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    Airbnb creates rentals based on famous places and movies for guests

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    Rental platform Airbnb has announced the addition of its Icons program, a category that provides a range of international experiences including a stay in the house from Pixar’s Up and an overnight in the Musee D’ Orsay in Paris.

    The first 11 Icons experiences include recreations of houses from popular culture, such as the floating house from Pixar’s film Up, and visits with celebrities, such as a night out with comic Kevin Hart.
    Airbnb has created 11 “extraordinary” experiences for its new Icons category. This photo and top photo by Ryan LowryOf the 11 Icons, house rentals include a full-scale model of the house from Pixar’s Up, which is suspended by a crane during a breakfast picnic, to a stay in the clock tower of Paris’s Musee D’ Orsay, which was transformed into a bedrom by French designer Mathieu Lehanneur and will be available for the opening of the upcoming summer Olympics.
    The experiences will be awarded to guests through a selection process, with approximately eight additional Icon experiences being rolled out throughout the year to join the first batch. Each Icon is free or under $100 (£80).
    The category includes recreations of houses from popular culture and experiences with celebrities. Photo by Ryan Lowry”Icons take you inside worlds that only existed in your imagination – until now,” said Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky. “As life becomes increasingly digital, we’re focused on bringing more magic into the real world. With Icons, we’ve created the most extraordinary experiences on Earth.”

    The launch follows the platform’s release of recreations of Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse and Shrek’s swampland cottage, as well as previous overnight experiences in an Ikea showroom and the last remaining Blockbuster.
    Rentals include an overnight stay at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. Photo by Frederik Vercruysse”These experiences captured people’s imagination and they allowed people to step into someone else’s world,” said Chesky. “And at its best, this is what Airbnb does. And what it’s always been about.”
    To create the spaces, the brand employed a variety of strategies. In the case of the Up house, it was built from scratch, while other properties were renovated or outfitted with a particular theme such as the X-Mansion from the X-Men movie series or Prince’s Purple Rain house.
    The rental was designed by Mathieu Lehanneur and will be available during the opening of the summer Olympic Games. Photo by Frederik Vercruysse”The Up house is one of the most iconic homes in any film ever,” said Chesky. “You’re gonna be able to stay in Carl and Ellie’s home and it will feel like you’re stepping inside the movie.”
    “This is a real house we built from scratch. We had to literally paint every detail in the home to match the exact Pantone colours used in the film, from the roof tiles to the siding,” he continued.
    The rentals include houses built from scratch or outfitted in a particular style. Photo by Max MiechowskiFor the X-Mansion, the team searched for a home in Upstate New York that looked like an approximation of the house from the movie series and then covered the interior in comic-strip style illustrations by artist Joshua Vides.
    According to Airbnb VP of design Teo Connor, it took approximately two weeks for Vides and his team to hand-paint each room.
    For the X-Mansion from the X-Men movie series, the interior was painted with comic-style illustrations. Photo by Holly Andres”Each Icon has a different timeline because they’re all so unique, so different,” Connor told Dezeen. “[There was] a huge amount of effort to bring these things to life and I think it really shows.”
    “With these types of things, we’re really wanting to immerse you in a world and for it to feel authentic,” she continued.

    If designers don’t embrace AI the world “will be designed without them” says AirBnb founder

    Other Icons include a stay at the Ferrari museum in a custom-made circular bed that is surrounded by various Ferrari models and a visit to Bollywood star Janhvi Kapoor’s “childhood oasis” in India.
    To visit the various experiences, travellers must submit a written entry through Airbnb during a timed submission period. 4,000 guests will be selected and awarded a “golden ticket” to attend the experiences over the coming year.
    Other experiences include a stay in Prince’s house from the movie Purple Rain. Photo by Eric OgdenThe brand also released several updates in order to make booking and organizing group trips easier for travellers, including multiple users being able to message the host and a ranking system when selecting a rental together.
    Last year, Airbnb co-founder Brian Chesky warned against designers failing to embrace AI and announced a program that called to designers and creatives to rent out their spaces for supplemental income.
    The photography is courtesy of Airbnb.

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      Suspended bridges connect round cabin hotels in Mexico

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      Mexican architect María José Gutiérrez has placed a series of round, pine-clad cabins connected by suspended bridges onto a vineyard in Mexico to serve as vacation rentals.

      Located in Valle de Guadalupe, Ensenada on the Baja Peninsula, Zeuhary Hospedaje Campestre includes a community lounge and four vacation rental cabins.
      Top: photo by Martin Acevedo. Above: the cabins are located in Baja California, Mexico. Photo by Jonatan Ruvalcaba Maciel”Beyond creating spaces we aim to create experiences, where nature and human beings integrate and recognize each other,” María José Gutiérrez, who leads Mexican studio Arqos Arquitectura Arte Y Diseño, told Dezeen.
      “The architecture and interior design were focused on connecting with the environment and maintaining harmony with it.”
      Central bedrooms feature in the round buildingsCompleted in June 2022, the 250 square metres (2,690 square feet) of built area is divided into five 40-square metre (430-square foot) structures that look outward to the surrounding wine region.

      The ground floor of each cabin is divided orthogonally, splitting off a portion for a partially covered exterior porch that leads into the sleeping space through a glass sliding door.
      Their interiors are sectioned into bathrooms along one sideThe interiors were sectioned into a bathroom along one side, a central bedroom and a kitchenette tucked behind the headboard wall.
      “In the furniture and interior decoration, we used organic materials from the region and different areas of the country, earth tones and grey contrasts, crafts, natural fibers, textiles, local wood and stone, recognizing Mexican handicraft talent and tradition,” the studio said.
      “The chukum finish on the interior walls gives an organic texture and helps keep the interiors cool in summer, while the exterior coating of recycled pine wood allows the cabins to be thermally insulated in both winter and summer for greater energy efficiency.”
      Small private gardens feature round jacuzzisThe cabins are all rotated to face a particular northern or eastern view without compromising privacy for the occupants.
      A small planted garden protected by a grey wall rings a quarter of each plan, terminated by a private in-ground jacuzzi, connected to the cabin by a wooden deck with planks that align with the vertical cladding boards as if the facade radiates down the wall and along the ground.
      Rooftop terraces are included atop each cabinUp a delicate metal spiral staircase with wooden treads, the round plan becomes a rooftop terrace complete with a rope net set into the roof of the porch like an integrated hammock.
      A free-swinging wooden bridge with rope netting guard rails is suspended from the roof of each cabin and leads to the roof of the common area, allowing guests to congregate in a central location.

      Dezeen’s top 10 cabins of 2023

      “The circular floor plan of the cabins, together with their transition spaces such as the hanging bridges, wooden paths and spiral staircases generate fluid and dynamic routes which allow us to reconnect with ourselves and awaken our inner child through play and movement,” the studio said.
      In addition to the material selection that responds thermally to the environment, the design works to preserve what little water the agricultural region has, reusing grey water for the irrigation of the vineyards.
      Zeuhary Hospedaje Campestre is positioned within a vineyardOther cabins recently completed in Mexico include a house deconstructed and separated for glamping within a forest in Nuevo León by S-AR and a brutalist cube-shaped holiday home tucked into a pine forest in Alférez by Ludwig Godefroy.
      The photography is by Jonatan Ruvalcaba Maciel unless otherwise stated. 
      Project credits:
      Architect: María José GutiérrezEngineering and construction: Specialized Urban Services

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      Shrek and Donkey invite guests to stay in mud-laden Shrek’s Swamp

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      Rental website Airbnb has designed Shrek’s Swamp, a grass-and-mud-covered hut underneath a tree in the Scottish Highlands.

      The small house, which has a bare-earth floor, is described as “a stumpy, secluded haven fit for a solitude-seeking ogre”.
      The holiday home is located underneath a tree trunkIt is being hosted by Donkey, Shrek’s best friend, who is swamp-sitting while Shrek himself is away for Halloween, according to an Airbnb description written as if by Donkey himself.
      In it, he says: “I love everything about the swamp: the boulder out front, the modest interiors, the seclusion (ideal for singing karaoke late into the night), you get the picture”.
      It features rough-hewn wooden furnitureThe holiday home, which sleeps up to three guests, has an open-plan design, with a sturdy wooden bed leaning against one wall.

      A matching table and two wooden chairs sit in front of an open fire on the opposite side of the house, which is held up by large tree trunks.
      A fish-shaped lamp decorates the bedside tableShrek’s Swamp Airbnb also features decorative touches, including a green “earwax candle” – a nod to a scene in which Shrek pulls out a stick of earwax from his ear and lights it.
      It also has a bedside lamp that looks like a stuffed pufferfish.
      The dining table sits in front of an open fireVisitors can also make use of Shrek’s outhouse, a well-known location from multiple Shrek films, which is located about 20 metres away from the swamp itself.
      Located in a forest in the Scottish Highlands, the hut is surrounded by signs reading “Stay out”, “Beware Ogre” and “Danger!” though these are “probably for decoration”, according to Donkey.

      Barbie and Ken unveil bright-pink lifesize dollhouse in Malibu

      The home will be available to book from 13 October for a two-night stay between 27 and 29 October and comes with an on-site concierge who will arrange meals for the guests – including morning waffles and parfaits.
      “This mud-laden, moss-covered, murky-watered oasis is a perfectly snug spot to escape from village life and embrace the beauty of nature,” Airbnb said.
      The home has a bare-earth floorThe company will make a one-time donation to the HopScotch Children’s Charity as part of the project.
      Airbnb also recently helped Ken rent out Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse and listed a 1970s wood cabin located in the iconic Sea Ranch development in California.
      The photography is courtesy of Alix McIntosh.

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      Barbie and Ken unveil bright-pink lifesize dollhouse in Malibu

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      Rental website Airbnb has unveiled Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse, an all-pink California mansion with an outdoor disco, infinity pool and Western-themed bedroom.

      Located on the oceanfront in western Malibu, California, the lifesize dollhouse is being rented out by Barbie’s partner Ken via an Airbnb listing written as if by the doll himself.
      “Kendom Saloon” welcomes beach house guestsThe house, which was previously listed by Airbnb for Barbie’s 60th anniversary in 2019, has had a recent update to give it more “Kenergy” and mark Barbie making her live-action debut in the Barbie film starring Margot Robbie.
      “We all have dreams, and Barbie is lucky enough to have a house full of them,” Ken said. “But now, it’s my turn, and I can’t wait to host guests inside these one-of-a-kind – dare I say, one-of-a-Ken? – digs.”
      A cowboy-themed bedroom nods to Ken’s styleThe large oceanfront house features a pink bedroom decorated with cowhide rugs, cowboy hats and horse-printed throws as well as a closet from which guests can borrow Ken’s fringed cowboy shirts and his guitar.

      Some of Barbie’s clothing, including the iconic high-heeled pink shoe with a fluffy feather decoration from the movie, also hang in the closet.
      Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse is located by the beach in CaliforniaAt the centre of the building, on one of the house’s many terraces, guests can make use of an outside disco dance floor in pink, purple and yellow with its own DJ deck.
      “I’ve added a few touches to bring some much-needed Kenergy to the newly renovated and iconic Malibu DreamHouse,” Ken said.

      Barbie lists Malibu Dreamhouse on Airbnb

      The Dreamhouse also has a bright-pink outdoor lounging area, an outdoor gym – complete with a barrel filled with “beefy body brine” –  a pink outdoor kitchen with a barbecue and an infinity pool.
      Other details that nod to Ken’s takeover include a Western-style swing door, decorated with an image of a horse and the words “Kendom Saloon”, and a crossed-out “Barbie” sign above the outdoor kitchen that now reads “Ken”.
      Guests can disco outdoorsGuests can enjoy nearby activities such as shopping, surfing and roller blading on the boardwalk, and will also get to take home their own set of yellow-and-pink Impala skates and surfboard.
      Barbie’s Malibu Dreamhouse will be available to book for up to two guests each on July 21 and July 22, 2023, with bookings opening on 17 July.
      An outdoor gym features weightlifts and “body brine””All stays will be free of charge – because Ken couldn’t figure out how to put a price on Barbie’s Malibu DreamHouse – after all, Ken’s thing is beach, not math!” Airbnb said.
      The company will make a one-time donation to the charity Save the Children in celebration of the Barbie movie.
      The film was recently in the news as it made “the world run out of pink”, while a recent book explored Barbie’s Dreamhouse through the ages.
      The imagery is by Hogwash Studios.

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      Airbnb calls for “creative people with creative spaces” to list their spare room

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      Promotion: designers and creatives have the opportunity to showcase their style and earn supplemental income by listing a spare room on rental website Airbnb.

      Airbnb is inviting designers and hobbyists to consider hosting their creative spaces on Airbnb and start earning via a dedicated programme that includes details on how to have their spare room professionally photographed if chosen.
      Ahead of the peak travel season is the ideal time to list a spare roomAccording to the rental website, ahead of the peak travel season is the perfect time to host and turn spare spaces into new opportunities.
      Airbnb says that listing a spare room is not only a great way to earn, but also an opportunity for designers to share their style with guests from around the world, in turn “inspiring their own creative journey”.
      The website is calling for “creative people with creative spaces” to list their spare roomsAn example of creative space on Airbnb is a private suite in central Paris that lies within Paris’ famous 7th Arrondissement and is within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower and other major attractions.

      The suite is painted colourful and bold colourways and features authentic Turkish rugs and abstract art painted by its hosts.
      The private suite is located in central ParisThe hosts say that upon entering, “You will soon feel welcome and won’t be able to live without colours anymore”.
      The hosts also offer photography classes to interested guests, which is a unique opportunity for beginners to learn the basics while roaming the streets of Paris.
      The hosts of the Parisian apartment offers photography teaching sessionsAnother creative space on Airbnb is a top-floor loft conversion in Washington that is housed in what was originally a 19th-century corner store. The loft was designed by its hosts who run an architectural studio from their home.
      The loft has clean and white decor, which is designed as a relaxing space for visitors, while a desk is also provided to offer a dedicated workspace for those who may be working remotely.
      The Sandton Cul-De-Sac in South Africa has an eclectic interiorA shared, double-height living area offers more of a glimpse of the site’s architectural elements, including the irregularly plastered walls that are covered in family photos.
      “As architects, we are well-trained to maximise space, light, health and privacy, those fundamental elements to providing the best living conditions,” said the hosts.
      “Our experience as Airbnb hosts for the last seven years has introduced us to a wide variety of people from all over the world who have consistently understood the social contract between host and guest as not a corporate relationship but a new more intimate social form, not quite family but not random strangers either.”
      A top-floor loft conversion in Washington is housed in what was originally a 19th-century corner storeA further example of a creative space on Airbnb is the Sandton Cul-De-Sac in South Africa where a muted exterior hides an eclectic interior.
      A shared living and dining area includes numerous pieces of art and sculpture, and vibrantly coloured furniture offers a stark contrast to the natural colours of the walls and floors.
      Vibrantly coloured accessories offer a stark contrast to the natural colours of the walls and floors”I wanted to create an authentic African space that is celebrating the African spirit,” said the host. “Creating an inspiring, creative, healing and peaceful space was my ultimate goal and for guests to feel safe in Johannesburg.”
      “Airbnb is a very easy, safe and professional platform and a total pleasure to use.”
      Airbnb is calling for designers and creative people to list their design-forward spaces on its websiteOther examples of creative spaces available on Airbnb include a fully detached suite hidden in the heart of Lisbon and a private room and bathroom in an interior designer’s home.
      To learn about Airbnb’s initiative visit its website.
      Partnership content
      This article was written by Dezeen for Airbnb as part of a partnership. Find out more about Dezeen partnership content here.

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