Latest articles by The Cool Hunter - for more checkout www.thecoolhunter.net http://www.thecoolhunter.net Sat, 17 May 2008 21:52:26 +0100 FeedCreator 1.7.2 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/images/M_images/joomla_rss.png http://www.thecoolhunter.net Latest articles by The Cool Hunter - for more checkout www.thecoolhunter.net http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1302&Itemid=44 Some of us think that our far off ancestors lived in the trees – and during our childhood, when our thoughts and memories are most pure, we yearn to climb trees growing in our gardens, in our parks, in our cities. As we get older, the urge to climb trees subsides as we ride elevators up to our offices in the sky and look out across the cities where we live. Yet occasionally, as we’re sealed up tight in our artificially climatic spaces, we long for a breath of fresh air. At a German company called baumraum (http://www.baumraum.de) an architect, a landscape architect, an arbologist, and a craftsman design modern, natural and solidly constructed treehouses. Each treehouse project is assessed individually. The team takes into consideration the condition of the environment and of the tree, with the size and features the clients desire. baumraum offers a range of wood-types as well as options for insulated walls. Treespaces can be outfitted with sitting and sleeping benches, storage spaces, a mini-kitchen, heating, glass windows, lighting, as well as a sound system for multimedia. Every piece is prefabricated in a workshop, and then brought together on site. Sound like something you’ve been wanting? The baumraum team offers free consultation where they can talk you through every option available as you put together your dream treehouse. The treehouses can span multiple levels and sit among several trees. Treehouses are mostly secured with ropes, thereby minimizing the impact of stress to the tree or trees on which the house is placed. And if a tree is particularly weak, or even if a treehouse is wanted where there is no suitable tree, stilts are used to guarantee people everywhere can once again climb trees. By Andrew J Wiener Thu, 15 May 2008 19:54:47 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1301&Itemid=52 If you were led to a department store’s make-up and perfume floor blindfolded, would you know where you are when the blindfold came off? What store, what city, what country? Probably not, as one looks just like the other. Unimaginative, predictable, boring. Not so at Berlin’s 100-plus year-old Kaufhaus des Westens, one singular store known by Berliners as KaDeWe (http://www.kadewe-berlin.de). Specializing in luxury, style and indulgence, KaDeWe has never shied away from swanky design or striking displays. This time, they’ve allowed Hamburg-based Bilen Born GbR (http://www.bilenundborn.de)  to create two radically different areas on the ground-floor perfume department. One is a white space-agey multi-label area inspired by the act of breathing in fragrances, where spirals and rounded shapes draw the visitor in. The other is a baroque-inspired space with a contemporary twist. With its glass mosaic floor, studded pillars and ceiling with more than 8,000 Swarovski crystals, these surroundings are memorable even if the brands are the same as everywhere else. By Tuija Seipell Thu, 15 May 2008 05:48:20 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1300&Itemid=5 Yeo Choong, (http://www.myspace.com/snackswithyeo) from Brisbane, Australia is smart. I say this not because he is the mastermind behind Yeo and The Fresh Goods, or because he makes music with mathematical precision. I say it because he is a 21 year old Masters student in Audiology and because his debut album 'Trouble Being Yourself' sounds like a nerdier version of N.E.R.D. Indeed, the production on his standout track 'Two Sides Of A Door' would make Pharrell proud.But Yeo isn't just in the mood for making funk rock and singing in a slight falsetto. He jumps and jerks between genres, sometimes in the same song. The reggae-pop intro of 'Fishin' With Aidan' melds into a salsa infused party jam, all the while mixing the ska-delivery of Sublime and the 'Thank You' message from Dido's long-forgotten hit of the same name.From his sneaky horns to his hand-claps and Super Mario samples, Yeo recorded, mixed and produced the entire album. It's catchy, cheeky good fun.Fresh goods indeed. By Nick Christie Tue, 13 May 2008 15:29:36 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1299&Itemid=11 For all you sneaker addicts - here's two new crazy styles that have just been released. Arriving in Dover Street Market (http://www.doverstreetmarket.com/) (London) on 15th May – the Pierre Hardy special limited edition ‘Cruzeiro’ in metallic calfskin (above) and below, the must-have terry toweling inspired sneaker by Japanese brand realMadHectic - the Pile. (http://zozo.jp/shop/eproze/goods.html?gid=289637 did= cid=2278) Tue, 13 May 2008 01:37:06 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1298&Itemid=6 The work of Belgium’s Rotor Group (http://www.rotorgroup.be) is popping up in more and more visible places. Rotor covers a wide range of projects, from basic design, branding and packaging, to events, lighting planning, interiors, showrooms, products, trade shows and art. We especially like the work they have done with Belgian lighting firm Modular Lighting Instruments (http://www.supermodular.com) creating events, showrooms and surroundings that defy definition. A great example is Rotor Designer Toon Stockman’s retro-futuristic showroom for Modular that pays homage to Modular’s Beam Squad and consists of six enormous cages supported by a skeleton of fluorescent tubing. The wild narrative for this installation — a typical Rotor tale — tells of life-destroying peril but luckily, all will be well and in about 2069, lighting will be manufactured in peace again. By Tuija Seipell Mon, 12 May 2008 15:39:50 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1297&Itemid=45 The MINI Chateau, based on the MINI Clubman S, made its world debut at the recent Top Marques show in Monaco. It will be limited to just 12 units and radiates exclusivity and luxury with its wood trims and a miniature, shock-absorbent wine cellar (room for 6 bottles and chalices) in the trunk.The MINI Chateau is painted in changeable pearly brown, matched with sandy/gold metallic paint for the roof, bumpers and some details. But what really stands out, is the use of precious wood, both on the inside and outside of the car. Inside Aznom fitted the upholstery with gaucho leather and Alcantara to create a warm, vintage atmosphere.The car rides on 18-inch TSW 'Pace' alloy wheels wrapped in 205/40 Yokohama S-Drive rubber. The Mini Chateau’s 12 limited-edition exclusive samples will each display a numbered label with the name of the lucky owner. By Tuija Seipell. Fri, 09 May 2008 18:36:47 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1296&Itemid=53 It is tough to make an impression in New York, but Google is not afraid to try. To celebrate the official launch (finally!) of its new artist themes for iGoogle (http://www.thecoolhunter.com.au/www.google.com/help/ig/art/gallery.html), it held a candle-lit media bash at One Little West 12 (a club located at 1 Little W 12th St. in the Meatpacking District) and then let San Francisco’s Obscura Digital loose outside with a three-night illumination gallery.At the hub of the district, the intersection of Little West 12th, Ninth Avenue and Gansevoort, Obscura projected moving images of the iGoogle artwork onto the facades of buildings for three nights from 10 pm to 2 am. The facades of St. Hotel Gansevoort, Pastis, Theory and Inn LW12 were the canvases for work by Jeff Koons, Michael Graves, Yves Behar and others. At a white tent sporting a Google logo at Gansevoort Square, passers-by could play with the images a battery of computer stations.At the media bash, a panel of the iGoogle contributors consisting of architect Michael Graves, photographer Anne Geddes, artist Jeff Koons, Marc Ecko, and New Yorker cartoon editor Robert Mankoff discussed their views of how the Internet is changing their industry. Other luminaries whose designs are available at iGoogle include Dolce Cabbana, Diane von Furstenberg, Philippe Starck,Oscar de la Renta, Tory Burch and Ivana Helsinki. By Tuija Seipell Thu, 08 May 2008 20:00:15 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1295&Itemid=53 Camping out a music festival need no longer be a boggy, muddy affair thanks to this smart-as-a-whip innovation dubbed Myhab (http://www.myhab.com/). Essentially it's a temporary, waterproof, completely recyclable tent made from durable recycled plastic and and waterproof cardboard. The tent is fixed on a raised platform to stop it from slipping into a muddy bog in the case of rain. Myhab was created by a student and there are plans to for "myhab" villages at all of the UK's major music festivals. by Lisa Evanns (via Springwise (http://www.springwise.com/tourism_travel/festival_tents_with_an_eco_twi/)) Thu, 08 May 2008 19:50:08 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1294&Itemid=51 With its rich, red interior, Le Rouge restaurant (http://www.lerouge.se) in Stockholm’s Gamla Stan (Old Town) is a delicious fusion of a maharaja’s tent, red-light-district boudoir and aristocratic grandeur. It is not called Moulin Rouge, but it could be. The entire concept is dramatic with lush drapery, ornamental tableware and lighting fixtures oozing with bling and tassels.Le Rouge is the latest addition to the F12 restaurant empire owned by two chefs, Melker Andersson and Danyel Couet. The chefs interpret classic French and Italian cuisine in Le Rouge using fresh Swedish ingredients. The 125–seat Le Rouge occupies two adjacent buildings, spreads over three-stories and 1,200 square-metres, and includes a dining room, bar, lounge and private rooms. The concept comes from the talented masters of Gothenburg’s Stylt (http://www.stylt.se%20) Trampoli AB who were using storytelling as a tool to create and stage-direct restaurants, hotels and resorts long before storytelling became a design cliché. By Tuija Seipell Wed, 07 May 2008 16:29:34 +0100 http://www.thecoolhunter.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1293&Itemid=53 Berlin’s Magma Architecture (http://www.magmaarchitecture.com) won several awards for its entry in the JETZT | NOW series of temporary installations at the Berlinische Galerie, Museum for Contemporary Art, Photography and Architecture. Magma’s installation, 11th in the series, was called fittingly “head-in | im kopf” and its concept is based on exploring the properties of materials, form, color and light. The main feature of the installation is an alarmingly orange flexible fabric (polyamide-elastan mix) stretched between the walls, ceiling and floor. The fabric is the most visible part of the exhibit, yet it is also the tool with which the viewers can focus on smaller details. Visitors bend down under the fabric into which openings were cut. Through these holes, visitors pop their heads up into the orange space to view drawings, models and photographs suspended from wires. These items are from Magma’s work and include representations of the revitalization of the former GDR Radio Centre (Berlin, Nalepastrasse, 2007), a bridge over the Landwehrkanal river in Berlin (competition entry in 2006), the new Nexus Productions headquarters in London, and the exhibition Trial Error in London (2003). Luckily, we have images to show how it all worked as the full effect of the experience is quite impossible to describe in mere words. The project team for head-in | im kopf included Anke Noske, Hendrik Bohle, Dominik Jörg, Lena Kleinheine, Ksenia Kagler, Yohko Mizushima, Lena Kleinheinz, Martin Ostermann and Ben Reynolds. Magma was established in 2003 by Martin Ostermann and Lena Kleinheinz. The Ohio native Ostermann is a former senior architect at Studio Daniel Libeskind. The Denmark-born Kleinheinz is an exhibition designer. Magma is known for its inventive, experimental and experiential approaches to architectural work. By Tuija Seipell Tue, 06 May 2008 16:57:31 +0100