Time Out…

…I am left breathless by Sandibe Okavango Safari Lodge in Botswana.  Brought into being by Fox Browne Creative and Michaelis Boyd Associates with Nicholas Plewman Architects, this resplendent retreat feeds the senses at every turn.  Let’s go to the land where the elephants roam…and maybe, just maybe…we will stay forever…

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Heavenly Haven….

Masseria Moroseta, located in Puglia, Italy, is the wonder-workings of Andrew Trotter…

a white stone farmhouse turned into a boutique b&b…

architecturally influenced by Pugliese tradition…

relax…

eat…

sleep…

work a bit, if you must…

escape…

to dream amidst 500 year old olive trees…

and enjoy the awe-inspiring sea.
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Mirror, Mirror…

…splendor and awe; fear and panic; and, fascination…Yayoi Kusama‘s Mirror Room installations currently on exhibit at Victoria Miro in London.

chandelier of grief

all eternal love i have for the pumpkins
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Time Out…

…for tea-time hiking…Ban Shan Café brings the mountains down into Beijing.  Robert3 Design selected tactile materials like wood, paper, brick, and ceramic tiles to create a warm, earthy environment.  A perfect spot for us to sip a cup of tea and visit.  By the way, ‘shan’ means ‘mountain’ in Chinese.

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Happy St. Patrick’s Day…

…from Chicago.

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Rugged in the ‘Hood…

…but not really.  120 Allen Street, on Manhattan’s lower east side is referred to by New York-based, Grzywinski + Pons, as an aparthotel…a hybrid of an apartment and a hotel.  The facade fits nicely into the ‘classical grittiness’ of the neighborhood, with the industrial interior being  warm, soft, and cozy. The exterior boasts multi-tonal brickwork, zinc panels, coal-fire bricks, rusticated masonry details, and metal louvres.

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Let’s Flow…

…acumen, creativity, and skill of Beijing studio, MAD…brilliant flowing form is brought to Harbin Opera House, China.

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Make a Pilgrimage…

…long live art and design!

Spiral Jetty, Great Salt Lake, Utah/Robert Smithson

Serpentine Pavillion, London, UK/Serpentine Galleries

Levitated Mass, LA County Museum of Art, Los Angeles/Michael Heizer

Salvation Mountain, Niland, CA/Leonard Knight

The Illumination, Houghton Hall, Norfolk, UK/James Terrell

Barbara Hepworth Museum & Sculpture Garden, St. Ives, Cornwall, UK

Cosmo, MoMA PS1, Long Island City, NY/Andres Jaque
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Museum Monday…

…A spate of major new museum openings boasting top notch architecture and serious modern and contemporary art exhibitions make this summer’s cultural landscape one worth traveling for.

Fondazione Prada Milan/OMA

Fondation Louis Vuitton, Bois de Boulogne/Frank Gehry

Whitney Museum of American Art, NYC’s Meatpacking District/Renzo Piano

Kunsthaus Dahlem, Berlin/Petra and Paul Kahlfeldt

The Broad, Los Angeles/Diller Scofidio + Renfro via

Virunga…

…why must beauty and nature be exploited…why must innocence be prey to greed, corruption, and violence?  No answers…only questions.  Visit Virunga to take action.

The Ribbon Chapel…

the perfect place to tie-the-knot…a wedding chapel in the gardens of Bella Vista Sakaigahama, a resort hotel in Onomichi, Hiroshima, Japan, laced and curled by NAP Architects.  Gorgeous!

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Trilogy…

…I discovered three new projects that struck me as wanting to play together…

wood wave screen/paul coudamuy

vertigo climbing cafe, lisbon, portugal/german architect tim simon with portuguese architect joão quintela

cheering restaurant, hanoi/h&p architects
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Reiulf Ramstad Architects: Work Commute…

…we are beginning a new year with new adventures and creative ideas, so back to work we go.  A commute to work is pleasant and inspiring when Reiulf Ramstad Architects (RRA) leads the way…

Ullernåsen Metro Station, Oslo, Norway

Holmenkollen Metro Station, Oslo, Norway

Carl Berner Metro Station, Oslo, Norway
all images courtesy of Reiulf Ramstad Architects

Reiulf Ramstad Architects: On Tour…

…as promised, a sampler of the stellar work of Reiulf Ramstad Architects (RRA).  Today we are touring…I’m ready to pack my bags and bask in the beauty.

Marinatomta National Tourist Route, Møre og Romsdal, Norway

Troll Wall Restaurant and Visitor Centre, Møre og Romsdal, Norway

Trollstigen Visitor Centre, Møre og Romsdal, Norway

Gaularfjellet National Tourist Route, Sogn og Fjordane, Norway
all images courtesy of Reiulf Ramstad Architects

Holiday Stress?…

…this should cure it. Luxury Dusit Thani resort is just one of many tropical heavens on earth. It is located on Mudhdhoo Island in Baa Atoll in beautiful Maldives.

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