Yugoslav Modernism Meets Japanese Listening Bars at Esthetic Joys Embassy Belgrade.There's a special kind of thrill in watching design pilgrims swerve away from the usual capitals toward cities with grittier stories to tell. Belgrade has been accumulating exactly this kind of momentum, and Esthetic Joys Embassy...
A Sydney RSL Institution Reimagined Without Losing Its Soul.After more than 75 years of service to veterans and the Rose Bay community, Club Rose Bay has reopened following its first major transformation since 1979. Led by Merivale with architecture and interiors by Akin Atelier, the project...
Studio Karhard Takes Club Culture to the Swiss Alps with Play at Chalet African, Gstaad.Studio Karhard has taken its club DNA—honed across decades of nightlife design, including Berlin's legendary Berghain—and transported it to the Swiss Alps. Play at Chalet African is a nocturnal laboratory where architecture, light, and...
An Abu Dhabi Café With Serious Design Credentials.At Daily Press café, Styled Habitat pulled from 1960s modernist spaces, filtering that reference through a contemporary Abu Dhabi lens with bold geometry, honest materials, and thoughtful programming. A cantilevered stone bar sits at the...
Foolscap Channels Record Player Energy for Song for the Mute Melbourne Boutique.Within a tight 68-square-metre footprint, Foolscap’s design for Song for the Mute Melbourne debut channels record player energy through curved forms and rhythmic layout. The design partially closes off the storefront to create mystique,...
The Press Is Sydney’s New Late-Night Destination for Music and Cocktails Hidden Above Bridge Lane.Behind an unmarked door above Sydney's Bridge Lane, The Press reimagines the historic Est. space as an opulent music destination. Live music is central to the experience, with a resident band performing everything from intimate jazz to...
Salt Salon Borough Proves Commercial Spaces Can Be Cultural Destinations Too.Unknown Works has reimagined the hair salon experience with Salt Salon Borough, transforming a Victorian warehouse into a three-level sonic playground. From roboformed steel speakers to half-tonne suspended mirrors, every element serves...
When Your Modernist Toorak Flat Needs to Handle Both Dinner Parties and Drum Solos.A musician's ground-floor flat in Toorak's heritage Caringal Flats receives thoughtful renovation by Ellul Architecture. The 88-square-metre space, originally designed by John William Rivett in 1951, balances contemporary functionality...
Bucharest’s Communist-Era Apartment Block Becomes Romania’s Coolest Music Venue.Romania's first listening bar occupies a historically significant 1960s apartment block. The design embraces original socialist features through contemporary materials: birch plywood, marble mosaic flooring, and a striking mechanical glass...
