INTERIOR DESIGNS

For decades, the woods and fields of SW Michigan and NW Indiana, with their close proximity to Lake Michigan, have offered Chicagoans weekend reprieves from urban intensity – and a short travel distance. To gain a sense of rural privacy, the owners were looking to experience pastoral views of nature and foliage, more than lake views, in searching for their vacation property. They were fortunate to find the land that fit their aesthetic aspirations and wanted a home that would similarly match their concepts for living.
The cottage was designed with a simple structure, a horizontal wood rain screen of cedar to privatize the entry sequence on the North, and a wall of operable glass on the South. The open plan of the kitchen, dining, living area and porch as one room intensifies the views to meadow and woods to the South and maximizes the solar gain in the winter. Radiant heat in the ground concrete floors is enhanced by passive solar gain, and runs throughout the three-bedroom cottage. The arrangement of the rooms and glass are to maximize views of the outdoor environment, while providing the most energy efficient operation.

The Za-Koenji Public Theatre designed by Japanese architect Toyo Ito, is an impressive black volume in the middle o the city of Suginami in Tokyo, Japan.

Managed by Creative Theatre Network (CTN), the contemporary performing arts theatre produces, presents and supports a wide range of cultural activities for the community of Suginami, enabling people of all ages to see and take part in many art forms from drama and dance to music and storytelling.

BEAVERHOUSEN designed a very clean white space for the Waffles Sneaker Delicacies Store in Brussels.

Taking the name literally in order, they created a world that breaths waffles. The wall behind the counter and the counter itself are covered with white tiles to give the space a bakery feeling.

The shelves are simplified waffle shapes made out of coated foam. The cut-aways in the waffle shapes proudly present colorful shoes. This creates a delicious contrast while a mirror behind every cut-away shows us the other side of each shoe.

And to top it all, a special waffle perfume will make your feet hungry.

QQ Cao and Ray Lee of Sig Design were asked to design Yogo Juice, an ice cream bar in the center of Shanghai, China.

Yogo Juice is located on the second floor of the Ganghui Building, which has an open space and provides a view onto the street. Exceptional circumstances made it impossible to change the surface of the ceiling, the floor and the walls. Cao and Lee explored different avenues to create a healthy and fresh brand image.

On both sides of the layout of the store, two cages were created to use as a counter and as a lounge area. The counter was designed as a DJ booth and has headphones for customer who want to listen to music.