The IDES of July • are somewhat past

Ahhhh! But what means  i d e s ? 
In the ancient Roman calendar, each month had an Ides. In March, May, July, and October, the Ides fell on the 15th day. In every other month, the Ides fell on the 13th day. The word Ides derives from a Latin word, meaning to divide. ... It had 365 days and 12 months each year.
Oh well! Who's counting? Who's looking - perhaps IDESX2 means the end of the month - which is when the issue is generally released -  ooops! A little late. Apologies.  Like I said, 'Who's looking?' , 'Who's counting?'.  But with the advent of the new PREVIEW flash editions we're run a touch ragged this month - again, apologies. But gee!  Look - it's all a big bonus, right? I mean we released 3•6  ++ Issues 1, 2, 3 of Preview.....so, I don't feel quite so bad. Just wait -we'll hit our rhythm.  

The ADASTRA - $13million USD
Originally built to haul Hong Kong businessman Antony Marden and his lucky guests all over the world, the Adastra Yacht is now available for sale. Its design, from Britain's Shuttleworth Design, combines luxury accommodations with the speed, fuel economy, and seafaring capabilities of a stripped-down cruiser. Features of the nearly all-custom boat include a superstructure crafted from carbon fiber with a Nomex honeycomb core, a glass and kevlar foam sandwich hull, incredible on-deck lounging areas, a full-width master bedroom with full bath, two guest cabins, a massive Caterpillar C18 main engine cranking out 1150 hp, a top speed of 23 knots, and a 10-knot cruising range of 10,000 nautical miles.

Told you it's a hotel.....just not quite ready to take reservation, yet.

CLIFF CONCEPT BOUTIQUE HOTEL
Every year, around 200,000 tourists hike up Noway's Preikestolen to get a glimpse of the incredible views. The Cliff Concept Boutique Hotel wants to give those travelers an extended stay on the edge of the 1,982-foot bluff. Anchored to the rock face, the five-tier structure would cantilever over the Lysefjorden Fjord where rounded balconies will overlook the Scandes scenery. What makes this hotel a potential bucket-list item is its pool. Suspended over the water, the infinity pool features transparent walls that give swimmers a birds-eye-view of the landscape below.
Photos: Hayri Atak Architectural Design Studio

This is the brainchild of Hayri Atak, a US educated Interior Architect (a profession not generally acknowledged in North America but is in Europe and Asia.)

He was born in Eskişehir in 1989. After completing his primary school and high school education in Izmir, he studied Interior Architecture at Istanbul Technical University (ITU) in 2007. During this time he also travelled to the United States and studied at the Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design, and Construction. At Auburn, he had the opportunity to attend workshops at the world-famous Rural Studio. After graduating from ITU with both a Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Architecture and a Master’s Degree in Facade Design and Technology, he studied Interior Hotel Design at the Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (NABA) in Milan.
Hayri Atak has received awards from many design competitions during his academic and professional life, both as an individual and a group. Having started his professional career during his undergraduate education, Interior Architect Hayri Atak has experience in a wide scope of interior and architectural projects including: hotel design, cafe/restaurant design, store concept design, villa design, clinical design, housing design, and facade design. In addition to his interest in product design and furniture design, he has recently been working on parametric designs, prototype techniques, molding &  serial manufacture techniques of products and facades, and robotic architecture. Hayri Atak, who is both a lecturer and organizer of workshops in various universities, established Hayri Atak Architectural Design Studio in 2017 with his vision and dream for creating a permanent architectural brand that guided the industry.

Hayri Atak web-site

Paul T. Frankl (1886 – 1958) was a furniture and interior designer born in Austria. At the age of 28 he moved to the United States. It was here that Frankl found his true aesthetic voice and style. Frankl was pre-eminently an advocate of the American Modernism. He believed in a new, optimist world. Frankl witnessed two World Wars and aimed to create a new, brave and upward new world order through his design. He has written extensively on the subject of Modern architecture and design and skyscrapers where one of his trademark features. The new structure of the skyscaper, rising up into the sky broke completely with the constraints of the past. The towering architectural form expressed the excitement and optimism of a new era.

So, no one got it right. . . this was featured in DesignPreview Issue #2.
I love cork - I have used it for flooring in 3 kitchens so far. My clients love the colours it's available in and it is so comfortable underfoot. For those who question its durability, consider this - it is used in many high traffic restaurants and even as flooring for basketball courts. In Montreal it is distributed by Duro-Design in Laval.
The texture is gorgeous - it looks like leather but because it is a rigid material it can be used in form shapes like this really cool sofa. Check out the other photographs to better understand how it might be adapted to house storage compartments etc.

Other cool designs by Paul Frankl

Ray's Dive Bar - 177 Chrystie, NYC

You might well ask, 'Why is this here in a design journal?'
Fair enough
Simple answer is, 'Because it is a really great example of throwback funk - of days gone by, of style that only became, a style, long after.' That's why - and because, I like this kinda funk!

To swing by spots previously developed by NYC dive bar Ray’s all-star team might make one wonder how they ended up partnering on this particular watering hole. Much attention has gone to the involvement of actor Justin Theroux, but the others involved (including Jon Neidich, Taavo Somer, and Carlos Quirarte) have developed some of the most exciting and design-forward hospitality ventures in the city. From The Happiest Hour to The Smile, Acme and Freemans, Lemons at The Wythe Hotel and even The Rusty Knot, their combined impact on nightlife and dining has been markedly substantial. And yet Ray’s (177 Chrystie Street) is a destination for a Miller High Life and some whiskey. 

Jon Neidich, the chief executive at Golden Age Hospitality, longed for the nightlife scene of his early adult life in the East Village. Remembering their affection for dives, Neidich and his collaborators drew out attributes from  favorite former hangouts. Ray’s began to take shape: a homage to ease, an update to a beloved form of socializing.

“The dive serves the essential role as the neighborhood watering hole,” Neidich says, “Where someone’s a local, where bartender and patron have often developed a relationship. You walk up to the bar, you sink back drinks quickly, you put your favorite song on the jukebox, you just have a good time.”

NYC has changed, though. And, specifically, so has the LES neighborhood where Ray’s is located. “I’ve actually had my eye on this corner for about seven years,” Neidich continues, “From back when I lived on Grand and Essex Street. When Taavo and Carlos tapped us to be involved, it was perfect timing.” The location previous held the fashionable Le Turtle, an acclaimed vision of Quirarte and Somer. Neidich and crew preserved a nook of Le Turtle, but the rest of the venue has become wood-paneled and low-key. 

Ray’s isn’t a dirty dive. In fact, it’s more akin to what writer Noah Rothbaum coined in 2016, an “upscale dive.” Arguably, this is the most important category of bars in NYC today—featuring a quality beverage program (here directed by Jim Kearns), welcoming decor and an open, easy atmosphere. As Neidich says, “I think we endeavored to create our version of a dive bar, which meant we would have a clean, well-thought-out space, good product, and great bartenders.” And this is what is delivered.
​
Neidich says visitors can expect good vibes every night and, “that feeling of comfort.” He wants Ray’s to be a place where people feel an affiliation, “somewhere you could go anytime on any day if you needed to and chances are you see someone you know.” Ray’s is definitely a neighborhood bar, belonging to the LES and its inhabitants by proximity, but anyone who walks in easily realizes it can be theirs too.
Images courtesy of Kirsten Francis

David Graver is Senior Editor at COOL HUNTING, and a contributor to various print and digital outlets. His areas of expertise include art, technology, travel, film, fashion, and hospitality, with further specialization in watches, spirits and cocktails. David represents Cool Hunting around the world at events including Baselworld, Milan Design Week, Miami Art Week, Tales of the Cocktail and New York Fashion Week, as well as gallery openings, product launches and cultural happenings.

Lab Lamp is meant to last for generations with a bent and folded construction and a hand-cast, square tube neck and circular base.  Our archetypal version of a library light, the double-headed curved shades have a folded edge and are directional and rotate. Inside, a black porcelain socket secures the bulb.  The pull brass stud link anchor chain is custom made, and the dimmer switch is knurled. The plug features a twisted fabric cord.
Lab Floor Lamp has telescoping height, which is held in place by an anti-fatigue pin that will never fail.  Knurled metal wire brushed connects to the wrapped fabric cord with foot pedal switch plug. 
Handcrafted in France, in a selection of Signature and Distinctive alloys with our Roman and Williams Guild Living Finishes and bespoke handblown glass.
Stephen Alesch and Robin Standefer’s Roman and Williams Guild Original Designs are each branded with our insignia and delivered with a Certificate of Authenticity.

ROMAN AND WILLIAMS  : : G U I L D : : 53 Howard Street • New York, NY 212-852-9099

This is, Tuscany
These exterior photographs are probably what one would imagine of Tuscany architecture and style - old, weather-worn, genteel - gentle even. And that is all true - but enter through the front door and it's as if you plugged yourself into an electric outlet!

Text description provided by the architects. In the landscape of Puntaldìa, in Sardinia, the architect Simone Micheli, designed House Boat –  a charming contemporary-style apartment. A space dedicated to redefine the conception of luxury, materializing the relationship between man, space, time and no longer conceived  as the opulence of goods.

Removing the superfluous, the environment acquires aesthetic rigor and the value of existence emerges clearly in the attention of every detail. The project is driven by the ideal of life on a boat, always open to new adventures but perfectly organized in the management of spaces and in the optimization of functions, turning into avant-garde thinking in the balance between the future of technology and the traditional charm of the ancient art of master carpenters.

The space therefore multiplies its ability to satisfy the desires of contemporary man: in the sleeping area, for example, the door of the large wardrobe opens a bathroom area, dedicated to its guests while, in the children’s room, a careful and ironic study of shapes and spaces allowed the placement of four beds.

The shapes leave the opportunity to expand, free themselves and reach the state of global well-being. The colors brighten up the space, heightening its dynamism, the shapes of the furniture create different levels that do not cease to overlap and recompose on the basis of continuous changes in perspective. The beauty of the outside world penetrates inside the apartment with large windows and generates clever mixtures of dreams and reality.
Architecture and Design by : : Simone Micheli
© Jürgen Eheim

MAN! Ain't she purty? She surely is! This is a classic Indian Motorcycle reproduction.....drooool!

The reason it's even here, in this issue, is because a) it's super cool design and b) because of this : : 

And the reason this is here is because - well, it's also just SoCool! A sidecar was converted to a BBQ pit!
Outrageous! But the motorcycle is also an Indian Motorcycle - which led me to the forenoted beauty.....

INDIAN X TRAEGER WOOD-FIRED GRILL MOTORCYCLE
Custom builder Thor Drake had a dream to combine outdoor grilling with his passion for motorcycles. The result is the perfect marriage of food and machine — a sidecar-mounted grill that's with you wherever the open road takes you. Thor took a Traeger Ironwood 885 wood pellet grill and fabricated a custom sidecar that matches the classic lines of the Indian Springfield Darkhorse perfectly, complete with mounting points for utensils and pellets for cooking on the go. The bike will debut at the 2019 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

Moi? I'll take one of each......https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/

I dunno - maybe you're all right - maybe I am losing my mind......seems I have gotten hung up on these fabulous retro styles - perhaps it's an uncontrollable urge to wend my way back to earlier times - to undo the present, return to the past. I love the sense of tactility that seemed to be prevalent in the designs of the 30's and 40's - they do not exist any more. Touch - the feel - silky velvet, lush corduroy - elegant matelassé.......hand-woven silks......not here no more it seems. And so when I encounter these wonderful designs that are evocative of  Phillip Marlowe, The Thin man, Billie Holiday, Glenn Miller - I swell up....I'm sure I lived in those times. And so, this wonderful teensy trailer that was designed by Pierce-Arrow, moves my heart.....maybe you feel something too?

Pierce Arrow:
​Many American luxury automakers used inventive tactics in an attempt to survive the Great Depression. Few were more inventive than Pierce-Arrow, which decided to build a luxurious travel trailer to accompany its automobiles.
Produced by a separate division at the Buffalo factory, the Pierce-Arrow Travelodge was built to the same outstanding standard as the company’s cars, with a steel frame covered by sheet aluminum outer panels, and an interior of beautifully finished birchwood and gum with linoleum floors. It was mounted on fully independent suspension and featured a Bendix hydraulic brake, actuated by a vacuum cylinder connected by hose to the trailering car. Three models were offered, the smallest being the 13.5-foot Model C priced at $784, with all equipment standard.
The Guyton Collection’s Model C was acquired from Charles and Veronica Orin of Ruidoso Downs, New Mexico, its owners since 1956. The interior features a handsome dinette, with comfortable booth-style seating and a linoleum table, which folds into a double bed, as well as an insulated icebox, a hand-pumped sink (designed to draw from an external source), a Prentiss-Wabers Auto-Cook-Kit camp stove, and a wood-burning stove. Extensive storage and counter space is provided as well. All windows are fitted with modern safety glass and curtains, and open to mosquito screens, including the rooftop hatch, allowing for well-ventilated living while on the road.
Accompanying the Travelodge are a variety of charming period accessories, including a blue speckleware dining set, a Philco table radio, and a three-piece set of leather luggage, amongst others, completing its wonderfully detailed presentation.
The ideal partner to one’s Pierce-Arrow, this unusually luxurious and beautifully built trailer is the ultimate tour accessory and the greatest prize for the determined Full Classic enthusiasts.

I'm thinkin' that all ya wants with this is the gorgeous pistachio/devon cream Indian Motorcycle - oui?

Speaking of the past -  P O L A R O I D  is a name - a brand name that only those of us of this generation are familiar with.....we all, mostly had one. And prior to digital photography every professional photographer used a Polaroid as his  'test' shot of a scene - you had to wait, wave the wet print about, in order to assess it - determine if it was good enough, angle-wise, to proceed with the full frame shot.
​ Man, was it a tedious process. But now, Polaroid has experienced a digital renaissance.

P O L A R O I D Meet the world’s brightest camera. This truly state of the art innovation features an extra bright flash developed in collaboration with Hawkins National Laboratory. Pressing the shutter button sends light waves towards your subject, which reflect back to create perfectly illuminated pictures in or out of the shadows. With its unique blue and red colorway, this camera is guaranteed to stand out amongst your collection. Easy to use and precise in its function, you’ll feel like a pro and shoot like one, too. This Stranger Things Edition is here just in time for the new season, and comes with a pack of i-Type film, featuring a random selection from 16 colorful and bold designs inspired by your favorite Hawkins hangout spots. Every pack includes 8 out of 16 spectacular designs, so you’re guaranteed a frame that’ll match your mood. Get ready to collect, swap and share with your closest friends.

P O L A R O I D : : 

Here Kitty, Kitty. . . . can you spot le minou? 
This is a 3D model of a proposed addition for an old client.....
​a joint effort by myself and my star student Vanessa Bertran.

'Nuff said', he said. And i replied, from within the dank, damp fog that swirled about the gas lamps that were making a valiant effort to penetrate the mist, 'Why ever might thee think such? The night is still young - and we have to do our duty out here....'

That's it for Issue 3•7 - whatever is missing from our Preview issues will carry forward to Issue 3•8.
That will be end of August, or thereabouts. Compliments, critiques, complaints or concerns to Inbox@DesignReview.International