Posts Tagged ‘modern spaces’
Room Mate Pau Hotel, Barcelona
May 2nd, 2013 – 10 years after the opening of Barcelona’s Hotel Amrey Sant Pau, the Spanish-based hospitality group is opening the doors to it’s second establishment, Room Mate Pau. The hotel, which was designed by renowned architect and interior designer Teresa Sapey, is decked out with vibrant color pallets, charismatic graphics, and cosmopolitan decor.
The 66-suite hotel is located in the center of Barcelona, steps from Plaza Catalunya, and La Rambla; the most famous pedestrian street of the city.
Sapey’s reputation of using bright colors and bold objects in her designs is what made her a perfect choice for the lively Room Mate Pau Hotel. The Italian architect was called upon by the owners to create a hotel that is both friendly and stylish.
The building, which has just undergone a full restoration, now has an atrium full of piercing eye balls, and an elevator shaft outfitted with a huge mural of a ambiguous person wearing a houndstooth patterned dress coat. Spacey transformed large wall patterns into cool backdrops to unique and minimalistic furniture pieces that create a one of a kind experience for hotel guests.
Photography By Room Mate Pau
Hotel de NELL, Paris
April 19th, 2013 - Jacques Konckier and his daughter Lisa are both great lovers of art. So it is no surprise that they chose Paris’s 9th arrondissement – a quarter famed for being eclectic, artistic and intellectual – as the location for Hotel de NELL. Konckier’s passion for design, hospitality and culture is evident throughout the property, where authentic surroundings turn simple into charming. The serene street on which the hotel is located is surrounded by an abundance of restaurants, bars, shopping and theaters – including the Grands Boulevards shopping area, the Palais Garnier Opera House, and France’s largest auction center, Drouot.
Architect Jean Michel Wilmotte’s architectural firm Wilmotte & Associés SA, who led the interior design, took the facade of the 19th century building and helped restore it to its immaculate former glory, with a white palette that carries on from the exterior through to the rooms and common spaces.
Inside, distinct features such as French pavement in the entrance, natural wood panelling in the corridors and rooms, long roaring fireplaces and retro lighting, lend the minimal interiors a coziness and authenticity. The 33 rooms and suites are stark, yet warm, with large floor rugs, a mix of light and dark wood, the integration of natural light, and Japanese-style inspired bathrooms in pure white marble.
In La Régalade, the hotel’s bistro, the décor mirrors that of sophisticated French fare. Here, one of France’s leading chefs, Bruno Doucet believes that food trends are steering back to the basics, with a focus on well-prepared and simple dishes, rather than elaborate and over worked cuisine.
The design of the restaurant follows this same theory – with clean lines, block concrete walls, and flowing ceiling curtains – letting the honest food take center stage.
Barbatella Restaurant, Naples FL
April 12th, 2013 - It took over 9,000 screws to secure 1,400 bright green plaster medallions into the feature green wall and ceiling at Naples new Barbatella restaurant. Basically, building the Floridian restaurant was contractor’s dream job – sore arms?! Venetian-born chef and restauranteur Fabrizio Aielli purchased two separate buildings connected only by a courtyard with the intention of transforming them into one restaurant. Aielli teamed up with Griz Dwight of Washington D.C based GrizForm Design Architects to unify the two spaces that are located steps from the shores of Naple’s swanky Port Royal.
After opening two successful restaurants, chef Fabrizio Aielli knew exactly what he wanted in his new Italian joint, Barbatella. The chef wanted to turn two separate buildings into one restaurant, he wanted the design to cater to a casual dinner patrons, but also attract a sophisticated cocktail crowd, he wanted the space to cultivate two different styles of Italian architecture, and one of the chef’s most important requests was that the restaurant should function to serve three meals a day, seven days a week.
Dwight, along with his team at GrizForm managed to pull the two spaces together and meet the programmatic needs by creating a comfortable place where old world authenticity meets new age sophistication – giving Barbatella a dual personality.
Barbatella’s bar side offers a more sophisticated dining experience with a long wood communal table, birdcage chandeliers, an eye-catching green medallion ceiling where light bulbs sporadically pop out, and bright yellow upholstery, attracting an uptempo night-owl crowd.
“We just kept adding more medallions and before we knew it, 1401 medallions lined the ceiling and wall,” Dwight explained of creating the feature wall. The architect admitted that the chef was initially hesitant about painting the wall bright green, but because the two have previously worked together, chef Fabrizio lent his trust. “Chef was calling asking me ‘are you sure green?’ trust me, bold color and bold gesture.”
The dining side takes a more rustic approach, celebrating its Italian roots with brick floors, wood tables, terrazzo counters and copper finishes, exuding the warmth and roughness of the Italian countryside. “Together, the spaces illustrate two very different styles of Italian architecture. One takes a more, practical utilitarian approach, while the other is a bit more flashy and decorative,” Dwight explained.
The open kitchen on the restaurant side further characterizes the honest and open features of the dining side of the restaurant. The fire of the copper-clad, wood-burning pizza oven further warms the space, creating a welcoming environment for guests. Photographs line the left wall featuring both unknown and celebrated Italians, including Toto and Sophia Loren, enjoying Italian feasts.
The restaurant has only been open a few months, but is kicking off to a great start with a design that comforts and ‘wows’ guests at the same time. “Make sure you try the Pizza’s” Dwight insisted. “They are light and refreshing, perfect to have during a day at the beach.”
Apartment in Junqueira, Lisbon
February 14th, 2013 – Lisbon based Aspa Arquitectos explores the use of void spaces when they re-worked the Junqueira Apartment, and transformed the single level space into a contrasting two level dwelling. The juxtaposing second level expansion comes as a new addition to the existing structure, thought of not as a restoration, but as an extension, putting to good use the “empty” space of the building in relation to its original characteristics. The architects constructed the sleek black unit to fit snug into the 18 foot high ceiling, creating a mezzanine for the residents. Black steps reach down from the mezzanine and meet new steps cut out of a high-gloss white custom unit where they continue to the floor. It was important for Aspa’s Co-founders José Maria Cumbre and Nuno Sousa Caetano to maintain the original decorative and constructional characteristics of the building intact, while revitalizing the space with a unique new addition.
(Photography By Fernando Guerra FG+SG Fotografia De Arquitectura)
Colorful & Multifunctional Learning Spaces at The Vittra School, Stockholm
February 12th, 2013 – The groundbreaking design of three Vittra Free School Organization’s in Stockholm are challenging the traditional learning environments for children. Rosan Bosch Studio has created imaginative, interactive, and colorful interiors that supports the unorthodox educational methods of the new age school. The three schools that Dutch-born artist Rosan Bosch have cleverly designed are located in Telefonplan, Södermalm, and Brotorp.
The design of Brotorp strives to support the school’s pedagogical methods and gives teachers and students the opportunity to work in different settings depending on the learning situation. The design solution comprises small caves for concentration and contemplation, a colorful cave with deep red upholstery, organic high tables for group work, and a soft lounge furniture for informal gatherings.
The schools have individually designed sections for three different age groups – a custom designed library and a multicolored podium are among the conspicuous design elements. In the preschool area, a large green structure occupies the space creating a multifunctional landscape for play and exploration.
The structure is built at children’s height and they will find comfort in the small pockets and niches – while at the same time adults can create an overview of the entire room.
With a similar design concept to Brotorp, principal designer Rosan Bosch has transformed common areas at Södermalm into an inspiring learning environment that brings together education and leisure.
Crystal chandeliers, colorful caves and a library that opens like a treasure chest. Here, the school has 350 students and is located in a historic building in central Stockholm.
“Rosan Bosch has created a learning environment that helps us keep our educational visions into reality,” says Annica Ångell, rector of Vittra Södermalm. “She has created an environment that gives the students and teachers the opportunity to chose from different environments depending on their needs. It’s a huge support in their daily work.”
(Photography Courtesy of Rosan Bosch Studio)
Fabbrica Restaurant, Bergen
The cozy, elevated dining pods at Restaurant Fabbrica in Bergen transports us back to a time of forts and makeshift tree houses. These snug, elevated niches however, are tailored to an adult sensitivity, boasting delicate chandeliers and glass stemware were designed by Tjep Studio, an Amsterdam based architecture and design firm. A large pizza oven is decorated in with a gorgeous Bisazza tile mosaic, while geometric industrial containers hold the oven’s wood. Natural light floods in through an expanse of open windows and arched glass atrium, giving the space a greenhouse-like feel. Overall, Restaurant Fabbrica echoes with a simplistic authenticity, not overly polished, but just right.
Studio Sklim’s New Wine Tasting Bistro
Is it just us, or can wine connoisseurs be a little, what’s the word, …snooty? With the smelling of the cork, the swirling of the glass and the examining of the “legs,” it can all be a bit much. Well, instead of heading to your nearest convenience store for a box of vino, check out Studio Sklim’s Wine Bistro. There’s not a dash of pretentiousness in the space, but rather it’s carefully curated with approachably modern and minimalistic elements from concrete screed flooring, to exposed ceiling vents and industrial touches. Wine Bistro sits in Singapore’s Business District, Marina Square, and boasts a wine cellar as well as French/Italian bistro cusine. The vision is fresh, the atmosphere comfortably sophisticated, and the prices affordable. Perhaps it’s time to say sayonara to Trader Joe’s “two buck chuck?!”
(Photography: Jeremy San Courtesy of Studio Sklim)
