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      Eight minimalist kitchens where materials provide the decoration

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      For our latest lookbook, we’ve compiled eight functional kitchens that prove that conventional construction materials have their place in domestic interiors.

      The kitchens featured in this roundup utilise common construction materials, including wood, metal and concrete, to create an atmosphere of durability and serenity.
      Combining these materials creates a balanced interior scheme, with wood providing a sense of warmth, while metals such as stainless steel and concrete add an air of functionality.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring interiors punctuated by red accents, homes with internal windows and spaces energised by colourful window frames.
      Photo by Iñaki DomingoMadrid apartment, Spain, by Leticia Saá

      An open-sided kitchen island flanked by a duo of three-legged stools features in this kitchen in a Madrid flat by architect Leticia Saá.
      A shelf-like surface holds the cooktop and a simple coat of white paint covers the walls and ceilings, creating a casual and bright kitchen area.
      Find out more about Madrid apartment ›
      Photo by Maxime DelvauxNormandy farmhouse, France, by Studio Guma
      Vast picture windows and a blush pink concrete island characterise this kitchen, which sits inside a rural farmhouse in northern France designed by Studio Guma.
      Original rustic beams and a stone wall compliment the minimalist kitchen, in which the designers chose to forgo conventional wall cabinets in favour of a slimline shelf.
      Find out more about Normandy farmhouse ›
      Photo by Asier RuaCasa Olivar, Spain, by Matteo Ferrari and Carlota Gallo
      Rustic and industrial design motifs are combined in this kitchen inside Casa Olivar, a two-storey apartment in Madrid renovated by designers Matteo Ferrari and Carlota Gallo.
      A wooden table and uneven floor tiles contrast with sleek stainless steel cabinets, imbuing the space with a sense of balance.
      Find out more about Casa Olivar ›
      Photo courtesy of SABO ProjectSacha apartment, France, by SABO Project
      Plywood cladding, storage and furniture define the interior of this Parisian apartment by SABO Project.
      White walls and flooring tie the abundant use of warm-toned wood in with the concrete ceiling above.
      Find out more about Sacha apartment ›
      Photo by Cathy SchuslerPenthouse M, Australia, by CJH Studio
      CJH Studio covered the walls of this kitchen in small square tiles when renovating Penthouse M, an apartment in Gold Coast, Australia, that dates from the 1980s.
      A wooden bar flanked by tall bar stools is positioned in front of floor-to-ceiling windows, and a bright, cool-toned colour palette creates an atmosphere of calm.
      Find out more about CJH Studio ›
      Photo by Maja WirkusK916 and K907, Poland, by Thisispaper Studio
      A slatted wooden partition wall and a concrete ceiling generate a textural backdrop for the kitchen and dining area of this flat in the Polish capital of Warsaw.
      Thisispaper Studio furnished the space with purely essential furniture – a plain kitchen unit and a functional dining set – to give the room an aesthetically peaceful appearance.
      Find out more about Thisispaper Studio ›
      Photo by Max Hart NibbrigBolívar House, Spain, by Juan Gurrea Rumeu
      Local architect Juan Gurrea Rumeu added dark wooden cabinetry to the kitchen in his Barcelona house, creating a warm and grounding effect.
      Exposed wires attached to lighting add an industrial edge, and the presence of concrete on the walls and floors provides an interplay between warm and cool tones.
      Find out more about Bolívar House ›
      Photo by Rory GardinerMossy Point house, Australia, by Edition Office
      Metal countertops and backsplashes give a utilitarian edge to this plywood kitchen installed in a home in Australia.
      Local studio Edition Office installed smooth-fronted cabinets to keep clutter out of sight, allowing select ceramics and coffee paraphernalia to take centre stage.
      Find out more about Mossy Point house ›
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring interiors punctuated by red accents, homes with internal windows and spaces energised by colourful window frames.

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      Olivier Delannoy creates mirrored “English garden” for Daroco Soho restaurant

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      Paris-based restaurant group Daroco has opened a London outpost with mirrored, curving interiors designed by French architect Olivier Delannoy.

      Delannoy, who has worked on Daroco’s previous projects, reproduced the mirrored ceiling from its two Paris restaurants for the Daroco’s latest location in Soho.
      “Though the layout maintains an orderly appearance, the reflection of the mirror creates an anarchic, enchanted dimension to the space,” he told Dezeen.
      The restaurant ceiling is covered with a large mirrorA wide range of designer lighting was placed throughout the restaurant, with arm wall-mounted lights by Penta, flower-shaped wall-mounted lights by Leucos and suspended glowing discs by DCW Édition. Together they were placed to create a softly lit interior that complements the mirrored ceiling.
      “We approached this project with the aim of mirroring an English garden,” Delannoy explained. “In evoking the garden, the lighting fixtures were inspired by plant motifs such as flowers, water plant stems and tree branches.”

      “The curved resin light tubes were designed to resemble the stem of a phosphorescent water plant,” he continued.
      Suspended glowing discs by DCW Édition illuminate the dining space

      The English garden concept was extended to other design elements such as a large pizza oven covered in blue butterflies and the flooring.
      “We designed the floor to be inspired by the undulation of the first raindrops on a landscaped pond,” said Delannoy.

      Tom Dixon completes Éclectic restaurant in Paris

      Within the restaurant’s dining areas Delannoy used a diverse range of materials with marble and wooden table tops paired with crushed-velvet seats.
      The colour composition of the fabric used on the seating is intended to “evoke the flowers, earth and vegetation of the water’s edge”.
      A large pizza oven is decorated with blue ceramic butterflies
      Delannoy also drew inspiration from the Italian Renaissance for the restaurant, which serves Italian food.
      The mirrored ceiling bounces light around the interior and creates the illusion of a larger space, “such as that of a renaissance hall,” he said.
      Visitors are met with brass arches informed by the structure of Florence’s basilicas and a large counter that directly references the Baldachin – a large bronze canopy in St Peter’s, Vatican City.
      Looping acrylic light tubes and brass arches conjure evokeDelannoy co-founded Reinh Agency in 2016 and its completed projects include a Parisian cocktail bar and a restaurant in a former Belgian brewery warehouse.
      Other restaurant interiors recently featured on Dezeen include a pizzeria in a Finnish ski-resort,  a |cathedral of fried chicken” and an art-deco informed restaurant in New York.
      The photography is by Julie Spicy.

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      Eight interiors with pyramidal ceilings that create dramatic depth

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      For our latest lookbook, we’ve brought together eight houses from Mexico to Norway featuring pyramidal ceilings that reveal their structure and create a sense of depth.

      Similar to domed and vaulted ceilings, pyramidal ceilings have four panes that angle upwards towards a central point. Because of their depth, they often conform to architectural elements visible on the exterior of a structure.
      The ceilings can have skylights on their apexes to bring in light and provide a sense of height to structures that are often single-storey.
      While it can be rendered in a variety of materials, the feature often conforms to the wall material used throughout the house. Sometimes a building will feature more than one pyramidal ceiling, creating a peak-and-valley effect with interesting light patterns.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring houses that have vaulted ceilings and rooms with decorative plasterwork.

      Photo by by Einar AslaksenWeekend House, Norway, by Line Solgaard Arkitekter
      Norweigan architecture studio Line Solgaard Arkiteker created a house that sits under a single zinc-clad pyramidal roof topped with a massive skylight that filters light through the whole home.
      Because of the need for room dividers, the pyramid is only viewed in parts, as seen in the living space above with its slanted ceilings clad in stepped oak slats that make its angle even more dramatic.
      Find out more about Weekend House ›
      This photo and top photo by Joe FletcherFour Roof House, United States, by TW Ryan Architecture
      This home in rural Montana features not one but four pyramidal roofs, each with a skylight that casts sunlight on the white-walled interiors – a dramatic contrast with the hardy Corten steel of the exterior.
      Because of the potential for overexposure inside, the studio placed reflective panelling below each of the skylights to diffuse the direct sunlight.
      Find out more about Four Roof House ›
      Photo by Alice ClancyHouse at Kilmore, Ireland, by GKMP Architects
      Another house with a single pyramidal roof, this home in the Irish countryside was designed to be compact, so the higher roofs made the spaces seem larger and more airy.
      Instead of a central skylight, smaller ones were laid out across the four faces of the home and a series of glulam beams were left exposed, as seen in the home’s kitchen.
      Find out more about House at Kilmore ›
      Photo by Casey DunnRiver Bend Residence, United States, by Lake Flato 
      This house in Texas has multiple volumes topped with pyramidal skylights, each with its own distinct cladding to create different light environments for different usages.
      The home was designed to “sit lightly on the land”, so the studio decided to arch the ceilings up to create a sense of cosy height in the gathering and workspaces.
      Find out more about River Bend Residence ›
      Photo by Joe FletcherPlover House, United States, by Fuse Architects
      Another house that sits under a single pyramidal roof, this California project features a pyramid that rises gradually and terminates at a large skylight at its centre.
      The project is a renovation of an existing house, and one of the main objectives was to peel back elements that had blocked the light from the skylight – which sits over the kitchen – from reaching the other living spaces.
      Find out more about Plover House ›
      Photo by César BéjarThe Avocado, Mexico, by Práctica Arquitectura
      The house near Monterrey has a structure made almost entirely out of concrete and features a large pyramidal ceiling at its centre, making the dining area a sort of inner sanctum of the otherwise low-lying structure.
      Standing 4.5 metres above the floor, this skylight gives the space a sense of depth and the cut-out allows inhabitants to realise the thickness of the concrete that makes up the walls, echoing the forms of ancient pyramids found in the country.
      Find out more about The Acovado ›
      Photo by Timothy SoarThe Tin House, United Kingdom, by Henning Stummel
      This red-clad house in London contains multiple pyramidal forms with skylights in order to create light-filled spaces in a dense part of the city.
      In the kitchen, a strip of paint separates the red panelling of the walls from the plaster pyramidal ceiling, adding a sense of elongation and depth to the space.
      Find out more about The Tin House ›

      Hollowed Out House, Australia, by Tribe Studio
      Instead of conforming exactly to the shape of the roof the pyramidal ceilings in this Sydney house function like voids in the thick roofline.
      The interior pyramids stretch upwards in “distorted” angles, allowing light to enter in a way best suited to the site.
      Find out more about Hollowed Out House ›
      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 interior windows that maximise light, creative guest rooms that accommodate visitors in style, and home interiors brightened with colourful window frames.

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      H3O creates “unpredictable” zigzagging interiors for lightning-struck home

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      Three jagged walls delineate the colourful spaces inside this converted barn in Sant Just Desvern, Spain, transformed by Barcelona studio H3O to reference a lightning bolt that struck the building generations ago.

      The one-storey Relámpago House is a former barn with a white-painted barrel-vaulted ceiling in the Spanish town of Sant Just Desvern on the outskirts of Barcelona.
      Relámpago House features a colour-block interiorFor the interior scheme, H3O took cues from an old family legend told by the homeowner, whose ancestors are said to have survived a lightning bolt that struck the barn and entered the building through the chimney, narrowly avoiding the family members sheltering under the dining table.
      “Transforming a story into architecture seemed to us a fascinating and fun challenge,” the studio told Dezeen.
      H3O delineated spaces with jagged walls informed by lightning boltsH3O inserted three intersecting walls shaped like lightning bolts into the plan, defining rooms within the otherwise open space.

      “This geometry choice is not random – it emulates the unpredictable trajectory and rapid dispersion of a lightning bolt’s energy,” added the studio.
      The all-pink bedroom is accessed via a colourful doorThe colourful intersecting walls enclose a private bedroom and bathroom, as well as forming the perimeter of the open-plan kitchen and living area.
      This communal space features zigzagged strip lighting suspended above a boxy metal kitchen island and walls clad in green glazed tiles.
      Strip lighting was suspended above a metal kitchen islandSugary pink walls delineate the bedroom, accessed via a contrasting door that is painted dark green on one side and deep blue on the other.
      “The interaction of these colours with the opening and closing doors creates an experience of spatial fluidity inspired by the pop art aesthetic of the 70s, reflecting a radical, fun and optimistic spirit,” explained H3O.
      The angular bathroom has a blue ceiling and wallsCharacterised by a mixture of green tiles and floor-to-ceiling dark blue paint, the bathroom is the smallest and most angular of the spaces, with a jagged, asymmetric mirror that wraps one corner of the room and tops a geometric sink.
      “The construction of the walls involved a meticulous design and execution process, ensuring that every angle and twist served an aesthetic function and optimised habitability and indoor living,” the studio said.
      Stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handlesSmall stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handles throughout the dwelling, adding organic accents to the otherwise colour-blocked interior.
      As a final nod to the home’s tumultuous history, a sculptural silver lightning bolt now protrudes from the chimney.

      Masquespacio founders create home and office where “everything revolves around play”

      “The idea of a lightning bolt redefining space, filling it with form and colour, pushed us to explore beyond conventional boundaries,” reflected H3O.
      “Relámpago House transforms a forgotten barn into a visual spectacle.”
      A silver lightning bolt protrudes from the building’s chimneyVarious other architectural projects have been defined by zigzagging motifs.
      London-based Outpost studio created a jagged zinc kitchen extension in Haggerston while German practice Wulf Architekten designed a sports centre for a school in Überlingen with a folding roof to reference the mountains of the surrounding Alps.
      The photography is by José Hevia. 

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      Elisa Ossino focuses on “the tactility of the material” for limestone V-Zug showroom

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      Promotion: Italian architect Elisa Ossino has designed a “tactile” showroom in Milan for Swiss home appliance brand V-Zug.

      Overlooking Piazza San Marco in the Italian city’s Brera district, the space is organised into two areas – one that displays V-Zug’s home appliances and one that functions as an “interactive kitchen”.
      This was designed for visitors to “feel at home and experience appliances while enjoying good conversations”, the company said.
      V-Zug Milan overlooks Piazza San Marco in BreraOssino designed the space, which will act as V-Zug’s Italian flagship, using cocciopesto flooring and limestone walls rendered in soft colours inspired by the silver finishing of the brand’s appliances.
      “The narrative of the space focuses on the tactility of the material and the contrast between the mirrored surfaces of the V-Zug technological home appliances and the tactility of the stone, which is often sculptural,” Ossino told Dezeen.

      “All the materials in the space are on the one hand a search for the tactility of surfaces and on the other a search for colours,” she added. “Household appliances have mirrored surfaces that lend themselves very well to dialogue with any kind of material.”
      At the heart of the space sits a monolithic white limestone staircase, designed as a three-dimensional volume. A large porthole visually connects the upper area with the floor below.
      The interactive kitchen allows guests to experience V-ZUG’s home appliances in actionV-Zug wanted to challenge “the standard showroom” by offering guests an immersive experience during Milan design week, when they could watch chefs prepare dishes using the brand’s appliances in an interactive kitchen.
      Following the immersive experience, guests could browse an extensive materials library and sit around a long grey stone table while members of the V-Zug Gourmet Academy carried out demonstrations.
      “It is this theme in general that has somewhat suggested the entire formal layout of the showroom, which is played out very much on a balance between nature, matter and technology,” Ossino explained.
      A porthole visually connects the upper and lower areasV-Zug Milan was just one of several outposts opened by the brand in the past few months, following on the heels of showrooms in Vienna, Berlin, Hamburg and Sydney.
      “With the showroom in Milan, I tried to intercept some of the subtle themes that run through our imagination, our everyday life,” said Ossino.
      “We are witnessing on the one hand a great technological development – just think of artificial intelligence – in our daily lives. But at the same time we have a great need to reclaim something ancestral, a more humanistic design [that’s] closer to matter.”
      The architect also designed a series of installations for the space in collaboration with art studio Henry Timi, which were on display as part of this year’s Milan Design Week 2024.
      The studio is V-Zug’s Italian flagshipThe location of the brand’s showroom in Brera was not insignificant for the designer, who drew on the district’s “extraordinary” history when designing the space.
      “I would say that the whole space is about a meeting of matter, technology and craftsmanship,” she said.
      “In Italy, we have an incredible tradition in the world of craftsmanship and it is a knowledge that tends to get lost. There is a strong process underway at this time in history to valorise it, which is also very much linked to this ancestral need to reconnect with the material.”
      Guests can browse an extensive materials libraryThe space’s sleek lines and sculptural minimalism also pay homage to V-Zug’s Swiss roots.
      “For us, it was important to convey a sense of hospitality,” added V-Zug global interior art director Gabriel Castelló Pinyon.
      “We have tried to speak the language of the city: to be bolder and to work a lot with natural materials,” said the brand. “In Milan, people always expect something different. But it’s still V-Zug – it’s still minimalistic with clean lines.”
      V-Zug Studio Milan co-hosted an exhibition at Sala della Passione. Pinacoteca di Brera showcased an installation designed by Ossino in collaboration with Henry Timi. For more information, visit V-Zug’s website.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for V-Zug as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Neri&Hu creates “wooden hut” and “cave-dwelling” interiors for Shanghai stores

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      Chinese studio Neri&Hu has completed two retail spaces for Shanghai fashion company Jisifang, using wood and concrete to evoke “a more primitive state of being”.

      The two adjacent stores are located at Panlong Tiandi development in Shanghai. One was designed for Jisifang Boutique and the other for its sister brand Woven Moonlight, also owned by Jisifang.
      Neri&Hu has designed two adjacent stores in ShanghaiAccording to the Shanghai-based studio, each store was tailored to its distinct brand identities and varying spatial requirements.
      A wooden house was inserted into the 110-square-metre Jisifang Boutique, the sloping roof of which takes advantage of the full height space to create a “spacious sanctuary”, the studio said.
      A wooden house structure was inserted into Jisifang Boutique”The design concept is inspired by French architecture theorist Marc-Antoine Laugier’s Primitive Hut, said to be the fundamental prototype of all architecture,” explained Neri&Hu.

      “Stripped of decoration and style, the primitive hut establishes a relationship between humans and the natural world, providing both shelter and a connection to nature,” it added.
      White oak furniture creates a warm interiorA long table and benches made of white oak are placed at the centre of the space, with fashion garments displayed at the lower end of both sides of the roof.
      Handmade ceramic floor tiles with muted colours were used throughout the space, referencing the warm and natural textures of the linen products that the brand is known for.
      Glass bricks with rustic metal lining are featured on the facadeThe facade features glass bricks lined with rustic metal elements, inviting natural light and framing views of the bustling retail street outside into the shop.
      In contrast, Neri&Hu created a cave-like shelter made of concrete for the 200-square-metre Woven Moonlight.

      Neri&Hu divides Shanghai fashion boutique with fabrics and marble screens

      Concrete walls enclose the main display area, which features carved-out display niches. These have been lined with translucent linen curtains and fitted with custom-built walnut cabinetry, contrasting the roughness of the concrete.
      A double-pitch sloped ceiling was clad with the same concrete as the walls. Skylights on the ceiling, as well as full-height glass windows on one side, fill the space with plenty of natural light.
      Linen and walnut wood contrast the concrete in Woven Moonlight”In the case of both the wooden hut and the cave-dwelling, we are exploring the original space of our humanity, harkening a return to a more primitive state of being,” said Neri&Hu.
      “We hope that when people touch the linen fabric of Jisifang, their mood and spirit may transcend the urban environment, back to nature,” it continued.
      The Wooven Moonlight store features a double-pitch sloped ceiling clad with concreteNeri&Hu was founded by architects Lyndon Neri and Rosanna Hu in 2004 in Shanghai.
      The studio also recently completed a simplicity contemporary art gallery, and a fashion boutique with fabrics and marble screens, both in Shanghai.
      The photography is by Pedro Pegenaute.
      Project credits:
      Partners-in-charge: Lyndon Neri, Rossana HuAssociate-in-charge: Siyu ChenDesign team: Greg Wu, Jinghan Li, Nicolas Fardet, Saint Xu, Shuan Wu, Yinan Zhu, Yoki YuFF&E design and procurement: Design RepublicLighting Consultant: DLX Lighting DesignContractor: Nantong Huaqiang Construction

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      Masquespacio founders create home and office where “everything revolves around play”

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      The founders of Spanish studio Masquespacio have transformed a traditional Valencian farmhouse into their self-designed home and studio, with maximalist interiors that nod to the Memphis movement.

      Creative and life partners Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse renovated the 1920s villa, which was once a farmhouse on the outskirts of Valencia, to create a hybrid home and studio that reflects their maximalist approach to interiors.
      Masquespacio has designed a live-work space in Valencia”Everything revolves around the concept of play,” explained Hernández Palacios, who co-founded Masquespacio with Penasse in 2010.
      “We’ve been influenced by many styles over the last decade, from New Memphis to art deco and futurism,” Penasse added. “We can say that our private home is a mix of it all.”
      The ground floor holds the studio’s workspacesThe duo maintained the building’s original timber front door and white facade decorated with light-blue window frames and ornate grilles.

      Inside, the ground floor was reserved for their studio, spread across several interconnected meeting rooms in the former farmstead, known locally as an alquería.
      Masquespacio restored the building’s original hydraulic floor tilesHere, Masquespacio restored the building’s decoratively patterned hydraulic floor tiles alongside its traditional doors and windows.
      Painted in bright hues, they help to colour-code the different office spaces, filled with the studio’s characteristic chunky, lumpy and latticed furniture.
      There is a double-height interior courtyard at the centre of the home”As always, the project includes a mix of colours, textures and forms – one of the main aspects of all our designs, no matter what aesthetic we’re working with,” Penasse told Dezeen.
      At the centre of the home is a double-height interior courtyard illuminated by skylights, with exposed-brick walls painted in lilac surrounded by wiggly flowerbeds with lush statement cheese plants.
      From the courtyard, visitors can see up to an interior balcony on the first floor, which is accessed via a purple concrete staircase and contains the living spaces.
      The couple’s bed is encased in a green dome next to a hot-pink seating booth.The balcony reveals two sculptural objects – a giant green dome that conceals the couple’s bed and a curved hot-pink screen that hides a seating booth.
      This immersive furniture – Penasse’s favourite part of the project – creates a focal point that connects both levels of the house but also provides more private quarters for the couple despite the open nature of the overall plan.
      A mosaic of yellow tiles defines the bathroom”There are no wall partitions to hide our home [from downstairs] but it’s kept private by the bed’s form and a semi-transparent green curtain that allows us to take advantage of the natural light almost everywhere on the upper floor,” explained Penasse.
      The sleeping area is connected to the main living space via a tunnel-like corridor, which includes an all-yellow bathroom with triangular cabinets and walls clad with a mosaic of handmade ceramic tiles.

      Ten self-designed studios by architects and designers

      Opposite the bathroom is a colourful open-air terrace featuring circular windows and similar built-in seating to Bun Turin – an Italian burger joint designed by Masquespacio with boxy blue-tiled tables created to look like swimming pools.
      “Geometry can be found all over our house,” explained Hernández Palacios. “Everything is a game of circles and triangles.”
      The terrace follows a similar geometry to the interiorsThe light blue kitchen includes large, triangular alcoves and cupboards finished in natural stone and aluminium, designed to conceal utilities.
      There is also an island made from veiny marble and petite glazed tiles. Bespoke Masquespacio bar stools were wrapped in matching pale blue fabric.
      Triangular cupboards feature in the kitchenNext to the open-plan kitchen, the living and dining spaces include more brightly coloured furniture from the studio’s Mas Creations collection, which features the same twisted and angular shapes and soft upholstery as the pieces downstairs.
      Floor-to-ceiling curtains form a backdrop for a snaking lime green sofa, while dark green dining chairs with pyramidal backrests were positioned around a jewel-like glass table.
      Striking pyramid-shaped dining chairs continue the maximalist theme”Ninety-five per cent of the furniture and objects in our house are part of our Mas Creations collection, locally designed and produced by our studio,” said Penasse.
      Similarly bold projects from Masquespacio include a restaurant in Milan, Italy, with interiors that take cues from futuristic spaceships and the first Mango Teen store in Barcelona featuring vivid graphic shapes.
      The photography is courtesy of Masquespacio. 

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      EBBA references modernist architecture at WatchHouse coffee shop

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      Architecture studio EBBA has completed a store for coffee brand WatchHouse that draws on modernist design to provide a calming environment in the heart of the City of London.

      Situated in the 30 Fenchurch Street building of the Square Mile financial district, the store was designed by EBBA for coffee company WatchHouse, which has several cafes around London and also sells its own roasts.
      The store interior references modernist architectureHaving previously completed several other stores for the brand, EBBA was tasked with transforming an empty unit in the landmark office development into an inviting space aimed at attracting visitors from the adjacent lobby.
      “This store offered the opportunity to think carefully about how to make a high quality and calming retail environment that also caters to the flexible operation of the visitors and the building in which it sits,” EBBA founder Benni Allan told Dezeen.
      The space aims to offer a calming environmentThe project brief called for a space focused on retail that also integrates a bar for serving customers. The interior has a more open and relaxed feel than the brand’s other locations, which operate more like typical coffee shops.

      With ample comfortable seating available in the adjacent atrium, EBBA chose to incorporate different settings where customers can rest while waiting for their coffee.
      Furniture including lounge chairs arranged around a coffee table and bar stools at the counter allow the space to be used in a variety of ways.
      Wooden seating is provided in an adjacent atriumElements of the shop’s design are informed by European modernist architecture. In particular, Allan drew on the large lobbies of banks and civic buildings such as libraries, which he said seem to “carry a particular feeling of calmness”.
      Referencing the work of architect Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, EBBA used grid patterns and clean lines to bring order to the interior, while sculptural objects help to partition the space.
      “The overall concept was to create the sense of a box within a box,” Allan added. “The reference to Miesian buildings can be understood in wanting to establish a clear logic to the space through its grid and making objects that help to demarcate space.”

      Bottega Veneta creative director Matthieu Blazy combines glass bricks and walnut for first store

      EBBA designed and built all of the furniture for the store, including the eight-metre-long stainless steel counter that forms the centrepiece of the space. This monolithic element is used for coffeemaking as well as providing a communal workspace.
      The large coffee table made from blocks of solid oak is intended to resemble stacked timber. Its construction echoes the grid of slatted timber panels cladding the ceiling.
      EBBA chose a material palette that reflects WatchHouse’s goal to create places people want to spend time in. Warm and natural tones and textures offer a respite from the busy urban setting.
      An eight-metre stainless steel counter centres the space”We opted for warm oak panelling, which gracefully cocoons the space, and a unique Ceppo stone floor, which enhances the store’s gridded pattern whilst complementing the feeling of civic grandeur,” said the architects.
      The rear wall is lined with full-height cabinets that conceal the necessary utility spaces, adding to the store’s sense of cohesion and simplicity.
      Minimalist shelving used to display WatchHouse’s simply packaged produce blend in with the relaxed setting.
      All of the furniture was designed and built by EBBAEBBA has worked with WatchHouse on several of its venues, including another site within the 30 Fenchurch Street building that also looks to balance contemporary aesthetics with nods to the City of London’s heritage.
      The studio, founded in 2017 by Spanish architect Benni Allan, has completed a number of projects in London including a temporary education centre built using only reusable components and a residential extension that combines brutalist-style materials with details inspired by a Roman villa.
      The photography is courtesy of EBBA. 

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