The Cool Hunter: Design Culture

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  • Baumraum Treehouses

    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 were 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 youve 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

  • Memorable Surroundings For Perfume At KaDeWe

    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

  • Yeo & The Fresh Goods - 'Trouble Being Yourself'

    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

  • Sneaker Alert

    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)

  • Rotor Group

    The work of Belgiums 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 Stockmans retro-futuristic showroom for Modular that pays homage to Modulars 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

  • 2008 Aznom Chateau Mini

    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 Chateaus 12 limited-edition exclusive samples will each display a numbered label with the name of the lucky owner. By Tuija Seipell.

  • Google Makes An Impression

    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 Franciscos 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

  • Myhab - Recyclable Tent For Music Festivals

    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/))

  • Le Rouge, Stockholm

    With its rich, red interior, Le Rouge restaurant (http://www.lerouge.se) in Stockholms Gamla Stan (Old Town) is a delicious fusion of a maharajas 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 125seat 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 Gothenburgs 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 clich By Tuija Seipell

  • It's All In Your Head

    Berlins 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. Magmas 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 Magmas 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 Jg, 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

  • House in Tenerife, Canary Islands

    We do our best to seek out exceptional design from all corners of the globe, and on Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands off the north west coast of Africa, we found an extraordinary architectural example (http://coronaypamaral.com/) in timber, glass and concrete. The House in Tenerife was built into the cliffs nearly 1000 ft. above a black sand beach. The entrance to the house leads to the upper tier of the double-height living room. And descending the concrete staircase, the minimalist interior becomes second nature against the surrounding backdrop where the blues of the sky and the sea appear vertically in formation. Before long, the sensory experiences from the natural world envelope the built form, and the houses relevance in its surroundings are revealed. The layout places living areas of the home on the shorter end of the L-shaped form, while both bedrooms and bathrooms sit along the longer side. Both living and sleeping spaces open out to a wooden deck and pool that spills into nature. The heaviness of the concrete double-story living room allows glass panels to sit effortlessly on the deck. The rooms only furniture, le Corbuisers chaise and Mies Barcelona chair face out, away from a small fireplace that meets a wall of two-storey shelving.The sleeping spaces both open to the deck and pool as well. Each has its own bathroom and from the master, the owners can sleep and bathe in the same space looking out at the same view, as the sink and the concrete tub sit at the foot of the bed. The house even contains a basement where a home gym looks through a glass wall into the side of the pool. We couldnt really think of anything else we would want from a home on a Spanish island except great wine storage, wed be doing plenty of entertaining. By Andrew J Wiener.Pics by R (http://www.rolandhalbe.de)oland Halbe (http://www.rolandhalbe.de)

  • THE COOL HUNTER PLATINUM (New Consultancy Services)

    THE COOL HUNTER PLATINUM After three and a half years spreading the latest word on cool, the online portal thecoolhunter.net is excited to announce a new industry arm of the award-winning (news/2006-WEBLOG-AWARDS-Cool-Hunter-nominated-as-best-culture-blog-/) site. Brands, marketeers and agencies across the globe now have an opportunity to tap into the vision of the sites founder Bill Tikos and his hand-picked international team of dynamic thinkers who have turned Cool Hunting into an art.WHO ARE WE?We dont talk marketing-speak. In fact, we loathe it and its superfluous jargon.None of our team has a background in this area. Hailing instead from the worlds of fashion, book publishing, newspaper journalism, glossy magazines, photography, graphic design, product design and other creative disciplines, The Cool Hunter Platinum team offers a unique view into the world of Cool Culture.We specialize in developing ideas to help your brand move into the new, niche Cool Age.ENTER THE COOL-AGE The official launch of The Cool Hunter Platinum comes after a period of organic growth, which has seen international brands around the world from New York to Buenos Aries, Moscow to Sydney seek out The Cool Hunter in myriad ways, including: * Seminars and trend briefings * Speeches at international launches/events * Photo-research on advertising pitches * Consulting with advertising agencies; generating ideas and concepts * Consultation on hotel interior design/decoration and concepts * The Cool Hunter branded music/cultural events * Consultation and development of TV concepts And theres much more to come. But before we reveal additional ways we can collaborate with you, a word on why your brand needs The Cool Hunter Platinum.The hunt for Cool Cultures newest buzzword.Cool is fast becoming the new frontier in a niche-mad world, which has major implications for all culture and consumer industries, from marketing, advertising and media, right through to retail and hospitality. The Cool Age has begun.Cool has become a concept, denoting a kind of elusive X-factor that makes something exceptional. Individual. Covetable. Inspiring. Independent. Thoughtful. Limited. Pioneering. Exclusive. Innovative. Original. Cool has become shorthand for anything interesting, used by everyone from Boomers through to Generation Y.Whatever its manifestation, cool gives a brand, person, product, place or service a supernatural power to rise above the noise. To stand out in an ocean of stuff and make people remark to themselves:I want that.I love that.Im going to tell my friends about that.Led by the founders of thecoolhunter.net, The Cool Hunter Platinum offers clients, agencies and marketeers an opportunity to de-code the concept of cool, to help successfully usher their product or brand into the Cool Age. THE COOL HUNTER COLLABORATIVE SERVICES Custom subject-specific trend reports and presentationsFrom the worlds hottest trends in packaging and retail interior design, through to cutting-edge trends in fashion, pop culture and gadgetry the cool hunter Platinum creates reports which zone in on your industry. Event concepts/product launch conceptsThe Cool Hunter has covered some of the worlds most original concepts in events and launches. Let us help you ensure that yours wont be forgotten.Online concepts, online strategy and web designAs one of the most successful culture sites in the world, thecoolhunter.net knows a thing or two about creating websites that hit the pulse and pageviews. If you want to increase your brands presence on the web and reach a whole new online audience, The Cool Hunter Platinum offers innovative ideas to make it happen.Advertising/creative agency consultationAre you an agency pitching for a large fashion/lifestyle client? Working with The Cool Hunter can give the essential edge needed to rise above the rest.Our unique view into the Cool World can enrich your own creative team through participating in brainstorming sessions, providing background or inspiration-presentations which reveal a snapshot of what innovators around the world are doing.Brand revival and strategic associationsDoes your brand need an overhaul? Access the cool hunters little black book and let us assemble a team of the worlds best creatives who will help transform your image. Do your stores need a redesign? Do you want to enter into strategic collaborations with designers? Let us work our contacts and help facilitate your transformation.Product development and innovationThrough ideas and inspiration, the cool hunter team can help give your new product or service the elusive C-factor whether its a lifestyle product or techno-gadget.Project consultancyAre you a property developer/hotelier and looking for inspiration on design and decoration? The Cool Hunter team can help refine your vision and hook you up with some of the worlds hottest design and architecture firms. Media conceptsProduction companies around the world have already come to The Cool Hunter to help them create new TV/Film ideas. If youre putting together a series with a lifestyle/design/travel bent, we can help you refine the concept and ensure youre featuring the right people and places.To find out more contact (%20%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%0A%20%3C%21--%0A%20var%20prefix%20=%20%27ma%27%20+%20%27il%27%20+%20%27to%27;%0A%20var%20path%20=%20%27hr%27%20+%20%27ef%27%20+%20%27=%27;%0A%20var%20addy31845%20=%20%27bill%27%20+%20%27@%27;%0A%20addy31845%20=%20addy31845%20+%20%27thecoolhunter%27%20+%20%27.%27%20+%20%27net%27;%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3Ca%20%27%20+%20path%20+%20%27%5C%27%27%20+%20prefix%20+%20%27:%27%20+%20addy31845%20+%20%27%5C%27%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20document.write%28%20addy31845%20%29;%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3C%5C/a%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20/--%3E%5Cn%20%3C/script%3E%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%0A%20%3C%21--%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3Cspan%20style=%5C%27display:%20none;%5C%27%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20/--%3E%0A%20%3C/script%3EThis%20e-mail%20address%20is%20being%20protected%20from%20spam%20bots,%20you%20need%20JavaScript%20enabled%20to%20view%20it%0A%20%3Cscript%20language=%27JavaScript%27%20type=%27text/javascript%27%3E%0A%20%3C%21--%0A%20document.write%28%20%27%3C/%27%20%29;%0A%20document.write%28%20%27span%3E%27%20%29;%0A%20/--%3E%0A%20%3C/script%3E)bill@thecoolhunter.net (mailto:bill@thecoolhunter.net)This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

  • Taka-Tuka-Land Kindergaten - Berlin

    Yummy! Wow! Ooops! The playful, colorful and juicy Taka-Tuka-Land kindergarten in Berlin evokes a rambunctious reaction. You hear the kids at play. You see the bright colors. You sense the kids are happy. So it is no wonder that the students who designed and created this funhouse call their approach sensuous architecture. Baupiloten (http://www.baupiloten.com/)is a group of architecture students who during their studies at Faculty VI, Institute for Architecture at Berlin Technical University (Technische Universit Berlin) develop their own projects from concept to implementation under professional guidance. Architect Susanne Hoffmann founded Baupiloten (Bau=build, Piloten=pilot) in 2003 and has headed it since 2004. The Taka-Tuka-Land kindergarten was originally erected as a temporary solution, but with the fantastic Baupiloten approach to the refurbishment, it has become a permanent place for children. The Taka-Tuka-Land is part of the Pippi Longstocking lore created by the Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. Pippi in Taka-Tuka Country is a movie based on one of her novels. The children at the kindergarten and their teachers created collages, models, drawings and ideas based on Taka-Tuka Land with bridges, huts, merry-go-rounds made of blossoms and thrones made of seashells. The Baupiloten students then spent several days with the children observing their daily routines, their schedules and their ways of communication. From this extensive groundwork, the design story for the space was developed. The building itself is Pippis old oak tree that contains a lemonade factory. The lemonade breaks through the bark of the tree and flows outside creating padded play areas. The story of the building is a trip through the seven stages of the lemon tree, each facilitating a different activity: The lemonade tree, Glittering lemonade in the sun, Lemonade drops, The lemonade island, Waiting for the parents, Lemonade gallery, The bark breaks open, and Delving into lemonade. Pippis most likely verdict would be Jte god! By Tuija Seipell

  • BMW M1 Concept

    Most of us know when we see an M on the back of the BMW passing us on the freeway, theres virtually no way were going to catch up. The M division BMW has recently revealed its latest concept a tribute to their first mid-engine supercar originally manufactured by collaborative efforts of BMW and Lamborghini thirty years ago the M1. In the world of supercars, the M1 certainly looks like it will hold its own an effortless blend of retro cool with revolutionary elegance. The new Liquid Orange M1 may only be a concept right now, but just know if you see those beady headlights quickly approaching from your rear view mirror, move out of the fast lane youre about to be overtaken! By Andrew J Wiener

  • Fashionation

    The Cool Hunter is launching a new fashion site next month. Here's a tease.