Located in the seaside town of Saint-Jean-De-Luz, in the heart of the French Basque Country, the Hélianthal Thalazur hotel occupies a historic building recently renovated and reopened on 29 July 2021. Architect Jean-Philippe Nuel was responsible for the renovation of this 30-year-old luxury hotel, which has retained the 1920s architecture and design by Mallet-Stevens while updating the whole.

The areas to be renovated were the spa’s cabins and the restaurant tables. The renovation sought to strike the perfect balance between the historic architecture of this area in the south of France and the ocean inspired materials. In addition to this, the architect chose Cosentino materials for both areas, which not only blend in with the beauty of the surroundings, but also add extra strength and quality.

In the heart of the city of Girona, the new skin of the TQ InvestPro real estate company’s building transforms the skyline with contemporary touches thanks to its clean design with horizontal lines. Designed by the Arquitecturia studio, the building has a revamped façade that has been clad with Dekton, as well as the outdoor terrace flooring.

The design features large windows that open and close like a book and are concealed when closed, leaving the façade completely opaque and clean in terms of visual appearance.

After the complete redesign of several areas, including the lobby, restaurant, meeting rooms and bathrooms, one of the landmark hotels in the Italian city of Milan is sporting a fresh new look. The renovation, carried out jointly by Spanish architect Álvaro Sans and Vittorio Grassi Architects, has given a new look to the Meliá Milano, a hotel located in Via Masaccio, very close to the trendy area known as City Life, the new centre of luxury shopping in the city.

The functional and architectural approach of the renovation project led to the rebirth of this 20-year-old hotel, opening up spaces by creating a new, spacious and flexible layout of the common areas. The interior gardens, high skylights and contemporary use of materials and textures give the bar, restaurant and co-working area a sophisticated feel.

A demanding interior design

The interior designers of this home, located in a popular residential area on the outskirts of Madrid, faced a double challenge: on the one hand, they had to connect and give structural coherence to two independent semi-detached houses, transforming them into a single large family house with fewer but more spacious rooms; on the other hand, they had to bring new life to the interior appearance of the construction, creating an urban atmosphere inspired by New York lofts, something more in keeping with the needs of the owners, a young couple with several children and international tastes.

To do so, the space was redistributed allowing for a large open-plan floor of 100 m2 with part of its ceilings at double height. The staircase leading to the basement and the first floor was placed in the centre of the new room, which houses the living room, the dining room, a work area, the kitchen, a toilet and some additional relaxing and reading areas. Made from iron, wood and glass, it acts as an almost sculptural element that visually connects the various areas and, at the same time, helps to create different atmospheres depending on its use.

An industrial yet warm look dominates the décor, combining fine wood with natural finishes, brass, velvet, exposed brick and large-format floors reminiscent of concrete with metal accents, but with better technical performance in terms of resistance. The owners wanted an ‘all-terrain’ flooring solution that could withstand a lively social life (that would not get stained by a glass of wine, for example) and the demanding use of children (scratches, knocks, etc.). The interior designers recommended a safe bet, Dekton Nilium.

Aimed at young people and professionals with a dynamic lifestyle and a travelling soul, the new Noli Studios hotel opens its doors with a very flexible concept of short and long term accommodation. This is the third hotel of its kind opened by NREP, a Nordic real estate development and investment company. Located in Myyrmäki, on the outskirts of Helsinki (Finland), the hotel offers common areas, affordable prices and an atmosphere as comfortable as that of a hotel and as relaxed and intimate as that of an apartment.

The eight storey building features 322 contemporary style studios and over 1,000 m2 of common areas, including a gym, sauna, bicycle parking and a variety of spaces for relaxation and work. Functionality and minimalism are key to both the architectural design by Avarrus Architects Ltd and the interior design by dSign Vertti Kivi & Co.

Türkiye’nin çeşitli illerine yayılmış bir restoran zinciri olan Hayal Kahvesi, sadece öğle ve akşam yemeği servisinin ötesine geçip geceleri konser salonu atmosferine bürünen bir konsepte sahip. Bu çok yönlü konsept doğrultusunda, İstanbul’da bulunan şubelerden birinde bir yenileme projesi yürütüldü. Tanya Ildıroğlu ve kendisine ait Margo Interior and Product Design stüdyosu ile birlikte proje üzerinde çalışan mimarlar ve iç mekan tasarımcıları, mekan hakkında, “Gündüz saatlerinde, yemek ve buluşmalar için harika bir yer. Gece olduğunda ise club-lounge stili bir kulübe dönüşüyor.” ifadesinde bulunuyor.

Tasarımın bütünü, her iki deneyimi de kucaklıyor ve müşterilerin ihtiyaçlarını karşılamak için çaba sarf ediyor. Tasarımcılar ekliyor, “Bizler organik canlılarız, bedenimizi beslemek için gıdaya ve ruhumuzu beslemek için de müziğe ihtiyacımız var. Dünyanın en büyük metropollerinden birinde yaşıyoruz ve sürekli bir koşturmacanın içerisindeyiz. Bundan dolayı amaçlarımızdan biri, iç mekan tasarımında günün tüm negatifliğini alabilmek ve bunu pozitif bir şeylere dönüştürebilmekti.”

The main challenge of this house is to dialogue with its own site, an iconic building of national architecture designed by the Catalan architect José Antonio Coderch in the mid-1960s. The Girasol building, on the corner of Madrid’s exclusive Ortega Gasset and Lagasca streets, is characterised by a masterful use of natural light. Each house rotates on its axis towards noon and this rotation is calculated according to the most favourable positions of the sun throughout the day and the different seasons of the year.

‘The owners – a young couple who live with their friendly beagle dog named Milka – wanted to respect its essence as much as possible, maintaining the brightness of the spaces, but with a larger and more continuous layout. They asked for the best quality and specially designed materials to be used, such as those by Cosentino. They were looking for modern and functional finishes, but at the same time they wanted to create a cosy space,’ explains Domus Arquitectura studio, in charge of giving this flat a second life.

‘The initial layout, typical of the period when it was build, was irregular, made up of suspended ceilings that reduced the usable heights and fragmented spaces that lost part of their potential. In addition, despite being a penthouse with two large terraces, there was no connection between inside and outside,’ the studio continues. The new layout solves these problems by focusing on attention to detail, elegance and uniqueness. A good example of this is the flooring, for which large-format reformulated Dekton Rem with fewer veins was used, thus achieving a unique finish that enhances the sense of continuity.