Latest news with #Modernism
New York Times
6 days ago
- Politics
- New York Times
A Black Brazilian Artist Who Wields Poetry and Persistence
Rosana Paulino, one of Brazil's most influential artists, works from a narrow three-story house in Pirituba, a neighborhood of simple homes and shops that huddle along the hillside in the northwest outskirts of São Paulo. Her small balcony looks toward a pocket park, a railway line and a nature preserve on a ridge that belies the urban sprawl beyond. The daughter of a cleaner and a house painter, Paulino has pushed her way with stubborn insistence from modest origins in the Black working class into Brazil's top institutions — at one time working clerical jobs for three years to pay for prep classes to get into the best universities. But she remains rooted in São Paulo's north-side neighborhoods, where Black culture formed around the rail yards and the warehouses where laborers transferred coffee and other crops before shipping them abroad. 'It's very important for me to stay here,' Paulino, 58, said, on a muggy afternoon in April, as a tropical rainstorm gathered. 'It's that old story — you start to have a name and money and so you move out of your community. No, no, no. That's absolutely not for me.' She emerged as an artist when bourgeois tastes and Modernism dominated the museums and schools, making little space for the work and perspectives of artists from Brazil's Black majority. Lately the climate has changed. A survey at the prestigious Pinacoteca de São Paulo museum in 2018 and participation in the 2023 São Paulo Biennial cemented Paulino's hometown recognition; her inclusion in the 2022 Venice Biennale, with some two dozen large-scale drawings of part-human, part-plant female figures, brought visibility abroad. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Times of Oman
23-04-2025
- Times of Oman
A symphony of elegance in the City of Canals: Inside Nolinski Venezia
Venice—an enchanting blend of architectural splendour, winding canals, cobbled streets, and gondolas that glide effortlessly under ancient bridges—is truly a city like no other. For years, I had dreamt of visiting this floating masterpiece, captivated by YouTube vlogs and images of crumbling palazzi, Venetian cuisine, and a cityscape that seems to defy time. When I finally made the journey recently, Venice proved to be even more spellbinding in person. It is a place of infinite charm and art, steeped in history, laced with romance, and brimming with soul. And at the very heart of my experience was Nolinski Venezia. A timeless retreat There are hotels that impress, and then there are those that enchant. Nolinski Venezia belongs to the latter. Just five minutes from St Mark's Square and within a short stroll of the Rialto Bridge and La Fenice opera house, the hotel blends seamlessly into the historic soul of Venice, yet rises majestically as a beacon of elegance. Surrounded by Venice's most iconic luxury boutiques, just two canals away from Piazza San Marco and over a bridge from La Fenice, its elaborate façade compels passersby to look up in admiration. With mythological ornamentation inspired by the sea, its windows and balconies echo the city's maritime legacy. It's easy to imagine merchants of the past commissioning such symbols to grace the former Stock Exchange building this hotel now occupies. The reinforced concrete structure—pioneering for its time—was completed in 1929 and remains one of the tallest in Venice, surpassed only by the campanile and the dome of San Marco Basilica. Designed by Umberto Bellotto, the building's composite architectural style bravely merges Art Nouveau, Stile Liberty, and Modernism. Protected under Venice's Historic Monuments law, it showcases exquisite examples of wrought iron craftsmanship, uniquely Venetian. Climbing the grand staircase, one's hand naturally traces the ornate balustrades—each step a quiet celebration of detail. Inside, the original terrazzo floors and stucco marmorino walls have been lovingly restored, a tribute to the traditional artisanship of Venice. These noble materials offer a feast for the eye, and in harmony with the building's preserved historic elements, the interiors achieve a rare synthesis: contemporary yet timeless, bold yet respectful of the past. Designed by Lecoadic & Scotto, the interiors reflect a meticulous fusion of Venetian opulence and modern grace. Across five floors, contrasting textures—mango wood panelling against classical stucco, modern art placed near antique accents—surprise and delight in equal measure. 'Art and noble materials reign supreme here,' says Piero Pastore, General Manager of Nolinski Venezia. The hotel houses 43 rooms, including 13 one-of-a-kind suites, and every corner—from the Library Bar with its 4,000 books and ceiling fresco by Simon Buret to the rooftop pool adorned in golden mosaic—conveys a sense of refined wonder and feels both intimate and expansive. From the Ottoman-inspired spa to the rooftop pool with its golden mosaic and panoramic skyline views, every space is curated to evoke serenity and wonder. The hotel's beating heart lies in its immersive spaces: Il Caffè, a quiet courtyard for morning espresso; the Library Bar; the grand yet intimate lobby; and the Palais Royal Restaurant Venezia, set in a theatrical auditorium. What truly makes Nolinski stand apart is how seamlessly it merges the past with the present. Original terrazzo floors and stucco walls restored to their historic brilliance coexist with sleek, contemporary touches. Even the grand staircase—with its intricate wrought iron balustrade—invites admiration at every step. Look closely, and you'll find delightful surprises: a mosaic octopus with outstretched arms greeting guests in each bathroom, an architectural flourish echoing the building's maritime themes, and a design ethos that is both bold and respectful of tradition. Guests can enjoy moments of private calm, a quiet reminder that every detail at Nolinski carries both elegance and intention. Gastronomy with soul Nolinski's culinary journey is as refined as its setting. Chef Philip Chronopoulos helms both Il Caffè and the fine-dining Palais Royal Restaurant. Drawing from French techniques and flavours from Italy and Greece, his creations are a reflection of cultural harmony and elevated taste. Whether it's a leisurely breakfast in the courtyard or a gourmet dinner beneath the restaurant's domed ceiling, dining at Nolinski is an immersive experience in itself. A sky-high sanctuary Crowning the hotel is the rooftop spa and pool—Venice's only one of its kind. Here, amidst golden tiles and warm waters, guests can enjoy an uninterrupted 360° view of the Venetian skyline. The gilded waters reflect the Venetian skies, inviting guests to unwind while gazing at domes and bell towers in the distance. From the campanile of St Mark's to the shimmering rooftops of La Serenissima, it's a vista that soothes and stuns in equal measure. In an age where luxury is less about opulence and more about authenticity, privacy, and meaningful experiences, Nolinski Venezia rises to the occasion. It offers not just impeccable service, but an atmosphere that feels like home—if home were a Venetian palace where time pauses for art, history and serenity. For travellers seeking a hotel that honours Venice's soul while providing modern indulgence, Nolinski is not just a place to stay. It is an unforgettable part of the Venetian experience.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
"The Normandie" a 1960s Era Mid Century Modern Apartment Community Featuring Newly Renovated One, Two-, and Three-Bedrooms, Begins Leasing
LOS ANGELES, CA / / April 16, 2025 / VF Developments, LLC, a minority and female owned and run company, has begun leasing "The Normandie" a 1960's midcentury modern apartment community. The attractive infill Los Angeles multifamily rental community offers fourteen newly renovated rental homes with one-, two-, and three-bedroom floorplans. 111 N Normandie Avenue, located in the heart of central Los Angeles, features a 14-unit, two-story low-rise building with exterior enhancements that include a 1960s retro dingbat sign that complements the natural materials used. Blood red accents the original style wood façade along with main entry doors. VF Developments, LLC acquired the Los Angeles multifamily property with the plan of repositioning and adding capital improvements. A renowned LA designer carefully restored and designed these late 1960s modern luxury rental homes featuring keyless entry door locks to spacious one, two and three-bedroom floor plans with newly renovated kitchen and bathrooms. The kitchens boast sparkling white stone quartz countertops with brand new self-closing cabinetry and high-end stainless-steel refrigerators with matching gas cooktop with oven and microwave. iRing doorbells with a smart home video security camera are also included. Bathrooms feature porcelain tiled bath tubs and glass shower doors. Each rental home also includes central A/C cooling and heating with recessed lights with luxury style cellular shade window blinds and distressed wood plank floors. There's a community washer and dryer on site. 111 N. Normandie Avenue, located just minutes from the 101 Freeway and Larchmont Village, features a fourteen-unit, two-story low-rise building with enhanced modern architecture and a gray cement shade base and accents of earth tone colors. Inspired by midcentury Modernism architecture, these newly renovated rental homes are located in the heart of Koreatown, and minutes to hip Echo Park and Silverlake, Hollywood, and thriving Downtown Los Angeles. This location is Very Walkable with a Walk Score of 86 out of 100, so most errands can be accomplished on foot. 111 North Normandie Avenue is a 14-minute walk from the Metro B Line (Red) at the Vermont / Beverly Station stop. This location is in the Wilshire Center - Koreatown neighborhood in Los Angeles. Nearby parks include South Serrano Avenue Historic District, Wilton Historic District and Shatto Recreation Center. The apartment homes are featured on as well as VF Developments' website and on Instagram and on Zumper The apartments community is managed by Drake Property Management. VF Developments LLC, led by Victoria Vu, restored these rental homes to its original 1960s condition with upgraded enhancements and features. Ms. Vu, managing partner of VF Developments, LLC, is a fashion designer turned real estate developer specializing in distressed multifamily apartments throughout Los Angeles and Orange County. Ms. Vu graduated from The Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. Ms. Vu stated "We are excited to begin leasing these new rental homes. We really enjoyed restoring a 1960s era apartment community to its original condition. These luxury rental homes feature key-less entry door locks entering you into spacious one, two, and three-bedroom floorplans. There are bold designer touches throughout from the white stone quartz kitchen countertops upgraded with high-end stainless steel Whirlpool refrigerators with matching appliance package. Our bathrooms have been fully renovated with the spa as inspiration. Pebble floors complement the brand-new oversized tubs with glass shower doors and designer gold hardware. This property is truly a gem with its central location to hip Echo Park and Silverlake, Hollywood, and thriving Downtown Los Angeles, and everything that Los Angeles has to offer." James L. Kemple, a U.S military veteran, general contractor, and the owner of Patriot Painting & Construction, Inc., completed the exterior and interior renovations. He noted "We were able to legally reconfigure the original studio, one-, and two-bedroom floor plans to one-, two-, and three-bedroom layout like our project at 920 Everett Street in Chinatown and 1980 Park Grove near USC. This greatly helps maximizing the space for our future residents and assisting with the housing shortage. The team that completed the renovations on the units were entirely locally based minority vendors, employees, and contractors. This was the same team we used on the reconfigurations at 920 Everett Street near Chinatown and 1980 Park Grove near USC. We are proud to create jobs in the USC and DTLA area for minorities, significantly improve the community, and provide more affordable housing." Victoria Vu commented, "We are truly grateful for the opportunity to complete the renovations on 111 N Normandie, bring the property to market, and lease it up to provide much needed affordable housing to the city of Los Angeles. This project was similar to our project at 920 Everett Street near Downtown Los Angeles in the Chinatown area where we were able to legally convert a two bedroom to a three bedroom to maximize the space for our future residents. We strive to provide our residents with class A building finishes at affordable rents. As a first generation Asian American, myself and the team strive to enhance the communities around us and create modern living spaces for our future residents to call home." Kim Vu, renovation and maintenance manager for VF Developments, LLC, added, "After successful renovations at 920 Everett Street in Chinatown and 1980 Park Grove near USC we are excited to bring these units to market and welcome in our future residents to enjoy the space we have created. The apartment homes are high-quality finish with all new appliances." Established in 2015, VF DEVELOPMENTS, LLC, a minority and female owned and run company, has acquired over $77 million in multifamily properties with a portfolio consisting of 40 properties and 272 units located in Los Angeles and Orange County. VF Developments strives to provide neighborhoods in gentrifying areas of Los Angeles and Orange County Class A building design finishes at accessible and affordable market rents to future tenants. VF prides itself on the opportunity to create and provide modern living spaces to add value to its communities. With properties ranging from condominiums to multifamily residences in gentrifying areas throughout the greater Los Angeles area and Orange County. VF manages a multitude of processes including closing on unique, off market opportunities, syndication, interior and exterior renovations, and design using unique architecture and interior compositions transforming distressed properties into contemporary, market-ready homes and apartment communities. VF seeks value-add investment opportunities and creates significant value for clients and investors. VF Developments specialized in acquisitions, renovations, and multi-family management in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. The company targets under-performing and mismanaged multifamily properties in gentrifying areas of these counties. VF completes significant renovations that modernize and transform dated properties into cutting edge, high quality, best in class living environments - ultimately creating substantial value enhancement for its investors. Videos of these stunning communities can be viewed here - Media Details:Victoria V. Vuvictoria@ 901-1189 SOURCE: VF Developments LLC View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Sign in to access your portfolio
Forbes
15-04-2025
- Forbes
Luxe Architecture In A Fishing Village? Dalmatia Hits The Spot
On a hillside 250 meters (2,690 feet) from the ancient lapping of the Adriatic sits this brand new Modernist masterpiece. The art of architecture is simple. Yes, there's science in it too, but it's beyond the operationally functional where the meaningful exists. The art is to help those who enter a created space experience a mix of comfort and interest, resolution and surprise. One new example sits on the Dalmatian island of Čiovo. Where is Dalmatia? From the Tuscan jewelbox of Florence, take to the air directly east across the Adriatic Sea. The Dalmatian coast sparkles before you. From Split airport, the bridged island of Čiovo is a 10-minute drive. Ten minutes later, in the fishing village of Slatine, looking across the bay to the rich architectural history of UNESCO-listed Split, you'll find this surprising achievement of pure white Modernism. Ever needed an excuse to lounge by the pool? Blame it on the view from the Dalmatian island of Čiovo. It nearly didn't happen. 'We consulted with several renowned architectural studios,' the owner of Villa Navisus tells us, 'but none provided the kind of instinctive click that signals the right choice.' Enter, by chance, a young company, Dvokut Arhitekti, founded by two creative female architects in the Croatian capital, Zagreb. 'Their deep understanding of space not only brought the vision to life but elevated the concept beyond expectations.' So a Modernist surprise on a small rural island. It's more, however, than just the typical stacked cohesion of white cubes. Over the villa's four stories, asymmetry and cantilevering is employed not just for the sake of visual variety but to add unexpected touches in how the villa's occupants engage with the structure. Case in point are windows and terraces designed to different spans. That adds individuality to sections of inanimate space. And then a massive matte grey screen on the main elevation is conspicuously angled, with three portholes—each differently sized and irregularly set—that playfully reference the Art Deco world of the 1920s that briefly dared to offer curves against Modernism's linear style. On the science side, the project's first test was the sloping hillside site—how to avoid the house appearing like a monumental concrete bastion. The solution avoids the usual use of massive retaining walls and lets the building on its 2,100-square-meter (22,600 sq ft) plot harmonize with its surroundings. The 72 square meters (775 sq ft) of heated infinity pool might aid your Olympic training. But if you're drawn more to alfresco dining, the complete outdoor kitchen with built-in fireplace, BBQ and grill, plus full-size covered dining area, awaits your menu-planning. Super-fresh local seafood is one place to start. But nothing determines design quite like climate. Average temperatures on the Dalmatian coast hover between 26 and 30 degrees C (79-86F) in summer, with sea swimmers enjoying 23C (73F) dips. Winters are commensurately mild. That means indoor-outdoor living gets designed in as a way of life. So even with a generous interior of 500 square meters (~5,400 sq ft), this villa in Slatine devotes 75% of its footprint to the sunny outdoors. Terraces and decks abound to track shadows through the day. The indoor-outdoor interplay is realized on the three main levels of the home. Upstairs, each of the five generously sized en-suite bedrooms gives onto a private terrace. Downstairs, the living areas are fronted by sliding full-height glazing panels opening directly onto the terraces, with natural light and uninterrupted views across the bay to Split. Here too the architectural integrity is not just present but noticeable. The open-plan arrangement unites the living area and the kitchen, plus a separate 10-place dining area beyond, while preserving the zonal purposes of each. Black ribbed customized cabinetry and wood panels set up the theme, matched by black steel incidental accents. Soft furnishings in natural shades combine to a look and feel that spells comfort refined. Open-plan living is an architectural statement on how people live today. Here on Čiovo, an island of fishing villages, the traditional communality of dining together receives cool modern expression. So far, so relaxing. So is this a property that's all play, no workout? The basement contains the machine rooms, including a home gym where the walls are racked with enough heavy metal to out-punch many hotel fitness suites. A Finnish sauna waits. A private basketball court is another surprise. A secure two-car garage and four parking spaces occupy the gated grounds. The personal development center, or wellbeing suite, depending on your point of view, is professionally stacked. Villa Navisus has been a project, according to the owner, born from a collaboration that took patience, persuasion and a shared vision. It stands as a testament to thoughtful design. 'Thanks to the architects' unwavering commitment to their ideas, the final result transcends expectations and speaks to the power of creativity when design thinking works in harmony with both the land and the lifestyle of Dalmatia.' In short, an architectural story worth telling. While not as overtly adorned as the ancient ruins that share the Dalmatian coastline, the €3,450,000 (USD 3,780,000) villa plays its own visual games with asymmetry and cantilevering. Broker Group is a member of Forbes Global Properties, an invitation-only network of top-tier brokerages worldwide and the exclusive real estate partner of Forbes.
Yahoo
05-04-2025
- Yahoo
Best Amazon deals to shop this weekend: I browsed thousands of sales and found markdowns of up to 75%
April is the cruellest month, breeding lilacs out of the dead land, mixing memory and desire, stirring dull roots with spring rain. Way to harsh our early-spring buzz, T.S. Eliot! Sure, he was one of the greatest poets of the past century and a standard bearer of Modernism on both sides of the Atlantic, but that's no reason to bring us down at this, the most forward-looking time of the year. Speaking of looking forward: The best Amazon deals this weekend will see you sorted and suited up for the sunshiney fun and blue skies of the next few months. Top Amazon deals iRobot Roomba i5 Robot Vacuum & Mop for $199 (was $350): All-time low Crest 3D Whitestrips for $30 (was $43): Near all-time low Granitestone Piezano Pizza Oven for $95 (was $150): Near all-time low Yeti Roadie 24 Cooler for $200 (was $250): All-time low Apple iPad Mini (A17 Pro) for $399 (was $499): All-time low Planning to wow 'em on the court this year? Why not make a statement (i.e., "I want to be comfortable and look hot while I kick your butt") with this tennis dress, now 40% off (aka $30 — love!). If you've got a warm-weather road trip on your sked, I spy with my little eye a way to stay vigilant and safe: this 4K dashcam, half price at just 100 bucks. Maybe your taste runs more toward kicking back with a cold one (this Yeti cooler's $50 off), making homemade patio pizza (how 'bout a portable oven for $95?) or just electrocuting flying insects with a lazy wave (this handheld zapper is a shocking $12 off). Whatever your warm-weather wonts, Amazon's got you covered. Psyched, right? But don't wait — they'll be no second coming for some of these deals. You might show up next week and find this place a wasteland. In any event, you don't have to thank us. It's our job to turn you on to the weekend's most sensational steals. Withholding that precious intel would just be ... cruel. In this guide: Rare Amazon deals | All-time low prices | Best home deals | Best kitchen deals | Best tech deals | Best fashion deals | Best beauty and wellness deals If you have Amazon Prime, you'll get free shipping, of course. Not yet a member? No problem. You can sign up for your free 30-day trial here. (And by the way, those without Prime still get free shipping on orders of $35 or more.)
