We Heart: Essential Lifestyle Guide

Basel & Zurich, Part Three

We Heart — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 16:05:11 +0000

Here’s the third post of photographic highlights from last week’s Switzerland trip… stay tuned for more exclusive features….

Gaucho, Leeds

We Heart — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:54:11 +0000

With Manchester being the trendy Argentine influenced chain’s only previous venture outside the capital, the opening of Gaucho’s Leeds outpost has been met with much approval, especially given the intense rivally between the cities. A long-standing celeb fave, Gaucho, with it’s glamourous interiors – all mirrored panels, cowhides and subtle lighting – and internationally renowned steak cuts is Leeds’ latest ‘place to be, and to be seen’…..

Willy Chyr Balloon Sculptures

We Heart — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 13:29:48 +0000

Remember how impressed you used to be when the suspicious looking children’s entertainer weaved his magic upon a few unsuspecting balloons and presented you with a deformed, red poodle? Well imagine how you would have felt if the rather talented, Chicago based Willy Chyr had presented you with a bloody great alien suit, dress or indeed an art installation inspired by a ‘ctenophore’ – a phylum of animals that live in marine waters. Having joined the circus whilst at university – yes really – Chyr stumbled upon the art of twisting balloons whilst performing as a juggler, unicyclist, and magician, soon developing a desire to create large scale works, he is already making somewhat of a name for himself… and with work as dramatically original as this, we can certainly see why…..

American Apparel x LOOKBOOK.nu

We Heart — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 12:16:58 +0000

With a goal of bringing together “diverse, aesthetically talented and open-minded people from around the world”, San Francisco based LOOKBOOK.nu is an online fashion community inspired by the ’street style’ blogs made famous by the likes of ‘The Sartorialist‘ and ‘Face Hunter‘. With their finger always firmly on the pulse, clothing giant American Apparel set about inviting LOOKBOOK.nu’s active, international community to submit photographs of themselves in their American Apparel best for a new, well, ‘lookbook’…. Overwhelmed with high quality submissions, the highlights now form a suitably stylish, 64-page lookbook that features 132 looks from 77 global users…..

Six Senses at Rue De Castiglione, Paris

We Heart — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 18:19:40 +0000

Typically cropping up tropical oasis’ such as the Maldives, Thailand or Vietnam, Thai based resort and spa specialists, Six Senses, have found themselves in the heart of Paris, bringing their own little piece of tranquil luxury along with them. Featuring an interior vertical garden, created by landscape artist Patrick Blanc, a real-time image of the Paris skyline projected through the length of the spa and six uniquely hand crafted, oak treatment “Cocoons”, Rue De Castiglione’s fabulously understated new spa delivers serenity and exclusivity on all fronts. Don’t miss the ‘Paris Roof Top Honey Facial’, using honey harvested from city bee hives on the roof tops of Paris….

Yeasayer ‘ONE’ by Radical Friend

We Heart — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 12:40:05 +0000

Renowned for a disturbing, visually arresting style – their debut album ‘All Hour Cymbals’ depicted a hairy chested, faceless woman on the cover – Yeasayer have seemingly found good company in equally perverse video directing duo Kirby McClure and Julia Grigorian, aka Radical Friend. Following the naked bodies, faceless horserider and homo-erotic boxer from their last single, ‘Ambling Alp’, Radical Friend’s latest interpretation of Yeasayer’s fantastically twisted psych-pop – for new single ‘ONE’ – features gangsters with morphing faces, underwater gimps, mystical poker games and, errrm… well, just watch the video….

Maison Couturier, Veracruz, Mexico

We Heart — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 14:04:40 +0000

Housed in the shell of an agricultural estate built by French immigrants in 1833 and faithfully restored, Veracruz’s Maison Couturier, with all it’s history of settlement and colonisation, couldn’t exude more traditional elegance if it tried. Inviting guests, who will occupy one of the 8 bungalows or it’s landowner’s suite – “la chambre du maître” – to step back into time, the Maison Couturier offers the expected luxury of a Design Hotels property – plasma screens, wireless internet, massage services and a deluxe swimming pool – whilst retaining it’s very special charm, seclusion and exclusivity. Relaxing, luxurious and oh so effortlessly cool, this tropical Mexican hideaway is a truly special find….

images courtesy of Design Hotels(tm)

Hiroshima Park Restrooms, Future Studio

We Heart — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 11:09:16 +0000

So, we thought it’d be more than a few weeks until we wrote about public toilets again, especially public toilets in Japan… it seems, however, that they’re developing somewhat of a knack for doing them rather well, as less than four weeks since we ran a feature on the Tokinokura Lavatories in Shimodate, we’re back in Japan for yet more lavatory admiration! This time it’s the turn of internationally renowned Bunzo Ogawa’s Future Studio and their sublime, geometric creations that have appeared, rather like undeniably stylish alien landing pods, in parks around Hiroshima. With 12 of these graceful little beauties due to be completed in Hiroshima by the end of this month, and no reason as to why this project cannot be applicable in cities worldwide… we’re once more taken aback by the potential brilliance of the humble public loo….

Min Kyu Choi’s Folding Plug

We Heart — Wed, 17 Mar 2010 10:54:46 +0000

Congratulations to Min Kyu Choi and his rather brilliant folding plug design…. after we featured the awe-inspiring, yet delightfully simple, concept in July last year, the London based student went on to achieve all sorts of high profile accolades, including picking up a Gold award at September’s International Design Excellence Award, being a finalist in January’s Wallpaper Design Awards and topping it all last night by fending off competition from the likes of Alexander McQueen’s final collection to be presented with this year’s Brit Insurance Design Award by Antony Gormley…. The best news is that Choi’s intelligent slice of remarkable product design will go into production later this year.

Basel & Zurich, Part Two

We Heart — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 22:02:41 +0000

Well, having seen architecture from the likes of Zaha Hadid, Frank Gehry, Herzog & de Meuron and Le Corbusier, had personal tours of inspiration galleries such as Fondation Beyeler and Zurich’s Museum of Design and enjoyed some of Switzerland’s finest cuisine and hospitality… we’ve sure got a lot more brilliant content to deliver… in the meantime, here’s our second collection of photographic highlights…