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    Galerie Philia presents design exhibition informed by Le Corbusier at Cité Radieuse

    Galerie Philia has unveiled Héritages, an exhibition at the Le Corbusier-designed Cité Radieuse building featuring work by designers such as Rick Owens that respond to the Swiss-French architect’s theories of modernism.

    Héritages presents work by eight international designers and seven visual artists that reference the modernist theories pioneered by Le Corbusier, whose designs are known for their functionality and minimalism.
    A daybed by Arno Declercq features in the “resonances” room. Photo is by Maison Mounton NoirGalerie Philia joined forces with the Parisian arts magazine Eclipse to curate the exhibition at Le Corbusier’s iconic Cité Radieuse building in Marseille, which includes a range of both design and art.
    Spread across two rooms in an apartment, the exhibited designers respond to the theme of “resonances” with work that is heavily influenced by Le Corbusier’s theories, while the artists are guided by the theme of “dissonances” and present work that opposes the theories.
    Fabrice Hyber created an oil painting for the “dissonances” space. Photo is by Maison Mounton NoirIn the first room, a brutalist yellow chair by Italian designer Pietro Franceschini is displayed alongside other work, including a geometric bronze candlestick crafted with clean lines by Californian fashion designer Owens.

    “For the ‘resonances’ room, I selected sculptural designers that are deeply influenced by Le Corbusier,” Galerie Philia co-founder Ygaël Attali told Dezeen.
    “Le Corbusier’s theory, especially in his writings published in the 1920s, was provocative and militant both in his refusal of decoration without functionality, his industrial-inspired aesthetic, and his clear and marked difference between fine arts and design.”
    A brutalist yellow chair by Pietro Franceschini features. Photo is by LodoclickAlso featured in this space are pieces such as a chunky daybed by Belgian designer Arno Declercq crafted from patinated and raw steel with sheep’s wool.
    Contrastingly, the “dissonances” room includes pieces by artists that intend to question Le Corbusier’s theories. For example, artist Flora Temnouche created three abstract oil paintings featuring organic or curved forms with soft lines.

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    “Le Corbusier’s theory almost denies a particular relationship with nature,” Temnouche told Dezeen. “My paintings show the inertia of the plant, diminished under the influence of humans.”
    “I was inspired by the idea of this meager relationship that persists despite everything in Le Corbusier’s work and theories.”
    Jojo Corväiá designed a table using volcanic clay. Photo is by Maison Mounton NoirOther works in this room range from an eclectic table by visual artist Jojo Corväiá crafted from volcanic clay and an ethereal, blown-glass light sculpture by Jérôme Pereira.
    “All of the works in one way or another are an answer to Le Corbusier’s theoretical and aesthetic heritage, either as a mark of resistance or a touching homage to his legacy,” concluded Attali.
    The exhibition intends to echo its location. Photo is by Maison Mounton NoirHéritages takes place until July at Le Corbusier’s modernist housing complex Cité Radieuse to coincide with the building’s 70th anniversary.
    Galerie Philia is an international contemporary design and art gallery with locations in Geneva, New York City and Singapore.
    Previous Galerie Philia exhibitions include a show that presented Latin American and European sculptural design and an exhibition of furniture by emerging Italian designers created in response to the work of Owens.
    The photography is by Lodoclick and Maison Mouton Noir.
    Héritages takes place at Kolektiv Cité Radieuse, Unité d’Habitation Le Corbusier, Marseille, France, until 2 July 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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    Masquespacio puts colourful spin on traditional Italian restaurant concept

    Colourful marble accents and looming arches characterise this restaurant by Spanish studio Masquespacio, which takes cues from traditional Italian eateries.

    Called Piada, the restaurant sells Italian flatbreads and is the second of its kind to be designed by Masquespacio in the French city of Lyon.
    Piada is a restaurant in LyonThe interiors of the latest Piada blends retro design elements borrowed from traditional Italian restaurants, such as marble and gold finishes, with colours and materials that were chosen to echo the eatery’s healthy food menu.
    “First, we investigated ancient Italian restaurants and bars to bring the traditional concept into the design,” Masquespacio co-founder Christophe Penasse told Dezeen.
    Masquespacio took cues from traditional Italian eateries”Then, we sought elements that could represent a sort of healthy aspect, which at the same time have a splashy and young colour concept that represents the brand’s identity,” he added.

    A garland of lush plants and flowers is suspended above the entrance to the two-storey restaurant, under which floor-to-ceiling arched windows were designed to draw visitors in from the street.
    Bold blocks of colour define the spaceInside, guests are met with a collection of booth-like tables that offer a mixture of built-in seating, including banquette benches and rounded wooden stools.
    This area is defined by a bold palette of sugary pastel colours, ranging from pale lilac seat cushions to mint-green walls.

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    Piada’s external arch motif is also continued in its interiors, where curved alcoves have been outlined with columns of bulbous sconce lights that resemble oversized Hollywood-style mirrors.
    “We used five elements to represent the traditional Italian bar and restaurant – arches, light bulbs with gold finishes, marble and mirrored menus,” explained Penasse.
    Piada’s design is also influenced by its healthy food menuIn a nod to Piada’s healthy food concept, Masquespacio added clusters of plants that spill out of backlit rounded nooks behind the seating areas both upstairs and downstairs.
    The studio also incorporated stucco on the walls and tiles with a handmade effect to create a more organic feel to the restaurant interior. All of Piada’s furniture was custom-made by Masquespacio to match the restaurant’s eclectic themes.
    The restaurant is the second of its kind in the French cityFounded in 2010 by Penasse and Ana Milena Hernández Palacios, the Spanish studio has completed a number of other interior projects with designs rooted in bright colour.
    These include a playful burger joint in Turin, multi-hued student housing in Bilbao and a colour-clashing phone repair shop in Valencia.
    The photography is by Gregory Abbate.

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    NOA creates tailor-made interior for pied-à-terre in Le Marais

    Network of Architecture has used curved lines, custom oak furniture and marble details to heighten the character of an apartment in a converted hotel in Le Marais, Paris.

    NOA has created a completely custom interior for Nicolai Paris, located in the former Hotel Nicolai, which serves as a pied-à-terre for an Italian family.
    Nicolai Paris is located in a converted hotelThe renovation involved designing the layout of the two-level home, then adding playful furniture elements that help to optimise the functionality of each space.
    “We started by defining the final atmosphere of the future apartment,” explained architect and NOA co-founder Lukas Rungger.
    The Le Marais apartment has a completely custom interior”It was essential that the space would feel cosy, ‘hyggelig’, and convey a feeling of wellbeing,” he told Dezeen.

    “The choice of interior layout, materials and geometry all serve this purpose.”
    A mix of terrazzo and parquet flooring helps to define different zonesBuilt in the 17th century, the property has plenty of quirks. What’s particularly unusual about this apartment is that it has an L-shaped layout, with most of its windows located at one end.
    As a result, it made sense to locate the family living spaces here, nearest the entrance, and two large bedrooms in the back.
    A curved line is defined by flooring, walls, lighting and furnitureA staircase in the centre of the floor plan leads up to a snug and a third bedroom on the smaller attic floor, which are both lit by skylights rather than windows.
    To avoid creating wasteful corridors, NOA used two different floor surfaces to subtly mark the distinction between rooms and the connecting spaces in between.
    Custom oak furniture pieces include an in-built window seatA strong curve of terrazzo cuts through the living space, which is defined by bleached oak parquet in a chevron pattern, known as French herringbone. This divides the room into two “islands”.
    The larger island contains a lounge, dining area and kitchen, while the smaller one is occupied by a single piece of in-built furniture, providing a window seat and shelving nooks.

    Wood Ribbon apartment in Paris features an undulating timber wall

    The terrazzo curve is emphasised by other elements, including a screen wall beside the entrance and a partition wall that encloses a cloakroom, laundry room and toilet.
    It is also matched by lighting fixtures overhead and the organically-shaped staircase.
    A double-curved staircase leads up to the attic”The layout of the interior spaces was definitely the biggest challenge,” said Rungger.
    “We wanted to create a space of comfort within a bigger space,” he explained. “Each island is a space within a space, intimate in itself but in dialogue with the rest.”
    Beds are set on oak platforms and defined by oak wall panellingCustom oak furniture features in every room. The beds are set on tiered platforms, continuing the islands concept, while the dining table is framed by an upholstered L-shaped bench.
    Marble is also dotted throughout. A grey-blue Bardiglio Imperiale features in the kitchen and around the fireplace, and the main bedroom boasts a bathtub carved from a single block of Botticino Fiorito.
    An attic room can be used as a snug, study or home cinema”We wanted to reflect the elegance of the Parisian ambience in the flat,” said Rungger.
    “The colours of the Parisian rooftops influenced the choice of fabrics and marble colours, especially in the living area.”
    Bathrooms and washroom feature mosaic tiles in varying shades of grayNOA has offices in Berlin and Turin, so typically works on projects in other parts of Europe. The studio recently completed a hotel and wellness centre and a glacier-top viewing platform, both in South Tyrol.
    With this project, they hope to show a more craft-focused side to their practice.
    “From the furniture’s roundness to the staircase’s double curvature, we have consistently drawn a line that fluidly touches the whole flat,” added Rungger.
    The photography is by Antoine Huot.

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    h2o Architectes converts storage space into colourful studio for Louvre museum

    French firm h2o Architectes has designed a brightly-hued educational facility, hosting art classes for young and old inside Paris’s Musée du Louvre.

    Over 1,200-square-metres, The Studio encompasses a common area and nine studio spaces on the lower ground floor of the Louvre’s Richelieu wing.
    The Studio (top image) has nine workshop rooms (above)What was once a storage depot for the Islamic art department is now a space for learning, where anyone from school children to professionals can expand on their own artistic skills and find out more about the artworks displayed in the museum.
    The Studio’s grand arched entrance leads visitors into The Forum, which functions as a reception and plays host to a changing roster of free 20-minute workshops.
    Workshop rooms towards the rear of The Studio are painted in bright huesh2o Architectes designed the interior as “a place for conviviality and exchange”, with a broad bank of tiered wooden seating allowing visitors to perch and chat.

    The cushioned seats can be lifted up to reveal storage boxes for workshop participants to stow away their jackets and other personal items.
    One of the rooms is vermillion teal blueBuilt into the surrounding walls is a series of backlit niches.
    These showcase work by members of the public, as well as small-scale pieces made by the Louvre’s in-house roster of expert guilders, painters, framers, metalworkers and other craftsmen.

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    Towards the back of The Studio are nine rooms for hosting lengthier workshops and training courses in everything from art history to project management.
    These rooms have been painted in bright, punchy colours like lemon yellow, teal blue and vermillion red.
    Another of the rooms is lemon yellowIn contrast, the corridors connecting the rooms are much more neutral-toned and entirely lined in wood.
    Their curved walls meet to form snug corners where visitors can stop and socialise while simple spherical pendant lights cast a warm glow throughout the interior.
    The Forum doubles as a reception area with tiered seatingh2o Architectes was established by Jean Jacques Hubert and Charlotte Hubert in 2005.
    Since then, the studio has completed a diverse array of projects in France including an angular timber wine-tasting pavilion, a nursery extension topped with a fabric canopy and an apartment with hidden space-saving storage.
    The photography is by Maxime Verret.
    Project credits:
    Architect: h2o ArchitectesStructural consultant: Équilibre StructuresConstruction economist: Cabinet PiltéFluid engineering office: INEXLighting designer: Agence OnMultimedia: Labeyrie & AssociésSignage: Wanja Ledowski StudioAcoustics: ABC DecibelFire prevention and safety: CASSO & AssociésSupervision unit: Alpha ContrôleHealth and saftey coordination: Qualiconsult

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