Japanese ryokans inform OWIU’s renovation of Duane House in LA
Mid-century modern and traditional Japanese influences blend inside this Los Angeles home, which the principals of design studio OWIU have reimagined for themselves. More
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Kiki & Joost adds self-designed exhibition space to Eindhoven studio
Dutch design duo Kiki & Joost has opened a public exhibition space attached to the pair’s Eindhoven studio, allowing them to showcase their work in a more “open and free” way than in a traditional gallery. More
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Ministry of Design’s Workshop is a collaborative space for post-Covid working
A simple steel framework incorporates both desks and storage in the self-designed all-white studio of architecture firm Ministry of Design in Singapore.
With the MOD Workshop, studio founder Colin Seah set out to create a different type of workspace from Ministry of Design’s award-winning Bar Code office, which the practice occupied from 2010 to 2023.
Ministry of Design has designed a new office for itself in SingaporeThe new office is less than a third of the size, with a focus on facilitating collaboration between coworkers who don’t spend as much time in the office as they did before the coronavirus pandemic.
“In line with MOD’s transition towards a technologically-enabled work environment, which allows for most designers to work remotely, the Workshop dispenses with typical workplace conventions,” Seah said.
The space is divided by a steel framework that incorporates desks and storage”Instead, it devotes 60 per cent of the layout to creative face-to-face collaboration because when we do need to meet in person, we really want it to make it count,” he continued.The 93-square-metre space is divided into a series of interconnected areas for collaboration, as well as hot desks and utility spaces, via a three-dimensional metal framework.
A wall clad with cable trays allows objects to be attached with hooks or magnetThe minimal scaffold incorporates screens made from frosted polycarbonate and fluted glass that allow light to pass through, generating a bright and layered aesthetic within the workspace.
The same materials were used to form shelves and worktops, with solid aluminium rods inserted into the polycarbonate panels to allow them to support heavier items.
One of the main workspaces is centred around what MOD describes as a counter-height “war room” table that can be used for shared creative activities as well as design discussions and presentations.Ministry of Design creates lush “banking conservatory” for Citibank Singapore
The table’s surface is made from frosted tempered glass that, along with other glossy and mirrored materials, helps to bounce light around the interior and enhance the spacious feel.
The metal framework incorporates an adjustable lighting system above the table that can simulate different light conditions, while large windows minimise the requirement for artificial lighting during the daytime.
To one side of the table is a wall clad with cable trays, allowing objects to be attached with hooks or magnets. Shelving along the opposite wall forms part of a material and artefact library.
The interior is almost entirely whiteThe library shelves span the full length and width of the Workshop, ensuring the designers always have easy access to materials used to inspire and stimulate creativity.
A row of hot desks along one wall and a meeting table near the entrance provide alternative areas for working and collaboration, with utility spaces including a pantry, printer and storage tucked away in a corner.
In contrast to the bright-white interior of the workspace, a compact restroom concealed behind a mirrored door is designed as a private sanctuary lined with black tiles.
In contrast, the bathroom is clad in black tilesMOD has completed more than 140 projects since it was founded by Seah in 2004, offering clients a holistic service that often includes architecture, product design, interior architecture, branding or landscaping.
“We love to question where the inherent potential in contemporary design lies and then to disturb the ways they are created or perceived, redefining the world around us in relevant and innovative ways, project by project,” Seah said.
Previous MOD projects include an office in a conservatory-like atrium filled with tropical plants and a co-living space with all-white interiors.
The photography is by Jovian Lim.Read more: More
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BIG opens Los Angeles office in renovated 1920s building
Danish architecture studio BIG has opened an office in Santa Monica in a renovated 1928 Spanish revival building designed by iconic Los Angeles architect Paul R Williams.
The 1928 building was refurbished by the team, many of whom will be joining the freshly minted BIG Los Angeles team – recruited both from the New York office and from the local “talent pool”.
BIG has opened an office in a 1928 Paul R Williams building in Santa MonicaBIG, the architecture studio established by Danish architect Bjarke Ingels, will be anchored in the Californian city by partner Leon Rost.
For the renovation, the studio kept many of the original Spanish revival details of the original structure including the expressive reliefs on the facade.
Some of the plaster detailing was kept, but the office largely has an unfinished lookSome of the interior plasterwork was maintained as well. The primary second-floor workspace was opened up, and much of the walls were peeled back to reveal the wooden structure and enhanced mechanical system.Unfinished concrete columns are located in th middle of the space, with thick wooden rafters intersected by skylights.
The office layout is open, with large spanning desks and folded Roulade chairs by KiBiSi, which Ingels is also a partner of.
The office will help expand the studio’s West Coast presenceAccording to Rost, the studio plans to continue to update the space with samples of technology such as solar panels from the studio’s local projects, many of which are in late states. These projects include Claremont McKenna College Robert Day Sciences Center.
“We’ve also designed an interior layout that preserves the original interior plasterwork from 1928 and intentionally chose a location that is close to public transport,” Rost told Dezeen.
“As a Japanese Californian I am excited to root BIG on the Pacific Coast. In the city of storytelling, big dreams and a pioneer spirit, I am certain LA will be a fertile frontier for continued experimentation. You could say BIG – though born in Copenhagen – has always been an Angeleno at heart.”BIG unveils twisted skyscraper designed “in the tradition of Flatiron”
The office is the studio’s second in the United States, after its New York office opened in 2010.
The studio has a significant presence on the West Coast, and is currently in the process of completing a large mix-used development on an industrial site in Downtown Los Angeles and is working with British studio Heatherwick on a Google headquarters in the San Francisco Bay area.
The studio will be under the direction of partner Leon RostBIG New York partner Kai-Uwe Bergmann told Dezeen that the move has come from the “considerable” amount of West Coast work the studio has had since opening in the United States.
“Having also once called Los Angeles home – I attended UCLA in the 1990s – I am super excited to bring ‘Scand-American’ thinking to our future work within the Pacific Rim region,” said Bergmann.
Other significant projects on the West Coast by BIG include the impressively massed Vancouver House skyscraper in Vancouver, Canada.
The photography is by Pooya AleDavood.Read more: More
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Gisbert Pöppler creates own office and showroom inside former Berlin bookshop
An old bookshop in Berlin is now home to the studio of architecture and interior design practice Gisbert Pöppler, which incorporates the building’s grand arched doorways and other original features.
The office is situated on Karl Marx Allee, a major boulevard lined with buildings designed in the socialist classicism architectural style of the 1950s.
Staff desks in the Gisbert Pöppler office sit near the building’s entranceGisbert Pöppler’s workspace had previously been located in Berlin’s Kreuzberg neighbourhood, set above a row of nightclubs.
“We had an amazing view of the city up there and enjoyed being in the midst of it all,” the practice told Dezeen.
Archways offer views of the showroom at the building’s rear”We outgrew our space though and coincidently our landlords decided to completely renovate and add-on to the building, so we would have had to leave for a while anyway,” the studio added. “This was when we discovered that the former bookstore was available.”The bookstore had been left in a “depressing” state.
But as soon as the Gisbert Pöppler team moved in, they sought to find ways to transform it into an efficient office and show space for their range of furnishings and textiles, all while preserving the site’s original features like its arched doorways and terrazzo flooring.
Furnishings are displayed on carpeted platformsA formal work area with desks and computers has been created directly beside the office’s entrance, allowing staff to greet and interact with visitors as they walk in.
Shelving here that originally stored books now holds material samples, image mood boards and other project-related paraphernalia.
Meetings can be held in the next room along, which is centred by Gisbert Pöppler’s reflective aluminium Cherry table.
The office’s literature corner has been painted bright pinkThen follows the showroom, where pieces are displayed on purple carpeted platforms that the practice created in collaboration with Swiss rug makers Rückstuhl.
“Preservation regulations were intense for this place, so our solutions are somewhat unconventional,” the practice said. “We built platforms to define spaces and solve technical situations without harming the building’s fabric.”
Hanging utensils decorate the office’s kitchenTwo further spaces branch off from here: a conference area for larger staff gatherings, and a “literature corner” filled with inspirational reading material.
Unlike the rest of the office, which is painted an icy-blue shade, this corner has been completed in a vivid pink hue to offset the lack of natural light in this area.
A dresser in the kitchen contains porcelain handed down from Pöppler’s grandmotherAdditionally, there’s a kitchen on-site where staff can prepare and eat their meals at lunchtime, featuring simple white cabinetry and hanging utensils.
To one side of the room stands an ornate dresser, restored by Gisbert Pöppler’s eponymous founder as a young man. Inside, the cabinet is filled with an array of Meissen porcelain tableware collected by his grandmother.
There’s also a basement where the practice keeps more materials and client orders before they’re shipped out.
More materials and furnishings are stored in the office’s basementGisbert Pöppler has worked on a number of residential projects around Berlin.
One such example is an apartment in the city’s Mitte borough, designed to be like a “tailor-made suit” with one-off furnishings and bespoke fixtures that suit the owner’s particular needs.Read more: More
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Space Available opens closed-loop design workshop and studio in Bali
Design studio Space Available has transformed a former warehouse in Bali into a workshop and office space featuring a mezzanine clad in offcuts from its plastic recycling projects.
Situated in an industrial suburb of the island’s capital Denpasar, the building houses the first physical workspace for Space Available, which creates products and clothing from ocean plastic and other waste materials.
Space Available has designed its own studio and workshop in BaliThe organisation, founded in 2020 by English designer Daniel Mitchell, wanted to create a studio that can act as a creative hub for hosting activities centred around the themes of recycling and closed-loop design principles that aim to keep waste materials in use.
The space was designed to accommodate recycling machines, upcycling stations and a bio-design lab created in collaboration with MycoWorks – a Californian company that develops materials from mushroom mycelium for brands including Hermès.
The studio makes products from recycled plasticMitchell and Space Available’s in-house architect Andika Permana oversaw the renovation of the 500-square-metre building, defined by typical industrial features including grey breeze block walls.“The raw warehouse space underwent a transformation of refinement to make it feel less industrial,” Mitchell told Dezeen.
“We skimmed and painted the walls white along with painting the previously unfinished metal ceiling. Our aim was to create a clean, white, almost gallery-like atmosphere.”
Offcuts from the production process were used to clad the stairsTowards the rear of the space, a double-height steel structure was erected to house the laboratory as well as an office on the upper level. This volume is clad in waste plastic offcuts that are repurposed from the studio’s homeware and furniture production.
“The blue ‘marble’ structure stands out against the clean white backdrop, creating a dramatic ‘structure within a structure’ effect that really pops out as you enter the studio,” Mitchell added.Space Available and Peggy Gou create furniture from “heartbreaking” plastic waste
The use of offcuts fits with Space Available’s mission to “change the perception of waste through elevated design”.
In addition to forming the facade, the material is used to create shelving, furniture, speakers and other amenities throughout the building.
The warehouse’s remaining open floor area functions as a flexible space for building and exhibiting projects or hosting events. Large shelving units at one end are used to store and display the studio’s furniture and archival products.
The studio’s sheet material was also used to form various furnishingsSpace Available was founded during the coronavirus pandemic by Mitchell, who moved to Bali with his wife in 2014 after working in the fashion industry for several years.
Shocked by the global plastic waste crisis that is evident in the volume of pollution washing up on Indonesia’s beaches, he wanted to develop a design studio that would explore circular design principles and revolutionise the perception of ocean plastic and waste.
The organisation has recycled more than six million plastic bottles in its projects, which range from large-scale sculptural installations to furniture and fashion design.
A shelving unit displays the studio’s furniture and archival productsIts furniture and solid surface sheet materials are made from waste plastic collected from rivers and landfills. The material is shredded, added to a mould and baked to create panels featuring vibrant colours and patterns.
Space Available previously collaborated with South Korean DJ Peggy Gou to create a chair made from 20 kilograms of recycled plastic with an integrated compartment for storing records.
The recycled plastic resembles colourful marbleIn 2022, the studio opened a dedicated gallery, recycling station and upcycling bar called Museum of Space Available in the coastal town of Canggu, which features
The building features a facade made from 200,000 recycled plastic bottles and showcases the work of the studio alongside projects by other artists, designers and scientists.
Another Indonesian organisation giving new life to plastic waste is Sungai Watch, which recently launched its first furniture designs made using discarded plastic bags.Read more: More
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Masquespacio founders create home and office where “everything revolves around play”
The founders of Spanish studio Masquespacio have transformed a traditional Valencian farmhouse into their self-designed home and studio, with maximalist interiors that nod to the Memphis movement.
Creative and life partners Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse renovated the 1920s villa, which was once a farmhouse on the outskirts of Valencia, to create a hybrid home and studio that reflects their maximalist approach to interiors.
Masquespacio has designed a live-work space in Valencia”Everything revolves around the concept of play,” explained Hernández Palacios, who co-founded Masquespacio with Penasse in 2010.
“We’ve been influenced by many styles over the last decade, from New Memphis to art deco and futurism,” Penasse added. “We can say that our private home is a mix of it all.”
The ground floor holds the studio’s workspacesThe duo maintained the building’s original timber front door and white facade decorated with light-blue window frames and ornate grilles.Inside, the ground floor was reserved for their studio, spread across several interconnected meeting rooms in the former farmstead, known locally as an alquería.
Masquespacio restored the building’s original hydraulic floor tilesHere, Masquespacio restored the building’s decoratively patterned hydraulic floor tiles alongside its traditional doors and windows.
Painted in bright hues, they help to colour-code the different office spaces, filled with the studio’s characteristic chunky, lumpy and latticed furniture.
There is a double-height interior courtyard at the centre of the home”As always, the project includes a mix of colours, textures and forms – one of the main aspects of all our designs, no matter what aesthetic we’re working with,” Penasse told Dezeen.
At the centre of the home is a double-height interior courtyard illuminated by skylights, with exposed-brick walls painted in lilac surrounded by wiggly flowerbeds with lush statement cheese plants.
From the courtyard, visitors can see up to an interior balcony on the first floor, which is accessed via a purple concrete staircase and contains the living spaces.
The couple’s bed is encased in a green dome next to a hot-pink seating booth.The balcony reveals two sculptural objects – a giant green dome that conceals the couple’s bed and a curved hot-pink screen that hides a seating booth.
This immersive furniture – Penasse’s favourite part of the project – creates a focal point that connects both levels of the house but also provides more private quarters for the couple despite the open nature of the overall plan.
A mosaic of yellow tiles defines the bathroom”There are no wall partitions to hide our home [from downstairs] but it’s kept private by the bed’s form and a semi-transparent green curtain that allows us to take advantage of the natural light almost everywhere on the upper floor,” explained Penasse.
The sleeping area is connected to the main living space via a tunnel-like corridor, which includes an all-yellow bathroom with triangular cabinets and walls clad with a mosaic of handmade ceramic tiles.Ten self-designed studios by architects and designers
Opposite the bathroom is a colourful open-air terrace featuring circular windows and similar built-in seating to Bun Turin – an Italian burger joint designed by Masquespacio with boxy blue-tiled tables created to look like swimming pools.
“Geometry can be found all over our house,” explained Hernández Palacios. “Everything is a game of circles and triangles.”
The terrace follows a similar geometry to the interiorsThe light blue kitchen includes large, triangular alcoves and cupboards finished in natural stone and aluminium, designed to conceal utilities.
There is also an island made from veiny marble and petite glazed tiles. Bespoke Masquespacio bar stools were wrapped in matching pale blue fabric.
Triangular cupboards feature in the kitchenNext to the open-plan kitchen, the living and dining spaces include more brightly coloured furniture from the studio’s Mas Creations collection, which features the same twisted and angular shapes and soft upholstery as the pieces downstairs.
Floor-to-ceiling curtains form a backdrop for a snaking lime green sofa, while dark green dining chairs with pyramidal backrests were positioned around a jewel-like glass table.
Striking pyramid-shaped dining chairs continue the maximalist theme”Ninety-five per cent of the furniture and objects in our house are part of our Mas Creations collection, locally designed and produced by our studio,” said Penasse.
Similarly bold projects from Masquespacio include a restaurant in Milan, Italy, with interiors that take cues from futuristic spaceships and the first Mango Teen store in Barcelona featuring vivid graphic shapes.
The photography is courtesy of Masquespacio.Read more: More
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Method Architecture outfits its Houston office with vibrant mural
Texas studio Method Architecture has completed an office for itself in Houston with maximalist design, vibrant colours and a mural at its centre.
The 8,612-square foot (800-square metre) studio was completed in 2023 with a reception area, open office plan, private and collaborative meeting spaces and staff lounges.
Method Architecture has completed its self-designed studioLocated in the mixed-use East River development, designed by architecture studio Page, the office was designed to serve as an inspiration source for the studio’s clients.
“Our approach was to pursue maximalism with the goal of creating an environment where our clients would feel safe expressing their bold and innovative ideas with us,” Ashley Bettcher, Research and Design Specialist with Method Architecture told Dezeen.
The office was designed to serve as an inspiration source”Creativity has no limits and great design doesn’t necessarily need to cost more. Method’s new Houston office perfectly encapsulates that mantra.”The “ego-free” focus of the design is a nearly 50-foot multi-wall mural by local artist David Maldonado, known for creating nearly 20 pieces of public artwork throughout Houston.
David Maldonado created a multi-wall mural for the studioWith pops of magenta, cobalt, and yellow, the mural features icons from the city and state like the skyline, a rocket for Johnson Space Center, a bluebonnet as the Texas state flower, and the neighbouring Buffalo Bayou.
The artwork also slips in custom motifs representing the studio, such as Method’s rubber duck mascot.
Light grey flower-like acoustic baffles hang from the ceiling”This feature piece of artwork helps set the tone for the remainder of the office including bold colors, geometric patterns and shapes and a secondary mural designed and installed by Maldanado featuring drip paint in mirroring colorways located at the back of the office,” the team said.
The mural is complemented by a 3D-printed wall installation behind the reception desk composed of the studio’s signature “M” logo and the raw ceiling with exposed mechanical lines all painted a vibrant shade of fuchsia.
Clients pass through a half-arched portalLight grey flower-like acoustic baffles hang from the ceiling adding to the maximalist design. Light blue bicycles are mounted on one wall as another unique installation.
From the reception area lounge, clients pass through a half-arched portal – created with custom millwork and embedded lights – into the main office space which includes rows of desks over custom greyscale carpet.
Hotel desk stations accommodate hybrid work stylesHotel desk stations accommodate hybrid work styles for both in-office and at-home work.
“Cozy architectural work booths are nestled amid the bustling breakroom and office areas, offering a quiet refuge for more private work, private conversations or meals with coworkers,” the team said.Ten maximalist interiors that are saturated with colours and patterns
The workspace is flanked by six meeting rooms: a large creative conference space, three medium-sized conference rooms and two smaller huddle spaces.
The all-white conference room was left intentionally blank to showcase the client’s material selections with tunable white lights to adjust the light temperature for each project.
An M-shaped window cutout opens the conference room to the rest of the officeAn M-shaped window cutout opens the conference room to the rest of the office.
In the break room, bright blue suede fabric adorns the walls to provide an unexpected texture and pale blue lamp shades – reminiscent of the shape of inverted cupcake liners – serve as a geometric juxtaposition to the rounded banquette boxes.
Bright blue suede fabric adorns the walls in the break room”Plush, psychedelic-inspired fabrics in meeting booths and distinctive light fixtures keep the space feeling light and fun to inspire creative design,” the studio said.
In addition to being designed for flexible workflows and teams, the space features multiple sustainable and WELL features like ample daylighting, repurposed materials and ergonomic furniture.
Other recently completed projects in Houston include Nelson Byrd Woltz’s grassed park that bridges a six-lane highway and Modu’s design for a wellness building with a self-cooling exterior.
The photography is by Ana Larranaga, Method Architecture.
Project credits:
Architecture: Method ArchitectureMEP: Telios EngineeringGeneral contractor: Burton ConstructionFurniture: AGILE Interiors, MDI, OP,Flooring: Interface, Shaw ContractTile: Trinity Surfaces, La NovaTextiles: Knoll TextilesMasonry: Upchurch KimbroughDemountable partitions: DIRTTCountertops: CAMBRIAMural: David MaldonadoLighting: Lighting Associates Inc.Signage: ARIA SignsRead more: More
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Mestiz celebrates artisan collaborations at colourful Mexico studio
Mexican design studio Mestiz has opened a showroom and workshop within a historic building in San Miguel de Allende, where its brightly hued collaborations with local craftspeople take pride of place.
The studio space is located on Pasaje Allende in the heart of the central Mexican city, renowned for its colonial-era architecture and arts scene.
Mestiz opened its new studio as a space to present its colourful furniture and homewareMestiz founder Daniel Valero collaborates with a variety of skilled local artisans to create furniture and homeware using ancestral crafts.
“In our studio, partnerships aren’t short-lived; they’re built to last,” he said. “We’ve nurtured long-term relationships with artisans, where learning and creating are an ongoing process.”
Rough plaster walls of the remodelled space provide a neutral backdrop for the brightly hued designsPieces from Mestiz’s collection fill the interior of the studio, which occupies a remodelled stone building designed as a “wild habitat” brimming with personality.“It was once a kitchen,” Valero explained, “and now it’s a space that respects the idea of Mexican cuisine, infusing it into our creative sanctuary.”
Ledges covered in glossy tiles provide places to display smaller items the in the showroomThe studio comprises three principal spaces. In the showroom, the original wooden beams and the brick ceiling are exposed, and rough buttery plaster covers the walls.
Ledges and podiums clad in glossy tiles provide places for small items like spiky vessels and framed pictures to be displayed.
In the workshop, red benches are used for assembling the designsLarger furniture pieces like a triangular table and chairs with tufty backrests are arranged across the floor.
Meanwhile, textile artworks decorate the walls and huge, fibrous pink light fixtures hang overhead.Colourful tiles and Mexican craft feature in Casa Hoyos hotel by AG Studio
“Our creations aren’t just pieces; they’re stories,” said Valero.
“We believe in crafting designs that engage in profound dialogues with the context and history of each community we work with.”
A pink-toned storage room is also filled with products, which are all made from natural materialsThe workshop is situated in a lean-to at the side of the building, where the rough stone walls are visible on two sides and other surfaces are left untreated.
Red-painted benches for assembling items and storing natural materials – palm, wood, wool, wicker and ceramic – are surrounded by partially completed designs.
Mestiz partners with artisans across Mexico to preserve and celebrate craft traditionsA pink-hued storage room is also packed with products, from wicker lights suspended from the ceiling to tall totems in blue, pink and purple stood in the corners.
“Our practice is a living testament to the merging of traditions,” Valero said. “Our pieces are the embodiment of cultural syncretism, where diverse influences converge to create something entirely new.”
The studio is located in a historic stone building in San Miguel de AllendeThe rich creative spirit of San Miguel de Allende is also presented at the city’s Casa Hoyos hotel, where colourful tiles and local craft fill a former Spanish colonial manor.
Other Mexican designers continuing local traditions through their work include Fernando Laposse, who uses corn waste to create a marquetry material, and Christian Vivanco, who launched a rattan furniture collection with Balsa.
The photography is by Pepe Molina.Read more: More
