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      Hanna Karits uses wood to create “airy and spacious” interior for Estonian holiday home

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      Interior architect Hanna Karits used natural materials throughout this holiday home in Estonia’s Moonsund archipelago to create a soothing environment that references the surrounding forest.

      Drawing influences from the work of one of her favourite architects, Frank Lloyd Wright, Tallinn-based Karits created an interior that combines clean lines with warm wooden surfaces and carefully crafted cabinetry.
      Hanna Karits has designed the interior for a holiday home in Estonia”I decided to use wood in many different ways but give extra care to the details and connections between different materials,” the designer told Dezeen.
      Karits’ design was guided by a basic brief given by the client, in which she was asked to create an interior for the home by architect Linda Veski and make wood the dominant material.
      It is located in a forest in the Moonsund archipelagoWhile referencing the work of Wright, her design is also informed by mid-century modernist summer houses, which feature bright and minimal wood-lined living spaces.

      “I have always felt comfort in these buildings,” added Karits. “So my idea was to blend these emotions together and create something airy and spacious but at the same time really human-friendly, safe and relaxing.”
      The home is intended as a relaxing getawayThe house is situated on an island in the archipelago off Estonia’s west coast, where the local landscape consists of limestone cliffs, beaches and dense forests.
      It is intended as a relaxing getaway where its owners can enjoy peace and fresh air in natural surroundings. The interior design aims to immerse them in the woodland setting, creating a place that feels warm and comforting during the long, cold winters.
      Karits designed an “airy and spacious” interior for the homeThe building is constructed from a wooden frame and cross-laminated timber panels, with thermally-treated ash wood chosen to line the internal surfaces.
      Complementing the wooden elements, the other main material used inside the house is Estonian limestone, which is applied on the floors of the kitchen, dining area and circulation spaces.

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      The single-storey building is entered via a central porch that connects with a corridor spanning the full width of the house. This hallway provides access to a row of bedrooms at the front and the living spaces towards the rear.
      A courtyard between the corridor and the lounge area is lined with full-height glazing that allows plenty of daylight to enter the interior.
      Wooden finishes are used throughoutThe open-plan living, dining and kitchen area incorporates large windows that look out onto the forest, with sliding doors providing access to a generous decked terrace.
      A wood-clad ceiling in the living room creates a cosy and intimate feel despite its large volume. Wooden ceilings can also be found in the bedrooms.
      Carpets from the 1930s have been used to add colour and textureBespoke cabinetry developed in collaboration with local craftspeople is integrated throughout the home.
      Careful attention was paid to elements such as the wooden door handles to ensure they are ergonomic and pleasing to touch, while maintaining a simple and minimal aesthetic.
      Carpets originally created in the 1930s by Estonian designers including Adamson Erik, Kaarin Luts and Viida Pääbo are placed throughout to add colour and texture while celebrating the country’s lesser-known design heritage.
      The design aims to connect the interior with the surrounding landscapeKarits has been working as an interior architect in Estonia for more than a decade.
      Her previous projects include a summer retreat on Estonia’s Matsi Beach comprising a pair of gabled black cabins surrounded by old fishing sheds.
      The photography is by Tõnu Tunnel.

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      Thermory wood cladding forms backdrop to Grand Emily Hotel in Ukraine

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      Promotion: design agency YOD Group has designed the interior for the Grand Emily Hotel Lobby and Terra restaurant near Lviv, opting for Thermory’s rustic wood cladding throughout.

      The hotel, which was completed this year despite Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, is located in the Ukrainian town of Vynnyky near Lviv. The hotel and restaurant form a part of the Emily Resort that YOD Group has designed with a natural, tactile aesthetic.
      YOD Group used Thermory products at the Emily Resort in UkraineIts aesthetic was achieved using a mix of natural and natural-looking materials, including material manufacturer Thermory’s range of Drift cladding.
      This saw YOD Group awarded the best interior project in the Thermory Design Awards Grand Prix competition, which was held by Thermory for its 25th anniversary.
      The agency created the interior for the Grand Emily Hotel LobbyIn the Grand Emily Hotel Lobby, the Thermory thermally modified Drift cladding is used across the walls.

      It was selected for its worn, rustic appearance, which is intended to evoke reclaimed wood without sacrificing quality or durability.
      Thermory’s Drift cladding was used throughoutSelected in shades of Black Pearl and Smoked Brandy, the cladding provides the lobby with “touchable surfaces” that form a natural backdrop to the space.
      “We aimed to get the visual lightness and tell the story about the morning breeze that passes on the lake surface and combs the reeds,” said YOD Group designer Volodymyr Nepiyvoda.
      The wood gives the interiors a natural aesthetic”We created this emotion by the structure of the boards that we used for the wall covering of the hall,” added Nepiyvoda.
      The cladding also forms a suitable yet contrasting backdrop to a large sycamore tree that is suspended through the Grand Emily Hotel Lobby, forming its centrepiece.
      YOD Group’s aim was to give the hotel “touchable surfaces””We rejected the idea of a massive chandelier in the atrium in favour of a strongly meaningful installation,” explained Nepiyvoda.
      “A tree means connection with roots and family values, growth, and development, strong bar, and flexible branches. It connects the earth and space.”
      YOD Group also designed the resort’s Terra restaurantOver in the Grand Emily Hotel’s Terra restaurant, Thermory Drift Cladding has also been used.
      YOD Group used the material to help blur the boundary between the restaurant interior and a terrace outside that is lined with American sweet gum trees.
      The Thermory wood is also used in the adjoining terraceAccording to Nepiyvoda, it is designed to encapsulate the landscape of western Ukraine.
      “We reflect all of that in the interior of Terra restaurant,” they said. “Vast expanses, rich colours, textures and flavours, generous nature, lust for life, and existential joy.”
      To find out more about Thermory products and how they are used, visit the brand’s website.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for Thermory as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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      Timber joinery “gently cocoons” inhabitants in compact Gdańsk apartment by ACOS

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      Polish studio ACOS has used timber joinery to conceal the functional elements of this apartment in Gdańsk, with the aim of creating a calm and tranquil interior.

      Located at the edge of one of the few remaining green spaces in the city’s heavily urbanised historical town centre, Hideaway Home is a family apartment that was designed to make the most of its 70-square-metre footprint.
      ACOS has designed the Hideaway Home apartment in GdańskACOS, which is a collaboration between architect Anna Stojcev and designer Stanisław Młyński, began the project by mapping out the existing space to create the most efficient layout.
      “The optimal arrangement was achieved by carefully analysing each square centimetre and redesigning the infrastructure,” the studio said.
      “As a result, we’ve managed to unclutter the original layout and benefit from a more generous volume. This resulted in a solution that seems very shy and modest at first but becomes more interactive once one starts to explore its layers.”

      Routed timber screens conceal the kitchen’s food storage and preparation areasThe apartment is split into “day” and “night” zones. An open-plan living, cooking and dining area occupies one half of the apartment while the bedrooms and bathrooms are located on the other.
      ACOS used blocks of timber, stone, concrete and a mineral surfacing called microscreed to define the different spaces, softened by neutral fabrics and brass accents.
      The entrance to the living room is framed by a timber portalThe joint kitchen and dining area revolves around a large custom-made wooden dining table and a utilitarian concrete trough sink. The space is framed by routed timber screens that completely conceal the food storage and preparation areas.
      Eager to combine new technologies and materials with time-honoured crafts, the studio custom-designed furniture pieces such as the dining chairs, which were made using digital 3D modelling and traditional carpentry techniques.

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      The adjoining living area has a more generous footprint, with its entrance framed by an oakwood portal and a timber window seat running along one of its walls.
      The space between the day and night zones, where the apartment’s entrance is located, is finished with veneered panels that support a textile ceiling.
      Textile panels cover the ceiling in the hallway”The simplicity of details and forms aims to bring back the value of honest design and craftsmanship,” ACOS said.
      “Whether it is a large surface of an oak coffee table or textile soffit or curtains – those elements are purely a means to frame the volume gently cocooning the user.”
      Full-height carpentry provides storage in the main bedroomThe bedrooms were conceived as simple and compact volumes, with walls finished in natural lime and marble plaster while the floors and skirting boards are pale timber.
      Custom full-height carpentry provides storage in the main bedroom and integrates seamlessly with a timber entrance portal.
      The apartment’s main bathroom is finished in white microscreed surfacing paired with custom-made terrazzo slabs.
      The bathroom is accented by custom-made terrazzo slabsHideaway Home is among six projects shortlisted in the apartment interior category of this year’s Dezeen Awards.
      Also in the running is a renovated Tribeca loft with a half-transparent, half-mirrored wall and a live-work space in London belonging to the founders of environmental communication agency Earthrise Studio.
      The photography is by Pion Studio.

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      Atelier Tao+C creates serene timber and travertine reading room

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      Two vacant ground-floor rooms and an adjoining greenhouse were knocked together and lined with bookshelves to form this private library, designed by Atelier Tao+C for a venture capital firm in Shanghai.

      Set in a converted 1980s house, which is home to the offices of VC fund Whales Capital, the reading room can accommodate up to 12 people and is shared between the company’s employees and the owner’s friends.
      Atelier Tao+C has created a reading room for Whales CapitalAll of the rooms are enclosed by immovable, load-bearing walls, which local practice Atelier Tao+C had to integrate into the design while creating the impression of being in one continuous 76-square-metre space.
      To this effect, the original doors and windows were removed and three openings – measuring between two and three metres wide – were created to connect the rooms.
      The space is lined with wooden bookshelvesThe remaining wall sections are hidden from view by new architectural elements including a set of semi-circular wooden bookshelves, which run through the two ground-floor rooms to form a pair of small, quiet reading nooks.

      The structural walls connecting these rooms to the old glasshouse were wrapped in creamy white travertine to create a kind of “sculptural volume”, Atelier Tao+C explained.
      Skylights funnel natural light into the interiorAs a result, the studio says the walls and structural columns are “dissolved” into the space to create the feeling of a more open-plan interior.
      In the old greenhouse, a timber structure was inserted into the building’s glass shell, with bookshelves integrated into its wooden beams and columns to create a seamless design.

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      This structure also forms a wooden ceiling inside the glasshouse, with strategically placed round and square skylights to temper the bright daylight from outside and create a more pleasant reading environment.
      Spread across the interior are four different seating areas: a small study table for solo work, a shared meeting table, a reading booth for one person and a sofa seat where multiple people can talk and relax.
      White travertine was used to obscure the building’s original brick wallsA Private Reading Room has been shortlisted in the small interiors category of the 2022 Dezeen Awards.
      Atelier Tao+C, which is run by designers Chunyan Cai and Tao Liu, is also shortlisted for emerging interior design studio this year, alongside Sydney firm Alexander & Co, Barcelona-based Raúl Sánchez Architects and London practice House of Grey.
      The photography is by Wen Studio.

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      Jan Hendzel tracks down “super special” London timbers to overhaul Town Hall Hotel suites

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      Reclaimed architectural timber and wood from a felled street tree form the furnishings of two hotel suites that designer Jan Hendzel has revamped for London’s Town Hall Hotel in time for London Design Festival.

      Suites 109 and 111 are set on the first floor of the Town Hall Hotel, which is housed in a converted Grade II-listed town hall in Bethnal Green dating back to 1910.
      Each of the apartment-style suites features a living room with a kitchen alongside a bedroom and en-suite, which Hendzel has outfitted with bespoke furnishings. Like all of the furniture maker’s pieces, these are crafted exclusively from British timbers.
      Jan Hendzel has overhauled suites 109 (top) and 111 (above) of the Town Hall HotelBut for his first interiors project, Hendzel took an even more hyper-local approach with the aim of finding all of the necessary products inside the M25 – the motorway that encircles the British capital.
      “We started out with the idea that we could source everything within London,” he told Dezeen during a tour of the suites.

      “Some timbers have come from Denmark Hill, some are reclaimed from Shoreditch. And we used Pickleson Paint, which is a company just around the corner, literally two minutes from here.”
      The living area of suite 111 features green upholstery by Yarn CollectiveThe reclaimed timber came in the form of pinewood roof joists and columns, which Hendzel found at an architectural salvage yard.
      These had to be scanned with a metal detector to remove any nails or screws so they could be machined into side tables and tactile wire-brushed domes used to decorate the suites’ coffee tables.
      Rippled wooden fronts finish the kitchen in both suitesIn Suite 111, both the dining table and the rippled kitchen fronts are made from one of the many plane trees that line the capital’s streets, giving them the nickname London plane.
      “This London plane is super special because it has come from a tree that was taken up outside Denmark Hill train station in Camberwell,” Hendzel explained. “We couldn’t find timber from Bethnal Green but it’s the closest we could get.”
      The dining table in suite 111 is made from London planeFor other pieces, materials had to be sourced from further afield – although all are either made in the UK or by UK-based brands.
      Hendzel used British ash and elm to craft mirrors and benches with intricate hand-carved grooves for the suites, while the patterned rugs in the living areas come from West London studio A Rum Fellow via Nepal.
      “People in the UK don’t make rugs, so you have to go further afield,” Hendzel said. “Same with the upholstery fabrics. You could get them here but if they are quadruple your budget, it’s inaccessible.”

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      Hendzel’s aim for the interior scheme was to create a calm, pared-back version of a hotel room, stripping away all of the “extra stuff” and instead creating interest through rich textural contrasts.
      This is especially evident in the bespoke furniture pieces, which will now become part of his studio’s permanent collection.
      Among them is the Wharf coffee table with its reclaimed wooden domes, worked with a wire brush to expose the intricate graining of the old-growth timber and offset against a naturally rippled tabletop.
      “It’s a genetic defect of the timber, but it makes it extra special and catches your eye,” Hendzel said.
      Grooves were hand-carved into the surfaces of mirrors and benches featured throughout the suitesThe coffee table, much like the nearby Peng dining chair, is finished with faceted knife-drawn edges reminiscent of traditional stone carving techniques. But while the table has a matt finish, the chair is finished with beeswax so its facets will reflect the light.
      Unexpected details such as loose-tongue joints, typically used to make tables, distinguish the Mowlavi sofa and armchair, while circular dowels draw attention to the wedge joint holding together their frames.
      Reclaimed architectural timber was used to bedside tables in room 109Alongside the bespoke pieces, Hendzel incorporated existing furniture pieces such as the dresser from his Bowater collection, presented at LDF in 2020. Its distinctive undulating exterior was also translated into headboards for the bedrooms and cabinet fronts for the kitchens.
      These are paired with crinoid marble worktops from the Mandale quarry in Derby, with roughly-hewn edges offset against a perfectly smooth surface that reveals the fossils calcified within.
      “It’s a kajillion years old and it’s got all these creatures from many moons ago that have fallen into the mud and died,” Hendzel said. “But then, when they get polished up, they look kind of like Ren and Stimpy.”
      A rippled headboard features in both suitesGoing forwards, the Town Hall Hotel plans to recruit other local designers to overhaul its remaining 94 rooms.
      Other installations on show as part of LDF this year include a collection of rotating public seating made from blocks of granite by designer Sabine Marcelis and an exhibition featuring “sympathetic repairs” of sentimental objects as the V&A museum.
      The photography is by Fergus Coyle.
      London Design Festival 2022 takes place from 17-25 September 2022. See our London Design Festival 2022 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

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      Caged wooden galleries feature in Puzzle Link apartment by Gheorghe

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      Architecture and research studio Gheorghe has inserted two triangular cross-laminated timber structures into a loft in Vienna as part of its renovation of the apartment.

      Set within a historic building in Vienna’s 13th district, the top level of the apartment was designed to encourage interaction between a couple and their children.
      Two cross-laminated timber (CLT) structures, which dominate each end of the space, were designed to provide the occupants with places to work, play and look down onto the open-plan living and dining area below.
      Made up of 698 planks the structures incorporate shelves, storage space, seating areas and tables. They are both be accessed by a set of timber stairs.
      Puzzle Link is a loft apartment in a historic building in Vienna”Through the wooden structure the built-in attic becomes a place of approach by enabling visual relationships, warmth through used materials and a hybrid zone between different spatial functions,” said Gheorghe co-founder Andrei Gheorghe.

      “We wanted to create an aesthetic and practical connection, to gain additional spatial functions and to make the spacious intermediate space multifunctional and to make it a meeting place,” Gheorghe told Dezeen.
      Two wooden galleries dominate each end of the spaceThe Vienna-based studio redesigned the attic floor for the family who required a “sustainable, unique and functional” space to live. According to Gheorghe, the warm-toned timber was used for its ability to be reused if needed.
      “The inspiration for the design was marked by the fact that it needed to be sustainable, unique and functional,” Gheorghe explained.
      “This is the perfect material for us, on one hand offering the necessary structural strength and dimensions but also the possibility of being reused,” he added.
      “This is a sustainable material because all the leftovers after the milling process could be further processed towards wood pellets.”
      They are made from 698 planks of cross-laminated timberEach two-by-five plank was CNC-milled by a local carpentry company. The planks were then constructed using 3D-modelling techniques and scripting technology to give the structures their unusual, jigsaw-like shape.
      This is also what led the studio to name the project Puzzle Link.

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      While transforming the space, the studio also looked to maintain its original historical features.
      The Viennese tiles that lined the building’s original staircase, which had been saved and stored by the client, were cleaned and reused for the floor of the raised platform that runs inside alongside the terrace.
      Although the apartment has been sparsely decorated, a few key pieces of furniture that the family collected while travelling abroad are placed around the space.
      The apartment is sparsely furnishedA minimalist Shaker hearth by German fireplace manufacturer Skantherm sits underneath the timber stairs while a floor-to-ceiling bookcase can be found inside one of the timber structures.
      A black storage unit made from coated MDF, paper and acrylic resin in the open plan area provides contrast to the otherwise whitewashed wooden furnishings.
      Elsewhere, a skylight punctuates the slanted roof and along with several smaller windows, floods the space with natural light.
      Other Viennese apartments include Beletage Apartment by British architect Alex Graef, an apartment with restored oak flooring and clean white walls.
      Meanwhile, Slovenian architecture studio Kombinat renovated an apartment in the Austrian capital into a hybrid living space with room for both cooking and working.
      The photography is by Frame9.

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      Ten residential interiors bolstered by exposed wooden beams

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      From a refurbished apartment in Barcelona to the home of an architectural designer in London, our latest lookbook rounds up 10 interiors that celebrate the tactility of exposed wooden beams.

      Beams are joists that support a building’s ceiling or roof. Rather than covering the interior beams, the designers below have left them as they were originally constructed, giving the homes a rustic yet industrial feel.
      Interior designers from Japan to Australia have incorporated exposed beams and columns in their projects, often integrating the existing wooden structures with contemporary elements such as cabinetry, shelving units and lighting fixtures.
      This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing gardens with swimming pools, steely kitchens and interiors with a natural and calming organic modern design.

      Photo is by Alice GaoMorehouse, US, by James Veal and Christine Stucker
      Renovated by Brooklyn studio Stewart-Schafer for the company’s co-founders, this home in Connecticut is designed to reflect the 18 acres of woodland that surround it.
      The studio opted to fill the home with Japandi style decor and a natural, woody colour palette to complement the existing wooden floors, ceilings and other joinery.
      Find out more about Morehouse ›
      Photo is by Ulysse LemeriseThe Barn, Canada, by Louis Beliveau
      Nestled into a hillside in Mansonville, Québec, The Barn is a three-storey building that Montreal designer Louis Beliveau of La Firme studio converted from a decrepit building into a holiday home for two city dwellers.
      The 418-square-metre, light-filled interior has white oak floors, white-washed wood walls and exposed wood beams throughout, which the designers chose to keep the property’s “rustic character”.
      Find out more about The Barn ›
      Photo is by Nieve I Productora AudiovisualBookcase, Spain, by Nook Architects
      This Barcelona apartment refurbished by Nook Architects was designed to allow light to flow through the entire space. A central lightwell casts daylight into the bathroom, kitchen and storage rooms while Crittal glass partitions bordering the master bedroom give the occupants some privacy while they sleep.
      The apartment’s original colourful tile flooring, which the studio uncovered during the restoring, completes the space.
      Find out more about Bookcase ›
      Photo is by Eric PetschekChelsea Loft, US, by Worrell Yeung
      Timber columns, beams and ceiling joists were left raw and exposed in this Manhattan loft that Worrell Yeung renovated for an artist with an eclectic art collection.
      Part of the playful overhaul also involved installing new pieces of Cassina furniture, painting the walls and ceiling white and adding reclaimed pine wood floors.
      Find out more about Chelsea ›
      Photo is by Adrian GautVipp Studio, US, by Vipp
      Danish design company Vipp’s pared-back aesthetic characterises this showroom-cum-apartment in Tribeca, which serves as the founder’s pied-à-terre when they visit New York.
      Set in a former factory that dates back to 1883, the showroom is clad in a neutral grey-beige paint that matches the grey soft furnishings in the fully functional living room and bedrooms.
      Find out more about Vipp Studio ›
      Photo by James BrittainCollage House, England, by Jonathan Tuckey Design
      Architectural designer and founder of Jonathan Tuckey Design, Jonathan Tuckey chose “simple and everyday” materials in his renovation of this 19th-century steel workshop to create a characterful London home for his family and their dog.
      The designer decided to restore the original beams in the ceiling and left the bare brick walls tarnished with black marks to add to the weathered look.
      Find out more about Collage House ›
      Photo is by Yago PartalEnd of the Roc, Spain, by Nook Architects
      Situated within an apartment building in the gothic quarter of Barcelona, End of the Roc features a number of quirky designs including geometric patterned floor tiling, a 40-year-old wall covering and original wooden ceiling beams.
      Other surfaces and furnishings that Nook Architects chose to flesh out the apartment have been crafted from oak or painted black to create a sense of cohesion.
      Find out more about End of the Roc ›
      Photo is by Joe FletcherGowanus Loft, US, by General Assembly
      New York studio General Assembly deliberately left the chunky timber columns and beams exposed during the renovation of this apartment in Brooklyn, sanding them down to expose more of the original woodwork.
      While an effort was made to retain the character of the former textile mill, the studio added lighter touchers to the space through grey tilting in the kitchen, polished concrete flooring and rift white oak cabinetry.
      Find out more about Gowanus Loft ›
      Photo is by Koichi TorimuraY House, Japan, by Studio Kwas
      Several striking sets of angular spruce wood columns protrude like tree trunks throughout Y House, a two-storey city dwelling in Kamakura designed for a family of five. Three sets fill the open plan living area, which has a dining room, lounge and kitchen.
      The open plan design continues on the second floor of the house, where pine beams and diagonal columns create playful partitions that divide the sleeping and play areas.
      Find out more about Y House ›
      Photo is by Suzanna Scott PhotographyCalistoga Residence, US, by Wade Design Architects and Geremia Design
      The vineyards, barns and farmhouses of northern California’s wine town Napa Valley informed this wood-clad home designed by American studios Wade Design Architects and Geremia Design.
      Awash with white walls and pale tones set off against darker tiled flooring and black window frames, the home is filled with antiques that the client collected over many years.
      Find out more about Calistoga Residence ›
      This is the latest in our series of lookbooks providing curated visual inspiration from Dezeen’s image archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing parquet flooring, terrazzo flooring and wood-clad kitchens.

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      Formafantasma and Artek's Cambio exhibition explores Finnish design's link to forestry

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      Design duo Formafantasma has collaborated with furniture brand Artek to explore the relationship between the timber and design industries in Finland through an exhibition at Helsinki Design Museum.

      Called Cambio: On Finnish Forestry, the exhibition is part of Formafantasma’s wider Cambio project – an ongoing investigation into the global impact of the extraction, production and distribution of wood.
      The exhibition takes place at Helsinki Design MuseumThe duo teamed up with Finnish company Artek to create the show, which features a mixture of work shown in previous Cambio exhibitions in the UK, Italy and Switzerland, as well as new works specific to Finland.
      Featuring original films and installations as well as supporting archival material, On Finnish Forestry examines how the country’s timber industry has evolved over time, with a focus on design.
      Formafantasma created an installation of interlocked Stool 60s”This exhibition clearly links furniture design to a specific biome: forests,” Formafantasma founders Andrea Trimarchi and Simone Farresin told Dezeen.

      “At the end of the day, it isn’t about products but about ideas.”
      An installation made up of stacked 1933 Stool 60 models by the late Artek co-founder Alvar Aalto intends to communicate the iconic product’s lasting legacy by mixing both vintage and recently produced pieces.
      One installation features aerial images capturing tree canopy density over OrivesiThe stools are crafted from silver birch, a tree species commonly found in Finland. Trimarchi and Farresin explained that Artek’s local production habits influenced their desire to collaborate with the furniture brand.
      “The majority of trees used in the production of Artek furniture are from Finnish forests, specifically from an area within a 200-kilometre radius from a sawmill close to Jyväskylä,” explained the designers.
      “We don’t see Artek just as a design company producing beautiful furniture, but as a case study on how to relate production to a specific ecosystem.”
      Under the Yoke includes a postcard of artwork by Eero JärnefeltAnother installation presents wooden boards featuring infrared aerial images of Finland’s Orivesi municipality, which document recent tree canopy cover in its peatlands area.
      Formafantasma overlaid the large-scale images with smaller, historical black-and-white snapshots comparing the habitat in previous years.
      A contemporary model of Aalto’s Screen 100 is also on showUnder the Yoke is an installation comprising a postcard of an 1893 artwork of the same name by Finnish painter Eero Järnefelt that depicts a traditional scene of slash-and-burn agriculture, which is framed by chunky pinewood sourced from contemporary clearcutting.
      Among the work presented in the exhibition, other pieces by Aalto include a 2022 version of his 1936 flexible room divider Screen 100 and deconstructed chair legs featured in an investigation into the designer’s renowned L-leg design for furniture.
      The specific qualities of birch wood was a significant influence on Aalto’s desire to create an alternative to the then-popular metal tubular legs, according to Helsinki Design Museum.

      “It’s not enough to ask designers to be sustainable” says Formafantasma

      Trimarchi and Farresin explained that the exhibition attempts to use different media to unite audiences over the same ideas about the impact of the timber industry.
      “It might sound banal, but what we want is to shift the focus from ‘things’ to ‘context’,” concluded the designers.
      “We would like people to see chairs like pieces of forests and design as the outcome of political decision-making and not exclusively as the fruit of the creativity of a designer.”
      The exhibition also explores Aalto’s renowned L-leg designKnown for an interest in climate change, Formafantasma has completed a number of other projects that explore the environmental impact of design.
      These include the first Cambio show in London, which was commissioned by the Serpentine Gallery. Last year, the duo also redesigned its website to try and reduce “pollution connected to the internet”.
      The photography is by Paavo Lehtonen Photography.

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