SPINGUERA ECOLODGE, PRAISE FOR LAZINESS
Life in Espingueira gradually came to a halt half a century ago, when farmers, goat herders and fishermen deserted the area. Yet this northern coastline of Boa Vista Island looks like a small paradise, with its blonde sand dunes carved by the wind, its crystal-clear waters and its [...].
THE 6 REINVENTS ITSELF FOR A TASTY EXPERIENCE
Le 6, on rue Paul Bert in the 11th arrondissement, offers an exceptional break from the hustle and bustle of Paris. In Pauline Séné, who previously cooked at Le Fripon, the address has found its new chef. The Parisian address has undergone a facelift, with a marble counter, bottle lighting and pretty tables [...].
BAREFOOT LUXURY, CAMOUFLAGE VILLAS
This is the story of a trio of Belgian investors who fell under the spell of Cape Verde, and in particular São Vicente, the island of Cesaria Evora, which has remained untouched by mass tourism. They joined forces to launch an ambitious real estate project overlooking João Evora Bay, under the banner "Barefoot Luxury": [...].
IKOYI, LONDON'S NEW MUST-TRY TABLE
Born of two friends' shared love of gastronomy, the Ikoyi restaurant has charmed gourmets with its singular flavors. This London restaurant, which has found its place in the Michelin guide, is above all the story of an encounter, or rather a reunion. Jeremy Chan and Iré Hassan-Odukale. The former grew up in the [...]
ONDULI ENCLAVE, A HAVEN FOR NATURE LOVERS
Opened in 2023, Onduli Enclave owes its name to the giraffe that inhabits the region. This luxurious villa has been designed to respect the environment. Allowing guests to be in harmony with nature, while enjoying this exclusive experience, Onduli Enclave was built facing a granite cliff, offering [...].
ZANNIER HOTELS OMAANDA, AN INVITATION TO CONTEMPLATION
What if sleeping outdoors became an affordable luxury? In Africa, the Namibian capital Windhoek is home to Zannier Hotels Omaanda. Oscillating between elegance and minimalism, this five-star jewel offers its guests a unique experience cut off from the world, where only nature takes over. Like protective chrysalises, [...]
THE HOTEL CHÂTEAU DES FLEURS AND ITS CULINARY ADDRESS, OMA BY JI-HYE PARK, AN ODE TO BELLE ÉPOQUE PARIS
Zoom in on this discreetly charming boutique hotel housing OMA, Ji-Hye Park's restaurant. Just off the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, the Château des Fleurs hotel was imagined by Quintana Partners, a Barcelona-based architecture firm founded in 2015. Following on from Relais Christine and Saint James Paris, Château des Fleurs joins a collection of hotels [...].
CAPE VERDE: THE ARCHIPELAGO OF SAUDADE
This volcanic archipelago of contrasting landscapes and picturesque villages has as many faces as islands. Located off the coast of Senegal, its climate is as warm as the voice of its "barefoot diva", singer Cesária Évora. Softness and ruggedness mingle in its landscapes, which have yet to be [...]
HOTEL MARQÍ, THE INTIMATE ADDRESS FOR LISBOETS AND EPICUREANS
A 45-minute drive from Lisbon nestles the Hotel Marqí, Mikkel Kristensen's jewel in the crown. The building, once a manor house, has risen from the ashes thanks to the creative vision of the Danish photographer. Mikkel drew on his overflowing imagination to breathe new life into this four-decade-old manor house, designed by a [...].
MAISON DOMINO, WHEN MARBLE CULTURE IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN
Confined to serious, monumental interiors, marble is given a new lease of life by Maison Domino. Maison Domino, a design studio based in Vicenza, Italy, has set itself the goal of reusing materials, particularly marble. By focusing on archival stock to give it a second life, Domino has also taken on a second task: to [...]
ADRABA AND THE MAGIC HAPPENS...
Located in one of the capital's most authentic districts, Montmartre, Adraba is much more than just a culinary address, it offers a warm, festive atmosphere where passion, transmission and good humor come together. The perfect combination to start the New Year. Adraba, which means "the passage of time" in Aramaic, is the fruit of a friendship between [...].
MARTIN LAFORÊT'S CONCRETE SEATS
Until January 27, 2024, the Carpenters Workshop Gallery in Los Angeles is exhibiting concrete seats by French designer Martin Laforêt. Intrigued, Acumen wanted to find out more about the designer's world and, above all, what lies behind the design of his sometimes functional, sometimes unusual sculptures. At just 31 years of age, Martin Laforêt [...]
"OBJECTS WITH NARRATIVES" UNVEILS THEIR NEW DESIGN SHOWROOM
On November 28, Objects With Narratives announced the opening of its second showroom in the heart of Bruges, Belgium. Following the launch of a first venue in collaboration with Forward Gallery, the founding trio - Oskar Eryatmaz and brothers Nik and Robbe Vandewyngaerde - have chosen to continue the adventure on their own. A showroom [...]
PLACE À LA SOUPE WITH EMILIE FRANZO!
Emilie Franzo and Editions Marabout reveal Soupes maison, the new bible that will warm up your winter dinners. The author, food stylist and photographer has decided to make soup mouth-watering, with some sixty recipes bursting with color and flavor. Emilie Franzo has had fun with the ingredients, but also with the garnishes [...].
ORGANIC WORKS BY DESIGNER HENRY BAUMANN
Henry Baumann has revealed some intriguing new design pieces on his Instagram account. One by one, multiple resin bubbles are superimposed to create curvaceous side tables and stools. Read on. Since his early days, the designer has been surprising people with his unusual play on materials. He has a knack for transforming an initially ordinary [...]
FOREVER STUDIO'S EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN
Sara Degenaar and Bienke Domenie form the Forever Studio tandem. Represented by Barcelona's Vasto Gallery, the two designers have a particular attraction for materiality. There's only one step between design and experimentation. Forever Studio has taken it in stride. Let's find out. It all began in Rotterdam. The two young designers met and set up [...]
DESIGN MIAMI, ACUMEN'S FOUR FAVOURITES
The design mecca on the other side of the Atlantic once again summoned the cream of the discipline. Let's take a look at the four galleries and designers who caught our eye at this year's event. Kengo Kuma for Aman Interiors The Migumi collection, the result of a collaboration between Kengo Kuma and Aman Interiors, [...]
DORA JERIDI, Harmony out of chaos
Dora Jeridi, winner of the Emerige 2022 Révélations bursary, has just graduated from the Beaux-Arts de Paris where, after studying literature and two masters degrees in history, she studied under Djamel Tatah. She well deserves the exhibition just dedicated to her by Galerie Mor Charpentier 1: after her participation in the "Figurations, un autre art [...]
FOCUS: YANG ZHICHAO, PLANTING GRASS
Photographic print (2023) from the eponymous performance in 2000 "The human being no longer sees himself as the center, the decider and measure of all things, imposing his will on an inert nature. The work emerges from a symphony that aims to be both human and non-human." This is how Guillaume Logé explains the concept [...]
ARDAZAEI, WHERE SOPHISTICATION MEETS SUSTAINABILITY
ArdAzAei, a brand founded in 2021, stands out for its ability to combine elegance, durability, tradition and innovation. Blending the Persian heritage of founder Bahareh Ardakani with Swedish modernism and French savoir-faire, the house brings luxurious pieces to life. Although the company is based in Sweden, ArdAzAei products are [...]
GUILLAUME BRESSON, On the fall
Exhibited since 2010 at Galerie Obadia, Guillaume Bresson is one of the leading figures in the hyperrealist figurative painting movement that has become so fashionable. Now based in New York, the French artist (b. 1982, Toulouse) returns with a virtuoso new series, more theatrical than ever. Against indeterminate black backdrops, stormy seas or baroque skies, [...]
WENDELIEN DAAN, QUESTIONING THE GAZE
The Dutch photographer questions the viewer with her singular atmospheres that play with the bizarre and the comical, light and color, abstraction and surrealism. Wendelien Daan wears many hats. A native of Eindhoven in the Netherlands, now based in Amsterdam, she is a photographer, visual artist, creative director, cinematographer and film director.
DIANE BENOIT DU REY , Optical vibrations
Irisation, Chroma, Vibration..., the chromatic palpitations of Diane Benoit du Rey's canvases hypnotize us. In fact, it was under the title Hypnosis that her large-scale painted fabrics and sandblasted disks were displayed last autumn under the dome of the Espace Richaud in Versailles. Comprising fifty metres of painted hangings suspended between the coffered dome and [...]
CHRISTIANE PESCHEK, THE BODY OF THE IMAGE
Multimedia artist Christiane Peschek constructs her environments as places of potential relations between organic and technological, human and artificial intelligence. From sound to smell, from object to image, her work plunges the public into a sensory confusion, starting with the visual confusion created by many of her digital images. In his latest exhibition, "Liminal Ghost", [...]