Hot Hot club in Sao Paulo

There is a certain consensus about what the local nightlife in Sao Paulo is going through today. You'll hear it repeated by DJs, hostesses and nightlife people in general. Almost everyone points out that you can go out every night of the week and still find at least one good option, whether it be a Monday or a Saturday.

Club Hot Hot is located downtown in Sao Paulo’s “low Augusta” district, Brasil. It's a space that was once a luxury shopping area, but had been taken over by whorehouses in recent years. Hot Hot isn't very big, but it has a large bar with a '70s atmosphere, colorful decoration and nice lights. The dance floor is downstairs, and is full of panels and cubes with LEDs synchronized to the music. 

At the entrance, a 20 meters tunnel separates the real world (the one where you are coming from), to the Hot Hot mood. A charming building abandoned two decades ago in the center of Sao Paulo, this night, inspires the new sensation of the city. Upstairs is the lounge, a large bar and bathrooms. A 70's style inspires the lounge, where a smooth sound invites to the warming-up.

At the underground, a spacious dance floor equipped with colored LEDs and a powerful sound system will not let anyone lack on enthusiasm. This night club is the right place for the I-feel-like-dancing people.

The club was designed by studio Guto Requena, where in their own words :  “The design for the Club HOT HOT fuses elements of contemporary fashion inspired by the work of Scandinavian designer Verner Panton, and their language pop and humorous, that so marked the 1970s, with a typical architectural brutalism of the underground scene of nightclubs and houses Sex Berlin.”

Padrone shoes collection

Padrone, an Italian word for head of household, is an artisan company that hand crafts all their shoes. Built on shoe making experience since 1977, the shoes are handmade by a small team of Japanese artisans ; the care and attention to detail is exquisite. The unique spirit of the Padrone shoe is the combination of classic Italian style with a fresh Japanese twist.

The shoes are soft, light and extremely comfortable. They are classics that will last you for years to come. With matching leather laces they feature a slouchy rounded toe, leather insole and wood stacked heel. Come with leather buffer and shoe bag. See the collection at Padrone shoes.

Horizontal house

This apartment in London was designed by architect William Tozer. Rectilinear planes and volumes of dark timber divide a large horizontal space, loosely defining a number of open-plan areas, and enclosing and concealing others. The dwelling is located within an old industrial building, the concrete ceiling of which is treated as a found object that appears to extend continuously above the new inserted timber elements.

While also perceived as an uninterupted surface, the floor is articulated as part of the new architectural insertion. However, the floor also appears to slip past the new vertical elements—due to the shadow gaps at these junctions, and the contrasting timber selection and setting out.

The walls that define the perimeter of the apartment are finished as smooth white-painted surfaces, but the structure and junctions are expressed so that these walls appear as curated, existing components.

The kitchen and bathroom fittings are treated as functional elements—akin to unfixed furnishings—placed within the overall sculptural composition.

Chillisauce personal travel service

Chillisauce Travel is a totally bespoke and personal travel service, offering products and ideas from around the world, that you will never find through a traditional travel agent. In full accordance to their motto “discover a life less ordinary”, they offer a range of personalised travel services, ranging from corporate events with a twist, to blown up adventure holidays.

Their website is loaded with stylised imagery, adopting a very fresh look, fitting for a holidays / activities planner with an attitude. Divided into simple categories, you can easily dive in from the start. Then the whole array of options is opened up for you to browse, read and select, what is fitting for you, your partner, or group. The truth is that the number of different things you can do is really – really large, with the people over at Chillisauce having performed a massive background work in scouting and organising.

Parisian Silencio Club

You need either a member’s card or good contacts on the Parisian scene to get into Silencio, the private club conceived by film director David Lynch. Up until midnight, the club, which opened in October 2011, is reserved for members and their private guests only, after which time entrance to this hot spot in the basement of Rue Montmartre is officially opened to the public.

Silencio, inspired by Lynch’s classic film “Mulholland Drive”, pays homage to the legacy of early salon culture - from Parisian literary circles of the 17th century to London’s 18th century private clubs, from the Voltaire’s Dadaists of Zurich to the Tabou’s existentialists of Saint Germain des Pré̀s, from Paris’Palace to New York’s Studio 54.

In addition to the club where various art exhibitions are also held, there is a bar, restaurant, cinema, concert hall and art library. Club Silencio offers a large choice of original and unique cocktails, wines and spirits, finger food as well as food tasting.

To read some of the membership rates & requirements go here.

Where the internet lives : behind the scenes at google's data centers

Ever wondered what happens when you press Google’s “search” button ? Color coded cables to designate routes, can speed up identification, separation and patching tasks. Each server rack has four switches, connected by a different colored cable. These colors are kept the same throughout the data center to know which one to replace in case of failure.

Behind the server aisle, hundreds of fans funnel hot air from the server racks into a cooling unit to be recirculated. The green lights are the server status LEDs reflecting from the front of the servers. Heat is dissipated via water circulation and cooling. A massive net work of pipes and fittings make that possible, again color coded to facilitate identification.

Plastic curtains hang in a network room inside the council bluffs data center. Here, cold air is served through the floor, and the clear plastic barriers help keep the cold air in while keeping hot air out. Server floors require massive space and efficient power to run the full family of google products for the world. Blue lights like these mean everything is functioning properly on the server floor.

By choosing to renovate an old paper mill in hamina, finland to take advantage of the building's infrastructure as well as its proximity to the gulf of finland's cooling waters. This is one of the locations, with numerous others around the world. For more info and photos go here.

"Splinter" furniture collection by Nendo

Japanese studio Nendo has designed a collection of furniture for Conde House, a Japanese wooden furniture manufacturer named "Splinter", that takes its name from the natural breakage forms as a piece of wood is broken from its parent element.

In the words of the designers : "We splintered each piece of wood as though peeling it away. Chairs' backrests divide to become armrests and legs, and the top of the coat stand peels away to provide coat hooks. The side table's stand splinter to turn into three legs. We kept larger pieces of wood at their original thickness to provide strength where necessary, and used thin pieces of wood that had splintered off for more delicate parts. We approached the wood gently, going with the grain so that the wood would retain its original pliancy."

RBMA (Red Bull Music Academy)

The Red Bull Music Academy is a world-travelling series of music workshops and festivals: a platform for those who make a difference in today's musical landscape. Two groups of 30 selected participants – producers, vocalists, DJs, instrumentalists and all-round musical mavericks from around the world – come together in a different city each year. For two weeks, each group will hear lectures by musical luminaries, work together on tracks and perform in the city’s best clubs and music halls. Imagine a place that’s equal parts science lab, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and Kraftwerk’s home studio. Throw in a touch of Haight-Ashbury circa 1967, a sprinkle of Prince Jammy’s mixing board and Bob Moog’s synthesizer collection – all in a 22nd century remix – and you’re halfway there.

The Academy began back in 1998, and has been traversing the globe since: from Berlin to Cape Town, São Paulo, Barcelona, London, Toronto and many other places. The upcoming edition of the Red Bull Music Academy is set to take place in New York City from April 28 through May 31, 2013.

Check out this recap from the 2011 World Tour, 467 artists, 25 days in 10 cities. Visit the minisite here. To access the online lecture videos go here.

Low ceiling two space victorian London workhouse

This is an example of how you can manipulate and repurpose old and often neglected small industrial spaces. Although not airy, since the ceiling is low in order to provide sufficient height for the second floor area, the workhouse makes up in available volume by adopting a rather minimal style with regards to furnishings. 

The workhouse is actually a two space complex, separated by a vertical wall. Each side has its own second floor addition, the left space having a permanent staircase, while the right accessible only by a simple ladder. By characterising the space as a workhouse, its actual duality of use is implied ; a space that can be used both as a workshop, or shop, and an apartment and living space.

In case of the latter, then you may say it is rather empty, resembling more a stylised display space than an actual live-in apartment. The lack of kitchen facilities is apparent. The bathroom is separated by a door from the rest of the workhouse.

Firetrap attitude clothing

Designed in London by British designers committed on capitalising on their creative birthplace. Firetrap is a mirror of London style, culture and attitude taking inspiration from the diverse sights, sounds and flavours that define this city’s life and blood.Think experimental, progressive and gritty attitude infused with London’s legendary subversive wit and rebellious rock ‘n’ roll spirit and you’ve bottled this rebel brand.

Firetrap burst onto the fashion scene way back in 1991 and has become a staple in many people’s homes ever since. They are known for developing edgy and unconventional clothing that really stand out from the rest. Their motto “Future Classics” is the idea that one day down the road these items will be considered iconic and we can’t help but agree.

Designed by British Fashion Experts in London there is an undeniable urban influence on this range. The Firetrap clothing and footwear range celebrates London life. With the underground edge, Firetrap has a large range of clothing including Firetrap jeans, shirts, t shirts, shorts, skirts, jackets, dresses, knitwear, trousers, chinos, polo shirts, graphic t shirts, hoodies, coats, leather jackets and much more. They also carry a wide range of Firetrap footwear ranging from Firetrap shoes to sandals.

Robinson Kuhlmann NY style bar

Robinson Kuhlmann, former pro skater and current Zoo York Team Manager learned the bartending craft under the best, a club at Sendlinger Gate and Nage & Sauge Isartor. Then in the summer of 2010, he opened his own bar, the Robinson Kuhlmann, located in Munich, Germany.

Plain on the outside, without marking, it relies only to the people in front of the bar to indicate its location. The interior of the bar is also of simple design: the walls are black as night and chalk out drinks and prices are posted. The old massive wooden bar, recalls the Vorgängerbar and the disco ball on the ceiling sparkles to himself. It provides an extremely relaxing and a sympathetic audience, welcoming guests six days a week. 

Currently Robinson's motto is "Tuesday is the new Friday" and proves that Munich can also celebrate during weekdays. Whether you start the evening here, passing only for a beer or staying for a few Moscow Mules ; a visit to Mr. Kuhlmann makes your small journey worthwhile.

Read a casual interview here.

Exposed concrete home in Sao Paolo

Estudio Guto Requena has created a real urban style interior design neighborhood of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Exposed concrete, concrete spiral stairs, fully white tiled kitchen, bright yellow dining table, zig zag fluorescents, vintage decor, wood paneled ceilings, special ambient lighting, ultra modern pieces alongside shabby ones, pink rubber duckies, an out of this world shower and a secret bathroom in the master suite - this apartment is just overflowing with unique ideas and fun details. It's a hip, relaxed yet highly stylish sort of interior - gritty and glamorous design all at once.

The Harmonia Apartment features an open and spacious floor plan in a playful interpretation of urban lifestyle. The apartment is dispersed over two floors, with large terraces on the upper level just off the master bedroom. The first level offers a white tiled kitchen that separates the space from the living and dining areas. The kitchen continues into the dining room, where the bold yellow dining table surrounded by metal chairs illuminated by a zig-zag system of fluorescent light tubes.

The exposed concrete finishes and spiral staircase creates an industrial chic ambiance. Under aconcrete bench on the wall opposing the windows, plastic crates act as storage. The living area features s modular cardboard bench, a distressed armchair and a modern green chair, welcoming guests to rest comfortably and creates a great social circle for guest interaction. The apartment features a small guest bathroom on the floor level and a second bathroom on the upper floor, delineated from the master bedroom by large dark floor-to-ceiling doors.