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    Christoffer Jansson passes off virtual apartment as Instagram home renovation project

    Swedish designer Christoffer Jansson created a virtual apartment and pretended to live in it for months as part of a social experiment he exhibited at this year’s Stockholm Furniture Fair.

    Over a series of 12 rendered images shared on Instagram, the Uncanny Spaces project saw Jansson spin a story about purchasing and renovating a home, which he designed based on a real flat on Stockholm’s Heleneborgsgatan.
    Christoffer Jansson designed a virtual apartment and pretended it was his homeThe digital replica was modelled on the actual dimensions of the 89-square-metre apartment – ascertained during an open-house viewing – and filled with virtual copies of some of the designer’s own belongings to complete the illusion.
    He even went so far as to photograph details such as the cracked wallpaper and weirdly placed electrical outlets found in the real flat, so that he could replicate them using 3D modelling and rendering software.
    He asked his Instagram followers to vote on what colour to use in the hallway”My intention was to explore the home as a tool for communicating status and identity on social media and to discuss the impact of rendered images within interior architecture,” Jansson said.

    “I also wanted to challenge my rendering skills and see if I would be able to convince the viewer that the apartment physically existed.”
    He placed a virtual version of his Marshmallow Table in the hallwayThe ruse proved so convincing that a major Swedish interiors magazine asked to photograph the nonexistent apartment. And fellow students at Konstfack university questioned Jansson on how he could suddenly afford a multi-million-pound apartment in central Stockholm.
    Over the course of two months, he posted the results to a dedicated Instagram account designed to mimic the separate profiles that homeowners will sometimes create for their renovation projects.
    Jansson pretended to paint an antique Lovö dining table pinkThe earliest renders show the apartment as an empty shell, slowly being filled with boxes and IKEA bags as well as like-for-like recreations of Jansson’s personal belongings, such as his Marshmallow Table, every single one of his books or the jacket he wore on that particular day.
    Jansson also populated the virtual home with internet-famous design objects such as Ettore Sottsass’s wavy Ultrafragola mirror or the Lovö dining table by Axel Einar Hjorth to comment on the rise of the “Instagram aesthetic”.

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    “The constant flow of images on social media is affecting our attention span and for interior architecture, it’s becoming increasingly important to find ways to quickly capture the viewer’s attention,” he told Dezeen.
    “A clear consequence of the fast flow of images is the so-called ‘Instagram aesthetic’, which is characterized by geometric or curved shapes, distinctive colour schemes, tiled floors that form graphic patterns and clear contrasts between glossy and matte,” he continued.
    “It’s not the physical aspects of the room that are prioritised, instead the ability of the interior to function well in the image is what is valued most, which negatively affects the physical experience of a space.”
    He also integrated Insta-famous designs like the Ultrafragola mirrorThroughout the project, Jansson worked to provoke and integrate the account’s followers into the design process, for example by taking a poll on what colour to paint the hallway or by pretending to paint a piece of priceless antique furniture bright pink.
    Towards the end of the experiment, the designer began to speed up the timeline of the fictional renovation, as well as making the renders evermore eerily perfect to see if his followers would notice that the apartment was fake – although none ever did.
    By exploring these reactions, the designer hoped to draw attention to the way we use images of our homes to present idealised versions of ourselves, which in turn sets unrealistic standards for our real living spaces.
    The project was a social experiment”Today, we have access to observe the everyday life of others and display our own to the public through social media,” he said.
    “The constant exposure generates unattainable ideals and gradually shifts the barrier of private and public, which makes it more important than ever to present each and every part of our home in a favourable way.”
    Jansson created a wood relief to represent the project in real lifeAt the 2023 Stockholm Furniture Fair, Uncanny Spaces was showcased as part of the annual Ung Svenks Form exhibition of work by young Swedish designers.
    To represent the project in real life, Jansson created a wood relief that depicts a flattened image of his 3D virtual home, realised with the help of digital modelling software Rhino and a CNC-milling machine.
    The project does not touch on the rise of the metaverse, for which designers are increasingly creating virtual furniture, clothing, buildings and entire cities. But Jansson expects the advent of a parallel virtual world will likely exacerbate the issues explored in his project.
    Uncanny Spaces was on show as part of the Ung Svenks Form exhibition at the 2023 Stockholm Furniture Fair from 7 to 11 February. Browse our digital guide to the festival or visit Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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    Luca Nichetto transforms Swedish villa into his own studio and showroom

    Luca Nichetto has converted a 1940s villa in Stockholm into a studio to display his designs in a domestic setting and provide a comfortable working environment for his team.

    The Italian designer’s studio was previously based out of an apartment in the city’s Midsommarkransen neighbourhood. But when the landlord wanted to raise the rent, Nichetto decided to relocate to a larger property in a nearby suburb.
    Luca Nichetto has turned a 1940s villa into his own studio”I didn’t really need to look for another space in the city centre because it’s not that important for us as we work globally,” Nichetto explained.
    “A week after beginning to search, I saw on the real estate market what is now the Pink Villa. It was simply perfect and I made the offer.”
    A blush-pink staircase leads up to the first floorThe Pink Villa is a typical 1940s wooden house with a gabled roof and a large garden. Nichetto bought the property in 2021 and began adapting the interior to make it suitable for use as a studio.

    “I didn’t want a conventional studio space but rather a space that could be a studio, a showroom and a domestic property to be used on the weekends by my family and during the week by my team,” the designer told Dezeen.
    Nichetto’s Banah sofa for Arflex sits in the living areaThe villa takes its name from its distinctive pink exterior, which was given a fresh coat of bubblegum-pink paint to maintain its characterful presence on the street.
    The property’s existing three bedrooms were transformed into a private office for Nichetto on the first floor and a meeting room and tailor’s workshop on the ground floor, which his wife uses on the weekends.
    La Manufacture’s Soufflé mirror helps to bring character to the spaceA corridor leads from the entrance to a bright living room that looks onto the garden. An opening beyond the stairs up to the first floor connects with the simple custom-built kitchen.
    Along with Nichetto’s office, the upper floor contains a second bathroom and a large open workspace that facilitates flexible use rather than incorporating dedicated workstations.
    Bright and bold colours were used throughout the interiorThe interior features a pared-back palette of materials and colours that provide a neutral backdrop for a selection of products and furniture designed by Nichetto for brands including Offecct, Cassina, Arflex and Bernhardt Design.
    “I wanted to give a touch of warmth and I did that using colour and volumes,” the designer said. “I particularly chose materials culturally connected with the south of Europe and very deliberately mixed them with Scandinavian features.”

    Watch our talk with Ginori 1735 and Luca Nichetto about their new collection of home fragrances

    In the living area, pale-pink walls and white-painted floors contribute to the light and airy feel. Nichetto’s Banah sofa for Arflex and Soufflé mirror for La Manufacture are among the playful designs that bring character to this space.
    Upstairs, the main office spaces feature furniture such as Nichetto’s Torei low table for Cassina and Nico armchair for Bernhardt Design. His office contains the Railway table for De Padova and Robo chairs by Offecct.
    Walls in the living area were painted a light pinkOne of the key qualities that attracted Nichetto to the property is the spacious garden, which includes a terrace furnished with his Esedra table and Pluvia chairs for Ethimo.
    The basement garage was converted into a self-contained guest suite called the Chalet, which includes a living room, bedroom and bathroom with a Swedish sauna.
    The house also has a self-contained guest suiteSince the renovation was completed in April 2022, the Chalet has hosted international visitors including art directors, photographers and designers.
    The property’s location close to a park and to the water was another reason it appealed to Nichetto, who said he enjoys the proximity to nature and the good relationship he has established with his neighbours.
    Ceramic tiles provide a pop of colourA housekeeper was hired to look after the studio and to prepare meals for the team, adding to the sense of it hybrid space that is both domestic and designed for work.
    “It’s like being in a family: we all have lunch together and there are no fixed workstations to work,” he explained. “Moreover, whoever comes to visit us, if he wants, can stay and sleep. The idea is to create a sense of community.”
    Ethimo’s Esedra table and Pluvia chairs decorate the terraceLuca Nichetto established his multidisciplinary practice in Venice, Italy, in 2006 and continues to run a studio there alongside his main office in Stockholm. Nichetto Studio specialises in industrial and product design as well as art direction for design brands.
    Nichetto’s recent work includes a series of home fragrances for Ginori 1735 and his first foray into fashion accessories in the form of the apple-leather Malala handbag.
    The photography is by Max Rommel.

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    David Thulstrup decorates Ikoyi restaurant with copper walls and curved metal-mesh ceiling

    Copenhagen-based designer David Thulstrup drew on spice-making processes when designing the interior of London’s Ikoyi restaurant, which features a variety of materials including copper and oak.

    The 150-square-metre restaurant, which has a menu based on seasonal British produce and spices from sub-Saharan west Africa, is located inside the brutalist 180 The Strand building in central London.
    Studio David Thulstrup has clad London’s Ikoyi restaurant in copper sheetsThulstrup completely renovated the interior, adding panels of a specially-designed metal-mesh weave that curve up from the restaurant’s windows and cover the ceiling. The ceiling design was informed by the process of spice production.
    “I was inspired by sifting spices and thought the mesh could both capture and reflect light coming from the outside, the street light in the evening and sunlight in the daytime, but also be respectful to the exterior,” Thulstrup told Dezeen. “The lights from inside the restaurant will be captured and ‘sifted’ towards the street.”
    Decorative metal mesh was used to cover the ceilingThulstrup also layered materials to create a restaurant interior that references the “boldness and intensity of the gastronomy” delivered by Ikoyi’s founders Jeremy Chan and Ire Hassan-Odukale.

    The restaurant walls were lined with oxidised copper sheets finished with beeswax, while the floors were covered in Gris de Catalan limestone that was flamed and brushed to develop a hammered surface.
    Ikoyi is located inside a brutalist buildingThe custom-built furniture and built-in joinery were made from British oak, while banquettes, chairs and wall panels were lined with ginger-coloured leather.
    “I always work with contrasts and I like honest juxtapositions of materials that activate your senses – the copper that is warm in colour but cold when you touch it, the warm natural ginger leather against the colder steel mesh and the rough Catalan limestone floor against the warm English brown oak,” Thulstrup said.
    The colour palette was kept warm and earthyThe earthy, rustic hues chosen by Thulstrup for the interior were informed both by the restaurant’s food and the building in which it is located.
    “Ikoyi is placed on the ground level of the beautiful and very active brutalist building 180 The Strand,” he said.

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    “The restaurant’s gastronomy plays an essential role in the palette as well,” he added. “It’s not an interpretation of a dish but an exchange in colour and tracing ingredients back to their natural form and colour.”
    On arrival, visitors to the restaurant are also greeted by a large copper-clad fridge that shows the produce served at Ikoyi, with slabs of meat and fresh fish hanging from meathooks.
    Large copper fridges showcase fresh produceThulstrup wanted the fridges to remind people of where their food is coming from.
    “[The idea was] that we know where a piece of fish comes from and that we are aware what a piece of meat looks like,” he said. “It traces the story back to when the animal was alive and underscores that we have to take good care of them and appreciate them.”
    “I thought it would be a modern interpretation and celebration of our awareness of food.”
    Wooden and leather-clad furniture was used for the interiorThulstrup founded his studio in 2009 and it is based in Copenhagen, Denmark. The studio works in architecture, design and interiors.
    Previous projects by the studio include an office in Borough Yards, London, and the revamp of a winery in California’s Sonoma County.
    The photography is by Irina Boersma.

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    Renesa completes “grotto-like” interior for Tin Tin restaurant

    Indian architecture and interiors studio Renesa has completed a restaurant in Chandigarh with curving walls, ceilings and countertops blanketed in mosaic tiles.

    Tin Tin is a pan-Asian dining venue with an experimental menu, which New Delhi-based Renesa was asked to reflect in its design for the restaurant’s interior.
    The Tin Tin restaurant features curved walls and countertopsThe studio aimed to create a rich and engaging experience for guests, unfolding gradually as they move around the space.
    This is achieved by breaking up Tin Tin’s floor plan with curved walls and built-in furnishings that combine to from various different seating nooks and zones.
    A gridded mosaic covers surfaces across the restaurant”Sweeping arches, contoured ceilings and a juxtaposition amidst solid and voided structures dot the layout,” Renesa said.

    “These conjure focal nodes and morphing vistas as one lets the eye take in the space, only to reveal that no two sights within the interior volume can be identical.”
    Renesa designed the restaurant interior to reflect Tin Tin’s experimental menuThe fluidity of the restaurant’s internal surfaces is accentuated by the mosaic tiles that are arranged into a rough grid pattern across its walls, floors and openings.
    The surfaces were cast on site using terrazzo combined with slices of Indian stone in shades of jade, umber brown, veined white and greige.
    Renesa says Tin Tin’s “minimalist grotto-like feel” is a result of this homogenous materiality, which took a team of stonemasons and plasterers more than six months to complete.

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    The built-in elements are complemented by a range of custom-made furniture featuring similar curvilinear silhouettes and a matching colour palette.
    The restaurant’s entrance flows into an open space containing a range of freestanding high tables and communal seating areas, offering an array of dining experiences.
    Custom-made furniture separates different dining zonesTin Tin also provides varying degrees of privacy, allowing it to be transformed from a fine dining space during the day to a lively lounge in the evening.
    A large terrace featuring the same decor as the internal dining space provides additional seating in the daytime, while at night the tabletops and bar areas are illuminated by spotlights from above to create an intimate atmosphere.
    The curved elements contrast with their gridded surface patternRenesa was founded in 2006 and is led by architect Sanjay Arora and his son Sanchit.
    Previous projects from the studio include an all-day cafe in New Delhi that juxtaposes terracotta and terrazzo surfaces, and a brick manufacturer’s showroom in the same city that is clad entirely in earthy-hued masonry.
    The photography is by Niveditaa Gupta.

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    Casa Olivar is a Madrid apartment designed as a “sensorial refuge”

    Designers Matteo Ferrari and Carlota Gallo have transformed a traditional two-storey apartment in Madrid, Spain, into a tranquil home for themselves featuring a pared-back palette of natural materials and crafted details.

    Casa Olivar is located in a typical corrala – a type of apartment building found in the old parts of Madrid, where housing units are accessed from external covered corridors.
    Matteo Ferrari and Carlota Gallo have designed their own apartment in MadridThe apartment’s interior was in poor condition when Ferrari and Gallo purchased the property, and decided to convert it into a contemporary home.
    The design retains some of the building’s historical features while reorganising the compact interior to create a series of light and bright interconnected spaces.
    Its living room is flooded with light via two huge windowsFerrari and Gallo describe the apartment as a “non-urban place, a sensorial refuge to reconnect with ourselves, regulate our emotions and disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the outside world”.

    The couple used a pared-back material palette to create a warm and comfortable atmosphere, making the most of the daylight that enters the interior through two large windows in the living room.
    Arched openings separate the dining area from the living room”The intervention is characterised by a spatial continuity and a warm minimalism,” the duo explained. “It seeks to elevate natural light and encourage the use of local craft materials, generating a close dialogue between light and materiality.”
    A central partition dividing the dining area from the living room was altered by adding a pair of lowered arches that echo the proportions of the facade openings.
    Aluminium kitchen fronts provide a counterpoint to the muted colour paletteLight from the windows passes through the openings to reach the kitchen, while the bedroom downstairs receives indirect illumination from a pair of openings in the floor above.
    Throughout the interior, the designers chose to use simple and authentic materials, featuring predominantly earthy tones.
    “The approach is to be honest with the materials, respecting their authentic appearance and textures while prioritising natural resources and local craftsmanship,” Ferrari and Gallo explained.

    Vibrant glazed tiles divvy up Madrid apartment by Sierra + De La Higuera

    The apartment’s entrance opens directly into the kitchen and dining area, which is arranged around a sculptural table designed by the couple that features a textural Tadelakt plaster finish.
    Floors are covered with handmade terracotta tiles to create consistency between the spaces. The same tiles are used in the bathroom, with their varying dimensions giving each space a unique quality.
    The bedroom receives indirect illumination from openings in the floor aboveTables and display stands were created using stone salvaged during the renovation process, while the kitchen’s aluminium storage units provide a contemporary counterpoint to the natural tones and textures.
    Gallo designed the textiles used within the apartment to add texture and dynamism to the spaces. These include a draped nylon curtain that echoes the warm tones used in the bathroom.
    Draped nylon fabric acts as a shower curtain in the bathroomOther works of art and craft bring personality to the apartment, such as the washbasin made by designer María Lázaro and a hammock woven in Colombia using traditional techniques.
    Ferrari moved from Italy to Madrid in 2008 after completing his architecture studies at the University of Ferrara. He founded his own studio in 2015, which focuses on using simple gestures to create timeless and familiar spaces.
    The photography is by Asier Rua.

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    Dezeen's top 10 home interiors of 2022

    As part of our review of the year, we look at 10 home interiors that our readers admired in 2022, including a home with a mirror-cube bathroom and a concrete apartment in a brutalist tower block.

    Natural materials took centre stage in homes this year, with many projects using wood to create calm, peaceful interiors. Also popular were exposed concrete walls, colourful glazed tiles, and minimalist interiors with plenty of green plants.
    Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 home interiors of 2022:
    Photo by German SáizConde Duque apartment, Spain, by Sierra + De La Higuera
    Traditional Moroccan zellige tiles in vibrant colours were used to define the different spaces inside this Madrid apartment by Spanish studio Sierra + De La Higuera.

    The interior design was informed by the owners’ Mexican and Galician heritage and features timber and terracotta walls, as well as a Mexico-influenced kitchen and dining area finished with emerald green tiles.
    Find out more about Conde Duque apartment ›
    Photo by Lorenzo Zandri and Christian BraileyEnergy-saving home, UK, by Architecture for London
    British studio Architecture for London designed this home in Muswell Hill, north London, for its founder Ben Ridley. The minimalist interior of the three-floor Edwardian house is clad in natural materials including wood, stone and lime plaster.
    The home was designed to be energy-saving, with the lime plaster used to form an airtight layer throughout, mitigating any heat loss.
    Find out more about the energy-saving home ›
    Photo by Joe FletcherTwentieth, US, by Woods + Dangaran
    The winner of this year’s Dezeen Award for House interior of the year, Twentieth by Los Angeles studio Woods + Dangaran was designed with its living spaces organised around a decades-old olive tree.
    The interior of the three-storey house features exposed white bricks, as well as floor-to-ceiling glazing and a large travertine fireplace, while wood-panelling gives the home a mid-century modern feel.
    Find out more about Twentieth ›
    Photo by Serena EllerDiplomat’s Home, Italy, by 02A
    This Italian apartment, designed for a diplomat who goes on frequent work trips, was left intentionally unfinished. In the bedroom, mirrored screens enclose a small bathroom to create what interior studio 02A describes as an “immaterial cubic volume”.
    The whole flat is filled with antique and mid-century furnishings, which have been combined with contemporary cabinetry. A vibrant colour palette contrasts with the building’s original tiled flooring.
    Find out more about Diplomat’s Home ›
    Photo by Fran ParenteGale Apartment, Brazil, by Memola Estudio
    The concrete structure of the building was left exposed for local studio Memola Estudio’s renovation of this São Paulo apartment, with dark, polished wooden floors contrasting against the industrial-looking walls.
    A mosaic stone wall and a picture wall that showcases the owners’ artworks also feature in the home, which was opened up to create better sightlines.
    Find out more about Gale Apartment ›
    Photo by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenForest retreat, Sweden, by Norm Architects
    This traditional timber cabin was turned into a pared-back holiday home, which Danish studio Norm Architects described as “designed for a simple life.”
    The studio used a minimalist colour palette for the house, with walls covered in beige dolomite plaster. Oakwood was used for the flooring and cabinetry in the cabin, in which Norm Architects also inserted a raised daybed-cum-window seat where residents can sit to take in the view of the forest.
    Find out more about the forest retreat ›
    Photo by Nicole FranzenEast Village apartment, US, by GRT Architects
    Warm colours, oak wood and glistening ceramic tiles create a welcoming feel in this New York flat, which was renovated by GRT Architects.
    The studio added metallic details such as brass bars to the interior, creating a stylish contrast against the wood. Herringbone parquet flooring adds to the cosy feel of the home inside Onyx Court, a six-storey corner Beaux-Arts structure in the city’s East Village.
    Find out more about the East Village apartment ›
    Photo by Olmo PeetersRiverside Tower apartment, Belgium, by Studio Okami Architecten
    Located inside a 20-storey brutalist tower in Antwerp, the duplex Riverside Tower apartment was renovated by Bram Van Cauter, founding partner of Studio Okami Architecten, for himself and his partner.
    The result is a thoroughly modern flat that combines exposed concrete walls with bright colours and contemporary furniture, as well as plenty of green plants that give life to the grey interior.
    Find out more about Riverside Tower apartment ›
    Photo by Michinori AokiTokyo apartment, Japan, by OEO Studio
    Copenhagen-based OEO Studio drew on both Scandinavian and Japanese design to create this Japandi-style apartment in Tokyo’s Opus Arisugawa housing complex.
    It features striking details such as a rammed-earth wall and built-in concrete seating in the entryway (pictured). Furniture finished in smoked oak and oiled pinewood nods to Scandinavia, while Japanese Ōya stone was used for the columns that divide the living area and kitchen.
    Find out more about Tokyo apartment ›
    Photo by Peter BennettsWest Bend House, Australia, by Brave New Eco
    Shortlisted for the House interior of the year category at Dezeen Awards 2022, West Bend House was designed by Australian studio Brave New Eco as a “forever home” filled with timber, terracotta and other eco-friendly materials.
    The home also features saturated colour details such as a bathroom clad in sapphire tiles and a khaki green sofa and purple curtains in the living room.
    Find out more about West Bend House ›

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    Michaelis Boyd captures “the spirit of the absurd” in Moxy Lower East Side

    Hotel brand Moxy has opened its fifth venue in New York City, with an eclectic design that includes a rooftop bar filled with plants and a piano room lined in blue velvet.

    Architecture and design studio Michaelis Boyd spearheaded the interior design of Moxy Lower East Side, while Rockwell Group designed two of its restaurants and Stonehill Taylor oversaw the architectural works.
    The ambition was to push the playful design of the Moxy brand even further than its sister venues, reflecting the vibrancy of the Bowery, where the Lower East Side meets SoHo.
    The Highlight Room is a rooftop bar with a palm tree at its centreThe 303-room hotel brings together different styles and narratives to create a “spirit of the absurd”.
    “We wanted to create a quirky yet stylish play on the absurd,” said Rina Kukaj, NY director at Michaelis Boyd.

    “The goal was a design that’s up to date but nods to the Bowery’s past, with a good dose of Moxy’s trademark whimsy and elements of surprise,” she told Dezeen.
    Silver Linings is a piano lounge furnished with blue velvet banquettes and curtainsMoxy is a subsidiary of hotel chain Marriott International, aimed at a younger market more focused on modern lifestyle experiences than traditional forms of luxury.
    Developed by real-estate company Lightstone, the hotel features four restaurant and bar venues, a lobby lounge with a bar and all-day cafe, and three studios that can be used for meetings, co-working or hospitality.
    Plants hang from the ceiling in the lobby”The Lower East Side has always been iconically cool,” said Mitchell Hochberg, president of Lightstone. “We saw it as the next logical frontier for Moxy.”
    “People come to the neighbourhood to indulge their thirst for discovery, and they’ll get that at the Moxy too.”
    The lobby lounge is brought to life by “hipster animals”In the lobby, a mix of seating types create opportunities for lounging, working or socialising, dotted amongst details that include game tables, overhead plants, “hipster animals” and chandeliers featuring 3D-printed pin-up girls.
    “We wanted to create a contemporary, leafy oasis,” said Michaelis Boyd co-founder, Alex Michaelis.

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    “As you walk through the lobby, wherever your eye takes you, you’ll see things happening,” he told Dezeen.
    “Hanging plantings overhead, a circular pattern on the terrazzo floor, and dome light fixtures that shine very softly down towards you. Guests are almost the artist at play, the focal point of the experience.”
    An all-day cafe, The Fix, can be found within the lobbySilver Lining is a lobby-adjacent piano lounge, furnished with blue velvet banquettes and curtains, and featuring imagery that references the life and work of Bowery’s one-time resident, Andy Warhol.
    “Silver Lining is sumptuous and sophisticated; it feels really intimate,” said Kukaj.
    Sake No Hana features Kimono-inspired tapestries and lantern-like pendantsRockwell Group took charge of Sake No Hana, a Japanese restaurant that combines references to New York’s 1980s punk scene and Japanese street culture.
    Kimono-inspired tapestries and lantern-like pendants light hang from the ceiling, while a pair of symmetric curving staircases wrap a blue-tiled bar.
    Loosie’s is a basement bar and club with an “exploded disco ball” chandelierLoosie’s – a basement bar and club – is Rockwell Group’s other contribution. This dark, atmospheric space centres around an “exploded disco ball” chandelier.
    On the 16th floor, Michaelis Boyd designed The Highlight Room to feel like a 19th-century pleasure garden. A palm tree is at the centre of this rooftop bar.
    Studios can be used for meetings, co-working or hospitality”We wanted to recreate this sense of a hidden garden amidst the rooftops,” said Kukaj.
    “Hanging plants and fabric lanterns sway from the ceiling above the bar, foliage springs from hidden corners and, at the centre, a majestic tree spreads its branches towards all four corners of the room.”
    The hotel has 303 bedrooms, with details including coloured glass screensMoxy Lower East Side is completed by simple and pared-back guest rooms. There are only a few design flourishes here – like the Hollywood-style lighting and coloured glass screens.
    The Moxy brand has been in New York since 2018, when it opened the Yabu Pushelberg-designed Moxy Times Square.
    Rockwell Group has created restaurants for all four New York venues and oversaw the entire design of Moxy East Village.
    Bedrooms feature Hollywood-style lighting and lava stone sinksFor Michaelis Boyd, Moxy Lower East Side is its first completed collaboration with the brand. The London and New York-based studio has previously created interiors for Soho House and The Williamsburg Hotel.
    “We’re known for our work with Soho House and although the communal spaces of the hotel are open to the public, in places we wanted to create the intimate feel of a member’s club,” added Kukaj.
    Moxy Lower East Side is the brand’s fourth hotel in New York”As for the guest rooms, they are designed as the quiet moment within the hotel, a step back from all the activity,” she added.
    Moxy Lower East Side opened in October and was the venue for Heidi Klum’s 2022 Halloween Party – where the supermodel memorably dressed in a head-to-toe worm costume.
    The photography is by Michael Kleinberg.

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    Ten interiors tickled pink with Color of the Year Viva Magenta

    For our latest lookbook, we’ve cherry-picked 10 interiors clad in shades that recall Viva Magenta after American colour company Pantone named the bright pink hue as its Color of the Year for 2023.

    Pantone describes Viva Magenta as “a brave and fearless red shade that vibrates with vim and vigour” and reflects current attitudes towards experimentation and fearlessness.
    “It’s assertive but it’s not aggressive – we refer to it as a fist in a velvet glove,” said vice president of the Pantone Institute Laurie Pressman.
    Shades of bright pink magenta have been used by interior designers in the projects below to brighten up spaces in locations ranging from Copenhagen to Tokyo.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with sliding doors, lounges with suspended fireplaces and cottage interiors.

    Photo is courtesy of BHDMShoreline Waikiki, Hawaii, by BHDM
    The interior of the beachside Shoreline Waikiki hotel in Hawaii has a flamboyant colour scheme, giving it a jubilant feel that matches the island’s surrounding tropical flora and fauna.
    Redesigned by US studio BHDM for the “millennial-minded traveller”, the accommodation has a hot-pink carpet that stretches from the reception to the ground floor lounge and contrasts the brightly coloured yellow, teal, blue and red furniture upholstery.
    Find out more about Shoreline Waikiki ›
    Photo is by Tim LenzAtrium, US, by Smith Hanes Studio
    Rich tones of green, raspberry and gold collide with smooth terrazzo, shiny tiles and tropical wallpaper in Atlanta bistro and restaurant Atrium.
    Local architecture studio Smith Hanes Studio looked to the lines, patterns and shapes found in colourful French cafes and art deco buildings for the space, which is filled with an array of large leafy plants.
    Find out more about Atrium ›
    Photo is by James McDonaldFamily Kitchen, UK, by Mizzi Studio
    British design studio Mizzi Studio renovated this restaurant in London botanical garden Kew Gardens, creating a whimsical eatery that wouldn’t look out of place in the Charlie and the Chocolate Factory film.
    Designed to introduce young children to new foods, the space features playful decor such as an apple-shaped seat, giant timber-weaved fungi sculptures and a magenta-coloured Ethiopian Enset tree.
    Find out more about Family Kitchen ›
    Photo is by John ShortMaggie’s Centre, UK, by Ab Rogers Design
    At this Maggie’s Centre cancer treatment site in Sutton, England, patients can rest and convalesce in a pinky-purple-toned living area that studio Ab Rogers Design wanted to feel cheerful, yet sensitive.
    “Believing in colour’s sensual and psychological power, we coloured the surrounding rooms to suit the functions and activities they host,” said Ab Rogers Design founders Ab Rogers and Ernesto Bartolini.
    Find out more about Maggie’s Centre ›
    Photo is courtesy of Patricia UrquiolaRotazioni and Visioni by Patricia Urquiola
    The rust, mustard, dusty pink, baby blue, yellow and caramel block colours and black lines in these rugs by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola contrast the circular openings that punctuate the walls in this pared-back room.
    Made from Himalayan wool and silk, the soft rugs have been used to add depth and warmth to the space.
    Find out more about Rotazioni and Visioni ›
    Photo is by John ShortScape, UK, by Ab Rogers Design
    A ribbon of magenta pink courses through the central areas of Scape, a housing block that Hackney-based studio Ab Rogers Design refurbished for students in London’s East End.
    Vibrant colour-coding knits the buildings’ internal parts together, while the bedrooms are informed by the sleeping quarters of train carriages, with space-saving furniture such as cupboards that double up as desks and seating nooks nestled in the windows.
    Find out more about Scape ›
    Photo is by Shingo NakashimaToggle Hotel, Japan, by Klein Dytham Architecture
    Sandwiched between a raised expressway, a railway line and Tokyo’s Kanda River, Toggle Hotel was designed by Tokyo-based Klein Dytham Architecture to stand out from the neighbouring infrastructure.
    Inside each of the rooms, which guests are able to choose based on their colour preferences, the furniture, bedding, carpets and soft furnishings are all coloured in the same shade.
    Find out more about Toggle Hotel ›
    Photo is by Gianluca Di IoiaCasa Lana, Italy, by Triennale di Milano
    A plush pinkish-red carpet covers the floor of this model apartment, which was recreated within the Triennale di Milano as part of a permanent new installation.
    Originally designed by Memphis Group founder Ettore Sottsass for a friend, Casa Lana is arranged around a wooden enclosure with built-in shelving and sofas.
    Find out more about Casa Lana ›
    Photo is by MasquespacioResa San Mamés , Spain, by Masquespacio
    Valencia-based studio Masquespacio injected splashes of its signature colour-blocking style throughout Resa San Mamés, a 1,850 square-metre building that houses 351 students in Bilbao, Spain.
    In the main lobby, millennial pink paint clashes with the crimson tiles that line the walls, while soft furnishings and partitions were used to define zones elsewhere on the ground floor.
    Find out more about Resa San Mamés ›
    Photo is by Itay BenitHayarden school, Israel, by Sarit Shani Hay, Chen Steinberg Navon and Ayelet Fisher
    A rainbow of colours, including a bright pink that straddles fuschia and magenta, have been used to brighten up this two-storey school in Tel Aviv, which local designer Sarit Shani Hay, architect Chen Steinberg Navon and Ayelet Fisher overhauled in 2019.
    Situated in Tel Aviv’s Hatikva Quarter – a neighbourhood with a high number of asylum-seekers – the school has a house-shaped reading nook and colourful paintwork, which the team hoped would help to create an inspiring learning area for the children of refugees.
    Find out more about Hayarden school ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring Bauhaus-informed interiors, homes in converted warehouses and neutral living rooms.

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