Designboom's guest reader platform continues to serve as a vibrant showcase for international design talent, featuring innovative hospitality projects from architects, designers, students, and makers worldwide. The platform provides creators with the opportunity to share their work with a global audience of over 3.5 million monthly readers, including industry professionals, students, and design enthusiasts.
Every submission receives its own dedicated article on the platform's readers page, with standout projects selected by the editorial team for broader promotion. This unique system offers participants an exceptional opportunity to gain international visibility and join a growing creative network that spans across continents and design disciplines.
Among the latest featured submissions, Restaurant Frivole in Paris stands out as a sophisticated dining destination designed by Maison Malapert and photographed by Nicolas Anetson. Located within the prestigious Maison des Champs Elysées hotel in Paris's Golden Triangle, the restaurant sits strategically close to iconic landmarks including the Champs Elysées, Avenue Montaigne, and the Grand Palais. The design masterfully integrates the hotel's discreet green courtyard with references to haute couture, creating a unique environment that bridges natural elements with the surrounding fashion district's cultural context.
In Shanghai, China, the Captain George Flavor Museum represents a revolutionary approach to coffee culture, designed by spatial design studio Some Thoughts. This innovative project transcends traditional coffee shop boundaries, functioning as a comprehensive ecosystem centered entirely on flavor exploration. The museum expertly blends taste, design, and aesthetics into a cohesive experience, with an entrance designed as a recessed portal that prepares visitors for an immersive sensory journey.
India's contribution comes from Pune, where Concept by Sowe has created the flagship Ugaoo Store for the country's largest plant nursery and gardening brand. Designers Shamna Stranc, Rujuta Killedar, and Wojciech Stranc developed a vibrant retail space that embodies biophilic values and creates an immersive experience connecting people with plants. The design approach focuses on seamless dialogue between nature and architecture, incorporating organic materials, intuitive spatial flow, and lush plant displays that converge into a cohesive, living environment.
Rome, Italy, contributes SHELL Libreria Bistrot, a remarkable transformation by Schiattarella Associati that reimagined a former neighborhood workshop into a 250-square-meter contemporary hub. This dynamic space deliberately blurs the traditional boundaries between work and public life, functioning simultaneously as bookstore, gallery, restaurant, and community gathering place. The design philosophy emphasizes openness, where the boundaries between interior and exterior spaces dissolve, creating a dialogue between the building's industrial past and its vibrant future as a community cornerstone.
From Canada, Way of Normal presents the Blue Rock Swim Club, an innovative bar concept that transforms a long-dormant brewing space beneath a popular local restaurant. The design team crafted a compelling narrative framework, conceptualizing the space as a forgotten underground bathhouse that has been slowly reclaimed over time. This project represents more than spatial renovation, addressing the broader challenge of creating meaningful historical narratives within a construction culture that typically prioritizes new builds over historical preservation.
The Philippines rounds out this international collection with La Chinesca, designed by JJ Acuna and Bespoke Studio for Chef Bruce Ricketts and restaurateur Jae Ricketts. Located in the heart of Manila's Bonifacio Global City, this newest outpost boldly redefines contemporary Mexican dining experiences. The space reflects an urban, multicultural aesthetic with deliberate references to various visual culture elements, creating a dining environment that celebrates cultural fusion and culinary innovation.
These diverse submissions demonstrate the platform's continued success in fostering global creative dialogue and cultural exchange. The featured projects span multiple continents and design philosophies, showcasing how contemporary hospitality design continues to evolve and respond to local contexts while maintaining international appeal. Designboom continues to encourage new submissions, inviting creators worldwide to share their innovative projects with this established global audience of design professionals and enthusiasts.
