Hotel Everland
Images via Oddee
Everland Hotel is a project by artist duo L/B (Sabina Lang and Daniel Baumann).
Everland is a sort of roving hotel. First developed on the invitation of the Curator Gianni Jetzer for the exhibition concept “Everland” at the Swiss national exhibition in 2002. Planned by L/B and built in Burgdorf, Hotel Everland was then transported to Yverdon where it was parked on the lake of Neuchatel for 4 months. Since then the hotel has been exhibited as a Hotel on the roof deck of the Museum of Contemporary Art Leipzig, Germany, spent its last tour this spring in Paris high above the city with a view of the Eiffel Tower atop the roof of Palais de Tokyo.
Along with it unique roving abilities, the hotel itself represents the subjective dream of a hotel: the architecture, the playful details right down to the golden embroidered bath towels, make participating in the project dreamworthy. The pricetag though — maybe not so accessible. One nights stay — which the room can only be booked for — costs roughly $500 for weekdays, a little over $600 for weekends.
Though the Hotel Everland is only one room, it luxuriously features a bathroom, king-size bed, and a lounge, as well as a fully sotcked mini-bar — which is included in the price — a record collection for your listening pleasure, and breakfast is delivered to the door.
Photos of the project in motion — both figuratively and literally — as well as a few of the hotel under construction, some preconstruction sketches, and the completed piece with details and all can be seen here in Everland’s Photo Gallery.
Airstream the New Penthouse
Gilding’s little brother is but one year away from making the big decision of community college or university — to go away for school, or remain in the safety of a clucking mother’s home for just one more year while attending our local college. Since his Freshman year in high school he has been of the opinion that he will attend straightaway to his degree at Auburn University, and he has worked steadfastly at it. But given that this is a blood relation to Gilding you know damn well this plan of his couldn’t possibly be of the normal account, and lo-n-behold last month he revealed the master plan he knew would irritate the shit out of his older sister. No dorm room living, apartment hunting, house shacking up for this gilded brother. Nope, he wants to purchase a camper and live in that. See, just hearing that you know that’s going to irritate the living hell our of Gilding. All that closed in space, recycled air, and what-not. And don’t even try to argue with her about the recycled air thing. That close in proximity to anything let alone everything leads to recycled air. There’s simply not enough space for exhaled air to disipate before you breathe in your next breath. Blech!
And then Apartment Therapy had to go and find these Airstream Penthouses.
The Greand Daddy Hotel in Cape Town, South Africa, has re-imagined the concept of “penthouse” using vintage Airstream trailers perched on the roof of the hotel. Each trailer was decorated by one of seven artists/designers from Cape Town. Other than the interesting concept, the trailers offer an amazing view of Africa’s Table Mountain offering an idyllic camping experience.
Trailer 1: Afro Funk by Carla Soudien
Inspired by the street fashion of Cape Town
Trailer 2: Love of Lace by Tracy Lynch
This feminine boudoir was created by Lynch and utilizes her favorite color.
Trailer 3: Dorothy by Sarah Pratt
Fine artist Pratt took the a theme inspired by the Wizard of Oz’s heroine’s dress and carried it through to the smallest detail. Every inch of this trailer down to its accessories is covered in light blue and white polka dots.
Trailer 4: Goldilocks and the Three Bears by Mark and Joe Stead
Another fairy tale inspiration, this cheeky trailer appeals to families as its the only trailer that comes with a bunk bed. Or it could appeal to the naughty adult — the closet is stocked with plushy bear suits.
Trailer 6: Pleasantville by Liam Mooney
The creative director of Whatiftheworld as well as the creative director of the Penthouse Park Project, Mooney decorated his trailer in this 50′s style hom, taking ues from popular colors and fabrics from that era. Mooney recreated the look and feel and even paid close attention to the details, such as the bookcase that is stocked with cheesy romantic novels from the 50′s. Oh, and there are wall ducks!
Trailer 7: Earthcote Moontides by Susan Woodley and Brigitte Dewberry
Gilding is diggin this one. Ok, she’s digged all of them, but she could picture her brother liking this one. This dreamy trailer is about taking “a soul journey” and is decked out inp pearly, luminescent textures and muted earth tones.
More images and details about each trailer is available at The Grand Daddy Hotel Cape Town.
[Via apartment therapy]
Grotto the New Kitsch of a Hometown By the Sea?
Remember Gilding mentioning that she lives in the land of horrible beach kitsch. Not that glamorous sophisitcated rustic style of Martha’s Vineyard or the Hamptons, not the quaint and comfortably aged feel of some beachside Maine, New Hampshire, or Connecticut community. No, she lives in the epicenter of tacky beach kitsch hell. Think of every horrible design feature in any seaside hotel you’ve ever been in, every eye blistering color, every painted palm tree, sea shell and wicker framed piece of furniture that left you wretching and guess what, that’s a product of Gilding’s hometown’s design contribution. Even its sophisticated beach kitsch is hideous. Now don’t take this as an oath of ill thoughts of her own hometown, for as insane as it may be, Gilding is quite attached to the little place and reveres it for the comforts it provided her childhood and all the things that she sees it could become — provided that all its current county legislators were excommunicated to some other towns problem and set anew were people with progressive ideas — driven on something other than corporate capitalism — a sense of community, an ability to think fairly, objectively, and with heart, and speaking of heart….oh, well you get where she’s going with this. Its what we all want of our legislators.
But what does this post of her hometown’s idea of beach chic all lead up to. Why, Gilding’s discovery of a furniture style naughtily called “Grotto” and encompassing all the lines and curves of water, beach woods, plants, and grasses and the gifts of the Sea and her maiden jewels of shells. Ok, so you may be rolling your eyes at Gilding for only just now discovering this, but remember, for all her big words and haughty ideals, she is but a spring chicken in this world; still new to all its discoveries and not yet completely jaded, but able to still be awed and surprised every once in a while.
Boy, Gilding has been on quite a roll of gilding the lily of late hasn’t she. Oh well, you love her or else you woudn’t still be reading this…you are still reading this…aren’t you?
What first brought Gilding to the discovery of this Grotto design was this chair [above] by designer Michael Von Jakubowski, found on Moss Daily New. This particular chair is hand-carved of wood and silvered poliment.
According to Moss, there is no record of exactly when the first Grotto furniture was created, however, furniture with similar decorative elements were popular in the Renaissance period, and were designed for the artificial grottos of Royal palace gardens. These pieces of furniture had Mediterranean themed carved features: shells shaping the chair seats and backs or table surfaces, dolphin shaped legs, sea horses, algae, coral, sea snakes all made their presence in the form. Even mythical creatures such as winged horses and small dragons appeared. Usually the wood would be stained a rich walnut color or would be covered with a poliment silvering, with gold and brown painted highlights.
Records of Grotto furniture production in Venice do exist starting from 1890, until production ceased in 1930, and many of those pieces can be found in museums and private collections as covetous Venetian masterpieces.
Now see, that’s the kind of beach kitsch Gilding’s home town could sport — since ridding itself of that would simply be unthinkable for this town for fear of losing any personal cultural identity that it may be able to claim, if on that alone. It could be argued as tacky, but there is something so regal in its design and the simulated lines of things natural and organic solidifying the feel of always being by the ocean that is so important to inhabitants and visitors of this land of sugar beach sand and gently crashing waves.
And just for fun, here’s some more Grotto furniture that Gilding found in her search:
Images [above] from Newel.
Suites in the Park
Leave it to those wacky Germans to reinvent living in the sewer pipes into a posh experience. Stressed concrete pipes on the outside, das Parkhotel (meaning ‘those park hotel’) has redesigned the cylindrical tubes to unexpected comfort; offering full standing height on the inside, a double bed, reservoir, light, line current (or in other words, electricity, and blankets and sleeping bags…oh, and an ergonomic Eurofoam mattress to rest your cushy softness on. All of life’s other little necessities (i.e. toilets, showers, mini bar, cafeteria…) are located on the grounds public area in the adjacent field.
For the techno-needy, the public area offers all the necessary digital connections to civilization, also known as the interweb. For the techno-fobe, this is camping at its best — outdoor camping but with the luxury of not having to shit in the woods. The cafeteria offers ready made food and/or the line current (or electrical connection) to your sewer pipe cum sleeping quarters allows for use of electrical appliances.
Link: das Parkhotel
Photoshop Need Not Apply
The most photographed building in Poland, the Crooked House [pictured] isn’t a victim of Photoshop, but is the creation of architect Szotynscy Zaleski. Inspired by the fairytale illustrations of Jan Marcin Szancer and the drawings of Swedish artist, and Soport resident, Per Dahlberg, the Crooked House is 4,000 square meters (or 13,123.36 square feet) located in the Rezydent shopping center in Sopot, Poland, a small town situated along the Baltic Coast. Its main tenant is a tavern called the Wonky Pub.
Originally a little sqaure with a music & coffee house called “Kawiaret,” construction on the Crooked House began January 2003 and finished December of that same year.
While the Crooked House was inspired by Szancer’s illustrations and Dahlberg’s drawing, architect Zaleski also modeled the building’s exterior on Monciak’s promenade style. The floors refer to cornices and floors of other neighboring buildings. And colorful stained glass entrances, stone elevation decors, and windows framed with standstone make an impression. The unusual roof is covered with sheet metal and enamel roof tiles in green, sea blue, and Parisian blue colors to create an illusion of dragon scales.
More can be read on the details that make up the Crooked House along with photos at The World According to Google.
Related: Satyry, illustrations by Jan Marcin Szancer
Sleepless
Once upon a time there was a blanket…
Designed by Tiago da Fonseca, one of fourteen students from the Royal College of Art’s Acclaimed Design Products department, led by Professor Ron Arad, involved in designing reactive installations and objects for Great Eastern Hotel which invite guests and visitors to take part in an experience where a hotel is more than just a place for the night.
The Bedtime Stories blanket quite literally wraps you up in a book. Each page turned adds another layer of linen, making you warmer or cooler by choice, and carrying you away into the world of sleepy story-filled dreams as you read the traditional bedtime story contained within the comfy ‘pages’.
Link: Platform10
Jabba–and the other huts
Welcome to the 21st-century version of the humble beach hut.
This futuristic installation, enigmatically titled Eyes Wide Shut, featuring front and back floor-to-ceiling mirrored sliding doors, is one of five individually designed huts being installed along a 10-mile stretch of coast from Mablethorpe to Anderby Creek in time for the UK’s first beach huts festival, Bathing Beauties, on 22 and 23 September. The creations, the winners of an international competition to reinvent the iconic British beach hut, by artist Michael Trainor.
Jail House sings new posh luxury
“Luxury Living, Where Once the Residents Were Felons The old Charles Street Jail in Boston will be reborn next week as the luxurious Liberty Hotel. And while the 100-foot ceiling and arched windows at the entrance of the building may be impressive, there’s no chance of anyone forgetting its roots, or what Richard L. Friedman, the Boston developer responsible for reinventing the jail, likes to call its “jailiness.”
There will be iron bars on the first two floors of the building, including the ballroom. The prison guards’ catwalks, which once flanked the cell blocks, now overlook the lobby. “It will be a great place for people-watching,” Mr. Friedman said. (But frankly, wasn’t it always?)
The hotel restaurant will be called the Clink, and the bar Alibi. “We could have overplayed it,” said Mr. Friedman, who worked on the $150 million project with Kennedy Associates of Seattle. “We could have put waiters and waitresses in striped suits, and handcuffs in all the rooms.” Instead, he said, they kept “the essence, little fun things: the waiters and waitresses will have numbers on their shirts.”
Completed in 1851 by the architect Gridley James Fox Bryant on a site at the foot of Beacon Hill, the Charles Street Jail is a national, state and city landmark. The designation obligated Mr. Friedman to keep such details as the bars, shown here, on the first and second floors. Sleeping in an authentic jail cell, however, will not be possible.
Most of the 300 guest rooms, which will cost about $300 to $350 a night for a standard room, will be in a new tower adjoining the jail. Those who book one of the 18 rooms in the old building, shown here, will find themselves in units much larger than the original 7-by-10-foot cells.
Is there anything in the rooms themselves that says jailiness? “The rooms in the old jail have exposed brick and bars,” Mr. Friedman said. “The rooms in the new towers are not reflective of the jail except for references in interior design. The custom draperies have beautifully and elegantly done imprints of jail bars,” he added. “And our Do Not Disturb signs will read: Solitary.””
Link: NYTimes.com–by, Joyce Wadler
Boutique hotelier to join forces with the Grandfather of Cookie-Cutter International
Ian Schrager is a hotelier and real-estate developer who began his career as a nightclub owner. He is best known for launching the discothèque Studio 54 in 1977 with partner Steve Rubell. Studio 54 ultimately closed in the wake of a cash-skimming tax evasion scandal that sent both Schrager and Rubell to prison. Once out of prison the duo turned to hotels, creating Morgans Hotel in New York, often referred to as the first boutique hotel.
After Rubell died of AIDS, Schrager continued building hotels and is often credited for starting the independent design hotel trend–the ’boutique hotel’. Schrager left Morgans Hotel Group in 2005 and now runs the Ian Schrager Company. In 2006, Schrager celebrated the completion of the landmark Gramercy Park Hotel.
Boutique Hotels, also known as lifestyle hotels, are distinctive for their innovative, individualized and intimate designs. Not to mention “destination” bars that lure travelers and locals alike. Mr. Schrager popularized the concept in the early 1980s.
It was on a brisk September morning last year that Mr. schrager began a whirwind courtship will Bill Marriot, hotelier of the Marriot, that couls change the face of boutique hotels, giving birth to a chain of boutique hotels. Seems a bit like an oxymoron, but the plan, as Mr. Schrager revealed to the New York Times, “Schrager will design some 100 boutique hotels for the as-yet-unnamed brand in major cities across the United States, South America, Europe and Asia, and Marriott International will operate them. By tapping a range of renowned architects and designers, Mr. Schrager plans to give each property a distinct character.”
However, Mr. Schrager is a notoriously known perfectionist, “famously obsessive about the details of his work.” And Marriot…well it is famously known for its cookie-cutter designs regardless of how many stars you go up the chain. Does anyone else here see the comings of a culture clash. As hospitality industry consultant Jim Butler asked rhetorically on his blog: “What will Schrager do when Marriott criticizes the color of the silk hanging from the ceiling, or some innovative design feature in the restrooms?”
Link: NYTimes.com–A Hotelier Is Breaking the Mold Once Again
