Art Architecture Dezign

Profiling current design trends is one of our favorite activities here at Decoist, and today’s post is as colorful as they get! Since it’s clear that rainbow motifs are here to stay, we’re letting them take center stage this winter. Not only are they perfect for all seasons, they add an extra burst of brightness during the darkest, chilliest time of the year. From beautifully crafted wall hangings to hand-painted glassware, check out the full spectrum of design possibilities below…

Big Statements

Let’s start with a colorful bang, shall we?! If you’re looking for a big dose of vibrancy, these radiant statements are right up your alley. Rainbows reign at Studio DIY, a design a blog filled with bright inspiration, including a handy tutorial on how to paint a rainbow wall! The hand-painted look creates a free-flowing, welcoming vibe:

Also from Studio DIY is this rainbow-riffic nursery tour, featuring a series of floating shelves in bright hues, along with a slew of other eye-catching details that are perfect for design enthusiasts of any age:

If you’re feeling brave on the furniture front, bring a big dose of color home with this Rainbow Ombre Hanging Chair from Pier 1. A hand-woven, all-weather wicker construction means it can be on display outside as well as indoors:

For the Wall

If you want to bring a rainbow to your wall, there are some amazing options to consider, thanks to the work of artisans such as Mandi Smethells. Her pieces have caught the eye of top bloggers and brands, and her beautiful palettes show the many facets of rainbow style. Below we see one of her most colorful designs, which includes a hot pink pom pom trim:

For a more pastel approach, check out Smethells’ Pastel Fiber Rainbow, crafted from rope and yarn:

For a softer touch with some interesting texture added, check out “Soft Side,” which showcases hues such as gold, raspberry and light blue:

We recently featured Studio DIY’s Rainbow Wall Hanging in our roundup of wall hanging ideas, and we’re still smitten! Not only is it big on color, it’s filled with interesting textures:

Special Touches

If you’re looking to incorporate rainbow style on a smaller scale, you’ll love these special additions that can brighten any room of your home, from the kitchen to the office. For starters, this rainbow iridescent tray from HAY is beautifully designed and perfectly on trend. Use it to help keep your desk organized, or display it with pride on your entry table!

Pier 1’s Rainbow Electroplated Wine Glasses take ombre style to the next level. Handblown and hand-painted, these little treasures will bring a rainbow of color to your next dinner party:

Pier 1 also offers this Natura Rainbow Shelf Basket, which presents a colorful take on earthy seagrass style. Organization has never been more fun!

Tassels and Pom Poms

Since tassels and pom poms are at the top of today’s design trends, it didn’t take long for rainbow style to find its way to yarn crafts. Once again, Etsy is the perfect source for colorful embellishments. This Rainbow Tassel Pillow Cover from Cheseapeake Cottage juxtaposes vivid trim with a crisp white cover:

You can purchase items with the tassels and pom poms sewn on, or you can do the decorating yourself! We can think of many places to put Holy Frida’s pom pom tassels. Doorknobs, drawer nobs and plant baskets, to name a few!

And if you like a rainbow of color within each tassel, check out these rainbow tassels from YZBeadsLand, also on Etsy:

For the Kids

We’ll end today’s post with a few items that are perfect for kids’ rooms and nurseries. H&M is currently featuring some delightful rainbow-themed merchandise, and this bedding couldn’t be more cheerful:

Why not throw in a throw pillow while you’re at it?! This Rainbow Cushion could bring a duvet cover, sofa or armchair to life with a gentle touch of color:

And if you’re loving the simplicity of H&M’s rainbow design as much as we are, you’ll be glad to know there are more products to enjoy, including a porcelain mug and a bookend:

Last but not least, this beautiful soft-knit cotton pillow from Anthropologie is as charming as it is vibrant:

Let the color sweep over your home as you decorate in the new year! Thanks for reading.

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A "seamless flow" of spaces including a library, 250-tree garden and a shared social space form the heart of the Shigeru Ban-designed Shishi-Iwa House boutique hotel in Japan.

The practice of the Pritzker-prize winning architect designed the 10-room resort, called Shishi-Iwa House, to be "a restorative retreat that reinforces the relationship between nature, architecture and human connection".

Located in Karuizawa, a mountain resort in Nagano Prefecture around 90 miles from Tokyo, the retreat is nestled in woodland, surrounded by the area's famous views of mountains, rivers and small villages.

The 10 rooms are spread across three two-storey terrace villas, designed to encourage both public and private experiences through a continuous flow of spaces and shared amenities.

"Everything from the construction to the furniture and interior detailing was carefully planned and considered to achieve a bespoke atmosphere," said Ban.

"Blending the interior and exterior spaces, we created unique openings in the guest rooms and social areas to allow the best views of the garden and encourage outdoor access."

A large set of timber-framed glass doors welcomes guests into a double-height reception and library space that opens directly out into the garden.

Clusters of three to four rooms with shared kitchenettes sit around the Grand Room, a shared space that also connects to the garden with an adjacent kitchen for hosting large dinners.

The structure was created using a series of modular elements, with pre-fabricated plywood panels and timber frame sections that could be transported to site with minimal impact to the existing woodland.

This gable-frame structure has then been left exposed internally, creating warm and simple spaces that emphasise large openings and views outwards. The run of structures is topped by a winding and undulating metal pitched roof.

"Each guest room is a meditative retreat in itself, with scenic views of mount Astma or the beautiful garden," said the architecture studio.

At ground floor level, rooms open directly to the garden, while above rooms incorporate a private balcony terrace. All of the interiors and furniture have been designed or selected by Ban, including elements made using paper tubes that have a signature motif following the architects' disaster relief work.

The project was designed for HDHP GK, a social enterprise sponsored by HDH Capital Management.

Shigeru Ban Architects is famous for the use of cardboard, but timber has more recently been the material of choice in advocating for greater sustainability.

Ban's first UK building will be a five-storey CLT "pagoda in the park" designed in collaboration with Waugh Thistleton Architects, and in 2017 designs were revealed for the world's tallest hybrid timber structure in Vancouver.

Photography is by Hiroyuki Hirai.

The post Shigeru Ban designs boutique hotel that winds through woodland in Japan appeared first on Dezeen.

University of Pennsylvania engineers have altered a sheet of nickel to produce a material they call "metallic wood", which is extremely strong and light.

Researchers from the University of Pennsylvania took inspiration from the natural world to build pores into the nickel on a nanoscale level, making it less dense.

About 70 per cent of the final material is empty space, giving it a density similar to water — light enough that a brick of it would float.

"Metallic wood" as strong as titanium

Still working on the nanoscale, just above the size of atoms, they reinforced load-bearing struts within the nickel to increase the material's overall strength to that of titanium, although it is four to five times lighter.

"We refer to this material as a 'metallic wood', because it has the high mechanical strength and chemical stability of metal, as well as a density close to that of natural materials such as wood," wrote the researchers in a paper published in the journal Scientific Reports.

Titanium is the current metal of choice for products ranging from aircraft to tennis racquets because of its high strength-to-weight ratio.

Metallic wood would theoretically be more high performing, but it is not yet ready for commercial production and would require more testing.

Material "beautiful" as well as strong and light

The researchers' samples of the material are in sheets of just a few centimetres squared — enough to be used for high-value items like phones, perhaps, but not much else.

James Pikul, lead author on the paper and an assistant professor at Penn Engineering, told Dezeen that sheets of several metres squared will be possible in the future, but it "will take us some time to develop the technology to get there".

He also said the material had additional attractive qualities for designers.

"It is beautiful," said Pikul. "In addition to being strong and light, it reflects pure colours because it contains elements that are the size of light, and therefore interact directly with light."

Porous nature could be utilised by architects

The material's porous nature is also a feature that could be harnessed by designers and architects, as they could fill the empty space with other substances.

"I imagine having a material like steel that is porous could open new possibilities for architecture in the ability for fluids to flow through it," continued Pikul. "Wind can flow through it instead of around it. Rainwater can run through it as well."

"Additionally, there could be materials that are impregnated into the pores so that it adds some additional functionality, like a thermal response, or some aesthetic value, such as paint that is part of the material so it doesn't disappear when scratched."

Engineered materials are the subject of intense study, as researchers work to make metals stronger by introducing changes on the nanoscale.

The wonder material graphene has become increasingly common since engineers succeeded in producing it, popping up in products ranging from concrete to wheelchairs to hair dye.

The post "Metallic wood" is as strong as titanium but five times lighter appeared first on Dezeen.

New York-based practice Grzywinski + Pons looks to overcast skies and industrial posters from the 1800s to design the interiors of this hotel in Manchester, England.

Whitworth Locke hotel is situated in Manchester's civic quarter and occupies a trio of 19th-century buildings that back onto the city's Rochdale Canal.

The three connected buildings – previously known as Central House, Dominion House, and Johnson House – all used to serve as cotton mills, but has been overhauled by US practice Grzywinski + Pons to contain 160 guest rooms, a co-working space, bar, and cafe.

"This commission had special resonance for us as the beautiful former textile warehouses and showroom were highly reminiscent of some of the earliest work we did designing interventions to 19th-century masonry buildings in our native New York City," explained the practice.

"The proportions, materials, textures and quality of light we inherited felt a bit like home and demanded to be exalted."

Keen to eradicate unsightly alterations that had been made to the site in the 1980s, the practice first went about renovating a glass atrium, which was formerly just a service road, that links the buildings together. It now boasts a simpler iron framework, opening up views to the outdoors.

Directly underneath lies pop-up bar The Conservatory, which has greenery winding down over a sunshine-yellow drinks counter and potted plants dotted throughout its seating areas.

While some of the brick walls have been left in their found state or covered with foliage-printed wallpaper, a majority of other surfaces have been painted various shades of grey in a nod to Manchester's typically rainy skies.

Brighter colours are introduced in the hotel's bedrooms, which take note from vintage posters that advertised trading between the region and the "warmer and brighter corners of the globe". Walls are salmon-pink, while soft-furnishings are upholstered in pistachio-green fabric.

"We loved the link between Merseyside and the equatorial, and as we designed most of the furniture and all of the joinery in the project, we took this as inspiration for both material and formal choices," added the practice.

This is the third branch of Whitworth Locke to open, joining branches in London and Edinburgh. It's not the only hotel to occupy an old building – the recently-opened Hotel Joaquin in California is set inside 1930s motor lodge, while a former Soviet publishing house in Tbilisi, Georgia now plays host to the Samba Hotel.

Photography is by Nicholas Worley.

The post Grzywinski + Pons transforms 19th-century cotton mill into Whitworth Locke hotel appeared first on Dezeen.

We've selected five of the top positions available this week on Dezeen Jobs, including roles at London-based architecture firm Adjaye Associates and Japanese practice Sou Fujimoto Architects.

Senior architect at Sou Fujimoto Architects

Japanese architect Sou Fujimoto's practice has an opportunity for a senior architect to join its studio in Tokyo. The architecture studio recently unveiled its plans for a learning centre at the University of St Gallen in Switzerland, which features a series of stacked glass cubes of varying heights.

View more jobs in architecture ›

Team PA or office assistant at Adjaye Associates

David Adjaye recently designed a 66-storey skyscraper in Manhattan. The building's exterior is covered with a textured concrete which the architect believes will make it ideal for close-up drone photography. The British architect's studio Adjaye Associates is seeking a team PA or office assistant to join its team in London.

View more support roles ›

Senior interior architect at Join Manku

Jouin Manku is looking for a senior interior architect to join its firm in Paris, France. The studio designed the interiors of Bayerischer Hof hotel's lounge in Munich, which features a palette of natural tones and textures and a sculptural fireplace.

View more roles for interior architects ›

Business development specialist at KieranTimberlake

US firm KieranTimberlake has designed Pound Ridge House, a woodland home located near New York City that features mirrored cladding that reflect its forested surroundings. The practice is has an opportunity for a business development specialist to join its office in Philadelphia, USA.

View more roles in the USA ›

Junior designer or architect at Lever Architects

Lever Architecture designed a tasting room at a winery on the L'Angolo Estate in Oregon's Yamhill County, which features a sloped roof with cedar and glass walls. The practice is seeking a junior designer or architect to join its team in Portland, USA.

View more designer roles ›

See all the latest architecture and design roles on Dezeen Jobs ›

The post Five of the best job opportunities this week including roles at Sou Fujimoto Architects and Adjaye Associates appeared first on Dezeen.