It’s New York City so finding a cool hotel in Manhattan wasn’t anything I was shocked by. But Here are three that particularly caught my eye when our project manager and producer pulled options for myself and our crew to stay in while doing some features stories for a client on NYC restaurants.

1. The moderne— the claim to offer the flavor of a European hotel with the chic appeal of a NYC townhouse. They boast a unique collection of modern art  set in the surroundings of a sleek innovative interior design concept. The rooms don’t look super big but they do look super cool and you’re really just a few blocks from Broadway.
2. The Emprie Hotel—has a bit more of a contemporary feel to it than the Moderne but both are from the same family oh hotels. Located right of Broadway and 63rd st. the empire’s most unique feature is it’s rooftop pool deck which has some wonderful views of the city and one very cool neon sign.
3. The Hudson—which is located off Broadway on 58th st. and 9th ave. and has what I would call more of an eclectic modern feel. The Hudson features wonderfully vibrant illuminated spaces washed in bold and bright colors contrast with mixture of french prevention and modern furnishings.

All three hotels are close to restaurants and shops and offer interesting views of the city from room or street level and a very nice twist on the traditional hotel atmosphere, Check them out when you get a chance.

I was recently having a conversation with a couple of friends about the concept of the bed and breakfast and if it was a dying idea. For me there really wasn’t a great appeal to the idea of sitting in someone elses “Parlor” in the tightly arranged confines of some Victorian styled home. However, one of my friends said that he thought the entire B&B concept would be changing over the next few years and that more modern and simple options would start to crop up across the country as younger generations looked to enjoy  this type of very authentic experience. So of course this got me wondering—are there modern B&B’s out there today and if so what do they look like? The answer to my question was yes and actually quite a few, so I decided to feature one of my favorites—Kimber Modern in Austin Texas.

The Kimber describes itself as being for the independent urban traveler seeking a unique escape and I have to say I was drawn in. Designed by Architect Burton Baldridge the building has a simple yet wonderfully complex appeal to it. The structure is clad on the outside with a concrete board rain-screen system that is applied in a subway style pattern. In addition it features a very large outdoor patio area that allows guest to sit under the cover of large oaks in comfortable  and conversation friendly siting areas. The B&B’s interior features 5 room and 3 suites all throughly thought through from items like the sheets to art on the walls. The houses main common room features Eames and Arne Jacobson furniture for you to relax in, in style. Besides the structure itself the location of this B&B offers you a range of things to do from shopping to dining to art and culture all geared to appeal to those who enjoy the modern aesthetic.

My business partner just returned from a 2 week roadtrip where be bounced from one coast to the other. Fortunately for him the time away doesn’t always mean he’s way from his family, as his wife is our trusted interviewer on many projects.  So after making a few branded short films for our client West Coast they grabbed an extra nights stay and headed up the coast to Big Sur where they stayed at Tree Bones Resort in an outdoor retreat overlooking the ocean called “The Nest”.  Check out his amazing photos and story.

Soviet-era design influence had a popular run in the early 90’s as the USSR’s collapse opened the doors to the iron curtain, and western eyes were finally able to see for the first time what 70+ years of communist design looked and felt like.  I was so fortunate as to travel the former Soviet Union in the spring of 1992 and drink it all— unadulterated . Unlike the many visitors in the years before us we were allowed to escape the state guided tours to explore on our own the country, its culture and its design. What we saw was a very industrial feeling, function first aesthetic approach to design. For me these elements ranging from wind-up watches to self-powered flashlights have since become something I have an incredible affinity, so when I saw The American Innovative Nixie Clock I was almost giddy. Constructed from six (6) Soivet-era Nixie tubes (retro display technology that is the predecessor to today’s modern numeric displays such as the 7-segment LED) housed in a base that is hand-made in America from rich Cherry woods and stainless finishes this clock is truly a modern take on the functional aesthetic and will be produced in limited addition by American Innovation. The first run of ten, individually serial-numbered Nixie Clocks are in production. The clocks sell for around $395 and a $50 downpayment is required to reserve yours. I’m thinking one of these might be a needed addition to our agency’s office.

Stillwater Dwellings was created to fill and under-served section of the pre-fabricated modern home market—high design at an affordable price point. Shooting for construction/fabrication costs of around $130 to $200 a sq.ft. Stillwater Dwellings seems to have hit the mark. What I love is the that their plans seem to defy what I would call the “mobile home look” that many pre-fabricated homes hame in order to be easily shipped to site locations. Additionally, their factory fabrication process and use of recycled materials allows them to bring a a high-quality product to market with a much smaller footprint than traditional methods would. If you’re interested in seeing more of their collection you can visit their site at stillwaterdwellings.com. Although it’s pretty small at just 400 livable square feet i’m quite fond of the MiniONE  plan (shown above) with it’s beautiful butterfly roofline and nice use of glass.

As an artist who loves to utilize recycled materials I get completely excited when I see the innovative work of others who have done the same. A couple of weekends ago I was attending an art fair and saw these really simple modern art pieces made from recycled metal. But beyond the Aesthetic appeal of the artwork itself artist Louise Harris has an even more compelling story. Created from recycled metal that begins it’s journey in Mexico where the circles are punched out of a flat sheet of metal to produce bottle caps. The remaining metal is then sent along to Chicago, Illinois where the metal sheet is used to make furnace filters and finally after serving there time in furnaces in homes and offices it then makes it to Harris’ hands where they are crafted in to simply wonderful piece of art. All the profits from Harris’ relief circles artwork is donated to non-profit organizations around the world— How awesome is that! So if you’re up for buying a cool piece of art to adorn the walls of your office or home and had one heck of good story behind it then Check out Harris’ work at www.lhoriginals.com.

The watch was once a commonly worn, highly functional device worn by the majority of people in the industrial world. Yet since the introduction of the cel phone with built in clock the watch has become somewhat of an anomaly. However, like letterpress type-setting and eyeglasses, the watch is now again making a resurgence as a design driven expression of taste and style. And among those helping to lead this push is a company called NIXON, who offer several lines of watches that clearly make a style statement for anyone who chooses to wear them. Targeted at members of the board community (that’s surf, snow and skate) these watches bring a modern aesthetic to the classic timepiece. Of the many lines of watches that Nixon offers my favorite is THE MURF— retro-mod styled watch with only half an  exposed face. To see more of these awesome looking watches or perhaps to get your own check them out at Nixonnow.com.

If you haven’t seen the work of Houston Architect Rey de la Reza then you’re likely to want to see more of his work after you take a look at his India House Houston project. Designed to reflect the rich architectural history of India without making a direct reflection of its forms. The India House structure is built to house multiple community  services from immigration support to cultural and language education. The Jewel like lobby plays with light through the use of various patterned glasses and is juxtaposed with a long span of concrete block which bisects the cone like form of the entry. Inside the entry a white frame work hints at the classic nature of the archways found so commonly in Indian architecture yet their premature termination gives them a more subtle and modern flair.

Looking for a modernist retreat for a little R&R getaway? Then check out the Amangiri part of the (Aman Resort family) located on 600 acres in Canyon Point  in  Souther Utah near the Arizona boarder. Hidden away deep in a valley surrounded  by massive rock structures the resort is an oasis a vast desert of rock and sand, yet just a short 15 minute drive to lake Powell. The resort itself is beautifully designed to blend into its surrounding landscape with colors and texture that cause the resort to appear to rise up out of the earth. It features a center courtyard with stunning pool and two separate wings— one holding 16 suites the other 18. The views as you can see from the photos on their website create an incredible sense of tranquility and peacefulness whether your enjoying a yoga session, lounging by outdoor fire pit or walking the grounds. I’m not sure on the rates for this place but it sure shows the beautiful integration of modern design and nature to create a stunning and beautiful experience.