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      Stephanie Brown renovates Vancouver home to have “fewer formalised spaces”

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      Large family get-togethers are enjoyed in the open-concept living spaces at this house in Vancouver, which interior designer Stephanie Brown has overhauled with entertaining in mind.

      The home is situated in a quiet, upscale neighborhood in the Canadian city. Built in 1991, it originally featured a postmodern aesthetic, while subsequent renovations favoured the craftsmen style.
      The layout of the home was reorganised to create a double-height foyerIts latest iteration was devised by local studio Stephanie Brown, who was asked to design the interiors by homeowners Joanne and Alan.
      The couple has a blended family with six grown-up children, and while only one still lives at home, the others return often for dinners together.
      Small rooms were opened up to create larger spaces for entertainingAlterations to the plan of the house were therefore required to allow it to comfortably accommodate so many people in the evenings, but still feel cosy during the day.

      “Prior to the renovation, the layout featured very formal, separated rooms,” said Brown. “We re-worked the layout of the main floor to create a more open-concept space, which would provide better flow for modern family gatherings and fewer formalised spaces.”
      Jewel tones and feminine hues add variation to the predominantly white colour schemeAn enlarged family room is now adjacent to the kitchen, which includes a generous island with a teal-coloured base for preparing meals and eating breakfast.
      The same teal shade, chosen for Joanne’s “love for moody jewel tones” continues in the pantry, while more feminine pinks and purples are introduced in other spaces through furniture fabrics.
      Smaller rooms like this office space feature darker coloursIn the dining room, a large black table is positioned beneath a grid of mid-toned oak beams and a Shape-Up chandelier by Ladies and Gentlemen Studio.
      Oak is also applied as parquet flooring, adding visual interest and bringing warmth to the predominantly white palette throughout the home.

      RSAAW adds double-height library during Vancouver home renovation

      Darker colours are used in the smaller spaces, including a new mudroom with grey-and-white-patterned cement floor tiles, and a wallpapered powder room.
      By also rearranging the first-floor layout, a bright two-storey entrance foyer was created, featuring black and unpolished brass details.
      A mud room with patterned ceramic tiles was created during the renovationArtwork and decorative furniture pieces are dispersed throughout the home, intended to convey a relaxed atmosphere more akin to a city loft.
      “We drew inspiration from New York and European apartments, which feature unique collections of art, furnishings and decor set against elegant details,” said Brown.
      “We opted for a casual take on those interiors, but one where the play between classic and modern would still feel fresh and unique.”
      A powder room is lined with dark wallpaperVancouver is regularly ranked as one of the most liveable cities in the world and has a wealth of notable residential architecture and interiors.
      Other projects recently completed there include RSAAW’s renovation of a mid-century residence to include a double-height library and a house by D’Arcy Jones Architects designed to mesh with its neighbours.

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      Victorian warehouse in London transformed into Greencoat Place office

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      British architecture practice Squire and Partners and office design firm Modus Workspace have retained the ornate cast-iron columns and glazed tiles of a 19th-century warehouse in London while turning it into a contemporary workspace.

      Located in London’s Victoria, the Greencoat Place building was originally used as a warehouse, storeroom and food hall for the Army & Navy Stores – a military cooperative turned department store that was acquired by House of Fraser in 1973.
      Greencoat Place is a warehouse-turned-office in LondonNow, the building belongs to serviced office provider Fora and houses a mix of workspaces and amenities including a fitness studio, a colourful terrazzo bar and a vertical farm on the lower-ground level, where fresh produce is grown for workers to take home or eat for lunch.
      Two historic halls sit at the heart of the building – one serving as a flexible communal space for events or casual meetings, while the other is a workspace flooded with natural light from a skylight above.
      The building’s original brickwork was exposed in several placesReferences to the building’s past can be found throughout its interiors. This includes carefully preserved mouldings and glazed tiles, some featuring marine details in a nod to Army & Navy Stores’ history as a military cooperative, which supplied officers and their families with price-controlled goods.

      The building’s cast-iron columns and original steel doors were restored along with the vaulted ceilings on the lower ground level. In places where the original brickwork was exposed, the design team deliberately left layers of paint behind to visualise the renovation process.
      Its decorative glazed tiles were also retainedModus Workspace chose a soft, calm interior palette to contrast with the building’s industrial shell. Lime-washed oak was paired with richly textured fabrics and arch-shaped details, which echo the arches in the original halls.
      Colourful mosaic tiling unearthed in neighbouring residential buildings was reinterpreted in the flooring of the office’s communal spaces, introducing colour and pattern.

      Lighting Design International overhauls illumination of Harrods dining hall

      Open lounge spaces provide a calm environment to relax and collaborate while a series of video call booths are equipped with integrated lighting designed to show people in their best light.
      Video call facilities are also available in every meeting room to cater to hybrid working patterns, while secure cycle storage, changing facilities and showers promote an active commute or lunch break.
      Well-lit booths provide private spaces for video callsIn line with biophilic design principles, the interior combines plenty of planting, daylight and natural materials in a bid to enhance occupants’ wellbeing.
      To make the Victorian building more energy efficient and minimise its operational emissions, the architecture firm installed new glazing, sensor-controlled lighting and a variable refrigerant flow (VRF) system, which only circulates the minimum amount of refrigerants needed during a single heating or cooling period.
      The building’s concrete shell is softened with biophilic design elementsGreencoat Place has been shortlisted in the large workspace interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022.
      Two former industrial buildings are also in the running for the title – Dyson’s global HQ housed in a Singapore power station and a shared workspace, which is set in the generator building that once supplied Bristol’s tram system.
      The photography is by Jack Hobhouse.

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      Semba Corporation creates own office interior from reclaimed materials

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      Interior construction firm Semba Corporation has renovated the interior of its headquarters in Tokyo to include reclaimed materials discarded during the demolition of other offices.

      The company’s redesign of its own office interior is shortlisted in the sustainable interior category for the upcoming Dezeen Awards, which will announce its winners next month.
      The interior is made from materials salvaged from demolished officesCalled Semba Good Ethical Office, the project features various pared-back tables, seating and shelving created from materials salvaged from previous office demolitions.
      This furniture is positioned across a single open-plan space in Japan’s capital, which is brightly illuminated by overhead lighting and rectilinear windows.
      Plinth-like seating and stairs forms a centrepieceA plinth-like centrepiece takes the form of both a staircase and a designated desk area, which was formed from boxy arrangements of surplus wood and old filing cabinets.

      Semba Corporation centred the interiors around two principles – “ethical” and “hackable” design – in order to complete the project, the company said.
      Semba Corporation applied its own design principles to the project”To incorporate ‘ethical design’, a circular interior design [theory], into the office renovation, we mined materials from unnecessary stuff generated by office demolitions,” Semba Corporation told Dezeen.
      “Under the theme of ‘hackable design’, we can redefine our working style and attitudes. We completely renovated our office to be friendly to the Earth, people and society,” explained the firm.
      Reconstituted foam was used to create padding on benchesAccording to the company, 80 per cent of the furniture in the Semba Good Ethical Office is reused, while the office achieved a waste-recycling rate of 99 per cent.
      Reconstituted foam was used to create the padding on benches that make up informal meeting booths, while various offcuts of wood were used to construct geometric shelves throughout the interior.

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      Semba Corporation explained that it hopes that other firms will begin to adopt similar design principles when creating their office interiors.
      “Especially in Japan, the lifespan from construction to demolition and disposal has become very short since [increasing] economic growth, and waste has been dumped in landfill,” the firm said.
      “However, Japanese culture has originally valued attachment to things and has an aesthetic sense to continue to use them with creative ideas. So I think our principles have an affinity to that culture.”
      “We hope that ‘ethical design,’ a future-friendly interior design, will be a basic principle in interior design for the future.”
      Reclaimed wood was used to form various shelvingSemba Good Ethical Office joins a group of existing self-designed studios that other firms have created to be more sustainable than the average office, according to the companies.
      These include German studio Urselmann Interior’s renovation of its studio to include biodegradable, recycled or upcycled materials.
      The images are courtesy of Semba Corporation.

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      GRT Architects combines oak and mosaic tiles for East Village Apartment renovation

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      New York-based GRT Architects has rearranged the layout of an apartment in the East Village and added warm materials during its renovation.

      The studio undertook the project in Onyx Court, a six-storey corner Beaux-Arts structure on Second Avenue built in 1902 by Harde & Short.
      The East Village Apartment renovation involved relocating the kitchen to a brighter spaceGoals for the renovation included reorganising rooms to improve sightlines through the apartment and optimising the natural light available in each room.
      “Our renovation completely rethought the apartment’s layout while preserving its turn-of-the-century disposition,” said the GRT Architects team. “The space is neither more open nor closed than when we found it.”
      The kitchen, living and dining areas are all connected but intended to be read as separate roomsThe first move was to straighten a corridor from the entrance, to provide a view of an east-facing window from the front door.

      To enable this, a shallow-arched opening was created in a load-bearing brick wall – the only structural change made during the overhaul.
      A full storage wall in the living room includes a panel that hides the TV”The journey down this corridor celebrates the building’s irregularity with asymmetrical niches and rounded openings in thick plaster walls,” GRT Architects said.
      This journey ends at the semi-open kitchen, which was relocated from diagonally across the apartment, to an area with better light and improved integration into the rest of the home.
      A textured sliding door reveals a small office behindAn island clad in oxblood-coloured tiles sits at the centre, surrounded by white oak cabinetry with oversized handles and a satin white countertop.
      Chequerboard two-inch mosaic tiling across the kitchen floor ends below a storage unit suspended from brass bars, clearly defining this space from the adjacent dining room.
      The primary bedroom now sits where the kitchen once wasA minimal brass pendant hangs above the walnut dining table, while the living room is found through a cased opening and also demarcated by a strip of herringbone parquet flooring.
      Largely decorated in a cooler grey hue compared to the warmer tones elsewhere, the living room features accents like a yellow armchair that matches the upholstery of the dining chairs, and a storage wall backed with sienna-coloured panels.
      Custom built-in closets were added to the bedroom”We organised this space around a full wall of built-in shelves which includes a sliding panel that conceals a television,” said GRT Architects.
      “A series of complementary colours emphasise the relief of this composition while oak pulls tie it back to the kitchen.”
      The second bedroom acts as both an office and a sleeping area thanks to a retractable murphy bedTucked behind a sliding textured glass door, a small office continues the same sienna shade across all four walls.
      The primary bedroom is located in place of the old kitchen and includes custom built-in closets – one occupying the shaft of a defunct dumbwaiter.

      GRT Architects blends old and new at renovated Brooklyn townhouse

      An adjacent bathroom combines a variety of hard and soft materials, ranging from flecked terrazzo and green mosaic tiles to oak cabinet doors that visually tie back to the kitchen.
      In the second bedroom, a murphy bed enables the space to be used as another office when needed.
      Materials in the bathroom echo those in the kitchenA powder room was also slotted into the floor plan as part of the reorganisation.
      “We found space for this small room by greatly reducing circulation space without compromising privacy,” the team said.
      The apartment is now organised along a straight corridorGRT Architects, founded by Tal Schori and Rustam-Marc Mehta in 2014, has worked on a variety of projects in New York City – from a Brooklyn townhouse overhaul to a cosy bakery.
      More recently, the firm has expanded further afield, completing a cedar bungalow above marshland on the Connecticut shoreline and a black house with huge triangular windows in Dutchess County.
      The photography is by Nicole Franzen.
      Project credits:
      Design architect and architect of record: GRT Architects: Rustam Mehta, Tal Schori, Pablo Taberna, Chelsea StittMEP engineer: ANZStructural engineer: Old Structures

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      Material and spatial contrasts define Barwon Heads House by Adam Kane Architects

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      Australian studio Adam Kane Architects has renovated a cottage on a quiet coastal street in Barwon Heads and connected it to a barn-like extension by a glazed link.

      Named Barwon Heads House, the project was designed by Melbourne studio Adam Kane Architects as a contemporary dwelling that embodied a “relaxed, coastal lifestyle”.
      Adam Kane Architects extended and renovated a cottage in Barwon HeadsPrior to Adam Kane Architects’ renovation and extension, the neglected weatherboarded cottage was known locally as “the dump”.
      Its transformation led it to be shortlisted house interior of the year in the Dezeen Awards 2022 and win the public vote for the same category.
      Barwon Heads House is clad in woodAdopting a minimal palette of monochrome contrasts, the studio painted the existing cottage’s exterior entirely black, pairing it with a lighter extension clad in silvery-grey weathered wooden planks.

      Beneath steeply pitched black metal roofs, this play of contrasts continues to the interiors, creating a spatial journey of “compression and release” that begins in the more compartmentalised cottage containing three bedrooms and a bathroom.
      Contrasting colours and materials feature throughoutMoving through the existing cottage into the small glazed link and a dark corridor, Barwon Heads House’s extension opens up into a large living and dining space, overlooked by the main bedroom on a mezzanine above.
      Full-height windows look out to Barwon Heads House’s garden to the north, while a narrow clerestory-level window opposite draws in light above its kitchen.

      Adam Kane Architects completes minimalist bridal boutique in Melbourne

      “Access to the extension is via an enclosed corridor, lined with black mottled joinery panels on walls and ceilings, and is used to conceal doorways into the rumpus, laundry and storage areas,” said Adam Kane Architects.
      “The ‘journey’ through this dark corridor with a lower ceiling creates a sense of compression before a sense of release when walking towards the living room, where the gable opens up into the main space,” it continued.
      The extension has a deliberately simple finishExisting features were retained in the cottage, while the extension has a deliberately simple interior finished with oak panelling and exposed concrete. Slabs of travertine marble are used as countertops, coffee tables and a large dining table.
      “Heritage features are maintained through the use of the original lining board ceilings, as well as period skirting and architraves, which fit perfectly with the renewed tones,” said the studio.
      “The timber lining helps blur the threshold between inside and out, delineating zones, making spaces feel more generous and contributing to the relaxed feel of the home.”
      It is designed as a spatial journey of “compression and release”Adam Kane Architects was founded in 2015, and its previous projects include a bridal boutique in Melbourne with minimal finishes of concrete and marble.
      Alongside Barwon Heads House, other projects shortlisted in the house interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022 include a home in Melbourne with a palette of “organic” materials by Brave New Eco and the renovation of a 120-year-old townhouse in Kyoto by Td-Atelier and Endo Shojiro Design.
      The photography is by Timothy Kaye.

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      Crawshaw Architects transforms cow shed into Stanbridge Mill Library

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      London studio Crawshaw Architects has transformed a former cow shed in Dorset into a library and office, organised around a wooden, barrel-vaulted arcade that references the client’s collection of books on classical Palladian architecture.

      The Stanbridge Mill Library, which has been shortlisted in the civic and cultural interiors category of Dezeen Awards 2022, occupies one of several outbuildings of a Georgian farmhouse on a grade II-listed farm.
      Crawshaw Architects has overhauled a former cow shed in DorsetThe narrow, gabled brick shed was originally built to house Standbridge Mill Farm’s cows but had stood neglected for over forty years, used as storage for gardening equipment and farm machinery.
      Looking to give the building a new purpose while maintaining its existing character, Crawshaw Architects made only small structural interventions, replacing two of its original roof trusses with portal frames that open up the interior.
      The studio has transformed it into a library and office”While a decisive transformation of the interior was called for, we felt that the original use of the building needed to be part of the story,” explained the studio.

      Stanbridge Mill Library’s focal point is a central “nave”, which is filled with seating areas covered by a wooden barrel vault and slotted between two narrow aisles lined by bookshelves. This plan references classical architectural forms, which are the focus of many of the client’s books.
      The Stanbridge Mill Library is organised around a barrel-vaulted arcadePale, solid oak has been used for the floor, shelving, storage and the central vault, half of which is covered with planks and the other half left open to allow in light from new skylights.
      “The high nave and pair of aisles are in the form of a classical library, but are set out in the register of the original building using the materials and construction techniques of traditional farm carpentry and metalwork,” explained Crawshaw Architects.
      The office occupies the northern end of the building”The vault, columns, shelves, tables and seating are made of the same solid oak planks and sections, deliberately selected to show knots and natural blemishes,” the studio continued.
      Desks are organised to take advantage of light from the windows and are illuminated at night by large pendants suspended from the vault.

      Steimle Architekten transforms traditional German barn into Kressbronn Library

      The office space occupies the northern end of the building underneath an original roof truss, which is separated from the library by an arched glass door and windows that frame views through the nave and aisles.
      To the south of Stanbridge Mill Library, a dog-leg in the plan is occupied by a small kitchen, positioned opposite a bathroom and a small lobby area.
      Pale solid oak has been used throughoutStanbridge Mill Library features in the civic and cultural interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022 alongside the renovation of the Groote Museum in Amsterdam by Merk X.
      Another project on the shortlist is the interior of F51 Skate Park in Folkestone by Hollaway Studio, which won the public vote for the same category.
      The photography is by Ingrid Rasmussen.
      Project credits:
      Architect: Crawshaw ArchitectsDesign team: Pandora Dourmisi, Aidan CrawshawStructural engineer: Hardman Structural EngineersContractor: CanDo Constructions ltd

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      Woods + Dangaran brings warmth and light to mid-century modern home in Los Angeles

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      Teak wood, travertine stone and expansive glazing all feature in Woods + Dangaran’s renovation of a mid-century modern house that once belonged to singer Bing Crosby’s manager.

      Los Angeles-based Woods + Dangaran has both upgraded the architecture and designed the interiors for Clear Oak Residence, which is located on a hillside above LA’s San Fernando Valley.
      Clear Oak Residence is located on a hillside above LA’s San Fernando ValleyThe design aims to enhance the building’s relationship with its setting while also bringing an increased sense of warmth and comfort to the living spaces.
      Doorways and windows were adjusted and enlarged to enable wraparound views of the landscape, while skylights were added to highlight key moments within the interior.
      A new swimming pool cantilevers out towards the viewTravertine creates a continuous floor surface that extends out from the living spaces to a sunset terrace, while teak provides wall panelling and in-built joinery throughout.

      “The architectural finish palette was intentionally limited to four materials: clear anodised aluminium, plaster, travertine, and teak for the wall panelling,” said Woods + Dangaran.
      “This visual restraint manifests in a serene ambiance that permeates all aspects of the residence.”
      Travertine flooring extends both inside and outClear Oak Residence is shortlisted for Dezeen Awards 2022 in the house interior category, where it will compete with four other projects – including another one by Woods + Dangaran – for the title.
      Woods + Dangaran designed this project for client Robert Galishoff, whose brief to the architects was to embrace the building’s mid-century heritage but ensure the result exudes a sense of “effortless luxury”.
      Teak provides wall panelling and custom joineryLandscaping played a big role in the transformation. By relocating the swimming pool so that it cantilevers over the hill and adjusting the topography, more terrace and deck space could be created.
      Sliding floor-to-ceiling glass doors allow the main bedroom, the living room and the dining area to open out to this terrace.

      Woods + Dangaran updates 1960s California home by Craig Ellwood

      “Enlarged doorways and windows inside the house, including floor-to-ceiling glass doors, integrate the interior spaces with the landscape and foreground views by eliminating barriers,” said the architects.
      “Glazed openings inserted along corridors create memorable spatial experiences from new axes and vantage points.”
      Skylights create framed views of the skyThe interior furnishings include both new and retro pieces in natural materials and warm colours, which sit alongside Galishoff’s collection of objets d’art.
      The living room features a copper silk shag rug from Mehraban, a Minotti sectional reupholstered in a retro-patterned textile and a pair of the Arthur Casas-designed Amorfa coffee tables.
      “Inspired by mid-century pieces but adjusted for scale, function, and material, these pieces give the home a unique voice that mixes old and new, retro with contemporary vibes,” said Woods + Dangaran.
      The design respect’s the building’s mid-century heritageLed by architects Brett Woods and Joe Dangaran, Woods + Dangaran has developed a reputation for modernising mid-century homes but also designs new-builds with a similar character.
      Other recent projects include an upgrade of a 1960s Craig Ellwood house and a brass-clad home in Palm Springs.
      The photography is by Joe Fletcher.

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      Chloé Mason Gray utilises “masculine” elements for Mexico City renovation

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      Mexico City interiors studio Chloé Mason Gray has renovated a house in Colonia Condesa, embracing its lack of natural light to create a space for a bachelor.

      Built in the mid-20th century with a pared-back art deco style, the two-storey house is currently rented long-term by an American tech worker, who hired studio founder Gray to improve the interiors with the owners’ permission.
      The home’s lack of natural light led to the embrace of dark colours and materials, such as brown plaster in the bedroomCombining antique Mexican design pieces with those by contemporary Mexican artists and designers, the aim was to create a home that felt rooted in its place.
      “It is a place where playfulness and restraint in design happily coexist, and a source of relaxation and inner peace for the inhabitant,” said Gray.
      Dark green was chosen for the upper-floor libraryThe 154-square-metre property is shaded by large trees on the avenue outside, preventing much natural light from entering some of the rooms.

      Embracing the dark and moody atmosphere, the designer chose colours and textures that would make the spaces feel “masculine, rich, and interesting”.
      Furniture made from red cedar complements the earthy palette”I wanted to create a space that was functional, comfortable, masculine and dynamic,” Gray said. “It had to feel both a bit unexpected, and approachable. I strove to reflect quiet luxury and a sense of richness through the colors and materials.”
      Dark green walls and ceiling envelop the upper-floor library, where the fabric of a Bastiano two-seater sofa by Tobia Scarpa and plants add variations on the hue.
      Gray custom-built a dining table using a quartzite slabMeanwhile, the primary bedroom was covered in brown textured plasterwork, complemented by a leather headboard, and green linen bedding and curtains.
      In other spaces, a variety of off-white plaster finishes sit in contrast to dark furniture – much of which is made from warm-toned red cedar.
      A mix of Mexican vintage and contemporary furniture roots the space in its context”I think red cedar pairs beautifully with the green tones in the house,” said Gray. “In Mexican spaces, you tend to see a lot of either very pale wood, tzalam or walnut, and I liked the idea of using a medium red-toned wood instead.”
      One of the most dramatic interventions involved coating the original sculptural staircase in indigo-pigmented concrete.

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      A custom dining table was built from a quartzite slab, which is flecked and veined with colours found across the home.
      Upstairs, an office is outfitted with a restored vintage desk by Clara Porset for DM Nacional, and a Brno chair by Mies van der Rohe and Lilly Reich.
      The original staircase was coated in an indigo-pigmented concreteEuropean oak floors were laid throughout the interior, while furniture by Roberto Michelsen was placed on the roof deck.
      A variety of artwork and smaller accessories bring the design together, but adding these touches turned out to be the designer’s biggest challenge.
      A vintage desk and a Brno chair furnish the office”It’s a very oddly-shaped house,” said Gray. “I don’t think there is a single straight wall in the whole house.”
      “Every wall and room is at an angle, so at times positioning furniture and art in a way that felt natural and correct was challenging,” she added.
      The home also has a roof terrace, populated with furniture by Roberto MichelsenMexico City’s historic Colonia Condesa is a popular place to live for locals and long-term visitors alike, thanks in part to its rich architecture.
      Examples of projects completed in the central neighbourhood include four new homes built behind a historic facade and an apartment block covered in small wooden squares.
      The photography is by Fabian Martinez.
      Project credits:
      Interior design: Chloé Mason GrayInterior finishings application: Marco Villa Mateos

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