Category: Home & Kitchen

We all want to create a comfortable yet elegant kitchen space, but not everyone has an unlimited budget to do so. While some kitchen renovations require a significant financial investment, these inexpensive items will make your kitchen look better without breaking the bank. With a keen eye for design and a touch of creativity, these inexpensive items and ideas can instantly improve the style and functionality of your kitchen. From clever storage solutions to one-of-a-kind decorative accents, these inexpensive ideas can help elevate your kitchen to new heights.

There are many kitchen items that can help you improve the appearance of your kitchen while staying within a tight budget. Implementing just a few of these ideas will give your kitchen an exciting new refresh.

Wooden Accessories

Displaying wooden accessories in the kitchen, such as cutting boards, storage containers, and wooden utensils, adds warmth, texture, and natural color. Wooden accessories have a timeless and universal appeal that complements a variety of kitchen styles, including farmhouse and rustic, Scandinavian, and minimalist. Some of the most attractive wood varieties are acacia, walnut, olive, teak, cherry, oak, and maple.

One of the most appealing aspects of these accessories is that they are both functional and decorative. Stack a set of cutting boards along your backsplash so you can quickly access the appropriate size. Hang wooden utensils or arrange them in a decorative container near the stove. Invest in a few artisanal pieces, such as carved bowls and coasters, to display in prominent locations in your kitchen.

Quality Dish Towels

The humble dish towel is well-known as the kitchen’s workhorse, but it can also be used to improve the appearance and flow of your kitchen. Choose high-quality dish towels made from natural fibers such as cotton, linen, or cotton-linen blends. These fabrics not only effectively absorb moisture, but they also add a touch of understated luxury to your kitchen. Dish towels are not only functional, but they can also add a decorative element to your kitchen. Find dish towels in colors and patterns that complement your kitchen decor. Display them folded on towel racks or draped over oven handles to add visual interest to your kitchen.

New Cabinet Hardware

If replacing your old cabinet doors is not in the budget, consider upgrading them with new hardware. There is such a diverse selection of hardware available that you are sure to find some stunning options that will complement your kitchen. Finishes for hardware include nickel, stainless steel, chrome, brass, gold, and black. Choose between polished and brushed finishes.

Do not be restricted by the color of the metal finish that already exists in your kitchen. Mixing metals is both common and even encouraged. Keep the metal colors limited to two rather than mixing too many together to make the style of your kitchen more cohesive. If replacing all of the hardware is still out of your price range, spray paint your old hardware with your preferred metal finish to give it a fresh look.

Indoor Herb Garden

An indoor herb garden can be an excellent addition to any kitchen, bringing both aesthetic and practical benefits. Incorporating herbs and other greenery into your kitchen instantly enlivens the space and makes it feel more connected to nature. You can showcase your herb garden in a variety of containers and arrangements that complement the style of your kitchen. Beyond their decorative appeal, having herbs ready at hand while you are cooking encourages culinary experimentation and adds fresh flavor to your dishes.

A sunny kitchen window is ideal for your miniature herb garden, but some also grow well in shadier spots. Many herbs are low-maintenance and inexpensive, so you can experiment with herb varieties that work well in your kitchen. Try options such as basil, rosemary, thyme, dill, mint, parsley, sage, chives, and oregano.

Decorative Lighting

Decorative lighting, such as lighting above an island or a central light fixture, can enhance the ambience and visual appeal of a kitchen. Other options, such as countertop lamps or under-cabinet lighting, can complement a layered light design and allow you to adjust your lighting throughout the day as your requirements change.

Invest in light fixtures that are compatible with dimmer switches, which give you more control and flexibility in creating different moods and atmospheres in your kitchen. Dimming overhead lights in the evening and relying on lamps and undercabinet lighting will make your kitchen appear more cozy and inviting.

Area Rug

Rugs in the kitchen serve both decorative and practical purposes. They add color and pattern to specific areas to complement the kitchen’s color scheme and style. Rugs are useful for defining specific areas, particularly in large kitchens with multiple zones. A well-chosen rug can provide softness and comfort underfoot, making it easier to stand for long periods of time during meal preparation or cleaning. Look for rugs with a nubby texture and extra layers for added softness. A rug pad underneath will provide even more comfort.

Select a rug made from a material that is easy to maintain, as it will be subject to high-traffic and potential food disasters. Many rugs are machine washable, while others, such as indoor-outdoor rugs, are easy to spot clean and stain resistant.

Stoneware Decor

Stoneware such as marble, slate, clay, and limestone accessories and decor bring a natural earthiness to the kitchen. Their textured surfaces, organic shapes, and subtle variations in texture add character and depth to a kitchen counter or table, which makes them appear more warm and inviting. Stoneware is versatile and can complement a variety of styles, from rustic to eclectic. Look for a variety of elements where you can swap out your accessories and decor for stoneware, including vases, boxes, canisters, figurines, trays, and dishes.

Innovative Storage Solutions

Storage aids can help you utilize the underused spaces of your kitchen as well as better organize the busiest real-estate in the kitchen. Consider the available space in your kitchen, including the vertical walls, under cabinets, and open floor areas. Install hooks, pegboards, rods, and racks in vertical spaces to hang utensils, mugs, and other small kitchen tools. Use drawer dividers to separate kitchen accessories and gadgets so that you can easily find what you need amidst the clutter. Other storage options include pull-out shelves that fit easily in low cabinets, stackable containers, and rolling carts that fit easily into small corners.

Glass Containers

Your kitchen counters become the resting place for a wide range of items, whether by necessity or design. You can improve the style of your kitchen by making many of these elements more consistent. Glass containers are inexpensive and come in a variety of visually appealing shapes. They can be used to store food, dish soap, oils, vinegars, and spices that you want easily accessible.

Glass is also durable and easy to clean, making it an excellent long-term storage option. Many containers are dishwasher safe, as well as stain and odor resistant. Find stackable, easy-to-group containers for use on the counter, pantry, and refrigerator.

Neutral Dishware

Most kitchens contain a variety of dishware that has been accumulated over the years. Unify your dishware by investing in neutral-colored options and discarding extraneous pieces. Neutral dishware, such as white, ivory, beige, or gray, offers a timeless elegance that never goes out of style. Their simplicity and versatility make them easy to use in both casual and formal settings. Neutral dishes look beautiful displayed on open shelves and inside cabinets. These dish colors create a more cohesive look in your kitchen and can be mixed and matched with a variety of glassware and flatware sets.

Centerpiece

Distract from old cabinets and outdated hardware with a striking display of flowers, fruit, or greenery. Adding a centerpiece to your island or kitchen table is an excellent and cost-effective way to improve the look of your kitchen. Look for items with the greatest visual impact, such as a stoneware vase or an artisan wooden bowl, and fill them with flowers or greenery from your yard. Choose fresh fruit that is visually appealing, which you can later enjoy as a quick snack. Other items that make great centerpieces include trays arranged with candles, small potted plants, and decorative figurines.

New Window Coverings

Window coverings, such as curtains, shades, and blinds, can improve the visual appeal and texture of your kitchen while also providing more control over the amount of light in the room. Before you choose the type and material of window covering, consider the style of your kitchen as well as the amount of light that enters it.

While curtains, shades, and blinds are the most common window coverings in kitchens, there are other options like cafe curtains, plantation shutters, and valances that can add style and personality to your kitchen. Layering window coverings, such as shades under curtains, will give your kitchen a more personalized look and allow you to adjust the lighting and privacy to a greater extent.

Swiss homeware brand V-Zug has opened its inaugural Milan showroom, combining soft hues and natural materials with high-tech appliances, as captured in this video produced by Dezeen.

Called V-Zug Studio Milan, the showroom was designed by Italian architect and interior designer Elisa Ossino to encapsulate a “poetic simplicity” through blending objects crafted from natural materials with appliances featuring reflective surfaces.

V-Zug Studio Milan has opened its doors during Milan design week

The studio showcases V-Zug‘s homeware products and kitchen appliances, such as ovens, cooktops and steamers, which are contrasted by furniture pieces created by Ossino in collaboration with artist Henry Timi.

According to V-Zug’s global interior art director Gabriel Castelló Pinyon, the open-plan interiors are designed to evoke a “sense of hospitality” for its visitors.

The space is characterised by a neutral colour palette of soft hues, which create a subtle contrast with the materials incorporated throughout the space, such as sculpted stone and mirrored surfaces.

The showroom is flooded with ample natural light emanating from large glazings, while an off-white monolithic staircase with large circular openings cuts through the space.

Overlooking the Piazza San Marco, the studio marks the company’s flagship showroom located in Italy, following the recent openings of its studios across Germany, Austria and Australia.

V-Zug Studio Milan is open to visitors from Monday to Friday during this year’s Milan design week.

In addition to hosting a series of talks throughout the week, V-Zug has also created a sculptural installation titled Time and Matter at Pinacoteca di Brera, which further explores the relationship between human experiences, design and technology.

See our Milan design week 2024 guide on Dezeen Events Guide for information about the many other exhibitions, installations and talks taking place throughout the week.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen for V-Zug as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

Brooklyn-based designer Sergio Mannino has chosen a palette of purple and silver for a Philadelphia pharmacy that helps patients affected by the opioid crisis.

Located in the Philadelphia suburb of Cheltenham, the Angel Care Pharmacy is owned by Olivia Tchanque, who wanted the design of her space to reflect the care and sensitivity offered to her patients.

Tchanque looked to Sergio Mannino Studio to create an environment that feels distinctive, clean and contemporary.

The pharmacy was born in part to help deal with the ongoing opioid crisis in the US, and those with addictions to OxyContin and deadly substitute Fentanyl.

Its mission revolves around “providing the community with the best medical supplies and care they need”, said Tchanque.

Mannino was responsible for the interior design and branding for the space, including its angel-wing logo used for signage and across marketing materials.

Once two separate units, the 1,800-square-foot (167-square-metre) pharmacy is divided into retail operations and prescription areas now connected by an open doorway.

In the retail area, the designer intentionally chose colours that are bold but would not be overbearing.

“Mauve is the colour of balance: it represents tenderness and it’s frequently associated with femininity and motherhood,” said Mannino.

“White brings a feeling of safety and purity. It represents the absence of things and a sense of relaxation and clarity. Silver has always been associated with the moon, inspiring a feeling of joy and peace.”

Two chairs designed by Mannino with soft purple-upholstered bases, minimal chrome backrests and oak armrests provide a waiting area for patients along with a built-in window seat.

These are accompanied by two side tables designed by Ettore Sottsass for Kartell, in violet and pink finishes.

The room is decorated with silver-toned wallpaper on two sides and purple grid pattern on the others.

Shelving displays along the walls came from Blu Dot, while freestanding units in the centre of the room are by Hem – both crafted from oak.

The colour palette extends to the minimalist branding, which features mauve hues, grid patterns and contemporary typography.

At Tchanque’s request, Mannino also introduced compostable vials and bags instead of plastic packaging, since “every year, each local pharmacy in the US fills 60,000 prescriptions on average,” according to the pharmacist.

Sergio Mannino Studio was established in 2008, and the firm’s early projects included a showroom for footwear brand Kensiegirl and another shoe shop where the walls were covered in interchangeable panels.

More recently, Mannino completed a pharmacy waiting room in Brooklyn featuring graphic floor tiles, a pigmented cement desk and curved leather chairs.

The photography is by Sergio Mannino Studio.

Designer Gary Card has given London’s LN-CC boutique a redesign that includes a sci-fi-looking wooden tunnel and a room “shaped like the inside of a foot”.

Card, who designed the original interior of the east London store in 2011, said the challenge for him was using the knowledge he has accumulated since then to create something new.

“The question for myself this time was – can I use everything I’ve learned over the last decade to reimagine one of my most recognized projects,” he told Dezeen.

“Each room has a very different concept,” he added. “It’s become part of the tradition now to change the temperature and colour palette with each room and encourage a journey of identity and discovery.”

The store is the only physical shop for LN-CC, which is mainly an online business, and is spread across the ground and lower-ground floor of a former tie factory.

Visitors enter via an orange wooden tunnel with an octagonal shape reminiscent of the architecture in director Stanley Kubrick‘s film 2001: A Space Odyssey.

It is the third tunnel that Card has designed for the store, following its original orange tunnel and a later white version.

“The tunnel is LN-CC’s icon,” Card explained. “It’s been with us for over a decade now, so it had to be a significant feature.”

“We decided early on to bring it to street level and make the entrance something that had never been seen before as part of the store space,” he added.

“It’s a brand-new design and construction. We’ve brought back the orange from the first tunnel; the white is a nod to the second version from 2014.”

Each of the six rooms in the store has a different feel and different colours, which Card chose together with LN-CC’s buying and creative director Reece Crisp.

“The colours we settled on really amplify what we’re showcasing, the brand’s unique edit,” the designer said.

Among them is the Callisto room, which has a cave-like feel and a design that was influenced by the building’s existing structures.

“In the Callisto room, there was a circular part of a helter-skelter that used to be in the building – this used to be a tie factory and it was in the corner,” Crisp told Dezeen. “When we stripped the space back, we saw this sort of circle and that fed into how we wanted that space to be.”

In the Atrium, Card used tile adhesive to create the structures and patterns on the room’s wide lime-green pillars, which provide shelving for the store’s accessories.

For LN-CC’s shoe room, known as the Midtarsal, Card drew on the anatomy of the human body to create an undulating, flesh-coloured interior.

“The shoe space, the Midtarsal room, that’s engineering to an incredible degree,” Crisp said. “We love the shape – like the inside of the foot – and how that warps the room.”

Throughout LN-CC, Card used a variety of different materials to bring the rooms to life.

“The space is a juxtaposition of lots of different materials,” he said. “So MDF, perspex, wood and concrete – I sought to take small cues from the original while innovating with a refreshed lens exploring the interplay between texture, colour and materials within the newly imagined rooms.”

The last room of the store is a club space, which features LED walls that can be used to turn the room into different colours or display messages.

“The club has always been a huge part of LN-CC’s identity, ” Card said. “It was never about selling clothes – the brand was an online business after all – it was about delivering experiences. So we wanted to do something really special with the new club.”

“It was a bit dark and gritty before, which was cool, but we knew we needed to raise the stakes for the latest store design without it losing its edge,” Card added.

“My right-hand man, Richard Wilkins, was the tech wizard for the space who created the lighting and amazing LED wall. The lighting totally transforms the space.”

Other recent London store interiors include a boutique sprayed with recycled newspaper pulp and a colourful Marylebone store with handpainted murals.

Giving Old Materials New Life in Your Kitchen (and Beyond) 

In recent years, more than ever, the concept of sustainability has gotten significant traction across industries, including home remodeling. As homeowners become more environmentally conscious, there is a rising interest in upcycling, reusing, and thrifting old materials and items to create something new and valuable. In kitchen remodeling, this presents a great opportunity to breathe new life into your space and bring something unique to the table while reducing waste and minimizing your environmental footprint. In this blog, we will explore the art of upcycling, and how you can deliver beautiful, unique designs to your kitchen remodel. Take note of these creative ideas to inspire your project in the kitchen, and in any room throughout your home! 

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British architecture studio Al-Jawad Pike has used colourful marble for the interiors of trainer brand Athletic Propulsion Labs’ second flagship store in Soho, New York City.

The interior of the 3,900-square-foot space (1,188 square metre) was laid out in a curving amphitheatre design, which the studio designed to be “simple yet severe” while creating a “completely immersive experience,” Al-Jawad Pike studio co-founder Jessam Al-Jawad told Dezeen.

The centrepiece of the Athletic Propulsion Labs (APL) store is five “vanity rooms” in a radial design, each clad in different-coloured onyx or marble stone with matching stone stools and back-lit mirrors.

The rainbow-colour array of stone, chosen by the client from different quarries, was “intended to represent the five boroughs of New York,” Al-Jawad said.

A teardrop-shaped column is located in the centre of the store, while boulder-like plinths positioned around the space are used for product displays.

The textured display plinths were developed with a bespoke fabricator based in New York, who CNC-carved the forms.

The studio incorporated various other materials into the scheme such as textured sprayed plaster on the walls, Romano travertine for the floor, and champagne-coloured anodised aluminium for the display boxes.

The aim of the store layout was to allow customers to see all the products from all parts of the store.

“We approached this by creating an architectural form that displays the product in a pan-optical array to provide visibility in completeness from almost any part of the store; whilst maintaining a seamless link between staff back-of-house functions at the basement level with the main retail space,” the studio explained.

The shoes are displayed in simple box frames, which are raised and lit up like artwork in a gallery. Ensuring that the trainers on display were the focal point was a main objective for the architects.

“The goal was to make sure the products were the main attraction in the store, while also making everything work smoothly for both customers and staff,” Al-Jawad Pike said.

The store’s semi-circular layout has street-facing windows that let in the light, and the studio also added adjustable warm lighting from the back-lit, semi-circular ceiling to provide additional illumination.

“We wanted to create a wash of light from above to bath the space in a warm and comfortable ambience,” said Al-Jawad.

“At its top, the perimeter wall banks into a semi-circular, back-lit stretch ceiling with adjustable warmth to dramatically alter the atmosphere in the space.”

Al-Jawad Pike was founded in 2014 by Al-Jawad and Dean Pike and aims to create spaces that “engender a sense of well-being and intrigue, as well as fun”.

Other retail interiors recently featured on Dezeen include Bottega Veneta’s Avenue Montaigne flagship store in Paris and Cúpla’s design for a boutique in central London.

The photography is by Ståle Eriksen.

Our latest lookbook explores homes where flooring details and materials help to create the impression that a living space extends out beyond a house’s exterior walls.

A range of different techniques can be used to create the sense of a continuous floor surface.

The most obvious is to use the same flooring material, or one that looks very similar, for both interior and exterior spaces.

However, this isn’t always necessary. By combining level thresholds with floor-to-ceiling glazing, it’s also possible to create that sense of continuation by simply maintaining a consistent surface.

Here, we look at 10 examples that use one or more of these methods to create different effects, ranging from a forest home in Mexico’s Valle de Bravo to a waterside villa in Denmark.

Many of these examples use continuous floor surfaces to connect a living room with a garden or patio, but some explore other rooms where the effect can be applied.

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring chocolate-brown interiors and minimalist bathrooms.

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Casa Mola, Mexico, by Estudio Atemporal

Mexico City-based Estudio Atemporal designed this house in a densely forested area of Valle de Bravo with the aim of allowing residents to live “more organically”.

The large-format flooring tiles inside the house give way to brickwork paving outside, but sliding glass doors with level thresholds create a clean junction that allows the two spaces to feel connected.

Find out more about Casa Mola ›

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The Saddlery, UK, by Studio Octopi

Terrazzo flooring features both inside and outside this extension to a Georgian house in southeast London, designed by architecture office Studio Octopi.

Sourced from British manufacturer Diespeker, this material is speckled with colours that complement the mint-green tone of the building’s metal walls.

Find out more about The Saddlery ›

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Dulwich House, UK, by Proctor & Shaw

Kitchen and terrace become a single space divided only by levels in this extension to a home in Dulwich, London, designed by architecture studio Proctor & Shaw.

Glass doors slide open on two sides – with one disappearing into a wall – to completely open up the building’s corner. The sliding mechanism is set into a continuous porcelain tile floor surface, resulting in a flush threshold.

Find out more about Dulwich House ›

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Maison Hercourt, France, Studio Guma

Minimal glazing plays a key role in connecting the kitchen of this renovated stone farmhouse in Normandy with an adjoining patio.

Designed by Paris-based Studio Guma, the renovation involved installing the kitchen in a space that previously functioned as a cart shed. Although the floor surface changes from concrete to stone from inside to outside, the slender-framed glass doors help the two surfaces to be read as one.

Find out more about Maison Hercourt ›

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Fjord Boat House, Denmark, by Norm Architects

Copenhagen-based Norm Architects chose handmade ceramic bricks for the flooring of this vacation house, built on the edge of a fjord just outside the city.

They form stairs that lead down from the main house to a terrace, then continue inside to give the interior living spaces a casual, rustic feel. At the main entrance, the linearity of the brickwork pattern acts to draw the eye.

Find out more about Fjord Boat House ›

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Ederlezi, Mexico, Práctica Arquitectura

Using the same flooring surface for both indoors and outdoors can become costly, but this low-cost infill house in Monterrey offers a clever solution.

Designed by locally based Práctica Arquitectura, the house features a stepped living space with an adjoining courtyard.

Most of the courtyard is landscaped, but the edges are lined with the same square saltillo tiles that provide interior flooring. This helps to extend the living space outdoors without requiring quite as many tiles.

Find out more about Ederlezi ›

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The Maker’s Barn, UK, by Hutch Design

Full-height glazing features in many of the rooms of this rural holiday rental on the outskirts of London, a former pig shed renovated by Hutch Design. This results in a strong connection with the surrounding patio.

The effect is particularly effective in the primary bedroom, which features a bath set into the floor. Here, it’s possible to observe the clean line running between the end-grain timber flooring inside and the paving tiles outside.

Find out more about The Maker’s Barn ›

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Mossy Point, Australia, by Edition Office

Melbourne-based Edition Office selected very different surfaces for the shower room of this house in Mossy Point, New South Wales, but they appear to merge thanks to the use of frameless glazing.

A similar effect can be found throughout the house, but the contrast between the wooden decking and the blue tiles of this room is the most striking.

Find out more about Mossy Point ›

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Shift House, Spain, by Nomo Studio

Roughly polished white concrete flooring unites both the interior and exterior of this house on the island of Menorca, designed by Barcelona-based Nomo Studio.

This creates a feeling of continuity from the building’s entrance, located on the uppermost storey, all the way across to a balcony terrace on the opposite side of the main living room.

Find out more about Shift House ›

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A Modern Oasis, UK, by Richard Parr Associates

The level thresholds of this house in Oxfordshire, England, create a visual connection between the polished concrete flooring inside and the paving tiles outside.

Architecture office Richard Parr Associates carefully matched the colours of these two surfaces so that they appear to be made of the same material.

Find out more about A Modern Oasis ›

This is the latest in our lookbooks series, which provides visual inspiration from Dezeen’s archive. For more inspiration, see previous lookbooks featuring chocolate-brown interiors and minimalist bathrooms.

Curator Lotte Johnson discusses the transformative power of textiles in this video produced by Dezeen for the Barbican‘s latest exhibition.

Titled Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art, the exhibition examines how textiles have been employed to explore themes spanning power, oppression, gender and belonging.

It features over 100 works that make use of textile, fibre and thread from over 50 artists from across the globe, spanning from the 1960s to the present day.

The exhibition is designed to challenge the perception of textiles being solely domestic or craft practices and instead features textile works that relate a story of resistance and rebellion as well as pieces that present narratives of emancipation and joy.

Johnson explained that textiles offer a meaningful medium to express personal and political issues due to their tactile nature and intimate connection to daily life.

“Textiles are one of the most under-examined mediums in art history and in fact history itself,” Johnson said. “They are an intrinsic part of our everyday lives. When we’re born, we’re shrouded in a piece of fabric. Everyday we wrap ourselves in textiles,” she continued.

“They’re really this very intimate, tactile part of our lives and therefore perhaps the most intrinsic, meaningful way to express ourselves.”

The exhibition is structured into six thematic sections. The first, called Subversive Stitch, presents works that challenge binary conceptions of gender and sexuality.

The section includes feminist artist Judy Chicago’s Birth Project, which vividly depicts the glory, pain and mysticism of giving birth, as well as a piece from South African artist Nicholas Hlobo, which, despite initially appearing as a painting, is made using ribbon and leather stitched into a canvas.

Another section of the exhibition is titled Bearing Witness, which brings together artists who employ textiles to confront and protest political injustices and systems of violent oppression.

Included in this section are tapestries by Mexican artist Teresa Margolles that commemorate the lives of individuals including Eric Garner and Jadeth Rosano López.

Garner was an African-American man killed in 2014 by NYPD police officer Daniel Pantaleo, who put Garner into a chokehold during arrest. López was a seventeen-year old-girl assassinated in Panama City.

Margolles used fabric that had been placed in contact with the victims’ deceased bodies and collaborated with embroiderers from their respective local communities to create the tapestries.

The Wound and Repair sections includes work from American artist and activist Harmony Hammond’s Bandaged Grid series, in which layered fabric is used to evoke imagery reminiscent of an injured body.

While violence and brutality are key themes examined in the exhibition, it also showcases how textiles can be used to create narratives of hope. The final, most expansive section of the exhibition is titled Ancestral Threads, which encompasses works created to inspire a sense of optimism and reconnect with ancestral practices.

“This section not only explores artists processing exploitative and violent colonial and imperialist histories, but also celebrates the artists who are re-summoning and relearning ancient knowledge systems to imagine a different kind of future,” Johnson explained.

Canadian multimedia artist Tau Lewis’s work titled The Coral Reef Preservation Society is a patchwork assemblage of recycled fabrics and seashells including fragments of textured denim.

The work pays homage to the enslaved women and children thrown overboard in the Middle Passage, the historical transportation route used during the Atlantic slave trade. These women and children have been reimagined as underwater sea creatures to transform the narrative into one of regeneration.

A large installation by Chilean artist Cecilia Vicuña titled Quipu Austral is situated towards the end of the exhibition. The installation takes the form of billowing ribbons hanging from the ceiling.

Vicuña references quipu, a form of recording used by a number cultures in Andean South America. Quipu was a ancient writing system which used knotted textile cords to communicate information.

Other sections in the exhibition include Fabric of Everyday, which explores the daily uses of textiles, as well as Borderlands, which examines how textiles have been used to challenge ideas around belonging.

These sections feature works such as Shelia Hicks’ colourful woven bundles and Margarita Cabrera’s soft sculpture cacti crafted from reclaimed US border patrol uniforms.

“We hope that people might come out of this exhibition feeling invigorated and moved by the stories of resilience and rebellion embedded in the work but also hope and emancipation,” Johnson said.

“I hope that the show might inspire people to pick up a needle and thread themselves and use it to express their own lived experience.”

The show is a partnership between the Barbican and the Stedelijk Museum in Amsterdam and was co-curated by Barbican curators Johnson, Wells Fray-Smith and Diego Chocano, in collaboration with Amanda Pinatih from the Stedelijk.

Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art is at the Barbican Centre until 26 May 2024. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This video was produced by Dezeen for the Barbican Centre as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen’s partnership content here.

Glossy walls, ruched curtains and oversized flower-shaped cushions characterise this eclectic 1970s-style Paris apartment, designed and owned by Uchronia founder Julien Sebban.

Called Univers Uchronia, the apartment is in the city’s 18th arrondissement, close to the Uchronia office – a Parisian architecture and interiors studio known for its bold application of shape, colour and reflective surfaces.

Sebban designed the dwelling as his home, which he shares with his husband and Maison Royère artistic director Jonathan Wray.

The Uchronia founder created the apartment as an extension of his studio – “it’s truly a manifesto of our universe,” he told Dezeen.

Sebban worked with local studio Atelier Roma to create all the walls and ceilings, which are either lacquered and glossy or made of matte pigmented concrete, respectively reflecting or absorbing light throughout the day.

Finished in hues ranging from cloud-like pale blue to lemony yellow, the walls and ceilings complement the poured-in-place resin floor that spans the apartment and features a bold motif that “waves and moves in relation to the architecture”.

The home is anchored by a predominantly pink living space, which includes Uchronia-designed pieces such as low-slung interlocking coffee tables made from walnut burl and orange resin.

Translucent and gathered pink curtains were paired with a geometric vintage bookshelf and a blocky but soft sofa finished in purple and orange.

“The apartment is very colourful with ’60s and ’70s inspirations and a mix of our contemporary pieces and vintage objects,” said Sebban.

In the open-plan kitchen and dining room, a veiny Van Gogh onyx table was positioned next to a metallic kitchen island, illuminated by a blobby seaweed-shaped table lamp.

A portion of the otherwise orange wall was clad with tiny, mirrored tiles. Reflected in the gleaming ceiling, the tiles have the same effect as a shimmering disco ball.

Opposite the dining area is Sebban and Wray’s home office, characterised by a bright orange, built-in day bed topped with silk flower-like cushions and a wave-shaped backrest.

Above the bed, ornamental jellyfish were suspended like planets against a constellation of gold stars, which decorate the ombre orange and yellow wall that nods to the colour-drenched interior of the city’s Cafe Nuances – also designed by Uchronia.

The dwelling’s bathrooms follow a similar design. Accents include dusty pink alcoves and ceramic tiles depicting underwater scenes, as well as a lily pad-shaped rug and a mirror resembling a cluster of clouds.

“The apartment defines the codes we have tried to develop at Uchronia over the last four years,” concluded Sebban.

“It’s a play on colours, textures and materials, and a love letter to French craft.”

Uchronia was named emerging interior designer of the year at the Dezeen Awards 2023. The studio previously renovated a Haussmann-era apartment for a pair of jewellery designers with multifaceted furniture pieces created to mirror the appearance of precious stones.

Various architects have designed their own homes, such as John Pawson, who created this minimalist second home in the Cotswolds in the UK.

The photography is by Félix Dol Maillot. 

Architecture office Destudio has remodelled an apartment in Valencia for a couple of empty nesters, swapping the positions of the living and sleeping areas so they perform better for the owners’ lifestyles.

The clients, who recently worked with Destudio to design their pharmacy in the Spanish city, invited the studio to oversee the renovation of the 150-square-metre apartment that had been their home for two decades.

The couple’s grown-up children no longer live with them and Destudio saw this change in circumstances as an opportunity to create an entirely new and more appropriate layout.

“We worked with the owners to convince them to make a ‘tabula rasa’ of how they lived in this house for the last 20 years and find a better distribution for their actual needs,” Destudio creative director Gabi Ladaria told Dezeen.

“It was tough for the family to recognise that every wall had to be demolished,” he added, “but when they saw the first plans and 3Ds they realised there were better ways to live in their house, being more honest with their needs in the coming years.”

An initial survey of how the existing spaces were used informed the decision to switch the position of the private and communal areas so the main living space receives the best of the available sunlight. This act gave the project its name, Casa Inversa.

Conversations with the clients revealed that they wanted the kitchen to be the heart of the house as this is where they spend a lot of time preparing and eating meals throughout the day.

This informed the decision to reduce the size of the dedicated dining area by incorporating it into a corner of the living room.

A cantilevered bench minimises the floor area used so the adjacent lounge feels more generous.

“We use this strategy in our restaurant projects to maximise the number of diners,” Ladaria pointed out, “but here it is used to maximise the space in the other part of the corner bench where the living room is located.”

The studio added that the table is likely to be used infrequently, mostly when friends or family come to visit, so it was designed like a restaurant booth to make the dining experience feel like eating out.

The kitchen opens onto a terrace with outdoor seating, while on the opposite wall a wine display backed with semi-opaque glass provides a visual connection with the adjoining utility space. Sliding glass doors can be closed to separate the kitchen and the adjacent sitting room if required.

The apartment’s three bedrooms were relocated to the opposite end of the floor plan, where they overlook the building’s internal courtyards.

The principal bedroom and one of the guest rooms are accommodated in an angular corner that previously housed the living room. The main bedroom’s dressing area features cupboards that extend along one wall, making the most of the space.

A material palette consisting of clay-rendered walls, oak joinery and porcelain tiles acts as a warm backdrop for the clients’ art collection.

Where possible, Destudio specified furniture from local brands, including the sofa, armchairs and the living room’s library shelving.

Destudio was founded in 2014 by architects Gabi Ladaria and Nacho Díaz, who studied together at Valencia’s Polytechnic University.

Other recent residential projects in Valencia include the renovation of a former fisherman’s house using geometric blue-and-white tiling and a copper-toned home in an olive grove.

The photography is courtesy of Destudio.