Eight snowy all-white interiors that celebrate a singular hue
With Christmas fast approaching, our latest lookbook rounds up eight residential interiors from around the world dressed in dazzling white. More
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Ministry of Design’s Workshop is a collaborative space for post-Covid working
A simple steel framework incorporates both desks and storage in the self-designed all-white studio of architecture firm Ministry of Design in Singapore.
With the MOD Workshop, studio founder Colin Seah set out to create a different type of workspace from Ministry of Design’s award-winning Bar Code office, which the practice occupied from 2010 to 2023.
Ministry of Design has designed a new office for itself in SingaporeThe new office is less than a third of the size, with a focus on facilitating collaboration between coworkers who don’t spend as much time in the office as they did before the coronavirus pandemic.
“In line with MOD’s transition towards a technologically-enabled work environment, which allows for most designers to work remotely, the Workshop dispenses with typical workplace conventions,” Seah said.
The space is divided by a steel framework that incorporates desks and storage”Instead, it devotes 60 per cent of the layout to creative face-to-face collaboration because when we do need to meet in person, we really want it to make it count,” he continued.The 93-square-metre space is divided into a series of interconnected areas for collaboration, as well as hot desks and utility spaces, via a three-dimensional metal framework.
A wall clad with cable trays allows objects to be attached with hooks or magnetThe minimal scaffold incorporates screens made from frosted polycarbonate and fluted glass that allow light to pass through, generating a bright and layered aesthetic within the workspace.
The same materials were used to form shelves and worktops, with solid aluminium rods inserted into the polycarbonate panels to allow them to support heavier items.
One of the main workspaces is centred around what MOD describes as a counter-height “war room” table that can be used for shared creative activities as well as design discussions and presentations.Ministry of Design creates lush “banking conservatory” for Citibank Singapore
The table’s surface is made from frosted tempered glass that, along with other glossy and mirrored materials, helps to bounce light around the interior and enhance the spacious feel.
The metal framework incorporates an adjustable lighting system above the table that can simulate different light conditions, while large windows minimise the requirement for artificial lighting during the daytime.
To one side of the table is a wall clad with cable trays, allowing objects to be attached with hooks or magnets. Shelving along the opposite wall forms part of a material and artefact library.
The interior is almost entirely whiteThe library shelves span the full length and width of the Workshop, ensuring the designers always have easy access to materials used to inspire and stimulate creativity.
A row of hot desks along one wall and a meeting table near the entrance provide alternative areas for working and collaboration, with utility spaces including a pantry, printer and storage tucked away in a corner.
In contrast to the bright-white interior of the workspace, a compact restroom concealed behind a mirrored door is designed as a private sanctuary lined with black tiles.
In contrast, the bathroom is clad in black tilesMOD has completed more than 140 projects since it was founded by Seah in 2004, offering clients a holistic service that often includes architecture, product design, interior architecture, branding or landscaping.
“We love to question where the inherent potential in contemporary design lies and then to disturb the ways they are created or perceived, redefining the world around us in relevant and innovative ways, project by project,” Seah said.
Previous MOD projects include an office in a conservatory-like atrium filled with tropical plants and a co-living space with all-white interiors.
The photography is by Jovian Lim.Read more: More
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Samsøe Samsøe’s Paris pop-up gallery is a “blank canvas” decorated with clothing artworks
Danish fashion brand Samsøe Samsøe has launched a pop-up gallery for Paris Fashion Week that features an all-white interior decorated with artwork and furniture made from the brand’s T-shirts.
The exhibition space was designed to have a pared-down feel in a nod to the brand’s Basic collection, which is launching during the fashion week in the French capital.
Samsøe Samsøe’s in-house design team created the gallery together with set designer Fatima Fransson to be a “blank canvas” and bring the brand’s vision of “Scandinavian simplicity” to life.
The minimalist pop-up is located in Paris’ Le Marais area”The overall design is inspired by the way in which our Basic collection is structured,” Samsøe Samsøe art director Jelena Fijan told Dezeen.
“We took the timeless, long-lasting approach of the product to be central at the space, which gives it a contemporary art gallery feel,” she added.“[We wanted] to create a welcoming but abstract feeling for the visitor.”
It features a central counter covered in white T-shirtsThe resulting space, located in Paris’s Le Marais neighbourhood, has a stark all-white interior punctuated by a central counter partly made from the brand’s clothes.
“By creating a high-block bar, the installation functions both as an art piece and as a community table for people to connect and talk,” Fijan said.Halleroed references Swedish Grace and Carlo Scarpa for Toteme flagship store
“As this is the central piece in the space, we left some room for the brain to work, and we wanted to create a minimalist and long-lasting feel,” she added.
The block was made from plywood and epoxy resin, which was then covered in reclaimed T-shirts worn by the Samsøe Samsøe team.
Grey jumpers were turned into artworks on a concrete backgroundThe space also features artworks made from cashmere knits that were placed in plywood forms layered with a concrete-mixed plaster.
After Paris Fashion Week ends, the set will be moved to the brand’s headquarters in Copenhagen.
The space was designed to reference Samsøe Samsøe’s “Scandinavian minimalism”Other fashion stores with a minimalist interior include Swedish brand Toteme’s flagship London store, designed by Halleroed, and Balenciaga’s concrete Berlin store, which references the city’s modernist architecture.
The photography is courtesy of Samsøe Samsøe.
The Samsøe Samsøe gallery is located on 16 Rue Caffarelli, 75003 Paris, and will be open 28 February to 3 March. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.Read more: More
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Ten white bathrooms that are far from boring
Our latest lookbook explores contemporary takes on traditional white bathrooms, proving that monochrome doesn’t have to be monotonous.
White bathroom interiors are an enduring household trend, typically chosen for being practical but also for their connotations of cleanliness.
Yet, their simplicity is often seen as being sterile, traditional or devoid of design.
The ten examples listed below challenge this notion, demonstrating that with the right choice of tiles, plants and layers of texture, a white bathroom can still be an inviting sanctuary.
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing colourful staircases, living rooms with stone surfaces and light-filled glass extensions.Photo is by Maxime BockenThe Euclid Residence, Canada, by Ancerl Studio
Wall lights, curtains and a framed print make the white bathroom at The Euclid Residence feel more like a living room than a purely practical space.
Located off of the house’s main bedroom, the room also features a softly curved tub that grants its user views out onto an adjoining balcony.
Find out more about The Euclid Residence ›
Photo is by Fernando GuerraHouse in Fontinha, Portugal, by Manuel Aires Mateus
To add visual interest to the clean-cut washroom at House in Fontinha, architect Manuel Aires Mateus embedded a bathtub within its floor.
The level change is demarcated by polished concrete that also helps to break up the space. Beside it, a low-lying window introduces splashes of colour into the room.
Find out more about House in Fontinha ›
Photo is by Ben HoskingThe Melburnian Apartment, Australia, by Edition Office
Skinny white tiles envelop the bathroom at The Melburnian Apartment, covering its curved walls, floor and walk-in shower that is hidden and accessed through a large opening.
Designed by Edition Office, the tiles are teamed with a large mirror and a vanity cabinet that has a marbled finish and monolithic washbasins on top.
Find out more about The Melburnian Apartment ›
Photo is by Hey! CheeseXS House, Taiwan, by Phoebe Sayswow Architects
Phoebe Sayswow Architects gave this white bathroom a graphic quality by using bright pink grout between its glazed white tiles instead of the traditional grey or white options.
To add depth to the room, which is located in a small one-bedroom apartment in Taipei, a matching vanity unit projects from the wall. The space is finished with black bathroom products and a suitably-bold begonia maculata plant.
Find out more about XS House ›
Photo is by Christoph RokittaBerlin Mitte apartment, Germany, by Atheorem
Local architect Atheorem brought a serene and ethereal quality to the wetroom of this apartment in Berlin using all-white finishes and minimal fittings.
A pair of floor-to-ceiling curtains provide privacy for the owners when showering, while also adding a layer of texture and filtering soft natural light into the space.
Find out more about Berlin Mitte apartment ›
Photo is by Kevin ScottThe Portage Bay Float Home, USA, by Studio DIAA
Studio DIAA used square tiles to create the all-white interior of this shower room, located in a floating house in Seattle’s Lake Union.
Fixed with pale grey grout, the tiles bring a textured appearance to the room that contrasts with its smooth metal accessories. On sunny days, treetops framed through a skylight overhead cast shadows across their surface.
Find out more about The Portage Bay Float Home ›
Photo is by Luis ViegasCasa da Volta, Portugal, by Promontorio
The deliberately simple interior of this ensuite washroom helps to draw attention to three large cactus plants in the white-walled courtyard outside.
Maximising the sense of lightness and openness in the room, a large mirror lines one wall and the ceiling joists are left exposed overhead, painted white to match the rest of the space.
Find out more about Casa da Volta ›
Photo is by Shannon McGrathAlfred Street Residence, Australia, by Studio Four
One of the most minimalist bathrooms on the list is this all-white interior designed by Studio Four as part of the Alfred Street Residence in Victoria.
Large white tiles run across its floor and walls, framing a freestanding tub that is illuminated by a skylight above. To add an element of texture, a white-painted wooden stool sits in the corner.
Find out more about Alfred Street Residence ›
Photo is by José HeviaPalma Hideaway, Spain, by Mariana de Delás
Plants, tiles and marble have been used to animate the white-walled bathroom at the Palma Hideaway, designed by Mariana de Delás in Mallorca.
The floor is raised to accommodate a sunken bath on one side, which is lined with dark-green tiles that also feature elsewhere in the home – helping the room act as an extension to the living spaces.
Find out more about Palma Hideaway ›
Photo is by Rafael SoldiHillside Midcentury, USA, by SHED
This spacious white bathroom and walk-in shower by SHED is sheathed in hundreds of tiny circular tiles and lit by a frosted-glass window that stretches from floor to ceiling.
The size of the tiles and window help to emphasise the openness of the room, while wood elements and a potted plant help bring an element of cosiness.
Find out more about Hillside Midcentury ›
This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing colourful staircases, living rooms with stone surfaces and light-filled glass extensions.Read more: More
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Takk founders build all-white “igloo” bedroom for their young daughter
Furry white fabric lines the interior of this winter-themed kid’s bedroom, which Mireia Luzárraga and Alejandro Muiño of Spanish studio Takk have constructed inside their home in Barcelona.
Affectionately titled Winter Bedroom (for a Big Grrl), the self-contained structure was designed as a hideaway for the couple’s young daughter.
It takes the shape of a 3.5-metre-high dome that tapers off into a narrow entrance on one side, resembling an igloo.
Takk’s founders have built an igloo-shaped bedroom for their daughterThe project forms part of Takk’s ongoing and continuous renovation of the warehouse space where its founders both live and build their large-scale architectural works.
“The house-workshop is a 400-square-metre space that can host the installations that we design and produce,” Luzárraga told Dezeen.“At the same time, the space is being colonised by some domestic spaces that condition it for living. It’s continuously changing depending on the work that we are developing. Some of the pieces stay forever, and some of them are temporary.”
The interior is covered almost entirely in a fluffy white carpetMost of the materials used to form the Winter Bedroom are repurposed from Takk’s previous projects, including the steel-chain curtain that covers the entrance in lieu of a door and the three layers of foam that line the dome’s ceiling and its entire exterior.
Set on top of a wooden structure of vertical and horizontal ribs, the foam sheets serve seral purposes. For one, they maintain the all-white palette of the sleeping quarters and provide extra warmth in the industrial warehouse, which has plenty of space and light but little insulation.Takk perches communal bedroom on stilts in Madrid apartment renovation
Unlike traditional cladding or wall panelling, the foam also moulds easily to the dome’s rounded form.
“The flexible condition of the material easily adapts to the igloo shape,” explained Muiño, who founded Takk together with Luzárraga shortly after the couple met in 2008.
Spherical lights are fitted to the domed ceilingInside the bedroom, a snowy carpet covers not just the floor but also the walls and the raised platform that holds up the bed.
“The interior space has a floor at a height of 90 centimetres where the mattress lies, all covered in a white furry carpet ready to be enjoyed barefoot,” Muiño said. “Below this big bed, there is a space for storing, playing or hiding.”
Spherical lights integrated into the ceiling form what the studio describes as “a sky of bulbs”, designed to create the impression of looking up at the stars.
The self-contained bedroom is set in a converted warehouseTakk recently constructed another self-contained bedroom as part of an apartment renovation in Madrid, where the communal sleeping quarters are perched on stilts.
For more creative kids’ bedrooms, see our lookbook of ten contemporary children’s bedrooms.Read more: More
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Ten fresh living spaces with white interiors
Interiors that are (almost) completely white can have a calming, minimalist feel. For our latest lookbook we have collected ten examples from the Dezeen archive, ranging from an Australian penthouse to a Japanese-informed apartment in Barcelona. More
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Aesthetic Lab adds pops of colour to all-white classroom in Taiwan
Architecture studio CloudForm Laboratory has transformed a classroom in a secondary school in Taiwan into a “blank canvas” for creative education. More
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Canvas House is a co-living space in Singapore with all-white interiors
Ministry of Design has created completely white interiors for this co-living space, which occupies a traditional shophouse in Singapore. Situated at the heart of Singapore’s buzzing Tanjong Pagar neighbourhood, Canvas House provides shared accommodation for creative locals and members of the ex-pat community. It takes over a four-storey shophouse – a type of building commonly […] More
