Eight bathrooms resurrecting pink sinks for the 21st century
Blush-coloured basins are experiencing a resurgence in contemporary bathroom interiors. This lookbook compiles eight of our favourite examples. More
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Tengbom fills Stockholm studio with repurposed materials from previous office
Swedish architecture office Tengbom has set up its studio inside a renovated 1930s factory in Stockholm, with a demountable fit-out that relies almost entirely on reused and existing elements. More
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Vaga Arquitectura and Pistache Ganache wrap Brazilian store in undulating “membrane”
Brazilian studios Vaga Arquitectura and Atelier Pistache Ganache teamed up to design a “consumer-first” boutique outfit with curving coral walls for a mattress company in Sāo Paulo. More
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Studio Tarea creates “90s fever dream” inside pink Richmond eatery
Pink walls, carpet and upholstery define this intimate restaurant and cocktail bar in Richmond, Virginia, designed by locally based Studio Tarea.
Pink Room was created in a former studio apartment, transformed into what Studio Tarea describes as “a 90s fever dream where you can have a cocktail made from concrete”.
A studio apartment was transformed to create the compact Pink RoomThe team renovated the space for chef Brittanny Anderson, creating an 18-seat restaurant in which she can cook a weekly updated menu while conversing with her guests.
“Between the short timeline, the tiny footprint, and the client’s vision of bright colors and funky textures, it was a test for us,” said studio co-founder Nolan Beck Rivera.
The restaurant’s large windows are veiled with silver-bead curtainsWith partner Cameron Billinghurst, the studio looked to girls’ bedrooms in the 1990s that featured Spice Girls posters and fluffy bedding as primary references.The aim was to elevate this nostalgic aesthetic with materials including glass and polished metal to offset the bright colours and plush textures. “We found a nice balance between our modernist tastes and Brittanny’s maximalist vision,” Rivera said.
Glass and metal tables were chosen to offset the all-pink paletteThick-piled carpet with colour-blocked patterning forms a soft covering across the floor, helping to dampen acoustic echoes
Across the ceiling, a collage created by artist Monsieur Zohore depicts women in pop culture with food.
Food is plated and served from a small open kitchen, from which the chef can converse with her guestsFrom the compact kitchen, food is plated and passed to a peninsula with bar seats for four, or served to the five glass and metal tables.
Two four-tops are positioned in the centre of the room, while three two-tops share a cushioned and upholstered banquette along the wall.
Several pop-culture references are sprinkled throughout the interiorLarge windows are veiled in silver-bead curtains that partially conceal the view from the street.
Smoked polycarbonate sliding doors disguise the powder room, in the apartment’s former bathroom past the kitchen, where a vintage mirror hangs above basin.Akin Atelier designs JAM Record Bar to feel like being “inside a giant speaker”
A trio of polished nickel sconces are mounted on the dining room wall, while three glossy ceramic pendants hang above the peninsula.
Additional cove and under-shelf lighting glow orange and pink as the evening service draws later, adding to the experience.
The mood is set by lighting that includes nickel-plated sconces”Part of the experience of eating there is looking around at the unique light fixtures, trying to find the hidden Miss Piggies, spotting pop-culture references,” said Rivera.
“Obviously Brittanny’s food is the centrepiece, but the interiors really complement it.”
The apartment bathroom was upgraded to a powder room, which includes a vintage mirrorPink in its many shades is a popular choice for restaurant decor, from Ken Fulk’s pastel-hued Swan in Miami to the bold monochrome JAM Record Bar in Sydney by Akin Atelier.
Meanwhile, other eateries that have taken a different monochromatic approach include the all-blue Only Love Strangers in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and the buttery yellow San Sabino the West Village.
The photography is by Nolan Beck Rivera.Read more: More
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Akin Atelier designs JAM Record Bar to feel like being “inside a giant speaker”
Pink plywood and exposed insulation combine in this monochrome bar in Sydney, designed by local architecture office Akin Atelier to evoke the cosy feel of Tokyo’s mid-century listening bars.
Akin Atelier founder Kelvin Ho designed JAM Record Bar for Justin Hemmes, the CEO of the Merivale hospitality group, who also ran the music label JAM Recordings.
A passion project for Hemmes and his sister Bettina, the bar is named after their parents John and Merivale, who used the JAM label for various ventures alongside their successful hospitality business.
Akin Atelier has designed a monochrome bar in SydneyThe idea for the bar came from a trip to Japan taken by Hemmes and Ho, where the pair enjoyed sampling the atmosphere of Tokyo’s iconic listening bars.
“We wanted to create an immersive and fun environment,” said Ho, who has collaborated with Merivale for over 15 years on roughly 20 projects.“Justin and I have had some super fun trips to Tokyo exploring lots of bars and clubs,” he told Dezeen. “The commitment to design and concept was what we loved in Japan and JAM was an opportunity to do our own spin on this idea.”
The interior scheme was influenced by Tokyo’s midcentury listening barsLocated on a corner of George Street in the city’s central business district, the compact 80-square-metre space seats 45 and houses a collection of 15,000 vinyl records along with a DJ booth.
The unit was previously occupied by a retail store and has large windows looking onto the adjacent streets. Together with outdoor seating, the corner windows help to create a strong connection with the surroundings.
Despite the small size of the space, Ho and his team created distinct zones organised around a central bar.
Fibreglass insulation panels are left exposed within the ceiling structureTowards the rear, an area with low seating has an intimate lounge-like feel, while the main bar area features tall stools and space for standing.
Ho described the decor as “simple and analogue but also refined”, explaining that this was achieved using a basic material palette including cork, plywood and off-the-shelf insulation.
“These are all familiar and accessible materials but we used them in a way that was more elevated through detailing and composition.”
The central bar is surrounded by tall stools with space for standingJAM Record Bar’s distinctive colour was driven by a specific material choice taken by Akin Atelier to enhance the acoustic properties of the space.
Pink fibreglass insulation panels from New Zealand firm Pink Batts are left exposed within the ceiling structure rather than being concealed behind plasterboard.Omar Aqeel brings “sensory fantasy” to NYC bar Only Love Strangers
“We loved the pink colour of the insulation, which then inspired the pink plywood and a full commitment to the colour throughout the project,” said Ho.
“JAM is designed to feel like you are drinking a cocktail inside a giant speaker box – but pink.”
The pink hue is applied across the ceiling, walls and all of the bespoke plywood joinery including the bar, the record library and the geometric stools that are used both indoors and outdoors.
The bar’s distinctive pink colour also extends to the built-in record libraryThe space is given a retro feel through the selection of vintage light fittings and objects curated by Merivale’s styling director Bettina Hemmes and design director Nasim Koerting.
Neon signage in the windows nods to the bar’s Japanese inspiration, while midcentury-style details such as the entrance with its grid of circular windows evoke the golden age of vinyl in the 1950s and 60s.
JAM Record Bar offers a menu of Japanese-inspired snacks developed by chef Michael Fox of Merivale’s Sushi E restaurant and drinks crafted by the company’s creative cocktail lead James Irvine.
Neon signage in the windows nods to JAM Record Bar’s Japanese inspirationKelvin Ho founded Akin Atelier in 2005 after studying at the University of Sydney.
The studio’s multidisciplinary output combines architecture and interior design, with previous projects including a retail space in Sydney with curved resin walls and a womenswear store in Melbourne featuring a tactile material palette.
The photography is by Tim Salisbury.Read more: More
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Marimekko transforms “real Milanese institution” into flower-clad cafe
Jumbo poppies synonymous with Marimekko cover the floor of Bar Unikko, a pink-hued pop-up cafe created as a Milan design week pit stop to mark the print’s 60th anniversary.
Named after Unikko, the recognisable poppy pattern designed by Maija Isola in 1964, the cafe is a pop-up project at Bar Stoppani in Milan.
Bar Unikko is a collaboration between Marimekko and Apartamento magazineMarimekko purposefully left the interior layout of the cafe, which is a collaboration with interior design magazine Apartamento, largely untouched to create a contrast between the Finnish brand’s design language and traditional Italian eateries.
“The idea was to really acknowledge where we are and find a real Milanese institution,” creative director Rebekka Bay told Dezeen at the cafe. “If that hadn’t been our intent, then we could have just taken on an empty space.”
The cafe features poppy-clad awningBar Unikko is positioned on a corner site with a large pink and orange awning emblazoned with oversized poppies, which also feature on table umbrellas that create a striking landmark when approaching the cafe.“We’ve really taken the pattern out of its normal context and let it come to life in a whole new way,” added Bay, who described the contrast between Marimekko motifs and the existing bar interior as “refreshing”.
“In the Nordics, we’re obsessed with cleanliness, systems and functionality,” she continued. “Whereas here, it’s dramatic and complex.”
Oiva espresso cups were designed specifically for Bar UnikkoSpread across a single room, the interior kept its existing dark blue accents, burl wood panels, circular tables and a large bar positioned in front of mirrors.
A neon poppy was placed above one of the tables, which were topped with gold Verner Panton Flowerpot lamps.
The brand also added its signature pattern to the floor, characterised by poppies finished in two shades of pink, and a blue and yellow curtain at the back of the space.
All of the crockery is Marimekko-brandedOther than these bold features, Bay explained that the Marimekko touches are found in the “little things”.
Floral crockery, coasters, napkins and matches appear throughout Bar Unniko, which also includes Oiva – a collection of petite patterned espresso cups designed specifically for the takeover.
“At first glance, you’re walking into a Milanese bar, and it doesn’t actually look like we’ve done much – but then the more you immerse yourself you start noticing these things,” said Bay.Printed textiles are “not just an accessory but something that can create a space” says Marimekko creative director
Framed black and white photographs of the late Marimekko founder Armi Ratia were mounted to the walls as a nod to the brand’s history.
Throughout the day, the changing light alters the pink glow that illuminates the interior while a shifting soundtrack signals the transition from morning to afternoon to evening.
Bar Unikko is a day-to-night cafeBay explained that communal gathering is at the heart of Marimekko, which is why the brand chose to create a day-to-night cafe to celebrate 60 years of its well-known print.
“Our founder famously said, I think at the beginning of Marimekko, that the brand could’ve been anything,” reflected the creative director. “Our mission is not only to bring joy to people’s lives but to bring people together.”
Other highlights from this year’s edition of Milan design week include Faye Toogood’s Rude Arts Club exhibition, furniture made from reused skyscraper formwork and an inflatable gaming chair from IKEA.
The photography is by Sean Davidson.
Bar Unikko is open from 15 to 21 April 2024 at Bar Stoppani, Via Antonio Stoppani 15, 20129, Milan. See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.Read more: More
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Maria Vittoria Paggini’s gives her home “porno-chic” makeover for Milan design week
Designer Maria Vittoria Paggini has used colourful wallpaper and murals depicting nude bodies concealed behind peepholes to transform her home for Milan design week.
Located in the 5vie design district in the heart of the city, Casa Ornella is annually redesigned by Vittoria Paggini who presents the project during Milan design week.
This year, the property – which is also partly an art gallery, is themed “porno-chic”.
Maria Vittoria Paggini has redesigned her home around the theme of “porno-chic””Casa Ornella is a maximalist house” said the designer, who is opening up her home to the public during the week.
“Porno-chic stems from a strong need for rediscovery and self-awareness. To achieve this, I felt the need to bare myself and decided to use the metaphor of the naked body, pushing it to the extreme to make it invisible to the eyes,” she told Dezeen.“Going beyond that, porno-chic aims to be a style of ‘rebirth,’ a recognition of oneself through the home or any place to inhabit.”
Tatiana Brodatch’s graphic wallpaper features in the living spaceThe interiors feature a living space characterised by artist Tatiana Brodatch’s striking wallpaper. Oversized spots and stripes in pink and purple hues form the backdrop for images of faceless, nude male sculptures touching themselves.
Finished in Brodatch’s signature lumpy plasticine, the figures look like they are flying through space.
Illustrative nude bodies decorate brown curtainsTwo boothlike, art deco armchairs with burl wood casing were positioned next to this feature wall, as well as a translucent table designed by Vittoria Paggini and topped with twisting, marble and Murano glass candelabras by Aina Kari.
Visitors can see Brodatch’s wallpaper through a circular peephole on one of the corridors, which adds to the “sensual” atmosphere of the home, according to the designer.
A naked mural lines one of the corridorsElsewhere, brown curtains illustrated with naked female bodies and a small but suggestive figurative sculpture sitting on a silver tray are reflected in a swollen gold mirror.
One corridor is characterised by a large-scale floor mural of a nude woman, created as a set of abstract brown and pink shapes.
The only private room is the bedroomThe only room not open to the public is the bedroom, which is decorated with a graphic, floor-to-ceiling mural of naked men surrounded by decadent architecture, influenced by 13th-century paintings.
Visitors can view the bedroom mural, created by Milanese illustrator Damiano Groppi, through another peephole.
A peephole reveals the room’s muralSugary pink walls, striped and chequerboard accents and multiple mirrored surfaces throughout the home add to its maximalist design.
Casa Ornella also includes two more Vittoria Paggini-designed products, which are being debuted for the design week and take cues from “the world of jewellery”.Six typefaces that make use of the human body and bodily fluids
These are bulbous gold taps created for Milanese brand Manoli – positioned above veiny Gio Ponti basins in the bathroom – and slender light switches designed for Officine Morelli.
According to Vittoria Paggini, these pieces are “what is most characteristic of the porno-chic style”.
“They serve two different functions but have the same language that aims to communicate sensuality and timeless elegance.”
Sugary pink walls feature throughout the homeThe annual Milan design week has kicked off in the Italian city, with projects on display ranging from a collection of everyday objects designed using algae and sculptural lights by Leo Maher that reference “a hot-pot of queer culture”.
The photography is courtesy of Maria Vittoria Paggini.
Casa Ornella is on display at Via Conca di Naviglio 10, Milan, during Milan Design Week from 15 to 21 April 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for more architecture and design events around the world.Read more: More
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Gharib Studio outfits Austin jewellery store with pink walls and arches
Los Angeles design studio Gharib Studio has contrasted concrete floors and exposed ceilings with soft-pink walls and clean lines for a jewellery store in Austin.
Created for the friendship jewellery brand Little Words Project (LWP), Gharib Studio used elements of the merchandise to inform the store’s pink material palette and incorporated arches throughout the space to contrast the industrial elements of the building, which were left exposed.
Gharib Studio has outfitted a jewellery store in Austin with dusty pinkAccording to Gharib Studio founder Nora Gharib, the team followed the common phrase “everything is bigger in Texas” when designing the concept store.
“I wanted to amplify the brand in a grand way by taking the LWP brand aesthetic and localizing it to Texas by pushing the standard design elements, such as the brand’s bracelet arches and beading table experience, then accentuating it,” said Gharib.
Arches and soft tones contrast with the space’s industrial elementsVisitors enter the store into a large, primary space, where built-in display cases were integrated into the walls.On one side, the display resembles small bookcases and on the other, the bracelets are displayed throughout a series of arches.
Long tables lead to the seating area at the back of the spaceAt the centre of the primary space are two long tables with metallic-coated bases, also used for display. A circular display table in the middle was created to resemble a vanity, with merchandise incorporated throughout.
Gharib inserted three arches along the back of the space, in part to accentuate the height of the space, and to draw visitors to the space beyond them, which serves as a beading area.
Metallic details were informed by the charms found on the braceletsThis space was outfitted with CB2 Castell Chairs in burgundy, with similar tables as the main space, except with pink bases instead of silver.
A neon sign that reads, “You can sit with us” hangs above the tables.Side Angle Side transforms mid-century Austin post office into restaurant
Textured dusty-pink wallpaper by Belarte Studio was used to line the space, while the remaining interior was covered in a rose pink hue.
Metallic accents throughout the store, including aluminium light pendants, a metal trimmed mirror and the display table’s metallic bases, were informed by the metal charms found in LWP bracelets.
It is the brand’s first store in AustinThe space’s utility elements were left exposed on the ceiling, with red track lighting running the perimeter of the space.
Other retail projects recently completed in Austin include a mid-century post office turned grocery by Side Angle Side.
Gharib Studio is a Los Angeles-based studio founded by Nora Gharib in 2023, focused on retail and brand design.
The photography is by Casey Woods Photography
Project credits:
Architectural designer: Gharib Studio
General contractor: Paco Santander ConstructionRead more: More
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Space Projects creates Amsterdam store with thatched hut for Polspotten
A curvilinear thatched hut has been paired with terracotta-hued tiles at the Amsterdam store for homeware brand Polspotten, which was designed by local studio Space Projects.
The studio created the store to straddle a shop and an office for Polspotten, a furniture and home accessories brand headquartered in the Dutch capital.
Visitors enter the Polspotten store via an oversized triangular entrancewayCharacterised by bold angles and arches, the outlet features distinctive terracotta-coloured walls and flooring that nod to traditional pots, Space Projects founder Pepijn Smit told Dezeen.
“The terracotta-inspired colours and materials refer to the brand’s first product, ‘potten’ – or pots,” said Smit, alluding to the first Spanish pots imported by Erik Pol when he founded Polspotten in the Netherlands in 1986.
The interconnected spaces are delineated by cutoutsLocated in Amsterdam’s Jordaan neighbourhood, the store was arranged across a series of open-plan rooms, interconnected by individual geometric entryways.Visitors enter at a triangular opening, which was cut away from gridded timber shelving lined with multicoloured pots that mimic totemic artefacts in a gallery.
A curvilinear thatched hut provides a meeting spaceThe next space features a similar layout, as well as a plump cream sofa with rounded modules and sculptural pots stacked in a striking tower formation.
Travelling further through the store, molten-style candle holders and Polspotten furniture pieces were positioned next to chunky illuminated plinths, which exhibit amorphously shaped vases finished in various coral-like hues.Dana Arbib shows colourful glassware informed by root vegetables for New York exhibition
Accessed through a rectilinear, terracotta-tiled opening, the final space features a bulbous indoor hut covered in thatch and fitted with a light pink opening.
The hut provides a meeting space for colleagues, according to the studio founder.
“The thatch, as a natural material, absorbs sound as well,” explained Smit.
The store provides an art gallery-style space for homewareNext to the hut, Space Projects created an acoustic wall illustrated with “hieroglyphics” of Polspotten products, which references the gallery-like theme that runs throughout the outlet.
“The store was inspired by Polspotten’s use of traditional techniques combined with a collage of their reinterpreted archetypes,” said Smit.
It is also used as an office spaceElsewhere in Amsterdam, Dutch practice Studio RAP used 3D printing and algorithmic design to create a “wave-like” facade for a boutique store while interior designer Linda Bergroth created the interiors for the city’s Cover Story paint shop to streamline the redecorating process for customers.
The photography is by Kasia Gatkowska.Read more: More
