After four years of research and an investment of £100 million, Virgin Atlantic presented its new Upper Class Dream Suite service which is composed by a futuristic new cabin, a new fine dining meal service, and two Clubhouses, one, already ultimate, at New York JKF and the second one at London Heathrow, that will be ready by the end of the year.

The luxury experience starts, in fact, already from the airport, where it’s possible to wait in the amazing Clubhouse of Virgin Atlantic, that is also strategically located in order to be just a small walk away from the aircraft. Coming to it, the cabin is the definition of a whole new level of luxury and comfort, starting from the bar. It’s, in fact, the longest bar in the sky, according to Virgin, designed to accommodate from three to eight people and featuring over a thousand Swarovski crystals adorned to its curtain area.

In the Upper Class cabin there are a total of 33 seats disposed in a zig-zag configuration. Each seat has a huge bed surface as the seats are the longest ones compared to the business segment of the other airlines companies. On the side of each seat is positioned a 12.1 inch touchscreen monitor that gives access to the brand new entertainment system called JAM, where it’s possible to select among films, TV shows and more than 200 music albums.

As for the icing on the cake, the innovative mood lighting, designed together with architectural lighting experts, is not only able to change colours during the flight in order to help passengers to relax, but also to adjust to different time zones.

It goes without saying that the vernacular architecture found in Mykonos is as breathtaking as it is unique. Rounded whitewashed walls and tight, cobbled alleyways align the extraordinary landscape that has hosted civilizations, winds and sunshine for centuries.

As idyllic as the cycladic structures are, modern interpretations of the architecture native to Mykonos have begun at a hotel in 1990. This is a work in progress, with 13 out of the 57 rooms already redesigned by KLab architecture following the principles of “purity, simplicity, fluidity and surprise” and upholding the image of a contemporary Mykonian room.

Unaligned and irregular walls prevail the interior that heightening the peculiar three dimensional feel of inward slanting and upward sloping walls. The furniture is ideally designed and located against the walls in order to give the occupants of the room the idea of the furnishings being born out of an eruption, an idea which allows for every element to play off another.
Diverse and intriguing materials like bamboo canes, plaster, plasterboards, glass, pebbles and mirrors are combined in unconventional and surprising ways. The lighting systems play with lights and shadows unveiling the force of the sculpted spaces. Since the illumination is hidden for most of the time, the different lighting scenarios help create the perfect ambient desired by the occupant. The way it plays with the furnishing and materials, bouncing off a mirror or perhaps through a panel of bamboo, allows for any perfect setting to come to life with serenity.

The overall design was born as a low tech and low budget construction, relying mostly on the knowledge of local builders to construct something beyond their typical practices. Although the budget was relatively low, the imagery portrayed by the KLab architects reflects something completely different. As a matter of fact, they have managed to create various juxtapositions along with their design. From modern to classic, from sexy to pure, from vibrant to serene, these architects have encompassed all the best of opposites and created a hidden, sparkling jewel in the Aegean sea.

Çubuklu Valley is a private residential neighborhood set in a forested area in the northern Bosphorus part of Istanbul: this overshadowing development distinguishes itself for the extreme modernity of the houses it is composed of, a unique peculiarity since for the major part all the other projects in the city have been created using a traditional design styles.
S House is probably truly worthwhile staring at, amongst all these modern showpieces. It has been designed and developed in 2011 by Tanju Özelgin, a well-known Turkish product and interior designer who has been collecting several applauded works during the last twenty years, appreciated especially for the simple and direct approach to space. The overall structure of this house is stunning, harmonious combination between the natural setting and the cosmopolitan lifestyle of its owner.

The house consists of approximately 400 square meters of interior space and 480 of landscape and garden area. According to the sloped area in which it was created, it is developed on three floors: the natural landscape determines the entrance to be at the top floor, dedicated to the owner’s and guests’ bedrooms. The middle floor houses the kitchen, while the ground floor has been designed as a garden floor, a daily living area furnished with electronic equipment, a steam room and a sauna. The final complement is the external garden, which gives the house a (real) natural touch. The predominant colors in the whole structure are neutral, a profusion of a sense of calm and tranquility: white is the predominant pigment, alternated just with some black and grey contrasting elements.
Even if the concept of each floor is independent from the others, the shapes of furnishing and fittings have been specifically chosen for their basic, linear, squared shapes: in this way, harmony and equilibrium are the key element of the whole structure, partially interrupted by the modern conveniences and home technologies. The house seems the perfect oasis where to restore and recover from the chaos of the city.

However, the prerogative of this house pertains to the unique use of natural stone and wood surfaces, which counterbalance the light colors of the house and constitute a penetration of nature in the urban indoor environment, a sort of prosecution of the external garden. This usage is massive in the middle floor, where walls are covered with natural stone tiles. Furthermore, Özelgin has been particularly able to reduce the usage of artificial light through a careful analysis of how to emphasize the natural sunlight with a series of artifices, such as on the top floor, where the dressing cubicle has been located in the middle of the room and enclosed with a light tulle curtain: with this escamotage, the cubicle is lit with the natural sunlight, and the need of artificial light is minimized. A further detail to signal is the presence of sliding doors to separate the different parts of each floor: a quasi-imperceptible separation that gives a sense of endless harmony in the house.

With this authentic monument Özelgin has been able to give vent to his own incredible creativity, drawing inspiration from the surrounding nature: for sure a challenging venture to undertake, but the final result is probably even above any previous expectation.

The new restaurant, belonging to the Italian chain Spaghetti House, deservingly earns its name from the welcoming loft-style chosen for the layout and furnishing of its spaces. A Joey Ho Design Studio project, the eatery just recently opened its doors in Honk Kong, offering an ideally homely dining experience based on the company’s notion of being served in a “house” environment.  Designed with unmistakable minimalist taste, The Loft gives the idea of a spacious, unfinished setting with chic and simple décor.

A clever combination of wood, bricks and polished concrete support the close resemblance to the appearance of a home, only contrasted by the bright combination of white and red paint on the interior walls, generating an interesting fusion between cozy and modernly understated elements. Apart from the tables and long bench sofas that serve as seats, the dining floor holds an accessible bar, coffee tables and bookshelves filled with books and photo frames, contributing to the living-room-like mood of the restaurant. The corner space serving as an entrance, which originally was a dim and badly lit area of the floor, is now a luminous and fresh sensation.

Adding to its charm and distinctiveness, walls and ceilings are wrapped by sketched graphics of domestic scenes, serving as an unusual guide for the customers and constituting just one of the many ingredients of The Loft recipe to a stylish and tasteful eating experience.

Natural lighting, use of wood, vertical sun shading, construction and material resource efficiency: these are all crucial elements of the new project by Helen & Hard.

The Vennesla library is a a multi-level public facility comprising a library, a café, study places and social areas. The design is a direct result of the synergy of two structures- a community house and learning centre. Supporting the idea of an inviting public space the structure combines multiple spatial interfaces visible in the interior and from the exterior. The building is easily accessible from the main city square, which encourages community interaction and knits together the existing urban fabric.

This was achieved with the use of a large glass facade and a roofed arcade providing a protected outdoor seating area.

In this project Helen & Hard developed a rib concept to create useable hybrid structures. The whole library consists of 27 ribs that form the geometry of the roof and shape the personal study zones nestled along the perimeters of the open space. Each rib consists of a timber beam and column, acoustic absorbents, bent glass panes, and integrated reading niches and shelves. The gradually shifting shapes of the ribs are generated through the adaptation of the two adjacent buildings to the functional demands for the different compartments of the library.

For example, at the main entrance, the rib forms the loggia which spans through the width of the entire square. A main intention has also been to reduce the energy need for all three buildings through the infill concept and the use of high standard energy saving solutions in all new parts. The library is a “low-energy” building, defined as class “A” in the Norwegian energy-use definition system. The use of wood is maximized. All ribs, inner and outer walls, elevator shaft, slabs, and partially roof, are made in gluelam wood.

Helen & Hard was founded in 1996 library Norwegian by architects Siv Helene Stangeland and Reinhard Kropf. Today, the company has a youthful staff of 20 drawn from 8 different countries. Their aim is to creatively engage with sustainability, not limited to the design of spaces, moving away from a solely technical and anthropocentric view, and allowing the project to unfold in relation to its physical, social, cultural and economic context.

The renown A-cero Joaquin Torres architects have recently completed a single family house in the seaside Spanish city of Marbella. It is specifically located on one of the most exclusive development areas on the Costa del Sol, Puerto Banus: where from the lush green mountain landscape one can still easily reach the famed coast.
The fact that the plot is located on a “notorious” slope initially determined the overall design of the house. In other words, the aim was to locate and fit the house in harmony with its environment whilst getting access to the best views of the sea.
The size of the undertaken project was humongous, mainly due to the numerous possibilities of the project and the ideas and wishes of the client.
The flooring is completely rectangular and split into different organizational and aesthetic areas: the spaces on the south facade are dedicated to the views, and the north facade instead features the entrance to the house in a sober manner with the walls and floor plans crossed and cut. The entire property is dressed with Roman transventilated travertine stone giving the house a very modern and clean look.
The pathway at the entrance of the house has been organized with geometric forms placed over a small pool of water that leads the guest to the main door. The windows instead have been designed with the sole purpose to done natural lighting to different rooms, corridors, distributors and common spaces, rather than aesthetic elements to the overall structure.
All private and public rooms have been placed in the rear area of the hose along with a modern porch, pool, garden and a tennis court.
The house is developed in three distinct levels. The ground floor is dedicated to a welness and relaxation space with a spa and interior pool, as well as a gym and garage. The light in this area is given by the huge central courtyards that articulate the property. On the “low” floor, the spaces were dedicated to public spaces such as a living room, kitchen, dining room, laundry area and a small service room. Finally, the first floor is restricted to private areas with the bedrooms and a little studio space.
Sharp angles, pure lines and wide open spaces are just a way to summarize this structure. A-cero has demonstrated, once again, their flawless talent in oversizing projects in a discrete and beautiful manner without making them look like prentious or ostentatious creations for their lucky clients.

Well, since China is on a tireless pursuit of establishing itself as the greatest in all fields, it should not come as a surprise that at the time being they’re considering their architectural projects more than ever before! Not only do they seem to invest astronomical amounts of financial resources for the completion of fabulously ambitious projects, but they have also made a target to head-hunt worldwide for the brightest artists and engineers in the field.

The Dalian library is definitely one of the most imaginative and unconventional architectonic projects in China, at the time being. The Vienna-based ‘Architects collective’ is to be held responsible for the entire craze. Inspired by the delicate shape of a blooming rose, the team took the idea using sinuous contours to a whole new level. The shape of the building’s body resembles a triangle with very soft, round corners. In the vertical plain the artists play with different heights, such that there are no any two parallel lines. This creates a rather dynamic effect; the building seems to be changing, breathing, growing… Just like the flower it represents. Viewed from the top, we can notice that the 4 levels of the building are not perfectly aligned: each level is swiveled a bit more than the one preceding it. All these twists and turns contribute to creating a feel of continuity and hence comfort. Circulation will be made through a grand spiraling staircase, connecting all levels.

As for the actual build of the library, we can only applaud the choice to use as much glass possible! Given the strategic position of the site, in the proximity of the ocean, it would have been a pity not to take advantage of the mesmerizing colors of the sky and the energy of the sea. Aside from the rooftop, the building is made up entirely of windows. The ones facing inwards, where there should be the core of the building, actually surprise the visitors by opening up to a wonderful interior garden. The garden represents an oasis of peace and comfort, enabling people to relax and restore their Zen.

Distinguished by various prizes, such as best Dutch furniture design in 1989, the futuristic armchair Pallone by Leolux is an example of how the combination humor-design remains successful. One of the designers of the project, Roy de Scheemaker said his inspiration came from Goldfinger, Barbarella and the Baardmans and Kale comic strip. He wanted ‘people to be able to sit comfortably whilst making a beautiful composition’.

Now Leolux is celebrating its 75^th anniversary, for this reason the most famous Leolux model, the Pallone, is produced in a special anniversary edition. The Leolux Pallone Limited series has been built up around the new Senso leather collection from Leolux. This collection consists of 45 en mode colors selected by the trend expert, Christiane Müller. Of those 45 colors of leather, she then selected 11 amazing combinations, each with a personality, thus creating the Pallone Limited series.

This low-profile armchair will decorate your modern living space inviting you to enjoy its easygoing comfort and its unpretentious luxury. To make it even more relaxing, the optional matching footstool is an ideal complement for your feet to rest or to be used as a side table.