1.
Villa El Fida
Marrakech
With its dramatic views and interplay of natural materials, this guesthouse immerses visitors in the landscape’s colours and textures.
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Against the backdrop of Morocco’s Atlas Mountains, guesthouse Villa El Fida is a celebration of the land that engulfs it. “Organised across four levels, the villa is structured around courtyards and double-height spaces that create a seamless connection between the interior and exterior,” says the property’s owner, Abdellatif Tots, who conceived its spaces with architects Gwenaël Clément and Lou Cirendini. Villa El Fida consists of two distinct sections connected by a narrow bridge. Suspended, exposed staircases are cast in the shadows of the towering peaks and give the façade a sense of Cubist precision.
“This place combines a contemporary architectural language with traditional materials such as tadelakt lime plaster, marble and sculpted cedar wood,” says Tots. Beyond the entrance, the villa opens into a living area anchored by a fireplace, before descending into a sunken lounge with views across the reflecting pool and gardens beyond. The outcome is a villa that feels like an extension of the landscape.
el-fida.com
Craft conscious:
What makes this space so distinctive is the way that it embraces Moroccan craftsmanship through a contemporary architectural lens. Its material palette features locally sourced leather and traditional zellige tiling. Rather than competing with its surroundings, the structure feels connected to the landscape, which allows its natural beauty to remain the focus.
2.
Hermès workshop
Loupes, France
French luxury goods house Hermès’s new atelier reaffirms its commitment to the timeless value of craftsmanship.
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In the village of Loupes, 20km east of Bordeaux, a sleek wood-and-glass building houses French brand Hermès’s newest atelier, where artisans craft the house’s leather bags. “In a world that is constantly accelerating, making the choice of craft and of doing things slowly sends a strong message,” says the mayor of Loupes, Véronique Lesvignes. This factory has created 260 jobs that are unlikely to be replaced by AI, says the company’s CEO and sixth-generation heir, Axel Dumas. “The strength of Hermès lies in the fact that we’ve missed out on every successive technological revolution,” he says.
The conviction that some things cannot be rushed means that demand for its signature bags far outstrips supply. “The only way to meet demand and increase our output is to recruit and train artisans,” says Guillaume de Seynes, the executive vice-president of the brand’s manufacturing division. “But we want each site to remain on a human scale, where everyone knows each other.”
Bayonne-based architect Patrick Arotcharen designed the Loupes workshop to fit into a forest clearing, without cutting a single tree. It’s heated by biothermal energy and equipped with solar panels and a rainwater-harvesting system. Inside, wall-to-ceiling windows allow in plenty of sunlight.
“The materials are natural and untouched but great care has been taken in the assembly, a bit like the seams of a bag,” says Arotcharen. “There’s a connection between what we do and the patient, meticulous work happening inside. It requires craft and technique.”
hermes.com; arotcharen-architecte.fr
3.
Stable by Carmen Maurice Architecture
Mayenne, France
Clean lines and simplicity elevate this new space for horses and their riders.
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Carmen Maurice Architecture’s brief was to replace a dilapidated former stable in Mayenne, France. The resulting design has an “active zone” that accommodates teams and support staff, with a lounge, parking, saddle room and a farrier’s workshop. This is complemented by an equine space that has stalls creating a quieter, more protected area.
“A certain sense of poetry emerges from the simplicity of the design, the treatment of light and its relationship with the landscape,” says the company’s founder, Carmen Maurice.
carmen-m.fr
4.
Alouette
Copenhagen
Tasked with designing a restaurant’s new digs in a listed former warehouse, David Thulstrup has cooked up an architectural feast.
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When Danish architect David Thulstrup was commissioned to design the new home of Michelin-starred restaurant Alouette in central Copenhagen, his priority was to make it just right for its owners. “You have to understand who they are, how they host people, the food that they make and the kind of atmosphere that they’re hoping to create,” he says.
He began with the arrival experience, drawing on the format of the original restaurant, which opened in the Danish capital’s Islands Brygge neighborhood in 2018. There, chefs Nick Curtin and Camilla Hansen (pictured) made a point of welcoming guests on the street before guiding them through a garden. At the new Alouette, a cobbled pathway leads through flowers and edible plants to an arch made from hand-brushed aluminium. “It’s a journey of discovery,” says Thulstrup. “I wanted people to have that original experience but amplified.”
A sense of place was also important. The restaurant occupies a former warehouse that was built in 1803. The architect devised a palette informed by the building’s history. Raw pine, hessian, blackened steel and Swedish dark stone are complemented by custom furniture developed with Frankfurt-based interior-design and furniture brand E15. “I wanted the material palette to feel grounded in the old warehouse, so we reduced it to a few strong materials,” says Thulstrup.
It’s an approach that echoes Curtin’s work as a chef. “Nick’s cooking is about reducing a dish to a very clear main ingredient,” says the architect. “I work in a similar way with materials.”
The constraints of redesigning a heritage-listed building inspired one of Thulstrup’s favourite interventions. Unable to alter significant parts of the existing structure, he introduced a sculpted hessian ceiling that adds volume while improving acoustics and concealing the technical infrastructure. “I had to design without touching the architecture,” he adds.
Together, these elements create a cohesive experience. “Fine dining takes place over a long evening, so you have to think about how you move through the space and how your mood changes along the way,” says Thulstrup. “It’s a narrative in itself.”
davidthulstrup.com; restaurantalouette.dk
Delicate balance:
What makes for good restaurant design? Architects need to consider circulation requirements, acoustics (you want a soundtrack of gentle conversation, not an echoey din), appropriate lighting (not blinding but bright enough to read a menu) and comfortable seating – a combination that helps the restaurant to tell its story.
5.
Cosmos residence
Singapore
In the densely packed island nation of Singapore, 95 per cent of residents are boxed into high-rise apartments. Local firm Right Angle Studio has found a way to elegantly accommodate art lovers when space is limited.
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Singapore’s Right Angle Studio has renovated an apartment in the city to accommodate its owners’ passions for hosting and art. “We wanted to allow them to entertain their guests while preparing a feast,” says Alex Liu, who co-founded the studio with his brother, Jay. To that end, the duo connected previously disparate communal areas and opened up the kitchen to face the living areas. They also installed custom cabinetry to fit with immovable stone risers and framed the generous windows with bespoke furniture. The result is a home that is layered with portals, frames and stacking forms. It’s a combination of small details that creates a sanctuary from Singapore’s constant bustle.
rightanglestudio.com.sg
Artistic licence:
Pride of place in the living room goes to two yellow diptychs by Singaporean artist Lee Wen – the owners’ first art acquisitions, framed in a softly uplit, counter-height niche.
6.
Teffont House
Wiltshire, UK
This new hotel honours its historic British roots while catering to all of its guests’ modern needs.
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Beckford Group’s Teffont House hotel sits in a centuries-old stone building in Teffont Evias, Wiltshire. Designer Natasha Hidvegi and co-owner Charlie Luxton have created a series of distinct public spaces: an orangery, a bar, a lounge, a brasserie-style dining room and an outdoor terrace. In a walled garden are badminton and croquet courts. “It’s important to have areas with different moods,” says Luxton. “You might have a high table where you can do some work, a lounge where you can read the paper, then an upright setting where you can talk. It’s about creating vignettes.”
teffonthouse.com
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