Exceptional Design Experiences

EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN EXPERIENCES 2013 SPONSORED BY THE MARRIOTT REWARDS速 PREMIER CREDIT CARD FROM CHASE

2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 1

2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 2

ABSORB THE CULTURE 2013

CONTENTS EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN EXPERIENCES “Half the fun of travel is the aesthetic of lostness.”

—Ray Bradbury We are inspired by those who get lost on purpose.

Nomad Suki Cheema, print designer for fashion brands like Donna Karan and Ralph Lauren, is a prime example. After finishing his studies at London’s CSM, one of the premier arts colleges in the world, Cheema took off backpacking around the globe. Each of his home collections is designed around a destination: India, Peru, Indonesia… Getting lost, as an artist (and a traveler), opens you up to the textures and colors of a place, to what’s new and different, to what’s unique.

Over the next few pages, we find design everywhere we go: from the perfectly prepared Burmese salad made to say “welcome,” or an atelier for learning how to interpret gemstones in Paris, or even the most intricately engineered vessel for crafting a peerless gin.

Aesthetic is everywhere, and we’re always giddy to go out, get lost in it, and if we’re lucky, to bring some of it home.

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EAT 13 DRINK 19 DO 25 SHOP 05

* Purchase and balance transfer APR is 15.24% variable. Cash advances and overdraft advances APR is 19.24% variable. Penalty APR of 29.99% variable. Variable APRs change with the market based on the Prime Rate, which was 3.25% on 03/21/13. Annual fee: $0 introductory fee the first year. After that, $85. Minimum Interest Charge: None. Balance Transfer Fee: 3% of the amount of each transaction, but not less than $5. Note: This account may not be eligible for balance transfers. Cash Advance Fee: 4% of the amount of each advance, but not less than $10. Foreign Transaction Fee: None. Credit cards are issued by Chase Bank USA, N.A. Subject to credit approval. To obtain additional information on the current terms and information on any changes to these terms after the date above, please call 1-888-623-7829 or visit www. MarriottPremier.com. You must have a valid permanent home address within the 50 United States or the District

2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 3

of Columbia. Restrictions and limitations apply. See www.MarriottPremier.com for pricing and rewards details. Marriott Rewards points needed for a standard reward free-night stay range from 7,500 points for Category 1 hotels to 45,000 points for Category 9 hotels. Refer to MarriottRewards.com for all reward redemption values. © 2013 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved.

2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 4

EAT THE BURMESE HAVE A SAYING: “Among

the country for about 500 kyat, or 50

LAPHET THOTE

meats, pork is best; among fruits, mango

cents.

is king; and among leaves, nothing

Laphet thote is prepared in two primary

beats tea.” Such reverence explains the

ways, enhancing either its spiciness

(Serves 1) Adapted from the recipe of Moe Moe Hlaing of the Daw Yeik Kyi laphet thote stand, Sule Pagoda Road, Yangon.

country’s affection for laphet thote, or

(with a mouth-burning amount of chili)

tea leaf salad (laphet means tea, thote

or its bitterness (the tea leaves’ natural

means salad). The dish—equal parts bitter

flavor, which can be reduced by rinsing

and savory—is a crunchy combination of

them). After the salad is finished, one

butter beans, yellow peas, roasted sesame

Burmese custom remains: swiping a finger

seeds, peanuts, dried prawns, tamarind

across the plate to savor the laphet thote

or lime, chili, garlic, oil, and the star

juice. Many believe the magic lies in that

ingredient: pickled tea leaves.

liquid, according to one Yangon journalist,

“No party nor feast, nor even a formal

who says, “This taste is even better than

festivity” is complete in Burma (also

the salad.”

known as Myanmar) without laphet thote,

For a quintessential street-side

writes scholar U Ba Than in his 2003 book,

experience, head to the Myanmar

Myanmar’s Attractions and Delights. For

Shopping Mall on Sule Pagoda Road in

years, a main expression of hospitality has

Yangon. In front of the mall, the Daw Yeik

included offering houseguests betel nut,

Kyi stand has served its special hand-

tobacco, and laphet thote. As far back as

mixed salad for nearly two decades. (Ask

many families can remember, they have

around; locals know the spot.) You could

kept a partitioned bamboo lacquerware

also try the salad on the north side of the

tray in which to serve the ingredients

city, at Shwe Zone Salads& Juice (No.

for the salad. “There’s something really

236/238 Ma Ha Baen Ga Street, Myay

wonderful about eating laphet thote and

Ni Gone, near Dagon Centre). For an

drinking tea and catching up on gossip,”

adventure, board the ferry from Yangon

says Tin Cho Chaw, author of the Burmese

to Pathein in the Ayeyarwady Delta

cookbook Hsa Ba.

(ferries leave daily around 5 p.m. from

Most locals prefer to buy their own

the Lan Thit jetty). Ferry vendors sell a

pickled leaves and dry ingredients at the

spicy version of the salad throughout the

market and then mix them at home. In her

overnight journey. In Mandalay, the Star

cookbook, Chaw describes the customary

One Mandalay Rum Station (24th Street,

way of eating laphet thote with guests in

one block west of the palace moat) serves

the home: “A little of each crispy tidbit

tiny stainless-steel saucers of unmixed

and laphet are spooned straight into the

bitter laphet thote, the perfect grub to

mouth and savored slowly, sometimes

accompany beer or rum. —Karen Coates

with a bite of raw garlic and green chili.

A cup of hot tea completes the ritual.”

Street stalls sell plates of salad throughout

Ingredients 1 handful of pickled tea leaves,

(more if desired)* 1 tsp fish sauce 1 ½ tbsp sesame seeds 1 ½ tbsp fresh yellow beans

(broad or butter beans) 1 ½ tbsp dried yellow peas 1 ½ tbsp roasted peanuts Pinch of salt 1 tbsp tamarind juice 1 tbsp peanut oil Optional: ½ cup shredded cabbage 1 sliced tomato Whole, raw, hot green chilies, also called Thai bird’s-eye chilies Raw garlic cloves (small Asian variety), skin on

Directions 1. Boil the tea leaves until they are soft, then rinse with cold water to remove some of the bitterness. 2. With a mortar and pestle, pulverize the leaves and fish sauce. 3. Transfer to a bowl and knead the mixture by hand until blended.

(Locals say if you mix the salad with a spoon, the flavors will not blend as well.)

4. Add in all of the remaining ingredients.

Taste and adjust ingredients for the balance of bitter/sour/salty/spicy that you prefer. 5. For a zingy option, add shredded cabbage and sliced tomato and serve the salad with raw chili and garlic cloves on the side. *Available online at burmesefavourite.com or at your local Asian market.

2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 6

AFAR December/January 2010, p.44,45

ART CREDIT: Jerry Redfern

A BURMESE SALAD THAT SAYS WELCOME

EAT HIGHLIGHTS

CANNED FOOD GOES GOURMET IN LISBON

BY SIVAN ASKAYO

RESTAURANT ANDRÉ IN SINGAPORE

BY JEN MURPHY

In downtown Terreiro do Paco, people are raising their eyebrows about the canned food

I’m used to chefs telling me they’ve made everything I’m eating: the butter, the bread,

served at Can the Can, but the final result is surprisingly delicious. Portugal is blessed

sometimes even the wine. But Singapore’s André Chiang takes the handmade ethos to

with great seafood, especially sardines, and considered one of the biggest canned

the extreme at his Restaurant André. He proudly claims responsibility for the slightly

fish exporters in Europe. The diverse menu offers only Portuguese products: salads,

uneven edges of my unglazed clay plate, bowl, and saucer. He molded and fired half the

sandwiches, Tibornas (spreads on bread), all aesthetically presented and accompanied

dishware in his restaurant. “I used to take pottery classes. I kind of like the imperfection,”

with a selection of Portuguese wines. Wise to make reservations.

he says.

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2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 7

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EAT HIGHLIGHTS THAI ICE CREAM DESIGNER

BY JULIANA LOH Ice cream breaded and fried the same way they do the pork chop tonkatsu, and served in a bento set with chocolate sauce drizzled over it. You have to eat it while it’s hot, and consider it a full meal in itself (for dessert). Menus are updated frequently, so be sure to pop in every time you visit Bangkok. The café near Chatuchuk is decked in color with tons of trompe l’oeil in the furniture and tables.

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HARDLY A HUMBLE GRILL JOINT

BY JEANINE BARONE Michelin-starred restaurants sometimes appear in the unlikeliest places. That’s the case with Etxebarri, a gem of a Basque restaurant, where grilled food takes center

EATS & ARCHITECTURE IN AMSTERDAM

BY CARA HARRIS

stage. In this unpretentious atmosphere— the restaurant is housed in a centuries-old stone farmhouse—chef Victor Arguinzoniz is a grill sorcerer: He designed all the

We stumbled into this Italian eatery by chance—we were freezing and the warm lights

cookware, makes the charcoal, and grills

inside looked inviting. As we proceeded through our meal I started to notice the

the seemingly ungrillable. Oysters, caviar,

architectural elements. This stunning spot on Rozengracht was designed by Concrete

sea cucumber, baby eels, and even ice

Architectural Associates. What a lucky find! It’s worth a look and a taste if you are in the

cream take on a subtle smokiness that

mood for a modern take on Italian eats.

enhances their natural flavors.

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2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 10

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* Purchase and balance transfer APR is 15.24% variable. Cash advances and overdraft advances APR is 19.24% variable. Penalty APR of 29.99% variable. Variable APRs change with the market based on the Prime Rate, which was 3.25% on 03/21/13. Annual fee: $0 introductory fee the first year. After that, $85. Minimum Interest Charge: None. Balance Transfer Fee: 3% of the amount of each transaction, but not less than $5. Note: This account may not be eligible for balance transfers. Cash Advance Fee: 4% of the amount of each advance, but not less than $10. Foreign Transaction Fee: None. Credit cards are issued by Chase Bank USA, N.A. Subject to credit approval. To obtain additional information on the current terms and information on any changes to these terms after the date above, please call 1-888-623-7829 or visit www.MarriottPremier.com. You must have a valid permanent home address within the 50 United States or the District of Columbia. Restrictions and limitations apply. See www.MarriottPremier.com for pricing and rewards details. Marriott Rewards points needed for a standard reward free-night stay range from 7,500 points for Category 1 hotels to 45,000 points for Category 9 hotels. Refer to MarriottRewards.com for all reward redemption values. 息 2013 JPMorgan Chase & Co. All rights reserved.

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DRINK Jared Brown, master distiller of Sipsmith

The two enterprising Brits told him they

barkeeps have taken notice and now

Gin, tells me he has been interested in

wanted to bring to gin the same artisanal,

stock Sipsmith’s London dry gin.

alcohol since he was 6 years old.

small-scale approach that American

Brown pours us a glass. We swirl the

“I was doing my first distillations by

microbreweries had brought to beer. “The

liquid, then taste. It’s surprisingly creamy,

the time I was 10.” Weren’t his parents

next morning, we had our first business

with a hint of sweetness. “Citrus on the

concerned? “I grew up in the 1970s,” he

meeting,” says Brown.

nose, dry meadow, Seville orange, and

says. “It was considered precociousness,

Gin is, essentially, juniper-flavored vodka.

spice,” Brown says, running through its

not bad parenting.”

Brown feeds Prudence raw ethanol

defining characteristics. London has

We’re sitting in a small, tin-roofed garage

(96-percent alcohol) created from barley

been associated with gin ever since the

in the London neighborhood of

mash and heats it until it evaporates.

18th century, when one in four habitable

Hammersmith, where Brown creates

The vapor passes through a copper

structures contained a still and English

Sipsmith’s London Dry Gin using strictly

column, where it condenses over the

artist William Hogarth depicted the

traditional methods. Sipsmith was

course of a day to produce a clear,

population’s ruination in his famous

established in 2007 and is the first new

unfiltered vodka, some of which is bottled

etching Gin Lane. They weren’t drinking

gin distillery to be built in London in nearly

and sold. The next day, the remaining

anything as sophisticated as this in those

200 years. The walls are lined with old

portion of that vodka steeps for 14 hours

days. As Brown says, “Good spirits warm,

bottles containing previous experiments—

with 10 botanicals—including Macedonian

bad spirits burn.” —Emma John

some successful, some less so—as well as

juniper berries, Bulgarian coriander seed,

the giant glass spheres from which Brown

cinnamon from Madagascar, and orange

serves gin at events.

peel from Seville—before again passing

Dominating the space is Prudence

through Prudence’s pipes and emerging

(above, right), a 300-liter copper still built

as gin. London dry gin is a variety that

by Germany’s oldest distillery fabricator.

developed in the early

She looks like something from an H.G.

19th century.

Wells fantasy—a large, round chamber

Prudence and Brown share credit for the

resembling a Victorian submarine, with

smoothness of Sipsmith’s liquors.

a steam train’s chimney on top. Through

The still’s copper “cleanses” the raw

a small porthole I can see the roiling

alcohol of the acids and sulfates that

alcohol and juniper berries bobbing to

give some spirits a throat-burning

the surface.

quality. Brown’s expertise lies in knowing

Brown, 49, has spent much of his career

precisely which part of the liquid to keep.

as a bartender and historian of drinks. In

“The secret is a narrow ‘heart cut,’ ” he

the course of our conversation, I learn why

says. He discards the first liquid to emerge

mixed drinks in the United States were

from the still (the head), as well as the last

largely invented by Germans and how

(the tail), keeping only the most flavorful

Cubans really drink mojitos. A native of

part of the middle portion: the heart.

upstate New York, Brown was at a London

Sipsmith makes in one year what a

cocktail party when he met Sipsmith

mass-market rival like Beefeater produces

founders Sam Galsworthy and Fairfax Hall.

in a week. London’s most discerning

Sipsmith Distillery, 27 Nasmyth St., 44/(0) 20-8741-2034, sipsmith.com

LONDON’S TOP GIN JOINTS THE GINSTITUTE This specialist gin bar and museum is on the second floor of the Portobello Star pub. portobellostarbar.co.uk DUKE’S BAR Gin aficionados consider Duke’s martinis to be the best in the world. dukeshotel.com THE STAR AT NIGHT More than 40 types of gin are offered at this Soho bar, which has its own gin club.

Membership is free and includes access to rare gins. thestaratnight.com

2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 14

AFAR October 2012, Bill Fink. p.57,58

ART CREDIT: Helen Cathcart

LONDON DISTILLED

DRINK HIGHLIGHTS CHE GUEVARA IN MY FOAM

BY DAVID NETZER While in Cuba, I visited the nature reserve Las Terrazas. I found a coffee shop there that served a cappuccino with a surprise cinnamon topping. With a specially designed stencil, the servers offer up a real Cuban coffee with an image of Che Guevara drawn in the foam. If you travel to Cuba, be sure to visit the town of Santa Clara where you will find the Monumento Ernesto Che Guevara.

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YIP YIP FOR DESIGNER SOFT DRINKS

BY PAULINE OO I had the Ginger Yip at Eat Street Social in Minneapolis a few Sundays ago—and wanted more. My bartender hand mixed this soda fountain drink the way he would a cocktail, carefully measuring the ginger syrup, cream, and seltzer. The end result tasted light and delicate. There were seven more soda options on the menu, including good ol’ fashion root beer. Pop in during “social hour,” for a great deal.

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FINE FASHION CAFÉ CONCEPT

BY LINDSEY TRAMUTA Two hundred square meters is a lot of surface area to fill when you’re an upstart concept store, but the trio behind the popular fashion and lifestyle website De Jeunes Gens Modernes were confident their approach would do the 19th-century spot justice.

Whether you shop first and then amble back into the airy and intimate coffee shop or begin by caffeinating before emptying your wallet, you’ll feel right at home. Think contemporary hominess vs. Colette’s edgy pomp.

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2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 15

DRINK HIGHLIGHTS

PORTO DESIGN, INSIDE OUT

BY PAULO MAGALHÃES

PARIS, DAVID LYNCH STYLE

BY LINDSEY TRAMUTA

In a narrow building on a narrow street in Porto, you’ll find Rua, a restaurant/bar that

Past the bouncer and down a black staircase 32 feet below ground, find Paris’s most buzzed-about semi-

serves mostly tapas and snacks starting in the late afternoon. Rua has the intention

private club, Le Silencio. Housed where Molière was allegedly buried and Zola printed J’accuse, it’s of little

to create a casual urban atmosphere, bringing inside elements, materials, and shapes

surprise that the enigmatic director David Lynch would select the location for this louche lounge space,

that we recognize from the outside, like the granite floor resembling Porto’s sidewalks,

which he designed. Expect gold-leaf walls, raw wood cladding, and bespoke neo-1950’s furniture. Once

iron bars on the counter inspired by street lamps, and walls decorated with typical tile

midnight strikes, a smartly dressed crowd of cocktail-crazed creatives floods its entrails.

patterns (not to mention its fantastic urban graffiti theme).

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2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 17

2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 18

DO There are seven of us gathered in an airy

Madonna, opened L’École, a school for

secret of the house’s Mystery Setting, a

second-floor salon of an 18th-century

obsessives who want to spend half a day

process by which emerald- and marquise-

palace on Place Vendôme in central Paris.

learning the history and craftsmanship

cut precious gems are laid into a frame

Sunlight streaming through the tall French

of fine jewelry. The school offers seven

like mosaic tiles, with no visible metal.

windows bounces off a long lab table

classes, each four hours long, covering the

The setting remains one of the apexes of

strewn with clusters of jewels of every

backstory of haute joaillerie, its history,

innovation in the field.

color and size. As we use magnifying

technical innovations, raw materials,

After watching a film on the company’s

loupes to examine these gemstones—

mechanics, and its symbolic meaning.

award-winning cutting technique, I pick

which range from deep blue sapphires to

One class even teaches you how to

up a 28-carat emerald-cut amethyst. I

fiery orange spinels to golden heliodore,

wear the stuff.

feel the roughness around its widest edge

in sizes up to 30 carats (just bigger than

Today’s class, “Interpreting the

(where it will one day be set in metal) and

a grape)—we are encouraged to play

Gemstones,” is taught by Dominique

finally understand how much the angle

with them. “Let them speak to you,” our

Dufermont, an in-house, colored-stones

of the stone’s pointy bottom affects its

instructor says. (We are on our honor to

expert at Van Cleef & Arpels. It consists of

overall brilliance.

demur if the jewels say, “Quietly slip me

a series of geology slide shows; a lecture

At the end of class, we are presented with

into your pocket.”)

on crystallization; hands-on oohing and

a certificate and a 10x magnifying loupe.

None of us assembled at this workshop

aahing over polished and, even more

We also take home a new respect for Van

are consorts of the Sultan of Brunei, nor

amazing, raw gems; and an ear-splitting

Cleef & Arpels’s craftsmen.

are we experts or industry capos. None

demonstration of gemstone cutting

Even if, like me, you aren’t Van Cleef &

of us are shoppers, either, or at least not

that makes one hope there are Advil

Arpels’s most acquisitive customer, it’s

at this moment. We’re a mix of lawyers,

dispensers at the ateliers.

still fascinating to go into such detail

consultants, gallery workers, and one

Considering high-end jewelry’s technical

and to play with materials you’d never

journalist (me) with a geeky interest in

precision and romantic materials, the

have the chance to manhandle otherwise.

gems.

subject of our class is a rich topic, in

All with absolutely no pressure to buy.

Last February, Van Cleef & Arpels,

every sense of the word. And Van Cleef

No pressure, but an awful lot of desire.

jewelers since 1906 to the likes of

& Arpels has certainly left its mark in

—Alexandra Marshall

Princess Grace, Elizabeth Taylor, and

the haute jewelry world. We learn the 2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 20

AFAR September 2012, Alexandra Marshall. p. 54, 55

ART CREDIT: Clockwise from top left: Courtesy of Van Cleef & Arpels, Flickr; epSos .de Flickr; Carles Tomás Martí, Flickr; Quinn Dombrowski

A CUT ABOVE IN PARIS

DO HIGHLIGHTS

IN A GAUDÍ, ALWAYS LOOK UP

BY AUBREY DUNNUCK

GLAMOUR IN THE MEATPACKING

BY CHARISSA FAY

Barcelona’s Palau Güell is an early Gaudí masterpiece, designed for his longtime

New York’s Meatpacking District is a mecca of design-forward restaurants, bars, clothing

benefactor, Eusebi Güell. The mansion, one of Gaudí’s first big projects, was recently

boutiques, galleries, and artists’ residences in a neighborhood formerly known for its

restored and re-opened to the public. The centerpieces of the building are the amazing

meat warehouses. The upscale neighborhood centers around innovative design, yet

ceiling/skylight and the rooftop full of chimneys. Palau Güell is worth the visit if only to

maintains its original charm with historical brick buildings and cobblestone streets. It’s a

see an example of Gaudí’s early genius for turning something functional into a magical

favorite of both locals and tourists.

work of art.

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2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 21

2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 22

DO HIGHLIGHTS CITY SUPPORT FOR MELBOURNE’S GRAFFITI

BY DEZERAI SEITZER Melbourne is the place to be for artists of any genre, but especially if graffiti is your medium. While Melbourne can boast about its National Art Gallery, Australian Centre for the Moving Image, the Aboriginal Cultural Centre, and the Centre for Contemporary Art, some of its most brilliant artistic treasures can be found on the sides of the buildings and down narrow alleyways. What makes the streetart culture of Melbourne so unique is that the city actually supports it.

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MADRASA BEN YOUSSEF IN MARRAKECH

BY THUY VI GATES In the heart of the souks, this madrasa,

BOSEONG GREEN TEA PLANTATION

BY FLASH PARKER South Korea. To the world, it’s bright neon lights, fuel-efficient cars, genetic research, and kimchi. The Land of the Morning Calm is deservedly lauded as a spreading ground for future tech and well known as the K-pop powerhouse, though Seoul is furiously rebranding as a design-centric, green-focused hub to East Asia. But what of the Korea that existed before and beyond the glass and granite of modernity? How much of it remains?

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or theological college, once boarded some 900 students for religious study.

Colorful mosaic (zellij) tiles in a repetitive star pattern cover the lower part of the columns. Above the tiles are bands of Koranic text interwoven with floral designs.

On the stucco are panels of plaster carved with patterns (geometric and palm motifs) or inscriptions (calligraphy).

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2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 24

NETHERLANDS: DUTCH TREATS “We spend a huge amount of time

back from China in the 18th century.

thinking about how to reinterpret

Pols Potten pieces are made of wood,

old forms for the future,” says Jan

porcelain, and glass, rather than plastic

Wolleswinkel, co-owner of the

or other synthetic materials. The company

Amsterdam-based interior design

prizes age-old craftsmanship: Nearly

company Pols Potten. Started in 1986

everything is still made by hand.

as an importer of Mediterranean terra-

The wares also take on the tongue-in-

cotta pots, Pols Potten now produces

cheek flair that contemporary Dutch

its own line of edgy home accessories,

design is known for: nickel-coated

featuring items by innovative

candelabras that look like branches;

Dutch designers.

cookie jars cast as gilded farm animals;

Pols Potten designs are guided by a

and lamps that resemble oversized

reverence for history. Porcelain jugs

lanterns. Says Wolleswinkel, “Most of the

embellished with delicately wrought

design world takes itself so seriously,

three-dimensional flowers offer a modern

but our attitude has always been more

twist on the vases Dutch traders brought

lighthearted.” —Emily Hsieh

AFAR December/January 2010, Emily Hsieh. p.49

ART CREDIT: Clockwise from top left: Photographs by Anita Calero; Styling by Lili Abir Regen, Flickr; Ricardo Liberato, Flickr; Maurobrock, Flickr; Moyan Brenn

SHOP

2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 26

SHOP HIGHLIGHTS MADRID FOR THE SHOE FASHIONISTA

BY RUBY SEIDL Madrid. A blend of history, art, and fashion.

While I have so many fond memories of this lively city—Picasso’s Guernica at the Reina Sofia Museum, the throne room at the Palacio Real, the impressive grandeur of the Plaza Mayor—what I remember most were the giant, 10-foot shoes decorating Calle Serrano, Madrid’s most fashionable street. A temporary exhibition in June called “Shoe Street Art” lined the sidewalks with about 25 stiletto shoes made from fiberglass and polyester.

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CUSTOM-FITTED QI PAO DRESSES

BY CHARISSA FAYAFAR The qi pao dress, also known as a cheongsam, is a long, form-fitting Chinese gown that became popular in 1920s Shanghai. New Age Designer on Manhattan’s Mott Street in Chinatown sells off-the-rack dresses as well as custom dresses for weddings and parties.

Founded in 1976 by Susan Ding, New Age Designer uses a team of Shanghai tailors to create the famous silk dresses with the dramatic high-cut openings. The store also sells ladies shirts and jackets, clothing for men and children, and items for the home (pillowcases, fabrics, curtains).

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2013 EXCEPTIONAL TRAVEL EXPERIENCES 27

LONDON’S LIBERTY, FOR DESIGN

BY AZUL ADNAN A store that may not be familiar to the average London tourist is Liberty, a classic emporium that sells clothing and household items in a magnificent, historical Tudor building with wooden interiors. Go there to buy fabric (Liberty is famous for its British designs), have a bite at its restaurant, or simply to take pictures.

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SHOP HIGHLIGHTS

A DUBAI EXPERIENCE FOR EVERYONE

BY JANDREA RIP

SHOPPING IN HO CHI MINH CITY

BY NAOMI LINDT

The impressively designed Madinat Jumeirah is a treat for all the senses. This area, once

In Vietnam’s bustling metropolis of Ho Chi Minh City, glittering skyscrapers and global

the residence for pearl divers, fishermen, and traders, is now home to many expats and a

brands are on the rise—but at L’Usine, a café-boutique hidden along the Dong Khoi

place for tourists to wander, shop, eat, and find a café. This neighborhood embraces the

shopping strip it’s the old, the handmade, and the local items that are revered. Housed

historical architectural styles of the region with wind towers that allow breezes to find

in a 1890s building that was once the glamorous Hotel du Saigon, the enormous space

their way through the pedestrian walkways. There’s also a shopping mall fashioned after

was recently renovated to its original splendor, with 20-foot ceilings, oversized arched

a traditional souk with archways and lanterns.

windows, and ornate iron columns.

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EXCEPTIONAL DESIGN EXPERIENCES 2013 SPONSORED BY THE MARRIOTT REWARDS速 PREMIER CREDIT CARD FROM CHASE

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