A green-steel structure and walls of exposed blockwork and plywood feature inside this house and artist’s studio in Paris by local practice Jean Benoît Vétillard Architecture.
Named Maison Nana, the home is located on a dense urban plot in Bagnolet and provides a series of flexible spaces organised around a central skylit atrium.
Jean Benoît Vétillard Architecture has created a house and artist’s studio in Paris
It is fronted by a glazed garden room, sheltered by a gently undulating awning and animated by oversized red steps that provide seating and space for plants.
The home is organised around a central atrium
“Following the volumes of the adjacent dwellings the land is divided into two parts,” said Jean Benoît Vétillard Architecture.
“The built volume is placed in the southern part, where the volumes of the buildings adjacent are higher, [and] the northern part is converted into a full garden,” it continued.
From the garden room, glass doors lead into the open-plan ground floor. Here, a living, dining and kitchen space is wrapped by exposed blockwork walls and framed by slender steel columns in a pale shade of green.
Overlooking this space is a skylit, wood-lined atrium that extends vertically through the entire home, punctured by openings in the living areas above and glass brick windows on the exterior wall.
Plywood walls feature throughout the home
Bedrooms, bathrooms and a studio space are organised in a U-shape around this atrium, with a finish of plywood panelling and deliberately simple fittings to allow them to be easily adapted to different uses by the inhabitants.
“The ground floor is left raw, and the more intimate [upper] floors are treated in wood, a more noble material,” said the studio’s founder Jean Benoît Vétillard.
“The idea was to remove any form of hierarchy and scale in the rooms on the upper floors, through a complete treatment in wood and a minimum of details,” he told Dezeen.
A pale green structure and blockwork walls are left exposed
The rear facade of Maison Nana is largely enclosed due to the height of the adjacent buildings but the front elevation overlooks the garden with a symmetrical arrangement of square windows and a cladding of blackened timber planks.
As someone who lives alone most of the time, reading in bed with the lights on has never been a problem. But I know of couples who have a constant tug of war with their partners if one reads late into the night while the other is a light sleeper and is bothered by light sources. I also know of those that prefer not to have lights on at all while the other needs to have some sort of light within the room to fall asleep. This new innovative lamp may solve those issues for partners and stop future bedroom wars from happening.
Designer: Jess Gupta
Nightside is an LED bedside lamp that serves as an ambient light that doesn’t really disturb those who are sleeping while still providing illumination. The secret weapon built into it is that there’s also a “spotlight” that is a focused reading light, in case you would still like to read in bed and let the person beside you continue sleeping. There’s just one control button and that’s a front-mounted dimmer switch knob which turns on and extends the reading spotlight for those who can’t put that book down just yet.
The lamp has a soothing warm-white LED light with a color temperature of 3000k. It also has a Color Rendering Index (CRI) of 80-85 which is a pretty good measure of how accurately it can reproduce colors. The shape of the lamp is one, long, elongated body with the option for gray or white colors for the top and bottom parts. The focused reading light when extended makes it look like a tiny robot came out of the light to accompany you as you read well into the night.
The Nightside Personal Task Lamp may seem a bit pricey at $350 but each piece is actually assembled by hand at their factory. The plastic parts actually come from China while the machined ones are from some parts of Asia while the gas sprint is from Germany but all the parts are put together in California. They had an initial limited run of 1,000 pieces and all of these are numbered and signed. So if you want you and your partner to have a harmonious sleeping and/or reading time, you might want to check it out.
Dezeen Showroom: Italian furniture company Alf DaFrè has released a wooden sideboard characterised by dappled surfaces that appear to have been carved into by a chisel.
The Gubia cabinet is named after a carpentry tool called a gauge chisel that can be used to sculpt wood, forming concave areas defined by ridges around their perimeters.
The Gubia cabinet is designed and manufactured by Alf DaFrè
Doors and handles are concealed by the characterfully mottled texture, creating a continuous appearance across surfaces.
The frame is made from metal while two wood options are offered for the doors and top: Terra or Canapa Oak Fashion Wood.
It comes in two wood types
The cabinet comes in two sizes and shapes – one is designed to be positioned flush against walls and the other is intended to be placed more centrally in a space.
Product details:
Product: Gubia cabinet Designer: Gordon Guillaumier Brand:Alf DaFrè Contact:alf@alf.it
Material: wood, metal Dimensions: 2071 x 525 x 813 millimetres, 1553 x 525 x 813 millimetres
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Swedish retailer IKEA is focussing on the experience of leaving home for the first time in its Milan design week exhibition called 1st, which was designed by architect Midori Hasuike and spatial designer Emerzon.
Milan’s Padiglione Visconti venue has been “transformed into an IKEA playground” showcasing products and experiences that address leaving home for the first time.
IKEA has created an exhibition called 1st for Milan design week
“With the current social and economic climate it’s maybe harder than ever to make that move,” said the brand’s creative director Marcus Engman.
“For 1st, we wanted to more deeply explore the challenges and emotions that come with this special time in life,” he told Dezeen.
It features an interactive maze
Visitors enter the exhibition through a large-scale illuminated maze designed by Hasuike to symbolise the disorientating feelings that can come with new experiences.
The architect chose rentable and recyclable materials for the installation, which were selected for their accessibility, she explained.
“The materials reflect the reality of having to adapt and adjust to what you have and can afford when moving into your first home,” said Hasuike.
The maze leads to an open, illuminated stage
Deliberately disorientating paths make up the maze, decorated with objects such as photo frames and packing boxes.
“This represents the shared hope we all feel when facing new adventures – it’s a reminder of the mixed emotions that come with first experiences,” added Hasuike.
Visitors eventually make their way to a “welcoming” central space anchored by a large geometric stage featuring different furniture-filled “rooms” on each of its open levels. The stage’s lighting was designed by Anders Heberling.
The rest of the exhibition is separated into individual spaces, showing old and new IKEA pieces.
Among the displays is the Brännboll collection of gaming furniture, which features the brand’s first successful attempt at an inflatable chair.
Padiglione Visconti has been transformed into an “IKEA playground”
Klippan – IKEA’s first flat-packed sofa by the late product designer Noburu Nakamuru – has also been redesigned for the exhibition.
“It’s one product that exemplifies ‘first’ more than anything else,” said Engman.
“There’s an excitement in testing the beds and sofas, imagining your life in one of our kitchens – and that’s what we have tried to emulate in our space.”
IKEA is also hosting a “hotdog extravaganza” as part of the exhibition. The food stall is serving playful takes on the brand’s recognisable hot dog, including one made from ice cream.
At last year’s Milan design week, IKEA marked its 80th anniversary with an exhibition charting the brand’s history. IKEA recently launched a collaboration with Dutch studio Raw Color in which no item features less than two colours to explore how our perception of a hue can change based on its context.
The photography is courtesy of IKEA.
1st is on show from 15 to 21 April 2024 at Padiglione Visconti, Via Tortona 58, Milan. See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.
French studio Chatillon Architects has unveiled its progress on the Grand Palais renovation in Paris, which is set to host fencing and taekwondo events at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Located on the Champs-Élysées, the landmark glass and steel structure is being revamped to improve public access after becoming “a monument that was often only observed from afar”, Chatillon Architects said.
Works have been underway since 2021 and the studio is now nearing completion of the first phase in time for it to open as a venue for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games from July.
Chatillon Architects has released the first photos of Grand Palais restoration
“Our main objective from the very beginning was to make the Grand Palais a public building again,” studio founder Francois Chantillon told Dezeen.
“In recent times, it is a building that has been accessible on occasion but not possible to truly experience – it became a monument that was often only observed from afar,” he continued.
“We have been able to make the Grand Palais a functioning building once again and one that the public can now truly enjoy and explore.”
The iconic central nave will open in time for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
The Grand Palais was built to host the Paris Universal Exhibition in 1900. It is best known for its vast glass-roofed atrium, or nave, crafted from more than 6,000 tonnes of steel, which has served as an ornate backdrop to many international exhibitions and events.
During the Olympic Games, the iconic building will partially open to host fencing and taekwondo events in its nave, before its full reopening as a sporting and cultural events venue in 2025.
Chatillon Architects’ ambition for the project is to preserve and celebrate as much of the original structure as possible, honouring the original ambition of its architects Henri Deglane, Albert Louvet, Albert Thomas and Charles Girault.
The glass-roofed nave will host fencing and taekwondo events
Areas of the 72,000-square-metre building that have been closed off to the public have been reopened, with partition walls removed and a public sightseeing route carved into the plan.
However, many elements also required modernisation and updated technology and services to bring it to modern-day standards as an exhibition and events venue.
“The scale of the project is quite unbelievable, from the design stage to the construction,” said Chatillon. “We have explored thousands of archival documents to truly understand the building and its original intentions,” he continued.
“Our focus has always been to honour and restore the best of the building’s past but not to do this blindly, we have approached the project with a contemporary mindset, ensuring that the building is prepared for its next phase of life and that, above all, it is a functioning building for modern society.”
Its ornate balconies have been restored
Among the main alterations to be made by Chatillon Architects is the reconnection of its three main spaces, including the nave, which has reinstated the building’s original central axis across its H‑shaped plan.
In the nave, Chatillon Architects reinforced and restored the ornate balconies – which it said are among the earliest recorded cantilevers. Updates to this space, including improved escape routes, have also increased its capacity by more than 60 per cent.
“The areas of modernisation were embedded in reconnecting the three main sections of the building,” said Chatllon. “Over time the building has been divided, with sections falling into disrepair and fake walls erected.”
“When you look at the building through the lens of a coherent visitor experience, allowing each area to flow into the next, then the divide between restoration and modernisation becomes an easy decision process,” he continued.
A large focus has also been placed on improving the link between the Grand Palais and the surrounding gardens and cityscape, such as the Champs-Élysées.
Lawns surrounding the building are being planted with over 60,000 plants, which are modelled on the curved beds and paths, lawns and plating of the Champs-Élysées gardens. They will be watered with rain collected from the building’s roofs.
“The Grand Palais was always intended to be far more than a building,” said Chatillon. “It was intended to be a cultural quarter that connected with a number of nearby landmarks.”
The landscaped gardens are key to the building’s experience,” he continued.
“The new Grand Palais gardens that surround the structure draw inspiration from the nearby Champs-Élysées gardens, sharing a similar spirit with curved beds and paths, lawns, and a diverse selection of planting – 250 species in total, with over 60,000 plants, many from the wild palette of the Paris basin.”
Chatillon Architects’ goal was to celebrate the original structure
Chatillon Architects was founded by Chatillon in 1986. Elsewhere in Paris, the studio is currently also overhauling Grande Nef de l’Île-des-Vannes – a 1960s stadium that is also being revamped in time for the Olympics.
Chatillon said that, for the studio, the Grand Palais project “has brought together everything that we love about architecture”.
“The opportunity to redevelop an icon is amazing, but the Grand Palais feels like so much more,” he concluded.
“It’s the opportunity to return a permanent public use to the building, to redevelop the surrounding grounds, to connect the building back with the city, and to adapt it for the Olympics and future generations – this is truly a once-in-a-lifetime project.”
The Dezeen team are reporting live from Milan design week in the northern Italian metropolis (15-19 April) with updates throughout the day, including exclusive previews of products, installations and events.
9:30am Dezeen US editor Ben Dreith was at the press opening of the seventh edition of Alcova yesterday, which is taking place across Villa Bagatti Valsecchi and Villa Borsani outside of Milan.
Alcova is taking place at two villas, including Villa Bagatti Valsecchi (above)
American designer and Dezeen Awards 2023 judge Colin King has created an installation for Calico Wallpaper at Alcova and said that installations in Milan “are getting more and more complex and interesting”.
Colin King created an installation for Calico Wallpaper
Alcova founder Joseph Grima said Villa Borsani (pictured below) was important because it was the residence of Osvaldo Borsani and because his factory next door was “one of the places where Milanese design was born”.
Villa Borsani is one of two locations for Alcova this year
Grima also highlighted this year is the first time Alcova has taken place at a residential location. Find out more about Alcova 2024 on Dezeen Events Guide ›
Jospeh Grima spoke to press about Alcova at Milan design week 2024. All images by Ben Dreith.
See Dezeen Events Guide for all the latest information you need to know to attend the event, as well as a list of other architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Swiss homeware brand V-Zug has opened its inaugural Milan showroom, combining soft hues and natural materials with high-tech appliances, as captured in this video produced by Dezeen.
Called V-Zug Studio Milan, the showroom was designed by Italian architect and interior designer Elisa Ossino to encapsulate a “poetic simplicity” through blending objects crafted from natural materials with appliances featuring reflective surfaces.
V-Zug Studio Milan has opened its doors during Milan design week
The studio showcases V-Zug‘s homeware products and kitchen appliances, such as ovens, cooktops and steamers, which are contrasted by furniture pieces created by Ossino in collaboration with artist Henry Timi.
According to V-Zug’s global interior art director Gabriel Castelló Pinyon, the open-plan interiors are designed to evoke a “sense of hospitality” for its visitors.
V-Zug’s minimal Milan showroom showcases its home appliances
The space is characterised by a neutral colour palette of soft hues, which create a subtle contrast with the materials incorporated throughout the space, such as sculpted stone and mirrored surfaces.
The showroom is flooded with ample natural light emanating from large glazings, while an off-white monolithic staircase with large circular openings cuts through the space.
The showroom features sculptural objects and artworks by Ossino and Timi
Overlooking the Piazza San Marco, the studio marks the company’s flagship showroom located in Italy, following the recent openings of its studios across Germany, Austria and Australia.
V-Zug Studio Milan is open to visitors from Monday to Friday during this year’s Milan design week.
The showroom’s open-plan interiors are defined by a soft colour palette
In addition to hosting a series of talks throughout the week, V-Zug has also created a sculptural installation titled Time and Matter at Pinacoteca di Brera, which further explores the relationship between human experiences, design and technology.
After she stepped into the role of Chief Creative Officer for Italian lighting pioneer Flos in October 2023, Barbara Corti was parsing through archival imagery when she uncovered a trio of photos from 1988 that featured the designers Achille Castiglioni, Tobia Scarpa and Philippe Starck. The three were lensed together in Milan’s historic, ornately-styled Palazzo Visconti for the release of a new chandelier, a brilliant bouquet of bulbs known as the Taraxacum 88 (designed by Castiglioni). Corti observed the Taraxacum 88’s material construction—only glass, aluminum and light—and a vision formed: Flos would return to Palazzo Visconti for Milan Design Week, with the Taraxacum 88 as the thesis statement of an exhibition that introduced new pieces employing only these elements.
In conjunction with Milan Design Week 2024’s sprawling slate of FuoriSalone installations, “Flos at Palazzo Visconti” runs from 16 to 21 April within (and in contrast to the baroque nature of) Palazzo Visconti. The illuminated immersive installation is introduced by the Taraxacum 88, set within one quadrant of a mesmerizing, mirrored axis portioning up the stunning central hall. Each of the other reflective quarters is dedicated to new releases by Michael Anastassiades, Barber Osgerby and Formafantasma, with tangential rooms of equal beauty revealing further pieces in these collections. The result is not steeped in nostalgia; rather, it’s a translation of the brand’s heritage into powerful works of contemporary design.
Prior to the exhibition, Flos invited all three designers of the new collections to visit the palazzo together to discuss their particular style of collaboration with the brand. From this abundance of talent was born a humorous, informative video work that greets guests upon entry on large-scale, floor-set screens. This media introduction along with stills from the occasion nod to the original captures from 1988.
Flos at Palazzo Visconit in 2024, courtesy of Luca Caizzi
“I needed to understand what kind of products we had—especially products that we didn’t launch,” Corti says of the archival immersion that led to the image discovery. “Instead, I found these beautiful images. Everyone was elegant, but also enjoying themselves. It wasn’t over-structured. We decided to come back here, to the palazzo, and celebrate this lightness. We work with a lot of talent so this is a celebration of what Flos does in terms of connection with creative minds, not only in terms of our designers but all of the creativity in the process.”
Courtesy of Nicolò Panzeri
Corti worked with the Barcelona-based studio Arquitectura-G to develop the installation. “I didn’t want to interrupt the baroque style. It’s a strange style for Milan, which is inspired by Rome. Baroque is more rooted in Sicilian or Spanish. But this space is full of illusion—the trompe l’oeil, the balcony, the historic mirrors. We wanted to divide all of this, and multiply it at the same time.” The mirror divider was so carefully crafted that preexisting lines in the room continue unexpectedly in reflection and reality is distorted. This is thanks to rigorous preproduction using a maquette that took into account the movement of light throughout the day, beyond the palazzo’s windows.
Courtesy of Nicolò Panzeri
Hidden car batteries power some lights so that cords are tucked away and the floor is left uninterrupted. All three collections channel the unique values of their designers. Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby present their curved Bellhop Glass collection, in both suspension and table lamp versions crafted from opaline triplex glass and aluminum. Anastassiades introduces 24-karat-gold finished iterations of his popular IC lamps to celebrate their tenth anniversary. He also reveals a new maxi style. Both Barber Osgerby and Anastassiades’ lamps are composed of blown glass.
Courtesy of Nicolò Panzeri
In contrast, Formafantasma’s hexagonal pieces, entitled SuperWire, are composed of the purest planar industrial glass and polished aluminum. Inside, thin, replaceable filaments—which stretch one meter—look as if they must be fluorescent but are actually milestone LEDs. This system is modular and comes in iterations that feature three or five angular hubs. “Inside, it’s the longest filament in the world,” Corti says. The floor lamp, which pairs two stacked modules, stands more than five-feet tall.
by David Graver
“The world is full of people and companies and even fashion brands that produce design objects. But to make design exists in another plane,” Corti says. “The effort Flos makes in terms of our designers and their creativity, it is the same way we have always done it. The process is the same but the technology has changed. It is necessary to communicate that. That we are not just about history, but we’re about the future.” Not only does “Flos at Palazzo Visconti” convey that, but so do the company’s two other exhibitions—”Golden Hour” at the Flos Flagship Store and “Out of Office” at the Flos Professional Space—both of which are only steps away from Palazzo Visconti.
Coco Wolf, Cosapots, Renson and Cubic intend to combine “expertise from different sectors offering visitors a holistic outdoor experience”.
Promising a “visual and tactile experience”, the brands’ collaborative stand will chart the evolution of outdoor living design.
Top: render of group’s garden concept at Milan design week. Above: outdoor furniture by Coco Wolf
London-based outdoor furniture company Coco Wolf will be debuting seating and table designs from its Tamarindo collection within the space.
The range is characterised by rounded, minimal silhouettes and includes a circular outdoor dining table, a swivel chair and a lounger.
Often made from some recycled fabrics and materials such as wood, rope and porcelain, the furniture was designed to be durable and “remain a fixture for years to come”.
Alongside the Tamarindo series, the brand will also display products from its Largo, Porto and Coronet ranges, all of which are manufactured in the UK.
Belgian brand Cosapots will unveil a new range of handcrafted pots and planters
Also within the space, Belgian plant pot brand Cosapots will unveil a range of handcrafted pots and planters, including its Orbo, Roco, Lofto, Lupo and Mondo models.
Informed by the appearance and texture of organic materials, the plant pots are made from polyester, fibreglass and natural additives that mimic the look of heavier materials such as clay, terracotta and concrete.
Renson’s Amani pergola uses an “intelligently engineered” modular design
Meanwhile, Belgian brand Renson will exhibit its award-winning Amani pergola, an “intelligently engineered” modular design with a customisable structure.
Winner of a 2023 Red Dot Award, the pergola is available in a range of finishes and colourways. The structure can be personalised with additional functionality such as lighting, screens, curtains, awnings and folding or sliding panels.
Cubic Outdoor Kitchen
German outdoor kitchen firm Cubic Outdoor Living will also be showcasing its new and established products. These include the minimalist Cubic Outdoor Kitchen with a terrazzo-effect finish and its Bar in a Cupboard entertaining solution.
“Our mission is to showcase how stylish and luxurious the symphony of outdoor living can be,” said the company.
“We are thrilled to have found partners through our collaboration with Renson, Coco Wolf and Cosaposts who are pursuing the same goal with us and setting new trends in outdoor design together.”
Coco Wolf, Cosapots, Renson and Cubic Outdoor Living will be exhibiting at booth A15 in Hall 5 at Salone del Mobile, which will take place from 16 to 21 April at Milan’s Rho Fiera fairgrounds as part of Milan design week. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
Partnership content
This article was written by Dezeen for Coco Wolf, Cosapots, Renson and Cubic Outdoor Living as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.
Highlighting exhibitions, talks, open showrooms, product launches, fairs and more across the city’s design districts, our dedicated guide features over 100 events in the city.
Dezeen Events Guide also features the key design fairs taking place in Milan this year, such as Salone del Mobile and Alcova, as well as the stands and installations located around the venues.
Our digital guide can also help visitors navigate events located in the multiple design districts located across Milan, including 5Vie Design Week, Tortona Design Week, Brera Design District, Montenapoleone District and Isola Design District.
Read our guide to find the key events at Milan design week, along with their dates, times and locations.
About Dezeen Events Guide
Dezeen Events Guide is our guide to the best architecture and design events taking place across the world each year.
The guide is updated weekly and includes virtual events, conferences, trade fairs, major exhibitions and design weeks. For more details on inclusion in the Dezeen Events Guide, including in our guide to Milan design week, email eventsguide@dezeen.com.
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