Blog Archives

Jun 05 2014

14th Architecture Biennale Venice

05/06/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: Kate | In: architecture, Art, Design, Entertainment, Event, Interiors, Photography, Pop Up Store

An impressive light installation in the shape of a Renaissance-era Venetian façade has been set up in the Arsenale venue in Venice for the 14th International Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia.

Fundamentals, which opens its doors on Saturday 7 June, 2014. The installation, titled Luminaire, is the result of a collaboration between the curator of this year’s Architecture Biennale Rem Koolhaas and the Swarovski Foundation.

Measuring 20 metres in length and consisting of thousands of coloured-glass bulbs and 15kg of Swarovski Crystal Rock, all mounted on an elaborate wooden structure, the installation frames the main entrance to the Monditalia exhibition which offers a timeline of Italy’s history connected to its architecture. The Monditalia exhibition is but one of three interlocking exhibitions comprising this year’s Architecture Exhibition of La Biennale di Venezia again curated by Koolhaas with the ambition of illuminating the past, present and future of architecture.

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May 20 2014

Spiler Shanghai : Budapest

20/05/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: Kate | In: architecture, Art, Design, Gastronomy, Hotel, Interiors

Shanghai in the 1930s: “lust, women, style, dimmed lights, sensual music, and erotica”. Sounds damn good to us, but with time travel still in the pipeline (someone chivvy that along please) why not swing by Spiler Shanghai in Budapest for an atmospheric facsimile? That alluring description of the Chinese city comes from Roy Zsidai, the Hungarian entrepreneur who wowed us with his first Spiler venue and has done the same with this Asian sequel.

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May 19 2014

Hotel Not Hotel

19/05/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: Kate | In: architecture, Art, Design, Hotel, Interiors

HOTEL NOT HOTEL is a hotel with quite a difference. Collaboration-o, a group of designers form the Design Academy Eindhoven, have let their imaginations run amok within the spacious walls of Piri Reisplein 34, taking the concept of individually-designed boutique rooms several stages further than simply varying the colour scheme or sticking in some mismatched chairs.

The rooms at HNH sit inside the building’s superstructure like stand-alone cottages, and bear almost no relation to each other in their layouts or furnishings. Take for example the little semi-detached rooms that make up the Crisis Free Zone. One red, one blue, both bedecked in busy wallpaper, enough room for the bed and nothing else, and fronted by a wonderful carved wooden archway of hearts and skulls, the facade of the rooms themselves equally ornate with an almost church-like window/steeple arrangement. Then there’s the Crow’s Nest, which offers an unusual vantage point of the rest of the hotel through its scaffolding platform on the room’s roof. A secret room hidden behind a bookcase, another fashioned from an antique tram trolley… what will you discover next? Great fun.

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May 17 2014

Urban Outfitters : Herald Square

17/05/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: Kate | In: architecture, Art, Design, Exhibit, Interiors

Urban Outfitters opened its newest location in Herald Square. At 57,000 square feet, this outpost is the company’s biggest store yet. And with all that space, you’ll find much more than the usual offerings of music-fest–ready clothing, novelty books and home-decor goods. This location also features a hair salon, an expanded makeup department, an in-store shop from eyewear company Tortoise & Blonde, a large record department with more than 800 vinyl titles curated by Amoeba Records and a coffeeshop powered by Intelligentsia Coffee.

You’ll also find a booth that prints out your own Instagram photos, a huge department dedicated to workout clothes and a large department-store-worthy shoe section. It’s all part of the latest trend in retail, where stores are offering extras that encourage hanging out.

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May 16 2014

CMB56 : Antwerp Belgium

16/05/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: Kate | In: Abstract, architecture, Art, Design, Hotel, Interiors

Back in the 1990s, Jambers rented this former hostel, squatting upstairs with friends while running a gallery downstairs with the performance artist Ludo Mich. It was only five years ago that he was able to buy the townhouse and renovate, fixing to the roof one of his more extraordinary finds: an old barge wheelhouse, which now provides views over the River Scheldt. Jambers named the new ground-floor gallery CMB58 or Compagnie Magnifek Belge. These days, Jambers lives on the second floor but rents out the first and third floors, which are outfitted in flamboyant saleable midcentury collectibles and local art that prompts the odd double take. A horse’s head mounted over the balustrade was once attached to a beloved champion racer, a silver-suited astronaut was an old prop of Ludo Mich’s, and a seven-foot-tall, fame-red figure is a 1997 work by Jambers’ brother, Mark Jambers.

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May 15 2014

The Line Hotel : L.A

15/05/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: Kate | In: architecture, Art, Design, Hotel, Interiors

Conceived as a starting point for urban explorers and comfort zone for stressed out city dwellers, The Line Hotel, a full on luxury boutique hotel by the Sydell Group. Located alongside the area’s famous 1940-prebrick colonial revival buildings, it provides an oasis of raw luxury and design right in the middle of L.A.’s never ending urban sprawl. Displaying full sensitivity to its exciting location, designer Sean Knibb has achieved much much more than merely refurbishing and restyling this former middle range hotel dating from the 60s. 



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May 12 2014

Set Designer : Es Devlin

12/05/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: Kate | In: Art, Craft, Design, Entertainment, Event, Photography

Hey Es, Imm’a let you finish, but firstly can I just say, you’re amazing!

I don’t feel the need to wax lyrical about Es Devlin because her incredible work speaks for itself. She’s a true inspiration to me, and for proof of why, just take a look at some of her many achievements below.

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May 11 2014

Memorable Meals from Literature

11/05/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: Kate | In: Art, Craft, Design, Food Styling, Gastronomy, Graphic Design, Photography

Designer and writer Dinah Fried has created the most immaculate and inspired gastronomic flat lays. Some literary descriptions of food made such a strong impression on her that she decided to recreate and photograph them—a total of 49 photographs have been created by Fried. From Moby Dick to The Great Gatsby, and even Alice in Wonderland, Dinah has laid out some seriously iconic tables to photograph.

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May 10 2014

OPENING CEREMONY : Crash Collection SS2014

10/05/2014 | Comments: 0 | Posted by: Kate | In: Art, Design, Fashion Wear, Photography

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Opening Ceremony. I anticipate their collection launches and fashion shows more than Christmas. They always create an environment that is unique and original, with the perfect ratio of nonchalance that actually works to heighten their polished aesthetic. Their shows are abstraction meets style meets street meets modernity, all rolled into one take that! fun ball. As a Set Designer I’m always fascinated by their concepts, and each season my expectations are exceeded. I don’t know if they would appreciate this comparison, but I like to think their shows are Chanel for Millennial‘s.

Their Crash Collection for SS14 is no exception. OC have expertly dressed their models and then flat laid them on beds either relaxing or captured undertaking everyday tasks. It seems to be a common theme these days- heightening the everyday aesthetic and OC are capitalising on the trend. All shots are in plan view and give the customer a perfect image of the clothes, albeit a more relaxed depiction of them.

I couldn’t say there is consistency to their colour ways this look book. But who cares. Anyone who can send out an oversized Neoprene Racing tee, next to avocado green psychedelic trousers and a blue bauhaus inspired print button-down is already so far ahead of the fashion game, it makes the rest of us look like we’re still in the locker room with our jersey’s on backwards.

Game Over. OC for MVP.

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