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    Bofink Design Studio creates “beefy” interior for members’ club in Stockholm

    Stockholm-based Bofink Design Studio has turned the Börshuset cattle-auction building into a members’ club, updating its Jugend interior with plywood panels that evoke animal skins.

    Located in Stockholm’s historic meatpacking district Slakthusområdet, the 1912 building had its interior extensively renovated in the 1980s but Bofink Design Studio’s refurbishment has revealed its original details.
    Parts of the walls are deliberately left raw”Hidden behind all the layers of paint, plastic, linoleum, woven wallpaper, floor screed and plasterboard walls were beautiful surfaces such as the terrazzo floors, tiled flooring, wall murals and wood panelling,” interior architect Jenny Askenfors told Dezeen.
    The building’s main Börssalen hall – which measures 140 square metres – was designed for trading cattle, but was barely used for its original purpose and instead quickly converted into a workers’ canteen.
    The main 140-square-metre hall was revamped”Over the years, the building has housed a police station with jail cells, and, among other things, a bank, post office, hotel, and restaurant,” Askenfors said.

    The studio made several interventions to restore the 3,600-square-metre building to its architect Gustav Wickman’s original design in the Jugend style – the German branch of the art nouveau movement.
    “We removed a floor level in the old Börssalen to recreate the double-ceiling height and to reveal the beautiful bullseye-shaped windows, hidden in the smaller rooms on the top floor,” Askenfors said.
    “We also discovered some old murals around the windows, which were carefully restored.”
    Bofink Design Studio recreated a mezzanine floor and added a spiral staircaseBofink Design Studio’s design retains part of Börshuset’s upper floor, recreating an original mezzanine level. It is designed to accommodate the members’ club and community workspace A House.
    A spiral staircase formed of patinated metal connects the main hall and the upper floor, where the studio has added a balcony balustrade in laser-cut metal.
    “We left [the staircase] outdoors for a while, which gave it a nicely patinated surface,” Askenfors said. “The old hotel rooms on the upper floor kept their layout and now serve as office spaces. The bank vaults have been turned into smaller meeting rooms.”
    Moulded plywood panels decorate the main hallBofink Design Studio drew on the industrial history of the surrounding area when choosing the materials for the interior.
    “The walls in the corridor have hand-painted panels that allude to the tile-covered walls that are common in the Slakthusområdet district, and the Börssalen space has moulded plywood panels that look like stretched animal skins,” Askenfors said.
    Vintage furniture was sourced for the projectOther materials used for the interior include stainless steel, concrete, tiles, terrazzo, mirror, wood, cork and leather. The studio also deliberately left much of the interior in a raw state.
    “Part of the old wood panelling was discovered behind plaster boards – it’s been preserved in the condition we found it in to highlight its history,” Askenfors said.

    “World’s largest wooden city” set to be built in Stockholm

    “The woven wallpapers were torn down, but haven’t been plastered over, telling us something about the passing of time,” she added.
    “The raw walls become an architectural map while also creating contrast and giving the space character.”
    Börshuset’s colour palette has warm brown and tan coloursNature and animals inspired the colour palette for the interior, which features plenty of warm brown, tan and red hues.
    “Meadow green, oxblood red, cowhide brown, butter yellow, milk white, flower meadows, clover orange and earthy colours that evoke the cattle and nature,” Askenfors said.
    The restoration unveiled decorative wall paintingsBy filling the space with vintage furniture, sourced together with vintage studio Temporärt, Bofink Design Studio underlined the importance of the building’s past as an inspiration.
    “With ‘beefy Jugend’ as our watchword, we searched far and wide for designs that highlight the building’s history,” Askenfors said.
    “A great find was the wall fixtures in the Börssalen space, which we discovered on a sourcing trip in the Netherlands.”
    Wooden furniture was sourced with vintage studio TemporärtThe animal theme continues with the furniture, which is intended to evoke the livestock once housed in the neighbouring area.
    “‘Beefy’, chubby sofas in leather, with animalistic and powerful characteristics; substantial wooden armchairs upholstered with animal skins, organic shapes, bentwood; chairs and tables in the Jugend style and gigantic plants to bring the outside in and honour the livestock,” Askenfors said.
    A House is part-owned by real estate developer Atrium Ljungberg, which is redeveloping the wider meatpacking district surrounding Börshuset and is also behind Stockholm Wood City, the “world’s largest wooden city”.
    Also in Stockholm, 3XN recently designed a stepped building with a spiralling “innovation hub”.
    The photography is by Viktor Tägt.

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    Linehouse defines Shanghai office with “unexpected combinations of materials”

    Interior design studio Linehouse has renovated an office in Shanghai using numerous materials and art from a local gallery.

    Linehouse refurbished the ground floor of a three-storey building in Shanghai that The Independents global marketing group have occupied in Shanghai for numerous years.
    The office is located in a three-storey building in ShanghaiThe 374-square-metre space was designed as a communal area for the staff working on the floors above.
    It includes a reception area, meeting rooms, pantry and communal eating space as well as a flexible deskspace for twenty people.
    Metal curtains are used to blur the boundary between different functional spacesAdditionally, an art installation area has been integrated, taking advantage of the high lofty ceiling of the space, which will be used for monthly rotational curation.

    Linehouse aimed to create a destination by presenting art from a local gallery, which will be rotated monthly, in the space. Combined with numerous materials and abstract furniture pieces, the studio forms what the studio called an “unexpected collection”.
    The entrance features a circular seating installation wrapped in metal curtain”The support of the client to design an office that pairs unexpected combinations of materials was refreshing and a challenge,” said Linehouse.
    “The result is a space that allows art to breathe and creates a welcoming, natural and open place of work.”
    The workstations are located in a sunken seating areaThe spaces are each defined by different materials. Marine plywood was used for the wall of the reception and pantry area, separating them from the meetings rooms. The same plywood was used for to the workstations located in a sunken seating area.
    A circular seating area was wrapped in a metal curtain, with five-meter-high curtains used to divide other spaces.

    Linehouse transforms Shanghai swimming pool into office space

    A customised table, made from different shaped pieces of marble and laminates, is used for meetings and dining.
    Other tables in the meeting room features unique surfaces — one being a patchwork of timber textures and the other a gradient of glass transparency, from solid black to transparent.
    “The design challenges the traditional notion of an office to promote a healthier and creative mindset to collaboration and communication, with emphasis on openness and autonomy for how staff use and occupy the spaces,” Linehouse concluded.
    Marine plywood is used on the walls of the pantryLinehouse is a Hong Kong and Shanghai-based architecture and interior design studio established in 2013 by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling.
    The duo won the emerging interior designer of the year category at the 2019 Dezeen Awards.
    Meeting rooms feature custom made tablesThe studio has also recently designed a greenhouse-informed food market in Shanghai and the facade of a shopping centre in Bangkok.
    The photography is by Dirk Weiblen.

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    JEB Group unveils partitions “optimised for acoustics”

    Promotion: acoustic partition brand JEB Group has enclosed a wood-lined meeting room with a sliding partition system, forming the centrepiece of an office in Hong Kong.

    Named “Summit Partition Systems”, the set up features a slim frame with a curved design, intended to integrate with the overall interior design. The project also uses the company’s Summit sliding door with a lightweight design and pared back extrusions.
    JEB specialises in acoustic partitions and furniture for commercial interiors, where clients want to reduce noise and minimise disruption.
    JEB Group supplied and installed single glazed partitions with a matching sliding door in this Hong Kong officeJEB said its Summit sliding doors are hung and constructed using a specially designed technique using gaskets to minimise sound when opening and closing.
    The company said it is also able to achieve smooth access through a custom made track at the base and heavy rollers capable of bearing loads up to 300kg.

    The partitions systems were customised by JEB with curved glass and matt black finishes for a financial planning company’s Hong Kong office.
    Designed to “optimise acoustics and seamlessly blend charm and functionality”, Summit partitions provide a private space suitable for meetings, according to the company.
    The meeting room has single glazed glass partitions and doors”One of the standout features of this workspace is our Summit partitions systems and matching sliding doors,” said the brand.
    “These partitions are a perfect example of how thoughtful design can enhance the modern office environment. They offer a sleek and stylish appearance with a slim frame that complements the overall interior design,” the company continued.
    The switchable “smart glass” can be left transparent for visibility or “misted” when privacy is needed”Their acoustic capabilities ensure that the workspace remains peaceful and free from distractions, creating an environment conducive to productivity,” added JEB Group.
    Summit partitions system and matching sliding doors, like all JEB acoustic partitions, undergo ISO certified and third party laboratory testing, and can achieve an STC rating of up to 37 with their double glazing solutions, the company said.
    “What’s more, the elegant curved feature of these doors adds a touch of sophistication to the space.”
    The curved glass was specified by the client for a contemporary lookAccording to the company, the Summit partition system is lightweight, ensuring “smooth and effortless operation”.
    The switchable single glazed glass panes can be left transparent for visibility between meeting spaces or “misted” to maximise privacy when needed.
    In addition to the Summit sliding doors, JEB Group curated a selection of modern and ergonomic furniture for the client.
    “By prioritising comfort and functionality, these carefully chosen pieces added the perfect finishing touch to our client’s commercial space, catering to the modern needs of businesses in workstations and breakout areas,” said JEB Group.
    The room is designed to be a private, near silent spaceJEB said it is committed to promoting sustainability practices striving to “repurpose unwanted furniture and relocate partitions to new sites” where possible.
    The company aims to provide an array of design services: acoustic partitions, office furniture, bespoke facades and circular office fit-out solutions.
    Other projects by JEB Group featured on Dezeen include glazed acoustic partitions and furniture created for UOW College Hong Kong.
    To find out more about JEB Group, visit jebgroup.com.
    The photography is courtesy of JEB Group.
    Partnership content
    This article was written by Dezeen for JEB Group as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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    Isern Serra designs Barcelona modelling agency as a “landscape” for taking photos

    Pale walls, sculptural furnishings and sunken plant features provide a striking backdrop to photoshoots taking place inside this Barcelona modelling agency, devised by Spanish studio Isern Serra.

    The Blow Models office occupies the ground floor of a 1920s building and its adjoining warehouse in Barcelona’s Sant Martí neighbourhood.
    Isern Serra designed its pared-back interior as “a landscape where the models can take pictures”.
    The Blow Models office centres around conversation pits and a sunken plant featureThe studio began by knocking through the building’s false ceiling and most of the partition walls to make the interior appear more open and airy.
    A long, rectangular skylight was carved out of the ceiling to allow for more natural lighting, and all surfaces were painted in a pale buttermilk hue.

    A long concrete desk accommodates staff computersAs the building doesn’t sit above a basement or car park, the studio took the opportunity to dig down into the site’s foundations.
    At the heart of the office, the floor is now punctuated by three holes. Two of these were turned into cushioned conversation pits while the third overflows with leafy tropical plants.
    “Light and vegetation becomes the centre from which the project is structured,” explained the studio. “[The] unusual and beautiful background is intended to encourage photography.”
    Steel stools were placed around another concrete tableTwo large concrete tables were placed on either side of the office – one functioning as a communal work desk while the other can be used for general staff gatherings, surrounded by steel stools.
    Steel was also used to create a sculptural prep counter in the office’s kitchen.
    The counter in the staff kitchen is also made from steelThe only rooms that are closed off are those used for meetings or by the accounting department.
    Plain white curtains were installed around their perimeter so that they, too, can serve as spaces to photograph models if necessary.
    Formal meeting rooms are closed off from the rest of the floor planTo maintain the office’s open plan, the toilets were tucked away beside the building’s stairwell. Here, an expansive picture window overlooks the street, bisected by a chunky concrete washbasin.
    There’s also a floor-to-ceiling mirror where visiting models can do their makeup.
    Picture windows in the toilets offer views of the streetThis isn’t the only workspace that Isern Serra has devised in Barcelona. Earlier this year, the studio designed a calming, minimalist office for eyewear brand Gigi.
    Back in 2023 the studio also created an office for digital artist Andres Reisinger, finishing its interior with quartz and stainless steel details.
    The photography is by Salva López.

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    BIG opens Los Angeles office in renovated 1920s building

    Danish architecture studio BIG has opened an office in Santa Monica in a renovated 1928 Spanish revival building designed by iconic Los Angeles architect Paul R Williams.

    The 1928 building was refurbished by the team, many of whom will be joining the freshly minted BIG Los Angeles team – recruited both from the New York office and from the local “talent pool”.
    BIG has opened an office in a 1928 Paul R Williams building in Santa MonicaBIG, the architecture studio established by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, will be anchored in the Californian city by partner Leon Rost.
    For the renovation, the studio kept many of the original Spanish revival details of the original structure including the expressive reliefs on the facade.
    Some of the plaster detailing was kept, but the office largely has an unfinished lookSome of the interior plasterwork was maintained as well. The primary second-floor workspace was opened up, and much of the walls were peeled back to reveal the wooden structure and enhanced mechanical system.

    Unfinished concrete columns are located in th middle of the space, with thick wooden rafters intersected by skylights.
    The office layout is open, with large spanning desks and folded Roulade chairs by KiBiSi, which Ingels is also a partner of.
    The office will help expand the studio’s West Coast presenceAccording to Rost, the studio plans to continue to update the space with samples of technology such as solar panels from the studio’s local projects, many of which are in late states. These projects include Claremont McKenna College Robert Day Sciences Center.
    “We’ve also designed an interior layout that preserves the original interior plasterwork from 1928 and intentionally chose a location that is close to public transport,” Rost told Dezeen.
    “As a Japanese Californian I am excited to root BIG on the Pacific Coast. In the city of storytelling, big dreams and a pioneer spirit, I am certain LA will be a fertile frontier for continued experimentation. You could say BIG – though born in Copenhagen – has always been an Angeleno at heart.”

    BIG unveils twisted skyscraper designed “in the tradition of Flatiron”

    The office is the studio’s second in the United States, after its New York office opened in 2010.
    The studio has a significant presence on the West Coast, and is currently in the process of completing a large mix-used development on an industrial site in Downtown Los Angeles and is working with British studio Heatherwick on a Google headquarters in the San Francisco Bay area.
    The studio will be under the direction of partner Leon RostBIG New York partner Kai-Uwe Bergmann told Dezeen that the move has come from the “considerable” amount of West Coast work the studio has had since opening in the United States.
    “Having also once called Los Angeles home – I attended UCLA in the 1990s – I am super excited to bring ‘Scand-American’ thinking to our future work within the Pacific Rim region,” said Bergmann.
    Other significant projects on the West Coast by BIG include the impressively massed Vancouver House skyscraper in Vancouver, Canada.
    The photography is by Pooya AleDavood.  

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    Gisbert Pöppler creates own office and showroom inside former Berlin bookshop

    An old bookshop in Berlin is now home to the studio of architecture and interior design practice Gisbert Pöppler, which incorporates the building’s grand arched doorways and other original features.

    The office is situated on Karl Marx Allee, a major boulevard lined with buildings designed in the socialist classicism architectural style of the 1950s.
    Staff desks in the Gisbert Pöppler office sit near the building’s entranceGisbert Pöppler’s workspace had previously been located in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood, set above a row of nightclubs.
    “We had an amazing view of the city up there and enjoyed being in the midst of it all,” the practice told Dezeen.
    Archways offer views of the showroom at the building’s rear”We outgrew our space though and coincidently our landlords decided to completely renovate and add-on to the building, so we would have had to leave for a while anyway,” the studio added. “This was when we discovered that the former bookstore was available.”

    The bookstore had been left in a “depressing” state.
    But as soon as the Gisbert Pöppler team moved in, they sought to find ways to transform it into an efficient office and show space for their range of furnishings and textiles, all while preserving the site’s original features like its arched doorways and terrazzo flooring.
    Furnishings are displayed on carpeted platformsA formal work area with desks and computers has been created directly beside the office’s entrance, allowing staff to greet and interact with visitors as they walk in.
    Shelving here that originally stored books now holds material samples, image mood boards and other project-related paraphernalia.
    Meetings can be held in the next room along, which is centred by Gisbert Pöppler’s reflective aluminium Cherry table.
    The office’s literature corner has been painted bright pinkThen follows the showroom, where pieces are displayed on purple carpeted platforms that the practice created in collaboration with Swiss rug makers Rückstuhl.
    “Preservation regulations were intense for this place, so our solutions are somewhat unconventional,” the practice said. “We built platforms to define spaces and solve technical situations without harming the building’s fabric.”
    Hanging utensils decorate the office’s kitchenTwo further spaces branch off from here: a conference area for larger staff gatherings, and a “literature corner” filled with inspirational reading material.
    Unlike the rest of the office, which is painted an icy-blue shade, this corner has been completed in a vivid pink hue to offset the lack of natural light in this area.
    A dresser in the kitchen contains porcelain handed down from Pöppler’s grandmotherAdditionally, there’s a kitchen on-site where staff can prepare and eat their meals at lunchtime, featuring simple white cabinetry and hanging utensils.
    To one side of the room stands an ornate dresser, restored by Gisbert Pöppler’s eponymous founder as a young man. Inside, the cabinet is filled with an array of Meissen porcelain tableware collected by his grandmother.
    There’s also a basement where the practice keeps more materials and client orders before they’re shipped out.
    More materials and furnishings are stored in the office’s basementGisbert Pöppler has worked on a number of residential projects around Berlin.
    One such example is an apartment in the city’s Mitte borough, designed to be like a “tailor-made suit” with one-off furnishings and bespoke fixtures that suit the owner’s particular needs.

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    Space Available opens closed-loop design workshop and studio in Bali

    Design studio Space Available has transformed a former warehouse in Bali into a workshop and office space featuring a mezzanine clad in offcuts from its plastic recycling projects.

    Situated in an industrial suburb of the island’s capital Denpasar, the building houses the first physical workspace for Space Available, which creates products and clothing from ocean plastic and other waste materials.
    Space Available has designed its own studio and workshop in BaliThe organisation, founded in 2020 by English designer Daniel Mitchell, wanted to create a studio that can act as a creative hub for hosting activities centred around the themes of recycling and closed-loop design principles that aim to keep waste materials in use.
    The space was designed to accommodate recycling machines, upcycling stations and a bio-design lab created in collaboration with MycoWorks – a Californian company that develops materials from mushroom mycelium for brands including Hermès.
    The studio makes products from recycled plasticMitchell and Space Available’s in-house architect Andika Permana oversaw the renovation of the 500-square-metre building, defined by typical industrial features including grey breeze block walls.

    “The raw warehouse space underwent a transformation of refinement to make it feel less industrial,” Mitchell told Dezeen.
    “We skimmed and painted the walls white along with painting the previously unfinished metal ceiling. Our aim was to create a clean, white, almost gallery-like atmosphere.”
    Offcuts from the production process were used to clad the stairsTowards the rear of the space, a double-height steel structure was erected to house the laboratory as well as an office on the upper level. This volume is clad in waste plastic offcuts that are repurposed from the studio’s homeware and furniture production.
    “The blue ‘marble’ structure stands out against the clean white backdrop, creating a dramatic ‘structure within a structure’ effect that really pops out as you enter the studio,” Mitchell added.

    Space Available and Peggy Gou create furniture from “heartbreaking” plastic waste

    The use of offcuts fits with Space Available’s mission to “change the perception of waste through elevated design”.
    In addition to forming the facade, the material is used to create shelving, furniture, speakers and other amenities throughout the building.
    The warehouse’s remaining open floor area functions as a flexible space for building and exhibiting projects or hosting events. Large shelving units at one end are used to store and display the studio’s furniture and archival products.
    The studio’s sheet material was also used to form various furnishingsSpace Available was founded during the coronavirus pandemic by Mitchell, who moved to Bali with his wife in 2014 after working in the fashion industry for several years.
    Shocked by the global plastic waste crisis that is evident in the volume of pollution washing up on Indonesia’s beaches, he wanted to develop a design studio that would explore circular design principles and revolutionise the perception of ocean plastic and waste.
    The organisation has recycled more than six million plastic bottles in its projects, which range from large-scale sculptural installations to furniture and fashion design.
    A shelving unit displays the studio’s furniture and archival productsIts furniture and solid surface sheet materials are made from waste plastic collected from rivers and landfills. The material is shredded, added to a mould and baked to create panels featuring vibrant colours and patterns.
    Space Available previously collaborated with South Korean DJ Peggy Gou to create a chair made from 20 kilograms of recycled plastic with an integrated compartment for storing records.
    The recycled plastic resembles colourful marbleIn 2022, the studio opened a dedicated gallery, recycling station and upcycling bar called Museum of Space Available in the coastal town of Canggu, which features
    The building features a facade made from 200,000 recycled plastic bottles and showcases the work of the studio alongside projects by other artists, designers and scientists.
    Another Indonesian organisation giving new life to plastic waste is Sungai Watch, which recently launched its first furniture designs made using discarded plastic bags.

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    Holloway Li furnishes Mother London office with bold-coloured furniture

    Interior design studio Holloway Li has reimagined the office of advertising agency Mother London using bespoke furniture that nods to the 1970s to enhance its industrial setting in Shoreditch, London.

    Aiming to create a flexible multi-purpose space, Holloway Li reconfigured the ground floor and mezzanine of the office – located in a former tea factory – to host an open-plan kitchen, dining area and seating space, along with an updated reception area.
    Bespoke, bold-coloured furniture features throughout the office interiorBright red tables line the dining area to provide a flexible space for hosting office lunches as well as meetings, events and exhibitions.
    Designed by Holloway Li and manufactured by collaborator UMA, these bespoke tables nod to 1970s furniture design and feature a structural foam core encased by a thin layer of fibreglass, chosen for its lightweight materiality.
    Bright red tables encased with resin fill the dining area”Whilst celebrating the brand’s distinct and eclectic character, we wanted to reinvigorate the space with a new material palette, in keeping with the furniture’s precursors so there was a retained sense of familiarity for the pre-existing environment,” project designer Ivy Aris told Dezeen.

    “Our approach sought to not only elevate the multi-purpose functionality of the building as both an office and a hospitality setting, but also to develop methods of production with our close collaborators UMA and CraftWorks.”
    Deep green cabinets and red shelves line the kitchen spaceAdjacent to the dining area, an industrial-style kitchen is organised around two sleek stainless steel islands.
    Deep green cabinets topped with stainless steel and red-coloured shelving feature in the kitchen and display the agency’s extensive vintage tableware collection.

    London apartment features fish and chip shop-informed kitchen

    “In the kitchen, more muted shades of green and burgundy offset the clinical brushed steel counters, creating an adaptable space suited to shapeshifting from day to night,” studio co-founder Alex Holloway told Dezeen.
    “Much of our scheme was shaped by materials with reflective qualities, capitalising on the natural light from the original tea factory’s windows which worked to accentuate the raw charm of the industrial setting,” he added.
    Playful pink sofas wrap around the mezzanineThis material palette extends into the renewed 63-square-metre mezzanine area, which is furnished with playful pink sofas from Holloway Li’s T4 collection and complemented by red coffee tables made from salvaged wood.
    Meanwhile, at the office’s reception, the studio preserved an existing stainless steel desk and encased its structure with a translucent, glowing fascia. This is set against a backdrop of red curtains and hanging light bulbs, adding a sense of drama and theatricality to the reception area.
    A glowing reception desk is backed by red curtainsHolloway Li is an interior design studio founded by Alex Holloway and Na Li in 2018.
    Other recently completed office interiors include the conversion of a Victorian mission church into a flexible studio in London and a Minecraft-inspired office in Prague.
    The photography is by Felix Speller.
    Project credits:
    Interior design: Holloway LiDesign team: Alex Holloway, Ivy Aris, Jazzlyn JansenProject manager/ QS: Holloway LiContractor: Craftworks ProductionsMetalwork: Steel & FormJoinery: Craftworks ProductionsFurniture procurement agent: Holloway LiBespoke furniture (T4, Big Red, Reception Desk): Uma Objects

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