Dearest internet friends,

Welcome to this week’s instalment of what’s hot in life & leisure.

A quick shout out to the 1,200+ (!!!) of you who showed up to our Poolsuite & Vacation® events last week in Miami – the mood was absolutely exquisite and I can’t wait to see you all again soon.

We’re already at work preparing a series of events in more cities through ‘24. If you work for a big co & want to talk sponsorship ops, please do drop me an email.

All the love! ☼
Marty

Hot Hyperlinks

☼ Weekend soundtrack: DJ Tinzo plays a groovy disco and R&B set in an NYC basement.

☼ My dad, Charlie Bell, is a legend.

☼ Some of the best things I saw at ALCOVA’s recent design show in Miami:

• Holloway Li’s T4 chair for UMA.
• Everything by Objects of Common Interest (more on their mesmerizing work here).
• Draga & Aurel’s Flare and Orbit Occasional tables.
• This trophy shelf by Leonard Bessemer of Objects for Objects.
• See a bunch more in Sight Unseen’s 100 best things roundup.

☼ This $4.5m Peruvian penthouse has the appropriate amount of plants a home should have.

☼ How to bring a 90s Motorola carphone back to life with full Bluetooth capabilities.

Hotter Hyperlinks

Hand picked with the utmost care exclusively for the most fervent leisure enthusiasts…

☼ Such a good Twitter thread & thought exercise going into 2024:

With 10/10 responses (they understood the assignment):

• gonna get into loose leaf tea
• to get a hobby that's 100% non-monetizable
• get better at applying eyeliner
• unlock the full potential of my air fryer
• kind of want some cows or a mini horse
• I’m calling it “romanticizing my life”, I want to spend more time outside, take more pictures (not necessarily for social media), and do more crafty things

☼ Tokyo Jazz Joints is a project by Irish photographer Philip Arneill and American broadcaster James Catchpole who have set out to explore the subculture of Japanese jazz bars & coffee shops. They just released a stunning coffee table book and a podcast too.

☼ A perfect country home conversion in France by Plan Común.

☼ A podcast: The story of Jimmy Buffett’s incredible life & eventual billion dollar empire. Related story: My Wild Ride with Jimmy Buffett.

☼ EXCITING PHOTOGRAPHY NOW is a stunning 480-page survey of contemporary American photography by MATTE magazine.

☼ As AI imagery rapidly accelerates to the point of being indiscernible from actual photographs, I’m running the other way & learning how to develop analog film at home this holiday season. If anyone wants to join me on this quest, here’s my shopping list for kit (UK store links but you can grab the item names at least)

☼ Have you heard about Italy’s now infamous €1 homes? (TLDR: Italy wants to stop rural houses falling into a state of disrepair, so you can buy them for a euro if you commit to spending ~€10k on renovations within a set period of time).

☼ A huge hell yeah for the wacky, curvaceous houses in Brazil that feel like cocoons (via Emily).

☼ Probably the most radical thing you’ll see all year. PS. who wants to form a pony roller squad with me?

Until next time!

See you online ☼

Marty

Catch me on Instagram between issues ☼