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    Shimmering crystals decorate National Museum of Qatar restaurant by Koichi Takada Architects

    Australian studio Koichi Takada Architects drew on Qatar’s pearl-diving history when creating the interior of Jiwan, a restaurant in the Jean Nouvel-designed National Museum of Qatar.

    More than four million Swarovski crystals form an undulating ceiling installation resembling the northern lights at the Doha restaurant, which was designed by Koichi Takada Architects and serves food by French chef Alain Ducasse.
    Above: Swarovski crystals decorate Jiwan’s ceiling. Top image: the restaurant’s terrace has rounded dining booths. Photo is by Victor Bellot.The interior of Jiwan was informed by Qatar’s history of pearl diving and by the architecture of the museum, which Atelier Jean Nouvel designed as a series of colliding disks.
    “The palette of materials that we drew from was very much about paying homage to the unique Qatari landscape – where the desert meets the sea – as well as the iconic architecture,” studio founder Koichi Takada told Dezeen.
    Qatar’s history of pearl diving informed the restaurant interior”We chose a mirrored finish for the ceiling to draw the reflection of the Persian Gulf deep into the space, as well as to reflect the gentle movement of the four million Swarovski crystals that dance from the ceiling,” he added.

    “The curvature of the crystal paths on the ceiling and the organic-shaped leather dining booths respond to the curvilinear architecture, with a luxury silk carpet underfoot.”
    Its carpet was designed with sand and sea coloursJiwan, which seats 130 guests inside and another 130 on its terrace, has pale pink walls that were designed to curve like the shell of an oyster, providing another nod to the pearl-diving theme.
    The interior also features a carpet with both orange and blue tones, which were informed by the sand and sea surrounding the museum.

    Cave-like gift shops created by Koichi Takada Architects inside National Museum of Qatar

    “The interior colour palette was in keeping with the pale desert-rose hues of the architecture and Qatar’s expansive desert landscape,” Takada explained.
    “We designed a silk carpet to integrate the impressive colours of the Persian Gulf – transitioning from deep aquamarine through turquoise to a lighter desert-sand colour inspired by the Qatari inland sea Khor Al Adaid. At its edges, the flooring blends almost seamlessly into the architecture.”
    The terrace was designed to reflect the building’s architecture. Photo is by Victor BellotFor Jiwan’s terrace, which overlooks the “desert rose” shape of Nouvel’s building, the studio created circular dining pods. Set within curved cream walls, these have burgundy booths and bronzed tables.
    “We designed the space to sit carefully within and yet not touch the architecture,” Takada said. “In effect, the interiors are designed so that if one day they are removed, the architecture will remain untouched.”
    Visitors have views of Doha BayKoichi Takada Architects has designed six interior spaces in total for the National Museum of Qatar, including two cave-like gift shops with undulating wooden walls.
    The museum is among a number of cultural projects and architectural landmarks that have been completed in time for the 2022 FIFA World Cup, which is currently taking place in Qatar.
    The country was heavily criticised for its treatment of migrant workers in the lead-up to the World Cup, which saw the country build numerous new stadiums to house the games.
    The photography is by Julien Lanoo unless otherwise stated.

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    Functional Creative Design refreshes NeueHouse co-working space in New York

    Functional Creative Design founder Sarah A Abdallah has revamped the interiors of members’ club NeueHouse in Manhattan, turning the front of the space into a restaurant that can easily become a stage for events.

    The New York-based designer and consultant returned to refresh NeueHouse, having first worked on the project with Rockwell Group in 2014.
    A circular bar serves NeueHouse members throughout the dayA member of the creative co-working space herself, Abdallah used her knowledge of the place and extensive experience in hospitality design to renovate the interior as it approached its 10-year mark.
    Conversations about the project began pre-pandemic, and the restrictions enacted as a result ended up guiding portions of the design.
    Various seating options are offered to the side of the Spanish stepsMajor changes to the space included converting the front area into a restaurant, which is used for dining, informal meetings and as a workspace during the day.

    At night, this spot becomes a stage for speakers or performers, who form part of a robust events program.
    A new cafe and retail space features walnut millwork”Space planning for this particular area was very key to insuring people felt safe, also I had to be sure we were compliant with NYC regulations that were changing weekly,” Abdallah told Dezeen.
    With this need for flexibility in mind, the designers installed lightweight banquettes from Danish brand Menu that can be unclipped and easily moved by staff.
    Furniture like marble-topped tables is easily moveable so that the space can be transformed for eventsThese are accompanied by two-top tables with violet-hued marble surfaces, where members can “grab a tea and laptop and have their own morning ritual”.
    The restaurant faces a set of Spanish steps, which form areas for casual work and act as an amphitheatre of seats during events.
    The bathrooms are designed as elevated spaces for hand-washing ritualsThese were updated with new metal details, walnut veneer, custom pillows and tables for laptops or drinks.
    “We added small round tables by Bernhardt Design at the bottom steps and cluster stools by Suite NY so this could also be an extension of the restaurant as well,” said Abdallah. “Two people could sit together for a drink and small plates.”
    Floor-to-ceiling marble was added to bathroom areasTo the left is further seating that serves as a cafe during the day and a wine bar at night, including a custom banquette built into the side of the steps.
    The circular bar, designed as a freestanding sculptural element, is faced in leather padding and topped with a green marble counter.
    Two matching high-top tables in front allow members to gather and circulate as they wish, while a variety of seating options are available beyond.

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    Behind the Spanish steps is a new cafe and retail area, organized around a walnut island.
    In the bathrooms, floor-to-ceiling marble was added in the stalls and behind the urinals, and wood panelling also creates an elevated residential-like environment.
    “Hand washing became an essential ritual to our health during the pandemic and so we wanted to also elevate the bathrooms to allow members to take more time to look in the mirror, be in gratitude and also take in the design details,” Abdallah said.
    Abdallah used her experience in hospitality design to give all spaces a welcoming feelThe designer previously worked on projects including the Park Hyatt in Washington DC, the Intercontinental Hotels in Cairo and Geneva, and 15 Hudson Yards in NYC before founding Functional Creative Design.
    NeueHouse also operates three locations in Los Angeles, including one inside the landmarked Bradbury Building, while a fifth has been announced for Miami.
    Dezeen hosted a series of talks with the company in 2022, including a conversation about the metaverse and another focused on Afrofuturism.
    The photography is by Ball & Albanese.

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    Monumental Damien Hirst sculptures feature inside Bacchanalia London restaurant

    Interior architect Martin Brudnizki Design Studio has created a classical Greek and Roman mythology-informed restaurant complete with sculptures by British artist Damien Hirst in Mayfair, London.

    Named Bacchanalia London, the restaurant is located on a corner site of 1 Mount Street in Mayfair that was previously a Porsche showroom.
    Sculptures more than 2,000 years old sit on the bar at Bacchanalia LondonOpened 1 December, the restaurant has an opulent interior designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio that makes use of mosaics, classical details, hand-painted ceiling murals and Greek and Roman artworks more than 2,000 years old.
    The main dining room features five monumental statues designed by British artist Hirst that depict a winged lion, a unicorn ridden by a pair of winged lovers, another unicorn, Medusa and Bacchus.

    Dezeen filmed an exclusive first-look video tour of the restaurant.
    The walls of the main space were covered in floor-to-ceiling murals painted by artist Gary Myatt that interpret French artist Thomas Couture’s 1847 painting Romans in their Decadence.
    However, in Myatt’s murals the classically dressed figures can be seen using laptops and holding iPhones.
    Gary Myatt’s mural depicts classical figures using modern technologyThroughout the restaurant period and modern Greek and Roman art was showcased. Many pieces are over 2,000 years old. Over 300 books of 24-carat gold leaf were used across the interiors of the project.
    Over 400,000 tiles were used in the ladies restroom to conjure orchard greenery inspired by the Garden of Hesperides, where according to Greek mythology golden apples grow.
    The men’s restrooms – with high-gloss black toilets – are supposed to represent Hades’ underworld.

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    Informed by the Roman festival of Bacchus’ drunken celebrations, Bacchanalia London is the latest restaurant from restauranteur Richard Caring.
    At the launch event in November, Caring heralded it as a place for “the drinking of wine in excess and the co-mingling of the sexes thereafter”, adding that “Bacchanalia London could help with the former but guests would have to work out the latter for themselves”.
    Martin Brudnizki Design Studio previously renovated Caring’s other London club, Annabel’s, in 2018. Hélène Darroze at The Connaught is another Mayfair restaurant that has been recently revamped. To mark its 10-year anniversary in 2019, French designer Pierre Yovanovitch overhauled the dining space in the luxury hotel.
    The photography is by Johnny Stephens Photography.

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    Finnish Design Shop creates forest-set logistics centre to enable “a more sustainable future”

    Avanto Architects and Joanna Laajisto have designed a logistics centre for retailer Finnish Design Shop that features warm timber, a foraged-food restaurant for staff and visitors, and views of the surrounding forest.

    Located on the outskirts of Turku, west of Helsinki, the logistics centre is the hub for storage, management and dispatch of products from the Finnish Design Shop, which says it is the world’s largest online store for Nordic design.
    The company needed a new logistics centre after a period of high growth, but founder and CEO Teemu Kiiski also aimed for it to be a meaningful place for employees and visitors.
    The Finnish Design Shop logistics centre is located in the Pomponrahka nature reserve in Turku. Photo is by KuvioEmployees of the logistics centre can enjoy plenty of light and forest views as well as warm timber environments and a restaurant run by Sami Tallberg, an award-winning chef who specialises in foraging.
    The Finnish Design Shop had first explored whether it could convert an existing building in the Turku area, but, finding nothing suitable, chose to build on a site in the Pomponrahka nature reserve, where the surrounding forest would provide a calming work environment and reflect the appreciation for wood in Nordic design.

    To undertake construction there responsibly, the Finnish Design Shop says the builders saved as many trees as possible and landscaped the area with natural forest undergrowth and stones excavated from the site.
    The entrance features glass curtain walls that connect the interior and exterior. Photo by KuvioAvanto Architects designed the 12,000-square-metre building to blend into the forest as much as possible — a challenge given its massing, a product of the warehouse layout.
    The layout was created beforehand by specialist consultants to maximise the efficiency of operations, which are carried out by robots in an automated system.
    The centre includes a showroom. Photo by Mikko RyhänenThe architects opted for a dark facade with a vertical relief pattern that becomes visible on approach and echoes the tree trunks in the surrounding woodlands.
    “The pattern forms a more human scale to the large facade surfaces,” Avanto Architects co-founder Anu Puustinen told Dezeen. “We also used warm wooden accents in the main entrance vestibule, balcony and windows.”
    There is also a restaurant that specialises in foraged food. Photo by Mikko RyhänenThe architects gave the office spaces large windows so the employees could enjoy frequent views of the forest and lots of light, and included a balcony for access to the outdoors on the first floor.
    The entrance to the centre is through the showroom, which features glass curtain walls that showcase the use of the building and a long, straight staircase made from two massive glulam beams.
    The first-floor offices have a view of the warehouse floor. Photo by KuvioThe interior was designed by Laajisto and her studio, who aimed to make the space feel well-proportioned and comfortable despite its size and to create a good acoustic environment by liberally applying sound-absorbing materials.
    She kept the colour and material palette neutral and natural, with lots of solid pine and ash wood to continue the forest connection, but used furniture from the Finnish Design Shop in bright colours to punctuate the space.

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    “The aim was that every aspect in the interior should be done well and beautifully,” Laajisto told Dezeen. “Attention to detail was embraced in things that typically are overlooked, such as doors, plumbing fixtures and electrical hardware selections and applications, acoustic ceiling panels and ceramic tiles.”
    The project is the first logistics building in Finland to be certified BREEAM Excellent, the second highest level.
    Special attention has been paid to creating a good acoustic environment with sound-dampening materials. Photo by Mikko RyhänenKiiski, who positions the company as the opposite of multinational e-commerce players such as Amazon, aimed for the new centre to be the most socially and environmentally sustainable online store.
    “The values that life in the Nordic countries is based on include transparency, equality and respect for nature,” said Kiiski. “It would have been impossible to create this company and our new logistics centre without unwavering respect for these values.”
    Wood is featured throughout the interiorHe believes that global online shopping can be socially and environmentally sustainable when issues in supply chains, logistics and operations are addressed.
    “Many studies show that online shopping can have a lower carbon footprint as compared to in-store shopping,” said Kiiski. “This is due to the more efficient logistics in e-commerce and the fact that in-store shopping usually involves private transport.”
    “We want to push the whole industry towards a more sustainable future,” he continued.
    The hub is meant to offer employees a healthy and humane working environment. Photo by Mikko RyhänenPast work by Avanto Architects includes the Löyly waterfront sauna in Helsinki, which has a multifaceted exterior that visitors can climb, and the Villa Lumi, a house with a sculptural white staircase.
    Laajisto’s previous projects include office interiors for service design company Fjord and the Airisto furniture collection for Made by Choice, which was inspired by Scandinavian holiday culture.

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    Object Space Place uses reclaimed materials to refurbish London restaurant

    Interior design practice Object Space Place has revamped the Apricity restaurant interior in London with second-hand furniture and reclaimed materials.

    The project has been shortlisted in the sustainable interior category of Dezeen Awards 2022, which will announce its winners next week.
    The restaurant is furnished with second-hand tables and chairsPart of the refurbishment involved removing a timber staircase to maximise usable floor space in the basement.
    Object Space Place retained the staircase’s treads to reuse them for a new staircase and repurposed the rest of the usable material into decorative timber block wall cladding.
    Material salvaged from a timber staircase was used as statement wall cladding”We saw the old staircase as a materials bank full of wood that we could reuse, so we worked with the contractor to take the staircase apart carefully, grade the timber that was usable and create a repeating block pattern that could be made from these timber components,” Object Space Place told Dezeen.

    “The timber wall finish has also been installed on a split batten system, so even if someone wants to change this in the future it can be done relatively easily.”
    Skirting boards and architraves were reused to decorate the front of the barArchitraves and skirting boards removed from the interior were reused to cover the front of the restaurant bar, creating a vertically grooved surface.
    The practice overhauled the space to expose some of the original finishes, including brickwork, timber floorboards and aged walls.

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    “Customers really love the walls, which is interesting as these are simply what we found when we removed the blank white plasterboard wall linings on the ground floor,” said Object Space Place.
    “This really epitomises what we discovered about working with waste and the circular economy – the extra effort you have to put in rewards you with a space rich in stories and these stories help add to a dining experience that exemplifies going the extra mile.”
    The interior features pendant lights made from waste coffee groundsMechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) equipment was retained where possible and reclaimed furniture, sinks and mirrors were sourced to fit out the restaurant, including second-hand dining chairs that were reupholstered to suit the design scheme.
    In instances where reclaimed items could not be acquired, new elements with sustainable qualities were used instead, including terrazzo-like surface material by Foresso made from recycled timber and lampshades made from oyster shells or waste coffee grounds.
    Foresso timber terrazzo was used on the bar and waiter stationsObject Space Place designed the refurbishment according to its Restorative Design Framework initiative, which is based on circular economy principles.
    “We developed a true benchmark in sustainable design and fit-out by applying the principles of a circular economy, particularly designing out waste and pollution and keeping natural resources in use,” the studio explained.
    Plasterboards were removed to reveal aged wallsAccording to Object Space Place, the project achieved a reduced embodied carbon footprint of 45 per cent compared to refurbishments of similar-sized restaurants where new furniture and finishes were applied.
    Other restaurants that feature reclaimed materials include an eatery in Madrid with interior features made from upcycled junk and a restaurant in Bangalore decorated with discarded bicycle bells and cassette tape boxes.
    The photography is by Ben Carpenter.

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    YOD Group designs Terra restaurant interior to “mirror its surroundings”

    Ukrainian design studio YOD Group dressed this restaurant interior in Vynnyky with terracotta tiles and slabs of green glass to reflect the earthy landscape outside.

    Called Terra, the eatery features a colour and material palette that takes cues from the rolling hills and a lake that border the restaurant. It was completed in February 2022, just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
    YOD Group designed Terra’s interior to reflect the landscape outsideYOD Group created the interior across a single hall, which features clusters of plush, low-slung armchairs and sofas arranged around both meandering and rectilinear dark wooden tables.
    These seating areas are interrupted only by large rounded columns clad in glass bricks, which are illuminated from the inside to create a watery green glow designed to echo the nearby lake.
    Waiter stations are clad in terracotta tilesThe largest of these columns houses a curved wine cellar within an internal spiral staircase, while the transparent glass reveals the ghostly silhouettes of stored wine bottles.

    Textured terracotta tiles make up rounded waiter stations, which were designed to mirror the earthiness of the restaurant’s exterior setting.
    The stations also nod to the Ukrainian tradition of covering furnaces and fireplaces with tiles, according to YOD Group.
    A curved wine cellar includes an internal staircase”We aimed to extract colours, textures and impressions from the landscape to translate them into the interior design language,” explained the studio.
    “Like the eyedropper tool in Photoshop, but on a real-life scale, we designed the space to mirror its surroundings.”

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    Another wall is covered in adjustable copper-hued glass slabs that feature decorative markings made by imprinting local grasses on their surfaces.
    The moveable wall is intended as a metaphor to symbolise the way reeds sway in the wind, said YOD Group.
    “Guests can not only touch the glass slabs but also interact with them and change the pattern on the wall, becoming co-creators of the design.”
    Copper-hued glass slabs can be moved across a large wallBouquets of pampas grass are interspersed throughout the interior, in a nod to the restaurant’s lakeside terrace where visitors can dine outside.
    Terra is shortlisted in the restaurant and bar interior category of the 2022 Dezeen Awards, which announces its winners later this month.
    Pampas grass decorates the restaurantLast year, the category’s winning eatery was another restaurant in Ukraine – Yakusha Design’s Istetyka in Kyiv, which has an interior characterised by rough concrete, polished stone and smooth steel.
    YOD Group also designed a coffee shop in Ukraine’s capital that features pixel-like mosaics in a hole-in-the-wall-style bar.
    The photography is by Yevhenii Avramenko.

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    The Circus Canteen interior is a “collage of unwanted items”

    Local studio Multitude of Sins has created an eclectic restaurant interior in Bangalore out of a mishmash of reclaimed materials, including discarded bicycle bells and cassette tape boxes.

    Officially called Big Top but known as The Circus Canteen, the restaurant is shortlisted in the sustainable interior category for a 2022 Dezeen Award.
    The Circus Canteen interior is made of almost all reclaimed materialsMultitude of Sins sourced the components that make up the interior from a city-wide waste donation drive held over several weeks.
    The materials were then painstakingly curated into distinct categories, ranging from home appliances to toy cars, and used to design an eclectic interior featuring mismatched furniture and flooring.
    Visitors enter through a series of scrap metal archwaysLess than 10 per cent of the materials used to create the interior were sourced as new, according to the studio.

    “The Circus Canteen [was informed by] the concept of creating a collage of unwanted items with a curatorial spirit,” Multitude of Sins founder Smita Thomas told Dezeen.
    Multitude of Sins created booths out of mismatched objectsVisitors enter the restaurant through a bold scarlet door decorated with unwanted bicycle bells and humourous hand horns, which is accessed via a series of labyrinthine archways made from teal-hued scrap metal.
    The archways are illuminated by alternative chandeliers composed of dismantled bicycle chains and old vehicle headlights.
    Some of the restaurant tables are decorated with old CDsInside, the two-level dining area is made up of custom tables and seating that double as a set of striking installations.
    Salvaged objects used to create these booths include abandoned sofas, obsolete bathroom ventilators and colourful coffee tables created from old oil barrels sliced in half and topped with glass surfaces.

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    “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” acknowledged Thomas. “We have seen and felt this phrase come to life as we pieced together The Circus Canteen.”
    The restaurant’s flooring is a jigsaw puzzle-style mosaic of sample tiles sourced from ceramics stores, while a kitchen serving hatch is framed by a colourful collection of outdated cassette tape boxes.
    A serving hatch is framed by cassette tape boxesPrompted by the desire to create an eatery interior with a minimal carbon footprint, Multitude of Sins’ project responds to many designers’ growing concerns about the wastefulness of their industry.
    “The creation of each element – from custom lighting and flooring to art installations and furniture – was attributed to the mercy of the waste donation drive,” said Thomas.
    “It reminds us of adapting skillfully, to reinvent with agility.”
    The Circus Canteen intends to address wastefulness in the design industryThe Circus Canteen is part of Bangalore Creative Circus – a project formed by artists, scientists and other “changemakers” who host various community-focussed events in the Indian city.
    Other eateries that feature reclaimed materials include a restaurant in Spain with elements made from upcycled junk and site construction waste and a cafe in Slovenia defined by recycled components that create a mix of patterns and textures.
    The photography is by Ishita Sitwala.

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    Ivy Studio renovates fire-damaged Piatti restaurant in Montreal

    Dark green marble, glossy black tiles and sculptural lighting contrast the rough stone walls of this Montreal restaurant that has been resurrected by local Ivy Studio.

    Located in Rosemère, on Montreal’s north bank, Piatti opened 15 years ago in an old stone building that was previously extended to accommodate a larger commercial space.
    A pizza oven wrapped in green marble forms a focal point at PiattiAfter a fire ripped through the Italian restaurant over a year ago, damaging the roof and the interior, the owners chose to renovate and update the space.
    “From this tragedy rose the opportunity to give the space a much-needed facelift,” said the Ivy Studio team, who took on the project.
    Entrance to the kitchen is through an arch set into a pistachio-coloured wall”While the overall aesthetic is very contemporary, the decor was inspired by traditional Italian design and includes textures, materials and colours that project clients directly to the Mediterranean,” the studio added.

    The two-storey building is entered on the lower level, where the preparation kitchen, a private event room and the washrooms are situated.
    A sienna-toned banquette is installed beneath a mirrored wallUpstairs are the dining areas, each with a distinct atmosphere. When entering past courses of glossy black tiles, customers are met by a “monumental” pizza oven wrapped in green Saint-Denis marble.
    A black stained-wood and marble structure in front acts as a dining and service area, across from a hand-plastered pistachio wall with an arch that leads to the closed kitchen.
    The bar area is located in the old stone buildingAbove a sienna-toned velvet banquette, a mirrored wall helps to make the dining space feel larger – reflecting its cream walls and sheer curtains.
    Bistro chairs with green seats and caned backs are placed around tables.
    Lighting and stools were custom designed for the barA circular wood-topped table sits on zig-zag black and white tiles below a central bespoke chandelier.
    The bar occupies the old stone aspect of the building. Here, a U-shaped counter is clad with vertical oak boards and topped with a four-inch-thick travertine slab.

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    Custom stools made from velvet, steel and wood are lined up against the bar, colour-matching the banquette upholstery in the dining room.
    Minimal, custom cream-painted lamps are spaced along the length of the counter, while a steel structure suspended above holds bottles behind fritted glass panels.
    A pendant light hangs above a table in the corner of the bar area”The entire room has recessed lighting going around the ceiling to properly highlight the original stone walls in the evening,” said Ivy Studio.
    Montreal is home to a wealth of Italian restaurants with notable interiors, several of which have opened over the last few years.
    Ivy Studio based the contemporary decor on traditional Italian designThey include pizza spot Vesta and Tiramisu at the city’s Hilton hotel – both designed by Ménard Dworkind.
    Among Ivy Studio’s other hospitality projects in the Quebec capital is Jack Rose, an eatery in a former auto body shop.
    The photography is by Alex Lesage.
    Project credits:
    Team: Gabrielle Rousseau, David Kirouac, Guillaume B Riel, Philip StaszewskiConstruction: Groupe Firco

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