Tag: interior-design | ArchDaily

From Homes to Coffee Shops: Adaptive Reuse Projects Transforming Domestic History

Agustina Iñiguez — Wed, 08 Jul 2026 07:30:00 +0000

In the twenty-first century agenda, adaptive reuse is understood as a creative and meaningful approach to the development of the built environment. In the face of an era marked by adaptation and transformation, the shaping of human experiences aligns with the principle of "reuse, reduce, recycle." From the authenticity of place to the inherent value of materials, working in dialogue with the past makes it possible to envision new futures that engage with the uses, traditions, and beliefs of earlier eras. By considering each building as a collection of tangible and intangible elements that shape its identity, adaptive reuse interventions require a deep understanding not only of construction methods, structural systems, and spatial rhythms, but also of the cultures that built, inhabited, and will one day occupy these places.

When Does BIM Become Necessary in Interior Design?

Rene Submissions — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Interior designers who find themselves facing project parameters, budget constraints, client demands, and the maintenance of a design aesthetic have a lot to juggle. Tight turnaround schedules put pressure on designers when clients request multiple revisions. A mismatch between drawings and renderings undermines the delivery of a cohesive design plan. In today's competitive, digitally driven architectural field, success follows when designers can provide technical details from concept to construction by leveraging advanced technology and strategic tools within a single modeling software.

A World in Between: The Role of Hybrid Forms in Contemporary Bathrooms

Kiana Buchberger — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 01:30:00 +0000

When is a form still circular or rectangular? In twentieth-century modernism, this question was largely absent. Architecture was built on clarity, reduction, and formal purity. Influenced by architects such as Le Corbusier and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, modernist design established a visual order based on rational geometry, industrial materials, and the rejection of ornament. Circle and square, function and expression, were kept strictly apart—a logic that dictated the rigid, modular layouts of traditional bathrooms for decades.

Material Culture and Heritage in Contemporary Cinema Architecture

Agustina Iñiguez — Tue, 26 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Over the years, cinema architecture has continually reinvented itself. From cinematic experiences that engage multiple senses to material technologies that reinterpret the aesthetics of past eras, the concept of the movie theater has enabled the recovery, revitalization, and renewal of numerous obsolete, ruined, or even historically protected spaces. Just as the Majestic Cinema reflects an important community function in Zanzibar, Tanzania, many twentieth-century buildings have found in adaptive reuse an opportunity to restore and preserve cultures, memories, and traditions that remain meaningful to their communities.

Furniture as Architecture: Micro-Modernisms Inside the Home

Ananya Nayak — Sat, 16 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Modernism is often encountered through built form, photographed facades, canonical plans, concrete manifestos. For most people, its first encounter was far more immediate. It was a chair in an office, a shelf in a living room, a compact unit that reorganized how one sat, stored, or slept. Long before modern architecture could be widely commissioned, it was furniture that entered everyday space, carrying with it a new logic of living. Modernism's promise of transforming life was often delivered through these smaller, repeatable objects.

Appartamento Spagnolo Opens a Window to Spanish Interior Design at Milan Design Week 2026

Agustina Iñiguez — Thu, 14 May 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Interpreting the contemporary habitat is a priority for architects and designers worldwide. Amid shifting trends, stylistic blends, and the revival of different techniques, contemporary interior design brings together materials, textures, and colors to transform the user experience. Within the domestic realm, a series of realities, tensions, and activities unfold, with design serving as a strong foundation and support system to meet the needs of its inhabitants. During Milan Design Week 2026, ICEX and Elle Decor Italia presented the fourth edition of Appartamento Spagnolo—a spatial framework created to showcase contemporary Spanish interior design within a historic context.

The Productive Clash: Heritage Interiors, Contemporary Projects, and the Value of Imperfection

Jonathan Yeung — Thu, 14 May 2026 04:00:00 +0000

Heritage, in interiors, is increasingly rarer to be only a matter of preservation alone. More often it arrives as friction: the encounter between what a building already is—its plan logic, its scars, its structural inconsistencies—and what contemporary life demands of it.

Designing with Sound: How Audio Shapes Residential Architecture

Kiana Buchberger — Wed, 13 May 2026 06:45:00 +0000

What defines the atmosphere of a home? Beyond material palettes and natural light, sound plays a defining role in how spaces are perceived and inhabited. The reverberation of footsteps across stone, the muted calm of a textile-lined room, or the way music carries through an open-plan interior all shape the sensory identity of domestic space. Architecture is experienced not only visually, but acoustically.

How Waterways and Memory Shape Bathroom Design

Kiana Buchberger — Tue, 12 May 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Water has always occupied a unique position in architecture: elemental yet elusive, functional yet symbolic. It is both a material and a medium that shapes cities, structures rituals, and influences how space is perceived. Across cultures, water is understood not only as a source of life but as a carrier of meaning, associated with purification, renewal, and continuity. Its presence in the built environment often extends beyond utility, becoming a device through which architecture engages the senses and constructs atmosphere.

Understanding Light Sources: Types, Metrics, and Their Role in Architectural Design

Eduardo Souza — Mon, 11 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Walking into an electrical store can be intimidating. At first glance, all the lights are on, and the thousands of chandeliers and lamps are blinding. When you walk toward the shelves, you see dozens of options, shapes, colors, prices, and uses. On each package, informational tables display numbers that can seem confusing at first. Lumens, color temperature, wattage—there are many unfamiliar terms. Before defaulting to the cheapest option, only to find that it creates an uncomfortable or poorly balanced atmosphere, understanding a few key concepts can make a significant difference.

Lighting design plays a fundamental role in shaping how spaces are perceived and used, influencing comfort, atmosphere, and even productivity. Poorly designed lighting, on the other hand, can compromise these qualities. Rather than approaching lighting as a purely technical decision, it can be understood as an integral part of architectural design. To help clarify these choices, the following overview introduces the most common types of light sources and key concepts associated with them.

From Tradition to Modern Living: The Versatility and Elegance of Timber in 12 Japanese Interiors

Susanna Moreira — Fri, 08 May 2026 07:30:00 +0000

Contemporary Japanese architecture continues to demonstrate how to adapt the evolving needs of modern residents to a rich building tradition and artisanal legacy. Wood has always been the soul of Japanese architecture. In many recent residential projects, this material transcends its structural role to become the primary finish for various surfaces — ranging from floors and ceilings to furniture and architectural elements. These environments strike a delicate balance between elegance and coziness.

Plastic That Is Not a Plastic: Redefining Circularity in Open-Plan Design

Kiana Buchberger — Tue, 05 May 2026 06:45:00 +0000

When walking into a large living space, a hotel lobby, or an open-plan workplace, the first thing that can be noticed is not what divides the space, but what holds it together. There are rarely clear boundaries, no obvious rooms, no strict partitions, yet the space still feels organized. Some areas invite a pause; others dictate movement; others foster community. The transitions are subtle, but legible.

How to Modernize a Grand Hotel Without Erasing Its Memory: Lessons from Brenners

Kiana Buchberger — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 01:30:00 +0000

During renovation projects, replacement is often preferred over refurbishment. Used fixtures are removed, new products specified, timelines secured. Particularly in hospitality projects, where closures are costly and operations are tightly scheduled, installing new components appears to be the most reliable solution. It is faster, easier to coordinate, and aligns with established workflows. Refurbishment operates differently. It requires careful dismantling instead of disposal, evaluation instead of substitution, and trust in the quality of what is already there. It introduces complexity into a process designed for efficiency.

Beyond Circulation: Stair Solutions for Small-Footprint Living in Asia

Jonathan Yeung — Thu, 26 Mar 2026 07:30:00 +0000

In many high-density cities across Asia, the staircase is often treated as a necessary evil. Whether in apartment buildings, private homes, or retail interiors, it is frequently hidden, tucked away, or pushed to the margins—an element to be minimized so more area can be given to "usable" space. Yet as density intensifies and square footage becomes increasingly scarce, architects and designers are forced to rethink this vertical puzzle.

How Contemporary Design Fairs Are Redefining Craft

Eduardo Souza — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 06:45:00 +0000

In an age dominated by screens and digital images, the full character of a designed object often remains hidden. Only when encountering an object in person can one sense its texture, notice how it interacts with light, or even perceive its subtle smell. These sensory qualities— so difficult to convey online—reveal why design fairs continue to matter. Increasingly, these fairs have become spaces for experimentation in contemporary design, where ideas about materials, collaboration, and social responsibility are publicly explored. Curated programs, exhibitions, and experimental installations transform these events into environments where designers, manufacturers, and researchers test new possibilities for the built realm.

Transforming a Concrete Shell into a Wooden Interior Shaped by the Sea

Kiana Buchberger — Thu, 19 Mar 2026 06:45:00 +0000

Set along the outer breakwater of Port de Cap-d'Ail, located next to Monaco, the Beach House occupies a threshold between land and sea. Surrounded by water and docked boats, the building sits in close dialogue with the harbor, exposed to the shifting light, reflections, and atmosphere of the Mediterranean. Within this setting, the house reads almost like another vessel moored along the harbor wall.

BIG SEE Festival 2026

Rene Submissions — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 10:10:00 +0000

The BIG SEE Festival returns on May 21-22, 2026, to Portorož, Slovenia, as the leading architecture and product design platform in South-East Europe, bringing together architects, designers, brands, and decision-makers from across the world. Formerly known as BIG Architecture and BIG Design, the unified BIG SEE Festival reflects an expanded ambition: to frame architecture and design as critical tools for navigating complexity, responsibility, and change.

At the centre of BIG SEE Festival 2026 is one urgent question:
Too much? What is just enough?

We live in a time of abundance. More images, more buildings, more products, more tools, more opinions. While architecture and

Rethinking Interior Surfaces, From Finishes to Frameworks

Eduardo Souza — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 02:30:00 +0000

Designing an interior is, in many ways, an exercise in orchestration. Just as a conductor coordinates instruments, timbres, rhythms, and intensities to compose a coherent piece, the architect brings together materials, color, light, texture, and proportion to define the spatial quality and atmosphere of an environment. None of these decisions operates in isolation: the choice of a surface influences how light is reflected; a given material can shape how a room ages over time; color, in turn, directly affects the perception of scale.