Hasta La Ideas

pimg alt=”hard_chair1.jpg” src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/hard_chair1.jpg” width=”468″ height=”351″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //p

pIf you want to convince someone about something, you’d better give them a soft seat./p

pThis is one design implication coming out of a surprising a href=”http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/06/25/heavy-rough-and-hard-%E2%80%93-how-the-things-we-touch-affect-our-judgments-and-decisions/”new set of studies/a that examines the relationship between our sense of touch and our attitudes and decisions. The studies looked at the unconscious associations between aesthetic elements such as texture, hardness, and weight, and found that by exposing subjects to these elements, researchers could elicit different responses to the same social questions and tests./p

pFor example, study participants who sat in a soft seat and were asked to negotiate with a car dealer made far more generous second offers than those who sat in hard seats. The hard seats literally made them more rigid. Similarly, when volunteers were asked to read and evaluate a story about an interaction between a supervisor and an employee, the ones in the hard wooden chairs viewed the boss as stricter and more rigid than the ones who sat in soft, cushioned chairs. In another experiment, participants who had just put together a puzzle with pieces coated in rough sandpaper were more likely to find a story of an ambiguous social interaction to be difficult and adversarial than those who had put together a puzzle made of smooth, varnished pieces. Harsh textures evidently prime us to think harshly. Other related studies have shown correlations between a href=”http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2008/10/26/warm-hands-warm-heart-how-physical-and-emotional-warmth-are-linked/”temperature and social attitudes/a (proving the intrinsic truth behind the phrases “warm fuzzies” and “cold pricklies”), between weight and perceived seriousness, and between a href=”http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/notrocketscience/2010/02/08/clean-smells-promote-generosity-and-fair-play-dark-rooms-and-sunglasses-promote-deceit-and-selfishness/””clean smells” and moral behavior/a. /pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/columns/to_change_hearts_and_mindschange_their_chair_16836.asp”(more…)/a
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Private Island luxury, service and relaxation epitomized in Turks and Caicos

Part of the north Caribbean archipelago of the Turks and Caicos, Parrot Cay was once a refuge for a notorious duo of female pirates, Anne Bonny and Mary Reid. Nearly 300 years later, tranquility prevails over the private island, covering 1,000 acres of nature, sand and surf. Our recent vacation at the Parrot Cay Resort provided an ideal setting for a luxurious and relaxed getaway.

The trip begins with a flight to Providenciales, Grand Turk, which is served by direct flights from Miami (under two hours) and New York City (under four hours). You are taken by car to the resort’s private marina, and upon entering the dock house immediately begin the transition. Once the bags are loaded you (and any other arriving guests) are escorted to one of the resort’s boats for the 25 minute trip to the island. This ride is not only scenic and beautiful, it completes your transition from stressville to relaxation. You are greeted at the dock Fantasy Island-style, and whisked away by golf cart to your room, villa or private home.

Accommodations at the 50-acre property include a total of around 60 rooms ranging from garden- and ocean-facing guest rooms in the Colonial-style hotel, sunny beach villas and stately private homes. With interiors designed by Keith Hobbs of London’s United Designers, each is simply but luxuriously appointed with four-poster beds and teak furniture—and depending on the room—features airy suites, secluded sundecks, private heated swimming pools and butler service. Our beach-side villa was such an oasis in its own right that we didn’t often leave.

Having traveled extensively in the Caribbean we were most impressed by the food, which hands down is some of the best we’ve had in the region and can hold its own in any major city. The resort shops for local and organic ingredients in Miami several times a week and flies the food in the resort’s cargo plane, supplementing with local fish and produce whenever possible. Its two restaurants, Lotus and Terrace, serve Caribbean-, Asian- and Mediterranean-inflected dishes as well as a special Spa menu, which includes Vegetarian, Vegan and raw options. Room service with an extensive menu is also available, and every Saturday Lotus holds a barbecue.

Part of the resort’s allure is the COMO Shambhala Retreat. The spa pavilions command views of Parrot Cay’s wetlands—home to many of the island’s 175 bird species—and the North Caicos Channel. Amenities include Japanese baths, massage rooms, Asian and Ayurvedic therapies, yoga and pilates studios, and private spaces for couples treatments or romantic meals.

When not enjoying the spa or one of two infinity pools, the mile long staffed beach provides ample space as well as a full menu of water sport options, and those seeking more adventurous diversions, can schedule diving, bonefishing, windsurfing and kayaking. Expeditions to nearby islands are also available.

Rates at Parrot Cay are seasonal, starting at $696 in the summer and $938 in the winter. Many packages are available with special offers, discounts for multiple night stays, integrated spa services and food packages. You can check out their
rooms,
special offers and
rates, and book your reservation online. You can book through the resort’ s reservation team at res@parrotcay.como.bz.

More images in the gallery

pimg alt=”0darwinchair.jpg” src=”http://www.core77.com/blog/images/0darwinchair.jpg” width=”468″ height=”1038″ class=”mt-image-none” style=”” //p

pHere’s A HREF=”http://www.dezeen.com/2010/06/24/darwin-chair-by-stefan-sagmeister/” a closer look/A at the Darwin Chair A HREF=”http://www.core77.com/blog/events/design_miamibasel_celebrating_its_fifth_anniversary__16738.asp” we briefly mentioned spotting/A at Design Miami/Basel earlier this month. Done by graphic designer Stefan Sagmeister for A HREF=”http://www.droog.com/” droog/A, the cheeky chair enables quick graphic changes: It’s covered in 200 sheets of paper all printed with different patterns, so you can either tear out worn or undesirable sheets, or simply flip to find a pattern you like at the moment. /p

pShould you decide to proceed in order and rip off only the top page for each chair-change, Droog notes that “the remaining perforation eventually forms a comfortable head rest.” Let’s just hope those sheets get recycled./p

pvia A HREF=”http://www.dezeen.com/2010/06/24/darwin-chair-by-stefan-sagmeister/” dezeen/Abr /
/pa href=”http://www.core77.com/blog/object_culture/sagmeister_and_droogs_darwin_chair_is_all_the_page_16842.asp”(more…)/a
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div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/2010/06/0hmcompass01.jpg” width=”468″ height=”1137″ alt=”0hmcompass01.jpg”//div

pHerman Miller’s new A HREF=”http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Compass-System” Compass/A line of healthcare furniture, designed in collaboration with Boston’s A HREF=”http://www.dcontinuum.com/content/” Continuum/A design consultancy, recently A HREF=”http://www.marketwatch.com/story/continuum-designs-new-category-of-healthcare-furnishings-for-herman-miller-wins-a-gold-best-of-neocon-award-at-the-neocon-worlds-trade-fair-2010-06-23?reflink=MW_news_stmp” took the Gold Award/A at NeoCon. The key innovation of the system is that everything mounts on special rails installed into the wall, which has multiple benefits. Chief among these is that furniture pieces are lifted up off of the floor. Researchers noticed that the typical hospital patient does not “bring their Spring wardrobe” along with them, meaning large storage space is not needed; yet most case-good furniture installed in hospitals is of standard depth, and if it were made more shallow, there’s a danger it would tip over. Compass’ wall-mounting system alleviates this, and their shallower depths provide more space for caregivers to move around./p

pAnother neat detail is the way the edges of the system are designed to reduce the risk of infection: If anything should spill on a horizontal surface of a Compass component, it rolls off the edge and straight down to the floor (and not into a drawer, thanks to a careful selection of angles), where it’s easy to mop up. /p

div style=”align: right;”img src=”http://s3files.core77.com/blog/images/2010/06/0hmcompass02.jpg” width=”468″ height=”459″ alt=”0hmcompass02.jpg”//div

pHere’s a video of designer Gianfranco Zaccai describing the system. (For those interested in design research, there’s a separate Compass video on the subject A HREF=”http://www.hermanmiller.com/Products/Compass-System” here/A.)/p

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