Hotel Le Meurice is renewed again: in 2019, 29 rooms and suites were opened after renovation, including a penthouse with a terrace with a view…
LE MEURICE HOTEL IN PARIS OPENED RENOVATED PENTHOUSE SUITE ON THE ROOF — Interiorista
A new floating hotel and spa in the Arctic that floats in warm weather and freezes into the ice when temperatures cool is set to open in the heart of Swedish Lapland in January 2020.
Built on the water, Arctic Bath is located on the Lule River near the small village of Harads in Swedish Lapland, around 31miles south of the Arctic Circle. Situated under the northern lights in winter, and the midnight sun during the summer months, Arctic Bath is a unique hotel and spa experience that welcomes guests to immerse themselves in the elements while leaving a minimal environmental footprint behind.
Constructed using sustainable materials – wood, stone, leather and luxurious textiles – and with very little impact on the environment, Arctic Bath hotel and spa is the latest environmentally-friendly venture from the team behind the nearby Treehotel.
AnnKathrin Lundqvist, partner at the Arctic Bath, said: “We have a strong environmental focus. We’ve chosen so many materials that are locally produced.”
The hotel itself is comprised of six detached floating “cabins” and six additional cabins on land which are connected via floating walkways. The flotilla of floating cabins offer Scandi-chic interiors with double bed, shower room, underfloor heating and an exterior wooden deck, ideal for spotting the Northern Lights during the winter months or reaping the sunshine of the midnight sun over the summer months.
There are also six more elevated cabins built on the tree-lined shore, which are positioned on stilts above the ground so the cabins don’t disturb the natural growth below.
Central to the Arctic Bath complex is the Arctic Bath itself, a spa area which is inspired by “the timber floating era which recalls how felled trees were transported downriver for processing”.
The circular-shaped timber framed Arctic Bath, which is centred around an open-air plunge pool, also houses one spa treatment room, four saunas, a hot bath, outdoor and indoor showers, and two dressing rooms. The open centre of the bath invites guests to sunbathe, ice bathe or sit back to view the Northern Lights or star-filled skies.
A dip in the bath itself is consistent with the Arctic tradition of a cold-water plunge with the water maintained at 39 degrees Fahrenheit and combines well with the warmth of a sauna and spa. A special technique has been developed to keep the centre of the bath open during wintertime, adding to the atmospheric setting.
The circular building, which is accessed by a walkway, is also home to the wellness centre offering treatments including hot stone massage and unique therapies such as bespoke crystal healing. Designed by architects Bertil Harström and Johan Kaupp, native birch trees were used to surround the lodge and a tool used to dislodge log jams as inspiration for the shape of the cabins.
An on-site restaurant will be run by a Belgian and an indigenous Sámi chef with a menu described as Sámi fusion, including foraged ingredients and reindeer.
The Arctic Bath will also host several activities for visitors including hikes and paddleboarding during the summer months, and in the winter, northern lights expeditions, and cross-country skiing.
Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyles including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com
Photo by Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic Couture – Look for living room design inspiration Photo by Sarah Susanka, FAIA – More living room photos Photo by Jonathan Adler – More living room photos
Design Through the Decades: The 1990s — Wyndesong Collectibles
A beautiful collection of decorative patterns of geometrics in jacquard weaves, textural qualities, batiste, plains, voiles and embroideries. Offered in sophisticated color palettes of neutrals, grays and easy living colors for today. Our sheers have a beautiful linen look and style. These patterns pass NFPA 701 and CAL 117 with great affordable price points for the contract market and a large ‘in stock’ inventory for immediate delivery.
We can sell you either fabric only or manufacture finished bedding and window covering products for Hotels, Cruise Lines, Hospitals.
Furniture collection:
Our furnishing fabrics are created from all natural fibers without any synthetic yarns, harmful dyes or finishes. Slight variations in weave, texture, and color are inherent to the unique character and charm of hand-loomed goods.
For samples, memo cards, price and stock information please contact Nisha Desai: nisha@nishadesigns.com
Photo by Hurst Design-Build Remodeling – Discover kitchen design ideas Photo by L&B Limited Company – Look for home design pictures Photo by Ryan Street & Associates – Discover dining room design ideas
10 Design Trends Coming to a Home Near You — Wyndesong Collectibles
“On this Veterans Day, let us remember the service of our veterans, and let us renew our national promise to fulfill our sacred obligations to our veterans and their families who have sacrificed so much so that we can live free.” ~ Dan Lipinski- Wyndesong Collectibles
High-System PU (Polyuretan)
Modern artificial leathers are coated with polyurethane (PU) instead of PVC, as PU is much more environmentally friendly in production, use and disposal.
Conventional PU, however, has the disadvantage that moisture and bacteria can penetrate through the openness of the pores and thus permanently damage the PU.
A new manufacturing process enables PU artificial leather to be produced with closed pores, so that there are no fractures in the surface – it is much more durable and hard-wearing.
Our artificial leathers SOLO, KANO, JAGO, ENA and ROMY have been produced with this special PU manufacturing process, called High System PU.
Our modern faux leathers are also particularly soft and insensitive to soiling. They are quick and easy to clean. With over 300,000 rubbing cycles, our faux leathers are durable and robust. Due to their permanent bi-elasticity, the materials can be easily upholstered according to all processes customary in the upholstery industry.
The advantages of High System PU faux leather are:
Romy has a beautifully grained, matt surface that can hardly be distinguished haptically from genuine leather. The leather look is supported by warm natural shades.
Ena, on the other hand, is modern and bold with its smooth, metallic surface and strong accentuated colours. In addition to the classic metallic tones such as gold, copper and silver, strong tones such as orange and red stand out.
Jago has a natural leather apperance; its slight vintage look makes it extremely suitable for the furnishing of a modern hotel. It is ideal for headboards, bed surrounds and seating furniture of all kind. The authenticity of the faux leather is underlined by the colour range which concentrates on natural and grey tones.
Kano is a faux leather with a fine graphically embossed structure and a modern metallic sheen. The colour range comprises metal tones such as steel, titanium, silver and bronze as well as black and white.
Solo has a large colour palette with strong colours paired with natural leather tones. Solo is particularly beautiful in combination with upholstery fabrics from the DELIGARD series.
Colourline is an imitation leather made of PVC which is extremely durable. It stands out due its good resistance to weather influence, UV light, water, heat, cold and chemicals. 70 colours offer extensive design possibilities.
A mural created to raise awareness of the importance of sustainable energy has been created in Turin. From Barcelona based Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada. It is a piece which, according to the artist, “alludes to the importance of acting now to assure a positive outcome.” Called ‘Promise’ it features the image of a young girl. She is…
via Mural by Jorge Rodriguez-Gerada in Turin raises awareness of Sustainable Energy — Inspiring City
A new eco-hotel in Finland is set to charge its guests based on the carbon footprint of their stay.
Arctic Blue Resort, which opens in the small city of Kontiolahti in 2022, will be the world’s first resort where the price is emission-based – meaning the smaller the guest’s environmental impact, the less they pay.
Visitors of the resort can influence the cost for example by consuming less energy, attending ecological activities and making sustainable dietary choices.
From the same people behind the Arctic Brands Group, who make high-quality artisan spirits from ingredients found in Finnish nature, the Group believe that companies are obligated to find new solutions to fight climate change.
Mikko Spoof, the Vice President and founder of Arctic Brands Group, said: “We want to offer people a world-class eco-vacation and encourage them to make sustainable choices by having emission-based pricing for their stay. We want the resort to be a place of true tranquility and thus encourage our guests to be more present in the moment and embrace digital detox.
“With Arctic Blue resort we want to lead an example by putting emphasis on environmental responsibility and by creating solutions to minimise the negative impact of tourism.”
Arctic Blue Resort is designed to be as sustainable as possible – built with natural materials, powered by renewable energy
sources, and with its own water treatment system, the eco-hotel will be self-sustaining. Keeping in line with the natural surroundings, guests will also be able to choose from rooms where they can sleep under a starry night sky or enjoy a 360-degree view of the forest.
In addition to a restaurant serving locally sourced food, Arctic Blue Resort will also offer guests nature-inspired activities and excursions – including ice-swimming and snowshoeing in winter, and berry-picking and rowing in the summer.
Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyles including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com
Butler, a formally trained African American artist of Ghanaian heritage, broaches the dividing line between creating with paints on canvas and creating with fiber by fashioning magnificent quilts and elevating a medium hitherto designated as craft into one that is clearly high art. While quilts have historically been isolated in the history of art as the products of working women, Butler’s work not only acknowledges this tradition, but also reinvents it. Continuing with an aesthetic set in motion by artists such as Romare Bearden and Faith Ringgold, Butler forges an individual and expressive signature style that draws upon her own cultural background and experiences.
Her emergence as a quilt artist began humbly when, as a result of a fiber arts class taken at Howard University, she constructed a quilt for her dying grandmother mainly as a means of comfort. As a child Butler had often spent time poring over black and white photographs with her grandmother, who told her stories about the people in each one. This experience of creating narrative and identity informs her quilts. The vibrant portraits of African American life and the tales the quilts tell are largely based on photographs from which Butler takes inspiration. She creates a story around each image, and, in her choice of fabrics, she uses texture, color and the cultural origin of the cloth as part of a personal iconography that makes statements about society and identity. African painted cotton and mud cloth tells the story of her ancestral homeland, vintage lace and aged satin might demonstrate the delicacy and refinement of times past while multi-colored organza and layered netting can convey a story of someone colorful and multifaceted.The constructed nature of the work with its reliance on piecing and stitching acknowledges the traditions of needlework normally associated with women and domesticity. Butler subverts this notion through her choice of motifs, embellishments, patterning and scale, all drawn from African textiles.What results are stunning works that transform family memories and cultural practices into works of social statement.
The wisdom of a warrior is a good starting point for anyone who has chosen to work on themselves, and follow the path of their true self. The legendary Miyamoto Musashi, heralded as Japan’s greatest swordsman and samurai warrior, was also a celebrated writer and artist too, penning key writings on Japanese samurai tactics and philosophy – Go Rin No Sho (The Book of Five Rings), and Dokkōdō (The Way of Walking Alone).
Born in the Japanese province of Mimasaka in 1584, Miyamoto Musashi trained himself in the art of sword fighting at an early age and at the age of 13, he went on to win his first duel – one of many. He invented the Ni-Ten Ichi Ryu style of fighting with two swords, which is the most instantly recognisable visual features of the samurai.
Dokkōdō, a short text outlining self-discipline, was written the week before Miyamoto Musashi died in 1645 of natural causes. Consisting of 21 precepts, it expresses a way of living that is aligned with one’s self or true self.
Here is the 21 precepts of Dokkōdō:
Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyles including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com
Sustainable cabins in secret locations, otherwise known as Slow Cabins, are popping up outside the city of Belgium in a bid to help people connect with nature.
Each cabin, built using eco-friendly materials with wooden interiors, is off-grid and self-sufficient through the use of solar panels, a filtered rainwater system and ecological dry-toilet. There are cabins of two kinds to suit individuals, couples and families.
The nature-based locations of the Slow Cabins are only revealed to guests after they’ve booked a cabin. Slow Cabins are mobile and frequently rotate locations, making for new sights and experiences for those looking to book a second trip.
The interiors of the Slow Cabins are natural and minimalist with its raw-look wooden floors and walls, and wooden furniture. Insulated glass windows frame views of surrounding fields and woodland, and there’s a wood-burning stove to cosy up in front of – and a small deck. The double beds consist of eco-textiles layered on a natural latex mattress, with large windows for gazing out into the surroundings.
The insulated cabins are kept toasty in the winter with wood-burning stoves, while the kitchen contains a pair of cooking plates alongside a sink, small fridge and a food preparation area. In the bathroom you’ll find a shower, wash basin and eco-friendly dry toilet. A fireplace and ceramic BBQ offer warmth and cooking options outside.
A stay also comes with a basket of locally-sourced produce and spring water.
The Slow Cabins experience is as much about making guests aware of their environmental impact. Slow Cabins say: “Each of our cabins comes equipped with a smart display that shares your energy and water use with you. By actively seeing your energy usage throughout your stay you become aware of your impact on the environment and what a positive and ecological footprint might look like.”
The Time For Two couple’s retreat costs from €175 per night, while the Time For Family cabin, which sleeps 3-5 people, costs from €185 per night.
Slow Cabins is expanding its off-the-grid concept across Europe and looking for partners.
Rosa Medea is Life & Soul Magazine’s Chief. She writes about lifestyles including sustainable and green living. She also offers content services to businesses and individuals at Rosamedea.com
