TRAVEL: Calling All Snoopy Fans, You'll Soon Be Able to Stay in an Actual Peanuts Hote

Our favorite cartoon dog, Snoopy, has had quite the year so far. Between collaborations with innisfree and Levi’s, he’s been one busy pup and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down yet. Soon, you’ll be able to fully celebrate the Year of the Dog with him by indulging in a stay at the first-ever Peanuts-themed hotel.

Located in Kobe, Japan, the hotel – which boasts the motto “It’s nice to have a home where guests feel comfortable” – is set to open on August 1 and will take over six whole floors. On the first there will be a Peanuts Cafe which serves light dishes and snacks and the third floor will house the Peanuts Diner, which takes on the theme of a West Coast diner and serves a range of American classics. The additional floors have differing themes, including “Imagine,” “Love” and “Happy” and are home to 18 themed guest rooms, each featuring it’s own unique design based on the beloved comic.

Reservations for the Peanuts Hotel open on July 9 and stays start at ¥30,000 JPY (approx. $273 USD) per person, which includes breakfast at the Peanuts Diner. Get a sneak peek at some of the adorable, themed elements below and head over to Peanuts Hotel’s official website for more information.

HOME: The Half-Tree House Is the Adult Version of Your Childhood Dream Home

The Half-Tree House by JacobsChang Architecture is, as the name implies, a house that partially rests on two trees and partially sits atop a slope, giving an illusion that it is suspended in air.
Located in upstate New York, the 360 square feet space boasts an exterior shell made from darkened timber panels which were collected from the surrounding’s fallen eastern pines. A minimalist, angular design gives way to large glass windows and pivot doors, bringing in ample natural light and breeze during the summer season. The interior is brightened with white-painted shiplap walls and natural wood floors, while a wood-burning stove provides some good, old-fashioned heating and illumination. Since the home is unreachable by electricity, piped water and vehicle, it’s a true off-the-grid hideout.
For something more modern, take a look inside Zaha Hadid’s futuristic Spaces for NYC condo project.

DESIGN: A Mesmerizing Spiral Staircase for LVMH’s New Paris Offices

French designer Ora-ïto of the MAMO Art Center has created a massive spiral staircase for LVMH’s media division in Paris. The sprawling, architectural sculpture at the fledgling office space spans a whopping 30,000 square meters and ascends to 30 stories. Stacks of refined materials make up the biomorphic structure that beautifully juxtaposes the more minimal rooms in the establishment.
“I wanted the staircase to be the centerpiece of the design,” said Ora-ïto to designboom. “The (staircase) creature undulates in the space, shaping and pervading it.” Conclusively, the designer characterized the structure as a “half-snake.” A suitable moniker considering how it slithers into a whirling silhouette as it reaches the top floor.
Peruse the photos above and head over to Ora-ïto’s official website to view more projects.

TRAVEL: This Serene Hotel in Mexico is the Ultimate Aquatic Escape

Joe Fletcher/Hotel Mar Adentro

Positioned on the coast of Mexico’s San José del Cabo, a new hotel is taking its watery surrounds very much to heart. Rather than considering the ocean as a luxurious amenity, Hotel Mar Adentro is thematically and architecturally inspired by water — using the illusion of its shallow, reflective pools to style itself as a self-contained island.
Despite boasting a sea-view swimming pool at its center and a 40,000 square-foot beach club, the low-key coloration and distinctly minimalist design of Hotel Mar Adentro ensure that the complex itself never detracts from the ocean as main event.
For more information head over the hotel’s website. Or, if you’re in the mood for more unusual vacation spaces, check out this brutalist retreat in the Italian mountains.

HOMES: This Photographer’s House Is a Liveable Gallery

 

 

 

 

 

 

FORM/Kouichi Kimura Architects has designed the ultimate photographer’s bachelor pad in Shiga, Japan. Built primarily out of mortar and galvanized steel, the house sits opposite the neighborhood shrine and is built to maximize natural light. Enclosed within the premises are a photography studio and a gallery space alongside the client’s living quarters, all rendered in monochrome tones to act as a blank canvas for the taking and exhibition of photos. However, an office space in the middle of the house uses warm wood tones to act as a counterpoint.
Take a look above, and don’t miss out on this Japanese minimalist seaside home too.

DESIGN: This Japanese Seaside Residence Is Minimalist Heaven

 

 

Riding the historic Enoden railway line in the Japanese prefecture of Kanagawa will, at one point, take you under the cantilevered infinity pool of a minimalist mansion by Shinichi Ogawa & Associates. The whitewashed two-storey residence arranges its rooms in a linear fashion so that each has an unobstructed view of the terrace, pool, and the Pacific Ocean beyond. Within the house is a striking twisting staircase illuminated from above by diffused light. However, the street-facing side is a featureless wall, accentuated only by a single offset palm tree as a visual focal point.
In more architecture news, check out this Iranian desert house incorporating Tesla solar technology.

HOME DESIGN: This 18-Story Tree Tower Is Largely Made up of Massive Wood Panels & Timber

Penda Architects has teamed up with wood specialists TMBER to propose a sustainable high-rise tower predominantly constructed out of large wood panels and timber. Pegged as the “Tree Tower,” the modular building is set to be 18-stories high (approximately 200-feet-tall) with roughly 4,500 square meters of residential space alongside 550 square meters reserved for a children’s daycare center, a café and public workshops.
“Our cities are an assembly of steel, concrete, and glass. If you walk through the city and suddenly see a tower made of wood and plants, it will create an interesting contrast,” said head Penda architect Chris Precht to designboom.”The warm, natural appearance of wood and the plants growing on its facade bring the building to life and that could be a model for environmental friendly developments and sustainable extensions of our urban landscape.”
Take a look at the slides above and head over to Penda’s official website to learn more about the Tree Tower project.

"The 7th Room" Treehouse Cabin Provides Breathtaking Views of Sweden

Snøhetta unveils its latest addition to Sweden’s Treehotel — a unique hotel experience that melds

contemporary design with unspoiled nature. “The 7th Room” hovers ten meters above a pine forest

in Harads, offering breathtaking views of the Lapland treetops and Lule River.
Focusing on the surrounding nature, The 7th Room features large windows, a netted terrace suspended

above the forest floor, a tree stretching up through the cabin, and a sixth facade that reveals a large

black-and-white print of trees reaching up into the sky. On the inside, the 55-square meter space offers

two bedrooms, a social lounge area, bathroom, and the aforementioned canopy terrace, with the ability to accomadate up to five guests.
Snøhetta said of the space:

The design of the 7th room aims to bring people and nature closer together, extending the cabin’s 

social spaces to the outside and further blending the distinction between indoor and outdoor. 

Entering the cabin, one arrives into the lounge area. This is thought of as a social space, and it

is furnished with a central pellet stove and simple, yet characteristic furniture such as Scandia

Chair by Norwegian furniture designer Hans Brattrud. A north-facing floor-to-ceiling window

gives you the best chance to see the Aurora Borealis on a clear day, giving this social space

the name the Northern Light lounge. A large glass door leads from the lounge area out on the

netted terrace. The double-layered net spans between the two bedrooms with a pine tree peeking

through in the middle. Extending the social space of the lounge, the net becomes a great

opportunity for coming even closer to nature. For the brave ones, a sleeping bag is all you need

to enjoy the night under the starry night sky. Guests sleeping inside can also look up at the night

sky, with expansive, openable skylights in both bedrooms. The bedrooms are located on

opposite sides of the cabin, facing the central tree and net, with large sliding glass doors to enter

out on the net.

Book your stay in The 7th Room here.