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      Cooking Sections and Sakiya explore importance of non-human species in joint exhibition

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      Turner Prize-nominated art duo Cooking Sections and Palestinian research collective Sakiya have created an exhibition in Edinburgh called In the Eddy of the Stream, which reevaluates the significance of plants and other organisms in our ecosystems.

      The multimedia show is on display at the Inverleith House of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh as part of the science centre’s three-year Climate House exhibition programme.
      In the Eddy of the Stream includes installations, performances and sculpturesSpread across six galleries, the exhibition presents a range of work from research-heavy installations to live performances, developed by Sakiya and UK-based Cooking Sections.
      The show aims to “draw attention to the breakdown of ecosystems through the removal of plants and the ensuing long-term harm to people, communities and other species,” according to Cooking Sections.
      In particular, In the Eddy of the Stream intends to highlight how certain plants and non-sentient animals like oysters have been threatened by the complex histories of land ownership in Scotland and Palestine.

      Recalling Recollection investigates the history of Palestinian plant species”The installations, performances and materials in this exhibition challenge how botany has been used as a mechanism of control and how it might identify new horizons,” Cooking Sections said.
      “We want visitors to look again at the impact of our relationship with nature and non-human species and imagine new ways, in which to develop that vital relationship to the benefit of all parties.”
      From the Shores that Found their Sea is a group of mosaics made from waste shellsOne installation, named Recalling Recollection, showcases 33 botanical specimens of edible and medicinal plants, which the British Empire classified as a threat to its wheat monocultures during the country’s occuption of Palestine in the wake of the first world war.
      Sakiya has presented the specimens alongside postcards from Palestine in both Arabic and English that share stories, anecdotes and relevant folklore attempting to reclassify the plants as vital organisms.
      “In the same gallery, an oak baseboard depicting the 33 plants lines the space in reflection and opposition to the room’s ornate cornicing,” Cooking Sections founders Daniel Fernández Pascual and Alon Schwabe told Dezeen.
      Intertidal Polyculture includes ropes and nets made from biomaterialsAnother piece, From the Shores that Found their Sea, features a collection of wall mosaics formed from terrazzo-style tiles that are made out of waste mussel and oyster shells rather than traditional carbon-intensive cement.
      The shells were sourced from restaurants on the Scottish islands of Skye and Raasay that have adopted Cooking Sections’ Climavore menu – a regenerative approach to food sourcing developed by the art duo, which is also used by eateries at the Tate and V&A museums in London.

      “Food is one of the main drivers that is shaping the ecology of the planet” says art duo Cooking Sections

      A room with electric blue walls houses Cooking Sections’ Intertidal Polyculture project, a group of nets and ropes crafted from heather, kelp and purple moor grass instead of sterile plastics.
      When placed underwater, these natural nets and ropes encourage intertidal species to attach to them and grow.
      “All of this builds up towards a new framework for collective usership of the coast, a working process to advocate for the establishment of the tidal commons in Scotland,” explained Fernández Pascual and Schwabe.
      Oyster Readings is an installation and performance pieceOyster Readings is both an experimental installation and a playful performance piece that must be booked in advance.
      Here, visitors are invited to sit on organically shaped stools arranged around a matching table, both formed from a material made from crushed oyster shells in place of concrete.
      The piece is a play on traditional palm readingsEnveloped by a green fringe curtain, this space hosts palmistry-style readings where experts reveal information about the state of Scotland’s seas by analysing the patterns of local oyster shells, in a practice similar to studying tree rings.
      “Oyster Readings foresee the future of the coast through the ridged surface of an oyster shell, allowing you to read into our common oyster futures,” said Fernández Pascual and Schwabe.
      In the Eddy of the Stream presents various multimedia installationsIn the Eddy of the Stream gets its name from the concept of an eddy, which describes “a sheltered area where water flows back upstream against the current” and, according to Fernández Pascual and Schwabe, embodies the work they created with Sakiya.
      Similar projects by Cooking Sections, which is known for its focus on climate change, include an installation in Sharjah highlighting desert plants as an alternative to water-hungry greenery in arid cities.
      In the Eddy of the Stream is on show at Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh as part of the Edinburgh Art Festival from 2 July to 18 September 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
      The photography is by Shannon Tofts. 

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      The Africa Centre finds new home inside former office building in London

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      A lacklustre office building in Southwark has undergone a vibrant makeover to become The Africa Centre, designed by architecture studio Freehaus.

      The Africa Centre first opened in Covent Garden in 1964 as a “home-away-from-home” for the African diaspora in London, where people could meet, connect and enjoy cultural events together.
      After closing its doors to the public in 2013, the institution now occupies a former office building on Southwark’s Great Suffolk Street.
      The Africa Centre takes over a former office blockThe redesign of the building was appointed to Shoreditch-based studio Freehaus, which sought to create an interior that reflects the African continent’s rich array of cultures and traditions.
      To establish the key ideas and themes that would underpin the centre’s interior scheme, Freehaus embarked on a thorough research process.

      A reception was created at ground level to welcome guestsKey points of reference were the work of British-Ghanian architect David Adjaye, Burkinabé architect Diébédo Francis Kére, as well as projects by Niger-based studio Atelier Masōmī.
      The studio also visited other cultural buildings and members clubs around London to pick up inspiration.
      There’s also a pan-African restaurant called Tatale on the ground floor”The key to the brief was for The Africa Centre’s new headquarters to be unmistakably African,” explained Jonathan Hagos, co-director of Freehaus.
      “Given the breadth of diversity on the continent and among the diaspora, we were keen to avoid stereotypes and well-trodden aesthetic tropes.”

      Sam Jacob Studio adds glass-tube entrance to London’s V&A museum

      “At the same time, we wanted to avoid continent-sweeping generalisations – ‘Africa isn’t a country’ is a familiar response, often born of frustration at the dismissive understanding of the breadth in peoples, cultures and traditions that span the African continent,” he added.
      “We wanted to turn this misnomer into a strength,” he continued, “and envisage what an embassy for a continent might look like in the 21st century; a space that demonstrates what connects us and binds us to one another, while celebrating the dynamism of the continent.”
      Latticed banquettes and wooden tables decorate the restaurant’s interiorWith the help of engineers Price & Myers, Freehaus opened up the ground floor of the building to make way for two new entrances.
      One of the doorways opens onto the buzzy Great Suffolk Street, while the other connects the rear of the building to a couple of converted railway arches that The Africa Centre already used for events.
      Clay-plaster walls feature throughout the building, including the barThe ground floor also now accommodates a reception and pan-African restaurant Tatale. The dining space has been decked out with lattice-back banquettes, wooden tables and vibrant pendant lamps that contrast the neutral clay-plaster walls.
      Upstairs on the first floor is a bar and lounge that features patterned armchairs and a large, curved drinks counter clad with relief tiles. The following second floor contains an event space and a gallery.
      The bar is dressed with clusters of patterned furnitureThere are a further two floors in the building that, once funding is obtained, will be transformed into a learning facility and incubator for budding Afro-centric businesses.
      The extra funding will also go towards adding an ornamental screen to the centre’s black-painted facade, which will echo the ornate mashrabiya screens seen in north African architecture.
      A gallery can be found on the building’s second floorA few London cultural spots have recently undergone an update; architecture practice Sam Jacobs Studio has added a contemporary ribbed-glass entrance to the Grade I-listed V&A museum.
      Haworth Tompkins has also created a chainmail-shrouded pavilion to connect two performance spaces belonging to immersive theatre company Punchdrunk.
      The photography is by Taran Wilkhu.

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      Yabu Pushelberg designs The Londoner hotel in the spirit of film and theatre

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      Design studio Yabu Pushelberg has completed a five-star hotel in London’s Leicester Square where rooms are all dedicated to different members of a theatre or movie production’s cast and crew.

      In tribute to its location, in the heart of the city’s theatre district, The Londoner is designed to echo the different sights, sounds and atmosphere you experience during a performance.
      The Londoner’s spaces are designed to reflect the cast and crew of a film or movieDramatic lighting, intricately painted scenography and architectural models all feature in an interior that celebrates the drama of cinema and theatre.
      George Yabu and Glenn Pushelberg, founders of New York- and Toronto-based Yabu Pushelberg, said the aim was to create a multi-layered experience over the building’s 16 floors.
      A drawing room featured murals depicting scenes of flora and faunaIt was this that led them to create different types of scene throughout the building, representing everyone from the scriptwriter and director, to the sound mixer and visual effects supervisor.

      “The Londoner is an homage to performance, with each public space representing a character of someone essential to bringing a production to life,” said Pushelberg.
      The centrepiece of the reception area is a moon-head created by artist Andrew Rae”It was important that we create a project that is an exuberant, joyful expression of not only the hotel’s location but its cultural context,” he continued.
      “We created layers of programming up into the sky and deep into the earth, which emphasise this extraverted, alluring, playful voice,” added Yabu.
      The lobby bar is imagined as a stageThe hotel reception pays tribute to the cinematographer with a room that aims to set the mood. Details include stage models and a metallic moon-head created by artist Andrew Rae.
      In homage to the director, the lobby bar takes the form of a stage with curtain-style fluted wall panels and a mirrored ceiling, while the restaurant next door is filled with black and white graphic portraits that represent the characters created by the scriptwriter.
      The Y Bar features backlit wooden panels, suggesting symbols and charactersThis floor also includes Joshua’s Tavern, a pub-style space that uses industrial overhead copper canisters, leather furniture and scenes by 18th-century portraiture artist Joshua Reynolds to allude to the gripsman, “the muscle on set”.
      The mezzanine features a series of spaces that celebrate visual effects: a drawing room framed by mural paintings, a jewellery-box-like whisky room and a lounge bar where wood-panelled are brought to life with artistic backlighting.

      Rockwell Group and Yabu Pushelberg team up for Moxy Chelsea hotel

      “The atmosphere is dynamic,” said Yabu. “We broke the public spaces into multiple, smaller interconnected spaces giving each area individual personalities whilst creating connectivity through one overall design narrative.”
      “Seduction was a key design device for us to draw visitors through the hotel, which is giant,” he explained.
      The Green Room features velvet furniture, marble mosaic flooring and a bar topped by gold megaphonesMore lounge spaces can be found on the upper and lower floors.
      The sound-mixer takes centre stage in a basement bar called The Green Room, where undulating walls and curvy velvet furniture create the impression of sound waves.
      The lower levels also include a pool and spa that takes cues from set design, a series of meetings rooms filled with props, and a golden-toned ballroom designed to suit the glitz and glamour promoted by the publicity agent.
      8 at The Londoner is a restaurant, bar and terrace designed to represent a production’s performersUpstairs, an eighth-floor restaurant, bar and terrace celebrates actors and performers. It includes a rope installation intended to reference bondage, as a way of suggesting the human bodies that take centre stage.
      The only place the drama softens is in the 350 bedroom suites, which were designed with a brighter and more minimal aesthetic.
      Bedrooms have a more pared-back aestheticThe Londoner is the latest in a series of high-profile hotels that Yabu Pushelberg has designed, following Las Alcobas Napa Valley in California, The Times Square Edition and Moxy Chelsea, both in New York.
      Pushelberg said The Londoner gave them an opportunity to push the boat out further than ever before.
      Joshua’s Tavern combines copper and leather with painted scenes from the 18th century”One of the things we cherish most about the Londoner is the incredible layer of styling we were able to apply to each and every space,” he said.
      “The Londoner served as a one-of-a-kind canvas to fully explore our stylistic creativity. From custom gramophones in the club, to playful oversized slices of fruit carved from colourful stone in the spa, this final styling layer is what really brings each space to life with an exceptionally unique personality and subsequently, experience.”
      The pool and spa pay tribute to set designThe designers hope that guests will notice the careful curated views and details as they move through the interior.
      “There is a sense of veiling and unveiling, so that one can take in and absorb all the details,” said Yabu.
      “There is a real feeling of discovery as you wander through all the chambers. Guests really get to choose their own journey.”

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      Foster + Partners designs Apple Brompton Road as “calm oasis” in London

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      UK studio Foster + Partners has unveiled an Apple Store in west London that incorporates stone columns, Ficus trees and terrazzo flooring.

      Located between the Harrods and Harvey Nichols department stores in Knightsbridge, Apple Brompton Road is the latest store designed by Foster + Partners for the technology brand.
      Foster + Partners designed Apple Brompton Road. Photo courtesy of AppleIts main entrance occupies the arched entrance to the former Brompton Arcade, which was created in 1903 to connect Brompton Road with Basil Street, with the store occupying two bays on either side that were formerly shops.
      A mezzanine level was removed to create a seven-metre high space that the studio describes as a “calm oasis”.
      It has a seven-metre-high ceiling”Apple Brompton Road is a calm oasis in a bustling and vibrant part of London,” said Foster + Partners senior executive partner Stefan Behling.

      “Customers interact with Apple’s incredible range of products and experience their personalised customer service in a unique setting which incorporates historic and natural elements.”
      Stone columns and trees define a central spaceThe shop is topped with an arched timber ceiling that mirrors the four-meter-wide arched openings on the building’s historic facade.
      A series of six Castagna stone columns, along with four Ficus trees in planters that double as seating, mark out a central spine in the space.

      Ten of the most appealing Apple Stores designed by Foster + Partners

      Timber tables on either side of the central walkway are used to display Apple’s phones and iPads, with accessories displayed in furniture built into the Castagna stone-clad walls.
      At the rear of the store, an event space is defined by a large video wall and a mirrored ceiling.
      The store’s terrazzo floor was made from a castor oil resin, aggregate and recycled glass. It marks the first time the plant-based resin has been used in an Apple store.
      An events space is located at the rear of the store. Photo courtesy of AppleApple Brompton Road forms part of a wider redevelopment of a block in Knightsbridge, which is being led by UK studio Fletcher Priest. Along with the Apple Store, the reorganised block will include seven shops, a 10,750-square-metre office building and 33 apartments.
      Foster + Partners, which is the UK’s largest architecture studio, has designed Apple Stores in cities all around the world. Recent shops include the conversion of Los Angeles’ historic Tower Theatre and a “floating” spherical store in Singapore.
      Photography is by Nigel Young unless stated.

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      David Thulstrup brings industrial colours and textures into Borough Yards office

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      The brick arches and warehouse buildings of London’s Borough Market informed the materials and furnishings of The Office Group’s latest workspace, designed by Copenhagen-based Studio David Thulstrup.

      Located at Borough Yards, the office forms part of a new retail development designed by architecture studio SPPARC in the spaces in and around an old railway viaduct.
      The colour palette takes cues from the surrounding brick architectureInterior designer David Thulstrup and his team designed the interiors to subtly match the colours and textures of the surroundings, using earthy shades, metal details and largely pattern-free surfaces.
      The ambition was to resonate with the industrial aesthetic, but to still create spaces that felt warm and comfortable.
      Details include tinted glass screens and colour-block rugsKey inspirations were the brick railway arches and the green glass market canopy, which are echoed in details that include high-gloss green wall surfaces and block-printed rugs.

      “I really enjoy when I get to connect myself to somewhere that has a sense of a place, and that has history that I can tap into, and then extract those essences into the project,” said Thulstrup.
      “To me, the brand DNA of The Office Group (TOG) is that they allow the architects to incorporate their own design philosophy into a project. I think that’s what I’ve succeeded with here,” he added.
      The building offers a range of different workspaces and meeting areasThulstrup has worked on a number of high-profile interior projects, including the Noma restaurant in Copenhagen.
      TOG at Borough Yards is the first space that he has designed for The Office Group, which has more than 50 workspaces across London and Germany.

      SPPARC completes Borough Yards shopping district in London

      The 4,700-square-metre workspace spans two buildings – a converted former warehouse and a new brick-clad block – and is organised over five floors.
      At its entrance sits a double-height lobby, framed by a large right-angled reception desk in brushed metal and a gently curving couch.
      The lobby features a brushed metal reception desk and high-gloss green wallsThis leads up to a range of workspaces and facilities, including private offices, flexible co-working spaces, meeting rooms, breakout areas, phone booths, an audio room and a Peloton workout studio.
      Colours vary subtly between spaces; some are dominated by brown and gold tones, while others work with monochrome shades of black and grey.
      The colour palette includes a range of soft grey and brown shadesThulstrup created several bespoke furniture and lighting designs, combining different wood tones with Kvadrat textiles.
      “I like the idea of working with custom-made objects, my own productions, others’ designs, even sometimes vintage pieces – melting these different levels together creates a really beautiful atmosphere,” said the designer.
      “I want to make sure that when people come back to this place after five years that they still feel it is relevant,” he continued. “It’s about creating an inviting, inclusive, quality-driven atmosphere, and also a place where people want to stay.”
      Some spaces are picked out in blackTOG at Borough Yards is the latest in a series of workspaces that The Office Group has unveiled since the pandemic, following 210 Euston Road by Universal Design Studio and Liberty House by SODA.
      The brand aims to develop a unique design for its spaces to reflect the character of their settings.
      David Thulstrup designed bespoke furniture for the projectNasim Koerting, head of design for The Office Group, said this latest offering “respects and responds to the rich architectural and industrial history of the area without being in thrall to it”.
      “We’ve created a space that takes inspiration from its surroundings, while serving the modern-day needs of the design- conscious workplace,” she said.
      Photography is by Ben Anders.

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      Aimé Leon Dore's London boutique homages modernist architect Adolf Loos

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      New York interior designer Sarita Posada has layered “lived-in” details and rich textures inside the first London store from fashion and lifestyle label Aimé Leon Dore.

      Located on Broadwick Street in London’s Soho, the two-storey boutique is the brand’s second outpost and first international flagship, designed in collaboration with London-based West Architecture.
      Aimé Leon Dore’s first international flagship is located in London’s SohoRather than riffing on the design of Aimé Leon Dore’s first-ever store in New York, the London flagship was designed to provide a contrasting experience.
      “We imagined the next iteration of the brand’s environment as a moodier and more intimate experience,” Posada told Dezeen. “We wanted the space to evoke the feeling of some old members’ clubs you might find around London.”
      Walnut cabinetry is used to display products on the main shop floorAs well as a retail space, the shop incorporates Café Leon Dore – an all-day cafe and eatery serving Greek-inspired fare and drinks that nod to the heritage of the brand’s founder Teddy Santis.

      The dark and atmospheric interior was designed to play with Aimé Leon Dore’s vibrant colours and patterns while paying homage to the work of Austrian architect Adolf Loos, famous for designs including the Villa Müller in Prague and the American Bar in Vienna.
      Persian rugs and marble floors help to create a richly textured interiorInformed by the architect’s richly textured interiors, Posada filled the space with dark walnut wall panelling, Cipollino marble floors, mosaic tiling and brass detailing, alongside “lived-in” details like antique Persian rugs and custom furniture with leather insets.
      “The connection to Loos was originally in the materiality and how nicely these elements complemented the brand palette,” Posada told Dezeen. “Villa Müller and Knize, a renowned tailor shop he designed in Vienna, felt particularly relevant for this project for that reason.”

      Theatrical curtains enclose the entrance of Tokyo fashion store The Playhouse

      “Although we had various historical references and wanted them to read in the space, it was important to create an environment where modern furniture such as an Achille Castigiolini’s Light Ball fixture and detailing would still feel at home,” she added.
      Customers entering the store are greeted by a series of deflated basketballs mounted in a grid on the wall – a signature work by New York artist Tyrrell Winston that serves as a tribute to Aimé Leon Dore’s New York roots.
      A grid of deflated basketballs by artist Tyrrell Winston decorates the entranceMuch like the main retail space, Café Leon Dore is wrapped in walnut panelling and features hand-cut marble flooring, a brass logo inlay, Calacatta Viola marble countertops and a leather banquette.
      A private lounge finished with fabric panelling and leather banquettes is located downstairs. This is equipped with a sound system and a DJ setup, as well as a curated vinyl collection and a bar for guests.
      A dark lounge space with a sound system is housed on the ground floorPosada is a designer specialising in interiors and furniture, who began her career working with Shawn Hausman on the design of The Standard hotels.
      Since then, she has taken on a range of residential and hospitality projects including the Palm Heights Grand Cayman hotel, where she worked with creative director Gabriella Khalil and LA designer Courtney Applebaum to create an interior styled like a 1970s Caribbean mansion.
      The photography is by Harrison Boyce.

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      Ten Zaha Hadid Design products that go “beyond a simple translation from sketch to object”

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      Zaha Hadid Design co-directors Woody Yao and Maha Kutay have selected 10 highlights from an exhibition of the design studio’s objects at Roca London Gallery.

      Called Everything Flows, the exhibition presents a variety of objects created by Zaha Hadid Design (ZHD) over the last 15 years and was curated by Yao and Kutay.
      The pieces on show at the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed Roca London Gallery range from objects from ZHD’s own collection to those made in collaboration with brands including Lacoste, Bulgari and Japanese furniture manufacturer Karimoku.
      “Amongst the large array of pieces currently exhibited at the Roca London Gallery, we have chosen 10 items very different in scope, materials, and price yet sharing the same common denominator in terms of having a truly intertwined design and fabrication process,” Yao and Kutay told Dezeen.
      “All of these pieces are perhaps some of the best examples of the genuinely collaborative effort between ZHD, our clients and the manufacturers we work with: a process that goes way beyond a simple translation from sketch to object, it is a two-way system that allows for continuous and mutually benefitting exchange of ideas, methods and solutions,” the directors added.

      Zaha Hadid Design and Odlo launch activewear collection for women

      The late British architect Zaha Hadid founded her eponymous design studio in 2006, following the success of her architectural studio.
      Zaha Hadid Architects created Roca London Gallery’s showroom, which features undulating walls that take cues from the shapes of water, in 2011.
      To mark 10 years of the sculptural space at Roca, the site itself has now become an exhibition space for objects from the ZHD portfolio, featuring furniture and other home accessories as well as fashion, jewellery, carpets and lighting.
      Read on for 10 of Yao and Kutay’s highlights:

      Duna Chandelier for Lasvit
      “Launched in 2017, this chandelier is inspired by dune formations defying traditional Cartesian geometries: a three-dimensional, asymmetrical, pair of intersecting glass forms.
      “The striated surface of the crystal glass produces ever-changing effects of reflection and refraction.”

      Zephyr Sofa by ZHD
      “Made by Cassina Contract, this piece was launched in 2013. Its design is informed by natural erosion processes occurring in rock formations.
      “The formal language gives the sofa increased ergonomic properties without compromising the design’s fluidity or proportion; translating into a concept that allows for multiple seating layouts.
      “Zephyr’s quality highlights Cassina Contract’s unrivalled technical experience and longstanding tradition of artisan excellence.”

      B.Zero1 for Bulgari
      “Continuing a collaboration between Bulgari and ZHD that started in 2012, the B.Zero1 was launched in 2017 and has been a commercial success ever since.
      “Over the years, the design has evolved into a full jewellery collection including earrings, pendants and various iterations of the ring itself.”

      Eve Chandelier for Lasvit
      “Fifteen glass pieces arranged in one intriguing ensemble, Eve is a chandelier with sculptural qualities: suspended at varying heights, the glass bodies gracefully float in space and create an impressive play of light and shadow. The product was launched in 2017.”

      Node Vessels by ZHD
      “This is a limited-edition range launched in 2018, designed to be versatile and be used either in a composition or as stand-alone pieces.
      “From above, the three pieces appear to fit together organically, yet in profile, the differences in height and scale emerge and they stand apart as a composition.
      “Again, another example of how acrylic can achieve a great degree of subtlety in texture and tone.”

      Royal Thai Rugs Collection 
      “This is a collection spanning 22 designs, inspired by four themes that feature prominently in ZHD’s aesthetics: striated lines, fluidity, pixelated landscapes and organic references.
      “Patterns within each ‘family’ capture ZHD’s masterful use of interweaving, layering and play with light and shadow.”

      Lalique Collection
      “Our collaboration with Lalique dates back to 2014 with the launch of the Visio and Manifesto vases – marking the birth of the Crystal Architecture collection – followed by the Fontana bowl, inspired by the rhythm of rippling water.
      “Recently, Lalique has presented the latest iteration of the collection, which is now available in crystal, black, pink and now also midnight blue.”

      Aria & Avia Chandeliers for Slamp
      “Aria and Avia are lamps combining dramatic architectural features with the intrinsic weightlessness of the material.
      “Composed of 50 individual layers of Cristalflex, a techno-polymer patented by Slamp, Aria and Avia convey an idea of lightness combined with playful luxury. Both lamps are available in a range of different colours and sizes.”

      Seyun Collection for Karimoku 
      “Seyun is a small yet comprehensive furniture collection of wooden furniture pieces, our latest collaboration.
      “We love working with Karimoku: their uncompromising quality standards, achieved through the implementation of the most advanced technologies and handcrafting processes, highlight and enhance the purity of the design.”

      ZHD Serenity Bowl
      “A limited-edition piece taken from ZHD’s own collection, the subtle design freezes the moment when a gentle disturbance interrupts a state of tranquillity.
      “We are amazed by the versatility of this material; unfairly considered a ‘cheap’ option for way too long, acrylic actually proves to be one of the best polymers available, because of its ductility during the fabrication process as well as in terms of overall quality of the final result.”
      Everything Flows is on show at Roca London Gallery from 24 May to 22 December 2022. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

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      Emil Eve Architects retrofits own office in brutalist building in Hackney

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      London studio Emil Eve has retrofitted its Hackney office to include a striking green-painted floor and modular birch plywood furniture designed to be “reconfigured or adapted as the needs of the users change”.

      The architecture firm created the studio space, which it shares with design practices OEB Architects and Material Works, in an existing brutalist building with an exposed concrete structure in Hackney, east London.
      The studio was renovated so that no alterations were made to the buildingCalled Regent Studios, the office was carefully designed so that no changes had to be made to the fabric of the building, according to Emil Eve.
      Instead, the firm created a “family” of modular, CNC-cut birch plywood furniture that fits into the space without having to be fixed to the existing structure.
      A vivid green-painted floor defines the space”The furniture is freestanding so that it can be reconfigured or adapted as the needs of the users change,” Emil Eve co-founder Emma Perkin told Dezeen.

      As well as linoleum-lined desks and small shelving units, this group of furniture includes a standout floor-to-ceiling “sample library” where the architects display and interact with a range of material samples.
      Emil Eve created a floor-to-ceiling “material library”Shallow upper display shelves are combined with deeper, lower storage compartments to create a unit that takes cues from the design of kitchen cabinets.
      “We knew we wanted the material library to be the main focus of the space, with everything visible to hand,” said Perkin, who designed the system to replace “inefficient” stacked boxes.
      Desktops are lined with linoleumThe architect also explained why the firm used the CNC process to create the furniture, which was fabricated by Natural Buildings Systems.
      “The process enables complex shapes to be cut from sheet materials,” she said. “Here, we used slits cut into the shelves to create an interlocking design that creates a hierarchy between framing, horizontal and vertical elements, which brings a rhythm to the whole.”

      Urselmann Interior renovates own office using recycled and biodegradable materials

      Emil Eve chose bold green paint for the flooring, which was used for its cost-effectiveness and ability to transform the mood of a space, according to the firm.
      This colour was also decided upon to complement the windowsill herbs and various potted plants scattered around the studio, as well as to contrast with a cluster of bright yellow chairs positioned around a communal work table.
      Yellow chairs contrast with the green floorAs a small design agency, Emil Eve explained the benefits of sharing a co-working space with other design companies in the interest of sharing collective resources – a decision the architects called “economical as well as sustainable”.
      “It’s always more fun to make things rather than buying furniture off the shelf if you can!” added Perkin.
      Visitors are invited to touch the materials on displayEmil Eve Architects was founded in 2009 by Emma and Ross Perkin. The firm has completed a number of architecture projects, including many in London.
      Recent projects range from a monochromatic pale pink loft extension and a timber-framed residential extension filled with light.
      The photography is by Mariell Lind Hansen.

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