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    PLY+ and MPR Arquitectos convert historic Detroit building into colourful school

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    PLY+ and MPR Arquitectos have transformed a building at a former Catholic college into the School at Marygrove Elementary, filling it with colours and shapes that help spark “experimentation and exploration” among children.

    Located in northwest Detroit, the building is part of the School at Marygrove, a new educational institution that will eventually serve students in kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12). The curriculum has a special focus on engineering and social justice.
    PLY+ and MPR Arquitectos converted a Catholic college in Detroit into an elementary schoolThe school occupies the site of a former religious college, Marygrove College, that closed in 2019. The campus – which is listed on the US National Register of Historic Places – is now owned and managed by a nonprofit organization, the Marygrove Conservancy.
    Several buildings on the 53-acre (21-hectare) campus are being converted into facilities for the School at Marygrove.
    The school is on a historic campusThis project involved transforming a brick-faced, concrete building that first opened in 1941 into a public elementary school for children in kindergarten through fifth grade.

    The design was led by PLY+, a studio based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and MPR Arquitectos, which is based in Ann Arbor and Murcia, Spain.
    It was led by firms run by Michigan architecture professorsBoth firms are led by professors at the Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning at the University of Michigan.
    The architects aimed to preserve original features in the 65,000-square-foot (6,039-square-metre) building while integrating a host of new elements.
    Features of the original architecture were maintainedThe goal was to “establish a foundational, collaborative educational environment” while preserving the historic components.
    The building’s exterior was kept intact, the only change being the addition of an accessible entrance.
    Plywood millwork was addedWithin the building, the team modified rooms and added new finishes and plywood millwork. The decor was carefully selected, and special details – such as visually dynamic ceiling baffles – were incorporated.
    The building’s original layout was mostly retained, as the double-loaded corridor layout was deemed historically significant and kept in place.
    The brick of the original building was kept exposed for some of the interiorsThe corridor received new storage nooks with spots for bags, coats and shoes. In the classrooms, the team inserted counters, sinks, benches, chalkboards and storage space.
    “Custom millwork elements provide design flexibility without impinging on historic elements,” the team said.
    Colourful patterns adorn the walls and floorsThe project also called for the creation of maker spaces, reading rooms, a media centre and a restorative justice centre. An existing gymnasium was renovated.
    Throughout the facility, the team used a mix of soft and bold colours, ranging from bright peach to pale yellow-green.

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    The palette was informed by historic hues and the desire to introduce colours that signal “the new use of the building and the new model of pedagogy being fostered”, the team said.
    “Colour and form play an important role in establishing unique identities for individual classrooms and signal the vibrancy and joy of collaborative learning,” the team added.
    The design is meant to encourage exploration for the childrenOverall, the design is meant to speak to its young users.
    “The design engages children’s sense of curiosity and encourages experimentation and exploration,” the team said.
    The project was a collaboration between Detroit Public Schools Community District, which operates the school, and the University of Michigan’s School of Education.
    Other school projects include an athletic centre at an Oregon school that features trellises laced with climbing vines and a boarding school in southern California that has buildings with jagged rooflines.
    The photography is by Jason Keen.
    Project credits:
    Architect: PLY+ and MPR ArquitectosPly+ team: Craig Borum, Jen Maigret, Andrew Wolking, Yusi Zha, Olaia Chivite Amigo, Yibo Jiao, Masataka YoshikawaMPR Arquitectos team: Ana Morcillo-Pallares, Jon RuleArchitect of record: Integrated Design SolutionsClient: Marygrove ConservancyCollaborators: Detroit Public Schools, University of Michigan School of Education

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      Delve Architects designs “nurturing but playful” nursery in east London

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      English practice Delve Architects has used joyful colours and natural, tactile materials to outfit a newly established kindergarten by the River Thames in east London that can be accessed via boat.

      The Nest daycare centre is part of a wider housing development in the Royal Wharf area, occupying a commercial unit at the base of a 19-storey housing block.
      The Nest nursery was designed by Delve ArchitectsAs a result, the primary challenge was to bring the towering newbuild space down to child scale and make it feel more homely while forging a greater connection to the riverfront.
      “We wanted to create a calm, nurturing but playful space that reflected the values of the nursery,” Delve Architects co-founder Alex Raher told Dezeen.
      “Their ethos is for children to have a positive learning experience through a healthy relationship with the environment around them and a connection to the outdoors.”

      The studio used timber arches to define the space and envelop the new staircaseTo boost the internal floor are, the studio installed a new mezzanine with a bespoke, powder-coated metal staircase that rises through a double-height space defined by a series of arched timber fins.
      These maple-veneered arches – each around 4.5 metres tall – were conceived by Delve Architects to subdivide the space, creating zones without physical barriers.
      The timber fins taper off into low benches for the children”We wanted to connect the spaces visually and physically between the mezzanine and lower level, and to soften the hardened edges of the space,” said Raher.
      The arches are formed from a series of fins that merge into benches and individual seating as they approach the ground.
      The stairs lead up to a new mezzanine level”The grand scale of the arches for a small child could feel overwhelming, so we brought this down into child-height seating, benches and joinery to play with the scale and make it more familiar to them,” said Raher.
      “The material flows seamlessly between the two levels and creates a natural material palette that the children could recognise and read through different heights and spaces.”
      The arches also span over the main staircase, where Raher says they suggest a canopy of trees.

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      “We wanted it to be a centrepiece that was exciting, functional and exploratory, almost like a meandering joinery up to a treehouse-style level on the mezzanine, through a network of arches and branches on the way,” the architect explained.
      “One of the first concepts we explored was the treehouse idea, developing ideas around the nursery name The Nest and how we could bring a playful part of nature into the design.”
      Given its inner-city location, the nursery is fortunate to have a large garden overlooking the riverfront, which is connected to the nursery via a double set of six bi-folding doors.
      The upper level is finished almost entirely in baby pinkThe external fencing was designed by Delve Architects “to merge with the rhythm of the existing tower’s balconies” and powder-coated in a matching colour.
      “We wanted to celebrate the connection to the outside space, the riverfront location and the child-height views from the mezzanine to the water, as it was unique to the space and to the nursery setting,” said Raher.
      “Children can arrive and parents can commute using the river boat directly outside the nursery. The new pier designed by Nex Architecture is a beautiful backdrop to the site.”
      The mezzanine houses cosy play areasTo cope with the demands of a nursery setting, materials and finishes are resilient as well as being natural and tactile. Among them is recycled and recyclable Marmoleum flooring, maple-veneered joinery and low VOC paint.
      A colour palette of soft muted shades helps to create a homely atmosphere inside The Nest.
      “This palette works better than bolder primary colours, as these create too much visual noise for younger children,” Raher said.
      The Nest’s garden overlooks the riverfrontA panel of dark teal blue creates a datum line around the walls, designed to be “resilient to little fingers” while making the tall spaces feel more relatable to children.
      “We always try to design from a child’s perspective, putting ourselves at that level, quite literally in some cases,” Raher said.
      The soft blue of the flooring gels with the tones of the pale maple veneer and the matt pink that wraps around the ceiling and upper walls, covering almost the entire mezzanine.
      It can be accessed via river boat”It both draws your eye upwards but also manages to change the scale of the space,” said Raher. “In some areas there is a five-metre ceiling height, so we wanted to break this up visually.”
      “The services for heating, cooling and ventilation were also left exposed, giving a little insight for children to explore and imagine what they could be – a network of intriguing forms and geometry running through the nursery.”
      Other kindergartens that hope to forge a greater connection to nature include this English nursery by Feilden Clegg Bradley, which makes use of natural materials to reflect the surrounding woodland, and a timber kindergarten extension in Austria by Bernardo Bader Architekten.
      The photography is by Fred Howarth.

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      Vives St-Laurent creates theatrical children’s boutique in Mont-Tremblant ski resort

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      Harnessing soft colours and gentle curves, interior design studio Vives St-Laurent has completed a shop for children’s boutique Billie Le Kid in Mont-Tremblant – a Canadian ski resort known for its colourful architecture.

      Following on from Billie Le Kid’s first store in Montreal, the brand brought in Vives St-Laurent to create a new outpost that captured the spirit of the brand while reflecting its location.
      Vives St-Laurent designed the interiors for Billie Le Kid’s Mont-Tremblant boutiqueIts storefront was designed to resemble a theatre, showcasing the brand’s wholesome edit of children’s clothes, toys and books.
      Custom-made awnings recall the idea of a general store, while the front was repainted in a vibrant blue-on-blue palette to reflect Mont-Tremblant’s colourful charter.
      Painted tongue-and-groove panelling adds a touch of nostalgiaReferencing the facade, arched openings throughout the boutique bring a whimsical touch to the transitions between different sections.

      Rounded corners were used to soften the edges of the display cabinets, adding character and creating a playful and welcoming atmosphere.
      Integrated display cabinets provide plenty of storageBianco Carrara marble was used on top of the checkout counter to convey a sense of timeless luxury, while moss-coloured velvet changing room curtains reference the theatre concept and bring softness and tactility to the space.
      The polished concrete floor was a practical choice, as the low-maintenance material allows skiers to visit the store in their ski boots.
      Bianco Carrara marble covers the store’s counterPainted tongue-and-groove panelling was added to give the boutique a touch of nostalgia.
      “We combined classic and contemporary materials to create a harmonious yet unique ambience,” Vives St-Laurent’s interior designer Léa Courtadon told Dezeen.
      Courtadon said she chose the store’s calming colour palette of stone beige and sage green to create “a whimsical mood that recalls the playful world of childhood while maintaining sophistication and ensuring the products stand out”.

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      Sturdy vintage Canadian furniture was chosen to draw on the idea of the general store and family home. Long wooden refectory tables were repurposed as displays for toys and clothing, adding visual interest while paying homage to the brand’s Canadian heritage.
      A row of vintage frilled-glass pendant lights creates a feature above the counter.
      “The lamps’ rippled globes resemble ballerina tutus, adding a delicate touch to the overall design,” Courtadon said.
      Rounded corners give the storage units a playful edgeIn contrast, the main lighting system with its matt white finish was chosen to blend seamlessly with the store’s high ceiling. The railing system allows for precise positioning to highlight different items within the display cabinets.
      Vives St-Laurent used baskets for storage to contribute to the nostalgic, homespun aesthetic as well as offering a practical way to store and display plush toys.
      Changing rooms are hidden behind velvet curtains”They create an impression of abundance and allow children to interact with the toys, promoting a sense of independence and autonomy,” said Courtadon. “It all contributes to a playful and engaging atmosphere that’s ideal for a kids’ store.”
      Since its founding in 2018, Vives St-Laurent has completed a range of projects across Canada. Among them is a tactile home in Montreal with a grey-heavy colour scheme.
      The photography is by Alex Lesage.

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      Sarit Shani Hay references the outdoors to design indoor playground in Tel Aviv

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      Tree-like columns and other nature-inspired details feature in this indoor playground, which design studio Sarit Shani Hay has created for the children of employees at an Israeli software company.

      The playground is set on the 15th floor of a skyscraper, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass windows that provide uninterrupted views across the city of Tel Aviv.
      Tree-like plywood columns can be seen throughout the playroomDespite this urban setting, Sarit Shani Hay wanted the space to “emphasise closeness to nature” and subtly incorporate biophilic design principles.
      The studio has therefore made reference to the outdoors throughout the scheme.
      Plywood has been used to create other elements in the room, like the playhousesHuge, round pieces of sea blue and forest-green carpet have been set into the floor. Circular panels in the same blue and green hues have also been put on the ceiling, bordered by LED tube lights.

      Parts of the floor that are not covered with carpet have been overlaid with plywood or rubber to account for shock absorption.
      The playhouses include features such as ramps and secret nooksA series of tall plywood “trees” with spindly branches have been dotted across the room; a couple of them suspend a swinging hammock, while another supports a gridded toy shelf.
      Plywood was also used to make house-shaped volumes for the children to play in.

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      Each of these volumes includes playful interactive features such as ramps, tunnels, rope ladders, sliding poles and secretive nooks.
      The children also have the option of using a climbing wall at the rear of the room, which has different-coloured footholds.
      Sea blue and forest-green carpet has been laid across the floorThe project also saw Sarit Shani Hay create a small kitchen where the children can wash their hands and have snacks prepared for them. This space was finished with sea-blue cabinetry and a gridded tile splashback.
      The indoor playground also features a small cafe area, where employees can enjoy their lunch breaks whilst being close to their children.
      A similar colour palette has been applied in the kitchenPlaygrounds are increasingly offering more than just swing sets and slides. Architecture studio KWY.studio created a play area for a park in Billund, Denmark that includes pink marble sculptures.
      Artist Mike Hewson has also designed a public playground in Melbourne that features giant boulders on wheels, encouraging children to climb and explore intuitively.
      The photography is by Roni Cnaani.
      Project credits:
      Design: Sarit Shani HayLead designer: Adi Levy Harari

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      Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor adds colour to 1980s Stockholm apartment

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      An all-lilac kitchen and bright geometric storage solutions feature in this colourful Stockholm apartment renovation by local studio Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor.

      The two-bedroom apartment, which is housed within a 1980s prefabricated concrete building in southern Stockholm, was transformed by the architecture studio for a family with four-year-old twins.
      Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor renovated the apartment for a family with twinsAs part of the renovation, Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor created a number of space-saving storage solutions. For example, the original floor plan featured an enclosed storage space in the middle of the apartment.
      The studio converted this into a trio of smaller storage units for the living room, the kitchen and the pantry. This was achieved by decreasing the size of the hallway but maintaining a corridor to the open-plan living room and home office.
      A see-through bookshelf and the studio’s bespoke Elephant sideboard feature in the living space”The original floor plan was robust and quite deep, with a load-bearing wall separating the living room and bedrooms into two halves,” studio co-founder Jesper Westblom told Dezeen.

      “We didn’t want to close off the spaces by making tiny enclosed rooms, but rather make light additions. The aim was to use small adjustments to make the rooms more defined spatially.”
      Red, yellow and blue tones feature throughout the apartmentA palette of hues created from a mix of the three primary colours – red, blue and yellow – features throughout the home, with the colours offset by white-painted flooring.
      Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor also chose a combination of pine wood and red medium-density fibreboard to create bespoke joinery and furniture.
      An all-lilac kitchen creates a statement accentThe kitchen was finished in a floor-to-ceiling shade of bluey lilac that also characterises a built-in geometric bench next to the dining table and a tall cupboard concealed behind a “secret door”.
      A large bookshelf divider decorated with organically shaped vases creates a partition between the open-plan living room and office area, with a burnt-orange shelving system providing extra storage.
      The office area can also be cordoned off with a curtain to create extra peace and quiet.
      Matching doors provide separate entrances to the twins’ shared bedroomThe architecture studio’s Elephant sideboard – a chunky blue table that owes its name to its sturdiness and colour – was also included in the living space.
      The family’s twins share one bedroom, which can be entered through two tall and narrow doors, adding a playful touch to the apartment.
      Small windows were also added above these doors to increase the natural light in the apartment.

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      Inside the twins’ bedroom is a sleeping zone and a play area, which are separated by a low wall to create a clear delineation between the two spaces.
      “One of the biggest – and most fun – challenges was to make every single space useful and effective and make room for both play and recovery,” reflected Westblom.
      Subtle storage solutions define the apartmentWestblom and Robin Krasse founded their eponymous Stockholm-based studio in January 2021.
      The firm previously completed the interiors for a local hair salon, which takes cues from architect Carlo Scarpa’s geometric designs and the muted colours of 1920s swimming baths.
      The photography is by Jesper Westblom.

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      Design Brut: Philia & Kids showcases sculptural furniture designed by “rather wise” children

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      Designers Antoine Behaghel and Alexis Foiny have created sculptural olive wood furniture based solely on drawings by children for a Galerie Philia exhibition.

      Design Brut: Philia & Kids is the inaugural programme of a non-profit initiative conceived by international art gallery Galerie Philia that aims to engage children in design.
      Design Brut: Philia & Kids was an exhibition on display in ParisThe project’s first edition invited 19 kids from a primary school in the Breil-sur-Roya village in France to design sculptural furniture that was exhibited at Espace Meyer Zafra in Paris from November until last week.
      Informed by the late French painter Jean Dubuffet, the initiative is named after art brut – or “raw art” – Dubuffet’s name for art created outside of academic limitations, such as art made by children.
      The furniture was constructed using children’s drawingsParticipants aged six to seven took part in a workshop over five months, where they were asked to draw their own interpretations of sculptural design under the supervision of BehaghelFoiny Studio founders Antoine Behaghel and Alexis Foiny and their teacher Virgile Ganne.

      The drawings range from a crocodile-like bench to colourful dining chairs and spikier, more abstract forms.
      “Several shepherds’ children drew hooves on the legs of the furniture, or horns on the backs of the chairs,” noticed Behaghel and Foiny.
      “Others, living near olive groves and the surrounding forest, drew leaves and branches on their furniture,” they told Dezeen.
      Nineteen children took part in the projectThe designers explained that they encouraged the kids to “assert their own creativity” as well as observe their classmates’ drawings and borrow forms from each other to make the design experience collaborative.
      “Against all odds, we realised that, when faced with furniture design, the children’s first intentions were rather wise, and copied the shapes of furniture they saw every day,” they said.
      Antoine Behaghel and Alexis Foiny constructed the furniture from olive woodAfter this, Behaghel and Foiny sorted the drawings into different furniture typologies including tables, chairs, stools, coat racks and pedestal tables, as well as categorising the creations by “spirits and styles”.
      The pair then worked with a cabinetmaker in Breil-sur-Roya to bring the drawings to life by making physical furniture out of local olive wood.
      “In some places, we shrank or enlarged the silhouettes drawn by the children, to better distribute the weight,” noted the designers.

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      During this process, the children were taken on a tour of a local sawmill and shown every stage of the production process in order to familiarise them with carpentry.
      Behaghel and Foiny explained that olive wood was chosen for its cultural significance to Breil-sur-Roya, which is known as the “pays des oliviers” (olive tree country).
      The designers painted the material in various colourful shades that aimed to subtly tint, rather than conceal, its veiny surface.
      “It seemed to us very relevant to associate the intervention of very young children wiht a thousand-year-old wood!” noted the designers.
      The pieces range from recognisable silhouettes to more abstract formsThe pair hopes that the workshop will have taught the children about the importance of furniture design while showcasing their personal creativity without limitations.
      “In the end, the children’s drawings showed a real spontaneity,” reflected Behaghel and Foiny.
      “They are both free from technical reflexes and therefore led us to take risks and at the same time detached from the aesthetic automatisms that we impose on ourselves more or less consciously as professional designers,” they added.
      “They led us to extract ourselves from standardisation of tastes and beauty, to play more with imbalances and proportions.”
      Subtle colour was used to brighten each wooden pieceThis is not the first time that children have tried their hand at chair design. Third and fourth graders at a school in New York have designed a number of seating collections under the supervision of art instructor Bruce Edelstein, including chairs with horns and other wooden seats.
      The photography is by Maison Mouton Noir. 
      Design Brut: Philia & Kids was on display at Espace Meyer Zafra from 10 November to 8 December 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Ten kids' rooms with space-saving loft beds and bunk beds

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      Our latest lookbook features 10 compact children’s bedrooms that use bunk beds to conserve precious space and make more room for play.

      By stacking two beds on top of each other to form a single unit, bunk beds can free up floor space and create a greater sense of privacy in shared rooms. Loft beds, which are raised high above the floor, can help to achieve a similar space-saving result.
      Examples in this lookbook include a three-tiered bunk bed in a rural Chilean cabin and a birch plywood unit in London’s Barbican that integrates not just two beds but also a fold-out desk for doing homework.
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing kitchens with social seating nooks, statement skylights and living rooms with sculptural furniture.
      Photo is by Ståle EriksenBirch and Clay Refugio, UK, by Rise Design Studio

      Rise Design Studio used bespoke birch plywood joinery to help maximise the space in this London garden flat, which the practice remodelled and extended to accommodate a family of four.
      In the kid’s room, the material was used to create an intricate bunk bed, which sits perched on a platform housing a small play area and numerous drawers.
      Find out more about Birch and Clay Refugio ›
      Photo is by Michael SinclairA Room for Two, UK, by Studio Ben Allen
      In this children’s bedroom, two beds are stacked on top of each other within an architectural plywood structure, which bisects the room to conserve both space and privacy.
      The result are two “miniature houses”, each with its own arched doorway and built-in desk, while the steps leading to the upper bed double as shelving.
      “Inspired by the painting St Jerome in His Study by Antonello da Messina, our departure point was to create an installation that is as much a small piece of architecture as it is a piece of furniture,” said Studio Ben Allen.
      Find out more about A Room for Two ›
      Photo is by Mariell Lind HansenAlbergo Miramonti hotel, Italy, by Boxx Creative
      Albergo Miramonti is a renovated 1950s hotel in the Alpine village of Corteno Golgi that was overhauled by London studio Boxx Creative to maximise the space provided by its poorly organised floorplan.
      Family suites now house roomy single and double bunk beds, designed to prove that compact living doesn’t mean sacrificing comfort or taste.
      Find out more about the Albergo Miramonti hotel ›
      Photo is by Bruce DamonteMylla Hytte, Norway, by Mork-Ulnes Architects
      Pinewood lines both the interior and exterior of this home, which overlooks a lake in the Nordmarka woodland north of Oslo and was designed to resemble a traditional Norwegian “hytte” cabin.
      The same plywood used to panel the walls and ceilings also forms a number of built-in furniture pieces, including a bunk bed for the family’s two children as well as benches, shelves and a dining table.
      Find out more about Mylla Hytte ›
      Photo is by Stephen Kent JohnsonOne Manhattan Square apartment, USA, by Jamie Bush
      American designer Jamie Bush made bold and liberal use of colour to help liven up an off-the-shelf bunk bed from Casa Kids in this mustard-hued room.
      This helps the interior blend in with the rest of the apartment and its sculptural 1970s furnishings, set on the 60th floor of the luxury residential skyscraper One Manhattan Square on the Lower East Side.
      Find out more about One Manhattan Square apartment ›
      Photo is by Felipe UgaldeBL1 and BL2, Chile, by Umwelt
      Chilean studio Umwelt designed this home with expansive windows for a young family that just moved from Santiago to the beach town of Cáhuil in order to help bring them closer to nature.
      The kid’s room houses a three-tiered bunk bed that looks out over the rolling countryside, while other rooms offer sweeping views of the Pacific Ocean.
      Find out more about BL1 and BL2 ›
      Photo is by French + TyeRoom For One More, UK, by Studio Ben Allen
      In order to add an extra bedroom to the beloved flat of a growing family in the Barbican estate in London, Studio Ben Allen inserted a full-height timber volume at the centre of the plan. This houses an office area with a fold-out desk on one side and a bunk bed on the other.
      The new kid’s bedroom can be separated from the rest of the apartment using a sliding door, and the teal-coloured steps leading up to its bed can be pushed back to form another small desk for doing homework.
      Find out more about Room For One More ›
      Photo is by Olivier-Martin GambierHouse for a Photographer, France, by Alireza Razavi
      All of the floor space in this kid’s room is designated for playing, as double-height ceilings allow the sleeping area to be raised up in the form of an oversized loft bed for two.
      Architect Alireza Razavi also installed a similar mezzanine level over the home’s dining area that houses a post-editing room for the owner, who is a professional photographer.
      Find out more about House for a Photographer ›
      Photo is by Jeff CateHudson Woods home, USA, by Magdalena Keck
      New York interior designer Magdalena Keck recruited a cast of American makers and artisans to design custom furniture pieces for this holiday home in the Catskill Mountains.
      Among them is a chunky timber bunk bed that blends in with the wood-panelled walls and pays homage to the property’s natural setting.
      Find out more about Hudson Woods home ›
      Photo is by Maxime BrouilletFahouse, Canada, by Jean Verville
      Jean Verville nestled a double-width loft bed inside the steep gable of this cottage, set in a forest near Quebec.
      Wooden ceiling beams are left exposed and matched to the light wooden bed and the floor, which stand in stark contrast to the home’s blackened steel cladding.
      Find out more about Fahouse ›
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing kitchens with social seating nooks, statement skylights and living rooms with sculptural furniture.

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      Takk founders build all-white “igloo” bedroom for their young daughter

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      Furry white fabric lines the interior of this winter-themed kid’s bedroom, which Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño of Spanish studio Takk have constructed inside their home in Barcelona.

      Affectionately titled Winter Bedroom (for a Big Grrl), the self-contained structure was designed as a hideaway for the couple’s young daughter.
      It takes the shape of a 3.5-metre-high dome that tapers off into a narrow entrance on one side, resembling an igloo.
      Takk’s founders have built an igloo-shaped bedroom for their daughterThe project forms part of Takk’s ongoing and continuous renovation of the warehouse space where its founders both live and build their large-scale architectural works.
      “The house-workshop is a 400-square-metre space that can host the installations that we design and produce,” Luzárraga told Dezeen.

      “At the same time, the space is being colonised by some domestic spaces that condition it for living. It’s continuously changing depending on the work that we are developing. Some of the pieces stay forever, and some of them are temporary.”
      The interior is covered almost entirely in a fluffy white carpetMost of the materials used to form the Winter Bedroom are repurposed from Takk’s previous projects, including the steel-chain curtain that covers the entrance in lieu of a door and the three layers of foam that line the dome’s ceiling and its entire exterior.
      Set on top of a wooden structure of vertical and horizontal ribs, the foam sheets serve seral purposes. For one, they maintain the all-white palette of the sleeping quarters and provide extra warmth in the industrial warehouse, which has plenty of space and light but little insulation.

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      Unlike traditional cladding or wall panelling, the foam also moulds easily to the dome’s rounded form.
      “The flexible condition of the material easily adapts to the igloo shape,” explained Muiño, who founded Takk together with Luzárraga shortly after the couple met in 2008.
      Spherical lights are fitted to the domed ceilingInside the bedroom, a snowy carpet covers not just the floor but also the walls and the raised platform that holds up the bed.
      “The interior space has a floor at a height of 90 centimetres where the mattress lies, all covered in a white furry carpet ready to be enjoyed barefoot,” Muiño said. “Below this big bed, there is a space for storing, playing or hiding.”
      Spherical lights integrated into the ceiling form what the studio describes as “a sky of bulbs”, designed to create the impression of looking up at the stars.
      The self-contained bedroom is set in a converted warehouseTakk recently constructed another self-contained bedroom as part of an apartment renovation in Madrid, where the communal sleeping quarters are perched on stilts.
      For more creative kids’ bedrooms, see our lookbook of ten contemporary children’s bedrooms.

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