Most striking feature:
The pots on the ceiling. No less than 4000 (!) of them. You almost get dizzy when you look at it. From the manager of Gazi I learned that the entire installation was made in a large hangar and from there they moved it with a truck to the restaurant where they had to attach it to the ceiling. It has to be made this way because how else would you get the wave motion in the installation? It’s very impressive! But what I also find very impressive is Read more…
Most striking feature:
The newest Praktik Hotel in Barcelona! Hotel Praktik Bakery opened its doors officially on April 1, but this week the bakery also opened its doors, so the hotel is now complete. You probably know how much I love the Praktik Hotels. All their hotels are unique and you can stay there for a pretty good price (often below 100 euro per night). Earlier I wrote about Praktik Rambla and Praktik Garden in Barcelona and about Praktik Metropol in Madrid. The design is always outstanding and always done by Lazaro Rosa-Violan. He always takes care of the building and the theme of the hotel so not one of the Praktik Hotels look the same. The theme of the new Praktik is ofcourse ‘the bakery’. So if you follow the smell of fresh baked bread and pastries, then you know you’ve find the right place. Forn, or in English Bakery, Baluard is one of the most famous bakeries in Barcelona. They have Read more…
Most striking feature:
Barceloneta is more than a popular tourist beach, because surfers come here often to find the perfect wave. You will see surfers walking with their boards along the boulevard towards the sea and at chiringuito Gallito you will see the surfboards hanging on the wall – not only as decoration because you can also rent them. New is Firmamento, a surf shop that is only open during the weekend and where you can buy all kind of surf products. From the boards itself to wax (which has an oh so good coconut smell). But there’s more: the Read more…
Most striking feature:
It is only open for about twenty days when I visit the new Tramuntana hotel in the beautiful village of Cadaques. It even smells new. The former house of the owner’s father was refurbished completely by Barcelona design company INTSIGHT and now it’s a hotel with eleven rooms which the couple rents to guests who wish to stay for the weekend (or longer). They have three types of rooms, all named after a certain kind of wind. Tramuntana is a special northern wind that occurs in Cadaques, so that’s where the name of the hotel comes from. The rooms are basic and have wifi, a television, rain shower and ofcourse a view of Read more…
3 reasons to go there:
Most striking feature:
In Surry Hills you will find one nice restaurant after another. One of the latest additions is The Stables. A cafe and shop opposite the Beresford Hotel, one of the most famous pubs in Sydney. The Stables is actually more than just a cafe and a shop, because there’s also a creative company, a modeling agency and a rooftop in the building. So much to discover! I started my visit with a lunch in the lovely black/white cafe where they serve Five Leaves coffee and work in beautiful designed aprons. After the Read more…
Most striking feature:
Casper Reinders and his art collection. Anyone who have read the Spanish AD a few months back, fell in love with Casper Reinder’s house. Obviously the Amsterdam restaurant entrepreneur knows how to bring inspiration in places like Lion Noir, Bo Cinq and Chow, but he also knows how to bring home a great mix of design and art. Reinders is on a continuous journey to find extraordinary items in the world so I can understand why he opened a gallery. On the Prinsengracht, next to the Leidsestraat and very close to Bo Cinq, all his discoveries are all displayed at Libertine. From a life-size statue of Read more…
3 reasons to go there:
Most striking feature:
Around the corner of Tenue de Nimes in Amsterdam you will find a new shop called Brainy Days, the store of Vera. The store will be there for half a year and Vera, the owner, will gather the most original gift items in here. From inspirational quotes to cutting boards shaped like a diamond. Last Friday she officially opened the doors and she launched an online magazine at the same time (click on this link to see more). With an overload of cool interior shops in Amsterdam (from Friday Next to Maison NL and from Hutspot to Six and Sons) Brainy Days knows how to select the most special pieces with a more than fine price tag. From an Read more…
Most striking feature:
In former stables at the Raamvest in Haarlem, Portrait recently opened its doors: a concept store run by three friends. And we are equally pleased with their taste, sense of design and collection! The huge space serves as a shop and a cafe and is open every day (except on Tuesday) from 10am to 5pm. We see a man sitting near the window reading a newspaper with a cup of coffee, a group of friends chatting in the cool bamboo chairs and a couple of guys are sitting on the long reading table. But, as Rogier, one of the owners, says: ‘come on weekdays and you will find people working here behind their laptops’. That’s something Read more…
