If I Ever Had a Hacienda...

...I'd want it to look like this.

WSJ. Magazine takes us on a tour of an amazing hacienda (Spanish-style estate) that belongs to Mitchell Denburg - esteemed American photographer and rug designer who built the property from scratch. He found himself drawn to the unpromising patch of land beneath a dormant volcano in Antigua, Guatemala and envisioned the amazing property.

Check out the article with great photos HERE.

Bottega Veneta - 2011/2012 Ad Campaign in Venice

I was on NYMag.com today and noticed a big ad for Bottega Veneta featuring what seemed like a beautifully shot behind the scenes video of their fall photo shoot in Venice. Turns out I was right and the video featured Creative Director Tomas Maier recounting the "art of collaboration" with esteemed photographer Robert Polidori. The video is in fact pretty amazing combining the beauty of Venetian architecture, Bottega Veneta designs and enchanting instrumental accompaniment.

Check out the video and get more info HERE. More info from the press release below:

The ad campaign was shot on location in March of 2011, at the Palazzo Papadapoli, a 16th-century building situated on the Grand Canal in Venice. It is the latest in Bottega Veneta’s one-of-a-kind creative collaborations featuring the talents of outstanding artists The Fall-Winter 2011/2012 collections center on extraordinary detail and unusual construction. 


Robert Polidori is a world-renowned photographer of rooms, architecture, and other human environments. His photography career began when he photographed the restoration of Versailles. He has since addressed a wide range of subjects and locations, including the aftermath of Chernobyl, Castro’s Havana, and the legacy of war in Beirut. In 2006 he was commissioned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to photograph New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. The resulting exhibition drew the largest audience ever to attend one of the museum’s photography shows. He is a staff photographer for The New Yorker and his work is held in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, and the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris.


Polidori works with a custom-built large-format camera to take pictures filled with voluminous, voluptuous detail. His images capture a sense of time passing, of humanity and history revealed in what people leave behind. The emotional and temporal dimensions that Polidori brings to his detailed images are what led Bottega Veneta Creative Director Tomas Maier to approach him for the Fall-Winter campaign. “What is unusual about Robert’s work is that it both documents and interrogates,” says Maier. “His attention to detail creates layers of meaning that extend beyond the formal beauty of his images. I was interested in seeing what would result if he turned his lens on Bottega Veneta’s design and the brand’s roots in the Veneto, specifically Venice.” The shoot, which took place over two days in Venice, was the first time that Polidori had been commissioned to shoot with models. “Robert brought this great energy and open-minded sense of adventure to the shoot,” continues Maier. “It was a genuinely exciting collaboration.” Robert Polidori joins a long list of renowned artists who have contributed to the creation of Bottega Veneta’s advertising portfolio.

More on Polidori HERE.

The Past, Present and Future of Hermès

The name Hermès conjures images of premium quality leather goods, clothing and home furnishings. It's iconic H and orange-colored boxes are instantly recognizable the world over and the brand is renowned for its heritage, elegance and workmanship.

My experience with the brand is primarily related to the well-made silk ties, scarves, and leather handbags (think Kelly and Birkin) which have featured prominently over the years on various family members of mine. In light of my recent post about the WHY-Yachts Hermès/Wally collaboration I did some digging on the brand and wanted to share some interesting links and articles.

First is a New York Times Magazine profile of Pierre-Alexis Dumas, current creative director at Hermès who is on a path to reorient the brand for the 21st century with ambitious plans to go beyond the basics. Originally founded to produce custom horse saddles, Hermès has carved out a niche for ultra-luxury goods over the years. Dumas' future plans include extension into previously unconquered territories such as aviation, yachting, furniture, custom menswear, etc. The feature online is actually pretty cool and functions like a magazine where you can scroll images across your screen.

Check out the NYTimes Magazine piece HERE.
Vanity Fair did a great profile in 2007 on Hermès found HERE.
WSJ featured an interview with Dumas on "what's next" for the brand HERE.
AOL's luxury content vertical Luxist, has Hermès coverage found HERE.

WHY Yachts - Ultra Luxury

I had heard about this before (in one of the Niche Media magazines like Hamptons, Gotham, or LA Confidential I think...) but I recently saw another short blurb about this in the Four Seasons Magazine. It detailed a joint venture between luxury goods maker Hermès and Wally Yachts (artistic directors and CEOs pictured above).

Essentially a floating, super hotel/yacht this sleekly-designed minimalist vessel embodies everything you would imagine a collaboration between two of the most premium brands in the world would develop. Eco-friendly, expansive, and very elegant the WHY yachts (currently in production; only artist renderings are available) are works of art and engineering mastery.

Check out the WHY-Yachts website HERE.
A brief WSJ post about it HERE and a DesignBoom article HERE.