Droog's New Hotel In Amsterdam Opens September 16th. See All That It Has To Offer.

At the historical centre of Amsterdam, on September 16th, 2012, Droog will open a hospitality experience like no other. Hôtel Droog is a place where you can come for a drink, a bite to eat, exclusive shopping, exhibitions, beauty advice, a stroll in the garden, a lecture series, or even a bed for the night. Featuring the Droog Store, Gallery, Dining Room, Fairy Tale Garden, Beauty at Cosmania, Fashion at Kabinet, Products at Weltevree, and the one and only Bedroom, Hôtel Droog is conspicuously housed in 700 square metres in a 17th century building, promising to be a new cultural home in the heart of Amsterdam.




“The concept of a hotel has been reversed. Whereas a hotel is usually mostly about sleeping, here we have enlarged and emphasized all the aspects that many hotels also offer and made them central to the hotel experience—and it even has a room to sleep in,” says Renny Ramakers, co-founder and director of Droog. “Hotel Droog brings all of our activities under one roof—from curation to product design, exhibitions and lectures—and invites people to plug in as they choose.”

The new hotel, a 10-room member-only hotel, concept restaurant and exhibition space was designed by Tokyo-based Atelier Bow-Wow.


above: a model of the building shows the inner courtyard

Leaving the canal-facing front façade intact, Atelier Bow-Wow created an intricate inner courtyard façade inspired by Amsterdam’s historic architecture.



above: an early rendering of one of the hotel's rooms

The hotel restaurant will host new concept dinners by invited designers and chefs, improvising with local market left-overs and practicing the act of eating slowly yet attentively.


above: An initial rendering of the restaurant included a smoking space

The street level will house an on-going program of Droog exhibitions and events.

EXHIBITIONS at GALLERY

The Gallery is an exhibition space curated by Droog or by specially invited curators. This prominent and beautiful 160 square metre space features the latest in design, art, and fashion and previews upcoming developments in the creative industry. The Gallery aims to create a dialogue between design and society by hosting workshops and discussions.

ESCAPE at FAIRY TALE GARDEN

Enter a magical fairy tale garden. Designed by French Designers Claude Pasquer and Corinne Détroyat, the courtyard has been transformed into a shelter for biodiversity, where natural and artificial elements intermingle.

All elements are functional, attracting, feeding, watering, and providing respite for birds, butterflies, insects, flowers, edible plants and humans alike. Mixing seamlessly with abundant plantation, synthetic turf covers the winding pathways to create a sense of stillness. The garden is a real mixture of serenity and joy.

FOOD, DRINKS & DISCUSSIONS at THE DINING ROOM
The Dining Room is a simple, elegant and airy room that overlooks the flourishing garden. Enjoy some of the neighbourhood’s finest homemade recipes or freshly made smorrebrod sandwiches.

The menu is bound by one philosophy: simple, healthy, delicious dishes created with well-sourced and seasonal ingredients.

The Dining Room is open for lunch and special events, lectures and performances. In honour of the building’s history as home of the textile guild, Droog commissioned Dutch artist Berend Strik for a reinterpretation of Rembrandt’s famous De Staalmeesters, a painting that once hung here.

SLEEP at THE ONE AND ONLY BEDROOM
The top floor of Hotel Droog is for guests who might like to stay the night or more. Central but quiet, the brightly-lit space, with bedroom, living area and kitchen, provides a superb view over Amsterdam rooftops.

DESIGN at DROOG STORE

The Droog Store is an open atmosphere where you can interact with the Droog experience. Featuring small and affordable products along with limited edition pieces, each piece has been designed to enhance daily life and has its own story to tell. The store also sells the ‘Friends of Droog’ curated collection, products from other labels that match the Droog aesthetic and concept.

BEAUTY at COSMANIA

At COSMANIA you will find beautiful, affordable and very special international cosmetics brands that can’t be found anywhere else in The Netherlands. All beauty brands presented have their own unique story to tell. The unique principles of COSMANIA’s brand philosophy are exclusivity to the Netherlands and an open attitude that invites interaction with visitors. Openness comes in the form of honest product reviews, valuing visitor’s opinions and experiences with the products, and inviting visitors to help determine the collections.

COSMANIA is always open to advice on international brands you may have seen on your travels or in magazines that you’d like to see and share with other cosmaniacs.

FASHION at KABINET


KABINET is an intimate place where you can find exclusive fashion labels represented within this fashion salon. KABINET features some of the best eclectic designers of recent years including Isabel Marant, Maison Martin Margiela, and Hussein Chalayan. These sit beside other hand-picked luxury brands and a carefully curated selection of avant-garde designer pieces. KABINET has introduced a collection of unique fragrances to complement the cutting edge mix of womenswear, menswear, jewellery, accessories and design brands.

PRODUCTS at WELTEVREE
Weltevree is a Dutch product label that develops and produces authentic products with a focus on outdoor living.

Whether it’s the iconic Dutchtub (shown above) that allows you to enjoy the pleasure of bathing outside, or a stove that brings the crackling fire into your kitchen, Weltevree brings rawness, sensuality and a closeness to nature into your life. Featuring products that are distinctive, original and of excellent quality, Weltevree aims to deliver a quality experience that satisfies our primary desires.

press release information and images courtesy of Droog and Weltevree

Photography of hero image: Thijs Wolzak
Address: Staalstraat 7B, 1011 JJ Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Opening times: Tuesday – Saturday 11am – 7pm / Sunday 12 – 5pm (Mondays closed)
Website: www.hoteldroog.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/HotelDroog

The PANTONE Hotel In Brussels Offers Colorful Accommodations (UPDATED).

The PANTONE HOTEL in the city of Brussels has opened. It's part of the new PANTONE UNIVERSE, an expanding line of colorful, design-driven products to touch and tempt consumers.





Described as a “hotel of colors”, the hotel consists of clean, simple, room layouts that use color to punctuate and define the rooms and common areas.




above three photos courtesy of Rhodes

The hotel also features many of the various PANTONE products about which I have blogged. Products such as their colorful iconic mugs by W2, PANTONE Kitchenware Collection by Typhoon, Seletti's PANTONE metal folding chairs and storage boxes, PANTONE stationery by Alpa, Seavees 09/63 PANTONE Sneaker Collection and the Sonia Spencer PANTONE Accessories Collection (jewelry, cufflinks and keychains).



above photo courtesy of Angel Of Harlem

Designed by Michel Penneman and Oliver Hannaert, The PANTONE HOTEL in Brussels showcases the color of emotion with a distinctive hue on each guest floor. From vivid to subdued, for business or leisure, the unique boutique hotel can suit your savvy palette and colorful imagination. The guest rooms also feature unique photography by esteemed Belgian photographer Victor Levy.



Guests enjoy state-of-the-art accommodations, distinctively chosen at reception to compliment their mood. Luxurious beds, inviting pillows, LCD TVs, and central A/C with individual controls are standard. Many of the rooms are illuminated with unparalleled views of Brussels as well.



Amenities



•THE PANTONE LOUNGE: Considered a destination within Brussels city centre for its relaxing vibe and exceptional city views, the PANTONE LOUNGE is a chic lounge and summer rooftop terrace with full bar.

Savor the moment, unwind and divulge the color you’re feeling with their divine cocktails: Pink Champagne PANTONE 12-1107, Lemon Drop PANTONE 12-0736 or Daiquiri Green 12-0435.

•PANTONE UNIVERSE: Shop and “test drive” stylish products showcasing the innovative use of color and emotion. From mugs to bicycles, browse the largest selection of Pantone products worldwide.

•COLOR SONSULTATION SERVICES: Pantone’s renowned consulting service influences product colors behind many of the world’s best selling brands, including Tiffany & Co., Nike, Barbie, Victoria’s Secret and The Gap. By appointment only.

•WI-FI: Free wireless internet available in all guest rooms and public areas.


Meetings

The PANTONE HOTEL Brussels is ideal for a small corporate meeting, midsize company incentive trips, business conferences, cocktail receptions, special events and annual general meetings. The meeting and convention rooms have a capacity of up to 20 people. The meeting space is equipped with advanced audiovisual and technical equipment. There are also two highly customizable meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 100 people. Both are outfitted with advanced audio video / technical equipment and are available by the day or by the hour. Catering is also available.

the Hotel exterior:



Contact info:
THE PANTONE HOTEL
1 PLACE LOIX
1060 BRUSSELS
BELGIUM
TEL +32 2 541 48 98
FAX +32 2 791 57 02
info@pantonehotel.com

images courtesy of PANTONE, XRITE, LLC, angel of harlem, fast company, Rhodes on Flickr

Maison Moschino: Fashionable Fantasy Accommodations In Italy

You are probably familiar with the Moschino fashion brand and their three lines; Moschino, Moschino Love and Moschino Cheap and Chic.

But did you know they had a new and beautiful hotel in which you can stay? The Maison Moschino had it's formal opening in February of this year. In case you don't plan on popping over to Italy anytime soon, I'm going to show you some of their unusual and fantastical room and suite designs along with other images of the hotel.




The hotel is located in the old neoclassical railway station on Viale Monte Grappa, 12, that opened in 1840 for the Milan-Monza route. The hotel’s creative direction is led by Rossella Jardini and Moschino’s creative team.




The exterior facades were restructured to be faithful to the original structure, while the interior was completely interpreted in the Moschino style. Divided into four floors, the 65 rooms and junior suites are all different. On the ground floor, the hall and the bar welcome guests into the hotel.



The common thread connecting the rooms is a fairy tale theme. Whimsical and magical elements reminiscent of Enchanted Forests and children's favorites like Alice In Wonderland, Little Red Riding Hood and Candyland are the themes of some of the rooms.

Forest room:


Alice's room:

Half-A-Room:

Little Red Riding Hood Room:

Sweet Room:



Walls climbing with ivy, beds covered in roses or ribbons and surreal hanging clouds can be found in various rooms, like those shown below.

Ivy room:

Life is a Bed of Roses room:

Ribbon room:

Clouds room:


Others have touches such as ballgown beds, ornate headboards, mystery keys, and color themes to give each room a dream-like fantasy feel:

Sleeping In A Ballgown rooms:


Zzzzzzz room:

The Shadows room:


The Luxurious Attic room:

The Gold room:

The Wallpaper room:

The Blue room:


The hotel interior, lobby and restaurant reflect Moschino’s distinctive style where the ordinary world is painted with a brush of surrealism.




The hotel also has a restaurant and a spa. The restaurant Clandestino Milano extends from the hall to the terrace, the Culti spa and the gym are located on the lower levels.

The restaurant menu proposes a selection of innovative dishes starting from breakfast: the delicious “Mos kit”, for instance, represents a culinary itinerary. It is offered in a choice of 4, 6 or 8 combinations and served in a precious box that humorously reminds of an elegant shoe box. “Mos kit” changes every day according to the seasons and to our chef’s different inspirations.



Irony is the theme that inspires Maison Moschino’s lunch menu and its aperitif, served as a toothbrush with an edible mint and coconut toothpaste and a saké and mint flavoured “mouthwash”.



The restaurant Clandestino Milano is open 7 days a week. Room service is available from 7 am until midnight. Cocktails and aperitifs are offered at the bar.

Maison Moschino is centrally located and within easy reach of the transport system. You can get to the nearest underground station, Porta Garibaldi (green line), in just five minutes by foot.



The green line is directly linked to the Cadorna station, where the MALPENSA EXPRESS shuttle leaves for Malpensa International Airport.

The hotel has some amazing special offers, tours and exclusive packages for design, theater and art lovers. See the packages here.

For more information, visit Maison Moschino

Special thanks to partner of the project, Hotel Philosophy S.p.A, Mobygest Group,for additional images. Actual owner of the real property is Allianz Global Investors SGR S.p.A – Fondo Ras Antares.