jueves, 30 de agosto de 2012

NoMad Hotel

NoMad derives its name from the district that it is located in [No]rth of [Mad]ison Square; the brand new hotel oozes modern European grandeur combined with a characteristic Downtown edge. The NoMad Beaux-Arts building has been fully restored to its original splendor and its magnificent interiors are the inspiration of the multi talented French architect/interior and garden designer Jacques Garcia Jacques Garcia himself is best known for his contemporary interiors for Paris’ hotels and restaurants including the famous Hôtel Costes, as well as for his unique house with the astonishing gardens, The Château du Champ-de-Bataille 

All one hundred and sixty-eight rooms are residential in feel together with their Parisian flat/trendy New York hotel vibe. The rooms feel like the apartment you really wish you could be lucky enough to own; decorated in a classic, timeless style, each of the 168 rooms feature endless sigh worthy element such as the double bay historic windows and views of the Empire State and Flatiron Buildings, reclaimed maple hardwood floors, tall ceilings, handmade vintage Heriz rugs, richly textured custom-designed furnishings, luxuriantly textured wood, leather and felt accents, unique hand-selected original artwork, beautiful tiles, amazing linen by Sferra and Frette, an exclusive collection of Argan bath amenities by Côté Bastide and ... well we did say that the list really was never ending! Further features to note include the freestanding claw foot bathtubs, velvet and damask patterned fabric room dividers, and an overwhelming overabundance of mod-luxe amenities.

The accommodations aside, the property features a high-ceilinged lobby, as well as towering ceilings throughout all of its the public spaces. The high-ceilinged lobby with original detailing and a glass roof atrium offers the ideal space for all day dining, drinking and socializing (perfect). And here we get on to the eating and drinking; the quality of the food and beverages at The NoMad Hotel is first class with names such as Daniel Humm, the Executive Chef at Eleven Madison Park, and Will Guidara, the General Manager of Eleven Madison Park at the F&B helm. N.B. Eleven Madison Park was recently awarded 'Outstanding Restaurant, USA 2011' by the James Beard Foundation. via yatzer




martes, 28 de agosto de 2012

Handmade Houses

The first comprehensive consideration of the residential design of the back-to-the-land movement, “Handmade Houses: A Century of Earth-Friendly Home Design” exposes the roots of “green” architecture as it travels across North America and to the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, France, and Australia. From deep in the redwood forests of Big Sur, California, to the craggy, pink-sand beaches of Sardinia, Italy, this book visits houses in which cost-cutting DIY improvisation, eco-consciousness, art, and craft harmoniously converge.

Author Richard Olsen shares the stories of how, starting in the early 1960s, these daring, boldly creative designers and builders—some of them architect/carpenters, some of them entirely untrained in design and construction, and many of them in their 20s and 30s—sought to create a simplified, down-to-earth kind of house amid a world of political and environmental upheaval and technological dependency. Using sea boulders, old barn wood, wine vats, stained-glass windows from churches, and a host of other treasures that were at one point bound for landfills, these designer-builders created deeply personal, one-of-a-kind dwellings—some for as little as $1,000.

As the book’s coverage moves through the 20th century and into the 21st, the architectural and design emphasis on rich texture and warm patina and the simple, handcrafted ways of old finds new applications and relevance. Here we see the source material for today's renewed fascination with architectural artifacts, the well-worn industrial look marketed by retailers such as Restoration Hardware, Anthropologie, and Ralph Lauren RRL Ranch. With a wealth of inspiration and practical ideas to be gleaned from more than 25 featured residences, Handmade Houses is an important and relevant volume for anyone interested in environmentally focused personalization in the home.


lunes, 27 de agosto de 2012

Unusual Vases “Industry Porcelain”

Italian design studio Gentle Giants represents their latest project “Industry Porcelain”. By using white porcelain Michael Breschi has created a series of ceramic vases with gold metal bases. Drawing form from art deco architecture, articularly industrial water and gas storage towers built during that period, these pieces pay close attention to the detail and cultural dimension of the structures. This collection pays tribute to the past work of highly respected German photographers, Bernd and Hill Becher.via dotdot-dash.com


sábado, 25 de agosto de 2012

Das Canoas House

Designed by Niemeyer in 1951 as his family home, Das Canoas House is considered one of the most significant examples of modern architecture in Brazil and is well recognized by specialists in art history as a synthesis of modern architecture and authorial self-creation that flourished in Europe and in America. Das Canoas House now is open to the public, offering visitors a permanent exhibition on Oscar Niemeyer.
The most interesting feature is the fusion of organic architecture and minimalist architecture.
As it is an obvious tribute to the Farnsworth House, Das Canoas puts geometric regularity in crisis, but does not alter the formal purity. From Mies design to Niemeyer's Das Canoas, its possible to see the evolution of reinforced concrete into a modern building material. The flexibility of the material was newly assumed and architects began to exploit this, many years after its resistance to bending was determined. via openhousebcn




jueves, 23 de agosto de 2012

Brooklin to West

{This all began as the adventure of a lifetime, and it was. Taking a sixteen foot truck across the country, my dearest friend Amelie and I drove for nine days, stopping at abandoned dinersfarms, junk stores, and anywhere else our love of the old and decrepit told us to stop. We arrived in California with a truckfull of barn wood and old chairs, and that's where I began my six month journey of building and designing an entire restaurant from scratch -- building the bar and thirty tables myself! Having successfully completed the build, and with the restaurant up and running -- full every night! -- I returned to Brooklyn and am continuing my life of designing, creating, inventing, finding, thrifting, and building something everyday}. via brooklyntowest


miércoles, 22 de agosto de 2012

Isabel Wilson

Collecting can be the act of seeing something over an over again, anew each time. Seeing with the eye’s of a child, discovering the world and dissecting it into the fragments of our surroundings. By amplifying what is deemed worthy, the collector lifts the hazy patterns and life become tangible.
To textile designer Isabel Wilson, collecting what she sees and what she likes is not just a passion, but a necessity. Her apartment and studio are both filled with a rich archive of assembled butterflies, sea shells, foam creatures and other carefully catalogued elements, of which traces echo into her colorful paintings and fabric designs. via freundevonfreunden


martes, 21 de agosto de 2012

Tavernetta by Studio Belenko


Every now and again a restaurant appears on the scene which proves how simplicity and keeping natural materials in mind can be key to creating a homely, comfortable space in which to enjoy good food and drink. Tavernetta, a new restaurant in Odessa, Ukraine, has been designed by Studio Belenko with a comforting appreciation for raw materials and a focus on the practice of preparing and enjoying good Italian cuisine. The result is an endearingly calm space with a lot of raw and yet understated personality. via yatzer