It seemed likely that the man, Andrei Chunyak, 30, a co-owner of the stylish Studio Coffee, was the victim of a contract killing.
A stylish studio apartment in Ipanema, designed by local Brazilian architect and just two blocks from the beach, costs from £85 per night.
He and the small concentration of stellar talents that form Sottsass Associati, which he founded in 1981, have an implicit contract with clients: if you beat a path to their stylish studio, you've come for signature Sottsass design, not simply design services.
When we helped Levi's launch their new CurveID jeans to college women, we popped up a stylish studio where co-eds were custom fit into their perfect pair of jeans and received mini makeovers so they felt and looked fabulous.
Where to stay Fall asleep to the sound of the waves at Talaya, a collection of 10 simple-but-stylish studios and bungalows behind the dunes at Migjorn beach (from €140 a night, talayaformentera.es).
Perky and crafty, or sleek and stylish, the studio today is first and foremost an attractive haven, a calling card for one's inventiveness rather than a symbol of one's stoicism and grit.
Doubles from €65 B&B, dorms from €24 B&B, +30 213 023 7244, citycircus.gr Scattered around downtown Athens, this stylish collection of lofts, studios, and apartments has all the comforts of a design hotel, at much lower prices.
While some may expect coding clubs to be full of unfashionable computer whizzes, silently tapping away on their computers, instead I found myself in a relaxed studio with stylish 70s floor lamps and a startlingly red "S" on the exposed brick wall, lit with vintage bulbs.
Tokyo FM has a young staff, and even last week the studio was a stylish place, in the very specific Japanese sense, with producers in trucker hats and Kangols, high-top sneakers and retro-preppy L. L. Bean boots.
Now, with the economy uncertain, even 15 Broad Street, with its panoply of amenities, including a bowling alley, a basketball court, a swimming pool, a yoga studio and a stylish terrace overlooking the New York Stock Exchange, may not be immune to the market downturn, as many owners, from investors to hedge-fund kingpins, head for the door.
