My evolutionary process is ever changing. After trying on an office space for a few months, I’ve realized that it doesn’t quite fit me. So I’m stripping down my studio apartment to the bare essentials to accommodate what I call a “hotel chic” aesthetic. It’s all about less but better.
Fragrance is the intangible accessory. I’ve written about smelling good (or at least smelling clean) from a personal grooming perspective several times here, but I’ve never written about ambient fragrances.
I imagine most people don’t consider the way a room smells unless it’s bad or overpowering, like many hyper-scented retail spaces I’ve experienced. But our sense of smell is a strong one that consciously or subconsciously ties us positively or negatively to our experiences with people, places and things. For that reason, I’m very sensitive to aroma and I’m a big fan of a room that smells nice.
Ian Fleming was an average looking man with an ordinary physique. What he lacked physically he made up for with exceptional intelligence, wit, taste and talent for storytelling. From a privileged upbringing, he became a British naval intelligence officer (though not with assignments as intense as a 00 agent’s) and then a journalist. When he created the character of James Bond for his first novel (Casino Royale, 1953), Fleming essentially created an idealized version of himself: the man every women wanted to be with and every man wanted to be.
This past weekend, I was visiting friends (a couple) who live in a good-sized one-bedroom apartment here in Manhattan. Their apartment features a nicely-sized bedroom, a perfectly efficient bathroom with amazing custom shower doors, a great living room, a full…
If we’re going to be rigorously honest, most cars are not only uninteresting, but they’re downright ugly. After experiencing last year’s car show here in New York City, I felt depressed. All of the cars looked spectacularly un-special, with little…
For years, I tried to cheat reality with a tragic series of inexpensive and truly cheap sofas, sofa beds and futons, adding to the growing pile of trash furniture that graces Manhattan's sidewalks on moving days. There comes a time…
I have an insane crush on this poster: the official poster for the 1968 Winter Olympics, which took place in Grenoble, France. This handsome design was created by Jean Brian (signature top-right). Get a 19¾" x 27½" reprint.
It's no news that in New York City, small living space is a big issue. It's one of the reasons storage companies are so successful, capitalizing on our dream of "bigger" and "more" some day and our inability to accept…
Taschen - publisher of some of the most delicious books gracing coffee tables and showcase shelves today - has released a new collection that will surely be a lot of fun: Mid-Century Ads: Advertising from the Mad Men Era by…
The iconic work of designer and illustrator David Klein defined the Jet Set style. Though he created countless designs for numerous industries during his decades in the advertising industry, he is perhaps best known for his ad work in the…