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      Ten residential interiors showcasing exposed plaster walls

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      An award-winning council house renovation and homes with curved design elements feature in our latest lookbook, which collects ten interiors that celebrate the versatility of plaster walls.

      Plaster is a protective building material traditionally used to coat walls and ceilings, which are often then covered with decorative paint or wallpaper.
      But architects and designers can also leave a room’s plaster exposed to reduce the cost of a project or create a more rugged visual effect.
      From a bright cottage extension in Australia to a renovated rooftop apartment in Israel, here are ten examples of residential projects with textured plaster walls that complement the rest of their interior designs.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing compact bedrooms, white kitchens and escapist holiday homes.

      Photo is by Eric StaudenmaierRadius House, USA, by Pentagon
      Curved plaster walls create a sculptural composition in Radius House, a residential project in Los Angeles’ Venice Beach designed by local studio Pentagon.
      Pared-back in colour but dynamically shaped, the walls intend to create an eye-catching backdrop for more contrasting interior elements, such as a walnut grand staircase.
      “The Venetian plaster walls give the residence a luminous continuity and a handcrafted quality throughout,” said Pentagon.
      Find out more about Radius House ›
      Photo is by Nicole FranzenLong Island home, USA, by Athena Calderone
      Walls covered in plaster by Kamp Studios join linen fabric and marble finishes to create this mid-century Long Island home’s pale interior palette.
      New York designer Athena Calderone owns and lives in the dwelling, which she updated to showcase a mixture of contemporary and vintage furniture.
      “The walls were just crisp white, and I wanted to make them plaster and a bit warmer and creamier, so that really changed the house a lot,” explained Calderone.
      Find out more about this Long Island home ›
      Photo is by Jim StephensonCouncil House Renovation, UK, by VATRAA
      Architecture studio VATRAA added dusty-pink plaster walls to this council house renovation in London that won a Don’t Move, Improve! award for its design.
      The warm-hued, textured walls feature British Gypsum Multifinish – a plaster that the studio defined as “banal” – which saved on the cost of paint and created an eclectic canvas for the occupant’s collection of art and design objects.
      Find out more about Council House Renovation ›
      Photo is by Tash McCammonPlaster Fun House, Australia, by Sans-Arc Studio
      Another residential project that celebrates white plaster walls, Plaster Fun House is a south Australian cottage with an extension characterised by terrazzo and playfully-arched windows and doors.
      Sans-Arc Studio took cues from the aesthetic of 1930s cruise liners by incorporating art deco and P&O architecture-style design elements into the extension, which intends to stand out against the neighbourhood’s more commonplace brown-brick houses.
      Find out more about Plaster Fun House ›
      Photo is by Karin MatzHB6B, Sweden, by Karin Matz
      Peeling plaster walls and crumbling bricks were left deliberately exposed during the renovation of HB6B, an apartment in Stockholm measuring just 36 square metres.
      Swedish architect Karin Matz refurbished the open-plan space for herself. It fits a kitchen on one side and a bedroom on the other, interrupted only by a central bathroom.
      According to Matz, HB6B’s peeling walls were designed to maintain “the previous layers and stories” of the apartment, which also features low-hanging lights at different levels.
      Find out more about HB6B ›
      Photo is by Gonzalo ViramonteMaricel’s House, Argentina, by Edgardo Marveggio
      Designed by architect Edgardo Maraveggio for his ex-wife, the thick, textured plaster that covers Marciel’s House in Córdoba also forms its brightly-coloured interior canvas.
      Vivid artworks and furnishings complete the living space, which reveals the yellow waffle-slab roof that tops the dwelling and extends over its front patio.
      Find out more about Maricel’s House ›
      Photo is by Dan BronfeldJaffa Roofhouse, Israel, by Gitai Architects
      The ancient limestone buildings of the Israeli city Jaffa informed this rooftop apartment renovated by Gitai Architects, which is characterised by three curved plaster walls that blend into pale floors.
      The walls were covered in plaster and shaped to soften Jaffa Roofhouse’s existing boxy shell. Their appearance changes from shades of gold to lavender as the sun rises and sets across the city.
      Find out more about Jaffa Roofhouse ›
      Photo is by Simone BossiHouse in a Park, Switzerland, by Think Architecture
      House in a Park is a collection of stone and plaster-lined volumes created by local studio Think Architecture atop a hill in Zurich.
      The home has lime-plaster walls designed to provide a minimal interior setting and focus attention on the surrounding forest views, which can be seen from rectilinear glass windows.
      Find out more about House in a Park ›
      Photo is courtesy of Antonio CardilloHouse of Dust, Italy, by Antonio Cardillo
      A band of craggy, textured plaster lines the upper walls and ceilings of this apartment in Rome to create an unusual visual effect.
      Italian architect Antonio Cardillo used the geometric ratio of the golden section to design a horizontal division that separates House of Dust’s living spaces with contemporary furniture from its statement plaster features.
      Explaining what informed the project, Cardillo said, “[I was] craving for primordial caverns, for Renaissance grotesques, for nymphaeums in Doria Pamphilj, for faintly Liberty facades in the streets off Via Veneto”.
      Find out more about House of Dust ›
      Photo is by Jack HobhouseSkip Stop House, UK, by Design Haus Liberty
      A group of London apartments was completed on a low budget by “using the palette that was already there”, according to Dara Huang of local studio Design Haus Liberty.
      Layers of paint and wallpaper were removed to expose patinated plaster, while the studio also used off-the-shelf materials to create industrial-looking but affordable interiors.
      “We used the palette that was already there but was hidden, so if we uncovered a wall and there was brick behind it we left it and tidied it up,” added Huang.
      “The things that were already there just needed to be uncovered and paired with the right materials.”
      Find out more about Skip Stop House ›
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing plant-filled hotels, self-designed studios by architects and designers and interiors with room dividers in place of walls.

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      Ten home interiors animated by sculptural winding staircases

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      Sculpture-like concrete steps and a curving stair suspended above ground feature in this lookbook, which spotlights ten residential interiors with standout spiral or helical staircases.

      Winding stairways are found in two styles known as spiral or helical stairs. Though they appear similar and both make use of tapered treads, spiral staircases are arranged around a central column, while helical staircases encircle voids.
      Spiral staircases are also typically round in shape and used in interiors with limited space because they require less space than traditional linear stairs.
      Meanwhile, helical stairs require a larger floor area and are therefore more suitable when making a staircase the focal point of a room. These systems commonly have wider elliptical shapes than the spiral versions.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing bedrooms with clever storage solutions, homes with decorative vaulted ceilings and offices with wooden bleachers.

      Photo is by Cristiano BauceLoft Diego, Brazil, by Arquitetura Nacional
      Arquitetura Nacional suspended this sculptural black staircase from the upper floor of an apartment in Porto Alegre so that its base doesn’t touch the floor.
      Crafted from folded steel and finished with plastic covering, the helicoidal structure helped the studio to transform the duplex into a more “fluid space”.
      Find out more about Loft Diego ›
      Photo is by Olmo PeetersRiverside Tower apartment, Belgium, by Studio Okami Architecten
      While renovating a duplex apartment in the brutalist Riverside Tower in Antwerp, Studio Okami Architecten introduced a pastel blue staircase between its two levels.
      The position and form of the spiralling stair were chosen to help maximise floor space in the dwelling, while its bright finish creates a striking contrast to the exposed concrete behind it.
      Find out more about Riverside Tower ›
      Photo is by Leonardo FinottiCasa Thomé Beira da Silva, Brazil, by Marcos Bertoldi Arquitetos
      Wooden panels line this helical staircase, which Marcos Bertoldi Arquitetos created as a sculptural centrepiece for the double-height living room at Casa Thomé Beira in the south of Brazil.
      Visible from the outside of the home, the staircase leads up to a series of bedrooms and is complemented by a wooden material palette that runs throughout.
      Find out more about Casa Thomé Beira da Silva ›

      Haus JJ, Germany, by NOWlab
      Colourful flooring and a rope balustrade animate this compact spiral staircase, which NOWlab designed to save valuable floor space in a small two-storey apartment in Berlin.
      Enclosed by walls at the centre of the dwelling, the structure has slender wooden treads that fan out from a central column and complement the surrounding herringbone floors.
      Find out more about Haus JJ ›
      Photo is by Juan SolanoCasa Blanca, Peru, by Martin Dulanto
      This self-supporting, fluorescent orange staircase twists up through the centre of the Casa Blanca residence in Lima to connect all three of its levels.
      Made from reinforced concrete with a concealed iron core, it is designed by Martin Dulanto Sangalli as the focal point of the house that has an otherwise muted colour scheme.
      Find out more about Casa Blanca ›
      Photo is by Mia MortensenTommy Rand’s House, Denmark, by Tommy Rand
      More than 600 pieces of CNC-cut plywood were glued together by hand to build this spiral staircase, located in the house that architect Tommy Rand designed for his family in Denmark.
      Visible from the exterior of the dwelling, the curved form has been placed against a concrete backdrop that draws attention to the intricacy of its design and adds warmth to the home.
      Find out more about Tommy Rand’s House ›
      Photo is by Ben HoskingOgimachi House, Japan, by Tomoaki Uno Architects
      A helical staircase with petal-shaped wooden treads breaks up the gridded layout of this skylit house in Japan.
      Resembling a flower when viewed from above, its form helps to save floor space while also providing access to four private rooms on the top floor.
      Find out more about Ogimachi House ›
      Photo is by Tim Van de VeldeHouse Dede, Belgium, by OYO Architects
      This wood-lined staircase sits at the heart of the cross-shaped plan of House Dede, which OYO Architects completed on the site of an old barn in Drongen.
      Winding upwards through a circular hole that punctures a board-marked concrete ceiling, it forms a sculptural yet functional centrepiece for the house.
      Find out more about House Dede ›

      Sacha, France, by SABO Project
      Thin slats of plywood and a bespoke baby gate that can be easily removed are key features of this cylindrical staircase, which is located in a refurbished apartment in Paris.
      It was designed as part of a quirky yet “child-proof” renovation project that was carried out by SABO Project for a young couple expecting their first child.
      Find out more about Sacha ›
      Photo is by Kazunori FujimotoHouse in Akitsu, Japan, by Kazunori Fujimoto
      This guardless staircase juxtaposes the cubic concrete forms of the House in Akitsu, which overlooks a seaside spot near the city of Higashihiroshima.
      The twisting form, which links the home’s bedrooms and living spaces, was engineered to negate the need for a central pillar and in turn, offers a sculptural look.
      Find out more about House in Akitsu ›
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing bedrooms with clever storage solutions, homes with decorative vaulted ceilings and offices with wooden bleachers.

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      Fettle designs apartment block The Gessner to resemble a private members' club

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      Interiors studio Fettle took cues from hospitality spaces when fitting out this contemporary residential block in London, which houses 164 apartments alongside a co-working area and an in-house cafe.

      Managed by property developer Way of Life, The Gessner is set in a former pencil factory in the rapidly regenerating industrial area of Tottenham Hale.
      The Gessner’s lounge doubles up as a workspace for residentsFettle created refined and cohesive interiors for the development, informed by its experience in designing hotels such as The Hoxton in Boston and Schwan Locke in Munich
      “Most of our work as a company currently is hotel-based, so we have a strong understanding of what makes these kinds of spaces special,” co-founder Andy Goodwin told Dezeen.
      There’s also a cafe inside the apartment block”A lot of the other commercial clients we work with are aiming to achieve a very layered, somewhat residential feel to their spaces so there is a lot of overlap,” he continued.

      “We utilised many of the same suppliers we use within members clubs, hotels and restaurant projects.”
      As well as apartments, The Gessner includes guest suites for temporary visitorsAfter coming through the ground floor entrance of The Gessner, residents arrive at a lobby that’s richly furnished with sofas, patterned armchairs and a mix of vivid artworks curated by art consultant Kate Anniss.
      During the day this area serves as a communal workspace, while in the evenings it can be used as an oversized living room where residents can convene and chat.
      Nearby, there’s a cafe with wood-lined walls, tan leather seating and a terrazzo service counter inlaid with orange aggregate.

      Fettle designs Schwan Locke Hotel in homage to early German modernism

      Furnishings and fabrics found on The Gessner’s ground floor are also incorporated throughout the apartments, which are available furnished or unfurnished, as well as in a pair of guest suites located on the building’s 13th floor.
      These can be reserved by residents who have friends and family coming to visit, or by other travellers hoping to stay in the area.
      Residents can make meals in the building’s communal kitchenThe 13th floor plays host to a number of other communal facilities, which were designed to encourage socialising among residents.
      This includes a large dining room and kitchen with wooden cabinetry and a greenery-filled gantry that stores pots and pans.
      The kitchen adjoins a private dining roomThere’s also a lounge and a spacious outdoor terrace complete with sun loungers, beach-style umbrellas and a BBQ station set beneath a shady pergola, where residents can while away the warmer summer months.
      “One of the key things with both hotels and apartment buildings is having some synergy between the public and private spaces, which was successful at The Gessner as they feel like a continuation of each other,” Goodwin said.
      Residents can also make use of The Gessner’s roof terraceFettle was established in 2013 by Andy Goodwin and Tom Parker.
      The Gessner isn’t the only project to come from the studio this year. Last month, the duo finished work on The Malin, a homely co-working space in New York with loft-style interiors.
      The images are courtesy of Way of Life. 

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      Watch Open House Worldwide's Housing and the People festival explore extraordinary housing

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      Dezeen is teaming up with Open House Worldwide to livestream its festival exploring the future of housing and neighbourhood planning. Tune in to the broadcast from 7am-7pm UK time on 9 April 2022.

      Called Housing and the People, the virtual festival is a 12-hour livestream featuring live tours of pioneering housing and critical debates about the future of housing.
      It will also showcase films and podcasts exploring historic and contemporary residential schemes and local approaches to housing issues.
      The festival features over 50 contributions from the global Open House network, from locations including London, Lagos, Melbourne, New York, Taiwan, Seoul and more. It is organised by London-based architecture charity Open City.
      Featured speakers and tour guides include architects Antonio Cortés Ferrando, Johannes Eggen and Farshid Moussavi among other renowned designers.

      The festival includes a live tour of Karakusevic Carson Architects’ redevelopment of the Colville EstateThis year’s instalment of the festival will explore the various ways that architects and city planners are trying to advance housing models and residential areas in line with the acceleration of technology, climate change and the evolving nature of how we live and socialise with one another since the coronavirus pandemic.
      Other topics include how to build low-carbon housing to accommodate growing populations, what can be learnt from indigenous and vernacular architecture and how to retain the character of local townscapes when building on a larger scale.
      Highlights of the festival include a live tour of Karakusevic Carson’s ongoing redevelopment of the Colville Estate in east London, which comprises over 900 new residences as well as improved community facilities and public spaces.
      Also featured is a presentation and panel discussion led by Studio Bright director Mel Bright exploring the complex economic, political and cultural implications that affect access to affordable and safe housing for women in Victoria, Australia.
      Studio Bright director Mel Bright will present the studio’s affordable housing project for women in MelbourneEstablished in 2010, Open House Worldwide is a network of over fifty organisations in cities across the globe that present festivals, events and open a dialogue focusing on architecture, design and cities.
      The first edition of the Open House Worldwide festival took place in November 2020 in response to the coronavirus pandemic. The 48-hour virtual festival was broadcast to a global audience of over 40,000 viewers and was named one of Dezeen’s top events of 2020.
      The full lineup of talks and more information about the festival can be found here.
      Housing and the People will take place from 7am-7pm UK time on 9 April 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
      Partnership content
      This article was written as part of a partnership with Open House Worldwide. Find out more about our partnership content here.

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      Ten basement conversions that make use of subterranean space

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      Our latest lookbook features 10 homes where basement conversions create extra rooms and more liveable space underground.

      Basement conversions can be a practical way of providing homes with additional space. They are often found in UK townhouses where floor space is at a premium, such as in Georgian, Victorian and Edwardian homes in London that were often built with basements to accommodate house staff.
      While their subterranean setting means these spaces run the risk of becoming dark, damp and unpleasant, smart solutions such as light wells and excavations can help to bring light into the space and turn them into useful extra living areas.
      In this lookbook, we’ve taken a closer look at a range of different basement conversions, including basements that are now host to swimming pools, kitchen diners and even entire apartments.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing bedrooms with clever storage solutions, interiors that use mirrors to maximise space and compact bedrooms.

      Casa Fernandez, Argentina, by Adamo-Faiden
      This 1970s townhouse in Buenos Aires was refurbished by local studio Adamo-Faiden to include a large glazed enclosure at the rear. It extends to the home’s lowest level, which was converted into additional living space.
      The basement is connected to the home’s outdoor space by a gravelled patio that bridges the indoors and outdoors and forms an interior extension of the garden.
      Find out more about Casa Fernandez ›
      Photo is by Jake Curtis and Elliot SheppardPowerscroft Road townhouse, UK, by Daytrip
      Before a renovation that was completed by design studio Daytrip, the basement of this London townhouse was dark, damp and “unloved”. The studio excavated the lower level of the home to raise the basement’s ceiling height and added an open-plan kitchen-diner in its place.
      The interior walls of the converted basement were painted white to match the walls of the sunken garden, in order to create continuity and visually extend the interior.
      Find out more about Powerscroft Road townhouse ›

      Caroline Place, UK, by Amin Taha Architects
      Amin Taha Architects extended the basement level of this 1950s brick terraced home in London’s Bayswater neighbourhood, incorporating the home’s rugged concrete soffit within the design.
      Prior to the renovation, the home’s layout had been adapted and changed to reconfigure the original floor plan, which was informed by typical Edwardian homes.
      Amin Taha Architects updated the home to include open-plan living area framed by a number of different materials and finishes.
      Find out more about Caroline Place ›
      Photo is by Alexandria HallRydon Street, UK, by Moxon Architects
      A rear basement extension was added to this Victorian townhouse in London, which was gutted and renovated by British architecture studio Moxon Architects.
      The studio created a full-width white interior that opens up onto a similarly crisp-white sunken, split-level garden. White concrete brick walls and white resin floors were implemented across the lower level of the home to achieve a clean, minimalist look.
      Find out more about Rydon Street ›
      Photo is by Jim StephensonHouse in Primrose Hill, UK, by Jamie Fobert Architects
      Travertine-lined walls are host to a basement swimming pool, lit by a lightwell, that forms part of the two-floor concrete basement of a Primrose Hill home.
      Jamie Fobert Architects maintained the north London home’s traditional Victorian exterior, but completely renovated the interior using travertine, concrete and wood to create an open plan contemporary interior. The studio added an additional floor to the basement, which now hosts the stone-lined swimming pool.
      Find out more about House in Primrose Hill ›
      Photo is by Hey! CheeseHouse H, Taiwan, by KC Design Studio
      A dark and gloomy aesthetic was channelled by KC Design Studio when overhauling the formerly neglected basement of this apartment in Taipei.
      The studio carved several openings into the ceiling of the basement to filter light into the interior. One large rectangular opening at the front of the apartment allows light to funnel from the ground floor’s facade while also hosting a staircase, while an L-shaped opening at the rear was topped with gridded sheets to circulate air between the ground and basement floor.
      Plants were added below to create pops of colour.
      Find out more about House H ›
      Photo is by Jose HeviaApartment Tibbaut, Spain, by Raúl Sánchez
      Circular pine walls were used to divide and zone rooms in this vaulted basement of a Barcelona home that was converted into a subterranean apartment.
      Architect Raúl Sánchez fitted a stone and pine staircase at the entrance to the subterranean, 55-square metre space. Circular laminated pine walls weave between the vaults of the ceiling, while structural octagonal columns were used to separate and form the living areas and create a monumental look.
      Find out more about Apartment Tibbaut ›
      Photo is by Noortje KnulstMatryoshka House, the Netherlands, by Shift Architecture Urbanism
      Formerly a derelict four-storey residence, Matryoshka House was overhauled by Shift Architecture Urbanism after neighbours of the home were troubled by its neglected condition. The studio divided the home into two flats, one of which occupies the two lower levels.
      Shift Architecture Urbanism removed the rear walls of the home and replaced them with a full-height glazed wall that opens the basement level living areas onto the garden.
      It used industrial and raw materials throughout the renovation, incorporating concrete across the floors and unstained wood panels across the walls and inserting steel-wrapped volumes.
      Find out more about Matryoshka House ›
      Photo is by Alexander SeverinPaulus Hook Residence, US, by Fogarty Finger
      Located within a defunct industrial building in New Jersey, this single-family home was converted by New York studio Fogarty Finger.
      The studio transformed the home while preserving its original character which previously housed a propellers workshop. It converted the basement into a bright and liveable space fitted with a tranquil pool that adjoins a small courtyard.
      Find out more about Paulus Hook Residence ›
      Photo is by Ed ReeveMole House, UK, by Adjaye Associates
      This home in north London was once owned by a retired civil engineer, who was dubbed the Mole Man by the press for digging a labyrinth of tunnels and burrows beneath it. It underwent an extensive renovation by Adjaye Associates.
      The architecture practice converted the home into a live-work space for artist Sue Webster, which included a double-height basement artist’s studio.
      Find out more about Mole House ›
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing bedrooms with clever storage solutions, interiors that use mirrors to maximise space and compact bedrooms.

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      Ten interiors that use innovative room dividers instead of walls

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      A pastel-pink wardrobe and a theatrical silver curtain feature in our latest lookbook, which highlights 10 creative ways to split a space into different sections by using room dividers.

      Whether they’re lightweight and movable such as screens, fixed yet adjustable like curtains, or built into the framework of a building like a shelving unit, room dividers can be a practical and inexpensive solution to break up a space and provide more privacy.
      The interiors in this lookbook, which range from homes in Spain and Australia to hotel rooms in Japan and exhibition spaces in Brasil and the US, showcase innovative solutions for how to partition a large room.
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing homes with parquet flooring, compact bedrooms and self-designed studios by architects and designers.
      Photo is by Luis Díaz DíazReady-made Home, Spain, by Azab

      Pale blue curtains slice through the middle of this whimsical home in Bilbao, designed by architecture studio Azab.
      Challenged with a floor plan in the shape of a semi-circle, the studio decided to section off the two bedrooms and the bathroom using sheathes of the vibrant fabric, injecting a playful element into the apartment.
      Other colourful features include a pink extraction hood above the cooking stove, a yellow lacquered steel storage unit and an exposed wall.
      Find out more about Ready-made Home ›
      Photo is by Denilson Machado of MCA EstudioCasa Alma, Brasil, by Studio Melina Romano
      This exhibition space looks more like a cosy apartment than a traditional exhibition hall, thanks to an array of homely features including gauzy curtains, low-slung coffee tables and mossy gardens.
      Brasilian practice Studio Melina Romano hoped to create a sensorial atmosphere by using rounded elements and tactile materials for attendees of Casacor, São Paulo’s annual festival of architecture and interior design.
      Find out more about Casa Alma ›
      Photo is by Elsa YoungMetamporhic Wardrobe, UK, by Studiomama
      East London-based design studio Studiomama devised a pastel-coloured wardrobe called Metamorphic, which has a set of large doors that open out into a partition.
      The closet features a rail to hang clothes on, drawers in varying sizes and a set of doors that can be unfurled into a screen. The design showcases how room dividers made from furniture can be used as an innovative solution for creating private spaces in open-plan interiors.
      Find out more about Metamorphic Wardrobe ›
      Photo is by Yikin HyoK5 Tokyo Hotel, Japan, by Claesson Koivisto Rune
      A converted bank building in Tokyo, which survived bombing during world war two, was turned into a boutique hotel by Swedish studio Claesson Koivisto Rune. The practice aimed to transform the lodging into a warm, cosy place to stay by adding bespoke elements and furniture in deep brown hues.
      In each of the 20 rooms, delicate blue ombre curtains surround a wooden desk and cabinet, which guests can use as a private space for personal activities. Similar hand-dyed curtains in blue and white colours also frame the beds.
      Find out more about K5 Tokyo Hotel ›
      Photo is by José HeviaCasa A12, Spain, by Lucas y Hernández-Gil
      An indoor courtyard, bright orange furniture and a series of shiny silver curtains are some of the quirky features that Spanish studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil added to enliven the basement of this Madrid apartment.
      In an effort to counter the lack of light and space on the lower level, the studio painted the walls white and used dramatic full-height curtains that can be pulled back to seal off the bedroom suite.
      Find out more about Casa A12 › More

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      Takk founders build all-white “igloo” bedroom for their young daughter

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      Furry white fabric lines the interior of this winter-themed kid’s bedroom, which Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño of Spanish studio Takk have constructed inside their home in Barcelona.

      Affectionately titled Winter Bedroom (for a Big Grrl), the self-contained structure was designed as a hideaway for the couple’s young daughter.
      It takes the shape of a 3.5-metre-high dome that tapers off into a narrow entrance on one side, resembling an igloo.
      Takk’s founders have built an igloo-shaped bedroom for their daughterThe project forms part of Takk’s ongoing and continuous renovation of the warehouse space where its founders both live and build their large-scale architectural works.
      “The house-workshop is a 400-square-metre space that can host the installations that we design and produce,” Luzárraga told Dezeen.

      “At the same time, the space is being colonised by some domestic spaces that condition it for living. It’s continuously changing depending on the work that we are developing. Some of the pieces stay forever, and some of them are temporary.”
      The interior is covered almost entirely in a fluffy white carpetMost of the materials used to form the Winter Bedroom are repurposed from Takk’s previous projects, including the steel-chain curtain that covers the entrance in lieu of a door and the three layers of foam that line the dome’s ceiling and its entire exterior.
      Set on top of a wooden structure of vertical and horizontal ribs, the foam sheets serve seral purposes. For one, they maintain the all-white palette of the sleeping quarters and provide extra warmth in the industrial warehouse, which has plenty of space and light but little insulation.

      Takk perches communal bedroom on stilts in Madrid apartment renovation

      Unlike traditional cladding or wall panelling, the foam also moulds easily to the dome’s rounded form.
      “The flexible condition of the material easily adapts to the igloo shape,” explained Muiño, who founded Takk together with Luzárraga shortly after the couple met in 2008.
      Spherical lights are fitted to the domed ceilingInside the bedroom, a snowy carpet covers not just the floor but also the walls and the raised platform that holds up the bed.
      “The interior space has a floor at a height of 90 centimetres where the mattress lies, all covered in a white furry carpet ready to be enjoyed barefoot,” Muiño said. “Below this big bed, there is a space for storing, playing or hiding.”
      Spherical lights integrated into the ceiling form what the studio describes as “a sky of bulbs”, designed to create the impression of looking up at the stars.
      The self-contained bedroom is set in a converted warehouseTakk recently constructed another self-contained bedroom as part of an apartment renovation in Madrid, where the communal sleeping quarters are perched on stilts.
      For more creative kids’ bedrooms, see our lookbook of ten contemporary children’s bedrooms.

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      La Firme reorganises centuries-old Montreal loft with contemporary finishes

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      Montreal architecture studio La Firme has reorganised an apartment in a 1800s textile mill, using cabinetry to shape the new interior configuration.

      The Elmire Condo was completed for a young couple in Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal area.
      “This project took a space in a mid-19th century building that’s been a textile mill, a Campbell’s soup factory, and finally a condo complex,” said La Firme, a local studio whose name means simply The Firm.
      The apartment is located Montreal’s Plateau Mont-Royal areaLa Firme left much of the original structure exposed, including tall, rough-hewn timber beams and brick walls with structural arches as passages between rooms.
      According to the studio, these original elements serve as a “counterpoint” to their intervention, which consists of a series of white oak cabinets that delineate that redefine the rooms, while offering an abundance of storage for the owners.

      La Firme left structural arches and brickwork exposed”These contrasting elements organise the space into a rectangular area for the kitchen and salon, and an L-shaped loft for the master bedroom and bath, with a combination gallery, conservatory and meditative space,” said La Firme.
      The studio was able to include two bathrooms as part of the renovation: one for guests and the other within the primary bedroom. Plenty of stone is used throughout the apartment, reflecting the owner’s passion for geology.
      The apartment features a raised salonWithin the ensuite bathroom, a wall is finished in Calcatta marble that was bookmatched to create a subtle geometric pattern with the veins of the stone. “Natural light comes in from the gallery space through a band of glass blocks, in a wink to 1980s condo design,” La Firme explained.
      The long kitchen countertop sits partially at bar-height, then transitions to table height due to a step in the apartment floor. “The kitchen embodies [the client’s] love of minerals and culinary passion,” said La Firme.

      Talo Studios introduces Japandi elements to historic Montreal house

      “Quebec’s geological richness is brought inside with the island countertop, a slab of Labradorite granite that extends into a table on a raised platform,” they added.
      Beyond the kitchen is the salon, which is raised a few steps higher, and enjoys clear views of the city’s Mont Royal. Within these steps, the architects included a concealed pull-out bed for guests.
      Contemporary elements contrast with the centuries-old buildingOpposite the kitchen is a counter with drawers offering flexible storage or a place to work from home.
      Through the brick arches is the conservatory, a secondary living area separated from the combined living room and kitchen.
      Two bathrooms are included in the renovation”The gallery/conservatory is the loft area’s raison d’être,” La Firme explained. “Bright and open, it puts on display the clients’ other great loves: an impressive collection of contemporary art and a space for playing music.”
      Besides the white oak cabinets and occasional stone accents, the architects kept to a relatively limited palette for the intervention.
      Other apartment renovations in Montreal include a 1920s unit that Naturehumaine renovated with curved walls and pale green cabinetry, and a residential extension wrapped in galvanised metal.
      The photography is by Ulysse Lemerise Bouchard.

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