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    Eight interiors with pyramidal ceilings that create dramatic depth

    For our latest lookbook, we’ve brought together eight houses from Mexico to Norway featuring pyramidal ceilings that reveal their structure and create a sense of depth.

    Similar to domed and vaulted ceilings, pyramidal ceilings have four panes that angle upwards towards a central point. Because of their depth, they often conform to architectural elements visible on the exterior of a structure.
    The ceilings can have skylights on their apexes to bring in light and provide a sense of height to structures that are often single-storey.
    While it can be rendered in a variety of materials, the feature often conforms to the wall material used throughout the house. Sometimes a building will feature more than one pyramidal ceiling, creating a peak-and-valley effect with interesting light patterns.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring houses that have vaulted ceilings and rooms with decorative plasterwork.

    Photo by by Einar AslaksenWeekend House, Norway, by Line Solgaard Arkitekter
    Norweigan architecture studio Line Solgaard Arkiteker created a house that sits under a single zinc-clad pyramidal roof topped with a massive skylight that filters light through the whole home.
    Because of the need for room dividers, the pyramid is only viewed in parts, as seen in the living space above with its slanted ceilings clad in stepped oak slats that make its angle even more dramatic.
    Find out more about Weekend House ›
    This photo and top photo by Joe FletcherFour Roof House, United States, by TW Ryan Architecture
    This home in rural Montana features not one but four pyramidal roofs, each with a skylight that casts sunlight on the white-walled interiors – a dramatic contrast with the hardy Corten steel of the exterior.
    Because of the potential for overexposure inside, the studio placed reflective panelling below each of the skylights to diffuse the direct sunlight.
    Find out more about Four Roof House ›
    Photo by Alice ClancyHouse at Kilmore, Ireland, by GKMP Architects
    Another house with a single pyramidal roof, this home in the Irish countryside was designed to be compact, so the higher roofs made the spaces seem larger and more airy.
    Instead of a central skylight, smaller ones were laid out across the four faces of the home and a series of glulam beams were left exposed, as seen in the home’s kitchen.
    Find out more about House at Kilmore ›
    Photo by Casey DunnRiver Bend Residence, United States, by Lake Flato 
    This house in Texas has multiple volumes topped with pyramidal skylights, each with its own distinct cladding to create different light environments for different usages.
    The home was designed to “sit lightly on the land”, so the studio decided to arch the ceilings up to create a sense of cosy height in the gathering and workspaces.
    Find out more about River Bend Residence ›
    Photo by Joe FletcherPlover House, United States, by Fuse Architects
    Another house that sits under a single pyramidal roof, this California project features a pyramid that rises gradually and terminates at a large skylight at its centre.
    The project is a renovation of an existing house, and one of the main objectives was to peel back elements that had blocked the light from the skylight – which sits over the kitchen – from reaching the other living spaces.
    Find out more about Plover House ›
    Photo by César BéjarThe Avocado, Mexico, by Práctica Arquitectura
    The house near Monterrey has a structure made almost entirely out of concrete and features a large pyramidal ceiling at its centre, making the dining area a sort of inner sanctum of the otherwise low-lying structure.
    Standing 4.5 metres above the floor, this skylight gives the space a sense of depth and the cut-out allows inhabitants to realise the thickness of the concrete that makes up the walls, echoing the forms of ancient pyramids found in the country.
    Find out more about The Acovado ›
    Photo by Timothy SoarThe Tin House, United Kingdom, by Henning Stummel
    This red-clad house in London contains multiple pyramidal forms with skylights in order to create light-filled spaces in a dense part of the city.
    In the kitchen, a strip of paint separates the red panelling of the walls from the plaster pyramidal ceiling, adding a sense of elongation and depth to the space.
    Find out more about The Tin House ›

    Hollowed Out House, Australia, by Tribe Studio
    Instead of conforming exactly to the shape of the roof the pyramidal ceilings in this Sydney house function like voids in the thick roofline.
    The interior pyramids stretch upwards in “distorted” angles, allowing light to enter in a way best suited to the site.
    Find out more about Hollowed Out House ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring homes with interior windows that maximise light, creative guest rooms that accommodate visitors in style, and home interiors brightened with colourful window frames.

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

    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”

    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.

    Ten self-designed studios by architects and designers

    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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    Eight homes where internal windows and partitions maximise light

    In this lookbook, we have collected eight projects that use internal glazing and partitions to create brighter home interiors and increased connectivity between spaces.

    While the primary use of windows is for daylight access and ventilation, they can also play a key role in visually connecting spaces within the home.
    Adding internal windows enables more interaction between adjacent rooms, while allowing light to penetrate further into the home – creating bright and spacious interiors.
    While similar, internal partitions offer a unique opportunity to simultaneously increase connectivity and enhance privacy through the demarcation of a home’s internal spaces.
    Below are eight examples that showcase the versatility of internal openings and partitions, ranging from a colourful home extension featuring playful, circular windows in London to an open-plan kitchen punctuated with brass-lined portals in Toronto.

    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring creative guest rooms that accommodate visitors in style, home interiors brightened with colourful window frames and hotel interiors characterised by eclectic designs.
    Photo by BCDF studioTimbaud, France, by Isabelle Heilmann
    Converted from a textile workshop, this open-plan apartment in Paris offers a bright, spacious interior equipped with a dedicated home office, mezzanines and a loft.
    Designer Isabelle Heilmann used internal windows and glazing in order to retain visual connections between the rooms, as well as demarcate the living spaces and enable a flow of light through the interior.
    Find out more about Timbaud ›
    Photo by Megan TaylorCurve Appeal, UK, by Nimtim Architects
    Multifunctional partitions built from plywood joinery were used to define the interior of this 1920s house in Southwark, London, renovated by local studio Nimtim Architects.
    Addressing a need for improved connectivity and daylight, the studio used curved, glazed openings within the partitions to encourage visual connection between the different spaces.
    Find out more about Curve Appeal ›
    Photo by Scott NorsworthyPortal House, USA, by Svima
    Renovated by architecture and art studio Svima, this residence in Toronto features asymmetrical portals lined with brass ribbons.
    Aptly named Portal House, the home’s open-plan kitchen and dining area are connected via two portals – with one used as a doorway and the other as a pass-through for food, drinks and tableware.
    Find out more about Portal House ›
    Photo by José HeviaMediona 13, Spain, by Nua Arquitectures
    Nua Arquitectures revamped this house in the historic centre of Tarragona, Spain, using pastel-coloured steel to reinforce its structure.
    Internal windows overlook the home’s large entrance, which features a staircase lined with pastel blue balustrades, to allow light to travel into the home.
    Find out more about Mediona 13 ›
    Photo by Nick DeardenAR Residence, UK, by DeDraft
    A kitchen extension clad in green aluminium panels was used by architecture studio DeDraft to update this home in east London.
    Also overseeing the remodelling of the home’s upper floors, the studio implemented large windows and skylights along with an internal window to allow light to permeate the interior.
    Find out more about AR Residence ›
    Photo by Jim StephensonA House in East London, UK, by Charles Holland Architects
    This colourful extension completed by Charles Holland Architects features a trio of aligned, circular windows that connect the ground-floor spaces.
    Creating “unexpected views between rooms”, these internal openings form a series of interconnected interior spaces, as opposed to a large open-plan layout.
    Find out more about A House in East London ›
    Photo by Megan TaylorFruit Box, UK, by Nimtim Architects
    Also completed by Nimtim Architects is an extension added to a 1970s townhouse in Forest Hill, London, which is divided by adaptable partitions.
    These plywood partitions are designed to be filled in for increased privacy between spaces, but are also non-structural to allow for easy removal to maximise interior space if needed.
    Find out more about Fruit Box ›
    Photo by Alex Shoots BuildingsHouse in Kutná Hora, Czech Republic, by Byró Architekti
    Byró Architekti restored and renovated this 19th-century house in Kutná Hora using colourful joinery and playful openings.
    Aiming to improve the connection between the home’s spaces, internal windows and glass-block walls were added to each level of the centralised spiral staircase.
    Find out more about House in Kutná Hora ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring creative guest rooms that accommodate visitors in style, home interiors brightened with colourful window frames and hotel interiors characterised by eclectic designs.

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    Eight creative guest rooms that accommodate visitors in style

    In this lookbook, we’ve collected eight guest rooms from China to Spain that provide visiting friends and family a space to call their own.

    Guest accommodations come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Ranging from a sofa during our younger years to full-blown guesthouses later on, putting up friends and family is made better when we have a place to put them – no matter how small.
    The houses and apartments below showcase the myriad ways an extra bedroom can be integrated into an interior, often doubling as an office, storage space or – in the case of a Beijing apartment – a place to enjoy some tea.
    Read on below for fresh ideas on how to provide space for visitors.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring brightly-framed windows, tactile and organic living rooms and mezzanines that maximise usable space.

    Photo by Jack LovelWeeties Factory home, Australia, by Spaceagency
    A deep red carpet defines this guest room in a single-family Australian home, which consists of three consolidated apartments that once were part of a heritage-listed cereal factory.
    The same red was carried into a curtain – which provides privacy from the living room below – and a corner chair, while built-in shelving sits at the entrance.
    Find out more about Weeties Factory home ›
    Photo by Eva Cotman and Maria CeballosBarcelona apartment, Spain, by Eva Cotman
    Guests sleep atop a platform in this Barcelona apartment, which also doubles as a storage area.
    Croatian architect Eva Cotman sought to renovate the apartment to provide more open space. To optimize its functionality, she placed a bookshelf staircase in front of the guest bed.
    Find out more about Barcelona apartment ›
    Photo by Ewout HuibersCanal house, The Netherlands, by i29
    To accommodate guests in this renovation of a canal house in Amsterdam, architecture studio i29 inserted a forest-green volume off the kitchen.
    The guest suite also contains its own bathroom and access door to a garden, while a built-in bed and shelving provide rest and storage.
    Find out more about Canal house ›
    Photo by Weiqi JinBeijing apartment, China, by Rooi
    Plywood units were inserted into this 1950s Beijing apartment to organize and provide more space in its tight interior, which was created during an influx of people moving to urban areas when apartments were often compact.
    A linear volume inserted along the kitchen and dining room can be used for storage, as a tea-drinking room, or as guest accommodations with a mattress placed on the floor. A bubble in the ceiling also provides a relaxing space for feline roommates.
    Find out more about Beijing apartment ›
    Photo by David MaštálkaRounded Loft, Czech Republic, by AI Architects
    An attic in Prague was converted into a two-storey apartment, with living spaces, a kitchen and primary bedrooms located on the first floor and a guest suite located in a mezzanine.
    In the mezzanine, a bed sits at the end of a long hall, while a bathroom sits adjacent to the stairs. A terrace in between the two spaces and skylights lining the roof provide a connection to the outdoors.
    Find out more about Rounded Loft ›
    Photo by Tim BiesFalse Bay Writer’s Cabin, USA, by Olson Kundig
    This cabin in Washington doubles as a study for its owners, as well as a bedroom for visiting guests when a bed is folded out of the wall.
    The space is surrounded by floor-to-ceiling glass, which is protected by doors that fold up and enclose the entire cabin and fold down to create multiple porches.
    Find out more about False Bay Writer’s Cabin ›
    Photo is courtesy Rubén Dario Kleimeer and Lagado Architects.Workhome-Playhome, The Netherlands, by Lagado Architects
    The founders of Lagado Architects revamped their own Rotterdam apartment by inserting a bright blue staircase and colourful storage units.
    An open loft-style room sits on the second floor. This has minimal furniture so that it can be quickly turned into an exercise room or used as guest accommodations for visitors.
    Find out more about Workhome-Playhome ›
    Photo by Iñaki Domingo of IDC StudioMadrid apartment, Spain, by Leticia Saá
    A wash area sits outside a guest bedroom in this Madrid apartment to physically and visually separate the space from the remaining house.
    The guest area, which sits directly in front of the primary bed, also faces an interior courtyard which separates both sleeping areas from the living room and kitchen.
    Find out more about Madrid apartment ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring brightly-framed windows, tactile and organic living rooms and mezzanines that maximise usable space. 

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    Studio Gameiro draws on hues of Caparica cliffs for Arriba apartment

    Studio Gameiro has designed the interior of the Arriba apartment in the coastal town of Caparica, Portugal, using local stone and drawing on wooden fishing huts for inspiration.

    The fit-out of the two-bedroom apartment, located inside a building from the 1980s, was designed to reference the coastal area of Caparica.
    The interior of the Arriba apartment is decorated in sandy colours”The interior colour palette and texture was inspired by the beautiful coastline of Caparica, a unique fossil-rock formation along the coast with sandy and terracotta hues,” studio founder Joāo Gameiro told Dezeen.
    “This natural and protected area south of Lisbon has a particular and playful way of changing with light, and it is also almost poetically embedded in our childhood memories of long summer holidays, as it was the first seaside area close to the big city.”
    Studio Gameiro wanted the interior to reference its surroundingsThe sandy hues of the Caparica cliffs influenced the colour palette of the apartment, which is filled with beige and tan hues and named Arriba for the Portuguese word for cliff.

    Studio Gameiro also referenced the 70-square-metre apartment’s surroundings through its choice of materials, designing wooden kitchen cabinets in a nod to local fishing boats.
    The two-bedroom apartment has an open-plan kitchen”The use of wood for the low kitchen cabinets relates to the [area’s] fishing huts, which are characterised by vertical or horizontal lines of wooden planks,” Gameiro said.
    “The texture found in the upper cabinets also finds inspiration in the same source, resembling the straw utilized in the construction of these huts.”

    Studio Gameiro draws on Algarve’s craftsmanship for Austa restaurant interior

    As with its interior scheme for the Austa restaurant in Almancil, the practice designed much of the furniture for the apartment, which it made from wood.
    “Following the same input as in other Studio Gameiro projects, we always tend to design bespoke furniture as an extension of the ability to manipulate textures and materials and celebrate the craftsmanship we are very fortunate to work with,” Gameiro explained.
    “The use of Kambala wood was important, as a reference to the durable wood used at the fabrication of the fishing boats, for example.”
    Lioz marble was used for the sinkIn the kitchen, the studio added an L-shaped kitchen counter made from marble.
    “We used Lioz marble, a type of stone extracted locally that has been used in kitchen counters for centuries due to its hard and extremely resistant surface,” Gameiro said. “We also loved how it resonated with the sandy and terracotta hues of the hills nearby.”
    The apartment features an unusual bathroom, organised around a shower base that was designed to have an organic shape reminiscent of “shapes found on the beach”, the studio said.
    The bathroom has an organically shaped showerIt was made from Moleanos stone – a type of Portuguese limestone set with the remains of sea shells – and was inspired by the coastal erosion that has affected the area.
    “As in most of these coastal formations, it has previously suffered from erosion, which in this case was eventually stopped by the pro-active planting of the Caparica pine forest,” Gameiro said.
    “This is now considered a natural protected area and what is left is a coastal outline of ins and outs to and from the beach, which inspired the organic shape of the shower wall.”
    Custom-made wooden furniture decorates the flatIn the study, the studio added a bespoke desk and wooden shelving, while the bedroom has a custom-made make-up desk and a bespoke wooden bed.
    Other recent Portuguese interior design projects featured on Dezeen include a Lisbon home by Fala Atelier and a boutique hotel by designer Christian Louboutin.
    The photography is by Tiago Casanova.

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    Almost Studio designs Loft for a Chocolatier in Brooklyn

    Brooklyn practice Almost Studio has completed an apartment renovation inside a former chocolate factory, retaining an open layout while adding level changes to demarcate functional spaces.

    The Loft for a Chocolatier occupies part of a 1947 industrial building along Myrtle Avenue, in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn.
    The loft’s kitchen revolves around an island that’s anchored by a structural column surrounded by corrugated metalThe apartment boasts many features typical of loft-style living, including high ceilings, large windows, and exposed pipes and ductwork.
    In one sense, Almost Studio founders Anthony Gagliardi and Dorian Booth aimed to retain this character through an open floor plan, adding powder-coated white mesh boxes and metallic accents.
    Exposed ductwork and white powder-coated mesh boxes highlight the industrial character of the spaceIn another, the pair chose to denote or separate some of the functional areas using changes in angle or elevation.

    They looked to artists like Kazimir Malevich and Josef Albers for ways to honour the original spatial composition while organising the various spaces.
    The kitchen counter integrates a work-from-home area, where pale wood panels are contrasted by lime-green storage niches”It became a way for us to distinguish different areas – such as entry, kitchen, living room, dining room, and office – through these subtle rotational moves in a space that was otherwise entirely open,” said Gagliardi and Booth.
    “In many lofts, every space is equally capable of hosting any activity, and is therefore equally inadequate to host any activity,” the duo continued. “If a dining room can also be an office, gym, and workshop – is it the best place to have dinner?”
    A lounge area is located in the middle of the open-plan spaceThe apartment’s dining room is therefore located on a raised platform at the end of the space, where the ceiling is also lowered using the mesh boxes.
    This set-up aims to create “a closer relationship with the high loft windows, and light, as well as a smaller, more intimate space for conversations”, Gagliardi and Booth said.
    The dining area is raised on a platform to differentiate it from the rest of the apartmentThe raised area is accessed via a short staircase that’s covered in green carpet and flanked by sculptural pale pink screens.
    These elements – covered in Shirasu Kabe plaster – are indicative of the studio’s approach to softening the industrial architecture, along with cork flooring and wainscoting, and upholstered seating.
    Shutters can be opened to connect the mezzanine bedroom and the main living areaPale millwork fronts the pill-shaped kitchen island and curved cabinets behind, while other niches are left open and lined in chartreuse.
    The kitchen counter integrates an area for a desk, used as a home office, where the shelving also continues overhead.

    Another Seedbed is a Brooklyn apartment that doubles as a performance space

    Meanwhile, corrugated metal surrounds a structural column that anchors the island, and the dining chairs have tubular steel frames.
    At the opposite end from the dining room, another elevated portion of the space houses a bedroom, which is closed off from the rest of the apartment.
    The light-filled bedroom features cork wainscoting and plenty of built-in storageThis space is more intimate, and features cream walls, built-in storage, and an arched niche beside the bed that’s lined with more green carpet for the owner’s cats to nap in.
    A fritted glass door slides across for privacy, and a series of shutters that offer views between the bedroom and the main living area can be closed when desired.
    An arched niche lined with green carpet provides a spot for cat napsBrooklyn has many former industrial buildings that have been converted for residential use over the past decade.
    Others include a 19th-century hat factory in Williamsburg that is now home to an apartment that doubles as a performance space and a warehouse in Dumbo where one loft features a book-filled mezzanine.
    The photography is by Jonathan Hokklo.

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    Nine home interiors brightened with colourful window frames

    Shades of green, red and yellow run throughout this lookbook, which collects nine home interiors enlivened by colourful window frames.

    Whether painted wood, plastic or metal, opting for colourful window frames is an easy way to brighten a residential interior.
    The examples in this lookbook demonstrate how they can be used to create a focal point in a pared-back space, draw attention to a view or simply help establish a colour theme.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring organic modern interiors, eclectic hotels and flooring that enhances the connection between indoors and outdoors.
    Photo by Fred HowarthCamberwell Cork House, UK, by Delve Architects

    A bright forest green paint lines the window frames at Camberwell Cork House, helping to draw focus to the lush planting outside.
    The paint juxtaposes the deliberately simple, white-walled interiors of the house extension, while outside it pops from against walls of tactile cork cladding.
    Find out more about Camberwell Cork House ›
    Photo by Mikael OlssonHouse 669, Sweden, by HelgessonGonzaga Arkitekter
    HelgessonGonzaga Arkitekter incorporated sunny yellow frames throughout House 669, a prefabricated home it created in Stockholm.
    The irregularly placed windows help enliven the otherwise neutral finishes to the home while adding a sense of “individuality” to its uniform structure, the studio said.
    Find out more about House 669 ›
    Photo by Megan TaylorCork House, UK, by Nimtim Architects
    Another studio to have married bright window frames with cork cladding is Nimtim Architects. At this extension in London, the studio punctured the cork-lined walls with Barbie pink timber frames, offering a contemporary counterpoint to the Victorian house to which it is attached.
    The windows are complemented by more subtle pops of pink inside, including the kitchen splashback and metal legs of the dining chairs.
    Find out more about Cork House ›
    Photo by José CamposBouça Family House, Portugal, by Fahr 021.3
    Turquoise accents feature throughout this family home by Fahr 021.3 in Porto, including its window frames and doors.
    The colour was intended to help liven up the interiors, which are finished with white walls, wooden floorboards and wall panelling, while also giving the home “an element of distinction”, the studio said.
    Find out more about Bouça Family House ›
    Photo by French & TyeValetta House, UK, by Office S&M
    Among the distinguishing features of the Valetta House loft extension in London are its yellow-framed arch windows, three of which feature in one of the bedrooms.
    Office S&M modelled these on the arched sash windows found in neighbouring Victorian residences but gave them a vivid yellow finish to appeal to the client’s children. The colour was based on a light fitting the client had picked for the kitchen.
    Find out more about Valetta House ›
    Photo by Séverin MalaudDailly, Belgium, by Mamout
    Slender sage-green frames trim the window openings in Dailly, a courtyard house nestled between two buildings in Belgium.
    It is among the pastel tones that its architect Mamout has used to bring character to the home, in addition to an array of reclaimed materials sourced from a warehouse that previously occupied the site.
    Find out more about Dailly ›

    Ugly House, UK, by Lipton Plant Architects
    Ugly House is a 1970s house in Berkshire that Lipton Plant Architects expanded with a contrasting two-storey extension.
    A bright orange finish was chosen for the windows, including the large garden-facing opening in the kitchen that juxtaposes pastel-blue cabinetry and wooden floorboards.
    Find out more about Ugly House ›
    Photo by Francisco AscensãoHouse in Ancede, Portugal, by Atelier Local
    Large rectangular and circular windows bring light inside House in Ancede, which Atelier Local completed on a sloped site in a nature reserve near Porto.
    The openings are outlined with bright red aluminium, brightening the cool-toned interiors that are defined by exposed blockwork and concrete to evoke brutalist architecture.
    Find out more about House in Ancede ›
    Photo by Megan TaylorYellow House, UK, by Nimtim Architects
    Another project on the list by Nimtim Architects is Yellow House, named after the spectrum of yellow-green hues that run throughout its interior.
    This includes the buttercup-coloured wooden frames of the rear picture window and three skylights in the living room, which stand out against a backdrop of white walls and neutral furnishings.
    Find out more about Yellow House ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring tactile organic modern interiors, eclectic hotels and flooring that enhances the connection between indoors and outdoors. 

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