But it was only much later, when I learnt more about the building’s history, that I really understood its appeal.

It was designed by London County Council’s architecture team led by Leslie Martin, Robert Matthew and Peter Moro, and was the first major public building to be completed since prior to WW2.

It was built as the centrepiece of the Festival of Britain, which took place from May to September 1951, to commemorate the centenary of the Great Exhibition of 1851. The festival celebrated Britain’s achievements and potential; engaged people with the arts, science and industry; and provided a tonic after the austerity of the Second World War. It was promoted as a ‘national village fete’ and ‘a tonic to the nation.’

For its part in that admirable aim, the Royal Festival Hall was designed to be spacious, sociable and democratic, and in succeeding, quickly earned the title ‘The People’s Palace.’

The use of glass, white and wood, combined with accents of certain colours like red, turquoise and muted green, are typical of ‘festival style,’ a very niche and very British design style that grew up around the festival. The generous use of glass connected inside spaces with outside terraces and seating areas; commonplace now, but almost unheard of in 1951.

Robin and Lucienne Day were very involved in the development of the Royal Festival Hall and are now almost synonymous with festival style. Their contributions included Lucienne’s Calyx Print and Robin’s Arm Chair for the Royal Festival Hall. (The majority of chairs in use in the hall today are Arne Jacobsen Series 7 Chairs, designed in 1955.)

Placing the concert hall at the centre of the space enabled it to be as large as possible, with a very democratic layout that meant no ‘bad seats’. It also provided plenty of space for audiences to spill out into during intervals. These spaces also became popular, and still are, as social meeting places where people from all walks of life feel welcome. And without knowing that at the time – it was always somewhere I felt very welcome.

The infamous net and ball carpet, designed by Peter Moro, was lovingly recreated during the 2005-7 refurbishment and was the subject of much of This is Tomorrow, a film originally shown with a live Saint Etienne score, documenting the refurbishment. (A fabulously geeky Friday night out I remember fondly!) Mats made from carpet off-cuts were available at the time of the refurbishment and wallpaper is still available in the same pattern and in three colourways.

As much out of necessity as design – the renovation was dealt a terrible blow in 2009, when a fire razed the hotel just before it was due to open – the entirely new interiors offer a dramatic juxtaposition to the property’s surroundings, and the choice vintage furnishings – that so elegantly contrast the stark modernism of the cubic, concrete rooms.

The breathtaking accommodation, in the up-and-coming Cedofeita district of Portugal’s second city, is a spectacularly ambitious project, fusing art, literature and architecture with absorbing equal measure. As the name suggests, “tales” are at its heart. Six authors have created these narratives of the city and its architecture, which have then been “spatially distributed” and carved in bas-relief by the architects, Pedra Líquida, and the house’s owners are committed to engaging in cultural activities and promoting Porto’s creativity.

Bold and contemporary, but so obviously in touch with its history, Casa do Conto is a brave – and profoundly beauteous – rebirth of a project that was so nearly halted by disaster.

Formerly the Great Eastern, one of the original London railway hotels, the building dates back to 1884, and there’s a definite feeling of that history – even if it has been given a 21st century sheen. It’s that 21st century sheen that may put some off. Andaz is Hyatt’s “boutique” brand, but the spectre of ‘corporate business hotel’ is still most definitely there, it’s in the city – it can’t escape it. But what the Andaz does do, is use that ‘corporateness’ (yep, just made that one up) to its advantage. Sure, there’s a sheen – but it’s one that just feels luxe. The furniture and fittings in the rooms are heavy, the doors solid, and the walls thick. It’s got a weighty 5-star feel but, with their commitment to art and design, you feel less guilty about shacking up in a business hotel, in fact you positively embrace it.

Their USP is bringing the ‘small’ hotel service to a big chain. There’s no check-in desks, instead you walk straight into the “Andaz Lounge” – where drinks are free and smartly-dressed, well-mannered types check you in with iPads (oh-so modern). There’s a complimentary non-alcoholic minibar, and there’s complimentary serving of wine in the lounge come evening time. It’s quite obviously a big brand cherry-picking the best components of a stay at a truly boutique hotel, but it works. And it’s impeccable – you’d think you were in America the service is that good.

Where the Andaz really excels is in its food and drink offerings. It’s like a whopping great American resort-hotel – but a stone’s throw from Spitalfields and Hoxton. There’s exceptional Japanese at Miyako, exceptional fresh seafood at Catch, exceptional pub-grub at George, British à la carte at 1901 and a brasserie menu at Eastway. It really is exceptional. And seemingly, somewhat of a secret – only half the London-based (and East-end types at that) people I asked actually even knew the hotel existed, let alone of its ridiculously diverse food offerings. The resplendent halls and history-packed spaces that these bars and restaurants inhabit are just the icing on an already scrumptious cake.

Of course there’s high-end leisure facilities too, all the business malarkey of course, and there’s the location – it’s next door to Liverpool Street Station, and as mentioned, a stone’s throw from some of London’s hippest spots. There’s no individual designer rooms, there’s no quirky amenities and the bar isn’t a hipster graveyard – but if you want to be in the hub of all East London has to offer and you want true, true 5-star luxury – but without the faceless conveyer belt experience of big, ugly business hotels – I really don’t think London has a better alternative…

Unsurprisingly the celebs turned out in force, with the likes of Marianne Faithfull and Anna Wintour allegedly throwing shapes to a Kate Moss DJ set – how very A-List, darling. But, forget the glamour, forget the mwah-mwah fashion set, what’s intriguing about Prada’s 24 h Museum is the examination of the concept of iconography and Vezzoli’s satire on celebrity. Will the human race be looking back at Courtney Love or Natalie Portman in a few centuries? Who knows, but we’ll bet our bottom dollar that they’ll still be admiring Koolhaas’ breathtaking spaces…

Images courtesy OMA

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art – LACMA to you and I – recently unveiled a mammoth exhibition celebrating Californian midcentury design – the first of its kind, with some 300+ objects representing all areas of design. Appropriately named – California Design, 1930–1965: “Living in a Modern Way” – the title references a quote from Swedish designer/architect Greta Magnusson Grossman – who brought with her a very Scandinavian minimalist approach when she arrived on the United States’ west coast in the late 1930s – and, in doing so, lays the foundations for the unique sun-kissed Scandi-style that iconic designers like Charles and Ray Eames became so famous for.

Whereas European countries so easily slip off the tongue when prompted for celebrated design aesthetics, the ‘sunshine state’ may not be as instantly synonymous; but – as this exhaustive collection so effortlessly reveals – California’s glamorous fusion of classical design conventions with its own fresh, bold and inimitable style deserves its dues as an iconic international design philosophy in its own right…

California Design, 1930–1965: “Living in a Modern Way” runs at LACMA’s Resnick Pavilion until June 3rd, 2012

Installation view
California Design, 1935-1960. ‘Living in a Modern Way’
October 1, 2011-June 3, 2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
© Airstream, inc. Reproduced by permission
Photo © 2011 Museum Associate/LACMA

Richard Neutra, Kaufmann House, Palm Springs, 1946.
Photo by Julius Shulman, 1947
© J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography Archive.
Research Library at the Getty Research Institute (2004 R.10)

Mary Ann DeWeese (1913-1993, active Los Angeles)
Catalina Sportswear (Los Angeles, 1907-93)
California Lobster Bikini, Man’s Shirt and Trunks, 1949
Lastex, cotton
Collection of Esther Ginsberg/Golyester Antiques
© 2011 The Warnaco Group, Inc. All rights reserved. For Authentic Fitness Corp., Catalina Sportswear
Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA

Charles Eames (1907-1978, active Venice)
Ray Eames (1912-1988, active Venice)
Herman Miller Furniture Company
ESU (Eames storage unit), c. 1949
Zinc-plated steel, birch-faced and plastic-coated plywood, lacquered particle board, rubber
69 x 47 x 16 in. (175.3 x 119.4 x 40.6 cm)
LACMA, Gift of Mr. Sid Avery and Mr. James Corcoran
© 2011 Eames Office LLC (eamesoffice.com); Herman Miller. Inc.
Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA

Installation view
California Design, 1935-1960. ‘Living in a Modern Way’
October 1, 2011-June 3, 2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Photo © 2011 Museum Associate/LACMA

Installation view
California Design, 1935-1960. ‘Living in a Modern Way’
October 1, 2011-June 3, 2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Photo © 2011 Museum Associate/LACMA

Straub & Hensman Buff
Recreation pavilion, Mirman House, Arcadia 1958
Photo by Julius Shulman, 1959
© J. Paul Getty Trust. Used with permission. Julius Shulman Photography
Archive. Research Library at the Getty Research Institute

Installation view
California Design, 1935-1960. ‘Living in a Modern Way’
October 1, 2011-June 3, 2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Photo © 2011 Museum Associate/LACMA

Installation view
California Design, 1935-1960. ‘Living in a Modern Way’
October 1, 2011-June 3, 2012
Los Angeles County Museum of Art
Photo © 2011 Museum Associate/LACMA

Charles Eames (1907-1978, active Venice)
Ray Eames (1912-1988, active Venice)
Molded Plywood Division, Evans Products Company (Venice, 1943-47)
Elephant, 1945
Molded plywood
16½ x 30¾ x 16¼ in. (41.9 x 78.1 x 41.3 cm)
Eames Collection, LLC
© The Eames Foundation. Courtesey Eames Office LLC (eamesoffice.com)

Carlos Diniz (1928-2001, active Los Angeles)
Ladd & Kelsey, Architects (Pasadena, 1958-80)
Monarch Bay Homes, Laguna Niguel (outdoor dining terrace). 1961
Screenprint
20 1/8 x 26 in. (51.1 x 66cm)
LACMA. Gift of Gilbert Ortiz and Edward Cella Art + Architecture
© Carlos Dinz Archive
Photo © 2011 Museum Associates/LACMA

Paul Lâszió (b. Hungary, 1900-1993, active Beverly Hills)
Paul Laszio’s European Group textile, 1954 or before
Rayon, cotton
105 1/2 x 48 5/8 in. (268 x 123.5 cm)
LACMA, Gift of Peter and Shannon Loughrey
© Paul Lâszió Estate/ADAGP, Paris/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

Comprised almost entirely of enamel shelving, the store is as crisp and clinical as the branding, and there’s a nostalgic ‘laboratory’ feel to it all – that’s so intrinsically linked to their identity. We were down for the recent opening, and I can tell you it looks even better in the flesh than it does on these shots; simple, yet so thoughtfully considered, those delightfully stylish Antipodeans have done it again…

Installation: Zukunft 2011/Future 2011
Client: Alexander Bürkle
Videoinstallation/Scenography: chezweitz&partner/Berlin + Stefan Hurtig
Realisation: kubix/Berlin
Photographer: Volker Kreidler

The internationally renowned duo – who have worked for the likes of Apple, MTV and Nike – were commissioned to transform the space by the owners of the award-winning residence in Sydney’s Darling Point (designed by architects Marsh Cashman Koolloos), with the brief to leave larger wall spaces free for potential future commissions…

Photography: Katherine Lu

The set – constructed by Aptum Architecture (Julie Larsen and Roger Hubeli) – sees a dramatic winged canopy hovering above the show’s four dancers, transforming and interacting with them throughout the performance. Acting as “a ‘protective’ liner in-between the church and the dancers”, Aptum’s stage canopy, with all its contorting movement, lends the production a human quality – that typical set designs so often fail to achieve…

Photography: Cervantas Julietta

Photography: Sánchez y Montoro

Photography © Duccio Malagamba