interior-design | B3 Designers

22/05

Origo Coffee, Bucharest Romania

Today we’ve been looking at this trendy coffee house space in Bucharest Romania by Lama Architectura. We really like the black boarded walls, this reminds us of the &Kitchen Table/ Bubbledogs (have a look under restaurants, in our work folio). This approach really creates a sense of accessibility and purpose, as the entire interior is a canvas board.

We’re grateful for the white ceiling beams in the small space, it contrasts nicely with the walls while helping to tie in the suspended coffee cup installation above the counter and the suspended coffee cups repurposed as lighting.

The bar raises, which means that in the daytime it can comfortably sit at 80cm to serve patrons coffee, while at night it can be adjusted to 110cm when the venue converts into bar.

We love the counter/ bar itself, with its use of raw metal sheets on the face and corten and oak for the counter top.

(Images from facebook)

02/04

Truth Coffee, Cape Town

A huge vintage coffee roaster is the centrepiece and inspiration for Cape Town’s Truth Coffee. “We immediately came up with steampunk as an appropriate conceptual reference, as both coffee roasters and espresso machines display elements of romantic, steam-powered technology,” explains designer Haldane Martin.

The coffee shop is housed in a three-story turn of the century warehouse on Buitenkant Street. The building was pared down to accentuate the original features and patina of exposed stone and brick walls, cast iron pillars, and pine roof trusses and floors.

Raw steel, timber, leather, brass and copper finishes were central to the interior design and complimented the building’s worn aesthetic.

Martin designed all of the furniture for the café, which includes high-backed leather banquettes, ornate steel tables and smaller cog-shaped tables.

What we liked most about this space is how the concept is reflected throughout the space, even to the finest detail.

(Images from Dezeen)

12/03

Print Avenue, Barcelona

Print Avenue, is a vintage pavilion by design studio Egue y Seta, in collaboration with Sabaté Lab, a digital printing, large format and museographer company in Barcelona, Spain. The project is an incredible example of design marrying classic print and illustration into interiors.

Walking along a game board decorated with “etched” past century lettering digitally printed over pinewood, the company introduce their main theme, printing, box by box, into a playful atmosphere.

An entrance hall, a waiting area and a reception act as a decorative strategy to display the versatility of the medium, as well as the vintage style that acts as inspiration for the project.

Almost the entire interior is printed, from the floors, walls, suspended ceiling panels, seating, doors and columns. The only items not printed are the reclaimed bar stools used in the reception area.

(Images from Retail Design Blog)

11/03

Althaus Restaurant, Poland

The design for Althaus created by PB/Studio, in cooperation with Filip Kozarski, combines traditional rustic elements with fresh modern style statements and is a great example of the wave of fresh design hitting Poland.

From the street, the restaurant gives is evidence to its claim as new and stylish addition to Poland’s culinary scene. Inside, it gets even more exciting where every section has been given a different look and feel unified through twists on traditional Bavarian design that meet modern style head on. The restaurant serves Bavarian cuisine and the decor reflects this throughout. Elements of Southern Germany have been subtly implemented through the inclusion of bottle green in the lamps and chandelier, the dominant painted units, the copper in the stunning bold minimalistic light features and the use of mosaic, referencing traditional beer production in the area.

On the ground floor, white washed panelled walls add a feeling of space, the use of rustic cow hide for the seating and soft furnishings, stripped oak, shelves displaying wine and books and a vintage dresser give the restaurant a homely authentic feel. On the upper floor, the bar and buffet areas amplify this rustic feel with bottle green panelling throughout.

The design showcases traditional elements within a more casual and simple environment than one would expect, successfully, juxtaposing the traditional elements against modern styles.

The bathrooms are incredibly enchanting with the fresh balance of the simple brick wall tiles, continued from the main restaurant, complimenting the more ornate original monochrome tiled floor.

(Images from Retail Design Blog)

18/03

Kin, London

Kin’s quirky interior is the result of a collaboration between neighbouring London studios Office Sian and Kai Design.

Large, bright letters at the entrance set the tone for the Thai restaurant that sits behind a modest shopfront. The space combines the simple furniture and finishes you’d expect from a canteen with more unusual touches like the organic wall illustrations, allowing the space to be playful but not overwhelmingly so. Rough brick and plasterboard walls provide the perfect backdrop for collections of items you might find a home, such as mirrors and colourful cupboards, arranged in unconventional ways, giving the space a pleasant, haphazard atmosphere.

(Images via Dezeen)

14/03

Starbucks, Fukuoka

Following our last post on Starbucks Amsterdam, here is another one that strays from the norm.

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has designed a sculptural interior for the coffee chain to sit inside plain box-shaped structure. Timber posts criss-cross to create a geometric web that lines the entire space. In typical Japanese fashion the rest of the space is left relatively bare with unassuming furniture and a zig-zag banquette – all in greys, blacks and untreated OSB. The minimalist approach to furniture complements the sculptural nature of the timber installation; providing an impressive, but not overwhelming interior.

(Images via Contemporist)

13/03

Starbucks, Amsterdam

Gone are the day’s where you can’t tell one Starbucks from the next. The newest breed of Starbucks’ have taken inspiration from their independent counterparts and are popping up with designs that creative and individual. Dutch designer Liz Muller worked along with 34 local artists and craftsmen on the design for the chain’s latest Amsterdam outlet.

The space is much more exciting than the Starbucks that we are are used to, and manages to feel more personal and inviting. Walls feature antique Delft tiles whilst benches, tables and an impressive ceiling feature are made of re-purposed Dutch oak. These distinct features, along with a mix of old-school furniture gives the space a charming, characterful atmosphere.

(Images via Trendland)

11/03

Mikkeller Bar, Copenhagen

I think its safe to say that Mikkeller Bar is not your average bar, for one it serves beer from the Mikkeller microbrewery, but this is just the start. Designers Femmes Regionales managed to strike a good balance between the modern design Denmark is known for and the atmosphere of traditional Danish pubs, making the interior just as distinctive as the beers they serve. The Copenhagen bar has a calming atmosphere that is largely white, black and green with accents of gold and small bursts of bright colour. The effect is a refreshingly quirky space with just the right amount of Copenhagen cool.

(Images via weheart)

05/03

Jaffa, Tel Aviv

Jaffa, a Tel Aviv restaurant, has an industrial design with a soft feel. The high ceilinged interior has floor to ceiling windows with wooden shutters that pivot open to create a light and airy atmosphere. Industrial pendant lamps are used in repetition over the mix and match tables and chairs that are dotted around the restaurant. The bare, industrial architecture of the space is enhanced by the rough concrete finish of the floor and ceiling, which juxtaposes a tapestry of delicate Turkish carpets with subtle patterns that line the walls. Although the space uses a subdued pallet of colours, it really comes alive as a result of the combination of rough and soft textures that are used throughout.

(Images via Dezeen)

23/01

Red Pif Restaurant and Wine Shop by Aulík Fišer Architekti

For the design of the Red Pif Restaurant and Wine Shop, Czeck designers Aulík Fišer Architekti decided to keep the inspiration and execution as pure and natural as the wine served. The designer and owner worked together, using photographs of bars and wine shops in France as inspiration, but drawing from their honesty rather than their style.

The architect said about the design: “We put most of our effort to make our work invisible at first sight. Our interior should be a background allowing enjoy good wine and meal here and now.”

The first step in the renovation was removing any superfluous building elements so that only the original 19th century structure remained. Bottle-shaped shutters were added that pivot open to reveal the stripped back interior that has been modestly furnished with design classics and simple, elegant fittings. Wine bottles are stacked high in a steel rod framework that creates simple geometric patterns on the walls. Dimly lit, bare light bulbs create an intimate atmosphere where the original intention of the space is allowed to quietly reveal itself.

Photography by AI Photography.

22/10

Mother Advertising Agency, Shoreditch

Mother, a top British advertising agency based in London, have collaborated and carried out their work around a central table since 1996. Now a much larger company, the working concept has grown to fit the company’s success. Central to Chris Wilkinson Architects’ design of their new office in a 42,000ft² Shoreditch warehouse, is a staggering 250 feet long concrete table, for up to 200 people to pull up their wheely chairs to.

The inspiration for the concrete table was the iconic 1920’s Giacomo Matte-Trucco roof top race track for Fiat Lingotto in Turin. A 4.2m wide staircase leads up to and becomes the Agency’s feature worktable which cuts dynamically through the building to connect the floors.

50 light fixtures that each span 2.1m act as acoustic baffles over the enormous table. Covered with unique patterns of Marimekko fabric, selected from archive stock in its’ factory in Helsinki, and padded with 75mm of acoustic foam, the harsh acoustics of the factory space have been overcome.

With the rest of the office interior left tastefully neutral and pared-down – the striking fabrics of the lampshades really work hard to grab clients’ attention and draw them into the central space.

11/08

Chin Chin Laboratorists by Shai Akram and Andrew Haythornthwaite

Chin Chin Laboratorists in Camden, North London is an ice cream shop with a twist. The shop has a different workstation for each stage of the ice cream making process and additional space for experimentation. Each workstation becomes a colour coded part of this ice cream making machine, held together at appropriate heights by scaffolding. The scaffolding, white coats and laboratory paraphernalia gives the shop the feeling of a mad scientist’s lab, and a theatrical one at that. Making the ice cream becomes a performance and customers can see each part of the process from the decanting to mixing, freezing with liquid nitrogen and topping. The concept is carried through effortlessly into the branding that borrows symbols and diagrams from chemistry.

(Images via Dezeen)

08/03

The Drake Toronto: Culture Atelier

After purchasing an old hotel in the West Queen West Art and Design District in 2001, cultural visionary Jeff Stober teamed up with local architect Paul Syme and multi-disciplinary design firm 3rd UNCLE to realize a space that would change the way visitors and locals experience hospitality in Toronto. Through the careful planning and thoughtful renovation of a hotel that was originally built in 1890, the extremely talented creative team preserved iconic elements of the building’s past while infusing it with a new energy.

The interior program at the Drake was reconfigured to include 19 guest rooms and several new functions, which allowed guests to enjoy an intersection of “Hospitality, Culture and Community”. The cohesiveness of the concept and brand identity has continued through subsequent renovations of the hotel. Charm is found in the details throughout the hotel and in the guest rooms, appointed with custom luggage racks reminiscent of the area’s railway history and handmade dolls that patiently await your arrival. Since the re-opening of its doors in 2004, the Drake hotel has established itself as more than just a trend.

With the mélange of activities at the Drake, you really could spend an entire day there wandering from one space to the next. Start the day off right by getting centered at the yoga gym, then stop into the cafe for an espresso and pastry. For lunch, try some innovative sushi at the Raw Bar and then head up to the Sky Yard to mingle in the afternoon sun. Relax in the Lounge for pre-dinner drinks before meeting with friends to enjoy private dining in Room 222. A day at the Drake wouldn’t be complete without checking out a new band at the Underground before returning to the Sky Yard for a warm apple cider by the fire pit. If you feel as though you haven’t had enough upon check out, pop into the General Store on your way out for some Drake-to-go.

Signing off, Drake enthusiast.

Photos via Drake Hotel, 3rd Uncle Design Inc, and George Whiteside

17/11

Creative Interior Design at Anthropologie, London

Anthropologie, the eclectic American retailer specialising in hip, boho clothing and chic home ware products opened in London’s busy Regent St earlier this month. The label originally evolved from a stylish sportswear line developed by sister store, Urban Outfitters. The opening of the boutique marks the brand’s European retail outlet debut and the first opening of an Anthropologie store outside the USA.

Anthropologie derived from the word ‘Anthropology’, which means the study of the human being and how we all differ from one another, has an interior and products that reflect its name’s meaning. With an assortment of fashion brands and home ware products as well as an interior that features a living wall of various plant species, individuality and differentiation are ongoing visual themes. Shortly after its opening, the front window display featured a cluster of tea bags suspended from the ceiling like a chandelier. The tea bags, which appeared to be used, created a sense of wonder at the potential of everyday objects and how they fill our lives. The interior design, like the products, is not only aesthetically pleasing, it is cerebral and instantly take their viewer on a journey; how many tea bags do we use every day? How many thoughts and ideas did these tea bags assist with in their own little way?

There are many quirky interior design and visual merchandising details within the boutique that add to its character. Teapots, cups and saucers continue on from the tea theme to decorate the walls. As with the tea bag chandelier they are presented intriguingly; they are wrapped in fabrics like lace and loosely knit wool that appear to be supporting them to the wall, like the objects are caught in a spider’s web. At the entrance a mannequin wears a skirt made out of smashed cups and saucers, adding to the theme of recycled or lost and found everyday objects. Overall the entrance area feels like fusion of shabby chic, eco-friendly design and the mad hatter’s tea party.

Different sections of the Regent St Anthropologie store offer different experiences. The basement offered a sea theme as an enormous sculpture of an underwater creature hung from the ceiling. Below this a table decorated with ropes and rocks displayed culinary tools. The top floor displayed a bed with logs beneath the base, evoking the idea of a cosy fireplace at a countryside cottage. All areas are connected by a gigantic vertical garden; literally a wall of greenery which extends from the basement through to the top floor providing an organic backdrop for the staircase. The garden features several different types of plant species and shades of green- blues and purple-reds.

Amazingly, the eclectic mix of brands, products and interior design concepts works really well together. Exploration, individuality and differentiation weave their way through the Anthropologie boutique, making it a truly inspirational place. The space is a perfect example of how creative and strong interior design is so important when it comes to creating that word-of-mouth buzz. Sea Creature, Anthropologie, Regent St tea bags in window, anthropologie regent st vertical garden, Anthropologie, London, Regent St Hanging Teabags, Anthropologie, Regent St Living Wall, Anthropologie, Regent St

25/05

"Remidate" by CTRLZAK

A new project by CTRLZAK Art & Design Studio is ‘REMEDITATE’ – a series of everyday objects inspired by the medical world exploring elements of critical irony in relation to their function and origins. The collection of clear-cut furniture, lamps and accessories composes an austere, almost clinical space: Tables supported by orthopaedic supports, chairs with a straight-jacket embrace and cutlery in the aesthetic language of surgical instruments.

02/05

Proef Amsterdam

Proef is a creative design studio where food concepts are developed and executed. The studio is located in Amsterdam’s cultural park Westergasfabriek in a monumental building in a monumental building in a lovely garden where even chickens lay their eggs.In Proef you can work relaxed at the big table, have a break in the herbs garden or cuddle one of the chickens if you’re sick and tired of the meeting you are in. It is possible to marry in Proef, you can ask the civil servant to come to the studio! When the sun is shining, you can eat outside or share a pick-nick at a nice place in the park. In the studio you can give a presentation while the fireplace is heated up. Meanwhile you can see the chefs create the most delicious meals and serve in the same space. They like to tell you more about the taste an the honest ingredients they work with. In Proef the food tells a story and they think it is important to think together with their clients. Food concepts are tailor made.The unique location in the Westergasfabriek in Amsterdam offers the possibility to receive 45 guest for a sit-down dinner, or 65 guests if it is a more informal ocasion. In the summertime the tables, chairs and benches are being put outside or a tent is placed to welcome the guests.

19/04

NYC Information Centre by WXY Architecture

WXY Architecture have completed the NYC visitor information centre in New York, USA. Visitors create custom guidebooks and itineraries for their visit to the city, which they can view on large screen. The design was developed in collaboration with media design company Local Projects.

WXY has created a new paradigm that eliminates the need for dated print brochures. Alternatively, users can now place digitalized “pucks” on the ‘Interactive Map Tables’, which trigger the mapping software and allows them to create custom guidebooks and itineraries of New York City.

The i-shaped glowing “digital mirrors” that hover above the Smart Tables are guided by the universal symbol for information – a single i – and function to draw visitors through the space on an oblique pathway.

The mirrors throw a color-based projection on to a fabric screen made of Barrisol which responds the user’s choices based on the category of activity selected such as dining entertainment, lodging, etc.

Once an itinerary is developed, the visitor can then choose to view heir travel plans in three formats.

The large video wall, located on the rear wall of the information center, is comprised of 16 high

definition flat screen monitors that allow visitors to view a dynamic three-dimensional map of their urban itinerary. By placing the digitized puck on the screen’s designated pylon, a visitor’s saved search cartographic display of the city from above travel route mapped out within it.

12/04

Konjaku-an in Osaka

Japanese designers Inly Design have designed a combined bakery, dried food store and cafe in Osaka, Japan. “Konjaku-an” cooks and bakes with the ingredients and the wisdom from Japanese ancient times in order to preserve the traditional techniques and recipes and to transfer them into modern times.

The interior manages to let “the old” and “the new” coexist by combining, for example, an old footing board, a worn-out farm implement, an antique table and a bamboo colander with a partition created by recycled hula-hoop rings and a “lighting umbrella” – i.e. multiple lamps that hang from the ceiling on cables, all originating from a central light fitting.

Ronnybrook Milk Bar in NYC's Chelsea Market

The latest addition to NYC’s Chelsea Market is the Ronnybrook Milk Bar featuring Ronnybrook Farm‘s line of milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream incorporated into seasonal breakfast and lunch menus.

Designed by Mark Sarosi in collaboration with Studio A+I, a small Brooklyn design firm, it features a circular island counter in the centre. Along the walls is a whole stock of old antique wooden milk boxes “to make it feel like you’re back at the farm”.

“Chelsea Market itself is an environment where transparency is key. It’s a marketplace wthout walls where you can watch purveyors practice their trade. Our transparency is kind of minimal, but you can watch drinks and sandwiches being made and ice cream being dipped. It’s a nod to old Americana, the milk shop and the North Eastern kitchen,” says Mark Sarosi, the initiator of the space. “I never thought it would be this busy!”

Via Coolhunting

16/03

Mondrian Miami Review By B3 Designers

Marcel Wanders designs for Morgan’s Hotel Group

Although Marcel Wanders previous work includes other hotel design work (such as the Lute Suites), the Mondrian Miami is his first full scale hotel project. Conceived as a ‘Sleeping Beauty’s Fairy Castle’ by the designer, the interior has a surreal contemporary baroque touch; chic but playful.
The interior design features opulent furniture in painted and upholstered in bright red, chandeliers encased in large golden bells and flowery motifs on walls and floors. The surreal quality is visible in the columns which look like over sized turned table legs and a large black staircase which spirals through the building. The staircase balustrade is made from fret cut black metal which allows this imposing structure to still look quite delicate. The hotel rooms feature many of Wanders own designs and continue the chic, playful baroque scheme.

02/03

B3 Designers short listed for three awards at the first Restaurant and Bar Design Awards

B3 Designers are Finalist for 3 Awards

Today we have been informed that B3 Designers have been short listed as finalists for 3 possible areas of design excellence at the first restaurant and bar design awards.

There have been over 300 entries from the world’s top designers and operators. Therefore we are very please that the judging panel has short listed B3 designers into the following categories.

B3 Designers for Le Gavroche (Washroom Space Category)

B3 Designers and Babel (Bar Interior – Stand Alone Category)

B3 Designers and Carbon (Bar Interior – Other Space Category)

We are honored to be short listed as finalist and look forward to the award ceremony, taking place on the 27th of April 2009. The award ceremony is to take place at the Village Underground, in Shoreditch, London. We will be celebrating with our clients: Michel Roux Jnr owner of Le Gavroche, Steve Cox of Faucet Inn owner of the Babel Bar, and the team from the Guoman Hotel Group.

27/02

Yohji Yamamoto Flagship Store Review By B3 Designers

Yohji Yamamoto Flagship Store in Paris

A new flagship store by fashion designer Yohi Yamamoto has opened on Rue Cambon in Paris. The new store is the latest in the designer’s “white box” store concept, which mixes retail space with a gallery.
Designed by Sophie Hicks, the store stands out easily but unobtrusively on this typical Parisian street.
The original facade has simply been painted white, thus creating a distinct separation from neighbouring buildings while still keeping intact the original features of the premises. Origami like folded Shojigami (japanese screen paper) lines the inside of the entire shop front windows and creates a semi translucent white screen which allows passers by to peep through the openings and see the inside of the space. The design of the interior continues this white scheme; the floors as well as the walls and ceiling are a brilliant white which gives the space an ethereal quality.

26/02

Diesel Denim in Tokyo

Light Weight

Diesel Denim Gallery outlets in New York and Tokyo serve as both signature boutiques and exhibition spaces for the work of young creatives.

The space has two levels. The first one shows every six months new installations from local artists and the second floor gallery showscases four different artworks a year, also by local artists.

Diesel Denim in Tokyo mixes fashion with the exhibition of a series of installations, such as architect Ayako Maruta’s illuminated arches.

Combining the artist’s work with the fashion collection turns the space into an art object.

Maruta’s illuminated arches floating in midair stop short of the ground and the light gives a tree-dimensional view of the space.

In Interior Design the light is fundamental to create
good spaces. For instance, at Cinnamon Kitchen designed by B3 Designers silver-plated perforated handmade lamps throw shadows on the walls reflected in the mirrors that line the walls shaping geometric shadows everywhere.

25/02

El Ultimo Grito

“We don’t believe in rules”

Roberto Feo and Rosario Hurtado confessed “We’ve always been unruly”.

El Ultimo Grito, the name they are better known from, was founded in 1997 by them in Madrid but since then they have based themselves first in London and nowadays in Berlin.

They characterize their work as a creative studio that has placed it’s focus on design, and the idea the indispensable element of their designs. As they say “Inspiration comes from experimenting”.

Working on product, interior, fashion and exhibitions, El Ultimo Grito has collaborated with Bloomberg, Lavazza, Budweiser, Hugo Boss, Wire Works… Rosario is a part-time tutor at Goldsmith University and Roberto at the Royal College of Art in London.

24/02

Piazza By Anthony Review by B3 Designers

Piazza by Anthony

The latest venture by the Flinn family (known for their flagship restaurant Anthony’s in Leeds) is located at the Corn Exchange in Leeds.
The building, which is Grade I listed, was built in 1861 and is one of Britains finest Victorian buildings. Over the years it has seen a number of different retail uses and even stood empty for a while. So it is wonderful to see that the building has now been restored to its former glory to house a Food Emporium. The interior design is tasteful and really brings out the beauty and charm of the original scheme.
The Emporium includes a 125 seat brasserie situated in a central opening, a cafe, a lounge bar, private dining rooms, and retail shops. These sound just as inviting as they include: a Bakery, Patisserie, Chocolate Shop, Cheese and Ham Shop and Ingredients Shop. They also feature ‘theatre’ production kitchens where the customer can watch the food being freshly prepared throughout the day. This is a concept B3 Designers have successfully used in the Cinnamon Kitchen, where diners have a large view into the kitchen.

Jaime Hayon

Graphic + Product + Interior DESIGN

Spanish designer and artist Jaime Hayon is rapidly becoming one of the most prestigious designers in the European scene.

Probably, one of the main reasons for his success is that Jaime Hayon has belonged to many different tribes. From his teenage years as a skateboarder in San Diego, to is time at design school in Madrid and his stint at Benetton’s Fabrica design institute, he has found himself in league with groups of talented
people.

Hayon has emerged in the last years as one of the Spanish’s fastest rising industrial designers, from street art to the alternative corporate strategies of Fabrica. In fact, he also has a talent for self-mythologising.

Working on interiors, furniture, tableware and decorative ceramics, he is able to manifest his inimitable form, style and color onto anything
he creates.

Not surprisingly, Hayon’s client list includes Artquitect Edition,
Bisazza, Camper, Swarovski, Metalarte, Baccarat and Lladro.