Following in the footsteps of Philias Fogg, join me on a journey around the world, not in 80 days, but rather in 80 images!
Places and spaces are the common thread on our journey. Peruse the weird and the wonderful, the stunning and the intriguing. Explore how tradition meets modernity, and craft techniques combine with industrial materials. See how old aesthetics are reimagined with a contemporary touch. The list runs from A to Z … well A for Andorra to U for USA … and covers all corners of the world. Enjoy!
Andorra
Cubil Grandvalira in the Andorran alpine range is a modern take on ski lodge style with plenty of retro charm. All the furniture was purpose built for the project – one of many “attention to detail” choices the design team made.
Australia
Award winning architecture and interior design firm, Luchetti Krelle, designed Donny’s Bar in Sydney mixing industrial style and rustic vibes for a contemporary feel – the result feels light and airy despite the mix of darks woods and colours.
Austria
Caramel Architekten designed a series of ultra-modern buildings for the Science Park at the Johannes Kepler University in Linz. Yellow was a bold and clever colour choice for these central stairways and walkways, nicely breaking up the concrete grey and clear white walls.
Azerbaijan
Airports are rarely attractions on their own – they are a means to an end – a gateway, quite literally, as you travel from A to B. Getting delayed in one is annoying, but if you get stuck at Heydar Aliyev International Airport in Baku – you can at least admire the rather stunning design while you wait!
Belgium
Located in a renovated Antwerp church, The Jane is a restaurant designed by Piet Boon. With the altar transformed into the kitchen, this space makes “food is religion” a reality. The vaulted ceiling offers the perfect frame for an expansive light fitting.
Bosnia and Herzegovina
With this Bijaca complex, DVA Arhitekta aimed to set an example for building in remote areas. As the construction respects local craftsmanship and the natural environment, the complex does not compete with its surroundings. The white plaster frames break up the otherwise continuous stonework – a nod to modern lines amidst the classical stone.
Botswana
The Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge in the Okavango Delta blurs the line between indoor and outdoor space. Built around multiple tree trunks the lodge integrates itself beautifully with its surroundings and makes for a luxurious home away from home.
China
Dubbed “the most romantic building in China,” The Piano House in Anhui is a popular tourist destination and photo stop for newlyweds. Built in 2007 as a showroom for a newly created district plans, the reasons behind the Hefei University of Technology designed shape remain a mystery….
Costa Rica
Containers of Hope is a family home situated in a quiet, rural spot outside San Jose. Architect Benjamin Garcia Saxe repurposed shipping containers to maintain a low budget.
Denmark
Llama is a South American restaurant in Copenhagen. Completely covered in decorative handcrafted Mexican cement tiles, this sea of pattern is interrupted by the solid colour of tables, chairs and support structures. The creative minds behind the project aimed to tie together traditional Latin American vernacular and contemporary Copenhagen — what do you think of the result?
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Finland
Another example of playing with the boundary between inside and out; this spiral house in Espoo curves around on itself so that the view out of the window is back into another part of the house. The house and all its curvy walls were designed by Olavi Kopose.
France
The Palais Bulles, affectionately known as the Palace of Bubbles, was designed by Hungarian architect Antti Lovag. This Theoule-sur-Mer building was famously owned by Pierre Cardin and has served as a backdrop to a number fashion shows.
Germany
The front of the Berlinische Galerie (in, you guessed it, Berlin!) is covered in an 80-meter long bright strip of letters. Designed by the Kühn Malvezzi architectural team, this entrance actually spells out the names of artists featured in the gallery’s collections.
Greece
The Alaloum Cafe in Athens is a dream come true for all the kids at heart out there – it takes the idea of a board game cafe to a whole new level! Pass go and be forever young!
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Polytechnic wanted to rehouse their design school in a modern space that would promote interdisciplinary collaboration. In 2014, designers Zaha Hadid and Patrik Schumacher revealed their Jockey Club Innovation Center. It looks like this space lives up to expectations!
India
Unique, colourful facades are the norm in Tirunamavalai. These unexpected combinations of asymmetrical geometry and colour are often an ongoing creative project for the families who call the buildings call home.
Indonesia
At first glance, it may not be that obvious where this Bottle House in Bandung gets its name, but the architect and owner, Ridwan Kamil, spent six months collecting 30,000 empty bottles to decorate his unique home.
Japan
This wedding chapel, aptly named Ribbon Chapel, sits in the grounds of the resort hotel, “Bella Vista Sakaigahama,” in Onomichi, Hiroshima. With stunning views over the sea, this statement building was designed by Hiroshi Nakamura and realised in 2013.
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Kuwait
Burger Boutique Black promises a “new upscale burger experience.” The restaurant’s design has been shortlisted for the Restaurant and Bar Design Awards. Check out that ceiling!
Madagascar
This image seems to connect space and place. Featured is furniture from the TSARA Project (meaning “beautiful” in Malagasy). Displayed in the old queen’s royal palace in Antananarivo, the UN funded project connects three diverse artisan communities to realise a collection of hand-crafted items. What resulted were striking traditional furnishings with a contemporary twist.
Mexico
Barberia Royal barbers in Mexico City lives up to its name – the grand decor making it a perfect destination for 21st-century kings!
Morocco
When architects Arnaud and Eric Maurières Ossart came across a neglected house in the heart of the souk in Taroudant, they turned to local craftsmen. Now, it is a beautiful home featuring pieces made by the region’s talent.
The Netherlands
Considering its location underneath the de Appel arts centre in Amsterdam, it’s no surprise that the is Moes restaurant & bar is overflowing with creativity…
Norway
The foot of so-called Troll Wall is not an easy place to build. This didn’t stop Reiulf Ramstad Arkitekter from designing a Visitor Center that holds its own against these impressive surroundings.
Portugal
Rua Nova do Carvalho in Lisbon is better known as the Pink Street. Painted pink as part of an urban regeneration project by architect, José Adrião, it is the perfect centerpiece to a burgeoning, creative part of town!
Romania
Industrial chic reigns supreme at the aptly named Bicycle Bar in Bucharest. Repurposed bicycles have been transformed into tables, chairs, light fittings & more. Don’t you want to take a ride and have a drink paired with some exposed concrete and a cool blue?
Russia
Russian pensioner, Olga Kostina used thousands of plastic bottle tops to create mosaics adorning her home in the village of Kamarchaga, Siberia. The patterns are based on traditional macrame motifs and she has vowed to carry on until every wall is covered…
Senegal
Terreneuve Architects called on the expertise of local craftsmen to cleverly design the High School Jean Mermoz in Dakar so that the school only needs to turn on the air-conditioning two months a year.
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Singapore
Unveiled in 2008, the Henderson Waves Bridge is the highest pedestrian bridge in Singapore. As the name suggests, it mimics the undulating shape of a wave – curving and twisting along its entire 274-metre length.
Slovenia
The Honeycomb Apartments in Izola were designed by OFIS arhitekti for a competition launched by the Slovenia Housing Fund, a government-run programme providing low-cost apartments to young families.
South Africa
The //hapo museum in Pretoria’s Freedom Park tells 3.6 billion years of history from an African perspective. The modern building was designed by Johannesburg-based MMA ARCHITECTS.
South Korea
‘The Oasis’ is a pavilion produced by OBBA Architects, it is a calm, semi-secluded spot for quiet reflection. When the curtain of white thread encircling the pavilion blows in the breeze, the outside is invited in. The Oasis has had numerous addresses in it’s 3 short years including the grounds of the Amore Pacific Museum of Art in Yongin.
Spain
La Muralla Roja, Spanish for ‘The Red Wall is a post-modernist housing project on the Alicante coast. The complex, containing 50 apartments, was designed by Ricardo Bofill and built in 1968 – it’s a wondrous modern take on a fortress.
Sweden
This mirrored tree house is almost impossible to spot if not for its access walkway! The MIRRORCUBE is just one option guests can choose at the tree hotel in Harads.
Switzerland
Every summer, Vercorin, a small village in the Swiss Alps, invites artists to come and produce works in and around town. In 2010 Swiss-American artist duo Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann – aka Lang/Baumann – treated locals to one of their, now signature, geometric street paintings:
Taiwan
This toilet-themed restaurant in Taipei is aptly named “Modern Toilet.” It proved so popular that several branches have sprung up all across Taiwan. The food is also served in toilet-shaped dishes! Yum?
Turkey
This grand industrial chic space is the marketing office of a textile company in Istanbul. Designed by the Zemberek Tasarim team, this office makes one want to go to work! I, for one, have serious office envy, what about you?
Ukraine
The Shustov Brandy Bar at a brandy factory in Odessa is quite simply, and ode to brandy. Who knew barrels and bottles could be so beautiful en masse?!
UK
Bob Bob Ricard opened in 2008 and quickly made a name for itself among London’s luxury dining crowd, not least in part due to the no holds barred approach to the design. Pictured here is the Blue Dining Room – the flamboyant creation of David Collins.
USA
Designer Lilah Horwitz and photographer Nick Olson thought it would be cool if they had a house with a whole wall of windows. They decided to make the idea a reality so quit their jobs and built this cabin in the forest in West Virginia from repurposed windows and materials salvaged from a nearby abandoned barn.
So that rounds out our little tour around the world – places and spaces edition! If that has got your spacial design juices flowing – head over to see if there are any spacial design projects running at the moment.
For more interiors and exteriors inspiration check out our dedicated boards on Pinterest: Places & Spaces: Exteriors & Places & Spaces: Interiors
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Over & out…