SketchUp x Dezeen collaborate to create a workshop series with leading designers

February 6, 2025

Mahenoor Khadeghat

Accomplished interior designers Tola Ojuolape and Julien Sebban showcase their skills in a design workshop video series that shares their process of creating commissioned interior design environments in SketchUp.

Render of a fictional 70s-themed bar with chairs around it, using soft lines and bright orange, pink, and red

The 1970s-themed bar designed by Julien Sebban features bold colors and soft curves, true to his design style

Both crowned Emerging Interior Designers Of The Year at the 2023 Dezeen Awards, Interior designers Julien Sebban, founder of Uchronia and Tola Ojuolape, founder of Tola Ojuolape Studio, share their process of designing virtual interior design spaces in SketchUp. Created in partnership with Dezeen and SketchUp, watch the video series to see the fantasy 70s-themed bar and a stunning virtual library come to life.

Designing a funky, colorful 1970s-themed bar

Sebban's Paris-based multidisciplinary architecture and design practice, Uchronia, is known for its bold use of shape, color and reflective surfaces. He designed an anamorphic-shaped bar, applied with a mosaic texture to create the project's centerpiece.

Sebban shares his process for creating the rounded shapes using SketchUp. He used the Arc and Push-Pull tools to create the architectural skeleton. He then explores the 3D model in SketchUp; the key elements of the bar are the gradient walls, circular seating, the glass element in the ceiling, gradient floor, and alcoves.

"At Uchronia, we like to design bespoke elements that are fitted to the place, such as tables, chairs, lights, alcoves, or simply floors. And SketchUp is a really good tool to do that."
Julien Sebban, founder of Uchronia

Render of alcove seating area in the 70s-themed bar, with gradient orange ombre walls, orange circular-shaped seating elements, and cookie-shaped table

The bespoke alcove seating area complements the bar's bold color and round edges, adding a textural sheen.

In his second video workshop, Sebban shares his techniques on texture and color. Uchronia tries to work with all the senses in their projects, which they achieve through playing with textures and colors. Sebban says he enjoys playing with gradients on all kinds of surfaces.

"One of the great things about SketchUp is that we can apply a texture and some materiality into the 3D software."
Julien Sebban, Founder, Uchronia

Sebban shows key design elements such as the concrete ombre walls, the glass ombre ceiling light, and the lava stone ombre bar tops. They used different materials with the same gradient effect. A glass mosaic was used for the bar's centerpiece, applied in a wave motif in vibrant colors to achieve an iconic and highly detailed bar.

They imported a cookie-shaped table into the 3D Warehouse, which allowed them to have one of their designs within the 3D bar. They also imported bar stools from the 3D Warehouse. With over 10,000 pre-configured objects to choose from, they found the perfect orange velvet bar stools that fit the space.

Sebban says, "One of the key features of SketchUp is the 3D Warehouse that allows you to download any kind of 3D elements, bringing your 3D project to life."

Watch the video workshop series to learn how he brought the virtual bar to life.
Check out Julien Sebban's videos here: part 1, part 2.

Designing a warm and inviting library space

Tola Ojuolape Studio is an interior design practice that strives to create warm and soulful spaces focusing on beautiful materiality. Tola explains how she used SketchUp to create the interior of a craft-focused library for Clerkenwell in London. This historical place with a rich heritage of makers and foundries is where she started her career and where her practice is based. Ojuolape's library is split across three levels, each configured for different activities, accessed by one continuous spiral staircase. She explained how a visitors' experience develops as they move between the different floors.

Renders of the ground floor and first floor of library space, showing the terracotta spiral staircase and dark blue sheer curtain partitions, with warm brown neutral tones used throughout the space

The ground-floor read-and-stay area utilizes soft lighting and dark, moody colors to create a relaxing environment, and the second-floor make-and-learn space features blue-hued sheer curtains that can be used to partition the space.

The first floor is the make-and-learn area, where people are encouraged to sit, relax, and stay. It can be partitioned off using sheer curtains on rails to create distinct areas for workshops, meetings and events. The space acts as an interactive space where displays educate visitors about craftspeople who use the library.

Render of the pause and play area featuring orange stepped seating and an orange overhead skylight

Render of the pause-and-play area of the library is surrounded by stepped seating and has a sense of ambiance with the unique overhead skylight.

The second floor is an oblong space with stepped seating at its perimeter, topped with a large skylight. This would be the pause-and-play area, where visitors are encouraged to lie, read, wait and play.

Render showing the spiral staircase throught the different floors in the library

The craft-themed library features three thematically distinct floors linked by a continuous spiral staircase.

In her workshop, Ojuolape demonstrates how she used SketchUp to design various features in the library, including its curved spiral staircase.

She says, "SketchUp has tools that enable me to visualize and explain projects clearly to clients."

Ojuolape also showed how the Mirror tool can be used to populate a space with fittings that have the same design language, as well as how objects can easily be grouped and toggled on and off to show different aspects of a project to stakeholders.

In her second workshop video, she shares insights on how she used materiality and finishes to visualize the fictional library.

"Ambient Occlusion is a great tool because it enables you to see depth and shadows, as well as the relationship between objects and volumes in the space before you add textures and finishes."
Tola Ojuolape, Founder, Tola Ojuolape Studios

Watch the video workshop series to learn how she brought the virtual library to life.
Check out Tola's videos here: part 1, part 2.

Looking for more design inspiration? Check out the By Designers For Designers site, a collection of innovative and unique designs built in SketchUp worldwide. Ready to try these tools out for yourself? Trimble SketchUp will give you the confidence to turn those visions into reality. Start a free trial today or find the right subscription for your workflow needs.