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      Emma Martí celebrates Menorca's architectural heritage in Hevresac Hotel

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      Spanish architect Emma Martí has converted an 18th-century townhouse on the Balearic island of Menorca into the intimate eight-bedroom Hevresac Hotel, taking over all of its five floors from basement to attic.

      The building, which originally belonged to a local merchant and privateer, is set in the historic centre of Mahón – a former trade hub that still bears traces of French and English culture after spending many years under colonial rule.
      Emma Martí has converted a five-storey townhouse into the Hevresac HotelHevresac owners Ignasi Truyol and Stephanie Mahé brought Martí on board for the renovation in part because she was an old friend, who they thought could be trusted to conserve and enhance the spirit and character of the building.
      Martí’s aim for the project was to fill the building with light and life while preserving its wealth of existing architectural elements, from wooden beams and mosaic flooring to stucco walls and staircases.
      “The aim of the project was to create a fresh and inspiring hotel that values the beauty of the existing architecture,” said the hotel’s owners.

      Original details such as parquet floors were retained throughoutHevresac’s original floors, covered variously in wooden parquet and encaustic cement tiles, were carefully preserved.
      In areas where it was not possible to retain the original elements, Martí chose a new design language using modern equivalents of these original materials, including micro-cement.
      Hevresac Hotel has only eight guest roomsThe renovation process revealed both the stucco on the walls and the original paintwork on the beams, uncovering part of the building’s hidden history.
      The original wrought iron columns in the living room are now a celebrated feature. Less noticeable but equally interesting is the Masonic symbolism on the wrought-iron railing of the marble staircase at the entrance.
      Solid timber was used to frame private bathrooms in each of the bedroomsMartí also wanted to preserve the original room structure of the townhouse.
      To allow for this, she added private bathrooms within each of the existing bedrooms using a lightweight timber framing system made of solid Flanders pine, while three-ply spruce boards form partitions, headboards and wardrobes in each bedroom.
      “Martí’s intention is for the new materials to coexist and harmonise with the originals, providing a new language, lightness and contemporaneity,” the owners said.

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      A new staircase – also utilising spruce ply – now coexists with the original staircase, providing an alternative route through the Hevresac Hotel.
      The material is key to the contemporary language of the new insertions, which sit clearly differentiated alongside layers of the building’s past.
      “I like to work with an honest and frank attitude towards the island’s architectural heritage,” Martí told Dezeen. “I wanted it to be clear what our intervention was, not to highlight it but to highlight the value of what existed in the building.”
      Three-ply spruce boards form partitions and wardrobes in each of the bedroomsTo fill the spaces with natural light, several skylights were added on the upper floor, with one above the main stairwell as well as three new openings in the facade.
      In the basement, the vaulted ceiling made of local marés stone required an intervention to lighten the space.
      Martí’s response was to remove a bay of the existing vault and install a new, more comfortable staircase to link the ground floor with the basement and flood the space with light.
      Martí also added a new spruce ply staircaseHevresac’s choice of furnishings reflects Mahón’s cosmopolitan history, including an eclectic assembly of antique, vintage and contemporary pieces from all over Europe.
      Among them are Nanimarquina rugs, Achille Castiglioni lights and some of Marcel Breuer’s Cesca chairs, as well as items from Menorcan antique dealers including Alcolea & Kraus and Antics Antigüedades.
      “It’s a kind of synergy,” the owners said. “Together, the components project a warm, creative and personal composition, which is more than the algebraical sum of those individual pieces.”
      The hotel has a small terraceMartí, who founded her self-titled studio Emma Martí Arquitectura in Menorca in 2013, has since completed a number of projects on the island.
      Among them is a work retreat inside an abandoned girls’ school, with design-driven spaces where businesses can host meetings or team-building sessions.
      The photography is by Pol Viladoms

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      Worrell Yeung renovates cast-iron New York building for arts organisation

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      Architecture studio Worrell Yeung has renovated a historic cast-iron building in Soho for an arts organisation called Canal Projects, which hosts exhibitions “in an unmistakably New York City space”.

      Sat between Soho and Tribeca, the five-storey landmark was built in 1900 as a manufacturing centre, featuring a decorative white facade, double-hung windows and an external fire escape all typical of the neighbourhood.
      Worrell Yeung renovated the lower two floors of a landmarked building to create a home for Canal ProjectsIts street and basement levels were renovated by Worrell Yeung to create a home for Canal Projects, a non-profit arts organisation that hosts exhibitions, talks, performances, readings and screenings for the community.
      The studio was careful to retain as much of the building’s character as possible, highlighting the existing features like original masonry and steam radiators, and restoring them where necessary.
      Patinated bronze panels line the new entry thresholdVisitors arrive via a new entry threshold on Canal Street, where patinated bronze panels line the tall walls in a space intended to offer a moment of pause.

      Up a short flight of steps is the main gallery space – a large, open and flexible room that can be programmed in accordance with the organisation’s needs.
      The main gallery space is surrounded by windows and features historic details”We designed the foundation to be a series of spaces that would compress and expand, collapse and unfold and move between dark and light,” said Worrell Yeung co-founder Jejon Yeung.
      Surrounded by 14 large windows on two sides and boasting ceilings over 13 feet (four metres) tall, this room is light-filled and spacious.
      A staircase leads down to more space at cellar levelNew white oak floors complement the industrial details, including five cast iron columns and five wide flange steel columns that were exposed and restored.
      “Similarly to providing artists with a distinctive platform, we wanted viewers to experience art in an unmistakably New York City space,” said Max Worrell, Worrell Yeung’s other co-founder.
      A library area is formed by pivoting floor-to-ceiling shelves”Passers-by will glimpse exhibitions from the street through the window walls along Canal and Wooster Streets, and visitors on the interior can see artwork with the city context visible in the background,” Worrell said.
      Also on the ground-floor level are private offices for the curators and a bright orange public restroom.
      The dark cellar space is used for film screeningsNext to a freestanding reception desk by artist Zachary Tuabe, a staircase leads down to the basement level, which has a much smaller occupiable footprint.
      Darker and more enclosed, the cellar space features original brickwork, masonry and timber ceiling joists, and provides a very different exhibition space that is suitable for film screenings.
      A bright orange kitchen is tucked into an alcoveLight from the steel sidewalk grates illuminates one end of the space, where a library area is created by floor-to-ceiling shelving that pivots as required.
      A pantry area is hidden in an alcove behind a set of stable doors and is coloured entirely bright orange to match the upstairs restroom.

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      “We wanted artists to confront a venue that provides sufficient neutrality for their work, but that is also distinctly undivorceable from the Soho Cast Iron District,” said Yeung.
      “This is a building typology unique to New York City, and a richly layered context within which to exhibit.”
      A public restroom on the upper level matches the kitchenCanal Projects opened to the public in September 2022, with an exhibition titled Pray organised by artistic director and senior curator Summer Guthery.
      The show featured works by Bangkok and New York-based artist Korakrit Arunanondchai, and American artist and filmmaker Alex Gvojic.
      The building is located on the corner of Canal and Wooster Street, between Soho and TribecaWorrell Yeung was founded in 2015, and has worked on a variety of projects in and around New York.
      The studio recently completed a timber-clad lake house with cantilevered roof planes in Connecticut, while past endeavours have included a Hamptons renovation, a Chelsea loft apartment, and the penthouse in the Dumbo Clocktower Building.
      The photography is by Naho Kubota.
      Project credits:
      Architecture and interior design: Worrell YeungWorrell Yeung project team: Max Worrell, founder and principal; Jejon Yeung, founder and principal; Beatriz de Uña Bóveda, project manager; Yunchao Le, project designerStructural engineer: Silman (Geoff Smith, Nick Lancellotti)Lighting designer: Lighting Workshop (Doug Russell, Steven Espinoza)MEP engineer: Jack Green Associates (Larry Green)Expediter/code consultant: Anzalone Architecture (James Anzalone)Contractor: Hugo Construction (Hugo Cheng, Kong Leong)

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      SSdH tucks Melbourne warehouse apartment into former chocolate factory

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      Local studio SSdH has designed a split-level, mezzanine-style apartment characterised by eclectic furniture, which is housed within an old chocolate factory in Melbourne.

      Kerr is a warehouse apartment in Melbourne’s Fitzroy suburb, located in a building that was once home to the historic MacRoberton’s Chocolate Factory before being converted into residential units in the late 1990s.
      Kerr is one of a number of apartments arranged around a central atriumAdapted into “apartment shells” arranged around a striking central atrium, the units were first designed with only basic amenities to allow occupants to determine their own interior designs.
      SSdH recently renovated Kerr, one of these units, as a three-bedroom, two-bathroom dwelling that intends to expose but also refresh the building’s original architecture.
      “The design pays homage to history while being decidedly contemporary,” studio director Jean-Marie Spencer told Dezeen.

      The home is divided by a white-painted staircaseThe mezzanine-style apartment is split across two levels by a staircase with a white-painted gridded steel mesh balustrade. Doubling as a lightwell, the staircase is illuminated by the apartment’s original single factory window.
      Upstairs, the open-plan living space includes a kitchen fitted with geometric cabinetry made from local spotted gum timber, as well as brushed stainless steel and nickel fixtures.
      Spotted gum timber and stainless steel define the kitchenThe similarly minimalist lounge area is delineated by smooth sliding doors made of the same spotted gum, which are offset by existing structural beams and columns painted in bright white.
      A sage-green two-seater armchair is positioned next to a chunky column floor lamp by emerging designer Annie Paxton and a distinctive coral-blue vase.
      A two-seater armchair features in the lounge area”Old wall and ceiling linings, trims and details are stripped back to expose original materials and structural framing,” explained Spencer.
      “An application of white unifies what was, subsequently giving the ‘new’ its own platform through contrast,” she added.
      SSdH also included timber accents downstairsTwo bedrooms and a bathroom are contained downstairs, while a bedroom and an en-suite feature on the upper level.
      All three bedrooms are defined by the same pared-back white and wooden elements as the communal areas. Inside one of them, a mushroom-like floor lamp made from lumps of blue sculpting plaster adds a playful touch.
      Among the eclectic furniture is a mushroom-like lampGleaming geometric tiles in shades of blue and yellow feature in each of the bathrooms, which also have bulbous sconce lights.
      Timber operable doors and translucent curtains leading to the sleeping areas were designed to balance the airy openness of the living spaces, according to Spencer.
      One bathroom is clad in bright blue tiles”Living areas, where privacy is less of a concern, invoke a spilling out to the street to make the most of the light and air,” said the studio director.
      Other sculptural accents inserted throughout the apartment include boxy aluminium corner stools under the stairs and a fluted side table crafted from a solid piece of timber.

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      SSdH added double glazing to Kerr’s existing large factory window to provide both thermal and acoustic benefits to the apartment, which is located in close proximity to a busy street.
      “This glazing, along with the thermal mass embodied within the heavy masonry building allowed the apartment to remain un-airconditioned, relying on passive cross ventilation from the shared building lobby to maintain temperatures and reduce energy consumption,” said Spencer.
      Boxy aluminium corner stools are tucked under the staircaseFormerly industrial spaces are popular locations for residential conversions.
      Local firm Studio McW transformed an east London warehouse into a live-work space for climate activists and filmmakers Jack Harries and Alice Aedy while Auba Studio designed an apartment in a 1980s bakery in Palma de Mallorca.
      The photography is by Pier Carthew.

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      Ibiza's first hotel gets bohemian refresh from Dorothée Meilichzon

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      The 1930s Montesol hotel in Ibiza has reopened following a full overhaul of its 30 bedrooms and three suites by Dorothée Meilichzon of French interior design studio Chzon.

      Set in the old town of Eivissa, the newly renamed Montesol Experimental has been undergoing a multi-stage renovation since 2021, when it was bought by the Experimental hospitality group.
      Interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon has overhauled the bedrooms (top image) of the Montesol Experimental hotel (above)Meilichzon was responsible for overseeing the whole project, starting two years ago with the Sabbaba restaurant and rooftop bar before finally turning to the rooms. Her aim was to infuse “a bohemian overtone throughout the interior”, drawing on the hotel’s rich history.
      Built nearly a century ago in 1933, the neo-colonial Montesol is widely considered Ibiza’s first hotel, and between the 50s and 80s was known for hosting a roster of hippies, celebrities and royals including the members of rock band Pink Floyd and legendary director and actor Orson Welles.
      The rooms are brightened up by Diego Faivre’s Playdough StoolsMeilichzon was keen to tap into this bohemian past, layering up an array of fabrics, patterns, fringes and pompoms, used against light woods and textured plaster walls.

      “The hotel is a pool of colour to reflect the joy and open-mindedness of Ibiza,” she told Dezeen.
      Shell-patterned walls feature throughout the interiorsWarm yellow hues nod to the building’s iconic yellow-and-white exterior, juxtaposed with a variety of green and blue tones that bring in the colours of the Mediterranean sea.
      “Solar colours have been adopted in common areas and lunar colours in rooms,” she said. “Listening to Ayurvedic principles, we used cooling, calming colours inside the hotel to counterbalance the heat outside.”
      Moroccan zellige tiles were used to frame the mini bars in the guest roomsTiling, too, brings a cooling element, used in both the rooms and the public spaces.
      “Tiles are an important feature in this hotel,” Meilichzon explained. “And we have used traditional zelliges to wrap the niches of the mini-bars in a palette of orange, brown and off-white.”

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      A hand-made theme threads through the building, as seen in the many shell-patterned walls that were created by pressing individual seashells into fresh lime plaster.
      Arched forms – from room openings to bathroom mirrors to statement headboard – reference the grandeur of the hotel’s exterior but in a more relaxed and low-key way.
      Arched headboards reference the grandeur of the hotel’s exteriorCircles are another recurring silhouette, found across rugs, arworks and chair backs.
      “I enjoyed shaping a lot of curvy, wavy lines around the hotel to add softness to the design,” Meilichzon said. “Nothing is sharp in Ibiza, it is a very smooth atmosphere.”
      The same rounded forms are repeated in the tables and chairsThe circle idea is continued through the use of celestial motifs, with brass suns and iron moons scattered across the hotel calling to mind the sunny days and celebrated nightlife of the island as well as its more spiritual side.
      The bedrooms have a playful feel, with chunky Playdough Stools by Diego Faivre, hand-made masks by Mallorcan artist Anna-Alexandra and wardrobe doors informed by jigsaw puzzles.
      “These unique and whimsical pieces bring a lot of character to the rooms,” Meilichzon said.
      Meilichzon previously completed the hotel’s Sabbaba restaurantSince founding her hospitality design studio Chzon in 2009, the designer has created a number of interiors for Experimental Group including outposts in London and Menorca alongside the Hotel Il Palazzo Experimental in Venice.
      More recently, Meilichzon was also responsible for overhauling a departure lounge at Charles de Gaulle Airport, incorporating her hallmark arches alongside fountains referencing iconic Parisian monuments.
      The photography is by Karel Balas.

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      Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor adds colour to 1980s Stockholm apartment

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      An all-lilac kitchen and bright geometric storage solutions feature in this colourful Stockholm apartment renovation by local studio Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor.

      The two-bedroom apartment, which is housed within a 1980s prefabricated concrete building in southern Stockholm, was transformed by the architecture studio for a family with four-year-old twins.
      Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor renovated the apartment for a family with twinsAs part of the renovation, Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor created a number of space-saving storage solutions. For example, the original floor plan featured an enclosed storage space in the middle of the apartment.
      The studio converted this into a trio of smaller storage units for the living room, the kitchen and the pantry. This was achieved by decreasing the size of the hallway but maintaining a corridor to the open-plan living room and home office.
      A see-through bookshelf and the studio’s bespoke Elephant sideboard feature in the living space”The original floor plan was robust and quite deep, with a load-bearing wall separating the living room and bedrooms into two halves,” studio co-founder Jesper Westblom told Dezeen.

      “We didn’t want to close off the spaces by making tiny enclosed rooms, but rather make light additions. The aim was to use small adjustments to make the rooms more defined spatially.”
      Red, yellow and blue tones feature throughout the apartmentA palette of hues created from a mix of the three primary colours – red, blue and yellow – features throughout the home, with the colours offset by white-painted flooring.
      Westblom Krasse Arkitektkontor also chose a combination of pine wood and red medium-density fibreboard to create bespoke joinery and furniture.
      An all-lilac kitchen creates a statement accentThe kitchen was finished in a floor-to-ceiling shade of bluey lilac that also characterises a built-in geometric bench next to the dining table and a tall cupboard concealed behind a “secret door”.
      A large bookshelf divider decorated with organically shaped vases creates a partition between the open-plan living room and office area, with a burnt-orange shelving system providing extra storage.
      The office area can also be cordoned off with a curtain to create extra peace and quiet.
      Matching doors provide separate entrances to the twins’ shared bedroomThe architecture studio’s Elephant sideboard – a chunky blue table that owes its name to its sturdiness and colour – was also included in the living space.
      The family’s twins share one bedroom, which can be entered through two tall and narrow doors, adding a playful touch to the apartment.
      Small windows were also added above these doors to increase the natural light in the apartment.

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      Inside the twins’ bedroom is a sleeping zone and a play area, which are separated by a low wall to create a clear delineation between the two spaces.
      “One of the biggest – and most fun – challenges was to make every single space useful and effective and make room for both play and recovery,” reflected Westblom.
      Subtle storage solutions define the apartmentWestblom and Robin Krasse founded their eponymous Stockholm-based studio in January 2021.
      The firm previously completed the interiors for a local hair salon, which takes cues from architect Carlo Scarpa’s geometric designs and the muted colours of 1920s swimming baths.
      The photography is by Jesper Westblom.

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      Coil + Drift opens lighting studio and showroom in the Catskills

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      Lighting studio Coil + Drift has opened an office, showroom and production facility in the Catskill Mountains of Upstate New York that places modern elements in a barn-like building.

      Coil + Drift founder John Sorensen-Jolink, who relocated to the area in 2021, has created a new home for his brand in a barn-like structure surrounded by nature.
      Coil + Drift’s new space in the Catskills showcases the brand’s products”By relocating their queer-owned design business to the countryside, Coil + Drift is sparking a visceral conversation between people in a thriving rural creative community about how what we make defines who we are,” said the studio.
      The building encompasses 3,000 square feet (280 square metres) and boasts tall ceilings, which are painted white along with its plywood-panelled walls.
      The showroom includes an office space, defined by a chocolate-brown rugThe space is divided between a combined office and showroom, and a production facility where an in-house team now creates all of the company’s lighting designs.

      In one corner of the showroom sits a black wood-burning stove, with a flue that extends through the roof, next to a pile of chopped logs used to fuel it.
      Furniture is displayed on stepped plinths, accompanied by lighting aboveChocolate-brown area rugs contrast the pale concrete floors, defining the entrance, the office space and a spot by the fire in lieu of walls or partitions.
      Plinths are used to raise furniture designs, arranged in styled vignettes along with lighting, plants and small accessories.

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      More objects are displayed on wooden shelves of varying lengths, held up at different heights on thin golden rods.
      Industrial-looking metal and glass doors mounted on rolling tracks separate the showroom from the workshop, which is located in an adjoining room.
      The showroom features a white ceiling and walls, and a pale concrete floorOn show are several new additions to popular Coil + Drift collections, such as a floor version of the Yama table lamp and a “mobile-like” chandelier that joins the Atlas series.
      Also to coincide with its move and expansion, the company has launched a trade-focused online platform for its products.
      The building also houses a production facility behind industrial-style doorsCoil + Drift’s previous projects have included styling a townhouse in Brooklyn’s Prospect Heights neighbourhood for Hatchet Design.
      Sorensen-Jolink, a former dancer, is one of many creatives that moved from New York City to nearby rural areas, either during or following the Covid-19 pandemic.
      Coil + Drift founder John Sorensen-Jolink relocated to the Catskills in 2021 before opening the new studioUpstate New York, and particularly the Hudson Valley and Catskills area, was already growing in popularity as a destination for artists and designers before the lockdowns, thanks to its reputation for vintage furniture shopping and art institutions.
      Then low property prices and high demand for space and fresh air sparked an exodus to the region, when many bought second homes or relocated permanently.
      The photography is by Zach Hyman.

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      Energy-saving 10K House in Barcelona is a “labyrinth that multiplies perspectives”

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      Spanish studio Takk took cues from snugly stacked Russian dolls for the interior renovation of this Barcelona apartment, which features rooms nestled inside each other to maximise insulation.

      Called 10K House, the 50-square-metre apartment was renovated by Takk using a material budget of only 10,000 euros with the aim of updating the home to be as sustainable as possible.
      10K House is a residential interior design projectThe project was informed by concerns about climate change as well as the global energy crisis faced by homeowners and renters.
      Arranged across one open level, rooms were built “inside one another” in a formation that mimics the layers of an onion and places the rooms that require the most heat at the centre of the apartment, according to Takk.
      The bedroom is raised on recycled white table legs”This causes the heat emitted by us, our pets or our appliances to have to go through more walls to reach the outside,” principal architects Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño told Dezeen.

      “If we place the spaces that need more heat – for example, the room where we sleep – in the centre of the Matryoshka [a Russian doll] we realise that we need to heat it less because the configuration of the house itself helps to maintain the temperature.”
      “The result is a kind of labyrinth that multiplies perspectives,” explained the architects, who designed the project for a single client.
      MDF was used throughout the apartmentRecycled table legs were used to elevate these constructed rooms to allow the free passage of water pipes and electrical fittings without having to create wall grooves, reducing the overall cost.
      For example, the raised central bedroom is clad in gridded frames of medium-density fibreboard (MDF) that are enveloped by slabs of local sheep’s wool – utilitarian and inexpensive materials that feature throughout the interior.
      “Despite being a small apartment, it is very complex to ensure that you never get bored of the space,” said Luzárraga and Muiño.
      The remnants of previous partitions were left exposedAfter demolishing the apartment’s existing internal layout, Takk chose not to apply costly and carbon-intensive coatings to the floors and walls.
      Rather, the architects scrubbed the space clean and left traces of the previous partitions and dismantled light fixtures visible, giving the apartment a raw appearance and maintaining a reminder of the original floor plan.
      The kitchen features a metallic sink and low-slung cabinetsThe kitchen is located in the most open part of 10K House, which includes timber geometric cabinetry and an exposed metallic sink.
      According to the architects, the open kitchen intends to act as a facility “without associated gender” and address stereotypes typically attached to housework.

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      “Traditionally, the kitchen has been understood as a space to be used mainly by women, whether they own the house or do domestic work,” reflected Luzárraga and Muiño.
      “This has meant that [historically] this space has been relegated to secondary areas of the house, poorly lit and poorly ventilated, especially in small homes.”
      “One way to combat this is by placing the kitchen in better and open spaces, so that everyone, regardless of their gender, is challenged to take charge of this type of task,” they added.
      10K House was constructed using CNC-milled componentThe dwelling was constructed using CNC-milled components that were cut prior to arriving on-site and assembled using standard screws.
      Takk chose this method to encourage DIY when building a home, and armed the client with a small instruction manual that allowed them to assemble aspects of the apartment themselves “as if [the apartment] were a piece of furniture”.
      Takk was informed by soaring energy prices when designing the project10K House is based on a previous project by the architecture studio called The Day After House, which features similar “unprejudiced” design principles, according to Luzárraga and Muiño.
      The architects – who are also a couple – created a winter-themed bedroom for their young daughter by inserting a self-contained igloo-like structure within their home in Barcelona.
      The photography is by José Hevia.

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      Tbilisi's Blueberry Nights hotel makes “people feel like they're inside a movie”

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      Georgian architect Sandro Takaishvili has converted an apartment building in Tbilisi into a hotel, with interiors informed by his love of cinema and movie projectors in all 16 rooms.

      Taking over three storeys above a restaurant in the capital’s Vera neighbourhood, the Blueberry Nights hotel features a theatrical colour scheme, Japanese furnishings and moody lighting.
      Blueberry Nights is a 16-room hotel in Tbilisi”The design of the hotel is the culmination of my entire life’s consumption of film,” the hotel’s co-founder Sandro Takaishvili told Dezeen.
      “My intention is to make people feel like they’re inside a movie, where everything feels slightly familiar but otherworldly at the same time,” said the architect, who previously worked as a set designer, filmmaker and photographer.
      Its design references films by renowned film directorsThe hotel was named after My Blueberry Nights – a film by Hong Kong director Wong Kar-Wai – and incorporates visual references to the work of other renowned directors including Stanley Kubrick.

      The main lobby was designed to look and feel like a cosy cinema foyer, complete with dark blue carpeting, walnut wood furniture and seating upholstered in velvet. Guests can check in at a large reception desk fronted in plexiglass that was inspired by retro-futuristic films.
      The guestrooms are sparsely decorated with lights from Japan”From the moment guests step through the doors, a moody cinematic journey begins with dark blue carpets, downlights and a soft soundtrack of noir movie dialogues playing in the lobby,” Takaishvili said.
      As part of the renovation, Takaishvili transformed the building’s attic into two extra guestrooms, for a total of 16 rooms.

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      The bedrooms were designed to evoke the visual style of David Lynch, with custom-made low-slung beds and walnut-veneer cabinets. Room dividers punctured by large circular openings were used to mark different zones within the rooms.
      The warm wooden furniture is offset by splashes of red – in the form of vintage phones, artwork and window shutters made from medium-density fibreboard (MDF) – as well as the white tiles used in the tiny en-suite bathrooms.
      Wooden furniture in the hotel rooms was locally producedOther bedroom decor includes lamps with Noguchi-style paper shades, which Takaishvili imported from Japan, and teak-and-cane chairs by architect Pierre Jeanneret, which were sourced from London.
      “The paper lights give off a soft luminescent effect that creates a cosy ambience,” the architect explained.
      “Some of the simple geometric forms that I used definitely have a mid-century influence but I wasn’t trying to be trendy. I just wanted to achieve a cinematic effect without resorting to obvious movie gimmicks.”
      The architects added vinyl players and records in each roomOne wall was left blank in each room so that guests can watch movies via a smart projector, while music can be played via a selection of vinyl records.
      Other interior projects in Tbilisi include a bookstore-cum-cafe by Georgian designer Lado Lomitashvili and the Stamba Hotel, which occupies the former headquarters of a Soviet printing press.
      The photography is courtesy of Blueberry Nights.

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