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A Bamboo Sanctuary has been named Dezeen Awards China 2024 interiors project of the year following the announcement of all seven interior winners at this evening’s ceremony in Shanghai. More
Plasterwork influenced by Mallorcan villas lines the walls of this home in Los Angeles that designer Rob Diaz custom built himself. More
Mid-century modern and traditional Japanese influences blend inside this Los Angeles home, which the principals of design studio OWIU have reimagined for themselves. More
Montreal architect Diandra Maselli has overhauled a century-old house in the city for herself and her family, modernising the residence while retaining some historic character.
The founder of Diandra Maselli Architect acquired the property a week before the Covid-19 pandemic caused global lockdowns, and faced an uphill battle during the renovation of the historic structure.
The 100-year-old home was fully modernised inside, including a new kitchen”The house had its fair share of obstacles – including structural decay, carpenter ants, mice, water infiltration, foundation holes, and asbestos abatement,” said Maselli.
“However, amidst these challenges, there was a silver lining – the extensive demolition and incorporation of a steel structure paved the way for a tailor-made renovation, envisioned to meet modern needs and newly unfolding realities.”
Architect Diandra Maselli played with boundaries and thresholds throughout the homeWith the structural work on the 3,512-square-foot (326 square metres) building complete, the architect was able to tailor the interiors to her family’s needs.
For example, they needed two home offices – one on each floor – that could also transition into family areas during evenings and weekends.
A variety of custom doors were added, including a glass and steel design between the living area and home officeThe old building’s compartmentalised layout was restrictive, so Maselli explored playing with the public and private boundaries.
She did this by introducing a variety of custom doors, using different designs and materials so that “each threshold assumes a distinctive purpose”.
Although contemporary furniture was inserted, details like the fireplace mantles and bay windows were restoredA glass and steel door separates the ground-floor home office from the kitchen and living area, allowing light and views to pass between the two spaces.
To conceal the laundry room from the kitchen, a nine-foot-tall (2.7 metres), flush-mounted door was installed, while a large sliding partition was added to open the kitchen to an outdoor patio.
“By bestowing unique characteristics upon these transitions, the house’s dynamics shift responsively,” Maselli said.
Built-in furniture made from white oak is found throughout the houseUniting the majority of the spaces is the use of white oak for millwork, built-in furniture and other details, providing visual consistency throughout the home.
The most expansive application of the material is in the kitchen, forming a front for the cabinetry, a central island and a coffee station opposite.
Atelier L’Abri renovates trio of apartments for a family in Montreal
White oak also wraps walls and closets in the primary bedroom, where it is detailed with rounded corners and almost invisible door pulls.
A half-height partition divides the sleeping and dressing areas, providing a view through mirrored double swing doors to the second-floor office.
Upstairs, the primary bedroom separated from a dressing area by a half-height partitionThe renovation also provided the opportunity to modernise the home’s heating, ventilation and electrical systems.
This included repurposing the original cast-iron radiators to support a dual-energy heating system.
White oak millwork is used for the closets and features rounded cornersAll of the window shades, lighting and under-floor heating are automated to sync with the family’s daily routines.
“The essence of the project is to blend the legacy of a century-old house with the needs of today, ensuring that its historic charm is retained while seamlessly integrating modern functionalities that respond to our new unfolding realities,” said the architect.
The red-brick home in Montreal also received a full exterior restorationMaselli founded her eponymous studio in 2020 and has since also completed a single-family house in Lasalle, Quebec.
Other recently renovated Montreal homes include a mid-century dwelling overhauled by Atelier Chardonnat and Salem Architecture, and a triplex residence reimagined by Atelier L’Abri.
The photography is by Maxime Brouillet.
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Our latest lookbook collects eight houses from around the world that feature kitchens with tactile brick floors, including a mid-century home in the USA and a coastal dwelling in Denmark.
Widely used for their durability and low maintenance, bricks are a long-time favourite material across the fields of architecture, interiors and design.
They are most commonly used on walls and patios, but also popular as internal flooring because of their ability to add rich, earthy tones and tactile qualities to an interior.
While brick flooring may conjure up images of old rustic farmhouses, this roundup shows how they can also be adapted to suit contemporary homes around the world.
The examples below include those that have been arranged in herringbone format, used as a backdrop to oak cabinetry or designed to connect homes to their matching patios outside.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring conversation pits, autumnal living rooms and lavish members’ clubs.
Photo by Carlos NaudeHacienda Granada, USA, by Working Holiday Studio
Working Holiday Studio sought to create a “hacienda vibe” for this mid-century home that it overhauled in Los Angeles.
Among the alterations was a revamp of the kitchen, which involved adding a floor of warm terracotta bricks handmade in Tijuana, Mexico, arranged in a herringbone format.
They contribute to a warm and earthy aesthetic in the room, which is enhanced by dark green plaster walls and wooden joinery and furniture.
Find out more about Hacienda Granada ›
Photo by Agnese SanvitoGallery House, UK, by Neil Dusheiko
Chunky reclaimed bricks extend down from the lower half of the walls of this kitchen and continue out across its floor.
Designed by architect Neil Dusheiko for his father-in-law, the terracotta lining forms a backdrop to a wall of storage built from oak that displays ceramics, glassware and framed pictures.
Find out more about Gallery House ›
Photo by Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen of Norm ArchitectsFjord Boat House, Denmark, by Norm Architects
Handmade ceramic bricks are inlaid across the floor of this kitchen, which Danish studio Norm Architects created at the Fjord Boat House in Denmark.
Married with warm oak finishes and a custom washi-paper pendant lamp, the textured flooring is intended to contribute to a warm and cosy atmosphere.
“A refined abundance of warm textures and hues are used throughout, creating a deep sense of cosiness and comfort,” said Norm Architects.
Find out more about Fjord Boat House ›
Photo by David SouthwoodArklow Villa III, South Africa, by Douglas & Company
During their renovation of a century-old house in Cape Town, architects Liani and Jan Douglas revamped the kitchen with a tactile material palette that includes brick flooring.
The terracotta floor continues onto the adjoining patio and is teamed with a structure of exposed South African pine and bespoke wooden units finished with green marble counters.
Find out more about Arklow Villa III ›
Photo by Chris WhartonVinyl House, UK, by Benjamin Wilkes
Elongated bricks are arranged in a herringbone formation across the floor of the Vinyl House extension, recently completed by British studio Benjamin Wilkes in London.
Designed to help connect its kitchen area to the matching patio outside, the earthy flooring is complemented by warm wooden cabinetry and off-white terrazzo countertops.
Find out more about Vinyl House ›
Photo by Prue RuscoeBudge Over Dover, Australia, by YSG
Terracotta brick was teamed with aged brass and tactile plaster across the interior of Budge Over Dover, a house in Australia renovated by YSG.
Bricks line much of the ground floor, including its textured kitchen that is complete with a chunky prep counter made with a veiny marble countertop.
Find out more about Budge Over Dover ›
Photo by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenHeatherhill Beach House, Denmark, by Norm Architects
Norm Architects also opted for brick flooring in the kitchen of Heatherhill Beach House, a wooden holiday home on the Danish coast. It was designed as a contemporary twist on the traditional brick flooring found in Denmark.
“The bricks are placed side by side instead of in the traditional pattern and have minimal cuts – instead, the grout size changes minimally to achieve a homogenous and harmonious look,” the studio explained.
Find out more about Heatherhill Beach House ›
Photo by Fred HowarthCamberwell Cork House, UK, by Delve Architects
A floor that acts as a continuation of the brick paving outside features in the open-plan kitchen of Camberwell Cork House, conceived by Delve Architects in London.
Its design formed part of a wider strategy for the home that sought to better connect it to its garden. This is also achieved by introducing large green-framed windows that enhance sight lines and maximise natural light.
Find out more about Camberwell Cork House ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring conversation pits, autumnal living rooms and lavish members’ clubs.
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Interior design studio RMGB has redesigned a 19th-century townhouse opposite the Chateau de Versailles, using marble and steel to modernise it while “preserving French heritage”.
The home’s new owner recently sold his apartment in Paris to move back into the townhouse, which had been his childhood home, and asked for a careful renovation to take the interior back to its original state.
RMGB restored the home’s damaged parquet flooring and mouldings before adding bespoke and vintage furniture.
The townhouse’s original mouldings were repairedDue to its location near the Chateau de Versailles, designers Baptiste Rischmann and Guillaume Gibert had to consider each change carefully.
“The most difficult part of the project was complying with all the requests made by the Architecte des Bâtiments de France, given that the house is opposite the Château de Versailles,” the studio told Dezeen.
“They were very demanding about the aesthetic of the project. We had to stay within a certain logic of preserving French heritage.”
RMBG also renovated the parquet floors in the houseRischmann and Gibert aimed for the redesign to respect the home’s original layout while giving it a more modern feel.
“The house hadn’t been remodelled for several decades,” the designers said. “We all had to rethink and modernize the whole while preserving a trace of history.”
“Our initial idea was to preserve the original volumes and infuse them with a new aesthetic and tell a new story, a new life for our customers.”
The kitchen features a marble island and a custom-made steel cupboardThe designers created custom furniture for some of the rooms in the 230-square-metre house. In the kitchen, they added a large stainless-steel cupboard with retractable doors.
Nearby, a large Calacatta Viola marble kitchen island hides the hob and oven, adding a monolithic yet decorative touch.
Monolithic green marble forms “majestic wall” in Milan apartment
“The idea was to integrate colors and materials in small touches, such as the pinkish-orange of the sofa or the blue shade of the rug,” the studio said.
“The materials play the same role for us, from the shine of the parquet and its deep hue to the brutality of the kitchen marble. Our aim is always to create balance by contrasting materials.”
The studio chose vintage armchairs for the living roomIn the living room, Rischmann and Gibert added a ceiling light by designer Nacho Carbonell, a Lek sofa designed by Christophe Delcourt and a pair of 6911 vintage armchairs by furniture designer Horst Bruning.
RMBG chose the furniture for the house based on how the different pieces would work together in terms of both shape and colour.
“We tried to achieve the most harmonious, fair ensemble possible,” the studio said. “At no point did we want to overdo the aesthetics, which meant we had to work more surgically.”
Sculptural furniture adds character to the bedroom”While the pinkish orange of the sofa adds a touch of acidity, the dark blue of the rug brings a little more classicism to the space,” the duo added.
“The white, taut lines of the dining table temper the more extreme materiality of the kitchen island. Each piece of furniture designed or selected for the project was subjected to a rigorous selection process.”
Black marble decorates the bathroomIn the bedroom, the studio added a sculptural bed inspired by the work of French designer Jean Royère. The bathroom, like the kitchen, features striking stonework, with a bathtub and basin in Grigio Carnico marble.
“The basins and the bathtub in the parental bathroom in Grigio Carnico marble, for which we revised the design of the classic basins, giving them a more contemporary look with cleaner lines,” Rischmann and Gibert said.
Other interiors with striking marble designs include a Milan apartment with a “majestic wall” and an all-marble extension to a Victorian house.
The photography is by Matthieu Salvaing.
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Architecture studio Khan Bonshek’s founders have remodelled their own terraced house in east London around a central brick wall, carrying out the majority of the work themselves.
Named Two Up, Two Down, the house was renovated and extended by Sabba Khan and Mark Bonshek, who founded Khan Bonshek in 2021.
With the studio acting as client, architect and contractor, the couple aimed to rearrange the home’s interior and add small additions to make the most of the space.
Khan Bonshek designed their own home in London”The house represents our guiding philosophy; how to make the most with very little,” the couple said.
“Most expensive new builds are about packing in rooms and low ceilings,” continued Bonshek.
“We’ve taken a volumetric approach. We sought to create expanse, have views beyond rooms and create something humble through spatial arrangement.”
The house is arranged around a central brick wallThe studio removed all the existing internal walls in the terrace, which the couple acquired in 2018, before adding a central grey brick “spine wall” through the centre of the building.
This wall supports the stairs, which are visible in the front room, and runs the full height of the home adding a natural, textural element.
A rear extension was replacedTo improve flow and openness in the house, two small extensions were added. On the ground floor, the existing extension was replaced with a full-width brick addition, which now contains the light-filled kitchen.
At the top of the house, the existing loft conversion was extended with the addition of a timber-framed dormer.
Will Gamble Architects modernises London Victorian house with “soft minimalism” interiors
To further improve the sense of space, the walls enclosing the bathroom and study on the first floor were replaced with curtains.
In the bathroom, a section of the ceiling was removed to create a double-height space.
A timber framed dormer increased the loft spaceDuring the demolition, Khan Bonshek salvaged materials, which were reused in the reconstruction.
These materials were supplemented with accessible materials such as plywood and yoghurt pots along with salvaged teak, black marble and brass.
A double-height space was created in the bathroomAccording to the couple, the focus of the renovation was to create a home that would be an enjoyable place to live in, rather than adding value to the property.
“We were very clear from the outset that we were creating a comfortable healthy home, rather than an asset,” said Khan.
“We need to get to a place where we change policy and attitudes around housing as assets and instead to places which offer a reprieve and comfort.”
The stairs are connected to the spine wallKhan believes the home can be an example of how existing terraced houses in the UK can be upgraded and argued that the government should amend tax laws to encourage renovations
Refurbishments in the UK currently incur 20 per cent VAT, levies that are not applied on new build developments.
“We have a duty to provide housing from the existing stock,” Khan added. “Think about all the embodied energy and why that’s such a better option than demolishing and putting up lots of new buildings.”
The home is located in east LondonOther London home extensions recently featured on Dezeen include a minimalist extension to a Victorian home and a Grade II-listed villa with a wood-filled extension.
The photography is by James Retief.
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Lumpy recycled plastic furniture and circular skylights characterise this sunken London house, which designer James Shaw concealed on a 60-square-metre plot for himself and his family.
Located in a conservation area in east London, the two-storey dwelling was constructed by Shaw and his friend, architect Nicholas Ashby.
James Shaw built himself a sunken but light-filled homeThe neighbourhood’s planning restrictions required the pair to build all but 2.7 metres of the building out of sight from the street level, resulting in a sunken home with a large basement invisible from the outside.
An open-plan kitchen, living and dining area feature in this underground space, which has exposed concrete walls interrupted by large, floor-to-ceiling glass doors that open onto a small terrace with a dinky plunge pool.
The designer squeezed a bespoke sofa into one of the irregular cornersShaw and his writer-curator wife Lou Stoppard chose eclectic interiors for the home they share with their baby daughter – a collaboration that began with the duo’s 2022 London Design Festival installation of clashing furniture, created to poke fun at the tensions that arise when couples move in together for the first time.
Made by Shaw, the pear-shaped walnut table from the installation features in the living area, surrounded by spindly stacking chairs first designed by furniture brand Blå Station founder Börge Lindau in 1986.
Veneered MDF defines the kitchen cabinetsA custom aluminium bookshelf stretches across the wall opposite the table, built by Shaw to fit the unusual space. The designer also squeezed a bespoke burnt orange sofa into one of the irregular corners, illuminated by a large circular skylight.
Known for his Plastic Baroque furniture made from recycled and extruded HDPE, Shaw placed a lumpy two-tone blue lounge chair next to the sofa – another piece that featured in his previous installation.
The bathroom features Anni Albers-style mosaic flooringOpposite the living and dining area, the rectilinear kitchen cabinets were finished in veneered MDF, while the fridge was also fitted with a knobbly plastic handle.
Stainless steel and pale blue HIMACS make up the worktops – one of which is on wheels to allow for flexibility when hosting.
Squiggly pear-shaped sculptures top the bedpostsAcross the basement, a combination of oak finger parquet and raised-access metal tiles were used to create contrasting flooring. The silver-hued tiles can be lifted to reveal extra storage.
Also underground, the bathroom was designed with a playfully patterned mosaic floor informed by the work of Bauhaus artist Anni Albers, including an abstract illustration of the couple’s cat, Rupert.
The mirrored bathtub reflects and enhances the intricate flooring, while another rounded skylight adds natural light to the space.
WillemsenU submerges house under the ground in the Netherlands
An extruded blue plastic bannister snakes up the staircase to the bedroom – the only street-level room in the house.
The Shaw-designed oak and brass bed features bedposts topped with squiggly pear-shaped sculptures, while the thin timber wardrobe was hand-painted with decorative panels by artist Marie Jacotey, who completed the project on-site.
The bedroom is the only street-level roomStoppard’s vast art collection features throughout the sunken home, including delicate paintings by emerging artists Lydia Blakely and Mary Stephenson and antique artefacts from various travels.
Elsewhere in London, Shaw’s trademark plastic furniture has also been used for retail projects. Footwear brand Camper’s Regent Street store includes bumpy yellow shelving by the designer, and a Traid charity clothes shop in Shepherd’s Bush has a wiggly bench upholstered in unsold clothes salvaged from the Traid warehouse.
The photography is courtesy of James Shaw and Lou Stoppard.
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An Ettore Sottsass gridded feature wall and a sculptural green ladder characterise this 1920s Dutch house, which interiors firm DAB Studio designed to reference the Amsterdam School.
Called Collectors Home, the dwelling is defined by the intricate brickwork and stained glass windows typical of the Amsterdam School – a movement from 1910 to 1920 that paid equal attention to the architecture and interior design of a building.
DAB Studio has renovated a Dutch home from the Amsterdam School periodLocal firm DAB Studio renovated the Amsterdam house’s interiors to reflect its roots while adding contemporary touches.
“The building dates from around 1929 and was designed by Eduard Cuypers,” studio co-founder Lotte Bruns told Dezeen.
Called Collectors Home, the dwelling also includes contemporary touches”His studio was considered the origin of the Amsterdam School because the ringleaders of this style, Michel de Klerk, Joan van der Mey and Piet Kramer, were all formed in his office,” she added.
The team enlarged and rearranged the living room’s neutral-hued fireplace, which has smooth, subtle corners – “a recognisable reference to the Amsterdam School,” according to Bruns.
Dedesigned to be deliberately off-centre, the fireplace mouth was decorated with modernist black marble discs that echo the room’s rounded sconce lights, positioned on a marbled mahogany feature wall.
A gridded feature wall characterises the living spaceAlthough the wall design was originally created by Memphis Group founder Sottsass for Alpi in the 1980s, the gridded arrangement of the wood recalls the “ladder windows” common to Amsterdam School architecture, explained Bruns.
A recognisable Wassily Chair by Bauhaus designer Marcel Breuer sits opposite a sculptural, low-slung coffee table and a deep red Gubi chaise lounge, first created in 1951.
DAB Studio sourced a range of furniture for the project”The clients’ love of both modernism and postmodernism was the starting point for our research,” said Bruns.
DAB Studio made use of the home’s bay window by inserting a lumpy, vintage fruit-picking ladder into the space – a formerly utilitarian object from 1890, painted green and transformed into art for the project.
A fruit-picking ladder functions as an art piece”The semi-circular window was a big challenge because it was too small to be functional and too big to leave empty,” considered Bruns.
“The ladder’s colour complements the stained glass and the green background of the grass and trees in the garden,” she added.
Studio Prototype completes Edge House in experimental Amsterdam neighbourhood
Art features throughout the home, including in the timber-clad kitchen, where a red copper table lamp with a shaggy, gold-hued fringe illuminates the sleek worktop.
Connected to the open-plan living room, the dining space was finished with a long, dark wood table, mustard-coloured silk curtains and bespoke glass ceiling panels.
The timber-clad kitchen houses a contemporary red copper lamp”The interior has a free, creative spirit in which each element can stand on its own and be seen as art,” concluded Bruns.
Founded in 2016 by Lotte and her partner Dennis Antonio Bruns, DAB Studio previously transformed the kitchen floors and ceilings of a family home in Zwaag, the Netherlands, with two types of wood.
Also based in Amsterdam, Studio Modijefsky created a contemporary family home inside a local dijkhuis – a traditional Dutch dwelling set next to a dyke.
The photography is by Alice Mesguich.
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