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    Alex Cochrane Architects designs shops to “embrace the elegant proportions” of National Portrait Gallery

    London studio Alex Cochrane Architects has created a trio of museum shops at the recently revamped National Portrait Gallery in London.

    Completed as part of a wider three-year refurbishment of the Victorian Grade I-listed building by Jamie Fobert Architects and Purcell, the retail outlets had to be respectful and, where possible, non-intrusive.
    Alex Cochrane Architects overhauled the National Portrait Gallery’s shopsAlex Cochrane Architects worked closely with the lead studios to create a main shop next to the museum’s new entrance, and two further shops that service temporary exhibition spaces,  that each “brought together the monumental and the intimate”.
    “The challenge with this project was to design hard-working retail spaces that would provide an inspiring shopping experience while delivering a design that embraced the elegant proportions of the Grade I building,” Alex Cochrane Architects founder Alex Cochrane told Dezeen.
    Arched architectural details are repeated in the displaysThe main shop’s two adjoining rooms have impressive ceiling heights of between six and 7.5 metres and Cochrane designed the space to emphasise verticality.

    “The best way to celebrate these magnificent heights was for our retail architecture to reach tall and stop respectfully short of the period cornicing,” said Cochrane.
    “There’s an obvious vertical accent to our designs that allows you to look up and appreciate the vast heights and period detailing.”
    Tall cabinets emphasise the height of the spaceMindful that their display framework would need to be taller than conventional retail furniture, they have made it deliberately architectural in scale.
    “We wanted to celebrate the heights of these two rooms,” he said. “We wanted the visitor to look up, as well as ahead. And of course, we wanted visibility from the street.”
    A green marble cash counter adds a subtle pop of colourThe practice used arched forms in their design, taking their cues from the historical door and room openings within the space and in the wider gallery.
    “We repeated the shape of these soaring arches around the room creating a rhythm so all the arches, both old and new, became of a singular and familiar language,” Cochrane said.
    To bring definition to the space without the need for further structural intervention, he used thin “halos” of light to outline the arches, as well to highlight the large plaster-cast busts that hang within the display arches, increasing the shop’s visibility from the street.
    The two rooms are connected via a row of archesThe plaster casts, representing the artists Holbein, Chantry and Roubillac, were discovered in the gallery’s attic during the refurbishment and are prototypes for the stone versions seen on the rear elevations of the building.
    “We love how they are framed in the arches,” said Cochrane. “They have a roughness, a texture that compares well with our metallic finishes.”
    Similarly, an original lantern light in the roof, which had been boarded up for many years, now takes centre stage, amplifying the impressiveness of the space.

    National Portrait Gallery revamp establishes connection to London surroundings

    Several factors shaped the pared-back material palette of the project.
    “The materials needed to be complimentary to those of the period finishes, but also remain easily distinguishable,” said Cochrane.
    “And we chose our materials in consideration of their low-impact environmental credentials. Local, reusable, recycled, second-hand and certified materials were prioritised, while materials with high embodied carbon and VOCs were avoided.”
    Alcoves are highlighted via narrow strip lightsThe stone was sourced within Europe, while the signature material of choice was brushed metal, “which is neutral in both tone and colour.”
    Mindful of the carbon footprint of steel and other metals, Cochrane chose Arper for the metallic furniture because of their innovative and “low-impact” manufacturing processes.
    “We favoured matt finishes over polished ones, as they reflect less light ensuring the products remain the focus,” he said.
    The second room features punchy yellow cabinetsFor the first-floor exhibition shop, much of the furniture was constructed in Richlite. Durable and sustainable, it’s an FSC-certified material made using post-consumer recycled paper.
    For the ground floor exhibition shop the mid-floor furniture was constructed in Linoleum, made from 97 per cent natural materials, that are 30 per cent recycled and 100 per cent recyclable and compostable.
    The practice sampled numerous paint colours, settling on Farrow & Ball’s ‘Lamp Room Gray’ for the walls, with ‘School House White’ on the ceilings.
    The cabinets are designed for displaying jewellery”These colours follow on well from those in the adjacent entrance hall and the east staircase and contrast subtly with our own metallic finishes.”
    “We wanted to be strategic about using strong colours, as we were conscious that the merchandise would also have a considerable amount of colour.”
    The cabinets are centred between the two monumental teak-framed windowsThe practice opted to use a vivid colour for the stand-alone jewellery cabinet, centred between the two monumental teak-framed windows, “that could really catch the eye of the passer-by with an invigorating colour”.
    “We explored different colours, settling on a punchy yellow that we called ‘Starling’s Yellow’ due to the commercial director’s love for this colour.”
    Likewise, Cochrane wanted the payment counter to be eye-catching and used a highly patterned green marble to draw the customer to this end of the space, where there are views out over the newly re-landscaped forecourt and Charing Cross Road beyond.
    “As a practice, we are minimalists, with a love for bold colour. We feel colour can really invigorate a room,” said Cochrane.
    The museum reopens today following its renovationThe National Portrait Gallery reopens its doors for the first time this week, following its renovation as well as a wider rebrand. Earlier this year, the museum unveiled an overhaul of its logo by illustrator Peter Horridge based on a sketch by the gallery’s first director.
    The photography is by Alex Cochrane Architects and Andrew Meredith.

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    &Tradition designs entire apartment in takeover of Copenhagen townhouse

    Danish furniture brand &Tradition has opened the doors to a four-storey showroom in Copenhagen, featuring a complete apartment and rooms designed by Jaime Hayon and Space Copenhagen.

    Unveiled during 3 Days of Design in an exhibition titled Under One Roof, &Tradition’s design team has transformed the interior of a century-old townhouse on the historic Kronprinsessegade.
    The Apartment takes over the top floor of the townhouseThe top floor has become The Apartment, an entire home interior that is described by Els Van Hoorebeeck, creative and brand director for &Tradition, as “the cherry on the cake”.
    Despite being completely kitted out in the brand’s products, it was designed to have the feel of a lived-in space rather than a showroom.
    Designed by &Tradition’s in-house team, the spaces combine classic and contemporary”When you enter, you feel this balance between colours and neutrals, between wood tones and glass or metal, and between classic and contemporary designs,” Van Hoorebeeck told Dezeen.

    “There’s a lot of product in there, but you don’t notice it,” she said.
    The bedroom showcases a quilted bedspread by Swedish-Danish duo All the Way to ParisSpanish designer Hayon has created two rooms on the first floor, which give an insight into the creative process behind products he has developed for &Tradition.
    The first, called Cabinet of Curiosities, features a glass display case filled with objects and drawings, revealing the forms and images that inspire Hayon’s designs.
    Jaime Hayon has created a room called Cabinet of CuriositiesThe second presents new works by Hayon – including the Momento vessels and a limited edition of his Formakami pendant lamp – in a scenography framed by large silhouette characters. This room is called Teatro Surreal.
    “We felt it was important to show the world that his products come out of,” said Van Hoorebeeck.
    Jaime Hayon’s Teatro Surreal creates a scenography for his new productsThe two rooms by Danish interiors studio Space Copenhagen can be found on the second floor.
    These spaces include a studio and, building on the studio’s experience in hotel and restaurant design, a dining room. Here, shades of green and brown combine with fresh herbs and plants to bring a sense of nature.

    Pine furniture and future-facing sofas among top trends from 3 Days of Design

    New products are peppered throughout these two rooms.
    They include the Trace storage cabinets, which are filled with kitchen utensils and tableware, and the Collect rugs.
    Space Copenhagen has created a dining room in shades of green and brownFounded in 2010 by Martin Kornbek Hansen, &Tradition combines contemporary and classic design in its collections.
    The brand has been based at 4 Kronprinsessegade since 2018, but the building primarily served as a headquarters, with offices located on the upper levels.
    Verner Panton’s Flowerpot lamps feature in several roomsThe company has now moved its offices to another nearby location, which made it possible to open the entire townhouse up to the public for the first time during 3 Days of Design.
    Other spaces revealed in Under One Roof include the Verner Panton Lounge, which is dedicated to mid-century pieces by the late Danish designer such as the 1968 Flowerpot lamps.
    An archive room is filled with original drawings and vintage samplesThere are also rooms designed to appeal to the senses. These include the Listening Lounge, a relaxed space filled with music, and Mnemonic, which centres around a range of scents.
    Other key spaces include a “workshop” showcasing the possibilities of the modular workspace furniture, an archive filled with original drawings and vintage samples, a cafe and a shop.
    A cafe and shop are located on the ground floorVan Hoorebeeck hopes the spaces will help tell the stories behind the products.
    “What we wanted to do here is to create a whole universe,” she said. “Every room is based on showing a different atmosphere between contemporary and classic designs.”
    “Now the layout of the house is set and every year we’ll just adapt it,” she added.
    The photography is courtesy of &Tradition.
    3 Days of Design took place in venues around Copenhagen from 7 to 9 June 2023. See Dezeen Events Guide for information, plus a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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    Checkerboard walls wrap Awake NY store by Rafael de Cárdenas

    Local architect Rafael de Cárdenas referenced lost landmarks of New York for the interiors of this streetwear store in the city’s Lower East Side.

    De Cárdenas worked with Angelo Baque, the former brand director of streetwear brand Supreme, on the design of a retail location for Awake NY, which Baque founded in 2012.
    Large sculptures are placed throughout the store, including a replica of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park UnisphereThe new home for the men’s clothing line at 62 Orchard Street is a homage to New York City’s fashion meccas of the 1980s and 90s, many of which have since shuttered.
    “Both De Cárdenas and Baque grew up in New York around the same time, which informed their design direction,” said a joint statement from the duo. “They built upon shared memories of lost landmarks in New York design and youth culture: Canal Jean, Antique Boutique, and Unique — and used them as reference points for the store identity.”
    Several elements leftover from the store’s previous occupants were retained, including carved wooden frames above the clothing racksThe store retains some of the features leftover from the family-owned suiting business that formerly occupied the space.

    Logos of brands carried by the previous tenants are still visible on the glass vitrines on either side of the entrance.
    The walls at the back of the space are covered in a checkerboard patternThese display cases now carry bright blue carpets and colourful portraits by local artist Alvin Armstrong.
    Other remnants from the store’s past include the original exterior signage, which reads “Mens Clothiers”, and carved wooden frames above the clothing racks inside.
    Other large sculptural elements include a giant plywood ‘A’New elements include the flooring, sourced from a school gym in Cleveland, and wood shelving affixed to the walls with ratchet straps.
    At the back of the boutique, the walls are covered in a checkerboard pattern that is repeated on a display stand closer to the centre.

    Space-age design informs Nodaleto shoe store by Rafael de Cárdenas

    Some of the industrial-style columns and areas of the metal-panelled ceiling are left exposed, while other structural elements are painted white or wrapped in mirrors.
    Murals by Larissa De Jesús Negrón adorn the fitting room area, and checkered chairs were sourced from B&B Italia.
    Plywood is also used to form storage and display casesThere are also several large sculptural pieces placed on the shop floor, helping to create a flow for shoppers.
    “The store is anchored by a replica of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Unisphere, originally built for the 1964 World’s Fair in Baque’s hometown of Queens, and a floor-to-ceiling Awake NY ‘A’ built from plywood in the centre of the store,” said the design team.
    The flooring was sourced from a school gym in ClevelandDe Cárdenas, who is one of the judges for this year’s Dezeen Awards, has designed a variety of retail projects during his career.
    His studio recently completed the Miami store for French shoe brand Nodaleto, with sci-fi-influenced interiors, and previously created a split-level bar in Nordstrom’s flagship store in Midtown Manhattan.
    The photography is by Adrian Gaut.

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    Isern Serra turns renderings into reality to form pink Moco Concept Store in Barcelona

    Design studio Isern Serra has transformed a computer-generated image by digital artist Six N Five into a rose-coloured retail space for the Moco Museum in Barcelona.

    Situated in Barcelona’s El Born neighbourhood, the Moco Museum exclusively exhibits the work of modern artists such as Damien Hirst, Kaws, Yayoi Kusama and Jeff Koons.
    The institution’s eponymous concept store has a similarly contemporary offering, selling a mix of design, fashion and lifestyle goods.
    The store’s interior is completely covered in pink micro-cementIts surreal pink interior started out as a computer-generated image by Six N Five, a digital artist known for envisioning other-worldly dreamscapes in pastel hues.
    Barcelona-based design studio Isern Serra then brought the image to life, using pink micro-cement to achieve the same uniform, ultra-smooth surfaces seen in the drawing.

    Products are displayed inside huge circular display niches”The Moco Concept Store represented an interesting challenge, as I had to combine the purpose of the store with actual architecture remaining true to our original dreamy world I had built in CGI,” explained Six N Five, whose real name is Ezequiel Pini.
    “But these concepts were able to go one level further, both in decisions and execution, thanks to Isern Serra who brought its extraordinary talent and experience.”
    Arched and square niches have also been punctured into the wallsThe store’s rosy interior can be seen through two large openings in its facade – one of them is rectangular, while the other is slightly curved and contains the entrance door.
    A series of chunky columns run through the middle of the space. Surrounding walls have been punctured with arched, square and circular display niches, some of which are dramatically backlit.
    Rows of shelves and a frame for a tv screen have also been made to project from the wall.
    A faux skylight sits directly above pink display plinthsThe store’s largely open floor plan is only interrupted by a few pink cylindrical plinths used to showcase products, and a bespoke pink cashier desk with an integrated computer system.
    Custom spotlights have been installed on the ceiling, along with a faux skylight.
    The store’s custom furnishings, like the cashier desk, are also rendered in pinkAn increasing number of creatives are making their virtual designs a reality.
    Last year, digital artist Andres Reisinger collaborated with furniture brand Moooi to produce a physical version of his Instagram-famous Hortensia chair, which was initially a rendering.
    The piece is covered with 20,000 pink fabric petals, emulating the almost fluffy appearance of a hydrangea flower.
    In Sweden, designer Christoffer Jansson passed off a virtual apartment as an Instagram home renovation project.
    The photography is by Salva Lopez.
    Project credits:
    Authors: Six N Five and Isern SerraBuilder: Tegola Rosso SL

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    Nina+Co uses salvaged materials and biotextiles for Big Beauty’s first store

    Design studio Nina+Co has used materials informed by the ingredients used in natural skincare products for Big Beauty’s first store in Hackney, London.

    For its first retail space, Big Beauty founder Lisa Targett Bolding wanted to create a space that was an extension of the brand’s ethos. She worked closely with Nina+Co, which chose to incorporate waste materials and biomaterials like mycelium into the design.
    According to Nina+Co founder Nina Woodcroft, every material choice was aimed at minimising waste or reviving waste products.
    The Big Beauty shop was designed by Nina+Co”Lisa was determined to push the boundaries of material use and circularity and is willing to take risks, which is necessary when experimenting with materials and processes that are new,” she told Dezeen.
    “There are many great materials and solutions that we desperately need to become mainstream, but making them commercially viable can be a slow and long-winded process,” she continued.

    “The goal at Nina+Co is to bridge this gap, to show how beautiful and useful these materials and processes can be, and to work on changing attitudes towards waste and considering end-of-use.”
    The project features salvaged and biomaterialsRaw stone edges, metal patination, and earthy tones were blended with soft, oversized, rounded forms to create a calming effect throughout the space where, besides the retail area, there is a private treatment room for massages and facials.
    The main space was designed to be flexible and host events, with seating arranged around a large travertine stone table, which was sourced 50 per cent from salvage and 50 per cent from offcuts.
    Salvaged travertine stone was used for the central table with only minimal shaping to some edgesThe travertine used for the central table was kept in the large slabs in which it was found, with only minimal shaping to some edges, in a bid to reduce wastage and retain integrity for future applications.
    As well as the reclaimed natural stone, Nina+Co used expanded cork blocks that were shaped into storage units and salvaged steel, which has been re-worked into shelving.
    Expanded cork blocks are used to create storage unitsMany of the materials chosen were informed by the minerals and ingredients used in natural skincare such as clay, seaweed and mushroom extracts.
    Mycelium was grown to form plinths and legs using the reishi species. Reishi mushroom and clay were also used to pigment curtains of a seaweed biotextile, which have tiny trapped air bubbles to look like sea foam or bath bubbles.
    The seaweed biotextile, along with hemp fabric, was hung as a backdrop for the window display that shades the interior.
    Seaweed biotextile panels feature tiny trapped air bubblesWhen asked about the challenges of working with mycelium, Woodcroft said “every project has its hiccups. Mycelium needs precise conditions to grow and contamination is tricky to avoid without serious lab facilities.”
    “We inoculate organic waste with mushroom spores then the fungus digests the substrate and binds together with tiny hyphae threads into a homogenous form within a mould; when gently dried, the mycelium becomes inert and we are left with strong, organic pieces of furniture that are ultimately compostable,” she explained.
    “There’s so much more to explore with mycelium and I intend to.”
    A glass block wall encloses a private treatment room.Also as part of the renovation, the studio removed the existing timber floor and underlay, which were both sold locally with proceeds going to charity.
    The grey concrete beneath was then stained to a warmer brown using iron sulphate, a common grass fertiliser. Cork tiles with a natural hard wax finish were used for the kitchen and toilet. The walls and ceiling were coated with a limewash paint made from clay, minerals and natural pigments.
    Mycelium and Reishi mushroom species were used to create plinths and legs for the displaysAccording to Woodcroft, each area of the shop tells a story of material exploration and experimentation.
    The space offers – as the brand puts it – “a sense of provenance, connection and reverence” for the natural components of the skincare products on the shelves.
    Big Beauty’s windows feature panels of mycelium biotextileNina+Co has previous experience working with ancient and pioneering materials like mushroom mycelium, algae and bioplastics. The design studio worked on the fit-out of Silo, a zero-waste restaurant in the London suburb of Hackney Wick, and more recently the MONC eyewear store also in the British capital.
    The photography is by Anna Batchelor

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    Kim Kardashian brings poolside vibes to SKIMS swimwear pop-up at Selfridges

    A three-tiered diving board stands next to a metallic palm tree inside this pop-up shop that designer Willo Perron has created for Kim Kardashian’s lingerie brand SKIMS in London.

    The brand’s first physical retail space in the UK, at the Selfridges department store in London, follows the same formula as its debut shop in Paris. Here, surfaces were coated in panels of glossy plastic with gentle thermoformed curves to suggest the shape of the human body.
    SKIMS has opened a swimwear pop-up in SelfridgesBut for this temporary summertime pop-up, Perron abandoned the brand’s typical fleshy colour palette in favour of a pale blue hue reminiscent of a heavily chlorinated swimming pool.
    The resulting plastic panels are so glossy they look almost wet as they form everything from mirror frames and bench seats to wall panels and the shop’s monolithic till counter, which is embossed with the SKIMS logo.
    A three-tiered diving board sculpture forms the centrepiece of the storeA huge replica of a three-levelled diving board stands at the heart of the store, with a stepped base and springboards formed from lengths of the same baby-blue plastic.

    Shiny chrome tubes act as handrails and are repeated throughout the store in the form of gridded partitions and clothing rails, curving around the columns of the Grade II-listed department store.

    Kim Kardashian launches first pop-up SKIMS store in Paris

    Rounding off the poolside atmosphere is a matching metal palm tree sculpture, integrated into the long bench set that runs along the shopfront.
    To display stacks of rolled-up nude-coloured SKIMS towels, Perron also added two smaller freestanding platforms with the same steps and chrome handrails as the diving platform but minus the springboards.
    Thermoformed plastic panels in glossy blue glad most of the interiorTaking over Selfridges’ ground-floor pop-up space The Corner Shop until 8 July 2023, the shop will offer the brand’s core collection of swimsuits and bikinis alongside limited editions and seasonal colourways.
    Customers will also be able to buy ice cream to match their swimwear, stored in baby-blue freezers courtesy of London gelato company Chin Chin Labs.
    A metallic palm tree decorates the store”I’m thrilled to bring SKIMS Swim to London for the first-time ever and take over The Corner Shop at Selfridges with our most conceptual pop-up experience to date,” said SKIMS co-founder and creative director Kim Kardashian.
    “We have followers all over the world,” she added. “As we enter the next phase of SKIMS retail, I look forward to connecting with these customers through innovative shopping experiences on a global scale.”
    A metallic palm tree completes the poolside atmosphereReturning for its second year, SKIMS’s swimwear offering is pitched towards providing various levels of coverage for different body types and modesty requirements.
    This is an extension of the brand’s drive to create inclusive underwear and shapewear that works for people of different sizes and abilities, following the launch of its Adaptive Collection last year.
    Over the next three years, the brand is planning to open a roster of freestanding stores across the UK and EU.

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    “I sometimes feel like I fell into doing fashion” says Jonathan Anderson

    Loewe creative director Jonathan Anderson set up the brand’s annual craft prize to decode the “chintz” and “pastiche” associations of the discipline, he tells Dezeen in this interview.

    Luxury fashion house Loewe recently announced the sixth winner of its annual craft prize at NYCxDesign, which celebrates applied arts and innovation in modern craftsmanship.
    A spiky egg sculpture by Japanese ceramicist Eriko Inazaki was selected for the 2023 award from more than 2,700 entries.
    “It became chintz”
    Anderson established The Loewe Foundation Craft Prize in 2016 in an effort to honour the brand’s 19th-century origins as a leather-making craft collective.

    Speaking to Dezeen at the awards ceremony for the prize at The Noguchi Museum in Brooklyn, he explained he also wanted to redefine contemporary understandings of artisanal production.
    “I think from the ’80s onwards, [craft] had become this thing which was linked to mid-century, it was pastiche,” said Anderson.
    “In Britain, for example, there was a lot of money put into crafts and the Arts Council to boost this idea of making, and then it became maybe chintz at some point.”
    The winning sculpture by Eriko Inazaki (front) was displayed among an exhibition of shortlisted projects at NYCxDesign. Photo courtesy of Loewe”The reason why I set the prize up was to try to sort of decode that,” he told Dezeen. “It was like it wasn’t marketed right. The work was there, but the platform was not there.”
    Young creatives are now becoming interested in craft once again, he suggested.
    “I think younger people are starting to realise that, as much as it’s interesting being a contemporary artist, it can be just as interesting to be a rug maker or to make ceramics or to work with wood,” said Anderson.
    “It’s a less sort of diminished form of the arts.”
    “I am probably a shopaholic”
    Before being appointed by Loewe in 2014, Anderson founded his eponymous label, JW Anderson.
    Although differentiated by what Anderson describes as an “angst” at JW Anderson and a “heightened perfection” at Loewe, the two brands share an emphasis on art, design, craft and interiors.
    His collections at Loewe often incorporate elements of applied arts – bringing in collaborators and craftspeople, such as metal artist Elie Hirsch who created solid copper and pewter jackets for its Autumn Winter 2023 collection.
    Loewe also presented a collection of decorated wooden chairs during Milan design week that were created by global artisans.
    “Art for me is always going to be a language no matter what brand I’m in,” he said. “Because I think this is a way for me to kind of explain to the consumer, what I love, or things that I’m fascinated with.”
    Anderson works with the internal architectural team to design stores. Photo by Adrià CañamerasThe Northern Irish designer’s love of craft and art extends to the conception of store interiors for both of his brands.
    JW Anderson recently unveiled its first flagship store in Milan during Milan design week, designed by Anderson in collaboration with 6a Architects.
    “I sometimes feel like I fell into doing fashion but ultimately the interior part is what I love the most,” he said.
    “The thing I love about interiors is, it is a singular kind of environment. Whereas fashion is like a transient period that goes in different environments. I quite like with interiors the control that you can have within space.”
    He described his love of shopping for items to appear in stores.
    “I think I am probably a shopaholic,” he said. “I could be at an auction or be in a gallery and I’ll be like, ‘oh, that’s perfect for Korea or that’s perfect for…’.”
    “I think it just adds this element and a pleasingness for a consumer to go in and to a store and to see an original Rennie Mackintosh chair.”

    Needle-felted chair and spiky ceramic egg feature in Loewe Foundation Craft Prize exhibition

    Anderson feels that for Loewe, the design of stores is sometimes more important than fashion shows.
    “I think stores can be more than just like these commercial vehicles,” he said. “I think, for me, the store is just as important as doing a show. It’s sort of even more important because they have to last longer.”
    “I’m in a very lucky position at Loewe where I decide everything,” he added. “I have an internal architectural team, but I decide every artwork, I decide every door handle, every fixture.”
    However, that does not tempt Anderson to cross over from fashion into interiors permanently.
    “I enjoy it because it’s probably more like a hobby,” he said. “It’s something that distracts me from what I do as a day job, but I do it because of the stage of Loewe or JW Anderson.
    “But I would never see it as something where I would be like, ‘oh, I’m going to be an interior designer’,” he continued. “There are other people out there that are actually really good at it. I think I’m good at it to an extent, but I change my mind too quickly. I would like it for like a day and then I would want to redo it again.”
    The portrait is by Scott Trindle.

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    Co.arch Studio creates show kitchen for candied fruit specialist Cesarin

    An Italian company that makes candied fruit now has a dedicated space for cookery demonstrations, designed by Milan-based architecture office Co.arch Studio.

    Cesarin has produced its fruity bakery products at a factory between Verona and Vicenza in Italy for over 100 years.
    The plywood structure is installed within one of Cesarin’s factory buildingsCo.arch Studio founders Andrea Pezzoli and Giulia Urciuoli worked with the company to create a pop-up kitchen for hosting live-audience events and filming videos for social media.
    Built from plywood, this double-height structure is located on the first floor of one of the company’s existing factory buildings.
    It provides space for hosting events and filming cookery videosIt incorporates a demonstration counter area, a kitchen, a meeting room, and storage and toilet facilities.

    The design concept developed by Pezzoli and Urciuoli was to create the impression of a singular, solid volume within the room.
    “The new volume was designed as a large piece of furniture, inspired by Antonello da Messina’s painting San Girolamo Nello Studio,” explained the duo.
    The demonstration counter is designed to move aroundThe Renaissance artwork they refer to depicts a priest sitting in a study room where architecture and furniture appear as one.
    “This painting is known for the impeccable use of perspective, restoring the image of a space that is lived in but at the same time utopian and rigorous,” Pezzoli and Urciuoli said.

    Nimtim Architects updates London house with plywood partitions and arch motifs

    Here, a similar effect is created. The structure was designed to look like a box with openings carved out of it, each incorporating a different function.
    The demonstration counter sits within a large void at the front, although it is set on castors so it can be moved around.
    An arched doorway leads up to the mezzanine levelA rectangular niche in the side wall creates a casual seat, while an arched doorway frames a staircase that leads up to a mezzanine level that functions as the meeting space.
    The kitchen and toilet facilities are located within the volume, accessed from either a side door or via the counter area, while a cloakroom slots in underneath the stairs.
    The meeting space sits directly beneath the roof trusses”The wooden volume highlights the height of the ceiling, defining the rhythm of the spaces with plays of solids and voids, and creating unprecedented internal views,” said the architects.
    The plywood is made from okumè, a timber with a similar appearance to cherry.
    The okumè plywood has a similar appearance to cherry woodThe idea was to reference the fruit that Cesarin is best known for; the land surrounding the factory is famous for its Prunus Avium plantations, which produce a particularly sweet type of cherry.
    Behind the plywood panels is a balloon-frame structure, with pillars and beams made from fir wood.
    Toilet and storage facilities are located within the wooden volumeThe entire construction was prefabricated by a carpentry workshop in South Tyrol, allowing the architects to achieve “a quality that would otherwise be impossible”.
    The rest of the space is painted white, allowing the wood to stand out.
    Pezzoli and Urciuoli liken the overall effect to that of a theatre. “To emphasise the theatrical aspect of the space, light wavy curtains resembling a curtain were used to darken the numerous windows,” they added.
    Other recent projects in Italy include the Boyy flagship in Milan designed by Danish artist Thomas Poulsen and a sushi restaurant designed to resemble a futuristic spaceship.
    The photography is by Simone Bossi.

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