New York architecture studio Arquitectonica has designed a residential skyscraper with undulating fins on its facade and a landscaped terrace garden in Honolulu, Hawaii.

Called The Launiu, the 40-storey skyscraper is located in the Ward Village development in Hawaii's capital Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

According to Arquitectonica, the design for the structure was informed by natural formations and the movement of wind, water and sand in Oahu, the third largest in the chain of islands that makes up the state of Hawaii.

"The natural beauty of O'ahu served as our primary design inspiration for The Launiu," said Arquitectonica founding principal Bernardo Fort-Brescia.

"With the neutral-toned facade and soft rippling exterior created by balconies, we sought to pay homage to the surrounding environment through an interpretative, elemental design that conveys movement, emulating the effects of water, wind or markings in the sand."

"The resulting concept is organic yet contemporary."

Sited near the shoreline of the Pacific Ocean, the structure will consist of a glass-curtain-wall-lined tower set on top of a rectangular podium.

Its podium will also be covered in a glass curtain wall, with white paint-aluminium panels framing each of its sides. The first storey will cantilever out over the ground floor, creating a canopy around the building that will be supported by concrete columns.

The entrance will be marked by a series of sand-coloured aluminium panels undulating in waves up the face of the podium,

The tower of The Launiu will be set back significantly from the edges of the podium. This is to create a large terrace that will be covered in palm trees and amenities for the residents of the 486 condominiums, 90 of which will be in the podium.

The remaining residences will be spread throughout the tower. Its facades will also be covered in white-painted aluminium panels cut to form a wave-like texture up the face of the building.

California studio Odada will bring a minimalist interior design schema to the project, adorning the white-washed spaces with woven furniture and textiles.

Landscape studio Vita, also based in California, will carry out the design of the green terrace and surrounding grounds, weaving paths and lounge areas among the pines and pools of the development.

Ward Village is a planned community developed by Howard Hughes and contains several residential and commercial structures. The development is meant to represent "the next generation of sustainable development and land-use planning on O'ahu," according to the company.

Arquitectonica was founded in 1977 and has carried out several high-profile architecture projects, especially in Miami, where it created the building that houses the University of Miami's architecture school.

Other big-name firms from the mainline have created similar residential projects on the islands, including a 41-storey building by Studio Gang informed by the form of sugarcane.

The renderings are courtesy of Arquitectonica. 

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Prague studio Plus One Architects has restored the "original splendour" of this 1902 apartment in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic, by reinstating some of its original features.

Located in a turn-of-the-century apartment block, the two-bedroom flat was renovated by Plus One Architects, who exposed the original paintwork present on the walls and ceilings.

The studio also streamlined the circulation inside the apartment by removing doors to open up pathways, as well as undoing dated additions that had been installed over the top of the original walls and floors.

"We think the first renovation was probably done in the late 70s," architect Kateřina Průchová told Dezeen. "It was full of wooden cladding on the walls, a lot of doors and carpet that covered the original floors."

The revamped interior has a bright, airy atmosphere, as natural sunlight comes in through the large unobstructed windows and continues deeper into the rooms thanks to the addition of transom windows on some of the interior walls.

Remnants of colourful mottled paintwork appear on the walls and ceilings alongside brown and beige sections of plaster.

Neutral-coloured paint and plasterwork feature in the kitchen and living room, where Plus One Architects retained the apartment's original masonry heater clad in glossy brown tiles.

Painted details are also apparent on the ceiling, with concentric bands of red, blue and yellow delineating the perimeter of the room.

Pink paint appears in the corridor and smaller bedroom while blue paintwork can be seen in the primary bedroom, complementing the restored wooden floorboards.

In the bathroom, white tiling lines the walls, interspersed with iridescent tiles and sections of exposed paintwork.

The rooms are sparingly furnished, allowing the paintwork to be the interior's focal point.

Plus One Architects brought in furniture with minimalist forms by Czech design studio Janský & Dunděra alongside decorative pieces from local design brand Todus.

"I hope we managed to return the apartment to the original splendour of the period, in which the house was built," said Průchová.

"You can feel how the building looks from the outside – it is an old house in the historic part of a spa town."

Kateřina Průchová and Petra Ciencialová founded Plus One Architects in 2019. The studio is based in Prague and works on projects across the Czech Republic.

Other apartment interiors that have recently been featured on Dezeen include a home in Milan centred around a monolithic green marble partition wall and a pastel-decorated apartment in Kraków.

The photography is by Radek Úlehla.

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Bright hues define the different interventions that New York architecture studio Ideas of Order has made in this apartment at the northern tip of Manhattan.

The 1,000-square-foot primary residence in Hudson Heights was partially renovated for a couple, who had been living in the space for several years before deciding to invest in making it better suited to their needs, rather than buying another apartment.

"Their sons had been sharing a room, but were beginning to need their own spaces," Ideas of Order told Dezeen.

"They also wanted a space that could be designed for flexibility for when their children left for college."

The kitchen also needed updating, to make it more suitable for entertaining, and more efficient storage space was required in the entryway.

So the architects reworked one side of the open living area, adding a bedroom on one side of the kitchen and refreshing the other areas.

The husband is French, and the couple spent several years living together in France.

During this period, they both became enamoured by the midcentury architecture and design in the country and wanted to apply this style to their own home.

"Inspired by their stories and the history of how colour was used by French midcentury designers like Charlotte Perriand, we suggested a series of polychrome millwork pieces inspired by Perriand's design language, but updated for a contemporary home," said Ideas of Order.

The different areas of the home were therefore given their own identities by applying bright hues.

Lime green is used in the bedroom across a full wall of built-ins that incorporate a single bed, a workstation and plenty of storage.

Sliding doors with fritted glass panels pull across to enclose the slightly raised room, while a porthole window with double shutters looks through the new wall that separates the kitchen.

This adjacent space is denoted by raspberry and periwinkle millwork, which surrounds a small preparation area with an aluminium backsplash and matching panels above.

The same metal also fronts the bar counter between an arched opening to the living area, which is topped with concrete.

Rubber flooring in the kitchen offers a practical alternative to the wood used through the rest of the apartment.

Finally, in the entryway – which is again raised slightly higher than the living area – an L-shaped cabinet system was constructed in a corner beside the door.

Pale pink is applied to the frames, while the doors and drawer fronts are finished in light grey and walnut is used for the trim. Choosing the right hues was a challenge that took many iterations to find the right balance, according to the architects.

"It was important that each pair of colours in the millwork work together, but that the colours also harmonise when viewed as a whole," they said. "We wanted the colours to be bright, but not overpowering. And we wanted the colour pairings to feel timeless and not too trendy."

Another challenge was the budget, which was modest by New York City standards and required some conscientious spending – particularly on small details that would make a big impact.

"We love the custom pulls for the millwork, the shutters for the circular window, and the rounded end to the partition between bedroom and kitchen, which reflects the rounded openings throughout the apartment," the architects said.

Ideas of Order was founded by Jacob Esocoff and Henry Ng, who are both Fosters + Partners and WORKac alumni.

Their renovation is one of the most colourful interiors we've featured in New York City of late, compared to a neutral show apartment inside the One Wall Street skyscraper and a loft in Dumbo with a subdued palette.

The photography is by Sean Davidson.

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Dutch studios MVRDV, Orange Architects and LOLA Landscape Architects have designed a masterplan for a neighbourhood in Zwolle, the Netherlands, which will include a converted warehouse topped with wooden apartments.

Named WärtZ the development is being created as a "second city centre" south of Zwolle railway station. MVRDV will complete four mixed-use buildings for the 120,000-metre-square development including the revamped warehouse named Wärtsilä Hall at the centre of the development.

"I think it is fantastic to breathe new life into this industrial area," MVRDV founding partner Jacob van Rijs said.

"MVRDV already has a number of transformations to its name," van Rijs continued. "This provided a lot of knowledge about how we can repurpose existing buildings in the most sustainable way possible."

MVRDV is designing the project for developer AM in collaboration with Dutch studios Orange Architects and LOLA Landscape Architects.

At the heart of the project will be the revamped warehouse, which will retain its distinctive undulating roof.

The hall is the largest building in the masterplan and will host innovation startups, creative companies and educational facilities on the ground floor, while a residential structure will be raised above its roof.

"The Wärtsilä hall, with the new wooden residential building on top, is a good example of sustainable repurposing and densification in the city," Van Rijs said.

Supported by exposed mint-green beams and columns, the rectilinear apartment block is intended as an eye-catching counterpoint to the historic architecture in Zwolle.

A statue by Dutch artist Marte Röling named the Dikke Vette Gouden Vredesduif will also be added to the roof of Wärtsilä hall as an unconventional visual anchor.

The other three buildings that MVRDV will design for the development will comprise offices along their lower levels with housing spaces above.

Cladded in brick, these structures will reference the roof of Wärtsilä hall with curving ground floor window details and face towards green public spaces by LOLA Landscape Architects.

WärtZ will introduce 850 new homes to the area, of which 30 per cent is planned to be social housing.

The project will also seek to be car-free, with generous pedestrian zones and cycling routes in addition to shared transport connections and links to the adjacent railway station.

WärtZ will be constructed in a series of phases, with the first set to begin in early 2025.

Rotterdam-based MVRDV was established in 1993 and is led by Winy Maas, with Van Rijs and Nathalie de Vries. The studio has recently completed a bold yellow office retrofit in Berlin and a bright-coloured cultural hub altering a 1980s pyramid structure in Albania.

The imagery is courtesy of MVRDV, Orange Architects and LOLA Landscape Architects.

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Italian studio AIM has designed a compact, multi-level apartment interior in Milan organised around a floor-to-ceiling Verde Alpi marble partition.

Created in collaboration with local marble artisans Bianco67, AIM Studio used the wall to divide the various functions of Green Nest, aiming to create an elegant backdrop for a dynamic domestic experience.

"The design challenge [for] Green Nest was to combine the compact size of the dwelling with the desire to create inviting, functional and representative spaces pleasant to live in at all times of the day," AIM Studio told Dezeen.

"We were looking for a single gesture to characterise the apartment [and were] inspired by the idea of a majestic wall [running] through the heart of the house," the studio continued. "This massive element, both because of its solid presence and its intrinsic beauty, is the focal point on which the entire design revolves."

The marble partition was constructed as a permeable threshold between the apartment's lower level living spaces and a staircase leading to the habitable roof terrace above.

Designed as a single, fluid area, the main living room and bedroom can be separated by full-height ribbed glass doors. 

AIM Studio sought to meet the practical requirements of small-footprint living by using the Alpi marble to conceal a series of deep storage compartments.

"More than a monolith, the volume is an inhabited wall whose thickness is continuously perforated, crossed and interrupted to host the different functions of living," AIM Studio said.

"[It] was designed as a precious shell but [leaves] nothing to chance in terms of containment and management of the space. Every compartment, every opening, has been designed [for utility]."

Behind the marble partition, the staircase to the rooftop terrace was completed with a central lightwell to draw natural light into the space below.

The studio also integrated large windows into the main living area to encourage an interplay of light on the reflective marble surface and to evoke a chiaroscuro-like effect.

Tucked into a corner of the living room, the kitchen was demarcated by suspended travertine joinery and an embossed mirror feature wall.

Neutral-toned fixtures and restrained furniture pieces were selected to balance the apartment's modern aesthetic and emphasise the drama of the green marble.

"We conceived this project as a search for authenticity; a minimal but at the same time welcoming and functional design created through natural, precious [and] timeless materials."

"We hope that this search for authenticity will be perceived by those who will inhabit these spaces and that it will translate into family atmospheres and elegant, but convivial, environments."

Founded in 2012 by Claudio Tognacca in Milan, AIM Studio has projects spanning across architecture, interior design and product development both in Italy and internationally.

Other recently completed projects in Italy include Antonino Cardillo's design for "a miniature palazzo" residence near Lake Garda and Humbert & Poyet's interior conversion of a 16th-century Milanese chapel into a Beefbar restaurant.

The photography is by Simone Bossi

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Folding, lattice shutters form the dynamic facade of Paral·lel, a residential complex in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, designed by local architecture studio OHLAB.

Located within the quiet residential neighbourhood of Bonanova, the complex contains 12 duplex apartments, split into six ground floor units topped by six penthouse units.

The building's wooden facade is punctured by staggered, rectangular openings divided by a grid of black steel columns, with a matching material choice used for the complex's gated entrance.

Drawing on traditional Mediterranean pergolas and lattices, OHLAB strategically designed moveable shutters on the front and rear facades to optimise sunlight access and ventilation within the apartments.

"The lattice functions as a changing, organic and permeable skin, an exterior reflection of its interior life, a solar filter modulating light and shade," studio director Paloma Hernaiz told Dezeen.

"It has been optimised on the basis of solar studies, which adapts to the different climatological needs."

On the ground floor, open plan living spaces lead out to a private Mediterranean-style garden and pool at the building's rear, while the upper floor living spaces are accessed via internal staircases.

The top floor penthouse apartments are similarly arranged along with access to a rooftop pool, via an external spiral staircase, that offers panoramic views towards the nearby bay.

Additionally, an underground car park is accessed via a ramp leading in from the adjacent main road for use by the residents.

A restrained and consistent material palette features throughout the apartments, with oak wood used for floors and doors complemented by bright, white walls and marbled surfaces.

Use of natural and local materials draws on the area's traditional construction methods, with Mallorcan hydraulic tiles used extensively to line the bathrooms and kitchens along with custom-made terrazzo featuring across the common spaces.

"The project strongly emphasizes the use of natural, locally sourced materials to connect residents with the region's culture and reducing the carbon footprint generated by the transportation of materials," studio director Jaime Oliver told Dezeen.

"In the bathrooms and kitchens, you'll find Majorcan hydraulic cement tiles," he continued. "These tiles are made from materials available in the area, giving them a charming, artisanal quality."

Simpler lateral facades along with the external spiral staircase were made from an earth-toned, cement-based mortar and contrast with the dynamic main facades.

Designed to limit overlook onto neighbouring buildings, these facades were punctured with small, irregular openings, which are also used to break up the exterior.

Rainwater collected from the roof and outdoor spaces is stored and reused throughout the building, supplying extra water lost by evaporation to the pools as well as irrigating the gardens.

Elsewhere in Spain, Auba Studio converted a 1980s bakery into an industrial apartment and Fran Silvestre Arquitectos designed a minimalist home behind historic facade.

The photography is by José Hevia and Ana Lui.

Project credits: 

Architecture and interior designer: OHLAB / Paloma Hernaiz and Jaime Oliver
OHLAB team: Paloma Hernaiz and Jaime Oliver with Rebeca Lavín, Robin Harloff, Silvia Morais, Loreto Angulo, Luis Quiles, M.Bruna Pisciotta, Pedro Rodríguez, Mercé Solar, Eusebiu Spac, Lara Ortega.
Quantity surveyor: Jorge Ramón
Structure: DICAES
Timber facade consultancy and manufacturing: Grupo Gubia
Engineering consultants: Ingenio consultores
Kitchens and furniture: Espacio Home Design
Contractor: Diazgar

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A "mountainous" zigzag roofline and bright yellow balconies define the ParkLife apartment block in the Brunswick neighbourhood of Melbourne, designed by local studio Austin Maynard Architects.

The block is located within Nightingale Village, a collection of six apartment buildings by different architects for housing not-for-profit Nightingale Housing that all demonstrate its development model, aiming to create housing which is "environmentally, socially and financially sustainable".

The entire Nightingale Village development was shortlisted in the sustainable building category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

Bordered by neighbouring buildings to the east and west, Austin Maynard Architects opened-up the block of 37 apartments to face a public park to the north, to which it presents a series of ground floor gardens and a facade of yellow balconies.

Cutting through the centre of the block is a yellow-painted pathway, which forges a new connection between the park and the more urban condition of the front of the block, as well as providing secure bicycle parking for residents.

"Our site was challenging, with pre-existing interface to the east and proposed planning for an apartment building of a similar scale at the rear," explained the studio.

"Fortunately, just prior to construction, the council acquired the rear site and approved a public park instead."

"Now afforded a lush outlook we were able to share the opportunity with The Village," it continued.

"By separating our ParkLife community entry and secure bike parking we made a pathway, creating a central walkway right through the centre of our building, to connect The Village 'hub' at Duckett Street with the new park."

ParkLife is divided into one, two and three bedroom apartments, as well as two of what Nightingale Housing calls "Telihaus apartments" – space-efficient subsidised dwellings that are designated social housing.

Apartments are organised at the front and rear of the block, with two large "light courts" at the centre allowing each to include dual-aspect spaces and an external common space alongside the lift and stair cores.

On the roof, shared facilities including a toilet, laundry and drying area sit alongside a sheltered terrace and the "amphitheatre", an area of stepped wooden seating that overlooks the front of the block.

"Designed in collaboration with the Landscape Architects Openwork, [rooftop] spaces include a productive garden with fruit trees and a real grass lawn for picnics," explained the studio.

"There is a covered deck, big enough for large gatherings, with an electric barbecue, sheltered from the harsh sun and strong winds."

Austin Maynard Architects drew on visual motifs from its previous residential projects for the finishes of the block, such as the zigzagging roofline from RaeRae House, and the yellow colour used in My-House.

White steel cladding covers the exterior, with cables, grills and rods to allow vegetation to grow, and internally the apartments were kept "deliberately simple", with timber floors, white walls and concrete ceilings.

"The intent was to allow the community to personalise their homes rather than apply too many finishes and textures," explained the studio.

"Attractive, functional spaces were created with great views and lots of light, which can be embellished in any way the residents want to make the apartment their home," it continued.

Other apartment buildings completed as part of Nightingale Village include Leftfield, an affordable housing block by Kennedy Nolan finished with ochre-pigmented concrete.

The photography is by Tom Ross

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Local studio Hopson Rodstrom Design placed a sawtooth roof on top of this black-clad apartment building with an interior courtyard in southern California.

Located in West Los Angeles on a busy thoroughfare, the project is called The Jagger – named after the massive sawtooth roof that tops it.

Pasadena-based studio Hopson Rodstrom Design (H/RD), designed the structure to "embrace" the higher-scale zoning that exists along thoroughfares in areas of the city generally filled with low-lying structures.

It was made possible by the Transit Oriented Communities program in the city.

"West Los Angeles has long been a low-rise and sleepy commercial corridor, but has seen significant growth over the last half-decade," H/RD told Dezeen.

"Since The Jagger began design and construction, another 10 or so projects have sprung up on that same stretch of boulevard."

The seven-storey structure has a ground-level podium clad in green-painted concrete interspersed with steel gates. Along this, gates lead into the complex and into glass-fronted retail and restaurant components.

These aspects are set back slightly from the primary envelope, a massing clad in black-painted plaster with many long windows spread across it.

"The window pattern is based on the maximum allowable percentage of opening along the exterior, broken up into a staggered, offset and repeated pattern around the middle levels of the building," said the studio.

"This enabled every unit to get the maximum allowable amount of light while serving to unify the exterior envelop in an overarching pattern; this pattern in turn contrasts against the changing levels of opacity and materiality in the facade."

These changing levels include a massive screen draped over the middle of the structure.

Made of perforated metal panels fastened to "a rhythm" of vertical steel posts, the screen has multiple functions. It serves as a protective guard for the courtyard staircase, helps maintain the facade, and creates privacy for the interior courtyard.

The screen also allowed the studio to bypass certain height requirements put in place by the city.

"The perforated metal cladding that encases the green exterior stairs on both ends of the courtyard was designed specifically to get the Fire Department to allow an exterior stair to rise higher than six stories, which is the maximum allowed in the code," said the studio.

"We were able to get approval for a 7th story by wrapping the top in the perforated metal."

The interior courtyard is accessed by operable gates at ground level and is "semi-public".

This courtyard has a small footprint at ground level and a concrete stepped feature, covered with planters and transversed by a simple staircase with metal railing.

The staircase leads up to another section covered with planters, and at the far end sits a sculptural staircase painted green that leads to the upper levels.

Office interiors on the ground floor open up to the courtyard via floor-to-ceiling windows.

On one side, the wall of the courtyard going up the height of the structure is interspersed with windows and balconies and on the other are multiple levels of open-air hallways that lead to other apartments.

Because of the courtyard, all the units in the structure have a window to the outside, and the sawtooth-roof was formed to allow for maximum sunlight to enter the courtyard.

It also acts as a "chimney" meant to keep the whole structure cool, according to the studio.

The Jagger was originally part of a larger architectural program by H/RD, with buildings planned for adjacent lots, but one of these lots was ultimately sold and the other similar, barrel-vault-roof building was not built.

Other similar structures that utilise a sawtooth roof include an apartment block in Melbourne by Six Degrees Architects and a mass-timber building in Portland by Lever Architecture.

The photography is by Here and Now Agency (HANA), Paul Vu.

Project credits:

Architect: H/RD; Nick Hopson, Klara Rodstrom, Chris Gassaway, Zach Blaue, Jennifer Bui, Kevin Pazik
Landscape architect: Tina Chee
Structural engineer: Amir Pirbadian
Civil engineer: KPFF
MEP: Henderson
General contractor: Integrare

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Architecture studio All(zone) has created Under the Rain Trees, a holiday house with five curved wings nestled under tree canopies on the banks of the River Ping in rural Thailand.

Under the Rain Trees was designed by All(zone) to seamlessly fit into the natural landscape without disturbing the existing trees.

The dwelling features five wings that each fan out towards the surrounding forest. Connected by a central hall, several wings accommodate the owner, three hold guest apartments and the final wing has a shared living space, the studio said.

Crafted from concrete, with sleek glass walls and elevated on stilts, the design nods to tropical modernism.

The typology of the apartments in the building was informed by Thai vernacular homes found near water, with wooden rooms floating on an elevated platform in the tree canopy as a practical response to the region's fluctuating river tides.

"The shade of tree's canopies already creates a nearly perfect climatic condition for living," the studio told Dezeen. "The ground [is] mostly untouched, allowing wild vegetations to merge with the house."

Displaying hallmarks of tropical modernism, the building's form is reminiscent of works such as architect Lina Bo Bardi's Glass House and architect Oscar Niemeyer's Casa Das Canoas.

The design employs a tiered approach to enclosure, with the central platform entirely open to the elements. The building's five wings are progressively more enclosed, with dark stone walls transitioning into sheet glass that gives views across the landscape.

"The enclosure of each wing is gradually dissolved, from solid masses surrounding open platform at the centre to [a] completely open platform surrounded by the leaves," explained the studio.

The structure's roof mirrors the contours of the floor below, with curves extending gently upward at each wing's end, helping to connect the building to its verdant surroundings.

A roof terrace acts as a communal piazza, offering proximity to the treetops and sky.

Internally, Under the Rain Trees continues to mirror the spatial typology of vernacular riverside houses, with each apartment conceived as a separate boxed dwelling.

Each apartment has its ancillary spaces to the rear and its bedrooms and living spaces at the ends of each wing in the glass areas, maximising natural light and views across the river's edge.

All(zone) is a Bangkok studio led by Rachaporn Choochuey. The studio is the latest designer for the ninth edition of MPavilion in Melbourne, creating a bright orange canopy that celebrates outdoor life in the city.

Elsewhere in Thailand, CUP Scale Studio has created a compact pocket cafe with curved walls of reclaimed wood in Nakhon Sawan, and PHTAA has completed a pink-hued house in with glass walls in Bangkok.

The photography is by Soopakorn Srisakul.

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Architecture studio Ductus has designed an apartment complex coated with a monochrome red plaster facade into a sloping site in Schwarzenburg, Switzerland.

Located on the outskirts of the village of Schwarzenburg in eastern Switzerland, the complex was designed by Ductus to have the appearance of a series of intersecting blocks of various heights that protrude and recede throughout the design.

Accommodating 16 apartments, the complex comprises two buildings sat perpendicular to one another that are connected by a shared garden.

Balconies constructed from pressure-impregnated white fir and green columns contrast with the red plaster facade and overlook the garden and neighbouring buildings.

Flat roofs lined with untreated copper top the apartment complex, which distinguishing it from the surrounding more traditional pitched-roof buildings.

On the exterior, untreated copper was also used for downpipes, while red-toned window frames and mechanical shutters match the plaster's colour.

Within the apartments, textured white walls were set off by wooden flooring, while stylish bathrooms were characterised by red-toned fittings and decorative tiles to match the facade.

Bright living spaces are lit by floor-to-ceiling doors that also provide access to the adjacent balconies.

"All 17 apartments were designed as condominiums," Ductus partner Marcel Hauert told Dezeen.

"The client's desire was for all buyers to determine the interior finishes themselves. We provided a basic concept that could be adapted virtually without restrictions."

Ductus is an architecture studio operating between Sweden and Switzerland.

Elsewhere in Switzerland, BE Architektur recently used intersecting sculptural blocks to form a barn-like house and Enrico Sassi has transformed a wood store into a micro home.

The photography is by Rasmus Norlander.

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Bespoke scalloped edges and a Verner Panton S-Chair feature at the Pops holiday apartment in Kraków, which Furora Studio designed to be more playful than a permanent home.

Named Pops after lollipops, the dwelling was conceived by Diana Żurek and Gutek Girek of Polish firm Furora Studio.

"The project is a temporary apartment for anyone who wants to spend time in an attractive and very sugary interior," said the designers.

Spread across one level of a multi-storey building in central Kraków, the rental home includes an open-plan kitchen and living room.

This space was dressed with a velvety salmon-pink curtain, which stretches the length of one of two of the walls, and a central display cabinet finished in pistachio green and "crowned with frills".

Much of the furniture and other design elements were custom-made by Furora Studio and follow the same toy-like geometry as the cabinet – a combination of round and wavy motifs created in pastel pinks, greens and creams.

For example, a white and turquoise pendant light with scalloped edges was suspended above a circular dining table, while a ribbed half-moon alcove was created as a backdrop for the wall-mounted television.

"First and foremost, we aimed to find suitable forms," said Żurek, describing the studio's starting point for the project.

"Most of the elements were custom-made because we wanted to maintain the coherence of the interior while ensuring proper functional arrangement," she told Dezeen.

"Essentially, each element was its own small project. The selection of shapes, milling, small details, and perfecting the form – all of these were important considerations."

An olive-hued, L-shaped sofa was tucked into one corner of the living space and echoed by the kitchen splashback, finished in the same green colour.

Żurek described the apartment's double bedroom as "a pink box with a whimsical headboard and an abundance of pillows".

In one corner, a light green built-in desk was positioned in front of a sculptural Verner Panton chair.

The iconic S-shaped seating was originally designed by Panton in the early 1960s and recently influenced the furniture created for the Dreamhouse at the centre of the set design in this year's Barbie film.

"We rarely have the opportunity to be in interiors that evoke memories of earlier years, when as children, we had few responsibilities and sought joy and playfulness," noted Żurek.

"But this is not about returning to preschool or infantilising the space," stressed the designer.

"It's about positive energy. We sought solutions that would more literally create a colorful space, full of rounded patterns, light colours and a sense of relief," she added.

The bathroom is also awash with pattern, featuring a jumbo scalloped-edged cabinet and pink and brown terrazzo tiles.

Bulbous pendant lighting illuminates the space, which contains a walk-in shower.

Summarising the holiday apartment, Żurek called it a place to "have fun and cuddle".

"Certainly, there are many enthusiasts of such candy-like solutions, but this interior may not be for everyone, especially for long-term use, such as in the case of a private home," reflected the designer.

"For short-term rentals, I believe most people would be tempted to experience how it feels to be in such a vibrant interior," she added.

"These projects allow for the use of [design] solutions that might be somewhat tiring on a daily basis, but spending a brief moment in such a place opens us up to new experiences, feelings of peace and relaxation."

Elsewhere in Kraków, London-based office Studio Mills transformed an apartment at a converted monastery into a family home. Polish practice Projekt Praga created a bar with a self-service beer fountain within the taproom of a centuries-old brewery just outside of the city.

The photography is by ONI Studio. 

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Architecture studio Polysmiths has redesigned a basement apartment in north London to feel like a "cabin in the woods", surrounding its sunken living area with lush planting.

Named Walden after the novel by naturalist Henry David Thoreau, the apartment in Tufnell Park required refurbishing after being left vacant and damaged due to flash flooding.

By extending into the existing garden, Polysmiths created a new living, dining and kitchen area and used the space freed up at the front of the flat for an additional bedroom.

The extension also allowed for the insertion of a series of angled skylights and windows looking directly onto the garden, maximising natural light while minimising overlooking from the apartment above.

"The project resolves multiple conflicting requirements, including how to extend, insulate, flood-proof, and bring light into a basement apartment while maintaining as much precious garden area as possible," explained Polysmiths.

Taking cues from the amount of daylight in different areas of the home, the material and colour palette of the interiors transitions from light in the living spaces to dark in the bedrooms and bathroom.

Light grey wood-fibre panels line the living room ceiling, complemented by white walls, pale wooden panelling and a glass-brick screen.

In the kitchen, dark stained wood has been used for the walls and counters, while the bathroom features black ceramic tiles and the bedrooms are painted dark green.

"The light internal finishes were used in the public spaces – living room and dining room, to make sure they feel open and bright, more like a house in the woods than a typical basement apartment," founder Charles Wu told Dezeen.

"Private spaces – bedrooms, bathroom and kitchen – are darker to provide a level of comfort that is cosy and quiet," he added.

Externally, Walden has been wrapped with wooden slats that are intended to be gradually overgrown with plants. A set of concrete steps leads from the living area up to the level of the garden.

"As the garden is slightly elevated, it is important the plants chosen are loose and thin, with multi-stemmed semi-mature trees and short flowering plants being used throughout," said Wu.

Polysmiths was founded by Wu in 2017. The studio's previous projects include a home with cork panelling on both the external and internal walls.

Other recent home renovations in London include an extension by Bureau de Change that is informed by Victorian boxing rings and the colourful Graphic House by Office S&M.

The photography and videography are by French + Tye. 

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Diamond-shaped windows puncture the cylindrical brick form of The Hoxton Mule, a playschool and apartment designed by London practice Sam Jacob Studio.

Located on a "left-over" corner site in Hoxton, east London, the space is designed for local charity Ivy Street Family Centre (ISFC) and incorporates the frontage of a former Victorian pub where the organisation was established in 1984.

For the distinctive form of The Hoxton Mule, Sam Jacob Studio drew on the "ad-hoc" nature of its surroundings and a range of architectural references including the work of Russian constructivist Konstantin Melnikov and English draughtsman Joseph Gandy.

This idea of hybridity gave the project its name, which is a reference to Fairchild's Mule – the first-ever hybrid plant created by gardener Thomas Fairchild in Hoxton in the 18th century.

"The mix of hyper-contextualism with imagination gives the building its character and form," said the studio's founder Sam Jacob.

"There is a coming together of architectural references with the language of the London street – or even more specifically a kind of Hoxton urban typology that is a product of its very specific history," he told Dezeen.

"There's Melnikov mixed with a drawing by Joseph Gandy in the windows, Toyo Ito's U-House, New York City water tanks for the cylinder on top, a little bit of John Soane's house staircase in the niches that are part of the journey upwards, and a kind of idea of character from John Hejduck," Jacob added.

The original frontage of the former pub leads into a large multipurpose space on the ground floor for the playschool. It is surrounded by an office for ISFC, as well as an external store and terrace sheltered by a small brick arcade.

An external stair wrapped by a stepped, curving section of brick wall leads up into the apartment. It is accessed through an art deco-style gate bearing the number 54, which references the famous New York nightclub Studio 54.

Inside the apartment, a double-height living room is illuminated by the distinctive angular windows and features a steel ladder leading up to a small mezzanine.

Overlooking the street through the retained openings of the pub's upper storey is a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom, and to the south is a workspace.

An internal staircase leads up to the roof where a set-back wooden room is wrapped by a terrace.

Internally, both the playschool and apartment have been finished with a minimal white colour palette, contrasted by black metalwork and light fittings.

"In a way, this is a project about form and space, rather than excessive materiality," explained Jacob. "It is about the volumes created as an exterior massing but also about the volumes of the space as an interior and as a sequence of interior spaces."

Sam Jacob Studio was founded in 2014 by Jacob who is a former founder of architecture practice FAT. The Hoxton Mule has recently been shortlisted in the mixed-use project category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

His studio's other projects include a new ribbed-glass entrance to London's V&A Museum and an events space for the ArtReview magazine.

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British architecture studio HTA Design has completed a 163-metre-tall apartment building in Croydon, UK, that it claims is "Europe's tallest residential tower to be completed using volumetric construction methods".

Named College Road, the building is made up of two adjoining 50 and 35-storey towers wrapped in a pleated ceramic facade.

It sits across the street from 10 Degrees, a 135-metre-tall building also designed by HTA Design that previously claimed the title of tallest modular housing scheme.

HTA Design worked with developer Tide to complete the project and it was built from 1,725 volumetric modular units that were placed around a concrete core and above a concrete foundation.

HTA Design aimed to create a building that utilised modular construction, but has an appearance that was built on Croydon's architectural heritage.

"The main concept for College Road is to take Croydon’s iconic mid-century modern heritage and reinvent it for 21st-century city living, using world leading volumetric technology and new housing typologies to address London’s housing shortage," HTA Design partner Simon Toplis told Dezeen.

The shorter tower contains 120 affordable homes, while the taller one has 817 rental apartments and amenity spaces, including a podcast studio, spa with a sauna and steam room, gym, coworking space and a sky garden on the rooftop.

HTA collaborated with Tigg + Coll Architects on the interior design of College Road's studio and one-bedroom apartments.

"College Road is the product of extensive research into successful models for high-density shared living and was the first project to be approved under the Greater London Authority's co-living asset class policy," said HTA Design managing director Simon Bayliss.

"Every aspect of the development was designed to offer residents the most liveable private space, while also having the free enjoyment of truly fantastic communal facilities."

The building's geometric facade was informed by developments built across south London in the 1950s and 60s, particularly the faceted exterior of the brutalist NLA Tower by Richard Seifert.

"Mid-century modernist-style repetition creates a striking new geometric landmark, with the building's appearance evolving subtly with height thanks to a varying configuration of ceramic tiles at the base, middle, and top of the tower," said HTA Design.

Aiming to create a visually appealing streetscape linking existing pedestrian paths, a series of seven-metre-tall columns at the base of the building were covered in 14,000 glazed porcelain tiles, created by designer Adam Nathaniel Furman.

The tiles have three-dimensional chevron and diamond shapes and create a gradient fading from blue at the bottom of the columns to white at the top.

"The building connects East Croydon to the new cultural quarter through a colonnade enlivened by crafted public art, an integral part of the building's striking architecture," said Bayliss.

Other co-living projects published on Dezeen include a collective housing complex in London arranged around a courtyard and an apartment block in Amsterdam with planted balconies.

The photography is by Simon Toplis unless stated.

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Local studio Heryco has completed a renovation of a pink apartment building with arches influenced by the form of aqueducts in the city of Querétaro, México.

The 5,920-square foot (550-square metre) building was completed in 1994 two blocks from the city's iconic Querétaro Aqueduct.

Heryco converted the previous building into a restored apartment block that holds four spacious, three-bedroom apartments and a ground-floor architecture office that serves as the street-level connection and anchor.

"Our inspiration blends history and modernity, taking the curves of the building as a starting point and using the warm colors of Querétaro's traditional local quarry to create a contemporary and youthful space," the studio told Dezeen.

In order to achieve a monotone pink, the studio clad the structure in Nanocal-pigmented lime stucco across the facade and courtyards.

The local material blends in with the surroundings, resonating with colonial architecture and reinforcing the studio's "commitment to the local identity and culture".

Previously square windows were capped by arched steel frames that were painted one shade darker than the walls to create contrast.

The arched motif continues to the interior courtyard with curved portals and exterior window frames.

Greenery climbs up the pink walls and spills over the terraces, while white globe sconces illuminate the passageways.

The renovation revealed an outdated construction system – based on steel beams and lightweight concrete slabs – that limited options and prevented the studio from demolishing partition walls.

This led the team to search for ways to reinforce the building's structure and repair the corroded roof without making too many interventions into the floorplan.

"We managed to find an aesthetic solution by leaving the exposed steel beams uncovered, enhancing the spaciousness and natural lighting in the spaces," the studio said, noting that it also added steel details like a gate.

On the interior, the studio configured three interlocking, two-story apartments around a central stair corridor. The fourth apartment stacks on top of the others and holds the north end of the building.

The apartments are set up to be used as Airbnb rentals, and each of the terraces open views out to the surrounding landscape.

As part of the renovation, the studio also installed an efficient heating system, ensured optimal water pressure at all times and selected high-quality furnishings.

"To complement the modern aesthetics of the building, we integrated artwork by various Mexican artists, creating a unique and sophisticated atmosphere," the studio said.

Contrasted to the pink exterior, the architecture office is finished in white with off-white steel details and open wooden shelving. Globe-shaped lighting is suspended in the office.

The renovation gave new life to an existing building while preserving its historical details while adding accomodations in a reclaimed space.

The renovation also "reduces pressure on land use and prevents uncontrolled urban expansion".

Also in Querétaro, Cuartopiso and Barragán Arquitectos recently completed an apartment building with planted balconies and Reims 502 topped a basalt-clad home with a pool.

The photography is by Ariadna Polo.

Project credits:

Architect: Heryco
Lead architect: Luis Carlos Aguilar González

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Gut-renovating this São Paulo apartment has allowed Brazilian studio Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos to incorporate the personalities of it occupants, particularly in the bedrooms of the family's two children.

The Aurora Apartment is home to a family of four, and sits on a private street in the Alto de Pinheiros neighbourhood to the west of the city.

A total overhaul of the residence was needed to open up its spaces, bring in more light, and incorporate new materials and decor that reflect the owners' tastes.

Without complete structural plans of the apartment or building, the demolition process revealed multiple hidden elements.

Only when the apartment had been fully stripped back to its bare bones was Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos able to design the floor plan to work around the structure.

"When we saw the remaining columns and slabs, we were able to continue sketching the client's necessities as well as our ideas onto paper," said the studio.

Once the layout was "settled", the architects began to examine the walls and space volumetrically to discover ways to add interesting design moments that would reveal more about the family.

"One of the most important things about this project is how every single space, both social and private, has the family personality, with a unique design that results in harmony with the whole," said Pascali Semerdjian Architects.

The apartment is divided into a large, open social space that's occasionally used for hosting business meeting and dinners, and a private area that contains the bedrooms and bathrooms.

"We wanted to create two universes in the same apartment: an intimate and cozy one, and another minimalist and social," the studio said.

Dark wood panelling lines the entryway, concealing a storage area for keys and shoes, and the same floor-to-ceiling wood panels are used in the corner of the dining room. Here, a hidden door swings open to reveal a bar, and a brass container built into a plastered counter serves as a cooler for bottles.

Stone flooring in the living area is laid in thin planks to match the pattern of the wooden boards that run through the private spaces.

Several classic midcentury designs were chosen for the living space, including Jean Prouvé dining chairs and a pair of salmon-coloured Ondine armchairs by Jorge Zalszupin.

These are mixed in with contemporary furnishings like the Thin Black side tables by Nendo and a leather chaise by Studiopepe.

A variety of furniture and lighting pieces custom-designed by Pascali Semerdjian also feature in the apartment, such as the main sofa, the office chairs, and the bar sconces.

There's also a coat closet housed within a gridded cabinet, which is affixed to a mirror and features a cluster of square lights in its top right corner.

In the private quarters, the primary suite is minimally finished in white and wood surfaces, while the children's rooms are much more expressive.

For example, the younger son's room is designed to resemble a small house, formed from wood panelling that covers the walls and is pitched on the ceiling.

His bed and a sofa are raised to create space for a "hide-and-seek" tunnel underneath, while the older daughter's room includes arched white closets.

"We seek to bring originality to all rooms, with special attention to the children's room, where we've pursued solutions that are close to playful, without exaggeration," Pascali Semerdjian said.

The renovation work began during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, so special attention was paid to creating multifunctional spaces.

"The project seeks to balance and bring fluidity between the different possible uses of a house, allowing residents to experience moments together as well as the possibility of having privacy, including the couple," said the architects.

Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos was founded by Domingos Pascali and Sarkis Semerdjian in 2010, and the studio has renovated many apartments across São Paulo.

They include a residence imbued with a "deeply Brazilian and vividly cosmopolitan" flavour and a home organised around a semi-circular wooden library.

The photography is by Fran Parente.

Project credits:

Project and interiors: Pascali Semerdjian Architects
Team: Sarkis Semerdjian, Domingos Pascali, Ana Luisa Cunha, Fernando Spnola
Production: VC Artwork
Execution: S Macedo Engenharia

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A sawtooth roof that references the nearby South Melbourne Market tops Ferrars & York, an apartment block in Australia designed by local studio Six Degrees Architects.

Six Degrees Architects worked with property developer and sustainability consultancy Hip V Hype to create the block of 22 apartments, which occupies a challenging, narrow site alongside a tram track in Melbourne.

While echoing the roof of the historic South Melbourne Market nearby, its design also references the dual nature of its residential and industrial surroundings with a mixed material palette of boardmarked concrete, timber and metal.

"The project set out to be an exemplar of the potential for responsible use of under-utilised land in our cities," Hip V Hype founder Liam Wallis told Dezeen.

"The use of concrete and steel is a nod to the industrial, while the timber, tiles and stained glass provide an intimacy, warmth, and craft more associated with low-rise residential," added Six Degrees Architects director James Legge.

Taking advantage of the narrow site, Ferrars & York is one apartment wide, allowing each home to be dual-aspect and benefit from external walkways in black steelwork overlooking the street.

"Apartments were single loaded with an open walkway to the street, connecting the building to place whilst enabling natural light and ventilation to dual frontages of all apartments," explained Wallis.

"Open walkways not only provide the possibility of dual aspect apartments, leading to better light and ventilation, they also provide the opportunity for incidental interaction of neighbours in an environment other than the usual blind, double loaded, corridor," added Legge.

To the west, Ferrars & York's street-facing elevation is enlivened by a variety of openings and shaded overhangs. Several entrances lead into the block, as well as a bike store, car park and a single retail unit.

"Rather than a blank glazed or concrete facade, the street wall is experienced by passersby as an active community, with a materiality and textures that suggest home," said Legge.

Facing the tram tracks, the block's shortest sides are more enclosed, with concrete facades finished with panels of dark green timber.

In the communal areas and apartments, the green of the timber elements is picked up by small areas of glazed tilework, wooden doors and window frames to bring warmth into living spaces.

On the top floor, the form of Ferrars & York's sawtooth roof has been used to add additional height to the apartments.

At the southern end of the building, a rooftop terrace features planting and an area for outdoor cooking.

Ferrars & York has been longlisted in the housing project category of Dezeen Awards 2023.

Elsewhere in Melbourne, Australian architecture studio Carr recently completed a gridded concrete apartment block and Kennedy Nolan created the Nightingale housing block that is defined by ochre-tinted forms.

The photography is by Tess Kelly.

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Local studio Mesura has designed a live-work home for a gallery owner that combines exhibition space with living quarters in a former factory in Barcelona.

Casa Vasto is situated in the city's seaside neighbourhood El Poblenou, characterised by its 18th-century industrial buildings that were deindustrialised in the 1960s and 70s.

The apartment is located in one of these former factories and comprises two spaces – the public living and kitchen area that also houses gallery exhibitions, and the private bedroom and bathroom that are reserved solely for the owner's use.

A service core made from birch wood divides the space without being attached to the walls or to the ceiling, which has an unusual vaulted design characteristic of factories built in Barcelona in the 19th century. This channels services to the kitchen and bathroom components and contains a toilet, shower and storage.

On one side of the core is the living and gallery space. This has plenty of space to hold exhibitions and is filled with monolithic furnishings that create functional zones, including a long dining table with cylindrical legs and a blocky stainless-steel kitchen island.

A low, sprawling sofa defines the lounge area, which centres around a coffee table fashioned from waste material created during the apartment's construction by designer Sara Regal.

Artworks and furniture have been arranged throughout the space, which was curated in collaboration between the owners and Mesura.

"The project's interior design is reinterpreted as a constellation of unique objects detached from the apartment's limits," said Mesura.

"These elements contrast with the white-washed walls and light-wood furnishings to emerge as accents of colour and form, weaving a cohesive and contemporary identity throughout the project, drawing focus to the pieces and artwork."

Bespoke pieces custom-made for Casa Vasto are flanked by iconic design classics, such as architect Mies van der Rohe's MR10 Chair and architect Mario Botta's Seconda Chai.

"Some of the interior pieces were specifically designed for the space – kitchen, dining table, service core, bathtub – and the others – sofas, chairs, lighting – were more of a process with the clients, who had their own preferences and interests," Mesura told Dezeen.

Frames are hung on the walls in the bedroom, which also contains two sinks and a bathtub encased in blocky concrete volumes.

As in the rest of the space, rectangular windows extend from floor level to let natural light into the space.

"We think the pieces selected for the interiors create a comfortable and unique atmosphere when in touch with the bespoke furniture we designed for the project," the studio told Dezeen.

Other adaptive reuse apartment projects on Dezeen include an apartment in a converted bank office by Puntofilipino and a flat in a former chocolate factory by SSdH.

The photography is by Salva López.

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Local architecture studio Juan Campanini, Josefina Sposito has concealed an urban apartment building behind a simple aluminium facade in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

The six-residence building, known as the Virrey Aviles Street housing, was completed in 2022 using a legal tool called "Fideicomiso," in which groups of middle-class residents can collectively invest in the development of small-scale buildings for homeownership in the often-unattainable housing market.

Juan Campanini, Josefina Sposito helped the residents purchase the typical 8.66-metre-wide parcel and then designed and constructed the 450- 450-square-metre building.

"In the context of Argentina's unstable financial system and the lack of long-term bank loans or large-scale public investments, this alternative system allowed us to face the owners' necessities while participating in every stage of the process," the studio said.

Located in the residential neighbourhood of Colegiales, the building features a two-metre-high wall along the street that folds up into a garage door for parking under the raised apartments.

Set 1.5 metres behind the property line, the building is raised on light-blue steel H-shaped columns. The facade is composed of corrugated aluminium with a silver anodized finish that is commonly used in roof cladding. The homogeneous surface is punctuated by 12 identical rectangular windows arranged in a grid.

"When seen from the site, its minimum thickness reveals its superficial behavior, performing as a falling veil that covers the building's front," the studio said. "In this way, the building creates a unified plain image towards the city, refusing to reveal any interior organization."

The open-plan ground floor contains a small concrete volume for the elevator, basement stairs and ductwork.

The rear edge of the property holds two small planted gardens divided by a concrete stair with a thin, white metal railing that rises the entire height of the building.

On each upper level, the stairs climb to an open-air landing in front of the mirrored elevator wall. The landing transitions through a blue metal gate to a small private terrace for each residence.

Each floor holds two studio apartments, which are balanced symmetrically across a central core space that is pulled three metres back from the building's edge.

"Hosting the unit's bathroom, kitchen and wardrobe, this condensed programmatic piece is detached from the building front, preventing it from being seen through the windows," the studio said.

The unit interiors are simple with polished concrete floors, rough concrete ceilings and flat white walls. Light filters into the units through two large windows that look out to the urban landscape beyond.

Atop the housing are two large roof terraces that are pulled back from the building's edge by a garden.

"From the height, the neighborhood's landscape emerges, and the project stands as a single part of the heterogeneous landscape of the city," the studio said.

Using a similar screening strategy, Adamo-Faiden employed garden balconies and mesh screens to provide privacy in the units of this apartment tower in Buenos Aires. Also, BHY Arquitectos created a similarly understated facade for an infill house in the city.

The photography is by Javier Agustín Rojas.

Project credits:

Architects: Juan Campanini Josefina Sposito
Project team: Julia Yabkowski, Valentina Lucardi
General contractor: Eminco Patagonia S.A.

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In this lookbook, we select eight apartments that prove basements are the new penthouses, from an art deco flat in Paris to a sci-fi-style hideaway in Madrid.

Often associated with limited space and poor natural light, basement homes have not always been particularly coveted.

But as the world's cities get more expensive, busier and hotter, below-ground living can be a relatively affordable, private and temperate option.

Below are eight of the best basement apartments previously featured on Dezeen.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cave-like interiors, residential entrance halls and pocket doors.

Unearthed Vault, UK, by Daab Design

Architecture studio Daab Design turned a former art storage vault in London into a two-bedroom basement flat.

Georgian period features were meticulously restored as part of the renovation and paired with a soothing colour palette of creams, greens and blues, turning what was previously a dark and cramped interior into a modern living space.

Find out more about Unearthed Vault ›

The Whale, France, by Clément Lesnoff-Rocard

The Whale takes its name from the huge structural elements that punctuate this home in the basement of a Parisian apartment building, which reminded architect Clément Lesnoff-Rocard of being inside an enormous animal.

Lesnoff-Rocard stripped back the apartment to reveal the chunky concrete beams, while extensive mirrored glass, brass and geometric shapes inject an understated sense of art deco.

Find out more about The Whale ›

Yurikago House, Spain, by Mas-aqui

Architecture studio Mas-aqui used half-levels in its renovation of this semi-basement apartment in Barcelona to maximise space.

The previously unused bottom level was excavated to create a staircase down to a new guest bedroom featuring a structural arch above the bed and an exposed-concrete retaining wall.

Find out more about Yurikago House ›

Ilioupoli Apartment, Greece, by Point Supreme

Sunken into the ground at the bottom of an apartment building in Athens, this small, one-bedroom flat was previously a storage space.

Point Supreme sought to retain the interior's "magical-cave-like" feeling by leaving raw concrete surfaces exposed and using floor finishes, curtains and sliding partitions rather than walls to separate the space.

Find out more about Ilioupoli Apartment ›

House H, Taiwan, by KC Design Studio

The basement of House H in Taipei leans into its underground setting with a dark and moody colour palette provided by concrete flooring, loosely rendered grey plaster walls and black or grey fixtures and fittings.

To filter more natural light and fresh air into the basement, KC Design Studio carved several openings into the ceiling, accommodating a staircase and an indoor courtyard.

Find out more about House H ›

Apartment Tibbaut, Spain, by Raúl Sánchez

Architect Raúl Sánchez converted a vaulted basement beneath a house in Barcelona into a subterranean apartment using curving panels of laminated pine.

The partition curls around a central living area, separating each of the rooms but stopping short of the ceiling to ensure the building's original architecture remains visible, as well as allowing natural light to spread throughout the space.

Find out more about Apartment Tibbaut ›

Casa A12, Spain, by Lucas y Hernández-Gil

This semi-basement Madrid apartment features fun, Stanley Kubrick-esque features such as shiny silver curtains, cobalt-blue accent walls and an indoor courtyard with orange grass.

Lucas y Hernández-Gil designed the space to be a "world of work and leisure" where the homeowners can escape from the street above.

Find out more about Casa A12 ›

Studio LI, France, by Anne Rolland Architecte

A secret room sits beneath this sunken studio apartment created by Anne Rolland Architecte in a long-abandoned space in a 17th-century Parisian townhouse.

Accessed via a mechanical trapdoor and granted natural light by a window in the kitchen floor, the former slurry pit was restored to create a music room and home cinema.

Find out more about Studio LI ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring cave-like interiors, residential entrance halls and pocket doors.

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Multifaceted furniture pieces crafted to mirror the appearance of precious stones feature in this opulent Parisian apartment, which was renovated by local studio Uchronia for a pair of jewellery designers.

Located on Paris's Avenue Montaigne, the one-storey apartment is housed within a building designed as part of Georges-Eugène Haussmann's famed reconstruction of the French capital during the mid-19th century.

Uchronia maintained the apartment's original boiserie, mouldings, parquet flooring and tall ceilings, which are hallmarks of Haussmann-era architecture.

This quintessentially Parisian backdrop was updated to include bright and textured furnishings designed to mimic pieces of jewellery.

"The space had great bones – a classical Haussmanian layout," said Uchronia founder and architect Julien Sebban. "That being said, it felt cold, pretentious and beige."

"For a change, we avoided structural work and focussed on the decoration," he told Dezeen.

Created as a home for two jewellery designers, the apartment features an amorphous resin table in the dining room that is divided into seven modular parts and patterned with a motif informed by the green gemstone malachite.

"The table's custom-designed, beaten steel legs echo the principle of claws holding a solitaire diamond to its ring," explained Sebban.

Multicoloured light refracts from a squat stained-glass chair in the sizeable living room, which features a trapezoid lacquered cabinet and curvy jewel-like furniture finished in vivid hues and contrasting textures.

Uchronia suspended a milky blue Murano glass chandelier overhead and wrapped the room's floor-to-ceiling windows in sheer ombre curtains.

"The walls echo the curtains and are also treated – and this is a technical feat – in gradations of colour," the architect said.

Tucked into an alcove, towering silvery shelves display a selection of ornaments and were designed to give the impression of an open jewellery box.

"If the apartment's shapes are reminiscent of the jewellery world, its materials and colours are also borrowed from it," Sebban said.

In the single bedroom, the studio took cues from the undulating striations of onyx when creating a bespoke bed frame, finished in plush upholstery to blend in with the room's patterned carpet while alabaster lamps were positioned atop its two posts.

Elsewhere in the room, Uchronia paired a dramatically carved Ettore Sottsass dressing table in book-matched marquetry with an egg-shaped chair defined by gleaming red plastic and "space-age lines".

"It's very hard to pick a favourite place in this flat because each space has its own identity and colour," Sebban said. "But if there's one thing I really love about this apartment, it's the vitrail that leads to the kitchen."

The curving window was an existing feature of the apartment, which the studio customised with candy-coloured glass panes.

"It creates a place of passage that is quite timeless, like a little sanctuary," said the architect.

Coloured glass is a motif that appears throughout the apartment, including the asymmetrical pastel-hued wine and cocktail glasses that look like precious stones.

"Playful and contradicting combinations of colour, organic and geometric lines and a rich combination of textiles and glass come together to form a chromatic jewellery box filled with gems," said Sebban. "Every detail has been thought out, polished and cut."

Elsewhere in Paris, French architect Sophie Dries previously renovated a Haussmann-era apartment for clients who are "really into colour", while Hauvette & Madani added a sumptuous wine-red kitchen to a dwelling in the city's République area.

The photography is by Félix Dol Maillot. 

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Exposed concrete and perforated copper screens define this apartment block overlooking a valley in Victoria, Australia, which was designed by local architecture studio Edition Office.

Located on a wooded site above the Yara or Birrarung River the project, called Fenwick St, replaces a former single dwelling with nine apartments, spread across three separate concrete "pavilions".

"We saw the site as an extension of the greater public domain that reaches out and down towards the Birrarung River and the valley beyond," Edition Office director Aaron Roberts told Dezeen.

"The large mass of a singular joined building in this instance would not be sympathetic to the massing, scale and language of the surrounding buildings."

"Breaking the project down into pavilions allowed the project to read as a series of dwelling more in line with this scale," he continued.

Positioned at each corner of the triangular plot, the blocks were separated by two "neighbourhood-scale" paths that connect and frame views across the site's axes.

To the west, the largest block contains five apartments, while the block to the east contains an additional three and the block to the south a single two-storey residence.

Each stepped form has been oriented so that the living, dining and kitchen spaces face outwards, with terraces taking advantage of expansive views across the landscape.

In contrast, the majority of the bedrooms look inwards, towards the more intimate paved and planted paths at the site's centre.

Externally, the blocks are united by their exposed concrete finish, with full-height glazing and perforated copper screens in areas requiring greater shading or privacy.

"Externally we were interested in a materiality that would be long lasting and age gracefully, a material robust enough to be subsumed by the landscaping, with the notion that this would help ground and anchor the building into place," explained Roberts.

"Highly textural concrete was married with precision glass and copper screens, amplifying the qualities and manufacturing process of each. The copper and concrete will patina softly with time and fall into the landscape as it grows up around the building."

Internally, the simpler exteriors are contrasted by richly finished interiors, with dark wood panelling, marble counters and pale-tiled bathrooms complemented by deep yellow and blue paintwork.

A shared basement links the three separate forms, containing parking spaces and stores as well as a gym and lounge for residents to share.

Previous projects by Edition Office include a black-pigmented concrete and timber home in New South Wales, designed to be a "peaceful sanctuary" amidst its rural setting. In Kyneton, the studio also completed a brick home with lofted interiors that were decorated using textural materials.

The photography is by Rory Gardiner.

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Architecture and engineering firm Yu2e has completed The Axolotl, a three-storey apartment building near public transit that is meant to be an "evolutionary hybrid of Los Angeles middle housing".

The building is situated on a rectangular property in the Los Feliz neighbourhood, described as a "middle density" area with many two-storey apartment buildings.

For the 6,750-square-foot (627-square-metre) property, local studio Yu2e conceived a multi-family building with seven rental units.

The firm's design draws upon two historic housing styles found in Los Angeles – the bungalow court, popular in the first half of the 1900s, and the dingbat apartment building, which proliferated in the 1950s and 1960s.

"Many architects in the 20th century had experimented with low-rise housing typologies that would not overwhelm suburban neighbourhoods while providing affordable housing options," Yu2e said.

"With characteristics taken from both bungalow courts and dingbat apartments, our project is an evolutionary hybrid of Los Angeles middle housing."

The wood-and-steel Axolotl building rises three levels and totals 10,900 square feet (1,013-square-metre) – the maximum allowed for this type of building per local rules.

The project was developed under the city's Transit Oriented Communities (TOC) Incentive Program, which encourages the construction of affordable housing near bus and train stations. The programme was implemented following a measure passed by voters in 2016.

"It is intended to spur multi-family development near public transit by relaxing restrictions like required yards, along with parking and density maximums, in exchange for setting aside some of those units for lower-income households and tenants," said Yu2e of the programme.

Without the TOC programme, the building would have needed to have four apartments and eight parking spaces. The programme enabled the team to add three more apartments and incorporate just four parking spaces.

"Our design approach was to maximise the opportunities afforded by the TOC incentives to create more livable dwellings at a more affordable costs," the team said.

In terms of its shape, the building is a box with pieces cut away to form patios and balconies. The outdoor spaces help break up the massing.

"The tactical distribution of these decks throughout reduced the overall bulk and scale of the building, minimising impact to the street level and adjacent neighbours," the team said.

Exterior walls are clad in a mix of vertical fibre-cement siding and cement plaster.

The developer opted for a pink exterior to help enliven the neighbourhood, while also giving a nod to dingbats, which often had colourful exteriors. The project is named after a pink-hued salamander called an axolotl.

"We like to use fun and approachable names to rebrand our housing projects, as a foil to the typical opposition and criticism of housing projects," said architect Bill Tsui, founder of Yu2e.

Parking is found in the rear and is reached via a driveway that runs alongside the building. The parking lot includes an electric vehicle charging station and space for bikes.

On the opposing side are corridors that provide access to the apartments.

"The common-access corridor is designed to create a sense of community and shared space, by utilising alternating panels and openings in lieu of a typical dark and uninviting double-loaded corridor".

Five of the apartments have two bedrooms, and the remaining two have three bedrooms. One unit is reserved for a low-income tenant.

Units are efficiently organised in order to provide open layouts and to keep costs low. Windows and sliding glass doors bring in daylight and facilitate natural ventilation.

Interior finishes include drywall, white oak flooring, laminate cabinets and quartz countertops.

"Essentially, the material choices were made with resilience and low maintenance in mind," the team said.

"The dwelling units are at once cosy and livable, breezy with ample access to outdoors," the team added.

The building is near an earthquake fault, which is not uncommon in Los Angeles. In response, the building has a "mat" foundation that consists of a two-foot-thick (61-centimetre) concrete slab.

Other projects by Yu2e include a housing project in west Los Angeles that involved the transformation of two properties into a six-unit complex with outdoor space. The project made the longlist in the housing category for the 2022 Dezeen Awards.

The photography is by Taiyo Watanabe.

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From a modernist villa in Beverly Hills to a flat in one of Brasília's iconic Superquadra apartment blocks, the mid-century renovations in this lookbook are a masterclass in updating a period home while retaining its distinctive character.

Originally constructed in the post-war period between 1945 and 1969, mid-century homes have proved enduringly popular due to their prescient emphasis on natural light, clean lines, open floor plans and humble materials such as wood, stone and concrete.

The renovations below see many of these original features retained and restored, supplemented with contemporary additions such as double-height ceilings and furniture by the likes of Tadao Ando and Mario Bellini.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring art deco homes, sunny yellow interiors and serene bedrooms with striking natural views.

City Beach Residence, Australia, by Design Theory

Australian studio Design Theory looked to preserve the "considerable mid-century charm" of this home on the coast of Perth during its renovation (top and above), remaining true to the rich palette of natural materials found in the original design.

Contemporary furniture and lighting with gently curving forms were chosen to soften the rigorous lines of the original architecture and prevent the interiors from feeling like a period pastiche.

Find out more about City Beach Residence ›

Brandaw Residence, US, by 180 Degrees Design + Build and CBTWO Architects

A new double-height living room with a pitched roof and full-height glazing was added to modernise this 1960s home in Phoenix, creating sightlines up and out towards nearby Camelback Mountain.

Modernist touches remain on the interior in the form of plentiful wood panelling alongside finishes and furnishings in muted primary colours ranging from teal to mustard-yellow.

Find out more about Brandaw Residence ›

Hampstead House, UK, by Coppin Dockray

This house in Hampstead was originally designed by British architect Trevor Dannatt in 1960 as London's answer to the post-war Case Study Houses built by the likes of Richard Neutra and the Eameses in California.

When renovating and extending the property for a growing family, local studio Coppin Dockray contrasted vintage and contemporary furniture for a "domestic, lived-in" feel, with pieces ranging from a Togo chair to Mia Hamborg's Shuffle table for &Tradition.

Find out more about Hampstead House ›

Beverly Hills villa, US, by Heusch

Historical images helped architecture firm Heusch to restore this Beverly Hills villa to its former glory and reverse some of its "unfortunate transformations" over the years.

Existing terrazzo floors on the ground floor were restored and complemented with fluted glass details and dark timber furnishings, both new and old, including Ando's cantilevered Dream Chairs and a bookshelf by Italian architect Augusto Romano from the 1950s.

Find out more about Beverly Hills villa ›

Palermo house, US, by OWIU

California studio OWIU retained several original elements during the renovation of this 1955 home in LA's San Rafael Hills, among them the glass-block walls and wooden ceiling beams, which were exposed from under false ceilings and sanded down to reveal their natural colour.

These were contrasted with more neutral contemporary elements such as pale oak flooring and walls coated in Venetian plaster, with assorted lights by Isamu Noguchi and George Nelson – one of the founding fathers of American modernism.

Find out more about Palermo house ›

Brasília apartment, Brazil, by Debaixo do Bloco Arquitetura

This apartment is located inside Brasília's historic Superquadra 308 Sul, the first "superblock" apartment complex constructed as part of architect Lucio Costa's 1957 master plan for the new Brazilian capital.

Local studio Debaixo do Bloco Arquitetura cut open the building's exposed concrete walls, opening up its layout to meet the needs of a modern family while preserving period details such as the building's distinctive white breeze-block screens and its granilite flooring.

Find out more about Brasília apartment ›

Malibu Surf Shack, US, by Kelly Wearstler

When interior designer Kelly Wearstler turned this 1950s beachfront cottage in Malibu into a bohemian retreat for herself and her family, she retained the original wood-panelled walls and selected finishes that were "hand-crafted, rustic and raw" to match the existing material palette.

The interiors feature abundant planting, alongside an eclectic mix of period-agnostic furnishings including a 1980s green marble table by Bellini, paired with a plaster-covered Caféstuhl chair by contemporary Austrian designer Lukas Gschwandtner.

Find out more about Malibu Surf Shack ›

Golden House, US, by SHED

Seattle architecture firm SHED had to make several aggressive interventions when renovating this 1950s building in nearby Shoreline, which was originally constructed as a family home but had previously been divided up to serve as a retirement home.

Working around the existing post-and-beam structure, the studio updated the interior to maximise views of the Olympic Mountains and Puget Sound while enlarging the kitchen and reorganising it around a central island.

Find out more about Golden House ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring art deco homes, sunny yellow interiors and serene bedrooms with striking natural views.

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Design studio Puntofilipino has created a richly layered interior full of texture and patina for this Madrid apartment, designed to offer an unexpected take on the client's passion for Danish art and furniture.

Set in a former bank office building in the Salamanca neighbourhood that dates back to 1929, the one-bedroom apartment was conceived as a refuge for the client.

"He was looking for a space of relaxation, silence and solitude," Puntofilipino founder Gema Gutiérrez told Dezeen. "Madrid is a very fast city and his need was to find a place where time stopped."

Puntofilipino set out to design a space that reflects the client's love of Danish style without resorting to Scandinavian design cliches.

Instead, the studio sought to foster a sense of timelessness by balancing modern and historical influences, calling the apartment Radikal Klassisk.

"It's a very modern design and yet also with a slightly historical bent," she said. "There is a perpetual link between the past and the present."

"I wanted to show the client the coexistence and communion between classic and contemporary Danish brands," Gutiérrez added.

"Pieces by designers such as Hans J Wegner, father of modern Danish design, coexist with contemporary Danish brands such as Overgaard & Dyrman – both free of passing trends, timeless."

While the lines and forms are clean and modern, Gutiérrez says the materials themselves, which range from natural stone to terrazzo and wood, "are historically recognised noble materials, used in palaces throughout the centuries".

The work of Danish painter Ebba Cartensen was another influence on the apartment's aesthetic.

The late artist's cubist compositions informed the heavily patinated finishes seen in each room, from the clay-rendered walls to the marbled tiles.

"I looked for the pictorial representation of Ebba Carstensen's painting," said Gutiérrez.

"The patinated finishes express time, distance, and memory – a ground-breaking, elegant and sober aesthetic that goes beyond the concept we have of Danish design."

In the bedroom, Puntofilipino used a darkly immersive botanical wallpaper by Instabilelab with a mural-like scale.

"The client has a predilection for bucolic painting," the studio said. "In addition, the plant motifs give depth to the space."

Here, as elsewhere, the colours are rich and intense, taking their cues from the tonal variations in the stone, metal and wood used in each room.

In the open-plan bedroom-bathroom, a monolithic stone tub takes on a sculptural quality as the central focal point within the space.

"I considered breaking with architectural patterns and giving more prominence to the centre of the room," Gutiérrez said. "The inside of the bathtub, metaphorically, reflects a bench where you could see any work of art in a museum."

The sofa fulfils a similar function in the living room, this time with an emphasis on curves rather than straight lines.

Produced by Danish design brand NORR11, it consists of three distinct elements, each upholstered in a different fabric progressing from off-white bouclé to olive green leather.

"I studied the soleo, the path of the sun, and how it affects colours and materials in the interior," Gutiérrez said. "The gradual transition gives depth and makes you look around the space, a dance through the senses."

Nearby in Salamanca, locals studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil recently completed JJ16 – a compact family home filled with colour blocking and clever storage solutions.

Also in the Spanish capital, Studio Noju has renovated a curvy two-storey apartment in the city's brutalist Torres Blancas tower.

The photography is by Polina Parcevskya and Julie Smorodkina.

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Dorschner Kahl Architects and Heine Mildner Architects have collaborated on Andreasgärten, a multi-generational housing scheme in Erfurt that integrates assisted living for the elderly with the wider community.

Situated next to the fortress town of Zitadelle Petersberg in the city of Erfurt, Germany, the Andreasgärten housing development consists of a trio of three-storey rectangular buildings arranged around a communal garden.

Social-welfare organisation Johanniter Unfallhilfe commissioned German studios Dorschner Kahl Architects and Heine Mildner Architects to design a housing project with living arrangements that would suit people of all ages.

Andreasgärten includes 65 one-bedroom, 24 two-bedroom and three three-bedroom apartments spread evenly across the three buildings, as well as two assisted living communities on the ground floors of two buildings and a kindergarten in an existing building.

The studios also added a therapy centre that provides social and medical services, a multipurpose community room and a chapel to encourage interaction between the residents.

"The neighbourhood provides spatial and programmatic conditions for coexistence and social exchange among people of different ages and social backgrounds," Dorschner Kahl Architects co-founder Adrian Dorschner told Dezeen.

"The kindergarten and assisted living community cover a whole life span – essentially, it is possible to live in the Andreasgärten at all stages of life, from childhood to old age."

Entrances to the buildings were placed on the elevations facing the communal garden to promote communication between residents, while covered walkways wrap the perimeter of each floor level.

"The veranda defines the architectural expression of the three residential buildings and serves as a link between private living spaces and the semi-public courtyard of the multigenerational neighbourhood," said Dorschner Kahl Architects and Heine Mildner Architects.

"It also acts as a communication space between the buildings across the courtyard, extending the interior space outward."

The assisted living communities contain 10 rooms designed as private retreats for the residents, which they can personalise with their own choice of furnishings.

Communal spaces, a shared kitchen and an assigned outdoor area for the assisted living communities provide space for socialising.

"Assisted living and elderly individuals no longer have to live alone," said Dorschner. "In these communities, several people of similar age live together in a shared setting, requiring care but still valuing privacy and independence."

"As part of the larger Andreasgärten project, the assisted living communities are integrated into the community's everyday life, rather than being isolated, making them an integral part of living and thriving in Andreasgärten," he added.

Built on top of an underground car park, the three residential buildings have a hybrid construction of reinforced concrete cores with masonry on the ground floor and cross-laminated timber walls.

"Only the areas necessary for fire safety and structural reasons, such as the ground floors and staircases, were designed with solid materials, while the upper floors were constructed using wood," Dorschner said.

"This led to a significant reduction in weight, allowing for substantial material savings in the floor slab above the underground garage on which the buildings are situated."

The architecture studios also transformed a former carriage house next to the Zitadelle Petersberg fortress wall into a kindergarten for 111 children.

The brick building was given a wooden extension, with a veranda designed as an "architectural mediator" between the existing structure and the new residential buildings.

"The adaptive reuse of the historic building honours both the sustainable approach of the new neighbourhood and the history of the location," said Dorschner.

Dorschner Kahl Architects and Heine Mildner Architects worked with landscape architect Michael Simonsen on the project's landscaping.

The communal garden at the centre of the housing scheme is connected to existing pedestrian paths, creating a semi-public space planted with fruit trees, large shrubs and perennials.

According to Dorschner, since the residents have moved into the development the verandas and the communal garden have become popular meeting spaces for neighbours.

"I noticed many interactions among the residents in the garden and between the houses through the loggias, which were intentionally designed without physical barriers between the apartments," he said.

"It's heartwarming to witness how the residents of the assisted living communities actively participate in social life despite limited mobility," Dorschner added.

"Their ground-floor living spaces directly connect to the garden through floor-to-ceiling windows, where they sit and engage in conversations with other residents or passersby."

Other social housing projects featured on Dezeen include a low-cost housing project in Los Angeles with scalloped facades and social housing in Amsterdam with stepped balconies overlooking the waterfront.

The photography is by Philip Heckhausen.

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Local studio HGR Arquitectos has completed a triangular concrete apartment block with a rounded corner meant to stand up against earthquakes in Mexico City.

Known as MO288 – an abbreviation of the building's address – the multifamily project includes 15 apartments and two commercial spaces across six stories. HGR Arquitectos finished the 15,047-square-foot (1,398 square metres) project in March of 2023 for developer Ciudad Vertical.

The urban site in the Cuauhtémoc district of the city previously held a building that was structurally compromised during the earthquake in September 2017 and subsequently demolished.

Located at a busy intersection, the wedge-shaped lot measures 3,143 square feet (292 square metres), so the team worked to turn the project inward towards a large courtyard that features a rounded edge, mirroring the rounded corner on the exterior.

Load-bearing walls eliminate the need for columns and allow rectangular rooms to fit into the triangular plan.

"In addition to being a challenge in terms of architectural design, the structural design of the projected building was a major challenge for structural calculation and seismic design," the team said.

A soil mechanics study found firm soil 30 metres below the ground level so the team drove 32-metre reinforced concrete piles under the building.

"Together with the foundation slab and the concrete load-bearing walls reinforced on the ground floor, they work synchronously with the brick and concrete load-bearing walls on the upper levels," the team explained.

On the facade, brown, board-formed concrete is banded with the solid lines of the floor plates. Vertical, black-framed windows run in columns, punctuated by alternating boxy balconies that jut out of the building's perimeter in the same dark, matte metal plating that wraps the ground floor.

The rounded corner has inset balconies that look out to the intersection.

Tenant commercial spaces hold two corners of the ground floor, while the third is occupied by a compact garage with tandem parking stackers. A central circulation core leads up to the apartments.

Each upper floor contains three one-bedroom units, fit together like a jigsaw puzzle into tight floor plans between 750 and 800 square feet (70-75 square metres).

"All the spaces were well ventilated and illuminated, but try not to have large openings due to the noise of the road that adjoins the building," the team told Dezeen.

The spaces along the courtyard have narrow translucent windows that bring light into the apartments without compromising privacy. The courtyard dead ends into a planted green wall along the adjacent building's property line.

Also located in Mexico City, HGR Arquitectos alternating banded design is also present in the studio's Emiliano Zapata 167 apartment block, only translated into orange brick, which was completed before the 2017 earthquake.

A number of other buildings were rebuilt after the 2017 earthquake, including a church with a vaulted ceiling in Jojutla.

The photography is by Diana Arnau.

Project credits:

Architect: Marcos Hagerman, HGR Arquitectos
Development: Cuidad Vertical
Executive drawing: Rodrigo Durán
Structural design: Mata y Triana Ingenieros Consultores
Installation: ZMP Instalaciones
Communications: Area Colectiva

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Walnut burl and terrazzo accents are combined with chunky statement furniture in this apartment in Warsaw, which Polish studio Mistovia has renovated for an art director and her pet dachshund.

Located in the city's Praga Północ neighbourhood, the 45-square-metre flat is set within a 1950s estate designed by Polish architects Jerzy Gieysztor and Jerzy Kumelowski.

Mistovia devised an eclectic material and colour palette when updating the interior, which the studio describes as an "elaborate puzzle" of contrasting patterns.

"The apartment is based on several dominant 'cubes'," said Mistovia founder Marcin Czopek. "Each of them has a different function, accentuated by various patterns through the use of veneer or colour."

The living room is defined by a wall panelled in swirly grey wood veneer– originally designed by Memphis Group founder Ettore Sottsass for Alpi in the 1980s – while the bathroom is obscured behind a wall of glass blocks.

The kitchen is now connected to the lounge to create one open-plan space, filled with statement pieces including a misshapen vase and the molten-looking Plopp stool by Polish designer Oskar Zieta, set against the backdrop of floor-to-ceiling walnut-burl cabinets.

Terrazzo was used to form chunky black-and-white legs for the kitchen's window-side breakfast bar as well as an entire burnt-orange table in the dining area.

"A muted base – bright, uniform micro cement flooring and walls with a delicate texture – allowed for the use of geometric forms, rich in interesting structures and bold patterns," Czopek said.

Designed for an art director and her dog, the apartment features a similarly striking bathroom.

Here, gridded monochrome tiles and glass-brick walls are paired with a statement standalone sink, featuring squat cobalt-blue legs that support a tortoiseshell cabinet crowned by a triptych mirror.

A purple wardrobe complements the rectilinear marble headboard in the apartment's singular bedroom, adding to the boxy geometry of the home.

Also in Warsaw, Polish studio Projekt Praga incorporated mid-century elements and pops of colour into a dumpling restaurant while local firm Noke Architects referenced the high waters of Venice in a bar complete with sea-green floors and skirting tiles.

The photography is by Oni Studio. 

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Black wood and asphalt shingles clad the exterior of the Polker housing block by architect and developer SinHei Kwok, who took cues from historic "pyramid cottages" while conceiving the project.

The historic Garfield neighbourhood – which has been undergoing revitalisation – is located near downtown Phoenix and is known for its modest, 20th-century homes designed in various styles. Of particular note are the district's "pyramid cottages", so named for their distinctive hipped roofs.

SinHei Kwok – whose multidisciplinary studio is based in Phoenix and Hong Kong – purchased a standard lot in the Garfield district and embarked on creating a multi-family development that respects its milieu.

"Inspired by the 100-year-old pyramid cottages within the historic neighbourhood, the building's massing takes cues from the surrounding context," said Kwok, who served as the architect and developer.

One of the project's main goals was to offer an alternative to the sprawl that characterises the Phoenix metropolitan area, which the architect described as an "unsustainable phenomenon"

"Phoenix has been infamous for urban sprawl with single-family housing developments since the 1950s," the architect said.

"This project served as a prototype of urban infill development to help build a sustainable, walkable city."

For the rectangular property – which measures 140 feet by 50 feet (43 by 15 metres) – the architect conceived a long, two-storey building that contains six rental units. The building's pitched roof is meant to reference the historic pyramid cottages.

Slightly different facade treatments were used around the building.

On the north- and south-facing elevations, the roof and exterior walls are wrapped in variegated asphalt shingles. The east wall is clad in black wood, while the western facade is covered in vanilla stucco and features a horizontal window.

"Inspired by Chinese landscape paintings, the horizontal shape of the window facing west captures the constantly changing skyline of downtown while limiting heat gain from the summer sun," said Kwok.

The entire building totals 4,250 square feet (395 square metres). Within the units, one finds fluid layouts and a restrained material palette.

Interior elements include concrete flooring, concrete-block walls and a steel staircase. For the bathroom shower, Kwok used exterior-grade, aluminium-composite panels to eliminate grout joints and "provide a clean, modern look".

All of the apartments have two levels, with the public area located on the ground floor. The upper level – traditionally used as an attic in the historic cottages – holds either a single loft-style room or two bedrooms and a bathroom.

In addition to a small parking lot with permeable paving, the site offers pockets of private and shared outdoor space.

All units have covered patios accessed by sliding glass doors, enabling a connection between inside and out.

Along the eastern elevation, which faces a street, Kwok carved out an outdoor space that serves as a reinterpretation of the iconic front porches found in the historic neighbourhood. The flooring is a 30-foot-wide (nine-metre) concrete slab that cantilevers over the ground.

"Our approach kept the same front-porch concept, encouraging dwellers to meet and interact with their neighbors," said Kwok.

"During nighttime, it becomes a floating porch, with LED lights that light up below the slab."

This is the second project by SinHei Kwok in Phoenix's historic Garfield neighbourhood. For a compact site there, the architect and developer created a pair of apartment buildings that have M-shaped roofs and asphalt-shingle cladding.

The photography is by Roehner + Ryan.

Project credits:

Design architect, developer and owner: Sin Hei Kwok
Associate architect: Yin Pang
Structural engineer: Struktur Studio
MEP/FP engineer: Otterbein Engineering
Contractor: Beckett Construction

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Australian architecture practice Studio Edwards has completed an exercise in contemporary small-space living with this 24-square-metre micro apartment in Melbourne's Fitzroy district.

The clients, a young couple, approached Studio Edwards to remodel the tiny studio apartment on the top floor of a 1980s apartment block.

"They asked for a home that felt unified and clutter-free, with ample storage, an efficient kitchen with space for cooking and dining, a comfortable lounge and quiet sleeping zones," founder Ben Edwards told Dezeen.

"Microloft provides a solution for inner-city living that navigates the constraints of limited space and ageing housing stock through an interior that provides the clients with a functional and coherent dwelling."

Rather than using partitions or walls, spaces are defined by custom furniture pieces that provide visual connections.

A horizontal raw aluminium surface forms angled countertops in both the kitchen and dining area before extending through an existing double archway into the sleeping area beyond.

"Angled elements act in a similar way to room dividers, nothing extends higher than the datum line, helping the space to remain open," said Edwards.

"The kitchen melds seamlessly into a dining space via the angled countertop, while triangular storage shelves make use of the corners of the room."

The angular wedge shape of the aluminium counters is mirrored in a wall-mounted console and a custom-made sofa with bookshelves integrated into its base, both made from oriented strand board (OSB).

Above the datum line, one wall is clad in grey mirrored panels to make the apartment appear larger while creating a visual link to the grey-painted exposed brick walls and the heavily patinated concrete floor.

The bed sits on a raised chipboard plinth to maximise bedroom storage, while the sliding door of the wardrobe, as well as the apartment's front door, are wrapped in recycled denim to provide further textural interest as well as acoustic softening.

"Use of raw aluminium surfaces, along with the OSB plinth that elevates the bed, provide creative storage solutions while delivering refined aesthetic appeal," said Edwards.

Simple IKEA stools were customised to fit in with the apartment, with a bedside stool wrapped in recycled denim to further soften the acoustics in this space.

In the dining area, the same stools were extended with aluminium legs to create high seats for bench-top dining.

Micro homes are among a number of solutions being explored by architects and interior designers in response to Melbourne's worsening housing crisis, as the city saw record rent increases last year.

Others have explored creating multi-generational homes where family members can split both spaces and costs, as seen in this house on a narrow infill site by Matt Gibson and this adaptable suburban home by Austin Maynard Architects.

Maynard also recently self-funded the construction of an "ethical housing" block in inner-city Melbourne, accommodating 20 low-cost, eco-conscious apartments with enough room for young families.

The photography is by Peter Bennetts.

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Note Design Studio has updated this formerly characterless apartment in Stockholm to feature bespoke Douglas fir joinery and curvy stucco ceilings designed to suggest cloud formations.

Although the Cloudy Outlines apartment sits within a building dating back to 1842, Note Design Studio says the interior had been stripped of any historic charm and "traces of craftsmanship" during previous renovations.

It also had a poor layout, with a living area that could only be accessed via a dark, lengthy corridor snaking around the back of the apartment while the remaining rooms were awkwardly shaped and difficult to furnish.

The studio decided to redesign the home from scratch, knocking down all of its internal walls to form a more cohesive floor plan.

The corridor was repositioned to run parallel to the building's window-lined facade and, as a result, is now flooded with natural light.

Rooms were classically finished with white-painted walls and Douglas fir flooring.

Billowy stucco moulding was added throughout to give a soft "cloudy" quality to the ceilings and provide a contrast with the "rationality and material robustness" of the apartment, the studio explained.

"With the previous interior and finishes removed, a new holistic design was developed with a limited amount of design principles, all with a timeless ambition," Note Design Studio said.

In the kitchen, Douglas fir was used again to create simple cupboards and a striking circular cover for the extractor fan.

The countertop, on the other hand, is overlaid with a sleek metallic finish.

All of the apartment's doors, as well as its window sills, are also made from Douglas fir.

The material palette only deviates slightly in the bathroom, which features grey-tile surfaces and flecked terrazzo-like flooring.

The Cloudy Outlines apartment is one of several residential renovations that Note Design Studio has completed in the Swedish capital, where the firm is based.

Among them is Habitat 100 – an apartment littered with references to the Swedish Grace movement – and the Mantelpiece Loft, which is distinguished by its colour-block bedrooms.

The photography is courtesy of the studio.

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Madrid studio Lucas y Hernández-Gil has completed a family home that makes the most of every inch, with details including a yellow storage wall, a corridor kitchen and a hidden closet.

JJ16 is a three-bedroom apartment in Madrid's Salamanca district, but until recently it had been used as an office.

Lucas y Hernández-Gil, a specialist in interior architecture, converted the property back into a residence for a family that includes a mother, three teenage children and their dog.

The challenge was not only to make it feel like a home again but also to create space for everyone's personality within the 165 square-metre footprint.

The designers achieved this by combining space-saving strategies with statement details, providing both functionality and character.

"Everyone had a clear idea of what they needed, which translated directly into the spaces," said studio founders Cristina Domínguez Lucas and Fernando Hernández-Gil Ruano.

"Far from generating a conflict, different colours and materials give the house a richness, a harmonic heterogeneity," they told Dezeen.

Optimising JJ16's layout was crucial but difficult given the irregularity of the floor plan.

Lucas y Hernández-Gil's strategy was to make every space, including the corridors, as useful as possible.

The kitchen now occupies a connecting space between the entrance lobby and the living room, freeing up space at the front of the apartment for a spacious main bedroom.

Meanwhile, the corridor leading to the main bathroom and the third bedroom incorporates a mini library and a utility area.

"The main challenge was the deep layout and long corridor," said the architects.

"We provided circulation with content by creating spaces within it. This turned out to be one of the best design decisions of the project."

Curved partitions create variety within JJ16's layout. The largest of these separates the living room from the main bedroom, but other curves can be found in the second bedroom and a shower room.

Many spaces have their own colours, which contrast with the bright white tones that otherwise dominate the interior.

The bright yellow bookshelf wall is the most striking, while the adjacent kitchen offers a two-tone effect with shades of soft pink and grey, and matt chrome finishes.

Bedrooms have a minimal feel, but they boast colourful dressing rooms and en-suites. Bright orange was chosen for the hidden walk-in closet, located in the twin third bedroom, while deep purple adds a luxury feel in the main bedroom.

Floor surfaces provide more visual interest. Living spaces feature oak parquet, while bathrooms are all finished with patterned cement tiles.

This bold approach to colour and texture is a common feature in the work of Lucas y Hernández-Gil, whose other recent projects include the sunset-inspired Naked and Famous bar and the stylish Casa A12.

"The approach to colour is a constant in our design process," said Lucas and Hernández-Gil Ruano.

"It is about activating spaces and achieving a warm and joyful domestic atmosphere."

The photography is by Jose Hevia.

Project credits

Architecture: Lucas y Hernández-Gil
Collaborators: Lucía Balboa, María Domínguez, Sara Urriza

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Interior design studio Hauvette & Madani has made a sumptuous wine-red kitchen the focus of this otherwise neutral apartment in Paris.

The Republique apartment is set within a typical Haussmann-era building in the French capital's 11th arrondissement and belongs to a family with two children.

From the outset of the renovation, the clients called for the home to orbit around a "spectacular" atmospheric kitchen.

Hauvette & Madani responded by using a striking colour scheme, rendering all of the kitchen's linoleum cabinets and its curved breakfast island in a wine-red colour. The same shade was also applied to the ceiling but in a glossy lacquer.

"We wanted a dark but joyful colour and ended up deciding on this substantial red," founders Samantha Hauvette and Lucas Madani told Dezeen. "We also love the fact [the colour's] eccentricity matches the rest of the calm and soft apartment."

Lustrous decorative elements such as an aged-mirror splashback and brass light were also introduced to the space, and a support column was wrapped in stainless steel.

The room's original wooden flooring was overlaid with travertine and Emperador marble tiling.

A travertine-framed doorway looks through to the adjacent living room, where walls were painted an oatmeal beige, matching a bean-shaped velvet sofa from French brand Pierre Augustin Rose.

A pair of wriggly-edged oak coffee tables and a terracotta-coloured edition of French designer Pierre Paulin's Ribbon chair were also used to dress the space.

The dining room next door is centred by an oval travertine table, around which steel-framed leather seats have been arranged. At the rear of the room is a tall white dresser inset with oak-lined niches where ornaments or artworks can be displayed.

A Murano glass chandelier hangs from the ceiling, where ornate moulding was carefully preserved.

The project also saw Hauvette & Madani refresh the parents' bedroom, which now features 1930s-style lighting and a bespoke oak headboard. This winds around the back of the room and has arched cut-outs that accommodate bedside tables.

A walnut-wood vanity cabinet and vintage Italian mirror were also fitted in its en-suite bathroom.

Often considered the heart of the home, the kitchen is where architects and designers enjoy getting playful with colour.

Other examples include the kitchen inside Sans-Arc Studio's Plaster Fun House, where a pink terrazzo breakfast island contrasts duck egg-blue cabinetry.

And the kitchen within this Belgian apartment by Carmine Van Der Linden and Thomas Geldof features birch wood cupboards that were stained a murky hue of green.

The photography is by Yannick Labrousse. 

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German interior designer Peter Heimer and design studio Buchholzberlin used a restrained material palette of concrete, oak and aluminium when renovating this flat inside London's brutalist Trellick Tower.

The Grade II-listed building, designed by architect Ernö Goldfinger, originally opened in 1972 to provide social housing for the neighbourhood of Kensal Rise but has since become a landmark of brutalist architecture thanks to its distinctive lift tower.

The renovation works were carried out in a privately owned apartment on Trellick Tower's 21st floor that had not been significantly altered in several years and as a result, was host to narrow rooms and lacklustre white walls.

Its owners wanted the open up the 95-square-metre floorplan to create the impression of a "cool concrete loft" while offering better views of the surrounding cityscape.

"Their taste was also trained by contemporary Japanese design, so they wanted to use a reduced range of pure materials," Buchholzberlin told Dezeen.

"Since Trellick Tower is subject to strict preservation requirements, our hands were tied so to speak. But we were able to push through with small improvements."

The wall separating two former children's bedrooms was knocked through to create a larger unified space that now serves as the living area.

The team also exposed the building's original concrete walls, laid oak flooring and installed slender aluminium lights across the ceiling.

A bench seat with inbuilt storage boxes was fitted beneath a row of windows at the front of the room, allowing for uninterrupted vistas of central London and beyond.

The two doors that previously led to the respective children's bedrooms were left in place. Between them now stands a huge, double-faced oak sideboard.

An inlaid mirrored panel reflects the distant skyline and in turn "brings an impression of the city into the apartment's centre", according to the team.

More concrete and oakwood surfaces can be seen in the kitchen, which occupies the former living area. Low-lying cabinetry was installed along the room's back wall, while a large breakfast counter was placed at its centre.

The counter was custom-built to stand at the exact same height as the railing of the apartment's balcony, ensuring that sightlines aren't compromised when the clients sit down to eat.

The former kitchen, meanwhile, was converted into a study with an oakwood desk snaking around the edges of the room.

Its base conceals a network of water pipes that had to be redirected to serve appliances in the new cooking quarters. One side of the desk also conceals a pull-out bed that can be used when guests come to stay.

The principal bedroom was left in its original place but – like the rest of the apartment – was stripped back to expose its concrete walls.

Oakwood was used here to form the base of the bed and its lengthy headboard, which extends along the lower half of the walls.

Heimer and Buchholzberlin also removed the time-worn laminate that once covered the small flight of stairs leading down from the apartment's entrance, revealing the concrete steps beneath.

Trellick Tower is just one example of the striking council estates that can be found across the British capital, which were recently chronicled in a book by photographer Jack Young.

Others include Holmefield House with its graphic tiled facade and the Brunel Estate, which has a monumental slide sweeping through its public pathways.

The photography is by Heiko Prigge.

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Cuartopiso and Barragán Arquitectos have completed an all-electric, twelve-unit apartment complex with wide balconies overlooking the street in Santiago de Querétaro, Mexico.

Local agency Cuartopiso partnered with Barragán Arquitectos, a Mexico City-based studio founded by the nephew of Mexican architect Luis Barragán, to build Hacienda Santa Bárbara 107, which measures 978 square metres (10,527 square feet) and was completed in 2023.

The complex is located on a vacant lot in the middle of the growing metropolitan area of Querétaro, and the design works to activate the property and its residents with easy pedestrian and bicycle access around the old part of the city.

"The building evokes a series of spaces that convey the experience of living in a place where natural materials, architecture and the neighborhood contribute to our happiness," the team told Dezeen.

"Our project brought life to a once quiet street and utilized an urban void in a way that allows for more sustainable and connected lifestyles to occur," the team said.

The building – which takes up about 65 per cent of the parcel – is placed at the centre of the lot and maximizes views, natural light and cross ventilation, as well as creating a direct relationship with the surrounding city through deep balconies on the top three levels of the four-storey design.

The ground level is walled off from the street but each of the twelve apartments are corner units, which the studio said is "a simple and rare luxury that substantially improves the quality of the spaces and makes it possible to separate public and private life".

The concrete floor slabs push past the perimeter of the enclosed space to create planted terraces, which bring rhythm, light, and aperture to the building.

"These exterior spaces work as an extension of the living room and at the same time include a green barrier that allows privacy to be kept," the team said.

In terms of materials, the team utilized regional limestone finishes, terrazzo and marble floors, and wood, concrete and ironwork elements.

"We made an extra effort to source materials locally, from bricks to finishes, not only to reduce carbon footprint, but also because we believe that architecture dialogs to its context through materiality."

"With these materials we respect the architecture of the area, we value nature and we recover artisan manufacturing."

The exterior walls are constructed with a double layer of hollow clay bricks that mitigate the internal temperature.

The all-electric design is fed by solar panels on the roof, which is divided into designated sections for an array for each apartment, as well as one for the elevator and common area lighting.

The roof also serves as a rain collection system that filters water into the subsoil at the basement level.

"Most importantly, the building's greatest environmental feature is its location," the team said, referencing the efforts to re-densify the city and reduce vehicular emissions in Querétaro.

Luis Barragán Rivera founded Barragán Arquitectos in 1991 after working in his uncle's workshop. The studio works to prioritize the ideal "less is more," in its design, which is evident in many of Luis Barragán's works, such as his 1976 design of Casa Gilardi.

Other recent projects in Querétaro include a basalt-clad residence by Reims 502.

The photography is by Ariadna Polo and Lost Immigrants.

Project credits:
Architects: Cuartopiso, Barragán Arquitectos
Architects in charge: Juan Pablo González de Cossio, Luis Barragán Rivera
Landscaping: matorral
Communication: area colectiva

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Interiors studio Atelier Caracas has brought industrial influences and offbeat materials into this apartment in Caracas, designed around the restrictions posed by Venezuela's recent political and economic crisis.

Set in the capital's Campo Alegre district, Apartamento N.1 belongs to a relative of Atelier Caracas co-founder Julio Kowalenko, who gave the studio a rare carte blanche for the renovation of the 400-square-metre interior.

"He's a corporate, traditional Oxford type of guy," the duo explained.

"We said to ourselves, there are two ways in which we can approach this project," they added. "We could either play it safe or go nuts."

Ultimately, Kowalenko and his co-founder Rodrigo Armas used the opportunity to experiment with applying industrial design principles at an architectural scale and enhanced the apartment's loft-like qualities in a nod to the architecture of 1980s Los Angeles.

"We've always been fascinated with a sort of robotic, mechanical aesthetic that accompanies 80s LA architecture," the studio said.

"This popular mechanics approach, as we call it, can be seen in the early works of Frank Gehry and later on in the experimental houses and appendixes of Eric Owen Moss and Morphosis among others," the duo added.

"There is a finesse in this artisanal slash industrial approach, which we always like to pay homage to in our designs."

These influences are seen most clearly across the home's experimental material palette.

The studio decided to completely expose the raw concrete slab structure of the ceiling, celebrating it with a textural finish rather than hiding it away.

The duo avoided the use of pre-fabricated components, instead carefully designing the majority of the elements themselves.

To preserve the integrity and simplicity of the ceiling, the lighting is mounted on a black-coated perforated metal structure – a reference to the 1980s aesthetic and custom-designed for this apartment by Atelier Caracas.

The studio also utilised the same perforated sheet metal to create a number of versatile room dividers that break up the largely open-plan space.

Set on wheels and attached to the ceiling via matching rails, they can be easily moved around to separate the kitchen from the living areas.

"Microperforated sheet seemed a clever option to generate both permeable and ephemeral separations between private and public spaces within the apartment," Atelier Caracas said.

The early stages of the apartment's design kicked off in 2017 when Venezuela faced intersecting economic and constitutional crises.

Inevitably, Atelier Caracas says this "difficult period of turmoil" also impacted the availability of materials.

"There was a scarcity, which in turn led the studio to a never-ending investigation on how what was available could be used differently," the duo said. "The main goal was to make high-end architecture with simpler materials."

The simple white terrazzo floor – used almost everywhere across the apartment – was produced on-site and chosen for its cooling properties in the city's tropical climate.

"Even in high temperatures, it remains fresh and cooled," the studio said. "Also, the reflective quality of this material was a key factor for bathing the spaces with the natural sunlight coming from the windows."

The kitchen is fronted with unfinished wooden panels, decorated only with geometric cutouts that double up as door handles.

Meanwhile, the wall that borders the living room is finished in terracotta flooring tiles from a pool supply store.

"This type of terracotta is usually found on pool terraces and public areas of middle-class Venezuelan residences," Atelier Caracas explained. "Nowadays it's considered to be a kitsch or outdated material."

"Contrast between refined and low-tech materials can generate new narratives on what luxury can be. We believe that luxury lies in the way people inhabit their spaces, and not in the number of flamboyant finishes."

In terms of line and form, the apartment playfully mixes linear grids and diagonals with rounded corners and arches.

"Monotony and routine can, sometimes, cause a stagnant state of contentment that we like to disturb through our designs," the studio said.

"We like to think that architecture should be uncomfortable in some sort of way, by pushing people out of their comfort zone, one can really redefine humans' relation to design."

This same philosophy also inspired one of the studio's previous projects in Caracas – a day spa modelled on Stanley Kubrick's film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

The photography is by Outer Vision.

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UK-studio Tsuruta Architects has combined artificial intelligence with CNC cutting in a revamp of a home in London's Notting Hill.

Dragon Flat features engraved wall panels and joinery incorporating AI-generated images, including a map of the River Thames and a graphic floral motif.

A CNC router – a computer-controlled cutting machine – allowed these designs to be directly transferred onto wooden boards, which have been used for surfaces within the interior.

Taro Tsuruta, founder of Tsuruta Architects, said that he decided to experiment with AI because there wasn't room in the budget to collaborate with a graphic designer.

Using DALL-E 2, an AI program that transforms text instructions into high-quality images, he was able to create bespoke designs for the kitchen and bedroom space.

"I typed a series of prompts and ran a series of variations, then came up with an unexpected yet expected result," he told Dezeen. "It was like sculpting a form with a keyboard."

Tsuruta's clients for Dragon Flat were a young Asian couple who moved to London five years ago. The property they bought was a two-level maisonette in a 1950s council block.

The renovation sees the home subtly reconfigured.

The lower level is opened up, allowing the kitchen to become part of the living space, while the upper level has been adapted to create more storage.

This revamped upper level includes a walk-in wardrobe and a tatami room – a typical space in traditional Japanese homes – as well as a main bedroom.

The River Thames image features in the new living and dining room. Engraved plywood panels front a grid of cupboards, creating an entire wall of storage.

The floral pattern, designed to resemble "an army of peonies", can be found in the tatami room.

Images of these flowers are etched into white-washed oriented strand board (OSB), which forms wall panels. This creates a colour contrast that allows the design to stand out.

"We did quite a few sample tests, changing the needle size of the CNC router to get it right," said Tsuruta.

The aim here, he explained, was to create a design that playfully references Arts and Crafts, a movement that embraced floral imagery but rejected the technological advances of its time.

"Arts and Craft was very labour-intensive," said the architect. "Our process is the opposite, but we share a common goal of enriching the lives of occupants."

CNC cutting has played a pivotal role in many of Tsuruta's projects. Examples include The Queen of Catford, a group of five flats filled with cat faces, and Marie's Wardrobe, a home with a highly intricate custom staircase.

Dragon Flat is his first completed project to incorporate AI, a process he said provides infinite options but requires human input in order to achieve a successful result.

"This process is pretty much the same as with any tool," he said. "At the end of the day, we were the ones to select and move on to the next variation or stop there."

The interior also features other playful details, including a floating timber staircase. Built in the same position as the original stairwell, this perforated volume allows more light to filter between spaces.

The bathroom combines marble with OSB, creating an intentional contrast between luxury and low-cost materials, and also includes some small motifs showing bats.

"The symbolic meaning of peonies, dragons and bats, together with the Thames River, is ambiguous," added Tsuruta.

"We want people to keep thinking and talking about them, but overall they are believed to bring prosperity and a happy life."

The photography is by Tim Croker.

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Indian practice FADD Studio has fused two separate apartments inside a high-rise development in Bangalore to create a multigenerational family home.

The neighbouring four-bedroom apartments, stacked one on top of the other in the SNN Clermont residential tower, were transformed into a six-bedroom duplex for a cosmopolitan couple, their parents and two young children.

FADD Studio's interventions were driven by the owners' desire for something new and unique.

"Our clients wanted this home to be contemporary and free of the fuss of their previous home, which was more old-fashioned with traditional elements from the previous generation," the studio told Dezeen.

"They didn't want a run-of-the-mill place that looked like any other home with straight lines and contemporary anonymity. They wanted character and they were open to exploring the language of curves and most certainly wanted something out of the box."

The practice gave careful thought to how best to open up and link the two apartments before deciding on two connection points – a staircase near the entrance on the lower level and a double-height section in the adjacent living area for visual interest and ease of communication between family members.

Knowing the clients wanted to avoid straight lines, FADD Studio carefully considered the form of these linking elements.

"We began our usual process of looking to nature for inspiration, from shell exoskeletons to caterpillar curvatures, from topographical maps of different landscapes to fish scales and from sand dunes to waves," the practice said.

This research formed the basis for the curving statement staircase that sweeps into the living area.

"It has a sculptural feel with the addition of multiple curves, carved into each riser's deep red marble," the studio said.

The narrow double-height section in the living room is framed by an arched cutout in the ceiling, enveloped in white micro-cement with a soft sheen finish.

Linking the two levels, the double-height back wall is fluted in an irregular pattern, mimicking the soft ripples and waves that can be found across the ceiling in the neighbouring entrance hall.

"It hides all the conducting and allows a smooth transition between the different ceiling heights within the apartment," FADD Studio said.

The firm's approach to the flooring was similarly inventive. In the main living space, a "zebra border" of black-and-white stones swoops and crisscrosses in seemingly abstract patterns across the floor, helping to bring definition to the different zones.

The spaces in between are filled by a selection of heavily-veined peach-pink marbles.

"We created an inlay pattern much like repeating fish scales or groups of overlapping wild mushrooms but more abstract," said FADD Studio.

In the upstairs living room, the furniture is grouped around a central circle of linear-veined marble surrounded, which is inlaid into the floor and surrounded by another black-and-white border.

"The flooring is dramatic, something bold and thoughtful, contributing to the strong visual and spatial language of the space," the studio said.

"The ceilings and floor defy the mundane and give us and the apartment's inhabitants pure joy to see the lines and curves continue infinitely."

The peach, black and white of the floor ties into the colour scheme throughout the apartment.

"This colour palette is unusual for an Indian home," FADD Studio said. "These colours, along with the nature-inspired curvatures and rounded forms resulted in a minimal-futuristic vibe."

With so many ideas at work within the space itself, the furniture has taken on a supporting role.

The colour palette was chosen to tie in with the walls so that the sculptural shapes and curving forms become the focal point, while boucle and textural cotton bring interest in terms of tactility.

Another Indian studio known for its unconventional apartment interiors is The Act of Quad, which has recently completed a home with cobalt-blue accents in Thane and a Mumbai apartment with its own temple.

The photography is by Gokul Rao Kadam.

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Architect couple Leandro Garcia and Amanda Dalla-Bona have renovated a 1970s apartment in Curitiba, Brazil, for themselves, reconfiguring the layout and choosing eclectic furniture.

All of the electrics and plumbing needed to be replaced, and the floor plan was rethought to create "a place to pause and retreat".

Three bedrooms were replaced with two to make room for a larger living and dining area, which could be integrated with the existing kitchen.

Original features including the window frames and the imbuia parquet floor were retained and restored, while a variety of new materials were introduced.

The Brigadeiro Apartment has been in Dalla-Bona's family since the 1980s – it was her parents' home as newlyweds and where her older sister was born.

After moving out when they planned their second child, the parents rented out the 108-square-metre space for 30 years.

Due to its central location, Dalla-Bona always discouraged them from selling it, as she had intentions to move in herself one day.

When that time came recently, she and her partner Garcia decided to remodel the interiors to better align with their needs.

"From the apartment the view is expansive, a rare characteristic in the city centre, and we were both captivated by the natural light, the sun and wind streaming in through the windows," said the couple.

"Walking a few blocks, we arrive at our favorite cafes and restaurants and in our studio, where we work together," they added.

Terrazzo countertops and a backsplash of hydraulic tiles were added in the kitchen, while a concrete column in the living room was exposed.

The remainder of the lounge area is brightened by white walls, textured rugs and translucent curtains.

An assortment of vintage modernist and newer furniture pieces – mostly by Brazilian designers – add colour and character to the interiors.

Mid-century seating by Percival Lafer, Flavio de Carvalho and Geraldo de Barros are among the couple's choices, along with a collection of lamps, stools and tables.

"In the living room, the furniture – not only the armchairs, but also the carpets, must be soft to sit on the ground – was chosen, thrifted and positioned for conversations and readings," they said.

Garcia and Dalla-Bona also custom-designed a 4.5-metre-long wood dining table to accommodate their various daily activities, and host their friends and family for meals.

Besides the cabinetry in the kitchen and bathroom, all of the storage and furniture is moveable.

In the bathroom, the floor and walls are covered in small white mosaic tiles, affixed with matching grout for a clean, minimalist appearance.

Curitiba, in the southern Brazilian state of Paraná, is the site of several projects completed by Garcia, Dalla-Bona and their team, including the renovation of a compact apartment renovated for a journalist.

The studio has also overhauled a family's holiday home near the beach in Matinhos, and filled it with vintage Brazilian furniture.

The photography is by Fran Parente.

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Period details are mixed with contemporary interventions inside these renovated apartments in Paris, built in the mid-19th century during Georges-Eugène Haussmann's reconstruction of the French capital.

In his role as the prefect of the Seine département under Napoleon III, Baron Haussmann was responsible for creating the network of boulevards that still define the city's urban landscape today.

The homogenous apartment buildings flanking these boulevards were designed to strict guidelines, all made from cream-coloured stone with a steep four-sided mansard roof and no more than six storeys.

Although Haussmann was less prescriptive about the building's interiors, they generally feature high ceilings and parquet floors alongside elaborate mouldings and boiserie.

Read on for six examples of how architects and interior designers have brought these apartments into the 21st century, including a book lover's loft and two flats combined to form a family home in the Marais.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring bedrooms with minimalist interiors, concrete kitchens and marble-lined bathrooms.

Wood Ribbon apartment by Toledano + Architects

Original details such as parquet floors and ornate ceiling plasterwork were retained in the renovation of this apartment, which had been left largely untouched since the end of the 19th century.

But local studio Toledano + Architects tore down several partition walls to create a more open floorplan, traversed by a snaking plywood wall that roughly divides the apartment into three zones while providing tactical storage in the living room and kitchen.

"I really wanted to enhance this dichotomy between ancient and contemporary," founder Gabrielle Toledano told Dezeen. "It's very relevant in a city like Paris where both are in a constant dialogue."

Find out more about Wood Ribbon apartment ›

Apartment Canal Saint Martin by Rodolphe Parente

French interior designer Rodolphe Parente made only a few minor architectural interventions when overhauling this apartment in Canal Saint-Martin, exposing long sealed-off doorways and creating a hybrid dining room and kitchen.

Instead, he modernised the apartment by contrasting original details such as mouldings with unexpected contemporary details, colours and the "radical" art collection of the owner.

In the bedroom, a vivid purple rug clashes with caramel-coloured walls while in the living room, period wall panelling highlights the modernity of the sofa and the glossy coffee table.

Find out more about Apartment Canal Saint Martin ›

Apartment XIV by Studio Razavi

With several partition walls removed, French office Studio Razavi created a new layout for this apartment by slotting a multi-faceted furniture block made from wood-fibre panels into the remaining gaps.

Its staggered profile creates sightlines between the different areas of the house while framing some of the building's original Hausmann-style ceiling mouldings.

Painted in a muted slate grey, the furniture block performs a different function in every room – acting as a storage cabinet in the kitchen, a TV mount in the living room and a desk in the study.

Find out more about Apartment XIV ›

Marais apartment by Sophie Dries

Two flats become one 100-square-metre residence in this renovation project that French architect Sophie Dries completed in trendy Marais for a family of four.

Period details were painted in simple white, providing a contrast with new additions such as the Hans J Wegner chairs and the dyed linen curtains in the living room

"The Haussmannian style was refined and pared down, in order to introduce minimal lines better suited to a modern family," Dries explained.

Find out more about Marais apartment ›

Enter the Diamond by Atelier 37.2

An additional bathroom is housed inside the three-metre-high birchwood volume at the centre of this residence in the French capital, designed by local studio Atelier 37.2.

The sharp lines of the diamond-shaped structure contrast with the apartment's ornate ceiling mouldings and white-painted walls.

"This tension generates a fictional potential that plays with the imagination of the inhabitants," said the studio.

Find out more about Enter the Diamond ›

Arsenal loft by h2o Architectes

This three-room loft is set inside the mansard roof of a Haussmann-era building in the Arsenale district, which originally served as servant's quarters for the apartments below.

Parisian firm h2o Architectes opened up its floor plan to make the most of the top-floor views while installing wooden bookshelves to define different areas and house the extensive library of the apartment's book-loving owner.

Their timber construction creates a visual connection with the original parquet floors, while the white paint used to brighten walls and other structural elements continues onto some sections of the floor.

Find out more about Arsenal loft ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen's archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks featuring bedrooms with minimalist interiors, concrete kitchens and marble-lined bathrooms.

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A lengthy walnut-panelled wall runs through the bright white living spaces inside this Barcelona apartment, renovated by local studio Raúl Sanchez Architects.

The Girona Street apartment is set within a 19th-century building in Barcelona's affluent Dreta de l'Eixample neighbourhood and belongs to a design-savvy couple with two young children.

Prior to the renovation, the apartment contained a warren of small, dark living spaces bookended by an indoor patio and a sitting room that overlooks the street.

Raúl Sanchez Architects connected these two rooms with a 21-metre-long wall that stretches from one end of the floor plan to the other. While the majority of surfaces in the apartment were rendered in white micro-cement, the wall is crafted from walnut wood.

"I thought of a material, which could contrast the whiteness with elegance and warmth while also adding texture and ruggedness," founder Raúl Sanchez told Dezeen.

"We made several samples and trials until we got the right wood and the right porosity of walnut."

A series of rooms run parallel to the wall, beginning with a dining area.

Here, a section of the rear wall was painted dark blue and fitted with a built-in bench seat, while the floor was inlaid with a square patch of patterned hydraulic tiles.

Further along the hallway, a sitting area was created just in front of a pair of stained glass windows. This is followed by two bedrooms that are partially painted blue to match the dining area.

One of them is fronted by a huge pivoting door that, like the apartment, is split into two sides. One half is clad with stainless steel and the other in brass.

More rooms lie concealed behind the long walnut wall, each accessed via a discrete flush door. This includes a U-shaped kitchen, which was almost entirely painted a sea-green hue.

There's also a storage area, the family bathroom and the principal bedroom, where a floor-to-ceiling cream curtain helps conceal en-suite facilities.

The apartment's indoor patio was freshened up, as was the street-facing sitting area. It now features a mint-green sideboard and bookshelf, as well as a decorative wall panel that mimics the brass-and-steel pivot door.

More hydraulic tiles were also incorporated into the floor, this time in mismatch prints.

Raúl Sanchez Architects is behind a number of striking homes in Barcelona, aside from the Girona Street apartment.

This includes BSP20 House with its towering spiral staircase and the Tamarit Apartment, which is decked out with clashing materials.

The photography is by José Hevia.

Project credits:

Architecture: Raúl Sanchez Architects
Team: Valentina Barberio, Paolo Burattini, Flavia Thalisa Gütermann, Dimitris Louizos, Albert Montilla
Structure: Diagonal Arquitectura
Enginering: Marés Ingenieros
Textile design: Catalina Montaña

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Local studio Naturehumaine has completed a two-family housing block located in the Côte-des-Neiges borough of Montreal that draws on 1930s architectural styles.

The project comprises 297 square metres of housing on a narrow urban strip, which formerly served as a large swimming pool site for a neighbouring building.

Called Le Paquebot – or The Steamer– the project references and builds on the architectural styles of the surrounding neighbourhood, which is made up of 1950s multi-residential buildings that surround the project on three sides.

It includes two semi-detached duplex units spread over four floors with outdoor space on the rooftop and at the sides.

Round corners, various masonry configurations, strict symmetrical layouts and refined geometries characterise the structure.

Its form was influenced by the Streamline Moderne architectural style, commonly associated with the 1930s interwar art deco movement.

"Since we found in the immediate neighbourhood various beautiful examples of art deco residential projects from the 1930s, it became obvious for us from the start that we wanted to revive in a contemporary way some of the features of that period in architecture," Naturehumaine told Dezeen.

The facade is clad in red clay brick with steel details that have been painted wine red.

Privacy screens as well as the terrace railings were made from perforated steel painted in a terracotta colour, along with the curved roofs of the mezzanine floors.

"Our first intention was to choose a burgundy colour that would contrast and stand out with respect to the immediate neighbours where both are in tones of light and darker brown," Naturehumaine told Dezeen.

"What turned out to be interesting is the variation perceived in the tonality of the brick based on lighting; the brick becomes particularly warm and orangey when directly exposed to the sun."

The homes are set up symmetrically, with four bedrooms each. There are semi-submerged basements that hold single bedrooms and a family room, while the ground floor holds the common areas.

The third floor is dedicated to two bedrooms meant for children, while the top floor, which acts as a mezzanine, holds the primary bedroom.

A central staircase bisects each of the homes and each has a carport topped by a terrace that extends from the ground floor

The ornate masonry work exists in its usual horizontal layout until coming to head at the curved windows, where it has been turned vertically and tilted toward the two front corners of the home in order to accentuate the curve.

The corner masonry comes to a halt at large, curved-corner windows.

Because the large window needed double-glazing and used curved glass, the windows had to be fabricated by specialists in Texas and then shipped north to the site in Montreal.

"For a modest residential project like ours, it was effectively a challenge to build the rounded roofs and curved metal lintel needed to support the brickwork above our rounded corner window.

"All of these elements needed to be perfectly erected one above the other on the same radius," said the studio.

Nonetheless, the strict geometric identity of the construction adds to the strong identity of the building. Curves and colours of the project aid in making this home a statement piece in the area.

Naturehumaine has completed other multi-family projects in the area such as a project with twisting yellow external staircases and single-family projects such as a home with a staircase inspired by Dutch artist MC Escher.

The photography is by Ronan Mézière.

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In this renovated loft in Brooklyn, the owner both resides and hosts public art performances within a space divided by a variety of inserted volumes.

The loft is located in a late 19th-century cast iron building in Williamsburg that once served as a hat factory, and was renovated by a team of architects.

Ignacio G Galán, Jesse McCormick, Khoi Nguyen and Julie Tran of Future Projects collaborated to turn the industrial space into a residence that could also serve as a venue for artistic performances and other public events.

Named Another Seedbed, the project recalls the use of lofts in New York City by artists in 1960s to 1980s for developing experimental works.

The owner and activator of this apartment began organising parties, performances and other events in a similarly industrial space in Bushwick.

He then decided to create a dedicated space for himself to live and work, as well as host other artist friends who needed square footage to bring their ideas to life.

"Neither just a private studio nor an art gallery, the space is equipped to welcome gatherings that operate between a dinner party and a public performance," said the project team.

"Artists appropriate the space and become hosts themselves, expanding the communities which the project brings together."

The apartment is organised as a largely open-plan space, with private areas concealed inside inserted volumes.

Red-stained pine plywood panels hide the bedroom, which is accessed via a concertina door, and also contain storage.

The bathroom occupies another volume that's covered in hand-troweled earthen clay plaster outside and lined entirely is blue penny-round tiles inside.

An open kitchen with grey cabinetry sits below a framework of coloured wood, featuring smokey polycarbonate panels that are lit from behind.

This frame extends into the living area to form a floor-to-ceiling shelving unit, on which books and objects are displayed, and a projector for screening videos onto the opposite wall is housed.

A variety of moving furniture pieces, including an ochre-toned sofa on wheels, help to choreograph the events and arrange the apartment as desired by whoever is using it.

"The space will not advertise its performances," said the team.

"Some neighbors might not know of its existence. Others will hear about an event through friends. Some might find themselves there often and will develop networks of neighbourliness within it."

Brooklyn has both a thriving arts scene and a wealth of defunct industrial buildings for hosting exhibitions, performances and events.

Herzog & de Meuron recently completed the transformation of a derelict power plant in the borough into arts centre, while the Public Records creative venue added a bar and lounge on an upper floor of its former warehouse building earlier this year.

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Spanish studio Office for Strategic Spaces has refurbished a 19th-century housing block in Barcelona, unlocking a previously neglected yard space with a new public courtyard linked by criss-crossing metal walkways.

The block, called La Carboneria, sits within Barcelona's Eixample district, known for its famous gridded urban plan designed by Ildefons Cedrá.

During the design of the housing block, its location was subject to plans by the city to cut through the district with large, wide boulevards, similar to the urban plans implemented in Paris in the middle of the 19th century.

When plans for some of these grand boulevards were scrapped, La Carboneria was left with a "ghost facade" that was later enclosed by new buildings to form a dark, triangular courtyard at its rear.

Madrid-based Office for Strategic Spaces, led by architect Ángel Borrego Cubero, was tasked with reconfiguring the somewhat awkward urban condition of the apartment block, which had been left empty following the eviction of squatters in 2014.

"[The original architect] was forced to plan facades to all four sides of the building, unsure where the main streets would be and which one his building would face," explained the practice.

"Over a century and a half later, the facade that faced the never-built boulevard had to be recovered, its larger windows unblocked, even if they now overlooked two intersecting party walls instead of Barcelona's version of the Champs Elysées," it continued.

Creating a new public space at the rear of the building, the block's stairwell and lift core was relocated out of the building and connected back into the newly opened facade by metal walkways.

This organisation creates a new double-aspect condition for the flats that now face the public courtyard to the rear and the street at the front. A bathroom and storage block aligned with an existing load-bearing wall sits at the centre of the building.

"The building seems to have been turned inside out. Its most striking facade is hidden inside a triangular courtyard and, to make it accessible, its stairwell and elevator have been moved from the inside of the building to the furthest corner of this patio," explained the practice.

"The walkways that join both elements make the patio work as a surprising, tridimensional public space for the neighbours," it continued.

As much as possible, the original structure of the apartment building was retained and reinforced, with only the roof needing replacing.

Inside the apartments, traces of the old building – such as wood beam ceilings and exposed brick walls – have been refinished and painted. These are juxtaposed against contemporary elements including wooden panelling and brightly tiled floors in the kitchens.

"Although the heritage regulations applicable allowed us to gut out the entire building except the facades, the original structure of the building was preserved as much as possible," said the practice.

Other renovation projects completed by Office for Strategic Spaces include the transformation of a former industrial building in Madrid into a workspace for creative startups.

Elsewhere in Barcelona, Parramon + Tahull renovated an apartment in the city's Gracia neighbourhood and added birch plywood joinery and ceramic tiling

The photography is by Simona Rota.

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French interior designer Rodolphe Parente has completed a contemporary overhaul of a 19th-century Parisian apartment, reflecting both the building's heritage and the "radical" art collection of its owner.

Originally built during Haussmann's major reconstruction of Paris, the 150-square-metre flat is located in the Canal Saint-Martin neighbourhood in northeastern Paris.

As part of the renovation, Parente sought to celebrate the apartment's extensive period details. In the entrance hall, a band of gold leaf now highlights the geometry of the circular ceiling and missing sections of the mouldings were painstakingly reinstated.

"The main idea was to preserve and at some points restore the classic Haussmannian codes of a Parisian apartment," Parente told Dezeen. "It was important for me to keep the Parisian vibration as well as the radical tone of my client's art taste."

Parente began by opening up the apartment to improve the sense of flow, exposing long sealed-off doorways and connecting the dining room with the kitchen.

Taking cues from the craftsmanship inherent in the apartment, Parente drafted in several contemporary craftspeople including custom painting studio Redfield & Dattner, which created an abstract fresco on the new wall behind the dining table.

"I wanted to bring the hand of craftsmanship into this project," said Parente.

"The people I have worked with on this apartment bring something to the creativity in general."

Throughout the space, a palette of warm neutrals was used to create a sense of immersion.

"I chose neutral tones to subtly enhance the classical heritage of the apartment and keep an enveloping atmosphere," the interior designer explained.

Against this cohesive backdrop, surprisingly colourful elements leap out including the lacquered yellow light above the dining table – Parente's own design – and the vivid purple rug used against caramel-coloured walls in the main bedroom.

The kitchen balances cabinet finishes of stainless steel and pastel pink with a frame-like marble splashback, created by French artist Alice Guittard for Double V Gallery.

"The kitchen is a deconstructed block sitting in the Haussmanian environment," Parente said. "It is connected to the historical elements through its composition."

In the living room, a sculptural vintage sofa is sited in the centre of the space, anchored by a graphic rug and positioned to disrupt the angles of the room.

Parente played with contrast via the material and colour palettes throughout the apartment. In the reading room, period wall panelling highlights the modernity of the sofa and chair with their highly lacquered side panels.

"For this room, we have designed custom-made furniture with contemporary and radical shapes bringing a form of reflection to the space," the designer said.

The idea of juxtaposition continues with the art displayed in the apartment, with the client's often provocative pieces completing the aesthetic in each room.

"The client showed total faith in this balance between modernism and legacy for the interior design. He also wanted to keep this dialogue for the decoration and focused on staying eclectic in his choice of furniture and art," said Parente.

"The client has a radical point of view regarding art and design. It was a real pleasure to create a dialogue between the existing pieces and the interior design."

Other Hausmann-era apartment renovations in Paris have seen interior designers make more dramatic interventions, with Atelier 37.2 adding a sculptural wooden volume to house a new bathroom while Studio Razavi inserted a multifaceted furniture block that takes on a different function in each room.

The photography is by Giulio Ghirardi.

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A strong grid formation defines the structure of 835 High Street, a concrete apartment block that Australian architecture studio Carr has added to a busy street in Melbourne.

Comprising 26 residences as well as ground-floor retail spaces, the apartment block is spread across five levels and features a gridded concrete facade designed to evoke a sense of rhythm.

"In using repeating elements, the building's architecture presents a rhythm in the streetscape," studio associate director Stephen McGarry told Dezeen. "A sense of movement on the facade is created using a well-defined, ordered street wall and creating a unified whole."

Within the gridded frame, Carr played with the openness of the building, adding recessed balconies, windows, or empty spaces to create varying relationships between the interior and exterior.

Towards the top of the apartment block, the concrete frame was left empty and stepped back from the street to provide additional balcony space.

"The facades to the east and south are highly refined and detailed, while those to the north and west gradually step back, wrapping around and dissolving the form with the use of the framing," said McGarry. "The effect is calmness through consistency and balance through repetition."

Selected for their resemblance to a nearby listed building, ribbed concrete panels cover the east and west facades, taking advantage of the shadows that are cast across the walls throughout the day to create a sense of movement.

"In addition to providing a nod to the craftsmanship evident in a nearby heritage-listed building, the use of ribbed concrete on the east and west facades creates a constant sense of movement and shadow play on approach or from afar," said McGarry.

To soften the rectilinear form of the building, the studio incorporated trees and climbing plants that drape from and interact with the structure.

Designed by landscape architecture practice Acre, the planting system is arranged around climbing structures that the studio hopes will encourage greenery to spread across the facade over time.

"The systematic shifts of the architectural framing elements are enhanced through the positioning of trees, interspersed with anchoring structures for climbing plants and the placement of draping botanical varieties that, over time, will merge with the built form and add to the contextual harmony of 835 High Street," said McGarry.

Inside, Carr arranged the apartments with the aim of providing each home with external views and ventilation. In addition to large windows, balconies branch from many of the rooms offering additional outdoor spaces and framed views of the city.

Across the 26 apartments, lightly textured materials and soft grey-toned walls were chosen to reflect the building's exterior.

"The palette of interior materials and finishes is akin to the external – a sense of order and symmetry," the studio explained.

"The texture of the external is brought inside through common spaces, and as you enter each apartment that sense is heightened through soft greys and muted tones which help extenuate the view beyond."

Bedrooms and open-plan living spaces punctuated by glass walls run alongside the balconies, taking advantage of the views across the city, while the private spaces, including the bathrooms and kitchens, are positioned further away from the street-facing facade for additional privacy.

Retail spaces are arranged across the ground floor, as well as a communal area that offers lift access to the private lobby on the floor above.

Situated on the first floor, the lobby connects to a 13-metre void at the centre of the apartment block, which features a 12-metre-tall sculptural work by artist Anna-Will Highfield depicting a number of small birds that appear to climb the walls of the void.

In addition to the planting arranged across the facade, Acre designed a penthouse pool and garden for the apartment block, which features a textured variety of plants and trees that cast shade over the building.

"With time the landscape will merge with the built form, giving a wonderful character and softness to the streetscape," said Carr.

"Acre wanted to be smart and creative with their outcomes and feel this project will improve dramatically with age."

Other Australian apartment blocks recently featured on Dezeen include a sinuous Melbourne apartment complex designed to reflect curved natural forms and Australia's first mass-timber tower.

The photography is by Rory Gardiner.

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São Paulo studio Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos has renovated an apartment in the city for a local family, utilising the furniture, cladding and exposed details to create social spaces that are "deeply Brazilian and vividly cosmopolitan".

The family asked Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos to design their home after seeing another apartment the firm had overhauled, which was also featured on Dezeen.

For the 376-square-metre ER Apartment, the architects divided the layout into two – placing an open social area and guest suite in one half, and the private rooms in the other.

The social area comprises an expansive, combined dining and living space with access to multiple planted balconies.

Walls in this area are lined with vertical slats of pale timber, interrupted by panels of jade-coloured onyx that extend out to form side tables next to sofas.

Behind the onyx wall panel is a hidden hemispherical light fixture, which glows softly through the stone when illuminated.

The eclectic furniture in the living area ranges from a chaise lounge by Brazilian modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer, and vintage chairs by Svante Skogh and Kurt Østervig, to a double-sided stool by contemporary Brazilian designer Claudia Moreira Salles.

"The clients worked with [us] to develop social zones that are both deeply Brazilian and vividly cosmopolitan," said Pascali Semerdjian Arquitetos.

In the dining room, a large walnut table is shaped to follow the curves of the walls and is accompanied by a set of Erik Buch chairs.

A pair of Prop Lights by Dutch designer Bertjan Pot hang from the concrete ceiling, which was exposed during the renovation in this and several other rooms.

This side of the apartment also includes a custom wine cellar and a kitchen where a breakfast bar extends from a drum-like plaster form that incorporates the sink.

The private half of the home includes the primary suite, bedrooms and a toy room for the daughters, storage space and a shared bathroom.

Most of the materials in these spaces are natural, and the clients required "sustainability certificates for every piece of wood used in the renovation" according to the designers.

"The couple loves object design, just like us, so we took a lot of care and made some special designs for them, so the apartment would be unique and a different experience," the studio said.

Custom pieces include a trough-like bronze and stone sink in the primary bathroom, a cocktail table in the lounge, and an "almost religious" niche and closet set into the entryway.

The family's extensive collection of contemporary Brazilian art is also showcased throughout the home, including works by Ana María Tavares, Gabriela Costa and Matias Mesquita.

In densely populated São Paulo, apartment living is extremely common and architects often have to get creative to add character to generic spaces.

Recently completed examples include a duplex penthouse with a sculptural staircase, a home filled with different textures, and a residence where the concrete structure is left fully exposed.

The photography is by Fran Parente and image production is by Victor Correa.

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Architecture studio Sheft Farrace has renovated a loft apartment in Los Angeles' iconic Eastern Columbia building, subtly incorporating colours from the art deco exterior into the minimalist interiors.

The studio renovated the loft while drawing details from the exterior of the 13-storey building in Downtown Los Angeles, known for its highly detailed turquoise facade and clock tower, which was designed by Claud Beelman and completed in 1930.

It was converted into lofts in 2006, and local studio Sheft Farrace was recently tasked with renovating one of the condos for a young creative from Kazakhstan.

"Uninspired by the unit's original 2006 layout and interiors, the owner wanted it to feel like a brand new space — so Sheft Farrace approached it as a blank canvas," said the studio, led by Alex Sheft and John Farrace.

The apartment has tall ceilings, and their height is accentuated by the building's long narrow windows and floor-to-ceiling drapery.

Rather than keep the open floor plan, the studio chose to divide up the space to help define areas for different functions.

However, the visual connections between the kitchen and dining room, and the living room and bedroom, are retained by large framed openings used in place of doors.

"Every space has its own character, based on what time of day it is and how the natural light comes in through the full-height windows," said Sheft Farrace.

For the most part, the home is decorated in a much more pared-down style than the building's opulent exterior, primarily with soft neutral hues and sparse furnishings.

Certain material choices in the kitchen and bathroom tie much more closely to the colourful facades, including white oak, Verde Aver marble, and Florida Brush quartzite to echo the orange, green and blue exterior tiles.

The curved corners of the kitchen counters and elongated cabinet hardware also evoke 1930s design.

"Upon first glance, it's stylistically in stark contrast with the historical building that it's within, but throughout the space are subtle nods to the art deco exterior and ultimately, it feels like it belongs," Sheft Farrace said. "We felt honored to have contributed a small chapter to the long and storied history of a Los Angeles landmark."

Downtown Los Angeles has dramatically transformed from a no-go zone to a popular and thriving neighbourhood over the past 20 years.

This shift is partially thanks to the opening of cultural institutions like Frank Gehry's Walt Disney Concert Hall and Diller Scofidio + Renfro's The Broad museum, as well as a spate of high-end hotels.

The photography is by Yoshihiro Makino.

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Local studio SSdH has designed a split-level, mezzanine-style apartment characterised by eclectic furniture, which is housed within an old chocolate factory in Melbourne.

Kerr is a warehouse apartment in Melbourne's Fitzroy suburb, located in a building that was once home to the historic MacRoberton's Chocolate Factory before being converted into residential units in the late 1990s.

Adapted into "apartment shells" arranged around a striking central atrium, the units were first designed with only basic amenities to allow occupants to determine their own interior designs.

SSdH recently renovated Kerr, one of these units, as a three-bedroom, two-bathroom dwelling that intends to expose but also refresh the building's original architecture.

"The design pays homage to history while being decidedly contemporary," the studio told Dezeen.

The mezzanine-style apartment is split across two levels by a staircase with a white-painted gridded steel mesh balustrade. Doubling as a lightwell, the staircase is illuminated by the apartment's original single factory window.

Upstairs, the open-plan living space includes a kitchen fitted with geometric cabinetry made from local spotted gum timber, as well as brushed stainless steel and nickel fixtures.

The similarly minimalist lounge area is delineated by smooth sliding doors made of the same spotted gum, which are offset by existing structural beams and columns painted in bright white.

A sage-green two-seater armchair is positioned next to a chunky column floor lamp by emerging designer Annie Paxton and a distinctive coral-blue vase.

"Old wall and ceiling linings, trims and details are stripped back to expose original materials and structural framing," explained SSdH.

"An application of white unifies what was, subsequently giving the 'new' its own platform through contrast," she added.

Two bedrooms and a bathroom are contained downstairs, while a bedroom and an en-suite feature on the upper level.

All three bedrooms are defined by the same pared-back white and wooden elements as the communal areas. Inside one of them, a mushroom-like floor lamp made from lumps of blue sculpting plaster adds a playful touch.

Gleaming geometric tiles in shades of blue and yellow feature in each of the bathrooms, which also have bulbous sconce lights.

Timber operable doors and translucent curtains leading to the sleeping areas were designed to balance the airy openness of the living spaces, according to SSdH.

"Living areas, where privacy is less of a concern, invoke a spilling out to the street to make the most of the light and air," said the studio.

Other sculptural accents inserted throughout the apartment include boxy aluminium corner stools under the stairs and a fluted side table crafted from a solid piece of timber.

SSdH added double glazing to Kerr's existing large factory window to provide both thermal and acoustic benefits to the apartment, which is located in close proximity to a busy street.

"This glazing, along with the thermal mass embodied within the heavy masonry building allowed the apartment to remain un-airconditioned, relying on passive cross ventilation from the shared building lobby to maintain temperatures and reduce energy consumption," explained the studio.

Formerly industrial spaces are popular locations for residential conversions.

Local firm Studio McW transformed an east London warehouse into a live-work space for climate activists and filmmakers Jack Harries and Alice Aedy while Auba Studio designed an apartment in a 1980s bakery in Palma de Mallorca.

The photography is by Pier Carthew.

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Architecture studio Office Alex Nicholls has fused two penthouse apartments in Melbourne into one large flexible home, converting their basement parking spots into a private spa and pool.

Adaptability was key to the home in Melbourne's Elsternwick suburb, which needed to provide enough space for a multi-generational family as well as accommodating visiting relatives in guest rooms that double up as studies.

"Spaces were designed to adapt to a multitude of uses, with flexible working and living spaces as well as areas that could expand for large groups or contract to provide intimate settings," the studio's founder Alex Nicholls told Dezeen.

Office Alex Nicholls was brought on board while the apartment block was still under construction and was able to make significant changes to suit his clients' needs – improving the layout, adding skylights and up-speccing on key details like the windows.

"The design intent was to create variety and different spatial experiences across a very expansive and potentially monotonous floorplan," Nicholls said.

"I wanted to create a light yet grounded and natural-feeling space that was contrasted with some stronger formal elements such as sculptural skylights and coloured functional volumes."

To navigate this vast apartment, Nicholls devised a central "library spine" – a corridor running the entire length of the apartment that houses the family's collection of books, art and artefacts while creating an opportunity out of what could have been a dark and monotonous space.

"The idea for the library spine was born from a storage requirement of the clients," the architect said. "However, it became a key architectural intervention."

"From a practical standpoint, it allowed everything to be easily accessible and displayed but it also helps to draw people through the apartment and celebrate the two staircases to the roof garden at either end."

To provide vital light to the heart of the apartment and enhance the two main living spaces, Nicholls designed a series of circular and semi-circular oculus skylights, which reference the clients' love of Elsternwick's art deco architecture.

"They create a sense of movement and symmetry in the composition of otherwise rectilinear volumes," he explained.

The apartment has three kitchens, partly to meet the family's religious requirements and partly to allow the different generations who are sharing the apartment to enjoy their own independence.

Described by Nicholls as a series of "magic boxes", each monolithic kitchen is defined by one vivid colour. This helps to delineate spaces and provides a counterpoint to the otherwise warm and natural material palette, which includes Blackbutt timber and Gosford sandstone.

"The kitchens were designed to be largely concealed within these coloured volumes to give each one more spatial presence while ensuring the apartment did not feel too kitchen- and appliance-heavy as a result of the clients' complex requirements," Nicholls said.

In the basement, Nicholls turned the penthouses' lift-accessed parking spots into a private 100-square-metre wellness space that features a fitness pool, sauna, kitchenette, changing rooms and a flexible rehabilitation area.

To make up for the lack of natural light in this subterranean space, Nicholls deployed atmospheric indirect lighting and a warm colour palette.

"Lighting the space via a datum of timber niches helped give the spa a restorative atmosphere, enhanced by the use of natural materials such as sandstone, timber, terracotta and lime render," he explained.

Elsternwick is a thriving suburb in the southeast of Melbourne, brimming with buzzy shops, restaurants and bars.

Among them is the Hunter & Co Deli, whose interiors were informed by the cold cuts on offer, and the minimal Penta cafe with its monolithic concrete counter.

The photography is by Rory Gardiner.

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