations and conceptual motivations that shape the distinct and varied landscape of today’s object-making.”
      It was organised according to seven “archetypes”. Works by Trey Jones, Nicole McLaughlin, and Kim MupangilaïAccording to the gallery, many of the artists and designers defy easy categorisation and challenge the understood boundaries between art and design.
      The show was guest-curated by writers and historians Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy and Kellie Riggs, who chose to present works thematically through several “archetypes.”
      “After a long period of examining what we believe to be some of the most compelling work being made today, we took on the daunting but exciting task of finding the throughline between 55 unique practices,” Vizcarrondo-Laboy said.
      “What emerged were seven archetypes that provide a dynamic way to explore object-making, not only within this group but also in the future.”
      Designers and artists working across the United States were represented. Works at centre by Brian Oakes, Matthew Szösz, Carl D’Alvia, and Hugh HaydenThe groupings are organised under the headings Truthseekers, Codebreakers, Betatesters, Doomsdayers, Insiders, Keepers and Mediators.
      Showcasing talents that uphold and find new purpose for long-established handicrafts, the Truthseekers section includes pieces by Los Angeles wood artist Nik Gelormino and New Mexico-based ceramicist Lonnie Vigil.
      The exhibition was curated by Angelik Vizcarrondo-Laboy and Kellie Riggs. Works by Cammie Staros, Ryan Decker, Liam Lee, and Francesca DimattioThe Betatesters grouping presents artists and designers who experiment with these techniques and push the limits of material.
      On view as part of this “archetype” is Houston designer Joyce Lin’s Wood Chair concept, which was created using MDF, epoxy, and oil paint. It shows her ongoing exploration of how the lines between what people think of as natural and artificial can be blurred.
      The Doomsdayers section touches on how talents are addressing today’s political polarisation and dystopian angst.
      The work under this dystopian heading includes Brooklyn-based designer Ryan Decker, who creates graphical works out of materials like fibreglass, resin, and aluminium – like Leaky Bladder – to comment on the rise of technologies like VR and the role video games play in our lives.
      The groupings were chosen to showcase the wide scope of the collectible design world in the US. Works by Minjae Kim and Jolie NgoThe Insiders grouping explores how design can address domestic space and how that impacts the human experience, especially during the lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic. Designers in this category included Hugh Hayden who presents “unexpected interventions” into everyday objects such as cribs.
      Brooklyn-based Congolese-Belgian designer Kim Mupangilaï’s Bina daybed was grouped under the Codebreakers section. It demonstrates how designers incorporate distinct forms from different cultural sources.
      “[Mupangilaï’s] distinct body of furniture is imbued with personal narratives, embracing materials symbolic of her Congolese heritage and childhood in Europe,” R & Company said. “Her elegant, organic forms reveal historical and contemporary complexities of identity and experience as the viewer revels in the details.”
      The Keepers section includes one-off designs, sculptures, and installations by artists and designers that utilise these mediums to explore how people establish cultural and interpersonal connections.
      The Mediator “archetype” highlights designs used to help people negotiate with their surroundings and heritage – such as those by Chicago-based Norman Teague.
      “Norman Teague’s multi-faceted practice [architecture, installation, and object design] is inspired by his Chicago South Side neighbourhood and broader African aesthetics,” R & Company said.
      The works range from futuristic to traditional. Works by Misha Kahn, Venancio Aragon, and Ryan DeckerMade using ebony-finished basswood and leather as well as traditional carving and stitching techniques, the Africana Rocking Chair combines references to both his Western and African upbringings but Teague distils them in a contemporary form.
      Also exhibited as part of the Mediator section, Las Vegas-based artist Justin Favela re-appropriates the piñata as an important symbol of Latinx identity in both still-life paintings and painted life-size objects such as low-rider bikes.
      Bright colours were used for backdrops. Work by Nicki GreenAccording to Riggs, the idea was to use these groupings as a way of highlighting the full complexity of American collectible design and offer fresh insights on how conceptual and self-expressive objects fit in the larger cultural conversation; how these designs can be both functional and used to comment on different aspects of contemporary American society.
      The photography is by Logan Jackson.
      Objects: USA 2024 is on show from 6 September 2024 to 10 January 2025 in New York City. For more exhibitions, talks and fairs in architecture and design visit Dezeen Events Guide. 

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      Material & Memory exhibition responds to “raw materiality” of Brinkburn Priory and Manor

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      Tutors and researchers from Northumbria University have filled a derelict manor house, nestled in a curve of the River Coquet in Northumberland, with objects informed by the site’s rich history and materiality.

      The exhibition titled Material & Memory is being held at Brinkburn Priory and Manor, a former 12th-century monastery that fell into ruin and was restored in the 19th century, when the manor house was built alongside it.
      Northumbria University faculty has designed products for Brinkburn Priory and Manor. Top photo is by Brian Morris and above by Jennine WilsonAround 20 faculty members and researchers from Northumbria University’s School of Design and Department of Architecture created works that reference the fabric and atmosphere of the historic buildings.
      Co-curator and assistant design professor Anthony Forsyth said the pieces created for the show were influenced by the “tranquil and atmospheric” spaces at Brinkburn, as well as by the multiple layers of history evident in the empty rooms.
      Josh South’s Nook candleholders replicate the form of a shouldered door arch”The raw materiality of the spaces is a rich source of inspiration, while the span of history informs an approach that is contemporary yet acknowledges the past,” he explained.

      Several contributions reference architectural features that were exposed as part of English Heritage’s efforts to stop dry rot from destroying the manor, which had fallen into disrepair before the preservation charity took over responsibility for the house in 1965.
      Anthony Forsyth’s Mullion plinths are shaped like the manor’s stone window mullionsForsyth’s Mullion plinths feature forms derived from the tapered profile of the building’s stone window mullions, while the Nook candleholders created by design lecturer Joshua South replicate the form of a shouldered door arch in patinated sand-cast bronze.
      In collaboration with woodworker Johnny Hayes, South also developed the Quatrefoil tables, which are based on a pattern of overlapping circles commonly featured in medieval emblems and found in the stained-glass windows of the Priory at Brinkburn.
      South’s Quatrefoil tables are based on the priory’s stained-glass windowsPhilip Luscombe, who teaches on the university’s Furniture and Product course, created a lamp with an oak structure that evokes the robust construction of church furniture.
      The Monk lamp’s paper diffuser references religious texts and creates a warm glow when the light is turned on.

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      Forsyth also developed the Assemblage floor lamp, constructed using off-the-shelf components and parts retained from other projects.
      The design is informed by the state of the interior at Brinkburn, where layers of construction have been exposed and the reuse of materials is evident.
      Phil Luscombe has created a lamp with an oak structure that references church furnitureBen Couture, assistant architecture professor and co-curator of the exhibition, created a geometric yellow bench that intentionally contrasts with the architectural style of the manor house.
      The bench responds to the dimensions of the adjacent windows, through which visitors can look out towards the river.
      The exhibition includes various other works in mixed media, ranging from etchings to printed textiles, photomontages and wallpapers. Each of the pieces was created following repeated visits to the site and through conversations with experts at English Heritage.
      Ben Couture designed a geometric yellow bench. The photo is by Brian MorrisThe charity previously worked with Northumbria University on a similar exhibition of objects displayed at Aydon Castle, also in Northumberland.
      According to Frances McIntosh, a curator at English Heritage, the Material & Memory exhibition makes good use of the normally empty rooms, encouraging visitors to reconsider the past, present and future of these historic spaces.
      “Brinkburn Priory Manor House is like a blank canvas and exhibitions like this are a great way to use the space and allow visitors to think more deeply about the complicated layers of the building they can see,” she said.
      The photography is by Phil Luscombe unless otherwise stated.
      Material & Memory is on show at Brinkburn Priory and Manor until 3 November 2024. For more events, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design visit the Dezeen Events Guide.

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      Last chance to feature in Dezeen’s guide to London Design Festival 2024

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      Dezeen Events Guide has announced the final call to feature in its digital guide to London Design Festival 2024, which takes place from 14 to 22 September.

      The guide highlights the activities taking place across the city’s 11 participating districts, including exhibitions, talks, open showrooms and product launches.
      Visitors can explore different design disciplines, including interior, urban, fashion and bio design, as well as architecture, crafts and art.
      This year’s festival guide also includes an interactive map, spotlighting the key events and their locations around London.
      Last call to feature in Dezeen’s digital guide to London Design Festival

      Get in touch with the Dezeen Events Guide team at [email protected] to book your listing or to discuss a wider partnership with Dezeen. There are three types of listings:
      Standard listings cost £125 and include the event name, date and location details plus a website link. These listings will also feature up to 50 words of text about the event.
      Enhanced listings cost £175 and include all of the above plus an image at the top of the listing’s page and an image in the listing preview on the festival guide homepage. These listings will also feature up to 100 words of text about the event.
      About Dezeen Events Guide
      Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.
      The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks.
      For more details on inclusion in Dezeen Events Guide, including in our guide to London Design Festival, email [email protected].
      The illustration is by Justyna Green.

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      Marie & Alexandre takes over Appartement N°50 at Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse

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      French designers Marie Cornil and Alexandre Willaume have filled an apartment in Le Corbusier’s iconic Cité Radieuse housing block in Marseille with custom furniture, including a leather-and-metal armchair informed by the architect’s work.

      Marie & Alexandre is the latest design studio to create a scenography within Appartement N°50 after it was restored to its original condition by owners Jean-Marc Drut and Patrick Blauwart.
      Marie & Alexandre has taken over Appartement N°50 at La Cité RadieuseInfluenced by the creative salons hosted by the apartment’s original occupant – school teacher Lilette Ripert who lived there from 1952 to 2000 – Drut and Blauwart invited the likes of Jasper Morrison and Konstantin Grcic to transform the space and opened it up to the public during the summer.
      The duplex apartment, completed in 1952 and later classified as a historical monument, hosted installations by well-known designers every second year from 2008 to 2018.
      The duo created a series of custom furniture for the flatNow, the programme has returned after a six-year hiatus with an intervention by Marie & Alexandre, who created several bespoke pieces to be exhibited alongside some of their existing works.

      The duo is known for their collaborations with artisanal producers, and research into materials and making processes that inform their designs for unique or limited-edition objects.
      Among them is a desk formed from stacked glass boxes”We wanted this exhibition to combine our work from the past four years and for the pieces to highlight the numerous workshops and techniques we have worked with recently,” the duo told Dezeen.
      The designers met while working at Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s studio in Paris and subsequently began developing their own projects through a series of workshops and residencies.
      The same standardised boxes can also be used to form a shelving unitSince 2022 their work has been exhibited by Galerie Signé, whose founder Maxime Bouzidi helped to facilitate the collaboration with Drut.
      One of the pieces created specially for the exhibition is a series of coloured glass boxes developed with help from manufacturing company Glas Italia that responds directly to hues found in the apartment.

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      The use of glass was inspired by the orientation of apartments within the Unité d’Habitation complex, which receive both morning and afternoon light. Each piece incorporates two coloured strips that create a third colour where they overlap.
      Le Corbusier’s ideas about using modular elements to create harmonious proportions informed the design of standard-sized boxes that can be stacked to create totemic shelves or combined with a tabletop to form a desk.
      Marie & Alexandre’s rippled glass table was born from a residencyMarie & Alexandre developed further pieces for the exhibition during a residency at the Lycée Jean Monnet academy in Moulins, including a glass table and various furniture items made in wrought iron.
      Collaborations with staff and students at the school informed the creation of the rectangular table, which features a rippled surface made from industrial float glass.
      A sling-seat armchair was designed to respond to the weight of the sitterDuring the residency, the designers experimented with metal forging and designed an armchair with a leather sling seat, produced by Cressange metal workshop Flammes de Créations.
      The chair’s simple forms reference the furniture designed by Le Corbusier and frequent collaborator Charlotte Perriand. It features a metal framework with three detachable legs and a tensioned seat that responds to the weight of the sitter.
      The aluminium kitchen table is height-adjustableFor the kitchen, Marie & Alexandre created a height-adjustable aluminium table to fit the limited space. Made by Atelier BLAM in Nantes, the piece features subtle bumps where the legs attach to the top.
      The duo’s experiments with ceramics include a tile collection created in collaboration with the Alain Vagh factory in Salernes, as well as chairs with coloured backs that were produced for the exhibition by ceramicist Jean Marie Foubert.
      The designers said they were appreciative of the opportunity to display their work in such an iconic location, adding that they set out “to proceed with the same intention as the previous exhibitions as if visitors were coming to see an inhabited apartment”.
      Ceramicist Jean Marie Foubert helped to create a series of chairs with coloured backsThe exhibition will be on display until 15 August before travelling to Paris, where it will be adapted to occupy Galerie Signé from 5 September to 21 October.
      Marie & Alexandre follows six other design studios, whose work has been presented at Appartement N°50 following its restoration.
      These include Pierre Cardin, who added colourful furniture and artwork to the space, and the Bouroullec brothers whose scenography featured their SteelWood furniture and Clouds wall hangings.
      Marie & Alexandre at La Cité Radieuse, Apartement 50 is on show at La Cité Radieuse until 15 August. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. 

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      Orange floors create “golden afterglow” in Aranya fashion store by Say Architects

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      Chinese studio Say Architects has designed a concept store for fashion brand Nice Rice in the seaside resort of Aranya, featuring bright-orange tiles and furniture intended to evoke the colour of a sunset.

      Having previously designed stores for Nice Rice in Shenzhen, Chengdu and Shanghai, Say Architects conceived the interior as a response to the store’s setting near the port city of Qinhuangdao, also known as the Aranya Gold Coast.
      Say Architects has designed a concept store for Nice Rice in Aranya”Due to the individuality of the site and the splendid geolocation, we hope to bring the orange sea of Aranya inside and build a gold coast that never ends by using light as expression, creating undulating volumes, intertwining lights and shadows,” the architects said.
      The 290-square-metre store is arranged over three floors, with retail spaces on the lower two storeys and a roof terrace accessible from the top floor.
      Glossy orange tiles reflect light onto white walls, creating a “golden afterglow” effectThe building’s minimalist facade features an illuminated sign with the company’s logotype over the entrance and a horizontal window above.

      A glazed entrance provides a view into the store, where bright orange surfaces create a vibrant contrast with the shop’s monochrome exterior.
      The glossy orange tiles reflect light onto the white walls, creating an effect that the architects describe as a “golden afterglow”.
      A leather bench provides a minimalist seating area on the first floorInside, a full-height void connects the shop’s three floors, with a vaulted ceiling directing light from a window on the top floor down to the levels below.
      Say Architects designed each floor with a symmetrical layout that enhances the calm and serene atmosphere within the store.
      Clothes rails in the Nice Rice store are designed to resemble breaking wavesOn the ground floor, a pair of freestanding units are used for serving customers, while changing rooms are positioned on either side of a second entrance to the rear of the space.
      Clothes rails on both sides of the room are designed to resemble breaking waves, curving outwards from the wall to create space for hanging clothes underneath.

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      On the first floor, a geometric leather bench provides a seating area, while a simple display podium is located close to the transparent balustrade overlooking the triple-height void.
      Throughout the store, windows of varying sizes create a play of light and shadow on the internal surfaces that changes throughout the day.
      A full-height void connects the three floorsStaircases on both sides of the building ascend to a roof terrace that is floored with the same tiles used inside the store.
      A sheltered area with matching orange benches allows this space to be used in all weather.
      The building’s staircases lead to an outdoor roof terraceSay Architects is based in Hangzhou and is led by architects Yan Zhang and Jianan Shan.
      The studio works across architecture, interior and landscape design, with previous projects including an accessories store formed almost entirely of translucent resin and a grooming salon for pets featuring a sunken cafe and a paddling pool.
      The terrace is finished in the same tiles as the interiorAranya is built on the site of a failed real estate development and aims to provide a haven for overworked young urbanites seeking a coastal escape.
      The exclusive gated community contains several architecture projects that have helped elevate its profile including an art centre designed by Neri&Hu, a monolithic concrete concert hall and a chapel raised above the beach on stilts.
      The photography is by Wen Studio.

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      Sullivan’s Fish Camp designed so “guests can’t be sure if it’s 1982 or 2024”

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      South Carolina-based studios SDCO and Basic Projects have overhauled a seaside restaurant in Charleston with a nostalgic design that extends across everything from interiors to memorabilia.

      Contemporary details feature throughout the redesigned Sullivan’s Fish Camp, but are interwoven with retro elements to create an aesthetic that respects the restaurant’s long history.
      Sullivan’s Fish Camp is a family-owned diner that first opened in 1988Located on Sullivan’s Island, at the entrance to Charleston Harbor, the family-owned diner has been serving cold beers and seafood to locals and beachgoers for over 35 years.
      Amy Pastre and Courtney Rowson of brand strategy studio SDCO worked closely with Kate and Ben Towill of interiors studio Basic Projects to bring a cohesive visual identity throughout.
      Large hand-painted letters boldly spell out the restaurant’s nameBold typography, cartoon-style illustrations, vintage art and furniture, and playful messaging all feature in the reimagined restaurant experience.

      “The design intent was to create a world that conjures the delight and affection that generations of beachgoers had for the original, family-owned restaurant,” said Pastre and Rowson.
      “Some details feel modern, some nostalgic. Experienced together, guests can’t be sure if it’s 1982 or 2024.”
      The graphic design identity includes drawings of the building’s exteriorOn the outside, Sullivan’s Fish Camp is spelt out in large hand-painted letters across a projecting red roof canopy, identifying the restaurant as a local landmark.
      Other graphic-design identifiers include drawings of the building’s exterior and two hand-drawn characters: a “cheery flounder” and Captain Sully, a “salty sea captain-meets-fish”.
      Both vintage and contemporary artworks cover the wallsThe restaurant’s interior walls are covered in artworks that continue the seaside and maritime themes, from a stitched portrait of a fisherman to a lobster painting by local artist Katherine Dunlap.
      Commissioned works include fish illustrations by “Carolina legend” Duane Raver, whose work also features on the placemats, and a large sculpture of a marlin fish.

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      “It was important to preserve what felt inherently right for the story and space,” said Pastre and Rowson.
      “We wanted to pay homage to seaside fish camps while bringing modernity to the brand and experience,” they said. “No corner was left untouched.”
      Artworks include a stitched portrait of a fishermanThe designers commissioned a local joiner to build furniture elements, including tables, seating banquettes, and a counter that frames the merchandise display and walk-up ice cream window.
      Basic Projects sourced many of the other furniture and lighting elements from antique markets, as well as from Ebay and Etsy. A stained glass pendant lamp is one of the most striking finds.
      “My background is in film set design, so I loved every bit of the sourcing,” said Kate Towill.
      A counter frames the merchandise display and a walk-up ice cream windowDurability was an important consideration; heavy rain and high tides can cause the restaurant to flood, while beachgoers bring plenty of sand in on their feet.
      “We welcome sandy and salty beachgoers,” said Towill.
      “The floors are VCT (vinyl composition tiles) and all the wood is pressure-treated and sealed with marine-grade sealer.”
      Illustrations by “Carolina legend” Duane Raver feature on the placematsSDCO designed an extensive range of merchandise, including key chains, hats, tote bags, sweatshirts, T-shirts, bottle openers and bumper stickers.
      Custom design also extends to the tableware.
      Cups are emblazoned with the Sullivan’s Fish Camp branding, while plates feature scalloped seashell illustrations that reference the border of the original 1988 menu.
      T-shirts feature Captain Sully, a “salty sea captain-meets-fish””The result is a feel-good space that quite literally takes you on a journey through food, drink, design, nostalgia and souvenirs that create indelible memories,” added Pastre and Rowson.
      Sullivan’s Fish Camp is the latest in a series of notable design projects in Charleston, a town that has seen an influx of creatives over the past decade.
      Others include boutique hotel Post House, also designed by Basic Projects, and the newly opened International African American Museum, designed by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners and Moody Nolan.

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