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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.

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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 Construction

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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.

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    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.

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    Eight interiors where Barbiecore pink adds a playful touch of colour

    As the upcoming Barbie film has created a shortage of pink colour and launched a real-life dollhouse in Malibu, we gathered eight pink interiors to exemplify the Barbiecore aesthetic for this lookbook.

    The pink hues that are usually associated with Barbie, a children’s toy first launched by manufacturer Mattel in 1959, are influencing both clothes and interiors ahead of Great Gerwig’s live-action Barbie film.
    The style, which has become known as Barbiecore, can add a joyful touch of colour to otherwise pared-back interiors, or be used as a hyper-bright nod to 1980s opulence.
    Here, we have gathered eight interiors where pink was used to give interiors additional warmth and a touch of whimsy.
    This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring rustic interiors, Wes Anderson-style interiors and welcoming wood-panelled dining rooms.

    Photo by JC de MarcosMinimal Fantasy, Spain, by Patricia Bustos Studio
    The Minimal Fantasy apartment is anything but minimalist – instead, Patricia Bustos Studio aimed to create an “aesthetic madness” for the interior of this Madrid rental in a 1950s residential building.
    The holiday home features 12 different shades of pink, with the entire living room covered in a pastel bubblegum pink.
    “Pink vindicates the fall of stereotypes – everything is possible, nothing is planned or established and that’s the beauty of it,” the studio told Dezeen.
    Find out more about Minimal Fantasy ›
    Photo by Matthew MillmanSan Francisco house, US, by Jamie Bush
    A more discrete take on adding pink to an interior can be found in this San Francisco house by architect Jamie Bush, who gave it an overhaul using an eclectic array of furniture.
    Bush added pink walls to the dining room, where they contrast against dark-wood vintage furniture and white details including a lamp and sheer curtains to create a playful, yet elegant atmosphere.
    Find out more about San Francisco House ›
    Photo by Hogwash StudiosBarbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse, US, by Ken
    The most Barbiecore interior of them all can naturally be found in the Barbie Malibu Dreamhouse, which is being rented out by the doll’s boyfriend Ken on Airbnb.
    Inside the California mansion, located beachside in Malibu, guests can enjoy pink rooms including the bright-fuchsia bedroom that has been decorated with cowboy hats, boots and cowhide rugs to add more “Kenergy”.
    Find out more about Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse ›
    Photo by Luis Díaz DíazMixtape apartment, Spain, by Azab
    A dusky baby-pink kitchen decorates the Mixtape apartment in Bilbao, which was designed by architecture studio Azab.
    The white and pink cupboards are boarded by light timber strips, and the appliances in the room have also been painted pink. A multicoloured floor with pale green and yellow as well as darker red herringbone tiles give the space a vibrant feel.
    Find out more about Mixtape apartment ›
    Photo by Rei Moon of Moon Ray Studio130-square-metre-house, UK, by Studiomama
    “London’s smallest house”, a conceptual design by Studiomama, features an abundance of pink details throughout, including in its plywood-clad kitchen.
    Here, the clever fold-out seating has been decorated with blush-pink cushions and pillows, with a pink cushion also forming a cosy backrest.
    Find out more about 130-square-metre house ›
    Photo by Salva LopezMoco Barcelona, Spain, by Isern Serra
    A computer-generated image was transformed into a real-life interior for the Moco Barcelona store, a rose-coloured shop inside the city’s Moco Museum.
    Designer Isern Serra used pink micro-cement to achieve the same uniform, ultra-smooth surfaces as those of the computer-generated image, creating a dream-like interior filled with rounded corners and arches.
    Find out more about Moco Barcelona ›
    Photo by Lorenzo ZandriPigment House, UK, by Unknown Works
    London studio Unknown Works went all in on the pink for Pigment House, a Hampstead home that was renovated to add a pink-toned patio area.
    While not technically part of the interior, it adds a splash of colour to the ground floor area, and is used for indoor-outdoor living in the summer months. The choice of pink was a reference to the colourful buildings of Mexican architect Luiz Barragán.
    Find out more about Pigment House ›
    Photo by Hey! CheeseCats’ Pink House, Taiwan, by KC Design Studio
    This holiday home in Taiwan got its name, Cats’ Pink House, as it includes cat ladders, a rotating carousel-shaped climbing frame and a fluffy pink cat swing.
    KC Design Studio used a mineral-based paint to create the pink walls throughout the home, which also features a pink bathroom – with a pink cat litter box.
    Find out more about Cats’ Pink House ›
    This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring rustic interiors, Wes Anderson-style interiors and welcoming wood-panelled dining rooms.

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    Isern Serra turns renderings into reality to form pink Moco Concept Store in Barcelona

    Design studio Isern Serra has transformed a computer-generated image by digital artist Six N Five into a rose-coloured retail space for the Moco Museum in Barcelona.

    Situated in Barcelona’s El Born neighbourhood, the Moco Museum exclusively exhibits the work of modern artists such as Damien Hirst, Kaws, Yayoi Kusama and Jeff Koons.
    The institution’s eponymous concept store has a similarly contemporary offering, selling a mix of design, fashion and lifestyle goods.
    The store’s interior is completely covered in pink micro-cementIts surreal pink interior started out as a computer-generated image by Six N Five, a digital artist known for envisioning other-worldly dreamscapes in pastel hues.
    Barcelona-based design studio Isern Serra then brought the image to life, using pink micro-cement to achieve the same uniform, ultra-smooth surfaces seen in the drawing.

    Products are displayed inside huge circular display niches”The Moco Concept Store represented an interesting challenge, as I had to combine the purpose of the store with actual architecture remaining true to our original dreamy world I had built in CGI,” explained Six N Five, whose real name is Ezequiel Pini.
    “But these concepts were able to go one level further, both in decisions and execution, thanks to Isern Serra who brought its extraordinary talent and experience.”
    Arched and square niches have also been punctured into the wallsThe store’s rosy interior can be seen through two large openings in its facade – one of them is rectangular, while the other is slightly curved and contains the entrance door.
    A series of chunky columns run through the middle of the space. Surrounding walls have been punctured with arched, square and circular display niches, some of which are dramatically backlit.
    Rows of shelves and a frame for a tv screen have also been made to project from the wall.
    A faux skylight sits directly above pink display plinthsThe store’s largely open floor plan is only interrupted by a few pink cylindrical plinths used to showcase products, and a bespoke pink cashier desk with an integrated computer system.
    Custom spotlights have been installed on the ceiling, along with a faux skylight.
    The store’s custom furnishings, like the cashier desk, are also rendered in pinkAn increasing number of creatives are making their virtual designs a reality.
    Last year, digital artist Andres Reisinger collaborated with furniture brand Moooi to produce a physical version of his Instagram-famous Hortensia chair, which was initially a rendering.
    The piece is covered with 20,000 pink fabric petals, emulating the almost fluffy appearance of a hydrangea flower.
    In Sweden, designer Christoffer Jansson passed off a virtual apartment as an Instagram home renovation project.
    The photography is by Salva Lopez.
    Project credits:
    Authors: Six N Five and Isern SerraBuilder: Tegola Rosso SL

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    “The world ran out of pink” due to Barbie movie production

    The sets of Greta Gerwig’s upcoming Barbie movie required such vast amounts of pink paint, they swallowed up one company’s entire global supply, according to production designer Sarah Greenwood.

    Speaking to Architectural Digest, Gerwig revealed that the team constructed the movie’s fluorescent Barbie Land sets almost entirely from scratch at the Warner Bros Studios Leavesden – all the way down to the sky, which was hand-painted rather than CGI rendered.
    Barbie Land sets were built from scratch in a movie lot”We were literally creating the alternate universe of Barbie Land,” she told the magazine. “Everything needed to be tactile, because toys are, above all, things you touch.”
    To recreate the almost monochromatic colour palette of Barbie’s Dreamhouses, the set design team had to source a bottomless supply of pink paint to cover everything from lampposts to road signs.
    Almost everything from lamp posts to sidewalks is rendered in vibrant pinkIn particular, the production used a highly saturated shade by US manufacturer Rosco to capture the hyperreality of Barbie Land.

    “I wanted the pinks to be very bright, and everything to be almost too much,” Gerwig told Architectural Digest.
    So much paint was needed, in fact, that Greenwood says the movie’s production caused a worldwide shortage of that particular hue.
    “The world ran out of pink,” she joked.

    Six Barbie Dreamhouses that chart the evolution of the American home

    Rosco later told the LA Times that the company’s supply chain had already been disrupted when the movie began production at the start of 2022, due to the lingering aftereffects of the coronavirus pandemic and the winter storm that shocked Texas the previous year.
    “There was this shortage and then we gave them everything we could – I don’t know they can claim credit,” Rosco’s vice president of global marketing Lauren Proud told the LA Times, before conceding that “they did clean us out on paint”.
    Margot Robbie plays the movie’s main characterSince stills for the upcoming movie were first released a year ago, the all-pink hyper-feminine “Barbiecore” aesthetic has infiltrated the design world, with Google searches skyrocketing and the term accumulating more than 349 million views on TikTok.
    Earlier this year, Barbie manufacturer Mattel collaborated with Pin-Up magazine to release a monograph on the architecture and interiors of Barbie’s Dreamhouse to mark its 60th anniversary.
    “There have been so many books and entire PhDs on Barbie, but never really on her many houses and her furniture,” Pin-Up founder Felix Burrichter told Dezeen.
    “So we thought it would be a good idea to make one and treat it as a serious subject, in the same way that Barbie has been treated as a serious subject over the years.”
    The image is by Mattel.

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    Il Capri Hotel receives pink-heavy revamp from Graziella Buontempo and Arnaud Lacombe

    A husband-and-wife hotelier duo has renovated a hotel in a Venetian-style palazzo on the island of Capri, refreshing its pastel-pink facade and continuing the hue into the guest rooms.

    Il Capri Hotel was built in the 19th century as a private villa in the Neo-gothic Venetian style before being transformed into a hotel in 1899.
    Il Capri Hotel is located in a Venetian-style palazzo in the centre of CapriIts current owners, Graziella Buontempo and Arnaud Lacombe, redesigned the interiors to reflect the grandeur of the property while imbuing it with a sense of contemporary chic.
    The duo retained the building’s signature pink-and-white facades, repairing and repainting them. They also chose to repeat some of the same hues and external architectural details throughout the interiors.
    The reception area features a marble-topped desk and a retail space”Honoring the property’s history and location, the hotel’s colour palette is inspired by the pink found across the island of Capri and the striking volcanic reds of Mount Vesuvius,” said the hotel team.

    A bright red curved awning signals the hotel’s entrance, located close to the town square in the centre of the famous Italian holiday destination, leading guests to a reception desk topped with reddish marble.
    A checkerboard floor runs through the communal lounge spacesRoom keys are stored individually in small arched niches within a wood-panelled wall behind, while local gifts are displayed on built-in shelves nearby.
    The hotel’s public areas feature checkerboard flooring, black lighting fixtures and red curtains to the match sofa cushions and rug trims.
    The hotel has 21 guest rooms spread over several floorsA variety of antique furniture pieces were curated to make the lounges feel homely while artworks and photos were sourced from the personal collection of Buontempo, whose family has long associations with the island.
    Archways divide various seating areas from corridors and one another, creating several distinct areas where guests can relax.
    The pink of the building’s exterior is continued in the guest roomsIn the bedrooms, pink appears again as wainscoting and on upholstered headboards shaped as ogee arches.
    The rooms include sisal floors and other natural materials and are simply decorated so that attention isn’t drawn away from the views.
    The rooms are decorated sparingly to draw attention to the views”Each of the 21 guest rooms pays homage to the culture of the island with decor imbuing a feeling of comfort, no-frills luxury and understated elegance,” the hotel team said.
    Il Capri offers several options for dining and drinking, many of which allow these activities to be enjoyed al fresco with views of the island’s dramatic coastline and the Gulf of Naples.

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    These include the street-level Caprirama Bar, connected to the lobby and extended onto an expansive terrace with a herringbone-pattern tiled floor and groupings of terracotta plant pots, landscaped by garden designer Jonathan Froines.
    The all-day restaurant Vesuvio also has a shaded outdoor dining terrace, where caned bistro chairs accompany wood-topped tables.
    The hotel has several terraces for relaxing outdoorsSun loungers line up along the rooftop swimming pool, shaded by red parasols with crenellated white edges.
    There’s also a subterranean nightclub, Rumore, which is used as a cinema and an events space during the off-season.
    The terraces feature herringbone-tiled floors and groups of potted plantsA short boat ride from Naples on the Amalfi Coast, Capri is a popular destination for both Italian and international tourists.
    Elsewhere in the country, recently opened or revamped hotels include the Palazzo Daniele in Puglia, the Condominio Monti in Rome, and the Aeon Hotel near Bolzano.
    The photography is by Jonathan Froines.

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    Golem creates “pleasure-driven” pink interior for Superzoom gallery

    Bubblegum-pink walls, floors and furniture create unconventional spaces for displaying art at this gallery in Paris designed by local studio Golem.

    Headed by architect and artist Ariel Claudet, the practice was invited to design the interior for the Superzoom art gallery, which is located in the historic Le Marais district.
    Superzoom gallery in Paris features bubblegum-pink interiorsThe gallery comprises three spaces arranged in an unusual order, with the gallery director’s office at the entrance, a white-cube gallery space in the centre and an accessible storage space at the rear.
    “We flipped upside-down the classic and elitist sequence of an art gallery, offering visitors a new pleasure-driven experience and the gallery managers three spatial tools for a large range of curatorial approaches,” explained Claudet.
    Pink is Superzoom’s signature colourSuperzoom’s signature colour pink was used as the basis for the design, reflecting the vibrancy of the local nightlife and techno scene where the gallery mingles with artists and collectors, according to Claudet.

    An integrated sound system hooked up to a vinyl record player provides a soundtrack of electronic music to enhance this connection.
    The “pink den” contains a built-in bench for visitors and a synthetic grassBy placing the director’s bright-pink office at the front, Golem aimed to create an entrance that is warmer and more inviting than a typical white gallery space.
    The “pink den” contains a built-in bench for visitors and a fake grass carpet that contributes to the warm, tonal aesthetic.
    The integrated sound system is hooked up to a record playerVisitors can continue through into a large and versatile white-walled gallery. This display area remains connected to the main spatial concept thanks to the pink openings on either side.
    The final space within the gallery is a storage area with walls painted the same shade of lively pink. In a conventional gallery setting, this space would be hidden away. But here, it is open and accessible to visitors.

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    Each of the spaces in Superzoom’s gallery can be used for exhibiting work, either independently or together.
    For example, Golem suggested the white cube could be used for a solo show while other artists’ work is presented in the director’s office and storage space.
    A white-walled gallery provides more space for exhibiting artAll of the furniture and the pink wall separating the white cube from the director’s office are mobile and can be removed to create a larger space for exhibitions or parties.
    Golem designed the baby pink table featured in the director’s office as an emblem of the gallery that can be taken to art fairs or used for client dinners.
    The pink office table can be removed and brought to art fairsClaudet founded Golem in 2021 after working as an architect for practices including Rem Koolhaas’s Rotterdam-based firm OMA.
    Other all-pink interiors published on Dezeen include a fur-covered Balenciaga store in London and the Minimal Fantasy holiday apartment in Madrid.
    The photography is by Cyrille Lallement.

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