Here are some cool interior shots from the portfolio of Beppe Brancato. The Italian photographer shot this series for Italian design magazine Case Da Abitare. The photographer describes himself as, “An individual who is ready to undertake any given task and be an empty canvas ready to absorb his surrounding and expand along with it.”

For more information, visit www.beppebrancato.com

This boutique Hotel Fabian in Helsinki is a small, charming abode, located in the design neighborhood, a short walk away form city center, the water and loads of restaurants and shopping. The staff is super friendly, very accommodating and like the hotel itself, offer a sense of authenticity and interest. Although the rooms are small, they are designed beautifully, clean, crisp with a masculine edge. The sheet and towels are of the best quality, their motto seems to be less is more. No clutter and unnecessary objects in the rooms, it’s very utilitarian with a healthy dollop of a cozy, at home feeling. The living room, common lounge downstairs is equally as charming, chic sturdy furniture, lots of books, a coffee/liquor bar and although they do not have a restaurant, they do serve a fantastic buffet breakfast every morning, included in the price. All in all, this hotel was a great choice, again, VisitFinland.com did a great job with my accommodations and activities. The great thing about Helsinki is that you can walk and/or talk the bus, which was free with the City Key Pass they gave me. Staying at Hotel Fabian was just the icing on the cake, after an unnecessary and terrible experience at a fancy, very expensive Oslo hotel with all the “bells and whistles” it was such a breathe of fresh air to be somewhere where the focus was personal and caring with a super elegant slant.

www.hotelfabian.fi/en

It looks like Solange is taking after her brother-in-law.

She has launched her own record label, named Saint Records, and for label’s debut single she got the fabulous Kendrick Lamar for a new version of her True track “Looks Good With Trouble“. She plans to be releasing her own music along with other projects, but still all distributed through Sony. Check out the down beat slow jam, with Kendrick jumping on it. A perfect late spring vibe.

You might say we have a small obsession with photographer Matthieu Belin. We have already featured him several times (here and here) but because of this…hmmmmmm…small obsession, we thought we’d show you some of his earlier work that has not been showcased as of yet. His stunning imagery walks the line between tradition and contemporary, his love of showing design product in ancient foundations is a signature element that immediately associates him with the work. Even in campaigns he continually nods to the past; culture, dress, architecture, there is usually something there to indicate his respect and love for it. He of course is located in the ultimate part of the planet to exorcize this passion, China, with it’s mad dash to modernize is a country seeped in the immersion of both the old and the new. Sadly, the remaining structures and cultural foundations are at major risk of being lost to the Chinese’s bulldozing race with time. So it is a blessing to have Belin there, allowing us to open our imagination and live vicariously through his images and with our modern eyes, a chance to re-live the past.

For more information, visit www.matthieubelin.com

Designer Daniel Carlsten, who art directed the flowers series we featured last week, created this lovely series of paper craft foods for Platinum Magazine by American Express.  The papercrafting trend continues to go strong, and as we have come to really enjoy work from designers like Sarah Illenberger, and artists like Thomas Demand, it is always great to see a new dynamic artist thrown into the mix of something we love.  This series was created for an article on Australian cuisine, yum!

For more information, visit www.danielcarlsten.com

Are words capable of forming colors?  The idea is put to the test with some of the world’s greatest literature by designer Jaz Parkinson, who created color coded compositions for titles like “A Clockwork Orange” and “Romeo and Juliet”.  What do you guys think, are you ready to skip the text all together?

Last we checked in with Hungarian photographer Akos Major, he had been traveling the Far East for some luscious shots of Thailand, Cambodia, and Dubai. It looks like he is still out documenting his travels, most recently documenting more journeys in Hungary, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates in this series ‘Stay’.  His eye for color is quite uncanny and he really has a talent for shaping engaging compositions.  Simply stunning!

For more information, visit www.akosmajor.com

For some on trend interior ideas, check out this space designed by Susanna Vento. Bold graphic forms meet minimalism in this stimulating environment.  Using wallpaper here has added a dose of playfulness, keeping it all quite interesting. Photography by Kristiina Kurronen.

For more information, visit www.susannavento.fi

Meet Cosmo Sheldrake: A 22 year-old master looper, vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and producer.

A creative combination of Chinese Man, Waldeck, Bonobo, and Dirty Projectors, “The Fly” upholds a hip-hop inspired foundation with experimental overlays and again with vocal charisma in “Rich”. It was after hours of zoning out in the musical underworld of Soundcloud, that I was propped up then whiplashed by the articulate loops, urban flow, and melodic hypnotism of Cosmo Sheldrake. The British musical prodigy has retained a rather covert image outside of the UK, harboring some big sound and unique production between London and Brighton that breed classical, folk and hip-hop.  We’re thrilled to unleash him on TL and remain on standby for more. Tell us what you think!