Cafe Bustelo

There I was minding my business, making my way down to the beach, when I spot this awesome little coffee joint at the hip (dare I say) Miami Beach Hotel Gansevoort South. I stop, of course and it happens: I am impressed! Cafe Bustelo designed by architecture studio NC-office, is simple and stylish. Using Bustelo coffee cans (good for them!) marble and Mid-century modern pieces they have created a crisp yet casual environment for coffee drinkers. Not to mention the coffee is great!

Look to the past

In the spirit of the Oscar's, I thought we could look at some vintage pieces that would typically be found in West Hollywood (WEHO), a trendy neighborhood with much of design sense. When looking for a piece in your home, don't just buy. Go out and look for pieces that say something, that bring something to your home and your life. For pieces of the sort look to NoHo modern (wwwnohomodern.com).

Real life Villain Layer

Here we go a office inspired by one of the greatest set designers of all time Mr. Ken Adams, known primarily for his work on the bond franchise. This 1200 square meter atomic shelter has been converted into a Swedish internet provider’s office. Located 30 meters beneath the earth surrounded by granite, the design principal is simple; create an environment where people are able to complement the natural beauty of the space.

Tides south beach

You know, typically when a designer is somewhat dramatic and full of good taste people tend to say that their spaces are too busy and saturated with colour. What a great example of a space full of Drama (with a capital d of course) that is so serene, tasteful, timeless and let's not forget glamorous! All these wonderful textures, materials, finishes and accessories come together quite beautifully to create the perfect Oceanside retreat.




How glamorous!!! Zebra always does that!



The lobby comes across as very cozy .



How stylish and yet serene.


All these great shapes and textures don't seem busy at all.

Now that's a Steak house!

Way to go Elliott and Associates Architects (Rand Elliott)! Sometimes it's about keeping it really simple and that's truly the most difficult thing. Red Neon tubes and original brick   (1911 Buick showroom) create the perfect backdrop to the best steak in Oklahoma City (or so they say).

Zaha does it again!

September 17th, 2008 marked the grand opening of the Neil Barrett store in Aoyama, the store was designed by Zaha Hadid. What can I say folks? The woman is for all intense and purposes a genious. Any city would be more than fortunate to host her work. Her design is always quite consistent, she has her own very remarkable style and always understands the environment she works in quite well. This is how "you do" sculptural and raw!

do one thing, do it right!

This store is a perfect example of how a commercial space can truly be successful. Do one thing and make a strong statement doing so. Aesop's 11th store is the work of award-winning Melbourne architect Rodney Eggleston. It features a ceiling of 7560 glass bottles. This space is genius because "the product is the focal point and idea of the store". 

Versailles!

Looking for spa retreat? Let me recommend the mother of all spa retreats! As I am a person for Drama with a capital D, check out the  fabulous revamping of The Trianon Palace and Spa in Versailles.  Interior Designer Fiona Thompson transforms the 199 rooms as well as restaurant, ballroom and spa, with oyster-grays and apple greens. Lot's of impact and a very sophisticated vibe. Can you say craziness!!!!

Anyone up for Chinese?

You've never been to a Chinese restaurant such as this one, Fulu Delicious Elite is glitzy and lavish! Located a few blocks from OMA's renowned CCTV tower, this unusual eatery /nightclub serves pricey Japanese and Chinese dinners. The Architect Gustaf  C.K. kan gives his Chinese restaurant a new twist: a very loungy dark feel that is loud in all the right ways.

Not your mother's figurines!

Alain and I were at the Macef show in Milan in early September, we came across the LLADRO stand. We were blown away by their capacity to change with the times and create decorative porcelain masterpieces (with new and inventive themes) that are as valid today as they were yesterday. The Fantasy, the fist collection signed by Jaime Hayon for the brand. Feast you eyes on these beautiful pieces!

Wally!

If your looking to buy a yacht this is the yacht we recommend.

check out more boats from wally at http://www.wally.com/jumpCh.asp?idChannel=1&idUser=0&idLang=IT

Factories are known for assembly lines, blue collar workers, and being dirty. But that has all changed for the Volkswagen Phaeton factory in Dresden Germany. The cost for the factory was $ 320 million US dollars with an addition $ 10.27 million invested in the campus. Located 100 meters from the city’s Botanical Gardens the factory has implement some interesting system to keep the traffic to a minimum. The only component of the Phaetons that is brought in by truck is the car’s body everything else is brought in by way of the city’s tram system.

The Phaeton is hand built and does not use a traditional assembly line. Unique to the factory is the moving hardwood floor which acts as an assembly line, where the cars move slowly through the factory to different stages of the cars production.

If you are looking for a tour there are daily guided and unguided tours of the factory, if you are looking to buy a Phaeton you are able to go to the factory and choose the colour and options for your new car.

More China!

Every now and then there's a country, a city that commissions a high concentration of works and every so often most of them are successful. That's what's up in Beijing! Check out (Pitzker Prize-winning architects) Herzog and de Meuron's Master piece Olympic Stadium, perhaps the most beautiful most unique stadium in the world. These are the buildings that change a city forever.

China's rebith

China's central television headquarters


Take a look at what will be the second-largest office building after the pentagon. It's the headquarters for China's central television and Rem Koolhaas has done it again. This beautiful Monster defies the typical outcome of large architectural projects, the bigger the building is, the harder it is to make wonderful. "It has a delicacy despite it's size" Koolhaas says. " It's something that's not really a tower, but three dimensional, so it defies urban space".

Colour

I came across something interesting today, it’s a Sony Bravia ad I’m not to sure how old it is but it’s quite interesting. This is part of a series of ads taking place around the world where Sony has come up with interesting ways to display colour. What is happening in this particular ad is an ariel show of paint. The set is a community housing complex in Scotland which was going to be demolished, and the paint used is eco friendly there is a making of video on youtube as well. Enjoy the show.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zOU3xIVWbHY&NR=1

Something interesting for you, the Royal mint of the United Kingdom is modernizing its coin design. There was an open design competition which had 4000 entries, which was won by a London graphic designer Mathew Dent. His concept is one image which is separated into six coins, and requires them to be brought together in order to see the larger image, or just looking at the one pound piece would do the trick.

Alexander McQueen Store in Los Angeles by William Russel of Pentagram.

Located on Melrose Avenue in Los Angeles it is the fourth Alexander McQueen store that William Russel has designed. It is the flagship McQueen store taking the same design language for the stores in London, Milan, and New York. The interior of the stores are inspired by McQueen’s catwalk shows, which uses the minimal amount of materials while presenting the collections. The store was created on a vacant site which allowed Russel to design both the exterior and interior.

The store also hosts a sculpture by Robert Bryce Muir titled “ Angel of the Americas” which is suspended through a skylight next to the entrance.

Blue Frog Mumbai Opened earlier this year the Blue Frog is a 1000 square meter complex which is comprised of a restaurant, club, lounge, sound stage, recording studio and sound lab. It is located in Mumbai’s mill district, designed by Chris Lee and Kapil Gupta of Serie. The pod like seating arrangement circles and rises from a stage area which is reminiscent of a Roman amphitheatre and can double as a dance floor. Since the Blue Frog has opened, acts from around the world have been playing at blue Frog making it one of Mumbai’s hottest clubs.

Perched on a cliff in the tropical jungle, Villa Beige seems to have been set there by the greatest of hazards. Only four couples can stay in this luxurious house at one time. The whole concept is a glass of Chardonnay, for its voluptuousness as well as for its colour beige. And for the first time, I am not offended by the colour beige, and the use of tone on tone. Even here at the Villa Beige however, where the concept is beige, you can see the occasional Pucci chair that pulls it all together with colour, pattern and texture.http://www.villabeige.com/