Bangalore restaurant interior, London, designed by Outline

Judged by a panel of high-profile editors from the design, lifestyle and hospitality sectors, the UK Restaurant & Bar Design Awards 09/10 has announced its shortlist.

Bar Missoni interior, Edinburgh, designed by Matteo Thun

Now in its second year, the awards scheme is the only one of its kind to recognise this particular type of design project. This year’s shortlist includes submissions from Matteo Thun, Nigel Coates and Conran & Partners. The awards ceremony will take place on 22 June at a venue overlooking London’s new 2012 Olympic Park.

Viet Hoa restaurant interior, London, designed by Vonsung

Comptoir Libanais interior, London, designed by Born

to the Restaurant & Bar Design Awards website

'Lens' table by Junya Ishigami for Living Divani

The Italian manufacturer will present these new pieces at this year’s Milan fair in April. The Japanese architect Junya Ishigami created ‘Lens’, a dining table and coffee table made entirely of glossy transparent perspex with a lens top, standing on three cylindrical legs.

'Bolle' stools by Nathan Yong for Living Divani

Nathan Yong’s range is expanding; having presented the Bolle coffee table at last year’s Furniture Fair, he now adds a decorative and versatile pouf.

Francesco Rota’s Cavalletto coffee table comes in a selection of geometrical shapes. The plate glass top, in the three versions, square, round and rectangular, adds visual lightness and accentuates the base, made of thin steel tubes that come together to create a striking 3D effect.

'Cavalletto' by Francesco Rota for Living Divani

more Living Divani products @ Architonic

'TRIADI Estate' by Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen, photo by Jussi Tiainen

This three family residence in Helsinki was realised by the Finnish architectural practice Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen. It is located on a moderately steeply sloping hill in Kulosaari which faces east towards the Baltic sea.

'TRIADI Estate' by Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen, photo by Jussi Tiai

“The building consists of four floor levels. On the ground floor is a garage with associated storage spaces. White concrete stairs rise from the street to the front entrance on the first floor which leads into a stair lobby. The bathroom, sauna and service area are accessed from this level.

A flight of stairs lead up from the front entrance to the second floor where the main living spaces and kitchen are located while the third floor provides for bedrooms and a bathroom. Both the kitchen and bathroom function as service islands which provide a rational method of dividing the living spaces.”

'TRIADI Estate' by Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen, photo by Jussi Tiainen

“The open-plan living spaces offer pleasant sea views and visual continuity through to the rear-yard through large glazed walls.  The side facades are more conservative to preserve privacy. The design of the spaces and their inter-relationship has made for a pleasant and highly practical living space especially considering the constraints of the site.

The majority of the structure and finish is in-situ concrete where the facades are white concrete. Oak has been used extensively to provide a warm contrast to the concrete surfaces in the interior, where it is used as a finish to floors and stairs.”

'TRIADI Estate' by Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen, photo by Jussi Tiainen

'TRIADI Estate' by Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen, photo by Jussi Tiainen

'TRIADI Estate' by Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen, photo by Jussi Tiainen

to the Huttunen-Lipasti-Pakkanen profile

'mischlichtRGB' by Fabien Nehne und Martin Meier

The German and Swiss productdesigners Fabian Nehne and Martin Meier recently finished this pendant light, a consequent translation of the additive colour mixing into an adequate luminaire.

'mischlichtRGB' by Fabian Nehne und Martin Meier

Martin Meier is currently working as a seniour designer lead at IDEO Munich, Fabian Nehne is senior designer at Deutsche Telekom.

'mischlichtRGB' by Fabian Nehne und Martin Meier

'mischlichtRGB' by Fabian Nehne und Martin Meier

to the Martin Meier profile @ Architonic

Café Moskau conference center, photo by Stefan Müller

For Berlin people it is legendary. Café Moskau, built on the representative stalinistic Karl-Marx-Allee as a symbol of strong solidarity with the “big brother” Soviet Union in 1964, used to be THE restaurant in former East Berlin.

In the 1990s after German reunification the atrium building was used by the Berlin party scene. In 2007 Nicolas Berggruen Berlin Three Properties bought the property and started the conversion into a conference center in colaboration with the Berlin based practice HSH Architekten.

Café Moskau conference center, photo by Stefan Müller

Café Moskau conference center, photo by Stefan Müller

Café Moskau conference center, photo by Stefan Müller

Café Moskau conference center, photo by Stefan Müller

Café Moskau before conversion

to the HSH Architekten profile @ Architonic

'plato alto' by Jeff Miller for Cerruti Baleri

Italian manufacturer Cerruti Baleri will launch a new, highly sculptural container designed by Jeff Miller at next month’s Milan Furniture Fair. Called ‘plato alto’, the monolithic column is carved from a single piece of black marble. Enough said. We think it’s beautiful.

to the Cerruti Baleri collections on Architonic

'Kyudo' floor lamp by hansandfranz for Kundalini

Kundalini have previewed a new floor lamp called ‘Kyudo’ by Munich-based design duo hansandfranz (Konstantin Landuris and Horst Wittmann). This highly graphic piece, made of lacquered aluminium and available in red, white and black, features a low-voltage LED strip that is mounted on a sliding element that can be adjusted by the user at will.

'Kyudo' floor lamp by hansandfranz for Kundalini

‘Kyudo’ will be launched at the Milan Furniture Fair in April. hansandfranz was founded in 2006 and claims to be influenced by the ‘prevailing unconventional, artistic notion’ at the the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich, where the two designers are currently studying.

'Kyudo' floor lamp by hansandfranz for Kundalini

to the hansandfranz website
to the Kundalini website

'28.7' by Omer Arbel for Bocci

In collaboration with the Vancouver based designer Omer Arbel, the Canadian manufacturer Bocci realised this new series of suspension lights.


“28 is a result of a glass blowing technique developed by Omer Arbel whereby air is intermittently blown in and then sucked out of an intermittently heated and then cooled glass matrix.”

'28.7' by Omer Arbel for Bocci

“The result is a distorted spherical shape with a composed collection of inner shapes, one of which houses a low voltage (12V, 20W halogen/xenon) or LED (12V, 0.3W) lamp.”


Due to this process every ‘28′ is slightly different and therefore unique.

'28.7' by Omer Arbel for Bocci

‘28′ comes in different sizes – from ‘28.1′, with only one sphere, up to ‘28.19′.

'28.19' by Omer Arbel for Bocci

more Bocci products @ Architonic

'Kaufhaus Tyrol' by David Chipperfield Architects, photo by Ute Zscharnt

David Chipperfield Architects recently finished a new Department Store ‘Kaufhaus Tyrol’ in Innsbruck, Austria. Here are some first photos of the multifaceted front of the building.

'Kaufhaus Tyrol' by David Chipperfield Architects, photo by Ute Zscharnt

“In a prime downtown location, the largest city centre department store in Tyrol is emerging on the Maria-Theresien-Strasse. The new building covers the site of the former ‘Kaufhaus Tyrol’ that expands from Maria-Theresien-Strasse over the whole block to Erlerstrasse. The neighbouring existing building, the former ‘Schindlerhaus’, is being integrated into the project while conserving the overall ensemble. The new department store fits into and respects the existing context of the Maria-Theresien-Strasse.”

'Kaufhaus Tyrol' by David Chipperfield Architects, photo by Ute Zscharnt

“With three façade areas at a slight incline to each other, the long, stretched front of the new building is structured without losing its artistic and creative appearance. The structure of the Maria-Theresien-Strasse, which has grown irregularly since the Middle Ages, is reflected in the façade line-up of the new department store. The main entrance, situated in the centre, is subtly emphasised by the central part of the building being positioned forward and facing the Old Town and the pedestrian zone. Façade pillars form the main tectonic characteristic of the building. The façade structure is made of prefabricated concrete sections offset with natural stone. Room-height window apertures cover all storeys and act as mediators between the new Kaufhaus Tyrol and the historic environment.”

'Kaufhaus Tyrol' by David Chipperfield Architects, photo by Ute Zscharnt

Project start: 2007
Construction start: 2008
Completion: March 2010
Gross floor area: 58 000 m2
Client: Signa Holding GmbH, Innsbruck
Principal: David Chipperfield
Director: Christoph Felger (Design Director), Harald Müller (Managing Director)
Project architect: Ulrich Goertz (outline and detailed proposals, construction drawing phase, artistic overview), Hans Krause (concept study)
Project team: Florian Dietrich, Kristen Kinke, Ole Hallier, Paul Hillerkus, Guido Kappius, Mikhail Kornev, Katrin Löscher, Michael Schmidt, Lukas Schwind, Francois von Chappuis, Boris Wolf,
Structural engineer: dibral, Dipl.-Ing. Alfred R. Brunnsteiner Ziviltechnikergesellschaft mbH, Natters
Services engineer: Wagner & Partner ZT GmbH, Linz
Electrical planning: A3 Jenewein Ingenieurbüro GmbH, Aldrans
Façade consultant: gkp Fassadentechnik AG, Aadorf
Lighting consultant: matí AG Lichtgestaltung, Adliswil
General planning: Dieter Mathoi Architekten, Innsbruck

to the David Chipperfield Architects profile @ Architonic