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      Coordination merges Berlin attic apartments to create artsy penthouse

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      Design studio Coordination has combined two attic apartments into a single penthouse in Berlin, crafting its interiors around the owner’s art collection.

      The formerly separate attic apartments were added to the 19th-century residential building in the 1990s. By bringing them together, Coordination created a spacious penthouse of 131 square metres, with a floorplan that is split into a private and a public zone.
      Coordination has designed a penthouse in BerlinThe latter houses the kitchen, which is finished with dark wooden cabinetry to complement a moody 17th-century portrait displayed in the adjacent dining area.
      Here, there’s a large oval table supported by two concave legs, while amorphous pink, orange and berry-red pendant lights are suspended from the ceiling.
      The apartment’s owner can showcase ornaments on a custom shelving unitDividing these two spaces is what appears to be an oversized marble island but is actually a part of the apartment below that juts into the penthouse.

      Rather than trying to obscure this structure, Coordination has made it into a display plinth for the owner’s sculpture collection.
      Blue walls in the bedroom nod to the maritime-themed artwork on displayA tall brass-edged glass door grants access to the more private section of the home, where the living room can be found. Its walls are rendered in very pale green, drawing on the colours of an 18th-century painting of Christ and the Virgin Mary that’s mounted above the sofa.
      The same shade of green was applied to the base of a bespoke floor-to-ceiling shelf, where the owner can showcase different ornaments. A niche was also added to house their piano.

      Gisbert Pöppler designs Berlin apartment like a “tailor-made suit”

      In the bedroom, surfaces were painted blue in reference to the various maritime artworks on show here.
      Turquoise-coloured storage was installed in the dressing room and a navy feature panel fitted behind the sink in the bathroom.
      Turquoise storage was installed in the adjacent dressing roomBerlin-based Coordination was founded in 2004 by Flip Sellin and Jochen Gringmuth.
      The studio isn’t the only one to take a client’s private collection into consideration when designing their home.
      In London, Gianni Botsford Architects devised a corten-steel extension to accommodate the owner’s curated selection of photographs, prints and lithographs, while over in Amsterdam i29 added double-height shelving to an apartment to show off the owner’s vast array of books and art objects.
      The photography is by Anne Deppe.
      Project credits:
      Architecture: CoordinationInterior concept: Flip SellinTeam: Chikako Sakamoto, Theresa OttoPartners: Vorschub, Greendom, Steinzeit BerlinProject management: Lena KramerFurniture design: Flip Sellin, Max WosczynaLighting concept: Coordination, Weißpunkt und purpurStyling: Nici Theuerkauf

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      Oak-lined boxes delineate living spaces at Bureau Fraai's Panorama Penthouse

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      Architecture office Bureau Fraai used freestanding wooden volumes to organise the interior of this penthouse in the Netherlands, preserving panoramic views of the surroundings from within the living areas.

      The 300-square-metre Panorama Penthouse occupies the upper floor of a former office building in the South Holland region that was converted into a high-end residential development.
      The penthouse has large open-plan living spacesBureau Fraai was asked to develop a proposal for the apartment’s interior that would optimise views through its glazed facades towards the sea on one side and the city on another.
      “We believe the only way to experience the panoramic views at the fullest was by getting rid of walls obstructing the facades and therefore decided to introduce an open floor plan concept,” Bureau Fraai cofounder Daniel Aw told Dezeen.
      Oak-lined boxes separate spacesInstead of compartmentalising the penthouse into a series of cellular rooms, the architects introduced freestanding oak structures that are removed from the facade to maintain views throughout the interior.

      “This way, the surroundings are always present in every part of the penthouse, making you fully aware of the changing colours of the seasons, the tides and of the sunrise and sunset that are never the same,” the studio added.
      The apartment layout optimises panoramic viewsThe four timber-clad volumes contain private functions including a study and a sauna, as well as the main bedroom’s bathroom and walk-in closet.
      The sequence of wooden boxes are arranged along one side of a hallway leading from the entrance to the main communal areas. This configuration helps create a semi-porous partition between the corridor and the two bedrooms.
      A private study is located in one of the timber-clad boxesFully glazed steel sliding doors integrated into the oak volumes can be closed if physical separation from the hall is required. Curtains and solid pocket doors allow the bedrooms to be visually closed off from the rest of the apartment at nighttime.
      The penthouse’s interior features a neutral palette with white or light-grey floors, ceilings and walls chosen to enhance the connection with the surroundings.

      DDG and IMG outfit penthouse in art deco-influenced Manhattan skyscraper

      The pale oak wood used for the freestanding joinery aims to provide a warm and natural complement to the dunes and beaches that are visible through the adjacent glazed facades.
      Cabinetry in the kitchen and dining room at the far end of the property has a muted, grey finish intended to echo the distant city skyline.
      A library ladder provides access to upper level storage spaceThe common areas are configured as a trio of separate but linked spaces comprising the raised living area, a media and lounge room, and the dining area and kitchen.
      Sliding doors incorporated into the glazed walls provide direct access from each of these spaces to the large decked terraces.
      At the centre of the apartment is a long, rectangular volume containing storage, technical equipment, a toilet and a second bathroom.
      Glazed facades provide views of the sea and the cityThe ceiling height at one end of this volume reaches 4.75 metres, allowing space for a mezzanine level that provides additional storage and a lookout point for observing the rest of the apartment.
      The high ceilings extend through to the media room, which contains full-height bookshelves with a library ladder providing access to the upper storage areas.
      The apartment has a neutral colour paletteBureau Fraai was founded in 2014 by architects Rikjan Scholten and Daniel Aw. The Amsterdam-based studio aims to produce timeless, one-of-a-kind architectural projects inspired by their context and the client’s unique requirements.
      The firm’s previous work includes the conversion of a building in central Amsterdam into high-end apartments featuring a strong contrast of light and dark colours. The project was longlisted in the apartment interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022.

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      Dezeen's top 10 home interiors of 2022

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      As part of our review of the year, we look at 10 home interiors that our readers admired in 2022, including a home with a mirror-cube bathroom and a concrete apartment in a brutalist tower block.

      Natural materials took centre stage in homes this year, with many projects using wood to create calm, peaceful interiors. Also popular were exposed concrete walls, colourful glazed tiles, and minimalist interiors with plenty of green plants.
      Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 home interiors of 2022:
      Photo by German SáizConde Duque apartment, Spain, by Sierra + De La Higuera
      Traditional Moroccan zellige tiles in vibrant colours were used to define the different spaces inside this Madrid apartment by Spanish studio Sierra + De La Higuera.

      The interior design was informed by the owners’ Mexican and Galician heritage and features timber and terracotta walls, as well as a Mexico-influenced kitchen and dining area finished with emerald green tiles.
      Find out more about Conde Duque apartment ›
      Photo by Lorenzo Zandri and Christian BraileyEnergy-saving home, UK, by Architecture for London
      British studio Architecture for London designed this home in Muswell Hill, north London, for its founder Ben Ridley. The minimalist interior of the three-floor Edwardian house is clad in natural materials including wood, stone and lime plaster.
      The home was designed to be energy-saving, with the lime plaster used to form an airtight layer throughout, mitigating any heat loss.
      Find out more about the energy-saving home ›
      Photo by Joe FletcherTwentieth, US, by Woods + Dangaran
      The winner of this year’s Dezeen Award for House interior of the year, Twentieth by Los Angeles studio Woods + Dangaran was designed with its living spaces organised around a decades-old olive tree.
      The interior of the three-storey house features exposed white bricks, as well as floor-to-ceiling glazing and a large travertine fireplace, while wood-panelling gives the home a mid-century modern feel.
      Find out more about Twentieth ›
      Photo by Serena EllerDiplomat’s Home, Italy, by 02A
      This Italian apartment, designed for a diplomat who goes on frequent work trips, was left intentionally unfinished. In the bedroom, mirrored screens enclose a small bathroom to create what interior studio 02A describes as an “immaterial cubic volume”.
      The whole flat is filled with antique and mid-century furnishings, which have been combined with contemporary cabinetry. A vibrant colour palette contrasts with the building’s original tiled flooring.
      Find out more about Diplomat’s Home ›
      Photo by Fran ParenteGale Apartment, Brazil, by Memola Estudio
      The concrete structure of the building was left exposed for local studio Memola Estudio’s renovation of this São Paulo apartment, with dark, polished wooden floors contrasting against the industrial-looking walls.
      A mosaic stone wall and a picture wall that showcases the owners’ artworks also feature in the home, which was opened up to create better sightlines.
      Find out more about Gale Apartment ›
      Photo by Jonas Bjerre-PoulsenForest retreat, Sweden, by Norm Architects
      This traditional timber cabin was turned into a pared-back holiday home, which Danish studio Norm Architects described as “designed for a simple life.”
      The studio used a minimalist colour palette for the house, with walls covered in beige dolomite plaster. Oakwood was used for the flooring and cabinetry in the cabin, in which Norm Architects also inserted a raised daybed-cum-window seat where residents can sit to take in the view of the forest.
      Find out more about the forest retreat ›
      Photo by Nicole FranzenEast Village apartment, US, by GRT Architects
      Warm colours, oak wood and glistening ceramic tiles create a welcoming feel in this New York flat, which was renovated by GRT Architects.
      The studio added metallic details such as brass bars to the interior, creating a stylish contrast against the wood. Herringbone parquet flooring adds to the cosy feel of the home inside Onyx Court, a six-storey corner Beaux-Arts structure in the city’s East Village.
      Find out more about the East Village apartment ›
      Photo by Olmo PeetersRiverside Tower apartment, Belgium, by Studio Okami Architecten
      Located inside a 20-storey brutalist tower in Antwerp, the duplex Riverside Tower apartment was renovated by Bram Van Cauter, founding partner of Studio Okami Architecten, for himself and his partner.
      The result is a thoroughly modern flat that combines exposed concrete walls with bright colours and contemporary furniture, as well as plenty of green plants that give life to the grey interior.
      Find out more about Riverside Tower apartment ›
      Photo by Michinori AokiTokyo apartment, Japan, by OEO Studio
      Copenhagen-based OEO Studio drew on both Scandinavian and Japanese design to create this Japandi-style apartment in Tokyo’s Opus Arisugawa housing complex.
      It features striking details such as a rammed-earth wall and built-in concrete seating in the entryway (pictured). Furniture finished in smoked oak and oiled pinewood nods to Scandinavia, while Japanese Ōya stone was used for the columns that divide the living area and kitchen.
      Find out more about Tokyo apartment ›
      Photo by Peter BennettsWest Bend House, Australia, by Brave New Eco
      Shortlisted for the House interior of the year category at Dezeen Awards 2022, West Bend House was designed by Australian studio Brave New Eco as a “forever home” filled with timber, terracotta and other eco-friendly materials.
      The home also features saturated colour details such as a bathroom clad in sapphire tiles and a khaki green sofa and purple curtains in the living room.
      Find out more about West Bend House ›

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      London apartment features fish and chip shop-informed kitchen

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      A steel kitchen that references London’s many fast food shops takes centre stage in this apartment designed by local studio Holloway Li for its co-founder Alex Holloway, which also has a bathtub in the living room.

      Located in north London’s Highbury, the apartment is set in a converted Victorian house and was renovated to create a home-cum-photography-studio for Holloway and his partner Elle Parmar Jenkins, founder of vintage furniture store Goods In.
      The apartment includes a custom-built stainless steel kitchenHolloway Li sought to update the single-storey space while also maintaining many of its original features.
      Part of this process included removing the master bedroom entirely to create an open-plan living space from what were originally separate rooms, and adding two extra windows to illuminate this interior.
      Holloway Li looked to local fast-food shops to create this design”We exposed and retained the original timber verge beam keeping all the screws and not cleaning it up at all,” said Holloway, who founded the studio with Na Li in 2018.

      “We wanted to express the formation of the external butterfly roof internally by opening up the ceilings to show the vaulted geometry internally,” he told Dezeen.
      This triple-aspect living space contains a striking kitchen clad in circle-brushed stainless steel with a curved splashback that takes cues from the kebab and fish and chip shops that Holloway grew up surrounded by in London, according to the designer.
      Pink and orange accents feature throughout”A lot of our studio work often fuses aspects of what people might consider ‘low culture’ with a more high-brow aesthetic,” said Holloway, who explained that the kitchen was not created as a parody, but rather intends to honour the materials found in fast food outlets.
      “This is what London is – a mix of high and low always across the road from one another. It’s part of what makes it interesting, and having grown up here it was important to add those vernacular visual flavours into the space,” he added.
      “Also, I hadn’t seen that material [circle-brushed steel] used in a domestic setting before so I knew it would be unique.”
      A bathtub was inserted into the living spaceThe studio chose a neutral colour palette interrupted with pops of vibrant colours such as orange and blue, which was led by the rosy-hued exposed plaster walls that frame the space.
      Breaking with tradition, Holloway decided to insert a bathtub into the living space where the master bedroom used to be to make use of its panoramic natural light and to add an alternative touch to the apartment.
      The same resin used to create the dining table top is found in the bathroomIt is positioned next to a bespoke timber Holloway Li desk and a vintage Eames office chair that Parmar Jenkins uses when she works from home, while light-hued Douglas fir flooring and chunky geometric sconce lights add to the warm interior.
      Other furniture pieces by the studio include a chubby orange armchair that Holloway Li launched at this year’s London Design Festival in collaboration with Uma Objects as well as the dining table and a shower screen that were both formed from a gridded resin off-cut salvaged from a previous project.

      Ten self-designed homes by architects and designers

      Holloway’s favourite element of the apartment is “the windows and reflections,” he said. “It is very rare to have a room in a Victorian terrace that has windows on three out of four of its sides.”
      “The kitchen in turn – on the old side that doesn’t have a window – reflects the opposite windows so it actually feels like you are surrounded by light,” he added.
      Colours in the living space are also hinted at in the apartment’s one bedroomThis apartment is not the first of Holloway Li’s interior designs that intend to directly respond to their contexts.
      Previously, the studio dressed the Wunderlocke hotel in Munich in hues that nod to the paintings of the late Munich-based painter Wassily Kandinsky, while it designed bathroom brand Coalbrook’s showroom with industrial materials that echo the building’s original function as a tobacco-pipe factory.
      The photography is by Edmund Dabney. 

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      Butterfly House renovation contrasts traditional features with modern materials

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      British studio Will Gamble Architects has modernised a heritage-listed terraced house in south London, adding a series of bespoke joinery elements that help to repurpose the existing living spaces.

      Known under the nickname Butterfly House, the project involved the refurbishment and reconfiguration of a Grade II-listed home in Lambeth for a couple of lawyers and their two young children.
      Will Gamble Architects has renovated the interior of Butterfly House in LondonThe building, which dates back to the 1840s, was originally conceived as a four-storey family home. But it had previously been knocked through to a neighbouring property and separated vertically into flats before being returned to a single dwelling.
      Will Gamble Architects was asked to create a contemporary home that makes the most of the available space while retaining the features and character of the existing architecture.
      Micro-cement covers the chimney breast in the dining room”Despite its heritage listing, the building had been messed around with and many of the original features were ripped out,” project architect Miles Kelsey told Dezeen.

      “We were required to preserve the proportions of any rooms that hadn’t changed too much and focused on identifying the minimal permissible alterations that could have the biggest spatial impact.”
      A built-in bench provides seating in the dining areaThe scheme returns Butterfly House to its original interior layout, with the kitchen and dining area on the ground floor, living spaces on the first floor and the bedrooms above.
      In order to adapt the existing floor plan to meet the clients’ needs, the architects repositioned some of the internal openings and introduced joinery elements with built-in doorways and storage.
      The original fireplace in the kitchen was retained”Because we were restricted in what we could do with a listed building, the bespoke joinery allowed us to maximise the potential of each space,” Kelsey added.
      “The joinery also enabled us to create a really clear and coherent design aesthetic throughout the project that responds to the clients’ request for natural and honest materials.”
      A white-painted stairway leads to the upper floorsA restrained, pared-back material palette is applied throughout the interior, with the oak joinery complemented by surfaces of micro-cement and stone.
      The neighbouring property was used as a reference for reinstating original features including the architraves and skirting, which stand out thanks to the sober treatment of the modern additions.

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      “Our idea was that the traditional decorative details should sit alongside more contemporary elements like the joinery to create a strong contrast between old and new,” said Kelsey.
      “We didn’t want to overly embellish the contemporary elements in order to maintain a sense of coherence across the whole project.”
      Light permeates the living room via its refurbished French doorsThe kitchen and dining room on the ground floor are linked by a large oak-framed opening that allows a view through the house towards the windows on the other side.
      A chimney breast in the dining room was reinstated and covered with a pale-grey micro-cement finish that is echoed in the dining table.
      Built-in storage on the other side of the room conceals a new doorBuilt-in cabinetry on either side of the chimney provides practical storage while a bench positioned along the opposite wall offers seating for the dining table.
      The living room on the first floor contains large refurbished French doors on one side and a newly instated door on the other side, set within a full-height storage element.
      The home’s custom joinery is made from warm oak woodThe pared-back material palette extends to the bedrooms on the two upper floors, where the oak joinery is used to create storage, headboards and partition walls such as the one separating the main bedroom from its en suite bathroom.
      Butterfly House takes its name from the typical roof form that tops the terraced property. It also references the bowed floors and ceilings uncovered during the renovation, which were remediated as part of the project.
      Wood also features in the bathrooms of Butterfly HouseWill Gamble founded his eponymous architecture and interiors studio in 2018. Based in Barnes, London, the firms works on commercial and residential projects, often involving the adaptation of historic structures for modern use.
      The practice was longlisted for emerging architecture studio of the year at the 2022 Dezeen Awards.
      Its previously completed projects include a glass-walled extension to a Georgian red-brick house and the transformation of a ruined 17-century parchment factory into a contemporary residence.
      The photography is by Nick Dearden.

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      Wabi-sabi philosophy leads revamp of Palau apartment in Barcelona

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      Local studio Colombo and Serboli Architecture has completed a clean and contemporary renovation of an apartment in Barcelona, spotlighting some of its “imperfect” original features.

      The Palau apartment is situated a stone’s throw from the city’s Palau de la Música concert hall and backs onto a cluster of secluded courtyards.
      Colombo and Serboli Architecture has completed the Palau apartment in BarcelonaIts owner, an Italian fashion designer, had initially asked Colombo and Serboli Architecture to upgrade only the bathroom and closet storage. But the practice suggested carrying out a more extensive renovation that indulged the apartment’s lofty proportions.
      The practice also wanted to place greater emphasis on the home’s existing quirks in the spirit of wabi-sabi – the Japanese philosophy that celebrates the beauty of imperfections and the changes that come with the passage of time.
      The hallway still boasts the apartment’s original stucco walls”We decided to face the project through a wabi-sabi approach that could easily incorporate original features and imperfections while retaining the charm of the apartment,” the studio explained.

      “Shapes are kept simple and bold with recurring basic forms – squares, circles, spheres – while sturdy solid surfaces were used to combine the monumental language of existing elements.”
      Hollow steps in the new staircase hold cooking paraphernaliaThe apartment is entered via a narrow hallway, where the practice left much of the original stucco walls exposed to reveal “layers of history”.
      At the heart of the floor plan is a new multi-part staircase. It begins with a few suspended steps crafted from pale timber, followed by a micro-cement landing and a couple more timber steps.
      White cabinetry was installed in the kitchenThe bottom block of steps is painted white and dog-legs around the wall to form a planted backrest for a white boucle sofa.
      This small sitting area is dressed with a spherical paper lamp and a glass coffee table supported by terracotta orbs. Another large weathered patch of the apartment’s original stucco walls was preserved at the rear of the space.
      A 3.5-metre bookshelf towers over the living roomThe bottom section of the staircase also extends in the other direction to form a bench seat for the arched travertine table in the dining area. Steps facing this part of the home were hollowed out to accommodate crockery, recipe books and cooking ingredients.
      Nearby, an all-white kitchen suite is finished with a porcelain countertop and backsplash. A bespoke boxy kitchen hood made from brushed steel was installed above the stove.

      Deep-blue cabinetry and coral-pink arches redefine Barcelona apartment

      Just opposite the apartment’s sitting area is a larger double-height living room, illuminated by a tall corner window.
      At its base, Colombo and Serboli Architecture created a chunky micro-cement platform where the owner can perch and take in views across the courtyards.
      On the opposite side of the room, a 3.5-metre-high gridded shelf provides space for the owner to display his ever-growing collection of books and art objects.
      The bedroom i up on the mezzanine levelThe bedroom can be found on the apartment’s mezzanine level. One side of the room is taken over by a closet, which the studio fronted with wicker doors to turn it into a “warm monolith”.
      LED lighting fitted on top of the storage draws attention to the apartment’s time-worn wooden ceiling beams.
      Wicker doors front the lengthy closetOne door of the closet has a diagonal cut-out that functions as a handrail for the stairs, while another can be pulled back to reveal a small nook containing a mirror and washbasin.
      A third door hides the apartment’s bathroom, which is clad entirely in iridescent mother-of-pearl tiles.
      “We played with different finishes, from glossy to rough, against the otherwise neutral palette,” explained the practice.
      The bed’s wicker headboard doubles as a balustrade for the mezzanineThe same wicker used for the closet was wrapped around the bed’s headboard, which doubles as a balustrade for the mezzanine. Surrounding the headboard is a thick wooden ledge that forms two bedside tables.
      The space was otherwise modestly decorated with a vintage orange leather chair and a wobbly-edged mirror.
      The bathroom is concealed behind a closet doorColombo and Serboli Architecture, which is run by Italian architects Matteo Colombo and Andrea Serboli, has revamped a number of homes around Barcelona in recent years.
      Among them is the Klinker Apartment, which features brightly-coloured paintwork, and the Font 6 flat where a porthole window peeps through from the kitchen to the bathroom.
      The photography is by Roberto Ruiz.
      Project credits:
      Architecture: Colombo and Serboli ArchitectureStyling and art direction: CaSA

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      Note Design Studio draws on Swedish Grace style for Habitat 100 apartment

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      Local firm Note Design Studio has overhauled a 1920s flat in Stockholm, adding sound-absorbing marble floors, mouldings informed by the eaves of the building and custom-made furniture.

      The studio renovated the apartment, which is located in a building designed by architecture studio Höög & Morssing in the early 1920s, to create an interior that “might pass for the original”, it said.
      The original interior of the apartment informed the renovationThe studio made significant changes to the floor plan for its renovation of the 350-square-metre Habitat 100 apartment.
      “The biggest changes were made to the practical spaces and the reception rooms,” Note Design Studio architect Jesper Mellgren told Dezeen. “The entrance was awfully tight in relation to the size of the residence, so we rearranged the floor plan in order to create a generous atrium with clear guidance in how to navigate the apartment.”
      Note Design Studio added new floors in the whole apartmentNote used greyed wood to mark the private spaces in the flat and separate them from the atrium, lowered the ceiling and removed the floors to create better acoustics.

      “To reach the anticipated level of acoustical improvement all floors had to be removed in order to strengthen the joists and put in 100 tons of marble gravel,” Mellgren said.
      “Then we casted a new floor in the whole apartment to glue the new wood and marble floors upon. For the ceilings, we needed to create new ones detached from the original slabs.”
      Ceilings were lowered throughout to improve the acousticsLocated in central Stockholm, the house that the apartment is in was built during the Swedish Grace era, a romantic, refined style movement in the 1920s.
      In terms of interior design, Swedish Grace was “very much about the architectural promenade — implementing new findings while exploring a floor plan,” Mellgren explained.
      The Habitat 100 apartment features a mix of wood and marbleNote Design Studio nodded to this idea in its renovation of Habitat 100, which also features multiple references to surrounding buildings.
      “Walking through the apartment is very much a journey of discovery where every space has unique qualities influencing its design,” Mellgren explained.

      Note Design Studio creates “unexpected” restaurant in historic Stockholm food hall

      “We borrowed a lot from the immediate surroundings for obvious references to the style of the building and its context,” he added.
      “For instance; the radiator covers are balcony railings from the neighbouring building, the ceiling mouldings are similar to the eaves of the building, and the floor patterns are inspired by entrance door ornaments in the area.”
      Note Design Studio custom-made a number of the furniture pieces for the home, including this deskThe studio used a materials palette of marble and different types of wood to create a calm atmosphere in the flat and match the other materials used in the building.
      Swedish Ekeberg and Brännlyckan marble was used in parts of the flats in a nod to the communal stairwell, which is clad in Italian marble.
      Wood was also used throughout the flat. “As a contrast for social spaces and bedrooms we used oak to bring warmth and calmness,” Mellgren said. The studio stained the oak to achieve the right colour.
      “Two precious woods, mahogny and wenge, circles the cross-patterned oak floors to mimic traditional Swedish floor laying,” the architect added.
      Different types of wood were used throughout the interior, for which Note Design Studio also made the bedside tablesNote Design Studio also aimed for the furniture chosen for Habitat 100 to add “another layer.”
      “We were fortunate to be trusted with designing a lot of custom-made furniture for the different spaces; nightstands, desks, mirrors, tables and washstands, which gave us more control in the creation of a vivid coherent expression,” Mellgren said.
      The studio used LED light strips, hidden beneath the ceiling mouldings, to create gradients of light and shadow on the walls.
      The apartment has a clean, light interiorThe aim for Habitat 100, so called because it was designed almost exactly one hundred years after the building was completed, was for it to never be demolished.
      “This project is very much about restoring the residence to something genuine and appropriate for its original architecture,” Mellgren said.
      “The main goal is for this interior detailing never to be demolished or replaced, still being personal to the client and exploratory for us in finding a contemporary interior that was conceivable 100 years ago.”
      Marble in the communal hallway informed the choice of material in the apartmentOthe recent projects by Note Design Studio include a restaurant in a historic Stockholm food hall and a warm-hued wine bar that doubles as an office.
      The studio has also designed a number of furniture and lighting pieces, including the streamlined Sprinkle pendant lamp for Zero Lighting.
      The photography is courtesy of Note Design Studio.

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      Colleen Healey combines old and new for historic DC house renovation

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      Colleen Healey Architecture has revamped a home on a radial lot facing Washington DC’s Logan Circle, retaining historic details while updating the spaces for contemporary living.

      The renovated eight-bedroom house fronts Logan Circle, one of the city’s grand rotaries that connects several major avenues, created as part of engineer Pierre L’Enfant’s original masterplan.
      During the renovation, brick walls and floor joists were exposed to contrast a contemporary kitchenDue to its location, the lines of the building’s plan are subtly radial and therefore none of its walls are parallel to one another.
      This proved a challenge for local architect Colleen Healey, who had no choice but to embrace this and incorporate the unusual parameters into the design.
      A garden room was created at the rear of the building, where sliding glass doors open onto a patio”The effects of the radial lot not only informed design decisions, but provided inspiration for rounded references and other geometric subtleties,” said the studio.

      Built in 1883, the home’s three-story front section once comprised an entry hall, living and dining room on the ground floor, an owner’s suite and two spare bedrooms on the first floor, and two further bedrooms on the second.
      Since none of the walls are parallel, wooden flooring was laid diagonallyThe rear section is set at half levels and features smaller rooms and lower ceiling heights.
      “Much of the original elements and bones of the house were in great shape and our clients desired a mix of historic charm and modern upgrades,” said Healey.
      Rooms at the front of the house, which have taller ceilings, retain many of their historic detailsThe back portion received the most attention during the renovation, remade as the “heart of the house” where a large kitchen features a U-shaped quartzite counter and a garden room faces the patio.
      Skylights were created in the roof, allowing light to wash down original brick walls and through gaps between wooden floor joists exposed above the kitchen.
      In the bedroom, a fireplace was sacrificed in favour of a headboard and art wallSince the walls are positioned at angles, wood flooring was laid diagonally in this area.
      An arched opening between the two sections of the house was extended to 10 feet, allowing a powder room and storage space to be added behind its plaster surfaces.

      Colleen Healey adorns restored Maryland carriage house with colourful facades

      “A new finished lower level and existing bathrooms are upgraded with a mix of vintage and industrial charm, blending tastes of both clients and using elements original to the house whenever possible,” Healey said.
      The upstairs bedrooms and bathrooms retained their dark wood window trims and shutters, baseboards and ornate fireplaces, but are refreshed with bright white walls and contemporary light fixtures.
      The bathrooms also feature a mix of original details and new industrial-style fittingsHowever, in the primary suite, the fireplace was removed to make way for a widened headboard and art wall.
      In the remaining rooms, items belonging to the clients are combined with mid-century furniture and minimal lighting to contrast the historic details.
      The house was built in 1883 and faces onto Washington DC’s Logan Circle”The result is a modern sensibility that unites the old and new spaces and creates a striking juxtaposition with the home’s architecture,” the team concluded.
      This isn’t the first time that Colleen Healey Architecture has worked with an atypical lot. The studio previously restored and expanded an early 20th-century carriage house in Maryland, on a site shaped like a smoking pipe.

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