Hem Gets Playful With an Outdoor Chair, and Other News

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Hem’s First Outdoor Chair Is Robust, Weighty, and Playful

Hem often forgoes the flashy for the subtle, but the Swedish purveyor of pared-down future classics has never been afraid to play. That approach informed the brand’s first foray into outdoor furniture, a clean-lined range of stackable chairs by Philippe Malouin that debuts today. Deriving its name from the chop saw the British designer used to create a monolithic range of furniture for Salon 94 Design, the Chop Collection is formed from welded metal pipes for a pristine, rust-free existence. Don’t let the slight bend of the back fool you—its stainless steel profile ensures a weighty frame and maximum durability, even in the depths of winter. —Ryan Waddoups

San Francisco’s landmark Ferry Building will soon undergo a major revitalization.

The Ferry Building in San Francisco is undergoing a major revitalization to make the historic site a central gathering place and restore its significance following the pandemic. The landmark’s management plans to “enliven the building” by adding a plaza with outdoor dining and three new restaurants, as well as extended glass to make room for two large waterfront restaurants and new storefronts. The Ferry Plaza, at the back of the building, will receive a pedestrian walkway, new lighting, additional outdoor seating, and a retail kiosk. The project, which accompanies ongoing restoration efforts by Architecture Resources Group, is expected to take place over two years starting in 2023.

The Colorado LGBTQ+ club that experienced a mass shooting is planning renovations.

Club Q, the Colorado LGBTQ+ club that experienced a mass shooting in November, is planning its renovation. The owner and board executives aim to redesign the bar respectfully: “We know we have one chance to do this right,” said Michael Anderson, a Club Q board executive who was bartending at the time of the shooting. “That’s what’s going to take the longest here.” Leading the renovations is P + A Architecture Firm, whose goal is to honor what Club Q was before the tragedy. The reopening will feature heightened security and include a permanent memorial in the parking lot with input from victims’ families and loved ones. A set timeline wasn’t announced, but the club plans to reopen in 2023.

A font feud is brewing over the U.S. State Department retiring Times New Roman.

The US State Department is set to phase out Times New Roman in official communications and memos and adopt Calibri font instead. This is due to the recommendation from the Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s office of diversity and inclusion, aimed to help visually impaired employees. However, the move has received mixed reactions from employees, with some considering it a “sacrilege,” but others not minding the change. The department has used Times New Roman as its standard font for memos sent to the secretary since 2004. The change may reflect how the decorative “wings” and “feet” of serif fonts are going out of style as consumer brands—and, of course, millennials—opt for cleaner sans serif fonts. 

A Las Vegas entertainment venue in the world’s largest sphere is nearing completion. 

MSG Sphere at The Venetian, built by Madison Square Garden Entertainment Corporation, is nearing completion in Las Vegas. Standing at 366 feet high, the colossal sphere promises to be a one-of-a-kind experience with a massive 16K LED screen sporting the world’s highest resolution. “Three football fields of LED screen will wrap up, over, and around the audience,” Lucas Watson, president of MSG Sphere, said at a conference hosted by the Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce. In addition to the screen, the audience will experience sphere immersive sound, 164,000 speakers, and haptic seats. The sphere, scheduled to open in November, is projected to bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the local economy.

The Vagina Museum faces an uncertain future after vacating its current space today.

The Vagina Museum, the world’s first brick-and-mortar museum dedicated to vaginas, vulvas, and female anatomy, is facing uncertainty as it recently received notice to vacate its current Bethnal Green location. Despite attracting more than 100,000 visitors and having received support from the community, the museum is officially closing its doors today. Management says the museum will continue to operate digitally as it searches for a new home, and is calling on anyone with a vacant space to get in touch.

After five decades, Boeing ends production on and delivers its final 747 jumbo jet.

The last commercial Boeing 747, known as the “Jumbo Jet,” will be delivered to Atlas Air in its surviving freighter version this week, ending its 53-year reign as the “Queen of the Skies.” The world’s first twin-aisle wide-body jetliner, designed in the late 1960s to meet demand, transformed air travel by more than doubling the capacity of planes to 350-400 seats, making flying more affordable for the middle class. The 747 has since become a symbol of global affairs, from the American “Doomsday Plane” to chartered 747s for papal visits, and has earned its place in aviation history as one of the industry’s most transformational airplanes.

Today’s attractive distractions:

This miniature shape-shifting robot can easily liquefy itself and reform.

Former obituary writer Adam McEwen now pens fake ones for celebrities.

Construction workers find a strange Hercules statue in a Roman sewer.

Here’s what Apple stores might look like in worldly architectural styles.