MERCI PARIS
September 4, 2010 | In Travel
We just came back from a very short trip to Paris and finally had the opportunity to have a look at Merci, the much talked about concept store created by the founders of Bonpoint, Marie-France and Bernard Cohen. Housed in a former factory, Merci is a new charitable retail concept with a lovely selection of furniture, kitchen ware, fashion items and accessories of any sort. So much has been written about Merci when the store opened last year, we weren’t planning to add to the list, but when we stepped into the store, we fell in love. Finally, a store that is creative and inspiring in so many ways, a 1′500 square meter designer mecca with an exquisite choice of brands, a café with vintage books to read and buy as well as a small restaurant. We had a light lunch and were absolutely delighted by the lovely salads, fresh juices and the overall atmosphere. Merci is a great venture and definitely well worth a visit even when your time in Paris is limited.
111 Boulevard Beaumarchais 75003 Paris | Mon-Sat 10-19
BERTSCHI’S CASA BAR ZURICH
August 20, 2010 | In Travel
With the opening of the Viaduktbögen, Sisu, Hin&Weg and a handful of other new shops and cafés, a lot has lately been happening in Kreis 4 and 5. As we live and work close to Bellevue, we have been yearning for some new and above all innovative concepts to be introduced somewhat closer to us. We were thus delighted to see the former Casa Bar to be taken over by Christian Hertig, owner of the Bertschi bakery, and turned into a lovely small bar with a fresh new look. The rustic interior has fortunately been left unchanged, but painted white, and been complemented with accessories from En Soie, making Bertschi’s Casa Bar a lovely place to spend a cosy evening. The food is very simple, but heavenly if you like bread, a bit of meat and salad as a side dish. Unfortunately the smoked beef, which is one of the few warm dishes from the already quite limited choice of dishes, was not available, so we had some sausages with a tomato salad instead. We also tried the crayfish “Butterbrot”, which again was very enjoyable in an unpretentious way. Will we go back? Yes, it is definitely the perfect place when you are too lazy too cook, but also don’t feel like spending money on a three course dinner.
Münstergasse 30, 8001 Zurich | closed Sundays and Mondays | +41 44 261 20 02
TOWNHOUSE ON FACEBOOK
August 18, 2010 | In Behind the scenes
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LE DOKHAN’S HOTEL TROCADERO PARIS
August 13, 2010 | In Travel
If you are planning your next trip to Paris and prefer not to stay in one of the grand hotels but instead are looking for something in a small-scale setting and intimate, here is one we can highly recommend. Located between Trocadéro and Champs-Elysées, Dokhan’s is a former private residence that has been transformed into a beautiful hotel with luxurious rooms and a lift that has been dressed up to look like a Louis Vuitton trunk. The hotel doesn’t have a full-scale restaurant, but offers a champagne-tasting bar instead, which is basically all you need when you are spending a couple of days in Paris. Dokhan’s 18th century interior charmed us from the moment we stepped into the hotel and is definitely worth going back to.
117 rue Lauriston | 75116 Paris | reservations +33 1 53 65 66 70
HENTSCH MAN ON SALE -30%
August 5, 2010 | In Behind the scenes, Products
As the new autumn/winter trousers are coming in shortly, we are offering the current summer collection with a discount of 30%. Hentsch Man is a simple, elegant and wearable menswear brand, which provides men with classic wardrobe basics. All products have been meticulously designed to eliminate all fanciful details, ensuring that the clothes are fitted, flattering and subtle for men with a refined aesthetic sense. We have fallen in love with their well-tailored trousers and shorts, mixing uptown tailoring with downtown cool for the perfect summer outfit. The shorts are available in navy, light blue, coral, white, grey stripe and aqua in the sizes 30, 32, 34 and 36 for CHF 109 each. The trousers are sold out in size 30 and 32, but we are still stocking coral 34, and various colors in size 36 and 38 for CHF 137 each. If you wish to order online, simple write a quick mail to info@ilovetownhouse.com.
PREVIEW UPCOMING PRODUCTS
July 30, 2010 | In Behind the scenes, Products
We have been on the lookout for a couple of new products and will be having a lot of wonderful leather accessories coming in during the next few weeks. Our objective was to find basics every man/woman needs on a daily basis, that are unique, simple and therefore timeless, yet still modern. We have especially set our focus on those items that somehow seem to be so difficult to find. So if you are not planning to spend your money on a new Bottega Veneta wallet, we might just have found you the perfect alternative. Made out of one piece of leather, held together without any seams, these leather wallets are so simple, but perfect at the same time. Also, we have never been proponents of phone cases, but have discovered what we believe is the perfect iPhone case. Again, simple, raw and beautiful. We might even think about getting rid of our BlackBerries just to be able to use these leather cases. Our belt supplier in Parma will also be producing new leather belts for us to complement our cotton belt range this fall. We are further working on special pouches in three different sizes for a more organized travelling experience to keep all of your electric components, toiletries and documents. These are just a couple of our novelties that will be available at Townhouse soon. Subscribe to our newsletter to be further informed.
TOWNHOUSE FOR KAUFHAUS KRONE
July 28, 2010 | In Behind the scenes
Kaufhaus Krone opened its doors one year ago in Olten and is owned and run by mother and daughter team Susan and Lea. Their objective is to dress women of all ages in style and to offer an interesting mix of established brands such as Closed, En Soie, Drykorn as well as a couple of smaller, upcoming brands. When they asked us about the possibility of working together, we were quickly convinced and the result is a special edition of the Townhouse T-shirt, handprinted in Zurich exclusively for Kaufhaus Krone. Click below to see some making of pictures. If you are looking for unique T-shirts for your own small business, simply write an e-mail to info@ilovetownhouse.com and we will get in touch with you.
Kaufhaus Krone | Solothurnerstrasse 8, 4600 Olten | +41 62 213 08 88
OUR FAVOURITE SUMMER READS
July 21, 2010 | In Culture, Products
If your summer break is still upcoming, here a couple of our favourite summer reads that we highly enjoyed while lying by the pool and on the beach. We can’t remember the last time we saw a book get a poster campaign plastered all over Zurich, but One Day by David Nicholls did and this will probably already be hint enough about the international success of the book. The story follows Emma and Dexter over a period of twenty years, always on the same day and it really is a great book, funny and moving at the same time. After reading One Day we weren’t ready to let go just yet and thus further read The Understudy by the same author. The story is about an unsuccessful actor with an unfortunate name, a hopeless agent, a daughter he barely knows and a incredulously boring job as understudy to the 12th Sexiest Man in the World. Highly enjoyable as well, but with much more cynism and bitterness than One Day. If you enjoy the mix of comedy and emotional sub-plots, we can further recommend The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper. Another great novel about a guy who returns to his hometown after 17 years away and having written a hugely successful, but scathing book about his youth and the people he grew up with. If you prefer something a bit more classic, we also just read Ivan Sergeevich Turgenev’s Sketches from a Hunter’s Album, a series of observations and anecdotes of the author as he wanders through the vast area of his parental farm during the hot summer days. Another classic we can highly recommend is Denton Welch’s In Youth is Pleasure about the events in the life of fifteen-year-old Orvil Pym during a summer holiday in the rural English country side. For something a bit steamier, but just as classic, you can’t go wrong with Ian Fleming’s Quantum of Solace – Complete James Bond Short Stories. The stories have nothing in common with the latest movie of the same name but celebrate a Bond unseen on the screen. (Print above by Andrew Holder)
PALAIS DES PAPES AVIGNON
July 20, 2010 | In Culture, Travel
We are back in Zurich from our ritual summer break down south after having once again spent a couple of days at the beautiful Chateau de Massillan in the Vaucluse region of Provence. The neighbourhood offers many wonderful places to visit before spending lazy afternoons at the pool and enjoying seasonal meals in the hotel’s courtyard. Especially delightful to visit during the month of July is Avignon when the city is taken over by the Festival d’Avignon and the streets are filled with artistic venues. But the main reason to visit Avignon any time of the year is the Palais des Papes, the transitory resident of the popes during the 14th century and today one of the largest medieval Gothic buildings in Europe. Most frescos have disappeared over time, giving the palais a modern look almost as if having been built by John Pawson. We usually try to pass on highly touristic spots, but the Palais de Papes is definitely well worth a visit.
CAFÉ SISU ZURICH
June 23, 2010 | In Travel
When the lovely Marisa Pichler from Hope Hope invited to celebrate the third anniversary of her blog, we were delighted to finally have a look at Sisu, a recently opened Finnish café and bar. Being an event the place was probably more packed than it usually is, but we were very charmed by the atmosphere and interior. Sisu is run by the sibilngs Katrin and Johannes and offers Finnish specialities such as Pulla as well as Finnish beer in a wonderfully simple, but cosy setting. Being on the other side of the city, Sisu will probably not be the place we will hang out on a daily basis, but it is definitely worth getting on the tram for on the weekends. Sisu is the perfect place to spend a rainy Sunday afternoon.
Meinrad-Lienertstrasse 1, 8003 Zurich | 043 817 25 35 | Tue-Fr 9-24, Sat 10-24, Sun 10-18
