Monthly Archives: January 2024

Vilhelms Kuze cafe in Riga

Detail of the lighting

Vilhelms Kuze cafe in Riga. In most European cities, café culture is an institution. For me, coffee houses are more than simply a place to indulge in delectable drinks and extravagant pastries—they are also destinations enriched by an architecture that gives each place its own identity. Be it in Padua (Café Pedrocchi), Paris (Café de Flore), Porto (Café Majestic), Prague (Café Imperial), Venice (Café Florian), Vienna (Café Central) or Zürich (Café Odeon), among many other favorites, I have always considered cafes a must when traveling.

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Pharmacy in Riga (Office: Substance)

Detail image of facade of the Pharmacy in Riga

Pharmacy in Riga (Office: Substance). A recent trip to Riga, capital of Latvia, was to trace my ancestors and visit many of the sites and residences where my father had lived until he was a young adult. While the history of my family is well documented, I had not to this point visited any of the family properties in Latvia or nearby Lithuania. 

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Latvian National Museum of Art (Processoffice), Part 1

Detail of golden stair

Latvian National Museum of Art (Processoffice), Part 1. Hands down, the stair that I am about to share with you is conceptually one of the most subtle tectonic statements that I have seen in recent years. Not simply because it is both simple and utterly sophisticated in its execution, but it takes its place so eloquently and effortless within the entrance foyer of an existing building, namely the Latvian National Museum of Art in Riga, Latvia (LNMM). 

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