Design & Lifestyle Blog

8 Apr ’14

Jesolo Lido Pool Villa, Italy by JM Architecture | Residential Villas

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The Jesolo Lido Pool Villa is the first of a development for 9 single-family residences in the beach town of Jesolo Lido, Italy. The villa is a custom designed prefabricated wood structure, and it was built and furnished in only 6 months. Energy-saving high standards have been applied to the shell to guarantee maximum comfort and almost zero costs throughout the four seasons. The building features wood structures as a flexible and anti-seismic system which also avoids thermal bridges. The 31 cm of perimeter insulation, argon-gas insulated glass facades, 10 kw of photovoltaic panels installed on the roof and the interior / exterior led light fixtures co-operate in making a technologically contemporary building. Because of the small dimensions of the plot, the design goal has been directed in leaving as much open space as possible. The indoor living area has transparent sides which opens towards two different-sized patios. The largest one features a long swimming pool, which takes the entire length of the space, and two planted square inserts. An olive tree is the main three-dimensional element in the patio and it’s placed next to the staircase which leads to the underground level, where the storage and technical rooms are located.

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15 Oct ’12

CityLife Architectural Project Commissions Zaha Hadid Among Others For Its Design| Architecture

 

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The former trade fair area of Milan (Fiera di Milano) comprising 255,000 square meters was the subject of an architectural competition in 2004 for a residential and commercial project. City Life won the competition with designs by Arata Isozaki, Daniel Libeskind, Zaha Hadid and Pier Paolo Maggiora.

The complexity and the scale of the work involved in the re-qualification of the former Milan trade fair area led the partners of CityLife to commission the design of the project to a group of architects rather than a single designer. The choice fell Zaha Hadid, Arata Isozaki and Daniel Libeskind, architects of different origin, culture and background, but who share the distinction of having gained extensive experience by working on some of the most advanced expressions of international architectural culture of recent years.
CityLife is the result of the combined efforts of this group of architects, along with contributions from an array of other professionals and consultants who have ensured the project’s structural, plant design, environmental, urban planning and economic sustainability.

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10 Jan ’12

Gucci Opens Museum In Florence | Luxury

Filed under: Exhibitions & Events — Tags: , , , , , , — Sahar @ 8:00 am

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A year of events in celebration of Gucci’s 90th anniversary will culminate with the official public opening of the GUCCI MUSEO inside the historic Palazzo della Mercanzia located in Florence’s Piazza Signoria.
A permanent exhibition from its rich and culturally significant archive, which has been preserved and amplified throughout the years, will be juxtaposed with contemporary art installations supported by the Pinault Foundation.  An icon store, bookshop, caffè and gift shop complement the exhibition spaces to create a destination location for visitors.

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The GUCCI MUSEO is divided into different thematic rooms inspired by the House’s iconic motifs and symbols.
The ground floor hosts the Gucci Caffè, a meeting space that not only welcomes visitors into the museum, but also provides a new and attractive gathering place for Florentines and visitors to the city alike.
In the spirit of today’s connected age, visitors may take advantage of a social area for a coffee or to go online using the museum’s wireless network.

In the adjacent space there is the bookstore, which will be managed in conjunction with Rizzoli, now coming to Florence adding to its other existing locations in New York, London and Milan. Thanks to this partnership, the GUCCI MUSEO will be offering publications for enthusiasts of art, fashion, photography and architecture, through a curated selection of contemporary and vintage works.

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In the same space, a gift shop will offer the chance to purchase exclusive collectible items including iPhone and iPad cases, scented candles, bookmarks, totes, postcards, luxury stationery and chocolates all with the GUCCI MUSEO trademark.
Nearby, the Icon Store will offer the possibility to purchase from the exclusive Icon Collection of unique editions, including bags such as the New Jackie, the New Bamboo as well as the horsebit moccasin, the Flora scarf, all designed by Giannini with exclusive colors and detailing especially for the GUCCI MUSEO.

 

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3 Sep ’11

When In Rome … | Travel

vatican

During July I got the chance to visit one of the most charming cities of the world, Rome in Italy. Although many people take it as more of a religious/ historical city, I found it amusing and rich in every way, street, and aspect. This is not the first time I’ve been there, yet it was the first time I had the chance to actually explore it and enjoy its food and architecture, not to mention the great shopping. Since I was snapping photos of almost everything with my iPhone, I found it hard to upload every single one, that’s why I compiled collages to summarize my trip. The collage above has photos of St. Peter’s, The Vatican, the famous Trevi fountain, I had to insert a photo of the tastiest gelato I ever had, it was from San Pietro next to the Vatican.

blanko

Blanko was the first place we tried in Rome, it was actually my first meal there. Out of my whole Italy trip, they had the best pasta dish, the Ravioli was so fresh and light I loved it.

spanish steps

The above collage is of the shopping areas, the Spanish steps, where all the famous brands have shops. I went there almost everyday to make sure I didn’t miss out on anything, loved the shopping there!

I found the imitation bags very funny, they were everywhere, the cool thing is that you can spot the difference from a 10 meter distance, they have nothing to do with the originals, the monograms are actually of stars.

You might wonder what is a thick juicy fillet doing in the center of the collage, well it was the best meal I had during my entire trip, not that there was anything I didn’t like. I actually consider myself lucky that I didn’t have any bad experiences. That veal fillet (with wild berries served with cherry vinegar and sour asparagus), my friends, is by chef Gaetano Costa who owns a restaurant on via Sicilia, I actually went to the place after great reviews I found on tripadvisor. The décor looks so out of place, every restaurant in Rome has some history in it, this place however was extremely modern and housed a lot of artwork, apparently part of the function of the restaurant. It’s not huge and houses around 55 people. My take was that it was too open, meaning everyone was looking at everyone else, which was a bit inconvenient. The service was amazing, the best part, was although we just ordered the fillet, the chef smothered us with mini surprises whether appetizers, biscotti, and various treats to try out, all were amazing. I definitely recommend it if you want a “non-Rome” experience yet amazing food in Rome.

margherita

One of the “Must-go-to”  places in Rome is the Trastevere area. This area resembles to a great degree “Gemayze” in Lebanon. It’s a pedestrian only area with cafes, restaurants, and pubs everywhere. Good food, nice atmosphere, its also a nice walk if the weather is nice. It lies on the west bank of the Tiber, and is known for its nightlife. We were looking for a specific restaurant we saw reviews of but to our luck they close on Tuesdays (who would have guessed?), instead we headed to one of the most crowded pizzerias: Margherita. Its not any fancy place, on the contrary very down to earth full of people from all ages and walk of life. Good food, not –so-good wine, but we were starving. The Nutella pizza was a good finish especially after we walked for so long before we decided where to dine.

spanish steps shopping

Above is a glimpse of the shops found at Via Dei Condotti which is at the Spanish steps, luxury at its best.And I won’t keep anything from you, but I did my part of shopping Winking smile

ciao fiamifero

I was never an icecream person till I visited Italy this summer. The Gelato is addictive, the flavors are amazing, the photos can explain it all.

 

museum copy

The images in this photo are of various cultural places, churches, and museums which are a must when visiting Rome.

la scala

La Scala was the closest place to our hotel, for one reason or the other we kept putting off going there until we had our last meal in Rome there. I seriously don’t know if it was the overall ambience, or the food was that good, I can only say it was a great meal, good service, nice setting, private, and the weather that evening was beautiful after suffering from the heat during our first few days.

rome to milan

Rome was beautiful and I would definitely go again and again, the people were very friendly and helpful, the food was great and made from the finest and freshest ingredients, allover lovely experience away from everyday stresses. The last collage is of the views on our way from Rome to Milan. Milan is different, more realistic, expect a post on Milan soon.

Before leaving you with this post, I thought I’d take you on a breathtaking, jaw-dropping tour of Rome  with this video that will leave you speechless, a video for the Lamborghini Aventador… you can thank me later, enjoy Rome…

11 Jul ’11

See you next week…

Filed under: Uncategorized — Tags: — Sahar @ 10:00 am

 

 

This blog will take a short break , I will be back hopefully with news and photos from lovely Italy!  See you next week!! Smile Need anything from Italy??

4 May ’11

Leaning Tower of Pisa Now 50cm Straighter

Filed under: Architecture — Tags: , , , — Sahar @ 4:26 pm

 

The Leaning Tower of Pisa was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site back in 1987, serious efforts to stabilize the monument were taken. The tower was originally constructed over a period of 199 years (1173-1372) and since then was tilting 1mm for every year. The project of restoring the Pisa Tower has been ongoing for the past 20 years, and now it is open to the public scaffolding-free.

The project cost around €27m  and has lessened the tilt by 50cm, making it straighter, yet still with its famous lean. It now stands at 56meters tall at its highest point.

WAN

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