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Month: September 2016
6 Ways To Relax In Under 6 Minutes
Let’s face it. Life is fast and furious. So many things going on all day every day. Kids, work, TV, drama, friends, appliance or car breakdown, relationship issues, the list goes on and on. When does it stop or slow down? Before you know it, another month has escaped you and you have no idea what you did or if you even enjoyed it. Your stress levels just reached an all time high again as you flip the calendar. Another month of go go go.
So many of us operate at this ridiculous speed and forget to slow down. We feel that if we go like a mad hatter we get more accomplished and feel somewhat victorious. All at a high cost. Our mental and physical health and exhaustion. It’s very important to take some time throughout the day and just chill out. If you don’t know how to do that or still struggle, here are 6 simple ways to Zen out.
Turn it off.
All of it. Phones, computer monitor, iPad and every other electronic gadget you are attached to. Shut it down. Take 5 minutes to sit quietly with no outside distractions. No emails, no bosses calling (they can call back), and close your eyes. If you happen to have a really fantastic view from your window, look outside. Breath in the silence, take it all in and enjoy it. You’ll see 5 minutes may turn to 10.
Breathe.
In and out. Many times. Slowly and easily. Once you have unplugged or if you are sitting after work in your favourite chair, take a few moments to be in the present, and breathe. From here you can breathe in good energy and blow out all the events from the day. All the triggers and stressors. Get rid of them. this may take some practice but getting it right isn’t important, doing it is. You will eventually find a groove that resonates with you.
Talk to yourself.
Use your words to calm yourself down. Who cares if anyone is listening? It’s your Zen time and you need to chill out. So tell yourself it’s time to calm down. Tell yourself that all that craziness going on in your head right now needs to stop, if only for 5 or 10 minutes. If you prefer to whisper to yourself, that’s great too. the softness of your voice will quickly calm you down. Want to shout instead? That will surely snap you out of busy-ness and put you into a forced state of calm. Perfect.
Maestro, music please.
Dig out that classical cd and tune into it for a few minutes. Train your brain and ears to listen to the softness and calmness of it. After a few minutes it will naturally listen. Take it in. The piano, the flute, tune into each instrument and revel in its beauty. If there is other music that does this for you, then put that on but no lyrics, only instrumental. No distracting words.
Put the kettle on.
For some people, just putting on a pot of boiling water for tea is calming all in itself. Just knowing that in two minutes you will be sipping a nice steamy mug of herbal (yes herbal) tea instantly calms our minds. There is just something about herbal tea. Make it chamomile or a light vanilla flavour. The aroma will soothe your frazzled nerves in seconds.
Hello couch.
When was the last time you plopped your arse on the couch with no TV on, no cell phone, soft music and a nice mug of herbal tea? All sounds extremely therapeutic to me. Have a favourite cozy chair with a pillow and a blanket? Go chill out there for a few minutes. Schedule this on to your daily planner and do it. Make time for you. Make an appointment to do this like you would a doctor’s appointment. And stick to it.
Make more time for you so you can be a better version of you for the real world and everyone else in it. You can’t pour from an empty cup and if you run yourself to the ground, you’re done. Take time for you. You deserve it.
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AD Round-Up: Luxury Living Through The Ages
© Kazunori Fujimoto
Although societies have transformed through the ages, wealth never truly seems to go out of style. That said, the manner in which it is expressed continually adapts to each successive cultural epoch. As a consequence of evolving social mores and emerging technologies, the ideal of “luxury” and “splendour” sees priorities shift from opulence to subtlety, from tradition to innovation, and from visual ornamentation to physical comfort.
AD Classics are ArchDaily’s continually updated collection of longer-form building studies of the world’s most significant architectural projects. In these ten examples of “high-end” residences, which represent centuries of history across three separate continents, the ever-changing nature of status, power and fine living is revealed.
Palazzo Santa Sofia / Giovanni Bon (1430)
AD Classics: Palazzo Santa Sofia / The Ca d’Oro
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Built during a time of unprecedented prosperity in the Venetian Republic, the Palazzo Santa Sofia was as much a symbol of la Serenissima’s wealth and power as it was its owner’s. Famous for the gilding that once covered much of its elaborate marble stonework, the palazzo has earned the enduring nickname Ca d’Oro—the House of Gold. Even without its shimmering ornamentation today, it’s marble cladding and impossibly delicate carvings stand true to its name.
Neuschwanstein Castle / Eduard Riedel (1886)
AD Classics: Neuschwanstein Castle / Eduard Riedel
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Inspired by medieval fables and Wagnerian operas, Neuschwanstein Castle was the creation of the flamboyant Bavarian King Ludwig II. Fervent in his desire to escape the real world and to live in a Romantic medieval fantasy, Ludwig spent much of his fortune on a series of castles before being quietly deposed on the grounds of insanity. Despite its Romanesque Revivalist style, Neuschwanstein’s steel skeletal structure and various mechanical conveniences mark it as a product of late Industrial Era Europe.
Gamble House / Greene & Greene (1908)
AD Classics: The Barbican Estate / Gamble House / Greene & Greene
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Going against the Classicist grain of the early 20th Century, the Gamble House is a masterpiece of the American Arts and Crafts movement. Architects Greene & Greene combined elements of traditional Japanese and European design to create a house that was thoroughly suited to its California setting. Gamble House’s rich carpentry and ornate stained glass windows earned it National Historic Landmark status, and it now serves as a public museum.
King’s Road House / Rudolf Schindler (1921)
AD Classics: Kings Road House / Rudolf Schindler
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King’s Road House in West Hollywood is considered by many to be the world’s first Modernist home. Designed by its first inhabitants, the use of then-innovative tilt slab concrete construction allowed them to build it themselves, as well. With its exposed concrete structure and full-height windows looking out onto Japanese-inspired gardens, King’s Road House represented a wholly new form of residential luxury and comfort.
Villa Savoye / Le Corbusier (1929)
AD Classics: Villa Savoye / Le Corbusier
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The Villa Savoye is the physical embodiment of Le Corbusier’s “Five Points” for architectural design. Located outside of Paris, this 1920s take on the French country house was to become one of the most influential templates for Modernist residential design in history. Inspired by, and built for, the technology of the automobile, the Villa Savoye was perhaps the most enduring example of Le Corbusier’s “machine for living.”
Taliesin West / Frank Lloyd Wright (1959)
AD Classics: Taliesin West / Frank Lloyd Wright
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Conceived as a counterpart to his summer home in Wisconsin, Taliesin West is Frank Lloyd Wright’s architectural interpretation of the Arizona desert. Synthesizing his Prairie Style with local materials and techniques, Wright developed an airy, open series of spaces that are simultaneously shielded from the intense desert sun. Taliesin West now serves as the home of the Taliesin Fellowship and the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture, allowing students to learn in the building that once housed Wright and his apprentices.
Saltzman House / Richard Meier & Partners Architects (1969)
AD Classics: Saltzman House / Richard Meier & Partners Architects
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With pure white geometry lifted above the ground plane by pilotis, Richard Meier’s Saltzman House represents a more refined development of Le Corbusier’s architectural principles; its construction in 1969 signaled Meier’s staunch refusal to submit to the rise of the Postmodern movement in architecture. Most of the house’s public spaces are on its second and third floors, providing views of the nearby coastline not achievable at ground level.
The Barbican Estate / Chamberlin, Powell and Bon Architects (1976)
AD Classics: The Barbican Estate / Chamberlin, Powell and Bon Architects
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Much like the King’s Road House, the concrete towers of the Barbican Estate do not give an immediate impression of luxury. Situated in the heart of London, the Estate is an urban microcosm, with its three residential towers rising above the public cultural and retail facilities distributed throughout the site. While the Saltzman House is based on Le Corbusier’s principles for individual buildings, the Barbican Estate echoes his concepts for urban planning; the complex is now regarded as one of Britain’s finest examples of Brutalist architecture.
Koshino House / Tadao Ando (1984)
AD Classics: Koshino House / Tadao Ando
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The severe concrete forms of the Koshino House disguise Tadao Ando’s careful consideration of the site on which they were built. Intentionally placed so as not to disrupt the existing trees, two rectilinear masses and a later curvilinear addition are partially sunken into the slope of the land, allowing the house to become a harmonious element of the environment instead of dominating it. Narrow apertures in the façade allow natural light to enter the interior in a carefully controlled manner, allowing light itself to serve as the building’s only ornamentation.
Villa dall’Ava / OMA (1991)
AD Classics: Villa dall’Ava / OMA
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Situated on a hill overlooking Paris, the Villa dall’Ava comprises two apartments in three rectilinear volumes. The individual apartments are contained in aluminum-clad boxes, connected by a glazed volume that houses the family’s communal living spaces. Windows throughout the home are oriented to capture the best views of the gardens and the city, and the rooftop pool—at the client’s request—features an enviable view of the distant Eiffel Tower.
The Dune House / ARCHISPEKTRAS
© Juozas Kamenskas
- Architects: ARCHISPEKTRAS
- Location: Pape, Rucavas pagasts, LV-3477, Latvia
- Area: 175.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2015
- Photographs: Juozas Kamenskas
- Team: Aidas Kalinauskas, Vaidas Tamošiūnas
© Juozas Kamenskas
From the architect. The wind and the sunset. Kite surfers and boats. The dune and the meadow – full of tall grass and little flowers with ever changing colors. Layers of relative distances, experiences and dimensions are the things that define living by the sea.
© Juozas Kamenskas
The house is situated in the dunes of the Baltic sea. A sharp linear thatched structure is elegantly intersecting and engaging with curvy lines of it‘s surroundings. The main facade material – straws – was carefully selected to match the color and material of a typical local building in the area.
© Juozas Kamenskas
Floor Plan
© Juozas Kamenskas
The aim was to design a vacation house for a kitesurfer’s family where they could relax in a most comfortable way. All rooms are facing the endless horizon towards the sea. Living room, kitchen, dining and lounge areas are grouped into one. Spaces on different levels create a magnificent experience where social interactions emerge. Light coming from top adds to the breezy character of the house.
© Juozas Kamenskas
Interior is full of wood and warmth. A little bit raw and soft at the same time. It invites and brings you to the holiday mood.
© Juozas Kamenskas
Cadaval & Solà-Morales completes black concrete retreat in Mexican countryside
Black-painted concrete frames the two glazed boxes that make up this holiday home, designed by architects Cadaval & Solà-Morales for a growing tourist resort on the outskirts of Mexico City (+ slideshow). (more…)
Open Studio Pty Ltd. Creates a Semi-Permanent Residence in Victoria, Australia
Residence J&C is a private home located in Victoria, Australia. Completed in 2016, it was designed by Open Studio Pty Ltd. Residence J&C by Open Studio Pty Ltd.: “The clients’ brief was clear and simple: a semi-permanent residence – something more than a weekender – for a couple, their dog and sporadic visitors. The site, located in Somers and virtually on the beach, offers panoramic views across Western Port Bay…
Bar Nou / MAIO
© José Hevia
- Architects: MAIO
- Location: Barcelona, Spain
- Architecture Project Team : María Charneco, Alfredo Lérida, Guillermo López, Anna Puigjaner
- Area: 149.0 sqm
- Project Year: 2015
- Photographs: José Hevia
- Interior Design Firm: MAIO
- Owner: Proyectos y desarrollos bcn s.l.
- Graphics: Ana Domínguez
- Budget: 130.000 euros
© José Hevia
The refurbishment of the existing bar, located near the center of Barcelona, demanded the creation of a new and easily recognizable spatial identity. To that end, a new vaulted ceiling system has been cre- ated in order to provide domesticity while keeping a continuous perception of space. The ceiling vaults are extended up to the front line of the façade and intersect the windows and the walls in a free way. Thus, the encounter of the vaults with the preexistence is made visible through the windows, which render visible the section of the interior space and its domestic atmosphere. On the access facade the timber frame of the ceiling is shown in order to make clear its non structural nature and strengthen its scenographic nature.
© José Hevia
Diagram
© José Hevia
Bar nou offers on its menu Pa amb tomaquet (bread with tomatoes), a typical catalan dish presented in a contemporary manner. According to this, one of the demands of the clients consisted in combining contemporary design with traditional approaches. Since its importance is capital for the bar’s identi- ty, a dj-booth looking altar devoted to its preparation has been designed and placed at the core of the space. There chefs play, as if they were the new dj’s, their role of pamtomaquers under a brand new vaulted scenography.
Diagram
Diagram
Diagram
Besides the space, the project has also developed the design of the interior elements including furni- ture and lights. Both the chairs and tables introduce common materials in domestic tradition, such as cattail or mirrors. With regard to lighting, three complementary typologies have been designed. With urban scale in mind, the project uses figurative neon lights to emphasize its presence in a busy and crowded crossroad. Meanwhile, the interior suspended lamps consist of a pivoting metal tube arm that allows them to adapt to the changing position of the tables and in turn draws from outside a constel- lation of points in permanent modification. Additionally, three legged lamps provide a domestic and atmospherical light.
© José Hevia
The Top 10 Most Multicultural Cities In The World
You’re reading The Top 10 Most Multicultural Cities In The World, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’re enjoying this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
The world we live in today is an explosion of multiple cultures clashed together.
From the diverse cuisines we enjoy, friends we have, and the foreign languages we’re surrounded by, most of us enjoy the vibrancy of different cultures around us.
However, if you are looking for the ultimate multicultural experience, we’ve curated the most multicultural cities in the world that you can visit. There’s a good chance that the city you’re living in today is also on this list, so make sure you share it with your local friends!
The Top 10 Most Multicultural Cities In The World
10. Dubai
This is a city that was built from the ground up by workers from different countries around the world. In just a few decades, Dubai went from a small town on the Persian Gulf coast to a globally recognized city. With a diversity rate of over 83%, Dubai ranks as one of the most multicultural cities in the world.
9. Los Angeles
Los Angeles, also known as The Angels in Spanish, was historically a part of Mexico, which is why it’s worth learning Spanish if you live here. Today, it’s the second largest city in the United States, with people from approximately 140 countries speaking 86 different languages calling it home. A lot of this springs from the flexible immigration laws, inspiring people from around the world to create the American dream here. The area of Los Angeles has created multiple cultural neighborhoods, such as Koreatown, Little Tokyo, and Boyle Heights.
8. London
London is the most multicultural city in Europe, and the largest city in the United Kingdom. While the official language is English, more than one-third of the population in London are born in a foreign country. On the streets of this diverse city, over 200 languages are spoken on a day to day basis, and it only continues to grow.
7. Amsterdam
Recognized as the city of freedom and tolerance, there are people with over 178 different cultural backgrounds living in this city. In order to help non-Dutch speakers that live here, the city sponsors many free language classes to help them, and even hosts multicultural events throughout the year to promote their worldly view.
6. New York
It goes without saying that New York is often recognized as a city of misfits that have banded together from around the world. The city established what’s called the Mayor’s Office of Immigrant Affairs, which has created several executive orders and laws to help those who are coming from abroad — about 36% of its population.
5. Paris
Paris is ranked second to London as the most multicultural city in Europe. What makes Paris stand out is that it’s the only international city in the world, where English is not the main form of communication between people from different nationalities.
4. Singapore
After gaining independence in 1965, this tiny island nation has transformed into a multicultural and economic powerhouse in Asia. Singapore boasts four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil, and approximately 40% of its population comes from foreign countries abroad.
3. Sydney
While Sydney is far from the rest of the world, it is a close neighbor to many of the Asian countries, including China, Hong Kong, Japan, and Korea. This is why over 40% of its population are from overseas, such as the Philippines, UK, Italy, China, and more.
As the largest city in Australia, Sydney is often recognized as the “Australian New York.”
2. Hong Kong
Like Singapore, Hong Kong is another tiny nation that has risen to become an economic powerhouse in Asia. Rumors state that much of their multiculturalism comes from hiring cheap labor in China or India.
While discrimination will continue to exist, it’s hard to deny the diversity of cultures that clash within this energetic city.
1. Toronto
Toronto is the largest city in Canada, and it’s often recognized as the ‘most multicultural city in the world.’
People from the UK, Ireland, China and Italy, to name a few, represent some of the larger cultural groups in this city, while smaller communities include people from Iran, the Netherlands, Nepal, Romania and many other countries. This exciting place also features dozens of ethnic neighborhoods waiting to be explored, including Chinatown, Greektown, Roncesvalles Village (Little Poland), Little Italy, and Little India.
Is there a city we missed that should be on this list of the most multicultural cities in the world? If so, let us know which one we missed and share your favorite ones!
You’ve read The Top 10 Most Multicultural Cities In The World, originally posted on Pick the Brain | Motivation and Self Improvement. If you’ve enjoyed this, please visit our site for more inspirational articles.
Joe Doucet and Inga Sempé design carafe and cupolas for Nude glassware
London Design Festival 2016: Joe Doucet and Inga Sempé are among the designers to have created simple glassware pieces for Turkish glassware brand Nude (+ slideshow). (more…)
Sig Nordal 