Dezeen Magazine

10 stripped-back home interiors that are deliberately unfinished

Peeling plaster, raw concrete and dangling wires give character to these home interiors, which look as though they've been abandoned halfway through decorating and have been popular on our Pinterest boards.

Skip Stop House, England, by Design Haus Liberty

To keep costs low while converting this Marylebone house into a series of apartments, Design Haus Liberty stripped its wallpaper to expose patches of plaster and added industrial furniture.

Find out more about Skip Stop House ›


Pompeia Apartment, Brazil, by Vitrô Arquitetura

Limited furniture and brickwork walls create a relaxed feel inside this open-plan São Paulo apartment by Vitrô Arquitetura, which also unearthed structural concrete pillars during the renovation.

Find out more about Pompeia Apartment ›


Setagaya Flat, Japan, by Naruse Inokuma Architects

Exposed concrete walls smeared with cement give this minimal Tokyo flat an undressed aesthetic. Naruse Inokuma then added sliding plywood partitions and floors to create a mix of old and new.

Find out more about Setagaya Flat ›


El Palmar, Mexico, by David Cervera

This concrete summer house has been clad in natural materials and strewn with hammocks. One side is exposed to the garden, creating a fluid layout that connects the interior with its surroundings.

Find out more about El Palmar ›


Crusch Alba, Spain, by Gus Wüstemann

Gus Wüstemann chose to preserve original surfaces during the renovation of this Barcelona apartment by varnishing over old wallpaper and raw stone walls in order to reveal interventions made to the building over time.

Find out more about Crusch Alba ›


House in Hatogaya, Japan, by Jo Nagasaka

Timber columns could pass for scaffolding beams in this Tokyo apartment. Architect Jo Nagasaka exposed the columns by removing partition walls to create an open, light-filled space.

Find out more about House in Hatogaya ›


South, France, by GENS: Association Libérale d'Architecture

A dilapidated barn in northeast France was converted into social housing with a shingle-clad, unfinished appearance, in order to blend in with the surrounding village.

Find out more about South ›


HB6B, Sweden, by Karin Matz

This tiny Stockholm apartment was abandoned mid-renovation in the 1980s, but Karin Matz decided to retain many of the original features for its new facelift – including crumbling brick and peeling plaster walls.

Find out more about HB6B ›


deFlat, Netherlands, by NL Architects and XVW Architectuur

Dutch studios NL Architects and XVW Architectuur won this year's Mies van der Rohe award for the renovation of a huge post-war apartment building that left flats bare for residents to customise.

Find out more about deFlat ›


Tokyo Loft, Japan, by G Studio Architects

Japanese office G Studio took the unfinished look to the next level for this Tokyo loft apartment by dabbing the walls with white paint and installing bright orange electrical wires.

Find out more about Tokyo Loft ›

Follow Dezeen on Pinterest ›