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Workstead Wraps Up Their Largest Residential Building Yet
In 1925, the Knights of Columbus built a clubhouse in Brooklyn’s Park Slope neighborhood so members of the global Catholic fraternal order could indulge in a ballroom, bowling alley, and indoor swimming pool. Nearly a century later, the building is entering its next stage as One Prospect Park West, one of the area’s premier condominium buildings that sports an easy walking distance to Prospect Park and pristine, history-laden interiors by local firm Workstead that nod to the building’s illustrious past. From 16-foot ceilings to Giallo Siena marble arched entryways to ochre-hued walls, the intimate lobby forecasts each unit’s design splendor.
Notable features include limestone flooring, a burled wood front desk that nods to the building’s erstwhile grandeur, and objects sourced from local design gallery Maison Gerard. “When approaching the design for each space, whether common areas or residences, we wanted to honor the building’s pre-war character in a way that still affords residents with modern-day amenities,” says firm partner Ryan Mahoney, who notes that Workstead even designed its recent Park lighting collection to reference One Prospect Park’s pre-war vernacular. “The result provides an elegant and functional collection of spaces that’s understated yet grand, contemporary yet handmade for the casual lifestyle of today.”
A Restored Neo-Colonial Manse is Ready for its Next Act in Central Mexico
A few hours northwest of Mexico City, Querétaro has emerged as a popular weekend getaway on par with San Miguel de Allende. At its heart, the historic UNESCO-designated center is home to neo-colonial architecture and a new boutique escape occupying the bones of an early 1900s manse.
Designed by JAHS, architect Jesús Andrés Herrera Soto, and Mexican studio Anonymous, Tá Hotel de Diseño fosters a riveting dialogue between old and new. Preserving the original facade and other existing elements, contemporary touches such as Paola Lenti furnishings, Artemide lighting, herringbone pattern floors, and a large entrance hall mural by Mario Oliva are intelligently layered into the 11 rooms and communal spaces. On the premises, guests will find a sunny pool terrace, haute cuisine restaurant dedicated to local ingredients, and Coco, a pop-up gallery with rotating shows featuring Mexican and international visual artists.
Adi Goodrich gives a Surrealist-inspired facelift to the new L.A. lifestyle store Dreams.
The spatial artist has converted the Dreams lifestyle store in Atwater Village into a dreamy playground centered around a luminous rock fashioned out of Blue Screen paint. Offset with whimsical accessories set atop organic forms colored in hues of terra cotta and peach, such as a lobster phone that recalls Salvador Dalí’s 1938 artwork, Goodrich has fashioned an escapist experience that uses color to trigger a plethora of emotions. “The store was inspired by the spirit of the surrealists who embraced irrationality, adventure and dreaming,” she says. “I aimed to design a space that felt like a journey. Not one idea, but many.”
Banksy may help transform the former prison of Oscar Wilde into a sprawling arts center.
Following its foreclosure by the Ministry of Justice in 2013, the shuttered Reading Gaol facility has caught the eye of the autonomous street artist for a head-to-toe overhaul. Banksy is slated to auction a stencil of his mural, called Create Escape, to raise funds for the building’s revamp, with bids soaring to roughly $13.3 million. “Oscar Wilde is the patron saint of smashing two contrasting ideas together to create magic,” Banksy says. “Converting the place that destroyed him into a refuge for art feels so perfect, we have to do it.”
Patek Philippe relaunches its coveted Nautilus watch in Tiffany’s shade of Blue.
To celebrate its 170th anniversary, the Swiss watchmaker revives 170 timepieces to spotlight its longstanding partnership with U.S. retailer Tiffany & Co. The Ref. 5711 model, introduced in 2006 as a redesign of its 1976 Nautilus counterpart crafted by Gerald Genta, is expected to send the resale market into a frenzy as collectors scramble to cop the limited-edition drop that retails upwards of $52,000.
The 2021 Architectural Photography Awards announces its diverse set of winners.
Spanning 2,000 entries from 42 countries, this year’s pot of winners across six brackets reflected pandemic-related themes and honored the global prize’s guiding ethos of diversity. Taking the crown was Liu Xinghao for his submission to the Sense of Place category, which showcased an outdoor gathering near the Raffles City Chongqing China by Safdie Architects.
In his Miami debut, Yinka Ilori brings vibrant Nigerian tastes to Superblue’s cafe.
Marking his Miami debut, the London-based artist imbued Blue Rider Cafe at Superblue with an explosion of color and murals that recall the designer’s Nigerian roots in time for Miami Art Week. The permanent installation resonates Ilori’s community-oriented design philosophy and marries the eclectic ethos of the city with Nigerian influences to craft a kaleidoscopic playground that is equal parts playful and poignant. “I love creating spaces where people can create memories,” he says. “For this project, I was really inspired by the energy of Miami, the architecture, the color palettes, the patterns. There’s a huge sense of joy here.”
The Montreal Holocaust Museum hosts a global design competition for its expansion.
Stationing itself as Canada’s first Holocaust storyteller since 1979, the museum plans to shift from its current location in Montreal’s Côte-des-Neiges–Notre-Dame-de-Grâce division to a 20,000-square-foot plot in the city’s Jewish borough. The Museum’s newfound Saint Laurent Boulevard location calls architects to design a standalone structure augmenting the exhibition spaces, public programming, and educational capabilities slated for its 2025 opening date.
Today’s attractive distractions:
We’ve seen wonky NFT sales, but none like Narine Arakelian selling her eggs.
