Words By Emily Martin
Studio Found collaborates on Wildflowers restaurant in Belgravia
Wildflowers, a restaurant, wine bar and deli recently opened by chef Aaron Potter and interior stylist Laura Hart, was designed collaboratively with London-based hospitality interiors specialist Studio Found.
Located in Newson’s Yard, Wildflowers takes its design cues from the location, as well as the vision of both Potter and Hart to create a relaxed yet elegant neighbourhood restaurant inspired by Mediterranean cultures.
Studio Found’s brief was to create an interior that instilled a welcoming and homely feel that invited guests to relax and enjoy the vibrant Mediterranean-inspired food and drinks. The venue also had to sit comfortably within its locality – a design destination full of upmarket interior stores in the heart of Belgravia in central London, that in its former life had been one of London’s oldest timber yards. www.studiofound.co.uk
Space Copenhagen completes interiors for Aiayu’s showroom
Photo Credit: Joachim Wichmann
Space Copenhagen, the Danish design studio, has completed interiors for Aiayu’s latest showroom, marking the fourth store that Space Copenhagen has designed for the Danish luxury lifestyle brand. Located in Østerbro’s exclusive residential area in old Copenhagen, with grandiose views of The Lakes, Space Copenhagen has meticulously crafted the universe of Aiayu to be a peaceful, soft and calm retail experience. Design features include a crafted wooden counter, which acts as a anchoring centrepiece; a chiselled grey stone floor; natural materials such as light oak; St. Leo tactile plaster; raw natural stone; and knitted and woven pieces.
The design philosophy of the showroom adheres to Space Copenhagen’s commitment to ‘SlowAesthetics’, which uses natural materials and craft with quality, longevity and a certain slowness inherent to its practice. The material selection prioritises wood, natural stone, tiles and a subdued colour palette with subtle textures. Each material is chosen for its inherent elegance and longevity – principles of simplicity and utility, creating harmony and connecting the space to its Danish heritage. www.spacecph.dk
Surface Design Show introduces exciting new features for 2025 edition
From Green Grads to the Innovation Gallery, through to CIUK’s Material Library, the 2025 edition of Surface Design Show (SDS) is set to include unique features for visitors to discover in 2025. Held from 4-6 February, SDS brings together the best in material innovation with over 180 companies showcasing thousands of materials, many of which will be launched at the show, alongside a range of features and collaborations that have been designed to educate and inspire. www.surfacedesignshow.com
GROHE opens Specification Hub in London
GROHE has opened its first UK Specification Hub situated within the Business Design Centre in Islington, which welcomed its first guests during a preview at hotel design exhibition HIX 2024. As the first Specification Hub concept for GROHE UK, it has been designed with the intention to provide a dedicated space for A&D customers to see first-hand the GROHE portfolio, providing a tactical and personal experience ahead of decision-making and final specification.
Chris Dodds, leader, UK & Ireland, LIXIL EMENA, said: ‘Our new Specification Hub in London is a significant step for us. We want our partners in the projects sector – many of whom have global influence – to have a dedicated space in which they can spend time with GROHE products and our specification team. It is intended to be a resource for many stakeholders, and we invite our customers to bring their own clients to visit us for specification discussions. I’d like to thank the team behind the project for their tireless work and look forward to welcoming our partners, both new and prospective into the space over the course of 2025.’ www.businessdesigncentre.co.uk / resident/grohe
Furniture Fusion launches musicinspired installation for design event
Furniture Fusion unveiled Our Place: a music-inspired installation and collaboration with a noted design studio as part of its appearance at HIX 2024.
Working with design studio Jones AD, the Furniture Fusion installation drew inspiration from Japanese ‘kissa’, spaces that bring together music and people, with visitors invited to step into a listening bar for a sensory experience.
While music was the inspiration, furniture and hospitality design remained at the heart of the project, drawing on the team’s experience of working with hotel, bar and restaurant operators over two decades. The project included pieces selected by Abi Perry-Jones, creative director of Jones AD, and bespoke furniture created for the event by Furniture Fusion.
Sam Samuels, MD of Furniture Fusion, said: ‘We’re big music fans so combining it with design for hotels has been an engaging and creatively rewarding time for our team. It’s been great to work with Abi and team at Jones AD and to have the opportunity to produce some really beautiful bespoke furniture, all made in the UK and showcasing sustainable, recyclable materials throughout the space.’ www.furniturefusion.co.uk.
London recording studio reimagined for Virgin Group HQ
Photo Credit James Retief
Whitfield Studios, the famous London recording studio that was once popular with the likes of the Rolling Stones, the Spice Girls, Elton John and Madonna, has opened its doors as the new HQ for the Virgin Group.
Returning to its musical roots, the 1960s building in the heart of Fitzrovia is now home to Virgin Group, which includes teams from Virgin’s rewards programme, Virgin Red; Virgin StartUp, a not-for-profit supporting the next generation of British entrepreneurs; Virgin Unite, Virgin’s charitable foundation; and Virgin Limited Edition, as well as being a central hub for the Virgin brand in the UK.
London-based White Red Architects – which was supported by Virgin StartUp in 2017 – was part of a team that has transformed the space. With delivery by BW Interiors, the new Virgin HQ is a comfortable and creative space that is distinctly ‘Virgin’ in spirit but also preserves elements of the original Whitfield design.
The original clay tile ceilings and brickwork remain while the team has softened the traditional straight lines in the space with a curve motif – reminiscent of a vinyl record – and used it throughout the building, from the curved glazing around meeting rooms to the edges of carpets and rugs, the shaping of furniture, as well as the fluted timber details in the kitchen.
Acoustic baffling in each meeting room is reminiscent of recording studio baffles while each back panel is clad in coloured wool, matching the differing colour palette on each floor. ‘On Air’ signs to signify occupancy of each meeting room – which have been named by employees, as well as Richard, Holly and Sam Branson – provide a fun link to Virgin’s musical heritage. www.whitered.co.uk / www.wearebw.com
New contemporary art museum and five-star art hotel to open in Lisbon
Photo Credit © Fernando Guerra
MACAM, a museum and fivestar hotel concept, is to open its doors to the public on 22 March 2025. Set in the historic site of Palácio Condes da Ribeira Grande, located between Lisbon’s Alcântara and Belém cultural districts, MACAM covers 13,000m2, including 2,000m2 of exhibition space. The major project was led by Portuguese architects MetroUrbe, which worked closely with MACAM to restore and maintain the historical features of the 18th-century Palácio Condes da Ribeira Grande, while creating a harmonious contemporary extension to house MACAM’s ongoing temporary exhibitions programme. The facade of the new wing is covered in a series of 3D tiles developed by Portuguese artist and ceramist Maria Ana Vasco Costa. www.metrourbe.com /en
Furniture specialists Umbrella Furniture celebrates ten-year anniversary
Umbrella Furniture, part of Wagstaff Interiors, marked a milestone celebrating a decade of providing furniture solutions to the architecture and design community. Formed in 2014, the company celebrated ten years of collaboration, trust, and leadership in the commercial interiors sector with an evening of celebration at its London showroom. www.umbrellafurniture.com
New York burger joint partners with Harrison for Westfield Stratford debut
Black Tap Craft Burgers & Beer, New York’s celebrated burger destination, made its debut in the UK market with the launch of its first restaurant at Westfield Stratford on 28 November 2024. The project was developed in partnership with Harrison, a full-service 360 brand and design agency, transforming a 5,000ft2 space into an immersive dining destination that captures the essence of Soho’s golden era of the 1980s and 1990s. www.weareharrison.com
Scott Brownrigg’s workplace interior design marks 25 years
London-based global practice Scott Brownrigg is celebrating 25 years of its Workplace Interior Design division. Headed up by Beatriz Gonzalez, Scott Brownrigg’s director of workplace interiors, the division has worked on several high-profile workspaces, such as the Expedia HQ fit-out in Angel, LSEG in London, Amsterdam and Gdynia, and the Thomson Reuters/Refinitiv offices in Canary Wharf among others. www.scottbrownrigg.com
Bill Amberg Studio to redefine a New York City landmark
Bill Amberg Studio has announced its partnership with Marmol Radziner on the reimagining of New York’s iconic Lever House. In this transformative project, the studio’s bespoke leather wall panels will feature, balancing mid-century heritage with modern functionality. www.billamberg.com
New Balance reimagines flagship stores across the globe with Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office
Universal Design Studio and Map Project Office have announced the reimagining of New Balance’s global flagship stores. Both design studios will work with New Balance to deliver a new scheme that reflects the brand’s core principles of craftsmanship, innovation and quality, following a design narrative that will draw on authentic storytelling and offering an ‘elevated and meaningful retail experience’. www.universaldesignstudio.com / www.mapprojectoffice.com
Squire & Partners launch next edition of Winter Windows
Photo Credit Dave George
Squire & Partners has launched its annual Winter Windows at its London-based HQ, The Department Store. Now in its eighth year, the community project is a collaboration between Squire & Partners and local schoolchildren to produce neon lights for the practice’s vast windows of its Brixton-based studio. This year, the Southbank Centre also commissioned an installation for the windows of the Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of its Winter Light Festival.
Photo Credit Dave George
Designed by Year 6 students at Sudbourne Primary School in Brixton, and Oasis Academy Johanna in Waterloo, and built by the practice’s model shop team, the installations will illuminate both communities during these darker, shorter days and connect two schools and two sites located in the London Borough of Lambeth.
Photo Credit Dave George
This year, the practice has also designed the Brixton town centre winter lights, which repurpose all previous Winter Windows designs as mounted lamppost lights. Named Winter Wonder Lights, the initiative – a collaboration between its Modelshop and Brixton Business Improvement District – creates a legacy for the creativity of the young people that have taken part in the community project since 2017. www.squireandpartners.com
Photo Credit Dave George
SpaceInvader leads Manchester creative team on redesign of Piccadilly Gardens Pavilion
SpaceInvader has led a local Manchester creative team on a scheme to redesign the city’s Piccadilly Gardens Pavilion for client L&G Asset Management, evolving the original 2002 structure, installed as part of the city’s preparations for hosting of The Commonwealth Games, following local issues and feedback.
The new treatment for the Pavilion needed to ensure it remained an integrated part of the public realm, including safeguarding its function as both a visual and acoustic barrier from the bus and tram interchanges, while at the same time facilitating greater permeability and access and increased levels of visibility and natural light. The overall aim was to create a more legible, safe and attractive route for pedestrians.
Photo Credit Jody Hartley
As well as evolutions to the structure of the Pavilion, the project included a new art installation – Weave – to its outer wall, designed by SpaceInvader, in collaboration with Mancunian artist Lazerian and lighting designers Artin.
SpaceInvader associate Regina Cheng commented:
‘We strongly believed that with some imaginative and well-adjudged evolutions, the Pavilion could become a more loved structure in the city. We absolutely supported its retention. The Pavilion is already over 20 years old and firmly part of the city’s visual heritage – as well as being located on a site with a rich history. The art installation, a collaboration between three leading Manchester creatives, has therefore been designed to celebrate the city’s industrial heritage, as well as to encourage more love and respect for the structure.’ www.spaceinvaderdesign.co.uk
