glass blocks and marble surfaces illuminate the renovation of 1960s athens penthouse

Christina Iliopoulou & Aspassia Mitropapa revamp house in athens

Architects Christina Iliopoulou and Aspassia Mitropapa reimagine a 1960s penthouse that still bears the hallmarks of Greek craftsmanship in their An Athenian Way of Life project. The residence, positioned on a corner with sweeping views over the Acropolis, Mount Lycabettus, and the city’s coastline, acts as a time capsule. The architects treat the apartment as a material archive, preserving its marble, wood, and hand-painted details, completing them with renewed clarity and openness.

The transformation begins in the kitchen, which once stood enclosed and disconnected. Now it is lined with glass blocks that filter light and frame glimpses of the Acropolis beyond. This gesture turns the kitchen into a spatial filter, where transparency and reflection articulate the apartment’s new sense of continuity. The use of Didyma marble across the counters echoes the travertino marble facade of the building.

images by Lea Martin, unless stated otherwise

Restoring the Craftsmanship of 1960s penthouse through reuse

Throughout An Athenian Way of Life, Iliopoulou and Mitropapa maintain the original Tinos marble flooring, its natural patina allowed to speak of time, and complement it with green Cipollino marble in the guest bathroom. The hand-painted ceiling and oak cabinetry of the living room are also restored, while contemporary lighting and discreet details introduce a modern rhythm without disturbing the historical composition. In the bathrooms, colorful tiles recall the era’s expressive spirit, while the expansion of the herringbone parquet from the bedrooms into other areas brings a new cohesion to the layout.

The architects’ approach reflects a broader philosophy of reuse rooted in the material culture of 1960s Athens. Every preserved element serves as both artifact and active participant in the renewed design. ‘The craftsmanship of 1960s Athens formed the foundation of our architectural intention: to respect it, preserve it and reinterpret it,’ note the architects. 

didyma marble defines the kitchen counters

glass block partition creates transparency between the kitchen and living areas

dining area features restored ceiling medallions

hand-painted ceiling and green marble flooring frame views toward the acropolis from the living area

oak cabinetry and marble fireplace preserved from the 1960s

travertine-clad terrace reveals original facade details | image by Costas Papapanagiotou

these preserved elements highlight the craftsmanship of mid-century Athens | image by Costas Papapanagiotou

original travertine facade and turquoise tiles | image by Costas Papapanagiotou

earthy marble surfaces and brass fittings

custom oak joinery integrates display, storage, and warmth into the private areas

bathroom interior in didyma marble bathed in natural light

recalling the color and material palette of the 1960s

project info:

name: An Athenian Way of Life

architects: Christina Iliopoulou & Aspassia Mitropapa

location: Athens, Greece

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kale elevates cersaie 2025 with large-format porcelain slabs turning material into expression

KALE AT CERSAie 2025 presents INNOVATION, DESIGN and SUSTAINABILITY

At Cersaie 2025 in Bologna, KALE, a leading name in ceramics from Türkiye, unveiled its latest products under the theme ‘Material as an Expression: Earth Refined. Life Redefined’. The event took place from September 22–26 and introduced breakthrough products such as Türkiye’s first 120×280 cm large-format porcelain slabs, the 2025 Panorama Collection, as well as the award-winning Constantinople countertop from the T-ONE brand. With a strong focus on sustainability through its #CareForYourWorld vision, KALE invited visitors to explore how ceramics go beyond surfaces to define entire spaces.

at Cersaie 2025, KALE unveiled its latest innovations under the theme ‘Material as an Expression’ | all images courtesy of KALE

KALE’S durable, high-performance solutions

KALE, the leader of the ceramics industry in Türkiye, is a growing value that has made production in these lands for 68 years and transformed what it has gained into the investment for these lands as Kale of ceramics. Leading the industry with more than 4,500 different products in product groups of ceramic tile, ceramic sanitary ware, faucets, and bathroom furniture, the company offers the market around 200 new products every year. The company delivers its products to its customers in over 80 countries abroad alongside the national market.

KALE’s large-format porcelain slabs, inspired by nature’s textures and tones, combine technical excellence with aesthetic versatility. From interiors to façades, they offer durable, high-performance solutions that balance form and function. The Cersaie 2025 theme positions KALE’s porcelain slab as more than a functional element, but as a language of identity, shaping architectural experiences both indoors and outdoors. 

the Panorama Collection, launched in 2025, embodies KALE’s motto, ‘Infinite possibilities for every space’

Infinite possibilities for every space

The Panorama Collection, launched in 2025, embodies KALE’s motto, ‘Infinite possibilities for every space’ and with its wide range of thicknesses and formats gives designers unprecedented creative freedom. Among the highlights, the Intonaco series features earthy tones that blend with diverse design languages, bringing warmth and character to contemporary spaces.

Under the T-ONE Porcelain Countertop Brand, the Constantinople surface, crafted with advanced V-Intech technology, ensures the veining continues seamlessly from surface to body. Recognized with the 2025 EDIDA Kitchen Category award and NSF certification, it offers a combination of elegance, hygiene, and durability for modern kitchens. With thickness options ranging from 2 mm to 20 mm, KALE’s portfolio adapts to projects of every scale. The ultra-thin 3 mm flexible porcelain slabs add lightness without compromising strength, making them ideal for architectural façades and lightweight applications.

Cersaie 2025 included KALE’s award-winning Constantinople countertop from the T-ONE brand

from 2 mm to 20 mm, KALE’s extensive range provides adaptable solutions for projects of every scale

project info:

name: Material as an Expression: Earth Refined. Life Redefined

company: KALE | @kaleinternational

event: Cersaie 

products: 120×280 cm large-format porcelain slabs from Kalebodur; Intonaco from Panorama Collection by Kalebodur; Constantinople from T-ONE porcelain countertop; Flexible porcelain slabs (3 mm thickness) Kalebodur

dates: September 22–26, 2025

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used batteries from electric vehicles return to greener life as fertilizers

Recycling used batteries from electric vehicles as fertilizers

Engineers at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee have developed a way to recycle used lithium iron phosphate batteries from electric vehicles into crop and plant fertilizers. These materials, commonly used in EVs, delivery vans, and buses, are just disposed of when they reach the end of their life, usually after ten years. The researchers hope that by repurposing these used batteries as fertilizers, they can help the agriculture industry and reduce using the traditional recycling methods, which are considered costly and complicated, given that the recovered materials from the process, like iron and phosphate, don’t cost much and make the battery recycling more expensive than it is.

The engineers, led by Dr. Deyang Qu, the Department Chair of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, use a chemical method called ion exchange, a process already used in many industries, such as water purification. In this recycling system, the IX process helps replace lithium ions with hydrogen or potassium ions using resin, which works like a filter that can swap certain elements for others. Two types of resins are used to recycle the used batteries from electric vehicles: strong acid cation resins and K-form (potassium-based) resins.

photo by Vladimir Srajber, via Pexels

Resin helps repurpose discarded batteries

When the used batteries from electric vehicles are placed in the ion-exchange system, lithium ions move out of them and attach to the resin. At the same time, potassium ions from the resin replace the lithium in the material, so the exchange allows more than 90 percent of the lithium to be recovered efficiently. The leftover solution after the lithium is removed still contains phosphorus and other elements from the battery, and it is these parts that can be recycled into fertilizers. It means that one recycling process produces two useful results: the recovery of lithium for new batteries and the creation of fertilizer ingredients for agriculture. The ion-exchange and regeneration reactions can reach balance in as little as 20 minutes, making the method efficient. The entire process is also commercially mature, so the equipment and technology already exist and can be scaled up for industrial use.

Dr. Deyang Qu, who leads the university research, says that the high cost of current recycling systems has inspired his team to look for a new approach. Instead of focusing only on recovering battery materials for reuse in electronics, they explored how these materials could serve a new purpose in agriculture. Their tests have shown that the recycled used batteries from electric vehicles can function as fertilizer, depending on how they are processed. The study has already been tested at laboratory scale with support from the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee’s internal Discovery and Innovation Grant and collaboration with the Department of Agriculture in the US. The next stage is to produce larger amounts of fertilizer to compare its performance with regular ones in farming tests. The researchers plan to conduct a one-acre tomato crop trial to study how well the fertilizer works. If the results are successful, they expect to present the findings to major fertilizer manufacturers and explore large-scale production.

engineers can recycle used batteries from electric vehicles into fertilizers | photo by Vladimir Srajber, via Pexels

the process replaces lithium ions with hydrogen or potassium ions using resin | photo by Teona Swift, via Pexels

Deyang Qu holds a lithium iron phosphate battery | image courtesy of the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

project info:

institution: University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee | @uwmilwaukee

lead engineer: Dr. Deyang Qu

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DATALAND by refik anadol to open in LA, spring 2026, as the world’s first museum of AI arts

first look at DATALAND, set to open at the Grand LA in spring 2026

Refik Anadol Studio presents DATALAND, the world’s first Museum of AI Arts, opening in spring 2026 at The Grand LA, a Frank Gehry-designed development in the heart of downtown Los Angeles. The project features art experiences blending human imagination and artificial intelligence, establishing a new model for artistic expression at the onset of the digital age.

The 2,320-square-meter institution is designed to feature five distinct galleries and serve as a hub for exploring the creative potential of data and generative systems. In anticipation of its opening, Refik Anadol Studio unveils a first look at Gallery C – Infinity Room, an evolved iteration of one of the studio’s most iconic installations. 

The museum marks a full-circle moment for Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkılıç, who founded Refik Anadol Studio in Los Angeles over a decade ago and have since exhibited their works in more than 80 cities on six continents.

all images courtesy Refik Anadol Studio

a groundbreaking proposal by Refik Anadol studio

Establishing DATALAND at The Grand LA, in the heart of Los Angeles’ cultural corridor, marks a symbolic homecoming for Refik Anadol, Efsun Erkılıç, and the studio. The business center is situated directly across the street from Gehry’s Walt Disney Concert Hall, where, in 2018, the team presented one of their defining projects to date, the ambitious and groundbreaking WDCH Dreams, celebrating the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Centennial. Using 42 large-scale projectors, the nightly live performances featured machine dreams of the LA Phil’s 100 years of digitized memories, mapped directly onto the undulating stainless-steel exterior of the iconic building. The museum will unfold steps from renowned cultural institutions: The Broad, MOCA, The Music Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, REDCAT, and The Colburn School in the cultural epicenter of Los Angeles.

Developed by Related Companies, The Grand LA is home to the award-winning 305 room Conrad Los Angeles luxury hotel, more than 436 residences including affordable housing and will feature a collection of chef-driven restaurants, shops, and art-driven experiences anchored by DATALAND. As the world’s first Museum of AI Arts,  its opening follows a series of presentations from Refik Anadol Studio, including Living Paintings at Jeffrey Deitch Gallery, in Los Angeles; Machine Hallucinations at The Sphere, in Las Vegas; Living Architecture: Casa Batlló at Antoni Gaudí’s famed building, in Barcelona, Spain; Living Archive: Nature at the World Economic Forum, in Davos, Switzerland; Echoes of the Earth at London’s Serpentine Galleries; and Living Arena at the Intuit Dome, in Inglewood, CA.

DATALAND by Refik Anadol Studio is designed in collaboration with architecture firm Gensler and global sustainable development consultancy Arup. Earlier in 2025, DATALAND introduced its founding digital collection, Biome Lumina, a series of 1,000 unique AI data sculptures that sold out in 34 minutes. The inaugural exhibitions at the museum will be expressed through the studio’s Large Nature Model, the world’s first open-source AI model trained exclusively on natural data.

a first glimpse at Gallery C – Infinity Room

INFINITY ROOM OFFERS FIRST GLIMPSE INTO the project

Originally conceived in 2014 at UCLA as Anadol’s first immersive data sculpture, Infinity Room envisioned a future for the Light and Space movement through the lens of media architecture. The work debuted physically in 2015 as a 3.66 × 3.66-meter mirrored cube animated by undulating black-and-white projections, transforming light into material and data into pigment.

Over the past decade, Infinity Room has traveled to 35 cities worldwide and been experienced by more than 10 million visitors. The new version at DATALAND incorporates AI-generated scents derived from the studio’s Large Nature Model and becomes the first immersive space to employ World Models, an advanced form of generative AI capable of understanding real-world physics and spatial dynamics. This multisensory environment offers a first glimpse into the perspective-altering experiences that will define the Museum of AI Arts.

Infinity Room has traveled to 35 cities worldwide and been experienced by more than 10 million visitors

ARTIST RESIDENCY WITH GOOGLE ARTS & CULTURE

Los Angeles has long held Anadol’s fascination, beginning when he was eight years old with the discovery of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, set in a futuristic reimagining of the city. He first ventured there in 2012 to attend a graduate program in Design Media Arts at the University of California Los Angeles, where he has taught for the last ten years. In 2014, Erkiliç joined Anadol in Los Angeles to establish Refik Anadol Studio permanently in the city. The Studio’s works have been exhibited worldwide in more than 70 cities on six continents and are beloved by millions of ardent fans. DATALAND brings this future-forward vision to a permanent home.

In alignment with DATALAND’s mission to expand public understanding of artificial intelligence and its creative applications, the museum announces the launch of its inaugural Artist Residency Program, in partnership with Google Arts & Culture.

Over six months, three selected artists will explore new frontiers of human–machine collaboration, supported by mentorship, funding, and technical resources. Their projects will culminate in a public showcase at DATALAND, featuring immersive installations, artist talks, and lectures examining AI’s evolving role in art and culture.

establishing a new model for artistic expression

DATALAND is set open in spring 2026

Refik Anadol and Efsun Erkılıç | image © Dustin Downing

The Grand LA | image © Weldon Brewster

project info:

name: DATALAND

location: The Grand LA, Dowtown Los Angeles | @thegrandla

artist: Refik Anadol Studio | @refikanadol

architects / collaborators: Arup, Gensler 

opening year: 2026

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mini wooden robots nod and tilt their heads when users receive notifications on their phones

Botties are the physical versions of app notifications

Swift Creatives unveils the prototypes of Botties, a series of wooden robots that nod and tilt their heads to let the users know they’ve received a notification. Named Beamer, Hover, and Bot, these small devices are made from Danish wood and offer another way to tell people about their digital notifications at home. Instead of making noise or flashing lights like smartphones or smart speakers, these wooden robots by Swift Creatives move quietly and use physical gestures to give alerts. Each of them has its own kind of movement: Beamer tilts its head on the sides, Bot bobs its head up and down and pushes its wooden ear in and out, and Hover rotates and stops at one point.

Each robot has a small body made from soaped or smoked oak wood, a material often used in Danish furniture and crafts. Inside each wooden form are sensors and small software systems that allow the mini robots to react to signals from connected devices. When a notification arrives, – say a message, a reminder, or even when the food delivery has arrived at the doorsteps – the Botties react by tilting their heads, nodding, or moving slightly, and this becomes a quiet form of communication that relies more on visual cues instead of sounds.

view of Beamer | all images courtesy of Swift Creatives

Wooden robots by swift creatives are made with 3D printing

The wooden robots named Botties were developed in the Danish design studio’s Innovation Lab. The project began with hand sketches and then moved to 3D printed prototypes before the team finalized the oak versions. The creative process helped them test how the robots could move, respond, and fit into real environments, as Innovation Lab focuses on making new technologies that feel practical and understandable rather than experimental or abstract. The three models differ slightly in height and proportion. Beamer is 153 millimeters tall, Bot is 164 millimeters tall, and Hover is 170 millimeters tall, yet their sizes are small enough to place on a desk, table, or shelf. The movement and behavior of each bot replace typical sounds and notifications with visible gestures. 

For example, if a food delivery arrives or if an electric car is ready to drive, the robot can move or light up gently to show the update. This way, everyone at home can notice it without needing to check their phones. Lars Lynggard, Lead Designer at Swift Creatives, says that the project’s idea builds on Denmark’s design culture shaped by figures like Kay Bojesen, who’s known for wooden toys and crafted objects. These bots follow that same path but digitally with sensors and patterned movements. Each wooden robot by Swift Creatives comes with a compact wooden body, where small motion sensors detect signals, programmed motors create slight, natural gestures, and the electronic parts are hidden inside the bodies to keep the exterior polished and clean-looking. So far, there’s no news yet on when Swift Creatives plans to commercially release the wooden bots named Botties.

Bot bobs its head up and down and pushes its wooden ear in and out

Hover rotates and stops at one point

Swift Creatives unveils the prototypes of Botties, a series of moving wooden robots

these small devices are made from Danish wood

instead of making noise or flashing lights, these gadgets use physical gestures to give alerts

they naturally blend at home, doubling as a decorative object

the sensors are hidden inside the bodies for a cleaner exterior look

view of Botties’ gestures

project info:

name: Botties

studio: Swift Creatives | @swiftcreatives_portfolio

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curved stone pavilion encloses circular reflecting pool for clubhouse in mexico

Clubhouse’s Circular Design blends with the Landscape in Atlixco

La Pedrera by Taller Ezequiel Aguilar Martínez is the clubhouse of the Cola de Lagarto development, located on the outskirts of Atlixco, Puebla, about two hours from Mexico City. The project is set within the Tentzo mountain range, a semi-desert landscape primarily featuring acacias, yuccas, and wild grasses. The design occupies a hill within the development, offering panoramic views of the golf courses, Atlixco valley, and the majestic Popocatepetl and Iztaccihuatl volcanoes. This privileged setting shapes the project’s circular layout, which opens the building to its surroundings while housing activities such as a restaurant, leisure rooms, restrooms, and general amenities. Conceptually, the project is organized through a series of concentric skins arranged around a central space that features a reflecting pool. The project’s materials palette includes stone, wood, and concrete elements.

all images by Amy Bello

La Pedrera’s Layered Circular Design Integrates Stone and Wood

The exterior ring, made of curved, locally sourced stone walls, emerges from the slope, supporting the platform that holds most of the program and allowing part of the structure to be partially underground, leveraging the hillside’s natural slope. The program is resolved on the ground and underground levels, while the roof slab serves as a 360-degree viewing deck with a multipurpose area for temporary events. A perimeter corridor between the outer and second ring functions as a balcony and service area. The second ring, with a glazed facade, connects interiors with the surrounding landscape and optimizes natural light. Finally, the third and innermost ring consists of rotating wooden doors, allowing spaces to be as open or closed to the exterior as necessary. A large oculus in the concrete slab at the building’s center frames the landscape elements that rise, subtly marking the structure’s presence. For Taller Ezequiel Aguilar Martínez studio, a fundamental aspect of the building’s concept was maintaining a scale that respects the surroundings while using materials that age gracefully, blending the building seamlessly into its natural context.

La Pedrera circular clubhouse sits within the Tentzo mountain range near Atlixco, Mexico

designed by Taller Ezequiel Aguilar Martínez, the building embraces its hillside setting

a circular layout opens the clubhouse to panoramic mountain views

stone, wood, and concrete form the project’s restrained material palette

a reflecting pool anchors the heart of the structure

a perimeter corridor connects the outer and inner rings like a continuous balcony

rotating wooden doors modulate openness and privacy throughout the inner ring

materials chosen to age gracefully allow the clubhouse to merge with its context

the structure partially embeds into the hill, blending architecture and terrain

project info:

name: La Pedrera Clubhouse

architect: Taller Ezequiel Aguilar Martínez

location: Atlixco, Mexico

area: 1503 sqm

lead architect: Ezequiel Aguilar Martínez

manufacturers: CEMEX España, Helvex, Iluminamos , Interceramic, Tecnolite, Ternium Hylsa

collaboration and execution: Néstor Ramón Zarate Ibarra, Federico de Zatarain Dach

project management: Triplet Arquitectura

construction: AZ Construcciones

interior architects: Penélope de la Madrid (Ábaka Interiores)

landscape architects: Roberto Villareal (UPAstudio)

photographer: Amy Bello

designboom has received this project from our DIY submissions feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: christina vergopoulou | designboom

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the north face arrives at storm king with lightweight textile sculpture by johannes offerhaus

contemporary art with the north face x gore-tex

The North Face has joined with GORE-TEX and Storm King Art Center in upstate New York to mark the launch of HKe, the brand’s newest performance collection. The event centered around the unveiling of a new large-scale sculpture by Dutch designer and artist Johannes Offerhaus. The installation combines the language of technical apparel with the material and spatial logic of outdoor architecture.

Installed on one of Storm King’s open fields, the work introduced Offerhaus’s Tower, a nine-meter-high structure composed of SPECTRA® textile, carbon tubes, aluminum, and ropes. Its geometry draws from tent systems and alpine pack design, reflecting a shared ethos between art, design, and high-performance gear.

images © Malakhai Pearson

Johannes Offerhaus’ transportable sculpture

The collaboration between The North Face and Johannes Offerhaus extends beyond just the sculpture at Storm King Art Center. The project first appeared in the HKe campaign, which took place last month in Tungstølen, Norway (see here). There, the artist and a small team carried each component by foot across a glacial landscape, assembling the ultra-lightweight structure on site before disassembling and removing every piece. It was an homage to the outdoor spirit and respect for place that mirrors The North Face’s commitment to minimal impact.

In Upstate New York, Tower reads differently. Anchored in Storm King’s grassy terrain, the same lightweight system interacts with open air and shifting weather, making movement and tension visible through its ripstop planes. The use of SPECTRA® — a high-strength polyethylene also featured in the HKe collection — emphasizes the connection between technical textile innovation and the physical environment it is designed to endure.

The North Face and GORE-TEX arrive at Storm King for the launch of the HKe collection

high-performance material for artwork and apparel

The team at The North Face notes that its HKe collection (developed with GORE-TEX) reflects a growing intersection between performance design and cultural identity. It invites a rethinking of what outdoor gear can represent, merging utility and aesthetics without hierarchy. With this newly installed, large-scale artwork, The North Face and GORE-TEX demonstrate the performance material’s utility for both apparel and for sculptural exploration.

At Storm King, this dialogue feels natural, as the museum’s collection has long engaged with artists who explore scale, structure, and ecology. Offerhaus’s Tower continues this lineage to evoke the precision of pattern cutting and the logic of engineered form.

Johannes Offerhaus unveils his newest Tower sculpture in upstate New York

the nine-meter installation was built from SPECTRA® textile carbon tubes aluminum and rope

SPECTRA fabric connects The North Face apparel innovation with large scale textile architecture

HKe explores the relationship between cultural identity and technical performance

project info:

artist: Johannes Offerhaus | @johannesofferhaus

brand: The North Face | @thenorthface x GORE-TEX | @goretexbrand

location: New Windsor, New York

museum: Storm King Art Center | @stormkingartcenter

date: October 21st, 2025

photography: © Malakhai Pearson | @johannesofferhaus

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why and how fashion’s biggest names expand into architecture and real estate

the wave of fashion houses building real estate empires grows

Maison Margiela unveils Maison Margiela Residences, marking the House’s first venture into residential living. The project translates its codes of deconstruction, trompe-l’oeil, and transformation into a luxury living environment in one of Dubai’s most exclusive settings. The announcement situates Margiela among a growing constellation of fashion houses redefining luxury through architecture. From Armani and Bulgari to Versace, Fendi, and Dolce & Gabbana, high-fashion labels are increasingly translating their aesthetics into brick and mortar, creating hotels, condos, and branded residences that allow clients to live inside the signature world of each brand. On the occasion of Margiela’s debut, designboom takes a closer look at why and how fashion brands are expanding into real estate and what it reveals about the evolving relationship between design, lifestyle, and architecture.

Fendi Chateau Miami

from couture runways to luxury residences

High-fashion houses are no longer confined to boutiques and runways, moving over to creating spaces to experience the brand in a more intimate way. Over the past three decades, labels from Armani to Versace have extended their aesthetic worlds into architecture and real estate. The phenomenon began around the turn of the millennium, when visionary designers recognized real estate as the ultimate medium for immersive brand storytelling.

Gianni Versace and Diesel founder Renzo Rosso were among the earliest pioneers. Versace’s Palazzo Versace on Australia’s Gold Coast (opened 2000) brought the Baroque glamour of the house to five-star hospitality, while Rosso transformed Miami Beach’s Pelican Hotel into an eccentric fashion playground as early as 1990. 

Armani Beach Residences, a collaboration with architect Tadao Ando in Dubai

a lifestyle beyond flagship stores

For today’s fashion houses, real estate represents a design opportunity and a business evolution. Hotels and residences offer a way to materialize the lifestyle philosophy of the brand in three dimensions, inviting clients to inhabit the label’s universe in a different way from what a flagship store does. The late Giorgio Armani described it as ‘exploring my idea of living,’ a natural continuation of Armani/Casa’s design character.

Through licensing partnerships and co-developments, fashion houses gain revenue streams and long-term brand visibility. In markets like Dubai, Miami, and Marbella, branded residences often command price premiums. The Residences by Armani/Casa tower in Sunny Isles Beach, designed with César Pelli, sold out 308 units, buoyed by the allure of the Armani name and interiors tailored to the brand’s signature design. As Renzo Rosso, founder of OTB Group, Maison Margiela’s parent company, puts it, these projects ‘define the unmistakable style of each fashion house’ while transforming creative vision into built form.

Fendi Private Suites in Rome

transcribing fashion codes into architecture

Each fashion-led development mirrors the house’s aesthetic language. At Palazzo Versace Macau, the latest addition to Versace’s hospitality portfolio, every mosaic, carpet, and tile channels the House’s Italianate opulence, Medusa motifs swirl across terrazzo floors, and the mosaic pattern from Versace’s Milan palazzo reappears in the lobby.

Bulgari’s hotels, by contrast, exude refined craftsmanship. Designed by Milan’s Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel (ACPV), each property, from Milan to Paris and Shanghai, features hand-finished marble surfaces, silk, and bronze detailing.

The Armani Hotel Dubai and Armani Residences within Burj Khalifa flow in earthy tones and low-lit calm, every material chosen to create a harmonious atmosphere and add texture. As the brand expands with Armani Beach Residences, a collaboration with architect Tadao Ando, the minimalist vision reaches new architectural heights.

Missoni’s approach, meanwhile, is unapologetically chromatic. The Missoni Baia tower in Miami, Missoni Sky in Toronto, and the Missoni Resort Club in Mykonos translate the brand’s zigzag knits into structural geometry, while vibrant interiors evoke the optimism and color that define its fashion. 

Missoni Baia tower in Miami

from karl lagerfeld’s dreams to dolce & gabbana’s palazzi

Some designers have taken the leap even further. The late Karl Lagerfeld’s hotel in Macau, opened posthumously in 2021, is an East-meets-West fantasy of chinoiserie and Art Deco, complete with a 360-square-meter library and a literal fountain centerpiece. Every object, from the key-patterned walls to the antique volumes, bears his personal touch. By the mid-2010s, Fendi had also unveiled a boutique hotel, Fendi Private Suites, a set of seven plush suites above its Rome flagship in 2016, and partnered on the beachfront Fendi Château Residences condo in Miami.

Dolce & Gabbana’s recent ventures represent the next evolution. The duo is developing the 888 Brickell tower in Miami, a 90-story condo-hotel featuring Murano glass chandeliers combined with animal-print velvet, and Marbella Design Hills in Spain, a 92-unit complex furnished entirely with Dolce&Gabbana Casa pieces.

Even Diesel, rooted in denim and counterculture, has entered the space with Diesel Wynwood Condominium in Miami, the first Diesel-branded residential project. Designed with Zyscovich Architects, it channels the brand’s industrial energy through raw concrete, street art, and Diesel Living furnishings, targeting a younger generation of design-savvy buyers.

888 Brickell Miami Residences And Hotel by Dolce & Gabbana

Diesel Wynwood in Miami

Maison Margiela Residences in Dubai

The Karl Lagerfeld Macau

Palazzo Versace Dubai

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jolie ngo shows vibrant 3D-printed ceramics with apple at design miami.paris

A new generation at Design Miami.Paris

Among the ornamental interiors of Hôtel de Maisons in Paris, Design Miami and Apple present Designers of Tomorrow, a new initiative celebrating the work of four emerging designers who embody the future of material innovation and digital craft. The presentation formed part of the inaugural Design Miami.Paris, a fair dedicated to collectible design that filled the historic rooms with objects that merge heritage and experimentation.

Curated by Rodman Primack, the exhibition marked the debut of a collaboration between Design Miami and Apple. The initiative aims to suport rising designers by offering mentorship, visibility, and technological resources — in this case, the new iPad Pro with M5, a tool that integrates high performance with intuitive creative capabilities.

Among the four selected talents, the 3D-printed pieces by Jolie Ngo stood out for its tactile intelligence and playful dialogue between the analog and the digital.

Designers of Tomorrow, Design Miami.Paris, install view | image © Elodie Croquet

Jolie Ngo’s language of clay and code

Jolie Ngo’s practice bridges traditional ceramics with the precision of 3D printing, using Apple technology to extend the gestures of the hand, rather than replace them. For Designers of Tomorrow at Design Miami.Paris, the artist presents two works that illustrate her evolving vocabulary of form and surface.

Lantern Vessel in Between Worlds reinterprets the structure of Vietnamese silk lanterns through layered clay extrusion, creating contours that feel at once organic and engineered. The surface, softly airbrushed and collaged with appliquéd details, glows with a sense of motion, evoking both the pulse of the kiln and the luminescence of the digital screen.

Nearby, Table Lamp in Cherry Blossoms and Himalayan Salt offered a complementary study in light and tactility. Its sculptural ceramic base supported a translucent 3D-printed shade in a saturated pink hue. When illuminated, the lamp glows, taking shapes as a convergence of material density and visual softness.

Lantern Vessel in Between Worlds, Jolie Ngo, Designers of Tomorrow, Design Miami.Paris | image © Elodie Croquet

a process combining handcraft and apple technology

For Jolie Ngo, the iPad serves as an extension of the studio. Using Apple Pencil on iPad Pro, she sketches and models freely, exploring asymmetry and fluidity before refining her designs on MacBook Pro for fabrication. This iterative rhythm — from drawing to digital modeling to clay printing — allows her to balance spontaneity with exactness. The portability of the iPad makes it possible for her to work anywhere, and trace inspiration directly from her surroundings into form.

The new iPad Pro with M5 further deepens this relationship between idea and execution. Its enhanced speed and AI-powered capabilities support the kind of iterative modeling and visualization that define Ngo’s approach. With its Ultra Retina XDR display and lightweight design, the device expands the space between concept and craft, offering a tool that aligns with the designer’s hybrid process.

Within the larger presentation, the curation of Designers of Tomorrow at Design Miami.Paris emphasized the diversity of perspectives shaping contemporary design. Works by Atelier Duyi Han, Marie & Alexandre, and Marco Campardo join Jolie Ngo’s pieces, and form a conversation about how emerging designers harness Apple’s technology with their works.

Table Lamp in Cherry Blossoms, Jolie Ngo, Designers of Tomorrow, Design Miami.Paris | image © Elodie Croquet

Lantern Vessel in Between Worlds, Jolie Ngo, detail | image courtesy the artist

Table Lamp in Cherry Blossoms, Jolie Ngo, detail | image courtesy the artist

Lantern Vessel in Between Worlds, Jolie Ngo | image courtesy the artist

project info:

artist: Jolie Ngo | @jolienope

event: Design Miami.Paris

location: Hôtel de Maisons, Paris

collaborator: Apple | @apple

dates: October 22nd — 26th, 2025

photography: © Elodie Croquet, © Jolie Ngo

Designers of Tomorrow jurors:

presentation curator:
Rodman Primack | Ago Projects

apple leadership:
Alan Dye | Apple
Molly Anderson | Apple

industry authorities:
Aric Chen | Curator
Faye Toogood | Designer
Hervé Lemoine | Le Mobilier National
Jen Roberts | Design Miami
Lyne Cohen-Solal | Ateliers de Paris
Mathieu Lehanneur | Designer
Sabine Marcelis | Designer
Samuel Ross | Designer

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power lines shaped as animal sculptures supply electricity across austria

Animal sculptures double as concept power lines in austria

Concept power lines shaped as animal sculptures can supply energy across the nine states in Austria. Dubbed the Austrian Power Giants, these electricity structures are molded depending on the animal representing the state. Take the stork, a long-necked wading bird, which represents Burgenland for its annual stork migration, with Rust being considered a city of storks. Then, there’s the stag, the animal symbol for the wooded foothills of the Alps in Lower Austria. The nine federal states where the design teams hope to install the power lines shaped as animal sculptures include Burgenland, Carinthia, Lower Austria, Upper Austria, Salzburg, Styria, Tyrol, Vorarlberg, and Vienna.

all images courtesy of Austrian Power Grid

Stork and stag energy lines have been designed for pretesting

The design teams – a collaboration between the companies Austrian Power Grid, GP designpartners and BauCon – say that the stork and stag designs have already been developed and pre-tested for structural stability and high-voltage performance to check whether producing power lines shaped as animal structures is even possible. They expect that these nature-inspired designs can increase ‘public acceptance of grid expansion projects in their respective regions’ and become symbols of fauna-themed infrastructure. They add that traditional power line designs are not publicly well-received across the country’s regions, so by crafting animal sculptures as power lines, they hope that their reception will be more positive. 

For them, it’s a way fo the towering infrastructure to ‘harmonize with nature’ and ‘to strengthen the economic and tourism location in the regions and ultimately lead to increased acceptance of grid expansion projects by the general public.’ So far, only two of these Austrian Power Giants, the stork and the stag, have been designed for pretesting to see if they can be built and if their structural and electrical engineering are feasible. The miniature models of the Austrian Power Giants are set to be on display for public viewing at the Red Dot Museum in Singapore until October 2026, after having received the Red Dot Award 2025 for concept design in electrification and decarbonization.

view of the stork sculpture

view of the stag sculpture

two of these concept power lines have been designed for pretesting

the design teams hope to install the infrastructure across the nine states in Austria

project info:

name: Austrian Power Giants

companies: Austrian Power Grid, GP designpartners, BauCon | @gpdesignpartners

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