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    Bureau Tempo applies subtle tones and textures to renovated Brooklyn loft

    Canadian studio Bureau Tempo has completed a “gentle redesign” of a loft space in Brooklyn, New York, which features a subtle pale green kitchen and fritted glass partition walls.

    The home faces the busy Atlantic Avenue thoroughfare that runs through the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood and enjoys tall ceilings and large windows at either end.
    A mural depicting Prospect Park is painted above the loft’s den areaMeasuring 1,600 square feet (150 square metres), the loft is roughly divided into three sections.
    At the front are the primary bedroom – painted in a colour called Dead Salmon by Farrow & Ball – and an office space that is equipped with a foldaway Murphy bed that can be deployed for guests.
    The dining room features a large black table and matching Windsor chairsThis multifunctional space is separated from the living area by a partition of wood and fritted glass panels.

    Folding doors open to connect with the lounge and dining area, but the light can still reach these central spaces when closed thanks to the glass.
    The lounge is furnished with comfy sofas and armchairs, plus an oxblood-coloured coffee table”The addition of an operable wood and fluted-glass wall between the primary space and the Atlantic Avenue end of the home allows for an open office by day and an inviting and private quarters when hosting guests,” said Bureau Tempo.
    The lounge is furnished with comfy sofas and armchairs, plus an oxblood-coloured coffee table, all placed atop a rug by Armadillo.
    The office space can be opened up to the rest of the apartment with folding panelsBeyond is the dining area, where a large black table is accompanied by six Windsor chairs and a pair of stretched-fabric pendant lights that hang overhead.
    The final portion of the loft is raised up two steps, and contains a den area with more soft seating and the kitchen.
    A retractable Murphy bed allows the office to double as a guest roomAbove a section of bead-board panelling where the TV is mounted, a mural by artist and friend of the loft’s owners Melody Lockerman depicts nearby Prospect Park.
    “Painted in tones that compliment choices throughout, the mural adds a welcome touch of levity,” Bureau Tempo said.

    General Assembly exposes wooden beams inside revamped Brooklyn loft

    In the kitchen opposite, textured four-by-four-inch ceramic tiles create a subtle checkerboard pattern of pale pink and white across the floor.
    Millwork on the central island and lower cabinets was painted a very light shade of green and is accented with brass hardware.
    Fritted glass panels allow light from the front window to penetrate deeper into the apartment”These rooms share a direct connection with the intimate yet spacious and light-filled north facing terrace, which dramatically extends the perception of the home’s size,” the team said.
    The majority of the walls throughout the apartment are covered in a textured lime plaster finish by Bauwerk Colour, complementing exposed wooden ceiling beams in each room.
    The primary bedroom is painted in Dead Salmon by Farrow & Ball to contrast the lime plaster in other spacesMany of Brooklyn’s former industrial buildings now house chic apartments and lofts, many of which maintain nods to their past.
    At a residence in Gowanus, wooden structural elements were uncovered and retreated during renovations by General Assembly, while a home inside a former chocolate factory in Bedford-Stuyvesant has ductwork and services are left exposed.
    The photography is by Alex Lesage.

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    Studio Jean Verville Architectes adds “graphic dimension” to brutalist apartment

    Bright yellow accents stand out against concrete and metal surfaces within this “creative laboratory” that architect Jean Verville has created for himself inside a residential tower in Quebec City.

    The Canadian architect, who is currently dividing his time between practice and teaching at the School of Architecture of Laval University in Quebec City, designed the 79-square-metre apartment as a space he can both work and reside in.
    A pair of bright yellow lamps extend over the commercial restaurant furniture in the live-work apartment’s kitchenVerville, founder of Studio Jean Verville Architecte, describes the project as “an architectural experiment orchestrating a space with a graphic dimension”.
    The 1970s tower in which the residence is located was designed by architect Marcel Bilodeau and faces the Plains of Abraham Park in front of the St Lawrence River.
    The stainless steel furniture blends with the raw concrete shell of the brutalist building”Like an observation post offering breathtaking views of the Laurentian Mountains, the urban landscape, and the St Lawrence River, the interior comes alive with an immutable body-to-body relationship between transparency and reflection, while transforming realities through distancing and multiplication,” said the architect.

    The residence was completely gutted to leave a raw concrete shell, with windows on the north and south sides ushering light into the deep space.
    Verville inserted a series of glass and mirrored partitions to divide up the space, allowing for various layout optionsInstead of solid walls, Verville installed a series of sliding partitions so he could open up or close off areas as desired.
    These glass and mirror panes are mounted on metal tracks and bounce the natural light through the apartment, allowing the compact unit to feel larger than it is.
    An area furnished as a living room contains a rust-coloured sofa and a black-lacquered chair”By addition or subtraction, this flexible system fragments the plan into six layout alternatives with undetermined functions, offering up to seven distinct sub-spaces,” said Verville. “Meanwhile, flexible blinds with a metallic finish allow the option of openwork borders, as well as total privacy.”
    Beside the south-facing balcony is a kitchen, which features stainless-steel commercial restaurant furniture that blends with the grey concrete shell.
    The partitions are mounted on metal tracks and can be opened and closed as desired to alter the layoutA central island is fitted with two sinks, each with a large balanced-arm lamp in bright yellow mounted on the wall behind.
    The lamps can be adjusted into position above any area of the kitchen counter to aid with food preparation.
    The concrete bedroom is solely furnished with a low bedRooms suggested by the partitions include a sleeping area furnished only with a simple low bed and a study where a simple metal desk faces a window.
    The living area is populated by a rust-coloured sofa and a black lacquered chair arranged around a pair of mirrored coffee tables.

    Jean Verville converts backyard shed into minimalist studio in Montreal

    “The strategic positioning of domestic equipment maintains constant physical and visual permeability to neutralise the compactness of the unit,” Verville said.
    Services, pipes and ductwork are all exposed throughout the apartment, demonstrating how it operates as a functional space.
    Verville considers the space a “creative laboratory” in which he can experimentOther eclectic items peppered through the residence give the feel of a creative laboratory, in which its occupant experiments with space and the act of living within it.
    “Glass vials of all kinds, models and various explorations, utilitarian objects, and plants rub shoulders on the shelves, revisiting the spirit of the cabinet of curiosities in a playful presentation of everyday life,” said the architect.
    Verville frequently inserts himself into the photo sets of his projectsVerville is known for its minimalist material-focused projects, as well as for playfully inserting himself into the photographs of completed – as evidenced in this set.
    He can also be seen wandering around in a cape through a Montreal apartment designed for a music composer, hanging out of a loft in a shed he converted into a workspace and balancing on the roof of an A-frame forest cabin.
    The photography is by Maryse Béland, Maxime Brouillet and Antoine Michel.
    Project credits:
    Studio Jean Verville Architectes team: Jean Verville, architect – lead designer; Gabriel Ladouceur, studio coordinator, professional and scientific MA architecture candidate; Guillaume Turgeon Solis, technical specialist; France Goneau, artistic advisor; Tania Paula Garza Rico, architectSpecial collaborations: Loïc Bard, art furniture; France Goneau, ceramic sculpturesContractor: Nomad Construction

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    Eight homes where pull-out furniture creates flexible interiors

    Folding desks, hide-away dining tables and Murphy beds are the focus of our latest lookbook, exploring homes where pull-out furniture allows rooms to be used in multiple ways.

    In houses and apartments with limited space, fold-out or wheel-out furniture offers a clever space-saving solution.
    The Murphy bed, which incorporates a hinge that allows it to be stored vertically against a wall when not in use, is one of the most widespread examples.
    Architects and interior designers have also found similar ways of creating occasional dining tables and desks, using hinges or castors to make the furniture easy to move.
    Below, we’ve picked out eight examples including a guesthouse in California, a compact Hong Kong apartment and a home inside London’s Barbican estate.

    For more visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive, discover more lookbooks. Other recent examples explore wooden kitchens, statement bathtubs and nightclub interiors.
    Photo by French + TyeRoom For One More, UK, by Studio Ben Allen
    An adaptable joinery unit creates a work-from-home space and a children’s bedroom in this renovation of a flat in London’s brutalist Barbican estate by local firm Studio Ben Allen.
    The floor-to-ceiling unit creates a new partition wall through the middle of the home. On one side is a red fold-out desk and on the other a bunk bed with a pull-out armchair slotted underneath.
    Find out more about Room For One More ›
    Photo courtesy of Peter KostelovUptown Transformer Apartment, USA, by Peter Kostelov
    Pull-out furniture allows this New York apartment, designed by Russian architect Peter Kostelov, to more easily accommodate guests.
    The living room transforms into a dining space thanks to a table on wheels, which slots into a niche behind the kitchen units, while a slide-out bed allows a study to become a guest bedroom.
    Find out more about Uptown Transformer Apartment ›
    Photo by Tom BirdPoirot’s Bijou Apartment, UK, by Intervention Architecture
    Having previously created an adaptable apartment for a ballet dancer, Birmingham-based Intervention Architecture explored more pull-out solutions in this 24-square-metre London flat.
    A sofa on castors doubles as the support for a fold-down bed, while a collapsible dining table can be stored in the walls when not in use. There is also a study nook featuring a drawing board that can be raised and adjusted.
    Find out more about Poirot’s Bijou Apartment ›
    Photo courtesy of Sim-Plex Design StudioPet’s Playground, Hong Kong, by Sim-Plex Design Studio
    The layout of this compact Hong Kong apartment was designed to allow the owners to keep their two pets – a parrot and a cat – away from one another.
    This prompted local practice Sim-Plex Design Studio to design flexible furniture including a dining table that slides out from the kitchen cabinets.
    Find out more about Pet’s Playground ›
    Photo by Ithai SchoriDutchess County Studio, USA, by GRT Architects
    A Murphy bed allows a living room to become a bedroom in this studio-style home in New York’s Dutchess County, designed by Brooklyn firm GRT Architects.
    Stored away, the bed looks just like the wooden cabinets that span the rest of the wall. When folded down, shelves and lamps are revealed behind.
    Find out more about Dutchess County Studio ›
    Photo courtesy of YLAB Arquitectos BarcelonaArgentona Apartment, Spain, by YLAB Arquitectos
    Storage walls provide multiple uses in this renovated Barcelona apartment, designed by Spanish studio YLAB Arquitectos as the holiday home for a Norwegian couple.
    As well as allowing kitchen areas to be hidden away, the walls include pocket doors that create room partitions and fold-down surfaces that can serve as desks or dressing tables.
    Find out more about Argentona Apartment ›
    Photo by JAG StudioDoméstico, Ecuador, by Juan Alberto Andrade and María José Váscones
    A bed and a table are provided by one piece of fold-down furniture in this 27.5-square-metre apartment in the Safdie Architects-designed Qorner building in Quito.
    Keen to make the most of space, architects Juan Alberto Andrade and María José Váscones designed a Murphy bed that slots into a wall recess. The bed’s underside integrates a fold-down surface that can function as a desk or a dining table.
    Find out more about Doméstico ›
    Photo by Bruce DamonteCrest Guesthouse, USA, by Mork-Ulnes Architects
    California studio Mork-Ulnes Architects designed two flexible pieces of furniture for this 38-square-metre guesthouse in the mountains of Marin County.
    One is a bed that folds out from a wall, while the other is a kitchen island that can be wheeled into different positions.
    Find out more about Crest Guesthouse ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring wooden kitchens, statement bathtubs and nightclub interiors.

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    Nati Minas & Studio installs climbing wall inside São Paulo apartment

    A bouldering wall in this São Paulo apartment designed by Nati Minas & Studio allows a sports-loving couple to scale their double-height living room.

    The 220-square-metre Musa apartment in the Itaim Bibi neighbourhood was renovated to reflect its residents’ active lifestyles.
    The Musa apartment includes a climbing wall in the living roomLocal firm Nati Minas & Studio added colourful hand and foot holds up one wall in the living room, reaching up to the pitched ceiling of the tall space.
    “The couple’s request for the top floor was to create a meeting place where they could welcome friends and family and spend quality time together,” said the studio.
    Colourful hand and foot grips allow the resident to scale the wallOverall, the renovation involved lightening up the residence, while adding texture in the social spaces with white trowelled-putty walls and porcelain floor tiles cut into shards.

    Beside the climbing wall, where the ceiling height drops, is a TV room tucked into a corner beside a long window and a bank of planters.
    A TV room is tucked beside a long window and planterAudio-visual equipment is housed against a wood-backed unit with a steel frame and metal-mesh shelves, which wraps around the staircase opening.
    On the other side, more pale-wood storage forms a bar that leads towards a sliding door, providing access to the glass-enclosed balcony.
    A glass-enclosed balcony accommodates a hot tub and a dining areaThis area features a hot tub, and a stainless-steel dining table alongside a built-in bench for enjoying casual meals cooked on the adjacent grill.
    The glazed roof and windows provide a panoramic view of the skyline, but can be shaded with a canopy of Roman blinds when it gets too bright.
    Roman blinds shade the glass roof and windows when conditions are too brightBedrooms and the kitchen are located on the lower floor, reached via a flight of slender, floating metal treads.
    “A new staircase was built to add more closet depth to the master bedroom, with a design that is half in depth and half overhanging, with light metal sheets,” said Nati Minas & Studio.

    Deferrari+Modesti designs rock climbing-themed staircase for villa in Tuscany

    The kitchen is separated from a lounge and games room by an arrival area lined with wood, into which cabinets and the front door were built.
    An amorphous wooden island projects from a stainless steel counter, which matches the lower cabinetry, while mesh-fronted storage overhead allows light from the window to pass through.
    On the lower floor is a games room featuring a green ebonised-wood tableAlthough neutrally decorated, the apartment is dotted with colourful furniture and artwork, including a bright-red bed frame in the primary suite.
    “Loose furniture always comes in as a spice to the atmosphere created as a base,” the studio said. “Here, there are neutral tones wandering between ecru, mint green, moss green, light wood and worked stones.”
    The kitchen is situated on the other side of a wood-lined arrival areaThis isn’t the first residence to include climbing apparatus inside and designers have come up with several ways to appease their active clients.
    For example, a villa in Tuscany features a blue staircase that doubles as a climbing wall, while a forest home in Finland is equipped with a climbing wall, gymnastic apparatus and a net covering a cut-out in one of the floors.
    The photography is by Carolina Lacaz.

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    Eight homes punctuated by dramatic circular openings

    For our latest lookbook, we’ve gathered eight home interiors and exteriors that are crowned by circular openings and skylights.

    While often used to draw daylight into interior spaces, openings may also provide unexpected visual connections between a home’s spaces or – as shown in a project below – offer a structural frame through which trees can grow.
    Breaking free from the often rectilinear layout of a home, circular openings can add a sense of intrigue to an interior, while also casting dramatic rounded shadows across a space.
    Included among this list of projects is a holiday home in Tulum where a round window provides views of a swimming pool above and a series of homes in Puerto Escondido featuring circular openings cut into their slanted concrete roofs.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring interiors that are stepped up by the addition of ladders, eclectic self-designed homes by architects and designers and living rooms characterised by bold statement rugs.

    Photo courtesy of 2305studioPink House, Vietnam, by 23o5studio
    Pink pebble-wash walls, geometric openings and planted patios define this home in Long Xuyen, Vietnam, by 2305studio.
    A large circular opening filters light over the ground-floor swimming pool and is topped with a planted balcony.
    Find out more about Pink House ›
    Photo by Asita YuliaJae Haala, Indonesia, by Wiyoga Nurdiansyah Architects
    This holiday home designed by Wiyoga Nurdiansyah Architects in a forested valley in Indonesia features an angular form made from dark-coloured concrete.
    The home’s living space is a covered garden, which is filled with plants and topped with a circular void that draws in natural light.
    Find out more about Jae Haala ›
    Photo by Rory GardinerPuerto Escondido, Mexico, by Ludwig Godefroy
    Architect Ludwig Godefroy cut circular openings into the slanted, concrete ceilings of a series of homes in Puerto Escondido.
    The openings create cave-like interiors with partially exposed pools and gardens that remain open to the elements throughout the year.
    Find out more about Puerto Escondido ›
    Photo by César BéjarVilla Cava, Mexico, by Espacio 18 Arquitectura
    A circular window reveals views of an above swimming pool within this holiday home designed by Espacio 18 Arquitectura.
    Located in Tulum, the concrete Villa Cava draws on brutalist architecture and is encased by the area’s surrounding greenery.
    Find out more about Villa Cava ›
    Photo by AndreaswidiHalo House, Indonesia, by Tamara Wibowo Architects
    Local studio Tamara Wibowo Architects integrated a series of circular voids and skylights into this home in Semarang, Indonesia.
    Large cutouts in the home’s flat concrete roof provide spaces for trees to grow through the structure, while thinner circular skylights provide lighting on the interior.
    Find out more about Halo House ›
    Photo by Adam RouseRound House, US, by Feldman Architecture
    American firm Feldman Architecture took a respectful approach while overhauling this 1960s circular house perched on a hillside near Silicon Valley.
    Modifications made to the floor plan included replacing an internal courtyard with a circular kitchen, which is lit by a round skylight above.
    Find out more about Round House ›
    Photo by David ZarzosoLa Casa de los Olivos, Spain, by Balzar Arquitectos
    Red-hued lime mortar coats La Casa de los Olivos, which Spanish studio Balzar Arquitectos added to an olive grove in Valencia, Spain.
    The home’s living area connects to a porch, which is sheltered by an overhang punctuated by a circular skylight.
    Find out more about La Casa de los Olivos ›
    Photo by Olmo PeetersSofie, Belgium, by Madam Architectuur
    A green-tiled extension built on a green-hued concrete base was added to this home renovation in Dilbeek, Belgium.
    Completed by Madam Architectuur, the extension is complemented by an external terrace, which is sheltered by a roof with a circular opening.
    Find out more about Sofie ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring interiors that are stepped up by the addition of ladders, eclectic self-designed homes by architects and designers and living rooms characterised by bold statement rugs..

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    Linda Boronkay selects bold shapes and colours for The Sessile

    Former Soho House design director Linda Boronkay drew on her experience of members’ clubs when creating communal spaces at The Sessile, a rentable apartment block in north London.

    Created by contemporary rental brand Way of Life, The Sessile is a 310-apartment building in Tottenham Hale.
    Linda Boronkay has created the communal spaces at The Sessile in Tottenham HaleBoronkay designed the interiors for the building’s communal areas, which include a rooftop orangery and a private dining area as well as a gym, a yoga studio and a dedicated vinyl listening room.
    “We opted for bold colours and pieces with lots of personality,” said the interior designer, who founded her own practice in 2020.
    The rooftop orangery opens onto wide terraces”We also integrated vintage finds like we always do, so the ingredients and our approach were very similar to how we would work on a members’ club design,” she told Dezeen.

    The 10th-floor rooftop orangery is the largest of the spaces, opening onto planted terraces with sweeping views of the surrounding area.
    Marble and dark timber feature in the private dining roomBlack terrazzo flooring was paired with gleaming green and crimson tiles, which line the windowsills and a tall central fireplace. Boronkay chose a trio of spindly, ornate chandeliers to contrast with these colour-blocked accents.
    Large skylights illuminate an open kitchen and various seating areas encircled by textured armchairs. Bespoke rugs decorated with bright patterns add “a layer of art and graphic design” to the space, said Boronkay.
    Boronkay selected lighter hues for the yoga studioThe private dining room is more intimate, with sliding timber joinery that allows a graphic, coloured tapestry to give way to a concealed television.
    “Joinery, artwork and drapery allow residents to instantly change the function or ambiance of a room,” explained Boronkay.
    The gym is illuminated by sculptural lampsTranslucent glass discs were clustered together to create a chunky overhead lamp, while burnt orange curtains and veiny marble sideboards add a touch of luxury.
    Lighter hues were chosen for the yoga studio, finished with “natural” earthy colours on the floors, walls and ceilings. Muted tones also evoke a sense of calm in the gym, complete with sculptural sandy pendant lamps.
    The vinyl listening room was created as a “private nook”A squiggly neon ceiling light features in the vinyl listening room, designed as a “private nook for reflection”. The space is characterised by open blood-red shelving displaying stacks of records.
    “We were conscious about coming up with a new colour scheme and new identity for each room,” said the designer.

    Careers guide: Linda Boronkay explains what it’s like to be design director for Soho House

    Boronkay also included a ping-pong table in the room that can be used or stowed away depending on residents’ preferences.
    “We aren’t very used to designing in new build architecture,” reflected Boronkay.
    Terrazzo flooring was included in the interior design”Most of our projects are in historical heritage buildings and their story and style is an important building block in our design and narrative. At The Sessile, we had to almost ignore the architecture and create a world of our own that you experience as soon as you step inside,” added the designer.
    Elsewhere in London, local firm Studio Est referenced the industrial heritage of Battersea Power Station when creating the interiors for an apartment inside the redeveloped landmark. Archmongers studio recently renovated a home inside North Kensington’s Trellick Tower.
    The photography is courtesy of Way of Life.

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    Intervention Architecture hides fold-out furniture behind walls of Florin Court flat

    British studio Intervention Architecture designed bespoke plywood joinery to conceal furniture including a pull-down bed and a collapsible dining table inside this micro apartment in north London.

    The flat is located within Florin Court, a nine-storey art deco building overlooking Charterhouse Square that was designed by Guy Morgan and Partners and built in 1938.
    The 24-square-metre flat at the rear of the building was previously the servant quarters for a larger residence facing the garden at the front.
    Intervention Architecture has designed the interiors for a London micro apartmentIts current owners, a couple of young artists, commissioned Intervention Architecture after seeing images on the studio’s website of another tiny flat it designed in London’s Barbican Estate.
    Similarly to this project, the Barbican flat featured reconfigurable joinery that allowed for optimal use of the compact space.

    “The brief here was to create joinery for lots of storage and to have it all hidden behind doors to make the apartment feel more spacious,” Intervention Architecture founder Anna Parker told Dezeen.
    Furniture in the Florin Court flat is concealed behind built-in joineryA storage wall lining one side of the living area houses a bed that folds down to rest on a moveable bespoke sofa. Shelving above the bedhead provides space for books with built-in reading lights positioned on either side.
    The sofa, which can also be used as a daybed, was built to contain four bespoke flatpack stools. These can be arranged around a dining table that can be broken down and stored within the wall.
    The living area houses a daybed that transforms into a moveable sofa when foldedA focal point of the space is the open shelving that functions as a library along the end wall.
    Here, a recurring arch motif that references the building’s art deco architecture is used to frame the book-filled niches.
    The puzzle-like construction of the shelving was also informed by Florin Court’s claim to fame as the residence of Agatha Christie’s fictional detective Hercule Poirot in the popular ITV television series.
    Open shelving functions as a library with art deco-style arch motifsIntegrated into the storage units in one corner of the room is a study nook featuring a bespoke seat and a built-in drawing board that can be raised and adjusted to provide an ergonomic work surface.
    Joinery throughout the space was constructed using a single material – poplar plywood with a white oiled finish. The floorboards were sanded and given the same treatment to reinforce the cohesive aesthetic.
    “We wanted to retain a sense of calmness and singular surface tone of one natural material in the apartment to create an even tone of light from the one main window opening,” said Parker.
    Joinery was constructed using poplar plywood with a white oiled finishThe ceiling, walls and window frames are painted a simple off-white shade that helps to brighten the space. This hue is complemented by the tactile boucle upholstery chosen for the sofa.
    The room is illuminated by a single bulb above the study area and a central cluster hung at different heights from the ceiling. A pair of matching bedside lamps provides additional task lighting.

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

    While the living area is minimal in its use of colour, the adjoining bathroom and kitchen are saturated in bold hues that introduce an expressive element to the scheme.
    “As the clients are two formidable artists, where the use of colour is intrinsic to their work, we wanted to reference a singular use of two colours in the two spaces ancillary to the main studio,” Parker added.
    The bathroom is clad with blush-pink tiles chosen to evoke a hue that might be found in a 1930s ocean liner. All-white aluminium taps, sanitaryware and a Japanese-style bathtub contribute to the clean and simple aesthetic.
    Blush-pink tiles cover the bathroom, contributing to a clean and simple aestheticThe kitchen is entirely painted in a vibrant shade known as International Klein Blue after the French artist Yves Klein, who used it extensively in his artworks.
    According to Parker, the use of saturated colour creates an “immersive experience” within the tiny two-square-metre space, which manages to squeeze in a hob, oven, dishwasher, fridge, sink, spice rack and concealed bin storage.
    The two-square metre kitchen is painted in International Klein BlueIntervention Architecture was founded by Parker in 2015 and is based in Birmingham, England. The interdisciplinary practice adopts a collaborative approach to its projects, resulting in bespoke solutions with their own unique personality.
    The studio has previously worked on several projects in its home city, including an extension clad in cedar battens and a brick extension featuring arched windows that resemble a colonnade.
    The photography is by Tom Bird.

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    Eight interiors that are stepped up by the addition of ladders

    Our latest lookbook focuses on kitchens and living rooms that are elevated by their inclusion of ladders.

    In contemporary interior design, ladders can be specified as an alternative to staircases due to their space-efficient nature, their ability to be moved to access different areas and the sense of playfulness they foster.
    Old ladders also have a place in modern interiors – their statuesque nature occasionally sees them used as a sculptural focal point or accessory in interior styling.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring interiors with unique red-and-green colour schemes and bathrooms with striking and distinctive bathtubs.
    The photo is by Kate GlicksbergWarren Street Townhouse, USA, by Studio Vural

    Mounted flush against a whitewashed brick wall, this wooden ladder features in the Japanese-informed kitchen of a townhouse in New York’s Brooklyn neighbourhood, designed by local firm Studio Vural.
    The design of the interior scheme references the city of Kyoto in Japan, as requested by the owners, following a visit they made to the area in 2009.
    Find out more about Warren Street Townhouse ›
    The photo is by Alice MesguichCollectors Home, The Netherlands, by DAB Studio
    Interior design firm DAB Studio used this house’s bay window as a niche to display this green-painted fruit ladder, dating from the year 1890.
    It was rendered in the striking colour specifically for the project, in reference to the green panes of stained glass that surround it.
    Find out more about Collectors Home ›
    The photo is by Dave WattsKensal Rise house, UK, by The Mint List
    An Edwardian end-of-terrace house was renovated by interior design studio The Mint List with various mid-century modern design elements.
    High-up cupboards are reached via a ladder in the kitchen, which slides side-to-side to access different cabinets.
    Find out more about Kensal Rise house ›
    The photo is by BCDF studioTimbaud apartment, France, by Isabelle Heilmanne
    Interior designer Isabelle Heilmann propped a wooden ladder against a mezzanine level in this Parisian apartment, situated inside a former textile workshop.
    An old wooden dining table and chairs echo the materiality of the ladder, and a swing installed in the living room is another playground-esque furnishing in the apartment.
    Find out more about Timbaud apartment ›
    The photo is courtesy of JRKVCThe Lake House, Slovakia, by JRKVC
    In order to make efficient use of its 65-square-metre footprint, Slovakian studio JRKVC created mezzanine areas above enclosed cabin rooms in this lakeside house.
    A pair of light wooden ladders create access to the areas above the rooms, which function as bedrooms and a bathroom. They are painted green on one end of the space and clad in ridged brown tiles at the other.
    Find out more about The Lake House ›
    The photo is by Seth CaplanDumbo Loft, USA, by Crystal Sinclair
    Located in New York’s Dumbo neighbourhood, Crystal Sinclair Designs overhauled this loft apartment to include a mezzanine level housing a miniature library and seating area.
    It is accessed via a metal-and-wooden ladder that ascends through an arch-shaped cut-out in the floor, saving space by positioning the ladder directly beneath it.
    Find out more about Dumbo Loft ›
    The photo is by Cristobal PalmaPunta Chilen, Chile, by Guillermo Acuña Arquitectos Asociados
    Two rows of open shelving flank this kitchen in a Chilean beach house, and a pair of ladders on castor wheels provide access to even the highest shelves.
    All surfaces are made from pine timber, creating a warm interior in contrast to the sea visible from all of the windows.
    Find out more about Punta Chilen ›
    The photo is by Diana ArnauCasa Texcal, Mexico, by HGR Arquitectos
    A double-height bookcase with a platform halfway up it is the focal point of the living space in this Mexican home by local studio HGR Arquitectos.
    The platform is secured by black railings around its perimeter and is accessed by a matching ladder also featuring black metal handrails for safety.
    Find out more about Casa Texcal ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring interiors with unique red-and-green colour schemes and bathrooms with striking and distinctive bathtubs.

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