Canadian design firm MSDS Studio has fitted out a Toronto warehouse with modular boxes to form offices for e-commerce company Shopify (+ slideshow). Toronto-based MSDS Studio was approached by online retail brand Shopify to redesign the interior of its offices in a 100-year-old warehouse. The studio divided the existing space into two volumes representing different area...
British designer Tom Dixon has given his name and furniture to a sandwich cafe at London luxury department store Harrods. The Tom Dixon Sandwich cafe is situated between the designer's two concessions on the third floor of Harrods, in London's Knightsbridge area .The project was undertaken by Dixon's Design Research Studio, which focuses on large-scale architecture, i...
Located in Guadalajara, Mexico, Hueso is the concept restaurant of Alfonso Cadena. The 1940s contemporary building in which the restaurant is housed was recuperated and revived by Cadena+Asociados. True to its name, which means “bone” in Spanish, the interior of the restaurant is adorned with thousands of collected bones. The bones are mounted on textured white walls ...
HUB Madrid was originally built as an innovative co-working office in the city center. It quickly became popular for its joint events space, so a calmer, quieter locale was needed for the entrepreneurs that originally populated the place. That’s were CH+QS arquitectos came in. HUBflat is the logical continuation of HUB Madrid. Located on a separate floor in the same b...
What if humans were closer to nature? What are the global implications? With the Huaxin Business Center, the Chinese architecture firm Scenic Architecture examines similar such questions about the relationship between society and nature. By designing a complex composed of four independent, elevated structures connected by bridges, the architects preserved a maximum of fi...
A brand new design hotel has opened its doors in Copenhagen’s Latin Quarter: Hotel SP34. Hotel SP34 is the third addition to the award-winning Danish design hotel chain Brøchner Hotels and is the refurbishment of the chain’s artsy, bohemian Hotel Fox. Hotel SP34 keeps the bohemian and adds some chic. Lots of chic. Danish designer and architect Morten Hedegaard was bro...
Melinda Delst Interior Design created a 1300 sqm space this year to serve as head office for Fairphone, a socially conscious smartphone manufacturer who puts sustainability first. Located in Amsterdam in an old warehouse built in 1884, the office has a great view on both the river IJ and the city. The company’s needs called for an open, transparent headquarters that woul...
It’s entirely probable that a simple mention of the word ‘hostel’ has you in a cold sweat just remembering the sleepless nights peppered with snoring, stifling heat and intoxicated stumbles. You may have long ago sworn off hostels, driven away by filthy bathrooms and cramped quarters. We’re not here to change your mind. We belong to the camp of hostel-avoiders. However, ...
If your idea of a law firm equates to dark wood paneling and velvet chairs, BHDM Design’s interior for Axiom Law will flip that antiquated idea on its head. Axiom is a tradition-defying law firm whose motto is “law redefined”. Based in New York City, the firm needed offices to reflect their particular ideals. Enter BDHM. The local design studio transformed a loft space i...
In line with our Hotels with a Past series in the last e-mag, the Abbaye de Fontevraud Hotel in Anjou, France is a conversation piece. If you missed reading our Hotels with a Past series, you can click HERE to catch up. Architect duo Patrick Jouin & Sanjit Mankun converted this historical site dating back to the Middle Ages into an exquisite hotel. The Abbaye de Fonte...
Combining science and study in a cozy and fun place might be the first element of a nerd’s h(e)aven. Thanks to interior designer Anna Wigandt, this dream has become a reality with the Science Cafe-Library in the city of Chişinău, capital of Moldova. Wigandt has been successfully flirting with several boundaries on this project. She first had to precisely define which ele...
For New York City’s NeueHouse, David Rockwell, founder and president of Rockwell Group , wanted to design a new kind of collective office for small organizations and entrepreneurs. What he created is a creative community space for working, meeting and mingling that draws professionals from the worlds of art, design, fashion, cinema and more. NeueHouse functions with ...
Located in Taipei, Taiwan, RAW brings together the culinary creativity of the renowned Chef Andre and the artistic interior styling of the Singapore-based architecture firm WEIJENBERG. The space is designed to create a sense of intimacy with all of the focus being placed on Chef Andre’s gastronomic delights. Overhead lighting softly spotlights the plates, positioning gue...
When redesigning the offices of a small production company in São Paulo, AR Arquitetos wanted to create a balance between old and new. In keeping the old facade, the architects maintained the connection with the neighboring buildings, but added a contrasting black and white to help it stand out. The interior is an entirely different story. Divided into two distinct vo...
30 meters underground – literally. Far beneath Vita Berg Park in Stockholm, AF-LA transformed an old nuclear bomb shelter into a one-of-a-kind office space. According to the architects, the Pionen, White Mountain office takes its cues directly from science fiction, particularly ‘Silent Running’ and James Bond films. Indeed, we imagine that walking into work would not be ...
Mode Design Studio created a geometrical concept for the Piece of Paradise Bar and Dinner Restaurant to play off the hexagonal shape of the space, and the result is a contemporary, texture-rich interior that packs major visual impact. Structural elements, contrasting natural and synthetic materials as well as playful proportions lend a very conceptual, futuristic feel to...
Designed by ABA Studio, Pandora’s New York offices are located on the 19th and 20th floors of a Midtown Manhattan office building. From a low entrance space on the 19th floor, the office opens up to a double-height central space with a grand staircase that connects the two floors. The space is bordered by a wall of translucent disks connected by aluminum hooks and backed...
French designer Patrick Norguet is the design force behind the OKKO HOTELS. Implanted in the very heart of cities, OKKO is an entirely urban concept that attempts to deliver the best of local life to visitors. Architecture that reflects the location and carefully curated regional restaurants help non-locals immerse themselves in their environment. Most recently, OKKO ha...
From eggs provided by their supplier Mikel’s “happy hens” to Angel’s sun-ripened fruits and vegetables, every product comes from a local network of small producers practicing ecologically sound methods. With an emphasis is on recapturing traditional flavors, the menu includes updated versions of classic casseroles, stews, soups and salads. Divided into three customer are...
Copenhagen-based Arcgency specializes in what they call Resource Conscious Architecture, meaning that their structures are designed to reduce waste and built to last. Made To Be Moved is an urban office space that is built to be deconstructed. An experiment in pre-fabricated architecture, the structure stacks recycled shipping containers to create a flexible and modular ...
Brain training and neuroscience research company Lumosity has recently taken up residence in three floors of San Francisco’s historic Pacific Bell Building. When planning out the new space, the company sought to make collaborative spaces a central priority. Working with local architecture firm Boor Bridges Architecture, the company constructed the entire third floor of t...
The New York-based production firm needed a flexible office that would easily accommodate the ebb and flow of consultants, and SO-IL delivered. Translucent fabric walls divide the office into two fluid spaces that are furnished with long, continuous tables. Without traditional limits, employees can meet, collaborate and produce infinitely, generating a sense of cooperati...
Those of you that are suckers for a good concept store are going to love Le White Concept Store in Paris. As its name implies, Le White exclusively sells artwork and design objects that are white. The concept also extends to the shop’s walls, floors, shelves and furniture, cultivating a dazzlingly surreal ambiance. Each piece of the collection is scrupulously curated by ...
Not all hotels are created equal. But some hotels truly go above and beyond – like Amsterdam’s Hotel Not Hotel. Hotel Not Hotel is a hotel, but it’s also not really a hotel. Confused? Rather than dividing the space into uniform hallways and standard rooms, Hotel Not Hotel called upon Collaboration-o, a group of designers from the Design Academy Eindhoven, to design mi...
Located in Canberra, Australia, the improbable NewAction Nishi building boasts an average 8 star NaTHERS rating, which is roughly 5.5 stars higher than the average local building, meaning that it’s a pretty darn energy efficient building. Designed by Australian firm Fender Katsalidis Architects in conjunction with Japanese studio Suppose Design Office, sustainability and...
Dutch design and architecture firm Studio Makkink & Bey was commissioned by the University of Orléans and the French Ministry of Culture and Communication to design the interior of the university’s newly opened research center: l’Hôtel Dupanloup. The historic 17th-century Hôtel Dupanloup was previously the home of a bishop before being transformed into a library. With...
We might have found the coolest radio station building ever. Seoul-based architect Kim In-cheurl of Archium was asked to design the building that hosts the Mustang Broadcasting Community (MBC), a radio station located in northwestern Nepal! That’s right, folks, we’re talking about a radio station located 3000 meters above the sea level in a region of harsh weather condit...
Treehotel by Tham & Videgard Arkiyekter is the grown up version of your favorite youth hideaway. Built on live trees in the forests of northern Sweden, the aluminum structure’s mirrored glass exterior reflects nature’s fluidly changing face while affording visitors a fresh glimpse of the landscape. Equally conscious of the environment, the Treehotel is designed to respec...
We have already determined that wallpaper is back, but Barcelona-based architecture firm BAAS Arquitectura has taken the trend to a new level. For the new Disseny Hub Barcelona offices, the firm created a bespoke patchwork of wallpaper that entirely covers the space. The Design Hub offices house employees of the Barcelona Centre de Disseny (BCD), el Fomento de las Art...
Free Wifi and free on-demand films? If you’re already sold on the idea, we wouldn’t blame you. CitizenM just understands the 21st century global traveler. A chain of boutique hotels scattered across Europe, CitizenM combines convenience, luxury and technology in a relatively affordable package. Their hotel at the Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris is a comfortable mix...
Yandex is Russia’s largest search-engine company, and the number one search engine used in the country. It is therefore only fitting that they would have Google-esque offices to house their employees. For the third installment of the company’s Saint Petersburg offices, the Moscow-based architecture firm Za Bor Architects sought to create a connection between the minimali...
Located in Thailand’s former capital of Ayutthaya, the Sala Ayutthaya is a twenty-six room boutique hotel near the Chao Phraya River. Designed by Bangkok-based architects Onion, the hotel is divided by a long corridor of locally handcrafted brick. The gently curved geometry offers visitors seclusion and privacy. The hotel is divided into twelve individual “homes” within ...
As a company filled with young creatives, Tel Aviv-based promotion agency Webpals wanted an office that reflected their corporate culture. Stylists Tali & Rakefet set about designing a fun, colorful space that would inspire. The new office houses 130 employees in approximately 650 square meters that was designed to encourage communication, collaboration and adaptabili...
Soundcloud is one of the most innovative and widely used music platforms on the internet. For the design of their Berlin headquarters, local architecture firm KINZO was charged with designing a flexible and creative space that could easily expand with the rapidly growing company. To do so, they converted 4,000 square meters of a disused brewery into a three-storey office...
We do appreciate a good urban boutique hotel, we also appreciate one of Toronto’s signature boutique hotels, The Drake, bringing its artsy touch to the countryside. The Devonshire Inn is located right on the shore of Lake Ontario in the scenic and rural Prince Edward County, a region known for its beaches, wineries and active cultural scene. Providing the perfect site an...
South Korea’s Snow Hotel throws design caution to the window. Patterns and materials are recklessly mixed in a glorious clash of marble, tile, wood and wallpaper. Marble floors run smack into cubic optical illusions and rustic stone fades into pristine white tile. Fake meets real, contemporary blends into ancient. Designed by 1990uao, the hotel is located in downtown ...
