Design & Lifestyle Blog

14 Feb ’12

Le Gray Hotel Beirut A Great Romantic Getaway | Hotels

Filed under: Architecture,Interiors,Restaurants — Sahar @ 12:30 am

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Le Gray is CampbellGray’s first hotel in the Middle East which opened in 2009. Located in the heart of Beirut in Martyrs’ Square, it showcases 87 stylish rooms and suites artistically designed in collaboration with Fox Linton Associates. Indigo on the Roof is the hotel’s roof top restaurant with spectacular views of Mount Lebanon and the Mediterranean. Roof top Bar ThreeSixty, housed in a glass atrium, with magnificent views, a stylish Cigar Lounge, and outdoor heated 17 meter roof top pool with a purple mosaic floor are just a few of  Le Gray’s exciting assets.

For Valentine’s this year, Le Gray Hotel in Beirut has the perfect luxurious packages for this special occasion. If You are in Lebanon or heading there, this should be a great experience. For details for Valentine’s Day offer and other information, click here.

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25 Nov ’11

Slider Station Goes To Oman | Restaurant Design

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Many of the international readers of this blog might have not heard of Slider Station; in Kuwait, however, it’s considered one of the must go to places, crowded all year long. Slider Station’s name is derived from the fact that the main concept evolves around sliders rotating on a conveyor belt. But that’s not what gave the restaurant it’s reputation, the high quality and innovative dishes have become its signature, allowing the owner Mr. Basil Al Salem to open a new branch in Oman and launch new concepts that are just as good such as  Burger Boutique with a branch in Saudi Arabia and the recently created Cocoa Room in Kuwait everyone is raving about.

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Mr. Basil Al Salem was kind enough to share these photos on Instagram of the new Slider Station to open in Muscat, Oman tonight. Everyone is expecting it to be a big hit, and there is every reason for it to be. The design is beautiful, I was specially intrigued by the lighting fixtures, but then when you get used to Mr. Salem’s style you would notice his avant garde approach to use of materials, he does not play it safe yet gets it right.

At this Slider Station he focused on the use of rusted metal to give the overall industrial and revolutionary look. The custom made bar stools are simply amazing.The location has a beautiful sea view. Chairs used are the Round Chair by Emu.

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Above is the signature Sliders’ conveyor belt and sauces bar.

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Love the revolutionary aspect added to the space.

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If you are headed to Oman or live there, this is a must visit place, you won’t regret it.

11 Nov ’11

MisuraEmme Design Noir Club Restaurant | Restaurant Design

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MisuraEmme is a leading Italian brand specialized in cabinetry, walk-in closets, and furniture. For this project in particular and which they are partners in, MisuraEmme designed Noir Club using changing LED lighting, modern seating, beautiful wall units, and mellow partitions, leaving the area open and subtle. Looking at the space, you could feel its more of a living area than a restaurant, which was the purpose in the beginning. Clubbing in a comforting environment happens to be the trend now. Tables, sofas, and wall units are all part of the MisuraEmme collection.

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10 Nov ’11

The Monocle Magazine Opens A Café | Restaurant Design

Filed under: blog,Interiors,Restaurants — Tags: , , — Sahar @ 8:30 am

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Monocle Magazine has just opened its second store in Tokyo, which also houses its first ever café.Located in a department store targeting the male shopper, the café is just what you’d imagine from the brand: clean, understated and stylish in a contemporary yet classic way.

Furniture is designed by the Japanese brand Maruni in collaboration with Naoto Fukasawa. Coffee and sweets by Omotesando Koffee and are available to buy. The entire experience matches the needs of the discerning local male customer.

The café also follows the launch of the magazine’s new 24-hour internet radio station (which will broadcast a mix of current affairs, culture and music), which will also no doubt be a hit amongst the young male professionals that frequent the Ginza area.

It would be cool if style oriented magazines do the same, I think this is a creative idea.

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5 Nov ’11

Abu Dhabi Luxury Landmark: Emirates Palace By Kempinski | Hotels

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Emirates Palace is an iconic landmark managed by Kempinski  in Abu Dhabi representing luxury at its best.  It is located on sandy beach spanning 1.3 km along the  shores of Abu Dhabi. The architecture and design is inspired by the Emirates culture, bragging luxurious rooms, spa, restaurants, and services. Oriental elements mark every single area  of this luxury destinations.

The 394 luxury rooms and suites are nestled within traditional domes which span 85 hectares of lush landscaped gardens. In addition to the Anantara Spa, there are16 internationally renowned restaurants including Haakasan and Mezlai, the UAE’s first traditional Emirati restaurant. Emirates Palace regularly welcomes celebrities, staging world class events including the Abu Dhabi Film Festival, the Laureus World Sports Awards and concerts from the likes of Andrea Bocelli and Elton John.

The Palace continually strives to set new standards for luxury and hospitality excellence, further enhanced by the resort’s Kempinski management, “As Europe’s oldest luxury hoteliers, Kempinski understands luxury. We are known for our stunning properties, and the luxury of our signature personalized service that anticipates the needs of our guests and exceeds their expectations.”

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Via: Adelto

For more images check the Hotel’s website.

19 Sep ’11

L’Opera Restaurant In Paris | Restaurant Design

At 6 million Euro, and three year construction time, The Opera Garnier’s first ever restaurant has opened in July 2011 becoming one of Paris’ hottest spots.The design of the project was assigned to  Odile DECQ Benoit CORNETTE – Architectes Urbanistes after a contest.  The Phantom restaurant is located at the Opéra Garnier, more commonly known as the Paris Opéra, a 1,600-seat opera house on the Place de l’Opéra in Paris, France, which was the primary home of the Paris Opera from 1875 until 1989.  The condition of processing the designs was a bit limiting since they were not allowed to make any irreversible alterations, no visible structures were allowed, and no alterations whatsoever were allowed on structure, pillars, walls or ceilings.

One of the most interesting features is the  undulating glass curtain on the restaurant’s façade, sliding between the pillars.Their chairs are all from  Poltrona Frau, when combined with the bench and floors, they produce a theatrical character reminiscent of the phantom of the opera which was once performed within the auditorium.

 

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Project Info by ODBC
Project name: Phantom – Restaurant of the Garnier Opera
Client: GUMERY
Author: Odile Decq // Odile DECQ Benoit CORNETTE – Architectes Urbanistes
Structure engineering: BATISERF Ingénierie
Facade consultants: Odile Decq – Odile DECQ Benoit CORNETTE – Architectes Urbanistes / HDA – Hugh Dutton Associates
Building services engineering: MS Consulting
Acoustics engineering: Studio DAP
Fire security engineering: SETEC
Kitchen consultants: C2A Architectes
Project responsables: Peter Baalman, Giuseppe Savarese, Amélie Marchiset
Site : Garnier Opera, Paris, France
Program: Implement of a restaurant in the Garnier Opera
Surface: 1100 M2
Budget: 6 M€ excl. VAT
Dates: 2008 – 2011
Opening: July 2011
Digital views: Odile Decq
Realization pictures: Roland Halbe – ODBC

The Cool Hunter

17 Sep ’11

A Piece From Heaven: Massaya Vineyards In Lebanon | Travel

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I can’t believe it took me this long to finally visit the restaurant and vineyards at Massaya in Taanayel, Lebanon. The funny part, is that I am originally from an area very near by and my parents live 5 minutes away, yet this summer was the first time I visit this lovely place. Upon arrival I was surprised by the number of tourists who have discovered this gem, many of which were from the GCC.

Located in the heart of the Bekaa valley, Massaya has one of the most popular vineyards in Lebanon. The name “Massaya” means Twilight in Lebanese, and due to the royal blue color of the sky when the sun sets behind Mount Lebanon, they decided to create their signature “Arak” bottle which is a beautiful elongated and very elegantly designed blue bottle. Arak, by the way, is a popular alcoholic drink in Lebanon and specially in the Bekaa Valley where anis seeds are added after the grapes are fermented and distilled; in Massaya’s case the anis seeds used are organic. The area where Massaya’s Arak is fermented is magical, you will see the photos below.

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We arrived at the restaurant “Le Relais” which is located in the middle of the vineyard, you have to walk a bit to reach this charming place where all the food is cooked and prepared by housewives of neighboring villages. The menus are set seasonally, and the food was simple and amazing, it was a “back to basics” buffet specific to the Lebanese country side, with dishes like roasted chicken, kibbeh, freekeh, saj  goodies,different types of salads, hommus and mtabbal, and many more. Even the sweets were very simple, all Lebanese themed.

Mr. Ramzi Ghosn, one of the owners and winemakers, was an amazing host who accompanied us throughout our visit making sure we had a great meal and a comprehensive tour of the vineyards, the wine reserves, and the boutique, he even explained to us how the Arak is made and how transparent and proud of their products they are. Massaya is one of the very few places where people have access to the entire place, because they have nothing to hide. Everything is of utmost quality. The barrels where the wine is stored is even imported from France from designated suppliers known for the best finishing.

 

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Massaya export 85% of their production to the USA and Europe, their Rosé wine has been listed as one of the top 10 according to The Independent which was one of the reasons I wanted to try it during my visit. To my bad luck they were out of stock everywhere (due to high demand). I ended up trying their white wine which was lovely and appropriate with the meal and the warm weather.

 

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These are the clay jars where the Arak is stored, such a lovely sight, the aroma of the anis seeds was overwhelming.

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Massaya’s signature blue Arak bottles.

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I wasn’t planning on writing much, I’s rather allow you to enjoy the photos accompanied with bits and pieces of information. I really hope you liked them.

Ramzi Ghosn is very well into social media, you can find Massaya on  Facebook and Twitter. In addition to that, their blog and website are updated regularly with images, events, and historical information on wine and the Bekaa Valley. You can spend hours on the website learning about the art of wine making and its history.

I HIGHLY recommend you visit Massaya and enjoy the experience, you will be glad you did.

Thank you Ramzi for an unforgettable day, I will be visiting again very soon, that’s for sure!

16 Sep ’11

When Street Art And Food Meet | Restaurant Design

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In Miami, specifically Wynwood Walls Park, Tony Goldman offered the exterior of the buildings owned by Goldman Properties to international artists selected by New York gallery Deitch Projects. What was once just a warehouse, is now plastered inside out with street art of different styles and themes. Goldman’s daughter, Jessica, came up with the idea of turning one of the warehouses into a restaurant, Wynwood Kitchen & Bar. The restaurant finishes were mediocre, but the installations and transformation of the space was beautiful and well done. The restaurant is an attraction for hundreds of artists especially that Miami is popular for the Art Basel Miami Beach that takes place annually.

The difficulty in the transformation was not harming the murals specially when they were deciding where the location of the door and other major elements would be. When that happened, the artists would help out and incorporate the functional elements within the mural.

“Wynwood Walls will be getting six more murals before Art Basel 2011. But the park itself, which consists of a few re­purposed tractor tires, some blacktop, and some grass, will never get any fancy landscaping. "This is Wynwood," Samson says. "We’re not going to Disneyland it up." That means no birds-of-paradise and no palm trees.”

 

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Designed by : James Samson

 

Interior Design Magazine

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