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The London EDITION

Fifteen years since Ian Schrager’s Sanderson opening in London, the "Hotel King" is back once again with the spectacular London EDITION. The latest addition to the EDITION Hotels, a partnership with MarriottInternational, Schrager has returned to the UK with a majestic & historic bang. The London EDITIONhas taken over one of the grandest landmark buildings in the heart of London. We are talking about none other then the old Berners Street Hotel just off Oxford Street. Originally built in 1835, the property consisted of 5 luxurious townhouses with a great Georgian character that was once the home of King Edward VII and Russian jeweler Carl Fabergé. So when we say that the Ian Schrager Company has come to the UK with a bang - we mean exactly that.

Designed by the Ian Schrager Company Design Studio and New York-based firm Yabu Pushelberg, this hotel is a mixture of classic luxury and modern lifestyle. With eclectic pieces such as Salvador Dalí-inspired floor lamps, Christian Liaigre metal furniture and chandeliers inspired by NYC’s Grand Central station, these interiors have great sentimentality, while simultaneously paying tribute to the building’s historic importance where the prime jewel of the hotel’s interiors is none other then the lobby.

Staying true to its luxurious character, marble is present everywhere except for the detailed carved ceiling from which the Ingo Maurer spaceship-like polished silver sphere light hangs. Grand and inviting, Ian Schragerwanted to bring the social scene of the old world back to life, where everything happens and everyone is seen within these walls. Work & play is combined in this area with a Donald Judd-inspired walnut table containing desktop computers, a bar for cocktails and an antique billiards table. Everything here is just waiting to be adored (the designer has conceived this space theatrically with the guests take on leading roles).

To the right of the lobby is Berner’s Tavern, the restaurant which houses London’s own Executive Chef Jason Atherton. With banquettes in chestnut and surrounding artwork, our focus is drawn to the exquisite bronze chandeliers like a moth to a fire. Masterpieces at work.

Of course one of our favourite private spaces is the Punch Room. Located in the rear of the hotel, acting almost like a hide out, this space is reminiscent of a typical English gentleman’s club. With fumed oak paneling from floor to ceiling, a fireplace and the smell of leather, the only essence missing is the smell of smoky cigars and baccarat brandy in combination with man talk.



The same floor to ceiling wood finish is also incorporated in the bedrooms. Here the paneling is either dark walnut or light oak according to the guest’s requirements. With the warm essence of wood comes the beautifully unique, eclectic lounge furniture in combination with traditional images on the walls - ‘remasters’ by photographer Hendrik Kerstens. A recipe of old and new is in perfect balance here waiting to be both appreciated and admired. These private quarters exude comfort, aristocracy and privacy and are  truly a tribute to the character of the hotel.

Yes, Ian Schrager Company is back in London. Its  arrival is sure to keep the social circles busy talking about it with Martini in one hand, diamonds around the neck and Jimmy Choo’s walking in true LONDON EDITION.

feel the rainbow!

Artist Gabriel Dawe is showing his incredible new installation that just opened to the public last October 6 in Como, Italy. As part of Miniartextil, an annual exhibition of contemporary art, Dawe created Plexus no. 19, a stunning thread installation that’s beautifully spread across two balconies in the atrium of a historic villa. The early 19th century neoclassic house, called Villa Olmo, was acquired in 1924 by the municipality of Como and is now open to the public only during cultural events and art exhibitions like this.
This year’s Miniartextil exhibition is called Agora, taking from the Greek word that describes an important public place where people come to share ideas. The visitor is invited to not just look at the artwork but to be actively involved in it.Plexus no. 19 consists of two thread structures streamed across Artist Gabriel Dawe is showing his incredible new installation that just opened to the public last October 6 in Como, Italy. As part of Miniartextil, an annual exhibition of contemporary art, Dawe created Plexus no. 19, a stunning thread installation that’s beautifully spread across two balconies in the atrium of a historic villa. The early 19th century neoclassic house, called Villa Olmo, was acquired in 1924 by the municipality of Como and is now open to the public only during cultural events and art exhibitions like this.
This year’s Miniartextil exhibition is called Agora, taking from the Greek word that describes an important public place where people come to share ideas. The visitor is invited to not just look at the artwork but to be actively involved in it.Plexus no. 19 consists of two thread structures streamed across an upper and lower balcony that is meant to be experienced from different angles or at different times of the day. As Dawe tells us, “When the sun comes in in the morning, it is fantastic. Having those window-shaped light beams add a dimension to the installation. I always like when I get direct sunshine on them because it emphasizes the layering of the thread in very interesting ways.”
With two assistants, Dawe constructed this installation in about a week. His greatest challenge was working to the confines of the space. “Because of the historic nature of the building, I wasn’t able to touch ceiling, walls or floors to screw in my structures,” he says. “So I resorted to fixing them to the railings, which in great measure restricted what I was able to do. In the end, it worked out pretty well; it really exceeded my expectations how well the installation inhabits the space.”

El Ateneo Grand Splendid

El Ateneo Grand Splendid opened on December 4th, 2000. Nowadays, it is considered the biggest bookstore in South America. The former building that later became the Grand Splendid bookstore was built as a theater in 1903. Until that date, there was a carriages factory in that site. The Teatro Nacional or Norte, as it was called in those days — there was already a Teatro Nacional on Corrientes Avenue— opened on June 19, 1903. It had over nine hundred seats.



In 1919, the theater was bought by Max Glucksmann, an Austrian business man who decided to enlarge and remodel the building. The Splendid Theater, as he named it, was opened that year on May 14 and quickly became the most luxurious theater of the neighborhood that in those days was called the "Buenos Aires's Saint Germain".



The city's elites had started moving to Barrio Norte a few years earlier, in part, due to the development of commercial and cultural activities, and to the growth of the immigrant population in the area that surrounded Plaza de Mayo. The boom of agricultural exportations in Argentina and the commercial and bureaucratic expansion had influenced the change in the architectural style of the luxurious residences where high class families lived.



The purely Italian style was replaced by the French style, and architects embraced the dictates of the École des Beux-Arts de Paris. The city was remodeled and gained the name as the "Paris of South America”. Although the French influence was outstanding, which its huge entrances, foyers and halls, the typical Italian style, full of exuberant ornaments, was still present in some buildings’ facades.

The Grand Splendid Theater was designed by the architects Peró and Torres Armengol, and was built by architects Pizone and Falcope. It had four rows of balconies, five hundred seats, air conditioning, heating and a sliding roof. This was the first fireproof building, and it also had first aid facilities. With an eclectic architectural tone, the facade has a Greek style canopy with caryatids that support the gray granite balconies at the base, while the higher parts are covered with a lighter kind of stone.

El Ateneo Grand Splendid: a restoration project

In a time when big cinemas were starting to disappear due to the advance of cinema complexes, Grupo ILHSA, an Argentinean capital group, decided to embark in a new project: restoring the Grand Splendid building and turning it into a bookstore. At that moment, it was necessary to evaluate the relationship between its function and its architectural design. The ILHSA group started this task with a clear vision: creating a unique bookstore, according to the needs of the book publishing industry, which produced over ten thousand new books each year.

This project, in charge of architect Fernando Manzone, intended to respect, keep and restore the original construction, adapting it to the needs of its new functions, but without interfering in the harmony of the building.

The Guardian, one of most prominent periodicals in the United Kingdom, chose it as the second fairest bookstore from around the world.

http://www.elateneocentenario.com/

Fouquet's Barrière Hotel

• year 2003
• work finished in 2006
• buyer groupe lucien barrière, groupe accor
• contractor pré carré (landscape architect), light cibles (lighting)
• cost 60 m
• number of floors 4

A set of seven buildings including real and pastiche Haussmannian styles, as well as a building dating from the 1970's, formed a nearly complete urban block in the Triangle d’or (the corner of the Champs-Elysées and the Avenue Georges V). The restaurant Le Fouquet's is the flagship property of the Barrière company. The goal was to unify these disparate elements and to make it the next parisian “Palace”, thus establishing a strong new image.
In this sensitive context, both historic and ostentatious, we invented the concept of Moulé-Troué (Cast and punctured). We replicated the authentic Haussmannian facade of the block. We then applied it onto the facades, like a bas-relief from Petra. The molded casting is then pierced by large openings that are completely independent of the Haussmannian lines but very relevant to the plans and the visual comfort of the rooms. The courtyard is colonized by a forest of vertical aluminum branches. A hanging garden on the terrace of the first floor offers enchanting scenery. The new interior layout achieves the expected level of luxury.
Since its opening, the hotel has become an essential fixture in Paris.