SONY ERICSSON XPERIA PURENESS

February 3, 2010 | In Products | No Comments

In an increasingly complex world, we sometimes yearn for something simple. And here we have found you a phone, honed down to the essentials. The new Sony Ericsson Xperia™ Pureness is free from excessive features, leaving an exceptionally simplified mobile experience: Talk. Text. Time. Simple functionality meets cutting-edge technology and beautiful craftsmanship in a device that offers an illuminated, translucent and scratch-resistant screen. The XPERIA Pureness comes with a sleek, audiophile Bluetooth headset that enables you to take your conference call even from your favourite espresso bar and offers a worldwide 48-hour replacement guarantee if things should get bumpy in Bogota. It’s a new personal dogma for refined living and thinking. The XPERIA Pureness is sold exclusively in handpicked design stores around the globe: From Colette in Paris to The Corner in Berlin, the phone will be sold in Switzerland exclusively at Townhouse. Available for CHF 999. Click here to purchase online.

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HOTEL HOME BUENOS AIRES

February 3, 2010 | In Travel | No Comments

On our last trip to Buenos Aires we stayed at various hotels and Home was without doubt our favourite. If you’re looking for something to take your breath away, we’d recommend Philippe Starck`s Faena Hotel. But if you’re looking for something small, light and comfortable, Home is definitely the right place. Located in the neighborhood known as Palermo Hollywood, Home offers 17 rooms that are simple, but all have their own distinct style and a wonderful garden and pool area. So even if you decide to stay at another hotel, Home is well worth a visit to hang around and have a couple of drinks in the garden.

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TABLET HOTELS

January 26, 2010 | In Travel | No Comments

Among the endless and needless to say mostly redundant websites that offer hotel bookings and recommandations. Tablet Hotels offers a tightly edited selection of hotels worldwide that have personality and obsess on the details. Before becoming a Tablet Hotel each place is anonymously and rigorously reviewed and there is no way to buy yourself in. 1200 hotels have made the cut and each is indeed a masterpiece in its own way. So if you’re looking to get away for a relaxing weekend or need a place to stay for your next business trip, be sure to check if it is approved by Tablet Hotels.
www.tablethotels.com

Winterplay

January 26, 2010 | In Culture | No Comments

We love discovering new musicians with a bright future and Winterplay certainly fits the bill. Winterplay is a Korean Jazz band around the trumpeter Lee Joo-han and the 24 year old vocalist Moon Hye-won. With a fresh pop approach to their songs, they have gained attention by supplying their music to Korean commercials and movies. Now that they have hit Japan and reached number #1 in the mobile ringtone charts they’re no longer a well-kept secret, at least not in Asia. Click play to listen to their music.

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  • Who are you? (Bossa Nova Version) – Winterplay
  • Quando, quando, quando – Winterplay
  • 너의 기억만으로 – Winterplay
  • Billy Jean – Winterplay

The secret life of machines

January 16, 2010 | In Culture | No Comments

When we were younger we used to love watching those TV shows that teach you how machines work and how to build your own technical little world at home. For the newest generation there surely is an armada of great educational shows on air but we think nothing will ever be able to top Mr. Hunkin and Mr. Garrod. The Secret Life of Machines offers everything we enjoy: nice graphics handdrawn by Mr. Hunkin himself, a good portion of finest English humour and a catchy opening title (a nice take on Brubeck/Desmond’s take five which is called “The Russians are coming”). See for yourself.

www.secretlifeofmachines.com

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BOOK STORES IN TOKYO

January 15, 2010 | In Travel | No Comments

Cow Books is a book store that specializes in out-of-print books and magazines from the 1960s and 1970s. Their main, but nevertheless small store in Nakameguro with its communal reading table is well worth a visit. If your time in Tokyo is limited and you don’t make it to Nakameguro, there is a newer Cow Books not far from the Omotesando subway station at the Dragonfly Cafe. It is a bit tricky to find, so be sure to check your map beforehand. In the same region is On Sundays, another of our favourite book stores in Tokyo. On Sundays is housed in the basement of the Watari-Um Museum and offers a wonderful selection of both International and Japanese art books. The Museum built by Mario Botta is well worth a visit as well, so be sure to reserve more than half an hour for this stop. For a much larger selection of books on Art, Culture, Design and Fashion don’t miss the bookstore located in the basemet of Parco 1 in Shibuya.

www.cowbooks.jp
www.watarium.co.jp
www.parco.co.jp

Chateau de Massillan Uchaux

January 15, 2010 | In Travel | No Comments

The first time we stayed at the Chateau de Massillan was to flee the summer crowd down South. Located in Uchaux, a small commune in the Vaucluse region of Provence not far from Orange and Avignon, the chateau dates back to 1550 when it was owned by Diane de Poitiers. Initially built as de Poitiers’ hunting lodge, the chateau now provides the perfect environemnt for a relaxing weekend. Decorated by current owner Birgit Israel, the rooms are simple but lovely, as are the gardens, the courtyard and the pool. Wonderful places to visit while staying at Uchaux are surrounding vineyards such as Châteunef du Pape as well as the picturesque communes (our favourite being Grignan) and Avignon of course. But it is the wonderful open-air dinner with local ingredients and wine that takes place in the couryard that never fails to delight and that we probably love most about our ritual summer break at the Chateau de Massillan.

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Coco

January 15, 2010 | In Products | No Comments

Phaidon Press’s new book Coco presents 100 emerging culinary stars chosen by 10 of the world’s greatest chefs. Ferran Addia, Mario Batali, Rene Redzepi, Alice Waters, Jacky Yu, Gordon Ramsay, Fergus Henderson, Shannon Bennett, Alain Ducasse and Yoshihiro Murata reveal who the chefs of tomorrow will be and present their youngsters with a few hundred words of praise, inspiring photographs and a menu inluding recipes. Coco is more than a cookbook, it’s a culinary sourcebook for chefs and food enthusiasts.

http://www.phaidon.co.uk

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Hotel zum Hirschen Eglisau

January 15, 2010 | In Travel | No Comments


We were looking to get away for a night and found the perfect hideaway only 30 minutes by car from downtown Zurich. Located in Eglisau, the Hotel Hirschen is situated along the banks of the Rhine River in a historic building lovingly renovated in 2007. We highly recommend to book a double room (preferably the “Rhine View” or the “Stag Leap”) instead of the larger, but also a bit too antiquely suites. After a stroll along the river, complete your weekend by enjoying seasonal and regional products in the gourmet restaurant or a more laid-back meal at the bistro.

www.hirschen-eglisau.ch

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