Funding withdrawals foil Where are the Black Designers? festival

Where are the Black Designers? has been forced to postpone its upcoming The Spaces Between conference until 2027 after sponsors withdrew upwards of $67,000 in funding in the wake of US president Donald Trump's DEI executive orders.

The non-profit organisation, which advocates for Black creatives in the US and the UK, was set to take over London's EartH arts centre this weekend with its biggest event to date, featuring two days of talks, workshops, a maker's market and a club night.

But in the past month, four different...

Figments

A series of pieces on the absurdity of human nature through anthropomorphization.

Unconventional Playgrounds: Built from Junk, Shaped by Concrete, Freed by Play

Jongelui bouwen huttendorp in Amsterdam Noord (“Youth building a hut village in Amsterdam North”), 1960s. Image © Harry Pot via Wikimedia Commons, public domain

What if the best kind of play isn't the safest? For decades, cities have built playgrounds to be clean, colorful, and easy to supervise. Yet these spaces—designed more for adult peace of mind than for children's curiosity—often strip away what makes play truly transformative: risk, unpredictability, and self-direction. Rising safety standards, shrinking public space, and the commercialization of play equipment have only further narrowed the possibilities for...

Eight wooden furnishings that go against the grain

Dezeen Showroom: the following wooden chairs and tables were recently published on our furniture directory, including pieces made from oak, ash, walnut and beech.

Timber has been used to make furniture for thousands of years. It is easy to source, versatile to work with, durable when in use and traditionally simple to dispose of after its lifespan has elapsed.

The popularity of furniture made from solid wood waned with the advent of cheaper and lighter flat-pack furniture made from particle board covered with veneer; however, such pieces are not as sustainable to manufacture or dispose of, and not as durable when in use.

With...

La Miradora House / Taller General

© JAG Studio architects: Taller GeneralLocation: Machachi, EcuadorProject Year: 2024Photographs: JAG StudioPhotographs: Alex SantanderArea: 299.8 m2

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A Tale of Two Students: How Early-Stage Design Decisions Shape Educational Success

Courtesy of Snaptrude

Two students sit one desk apart. One excels in science. The other struggles. One receives praise, the other criticism. One gains confidence, the other slowly loses it. It's easy to assume the difference comes down to effort, parenting, or natural ability. But what if the real factor was the classroom itself? Imagine the student who fell behind sat at a desk flooded with glare from poorly placed windows every single day. With fixed homeroom seating, they couldn't move. Over time, that small but constant distraction turned into disengagement, and disengagement...

Snøhetta Unveils Jesselton Docklands Master Plan in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia

Jesselton Docklands Master Plan in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. Image © Aesthetica Courtesy of Snøhetta

Snøhetta has unveiled plans for Jesselton Docklands, a tropical waterfront master plan in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, on the island of Borneo. The development reimagines the city's former port as a civic and cultural hub, strengthening its connection to the waterfront and positioning it as a new gateway to Sabah and the wider Southeast Asian region. Situated near Kota Kinabalu International Airport, the development includes a new ferry and cruise terminal, integrating infrastructure with the island's ecological and...

Regional Theater of Beauvaisis / atelier AJC

© Nicolás Borel architects: atelier AJCLocation: 3 Place Georges Brassens, 60 000 Beauvais, FranceProject Year: 2025Photographs: Nicolás BorelPhotographs: Sergio GraziaArea: 6032.0 m2

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MVRDV Design Masterplan with Rock-Inspired Tourist Facilities for Jialeshui, Taiwan

Nature Rocks masterplan for Jialeshui, Taiwan. Render. Image Courtesy of MVRDV

MVRDV revealed the design of rock-like tourist facilities and infrastructure for the Taiwanese coastal area of Jialeshui, a scenic destination in the southernmost part of Taiwan. The Pingtung County Government recently selected the design proposal submitted by MVRDV in collaboration with HWC Architects for the transformation of an area known for its rock formations shaped by wind and water, including a series of structures inspired by these natural forms. The project, a masterplan titled Nature Rocks, introduces a...

Mid-century Warsaw apartment renovated to "draw on its architectural context"

Richly patterned Alpi veneer and honey-coloured oak parquet characterise this Warsaw apartment interior by emerging Polish designer Dawid Konieczny.

Located in Warsaw's Praga district, the apartment is housed within a 1950s estate originally designed by Polish architects Jerzy Gieysztor and Jerzy Kumelowski.

Konieczny sought to honour the building's post-war character when creating the interior, layering it with "warmer tones" and eclectic materials to add a contemporary touch.

"I wanted to draw on the architectural context itself, so that the references to mid-century modern and modernism would be historically grounded in the building's fabric," he told...