The Dandelion Chandelier Luminary Lounge is a place to hang out, pour yourself something to drink, and listen in on a series of personal interviews with fascinating people who are stellar achievers in their chosen field of endeavor. Our Luminaries are sharing stories, life philosophies, secret songs, guilty pleasures and hidden talents that will help all of us see luxury in a new light.
COOL HUNTING was founded in 2003 by Josh Rubin and Evan Orensten. The online publication informs the global creative community about creativity and innovation in culture, people, places and things, often through the lens of design. In addition to its online publication and video series, COOL HUNTING provides brands with consulting services, offers hosted travel experiences, and offers its exclusive Omakase gifting service.
We stopped by the Chelsea offices of COOL HUNTING on a drizzly late-September New York afternoon to chat with Evan and Josh. They were joined intermittently by Logan, their 14 ½ -year old Sealyham terrier, and by the new puppy in their office, Eero, who is 3 months old (and Logan’s nephew). The pups remained mum on their answers to our queries, but they did consent to sit for a photo. Unless otherwise noted, Evan and Josh responded as one to our questions.
Tell us your life philosophy in 10 words or less.
It’s all about living and sharing remarkable experiences.
How did you decide to do the work you’re doing now?
COOL HUNTING started as a tool we created to help with our work. At the time, Josh was working at Motorola, and Evan was consulting. Blogging software was new, free and easy to use, so we utilized it to archive our research. We kept it public, as an afterthought, and people came to it and they liked reading it. It was totally fortuitous.
Who lights you up?
Josh: Evan!
Evan: Josh!
Josh: Also people who not only push boundaries, but are also able to take an idea and actually do something with it. Execution is tough – there are lots of good ideas out there. We like to say there are no new ideas, just great executions. It’s making something happen with a great idea that excites me.
How do you like to celebrate?
A night at home. Making our own dinner, being at home together with the dog – that’s the best celebration ever.
If you could travel anywhere, where would you go? Where would you stay?
Our work requires us to travel over half the year, and we rarely have control over where we go. We’ve never been to India, and there’s also a lot of Africa still to see. For a “decompression” vacation, first choice is Hawaii. Specifically, Kauai. We love either renting a home, or staying at The Club at Kukui’ula. For an “inspiration” vacation, it’s Japan. Because gallery space is at such a premium in Tokyo, there’s a cool place to stay called “Art B and B.” Private apartments have been turned into art spaces, and tourists can stay and experience the art by living with it. There’s also a great ryokan called Asaba – it’s about 90 minutes by train outside of Tokyo. It’s surrounded by landscaped gardens, and there’s a 150-year-old Noh theatre that is still active. It has some of the best style, food and service we’ve experienced in Japan, which says a lot.
What’s the last new food item that you tried for the first time? Did you like it?
We get to try so many new foods and beverages. A recent favorite is Barnana’s Organic Chocolate Banana Brittle. Hits all the right notes.
What song is on your playlist that people would be surprised by?
Good subject – we did a series on COOL HUNTING called “Private Jam” – it was professional musicians and singers sharing their secret favorite song.
Josh: Mine is anything by The Grateful Dead.
Evan: Anything by Ella Fitzgerald.
What’s your favorite form of exercise?
Josh: What’s exercise? Actually, I like snowboarding.
Evan: Ashtanga yoga.
Who is your favorite artist?
Josh: Jill Platner, a sculptor who also makes incredible jewelry (which I’m wearing right now).
Evan: Bridget Riley, an English pop artist whose work is the inspiration for my tattoos.
What are you reading right now?
Josh: A Really Good Day by Ayelet Waldman. It’s about how micro-dosing LSD helped the author manage her bipolar disorder.
Evan: What it’s Like to Be a Dog by Gregory Berns. And Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat by Samin Nosrat – it’s about understanding the techniques and elements of good cooking.
Tell us about your style.
Josh: It’s about style, not fashion. I wear almost exclusively black, also lots of indigo, sometimes white or army green. I’d describe it as upscale casual.
Evan: I’m a little more preppy and have a bit of a uniform. It makes traveling so much easier.
What is your favorite item of clothing? Who’s your go-to designer?
Josh: Jeans. 3 x 1 is my go-to.
Evan: My favorite item is my Goyard belt. I like 3 x 1 custom denim, Nice Collective, Apolis and shirts from Stantt.
What’s your dream car?
Josh: An Audi RS6 Avant. They don’t sell them in the US, only in Europe.
Evan: A Mercedes-AMG E63 Wagon.
What are you looking forward to?
In January, we’re going on a Silversea expedition to Antarctica. Looking forward to that. Not looking forward to crossing the Drake Passage [which extends about 600 miles between Cape Horn and the South Shetland Islands, and notoriously causes extreme seasickness for most people.]
What skill do wish you had that you don’t currently possess?
Josh: Being able to draw.
Evan: Having good handwriting.
What’s your hidden talent?
Josh: I can fold my tongue in half!
Evan: I’m a pretty good cook. My current favorite is lemon pasta with chile and lobster.
What’s the most extravagant thing you ever bought?
Josh: A really good camera lens.
Evan: My Goyard belt (I paid retail!)
What’s the best gift you’ve ever received?
Josh: One year, Evan gave me small ceramic sculptures of our dogs. They look just like them. They were handmade by an amazing artist in Pennsylvania, who has a studio called Furrytale Ceramic Studio.
Evan: For my 40th birthday, Josh arranged for one of my favorite photographers, Lisa Kereszi, to take a family photo of us with our dogs.
What’s your guilty pleasure?
Evan: Our favorite Sunday dinner is making a sous vide steak, a Caesar salad, and Tater Tots. The tater tots are one guilty pleasure. The other is my favorite anchovies, called Alici di menaica. For the salad, I like using a type of anchovies that can only be found in a village in Italy – they’re hand-caught in nets by six older fishermen in the village, and they arrive in a clay pot. They’re way too expensive, but I love them.
Josh: My guilty pleasure is wearing socks with Birkenstocks.
What does luxury mean to you?
Evan: A luxury experience for me is having someone who is able to anticipate what I want, need or desire without my having to tell them. Having them anticipate what I will want, in a thoughtful way, and addressing that seamlessly before I have to ask.
Josh: A luxury product or experience is not at all about a brand name. It’s one that comes from integrity, craftsmanship, and attention to detail.
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