NY trips aren’t complete without a stop over to The Standard Hotel NewYork to catch up with everyone ~ right after the Absolut Brooklyn launch, popped over to finally see the pool on the 18th floor of The Standard Hotel NewYork in action ~ and WOW is it different compared to when empty in the day! Floor to ceiling black glossy tiles, a diamond shaped, large hot tub sized 4ft pool surrounded by endless NY views glittering in every direction. It’s incredible how the cave like darkness of the space is literally lit up by the NY skyline! For this night, a fun mix of internet week and lifestyle and travel industry folks ~ all coming together to celebrate the launch of location based members only site, TopGuest ~ “Topguest gives travelers real loyalty program points from top hotels and airlines for geo check-ins on all major applications, automatically.” Basically, it’s a membership program that will connect up your foursquare, gowalla, google buzz, yelp, twitter and more and sync it up with existing and upcoming partnership rewards from major hotels, airlines, and more. Fun potential with the concept, and i love that they are targeting carefully curated brands and experiences first ~ during the preview, their exclusive launch partner is the Standard Hotel group, and they’ve issued a challenge: check in to all 4 (NY, LA-downtown, LA-hollywood, Miami) Standard Hotels in a week to earn a free week stay! But first things first, you have GOT to check out the views from the glossy jet black Standard NY penthouse pool!
While in NY ~ popped out to DUMBO for the Absolut Brooklyn Launch Party with Spike Lee! Spectacular views on such an ominous night as the sun set through the on and off thunderstorms rolling through… They cleared out the Powerhouse Bookstore ~ and with the large altered seal on the windows, i must admit it reminded me of Starbucks at first. I suppose i’m just not quite used to their playing down the iconic bottle shape? They transformed the steps inside the space into a cute life sized stoop matching the one on the bottle! Perhaps the most visually intriguing are the water tower shirts the bar tenders wore with text and graphics creating the image! So for packaging design closeups, you can see my post here ~ To take a peek at the adventures with Absolut Brooklyn ~ see the next page!
Just experienced the Royalton Hotel while in NY for the Federated Media Conversational Marketing Summit (my annual catch up with my FM folks and intellectually immerse myself in the marketing/ad world)… since it’s practically in times square, the Morgan’s Hotel Group helped me try out the Royalton Hotel… and from the website i was already obsessed with seeing their soaking tub in person. It is HUGE and pretty deep. You could probably fit about 5-6 of me in there… comfortably. And it’s like being in an inverted discoball… Also noteworthy, it is the perfect luxurious NY hideaway, if you need a super comfy, cozy place to hibernate in NY. It can stay surprisingly dark in the room (with lots of nearly blackout curtains, dimmers and candle like lighting) regardless of what time of day/night it is. After a few too many late nights out, it was an incredible place to just curl up and catch up on sleep and work in a timeless space. And the bed is divine (pillows and duvet you just melt into!) with fun beautifully lit bedside port hole like shelves cut into the headboard which extends wall to wall and floor to ceiling including the closet and drawers. And that impressive darkness i was telling you about? It also flows through the hallways and into the lobby (which is an enticing lounge/bar space that leads to the restaurant) ~ so it’s a bit of a shock to the system every time i had to head out ~ back into the real world (or the chaos so near times square!)
Take a peek at my experience of the Royalton Hotel’s Room 904 on the next page ~ lots of pics of favorite details!
On one of my favorite endlessly fascinating stops in NYC - Fishs Eddy ~ here are a few pics from the last time i was there! Warning: While much of what is available in store is online, SO much more is in store! From random overstocks, vintage plates/etc they find, crazy sales… there’s lots of goodies in store that are different each time i pop in. And always so much temptation! Last time i was there, they mentioned that you don’t have to worry about trying to pack it all home too, you can pick whatever you want in store and they are all set up to pack it up and ship it home for you… will definitely have to stop by again when i’m in NY this week! See more pics on the next page…
p.s.
those crazy “glove molds” are available online, but how stunning is the display?!?!
Freshly sent over from Absolut, Absolut Brooklyn ~ a collaboration with Spike Lee, it has one of the most unique Absolut packaging changes… can you believe they Spike Lee’d the seal?!?! Adding glasses and baseball cap on Lars Olsson Smith! Additionally they have a line from Lemon Andersen’s spoken word poem “Somewhere in the world Brooklyn in da house and you know we won’t stop spreading love cause that’s our way.” on the bottle alongside the silk screened image of an illustrated Brooklyn Stoop, which is #165 as a nod to Spike Lee’s brownstone roots. As for the flavor ~ it is a Red Apple and Ginger flavor ~ “its flavor evokes the spice and vibrancy Brooklyn brings to the big apple”… it’s quite delicious, though a bit jolly rancherish… Take a peek at more details on the next page!
While trying to kill time in TriBeCa between meetings, i followed a recommendation to check out Playing Mantis for some fun wooden kids toys… and found the most amazing chess set of hungarian hand carved little knights… as well as these knights on horses. As you can imagine, it took a while to pick the perfect one, and i settled on this guy, because i simply had to get some close up pics to share with you!
Dominic Wilcox’s Pre-Handshake Handshake Device was part of one of my favorite shows at NY Design Week, Uncomfortable Conversations. The Design Glut ladies curated an incredible show of pieces that veered on the art/installation side of design, and perhaps the most fun was the amount of interaction visitors had with pieces, and truly, the incredible conversations which naturally ensued.
While his piece is set up to be that baby step for when “A traditional handshake can sometimes be just too big a step for those entrenched in their dislike of the other.” ~ luckily i recruited the happily married Sean and Anna of Sub-Studio to have a little fun with his piece, and they tried having a thumb war, doing secret handshakes, making shaka signs and more… Additionally, how beautiful are the photographs he has of the device? Large limited edition photographic prints in collaboration with photographer David Sykes will soon be available! See more pics on the next page!
It is amazing how good the plastic version of a steel design classic can feel… you have to sit/lift this new111 Navy Chair is! The Emeco classic remade in a special formulation of rPET (Recycled Polyethylene Terephthalate- recycled plastic bottles) mixed with glass fiber for strength ~ where each chair contains 111 recycled plastic Coke bottles! Apparently over the last 4 years ~ Coke instigated this project, challenging Emeco designers/manufacturers to adapt the chair. While this launched in milan (frozen in a block of ice! - see pic on next page!) ~ the launch party for it at DWR NY in the meatpacking had so many fun design details, as well as lots of the chairs to sit on and play with ~ the experience had to be shared! From recycled coke glass bottle tumblers filled with rum and coke and topped off with paper straws ~ to fun graphics on walls/male models in tees/port-a-potties/coasters/pins ~ to a photobooth! And adorable bags with the Eames quote “Take your pleasure seriously.” (Words i definitely live by for NOTCOT!)… so take a peek at all the fun on the next page!
Firstly, Glen! THANK YOU. For being so incredibly kind and generous and giving me your photopaddles on the street. Once we all parted ways, the paddles and i found a face in just about everything i saw… so here’s a selection of them!
Here are a few peeks of sticker pics that have been popping up… hints? Don’t miss Duravit’s black bathroom goods… CITE is such an incredible show… ACE/Obey seems to have found one… Future Perfect and Areaware are def worth a stop… Uncomfortable Conversations and Sounds Like, DWR and of course the Standard NY in Meatpacking are must sees… a few are surfacing throughout ICFF… keep your eyes peeled at parties and throughout the city, even i don’t know where these might pop up anymore!
… and did you hear? Cool Hunting is going to pick another winner to win an iPad and one of their limited edition cases! Yes, in ADDITION to our other prize including a standard stay and dwell tix and a puppy… So spot a sticker, tweet a pic with #OBJECTHUNT and you’re in the running! (Object Hunt details here!)
Wow. There is a definitely love of light bulb clusters at the Gramercy Park Hotel ~ particularly in this room that opens up to the Roof Club… but also in my bathroom! While it does feel a littler overwhelming, it is also completely mesmerizing, and makes for some fun pics! See more on the next page!
I must admit i was skeptical when one of the most common words that came up regarding the Gramercy Park Hotel Roof Club… was “Magical”. Sure some of the women who uttered the word seemed like the type that may use it in daily conversation, but some of the men who did, most certainly didn’t seem like the type.
Sure enough ~ as i stumble off my redeye, and at 7am find myself at the Gramercy Park Hotel, which was kind enough to invite me to visit their world while here for NY Design Week, my room wouldn’t be ready till 10. With the limited amount of energy, my options were minimal ~ but breakfast with wifi on the roof sounded like a good place to start. Take the elevator to the top, step out, and get lead to a ridiculously adorable and comfy couch to curl up on while breakfast comes up… and as i order and process where i am… i can’t help but notice the beautiful lights, the ivy hanging and intertwined above me, how much greenery and the variety of pots i’m surrounded by… and as my eyes focus, suddenly i realize what a stunning view i’m waking up to. No joke. It’s pretty magical. Everything seemed to sparkle in that early morning glow! It felt as if you were in a large intimate garden/deck at home… and i hear its even more stunning at night, so, i’ll have to find a night to see it glisten as you overlook all of manhattan… So take a peek on the next page of how pretty the Gramercy Park Hotel Roof Club looked bright and early!
3am - Going through hundreds of pictures ~ and not sure where to even start, or if i should just curl up and get some sleep, somehow these two pictures from within hours of each other felt like they needed to be shown together. While separately they grabbed me, together they felt inseparable.
Found on a billboard in Noho ~ “Material possessions won’t make you happy, or maybe they will.” And then riding the elevator “home” to my room at the Gramercy Park Hotel ~ “Help Is On The Way” ~ instead of my floor, every time i step in, i want to press that. Where is the “Everything will be ok.” button? Feel free to see both far away and close ups on the next page. Interpret as you will!
It’s 3am. I’m tired, but i felt like i needed to share before the backlog built up and my excitement wandered off… what a day its been, so much #OBJECTHUNT fun ~ so many supportive folks having fun at design week this year between workaholicking. And between it all i stumbled upon Mr. Brainwash’s takeover of the boarded up construction ~ mixed with scrawls about what a hack he is ~ only to turn across the street to see all his art also inside at a huge gallery show… and it was filled with classic designer chairs… so, i couldn’t help myself, the mix of spray paint art, pithy statements and quotes, elephants-kangaroos-snoopy made of tires, a life size NY taxi packaged in matchbox packaging with a toys r us price tag… so say what you will about his work ~ i just had to take and share some pics! See it all on the next page…
Want some proof that #OBJECTHUNT is real and lots of stickers are starting to pop up around NYC? Well here are some peeks at a few that went up yesterday… see if you can find them all… and far more to come as the weekend unfolds! Close ups on the next page…
If you spot one ~ Take a Pic! Tweet it with #OBJECTHUNT! And you’re entered to win the Puppy, 2 Nights at Standard LA, and tickets to Dwell on Design ~ all the details here!
#OBJECTHUNT begins! What began as a random idea, quickly turned into a citywide Twitter Sticker Scavenger Hunt with the help of my amazing, fun, design blogger friends: Sub-Studio, Apartment Therapy, Design Milk, Moco Loco, The World’s Best Ever, Cool Hunting, and Design Glut! With all the running around NY for Design Week, decided to add another layer of playfulness to it by hiding #OBJECTHUNT stickers around NewYork City (some near design events ~ others may show up who knows where?)…
If you are keen enough to spot one…TWEET A PIC OF IT with hashtag #OBJECTHUNT to be entered to win the Ultimate Design Getaway package courtesy of The Standard hotel, NOTCOT and Dwell:
2 Nights Stay at The Standard, Downtown LA in a “huge” guest room with a deep tub and daily breakfast for two.
2 Home Tour tickets to Dwell on Design in LA, June 25-27; includes a weekend pass and a choice of a Eastside or Westside tour. Courtesy of Dwell on Design, a preeminent modern design show for the design trade on the West Coast.
A PUPPY! That is, an adorable classic Eero Aarnio designed toy puppy from the Magis ‘Me too’ children’s collection, courtesy of NOTCOT.
UPDATE ~ Cool Hunting will be picking a second winner… for an iPAD!
See all the official details at Object Hunt! So far a few stickers are up… and more will be popping up at some of our favorite design events throughout the weekend… Let the #OBJECTHUNT begin! HAPPY HUNTING!!!
p.s.
HUGE thanks to The Standard hotel for being such an enabler of fun. [HINT#1: they may be a good place to start hunting… HINT#2: more hints will be tweeted by all of us through the weekend!]
On gyms with views ~ had a chance to check out the gym at the Standard NY while i was there (it wasn’t open when i stayed last time!) ~ and wow. Filled with mirrors, super empty, lots of brand new equipment… and amazing views! Not to mention fun super red drinking fountain… and you can even see the statue of liberty out of the port hole by the bathrooms! Take a peek at more pics on the next page!
On fun additions to the world of the Standard NewYork ~ their new store is like a wonderland of practical and playful designer goodies. Greeted by a giant ALL FOR YOU made of ring pops ~ you discover a hotel store filled with everything from forgotten amenities like meds and toothpaste in card catalog drawers to power adapters and magazines… and then fun gifts like the beautifully bound penguin classics to giant dunnys to glossy apples and stunning jewelry… and of course there are even naughtier gifts like vibes and condoms that you can wrap in raunchy double sided wrapping paper and pair with chocolate! See lots of pics on the next page!
On unexpected surprises… did you know the Soho Grand Hotel will provide you with a roommate? An adorable little black goldfish? Strangely though, no food… i guess i will have to trust that housekeeping comes by and feeds the little guy? Their cheeky website says “If travelers cannot bring their pets, the Soho Grand offers surrogate animal companionship in the form of a goldfish in your guestroom.”
For those that asked on twitter ~ no i haven’t named it. No need to get attached, i don’t think i get to bring him with me to london… But i do wonder if there’s a mysterious room in the hotel somewhere with wall to wall goldfish bowls… do they really have enough for EVERY room? Or if you have two kids, can you request two? Or can you ask for two in the same bowl just so they dont get lonely while you’re out? Cute idea though ~ providing a bit more life to often sterile feeling hotel spaces! See more pics on the next page…
Tonight, Macallan brought me out to Soho House in NY for quite the surreal experience: Flights of the Decades. Beyond the amazing ice balls (which i’ve been dying to see in action for some time now) ~ tonight i had the opportunity to talk so the inspirational visionary @MacallanKen (aka Ken Grier, Director - Malts) about everything from photography to life adventures to how baking cakes is a lot like scotch… but most importantly, about doing/enabling extraordinary things and people. Also finally got to meet @LivingTheDram (aka Graeme Russell - Macallan Ambassador) ~ with whom i’ve long tweeted about scotch from afar. And everyone at this lovely event was tweeting up a storm ~ all of which were showing on the screen (in fact, if you were using the #macallan hashtag during dinner, you too were up on screen!) To take it even further, we had the opportunity to taste not only the New Make Spirit straight from the source before reaching casks… Macallan cask strength 18 year sherry oak… Macallan 50 year… and even Macallan 52 year. It was. WOW. And seeing the Lalique decanters and the carbon fiber (looking?) box it’s packaged in… as well as one of the 1000 unique Rankin bottles up close… all in all it was a beautiful experience, with fun people, delicious food, great conversations… now go see the many random photos on the next page for a peek at the experience!
Mmmmm. Doing that bicoastal commmute again, this time thanks to the Macallan folks who have brought me out to NY for an event tomorrow night, more to come on that later though. Long day of travel ~ popped over on JetBlue (i miss Virgin America, they spoil me with wifi. I thought i might be happier without it when flying, but i was wrong) ~ luckily i feel like i’m at home away from home as i slipped in to The Mercer Hotel ~ another Andre Balazs property, this one in the heart of Soho… and i absolutely adore it. Got in, got room service, and got to work! Well, after taking a bunch of pics of all the little design details that grabbed my eye. Also bonus points to them for super fast room service and bringing me some benadryl at midnight. They’ve been so kind and taking such good care of me here already! And so many details of this room make me want to go home and remodel already… Ready to take a peek?
Did you see him running around last night? Love this video of the projection of the White Rabbit running through NYC… Fallon has really gone all out with a Syfy for their latest flick, Alice! (Can’t wait to check it out on sunday)… before i share more of the campaign, check out more pics!
Or perhaps some of you in NYC even saw him running around today? Before i even begin to show you what else i’ve found, let’s just take a look at these really fun and surreal pics of a day in the life of the White Rabbit… See pics of the White Rabbit/s doing everything from sitting in the office, to photocopying, to doing the crossword, to ice skating… and more! on the next page.
The Dyson Air Multiplier Fan is inescapable since its launch two days ago ~ and to be honest, i'm a huge dyson fan (honestly, smart innovative tech/science for everyday products with gorgeous design and sleek packaging, what's not to love?)... so instead of showing you the usual press photos, how about a peek into the really fun launch! You know Dyson, they don't overlook any design details, so as expected, everything from the custom tees on the all black tee/pants dressed fan plug-in-ers to the adorable mini BLT branded mini toasts to the bottom lit displays with cable captures (think half cable turtles) for perfect length cords when displayed... also, when it comes to a product like this, while the object itself and the technology are fascinating, there is something truly awesome about being able to watch a crowd of people respond and react to it for the first time (or perhaps that is just my voyeuristic inner user experience junkie!)... So take a peek at everything from the stunning sunset river views to launch reactions to the munchies to the beautiful displays and Dyson Air Multiplier Fans on the next page!
Ryan McGinness Studios is throwing 50 Parties. 50 Themes. 50 Weeks. In a row. In the studio. No sponsors. No strangers. My favorite part? NO STRANGERS! Unfortunately i'm pretty sure i'm a stranger. BUT those magical invite cards are "valid for card holder +1". Do you have one? Can i be your +1 someday?
All in all its such a lovely concept, and so similar to salon/intellectuallly playful get togethers i've been tossing around with friends... yes, i know. McGinness DID IT. I have not. But someday i hope to organize, or find help to organize enough to do some too! Here's how he explains it, "In NewYork City, there has never been a shortage of parties. Parties celebrating a new product or publication or development have been rampant. Those celebrating or nurturing a meaningful social exchange, on the other hand, have been noticeably absent." So far Party 00 was the Practice Party, and coming up is the Whit Trash BBQ. Yes, you read that right. The 50 Parties project has its own blog, Twitter, and YouTube feed. Not that any of those should surprise you at all. See more pics of the goodness on the next page...
p.s.
i've been a huge McGinness fan long before i started NOTCOT... so jealous to hear about friends who have been getting invites already!
A floor literally tiled with thousands of copper pennies... it's pretty surprising to look down and see them when you walk into The Standard Grill in the Standard Hotel NewYork, below the Highline. The design was selected by the restaurant's designers,
Robin Standefer and Stephen Alesch of NewYork-based design firm Roman
and Williams. See some more peeks of it on the next page!
NY trips aren’t complete without a stop over to The Standard Hotel New York to catch up with everyone ~ right after the Absolut Brooklyn launch, popped over to finally see the pool on the 18th floor of The Standard Hotel New York in action ~ and WOW is it different compared to when empty in the day! Floor to ceiling black glossy tiles, a diamond shaped, large hot tub sized 4ft pool surrounded by endless NY views glittering in every direction. It’s incredible how the cave like darkness of the space is literally lit up by the NY skyline! For this night, a fun mix of internet week and lifestyle and travel industry folks ~ all coming together to celebrate the launch of location based members only site, TopGuest ~ “Topguest gives travelers real loyalty program points from top hotels and airlines for geo check-ins on all major applications, automatically.” Basically, it’s a membership program that will connect up your foursquare, gowalla, google buzz, yelp, twitter and more and sync it up with existing and upcoming partnership rewards from major hotels, airlines, and more. Fun potential with the concept, and i love that they are targeting carefully curated brands and experiences first ~ during the preview, their exclusive launch partner is the Standard Hotel group, and they’ve issued a challenge: check in to all 4 (NY, LA-downtown, LA-hollywood, Miami) Standard Hotels in a week to earn a free week stay! But first things first, you have GOT to check out the views from the glossy jet black Standard NY penthouse pool!
While in NY ~ popped out to DUMBO for the 
Just experienced the 
On one of my favorite endlessly fascinating stops in NYC - 
Freshly sent over from Absolut, 
While trying to kill time in TriBeCa between meetings, i followed a recommendation to check out 
It is amazing how good the plastic version of a steel design classic can feel… you have to sit/lift this new 
Firstly, Glen! THANK YOU. For being so incredibly kind and generous and giving me your photopaddles on the street. Once we all parted ways, the paddles and i found a face in just about everything i saw… so here’s a selection of them!
It’s been so much fun watching people find the #OBJECTHUNT stickers throughout the city ~ as well as letting a few special people who find editors from 
Wow. There is a definitely love of light bulb clusters at the 
I must admit i was skeptical when one of the most common words that came up regarding the 
3am - Going through hundreds of pictures ~ and not sure where to even start, or if i should just curl up and get some sleep, somehow these two pictures from within hours of each other felt like they needed to be shown together. While separately they grabbed me, together they felt inseparable.
It’s 3am. I’m tired, but i felt like i needed to share before the backlog built up and my excitement wandered off… what a day its been, so much 
Want some proof that 
On gyms with views ~ had a chance to check out the gym at the 
On fun additions to the world of the 
On unexpected surprises… did you know the 
Tonight, 
Mmmmm. Doing that bicoastal commmute again, this time thanks to the 
Or perhaps some of you in NYC even saw him running around today? Before i even begin to show you what else i’ve found, let’s just take a look at these really fun and surreal pics of a day in the life of the White Rabbit… See pics of the White Rabbit/s doing everything from sitting in the office, to photocopying, to doing the crossword, to ice skating… and more! on the next page. 
The 
A floor literally tiled with thousands of copper pennies... it's pretty surprising to look down and see them when you walk into 
