Journal

A chronicle of people, places, happenings, and creations we admire.

OMA's Fondaco dei Tedeschi Opens in Venice

©OMA

Dutch architecture firm OMA have recently completed the renovation of the ancient and iconic Fondaco dei Tedeschi, which sits at the foot of the solid stone Ponte di Rialto in the heart of Venice.  A truly beautiful and evocative collision of architecture preserved in situ and slick, refined opportunities, piercing elements and opulent yet contemporary materials create a healthy amount of tension between old and new.  

This unique series of interventions in the form of circulation, place-making and enclosure may prove controversial to purists who feel that the nearly 820 year-old structure should have been rehabilitated without such audacious elements disturbing the scheme.  It is presumably the opinion Koolhaas and Co., that such a significant structure should emerge more than a museum or relic, but a modern machine of multi-purpose spaces, retail and culture which (one could give a nod to sustainability) and a new relevance in the modern world which it resides.

The Monocle Guide to Cozy Homes

A handbook for making a home that will stand the text of time, take knocks and scuffs in its stride—and where lives can unfold, children grow up, and dogs run wild. --Monocle

About This Book

This Monocle book tells us how to turn a house into a home. Both a practical guide and a great source of inspiration, The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes presents the interiors, furniture, and locations you need to know about along with portraits of the people who can make it happen. 

The Monocle Guide to Cosy Homes celebrates the durable and the meaningful through a collection of homes that tell a story. Most architecture and interior books show houses polished to perfection, manicured to the extent that it is hard to imagine anybody actually lives there: they seem to miss the point that homes are meant to be inhabited. They should be able to take scuffs and knocks and to be part of a community, whether in a Chicago skyscraper or on Australia’s sunshine coast.

Available Soon in the USA

Photos:©Monocle

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Bold. Badass. Beautiful: Armadillo by Enrico Marone Cinzano

Holding true to form with the furniture company's mission of high design through art and sustainability, Enrico Marone Cinzano debuts a very special piece, a Credenza called Armadillo.  Armadillo is a reclaimed glass and steel complication that expands and contracts as per desired use or occasion.  This dramatic and innovative piece is available exclusively at Spazio Rossana Orlandi, just in time for the Salon del Mobile di Milano 2015.  Watch the magic in the video.  Bravo! Bravo! Bravo!

Follow @enricomc


The Month of March

A Recap of our discoveries in March.

PRADA Women's FW2015: "Infinite Palace" By AMO

For the Prada FW 2015 Women’s fashion show, AMO converts PRADA's existing Milan show space into a series of chambers or 'Enfilade' where openings are aligned creating a journey of experiences and variations on a theme referencing the style of 16th Century Mannerism. 

Expanded metal grating denotes spatial transition between the rooms as well as concealing/complimenting the industrial lighting above while key zones of the 'runway' floor are marked with industrial diamond plate inserts of various shapes.  The audience seating is arranged at each room's perimeter creating an intimacy as the models pass through. The muted color palate in varied degrees play light and shadow within the space and contrast (whether intentional or not) the dynamic and static participation of model and audience.

Images ©OMA/AMO

The Month of February

A Recap of our discoveries in February.

(Left to right from top)

1.1971 Lamborghini Miura SV at RMSotheby's / 2. MONOCLE Quality of Life Conference, Lisbon 2015 / 3. Formfreu.de Photo Blog / 4. MONCLER Grenoble 'Evry' Jacket FW15 / 5. Corner Pack Shipping Boxes / 6. Enrico Marone-Cinzano Furniture Collection / 7. The New Yorker '90 for 90' / 8. The Cliff Vaughs Story / 9. Pia Mouwitz / 10. Ice Hotel, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden / 11. The Terroir Project /  12. How to be a Proper New Yorker

Ice Hotel No.25, Jukkasjärvi, Sweden

This year marks the 25th iteration of the Ice Hotel in Jukkasjärvi, about 17km outside Kiruna, located in Lapland.  The venue is constructed by master ice carvers as a global vacation destination.  The Ice Hotel is a seasonal destination open typically between November and March, the coldest time of the year above the Arctic Circle; it is rebuilt annually as it is composed mainly of ice and snow or "snice" used to bond the solid blocks together.  Themed rooms and spaces are booked in advance for a unique and truly once in a lifetime experience.  While the hotel is geared to those adventurous travelers that can put up with the (sub-zero degree celsius) interior temperature, the rooms are supplied with furs, animal skins and extreme-cold sleeping bags.  It also has many amenities of a traditional hotel, including a chapel, the ICE BAR a sauna and a restaurant.