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    Tala Fustok Studio layers different metals to create calm ambience in Manhattan loft apartment

    Tala Fustok Studio used different mineral textures and materials to soften the hard edges of this industrial apartment in New York’s West Village.

    Designed for a single female occupant, the apartment is located on a five-block stretch on Bleecker Street within a restored late 1800s building that was originally designed to house the Schumacher and Ettlinger lithographic printing business.
    A corten steel staircase connects two floorsThe 348-square-metre three-bedroom apartment is split over two floors connected by a corten steel staircase.
    The client asked London designers Tala Fustok Studio to create a calm, contemporary space using artisanal and mineral materials inspired by the city.
    Oversized windows let in natural sunlightThe designers reorganised the space to emphasise the apartment’s tall ceilings, oversized windows and natural sunlight.

    To create better clarity in the space, the staircase that connects the two floors was also designed to separate the kitchen from the living room.
    This monolithic piece is wrapped in a patchwork of welded corten steel produced by Brooklyn-based metal fabricator Gabrielle Shelton.

    Tala Fustok designs Ninja Theory office to entice employees back into workplace

    The studio also added a maple and glass wall that houses a Patagonia stone workspace and a display cabinet that showcases the client’s vase and vintage crockery collection.
    Patagonia stone was also used in the kitchen, while the apartment’s walls were rendered in limestone and textured glass was chosen to dapple the natural light, creating a serene and calm ambience.
    A display cabinet holds vintage crockeryIt was important to the studio and the client to work with local artisans like Shelton. Other locally-made pieces include the liquid metal bespoke bathtub and living area walls by New York-based atelier Courbet.
    The reclaimed walnut flooring was sourced locally and an array of different metals in the kitchen, such as the blackened steel cabinets and brass cooker hood, were all handcrafted by local artisans.
    The kitchen has decoratove Patagonia stoneThe London studio previously created an office with a blood-red bar and all-blue cinema room for a BAFTA-winning game developer in Cambridge.
    The photography is by Isabel Parra.

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    Frederick Tang Architecture transforms New York loft into light-filled wellness studio

    Interior architecture and design studio Frederick Tang Architecture (FTA) has updated Moxi, a wellness studio and acupuncture centre in Soho, New York by re-arranging its interiors around an expansive oval skylight.

    Frederick Tang Architecture, based in Brooklyn, was tasked with reordering and redesigning the open-plan, top-floor studio into a space that accommodates a reception area, six treatment rooms, offices, bathrooms, herb dispensary and pantry.
    Frederick Tang Architecture wanted to capture natural lightThe studio took the 1901 mercantile building’s skylight as the starting point for the refurbishment of the rectangular-shaped space.
    Its dense urban context required an innovative solution to increase the floor area while introducing natural light throughout.
    Moxi is arranged around a central skylight”Architecturally we wanted to organise the many different components in a plan that felt logical and complete which was difficult with space constraints,” said Frederick Tang, director of design and principal architect at Frederick Tang Architecture (FTA).

    “We started by organizing the plan around the sources of natural light,” he told Dezeen.
    An office space has been added to the interiorVisitors enter the wellness studio and arrive at a reception area framed by four arched windows overlooking Broadway.
    Here, a custom bench crafted from white oak slats and copper detailing curves along two walls while sculptural pendant lights hang from the ceiling.
    To maximise space and take full advantage of the natural light, this area doubles as a site for gatherings and classes.
    The reception is flanked by four arched windowsFTA reconfigured Moxi’s rooms as well as softened corners and created arches that echo some of the existing architecture of the space for the client who wanted the interior to feel “holistic, natural, calm and inspiring”.
    A single corridor leads to all six treatment rooms, which were also coloured in shades of green.
    The walls were lime-washed in a soft cypress green, with wainscotting wooden panels painted in a darker shade of the same hue.

    Rose Ink Workshop designs membership club for wellness in New York City

    FTA wanted the colour to contrast traditional wellness studios which are often white and feel more clinical.
    “The predominant colour was green –lime washed in a cypress and deep forest – chosen for its property to heal, critical at the front where the patron first experiences the space,” said the architects.
    Each acupuncture treatment room has a different wallpaperThe treatment rooms, which are the most intimate sections in the studio, contain two bedrooms and a bathroom arranged around the lightwell.
    The green was offset by hints of pale peach throughout the interior and natural finishes including terrazzo, concrete, boucle and ribbed glass add depth and texture.
    A kitchenette is located at the end of the central corridorAt the end of the corridor, a second archway opens into a back-of-house area, where FTA has inserted a new office, herb dispensary, staff pantry, and bath.
    Other design-focused wellness spaces include the Shelter wellness centre in Sydney, which is located in a former restaurant and Yoko Kitahara spa in Israel, which was transformed from an Ottoman-era home.
    The photography is by Gieves Anderson.

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    Park Slope condo becomes New York City's “largest mass-timber building”

    Local studio Mesh Architectures has completed Timber House, a condominium in Brooklyn that developer The Brooklyn Home Company claims is “the largest mass timber building in New York City.”

    Timber House is made of glue-laminated timber, a type of structurally engineered wood used to make mass timber structures, and is the largest mass-timber project in New York City in terms of square footage and height, according to The Brooklyn Home Company.
    It is also the first condominium project in the city to be built using mass timber, the developer said.
    The building has 14 condos”Timber House started with the simple notion of creating a sense of life in a building, which engages, stimulates, and at the same time, calms us,” said Eric Lifton, founder and principal of Mesh Architectures.
    “The way we do that here is by using a plant as the primary building material.”

    The building’s columns, beams and floor plates are all mass timber, while the core had to be made of concrete masonry because of city restrictions, the studio said.
    The apartments stretch across the length of the structureTimber House is located in the residential Park Slope neighbourhood in Brooklyn and comprises 14 condos that stretch from the street-side to the back of the building.
    According to Mesh Architectures, the building was “constructed with passive house principles”.
    While not passive-house certified, it was built with solar photovoltaic panels on the roof to provide energy, and mineral wool and polyisocyanurate insulation to reduce the need for air conditioning.
    Heating and air conditioning is provided by air-source heat pumps.
    The building was developed in collaboration with The Brooklyn Home CompanyIt also features passive house-quality windows with triple glazing, and the 10 parking spaces in its ground-floor garage each have an electric charging station.
    The building’s facade is characterized by a flat face made with Danish brick that, according to the team, was chosen to integrate the building into the mostly brownstone neighbourhood.
    On the upper levels, the envelope is sculpted into jutting windows and recessed balconies with glass railings. The balconies’ undersides are wooden, giving the exterior palette a touch of the timber within.
    The floors are also made of woodA rooftop terrace provides views of Downtown Brooklyn and Manhattan.
    Inside, wooden walls and ceilings line the corridors, which have hexagonal tiling on the floor that was designed custom by Mesh and produced in Turkey.
    The condos have 11-feet-tall (3.3 metres-tall) ceilings and feature exposed timber beams with LED lights that are integrated directly into the wood.

    The Dezeen guide to mass timber in architecture

    The timber beams also extend down from the ceiling to frame some of the walls and windows, providing insight into the building’s structural makeup.
    “The exposed wooden beams present in the home create a style reminiscent of city living in the 1960s and ’70s when we picture those large loft-style residences, which is really special,” said Bill Caleo of The Brooklyn Home Company.
    “As a city, if we want to lower our carbon footprint we need to prioritize mass timber.”
    In addition to the ceiling and beams the condos have wooden accentsFlooring in the living areas is wood, while the kitchen is floored with white tile to match the white cabinetry – accented with natural wood tones – and a long, white island.
    Other recently-announced designs for mass timber structures include the world’s tallest timber building designed by Schmidt Hammer Lassen and a Henning Larsen-designed Volvo experience centre in Sweden.
    The photography is by Travis Mark. 

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    Magdalena Keck employs “warm minimalism” for interiors of glazed house in Hudson Valley

    Interior designer Magdalena Keck has filled a glass-and-steel home in New York with a restrained but eclectic mix of furnishings that are meant to complement the existing architecture.

    The Hudson Valley Glass House is located in Westchester County, about an hour’s drive from New York City.
    The home has floor-to-ceiling glazing all aroundThe modernist home was designed by architect Robert Fitzpatrick and built-in 1967. Rising two levels, it contains a public zone on the upper level and three bedrooms and a family room down below.
    The clients – a couple with a young daughter – recently purchased the home and tapped Magdalena Keck, who runs an eponymous Manhattan studio, to oversee the interior design. For their full-time residence, the owners desired furnishings that were modern, function-driven and meaningful.
    The dwelling’s interiors intend to complement its modernist architecture”The clients, a family of three, are well versed in design and art, and it was important to them to have a personal connection to each of the items selected for their home,” the studio said.

    Drawing upon her penchant for “warm minimalism”, Keck chose a range of pieces that complemented the architecture and the existing finishes, including wood flooring and vanilla-hued window drapes.
    Magdalena Keck framed a brutalist-style coffee table with a grey bouclé sofa”Magda likes to think of the home as a glass envelope, serving as a vessel for the furnishings, lighting, art and objects that she has worked carefully with the client to fill the space with,” the studio said.
    In the living room, she placed a grey bouclé sofa by French designer Christophe Delcourt and an octagonal, brutalist-style coffee table in resin.
    A hyper-realistic painting is in the dining spaceIn the adjacent dining area, beech-and-fabric chairs by Sergio Rodrigues surround an Extenso table from Desalto.
    Rather than hang a light fixture over the table, the designer added a Mito floor lamp by Tom Fereday and a 1960s Tripod Cocoon floor lamp to provide illumination and visual interest. A large, hyper-realistic painting of choppy water by Ran Ortner rounds out the dining space.

    Andrew Franz updates 1960s home on New York’s Fire Island

    Downstairs in the family room, the atmosphere is casual and cosy. The space is adorned with a sofa by Piero Lissoni for Living Divani, Scandinavian nesting tables in rosewood, and a side chair by Børge Mogensen. Underfoot is a Soumak rug from ALT for Living.
    Audio and visual equipment is housed in a cabinet made of waxed aluminium by Jonathan Nesci.
    The Hudson Valley Glass House is located in Westchester CountyIn the main suite, there is a king bed from Camerich, Danish rosewood nightstands and two Bauhaus table lamps by Wilhelm Wagenfeld.
    The daughter’s room is fitted with custom pieces designed by Keck’s studio, including a  bed platform in oak and a desk with modular storage pullouts. There is also an Adorno wall lamp made of wood and brushed brass, and an astronaut painting by American artist Michael Kagan.
    Large windows provide views of the surrounding sceneryThe home’s guest bedroom features a bed by Lawson Fenning, a ceramic-painted nighstand by Reinaldo Sanguino, and a rare Valet chair by Hans Wegner dating back to the 1950s.
    Keck’s furnishing work also extends to the backyard, where there is a patio and swimming pool. Furnishings include a sofa and coffee table from Unopiù. A rounded, white dining table by Eero Saarinen is paired with white chairs by Harry Bertoia.
    Other projects by Magdalena Keck include a stark-white residence in a Four Seasons tower in Lower Manhattan, and the outfitting of a Catskill Mountains home, where she fused Danish and Japanese design.
    The photography is by Jeff Cate.

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    Bala's SoHo store by Ringo Studio features oversized fitness equipment

    Brooklyn-based Ringo Studio has created a pastel “playground” as the first retail space for fitness brand Bala in New York City, which includes scaled-up versions of its products.

    Founded by Natalie Holloway and Max Kislevitz, who appeared on reality TV show Shark Tank, Bala sells weights, bands and other fitness equipment in a range of candy colours.
    Bala’s New York City store includes giant versions of the brand’s fitness productsRingo Studio founder Madelynn Ringo, the former retail designer for cosmetics brand Glossier, cold-called the duo and asked them to keep her in mind when they opened their first physical retail space.
    So when the opportunity arose to take over a 1,300-square-foot (120-square-metre) space at 99 Spring Street in SoHo, Ringo was brought on to translate the brand’s aesthetic into interior design.
    A weighted ankle Bangle becomes a leather seat for customersThe products are typified by soft, rounded shapes, so these were replicated in features around the store.

    “The space invites visitors to work out amid scaled-up versions of Bala’s visually compelling products,” Ringo said. “These sculptural elements create nooks for testing, touching, and trying out in-person.”
    The entrance is via a black hoop that resembles Bala’s Power RingThe entrance to the store is under a black arch that resembles one of the brand’s signature products: The Power Ring.
    Beyond, a pale green counter displays a variety of weights in the same hue as its curved top. Further areas are also colour-matched with the items on show.
    Products are colour-coordinated with their display areas”Organised chromatically, distinct zones immerse visitors in the colour space of the band, heightening the sense of place and identification with the brand,” Ringo said.
    A giant 12-foot-tall version of the Bala Beam is propped up against a mirrored wall that is divided by vertical light strips.
    Mirrored walls allow customers to test out the products as if they were in a gymOn the opposite side, an oversized replica of a Bangle – used as ankle weight – swoops down from the ceiling to form a squishy leather seat.
    Through a pale blue arch is another space decorated entirely in pink, from the walls, ceiling and counter, to velvet fitting-room curtains and a furry carpet.

    Glossier Flagship in New York includes soft-pink plasterwork and a Boy Brow Room

    The space was fabricated by New York-based Konduit, which specialises in scenic design, curved surfaces and custom finishes.
    The team worked with Ringo Studio to match the distinct matte sheen and exact colours of the Bala products across the scaled-up design elements.
    At the back is an entirely pink room, hosting more products and fitting roomsOutside of retail hours, the store is also intended to host fitness programs that incorporate the various products.
    “It’s a Balacise playground to introduce customers to their innovative products and encourage them to test and experiment,” Ringo said.
    The back room is lined with a furry pink carpetPastels have been a popular choice of palette for stores and boutiques over the past few years, particularly in New York City.
    Brands like Everlane, The Arrivals, and of course, Glossier, all chose similarly soft shades for their shop interiors in the city.
    The photography is by Anna Morgowicz.

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    Concrete dominates INC Architecture & Design's offices in NYC

    The offices of INC Architecture & Design in New York City’s SoHo are filled with eclectic furniture and plants that contrast the primarily concrete interiors.

    INC, founded by architects Adam Rolston, Gabe Benroth and Drew Stuart, moved to a 1930s building on Varick Street after scaling up from its previous location on 19th Street.
    INC’s offices are located in a 1930s building on Varick StreetThe new space is dominated by concrete, which forms the walls, floors, ceilings, and nine mushroom columns that form square bays across the plan.
    “The space was peeled back to its essential architectural shell,” said the studio, which sandblasted the concrete to a raw finish.
    A grand marble-topped desk greets visitors upon arrivalMeanwhile, the flooring was polished to a soft sheen, to reflect the light pouring in from large windows along the west facade.

    Collaborative work areas are arranged along these windows. They range from a long communal table to informal lounges comprising an eclectic mix of vintage furniture.
    The studio stripped back the space to its concrete bones”The furnishings are decidedly residential in character and include antiques, custom upholstery, custom casegoods, custom raw silk rugs, polychrome raw leather, polished stainless steel, solid ash and polychrome marbles,” the team said.
    Upon entering the offices, a grand marble-topped desk supported on two polished-chrome cylinders is positioned in front of a dark green wall.
    Desks are lined up through the centre of the officeTo the right are conference rooms, divided by partition walls painted pale pink and lined with acoustic panels.
    A circular aperture provides a view from one meeting to a communal lounge on the other side.

    BIG moves New York office to bright space in Dumbo

    “Simple secondary architectural elements were developed to provide for the more private functional requirements of the studio, and to define spatial subdivisions which break down the space but that maintain the open studio format so critical to our way of working together,” INC said.
    Wooden desks are lined up in rows through the centre of the office, running from the collaborative areas to an expansive material bank on the opposite side.
    An expansive material bank is displayed towards the back of the spacePlants are used abundantly throughout the space, adding life and offering a contrast to the grey and brown tones.
    “Our space is filled with greenery, collected materials, prototypes, objects and details drawn from our projects, our wanderings and our passions,” said the INC team.
    Polished concrete floors reflect the light entering from large windowsOther offices of architecture firms in NYC include BIG’s bright space in Dumbo, while we rounded up 10 self-designed studios by architects and designers in a recent lookbook.
    The photography is by Eric Laignel.

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    Sella designs “post-pandemic” offices for Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners in Brooklyn

    London studio Sella has created office interiors for tech company Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners in Dumbo, New York City, with a focus on flexible and collaborative space to entice employees back to the workplace.

    The 3,000-square-foot (280-square-metre) office has a prime waterfront location at 10 Jay Street, inside a former sugar refinery overhauled by ODA Architecture in 2019.
    Sella designed the Sidewalk Infrastructure Projects offices with a focus on communal spaceDesigned during the coronavirus pandemic, the workspaces for Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners are open and flexible — more akin to a members club than a traditional office.
    “Sella sensitively evolved the design to create the first-generation post-pandemic office space, championing the merge of the workspace and membership culture within private office environments,” said the studio.
    The interiors are more akin to a members club than a tech startup officeTravel restrictions also meant that Sella had to execute the project from the UK, in collaboration with the New York office of architecture firm Gensler.

    Sidewalk Infrastructure Partners is a startup backed by Google’s parent company Alphabet, and a spin-off of smart cities initiative Sidewalk Labs.
    A kitchen area is arranged around a curved plaster wallAt its offices, the building’s industrial heritage is celebrated through exposed brick columns and poured concrete floors.
    A large area in the centre of the plan, for both employees and guests to congregate, is arranged around a tree.
    Taps are built into the wall for a minimal effectCustom banquettes, upholstered in fabrics by Dedar and Maharam, offer casual seating against the wall and beside the greenery. Opposite, the kitchen area is set against a gently arced partition between two brick columns.
    The curve is continued in the shape of walnut-fronted cabinets and a white, oval island that reaches bar height. Beer and kombucha taps and other hardware are plumbed directly into the wall for a clean, minimalist finish.
    Another curved wall leads to private work areasAnother new textured-plaster wall curves behind the kitchenette, leading employees to the more private work areas.
    “These casual break-out spaces linking with the more private, formal moments within the office were sensitively considered by Sella to push the brief of an office based on connection, born out of the pandemic,” said Sella.

    Sella Concept applies “cocoon of rich materials and colour” to interiors of east London office

    Meeting rooms are positioned along the glazed facade, overlooking the East River.
    An engineered bronze conference table with a leather-like top can be rolled along a track in the concrete floor, to facilitate larger board meetings when needed.
    Meeting rooms overlook the East RiverWarm neutral colours in all of the spaces are complemented by lighting from American brand Allied Maker, while quirky details include cabinet handles by UK-based Swarf Hardware.
    “With the ease of working from home, an office now needs to work harder to entice employees to connect with each other and with clients – thereby Sella’s design aims to incentivise behaviour with connectivity at its heart,” the studio said.
    A brass floor track allows conference tables to be joined together for large meetingsSella was founded by Tatjana von Stein and Gayle Noonan, and works across interiors, furniture, branding and set design.
    Interchangeably known as Sella Concept, the studio has also completed the London headquarters for fashion brand Sister Jane, a co-working space in the UK capital and a collection of curvaceous furniture.
    The photography is by Sean Davidson.

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    Amity Street Residence is a “minimal but warm” New York apartment

    Interior design studios Rawan Muqaddas and Selma Akkari have renovated an apartment in a 20th-century building in Brooklyn, New York, adding warm and natural materials to the residential space.

    Amity Street Residence is located on the fourth floor of a stone building that was built in 1910, overlooking a quiet but central corner of the city at the intersection of Amity and Clinton street.
    Amity Street Residence has been renovated into an open plan apartment. Photo by Clement PascalNew York studio Selma Akkari collaborated with London studio Rawan Muqqadas on the 1,400 square-foot interiors, which have been updated from a “neglected” apartment into a space filled with warm colours.
    As part of the renovation, the studios rearranged the rooms to create space for an additional third bedroom if required.
    Rawan Muqaddas collaborated with Selma Akkari to create a warm interior”A dialogue of opposites was the main theme behind the creation; minimal but warm, understated yet rich,” said Rawan Muqaddas, founder of eponymous studio Rawan Muqaddas.

    “We wanted to retain the essence of the 1910 building by reinterpreting the original traditional details, which we were excited to build on,” she told Dezeen.
    “The previous owners of the apartment called this their home for decades, leaving behind layers of history and some areas that were left neglected.”
    Stained oak shelves line the back of the dining areaThe two studios transformed the single floor apartment into an open-plan living, kitchen and dining area. A handful of original features, such as the decorative cornice and bold skirting, were preserved.
    The living space now boasts views across the street from the two large bay windows, which had previously been obscured.
    Cream coloured paint lines the walls. Photo by Clement Pascal”The first thing that caught our eye was the 30-foot apartment frontage composed of the width across both bay windows,” recalled Muqaddas.
    “As it stood, the windows felt shy and in hiding; we wanted to do the opposite and celebrate the curve.”
    Large bay windows were made into a focal pointFloors in the apartment have been covered in warm wood, while the walls were painted in a creamy neutral colour. A couple of contemporary chairs frame the window and let the inhabitants enjoy the street views.
    “A warm colour palette was deployed to unify the spaces by way of gentle oak floors, cream-hued walls that contrasted with dark stone, and stained wood inset bookshelves,” said Selma Akkari, founder of Selma Akkari.
    A study area sits at the back of the room and could easily be swapped for a third bedroom if necessary, the designers said.

    Rawan Muqaddas designs Sloane Street Deli to be a “classic neighbourhood spot”

    The studios also retained the apartment’s curved interior arches that run through its core. These openings help create a feeling of space.
    “To encourage a dialogue between the interior and exterior, we wanted to carry through the historic curved facade into the curved interior arches,” Akkari told Dezeen.
    “This was the guiding theme throughout the process: opening up the front area as the living and dining space and dedicating the quieter area to the more private spaces at the back.”
    The apartment has oak flooringThe apartment now has an airy aluminium-clad kitchen with an island counter and a long marble shelf in place of overhead storage cabinets.
    “We were very attracted to contrasting and unexpected colours and textures, in particular, the brushed metal counter topped with a veiny marble, with a backdrop of dark smoked oak shelving,” said Akkari.
    The same warm palette is continued in the bedrooms. Photo by Clement PascalThe warm material palette continues in the master bedroom and second bedroom, where the same flooring and beige furnishings can be found.
    More Brooklyn interiors include a townhouse with a striking staircase by New York studio Space4Architecture and a family-friendly townhouse called Bed-Stuy by Brooklyn studio Civilian.
    Photography is by Sean Davidson unless stated otherwise.

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