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    Eight interiors where burl wood provides natural texture

    This week’s lookbook rounds up eight interiors with furnishings and surfaces finished in burl-wood veneer, allowing its swirly, psychedelic graining to serve a decorative function.

    Burl wood is a rare and expensive wood, often only available in thin sheets of veneer. That’s because it is derived from the knobbly outgrowths of tree trunks and branches – also known as burls.
    Like the botanical equivalent of a callous, these outgrowths form in response to different stress factors and grow unpredictably, creating complex unexpected grain patterns behind their gnarled bark.
    Burl wood has been experiencing a renaissance over the last few years, with interior designers including Kelly Wearstler using it to evoke the bohemian flair of its 1970s heyday.
    Mixed and matched with other patterns, the material is now used to communicate a kind of organic understated luxury, much like natural stone.

    From a Michelin-starred restaurant to a home that was designed to resemble a boutique hotel, read on for eight examples of how burl wood can provide textural richness to a modern interior.
    This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring rooms with net floors, interiors with furry walls and homes with mid-century modern furniture.
    Photo by Pion StudioBotaniczna Apartment, Poland, by Agnieszka Owsiany Studio
    This tranquil apartment in Poznań was designed by local firm Agnieszka Owsiany Studio to give the owners a reprise from their high-pressure medical jobs.
    The interior combines a calming mix of pale marble and various kinds of wood, including oak cabinetry, chevron parquet flooring and a console and vanity, both finished in speckled burl.
    “My clients asked for a high quality, almost hotel-like space, as they were in need of everyday comfort,” founder Agnieszka Owsiany told Dezeen.
    Find out more about Botaniczna Apartment ›
    Photo by Adrian GautUlla Johnson flagship, USA, by Kelly Wearstler
    Burlwood brings “a touch of 1970s California nostalgia” to the Ulla Johnson flagship store in Los Angeles, courtesy of local designer Kelly Wearstler.
    The unusual veneer was used liberally to cover walls, ceilings and shelves, as well as forming a statement display cabinet where the material’s natural wavy surface texture provides an added element of tactility (top image).
    Find out more about the Ulla Johnson flagship ›
    Photo by Prue RuscoeKoda hair salon, Australia, by Arent & Pyke
    This hair salon in Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building was designed by Australian studio Arent & Pyke to be “best appreciated from seated height”.
    Drawing attention away from the building’s extra-tall ceilings, freestanding quartzite-rimmed mirrors are placed at angles in front of the styling chairs, framing a vintage hanging cabinet made from pale burl.
    Find out more about the Koda hair salon ›
    Photo by Pion StudioOpasly Tom restaurant, Poland, by Buck Studio
    Buck Studio employed a limited palette of colours and materials to create visual continuity throughout Warsaw restaurant Opasly Tom, which occupies a split-level building that was broken up into a series of rooms of different sizes.
    Coral-orange chair cushions mirror the hardware of the totem-like pendant lights, and several burl-clad cabinets are dotted throughout the eatery. These match the kaleidoscopically patterned panelling in the hallway and the private dining rooms.
    “This contemporary, minimalistic design approach produces the impression of coherence while creating a powerful aesthetic impact,” explained the Polish studio, which is headed up by Dominika Buck and Pawel Buck.
    Find out more about the Opasly Tom restaurant ›
    Photo by Oni StudioWarsaw apartment, Poland, by Mistovia
    Elsewhere in Warsaw, Polish studio Mistovia designed an apartment for an art director and her pet dachshund to resemble an “elaborate puzzle” of contrasting patterns.
    Walnut-burl cabinets dominate the kitchen, with their trippy swirling pattern offset against monochrome tiles, brushed-metal drawers and a terrazzo-legged breakfast bar.
    Find out more about the Warsaw apartment ›
    Photo by Jennifer Chase and Yorgos EfthymiadisImperfecto, USA, by OOAK Architects
    Upon entering Michelin-starred restaurant Imperfecto in Washington DC, diners are greeted by a custom-made maître-d stand clad in panels of burl-wood veneer, creating a mirrored tortoiseshell pattern across its surface.
    The interior, designed by Greek-Swedish studio OOAK Architects, sees neutral tones paired with splashes of blue and white that nod to the restaurant’s Mediterranean menu.
    “OOAK Architects has used varied, high-quality finishes and authentic materials including Greek and Italian marbles, as well as brass and wood from different parts of the world, creating contrasting textures across the space,” the team said.
    Find out more about Imperfecto ›
    Photo by Anson SmartBlack Diamond house, Australia, by YSG
    Australian interiors studio YSG introduced a sumptuous mix of materials to this house in Sydney’s Mosman suburb to evoke the feeling of staying in a luxury hotel.
    This approach is evidenced by a number of custom furniture pieces dotted throughout the home, including a Tiberio marble vanity in the downstairs powder room and a poplar-burl cabinet with a bronzed mirror that looms over the nearby living room.
    Find out more about Black Diamond house ›
    Photo by Åsa LiffnerStudio Frantzén, UK, by Joyn Studio
    Restaurant Studio Frantzén in London’s Harrods department store serves a fusion of Nordic and Asian food that is also reflected in its Japandi interiors – taking cues from both Scandinavian and Japanese design.
    Interiors practice Joyn Studio leaned heavily on both cultures’ penchant for wood, combining seating banquettes made from blocks of end-grain pine wood with gridded timber ceilings and seating booths framed by burl-wood wall panelling.
    Find out more about Studio Frantzén ›
    This is the latest in our lookbook series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring rooms with net floors, interiors with furry walls and homes with mid-century modern furniture.

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    Nine contemporary homes where ruins reveal layers of the past

    In this lookbook, we feature nine residential projects that demonstrate unique ways of interacting with a site’s history by weaving existing ruins into their designs.

    Until recently, it has been common practice to hide away old structures during adaptive reuse projects.
    However, the architects in this list embrace the past by stitching domestic spaces with the remains of former buildings, creating inventive encounters with preserved architectural remains.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring clever outbuilding interiors, homes with mid-century modern furniture and residential spaces with playful net floors.
    Photo by Tamás BujnovszkyNickzy Apartment, Hungary, by Béres Architects

    Carefully preserved stone walls are featured in this Hungarian guesthouse renovation by local studio Béres Architects.
    20th-century plaster finishes have been stripped back to expose the 400-year-old apartment’s original stonework, reestablishing its visual prominence against modern white-rendered walls.
    Find out more about Nickzy Apartment ›
    The photography is by José HeviaEl Priorato, Spain, by Atienza Maure Arquitectos
    The interiors of this 16th-century Spanish clergy house were restored by Atienza Maure Arquitectos to create ambiguity between the existing structure and new interventions.
    Concrete vaults, white-painted walls and limited fixtures sit alongside heritage-protected arches to create minimal differentiation between the materials and spaces.
    Find out more about El Priorato ›
    The photo is by José HeviaMediona 13, Spain, by Nua Arquitectures
    In the historic centre of Tarragona, Spain, Nua Arquitectures reinforced this home’s crumbling stone and timber structure with brightly coloured steel supporting elements.
    According to the studio, the steel insertions add another layer to the home’s visible “memory” and draw attention to the historic building fabric.
    Find out more about Mediona 13 ›
    The photo is by James MorrisCroft Lodge Studio, West Midlands, by David Connor Design and Kate Darby Architects
    David Connor Design and Kate Darby Architects enclosed the decaying remains of a 300-year-old building under a steel-framed shell in England’s West Midlands area.
    The bold new studio maintains every aspect of the heritage-listed structure within the internal living spaces, including the rotting timber, dead ivy and old birds’ nests.
    Find out more about The Parchment Works ›
    The photo is by Francesca IoveneCascina, Italy, by Jonathan Tuckey Design
    For this farmstead restoration in Italy, British studio Jonathan Tuckey Design prioritised returning the 19th-century buildings to their original state with minimal alterations.
    The existing beams and trusses of the distinctive barn roof had lost their structural integrity, leading the studio to layer a new roof atop the timber without disrupting the internal aesthetic.
    Find out more about Cascina ›
    The photo is by Simon KennedyArdoch House, Scotland, by Moxon Architects
    Moxon Architects expressed eye-catching details of 19th-century ruins within this outbuilding refurbishment in the Scottish Highlands.
    Alongside new finishes of uniform clay plaster, pieces of the crumbling masonry were preserved within the guesthouse’s renovated walls and doorways as subtle connections to the earlier building.
    Find out more about Ardoch House ›
    The photo is by Johan DehlinThe Parchment Works, Northamptonshire, by Will Gamble Architects
    The remains of a 17th-century parchment paper factory and cattle shed were brought into focus within this residential extension by Will Gamble Architects.
    New interventions were intended to be discreet, exposing original structural elements internally, while configuring glazing to look out onto uncovered ruins from the ground floor.
    Find out more about The Parchment Works ›
    The photo is by Rory GardinerRedhill Barn, Devon, by TYPE
    This 200-year-old English barn was in a state of disrepair before TYPE restored it into a modern family home.
    Aiming to distinguish between old and new, the studio lined contemporary wall finishes and wood panelling against remnant stone walls, while using existing columns to dictate the house’s layout.
    Find out more about Redhill Barn ›
    Photo by David BarbourCuddymoss, Scotland, by Ann Nisbet Studio
    Scottish architecture practice Ann Nisbet Studio inserted a timber-framed home into a stone ruin in Scotland and defined new living spaces within the surviving forms.
    To encourage layered encounters of the site, views of the landscape were also aligned with existing window apertures from the bedrooms.
    Find out more about Cuddymoss ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with net floors, mid-century modern furniture and perforated brick walls. 

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    Eight well-designed sheds and outbuildings that extend the home

    This week’s lookbook explores eight clever shed and outbuilding interiors, ranging from self-built renovations to finely crafted new builds.

    By repurposing rundown sheds and garages or capitalising on extra garden space, these projects offer additional room for hobbies, workspaces, living quarters or simply respite for their owners.
    Among this list of projects is a bold-coloured garage renovation hosting a work area and greenhouse in Norwich, UK, as well as a scenic timber outbuilding designed for recreation and socialising for a retired couple in Lillehammer, Norway.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes created on a budget, living rooms with industrial material palettes and airy and pared-back loft conversions.
    Photo by Simon KennedyThe Orangery, UK, by McCloy and Muchemwa

    Original blockwork walls were retained in this self-build renovation of a dilapidated garage by London-based studio McCloy and Muchemwa.
    An orange, timber roof structure was matched with furniture in the same colour throughout the interior, which contains a storage area, hobby zone and workbench along with a well-lit greenhouse clad in polycarbonate.
    Find out more about The Orangery ›
    Photo by ZAC and ZACGrange Garage Studio, Scotland, by Konishi Gaffney
    This 1950s garage conversion by Konishi Gaffney, adjacent to an existing Georgian property, houses an artist’s music studio and features a rhythmic facade made from wooden battens.
    The space has a calm and refined material palette, with dark-stained furniture used to match the wooden beams in the studio’s interior.
    Find out more about Grange Garage Studio ›
    Photo by Rafael SoldiShed-O-Vation, US, by Best Practice Architecture
    Best Practice Architecture renovated this outbuilding in Seattle to host an office and small gym as an expansion of the property’s main house.
    Black synthetic rubber was used to cover the interior floor and one side of the room’s walls, while the remaining walls were lined with birch plywood along with a boldly coloured workspace.
    Find out more about Shed-O-Vation ›
    Photo by Chris SnookThe Light Shed, UK, by Richard John Andrews
    The Light Shed is a 12-metre-square, multifunctional shed designed and built by architect Richard John Andrews and an assistant in just 21 days to house Andrews’ architecture studio in his back garden.
    The interior is lined with plywood providing shelving and desk space for two to three people. The studio also doubles as a space for hosting functions and gatherings.
    Find out more about The Light Shed ›
    Photo by Knut BryBarn House, Norway, by Jon Danielsen Aarhus
    Replacing an existing run-down outbuilding, Barn House in Lillehammer, Norway, was designed by Jon Danielsen Aarhus to create a space in which a retired couple can paint, garden and host friends.
    An all-red entrance hall is followed by a timber interior. The building contains a brightly lit art studio upstairs and a gardening room and garages on the lower floor.
    Find out more about Barn House ›
    Photo by Jean-Philippe DelageEton Accessory Building, Canada, by Motiv Architects
    Made from cross-laminated timber (CLT), Eton Accessory Building by Canadian studio Motiv Architects is a 30-square-metre workshop connected to the owners’ home via a garden.
    Hard-wearing flooring and evenly distributed skylights create an industrial-style workspace. A CLT mezzanine is used for additional storage.
    Find out more about Eton Accessory Building ›
    Photo by Wai Ming NgCork Study, UK, by Surman Weston
    This cork-covered studio designed by Surman Weston provides space for sewing and music-making in the back garden of a London home.
    On the interior, birch plywood lines the walls, with the pale material also used to construct a central working space with built-in shelving and storage.
    Find out more about Cork Study ›
    Photo by Willem-Dirk du ToitBroadway, Australia, by Foomann
    Replacing an old garage, this two-floor outbuilding hosts a gym, swimming pool and parking garage on the site of an Edwardian property in Melbourne.
    A refined material palette of white walls set off by wood and dark flooring works to create a relaxing, beachy feel throughout the spaces.
    Find out more about Broadway ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes created on a budget, living rooms with industrial material palettes and airy and pared-back loft conversions.

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    Eight kitchens with floor-to-ceiling cabinets that cleverly conceal clutter

    Kitchens can often be difficult to keep tidy, but this lookbook demonstrates how floor-to-ceiling cabinets are an effective way to streamline and create clutter-free backdrops for food prep.

    Traditionally, kitchens are designed with floor and wall cabinets dropped below the ceiling to ensure they are reachable. However, today many architects and interior designers are opting for full-height solutions instead to maximise storage space.
    The examples in this lookbook show that floor-to-ceiling storage solutions are suited to kitchens of any size and style, and can be used to conceal clutter, appliances and even doorways.
    A bonus is that these cupboards also minimise areas for dust to gather, requiring less time spent on cleaning and leaving more for cooking.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with net floors, mid-century modern furniture and perforated brick walls.

    TS-H_01, Switzerland, by Tom Strala
    This minimalist kitchen, belonging to a home near Bern, features floor-to-ceiling storage concealing not only clutter but also a doorway to a garage.
    The white wall of cabinets is dotted by circular handles lined with smooth timber and forms a slick backdrop to the chunky prep counter, raw plaster walls and pale wooden floorboards.
    Find out more about TS-H_01 ›
    Photo by Fionn McCannChurchtown, Ireland, by Scullion Architects
    Oak-panelled cabinetry runs through the light-filled kitchen of Churchtown, a residential extension in Dublin informed by Victorian conservatories.
    While maximising storage, the cupboards are designed to conceal appliances and a pantry. The warmth of the oak is complemented by cool-toned white terrazzo on the floor and worktops.
    Find out more about Churchtown ›

    Sacha, France, by SABO Project
    Full-height birch plywood joinery is used to store the contents of this kitchen, designed by SABO Project within a Parisian apartment.
    The cupboards are almost disguised as a solid block, with small arched cut-outs subtly demarcating each door. One of the panels features a larger arched opening, which opens into a cosy nook for the owner’s cat.
    Find out more about Sacha ›
    Photo by Eric PetschekThe Amagansett Beach House, USA, by Starling Architecture and Emily Lindberg Design
    The floor-to-ceiling units in this kitchen help draw attention to more playful design details in the room, including a sculptural custom island animated by exaggerated forms.
    Finished with wood and a lack of handles, the cabinets also blend into the floors and ceilings, disguising them as walls and creating a pared-back aesthetic for the room.
    Find out more about The Amagansett Beach House ›
    Photo by Eric PetschekBarbican Apartment, UK, by John Pawson
    Designer John Pawson used full-height storage in the compact kitchen of this London apartment to help achieve his signature minimalist aesthetic.
    The abundance of storage ensures the space is uncluttered, while a lack of handles on the cabinetry allows them to blend into the background. The rest of the home, which is located in the brutalist Barbican Estate in London, is designed with the same pared-back aesthetic.
    Find out more about Barbican Apartment ›
    Photo by Johan DehlinThe Parchment Works, UK, by Will Gamble Architects
    Matte-black cabinets with brass handles define the kitchen of The Parchment Works, which Will Gamble Architects created from the shell of an old cattle shed in Northamptonshire.
    Stretching from floor to ceiling, the kitchen units slot in beneath rows of timber joists belonging to the original structure. Their dark colour ensures focus retains on the tactile wooden surfaces above, as well as the adjacent whitewashed masonry walls.
    Find out more about The Parchment Works ›
    Photo by Pion StudioBotaniczna Apartment, Poland, by Agnieszka Owsiany Studio
    Polish studio Agnieszka Owsiany Studio married wood and marble throughout the interior of this apartment in Poznań.
    In the kitchen, full-height oak cabinetry lines one wall, punctured by a marble-lined recess containing a stove. The cabinets are finished with long handles in matching oak.
    Find out more about Botaniczna Apartment ›
    Photo by Kevin ScottPortage Bay Float Home, USA, by Studio DIAA
    These storage units follow the gabled roofscape of The Portage Bay Float Home, which Studio DIAA co-founder Suzanne Stefan created for herself in Seattle.
    The wooden cabinetry sits flush with a cooker hood above the stove, which is finished with juxtaposing stainless steel that has a brushed look.
    Find out more about Portage Bay Float Home › 
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with net floors, mid-century modern furniture and perforated brick walls. 

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    Ten homes with net floors for relaxation and play

    In this lookbook, we collect 10 residential interiors where net floors provide an unusual place to sit, recline or jump about.

    Nets can be a fun way to link two storeys in the home. Featured below are examples from a New York apartment, a skinny house in Rotterdam and a small family residence in rural Vietnam, among others.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with dividing lattice screens, split-level living areas and stylish children’s bedrooms.
    Photo by Marcus RohrbacherHaus L, Austria, by Dunkelschwarz
    Timber-lined living spaces create a soothing atmosphere inside this house in the Austrian Alps, designed by local architecture studio Dunkelschwarz.

    To encourage relaxation, a void above the dining area was covered with netting that can be used for lounging, while an adjacent walkway leads directly to a large balcony.
    Find out more about Haus L ›
    Photo by Marcos Zegers (also top)Primeriza House, Chile, by Stanaćev Granados
    Chilean architecture studio Stanaćev Granados put two large cargo nets at the centre of this seaside house in Chorrillos overlooking the Pacific.
    As well as providing an easily visible children’s play space above the open-plan living area, the net allows for a subtle transition between the darker wood cladding of the ground floor and the white-painted timber of the upper level.
    Find out more about Primeriza House ›
    Photo courtesy of No ArchitectureUrban Tree House, USA, by No Architecture
    To make the vast living space of this apartment in New York’s West Village feel less chasmic, No Architecture constructed two “treehouses” from a series of timber beams.
    Black netting strung between the beams creates an elevated chill-out space, accessed by a spiral staircase whose balustrade is made of the same mesh material.
    Find out more about Urban Tree House ›
    Photo by Le Minh HoangHOUSE, Vietnam, by H&P Architects
    In this house in Vietnam designed by H&P Architects, a net floor contributes to the humble aesthetic created by its compact, open-plan layout and rough-and-ready materials like exposed brick and corrugated metal.
    The net allows air to move freely through the home, helps to instil a sense of spaciousness and creates additional usable floor space.
    Find out more about HOUSE ›
    Photo by Adrien WilliamsAtrium Townhome, Canada, by Robitaille Curtis
    Canadian studio Robitaille Curtis procured the expertise of famous circus company Cirque du Soleil to rig a trapeze-style net atop the high atrium inside this Montreal home.
    The aim was to emphasise the drama of the space, with a tall bookcase accessed by a 5.5-metre ladder and vertical wooden slats also helping to direct the gaze upwards.
    Find out more about Atrium Townhome ›
    Photo by FRAM FotografíaCasa Bosque Sereno, Mexico, by Fábrica de Espacios
    At Casa Bosque Sereno, residents can use the net floor as a place to watch movies thanks to a projector mounted opposite a white-painted brick wall.
    The net also contributes to the pared-back, open-plan design chosen for the house by architecture office Fábrica de Espacios.
    Find out more about Casa Bosque Sereno ›
    Photo courtesy of Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn BotermanSkinnyScar, Netherlands, by Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman
    Dutch architects Gwendolyn Huisman and Marijn Boterman wanted to avoid “harsh boundaries” between living spaces in this skinny house in Rotterdam that they designed for themselves to live in.
    To that end, they strung a modestly sized net next to a large window overlooking the garden, to act as a kind of static hammock next to the first-floor living room and above the dining room.
    Find out more about SkinnyScar ›
    Photo by Marc GoodwinMK5, Finland, by Ortraum Architects
    This family house in a forest near Helsinki features a number of child-friendly elements including a climbing wall, gymnastic apparatus and, of course, a net floor.
    Local studio Ortraum Architects placed the net in a cut-out next to the first-floor landing, allowing light to filter down into the basement stairwell.
    Find out more about MK5 ›
    Photo by Derek SwalwellKing Bill, Australia, by Austin Maynard Architects
    Austin Maynard Architects installed a netted platform with a view out of a large window and into the bathroom as part of its renovation of this formerly dilapidated stable in Melbourne.
    The black mesh contrasts with the white corrugated metal of the window awning, the grey tiles of the bathroom and the orange carpet on the adjacent floor.
    Find out more about King Bill ›
    Photo by Quang TranSaigon House, Vietnam, by a21studio
    The large net in this Ho Chi Minh City house, designed by Vietnamese architecture office A21studio, is visible from almost everywhere in the four-storey building.
    In addition to serving as a children’s play area, it helps create an impression of the ground floor as an outdoor courtyard – particularly as a tree bursts through the textile.
    Find out more about Saigon House ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring homes with dividing lattice screens, split-level living areas and stylish children’s bedrooms.

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    Eight homes where mid-century modern furniture adds a stylish touch

    Pieces by designers Charles and Ray Eames and Isamu Noguchi are on show in this lookbook, which features homes with eye-catching mid-century modern furniture.

    Mid-century furniture, which often has simple lines and a sculptural feel, adds a modernist touch to these homes, which range from period properties to newly built and renovated houses.
    Among the interiors showcased in this lookbook are iconic architect Le Corbusier’s own home and a residence in London’s upmarket Mayfair area that has been filled with mid-century modern and art deco details.
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring perforated brick-walls, budget home interiors and immersive saunas in peaceful settings.
    Photo by Mariell Lind HansenZero House, UK, by Ben Garrett and Rae Morris

    Owners Ben Garrett and Rae Morris updated Zero House, which was informed by Californian Case Study Houses, themselves in a way that would honour its mid-century roots.
    The living room features a striking floor-to-ceiling fireplace clad in tiles, as well as a number of furniture pieces in warm colours. Among them is a classic Eames office chair in a dark-brown leather colour that matches the wooden panelling that decorates the room.
    Find out more about Zero House ›
    Photo by Jeff CateHudson Woods home, US, by Magdalena Keck
    Located in upstate New York, this holiday home has an interior that fuses Danish and Japanese design. A dinner table and chairs by designer Finn Juhl are among the Danish pieces used in the house, where they look both functional and elegant.
    A simple lamp with a gold-coloured shade above the table adds a decorative touch and matches the brass fastenings at the backs of the chairs.
    Find out more about the Hudson Woods home ›
    Photo by Polina Parcevskya and Julie SmorodkinaRadikal Klassisk, Spain, by Puntofilipino 
    The interior of this Spanish apartment in a former bank building has a moody, interesting colour palette and features richly textured materials including terrazzo, clay-rendered walls and marble tiles.
    In contrast, the furniture is streamlined and unfussy, including a sculptural lounge chair by Danish designer Hans J Wegner in the living room.
    Find out more about the Radikal Klassisk ›
    Photo by Jack LovelCity Beach House, Australia, by Design Theory
    American artist and designer Noguchi’s iconic coffee table, made from a heavy glass tabletop that rests on two undulating wooden legs, has pride of place in the living room of City Beach House.
    The interior, created by Australian studio Design Theory, responds to the design and natural material palette of the house itself, which is from the 1960s.
    Find out more about City Beach House ›
    Photo by Jim StephensonHallen, Sweden, by Åsa Hjort Architects
    This newly built home in the southern Swedish region of Österlen has a blocky geometric design and large windows that provide views out across the Baltic Sea.
    An Eames lounge chair adds a comfortable resting space in one of the rooms, where its dark hues contrast against sheer white curtains and pale wood flooring.
    Find out more about Hallen ›
    Photo is by Joe FletcherMoore House, US, by Woods + Dangaran
    A pair of vintage globe-shaped pendants by Dutch designer Frank Ligtelijn light up the bathroom in this 1960s California home designed by architect Craig Ellwood.
    The bathroom also features a dark Emperador marble countertop and a wall clad in Japanese porcelain tiles.
    Find out more about Moore House ›
    Photo by Felix Speller and Child StudioMayfair residence, UK, by Child Studio
    The “Pernilla” lounge chair by Swedish designer Bruno Mathsson is among the many mid-century modern furniture pieces on show in this London apartment.
    Local practice Child Studio told Dezeen that the spacious lounge that houses the chair was informed by the grand salon in fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent’s Paris home.
    Find out more about the Mayfair residence ›

    Studio apartment, France, by Le Corbusier
    Le Corbusier’s apartment in his Immeuble Molitor apartment building in Paris, where he lived for more than three decades, reopened to the public in 2018.
    Visitors to the modernist flat can admire mid-century modern furniture pieces including a black leather edition of the designer’s signature LC2 lounge chair, which sits next to a cowhide rug at the entrance of the apartment.
    Find out more about Le Corbusier’s apartment ›
    This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring perforated brick-walls, budget home interiors and immersive saunas in peaceful settings.

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    Dezeen’s top 10 hotels of 2023

    Already thinking about your next getaway post-Christmas? Here is Dezeen’s pick of 2023’s top 10 hotels, put together as part of our review of the year.

    Our selection of the most popular and noteworthy hotels featured on Dezeen this year includes what is possibly the world’s skinniest in Indonesia, the grand conversion of a 1940s bank building in Rome and a place in Tbilisi that aims to make guests feel like they’re inside a movie.
    Read on for the full list:
    Photo by David PermadiPituRooms, Indonesia, by Sahabat Selojene
    This seven-room hotel in Central Java is just 2.8 metres wide. Each compact room contains a double bed and bathroom pod with a toilet and shower.

    “Aside from the technical difficulties, the biggest challenge was the typical mindset surrounding the hospitality industry that is used to superlative words: biggest, tallest, most luxurious,” Sahabat Selojene studio founder Ary Indra told Dezeen. “Here we are skinniest.”
    PituRooms was not the only skinny hotel to capture readers attention in 2023, with 324Praxis’ Sep’on Heartfulness Centre in Vietnam similarly slender.
    Find out more about PituRooms ›
    Photo by Nikolas KoenigThe Rome Edition, Italy, by The Edition
    Dramatic seven-metre-high ceilings, full-height windows with green curtains and travertine surfaces grace the lobby of The Rome Edition.
    Created by Amercian entrepreneur Ian Schrager’s hotel group The Edition, the 91-room hotel opened this year in a 1940s bank building. Other highlights include the intimate Jade Bar, which is fully lined in deep green antique marble and furnished with emerald-coloured velvet seating.
    Find out more about The Rome Edition ›
    Photo courtesy of Blueberry NightsBlueberry Nights, Georgia, by Sandro Takaishvili
    Georgian architect Sandro Takaishvili wanted Tbilisi’s Blueberry Nights to make guests feel “like they’re inside a movie, where everything feels slightly familiar but otherworldly at the same time”.
    With a theatrical colour scheme and cinematic moody lighting, its design evokes the visual style of directors such as Stanley Kubrick and David Lynch, while film projectors feature in all 16 rooms.
    Find out more about Blueberry Nights ›
    Photo by César BéjarBoca de Agua, Mexico, by Frida Escobedo
    Wooden guest quarters perched on stilts characterise Boca de Agua, a resort in the Yucatán Peninsula designed by Mexican architect Frida Escobedo
    The villas – including one with a private pool and terrace – were raised up to reduce the environmental impact of the ground plane and to raise guests into the leafy jungle landscape.
    Find out more about Boca de Agua ›
    Photo by Adrian Gaut Borgo Santandrea, Italy, by Bonaventura Gambardella and Nikita Bettoni
    Overlooking the historic fishing village of Conca dei Marini on the Amalfi Coast, the 1960s Borgo Santandrea hotel was restored by architect Bonaventura Gambardella and interior designer Nikita Bettoni.
    The hotel incorporates the atmospheric medieval stone fortifications carved into the cliff below, with some of the guest rooms built into the old ramparts.
    Find out more about Borgo Santandrea ›
    Photo by Emily AndrewsMaison Brummell Majorelle, Morocco, by Bergendy Cooke and Amine Abouraoui
    Located next to the famous Majorelle Gardens in Marrakech, this boutique hotel was designed by New Zealand studio Bergendy Cooke in collaboration with Moroccan architect Amine Abouraoui.
    With its sculptural, monolithic aesthetic and recurring arched openings inside and out, it was intended as a playful contemporary twist on the site’s history and the city’s traditional architecture.
    Find out more about Maison Brummell Majorelle ›
    Photo by Montse GarrigaThe Lodge, Spain, by Pilar García-Nieto
    From Único Hotels, The Lodge occupies a 500-year-old farmhouse in Mallorca on a 157-hectare estate filled with almond and olive trees, lavender fields and hiking trails.
    Interior designer Pilar García-Nieto kept the interiors mostly clean and minimal but left traces of the building’s agricultural past visible – most spectacularly an old stone mill for pressing olive oil, which stands in what is now the hotel reception area.
    Find out more about The Lodge ›
    Photo by Darren SohPan Pacific Orchard, Singapore, by WOHA
    Large, elevated garden terraces are cut into the form of this tall hotel building in Singapore designed by architecture studio WOHA, including one 18 floors up.
    The studio wanted the hotel to have verdant views on all storeys despite its urban location, while the terraces also provide passive cooling in the humid climate.
    Find out more about Pan Pacific Orchard ›
    Photo by Ambroise TézenasVermelho, Portugal, by Christian Louboutin and Madalena Caiado
    Fashion designer Christian Louboutin teamed up with architect Madalena Caiado to create this 13-room hotel in the Portuguese village of Melides.
    Its traditionalist architecture meets maximalist interiors, with the rooms containing furniture from Louboutin’s personal collection as well as objects produced by local craftsmen. Louboutin talked to Dezeen about design process behind the hotel in an exclusive interview.
    Find out more about Vermelho ›
    Photo by Felix BrueggemannChâteau Royal, Germany, by Irina Kromayer and others
    Berlin’s renovated Château Royal references the German capital’s heyday at the turn of the 20th century through abundant oak panelling, art nouveau tiles, sisal carpets and hardware in brass and nickel.
    The 93-room hotel comprises two buildings dating from 1850 and 1910, in addition to a newer building and roof extension designed by David Chipperfield Architects.
    Find out more about Château Royal ›

    2023 review
    This article is part of Dezeen’s roundup of the biggest and best news and projects in architecture, design, interior design and technology from 2023.

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    Dezeen’s top 10 restaurant and bar interiors of 2023

    For the latest roundup in Dezeen’s 2023 review we’ve selected 10 of this year’s most popular and evocative restaurant and bar interiors, ranging from a space-themed sushi bar in Milan to a beach-style eatery in London.

    Also among this year’s eclectic roundup of restaurant and bar interiors is a renovated 16th-century brewery in Poland lined with a bold interior of red brick and ceramic tiles, as well as a bar and restaurant informed by Japanese psychedelia and cabins in Canada.
    Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 restaurant and bar interiors of 2023:
    Photo by Irina BoersmaIkoyi restaurant, UK, by David Thulstrup 
    Copenhagen-based designer David Thulstrup designed a copper and oak interior for the Ikoyi restaurant, situated within London’s 180 The Strand building.

    Drawing on spice-making processes from sub-Saharan west Africa, the interior features ceilings clad with metal-mesh panels and walls lined with oxidised copper sheets.
    Find out more about Ikoyi restaurant ›
    Photo by Alicia DubuisSando, Switzerland, by Sapid Studio
    Sapid Studio used Japanese patchwork techniques to inform the renovation of a burger restaurant in Geneva.
    Named after the Japanese word for sandwich, Sando features a largely retained interior decorated with a corrugated stainless steel bar, patched up tiled flooring, and translucent tapestries.
    Find out more about Sando ›
    Photo by ONI StudioTenczynek Brewery, Poland, by Projekt Praga
    Red brick, ceramic tiles and oak furniture define the Tenczynek Brewery interior, designed by Polish design studio Projekt Praga.
    Located outside of Krakow, the centuries-old brewery was converted into a bold-coloured restaurant and bar, with a self-service beer fountain occupying the centre of the historic brick-vaulted space.
    Find out more about Tenczynek Brewery ›
    Photo courtesy of PradaPrada Caffè, UK, by Prada
    Located in London’s luxury department store Harrods, fashion house Prada opened a cafe informed by one of Milan’s oldest patisseries.
    Contrasting with Harrods’ baroque facade, Prada Caffè’s mint green latticed storefront references the brand’s signature green hue, which extends to the interior walls, ceilings and furniture.
    Find out more about Prada Caffè ›
    Photo by Charlie McKayMilk Beach Soho, UK, by A-nrd
    London-based design studio A-nrd brought a “beachfront feel” reminiscent of an Australian beach club to this restaurant interior in Soho, London.
    Milk Beach Soho’s minimal interior has a neutral material palette featuring a polished terrazzo floor and art deco-style furniture and lighting.
    Find out more about Milk Beach Soho ›
    Photo by Luis BeltranIchi Station, Italy, by Masquespacio
    Ichi Station, by Valencian design studio Masquespacio, is a dine-in restaurant in Milan that draws on sci-fi and space tourism.
    Designed to resemble a futuristic spaceship, the cylindrical restaurant interior has a material palette of glass and micro-cement along with rounded, custom-made furniture.
    Find out more about Ichi Station ›
    Photo by Erin FeinblattDrift Santa Barbara, US, by Anacapa Architecture
    US studio Anacapa Architecture transformed a formerly closed early-1900s building into a hotel – hosting a ground-floor bar and cafe for both hotel guests and local visitors.
    Located in central California, the rustic interior accentuates the building’s historical character and is complemented by concrete and wooden furniture.
    Find out more about Drift ›
    Photo by Luís Moreira / Matilde CunhaCozinha das Flores, Portugal, by Space Copenhagen
    Located in a 16th-century building in Porto, Cozinha das Flores’ interior is decorated by a ceramic mural created by Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza.
    Designed by Space Copenhagen, the rustic interior is lined with green and burnt orange tiles, along with oak furniture and brass accents.
    Find out more about Cozinha das Flores ›
    Photo by Jack HobhouseCorner, UK, by Holland Harvey
    London-based architecture studio Holland Harvey revamped Tate Modern’s ground-floor cafe to be less “Herzog & de Meuron-y”.
    Doubling as the gallery’s first late-night spot, the interior is organised around a grey stone bar, while salvaged chairs and bespoke tables are used throughout the space.
    Find out more about Corner ›
    Photo by Chris AmatHello Sunshine, Canada, by Frank Architecture 
    Situated within the mountains of Alberta, Hello Sunshine is a bar and restaurant informed by Japanese psychedelia and cabins in collaboration with Little Giant.
    Designed by Canadian studio Frank Architecture, the wooden interior features two raised fire pits accompanied by large flues clad with glazed ceramic tiles, along with paper lanterns and textile artworks.
    Find out more about Hello Sunshine ›

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