Intercontinental Shimao Shanghai

These days, it seems like if you can dream it, someone will create it.  In the case of the Intercontinental Shimao Shanghai Wonderland, that someone is British engineering firm Atkins.  You see, the good people at Atkins recently won the rights to design the Intercon Shimao, which is set to open in early 2015.  What makes this project a bit more interesting is that the hotel would be built alongside what is essentially a giant 100 meter hole in the ground, making it somewhat of an "underground" hotel.  According to luxury blog Luxuo, the property will feature about 380 rooms, an underwater restaurant and a massive 60-meter tall glass curtain that would run adjacent to the main structure, allowing guests to descend down the rockface like a waterfall.  The designs on Luxuo look crazy, almost surreal but it seems as though they've already broke ground on this project.  I'll believe it when I see it....

Modern-Chic Sustainable Home, Costa Rica

Casa Mecano in Costa Rica's Peninsula de Osa, is a breathtaking structure perched atop a hill overlooking some pretty amazing landscape.  Designed by Arquitectos Costa Rica, this sustainable home is self sufficient and is described as "functioning as an organism that adapts to its environment."  You know, that's all fine and good, but I'm personally drawn to the crazy infiniti pool that seems to pour right into the Costa Rican jungle and the bright, modern interior design that's as welcoming and comforting as it is ultra chic. Click on either image to see more stunning photos of Casa Mecano.  What is it they say in this part of the world: "Mi casa es su casa..."?

Dror For Tumi Expandable Suitcase

The trouble with luggage is that we rarely come back home with the same amount of stuff that we took with us. The acquiring of useless goods has become a dangerous habit of business and leisure travelers alike.  Take the 5 pound carved wooden cat sculpture Wifey picked up on a trip to Jaimaica years ago.  Whether planned or not, this sort of crap WILL come home with you. Which is why the new expandable carry-on from the Dror for Tumi line will come in handy. While other expandable luggage may give you a few inches of extra space, the Dror expandable nearly doubles in volume, and maintains rigid walls when fully expanded. A solid hardshell exterior will keep your possessions safe from those reckless baggage handlers at Dhaka International. 

"It's like a magical Mary Poppins bag," says acclaimed designer Dror Benshertrit of his 11-piece collection created for Tumi. Apparently it took Benshetrit about 40 prototypes before perfecting the bag's expandable mechanism. 

This thing is no joke, here it is in action:

$895 Tumi.com

BustedTees Graphic T-Shirts

I've decided I would very much like to be a hipster. It's just what I need right now to break away from that whole "domesticated suburbanite lame Dad with a desk job" look I've been rocking for the last couple of years.  Now, apart from the skinny jeans and the thick framed glasses, I imagine I'd need some pretty cool t-shirts to complete the look.  The kind that say, "look at me with my cheeky t-shirt graphic, don't you want to party with me?" Lucky for me, BustedTees has a plethora of designs for me to chose from.  Their selections range from current pop culture (yes, they already have Linsanity t-shirts) to the clever play on words ("South Korea's Got Seoul") to the downright bizzare (the "SILF", or Sandwiches I'd like to, er, nevermind).  Either way you look at it, these t-shirts are going to give me instant street cred at work, especially among the creative types that hover around the ping pong table on the 18th floor.  The only question is, I wonder if I should wash these t-shirts on the gentle cycle in my washing machine or just handwash them?  Would be such a pity if I ruined them after the first wear, you know?

Mercedes Benz C63 AMG Black Series

When I was in high school my Dad rocked a Mercedes Benz C32 AMG. When the old man would go on business trips, I'd take the liberty of-you know-making sure the car's battery was kept warm by taking it for joy rides around town. To say the thing was fun to drive is a gross understatement.  The second you put your foot down on the accelerator, 350 horsepower of brute force would knock you back into the leather bucket seats that would smother you like a needy girlfriend. It was brilliant.

Fast forward to today. AMG, the tuning house that's a subsidiary of the Mercedes Benz company, has introduced the C63 AMG Black Series.  The C63 is powered by a 6.3 liter V8 engine that delivers a near illegal 510 horespower that'll get you to giddy up from 0 to 60 mph in a mere 4.2 seconds. Beyond the sporty exterior touches that have become the AMG landmark, the C63 Black Series is equipped with an Aerodynamics package that includes flics, a functionally tuned front splitter, and an adjustable carbon-fiber rear aerofoil.  All of which is gearhead talk for "schwing"!

$14.95M Boston Townhouse

The Benjamin Mansion on Boston's Beacon Hill is a near $15M dollar townhouse restoration that overlooks the city's Public Garden & quite possibly among the most coveted addresses in town (74 Beacon Street). Described as "8,450 square feet of elegance and luxury," this ridiculous crib features 6 bedrooms, 6 full bathrooms, 3 powder rooms, 8 working fireplaces, a large elevator that services all 6 levels, 2 large decks, a garden, a media room, a library, a home gym, and a rooftop infinity heated lap pool.  It also comes with deeded parking.  For $15M, the damn thing better come with an Aston Martin parked IN the spot.  Oh, and in case you were wondering, monthly mortgage payment would be roughly $90,000.  Sucks to be the 99%, doesn't it?

via Curbed Boston

Rolex Oyster Perpetual Collection

I'm thinking about rewarding myself sometime in the next few years by buying myself a Rolex as a toast to reaching my 40s without screwing things up too much. What more does a guy like me need, save for that bit of bling that will give me some serious street, er, office cred among my peer set?  Despite being a global status symbol, I've always thought of the classic "gold" Rolex as a bit too stuffy and outdated; something an old geezer in a pin-striped power suit would be wearing en route to the court house, clutching a hand-stitched leather briefcase.  I prefer something a bit more casual and down to earth. Rolex has three watch lines: Oyster Perpetual, Professional and Cellini.  The Oyster Perpetual is Rolex's less-dressy and more rugged line of watches.  Over the years, print ads for the Oyster Perpetual featured tough guys deep sea diving, climbing mountains and performing other activities that require a decent amount of brute strength and a pair of large onions, if you know what I mean.  Outside of the outwardly marketing of the Oyster, international badasses such as Paul Newman, Lloyd Bridges, Diego Maradona & Che Geuvara (pictured here) have been spotted sporting the Oyster.  Forget the Porsche gentlemen, this is how you announced you've arrived.

Cake Pops by Bakerella

While urban hipster parents won't find this to be breaking news, I am absolutely in love with the cake pop trend that is slowly taking over boutique bakeries and households all across America.  Cake pops, if you haven't had the pleasure of biting into one, are basically lollipops that taste like cake.  It's as simple as that.  The brief history of cake pops can be traced back to Angie Dudley, of Bakerella blog fame.  She's been credited with making caking pops internationally popular, in large part to her appearance on Martha Stewart's show back in 2008.  The rest is, as they say, cake pop history.  Angie has also authored what is the definitive guide to making cake pops ("Cake Pops: Tips, Tricks and Recipes for More Than 40 Irresistible Mini Treats"). Get on the bandwagon, people.  Besides, cupcakes are SO 2010....

Jonathan Adler Design

I always find it interesting to hear how people describe their home design style: modern, contemporary, vintage and shabby-chic come to mind. And we all seem to pigeon-hole ourselves into any one of these categories.  It takes a true visionary to introduce a whole new category of style into the mix.  Which is exactly what New Jersey native and designer Jonathan Adler has been doing since bursting onto the scene in 1993. Adler's approach to home furnishings and interior design features clean, simple design elements with completely unexpected splashes of vibrant colors and groovy graphics.  The result is what he'd tell you is "Happy Chic."  The first time I stumbled into Adler's Newbury Street store in Boston, I couldn't help but feel so darn happy about my surroundings. Everything in there is fun, lively, aesthetically pleasing and sometimes cheeky. Yet, none of it is overwhelming or inappropriate for people who may fall into any of the other design categories.  I had to force myself to leave the store since Wifey and I were in danger of cleaning out the whole place.  I mean, who doesn't want to feel happy when stepping into their homes?

Jonathan Adler Store Locations

[home] tabbed toilet seat

You know, the web can teach us quite a bit about real life. Like how to apply tabbed browsing to your next bathroom experience. While the tabbed toilet seat may seem like a geeky prank of some sort, when you think about it, the idea is pretty damn genius. Simple in it's design yet extremely functional, the tabbed toilet seat allows every member of the family to have their own toilet seat. I mean, where was this thing in college? Would've taken the anxiety out of going to the bathroom in the morning after 3 other dudes...

[home + web] trendir modern house designs

Trendir is a cool home design site/blog that caught my eye, since we are in full-fledged move mode (we move into the new digs next Saturday). The houses featured here are somewhat on the ultra-modern side of things, whereas our personal style is a bit more, well, "eclectic" maybe? Whatever you call it when you have a glass hookah pipe from Jordan sitting right next to the vintage ceramic cats that Wifey keeps buying from eBay. Still, the houses on Trendir are fun to look at. My favorite is the rustic mountain cabin (above) that is a bit of an optical illusion. Looks like a tiny little shed from the outside, but the interior of the house is quite another story.

[books + art] subway art

Wifey wants me to be more "cultured," so I'm thinking about picking up this book. Subway Art is a 104-page hommage to the urban art of subway graffiti. Authors Martha Cooper and Henry Chalfant take us through page after page of amazing work done by some of the subculture's finest artists including Dondi, Skeme, Futura, Lady Pink and Zephyr. I'm not going to pretend to know who any of these people are, but judging by the vintage 80s photography featured in the book, I'm guessing many of these cats have long since retired. I'd like to think they're still hard at work, tagging the heck out of the NYC metro system. Thumbing through this book at Brookline Booksmith, I felt a strange sensation - like I was doing something wrong by picking up a book that was promoting something that is essentially illegal. It felt kinda nice, actually. Like I was getting away with something. Kazi=1. The Man=0.

Subway Art available at Amazon.com

[tech] wajima something to touch speaker

You know, the Japanese practically invented the notion of "form meets function." Case in point is the Wajima "Something to Touch" speaker system, a meshup of centuries-old Japanese craftsmanship with modern technology. The unit is made from lacquered ginko tree wood and can be placed face down on its base when not in use to create a tear drop-like sculpture. I have no idea how the sound quality is, but I'm guessing at $6,000 (that's U.S. dollars, not Japanese Yen) - it has to be pretty damn good.

via GQ Magazine (April 2009)

Thomas Sabo Collection

I realize I'm a bit out of my comfort zone here since the only piece of jewlery I own is my $95 titanium wedding ring. But Thomas Sabo's collection is so bad ass that I had to share. Wifey and I came across Sabo's work whilst browsing the Takashimaya department store on Singapore's famed Orchard Road. A quick history of Thomas Sabo - back in 1984, the jewellery enthusiast set up his own jewellery company in the town of Lauf an der Pegnitz in Bavaria. Then in the early 90s, Sabo was able to secure the services of designer Susanne Kölbli as the company’s Creative Director. It was through this collaboration that the Thomas Sabo company and brand was formally established; now with retail outlets throughout Europe, Asia and America. The Thomas Sabo line features sterling silver pieces that can be best described as "rebel at heart" (which is actually the name of one of Sabo's collections). It's a throwback to the days of rock 'n roll and rebellion against the Man. Kinda makes you wanna punch someone in the face with your sterling silver skull ring.

[travel] virgin america

I'm off to Memphis today, but I kinda wish I was going to San Fransisco or LA instead. Why? Because Virgin America flies there. San Fran-based Virgin America introduced BOS-LAX and BOS-SFO routes back in February, which has frequent flyers out of Boston Logan very "pee-in-our-pants" excited. With airline service in the crapper these days, VA's entry into the US domestic market is a refreshing change. And you know what? It's the small things that make the big difference. VA offers in-cabin mood lighting, power outlets, ability to order fresh food from the screen at your seat, and a generally cool atmosphere. I mean, people seem genuinely happy about being stuck 30,000 feet in the air inside a pressurized fuselage.

[home] iannone eco-friendly design

Wifey and I stumbled onto this designer's work at the Boston Design Center over the weekend. Michael Iannone (of Iannone Design) is a Philadelphia based designer dedicated to the creation of eco-friendly modern furniture. His collection features eco-friendly properties, including locally sourced lumber from managed forests and sustainable materials such as bamboo and sorghum borard. The work itself is highlighted by clean lines and eye-popping yet not-so-in-your-face graphics such as the Graphic Dandelion console (top right). Iannone Design also offers custom furniture and build services, in case the flowery graphics don't happen to be your cup of tea.