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...
Cafe Mojo is a coffee house located in Astana, Kazakhstan, and designed by Nurlan Kamitov of Kamitov Project Architecture. It is part of a bigger restaurant complex, therefore the architects had the task of integrating it into the existing decor, while still cultivating a distinct environment for the cafe. Inviting leather chairs and shelves populated with books and knic...
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...
Apostrophy’s is a multidisciplinary design practice based in Bangkok, Thailand. Their range of work includes everything from visual design and animation to interiors and architecture. Recently, the studio completed an additional work space for their ever-growing pool of design professionals. The new office includes facilities such as a learning-media center, design ma...
Something about a giant pile of perfectly stacked, breakable objects brings out the primordial desire to smash. Or to dive headfirst and go for a swim, which means that patrons of the newly renovated Maruhiro Flagship Store may have to practice some superhuman self control when confronted with this installation by Japanese designer Yusuke Seki. Located in Nagaski, Japan,...
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 ...
Vino Veritas is an ecological restaurant in Oslo, Norway, that serves up Spanish tapas and organic wine. The restaurant is an extension of the ecological winery Cortijo El Cura that originated twenty years ago in the La Alpajurra region of Andalusia, Spain. With its deep Spanish roots, it was only logical to call upon Spanish design Studio Masquespacio to craft a restaur...
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...
An office space where you can feel at home, would it be a dream or a nightmare? Well, it would depend on the kind of job you’re doing. In the case of TADAH Office, a designer studio, the search for a free and relaxed atmosphere can be understandable as it could be propitious to the development of creativity and inspiration. That’s the reason why TADAH Collaboration decid...
We love coffee! Yes, we do! We love coffee! How ’bout you? We’re positive that the coffee experts at Single Origin Roasters in Sydney, Australia, feel the same. And judging by their excellent design execution, we suspect that Stuart Krelle and Rachel Luchetti of Australian firm Luchetti Krelle might feel the same. They gave a boost to the local coffee shop using susta...
Though we are not personally brandy devotees, we would dip our palate into the world of strong spirits just to spend some time in the Shustov Brandy Bar. Located in Odessa, Ukraine, the bar was designed by Denis Belenko Design Band, a local architecture firm that incidentally also has a pretty amazing name. The walls of the establishment are made from barrels, while t...
Simply put, the office breathes. Slipped quietly under the trees, employees work alongside sunlight, raindrops, falling leaves…the structure is made to let workers take full advantage of nature’s changing face. The northern side of the building’s transparent plexiglas® gives the impression of ‘working under the treetops’ and bathes the workspace in natural light, while t...
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...
Apparently, the Netherlands is the place to work. Last week it was the renovated De Burgemeester office, and this week, we’re ogling the Amsterdam headquarters of Nuon. Located in the newly transformed NieuwAmsterdam building, the BREEAM-certified, six-storey office space was designed by Heyligers Design + Projects to accommodate 2,200 employees. Sustainability was at th...
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 ...
Mark Dziewulski designed a flexible and peaceful multipurpose living space that serves as an art gallery, an office and a generously proportioned entertainment space. The most defining trait is perhaps the overhanging roof that gently slopes up, revealing a floor-to-ceiling window that generously bathes the living space in light. This open space, despite its very modern ...
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, ...
In our recent e-magazine, we discuss the trend of home-away-from-home accommodations, and the leader in the trend is definitively Airbnb. Recently, Irish architecture firm Heneghan Peng has finished Airbnb’s Dublin offices in Seán Reilly’s Watermarque building. The two-storey office encompasses almost 2,000 square meters and is meant to create an open and collaborative o...
Lately, it seems that Belgium has decided to step up and show that its architecture is worth something! After the Corten House in Konich, it is now the Obumex Outside that has caught our attention. A different kind of building, but still a great deal of style and architectural ideas in the conception of this extension. Govaert & Vanhoutte Architects‘ task was to desig...
International architecture firm Woods Bagot designed National Australia Bank‘s new headquarters in Melbourne. As part of the new structure, an innovative approach to customer service was created. The Village Customer Innovation Center is an interactive and informal space where NAB’s community and customers can connect, collaborate and share ideas. Meant to be dynamic ...
Multidisciplinary Canadian design practice M-S-D-S Studio has integrated their deliciously minimal style into the conversion of a 100-year-old brick warehouse which is home to Shopify Toronto. Spread across 18,000 square feet, the office contains 90 workstations, a reception area, retail shop, boardroom, 3 large meeting rooms, 6 small meeting rooms, 2 phone booths, a caf...
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...
Occupying the 22nd to 28th floors of the Empire State Building, LinkedIn’s offices tower over Manhattan’s cityscape with sweeping views of other architectural icons such as the Flatiron Building. The offices were entirely renovated in 2013, but the company recently called upon international firm Interior Architects to design a”club level” for the LinkedIn sales team on t...
One does not go to the Drift Hotel in Baja, California, to lay in bed and take bubble baths. Drift is a simple framework for the phenomenal landscape of the Baja peninsula – a jumping off point surfing, hiking and exploring. The hotel was established by Stu Waddell. As the former creative director for the planning and design of traditional resorts, Drift seems to be a d...
The Ace Hotel London was completed in 2013 by the London-based architecture firm Universal Design Studio. Working from the outside in, the firm designed 258 quest rooms, an 167 square meter seventh floor event space, a 250 square meter restaurant and a 362 square meter lounge and reception area that includes stores, a bar, a café and an art gallery. Dedicated to maint...
What do you do when you have to renovate the interior of a decadent landmark? Do you try to emphasize the architecture by making smooth and modest interior design choices, or do you see things on a large scale and try to compete with the facade? Well, if the answer is obviously the second one, the problem is you have to at least equal the extravagance deployed outside. W...
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...
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...
Designed by Chinese architects Archi-Union Architects, Tea House is a study in limitations. Three walls hem the lot, creating physical and spatial limitations, and the technologically advanced design was met with the limitations of low-technology construction. Yet, despite the obstacles, the architects created a distinctive and relaxing space in the backyard of their off...
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...
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...
Office Showroom for DK by Megabudka is a bona fide museum of good taste where workspaces mingle with color and art. The inclusion of a showroom within the office is playfully yet deferentially executed, doting the elements on display with attention while seamlessly integrating them into the space. Parallelepipeds (say that 5 times fast!) not only serve as small nooks for...
