With the remains of the former tenants cleared out, the first hurdle the designers were faced with was a lack of daylight across the 745-square-metre floor plan. “Despite its large footprint, the existing space had very little access to natural light,” explains the Ivy Studio team. “Only the front facade and the main staircase have […]

The storied past of Geelong in the southwest of Melbourne has undoubtedly contributed to placing the bay-side region on the map. The city is well-known for its woollen mills that coincided with Geelong’s founding in 1837 and the National Wool Museum that now pays tribute to the industry’s heyday. There’s the circa-1859 Geelong AFL club (one of the world’s oldest clubs) and, of course, the now-shuttered Ford factory that was home of manufacturing for the iconic Falcon and the family of motor-vehicles that followed suit. But there’s another claim to fame to be added to the city’s brag-list: the region is the birthplace of retail empire Cotton On Group.

When professional footballers Jorge Pulido and Mikel Rico decided to broaden their business portfolio to include the Pukkel restaurant in Huesca, their home-ground city in Spain’s north-east, the duo turned to the inimitable stylings of Valencia-based creative consultancy Masquespacio for an unforgettable fit-out.

Designed by Tokyo-based firm Klein Dytham architecture (KDa), the Toggle Hotel is a truly efficient urban lodging in a city where real estate is notoriously hard to come by. Expertly wedged onto a triangle-shaped site in the beating heart of Tokyo, the nine-storey hotel is bound by the elevated Metropolitan Expressway which flies past on one side, while the main railway line that crosses Tokyo zooms past on the opposite side.

Dressed in a fit-out inspired by filmmaker Wes Anderson’s celebrated style, The Budapest Cafe in Carlton, a student-dense suburb of Melbourne, follows the popularity of its predecessor in Chengdu, China. Brought to life by local Australian design studio Biasol, led by practice principal Jean-Pierre Biasol, the interior of the 94-square-metre cafe is imaginative and evocative, showcasing offbeat design elements punctuated by compelling blocks of colour.

Located in Portugal, in the heart of Lisbon’s charming Estrela district, a formerly vacant commercial space has undergone the ultimate 40-week transformation, revealing itself as a health-centric fitness and social hub called The Gladstone. Designed by local architecture practice Studio Gameiro, the soul-soothing space corrals a private gym, yoga studio, lounge, bar, cafe, spa and therapy facilities under the one worldly roof. “Our client sought to bring an international vibe to the club,” says architect and studio founder João Gameiro. “We proposed an earthy, warm and global aesthetic, where local craftsmanship and Portuguese materials are shown subtly throughout.”

Vast, mysterious and unfathomably deep, the world’s oceans are at the heart of the new boutique for jewellery brand Sarah & Sebastian, located in Melbourne's upmarket Armadale. But expel any visions of a twinkling Tiffany store or crystal-cut Cartier shopfront. This eerie cave of wondrous delights is sooner compared to Davy Jones’ Locker or Ursula’s lair over any glitz-and-glam engagement ring dispensary.

Taking its inspiration from chef Sergio Giraldo and bartender Cristóbal Bouchet's shared dream to open their own restaurant, La Sastrería is a wondrous establishment in Valencia, Spain, designed by local creative consultancy Masquespacio. As with most of Masquespacio’s endeavours, the aim of the La Sastrería project was to fulfill the ambitious vision of young entrepreneurs. In this instance, a hospitable duo who seek to spearhead new culinary and sensorial experiences in the local area.

In Los Angeles, locals describe the Santa Monica neighbourhood as Silicon Beach, the surfside equivalent of Silicon Valley, due to the concentration of technology, entertainment and digital media companies that have established offices just a few blocks from the ocean. Among the liveliness, the Santa Monica Proper hotel has become a smash-hit since opening mid-2019, winning the hearts of visitors and locals alike. Nestled within a six-storey Spanish Colonial Revival-style building originally designed by Arthur E. Harvey in 1928 and renovated by Howard Laks Architects, the light-filled interiors of the hotel were created by famed American designer Kelly Wearstler.

Hailing from Georgia in the Caucasus region of Eurasia, the Mama Manana group of restaurants is built on the charming tale of a Georgian hostess. Known as Mama Manana, the story goes that she regularly greets guests at the doorstep of her home and warmly welcomes them inside with an abundance of kind-hearted hospitality. Tasked with designing the restaurant group’s latest outlet in Ukraine, local architecture and interiors firm Balbek Bureau, led by practice principal Slava Balbek, borrowed inspiration from this fable and harnessed its spirit of generosity in realising a contemporary restaurant setting.