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    Gustaf Westman hosts Brooklyn pop-up modeled on “museum experience”

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    Swedish designer Gustaf Westman displayed existing and new objects including a colourful “puzzle” shelf during a three-day pop-up event in New York City.

    Named Gustaf Westman in New York, the show was located in an industrial storefront in Williamsburg and displayed the designer’s colourful objects and furniture on a meandering pink and orange pathway.
    Swedish designer Gustaf Westman held a New York City pop-up that gave nod to a museum experienceSmall descriptions were placed on the ground in front of the objects, as “a nod to a museum experience”, while printed pamphlets similar to museum guides were available to visitors.
    “The decision was very organic,” Westman told Dezeen. “When we came here, it was like a gallery space. It’s also a bit ironic, because I’ve only been doing this for four years and I’m not really ready to do a museum.”
    A brightly coloured pathway weaved through the space, which was divided by Westman’s screens and a larger display wall towards the front.

    Gustaf Westman and Swedish Stockings transform nylon tights into “terrazzo-like” tables

    Among the new objects displayed was Puzzle Shelf, a shelving unit made of interlocking, stackable rectangular forms that conclude in puzzle-shaped feet. Westman noted that the shelf is 3D-printed and processed to resemble the material qualities of his other ceramic and metal objects.
    “I have an obsession with trying to test all different materials and trying to make them look the same,” said Westman. “Even if I work with wood or ceramics or glass, I want to keep the same finish, so [3D printing] is the next step.”
    The shelf was made in a host of bright colours such as red, pink, cream, and dark blue.
    Existing and new objects from the designer were displayedThe remaining space was filled with pedestals and shelving outfitted with existing glassware and objects such as a spiralling book stand and flower-shaped mirrors, along with furniture such as a coffee table that pinches wine glasses in place.
    The designer previously used nylon tights to create “terrazzo-like” tables and displayed his objects during Day Two from Stockholm Design Week 2024.
    The photography is by Kate Fatseas unless otherwise stated
    Gustaf Westman in New York was on show at 25 Fillmore Place, Brooklyn from 10-13 October. For more events, exhibitions and talks in architecture and design visit the Dezeen Events Guide.

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      Studio Ahead designs “soothing” interiors for Williamsburg wine bar

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      Taupe walls and walnut banquettes create a calming atmosphere in this wine bar in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, designed by California-based Studio Ahead.

      Named With Others, the bar on Bedford Avenue specialises in natural wines from small-production, low-impact wineries.
      Studio Ahead designed the With Others wine bar to have a soothing atmosphereSouth Williamsburg, which has seen a dramatic transformation over the past three decades – from creative backwater, to hipster locale, to commercial hotspot.
      Owner Shanna Nasiri wanted to take her patrons back to the creative spirit of the neighbourhood’s heyday in late 1990s and early 2000s.
      Industrial elements include metal-mesh shelving behind the barShe invited Homan Rajai and Elena Dendiberia, founders of Studio Ahead in San Francisco, to design the interiors with a “rough around the edges” feel.

      “This is not the Williamsburg of Hermès and homogeny, but of carefully selected wines served in a space of carefully selected artisans where you wave to the people you know across the room,” said Studio Ahead. “A neighborhood bar.”
      Walnut banquettes feature tall backs and thin cushionsThe building’s weathered facade, complete with “scratches, graffiti, patina, grime”, was left largely untouched.
      Inside, a soft-industrial aesthetic is evoked through elements like metal-mesh shelving behind the bar, fabricated by local company Wombat.
      Small square tiles cover the front of the bar counter and the floorSmall square tiles cover the floor and the sides of the bar counter, matching the Farrow and Ball paint on the walls and ceiling.
      Along one side of the space runs a series of minimalist walnut banquettes with tall backs and thin seat cushions.

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      Georg stools by Chris Liljenberg Halstrom for Fritz Hansen, which feature cushions strapped to simple wooden frames, appear in two heights.
      Artworks and objects dotted through the interior include a wooden vase by artist Ido Yoshimoto, and small dishes and bowl by ceramicist Katie Coughlin.
      With Others nods to the recent history of its Williamsburg locationOn the walls, cube-shaped washi paper lanterns by artist John Gnorski depict “Dionysian scenes of friendship and frolic”.
      The minimalist forms and muted colour palette throughout the space offer a “soothing contrast to bright loud furious New York” according to Studio Ahead.
      The building’s weathered facade was left largely untouchedWilliamsburg may have changed over the years, but it’s still one of New York City’s most popular neighbourhoods.
      Recent additions to the area include a Moxy hotel designed by Basile Studio and a Kith store with an “industrial ambiance”.
      The photography is by Ekaterina Izmestevia.

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      Another Seedbed is a Brooklyn apartment that doubles as a performance space

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      In this renovated loft in Brooklyn, the owner both resides and hosts public art performances within a space divided by a variety of inserted volumes.

      The loft is located in a late 19th-century cast iron building in Williamsburg that once served as a hat factory, and was renovated by a team of architects.
      A team of architects renovated the loft, inserted volumes to conceal private areasIgnacio G Galán, Jesse McCormick, Khoi Nguyen and Julie Tran of Future Projects collaborated to turn the industrial space into a residence that could also serve as a venue for artistic performances and other public events.
      Named Another Seedbed, the project recalls the use of lofts in New York City by artists in 1960s to 1980s for developing experimental works.
      The bedroom is hidden behind red-stained plywood panels and accessed through a concertina doorThe owner and activator of this apartment began organising parties, performances and other events in a similarly industrial space in Bushwick.

      He then decided to create a dedicated space for himself to live and work, as well as host other artist friends who needed square footage to bring their ideas to life.
      Hand-troweled earthen clay plaster covers the bathroom volume”Neither just a private studio nor an art gallery, the space is equipped to welcome gatherings that operate between a dinner party and a public performance,” said the project team.
      “Artists appropriate the space and become hosts themselves, expanding the communities which the project brings together.”
      Inside, the bathroom is lined with blue penny-round tilesThe apartment is organised as a largely open-plan space, with private areas concealed inside inserted volumes.
      Red-stained pine plywood panels hide the bedroom, which is accessed via a concertina door, and also contain storage.
      Moveable furniture helps to arrange the apartment for performancesThe bathroom occupies another volume that’s covered in hand-troweled earthen clay plaster outside and lined entirely is blue penny-round tiles inside.
      An open kitchen with grey cabinetry sits below a framework of coloured wood, featuring smokey polycarbonate panels that are lit from behind.

      Vipp Studio in Manhattan functions as both showroom and apartment

      This frame extends into the living area to form a floor-to-ceiling shelving unit, on which books and objects are displayed, and a projector for screening videos onto the opposite wall is housed.
      A variety of moving furniture pieces, including an ochre-toned sofa on wheels, help to choreograph the events and arrange the apartment as desired by whoever is using it.
      The owner and his artist friends are able to transform the space to present their work”The space will not advertise its performances,” said the team.
      “Some neighbors might not know of its existence. Others will hear about an event through friends. Some might find themselves there often and will develop networks of neighbourliness within it.”
      Performances are open to the public but not advertisedBrooklyn has both a thriving arts scene and a wealth of defunct industrial buildings for hosting exhibitions, performances and events.
      Herzog & de Meuron recently completed the transformation of a derelict power plant in the borough into arts centre, while the Public Records creative venue added a bar and lounge on an upper floor of its former warehouse building earlier this year.

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      Basile Studio enlivens Moxy Williamsburg hotel with “eclectic grab-bag” of spaces

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      Hotel brand Moxy has opened its first outpost in Brooklyn, with plentiful gathering spaces including a bar with motorised 20-feet-tall liquor shelves and an eatery modelled on Tel Aviv’s Bauhaus architecture.

      Californian hospitality design practice Basile Studio spearheaded the interior design of the 216-room hotel, set in the heart of Williamsburg on bustling Bedford Avenue.
      The aim was for the design to reflect the area’s rich history and its eclectic inhabitants while creating a slew of public spaces for locals and visitors to enjoy.
      Moxy Williamsburg’s public spaces include the lobby (above) and Jolene lounge (top)”The design for Moxy Williamsburg was inspired by the neighbourhood’s history as a magnet for mavericks, immigrants and creators while taking its place at the centre of Brooklyn’s contemporary social scene,” Basile Studio’s lead designer Ashley Evans told Dezeen.
      “The hotel’s eclectic public spaces reflect the area’s melting pot character, finding inspiration in both past and present with influences from both near and far.”

      Among the hotel’s communal spaces are several co-working studios with modular rearrangeable furnishings as well as four different dining and nightlife venues created in collaboration with Bar Lab – the hospitality company behind Miami’s famous Broken Shaker cocktail bar.
      Bar Bedford lies just off the lobby”For Moxy Williamsburg, we envisioned an eclectic grab-bag of experiences that mirrors Williamsburg’s diversity,” said Bar Lab founders Elad Zvi and Gabe Orta. “Once you enter, you don’t want to leave.”
      It is housed in an 11-storey building, designed by local studio Stonehill Taylor, which has a glass-fronted facade that opens completely onto the sidewalk of Bedford Avenue.
      Guests enter via a lobby with exposed 20-foot ceilings, reminiscent of Brooklyn’s many converted warehouses.
      The room is organised around a curved barOn one side, custom timber joinery frames a small seating area with a built-in bench and a long planter, helping to soften the otherwise industrial space.
      A monumental artwork by creative studio RareCulture presides over the hotel’s two blacked-steel check-in counters. Stretching up all the way across the ceiling, this shows a pointillist depiction of nearby Williamsburg Bridge formed from thousands of colourful crayons.
      Immediately to the right lies Bar Bedford, which was designed to resemble a comfortable living space.
      Oblong windows connect the bar to the neighbouring Mesiba restaurant”Our seating is miscellaneous and meant to feel warm and inviting, modular in the sense that we want to invite people to move around and get social,” Evans said.
      The room’s centrepiece is a curved bar, which houses 1,500 bottles of wine and liquor inside a custom 20-foot-tall cabinet made from white oak and glass, with motorised shelves that move up and down like dumbwaiters.
      Although designed largely for entertainment value, the system was actually modelled on New York’s historic automat restaurants.
      The restaurant features plentiful planting and leather-upholstered booths”The automats, ubiquitous in New York in the first half of the 20th century, were fast food restaurants where customers would pick up their food from a wall of glass-fronted cubbies,” said Mitchell Hochberg, president of the hotel’s developer Lightstone.
      “We thought it would be fun to take something that was iconically New York and introduce it into the design.”
      Timber also features here in the form of the dramatic pendant lights – designed by Basil to resemble a giant nest of twigs – and the portals that provide a peek into the neighbouring Levantine restaurant Mesiba.

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      With its textured plasterwork, abundant greenery and curved seating booths upholstered in burgundy-red leather, the eatery was designed to reference the buildings of Tel Aviv.
      “The curvilinear lines of Bauhaus architecture find echoes in the rounded bar overhang and the oblong wood-framed etched-glass windows that offer a glimpse into Bar Bedford,” Evans said.
      “Travertine tabletops hearken back to Tel Aviv’s historic architecture, providing a striking contrast to the Bauhaus-influenced elements.”
      The hotel’s club has marquee-style lights integrated into its ceilingMoxy Williamsburg has three co-working and meeting rooms that can be used independently or combined to host larger groups thanks to their modular furnishings.
      After hours, the hotel also has its own club, named Jolene in homage to the iconic Dolly Parton song and outfitted with a sound system designed by DJ Nicolas Mater – the owner of infamous New York nightclubs Output and Cielo.
      Informed by 70s interiors and mid-century recording studios, the space is lined with rows of integrated high-fidelity speakers and rectangular acoustical panels in shades of green and gray.
      The hotel also has a rooftop bar and terraceWalnut, leather and fabric finishes ensure warm, resonant acoustics while hundreds of multicoloured, marquee-style lights that sync to the music are integrated into the ceiling.
      Modular furniture, including floating banquettes and low semicircular armchairs, allows the space to act as a lounge, a club or something in between.
      On the top floor, Basile Studio imbued the LiliStar rooftop bar with Balinese influences that can be seen in the hand-shaped timber chairs and the theatrical ceiling lights, which resemble giant lotus flowers carved from copper, glass and leather.
      Custom birch wood joinery defines the guest rooms”It’s much more playful here with an elevated tropical feel while, again, not being too literal,” Evans said. “We stuck to patterns and textures along with shelving inspired by shutters and exteriors of homes in Bali.”
      The hotel’s 216 bedrooms are pared back and fitted with space-saving birchwood joinery such as collapsible desks and wall-mounted pegs, that guests can be folded away when they are no longer needed.
      Moxy has recently completed a number of other outposts across the US. Among them is New York’s Lower East Side branch designed by Michaelis Boyd and another in Downtown Los Angeles by Yabu Pushelberg.

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      Kith creates “industrial ambiance” for its Williamsburg store

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      American clothing brand Kith has created a flagship store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, that uses brick, wood and steel to reference the industrial history of the neighbourhood.

      Designed by Kith’s founder Ronnie Fieg and the brand’s in-house team of architects, the Williamsburg location is located in the Gensler-designed 25 Kent Plaza office building, where Kith also has its corporate offices.
      Kith designed a store for its apparel in WilliamsburgThe design takes elements that carry through some of the other Kith stores, such as marble finishes and metal fins, and adds details that situate it in the context of Williamsburg.
      These include a massive circular structure at the heart of the store that is covered with red brick on the outside and lined with white oak inside. The piece was custom-made at a nearby, undisclosed wood workshop.
      It features a central structure made of brick and woodThis central element has a domed wooden ceiling with a wooden column and circular light fixtures that radiate out towards the edges concentrically.

      A number of sloping arched voids in the structure have metal-lined undersides and provide an entryway on two sides and display cases for the brand’s collection of sneakers on another.
      “We constructed the central dome completely from scratch and created the exterior from the same exact bricks used on the outside of the main building so it feels very cohesive as you enter,” said Fieg.
      “Every inch of that dome is custom which meant our precision down to the last minute detail was crucial.”
      “Outfitting the interior with rounded wood panels, shaping the footwear shelves to sit flush within the windows, every detail was poured over.”
      It steps down from an outdoor plazaOutside the circular area, the lights radiate perpendicularly, like sun rays, towards the walls.
      The perimeter of the store is lined with metal fins that block the sun from the glass-lined eastern exposure while also creating a massive logo when viewed from outside.
      Also lining the perimeter of the store are custom wooden clothing racks.
      A custom mosaic was placed in the floorPolished concrete flooring runs through the space, which steps down from the public plaza at the centre of 25 Kent.
      The designers oriented the entrance towards the plaza and placed garden boxes in the corners of the store to better connect it with the public space outside.
      Marble clads the snack bar”The industrial ambiance is balanced with lush oak trees outside, and an abundance of greenery spread throughout the store,” the brand said.
      The Kith Treats Area at the entrance – where a combination of ice cream and cereal are served – was lined with Rosa Aurora marble and has a to-go window that opens up to the plaza.
      The wooden elements were custom made nearbyA wall of stainless steel panels separates the treats area from the retail space, while the walls opposite the street-facing glass are matte concrete with wooden insets for further display and service areas.
      On the floor, Kith installed a brand logo made of mosaic tiles.

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      It is the third store in New York City for the brand, which was founded in 2011, and creates apparel for men, women and children.
      To celebrate the opening, the brand launched a sneaker with footwear companies Clarks and Adidas.
      It is in a Gensler-designed building in WilliamsburgThis is the twelfth store opened by Fieg, who moved to Williamsburg himself with his family in 2017, and the Kith headquarters there in 2021.
      “The restaurants, the shops, the people, and the atmosphere make it a very special area in New York and were all factors in us moving our brand HQ there in 2021,” he said.
      “It’s my home, our team’s home, and it only made sense for us to make it a home for our community.”
      Many of Kith’s prior locations, in Miami and Los Angeles, for instance, were designed by designer Daniel Arsham and his studio Snarkitecture.
      In both the Paris and original downtown Brooklyn locations, Kith installed chandeliers made up completely of Nike Air Max sneakers.

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      The New Work Project is a monochrome co-working space in Brooklyn

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      A shared workspace for creatives has opened in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, with minimalist black and white interiors and gold-toned accents.

      The New Work Project is the brainchild of The New Design Project, a studio founded by Parsons graduates Fanny Abbes and James Davison.
      The stark colour scheme of The New Work Project becomes apparent upon entering the reception areaHaving worked in finance for a time, the duo returned to their design roots to set up the co-working space in a converted foundry building, and craft its interiors.
      They describe it as “a place for like-minded people to come together in an environment that is personal and intimate, and designed for collaboration”, adding that the space is “individually designed to inspire, stimulate, promote creativity and facilitate fluid working”.
      Members can choose from a variety of seating options in the open-plan spaceA largely monochrome theme is followed through the space — from walls and door frames to furniture to artworks — with light fixtures, flooring and decorative plants adding some colour.

      “Bold accents of black and gold are carried throughout the space with an overall modern approach to the design,” said the founders. “Clean lights are beautifully accentuated with track lighting against the white interiors.”
      Caned modernist chairs accompany a large meeting tableThe stark palette is evident immediately upon entering into a vestibule painted black on its three sides and ceiling.
      A reception desk has a pale marble top cut into an angular shape, and is lit by a thin linear fixture that runs up the wall and across the ceiling to form a 90-degree angle.
      Desks are arranged in U-shape configurations opposite a marble barBeyond is a lounge area, where four black-framed modernist chairs with caned backs and seats face a large upholstered ottoman.
      The dark central seating sits on a pale grey rug, as do a pair of styled coffee tables on either side.
      Private conference rooms can be booked for meetingsA larger meeting table surrounded by the same caned chairs is positioned in front of a series of private conference rooms, which are available for members to book for meetings.
      There’s also a trio of phone booth-style rooms from which individuals can take calls.
      Phone booths offer privacy for individual calls”The intimate ’boutique’ space creates a community environment while also creating a place for work and productivity,” the founders said.
      The remainder of the co-working space is open plan, with light wood flooring throughout and white on all of the walls except those painted black at each end.

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      Tables are laid out in U-shape configurations, divided by black-tinted glass partitions where they face one another.
      Three-branched brass lights hang overhead, while lamps with globe-shaped bulbs are placed on each desk.
      Gold-toned accents are found throughout the spaceA marble bar, accompanied by a line of black stools, separates this work area from a kitchen for members to prepare and eat food.
      Some of the building’s original steel columns are left exposed, their rough surfaces contrasting with the white walls and marble counters.
      The monochrome scheme continues down to artworks and stylingNew York City has no shortage of co-working spaces. Many are similarly using design to entice members, like The Malin that recently opened in Soho.
      Our latest lookbook rounds up 10 shared workspaces around the world that offer a reprieve from the home office.

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      Bohlin Cywinski Jackson touches up its design for Williamsburg's Blue Bottle Coffee

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      Pale wood decorates this Blue Bottle Coffee cafe in Brooklyn designed by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, which the American practice has updated to accommodate more people. Bohlin Cywinski Jackson created the Blue Bottle Coffee space in New York’s Williamsburg neighbourhood in 2017. The firm was enlisted to return to the project to make more space for […] More