DESIGN DISPATCH

“Rough Nouveau” Permeates a New Stay in Berlin, and Other News

Our daily look at the world through the lens of design.

The Hoxton Charlottenburg. Photography by Ennismore

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“Rough Nouveau” Permeates a New Stay in Berlin

Situated in West Berlin’s Charlottenburg district, Hoxton’s new outpost unfurls itself across an expansive 234 rooms and a variety of public spaces. AIME Studios, London hospitality group Ennismore’s in-house design team, weaved together elements of Art Nouveau and Brutalism, a style they coined “Rough Nouveau.” Highlights include the North Indian chophouse specializing in flame-kissed tandoor cooking, spacious rooms inspired by the salon of German expressionist choreographer Mary Wigman, and a cheery lobby lounge outfitted with a Delft-inspired fireplace and playful mural by Stefanie Kägi. —Nate Storey

Alberni by Kengo Kuma. Photography by Ema Peter

Kengo Kuma finishes a curved tower with a distinct facade in downtown Vancouver.

Kengo Kuma & Associates has finished building a curved skyscraper in Vancouver, Canada, featuring a partially enclosed amphitheater at its base. Named Alberni by Kengo Kuma, the 43-floor residential tower sits near the waterfront in downtown’s Coal Harbour neighborhood. The building’s distinct form, referred to as “Boolean scoops,” preserves neighboring views and allows natural light to penetrate the apartments deeper within, while also facilitating airflow. Its curved facade also offers recessed balconies for each apartment.

Nike and Fortnite step up their partnership with a new Air Max–themed experience.

Nike has unveiled its digital world called “Airphoria” within the popular game Fortnite, offering users an Air Max–themed experience. Players explore a floating city to find different Air Max styles and encounter Nike iconography, including stacked shoe boxes and a reimagined Air Max 97 as a Japanese bullet train. This collaboration between Nike and Epic Games showcases the growing intersection between gaming and fashion, utilizing the Unreal Engine tool to create branded experiences within Fortnite and reach a wider audience of gamers.

“The Creature” (2023) by Danny Cole. Image courtesy of Danny Cole

A sculpture by Danny Cole mysteriously appears overnight overlooking the High Line.  

Danny Cole has installed a sculpture on a residential building’s balcony overlooking The High Line overnight. Despite unclear authorization from the building’s management, Cole and his team completed the installation using a crane under the cover of night and faced trespassing charges. The sculpture, named The Creature, was originally intended for destruction but was repurposed by Cole, symbolizing the blurred line between gift and self-promotion in public art.

Dior curates two treehouse wellness cabins at Taormina’s seaside Grand Hotel Timeo.

Dior and Rome’s ThirtyOne Design + Management have collaborated to create two treehouse cabins called “Le Jardin des Rêves” (The Garden of Dreams) in the gardens of Taormina’s Grand Hotel Timeo. Designed to celebrate the hotel’s 150th anniversary, the cabins offer an exclusive wellness retreat where guests can enjoy Dior skincare treatments amidst the lush seaside surroundings. The cabins, accessed by a wooden staircase, feature Dior’s toile de jouy curtains in vibrant green, private terraces with sea views for privacy and relaxation.

Solange will headline the Art Gallery of New South Wales’s inaugural Volume event.

Solange is set to headline the inaugural Volume event at the Art Gallery of New South Wales in Sydney this September. The event will feature an impressive lineup of boundary-pushing artists, including Sampa The Great, Mount Eerie, and Lonnie Holley, who will be making his first visit to Australia. The festival aims to explore the sonic possibilities of the gallery’s new building, offering site-responsive performances in unique spaces such as the Tank and the Aqualand Atrium. Tickets for Volume will go on sale on July 19.

“Singing Enzo Mari: The Function of Esthetic Research.” Image courtesy of Lorenzo Mason Studio

Today’s attractive distractions:

One of Enzo Mari’s most sought-after books is living on as a vinyl record.

Michael Finkel’s The Art Thief reveals the limitations of museum security.

Takashi Murakami is fascinated by AI, but fears it may make him obsolete.

One small dose of MDMA dissolved a white nationalist’s extremist beliefs.

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