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    Aro Archive store features pastel-coloured rooms and industrial control station

    Fashion retailer Aro Archive’s pastel-hued east London store was designed by founder Ariana Waiata Sheehan to evoke “a sense of otherworldliness”.

    The store, located in Shoreditch, replaces the brand’s previous, more industrial store on nearby Broadway Market and was intended to have a frivolous feel.
    The Aro Archive store has pastel-coloured floors in pink and blueThe interior has “a sense of otherworldliness, escapism and fun,” Waiata Sheehan explains, comparing it to “a mixture between a mushroom trip and going to visit someone’s rich aunty who runs a gallery”.
    “We’ve always had very neutral industrial spaces,” she told Dezeen. |But you can get an industrial Zara these days, so time to switch it up and go full personality, which has been scary but so worth it.”
    It is located inside an old Victorian warehouseLocated inside a five-storey former Victorian warehouse, Aro Archive, which sells pre-owned clothing by avant-garde designers, was organised so that each floor has a different colour.

    Monochrome pastel pink, blue and white hues decorate the different levels, which also feature a wide range of reclaimed and recycled materials, furniture and artworks.
    Founder Ariana Waiata Sheehan created the interior design”The pink floor is supposed to feel very warm, womb-like and enclosed,” Waiata Sheehan said. “The blue floor is more light and otherworldly. And the two white floors are very ethereal and calm.”
    White duvet covers by fashion house Maison Martin Margiela were used to create curtains for the changing rooms, while interior pillars are made from reclaimed 1990s metal lamp posts that the designer sourced from a scrapyard in Preston.
    Duvet covers by Maison Martin Margiela frame the changing rooms”The building and surrounding area feel very London, so we did want to bring in a sense of that for example with the lamp posts, metal works and details, bright neon lights and so forth,” Waiata Sheehan said.
    She sourced a number of unusual furnishings for the Aro Archive store, including an industrial control station from a paper-manufacturing plant that is now used as a till.

    Halleroed references Swedish Grace and Carlo Scarpa for Toteme flagship store

    “The industrial paper control station I’ve been watching on eBay for nearly 4 years, waiting for a time I had the space to buy it,” Waiata Sheehan explained. “I wanted something different to the normal till, they’re all so boring and square.”
    The store also has another large metal till and metal drawers that originally came from a 1980s Mary Quant store and were rescued from a squat in Hackney Wick.
    A large metal till was originally from a Mary Quant storeWaiata Sheehan also sourced several smaller pieces for the boutique, where customers can purchase everything down to the artwork, furniture and accessories.
    “I do all the buying so everything is here because I love it in some way,” she explained. “But in terms of favourite pieces in store right now?”
    “For fashion, it’s the Rick Owens orange shearling gimp mask gilet, for objects the Shirin Guild ceramic incense holders and for furniture the wobbly glass table with magazine racks.”
    Waiata Sheehan bought an old industrial control station from eBayWaiata Sheehan hopes the Aro Archive boutique will feel like a home away from home and help to create a community feel in the area.
    “I think Shoreditch is lacking a sense of community and I wanted to work that into the space,” she said. “The feeling of a chaotic family home and a feeling of togetherness.”
    Lampposts from a scrapyard form pillars inside the storeOther London stores with notable interior design recently covered on Dezeen include Swedish fashion brand Toteme’s newly-opened Mayfair store and a Coach pop-up store at Selfridges that had fixtures made from recyclable materials.
    The photography is by John Munro.

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    Halleroed references Swedish Grace and Carlo Scarpa for Toteme flagship store

    Stockholm studio Halleroed has designed fashion brand Toteme’s flagship store in London, which features a sculpture by artist Carl Milles and a steel sofa by designer Marc Newson.

    Halleroed designed the store, located on Mount Street in the upmarket Mayfair area, together with Toteme founders Elin Kling and Karl Lindman. The duo wanted its third flagship to feature nods to the brand’s heritage.
    “We like the idea of keeping certain elements that we find in our Swedish heritage,” Lindman told Dezeen at the store’s launch event.
    “It can be by using certain vintage pieces, or like in [the brand’s Mercer Street store] in New York, we had a collaboration with Svenskt Tenn,” he added. “It’s about lifting this notion of Scandinavian design or Swedish design.”
    A metal sofa by Marc Newson is among the sculptural details in the storeHalleroed drew on the space itself when designing the interior, focussing on how the light falls.

    “We were inspired by the space itself with beautiful original windows letting the daylight in,” Halleored co-founder Ruxandra Halleroed told Dezeen.
    “The upper part of the windows was partly hidden, which was a shame, so we redesigned the ceiling with a half vault towards the front to show the full height of the windows.”
    A piece by sculptor Carl Milles sits by the entranceThe design also references the work of Italian architect Carlo Scarpa as well as the Swedish Grace movement.
    “We were also inspired by the Swedish Grace period – around 1920-30s – that has an elegant and pure design, something we think works well for Toteme as a brand,” Halleroed co-founder Christian Halleroed told Dezeen.
    “Also the work of Carlo Scarpa we find interesting, more as a mindset on how to work with details and textures to create a subtle elegance and luxury.”
    A black mirrored cube features at the rear of the storeKling and Lindman wanted to keep the feel of “very posh” Mount Street where the store is located, while also underlining the space’s minimalist feel.
    To do so, a lot of effort was put into the colour palette and different textured materials used for the flagship store.

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    “We worked with an off-white palette in different tones and different textures,” Ruxandra Halleroed said.
    “The textures are as important as colour and materials. For walls, we have a glossy, off-white stucco, ceiling in same colour but matte. The floor is in a beige, honed limestone with a so-called Opus pattern.”
    Halleroed chose to redesign the store’s ceiling to reveal its windowsIn the middle of the Toteme shop, Halleroed created a stone-clad cube that holds shelves, vitrines and niches filled with artworks.
    “The volume in the middle is clad with the same limestone, but in three different textures: honed, bush hammered and spiked texture, combined with oxidised dark brass,” Christian Halleroed said.
    The store also features a square black volume in the back made from high-gloss stucco and dark brass.
    The minimalist interior has a beige, white and black colour paletteTo contrast the minimalist interior, the store is decorated with multiple artworks, including a sculpture by Milles and Newson’s intricately woven steel Random Pak Twin sofa, which Lindman found online.
    “He’s a slave to auction houses,” Kling told Dezeen.
    “So he found it and sent it to me and I loved it, and we also have a Marc Newsom piece in every store,” she added. “So we thought, ‘this one’s for the Mount Street store’. At that time we only had the signed contract, nothing else.”
    The store is located on Mount Street in central LondonThe two founders and Halleroed decided on the gypsum Milles sculpture for the Toteme store together, with Halleroed designing a custom niche to place it in that is made from black high-gloss stucco to contrast the pale artwork.
    Halleroed also added vintage Swedish Grace furniture to the store, including armchairs and a coffee table by furniture designer Otto Schulz, a daybed and a mirror in pewter made for the Stockholm Exhibition 1930.
    The studio has designed a number of other store interiors, including a Paris boutique for French brand L/Uniform and an Acne Studios store in Chengdu that aimed to combine the futuristic and primitive.

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    PL Studio applies Moroccan-inspired palette to London townhouse

    Interior design office PL Studio has transformed an east London townhouse using colours and graphics that take cues from the Jardin Majorelle in Marrakesh.

    The three-storey, new-build house features similar shades of blue, green and yellow to the Morrocan villa that was once home to artist Jacques Majorelle.
    The home’s colour palette draws from the Jardin Majorelle in MarrakeshFurther green tones allude to the villa’s verdant garden, while soft pink hues bring a sense of overall “warmth and joy” to the palette.
    PL Studio designed the scheme for creative couple Tom Lalande and Julian-Pascal Saadi, who live in the house with their chihuahua puppy, Sasha-Lee.
    A green shade was applied to the main bedroomThe studio founders, couple Sabrina Panizza and Aude Lerin, felt the design should reflect their clients’ love of colour.

    “Although we admired the architecture and loved how the townhouse was beautifully filled with natural light, we felt that overall, the property was lacking character and positivity,” said the pair.
    “We wanted to create a home that reflected our clients’ personalities and joyful spirit, a home filled with positive energy.”
    The reception room features cobalt blue walls and arch graphicsLalande and Saadi had recently returned from a trip to Marrakesh, which led this to becoming the starting point for the design.
    The reference is most evident in a reception room at the house’s entrance, which features cobalt blue walls, a colour-block rug, plants and a Tom Dixon Etch pendant light in gold-toned brass.
    The arch graphics feature on both walls and doorwaysThe effect is heightened by paint graphics that include arched openings – both real and illusionary – and stepped blocks that create the suggestion of extra staircases.
    As Saadi works as a psychologist, this room primarily serves as a waiting room for his clients.
    Picture-frame-style graphics provide a backdrop to the dining tableThe couple’s main living space occupies the uppermost floor, where an L-shaped room gives the pair a combined kitchen, dining area and lounge.
    Geometric wall graphics tie these three spaces together but also highlight the divides between them. The most striking of these is a triptych of picture-frame-style blocks that frame the dining table.

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    “Our clients didn’t have a clear idea of what they wanted, but they had a strong desire to be surrounded by pieces of art, colours and objects that would give them good energy, which is so powerful,” said Panizza and Lerin.
    “They were not afraid of mixing different shades and colour combinations, so we went for bright, bold, and fearless!”
    A guest bedroom features a striped ceiling akin to a market stall awningThe main bedroom, located on the middle floor, uses subtly different shades of green to create colour depth. This is offset with monochrome stripes and pops of pink and blue.
    Also on this floor is a guest bedroom that doubles as a dressing room, featuring a striped ceiling that looks like a market stall awning and a pink bathroom framed by black linear details.
    Arches feature throughout these spaces, in the form of mirrors and wardrobes as well as wall graphics.
    A pink bathroom is framed by black linear detailsSaadi’s ground-floor office takes the place of a third bedroom. This room has a different character from the rest of the house, with details inspired by surrealist art.
    Key features include a sculptural table in the shape of a hand and ceiling wallpaper depicting a cloudy sky.
    A ground-floor office takes cues from surrealist art. Photo is by Aude LerinPanizza hopes the “kaleidoscopic” project can serve to inspire people who see London’s new-build homes as characterless compared with the city’s older properties.
    “We want to show it is absolutely possible to create a home with lots of personality and character. It just takes a bit of courage,” she told Dezeen.
    The photography is by Taran Wilkhu unless otherwise indicated. Top image is by Aude Lerin

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

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

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

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

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

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    Wooden elements “take centre stage” in Japandi-style Studio Frantzén restaurant

    Scandinavian and Japanese influences come together at Studio Frantzén, a restaurant in London’s Harrods department store designed by Joyn Studio.

    Stockholm-based Joyn Studio created the sleek interiors for Studio Frantzén – the latest restaurant opened by chef Björn Frantzén.
    Top: visitors enter via a domed reception area. Above: the bar is characterised by back-lit glass bricksThe two-storey eatery is arranged across a main restaurant and bar on the fifth floor, as well as on an additional mezzanine and rooftop terrace on the sixth floor of Harrods.
    In stark contrast to the department store’s famed Edwardian baroque terracotta facade, Studio Frantzén features a contemporary palette that takes cues from both Scandinavian and Japanese design – a trend known as Japandi.
    Studio Frantzén is located across two levels at HarrodsVisitors enter the restaurant at a domed reception area, which references Scandinavian churches and forest chapels, according to the studio.

    The curved walls were clad with blocky cherry wood while illustrations of Nordic animals by Ragnar Persson decorate the ceiling and a Swedish wooden Dala horse was perched on the welcome desk.
    “Undoubtedly, wood takes centre stage in this restaurant,” Joyn Studio founding partner Ida Wanler told Dezeen.
    The main restaurant is composed of two dining hallsThe reception area gives way to a “glowing” bar composed of stacks of glass bricks bathed in amber light, which is mirrored by a ceiling of gridded copper.
    Informed by traditional Japanese izakaya – a type of casual watering hole serving snacks – the large main restaurant is composed of two dining halls with bespoke geometric terrazzo and marble flooring.
    One features bespoke timber seatingOne hall features an open kitchen and Joyn Studio-designed chunky seating booths and sofas carved out of end-grain wood. This was sourced from a large Hungarian pine tree, cut into cubes and then glued together piece by piece.
    This double-height space is illuminated by a spindly oversized chandelier by Swedish studio Front.
    The other follows the same gridded geometry as the barThe other dining hall, tucked around the corner and connected to a wine cellar, follows the same geometry as the bar.
    Sliding timber doors and a gridded wooden ceiling are interrupted by ultramarine benches in booths and delicate, ribbed paper lampshades.

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    “To create a distinctive Nordic dining experience with Asian influences within a historic London building, we delved into the architectural and design legacy of the early 20th century,” explained Wanler.
    “Inspired by the journeys of our predecessors to the far east, where they assimilated influences and pioneered a style known as Swedish Grace, we embraced the resonances between traditional Japanese and Nordic architecture and craftsmanship,” she continued.
    Mirrored artwork by Caia Leifsdotter was included in the mezzanineOn the upper floor, the mezzanine includes three intimate dining booths accentuated by a burnt orange carpet and a wall-mounted Psychedelic Mirror by designer Caia Leifsdotter.
    Characterised by marble, rattan and wooden accents, the rooftop terrace offers expansive city views.
    The rooftop terrace offers views of London”Aiming to infuse creativity into the traditional luxury context of Harrods, we envisioned a relaxed and comfortable ambiance with sparks of richness created in unexpected ways,” said Wanler.
    In 2022, Joyn Studio was longlisted for the title of emerging interior design studio of the year at the Dezeen Awards.
    Elsewhere at Harrods, fashion house Prada recently opened a green-hued pop-up cafe that referenced one of Milan’s oldest patisseries.
    The photography is by Åsa Liffner.

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    Cake Architecture draws on Bauhaus principles for Hoxton bar

    Cake Architecture has renovated A Bar with Shapes for a Name, an east London cocktail bar featuring “utilitarian” interiors.

    A Bar with Shapes for a Name owes its title to the yellow triangle, red square and blue circle that are emblazoned on its facade in a nod to the primary colours and understated geometry commonly associated with the Bauhaus.
    Tall tubular chairs feature on the ground floorWhen creating the bar’s minimalist interiors, Dalston-based Cake Architecture took cues from the influential German art and design school that was established in 1919 and advocated for an emphasis on functionality, among other similar principles.
    Located at 232 Kingsland Road in Hoxton, the cocktail bar was renovated by the studio to serve as a multipurpose venue.
    Cake Architecture created a smooth ground-floor bar from reddish plywoodCake Architecture doubled the bar’s capacity by adding a basement, which acts as a “kitchen-bar” room, and refurbished the ground floor’s existing seating area as well as a classroom-style space that offers a location for rotating events or workshops.

    “These spaces have specific functional requirements and we selected colours and materials to suit,” studio director Hugh Scott Moncrieff told Dezeen.
    It was positioned opposite a rectilinear light installationUpon entering the bar, visitors are greeted by the main seating area or “showroom”, which was designed to be warm and inviting.
    Tall tubular chairs finished with neutral rattan were positioned around chunky geometric tables made from birch ply stained to a rich, reddish-brown hue.
    The renovation included the addition of a new basementThe team also used the same timber to create the space’s curving bar, which is illuminated by a squat, cordless table lamp by lighting brand Flos.
    Opposite the bar, a glowing rectilinear light installation by photographer Steve Braiden was fitted to the wall underneath bench-style seating reminiscent of early Bauhaus furniture designs.
    A steel, glass-topped table sets an industrial tone”We looked in particular at projects by the Bauhaus founder Walter Gropius,” reflected Scott Moncrieff.
    “Gropius is a master of this elegant zoning through the application of colour and form,” he added.
    The “classroom” includes steel-framed tablesDownstairs, the low-lit basement was created to house additional seating as well as “all of the crazy machinery they use to prepare the drinks,” the designer said.
    The basement is characterised by a bespoke central table by Cake Architecture and furniture designer Eddie Olin.
    Red, yellow and blue accents define a sculptural lampConsisting of a steel frame that “floats” over a central leg, the table was topped with a glass surface and its base was clad in phenolic-coated plywood to match the floor and walls.
    “This new basement is predominantly a production space – so the palette reflects this with hardwearing, utilitarian and industrial materials,” said Scott Moncrieff.

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    A thick, felt curtain in ultramarine adds a pop of colour to the otherwise pared-back space.
    With its pale blue walls and Valchromat-topped, steel-framed tables, the ground-floor “classroom” pays homage to the Bauhaus as an educational institution.
    A tall blackboard provides space to learn in the classroomBrighter blue vinyl covers the floors while a sculptural lamp featuring red, yellow and blue circles echoes the bar’s logo.
    A tall blackboard and overhead strip lighting add to the classroom feel of the space, which is used for various group events.
    Thin vertical lights frame the bathroom sinkCake Architecture worked closely with the bar’s founders Remy Savage and Paul Lougrat when creating the interiors, which were primarily informed by the duo’s way of working.
    “The team has a conceptually driven ethos drawn from the theory and practice of Bauhaus embedded in everything they are doing. We found that incredibly exciting,” explained Scott Moncrieff.
    A Bar with Shapes for a Name is located on London’s Kingsland Road”The Bauhaus phrase ‘party, work, play’ was pertinent to some early ideas and this carried through all our design discussions,” noted the designer.
    “The space enables these three things. Separately as individual functions and simultaneously as a representation of the overall atmosphere of a bar!”
    Cake Architecture previously worked with interior designer Max Radford to create a curtain-wrapped speakeasy in London’s Soho. The studio also designed a workspace for London agency Ask Us For Ideas in the same part of the city.
    The photography is by Felix Speller. 

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    Martin Brudnizki draws on “gritty glamour” for colourful Broadwick Soho hotel

    Interior architect Martin Brudnizki has used Italian maiolica tiles and bespoke furniture from India to give London’s Broadwick Soho hotel an eclectic look.

    The eight-floor hotel was designed by Martin Brudnizki Design Studio (MBDS) to evoke the history of Soho – the London neighbourhood that surrounds it.
    The hotel is located on Broadwick Street in London’s Soho area”Inspired by ‘gritty glamour’ and the diverse history of Soho, MBDS’s design influences range from 1970s disco pop elements to British eccentricity,” studio founder Martin Brudnizki told Dezeen.
    The hotel was also influenced by “the strong women who frequented Soho during the 1960s and 70s such as Mary Fedden, Molly Parkin and Muriel Belcher.”
    Maiolica tiles decorate the restaurant barBroadwick Soho is comprised of  57 rooms, which Brudnizki decorated in opulent colours and patterns. For the downstairs Italian restaurant, Dear Jackie, Brudnizki sourced materials and accessories that nod to its cuisine.

    “A split-level restaurant, the communal dining takes centre stage with long counter-style tables featuring 1970s Formica tops and Memphis-inspired chandeliers suspended from coral lacquered ceilings,” he said.
    Floral patterns cover the walls of the restaurant”The bar features maiolica tiles in traditional southern Italian patterns,” Brudnizki added. “This compliments the maiolica wall covering adorned with Sicilian folk motifs of grapes and flowers.”
    The handpainted ceramic tiles for the bar were developed by the studio itself together with a family business in Sicily.
    Rooms feature decorative elephant wallpaperIn some of the guestrooms, walls were decorated with marbled wallpaper with a pattern of tigers and elephants. The elephant was chosen as a symbol for the hotel and was also turned into mini bars in the hotel’s suites.
    “A huge amount of bespoke pieces were designed by the studio and produced by talented craftspeople across the world,” Brudnizki said.
    Martin Brudnizki Design Studio had elephant minibars crafted in India”The wonderful elephant mini bars in the suites were designed by the studio and crafted in India,” he added.
    “We actually travelled to India to work with the craftspeople directly, ensuring each detail was as we envisioned.”
    A vintage Murano glass chandelier hangs in The NookThe studio also sourced a number of vintage pieces for the hotel, including a 1970s Murano glass chandelier that hangs from the ceiling of The Nook – Broadwick Soho’s residents-only ground-floor lounge.
    MBDS also commissioned new Murano glass lamps that are scattered throughout the space.

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    “All of the Murano glass lights throughout the property have been made and developed by local artisans in the Venice region,” Brudnizki said.
    “Lastly, there is a collection of antiques throughout the hotel that have been sourced from independent Italian and British antique dealers, auction houses and shops.”
    Rooftop bar Flute features a variety of polished materialsBroadwick Soho’s rooftop dining bar – named Flute after a 19th-century flute maker on Broadwick Street – is an example of how Brudnizki played with multiple colours and patterns to create a space that he describes as combining “cocooned comfort with maximalist glamour”.
    Here, saturated green and pink pastel colours contrast gleaming marble and brass details, while contemporary art decorates the walls.
    The Nook has a cosy reading areaThe overall aim of the project was to create a hotel that would suit the context and history of Soho.
    “We were conscious of ensuring that what we were designing felt authentic and true to the Soho context and neighbourhood,” Brudnizki concluded.
    “It has such a strong and important cultural history, we were conscious we needed to draw this out and bring it to the forefront of our design concept.”
    Previous London projects designed by Brudnizki, who was one of the judges for Dezeen Awards 2023, include a mythology-informed restaurant and the redesign of members’ club Annabel’s.
    The photography is by James McDonald.

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    Kin designs Dentons law firm office interior for more than “just a business meeting”

    Design studio Kin has created the Edinburgh office interior for global law firm Dentons, featuring a communal rotunda with no doors and an open-plan bar.

    Manchester-based Kin designed the office at 9 Haymarket Square – a mixed-use development in Edinburgh.
    Oranges and greens feature throughout the interiorThe studio sought to “challenge the conventional approach to design for legal practices” when creating the interior, which includes a central rotunda designed as a casual place to gather.
    Built from Scottish oak, the round structure features a circular footprint to counterbalance the existing building’s angles and straight lines.
    Kin positioned a rotunda in the centre of the office”We wanted it to have a homely familiar feeling with no physical doors, just a series of connected spaces,” Kin director Matt Holmes told Dezeen.

    The rotunda was also partially clad with acoustic panels made from recycled plastic bottles, which were fitted to absorb sound and reduce ambient reverberation from around the rest of the office.
    Statement timber arches frame the welcome deskIlluminated, amphitheatre-style seating was positioned in the middle of the rotunda, while individual meeting booths were placed on its perimeter.
    The welcome desk was framed by oversized statement arches set within a boxy timber shelving unit.

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    Elsewhere, Kin added an open-plan bar to the office, made from bespoke wooden rods and solid terrazzo.
    “The bar was designed to act as a focal point for the client space – somewhere for people to gravitate around as they leave the concierge desk,” said Holmes.
    “A visit [to Dentons] is not just a business meeting, but an experience,” he added.
    Potted plants add a lush touchThroughout the office, the studio opted for orange and green hues for working areas and used both smooth geometric tiles and more tactile surfaces.
    “The materiality draws inspiration from Scotland’s abundant natural landscape through warm timbers and rich and textured fabrics,” said Holmes.
    “Whilst balancing them against the warm tonal colour palette and strong geometry of Edinburgh’s built environment, the rooftops and tenement tile patterns provided so much inspiration.”
    Materials were informed by “Scotland’s abundant natural landscape”Kin worked with local craftspeople when building the project.
    Other offices designed to make their occupants feel at home include a real estate office in Tokyo created by Flooat to be “as stress-free as possible” and Mason Studio’s self-designed office in Toronto that also doubles as a space for community programming such as exhibitions and other events.
    The photography is by Amy Heycock.

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