The Astounds: Elegant

Simplicity Glasswork by Cecilie Manz

Series of mouth-blown glass for Holmegaard A/S. "The name Simplicity refers to the simple and aesthetic shapes." The sculptured pieces are created in transparent glass in the colors smoke and purple, which truly enhance the expression of their beautiful silhouettes. The both simple and voluminous proportions strike an undertone of elegance. With the soft, round and classic shapes, Simplicity sends its regards to design of the 1950's and also to Holmegaard's rich history of tradition.

Source: design-dautore

Dancer Capture by Vadim Stein

Vadim Stein was born in Kiev (Ukraine) in 1967, where he got an education in the sphere of sculpture and restoration. From 1985 to 1992 he worked in the Theater of Plastic Drama – as an actor and a lighting designer. After leaving the theater he got keen on decorative sculpture and graphics. Then it became necessary to take photos of his own works. It was the beginning. Now Vadim Stein lives and works in St. Petersburg (Russia), in the city of the white nights and the melancholy people. He is known here as a photographer, sculptor, and stage designer.

Source: design-dautore

Rose flower display attracts visitors

A visitor takes photos with a giant rose on Valentine's Day at the side square of the Beijing Exhibition Hall, Haidian district, Beijing. A giant rose-shaped ornament was among many rose-inspired sculptures installed at the Beijing Exhibition Hall in the capital's Haidian district, attracting many visitors taking photos at the venue on Valentine's Day. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn]

People flock to the rose installations at the side square of Beijing Exhibition Hall, Haidian district, Beijing, on Feb. 14, 2023. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn]

A couple enjoys a stone basin full of roses at the Beijing Exhibition Hall, Haidian District, Beijing, on Feb. 14, 2023. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn]

Young people takes photos with a big rose bouquet at the Beijing Exhibition Hall, Haidian district, Beijing, on Feb. 14, 2023. [Photo by Yan Bin/China.org.cn], Source: China.org.cn

Canal Streets of the World

Bruges, Belgium

The capital of West Flanders is lovely and underrated, and the well-preserved city centre of brick Gothic architecture was once the stomping ground of Flemish old master painters. Tour the canals that seem to make a moat around the old town: Dijver runs between antique shops and the Church of Our Lady; Groene Rei is tree-lined and tranquil; and Spinolarei has stepped gable houses.

Bangkok, Thailand

This go-go Asian metropolis is all bright lights and flashing signs, catcalling lady boys and honking tuk-tuks, and street vendors slinging pad see ew noodles to locals and backpackers. But sooner or later you will be confronted with a canal scene. Of the many khlong (canals) that looped around the city in the 1800s, only a fraction remain in the downtown Thonburi neighbourhood and in the outlying Green Lung area, where farmers and fishermen get around via canals and elevated walkways.

Annecy, France

When the light hits the canals of Annecy just right, they gleam startlingly green-blue like sea glass. Visit one of the canal-side restaurants and bars that fill up with locals swapping stories over plates of delicate lake fish and glasses of wine. On a triangular islet in the Thiou River, the Palais de Isle has been re-imagined as a residence, a courthouse, a jail and currently, a museum.

Giethoorn, Netherlands

This small town outside of Amsterdam grew up in swampy marshland, and the solution of 12th century peat farmers was to dig canals to transport their goods. Giethoorn still possesses 6.4km of waterways, crisscrossed by more than 150 wood footbridges, with lush front yards sloping from thatched-roof houses down to the water's edge. Roads do not extend to the central old town, so 2,500 residents get around mostly by punting.

El Gouna, Egypt

Despite its location, El Gouna has more in common with that newish subdivision in your hometown than it does with, say, the pyramids. It is a resort town that began development in the 1990s, and the lagoons, stemming from the Red Sea, create turquoise channels between islands whose ocher-coloured hotels and private villas blend into the arid desert landscape. When the going gets too hot, cool off at one of the nearby beaches.

Tigre, Argentina

Take the train from Buenos Aires to Tigre and when you arrive at the waterfront all tile, iron railings and old-timey street lamps you will see that life here is oriented around el agua (the water). Instead of museums or libraries, the lovely old buildings are canoe clubs -- and that is only the beginning. Tigre, built on the delta of the Paran River, is a hodgepodge of islets with elegant vacation homes, ramshackle fishing abodes and camp-style resorts. Some waterways are big enough for water taxis and private boats while others, thick with pussy willows and ceibo trees, accommodate only a single skiff.

Hamburg, Germany

Neoclassical buildings ring central Lake Alster, from which canals branch off to various neighborhoods, notably: Altstadt, with its 17th- and 18th- Century merchants mansions.