Serene and Peaceful Home Connects the Family to Nature

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a contemporary family home design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, RS Interiores & IDA SRL.

The inspiration of this Project came from the very first call with our clients, it’s a design inspired by Mid century décor. In Marba Haus we implemented much warmth of the environment to instill peace and serenity within the design.

The use of wood is shown in the many elements of the design, for example, the wooden ceilings, or in the many modern pieces of furniture. The color coordination of the greens and terracotta inspires organic design. We used textured techniques for the wall finishings creating different dimensions and earthy sensations.

All these combinations in the design have created a warm, peaceful and serene home, a true space for a family to live.

What was the client’s brief? 

The clients wanted a family home that reminded them of nature.

What inspired the design of the project?

The inspiration came from a phone call when discussing the project with my clients, they were speaking about how they loved to be outdoors and nature. Colors like greens and earthy tones, textures all came into place.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

The toughest hurdle for this project was creating new texture techniques on the walls with plaster and sand. We used a brush in order to create arched movements and patterns on the walls. After completing this process we decided to paint over it. The overall aspect of this organic creation was a true work of art.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

The highlight of this project has to be the combination of the materials and finishing and how they all come together in design. We were able to mix furniture, textures and fabrics to mesh the mid century feel with contemporary design.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

As a SBID Member and past winner of the 2020, I believe in sharing and competing in design. It makes us stronger as designers and inspires others in our field to grow as professionals.

Questions answered by Rosadela Serulle, CEO and Founder, RS Interiores & IDA SRL.

In this week’s interview with 2022 SBID Awards winners of the CGI & Visualisation category, II BY IV DESIGN, Dan Menchions talks about working on sustainability-focused projects, integrating sustainable initiatives into the design, as well as making wellness the main priority of the space.

In a world threatened by the climate crisis, The Residences at Central Park offers a better future. Nestled between Toronto’s protected ravine and one of the city’s hip urban areas, it is a vibrant nexus—focused on wellness and sustainability.

Firstly, tell us a bit about the design of your project. What were the key ideas, concepts and processes behind it?

Central Park is an ambitious 12-acre master-planned neighbourhood in Toronto that promises a connected, healthier future. Focused on wellness and sustainability, it connects the urban and natural worlds, raising the bar for design excellence. Green initiatives are integrated throughout the complex. We worked collaboratively with the entire project team to align the interior design with the development’s vision: refining the contemporary lifestyle, using natural materials and framing views of the ravines, extending the harmony of the natural world inside. This strategy is also implemented in the design of the permanent Presentation Pavilion, where a composition of natural materials and future-forward immersive experiences emulate the proposed lifestyle for the prospective inhabitants of Central Park.  

Designed holistically, the Presentation Pavilion for Central Park is built as a permanent space with the potential to transform into a multi-purpose cultural hub for the community. Wrapped in a soaring 4-storey window façade, this architectural glass box is positioned on the site as a billboard to sell the development and its breathtaking views. With an orchestrated, powerful retail experience, we weaved culture and lifestyle stories, thoughtful moments of theatre, and a series of vignettes, creating the forthcoming environment at Central Park for the prospective residents while they visually merchandise the selection of future-forward finishes, furniture, and products. 

What was your biggest takeaway or highlight from completing this project?

Witnessing the positive reaction of those who visit the site—and the pavilion—has been a joy for us since completing the project. We are pleased to see the formation of a community that cares about wellness and sustainability; and have come to appreciate how significant the integration of nature and natural elements (including natural light) plays a part in creating a healthy, future-forward residence. It is also encouraging to gain insights about how much the prospective residents of Central Park delight in someday living where they have ease of access to the nearby ravines, urban living, public transit, and robust indoor/outdoor amenities. We aim to incorporate these insights into our future projects, designing healthy, wellness-focused, and connected residences for our clients.

What has winning an SBID Award meant for you and your business?

Since its inception in 2009, SBID has been instrumental in propelling the interior design industry forward. As a global platform—attracting entries from across the world—it is truly an honour to win an SBID award. It is a sign of industry recognition for our project to get evaluated by leading experts for technical content and aesthetic creativity. Together with our clients, team, and collaborators, we get the boost of encouragement to continue designing beautiful spaces that connect and elevate people. We also love that the design-conscious public has a say in voting for the most inspiring projects.

What is the most important thing to keep in mind when working on sustainability-focused projects?

When designing a sustainability-focused project, the design principles of functionality, accessibility, and aesthetics revolve around environmental considerations, so in a way, the project is both eco-centric and human-centric, which includes humans too. The longevity and durability of the finishes are key, especially for high-traffic areas. It is also important to work collaboratively with the entire project team to accommodate for systematic Green features that are new in residential developments. For Central Park, we reached further and emphasized the significance of integrating the natural world into everyday life by incorporating natural materials and views of the surrounding ravine areas and using energy-efficient technology throughout the interiors.   

The development’s vision is to refine the contemporary lifestyle. What does contemporary lifestyle mean to you? How do you think our lifestyles and, therefore, design choices are changing?

To mitigate the climate crisis, we need to refine our current lifestyle as a global society. We need to become more efficient and eco-conscious, mainly for our benefit.

The Residences at Central Park connect the urban back to nature. The design and development team has integrated Green initiatives like reflective solar panels, Green roofs, and a thermal building envelope. A next-generation mechanical system incorporates advanced airflow and filtration for the entire building. Moreover, there is direct access to public transit, on-site bicycle/car-share service, and EV (electric vehicle) charging stations for every spot in residential and visitor parking spaces, promoting safe, clean travel—free of emissions. As interior designers of Central Park, we decided to reimagine how we can live better: what aspects of today’s lifestyle could be refined for a better tomorrow. We then reflected our insights onto every part of the project and delivered a robust amenity program, spa-inspired bathrooms, energy-saving light fixtures, and everything in between. The Presentation Gallery for this development even confirms the team’s commitment to sustainability, designing it as a permanent building. Envisioned as a multi-purpose cultural hub in the future, it is suited up in a composition of natural, enduring, high-quality materials and high-tech features for posterity.

What makes an interior design project wellness-focused? How do you account for it as a designer?

By its nature, interior design projects are always focused on wellness as we create spaces that improve the human experience through ergonomics, style, light, layout, and finish palettes/materiality. When designing vertical living projects, like The Residences of Central Park, we include activities for wellness in the amenity program. Moreover, a timeless composition of elements, materials, and furnishings in warm tones and delightful textures creates a harmonious feel for wellness. The attention to detail and quality cohesively begins at the entrance, continuing to the resort-like amenities and offering an urban oasis in each suite, including low water—and electrical—systems/appliances. There are also available provisions for cutting-edge automation, enabling residents to control temperature, lighting, or other items from their smartphones that make life more efficient and convenient, contributing to the quality of the residents’ everyday experience and, therefore, their wellness.

Questions answered by Dan Menchions, Partner, II BY IV DESIGN.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features an immersive exhibition space design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Torden & Lynild.

The museum Øhavsmuseet is situated in Faaborg, surrounded by some of the most beautiful landscapes of Denmark. The nature around Faaborg is unique and very varied with ice age landscapes, wooded areas, and the archipelago. In the summer of 2021, Øhavsmuseet opened a new, innovative exhibition concept ‘Discover Yourself’. The exhibition is about the importance of nature for humans of today and for our ancestors.

Discover Yourself’ consist of five immersive spaces: ‘The Hill’, ‘The Bog’, ‘The Forest’, ‘The Sea’ and ‘The Human Nature’ which also represent five ages: the Stone Age, the Iron Age, the Middle Ages, the 19th century, and the present. Throughout the exhibition sound, light, films, scents, artefacts, etc. give the visitor a varied experience.

The exhibition is designed to convey both cultural and natural history. But it is very much a sensorial experience, which also takes elements from the science center tradition and mixes this with a very aesthetic approach to exhibition design. This way the exhibition has attracted a wide audience, including many guests who do not belong to the ‘usual museum segment’.

What was the client’s brief? 

The design brief was to create a new, innovative exhibition concept in a disused warehouse at the harbor in the atmospheric old town. The aim of the exhibition was to give the audience a sense of the importance of nature for humans of today and for our ancestors. Nature has always played a central part in the lives of humans. However, in course of time, industrialization and urbanization have estranged us from the very same nature. Part of the design brief was to give the visitors an opportunity to reconnect with nature as well as with our common roots.

The client wanted an immersive experience, where guests would have no need for prior knowledge to visit the exhibition. Everyone should be able to walk in from the street and have an exciting and educational experience. It was also important for the client to create an exhibition which stimulates all senses. An exhibition that addresses the body, the brain, and the imagination.

What inspired the design of the project?

The landscapes of this part of Denmark is amazing. One of the most inspiring experiences during the development of the exhibition was a trip to some of those magic nature places.To inspire us at the beginning of the process, two of the museum curators took the design team from Torden & Lynild on a see to the highlights of the region. They showed us a very atmospheric forest with a lot of burial mounds, a beautiful place by the see and a large area with ice age hills. This experience truly kicked us off creatively.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

A bit more than halfway through the process we had a big hurdle, as the construction company which were supposed to build the whole exhibition told us that they could not manage in time. Luckily, we found another very skilled contractor and with only a minor delay we managed to complete an exhibition of extremely high standard.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

We are very happy that the public has received the exhibition so well. The museum had set their success criteria to reach 10.000 visitors in the first half year and they reached this goal.  As part of the qualitative evaluation of the project carried out by an external consulting firm, it has also been concluded that the audience is very enthusiastic about the exhibition and especially happy with the sensorial, physical, and engaging elements. Also we are proud and honoured that the exhibition received four nominations for international design awards including the SBID International Design Award.

Why did you enter the SBID Awards?

We had noticed SBID Awards because some of the most esteemed Design Companies have had the honor of winning the prize, which inspired us to submit this project. SBID is a very prestigious award and it seemed like a great opportunity to present the work of Torden & Lynild.

Questions answered by Sigrid Bennike, CEO and Scenographer, Torden & Lynild.

In this week’s interview with 2022 SBID Awards winners of the Workplace Fit Out Project of the Year category, Modus Workspace, Kristy Foster shares how the team designed an office that responds to the occupants’ needs and encourages socialisation, as well as how they incorporated playfulness into a professional setting.

Outstanding office design means removing barriers to communication, encouraging interaction and creating a positive environment in which people can thrive. The Numis project seeks to create such a place. 

Firstly, tell us a bit about the design of your project. What were the key ideas, concepts and processes behind it?

The design brief was simple. “Take the company to the next level in terms of the client and staff experience – provide best in class facilities and encourage interaction and communication. And don’t forget to allow for 10 years seamless growth…!!”

The space selected was spread over three levels, so immediately we considered the potential for an accommodation staircase to dynamically connect all parts of the organisation, promoting interaction and a sense of togetherness. To further breakout areas were strategically placed to maximise accessibility to the external terraces.

The design exploits the stunning views of London’s skyline by creating an open, unhindered view to the horizon on entry to reception, this played a vital role in curating an impactful client experience.

What was your biggest takeaway or highlight from completing this project?

The highlight would have to be seeing how happy the client is in their new space. It is an amazing feeling to see clients not only enjoy the space for themselves but also be excited to show it off. We have built a lifelong relationship with the client team which is another huge highlight of the project.

What has winning an SBID Award meant for you and your business?

Winning an SBID International Design Award is a super high achievement and one in which we are incredibly proud. Being evaluated by both leading industry experts as well as the public is what makes this win so special, highlighting the projects attraction to a wide demographic.

How do you see the workspace designed for people to thrive in? What makes it different from regular offices?

With Numis we created a uniquely tailored workplace setting that adheres to the needs and requirements of the business. This was done by conducting a survey during the concept stage of the project to gain a detailed understanding of the types and amount of collaboration settings, meeting spaces and everyday amenities needed by the individual neighbourhoods.

One main breakout area allows all neighbourhoods to connect and meet, allowing teams that cannot sit near one another due to separations to come together to work and socialise. The main circulation route and staircase which runs through the heart of the workspace further adds to this notion of togetherness, brining teams together quickly and efficiently.

What was the most important thing to keep in mind when designing an office focused on communication and collaboration?

Firstly, it was essential to know how and where teams interact by putting ourselves in our clients’ shoes as it were, fully understanding their day to day needs. Creating dividing spaces to break up desk areas helped to create a collaborative focal point for each neighbourhood, enabling teams to work as efficiently as possible. The large breakout space provides a suitable space for hosting events, with the ability to place large screens for town hall meetings or to watch sporting events, homing in on this sense of communication and collaborating from a social perspective. Taking this even further an auditorium space kitted out with state-of-the-art technology and practical seating provides the client with a more formal gathering space, ideal for internal and external gathering.

How did you make sure the employees could stay focused and find privacy in such an open and collaborative space? Was it challenging to keep it professional while also introducing vibrancy and playfulness into the office?

Adding quiet pods, phone booths and zoom rooms enabled employees to choose focused settings to work in, all of which were not bookable, increasing their flexibility. In general, the company worked in a relatively quiet environment, so keeping the team focused wasn’t a huge challenge. Some acoustic solutions were applied in collaboration and meeting areas to reduce reverberation, but due to the nature of the business and its culture not much more was required.

The fact that we had three floors to work with enabled us to be playful with the space. The 7^th and 8^th floors had their own unique look in comparison to the 9^th floor. The client focused 9^th floor was a high-end luxury space with bronze metal, stone worktops with indulgent fabrics applied to the joinery pieces. The working floors on the other hand incorporated a handful of playful colours. It was this client / working floor separation that gave us some extra wiggle room when designing for both playfulness and professionalism.

Questions answered by Kirsty Foster, Senior Designer, Modus Workspace.

This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a luxurious residential villa design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Emara Design.

We still remember the joy of the customer and his family when they saw the design; only then did we feel that we did what we had to do. Emara Design worked on the architectural design and the interior decoration of a residential villa with a 250 m2 total floor area in the heart of the Dyar park compound, which consists of a reception space, a living area, a master bedroom, and three bedrooms for children. We used natural materials such as wood and marble and mixed them with warm lighting in addition to using simple straight lines on the ceiling that gives a sense of luxury mixed with warmness. Our philosophy is that design is not just a piece of art but it should represent the house owner and meet his needs.

What was the client’s brief? 

The client’s requests of the re-design of the villa were so that it contains 3 bedrooms for the children and the expansion of the living area on the last floor, as well as creating a roof garden for summer sessions and barbecues.

One of the most important requests which the client focused on was the use of natural materials such as wood and marble with the addition of luxury and warm lighting in the place.

What inspired the design of the project?

After some sessions and discussions with the client, we have agreed on using marble on the floor and on some walls and bathrooms, and grafting wood in the ceiling and on walls with hidden warm lighting which gives a sense of warmness for the family members.

The use of large glass surfaces in the main reception area on the ground floor overlooking the landscape gives a sense of spaciousness and visual connection with the landscape of the villa and the compound.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

One of the most important parts that we have taken into account is the use of technology to achieve a sustainability criteria. From the use of the power generation system to solar cells and the use of the smart systems to control all power sources, to water sprinklers and irrigation of trees and grass in the garden, where Smart systems work according to set times of the day to save energy and reduce electricity consumption.

The smart systems also helped solve the customer’s problem of traveling abroad. He can fully control the villa and the garden through an application on his iPad. He can not only control the power and the garden, but he also has full control of the surveillance cameras and door locks.

Questions answered by Ahmed Fathi, Designer, and Osama Eltaweel, Site Engineer, Emara Design.

The global leader in producing and distributing innovative and sustainable surfaces for architecture and design, the Cosentino Group, has introduced a new high-performance, ultra-compact stone collection: Dekton® Pietra Kode, the vision of renowned designer and architect, Daniel Germani.

Pietra Kode reinterprets the timeless beauty of three classic Italian stones: Vicenza, Travertine and Ceppo di Gré. Each of these antique natural stones has inspired three Dekton® concrete series within the collection, with enhanced technical properties for the world of modern architecture and design. Each colour incorporates contemporary elegance into the design, with the rich shades and textures creating a sensory experience beyond what the eye can see. The carbon-neutral Dekton® surface allows the collection to be used in a virtually limitless range of indoor and outdoor applications, including kitchen and bathroom worktops, flooring, furniture cladding, wall cladding and more.

Pietra Kode marks the third collection developed with designer and architect, Daniel Germani. While Germani’s previous “Industrial” and “Chromica” collections for the brand have been inspired by industrial design, the seven hues that make up Pietra Kode channel the influence of Vicenza stone, travertine, and Milan’s iconic Ceppo di Gré stone on Italian architecture over the centuries.

“For this collection, I spent a lot of time decoding each stone’s history in Italian architecture and reimagined them in a contemporary design with all of the benefits of Dekton,” said Daniel Germani. “Pietra Kode is a collection that showcases luxury in the small, understated details. It’s designed with the future in mind and compliments any space in a way that won’t go out of style.”

Vicenza Kode series

Four warm and versatile colours that reinterpret the code of classic Vicenza stone. With neutral, earthy tones and a rich design that flows onto the edges, all coexist in perfect harmony and complement cream, wood, and taupe palettes.

VK01 Nebbia is inspired by the texture of Grigio Alpi, with a fine-grained white creamy base dotted with warm taupe hues.

VK02 Avorio features a light beige shade in an extremely natural finish, inspired by the eponymous Avorio stone, an Italian material characterised by the presence of fossil shells.

VK03 Grigio boasts a gray colour scheme and warm nuances. VK03 Grigio draws its inspiration from Grigio Alpi, made popular by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio, who used it in his villas and palaces in the Veneto region. It blends perfectly with creams, woods and taupe colours.

VK04 Grafite combines a mix of black and gray interspersed with whitish and reddish cloud-like patches, channeling the texture of dark, fine-grained limestone.

Travertine Kode series

The series reinterprets the stone out of which Rome was built, made classical art shine and inspired Renaissance architecture. Two elegant designs are full of nuances reminiscent of these classic styles.

TK05 Sabbia reinterprets Italian Travertine, cut with a vein in its thread that flows through the pieces in a disorderly and colourful way, making it perfect for rustic or natural environments.

TK06 Marmorio takes cues from Travertino Navona, the quintessential Roman stone. Its porous striped structure gives an elegant, bright and lightweight look to any design.

Ceppo Kode series

It reinterprets the beauty of the Ceppo di Gré stone, often used in architecture in Milan, to design spaces that inspire us and connect us with nature. Like Vicenza Kode, Ceppo Kode also features design along the edges, perfect for particularly exposed applications.

CK07 Ceppo – the distinctive blue-gray multiform structure of the Italian Ceppo di Gré stone inspires this unique colour. It is an unmistakable pebbled pattern that is ideal for both indoors and outdoors, with its timeless design making it a perfect choice for a classic or modern look.

In this week’s interview with 2022 SBID Awards’ Overall Winner, Clara Lleal Interiorista, Clara Lleal explains how they achieved displaying a number of different art pieces in a cohesive design, and discusses the experience of working on a space for an artist.

Art Gallery House is located in the historic centre of Badalona, a city near Barcelona. The brief was to strategically place the sculptures created by the owner of the house himself, the artist and sculptor Juanma Noguera. In short, an Art Gallery house.

Firstly, tell us a bit about the design of your project. What were the key ideas, concepts and processes behind it?

One of the challenges when it came to the layout of the project was to strategically place the sculptures created by the owner of the house himself, the artist and sculptor Juanma Noguera. In terms of general aesthetics, the idea was to give the whole space an industrial atmosphere, maintaining and recovering the building’s original materials. The solid brick walls were uncovered, the vaulted iron-beamed ceilings were respected, and areas with the original hydraulic pavement were maintained.

The materials used subsequently also follow this industrial premise, concrete, black iron sheet, herringbone floor of recovered wood, and teak wood furniture to break the cold of the greys.

The construction of the house dates back to the 19th century, coinciding with the industrial period in Catalonia. Therefore, the house has many architectural elements typical of that period, which we wanted to maintain and even restore. The walls were chipped to leave the brickwork exposed, the original cast iron columns were restored, the hydraulic mosaic floor tiles of Mediterranean origin were kept, and the Catalan vaulted ceilings were left exposed. In short, we wanted to recover the industrial essence of the house and give it value.

What was your biggest takeaway or highlight from completing this project?

One of the main challenges was to gain natural light. It must be said that in an area of 200m2 there was only one window. Skylights were opened in the roof and in the inner courtyards, as many openings as possible were made so that the house would be bathed in light. We wanted to convey the feeling of wellbeing and warmth that natural light provides. In addition, from the beginning we wanted to include a lot of natural vegetation that can only live with light.

Another challenge was that the spaces were very large and there was a risk that they would not be welcoming, which was of paramount importance to the client. With the combination of materials such as teak wood and dark colors, a cozy atmosphere was definitely achieved.

What has winning an SBID Award meant for you and your business?

It was a big honor and symbolic for me. It was the first big international contest where I had taken part, and I can confirm that is also one of the few contests that is honest and where it is very difficult to get an award. That is why I cannot describe how happy I was when I heard my name. It was amazing!

For my business, winning this award represents an excellent opportunity to take a leap to grow and be able to access more interesting projects, and perhaps even have the opportunity to expand my business abroad.

You managed to display a lot of artworks of different mediums, while also using a few open storage units. How did you achieve this without the space looking cluttered?

The placement of the art pieces was well thought out from the beginning, and in fact the distribution was based on the strategic placement of each one of them. Initially we knew which pieces were going to be exhibited, so we only needed to determine where each one was going to be placed and design a setting and lighting to make them stand out. In this way, even though they are of different formats, the paintings and sculptures keep a visual order within the space as a whole as part of the same design.

Have you, as a creative, learned anything new from designing a home for an artist?

Perhaps I have learned to better appreciate works of art in general, but especially sculptures. Personally I have always liked the world of art and crafts and whenever I can I try to include works of art in the projects. Since I was a child I have practiced artistic painting in different techniques and ceramics is one of my hobbies.

In the case of this house, I have been able to work with some sculptures that I really like, pieces created exclusively to be observed and beautify the place where they are located. It is clear that the design, without these sculptures and paintings would not have the same result.

How did you find the process of working with an artist? Did they have their own vision of the space? Do you think the design process is easier or more difficult, if a client is set on a specific design concept?

The design process with the artist Juanma Noguera, the owner of the space, was very easy. This was the third project I had done with him, and not by chance, because aesthetically we speak the same language. Working with a client with this profile makes the work of choosing colors and combining materials and textures much easier, because his aesthetic sense is highly developed. I would insist, then, that part of the success of this project is due to his good taste and the inclusion of his artwork, which, by the way, is beautiful.

Questions answered by Clara Lleal, Creative Director, Clara Lleal INTERIORISTA.

Clerkenwell Design Week (CDW), the UK’s leading design festival, returns to London between 23 – 25 May 2023 – with a stronger-than-ever programme including the exciting addition of Design London. “With the global design community descending to London in May, Clerkenwell Design Week is the perfect new home for Design London,” says Marlon Cera-Marle, Design Division Director of Media 10. “Amalgamating Design London (which was formerly held in Greenwich in September) into the programme of events further bolsters the experience of Clerkenwell Design Week, as the most anticipated design destination after Milan.”

If you’d like to feature your news or stories here, get in touch to find out more. 

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This week’s instalment of the Project of the Week series features a unique bar design by 2022 SBID Awards Finalist, Adam Hunt Ideas and Gemma Lin.

At the start of the Covid Pandemic, the Australian Government sealed its borders shut – even to Australian Citizens – for more than 2 years. The Australian/Taiwanese Artists & Interior Designers Adam Hunt & Gemma Lin were visiting family in Taiwan when they became two of the tens of thousands of Australians unable to return home.

With their Sydney Bar/Restaurant locked down for nearly 8 months & no prospect of going back, they decided to keep themselves busy by creating a unique venue based on their Interior Design Philosophy: that the future is best served by reimagining the past. They call it “The Art of Extreme Sustainability”.

The Plan was to have no Plans. Once the location was secured – a 150 year old derelict building – a 3 month journey began to collect recycled building materials from the beaches, the rocky coast, abandoned dwellings & fishing villages around the ancient Port City of Keelung. They harvested wood from old fishing boats, rope & plastic floats from fishing nets, rusty old anchors, driftwood, buoys & abandoned broken furniture from the streets.

The Interior Design evolved from whatever they found – all furniture, light features, vanity units, decor & art was recycled, up-cycled, repaired or created from scratch. It sure beat doing nothing.

What was the client’s brief? 

The Art of Extreme Sustainability.

What inspired the design of the project?

The ancient Port City of Keelung on the wild North Coast of Taiwan has been inhabited by The Ketagalan Tribe of Aborigines (who share DNA with the Samoans) for over 6,000 years. And they’re still here – despite having been invaded, occupied & pillaged over the centuries – starting in 1544 by The Portuguese, followed by The Spanish, Dutch, French, The Qing Dynasty Chinese, and then the Japanese Colonial Era from 1895 until the end of WW2.

The Japanese began the historic Kànzǎidǐng Night Street Fish Market in Keelung over 120 years ago, and our location is right in the middle of its fully chaotic midnight to dawn hustle & bustle – sandwiched between the Red Light District and the 17th Century Temple to The Great Goddess Mazu – Patron Saint to Seafarers everywhere.

So we decided to build our Bar out of an old Fishing Boat – to honour the Great Goddess Mazu, who was particularly Badass. According to Legend the Demons Qianliyan (“Thousand-Mile Eye”) and Shunfeng’er (“Wind-Following Ear”) both fell in love with her – so she conceded that she would marry the one who defeated her in combat. Being a supreme Martial Artist, Mazu easily dispatched them both & thus remained single. That’s Girl Power right there. Our portrait “Wall Of Bad Mamas” celebrates strong, fierce, independent Women – from a local Female Pirate, to Frida Kahlo, from the first Woman in Space, to Amy Winehouse – because let’s face it… well behaved women seldom make history.

What was the toughest hurdle your team overcame during the project?

Anyone can have a crazy idea like: “Let’s build our Bar out of an old Fishing Boat” – but you have to be truly mad to believe you can actually pull it off.

The challenge was not only to find a Fishing Boat exactly the right size for the room, but also to somehow fit it up the incredibly narrow alleyway behind the enormous 17th Century Mazu Temple, that’s literally just 38 inches across from our front door.

I could literally write an action adventure novel about that 2 day journey to get the boat… or… you could just watch this.

What was your team’s highlight of the project?

We found God! Our ‘Rescue Deity’ was discovered sitting in an abandoned derelict Seaside Hotel. He seemed pretty happy to see us, so we built him a plinth out of old wood from a fishing boat, as well as his very own Bamboo forest & garden of ocean-tumbled rocks in a light well.

Now anyone who visits Bad Mama can also find God – whenever they need to find the bathroom.

Why did you enter this project into the SBID Awards?

We wanted to see if a Husband & Wife Team – with zero education or Training in Interior Design – could mix it up with the big guys on the Global Awards Stage.

We are Artists, Painters, Sculptors, Designers, Builders, Furniture Makers, Chefs & Cocktail Specialists. We have a passion for Sustainability & a fresh vision for the Future based on how we reimagine the Past. Cheers!

Questions answered by Adam Hunt, Founder, Adam Hunt Ideas.

Whether it is a space designed specifically for outdoor play or learning environments, or a space to meet and relax, outdoor spaces encourage healthy behaviors and improve the physical and mental wellbeing.

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