Designed by Florence based Architect Michele Bönan, 1 Place Vendôme is the epitome of chic, sophisticated Parisian style. We simply adore the chairs; my mind can’t help but picture Audrey Hepburn sitting in them, her glamorous yet understated style is something that immediately becomes synonymous to me when I look at the pictures below. Moreover, the stunning architectural detailing on the walls gives this project so much character, and yet it is so subtle, like most aspects of this design subtlety is the real catalyst that makes this space so appealing and charming. The neutral and soft color palette is lifted by simple little additions such as the patterned chairs, the pale pink cushions, the beige curtains and sumptuous lighting, all of these elements come together beautifully in this stylish and elegant restaurant.

Images Credited to Hotel De Vendôme

We first came across this project on The Cool Hunter

Normal have created an elegant cocktail bar that is right up our street in terms of design, the difference created by their choice of furniture, finishes and equipment is quite spectacular. Take the bar as an example, the long table that goes the length of the bar is made up of old reclaimed and painted wooden doors, the ceiling features are recycled empty picture frames, the “tables” that adorn the walls are old cupboards that have been cut into the shape of wall units and the door into the lavatories is made up of old drawers and cupboards. Not only do all of these elements look really cool they create a real warmth and charm, something that you wouldn’t necessarily associate with a cocktail bar.

The stripped back nature of this design with the exposed white painted stone walls and the timber flooring is as far removed from the neon filled cocktail bars we have come to know in the past as you could probably get, but the thing is, this design with the stunning lighting features really works, it is a great project that shows how reclaimed and salvaged materials can really play a prominent role for designers who design with difference.

The following is a description of the project from Normal:

We’ve had a great time with this project: we’ve made door collages, invented one legged furniture, put part of the floor on the wall, made doors look like cupboards and hung paintings on the wall. Nevertheless, Bobby Gin looks pretty Normal. The idea was to create the most memorable result possible within a very limited budget. We ended up with a radical organization of the space using alternative resources: a) strategic placement of wood paneling and materials; b) customized furniture and c) extreme care in all the details that help create the bar’s signature atmosphere. The strong front door frames a richly textured interior: the bar covered in a collage of old doors, furniture designed from recycled drawers, the mirror that dominates the left-hand side, the stone wall painted white on the right.

The vertical paneling in the central module in tinted oak fades into the floors to blur the edges of the hallway. This way, with help from the retro, homey furniture, the dark, narrow hallway becomes a cozy place to stand and chat. A fun cupboard hides the inevitable presence of the door to the bathroom in the main room, while maintaining aesthetical coherence with the other elements that make up the space. Frames made from molding, also salvaged, allow us to camouflage the soundproofing system on the ceiling… and, in the same line, a long etcetera of resources to make the most of the space in an atmosphere that is both surprising and cozy.

Photography Credited to Pedro Pegenaute

Today’s feature project is a stunning bistro design; it is just one of the most exquisite and eclectic designs I have seen for a while. We came across today’s project when we were searching for banquettes for a restaurant we are working on currently, and perhaps that is where I will start in describing why I am such a big fan of Café Kafka. Designed by Yolanda Vilalta and Helena Jauma, the environment is one that screams of chic sophistication. Those deep dark velvet banquette seats coupled with the individual chair designs are a real focal point of this bistros floor area. But as you would imagine from the opening of this post the real focus for us is the lighting design.

The lighting  adds an extra dimension to the design,  just have a look at the images below, now try and picture this project without those lighting fixtures, especially around the bar area, whilst it will still be an attractive bistro it wouldn’t have the same depth of character that it currently. For us the lighting is so important in this project as it highlights the elegant mix of colors and textures on show. The warmth of these fixtures, fittings and lighting designs give this bistro great comfort and coziness that may not have been achieved had the lighting been neglected.

The following is a rough (I mean a very rough translated) description of the project taken from Café Kafka’s website –

We were able to create an atmosphere that traps the creativity and beauty, respecting the original structure of a historical space. With warm recycled materials and multi-colored lamps that hang over the room, we have recreated a warm atmosphere, halfway between an eccentric household, a literary cafe and bistro that you would find in Saint Germaine. On the walls, the shelves offer classic books. The soft velvet is the fabric of seats: dark red sofas walk the perimeter of the room and face vintage chairs upholstered in ocher and green bardesorden.

Images Credited to Café Kafka

We first came across this project on the awesome Yatzer!

The jealousy was brought about further by today’s amazing feature project, and when I say amazing I mean

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

The Vittra Telefonplan School in Stockholm, or as it is more affectionately known as, “the school without walls” was designed by Rosan Bosch, the project has had heads turning in the design and architecture circles for many weeks now and when you see the images below you can tell why. It is not hard to see why we love this design as every image below should convince you to love it as much as we do. (I hope)

The interior takes it point of departure in Vittra’s pedagogical principles and serves as a pedagogical tool for development in the everyday of the school. Instead of classical divisions with chairs and tables, a giant iceberg for example serves as cinema, platform and room for relaxation, and sets the frame for many different types of learning. Moreover, flexible laboratories make it possible to work hands-on with themes and projects.

Not only is this an awesome project that I believe will make a huge difference to these children, it is also an example of exception interior architecture and design, a design that although is a school it is not a design that would look out of place at one of the many large tech companies HQ’s in Palo Alto California. Check out the cool images below, I challenge you to not become as jealous as I became by the time you get to the end, enjoy!

Images Credited to Kim Wendt 

The project was conceived in collaboration with Flatcut and Local Projects. The installation’s structural engineering is executed by Robert Silman Associates, and illuminated by Zumbtobel Lighting.  Check out the awesome images below as well as the cool video from Big. Keep an eye out for the SnackBox, the pop up container restaurant we covered in December.

Photography Credited to Ho Kyung Lee and David Sundberg (each are credited individually when clicked on)

The store which was designed by Plajer & Franz Studio is a fascinating mix of sustainable eco friendly design that meets new age technology. The design can be described as a stripped back design that allows the product to be the real hero, for me trainers have always been at the core of Puma, perhaps this is why I like this design so much because it is the trainers that are at the forefront, due to a mix of clever visual merchandising and even better lighting design.

Where this design gets really clever is with the use of technology, frequent readers of this blog and our clients know all too well my love for anything Apple based and particularly iPad’s, the iPad plays a huge part in the visual merchandising of this store as well as enhancing the customer experience through interaction. They are strategically placed throughout the store for customers to browse through an online brochure or the Puma app, they also act as info points for the apparel, a tech geeks dream. But the crème de la crème when it comes to the iPad’s is the iPad wall, it is supremely cool, you can see it in the images below,  the idea is that this will soon act as a portal that will connect customers in this store with customers in Puma’s stores throughout the world, how much does that sound like an awesome idea?

To counter act all this technology we are pleased to hear that the environment and sustainability did play a factor in this design, the woods used are FSC certified woods as are the floor finishes, low-emitting paint and an efficient lighting concept are also used in this project, this gets a big tick from us. We really dig this store because it is so different and perhaps innovative but we dig it mostly because the product is still the hero and that is the key for us, plus who couldn’t love a store that had a big red Bat-Phone in it.

Images Credited To Manuel Schlüter and Puma

Check out the images below and then picture the same space just with a simple white tiled flooring and exposed walls or painted walls, I am pretty sure what you are picturing is pretty similar to a thousand coffee shops you have seen before and nowhere near a as funky as this one.  Don’t stare too long though, you might start finding yourself twisting your neck, I know we did.

Images Credited to David Joseph

Toykio previously wowed the world with online and pop up concepts but have now turned their extreme talents to a more a permanent physical presence with their new space in the Japanese district of Dusseldorf. The coffee shop hosts and eclectic mix of art from what can be described as the who’s who of the art world including Studio EM favorite, Banksy. Aside though from the art on display this concept is a piece of art itself, the interior design which I assume was created by Toykio (so far I have been unable to find evidence to the contrary) has an inspiring mix of retro, vintage and contemporary furniture, bold and moody color pallets adorn the walls and this is all capped off by some delightful lighting fixtures that really put the art into the spotlight.

This is, put simply, an awesome piece of design that we really like, it ticks all of our boxes and we hope that this is the first of many, but as with all great interior design project we also hope this particular store is a one off and if more were to follow we expect Toykio to wow us all over again with another breathtaking concept. Check out the images below, look closely at those epic sized do-nuts, not only do they look yummy but even they have their own playful and artistic identity.

Photography Credited to Nicola Roman Walbeck

Nike Running Club opened its doors in March this year in Amsterdam, the store designed by …,Staat Creative Agency is all about helping  runners, from novices like me through to seasoned veterans who might want to shake things up. The store focuses on looking at your running patterns, posture and movements as well as tinkering with regimes and workout plans for its customers alongside the traditional focus of Nike, selling apparel. The store is perched on a local running hotspot so targeting the right demographic was the key for this store.

What I like about the store design is that from the outside it looks like a pop up tunnel, somewhere you would run into, this is pretty cool and because it stands out so much you couldn’t help but pop in. The interior has a real underground feel to it, it’s a space where science and bio-kinetics meet shopping. I really like the LED lighting and the concept of it looking like a running track, there has been a great deal of thought that has went into the store layout and for me it works best as it is unimposing, almost relaxing and this is what you need when you are seeking something different to your usual sports apparel store. It is a very unique project, a very cool project and a project that I definitely need to share, if only to showcase the catchy but tongue in cheek slogans on the wall “Men May Rule The World, Woman Run It”, but don’t worry there is an equally satirical quip for the men to read “Woman May Play Games, Men Win Them”, we have to say this piece of banter did make us chuckle. Check out the images below to see this space where science meets retail.

Images Credited to …,Staat 

We first came across Asylum when we blogged their awesome Salad Shop concept in which they designed the restaurant and the branding, it has been great to see some more of their branding and interior design work on The Chocolate Research Facility. This project is as equally as awesome as The Salad Shop and is one that got us all talking.  The concept is that this is “thee” store for chocolate lovers, the store to come to if you want to make your own chocolates, with your own packaging and flavoring, in essence this truly is a Chocolate Research Facility.

We love the clean cut nature of this design as well as the fun approach shown to chocolate through the melting wall feature, for us this is a design that could have ended up looking whacky and zany like something out of a Roald Dahl novel but the restraint shown by the designers and the simplicity of the design is a real winner for us, the clue was in the name, a research facility and this project says “fun science and creation” way more than it says “crazy chocolate factory” and we dig that.  For ultimate lovers of great graphic and branding design please jump over to The Chocolate Research Facility’s website (also created by Asylum) for a real treat in wicked web design.

The following is a project description taken from Asylum’s website:

Consider it a world’s first: Chocolate bars offered in 100 different flavours. Conceptualized by a serious chocolate lover, this new brand and concept boutique-cum-cafe draws focus to chocolates – both in taste and packaging. The brand is serious on one side and playful on the other; packaging features polka dots for fruits, pixels for dried fruits, animal skins for the exotic series, fabric patterns for coffee and tea etc. All other collaterals plays off the obsessive nature chocolate can induce.

Images Credited to Asylum