At a busy corner in Brooklyn’s Williamsburg neighborhood, a new residential building rises from its narrow 25-foot-wide site, bridging the area’s past and present, brick by brick.

Completed earlier this year, the six-unit building nods to the area’s richly layered heritage and extends it, says Sara Ianniciello, the project’s lead interior designer and the founder of Makers Collective Design. “The goal was to contribute something contemporary and enduring to the block, acknowledging the site’s evolution while remaining grounded in Williamsburg’s architectural character.”

Photography by Giada Paoloni

To the west, Union Street zips past, a palimpsest of commercial spaces, workshops, and mainstay diners with their glowing neon intact; to the south, a run of hard-working row houses share the scenery with mature street trees jockeying for sunlight. The new building acts as a pivot point between the two, rooted firmly in place while offering respite, too, with rich interior finishes that evoke luxury and an enveloping sense of calm.

Photography by Giada Paoloni

To achieve it, Ianniciello looked to the nearby factories and workshops, using their proportions and materials as a kind of borrowed language, she says. Blackened metal, so prevalent in factory windows, signage, and doorways, informed the design of the divided-light steel windows, which create an interplay of light and shadows in the residences throughout the day.

Photography by Giada Paoloni

Classic finishes like walnut wood, unlacquered brass, traditional wall paneling, and oak herringbone floors were chosen for their enduring character. “It’s all connected to Brooklyn, but without becoming thematic in any way,” Ianniciello says. (The site’s own history is worth a pause here: It was previously occupied by a tumbledown, single-family house that had sat vacant for so long that an oak tree had grown up through the center of it, pushing the warped wood and vinyl siding out of its path. The developer carefully relocated the tree before breaking ground.)

Photography by Giada Paoloni

In the fifth-floor duplex, the entry hall opens to a living space with soaring 20-foot ceilings inspired by the lofts that still dot the area. A graceful archway leads into the kitchen, where the ceiling lowers to 13 feet and is visually demarcated by walnut beams that complement the classic shaker millwork below. (A ladder is enlisted to reach the double-stacked glass cabinets at the top.)

Photography by Giada Paoloni

Swirling Calacatta Viola marble, selected for the countertops and backsplash, injects deep purple and pink hues that strike a balance with the patinated blackened steel used to clad the rangehood, yet another hat tip to welding shops and industry. Outside, lush permanent planters wrap the unit’s window sills, creating the effect of a living wall in the streetscape below.

Photography by Giada Paoloni

Up the slim oak staircase to the second level, Ianniciello’s background in hotel design comes to bear. Each of the three bedrooms is compact, yet carefully planned for comfort and quiet, like that of a small boutique hotel. The accompanying bathrooms are equally restrained, repeating the same Nordic grey marble in various sizes—mosaic in the shower, large-format ion the walls and floors—to minimize visual disruption and create a moody, spa-like ambiance.

Photography by Giada Paoloni

Spread out over 1,400 square feet (and quickly sold), it is a testament to the neighborhood’s constant evolution, and its designer’s, too. The project was the first for her now three-year-old firm and remains a touchstone for her work.

After two decades working in hospitality and residential design mostly in San Francisco and New York, she struck out on her own to get back to design work and, she says, “stay close to the narrative.” This month, her team of four moves to offices in a former pencil factory in Greenpoint, Brooklyn—a fitting backdrop to a story-driven practice.

Highland Park’s latest whisky collaboration starts with an unusual design brief: What does a flavor look like?

For the second edition of its Between You and I series, the Orkney distillery partnered with New York-based artist and creative director Laila Gohar on a 17-year-old single malt and a visual identity shaped by the memories and imagined places it conjured for her.

Photography courtesy of Highland Park

Highland Park Master Whisky Maker Marc Watson sampled more than 80 casks while developing the release, taking inspiration from Gohar’s Egyptian heritage. The resulting whisky spent its first 11 years in refill casks before moving into unseasoned American oak, selected to amplify notes of orange blossom, leather, and warming spice alongside the distillery’s characteristic peat smoke.

Photography courtesy of Highland Park

But it’s Gohar’s response to those flavors that gives the collaboration its visual character. Leather brought to mind ancient artifacts in a Cairo museum; orange blossom suggested a sun-drenched Andalusian courtyard; and vanilla transported her to the slopes of a tropical volcano beneath a night sky. Those scenes became the basis for the packaging co-created with Gohar, pairing hand-drawn illustrations by Silja Goetz with layered references to the imagined worlds.

Photography courtesy of Highland Park

“My work is all about reimagining objects, ingredients, flavors, creating something familiar but totally unexpected to spark curiosity and conversation,” Gohar says. “That’s why this collaboration felt so natural.”

The concept extends inside the box, where traditional tasting notes have been replaced by a booklet of vignettes written by Gohar, encouraging drinkers to approach the whisky through association and imagination rather than flavor descriptors alone.

Photography courtesy of Highland Park

Between You and I by Laila Gohar for Highland Park is available globally for $160.

Editorial Transparency: This article was developed with the assistance of AI tools, which may have been used for research, outlining, editing, or copy refinement. Reporting, fact-checking, and editorial decisions were made by the Design Milk editorial team.

To the untrained eye, minimalist home interiors might appear cold and austere at first glance. Yet, simplified forms and clean lines can imbue a space with a deep sense of calm. With an uncluttered home, you might find you have an uncluttered mind, too. A minimalist bedroom, grounded in natural materials, clean silhouettes, and a monochrome palette, can be a sanctuary of restorative energy—and deep sleep. Below, explore six chic home furnishings for the no-frills bedroom.

Photography courtesy of Marset

1. Gambosa Lamp by Marset

Spanish lighting brand Marset has no shortage of statement lights in simplified silhouettes and colorful hues. A recent addition, Gambosa creates a compelling visual effect with three geometric forms balanced atop one another with deceptive lightness. Designed by London-based Mathias Hahn in 2025 and released in early 2026, the table lamp’s rounded shade seems to float over the stem, while the stem connects delicately to a flat base. Available in two sizes and a range of colorways (from soft pink to black), Gambosa is made of painted steel with an opal shade option.

Photography courtesy of FRAMA

2. Ratio Side Table by FRAMA

Designed for Copenhagen-based FRAMA by Ana Magalhães Ilharco and Matilde Cortez de Lobão of Ilo, the Ratio Side Table is a sophisticated option for minimalism lovers. Part of the Ratio Series, which also includes a chest, console, and trolley, this compact side table features flush joinery and a simple, streamlined shape—all wrapped in a warm brown birch. With an open top and hidden storage, the Ratio Side Table offers a sculptural, grounding presence while tucking clutter away.

Photography courtesy of Normann Copenhagen

3. Hexa Vase by Normann Copenhagen

Named for the Greek prefix for six, the Hexa Vase by Danish design brand Normann Copenhagen plays with geometry with a distinctive hexagonal mouth. Made entirely of mirror-polished stainless steel, the design merges minimalism with industrial chic. Available in three sizes, the Hexa Vase can accommodate everything from single stems to compact bouquets.

Photography courtesy of HAY

4. Aplat Table Lamp by HAY

Designed with minimal folds, the Aplat Table Lamp starts as a flat-packed structure and transforms into a sculptural paper lamp with a few key creases. Created by industrial design studio CPRV for HAY, the monolithic folded-paper form features a minimal metal hook that makes its lightweight body easy to carry from room to room. Light is its only ornamentation; a replaceable standard LED bulb emits a soft, diffused glow.

Photography courtesy of Avocado Green Mattress.

5. Avocado Plus Adjustable Base

Designed to disappear, the Avocado Plus Adjustable Base from Avocado Green Mattress brings sophisticated minimalism to adjustable bed frames. With a low-profile, zero-clearance frame that sits on adjustable real wood legs, the base is wrapped in organic cotton and adds organic wool padding and a 3-inch shroud that conceals the frame, allowing the mattress to sit flush for a clean, minimalist look. Yet, the technology behind this understated design is equally impressive. The Avocado Plus Adjustable Base also includes massage and lumbar support, head and foot adjustment, underbed lighting, and automatic head tilt—all accessible through an app.

Photography courtesy of &Tradition

6. Alima Side Table NDS3 by &Tradition

Designed by Note Design Studio for &Tradition, the brand’s multipurpose trolley, Alima, has expanded into a collection with five new products: a compact version, a side table, and three shelving options. Shown here, the Alima Side Table easily complements a minimalist bedroom, with an added drawer for hidden storage and chrome feet with rubber caps that keep the unit stationary.

Even the most diligent architecture and design firms can find valuable creative time compromised by bottleneck processes, fragmented workflows and inefficient systems. Every week, designers can lose hours digging through email threads, searching for spec sheets, organizing files or tracking down pricing and product options across platforms. That’s where Bitreel’s AI Knowledge Agents come in.

Part of Bitreel’s broader ecosystem of visualization tools and digital infrastructure for architecture and design, its newest offering gives designers instant access to the information that might otherwise take hours to track down. Developed with Amazon Web Services, the AI Knowledge Agents can surface spec sheets and other design details within seconds—allowing designers to stay in the creative flow without breaking concentration.

Bitreel Virtual Environment. Image courtesy of Bitreel.

This is a game changer for the profession, but it also represents a larger shift toward integrated infrastructure for behind-the-scenes work. “The best infrastructure is the kind nobody has to think about,” says Cosmo Kramer, Bitreel CEO. “If someone’s paying attention to the system instead of the work, we haven’t done our job yet.”

At the core of Bitreel’s ethos lives a dedication to supporting the creative process. That’s why the system that surrounds the AI Knowledge Agents also includes two creative tools: Virtual Environments and 3D Configurator. Visual Environments maps out photoreal spaces that bring interiors to life, while the 3D Configurator creates spec-ready product offerings that are both punctual and exact.

Bitreel 3D Configurator: 3form. Image courtesy of Bitreel.

Of the process, Kramer explains: “The agents don’t just answer questions; they can pair with Bitreel’s visual tools to generate inspiration. A designer can describe a project, and the AI Knowledge Agent, the 3D Configurator, and image generation work together to produce a set of visual options for what a finished space could look like. Bitreel Connect sits underneath as the guardrail, so every option shown is something that could actually be built, not just something that looks good on screen.”

Rather than a standardized rollout, Bitreel systems are tailored to existing design systems—creating processes that integrate seamlessly and stand the test of time. “We don’t show up with a fixed idea of how a team should work,” Kramer says. “We spend time learning how they already work, then build around that. It’s slower up front. It’s the only way it holds up over time.”

Bitreel AI Knowledge Agent Reporting Dashboard. Image courtesy of Bitreel.

And professionals are already taking notice. From HBF, 3form, and Hellman-Chang to the U.S. General Services Administration, Bitreel’s growing roster of clients is using the platform to speed up processes and unify workflows in ways tailored to their own needs.

“Built in partnership with AWS, Bitreel’s agents are designed to connect previously unstructured sources of data and hold up in enterprise,” Kramer explains, “so the value isn’t just speed for one designer but consistent, secure access across an entire organization.”

Learn more about Bitreel’s AI Knowledge Agents at bitreel.com.

Most law offices tend to have a staid look, with few, if any, creative touches that make a lasting impression. For the new Baker McKenzie workplace in Poland, the architects at Bit Creative rejected this typology and instead referenced two places central to the firm’s identity: Japan and New York.

Photography by Katarzyna Seliga-Wróblewska, Marcin Wróblewski / Fotomohito

The 43,055-square-foot workplace sits on the top three floors of Varso Tower in Warsaw, where the distinct aesthetics intertwine throughout the interior in a subtle dialogue rather than through overwrought decoration. “There is the Japanese appreciation of proportion and the urban energy of New York,” says Barnaba Grzelecki, founder of Bit Creative. “We aimed to find a common language in which calmness and sophistication meet dynamism and contemporary character.”

Photography by Katarzyna Seliga-Wróblewska, Marcin Wróblewski / Fotomohito

This balance begins in the reception area, a multifunctional space that transitions seamlessly from a lobby into an event venue. Bonsai-inspired greenery at the center serves as a sculptural focal point and symbol of balance. The front desk, crafted from Breccia Lunare marble and paired with natural-fiber wallpaper, adds tactile richness.

Photography by Katarzyna Seliga-Wróblewska, Marcin Wróblewski / Fotomohito

Delicately integrated details reinforce visual continuity as people move through the office. Material transitions and bespoke detailing reveal exceptional craftsmanship born of close partnerships with suppliers.

Wall planes flow into ceilings to form cohesive, almost monolithic surfaces that serve as a canvas for the collection of art on view. Pieces by Agata Bogacka, Roma Halat, and Xawery Wolski showcase the diversity of Polish art and highlight different generations, approaches, and techniques.

Photography by Katarzyna Seliga-Wróblewska, Marcin Wróblewski / Fotomohito

The staircase, with its openwork structure, is a defining feature and, paired with organically shaped lighting, becomes a unique installation. Open-plan and private sections support collaboration and smaller group work, while phone booths suit heads-down tasks. A mock courtroom, complete with the latest technology, is used for remote hearings.

Photography by Katarzyna Seliga-Wróblewska, Marcin Wróblewski / Fotomohito

Natural stone and wood veneers complement a neutral palette. Strategically placed accents bring vibrancy to social spaces, such as employee kitchens. Rich tones are placed alongside popular Japanese motifs, including cherry blossoms. These informal spots provide a relaxed counterpoint to the designated work areas and conference rooms. With nods to iconic places, the Baker McKenzie workplace offers clients and staff a sensory experience where architecture, art, and functionality come together.

Photography by Katarzyna Seliga-Wróblewska, Marcin Wróblewski / Fotomohito

A vacation home overlooking the water sounds relaxing enough. But for architect and interior designer Mohamed Alqari, the view from this Bahrain Bay apartment was only a starting point. Inside the Four Seasons Private Residences at Bahrain Bay, he had a contemporary shell designed by renowned architecture firm Gensler with clean lines and finishes already in place. His task was to make it feel less like a pristine apartment awaiting its first guest and more like a retreat someone couldn’t wait to return to.

Photography by Fadhi Muhammed

The 1,937-square-foot home is used by its owner for vacations and occasional visits to Manama. Alqari, founder of Qreative Design, took cues from the sea and skyline beyond the windows, interpreting beachfront living through color and form rather than obvious coastal motifs. “The project interprets the colors and atmosphere of the sea, sunlight, sand, and horizon through materiality, artwork, and form,” he says.

Photography by Fadhi Muhammed

Curves—inspired by the movement of waves—became his answer to the building’s straight lines. Rounded seating, curved mirrors, and organically shaped rugs soften the rooms. The Matera dining table, designed by Sebastiano Tosi for Mogg, takes its form from water-smoothed pebbles, reinforcing that fluidity. These shapes are repeated throughout the apartment without making every piece look as though it belongs to the same set. They also lend the open living and dining spaces a more relaxed feel layered with moments of drama, glamour, and artistic character.

Photography by Fadhi Muhammed

“A rich mix of natural and tactile materials was used throughout the apartment to create warmth, depth, and a sense of understated luxury,” Alqari says. Walnut paneling and joinery provide a warm, contrasting backdrop for the furniture and art. Creamy whites and sandy beiges keep the rooms light, while turquoise, deep blue, forest green, and yellow appear in individual pieces rather than across entire walls. The result captures the colors of a beachfront setting while leaving plenty of room for the artworks and the view.

Photography by Fadhi Muhammed

Those artworks are central to the home’s character. Sculptures by Bahraini artist Jamal Al Yousif bring texture and striking silhouettes to the living area, where Martin Berger’s Flow hangs on the wall. Elsewhere, recognizable pieces like original 1970s Wassily chairs sourced through 1stDibs and a Lemni chair sit among bespoke furnishings made locally in Bahrain and pieces sourced from Italy, France, India, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Morocco.

Photography by Fadhi Muhammed

Alqari also included a sculptural floor lamp by James Haywood found during Paris Design Week. The curated, collectible-driven approach gives the apartment something a new-build interior can’t arrive with on its own: a sense of discovery.

Photography by Fadhi Muhammed

Alqari kept the single-level layout open, with the living, dining, and kitchen areas connected to one another and to the waterfront views. Circulation was intentionally kept gallery-like, giving the art and furniture space to be seen as the owner moves through the home. The apartment also includes a primary suite with a dressing room and en-suite bathroom, a guest bedroom, a nanny suite, a powder room, and a balcony off the main living spaces.

Photography by Fadhi Muhammed

Working within the existing shell meant that much of the transformation depended on those individual choices, from the walnut paneling to the scale and placement of sculptural pieces. The project took approximately a year and a half from design to completion, beginning while the building itself was still in its finishing phase. “For me, design should feel emotional and inviting rather than overly rigid or purely minimal,” Alqari says.

Photography by Fadhi Muhammed

Here, the sea makes its way indoors through a curve or a note of blue. But with its art and bespoke furnishings, the apartment doesn’t belong entirely to the coast or the city. It feels distinctly its own.

As the former creative director of Detroit-based watch and lifestyle brand Shinola, Daniel Caudill has long championed made-in-Michigan production. Now, he’s bringing that same approach upstate with the Dexter Hotel, a new 29-room property in Elk Rapids, Michigan.

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

A three-and-a-half-hour drive north of Detroit, the hotel is the latest project from Caudill’s Kinship Hospitality venture, co-founded with Kamron Bije-Apple, in collaboration with Shore North Development. From its furniture to its lighting, many of the getaway’s elements were created by Kinship Hospitality in collaboration with makers from the surrounding region.

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

“I’ve owned property in northern Michigan for about 10 years, and it’s the best of all worlds—it’s got incredible fresh water, beautiful orchards and farms that make for amazing food, but also such a vibrant creative culture,” Caudill says. While Detroit is well-established as a craft and design hub, he says just as much talent is waiting to be discovered upstate.

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

“We looked at every single thing that we were adding to this property through the lens of, ‘Can we make it here?'” Caudill says. “Through my time in Michigan, I’ve been lucky enough to work with a lot of different people who have gone on to become friends, so I was moving through that list. Taking that extra time when it came to sourcing something—even if it was just a soap dish—ended up leading to some amazing designs.”

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

With a waterfront location along the shore of Grand Traverse Bay, the Dexter Hotel showcases its Michigan setting right from the get-go. Step inside, and you’ll discover that the guest rooms offer just as much natural beauty, thanks to a handsome lineup of custom white oak furniture. Building upon Michigan’s legacy as a key hub for mid-century modern furniture production, the property’s couches, chairs, beds, and nightstands were all designed by Caudill and manufactured by Grand Rapids-based Wolf Studio.

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

“Michigan has played such a huge role in furniture manufacturing in the past 100 years, and Wolf still creates very classically American designs—everything is solid wood and very substantial, with no veneers,” Caudill explains. “We worked with them a lot on the scale and the shape of the pieces—whether it was the bend of an arm or the slope of a back—because we wanted furniture that you can really sink into. And then we also added in a lot of textural elements—in velvet, or leather, or some heavy cottons and canvases, just to bring in as much soft tactility as possible.”

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

A selection of vintage furnishings and decor from Pernette’s—an antiques dealer based in nearby Northport, Michigan—adds to both the Dexter Hotel’s sense of regional history and its relaxed, welcoming feel.

“Some of the vintage chairs look like they came right out of your grandmother’s basement,” Caudill says. “They give the spot a real hangout vibe. We wanted this to be a space where everyone feels comfortable. Whenever people say, ‘I want to move in here,’ or ‘I wish this was my house,’ that’s one of the best compliments, because it means it’s a space where they really feel at home.”

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

Moving to the lobby, the linear patterning on the handcrafted front reception desk (again by Wolf Studio) is another strong showcase of American woodworking. The same studio also designed the bar in the on-site Noble Lounge—a dining destination that extends the hotel’s regional focus to its menu, which includes cheese from nearby towns Suttons Bay and Northport.

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

Michigan pride continues throughout the hotel with custom flush-mount ceiling lights (also designed by Caudill, and produced by Traverse City–based manufacturer Britten Inc.) as well as ceramic trays, vases, and other accessories (fabricated by ClaySpace, another Traverse City business). Caudill found the close collaboration process especially satisfying.

“When you’re working with someone local, you can just go over to look at a glaze,” he says. “You can refine a product as many times as you need to in order to get the perfect color or the right light temperature. It’s a luxury to be able to create like that—and to produce something that people on both sides are proud of.”

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

Even the Dexter Hotel’s typography bears local fingerprints: Traverse City’s Bear Sign Company produced the interior wayfinding and main exterior signage, while Detroit’s Motown Hand Painting contributed additional hand-painted signage throughout the property. Dexter’s art collection includes works curated by Detroit’s Library Street Collective, canvases by Michigan artists Pier Wright and Jesse Hickman, and even a landscape Caudill found at a local thrift store.

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

With so much Midwestern charm on display, Caudill acknowledges that most guests might not pick up on every last detail. “We’re working on a zine that will tell some of the stories behind these designs,” says Caudill. “But even if they don’t know the full backstory, they’ll recognize that the lighting, pottery, and lamps here aren’t something that’s in every other hotel—they’re specific to us, and that gives them a particular feel.”

Photography by Charles Aydlett; courtesy of Dexter Hotel

Caudill is planning to launch a gift shop that will sell a few of the guest rooms’ other distinctive designs, including the soap dishes—which he says have gone missing after more than a few stays. Given how well the Dexter Hotel showcases its surroundings, perhaps it’s no surprise that people leave wanting to take a little bit of Michigan home with them.

Memory is rarely as simple as looking backward. In Wangari Mathenge’s latest body of work, it becomes something more active: a process of gathering, reconstructing, and reconsidering what history has left behind.

That idea drives Re-membering, Mathenge’s first solo exhibition with Lévy Gorvy Dayan in New York. On view through Oct. 24, the exhibition introduces five new paintings alongside the artist’s first publicly exhibited sculptures, expanding a series she began in 2024.

Wangari Mathenge’s Re-membering XIII (May the Wind Be Always at Your Back) places its figures within a richly layered domestic interior filled with objects, textiles, and cultural references. Photography courtesy of the artist and Lévy Gorvy Dayan.

The project takes its name and some of its intellectual framework from Ngũgĩ wa Thiong’o’s 2009 book Something Torn and New: An African Renaissance. Mathenge began by studying Kenyan colonial literature and cultural objects spanning 1900 to 1963, the year Kenya gained independence from the United Kingdom, questioning how both history and her own cultural identity had been constructed.

Her latest paintings shift that investigation from contemplation toward action. Women, each serving as an avatar for Mathenge, occupy richly layered domestic interiors set in the 1960s.

Wangari Mathenge’s ‘Re-membering’ examines cultural memory, inheritance, and Kenyan history through painting and sculpture. Photography courtesy of the artist and Lévy Gorvy Dayan.

“Re-membering signifies not merely the act of recall, but the active gathering and reassembly of what has been fragmented: cultural memory, inherited forms, histories, and ways of seeing,” Mathenge explains.

That act of reconstruction moves beyond the canvas in two new sculptural works. Re-membering VIII (Before Us, After Us, Ever Changing) pairs a hand-carved wooden doorframe, made by artisans in Malindi, Kenya, with a densely embellished macramé textile created with help from Mathenge’s family and community. The frame draws from the carved doors of Lamu Old Town, while the textile evokes an imagined, continually shifting landscape.

‘Re-membering’ is on view at Lévy Gorvy Dayan in New York until Oct. 24, 2026. Photography courtesy of the artist and Lévy Gorvy Dayan.

For Re-membering IX (The Shape of Inheritance), Mathenge turns to clothing. Displayed on a dress form, the voluminous knitted sculpture reinterprets historical Gikuyu dress while incorporating colonial references, including the Victorian bustle and train. Community members again contributed to the knitting, turning the process of making into part of the work’s exploration of how cultural forms can be inherited without remaining fixed.

Across both mediums, Mathenge treats history less as something to reproduce faithfully than as material to work with. Bodies become landscapes, domestic spaces become sites of reconstruction, and inherited forms are taken apart and assembled again—making Re-membering as much about what can be carried forward as what has been lost.

Wangari Mathenge’s ‘Re-membering XII (The Wednesday Women’s Club)’ depicts women gathered in a richly detailed domestic setting, surrounded by objects that serve as personal and cultural markers. Photography courtesy of the artist and Lévy Gorvy Dayan.

Wangari Mathenge: Re-membering is on view through October 24, 2026, at Lévy Gorvy Dayan, 19 E. 64th St. in New York City.

Editorial Transparency: This article was developed with the assistance of AI tools, which may have been used for research, outlining, editing, or copy refinement. Reporting, fact-checking, and editorial decisions were made by the Design Milk editorial team.

Church Edit‘s new headquarters sits directly on the Los Angeles River in Frogtown, with access to the river bike path from the property. The roughly 3,000-square-foot space occupies a building that began as an industrial site in the 1960s. Breland-Harper converted it into a creative campus for the film editing facility and creative studio, retaining its raw CMU block walls, exposed beams, and simple structural grid.

Photography by Ye Rin Mok

Church Edit co-founder James Drew turned to Argyle Design, the studio he founded with his wife, Kat Bell, to design the interiors of the company’s new Los Angeles headquarters.

Photography by Ye Rin Mok

Breland-Harper’s main additions were expansive glazing and reworked circulation. The rest of the shell stayed largely as found. “Rather than fully transforming the building, the intervention preserves its industrial bones,” the Argyle team says. Working within that framework meant deciding what to preserve and where to intervene, keeping the industrial character while introducing warmth through the interiors.

Photography by Ye Rin Mok

Bell describes the traditional post-production studio as “often dark, enclosed, and highly technical,” while the brief called for a workspace that was open, light-filled, and residential in spirit. According to Drew, the primary challenge was adding openness, natural light, and softer materials without compromising the functionality an editing studio requires.

Photography by Ye Rin Mok

Gray block walls remain exposed throughout. They sit with stainless steel and chrome at the cooler end of the palette. Windows and doors are sycamore, the kitchen is walnut, and custom walnut desks furnish the editing suites. Against the block and metal, Argyle layered soft creams, warm beiges, and honeyed woods with cognac and black leather, wool rugs, and natural textiles. Color comes mainly through artwork and a few select furnishings.

Photography by Ye Rin Mok

The long, narrow main volume sets the layout. A custom elongated yellow wool rug anchors the central zone, and connected groupings of lounge furniture allow for gathering and working. Editing suites and support areas branch off this central space for private workspaces. Bell describes the plan as prioritizing long sightlines, with open views balanced by moments of enclosure so the space can shift between collaborative and private zones.

Photography by Ye Rin Mok; Florals by khôi

Lighting inside the shell is layered. Diffused ceiling fixtures work alongside sculptural paper and fabric ceiling lights, Noguchi pendants, and vintage Italian and Space Age table and floor lamps, including models by Luigi Massoni and Guzzini. Daylight enters through the large windows, which bring the greenery outside into view. Custom vertical blinds installed across the space filter that light into a shifting pattern of shadow and movement.

The result maintains the building’s industrial character without allowing it to dictate the experience inside. Argyle’s softer materials, furnishings, and lighting give Church Edit the warmth of a residential space while preserving the functionality of a working post-production studio.

Most home renovations begin with a brief. However, this 1955 Paul Rudolph original, located in Delray Beach, Florida, began with a discovery. When Nina and Michael Marco of Casa de Marco Design purchased the former Sewell C. Biggs Residence in 2018, they found a red velvet bag in a bedroom closet—inside were 1950s photographs of the home and Rudolph’s hand-drawn plans. Working closely with Jeffrey Silberstein of Silberstein Architecture, the Marcos revitalized the 1,600-square-foot home, reconstructing Rudolph’s tropical modernist design.

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

From start to finish, the renovation took six years, yet the Marcos resisted the temptation to make things easier. The challenge was never the design; it was finding where preservation and modern safety intersected: reconciling the 1955 structure with present-day hurricane codes.

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

For Michael, staying consistent with the creative direction Rudolph envisioned more than 70 years ago was imperative. “From day one, our mandate was simple: honor Rudolph’s design no matter how difficult, time-consuming, or costly,” he says.

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

The home merges the original steel structure, rehabilitated and raised to meet coastal flooding standards, with the initial layout of two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an elevated rectilinear glass pavilion suspended on steel columns. Exposed structural beams complement expansive glass openings, and jalousie windows allow the Atlantic breeze to circulate through the space.

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

Adhering to the home’s historic preservation requirements, a two-story glass-enclosed breezeway serves as the architectural hinge, linking the original Biggs Residence to the new contemporary addition. Silberstein conceptualized the breezeway, which contains a high-end kitchen and powder room. The addition also includes two bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms and a two-car garage.

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

This addition not only serves as the one place where old and new physically meet, but also echoes Nina’s philosophy on working with historic properties. “The past should not be roped off behind glass,” she says. “It should be lived in, walked through, and built upon with the same care it was given the first time.”

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

The Marcos enclosed the space beneath the elevated steel structure, previously an open-air entertainment area and carport, with expansive sliding glass panels, realizing a concept found in Rudolph’s original drawings. By enclosing the lower level in glass, the Marcos created a transparent, recessed ground floor that became the home’s primary living, dining, and entertainment space.

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

Outside, lush tropical landscaping wraps around the residence, and a sleek terrace sets the stage for a contoured swimming pool, reintroducing the mid-century style to modern coastal living.

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

With a palette meant to recede into the surrounding landscape, the color story brings touches of sand, sea, and sky to the home, accented by the natural wood woven throughout. Extra White from Sherwin-Williams on the exterior lets the iconic steel beams take on sculptural qualities. That same restraint continues inside, with warm neutrals and textures adding softness to the space.

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

Staying consistent with Rudolph’s vision, the Marcos chose materials prominent in the 1950s. Oyster-pebble terrazzo imported from Italy enhances the kitchen’s floating island, echoing the home’s own elevated form. Family heirlooms, vintage Lalique glassware, and original photographs of the home are woven throughout the space.

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

“Terrazzo, aluminum, and natural stone are all materials that Rudolph himself would have reached for because they age beautifully in a coastal climate,” Nina says. “Nothing in this house is generic; every material earned its place.”

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

For Nina and Michael, reconstructing the Biggs Residence and preserving a Paul Rudolph original isn’t simply about the architecture—it is “one of the greatest honors” of their careers. For them, it’s about “safeguarding a piece of cultural history and ensuring it can be lived in, loved, and appreciated for generations to come.”

Photography by Venjhamin Reyes

As the hospitality industry moves away from brand-standard “copy-paste” design, Cincinnati’s Fidelity Hotel embraces the shift with a site-responsive approach rooted in adaptive reuse. The 165-key hotel occupies the historic Gwynne Building, a Beaux-Arts landmark designed by early 20th-century architect Ernest Flagg and once home to Procter & Gamble’s headquarters. The transformation balances the preservation of that history with the needs of a contemporary city-center hotel.

Photography by Ali Harper; dourtesy of Cincinnati’s Fidelity Hotel

Developer New Waterloo takes a considered approach to the property, betting that a stronger sense of place will resonate with today’s travelers. Stepping into the lobby, the immediate impression is one of restrained confidence. Rather than veering toward sterile minimalism or ostentatious luxury, the design team at Dallas-based Looney & Associates opted for a layered, almost residential treatment that draws on Cincinnati’s history as the so-called “Paris of America.”

Photography by Ali Harper; courtesy of Cincinnati’s Fidelity Hotel

The reference goes beyond surface-level thematic dressing. In the grand entry hall, reintroduced vaulted ceilings and steel flourishes replicate elements that once stood there. Bold wallcoverings, natural marble floors arranged in geometric patterns, and a carefully curated selection of art by local talents soften this nostalgic grandeur.

Photography by Ali Harper; courtesy of Cincinnati’s Fidelity Hotel

Through a set of recessed, curved passageways, signature restaurant Gwynne carries the approach forward in a shade of light salmon pink. Chef Brad Bernstein’s Ohio River Valley–inspired menu draws on Cincinnati’s historic “Porkopolis” legacy. Nearby, Cora’s All Day Café takes cues from the historic markets that once dotted the surrounding Fountain District. Opening onto the revitalized neighborhood, both spaces function as social hubs—urban living rooms of sorts.

Photography by Ali Harper; courtesy of Cincinnati’s Fidelity Hotel

Much of the guest experience is framed by deliberate tactile choices. The apartment-style guestrooms are intimate, moving away from a cavernous, impersonal aesthetic in favor of a residential, parlor-like feel. Unlacquered brass, hardwood floors, and layered textiles give the interiors the appearance of having evolved over time. Details extend to locally sourced minibars and plush Parachute bathrobes.

Photography by Ali Harper; courtesy of Cincinnati’s Fidelity Hotel

Throughout the property, a darker paint palette and decorative elements like frame moulding reinforce the connection between old and new while helping balance the perceived scale of rooms that might otherwise feel too small or large.

Photography by Ali Harper; courtesy of Cincinnati’s Fidelity Hotel

Restoring the National Register–listed Gwynne Building was technically complex. The highly ornamented structure is a composite of four distinct buildings with varying floor elevations and structural systems. To better unify the program, the architects and engineers introduced a new four-story light court, complete with a grand staircase. Beyond reinforcing the building’s historical character, this substantial architectural feature serves as a central artery, bringing air and light into the previously segmented interior. Similarly, the reopening of once-closed terraces keeps guests visually connected to the city’s skyline, tethering the hotel to its downtown setting.

Photography by Ali Harper; courtesy of Cincinnati’s Fidelity Hotel

In a market already home to established art-centric hospitality like the 21c Museum Hotel, Fidelity will have to establish an identity of its own. Its answer is less about singular “wow” moments or high-concept installations than the cumulative effect of architecture, materials, and details that feel rooted in the building itself. By honoring the Gwynne Building’s Beaux-Arts bones while embracing the intimacy of a modern pied-à-terre, New Waterloo gives the historic structure a new purpose without erasing the qualities that made it worth preserving in the first place.

When Hannah Buechler was 13 years old, she spent hours in her mother’s garage, happily painting with her hands and making a mess. Even at this young age, she had already discovered her calling. “I realized then—and I still believe this to be true now—that making art was what I enjoyed most,” she says.

A multidisciplinary artist, Buechler received her bachelor’s degree in fibers from the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD). Now based in Los Angeles, she launched her eponymous studio to produce her signature tactile collages. She also explores how simplicity can blossom into complex layers as she makes rich textures from small, repetitive gestures.

As the daughter of a scientist, Buechler gives thoughtful consideration to the origins, properties, and possibilities of her materials. She has experimented with everything from resin to embroidery, and even makes her own textiles.

Buechler has loved fashion for as long as she can remember, and in 2021, she accepted a role at apparel company Libertine. As the brand’s senior designer, she specializes in patterns, screenprinting, and digital graphics.

Buechler is content to balance her 9-to-5 duties with her craft for now, but she envisions a future pivot. “I have always had a creative corporate job while continuing my studio practice,” she notes. “I have done my best to sell my work on my own, but I am hopeful I can make this my sole career.”

Today, Hannah Buechler joins us for Friday Five! Below, she shares five inspirations and five of her favorite projects.

Hannah Buechler’s 5 Inspirations

Ozzy Osbourne from the cover of ‘The Ultimate Sin’ painted on ‘Flight DL 7710: Embrace The Crash’ by Hannah Buechler. Photography by Julia Deptula.

1. Music

Music has always been a driving force and inspiration for my work. Often I create a piece and feel a song, where it may be the colors or patterns, and many times I name my pieces after song titles. I don’t shuffle my music, so when I listen to albums, I can hear the song transitions and understand the style behind each artist’s album. My taste is all over the place: I love heavy metal, rap, pop, rock, and indie. Today, I started my day listening to Electric Light Orchestra, then switched to Candlemass and Ariana Grande.

Photography courtesy of Hannah Buechler

2. Experimenting

Being an experimental artist has opened the door to continuous learning. I love blending processes with materials so much that I create my own textiles, including what I call my loom bands. Over the years, I have loved to experiment with resin, embroidery, and painting techniques. One of my favorite experimental projects—which I have yet to release—is called Freshman 25. As a freshman at SCAD, I collected chip bags and microwaved them. I have around 100 microwaved chip bags. Until I know how to mount them, I will only tell the world about them, but it has been a project deep in the back of my mind that I know I have to complete.

Photography courtesy of Hannah Buechler

3. Fashion

I have loved clothes since I knew how to dress myself. My parents both appreciated clothes and fashion, so I grew up watching how they dressed and always felt inspired to look good and feel good in clothes. I don’t think it surprises anyone who knows me that I’ve worked in fashion for the last five years as Libertine’s surface designer. Even when I was younger, I can remember being inspired by specific collections: Karl Lagerfeld collections with Chanel: Pre-Fall 2012 Paris-Bombay and Pre-Fall 2014 Paris-Dallas. All of Alexander McQueen’s work, from the theatrical sets to the clothes (No. 13 Paint Dress Finale, Spring/Summer 1999). Growing up, I loved feeling and seeing the colorful textiles in department stores, especially the Chanel tweeds.

Photography courtesy of Hannah Buechler

4. Collecting

I have always had a knack for collecting, as many people do. I have a white Panasonic VHS TV and love creating “tape towers” in corners of my room. My cigar boxes hold different materials: colored pencils, colored pencil shavings, pens, paint scraps, resin scraps, etc. One of the first things I started collecting as a kid was vinyl after being gifted The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour and Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, as well as The Rolling Stones’ Undercover. My newest obsession is Kieselstein-Cord handbags, a brand that is niche and ornate, with gold, animalistic details like crocodile feet on the bottom of a handbag.

Photography courtesy of Hannah Buechler

5. My dog, Stevie

Stevie, aka Steve, is my 9-year-old Boston Terrier child. She has lived with me all over the world, from Savannah to Paris and San Diego to New York, and now in Los Angeles. She has traveled to South America and all over the United States with me, being the best and easiest travel companion despite her stubborn personality. She is the strangest, quirkiest dog and incredibly bright yet silly at the same time. She has a funny way of understanding the materials I am working with and what she can step on. She will effortlessly walk around a painting or wet substrate on the ground but will also walk and sit on my loom band pieces.

5 Projects by Hannah Buechler

‘Cosmos’ by Hannah Buechler; 2022–2025, beads, broken jewelry, safety pins, glass, paint, resin, and recycled fabrics on panel. Photography by Spencer Higgins.

1. Satellite Series: Cosmos

Cosmos was the culmination of saved project experiments from college, extensive beading with broken jewelry, and themes of deconstruction and reconstruction, resulting in a large (63 x 48 inches) free-standing artwork that can also be wall-mounted.

I started this piece when I was sick and quarantined with COVID. I had never watched Euphoria before, so I binge-watched two seasons and beaded from my room with no idea how large this piece would become.

Over the four years I spent working on Cosmos, it transformed from a small, beaded textile into an endless artwork full of experiments, including embedded loose material under mesh layers, chain woven between rows of safety pins, and pieces of a beaded, broken vase dipped in resin. Creating Cosmos has made me think of the possibilities of making other time capsule pieces for others. I imagine someone who doesn’t want to throw out certain textiles, materials, or jewelry they may have.

I do look at this piece every day, though, and think about adding to it. I am starting to see shapes form the more I look at it, which makes me want to play off of that and create something more representational.

‘Palisade’ by Hannah Buechler; 2025, loom bands, wool, and felt framed. Photography by Spencer Higgins.

2. Palisade

Palisade was the product of staying hunkered down during the 2025 Los Angeles fires. I needed to create something in order to cope with the disasters around us.

The composition was inspired by my drive home the day the fires started, as I watched the flames rise off the mountains beneath the Getty. Growing up in San Diego, I will never forget some of the times we had to evacuate during fires. I grew up in a town that is filled with Eucalyptus trees, which always pose a threat. I will never forget the grayish-black, thick skies, often with a hint of yellow and orange depending on how close you were to the fire. With Palisade, I wanted to emphasize black, grays, and white, with bright, striking hues. Creating a little moment in the bottom right corner symbolized the drastic color change from before and after the fire.

At the time, my partner and I decided to stay in LA—despite living on the base of the Santa Monica Mountains. We were racking our brains over how to get our work out of our home (my partner is a fashion designer who makes custom clothes for rock ‘n’ rollers like Billy Idol). My family offered to drive up to help move some of the things that we couldn’t bear to part with. When thinking about leaving some of my larger pieces behind—like Cosmos, which was still a work in progress then—I decided to stay. Staying gave me the opportunity to create Palisade, creating something that symbolized a moment in time.

‘Alaska’ by Hannah Buechler; 2022, beads, safety pins, fishing beads, indicators, fishing line, and flatbed crystals. Photography courtesy of Buechler.

3. Alaska

This project brought many challenges; however, the outcome was better than I had hoped. I was commissioned by a woman whose husband caught the fish that is printed on the fabric substrate. The Japanese technique of Gyotaku lets you create an exact, lifelike record of a catch before selling or eating the fish.

Coincidentally, I took this project on a fly-fishing trip to Alaska with my family. It wasn’t until this trip that I really started to see the correlations between fly-fishing and beading. More than just the materials I work with, including fishing line, lures, and flies, beading and fishing are both very patient processes.

The commission took 11 months to complete, and when framed, I wanted to show the extensive beading on the backside of the textile, so I had a piece of plexiglass laser-cut with holes around the edge. This let me use fishing line to sew the fabric into the base of the frame. To secure the line, I added fishing lures/beads to hold the fabric in place.

Contemplation’ by Hannah Buechler; 2025, loom bands, wool, and felt framed. Photography by Spencer Higgins.

4. Contemplation/The Weight of Memory

As the daughter of a biochemist, I think I was inherently fascinated with the human body and anatomy. We grew up with a real human skeleton in our home, named Walter, who probably should have scared me as a kid, but I found the body to be a source of inspiration. Growing up with Walter, I always found a way of tying anatomy back into my work. My first body of work was when I was 17 and in high school. It featured different parts of the body, using different techniques in each piece.

‘The Weight of Memory’ by Hannah Buechler; 2025, loom bands, wool, and felt framed. Photography by Spencer Higgins.

These two pieces were my way of adding representation of the body into my loom band work. These pieces brought many challenges, including letting go of the “freestyle” aspect of creating my loom band pieces. I had to plan and redraw the faces a lot, which was the opposite of how I approach my other works, which tend to be more fluid.

‘Wild Like West Texas Winds’ by Hannah Buechler; 2019, gouache on canvas. Photography courtesy of Buechler.

5. Wild Like the West Texas Winds

In many ways, painting has always been a way for me to be more expressive and representational in my compositions and processes. As I tend to allow color, line, and texture to drive my loom band pieces, my paintings give me a moment to reflect on gradients, repetitive patterns like stripes, camo, and animal prints, flora and fauna. Even though I completed this piece in 2019, it still remains one of my favorite paintings because of the time I had to make it.

The name Wild Like the West Texas Winds came from one of my grandpa’s many quotes he used to describe me. When I painted this piece, my grandpa had just been admitted to a nursing home. I would go to work every day, visit my grandpa, and then come home to paint; this piece was one I became obsessed with coming home to.

I have tried to create paintings similar to this one, but they end up being too chaotic. WLTWTW will always be special to me in many ways.