This Chair Collection Revels in Understated Beauty

“I think beauty is underrated these days,” muses Amsterdam-based designer Carole Baijings. Her first collection for Geiger, Lijn, encompassing a side chair, armchair, and stool, revels in that quality of loveliness. Lijn means “line” in Dutch, drawing attention to the timber form’s shapely balance of straight and curved profiles, which can be dressed up in textiles, leathers, and even belted quilts. Baijings is known as a trend-setting colorist, so naturally she developed five new veneer stains for the chair: Sunshadow, Fawn, Nordic Blue, Red Clay, and Ivy. (There’s also a natural beech version.) “Color is my truest passion,” she notes, “so creating new wood hues came naturally. It allows for the design of different atmospheres: light and airy, modern, or warm and moody, but always sophisticated.” Find the collection at Geiger DatesWeiser and MillerKnoll dealers starting this fall.

Achieve a Top-Notch Acoustic Performance With These Sustainable Panels

Ingeniously combining FSC-certified wood with recycled-plastic fibers, the award-winning Woody series of sound-absorbing wall panels is crafted using a patent-pending thermoforming technology. Conceived by Slalom company founder Elettra de Pellegrin, the existing oak, birch, Bolivar, and Canaletto walnut finishes, with their grooved and perforated surfaces evocative of mid-century design, will soon be joined by a fresh palette of colors and patterns broadening options. Panels are lightweight and easy to install, requiring no substructures, which the company hopes will encourage reuse and a second life—typical of all its acoustic finishes. The panels’ thinness also contributes to their minimal environmental impact.

Delight in the Bold Charm of These Shaggy Statement Rugs

The cheekily named Grandma Patterns is a series of five delightfully shaggy rugs by Amsterdam-based artist Rop van Mierlo of Wild Animals studio for CC-Tapis. The classic prints may riff on tradition, but the design process is anything but. It kickstarts with a wet-on-wet painting technique in which Van Mierlo uses liquid watercolors on moistened paper, resulting in fuzzy, intentionally unpredictable results. Translated into wool rugs measuring approximately 6.5 by 10 feet, the bold colors and grid lines blur evocatively—he describes them as “patterns of uncontrolled behavior.” Of course, the tousled pelt-like pile only helps amplify the designs’ untamed nature.

High Five To Playful Ottomans Representing Conversation

High five! Inspired by the curves of the human body, Palma ottomans represent British-born, London-based Ghanaian designer Kusheda Mensah’s first collaboration with Swedish company Hem, which just celebrated its 10th anniversary. The concept for Palma originated from Mensah’s earlier work, Mutual I: handlike structures introduced as residential and public sculptures that explored design as a tool for connection in the Internet Age. The playful “paws” encourage socially generous behaviors like closeness, interaction, and conversation, and Mensah notes the range of two-to-five-digit ottomans is “a real milestone in my journey as a Black woman in design.” Constructed of plywood topped with polyurethane foam, the 17-inch-high units are available in a variety of covers, including tactile bouclé or supple leather, and in three sizes ranging from 26 to 47 inches across. 

Arcs De Triomphe: Explore a Parisian Home Embracing Art Nouveau

Architects Robert Ivanov and Tecla Tangorra named their multidisciplinary firm Labscape Studio because they wanted to suggest a spirit of experimentation. “We place great importance on innovation,” Tangorra says. “At the start of each project, we test out our clients to see how far we can go.” In the case of a recent project—the makeover of a 6,544-square-foot Paris residence belonging to an art-collecting couple—the homeowners’ reaction did not disappoint. “They’re very open to new things,” Ivanov notes. “They really wanted to be surprised.”

The property itself is anything but conventional. On their first visit to the site, Ivanov and Tangorra discovered it comprised two distinct units: a three-level apartment at the rear of a typical Haussmannian building near the Eiffel Tower, and an older four-story mews with a half-timbered facade, located across a courtyard behind it.

Labscape Studio Reimagines A Parisian Home With Flair

Labscape, which has studios in Belgium, Italy, and New York, linked the two parts with a strikingly contemporary structure—a broad, skylight-topped corridor that wraps around the courtyard’s perimeter, leaving a verdant patio at its center. The steel frames of the addition’s arched, floor-to-ceiling windows and doors are eye-catchingly thin. “I wanted them so fine they almost cut the air like razors,” Ivanov explains. Curves in general are close to the studio’s heart. Early in Ivanov’s career, while working for Asymptote Architecture, he grappled with the famously complex, fluid forms of the Yas Island Marina Hotel in Abu Dhabi. “That really taught me how to work with them,” he says, developing a fascination he and Tangorra continue to explore. “We don’t always like to work with orthogonal, angular shapes,” he acknowledges.

Here, curves seem particularly fitting, given the proximity of the Eiffel Tower. “It has a very interesting geometry,” Tangorra observes of the iconic landmark. “It’s not a simple, regular arch, but a splayed one. We thought Why not bring this form—so typical of the art nouveau movement— into the house?” The introduction of these arches created irregular walls and ceilings that helped mask some unfortunately located structural beams and common plumbing lines. “If we’d opted for more classical forms, we’d have had things sticking out all over the place,” Ivanov admits. Another byproduct is an impressive number of architectural niches, some of which are home to custom bookshelves, others to curvaceous built-in sofas.

A Triumph Of Arches Brings This Space To Life

The home’s spatial challenges led to a far-from-traditional layout. The ground floor includes the entry and main bedroom—both located in the apartment building—the generous corridor surrounding the patio, and, beyond a pair of expansive arches lined with walnut paneling, the open-plan living, dining, and kitchen area housed in the mews. Off the bedroom, a spiral staircase leads up to the wife’s study on the second floor and down to the basement, which contains a dressing area and bathroom, as well as a pool, sauna, fumoir-home theater, and bar. A second salon occupies a mezzanine above the living-dining space, while two guest bedrooms are found on the top floor.

Style-wise, the clients were adamant they didn’t want anything typically “Parisian.” No marble fireplaces. No elaborate wall and ceiling moldings. Even the classic chevron parquet in the public rooms was given a twist, being in walnut rather than the customary oak. Instead, Labscape enlivens the residence with a number of dramatic gestures. The living area centers on a fireplace topped by a massive sculptural overmantel, loosely based on one at Frank Lloyd Wright’s Hollyhock House in Los Angeles, which Tangorra visited on a school trip as a teenager. The Paris version, composed of deep-relief ceramic panels, took a whole year to develop. With the help of 3D software, each module was individually modeled, then integrated into a composition unified by a complex gradient incorporating all the colors in the house—from deep green to burgundy.

Parisian Elegance Is Redefined in This Renovation

In the wife’s study, the vibrant carpet—Sumo, a bold geometric from the 1970’s by Jean-Pierre Garrault—reflects her passion for both pattern in general and the era in particular. And the striking green marble cladding walls in the main bathroom was chosen for its powerfully expressive veining. The adjacent dressing room, with its pristine blanched palette and rounded forms, is a touch futuristic. “It’s almost as if you were on a spaceship,” Ivanov remarks.

To take a few steps to the basement bar and adjoining fumoir-home theater is to be transported to another world entirely. “The husband said, ‘It should be imbued with the spirit of old Paris, like a brothel with red-velvet walls,’” Tangorra reports. The studio went to town with a flamboyant Madeleine Castaing carpet sporting a banana leaf motif, a marble-and-ceramic bar, and a pair of jewel-like Murano glass sconces. As for the walls, they’re not simply clad in red velvet but upholstered with horizontal padded bolsters, “not just for visual effect but also for the acoustics,” Ivanov concludes. “That way, our clients don’t need to worry about disturbing the neighbors when they throw a party.”

Inside a Sophisticated Paris Home Revitalized by Labscape Studio

Embrace an Elevated French Living Experience

LABSCAPE STUDIO: CLAUDIO RUSSONIELLO.

FROM FRONT
BAXTER: LOUNGE CHAIR, OTTOMAN (LIVING AREA), CHAIRS (DINING AREA), NIGHTSTAND (BEDROOM), STOOLS (KITCHEN). CERMICA DI CAVA: CUSTOM OVERMANTEL (LIVING AREA), CUSTOM BAR FRONT (BAR). BOTTEGA VENEZIANA: CUSTOM SCONCES (LIVING AREA, BATHROOM, BAR), CUSTOM CHANDELIER (DINING AREA). WALNUTSGROOVE: CUSTOM TABLE (DINING AREA), CUSTOM WALL UPHOLSTERY (BAR, THEATER). THASSOS MARBLE: FLOORING (BATHROOM). MARGRAF: WALL MARBLE. AXOR: SHOWER FITTINGS. VILLEROY & BOCH: TUB, SINKS. PORTA ROMANA: SCONCES (BEDROOM). NOBILIS: WALLPAPER (BEDROOM, BAR), OTTOMAN FABRIC (THEATER). ROLL & HILL: SCONCE (KITCHEN). ARTEMIDE: SCONCES (THEATER). VINCENT SHEPPARD: FURNITURE (PATIO). JANSEN: WINDOW FRAMES. ARTISAN: STOOLS (BAR). GESSI: SINK FITTINGS. THROUGHOUT DEDAR: UPHOLSTERY FABRIC. CARPET SOCIETY: CARPET.

DIFFA’s Striking Rebrand Breaks the Mold

Last year was big for the nonprofit formerly known as Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS: its 40th anniversary. Executive director Dawn Roberson and associate director Steven Williams took the milestone as an opportunity to reevaluate everything, from its name and scope to fundraising strategies. For help with the latter, DIFFA: Design Industries Foundation’s New York chapter enlisted Gensler NYC, specifically its brand design studio. Peppering the year with three events, instead of one annual one, required distinct fundraising brands. The patchworklike 40th-anniversary package for the gala inspired a four-piece quilt set made of recycled textiles that was auctioned at the event, which raised more than $500,000.

“For that, we leaned on bold visuals and striking colors to inject fun and whimsy,” Gensler senior associate and design director Jessica Beck recalls. A series of thematic digital announce­ments for emails, @diffanational, and the website promoted the debut of Après Ski, a retro chalet-and-hot-cocoa winter event held at the Bryant Park ice rink. Messaging for Night at the Museum, another new initiative that was hosted on the Civilian Hotel’s rooftop and celebrated Gotham’s cultural institutions, channeled Vincent van Gogh’s The Starry Night. “Our shared passion for design and community impact,” Beck continues, “allowed us to think outside the box.”

JESSICA BECK; LAUREN BLALOCK; SARAH BLACK; BETH NOVITSKY.

Indulge in the Luxe Life at This Reimagined Residence

From the street, Pearl House still resembles many of its neighbors—a typical 1970’s curtain-wall office building, albeit with a spruced-up facade—located between Manhattan’s Financial District and South Street Seaport. But that nattily refreshed exterior only hints at the massive transformation Gensler’s New York studio oversaw inside, turning the 480,000-square-foot former workplace into a 588-unit apartment tower—the second largest office-to-residential conversion in the city to date. Such makeovers address two of the most pressing challenges facing many urban areas: a glut of underused downtown office space thanks to the rise in remote and hybrid work, and a chronic shortage of available housing.

Gensler was able to grow the tower from 24 to 30 stories by running three empty shafts through the building’s core—the darkest, least residential-friendly part of the floor plate—and transferring the sealed-off square footage upward to add new penthouse levels. These include the clublike Sky House, a full floor of coworking, social, recreational, and terrace spaces, ranging from a screening room with a 12-foot video wall to outdoor seating areas with firepits. “Our team crafted over 30,000 square feet of hospitality-inspired amenities to create a lifestyle-centered residential experience,” says Gensler principal and design director Peter Wang, who collaborated with BHDM Design on accessory styling and furniture in the public zones and apartments, which include a mix of studios and one- and two-bedroom rental units—all light-filled and airy, thanks to the upgraded curtain wall’s operable double-pane windows.

Residents also enjoy a luxury hotel–worthy lobby: Featuring a sleek tile-fronted reception desk, fireside lounge, and coffee bar, the block-long double-height volume is anchored by a custom stair. This sculptural structure—a ribbon of terrazzo treads and risers spiraling around a fountainlike column of bronze rods that rises to the ceiling—leads to the basement level, where more five-star amenities await: gym, spa, bowling alley, and billiard and party rooms, among others. Not that it’s all fun and games. “We made an existing building 30 percent more energy efficient from code baseline,” Wang notes, “while saving 20,000 metric tons of carbon and landfill.” No surprise that in May the project won the NYCxDesign Award for best residential lobby and amenity space.

GENSLER: ROBERT FULLER; PETER WANG; AMBROSE ALIAGA-KELLY; JOE LO; HENRY HONG; LINA AYALA; JUN PAK; TONYEE NG; HARRISON STURNER. BHDM DESIGN: DAN MAZZARINI; JOHN DOYLE.

FROM FRONT WALTER K.: RUG (LOUNGE). DOWEL FURNITURE: COFFEE TABLES. RESTORATION HARDWARE: SOFAS. TOWN & COUNTRY SURFACES: DESK TILE (RECEPTION). EESTAIRS AMERICA: CUSTOM STAIR (LOBBY). FORMS+SURFACES: STAIR RODS. DURITE TERRAZZO COMPANY: FLOORING (MAIL ROOM). MCGRORY GLASS: DICHROIC GLASS. VIBIA: PENDANT FIXTURES (PARTY ROOM). ANN SACKS: BACKSPLASH TILE. COMPOSITION HOSPITALITY: CUSTOM SOFAS. ÉLITIS: SOFA FABRIC. LULU & GEORGIA: ARMCHAIRS. PIERRE FREY: ARMCHAIR FABRIC. TREND GROUP: MOSAIC STAIR TILE (SPA). MOOOI: PENDANT FIXTURE (GAME ROOM). THROUGHOUT ARBORITE: HPL PANELING.

Repositioning the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry for a New Era

Engaging Northwesterners has long been a focus of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry, founded in 1944 to inspire interest in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. When current OMSI administrators sought to reach a broader audience—particularly underserved com­mu­nities—they turned to Gensler Seattle to help reposition the institution’s brand identity. “We invited partners across the state to participate,” senior associate and design director Krista Reeder says, the goal being to represent a range of perspectives and develop a concept that would reflect that diversity of voices. Her team and OMSI went on to establish a committee of individuals from LGBTQ, BIPOC, Native American, and rural communities.

Their involvement included initial visioning sessions to explore brand positioning as well as subsequent design reviews to ensure that everything was as inclusive as possible. The results encompass unique individual letter forms that create unified word marks and open-source typefaces accessible to everyone, all in a palette drawn from the Oregon thunder egg, an intricate rock formation that contains a rainbow of colors. Gensler also worked with OMSI to identify local creators from those communities to contribute to marketing campaigns, photograph products and events, and even temporarily display their work at the museum.

KRISTA REEDER; FRANCI VIRGILI; RYAN COLLIER; SARA THOMPSON; PETER MULLER; NATASHA FIELD-RAHMAN.

Experience the Height of Style at the Revamped Bank of America Plaza

The 55-story Bank of America Plaza, designed in 1992 by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, remains Atlanta’s tallest and—courtesy of its signature ziggurat-shaped spire—most iconic skyscraper. But lower down, on the ground level, the property hadn’t aged quite as well, with an under-activated lobby dressed in pinky-red granite and dated mirror-gold trim. To make the 24,000-square-foot space more enticing to today’s tenants, building owner CP Group tapped Gensler Atlanta for a hospitality-inspired revamp.

The new scheme subtly winks to but totally modernizes the original PoMo-meets-deco flourishes. The gray-and-rust veins of the Italian marble flooring echo the tones of black Venetian-plaster walls and the champagne brass–finished aluminum panels that arc overhead to form the vaulted ceiling. Burnished metals thread throughout, from accent tables to the amoebic copper-painted fiberglass reception desk. The team also forged a stronger connection to the outdoors via greenery-filled planters that anchor floating banquettes—one of a multipurpose mix of seating types that support activities ranging from meetings to focus work. The hot spot, however, is the tenant café, appropriately dubbed the Spire. “It’s tucked away from the core,” Gensler interior designer Catherine Harter explains, “but great for quiet conversation despite how open and grand the lobby is.”

KEVIN SONGER; MICHAEL LUTZ; GAIL MALONE; CATHERINE HARTER; JONATHAN PARK; DEYSY CRUZ ESCOBAR; JEFF WILSON; TRICIA WEBER; VAL DOBREV.

Be Prepared for the Weather at This Burlingame Amenity Center

At 27,310 square feet, the two-story amenity center is not the largest building at Burlingame Point, an 18-acre California office development by Kylli, a major Bay Area real estate company, with Meta Reality Labs as its sole tenant. Still, the compact structure may well be the waterfront property’s jewel, courtesy of Gensler San Francisco, which oversaw the architecture of the expansive project. As senior associate and design director Bob Perry notes, “The center was intentionally positioned as a destination within the campus.”

Designed to include fitness and childcare facilities on the ground floor, a terraced water-view restaurant on the second level, and a rooftop garden with enviable shoreline vistas, the concrete-frame building features post-tensioned, long-span beams that allow for a flexible, easily adaptable interior. No less alluring than the amenities inside is the structure’s striking exterior: a sawtooth facade clad in continuously anodized aluminum panels that reflect the area’s ever-changing weather conditions. “The unique finish gives it a chameleonlike quality,” Perry observes, “while the angled orientation intentionally directs interior views toward the waterfront.”

Composed of prefabricated elements, the folded envelope limits glazing to 43 percent, reducing solar heat gain while filling the interior with indirect natural light. Given the LEED Gold–certified building’s success at balancing sustainability, durability, and aesthetics, it’s no surprise the center recently received an AIA San Francisco Honor Award for Architecture.

BENEDICT TRANEL; ELLIE WANG; SAMANTHA BUCKLEY; CHRISTOPHER PAYNE; JAY WILSON; BOB PERRY; LINZY GRISWOLD; CHRISTIAN POPPELL; JIYOUNG LEE; GUNWOOK NAM.