Any conservative people at Bell & Ross corporate needed to simply suck this one up. World famous architect and interior designer Peter Marino recently visited Bell & Ross headquarters to check out their latest watch collection and was apparently quite impressed with the Bell & Ross BR01 Airbone - a controversially styled watch meant to honor American airborne paratroopers.

In some marketing images for Bell & Ross, the oft leather-clad Marino was photographed wearing the square-shaped, skull-faced watch in what will surely be a message to fans of his work, and fans of his wardrobe. At least here in San Francisco I can say that leather-clad gentlemen all around will likely perceive this image to mean that Bell & Ross should be the official timepiece of the leather daddy lifestyle, the black leather lifestyle and look that can't be mistaken for just a biker who has taken the look a bit further. I think of it as the bondage outfit look turned metropolitan.

New York based Peter Marino's designs and work are nothing like how he dresses actually, and typically represent quite comfortable and inviting spaces. His work is actually very good and impressively dynamic. His large portfolio of work includes retail shops, hotels, private residences, and much more. He is one of the most well-rounded architects that I know of today. Select famous clientele include Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Andy Warhol, Giorgio Armani, Calvin Klein, and many more.

Ariel Adams publishes the luxury watch review site aBlogtoRead.com.

Peter Zumthor is now $100,000 richer, and you probably have no idea who he is. The reclusive, introverted Swiss architect won the highly coveted Pritzker Prize. Zumthor is well-known in the architecture field – revered, even – but few know of him otherwise.

At first, little on Zumthor's resume. He's built a one-room chapel in a German farm field. A public bath and a handful of museums also bear his visual signature. Of course, an interpretive center at the size of what was once Gestapo headquarters catches a bit of attention, but that's about it. His style is austere, not what usually forces its way into the headlines.

The Pritzker jury chose Zumthor largely because this isn't the best time to reward ostentation. The Swiss architect's approach, which focuses only on the essentials, is effectively calibrated to global sentiment ... and brutal fiscal reality.

Zumthor will receive his gold medallion and check at the grand Legislative Palace of the City Council on May 29, 2009 in Buenos Aires. Look for him on the red carpet ... kidding.

Louis Vuitton designer Marc Jacobs is said to have signed a contract to buy a $13 million townhouse (above) designed by starchitect Robert A.M. Stern in New York's West Village, the Real Estalker reports. The 4,5000-sq.-ft. townhouse, located on Bethune St., is part of the ambitious, ecologically-friendly Superior Ink development which has also attracted the likes of Hilary Swank. The townhouse features its own all-level elevator, wood-burning fireplaces, a designer garden and rooftop terrace.

The Superior Ink Condominiums and Townhouses are newly constructed structures located on the site of the former Superior Ink factory that was built in 1919. The high-priced complex's luxury amenities include a private screening room, an entertainment lounge, a fitness center with a Pilates/yoga room, a children's playroom, 24-hour valet parking, and 24-hour concierge and doorman services in the tower, pictured above at left. Buyers have a choice of luxurious custom finishes.

When NetJets Europe placed the largest order in business aviation history with manufacturer Dassault, for 33 Falcon 7X aircraft, they decided that the $1.5 billion worth of jets needed a little something special. The company commissioned British architect Lord Norman Foster (above) to design the interior and exterior of the high-tech planes, the fastest Falcon ever made. Foster drew on his experience both as a pilot and a NetJets client for the project, the result of which was just unveiled. The 33 7X's are being integrated into the NetJets fleet over the next eight years.

Foster's 7X is "thematically zoned into a well-being space for customers and a work space for crew." The passenger cabin is "light and tranquil" featuring leather seating, a cream and tan color scheme and Fiddleback Sycamore wood fittings. Foster designed the seating arrangements to accommodate both business meetings and an "enhanced sleeping and dining experience." The work area is markedly different with an industrial vibe featuring a grey and black color scheme, employing carbon fiber and steel for the galley and crew areas.

The complete works of Jean Nouvel, France's most unique and internationally celebrated contemporary architect and winner of the 2008 Pritzker Prize, are featured in a new limited edition book. Restricted to 1,000 signed and numbered copies, the two volume set (above) is packaged in a translucent plexiglass slipcase specially designed by Nouvel and priced at $700. Nouvel worked for five years together with author Philip Jodidio to assemble this monograph, published by Taschen. Each volume features 400 pages of completed projects and works in progress, such as the new Louvre in Abu Dhabi, the Philharmonie de Paris, and the extension of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. All of the book's graphic design and images were conceived and selected by the architect himself.

Looking like it's been poured into position, the Wiggle Chair was designed by architect Frank Gehry back in 1972 as part of the "Easy Edges" series that incorporates unusual materials, such as cardboard, in furniture. Comprised of approximately 60 layers of cardboard held together with hidden screws and a fiberboard edging, the complete "Easy Edges" series includes (in addition to the Wiggle Chair) a Side Chair, Dining Table, and Low Table Set. Made in Germany for Vitra, the Wiggle Chair is available in natural or white edge finishes and goes for $875.

I, for one, am a fan of understated design elements -- the things that don't jump out, but get admired more by chance by people who notice details. And as far as I'm concerned this cutlery set designed by architect Zaha Hadid, with the fluid and unique design, is one of those items. Artistic yet surprisingly simple and functional, the two spoons are my favorites. They seem fun to use but in a sophisticated way -- reminding me of grown-up versions of the silly-straw, but without the cheap plastic and obnoxious colors.

The $250 set should be available starting this month, but with a very limited U.S. distribution.

The rather stunning design shown here, a collection of six glass towers and 11 villa apartment blocks is another luxury project from starchitect Daniel Libeskind. Reflections at Keppel Bay will be going up in Singapore, offering 1,160 luxury residences along a shoreline. The towers are topped with sky gardens are are linked together with sky bridges. People are already signing up to live in the project which offers everything from modest 732 square foot studio apartments to a 12,900 square foot five-bedroom super penthouse.

[via Property Report]

 Zaha Hadid is an architect known for her innovative and deconstructionist designs, which are found throughout the world. During Design Week in Milan, Hadid created a futuristic kitchen setting out of DuPont Corian. The Z-Island kitchen included two main units, one associated with "fire," which housed the cooktop, and one associated with "water," which had the sink and dishrack. In addition to these fairly basic functions, the "sensory- responsive kitchen environment" had multimedia sound and video equipment embedded into the islands, all of which could be controlled with a central touch panel. The modular wall storage featured a coating that gave it "advanced sound and light diffusion capabilities" to enhance the overall experience of being in the room.

 

 

The MAD Architectural Design Studio, based in Beijing, has won a contest for the right to build a 50-story condominium tower in a western suburb of Toronto in Ontario, Canada. They were chosen based on the integrity of their design, judged by a panel of architects, urban planners and design experts, as well as on a popular vote from some 6,000 of the city's residents.

The twisting tower, which will be of the most fantastic looking buildings in Canada, will cost approximately $114 million to complete and will be made from glass and concrete. The project is scheduled to be complete by 2010, at which point MAD hopes to add an additional four towers to the area.