And we’re back! Hello everyone. I hope you all had a good summer and didn’t miss me wittering on too much – don’t answer that. September is a going to be a bumper month packed with all sort of new discoveries, collaborations and styling ideas as well as things to buy for your homes, but…
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Located in the southwest corner of Canada’s British Columbia, Vancouver is a diverse city that offers just about everything you can imagine – an active downtown and waterfront area, notable architecture, a bounty of public art, eclectic shops and restaurants, scenic beaches, and mountains off in the distance. The culturally rich city is easy to pinpoint with its abundance of high-rise buildings, but sprinkled throughout, there are plenty of architectural gems and design-focused spots to give your attention. This guide is a great place to get you started on your next visit to Vancouver.
PS. If you’re heading to IDS Vancouver in a few weeks, be sure to bookmark this guide and explore some of the places mentioned below!
Photo by Gwenael Lewis
The Fairmont Pacific Rim, with its mesmorizing Bocci installation out front, and its downtown location overlooking the water, this luxe hotel has an incredible collection of art by Vancouver and international artists on display throughout.
Photo courtesy of Westbank Corp.
The Shangri-La was designed by Vancouver architect James Cheng and the hotel makes a big impact on the city’s skyline, standing at 646 feet tall. A spot out front is reserved for local and international contemporary artists to create site-specific work in the heart of an urban city.
The Vancouver Art Gallery boasts a permanent collection of over 10,000 pieces of art with about 3% of the works being on view. What stands out is the fact that they’ve amassed quite a collection of works by artists from British Columbia, continuing to preserve the history of art from the region.
Photo courtesy of Contemporary Art Gallery via Travel+Leisure
The CAG (Contemporary Art Gallery) is a non-profit public art gallery that presents 10 to 20 exhibitions and off-site projects every year that focus on contemporary visual art from local and international artists.
Photo courtesy of Equinox Gallery
Equinox Gallery is a modern and contemporary art gallery that is one of Vancouver’s oldest private galleries with an ever-changing roster of works by local and national artists.
Photo courtesy of the Museum of Anthropology
Just 20 minutes from downtown Vancouver, the Museum of Anthropology (MOA) is not only filled with displays of world arts and cultures, but the Arthur Erickson-designed building is pretty spectacular.
Photo by Kristopher Grunert
Located on the water with mountains in the background, the Vancouver Convention Centre West features a 6-acre living roof, amongst the many other environmentally sustainable features, which is pretty cool to see.
Photo by James Dow
Designed by Patkau Architects, the Beaty Biodiversity Centre is located on the University of British Columbia’s campus and houses a natural history museum, along with research labs and offices. The main exhibition hall for the museum is glass enclosed with a skeleton of a Blue Whale on display.
The Vancouver Public Library, designed by Moshe Sadie, feels a bit like the ancient Colosseum of Rome but with a contemporary spin.
Photo by Caroline Williamson for Design Milk
The Interior Design Show Vancouver (IDS Vancouver) is the western version of the original IDS Toronto show, which showcases the best products and furniture from artists, makers, individual designers, and design-focused brands.
The Vancouver Heritage Foundation conducts house tours for varying types of architecture in the area, like mid-century modern homes.
Photo courtesy © Knauf and Brown
Designed by Ste Marie Art Design, Osteria Savio Volpe feels like a Trattoria in the countryside of Italy with its simple and earthy elements.
Photo courtesy of Simcic & Uhrich Architects
The Simcic & Uhrich Architects designed Juniper restaurant has the feel of a distillery with copper elements seen throughout the modern space.
Owned by architect Anne Pearson, Vancouver Special is a shop located in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood that champions design-focused products, lighting, and furniture from local and international design brands.
Photo by Caroline Williamson for Design Milk
It’s hard to miss Livingspace with its massive, geometric staircase that protrudes from the exterior of the building to welcome you. The store, which was designed by Bocci creative director Omer Arbel, showcases furniture, lighting, and accessories from top international brands in a two-level, 19,000 square foot showroom in Vancouver’s Armoury District.
Photo courtesy of Provide
Provide offers a curated selection of unique decor made in a variety of materials, like ceramics, glass, wood, metal, and textiles. Open since 2007, the shop’s founders stock designs they’ve discovered from traveling around the world.
Photo courtesy of designhouse
Located in Yaletown, designhouse has been offering modern wares to the public since 1994, focusing on high-quality, great design that’s also a good value.
For delicious eats, check out Tacofino Gastown \\\ Kissa Tanto \\\ Bao Bei Chinese Brasserie \\\ Nelson the Seagull \\\ Mosquito Dessert
What else are we missing? Comment below with your favorite sites to stay, visit, and shop and we’ll check them out!
Taking a dip in the water is a must for anyone traveling to Italy, but rather than jumping into the ocean off the islands of Capri, why not head inland and take a swim at the Hotel Hubertus, a modern hotel nestled at the the foot of the Kronplatz in the Puster Valley of Valdaora? This new pool designed by noa* (network of architecture) gives guests the impression that they are floating between heaven and earth in a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Dolomites.
The pool rests in between the two accommodation wings of the hotel and has hidden edges that makes it seem like it’s a floating anthracite-colored stone blending into the surrounding landscapes. A glass front and glazed window at the bottom of the pool further reinforces the feeling of floating.
While the pool is certainly a highlight of the Hotel Hubertus, there is more to appreciate out of the water. The same native larch tree trunks that support the pool alternate in a pattern as an additional element to the facade of the hotel, giving off a contrast of old and new. They visibly divide up the building’s fluid shape that seems to mimic the topography of the landscape and also function as sun screens, room dividers and rain protectors.
The hotel also features 16 new suites, a new kitchen with restaurants and “stubens” (kind of like living rooms), a wine cellar, a fitness center, and a relaxation room with terraces boasting panoramic views of the mountainscape of an UNESCO World Heritage site, the Dolomites.
The rooms are accented with art illustrating the outdoor surroundings, miniature tree trunks, and modern furnishings.The same warm brown and cool anthracite hues from the exteriors match the interiors of the guest suites, blurring the lines between indoor and outdoor.
What: The Hotel Hubertus
Where: Via Furcia, 5, 39030 Sorafurcia – Valdora BZ, Italy
How much? Rooms start at approximately $279 and are only available upon request (no online reservation system)
Highlights: While there is much to be enjoyed throughout the property, the cantilevering pool is probably the crown jewel of the hotel.
Design draw: noa* designed the Hubertus to juxtapose old versus new, modern hospitality versus untouched nature. You can see this before you enter the hotel from the design of the facade.
Book it: Visit the Hotel Hubertus
Dutch design house Vij5 kicks off an ambitious goal of launching one new product every week for 10 weeks and to get things started, they’re releasing the Dressed Cabinet. Designed by Puck Dieben, in collaboration with Vij5, the design offers endless flexibility with movable fabric panels that adjust to your storage needs. Also, the pieces invite adults to play around with their furniture to achieve the look they want.
The Dressed Cabinet comes in two versions – Divide and Slide. Divide, available in a short or tall model, includes five meters of Kvadrat fabric that you thread through the slots in the metal frame to create dividers and sections as needed. Slide, which only comes in the tall version, features Kvadrat fabric that’s wrapped around the outside of the frame allowing you to slide it up and down to change where the opening is. Wooden rods hold the fabric taut and in place.
