Wednesday, August 27, 2008
The Ace Hotel, M13's residence of choice on our frequent visits to Seattle and Portland, is gearing up for the opening of its New York hotel this winter. Sketches of some of the rooms just hit the internet.
"Ace Hotel New York is improvisational, a mix of styles, historical periods and objects that come together in layers. The hotel's design takes its cues from the vibrancy of street life, the honesty of materials and the potential of invention. It is about soul, latent in the old architecture and re-introduced through the new design."
Via Selectism.
Ace New York.
© 2007, M13
www.M13.ca
posted by M13 on Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday Reviews - Moleskine NotebooksTuesday, August 26, 2008
It feels like pretty much everyone has a Moleskine at this point...hard to believe they only launched in 1998. How does a notebook brand go from zero to ubiquity in ten years? They're definitely great products... super well designed...with the elastic closure, bookmark ribbon, and expandable pocket on inside back cover. But the real story is Moleskine marketing.
The thing you usually hear about Moleskines is that they were used by famous writers and artists like Hemingway and Picasso. This is a half truth...the Moleskine design is based on those notebooks, but the brand is new. Misleading or not, that backstory authenticates the brand and is a major part of its allure. Then there's the product extensions like the City Notebooks, which work as visitor guide/travel journals for major cities around the world... and the Detour project, where they exhibit artists' work in notebooks. Finally there's the the Milan-based company's Italian heritage, which never hurts (are they Made in Italy? Not sure...).
So yeah, Moleskine.... great products, even better marketing.
Moleskine home.
Detour artist projects.
© 2007, M13
www.M13.ca
Tuesday Reviews - Moleskine Notebooks
posted by M13 on Tuesday, August 26, 2008