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    Michael Groth uses natural and recycled materials inside New York’s Donna restaurant

    New York designer Michael Groth collaborated with a Moroccan artisan cooperative to create the wall hangings for this worker-owned bar and restaurant in the West Village.

    The opening of Donna’s new location on Cornelia Street follows the closure of its Williamsburg spot in December 2020 as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
    Michael Groth has designed the new Donna outpost in New YorkServing a pan-Latin menu with Mediterranean influences and Filipino-inspired cocktails, the restaurant and bar is now a worker-owned cooperative, with original owner Leif Young Huckman acting as an advisor.
    To reflect this shift, Brooklyn-based Groth aimed to imbue the design of the new outpost with references to the previous location while nodding to Donna’s revised business model.
    Earth-toned limewash plaster was applied to the walls in geometric patternsHe drew influences from the constructivist art movements of Latin America in the 20th century and particularly the work of artists Sandu Darie, Pedro Alvarez and Lygia Clark.

    Donna is decorated with earth-toned limewash plaster, applied to the walls in geometric patterns that echo the brand’s visual identity.
    Groth created wall hangings in collaboration with artisan cooperative The AnouExposed brickwork is painted white, forming a plain backdrop for the circular wool wall hangings that Groth created in collaboration with Moroccan artisan cooperative The Anou.
    Together with wool floor rugs, these help to dampen the acoustics while lime plaster assists in regulating humidity, according to Groth.

    GRT Architects uses “riot” of materials for Bad Roman restaurant in New York

    The tables are crafted from reclaimed Douglas fir flooring and stained plywood was used to build the banquette seating that wraps the perimeter.
    Bar-back shelving and floors were repurposed from the unit’s previous tenant, while the bar tops were fabricated by Brooklyn Stone and Tile – another worker-owned cooperative.
    Tables are crafted from reclaimed Douglas fir”The use of any new materials was limited to those that are natural and biodegradable, keeping in mind the holistic effects of resource extraction, human health and equity, and circular material cycles,” the Donna team said.
    Pendants lights above the bar have shades made from mushroom mycelium, which according to the team presents “an environmentally holistic approach to material creation that poetically reflects Donna’s equitable business model”.
    The pendant lights above the bar feature mycelium shadesNew York City’s dining scene was upheaved during the pandemic, with many eating and drinking establishments forced to either adapt or shutter.
    As a result, sidewalk dining shelters sprung up across the city, as documented in these photographs by John Tymkiw.
    The photography is by Nicholas Ruiz.

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    Hawaiian heritage informs Wayfinder Waikiki hotel by The Vanguard Theory

    Honolulu design studio The Vanguard Theory has created interiors for a hotel on Waikiki Beach that “embrace the brutalist architecture” of the building, while adding tropical touches to the decor.

    The Wayfinder Waikiki offers 228 guest rooms just a few blocks from the famous surfing beach of the same name in the Hawaiian capital, on the island of Oahu.
    In the bedrooms at the Wayfinder Waikiki, rounded headboards feature a mix of patternsLocal firm The Vanguard Theory waas behind the transformation of an existing brutalist building into a colour-filled hotel that nods to both indigenous Hawaiian and imported traditions.
    “Celebrating the rich diversity and multicultural fabric of Hawaii, touches of Hawaiian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Filipino, and European details are all blended together, creating Kama’aina style,” said the hotel.
    The rooms are decorated in different colour combinationsA variety of different guest room sizes and types are available, from standard doubles all the way up to premium pool house studios.

    The rooms feature custom-designed wooden furniture and works by local artists and are decorated in different colour combinations that each reflect the natural world.
    The rooms range in size from standard double to pool house suitesGreen and coral hues are indicative of land, shades of blue and turquoise echo the sea, and gold and grey tones were chosen to represent the sky.
    Wainscoting adds dimension to the walls, some of which are painted in colour floor-to-ceiling, while others stop midway and continue in white to make the spaces feel bright.

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    Round patterned headboards were created as a blend of “Japanese obi sashes, Polynesian-influenced tribal prints and plaid palaka fabric reflective of historic Portuguese ranchers” according to the hotel.
    The cords of bedside pendant lamps are laced with pikake and pakalana flowers – both native to Hawaii.
    The hotel’s lobby includes seating areas, a coffee bar and a shop selling merchandiseA similar design language is found in the lobby, where plants and floral prints sit side by side against concrete surfaces and leather furniture.
    Connected to the reception area along a counter with a fluted blue front is B-Side, a coffee shop from which guests can also purchase cocktails, light bites and hotel merchandise.
    The Redfish restaurant serves an all-day poke menuMore formal dining can be enjoyed at Redfish, an all-day poke restaurant where highly tonal wood panels cover large expanses of the walls and ceiling.
    Next to the 70-foot (21 metres) saltwater “lagoon” pool is a bar called Lost + Found that serves frozen tropical cocktails, plus a range of other drinks and snacks. There’s also an on-site gym.
    Guests can swim in a saltwater “lagoon” poolWayfinder Waikiki is the second location in owner Dovetail + Co’s Wayfinder portfolio, following its outpost in Newport, Rhode Island.
    It joins a wide range of accommodation options in Honolulu, a hugely popular tourist destination, including the mid-century influenced Laylow Hotel and the brightly coloured Shoreline Waikiki.
    The photography is by Mariko Reed, Read McKendree and Surf Please.

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    Shiftspace brings IM Pei rowhouse in Philadelphia back to “original vision”

    US studio Shiftspace has renovated a rowhouse in Philadelphia originally designed by Chinese-American architect IM Pei, restoring its original qualities after decades of alterations.

    Designed by Pei as part of a row of houses in the 1950s, the three-storey unit in the Society Hill neighbourhood had undergone several renovations and extensions over the years.
    Shiftspace was tasked with paring back these alterations to restore Pei’s original vision while enhancing it with contemporary details.
    Shiftspace has renovated an IM Pei-designed rowhouse in Philadelphia”Understanding Pei’s original vision for these houses, we approached this project with a sense of reverence that allowed us to see our design as enhancements to that original vision rather than starting from a blank canvas,” said Shiftspace partner Tim Barnes.
    Rowhouses are common in Philadelphia and sometimes referred to colloquially as “rowhomes”. Much of the city’s housing of this typology was built in the late-18th and early-19th centuries.

    According to Shiftspace, Pei designed the Society Hill townhouses to “bridge the gap” between these brick rowhomes and his nearby condominium, Society Hill Towers.
    It was originally built in the 1950sThe original exterior of the home has been retained. It consists of a mostly brick facade punctuated at the street-facing side by a large window with a small steel balcony.
    At the top of the home is a band of concrete-framed clerestory windows.
    Wooden louvres replace wallsInside, a central staircase that reaches from the basement to the third storey is essential to the redesign. Cleaving to Pei’s vision, Shiftspace has reoriented the home around this spiral stair and introduced a series of open-concept living spaces.
    The updated floorplans follow a typical format, with public spaces on the first three floors and three bedrooms on the fourth.
    At ground level, a curved breakfast nook with banquet seating leads to a kitchen that sits between the central staircase and a wall, and back into a dining area that has access to a garden patio. Here, some solid walls have been replaced with wooden louvres.
    The home is oriented around a spiral staircaseAbove are a living room and a study, separated by the staircase, as well as rearranged bedrooms and bathrooms.
    Two of the bedrooms on the top floor share a bathroom, while the main sleeping space has an ensuite. The bathrooms are tucked into spaces attached to the central core.
    “Our design reverted back to Pei’s original concept using a centralized core for all circulation, bath and mechanical spaces while reconfiguring for a master suite, kitchen, and entry area,” said founding partner Mario Gentile.

    “With IM Pei’s death, the last of the modern monument makers has passed”

    The studio added a new frame to the oculus at the top of the staircase that circulates additional light to the largely windowless structure. It also added skylights to the bedrooms.
    Minimising divides between rooms also allowed for further circulation throughout the home and for more light to penetrate the lower levels from the oculus.
    Shiftspace wanted to honour Pei’s original visionThe design was geared towards a more active lifestyle, which led to the addition of bike storage tucked away into nooks in the basement and on the ground floor.
    Shiftspace completed the renovation with a light-toned colour palette for the more public spaces and darker hues for the bedrooms and study.
    Pei was born in Guangzhou, China in 1917 and emigrated to the United States in 1935, where he founded a studio today known as Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. He designed a number of noteworthy buildings including Dallas City Hall and the Grand Louvre pyramid in Paris.
    Other buildings of his to be renovated include the Eskenazi Museum in Indiana.

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    Penthouse at Richard Rogers-designed New York tower overlooks City Hall Park

    A penthouse has been unveiled inside British architecture firm RSHP’s first residential project in New York City: a tower overlooking City Hall Park in Lower Manhattan.

    With interiors by local studio Ash Staging, Penthouse 3 is one of 30 residences within No 33 Park Row, which was designed by RSHP’s late founder, Pritzker Architecture Prize-winning architect Richard Rogers, before his death in 2021.
    Penthouse 3 at No 33 Park Row boasts 15-foot (4.5-metre) ceilingsFrom the 23-storey tower, the 5,403-square-foot (502-square-metre) penthouse has an unobstructed view of the Manhattan park, and features dark-coloured steel framing intended to reference the area’s industrial-era buildings.
    Visible through the huge windows are the building’s copper fins, an architectural element similar to the firm’s previous residential buildings such as One Hyde Park in London.
    The corner residence boasts views of City Hall through huge windows”One Hyde Park and 33 Park Row each face a park to the north and exhibit a similarity in terms of aspiration and quality with carefully composed facades that exhibit a richness of depth, shadow and texture,” said studio partner Graham Stirk, who worked alongside Rogers on the building.

    The penthouse interior features a double-height, open-plan living area that wraps around the huge north-facing windows to form an L shape.
    A staircase with glass balustrades connects to the upper levelTwo generously sized seating areas are positioned on either side of a 10-person dining table in the corner, while an adjacent bar area can be hidden away behind folding pocket doors.
    Above the grey marble kitchen is a grand wood-panelled storage and display wall that extends all the way up to the ceiling, with high shelves accessible via a rolling ladder as well as the mezzanine corridor.
    Each of the five bedrooms features a different aestheticA metal staircase with glass balustrades doglegs around a curved platform to reach the upper level, where a workspace is located on the glass-edged balcony.
    Five bedrooms all have tall ceilings but are decorated with different detailing. One is entirely neutral-toned, while another features pale teal walls, blue upholstery and rug, and copper table lamps.

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    In the 5.5 baths, richly veined book-matched Montclair Danby marble patterns the walls and floors, and an outdoor terrace measuring 108 square feet (10 square metres) has a wooden deck that echoes some of the millwork inside.
    The penthouse’s eventual residents will also have access to the fifth-floor amenities, which include an indoor/outdoor fitness centre and yoga studio, an outdoor kitchenette and dining area, as well as a rooftop terrace, library, craft studio, screening room and bike storage.
    Richly veined, book-matched Montclair Danby marble features in the bathroomsFounded as Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners, the firm rebranded as RSHP in June 2022 following Rogers’ death. It has since revealed designs for “open and welcoming” Shenzhen skyscraper.
    The studio’s other projects in New York City include the 80-storey Three World Trade Center, which was completed in 2018 not far from No 33 Park Row.
    Dark-coloured steel framing on the exterior is intended to reference Lower Manhattan’s industrial-era buildingsOnce almost exclusively occupied by commercial property, Manhattan’s Financial District is becoming increasingly residential.
    Some of the existing offices towers are being converted into homes, like the recently opened One Wall Street, while new skyscrapers like David Adjaye’s newly completed 130 William are purpose-built for living.
    The photography is by Evan Joseph.

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    GRT Architects uses “riot” of materials for Bad Roman restaurant in New York

    Brooklyn studio GRT Architects has designed an Italian restaurant in New York City where a visual cacophony of colour, pattern and materials combine for a maximalist aesthetic.

    Bad Roman is the latest venture from the hospitality group Quality Branded, for which GRT Architects previously completed the interiors for Michelin-starred Don Angie.
    Bad Roman guests are greeted by a sculpture of a boar raised on a patterned podiumServing a “contemporary and whimsical” take on Italian cuisine, Bad Roman is located on the third level of a shopping centre in the Time Warner Center on Columbus Circle, at the southwest corner of Central Park.
    “Where The Shops at Columbus Circle are politely elegant, Bad Roman is a riot of rich and varied materials, textures, found objects, shapes and colour,” said GRT Architects.
    The organically shaped bar is clad in stripes of marble and glassThe 6,500-square-foot (604-square-metre) space has an open layout so that diners can enjoy the view of the park through the glass facade.

    To set the tone, guests are greeted by a sculpture of a boar, which is raised on a patterned podium and wears an illuminated collar.
    Booths lined up along the window feature stepped orange backsA curved bar sits in the middle of the restaurant. A light box above is clad in stripes of marble, mirror and cast glass, and emits a soft glow onto the marble bar counter below.
    Throughout the restaurant, a variety of booth seating arrangements are designed to accommodate parties of all sizes.
    Blown-glass lighting, 19th-century sculptures and various decor elements are combined in the colourful spaceThe booths have fabric-wrapped cushioned backs with multiple panels at stepped heights, which form waves when placed side-by-side around the tables.
    “We made these islands into worlds unto themselves, incorporating textured plaster cladding, assemblages of found objects and segmented upholstery in a family of orange fabrics,” said the studio.
    Private dining rooms at the end of the restaurant each have a distinct design languageAt one end of the 160-foot-long (49-metre) space are a pair of private dining rooms, while a fully glazed area is located at the other – each with a distinct design language.
    Greenery spills from planters suspended from the coffered ceilings, and several different types of lighting help to set the mood.

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    The bright dining room is contrasted by dark and moody bathrooms, where a two-tiered, classical-style garden fountain sits on a mosaic basin at their entrance.
    “Minimal it is not, but the design of Bad Roman is unified by a high level of handcraft, and a say-yes-to-all-beautiful-materials attitude,” GRT Architects said.
    A classical-style fountain is positioned at the entrance to the bathrooms”Locally blown-glass light fixtures, trompe l’oeil mosaics, 19th-century fragments and intricate tilework all collude to create an exuberant home for Bad Roman’s fresh take on modern Italian.”
    The studio was founded by Tal Schori and Rustam-Marc Mehta in 2014, and their team has since completed a variety of projects across the US.
    The dark and moody bathrooms contrast the bright and colourful dining roomOther restaurants in their portfolio include Cucina Alba in New York and Curtis Stone’s Georgie in Dallas.
    In the residential sector, GRT Architects recently completed the renovation of an East Village apartment and a house perched above the marshes in Connecticut.
    The photography is by Christian Harder.

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    Studio BV converts Minneapolis biscuit factory into offices for Our Family Wizard

    Dark blue meeting rooms surround an atrium filled with globe-shaped lights at the offices of a Minneapolis tech company, which locally based Studio BV created in a former biscuit factory.

    Studio BV created the 40,000-square-foot (3,700-square-metre) space for Our Family Wizard, an app designed to assist with co-parenting after divorce, inside the historic Loose Wiles Building in Minneapolis’s North Loop neighbourhood.
    A large atrium filled with glass globe lights sits at the centre of the buildingAs the company’s first “real” office, it was important for the designers to imbue the spaces with its branding and personality, to help build a sense of identity, as well as entice those used to working from home into the workplace.
    “The company had grown during the pandemic and wanted to find a new office that would be a draw for the employee mix and for people to come together and create relationships,” said Studio BV.
    Some of the factory’s brick walls were left exposed, while ceilings and ductwork were painted whiteThe building was once home to the Sunshine Biscuit Company, which produced snacks like Cheez-Its and Animal Crackers, and the team was keen to retain many of its original features.

    “The historic components of the building reflect the past, old methods, rough textures,” they said. “These components are embraced and in response we bring natural, and organic textures and color to the places where teams gather and connect.”
    Lounge areas and breakout spaces ring the upper floorSome of the exposed brick walls were left untreated, while concrete columns, ceiling beams and ductwork were painted white.
    Meanwhile, colours lifted from Our Family Wizard’s visual identity were introduced to assist with wayfinding and to inject personality.
    Clerestory windows bring light into communal workspacesDark blue paint was applied to the large meeting room walls, and a paler shade lines smaller one-on-one booths.
    Both hues were chosen for sofa upholstery in the lounge and breakout spaces that ring the upper level.
    Perforated panels separate seating booths in the upper-level barA large two-storey atrium in the middle of the floor plan brings extra daylight from the upper clerestory windows down into the lower levels.
    On one side of a central brick structure, the atrium void is occupied by a chandelier of globe-shaped pendants, suspended on individual wires at different heights.

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    On the other, wooden bleacher-style seating for large team gatherings connects two lower levels, descending to one of two bar areas at its base.
    The second bar, located on the upper level, features booth seating divided by perforated panels as well as cafe chairs and tables.
    The office features two bars to encourage employees to socialise”The unique character of this historic building is enhanced by the new office and amenity areas,” said Studio BV founder and CEO, Betsy Vohs.
    “The old historic ovens and openings are used to connect people between the floors. The large volume of space is flooded with daylight from the large windows and clerestory glass.”
    Blue tones used for upholstery are borrowed from the company’s visual identityOffices for technology companies have come a long way since the slides and foosball tables of the dot-com boom.
    Recently completed examples include a Southern California workplace linked by black staircases and a repurposed power station in Singapore
    The photography is by Corey Gaffer.

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    Checkerboard walls wrap Awake NY store by Rafael de Cárdenas

    Local architect Rafael de Cárdenas referenced lost landmarks of New York for the interiors of this streetwear store in the city’s Lower East Side.

    De Cárdenas worked with Angelo Baque, the former brand director of streetwear brand Supreme, on the design of a retail location for Awake NY, which Baque founded in 2012.
    Large sculptures are placed throughout the store, including a replica of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park UnisphereThe new home for the men’s clothing line at 62 Orchard Street is a homage to New York City’s fashion meccas of the 1980s and 90s, many of which have since shuttered.
    “Both De Cárdenas and Baque grew up in New York around the same time, which informed their design direction,” said a joint statement from the duo. “They built upon shared memories of lost landmarks in New York design and youth culture: Canal Jean, Antique Boutique, and Unique — and used them as reference points for the store identity.”
    Several elements leftover from the store’s previous occupants were retained, including carved wooden frames above the clothing racksThe store retains some of the features leftover from the family-owned suiting business that formerly occupied the space.

    Logos of brands carried by the previous tenants are still visible on the glass vitrines on either side of the entrance.
    The walls at the back of the space are covered in a checkerboard patternThese display cases now carry bright blue carpets and colourful portraits by local artist Alvin Armstrong.
    Other remnants from the store’s past include the original exterior signage, which reads “Mens Clothiers”, and carved wooden frames above the clothing racks inside.
    Other large sculptural elements include a giant plywood ‘A’New elements include the flooring, sourced from a school gym in Cleveland, and wood shelving affixed to the walls with ratchet straps.
    At the back of the boutique, the walls are covered in a checkerboard pattern that is repeated on a display stand closer to the centre.

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    Some of the industrial-style columns and areas of the metal-panelled ceiling are left exposed, while other structural elements are painted white or wrapped in mirrors.
    Murals by Larissa De Jesús Negrón adorn the fitting room area, and checkered chairs were sourced from B&B Italia.
    Plywood is also used to form storage and display casesThere are also several large sculptural pieces placed on the shop floor, helping to create a flow for shoppers.
    “The store is anchored by a replica of the Flushing Meadows Corona Park Unisphere, originally built for the 1964 World’s Fair in Baque’s hometown of Queens, and a floor-to-ceiling Awake NY ‘A’ built from plywood in the centre of the store,” said the design team.
    The flooring was sourced from a school gym in ClevelandDe Cárdenas, who is one of the judges for this year’s Dezeen Awards, has designed a variety of retail projects during his career.
    His studio recently completed the Miami store for French shoe brand Nodaleto, with sci-fi-influenced interiors, and previously created a split-level bar in Nordstrom’s flagship store in Midtown Manhattan.
    The photography is by Adrian Gaut.

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    Kelly Wearstler adds pattern-filled bar to Austin Proper Hotel

    American designer Kelly Wearstler has created an intimate cocktail lounge within a hotel she designed in Austin, Texas, which is intended to evoke “a balance between old-world opulence and modern elegance”.

    The Quill Room forms an extension to the existing dining and drinking options at the Austin Proper Hotel and Residences, which Wearstler completed the interiors for in 2019.
    The Quill Room offers hotel guests and residents an additional lounge and bar spaceThe lounge is tucked away on the second floor of the Handel Architects-designed building in Downtown Austin, and offers a French-inspired menu and live music programming for the hotel’s guests and residents.
    Wearstler’s interiors for the bar are awash with pattern, mixing gold, brown and black to create a space that appears warm, rich and elevated.
    A variety of vintage and contemporary chairs populate the spaceMany of the design elements blend nostalgia and contemporary twists, like tufted leather armchairs positioned beside funky sculptural lamps.

    “The design of The Quill Room is a balance between old-world opulence and modern elegance,” she told Dezeen. “The salon-style bar pairs the aesthetics to transport guests to another time within Downtown Austin, while still reflecting the city’s creative and music scenes.”
    Golden patterned wallpaper covers the wallsGolden patterned wallpaper covers the majority of the walls and continues across the ceiling, helping to make the room feel more intimate.
    “A highlight would have to be the gold wall covering,” said Wearstler. “It’s actually an adaptation of a piece from my own archive, originally created during the UK’s 1920s Arts & Crafts movement.”
    Within niches, folded screens feature a checkerboard of gold mirrorSmall tables and mismatched seats are positioned in recesses, against folding panels with a checkerboard of gold mirrors and floral motifs within wooden frames.
    Wearstler’ also included low leather and upholstered seats, as well as taller dining chairs along the sheer-curtained windows.
    Furniture pieces were sourced from Europe and a famous Texas antiques marketMost of the furniture pieces are vintage, or were crafted specifically for this project, including the rugs, lighting and additional decorative items.
    “The Quill Room features a lot of inspired furnishings that represent design through the decades – mainly from the 1960s to 1990s – which we’ve sourced from Europe and as nearby as the famed Round Top Antiques Market,” Wearstler said.

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    The bar itself runs straight along the back wall, fronting an open cabinet filled with liquor bottles that is topped with red neon tubes. “It’s a detail crafted by an Austin artist, bringing the modern and the local to the forefront amongst the vintage-inspired,” said Wearstler.
    Another feature element is the illuminated, self-playing Edelweiss piano that was custom designed to offer “a uniquely Texan experience” for guests. There’s also a small, shaded outdoor terrace for enjoying drinks and bites in the warm Austin weather.
    An illuminated, self-playing Edelweiss piano was custom designed to entertain guestsThe new space joins the hotel’s Mediterranean-influenced restaurant The Peacock, private ground-floor cocktail bar Goldie’s, and Mexican-inspired rooftop restaurant and bar La Piscina.
    “I see The Quill Room as a complement to The Austin Proper’s existing restaurants and bars,” Wearstler said. “Like the rest of the property, it embodies modern elegance and refined luxury that heightens guests’ experience of the city while offering an immersive escape.”
    The Quill Room serves cocktails and French-inspired light bitesWearstler has completed multiple locations for the Proper hotel group, including several outposts in her home state of California, such as San Francisco and Santa Monica – which was named AHEAD Americas Hotel of the Year in 2020.
    Her most recent project for the franchise, in Downtown LA, opened last year and features a suite with its own indoor swimming pool.
    The photography is by The Ingalls.

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