All posts by She Seeks Serene

My Journey of Reimagining Life, Love and Education

Future Of Work: ‘Virtual-Reality Headsets’ May Be The Next ‘Office’ (Video)

With a virtual-reality headset and a virtual meeting platform like Spatial, you can meet up and collaborate with your colleagues as if you were in a real office space. WSJ’s Joanna Stern transformed into a holographic avatar and got in a virtual elevator to test it out.

Photo illustration: Adam Falk

Interior Design: ‘Inside Marrakesh – Enchanting Homes And Gardens’ (2020)

Contemporary design meets Marrakesh’s splendid artistic heritage in a fresh burst of color, form, and texture through a panoply of sensual houses and gardens. Noted designer Meryanne Loum-Martin provides entrée into the extraordinary residences of this fabled city’s leading tastemakers.



This exquisite book showcases the stunning properties of the world’s leading design connoisseurs, including Jasper Conran, Lynn Guinness, Vanessa Branson, and Helen and Brice Marden, who have transformed Marrakesh’s exotic style into unexpected but elegant expressions.

The story of design in Marrakesh begins with the contributions of Bill Willis, Yves Saint Laurent, and Pierre Bergé, who fearlessly fused Moroccan elements–zellige tilework, rugs, pottery, fountains, woodwork, metalwork, and tadelakt wall treatments–with a luxuriant mix of furnishings from around the world. We are invited into such lush private places as the gardens of the Villa Oasis, designed by Madison Cox, and the Bulgaris’ tranquil riad.

Full of personal insights, Loum-Martin explores how international design-savvy individuals continue to incorporate such exuberant designs in their work.

Today’s Marrakesh style appeals to a wide variety of tastes–from formal to quirky, from rustic to refined–and is suitable for diverse settings. Eco-friendly materials, including earthenware and natural fibers, contribute to these appealing interiors and gardens. Superbly photographed, Inside Marrakesh abounds with a wealth of unique design ideas.

About The Author

International tastemaker Meryanne Loum-Martin is the proprietor of the award-winning Jnane Tamsna boutique hotel in Marrakesh’s Palmeraie district. Lauded in publications such as Town & Country and Architectural Digest, she has designed porcelain dinnerware for Meissen and an outdoor furniture collection. Award-winning lifestyle and food photographer Jean Cazals‘s work has been published in numerous magazines and cookbooks.

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Travel & Wildlife Video: India’s Endangered ‘One-Horned Rhinoceros’

The greater one-horned rhino is one of the most vulnerable animals in India – today, only 3,500 remain in the wild, spread out in isolated pockets from Nepal to the Myanmar border.

The Indian rhinoceros, also called the Indian rhino, greater one-horned rhinoceros or great Indian rhinoceros, is a rhinoceros species native to the Indian subcontinent. It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List, as populations are fragmented and restricted to less than 20,000 km².

Travel & Culture Video: ‘Sri Lanka – From Tea Fields To University’ (BBC News)

Sri Lanka is one of the world’s top exporters of tea. It’s picked by women whose ancestors came from southern India and who live and work on isolated plantations, often in poor conditions. Their children are given limited access to higher education. But in a remote hillside plantation in Kandaloya, a group of girls have become the first in their estate to go to university.

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea. It is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.

Top New Travel Videos: ‘The Cocos (Keeling) Islands’ Of Australia

Filmed and Directed by: Jaxon Roberts (Beautiful Destinations)

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are a remote territory of Australia in the Indian Ocean. Its 2 coral atolls comprise 27 tiny islands with white­-sand beaches, palm trees and lagoons. West Island has an airport and a visitor centre. Across the lagoon, the Home Island Museum explores the culture of the resident Cocos Malay people. To the north, the isolated Pulu Keeling National Park has bird colonies and a shipwreck.

Morning News Podcast: Fake News & Election, Roe V. Wade And NASA Mission

Foreign and domestic actors are no longer using bots and fake accounts to influence the 2020 election. Now, bad actors are trying to trick journalists intro amplifying fake storylines.

  • Plus, life after Roe vs. Wade.
  • And, NASA is launching a new toilet to the International Space Station.

Guests: Axios’ Sara Fischer and Margaret Talev

Politics Monday: Amy Walter And Errin Haines Trump-Biden Debate (PBS)

Amy Walter of the Cook Political Report and Errin Haines of The 19th join Judy Woodruff to discuss the latest political news, including how a report on President Trump’s taxes and business dealings could affect the presidential race, implications of the Amy Coney Barrett nomination to the Supreme Court and what to look for in the first debate between Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden.

WORLD’S BEST SMALL HOTELS: ‘Hôtel Crillon le Brave’ In Provence, France (Video)

Wind your way through narrow alleyways, the scent of wisteria in the air. Walk across the hidden cobbled courtyards. Stop to take in mesmerising views of the surrounding hills. Hôtel Crillon le Brave makes quite a first impression. A quintessentially French hideaway that fuses the charms of a 17th-century hamlet with contemporary luxury.

The hotel’s nine stone houses will whisk you back in time. But the rooms and suites give Provençal traditions a distinctly modern twist. Think terracotta tiles, colourful throws and handpicked antique furniture. Once you’ve settled in, make your way to the outdoor pool for a relaxing swim. Or wander to the spa for a restorative massage. And while the sun sets over the slopes of Mont Ventoux in the distance, dine on Mediterranean-inspired cuisine.

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Election 2020: ‘How Trump And Biden Compare on The Economy’ (WSJ Video)

Voters will have a chance to help shape the American economy when they go to the polls in November. WSJ’s Jon Hilsenrath breaks down where President Donald Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden stand on key economic issues.

Photo Illustration: Carlos Waters/WSJ