Wanderlust is one of those experimental boutique hotels with a very bold overall aesthetic one sees very little. The hotel, founded by hotelier Loh Lik Peng houses in a building which originally was a school built in the 1920s in an area called Little India; a bustling cultural enclave where Indian immigrants once settled in Singapore. The hotel features thematic levels of 29 rooms by different award winning Singapore design agencies, who were all given full creative freedom. This resulted in a bold and beautiful hotel catering to all sorts of aesthetic preferences without taking it too far. [ Continue reading ]
The Bezau, Austria-based Hotel Post is one of those places with a long and rich history which we really appreciate. It starts in 1850 when Susanne Kaufmann's great-great-grandfather, Postmaster Johann Kaspar Natter, opened the first K.u.K Post Office in the Bregenzerwald Forest in the far West of Austria. Mail coaches were the most important means of overland transport covering up to 100 kilometres a day at that time. Therefore a small inn was added to the Bezau Post Office where passengers could refresh and rest from the coach rides. Johann Kaspar Natter's son Franz Josef took over the tavern and extended it so that in 1920 the inn had 28 beds. From 1926 the Post Inn was run by Oskar and Irma Natter. They passed on the reigns in 1968 to their daughter Rosemarie and her husband, the architect Leopold Kaufmann. Under their management the house underwent large changes paving the road to the hotel four star spa hotel one sees today. [ Continue reading ]
The Berlin-based Contemporary Fine Arts gallery recently opened a great pop-up shop named Front Row on the ground floor of its David Chipperfield-designed space on Museum Island. Open until the 26th of April, the store sells: artists’ books, catalogues, DVDs, vinyl, paintings, woodcuts, sculptures, and paraphernalia associated with the gallery for a large range of prices. The basic idea behind Front Row was to create a traditional analog exhibition. Nowadays speed has become a major factor in the work of the gallery, but in the early days of the 20-year-history of the gallery everything was thought out to the last detail; from exhibitions to books, to editions. Over the years these objects moved further and further away, partially because of the dominance of the internet, with them eventually ending up in storage. The idea of CFA-founder Bruno Brunnet was to put these beautiful elements produced by his gallery on display again next to work of his liking of a broad spectrum of artists. [ Continue reading ]
Today is the launch of the latest Amsterdam-based project of Dutch entrepreneur Casper Reinders named Libertine Gallery. The store and gallery is promising to be a large cabinet of curiosities, filled with neon art, Art Deco, stuffed birds and a robot. Libertine Gallery, which will open its doors at the Prinsengracht 715 for the public officially tomorrow, is the result of a collaboration between the passionate art dealer Fredien Morel from Antwerp (sometimes referred to as master of curiousa), interior fanatic Danielle Pakes, Mark Chalmers and Casper Reinders. The new interior design shop and art gallery stood on the wish list of Reinders for quite a while and with this set of collaborators it finally materialised. [ Continue reading ]
Since we discovered it, whenever we visit Antwerp the only address we want to stay is the extraordinary Boulevard Leopold. Owned by the warm hosts Bert Verschueren and Vincent Defontainers, Boulevard Leopold is located in a 19th Century house in the Belgian city, between the Albert Park and the City Park which is right in the Jewish Quarter. The two owners say their aim in the interiors was to create a sense of "forgotten glory", which in our eyes is the exact sentiment Boulevard Leopold evokes. Entering Boulevard Leopold is like entering the house of a libertine nobleman from the 19th Century living in contemporary times, cherishing all his old belongings hinting and long-gone times, completed with modern elements where needed. With three regular rooms for rent and two larger apartments available on longer terms, the bed and breakfast, built in 1890, is a beautiful hybrid of antique and contemporary design. [ Continue reading ]
The newly re-opened Paris-based La Ferme Saint Simon is a restaurant with a great heritage. In 1933 the restaurant opened its doors for the first time on Saint-Simon street, named after the famous French writer Louis de Rouvroy, Duke of Saint-Simon. At that time the restaurant, located close to the Musée d'Orsay and the Louvre, was named Au Bougnat. Subsequently the restaurant was acquired by the famous duo Denise Fabre and Francis Vandenhende who renamed it and made it a legendary Parisian address. Years later, in 2007, Ferme Saint Simon was acquired by Dario Dondelli, and finally in 2013 it was acquired by Marcelo Joulia and Laurent Limouzin, friends and associates through their Group Food & Fun. Joulia and Limouzin have updated the concept, while maintaining its founding elements: a classic and easy cuisine by chef Ali Iguedlane in an entirely new elegant decor, designed by French architecture and design agency Naço Architectures. [ Continue reading ]
Yusuke Seki designed this beautiful retail space named Nakagawa Masashichi Shoten-gai for a 300-year old traditional Japanese fabric producer's store in the Tokyo's midtown shopping complex. 'Shoten-gai' refers to a traditional shopping street, located within the centre of a (small) town, which one finds throughout Japan. However, the faces of these shopping areas have changed significantly over the years, with large drugstore chains and convenience stores replacing the local artisans. Inspired by the original shoten-gai and with the intention to recreate its charm, Seki designed a new type of market place; which is more suitable and competitive within modern life, but with a traditional character. [ Continue reading ]
Tokyo-based studio Torafu Architects recently completed the Kyoto store for our favorite cosmetics label Aēsop. Once again it is of the highly inspirational quality we've become used to when it comes to Aēsop stores. Located in the central shopping district of Kawaramachi, the beautiful space consists of two levels; a retail and small lounge area on the ground level, and a gallery space on the upper floor intended for social interaction. The original building structure was key in the design by Torafu as they wanted to keep it as intact as possible. Creating a beautiful raw and industrial aesthetic, exposed concrete and irregular wall surfaces have been preserved and integrated into the overall design. [ Continue reading ]
When we visited New York this October I did my homework beforehand. I tried to source new and unknown places, new retail concepts, the best restaurants, the galleries we could not miss - the usual. But I did not find that much. Just more of the same. Don’t get me wrong, that was still super good because we’re in New York, but I wasn’t blown away.
Until, between two appointments, after a quick espresso at La Colombe and a spare five minutes, I was making my way down Bond Street and stopped as soon as I saw a shop window. It wasn’t even particularly fancy but it did catch my eye for some reason: it was a nice little shop front with some old ceramic bowls on display and a huge old 'Black Cat' ad behind the window, yet it didn’t feel like any other vintage or antique store.
— As published in Journal de Nîmes No 9 — [ Continue reading ]
Ka'ana is a lovely resort that was founded by the brothers Ronan and Colin Hannan in 2007 as a tribute to the rich heritage and natural beauty of Central American country Belize. The resort is located in Belize's western Cayo district and offers personalized service and modern design that respects the country's culturally rich past. Located closely to areas where the ancient Maya civilization resided and surrounded by marvelous jungles, Ka'ana's tour excursions for exploration of the beautiful country are completely altered to the visitors' wishes to ensure an exclusive and most likely overwhelming experience. [ Continue reading ]
Traveling has been an integral part of Ruben Kosenda's life since he was a young boy. All this time on the road and in the air has now been translated into the design of a new hotel in the place Kosenda calls home: Indonesia. Named after its founder, the Kosenda Hotel in Jakarta is the work of local talents, artists, designers, and architects. Located on Wahid Hasyim road, this 8-floor hotel is an ode to the angular geometries of Betawi architecture, while simultaneously paying tribute to the surrounding environment. [ Continue reading ]
We are highly inspired by the online platform of writer Darrell Hartman, writer for among others New York Magazine, Travel + Leisure, Details, and the Wall Street Journal, and his brother Oliver Hartman, called Jungles in Paris. It aims to redefine armchair travel using a global network of professional photographers and filmmakers, it produces and presents short, focused stories on culture, craft, geography, and wildlife around the world. Instead of splendour the Hartman brothers aim to go small and observe with an highly critical eye by focusing on the unexpected surprises uncovered by the careful traveler, from ritual skin-piercing in Ethiopia’s Omo Valley to the beautiful aesthetic of the colourful house fences one finds in Rwanda. [ Continue reading ]
During our last visit to Gent we discovered another gem that made our stay in the historical Flemish city more then satisfying. Jigger's the Noble Drugstore was opened in September 2011 and is the brainchild of Olivier Jacobs, who named his cocktail bar referring to the American prohibition which was named 'The Noble Experiment' by the American government. And not just the name bears a connotation to the period in which alcohol was forbidden in the USA as the window display of the bar has nothing but a stuffed fox wearing a monocle in it, making it impossible to recognize it as an actual bar without any foreknowledge. [ Continue reading ]
When we visited Gent this month we really enjoyed our stay at the inspiring and wonderful bed and breakfast Le Jardin Bohémien of interior designer Jeanpierre Detaeye and his wife Kristine Dehond. The beginning of Le Jardin Bohémien lies in 2011 when Jeanpierre's collection of vintage furniture had no more room to expand and he decided to open up his vault for others. In his quest for a space to offer his gems to the public Jeanpierre found the location at the Burgstraat, close to the Gravensteen, which now houses Le Jardin Bohémien. The seventeenth century building, with a fourteenth century pilar in it, inspired Detaeye to expand his horizon beyond just selling vintage and together with his wife the decision was made to also open a lunchroom in the spacious ground floor. After the lunchroom had been open for 1,5 year, another expansion took place within Le Jardin as the room sitting next to the end of the monumental stairs to the first floor was designed and set up for the public as a bed and breakfast. [ Continue reading ]
Staying online is becoming almost a necessity while on the road. With services like Data Roam we can stay online 24/7, wherever we go. This makes the moments we are offline, out of reach of any transmission towers, with the nearest WiFi days away, real unique experiences.
Those moments are different than the one complaining you’re ‘out of reach’, in a tunnel or in a corner of a building where the coverage is just a little bad. It’s a complete different experience, and something that is rapidly becoming more and more uncommon. Thanks to the online world ‘getting lost’ lost its adventurous and sometimes dangerous feeling. But when you are at a place out of any cellular reach, we still can have the real ‘lost’ experience. [ Continue reading ]
The impressive temporary summer-restaurant on 'Vuurtoreneiland', close to Amsterdam, is a wonderful initiative by Staatsbosbeheer, who owns the island, Restaurant AS, Nooitlek, the Lloyd Hotel and the Cultural Embassy. Open for costumers since the beginning of July and running until the end of September; on Thursday until Saturday evening and on Sunday afternoon one can enjoy dinner or lunch during any kind of weather in the temporary erupted glass greenhouse on a truly stunning location. [ Continue reading ]
Together with Fontanel, we were invited by the Guggenheim Bilbao to visit the Riotous Baroque exhibition and enjoy a little of Bilbao. While the weather in the Netherlands dipped into some early autumn, it was a good time to escape to this sunnier part of Europe. And flying to Bordeaux, driving myself along the coast to Bilbao wasn't bad at all.
After driving along one of the most beautiful coastlines of Europe, crossing Biarritz and San Sebastian, Bilbao feels like a real hidden gem, with Frank Gehry's Guggenheim as the pearl in the centre of the city. A beautiful place, in the late 20th century transformed from a dirty old port into one of the worlds most iconic art cities and very much not what you'd expect of a Spanish city. The mix of the old and new architecture, in combination with its clean streets, green parks and the fresh breeze from the sea, is beautifully translated in a new exhibition where the 17th-century baroque artists are perfectly mixed with contemporary art. [ Continue reading ]
This week The House of Peroni will open its doors in London. For one month only it will showcase todays most exciting creative talent defining contemporary Italian culture. You will get a chance to attend at events and workshops including a talk with Giovanni Alessi Anghini about what inspired the creation of his iconic products, a tour with Andrea Morgante looking at the Italian influence on Londonʼ skyline and much more. [ Continue reading ]
Ferran and Albert Adria, world renown for the now inactive El Bulli restaurant, have united the cuisines of Peru and Japan (known as Nikkei) to form Patka, a fusion restaurant near Avenida Paralelo in Barcelona. The three head chefs working at the restaurant are the first 'fusion' element one can observe as Kyoko Ii, Jorge Muñoz and Albert Adrià all have different nationalities and backgrounds. For the interior, Adria once again turned to El Equipo Creativo, the design duo also responsible for the Adria restaurant and cocktail bar Tickets and 41º. The designers Oliver Franz Schmidt and Natali Canas del Pozo are clearly inspired by the traditional Japanese tavern, which they combined with bright and warm colors, evidently Peruvian. The two cuisines and aesthetic-elements which are the foundation for the restaurant explain the word 'Patka', which means ‘union’ in the Quechua language spoken in the Andes region. [ Continue reading ]
We already wrote about the lovely bed and breakfast Casa da Diná in Alentejo’s countryside, close to the beautiful beaches of the southwest Portuguese coast. For 6 days we enjoyed this amazing place, rolling hills covered with colourful flowers and wonderful desolated beaches (note, during the summer the beaches are not so desolated anymore and there are no more flowers on the hills - but it definitely still is an amazing place!)
After 6 days we moved to Lisbon and were welcomed by Maria and her team at the Baixa House. [ Continue reading ]
Established in 2011 by Edward Godden and Joseph Lewis, The Travelling Gin Company provides a unique drinking experience straight from their vintage delivery bicycles. The two Brits conveniently dressed in aprons from Labour and Wait serve up the ultimate Gin and Tonic and also specialize in other gin based cocktails. Godden and Lewis see their venture as "a pop-up drinks project." [ Continue reading ]
Last month was a crazy one. We traveled form Amsterdam to Tokyo, to Basel, to Lisbon for both business and pleasure. In the coming days we'll share some of our experiences here. To start with Japan. Together with Menno and Rene - Tenue de Nîmes - we went to Japan to get some serious indigo and retail inspiration. Besides our amazing visit to Takeo Paper, we were invited to visit this indigo paradise of the legendary Bryan Whitehead. [ Continue reading ]
The new concept perfume-bar named Liquides in Paris which opened on the 17th of April and was founded by David Frossard's Different Latitudes, a label for independent perfumers founded in 2005, and designer Philippe Di Méo, is a true mecca for fragrance lovers. Located conveniently at 9 rue de Normandie in the historical Marais neighborhood; which has the air of 17th century Paris and over the last couple of years has become the destination of choice for niche fragrance connoisseurs. On that part Liquides adds significant value to the neighborhood's reputation offering a broad scala of scents, from rare personalized perfumes, to fragrances from major perfume houses including Byredo, Miller Harris, Odin, Arquiste, Jardins de France and Olfactive Studio. [ Continue reading ]
Last few days we stayed in Alentejo's countryside, close to the beautiful beaches of the southwest Portuguese coast, at Casa da Diná. A bed & breakfast run by the Portuguese and Uruguayan couple Dina Medeiros and Walter Betbeder Rosso. Traveled the world themselves they decided to set home at Malavado and combine Walter's atelier with this lovely bed & breakfast of four double rooms, a delicious homemade breakfast and now and then a dinner to share Dina's love for Portuguese cuisine.
While enjoying this lovely place, we got inspired by the works of Walter and his atelier. The beautiful earth-toned palette, the geometrical forms, simplicity and cubist style in contrast to his palettes incorporated in this world of simplicity. [ Continue reading ]