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    PlayLab Inc centres “space for conversation” in Los Angeles retail store

    LA studio PlayLab Inc has created a flagship store that contains a sky blue conversation pit at its centre for local clothing brand MadHappy.

    PlayLab Inc split the West Hollywood store into two distinct zones – one for retail space and the other for “intimate gathering spaces”, including a cafe and a courtyard.
    PlayLab Inc has created a flagship store for LA clothing brand MadHappy”Our collective goal with the design was to put space for conversation at the heart of the retail experience, creating a place that is equal parts for community dialogue and product,” PlayLab Inc co-founder Jeff Franklin told Dezeen.
    “To do this we split the space down the middle, making one half a clear utility for shopping and the other a collection of intimate gathering spaces.”
    The space was divided into separate zones for gathering and retailVisitors enter the 2,800-square-foot (260-square-metre) store through a glass facade, which leads into a large open space with powder blue concrete flooring running throughout.

    At the entrance, a blue bench emerges from a small exterior porch, while a boulder sits opposite.
    A cafe and courtyard were placed at the back of the storeTowards one side, the store contains a 70’s style conversation pit underneath a large skylight. Plush, sky-blue couches line the seating area, with satin aluminium side tables by Berlin-based studio New Tendency placed alongside them.
    Along an adjacent limewashed wall, the studio installed built-in shelving flanked by large custom wooden speakers by New York music studio designer Danny Keith Taylor of House Under Magic.
    The courtyard was populated with a single tree and green-stained plywood stools by Waka WakaThe social area leads into a small open-air courtyard populated by a single Tree Aloe installed by Cactus Store and green-stained plywood stools by LA studio Waka Waka.
    The same green plywood was used to line the takeout window of the store’s Pantry cafe, which sits in an enclosed corner and serves local and global cuisines from brands including Japanese-based café Hotel Drugs and LA bakery Courage Bagels.
    Custom signage was installed along the cafe’s takeout windowA custom lightbox and a large standing menu were installed next to the takeout window to display the cafe’s signage and goods.
    In the remaining interior, PlayLab Inc created a large metallic “retail bar” that spans the shop’s length for “open views of the product”, according to Franklin. The studio also dispersed custom Lego-like benches around the space, which were covered in a candy apple red gloss.
    The store will act as a retail space and venueFaux-stone stools and a bench were installed throughout the space.
    The store also contains a multimedia room, called the Local Optimist Space, a creative venue that will host audio and visual artwork.

    PlayLab Inc creates plexiglass skatepark for Vans during Paris Fashion Week

    “The design was inspired by the concept of conversation between things – a balance of scales, materials and textures,” said Franklin.
    This is the first flagship store for the clothing brand MadHappy, which previously operated from a host of pop-up concepts and stores.
    Local designers worked on furniture and other pieces for the store”From the beginning, physical retail has been essential to Madhappy and its success. We’ve always viewed our shops as spaces that go beyond something purely transactional – we want them to allow our community to engage with Madhappy beyond what’s possible digitally,” MadHappy co-founder Mason Spector said in a statement.
    Other recent projects by PlayLab Inc also include a plexiglass skatepark for Vans and a lifesize toy racetrack set for a Louis Vuitton menswear show.
    The photography is by Sean Davidson.

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    Buller and Rice salon is a showcase of plant-based materials

    East London hair salon Buller and Rice has opened a new venue with an interior design palette that includes seaweed, algae, cork and mushroom leather.

    Buller and Rice Wanstead is a salon that doubles as a lifestyle store, selling products ranging from homeware to wine.
    Company founders Anita Rice and Stephen Buller designed the interior themselves, filling it with bespoke creations from designers and makers including Natural Material Studio’s Bonnie Hvillum and Copenhagen-based Jonas Edvard.
    Buller and Rice Wanstead is a hair salon and lifestyle storeRice told Dezeen their ambition was to use as many plant-based materials as possible.
    “We wanted to deep dive into what could happen with plant matter,” she explained.

    The collaboration with Hvillum – who won the inaugural Bentley Lighthouse Award at Dezeen Awards 2023 – resulted in latex-like curtains made from a yellow algae-based material.
    The yellow-toned interior includes paper and seaweed lamps by Jonas EdvardEdvard’s contribution is a series of yellow pendant lamps made from recycled paper and seaweed, similar to those he previously made for Copenhagen burger joint, POPL.
    Rice said she spotted them by chance while enjoying a burger there. “When it turned out they were made from seaweed, I knew they were perfect,” she explained.
    Latex-like curtains by Natural Material Studio are made from algaeOther plant-based details include a cork wall and seat pads made from algae-based foam, while cushions made from mushroom leather will be added in early 2024.
    The space is also filled with plants, with many installed behind the front windows.
    Seat pads in the waiting area are made from algae foamBuller and Rice Wanstead is the third venue that the company has opened in east London, following salons in Hackney and Walthamstow.
    Rice said the project represents the latest step in a journey of exploration into eco-friendly materials.

    Spacon & X creates casual diner for Noma’s burger spinoff POPL

    Initially, they focused on simple natural materials like wood and cork. They then started experimenting with materials made from recycled waste products, including a sheet plastic made from yoghurt pots.
    “Our primary interest is in finding innovative and sustainable building materials that we can work into an aesthetically pleasing approach,” Rice said.
    Yellow tiles feature throughout the interiorThe renovation involved a complete refit of a former Chinese restaurant that had been shut down for years.
    A yellow colour scheme features throughout, marking a departure from the pink hues of the two other Buller and Rice salons.
    This shade can be found on bespoke concrete pieces created by London-based maker Smith & Goat, including an orthogonal reception desk, a wall-hung washbasin and the column-like legs of two styling stations.
    Plants can also be found throughout the spaceStainless steel features on both walls and surfaces, offering a utilitarian feel that contrasts the warmth of the yellow. “Practicality had a hand in that decision,” Rice admitted.
    The space is completed by custom-made barber chairs, frameless arch mirrors, yellow tiling and speckled vinyl flooring from manufacturer Tarkett.
    The photography is by Megan Taylor.

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    Space Projects creates Amsterdam store with thatched hut for Polspotten

    A curvilinear thatched hut has been paired with terracotta-hued tiles at the Amsterdam store for homeware brand Polspotten, which was designed by local studio Space Projects.

    The studio created the store to straddle a shop and an office for Polspotten, a furniture and home accessories brand headquartered in the Dutch capital.
    Visitors enter the Polspotten store via an oversized triangular entrancewayCharacterised by bold angles and arches, the outlet features distinctive terracotta-coloured walls and flooring that nod to traditional pots, Space Projects founder Pepijn Smit told Dezeen.
    “The terracotta-inspired colours and materials refer to the brand’s first product, ‘potten’ – or pots,” said Smit, alluding to the first Spanish pots imported by Erik Pol when he founded Polspotten in the Netherlands in 1986.
    The interconnected spaces are delineated by cutoutsLocated in Amsterdam’s Jordaan neighbourhood, the store was arranged across a series of open-plan rooms, interconnected by individual geometric entryways.

    Visitors enter at a triangular opening, which was cut away from gridded timber shelving lined with multicoloured pots that mimic totemic artefacts in a gallery.
    A curvilinear thatched hut provides a meeting spaceThe next space features a similar layout, as well as a plump cream sofa with rounded modules and sculptural pots stacked in a striking tower formation.
    Travelling further through the store, molten-style candle holders and Polspotten furniture pieces were positioned next to chunky illuminated plinths, which exhibit amorphously shaped vases finished in various coral-like hues.

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    Accessed through a rectilinear, terracotta-tiled opening, the final space features a bulbous indoor hut covered in thatch and fitted with a light pink opening.
    The hut provides a meeting space for colleagues, according to the studio founder.
    “The thatch, as a natural material, absorbs sound as well,” explained Smit.
    The store provides an art gallery-style space for homewareNext to the hut, Space Projects created an acoustic wall illustrated with “hieroglyphics” of Polspotten products, which references the gallery-like theme that runs throughout the outlet.
    “The store was inspired by Polspotten’s use of traditional techniques combined with a collage of their reinterpreted archetypes,” said Smit.
    It is also used as an office spaceElsewhere in Amsterdam, Dutch practice Studio RAP used 3D printing and algorithmic design to create a “wave-like” facade for a boutique store while interior designer Linda Bergroth created the interiors for the city’s Cover Story paint shop to streamline the redecorating process for customers.
    The photography is by Kasia Gatkowska.

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    External Reference uses 3D printing to create organic displays for La Manso store in Barcelona

    3D-printed shelving structures informed by Catalan-modernist buildings were used for shelving in this store designed by External Reference for a Spanish jewellery brand.

    Experimental jewellery designer Adriana Manso asked Carmelo Zappulla’s studio External Reference to develop a suitably unusual interior concept for her first physical store in the city.
    The store is in the Eixample districtThe project involved designing a window display and shelving for the 25-square-metre store, which is located in Barcelona’s Eixample district just a few metres from the house where Manso was born.
    Manso is known for her playful pieces made from recycled plastic, which she wanted to display in a space that evokes the luxury feel of an haute-couture boutique.
    It features a 3D-printed interior informed by architectureExternal Reference sought to combine the contemporary plasticity of La Manso’s jewellery with motifs influenced by Barcelona’s early 20th-century architecture, including the building in which the store is situated.

    “Our design concept revolved around bringing the exterior facade inside, creating a melted and fluid background that would serve as an artistic canvas for showcasing the jewellery,” Zappulla told Dezeen.
    “By blending the expressive elements of Catalan modernism with the organic forms inspired by La Manso design, our goal was to craft a visually captivating environment that elevates the overall shopping experience.”
    External Reference created wavy shapes for the spaceThe designers selected fragments from the decorative facade and abstracted them using a process involving hand drawing and computational design techniques.
    In particular, floral details from the elaborate canopy at the store’s entrance were reinterpreted as large rosettes incorporating futuristic glitches and bas-reliefs.

    Nagami 3D-prints recycled plastic to mimic melting glaciers in Spanish boutique

    The organic shapes form shelving units that range in height from 90 centimetres to 1.7 metres. Jewellery and accessories are displayed on the shelves, as well as on a small table at the centre of the space.
    The furniture was produced using a robotic 3D-printer and is made from biodegradable cellulose coloured using Pure Tech’s water-based CO2-neutralising paint.
    Zappulla and his team refined the digital models to optimise them for printing. This involved splitting them into manageable parts that could be processed by the machine’s robotic arm.
    The aim was to provide a neutral backdropAll of the printed elements are finished in a muted off-white shade that matches the rest of the interior and provides a neutral backdrop for displaying the jewellery.
    Large, mirrored surfaces help to make the interior feel more expansive, while spotlights provide targeted illumination for highlighting the collection.
    In addition to the main furniture, the designers also developed a window display and 3D-printed signage that extend the store’s conceptual design out into the street.
    The La Manso interior has a muted colour paletteLarge-scale 3D-printing technology offers designers possibilities to create unique elements for branded interiors, which makes it increasingly popular for retail spaces.
    Spanish design studio Nagami has created a store for sustainable clothing brand Ecoalf featuring transparent 3D-printed displays that recall melting glaciers, while Dutch architecture practice Studio RAP used the technology to produce a wave-like tiled facade for an Amsterdam boutique.
    The photography is by Anna Mas.

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    Florencia Rissotti uses curtains to organise Buenos Aires fabric shop

    Local architect Florencia Rissotti has converted a warehouse into a textile shop in Buenos Aires, using fabric dividers to organise the space.

    To house a retail location for fabric shop Tienda Mayor, Rissotti integrated textiles in several ways, lining the store with samples, draping colourful patches over a staircase and using curtains to conceal and create space.
    Architect Florencia Rissotti has converted a warehouse into a fabric store in Buenos AiresThe interior is divided into two floors, with a mezzanine above used for storage and office space, and the store’s retail space and lounge areas below.
    Cream-coloured curtains hang underneath the mezzanine and above to hide storage areas and create meeting spaces.
    A catalogue of fabric hanging from hooks lines the space”The space was assembled using the raw material of the place: fabric,” said the studio. “A series of curtains divide, set up a meeting room, hide shelves with orders and cover the storage area.”

    Along the length of a wall, large material samples are draped from hooks, which will “mutate” over time as the catalogue changes.
    The space was organized and divided using creme coloured curtainsSimilarly, fabric samples of various sizes were draped over the railings of a staircase that leads to the mezzanine, in part as a permanent installation and to display the shop’s selections.
    “The ladder device was intended as an exhibition element, from which velvet falls and sews the two levels (the totem) together,” said the studio. “This ladder hanger is designed as an internal display window, where the selection/palette can be changed according to the season.”

    La Base Studio wraps glass Buenos Aires house with shading screen

    Various creme tones dominate the space, with colour integrated from fabric samples and bright seating running in a straight line parallel to the fabric samples.
    Alamo wood desks and large coffee tables were crafted for the space.
    A staircase installation displays a rotating selection of textilesOutside, a garden area contains a semi-circle metal bench and simple plantings.
    Florencia Rissotti is a Buenos Aires-based architect who focuses on interiors and residential architecture.
    Elsewhere in Buenos Aires, La Base Studio recently created a delicate wooden privacy screen for a 1970s home renovation and architects Julio Oropel and Jose Luis Zacarias Otiñano created a bio-art installation focused on fungi.
    The photography is by Fernando Schapochnik.

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    Pierre Yovanovitch opens design gallery in New York City penthouse

    French designer Pierre Yovanovitch has opened his first US showroom and gallery in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighbourhood, displaying over 80 pieces from his own furniture brand.

    Recognisable designs including the iconic Bear Chair fill the 10,000 square feet (930 square metres) of gallery and office space on the penthouse level of 555 West 25th Street.
    Pierre Yovanovitch chose a penthouse in a pre-war building for his New York galleryThis business expansion offers a permanent base for Yovanovitch and his team in New York, and allows customers and clients from his largest retail market to see the Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier products first-hand.
    “Having worked on residential projects in the US since the beginning of my practice in 2001 and with two successful furniture collection debuts (2017 and 2019) in New York, the opening of my first gallery space in America and new official New York headquarters, is a long-awaited realization for me,” said Yovanovitch.
    The exposed ceiling beams, whitewashed brick and dark wood floors are all typical of a New York loftInside the pre-war building, the gallery unfolds through a series of partial rooms that flow into one another without doorways or thresholds.

    Throughout, exposed ceiling joists and ductwork are paired with dark wood flooring and whitewashed brick, typical of a New York loft space.
    The gallery is laid out as a series of residential-style vignettes, which flow into one anotherThe largest display area centres around a sculptural fireplace, with a smooth plaster form that curves outward towards the base.
    Furniture is oriented around the hearth, including a gently arced sofa and a chartreuse-toned resin coffee table, accompanied by the fluffy wing-backed Clifford armchair.
    Yovanovitch curated a selection of artworks to accompany his furniture piecesA variety of lounge and dining room vignettes showcase the products in suggested combinations with one another in residential-style layouts.
    Other designs on show include the new Callis Table Lamp, the Roze Dining Table, the Arthur Sofa and the Artemis Rug.
    A variety of signature furniture and lighting designs are on display alongside new piecesAll are made in collaboration with specialist craftspeople and are “created with longevity and exceptional quality in mind” according to the brand.
    “The brand pays homage to Yovanovitch’s Provencal roots, in particular the region’s natural light, rich and varied natural materials and colourways of the surrounding nature, as well as the historic commitment to craft associated with the region,” said a statement from the gallery.

    Pierre Yovanovitch creates set with moving elements for Verdi’s Rigoletto at Basel Opera

    The wide array of furniture and lighting pieces are presented alongside a selection of contemporary art curated by Yovanovitch – including works by Camille Henrot, Wolfgang Tillmans and Alicja Kwade – in an attempt to tie the gallery in with Chelsea’s status as an arts destination.
    “It seems only fitting to open my first gallery location in the epicenter of New York’s art scene,” he said. “Not only is contemporary art central to my design practice, the neighborhood’s architectural history serves as reflection to my approach of revitalising historic spaces to fit a contemporary design aesthetic.”
    All of the Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier products are “created with longevity and exceptional-quality in mind”The New York gallery opening follows the debut of the brand’s new Paris showroom, which began welcoming visitors to a street-level space in the Marais neighbourhood from October 2023.
    This move from the previous location in the 2nd arrondissement also strategically places Pierre Yovanovitch Mobilier amongst the city’s art galleries.
    A sculptural fireplace anchors the largest area, accompanied by Yovanovitch’s Clifford chairYovanovitch founded his design practice in 2001 after working for fashion house Pierre Cardin. His interior design work has ranged from the salmon-pink and butter-yellow gift shop at Villa Noailles and ski hotel Le Coucou in France, to the high-end Hélène Darroze restaurant at The Connaught in London and ski hotel Le Coucou.
    Earlier this year, the designer created a set with moving elements for Verdi’s Rigoletto at the Basel Opera.
    The photography is by Stephen Kent Johnson.

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    Rafael Prieto creates “secret garden” for Gohar World store in New York

    Designer Rafael Prieto has lined tableware store in New York City with wallpaper made from photos taken in the south of France and antique furniture.

    Located at 181 Lafayette Street in SoHo, the Gohar World store showcases tableware products designed by sisters Laila and Nadia Gohar.
    The Gohar World store is lined with wallpaper created using designer Rafael Prieto’s photos”Gohar World is a tableware universe that embraces tradition, time, craft, and humour,” said the duo, who founded their brand in 2020.
    The space was designed by Rafael Prieto, founder and creative director of Savvy Studio, to capture the varied cultures and crafts involved in making the tableware.
    The wallpaper features peel-away elements that represent the “secret world” that Laila and Nadia Gohar have created”Because Laila and Nadia work with ateliers all over the world, from Egypt to Italy, Gohar World is inherently a brand that transports you to different places,” said Prieto. “Sometimes, even to your grandmother’s living room.”

    “So my idea when designing the store was to transport visitors to another world,” he added.
    An eclectic mix of antique domestic furniture and objects decorate the storeUsing photos he took in the south of France, the designer created a custom layered wallpaper with Wallpaper Projects to cover the walls.
    The imagery of crumbling and weathered stonework mixed with scenes from fields and woodland lends an otherworldly atmosphere to the store.
    Gohar World products are displayed in a variety of ways throughout the store”The outer layer shows monumental stone archways which are torn away to reveal a secret garden, representing Laila and Nadia’s secret Gohar World, which everyone is now invited to step into,” said the brand.
    An eclectic mix of antique domestic furniture pieces adds to the surreality of the space, with fabric ruffles surrounding table bases, and sections of Grecian-style columns supporting surfaces and acting as pedestals.

    “My work is a universe that I’ve created for myself” says Laila Gohar

    Some of the Gohar World tableware is presented in open cabinets or glass vitrines, while other pieces are laid out as table settings as if ready for dinner.
    The storefront is painted a warm cream colour, and white fabric is hung in the lower halves of the windows and glass doors.
    Laila and Nadia Gohar founded their brand to collaborate with global artisans and help preserve “dying and disappearing” craftsLaila is known for her creative food installations and projects that blend design, food and art, which she catalogues via her Instagram account Lailacooks.
    Partnering with Nadia to move into homeware design, the aim is to work with global artisans to help preserve “dying and disappearing” crafts, she told Dezeen in a recent interview.
    The store is located on Lafayette Street in New York’s SoHo neighbourhoodRecently, several brands have opted for a more surreal, eclectic aesthetic for their stores compared to the cohesive, monochrome approach that’s pervaded retail design over the past few years.
    The Awake NY store by Rafael de Cárdenas, the Boyy flagship in Milan by Thomas Poulsen and the Tons boutique in Pittsburgh by NWDS are all examples of this.
    The photography is by Clement Pascal.

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    Neri&Hu highlights simplicity and functionality at Shanghai art gallery

    Chinese studio Neri&Hu has designed a contemporary art gallery for Ota Fine Arts in Shanghai with a focus on the “sublime beauty of the banal”.

    The gallery sits on the ground floor of a mixed-use tower at Rockbund, a development amidst the historical Bund in Shanghai along the Huangpu River, where a series of restored colonial art deco buildings are located.
    The entrance of the gallery features an oversized sliding door”The primary design challenge was to utilise the areas along the facade for both storage and display, blurring the distinction between functional and experiential space,” explained Neri&Hu.
    “This deepened threshold condition found on both facades defines the visitor’s arrival sequence and journey within.”
    The facade of the gallery is framed in aged steel to contrast the contemporary galleryThe facade of the gallery was framed in aged steel, with portions of solid metal and large glass panels arranged to form a window display for the artworks.

    Handmade ivory tiles line the inner side of the window in a subtle woven pattern, serving as a neutral backdrop for the art pieces.
    A warehouse-sized door can be fully open on the west facade for easy transport of large art piecesAn oversized sliding door marks the entry to the gallery on the eastern facade. When opened, the entrance of the gallery is revealed, with the outer sliding door framing the window display next to it.
    When closed, the door slides back to its original position and allows the full-height glazed window to be exposed.
    The western facade features a warehouse-sized door that can be fully opened using a custom-designed handle. This allows large artworks to be delivered directly from a designated parking area into the gallery.

    Neri&Hu divides Shanghai fashion boutique with fabrics and marble screens

    Neri&Hu also added fluted glass to the exterior, which glows in the evening to illuminate the adjacent Rockbund courtyard and add elegance to the functional facade.
    Inside the gallery, the 350 square-metre space is divided into two zones – a 150-square-metre main public viewing gallery and a private zone that houses VIP rooms and office space.
    The pared-back, white VIP rooms feature contemporary furniture pieces with custom-made white tiles and a stained oak floor and were designed to create a relaxing environment, in which the attention can be focused on the art itself.
    The interior of the gallery has a neutral and simplistic tone”The project’s understated material palette and overall conceptual underpinning lies in the juxtaposition of old and new, raw and refined, ordinary and spectacular,” said Neri&Hu.
    “We hope one can appreciate the sublime beauty of the banal, as much as the brilliance of contemporary art,” it added.
    Clean white rooms are intended to highlight the art pieceNeri&Hu was founded by architects Lyndon Neri and Rosanna Hu in 2004 in Shanghai.
    Other recent projects completed by the studio include the Sanya Wellness Retreat hotel on the Chinese island of Hainan and a fashion boutique with fabrics and marble screens.
    The photography is by Zhu Runzi.
    Project credits:
    Partners-in-charge: Lyndon Neri, Rossana HuAssociate-in-charge: Jacqueline MinSenior interior designer-in-charge: Phil WangDesign team: Rovi QuFF&E procurement: Design RepublicContractors: ETQ Project (Shanghai) Limited

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