A French Restaurant Covered In Japanese Tattoo Art

A new restaurant in Aix-en-Provence, France called Koï is transforming the criminal notions of Yakuza tattoos through beautiful design. Major portions of the restaurant are decorated wall-to-wall with the intricate, black-and-white tattoos that are typically affiliated with underground Japanese gang. Architect Vincent Coste tapped surface pattern designer Claire Leina to draw up the bold illustrations, which are featured prominently throughout the entryway and bathrooms, with …

Farmer’s Felt Wallets by Postalco

Folded Japanese paper makes for a surprisingly dynamic and durable accessory

Even the most exuberant pieces produced by Postalco carry a quiet elegance, and much of this pertains to the brand’s use of top-tier materials. For years now, founder Mike Abelson has experimented with premium leathers, pressed cottons and Japanese papers. Along the way, Abelson and his brand have collected devout followers seeking out notebooks, bags, wallets and more. A refined aesthetic—not quite minimal as there …

Link About It: This Week’s Picks

Vale Zaha Hadid, a new high-speed train in Japan, Siberian unicorns and more in this week's look around the web

1. Architect Zaha Hadid Dies at 65 Dame Zaha Hadid, widely considered one of the world’s greatest living architects, died at the age of 65 from a heart attack. Her sudden and shocking passing ends an award-winning career in which she produced some of the world’s most ground-breaking works, including the MAXXI Museum, Spain’s Bridge Pavilion, Cincinnati’s Contemporary Arts Museum and the London Olympic Aquatic …