Genesis House Brings Korean Innovation to New York, and Other News

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Genesis House Brings Korean Innovation to New York

Even though visitors to Genesis House are greeted by vehicle models draped behind shimmering metallic mesh curtains, the Korean automotive brand isn’t opening a typical showroom. Instead, Genesis House aims to serve as a lively community hub with an experiential space that dials into the country’s culture by means of a tea pavilion, library expertly curated by Assouline, and an outpost of Seoul’s Michelin-starred restaurant Onjium that reimagines historic Korean Royal Court cuisine. 

“The focus of Genesis House is on the storytelling of our luxury lifestyle brand and its distinctly Korean culture,” Jay Chang, global head of the Genesis Brand, tells Forbes. “This is a sophisticated oasis. It will show the world who we are as a brand: audacious, progressive, and distinctly Korean.” The latter characteristic, Chang says, will differentiate Genesis House from its competitors. He enlisted Seoul-based firm Suh Architects to conceptualize the 45,000-square-foot space, whose serene atmosphere is bolstered by details such as oak beams and shingles inspired by roofings on traditional Korean palaces. Chang continues: “We welcome our customers as if they’re guests, known as sonnim, in our home.” 

Genesis is the latest luxury automotive brand to launch a dynamic, creative-minded venue in New York, following Intersect by Lexus down the block and A/D/O by Mini in Brooklyn, which closed during the pandemic. While the branding may suggest otherwise, none of the spaces are really encouraging visitors to buy cars. Instead, each intends to craft sensory experiences and serve the community as incubators for fine dining and exclusive events. 

A Sanctuary of Calm Debuts in New York’s Frenetic Manhattan West Complex

After launching in San Diego and Baltimore, both markets with a dearth of design-driven lifestyle hotels, Pendry Hotels is planting a flag in more well-established hospitality destinations. First came West Hollywood this past spring and Chicago shortly after. Now the brand has put down roots in the grand poobah of tourism, New York City. Pendry Manhattan West does tread new ground in its neighborhood, however. Situated on the edge of Hudson Yards, in a sprawling new mixed-use development, a billowing glass shell by architectural firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill is home to a tranquil escape that feels a world away from the street-level din below. Credit the tasteful touch of Gachot Studios, who looked to the West Coast Light and Space movement of the 1960s and ’70s—Robert Irwin, James Turrell—for inspiration when designing the interiors of the 164 rooms and some communal spaces. 

Guests enter the property into the sunlight-soaked Garden Room, an all-day café serving Australian–sourced Vittoria coffee, appointed with vibrant plant life, translucent Moriki collage panels by L.A.–based light artist John Wigmore, and sculptural lighting fixtures by L’Observatoire International. In the lobby bar, a nacre-and-gold-leaf piece by local artist Nancy Lorenz anchors a gilded space with classic and seasonal cocktails on offer. Meanwhile, two alums of the erstwhile restaurant at The NoMad, chefs Madeline Sperling and Juliana Latif, drive the culinary program at Zou Zou’s. The Middle Eastern menu pulls references from Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, and Jordan, as does the aesthetic of blue and green tiling and curvaceous archways by prolific firm AvroKO. Up next for Pendry: its entry into the ski category with a mountainside resort in Park City, slated to open next year.  

Shortly after opening in Seattle, Glossier debuts a pinkish flagship in Los Angeles.

Following the opening of a brick-and-mortar in Seattle, the DTC beauty brand is continuing its reverse migration into the physical retail world with the debut of a West Hollywood flagship. Washed in a peachy pink hue with exterior signage inspired by the Hollywood sign, the space is accented with touches that pay tribute to Southern California. Coming next month, an outpost of Alfred coffee bar and café will open in an outdoor area, dubbed Glossier Alley, with a massive surrealist marble fountain by the Haas Brothers. Watch out for forthcoming boutiques in London and Miami to arrive in the next few months.  

The TSA screens the largest number of passengers since the onset of the pandemic.

The travel bug is running rampant in the U.S. as the Transportation Security Administration recorded 2.24 million airline passengers on Friday—the highest number since the onset of the pandemic. Amid a 20 percent rise in Covid-19 cases this holiday season, experts anticipated a surge in travelers that doubled last year’s Thanksgiving screening number of 1,176,091. 

Belgian gallery Maniera opens an “art bar” that hosts parties curated by local talents.

In ‘60s-era New York, artists freely hosted festive parties where creatives of all walks were encouraged to eat, drink, and be merry. Maniera, a design gallery based in Brussels, is seeking to recreate that jovial atmosphere with “1b,” a pop-up bar that will host parties among design objects selected by the artist Koenraad Dedobbeleer. Guests are invited to simply hang out and have a good time among like-minded guests while engaging with the artwork that surrounds them. “A good bar is a space for sharing pleasurable moments in the company of friends or acquaintances, where easy chit-chats and deeper conversations fuse amid good drinks,” architect Asli Cicek says of the space, which will host weekly parties until January 14. 

El Salvador is planning a full-on Bitcoin city at the base of the Conchagua volcano.

As the first nation to make cryptocurrency legal tender, El Salvador is announcing a circular base in the southeastern region of La Unión that harnesses geothermal energy to facilitate Bitcoin mining, a process that requires powerful computers that consume vast amounts of energy. Priced at 300,000 Bitcoin (roughly $17 billion), the ambitious project is slated to host a robust city that uses bitcoin as its primary currency, an exchange system that sparked public backlash on the pretext of inflation and instability given the volatile market flux.  

Charo Oquet wins the Bass Museum’s commission to create a temporary monument. 

The Bass Museum launched the “New Monuments” initiative this past year as a response to recent debates about monuments, the communities they commemorate, and those who are often excluded. For the second annual commission, local artist Charo Oquet will create a temporary public sculpture in Collins Park, where the museum is located. The artwork is a tiered, metallic altar-like piece that resembles a facial profile from certain angles. “I hope that I Am Here will evoke deep, conciliatory and healing thoughts,” Oquet said in a statement. “At the same time, I seek to create a space to think about how we can come together as a society where we are all equal and no matter what we look like or what we believe in, we can accept our differences because we’re all here in this same world at the same time.” Oquet will install the sculpture next spring, and it will remain on view for up to a year. 

The National Museum of African American History and Culture launches a digital archive.

Having offered a poignant history of Black America since its inception in 2016, the museum is now going digital to share its collection with a global audience via the Searchable Museum. With multimedia elements, audio snippets, video montages, and an expanded 3D portfolio drawn from a collection of 40,000 artifacts, the archive reimagines the museum experience beginning with the digital debut of the Slavery and Freedom exhibition. “By marshaling the latest technology and harnessing the scholarly and educational experience of the museum’s teams, the Searchable Museum tells the complex story of our nation’s history in ways only the National Museum of African American History and Culture can,” says director Kevin Young.

Today’s attractive distractions:

Rimowa enlists a group of fashion designers to remagine its suitcases and bags.

The sculptural facade of I Do’s boutique in Wuhan translates seamlessly inside.

The new Unofficial Simpsons Cookbook reveals how to make Krusty Burgers.

A wealthy German shepherd is selling a Miami mansion once owned by Madonna.