A little inspiration for long summer days – tropical greens, monochromatic colour schemes and classical patterns…

When faced with a room lacking good natural light in one of my interior design projects, I often decide to embrace the darkness and paint the walls in a dark bold colour. Not only will it create a cosy and sophisticated atmosphere, but it is also a great backdrop for design elements and furniture and “pulls the room together” optically. In contrast to white painted rooms, which for examples tend to bring out the cooler bluish tones from northern light, a dark colour will create a completely different ambience.
The trick also works for badly proportioned rooms or if I want to hide odd architectural features…

Images via Tali Roth and Apparatus Studio.

Here is a little Bangladesh inspired interior design mood board for a residential project I am currently working on. The architecture and interiors for this apartment in Dhaka are influenced by its surrounding, the introduction of lush greens inside the living areas, the use of locally sourced materials and a vibrant palette in emerald and jewel colours, which is reflected in the finishings, custom made furniture and soft upholstery. Another major inspiration was drawn from the works of iconic Bangladeshi architects, like Muzharul Islam, who defined modernist tropical architecture in a pure minimalistic form.

The Faculty of Fine Arts in Dhaka is a supreme example of tropical architecture – embracing the outside, opening up and offering a gradually shifting set of room qualities from open, shaded and covered to semi-open and closed interior spaces. Its architect Muzharul Islam is the pioneer in modern architecture in Bangladesh, driven by the development of an ‘humanist modernity’. Modernism was more than an architectural language or aesthetic question for Islam. His ethical and rational design approach led to the emergence of a new architecture for a country shaped by social inequities and cultural ruptures…

Images via JASH

Designing with local materials and traditional crafts is a source of endless inspiration. I have been collecting many ideas for upcoming furniture design and interior projects, all made in Bangladesh.

An amazing little bathroom designed by Australian office Travis Walton. Beautiful use of materials, fixtures and light! …

Images via Travis Walton

Images via Piasa & Wright