DESIGN HOTELS PRESENTS… TUSCAN STROLL

Ahh Tuscany…  The place of Dante, the Medici family, great wine, rolling hills dotted with cyprus trees, and on and on…  Out of our love of this Italian region we have put together together a presentation to inspire the heart, mind and appetite!

Be inspired here…

THE AMPAL CREATIVE

For anybody with a dream to make a cool product witih quality, heritage, and a sense of nostalgia as the core elements, watch this video about the LA based Ampal Creative…

“For The Ampal Creative, they pride themselves on their special take on headwear. Sourcing the material locally and manufacturing it within Los Angeles are two unique aspects to the 3year old hat brand. Re-appropriation of classics with their own modern take and understated detailing has come to represent the brand. A video documenting their quest to choose the materials which ultimately ended up in their latest range of hats can be seen here.”

The Ampal Creative - Made in LA from Ampal Creative on Vimeo.

MURAKAMI NEWS

Takashi Murakami has been busy lately!  Not only is he releasing a special edition G-Shock watch with casio, but his upcoming exhibit at Chateau Versailles is going to seriously rock.

The exhibit will consist of 22 pieces of work, with 11 artworks especially created for the exhibition and among them: 7 sculptures, 1 video, 1 painting, 1 carpet, and a collection of lamps. Opening on September 13 and running through until December 12 at illustrious Château de Versailles.

Get more info here…

Since 2002, Takashi Murakami has hosted a weekly “Art Dojo FM” radio show on Japanese radio station Tokyo FM. 2010 marks, the radio station’s 40th year on the air, so to celebrate, they enlisted Casio to produce a translucent red G-Shock Frogman, complete with Takashi Murakami “flower” artwork on the caseback and packaging (there’s a mini pillow in the box!), as well as the artist’s signature across the strap. The watch will be released on September 11, 2010 and is limited to 300 pieces. (via SlamXHype)

DENNIS HOPPER AND THE LA ART SCENE

There is a fantastic article in Vanity Fair (August, 2010) about the big changes taking place in the Los Angeles for those interested (as told by Dennis Hopper)…

“Three rifts have rocked L.A.’s booming art scene: the breakup of the late Dennis Hopper’s fifth marriage; the divorce of Dodgers executives Jamie and Frank McCourt; and the ongoing rivalry between the town’s great museums, LACMA and MOCA. After a last interview with Hopper—whose retrospective is the controversial debut of MOCA’S new director, Jeffrey Deitch—the author touches base with all the power players, from philanthropic titan Eli Broad to Pop-art prince Ed Ruscha.” (read article here)

BANKSY, SPACE INVADER, AND ROBBO… OH MY!

For anybody interested in the origins and cutting edge of street art, don´t miss the new Hookedblog Street Art Walking Tours around London´s east end.

The “Hookedblog Street Art Walking Tour” as we are naming it will offer Londoners and tourists alike the opportunity to see another side of the East End of London. Join us as we journey the streets of Old Street, Shoreditch and the Brick Lane areas which are seen as the epi-centre for Street Art, not only in London but the UK. The ever-changing nature of East London’s street art means that no two tours will be the same as new works go up on a weekly basis. Some of the artists work we can expect to see on the tour will include Banksy, Invader, D*Face, Roa, Stik, Conor Harrington and Eine to name a few.

The 2 hour experience will begin outside Old Street Underground Station ( Exit 2) and we will finish up at Liverpool Street Station. The tour will cost £10 per person. Should you wish to join the tour please email for more details at hookedblog[at]hotmail.com

The next tour dates are as follows:
Saturday 31 July 2010 — 11am
Saturday 14 August 2010 — 11am
Saturday 28 August 2010 — 11am

And if you are still deciding where to stay while in East London, consider both The Boundary Hotel in Shoreditch and the brand new Town Hall Hotel.

(via Hypebeast)

V MAGAZINE AND PIN-UP GIRLS… WE SALUTE YOU

Fashion mag V Magazine has just put the wraps on their “sexy body” issue which we introduced a few weeks ago.  Now, they have introduced a video teaser of behind-the-scenes footage of some of the shoots for the issue…

Enjoy…

PINUP GIRLS from V Magazine on Vimeo.

PROFILE OF SARAH LERFEL (COLETTE)

T Magazine has a nice profile about Colette creative boss, Sarah Lerfel…

“To understand Colette — the three-floor hipster emporium in Paris where you can buy both a Lanvin frock and a lunchbox (filled with finger foods!) — you must understand its 34-year-old creative director, Sarah Lerfel. At first blush, she appears bookish, even dainty, with her long A-line skirt and her adorable pixie cut. Then again, she has unexpected tattoos designed by two of her favorite graffiti artists — one on her shoulder by the French night-life personality André (a friend) and another on her ankle by the Brooklyn-based Kaws…”

Read the full article here

Sofia Sanchez & Mauro Mongiello

THE ESSENTIAL THINGS 100

This is a pretty interesting book out of Japan (via Honeyee) covering “a host of items chosen by Yoshikage Kajiwara, of creative agency LOWERCASE. The 100 essential items range from food, work, play, fashion and design and are effectively items with the potential to enhance daily life. The book is set for release starting July 26 through select bookstores in Japan.2

OTTOMAN EMPIRE HOLIDAYS?…

From 1299 to 1923, the Ottoman Empire sat and ruled the intersection of Eastern and Western worlds.  Fast forward to summer 2010, what was formerly part of the empire is now known for architecture, design, rich culture, and beautiful holidays!


(Ottoman Empire Coat of Arms)

As part of our Summer Specials, we have several hotels in the former Ottoman region offering a selection of promotions including: 3 nights for the price of 2, a guaranteed upgrade, or 10% discount off of your rate!

Semiramis, Athens
Bentley Hotel, Istanbul
Almyra, Cyprus
The Sofa Istanbul


(Semiramis)

(The Sofa Istanbul)

BEER STUFFED SQUIRREL, HARE, AND STOAT… OH MY!

The upmarket beer industry has been steadily growing around the world.  Experts say that as luxury spending has taken a hit, “luxury” boutique beers afford consumers the chance to experience small indulgences for $5-$10 rather than a comparable “upmarket wine” which could start a ten times the amount.  Some beer brewers however, have felt the need to make their segment even more exclusive by releasing a beer for $770.  Oddly enough, the price is not the primary reason that the beer is generating a buzz…

“You’ve heard of beers getting skunked, but what about squirreled?  Believe it or not, a brewery in Fraserberg, Scotland, is selling a new Belgian blonde ale, and one of the selling points is that each bottle is packaged inside the dead, taxidermied carcass of a squirrel, hare or stoat. Some are even wearing offbeat costumes, including a hat and a tuxedo reminiscent of the Monopoly man.

The bizarre brewery behind the offbeat packaging is BrewDog, and it specializes in unusual, extra-strong brews with suitably edgy names like Punk IPA, Trashy Blonde and Tactical Nuclear Penguin.  You might think that the name refers to the use of road-killed rodents, but it is actually a paraphrasing of a famous quote by philosopher Francis Fukuyama from his 1992 book where he suggested the advent of Western liberal democracy may signal the end point of humanity’s sociocultural evolution and the final form of human government.

BrewDog owners are cheekily adopting the quote to imply that their new ale is to beer what democracy is to history.  How is that? Well, The End of History is more than just a beer bottled in dead animal bodies; it is being sold as the most alcoholic beer ever made — a whopping 55 percent alcohol by volume. And this stiff drink comes with a stiff price: About $770 per bottle.”