VISIT A Surrealist “Cloud” Packed With Delicate Florals and Glassworks
In 2010, Omer Arbel created an immersive “mass” by casting hay bales, haphazardly shooting them with foam, and removing the casting positive to reveal the space formed within. Resembling something of a giant surrealist cloud, the structure was originally made for the Vancouver Art Gallery but never entered production. It’s now seeing the light, this time inside Wilhelm Hallen, a cavernous former cast-iron factory in Berlin’s Reinickendorf neighborhood for the occasion of Hallen 05, the arts festival co-founded by Philipp Solf and Arbel’s lighting studio-lab Bocci. Until Sept. 15, the oversize structure is hosting “Unexpected Guests 2,” a show of botanical-minded glassworks by Valentina Cameranesi-Sgroi and calming floral arrangements by Lilo Klinkenberg. Within display cases framed by Arbel’s cloud-like puffs, the vignettes hover and soothe with an interplay of shapes evoking shadow play and puppetry. —Ryan Waddoups
Photography by Elise Hassey…
STAY In Byron Bay, Basq House Evokes a Moroccan Riad
Fauvism, riad architecture, and sheer escapism color Basq House, a Byron Bay boutique hotel whose interiors seem to have more in common with your most tasteful friend’s beach digs than a commercial property. For this, guests have StudioFab’s Matt Dalby and Léo Terrando to thank. A meander through the 32-room property’s common areas reveals a glittering swimming pool in the central courtyard, a Brazilian rainforest mural by artist Bia Ferrari, and even a speakeasy where one of Vico Magistretti’s coveted Maralunga sofas for Cassina steals the scene. A rooftop spa and bathhouse is set for completion by year’s end, but in the meantime, light-filled rooms appointed with Mr. Smith amenities and oak and rattan accents provide ample opportunities for R&R. —Jenna Adrian-Diaz
Photography by Jasper Fry…
SAVOR A Floral-Driven Wonderland at Café Petiole
Thanks to Duelle Studio, the dining room of Somerset House’s new Café Petiole is awash in a lavender haze of dreamy florals and pastels. The arts and culture hub recently welcomed chef Rishim Sachdeva’s plant-forward eatery, where fruit and vegetables steal the show across the pastry program and savories. (For delectable examples, just consider the pineapple galette and the tomato puff pastry tart.) While the menu is great, the interior’s color story is exemplary: custom hues were crafted by Coat Paints, with a soft pink so exquisitely applied that it resembles veined marble across the pastry counter, door frames, and a particularly cozy fireplace facade. —J.A.D
Photography by Yoshihiro Makino…
REFRESH An Oasis-Like Wellness Club Beckons from Los Angeles
Hume, a new wellness club founded in Venice, CA, by former Kin Euphorics COO Roger Briggs and creative director Sandy Bole, is not your average big box gym. The indoor-outdoor fitness center and spa unfolds over three stories, whose architecture draws inspiration from the palaestra of Pompeii and Moroccan hammams. Eagle-eyed visitors may recognize the handiwork of a number of Angeleno creatives. Among them: a reception desk by sculptor Chad Hagerman, ceramics and hardware by Studio Loux’s Louise Martens, and aromatics by Fabrice Guyont. —J.A.D.
Image courtesy of Spinneybeck/FilzFelt…
OBSESS Rippling Wall Panels That Celebrate a Modernist Master
Erwin Hauer spent his life perfecting the art of crafting architectural screens that celebrate the infinite continuous surface. His works flourished in postwar America, where their mathematical expressiveness and ability to diffuse light became emblematic of the burgeoning Modernist movement. Spinneybeck and FilzFelt previously collaborated with Erwin Hauer Studios to keep the Austrian-American sculptor’s creations alive through a series of hanging wall panels, and now debuts Design 406, an undulating carved panel in five wood species. The modular system, which can be customized with any Spinneybeck leather, comes together to form a gracefully uninterrupted composition that allows Hauer’s curves to live on. —R.W.
Image courtesy of Nanushka…
SHOP Nanushka Carves Out a SoHo Sanctuary
Amid the hubbub of New York Fashion Week, Hungarian label Nanushka offered shoppers a reprieve from the chaos with its new SoHo flagship. Crafted by Villa Clea’s Matteo Corbellini, the boutique swaddles shoppers in fluidic fabric space dividers made from Nanushka textiles that delicately provoke the construct of permanence. Black lacquered metal accents by Lunaa provide contrast, and an ever-so-slight edge that evokes the city just outside. It’s been a busy week for the brand, who recently debuted its 20th anniversary collection at New York Fashion Week. —J.A.D.
READ An Intoxicating Glimpse Inside Manhattan’s Most Storied Bars
Bars often provide respite from the relentless pace of New York life, but many of the city’s go-to pubs, dives, speakeasies, and cocktail lounges are laden with history and overlooked details that merit a closer look—or perhaps a second round. That inspired James T. and Karla L. Murray to visit 30 of Manhattan’s favorite watering holes in “Great Bars of New York City,” a new photography tome that follows their like-minded chronicle of vanishing mom-and-pop shops. At each, journalist Dan Q. Dao’s incisive reporting uncovers delightfully obscure details, such as Pete’s Tavern being disguised as a flower shop during Prohibition and how the turkey wishbones hanging at McSorley’s Old Ale House were put there by doughboys projecting hopes for a safe return from World War I. Pull up a stool, raise a glass, and keep the history alive. —R.W.
