Hasta La Ideas

Blue glass discs, hand-painted linen pendants and ombre curtains were combined by design studio Rockwell Group to evoke the Mediterranean coast at this restaurant in New York City.

Zaytinya opened in July 2022 inside the new Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Manhattan’s NoMad district, housed within a tower designed by Rafael Viñoly.

Located on the ground floor, the all-day restaurant occupies a 3,000-square-foot (280-square-metre) wedge at the corner of the hotel, facing onto 28th Street and Broadway.

The interiors by New York-based Rockwell Group were designed to echo the menu created by chef José Andrés, which combines mezze-style dishes influenced by Turkish, Greek, Lebanese and Italian cuisines.

This Eastern Mediterranean flavour is echoed across the light and neutral space, which benefits from high ceilings and full-height glass along two walls.

Entering from Broadway, diners are greeted by a custom mural painted in blues that recalls vistas of the Aegean sea.

The same cobalt colour can be found on leather banquette seats and the patterned fabrics used for their backs, as well as in the ombre linen curtains that gently blend to white from the bottom upward.

“Distinctive pops of blue are injected throughout for a playful nod to the pristine waters of the Mediterranean Islands,” said Rockwell Group.

Behind the bar is a backlit screen comprising two-toned blue glass discs based on the Greek “evil eye” talisman, housed within a frame that curves towards the ceiling.

Blue Lavastone forms the bar counter, while the surrounding floor tiles feature an abstract motif of olives and leaves.

The remainder of the flooring is wood, laid in chevron patterns in rows divided by lines of blue tiles that follow beams installed across the ceiling.

Curved and arched elements were introduced to subtly divide the dining areas, and as a nod to ancient architecture.

Sections of the walls feature tambour details, also alluding to the fluting of Greek and Roman columns, and a neutral plaster effect is applied to others.

“Soft curves and a variety of textures transport guests to a modern abstraction of the coast,” the studio said.

Pendant lamps in a variety of shapes and sizes are illustrated with scenes drawn by Rockwell Group’s graphics team, which were hand-painted onto the linen shades by The Alpha Workshops – a non-profit dedicated to arts education based nearby.

“The line drawings celebrate Mediterranean culture, its harvests and ancient arts,” said Rockwell Group.

Zaytinya is the latest of several restaurant interiors completed by the firm, founded by architect David Rockwell, in New York City.

Earlier this year, the studio’s Spanish-influenced Casa Dani opened in the Citizens food hall at Manhattan West, closely followed by sushi spot Katsuya in the same development.

The photography is by Jason Varney.

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A Montreal home with a trapeze net, a warehouse conversion in London and an Indian home with a monolithic marble facade are among the residences in this lookbook, which feature atriums as a central aspect of their design.

Atriums – large spaces, surrounded by a building, that are either open-air or feature skylights – were originally used in Roman homes, where they functioned more like a courtyard.

Modern atriums typically feature in larger buildings and are cavernous spaces that stretch up for stories.

For residential architecture, architects who want to include atrium spaces have to scale down the size, but that doesn’t mean that homes can’t have the loft ceilings and ample light provided by atriums.

In these homes, the central space is open, with skylights and glass ceilings bringing light into the heart of the structure.

Atriums provide an option for airiness when confronted with constructing homes on busy city streets where exterior views are not always desirable.

Often, the other rooms and spaces are all accessed from the atrium space, and many times trees feature in these lofty spaces.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing floating staircases, calm green bedrooms and organic modern interiors.

Atrium Townhome, Canada, by Robitaille Curtis

When dealing with limited space in city buildings, an atrium can open up the inside of the home. For this Montreal Townhome, Canadian studio Robitalle Curtis oriented the white-walled interiors around a triple-height atrium.

The atrium is in the centre of the house and extends up from the open-layout kitchen upwards. A skylight brings light into the void and the open space is punctuated by a trapeze that forms a children’s play area on the top floor.

Find out more about Atrium Townhome ›

Margin House, Japan, by Kohei Yukawa

Kohei Yukawa of Yukawa Design Lab designed this home for himself in Ibaraki City, north of Osaka. The corrugated-metal-clad home features a central atrium with a small tree.

Instead of being completely topped by a skylight, the atrium fits into the slanted volume of the home. A wall of glass accompanies it on one side and at the top two clerestory windows bring light into the void.

Find out more about Margin House ›

La Clairière, USA, by Studio PHH

Brooklyn-based Studio PHH connected two wood-and-brick-clad volumes with a double-height atrium that serves as the living room for this New Jersey home.

The space has floor-to-ceiling glass on two sides where it faces the outdoors and is filled by a central staircase that leads to a mezzanine. Two large circular skylights brighten the space from above.

Find out more about La Clairière ›

Bethnal Green warehouse apartment, UK, by Paper House Project

UK studio Paper House Project‘s design for this London home saw the studio turn an open-office space in an old warehouse into a residence. In order to add bedrooms to the space while still maintaining natural light on the first floor, the studio incorporated an atrium topped by skylights.

The double-height atrium is lined with gridded windows that also bring light into the bedrooms above. Instead of a tree, the void of the atrium is filled by a sculptural chandelier.

Find out more about this warehouse conversion ›

Tawainese home, Taiwan, by KC Design Studio

KC Design Studio was tasked with bringing extra light into this 50-year-old home in Tawain. In order to do so, an atrium-like central void was created.

A metal stairway follows the atrium up three levels, creating a central flow through the home and bringing in plenty of natural light. Plants have been hung from the exposed structural rafters to take advantage of the sunlight and add life to the design.

Find out more about this Taiwanese home ›

House for Daughter, Vietnam, by Khuôn Studio

This house in Ho Chi Min City by Khuôn Studio features a massive triple-height atrium that splits the two sections of the home, one of which is used by the full-time residents and one by their daughter.

The atrium features public spaces, a tree and a series of skylights that bring in light to the cavernous volume. The edges of the rooms on either side protrude into the area and are rounded, adding a softness to the atrium space.

Find out more about House for Daughter ›

Cleft House, India, by Anagram Architects

This New Delhi house by Anagram Architects features two monumental marble blocks that are split by a massive atrium. The four-storey atrium is topped by a glass ceiling and even has a glass-lined elevator shaft on one wall.

A massive spiral staircase fills the void and plant-filled public areas are arranged throughout the space. Balconies for rooms on the upper floor have been positioned to look out over the atrium, giving the impression of an open-air space.

Find out more about Cleft House ›

Jungle Frame House, Costa Rica, by Studio Saxe

Studio Saxe oriented this steel-framed home in Costa Rica around a “tropical atrium”. The three-storey atrium is lined by glass and wooden louvres so that the jungle is visible from much of the home.

Because of the wooden slats, the ground floors have shadows similar to the floor of the jungle with the shadows of the overstory. At the bottom of the atrium space is the living room, which extends outside into a wrap-around patio.

Find out more about Jungle Frame House ›

House H, Taiwan, by HAO Design

The atrium was achieved in this home in Kaohsiung by removing the interior staircase and putting it outdoors. HAO Design decided that orienting the home around an atrium was the best way to take advantage of the space left by the staircase.

A skylight at the top illuminates the kitchen and a variety of other living spaces are positioned as mezzanines on the upper floors. The home now serves as a cafe and furniture store.

Find out more about House H ›

The Lomas House, Mexico, by Arqueodigma Studio 

Because of the busy area of Guadalajara where this home is located,  Arqueodigma decided to orient it inwards. The central public areas of the home are arranged around a triple-height atrium covered by a skylight.

In the space are trees that rise up into the open area left open in the wooden ceiling. The public spaces on the ground floor were left mostly open so that the atrium can diffuse light through much of the home.

Find out more about The Lomas House ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration see previous lookbooks showcasing floating staircases, calm green bedrooms and organic modern interiors.

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American studio Hybrid has designed, funded and built a pair of “missing middle” townhomes that are meant to help densify a Seattle neighbourhood while respecting the context.

The Oak & Alder project is located in the city’s Central District neighbourhood, which is dotted with Craftsman-style homes. Local studio Hybrid served as the architect, developer and builder.

The duplex was built on a slender, rectangular corner lot that had formerly been a side yard for the adjacent single-family home.

Hybrid helped the owner divide their property and create a new development parcel; the firm then bought the slice of land.

Hybrid aimed to create a multi-family residence that would help densify the neighbourhood – an important concern in the area.

“75 per cent of Seattle’s land is dedicated to single-family zoning, which is extremely uncommon for a city this size,” says Alex Herbig, a project designer and development manager at Hybrid.

“Oak & Alder is the missing middle typology that offers unit density, but at a scale and materiality that play well with respect to the adjacent single-family homes.”

The architects conceived two perpendicular townhomes with gabled roofs that are joined at the centre. Three parking spots are found in the rear of the building.

Exterior walls are clad in stained cedar and Corten steel – a material choice that takes cues from a nearby red-brick high school.

Within the units, the layouts are similar but not identical.

The front unit – which totals 1,596 square feet (148 square metres) – is entered on the west, where large windows bring in ample daylight and offer views of the skyline.

The rear unit, which encompasses 1,292 square feet (120 square metres), is entered on the north, where it faces a large English oak.

In both units, the entry level, which is lifted above grade, contains a main bedroom and two bathrooms – a departure from the typical approach of putting public areas on the main level.

Instead, public areas are on the upper level, where one finds an open-concept kitchen, dining space and living room. Just above is a loft that can be used for different functions, such as a studio or office.

The units diverge in terms of programming on the lowest level. The front unit has a flexible room, a kitchenette, a bathroom and storage space, while the rear unit has two kids’ bedrooms and a bathroom.

Interior elements include white walls, carbonised bamboo flooring and exposed wooden beams.

The building’s two units were quickly sold.

The front townhome was purchased by a man who works in nearby Capitol Hill and shares his home with a longtime friend, who lives in the basement level.

Their loft space is used as a music studio, and their unit has access to an elevated terrace in the centre of the building.

The rear townhome is now occupied by a family who recently moved from Copenhagen to Seattle to launch a video game company.

The family purchased the home sight unseen during the pre-sale process and were able to customize certain elements, such as the cabinetry and locating the kids’ rooms on the basement level.

Based in Seattle, Hybrid was founded in 2003 by professionals with expertise in architecture, landscape design, art, planning and history. Other projects by the company include a compact house in an alleyway that is partly lifted off the ground to make way for parking.

The photography is by Rafael Soldi.

Project credits:

Architecture, construction and development: Hybrid
Engineering: Sazei Design Group
Cabinets: Abodian

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German artist Thomas Demand has teamed up with Caruso St John Architects to create his first building – a pavilion at the Kvadrat headquarters in Denmark that was designed to look like it is made out of paper.

The Triple Folly is made up of three volumes, featuring elements that resemble a paper plate, a sheet of notepaper and a paper hat.

In this way, the building playfully references the architectural models that Demand has spent his career producing and photographing as art.

“What was important to me was that it follows the logic of paper,” Demand said during a tour of the building.

“In my experience as an artist, I have the best ideas when I can work away with things in my hands,” he added.

“I thought that would be a good guideline for the whole thing.”

The Triple Folly is located in Ebeltoft, Denmark, at the headquarters of textile brand Kvadrat.

The building is set to be used as a venue for hospitality events and conferences. However, this was not prescribed from the outset as Kvadrat CEO Anders Byriel gave Demand free rein to design whatever he wanted.

“It was a very unique experience,” Demand said. “I tried to design every element in the building and was not stopped by Kvadrat.”

British firm Caruso St John is a long-term collaborator of Demand’s.

Their previous collaborations include Nagelhaus, an artwork that was set to be built in Zurich in 2009 before funding was cut, and which was later exhibited at the Venice Architecture Biennale.

For The Triple Folly pavilion, the role of studio founders Adam Caruso and Peter St John was to make Demand’s paper vision buildable.

They chose to use fibreglass to transform the three paper elements from Demand’s architectural model into large-scale architectural elements, which each represent a different function within the pavilion.

The paper plate was translated into the roof canopy of a cylindrical entrance lobby, which also houses a kitchen and informal dining space. Meanwhile, the folded piece of legal paper becomes a gable roof that is propped up by slender columns above a glazed meeting space.

The purple-coloured third volume, which is shaped like an American soda jerk hat, provides a space for performance. Its size was dictated by a textile artwork by German artist Rosemarie Trockel, which is installed inside.

Interior details designed by Demand include handmade red door handles, a curved green kitchen, conference tables, a cylindrical bar counter and a concertina-style pendant lamp made from Murano glass.

Each of these elements has the feel of a paper model, much like the building itself.

Among the few things Demand didn’t design are the chairs, which are the work of the late Swiss architect Max Bill.

The Triple Folly joins a series of artworks on display at Kvadrat‘s headquarters, including Roman Signer’s House sculpture and a series of mirror “pools” in the landscape by Olafur Eliasson.

Demand described the pavilion as “the first and probably the last building” he will ever produce. “I think it’s a piece of sculpture as much as it’s a piece of architecture,” he concluded.

The photography is by Nic Tenwiggenhorn.

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Architecture studio Atelier38 has converted a former furniture store in Olomouc, Czech Republic, into a broadcast centre arranged around a light-filled atrium. 

Atelier38 refurbished the building, which was built in 1911, to give it the necessary technical and acoustic fixtures needed for a modern radio broadcaster.

The Czech Radio broadcast centre occupies a narrow plot in the middle of Olomouc and is characterised by its exposed reinforced concrete frame and long skylight window that can both be seen in the cavernous central atrium that spans four storeys.

Throughout the 20th century, the building remained a furniture store, but the skylight was closed off with mineral wool to keep the building insulated.

The studio reopened this central atrium and made it the heart of the building. It added additions that highlighted the existing concrete structure to avoid detracting from the original fabric of the building.

“We tried hard to preserve the visible supporting structure and not to destroy the integrity and sculptural quality of the central space,” said Atelier38.

A monochromatic scheme was chosen for both the circulatory and private areas to unite the interior – regardless of function and era – and highlight the building’s unique original structural details.

Glass partition walls allow the ample natural light from the atrium to reach into the side rooms, which contain meeting and conference spaces, studios, offices and editing rooms as well as archives and storage facilities.

“The shape and proportions of the broadcast studios, control room, and self-service studios arose from the possibility of building into the existing skeleton structure,” the studio explained.

“[The installed elements] form an artistic technological dialogue with the original supporting structure without suppressing it.”

The studio also upgraded the thermal, sanitary and electrical services needed to meet contemporary standards and to ensure the smooth running of broadcasts.

Other adaptive reuse projects published on Dezeen include a retreat for professionals inside an abandoned girls’ school by Artchimboldi and Emma Martí, and a former prison in Berlin converted into a hotel by Grüntuch Ernst Architects.

The photography is by BoysPlayNice.

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