Pineapple Magazine
Designers Changyong Park and Patternity discuss urban greenery in Airbnb’s new quarterly travel magazine
To elevate their home-rental business to another platform, today Airbnb introduced their first print publication, playfully entitled Pineapple. With contributions from conventional writers and hosts, the glossy magazine aims to take on the traditional travel publication format with a distinct voice covering a wide range of topics—culture, art, food and style alongside neighborhood guides, insider tips and local community coverage. The first issue sets its sights on London, Seoul and San Francisco.
Nestled within the initial issue lies an insightful interview with CH favorites Anna Murray and Grace Winteringham of Patternity, the UK-based pattern consultants. Together with Korean graphic designer Changyong Park, the three discuss patterns in architecture and nature (highlighting six specific unique London locations where patterns are prevalent) while exploring the beautiful, flora-filled Garden Museum in London.
Though chiefly concerned with manmade patterns in her daily professional life, Murray understands the need for nature to act as a balancing agent in urban landscapes. “It’s important to have the green to break the pattern of the gray and mundane,” she tells Park. “We want to surround ourselves with nature, but I don’t think we’ve found that happy medium yet. Living walls for example, are a nice nod toward appreciating nature, but at the moment it’s still man’s take on nature.” As their respective cities differ greatly in their approach to aesthetic design and environmental issues—garden-friendly London contrasted against the dense, glass-clad Seoul—such soundbites seem to carry even more weight.
Throughout the intensely interesting conversation, the three creatives offer well-informed opinions and unique viewpoints that only further encourage the reader to think about their environment. With even more enticing content beyond the Patternity interview across 125 pages, Pineapple is sure to engage curious readers. The inaugural mag hits Airbnb hosts and a select number of vendors 21 November 2014.
Images courtesy of Airbnb
