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Azure Sept/Oct 2024 issue cover

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Spotlight: Residential Design
We showcase home interiors and furnishings with great ideas for how to organize our inner sanctums.
May/June 2024 issue: Loft with grapefruit pink curved wall
A New York Loft Transformation Breaks Boundaries
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Condo in Niagara-on-the-Lake
A Lakeside Penthouse Blends Global and Local Design
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Dining area with wood furniture and millwork
In Historic Kyiv, A Bland Apartment Gets a Refresh
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Relief storage system by String Furniture
4 Storage Systems to Keep Your Home in Good Order
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Pallone Soft Seasons by Leolux; collection shown at IMM Cologne 2024
Our Top 10 Highlights from IMM Cologne 2024
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Keyhole Communal Table by Fyrn
4 Stunning Dining Tables That Are a Feast for the Eyes
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Spotlight: Residential Design
May/June 2024 issue: Loft with grapefruit pink curved wall

In New York, converting an obsolete industrial building into a residence is nothing new. Artists began doing so at the end of the Second World War, when industry moved outside of the city and opened up more economically viable (though raw) options for living. Nearly 80 years later, the challenge remains the same: how to transform facilities designed for large-scale production and storage into far more livable homes.

MKCA New York Loft

When tasked with the recent renovation of an especially oversized — at 10 metres wide — NoMad loft, local firm Michael K Chen Architecture (MKCA) introduced a series of deft structural strategies aimed at breaking up the space and creating better flow. “It was so broad and deep that important areas like the kitchen...

Condo in Niagara-on-the-Lake

Called on to create a private retreat in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Toronto interior design firm ACDO had the opportunity to subvert the conventional waterfront getaway. The client had a clear vision for his home situated on a sandy stretch of Lake Ontario — “Canadian beach house meets Asian resort,” says ACDO founding partner Abraham Chan, one that not only invoked the surrounding natural environment but also incorporated elements inspired by his global travels. 

ACDO Niagara

The space itself was unconventional: 929 square metres spanning the fifth and sixth floors (the penthouse units, which the client had combined) of a mid-construction condominium. A vast blank slate with striking views of the lake, it presented a unique situation, but also a...

Dining area with wood furniture and millwork

With all the hallmarks of a laid-back beach house — whitewashed walls, pale wood furniture, creamy upholstery — the apartment is a moment of calm in the Podil district of Kyiv. But it wasn’t always this way. In fact, when interior designer Yana Molodykh first visited the location at the behest of its owners, a recently retired couple wanting a weekend pied-à-terre in the culturally rich neighbourhood, her initial thought was “How can I make something decent out of this?”

Located on the eighth floor, the 50-square-metre apartment was originally intended as the attic level of a new-build multi-unit residence, until the developer decided to add on five more storeys. While the building grew skyward, the unit retained its strong...

Relief storage system by String Furniture
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Intervalle Shelving by Ligne Roset
Intervalle Shelving by Ligne Roset

French designer Guillaume Delvigne has added a wall-mounted storage system to his Intervalle range of shapely wood furnishings for Ligne Roset. Characterized by the same organic quality as the previous bench, dining table and low coffee table, the shelving is composed of horizontal planes with softly rounded edges that appear seamlessly fused to their fin-like vertical supports. Strikingly simple, the shelving units are available in three sizes, with two wood options for the supports (natural-varnished walnut or white-varnished oak) and two satin-finish lacquers for the shelves (black or green).

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Logos by Molteni&C
Logos storage system by Molteni&C

Low-slung and sophisticated, the Logos storage system...

Pallone Soft Seasons by Leolux; collection shown at IMM Cologne 2024
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Bridge by Tonone
Bridge by Tonone

As with the piece of infrastructure that inspired it, the Bridge light by Tonone founder and designer Anton de Groof features multiple evenly distributed supports that maintain balance along the linear design. The dimmable LED is sandwiched between two lengths of transparent recycled Plexiglas — in Fog White, Toxic Green or Lava Orange (shown) — and the power is conducted by the steel-cable suspension for an ultra-clean look. The pendant is available in spans of 110, 150, 180 and 220 centimetres.

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Echo by COR
Echo by COR

Munich-based emerging designer Lukas Heintschel describes his charming Echo table for COR as resembling little mushrooms sprouting from the ground. The tone-on-tone toadstools come with three differently sized “stems” that are wrapped in fabric or leather and topped with a removable super-glossy glass “cap” that reflects its surroundings.

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Pallone Soft Seasons by Leolux
Pallone Soft Seasons by Leolux; collection shown at IMM Cologne 2024
Pallone Soft Seasons by Leolux; collection shown at IMM Cologne 2024

To celebrate the 35th anniversary of its distinctive ball-like chair, Leolux turned to Netherlands-based Studio Truly Truly to give it a makeover. Called Pallone Soft Seasons, the new version was inspired by the Earth’s orbit, the changing seasons and the transition from day into night, and features six new colour combinations, a super-soft bouclé seat (rather than the standard leather) and optional chrome-plated legs.

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Ezra by Schönbuch
Ezra by Schönbuch

Designed for Schönbuch by Berlin-based Studio Terhedebrügge, Ezra elevates the humble bench with its graphic asymmetry. Offered in the brand’s range of matte or glossy saturated colourways (and two widths), the versatile seat also works as a spot for a decorative display or storage.

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LOOP by ipdesign
LOOP by ipdesign

A semicircular backrest that gently curves inward adds an unexpected flourish to the otherwise understated and clean lines of the LOOP sofa by Werner Aisslinger. Created for ipdesign, the modular series has a timeless “unobtrusive nonchalance” and is lifted off the ground by its oh-so-slender legs.

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Mia by Freifrau
Mia by Freifrau

Like a series of clouds stitched together, the Mia modular sofa — a first-ever from Freifrau — encourages prolonged relaxation. Designed by Germany’s Ilja Huber, the 11-module system is defined by generously oversized back- and arm-rests that can be adapted for personal preference and is offered in a range of upholstery fabrics.

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Elements Collection by Ethnicraft
Elements Collection by Ethnicraft

Belgian brand Ethnicraft introduces a new material to its portfolio with the Elements collection: microcement. Combining minimal designs with beautiful texture, the two coffee tables, two side tables and streamlined console are artisan-crafted to a fine, earthy finish.

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Mazzu Mattress
Mazzu Mattress

British studio Layer flips the conventional mattress with its foamless version for start-up sleep brand Mazzu. Individual hourglass-shaped pocket springs (in firm, medium or soft tensions) are cloaked in a 3D-knit textile and snap together to accommodate personal sleep positions on both sides of the bed. All materials — including the Base Matrix and Cushion Topper — are biodegradable or recyclable.

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Echo by Kvadrat
Echo by Kvadrat

An eight-shaft threading repeat + 150 single-warp threads + 40 single-weft threads = the distinctive rhythmic pattern of Kvadrat’s Echo rug. The result of years of experimentation by mathematician and designer Jos Klarenbeek, the hand-woven New Zealand wool rug has an inviting tactility and vibrancy. Echo is available in six colourways — three with a white base (Chalk, Marble and Birch) and three with a black base (Shadow, Copper and Ink).

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Lumen by Dibbern
Lumen by Dibbern; collection shown at IMM Cologne 2024

A collaboration between Hamburg porcelain manufacturer Dibbern and lighting designer Tobias Grau, the Lumen table lamp series features four porcelain cylindrical bodies that emit light and four interchangeable glass covers (in amber and grey) that play with that light. Switchless and wireless, the dimmable luminaire is activated through motion — lifting, tilting and setting back down.

Keyhole Communal Table by Fyrn
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Brady Dining Table by Minotti
Brady by Minotti

Designed for Minotti, the pared-back and rational geometry of Rodolfo Dordoni’s Brady dining table puts the emphasis on the richly veined marble top (variants include Grigio Orobico, Calacatta, Marron Damasco and Nero Marquina), which is placed within a lenticular-shaped frame (in matte Moka scratchproof lacquer), similar to a precious jewel within a ring setting. Combined with the hefty yet handsome metal cylindrical base with decorative ferrule (in satin finish bronze or matte Moka), Brady makes an undeniably striking impression.

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Palatine Dining Table by Roche Bobois
Palatine Dining Table by Roche Bobois

With his Palatine collection for Roche Bobois, French designer Christophe Delcourt both celebrates the...