Apothéke (NY), Opening September 5

No opium-smoking, please.Photo: Noah Kalina

And here she is — your first look inside Apothéke, the apothecary-themed cocktail bar that apotheker Trummer will open inside a former opium den on September 5 (reservations will be accepted starting tomorrow, depending on Verizon). Co-owner Christopher Tierney modeled the lounge after old European apothecaries, which did indeed sometimes have bars — he designed the banquettes and added a large red couch and a small ottoman that Trummer scored from his buddy Daniel Boulud when Daniel closed for its makeover. The light sconces will be filled with an absinthe-like herbal liquid that emits a soothing scent.

The ceiling was uncovered when the one belonging to the previous tenant, Golden Flower, was pulled down, and was then painted with gold leaf. The bar was custom-built using imported marble and some pressed tin purchased from an antique store that also sold Tierney a 200-year-old door equipped with a cool sliding peephole. Stunning? A little bit, yes. And she’ll look even better after a Five Points, made with Chinese herbs, Austrian elderflower, Italian bitters, unfermented grape juice, and sugar cane rum. Best way to get in before the party opens? Talk to Tamsin Lonsdale about her event on Wednesday.

via NY Mag

See also: Apothéke Will Bring Opium Back to Chinatown

Free Hermes Kelly Bag

I have been working on Free economy for the past couple of weeks, and keep on seeing free everywhere. Here is a free classic.

You can download the Kelly on the Hermes site: Hermes Branded pdf’s of DIY cut+glue models of Kelly bags… i just had to laugh. Then press print. Then post.

via notcot, via Purse Blog…

Gallery Sakuranoki by NAP

A quirky gallery space in Japan with very thin walls.

Gallery Sakuranoki, Nagano, Japan, by Designer, for Hiroshi Nakamura & NAP

Photo:Daici Ano
(C) 2006 NAP

via Daily Icon

ESOMAR 2008/ Montreal 22-25 September

If you have a moment listen to this really interesting preCast, looking at cultural and sociological methods and how they impact brand strategy and innovation.
via ESOMAR

"I think all the research industry should adopt a CFO, because what the CFO wants to know is not whether this ad tested better than that ad, but does the whole program move us ahead in making brands more valuable in peoples' lives and therefore impacting the bottom line." (Alan C. Middleton).

In this preCast, ahead of this year's Congress in Montreal, BrainJuicer Chief Juicer John Kearon chats with three of the Congress keynotes about how cultural and technological changes are impacting peoples' lives, and how the disciplines of marketing, branding and research need to adapt.

Joining John is former senior JWT executive Alan Middleton, popular anthropologist Grant McCracken, and design entrepreneur Richard Eisermann.

LISTEN TO THE PODCAST HERE

STARRING...

	Alan C. Middleton Assistant Prof. of Marketing and Executive Director, Executive Education Centre, Schulich School of Business, York University (http://www.schulich.yorku.ca)
	Grant McCracken Anthropologist, Research Affiliate, MIT (http://www.cultureby.com)
	Richard Eisermann Co-founder, Prospect (http://www.prospectdesign.eu)
	Host: John Kearon Chief Juicer, BrainJuicer (http://www.brainjuicer.com)

Katrien Van Hecke

Ballet and structure in new work by Katrien Van Hecke, photographed by Frederik Heyman
via Diane Pernet

Disassembled Household Appliances

I spotted this on Swiss Miss website last week and forgot to post it. Saw it again on continuous lean this week so here it is

While a student at the Hartford Art School, Brittny Badger wanted to show everyday household appliances from an otherwise unseen perspective. She set to work meticulously disassembled each piece and “arranged their interior parts very systematically on a white sheet of Bristol board” to expose the appliance’s “brains.” The arrangements and subsequent photographs give a completely unique look at something regularly ignored. The resulting images are stunning, futuristic and would be the perfect kitchen decor.

Dust Buster

Waffle Maker

Blender

Iron

Juicer

The complete set of images can be seen here.

via continuous lean

stealing bike in NYC

Louis Vuitton City Guides

This coming October, on the 15th to be precise, you'll be able to travel in style with a redesigned guide.
Tokyo, New York, Paris but also new gems like Bucarest, Glasgow, Lausanne, Manchester, Palermo et Saint-Tropez.
via Maxi Tendance

1LDK

This store is the new project from Takayuki Minami, former director of legendary Harajuku stores Factory and Cannabis. Minami was instrumental in the rise of Tokyo men's brands soe and John Lawrence Sullivan. The store is located in a tiny apartment, the type described by estate agents as a 1LDK (1bedroom+living/dining/kitchen area), hence the name. It carries a selection of upcoming Japanese brands like Soe, Marka, Gilet and Grime Effect, as well as a selection of overseas labels including Adam Kimmel. Patrik Soderstam and Frank Leder.

1A Mansion Suzuka, 1-8-28 Kamimeguro, Meguro-ku. Tel: 03-3780-1645.

For design fanatics such as my colleague sitting next to me, the table is an insult to Finn Juhl, but you can not satisfied everyone....

via Diane Pernet

Content Marketing=Brand New Marketing

Content Marketing = Brand New Marketing?

view presentationtags: media interactive trends new

There is also a great post about it by Paul Isakon (straight from his site and pasted here)

Helge was kind enough to contact me a couple weeks back to get some thoughts on this presentation. I meant to share it then but was traveling and let it fall down the Gmail inbox rabbit hole a bit. Thankfully, Damiano reminded me today.

Some things I especially liked were:

Slide 3: The thought of not focusing on one idea, but creating a range of ideas that engage people and bring them closer to the brand - something that the research of Duncan Watts is leading people to and something that Faris and Noah have been on to for quite a while, as have a few others.

Slide 33: If you're producing applications for brands/clients, always remember that the application is a means to an end, not the end itself.

Slides 47-59 on Emotional Research - it's time to start looking at things differently, don't you think?

Anyway, give it a read and be sure to let Helge know what you think over on his post of it or on Slideshare.

Blabber Architectural Classics: Habitat 67

Some see Habitat 67 like and Ant hill or rabbit warren and others see a resemblance to a Taos indian pueblo village. While the visiting public was impressed, they didn’t embrace the concept. At a distance the complex looked like an exciting piece of Cubist sculpture, at close up it’s flat concrete-gray exterior looked dull and as if nobody lived there.
An experiment in apartment living, Habitat 67, became the permanent symbol of Expo 67 after it closed. It was Canadian architect Moshe Safdie’s experiment to make a fundamentally better and cheaper housing for the masses. He attempted to make a revolution in the way homes were built - by the industrialization of the building process; essentially factory mass production. He felt that it was more efficient to make buildings in factories and deliver them prefabricated to the site. Prescient.

Habitat 67, by Moshe Safdie, for Expo 67.

via TED, Daily Icon

Swiss Motif in a Japanese House

Heidi House is an extremely low cost studio and office space located in a residential area of Tokyo. Long window openings were made in the plywood sheets in between the structural frame. The long thin nature of the structural frame inspired the ‘Tyrollean’ cutout shape. The house has caused quite a stir in the neighbourhood, but the important thing is everyone seems to smile when they walk past!

Via Daily Icon

Heidi House, Uehara, Tokyo, Japan, by Klein Dytham Architecture

Weaving Windshape at Marquis de Sade’s Castle

Windshape was an ephemeral structure commissioned by the Savannah College of Art & Design (SCAD) as a venue and gathering space near their Provence campus in France. Built by nARCHITECTS and a team of SCAD students over a period of five weeks, Windshape became the small town’s main public meeting space, and hosted concerts, exhibitions, and ceremonies. By varying the degree of tension in the string, Windshape can respond to the wind in several ways, from rhythmic oscillations to fast ripples across its surfaces. During heavy winds, Windshape moved dramatically, and made a hissing sound akin to dozens of jump ropes.

Windshape, Lacoste, France, by Designer, for nArchitects
Via: Daily Icon, Arch daily