Makeover

An overview of projects, products and exclusive articles about makeover

Project • By BWM Designers & Architects • Bars

Figlmüllers Café am Dom

 The Figlmüller Group tasked BWM with giving their pop-up café on St. Stephen’s Square a complete makeover. The new Café am Dom brings the tradition of Viennese coffeehouses and espresso bars into the present day. While there’s no mistaking its Viennese roots and Italian influences, the colours, shapes and materials give the space a unique character.In Vienna, coffeehouse (Kaffeehaus) culture and interior design are inextricably linked. This connection is even more pronounced in the case of the espresso bars that emerged in the 1950s and offered a modern take on the traditional Viennese coffeehouse. While the classic coffeehouse was designed as a kind of extended living room, encouraging guests to linger,... More

Project • By Leigh Azriel Interior Design • Housing

The Breeze Block House

Interior designer Leigh Azriel transformed a modest single-story semi-detached house into a 260sqm, four-level home that clearly separates living areas, bedrooms, and a private rental unit. Shiran Carmel The redesign highlights a strong material palette of exposed concrete, breeze blocks, and wood, creating a balance between rugged textures and warmth while responding to the Mediterranean climate. Shiran Carmel A striking concrete breeze block façade provides privacy, shade, and dynamic natural light patterns, while a double-height space, bold concrete walls, and a custom woven light fixture enhance the home’s architectural presence. Shiran Carmel Organized across four levels—from open-plan communal spac... More

Project • By BWM Designers & Architects • Bars

Good Gastein

In Bad Gastein, the once-grand spa and ski town in Salzburg’s high valley, a disused convention centre has found new life. Inside the brutalist concrete shell by Austrian architect Gerhard Garstenauer, Vienna-based BWM Architekten has created Good Gastein, a playful venue where 1970s Italo-disco energy meets alpine chic. Completed in December 2024, the project transforms an unused part of the centre into a vibrant day-to-night destination that blends food, music, and atmosphere. By retaining Garstenauer’s concrete framework and pairing it with new interiors, the project connects the town’s past with its evolving cultural identity. BWM Designers & Architects / Ana Barros   A nod to Bad Gastein’s g... More

Project • By BWM Designers & Architects • Bars

Imperial Riding School, Autograph Collection

The Imperial Riding School, member of Autograph Collection Hotels, is the Austrian debut and is located on Ungargasse in Vienna’s third district. BWM Designers & Architects were responsible for handling all the official procedures with the authorities and for reworking the heritage-protected facades in close cooperation with the Austrian Federal Monuments Authority. The new interior was designed by the London-based interior design practice Goddard Littlefair. The comprehensively renovated, roughly 11,000sqm hotel – reopened under the name of Imperial Riding School, Autograph Collection – is located on the more or less triangular-shaped site at No. 60 Ungargasse, which is flanked by Ungargasse, the express train line a... More