Carsten Höller installs Pink Mirror Carousel on the ice rink of the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz this winter, introducing a slowed, reflective amusement structure to the Alpine resort. Clad in pink mirrored panels and precisely calibrated to complete a full rotation every two minutes, the work takes a familiar fairground structure and transforms it into an immersive sculptural environment that folds time, movement, and spectatorship into a disorienting experience set against the Engadin landscape.

Installed outdoors on the hotel’s ice rink, Pink Mirror Carousel continues Höller’s long-standing engagement with amusement rides as what he calls ‘confusion machines.’ Rather than delivering speed or thrill, the carousel deliberately slows the body down. Its rotation becomes almost meditative, encouraging riders to register duration, repetition, and anticipation as material conditions. The structure is composed of twelve identical mirrored segments arranged as a dodecagon, reflecting skaters, riders, the surrounding mountains, and the carousel itself in shifting fragments. 

all images courtesy of Kulm Hotel St. Moritz

Pink Mirror Carousel rotates on the Kulm Hotel ice rink

While earlier carousel works by Höller have required up to twenty-four hours for a single turn, the St. Moritz installation completes its cycle in exactly two minutes. This double minute references the carousel’s counter-rotating elements, with the top turning counter-clockwise and the middle section rotating clockwise. The result is a subtle but persistent sense of misalignment, where mechanical precision and bodily perception never fully sync. As Baldo Hauser, the Belgian artist’s alter ego, notes, the work functions as ‘a sculpture with people inside, animating the inanimate, the mechanical, the lifeless rotation with the realness of human bodies being transported through their own biological time.’

Music curated by the Kulm Hotel’s directeur d’ambiance, Arman Naféei, accompanies the skating rink, layering sound into the experience. Open to both hotel guests and the public, the installation operates as a shared, temporary situation.

Carsten Höller installs Pink Mirror Carousel on the ice rink of the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz

Pink Mirror Carousel continues Höller’s long-standing engagement with amusement rides

its rotation becomes almost meditative, encouraging riders to register duration

composed of twelve identical mirrored segments

reflecting skaters, riders, the surrounding mountains

Carsten Höller at the Kulm Hotel St. Moritz, Switzerland

project info:

name: Pink Mirror Carousel

artist: Carsten Höller | @carsten.holler

location: Kulm Hotel St. Moritz | @kulmhotel, St. Moritz, Switzerland

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In Skórzewo, Poland, mode:lina architects translate the anatomy of a cake into an interior for Bez Rodzynek, a 25-square-meter studio. Led by architect Kinga Kin, the design takes the familiar elements of frosting, piped borders, and sugar decorations and reworks them into architectural motifs, using color, relief, and glass to construct a small but visually rich environment centered on artisanal cakes.

A warm, full-bodied pink envelops the walls and ceiling, creating a backdrop where texture becomes the main form of contrast. Within this palette, the counter, positioned on the axis of the entrance, frames the cake display as the focal point of the interior. Its base, built from glass blocks in mixed textures, refracts daylight into soft distortions, producing a subtly ‘gelatinous’ effect that nods to jellies and translucent glazes. Above, a neon sign draws the bakery’s name in a looping line reminiscent of piped frosting, glowing more intensely at night and turning the compact storefront into a clear marker on the street.

all images by Patryk Lewiński

sugar-inspired detailing lines walls and furniture

The Polish architects of mode:lina treat surfaces with a similar sweetness-meets-structure logic. The floor and countertop are tiled in an irregular pattern that reads almost like crumbled chocolate, a graphic counterweight to the uniform pink. This material choice adds visual depth while meeting the durability required for intensive daily use. Meanwhile, a system of rounded cornices winds across the perimeter, wrapping walls and ceiling in a ‘pearl-like’ rhythm that echoes decorative cake borders. Table legs appear as stacked spheres, and the window tabletops are cut in soft, wavy outlines that evoke sugar decorations, continuing the theme.

Behind the scenes, the 25-square-meter plan has been sharpened around workflow. The main counter creates a clean threshold between the public area and the production zone, which sits behind a wall of textured glass blocks with discreetly integrated doors. The separation keeps the space visually ordered, allowing guests to focus on the display while the baking process remains partially obscured but still connected through light and silhouette.

Daylight grazing along the side walls brings out the relief of the cornices and activates the texture of the tiles. After dusk, the neon’s glow flattens shadows and intensifies the graphic qualities of the cozy studio.

mode:lina architects translate the anatomy of a cake into an interior for Bez Rodzynek

the design draws from the familiar elements of frosting, piped borders, and sugar decorations

a neon sign draws the bakery’s name in a looping line

the floor and countertop are tiled in an irregular pattern that reads almost like crumbled chocolate

a warm, full-bodied pink envelops the walls and ceiling

the counter frames the cake display as the focal point of the interior

color, relief, and glass construct a small but visually rich environment centered on artisanal cakes

built from glass blocks in mixed textures

mode:lina treats surfaces with a similar sweetness-meets-structure logic

daylight grazing along the side walls brings out the relief of the cornices

the production zone sits behind a wall of textured glass blocks

the subtly ‘gelatinous’ effect nods to jellies and translucent glazes

wrapping walls and ceiling in a ‘pearl-like’ rhythm

the window tabletops are cut in soft, wavy outlines

echoing decorative cake borders

project info:

name: Bez Rodzynek Cake Studio | @bez_rodzynek

architect: mode:lina | @modelina_architekci

location: Poznańska 80, Skórzewo, Poland

area: 25 square meters (270 square feet)

design team: Kinga Kin, Paweł Garus, Jerzy Woźniak

photographer: Patryk Lewiński | @p_lewinski

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: thomai tsimpou | designboom

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At a moment when independent cinemas across Europe are dimming their lights for good, Louis Denavaut breathes new life into the historic venue of the Elysées Lincoln in Paris, France. The architect creates a sequence of atmospheres for this project, reflected in three distinct interior worlds that are clad in various materials and colors, from hushed velvet greens to saturated pinks and soft pastel tones. Hints of Wes Anderson–like palettes, precise geometries, and textures surface across the three rooms, as a way of heightening the sensorial charge of the cinema experience.

The hybrid cultural and event space gets a new identity, one where color, texture, and atmosphere set the stage for the act of gathering to watch stories together. Across L’Audito, Le Studio, and Le Club, Denavaut treats each room almost like a film genre, establishing a different mood, a different palette, and a different tempo, all contributing to a renewed sense of cinematic presence.

images courtesy of Paris Society Events, unless stated otherwise

three chromatic worlds for contemporary cinema in paris

Part of the Multiciné network of independent Parisian theaters, art-cinema Elysées Lincoln operates as both a cultural venue and an event platform. Louis Denavaut’s renovation reorganizes the space through three spatial typologies, featuring an auditorium for large shared screenings, a small-format premium room for intimate projections, and an adaptable lounge for social or professional gatherings. Technical upgrades, including 4K laser projection, a fully equipped catering office, and a customizable LED facade visible from the avenue, support this expanded program. Through his revamp, the French architect suggests that the survival of independent cinemas may no longer lie in competing with big-chain comfort but in crafting atmospheres that feel specific and sensorially rich.

The main auditorium, L’Audito, establishes the quietest atmosphere of the three. Rows of deep olive-green velvet seats sit within walls patterned in a muted pink harlequin motif, giving the room a steady visual rhythm. The carpet, a dense botanical print, hints at the past of the cinema without sliding into nostalgia. Oversized black wall-mounted speakers punctuate the geometry, becoming sculptural elements rather than concealed equipment. A thin LED line washes the lower wall in green, producing a soft underglow that subtly floats the seating volume. The overall effect is enveloping and slightly retro, a room tuned to calm the viewer’s attention before the film begins.

Le Club is bathed in baby-pink tones | image via paris.fr

hot-pink immersion and pastel curves

The walls, ceiling, and floor of Le Studio shift between reds and hot pinks, creating a monolithic chamber. Plush magenta seating introduces a softer layer, almost domestic in scale but heightened through repetition. The space is designed for small audiences, private screenings, or strategic meetings where light, comfort, and acoustic clarity operate as a single system.

The third room, Le Club, is bathed in baby-pink tones. The space uses arches, rounded wall niches, and glowing circular sconces to create a softer, more social environment. A grid of circular relief panels, echoing speaker cones, turns one wall into a glowing sculptural surface, while round ceiling fixtures amplify the spatial rhythm. It can shift between cocktails and seated events, supported by a bar area and a separate entrance. Reflective surfaces catch the soft lighting, introducing subtle golden highlights that echo the festive, lounge-like character of the room.

By dividing the cinema into three moods, Louis Denavaut offers an argument for why independent cinemas remain culturally vital. They can become anchors of atmosphere, places where people return not only for the film but also for the sensorial environment that frames it. Set within one of Paris’s most commercial districts, the revamped Elysées Lincoln asserts that intimacy, texture, and careful design can still draw audiences into shared darkness and maybe even keep these kinds of spaces alive.

arches and rounded wall niches complete the room

the space can shift between cocktails and seated events

reflective surfaces catch the soft lighting

glowing circular sconces create a softer, more social environment

a thin LED line washes the lower wall in wood

L’Audito establishes the quietest atmosphere of the three spaces

rows of deep olive-green velvet seats sit within walls patterned in a muted pink harlequin motif

the carpet, a dense botanical print, hints at the past of the cinema

the overall effect is enveloping and slightly retro

the walls, ceiling, and floor of Le Studio shift between reds and hot pinks

designed for small audiences

plush magenta seating introduces a softer layer

Louis Denavaut offers an argument for why independent cinemas remain culturally vital | image via paris.fr  

art-cinema Elysées Lincoln operates as both a cultural venue and an event platform

project info:

name: Elysées Lincoln cinema renovation | @elysees_lincoln

architect: Louis Denavaut | @louis_denavaut

location: 14 rue Lincoln, 75008 Paris, France

The post historic parisian cinema is reborn in wes anderson-like pastel hues and velvet touches appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Hidden behind an unmarked door in Paris’ 7th arrondissement, ‘Rose, c’est la vie’ is an unexpected sanctuary of softness amid the intensity of Art Basel Paris 2025, conceived by architect and designer India Mahdavi in collaboration with Luca Pronzato, founder of We Are Ona, and Mexican chef Jesús Durón. The week-long pop-up dining experience is set inside a former car repair shop, turned into a radical speakeasy of texture, warmth, and color, where every surface is swathed in a floral pink textile inspired by the Rose d’Ispahan. The project reimagines hospitality as an act of emotion, what Mahdavi calls ‘the seriousness of happiness.’

On the occasion of the event, designboom speaks with Mahdavi and Pronzato about the origins of their collaboration and the making of this multisensory dining experience. ‘We’re in a world that is quite aggressive right now,’ Mahdavi tells us. ‘The past is past and the future — we don’t know. My work is always about creating memories, ephemeral moments of happiness that you can take away with you.’

images by Laurent Giannesini, unless stated otherwise

 a speakeasy of softness at art basel paris

As Pronzato explains, the collaboration grew out of a long-standing admiration for Mahdavi’s work. ‘At We Are Ona, we create culinary experiences where we like to invite not only guest chefs but also creatives, designers, artists, and architects to think in their own way about the culinary experience,’ the founder of the nomadic dining collective shares with designboom. ‘I’ve always dreamed of working with India Mahdavi, and I’m so happy to celebrate her work and let our guests experience her pop-up.’

What began as conversations between Paris and Mexico evolved into the idea of an ‘ultra-feminine, feminist speakeasy.’ For Mahdavi, this was a conscious departure from We Are Ona’s earlier projects, which had been mainly led by men. ‘I thought I had to make a rupture,’ the Paris-based architect and designer notes. ‘A continuity within the quality, of course, but a rupture with the aesthetics that were being brutalist, minimalist, etc. I wanted it to be immersive — the experience has to start from the street. Where are you going? How do you enter? There should be a bit of a surprise.’ 

That sense of discovery guided the search for the venue. After reviewing several options, the team settled on an old carrosserie, a former car workshop, where the rough industrial shell could contrast with Mahdavi’s delicate transformation, as her design wraps the entire interior in a bespoke textile inspired by the Rose d’Ispahan, a small and fragrant Persian flower often used in decorative arts. Find our full conversation with Luca Pronzato of We Are Ona and India Mahdavi below.

‘Rose, c’est la vie’ is an unexpected sanctuary of softness amid the intensity

in conversation with India Mahdavi and Luca Pronzato

designboom (DB): How did the idea for this collaboration come about?

Luca Pronzato (LP): At We Are Ona, we create culinary experiences where we like to invite not only guest chefs but also creatives, designers, artists, and architects to think in their own way about the culinary experience. I’ve always dreamed of working with India Mahdavi. We’ve been talking about it for a very long time, and I’m so happy to celebrate India’s work and to let the We Are Ona guests experience her pop-up.

the week-long pop-up is set inside a former car repair shop

DB: Was the location something that We Are Ona decided first and then invited India, or did you discuss it together?

LP: What I love about the creative process is the conversation that we have had along the way with India. It’s pretty much carte blanche at We Are Ona. I remember India talking to me about this idea of creating a super feminine speakeasy, where you can push a door in Paris and arrive in her world.

India Mahdavi (IM): One of the first things I noticed was that We Are Ona has mainly worked with men and fewer women. I thought I had to really make sort of a rupture, a continuity within the quality, of course, but sort of a rupture with the aesthetics that were being sort of brutalist, minimalist, etc. I wanted it to be a very immersive experience. The experience has to start from the street. Where are you going? How do you enter? There should be a bit of a surprise.

I started working with the idea of a floral fabric, which was inspired by the rose of Isfahan, Iran. It’s a small, beautiful rose that has the most incredible perfume. I just took it to a different scale, and it turned into this kind of shimmery, feminine world. I felt like within this environment of the art fair, it would be nice to have this feeling of being embraced by your grandmother, in a way. So, the project was crafted by me responding not only to We Are Ona, but also to the event in Paris, and to my own aesthetics. What’s interesting about this experience is that you’re free to work with your imagination.

Then, when I showed my idea to Luca, he loved it. Still, we had to find a place where we could have this element of surprise. Luca and his team proposed five to ten spaces. We investigated what sequences we could create around each of them, and then chose the one that worked best.

the industrial shell contrasts with Mahdavi’s delicate transformation

DB: So, you wanted to create a contrast between something typically seen as masculine, like a car workshop, and a much softer, more delicate atmosphere?

IM: It’s an old carrosserie that had been transformed into an office space, but there was still this roughness due to the industrial feel of the building. The way you enter is the main surprise element. But in any case, yes, it’s a contrast: having this space, which is rough and completely covered in one pattern.

Mahdavi’s design wraps the entire interior in a bespoke textile inspired by the Rose d’Ispahan

DB: Could you elaborate on the design concept, especially the all-over textile treatment, and how it contributes to the tactile and immersive quality of the space?

IM: The fabric gives you a very special feel. I’ve always been interested in designing patterns for fabrics or wallpapers, and that’s part of my language. I use ornaments a lot in my work. It’s a way of giving a new identity to a space that we’re modifying. It’s an efficient and beautiful way of doing that.

At that moment, I was also designing a line of fabrics for this French company called Pierre Frey. So, we used that as a base, we took this fabric, scaled it, and worked with them to produce it. It’s based on the rose. It’s very fresh, very familiar, because we’ve all seen homes covered with floral patterns, and I’m just taking it to a different level, making it radical. It’s an ode to soft power because soft power is something subtle that does exist, but when you have it all over, it becomes very powerful.

the space becomes a tactile cocoon

DB: Luca, how do the dining elements and overall experience dialogue with India’s design?

LP: It’s a total. Everything was settled with India, from the main architecture to the table design, tablecloths, plates, glasses, cutlery, and the aprons of the staff, even adding some surprises around the idea of the rose.

We also created a conversation with Jesús Durán, an amazing chef from Mexico that I really love. I think this will really add a lot to the experience. He’s one of the most incredible emerging talents — he used to work at Pujol, and we worked on some projects in Mexico with India. So there’s a nice link there.

guests share a communal table

DB: The way you describe this experience, it sounds like you’re focusing on positive elements — softness, happiness, warmth, and coziness. Why was it important to highlight these in this project?

IM: You know, we’re in a world that is quite aggressive right now. We’re surrounded by a future we don’t know. So I think that’s what it is, it’s about the present moment, the past is past and the future — we don’t know. My work is always about creating memories, creating an ephemeral moment of happiness that you can take away with you. The idea of the experience is really important — we see so many images on social media that we don’t know what’s real anymore. The only way to know if something is real or not is to live it, to experience it yourself. So I think this multisensorial experience is super important. It’s also about togetherness, because with this dining experience you’ll be sitting maybe next to somebody you don’t know, since it’s communal tables. You’ll share the same experience, which will engage conversations and encounters. All these people coming are interested in experience, in design, in food. It’s all about that.

LP: I totally agree with India. The point on human experiences is so important because all these details have been designed to put the guests into a full culinary experience. That’s something we’re really proud of at We Are Ona, creating this togetherness.

Durón’s menu interacts with Mahdavi’s sensory landscape

project info:

name: Rose, c’est la vie, We Are Ona x India Mahdavi

artist: We Are Ona | @we.are.ona

designer: India Mahdavi | @indiamahdavi 

location: Paris, France (7th arrondissement)

chef: Jesús Durón

occasion: Art Basel Paris 2025

The post india mahdavi’s rose-draped speakeasy for we are ona pops up in paris during art basel appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

waa (wearchitechanonymous) designs ERDOS Land, a 2,600-sqm factory store within the ERDOS headquarters complex on the outskirts of Ordos city, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The project integrates retail, leisure, and tourism functions, housing all of the brand’s labels under one roof and accommodating up to 700 visitors per day during peak seasons. An additional 700 sqm of space supports a children’s play area, a café, and a tourist center.

The design approach is rooted in an exploration of how color shapes perception within spatial environments. Instead of modifying individual pigments, the project emphasizes the relationship between colors and their surroundings to shape perception. Pink surfaces and frames are selected to soften the retail environment and create optical vibrations that lighten the atmosphere while ensuring garments remain the focal point. A continuous pink ribbon-like rack runs through the space, doubling as a structural and organizational device: it supports task lighting for booths, provides wayfinding for visitors, and manages the visual scale of the merchandise.

all images courtesy of waa (wearchitechanonymous)

Looping shopping routes organize ERDOS Land factory store

Circulation guides the spatial organization by Studio waa (wearchitechanonymous). Four central islands structure the floor plan, allowing shopping routes to unfold as either a continuous loop or a set of interconnected figure-of-eight paths. Each island is dedicated to a specific garment type, including scarves, jumpers, accessories, and general wear. Along the perimeter, opposite booths host the brand’s five labels, separated by aggregate pillars that incorporate fitting rooms.

The children’s booth integrates play elements directly into the retail environment, with climbing structures, adapted garment rails, and feature chandeliers that double as supports. These devices extend the store’s broader emphasis on playfulness, embedding moments of interaction into the shopping experience. A seamless membrane ceiling unifies the entire space, controlling light levels, softening shadows, and enhancing garment displays. This contoured ceiling, combined with rhythmic lighting and carefully orchestrated color compositions, maintains visual clarity across the large-scale interior.

waa (wearchitechanonymous) completes ERDOS Land in Ordos

the factory store integrates retail, leisure, and tourism

the design explores how color shapes spatial perception

a pink ribbon-like rack runs through the store as a central device

optical effects create a lighter, more dynamic atmosphere

the children’s booth integrates climbing structures into retail

pink surfaces soften the retail environment and frame circulation

play devices embed moments of interaction within the store

color, circulation, and material strategies shape ERDOS Land’s design

a continuous membrane ceiling unifies the entire interior

project info:

name: ERDOS LAND
architect: waa (wearchitechanonymous) | @waa_wearchitechanonymous

location: Ordos, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region

The post pink ribbon organizes retail display within factory store in inner mongolia appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Sabine Marcelis brings her recent translucent installation of pink inflatables named Jelly Floats to the Lake Como EDITION. Shown during the Lake Como Design Festival, which runs from September 14th to 21st, 2025, the installation is set to remain in place for the hotel guests through the end of the summer season. Jelly Floats is a group of large inflatable sculptures set on the surface of the hotels’ floating pool and overlooking the area’s western shore. A series of donut-shaped floaties by Sabine Marcelis swim around the pool, a few steps away from the dockside restaurant, lounge bar, cabanas, and daybeds, completing the Lake Como EDITION’s galore.

Each piece in the installation has a circular opening in the center, and the floaties’ sizes vary from about 1,000 millimeters to 3,000 millimeters in diameter. All pieces are made in a single solid color, a strong pink tone. The design adapts a form that the Dutch designer has explored in her other works, including rugs, lamps, and bowls. The surprising catch is that this is the first time she has applied it to inflatable objects.

all images courtesy of The Lake Como EDITION

Jelly Floats forms part of The Lake Como Design Festival

The floats are meant to function both as sculpture and as usable pool equipment. They rest directly on the water surface, where guests can sit, lie, or move them, and the arrangement of several different diameters allows single use or shared use. Sabine Marcelis designed Jelly Floats in her studio in Rotterdam. Here, the objects come to life from a translucent PVC-based material. Each float has a welded seam along its circular edge to keep the air chamber sealed, and the circular shape is produced by heat-sealing two flat rings of the material together, leaving an open center. The clear structure of the material lets light pass through, making the pieces visible from different points around the pool. The uniform pink color is added during production rather than by a surface coating, so the tone remains consistent if the surface is scratched.

Sabine Marcelis’ Jelly Floats is presented in cooperation with The Lake Como EDITION as part of its preview program before the hotel’s official launch in March 2026. The hotel is located in a restored 19th-century palazzo in Cadenabbia, and it contains 148 rooms, including 24 suites and two penthouses. The property also offers several dining spaces under the direction of chef Mauro Colagreco. The floating pool, where the installation is placed, extends from the lakefront and is accessible from the hotel’s terrace. Jelly Floats form part of The Lake Como Design Festival, an event that brings together works from international designers, artists, and architects. By placing Jelly Floats within the hotel pool, the event links contemporary design practice with hospitality and landscape. These pink floaties by Sabine Marcelis are set to remain at the Lake Como EDITION until the end of the summer of 2025.

Sabine Marcelis brings her translucent installation of pink inflatables Jelly Floats to the Lake Como EDITION

the installation is shown during the Lake Como Design Festival, which runs from September 14th to 21st, 2025

the installation is set to remain in place for the hotel guests through the end of the summer season

Jelly Floats is a group of large inflatable sculptures set on the surface of the hotels’ floating pool

detailed view of the installation

each piece in the installation has a circular opening in the center

all pieces are made in a single solid color, a strong pink tone

portrait of Sabine Marcelis sitting on her installation, Jelly Floats

Sabine Marcelis’ Jelly Floats is presented in cooperation with The Lake Como EDITION

project info:

name: Jelly Floats

designer: Sabine Marcelis | @sabine_marcelis

hospitality: Lake Como EDITION | @editioncomo, @editionhotels

event: Lake Como Design Festival | @lakecomodesignfestival

dates: September 14th to 21st, 2025

The post sabine marcelis collaborates with the lake como EDITION for playful jelly floats installation appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Barbie and HEWI have joined forces to launch a bold sanitary collection that marries timeless Bauhaus design with Barbie’s unmistakable pink-hued world. Presented in 2025, the Barbie x HEWI line spans nearly 40 bathroom products, from towel holders to folding support rails, and is designed to be both functional and inclusive. With a focus on individuality and accessibility, the collaboration reimagines the bathroom as a space where design meets diversity, whether installed in boutique hotels, private homes, or healthcare facilities. Rooted in HEWI’s German design legacy and Barbie’s global cultural influence, the series invites users to experience ‘Design with Unlimited Possibilities.’

the Barbie x HEWI collection combines soft hues and functional elegance, inspired by a world that celebrates individuality and inclusivity | all images courtesy of HEWI

Redefining the Bathroom from Bauhaus to Barbie

To understand how this unexpected partnership took shape, it helps to look at the players behind it. Founded in 1929 in Bad Arolsen, Germany, HEWI Heinrich Wilke GmbH has established itself as a pioneer in architectural hardware and sanitary solutions, driven by a philosophy of Universal Design that makes products accessible to all. Barbie, created by toy and entertainment company ©2025 Mattel in 1959, has grown into a global cultural icon, symbolizing optimism, diversity, and self-expression with over 175 doll variations across body types, skin tones, and abilities.

And while HEWI represents timeless functionality and inclusive design in architecture, Barbie brings a powerful cultural narrative of individuality and representation. By collaborating, the two brands merge these distinct yet complementary legacies: HEWI translates its Bauhaus-inspired clarity into sanitary products, while Barbie infuses them with her vibrant identity. This partnership is important not just because it expands Barbie’s influence into the realm of interior design, but because it highlights how brands from different worlds can unite around a shared vision of inclusivity, empowerment, and design without limits.

this collection not only sets new standards for bathroom design but embodies the spirit of independence, inspiration, and appreciation for every person’s uniqueness

the diversity of the Barbie x HEWI collection

Barbie is the most diverse doll series in the world, with more than 175 looks, including body types, skin tones, hairstyles, hair colors, and eye colors, as well as a variety of visible and invisible physical disabilities. This diversity is reflected in the Barbie x HEWI collection, celebrating the beauty of individuality.

Without a doubt, pink has always been Barbie’s calling card, but here it goes beyond aesthetics. In architecture, pink is increasingly recognized as a color that evokes emotions, stimulating creativity in some contexts, and offering harmony in others. In the Barbie x HEWI collection, shades of pink meet the clean lines of HEWI’s classic 477/801 series. The result? Fixtures that are not only functional but also inject joy, warmth, and optimism into everyday rituals. Think of it as bathroom design with a confident splash of personality.

the elegant furniture handles and hangers add colorful accents and create harmonious organization in the wardrobe and bathroom

This color-driven energy sits atop HEWI’s long-standing commitment to Universal Design where HEWI’s mantra, ‘Design for All,’ aligns seamlessly with Barbie’s message of inclusivity. The collection demonstrates how bathroom products can be beautiful, practical, and accessible. By merging Barbie’s vibrant identity with HEWI’s Bauhaus-inspired minimalism, the collaboration delivers products that are tactile, user-friendly, and universally appealing.

That philosophy translates into nearly 40 products that balance function and personality. From soap dispensers and towel holders to toilet brush sets and folding support rails, the Barbie x HEWI collection reimagines the essentials with a fresh perspective. Each piece is built to HEWI’s high standards of durability and usability, but now offers expanded possibilities in color and mood. Customers can opt for monochrome black-and-white, subtle accents, or go all-in on Barbie pink, giving designers and homeowners the freedom to adapt the collection to a wide spectrum of interiors, from boutique hotels to healthcare spaces to family bathrooms.

the products fit seamlessly into a wide range of architectural settings, from private bathrooms to boutique hotels, accessible healthcare spaces, and public facilities

the toilet roll holder in pale pink and the three-tone toilet brush set from the Barbie x HEWI collection form a harmonious duo in pale pink, black, and white

the towel ring from the Barbie x HEWI collection in pale pink

the toilet brush set from the Barbie x HEWI collection is more than just an everyday object: it is a design statement for the modern bathroom

the freestanding stool in pale pink and white is mobile and versatile, allowing it to be used in different areas of the bathroom as needed

the two-tone hinged seat supports up to 150 kg and is ideal for use in accessible bathrooms and can be mounted on the wall to save space and provides reliable comfort

BARBIE and associated trademarks and trade dress are owned by, and used under license from, Mattel. ©2025 Mattel.

project info:

brand: HEWI | @hewi_gmbh

collection name: Barbie x HEWI

designer: HEWI

full collection: here

The post barbie and HEWI join forces for unlimited sanitary collection of pink-hued bauhaus lines appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Installed in front of Dongdaemun Design Plaza (DDP), Molecular Cloud is a kinetic sculpture by French artist Vincent Leroy. The work draws inspiration from cosmic molecular formations, translating them into a floating, cloud-like structure suspended within the urban setting. The piece is part of DDP Design & Art in Seoul, whose 2025 edition explores the theme of movement.

The installation consists of large mirrored spheres tinted in glossy pink. These elements reflect the surrounding environment, sky, buildings, and passersby, creating a constantly shifting interplay of light and form. Slowly, the spheres move in relation to one another, generating fluid and changing compositions. The motion suggests organic breathing, achieved through a calibrated balance between geometric structure and mechanical precision.

all images by Vcollective – Shirley Xie – Titi Lee unless stated otherwise

Moving mirrored pink spheres capture Seoul’s changing light

Positioned against the backdrop of Zaha Hadid’s DDP, Molecular Cloud establishes a dialogue with the building’s flowing, metallic architecture. The contrast between the static structure and the moving sculpture highlights different approaches to material, form, and reflection. Together, they produce an environment where light, shadow, and surface interact in continuous variation.

The project was originally conceived by the artist in Paris and first presented in California at the Coachella Festival in 2023. For its installation in Seoul, it was fabricated in Guangzhou and realized through collaboration with a Hong Kong–based production agency, underlining its international scope. By combining reflective material, kinetic engineering, and spatial placement, Vincent Leroy’s Molecular Cloud explores the intersection of sculpture, architecture, and environment. Its slow movements invite observation and pause within the pace of the city, encouraging an experience of space defined as much by stillness as by motion.

Vincent Leroy’s kinetic sculpture evokes cosmic molecular formations

glossy pink mirrored spheres form the floating cloud-like structure

the installation reflects sky, city, and passersby in shifting patterns

Molecular Cloud’s poles mirror the building’s traffic people axes

spheres hover lightly against Zaha Hadid’s metallic architecture | image by Seoul_4K

movement suggests a rhythmic breathing within the urban setting

Molecular Cloud explores stillness, movement, and spatial perception

slow motion transforms the spheres into fluid, organic compositions

Molecular Cloud installed in front of Seoul’s Dongdaemun Design Plaza

project info:

name: Molecular Cloud

designer: Vincent Leroy | @vincent_leroy_studio

location: Seoul, Korea

host: DDP Design & Art in Seoul | @ddp_seoul

curator: Minsoo Kim – Seoul Design Foundation | @seoul_design_foundation

production: Vcollective – Shirley Xie | @vcollective_ltd

exhibition agency: DesignNuha

photography and video: Vcollective – Shirley Xie – Titi Lee | @vcollective_ltd

photography number 6: Seoul_4K | @Seoul_4K

music video: Emile Kôji | @emile.koji

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Penique Productions takes over Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building with the inflatable and translucent installation, MATRIA. The monochromatic pink artwork forms part of the 2025 arts festival Now or Never, which runs between August 21st and 31st. It reimagines the 19th-century building as a living, breathing organism, transforming it into a warm, womb-like environment filled with sounds. The site-specific intervention uses gossamer, floaty balloons that crawl and cling onto the contours of the space, cloaking around it like an ephemeral blanket.

For MATRIA, the Barcelona-based collective draws on the idea of refuge, memory, and care. In fact, the name itself stems from ‘mother’ and ‘motherland.’ These themes run through the artwork inside Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building, as the installation recalls the state and sensation of being inside a mother’s womb. The plastic material gently sways as the wind blows, and the visitors pad around through the intervention with the background music, humming and pulsating, following their every step. Penique Productions, which has once brought their inflatable installation inside the semi-open atrium of Llanterna de L’Auditori in Barcelona, co-created the pink and translucent MATRIA in partnership with Museums Victoria. It is set to remain on-site until August 31st, 2025.

all images courtesy of Penique Productions

Pink Installation in Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building

MATRIA uses one inflatable membrane that covers the interior of Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building. It measures approximately 150 meters long and 50 meters wide to match the architecture’s dimensions, and the public installation by the collective Penique Productions reaches 60 meters high at the dome peak. 

The inflatable system operates through continuous air pressure, all the while keeping the air circulation systems running throughout operating hours to keep the membrane inflated. The site-specific intervention also uses pink translucent plastic material, with sections connecting through heat-welded seams to create the complete structure. 

MATRIA uses one inflatable membrane that covers the interior of Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building

Performances inside Matria during now or never arts festival

The plastic material permits light transmission while providing color filtration. In this case, the pink shade distributes evenly throughout the material, retaining the membrane’s minimal weight to reduce structural load on the building. MATRIA also serves as a performance stage throughout the run of the Now or Never arts festival until August 31st, 2025. Inside the installation. rRoxymore from Berlin performs electronic music from her release Juggling Dualities, which includes synthesizer work and sound design elements.

Alex Zhang Hungtai plays the saxophone, synthesis, and percussion, with improvisation techniques that respond to the acoustic properties of the inflated space. Amber McCartney, a dancer and choreographer from Melbourne, is set to perform leech 2 inside MATRIA, which includes prosthetics, masks, and special effects. She’s presenting alongside Shapednoise, also known as Nino Pedone, a producer and sound designer from Sicily. Then, there’s Shapednoise, who creates electronic music and sound design during Amber McCartney’s performance. Penique Productions’s MATRIA inside Melbourne’s Royal Exhibition Building forms part of the 2025 arts festival, Now or Never.

the material measures approximately 150 meters long and 50 meters wide to match the space’s dimensions

the public installation by the collective Penique Productions reaches 60 meters high at the dome peak

the inflatable system operates through continuous air pressure

the site-specific intervention also uses pink translucent plastic material with multiple connected sections

the plastic material permits light transmission while providing color filtration

the pink shade distributes evenly throughout the material

MATRIA also serves as a performance stage throughout the run of the Now or Never arts festival

the public art remains on-site until August 31st, 2025

project info:

name: MATRIA

collective: Penique Productions | @peniqueproductions

festival: Now or Never | @nowornever.melb

location: Royal Exhibition Building

address: 9 Nicholson St, Carlton, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

The post penique productions envelops melbourne’s royal exhibition building with inflatable MATRIA appeared first on designboom | architecture & design magazine.

Situated in the alleyways of Seongsu-dong, Seoul, the BANILACO flagship store presents an interior strategy that combines a kitschy, feminine sensibility with the raw urban texture, creating a fresh sensory experience. Vibrant pink hues and a diverse layout, designed by flymingo, invite visitors to explore and express their own tastes, blending the brand’s unique energy with the city’s character.

The spatial composition emphasizes brightly colored interventions, reinforcing BANILACO’s distinct design language. Rather than relying on a uniform display format, the interior layout is intentionally varied, encouraging movement and visual exploration throughout the store.

all images courtesy of flymingo

Vibrant retail design references BANILACO brand identity

Programmatically, the store moves beyond conventional retail. The layout, composed by interior design studio flymingo, supports open-ended interaction, allowing visitors to engage with the products through a series of zones that accommodate individual experimentation and style customization. This design framework positions the store as both a product showcase and a platform for stylistic interpretation, aligning with the BANILACO brand’s approach to contemporary beauty culture. Through the integration of urban textures and adaptable interior elements, the flagship becomes a space of dynamic interaction between users and the urban character of Seongsu.

BANILACO’s flagship store is located in the alleyways of Seongsu-dong, Seoul

the store blends a kitschy, feminine aesthetic with raw urban textures

vibrant colors define the visual identity of the flagship

bright colors reinforce BANILACO’s design language

the store merges the brand’s energy with the character of Seongsu

designed by flymingo, the interior offers a layered sensory experience

the layout encourages exploration through varied spatial arrangements

display zones are arranged for flexible engagement

each area invites users to experiment freely with the products

shoppers discover their own styles through interaction

the interior supports open-ended interaction with products

the interior design opts for spatial diversity

flymingo’s design reflects contemporary beauty culture

project info:

name: BANILACO Seongsu Flagship Store

designer: flymingo | @flymingo_official

location: Seoul, Korea

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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