Washington-based architecture studio Wittman Estes completes its French Creek Workshops House among the sprawling, forested area of Snohomish. The a four-and-a-half-acre site is located alongside a wetland once used as an animal sanctuary. Conceived as a year-round retreat for a newly retired couple, the project balances shelter during the long, wet season with openness during warmer months.

The single-level home is arranged for aging-in-place and multigenerational use, with a plan that follows the gentle slope of the land through subtle terracing. Wide doorways, flush thresholds, and sandblasted concrete floors support steady movement throughout the 2,471-square-foot residence, while the building’s low stance allows it to settle into the landscape without becoming an obstruction.

images © Andrew Pogue

Wittman Estes’ interiors balance craft and durability

The design team at Wittman Estes curates the interior palette of its French Creek Workshop House to express a dialogue between durability and craft. Locally-sourced fir and cedar bring warmth to spaces shaped by concrete and terrazzo, while reddish-brown soffits and a vivid blue kitchen wall introduce moments of color that register against the muted palette. Cast-in-place concrete floors with hydronic radiant heating continue onto exterior patios and paths, extending the sense of continuity across thresholds.

Personal fabrication plays a visible role throughout the house. Slatted wood screens made by the owners filter daylight in the living room and enclose the exterior loading dock, while hand-blown glass works animate shelves in the dining area. ‘They wanted the home to be an expression of who they are,’ says Matt Wittman. ‘Now, they can live and create side by side — gracefully and seamlessly.’

the house sits beside a wetland on a former animal sanctuary in Snohomish, Washington

workshops and living areas encircle a courtyard pond

An essential component of the Wittman Estes-designed French Creek Workshop compound are its creative studios. Spaces for woodworking, metalworking, and glass art connect to the main house through sheltered walkways and gardens. The workshops are separated from the living spaces to prevent noise and dust, while the zone between the built spaces becomes a lush, gardened courtyard. The primary 1,471-square-foot studio rises beneath a shed roof oriented toward north-facing clerestory windows, delivering even, diffused light suited to detailed work.

The courtyard draws from the Roman impluvium, a system of collecting rainwater from surrounding roofs and into a reflecting pool. During storms, water sheets from roof edges into planted basins, turning rainfall into a daily, observable event. Gardens radiate outward from this center and transition gradually from cultivated ground to more natural growth, all maintained by the owners themselves.

a single level plan supports aging in place and multigenerational living

the home surrounds a landscaped pond which collects rainwater

gentle terracing allows the building to follow the natural slope of the site

locally-sourced fir and cedar bring warmth to durable architectural surfaces

concrete floors with radiant heating extend from interior rooms to outdoor patios

handcrafted wood screens and glass artworks reflect the owners lives as makers

project info:

name: French Creek Workshop House

architect: Wittman Estes | @wittman_estes

location: Snohomish, Washington 

completion: 2025

photography: © Andrew Pogue | @poguephoto

design team: Matt Wittman, Jody Estes, Ashton Wesely

interiors, landscape: Wittman Estes

structural engineer: Josh Welch Engineering

builder: MRA Builders

civil engineer: Jennifer Argraves, LPD Engineering

geotechnical engineer: Adam Gaston, Geo Group Northwest

The post designing for artists, wittman estes builds a home with integrated creative studios appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Situated at the corner of Broadway & 28th street, on the outskirts of Manhattan‘s Flower District, the Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad takes on a fresh, more relaxed approach to luxury hospitality. Rising 150 meters (500 feet) above New York’s streets, the hotel has been developed by Flag Luxury Group in close collaboration with Rafael Viñoly, while design studios such as Rockwell Group, Lázaro Rosa-Violán Studio, Martin Brudnizki, and SUSURRUS International have all contributed to its interior spaces. Together, they deliver a bold, contemporary design that honors the hotel’s setting while offering a warm, welcoming space for guests and the local community alike. 

‘It’s very much a community space and that was essential to us from the start,’ Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos, president and COO of Flag Luxury Group explains. ‘We wanted the hotel to genuinely belong to the neighborhood, not to be a place with velvet ropes or an attitude of exclusivity. Public spaces are called public for a reason, and I don’t believe in the era of “cool” hotels and velvet ropes that keep people out. Our goal was always to be welcoming to both guests and locals, and I love that the lobby bar has quietly become the neighborhood’s best-kept secret.’ 

The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad exterior, image by Iris and Light

FLAG LUXURY GROUP AND RAFAEL VIÑOLY’S COLLABORATION

The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad occupies a 50-story-high tower designed by architect Rafael Viñoly, whose work began with the constraints of a compact footprint. Completed in the summer of 2022, the hotel comprises 219 guestrooms, 31 suites, and 16 one and two-bedroom penthouse residences alongside six unique food and beverage destinations and the signature Ritz-Carlton Spa & Fitness Center. The plans grew through an interior-first process to meet the demands of a vertical hotel. Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos recalls long working sessions with the now-late architect focused on precisely carving out each area in response to the needs of its program. ‘It was the only hotel he built, and he was a big Ritz-Carlton fan,’ she says. ‘I did a competition with five different top architects, and he was the only one that just wanted to work with me all the time. I had maybe one or two meetings with the other studios, but he was reaching out every day to know more about my vision and what I wanted to achieve. When he finally presented his plan, it was the one that made the most sense.’

Olarte de Kanavos and Viñoly worked in close collaboration to develop a well thought out architectural scheme that balanced between a highly luxurious experience for the guests and a financially viable operation. ‘Some of the other architects wanted to make a building from the outside in and would sacrifice on the number of rooms, and I couldn’t do that because we had such a small plot of land. I had to have an architect that could build it from the inside out because there was no way that we could fit this program and make it economically viable without that. There’s always that push and pull between what you’re dreaming in your head and then the reality of how you are going to pay for it.’

lobby area, image by The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad

Interiors inspired by the neighboring Flower District

Alongside Rafael Viñoly Architects, firms including Rockwell Group, Lázaro Rosa-Violán Studio, Martin Brudnizki, SUSURRUS International have each developed parts of the hotel’s interior, including the two restaurants, Zaytinya and the Bazaar by José Andrés, as well as the Lobby Lounge and Nubeluz, the hotel’s rooftop bar offering sweeping 270-degree views across Manhattan. Along the ground floor, the material palette softens the transitions between the outside world and the lobby. Floral references echoing the neighboring flower district appear through texture and line, creating a gentle connection to the district without leaning on literal motifs. 

Guestrooms and suites continue on this approach with neutral palettes and furniture pieces selected to lend a more domestic atmosphere that mimics a Manhattan penthouse. Almost everything in the hotel has been custom-built particularly for this location, embodying Olarte de Kanavos’ idea of what true luxury is. ‘To me, luxury is knowing that things have been handcrafted, that things have been bespoke, that they have been especially chosen, in the selection of the fabrics, the materials.. Almost everything in this hotel is custom, very few things are not. It’s something that was really made specifically for here, you’re not going to see my minibar anywhere in the world. It’s not a copy of anything, we didn’t buy it the way it was and then wrapped it different. It was totally designed and created just for this property.’

The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad floral cart, image by BFA

taking the stuffiness out of service

The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad takes shape within a steadily growing district that still maintains its independent shops and small businesses. Olarte de Kanavos recognized this balance early and envisioned a hotel that would contribute to neighborhood life while serving guests with a high level of attention. ‘It’s an unusual neighborhood, dotted with business and residential. Most neighborhoods in New York are either or, so to have a hotel in a neighborhood that is alive 24-7 is pretty incredible. We just felt that the new epicenter of New York was moving south, and that NoMad was going to be the new epicenter.’ Her approach reflects a desire for convivial luxury and inclusivity, expressed in her view that the neighbourhood not become all luxury, but instead ‘should still be a little bit of everything.’ This awareness extends to the hotel’s social environments, which are open to both guests and locals alike, supported by food and beverage concepts from Chef José Andrés that activate the property from the street-level to the rooftop.

Olarte de Kanavos often describes this property as ‘the next generation Ritz-Carlton,’ shaped for a younger clientele who seeks experiences that feel bespoke and vibrant. She observes that people today prefer an atmosphere with intimacy and personality, where the design is intentional and the service is warm. ‘I was just in a hotel uptown for lunch today and it very much felt like that same old-fashioned thing where you walk in and the front desk is like the cathedral, and then you sit in the lobby bar and everybody’s whispering, and the music feels like you’re in an airport lounge. That was not what we wanted here. We wanted to bring in elements of surprise and delight, to make the experience fun by discovering something a little bit different at every corner.’ Alongside a bespoke experience, luxury for her translates to great service, delivered with a smile. ‘You need to take the stuffiness out of the service, that over-formality. I think that people can still deliver great service without it being so hyper formal, and it should be fun.’

lobby seating, image by Björn Wallander

a CONVERSATION with Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos

designboom (DB): How did you get into the hospitality business?

Dayssi Olarte de Kanavos (DOK): I grew up around hospitality, I had an uncle who had a small hotel in Bogotá and my mother had restaurants. I decided to pursue that and I went the Cornell University Hotel School, and shortly after being in the hotel school, I realized I didn’t want to have anything to do with managing hotels. I realized that my interest was more about creating the hotels and that I wanted to become that person and start developing hotels. We had a class on Fridays and it was called Cookies with Clark. Clark was the dean of the hotel school and he would have speakers from all over the world that were graduates from the hotel school, and they would tell us what they did, what they’re doing now, how they got there.

One session was about a hotel developer that was developing these properties in Hawaii. He would show this barren piece of land with nothing on it, and then these incredible, beautiful hotels that he was building and how he was really creating them for the joy of his customers. That just hooked me and I realized that this is what I want to do. I want to build the hotels and other people are going to manage them, but I want to be a part of that creative process. Ever since then I’ve really focused on that part of the business, the real estate side, but also the guest experience, the architecture, the interior design, the whole experience and how it touches the customer. After graduation I worked in real estate to learn about New York real estate and then I got my degree at NYU in the real estate development master’s program, and shortly thereafter, I met my husband and we became partners. And the rest is history.

lobby bar, image by Björn Wallander

DB: Can you tell me more about how you started developing Flag Luxury Group’s property portfolio?

DOK: One of the first properties we did was the Regent Hotel downtown that then became the Cipriani Wall Street Hotel, and then it became residences. We did that as a fee developer, and while we were doing that, we were fortunate enough to get what they call the geographic exclusive from Ritz-Carlton to develop hotels in Miami. So once we had that, then we were able to open up hotels there.

So we did the Ritz-Carlton in Coconut Grove, the Ritz-Carlton in South Beach, and the Ritz-Carlton in Jupiter. And Jupiter was spa and single family homes, it wasn’t actually a hotel, but it was Ritz-Carlton branded.

Then we gave the rights to some of the other people that built other Ritz-Carltons in Miami. And since then, we purchased the One Bal Harbour and turned that into the Ritz-Carlton. We also own the adjacent Sagamore Hotel, which we are in the process of converting into an all-suite expansion of the existing The Ritz-Carlton, South Beach Hotel. This is our sixth Ritz-Carlton. We also have hotels in Orlando, and we’re looking to build other things here in New York.

Zaytinya, image by Jason Varney

DB: How did you decide to invest in this location? How did you make it into a destination in the area? What was the concept behind it?

DOK: As a lifelong New Yorker, and especially interested in real estate, I was paying attention to how the city was growing, and at a certain point in time, downtown became the magnet for everything. Everybody wanted to go there, the real estate started becoming much more expensive there than even on the Upper East Side that usually was where all the most expensive real estate was. You could feel that pull of New York going south and all the young people wanting to live south, below 34th Street.

We realized that the opportunity to build a hotel downtown where everybody really wanted to be was very low because in SoHo and West Village, they have height restrictions and it’s not easy to try to get a big hotel down there. All of a sudden, because all those neighborhoods became so expensive, people started discovering this neighborhood and Madison Square Park. And then the NoMad Hotel opened, which is now The Ned, and between the owner of that hotel and Leslie Spira Lopez, who owns a lot of buildings here, they coined the name NoMad.

And we thought, wow, this neighborhood is on the verge. We started looking at the records and sure enough, a lot of people were pulling permits for luxury condominiums. But already this is dotted with what they call like Silicon Alley, a lot of these high tech companies have businesses here.

Zaytinya Bar, image by Björn Wallander

DOK (continued): So it’s an unusual neighborhood where you have it dotted with business and residential. Most neighborhoods in New York are either or. So to have a hotel in a neighborhood that is alive 24-7 is pretty incredible and we just felt that the new epicenter of New York is moving south and that NoMad was going to be the new epicenter. As soon as we bought the land, we accelerated that happening because people knew we were going to do a Ritz. So the neighborhood just became so much more dynamic.

And it had an impact right away, even though it took us eight years from the time we bought it to the time we opened. But just getting through the entitlements and everything else, people started investing more in the neighborhood.

As soon as we took down all the scaffolding from our building, it changed the whole traffic pattern because nobody used to walk down Broadway ever. But people were excited, they knew what was coming, and as soon as we took down our scaffolding, people stopped walking down Fifth, they stopped walking down Madison, and now they all walk down Broadway, and it just created this funnel of energy of people. And it’s really transformative for the neighborhood to have a Ritz-Carlton here.

Zaytinya, image by Jason Varney

DB: I also think that with all the amenities, the restaurants and the rooftop bar, it creates some kind of place for the community as well, for the people that are part of the city.

DOK: Yes, it’s very much used by the community, and that was something that was always really important to us. We wanted to make sure that we were part of the community. When you’re building a hotel, there’s a whole plan called the public spaces, because they’re meant to be public. It’s not meant to be a velvet rope that you can’t get in or anything. The days of those velvet ropes and those ‘cool’ hotels, I don’t believe in that at all.

I believe in just being welcoming to all of our guests and our neighbors. I have to say the lobby bar, is like the neighborhood’s best kept secret. They don’t tell anybody because they don’t want anybody to know, but those are all locals.

Master Bedroom, image by The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad

DB: What I find very interesting is that this neighborhood is not what we’d generally call 100% luxurious. How did you approach developing a Ritz here?

DOK: We’ve pioneered neighborhoods before. For example, when we opened up the Ritz-Carlton in South Beach, that was an area that was kind of dangerous and kind of shifty. People really in the luxury world weren’t going there, there were no luxury hotels.

When you have a Ritz-Carlton, it kind of gives the neighborhood a stamp of approval, that it’s okay to be there. I feel like part of the joy of visiting New York is also witnessing some of the scrappiness, right? That’s just kind of a part of what it is.

I don’t expect that the neighborhood will become all luxury one day, it shouldn’t, it should still be a little bit of everything.

Madison Suite Bathroom, image by Björn Wallander

DOK (continued): Given that our target was the younger customer for Ritz-Carlton, we knew very specifically who we were targeting, and Ritz-Carlton’s customers have been getting younger and younger. The younger they were getting, they started going to boutique hotels or other hotels and not using the traditional Ritz-Carlton uptown.

Because they don’t want to be uptown anymore. It’s a beautiful hotel, they’ve got a great restaurant and everything, but they just don’t want to be in that location. So we knew that if we targeted the younger customer, the younger customer’s more accepting of being in a very mixed neighborhood. They don’t need it to be all, you know, disinfected and antiseptic.

And they are going to pioneering areas for clubs and bars and things like that anyway, so we felt that our customer would really love it. And what’s incredible here is that we’re literally 10 minutes away from almost anything.

Ritz-Carlton Suite living area, image by The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad

DB: I feel the brand is somehow associated with a more established, classic luxury idea, and it’s very interesting to see this more fresh approach.

DOK: Yeah, because this is really the next generation Ritz-Carlton, this is how people see luxury today. Younger customers really want an experience that feels bespoke, and not to feel like they’re in such a giant building that has so much that you’re lost in it. They want a sense of intimacy, they want to be welcomed, they want it to be design-forward, and the design has to be interesting, it’s got to be vibrant.

They want to feel the energy from the restaurants, from the bars, you know, to feel like there’s something going on, not that you walked into a mausoleum.

I was just in a hotel uptown for lunch today and it very much felt like that same old-fashioned thing where you walk in and the front desk is like the cathedral, and then you sit in the lobby bar and everybody’s whispering, and the music is just not vibing. You feel like you’re in an airport lounge.

That was not what we wanted here. We wanted to bring in elements of surprise and delight, to make the experience fun by discovering something little bit different at every corner. We worked with five different interior designers here to create all of these fun, different, unique experiences.

Liberty Club Suite living area, image by The Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad

DB: I wanted to ask you about the architecture. The building was done by Rafael Viñoly, right?

DOK: Yes, it was the only hotel he built, and he was a big Ritz-Carlton fan. He was so proud to get this job and we actually spent so many hours together, he would draw on his computer or a sketch pad and we would talk it through the whole time. I did a contest where I had five different top architects and I paid them for it so they would show me substantive work.

He was the one that just wanted to work with me all the time, the other other architects, maybe we had one or two meetings, but every day he was like, ‘let’s sit and talk more, I want to know what your vision is, I want to know what you want, do you like the rooms like this?’ We just sat there and talked so much, and when he finally presented his plan, it was the one that made the most sense. That’s how we picked him and it was really exciting, we were very close.

Ritz-Carlton Suite bathroom, image by The Ritz-Carlton New York, Nomad

DB: How was your collaboration? How much were you involved during the process?

DOK: In every detail. I mean, me and Rafael basically made this building. And, you know, as an architect, especially a contemporary architect, the architecture is everything.

They want to make a building from the outside in, and what I explained to all the architects was that I can’t do that because I have such a small plot of land. It’s a very little, tiny, tiny site.

It’s not very big for everything that we have to fit in here, which is a lot of program. And we fought like literally for every square foot. Everything really had to be so carefully thought out, we couldn’t miss one square foot. So I had to have an architect that could build it from the inside out. And that’s really important. Because there was no way that we could fit this program and make it economically viable without that.

And with some of the other architects, they would sacrifice on the number of rooms or this or that. And then it just wasn’t going to pencil for us, financially. So there’s always that push and pull between the finances, between what you’re dreaming in your head and, you know, what you want, and then the reality of how are you going to pay for it.

And because I went to an undergraduate business school, I can think I’m with both sides at the same time and try to make it match without sacrificing the experience. It’s a lot more work for my team because we have to value engineer, everything, things that nobody sees, and we want the guests to have the most luxurious experience. But it is a lot of work to make that happen.

The Bazaar restaurant, image by Björn Wallander

DB: I think that’s one of the reasons why it stands out in such a competitive landscape like New York, too, is because it’s very guest-forward. A lot of the experiences are very guest-centered and guest-forward.

DOK: People are looking for that. I mean, you look at all the boutique hotels and how well they do and how much people identify with the personality of that hotel or whether it’s the designer or the owner that has a really specific point of view.

And this hotel is the kind of place where you’re kind of getting the best of both worlds. You’re getting an owner that understands and is really passionate about what the owner wants to deliver to the guest with the very best operator in the world, in the luxury world today. It’s a really unique experience because a lot of times the boutique hotels can’t offer that kind of thing. They can’t offer also the same kind of program, they don’t have the same kind of spa that we have or room service for the amount of hours that we have room service.

A lot of them don’t even have room service, right? We’re offering a full-service hotel, but with this bespoke boutique experience.

The Bazaar, image by Björn Wallander

DB: How would you define the experience of a luxurious place today? Like what are the key elements that compose this experience?

DOK: Luxury as a term can be really overused, right? And it can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, but what it means to me is knowing that things have been handcrafted, that things have been bespoke, that they have been especially chosen, in the selection of the fabrics, the materials.

Almost everything in this hotel is custom, very few things are not. It’s something that was really made specifically here, you’re not going to see my minibar anywhere in the world. It’s not a copy of anything, we didn’t buy it the way it was and then wrapped it different. It was totally designed and created just for this property.

I think that first has to do with craftsmanship, and with attention to detail in all of the physical spaces, and then, of course, luxury is an experience. What people want is they want service, and they want service with a smile. They want people to be generous. They want people to be anticipatory. And, of course, this is what Ritz-Carlton delivers so beautifully on. The experience is everything.

Nubeluz, image by Björn Wallander

DOK (continued): So how can we bring it all together, which is, have a friendly place to check in but know that you have access to a beautiful living room, knowing that you have access to all these extra bars and that we have two restaurants and we’ve got an incredible chef in-house, Chef Jose Andres that is also doing all the room service and all of the amenities. He’s really baking his own bread you know, everything is from scratch down there. His attention to detail is incredible.

And that experience, knowing that everything really does have a person behind it and people really care about what they’re delivering, that is what is bringing the experience to life.

For the younger customer, I think it’s about not having to be in a stuffy room with a white tablecloth to have a caviar. You can have your jeans, have a nice shirt, but you don’t have to wear a blazer and you can do caviar bumps upstairs. That’s now luxury, right? Luxury is being able to have your caviar and a bottle of champagne, spend $10,000 if you want to with your friends, but wearing jeans, not having to wear a jacket and a suit and all of this. It doesn’t feel luxurious anymore to the younger customer.

They still look smart and they still look elegant, just because you’re casual doesn’t mean you don’t look good, nobody here looks trashy or anything, but I think it’s really important when you understand the psyche of your customer.

the bar at Nubeluz, image by Björn Wallander

DB: It all feels more like ‘inclusive luxury’, where you factor a lot more elements in rather than just appearing expensive or unattainable.

DOK: The shift is really about including more, yes. You need to take the stuffiness out of the service, that over-formality.

DB: A lot of times you go to these new design hotels and they are very well designed, but the service is not there anymore. Even for super simple things, like slippers in the room, that you have to call and ask for. It’s very simple things that make a difference in the end.

Bar Seating, image by Björn Wallander

DOK: Many times the boutique design hotels, they don’t understand what the customer really needs, right? Some things are just really basic that Ritz Carlton knows so well.

Like when we design a bathroom, for example, all the dimensions have to match what Ritz Carlton expects, so they give us they give us very specific guidelines like we have to have a certain number of drawers, a certain amount of hanging space, a certain amount of space for cosmetics, lighting, all of these things have to be a part of your design.

You can’t just design any room and say, oh, Ritz Carlton’s gonna put their name on it. That is a really beautiful thing because they know the science of that room design of how it needs to service the customer and how the customer has to have everything in its place. It’s a science and people that are used to a luxury hotel know that they’re still gonna find everything here even if we are catering to a younger customer, but we do get the older customer too.

I think that people can still deliver great service without it being so hyper formal, and it should be fun.

project info:

name: Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad | @ritzcarltonnewyorknomad

architect: Rafael Viñoly Architects | @rva_ny

design teams: Rockwell Group, Lázaro Rosa-Violán Studio, Martin Brudnizki, SUSURRUS International

developer: Flag Luxury Group | @flagluxury
location: 25 W 28th St, New York, NY 10001

photography: © Björn Wallander, Jason Varney, Iris and Light, BFA ,The Ritz-Carlton New York, Nomad

The post ‘I don’t believe in velvet ropes’: inside the ritz-carlton new york, NoMad’s convivial luxury appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Architect Jainika Shah’s work centers on wellness-driven spatial design, bringing together technology, tradition, sustainability, and environmental awareness. Her practice approaches architecture as an interaction between human experience and ecological systems, a principle that shapes Adhyatma, a conceptual wellness retreat envisioned for Sedona, Arizona. Named after the Sanskrit term for ‘higher soul,’ the project integrates itself into the red-rock landscape through material selection and passive strategies. Recycled wood forms the primary wall surfaces, while open-air meditation pavilions are oriented to filter sunlight and encourage natural ventilation. Shallow reflective pools further connect the built environment with the surrounding desert context. The retreat is organized as a sequence of sensory zones designed to support reflection, sound-based practices, and solitude.

Alongside Adhyatma, Shah explores material research through ‘Mycelium Maison,’ a project based on the biological characteristics of mycelium. Here, the architectural system considers living, regenerative material behavior as a substitute for extractive construction methods. The study examines how mycelium-based components could grow, decompose, and reintegrate into natural cycles, merging material innovation with organic architectural forms.

all images courtesy of Jainika Shah

Jainika Shah’s Cross-Disciplinary Design Practice

Jainika Shah’s portfolio also includes contributions to large-scale scientific, pharmaceutical, and healthcare facilities. These projects require strict environmental control, spatial organization, and technical precision. Her approach links operational performance, such as airflow, safety protocols, and equipment planning, with spatial clarity and user well-being, demonstrating how scientific environments can be shaped through both functional and human-centered considerations.

Her work has been recognized by the Loop Design Awards, BLT Built Design Awards, Design Skills Award, and International Design Awards. Beyond project work, Shah contributes to industry leadership and advocacy. The designer serves on the American Institute of Architects’ Equity and the Future of Architecture Committee, as well as acting as a Regional Lead for Women in BIM, supporting global dialogue on digital innovation and gender equity in the profession. She also participates in mentorship initiatives aimed at strengthening inclusive design leadership. Shah’s projects have been exhibited internationally, including at the AIGA International Design Celebration, Museum of Outstanding Design, SAB Gallery, The Holy Art Gallery, and Streeters Gallery. Across her work, she positions architecture as a field where environmental research, material experimentation, and spatial wellbeing intersect.

wellness-focused spatial design guiding Jainika Shah’s architectural approach

architecture shaped by the interaction between human experience and ecology

Adhyatma envisioned as a wellness retreat embedded in Sedona’s red-rock terrain

recycled wood used as the primary structural and surface material

sensory zones arranged to encourage reflection and quiet immersion

functional environments shaped with attention to user wellbeing

reflective pools connecting the retreat to the surrounding desert atmosphere

open-air meditation pavilions designed to filter sunlight naturally

spaces organized to support sound-based practices and solitude

project info:

name: Adhyatma – Spiritual Spa
designer: Jainika Shah

location: Sedona, Arizona

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

The post recycled wood clads wellness retreat’s meditation pavilions in arizona appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY unveils Pier 865 in Knoxville’s Cradle of Country Music Park, a walkable sculpture that doubles as public infrastructure. Rising where a concrete pier meets an aluminum canopy, the piece forms a serpent-like structure. Built from hundreds of pre-folded aluminum strips, each painted in a gradient of seven tones, soft greens, deep-sea blues, and butter yellow, the canopy’s surface behaves like a living skin. Stretching into the treetops, Pier 865 offers views of foliage, neighborhoods, and distant mountains. From the ground, it evokes plant life sprouting from concrete; from above, a reptilian silhouette coiling through the park. Cantilevered wings provide places to sit, gather, or pause, turning this public artwork into a civic hangout that moves with the landscape.

the sculpture lands in a park near Knoxville’s Old Town neighborhood | images © Steve Kroodsma

PIER 865: A WALKABLE SCULPTURE TRANSFORMING KNOXVILLE’S PARK

The New York-based team at MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY lifts the city level into nature, forming steps, ledges, and resting spots that feel like part of the terrain. Above, Pier 865 lands on five slender legs and branches into three distinct wings. One loops forward while another rises into a shaded platform that functions as a small stage for community events. A third tapers low and quiet, offering refuge among the trees. 

Since 1986, the park has served as a tribute to Knoxville’s country music heritage and a gathering space for locals. The aluminum canopy extends that legacy, framing public art as urban infrastructure, not just something to look at.

Pier 865 introduces a new viewpoint in an historic Knoxville park | images © Steve Kroodsma

visitors experience a sequence of shaded and open spaces beneath the canopy | images © Steve Kroodsma

the sculpture occupies a cast concrete pier that extends gently into the landscape | images © Steve Kroodsma

the lightweight aluminum canopy supported by slender legs | images © Steve Kroodsma

painted aluminum strips create a gradient that draws from the foliage and sky | image © Keith Isaacs

the structure offers a sculptural place for public gathering | image © Keith Isaacs

color shifts and curved surfaces shape a changing spatial experience | images © Steve Kroodsma

project info:

name: Pier 865

architect: MARC FORNES / THEVERYMANY | @theverymany

location: Knoxville, Tennessee

commissioner: City of Knoxville

photography: © Steve Kroodsma | @photo.kroo, © Keith Isaacs | @keithisaacsphoto

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A rare opportunity to inhabit a piece of American architectural history arrives with the listing of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead residence in Jackson, Mississippi. Priced at €2.13 million ($2.5 million), the three-bedroom home is one of the few Usonian houses ever built and the only Frank Lloyd Wright property in the state, making it a remarkable example of organic architecture. Designed in 1948 when Frank Lloyd Wright was 81 years old, Fountainhead reflects his continued involvement in architectural work late in life. The design stays consistent with the ideas he had developed over decades, showing that his approach remained steady rather than changing to fit newer trends or outside pressures.

UPDATE November 25th, 2025: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead residence passes into the hands of the Mississippi Museum of Art (MMA), following approval from Jackson’s Planning and Zoning Board and City Council, ensuring the rare Usonian will remain protected and publicly accessible. Inspired by institutions like Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and its stewardship of Wright’s Bachman-Wilson House, the MMA plans an extensive restoration with architecture and preservation specialists before opening the property for guided tours by reservation. The home, long restored and cared for by the late architect Robert Parker Adams, will be maintained and programmed under the direction of the museum, with shuttle access from its downtown campus. An official opening date will be announced after conservation work begins.

images courtesy of Crescent Sotheby’s International Realty

frank lloyd wright’s Diamond-Shaped house

Fountainhead sits at 306 Glenway Drive in Fondren, a lively mid-century neighborhood in Jackson. Wright designed the house specifically for its site, staying true to his belief that architecture should work with the landscape. The building’s diamond-shaped shell, based on a parallelogram, came directly from the shape of the lot. The shape carries through the entire design, appearing in the pattern of the concrete floors, guiding how the walls are positioned, and even influencing the scale of the doors, creating a quiet sense of cohesion that feels deliberate without drawing too much attention to itself.

Built in 1951, the 330-square-meter house was constructed without stud walls, drywall, or paint, a deliberate choice that leaves the materials exposed. The architect used Tidewater Red Cypress for the walls and ceilings, a durable wood with a rich, reddish color that brings warmth and texture to the interior. The original copper roof is still in place, a testament to the solid construction of the building and carefully chosen materials. Wide stretches of glass open the house to its surroundings, letting in daylight and views of the garden. Inside, built-in furniture and storage, a signature of Wright’s work, keep the spaces uncluttered and quietly functional.

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead residence in Jackson, Mississippi hits the market for the first time

a name that reflects inspiration

Frank Lloyd Wright’s Fountainhead holds a special place in Mississippi’s cultural history. It’s listed on the National Register of Historic Places and stands as both a private home and a reminder of the architect’s approach to how people live. The house sits on nearly 4,000 square meters of land, surrounded by lush greenery that provides privacy, yet it’s still just a short walk from Fondren’s mix of shops, restaurants, and art spots.

Wright is said to have named the house Fountainhead to reflect the idea of a source of creativity. Today, the home still feels like that, a wellspring of thoughtful design and clear vision. 

the three-bedroom home is one of the few Usonian houses ever built

Fountainhead is the only Frank Lloyd Wright property in the state

a remarkable example of organic architecture

designed in 1948 when Frank Lloyd Wright was 81 years old

the design stays consistent with the ideas the architect had developed over decades

Wright designed the house specifically for its site

built-in furniture and storage keep the spaces uncluttered and quietly functional

Tidewater Red Cypress clads the walls and ceilings

wide stretches of glass open the house to its surroundings

Wright is said to have named the house Fountainhead to reflect the idea of a source of creativity

project info:

name: Fountainhead

architect: Frank Lloyd Wright | @wrighttaliesin

location: 306 Glenway Drive, Jackson, Mississippi, 39216, USA

completion: 1951

interior space area: 330.55 square meters (3,558 square feet) 

site area: 3,926 square meters (0.97 acre)

listed with: Douglas Adams and David Abner Smith

real estate agency: Crescent Sotheby’s International Realty | @sothebysrealty

The post frank lloyd wright’s ‘fountainhead’ finds new life as mississippi museum of art property appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Construction continues to surge ahead at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park, as the MAD-designed landmark prepares to open its doors in 2026. Envisioned by filmmaker George Lucas, who also serves as the museum’s curator, this futuristic civic space is shaped like a sculptural canopy, hovering lightly above a revitalized, pedestrian-friendly parkland. 

UPDATE November 13th, 2025: The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art sets its public opening for September 22nd, 2026, debuting Ma Yansong’s futuristic building in Los Angeles’s Exposition Park. Co-founded by George Lucas and Mellody Hobson, the institution focuses on storytelling across classic illustration, muralism, comic art, science fiction imagery, and cinematic artifacts. Its 9290 square meters of galleries will draw from a collection of more than 40,000 works exploring themes such as love, family, community, childhood, and adventure. ‘Stories are mythology, and when illustrated, they help humans understand the mysteries of life,’ says George Lucas. Hobson adds that the museum seeks to be ‘a museum of the people’s art,’ reflecting visitors’ own experiences.

all images by LA TIMES – Chun Myung & Jason Armond, via MAD, unless stated otherwise

a floating landmark

Led by Ma Yansong, the team at MAD replaces right angles with fluid, organic geometries in the Lucas Museum’s design, shaping its sculptural form with over 1,500 uniquely molded fiberglass-reinforced polymer (FRP) panels. As it arches across the site with cloud-like massing and deep cantilevers, the building contrasts with its more conventional neighbors in Exposition Park. A 56-meter-long central archway spans a public plaza and forms the entry point of the museum, while above it, a four-story elliptical oculus cuts through the volume and gallery spaces, visually linking the park and sky.

In many ways, the Los Angeles museum seems to levitate, with its form touching the ground at just a few strategic points, allowing for openness and lightness despite its massive scale. This illusion of floating is engineered with seismic resilience in mind, with one meter of lateral space allowing it to ‘roll’ during an earthquake, what the former CEO of the museum, Sandra Jackson-Dumont, once described as ‘a giant roller skate’ built for the realities of LA’s tectonic landscape.

image courtesy of The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art

Mia Lehrer creates an urban public oasis

Surrounding the museum, landscape architect Mia Lehrer is transforming what was once a sea of parking lots into a shaded public oasis, planting over 200 trees and creating a green, walkable environment. This shift from car-dominant infrastructure to community-oriented parkland aligns with the museum’s broader mission to be a place for people, not just artifacts.

Inside, the programming reflects this same democratic spirit. Beyond galleries spanning 9290 square meters, the museum will house two state-of-the-art theaters, ten education studios, a library, a restaurant, a museum shop, and even a rooftop event space beneath its ribbed ‘cloud’ ceiling.

the MAD-designed landmark prepares to open its doors in 2026

storytelling across media drives the institution’s evolving vision

The Lucas Museum is built around the idea of storytelling as a global cultural force. The collection spans everything from Norman Rockwell’s illustrations to Frida Kahlo’s iconic work, alongside film models, props, and concept art from the Star Wars creator’s own archive. With this expansive approach to narrative art, the museum positions itself as a one-of-a-kind institution dedicated to visual storytelling across cultures and media.

Sandra Jackson-Dumont, who has been overseeing the museum’s development for the past five years, left her post in April 2025 following the introduction of a new organizational structure. The change splits the roles of director and CEO; Lucas steers the museum’s artistic content, while former Paramount and Fox CEO Jim Gianopulos serves as interim CEO.

As Los Angeles grows and reshapes its identity as a global center for arts and culture, the Lucas Museum wants to be an everyday destination in the heart of South LA, where people can gather, learn, and connect.

the building contrasts with its more conventional neighbors in Exposition Park

MAD replaces right angles with fluid, organic geometries

the building hovers lightly above a revitalized, pedestrian-friendly parkland

landscape architect Mia Lehrer is transforming what was once a sea of parking lots into a shaded public oasis

a green, walkable environment planted with over 200 trees

Mellody Hobson and George Lucas, 2025. © 2025 Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All rights reserved | image by Deanna and Ed Templeton

project info:

project title: Lucas Museum of Narrative Art | @lucasmuseum

architecture: MAD architects | @madarchitects

location: Exposition Park, Los Angeles, California

previous coverage: March 2018, February 2020, September 2022, March 2024, March 2025

photography: © Roberto Gomez, Sand Hill Media/Eric Furie

MAD Architects team: Ma Yansong (founder, principal partner), Lu Junliang (Dixon) (associate partner), Lee Flora (associate partner)
architect of record: Stantec (Michael Siegel) | @stantec
landscape architect: Studio-MLA (Mia Lehrer) | @studio_mla
construction manager: JLL (Cory Langer, Dustin Worland)
general contractor: Hathaway Dinwiddie (Rick Cridland)
structural engineer: LERA
mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire life safety: Alfa Tech

MAD Architects partners: Ma Yansong, Dang Qun, Yosuke Hayano

competition and design team: Kin Li, Tiffany Dahlen, Daniel Weber, Jordan Kanter, Daniel Gillen, Wu Kaicong, Zhao Wei, Flora Lee, Jonathan Kontuly, Carmen Carrasco, Jacob Hu, Satoko Narishige, Zhu Yuhao, Casey Kell, Matthew Pugh, Kazushi Miyamoto, Ben Yuqiang, Hiroki Fujino, Chris Nolop, Kek Seow, Younjin Park, Brecht Van Acker, Andrea D’antrassi, Zhang Yiran, Pouya Goshayeshi, Dora Lam, Victor Tung, Steven Park Chaffer, Sean Tan, Sheenam Mujoo, Dookee Chung, Cesar D. Pena Del Rey, Valeria Pestereva, Wang Yiqi, Dmitry Seregin, Lin Yuyang, Che-hung Chien, Zhang Lu, Zeng Hao, Young Koo Kang, Shen Han

The post MAD’s lucas museum of narrative art in los angeles prepares for september 2026 opening appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

A luminous new building has opened as a dedicated space for the Ismaili Muslim community in Houston, Texas. Designed by London-based studio Farshid Moussavi Architecture, the 150,000-square-foot Ismaili Centre is the first in the United States and the seventh in a global network of architecturally significant institutions located in London, Lisbon, Dubai, Dushanbe, Vancouver, and Toronto.

The center is located near Houston’s Museum District and engages with its surroundings through a measured composition of stone, perforated metal, and glass. The design, developed in partnership with AKT II (structure) and DLR Group (architect and engineer of record), reflects the Ismaili community’s long tradition of building spaces that embody learning and cultural exchange.

the Ismaili Centre will be a new civic landmark for Houston, Texas | image © Iwan Baan

Farshid Moussavi’s luminous structure

The architecture of Farshid Moussavi’s Ismaili Centre is defined by its balance of openness and enclosure. At its center is a five-story atrium, framed by stepped staircases in textured stone and wrapped in geometric perforations that diffuse daylight across interior surfaces. The upper volumes are clad in delicately patterned metal screens, creating a soft interplay between solid and void that shifts with the sun’s movement.

From the exterior, the design team sculpts a composition which reads as a series of interlocking planes — horizontal eivans extending outward to form shaded terraces and verandas, a recurring motif in Persian and Islamic architecture. These transitional spaces, lined with slender columns, temper the Houston sun while framing long views across the nine-acre landscape designed by Nelson Byrd Woltz.

Farshid Moussavi designs the first Ismaili Centre in the United States

light geometries of perforated screens

Farshid Moussavi curates a material palette to emphasize tactile precision throughout its Ismaili Centre. Pale limestone masonry grounds the building, its rhythm broken by areas of subtle relief. The upper screens introduce a lighter register which evoke the fine geometric order characteristic of Islamic architectural ornament. Inside, the surfaces shift between smooth stone, finely grained wood, and perforated metal panels, establishing a continuity between the sacred and the civic spaces within.

Light enters through clerestory openings and skylights, filtering downward through layered planes. This controlled luminosity animates the central atrium — a generous, processional space that serves as both circulation and gathering zone, where shifting daylight brings the geometry to life.

slender columns line shaded verandas that extend the building into the surrounding gardens

Beyond its architectural qualities, the Ismaili Centre Houston is conceived as a public institution. The program includes an exhibition gallery, black box theatre, educational rooms, café, banquet halls, and a prayer hall. These spaces will host cultural, intellectual, and community-oriented events, and will expand the center’s role beyond worship to include gathering and shared learning.

Farshid Moussavi describes the project as embodying ‘His Highness the Aga Khan’s vision of a space that welcomes all, fostering dialogue, learning, and cultural exchange.’ The design’s openness, both physical and social, encapsulates that intention, and uses architecture as a medium for connection rather than separation.

geometric perforations and patterned metal screens define the building’s luminous surfaces

Set within nine acres of gardens, the complex is framed by carefully choreographed plantings that reinterpret Islamic garden traditions through a Texan lens. Nelson Byrd Woltz’s landscape integrates native species and water features to create a calm, restorative environment. Reflecting pools extend from the main facade, reinforcing symmetry and emphasizing the building’s quiet monumentality.

The Center’s proximity to Houston’s cultural institutions — the Menil Collection, Rothko Chapel, Asia Society Texas, and the Museum of Fine Arts — places it within a broader dialogue of civic architecture. Its measured form, rooted in Islamic geometry yet contemporary in execution, offers a new architectural landmark for the city — one that speaks through proportion, craft, and light.

stone and metal surfaces balance weight and delicacy across the center’s interlocking forms

pale limestone masonry grounds the building

upper screens evoke the fine geometric order characteristic of Islamic architectural ornament

the complex is framed by choreographed plantings that reinterpret Islamic garden traditions

project info:

name: Ismaili Centre

architect: Farshid Moussavi Architecture | @farshidmoussavi

location: Houston, Texas

architect and engineer of record: DLR Group

structure: AKT II

landscape: Nelson Byrd Woltz | @nelsonbyrdwoltz

visualizations: courtesy the Ismaili Centre

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An icon of Brutalist architecture in New York, the Breuer Building reopens this week as the new global headquarters of Sotheby’s. The Marcel Breuer-designed museum has stood at 945 Madison Avenue since 1966, and has since been home to the Whitney Museum of American Art, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Frick. Its latest transformation by Herzog & de Meuron marks the continuation of its public legacy. designboom attended a preview of the renovated building to learn about the project from the Sotheby’s team and architect Wim Walschap, Senior Partner at Herzog & de Meuron.

‘This building is an example of postwar modernism and Brutalism with a very distinct beauty,’ says Walschap. ‘It was designed specifically for public use. It has endured as an icon and much-loved landmark in New York, proving also its timeless appeal.

‘Our goal was to preserve the building’s integrity, its purpose, and legacy, while preparing it for a dynamic new use that puts art at the center.’

the Marcel Breuer-designed museum has stood at 945 Madison Avenue since 1966. image © designboom

herzog & de meuron’s sensitive renovation

The Breuer Building”s adaptive reuse for Sotheby‘s, undertaken by Herzog & de Meuron with New York–based PBDW Architects, is approached with respect for its legacy as a New York icon. The architects retain the weight and texture of Marcel Breuer’s bush-hammered concrete, which continues to express itself as both surface and structure. Along Madison Avenue, a subtle lighting scheme renews the facade’s sculptural presence after dark.

Inside, the reconfiguration restores the original gallery sequences conceived for the Whitney Museum while equipping them for Sotheby’s program of exhibitions, auctions, and events. Office partitions have been removed to reestablish spatial continuity, while updated environmental systems and new lighting calibrate the galleries for both fine art and design objects.

‘We worked closely with Sotheby’s to ensure that the building does more than just retain its identity,’ Walschap explains. ‘We’ve tried to reactivate it and prepare it for the next generation of use, balancing preservation and transformation.’

Sotheby’s Breuer building lobby. image © designboom

new galleries for sotheby’s global headquarters

The new galleries for Sotheby’s Global HQ at the Breuer Building in New York open with exhibitions drawn from The Leonard A. Lauder Collection, The Cindy and Jay Pritzker Collection, and Exquisite Corpus, a major private collection of Surrealist art. Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Crowns (Peso Neto) (1981) and Maurizio Cattelan’s America (2016) also feature among the inaugural displays. These shows remain free and open to the public, extending Breuer’s original vision of accessibility.

‘The opening of Sotheby’s at the Breuer is a historic moment for New York City, the art world, and our company,’ says Steve Wrightson, Sotheby’s Global Head of Real Estate, Facilities & Security. ‘The Breuer building, deeply woven into the architectural landmarks and history of New York, perfectly complements our portfolio of marquee locations in Hong Kong, Paris, London, and Zurich.’

Sotheby’s third-floor Breuer galleries, featuring works from the Modern Evening Auction, highlighted by Dorothea Tanning’s ‘Interior with Sudden Joy’, Frida Kahlo’s ‘El sueño (La cama)’, and Victor Brauner’s ‘Maison hantée’ [left to right]. photography by Stefan Ruiz, courtesy Sotheby’s

Herzog & de Meuron’s intervention works largely through precision rather than addition. The rhythm of exposed concrete, dark granite floors, and carefully proportioned window openings remains central to the experience. The gallery ceilings are stripped back to their original profiles, and support new track lighting systems that adjust between exhibition and salesroom use. On the second floor, a flexible hall now accommodates talks and events.

A restaurant designed by Roman and Williams will open in the spring, completing the building’s reactivation. ‘Those who knew it in earlier incarnations will be moved by how we’ve reimagined 945 Madison Avenue,’ says Lisa Dennison, Sotheby’s Executive Vice President and Chairman, Americas. ‘Breuer’s design, with its remarkable ability to embrace many styles and eras of art, is especially meaningful for Sotheby’s.’

The Cindy and Jay Pritzker Collection. image © designboom

Jean-Michel Basquiat’s Crowns (Peso Neto) (1981). image © designboom

Sotheby’s Breuer lobby gallery, featuring works from the Collection of Dorothy and Roy Lichtenstein, photography by Stefan Ruiz, courtesy Sotheby’s

The Leonard A. Lauder Collection. image © designboom

Sotheby’s fourth-floor Breuer galleries, featuring Gustav Klimt’s ‘Blooming Meadow (Blumenwiese)’, ‘Portrait of Elisabeth Lederer (Bildnis Elisabeth Lederer)’ and ‘Waldabhang bei Unterach am Attersee (Forest Slope in Unterach on the Attersee)’, from The Leonard A. Lauder Collection [left to right]. photograph by Stefan Ruiz, courtesy Sotheby’s

project info:

name: Breuer Building

original architect: Marcel Breuer (1966)

renovation architect: Herzog & de Meuron | @herzogdemeuron

executive architect & preservation: Platt Byard Dovell White Architects (PBDW) | @pbdwarchitects

location: 945 Madison Avenue, New York, NY, USA

site area: 1,200 square meters (12,916 sqft)

gross floor area (GFA): 7,268 square meters (78,232 sqft)

previous coverage: August 2025

client: Sotheby’s | @sothebys

design team: Jacques Herzog, Pierre de Meuron, Wim Walschap (Partner in Charge), Philip Schmerbeck (Associate, Project Director), Jackie Bae (Associate, Project Manager), Bethany Herrmann (Project Designer), Farhad Ahmad, Marija Brdarski, Javier de Cárdenas Canomanuel, Sebastian Frowein, Nathan Mehl, Melodie Sanchez

structural engineering: Silman Structural Solution / TYLin

MEPFP engineering: AMA Group USA

lighting design: Tillotson Design Associates

AV & low voltage consulting: TMT Technology

acoustic consulting: Eligator Acoustics Associates

geotechnical consulting: Langan Engineering and Environmental Services

vertical transportation: DTM Inc.

life safety: Homes Keogh Associates

code consulting: Gillman Consulting Inc.

waterproofing & special inspections: Socotec Engineering, Inc.

contractor: J.T. Magen

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Luster Publishing releases Vintage Motels: America’s Most Iconic Motels, Beautifully Restored, a new book by Ellie Seymour that takes readers on a nostalgic road trip across the United States. Seymour documents 40 mid-century motels, once symbols of freedom, anonymity, and the golden age of American car travel, revamped into contemporary boutique hotels while preserving the character of the past.

The Pearl in Florida, the Skyview in California, Hotel Lucine in Texas, and The Dive in Nevada are among the 40 motels presented. Whether it’s through restored neon signs glowing once more at sunset or minimalist reimaginings that reinterpret classic Americana, these projects show how design celebrates a design era when every roadside lodge was a small architectural experiment, shaped by the optimism of postwar America.

Ace Hotel & Swim Club, Palm Springs, California | © Stephen Kent Johnson / OTTO

the book celebrates the Iconic Motels of a bygone era

The story of America’s motels begins, as travel journalist Ellie Seymour reminds readers, exactly a century ago in 1925, when architect Arthur Heineman opened the Milestone Mo-Tel in San Luis Obispo, California. The term ‘motel’ itself was born out of necessity, as ‘Milestone Motor Hotel’ simply didn’t fit on the rooftop sign. Offering private garages and hot showers, it catered to the rise of automobile tourism and set the blueprint for a phenomenon that would flourish after World War II.

The premise of the book was sparked by a passage from Bill Bryson’s Notes from a Big Country (1998), in which the author declares, ‘I love everything about motels. I can’t help myself. I still get excited every time I slip a key into a motel room door and fling it open.’ For Seymour, this sentiment opened the door to a deeper fascination with America’s roadside culture. Growing up in England, her understanding of motels came from cinematic archetypes, Psycho, Thelma & Louise, Pulp Fiction, and Schitt’s Creek, which portrayed them as both seedy and strangely alluring. But her own first road trip across California, Nevada, and Arizona shifted that perception entirely.

Blue Swallow Motel, Tucumcari, New Mexico © courtesy of Blue Swallow Motel

design, nostalgia, and the spirit of the open road

By the 1960s, over 60,000 motels lined American highways, each distinguished by its own signage, architecture, and character. Yet, as the Interstate Highway System expanded and air travel became accessible, many of these independent motels fell into decline, abandoned, demolished, or left to crumble into noir backdrops for crime and melancholy.

Seymour’s book captures the motels’ revival, showing how a new generation of owners, architects, and designers is restoring mid-century motels across the country. Some remain time capsules, keeping their kidney-shaped pools, wood-panelled interiors, and retro furniture intact. Across 256 pages, Vintage Motels brings together storytelling, archival materials, and contemporary photography to document this shift from decay to rediscovery. Each motel is featured across four to six pages, accompanied by the history of its original construction and the creative strategies behind its rebirth.

Cuyama Buckhorn, New Cuyama, California © courtesy of Cuyama Buckhorn

Skyview, California © courtesy of Nomada Hotel Group

The Pearl, San Diego, California © courtesy of The Pearl

Trixie Motel, Palm Springs, California © courtesy of Trixie Motel

Madonna Inn highway sign © courtesy of Madonna Inn

Madonna Inn-steakhouse ©courtesy of Madonna Inn

The Dive, Nashville © Ben Fitchett

Ojai Rancho Inn © Yoshihiro Makino

Hotel Lucine © Johanna Andruchovici

Vintage Motels: America’s Most Iconic Motels, Beautifully Restored by Ellie Seymour

project info:

name: Vintage Motels: America’s Most Iconic Motels, Beautifully Restored

author: Ellie Seymour | @ellieseymourwriter

publisher: Luster | @lusterbooks

design: doublebill.design | @doublebill.design

The post neon signs and retro rooms: ellie seymour’s book maps mid-century motels across the US appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

The Studio Museum in Harlem officially opens its purpose-built new home to the public on Saturday, November 15th. Today, November 6th, designboom attended a preview of the building and heard presentations from Studio Museum team Thelma Golden and Raymond J. McGuire, along with architects Pascale Sablan and Erin Flynn.

From the moment visitors approach the new museum on West 125th Street in New York, the design signals the meeting of its mission with its urban context. The project replaces the earlier commercial structure adapted in 1982 for the institution, and marks the first time the museum has had a home created expressly for its program.

Raymond J. McGuire, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Studio Museum in Harlem, describes the spirit of the museum and its programming: ‘This building says to the world, Harlem matters. Black art matters. Black institutions matter.

‘It will stand as a lighthouse on 125th Street. A space where creativity and community meet, where young people can see themselves reflected, and orders of African descent can continue to shape our history. This new chapter was not inevitable. It was earned through decades of vision, stewardship and belief.’

exterior view of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s new building, 2025. courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem. photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto

architect pascale sablan draws from the streets of harlem

The Studio Museum in Harlem intentionally draws from the ‘street, the stage, the sanctuary, and the stoop.’ Across the city, these are familiar typologies of gathering, expression and belonging. Architect Pascale Sablan of Adjaye Associates echoed this when she said: ‘It is our hope that every surface, every light-filled space, and every moment of this building will speak to you of this mission.’ The museum occupies the same footprint as the earlier museum but is re-imagined for the twenty-first century.

At street level a double-height window opens the museum to the sidewalk: visitors can sense daylight passing through the gallery interior, while the broad frontage activates the pedestrian flow of Harlem. The facade, composed of dark-grey precast concrete with sand-blasted and polished finishes, interleaves glass and bronze-toned curtain wall with vertical fins. This material palette references the masonry architecture of the neighborhood while giving the building a refined presence.

exterior view of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s new building, 2025. courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem. photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto

a museum as a ‘reverse stoop’

Inside, the ‘reverse stoop’ greets visitors as a stepped area leading downward from the street into the museum lobby. The architects describe this gesture as an invitation to connect. It’s a spatial threshold that brings visitors from the city into the institution with little impedance.

The Studio Museum in Harlem offers 82,000 square feet of interior space, which represents an increase of more than fifty percent in exhibition area and almost sixty percent more public spaces. The gallery volumes are laid out across multiple floors: second and third floors host exhibition galleries and the education center; the fourth floor accommodates studios for the Artist-in-Residence program and a reading room; the fifth floor offers flexible event space; the roof terrace on the sixth floor opens toward sweeping views of Harlem and beyond.

Vertical circulation is anchored by a monumental stair clad in terrazzo, located in the central vertical gallery and connecting the lower level to the fourth floor. Corridor galleries and stairs from the fourth floor to the roof are executed in precast concrete with satin-brass railings, aligning material consistency throughout the building.

exterior view of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s new building, featuring David Hammons’s Untitled flag (2004), 2025. courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem. photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto

Public spaces are designed to feel porous. The café at the lower level, the welcome centre, the lecture and performance hall, retail, and project spaces are all intertwined with exhibition areas. The design teams emphasized accessibility, with two elevators (one shared visitor and freight) and barrier-free routes throughout. Thelma Golden, Ford Foundation Director and Chief Curator of the Studio Museum in Harlem, notes: ‘this building is a reflection of all that‘ — the institution’s mission, the community’s energy, the artists’ aspirations.

In her remarks at the preview event, Erin Flynn, RA, LEED AP, Partner, Cooper Robertson, emphasizes: ‘we aim to cultivate a sense of engagement among the many different users of the building… Whether someone is discovering the art, participating in educational programs, creating in the artist studios, or simply enjoying a coffee.’

the ‘reverse stoop’ is a stepped area leading down from the street into the lobby. image © designboom

Daylight filters from skylights and double-height spaces deep into the building. The gallery in the third floor includes a barrel-vaulted double-height space to accommodate large-scale works. Educational workshops and studios are positioned adjoining the gallery spaces so that production and display co-exist. Four art niches on the street facade provide places for outdoor sculpture and installations.

The roof terrace, whose gardens are curated by landscape design firm Studio Zewde, offers planting around the perimeter and views across Harlem’s skyline. It allows events and informal gatherings to take place in open air as an extension of the gallery into the city.

During the presentation, Golden asks attendees: ‘Think about what it took for us to get here… our resilience, our longevity, our continuing relevance in this moment.’

‘From the Studio: Fifty-Eight Years of Artists in Residence’ (installation view) in the Museum’s artist in Residence Studios, 2025. courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem. photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto

More than a landmark work of architecture, the Studio Museum’s new home in Harlem is a commitment to an expanded program. The exhibition spaces, the studios for artists in residence, the educational workshops, the rooftop terrace, all aim to widen the museum’s role in the neighborhood and beyond. The building is designed to host temporary exhibition spaces, a permanent collection, public programming, and spaces for community engagement.

The Studio Museum in Harlem’s new terrace, with views to the south. courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem. photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto

Pascale Sablan says: ‘From the very beginning, our team was profoundly aware of the responsibility we carry to create a building worthy of this extraordinary museum of the Harlem community of New York City and of the global world of the arts. This design was born out of the Studio Museum’s vision to translate the culture of Harlem into building more.

‘Through many deep and inspiring conversations between Thelma Goldman and David Adjaye, this vision evolved into a reimagining of Harlem’s own vernacular architecture. It is our hope that every surface, every light-filled space, and every moment of this building will speak to you of this mission, the courage, and the aspirations of the Studio Museum.’

interior view of the Studio Museum in Harlem’s new building featuring the Grand Stair. courtesy Studio Museum in Harlem. photo: © Albert Vecerka/Esto

installation view. image © designboom

project info:

name: Studio Museum in Harlem | @studiomuseum

design architect: Adjaye Associates | @adjayeassociates

executive architect: Cooper Robertson | @cooperrobertsonpartners

location: 125th Street, Harlem, New York

landscape designer: Studio Zewde | @studio_zewde

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