Catch The Waves At This Airy La Jolla Coastal Escape

It started as solely a kitchen renovation. A surf-loving couple and their three grown children needed better flow within the double galley layout at their La Jolla, California, vacation home. Goil Amornvivat and Thomas Morbitzer of New York-based AMMOR Architecture, which the clients knew from working with the firm on their Manhattan pied-à-terre, were called in to help. As the project began, however, other design snafus throughout the three-story, 2,200-square-foot residence became apparent, and AMMOR’s scope expanded to a gut renovation.

The beach house is on a corner lot, but, because of a corridor preserved to maintain unobstructed Pacific Ocean views, it’s exceptionally narrow. Attempts to wedge conventional furniture into the living areas and bedrooms left them cramped and awkward. So, AMMOR formulated a series of multipurpose built-ins that allow each space to expand and contract in both occupancy and use. “Everything is like a Swiss army knife,” says Bangkok-born Amornvivat, who looked to traditional Chinese daybeds to inspire con­vertible seating-cum-beds for two such rooms, high traffic zones in the daytime due to their bathroom access; else­where, benches and stairways incorporate drawers. In general, the architects kept the new bleached-walnut mill­work “long, linear, and pulled toward the edges of the house,” he adds, like in the living room, where an expanded gas fireplace now meets a hearth with integrated cabinetry, including a hidden charging station for devices.

Surf’s Up At This La Jolla Beach Home by AMMOR Architecture

The seaside location also contributed to how Amornvivat and Morbitzer determined the material palette. To avoid corrosion via salt spray through the terrace doors and picture windows, wood, as opposed to metal, builds most of the furnishings, down to handles and pulls. In fact, durability is a focus for the interiors overall—flooring, for example, ranges from porcelain tile to rugs in nylon, polyamide, or wool—due to both the environment and the family’s active lifestyle; a large surf shower for changing out of wetsuits conveniently adjoins the laundry area. Throughout, the architects kept fabric colors neutral, including the entry’s reupholstered Rodolfo Dordoni settee, to showcase the ocean vistas.

“This is where family members come to chill out, it couldn’t be too formal,” Morbitzer notes. “They’re not necessarily hosting dinner parties, but they’ll have a lot of people over for dinner.” If those visits turn into sleepovers, visitors can stay between a top-floor loft and the three guest bedrooms, which sleep a total of nine. Storage is cleverly built to the exact dimensions of their carry-on luggage.

Enjoy The Views At This Beach Escape By AMMOR Architecture

FROM FRONT BURKE DECOR: TABLE, CHAIRS (KITCHEN), CHAIR (GUEST BEDROOM). MIELE: APPLIANCES (KITCHEN). DEKTON: SOLID SURFACING. BRIZO: SINK FITTINGS (KITCHEN, BATHROOM). MOOOI: RUG (LIVING ROOM). PHILLIP JEFFRIES: GRASS CLOTH. SPARK: FIREPLACE. CONCRETE COLLABORATIVE: FIREPLACE TILE. SAMSUNG: TV. CB2: WHITE TABLES. THIBAUT: BENCH FABRIC (SITTING ROOM, BATHROOM). RBW: SCONCE (SITTING ROOM). MAHARAM: SETTEE FABRIC, PILLOW FABRIC (ENTRY). MARK ALEXANDER: HEADBOARD FABRIC (MAIN BEDROOM). DWR: RUG, SCONCE. LARSEN: HEADBOARD FABRIC (GUEST BEDROOM). JUNIPER: SCONCES (GUEST BEDROOM, MAIN BATHROOM). VISUAL COMFORT: CEILING FIXTURE (LOFT). LG: APPLIANCES (LAUNDRY). RUGGABLE: RUG. THROUGHOUT ROCA: FLOOR TILE. FLOR: CARPET TILE. KNOLL; ZINC: PILLOW FABRICS. BENJAMIN MOORE & CO.: PAINT. HIGHLINE CONSTRUCTION & RENOVATION: GENERAL CONTRACTOR. 

Ghislaine Viñas Transforms A 1980s Home Into A Joyful Retreat

Who doesn’t appreciate a healthy dose of happiness? Design-wise, nobody brings it on like Ghislaine Viñas. That special talent is what’s kept one repeat client coming back for more, first hiring her to design their Manhattan loft, then their Palm Beach, Florida, condominium, and now a five-bedroom residence in Pound Ridge, an hour’s drive north of New York City. Third time’s a charm—and, to riff on the proverb, charming, too.

The property certainly didn’t start out that way. The 1980’s-built home, set on a wooded 5 ½-acre site, was generously sized, at 6,000 square feet spread across three levels, one below grade. But it was nondescript to the point of drab, with pervasive dark-wood flooring. “It did not exude joy,” Viñas summarizes. So she devised a dynamic overhaul that would marry her signature pop with the family’s love of mid-century design—particularly the wife, whose taste was honed by growing up amid vaunted masterworks. “My methodology is to extract what I can from myself and combine it with what the client wants,” Viñas explains. Here, the shared vision entailed establishing a crisp envelope, with whitewashed walls and Scandinavian-style pale-oak flooring, to offset the jolts of blue, green, and orange the homeowners favored.

Ghislaine Viñas’s Bold Design Brings Joy To This 1980s Home

Although Viñas preserved the existing floor plan and eschewed structural work—“no need for wasteful changes”—she did tweak some details. Out went traditional molding and baseboards, in came strong vertical banding via wall paneling and hand-painted stripes. She also introduced the clients to her pal Alan Barlis, principal of BarlisWedlick Architects, who executed additional interventions with firm associate Jessie Goldvarg. “Our work was at the edges and the outdoors,” Barlis says, describing a scope that included extensive landscaping and hardscaping, some 2,500 square feet of decks and patios, and new interior/exterior connections. The BWA team also transformed a 550-square-foot erstwhile garage into a bright, Scandi-inspired guest barn. 

Viñas studiously avoided mid-century-mod clichés by comingling recherché vintage items with custom creations from her own drawing board. In the living room, for instance, a bespoke white-oak coffee table—with the delightful surprise of colorful inset boxes—sits comfortably alongside Joseph D’Urso chairs, a Warren Platner ottoman, and a lamp by Dutch outfit Atelier Van Lieshout (Viñas is Dutch and grew up in South Africa). Fellow Netherlander Piet Hein Eek’s 11-foot chandelier, composed of mismatched glass shades, anchors the main stairway, now graced with a more fluid railing. On the landing, an Eero Saarinen settee faces off with a Richard Woods art credenza. Meanwhile, Viñas tamed the large scale of the main bedroom with a double headboard—the front layer upholstered, the back one wood-paneled. 

Fusing Color With Timeless Style

Surprisingly, Viñas’s favorite moments fall in the house’s lower level, starting with the moody green-and-blue board-and-batten staircase that leads down to the bottom floor. “It’s like a tunnel to happiness,” Viñas comments. This level, now with 16-foot sliding doors that connect to a new pool terrace by way of a garden, contains game and media rooms as well as the husband’s office. For a work break, nothing beats gazing at Robert Rauschenberg’s Platter from the incomparable comfort of a Charles and Ray Eames lounge.

Tour This New York Home by Ghislaine Viñas + BarlisWedlick Architects

Explore The Home’s Lower Level Inviting Moments Of Joy

FROM FRONT KNOLL: SETTEE (LANDING), SWIVEL CHAIRS, LOUNGE CHAIR, OTTOMAN (LIVING ROOM), SOFA (BARN). HBF TEXTILES: SOFA FABRIC (LANDING, MEDIA ROOM, BARN). EMISSARY: CURVED TABLE (LANDING). CHRISTIAN HAAS: TALL TABLE. JONATHAN ADLER: RUG. ARONSON’S FLOOR COVERING: RUGS (LIVING ROOM, BEDROOM). HOLLAND & SHERRY: SWIVEL CHAIR FABRIC (LIVING ROOM). MOOOI: FLOOR LAMP. WORKSTEAD: SCONCES. THE RUG COMPANY: CUSTOM RUG (MEDIA ROOM). NAULA DESIGN: CUSTOM OTTOMAN (MEDIA ROOM), CUSTOM BED (BEDROOM), CUSTOM OTTOMAN (BARN). MAHARAM: OTTOMAN FABRIC (MEDIA ROOM). SUITE NY: SOFA. PASTOE: CABINETS (MEDIA ROOM, BARN). RICHARD WOODS: CREDENZA (LANDING). THE FUTURE PERFECT: PENDANT FIXTURES (LANDING, KITCHEN). RBW: SCONCES (BASEMENT STAIRCASE, MUDROOM). FLAVOR PAPER: WALLPAPER (MUDROOM, BEDROOM). COLLECTOR NYC: CUSTOM CABINET FABRICATION (MUDROOM). INDUSTRY WEST: STOOLS (KITCHEN). 57 ST. DESIGN: NIGHTSTAND (BEDROOM). ISAMU NOGUCHI: TABLE LAMP. DESIGNTEX: BED FRAME FABRIC. CONTARDI USA: READING LIGHT. ANOTHER COUNTRY: TABLE (BARN). DESIGN WITHIN REACH: CHAIRS. ZERO LIGHTING: PENDANT FIXTURES. ARTISTIC TILE: BACKSPLASH TILE. LUCY TUPU: CUSTOM RUG. SVENSKT TENN: OTTOMAN FABRIC. HERMAN MILLER: LOUNGE CHAIR (OFFICE). ARTEK: STOOL. KASTHALL: RUG. PIERRE PAULIN: ARMCHAIRS. ROMO: ARMCHAIR FABRIC.  LA CHANCE X NOTE DESIGN STUDIO: STOOL. RS BARCELONA: PING-PONG TABLE. THROUGHOUT SHERWIN-WILLIAMS COMPANY: PAINT. ACARA CONSTRUCTION: GENERAL CONTRACTOR.

Inside HSBC’s Sustainable HQ In Manhattan’s Hudson Yards

At an opening ceremony presided over by past and present New York City mayors, HSBC debuted an ambitious 260,000-square-foot zero-carbon headquarters spanning five levels of BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group’s The Spiral in Hudson Yards. The 66-story tower is so named for the landscaped terraces that corkscrew up and around the facade to create a continuous green pathway. In echo, Top 100 Giants firm M Moser Associates gave HSBC’s workplace a grand metal staircase (painted to resemble Corten) with bleacher seating and planters that cascades from the fifth to the third floor. Meeting rooms, suites, and breakout zones—all with an elevated industrial aesthetic—gather around the stair base.

Interactive dashboards allow staffers to find workspaces that match their sensory preferences based on factors like activity levels, temperature, lighting, and noise—ideal for the neurodiverse. It’s powered by an expansive network of Internet of Things sensors that measure real-time data, providing insight into use patterns, monitoring and managing carbon consumption, predicting maintenance needs, and more. The goal? Create the most sustainable, inclusive, and technology-enabled workplace in the city. It’s been a hit, with employee attendance rising from 40 to 80 percent.

Inside A Chicago Law Office With Elevated Functionality

When a confidential multinational law firm determined it was time to update its Chicago headquarters, the partners decided to relocate to 26 floors in a gleaming new steel-and-glass tower. To turn the raw space into an efficient, appealing, and forward-thinking work environment for some 1,500 people, the client interviewed several firms before choosing IA Interior Architects, another global practice with 21 studios in the U.S. and abroad, including Chicago. “We were engaged to work on this project in 2021, when construction was just beginning,” says IA principal and design director Neil Grant Schneider, who is based in the Windy City. “So, we were able to work with the building’s architect and developer to make some structural adjustments to the plans.”

To find out exactly what the client had in mind for its new digs, Schneider’s team conducted an elaborate visioning workshop. “We learned that the partners wanted to curate an empowering environment for their staff,” Schneider continues, “one that would create a commute-worthy experience after working remotely during the pandemic.” The majority of the floors are dedicated to practice and administrative workspace with a smaller number occupied by amenities and a conference center that incorporates main reception. In addition, there is a floor named the Exchange. “That’s the main dining space,” Schneider explains. “It provides a range of options, from a salad bar to a pizza oven and grill, as well as a low-key IT help center and an adjacent event space. It’s conceived for the exchange of ideas and provides a place for the attorneys and other employees to interact.”

Maximum interconnectivity, in fact, was a guiding principle of the project, and IA more than delivered. Administrative and practice floors are linked by multiple staircases. These include a showstopping quartet, each spanning six floors, that not only satisfies circulation needs but also provides a vibrant aesthetic experience: All four feature a custom pendant fixture comprising an elongated constellation of colorful mouth-blown glass globes, complemented by inventively lighted handrails. Elegant yet dynamic architectural elements, the stairs offer a counterpoint to the city skyline, lake views, and natural light that pour through the floor-to-ceiling windows, enriching the interior further.

And what an interior. Amenity and shared areas in particular have the unhurried ambiance of a fine hotel or private club. Pushing the envelope on office design, Schneider brought in IA’s own London-based hospitality group early in the conceptual phase to help ensure that the various spaces engender a sense of quiet well-being even as they provide highly functional settings for work and related tasks. Every administrative and practice floor, for example, has a corner lounge strategically positioned away from elevator lobbies to encourage purposeful interaction. These common areas serve as ideal spots for mentorship and informal discussions, with great views thrown in gratis. Outfitted with comfortable seating around inviting fireplaces, each commons is furnished differently, customized for the needs of the legal teams working near it.

Workspaces for the approximately 800 lawyers and their support staff “follow a similar aesthetic to a more traditional law firm,” Schneider notes, “with lots of private offices for the attorneys and admin stations for the paralegals.” The litigators also have mock trial spaces and eight multipurpose rooms that can be used for virtual legal proceedings, all boasting state-of-the-art audiovisual technology. In addition, a practice floor may include such diverse amenities as a private wellness room, sound studio, library, or game room—all of which help make coming to work pleasurable.

The three-level conference center, which is used for both in-house and guest-attended functions, combines formal meeting spaces—two large boardrooms among them—with learning zones and client-entertainment venues. The latter conjoin with the main reception area to form an ensemble rivaling the lobby of a top-tier hotel; it even has a terrace, accessed via retractable glass walls.

To tie it all together, IA held to a tight and timeless material palette. “There is a midwestern simplicity to the design with the use of warm neutrals, textured wood, refined stone, and curated textiles,” Schneider says. Gray-toned marble features prominently, as does white oak. Furnishings are comfortable and modern, ranging from such mid 20th–century classics as Eero Saarinen’s Executive seating to more recent pieces like Patrick Norguet’s P22, a contemporary reinterpretation of a traditional wing chair.

Schneider’s greatest satisfaction with the project may be that IA got the commission at all. “Walking in, we were the underdogs, competing against companies known for their work on law firms,” he reports. “But our clients were extremely open to new ideas and appreciated that we were bringing our hospitality division to the table, because they were committed to improving their employees’ lives.”

Explore The Chic Interiors Of This Chicago Law Office

IA INTERIOR ARCHITECTS: CAROLYN TUCKER; CARA FIELDS; GRACE GADOW; LILLIAN MCNEIL; ETHAN BARBOUR; CHRIS PARSLEY; LANE FELTS; RUBEN GONZALEZ; TJ SMOCZYNSKI; KEVIN MIAO. LESTER FINE ART: ART CONSULTANT. LIGHTING WORKSHOP: LIGHTING CONSULTANT. SYNERGI: STAIR CONSULTANT. BRIGHTWORKS: SUSTAINABILITY CONSULTANT. FOOD SPACE: FOOD & BEVERAGE CONSULTANT. RLE PROJECT MANAGEMENT: PROJECT MANAGER. CORPORATE CONCEPTS: FURNITURE SUPPLIER. MKA: STRUCTURAL ENGI­NEER. ESD: MEP. IMPERIAL WOODWORKING COMPANY; PARENTI & RAFFAELLI: WOODWORK. CLUNE CONSTRUC­TION: GENERAL CONTRACTOR.

FROM FRONT BRIGHT GROUP: BENCH (CONFERENCE STAIR), WHITE LOUNGE CHAIRS (ENTERTAINMENT AREA, ANTEROOM). IOC: WALL SYSTEM (GUEST SUITE). CLASSICON: COFFEE TABLES (GUEST SUITE), SIDE TABLES (GUEST SUITE, LOUNGE). TANDUS: CARPET (GUEST SUITE, LOUNGE). CASSINA: WING CHAIRS (LOUNGE). DWR: BLACK SIDE TABLE. HERMAN MILLER: WIRE-BASE COFFEE TABLES (LOUNGE, RECEPTION), SIDE CHAIRS (COMMONS). STUDIOTWENTYSEVEN: ARM­CHAIRS (RECEPTION). MARTIN BRATTRUD: CUSTOM SOFAS. WENDELBO: BLACK COFFEE TABLE. HOLLY HUNT: GLASS SIDE TABLES. LINTELOO: MARBLE COFFEE TABLES. ARHAUS: TALL SIDE TABLES. POLTRONA FRAU: LEGGED ARMCHAIRS (RECEP­TION, ENTERTAINMENT AREA). JAMIE STERN DESIGN: CUSTOM RUGS (RECEPTION, ANTEROOM). LUKE LAMP CO.: LED TUBE FIXTURE (QUIET ZONE). INDUSTRY WEST: CUSTOM BAN­QUETTES. BOCCI: CUSTOM PENDANT FIXTURE (PRACTICE STAIR). ECOSMART FIRE: FIREPLACE (COMMONS). MASLAND CARPETS: CARPET. TOM DIXON: PENDANT FIXTURES. ICON MODERN: CUSTOM FOOSBALL TABLE. ARMSTRONG: CEILING SYSTEM. GEIGER: ARMCHAIRS (COMMONS, GAME ROOM). HBF FURNITURE: PEDESTAL TABLES (COMMONS, ENTERTAINMENT AREA, SIDE BAR). FULL SWING: GOLF SIMULATOR (GAME ROOM). LASVIT: CUSTOM CHANDELIER (ENTERTAINMENT AREA). VISUAL COMFORT: TABLE LAMPS. HIGHTOWER: BROWN CLUB CHAIRS. BASSAMFELLOWS: BARSTOOLS. MG+BW: COFFEE TABLE. DECCA: ROUND SIDE TABLE. ROCHE BOBOIS: SOFAS (ENTERTAINMENT AREA, ANTEROOM). MINOTTI: CY­LIN­DRICAL SIDE TABLE (ENTERTAINMENT AREA), COFFEE TABLE (ANTEROOM). SUITE 22: BARSTOOLS (SIDE BAR). TRNK: ARM­CHAIRS. MODERNFOLD: GLASS WALL SYSTEM (ANTEROOM). VISIO: CEILING FIXTURES. THROUGH­OUT BERNHARDT: SOFAS. MCGRORY GLASS: LAMINATED GLASS. STONE DESIGN: STONE, MARBLE. MAXFINE: PORCE­LAIN STONE­WARE. ARCHITECTURAL VENEERS INTER­NA­TIONAL: OAK VENEER. BANKER WIRE: WIRE MESH. BENJAMIN MOORE & CO.: PAINT.

Take To The Skies With Supernal’s 3 California Locations

For Supernal, a startup electric-aviation company, RMW created a campus spanning three separate California locations, Fremont, Laguna Canyon, and Waterworks, each tailored to its particular workforce.

Discover Supernal’s High-Tech Campuses In California

Fremont 

Flying cars, or something like them, may not be as far away as you’d think. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., startup Supernal, its name taken from the Latin for of the skies, is promising a “mobility revolution” via personal electric aircraft. It’s a mission that resonated with RMW, an urban transportation–savvy firm that had already designed headquarters for Uber when Supernal tapped it for a multipart project across California. The brief was for three new workplace sites—dubbed Fremont, Laguna Canyon, and Waterworks—geographically separate and functionally distinct but conceived as a single campus, with similar furnishings and finishes, so the transition from one to another would be seam- less, all led by RMW principal Stan Lew and senior designer Jenna Szczech. 

Housed in a two-level former warehouse in Silicon Valley and dedicated to battery research and development, Fremont is the smallest facility, but still clocks in at an expansive 72,000 square feet. Since there were few windows, RMW took pains not to block any available natural light, creating what Szczech calls “the heart of the space”: a capacious central hub that fluidly connects the ground floor to the mezzanine level—the former for all-hands meetings, the latter for coworking—via a symmetrical pair of bleacher-style staircases. Open-plan areas predominate, but enclosed spaces include a sequestered library with live plants behind glass on one wall and natural-cork acoustic tiles on the other, providing a quiet respite from the bustle outside. 

FROM FRONT MARTIN BRATTRUD: LOUNGE CHAIRS (LIBRARY). CRESTMARK: CUSTOM CORK WALL. WOODTECH: TABLE. MOST MODEST: LAMPS. BENTLEY MILLS: CARPET. BLUDOT: SIDE TABLE (LIBRARY), PLANTERS (ALL- HANDS). STEELCASE: TASK CHAIRS (LIBRARY, ALL-HANDS), CONFERENCE TABLE, BLEACHER PADS (ALL-HANDS). TO MARKET: FLOORING (GYM). GUARDIAN GLASS: MIRROR. AXIOM; BEYOND BALANCE; SIGNATURE: EXERCISE EQUIPMENT. VICCARBE: BENCHES, SIDE TABLES (ALL-HANDS), CHAIRS (BREAK ROOM). MODERNFOLD: FOLDING GLASS WALL (ALL-HANDS). BOLIA: TABLES (BREAK ROOM). 

Laguna Canyon

The other two projects are located within a half mile of each other in Irvine, California. Hosting design, engineering, and manufacturing teams, the Laguna Canyon office is both the most multipurpose and the largest, occupying all of a new 105,600-square-foot, four-story building. Upon seeing the structure, RMW had a bold idea: Why not cut holes in the floor plates to allow for a central stair linking all levels? “The client was all in, excited for the openness it would bring,” Szczech reports. The stair is backdropped by a soaring green wall, the vegetation bordered by an undulating white-oak frame that gives it a naturalistic flow. “We didn’t want it to look like a big block of plants,” Lew explains. 

The blond wood is a connecting thread throughout all three projects. Here, it’s found as bench seating in a sensory retreat room, for example, or as the handrails, treads, and undersides of the staircase, which has a built-in oak table tucked into the open spandrel space at its base—a social nook for employees that, being detectable by a cane, also meets accessibility codes for the visually impaired. Supernal Laguna Canyon is already gathering honors, recently winning two IIDA Southern California Calibre Design Awards. 

FROM FRONT SMARIN: SOFT SEATING (RETREAT). CALICO WALLPAPER: WALLCOVERING. KNOLL TEXTILES: CURTAIN FABRIC. ANDREU WORLD: CHAIRS (UNDER STAIR), TABLES (MULTIUSE), STOOLS (HELP DESK). EMBLEM: CUSTOM SOFT SEATING (MULTIUSE). KAY CHESTERFIELD: CUSTOM BLEACHER PADS. ALERT: SLAT CEILING. RESAWN TIMBER CO.: BLEACHERS (MULTIUSE), TREADS, RISERS (STAIR). COALESSE: SMALL TABLES (CAFÉ). BOLIA: LARGE TABLES. HIGHTOWER; VICCARBE: CHAIRS. GLASPRO: GLASS BALUSTRADES (STAIR). 

Waterworks 

The third facility, Waterworks, an 80,000-square-foot, two-level structure also in Irvine, is where the magic happens: the design, manufacturing, and testing of full-size aircraft. “It’s a highly functional space,” Lew observes. “There was much consideration of the program and the way people and vehicles would flow through it.” Lots of white was used to brighten up the interior, while pops of color satisfy both aesthetic and safety goals. Much of the real estate is given over to the machines, but the office area on the second floor helps keep the building from feeling too cavernous, featuring human-centric spaces like a coffee bar with a custom banquette framed by a curved white-oak canopy. More than just connecting it to the other offices, the honey-tone wood is an example of how even this location eschews an industrial look in favor of naturalistic warmth. As does the tranquil break room, where flexible tube lighting hangs beneath a grid of felt acoustic baffles that dampen any noise from the shop floor below. It all adds up to RMW helping Supernal and its mobility revolution get off the ground. 

RMW: JENNA WITTENBERG; KRISTEN BEUS; STEFANIE WIBIASA; CINDY MARK; NELLY PAZ; FELICE ROSARIO. HABITAT HORTICULTURE: LANDSCAPE CONSULTANT. LIGHTING SYSTEMS: LIGHTING CONSULTANT. BLIK; STUDIO O+A: GRAPHICS CONSULTANTS. SALTER: ACOUSTICS CONSULTANT. ARCHITECTURAL WOODWORKING COMPANY; TABER COMPANY: MILLWORK. OC MARMOL: STONEWORK. SYSKA HENNESSY GROUP: MEP. KPFF: STRUCTURAL ENGINEER. GCI GENERAL CONTRACTORS; HITT CONTRACTING: GENERAL CONTRACTORS. 

FROM FRONT BOLIA: WOOD TABLES (BREAK ROOM). ANDREU WORLD: WHITE CHAIRS. HIGHTOWER: PLANTERS (OFFICE AREA), LAPTOP TABLES (COFFEE BAR), SIDE CHAIRS (BREAK ROOM). FLOS: PENDANT FIXTURE (RECEPTION). REKHA: RUG. SANCAL: LOUNGE CHAIRS (RECEPTION, BREAK ROOM). BLU DOT: COFFEE TABLES (RECEPTION, BREAK ROOM). LUUM: BANQUETTE FABRIC (COFFEE BAR). EUROFASE: SCONCES. COALESSE: WHITE TABLES (BREAK ROOM). MARTIN BRATTRUD: BANQUETTE. NORDIC KNOTS: RUG. AMERICAN EQUIPMENT: GANTRY CRANES (ASSEMBLY FLOOR). CROWN DOORS: VERTICAL LIFT DOORS. THROUGHOUT BENDHEIM: SPECIALTY GLASS. ARTEMIDE; BRUCK LIGHTING; CORONET LIGHTING; ELITE LIGHTING; INTRA LIGHTING; LUKE LAMP CO.; LUMENPULSE; LUMENWERX: LIGHTING. INNERMOST: DISK PENDANT FIXTURES. CAESARSTONE; DURAT; SILESTONE: COUNTERTOPS. TINKERING MONKEY: CUSTOM SIGNAGE. ARKTURA; BAUX; NORDGRÖNA; SLALOM; TURF DESIGN: ACOUSTICAL PRODUCTS. AMORIM CORK: CORK FLOORING. STATEMENTS TILE: BACKSPLASH TILE. BENJAMIN MOORE & CO.: PAINT. 

AvroKO Turns to Warm Brutalism for the Jay Hotel

Warm brutalism may sound like a contradiction in terms, but it aptly describes the interiors of the 24-story, 360-key Jay hotel in San Francisco. AvroKO’s scheme embraces the heavy concrete forms and sawtooth glass facade of the 1988 building and pays homage to its architect, John Portman. His work differs from earlier brutalist projects, observes AvroKO cofounder and principal Greg Bradshaw: “There’s a more intimate scale and quality of softness.” His firm heightened those characteristics with its furniture specs, taking inspiration from San Francisco’s counter-culture movement and late local artist Ruth Asawa as creative muse.

An existing spiral staircase connected the entry to the third-floor lobby, but it felt cold and exposed. Bradshaw and team surrounded it with custom oak fins, creating a slatted cylinder that resembles a similar treatment Portman conceived in the ’60’s for his own home, and added oxblood-colored carpet to the steps; they also retained Arnaldo Pomodoro’s stunning original bronze sculpture that rises beside it. Timber screens reoccur to divide the generously sized guest rooms, where geometric rugs, relief art, and textured headboards speak the language of understated luxury.

Studios Architecture Designs an Eco-Friendly School in Washington

As is now commonly recognized, the most environmentally conscious building is one that already exists. That’s why when it came time to welcome a new generation of students, Raymond Elementary in Washington elected to retain and update the school’s original 1920’s redbrick structure instead of starting anew. The Studios Architecture team members took care to maintain the character of the building while making the interventions necessary to meet LEED Gold and, they expect, Net Zero Energy certification. There’s also a new wing of sympathetically similar brick connected to the historic wing by a glazed entry box, for a total of 96,000 square feet. More than 100 geothermal wells provide passive heating and cooling. Automatic shades are fueled by solar power from photo voltaic panels. But there was more than energy savings to consider; most important was that the project be an inclusive and healthy learning environment. That’s why practically all major programmatic zones are windowed, bright, and light, with views to a central courtyard, giving these pupils in the nation’s capital perpetual connection with the world around them

Arcadis Relocates to an Airy Office in Coral Gables, Florida

Arcadians at the firm’s Miami office dreamed of relocating to digs that would function for work but feel like a resort with South Florida flair. “Learning from neuroscience, we implemented elements that have proven positive emotional responses, like biophilic design and spaces of both prospect and refuge,” says associate principal Randi Rodriguez, who served as project lead for the Coral Gables, Florida locale. 

The hospitality-inflected workplace begins with a 14-foot-high white-oak-slat partition that draws sight lines skyward to a mesmerizing custom light fixture reminiscent of cloudscapes. Polished concrete flooring emphasizes the crisp industrial palette leading to the Hibiscus Room, a coworking space and pantry meant to mimic an inviting home kitchen. The Arcadis interpretation of that includes comfy olive lounge chairs on a custom foliage-patterned rug and an island topped with a slab of recycled terrazzo. 

That repurposing approach extended to furnishings throughout. Some of the pieces brought from the previous workspace and elsewhere include black Flos pendant fixtures, Steelcase workstations, and third-life filing cabinets that Rodriguez originally specified in 2000; they’re now refinished and tucked into built-ins beside bucket chairs upholstered in Florida chic magenta. 

Ghislaine Viñas and S2 Architects Revive an Aspen Ski Home

There’s no mistaking the Aspen, Colorado, home of art collector Paige West and tech executive Christopher Cooper—especially when the garage door is open. Inside, the paneled walls and ski lockers are painted stop-sign red, while carpeting and benches are a complementary crimson shade. “I really like the connection to the Swiss flag and ski patrol,” West says of the arresting color, which is a recurring theme throughout the interiors masterminded by her longtime friend and collaborator, designer Ghislaine Viñas. “I’m not sure anybody’s ever seen a red garage,” West adds. “I think it’s perfect.” 

Growing up in Philadelphia, West developed a love of skiing in the nearby Poconos. When she was a teenager, the family started taking ski trips to Colorado, and in the mid-’80’s her parents decided to buy a place in Aspen. A decade later they acquired the house next door, adding more space for friends and relatives, including West, who put her three boys (now teenagers themselves) on the slopes at an early age. Her family, based in New York, has spent nearly every Christmas in Aspen. So, when West’s parents considered selling both residences a few years ago, she and Cooper (everyone calls him “Coop”) looked at buying or building a new place of their own. But West says she got “a little sentimental” and convinced her parents she should purchase the second house from them—and give it a major overhaul. 

How This Aspen Home Renovation References Swiss Ski Culture 

West enlisted Joseph Spears, principal of Aspen firm S2 Architects, to reimagine the three-level, nearly 6,000-square-foot structure. Out went the mushroom-brown horizontal siding, replaced with bolder charcoal-hued vertical planks. The low-pitched hipped roof was swapped for a strikingly contemporary gabled one that extends out from the living room, creating deep eaves over a cantilevered balcony with glass balustrade. The entire southern facade, which previously had few windows, is now dominated by expanses of glass. “Paige and Coop like living in bright, engaging spaces,” Spears says. “So we opened everything up to make it a lighter chalet sort of idea.” 

Spears worked with Viñas on the interior finishes, opting for a limited palette. Throughout, pale white oak was used for floors, millwork, and many ceilings. “Paige wanted the place to feel very Scandinavian and simple,” says Viñas, who cites inspirations ranging from Aspen’s early Swedish settlers and traditional Alpine architecture to vintage ski bum culture. “We just riffed on things we admired. Then Paige installed her art, adding that amazing contemporary twist.” 

Bright, Artful Interiors Create an Inviting Space to Entertain

West has the luxury of drawing from some 3,800 artworks she has assembled with her father, Alfred West Jr., executive chairman of the financial services firm SEI. She serves as the West Collection’s curator and is overseeing construction of a future home for its display in Philadelphia. West also operated the New York gallery Mixed Greens for nearly two decades and maintains relationships with many of the artists she showed. That includes Mark Mulroney, whom she commissioned to create a mural for the entry stairwell, a cartoonlike mashup of references to Aspen’s wintry landscape and log cabins. “There’s humor and life—it’s bright and happy and very much how we want you to feel here,” West describes. 

Nicknamed the All Inn, the house has been tailored for entertaining. The main social hub is an airy top-level great room with an open kitchen plus a dining area that accommodates 14 seated on traditional Tyrolean–style chairs painted with Swedish folk motifs. Viñas furnished the living area with a sprawling leather-and- wool sectional as well as vintage art deco chairs cushioned with sheepskin throws. In warmer weather, the glass doors can be opened completely to the terrace—outfitted with more red furniture—while on chillier days, there’s usually a fire roaring. Aspen regulations prohibit new woodburning fireplaces, so the ability to keep this one was a prime reason to renovate rather than rebuild. Spears gave the hearth more presence by fashioning a monumental blackened-steel surround with niches for logs and a TV, which cleverly disappears behind a Minako Abe landscape painting that slides on rails. 

Character-Filled Bedrooms Offers Guests a Unique Stay

Each of the home’s eight bedrooms has its own bath and distinctive art and design elements. In a kid’s bedroom, for example, Viñas hung a 1960’s Slim Aarons photograph of skiers lounging on a Swiss mountainside atop a mural of the same image. She enlivened one guest room’s orange four-poster with carvings of birds common to Aspen, and outfitted the undulating headboard of another’s glossy banana-yellow bed with artwork by Mulroney. 

The idiosyncratic details extend to the bathrooms. “When we started, every one was going to be identical,” Viñas notes. “In the end, they could not have been more different. There is a ridiculous amount of detailing, from tile inlays to cabinetry.” 

Storage was a major consideration, particularly with all the gear required for winter sports. In addition to the garage ski storage, there’s a lodge-style basement locker room with bright-red benches for pulling on boots and outerwear closets hand-painted with lively folk patterns by Three Fingers Painting (which executed a similar treatment in the mudroom). Jenna Pino, the firm’s design director, created bespoke wallpaper panels filled with references to the family. “It has lots of little private stories and all sorts of characters,” Viñas says. “Friends are in there, their kids, their dogs.” 

The project took three years start to finish, which speaks to the level of meticulous detail involved. “It was a lengthy process, but that’s why we got so much personality into this,” Viñas summarizes. “The house has a lot of personality.”

Cozy Up in this Striking Aspen Home

PROJECT TEAM 

Studio O+A Dreams Up Innovative Branding for Adidas

2023 Best of Year Winner for Environmental Branding

A core principle behind Adidas products is “design from the inside out.” The brand took the same approach when expanding its North American head quarters in the Pacific Northwest, which encompasses some 300,000 square feet across several new campus buildings by Lever Architecture in Portland, Oregon. Studio O+A, which won a national design competition for the interiors and environmental graphics, filled the spaces with nods to the company’s iconic style. Highlights include the lobby’s metal mesh panels in Adidas Originals blue, a brightly colored repeating pattern mimicking sneaker soles that contrasts with Lever’s timber staircase, and a gym “slam wall” that sports the company’s familiar logo, making for a fun target.

PRIMO ORPILLA; LISA BIERINGER; MINDI WEICHMAN; ELIZABETH VEREKER; CHASE LUNT; LAUREN PERICH; SEAN HOUGHTON; ALEX POKAS; LAUREN HARRISON; MARBEL PADILLA; KAYLEN PARKER; CHELSEA HEDRICK; SARAH HOTCHIN.