Freehand, a new hostel brand, has opened its first location in Miami at the former Indian Creek Hotel. The concept is a partnership between the Sydel Group, the developer behind the Ace New York & Palm Springs properties and Yucaipa Companies. Created for a new generation of urban travelers, Freehand will incorporate innovative design, a local food and beverage experience, and a comfortable community atmosphere, all offered at an affordable price.
The interior design was done by Roman & Williams, who have done killer work for the Ace among other.
Sydel and Yucaipa have plans to open at least ten more locations within the next few years.
I love my hometown, but it hasn’t been a hot spot for cool fashion brands in a while. Cool car companies, sure (Yes, Ford, GM and Chrysler are cool). However, one new company is about to change all of that. Shinola, a new brand that takes its name from an old brand of shoe polish known mainly for a popular mid-century phrase “You don’t know shit from Shinola”, decided to set up shop in Detroit and make it their permanent headquarters. After a few years of R&D, Shinola is finally ready to start selling its line of American made watches, bicycles, leather goods and journals. And I can already tell they’re going to do a damn fine job at it…Now you know shit from Shinola.
Flipping through the new issue of Monocle I came across an article about the newly opened Oyster Inn on Waiheke Island in New Zealand. Similar to Ruschmeyer’s in Montauk, the owners put thought into every element. I love places like this.
White isn’t a color that usually conveys warmth, some don’t even consider it a color at all. When most people see a stark white room their first instinct is to paint. However, check out these examples of how white walls (and even floor) can be more powerful than any other color in the spectrum. Never underestimate the power of white.
Inspired by the old world utilitarian ideal of making something that is “built to last,” Izola and Aesthetic Movement have curated a collection of whimsical objects with a masculine sense of antiquity.
Made with great care and attention to detail, this series of functional every day staples is designed to be the perfect gifts for men. The products include flasks, soaps, candles, laundry bags, bamboo toothbrushes, handkerchiefs, shoe brushes, shower rings, ceramics and shower curtains.
The scent, developed by JOYA and hand poured at their Brooklyn studio, was inspired by a trip The Motley took up the California coast, with notes of Siam Citron, Orange Flower, Saddle Leather, Birch Tar and Woodsmoke. The artwork was designed by Caleb Owen Everitt, an Austin based Designer/Art Director with clients ranging from J.Crew to Deus Ex Machina.
A true coast-to-coast collaboration…and a perfect stocking stuffer.
Try typing “How to find Old New York” or “41 reasons to visit Brooklyn” into Google Maps, and you’ll either get no answer or the wrong answer. No doubt most folded paper maps are completely useless these days, but the folks over at Herb Lester are giving you a reason to buy them again. Not only are they awesomely designed, but with guides like “It’s Nice To Be Alone In Paris” and “An Uncle’s Guide To London”, they give you an insight into cities that technology simply can’t provide. So the next time you’re strolling around Greenwich Village looking for a good cup of New York coffee, don’t consult Google, pull out your “Truly Greenwich Village” map by Herb Lester.
The guys over at Huckberry are currently offering Herb Lester sets on the cheap. Get at them here.
For years, Restoration Hardware was lost somewhere in the middle of Pottery Barn and Crate & Barrel, they were always “the other one”. Over the past few years, however, the brand has really set themselves apart from the competition by taking inspiration from popular tastemakers and making those items available to the masses (a la J.Crew). Today, they’re less Pottery Barn and more Modern 50…and I’m down with that.
It seems the company is taking their rebrand one step further by shortening their name to simply RH…not sure if I’m down with that.
Started in 2009 by brother and sister Tyler and Kari Morris, Morris Kitchen is a hand crafted syrup company based in Brooklyn, NY. Their signature and original product, Ginger Syrup, makes a damn fine Dark & Stormy. The brand has since extended into a range of syrup offerings perfect for cooking and cocktails such as Lemon, Apple Cider and Rhubarb.
They hit the mark on every aspect…I see them expanding into other categories very soon.
There are brands out there trying to market candles to men with scents like “Basketball”, “Bacon”, or the most offensive “White Castle cheeseburger” scent. It goes without saying that this is not what a guy should want his place to smell like. What you should be looking for are masculine scents like oak, leather and musk.
Developed in 1858 by Landis Mason as a food preservation device, The original Mason Jar was a marvel of home economics. It allowed people to easily preserve food and see what they stored thanks to the transparent manganese-bleached glass, which wasn’t common at the time.
Today, the Mason Jar is still being used for food storage, but they’re also being re-purposed in every way possible from a cocktail glass to a picture frame. Not only do they look cool, but they sell for about $2 a pop.
