If there is a single quality that unites many of the 10 interior design projects collected below, it may well be their shared cinematic flair. Italian director Luca Guadagnino released two films in 2024 — Challengers and Queer — yet somehow found time to also revamp a real-life Roman hotel, Palazzo Talìa. In Guadagnino’s movies, he uses settings like a modernist Milanese villa or a midwestern Applebee’s to backdrop sensual love stories. But with Palazzo Talìa, he brings rich visual drama to the forefront.

Meanwhile, Crosby Studios mines the signature elements of David Lynch’s filmography to create Silencio NYC, a stylish, surrealist club. Similarly, stepping into Quarters, the hybrid showroom-slash-bar operated by lighting brand In Common With, feels like entering one of those massive, marvellous Manhattan apartments that otherwise exists only in TV sitcoms. In Toronto, a pink house by SHEEEP studio borrows its colour scheme from a movie poster for Bonjour Tristesse. And while an auction house by Snarkitecture and a wellness club by Rockwell Group might not have such explicit cinematic references, both nevertheless seem heavily influenced by the sci-fi genre, filled with strange glows that draw people through futuristic, portal-like passageways.

Of course, life is not a movie, and not every interior can function as a theatrical escape. A project like La Seigneurie Funeral Home by Perron and Ultralocal Architectes is a great reminder that, at one point or another, we must all contend with harsh realities. Nevertheless, even that space manages to demonstrate the value in bringing a certain level of romantic thinking to an otherwise glum setting. Designers, like filmmakers, are storytellers. The best ones help us to transcend the ordinary, reframing our daily experiences — even the sad ones — into something special.

Our top 10 favourite interiors from 2024 include:

• Silencio NYC, New York, by Crosby Studios
• Bathhouse Flatiron, New York, by Rockwell Group
• Palazzo Talìa, Rome, by studiolucaguadagnino
• Quarters, New York, by In Common With and Starling Architecture
• Sotheby’s Maison, Hong Kong, by MVRDV
• Herta Mohr Building, Leiden, Netherlands by De Zwarte Hond
• Francis House, London, by Gensler
• PDX Airport Main Terminal, Portland, Oregon, by ZGF
• Pink House, Toronto, by SHEEEP
• La Seigneurie Funeral Home, Quebec City, by Perron and Ultralocal Architectes

Silencio NYC, New York by Crosby Studios

After spending last year discovering the HBO show Girls, Gen Z spent this year falling in love with Broad City. All of a sudden, the clip of Ilana Glazer saying “In da clerb, we all fam” became a social media sensation. The timing was perfect — in 2024, people were back in “da clerb” in a big way. Of course, nightlife kept going (even, maddeningly, during lockdowns), but now we are starting to see a new generation of projects that are ready to really make the most of the post-midnight hours. Silencio NYC, a club designed by Crosby Studio that opened at the start of the year, is one such project.

The original Paris outpost of Silencio was designed by none other than David Lynch, and Crosby Studios founder Harry Nuriev uses his firm’s NYC follow-up to pay loving homage to the Mulholland Drive director. Curtains splashed in crimson red (long a Lynch favourite, but in 2024 also a bona fide trend) make visitors feel like they’re part of a stage performance — and perhaps, play into the drama. Upholstered in a reflective gold fabric, a series of private rooms around the perimeter of the dance floor mirror the dance floor in slightly disorienting ways. Thankfully, red neon frames around the walls and doorways help club goers to navigate the environment, all while also nodding to the Roadhouse’s neon sign in Twin Peaks. The overall mood is glamorous, and slightly sultry — a kind of Studio 54 for the modern age.

Shortly after Silencio NYC opened, Salone del Mobile announced that David Lynch would be designing a pair of feature installations for this year’s fair. Come April, the lineups to get into these rooms proved that the director’s distinct brand of Neo-noir surrealism is as big a draw by day as it is by night.

_{Read our original feature about Silencio NYC from February 2024.}

Bathhouse Flatiron, New York, by Rockwell Group

Passing through the entrance to Bathhouse Flatiron, one is greeted by a stunning boulder-like reception desk comprised of two slabs of travertine. A series of illuminated fluted glass arches unfolds behind it, zeroing in on a black-stone back wall punctuated by a vertical beam of light. It’s a dramatic and sophisticated setting, one that proclaims that something special lays beyond. But it wasn’t always this way. Previously an unremarkable multi-level underground parking garage in Manhattan, the 3,252-square-metre space has been thoughtfully reimagined by architecture and design studio Rockwell Group as an engaging social wellness retreat. 

A contemporary take on traditional spa environments, Bathhouse Flatiron was conceptualized by the New York-based firm as a modern-day Hero’s Journey that begins at the brightly lit street-level reception and retail space and descends down a blackened-metal lined staircase to two subterranean storeys. First to be encountered are the locker rooms, appointed with heavily veined-stone benches and angular passageways that reinforce the notion of an odyssey. Next comes a lounge and café area, where strips of LEDs embedded in the walls and a cluster of pebble-shaped pendant lights create a play of shadow and light against the black walls. Sinuous sofas, a custom low-profile banquette paired with slouchy ottomans and small table-and-chair groupings provide visitors with a mellow setting for casual relaxation and conversation. 

The lowermost sanctum is also the journey’s apex: the treatments level. Spread across this communal space are six pools (two cold plunges, two hot pools, one neutral pool and one salt pool), each one illuminated by shifting shades of cool blue and warm red. Inverted pyramidal volumes sheathed in mottled metal hover over some of them and contain sensational lighting installations at their inner core, visible only to those in the waters below. Lining the periphery of the pools’ black-tiled deck are three saunas — one hemlock-panelled infrared sauna, one cedar-lined dry sauna with an altar-like central heater and one Russian-style Banya with purple-green slate wall tiles and a stone furnace — plus a steam room, itself clad in blue-grey tiles and accented by an illuminated focal point. Traversing all three levels of Bathhouse Flatiron, with its dark and moody palette, curated lighting and other sensorial delights, indeed feels like a carefully orchestrated quest — one that leads to well-being and a sense of rejuvenation.

Palazzo Talìa, Rome, by studiolucaguadagnino

How do you infuse the architectural significance of an illustrious 16th-century building with a “theatrical and unbridled” sense of wonder? If you’re developer Elia Federici, you turn to master of Italian cinema Luca Guadagnino. The director/designer, who founded his interior architecture practice, studiolucaguadagnino, in 2017, was called on by Federici to helm the thoughtful restoration and renovation of what is now the Palazzo Talìa Hotel in Rome, a 26-room boutique hotel that masterfully marries historic opulence with modern-day elegance. 

Responsible for designing the common areas, restaurant, bar and a signature guest suite, as well as most of the furniture, lighting and custom finishes, Guadagnino approached each space as though it were a stage set, appointing luxurious materials, saturated colours and artisanal craftsmanship at every turn. A “monumental” carpet by Irish architect and artist Nigel Peake welcomes guests at the front door, its floral and geometric patterning and rich jewel tones guiding them through the main lobby and up a grand staircase to the second-floor Magna Hall, where a checkerboard marble floor, 18th-century frescoes by painter Gaspare Serenario and ancient Roman busts are complemented by boxy modern club chairs and colour-laden circular rugs.

In Bar Della Musa, a wall of smoked Murano glass tiles, a hefty marble bar and a domed ceiling with intricate grotesque frescoes create a dramatic backdrop for lava stone-topped tables and bentwood and cane Thonet chairs. Up in the studiolucaguadagnino–designed exclusive Terrace Suite, peach wood panelling, a green marble fireplace and sinuous furnishings strike a refined note. (The other 25 guest room interiors were designed by architects Marianna Lubrano Lavadera and Laura Feroldi.) Throughout every storey and room, considered details like pleated leather-wrapped handrails, bevelled mirrors and jubilantly coloured tiles mingle with remnants of the past in perfect harmony.

Originally the private residence of Renaissance humanist Angelo Maria Colocci before its centuries-long service as Collegio Nazareno (an elite school for poor and underprivileged students and, eventually, wealthy ones) Palazzo Talìa is now a “beacon of modernity” thanks to the meticulous eye of Guadagnino, who has curated an unforgettable experience steeped in history, modern luxury and timeless sophistication.

Quarters, New York, by In Common With and Starling Architecture

Quarters, tucked into a second-floor space in Tribeca, can sell you soap, gourmet chilli oil, a dog-eared Lee Bailey cookbook, or a cocktail. But whether it’s operating as an apothecary, a bodega, a used bookstore or a bar, the lighting in Quarters is impeccable. That’s because it’s also — or mostly? — a showroom for In Common With, the Brooklyn design studio known for collections like Flora, which features tulip-like Venetian glass shades designed by artist Sophie Lou Jacobsen. These lights (as well as several of the furniture pieces that In Common With has recently introduced) are scattered throughout Quarters, which was designed by In Common With alongside Starling Architecture. Eclectic vintage finds join the mix, staged into inviting bedroom, living room and kitchen vignettes.

The fact that the end result looks more like a friend’s apartment than a furniture showroom is part of its charm. As is the fact that, if you were to walk into Quarters today, it would probably look completely different than it does in the photos featured here. As one antique ’80s sofa from Italy sells, another retro design sourced in France gets swapped in — until eventually, the whole space has undergone a gradual makeover. Mind you, the most striking elements — the handmade-in-Pennsylvania kitchen tiles made with ceramicist Shane Gabier, for instance, or the trompe l’oeil fresco by artist Claudio Bonuglia — remain in place. Quarters understands that in 2024, a combination of familiarity and surprise are the secret to repeat business.

Of course, it also doesn’t hurt to have a bottle of wine open. With a food and drink program run by New York restaurateur twins Jennifer and Nicole Vitagliano, Quarters does double duty as a bar. (An upcoming third-floor expansion will eventually introduce a larger dining room.) In 2024, some of the best hospitality you could experience in New York was in a space that was technically a lighting showroom — and that says a lot about where the retail industry is moving.

_{Read our original feature about Quarters from August 2024.}

Sotheby’s Maison, Hong Kong by MVRDV

Picture an auction house. Odds are, the image that comes to mind is of an auditorium and podium, with the dry procedure of bidding furnished only by the cartoon ritual of a fast-talking auctioneer and the banging of a gavel. In Hong Kong, however, designers MVRDV have reimagined the typology as a cultural venue, favouring the contemplative public pleasures of a gallery over the raw individual thrill of ownership and possession.

In the heart of the city’s bustling urban core, the 2,250-square-metre Sotheby’s Maison is a tranquil, Taoist-inspired art haven. Spread across two storeys, the complex features a tactfully pared down white cube gallery setting on the upper floor, along with a more dramatic and dimly lit ground level “grotto.” Contoured by warm lighting, the latter space is divided into a series of quiet rooms, inviting intimately personal interaction with the art on display.

Between each room, dramatically contoured wood thresholds evoke the form of the Gongshi, or scholar’s rock. It’s a motif that ties together the whole experience — culminating in the dramatic staircase that bridges the two levels. Here, the sinuously contoured blonde wood layers seamlessly stretch from the showpiece ceiling to meet the tread of every stair. The sense of depth and shadow is artfully amplified by ambient lighting, making each step a unique experience. In other words, the journey is a destination in itself.

_{Read our original feature about Sotheby’s Maison Hong Kong from August 2024.}

Herta Mohr Building, Leiden, Netherlands by De Zwarte Hond

In the 1960s and ’70s, the norms of classroom learning and hierarchical pedagogy were radically upended. From Toronto’s student-run Rochdale College housing cooperative to America’s Students for a Democratic Society and Germany’s Kommune 1, students and professors alike challenged social and political structures as well as the structure and bureaucracy of education itself. At Holland’s Leiden University, the era’s free spirit was thoughtfully translated into built form. Designed by architect Joop van Stigt, the school’s Cluster Zuid introduced a series of volumes boldy connected by a network of free, liminal spaces where learning and social interaction spills beyond the classroom. Half a century later, the ideas still resonate. As for the spaces? They needed an update.

Hampered by its narrow corridors, dark spaces, and a repetitive layout that made wayfinding a challenge, the ageing complex — which also required substantial mechanical and structural updates — needed a new approach. Groningen-based designers De Zwarte Hond have delivered a renovation and expansion that is at once assertive and sensitive, paying homage to van Stigt’s ideals while sustainably transforming the complex for the 21st century. By demolishing a central volume and adding a new floor to each of the six retained structures, the architects were able to introduce new mechanical systems and generous skylights while facilitating more open and intuitive circulation via a central atrium.

Inside, the complex — now known as the Herta Mohr Building — is an even more emphatic distillation of the principles of free movement and easy, ad hoc social interactions. While a rigorous waffle ceiling grid celebrates the structuralist quality of the original design, elegant Sequoia redwood panels now line the atrium’s walls, pairing the concrete with a warm, organic presence. It’s also an intelligent example of material re-use; the wood panels are repurposed from van Stigt’s exterior cladding, transforming potential demolition waste into an elegant aesthetic homage. It feels right at home.

_{Read our original feature about the Herta Mohr Building from October 2024.}

Francis House, London by Gensler

In 2024, turning an old warehouse into an office is hardly a radical idea. But when done right, these adaptive reuse projects not only bring new energy to defunct industrial buildings, they also provide an opportunity to create truly transformative workspaces. That’s exactly what Gensler has achieved with Francis House, communications firm Edelman’s new London HQ. The 18th-century building had good bones: Gensler uncovered the original concrete and steel structure, leaving it exposed as a celebration of the warehouse’s industrial character. The firm added in much-needed warmth with graphic murals and pops of colourful furniture (10 per cent of which included reupholstered vintage pieces, with the rest repurposed from Edelman’s previous office, keeping the project’s carbon footprint in check).

Despite the building’s scale (4,180 square metres, to be exact), Gensler has retained a remarkable sense of intimacy. The office’s 700 seats are organized into twelve distinct zones that offer something for everyone, from introverted places for solo work to more social collaborative setups and a high-energy games room where employees can unwind. But aside from its focus on worker wellbeing and productivity, what sets Francis House apart is its attunement to the client experience: An entire floor of the five-storey workspace has been dedicated to client relations, with spaces for visitors to work for the day, either independently or alongside their Edelman teams. Dynamic, human-centric and sustainable, this office reimagines the future of agency life.

PDX Airport Main Terminal, Portland, Oregon, by ZGF

After a grueling red-eye flight or any other less-than-zen air travel, arriving at an airport simply marks one more step in a long and arduous journey. At the PDX Airport in Portland, Oregon, however, the newly reimagined Main Terminal offers a much-needed respite. Channeling the spirit of the Pacific Northwest, the interior by Portland-based ZGF features clusters of growing greenery — roughly 5,000 plants and 72 trees across the various pathways — but the pièce de résistance is the stunning mass timber roof. Built with sustainably- and ethically-sourced wood from local, Indigenous suppliers — all within a 300-mile radius of the airport — the nine-acre roof welcomes in the sky through a pattern of oscillating wooden slats. 

As elegantly crafted as the interior is, the PDX Airport Main Terminal was also designed with another lofty goal in mind: to accommodate 35 million annual passengers by 2045. And while doubling the airport’s capacity, ZGF vowed to cut its energy consumption per square foot in half. And they did just that, thanks to an advanced electric heat pump system. It seems that after a partnership of almost six decades (ZGF was first commissioned in 1965), the Portland-based firm is still the airport’s core architectural partner for a reason. So, while it may not be the final destination of your journey, the PDX Airport Main Terminal is must-see stop on the way.

_{Read our original feature about PDX Airport from October 2024.}

SHEEEP House

With a vintage movie poster as its palette reference, SHEEEP crafted this vibrant home interior in a 130-square-metre row house in Little Portugal, which was completely gutted and renewed. The pink and green advertisement for Bonjour Tristesse — whose influence is best seen in the kitchen, where the lozenge-shaped island integrates shelving in saturated pink and is topped with deep green granite — was just one of the design’s driving principles. Nick and Chris, the clients, also emphasized their various cultural backgrounds (“Spain, Colombia, Denmark!” was baked into the contract) and wanted their home to reflect this sense of life and character — and their love of sharing their home with friends.

It starts at the entrance: Past the pink-painted facade and into the living room, a rectilinear bench is wrapped around the front room’s picture window to create a cozy space that feels like a casual hangout (formerly, this area was the couple’s bedroom in a home subdivided into two apartments). The bench, which contains storage space and extends to a fireplace, reaches out to the dining area beyond it. Here, a built-in coat closet features a circular cutout accommodating a bed for Pretzel, the couple’s dog.

Throughout the home, SHEEEP introduced natural light wherever possible: The gut-reno had liberated ceiling heights and a transom window, and Nik carved out skylights on both the main and upper level. His team also opened up a narrow, ad hoc volume on the side of the house that contains the stairwell leading to the basement and turned it into a “greenhouse” that funnels light from a polycarbonate ceiling to the subterranean space, which features a sauna and cold plunge. But it’s the home’s back facade that has the final word on playful, exuberant design: clad in a pastel array of shingles in diamond, scalloped and square shapes, the gingerbread exterior is as eclectic as the interior is warm and inviting.

_{Read our original feature about SHEEEP’s Pink House from August 2024.}

La Seigneurie Funeral Home, Quebec City by Perron and Ultralocal Architectes

Drab, dingy and dark, the design of most funeral homes often mirrors the somber mood of the mourners who dwell there. How might design change the way we grieve? In Quebec City, La Seigneurie, designed by local firms Perron and Ultralocal Architectes, offers a compelling case study. Natural light and an unexpected yet sensitive injection of colour are the interior’s two driving forces. Each zone is given a different material treatment that lends it a unique character, from the plant-filled atrium that links the chapel and gathering spaces to the glazed tile-clad family rooms. “The grieving areas on the ground floor were designed to offer space to breathe,” Sarah Eve Hébert, associate artistic director at Perron, told us in our initial coverage of the project. The resulting space feels like a warm hug at a time of loss.

The second-floor reception hall, meanwhile, is washed in blue and green hues and anchored by an exuberant floral mural — a poignant reminder to find moments of joy amidst the sadness. This same thoughtful approach is extended to all users of the space: a dedicated playroom with a child-sized doorway allows kids to remain close to their parents without disturbing the mourners. Through design that leads with empathy, La Seigneurie Funeral Home brings beauty to the grieving process.

_{Read our original feature about La Seigneurie Funeral Home from April 2024.}