Every week we highlight the FRAME Awards submissions which have been frequented by our readers and jury. Below are the five most-viewed projects between 2 and 9 February 2024, shared with feedback left by the jury.

THE COOLEST HOTEL

Jongkim Design Studio

The Coolest Hotel in Busan, South Korea, is targeted at the younger generation (Hotel, 5.37). Jongkim Design Studio tailored the 12-storey boutique hotel using a bold visual language including a primary colour palette and stated graphics. Its identity is immediately in its ground-floor main entrance and first-floor reception area with terracotta tile floors and red check pattern carpets among its components. Wood and neutral hues are used to balance bright red, blue and yellow elements. Large windows in guest rooms provide views of the ocean as does the open-air pool and bar on the rooftop. ‘Is The Coolest Hotel as cool as it claims to be?’, asks Magdalena Klosek, country home furnishing and retail design manager at Ikea. ‘Without a doubt! It radiates a refreshing and playful design, encapsulating the sheer joy of summer vacations.’

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MONOS FLAGSHIP VANCOUVER

Leckie Studio Architecture + Design

Online luggage retailer Monos opened its first brick-and-mortar store in Vancouver’s Kitsilano neighbourhood (Single-Brand Store, 4.21). Leckie Studio emphasized the space’s high vaulted ceilings and employed a simple material palette of bricks, plaster and wood. Product displays line the depth of the store with an additional glass case at the centre. The monochromatic palette seeks to foster a relaxed shopping experience that emphasizes the brand’s products. ‘The Monos Flagship is a tribute to all world travellers,’ says Klosek. ‘It serves as a minimalistic traveller’s sanctuary, providing a place to pause amidst their adventures.’

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JEWELRY BOUTIQUE 47 STORE

Fruit Design Studio

Fruit Design Studio designed the space for 47 Store, a boutique jeweller in Moskow (Multi-Brand Store, 6.10). The 47-sq-m space is situated in an old early 20th-century factory building in the city centre. The limited space and layout determined by its elongated shape and large windows posed a challenge in creating enough display space. A central display for costume jewellery helps to make the brand’s mass-market products most accessible while locked glass display cabinets for more high-end pieces are placed at the perimeter. A galvanized steel reception desk makes a statement in the space, its prismatic appearance reflecting off the mirrors used for product testing. ‘The store has a unique charm, making it a standout place to shop,’ says Klosek. ‘The designers have done well in offering a wide range of items in a small place.’

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4TH WALL

Taste Space 

Drawing inspiration from 1960s-era cinema, Taste Space designed the 4th Wall bar to blend retrofuture, modern and post-modernism design influences (Bar, 7.38). It gets its name from breaking the fourth wall, seeking to immerse its patrons in the period interior. The bar is the space’s central feature, presenting its bartenders as performers in the space. Curved forms like glass frames, TV sets and the bar, invoke the inspiring time period along with materials like textured concrete and hues of green and orange. ‘This space looks dope because of its retro-future aesthetic,’ says Stuart Fingerhut, creative director at Production Club. ‘The warm lighting and tones make the space feel welcoming for business or pleasure and its consistent use of forms and elements tie it together wonderfully.’

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KODAWARI

T-A Square 

T-A Sqaure sought to recreate a home in the style of typical Japanese architecture in North Victoria, Australia (House, 5.09). Kodawari is a development of five homes, each 127-sq-m, each of which is a meditation on the design style. Open living spaces that capitalize on natural light and ventilation are complemented by their private gardens inspired by Zen Temples. Interior materials like wood and stone create a clean and simple interior aesthetic. ‘Taking on the challenge of recreating the beauty of a typical Japanese house in other parts of the world was certainly a significant endeavour,’ says Klosek. ‘There are many great aspects of the design from the attention to detail to the simplicity of each room.’

See more here.