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      Lucky Chan restaurant in Bangalore combines craft objects with candy colours

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      Indian office MAIA Design Studio has designed a Pan-Asian restaurant in Bangalore, which brings local crafts together with a Tokyo-inspired palette of colours and patterns.Lucky Chan is a casual restaurant serving sushi and dim-sum, which takes over the grand floor of a two-storey house.

      Lucky Chan takes over the ground floor of a two-storey house
      Because it’s a residential building, the space is divided up into a series of rooms. MAIA Design Studio founder Shruti Jaipuria saw this as an opportunity to explore a variety of different concepts.
      Her interior design scheme gives each room its own character, but they all share an eclectic mix of colour, pattern and material.

      Mosaic tiles create stripy walls in the open-air section

      Large surfaces of grey Sadharalli granite feature alongside ceramic tiles that combine candy shades of red, yellow, pink and green.
      “We were inspired by the hip Harajaku style of Tokyo while developing the colour palette,” said Jaipuria, “but the material palette is more local”.
      “As an office, we aspire to use local material and craft in contemporary and unexpected contexts,” she told Dezeen.

      The main dining room combines granite walls with a ceiling installation
      Lucky Chan can be divided up into five different zones: the main dining room, the open-air section, the passageway, the sushi bar and the private dining room.
      The main dining room is perhaps the most simple of the spaces, although it features a very unique detail – hanging from the ceiling is an installation of 250 turned-wood sculptures, created in collaboration with local artisans.

      These 250 turned-wood sculptures were made by local artisans
      These curvaceous wooden objects celebrate the tradition of hand-lathe woodwork in the nearby township of Channapatna.
      Each piece is coloured with natural lacquers, made using substances that include turmeric, walnut bark and manjista root.

      A passageway section features a neon sign that reads #heretogetlucky
      Mirrors lining the surrounding ceiling beams create the impression that the installation goes on forever.
      “The visual effect makes the large 900-millimetre beams disappear, thus opening up the otherwise small space and making it lighter,” said Jaipuria.

      The sushi bar is made from birch plywood and covered in green tiles
      Wooden chairs provide seating in both this space and the adjoining open-air section. These chairs feature seats hand-woven with coir, a coconut fibre, making use of another local craft technique.

      John Anthony restaurant by Linehouse is “British tea hall turned Chinese canteen”

      Mosaic tiles create a pattern of stripes on the end walls. The same tiles feature in the sushi bar, where they create a grid effect. They also form a chequerboard pattern on the table in the private dining room.
      “Parallel lines and cross-grids started to play an important role while we were designing the space,” said Jaipuria.

      The private dining room has panelled walls and a chequerboard-patterned table
      Birch plywood brings a more lightweight feel to these rooms, providing custom furniture and also panelling on the walls.
      These wooden elements include a sushi bar with an integrated conveyor belt, which Jaipuria believes is the first of its kind in India.
      Other details include silk lamps that were handmade in Pondicherry, an array of plants in colourful pots, and a neon sign that reads #heretogetlucky.
      Norm Architects also looked to Japanese design for its Sticks n Sushi restaurant in Copenhagen, while Linehouse referenced a retro Chinese canteen for its John Anthony dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong.
      Photography is by Gokul Rao Kadam.
      Project credits
      Design studio: MAIA Design StudioDesign team: Shruti Jaipuria, Roshni Ramnane, Rahul ChughChannapatna execution: Atul Johri, Mubarak

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      Bookshelves and cabinets divide living spaces in Penthouse BV by Adjo Studio

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      Belgium-based Adjo Studio has used large wooden joinery elements to organise the interior of a penthouse apartment in Hasselt.Penthouse BV features a broken-plan layout, meaning that it is neither open-plan nor divided into rooms. Instead, a series of partitions and furniture elements help to subtly divide the space into different areas.
      Spanning floor-to-ceiling and made from cheery wood veneer, these elements include bookshelves, kitchen cabinets and wardrobe closets.

      Wooden joinery elements include a hearth that frames the lounge and library areas

      The penthouse is the home of an entrepreneurial couple who relocated from the suburbs to the city centre.
      Adjo Studio designers Adriana Strojek and Joachim Bekkers wanted to give the pair the same feelings of spaciousness and connection to nature that they had experienced in their previous residence, even though they are now five storeys up.
      However, they also needed to create a practical home with separation between different functions. For instance, the couple needed a dedicated office so that work and home activities didn’t clash.

      Made from cheery wood veneer, these elements have a warm tone
      As Penthouse BV was originally open-plan, the designers had free rein to draw up a layout that met both of these requirements.
      The apartment is also positioned at the centre of a roof terrace, with glazed walls wrapping most of the exterior, so it was easy to create light-filled spaces facing planted terraces.

      The joinery is set back from the glazed walls of the penthouse
      “The couple wanted to preserve the qualities of living in a house with a garden, so the brief required a spacious, open plan with as much natural light incidence as possible,” said Strojek and Bekkers.
      “This request triggered us to locate the circulation space on the perimeter of the penthouse, to strengthen the relation between the inside and the 360-degree private city garden,” they told Dezeen.

      The kitchen island has an integrated dining area
      The joinery elements not only organise spaces, but also create flexibility. One of the closets integrates a bathroom entrance, while another includes a sliding wall that allows the bedroom and office to become a single space.
      Other furniture elements are just as grand in ambition, like the combined kitchen island and dining table, or the full-height hearth that frames the lounge and library areas.

      A simple colour scheme brings together shades of grey, brown and beige
      The designers chose a sophisticated palette of materials and colours for the interior, with shades of grey, brown and beige. The aim was to provide a “cheerful yet restful environment”.

      Apartment on the Belgian coast balances natural and industrial materials

      The grey Italian limestone that clads the walls surrounding the terrace was one source of inspiration. Natural stone features throughout the home, with subtle beige tones in the living spaces and a more decorative finish in the bathrooms.

      Bathrooms are finished in polished grey limestone
      Furnishings bring together classic designs of the past and present, with highlights including an Eames Lounge Chair and the Lumina DOT pendant light by Foster + Partners.
      Other details reveal the owners’ tastes. A pair of armchairs in the living room are coloured in a favourite red ochre shade, as are various other objects dotted through the spaces.

      A sliding wall allows the bedroom and office to become a single space
      “The details are kept simple in aim to reach minimalist objectivity, stripping away the layers of ornaments to create clean perspectives and frame the outside,” added the designers.
      Other recent residential projects in Belgium include an apartment on the Belgian coast with seaweed-coloured joinery and a Ghent penthouse organised around three blocks of furniture.
      Photography is by Renaat Nijs.

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      Hotel Magdalena is a homage to Texan lake houses

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      Bunkhouse Group and architecture office Lake Flato collaborated to create Hotel Magdalena, a hotel in Austin designed to emulate a Texas lake house filled with art and “hippie textiles.”Hotel Magdalena’s sloping architecture is designed to recall the gently inclined landscape of the nearby Barton Springs, a popular outdoor swimming spot.
      The four new buildings that make up the hotel occupy the original site of the 1950s Terrace Motor Hotel and Willie Nelson’s 1970s music venue Austin Opry House.

      A Harvey Probber sofa sits in the valet lobby

      Bunkhouse Group and Lake Flato incorporated elements from both mid-century Austin icons in the interiors.
      Guests are welcomed at two lobbies. The valet lobby is filled with pieces such as a Marset Dipping Lamp and a plush 1970s Harvey Probber sofa named Deep Tuft, designed to mimic the tufted seating found in luxury cars.
      Hotel Magdalena’s main lobby mixes design elements by renowned brands and local makers.

      A green Moroso sofa adds colour to the eclectic main lobby
      A Moroso sofa and coffee tables are placed alongside a custom oval wooden retail table crafted by Quarter Lab, an Austin-based woodworker.
      Unstained white oak tambour forms the main lobby’s desk, behind which colourful ceramic pots by local designer Rory Foster are placed, as well as the hotel’s own book collection sourced from Half Price Books.

      Quarter Lab designed the main lobby’s retail table
      “When we were styling the lobby, we pictured a person who lived in an effortlessly cool house on Lake Austin,” said Bunkhouse Group’s vice president of design and development Tenaya Hills.
      “We thought about what they would collect on their travels, what they found interesting, and what books and records they’d have,” Hills told Dezeen.

      Unstained white oak tambour is used in both lobbies
      A scattering of 70s original collages by the late Graham Harmon also decorates one of the lobby’s white walls. It is understood that Harmon painted the works in Austin.
      “The story of the hotel is the story of Austin,” said Hills. “The buildings are inspired by 1950s Austin lake houses, which then informed the materials you see and the furniture system we designed for the guest rooms.”

      1970s collages by Graham Harmon
      Influenced by designers such as Le Corbusier and Alvar Aalto, the hotel’s 89 rooms have smart systems of combination furniture.
      Bespoke beds are built-in and crafted from walnut wood, and inlay desks separate each room’s bed from its small living space.

      The guest rooms take cues from Le Corbusier and Alvar Aalto
      Poured concrete floors with exposed aggregate echo rocky river beds, while wooden ceilings maintain the hotel’s lake house design.
      Bathrooms tiled in blue, red, yellow or green inform the colour of each room’s more subtle design elements, such as various Christian Rathbone throw pillows adorned in what Hills describes as “hippie textiles,” and custom bedside lighting by David Weeks.

      Different coloured bathrooms inform the design of each bedroom
      Guest rooms feature individual black and white photographs by local photographer Scott Newton. Newton’s images capture live music in Austin.
      Hotel Magdalena’s swimming pool is accessed by various exposed elevated walkways. Poolside umbrellas, loungers and side tables by Kettal blend with the exterior setting.

      The hotel’s swimming pool is one of its central hubs
      Overlooking the pool, the hotel’s outdoor bar area is a colourful space with soft seating by Expormim and clusters of umbrellas.
      Clad in terracotta tiles, the bar itself has a playful terrazzo top designed by Concrete Collaborative.

      Visitors can lounge on soft seating by Expormim at the bar
      Hotel Magdalena also has a restaurant. Summer House on Music Lane is a bright and airy space furnished with two-tone green Mathilda dining and bar chairs designed by Patrica Urquiola for Moroso.
      “We went for a palette of natural materials – stone and wood and a high gloss ceramic tile. The main colour woven throughout is green,” said Hills.

      Summer House on Music Lane is designed in the style of the main hotel
      Like in the hotel’s eclectic lobbies, vintage treasures made from coloured glass and ceramics line the restaurant’s bar shelves.

      Mark Odom pays homage to the 1950s with Inglewood Residence in Austin

      Local craftsmanship is celebrated in the form of a bespoke bench by Litmus Industries and artwork by Graham Harmon and Michelle Billette sourced at Round Top Antiques Fair.

      The restaurant’s bar is clad in green tiles
      Bunkhouse Group is a hospitality company based in Austin. Lake Flato is an American architecture firm founded in 1984. The firm recently designed a marine research centre in Mississippi formed from six pine buildings.
      Other eclectic interior spaces in Austin include a hotel by Kelly Wearstler with a sculptural oak staircase, and a restaurant filled with hanging plants and used books created by Mickie Spencer.
      Photography is by Nick Simonite.

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      Norman Foster, Virgil Abloh and more share their thoughts on the global impact of Covid-19

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      One year ago today, the World Health Organisation officially declared coronavirus a global pandemic. Twenty of the world’s leading designers, including Thomas Heatherwick, Kelly Hoppen and Sevil Peach, gave us their views on how it has changed the world. The pandemic has been the most dramatic disruption to human activity in a generation. For many designers, it has been a time to refocus and rethink how we design products, buildings and cities.
      “It has challenged us to reassess the ‘old normals’ that we had based and organised our lives around,” explained interior designer Peach.
      “Coronavirus has sounded an alarm”
      This includes paying more attention to the environment and the impact that humans are having on the Earth.
      “The coronavirus has sounded an alarm,” said Sun Dayong, founding partner of architecture studio Penda, “in effect, reminding people to care for the earth and the environment.”
      Many of the designers were positive that the pandemic will lead to change, with more focus placed on people.
      “It has made us value space and air, said Sarah Wigglesworth, founder of Sarah Wigglesworth Architects. “Hopefully, it has reorientated our focus on the fact that buildings are about people.”
      “Disasters have been catalysts for major changes in architecture” 
      Designer Heatherwick agreed: “We’ve seen before that disasters have been catalysts for major changes in architecture.”
      “So I hope the real positive legacy of this terrible pandemic will be a realisation that there’s no longer a place for yet more lazy soulless developments and buildings.”

      Coronavirus offers “a blank page for a new beginning” says Li Edelkoort

      To make these changes, Off-White founder Virgil Abloh believes that designers will need to be adaptable.
      “The pandemic, to me, exposed the need for businesses, designers, creators, even entire countries, to be able to adapt,” he said.
      “The structure of the city is bound to change”
      The architects and designers believe that the pandemic will have a lasting impact on our cities, with Lina Ghotmeh telling Dezeen: “The structure of the city is more than any time, bound to change.”
      Nikoline Dyrup Carlsen, co-founder of Spacon & X, agreed that cities are changing, observing that people are moving out of Copenhagen “to be closer to nature”.
      “This will definitely reframe how we approach design and architecture in urban as well as in natural surroundings,” she said.
      Many of the designers believe that the pandemic may provide the impetus to create better public spaces in our cities.
      “[They will be a] more open attitude of mind by the public, civic leaders and politicians to change in the public domain,” said architect Norman Foster.
      “The pandemic has proven that mobility in cities can be moderated posing an opportunity to reduce the use of cars, and therefore the CO2 emissions,” added Ingrid Moye, co-founder of Mexican studio Zeller & Moye.
      “Cities are not dead and will come back”
      Although cities will change, they “are not dead and will come back,” said Carlo Ratti Associati founder Carlo Ratti.
      “They have endured damaging pandemics in the past and yet in the following centuries, we continued crowding its narrow streets and theatres,” he said.

      “In the future home, form will follow infection”

      Chinese architect Ma Yansong believes the challenge will be creating cities that are safe, but not isolating places.
      “Even if the pandemic might continue through the next couple of years, an ideal city should still reflect our ideal for living, instead of being a capsule that will only isolate people,” he said.
      “Moments of crisis can also be seen as opportunities for change”
      On a personal level, many designers said the pandemic had allowed them to become more focused on their work without the distraction of industry events or overseas client visits.
      “Despite the negative aspects that the pandemic has brought, moments of crisis can also be seen as opportunities for change,” said Moye. “This pause in our hectic lifestyles has given me a chance to refocus priorities.”
      Overall, architect Sam Jacob believes that this has been a time of reflection that will shape architecture and design for years to come.
      “It feels like there’s been quite a bit of soul searching amongst the design and architecture communities over the past year,” he said. “Many long overdue issues have come to the fore.”
      Top image is an illustration of the coronavirus particle by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
      Read below for the full interviews:

      Virgil AblohCEO, Off-White, Milan
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      The pandemic, to me, exposed the need for businesses, designers, creators, even entire countries, to be able to adapt. I see the same challenge being posed in this realm of architecture and design – as creators we must be adaptable and fluid in our skills and our practices, but the places and structures we’re creating need this ability as well.
      This is something I had kind of already started thinking about, the need for spaces to be easily transformed. When I was designing the Off-White Miami flagship with Samir Bantal of AMO we wanted to create a retail space that essentially can outlive retail.
      Things like movable walls and other elements that make a space multifunctional are not only interesting from a design perspective, but they’re necessary for staying ahead of this ever-changing tide.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      I think we’re going to see a lot of the same social and political movements that were brought to the forefront of our collective consciousness reflected in design for years to come.
      Things like transparency and openness, as we’ve seen society demand of politics and their leaders, their police and their justice systems. The idea of personal expression and celebrating differences – customising your space like you do your own style with the clothes you wear and the pieces you buy.

      Norman FosterFounder, Foster + Partners, London
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design? 
      More open attitude of mind by the public, civic leaders and politicians to change in the public domain.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      Acceleration and magnification of existing trends to the extent that in the short term they might seem like new trends.
      What have you learnt?
      A greater appreciation and sensitivity towards those who serve us – obviously health workers but also others who make our urbanities function.

      Kelly HoppenFounder, Kelly Hoppen Interiors, London
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      One of the biggest surprises for me came at the beginning of the pandemic when there was an influx of work, particularly international work. The speed and demand of work that came through during the pandemic provided an opportunity to grow further. In my view, the industry is booming, however, the requirements for design are changing.
      Having worked in Asia for many years, we understood many of these requirements, but this was the first time I understood them personally and realised the impact they would have on the field.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      Long-term, interiors and architecture will have to be created with hygiene and practicality at the forefront. Both vision and design details will need to be adapted to ensure space adheres to everyday living, with the additional demands highlighted by Covid in a post-pandemic world.
      What have you learnt?
      In spite of strict travel restrictions, the inability to visit sites and engage in other practical activities meant we had to think outside the box quickly.
      We had come up with different solutions to fulfil things we could only do in person, for example handling an installation for a couture job. Being able to overcome these challenges has been both exciting and rewarding, and has also taught me about the endless possibilities that exist when it comes to showcasing international design and architecture.

      Sun DayongFounding partner, Penda, Beijing
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      I think the coronavirus pandemic has made people realise that having architectural spaces that are secure and safeguarded is extremely important. In times past, the primary function of architectural structures was to shelter human beings from the elements and predatory animals. In the future, protecting people from viruses will be one of the important functions of architecture.
      This aspect will be paid more and more attention to in design. For example, the need to revise the distribution ratio of open space and private space in spatial layouts will promote the forming of new design specifications; and the need for sterilization and sterilization technology in architectural materials will instigate the production of new products. This will undoubtedly lead to changes in the way future buildings are designed.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      I think the coronavirus pandemic has made people realise that human beings are vulnerable to nature and that we cannot ignore the impact of the earth’s environment on our lives. In the past, people were content to stay in air-conditioned rooms or a comfortable car, without giving a second thought to the environment or nature.
      It was easy to ignore news of global warming or rising sea levels – it seemed those issues were just the dry concerns of environmental experts, empty claims in the advertisements of real estate developers. But the emergence of the coronavirus has made everyone realise that these problems are, in fact, very real.
      The pandemic has been massively damaging and costly worldwide. It is conceivable that if other, more severe environmental problems develop, many more people’s lives will be adversely affected.
      The coronavirus has sounded an alarm, in effect reminding people to care for the earth and the environment. As a shaper of the environment, architects should seriously consider sustainable design strategies, and put forward feasible suggestions for shaping a healthy environment in the future.
      What have you learnt?
      The pandemic has given me the opportunity to stay at home and live with my family for an extended period of time. It has made me realise the importance of relationships in general, and that good family relations are the baseline for having a happy life.
      For this type of harmony to be formed, frank communication and heart-to-heart communication are really essential. Architects can help people create beautiful and warm spaces, but a happy life is a collective effort created by everyone – and each person is the architect of their own happiness.
      Love the people around us and build happiness with love. I think this is what every professional architect should keep in mind, and learn to “create with love”.

      Joyce WangFounder, Joyce Wang Studio, London
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design? 
      It’s made it socially acceptable to be a bit of a hermit and to socially distance. Restaurants and hotels were becoming social houses before the pandemic. Now we are seeing project briefs that call for a balance of social and anti-social spaces to be designed.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      Use of naturally sterilising finishes and materials for high-touch points like doorknobs and faucets, people will still yearn for tactility so am hoping it doesn’t all migrate to sensor/touchless devices.
      What have you learnt?
      We, humans, are super resilient and can adapt to be happy, creative and even thrive in the most awkward of circumstances.

      Thomas HeatherwickFounder, Heatherwick Studio, London
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      Even before the global pandemic, there was already an immense and rapidly-growing problem of many un-human, sterile places being clumsily created around the world. Apart from the occasional predictably-special arts building or rich person’s house, cities have been increasingly made up of repetitious new developments and districts that lack life, human interest and joy and generally don’t make people feel good to be there.
      As we’ve been forced to immerse ourselves in the digital realm during the pandemic, we’ve discovered that technology in our homes can sometimes provide a better alternative to crappy public places.
      For me it’s exciting that the responsibility is now back on us – the designers, architects, developers, and planners – to start making an impact again by creating inspiring public places that people will cherish and want to spend time in.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      I believe that one long term impact of coronavirus will be that we’ll value places that bring us together a little bit more. But I also believe we’ll be looking for places that better reflect the true diversity of our society.
      For the last hundred years, architecture has been a closed profession that tends to be led by like-minded people with similar backgrounds. We’ve seen before that disasters have been catalysts for major changes in architecture.
      I hope there can now be a new entrepreneurial spirit after the pandemic that allows more people to be unafraid of thinking they can have a voice in architecture even if they don’t necessarily want to design the sort of buildings they currently see around them. I also now personally hope there will be opportunities for far more diversity in the types of buildings that are being made.
      What have you learnt?
      I’ve always been fascinated by public shared experience – and believe passionately in advocating for great public spaces that help us connect better with each other but, deprived of meeting up with each other for a year, this is now something we crave more than ever.
      I hate seeing missed opportunities that don’t adequately serve us and our communities and society as a whole. So I hope the real positive legacy of this terrible pandemic will be a realisation that there’s no longer a place for yet more lazy soulless developments and buildings.
      Instead, we must strive harder to create places that galvanize and inspire people. Whatever sustainability metrics and credentials they claim to possess; unless we have the real passion of people who use and experience the buildings and spaces we design, they will never be truly sustainable.

      Ma YansongFounder, MAD Architects, Beijing
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      One of the biggest impacts is, the pandemic changed our ways of living and working. Lack of face-to-face communication and more reliance on e-meetings in some ways more important for us, but it does prevent us from engaging in usual conversations which are more interactive. The industry in China is almost back to normal after a year.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      “Sharing” used to be one of the most important agenda in the industry. We used to make a lot of efforts to providing more open space to stimulate social interactions.
      However, the pandemic led to more discussions on isolation and social distancing, rather than sharing and co-living. However, in the long run, public space will still be the foundation for sharing our cities, and architects will face challenging times to reconsider other meanings of public space.
      Even if the pandemic might continue through the next couple of years, an ideal city should still reflect our ideal for living, instead of being a capsule that will only isolate people.
      What have you learnt?
      The pandemic is huge for us who are living on this planet at this age. But if we look at linear history, the pandemic might be just the tip of the iceberg. Nature still dominates the world. It makes me think about the role of an architect. He or she can be alive only for several decades, but what can an architect create for the generations, or a longer run, contribute to civilisation, or even greater, this planet?

      Nikoline Dyrup CarlsenCo-founder, Spacon & X, Copenhagen
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      I think we have only seen the early impacts of Covid 19, but already now we see at Spacon&X how the pandemic has caused us to work differently. New digital tools and processes have found their way into our office, optimising our ways to develop, present and produce our design.
      We’ve been forced to present digitally and to implement new software, and it’s been a game-changer for us. We’ve even worked with virtual design and architecture, where the end result is digital – very interesting new possibilities!
      What will the long-term impact be? We founded Spacon & X on ideas of how to deal with the shortage of space in urban areas with explosively growing populations. For the first time in many years, more people are moving out of Copenhagen to be closer to nature, which we see as a partially corora-triggered trend. This will definitely reframe how we approach design and architecture in urban as well as in natural surroundings.
      Working with office design and space management, we have also experienced how Covid has boosted the fluidity between working physically at the office vs at home or anywhere else. “Activity-based work” is becoming the standard, meaning we have to come up with new solutions for office workers to feel comfortable not having their own work station, and office spaces to feel vibrant even when they are half or two thirds empty.
      What have you learnt? I’ve learnt how much value it has to be agile and flexible, Spacon&X would have suffered if we would not have been as agile and ready to identify new possibilities and adjust our plans.
      I’ve learnt how powerful collective movements are. Experiencing how a society/a world can change behaviour that quickly and efficiently. I would never have thought that possible before.
      I’ve also learned how much I love my job, what I do and all the people I work with! Everyone at Spacon&X has worked together in getting through this period, approaching it with an open mind, I think we are a collectively stronger office today than before Covid!:)

      Ingrid MoyeCo-founder, Zeller & Moye, Mexico City
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      Through this pandemic, we are experiencing a lack of human contact. Cities, architecture, and design are those tangible means to human encounters, elemental to our lives.
      The pandemic has proven that mobility in cities can be moderated posing an opportunity to reduce the use of cars, and therefore the CO2 emissions. It’s, therefore, an opportunity to design cities for people, not for cars.
      The rigid ‘single use’ in architecture and design appears out-of-date. Architecture and design should become more flexible and adaptable. Hybrid buildings could then cope better with emergency scenarios, and extend their own lifespans.
      Design and architecture will need to re-focus on the well-being of users, providing safer environments for human interaction. Covid-19 has reminded us that the human species forms part of a larger ecosystem that we need to live in harmony with. Architecture and design have the responsibility to make a positive impact on our environment.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      I hope it will be the awareness of recovering our endangered ecosystem, after facing our vulnerability as a species during this pandemic.
      What have you learnt?
      Despite the negative aspects that the pandemic has brought, moments of crisis can also be seen as opportunities for change. This pause in our hectic lifestyles has given me a chance to refocus priorities.

      Carlo RattiFounder, Carlo Ratti Associati, Turin
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      Covid highlighted the irrelevance of many architects’ obsession with form – it forced us to think big again and tackle the key issues of our present (environmental crisis, technological transformations, inequalities) – which the pandemic has put into the spotlight.
      Also, after countless Zoom calls in pyjamas, we can say the domestic and professional environments are getting increasingly blurred! With that, we need to rethink the design of our homes and offices.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      A change of paradigm in housing as well as planning: from the separation of functions (I work in a different place from where I live) to the simultaneity of functions (I work and live in the same place). This prompts us to think about a new Existenzminimum [minimum living standards] for the 21st century.
      I would like to make another point. Cities are not dead and will come back. They have endured damaging pandemics in the past – in the 14th century Venice lost 60 per cent of its population because of the black death and yet, in the following centuries, we continued crowding its narrow streets and theatres.
      What have you learnt?
      Travelling less is not necessarily a bad thing. It allows us to reconnect with places and focus on our civic duties.

      Sevil PeachCo-founder, SevilPeach, London
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      It has challenged us to reassess the “old normals” that we had based and organised our lives around. We need to reimagine what they should be and what they should provide if we were to re-invent them today.
      This is particularly relevant to our homes, which we have rapidly had to adapt as best as we can so it is able to properly support us throughout our lockdown days.
      This need for adaptations also refers to our workplace, which will need to reinvent itself to remain relevant and to be a place we wish & choose to go to.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      Architecture and design need to regain their inclusiveness and human-centricity, responding to real human needs and emotions, that our solutions need to be sustainable both at an environmental, economic and personal level, plus adaptable and responsive to changing needs.
      What have you learnt?
      How much we thrive on human interaction. How important spontaneity and collaboration is to the design and creative processes. How pleasant it is to reimagine our working day to migrate from our desk to an armchair, to the kitchen table, to look out at the garden, or to even to be able to work out in the garden and fresh air.

      Astrid KleinCo-founder, Klein Dytham Architecture, Tokyo
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      It has become clear that we need more open, green, common, public spaces that are accessible to all. The densely packed floor plans don’t look ‘safe’ anymore.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      In order to be able to compete with the comfort of your home, office and retail spaces need to turn into attractive destinations, appealing to physical and mental wellbeing and be conducive to simply hanging out.
      What have you learnt?
      With fewer business trips, commutes, out of office meetings, work has become more focused, productive and daily schedules have become more work/life balance, and there is less stress getting all dressed up every day!

      Stefano BoeriFounder, Stefano Boeri Architetti, Milan
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      We must ask ourselves if we think we can fully grasp the power of this tragedy and thus try to think of a different way of inhabiting the planet, the cities, the spaces of everyday life.
      In a planet that is heading towards the great challenge of a new and necessary alliance between cities (until now the maximum expression of human civilisation) and the world of forests, woods, mountains, oceans, urban realities must become transnational and archipelago metropolises; metropolises that encompass portions of nature in their extension.
      What do you think the major long-term impact of coronavirus will be on architecture and design?Cities, in addition to opening up to nature, must change in their very structure: the great attractors of crowds and congestion on which they are born are in great difficulty today.
      We should begin to think of an urban life in which every citizen has basic necessities at a reasonable distance, within a geographical radius of 500 meters and a time range of 15/20 minutes; on foot or, at most, by bicycle.

      Sabine MarcelisFounder, Studio Sabine Marcelis, Rotterdam
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      The way in which we communicate our ideas. The surge of new programs that bring ideas to life when we can’t physically present ideas. The newfound importance of the home and the home office.
      And the fact that people are investing in their homes. Shifting from global back to local again (working with production companies/ photographers etc close to home instead of flying to or flying in people from all over the world).
      What will the long-term impact be?
      Communication of ideas. The shift from office work to working from home. Offices will need to be designed with importance put on hygiene and distance keeping. Zoom-rooms and smaller rooms for online meetings where your background plays a big role will be important spaces in the office also.
      What have you learnt?
      Not every meeting needs to be a plane trip (but some definitely would be better if they were!). The importance of the dynamic within a team. I feel incredibly fortunate that my team works so well together. Everyone is in sync with each other and we don’t get lost in miscommunications at all.
      It’s incredibly difficult to communicate complex ideas which are all about experience and tactility from remote locations and at least this challenge is only from our team to clients and not within the team itself.

      Lina GhotmehFounder, Lina Ghotmeh Architectures, Paris
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      I think this pandemic had impacted first our space-time relation, we had discovered a new spatial dimension through our extensive exploration of the digital immaterial world. This is a new space that may need a new form of architecture and design to render it more humane and more distinctive.
      Exploring extensive remote work had also allowed many people to explore the countryside as a better context for working. This highlighted the visceral need we have to be close to nature affecting the relationship we have with the city. We can question here its traditional role as a centralized economic hub. The structure of the city is more than any time, bound to change.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      Finally, we have concrete proof that the zoned city can no longer be sustainable. It is neither durable nor resilient. We cannot build by segregating functions: nature, living, working, leisure, culture etc. contingent mixing is essential for the adaptability of our living structures.
      Homes will become more and more places of work, mutable meeting points; museums more productive places; nature inherent to architecture. The 15 minutes city, the city of proximities, as Paris is working on, is evidence, it will also transform the programmatic regulatory paradigms that underlay our architectural world.
      What have you learnt?
      I always thought the notion of boundaries between nations is questionable, this virus proved more concretely that the world is deeply interconnected, this applies today to this virus crisis we are all facing but is also a reminder that it applies to more invisible systems that drive the dynamics behind our built world: economic systems, energy consumption, climate change, waste. These have direct consequences on all of us and need to be challenged, addressed at every level professionally & personally.

      Sam JacobFounder, Sam Jacob Studio, London
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      The pandemic has shifted our perspective, forcing us – if only literally – to look at the world from a different place. It quieted the industry noise a little, that fog that often obscures the context of our actions as designers. No ceremonies, no industry events, a break in the conveyor belt of so-called career progression.
      There’s been much more focus on the work in hand. And more time to think. It feels like there’s been quite a bit of soul searching amongst the design and architecture communities over the past year. Many long overdue issues have come to the fore. But let’s see, as we unlock, how much we’ve really learnt about ourselves, and how our ideas of how architecture and design can remake the world in new and different ways have changed.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      Feels like there will be quite an impact. A lot of previous plans and assumptions have been thrown into disarray. And whether we like it or not (or whether it’s for the right reasons) we’re going to have to figure out new ways for design to work in the world. Smaller budgets, fewer blockbusters. Could this mean a design approach that is more nimble, humble, and full of pragmatic imagination? Might it mean a new sharper focus, a directness and a creative response that works within the reality and needs of our circumstances socially, economically, environmentally? We can only hope.
      What have you learnt?
      I think the key thing I’ve realised over the last year is the value of relationships. Of working with clients who care, with collaborators who engage in constructive dialogue, with my own team who have gone above and beyond. For all of the myriad difficulties we had, there has been something optimistic and intensely human about the ways we have found to work together.
      In some ways, even over Zoom, more intimate and engaged than assembling in boardrooms. Some of the hierarchies and professional silos that usually separate us or set us against each other have softened. Perhaps there’s been more understanding of the difficulties inherent in making a good project happen, and recognition of the efforts of everyone involved. Most of all that design process is a process of working together, the sum of the efforts that we put into it.

      Doriana FuksasCo-founder, Studio Fuksas, Rome
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      A simple sentence: “Città, less aesthetics more ethics’, the 7th International Architecture Exhibition for The 2000 Venice Biennale, curated by Fuksas architects. For more than twenty years we have been reflecting on the cities and on the contemporary house model.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      With the pandemic, we have all discovered ourselves scared and unprepared, but I believe this was an opportunity to start thinking and reflecting especially on our living spaces and houses.
      After an initial moment of great disorientation, we tried to make the most of the emergency by exploring and investigating new design solutions which could adapt both the new and existing projects.
      The world of architecture will surely have to keep up with the enormous change, primarily social, that this emergency has led to. The role of the designer-architect can only adapt to the new challenges, using technological innovation to design objects and buildings that adapt to the new way of living, different from the one we were used to.
      2020 is the true beginning of the 3rd Millennium for architecture and design, that of a revolution in terms of housing equipment, space distribution, new transport organization, green energy utilization.
      What have you learnt?
      To appreciate and don’t waste but preserve what we have got. I think I have also learnt the importance of the house as first aid, as fluid space, able to accept transformations and to host different functions following different needs.
      We are proud of the achievement reached by built 10 years ago: The Rome New EUR Congress Center ‘the Cloud’ became the biggest Coronavirus 19 vaccination hub in Europe.

      Sofia Lagerkvist and Anna LindgrenFounders, Front, Stockholm
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design? 
      During this time designers have found more time on their hands to be creative and experiment. They have found new platforms for showing and exhibiting and channels to sell their work, of course through social media but also the gallery scene has provided different ways to sell at the high-end market.
      We think this will continue and give independence to the individual designer, cutting out the middleman and creating more direct contact between designer and client. Many of the industry’s producers have used this year to invest in new production techniques and to restructure.
      The design market has previously been focusing a lot on fairs and with this year we see many companies reconsidering their marketing and sales strategies away from big launch events a few times a year and doing business in a more direct and personal way.

      Maria Warner WongCo-founder, WOW Architects, Singapore
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      The pandemic has triggered a series of changes in the world that have revealed the lack of sustainability in design and architecture – unused office space, inadequate home workplaces, insufficient jobs, empty public venues.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      In the long term, the undeniable wastefulness and damage to society inherent in the paradox of endless growth will be exposed and inescapable. Architects & designers will have to develop better ways of building and providing for communities or be exposed to complicity in global warming.
      What have you learnt?
      I have realised that we cannot leave it to “someday”, the future is now. We should spend more time in nature to heal our sad & cynical soul.

      Sarah WigglesworthFounder, Sarah Wigglesworth Architects, London
      How has the pandemic impacted architecture and design?
      It has made us value space and air. Hopefully, it has reorientated our focus on the fact that buildings are about people. They are not just inhabited sculptures and brand identities. They really have to respond to need.
      What will the long-term impact be?
      What I’d like to see happen and what may happen are two different things. I’d like to see more people striving for better fitness & health by making better food choices and using self-propelled transit through cities (walking, boarding, cycling). That would free public transport to be safer as pressure on it would reduce.
      What might easily happen is that people resort to their cars because they represent a bubble but this would only increase congestion and potentially increase air pollution. The right to roam throughout the UK should be a given as people need to escape, but I suspect this won’t happen.
      Homes need to be much more flexible and larger to accommodate the various tasks they will have to perform as we work in different modes, places and times. Monocultural buildings such as offices could become redundant. Again, with the market in control, this is unlikely to happen.
      Planning-use classes ought to be re-thought as categories no longer seem appropriate (live/work might become a new one). Again, the planning reforms do not take this into account. I’d like the needs of communities to be much more embedded in the process of development.
      From Grenfell to pandemics, the economic-social-environmental equation needs to be reimagined I favour of humans and the ecology. Build back better? I hope so but let’s see the evidence!
      What have you learnt?
      Be kind. Every person has other responsibilities which should be understood as part of their life. The world will not fall apart if we recognise and work around them. Corona has been a great leveller.

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      Pierre Brocas and Nada Oudghiri design gallery-like eyewear store informed by Memphis movement

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      Colourful display stands are meant to appear like artworks within this eyewear store in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia created by French designer Pierre Brocas and architect Nada Oudghiri.Located in the Mall of Dhahran, the 100-square-metre retail space is the first flagship store for Dubai glasses brand Eyewa.
      “Our wish was to move away from typical eyewear retail atmospheres,” said Brocas. “When you think of eyewear stores, you usually have something clinical in mind – all products are regimented under strong bleached lights. When Eyewa approached us, we felt we had to design something bold.”

      Undulating clay walls envelop the interior

      The store’s shell was conceived as a grey capsule with terrazzo flooring and undulating clay walls, designed to wrap the store “like a thin sheet of paper”.
      “These waves add softness to the surroundings of the space and create separate moments while keeping the floor plan open,” the duo explained.

      A series of cuboid and spherical plinths populate the centre of the store
      Brocas and Oudghiri applied Eyewa’s signature bright colour palette to wall display units made from powder-coated plywood. These are composed of repeated geometric shapes, complete with integrated LED strip lights and mirrors.

      Watch our talk with Deyan Sudjic and Adam Nathaniel Furman about the impact of Memphis

      The designers conceptualised the wall units as sculptural artworks, while cylindrical and cuboid display plinths populate the centre of the store to evoke the feeling of being inside a gallery.
      Made from plywood and clear acrylic, these flexible units can be stacked and rearranged to create different layouts.

      A series of screens allow customers to virtually try on sunglasses
      “The Memphis movement was an important reference for this project,” Brocas told Dezeen. “We love the playful and impactful work of Ettore Sottsass and we thought this approach was very suited to Eyewa’s unapologetic use of colour and its lighthearted spirit.”
      “We are also very drawn to minimal artists such as Donald Judd,” he continued. “You can see a touch of post-modernism and a bit of minimalism in the aesthetics of this store.”

      The lighting system is integrated between hanging ceiling panels
      Above, a ceiling installation made of 39 hanging panels draws customers further into the store, hiding pipes and wires while seamlessly integrating the lighting system. The panels are painted coral on one side and turquoise on the other to add “an element of surprise”.
      Interactive screens allow customers to virtually try on sunglasses and different coloured contact lenses while an immersive, turquoise-coloured exam room is located in the back of the store.

      An exam room at the back of the store is cast all in turquoise
      A series of convex mirrors line the sales counter, recalling the shape of optical lenses.
      “We remembered visiting Luis Barragán houses in Mexico and noticing that he places mirrored balls in the rooms to reflect and warp the space,” Brocas explained of their inspiration.

      Multicoloured shelving is integrated into the plaster wall
      Eyewa’s flagship is the duo’s first project together. Previously, Brocas created interiors for fashion retailers, while Oudghiri has designed a number of buildings in Morocco.
      They met while studying at California Polytechnic State University and said their collaboration allowed them to form an interior that is “halfway between eye-catching spatial design and long-lasting architectural principles”.
      Another brightly coloured eyewear store to feature on Dezeen is Ace & Tate’s Copenhagen location, where local studio Spacon & X used geometric shapes and primary colours to evoke the experience of entering an artist’s studio.
      Photography is by Hussain Khatim.

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      Lim + Lu brings the outdoors into this family apartment in Hong Kong

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      Multidisciplinary design practice Lim + Lu has refurbished the interior of this 167-square-metre apartment in metropolitan Hong Kong to make it feel like an “elegant yet quaint summer home”.Designed for a nature-loving Japanese and British couple with two children, the interior has subtle, neutral colours and finishes that are intended to place focus on the greenery that fills the space.

      Top image: the apartment was outfitted with a home office. Above: Calacatta marble features on the kitchen island and work surfaces
      Located on the first floor of a 1950s building, the apartment’s windows are perfectly in line with the palm trees that surround it. To enhance this connection to the outdoors, Lim + Lu replaced all of the existing, small windows with larger aged-steel windows that bring in more natural light and make the space feel larger.

      Lim + Lu uses brightly coloured walls and furnishings for fashion designer’s Hong Kong home

      “The black wooden blinds and delicate brass details accentuate the feeling of an elegant yet quaint summer home,” said the Hong Kong-based studio, which is headed by Vincent Lim and Elaine Lu.
      “Altogether, these elements work in tandem, ensuring the family residing within can live not only in understated luxury but at one with nature as well.”

      The living room opens up onto the balcony via an aged-steel doorway

      The designers wanted to create an open-plan layout in the apartment’s social areas, so that movement between the kitchen, dining, living room, study and balcony flowed easily.
      In order to do this, the original enclosed kitchen was opened up and combined with the living room, creating a large open area for family gatherings. A large balcony doorway frames the view across the surrounding greenery.

      Shelving is built into the oak wall panelling in the home office
      Oak slats are used to line walls and rattan screens feature on built-in storage to add texture and warmth to the otherwise white interior.
      The apartment includes a home office with a long, L-shaped Calacatta marble desk, which sits below built-in timber shelving with brass accents. Conceived as a tranquil retreat, the workspace is located in the brightest corner of the apartment with tall windows across two walls.

      The workspace is anchored by a Calacatta marble desk
      The studio designed the space to have plenty of light and added an abundance of potted plants to create a productive working environment.
      “A challenge that is becoming more prominent in today’s society is that of the home office and how to integrate it into a living space to make it both comfortable yet productive. The clients often work from home, therefore an effective design for this space was crucial,” said Lim +Lu.
      “The tall windows and brass accents do away with the modern interpretation of a study and instead provide an atmosphere that encourages creativity and a positive work mentality,” the studio continued.
      “An abundance of daylight, neutral colours and wood adorn the room and balance the visual elements together, just as one needs to do between work and relaxation.”

      In the children’s bedroom, shelving is built into green cabin beds
      The children’s room features a set of green cabin beds with built-in shelving and storage.
      “The idea was to incorporate a sense of privacy in an open space without the isolation of separate spaces to foster a sense of togetherness,” said the design team.

      The bathroom features a granite soaking tub
      The children’s room also has its own ensuite bathroom that recalls the layout of a traditional Japanese wet room. Lined in acid-washed granite, the room features a deep soaking tub and a separate shower space that can be used for relaxation and cleansing.
      Following the pandemic, the home office is increasingly becoming an area of focus in the home. Dezeen has highlighted eight inspiring home office designs, including one that’s lined entirely with plywood and another that’s hidden inside an artichoke-shaped room.
      Photography is by Lit Ma.

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      Laurent Troost turns abandoned Brazilian building into co-working venue

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      Workspaces look upon a mini jungle in this 125-year-old brick building in Manaus, Brazil, which has been thoughtfully revitalised by design studio Laurent Troost Architectures.Called the Cassina Innovation House, the project entailed the adaptive reuse of a dilapidated historic structure in Manaus, the capital of the state of Amazonas.

      Cassina Innovation House sits in a 125-year-old building
      The building, which now serves as a co-working venue, is located in an emerging digital district within the city. Its name was selected through a public vote organized by the municipality, which owns the building.
      Its original structure was constructed in the late 1890s to house the luxurious Hotel Cassina, owned by an Italian man named Andrea Cassina.

      The building was abandoned and taken over by vegetation

      After a financial crisis devastated the region, the building became a spot for gambling and prostitution called Cabaré Chinelo.
      It closed around 1960 and began to deteriorate, according to local firm Laurent Troost Architectures.

      Laurent Troost Architectures inserted a prefabricated steel structure
      Over the decades, the interior crumbled and vegetation overtook the building, resulting in a striking visual image that the architect wanted to honour in some way.
      Troost said that artists and designers have long been intrigued by ruins, citing figures such as Piranesi, Gordon Matts-Clark and Robert Smithson.

      Greenery and exposed walls evoke the building’s crumbling grandeur
      “The beauty of the ruin’s imperfection raises interest and questions, and invites reflection on the past and the action of time and man in the city – and on heritage buildings in general,” the architect said.
      The team opted to preserve the building’s exterior brick walls, along with the remaining foundation walls made of stone. It decided to reconstruct the interior using a prefabricated steel system, and to add a glazed volume atop the roof.

      The staircase is open to the sky
      The building now totals 1,586 square metres, spread across four levels.
      The facades were cleaned, and great care was taken to preserve original elements such as a plaster made of pigment from red sandstone powder. On the eastern elevation, new shading devices help mitigate solar heat gain.

      Laurent Troost Architects folds weathered steel roof over concrete house in Brazilian Amazon

      “The east facade, hit by the rising sun, has received contemporary frames with tempered glass fins to create a ventilated, double-skin facade that keeps the heat out,” the studio said.

      Glazed walls overlook the gardens
      Inside, the team used the steel system to form new floors and a stairwell, along with space for an elevator. The system stands independent from the building’s outer shell.
      “We have basically constructed a squared tower with four new columns,” Troost told Dezeen. “The perimeter beams of our structure have allowed us to anchor the existing facades to avoid the collapse towards the street.”

      There are a variety of co-working spaces available
      The metal system was prefabricated off-site, which sped up the project timeline.
      Moreover, it reduced the number of on-site construction workers, which helped with social distancing – an important factor given that Manaus was hit hard by the coronavirus, the studio said.

      Greenery is visible through areas of glazing
      A tropical garden was planted in a triple-height space just inside the front door.
      “The building houses an exuberant garden behind the main facade, creating its very own microclimate,” the team said. “A walkway crosses the void over the garden, reminding one of Manaus’s intrinsic reason for being: the Amazon rainforest.”

      There are desks and meeting rooms in the offices
      Adjoining the stairs are open rooms with glazed walls that provide views of the interior garden. A range of flexible spaces can be found within the building, including work zones, meeting rooms and training areas.
      The rooftop addition holds a restaurant with sweeping views of the city’s historic centre and the Rio Negro. Large roof overhangs clad in ipe wood – also known as Brazilian walnut – help shade the structure.

      An overhanging roof shades the rooftop restaurant
      The team noted that the building’s design allows for physical distancing and the circulation of fresh air, which will remain important considerations in our post-pandemic world.
      Born in Brussels, Laurent Troost has worked in various countries and taught at several Brazilian universities.
      Other projects by his studio include Casa Campinarana in Manaus, which won a 2019 Dezeen Award for Rural House of the Year. The concrete house features outdoor living areas and a swimming pool that are elevated above the forested surroundings.
      Photography is by Joana França.
      Project credits:
      Contractor: Manaus MunicipalityArchitect-in-charge: Laurent TroostArchitecture team: Rejane Gaston, Juliana Leal, Nayara Mello, Erick Saraiva, Eloisa Serrão, Victor Marques, Marcelo Costa, Ingrid Maranhão, Eduardo Corrêa, Amanda Perreira, Fernanda Martins, Kauã MendesRestoration: Landa BernardoHistory consultants: Centro Cultural Reunidos, Fábio Augusto de Carvalho PedrosaArchaeology: Margaret Cerqueira, Vanessa BeneditoInteriors: Rejane Gaston, Juliana LealLighting: Juliana LealVisual communication: Elter BritoLandscape: Nayara Mello, Hana Eto GallConstruction: Biapó Constutora and MCA EngenhariaSteel structure: Marco Antônio de OliveiraConcrete structure: MPa Engenharia EstruturalHVAC: LR EngenhariaLightning protection system: Raimundo OnetyDatas CCTV electrical: Alah Emir VeronezHydraulics: Gerson Arantes Consultoria e EngenhariaFire protection system: Andrey Costa Barbosa

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      Mid-century Melbourne apartment modernised with pistachio green kitchen

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      Architect Murray Barker and artist Esther Stewart worked together to retrofit this two-bedroom 1960s apartment in Melbourne’s Brunswick neighbourhood using colours and materials that pay homage to the original mid-century interior.When the current owners bought the walk-up apartment, it had been empty for 20 years and had its original decor including linoleum and carpet floors and salmon pink walls. The owners wanted to retain its character while updating the living spaces to suit modern life.
      Built in 1961, the 65-square-metre apartment is split into two zones with a living space and kitchen at the front on either side of the entrance and two bedrooms on either side of a bathroom at the rear.

      A skylight lets light into the kitchen

      “The apartment’s layout was typical of many apartments of this typology, with a clear division between living and private spaces and with frontage on two sides,” Barker told Dezeen.
      “We wanted to retain room divisions, but at the same time improve connections, extend sightlines and bring more natural light into the kitchen.”

      Austin Maynard Architects adds steel-and-glass extension to brick cottage in Melbourne

      The apartment’s original large windows provided ample natural light and effective cross ventilation. The owners felt that the existing kitchen, however, felt disconnected from the living room as the space was too confined to accommodate a dining table and lacked adequate natural light.
      To remedy this, Barker and Stewart reconfigured the plan to improve the connection between the living room and the kitchen.

      The Pistacho-coloured kitchen has a terrazzo floor
      The dividing walls between the two rooms were partially demolished and joinery elements were inserted to reorder circulation paths between the home’s central entrance, the reoriented kitchen and the living room.
      “We expanded the use of integrated joinery, considered existing proportions and details, and the use of high quality, robust but interesting materials,” said Murray.

      The interior of the cabinets is a rich terracotta colour
      The new kitchen layout has an L-shaped plan that is open to the living area and anchored by a custom-made steel frame table with a Rosa Alicante marble top and fixed banquette seating.
      Visible from the living room, a long kitchen countertop made from the same red marble as the table completes the L-shaped kitchen plan and incorporates a stove, oven and sink.

      Red marble was used across the work- and tabletops
      A skylight above the kitchen table lets sunlight into the space through thick glass roof tiles. The ceiling is insulated and the roof window is double-glazed to minimise additional heat gain and to retain winter warmth.
      Murray and Stewart selected the pistachio green colour for the joinery in a nod to the original 1960s-era kitchen that it replaced. Details include visible framing around doors and drawers and custom finger pulls. Sliding-pocket doors reveal a hidden appliance area in the pantry to hold a toaster, kettle and coffee machine.

      Barker and Stewart retained the apartment’s original 1960s bathroom
      The apartment’s bathroom is the 1960s original and features speckled flooring, dusty pink tiles and baby blue sanitaryware.
      “Each apartment in the block has a unique toilet, bath and sink set in contrasting colour palettes, in combination with unique terrazzo flooring in the bathroom,” Murray explained. “The interior materiality was specific and robust but enthusiastic and this was something we wished to explore and elaborate upon.”
      The terrazzo floor tiles that are used across the rest of the apartment were salvaged excess stock from a larger project and were chosen to complement the original floors.

      The apartment is housed in a typical red brick complex
      “These buildings are visually robust, but there is beauty in the material nuance of the brown brick and subtle ornamentation through the considered design of ordinary things,” he continued. “The original interior aesthetic was far from white walls and plain tiles.”
      Last year, London studio Archmongers renovated a duplex mid-century flat in one of the city’s most well-known housing estates, using shades of red, yellow and blue to complement the modernist material palette. Meanwhile in Rome, Italian architecture office La Macchina Studio renovated a 1950s apartment, revealing original terrazzo floors and adding bold colours.
      Photography is by Benjamin Hosking.

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