Best of CH 2016: Instagram
A year of art, architecture and design captured through our favorite social media service
A collaborative editorial effort, cataloging our adventures both at home in NYC and abroad, the Cool Hunting Instagram has become a place where we tease to future stories or simply share what we find inspirational (or delectable) on the fly. Since its inception, our editorial staff has strived to take all our own photos (and not rely on press imagery)—and we think we’ve done a good job of capturing many special moments. Once again, we’ve observed that travel imagery and architecture stand as high performers. But other themes—from the color green to automobiles—also manifested. Thanks for following along and we look forward to another year of sharing.
Travel
It’s almost impossible to track the number of destinations—both domestic and international—the CH editorial team and our swatch of contributors visited this year. Two striking moments capture the vastness, however. One of the world’s most photo-worthy public pools, Bondi Icebergs in Sydney, feels as if it stretches into infinity. And a sunrise in Rio de Janeiro, while we were exploring the city with Google, lands the sheer beauty of it all.
Architecture
From the old to the almost complete, we saw a substantial amount of incredible architecture this year. Maison Saint-Cyr, the most famous and extravagant work of Belgian architect Gustave Strauven, a disciple of Art Nouveau pioneer Victor Horta, was constructed between 1901-03. Bangkok’s pixelated skyscraper, the Mahanakhon Tower, nears completion in our capture. Both captured our gaze.
Interiors
One can do wonders with color and pattern to modify a space into a wonderland. Studio Laviani’s perception-altering installation, called the Ames Room, transformed Foscarini Lamps’ NYC showroom. In Tulum’s Casa Malca Hotel, a rather uncommon beach bar features Keith Haring in the most comprehensive way.
Art
Whether it was at the myriad of museums we visited around the globe, or the numerous phrenetic art fairs, we took great pleasure in sharing art. At LACMA, “Untitled” (1967) by Robert Mapplethorpe showed the artist’s true range of brilliance, as he worked with colored pencil on paper. During Miami Art Week, a Pulse Art Fair standout, Patricia Piccinini’s “The Lovers” (2011) revealed just how curious sculpture can be as an art form.
Automobiles
Design objects in their own right, cars and trucks have the ability to captivate in unexpected ways. While touring Namibia in the Mercedes Benz G Wagon, the moon bathed the beauty. During this year’s Pebble Beach auto show, a stunning 1968 Bizzarrini Manta conveyed just how wild car design can be.
Video
Sometimes it takes a video to convey the true value of an object. At the Baselworld watch and jewelry fair, video was the only way to demonstrate just how animated the time telling mechanism of Ressence’s Type3N watch actually is. Ian Stell’s trippy, transforming wooden furniture, seen at this year’s Collective Design Fair, comes to life by way of moving images.
New York City
Our home town is a frequent source of inspiration. Sometimes it’s the 14th street Space Invader mural. Other times, it’s a view tucked behind a rooftop tiki bar. New York City was a predominant subject—and we think for just reason.
Green
Green is certainly the favorite color here at Cool Hunting—and it manifests in such diverse ways around the world. A little green goes a long way as seen in Milan’s famous Bosco Verticale apartment towers, lending the structure something natural. “Twilight Epiphany,” by James Turrell, lent a serenity to the Rice University campus where it has been installed.
Images by Cool Hunting
