1.17.2011

M|m ♥ MOODS

MOODs
I love to see the creativity for the concept of boutique hotels. I find they have their own personality and are very inspiring. Take a look at like MOODs, located in Prague, the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. The concept is sleek, simple, fun and eco conscious.


MOODs
I love the facade of the hotel. It looks like they refurbished and modernized an old building without loosing its character. They did a great job. I like how the horizontal lines are really strong at the base of the building and disappear as you look up. The colors are very modern, especially with the use of the gray signage against the beige wall, and the neatly organized planters. At night, you get a nice glimpse on the inside with colorful lighted windows.


MOODs
The designers came up with a simple and inexpensive way to add texture and interest to the wall with what seems to be rolled cardboard. The blue chair is a nice touch.


MOODs
Another inexpensive way they added texture was with the use of moss on the wall, which adds a neat organic feel to the space. The wall is also curved, which makes it more interesting.


MOODs
The dual purpose seating in the meeting room is ingenious. The seats can be arranged in various configurations, and when they are not needed, they are stacked against the wall to make a giant mural of chairs. I imagine, they can create various patterns with them as well.


MOODs
The bar and eating areas are stunning. Again, I like the way inexpensive materials were used to add interesting features and texture to the space. Notice the paper looking material lighted in the front of the bar and the light above the table, that also looks like crumpled paper. The suspended bottles behind the bar are a great way to indicated where the bar is and to decorate it as well.


MOODs
MOODs


There's also a really nice solarium where guests can eat and take some sun. I love the little rock garden behind the glass. It must be great to eat breakfast there!
MOODs
MOODs
MOODs
MOODs


The suites are really nice too. The color scheme is very simple and composed of mostly grays with a bright blue headboard as an accent. LED lights behind the bed are responsible for the colorful light spectrum seen from outside at night. MOODs is the first Apple Inc. multi media hotel in the Czech republic and offers a range of services for guests using items such as iPhones and iPods. There seem to be a recurring theme of written words in the suite. You can see them above the beds, and also on the glass wall of the shower, which gives the impression that the words are floating in mid-air.
MOODs
MOODs
MOODs
MOODs
MOODs


Even the stairwells are nice. Each floor is painted in a bright color with a giant number indicating which level you're at, and it's nicely lit too. What a great attention to detail. It beats the dingy concrete stairwell any day!
MOODs
MOODs

Photos: MOODs | tripadvisor

1.09.2011

modern interpretations

Ottawa Citizen article 2011 Trends Marie-Judith Jean-Louis
My first article for 2011 in the Ottawa Citizen, published yesterday, talks about the 2011 Trends based on the upcoming imm cologne exhibition in Germany. The four themes for this year are "Emotional Austerity", "Surprising Empathy", "Re-balancing" and "Transforming perspectives". Each will be represented at the show (If I can find picture after the show, I'll post them). In the article I picked 11 original items belonging to one of the four trends, shown below.


1. Still Lives by Yvonne Fehling & Jennie Peiz (Re-balancing)
imm cologne 2011 trends

2. The Straw Chair by Osko+Deichmann (Surprising empathy)
imm cologne 2011 trends

3. The Brave New World Lamp by Freshwest Design (Transforming perspectives)
imm cologne 2011 trends

4. The Network Chair by Bertjan Pot (Transforming perspectives)
imm cologne 2011 trends

5. The Eugene Lounge Chair by Stefan Diez (Emotional austerity)
imm cologne 2011 trends

6. Cloud softlight by Molo Design (Surprising empathy)
imm cologne 2011 trends

7. The Monster Chair by Marcel Wanders (Transforming perspectives)
imm cologne 2011 trends

8. The Void Light by Tom Dixon (Transforming perspectives)
imm cologne 2011 trends

9. The Accademia Patio Chair by Studio Hannes Wettstein (Emotional austerity)
imm cologne 2011 trends

10. The Bess Sofa by Stefan Diez(Emotional austerity)
imm cologne 2011 trends

11. The Bell Table by Sebastian Herkner (Transforming perspectives)
imm cologne 2011 trends

1.06.2011

Dayboard by StokkeAustad

Dayboard StokkeAustad modern calendar magnets colors
Dayboard StokkeAustad modern calendar magnets colors
Happy new year to all! To start the year, I figured I'd share with you one of the best calendars I've seen yet. Designed by StokkeAustad, this calendar is made of 432 magnets (366 days, 52 weeks, 14 days). Each month has a different color. The colors are said to represent the various seasons of the year going from cool blues in the winter, transitioning to greens in spring, then yellows in the summer and orange, red and violet in fall.
Dayboard StokkeAustad modern calendar magnets colors
Dayboard StokkeAustad modern calendar magnets colors
According to StokkeAustad, this calendar started as a research project looking at how different people visualize the year.They felt that traditional calendars did not leave enough room for personal interpretation of how time passes. So they created a calendar that allows the user to arrange the year however they wish.  It become a piece of art illustrating time. Since the individual dates are held in place by magnets, they can also be used to hold various items in place such as notes, card, tickets, etc.

This is such an ingenious product. I must have one! They are apparently currently in production with ABR, in Spain. Hopefully they will be available in Canada too!


Dayboard StokkeAustad modern calendar magnets colors
Dayboard StokkeAustad modern calendar magnets colors
Dayboard StokkeAustad modern calendar magnets colors

 photos: StokkeAustad