Asia-based studio Linehouse has refurbished the CentralWorld shopping centre in Bangkok, Thailand, introducing a double-layered facade punctured by arches.

According to Linehouse, the revamped facade and seven floors of retail space depart from typical shopping centres by drawing from the history of the site and creating opportunities for "peace in the chaos".

"The design conceptually explores contradictions between the chaotic and peaceful nature of Bangkok, offering a moment of respite in a dense urban district," the studio told Dezeen.

"Located in an area once abundant in lily pads, we examined the stemming, radiating and circular profile of the lily pads, translating this into a spatial narrative to the exterior and interior condition," it continued.

Linehouse used CentralWorld's existing structure as an underlay for its design. The updated facades are formed of concrete arches applied over the original elevation to frame views of the inside.

"The existing perimeter skin of the facade was treated as black render and a secondary skin in concrete formwork was applied to break the regular rhythm of the column structure," Linehouse explained.

Openings are carved behind several of the external arches to host terraces and add visual porosity to the shopping centre.

"We punctured a series of terraces offering exterior gardens for the food and beverage floors, providing a depth to an otherwise flat elevation and blurring the exterior-interior condition," the studio said.

Internally, a central atrium rises between the retail floors, shifting as it ascends to create a network of overlapping ceiling planes.

To support the shifting planes, Linehouse treated existing structural columns with radiating white fins that branch out to form distinctive canopies.

"Upon entering the interior, one is transported to space full of light and volume, offering a meditative journey away from the intensity of the surrounding streets," the studio said.

"As one ascends the interior atrium, the ceiling plane treatment shifts in materiality, beginning with tectonic green metal grids, evolving to natural and tactile textures, timber trellis and woven cane ceilings."

A food hall occupies the shopping centre's fourth floor and was configured to overlook the neighbouring park from the rounded facade opening.

Understated, neutral materials such as timber and stone line the interior to help create a calm atmosphere.

Linehouse is a Hong Kong and Shanghai-based architecture and interior design studio established in 2013 by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling. The duo won the emerging interior designer of the year category at the 2019 Dezeen Awards.

The studio has also recently designed the interiors for a Hong Kong residence that respond to coastal views and a Shanghai restaurant with arched details informed by the New Wave art movement.

The photography is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud and Depth of Field.

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Chinese studio Linehouse has designed the interiors of Cape Drive Residence in Hong Kong to respond to the surrounding coastal views.

Located on the south side of Hong Kong Island, the three-floor home is a short walk from the beaches of Stanley and Chung Hom Kok and has panoramic ocean views to the east and west from its elevated position.

"The design harnesses a costal essence through materiality, light and an easy flow, seamlessly connecting the interior and exterior spaces," Linehouse explained.

An open living area on the ground floor connects to the kitchen and dining space while an internal courtyard was inserted between theses areas and includes a centralised tree and surrounding seating.

The living area extends to the main terrace with full-height windows that frame the expansive ocean views.

Clad in stone, the terrace forms a sunken seating area with pockets of greenery surrounding it, which shelters the sea wind.

White timber louvers were used as a continuous ceiling plane in the living area which also extends to the terrace as a canopy.

"The design of the home reflects the relaxed and laidback lifestyle of a beach setting," said the studio. "Warm tones, tactile surfaces and textures, a clean and simple material palette, and a seamless flow between inside and out."

"Cape Drive Residence offers the fitting backdrop for coastal living," it continued.

A warm oak timber staircase was punctuated by a shuttered screen that runs vertically through all levels of the home while arranging more private areas such as bathing and dressing.

The whitewashed timber material of the screen echoes the coastal location and reflects light through the spaces.

A white metal rod screen can be slide open at each level, offering transparency and light through different spaces.

Bedrooms, a second living area and a study were placed on the upper two levels, all with coastal views.

The same whitewashed timber material used on the shuttered screen was adopted to form storage, seating and shelving in these private spaces, providing a textural contrast to the hand-raked plaster walls.

The bathrooms add a fresh moment of colour into the space, using patterned tiles handmade in Portugal by Elisa Passino.

Linehouse was founded by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling in 2013 and the duo went on to win emerging interior designer of the year at the 2019 Dezeen Awards.

The studio has recently completed a guesthouse in Hong Kong that evokes the comfort of home and a Mediterranean restaurant in Shanghai with natural, tactile materials.

The photography is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.

Project credits:

Design: Linehouse
Design principal: Briar Hickling
Design team: Ricki-Lee Van Het Wout, Cindy Pooh

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Shanghai-based interior designer Alex Mok has joined Dezeen Awards China 2023 as a judge. Here she selects five projects that best reflect her work.

Mok and Briar Hickling are the co-founders of architecture and interior design practice Linehouse. The female duo's work has been recognised internationally and won a number of international design awards, including Emerging interior designers of the tear at Dezeen Awards 2019.

"Linehouse's approach is purposeful, creating poetic concepts through research of cultural, urban and historic contexts that respond to the program, site and function," Mok told Dezeen.

"Each project has a strong narrative, a focus on craft and unique spatial experience with a dynamic intersection between disciplines," she continued.

Currently, Mok is working on hotel projects in Hangzhou and Hong Kong, a food market in Shanghai, and a series of retail projects in Bangkok.

Alex Mok among Dezeen Awards China 2023 judges

Dezeen Awards China 2023 launched in June in partnership with Bentley Motors. It is the first regional edition of Dezeen Awards, celebrating the best architecture, interiors and design in China.

We have announced 10 out of the 15 Dezeen Awards China judges, including architects Ma Yansong and Rossana Hu, furniture designer Frank Chou and interior designer Andre Fu, who will be joining Mok on the interior design judging panel.

Entries close on Thursday 24 August. Submit your entry before midnight Beijing time on 24 August to avoid late entry fees.

Read on to find Mok's views on the five projects that best represent her work.

Wework Weihai Road, Shanghai, 2016

"Linehouse worked with Wework in 2016 to create their headquarters in a spectacular turn of the century brick building in Shanghai. Linehouse celebrated the grandeur of the former opium factory and artist residence, encapsulating the feeling of a grand hotel, transporting guests and members on an unexpected journey of whimsy, voyeurism and festivity.

"The heritage facade surrounds the central atrium. A curved terrazzo tray was inserted to define the space, and pastel diagonal strips in blue, green, pink and grey wrap the floor and wall, creating a hardscape carpet.

"A bespoke lighting installation is suspended in the triple-height space. A new sculptural staircase was inserted to connect all three levels of the main public areas."

Tingtai Teahouse, Shanghai, 2018

"Tingtai Teahouse was completed in 2018 in a former factory space and art gallery in Shanghai's Moganshan Road art district. We stripped the space completely to reveal the beautiful patina of the original factory with concrete beams and columns as well as the brick walls.

"The teahouses are modern architectural responses to the raw factory interior. They read as singular insertions that contrast with the rough brick and concrete interior and reflect the surroundings. The upper rooms in particular have strong relationships with the existing building in the way they connect to the original clerestory windows.

"With each of these rooms bookended with full-height glazing, guests become spectators to the activities below. Each room has a different roofline, which forms modern architectural puzzle spaces where tea drinkers can enjoy this age old drink with a new perspective. "

Find out more about Tingtai Teahouse ›

Coast, Shanghai, 2022

"The Coast restaurant in Shanghai recalls a deep connection with coastal elements and Mediterranean soul. Linehouse transformed a three-storey building into a vertical journey of refined rusticity.

"Colours and materials across the three floors change, telling different parts of the story. Green earthy tones on the ground floor link the garden to the open cafe space, while the red fire tones on the first floor reflect the dining room centred on the parrilla grill. On the second floor black yakisugi wood contrasts against the whitewashed flanked stone walls and the existing traditional timber trussed ceiling."

Find out more about Coast ›

Central World, Bangkok, 2023

"Central World is our largest architectural project to date; a renovation project of an existing shopping centre called Isetan in Bangkok. Linehouse was commissioned to design the exterior facade and seven floors of retail space including a food court.

"The project was located in an area once abundant in lily pads. Linehouse examined the stemming, radiating and circular profile of the lily pads, translating this into a spatial narrative of the exterior and interior condition.

"The exterior is a double-layered, arched facade. The front layer was defined by concrete form and the back layer rendered in black. The arches stem in various heights and widths shifting on the two planes, creating interesting intersections which operate as framed views through to the interior.

"Linehouse punctuated the arches to allow green terraces, providing a depth to an otherwise flat elevation, and blurring the exteriors and interiors."

Ying'n Flo, Hong Kong, 2023

"Aiming to break the traditional hotel narrative of serious spaces and strict boundaries, Ying'n Flo is a lifestyle guesthouse for modern day travellers in Hong Kong.

"The spaces were designed to have a warm, welcoming and familiar feel, emphasising functionality and quality. Against this backdrop of curated simplicity is an edge of youthful attitude and local context, with vibrant elements giving the hotel its own unique flavour."

Find out more about Ying'n Flo ›

Dezeen Awards China 2023

Dezeen Awards China is the first regional edition of Dezeen Awards, to celebrate the best architecture, interiors and design in China. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent in China.

The post Five key projects by interior designer and Dezeen Awards China judge Alex Mok appeared first on Dezeen.

Architects Ma Yansong and Rossana Hu, interior designers André Fu and Alex Mok and furniture designer Frank Chou have been announced as the first five Dezeen Awards China judges.

Dezeen Awards China 2023 launched on 8 June in partnership with Bentley Motors. Enter before 13 July to enjoy an early discount on entry fees.

Dezeen Awards China is the first regional edition of Dezeen Awards, celebrating the best architecture, interiors and design in China.

Read on for more about the first five of 15 industry professionals who will be judging the entries this year:

Beijing-based architect Ma will judge the architecture category of this year's Dezeen Awards China.

The founder and principal partner of Chinese architecture studio MAD has designed a number of landmark projects both in China and overseas, including Absolute Towers in Canada, Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, US, China's Harbin Opera House, Chaoyang Park Plaza and China Philharmonic Concert Hall and the Fenix Museum of Migration in Rotterdam, the Netherlands.

Parallel to his design practice, Ma has explored the public and cultural values of cities and architecture through domestic and international solo exhibitions, publications and artworks.

Shanghai-based Hu will join Ma to judge the architecture categories for the first edition of Dezeen Awards China.

Hu co-founded Neri&Hu Design and Research Office with Lyndon Neri in 2004. Alongside her design practice, Hu has been deeply committed to architectural education and has taught and lectured at numerous universities, including the University of California Berkeley and Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Hu was appointed as Chair of the Department of Architecture at Tongji University in 2021 and will chair the Department of Architecture at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design from 2024.

Architect Fu will be on the interior design judging panel this year. He has been the influence behind some of the world's most luxurious hotels and restaurants, including the Upper House hotel in Hong Kong, Villa La Coste in Provence, Berkeley London, and Waldorf Astoria Bangkok.

In 2015, Fu launched André Fu Living with a collection of products that reflect his signature style. More recently, he also created a two-person "conversation" chair in collaboration with Louis Vuitton's Objects Nomades that was showcased at contemporary art galleries in Hong Kong, Tokyo and Shanghai.

Product designer Chou will join the design judges for this year's Dezeen Awards China. The founder of Frank Chou Design Studio has collaborated with renowned design brands, both as a designer and as a strategic consultant.

In 2021, Chou became the first mainland Chinese designer for Louis Vuitton Objects Nomades. He is also the curator of the Talents area of Design Shanghai and the initiator of the public welfare project Create Cures, promoting public health through design.

Interior designer Mok will join Fu to judge interior design category at this year's Dezeen Awards China. Mok co-founded Linehouse in 2013 with Briar Hickling. The practice has worked on projects in China, Asia Pacific and Europe.

Mok's design work has been recognised internationally and won a number of international design awards, including Emerging Interior Designers of the Year at Dezeen Awards 2019.

Enter now!

Dezeen Awards China 2023 is open for entries. Find out about all of this year's categories and entry information on our website as well as Dezeen's WeChat account. Enter before 13 July to benefit from our discounted early entry prices.

Click here to find out more information about Dezeen Awards China and subscribe to our newsletter for the latest news. Plus you can always drop us a line at awardschina@dezeen.com, or connect with us on WeChat @DezeenCN, if you have any questions.

Dezeen Awards China 2023

Dezeen Awards China is the first regional edition of Dezeen Awards, to celebrate the best architecture, interiors and design in China. The annual awards are in partnership with Bentley Motors, as part of a wider collaboration that will see the brand work with Dezeen to support and inspire the next generation of design talent.

The post Ma Yansong, Rossana Hu and André Fu named judges for Dezeen Awards China 2023 appeared first on Dezeen.

Chinese interior studio Linehouse used natural materials and a muted colour palette to give the Ying'nFlo guesthouse in Wan Chai, Hong Kong, the feel of an inviting home.

The guesthouse occupies the podium of a 24-storey tower on a hilly street in Hong Kong. Its ground floor holds a series of communal spaces that Linehouse designed to provide "home comfort" for guests.

The Collectors Room, which greets guests at the entrance of the guesthouse, has a neutral palette of hand-rendered walls, timber paneling, and linen cabinetry that display curated objects and artworks. A communal oak table serves as a counter where guests can interact.

This room also connects to an outdoor terrace through sliding glazed doors. Built-in bench seating and an olive tree sit at the centre of the terrace and invite guests to relax and socialise.

A gridded timber screen leads further into the space through to the lift lobby and the Arcade room, where guests can gather to relax and play.

Soft-rendered walls, timber shutters and an eclectic mix of furniture create a sense of intimacy, while floor tiles in various geometrical motifs add a sense of playfulness.

Adjacent to the Arcade is the Music Room, the social hub of the guesthouse. Here, ceramic tiles, a bespoke oak shelving system, a custom sofa and curated art and lifestyle objects were added to evoke a sense of a residential living room.

The Music Room opens up to the Garden Terrace, where undulating greenery sits behind circular seating in yellow-striped fabric, a colourful contrast to the overall neutral colour palette of the Ying'nFlo guesthouse.

"The spaces are designed to have a warm, welcoming and familiar feel," Linehouse said.

"Against this backdrop of curated simplicity is an edge of youthful attitude and local context, with vibrant elements giving the hotel its own unique flavour."

The guest rooms of the Ying'nFlo guesthouse are located on the upper floor and feature ceilings painted in a muted green hue, which the same green tone used to frame window seating nooks and for the hand-glazed tiles in the bathroom and kitchen.

A clean palette of plaster, wood, white-washed oak and canvas add texture to the rooms. Seating nooks and lounge furniture serve multiple functions as spaces where guests can work, relax or dine.

Linehouse was founded by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling in 2013 and the duo went on to win emerging interior designer of the year at the 2019 Dezeen Awards.

The studio has recently completed a Mediterranean restaurant with natural, tactile materials, as well as a space-themed cafe decorated with real meteorites, both in Shanghai.

The photography is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.

Project credits:

Design principle: Briar Hickling
Design team: Ricki-Lee Van Het Wout, Lara Daoud, Justin Cheung

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Design studio Linehouse has used natural, tactile materials for the interiors of the Coast restaurant in Shanghai for China's casual dining brand Gaga.

The restaurant is set inside a traditional mid-century Shikumen house – a blend of Western and Chinese architecture – with a renovated interior informed by its Mediterranean menu.

"We aimed to create a deep connection with coastal elements and Mediterranean soul," said Linehouse co-founder Alex Mok.

According to the studio, the restaurant's aesthetic is one of "refined rusticity" – a contemporary reframing of rough-hewn vernacular styles, that creates a laid-back and tranquil atmosphere.

Throughout the scheme, Linehouse was informed by the idea of coastal terrain, including earthy and fired elements.

Linehouse chose a natural material palette, which in turn informed the colour scheme that flows throughout the interior of the three-storey restaurant.

The aim was to take the visitor on a "vertical journey" by giving each of the three floors its own unique identity.

"The colours and materials shift on each floor, telling a different part of the story," Mok said.

On the ground floor, where a daytime cafe transitions into an evening bar, green and earthy tones link to the leafy garden beyond. Walls are wrapped in a green-glazed lava stone, with a deliberately hand-made patina, "representing the earth element".

Custom furniture pieces designed by Linehouse were used throughout the restaurant, while lighting was chosen for its intriguing, sculptural forms from designers including Santa & Cole and Studio KAE.

Natural timbers were used for the centrepiece bar counter, while the timber-framed windows open up to the silver-grey of the olive trees outside.

Above this on the first floor is an intimate dining space lined with white-washed stone and timber panelling. Layered oak panels hung horizontally from the ceiling create intimate dining nooks, with taupe-toned banquette sofas and oak dining tables.

The focal point of this room is the parrilla – an open-hearth grill – and a chef's table.

"The concept of the open parrilla grill captures the quintessence of Mediterranean cuisine," Mok told Dezeen.

On this level, fire-informed red and brown tones punctuate the space including the tiles that line the kitchen, which were repurposed from used coffee grounds.

Finally, on the top floor under the exposed timber beams of the pitched roof, Linehouse created a string-wrapped wine room and a lofty private dining space.

The walls were again clad in white-washed stone. But here, it is contrasted with the intense black of yakisugi, or fire-preserved wood, which serves as a backdrop to a chef's table.

The space also features a generously-sized balcony, providing views out across this bustling neighbourhood.

The spaces are linked by a staircase that weaves up through the centre of the building. Its chalky-white outer walls are patterned with a sculptural relief of sea creature exoskeletons, echoed by collections of shells displayed in glass jars nearby.

Panels of string, woven into simple grids, line the staircase structure, allowing natural light to flow into the heart of the building.

"We chose materials that tell the story of the coastal journey, while the exoskeleton wall is a modern representation of the sea," said Mok.

Linehouse was founded by Mok and Briar Hickling in 2013 and the duo went on to win emerging interior designer of the year at the 2019 Dezeen Awards.

The studio has completed a number of other projects in Shanghai, including a space-themed cafe decorated with real meteorites and an office housed in a former swimming pool.

The photography is by Wen Studio, courtesy of Linehouse.

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Design studio Linehouse has filled a restaurant in a Shanghai art museum with mirrors and arched details informed by eastern and western art and design.

Located inside the UCCA Edge museum, the New Wave by Da Vittorio restaurant was named after the original UCCA museum's opening exhibition The New Wave Art Movement, which also set the tone for its interiors.

New Wave, a 20th-century art movement in China, is renowned for its bold experimentation that brought Chinese art into the modern art world.

“The concept for the restaurant comes from the collision of these opposing elements and the process of change,” said Shanghai-based Linehouse.

To enter the restaurant, guests pass through a narrow passage that leads from the public museum space into a more intimate dining area.

The restaurant, which measures 620 square metres, also holds a bar, private dining rooms and an outdoor terrace.

A sequence of arches was added to the restaurant in reference to the use of colonnades in classical architecture, while matching arched mirrors create an illusion of spatial progression.

New Wave by Da Vittorio also features a ceiling installation formed by arches designed in a more eastern style.

The installation consists of hanging fins made from a Japanese triaxle fabric with a woven texture, which has been cut into vaulted shapes to create a softness that evokes floating clouds.

The sheets of fabric are placed in a repetitive order with a pattern that only emerges once you see through one sheet to the next. The studio hoped this would evoke the contradiction between order and chaos.

“Throughout the restaurant, we seek contradiction in materiality to create qualities of soft and hard, rough to smooth, order to unordered and solid to transparent,” Linehouse co-founder and lead designer Alex Mok told Dezeen.

The studio used stone for the main bar counter, which it sculpted into a curved, fluid shape to further explore the juxtaposition between soft and hard surfaces.

Linehouse deliberately chose a stone with a smaller repetitive pattern to create a continuous piece.

The bar area also has a floor patterned with different kinds of stone while in the private dining rooms, precision-machined stainless steel and curved lacquered timber were paired to create another form of contradiction.

“Materials are manipulated as a catalyst for creating disorder, dissipation, fragmentation and surprise,” Mok said.

Linehouse also recently finished a space-theme cafe for Australian chain Black Star Pastry's first Chinese outpost.

The studio was named emerging interior designer of the year at the 2021 Dezeen Awards.

The photography is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.

Project credits:

Architect: Linehouse
Design lead: Alex Mok, Briar Hickling
Design team: Jingru Tong, Inez Low, Aiwen Shao, Leah Lin, Jiabao Guo, Cherngyu Chen

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Design studio Linehouse combined stainless steel and meteorites to create a space-themed cafe in central Shanghai as Australian chain Black Star Pastry's first Chinese outpost.

The ground floor of the red-brick villa serves as a coffee and pastry shop for Black Star Pastry, which is famous for selling a Strawberry Watermelon Cake that was dubbed "Australia's most Instagrammed dessert" by the New York Times.

Shanghai-based Linehouse designed the space to evoke the feeling of being in space.

"The ground floor stirs up the incredible sensation of being aboard a spaceship," said the studio.

The studio covered the walls of the cafe in stainless steel shelving that holds thousands of meteorites.

The shelving extends across the ceiling to form an arched form that the studio described as "an exploration of gravity vs weightlessness".

Continuing this theme, a countertop display features nine levitating cakes. Displayed in glass containers the revolving cakes are supported by magnetic levitation.

The phrase "we are all just stardust" can be found lining the edges of the communal tables, creating an effect of each letter dripping off the edge of the table by gravity.

Elsewhere on the ground floor there are retail areas stocked with coffee beans and apparel.

A staircase clad in roughcast concrete terrazzo leads the guests upstairs to an exhibition-style dining space called the Black Star Gallery.

It features artworks by four emerging international artists curated by Black Star Pastry creative director Louis Li to create an imaginary futuristic habitat.

The ceiling is lined in a metal grid. The floor is a rough concrete cast terrazzo tile, giving the space a hint of wildness and creating a museum-like mood for the art.

The gallery can be used as a tearoom in the afternoon and a cocktail lounge by night.

A private room named There There is separated from the main dining area by a deep blue velvet curtain. It contains an intimate bar wrapped in acid-etched blue metal.

Blackened wood covers the floor of the room in contrast to the exposed concrete of the cafe's other spaces. A stainless steel curved backdrop holds the wines on display.

Black Star Pastry was founded in Sydney, Australia in 2008 and is the creator of the Strawberry Watermelon Cake, the world's most Instagrammed cake according to the New York Times. This is its first store outside of Australia.

Linehouse was named emerging interior designer of the year at the 2021 Dezeen Awards. Recent projects by the studio include the conversion of a Shanghai office block's swimming pool into an additional workspace and a contemporary dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong.

The photography is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.

Project credits:

Creative direction and art curation: Louis Li – Black Star Pastry
Architect: Linehouse
Design team: Alex Mok, Cherngyu Chen, Yeling Guo, Rongli Chen, Kaihang Zhou, Leah Lin
Levitating cake display: March Studio
Branding graphics: Studio Ongarato/Noritake
Commissioned artists: Olivia Steele, Naoko Ito, Rowan Corkill, Debbie Lawson
Artwork production: UAP
Client: Black Star Pastry

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Design studio Linehouse has converted a Shanghai office block's swimming pool into an additional workspace, using a palette of blue vinyl, peachy leather and light-hued timber.

The swimming pool was part of the fitness facilities made for office workers of the Jing'An Kerry Centre, a mixed-use development in Shanghai's Jing'An district designed by architecture firm Kohn Pedersen Fox back in 2013.

However as the pool was rarely used, locally-based studio Linehouse was asked to convert the room into something slightly more practical.

It now plays host to various seating areas where staff can work or host informal catch-ups with clients throughout the day. Businesses in the development can also choose to use the room for corporate events or talks.

The focal point of the room is still the swimming pool, but it has been drained of water and lined with flecked blue vinyl from flooring specialists Tarkett.

"It was a great opportunity to play with levels which normally an existing interior space does not allow," Linehouse's co-founder, Alex Mok, told Dezeen.

Flights of steps that double up as seats have been built-in at the side of the pool, topped with baby-pink cushions. A semi-circular banquette upholstered in peachy-coloured leather has then been created at the far end of the pool.

The studio also decided to preserve the huge oval skylight that lies directly above the pool.

Around the skylight runs spherical pendant lamps and a series of light-hued timber fins, some of which extended down towards the floor to form slatted screens.

Should workers need to take a call, they can escape to one of the private phone booths which are at the peripheries of the room.

Inside, the booths are lined with leaf-printed wallpaper from Calico.

There's also a small cafe anchored by a Ceppo Nova stone counter and a formal boardroom enclosed by a curved pane of glass.

The black gridding across the glass is meant to mimic the form of the blue wainscotting that lines the room's walls. Emerald-green wainscoting features in the meetings rooms, which have been created inside the swimming pool's former changing areas.

Linehouse was set up by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling in 2013. This isn't the studio's first conversion project – last year it turned part of an abandoned factory into a teahouse, where guests enjoy their drinks from inside glass-fronted boxes.

Photography is by Dirk Weiblen.

Project credits:

Architect: Linehouse
Design lead: Alex Mok, Briar Hickling
Design team: Cherngyu Chen, Eleonora Nucci, Jingru Tong
Client: Kerry Properties

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Concrete, steel and fluted glass merge inside this shop that design studio Linehouse has created for fashion brand JNBY in Xiamen, China.

Chinese cities were a key point of reference for Linehouse, which has decked out JNBY's Xiamen store with materials often seen in dense urban settings – concrete, glass and steel.

The interior aesthetic of this JNBY store will be rolled out across all of the brand's future locations in China – one branch has already opened in Chengdu, and another is set to open in Changsha.

The ceiling of the 100-square-metre store is entirely covered with concrete coffers. Each one is bordered by bright-white LED strip lights.

A curved, steel-frame screen inset with panels of fluted glass runs around the periphery of the space, set back from the structural walls. The partition balances on chunky cylindrical blocks made from recycled concrete pavement.

The urban materiality of the store is interrupted by a couple of ceramic display stands, which Linehouse formed by wrapping convex tiles around steel poles that extend from the floor to the ceiling.

Some of the stands have been fitted with a metal ring where garments can be hung, while others have small shelves where accessories can be put on show.

Convex tiles also clad the front of JNBY's service counter. When viewed up close, customers will be able to see a myriad of cracks, which Linehouse made visible by adding Chinese ink into the tiles' glaze.

The sculptural bases of the store's low-lying display tables are made from grainy wood or concrete that the studio has cast against pieces of fabric.

"The brand sought a modern approach to capture its core values, focusing on material exploration while guiding urban dwellers in appreciating the surprise and poetry of everyday life," explained Linehouse.

"So we wanted to contrast the urban represented by the concrete, steel and textured glass with the notion of crafted imperfection represented in the ceramic and timber detailing... they have the qualities of the handmade; variation and contrast."

Linehouse was established in 2013 by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling, and works between offices in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

The austere material palette of the JNBY store in Xiamen is a far cry from the studio's recently completed project, Basehall – an upscale food court in Hong Kong. Inside, the venue features walls lined with pink-metal rods, brass light fittings and a blue metalwork ceiling.

Photography is by Dirk Weiblen.

Project credits:

Architect: Linehouse
Design lead: Alex Mok, Briar Hickling
Design team: Cherngyu Chen, Jingru Tong, Elspeth Lee, Celine Cheung

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Films from the 1970s informed the aesthetic of Basehall, an upscale food court in Hong Kong designed by studio Linehouse.

Basehall is a food hall set within Jardine House, a 52-storey skyscraper in Hong Kong that's punctuated by rows of circular windows.

Following its completion in 1972, the distinctive building was featured in a number of films. These early cinematic depictions came to influence Linehouse's interior design scheme for Basehall.

"Jardine House was a landmark on the Hong Kong skyline and the tallest building in Asia for several years," said the studio.

"[Basehall] seeks to convey an atmosphere of nostalgia through its spatial arrangement and the use of materiality, lighting and detailing."

The hall is split across two levels, which are each designed to have their own distinct ambience.

On the ground floor is a bright and buzzing "market courtyard", which offers treats from seven artisanal Hong Kong food vendors. Upstairs on the first floor is a drinks bar that's intended to have a warmer and more intimate feel.

A wall clad with rounded oakwood battens runs the length of the ground floor. It's interrupted by a series of white-tile niches that accommodate the kitchens of the different food vendors.

Each niche is fronted by a powder-blue arched frame and a half-moon-shaped canopy fitted with spherical lights, matching the pendant lights that dangle from the ceiling.

Blue metalwork has then been created across the food hall's backlit ceiling.

"The custom metal canopy ceiling is a highlight of the space and references traditional vaulted market hall structures," explained the studio.

"Backlighting the diffuse glass also allows for shifting light qualities throughout the day and night, creating an interior-exterior space."

At this level, there are also a number of mobile cashier carts and even a moveable DJ booth so that the space can easily be reconfigured to host live music events or performances.

A fluted raspberry-pink bar with a reused marble countertop anchors the drinks area upstairs.

Its surrounded by black highchairs with slim brass armrests where guests can sit to watch the mixologists at work.

Down the centre of the space is a sequence of red brass-edged tables, while at the rear of the room is a green leather seating banquette set up against a grooved teal-blue wall.

There's also a row of orange seats directly behind the first-floor balcony balustrade offering views over the bustling crowds in the food hall below.

The colours applied throughout Basehall appear again in the venue's bathrooms, which feature blue terrazzo floors and sink basins.

Walls and the inside of toilet cubicles have been lined with 1,750 pink-painted recycled metal rods.

Linehouse was founded in 2013 by Alex Mok and Briar Hickling, and has offices in Hong Kong and Shanghai.

This isn't the first dining spot that the studio has designed in Hong Kong – in 2018 it completed John Anthony, a dim sum restaurant named after the first Chinese-born man to be naturalised as a British citizen.

Inside, the restaurant has been decked out with materials that Anthony would have encountered on his initial journey to east London, like glazed tiles, terracotta and hand-dyed fabrics.

Photography is by Dennis Lo.

Project credits:

Interior architect: Linehouse
Branding: Hecho

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Huge elevated boxes creates private tearooms inside this cafe in a Shanghai warehouse, designed by locally based studio Linehouse.

Tingtai Teahouse is situated inside an old factory space in Shanghai's Moganshan Road arts district, which was abandoned and inhabited by artists for almost two decades.

The new box rooms create a degree of seclusion in the vast space.

The lower level teahouses are designed with a low, glass horizon that provides privacy at eye level, whereas the three elevated tea houses are fully glazed.

Beneath them is a multi-level landscape of green terrazzo.

"The main focus of the design was creating the private rooms for groups of friends but then playing with different levels of privacy," said Linehouse founder Alex Mok.

"The three elevated teahouse are fully glazed, giving guests a more voyeuristic experience. Three of the rooms at the back of the space are fully enclosed."

When Linehouse started the project, the building interior had a white dropped-ceiling and white plaster walls. The low ceiling was also lined with old air-conditioning units.

The designers decided to strip the space of these additions and return it to its original, industrial form.

"We proposed to strip the space completely to reveal the beautiful patina of the original factory space; concrete beams and columns, brick walls and ceiling," said Mok.

"The boxes were inserted to float in the space and openings placed within the teahouse ceilings to celebrate the original fabric as much as possible."

A palette of grey, green and a smoked oak cladding were chosen to create a simple and inviting interior.

"We paired the smoked oak and the brushed darkened stainless steel with the green terrazzo to bring warmth into the space," explained Mok. "We continued the green colour to the structure for the staircase, paired together with the white nougat terrazzo."

On the ground floor, a large communal area can be used as an event space or to host temporary art exhibitions.

As guests enter from the street, they can access the upper floors via a floating staircase held by a fine metal green structure. White terrazzo lines the walls and floors, but also extends out into the street to create the teahouse facade.

Tingtai Teahouse offers rare teas that people are not able to experience frequently. Some teas, such as Pu'er, matures through a fermentation process like wine, while teas that are 15 to 30 years old are very sought after.

"Guests to the Tingtai Teahouse will spend a few hours drinking tea to really appreciate the different stages of the tea leaves and brews," added Mok.

Linehouse also recently completed a contemporary dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong that takes its cues from the life of a cross-cultural pioneer, but also references a retro, Chinese canteen in east London.

Photography is by Dirk Weiblen.

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Linehouse has completed a contemporary dim sum restaurant in Hong Kong that takes its cue from the life of a cross-cultural pioneer, but also references a retro, Chinese canteen in east London.

Designed by Shanghai and Hong Kong-based architecture and design studio Linehouse, the restaurant is named after John Anthony, the first Chinese-born man to be naturalised as a British citizen, in 1805.

Anthony worked for the East India Company at Limehouse in London's east end, where his job was to provide food and lodging to arriving Chinese sailors.

"The design drew on John Anthony's journey, exploring the fusion of architectural styles and materiality between east and west as well as colonial architecture blurred with eastern detailing, to create a British tea hall turned Chinese canteen," said Linehouse co-founder Alex Mok.

Throughout the restaurant, Linehouse explored the materials Anthony himself would have encountered on his journey: hand-glazed tiles, natural and racked renders, terracotta, hand-dyed fabrics and hand-woven wickers.

John Anthony guests enter down a staircase made of white metal and back-lit with diffused glass. The entrance offers a hint of the interior's lime green terrazzo floor and triple-height arched ceiling, clad in pink tiles. The pink arches are reflected through the space in high-level mirrors.

The main dining hall aims to reinterpret the storehouses of London's docklands with a vaulted ceiling. The floors of this main hall are paved with reclaimed terracotta tiles from abandoned houses in rural China.

The fusion of Chinese canteen and colonial design is captured in the details of the timber bar with glass vitrines, wicker furniture, and gold and maroon floral fabrics.

A collection of glass tubes containing gins infused with botanicals found along the spice routes hang above the bar. In the wall above the bar, arch-shaped enclaves display an expansive gin collection.

A white metal structure, reminiscent of an industrial storehouse roof, hangs from the render ceiling with suspended custom timber tube lamps. In the dining area, hammered copper lights line the walls.

Beyond the main hall, a series of arched spaces allow for more intimate dining. The arches are clad in handmade green and blue tiles and frame views of the kitchen. Turquoise curtains can be drawn to create privacy from the main restaurant areas.

A completely private dining room in the back of the restaurant features tiles hand-printed with large scale illustrations of commodities traded between the British and Chinese in the eighteenth century, such as medicinal poppies and exotic animals.

"We had a local artist hand-paint these illustrations, which were then scanned and printed onto tiles by local suppliers.  Every tile was different so it was a labour of love to have the final wall installed," Mok told Dezeen.

Behind the bar a room features floral booths divided by cream linen curtains hanging from a copper rail. Hand-dyed indigo linen hangs from the ceiling to invoke nautical life.

Custom copper mounted vanities are fitted above the basins and recycled plastic tubes line the ceiling of the bathroom stalls. Circular windows in the bathroom doors also reference the ships of the East India Company.

As well as this east-meets-west design fusion, the interior scheme was guided by sustainability, which is also reflected in the food and drinks served at the restaurant. Menus and coasters are made of up-cycled paper and plastic, the floor tiles are reclaimed and materials are sustainably sourced.

"All the lighting for this project was custom designed in-house, working with local craftsmen," said Mok. "Most of the furniture was also custom-designed; the dining chair, all the tables, the rattan sofa are all locally produced."

In Calgary, Canada, this dim sum restaurant and basement cocktail bar Two Penny Chinese by Canadian studio Sarah Ward Interiors looked to China's art-deco era for colours and motifs that would invoke 1920s Shanghai.

Photography is by Jonathan Leijonhufvud.

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Shanghai studio Linehouse has combined metal rods and black lava stone to create display rails within French fashion brand Côte&Ciel's first Hong Kong store (+ slideshow).

Set inside a double-height space in the Sheung Wan area of Hong Kong, the store has a facade that features rows of vertically-arranged steel poles stretching across both levels.

"The two spaces were filled with a vertical field of metal poles which serve as a perpendicular connection between the elements," said the architects. "They have a horizontal and vertical gradient from rough to polished finish."

"Vertically, a datum of polished stainless steel defines the high level of the poles, and a rough finish defines the lower level," they continued.

The team aimed to reflect the brand's principles through their design for the store.

"Côte&Ciel is inspired by the complementary clash between coast (côte) and sky (ciel)," said Linehouse. "Linehouse's interpretation visualises the collision of these two elements in various ways: nature versus urbanity, inside versus outside, and reflective versus matte."

Throughout the retail space, clothing is displayed on metal installations anchored to the floor by grey basalt stone – the same material South Korean designer Jeonghwa Seo used to create a collection of benches. The stone's textured surface has been revealed using a masonry tool, with a technique known as bush hammering.

Although most materials throughout the store are grey and silver-toned, a selection of other finishes are used to create varying levels of texture.

Small platforms protruding from the metal-frame display systems are constructed from black lava stone, while circular and square-shaped mirrors are fixed onto the poles.

Perforated stainless steel sheets provide another texture to the rails, and a backdrop against the wall.

The cashier desk is located towards the rear of the store and is clad in a grey stone slabs. It also features stainless-steel inserts and a glazed display section.

The space is illuminated by a bright tube lights and spotlights which were custom-made to correspond with the overall architecture of the shop.

The Shanghai studio was founded in 2013 by Briar Hickling and Alex Mok, and has since overhauled a fishmongers using panels of metal net and created a patisserie lined with brass caging.

Photography is by Hoshing Mok

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Slanted panels maximise display space against the crumbling concrete walls of this Shanghai streetwear shop, while reflective panels create a disorienting experience akin to a hall of mirrors (+ slideshow).

Local studio Linehouse gutted an old concrete-framed unit on Wuxing Road, a tree-lined street in the city's former French concession to create the clothing and footwear shop ALL SH.

The designers added a series of diagonally slanted partitions with mirrored spacers to display stock along one side of the 20-square-metre space. The angled walls were devised to increase the volume of stock visible from the street and to help lure customers into the shop.

Shoes and clothing are displayed on slim white pegs to give the impression of the stock floating against the white walls, while the mirrored panels conceal storage units and a changing room.

The mirrors reflect both the products and the raw concrete shell of the shop, creating a slightly disorienting effect that helps to give the illusion of greater space.

"The existing shell was stripped back to its raw state, exposing the patina of the concrete walls," said the designers.

"The new insertion is a series of white thin vertical planes, installed at an angle through the space. The space in between the planes is filled with mirrors, reflecting the rough existing shell and emphasising the thinness of the inserted walls."

The glazed shopfront is also set at an angle to encourage window shopping. The resulting wedge-shaped entrance is emphasised by an angled concrete bench with a triangular seat.

Shoes are balanced on the spools to the front of the store, while clothing hangs towards the back nearest the changing room.

Stainless steel strips extend from the tops and bottoms of these walls and run diagonally across the floor and ceiling, playing up the skewed angle.

"In working with a minimal palette of mirror, white metal and stainless steel, there is a strong contrast between the existing and the new," said the studio.

A mirrored cash desk is positioned opposite the display units, reflecting both the stock and movement from the street to catch the attention of passersby.

Related content: more architecture and design in Shanghai

The Shanghai studio, which was founded in 2013, has also overhauled a fishmongers using panels of metal net and created a patisserie lined with brass caging.

Photography is by Benoit Florencon.

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Shanghai design studio Linehouse has overhauled a former takeaway restaurant to create a small fishmonger's on a busy street in the middle of the city's former French Concession (+ slideshow).

Little Catch specialises in selling fresh and cooked seafood, and occupies the bottom of a unit in a strip of buildings on a road filled with food stalls, small restaurants and shops.

The shop was previously a Chinese takeaway called Lucky Bear. Linehouse decided to remove all evidence of this former occupant and conceived a design that would wrap around the interior and stretch out into the street.

"We created a three-dimensional net that externally reaches into the street as a canopy and envelops the customers as they enter into the shop," explained the designers.

This "net" is made from a white powder-coated frame constructed using pieces of metal in different widths, and arranged to create various-sized openings and shapes that delineate the different uses of the space.

On the facade, the frame is filled either with pieces of glazing or white metal mesh panels and a slightly protruding glazed steel box that is used for displaying the best produce each day.

The extending canopy provides shade under the front area of the shop, where a wooden counter in one corner providers customers with a place to sit and eat while watching passing traffic.

"The exact address is 247 Wulumuqi Road, which is in the heart of the former French Concession, an Art Deco, tree-lined residential district in the heart of Shanghai," explained Linehouse's Alex Mok.

"It was designated in the 1920s as Shanghai's premier residential area and today the lane house and small alleys are inhabited by both local Shanghainese and foreigners," he told Dezeen. "The road itself is quite particular in that it still hosts a lot of the street life that has been wiped out in many other areas due to China's rapid development."

The shop sign dominates the upper part of the facade, and features a blue fish printed on canvas with a neon sign reading Little Catch layered on top. The words "seafood & more" sit on top of the canopy in front.

Inside, sections of the frame are filled with a white metal mesh, while others around the walls are left open to frame sets of shelves.

"On the walls the metal structure folds and bends to hold the fresh seafood display, the cashier, product shelving and a table seating two," said the designers.

A row of bespoke stainless steel display buckets – for filling with ice to lay out fresh fish – lines one wall in the front service area.

Behind these, menu boards are created using thin strips of aluminium to support pieces of clear acrylic with the words printed on them in black.

The other wall is occupied by refrigerators and the small dining bar that wraps around the corner so customers can eat while looking out at passersby.

The floor was finished in rough concrete to create a hard-wearing but easy to maintain surface, while glossy white wall tiles in three different sizes are used to finish the space.

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A cage-like grid of brass poles surrounds the upper section of this double-height patisserie in Shenzhen, China, by Shanghai studio LineHouse.

LineHouse inserted a six-metre high volume into the double height space and punctured windows onto each side of the building.

"The windows allow glimpses of a three dimensional latticework of brass poles; its complexity only revealed when entering," explained the designers. "The lattice lines all four walls of the deli's interior, filtering natural light and views."

The gridded cage structure is also used as shelving for plants and glass storage containers for sweets and biscuits.

Brightly coloured cakes and biscuits are displayed in neat rows underneath glass cases on the tiled coffee counter.

The white tiled surface also extends down to cover the floor.

A raised counter made from an arrangement of stacked, chunky wooden blocks is positioned in the middle of the store to showcase a range of snacks in small glass jars.

Bar stools along a wooden counter provide indoor seating for six customers. Exposed light bulbs encased in round glass covers are suspended from the ceiling.

While one side of the patisserie opens into the lobby of a connecting building, the other opens out into a courtyard with a teak wood deck.

This outdoor space includes further bench seating and tables around the edge for customers.

Here's a short description from Linehouse:

Delicatessen in Shenzhen

LineHouse was commissioned to design a delicatessen in Shenzhen. The deli is conceived from both inside and out as an intricate casing, nestled between an existing building's lobby and an exterior garden.

A volume six metres tall was inserted into the double height space. Its exterior is seemingly simple with a white painted finish and punched windows on all four sides. The windows allow glimpses of a three dimensional latticework of brass poles; its complexity only revealed when entering.

The lattice lines all four walls of the deli's interior, filtering natural light and views. Forming a double-layer screen, it also serves to display and hold chalkboard signage and an array of cookware, equipment and merchandise.

Within the petite interior is a coffee counter, display for baked goods, fresh juices, deli items, and a table seating six.

Outside, a raised teak wood deck provides seating at both a large central table and a banquet bench. Trees and tall grass planted along the perimeter provide shelter and respite for guests.

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