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      Venice floodwaters inform two-tone interior of Warsaw bar Va Bene Cicchetti

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      Sea green floors and skirting tiles are contrasted against the all-red interior of this bar in Warsaw, Poland, which local studio Noke Architects has designed to recall the high waters of Venice.

      Billed as Poland’s first cicchetti bar – an Italian bar selling drinks alongside small plates of food – Va Bene Cicchetti is located in a huge Socialist Realist housing estate from the 1950s called the Marszałkowska Housing District.
      Va Bene Cicchetti is a bar in WarsawCustomers enter the bar via an arched doorway lined with antique mirrors. Inside, they are met by a huge red travertine counter with a large drinks cooler, which is hollowed out of the stone and filled with ice and bottles of prosecco.
      Most of the interior is rendered in warm hues of red and gold in a nod to the colours of the Venetian flag.
      But the floor, and everything up to about 20 centimetres in height, is finished in sea green to suggest the high waters of the Veneto region, locally known as acqua alta.

      Its interior was informed by Venice’s floodwatersSeveral times a year, when the tide in the Adriatic Sea rises, these floodwaters will cover streets and piazzas in Venice in a layer of water.
      To recreate this “flood effect” inside the interior of Va Bene Cicchetti, Noke Architects coloured the floors and skirting tiles, as well as the base of table legs, chairs and plinths in a watery shade of turquoise.
      Tables resemble Venice’s red-and-white striped mooring poles”We wanted the place to be unambiguously associated with Venice but we also wanted for this reference to be fresh and unique,” said Piotr Maciaszek, who co-founded Noke Architects alongside Aleksandra Hyz and Karol Pasternak.
      “We took inspiration from the colours of the Venetian flag, which dominate all finishings, and incorporated the acqua alta motif in the interior as an element of surprise.”
      Turquoise skirting tiles run along the perimeter of the roomThe scheme is completed with glass lamps that resemble rippling water and bespoke furniture pieces including tables that pay homage to the red-and-white striped mooring posts found in Venice’s canals.
      Taking over an entire wall of the bar is an intricate mosaic made from reclaimed materials including glass panes from the Murano glass factory in Venice and fragments of wine bottles from Va Bene Cicchetti’s sister restaurant Va Bene.

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      The mural depicts the bar’s owners and their dog Koko enjoying wine and food at a table in Venice.
      “Veneto is where the famous Murano glass and antique mirrors are manufactured,” Maciaszek explained.
      “The region is famous for its ceramics and wine. We came up with the idea to use mini pieces of Venice as the building blocks of our artwork. Mosaic was the perfect solution for this.”
      The bar is centred on a red travertine counterThe bar’s basement level is completely saturated in the same greeny-blue hue as the floors upstairs to create the impression of being underwater.
      Bathrooms, meanwhile, are finished in black and white stripes and topped with a red ceiling in a reference to the uniforms worn by Venetian gondoliers.
      An intricate mosaic covers an entire wall of the barPolish illustrator and graphic designer Ola Niepsuj was responsible for creating the bar’s visual identity, which depicts the Lion of Saint Mark – a winged lion that represents the patron saint of Venice and is found on buildings across the city.
      At Va Bene Cicchetti, this motif can be found in the form of door handles and the neon light above the entrance.
      The bar’s basement level is covered in sea green tilesElsewhere in Poland, local practice Paradowski Studio recently channelled the glamour of Kraków’s interwar cafes and the clean functionalism of its mid-century modern cinemas for a hotel renovation.
      The Puro Stare Miasto hotel is located next to Kraków’s historic old town and spans 138 rooms alongside an extensive open-plan reception, lobby space and restaurant.
      The photography is by Piotr Maciaszek.

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      Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos creates alfresco feeling inside Mexico City skyscraper restaurant

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      Expansive triple-height windows and fully grown trees feature in this eatery at the top of a Mexico City skyscraper, designed by local firm Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos to create the impression of dining in a traditional Mexican courtyard.

      Called Ling Ling, the Asian fusion restaurant is located on the 56th floor of the Chapultepec Uno skyscraper on Paseo de la Reforma avenue and offers nearly 360-degree views of the city.
      Ling Ling is a skyscraper restaurant by Sordo Madaleno ArquitectosArchitecture firm Sordo Madaleno Arquitectos was asked to revamp the 1,000-square-metre interior to create the sensation of dining in one of the grand courtyards and terraces that are typical of Mexican architecture.
      The firm said it took a formal approach to the design process, using structural elements and construction methods to help blur the boundary between architecture and interior design.
      Greenery was incorporated throughout the interiorAt the heart of Ling Ling is a glazed triple-height space dubbed the “terrace”, which is covered by a portico-style structure.

      Here, planters filled with mature trees sit among the tables while climbing plants wrap around columns and hang from the portico structure overhead.
      The inner salon and dining room feature lowered ceilingsCeilings were brought down to human scale for the inner salon and the dining room, which are enclosed within vaulted timber structures.
      Highlighted by gentle illumination, these more intimate, cavernous spaces are fitted with purpose-built furniture.

      Space Copenhagen designs Esmée restaurant as “urban orangery”

      The design team selected a palette of vegetal hues for Ling Ling’s interior to complement the exuberant greenery installed throughout the space.
      Other plant-laden restaurant interiors featured on Dezeen include an “urban orangery” designed by Space Copenhagen that resembles a cross between a brasserie and a courtyard.
      Ling Ling has views across the cityElsewhere in Mexico City, architecture studio Taller ADG has created a dining area with a vaulted ceiling to echo old Italian trattorias.
      The photography is by LGM Studio.

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      Cells in former Berlin prison turned into guest rooms for hotel Wilmina

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      German practice Grüntuch Ernst Architects has converted an abandoned women’s prison and courthouse in Berlin into a “tranquil” hotel.

      Called Wilmina, the hotel occupies a duo of listed 19th-century structures in Charlottenburg that had been forgotten for decades prior to their renovation.
      Grüntuch Ernst Architects has converted a prison into the Wilmina hotelThe former court, which sits at the entrance on Kantstraße, accommodates the hotel’s reception as well as a temporary gallery called Amtsalon.
      An extension housing Wilmina’s restaurant connects the courthouse to the prison’s U-shaped cell block, which fits 44 guest rooms across five levels including a new penthouse floor at the top.
      Grüntuch Ernst Architects also added a roof terrace above the penthouse alongside a library, bar, spa and gym.

      Guest rooms are arranged on narrow galleries around the atriumInteriors were designed to respect the buildings’ existing architecture and reveal traces of their former use.
      “The process involved reversing the spatial configuration and its meaning so that an anti-social space can become an inviting place,” said the architecture firm, which was founded by husband-wife duo Armand Grüntuch and Almut Grüntuch-Ernst in 1991.
      “Through sensitive interventions with deliberate openings, build-ups, superimpositions, relocations and penetrations, the existing structures were expanded, connected and reprogrammed.”
      The rooms occupy the prison’s former cellsVisitors enter the Wilmina via a bright lobby and journey deeper into the hotel through a sequence of courtyards, passages and rooms that become increasingly private.
      In the hotel proper, narrow galleries with wrought-iron balustrades are wrapped around a central atrium, leading to the guest rooms that were set up in the former prison cells.
      Windows were enlarged to offer views into the courtyardA lighting installation with glass pendants is suspended from the ceiling of the atrium to emphasise its height.
      Although no two guest rooms are exactly the same, all of them are finished in light colours, soft textures and warm, tactile materials to create a soothing ambience.

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      Where possible, the cells’ small high windows were enlarged to provide views into the main courtyard. But their prison bars remain intact to remind visitors of the building’s history.
      The new penthouse level features floor-to-ceiling windows that offer views down across the complex and its gardens. The new rooms are designed to be minimalist, clear and calm, with fine metal chain curtains that shimmer in the breeze.
      Minimalist bathrooms blend in with the larger interior schemeAt the centre of the site sits the hotel’s restaurant Lovis in an extension constructed using bricks that were removed elsewhere during the prison’s transformation.
      The eatery occupies the site of the former lock yard, its old gates now replaced with large windows providing views of a small enclosed garden with rare ferns, vines, climbing plants and an old birch tree.
      The hotel occupies a U-shaped red-brick cell block”The unique location and the detailed, sensitive transformation make the forgotten place a special experience in Berlin,” said Grüntuch Ernst Architects.
      “Wilmina is a place of discoveries, of surprising visual links, ambiguous layers of space and traces of the past. Wilmina is also a place of natural tranquillity, relaxation and comfort – an oasis in the middle of the city.”
      An extension formed from reclaimed bricks houses the Lovis restaurantMeanwhile in London, EPR Architects and interior design firm Roman and Williams recently transformed the former Bow Street Magistrates Court and Police Station in Covent Garden into the first overseas outpost from American hotel brand NoMad.
      The photography is by Patricia Parinejad.

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      Weathered rocks inform interior of Orijins coffee shop by VSHD Design

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      Interiors studio VSHD Design has added a curved ceiling and boulder-like marble counters to this minimalist coffee shop in Dubai.

      Located on the street level of the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC), the Orijins coffee shop is sparsely decorated using muted colours and natural materials.
      Slim metal furnishings fill the interior of VSHD Design’s Orijins coffee shop in DubaiVSHD Design, which was founded by local interior architect Rania Hamed in 2007, designed the cafe to mimic the “beautiful imperfections found in nature” and in particular a collection of water-smoothed stones picked up from the shores of the Red Sea.
      Orijins’ desaturated colour palette references sand, shells, stone and wood, while the dramatic curved ceiling and the seven uneven marble blocks that form the coffee bar lend a weathered quality to the 105-square-metre space.
      A curved ceiling and plastered walls mimic the surface of stonesThe marble blocks with their abstract shapes were drawn by hand but cut by automated CNC machines, creating a mixture of smooth and rough edges.

      These heavy forms are contrasted with slender metal furnishings and tactile textiles such as fur, boucle and heavy weaves, which were selected to complement the interior’s raw finishes.

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      Plaster walls and polished concrete floors provide a neutral backdrop for the scheme.
      The cafe is lit by a slim LED strip that runs along the length of the space, highlighting the gentle curve of Orijins’ ceiling. Spotlights are positioned over the bar area and a brushed-aluminium sconce custom designed by VSHD decorates one of the walls.
      Seven uneven marble blocks form the coffee bar”Orijins represents the design firm’s interpretation of what it means to be calm, to sit still and to observe the beauty that can be found even in our flawed, everyday reality,” said VSHD Design.
      “It’s the feeling of calm and serenity one gets when sitting on a rock by the sea.”
      All of the furnishings are held in neutral tonesOther cavernous coffee bars include the Blue Bottle Coffee shop at the Shiroiya Hotel in Maebashi, Japan, where Keiji Ashizawa paired brick floors with a warm colour palette.
      The photography is by Oculis Project.

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      Flack Studio designs Ace Hotel Sydney as a “deep homage” to Australia

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      References to the landscape and industrial heritage of Australia are woven into the Ace Hotel’s new outpost in Sydney, with interiors designed by local practice Flack Studio.

      Situated in the city’s historic Tyne House factory in Surry Hills, the 257-room Ace Hotel Sydney marks the American hotel group’s first location in the southern hemisphere.
      Ace Hotel Sydney houses a lobby, bar and lounge on the ground floorOn the ground floor, public spaces include a lobby, bar and lounge, a neighbourhood restaurant and a day-to-night cafe, while the building’s top floor is occupied by a rooftop restaurant designed by Australian interiors studio Fiona Lynch Office.
      Describing the project as a “deep homage” to Australia, Flack Studio said the interior draws on the warm neutural tones of the country’s desert landscapes and the paintings of Aboriginal artist Albert Namatjira.
      The sunken lounge features brown leather sofasThe hotel has sandstone feature walls on the ground floor, a red marble staircase that stretches from the lobby to the first floor and terracotta-coloured tiles in the guest bathrooms.

      A sunken lounge on the ground floor is rendered in shades of caramel and burnt orange – reminiscent of the easygoing design favoured in Australia’s suburbs in the 1970s – while abundant planting throughout the hotel recalls the country’s lush rainforests.
      A red marble staircase leads up to the first floorFlack Studio also took cues from the work of Australian architect Robin Boyd, who proposed a functionalist and regionally grounded approach to architecture using simple forms and local materials.
      In the Ace Hotel Sydney, this can be seen in the off-form concrete walls, locally sourced timber and aged brass that reflect the utilitarian history of the building and the neighbourhood.
      Guest rooms are designed to feel cosy and residentialThe hotel’s 18-storey brick building was originally erected in 1916 to house the factory and distribution centre of chemist chain Washington H. Soul Pattinson.
      It also sits on the site where one of Australia’s oldest ceramic kilns was discovered, used by potter Jonathan Leak to produce domestic pottery as early as the 1820s.

      Luchetti Krelle creates eclectic bar Jane inside former butcher shop

      Ace Hotel Sydney’s wayfinding and signage were created by graphic design practice Studio Ongarato, incorporating elements of 70s modular design alongside bold geometric forms and textured materials.
      A sense of craftsmanship is conveyed through glazed ceramic room signage and hand-painted details on the entry signs.
      They feature custom lighting, furniture and fixturesThe hotel’s guest rooms feature custom lighting, furniture and fixtures and are designed to feel cosy and residential. Each room features a Rega turntable and a vinyl collection put together by Melbourne-based record label Efficient Space.
      Other highlights include an art collection curated by Flack Studio that showcases the works of contemporary Australian artists and a minibar stocked with goods from local producers.
      In the coming months, the hotel is also set to launch a residency programme spotlighting First Nations artists.
      Terracotta-coloured tiles line the walls in the guest bathroomsAce Hotel was founded in Seattle in 1999 and now has locations in cities including Los Angeles, New Orleans and Kyoto.
      Last August, the hotel chain opened its Brooklyn outpost, which features art in every room and a public gallery in its lobby that houses rotating exhibitions. Ace Hotel’s next location in Toronto is due to open in 2022.
      The photography is by Anson Smart and Nikki To.

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      Luchetti Krelle creates eclectic bar Jane inside former butcher shop

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      Seventies decor, French bistros and indigenous flowers are some of the references design studio Luchetti Krelle has mixed inside this bar in Sydney, Australia, which occupies a converted butcher.

      Serving local wines and small plates, Jane is meant to be the more casual counterpart to Arthur – a nearby restaurant offering only five-course tasting menus.
      The bar retains the butcher’s original facadeBoth venues are run by chef Tristan Rosier and are named after his late grandparents.
      The building now housing Jane originally served as a butcher but was subsequently reincarnated as various eateries, which made it in desperate need of a revamp, according to Luchetti Krelle.
      A cosy group seating area was created by the entranceThe studio made some minor tweaks to the building’s tiled facade, restoring the brass framework and replacing its tinted windows and door panes with clear glass to allow passersby to look inside.

      A section of the butcher’s original gold-leaf signage was also carefully preserved.
      The seating area features a marble table and vintage chandelierThe interior’s 70-square-metre footprint only allowed Luchetti Krelle to make minimal structural alterations.
      A cosy dining area fit for eight guests was created beside the entrance, featuring a curved seating booth and a Rosso Levanto marble table with a built-in Lazy Susan. Overhead dangles a vintage chandelier, its ornate design reflected in the mirror-clad walls.
      Natural red fibres were sprayed across the ceilingA banquette runs the length of the bar on the right-hand side, its backrest upholstered in caramel-coloured corduroy as a subtle tribute to the 70s-style interiors found in the former home of Rosier’s grandparents.
      The banquette is accompanied by a series of bespoke wooden tables with slanted corners so that even when the bar is busy and guests are in closer proximity, they can’t bump into any sharp corners.

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      On the opposite side of the room is a brass-edged drinks bar finished with a Carrara marble countertop.
      High stools upholstered in butter-yellow leather stand in front of the bar, framed by a tiled floral splashback that’s meant to be loosely reminiscent of a Parisian bistro floor.
      A corduroy banquette nods to the 70sPrior to Luchetti Krelle’s intervention, the interior featured a “cold” black-and-white paint scheme. So the studio was keen to introduce some bolder colours – particularly those synonymous with the Australian bush.
      The existing concrete floor was coated in eucalyptus-green paint while the ceiling was finished with a natural red fibre that’s similar in hue to the indigenous Waratah flower.
      Just beneath the ceiling is a sequence of custom shelves, just high enough to fit a typical wine bottle.
      Brass ribboning runs around the base and countertop of the barCorduroy seating and Rosso Levanto tables were installed in Jane’s narrower rear dining room to create an aesthetic connection to the rest of the bar.
      From here, diners can access the bar’s private courtyard and the toilets, which take over the butcher’s former salting room.
      A new skylight brings light to the windowless dining area at the rearThis space was previously accessed via a short flight of steps. But the floor was raised to meet the level of the front room and further enhance the sense of continuity.
      A new skylight and glazed panel in the back door help illuminate the space, while a false ceiling was knocked through to make the walls appear taller.
      This room was also fitted with corduroy-lined furnitureLuchetti Krelle was established in 2008 and is led by Rachel Luchetti and Stuart Krell.
      Jane joins a multitude of bars and restaurants in Sydney, which is known for its vibrant dining scene.
      Other examples include moody gin bar Four Pillars Laboratory and Glorietta, an airy Italian restaurant decked out with timber and rattan furnishings.
      The photography is by Anson Smart.

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      Bachmann Associés gives Belle Époque hotel in French ski resort a modern update

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      Bare brick and concrete are exposed in this renovation of a grand hotel at the foot of Mont Blanc by French architecture practice Bachmann Associés.

      Set in the ski resort of Chamonix, La Folie Douce Hôtel Chamonix occupies the former Savoy Palace – an 18,000-square-metre Belle Époque building with 250 rooms and five restaurants that was originally constructed in 1904.
      La Folie Douce Hôtel Chamonix is set in the renovated Savoy Palace hotelIn the 1920s, the hotel hosted lavish balls and tennis tournaments. But it later fell into disrepair and was abandoned by French travel operator Club Med in 2018 after it stated that “the site simply no longer meets our criteria”.
      Commissioned by the hotel’s new operators – hotel groups La Folie Douce and Les Hôtels Très Particuliers – Bachmann Associés wanted to reconnect the hotel with its opulent heritage and create spaces that would appeal to an “eclectic clientele”.
      Concrete and brick are exposed throughout the interiorThe Dinard-based studio, founded by architects Christophe Bachmann and Jérôme Gesret, left many of the hotel’s walls and ceilings intentionally rough, using lighting to accentuate any cracks and uneven textures.

      These raw surfaces are contrasted with opulent antique furnishings and finishes, including velvet-upholstered chaises longues, bespoke patterned carpets and brass fixtures.
      Modern fixtures replace old-school chandeliers in the atriumIn the public areas, dark and intimate spaces are alternated with generous light-filled rooms blessed with expansive Alpine views.
      In the lobby, partitions and false ceilings were stripped out to create a grand atrium with a sweeping staircase and a series of contemporary suspension lights that replace the hotel’s old-fashioned chandeliers.
      On the first floor, a cocktail lounge called Le Janssen is anchored by a brass-fronted bar and surrounded by arched floor-to-ceiling windows.

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      “For this project, we had an exciting playground,” Gesret and Bachmann explained. “It was demanding because we had to bring an old palace back to life by completely reinventing the codes of the classic hotel industry. But that is really what appealed to us.”
      “We really like to shake up and reinvent places and we had a lot of fun exploiting the volumes, imagining spaces of freedom and conviviality in the very spirit of La Folie Douce.”
      The cocktail lounge has a brass-fronted barWith a similar aim, Snøhetta recently updated another Belle Époque hotel set in a tiny mountain village in Norway, while Roman and Williams converted a historic London police station into the first international outpost from American hospitality chain NoMad.
      The photography is by Gaelle Le Boulicaut.

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      Mim Design conceives Melbourne's Au79 cafe as “greenhouse sanctuary”

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      Australian studio Mim Design has demarcated the Au79 cafe and bar in Melbourne’s Chadstone shopping centre from the surrounding stores using an arched framework instead of solid walls.

      Set in a corridor between shopfronts, Au79 was designed as a “greenhouse sanctuary” that could offer shoppers a slice of serenity and respite within the bustling retail complex.
      Melbourne’s Au79 cafe is set in a corridor between shopfrontsMim Design, which was also responsible for creating Au79’s first outpost in the nearby city of Abbotsford, wanted the space to fit into its surroundings while also bearing resemblance to the company’s original cafe.
      The Chadstone mall has a vaulted glass ceiling, which the studio decided to mirror by encasing the cafe in an arched framework topped with a gridded metal canopy and cascading plants.
      One side of the pill-shaped plan is taken over by a cafeThis frame surrounds a pill-shaped plan, which is divided into two distinct zones by a central servery.

      On one side is a neutral-toned cafe and on the other a bar organised around a curved counter made of figured stone and flanked by brass-edged display cabinets.
      The other side houses a bar”The cafe addresses the main retail thoroughfare while the bar offers a more intimate and exclusive experience facing the luxury retailers,” said Kieren Guerrero, Mim Design’s lead designer on the project.
      “The resulting open floor plate sensitively maintains visibility across the cafe to the shopfronts beyond while the arched outlines produce a theatrical colonnade effect and subtle sense of privacy.”
      Huge spherical pendants hang along the centreThe sense of formality and grandeur created by the framework is enhanced by the overall symmetry of the space.
      A row of huge custom-made spherical pendant lights is hung along the length of the plan, fitting neatly into the central arches.

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      “At night, we wanted to create the atmosphere of sitting under the glow of the moon,” said Guerrero. “The gentle illumination allows the space to transition and hold presence from day to night, bringing a new dimension to Au79’s organic forms and natural materials.”
      Mim Design employed a tonal palette of brick, terrazzo, natural leather and stone within the interior. Brass details, lush scalloped profiles and tactile finishes echo Au79’s Abbotsford cafe.
      Banquette seating runs along the perimeter of the cafeFixed banquette seating runs along the perimeter of the cafe to maintain a sense of spaciousness while seating as many people as possible.
      Loose furniture settings enable flexibility and moveable joinery on the cafe’s frontage allows the space to transform in order to accommodate different events.
      Tiles and terrazzo are contrasted against flesh-coloured leather”The project crafts a textural, gilded oasis in the Chadstone shopping complex,” said Miriam Fanning, founder and principal of Mim Design.
      “We sought to create a destination that redefined the expectation of what a kiosk is, a place considered to be built form that held ideas of permanence and presence.”
      Other projects by the Melbourne studio include a delicatessen with a counter that looks like sliced salami and an office filled with perforated metal screens.
      The photography is by Timothy Kaye.

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