Raw yet warm

Because there is nothing hotter than the combination of concrete, velvet and black. 
With a humble and intimate approach to the interior, Nærvær is formed by a casual atmosphere with small spaces and niches for guests to enjoy. With an interior design defined by an array of stone, wood and metal, the materials are all natural and have deliberately been altered in order to create dark and industrial surfaces that matches the mood of the place. This conscious focus on tactility brings a warm, material richness to the interior that naturally compliments the raw concrete walls and industrial framework of the space. By NORM.ARCHITECTS.

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Sunday dinner at a restaurant

Before the craziness of the week proceeding Christmas begins, how about a night off to enjoy some spectacular design and cuisine! Le Coucou in New York City was designed by the incredibly talented duo of Roman and Williams. If you're lucky you'll spot Brad or Kanye :)
Roman and Williams have stripped away all of the years of renovations to expose the existing raw brick space. From the entry vestibule Roman and Williams have created a Dining Room that is a box-within-a-box, with sets of magnificent triple-hung glass windows that form a secondary façade within the space. At the room's crown, a grand procession of pewtered-steel chandeliers designed by Roman and Williams hang from the exposed concrete of the existing ceiling, lighting the room with a glow from hand-blown glass shades. Custom cast-glass sconces partner the chandeliers from their posts on the walls, where existing brick has been thickly whitewashed carefully to reveal layers of historical paint, providing additional layer and texture. The borders of the room are further defined by a circuit of banquettes covered in hearty blue gray mohair, which pairs with Thonet armchairs circa 1925 that have been reinterpreted and covered in earthy olive green velvet upholstery.

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Friday drinks

Thank God that week is over! Time for a little after work drinkie or two. Put on some new lipstick and run a comb through your hair. You'll want to look your best because we are meeting up at Eden Locke in Edinburgh. Grzywinski+Pons took an 18th Century Georgian mansion and its 20th Century extension down to their bones and created this über stylish 72 room hotel, cafe and bar. Not that I'm suggesting we stay overnight. I don't know you that well ;)

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Sunday at the racetrack

NAP is based in Poland and creates fabulous home furnishings that can be purchased online and through 6 brick and mortar shops (they also sell some really great brands like Artemide, Lampe Gras, Gubi and Tom Dixon). They recently started dabbling in interior design and their first project was the decor of a racetrack in Warsaw, located in a modernist building built in 1939. In 2 months they outfitted a 3 level, 1500 sq m area consisting of bars, restaurants and lounge areas. Not only are the furnishings gorgeous (NAP, Gubi, Tom Dixon and Zoffana wallpaper), but I love that they dug through archive photos of the building in an attempt to replicate the interiors as they would have been back in the 40's. Art deco design at its finest.  

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Sunday at the bar

What do you do when you have a commercial space with double height windows along 2 sides? Fill it with plants and go tropical!! Bar Botanique - Café Tropique in Amsterdam is one of the coolest bars I have ever seen. Shades of green and salmon with accents of yellow and blue, it is an absolutely beautiful hangout day or night. Designed by Studio Modijefsky, photos by Maarten Willemstein.

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