Das Stue Hotel by Axthelm Architekten

Originally built in the 1930’s, Das Stue’s diplomatic legacy is evident in the heritage building’s stately architecture and modernist façade, designed by German architect Johann Emil Schaudt (1871-1957) and inspired by Danish classicism. Located in Berlin’s diplomatic quarter, Das Stue was renovated to invoke a calming ambiance, with open spaces and contemporary minimalist design. The Potsdam-based firm Axthelm Architekten added a new wing on the building’s former back courtyard, which is clad in a floral patterned photo concrete surface acting as an elegant counterbalance to the rough dressed stone of the main building.

While Patricia Urquiola artistically directed and designed all public spaces and fluidly integrated shared spaces such as the lobby, cocktail bar and restaurants, LVG ARQUITECTURA finalized the interior room and suite design. Das Stue’s daylight spa, which opens its doors to the courtyard when the first rays of sunlight emerge, offers three treatment rooms, an indoor swimming pool, as well as a glass sauna and gym. In addition to the wellness center, two intimate library lounges offer guests a private and elegant retreat to relax.

Each of the 80 guestrooms is outfitted in subdued modern decor that emphasizes polished surfaces and rich fabrics. The rooms are designed to recall the open spaces of villa environments, complemented by high ceilings, hardwood floors and views of the adjacent Tiergarten; 11 rooms feature terraces and balconies.

Das Stue Hotel, Berlin, Germany, by Axthelm Architekten, via: UR Design Magazine

Hermès M9 Special Edition Camera by Leica

Following a string of limited edition collaborations, Leica is back with a third in a line of special M-System cameras built with the help of renowned Parisian fashion house, Hermès. The partnership results in two special editions, with a total of 300 Edition Hermès digital rangefinders set to ship beginning in June for $25,000, while 100 “very special” Edition Hermès — Sèrire Limitèe Jean-Louis Dumas models will release in July for — $50,000. Both editions will be offered as complete kits, with the “cheaper” of the two built with soft calfskin leather with a silver chrome finish for its redesigned control points, complete with a Leica Summilux-M 50 mm f/1.4 ASPH. optic. The “other” arrives with three lenses, the Leica Summicron-M 28 mm f/2 ASPH., a Leica Noctilux-M 50 mm f/0.95 ASPH. and a Leica APO-Summicron-M 90 mm f/2 ASPH — all with an anodized silver finish.

Hermès M9, Special Edition Camera, by Leica, via Freshness

Steilneset Memorial by Peter Zumthor & Louise Bourgeois

Architect Peter Zumthor designed this memorial on an island in Norway to commemorate suspected witches who were burned at the stake there in the seventeenth century. The Steilneset Memorial in Vardø comprises two structures, one conceived entirely by Zumthor and a second housing an installation by the late Louise Bourgeois (1911-2010). The first structure comprises a pine scaffolding framework, inside which is a suspended fabric cocoon containing a long oak-floored corridor. Inside this corridor, light bulbs hang behind 91 windows to represent each of the men and women that were put to death during the witch trials. A plaque accompanies each lamp to record the individual stories of every victim. The installation by Bourgeois, entitled The Damned, The Possessed and The Beloved, occupies the smoked-glass-clad second structure. A circle of mirrors within surround and reflect a flaming steel chair inside a hollow concrete cone.

Steilneset Memorial, Vardø, Norway, by Peter Zumthor and Louise Bourgeois,
Photography by Andrew Meredith, via: dezeen

Hotel Missoni Kuwait

Every detail designed by Rosita Missoni to create an exhilarating sensory experience.

Hotel Missoni, Kuwait

The 9 Hours Capsule Hotel, Kyoto, Japan

The 9 Hours is the brand new capsule hotel unveiled by Tokyo-based Cubic Corp. Designed in a collaboration with designer Fumie Shibata of Design Studio S, it looks nothing like its predecessors and represents a revolution in the capsule concept.

The Nine Hours Capsule Hotel, Kyoto, Japan, by Fumie Shibata

Travel: Stay Apartment Hotel Copenhagen

A few years ago, the A House was the hub of Copenhagen’s creative elite. Now the building has been transformed into Stay, which offers a couple of hundred apartments that come with space, freedom and a view. Booking an apartment gives you access to the biggest rooftop terrace in Scandinavia as well as a meticulous design, which can be seen in everything from the front of the house to the hat stand. Accordingly, Copenhagen is no longer lagging behind when it comes to housing guests, who want more than a place to spend the night.

Stay, Copenhagen, Denmark

Mandarin Oriental Barcelona by Patricia Urquiola

While the 1950s Catalan façade has been left untouched stylistically, architects Carlos Ferrater and Juan Trias de Bes have made some major changes to the former bank while retaining its symmetrical simplicity. The nine-storey building’s unassuming façade opens to a light-drenched atrium, around which the hotel rooms have been designed. Crossing the atrium via a floating catwalk, guests pass into a lobby before being drawn to a split-level mezzanine platform – flanked on one side by Moments restaurant and on the other by Banker’s Bar – from where they view the central Blanc lounge below. “Previously visitors walked down into the building, so we designed an elevated ramp for the gallery entrance to make it feel as though you are walking on air,” says de Bes. “By placing black reflective stone at floor level, there is a multiplying effect to the perceived height of the windows and atrium.”

The building’s character also provided much inspiration to Patricia Urquiola, who knew she must come up with a visual story specific to Barcelona while hinting at the Oriental roots of the Mandarin Oriental brand. “I noticed all this light flooding into the building, and wanted to harness it to mirror the light that shines in this Mediterranean city,” comments Urquiola. “Then I thought of how a white glove represents elegance and service. Closing my eyes, I knew there had to be a continuity of design flowing through the spaces; one point of view. But I also wanted there to be a sense of memory here.”

Mandarin Oriental, Barcelona, Spain, by Patricia Urquiola
Read more: Sleeper

Alila Villas Uluwatu Bali by WOHA

Located on the dry savannah landscape of the Bukit Peninsula on the dramatic southern cliffs of the Indonesian island of Bali, Alila Villas Uluwatu, is designed to investigate the potential of the fusion of vernacular architecture with modernist design. The design combines the delights of traditional Balinese pavilion architecture and rural landscapes with modern dynamic treatment of space and form. The design is based from first principles around the pleasures inhabiting the particular site, rather than assembling stereotypical images of Bali or generic resorts.

Alila Villas Uluwatu, Bali, Indonesia, by WOHA, Photography by Tim Griffith & Patrick Bingham-Hall, via: Arch Daily

Travel: Vorstadt 14 in Zug Switzerland

The building in the old town of Zug at Vorstadt 14, whose architectural history dates back to the 15th century, has recently been carefully renovated. Modern quality complements real history, tradition meets with avant-garde.

Originally a private residence, the building has been given a new identity which, under the name Vorstadt 14 combines temporary home style living with vibrant culture. The three units FACE , BRAIN and SOUL, for individual let, all offer an exclusive environment for art and design.

FACE is a flexible platform which features changing exhibitions from within the art and design area and is available to guests as a room for apéros, meetings or banquets. BRAIN is a modern business suite and offers quality and comfort in an historic environment. SOUL is a private apartment full of history and stories. It is opened for special occasions and for exclusive weekends.

Vorstadt 14, Zug, Switzerland

Once Upon a Dream by Mathieu Lehanneur

Designed for the Hôtel de Marc at Rheims, Once Upon a Dream has been designed to help people rapidly recuperate and adapt to their new surroundings. Based on psychological studies used in sleep treatment clinics to help cure chronic insomnia, the capsule installation will allow guests to recover as quickly as possible from jetlag. The extraordinary space is a sleep unit that is a hybrid between fairy-tale and home cinema. This is also nod to the history of the Veuve Clicquot House as Barbe-Nicole Clicquot Ponsardin was a notorious insomniac.

Once Upon a Dream, by Mathieu Lehanneur, for Veuve Clicquot