Charles Zana Mobilier Finds a Home in Paris, and Other News

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Charles Zana’s Slick Furniture Line Finds a Home in Paris 

Charles Zana has devoted the past three decades to creating artful interiors that unite a reverence for classicism with sweeping emotion for such high-profile clients as Cartier, Goyard, and Kimpton. The French designer’s inaugural collection of furniture and lighting, which he teased in the fall through a slick installation within a stately 18th-century Parisian townhouse at Hôtel de Guise, revealed a new dimension to his already-impressive practice by evoking the subtle tonalities and delicate atmospheres of his finest interiors. 

The collection, which officially debuted this past week, now has a permanent home around the corner from Zana’s studio at 13 Rue de Seine in Paris. Throughout the gallery, a rotating series of curated vignettes will showcase the collection’s 30-plus pieces, which include armchairs, chandeliers, and cocktail tables that embody Zana’s affinity for fine craftsmanship and simple forms. Highlights include a solid oak armchair upholstered in nutmeg-toned fabric, vessel-like lamps that evoke Giorgio Morandi still lifes, and a sumptuous sofa covered in rich pistachio and cream fabrics that softly bends to embrace its sitters.

A U-shaped hotel cantilevered over the sea celebrates Norway’s “right to roam.”

Can a new hotel help revive a fishing village in Norway? That’s the hope for Fedje Hotel, a collaboration between local whisky distillery Feddie Ocean Distillery and Bergen-based studio Saunders Architecture. With an unusual U-shaped form inspired by traditional farm structures and the surrounding wild Nordic landscape, the team is betting the property will be a boost for tourism. (The master plan includes two new villages to follow.) The 75 rooms are cantilevered over a promontory with sweeping views of silvery Atlantic Ocean; the publicly accessible roof pays tribute to Allemannsretten, a local law that guarantees citizens the freedom to roam the land even if it’s private. An adjacent tower will host a restaurant, bar, spa, and other communal spaces. “We want the feeling inside and out to reflect the simple ways Nordic countries experience their own version of luxury, one that is based on less noise, extremely good craftsmanship, yet a simple uncomplicated palette of materials, food, and experiences,” says Toddy Saunders.

Storm Eunice severely damages London’s high-tech O2 Arena by Richard Rogers.

A sizable portion of the O2 Arena’s fabric roof has been blown off by Storm Eunice, a tropical cyclone that ripped its way through Europe this past week. Images and videos posted to social media show several panels of the landmark stadium’s PTFE-coated glass fiber fabric roof ripped from the tent-like structure, which was originally designed by the late architect Richard Rogers as the Millennium Experience in 1999. Once the Millennium Experience exhibition closed, architecture studio Populous converted the stadium into the O2 Arena. The building’s future now remains unclear.

MAD reveals visuals for a Chinese museum dedicated to the ancient Shu civilization.

Outfitted with timber facades that blend into the natural landscape during the day, rooftop skylights at night give the appearance of torch-like eyes behind the bronzeware and golden masks of Sanxingdui. Located in the Sichuan Province’s Guanghan City, the collection includes Shu cultural relics 2800 to 4500 years old, displayed in exhibition halls connected by an underground corridor. 

Amazon is buying up vacant warehouses and causing rents to increase worldwide.

Amazon has more than doubled its warehouse holdings over the past two years from 192 million square feet to 410 million today. The e-commerce behemoth’s buying habits are shaping the industrial real estate market, which is recording record low vacancies and worldwide rent increases of 15 percent in 2021. Supply chain woes have only fueled its billion-dollar venture even further— Prime subscribers have become used to two-day shipping and free returns, both of which require more warehouse space. Amazon has spent more than $100 billion on property purchases since early 2020, leading some to believe that the company may be planning to launch a delivery business to rival UPS, DHL, and FedEx. 

James Turrell’s first-ever mountainous Skyspace will debut this summer in Colorado.

James Turrell has brought his famed Skyspaces to the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Sheats Goldstein Residence in Beverly Hills, and the University of Texas at Austin, but will soon complete a permanent edition in the mountains of Colorado. Overlooking the scenic Gazebo Lake will be an 18-foot-tall structure situated on a butte that visitors will trek through 7,800-foot Rocky Mountain elevations to experience. Installing the Skyspace is the latest initiative from the Green Box Arts Festival, the event held every year in the small mountain town of Green Mountain Falls north of Denver that aims to “rediscover the importance of a tranquil unplugged existence.” 

Today’s attractive distractions:

According to science, everything you see is actually from 15 seconds in the past.

A new documentary contrasts the Chelsea Hotel’s glory days with current struggles.

People are pretending to colonize Mars by voluntarily living in the middle of nowhere.

Mark Zuckerberg’s new company values involve calling his employees “Metamates.”