Word: rattan
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Several years ago I was strolling through an old neighborhood of Shanghai when I spied a scrum of men carrying something out of a darkened doorway. It was a rattan chair on which sat a very agitated granny. She was one of the last holdouts refusing to leave her house, which was scheduled to be torn down to make way for Xintiandi, Shanghai's sprawling outdoor shopping-and-restaurant development. As she was borne out, like some parody of an imperial courtesan in a eunuch-shouldered sedan chair, the Mao-suited woman kept screaming a phrase in Shanghainese. I asked...
...ride take guests to Casalegno's virtually uninhabited isle (the resort's capacity is just 27, and besides these only a handful of fishermen live on Cubadak). Accommodation comes in the form of 13 two-story huts and one "deluxe suite" (actually a bungalow) - but appointments are basic, with rattan chairs and tables, and mosquito nets draped over the beds. Running water is piped in from the lush mountain range behind. "The mountain water is so clean we actually thought about bottling it," says Casalegno as he gestures up the forested slopes. Nobody seems to mind the rustic conditions - after...
...Amangani defines itself further with an unlikely fusion of Asian-inspired elegance and rustic grandeur. Slate floors and minimalist decor lighten redwood-paneled rooms warmed by log fires. Rawhide-and-rattan chairs are paired with black terrazzo tables in the 65-seat restaurant, whose eclectic menu stretches from Peking duck to elk steak. A 35-m swimming pool and whirlpool accompany full spa facilities. Originality and exclusivity makes Amangani a big hit with celebrity guests, but Zecha insists its real draw is its nonflashy approach. "Just don't say it's Zen-like," he urges. "It's so pretentious...
...Style Watch: Rattan Revolution...
...Style Watch: Rattan Revolution...