Interior Design
SushiCafé Avenida, Lisbon
Over in Lisbon, cool new restaurants seem to be sprouting up in the dozens! Most recently is SushiCafé Avenida, designed by Miguel Saraiva & Associados. The architects explained that “the restaurant transmits a modern and distinguishing concept” with it’s pure white color palette, undulating walls, and innovative lighting strategy. The entrance of the space appears to be small from the street, in order to give people passing a glimpse of the stunning sushi bar. After the sushi bar, the restaurant opens up into a large lounge and dining area where an elevated DJ booth is built into the curved wall, designed to be unobtrusive and discreet. In coordination with the beats that the DJ is throwing down, the walls are back lit with innovative LED technology which allows colorful light to pump through the restaurant along with the tunes!
(Photography: FG+SG fotografia de arquitectura | architectural photography)
Wax Revolution Salon, Mexico
In the upscale neighborhood of Polanco in Mexico City, Wax Revolution has unveiled their second location. With the goal of setting a new standard on what they regard as “artistry in hair removal,” they wanted to ensure that the design of their space would be as unique as their service. The site of the salon is in a semi basement of what used to be part of the parking of a refurbished building from the 50s. ROW Studio spearheaded the project, their “first challenge was to give notoriety to an otherwise invisible space.” The solution turned out to be a “faceted structure made from a sequence of black steel frames descending from the street to the salon in a similar fashion to a subway entrance thus making the site evident to the enormous traffic of people strolling and driving by.”
The lobby of the salon is outfitted with a bright blue wall and a high gloss multifaceted black desk. Once you make your way past the chalk board wall where the salon’s latest specials are detailed, you enter in the main salon area where “each cabin is assigned and identified by a color which can be located by following the corresponding lines on the epoxy resin floor. The lights are fixed to the wall as a continuous strip with 45° and 90° angles as a way to liberate height from the low ceiling of the space.” Shortly after, a small open blue cabin located at the end of the corridor is used as a brow bar with an adjustable barber’s chair. The design of Wax Revolution is a delightfully vibrant space, adding a fun and playful twist to what was a dusty old parking garage.
(Photography: Sofocles Hernandez Copyright ROW Studio)
Hostel La Bueno Vida, Mexico
The Holiday Inn just got owned. Just sayin’. I mean, how can the mediocre, vanilla chain possibly compete with a bubblegum pink faceted façade like the one that graces Mexico City’s Hostel La Buena Vida?! They can’t. It’s just too much awesomeness per square foot. The name of the suhweet residential development says it all. We’ll provide the translation for all of you Español-challenged amigos: Hostel La Buena Vida = The Good Life Hostel. And good it is. In a ‘hood with a homogenous architectural style, the hostel definitely stands out like a sore thumb (painted neon pink). ARCO Architectura Contemporanea’s team used repeating geometric shapes in the façade, paying homage to the Mexican-candy-wrapper-esque vibe, then complimented the bold choice with a serene ipe wood lattice and set it off with a neon sign. Any contemporary urban traveler would be lucky to relax in this lounge-tastic Mexican City gem.
Graffiti Cafe StudioMODE
Edging its way onto Black Sea Coast, Varna is often refereed to as the summer capital of Bulgaria. This summer, the seaside town has a remarkable new eatery designed by Studio Mode. A floor above the Graffiti Cafe is the Gallery of Modern Art, therefore, Mode knew they needed to cater the design to an new age artistic crowd, along with the restaurants existing acoustical and ventilation challenges.
Columns became over exaggerated as Mode dressed them with and array of thin unfinished wood panels which reach up to the ceiling to create a connecting pattern. The wood panels, are a clever solution to the problematic ceiling ventilation issues and will aid in the acoustics. 3 dimensional white plastic panels come together to create a decorative wall behind the bar, while softly lit white drapery covers the two opposite walls. The monochromatic color pallet brings sophistication to the sculptural architectural elements of the magical new Graffiti Cafe.
(Photography: 3inSpirit)
The Plaza Condesa, Mexico
The architects over at Esrawe gave Mexico City’s Plaza Condesa a new face lift – no, seriously. The team of talented visionaries stepped in to add three new levels onto the facade of the performance theater, which now provide a ticket sales, reception to elevators, and souvenir shop.
The renovation stirred up some strong feelings about how exactly it would authentically pay homage to the buildings 1950′s roots. Esrawe wanted to Take inspiration from the time period that gave rise to the building, (the transition from modernism to post-modernism), it reclaims the value of functionality and applies it to the present time.
The existing structure consists of 6 levels, a mezzanine and basement. Presently the ground floor has a lobby area, bar, coat room, kitchen, storage rooms, restrooms, and a stage with its backstage dressing rooms and bathrooms. The other levels house offices, more storage rooms and restrooms, and multiple halls.
Esrawe construct the three levels above the lobby which lead into the performance hall, along with a little sprucing of the performance theater itself. Vertical wood panels dress the walls of the lobby and flow to the walls of the floors above, only stopping at window displays which pay homage to Mexican music and culture in the 1950′s.
The gray ceiling and theater facade divide the wood and have disc looking rings of light which are scattered on the wall and up to the ceiling, creating a very theatrical lighting effect.
Inside the theater – Esrawe designed an over sized angular custom pattern and turned it into a wall paneling system which acts as the dominant decor feature in the space. The vibrant and dynamic new venue is sure to attract the worlds biggest acts!
(Photography: Guido Torres)
Kaffee Headquarters, Germany
One of Germany’s most beloved coffee brewing companies, Kaffee, has just moved into their curvy new 106,000 square foot headquarters. 3Deluxe, the visionaries behind the architecture and design of the project, wanted to combine the effect of a striking sculptural architecture with the functionality of commercial workplace needs for 300 employees. The result of this idea manifested into a 4-story, asymmetrical, form-flowing layered structure.
Every morning, employees are greeted with a drive through coffee shop, giving the people of the company a moment to experience the products of their company on a daily basis.
Asymmetrically curved facade bands connect all the buildings and flow together, you would never guess there is actually an orthogonal grid of the underlying concrete frame.
The interiors follow in suit with the exteriors; form flowing. The walls undulate to become seating and desks, the floors pop up to create benches, and the walls break open to create shelves and lighting.
Ultimately, the team at Kaffee wanted the expressive architecture of the new headquarters to be established as a fundamental part of the company’s branding, because competence and innovative spirit is their mantra.
Palencia Civic Center, Spain
This just might be the coolest renovation we have seen in some time. Exit Architects have just transformed a 19th century prison into a super sleek civic center in Palencia, Spain.
The architecture & design team at EXIT has gained a quality reputation for creating stellar projects for health care institutions, cultural & educational centers, and museums; in a way where they introduce bold architectural elements into the interiors. In the Civic Center for Palencia, The impressive architectural addition to the old masonry building consists of zinc metal panels and U-glass, which is just a peek as to what has evolved on the inside.
The interiors, once dark, have been given light by the inclusion of several skylights which were added when parts of the old clay roof were removed. The octagon shaped great wall is the main public space, which has an inviting atrium with enclosed glass cylinders reaching from the floor to the ceiling, each are filled with rocks and a single tree.
The bold architectural is complemented with a clever mixture of natural and artificial lighting. Fluorescent tube lighting is used to create dynamic streaks in the atrium ceiling, massive skylights, and lines of lights make the walls sparkle in the theater. It must be the true marriage of thought evoking architecture, design, lighting, and function, that make this project quite a success!
(Photography: Fernando Guerra)
Clinica T Dental Office, Portugal
You’re heading to the dentist, your nerves kick in bringing you to full sweats in an instant. You barely muster up the gumption to crack open the door when you are greeted with a sweet surprise….your dental office looks like Tenjune! The glittery and glossy black tiles and moody up lighting are reminiscent of the nightclub you were in last night – immediately, your sweats are gone, and you are preparing yourself for a new dental experience. This was the idea behind Luis Pedra Silva‘s most recent project, Clinica T, a new dental office in Lisbon, Portugal. The space is separated into two sides – the waiting area, and the medical area. The waiting area has dark stone flooring, small glossy black tiles, and modern furniture. While the medical area is stark white with glass partitions and white lights. We love seeing the medical industry taking design more serious. Hats off to the design team at Luis Pedra Silva for re imagining design in this health care environment.
Anjelique Restaurant, Istanbul
Autoban’s latest project comes by way of Istanbul. Award-winning restaurant slash bar slash club, Anjelique recently underwent a pretty hefty architectural facelift. The new identity spreads over two floors and addresses both winter and summer seasons. Most prominent perhaps is the lattice of cutout curvilinear lines, sure to create some pretty epic shadows. The space is awash in muted, earthy tones, and floor to ceiling columns tease the eye upwards. Inside, biomorphic banquettes curve in undulating ribbons, while the outdoor patio blazes with open fire pits. The entire space oozes with a relaxed sense of luxury and refinement. We have three words for you Anjelique: “Stay classy Istanbul.”
(Photography: Autoban)
Cioccolato Dessert Shop
Savvy Studios has whipped up the sweetest little candy shop, set to fulfill all your sugar filled desires! Cioccolato is a pastry boutique specializing in custom deserts. The team at Savvy was called in because the once little pastry company is evolving into a full scale bakery – therefore, the branding, identity, and interiors, needed to get on the same page. Savvy created a minimalistic version of Candy Land in the space by dressing the walls in high gloss white above a reflective sea foam green floor. Vibrantly colored photographs fill up their white frames and are strategically scattered onto the walls, while one large central table reveals the freshest of treats. As a cool design feature, Savvy added a dripping effect to a few elements, such as the dripping “chocolate” on the retail counter and picture frames which have a similar effect. Are we making you hungry yet?
(Photography: Savvy Studios)
Caro Hotel, Spain
Valencia’s Caro Hotel occupies a building that dates back 2,000 years. Experiencing the hotel is like pulling back layers of history – a mosaic Valencia founding of Roman from the second century BC, a staircase from the early 19th century, an Arab city wall in the hotel’s cafe from XII Century, and several Gothic arches and nineteenth-century construction details, all in one place.
The team behind Caro approached Francesc Rifé, the principal at Barcelona based design firm Francesc Rifé Studio, to come in and streamline the establishment. Caro wanted Rife, who is known for his warm, yet contemporary style, to add architectural elements to the building that reflect modern design. Creating these elements that represent the moment is another way to continue these historical layers of the building, a way to experience the past, and the present, at the same time.
Rife divided the hotel up into 26 suites, each room is designed different from one another. One room is in the attic, where rustic wood beams slant down creating low ceilings, while other suites have high ceilings with grand murals and crown moldings. A glass floor was added into the hotel to allow light to travel from the sunroof to floors below, Rife designed a cool moss garden that grows on one of the floors – a small, yet unforgettable design feature within the hotel.
(Photography: Caro Hotel)
Facto Royale Salon, Portugal
The Facto Royale, a sleek white salon just opened up on the streets of Lisbon. The small space is decked out with 5,000 Swarovski crystals, 50 plaster hands, and a fantastic crystallized skull of a deer head and antlers. The shop is designed by architect Igor Ferreira who wanted to surprise salon goers by creating a space opposite of your traditional salon. The architect took second-hand Japanese style furniture and had the pieces professionally painted to be white, then mixed the pieces with low hanging white industrial lights and Corinthian columns. The entirety of the stark white design sits above high gloss white washed wood planked floors, which allows for a tiny bit of color to peep into the space.
Spicy Color Shop, Korea
‘Fashion is play’, is the light hearted mantra for Spicy Color, a trendy fashion store in Korea which offers bright colored garments to Seoul’s tweens. Local design team m4 wanted to create a space to reflect their clients slogan. The designers took a white space and added a grid of bright blue steel wall columns and connecting ceiling beams. The floor is filled with an over sized colorful pattern with custom built white display units scattered on top. Our favorite part of the space comes into effect in the ceiling lighting, where a bunch of oddly angular white lights hang, each fixture with a different geometry!
(Photography: Lee Pyo-Joon)
Mountain & City Sales Office, China
Taking inspiration from the surrounding mountain range in Nanshan, the newly designed Chongqing Mountain & City Sales Office has come to life. The interior architecture of the office, designed by One Plus Partnership, has its valleys and its peaks. The space is fitted with an abstract version of a mountain, by connecting triangular grey marble faces to one another. The “mountain range” is central in the office, and custom built angular bronze desks are randomly scattered around architectural element. A field of tube lighting drapes down from the ceilings creating an aesthetic of a rain shower pounding down on the rocks.
(Photographs: Ajax Law Ling Kit and Virginia Lung)
Rasapura Masters, Singapore
We’ve all seen Singapore’s gorgeous Marina Bay Sands, known for their massive rooftop infinity pool, well, the stylish new establishment has just been outfitted with Rasapura Masters food court, designed by FARM Studio. The food court falls under the umbrella of Koufu’s chain of eateries titled Masters, and FARM says they “were tasked to create an Asian dining space befitting these masters.”
The contemporary styled food court has a warm ambiance, with deep undertones of gray and brown, mixed with colors you’d find on a squash, olive, and watermelon. Table tops vary from dark wood, to high gloss white, and are heavily scattered throughout the space for those peak hours during meal time when the restaurant sees high amounts of traffic.
FARM designed the space as an open layout which is divided into “islands,” counters where each of the master chefs are at work creating mouth watering dishes. The wavy ceiling is a design element which helps define these “islands” with a series of yellowish-green panels that undulate above the individual counters.
Elsewhere, the design details and other features reflect the atmosphere of eating street food and Asian cuisine. Different types of traditional floor tiles, ironmongery details, furniture and traditional glass pendant lamps are used and mixed throughout the space in a non-traditional sense to create unique pockets of eating corners and spaces. The resultant of these is a tactile and ever-changing spatial experience!
(Photography: FARM)
Wuhan Pixel Box Cinema, China
The concept of the new Wuhan Cinema, designed by Hong Kong based firm One Plus Partnership Limited, is founded on the idea of pixels and movement, a concept which sparked a variation of block-like designs for each different space in the theater. The designers went all out when creating the grand hall of the theater. 6,000 connecting Stainless steel panels graciously curve and hug the space creating a spectacular dark silver entrance. The metal panels are broken into various sizes, and have a mirror like quality, which is the cause to a magical play on movement as the reflections of the visitors drift past the panels.
Beyond the grand hall, Square blocks become seats and tables in the concession area, while the table tops the designer retro-fitted LCD screens under glass so theater goers can watch the latest trailers and film trivia. Hallway walls are outfitted with undulating rectangular forms which shoot out from the wall, plush theater carpeting is covered with a custom pixeled pattern, and the restrooms are fit into individually lit cubes which glow green, like Kryptonite. Talk about a having whole new cinematic experience!
The Research Agency Office, New Zealand
The Research Agency, proudly being one of New Zealand’s leading and fastest growing boutique agencies, wanted to outfit their new workspace with a design that represented their business brand. The research gurus called upon award winning architect Jose Gutierrez to give them the powerful and energetic aesthetic they desired. “The empty run down shell of an existing heritage building was transformed into a bold sleek office,” Gutierrez explained. The architect re-vamped the old space by adding a contrasting palette of black and white to the office. The walls, pillars, ceilings, and curtains all became white, while accents of black were introduced with elements such as large metal letters spelling out the name of the firm and black carpeting.
The layout of the office is fairly open, creating a contemporary work environment, a place where natural light can be transmitted far into the space from the windows. Beyond the open layout, Gutierrez created some private areas such as the 16 person conference room which is surrounded by floor to ceiling white curtains, and has a high gloss black ceiling, with cool framed photographs. The design of The Research Agency’s cool new office definitely top’s our list of places we wouldn’t mind working!
(Photography: Jose Gutierrez)
Matadero Gets A New Theater + Library, Madrid
Over in Madrid, the people behind the cultural complex Matadero have decided to celebrate the world of non-fiction cinema by dedicating a brilliant new space, which includes a massive film library, film set, and two movie theaters to the subject. The space, designed by the Spanish architects at ch+qs, is exploding with vibrant lighting, which casts dramatic shadows, creatin exciting and dynamic points of interest.
The film library is outfitted with black washed wood planks on the floors, walls, and ceilings, and has an elongated stair case that shoots through the center of the floors. The vertical railings of the stairs are horizontally intertwined with clear plastic tubing with warm lighting weaved between; an effect which causes a luminous glow, lighting up the entire library.
One floor of the library doubles as a learning center for visitors who want to better acquaint themselves with “Cinematheque”. While the other floors provide dark display shelving for the 1,000 plus films and books about the subject.
The 244 square meter film set is an open space, designed to be versatile for many uses. The Matadero is making the space available to all film makers, specifically, young and aspiring film makers with low budgets. Once the films are made, makers can showcase their work in one of two new 239-seat theaters
We are slightly blown away with the design of the theater! The architects brought back the plastic tube weaving we saw in the film library, but this time with black plastic tubing instead of clear, to create a darker effect when introduced with theater lighting. The weaving wraps up the walls and over theater guests, which helps with both sound, light and sound absorption.
Also, each seat number glows, so you can always get back to your seat in case you need to break it for the restrooms!
These new film dedicated areas are an addition to an old building. Architect Cayetana de la Quadra-Salcedo explained that they “wanted to create a ’tissue’ uniform to ‘dress’ the building without altering the volumes of the original building, but adapting to its new use, a canvas where you can recreate the cinematic effect
(Photography: FG+SG)
Trunk House, Australia
The Trunk House is what Tom Hanks would’ve fabricated in Cast Away had he not been so involved with that dang volleyball (and, ya know, if he has a skill saw and some milling machinery lying around). This small cabin designed by Paul Morgan Architects in the Victoria’s Central Highlands of Australia is a shipwrecked traveler’s paradise, nestled in a forest of Stringybark. Most notable are the ‘V’ shaped support beams that zig-zag around the exterior, harnessing the natural load-bearing capacity of timber found locally by utilizing bifurcations in tree forks. Turns out that the joints that are discarded in commercial logging have a great inherent strength, not to mention the Stringybark was milled, cured on site, and then fixed internally, resulting in a minimal carbon footprint. Trunk House:1 Loggers: Zilch.
(Photography: © Peter Bennetts)
W Hotel Paris Opera
In part of a massively cool expansion initiative, the W Hotels has opened it’s super chic new Paris property, today, yes, literally today! As we are drafting this article, dashingly stylish doorman are rolling out the red carpet for the elite jet setters who frequent W establishments around the world. The 91 room hotel has taken over a historical 1870 building just steps away from the Garnier Opéra House.
Just because the W community is expanding, doesn’t mean they leave their identity at the door as the trot from spot to spot. You can still expect high design mixed with modern technology. Because in Paris, otherwise known as the city of lights, the design team Rockwell Group Europe in collaboration with W Global Brand Design decided to bring lighting features into the space in integral ways. An awesome example being the curvacious black wall that whips around the bar and into the hotel’s restaurant. The high gloss black partition has tiny holes in it and are back lit to create a vibrant space, especially for the night owls.
The hotel has a bold contrasting color palette of black, red, and white, but the seemingly modern palette fits perfectly inside the traditional design elements. Mirrored walls grace Arola, the hotel’s restaurant, which are etched with seemingly ancient symbols and characters. While a red, white, and black, spiral stair case elegantly reaches up the five floor hotel. If you are in, or passing though Paris W, be sure to reserve the super luxe WOW Suite, with a name like that, disappointment is nearly impossible.
Light Stage House, Japan
The residential architectural style in Japan somehow manages to have a soothing effect. No matter how vibrant and loud their fashion trends might be, at home, they simply practice serenity. Future Studio recently completed a private dwelling, which is a fantastic example of this. The Light Stage House is a two story structure situated in Hiroshima, Japan. The elegantly curved walls, perfectly compact kitchen, and furniture built into the atchitecture, are design features that make this space work in harmony. The orientation of the site made it difficult to receive southern light into the home. Because of this, the architects at Future Studio designated the top floor to be the public areas of the home, where the family most frequented, then created an upper area which acts as an outdoor terrace. From the terrace, natural light beams in through the glass window.
The grey exterior of the oblong home is outfitted with an array of scattered grey windows, making the structure a unique addition to the ‘hood’.
(Photography: Future Studio)
Kurt Geiger Shop on Regent Street, London
The new Kurt Geiger store designed by Found Associates definitely has a sexy, boudoir vibe to it. You’d almost expect to see a leather riding crop or some furry handcuffs adorning the lux red walls. Instead, at 198 Regent Street in London’s West End, you’ll find a dramatic red, carpeted “ramp” outfitted in kicks, “visually linking to the red glass walls at the rear of the store.” Shoes multiply in record numbers, showcased on mirrored tables and cantilevered glass pedestals, behind back lit Kurt Geiger artwork. One thing’s for sure, sneakers have never looked so undeniably sexxxy.
(Photography: Found Associates)
Catalina Fernandez Pastry Shop, Mexico
Catalina Fernandez is about as high end as it comes, when you’re talking boutique pastry shops. When the company decided to set up shop in San Pedro, Mexico, they called on the design and branding experts at Anagrama to create the space. The company started in 1988 as a home based bakery and has since moved up the ladder, creating an international reputation for their yummy treats. Because of their humble roots, Anagrama wanted to “give the store a look similar to a warehouse / kitchen,” the designers explained. The shop took on an old-fashion-meets-modern aesthetic as the brick walls became elegantly re-finished with white enamel, then tall shelving displays old flour cans which are made to look new, and modern furniture is scattered through the small space. “The goal was to create a place that even 20 years later would still capture the eye of people walking by with its imposing lighting and simple props.”
(Photography: Anagrama)
Starbucks Coffee Shop, Tokyo
Tokyo based architects Kengo Kuma and Associates decided to switch up the vibe of coffee shops when Starbucks wanted to set up shop on the street that leads straight to the Dazaifu Tenmagu, a holy shrine dedicated to a Japanese deity. Kuma wanted to make sure the design of the store fit in with it’s surroundings, in order to respect the sanctity of the grounds.
Because of this Kuma was able to spice up the Starbucks shop without compromising the company’s successful brand identity. The approach was reminiscent of traditional carpentry, as the team connected small square wooden blocks together to create a 3D pattern which reaches up the walls and to the ceiling. The wood pieces start in the back of the shop and move forward throughout the space, until they shoot out of the glass facade, which is set back 10′ from the street to allow for outdoor seating. Angular banquette seating was situated against one wall, while small individual wood desks are attached to the opposite wall. The eye-popping shop is a refreshing change from Starbucks usual manufactured interior style, we can’t help but want more coffee spots like this!
(Photography: Kengo Kuma)
