Hasta La Ideas

Panama City’s recently opened boutique hotel combines locally inspired art and sustainably modern design

Panama City’s recently opened Tántalo Hotel offers hospitality with an artsy edge in the city’s historic Casco Viejo neighborhood. Located in what is generally considered Panama’s arts district, the micro-boutique hotel houses just 13 rooms—each featuring artwork from one of 13 local artists—with an architectural facade that reflects the influence of the city’s periodic occupation by Spain, France and the U.S. While we haven’t yet been to visit the property, we’re excited about its potential as a new equatorial destination.

The contrast of the exterior’s historical inspiration and the focus on contemporary local art on the inside gives the property a truly unique feel. With work spanning photography, painting and various types of installations, the hotel’s interior can be explored like a museum with the comfort of an intimate, upbeat place to stay.

Central to the hotel’s design both physically and figuratively is the main lounge’s “living wall”. Standing at eight meters wide and two stories high, this sustainable, striking installation plays host to some 983 species of native Panamanian flora, watered by reclaimed rainwater direct from the atrium’s skylights. Additional eco-conscious considerations extend to Panama Canal-harvested wood tables in the Tántalo Kitchen and the use of recycled newspapers and phone books as insulation in the structure’s walls.

To top it all off, the Tántalo Hotel features a sweeping rooftop bar with unrivaled views where guests can sample local craft beers and cocktails. For more information on Panama City’s Tántalo Hotel head online and for a closer look at what the hotel has to offer check the gallery below.

Photography by Stuart Hooper

Upscale design lines, advanced technology and unmatched fuel economy in an all new sedan

You can’t help but notice the 2013 Ford Fusion, a midsize category-busting car hell-bent on improving suburban driveways around the world. The new Fusion is the first car that very clearly articulates the ONE Ford mantra (cars designed for a global market) and the company’s Kinetic design language (which debuted on the Evos concept car launched in Fall 2011 in Frankfurt).

Ford sold Aston Martin (in 2007) and Jaguar (in 2008) along with the other brands in their Premier Automotive Group. Perhaps the best thing the come out of that experience was the importance of design and how it can elevate a very expensive hand made car as well as a car you’ll find all over your neighborhood and in the parking lot at every mall. There was no shortage of comments at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit yesterday that the new Fusion looked “Aston-like” or “Jaguar-like,” things you don’t usually hear about the most crowded and pedestrian segment of the automobile market. Part of this may be attributed to the raised hexagonal grill, narrow lights and rear license plate surround, which Ford’s VP of Global Design and Chief Creative Officer J Mays says “create a terrific stance.” Sexing up the midsize market is good for Ford, and good for all customers who seek to be inspired by design regardless of price point.

The Fusion brings a new level of features to an inexpensive, accessible car—or, as Mays puts it, “a car you are proud to drive.” Standard features include Ford’s Sync voice-activated control system and a lane drifting warning system. Options include blind-spot warning and automated parallel parking systems—things you’re more likely to see on high end luxury cars.

Ford offers the extremely fuel efficient Fusion in five different four cylinder engines—an existing gasoline engine, two new EcoBoost turbo engines, a hybrid and plug-in hybrid. Mays elaborates, “the mpg on this car is truly spectacular—26 mpg on the standard model, 47 mpg on the EcoBoost Hybrid, and 100 mpge on the Energi model. It’s just game changing.”

From what we’ve seen so far, Ford has come together to achieve something their competitors have failed to do—create an economy car that is desirable, practical, and affordable. I’m looking forward to road testing it.

The 2013 Ford Fusion will be available in the U.S. mid-2012 (with all models available by Fall 2012), and will be available in Asia and Europe as the Mondeo in 2013.

Three eco-friendly chargers designed to shut off automatically to save your battery and wallet

Claiming to be the “most eco-friendly and efficient way to charge mobile devices,” Bracketron‘s GreenZero battery and chargers eliminate stand-by energy consumption by automatically shutting off once your device is charged. Set to be released at CES in Las Vegas later this month, the series includes Mushroom and Stone style chargers as well as a Stone battery— for use with iPhone, USB and microUSB devices.

The Mushroom GreenZero charger is the standout due to its ergonomic design and device compatibility—available in iPhone, USB, and Android specific models. The large top, which earned the charger its moniker, acts as a button to be pushed with either hand or foot to turn on. And once the charge is complete it shuts off to save energy and avoid top-off stress on device batteries.

Dropping the large button for a slightly sleeker design, the Stone GreenZero charger is the more travel friendly of the two, featuring a universal USB outlet. And like it’s bigger brother, the Stone shuts off automatically once your device is charged. The third in the family is the Stone battery. This 100mAmp pocket sized power supply offers up to three hours of charge and is available in microUSB and iDevice models.

The GreenZero line will officially launch mid January 2012 at CES and sell for between $22 and $29 from Bracketron online.

A contemporary twist on Bosnian Konjic furniture-making

Having survived WWII, the rise and fall of communism and the breakup of Yugoslavia, Bosnian furniture line Manulution has established an enduring legacy. Last spring, the company caused a stir at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair (ICFF), and is now launching American operations from its Washington, D.C. headquarters. With a history of handcrafted wood furniture dating back to 1927 under parent company Rukotvorine (“handcrafts” in English), the avant-garde collection promises to be a big hit for North Americans yearning for some old-world regal craftsmanship.

A large part of Manulution’s appeal lies in their impeccable track record. With pieces often lasting across three generations, their collection runs in stark contrast to the recent surge of self-assembled disposable furniture. The wood is responsibly sourced from local Bosnian growers, mostly comprising old trees that have ceased to bear fruit and are ready to be replaced with younger saplings. Manulution also reclaims their old furniture from previous owners for resale to discerning antique collectors to ensure that their products never end up in a landfill.

The company has three distinct lines that show a range of aesthetic leanings. The traditional selection features hyper-intricate detailing on ottoman tea tables and chairs while the modern and artisanal collections err on the side of pared-down modernism. Unique to this level of craftsmanship are virtually seamless joints, which give the pieces a fluid finish. The technique draws from the Bosnian tradition of Konjic woodcarving, which is currently under consideration for UNESCO’s World Intangible Cultural Heritage List.

Some of Manulution’s pieces are available at the Mondo Collection in NYC and Haute Living in Chicago. Anthropologie has just started carrying Manulution’s “wave table,” a unique dining piece that features embedded “pockets” that swivel on the table’s planar surface to hold flowers, condiments, or other dinner-time essentials.

Automakers, journalists, and designers collaborate on this fall-ready ride

Design-oriented car magazine Intersection got to try their hand at tricking out a new CR-Z in a recent collaboration with Honda. The result of this industry role-reversal is an autumnal, sand-colored body with orange rims by Yorgo Tloupas and matching tires by Marangoni. For the interior, Honda reached out to designer Eley Kishimoto, requesting that the design team incorporate the company’s “eco-flower,” their symbol for hybrid technology. Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto are no strangers to collaborations, having designed products for BMW, Incase, and Eastpack to name a few. Known for their signature “flash” print, Eley Kishimoto took their motto “print the world” seriously as they tackled this eco- and design-conscious project.

Intersection Magazine approaches their coverage of automobiles from a unique perspective, judging automobiles “from a more artistic and cultural angle.” According to a company press release, “The CR-Z coupé has been completely re-worked as a contemporary design object.” Intersection seized the opportunity to work with Honda, mentioning their admiration for the automaker’s past work, specifically the Cub 50 and the Z600. While the Honda CRZ Intersection Coupé was a one-off creation, Intersection said they would like to see it work its way into regular production.