If you go down to Deptford today you are in for a big surprise! The Deptford Project Cafe is not what you would typicaly expect from a south-east London eaterie or any for that fact. The cafe is housed in a 35 tonne 1960's train carriage with an exterior that has been conceptualised by Studio Myerscough.

The cafe fills the length of the carriage with wicked bright tables and chairs right through and a decking area out the front and seeming as the weather is looking up expect this to be as bussling as the Northern line
at 8.45. Not only is the concept innovative and pretty damn cool they are also looking out for the locals
by sourcing all ingredients locally from the coffee to the cakes, so don't expect the standard snack trolley
fare in this train carriage.

Nuclear Bunker meets boutique chic at the Null Stern, a Swiss Zero Star hotel built within this disused cold war relic. The new Null Stern Hotel was conceived when the innovative brothers, Frank and Patrick Riklin were asked by the town to take on the conversion of the bunker with the only rule being that it should
be available for use within 24 hours notice!!

The pair have taken minimalism to another level keeping the original 'charm' of the cold war bunker
and converting cold concrete rooms into snug dorms, with chunky rustic wooden beds to keep the clientele comfy. There are obvious reminders of the building's original purpose such as the stark concrete walls
& the constant humm of stainless steel ventilation system adding to the overall experience of the Null Stern.

They aim to open 12 others of this type in Switzerland, their concept is to "offer simplicity to a society drunk with conspicuous consumption". www.null-stern-hotel.ch

As the economic downturn takes its toll, one of the major industries hit has been the mortgage industry. Platform is the intermediary mortgage lender of Britannia Building Society and have bucked the trend, seeing the current climate as an opportunity. Platform engaged ‘i-am’ to help create a more powerful brand position .

Platform wanted to bring the brand to life in a way that was more than just a logo and strapline  ‘i-am’ created a series of max energy, highly engaging sessions which enabled honest and open conversations between frontline employees and the Leadership team thus helping to identify and design ‘Platform Moments’
the key moments of truth, where opportunities exist to delight their customer and to differentiate themselves from the competition. The summits also paid attention to the Platform Brand Promise, to identify what differentiates Platform in this competitive environment.

Lee Gladwell, Sales & Marketing Director of Platform has described the difference that ‘i-am’ approach has made. “When refreshing their brand, most companies use what I describe as a ‘Fire, Ready, Aim’ approach.Where the Marketing Department decide what the brand should be and then tell employees and customers.  With the help of ‘i-am’ we have done ‘Ready, Aim, Fire'. We made sure that our Brand Promise was something that all our people genuinely bought into and that it was also a promise to our customers that we could keep”. For more information about ‘i-am’ people and culture visit www.i-amonline.com

Being experts in the field of 3D design here at 'i-am' we love that mydeco is reaching out to those less experienced to try their hand. By letting you loose on a huge selection of items, brands and products
and even giving you the experience to virtually try before you buy.

It has some seriously technical wizardry behind it. The website lets you create and design 3d models of your rooms, fill them with little digital versions of the items available from the site then you can then save it, send it, print it off, compare it to others or just buy the stuff. mydeco.com has products from over 700 home stores and with the ability to place each product into the 3D generator creating your perfect room, you really can wile away some serious hours on here...

Popping over to Paris last week 'i-am' couldn't resist the David Lachapelle showcase. Love him or hate
him you just cant ignore him; David Lachapelle's catalogue of work is enormous and diverse and this is the first time you can see a retrospective of over 200 pieces all in one place.

The Monnaie de Paris plays host to the exhibition, which houses works ranging from his latest distopian 'anti-commodity art' to some of his better known celebrity portraits including the renowned 'Hi Bitch, Bye Bitch' Paris Hilton portrait.

Films documenting the installation play throughout taking us on a journey from his earlier poppier pieces
to the latest distopian commentary works such as 'Holy War; a post-apocalyptic,homo-erotic
mashup...no really! The retrospective runs till June and its one experience not to miss...

We don't know how his little pop-up beauty eluded us in Nov 08 when it first opened its doors. Located in an
old Victorian warehouse the bar is much more than cocktails and conversation - it aims to physically cross-pollinate Congolese and Western cultures through an exciting physical environment.

Modern chrome and sleek bar features merge with plastic chairs and concrete floors across the 3 main areas, Western and Congolese influences are given 50/50 representation throughout. That's not even it as 50% of all the profit goes to UNICEF!! Get down to Double Club and experience a guilt free cocktail
as well as some Congolese culture.