Hennessy Ellipse Cognac Bottle

Renowned Cognac maker Hennessy have released a specially designed Cognac which incorporates all the talents of master blenders from seven generations dating back to 1800 with Hennesy’s first master blender, Jean Fillioux. The cognac has an intensely complex bouquet with notable hints of candied fruit, wild roses and rancio, that earthy aroma that comes from the aging process.

Ellipse Cognac, $4000, from Hennessy

Read More at IHT: Finest Cognac offers bottled time

Bella Italia Wine Bar Interior

Bella Italia Weine, Stuttgart, Germany by Ippolito Fleitz Group

Icon: Chapel of Notre Dame du Haut by Le Corbusier

“Here we will build a monument dedicated to nature and we will make it our lives’ purpose”.

Le Corbusier’s ‘chapel of our lady of the height‘ is a pilgrimage chapel, though on most days more frequented by architectural pilgrims than the intended variety. Perched on a commanding hill above the village of Ronchamp, it is the latest of a long history of chapels on the site. Its predecessor was destroyed in fighting in the Second World War, though much of its stone is used in the walls of Le Corbusier’s building.

The thick, curved walls – especially the buttress-shaped south wall – and the vast shell of the concrete roof give the building a massive, sculptural form. Small, brightly painted and apparently irregular windows punched in these thick walls give a dim but exciting light within the cool building, enhanced by further indirect light coming down the three light towers.

Notre Dame du Haut, Ronchamp, France, by Le Corbusier

Arne Jacobsen Series 7 chair interpreted by Paul Smith

Displayed at Illums Bolighus in Copenhagen, and subsequently sold at auction, proceeds to the Danish AIDS Foundation.

Series 7 chair, by Arne Jacobsen, for Fritz Hansen

Converted Monastary, Now a Design Hotel in Maastricht

Located in the city-center of Maastricht, this renovated 15th century monastery of the Crutched Friars offers you a breathtaking synthesis of a veritable Gothic exterior with a sleek, dressed-down modern interior. Many innovative solutions for structural challenges (e.g. a glass elevator connecting the church to the monastery area) only confirm the notion that the sobriety of modern style forms a perfect match for a late-medieval architectural expression of religious virtue.

Kruisherenhotel, Maastricht, The Netherlands, Chateau Hotels

New York City Waterfalls, Public Art Project by Olafur Eliasson

We’ve written before about Olafur Eliasson, the New York Times writes about a new project called “The New York City Waterfalls” a public art project of four man-made waterfalls rising from New York Harbor, some as high as the Statue of Liberty. Organized by the nonprofit Public Art Fund and the City of New York.

The New York City Waterfalls, by Olafur Eliasson

Buy the Book: Studio Olafur Eliasson: An Encyclopedia (Extra Large Series)

Vanishing America, Architecture of Decay by Michael Eastman

Vanishing America, Cuba, Everyday Monuments by, Michael Eastman

60 Julius Shulman Prints for Sale – Case Study House #22

Shulman Portfolio #01 – Case Study House #22
Pierre Koenig, Case Study House #22, Los Angeles, California

Limited edition of 60 Silver Gelatin prints (Ilford MGD 44 M’ “Pearl”), numbered, titled and individually signed by Julius Shulman, mounted under plexiglass in black frames, 60 x 75,5 cm (23.6 x 29.7 in), released in 1999.

American photographer Julius Shulman’s images of Californian architecture have burned themselves into the retina of the 20th century. A book on modern architecture without Shulman is inconceivable. Some of his architectural photographs, like the iconic shots of Frank Lloyd Wright’s or Pierre Koenig’s remarkable structures, have been published countless times. The brilliance of buildings like those by Charles Eames, as well as those of his close friend, Richard Neutra, was first brought to light by Shulman’s photography.

Shulman Portfolio #01 – Case Study House #22
Buy it here: Amazon

Man With X-Ray Eyes, Photography by Nick Veasey

You may have seen this photography in the Adobe CS2 Suite Packaging, and campaigns like Adidas, ESPN Magazine, Jimmy Choo Shoes and Levi’s.

X-Ray Photography by Nick Veasey

Icon: The Bulthaup B3 Kitchen

Light in Design, the B3 system by bulthaup is the measure of all kitchens; by focusing on ergonomics, task management and keeping it utilitarian, the visual aesthetics are not compromised here. The entire kitchen “floats” by using a supporting frame inside the wall that can bear up to one ton in weight per meter. This is ideal for architects and designers, providing them with an unprecedented level of freedom in design and the efficient use of space. The range of accessories and the way in which spices, tools and even cleaning supplies are tucked away compliment the design. You may never dine out again!

Bulthaup B3 Kitchen, by Herbert H. Schultes, for Bulthaup