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      Alarquitectos lines Lisbon apartment with colour-blocked walls and pine wood

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      Portuguese studio Alarquitectos has used walls of pink and blue to brighten São Sebastião 123, an apartment converted from a 20th-century office in Lisbon.

      Tasked with revitalising the old workspace’s dark and poorly ventilated interiors, Alarquitectos opened it up by removing the existing partitions and adding a courtyard.
      Along with an existing outdoor space that has been reorganised, this courtyard doubles as a lightwell for the 167-metre-square apartment.
      Walls of pink and blue decorate the São Sebastião 123 apartmentSão Sebastião 123 is organised with a series of “fluid” living spaces at its front and more private spaces, including the bedrooms, at the rear.
      Narrow corridors brightened by the colour-blocked walls lead into the airy, open-plan living area that is illuminated by a window and full-height opening connected to a slim balcony.

      In the living area, a shelving unit runs the length of the room and is paired with pine flooring and grey-toned furnishings.
      A sliding door connects the living space to the kitchenA sliding door leads from the living space into a kitchen “box”, which is enclosed on both sides by deep-blue cabinets topped with metal counters, and complemented by terrazzo flooring.
      Bronze detailing is used for lighting fixtures, mirrors and door knobs throughout the home.
      The kitchen features deep-blue cabinets and terrazzo flooring”We envisioned the kitchen as a vibrant focal point, hence the striking colour of the kitchen box,” studio co-founder Mafalda Ambrósio told Dezeen.
      “We sought cool colours that contrast with the warm tones of the pine wood,” she continued.
      “This colour palette was inspired by the aggregates in the kitchen terrazzo, resulting in a deep blue with green pigments and a light pink.”
      There is a dining room with an oak table and three pendant lightsAdjacent to the kitchen is a dining area with an oak dining table and three pendant lights. Further counter space and shelving are provided along one side.
      To the back of the dining area, a full-height door opens up to the new enclosed courtyard, which is lined with ceramic-tiled walls and terrazzo flooring and decorated with black-steel furniture and leafy plants.

      H3O creates “unpredictable” zigzagging interiors for lightning-struck home

      A glazed opening onto the courtyard draws light into a bedroom, while a smaller circular opening illuminates the adjacent corridor – operating as a “physical bridge between the interior and exterior”.
      “We extended our focus to the exterior space, not merely as a source of natural light and ventilation but also as an extension of the living experience,” Ambrósio said. “The materials for the patios were meticulously chosen to create a sense of refinement and tranquillity.”
      Ceramic-tiled walls and terrazzo flooring features in the courtyardSão Sebastião 123 is complete with two small workspaces beside the living area and a shared bathroom lined with ceramic tiles and terrazzo flooring matching the external courtyard.
      Other recent projects defined by colourful interiors include a playful seaside hotel that uses colour blocking to distinguish different areas and a residential conversion with jagged walls that reference a lightning bolt.
      The photography is by Do mal o menos.

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      Studio Aisslinger completes “nature-loving” renovation of Hotel Seegarten

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      Designer Werner Aisslinger has renovated a lakeside hotel in Germany’s Sauerland region, adding hydroponics and locally sourced materials including wood and terrazzo to craft interiors informed by the surrounding nature.

      Hotel Seegarten is owned and operated by TV chef Olaf Baumeister, who took over the traditional inn from his parents in 1992 and has overseen its transformation into modern boutique accommodation.
      Werner Aisslinger has renovated a boutique hotel in the SauerlandWerner Aisslinger’s studio was influenced by the hotel’s location overlooking the Sorpesee lake when developing its “nature-loving” concept for the guest rooms and public areas.
      This includes Baumeister’s Seegarten restaurant, where hydroponic shelves are used to grow ingredients for the kitchen.
      Terrazzo and wood feature throughout the interior”The overall atmosphere is friendly and close to nature, as all materials are processed in their purest form and can be felt,” said the design team, adding that further inspiration came from Baumeister’s passion for using local produce in his cooking.

      The studio described the hotel’s setting as an “oasis in the Sauerland”, which informed a design that is casual, modern and focused on promoting wellbeing.
      The two main materials used throughout the scheme are terrazzo and wood, which are intended to evoke the pebble beaches of the nearby lake and the trees of the surrounding forest.
      Stones from a nearby quarry were incorporated into the grey terrazzoOther elements such as curtains, carpets, plants and rattan screens were chosen to complement these two cornerstone materials, as well as adding different tactile surfaces to the interior.
      Stones from a nearby quarry were incorporated into the grey terrazzo, which was processed by a local firm and is used throughout the bathrooms.
      As well as referencing the natural surroundings, the use of local materials and regional manufacturers helps to minimise the project’s carbon footprint by reducing shipping requirements.

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      The bedrooms feature bespoke shelves housing planters filled with herbs, along with equipment that guests can use to brew their own tea.
      In the bathrooms, Studio Aisslinger commissioned custom-made towel rails shaped like swimming pool ladders that attach to the bathtubs.
      Traditional wood panelling features in the Seegarten restaurant, providing a contrast with the metal hydroponic troughs and their bright LED grow lights.
      Furniture designs by Aisslinger include the Wood Bikini chairThe hotel’s wellness area features flat and curved rattan screens that are suspended from the ceiling and can be adjusted in height to provide privacy if required.
      Furniture created by Aisslinger for various design brands is used throughout the hotel, including the Geometrics pouf for Cappellini and the Wood Bikini chair for Moroso.
      The public areas also feature the solid oak Cep tables, the geometric Urban Jungle rugs and the Addit sofas designed for German furnituremaker Rolf Benz in collaboration with Studio Aisslinger’s design director Tina Bunyaprasit.
      Curved rattan screens and sheer curtains feature in the hotel’s wellness areaAisslinger founded his studio in Berlin in 1993, adding a Singapore office in 2008.
      The studio’s previous projects include the transformation of a famous Berlin squat into a photography museum and the design of a futuristic exhibition exploring topics from urban farming to robotics.
      The photography is by Nicoló Lanfranchi for Studio Aisslinger.

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      H3O creates “unpredictable” zigzagging interiors for lightning-struck home

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      Three jagged walls delineate the colourful spaces inside this converted barn in Sant Just Desvern, Spain, transformed by Barcelona studio H3O to reference a lightning bolt that struck the building generations ago.

      The one-storey Relámpago House is a former barn with a white-painted barrel-vaulted ceiling in the Spanish town of Sant Just Desvern on the outskirts of Barcelona.
      Relámpago House features a colour-block interiorFor the interior scheme, H3O took cues from an old family legend told by the homeowner, whose ancestors are said to have survived a lightning bolt that struck the barn and entered the building through the chimney, narrowly avoiding the family members sheltering under the dining table.
      “Transforming a story into architecture seemed to us a fascinating and fun challenge,” the studio told Dezeen.
      H3O delineated spaces with jagged walls informed by lightning boltsH3O inserted three intersecting walls shaped like lightning bolts into the plan, defining rooms within the otherwise open space.

      “This geometry choice is not random – it emulates the unpredictable trajectory and rapid dispersion of a lightning bolt’s energy,” added the studio.
      The all-pink bedroom is accessed via a colourful doorThe colourful intersecting walls enclose a private bedroom and bathroom, as well as forming the perimeter of the open-plan kitchen and living area.
      This communal space features zigzagged strip lighting suspended above a boxy metal kitchen island and walls clad in green glazed tiles.
      Strip lighting was suspended above a metal kitchen islandSugary pink walls delineate the bedroom, accessed via a contrasting door that is painted dark green on one side and deep blue on the other.
      “The interaction of these colours with the opening and closing doors creates an experience of spatial fluidity inspired by the pop art aesthetic of the 70s, reflecting a radical, fun and optimistic spirit,” explained H3O.
      The angular bathroom has a blue ceiling and wallsCharacterised by a mixture of green tiles and floor-to-ceiling dark blue paint, the bathroom is the smallest and most angular of the spaces, with a jagged, asymmetric mirror that wraps one corner of the room and tops a geometric sink.
      “The construction of the walls involved a meticulous design and execution process, ensuring that every angle and twist served an aesthetic function and optimised habitability and indoor living,” the studio said.
      Stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handlesSmall stones were collected to create “seemingly out-of-context” door handles throughout the dwelling, adding organic accents to the otherwise colour-blocked interior.
      As a final nod to the home’s tumultuous history, a sculptural silver lightning bolt now protrudes from the chimney.

      Masquespacio founders create home and office where “everything revolves around play”

      “The idea of a lightning bolt redefining space, filling it with form and colour, pushed us to explore beyond conventional boundaries,” reflected H3O.
      “Relámpago House transforms a forgotten barn into a visual spectacle.”
      A silver lightning bolt protrudes from the building’s chimneyVarious other architectural projects have been defined by zigzagging motifs.
      London-based Outpost studio created a jagged zinc kitchen extension in Haggerston while German practice Wulf Architekten designed a sports centre for a school in Überlingen with a folding roof to reference the mountains of the surrounding Alps.
      The photography is by José Hevia. 

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      Masquespacio founders create home and office where “everything revolves around play”

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      The founders of Spanish studio Masquespacio have transformed a traditional Valencian farmhouse into their self-designed home and studio, with maximalist interiors that nod to the Memphis movement.

      Creative and life partners Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse renovated the 1920s villa, which was once a farmhouse on the outskirts of Valencia, to create a hybrid home and studio that reflects their maximalist approach to interiors.
      Masquespacio has designed a live-work space in Valencia”Everything revolves around the concept of play,” explained Hernández Palacios, who co-founded Masquespacio with Penasse in 2010.
      “We’ve been influenced by many styles over the last decade, from New Memphis to art deco and futurism,” Penasse added. “We can say that our private home is a mix of it all.”
      The ground floor holds the studio’s workspacesThe duo maintained the building’s original timber front door and white facade decorated with light-blue window frames and ornate grilles.

      Inside, the ground floor was reserved for their studio, spread across several interconnected meeting rooms in the former farmstead, known locally as an alquería.
      Masquespacio restored the building’s original hydraulic floor tilesHere, Masquespacio restored the building’s decoratively patterned hydraulic floor tiles alongside its traditional doors and windows.
      Painted in bright hues, they help to colour-code the different office spaces, filled with the studio’s characteristic chunky, lumpy and latticed furniture.
      There is a double-height interior courtyard at the centre of the home”As always, the project includes a mix of colours, textures and forms – one of the main aspects of all our designs, no matter what aesthetic we’re working with,” Penasse told Dezeen.
      At the centre of the home is a double-height interior courtyard illuminated by skylights, with exposed-brick walls painted in lilac surrounded by wiggly flowerbeds with lush statement cheese plants.
      From the courtyard, visitors can see up to an interior balcony on the first floor, which is accessed via a purple concrete staircase and contains the living spaces.
      The couple’s bed is encased in a green dome next to a hot-pink seating booth.The balcony reveals two sculptural objects – a giant green dome that conceals the couple’s bed and a curved hot-pink screen that hides a seating booth.
      This immersive furniture – Penasse’s favourite part of the project – creates a focal point that connects both levels of the house but also provides more private quarters for the couple despite the open nature of the overall plan.
      A mosaic of yellow tiles defines the bathroom”There are no wall partitions to hide our home [from downstairs] but it’s kept private by the bed’s form and a semi-transparent green curtain that allows us to take advantage of the natural light almost everywhere on the upper floor,” explained Penasse.
      The sleeping area is connected to the main living space via a tunnel-like corridor, which includes an all-yellow bathroom with triangular cabinets and walls clad with a mosaic of handmade ceramic tiles.

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      Opposite the bathroom is a colourful open-air terrace featuring circular windows and similar built-in seating to Bun Turin – an Italian burger joint designed by Masquespacio with boxy blue-tiled tables created to look like swimming pools.
      “Geometry can be found all over our house,” explained Hernández Palacios. “Everything is a game of circles and triangles.”
      The terrace follows a similar geometry to the interiorsThe light blue kitchen includes large, triangular alcoves and cupboards finished in natural stone and aluminium, designed to conceal utilities.
      There is also an island made from veiny marble and petite glazed tiles. Bespoke Masquespacio bar stools were wrapped in matching pale blue fabric.
      Triangular cupboards feature in the kitchenNext to the open-plan kitchen, the living and dining spaces include more brightly coloured furniture from the studio’s Mas Creations collection, which features the same twisted and angular shapes and soft upholstery as the pieces downstairs.
      Floor-to-ceiling curtains form a backdrop for a snaking lime green sofa, while dark green dining chairs with pyramidal backrests were positioned around a jewel-like glass table.
      Striking pyramid-shaped dining chairs continue the maximalist theme”Ninety-five per cent of the furniture and objects in our house are part of our Mas Creations collection, locally designed and produced by our studio,” said Penasse.
      Similarly bold projects from Masquespacio include a restaurant in Milan, Italy, with interiors that take cues from futuristic spaceships and the first Mango Teen store in Barcelona featuring vivid graphic shapes.
      The photography is courtesy of Masquespacio. 

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      Luke McClelland uses stone and oak to overhaul Georgian apartment in Edinburgh

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      A select few materials appear throughout this apartment in Edinburgh, which architect Luke McClelland has revamped to let its historic features take centre stage.

      The two-floor apartment is located in Edinburgh’s New Town, set within a Grade I-listed building that dates back to the 19th century.
      Luke McClelland has renovated a Georgian apartment in EdinburghSuccessive years of modifications meant that the home’s grand Georgian proportions and historic details had all but disappeared.
      Local architect Luke McClelland was tasked with sensitively stripping back the interior to reveal its original charm.
      A kitchen suite was added into the home’s dining room”The muted interior is intended to compliment, rather than detract from, the existing building,” he explained. “A simple material palette was agreed with the client: Ceppo Di Gre stone and oak.”

      He started by incorporating the kitchen into the apartment’s generously sized dining room. A bespoke oak wood counter crafted by local joinery studio Archispek now centres the space.
      A new doorway grants access to a utility room, which occupies the old kitchenOne end of the counter serves as a dining table, while the other end has a stove that’s set into a slab of Ceppo Di Gre stone.
      The same stone was used to build the work surface that runs above a series of low-lying oak cupboards at the rear of the room.

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      The former kitchen has been transformed into a utility room where appliances and other household items can be stored, a move that McClelland says will allow the new kitchen to “maintain its clean, sculptural lines”.
      More storage is provided by arched nooks punctuating either side of the opening that looks through to the living area.
      Plump blue Togo sofas by French brand Ligne Roset and expansive abstract paintings by Edinburgh-based artist Arran Rahimian were added to the space to soften the appearance of its stark white walls.
      Arched nooks offer extra storageThe home used to have carpet and vinyl flooring. But this was peeled back to reveal the original pinewood boards, which were carefully sanded and oiled to bring back the brilliance of their grain.
      One exception is the hallway, where porcelain tiles were uplifted to expose flagstones underneath, while the original staircase was repaired and restored.
      Abstract art and deep-blue sofas decorate the living areaThe project also saw McClelland merge two small storerooms to form a bathroom, complete with Ceppo Di Gre wall panelling.
      A new doorway was created between the kitchen and the utility area. Any other major structural changes were avoided so that the building could uphold its listed status.
      A new bathroom was created in the home’s flagstone-lined hallwayThis isn’t the first home that Luke McClelland has completed in Edinburgh. In 2022, he updated a Georgian apartment in the city’s port district of Leith, reconfiguring its convoluted layout to allow in more natural light.
      A few years earlier, he also revamped his own home in the Comely Bank neighbourhood to feature a series of modern, airy living spaces.
      The photography is by ZAC and ZAC.
      Project credits:
      Designer: Luke McClelland DesignConstruction: Pawlowski ConstructionsKitchen fabrication: ArchispekLiving room artwork: Arran Rahimian

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      Eero Saarinen’s Black Rock skyscraper refurbished in New York

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      The first and only skyscraper designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen in New York City has undergone a renovation by Vocon Architects and MdeAS Architects to help it “meet the expectations of today”.

      At the behest of developer HGI, local architecture studios Vocon Architects and MdeAS Architects renovated and restored the 51W52 skyscraper, also known as Black Rock, which was completed as a headquarters for American media giant CBS in 1964.
      CBS moved all of its facilities out in late 2023 and Black Rock now contains offices for a variety of companies, including HGI itself.
      Eero Saarinen’s first and only skyscraper has been renovatedDesigned by modernist architect Saarinen as his first and only skyscraper, 51W52’s original symmetrical facade of granite, bronze and travertine has survived, with the bronze fins updated by the renovation team.
      At the time, Saarinen called it the “simplest skyscraper statement in New York”.

      The original design was mostly maintained, and the developer, which purchased the landmarked building in 2021, said that the relatively column-less floor plans made it a perfect candidate for a contemporary office, though the interiors needed an update.
      The building’s facade is made of granite, bronze and travertine”From the beginning, we understood the immense potential of 51W52 given its architectural significance, desirable floor plans, and central location in Midtown,” said HGI president T Richard Litton Jr.
      “The structure of the building was optimal, we just needed to make subtle enhancements to reflect and appreciate its original design.”
      Most of the structural elements in the building were left intact. The architectural team completely renovated two lobbies on the ground floor, including a revamp of the finishes and the elevators. They also redid the building’s rooftop garden.
      Contemporary details and furnishings were added to the lobbyThe project also included the renovation of key amenities spaces including a lounge, fitness centre and a private cafe.
      The studios said that instead of completely rethinking the aesthetics of the 900,000-square-foot (83,600 square-metre) building, they aimed to “let the significant architecture speak for itself”.
      The wide, long walls of the lobby were finished in detailing that echoes those used for the original facade. Some of the walls were covered in brass-tipped wooden slats, while others feature monolithic granite slabs.
      The elevator bay was clad in light-coloured stoneBack-lit stone clads the reception desk, above which was placed a modernist fresco that incorporates the CBS logo to call attention to the history of the building.
      This artwork, by artist Vincent Ashbahian, was originally displayed in the building in the 1970s and willed back to the building after his death.
      Toronto outfit Viso created a massive lighting fixture made of dangling lights on strands to cover a large swath of the lobby.

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      “By conceptualizing the experience from the outside in, we were able to restore the fundamental beauty of his design and apply the principles of form, light, and even water to new elements such as the feature stair and water feature that meet the preferences of contemporary office users,” said MdeAS Architects managing partner Dan Shannon.
      From the lobby, a glass-lined stairwell leads down to lounge areas. The stairwell shaft is clad in stainless steel rendered in an undulating pattern.
      Models of furniture originally designed by Saarinen and architect Florence Knoll were placed throughout the renovated spaces.
      A water feature was placed underneath the staircase leading to the below-lobby loungeAs it leads to lounge areas below, it passes over a small, still water feature: a small pool of water retained by black-painted metal.
      “The creation of private lounges, a conference center, and fitness studios help the building meet the expectations of today’s best corporate talent, while their designs maintain the integrity of Saarinen’s original architecture,” said Vocon Architects principal Tom Vecchione.
      Saarinen is known for his modernist architecture, with built work across the United States and Europe. Recently, a number of his buildings have been undergoing renovation, including his TWA terminal at JFK, which was repurposed into a hotel.
      Other modernist skyscrapers that have undergone restorations and renovations in New York City include the famous Lever House skyscraper, which was restored by SOM, its original architects.
      The photography is by Colin Miller.

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      Reflect Architecture balances “contemporary art with family life” in Toronto house

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      Canadian studio Reflect Architecture has renovated a home in Toronto for a new generation of the same family, while incorporating an extensive art collection.

      North Drive House was the childhood home of one of the owners. After stints living abroad and in Downtown Toronto, the couple were lured back to the two-acre property for the space to raise their young family.
      The home’s hallways and living spaces were renovated to feel like a gallery for the couple’s art collectionHowever, the residence’s traditional interiors were not to their taste, so Reflect Architecture principal Trevor Wallace was called in to undertake an extensive renovation.
      His approach was to create a deliberate “tension” between the need to display an extensive contemporary art collection – which includes pieces by Robert Mapplethorpe and Erik Madigan Heck – and fulfilling the needs of a family home.
      A sculptural staircase features layered bannisters, stepped profiles and curved forms”The idea of living in a gallery was always important to the owners, but the critical distinction is that they didn’t want to live in a museum,” said Wallace.

      “This is a family home above all. The owners have always imagined that their kids would one day look back on living here and think it was pretty cool that they were playing soccer or running around inside what felt like an art gallery.”
      The living room includes contemporary furniture and a ribbon-like fireplace by Brooklyn designer Leyden LewisThe team retained the existing layout and circulation while updating the spaces with fresh materials, colours and forms.
      Most in line with the gallery-like aesthetic, the living spaces, hallways and corridors feature stark white walls and minimalist detailing such as flush doors and entryways.
      A different approach is taken in the dining room, where the walls are painted dark tealAt the centre of the home is a staircase designed as if a piece of sculpture itself, comprising layered bannisters, stepped profiles and curvaceous forms.
      A similarly playful tactic was applied in the living room, which features a rippling, ribbon-like fireplace designed by Brooklyn-based designer Leyden Lewis.
      Doors and entryways throughout the home are designed to be flush with the walls”We had a lot of fun exploring and playing with the staircase’s shapes and orientations,” Wallace said. “We wanted it to feel organic and fluid, and that required being playful. That was true for the entire house from start to finish, it was important that we didn’t take the whole thing too seriously.”
      The spareness of these spaces is swapped in the cooking and eating areas, which feature darker, richer colours like the teal dining room.

      Blue slide is centrepiece of Walker house renovation by Reflect Architecture

      A knotted light fixture by Lindsey Adelman hangs over the large stone dining table, accompanied by chairs with ochre velvet upholstery.
      In the kitchen, tone-on-tone travertine cabinetry and surfaces include a new 15-foot-long (4.5-metre) kitchen island.
      Tone-on-tone travertine cabinetry and surfaces were added in the kitchenAn existing gabled skylight overhead was maintained, but its beams were updated with a copper hue to “complement the travertine”.
      The room is oriented towards a glass wall facing a Japanese maple tree in the garden, under which sits a large dining table by local furniture designer Mary Ratcliffe.
      A 15-foot-long (4.5-metre) island was also added beneath an existing skylightWallace founded Reflect Architecture in 2016, and the studio’s previous work includes a Toronto home renovation with a blue slide as its centrepiece.
      Other recently completed residential overhauls in the city include a residence connected by asymmetric brass-lined portals and a house where built-in storage volumes were added.
      The photography is by Doublespace Photography.

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      Post Company restores hotel known as birthplace of Apple’s Macintosh computer

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      New York design studio Post Company has revived a historic hotel in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, drawing on the building’s illustrious past and recent acclaim to inform its interiors.

      The 75-key La Playa Hotel is situated a few blocks from the beach in the town, located on California’s Pacific Coast Highway and renowned for its bohemian spirit.
      The moody lobby of La Playa Hotel features dark coffered ceilings and textured plaster wallsIt was taken over in 2012 by Marc & Rose Hospitality – which also operates the recently overhauled High Country Motor Lodge in Flagstaff, Arizona – and reopened in October 2023 following a long renovation process.
      “As the fifth owners in its more than 115-year history, we focused on letting the building lead us to a design that supports the stories of the past, while infusing thoughtful amenities to meet the expectations of the modern traveller,” said Marc & Rose president John Grossman.
      Restored elements of the building include a staircase with tiled risers and iron railingsThe team worked with Post Company to uncover historical details about the property, which was originally built in 1905 by landscape painter Chris Jorgensen for his wife, chocolate heiress Angela Ghirardelli.

      After the death of her niece at Carmel Beach, the couple sold the mansion and it was converted into a hotel by adding 20 rooms, then further expanded to its current size in 1940.
      The hotel bar, Bud’s, is designed to be dark and intimateIn 1983, it was the site of an Apple company retreat, during which founder Steve Jobs unveiled the first working prototype of the Macintosh computer.
      With all this history, as well as ties to key figures of the bohemian movement, Post Company restored the Spanish Colonial-style building in a respectful manner while introducing new elements to enhance its character.
      A brighter approach to the decor was taken in the hotel’s guest rooms and suites”Our design honours the hotel’s history and vernacular while ushering in the works and objects of contemporary artists and muses,” said Post Company.
      “Each space is a singular and inviting design – much like the diverse cast of patrons and local characters engrained in its extensive past – resulting in an eclecticism that is a deeper reflection of what has always been and paves the way for a new generation to gather, create, and explore.”
      Cream walls and linen curtains complement the original shell pendant lights by Frances Adler ElkinsThe moody and atmospheric lobby features terracotta floors, a dark coffered wood ceiling and textured plaster walls, and is furnished with a variety of vintage pieces.
      A sweeping staircase leading upstairs to the guest rooms is adorned with patterned tiles on its risers and thin iron railings.
      Dark wood furniture contrasts the lighter-toned walls and textilesThe hotel’s bar, Bud’s, is named after Howard E “Bud” Allen – a Carmel local who took over the hotel in the 1960s and introduced a full-time bar and 10-minute happy hour.
      The space is dark and intimate, with plenty of wood panelling, leather-upholstered booths and banquettes, and decorative unlacquered brass and carved details.
      One of the guest rooms boasts a star-shaped stained-glass windowIn the guest rooms, Post Company took a lighter approach to the decor by choosing cream for the walls and the linen curtains.
      Curvaceous furniture is complemented by modern sconces and original plaster shell pendants by Frances Adler Elkins.

      Post Company imbues Mollie Aspen hotel interiors with earthy hues

      Each room has a curated bar, while the bathrooms have been updated with colourful tiles and blackened nickel fixtures.
      One of the ground-floor rooms boasts a star-shaped stained glass window, which is surrounded by foliage on the exterior.
      The hotel’s grounds are landscaped with brick paths and patios between plantingThe hotel’s grounds are landscaped with flowerbeds and lawns, criss-crossed by brick pathways that connect arched colonnades with patios and the outdoor swimming pool.
      Several guest rooms open directly onto the gardens, and a handful are in the pavilion that faces the pool terrace.
      The building’s historic Spanish Colonial architecture, typified by the arched colonnades around it periphery, was restored during the renovationLa Playa has multiple spaces for meetings and events, including a game room and the 2,160-square-foot (200-square-metre) Pacific Room that is typically used to host weddings.
      Breakfast is served in an indoor-outdoor dining room, whose covered terrace extends towards the ocean and provides a spot for evening cocktails while watching the sunset.
      The dining area extends out to a covered terrace where guests can watch the sunsetPost Company, formerly known as Studio Tack, is renowned for its hospitality projects and also recently completed the warm, wood-filled interiors for the Mollie Aspen hotel.
      The studio’s earlier work includes The Lake House on Canandaigua in New York’s Finger Lakes region, the Sound View hotel on the North Fork of Long Island and The Sandman converted motel in northern California.
      The photography is by Chris Mottalini.

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