Design

These pods are moored in a canal in The Hague. They used to be oil rig life rafts, but now they serve as hotel rooms. Except for an exterior lock and a chemical toilet, they remain in their original state. This way, you can get the true life raft-in-a-canal experience!

Denis Oudendijk, the owner, established this business in 2004 as an art project. He plans to expand it to include pods in Amsterdam and Nantes — via Neatorama

The 100 square metre residential home is located in Old Jaffa. Its location is unique in that it is set above the harbour, facing west with all of its openings facing the majestic splendour of the Mediterranean Sea. Whilst it is difficult to determine the buildings exact age, it is clear that it is hundreds of years old. Over the years, it has undergone many changes and had many additions [Pitsou Kedem Architect] made that have damaged the original quality of the building and its spaces — via ArchDaily

AG Nova Architects designed a clubhouse for tennis courts in Amersfoort, Netherlands — via CONTEMPORIST

I’m a fan of the Spanish tuner Radical Ducati: their bikes are invariably well engineered and good looking. And they seem to know what to change and what to leave alone. This latest bike is nicknamed Rad to Hell, and it’s based on the Monster S2R 1000 — via Bike EXIF

A series of fought-for conversions [Castanes Architects], happy accidents and perfect timings led to this amazing two-story apartment that occupies the pyramidal pinnacle of Seattle’s Smith Tower, once the tallest building on the West Coast of the United States (yet one encircled with much misinformation about who lives at its top and why).

And on top of this mysterious dwelling? A great glass globe with unparalleled 360-degree views of Puget Sound, Mount Rainier and essentially every other sight the city has to offer, urban or otherwise — via Dornob

I’m sure it would have been tempting for the developers of this mini estate to knock up something mock Georgian, especially in light of the area. But this modernist-inspired four-bedroom house for sale in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire thankfully pushes the boundaries a little more.

If you want cutting edge, this is likely to be for you. Just as long as you have £725,000 — via WowHaus

Clay Rathburn of Atom Bombspecialises in low-key customs, the kind that have a charm that grows on you. This is his latest bike, a 1957 Triumph Thunderbird built for Corey Theuerkauf — via Bike EXIF

An instant conversation starter, this unique retro gaming inspired couch will be the highlight of any room. Designed and manufactured in Los Angeles, California; to insure the highest build quality. It features and all fine leather pixelated retro design, a low profile, and memory foam cushions — via Igor Chak

There’s a renewed emphasis on performance—but not the clinical, metered-by-electronics performance of contemporary sportsbikes. It’s the raw, loud horsepower offered by machines such as the Kawasaki Z1, like this recent resto-modfrom the Tokyo West outlet of Sanctuary in Japan — via Bike EXIF

Jason Wonder‘s Rev-2 was one of my favorite Harley customs last year. It was also a big hit with Chris Ronan of design company RD2, so Chris commissioned Jason to build a sequel. And here it is, but this time based on an XR1200 rather than a V-Rod. It’s also 120 lbs lighter than a stock XR1200 — via Bike EXIF

The Nautica NCT 800 is designed as a handsome dress watch and is powered by a Miyota Japanese quartz movement with tachymeter functionality and water resistance up to 100 metres — via Watchuseek Watch Blog

This is the cleanest Yamaha SR500 café racer I’ve seen for a long, long time—the Lossa Engineering Solus. The builder is Jay LaRossa of Long Beach, California and he specializes in café racers based on Japanese, Italian and British bikes from the 1960s and 1970s — via Bike EXIF

Christopher Ward, a British company who have an expanding range of mechanical and quartz watches have released details of an interesting new model, the C11, an aviator/instrument styled watch which is in the vein of Bell and Ross’ BR-01.

Two models are going to be available. An automatic powered by either an ETA 2824-2 or Sellita SW200-1 and a Quartz chronograph — via WristWatchReview.com

The Seiko 5 Sports SNZF45 looks very similar the more-familiar Seiko Monster models (the SKX781 and SKX779). The main differences from the afore-mentioned Monster models seem to be; water resistance is only rated at 100m, versus 200m; the crown does not screw down; the watch face is in white, rather than orange or black; uses the 7S36B automatic movement, rather than the 7S26. A quick search on the web reveals that the watch should be priced around $150, which brings it an even more-affordable price range than the Monster models were already in — via WristWatchReview.com

The latest bike to roll out of the Wrenchmonkees’ Copenhagen workshop is this deliciously raw, no-frills Triumph Thruxton. It’s owned by Peter from Holland, but was originally a UK bike—delivered in mint condition, and almost original. Peter wanted a no-nonsense bike, says Per of the Wrenchmonkees, with better handling, more power, and a matt, naked build — via Bike EXIF

The First Sun House in Amersham, Buckinghamshire, is a stunning property, now grade II-listed and designed by the modernist-loving architectural partnership of Connell & Ward, as well as being heavily inspired by Le Corbusier. It’s one of five Sun Houses built on the slopes leading up to the previously-mentioned High and Over House, said to be the first modernist properties built in Britain. The First Sun House (confusingly labelled number 4) has been modernised inside over its three levels, in keeping with is original minimalist design but to suit a contemporary lifestyle, says the agent.

It wouldn’t be cheap if it was up for sale — and it’s certainly not cheap to rent. You’ll need to give the agent £3,000 per calendar month — via WowHaus