Yatzer
March 30, 2026

Gabriel Yuri’s Silver Lake Home Reflects his Eclectic Flair and Curatorial Sensibility

Located in Silver Lake, a hip Los Angeles neighbourhood best known for the modernist houses clinging to its hillsides, this compact, 93-square-metre 1940s bungalow is the West Coast home of architect Gabriel Yuri, founder of New York-based New Operations Workshop. Conceived as a spatial manifesto for his cross-disciplinary design practice, the two-bedroom house underwent a year-long renovation that sought not to overwrite its past but to subtly recalibrate it. White-painted surfaces establish a calm, neutral backdrop, allowing an eclectic yet tightly edited mix of mid-century icons, 1970s Italian design and contemporary furniture to come to the fore. The result is an interior where European design lineage, urban sensibility and West Coast light intersect with a sense of quiet assurance.

Based between New York and California, Yuri purchased the property to spend more time on the West Coast, where he is currently working on a Neutra designed residence in Hollywood. The choice of Silver Lake was a natural choice: the neighbourhood’s concentration of modernist landmarks, including the Neutra VDL House and John Lautner’s Silvertop, offered both context and inspiration. Long a haven for artists, musicians and writers, its walkable, bohemian character offers something else too: a rhythm closer to that of New York.

The bungalow’s covered veranda stretches along the façade like an outdoor corridor, framed by white-painted beams and dark window trim. A relaxed seating area and small dining setup overlook dense greenery, while canvas loungers and potted plants reinforce the home’s easy Californian indoor–outdoor lifestyle and understated bohemian character.

Photography by Graham Dunn.

Architect Gabriel Yuri sits in a suspended leather sling chair by Studio Stirling within the living room of his Silver Lake bungalow. Framed by the burnt-orange Marenco sofa and sculptural coffee tables, the portrait captures the designer amid the carefully curated interior where midcentury architecture, contemporary art and 1970s design references converge.

Portrait of Gabriel Yuri. Photography by Clarke Tolton.

A wide view of the living room reveals the bungalow’s pitched ceiling with exposed beams and a soft globe pendant. The burnt-orange Marenco sofa anchors the space opposite gridded ceramic coffee tables, while sculptural lighting, artworks and cacti introduce playful vertical accents within the eclectic mix of midcentury and 1970s Italian design influences. — Vintage “Marenco” sofa by **Mario Marenco** for Arflex; “Pk22” lounge chair by **Poul Kjaerholm**; Console table by **New Operations Workshop**; Pendant lamp by **Rich Brilliant Willing**; Vintage floor light by **Eileen Gray**; Table lamp by Isamu Noguchi; Fiber artwork “Folding” by **Luam Melake**; Triangular artwork by **Greg Copeland**. Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

The bungalow’s renovation hinged on restraint. “The biggest challenge was modernizing the space while still staying true to the historic 1940s charm,” Yuri explains. Rather than dramatically altering its modest footprint, he preserved its scale and proportions, keeping both the pitched ceilings and elongated front porch intact. The intervention’s main focus was clarity, as Yuri notes: “We decided to let the walls be a blank white canvas and allow for some special pops of colour and texture to come through the décor.”

Those pops confidently surface in the living room, where a vintage “Marenco” sofa by Mario Marenco for Arflex, reupholstered in burnt orange velvet, establishes the spatial and visual centre of gravity. “1970s Italian design was a big source of inspiration,” Yuri says, most notably expressed through a series of tubular chrome forms such as console supports and planters that lend a subtle glamour throughout the house. Marble and rough stone accents introduce tactile counterpoints, while mid-century pieces, including lighting by Charlotte Perriand, Eileen Gray and Isamu Noguchi, connect the scheme to the home’s postwar roots.

Seen from behind the Marenco sofa, the living room stretches toward the dining area through a plaster archway. A tall cactus in a polished chrome planter introduces vertical drama beside a ceramic wall artwork, while warm timber floors and soft daylight reinforce the bungalow’s eclectic blend of midcentury-modern restraint and sculptural accents. — Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

The dining area pairs a simple timber table with dark wooden chairs beneath a sculptural pendant lamp that diffuses soft light. A cactus in a reflective chrome planter anchors the centrepiece, while framed artworks and recessed wall niches introduce subtle layers of texture within the room’s calm, minimalist envelope.

Chairs by House of Leon; Custom dining table; Photograph by Wolfgang Tillmans. Photography by Graham Dunn.

A sculptural console vignette highlights the bungalow’s eclectic material palette: a marble slab rests on polished cylindrical chrome legs, reflecting warm timber floors. Tall ceramic vases filled with wild, sculptural florals flank minimalist wall sconces, while small art objects and glass vessels create a balanced composition rooted in midcentury-modern restraint and 1970s-inspired glamour.

Photography by Graham Dunn.

The seating area unfolds as a layered composition of textures and forms: plush velvet Marenco modules, gridded ceramic tables and a minimalist hanging chair by Studio Stirling. Sculptural wall art and soft evening light accentuate the home’s eclectic dialogue between 1970s Italian design, contemporary art and midcentury-modern architecture. — Vintage “Marenco” sofa by **Mario Marenco** for Arflex; Hanging chair by **Studio Stirling**; Table lamp by Isamu Noguchi; Fiber artwork “Folding” by **Luam Melake**. Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

A minimalist hanging chair by Studio Stirling—leather sling suspended from a tubular steel ring—forms a sculptural corner vignette. Beside it, a tall cactus and a framed photographic portrait lean casually against the wall, reinforcing the bungalow’s blend of contemporary art, midcentury-modern furniture and relaxed Californian sensibility. — Hanging chair by **Studio Stirling**. Photography by Graham Dunn.

From the furniture and artworks to the smallest decorative flourish, every element in the house attest to Yuri’s eclectic flair and curatorial sensibility. Take the living room for example: a cubic coffee table clad in square ceramic tiles accentuates the sofa’s retro undertones, while a minimalist hanging chair by South African Studio Stirling, consisting of a leather sling suspended from a tubular ring, introduces a sculptural counterpoint. American artist Luam Melake’s hand-stitched foam artwork “Folding” adds a textural presence above, while cacti punctuate the room with vertical drama.

The living room unfolds beneath a pitched ceiling with exposed white beams and a globe pendant, framing a burnt-orange Marenco sofa by Mario Marenco. Ceramic-tiled coffee tables, sculptural wall art and chrome accents contribute to the home’s eclectic blend of midcentury-modern clarity, 1970s Italian influences and biophilic touches. — Vintage “Marenco” sofa by **Mario Marenco** for Arflex; “Pk22” lounge chair by **Poul Kjaerholm**; Console table by **New Operations Workshop**; Pendant lamp by **Rich Brilliant Willing**; Vintage floor light by **Eileen Gray**; Table lamp by Isamu Noguchi; Fiber artwork “Folding” by **Luam Melake**; Triangular artwork by **Greg Copeland**. Photography by Graham Dunn.

Natural light washes across the living area of Gabriel Yuri’s Silver Lake home, highlighting a modular ceramic-tile coffee table and layered textiles. A low metal console and sculptural objects sit beneath wide windows, while a minimalist lounge chair and geometric pendant reinforce the interior’s eclectic blend of midcentury-modern clarity and 1970s design references.

“Pk22” lounge chair by Poul Kjaerholm; Console table by New Operations Workshop; Pendant lamp by Rich Brilliant Willing; Vintage floor light by Eileen Gray; Triangular artwork by Greg Copeland. Photography by Graham Dunn.

A low stainless-steel bench beneath the window displays a quiet arrangement of books, ceramics and small stones, echoing the home’s curated, gallery-like sensibility. Soft daylight filters through the window frame, illuminating tactile contrasts between brushed metal, rough volcanic stone supports and pale timber flooring.

Console table by New Operations Workshop. Photography by Graham Dunn.

A marble console supported by polished cylindrical chrome legs forms a refined vignette beneath a curved plaster archway. Floral arrangements, sculptural objects and a tall cactus in a chrome planter balance organic and reflective materials, illustrating the project’s dialogue between midcentury-modern restraint, 1970s glamour and carefully curated decorative details.

Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

A narrow kitchen alcove centres on a slender plant emerging from a rugged stone base, positioned against a bright window that floods the space with soft daylight. Terrazzo-style countertops, minimalist cabinetry and the red-and-charcoal chequerboard floor underscore the interior’s restrained yet playful midcentury-inspired palette.

Photography by Graham Dunn.

The kitchen corner pairs terrazzo-style countertops and matte-black fixtures with white cabinetry and the distinctive red-and-charcoal chequerboard floor. Daylight streaming through a trio of windows illuminates the restrained composition, where simple appliances, ceramic vessels and clean lines express the bungalow’s balance of practicality and design clarity.

Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

A narrow galley kitchen pairs terrazzo-style countertops and crisp white cabinetry with a red-and-charcoal chequerboard floor that injects graphic energy. Open shelving displays ceramics and kitchenware, while daylight from a side window softens the composition, balancing mid-century domestic simplicity with subtle vintage-retro accents. — Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

In the kitchen, all-white cabinetry, chosen to remain faithful to the home’s original character, is animated by terrazzo-style countertops and a red-hued chequerboard floor that injects graphic energy. Vintage ceramics and Hasami dishware soften the composition, while matte black fixtures and darkened hardware sharpen its edges.

A close-up of the kitchen counter reveals integrated black gas burners set into a terrazzo-style surface. The speckled stone pattern contrasts with matte black controls and white cabinetry below, illustrating the home’s balance of functional clarity and carefully considered material textures.

Photography by Clarke Tolton.

A narrow display ledge presents a still-life composition of glass vessels and dried botanical stems, their transparent forms catching warm sunlight against a white plaster wall. The arrangement emphasises Gabriel Yuri’s curatorial approach to everyday objects, where minimal gestures, delicate materials and quiet shadow play contribute to the bungalow’s restrained yet eclectic atmosphere.

Photography by Graham Dunn.

Corner kitchen in Gabriel Yuri’s Silver Lake bungalow with terrazzo-style countertops wrapping beneath white-framed windows. Matte-black fixtures, integrated gas burners and simple Shaker-style cabinetry reinforce a restrained, midcentury-inspired palette, while soft daylight washes the textured surface and carefully placed ceramics, highlighting the home’s balance of practicality and quiet design refinement. — Pendant lamp by **Luft Tanaka**; Framed photograph by **Hiroshi Sugimoto**. Photography by Graham Dunn.

A low stainless-steel shelf functions as a minimalist display surface in the bedroom, holding books, stone objects and a framed photograph leaning casually against the wall. Mustard curtains soften the light, while sculptural wooden vessels and tactile materials reinforce the home’s eclectic mix of contemporary art, craft objects and restrained modern design. — Photography by Graham Dunn.

In the bathroom, a cylindrical chrome washbasin wrapped with a custom latex skirt introduces a playful, almost theatrical element. Glass block walls diffuse daylight across white tiles, while a pebble floor, chrome planter with cactus and rough wooden stool create an eclectic interplay of industrial, natural and tactile materials.

Photography by Graham Dunn.

The bathroom’s verticality is emphasised by a pitched ceiling lined with pale plywood and a skylight that floods the space with daylight. Below, the sculptural metal basin with latex skirt stands against tiled walls, while a glass-block window and tall cactus reinforce the room’s playful balance of industrial and biophilic elements.

Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

Perhaps the most irreverent moment arises in the bathroom, which balances industrial cool with tactile warmth. Here, a cylindrical chrome washbasin is fitted with a custom latex skirt and paired with a vintage Art Deco shaving mirror and raw granite shelves. A chainmail-like shower curtain, dark pebble flooring and a tall cactus in a chrome planter heighten the room’s subtle playfulness, while original glass blocks, retained from an earlier iteration, filter daylight across white tile surfaces, casting a diffused glow.

Taken altogether, the house reads as an exercise in calibrated contrast: heritage and modernity, restraint and flair, European design heritage and Californian ease. In Yuri’s hands, the modest bungalow becomes less a showcase than a lived-in composition, a space where disparate influences settle into a quietly confident whole.

A close-up vignette of the bathroom reveals polished chrome fixtures, a circular Art Deco shaving mirror and raw granite wall shelves holding soap and objects. The brushed metal basin and crisp grid of white tiles highlight the room’s blend of industrial refinement and handcrafted textures within Gabriel Yuri’s eclectic renovation of the Silver Lake bungalow. — Photography by Graham Dunn.

Seen from the dining area, a plaster archway frames the living room where a burnt-orange Marenco sofa and gridded ceramic coffee table anchor the composition. Sculptural lighting, curated artworks and tall cacti punctuate the space, illustrating Gabriel Yuri’s layered blend of midcentury-modern architecture and vintage-retro design. — Photography by Gabriel Yuri.

On the veranda, a square outdoor table hosts a quiet summer still life: ripe peaches gathered in a woven bowl, sliced fruit on a wooden board and a stainless-steel vase with delicate flowering stems. Surrounded by greenery, the scene captures the bungalow’s relaxed Californian indoor–outdoor lifestyle.

Photography by Clarke Tolton.

The bungalow’s covered veranda unfolds as a shaded outdoor corridor, where canvas sling chairs with tubular metal frames face a dining table overlooking lush greenery. Potted plants and sculptural objects punctuate the timber deck, while angled sunlight and dark window frames reinforce the home’s relaxed Californian indoor–outdoor rhythm.

Photography by Clarke Tolton.

Yatzer
March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

Zaventem Ateliers Reawakens an Art Deco Landmark in Brussels

The meeting of historic and contemporary design rarely fails to intrigue, often revealing overlooked qualities and unexpected parallels. Such is the premise of Zaventem Ateliers, an exhibition of contemporary collectible design at the 1934 Art Deco landmark Villa Empain in Brussels (March 11 – 19, 2026), which has been taken over by 32 designers from Zaventem Ateliers. Hosted by the Boghossian Foundation, what makes this project stand out is not simply the collision between eras, but the decision to sidestep the conventions of exhibition-making: rather than arranging objects as static displays, it restores the villa to its original role as a home, each piece becoming part of the property’s daily life.

Lionel Jadot’s metallic chair, formed from angular planes and circular cut-outs, sits poised on a marble landing beside a mirrored wall. Its matte, gold-toned surface absorbs ambient light, while sharp folds and exposed joins contrast with the villa’s richly veined stone and geometric wood grille.

Metal chair by Lionel Jadot. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Mathilde Wittock’s sculptural forms, composed of tubular, organic volumes with raw, textured surfaces, stand like architectural fragments before a dark wooden door. Their earthy tones and porous finish contrast with the smooth marble floor and pale walls, evoking archaeological remnants reassembled within a refined domestic setting.

Bouze Lamps by Mathilde Wittock. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

The villa’s marble staircase becomes a stage for material contrasts: a sinuous installation of metallic wires and flax linen coils descends along the balustrade, while sculptural lighting and furniture pieces punctuate the landing. The interplay between polished stone, woven texture and patinated metal highlights the exhibition’s tactile experimentation. — Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Considered one of the finest Art Deco residences in Europe, the villa was designed in the early 1930s by Swiss architect Michel Polak for Baron Louis Empain. Opulently appointed with luxuriant materials including marble, onyx and exotic woods, the property later served as a museum, a USSR embassy and a media headquarters before being abandoned in the 1980s. Acquired by the Boghossian Foundation in 2006, it underwent a meticulous restoration following years of partial destruction and vandalism, reopening in 2010 as a centre for art and dialogue.

Into this setting enters Zaventem Ateliers, an unconventional creative hub bringing together independent studios working across metal, textiles, ceramics and lighting, bound together by a shared commitment to experimentation and material intelligence. Nowhere is this ethos more evident than in Loumi Le Floc’h’s ongoing project Precious Peels, where aubergine skins are transformed into translucent bio-based surfaces that hover between paper and textile. In the exhibition, her ethereal screen is suspended in a grey marble-clad hall, its colourful patterns and shimmering translucency both contrasting with the sombre setting and subtly echoing its decorative vocabulary.

Loumi Le Floc’h’s translucent Precious Peels screen hovers in the centre of the hall, its layered, organic surfaces diffusing light. Pale greens and rust-toned traces subtly echo the surrounding marble and Art Deco door patterns, establishing a dialogue between bio-based experimentation and architectural symmetry. — *Precious Peels* screen by **Loumi Le Floc’h**. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

KRJST Studio’s monumental jacquard tapestry hangs centrally within the marble-clad hall, its dense, root-like textile relief suspended between two towering stained-glass floor lamps. The soft, tactile surface contrasts with the veined marble walls and polished floors, creating a dialogue between woven intimacy and Art Deco grandeur. — Tapestry by **KRJST Studio**. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Equally striking is KRJST Studio’s monumental jacquard tapestry. Positioned between two oversized stained-glass floor lamps, its organic, root-like texture enters into dialogue with the lamps’ intricate patterning and the surrounding veined marble wall panelling. Adeline Halot’s installation of metallic wires and flax linen coils forms another focal point. Uncoiling along the villa’s staircase, the serpentine intervention partially envelops the balustrade, fusing structure and softness in a single gesture.

If textiles introduce tactility, metal brings along a more assertive material presence. Vladimir Slavov’s monumental floor lamp, a textured bronze piece rising over two and a half metres in height and shaped like a giant flower, approaches illumination as a sculptural event, balancing precision with a raw, almost ritual force. Sharing a similarly elemental language, Maison Jonckers’ Between the Lines coffee table and TATAU side table combine hand-formed oxidised metals with etching-like incisions that recall archaic mark-making while maintaining material refinement.

Maison Jonckers’ Between the Lines coffee table sits low against a backdrop of marble and stained glass. Its hand-formed, oxidised bronze top, incised with etching-like marks, rests on a dark sculptural base, the raw metallic texture absorbing the warm glow of the lamp and asserting a primitive yet refined material presence. — *Between the Lines* coffee table by **Maison Jonckers**. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Vladimir Slavov’s towering bronze floor lamp rises like a molten botanical form against the villa’s veined marble walls. Its textured, hand-worked surface catches ambient light, casting subtle reflections, while a seated visitor introduces scale and presence, reinforcing the work’s sculptural and inhabitable qualities. — Designer **Vladimir Slavov** and his textured bronze and marble floor lamp. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Assembled from standard U and L metal profiles, Thibault Huguet’s LAMP#1 embraces construction constraints and economy of means, transforming industrial components into a deliberately pared-back object. A related logic underpins a metallic chair composed of angular planes by multi-hyphenate artist and designer Lionel Jadot, founder of Zaventem Ateliers, whose contributions throughout the villa reflect his longstanding affinity for repurposed materials and experimental processes.

Glass also plays a significant role, most notably in Lila Farget’s moulded works from the Maze Elements and Ondulations series. The former’s maze-like silhouettes reference the large-scale labyrinth installation she created for her 2024 solo exhibition at the Glass Museum of Charleroi, while the latter emerged from a study of a drop of water, its ripple-like surface animated by integrated blue lighting.

Other highlights include Mathilde Wittock’s sculptural Bouze Lamps, whose tubular forms are grown from two textiles derived from the same plant; Aurélien Veyrat’s wall panels composed of discarded bricks and plaster reclaimed from earlier projects; Pascale Risbourg’s hand-crafted clay candlesticks and column-like objects that draw on architectural and archaeological archetypes; and Cédric Van Parys’ billboard-inspired installation.

In a tiled, mosaic-lined room, Lila Farget’s luminous circular glass piece rests on the floor like a glowing pool. Concentric ripples of turquoise light radiate outward, echoing the surrounding blue-green tesserae and transforming the intimate, curved space into an immersive study of reflection and depth. — *Ondulations* series by **Lila Farget**. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

KRJST Studio’s Hibiki Cabinet stands elevated on a slender metal frame against the villa’s veined marble walls. Its woven jacquard surfaces, rendered in muted metallic tones, introduce a soft, textile tactility that contrasts with the surrounding stone. The cabinet’s refined proportions and layered textures create a quiet yet deliberate tension within the Art Deco setting.

Hibiki Cabinet by KRJST Studio in collaboration with Simon Tentoon. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

Mathilde Wittock’s tubular, earth-toned forms stand clustered at the end of a marble corridor, their rough, fibrous surfaces contrasting with the villa’s polished floors and veneered doors. The sculptural volumes, punctured by circular openings, read as architectural fragments quietly inhabiting the Art Deco geometry. — *Bouze Lamps* by **Mathilde Wittock**. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

At first glance, the encounter between these avant-garde works and the villa’s Art Deco heritage appears frictional. The villa’s polished symmetry seems distant from the raw, sometimes radical ethos associated with Zaventem Atelier’s makers. Yet the contrast conceals an affinity. When Art Deco emerged in the 1910s and 1920s, it was decisively forward-looking, propelled by new technologies, new materials and an ambition to redefine modern living. In that sense, both the villa and its temporary occupants emerged from a desire to redefine contemporary living. Bringing these two words together is therefore less a collision than a recalibration: a reminder that innovation is not the monopoly of any single era, but a recurring impulse that emerges when designers actively engage with material, space and the realities of their time.

A minimalist table lamp with a softly rounded shade rests atop an inlaid Art Deco cabinet, set against warm ochre tiles. The lamp’s brushed metal base and restrained form introduce contemporary clarity, while the surrounding materials — lacquered wood, patterned mirror and ceramic tiles — reinforce the villa’s historic character.

LAMP#1 by Thibault Huguet. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

An intimate salon scene unfolds beneath marble walls and geometric wood inlays: a burgundy armchair anchors the corner, layered with a plush pink sculptural cushion, while a stained-glass table lamp casts a green glow. Experimental objects on a wheeled metal table introduce a sense of provisional display within the villa’s formal setting.

Dream Particles aluminum crystal sculpture by Pierre Coddens; Rollmaster metal chair by Thomas Serruys; Sculptural lamp by Lionel Jadot. Installation view, Zaventem Ateliers at Villa Empain, Brussels. Photo by Stan Huaux.

A group portrait of the Zaventem Ateliers designers assembled on the steps of Villa Empain’s Art Deco façade. Framed by geometric bronze doors, stone cladding and stained-glass canopy lights, the collective presence underscores the project’s communal ethos, positioning contemporary makers against the villa’s disciplined symmetry and refined material palette. — Group portrait of the Zaventem Ateliers designers on the steps Villa Empain. Photo by Stan Huaux.

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

A Family Apartment in Paris by Atelier Apara is a Study in Calibrated Contrasts

In Paris’ 14th arrondissement, within a residential building dating from the 1970s–80s, Atelier Apara has reimagined a 93-square-metre family apartment with the calibrated restraint that defines the practice. Led by co-founders Charlotte Guillochon and Victor Mesguich, the studio approaches renovation as an act of revelation rather than embellishment, pairing structural honesty with material precision. Completed in 2026, the project embodies this ethos through a careful balance of raw surfaces, refined detailing and purposeful colour.

A restrained 1970s residential façade in Paris frames Atelier Apara’s Sarette renovation, its pale concrete grid punctuated by recessed balconies and white balustrades. Bare winter branches soften the rigid geometry, while a modest courtyard with reflecting pool foregrounds the building’s quiet modernist austerity and contextual urban character.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The dining area is framed by raw concrete walls and pale parquet flooring, where a round glass table with tubular chrome legs anchors the space. A white conical pendant descends from a surface-mounted conduit, while okoumé cabinetry and green-veined marble surfaces introduce warmth against the mineral backdrop.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

A minimalist living room pairs a low, tufted charcoal sofa with a circular glass table on tubular steel legs. Raw concrete walls and a floating metal shelf establish a restrained industrial backdrop, while generous windows and balcony doors draw in muted daylight, amplifying the apartment’s calm spatial rhythm. — Photography by Philippe Billard.

Tasked with expanding a three-room apartment into a four-room home, the team radically rethought the layout, most notably by concentrating circulation and technical functions within a single built volume at the heart of the plan, from which everything else radiates. Coated in high-gloss green paint, it is the project’s most decisive move. Practically, it organises movement between the two rear bedrooms and the living areas and master suite at the front, while accommodating a bathroom, lavatory and study nook. Visually, its reflective surface captures and redistributes natural light toward the apartment’s darker areas.

The high-gloss green finish forms part of a thoughtfully calibrated palette of contrasting materials and textures that defines the apartment’s character. Underpinning this tension is the juxtaposition between the carefully restored and extended original parquet flooring, which provides a sense of continuity, against the raw, exposed concrete walls that embrace imperfection as an aesthetic language.

The apartment’s glossy green core appears as a sculptural insertion within the open plan. Its reflective lacquered surface captures daylight, while a translucent curtain suspended from ceiling tracks softens the transition. A stainless steel stool and built-in shelving reinforce the project’s industrial-modernist sensibility. — Photography by Philippe Billard.

A detail of the green volume highlights its high-gloss finish, punctuated by subtle reflections of window light. Adjacent, a sheer textured curtain filters views toward exposed concrete walls, emphasising Atelier Apara’s contrast between chromatic boldness and raw material restraint.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

A narrow passage beside the green core reveals a perforated wooden screen with circular cut-outs, allowing glimpses of the kitchen beyond. The interplay of transparency and opacity, concrete and lacquer, exemplifies the apartment’s layered spatial choreography and measured material contrasts.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The living space unfolds around exposed concrete volumes and honey-toned parquet flooring, anchored by a glossy green built-in unit. Bauhaus-inflected furniture—chrome-framed seating and a glass coffee table—introduces industrial elegance, while potted monstera plants soften the mineral palette with biophilic accents. — Photography by Philippe Billard.

Warm okoumé wardrobe doors stand opposite the vivid green built-in unit, their natural grain softening the apartment’s industrial edges. The parquet floor extends seamlessly between zones, while metal shelving and discreet conduits underscore the project’s economy of means and structural clarity.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The glossy green built-in unit unfolds as a recessed shelving niche, its reflective lacquer amplifying depth. Slim metal conduits run vertically within the alcove, merging infrastructure with display. Books and minimal objects punctuate the vivid backdrop, reinforcing the apartment’s disciplined yet expressive industrial-modernist language.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The kitchen is composed as a precise industrial tableau: okoumé cabinetry, green-veined marble countertops and floating metal shelves set against exposed concrete. A perforated timber divider punctuated with green-lined openings introduces depth, while a glass dining table reflects the disciplined material palette. — Photography by Philippe Billard.

Okoumé plywood cabinetry and wall panelling, a material more commonly associated with boatbuilding than interior design, introduces handcrafted warmth in across the property, while green-veined marble used in the kitchen for countertops, backsplash and shelving adds a quietly luxuriant note. Mounted on slender threaded rods with visible bolts, the marble shelving, also found in the living room, further accentuates the dialogue between utility and elegance.

The same utilitarian sensibility runs throughout, from exposed metallic cable ducts tracing the walls and ceiling lines to powder-coated steel shelving brackets and toggle light switches set within metal faceplates. Lighting follows the same logic, with conical metal pendants and pared-back fixtures emphasising clarity over flourish, as does the furniture; Bauhaus-inflected pieces such as chrome-framed chairs, glass-topped tables and a Marcel Breuer Wassily lounge chair embrace a form-follows-function ethos, reinforcing the apartment’s restrained industrial cadence.

Close-up of the perforated okoumé partition highlights its rhythmic grid of circular openings, framing glimpses of the glossy green structure behind. The warm timber grain contrasts with the smooth lacquer and adjacent concrete wall, embodying Atelier Apara’s dialogue between handcrafted tactility and modernist precision.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

A wider view reveals the kitchen’s spatial choreography: parquet flooring extends beneath marble-topped islands and dark timber cabinetry, while the perforated screen stands like a sculptural divider. The saturated green built-in volume beyond anchors the scene, its lacquered surface catching light against the apartment’s restrained industrial envelope.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The kitchen composition foregrounds green-veined marble worktops against raw concrete walls, their mineral textures set in deliberate tension. Okoumé cabinetry with recessed pulls introduces warmth, while a perforated timber screen with circular cut-outs filters views toward the glossy green core, layering transparency, colour and material contrast.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

Looking through the green volume toward the living area, the apartment’s spatial layering becomes evident. Chrome-framed seating, a low modular sofa and potted plants sit beneath wide horizontal windows, while parquet floors and raw concrete walls sustain the project’s balance between industrial rigour and domestic warmth.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The bedroom unfolds as a compact alcove, elevated on a timber platform above a vivid blue floor. Exposed concrete ceiling and walls meet white curtains that diffuse daylight, while pared-back shelving and okoumé panels maintain the project’s disciplined material palette and emphasis on spatial economy.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

The one room where the tonal discipline gives way to a more assertive expression is the main bathroom where the cool, almost clinical precision, of the stainless-steel cabinetry and washbasin is offset by vibrant blue mosaic tiling. Despite its chromatic intensity, this space nevertheless deftly adheres to the scheme’s calibrated balance between rawness and refinement.

Across the apartment, Atelier Apara demonstrate what has become a consistent thread in their work: the idea that restraint and economy of means need not produce neutral results. By leaning into the contrast between raw and refined, industrial and intimate, and economical and exquisite, they have created a considered and characterful home within tight constraints.

The main bathroom is enveloped in small-format blue mosaic tiles that wrap walls, vanity and bath surround in a continuous grid. Stainless steel basins and cabinetry introduce a cool, industrial precision, while mirrored surfaces expand the compact space and amplify its graphic intensity.

Photography by Philippe Billard.

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

Variations on a Theme: Maria Ikonomopoulous Ongoing Search for Balance Between the Individual and the Collective

For Rotterdam-based artist Maria Ikonomopoulou, making art is tantamount to thinking aloud, an intuitive yet inquisitive method of making sense of the world around her, particularly in how we share the spaces we inhabit. Underpinned by handicraft techniques and humble, everyday materials, her practice unfolds through long-term projects shaped by one ongoing concern: finding balance between the individual and the collective.

Suspended from the ceiling, dozens of delicate paper flowers cut from newspaper pages hang on vivid orange threads. The installation forms a vertical cascade, gently swaying and casting soft shadows. The interplay between printed fragments and bright string creates a rhythmic, almost architectural column of suspended text.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, The Column (detail), 2017. Cutout newspapers, Japanese acid free paper, cotton thread. 370 x 60 x 60 cm. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

A wall drawing unfolds as a repetitive field of looping, petal-like line motifs, within which a darker, denser silhouette emerges. The layered graphite lines suggest both floral ornament and written script, creating a vibrating surface where figure and ground blur. The restrained monochrome palette reinforces its meditative intensity.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Connections, 2007. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper 80 x 60 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Maria Ikonomopoulou sits cross-legged within a suspended field of hand-cut paper flowers, delicately attaching elements to orange threads. The airy installation, composed of floral forms cut from printed matter, creates a porous curtain around her body. The setting’s industrial interior contrasts with the fragility of the materials, foregrounding slowness, care, and the tactile labour behind the work. — The artist at work. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Drawing on folk art traditions, Ikonomopoulou brings together embroidery, drawing, photography, and intricate paper cutting in unexpected ways: newspapers become surfaces to be stitched or drawn upon, photographs, taken during long walks through Athens and Rotterdam, are transformed into fragile floral forms.

Slowness and repetition lie at the heart of her practice. Rather than producing singular, self-contained works, she develops her ideas through series that evolve over time, which are often revisited and reshaped over the course of years. Repetition or, more precisely, variation, becomes a way of staying with a question for long enough for layers to unfold, while the time-intensive, laborious nature of her techniques compels her usually fast-moving thinking to follow the pace of her hands, transforming constraint into a form of focus and freedom.

Her current solo exhibition “All Included” at CITRONNE Gallery in Athens (January 15 – February 28, 2026) brings together works from different periods of her career, not as a retrospective, but rather as a way of tracing continuity across changing contexts. Yatzer recently caught up with the artist to talk about her show, her fascination with floral patterns, and her ongoing search for balance in a world that feels increasingly unsettled.

Answers have been condensed and edited for clarity.

An urban balcony overgrown with ivy is overlaid with intricate paper cut-outs forming a repeating floral pattern. The layered imagery merges architecture, vegetation, and hand-cut ornament into a dense visual tapestry. Light and shadow animate the delicate paper tracery, creating depth within the photographic surface. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Growing Care Athens 3*, 2010-2025. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper. 60 x 45 cm. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

A wall densely covered with repeating botanical cut-outs frames glimpses of potted plants and architectural details. The monochrome paper pattern envelops the space, turning everyday greenery into part of a continuous ornamental field. The installation reads as a quiet intervention, weaving cultivation and community into the urban fabric. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Growing Care Athens 9*, 2010-2025. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper. 60 x 45 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

A grid of twelve drawings presents stylised amphora forms that double as self-portraits. Executed in pen with dense, repetitive line work, the figures merge vessel and body. Earthy browns, graphite greys, and vivid blues animate the series, while subtle variations in patterning underscore Ikonomopoulou’s exploration of identity through repetition and formal constraint. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Self-portrait as an Amphora*, 2025. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

What initially compelled you to become an artist? What are the questions and concerns that have remained constant since those early beginnings?

I remember certain art pieces on the walls of my parents’ home that I really liked a lot as an adolescent and wanting to make something similar myself. My father used to visit art galleries, and I liked accompanying him. But I also remember all the women close to me, my mother, my grandmothers, my older sister, working with textiles at home, and this influenced me profoundly.

My innate curiosity, and the many questions I have about almost everything, led me to the creative process, and I began making things with great enthusiasm. I started with ceramics in Athens; it took me a while to find my way into art education in the Netherlands, but it was an important decision. Leaving Greece, a country based on collectivity, and choosing the Netherlands, a country based on individuality, defined my ideas. Even today, looking for a balance between these two models continues to be the core concept underlying all of my work.

Your practice encompasses a wide range of methods and materials, often brought together within the same body of work. Is this multiplicity driven primarily by the conceptual demands of each project or by a genuine pleasure in material variety?

When I choose the materials that I want to work with, it comes down to how they reference the concept I’m working on. Materials such as newspapers or beeswax already carry their own story which often defines my choice. I also greatly enjoy combining different materials within a single piece, as you can see for example in the Études series, where I felt free to experiment with everything I have in the studio.

With that said, although most of my works consist of multiple layers, in my latest series Blue Water the drawings needed nothing more than lines.

Handicraft techniques such as embroidery and paper cutting are an integral part of your practice. What initially drew you to these time-intensive, hand-made processes? Beyond the exquisite intricacy they produce, do you experience a meditative, or even transformative, dimension in their slowness and repetition?

I still vividly remember craft lessons in primary school; they felt magical to me, much like the weaving, embroidery, and knitting I grew up watching women practice around me. That early experience shaped my lasting fascination with craftspeople and folk. Using related materials and techniques feels like a tribute to the many anonymous makers around the world.

Another reason I choose to work with these methods and materials is partly because of their availability. They are inexpensive, easy to find, and simple to handle, which gives me a great sense of freedom. As someone who works between two countries, my methodology allows me to keep working during those “in-between” moments, even when I’m travelling, when I’m waiting to board a flight for example.

Working with my hands also gives me another, more profound sense of freedom. The slowness of such time-intensive techniques reigns in the frenzied pace of my thoughts. Finding a balance between the mind and body is very liberating.

A full newspaper page is overlaid with a meticulous red embroidery pattern, forming a geometric lace-like grid. The stitched floral motifs soften the dense printed text beneath, partially obscuring headlines while introducing tactility and colour. The intervention transforms daily news into a crafted surface of care. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Male – Female Beauty*, 2025. Newspapers, Japanese acid free paper, embroidery thread. 60 x 40 cm. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Two framed works hang beside a vertical braid of natural fibres mounted on canvas. The juxtaposition of paper-based compositions and woven material introduces a tactile dialogue between fragility and density. The pared-back installation foregrounds texture, inviting close attention to fibre, stitch, and surface. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Dark, organic silhouettes branch across newspaper pages, punctuated by small red circular elements resembling seals or warning markers. The bold, almost shadow-like forms interrupt the printed text beneath, creating tension between graphic clarity and informational overload. The composition balances opacity and translucence with measured restraint. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Repair on News 1*, 2018. Newspapers, Japanese acid-free paper, cutout prints, wax, embroidery thread, acid free cardboard. 70 x 50 cm. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Newspapers have been a recurring material in your work, used as surfaces to be embroidered or drawn upon, and as a raw material for intricate cut-out installations. What lies at the root of this long-standing engagement with newspapers, and what do they allow you to articulate that other materials perhaps cannot?

Newspapers are “food for thought” materials. For many of us, reading the newspaper is a daily ritual, and often provides a starting point for vivid discussions with others. As an integral part of our free press, they are also a measure of a well-functioning democracy.

At the same time, absorbing daily news through newspapers can be overwhelming. Transforming them into art is my way of coping with this constant exposure. The newspapers themselves carry the weight of global crises and turmoil; by drawing or embroidering onto them, I introduce symbols of culture, care, and continuity, offering a quiet counterpoint to the relentless flow of catastrophic events.

A constellation of framed works made on newspaper hangs in a loose grid, each piece combining embroidery, drawing, and cut paper. Threads trace geometric motifs and coded marks across yellowed pages, transforming printed columns into textured surfaces. The white frames and generous spacing allow the intricate details to resonate within the calm gallery setting. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

From cut-out motifs and embroidered patterns to photographs and living plants, flowers have played a consistent role in your practice. What is it about them that continues to draw you back to them?

During the long-term side project Growing Care, I began observing and photographing small pockets of greenery in urban environments that residents looked after themselves. But my interest is not really about flowers; it’s about how we share public spaces with one another. Pots with plants versus cars and motorbikes clearly illustrate the “fight” taking place out there.

In another series, flower patterns were used as archetypal shapes, doodles that people often draw while doing something else, usually while talking on the phone. Over time, through working with them, I learned to appreciate their organic way of growing, their beauty, but also their unpredictability, which reflects the uncertainty of real life. The time, attention, and knowledge required to help a plant grow really fascinates me. There is something in them that we seem to desperately need as humans, beyond the fruits they give us.

I feel I still have a lot to learn. In one of my latest works, Male Female Beauty, I translated a common iron-door pattern into embroidery on newspaper, and realised how close male ironwork and female embroidery really are as they both rely heavily on floral patterns.

A framed photographic work overlays a quiet urban vignette—a potted plant and plastic watering can—with a delicate lattice of hand-cut floral motifs. The translucent paper screen softens the image beneath, creating a layered interplay between domestic care and ornamental pattern. The palette remains muted, allowing greenery to gently punctuate the surface. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Growing Care Athens 3*, 2010-2025. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper. 60 x 45 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Houseplants in terracotta and white pots sit before a window, their leaves intersecting with a superimposed cut-paper pattern. The red blossoms punctuate the muted palette, while the repeated motif unifies foreground and background. The layering suggests care as both domestic gesture and civic act. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Growing Care Athens 6*, 2010-2025. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper. 60 x 45 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

A framed photograph of a balcony garden is partially veiled by a translucent sheet intricately cut into floral motifs. The repetitive pattern softens the image beneath, filtering the greens and terracotta tones through a lace-like screen. The work blurs boundaries between interior and exterior, growth and structure.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Growing Care Athens 1, 2010-2025. Print, cutout Hahnemühle paper. 60 x 45 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

An intricate net-like embroidery stretches across newspaper pages, its diamond grid stitched in multicoloured threads—ochre, violet, charcoal, and moss. The hand-sewn structure oscillates between containment and rupture, with areas left loose or unravelled. The fragile textile overlay contrasts with the dense financial data faintly visible beneath.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Net Icaro, 2025. Cutout prints, pins, pencil, acid-free cardboard. 40 x 30 cm. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

In moving between Athens and Rotterdam, you have developed an extensive photographic record of two very different urban environments. How has this shaped your understanding of the city as a shared, lived space and how does it feed into your wider artistic practice?

I love walking in cities. Observing what people do in public spaces fascinates me. The way a street vendor arranges their goods, or how individuals invent their own solutions for everyday life on the street, is an endless source of inspiration, especially in Greece, where the climate allows people to spend so much time outdoors.

Architecture inspires me as well, but it’s the social dimension that interests me the most. Streets, schools, hospitals: these are all spaces that we have to share, even at a time when many of us tend to think that the world revolves around “me.” Sharing public space with strangers is a challenge, and I am very curious to see how we find balance within it. You could say that this question forms the underlying thread that runs through all of my work.

A faded newspaper page becomes a stage for blue and pink stitches forming vertical bands and swirling motifs. Above, a stitched photograph of a city street introduces depth, while ornamental loops in rust and turquoise thread overlay the text, tempering reportage with contemplative pattern. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Etude 32*, 2025. Newspapers, Japanese acid free paper, color pencil, embroidery thread, plexiglass frame. 40 × 30 cm. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Centered on a wall covered in rhythmic, hand-drawn floral lines, a framed photograph of a figure partially veiled in cut paper commands attention. The pale tones of the image contrast with the violet-blue wall drawing, which extends like wallpaper yet retains the immediacy of handwriting. The interplay of surface and image underscores the exhibition’s layered narratives. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

A close-up of the circular wreath reveals hundreds of individually cut paper flowers, each bearing fragments of printed text and faint washes of colour. Tiny orange thread details punctuate the petals, binding the composition together. The work balances fragility and accumulation, transforming ephemeral newsprint into a dense, tactile relief. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Zero – Britannic*, 2025. Cut out newspaper, acid free Japanese paper, embroidery thread, nails, acid-free cardboard. 40 x 40 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Three framed works are arranged in a measured composition, the central piece forming a floral wreath-like “O” constructed from meticulously cut and layered newspaper petals. Subtle blues, greys, and newsprint text create a soft chromatic field, while the surrounding blank panels heighten the sculptural density of the circular form. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Black ceramic fragments are arranged in a loose circular constellation, each inscribed with gold lettering that collectively spells a phrase about civilisation and art. The broken edges expose raw terracotta beneath the glaze, turning rupture into composition and language into archaeological trace. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Civilisation (black)*, 2023. Ceramic shards, engraving. 50 x 50 x 3 cm. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Your work consistently navigates the space between the individual and the collective. How has this shaped your practice, and how has your relationship to it shifted through different phases of your work?

In my personal life, I experience a constant struggle between my desire to be connected with others and my need to be alone. This tension, and trying to understand the causes behind it, have enabled me to create a large number of autobiographical based works.

Over time, as I found a sense of balance growing older, my perspective widened. My interests gradually moved from the personal to public space, and towards the question of how we can find balance as citizens of a city. Later on, the economic crisis in Greece expanded these concerns to a national scale, pushing me to think about balance in times of instability.

Today, the world seems to exist in a state of permanent crisis, and this turbulence dominates my thoughts. From the personal ‘you’ and ‘me’, to the city, to the country, and now to the global level, the central question in my work continues to focus on how to find balance.

A quilted, pale blue garment hangs beside a single suspended shoe, forming a sparse vertical installation. The soft textile surface, stitched with small orange accents, contrasts with the solidity of leather. Against the white wall, the pairing reads as a quiet meditation on presence and absence.

Installation view, All Included at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

Two pairs of leather shoes hang suspended, their insoles and soles inscribed with handwritten text. The warm tan leather contrasts with the darkened undersides, marked by wear. Elevated to eye level, the everyday object becomes a vessel of thought, doubt, and embodied experience.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Doubting Shoes, 1998. Goat skin, pig skin, etched text. 28 x 19 x 7 cm. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Five compact bundles of tightly braided newspaper strips are mounted directly onto a white gallery wall, each knotted and fanned out like suspended tassels. Their muted greys and faded inks contrast with the pristine setting, while elongated shadows animate the surface. The modest gestures suggest accumulated thought condensed into tactile, knotted forms. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Daily Wisdoms*, 2023-2025. Newspapers twisted to cord, nails, wall mounted. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

You frequently incorporate words or phrases into your work. What does working with text allow you to articulate that images or forms alone might not?

My work begins with a thought. When I begin with questions about things I don’t fully understand, I look at the language which brings with it meaning, history, and etymology. Using handwritten text and transforming it into drawing felt like a natural step. Even when no text exists, my drawings are more written than drawn. I always begin from a corner of the paper and work mainly with lines; it’s all a form of writing. Writing and drawing are interlinked, they’re both closely connected to the process of thinking.

Several of your public projects rely on collaboration and participation, while others are developed in solitude. How do collective and solitary modes of working inform or challenge one another in your practice?

I love both modes of working; I also need both. I need communication and the exchange of ideas with others about the things that occupy me, and that exchange often takes place with the most ordinary of people: schoolchildren, neighbours, taxi drivers. Working on collaborative projects and creating something that brings together individual contributions into a larger whole, is essential to my practice and is something I return to often.

Studio work, with its solitude and intense concentration, offers the opposite: a space where ideas can deepen and take shape. For me, these two modes of working are truly complementary.

A vertically mounted braid of tightly twisted newspaper strips is affixed to a narrow white panel, its fibres splaying at both ends. The muted greys of printed text form a rope-like structure, punctuated by subtle knots. Suspended against the pristine wall, the work evokes fragility and endurance, binding ephemeral information into tactile, sculptural form. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *Complexity*, 2024. Newspapers twisted to cord, varnish with UV protection, canvas. 150 x 40 x 15 cm. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

Three hanging, net-like sculptures fashioned from braided newspaper strips encase spherical forms embroidered with dense, radial patterns in violet and blue thread. Suspended at varying heights, the works resemble protective talismans or seed pods. Their tactile surfaces and meticulous stitching foreground the artist’s fusion of fragility, craft, and conceptual inquiry. — Maria Ikonomopoulou, *OMG 1,2,3*, 2024. World globe, leukopor tape, permanent marker, newspapers, archival varnish with UV protection. 40 x 13 x 13 cm. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

A wider installation view reveals the domestic character of the 1960s apartment setting: parquet floors, wooden chairs, and a small round table coexist with walls of works on paper. In the adjacent room, a large-scale drawing envelops the wall behind a framed portrait. The exhibition unfolds as an intimate dialogue between art and architecture. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

In your current exhibition All Included at CITRONNE Gallery, you’re showcasing works from different periods of your career. What informed this curatorial approach, and how did you navigate the process of selecting works that speak both to your personal trajectory and to broader social concerns?

While preparing for a solo exhibition in 2019, I made the decision to no longer only show my latest works. This approach grew directly out of my studio practice where works from different periods coexist and continue to inspire new pieces. Referencing earlier works helps reveal the continuity and organic development of the thinking behind my practice.

By selecting and combining works from different periods, I continue to learn how to read my practice more deeply and to listen to what it still has to tell me. It isn’t about recycling materials or ideas, but more about a process of redefinition that takes place in different settings and encourages dialogue between all “my children.” This is a permanent studio process that I wanted to share with the visitors that will see the exhibition up close.

Because my background is closely tied to working in and for public spaces, I also allow the exhibition setting itself to guide these decisions. In the case of my current exhibition, the 1960s apartment where CITRONNE Gallery is housed became an active part of that dialogue, offering a context that felt especially attuned to the work and its layered conversations.

A curtain-like installation of hundreds of small, paper-cut floral forms descends from ceiling to floor in vertical strands. Suspended slightly away from the wall, the piece creates a porous veil that shifts with light and movement. Its pale tones generate a soft, immersive field within the gallery’s domestic-scale architecture. — Installation view, *All Included* at CITRONNE gallery, Athens. Photo © Frank Holbein. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

A spherical lamp is enveloped in collaged newspaper flowers and dark painterly marks, glowing softly from within. Mounted on a simple metal stand, the illuminated globe resembles a fragile planet, its surface layered with text and shadow. The warm light underscores the tension between illumination and obscured information.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Para-Planet, 2019. World globe lamp, Japanese acid free paper, cutout newspapers, wax, charcoal, copper tape. 40 x 30 x 30 cm. Photo © Hans Wilschut. Courtesy Maria Ikonomopoulou and CITRONNE gallery.

A framed newspaper page is covered with painted blue and green floral motifs that cascade diagonally across the surface. The flowers obscure headlines while allowing fragments of text to remain visible. The composition feels immersive yet restrained, as pigment and print coexist within the white border.

Maria Ikonomopoulou, Wall Newspapers 14/7/10, 2013. Pencil, color pencil, newspaper charcoal. 70 x 50 cm. Courtesy the artist and CITRONNE gallery.

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

Berghain, Reimagined: Studio Karhard Blends Techno-Futurism and Milanese Elagance in a Berlin Apartment

It’s not every day that you come across a private apartment tracing its lineage back to a techno nightclub. Yet the starting point for this Berlin apartment by Studio Karhard lies not in domestic precedent but in the underground world of Berghain. Two decades after shaping the interiors of the techno institution, the architects were approached by an American couple drawn to its subversive, starkly minimal, and unapologetically dark ambience. The challenge was not to domesticate the nightclub aesthetic, but to translate its energy into a design-forward space that could also feel genuinely lived in. With this in mind, Studio Karhard organised the apartment into lighter and darker scenes, united by a fluid design language of sinuous forms and a tactile palette of contrasting materials. The result is a carefully calibrated exercise in sumptuous minimalism that defies expectation, artfully fusing techno-futuristic cues with the sensual restraint of 1960s Milanese interiors.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

A wider view situates the living room within its full spatial context, where glass bricks wrap the perimeter to form a continuous, translucent enclosure. The crimson sofa, patterned Utrecht lounge chair by Cassina, and sculptural glass coffee tables create a layered, tactile interior that balances retro references with contemporary material precision. — Photography by Robert Rieger.

Located in Kreuzberg, the apartment underwent a radical reconfiguration. What had previously been a conventional two-room layout was stripped back and rebuilt as a sequence of carefully calibrated zones, each defined by shifts in light, material, and mood. At the heart of the scheme, a curved glass-brick wall arcs gently through the plan. More than a partition, it operates as a luminous diaphragm, separating the apartment’s social areas both from the entrance and private realms while allowing light to travel freely between them.

The living room and adjoining kitchen-dining area unfold on the one side of this translucent curve where cream-hued plaster walls and terrazzo flooring establish a warm, tactile counterpoint, while stainless-steel surfaces echo the cool, reflective register of the glass-brickwork. Bathed in daylight, the living area is anchored by a built-in sofa set on a sinuous stainless-steel plinth that traces the curvature of the glass-brick wall. Upholstered in crimson-red Kvadrat fabric, the sofa animates the otherwise restrained palette, introducing a note of sleek theatricality reminiscent of 1960s Milanese interiors along with a pair of Soda blown-glass coffee tables by Yiannis Ghikas for Miniforms, a camouflage-patterned Utrecht lounge chair by Gerrit Thomas Rietveld for Cassina, and a round carpet by Ferreira de Sá, all rendered in deep green tones.

The living area unfolds around a sweeping glass-brick backdrop, its gently curved surface diffusing daylight across the room. A deep red, built-in sofa traces the arc of the wall, set atop a stainless-steel plinth, while a circular green carpet and low glass tables anchor the seating arrangement in a midcentury-inflected composition. — Photography by Robert Rieger.

A close-up captures the junction between the curved sofa and the glass-brick wall, highlighting the precision of the stainless-steel base and the plush texture of the upholstery. A slim vertical lighting pole punctuates the composition, introducing an architectural line that echoes the vertical rhythm embedded in the glass bricks.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

The seating area is framed by a dark opening that leads back into the apartment’s shadowed zones, heightening the contrast with the softly illuminated living space. Green-tinted glass tables, a plush carpet, and patterned upholstery animate the foreground, while the curved glass-brick wall reinforces a sense of enclosure and continuity.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

The dining area unfolds beside the curved glass-brick wall, where daylight filters gently into the space. A round dark table and leather-upholstered chairs sit on terrazzo flooring, while stainless-steel cabinetry and a bench-lined window balance industrial clarity with domestic comfort, reinforcing Studio Karhard’s careful calibration of light and material. — Photography by Robert Rieger.

The dining and kitchen area extends this dialogue between nostalgia and futurism, bringing together floor-to-ceiling stainless-steel cabinetry punctuated by untreated brass alcoves and a curvaceous stainless-steel island. Brown leather dining chairs and a dark wood table temper the kitchen’s industrial precision with warmth and tactility. Suspended above, a futuristic chandelier by Sabine Marcelis casts a soft, ambient glow that subtly mirrors the golden hues of the brass niches.

Brass-lined cabinetry niches glow softly within the stainless-steel kitchen wall, creating a luminous pause amid the otherwise cool material palette. Carefully framed shelves hold everyday objects like glassware and a coffee maker, elevating utilitarian storage into a composed, almost scenographic element within the domestic landscape.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

A sculptural pendant by Sabine Marcelis hovers above the dining table, its warm amber glow animating the room’s otherwise restrained palette. Suspended against cream plaster walls, the light’s geometric form introduces a subtle futurism, echoing the apartment’s dialogue between softness and precision while casting a calm, atmospheric halo over the dining setting.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

Crossing the glass-brick threshold, the mood shifts decisively. The entrance and adjoining powder room, study, and bedroom are deliberately darkened, their black-painted surfaces, dark terrazzo flooring and controlled lighting recalling the introspective corners of a nightclub at its most intimate. The powder room, in particular, boldly embraces this sensation: enveloped in stainless-steel surfaces and featuring a metal grid ceiling, the softly illuminated space feels closer to a nightspot interlude than a domestic setting.

In contrast, the en-suite bathroom is defined by openness and light. Mint-green cabinetry and surfaces establish a calm, almost clinical clarity, while daylight diffused through the glass-brick wall softens the room’s edges. At its centre, a monolithic washbasin carved from richly veined green marble is paired with a gleaming black bathtub set against a mirrored wall, their sculptural forms introducing a futuristic yet deeply elemental presence.

A detail of the bedroom reveals the tension between matte black surfaces and the textured transparency of the glass-brick wall. A cylindrical wall-mounted light introduces a subtle glow, its industrial character reinforcing the space’s nocturnal atmosphere while offering a restrained counterpoint to the tactile, rhythmic pattern of the bricks.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

Viewed from the bedroom, a curved glass-brick wall acts as a luminous threshold between darkness and light. The blackened, cocooning sleeping area opens onto a brighter sequence beyond, where terrazzo flooring and diffused daylight soften the transition. The composition foregrounds Studio Karhard’s spatial choreography, using translucency and curvature to guide movement and mood.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

$A freestanding black bathtub sits before a mirrored wall and an expanse of glass bricks, its glossy surface reflecting both light and shadow. Daylight refracts through the textured glass, animating the room with subtle movement, while the tub’s sculptural form introduces a dramatic focal point within the otherwise restrained, luminous setting.$

Photography by Robert Rieger.

The en-suite bathroom is anchored by a monolithic green marble washbasin set against pale mint cabinetry and terrazzo flooring. An oval backlit mirror introduces a soft, graphic glow, while glass-brick walls diffuse daylight throughout the space. The composition balances sculptural weight with visual lightness, creating a calm yet highly tactile atmosphere.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

Taken as a whole, the apartment reveals itself as a carefully balanced exercise in contrast. Light and dark, softness and hardness, futurism and nostalgia are brought into deliberate alignment, allowing markedly different atmospheres to coexist without friction. In doing so, Studio Karhard has shaped a home that carries the memory of Berlin’s most iconic club not as pastiche, but as atmosphere in a space attuned to rhythm, transition, and the quiet drama of moving from one state to another.

A dark, built-in wall unit in matte black sets a hushed, utilitarian tone, its recessed shelves displaying sculptural objects and a minimalist lamp. The inky surfaces absorb light, heightening contrast with the speckled terrazzo floor, while a pair of aluminium suitcases leans casually nearby—an understated nod to movement, impermanence, and Berlin’s transient, club-inflected domestic culture.

Photography by Robert Rieger.

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

Chesa Marchetta: Artfarm’s Art-Led Transformation of a Historic Alpine Guesthouse in Sils Maria

Unlike most hospitality brands that expand by replicating a recognisable formula across geographies, Artfarm works in the opposite direction, with each project conceived as a singular response to an environment. Founded by Swiss gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth over a decade ago, the group has developed a practice that treats hospitality as a form of cultural stewardship, where architecture, food and art are woven into the everyday life of a location rather than imposed upon it. That exact philosophy has found particularly fertile ground in Sils Maria with the opening of Chesa Marchetta, a boutique 13-room hotel and restaurant.

Formerly a much-loved local guesthouse and restaurant run by the Godly family since 1947, Chesa Marchetta has hosted generations of artists passing through the Engadin valley, among them Gerhard Richter and Jean-Michel Basquiat, drawn as much by the house’s atmosphere as by the region’s alpine scenery and intellectual pull—for over a century, Sils Maria has been a magnet for artists, writers and philosophers, from Friedrich Nietzsche and Thomas Mann to Alberto Giacometti and Marc Chagall. Rather than rewriting that history, Artfarm’s intervention builds directly upon it, allowing the house’s cultural memory and vernacular soul to guide its future.

A server moves through the dining room wearing a simple white T-shirt embroidered with “Chesa Marchetta, Est. 1947,” subtly linking past and present. In the foreground, a wheel of alpine cheese and rustic bread underscore the restaurant’s ingredient-led ethos and its unpretentious, deeply local approach to hospitality.

Photography by Dave Watts.

A secluded dining nook framed by rough stone walls and aged timber panelling captures the intimate scale of Chesa Marchetta’s restaurant. Hand-carved alpine chairs, a built-in wooden bench, and candlelit table settings create a warm, ritualistic atmosphere, where vernacular craftsmanship and restrained art placement blur the line between dining room and lived-in alpine interior.

Photography by Dave Watts.

A cluster of whitewashed Engadin houses with green shutters situates Chesa Marchetta within the historic fabric of Sils Maria. Traditional sgraffito façades and pitched stone roofs sit against a dramatic alpine backdrop, underscoring the village’s architectural continuity and its long-standing dialogue between built form, landscape, and light. — Photography by Dave Watts.

The main dining room unfolds as a cavernous yet intimate alpine interior, defined by rough stone walls, heavy timber beams, and broad plank floors. Leather-strapped cowbells suspended overhead form a sculptural ceiling installation, while candlelight, traditional chairs, and discreet artworks create a gallery-like atmosphere rooted in ritual and warmth. — Photography by Dave Watts.

Consisting of four adjoining buildings, the oldest dating back to the 16th century, Chesa Marchetta has undergone a four-year renovation that leans into continuity rather than transformation. Led by Paris-based architectural practice Laplace, the intervention is almost deliberately discreet, allowing the spaces to feel less designed than patiently evolved. Thick stone walls retain their scars, aged carpentry bears the marks of time, while floors creak with the assurance of long use. The result is a sense of continuity, as though the house has simply adjusted its rhythm.

Nowhere is this more palpable than in the restaurant. Cavernous yet intimate, the space is defined by rough stone and plaster walls, massive timber ceiling beams and broad floorboards. Hand-carved traditional Swiss chairs, candlelit candelabras and suspended bundles of dried herbs add to the room’s alpine warmth, while a striking ceiling installation created out of leather-strapped cowbells anchors the space with sculptural force. As with all of Artfarm projects, art is interwoven into the restaurant’s fabric, with landmark works by Alberto Giacometti and Philip Guston sharing wall space with paintings by Wolf Traut and Adriaen van Ostade.

A long communal table anchors the restaurant beneath a dense canopy of suspended leather-strapped cowbells. Rough stone walls, patinated timber, and candlelit table settings create a ritualistic dining atmosphere, where vernacular alpine elements are elevated through careful composition and the quiet presence of framed artworks. — Photography by Dave Watts.

An intimate bedroom vignette places modern comfort alongside historical texture. A framed figurative artwork hangs above the bed, while lime-washed walls and exposed beams retain their imperfections. Blue cushions add a quiet contemporary note, reflecting the hotel’s art-led yet understated design philosophy. — Photography by Dave Watts.

A minimalist presentation of hand-formed gnocchi served in a delicate broth reflects the restaurant’s restrained culinary language. Set against crisp white linen and branded porcelain, the dish highlights texture, seasonality, and precision, echoing Chesa Marchetta’s broader philosophy of simplicity, craftsmanship, and quietly expressive detail.

Photography by Dave Watts.

In the dining room, white tablecloths embroidered with traditional motifs soften the rawness of stone walls and weathered floorboards. Hand-carved wooden chairs, red glassware, and candlelight create an atmosphere of quiet ceremony, while the spatial rhythm encourages lingering and communal exchange.

Photography by Dave Watts.

In the restaurant's kitchen, chefs prepare seasonal ingredients with quiet focus, reinforcing the restaurant’s ingredient-led ethos. Stainless steel worktops and industrial lighting contrast with the human rhythm of hands at work, grounding Chesa Marchetta’s culinary offering in craft, precision, and the everyday rituals of alpine hospitality. — Photography by Dave Watts.

Elsewhere, in the lounge and bar, sculptures by Louise Bourgeois and a vivid landscape by Nicolas Party introduce moments of intensity and colour, accompanied by a trio of chandeliers by Jason Rhoades injecting a charged, mischievous energy. In corridors and communal spaces, artworks appear almost unexpectedly, rewarding slow movement through the house.

In the kitchen, chef Davide Degiovanni builds on the Godly family’s original, ingredient-led ethos, grounding the restaurant firmly in the Engadin landscape. Seasonal produce and close relationships with local suppliers shape a menu defined by unforced generosity, where alpine tradition is gently reworked through a contemporary lens.

Another view of the restaurant reveals its layered textures and lived-in character. Thick timber beams, uneven plaster walls, and timeworn furnishings frame a central cheese table, reinforcing the room’s role as both dining space and social hearth within the historic fabric of Chesa Marchetta. — Photography by Dave Watts.

The thirteen guest rooms are deliberately understated, their rustic alpine character filtered through a quiet, wabi-sabi sensibility. Beamed ceilings, lime-washed walls and hardwood floors form a restrained envelope softened by bouclé upholstery, wool rugs and linen curtains. Earthy creams and sandy tones are punctuated with confident accents of red, green or orange, while traditional Engadin furniture sits comfortably alongside contemporary pieces. As a finishing touch, murals by British-German artist Corin Sands, inspired by the Engadin valley and Giovanni Giacometti’s watercolour paintings, lend each room a subtle narrative of its own, deepening the scheme’s fairy-tale undertones.

Reclaiming its place within Sils Maria’s long cultural continuum, Chesa Marchetta has emerged as a social hearth thoughtfully attuned to place where hospitality unfolds as a form of attentive listening: to history, to landscape, and to the many creative lives that have passed through before.

A guest room unfolds with restrained warmth, where hand-painted wall murals inspired by local folklore meet exposed timber beams and soft natural light. Bouclé upholstery, a wool rug, and a red woollen bedcover introduce texture and colour, balancing rustic alpine character with a gentle, wabi-sabi sensibility. — Photography by Dave Watts.

A softly lit sitting area within a guest room offers a moment of retreat. Curved bouclé armchairs, hand-thrown ceramics, and a small writing desk sit beneath timber ceilings, while drawn curtains and warm lamplight cultivate a contemplative mood attuned to the slow rhythms of alpine life. — Photography by Dave Watts.

A low-slung lounge beneath exposed timber beams pairs rustic alpine architecture with a contemporary sensibility. A moss-green upholstered sofa, stone-topped coffee table, and hand-carved stools sit on a woven rug, while soft daylight and muted wall drawings lend the space a quiet, contemplative mood rooted in tactile comfort and material honesty.

Photography by Dave Watts.

A guest room blends traditional Engadin architecture with contemporary restraint. Timber-panelled walls, a low writing desk, and handwoven textiles are paired with a bold, colour-blocked bedspread, while filtered daylight and balanced proportions lend the space a calm, introspective atmosphere — Photography by Dave Watts.

A wider winter view frames Chesa Marchetta as a quietly embedded presence in the village landscape. Snow blankets the courtyard and surrounding buildings, accentuating the hotel’s restrained material palette and neo-vernacular architecture, where adaptive reuse allows centuries-old structures to remain active participants in daily village life. — Photography by Dave Watts.

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

Casa Corten: A Site-Driven House by HPA Arquitetura in Northern Portugal

Located on a forested slope in northern Portugal, Casa Corten is a carefully calibrated response to the plot’s terrain and orientation as well as its history. Designed by Hugo Pereira of HPA Arquitetura, the four-bedroom house occupies the site of a former timber factory, long reduced to ruins. Rather than erasing this industrial past, the project builds upon it, both materially and spatially, using the site’s constraints as the primary drivers of form and organisation. Wrapped in corten steel and embedded within naturalistically planted gardens, the house is conceived as a structure that changes over time: as the metallic envelope slowly oxidises and wild shrubs and grasses mature, architecture and landscape will settle into a shared, evolving equilibrium.

A serene horizon unfolds beyond the pool’s edge, where still water meets a low Corten steel parapet and dense woodland. The restrained geometry allows the landscape to dominate, with distant mountains softened by haze. The scene captures the house’s quiet confidence—architecture receding so nature can take the lead.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

An exterior view situates Casa Corten within its sloping landscape, where oxidised steel volumes and green roofs merge with planted terrain. Large glazed openings reveal the interior’s timber warmth, underscoring the project’s aim to settle architecture and landscape into a shared, evolving equilibrium.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

An elevated view reveals the house’s layered volumes stepping with the slope, Corten steel wrapping green roofs planted with native species. Full-height glazing dissolves the boundary between interior and exterior, presenting the architecture as an extension of the hillside rather than an isolated object. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

Partially submerged within the pool, a figure rests against a concrete edge as vegetation frames the scene. The moment humanises the architecture, highlighting how the water element doubles as both leisure space and spatial threshold between built form and descending terrain. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

A wide exterior view shows Casa Corten embedded into a wooded slope, its rust-toned steel volumes stepping gently with the terrain. Green roofs and native planting soften the geometry, allowing architecture and landscape to merge. The composition emphasises horizontality, restraint, and a deliberate dialogue between oxidised steel, glass, and evolving vegetation. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

The plot’s steep slope and east-facing orientation presented immediate challenges. Instead of levelling the land, the architects fragmented the building into a series of low-slung, prismatic volumes that follow the natural contours of the site, each one subtly angled to optimise orientation, privacy, and views. This approach reduces the visual impact of the house, making it appear as an extension of the terrain rather than an object imposed upon it. Extensive green roofs reinforce this strategy, blurring the boundary between built and natural surfaces while allowing vegetation to reclaim the roofscape.

Rather than being pushed fully into the hillside, the structure is deliberately set back from the slope, creating a narrow, planted gap that allows daylight to reach the lower level from both sides. Circulation is organised around this void, with a long, glazed corridor running parallel to it, connecting the four bedrooms downstairs to the social spaces above via a glass-enclosed staircase, as well as to the underground garage. This linear spine maintains a constant visual relationship with the terrain while structuring movement through the house.

Viewed from within, the concrete stair becomes a sculptural hinge between levels, washed in filtered daylight. Timber-lined walls and darkened concrete ceilings lend a grounded, monastic calm, while reflections in the glazing blur interior and exterior, reinforcing the project’s quiet dialogue between inhabitation and topography. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

A double-height threshold dissolves boundaries between interior and terrain, with full-height glazing framing the concrete stair as a continuation of the landscape. Warm timber panelling contrasts with raw concrete and weathered steel outside, while a solitary figure in motion underscores the house’s choreography of movement, light, and layered spatial depth. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

A glazed corridor runs tightly alongside the sloping terrain, its floor-to-ceiling glass dissolving the boundary between interior and earth. Solid timber posts and a raw concrete ceiling frame shifting reflections of soil and vegetation, turning circulation into a quiet, immersive encounter with the landscape rather than a neutral passage.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

A long internal corridor stretches toward daylight, framed by exposed concrete and dark timber panels. Soft curtains filter light along one side, while a blurred figure in motion introduces a sense of scale and lived-in rhythm, emphasising circulation as an experiential sequence rather than a purely functional passage.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

Inside a lower-level bedroom, exposed concrete surfaces frame a wide window overlooking planted grasses. A child seated on the window ledge introduces scale and quiet domestic life, while soft daylight and filtered views prevent the space from feeling embedded, emphasising comfort through light, distance, and landscape continuity. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

An open-plan bedroom and bathroom are articulated through freestanding concrete planes rather than full enclosures. Raw surfaces, integrated fixtures, and warm timber accents define a calm, almost ascetic atmosphere, where spatial continuity replaces separation and material honesty becomes the primary design language. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

Oriented downhill to take advantage of the expansive landscape, the bedrooms feature generous, wall-to-wall glazing that opens onto views filtered by planted grasses and vegetation, lending the otherwise compact rooms a sense of openness and depth.

Above, the plan opens up to accommodate the kitchen, dining, and living areas in a continuous, flexible sequence. Fully glazed façades establish an almost panoramic relationship with the surroundings, while the southern elevation is screened by a perforated corten steel brise-soleil. Both a sun-shading device and visual filter, the latter tempers solar exposure, enhances privacy, and reinforces the project’s material identity. Outdoor spaces extend the living areas through patios, terraces, and a pool set within a naturalistic landscape, maintaining the project’s emphasis on continuity rather than contrast.

The kitchen and adjacent seating area align along a glazed façade, with slender pendant lights hovering like punctuation marks. Weathered steel, timber, and concrete converge in a layered composition, while distant views seep through the screened envelope, reinforcing the home’s biophilic sensibility. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

A figure pauses beside the kitchen island, silhouetted against filtered daylight and perforated screens. The scene captures the house’s human scale: tactile materials, soft shadows, and a measured relationship between enclosure and openness, where architecture frames stillness as much as movement.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

A compact living space unfolds in warm timber and dark steel, anchored by a low leather sofa and patterned rug that soften the architectural rigor. Floor-to-ceiling glazing opens the room to the garden beyond, while a solitary figure at the threshold reinforces the house’s quiet choreography between shelter, light, and landscape.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

Material choices are deliberately restrained yet expressive. As mentioned before, corten steel clads the exterior, reappearing inside, most notably in the entrance hall and selected private areas. Its oxidised surface echoes the remnants of the former factory and provides a chromatic counterpoint to the raw concrete that dominates floors, walls, and ceilings. The concrete is left exposed and irregular, emphasising construction logic and material continuity across the house, while timber surfaces, used selectively, soften the palette without diluting its clarity. Throughout the interior, built-in furniture has been custom-designed to align with the architecture, reinforcing cohesion rather than introducing competing elements.

Sustainability is unsurprisingly an integral part of the project’s logic. Green roofs, rainwater collection systems, photovoltaic panels, and deciduous planting work both regulate temperature and reduce energy demand, supported by home automation systems that optimise daily operation.

Timber-clad vertical elements punctuate the interior like a rhythmic colonnade, their warm grain set against exposed concrete ceilings. Light and shadow articulate the sequence, revealing how structure, circulation, and material continuity are intertwined to guide movement while maintaining visual calm.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

A wider view reveals the timber-lined corridor as a luminous gallery, where slender columns, low seating, and carefully placed objects animate the passage. Glazing opens onto planted voids, allowing daylight and greenery to filter in, softening the house’s industrial palette with moments of domestic intimacy.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

From the living room, floor-to-ceiling glazing opens onto the pool terrace and valley beyond. Timber columns rhythmically frame the view, while raw concrete ceilings and soft furnishings create a calm interior foreground, reinforcing the seamless visual continuity between domestic space, water, and the surrounding hillside. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

A dining area unfolds beneath an exposed concrete ceiling, where warm timber furniture and built-in joinery anchor the space. Glazing on two sides draws in filtered daylight and leafy views, balancing the room’s structural clarity with a sense of intimacy and everyday domestic ritual.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

The main living space is arranged around low, generous seating and a solid timber coffee table, oriented toward panoramic glazing. Outside, loungers and planting align with the pool edge, extending the interior’s relaxed, tactile atmosphere into the landscape beyond.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

A linear living space unfolds beneath an exposed concrete ceiling, where timber columns form a rhythmic threshold toward the landscape. A solitary figure in yellow anchors the composition, reinforcing the house’s choreography of movement and pause, as architecture frames the valley as a lived, contemplative backdrop.

Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

The pool terrace opens toward the valley at twilight, where pale concrete planes and still water extend into the horizon. A young tree anchors the composition, while subtle lighting along the pool edge underscores the project’s emphasis on horizontality, silence, and a seamless transition between architecture and landscape. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

At dusk, the glazed corner of the living area reveals the house’s layered section, where a concrete stair slices diagonally through the volume. Warm interior light contrasts with the cool blue of evening, while timber walls and oxidised steel ceilings frame reflections of trees, reinforcing the dialogue between domestic life and the surrounding woodland. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

Boldly articulated through abstract volumetric geometry, Casa Corten belies a sequence of deliberate decisions, each rooted in site, climate, and use. Topography shapes the layout, circulation follows the land, and material choices echo the site’s industrial past without resorting to nostalgia. The result is a house that negotiates its context with precision, balancing spatial openness with privacy, and robustness with restraint, offering a contemporary domestic environment that remains firmly anchored to place.

A bedroom is conceived as a quiet concrete retreat, its raw walls and ceiling softened by low, indirect lighting. A deep-set window frames treetops and distant hills, allowing the landscape to enter as a calm backdrop, while minimal furnishings and art lean against the walls, emphasising intimacy and restraint. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

From below, the house reads as a continuous, illuminated ribbon embedded in greenery. Planted terraces cascade around the structure, while a solitary figure atop the upper level underscores scale and stillness, concluding the project as an architecture that settles quietly into its hillside setting. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

The entrance sequence is defined by monolithic Corten steel volumes and a perforated metal screen that glows softly from within. Set against a deepening sky, the composition emphasises material weight, texture, and shadow, presenting arrival as a slow, tactile transition from landscape to interior. — Photography by Ivo Tavares Studio.

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

Neema Maison Finikia Santorini: A Fashion-Forward Take on Cycladic Hospitality

With its volcanic caldera plunging into the Aegean Sea and a vernacular shaped by centuries of adaptation to wind, light, and lava stone, Santorini is a place that rarely needs embellishment. The Cycladic idiom—think whitewashed volumes, vaulted interiors, carved cave dwellings—has long been embraced by the island’s hospitality scene, often to quietly elegant effect. Yet that very success has also meant that much of Santorini’s design-conscious accommodation has resulted in predictably refined spaces, governed by a familiar grammar of pared-back minimalism. Neema Maison Finikia Santorini breaks from this well-worn script with confidence and charm, something one might expect, and indeed hope for, from lifestyle hospitality brand Domes, particularly from Domes Finds, the group’s latest collection of one-of-a-kind boutique resorts shaped around craft and curated detail.

Scenically located in Finikia, a village just beyond Oia’s honeyed glow, the adults-only, 16-suite hotel occupies a tranquil pocket of the island that feels refreshingly lived-in. Designed by Greek architectural studio Urban Soul Project, Neema Maison reflects Domes Finds’ philosophy at its most distilled: intimate in scale, expressive in character, and deeply attuned to place. Breath-taking views of the Aegean and the soft drama of Santorini’s topography form the backdrop while the foreground belongs to an entirely different atmosphere, one that evokes the carefree sophistication of Greek summers in the 1950s and ’60s, filtered through a fashion-conscious lens.

A solitary red parasol crowns a whitewashed dome, its sculptural silhouette sharply defined against a deep blue sky. The saturated colour acts as a graphic punctuation mark, distilling Neema Maison’s design language into a single, emblematic gesture that balances playfulness with compositional restraint.

Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

Two guests lounge on graphic red-and-cream daybeds beneath a tensile shade sail, the sea faintly visible beyond low stone walls. The scene balances leisure and structure: relaxed bodies set against carefully calibrated geometry, where colour, pattern, and horizon lines converge into a composed Mediterranean tableau.

Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

Reclining on patterned outdoor cushions, two figures share a quiet, unguarded moment, their bodies stretched along the terrace’s linear axis. The textured stone wall behind them anchors the composition, while soft textiles and filtered light introduce intimacy, reinforcing the project’s focus on ease, tactility, and unforced conviviality. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

Bright red parasols punctuate a terrace overlooking the Aegean, their saturated colour contrasting with pale plaster surfaces and deep blue water beyond. Slender metal chairs, striped upholstery, and low-built seating reference vintage resort furniture, creating a relaxed social setting that balances graphic clarity with the leisurely cadence of island life. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

Daybeds upholstered in bold geometric patterns line the pool’s edge, their red-and-cream motifs offset by deep blue cushions and the distant sea. A tensile canopy introduces shade without enclosure, reinforcing a relaxed Mediterranean atmosphere where colour, texture, and horizon meet in quiet equilibrium. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

A panoramic view of Finikia unfolds under a clear Aegean sky, where whitewashed volumes cascade across the hillside around a warm ochre church crowned with a bell tower. Palm trees and irregular rooflines punctuate the scene, highlighting Santorini’s layered architectural vernacular and the dialogue between landscape, light, and built form. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

A candid fashion moment unfolds on a sunlit terrace, where warm ochre walls frame a model in crisp white layers and earthy tones. The Cycladic village beyond becomes a textured backdrop, reinforcing the hotel’s dialogue between contemporary resort style and Santorini’s lived-in architectural landscape. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

From the moment of arrival, the hotel announces its intentions. The reception feels less like a lobby and more like stepping into a boutique or atelier, an impression reinforced by curated fashion displays and a sense of deliberate staging anchored by slender metal “thread” weaving through joinery and architectural details. Referencing the language of fashion illustration and textile craft, this sculptural gesture becomes a fluid visual motif throughout the hotel, one that echoes the meaning of the hotel’s name: derived from the ancient Greek word for thread, “Neema” is a symbol of craftsmanship, continuity, and discovery.

Colour and pattern play an equally decisive role. Neema’s signature red is deployed with precision, punctuating a palette of earthy neutrals with an exuberance that never reaches as far as overwhelming the senses. Striped and geometric motifs introduce a rhythmic, graphic cadence, evoking the easy optimism of mid-century holidays. Toward the pool terrace, the language softens without losing its identity: patterns reappear across tiled tabletops, sunbed upholstery, and custom pool tiles, while red parasols, a sinuous communal table, and a bar that doubles as a focal point shape an outdoor scene that feels both relaxed and composed.

The pool terrace unfolds as a sequence of stepped planes, sculpted walls, and crisp shadows. Curved pool edges soften the geometry, while red parasols punctuate a palette of sand, white, and blue. Daybeds and dining tables suggest a relaxed rhythm, where architecture choreographs moments of pause and gathering. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

The pool terrace reads as a sculptural landscape: rounded edges, volcanic stone walls, and a patterned pool floor establish a dialogue between geometry and materiality. Rattan loungers and canvas shade structures soften the architecture’s mass, while the restrained palette and clear horizon line lend the space a calm, mid-century Mediterranean ease. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

A shaded poolside lounge is arranged beneath tensile canopies, where patterned cushions, red accents, and low platforms form an inviting communal zone. The the controlled palette and layered textures evoke a contemporary reinterpretation of traditional Santorini outdoor living. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

An aerial view reveals the pool as a graphic centerpiece, its patterned tiles framed by pale plaster and deep red accents. Sun loungers, woven textures, and parasols are arranged with measured symmetry, highlighting the project’s careful balance between ornamental detail and spatial clarity within the compact village setting. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

Accommodation continues this story albeit at a more intimate scale. Carved into the hillside, the high-ceiling suites open onto private terraces, many framing expansive views across the Aegean. Designed for both short escapes and longer stays, most feature fully equipped kitchens, while three premium suites showcase in-room Jacuzzis for an extra note of indulgence. Architecturally, vaulted ceilings, arched doorways, and smooth, tactile white surfaces may serve to establish a soothing Cycladic foundation, yet it’s the interiors’ refusal to settle into any vernacular minimalism that gives them their edge.

Here, red reappears as a continuous “wainscoting” applied across the lower sections of walls, built-in seating, and cabinetry, visually anchoring the airy volumes. Striped patterns, playful mirrors, and bespoke furnishings add layers of graphic interest, while curated fashion details such as dress forms, vanity-style makeup chairs, bijouterie displays, and boutique vitrines imbue the rooms with an intimate backstage energy, as though one has wandered behind the scenes of a fashion shoot. Amenities further reinforce this sense of considered hospitality. Thoughtful touches such as Naxos-based apothecary bath products and Neema’s own boutique selections elevate everyday rituals into moments of tactile pleasure.

A symmetrical view through an arched suite reveals built-in red seating, striped dressing elements, and pale plaster surfaces unified under a vaulted ceiling. Carefully placed furniture and filtered daylight articulate zones without partitions, highlighting the hotel’s approach to spatial flow and chromatic restraint. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

The bedroom pairs crisp white bedding with a custom tiled headboard in blue, white, and terracotta stripes, introducing a graphic, almost maritime rhythm. Slim black pendant lights and red built-in side tables sharpen the composition, while pale green shutters temper daylight, balancing Mediterranean ease with modern precision. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

A generous living space centres on a curved, built-in red banquette that wraps around a raised plunge pool, blurring boundaries between lounging and bathing. Pale green shutters filter daylight across white plaster surfaces, while mirrored tables and graphic accents introduce a playful mid-century note within the Cycladic envelope. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

A built-in seating nook anchors the living area, where deep red upholstery and joinery contrast with pale plaster walls and sage-green shutters framing sea views. Graphic accents, sculptural lighting, and reflective surfaces lend the space a mid-century, fashion-inflected sensibility, balancing Cycladic restraint with a sense of curated domesticity. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

A pared-back sitting area stretches along a sculptural red built-in sofa, its linear form softened by textured upholstery and a free-form woven rug. White plaster walls act as a quiet backdrop for graphic artwork and mirrored side tables, reinforcing a minimalist yet warm composition rooted in material restraint. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

A relaxed terrace scene pairs sculptural outdoor furniture with raw stone walls and pale plaster surfaces. Guests linger between sun and shade, drinks in hand, as the architecture choreographs moments of pause—spaces designed for stillness, conversation, and unhurried observation. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

Dining unfolds with equal ease at Antonino’s, Domes’ Italian restaurant concept, which brings a playful dose of dolce vita to the cliffside setting. Pizzas are snipped with scissors at the table, spritzes are enjoyed poolside, and unfussy Italian dishes designed for sharing once again feel like scenes from a vintage holiday reel: nostalgically convivial yet grounded.

Fashion is not treated as a decorative layer but as an integral part of Neema Maison’s identity. The on-site boutique reflects this ethos through a considered selection of resort wear by Greek designers such as Zeus and Dione, Mary Katrantzou, Sofia Kokosalaki and Ancient Greek Sandals, alongside select international labels. Crafted from organic cottons, silks, and linens, the collection underscores the hotel’s emphasis on material quality and local craftsmanship.

The same measured approach informs its take on wellbeing with discreet massage treatments and yoga sessions on the terrace designed to support a slower, more attentive pace of island living.

A casual breakfast scene unfolds poolside, where striped tabletops, ceramic tableware, and sunlit surfaces set an easy tempo. Guests linger over fruit, pastries, and coffee, the informal setting underscoring the hotel’s emphasis on slow rhythms and everyday rituals elevated through thoughtful design. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

Outdoor dining unfolds across layered terraces of pale plaster and volcanic stone, where striped tabletops, red-framed chairs, and low built-in seating establish a relaxed, social rhythm. Lightweight canopies temper the sun, while the interplay of textures and colours evokes a contemporary take on Mediterranean communal living. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

Seen from below, a solitary figure stands atop a whitewashed roofline, silhouetted against an expansive sky. The composition distils Santorini’s architecture to pure form—curved plaster, sharp light, and open horizon—while the human presence introduces scale, movement, and a contemplative pause within the landscape. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

In a destination defined by its iconic imagery, Neema Maison Finikia Santorini offers something refreshingly different: a hotel that honours Cycladic heritage while confidently rewriting its visual language. Fashion-forward yet rooted in place, and expressive yet considered, it captures the spirit of discovery that underpins Domes’ evolving vision—proof that Santorini can still surprise, especially when design dares to thread a new path.

Layered cave-like volumes step across the hillside, revealing Neema Maison’s clustered architecture rendered in muted ochres, chalky whites, and stone greys. Arched roofs, deep-set openings, and lava-stone retaining walls anchor the complex in Santorini’s geological logic, while subtle colour variation lends the ensemble a contemporary, village-like rhythm rather than a monolithic hotel presence. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

A guest pauses within a sculpted courtyard framed by softly curved, sand-toned walls and deep-set openings. The restrained palette, ceramic vessels, and sparse planting heighten the play of light and shadow, lending the scene a quietly cinematic quality that blurs architecture, fashion, and lived experience. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

A private courtyard is framed by sculpted Cycladic forms, where thick plastered walls, soft curves, and recessed openings create a sense of enclosure. Woven seating and ceramic vessels introduce tactile warmth, while angled sunlight sharpens shadows across the pale surfaces, balancing intimacy and openness in a composition that feels both domestic and quietly theatrical.

Framed by an open doorway, a couple stands on a private terrace overlooking Finikia’s layered rooftops. Soft evening light grazes textured walls and tailored silhouettes, blurring interior and exterior while capturing the hotel’s quiet luxury—defined by proportion, calm, and unforced intimacy.

Wind lifts hair and linen as guests gather informally, glasses in hand, caught mid-laughter. The low-angle perspective and golden-hour light lend intimacy to the scene, suggesting a social atmosphere shaped less by spectacle than by ease, proximity, and the gentle rhythm of island time. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

Set against an open horizon, two guests share wine at a graphic outdoor table, its red accents echoing the hotel’s signature palette. The restrained composition—clean lines, open sky, distant sea—captures the ease of social rituals unfolding within a carefully calibrated architectural setting. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

Seen from above, the stepped volumes of the suites trace Finikia’s topography through soft curves and dry-stone walls. Muted earth tones replace Santorini’s expected white, while private terraces and small tables suggest an inward-looking hospitality model rooted in village scale and everyday rhythms. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

A close aerial crop isolates the pool’s curved edge, where rippling water animates a bold tile pattern in blue and burgundy tones. Red parasols cast precise shadows on the white surface, turning light and movement into compositional tools that reinforce the hotel’s distinctly graphic, almost illustrative identity. — Photography © Neema Maison Finikia Santorini.

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

Kilmory House: A Modern Gothic Reimagining of an Arts and Crafts Residence in Sydney

Set within the grounds of a 1913 Arts and Crafts estate in Point Piper, an upscale harbourside suburb of Sydney, Kilmory House strikes a carefully choreographed balance between heritage and modernity, as much as drama and restraint, courtesy of interior designer Jillian Dinkel’s penchant for storytelling, craftsmanship, and understated opulence. Having previously designed the clients’ main residence within the same estate, Dinkel was invited back to transform the three-bedroom house into a social setting for private dinners, cocktail parties, and intimate gatherings.

Rather than competing with the property’s architectural gravitas, Dinkel leaned into it, reinterpreting its craft-rich legacy through a distinctly “modern gothic” lens. Richly layered surfaces interweaving solid oak and natural stone with brass and steel finishes establish a tactile dialogue between past and present, further enlivened by an eclectic mix of contemporary furnishings and artworks, while a deliberately saturated palette of inky blues, deep burgundies, and bruised mauves imbues the house with a quietly cinematic intensity.

The entry hall is enveloped in deep mauve Venetian plaster, its sheen catching soft daylight from the garden beyond. Clustered onyx-and-brass ceiling lights float overhead, while dark timber joinery, stone flooring, and a sculptural console establish a dramatic yet measured introduction to the house’s modern gothic sensibility.

Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

Stepping inside, the entrance vestibule sets the tone. Enveloped in custom mauve Venetian plaster, the space gives way to a sculptural staircase whose curved balustrade and sinuous metallic handrail feel more like a carved object than a functional necessity. Overhead, alabaster-and-brass round ceiling lights by Apparatus Studio appear to float like lily pads, while a large abstract painting by Louise Olsen anchors the space in organic movement, softening the architectural rigor with painterly intuition.

As mentioned before, entertaining is the house’s true raison d’être, and the open-plan living area makes this immediately clear. Anchored by Patricia Urquiola‘s Tufty-Time Sofa for B&B Italia, the room is conceived as a generous landscape for conversation rather than a formal lounge, with modular seating facing a wall of French doors that open onto a terrace. Behind it, a commercial-grade Poliform kitchen island asserts itself against dark cabinetry through its sleek, minimalist stainless-steel silhouette and marble detailing. Underfoot, Versailles-pattern parquetry is softened by a custom silk rug, while a glossy, oversized artwork by Dale Frank amplifies the room’s shifting light. Pieces such as &Tradition’s Wulff Lounge Chair and Isamu Noguchi’s Akari Floor Lamp adding to the room’s tactile richness, and yet, remarkably, nothing feels overstated.

A quieter transitional space pairs mauve-toned Venetian plaster walls with a woven timber console and abstract artwork. Sculptural objects rest atop the cabinet, while the herringbone parquet floor and stone thresholds reinforce the home’s dialogue between artisanal detail, muted colour, and controlled theatricality. — Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

The living area unfolds as a carefully composed sequence: a deep blue modular sofa anchors the foreground, set against a glossy black artwork that reflects light and movement. Beyond, a moody mauve-toned room recedes through a framed opening, reinforcing the home’s layered spatial rhythm and controlled theatricality. — Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

French doors open directly onto a garden terrace, framing a sculptural outdoor table and benches in warm-toned stone. Inside, a dark sculptural stool and herringbone parquet floor mark the threshold, emphasising the seamless transition between interior social spaces and the landscaped exterior beyond.

Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

A glossy, oversized black artwork dominates the living room wall, reflecting garden light and interior movement. Its reflective surface contrasts with the softness of the Tufty-Time sofa and rug below, while sculptural side tables and a curved floor lamp introduce tactile counterpoints within the otherwise restrained palette.

Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

In the open-plan living area, a deep blue modular sofa stretches across a custom rug, oriented towards a wall of French doors overlooking the garden. The composition emphasises horizontality and ease, with art and furniture arranged as a relaxed landscape for conversation rather than a formal lounge. — Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

A wide view of the open-plan living and kitchen area highlights the dialogue between softness and precision. The Tufty-Time sofa faces a monolithic stainless-steel island set against dark cabinetry, while herringbone parquet flooring and restrained ceiling lighting create a calm, balanced backdrop for social gathering. — Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

Nowhere is this balance of drama and restraint more palpable than in the dining room, which doubles as a wine cellar. Dark timber panelling, Art Deco-style light light fittings from Apparatus Studio‘s Tassel series, and a neoclassical sandstone fireplace conjure an atmosphere of stately nostalgia, while a 400-bottle wine fridge, complete with a rolling library ladder, add a note of indulgent practicality. Clerestory windows filter light across the bottles, heightening the sense of ceremony around the act of dining itself.

A jewel-box powder room wrapped in oak panelling and hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper offers a moment of theatrical pause, while the former bedrooms are reimagined as spaces of retreat and release, now housing a Pilates studio, an art studio and a playroom. Enveloped in hand-painted forest murals by artist Abel Macias, the latter is the property’s dreamiest room, complete with billowing fabric ceilings, oversized paper lanterns, swing chairs, and a mezzanine level lined with pink cushions.

Designed not simply to impress, but to hold attention, Kilmory House succeeds in elevating the familiar rituals of hospitality through a delicate and precise combination of atmosphere, material intelligence, and a finely tuned sense of occasion.

A close-up reveals the cellar’s material precision: richly grained timber joinery, veined stone flooring, and a sculptural wall sconce set against mottled plaster. The vertical rhythm of the wine racks and ladder introduces depth and movement, transforming a functional zone into an immersive, atmospheric backdrop.

Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

A stately dining room unfolds in dark timber panelling and Versailles-pattern parquetry, anchored by a neoclassical sandstone fireplace. Burgundy-upholstered chairs surround a black dining table beneath sculptural glass pendants, while tall French doors draw in garden light, balancing the room’s moody palette with a sense of formality and calm.

Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

Viewed through a doorway, the bathroom reveals a sequence of thresholds defined by timber framing, stone surfaces, and reflective planes. The layered perspective emphasises depth and calm, turning a functional zone into a carefully choreographed spatial pause.

Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

A double vanity bathroom balances symmetry and restraint: veined stone basins are set into a stone-clad counter, paired with brushed metal cabinetry and elongated mirrors. Sculptural wall sconces frame the composition, while dark stone flooring grounds the space in quiet material weight.

Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

A compact dressing nook pairs dark timber joinery with a minimalist vanity set beneath a softly filtered window. A sculptural stool and slender mirror introduce lightness, while restrained materials and muted tones create a contemplative, almost monastic atmosphere.

Photography by Dave Wheeler. Styling by Joseph Gardner.

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

Cloudhaus Hotel: A Mountain Sanctuary Born from Local Craft and Sustainable Vision

Perched on the northern slope of the Jinfo Mountain in Chongqing’s Nanchuan District, the Cloudhaus Hotel exemplifies how contemporary hospitality design can honour regional identity while embracing principles of sustainability and adaptive reuse. Occupying what was once the sales office of a nearby resort, the 24-room hotel was designed by RooMoo Design Studio in dialogue with its scenic setting: a UNESCO World Natural Heritage site, Jinfo Mountain boasts a landscape of dramatic karst formations, dense bamboo forests, deep gorges and cliff-side trails, along with a long-standing Buddhist culture. This mountainous context provided both the physical and conceptual foundation for the hotel’s design, shaped as much by the availability of locally sourced materials as by the region’s vernacular architecture and craft heritage. Guided by the Studio’s instinct for understated elegance and underpinned by a commitment to reuse and low-waste construction, the result is a soulful sanctuary that feels deeply rooted in place and yet thoroughly contemporary.

Rather than approaching the project with predetermined concepts, RooMoo embarked on an extensive period of varied field research during which they explored the mountainous landscape, documented local resources such as catalogued traditional building techniques, and visited nearby wood factories, whilst observing bamboo harvesting practices. This accumulation of material and cultural knowledge was distilled into an architectural vocabulary that informed every aspect of the hotel’s design, from the reconstructed façade to interior specifications and finishing details. Sustainability also played a pivotal role where salvaging and repurposing materials unearthed during construction and mountain exploration became the core design driver rather than a supporting gesture.

An atmospheric twilight view of the hotel entrance reveals a Zen-inspired courtyard. Dark timber fencing and slate steps lead toward a gabled structure with intricate bamboo screen inserts. Soft, focused uplighting illuminates a specimen tree and the warm, glowing interior visible through large glass doors, establishing a mood of quiet, sophisticated hospitality.

Photography by Wen Studio.

At dusk, the hotel glows like a lantern against the darkening forest. The modular design of the facade is highlighted by integrated lighting, emphasizing the textures of the bamboo panels and the stone base. Large windows offer a glimpse into the warm, inviting guest rooms, while the misty mountain light creates a serene, ethereal atmosphere.

Photography by Wen Studio.

A high-angle perspective showcases the hotel’s spatial relationship with the terrain. Private guest terraces, enclosed by rustic bamboo screens, create secluded outdoor pockets. The composition emphasizes the contrast between the clean, geometric lines of the white architecture and the organic, sprawling greenery of the mountain, lit by a soft, amber evening glow. — Photography by Wen Studio.

Architecturally, the Studio has reorganised the original, somewhat generic five-storey block with the aim of creating a clearer dialogue with the neighbouring mountain. The lower level, designed to resemble a stone plinth, thanks to its façade clad in dark local rock that anchors the building to the terrain, gives way to a cantilevered white framework above which extends vertically along the main façade, echoing the mountain’s steep incline whilst articulating the guestroom balconies. Extensive glazing between the vertical frames brings in ample natural light, opening up sweeping views of the valley, while infill bamboo panels on the lateral façades and bamboo partitions delineating a series of private courtyards for the ground-floor guestrooms introduce warmth and texture. At the very top, the building is crowned by a tiled gabled roof, punctuated by a timber-and-bamboo canopy that shelters a deep terrace on the top floor.

Arrival has been rethought as a journey through landscape. From the winding mountain road, guests first encounter an enclosed plaza defined by a bamboo fence laced with bands of green plastic tape in what is a direct translation of local railing techniques. From there, a bridge leads to the hotel’s reception and lobby on the top floor, while the 24 rooms are evenly distributed on the four floors below. Additionally, guests can enter via the underground parking on the lower floor, where the restaurant is also located, or through a landscaped courtyard above, a quirky configuration made possible by the site’s steep topography.

Once inside, guests are met with panoramic mountain views courtesy of floor-to-ceiling glazing. Rather than competing with the drama outside, the interior design defers to it through a carefully composed palette of locally sourced and salvaged materials such as bamboo, wood and black stone.

In the public areas on the top floor, split bamboo panels clad the walls and pitched ceiling, their alternating vertical, horizontal and diagonal striations lending the space a rhythmic visual energy. Clean lines and simple furniture temper the textural richness which aid in creating a contemporary atmosphere, while two decorative installations, crafted in collaboration with local bamboo weavers, one suspended above the bar, the other further along the space, soften the geometry with their playful ring and disc forms.

In a multi-purpose space adjoining the lobby, a hut-like structure made from timber salvaged from an abandoned mountain cabin demarcates a stage for performances, topped with a chequered canopy inspired by the bright tiles of ancient Western Sichuan roofs.

A processional corridor lined with blackened timber panels leads the eye toward a glazed opening and mountain views beyond. Overhead, a looping bamboo installation softens the axial geometry, introducing a sense of movement and craft into the otherwise restrained, contemplative space. — Photography by Wen Studio.

A generous lobby interior combines blackened wood surfaces, bamboo ceilings, and expansive glazing that frames the surrounding mountains. A suspended fireplace and modular seating establish a calm, communal atmosphere, where material warmth offsets the clarity of the architectural lines. — Photography by Wen Studio.

The reception desk is set against a wall of intricately arranged bamboo panels, their varied textures and orientations creating subtle visual depth. Dark timber counters and muted lighting ground the space, balancing artisanal richness with contemporary restraint.

Photography by Wen Studio.

The bar area features a curved counter clad in reclaimed wood and patterned inserts, animated by a sculptural bamboo installation overhead. Natural light filters through large windows, softening the graphic contrasts and reinforcing the project’s balance between craft and contemporary form.

Photography by Wen Studio.

A symmetrical view of the lobby’s performance stage highlights the exposed timber framework and bamboo roof structure above. The composition emphasises spatial clarity and structural honesty, with recycled materials shaping a flexible gathering space rooted in local construction traditions. — Photography by Wen Studio.

A woven bamboo pendant light hovers above a compact counter, its layered rings casting delicate shadows across the space. Framed by white columns and dark timber floors, the scene captures the hotel’s Zen-like material palette and its emphasis on handcrafted detail.

Photography by Wen Studio.

Layered bamboo pendant lights hover above a lounge area furnished with low, upholstered seating. Floor-to-ceiling windows frame forested slopes, while woven wall panels and muted tones create a Zen-like atmosphere that privileges light, texture and quiet conversation.

Photography by Wen Studio.

An open-plan restaurant unfolds beneath a bamboo-lined ceiling and exposed brick volumes, articulated by timber posts. The layered materials and filtered daylight evoke a contemporary rustic sensibility, where spatial fluidity and handcrafted textures anchor the interior firmly to its mountainous setting.

Photography by Wen Studio.

The restaurant interior pairs exposed stone walls with reclaimed timber surfaces and simple wooden furniture. Soft daylight filters through roof openings, illuminating a communal dining layout that balances rustic materiality with contemporary clarity and a sense of grounded hospitality. — Photography by Wen Studio.

Occupying a ground-floor annex created by extending the original parking area, the restaurant carries the vocabulary of reclamation into the dining environment. Red bricks removed during the building’s renovation were repurposed to build a textured wall separating the kitchen which is topped by a decorative bulkhead made from leftover bamboo scaffolding treads; offcut stones were used as wall cladding while locally collected rock and gravel is embedded in the terrazzo floors; even the cushions are sewn from reused fabrics. Despite this rich tapestry of textures, the space remains serene and pared-back thanks to simple, honest furniture and an otherwise restrained material palette. Daylight filtering through bamboo-lined skylights further enhances the warm, grounded atmosphere.

Long wooden benches line the restaurant beside stone walls and tall windows, creating an informal dining zone bathed in natural light. The restrained palette and honest materials underscore a neo-vernacular sensibility rooted in local construction traditions.

Photography by Wen Studio.

A ceiling detail reveals bamboo slats set within a timber frame, filtering daylight into the space below. The precise yet irregular pattern exemplifies RooMoo Design Studio’s use of local craft techniques to shape light, atmosphere and spatial intimacy.

Photography by Wen Studio.

The design of the 24 rooms maintains the project’s overarching philosophy, harmoniously incorporating earthy tones, natural materials and handcrafted details. The furniture, most of which is produced in nearby Nanchuan, keeps the language simple and cohesive while rooting the project in the local economy and landscape. Typologies range from compact twins to suites with dedicated living areas, all striking the same balance of restraint and comfort, inviting guests to focus less on decoration and more on the uninterrupted mountain views.

RooMoo Design Studio’s renovation does not try to outdo it’s surrounding dramatic scenery; instead, it uses it as a constant backdrop, allowing interiors to be quietly animated by shifting light, mist and weather. For guests, this translates into an experience where staying put can be as compelling as setting out on the region’s scenic trails. In a place long associated with pilgrimage and contemplation, Cloudhaus offers a contemporary form of retreat that folds ecological frugality, local craft and spatial clarity into the larger story of the Jinfo Mountain.

A lounge area anchored by a curved sofa sits beneath folding timber shutters inset with patterned panels. Natural light filters across textured plaster walls and woven rugs, reinforcing the hotel’s neo-vernacular language and its emphasis on softness, rhythm, and quiet comfort. — Photography by Wen Studio.

A guest room defined by an open timber wardrobe structure and neutral palette, where woven panels, raw wood, and stone-grey flooring establish a serene, Japandi-inflected atmosphere. The layout prioritizes calm and clarity, echoing Cloudhaus Hotel’s focus on quiet living. — Photography by Wen Studio.

A guestroom arranged around a central timber desk faces two expansive picture windows framing the forested slopes of Jinfo Mountain. Clean-lined furniture, woven panels, and soft textiles create a calm, Japandi-leaning composition where the landscape becomes the room’s primary ornament. — Photography by Wen Studio.

A wide architectural landscape shot captures the hotel submerged in a vast, verdant valley under a purple-hued sunset. The structure’s illuminated windows create a rhythmic pattern of light, anchoring the building within the immense, ancient landscape. The scene perfectly embodies the Cloudhaus philosophy of living in harmony with the shifting mountain mists.

Photography by Wen Studio.

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

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March 30, 2026

Grand Hotel Belvedere: A Belle poque Landmark in Wengen Reopens as a Contemporary Alpine Retreat

Reached by a single-cog railway that has steadily climbed from the valley floor ever since 1898, the Alpine village of Wengen embodies the romantic ideal of a Swiss retreat. Low-key and quietly charming, the village is set within a landscape of rare drama, offering visitors car-free streets and narrow footpaths, lined with timber chalets and modest gardens, high above the Lauterbrunnen Valley, a cinematic landscape of sheer cliffs, meadows, and waterfalls. With expansive open views that stretch towards the Jungfrau massif beyond, this destination’s interplay of intimacy and scale has long captured the attention and provided inspiration for artists and travellers alike: Goethe responded to the power of the valley’s waterfalls in verse, J. M. W. Turner was drawn to its shifting light and sense of immensity, while J. R. R. Tolkien, who visited in 1911, absorbed impressions that later resurfaced in his imagined landscapes.

It came as no surprise when French hospitality group Beaumier chose Wengen for its first Swiss property. The newly reopened Grand Hotel Belvedere occupies two landmark hotels dating back to the village’s early-20th-century heyday, thoughtfully reimagined by Geneva-based practices Clavien & Associates and Complete Works, with a newly built brutalist spa set discreetly between them. Artfully balancing the Heimatstil and Art Nouveau heritage of the original buildings with a contemporary sensibility, Wengen’s first five-star hotel feels grounded, deliberate, and distinctly of its place.

This perspective highlights the hotel’s iconic Belle Époque silhouette, characterized by deep-red wooden gables and turquoise shutters. Nestled among towering pines, the structure’s warm palette and intricate woodwork evoke a sense of nostalgic luxury, bridging the gap between historical grandeur and the rugged authenticity of the surrounding mountain landscape.

Photography by Benoit Linero.

A vibrant sun-drenched terrace features a row of mustard-yellow umbrellas, contrasting with the dramatic, snow-capped peaks of the Swiss Alps. In the foreground, a building corner displays a bold traditional-maximalist chevron pattern in ochre and burgundy, while lush greenery and bright red geraniums ground the airy, panoramic composition. — Photography by Benoit Linero.

A breathtaking wide-angle view from a high vantage point captures the hotel’s slate roofs nestled within the dramatic Lauterbrunnen Valley. Ethereal clouds drift through jagged, forest-clad limestone cliffs, creating an immersive biophilic atmosphere. The composition emphasizes the scale of the landscape, where human architecture feels like a soulful extension of the organic terrain. — Photography by Benoit Linero.

The two buildings that now form the Grand Hotel Belvedere reflect Wengen’s emergence as a Belle Époque centre for skiing and alpine tourism at the turn of the 20th century. The former Wengener Hof dates back to 1898, while the original Grand Hotel Belvedere, completed in 1912, was once a beacon of Alpine glamour, its Heimatstil architecture and Art Nouveau interiors conceived to impress an international clientele. Rather than approaching the project as either nostalgic restoration or radical overhaul, longtime friends Arnaud Christin of Complete Works and Valéry Clavien of Clavien & Associés treated the property with a sense of continuity, preserving decorative fragments, construction logic, and material honesty while enabling the hotel to comfortably function as a contemporary five-star destination in its own right.

The hotel’s historic facade showcases traditional Alpine architecture with a sophisticated color twist. Intricate dark wood balconies and a prominent gabled roof are punctuated by vibrant turquoise shutters. Large arched windows on the lower level ground the structure, while the warm yellow ochre of the exterior walls radiates under a clear blue sky, reflecting a refined neo-vernacular charm. — Photography by Benoit Linero.

Vibrant crimson velvet armchairs provide a bold, maximalist counterpoint to the rich, dark-stained timber paneling of this grand lounge. A heavy, wrought-iron lantern hangs from a beamed ceiling, while an arched doorway offers a glimpse of sun-drenched terrace umbrellas and distant peaks. The space feels theatrical yet cozy, blending Belle Époque bones with modern color.

Photography by Benoit Linero.

Large, arched windows frame a cinematic view of a lone pine tree against a snow-dusted peak. The interior mood is quiet and sophisticated, with heavy drapes and a mid-century inspired floor lamp casting a warm glow. This Japandi-inflected framing creates a seamless transition between the cozy, curated interior and the wild, Alpine exterior.

Photography by Benoit Linero.

Viewed through a dark, out-of-focus window frame, the landscape is reduced to a living painting. The contrast between the shadowy interior and the sunlit valley—dotted with tiny chalets and vast vertical cliffs—highlights a design philosophy centered on spatial perspective, turning the natural world into the hotel’s most significant decorative element. — Photography by Benoit Linero.

Largely contained within the 1912 building, the hotel’s public spaces present a renewed reading of its original Heimatstil architecture. Rooted in a romantic idea of “home” and shaped by illustrations from literature and folklore, the style privileges vernacular craft, regional forms, and local materials, principles that have guided the architects throughout. Original timber beams, hand-carved columns, and decorative wood panelling have been retained and restored to their lighter, natural pine hue, countering the darker, heavier aesthetic often associated with Alpine hotels, while once-concealed frescoes, including an Adam and Eve scene above the lobby fireplace, reintroduce a sense of narrative depth.

A carefully balanced mix of classic and contemporary furniture, including generously upholstered armchairs by Pinch and Thonet’s ‘209P’ chairs, sits alongside restored hand-blown glass chandeliers, handwoven rugs, and a restrained art collection curated by Marie Veidig for Saint Lazare, resulting in interiors that feel composed, tactile, and assured whilst never tripping hazardously into a realm of theatrics.

This soulful lounge area centers on a large, tapered fireplace adorned with intricate, folk-inspired scrollwork and a circular mural. Soft, sage-green armchairs are arranged for conversation on a textured rug, surrounded by honey-toned wood paneling and exposed ceiling beams. The lighting is intimate and golden, evoking a refined, rustic-bohemian warmth. — Photography by Lucas Dutertry.

A symmetrical view of a dining alcove showcases a magnificent arched mural in golden-brown tones, featuring Art Nouveau-inspired botanical patterns. Below the arch, a round dining table is perfectly centered, flanked by warm timber chairs. The interplay of architectural geometry and decorative painting creates a sense of immersion and historical depth.

Photography by Benoit Linero.

A still-life composition of rustic culinary tools features a large hammered copper bowl and smaller copper saucepans on a white linen surface. A silver pedestal dish holds a rich chocolate mousse topped with crushed nuts and cream. The warm metallic tones and traditional materials evoke a sense of timeless craftsmanship and alpine heritage. — Photography by Benoit Linero.

This refined, locally rooted sensibility carries through to the hotel’s culinary offering. At Brasserie Belvedere, Chef Will Gordon approaches Alpine cuisine with curiosity and restraint. His menu moves fluidly between Bern, Bolzano, and the French Savoie, where schnitzel sits comfortably alongside local caviar, homemade pastas, and a precisely executed beef pithivier. Simplicity guides the kitchen, reinforced by the fact that around 80 per cent of ingredients are sourced from within 100 kilometres of the hotel.

The Sonnenbad Lounge & Terrace offers a more relaxed counterpoint, serving wood-fired pizzas, raclette, and fondue beneath yellow parasols facing the peaks. Gordon’s philosophy also extends beyond the kitchen, offering guests the opportunity to go on foraging walks in the surrounding forests in search of porcini and other seasonal finds.

A grand hallway gallery serves as an elegant dining passage, characterized by lofty arches and intricate stenciled ceiling borders. Golden glass pendants cast a warm glow over white-clothed tables and moss-green velvet chairs. The herringbone flooring and long, flowing teal drapes create a rhythmic perspective that celebrates the hotel’s historic architectural grandeur.

Photography by Lucas Dutertry.

A luminous dining transition features a large Palladian-style interior archway that leads the eye into a series of elegantly appointed salons. Slate-blue velvet curtains frame tall windows, contrasting with the warm herringbone wood floors. The mood is sophisticated and airy, defined by the rhythmic repetition of architectural moldings and golden, crystal-tier pendant lighting.

Photography by Lucas Dutertry.

A sun-drenched sunroom features a row of mid-century modern lounge chairs in burnt orange, arranged along a wall of tall, arched windows. Brass pendant lanterns hang from the ceiling, casting a warm glow that complements the natural light. The long perspective and rhythmic placement of furniture create an elegant, tranquil space for contemplation. — Photography by Lucas Dutertry.

This serene bedroom captures the Zen-like quality of the hotel’s private quarters. Bright sunlight streams onto a green carpeted floor, highlighting a low-slung wooden bench and a textured green armchair. The integration of natural materials—from the knotty pine wardrobes to the wool textiles—creates a tactile, grounded sanctuary overlooking the mountains. — Photography by Lucas Dutertry.

In the hotel’s’ 90 rooms, the design is deliberately restrained, allowing the dramatic setting to take precedence. Finishes are kept simple and tactile: lime-washed walls, pine panelling, and thick wool throws echo the tones and textures of the surrounding landscape, while bespoke furniture designed by Arnaud Christin reinforces a sense of functional simplicity. Large windows and balconies also play a defining role, opening out onto expansive views of the surrounding mountains and the Jungfrau massif beyond.

A soulful guest room corner blends Alpine warmth with mid-century modern sensibilities. A low-slung, timber-framed armchair upholstered in moss-green bouclé is paired with a checkered wool pillow. Beside it, a blue-grey stone pedestal table holds a glass carafe, illuminated by soft natural light filtering through heavy cream drapes. The atmosphere is one of quiet, curated comfort.

Photography by Lucas Dutertry.

A guest room embodies alpine minimalism, featuring a large bed dressed in a bold forest-green and cream plaid wool throw. Floor-to-ceiling pine wood paneling adds warmth and texture, while minimalist wooden bedside lamps provide soft, focused light. The palette of mossy greens and natural timber reflects a biophilic design philosophy.

Photography by Lucas Dutertry.

Viewed through a glass door, a guest enjoys a quiet moment on a private balcony with an ornate white wrought-iron railing. Beyond, the dramatic, snow-capped Swiss Alps and deep valley vistas create a breathtaking backdrop. The composition emphasizes the spatial relationship between the intimate interior and the expansive, majestic mountain landscape. — Photography by Lucas Dutertry.

A guest relaxes in a minimalist indoor pool, where the cool turquoise water meets the austere beauty of board-marked concrete. A small, circular porthole window and a larger glass pane invite natural light and forest views, creating a contemplative, monastic atmosphere that prioritizes silence, texture, and the elemental relationship between light and water.

Photography by Anthony Louet.

Viewed from the water’s edge, a guest gazes out from a pool toward the hotel’s traditional architecture and the towering, sun-drenched peaks beyond. The composition emphasizes the contrast between the crisp, white minimalist pool rim and the classic Swiss chalet-style balconies, capturing a moment of immersive, high-altitude tranquility.

Photography by Anthony Louet.

Set between the two historic buildings, the spa is the project’s most assertive contemporary gesture. Designed by Clavien & Associés, the low-slung brutalist structure is built into the landscape, its concrete volumes softened by a planted roof and views over gardens and forests. Inside, the atmosphere is meditative and deliberately sparse. An indoor-outdoor pool inspired by Japanese bathing culture forms the heart of the space, complemented by a sauna, hammam, and four treatment rooms. Treatments by Susanne Kaufmann, formulated with Alpine botanicals, reinforce the sense of communion with the surrounding terrain, making the spa feel less like an escape from nature than a deepening of it.

This brutalist-inspired indoor pool area features raw, board-marked concrete walls and ceilings that create a cave-like sanctuary. The minimalist geometry is softened by the turquoise glow of the water and horizontal ribbon windows that frame a lush, biophilic view of the surrounding forest, creating a seamless connection between the subterranean interior and nature.

Photography by Benoit Linero.

An outdoor infinity pool is framed by sharp, cast-concrete architectural lines that mirror the mountainous horizon. The cool, grey texture of the concrete contrasts with the vibrant green of the pine-covered slopes and the brilliant blue sky, epitomizing a neo-vernacular design approach that respects the landscape through bold, geometric simplicity. — Photography by Benoit Linero.

A winter portrait of the valley floor shows the hotel as a warm, red-accented anchor in a landscape of white and shadow. The low winter sun illuminates the frosted peaks and the mist rising from the valley floor, reflecting a Scandinavian-inspired appreciation for light, seasonal change, and the quiet beauty of a remote mountain destination. — Photography by Lucas Dutertry.

A sprawling biophilic landscape features a dark evergreen forest in the foreground, giving way to monumental limestone cliffs partially obscured by swirling mist. The monochromatic grey of the rock faces and the deep green of the pines create a somber, cinematic atmosphere that underscores the hotel’s dramatic location within the Lauterbrunnen Valley. — Photography © Grand Hotel Belvedere.

The hotel’s foraging excursions form part of a wider programme of experiences that position the Grand Hotel Belvedere as a genuinely year-round destination, a shrewd move considering that the ski season seems to be growing shorter year after year. Winter of course still allows access to the legendary slopes of Grindelwald, including the Lauberhorn descent, the longest downhill courses in the Alpine Ski World Cup, alongside snowshoeing through nearby forests. In the warmer months, hiking, horseback riding, paragliding, and kayaking on the turquoise waters of Lake Brienz com to the fore. Closer to home, the hotel offers quieter rituals such as early-morning outdoor yoga sessions on the lawn, pasta-making workshops, and mixology classes.

A close-up of the hotel’s upper stories through snow-laden branches reveals the rhythmic pattern of turquoise shutters and dark timber balconies. The soft, diffused light of the storm flattens the depth, turning the neo-vernacular architecture into a graphic study of texture and color against a pale, winter sky. — Photography by Anthony Louet.

At the Grand Hotel Belvedere, heritage is not staged but rather inhabited. By allowing architecture, landscape, and contemporary hospitality to speak in measured harmony, the hotel offers a model of Alpine luxury that feels both rooted and quietly forward-looking, providing those lucky enough to visit an invitation to slow down, look outward, and stay awhile.

A sweeping architectural vista captures the hotel’s traditional gable roofs and creamy facades nestled against the dramatic, snow-capped Jungfrau massif. In the foreground, the clean, linear edge of a modern pool structure introduces a contemporary contrast, while dense evergreen forests ground the scene in the authentic, rugged beauty of the Swiss Alps. — Photography by Benoit Linero.

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March 30, 2026

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Variations on a Theme: Maria Ikonomopoulous Ongoing Search for Balance Between the Individual and the Collective

Berghain, Reimagined: Studio Karhard Blends Techno-Futurism and Milanese Elagance in a Berlin Apartment

Oli’s Italiano: Alan Prekop Reimagines a Bratislava Restaurant as a Mediterranean Streetscape

Aviation Discipline Meets Design Precision at +kouple’s AEROTIM Hangar

Chesa Marchetta: Artfarm’s Art-Led Transformation of a Historic Alpine Guesthouse in Sils Maria

Down in the Clouds: Industrial Logic Meets Playful Experimentation in the Rice Fields of Suzhou

Casa Corten: A Site-Driven House by HPA Arquitetura in Northern Portugal

Neema Maison Finikia Santorini: A Fashion-Forward Take on Cycladic Hospitality

Kilmory House: A Modern Gothic Reimagining of an Arts and Crafts Residence in Sydney

Gunia Projects New Kyiv Flagship Anchors Contemporary Design in Heritage

Cloudhaus Hotel: A Mountain Sanctuary Born from Local Craft and Sustainable Vision

A Summerhouse in Antiparos Reframes Cycladic Building Traditions with Modern Rigour

A Workplace Shaped Like a Home: Banda Agencys Kyiv Office by Ater Architects

Grand Hotel Belvedere: A Belle poque Landmark in Wengen Reopens as a Contemporary Alpine Retreat