Menus get a makeover in the new Ozempic era, luxury villa aesthetics evolve, and the Office of Collecting & Design hits the road. All that and more in this week’s Five on Friday.
Oppenheim Architecture shapes Tirana’s evolving skyline
New Boulevard Tower in Tirana, Albania; rendering courtesy of Oppenheim Architecture
Oppenheim Architecture has broken ground on the 38-story New Boulevard Tower in Tirana. Set to become one of Albania’s tallest residential buildings, the structure is strategically positioned along the city’s expanding Northern Boulevard and anchors a civic gateway that links Skanderbeg Square to the future Central Park. Designed to promote pedestrian flow and community engagement, the project features a ground-level urban plaza, wraparound balconies, and panoramic penthouses. Its sculptural façade—infused with local pigments—responds to Tirana’s unique light and landscape, while sustainable elements like green rooftops and energy-efficient systems underscore its alignment with the city’s eco-forward urban plan. Oppenheim, which operates an office in Tirana, continues to shape Albania’s evolving identity through culturally attuned, site-specific architecture.
GLP-1 users influence restaurant menus
Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock
The rise of Ozempic and other GLP-1s has led to changes in dining habits, causing restaurants to respond with smaller, more intentional offerings, reports The New York Times. At Clinton Hall’s four New York locations, for instance, guests can now opt for a “teeny-weeny mini meal”—a bite-size burger, fries, and a 5 oz. drink. Inspired by concerns over food waste and shifting appetites, owner Aristotle Hatzigeorgiou sees mini portions as both practical and inclusive. From cocktail bars like Back Bar at the Eventi Hotel, which offers a half-size martini, to curated aperitivo boxes at Italian restaurant Lulla, operators are rethinking scale and satisfaction. Brands like Smoothie King are even tailoring menus to GLP-1 users with protein-forward, low-sugar offerings. As wellness and portion-conscious dining continue to gain momentum, eateries across the spectrum are finding creative ways to meet guests where they are.
Tiny objects, big adventure: A miniature museum goes mobile
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Artist and filmmaker Jessica Oreck has transformed her whimsical archive, the Office of Collecting & Design, into a traveling museum housed in a 42-foot retrofitted trailer, reports Colossal. Originally based in Las Vegas, the exhibit features thousands of meticulously curated miniatures—from toy shoes and glass eggs to broken doll parts and antique portraits—arranged in flat files, card catalogs, and glass jars. After a successful West Coast tour supported by Kickstarter, Oreck and her team are preparing for a second round of stops in cities like Portland, Oregon; Boulder, Colorado; and Salt Lake City, offering workshops, lectures, and trinket swaps. Beyond the road, Oreck fosters global connection through mail-based clubs that engage collectors in tactile, imaginative exchanges. Blending nostalgia, curiosity, and community, the project reimagines how collections can connect people—one tiny object at a time. Plans are underway for continued tours through 2027.
Villa architecture embraces subtlety over spectacle
A villa at the recently refreshed Mystique, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Santorini; photo courtesy of Mystique
The 2010s heralded an era of so-called loud luxury through visible markers—think sculptural staircases, marble counters, dramatic infinity pools—of architectural opulence and social status. Today’s landscape, however, rejects spectacle in favor of subtlety, sustainability, and site sensitivity. While infinity pools once epitomized villa extravagance, the decade’s repetition rendered them cliché. Now, according to Architizer, architects are embracing restraint over flamboyance, favoring quiet elegance, context-driven design, and tactile materials. Recent award-winning villas showcase a shift toward regional authenticity and the prioritization of shade, thermal mass, passive cooling, and vernacular forms reinterpretation. Luxury today lies less in visual volume and more in thoughtful coherence—showcased through spaces that feel rooted in place, climate, and purpose rather than built to dazzle.
Don’t miss HD’s Product Marketplace Issue
Evoke Dance by Calico Wallpaper
Our annual Product Marketplace Issue drops next week! To celebrate the power and influence of great product design, the issue—printed in tabloid format—features hundreds of products across a slew of categories, delves into the process behind the result, spotlights new showrooms and recent collaborations, plus so much more. Sign up for HD’s digital edition newsletter to be one of the first to read the issue.
