In Palm Beach, like any competitively rich retreat, there’s a hierarchy of deluxe hotels. But there is also a rank and order of rooms and suites within those hotels. Mere “rooms” mean the least, while sprawling villas with private pools, and commanding presidential suites tell a very different story. That’s not so different from anywhere … Read more
It’s a real plane in the butt. An airplane passenger was taken aback after encountering a peculiar “cheek splitter” sky chair with a “perplexing” wedge bisecting the bum cushion. “I’ve been on a lot of planes around the world, but this was a first,” exclaimed the user while describing the torture device-esque accommodation on Reddit. … Read more
The owner of a world-famous Airbnb with a 25-foot shark sticking out of the roof has hit out at a local decision to enforce its closure. UK resident Dr. Magnus Hanson-Heine has lost a planning appeal from Oxford Council to ban the use of short-let accommodation for the quirky property known as the Shark House. … Read more
It’s another sunny day on the Internet. Dozens of participants are lined up in their digital boxes attending Reimagine Buildings ’24, an online conference held in the spring dedicated, mostly, to Passive House, a quickly-growing approach to building that sharply reduces energy use by going simple: employing techniques like continuous insulation, air-tight sealing, and top … Read more
In a monochromatic world, where a white box has become the default for bland real estate stage setting, a summer home painted to match a set of Hollywood veneers can feel cliché. Perhaps that’s why black and charcoal-gray facades and accents are trending on the East End. “I changed the trim on my shingled cottage … Read more
When TWA pilot Eugene John Tallarico started to hand build his home in Montauk in 1976, he knew it would be an experiment. Influenced by the work of Buckminster Fuller and his geodesic dome structures, Tallarico set out to create an ultramodern-meets-cabin-in-the-woods retreat on a woodsy, isolated plot at 54 E. Lake Drive. The result … Read more
The Never Built — the alternate universe of failed architecture proposals — sharpens and expands our view of the world. It showcases forgotten, often compelling, concepts that may yet prove useful, and certainly inspirational. It reminds us that our current reality could have easily been different. It reveals the many factors that can sink architecture, … Read more
What’s in a name? When it comes to luxury high-rise residential real estate in Miami, the answer is more than $11,000 per square foot. That’s what a 13,000-plus-square-foot penthouse is expected to ask when it hits the market for more than $150 million at the Raleigh, a storied Art Deco hotel currently being overhauled by developer … Read more
It was a usual Friday morning, on July 14, for real-estate agent Jeffrey St. Arromand — until he received an alarming phone call from one of his clients in hysterics over what she had just heard on the news. The suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer, who was allegedly responsible for a series of haunting murders on … Read more
Remember those old-fashion Lincoln Logs children once played with back before they became glued to their tablets? Today, creative design using wooden materials is no longer just for kids. Across the globe, wood-framed architecture is increasingly reaching new aesthetic and technical heights. The move is being fueled by developments in “mass timber” – factory engineered … Read more
Kim Kardashian’s out-of-this-world plans for a brand new mansion seem to once again be experiencing failure to launch. Building permits for Kardashian’s spaceship-shaped dream home in Palm Springs were not marked approved by the June 29th deadline, the US Sun reported. Construction on the $6 million, 42,000-acre home was halted back in 2022, when the … Read more
A village on the Italian island of Sicily has gone viral over its unique shape. The small town of Centuripe is known for its wealth of Roman ruins and rare ancient sculptures, but a drone shot from the air has uncovered its rare shape – an uncanny resemblance to a person with arms stretched out. … Read more
After decades of decay, Queens’ long abandoned “Tent of Tomorrow” will now illuminate the sky nightly. Built for the 1964 World’s Fair and best known beyond New York for playing spaceships in 1997’s “Men in Black,” the towers are currently under renovation and have been freshly equipped with lights. Last Saturday, they were formally turned … Read more
Throughout its illustrious 84 years, Rockefeller Center has constantly evolved — both at the ground and bird’s eye levels. The Art Deco icon designed by Raymond Hood initially comprised 14 buildings, as well as public art, fountains and gardens, when it was completed in 1939. John D. Rockefeller’s creation was conceived as a “city within … Read more
When it debuted 20 years ago, the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative was billed as the company’s intention to fill a void in arts philanthropy — to ensure that the world’s artistic heritage is passed on personally, in the irreplaceable, time-honored tradition of master and protégé. The debut of the first class of mentors … Read more