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    Studio Est adds “brutalist elements” to Battersea Power Station apartment

    London interiors firm Studio Est referenced the industrial heritage of Battersea Power Station when creating the interiors for this apartment set within the redeveloped landmark.

    The apartment’s owner wanted to transform the empty shell into a space that would reflect both his personal tastes and the home’s setting within the former art deco power station.
    Studio Est has transformed the interiors of a Battersea Power Station apartmentKnown for its quiet luxury interiors, Studio Est applied a palette of subtle neutral shades to unify the apartment’s open-plan spaces and provide a consistent backdrop for various characterful furnishings and artworks.
    “We wanted to keep it simple but introduce subtle brutalist elements that evoke the building’s history,” founder Louise East told Dezeen. “These are complemented by softer textures that add a more feminine touch.”
    Mario Bellini and Charles Rennie Mackintosh chairs feature in the dining roomAlthough some areas of the redeveloped power station feature steel beams and other industrial details, East found the apartment entirely devoid of original elements.

    So the studio turned to furniture, artwork and accessories to introduce character and visual interest to the living spaces.
    A dramatic painting is set against the neutral wallsDramatic pieces, including a large painting in the dining room and a bespoke geometric sofa in the lounge area, were chosen to ground these spaces and introduce a masculine feel.
    East then layered these with textural details including cushions, lampshades and linen-wool blend curtains, all of which were custom-made for the project.
    The room also houses a metal reinterpretation of Gerrit Rietveld’s Zigzag chairAlongside the bespoke items, Studio Est sourced various vintage pieces including leather chairs by Italian designer Mario Bellini, which surround the dark wooden dining table.
    A Hill House Chair by Scottish art deco architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh and a metal reinterpretation of Gerrit Rietveld’s seminal Zigzag chair also feature in the dining room.

    Archmongers celebrates “raw beauty of brutalist concrete” in Trellick Tower apartment refresh

    The two bedrooms display distinctly different approaches to colour and materiality. The principal bedroom is painted in a rich terracotta hue that lends the space a warm, enveloping atmosphere, while the second bedroom incorporates textures chosen to complement the adjacent gardens.
    “Although it’s an open-plan apartment, we didn’t want all the rooms to look the same,” said East, who established her studio in 2020 after 15 years of working for other architects and interior designers including Russell Sage and Martin Brudnizki.
    A bespoke geometric sofa centres the lounge area”It’s good to be able to move from one space to another and have a different look and feel,” she added. “The main bedroom is intentionally different to the living areas because we wanted to make this a space where the client can come after a day’s work and feel comfortable reading a book.”
    Throughout the apartment, the owner’s ceramics collection is displayed on characterful plinths, carefully positioned to emphasise specific views within the spaces and of the landscaped gardens outside.
    Cushions and curtains were made custom for the projectBattersea Power Station was designed by British architect Giles Gilbert Scott and built by the London Power Company in several phases between 1929 and 1955. It was decommissioned in 1975 and subsequently given Grade II listed status.
    A lengthy redevelopment of the site on the south bank of the River Thames introduced accommodation, hospitality, offices and retail space while preserving the building’s iconic chimney stacks and facades.
    The principal bedroom is painted in a rich terracotta hueLondon architecture firm WilkinsonEyre oversaw the restoration and conversion of the former power station, which now features a glass lift within one of its chimneys.
    UK studio Foster + Partners designed an office for technology brand Apple inside the building as well as a store for the company that retains four original brick pillars.
    The photography is courtesy of Studio Est.

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    General Assembly creates “comforting and quiet palette” for Manhattan apartment

    Design studio General Assembly has used a wide material palette to transform an apartment on New York City’s Upper West Side, decorating it with marble and travertine stone and adding wood for a lighter feel.

    The studio completely transformed the layout of the 3,050-square-foot (284 square metres) flat, which was designed for a young family.
    Social spaces are located at the centre of the home”The floorplan has been completely reimagined,” General Assembly co-founder Sarah Zames told Dezeen.
    “We moved all the walls and most of the plumbing in order to better accommodate the needs and lifestyle of the clients – we felt it was important to organize the spaces based on the way they used the space.”
    A travertine side table contrasts a wooden table in the living roomOne side of the flat was designed to be quieter and family-focused and houses the bedrooms and family room, while social areas can be found at the centre of the apartment.

    Guest spaces are contained in a third area, which was designed using warmer materials and has a more intimate scale.
    The bedrooms are located on a “quieter” side of the flatLocated in an early 20th-century stone building by Italian-American architect Gaetano Ajello, the studio drew on the surrounding architecture when designing the apartment interior.
    “We were inspired by the grandness of the New York pre-war building,” Zames said.
    “We loved its deep columns and beams and wanted to work in a way that honored these kinds of details while balancing them with softer textures and quieter moments.”
    The kitchen features a marble islandGeneral Assembly worked with many different materials for the apartment, whose walls are clad in Venetian plaster in a nod to the fact that it’s the material that would have been used for the original walls.
    “We chose to finish many of the spaces with Venetian plaster because it created a subtle shadow and depth on the walls and ceilings,” Zames explained.

    General Assembly upgrades apartment inside brutalist Manhattan tower

    “We liked the way it reflected the natural and decorative lighting without overwhelming the space – the movement and texture of the wall is so minimal, that on first glance you may not realize that it is even plaster,” she added.
    “But, as you watch the day progress, the light shifting becomes more apparent.”
    Wood was used throughout the flatThe studio decorated the kitchen and bathrooms with dramatic marble surfaces and also placed a side table in solid travertine in the living room.
    “We felt that stone, a material that lends itself to the nature of the pre-war building, was such a natural choice for this project,” Zames said.
    “We wanted to emphasize its weight, designing voluminous pieces and detailing to emphasize these qualities.”
    Brass and metal details add texture to the living roomTo contrast the stone, wood was used for much of the furniture and for the sliding doors leading into the kitchen.
    “The wood was just as important in the design because it provided a counterpoint to the heaviness of the stone and the architecture of the building,” Zames said.
    “Not only was the wood lighter in color, but the details in the wood finishes feel lighter to the touch and slightly more delicate.”
    General Assembly added built-in features to the apartmentThroughout the flat, built-in shelves and cabinets maximise storage and reference the original design of the flat.
    To create the right ambience within the apartment, General Assembly used earthy colours for the interior.
    “We drew predominantly on earthy hues complimented by jewel-toned accents,” Zames said.
    “We wanted to go with a comforting and quiet palette that evoked feelings of permanence. We always use natural and living materials in our projects, wherever possible – so many of these finishes will patina over time and add further to the depth of the design.”
    Swirly marble clads one of the bathroomsPieces by independent designers were also used for the space to give it more character and personality.
    “The clients were really open to bringing in more independent designers, many of whom we also carry at our shop, Assembly Line,” Zames said.
    “That gave us the ability to do a lot of customization and freedom in how we designed and outfitted the space.”
    General Assembly has previously updated an apartment inside a brutalist Manhattan tower and decorated a Bergen Street apartment with brass.
    The photography is by William Jess Laird.
    Project credits: 
    General contractor: ALL ConstructionStructural engineer: Jim Moore and AssociatesA/V and lighting: Fiks Consultants for AV and Lighting InfrastructureUpholstery & window treatments: Fernando Guaman for Custom Upholstery and Window treatments

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    Marie & Alexandre takes over Appartement N°50 at Le Corbusier’s Cité Radieuse

    French designers Marie Cornil and Alexandre Willaume have filled an apartment in Le Corbusier’s iconic Cité Radieuse housing block in Marseille with custom furniture, including a leather-and-metal armchair informed by the architect’s work.

    Marie & Alexandre is the latest design studio to create a scenography within Appartement N°50 after it was restored to its original condition by owners Jean-Marc Drut and Patrick Blauwart.
    Marie & Alexandre has taken over Appartement N°50 at La Cité RadieuseInfluenced by the creative salons hosted by the apartment’s original occupant – school teacher Lilette Ripert who lived there from 1952 to 2000 – Drut and Blauwart invited the likes of Jasper Morrison and Konstantin Grcic to transform the space and opened it up to the public during the summer.
    The duplex apartment, completed in 1952 and later classified as a historical monument, hosted installations by well-known designers every second year from 2008 to 2018.
    The duo created a series of custom furniture for the flatNow, the programme has returned after a six-year hiatus with an intervention by Marie & Alexandre, who created several bespoke pieces to be exhibited alongside some of their existing works.

    The duo is known for their collaborations with artisanal producers, and research into materials and making processes that inform their designs for unique or limited-edition objects.
    Among them is a desk formed from stacked glass boxes”We wanted this exhibition to combine our work from the past four years and for the pieces to highlight the numerous workshops and techniques we have worked with recently,” the duo told Dezeen.
    The designers met while working at Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s studio in Paris and subsequently began developing their own projects through a series of workshops and residencies.
    The same standardised boxes can also be used to form a shelving unitSince 2022 their work has been exhibited by Galerie Signé, whose founder Maxime Bouzidi helped to facilitate the collaboration with Drut.
    One of the pieces created specially for the exhibition is a series of coloured glass boxes developed with help from manufacturing company Glas Italia that responds directly to hues found in the apartment.

    Alex Israel projects Bat Signal from roof of Le Corbusier’s Cite Radieuse

    The use of glass was inspired by the orientation of apartments within the Unité d’Habitation complex, which receive both morning and afternoon light. Each piece incorporates two coloured strips that create a third colour where they overlap.
    Le Corbusier’s ideas about using modular elements to create harmonious proportions informed the design of standard-sized boxes that can be stacked to create totemic shelves or combined with a tabletop to form a desk.
    Marie & Alexandre’s rippled glass table was born from a residencyMarie & Alexandre developed further pieces for the exhibition during a residency at the Lycée Jean Monnet academy in Moulins, including a glass table and various furniture items made in wrought iron.
    Collaborations with staff and students at the school informed the creation of the rectangular table, which features a rippled surface made from industrial float glass.
    A sling-seat armchair was designed to respond to the weight of the sitterDuring the residency, the designers experimented with metal forging and designed an armchair with a leather sling seat, produced by Cressange metal workshop Flammes de Créations.
    The chair’s simple forms reference the furniture designed by Le Corbusier and frequent collaborator Charlotte Perriand. It features a metal framework with three detachable legs and a tensioned seat that responds to the weight of the sitter.
    The aluminium kitchen table is height-adjustableFor the kitchen, Marie & Alexandre created a height-adjustable aluminium table to fit the limited space. Made by Atelier BLAM in Nantes, the piece features subtle bumps where the legs attach to the top.
    The duo’s experiments with ceramics include a tile collection created in collaboration with the Alain Vagh factory in Salernes, as well as chairs with coloured backs that were produced for the exhibition by ceramicist Jean Marie Foubert.
    The designers said they were appreciative of the opportunity to display their work in such an iconic location, adding that they set out “to proceed with the same intention as the previous exhibitions as if visitors were coming to see an inhabited apartment”.
    Ceramicist Jean Marie Foubert helped to create a series of chairs with coloured backsThe exhibition will be on display until 15 August before travelling to Paris, where it will be adapted to occupy Galerie Signé from 5 September to 21 October.
    Marie & Alexandre follows six other design studios, whose work has been presented at Appartement N°50 following its restoration.
    These include Pierre Cardin, who added colourful furniture and artwork to the space, and the Bouroullec brothers whose scenography featured their SteelWood furniture and Clouds wall hangings.
    Marie & Alexandre at La Cité Radieuse, Apartement 50 is on show at La Cité Radieuse until 15 August. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world. 

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    Eight living rooms dominated by giant sofas

    From a curving couch in a Parisian apartment to an extra-wide settee in São Paulo, our latest lookbook collects eight living rooms where oversized sofas take centre stage.

    The sofa may be most people’s favourite place to sit and relax, but it can also make a bold design statement.
    Below, we highlight eight living rooms where couches, which are significantly more substantial than standard furniture, serve as the focal point.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more, see previous lookbooks featuring living rooms with paper lamps, sculptural furniture and 1970s decor.
    Photo by Denilson Machado (also top)DN Apartment, Brazil, by BC Arquitetos

    An olive-green sofa in the shape of a broad sickle, courtesy of designer Jader Almeida, commands attention in the open-plan living room of this home in São Paulo.
    Part of a 1970s building, the apartment was renovated by local studio BC Arquitetos and filled with classic Brazilian art and furniture, including a Petala coffee table by Jorge Zalzupin bearing a bronze head sculpture by Florian Raiss.
    Find out more about DN Apartment ›
    Photo by Giulio GhirardiCanal Saint-Martin apartment, France, by Rodolphe Parente
    Interior designer Rodolphe Parente overhauled this classic Haussmann-era Parisian apartment to celebrate its original features while showing off the owner’s contemporary art collection.
    Nowhere is this juxtaposition of styles more pronounced than in the living area, where a sculptural vintage sofa wraps around a pearlescent coffee table in the centre of the room, with a black-and-white graphic rug beneath its feet.
    Find out more about this Canal Saint-Martin apartment ›
    Photo courtesy of Hotel Valley HoHotel Valley Ho, USA, by 3rd Story
    The suites at this mid-century hotel in Scottsdale, Arizona, feature generous U-shaped sofas with colourful upholstery.
    As part of its renovation, Anissa Mendil of architecture and interiors firm 3rd Story sought to introduce contemporary furniture that would complement the building’s modernist architecture.
    Find out more about Hotel Valley Ho ›
    Photo by Fran ParenteGale Apartment, Brazil, by Memola Estudio
    From the double-height ceilings to the mosaic wall and the extensive artwork collection, multiple elements compete for attention in the living room of this São Paulo apartment renovation by local firm Memola Estudio.
    Anchoring them all is a super-long sofa along one wall, which ensures that the room’s overall colour palette remains neutral despite the vibrant wall hangings above.
    Find out more about Gale Apartment ›
    Photo by Serena EllerG-Rough, Italy, by Gabriele Salini
    Italian hotelier Gabriele Salini wanted this Rome hotel in a 17th-century palazzo to have a rough-yet-refined feel, fusing historic elegance and Italian modernism.
    In entertaining spaces in the rooms, an extra-deep sofa that can also serve as a spare bed provides an intriguing focal point.
    Find out more about G-Rough ›
    Photo by Julie SmorodkinaRadikal Klassisk, Spain, by Puntofilipino
    Radikal Klassisk is a Madrid apartment conceived by local studio Puntofilipino as an unusual take on Danish design, with an intense colour and material palette that creates a brooding atmosphere.
    A curving couch from Danish brand NORR11, composed of three separate parts upholstered in different fabrics, dominates the sparsely furnished living room.
    Find out more about Radikal Klassisk ›
    Photo by Brett BoardmanBreezeway House, Australia, by David Boyle Architect
    A built-in sofa lines the living room wall in this holiday home on the Australian east coast designed by New South Wales studio David Boyle Architect.
    The generous seat is reminiscent of patio or garden furniture, playing into a theme of ambiguity between the indoors and outdoors that is continued throughout the house.
    Find out more about Breezeway House ›
    Photo courtesy of Design Space AlUla 2024Design Space AlUla 2024, Italy, by Sabine Marcelis and Cloud
    Dutch designer Sabine Marcelis and architecture studio Cloud created a lounge to promote Saudi city AlUla during this year’s Milan design week.
    At its centre was a massive modular seating area by French design studio Hall Haus that bears striking similarities to Pierre Paulin’s never-produced Ensemble Dune from 1970.
    It was not the only design of its kind in Milan this April. Another installation, which explored the future of the living room, featured a yellow sofa platform made specially by design studio Panter & Tourron.
    Find out more about Design Space AlUla 2024 ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring living rooms with paper lamps, sculptural furniture and 1970s decor.

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    Eight cleverly organised homes with rooms divided by storage solutions

    For our latest lookbook, we’ve collected eight homes that make the most of space by using storage units and shelving as room dividers.

    The examples below show how much-needed storage space can be integrated into a home’s design to form partition walls between rooms or create different zones within one space.
    Many of the designs feature different storage arrangements on either side of a wall to suit the rooms it is functioning, such as kitchen cupboards, hallway shelving, dressing area wardrobes, desks and fold-out tables.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring wood-lined kitchens, board-marked concrete living rooms and interiors that pair together red and green colours.
    Photo by Marcela GrassiLoft in Poblenou, Spain, by NeuronaLab

    Local architecture studio NeuronaLab inserted a blue unit with wardrobes into the centre of this renovated Barcelona apartment, separating a bedroom, study, and open-plan kitchen and living area.
    As well as dividing the ground floor spaces and providing storage, the unit also has built-in stairs leading to a second bedroom on a mezzanine level.
    Find out more about Loft in Poblenou ›
    Photo by Tololo StudioYamaguchicho House, Japan, by Slow
    A black wood storage unit creates a dividing wall between the living area and the skylit entryway at Yamaguchicho House, which was designed by Japanese practice Slow.
    The unit was elevated from the ground to help spread natural light through the space, and a television was mounted on its side facing a sofa.
    Find out more about Yamaguchicho House ›
    Photo by Kevin KunstadtSterling Place apartment, US, by Light and Air Architecture
    This two-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn was transformed by New York studio Light and Air Architecture to have an open-plan layout with ample storage.
    Custom-built shelving and cupboards made from Baltic birch form opaque and see-through dividers, separating the kitchen, bathroom and living room.
    Find out more about Sterling Place apartment ›
    Photo by Shinzawa IppeiHouse in Nakauchi, Japan, by Snark
    Architecture studio Snark created a timber-framed home in Maebashi, Japan, for a family of four, adding a shared children’s room on the first floor.
    Wooden built-in storage was designed to separate the room into two private spaces, with ladders leading to individual sleeping platforms above.
    Find out more about House in Nakauchi ›

    Studio studio apartment, Australia, by Catseye Bay
    Designed by local design firm Catseye Bay, wood storage solutions were added to this studio apartment in Sydney to create informal space dividers and replace bulky furniture items such as wardrobes and bookshelves.
    The largest unit in the home conceals a bed, providing bedside shelving on one side and clothes storage on the dressing area side.
    Find out more about the Sydney studio apartment ›
    Photo by David FoesselLa Tournette, France, by Freaks Architecture
    An arched storage unit sits at the centre of La Tournette, a Parisian workshop that was converted into an apartment by French studio Freaks Architecture.
    The mobile unit separates the kitchen and living areas and can be adjusted to accommodate different living arrangements. It has shelving on one side and a fold-out dining table on the other, which can be turned to form an extra kitchen counter.
    Find out more about La Tournette ›
    Photo by José HeviaPalma Hideaway, Spain, by Mariana de Delás
    A diagonal partition wall with shelved storage cuts across the Palma Hideaway apartment in Palma de Mallorca, which was transformed by architect Mariana de Delás.
    The angular shape of the storage wall separates the hall and kitchen on one side from the bedroom on the other, where it features a built-in desk and wardrobes.
    Find out more about Palma Hideaway ›
    Photo by Lisbeth GrosmannFlinders Lane Apartment, Australia, by Clare Cousins Architects
    Local studio Clare Cousins Architects aimed to create extra bedrooms without losing living space when renovating the Flinders Lane Apartment in Melbourne.
    The studio created a hoop-pine plywood platform and storage wall with cupboards and shelves, forming two separate bedrooms boxed off from the open-plan living room and kitchen.
    Find out more about Flinders Lane Apartment ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring wood-lined kitchens, board-marked concrete living rooms and interiors that pair together red and green colours.

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    Beacon House extension by Office S&M features bubblegum pink tiles

    A London house extension designed by Office S&M features a ceramic facade with the same pink glaze used for Tube station tiles on the Hammersmith and City Line.

    Office S&M designed Beacon House, a single-storey rear extension, for a Victorian terraced house in Tottenham, north London.
    Pink “pillow-shaped” tiles clad the extensionIt creates a larger kitchen and dining space for a couple and their two young children.
    The architects chose “pillow-shaped” tiles for the extension’s facade, giving the structure a puffy aesthetic.
    The pink glaze is the same used for tiles on Hammersmith and City Line stationsThe bubblegum pink glaze is specifically used on Hammersmith and City Line station tiles, to match the colour that indicates the line on the London Underground map.

    Here, it was selected to complement the original brickwork and reflect the clients’ love of municipal architecture.
    Pale green window frames contrast the pink”Alex and Ella showed us examples of public buildings they grew up with and ones they visited on their travels, which included sun-bleached climbing frames, tiled swimming pools, leisure centres and stations,” said Catrina Stewart, co-founder of Office S&M along with Hugh McEwen.
    “Just like with these buildings, they wanted their home to be both robust and joyful,” Stewart told Dezeen.
    The extension creates a generous kitchen and dining areaThe extruded clay tiles, handcrafted by manufacturers Materials Assemble and Teamwork Italy, contrast with the pale green colour of the window frames and downpipe.
    “Ella grew up in west London and her dad used to take the Hammersmith and City line every day; the pink tiles reminded her of home,” added Stewart.
    Curved details include a kitchen island and the wall wrapping a downstairs WCThe renovation also involved improving the building’s performance, making it better insulated and ventilated, and bringing a contemporary feel to the interiors throughout.
    The design features the bold colours and graphic style that have become Office S&M’s calling card, as previously seen in projects like Mo-tel House and Graphic House.
    As with Graphic House, the interior features several bespoke elements that inject a sense of the owners’ personality. Stewart points to the kitchen island as an example.
    Bold colours feature throughout the houseThe central focus of the extension, it features a resin and timber worktop made by surface design studio Mirrl, using a technique inspired by Japanese lacquer craft Tsugaru Nuri.
    “A bespoke pattern was created, referencing the clients’ memories of pastel hues and fading colours found along the British seaside,” Stewart said.
    The hallway includes monochrome tiles and a round yellow mirrorTiled surfaces and curved details feature all over, continuing the aesthetic of the building’s exterior.
    Examples of tiles include a yellow-grouted kitchen splashback, the monochrome flooring in the entrance hallway, and the soft yellow and pink surfaces in the first-floor bathroom.
    Pale pink and yellow tiles were installed in the first-floor bathroomProminent curves include the kitchen island, as well as a rounded wall framing the downstairs toilet and a yellow-framed hallway mirror.
    “Many of the municipal buildings that they showed us were associated with a story or a memory,” said Stewart.
    “The subtle references in their home serve as a reminder of these stories and experiences.”
    The three-bedroom property is home to a couple with two childrenThe colour scheme naturally progresses through the building, with richer tones at the front of the house and lighter tones as you move through to the top-lit extension.
    Local craft makers were involved in many of the smaller details, from the baby blue banquette upholstery in the kitchen, to the hand-painted gold number fixed to the front door.
    The photography is by French + Tye.
    Project credits
    Architect: Office S&MStructural engineer: Foster StructuresContractor: YG BuildersFurniture build: YG BuildersKitchen surfaces: MirrlGlazed pink external tiles: Materials Assemble, Teamwork ItalyGlobal paints: YesColoursUpholstery: Studio SwadeGold number sign: Mark Errington

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    RMGB decorates Versailles townhouse with custom and vintage furniture

    Interior design studio RMGB has redesigned a 19th-century townhouse opposite the Chateau de Versailles, using marble and steel to modernise it while “preserving French heritage”.

    The home’s new owner recently sold his apartment in Paris to move back into the townhouse, which had been his childhood home, and asked for a careful renovation to take the interior back to its original state.
    RMGB restored the home’s damaged parquet flooring and mouldings before adding bespoke and vintage furniture.
    The townhouse’s original mouldings were repairedDue to its location near the Chateau de Versailles, designers Baptiste Rischmann and Guillaume Gibert had to consider each change carefully.
    “The most difficult part of the project was complying with all the requests made by the Architecte des Bâtiments de France, given that the house is opposite the Château de Versailles,” the studio told Dezeen.

    “They were very demanding about the aesthetic of the project. We had to stay within a certain logic of preserving French heritage.”
    RMBG also renovated the parquet floors in the houseRischmann and Gibert aimed for the redesign to respect the home’s original layout while giving it a more modern feel.
    “The house hadn’t been remodelled for several decades,” the designers said. “We all had to rethink and modernize the whole while preserving a trace of history.”
    “Our initial idea was to preserve the original volumes and infuse them with a new aesthetic and tell a new story, a new life for our customers.”
    The kitchen features a marble island and a custom-made steel cupboardThe designers created custom furniture for some of the rooms in the 230-square-metre house. In the kitchen, they added a large stainless-steel cupboard with retractable doors.
    Nearby, a large Calacatta Viola marble kitchen island hides the hob and oven, adding a monolithic yet decorative touch.

    Monolithic green marble forms “majestic wall” in Milan apartment

    “The idea was to integrate colors and materials in small touches, such as the pinkish-orange of the sofa or the blue shade of the rug,” the studio said.
    “The materials play the same role for us, from the shine of the parquet and its deep hue to the brutality of the kitchen marble. Our aim is always to create balance by contrasting materials.”
    The studio chose vintage armchairs for the living roomIn the living room, Rischmann and Gibert added a ceiling light by designer Nacho Carbonell, a Lek sofa designed by Christophe Delcourt and a pair of 6911 vintage armchairs by furniture designer Horst Bruning.
    RMBG chose the furniture for the house based on how the different pieces would work together in terms of both shape and colour.
    “We tried to achieve the most harmonious, fair ensemble possible,” the studio said. “At no point did we want to overdo the aesthetics, which meant we had to work more surgically.”
    Sculptural furniture adds character to the bedroom”While the pinkish orange of the sofa adds a touch of acidity, the dark blue of the rug brings a little more classicism to the space,” the duo added.
    “The white, taut lines of the dining table temper the more extreme materiality of the kitchen island. Each piece of furniture designed or selected for the project was subjected to a rigorous selection process.”
    Black marble decorates the bathroomIn the bedroom, the studio added a sculptural bed inspired by the work of French designer Jean Royère. The bathroom, like the kitchen, features striking stonework, with a bathtub and basin in Grigio Carnico marble.
    “The basins and the bathtub in the parental bathroom in Grigio Carnico marble, for which we revised the design of the classic basins, giving them a more contemporary look with cleaner lines,” Rischmann and Gibert said.
    Other interiors with striking marble designs include a Milan apartment with a “majestic wall” and an all-marble extension to a Victorian house.
    The photography is by Matthieu Salvaing.

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    Eight wooden kitchens that make the most of the material

    Swirly cabinets and oak-lined ceilings feature in our latest lookbook, which collects eight residential kitchens from around the world where wood takes centre stage.

    Strong, versatile and often sustainable, timber is a favourite material among architects and designers.
    From an east London dwelling that is almost entirely underground to a rural Tasmanian farmhouse, here are eight homes united by their wooden kitchens.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring converted barns, eclectic hotels and micro interiors.
    Photo by Fionn McCannChurchtown, Ireland, by Scullion Architects

    Churchtown is a curved glass extension to a family home in Dublin, designed by Scullion Architects as a family-focussed space.
    The studio was informed by 1930s modernism when creating the kitchen, which is characterised by stained oak-panelled cabinetry.
    Find out more about Churchtown ›
    Photo by Max Hart NibbrigBolívar House, Spain, by Juan Gurrea Rumeu
    Architect Gurrea Rumeu designed this home for himself and his wife in Barcelona.
    Swirly dark wood was used to create tall kitchen cabinets, while concrete walls and floors add an industrial touch to the interior.
    Find out more about Bolívar House ›
    Photo courtesy of James ShawLondon house, UK, by James Shaw
    Known for making extruded recycled plastic furniture, designer Shaw applied his off-beat creative approach to his own London home which he designed with architect Nicholas Ashby to be almost entirely underground.
    Shaw created kitchen cabinets out of veneered MDF, which he paired with worktops formed from pale blue HIMACS and stainless steel.
    Find out more about this London house ›
    Photo by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenFjord Boat House, Denmark, by Norm Architects
    Fjord Boat House is a lakeside holiday home that sits near the border of Denmark and Germany.
    Danish studio Norm Architects chose a warm interior palette for the dwelling, including a kitchen defined by oak cabinets and ceilings and handmade ceramic brick flooring.
    Find out more about Fjord Boat House ›
    Photo by Dianna SnapeCoopworth, Tasmania, by FMD Architects
    FMD Architects designed a farmhouse in rural Tasmania with a plywood-lined kitchen and living spaces separated by a statement wood-burning stove.
    Located on Bruny Island, Coopworth features corrugated metal cladding that references vernacular agricultural buildings.
    Find out more about Coopworth ›
    Photo by Daniëlle SiobhánZwaag house, the Netherlands, by DAB Studio
    Two types of timber were used to clad the floors, walls, ceiling and cabinets of this kitchen at a family home in Zwaag, the Netherlands.
    DAB Studio renovated the floors and ceiling with hand-scraped oak, while Afromosia wood – a tropical hardwood native to west Africa – was applied to the cabinets and walls.
    Find out more about this Zwaag house ›
    Photo by Andrew PogueHood Cliff Retreat, USA, by Wittman Estes
    Architecture studio Wittman Estes sought to immerse Hood Cliff Retreat “in the stillness of the forest” on its wooded site in Washington State.
    White oak floors and pine plywood ceilings feature in the neutral-hued kitchen, designed with floor-to-ceiling glazing that reveals the surrounding trees.
    Find out more about Hood Cliff Retreat ›
    Photo by Mark Durling PhotographyMalibu Surf Shack, USA, by Kelly Wearstler
    Interior designer Kelly Wearstler transformed a 1950s beachfront cottage in Malibu, California, into a bohemian retreat for herself and her family.
    Chunky wooden cabinets and drawers characterise the kitchen, created in the designer’s distinctive eclectic style.
    Find out more about Malibu Surf Shack ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring converted barns, eclectic hotels and micro interiors. 

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