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Photo courtesy of klein-dytham.com
Klein Dytham Architecture’s Toggle Hotel in Tokyo emphasizes pops of color in a gray urban landscape.
+ The hotel’s two-tone bedrooms, hallways, and common rooms are meant to be a welcome distraction from an otherwise gray-washed part of the city. Similarly, a pattern of alternating yellow and gray defines the Toggle Hotel exterior.
+ “The graphic inspiration came from the road marking on the adjacent expressway—as well as being a signifier to pay attention, yellow also stands for a sunny smiley face in the monotonous gray urban fabric,” Mark Dytham, cofounder of the studio, told Dezeen. “That it turned out to be the Pantone color combination of the year was pure coincidence. We received planning permission for the color and pattern almost two years ago—but proves we are always right on point!”
Photo courtesy of Luceplan
In other news, after delaying in 2020, Salone del Mobile looks at a possible cancellation this year as COVID resurges in Italy.
+ The furniture festival originally delayed the 2020 event to June 2020 before postponing to September 2021.
+ Amid an uptick in COVID cases, the festival has asked the Italian government to clarify its safety precautions to prepare for the event. Claudio Luti, president of the Salone Del Mobile, told Interni Magazine that if the government can’t figure it out in time, then the festival will have to cancel its 2021 outing and focus exclusively on the April 2022 iteration.
Photo by Megan Leigh Barnard, courtesy of abdurraqib.com
Hanif Abdurraqib talks about the writing process behind his new book, A Little Devil in America.
+ Published this week, A Little Devil in America is a meditation on Black performance throughout history, separated by “movements.”
+ “A big thing with organizing and order is, for me, trying to figure out what I was defining within the movements. It’s a good thing for me to spend some time with it—read through it and understand where my obsessions are leading me,” Hanif told Hyperallergic. “For me, it’s good to piece these things out and ask myself: What clusters are being connected through these ideas? That was a process.”
Photo courtesy of volkswagen-newsroom.com
Volkswagen announces a name change … sort of.
+ Earlier this week, Volkswagen announced it was rebranding to “Voltswagen” in the US to celebrate its effort at becoming the biggest electric vehicle manufacturer in the world.
+ Now the automaker has said that the rebrand was just an April Fool’s joke—perhaps to draw attention to the ID.4, the brand’s first long-range all-electric, zero direct emission SUV.
Photo courtesy of hgr.mx
Casa Texcal is HGR Arquitectos’ earthy, stone-clad holiday home in a mountainous Mexican town.
+ Located south of Mexico City in Tepoztlán, the home’s gable volumes are wrapped in local stone and large glass panels.
+ Earthy finishes such as exposed pine beams, warm-toned oak flooring, and quarry tiles are incorporated throughout—including the two-story red oak shelving unit in the living room—to reflect the landscape, as Cerro Del Tepozteco sits just behind the property.
The Ivy in the Lanes restaurant offers all-day casual dining with a maximalist, luxury feel. Photo by Paul Winch-Furness, courtesy of The Ivy Collection
These 11 art-filled restaurants give you something to feast your eyes on.
+ From Atlanta to London, chefs around the world are giving diners more than a culinary experience, with works by artists such as David Hockney, Claude Monet, Pablo Picasso, and more on display.
+ Some spaces like Sona, an upscale Indian restaurant in NYC, also double as a gallery with every work available to purchase.
Photo courtesy of maxenrich.com
Max Enrich’s new floor lamp collection turns lighting into totems.
+ The Barcelona-based designer created the Totems floor lamp collection with an unexpected material: upholstery foam.
+ “These lamps do not intend to blend into the space, but quite the opposite,” Max says on his website. “They seek nonintegration to generate tension with the house.”
Photo courtesy of fendi.com
Go behind the design of Fendi’s iconic Baguette bag.
+ As part of Fendi’s Hand in Hand initiative, the luxury brand released a collection of limited-edition Baguettes made using artisanal techniques representing Italy’s 20 regions.
+ Veneto, a bag inspired by Venice, is woven on authentic Jacquard looms to create the rich floral brocade reminiscent of the city, while Molise features Isernia’s renowned lacework.
Photo courtesy of oskarkohnen.com
Oskar Kohnen gives a design refresh to an apartment in London’s famed Brutalist complex, the Barbican.
+ Oskar maintained the 20th century character of the apartment while enhancing it with contemporary additions, such as a Swedish design kitchen and custom door hardware and bathroom fittings.
+ Oskar’s approach to furniture and art was similar, with vintage and modern pieces like the Senzafine sofa from 1969—a prototype for Zanotta by Eleonore Peduzzi Riva—outfitting the minimalist space. “It is a perfect example of the utopian optimism of [the Barbican] era,” he told Wallpaper.
Photo courtey of canarquitectos.com
Pablo Carballal is reinventing the rocking chair.
+ Old meets new with Granadina, an update to the classic rocking chair courtesy of the Madrid-based architect’s new furniture line, Candi—a project of his firm, CAN Arquitectos.
+ Named in part for its cherry red color—granadina is Spanish for grenadine—the design won an Honorable Mention at the European Product Design Awards.
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