I just went literally around the world in 4 days! And for all who agreed it sounded both awesome and horrifying all at once… Mercedes-Benz managed to make it impressively painless, luxuriously comfortable even ~ i actually may have both seen more and slept far more than usual ~ as i was catapulted between time zones so quickly, my body had yet to completely notice before ending up right back here in LA! So forgive me for going quiet the last few days… i honestly can’t recall the last time i’ve actually had so little internet (and barely enough time to even panic about it!) I’ve just touched back down to LA, though currently in Laguna Beach for a bit before LA Auto Week kicks off. The gist of the trip is “Timeless Design” where we visit 4 of Mercedes’ six global design studios, one after the other! So on weds night i left LA, ended up in Stuttgart Thurs night (via Munich) to see the Sindelfingen studio on Friday, then quickly to a private jet to Milan, where we drive to see the Como studio - spend the night in Milan (next to the duomo!) - saturday morning we take the jet to Frankfurt to hop on the beautiful A380 to Tokyo - pop into the Tokyo hotel for and hour and a half to freshen up before heading to the Tokyo studio - and then hop on another jumbo jet right back to LA… and here i am in Laguna Beach SUNDAY AFTERNOON! …with an hour before the meeting with the futurist, a million pictures to sort out… and we’ve yet to visit the Carlsbad studio, or play with the cars, or see the auto show. So, here’s some quick NotVentures/Operation Window Seating literally around the world on the next page to inspire you… the globe has never felt quite so small or diverse as it does right now, my head is still spinning trying to keep track of all the places we’ve been and things we’ve seen in such a tiny amount of time… surreal to say the least! While this is certainly not everything, and a bunch of flights were in the dark… see some of the most inspiring views i found!

p.s. As for the actual design inspiration and incredible studio peeks… coming soon. Somewhere between catching up on all the pics and making sense of a bigger story as the trip comes to a close!

TO PAGE 2 of "Operation Window Seat: Mercedes Design World"! ----->

Tags: airplane - germany - italy - japan - laguna beach - los angeles - luxury - Mercedes-Benz - milan - Operation Window Seat - photography - stuttgart - tokyo - travel

On unexpected popups i wish i could teleport over to, this news was too fun not to share when it just showed up in my email! Photos by Hiroyasu Masaki (punkfloyd).

Ace Hotel and Japanese retailer Isetan Shinjuku are curating a pop-up shop for the holidays. Ace Hotel is in Seattle, Portland, Palm Springs, and New York. Culture, collaborations, and a design aesthetic that mixes uncluttered comfort with a bohemian vibe are Ace’s trademark—informed by each city’s sense of place. It’s a gathering place for neighbors and guests alike. We at Ace love Japan, and we’re excited to be able to come to Tokyo and bring all of our recent product collaborations to the heart of Shinjuku.

Isetan will be showcasing gifts from Ace that give you a sense of the hotels and their cities. Products include collaborations with Pendleton Woolen Mills, artist Evan Hecox, Generic Man, Dean Markley, Fjallraven of Sweden, Mackintosh, Coto, Le Labo, Wings & Horns, Project No. 8, Pearl Plus, and many others. Products from Rudy’s Barbershops will also be available for the first time in Japan. Come find something Wednesday Dec 2-Friday Dec 25.

TO PAGE 2 of "Ace Hotel Pop Up in Isetan, Tokyo"! ----->

Tags: gifts - shopping - tokyo