Radisson Blu Royal Hotel, formerly known as the SAS Royal Hotel, has been an institution of the Danish design scene since Arne Jacobson. Recognised around the world as the finest examples of modernist architecture and interiors, it was fittingly refurbished in 2018 by Danish design studio, Space Copenhagen.
The renovation carried out by Space Copenhagen co-founders Signe Bindslev Henriksen and Peter Bundgaard Rützo saw a continuation of an unwavering modernist aesthetic that was in total harmony with the contemporary design landscape. With the aim of reinstating Jacobson’s original proposals, part of this reconditioning also included the hotel’s iconic lobby.
“The SAS Royal Hotel lobby is an essential part of their legendary interior. It’s enormous and elegant. We wanted to design a piece of furniture that could create a sense of intimacy in this very open space, “explains Bindslev.
Completely upholstered in opulent fabric, the Loafer chair is semi-circular in form. Not only does its shape nod to Jacobson’s existing pieces, but it also enhances the hotel’s interior by taking inspiration from the lobby’s iconic motifs. “The design had to relate the signature spiral staircase and circular columns of the space. A comfortable design that would somehow also make you feel protected. Sitting alone or in a group, without feeling too exposed,” clarifies Peter.
Injecting colour into the hotel’s lobby without compromising its functionality, the Loafer Chair is generously padded with high-resistance foam to cater for a high-traffic environment. Suitable for a boutique, luxurious hotel, club, lounge or even private living spaces, the chair offers ultimate elegance with the freedom for users to lounge in style.
Two and three-seater Loafer launched late last year and continue to capture the same understated elegance, linear look and plush appearance. It is available from CULT in showrooms across Australia.
CULT
cultdesign.com.au
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“The SAS Royal Hotel lobby is an essential part of their legendary interior. It’s enormous and elegant. We wanted to design a piece of furniture that could create a sense of intimacy in this very open space, “explains Bindslev.
Completely upholstered in opulent fabric, the Loafer chair is semi-circular in form. Not only does its shape nod to Jacobson’s existing pieces, but it also enhances the hotel’s interior by taking inspiration from the lobby’s iconic motifs. “The design had to relate the signature spiral staircase and circular columns of the space. A comfortable design that would somehow also make you feel protected. Sitting alone or in a group, without feeling too exposed,” clarifies Peter.
Injecting colour into the hotel’s lobby without compromising its functionality, the Loafer Chair is generously padded with high-resistance foam to cater for a high-traffic environment. Suitable for a boutique, luxurious hotel, club, lounge or even private living spaces, the chair offers ultimate elegance with the freedom for users to lounge in style.
Two and three-seater Loafer launched late last year and continue to capture the same understated elegance, linear look and plush appearance. It is available from CULT in showrooms across Australia.
CULT
cultdesign.com.au
We think you might also like Richard Munao’s thoughts about The Changing Landscape Of Design Consumption In Australia. abc 
The design team’s strategy centred upon three key elements: flowing space, flowing air and sound fields. The kitchen across the living area is opened up for cross-ventilation of light and air. The boundaries of the rooms were all reworked to eschew the typical boxy spaces and create a living area with a faceted boundary.
Within this space, the design team carved out pentagon-shaped pockets of spaces outlined by the meticulously constructed arches and dome-shaped ceilings to produce two key elements: space and air. Lighting fitted between the gaps of the domes enhance the light needs of the spaces. The areas cater to different functions including dining, music and reading. As for the third element, sound fields, the dome shape of each area creates sound fields to define the various functions.
In keeping with the soft feel of the arches, the curves of light that shoot across the space and the recessed lights that twinkled from the ceiling, the design team furnished the spaces with streamlined furnishings in understated colours. Greys and browns accented with black surfaces ground the space, while modern lines add to the timeless vibe. Other elements, such as the desk in the reading area, have been built in to blend with the white walls and ceiling.
The project demonstrates how challenges to a space can be overcome with creative thinking. The result is a home that caters to the various lifestyle needs of a family while keeping it flowing freely, yet clearly and well organised to serve specific functions within one shared space.
Very Studio|Che Wang Architects
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Walking into Piccolina is like walking joyfully back into the mid-1950s; a version of the decade that is stripped down to the essentials: sun, sand, colour and community. The new St Kilda store is washed in a mid-century palette of sea green timber woodwork and internal joinery. This saturation is balanced with more subtle elements that nonetheless speak specifically to an era: square-cut warm white Italian tiles that cover serving areas and soft curves etched into the store’s interior detailing.
In fact, a curved counter is the only truly prominent design feature of the store. Easily seen from the street through the wide-open entrance, the central counter – covered in tiles and punctuated with pozzetti, the sunken metal containers traditionally used to store gelato and regulate its temperature – welcomes in passers-by from the street and ushers them immediately into a ceremony of sharing. This wide and white-tiled space is what fills the space and catches the eye, keeping gelato at the centre of the experience. Other thoughtful details support this hub and fill out the theme: sculptural feature wall lighting from Volker Haug, green timber portal frames, touches of crisp terrazzo, a simple seating arrangement of timber stools against a mirrored wall, and a minimal menu design of individual letters placed on white railings. Although the shop is small – a hole-in-the-wall gelataria that you might find in Florence – it feels spacious because of bright, fresh details that rejoice in a theme without overpowering the senses.
Hecker Guthrie
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With corrugated iron roofs the Victorian Terrace typology is present in the modern design. This style of architecture is characterised by rows of terraced houses on narrow streets that spread across the suburbs after the Industrial Revolution. Additionally, a brickwork porch remains, and the interiors are fitted with large format oak parquetry that subtly juxtaposes with raw concrete and terrazzo in the kitchen and bathrooms. Double hung timber windows have been converted to double sliding balcony doors.
The interior references the site’s industrial provenance through materiality such as pre-cast concrete, and steel plate windows for privacy and increased shade. Having an abundance of natural light flood into the space through an internal void also illuminates the staircase, corridor and ground floor kitchen. This lightwell acts as a thermal chimney allowing for heat to rise and vent out through the dormer windows on the upper floors.
Sustainability design features that are synonymous with the CO-AP team ensured that passive measures such as correct orientation, sun shading and cross-ventilation have been included.
CO-AP
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Possessing a heightened degree of comfort and harmony as users sink into Onsa, the seat bucket with armrests encourages all users to lean back. Alternatively, the backrest smoothly moves into any position simply by triggering a leather strap in the seat. The armrests itself offers optimal support and moves with the chair.
Additionally, the adjustable backrest function and height-adjustable stool ensures an ideal posture when lying down or sitting up. The foam-moulded seat, back and wadding adds a level of balance as it takes the pressure off so it is easy to unwind.
It is an occasional leather chair that “whispers a hushed aesthetic of poetically balanced lines,” whose subtlety encourages materials to express themselves, explains Mauro as he discusses the driving force behind the Onsa Chair.
Onsa, whether Congress Curry Leather or Elen Tan, is highly recommended for daydreaming. It is available at Living Edge showrooms across the Asia Pacific.
Living Edge
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A change in ceiling height helps to define the kitchen and dining from the living area, above which a gabled roof enhances the sense of volume. The gable is a nod to the traditional pitched roofs of the heritage houses, and its form is emphasised at the rear of the house where black zinc cladding frames full-height glazing. The upstairs bedroom also has a gabled roof, and a wall of joinery separates the bedroom and bathroom, mimicking the pitch of the roof and playfully highlighting its triangular form.
Like these cupboards, materials are used throughout the house to define elements. American oak cabinetry extends beneath the stairs and along the wall of the kitchen and living area providing cupboards and drawers. The refrigerator and kitchen island are clad in detailed timber; the bannister is a black steel plate, and the walls of the skylight are clad with black zinc to accentuate the gabled form. “External materials of black zinc and textured concrete render are used internally to reinforce the sense of exiting one space and transitioning into another,” says Dominic.
“The alterations and additions to this once dark and cramped terrace house have successfully created spaces full of natural light and with unexpected volume that is typically found in much larger, less confined projects,” says Dominic.
Pandolfini Architects
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Café Oriente is located amidst Itaewon, Seoul, an area that was avoided for political reasons in the three decades prior. What used to be a United States Military Base has now revolutionised into one of the most vibrant parts of Seoul, grabbing the attention of tourists and university students alike. Found at the very end of Hannam-Dong’s narrow alley, the café is somewhat sunken into the ground.
Informed by the client’s desire to have a space “where the oriental aesthetics are implied,” local interior design practice, Labotory, pairs the traditional Hanok (a Korean house) aesthetic with a contemporary minimalist design. Korean architecture places a lot of emphasis on positioning the house amongst the surroundings. In this case, synonymous with a Hanok, the café layout is designed around a front courtyard. The expandability of this space serves as a bridge between the interior and the exterior, decorated with a small garden that has been styled underneath customer café seats.
Cement plastered walls, terrazzo and stone tiles, and exposed concrete curved ceiling form the framework of textures evident in Hanoks around Korea. Where natural wood was used for the barista bar, it was also introduced as wall panels and furniture to add a sense of familiarity and warmth. The semi-subterranean space has a repeating motif of curves, seen once at the awning that meets the ceiling as guests move indoors and again as a seating arrangement. The curved ceiling adds depth and appears as though it is floating. The ceiling, which is backlit with a white hue, resembles the cream colour of traditional Korean paper and contrasts subtly with granite.
Providing a refined sense of nuance for all visitors, Café Oriente successfully shows respect to the country and to the architecture it resides in.
Labotory
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