DESIGN DISPATCH

The Malin Just Became SoHo’s Most Stylish Co-Working Space, and Other News

Our daily look at the world through the lens of design.

The Malin Soho. Photography by Thomas Loof

The Design Dispatch offers expertly written and essential news from the design world crafted by our dedicated team. Think of it as your cheat sheet for the day in design delivered to your inbox before you’ve had your coffee. Subscribe now

Have a news story our readers need to see? Submit it here.

The Malin Just Became SoHo’s Most Stylish Co-Working Space

In case you haven’t heard, co-working is here to stay—especially as offices continue to embrace hybrid work-from-home models. The newest player in this burgeoning industry is The Malin, an elevated communal workplace that offers members a much-needed refuge from the home office without sacrificing any comforts or conveniences. Opening on Mercer Street in SoHo, Manhattan, the newly launched venture “was created to inspire professionals to do their best work in an environment where every detail has been given the utmost level of attention,” says Ciaran McGuigan, who co-founded The Malin with Charlie Robinson in consultation with seasoned executives from Soho House.

The duo enlisted Jean Morana, Jordan Trinci-Lyne, and Fettle Design to envision the 8,700-square-foot interior, a high-ceilinged loft outfitted with 38 desks, private offices, conference rooms, video booths, lounges, a library, and a barista kitchen. Thoughtful design elements—outlet-equipped furniture, solid oak desks, and furnishings by Roll & Hill, Flos, and Reinaldo Sanguino—lend warmth and personality thanks to a vibrant color palette that strikes an optimal balance between comfort and refinement. Amenities abound: weekly dry-cleaning pick-up and an EA service that runs same-day errands helps offload tedious admin work. 

McGuigan, who spent the pandemic dreaming of an ideal co-working space that checks all the boxes, sums it up: “It would have to be in an exciting neighborhood, with zones that promoted different modes of working, and with a design that was comfortable and inviting, yet elevated.” The Malin appears positioned to deliver on all fronts.  

Predator Freak. Image courtesy Stella McCartney

Stella McCartney, Adidas, and Paul Pogba create the world’s first vegan football shoe. 

Stella McCartney and the Manchester United footballer Paul Pogba may seem like an odd pairing, but the two titans came together for a conversation during Adidas’s “The Huddle” weekly series and discussed their mutual love for the sport. Now, they’ve come together again to drop the world’s first vegan football shoe, called Predator Freak, which is decorated with leopard print, ombre rainbow metallic graphics, and algorithmically calibrated rubber spikes that facilitate improved ball control. 

The Centre Pompidou will delay its extensive renovation until after the 2024 Olympics. 

Last year, Centre Pompidou president Laurent Le Bon announced the Parisian museum would close in 2023 for essential maintenance work that would wrap up by 2027, its 50th anniversary. Now, Le Bon is pushing those plans back to accommodate an influx of tourism caused by the 2024 Olympics. The extent of the renovations, however, may make it difficult for the museum to reopen by its milestone year. “We’re focused on the technical aspects of a huge and very complicated site in the heart of Paris,” he told Le Figaro. “An anniversary is an anniversary. On the other hand, we work for our children and our grandchildren.” 

Image courtesy Michael Maltzan Architecture

Michael Maltzan dramatically reimagines the Sixth Street Viaduct in Los Angeles.

Connecting the Boyle Heights neighborhood to Downtown Los Angeles, the new Ribbon of Light viaduct will wrap construction next summer. While its Art Deco predecessor became a recognizable feature of L.A. cityscape with appearances in iconic films such as Grease and Terminator, the new structure will be more civic-orientated as opposed to auto-centric with a design rooted in connectivity and walkability. “The viaduct is more than a simple replacement thoroughfare crossing the Los Angeles River,” says Maltzan. “It foresees a multimodal future for L.A., one that accommodates cars, incorporates significant new bicycle connections, and increases connectivity for pedestrians, not only at the bridge’s endpoints, but along the entirety of the span, linking the bridge, the Los Angeles River, and urban landscapes below.”

Alan Lapidus, architect of glitzy hotels and casinos across the country, dies at 85. 

Following in the footsteps of his father, Morris, who masterminded flamboyant hotels in Miami that have since become architectural classics, Alan Lapidus designed glitzy, palatial landmarks in Times Square and Las Vegas throughout his career. Perhaps most notably, Lapidus was behind the infamous Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino on Atlantic Beach that was demolished in February one month after its namesake left the presidential office. 

Las Vegas greenlights Elon Musk’s Boring Company to build 29 miles of tunnels.

The Boring Company isn’t quite delivering on its promise of conveying thousands of people at 660-mile-per-hour speeds, but Las Vegas officials are impressed nonetheless. The city has unanimously approved a proposal to expand the company’s presence to s 51-station system across 29 new miles of tracks that will stop at hotels and casinos along the Strip, as well as the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and Allegiant Stadium. Construction is expected to begin immediately, with the first five to ten stations available to commuters within six months. 

Image courtesy Kengo Kuma and Associates

Today’s attractive distractions:

This good boy broke the record for most tennis balls held in the mouth by a dog.

Rubble reimagines the menorah in aerated concrete that balances old and new.

Hallucinogenics are taking over Los Angeles, but will it solve all their problems?

Kengo Kuma is crafting a striking arched entryway to a gothic cathedral in Angers.

All Stories