Living wall

On the Dawnsknoll project, Minarc focuses on a couple of main concepts: sustainability, color, and space. Our green practices and selection of sustainable products do not raise the cost of a house. We believe that building repurposed with recycled and reclaimed material should not be more expensive for our clients. Throughout this house, we recycled, repurposed, and reused to its extent. One of the main recycled features is the recycled rubber material used for the bathroom sinks. The use of recycled tires is evident on the kitchen and juice bar cabinetry along with the use of cork.   There was a conscious effort in using only materials in their most organic form-no paint, no tile, no carpet. 90% of the furnishings are reused. Sustai... More

The refurbished Albert’s Didsbury - by the design team from SpaceInvader’s Manchester office - has been shortlisted for two major hospitality awards. First, in late July, the restaurant was shortlisted for its use of colour at the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 2020, with the same project now also confirmed as a finalist in the Restaurant Category of the SBID Awards 2020. The project was commissioned by clients Elle R Leisure to commemorate the highly-successful venue’s tenth anniversary. Albert’s is a family-fun business that started out with the conversion of Uncle Albert’s (hence the name) former city centre tool shed in Manchester, before expanding to multiple sites. The brief for the Didsbury project... More

Little Kitchen Academy was born from a wish to provide an environment where children can learn to feel empowered to try healthy foods on their own, based on the Montessori Method of teaching. The goal was to create a space which not only enabled children to feel motivated to discover new food, but also highlight the ingredient’s origins. A clean, modern yet warm pallet was chosen to showcase the journey from the communal table to the chef’s area where classes are held. It is at this table where the students will learn about where their ingredients have come from and what they will be cooking in the class. A Maple dowelled wall with storage for chef’s coats and footwear is the next step before entering the kitchen to begin... More

The heart of Teesside University’s campus in Middlesbrough is defined by Nordic Royal golden copper alloy, enveloping the new Teaching and Conference Building – known as ‘The Curve’. The Curve forms part of Austin-Smith:Lord’s competition-winning design for a unique environment at the centre of the University. It includes an extensive public realm, innovative lighting, a living wall with giant LED screen and landscaping across the newly pedestrianized campus. This new ‘Campus Heart’ aims to rival any new university in the country or indeed Europe. The new building’s teaching block and 200-seat auditorium are linked and expressed by a curved façade that wraps around the north, east and... More

Kiva was relocating to their new office space in San Francisco and we're looking for a fresh start on their office design. Our office interior designer Ashly worked closely with the Kiva team to define their style and landed on mixing elements of boho and mid-century modern.   It was critical that the indoors felt like the outdoors with Kiva’s office design which is why we integrated a luscious faux living wall across the workstation and desk area so that Kiva’s team would feel at one with nature after a long day in the office.   Dotted around the office are huddle areas with lounge seating and dining tables for Kiva’s team to take a break. We also spent a lot of time choosing the right phone booths that woul... More

Ukrainian design studio created 2-in-1 project which combines an office and living areas. The client is company STEFES that specializes on plant protection. The project is quite green. There are beets near the entrance, a 6-meter living wall, and a minimalist lamp with plants above a working zone. Energy efficiency was important. A new STEFES includes solar collectors on the roof, sun protection systems, and a heat pump.   A house with a sloping roof includes working areas and a private apartment for the owners. A minimalist two-storey box is for living quarters of employees and technical accomodations for storage.   Different materials are used for zoning. For example, a security room was hidden in a copper box. Wood is a con... More

Can an office be a paradise? In our 2018 project with SLG, we attempted to answer that question, working with the client to produce something bold, beautiful, adventurous and functionally as well as aesthetically empowering, with a view to not only reflect SLG’s brand and values, but enhance them.   We took an empty concrete shell and transformed it into a workplace paradise. SLG approached us in 2018 to design and build Studio 19, their new Cheltenham HQ. With an unshakeable commitment to championing the location and supporting the prosperity of where SLG began, SLG invested in a 30,000sqft ‘blank canvas’ – a concrete shell in Cheltenham’s Brewery Quarter, a 15-minute walk from the old headquarters.... More

A bespoke future workspace focused on human experience and wellbeing.  Space designed to be as unique, luxurious, easy to use and ground-breaking as the pioneering Farfetch brand itself.  Natural, understated materiality pays homage to both the global brand and the Californian location.  Stucco backdrops are offset by a palette of woods (bamboo, beech and walnut), marble, copper accents, foliage.   Purposeful ‘neuro neighbourhoods’ within the overall space support the diverse needs of the workforce across any working day and encourage the team to move around the space to select the optimal environments for different tasks.  Sculptural private phone booths (designed by Studiofibre), crafted from slatted... More

Charlie Greene Studio realized the office design for the AIDS Foundation of Chicago, a non-profit organization located in Chicago, Illinois.   The design for the new AIDS Foundation of Chicago headquarters is rooted in robust strategic exercises, from which grew concepts of inclusion, reflection, and nurturing. These individual and collective goals are evident in the space.   Emotional wellbeing was an important design driver. Visitors are welcomed through open doors into an energetic, embracing, comfortable space. Employees have a similar experience, with shared amenities available immediately upon entry. Cozy, residentially appointed spaces for team meetings embrace users, and a living wall in the café remind users to... More

In Fort Lauderdale, The Dalmar, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, offers guests a downtown alternative to the city’s beachside destinations. DesignAgency worked with the Wurzak Hotel Group to both conceptualize the brand, the interiors, and everything from the signage to the flip-flops that can be used throughout your stay to present a unified vision of the hotel as a topical urban oasis for where business and pleasure travelers can come together with local residents in The Dalmar’s laid back, open-air surroundings.   The design team recognized that the needs of both Fort Lauderdale travellers and local residents were evolving. The Dalmar offers a 209-room urban counterpart to conventional Fort Lauderdale beach hotels, and estab... More

Anaha — “reflection of light” in the Hawaiian language — was designed to capture and reflect the light of the Pacific Ocean as well as the dramatic and ever-changing sky in Honolulu. Set within the Ward Village development, this multi-family residential project is informed by native Hawaiian plants and traditions, paying homage to the natural beauty and history of Honolulu. Anaha is oriented with its long axis perpendicular to the shoreline to preserve sight lines from mauka (mountains in Hawaiian) to makai (sea). At the ground floor, subtle differences in stone finish — from bush-hammered to honed Cremino stone paving — reveal a wave pattern. This paving is mirrored and repeated across the multiple leve... More

This property has three layout-related issues that we have attempted to resolve in the following manners through renovation work.   1. The existence of a beam that splits the upper portion of the living/dining room into twoWe designated the space in front of the beam as one with heavy foot traffic and the space at the back facing the windows as a place for relaxing. This allows the space at the back which is mainly for sitting down to have a lower ceiling only as high as the bottom edge of the beam, creating a ceiling height comfortable for people who are sitting down while concealing the unsightly beam. In addition, we delicately connected the two ceilings of different heights to create a structure that naturally guides one's attent... More

Nroom is a condominium renovation in Tokyo. This renovation had two purposes, 1) to provide an abundance of basic functions as a residence and 2) to make daily life pleasant and beautiful.   The specific components of purpose 1) were to provide adequate storage space, compile the line of flow of house chores, and to make it a place where one could efficiently carry out chores while raising their children.   We placed a storage rack that continues from the kitchen to the living and dining area as a single element. Along with adding a sense of unity to the entire space, it also secured an adequate amount of storage space. Also, to reduce the oppressiveness of the entire rack, we gave it a three-level structure, with the upper le... More

Aoyama405 is a place that looks out towards precious green space in Tokyo. From the windows in the living room you can see in the background, many of the city-esque elements you would expect from Tokyo, including high-rise buildings and the Tokyo Tower. In front of that, you can see vibrant greenery.   However, the scenery in the foreground isn’t that good, so we wanted to do something about it. We also wanted to work out how we could incorporate this vibrant greenery into the interior design of the building.   To achieve our goals, we used two methods. The first method consisted of "trimming" the scenery. We installed a screen reminiscent of a Japanese yukimi-shoji screen door. This allowed us to simultaneously hide the... More