Europe may have sold out of every last air conditioner unit, but there is one piece of home tech that I think everyone should own as high temperatures and heatwaves become more of an issue: the smart room thermometer.

If you've got young children, or care for someone older or with health issues, it's something you may already do religiously in a heatwave, as we all know such temperatures pose a greater risk to people in those groups.

However, for everyone else, it gives you a weapon in the fight to keep cool in your home — knowledge. Yes, while a smart thermometer isn't going to actually cool down a room, it's going to help you understand what's going on in your home and how to work around the temperature to keep as comfortable as possible.

It may seem like a niche bit of kit to own, but my go-to is IKEA's TIMMERFLOTTE, a stylish, minimalist temperature and humidity sensor that I picked up in store for £5/$9.99. Or, if you want it quickly, Govee's Smart Thermostat is available on Amazon Prime, so it will deliver in one day. Both offer an easy-to-use device that can help you plan better when it's hot — here's how.

1. Keep an Eye Out for Unsafe Temperatures

Of course, the most obvious way to use IKEA's TIMMERFLOTTE is to use it to monitor rooms to check temperatures in a room remotely, ensuring that they're not reaching dangerous levels. It's hard to guess the temperature of a room, but feeling alone, so this gives you a little more peace of mind, or the knowledge of when staying put in a room might be dangerous for a more vulnerable person.

2. Measure Different Rooms at Different Times of Day

More than just using a smart home thermometer to see how hot you are, it's a clever gadget to buy for a heatwave because you can track the temperature of different rooms at different times of day during hot weather.

What I discovered about my home is that upstairs is generally cooler in the mornings, as I've often slept with my windows open. However, towards the afternoon, it gets hotter upstairs by a couple of degrees, presumably from heat radiating from my loft, where the roof has heated up after being exposed to the sun all morning. Right there, it gives me the start of a routine to make sure I'm not accidentally spending time in the hottest part of the house at the wrong time of day.

You can do this by either buying multiple sensors and having them in every room (they're inexpensive, after all) or by just moving one sensor around the house and making note of the differences.

3. Figure Out If Your House Is Hotter or Cooler Than Outside

The big debate — should you open or close windows during hot weather? Most experts agree that when the temperature outside is hotter than inside your home, windows should stay closed, opening them when the outside temperature has cooled down. This is usually at night, and vital if you want to sleep well in the heat, but it's hard to tell by feel alone when it's time to open them again.

A room thermometer strips out the guesswork, so you can get to grips with what time of day to fling open the windows and make the most of cooler air from outside.

4. Track the Humidity Measurement, too

Recent heatwaves have been accompanied by high humidity, which makes them feel even more uncomfortable. High humidity prevents your sweat from evaporating, making the room feel hotter than it actually is.

IKEA's temperature and humidity sensor will help you identify when humidity is a contributing factor, so you can know when to turn on a dehumidifier and bring down the air's moisture in a room. Try this dehumidifier from Blue Air if you want one stylish enough for a modern home.

Alternative Smart Thermometers to Buy

Looking for more smart ways to beat the heat? Our wellness editor rated Shark's handheld fan, the ChillPill, nearly perfect scores recently, ideal for keeping you feeling fresh when on the move.

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It's no secret that this summer has been absolutely sweltering from the onset. And in the name of preparation, I've had my sights set on Dyson's HushJet Mini Cool Fan (here from Amazon). The brand reputation and admittedly sleek form were enough to convince me to test the fan out.

A hard-working, good-looking portable fan is at the top of my list of things to buy before a heatwave. But is the Dyson HushJet worth it? I tested it through the start of London's summer to see how it fares — and my verdict? It does live up to the hype.

And, I guess, don't just take my word for it. As I write this review, it's very hot out, so unsurprisingly, Dyson's HushJet Mini is sold out pretty much everywhere in the UK (except for this cool Ink/Cobalt version at Dyson), though available for preorder on Amazon. It is still available to buy from Amazon if you live in the US, though. If you want something urgently now (for which I don't blame you at all), I've also tested Shark's ChillPill, which I rated highly, and also discounted for Amazon's Prime Day right now.

But, back to the HushJet Mini — before you decide on whether this portable fan is a fit for you, and preorder it, here's what you should know.

Is the Dyson HushJet Mini Good Quality?

I'm not one for Dyson slander when it comes to quality. And the HushJet is no exception. At just 212g, it's a high-powered fan that is heavy enough to feel well-made, but light enough to comfortably tote on vacation or on sunny days out.

As far as gadgets to help you feel cool during a heatwave, the HushJet effortlessly makes a case for cooling yourself down without losing out on style points. But how powerful is the airflow?

How Does the Dyson HushJet Mini Hold Up in the Heat?

The Dyson HushJet's airflow is on par with its style. It works extremely hard to offer comfort on balmy summer days. With five speed settings, you can operate on the lowest for six hours. And at a maximum of one hour, when continuously set to the highest speed.

It's one of my hacks for spending time in the heat more comfortably. But I will admit that the higher settings on the fan aren't as quiet as the low hum on speeds one and two. However, if you ask me, it's a small price to pay to cool yourself off quickly.

How Does the Dyson HushJet Mini Rank on Style?

The Dyson HushJet design was the first characteristic to draw my attention. And you know only aesthetically-led objects get the Livingetc stamp of approval. While the actual head of the fan does feel slightly extra-terrestrial in its design, I find that it lends to the cool factor of the HushJet.

Additionally, the base itself feels sleek in its matte metallic finish. And in just 10 days of testing, I have already received a couple of compliments and queries around it.

Is the Dyson HushJet Mini Worth It?

At about £100, I would say that the Dyson HushJet is worth it. It feels like a long-lasting investment, and it's one of the more chic portable electric fans I've come across of late.

Especially, if you want a light-weight electric fan to carry on holiday, or while you're sunning yourself at one of the cool London hotels with pools, this is a sleek, design-forward option that should be on your radar.

All in all, a portable fan should be on your summer travel packing list. And I dare you to find one that looks better than this launch from Dyson.

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For decades, the challenge of the high-end home cinema was a choice between settling for mediocre sound or surrendering your living room to a labyrinth of cables and bulky black boxes. Over the last few years, however, that’s changed. Audio brands like Sonos, Bang & Olufsen, and Bose have all acknowledged that the design of a speaker system is just as important as the sound it produces.

As such, the recently announced Bose Lifestyle Collection, which includes the Ultra Speaker, Ultra Soundbar, and Ultra Subwoofer, takes a design-first philosophy that aligns perfectly with the shift toward warm, tactile minimalism in interior design. Crafted with premium materials and available in three timeless finishes, the Lifestyle Collection is designed to deliver a great listening experience without sacrificing your décor.

The Lifestyle Ultra Speaker costs £299.95, the Lifestyle Ultra Soundbar costs £999.95, and the Lifestyle Ultra Subwoofer costs £899.95. The Lifestyle Collection comes in Black or White Smoke, but the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is also available in limited-edition Driftwood Sand, which will set you back £349.

Design

The technical specifications of the speaker, soundbar, and subwoofer within the Lifestyle Collection are all impressive, but it’s the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker that will no doubt be the most interesting to the design-conscious among you. Its limited-edition Driftwood Sand finish eschews the cold plastics of traditional tech in favour of a soft beige palette and a solid white oak base, creating a piece of technology that looks like a piece of furniture. It is designed to age, ensuring this speaker feels as permanent and intentional as a designer armchair.

Meanwhile, the Ultra Soundbar and Ultra Subwoofer use textured knit fabrics, premium glass panes, and curved frames to further bridge the gap between high-performance audio and home styling. These are silhouettes that are destined to be on display rather than hidden behind the doors of your gorgeous new sideboard.

Much as the design is important in these speakers, however, so is the sound. "With the Lifestyle Collection, we wanted every detail to serve a singular purpose: making exceptional sound easy to enjoy," said Raza Haider, president of premium consumer audio, Bose Corporation. "The flexibility, refined aesthetic, and experience are all built to fit into life at home, delivering on the one central promise that has defined Bose for decades: that sound matters."

Performance

Beneath the aesthetically pleasing design, Bose has completely overhauled its internal engineering, introducing a suite of proprietary technologies designed to deliver multi-dimensional soundscapes from compact footprints.

The Ultra Speaker uses Bose’s Direct/Reflecting speaker technology with a three-driver array utilizing two front-facing drivers for direct audio delivery and one precision-angled up-firing driver to handle vertical sound channels. This works in tandem with TrueSpatial processing, a proprietary algorithm that intelligently adds height and dimensional depth. To prevent the thin sound common in compact devices, Bose’s CleanBass technology pairs a high-excursion woofer with a QuietPort acoustic opening and advanced Digital Signal Processing (DSP) to deliver deep, controlled low frequencies.

The Ultra Soundbar, meanwhile, represents Bose’s first major soundbar redesign in over a decade, with a single enclosure engineered to native Dolby Atmos specifications. Hidden behind the textured knit grille is a nine-driver architecture, including six full-range drivers, a dedicated center tweeter for clear dialogue, and two proprietary PhaseGuide drivers. These PhaseGuide drivers are designed to beam sound to the far left and right of your room to create the illusion of side speakers where none actually exist.

For casual watching, there’s SpeechClarity AI that applies real-time, data-driven speech augmentation to isolate vocals from background noise, so even whispered dialogue should be crisp without you having to hit the volume button. Meanwhile, CustomTune calibration (previously called ADAPTiQ) is on board, using your smartphone's microphone to map your room’s unique dimensions, furniture placement, and surfaces, automatically tuning the audio output to suit your home.

Lastly, when paired with the soundbar and speakers, the Ultra Subwoofer will handle the lowest frequencies, allowing the rest of the system to focus on mid-range clarity and crisp high frequencies. It utilizes the same CleanBass technology and QuietPort opening to deliver what should be floor-shaking bass without distortion.

The Lifestyle Collection is modular, so you can start with a single Ultra Speaker in your kitchen, pair two for a traditional stereo setup, or scale up to a full 7.1.4 multichannel home theater system by linking the soundbar, subwoofer, and rear surrounds wirelessly.

There are several reasons the Bose Lifestyle Collection is exciting, not least because it pairs a gorgeous design with what should be excellent sound performance. But it plays nicely with other brands too, which is somewhat rare.

Bose has fully embraced Google Cast, Apple AirPlay, and Spotify Connect technologies for these speakers, allowing you to group the Lifestyle Collection speakers with hardware from other manufacturers that support them. It makes for a refreshing change and one that acknowledges how we actually live: in homes that are often a patchwork of different technologies.

Bose has also redesigned its app, claiming that the initial install is "easier than ever with consolidated permissions, third-party account sign-in, and secure Wi-Fi credential sharing across devices." Once everything is set up, you’ll be able to control the Lifestyle Collection speakers through the app, with precise control over volume, equalization, surround, and height levels so you can tailor the output to the room the speakers are in and your preferences.

Some controls and functions can also be accessed on the soft-touch buttons on the speakers themselves, through music streaming apps, voice control via Alexa+, or with a compatible TV remote, so there are plenty of ways to get what you want from them. Bluetooth is also on board.

The Lifestyle Collection comes in Black or White Smoke, but the Lifestyle Ultra Speaker is also available in limited-edition Driftwood Sand, which will set you back £349.

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As someone who gets hot quite often, I started planning for this year's warm weather in advance. And at the top of my want list was a sleek portable fan. Then I spotted the likes of Alix Earle sporting the Shark ChillPill at Coachella. Followed by Justin Bieber releasing his own now sold-out limited-edition colorway of this chic fan.

Safe to say, that was enough to inspire me to give the ChillPill a chance. And after a month of living with it, it's at the top of my recommendations for things to buy before a heatwave.

It's easy to use, efficiently cooling, and has a long-lasting battery for those never-ending days in the sun. And above all, it's actually good-looking. The pictures just don't do the fan justice. But there are some things to know about the fan before you add it to cart. So, here's my review to help you decide if it's worth it.

Is the Shark ChillPill Good Quality?

Yes, the Shark ChillPill is absolutely good quality. Weighing in at 350g, it's comfortably light to carry around but heavy enough to know that it's crafted with high-quality materials.

It's one of the best gadgets for a heatwave, especially if you plan to be out and about. And the long battery life is the final aspect that seals the deal on this portable fan.

How Does the Shark ChillPill Hold Up in the Heat?

The Shark ChillPill features three settings for beating the heat. A fan for classic, consistent cooling, a misting attachment with a small space to fill with water for a refreshing spritz, and a satisfying cooling plate to press to your skin.

So, you can step out or move around with your attachment of choice — mine would be the fan. Or if you're carrying a bag with you, then the remaining attachments are just as portable. And all it takes to switch one of the other is a quick twist.

It's also worth noting that the fan and mist are fairly quiet on lower settings but tend to get louder as you dial up the fan's intensity or speed. The cooling plate is the quietest option of all three.

How Does the Shark ChillPill Rank on Style?

As far as portable, handheld fans go, the Shark ChillPill is one of the most stylish electronic designs I've ever come across. I'll be honest, when I first scrolled through pictures of the fan on my screen, I was not convinced of how sleek it would look in real life.

But after seeing the fans in person, I can confidently say that the pictures don't do the product any justice. The mixed matte and shiny finish, along with the vibrant colors and the twistable form, make it a fashionable fan for the warmer months.

Is the Shark ChillPill Worth It?

Yes, the Shark ChillPill is worth it. At £130, you benefit from the three cooling settings in one chic design-y fan that's portable and long-lasting. It'll keep you from overheating on public transport, while you stroll the city, or even when you're trying to keep cool at outdoor restaurants.

And the fact that the ChillPill is tough to get your hands on is a testament to its very real hype. But if your color of choice is sold out by the time you're reading this, then here are some alternatives.

Looking for more ways to cool down? Perhaps it's time to get a taste of the best ice cream in London, read our hot sleeper guide, or treat your home to Shark's Turboblade in a new butter yellow. And in the meantime, so you don't miss out on the coolest launches (literally and otherwise), sign up for the Livingetc newsletter.

We spend months creating the perfect living room, from obsessing over the exact shade of limewash for the walls, to finding the ultimate low-slung sofa that looks great while still being suitable for a Sunday snooze. But the tech that fills the room with music or movie soundscapes is often treated as an afterthought.

I completely appreciate the desire to make bulky black boxes disappear — they just don’t complement Farrow & Ball’s Scallop, do they? But the quest for a wonderfully minimal aesthetic can lead to some major acoustic faux pas.

If your sound system, whether it's a surround sound system, soundbar, or anything else, feels a bit flat, here are the seven setup mistakes I regularly see (and have been guilty of myself), plus how to fix them without ruining the vibe of your room.

1. Tweeters That Are Too Low

I see this constantly in otherwise gorgeous, relaxed spaces: beautiful bookshelf speakers sitting directly on the hardwood floor, a very low media console or the bottom shelves of a new paneled media wall. None of these positions will allow you to get the best from them.

High-frequency sounds (which are handled by tweeters) are highly directional. If they are pointing at your shins or your sofa cushions instead of your ears, the sound can lose its crispness and clarity.

Instead, consider investing in a pair of sculptural, minimalist speaker stands (like these from Amazon) that bring the tweeters to ear level when you are sitting down on that new squishy sofa. If you feel like stands will clutter your space, you could think about using floating wall shelves instead.

2. Positioning too close to walls

In a bid to keep floor space clear and wires out of sight, instinct is to push speakers flush against the wall, or worse, cram them into a block in IKEA’s BILLY bookcase. We’ve all been there, and while it delivers a streamlined look, it isn’t going to make your Saturday night movie sound as good as it could.

Speakers need to breathe. Pushing a speaker against a wall causes sound waves to bounce immediately off the wall, resulting in muddy, boomy, and indistinct bass.

You should instead try to position your speakers at least 15cm to 30cm from the wall. I suspect you will be surprised at how much tighter the bass becomes and how much wider the soundstage feels.

3. Tucking the Subwoofer Into a Corner

Subwoofers are rarely pretty, though the Sonos Sub Mini and Marshall’s Heston Sub 200 both try their best. Traditionally, though, I completely sympathize that your first thought might be to shove the heavy black box into the furthest corner of the room and cover it with a plant for good measure.

You should know, though, that corner placement causes something called room boundary loading. It artificially inflates the bass (sometimes by up to 12dB), making it sound overwhelming and disconnected from the rest of your audio.

Try the ‘subwoofer crawl’. No, that doesn’t mean crawling around the room with your subwoofer in tow. Instead, it means putting the subwoofer on your sofa where you normally sit. You should then play a bass-heavy track and crawl around the room at floor level — I didn’t say this method didn’t involve crawling at all. Wherever the bass sounds the tightest and most accurate (not just the loudest) is where you should place the sub. You might find a spot right next to your media console that works perfectly.

4. No Soft Surfaces

The current trend of hard surfaces, such as concrete floors, huge glass Crittall doors, and bare plastered walls all look incredible, but they are a nightmare acoustically.

Sound waves bounce off hard surfaces like a ping-pong ball. If your room is too reflective, your music will sound harsh, and movie dialogue can become difficult to understand.

You don’t need to cover your living room walls with acoustic foam to rectify the problem, but it is worth leaning into soft, textural elements. A plush rug, heavy linen drapes, a canvas art piece, or a fabric-upholstered sofa can help to absorb the reflections and make your room sound warmer and more inviting.

5. Suffocating the Center Channel

If you have a multi-channel surround sound system for your TV, the center channel is the most important element for film lovers. It handles most of the dialogue in a movie, so if you want to hear what is being said, you should avoid placing the centre channel speaker deep inside an enclosed media cabinet or at the back of a shelf. This causes the sound to echo inside the cabinet before it even reaches your ears.

If possible, position the center speaker right to the very front edge of your media console so the sound can project freely into the room. That should mean you won’t miss the all-important line.

6. Ignoring the Tuning Software

Many premium wireless speakers and soundbars come with sophisticated room-correction software built into their companion apps — Sonos is a prime example with its Trueplay tuning. It’s very easy to just plug a sound system in and skip this software tuning until later (by which I mean then never bothering to do it).

Every room has its own unique acoustic thumbprint. By skipping the software tuning element of setup, you are letting the physical quirks of your room, like the distance to the sofa or the height of the ceiling, dictate how your music sounds rather than the speaker or soundbar taking those into account.

Usually, it only takes a matter of minutes, and it can make a noticeable difference to how your system sounds in your space, so open up that companion app and run the digital room-tuning process. Most tuning software uses the microphone in your smartphone to listen to a series of tones as you walk around the space. The software then creates a custom digital profile that counterbalances your room's hard surfaces and odd angles.

7. Not Managing Cables

You’ve curated a stunning, minimalist media wall, only to have the entire look dragged down by a chaotic web of wires cascading down from the TV and speakers. Neglecting cable management isn’t just an eyesore; it can also be a hazard and make cleaning a nightmare. Power cables tangled up with audio cables can also sometimes introduce unwanted electronic hum or interference.

Try not to let wires just hang. If you are doing a full renovation, consider planning for in-wall conduits so you can completely hide cables. If you are working with an existing space, use paintable D-line trunking or invest in a media console with built-in cable management. For the speakers themselves, you could also look for stands that allow you to route the wires directly through the neck of the stand.

Of course, there are plenty of other features out there that promise you better home sound quality to explore, but there are some soundbar features that are overhyped, that you can probably ignore if you're just getting to grips with your sound system.

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Over the years, televisions have become considerably slimmer, and some have come on leaps and bounds in terms of design, from the resurgence of LG’s Wallpaper TV to the new trend for lifestyle TVs featuring picture frames surrounding their screens. The same can’t be said for their built-in speakers, though. These have gone in the opposite direction.

It’s not entirely their fault. A 15mm-thin frame physically cannot house the drivers needed for rich, deep, cinematic sound. But as a result, while the latest TVs will treat you to stunning 4K visuals and resemble pieces of wall art, the accompanying audio can sometimes sound like it’s being played through a tin can at the bottom of a well.

To fix this, you have two options: add a streamlined soundbar or introduce a full, multi-channel surround sound system. But which one is worth your hard-earned cash, and more importantly, which one won’t ruin the carefully curated living room you’ve spent months designing?

The case for the soundbar: Minimalist and hassle-free

For those hoping to keep the focus of their living room on their chic coffee table and neutral walls, a soundbar is usually the first port of call, as it demands very little visual attention. It sits quietly below your TV, blending into your media console or mounting elegantly to the wall without disrupting the flow of the room.

Soundbars are plug-and-play at its finest, typically requiring just a power cable and a single HDMI cable running from the soundbar itself to your TV's eARC port, sparing you the dread of running cables under rugs or down walls.

Modern high-end soundbars even use clever acoustic software and carefully positioned drivers to bounce sound waves off your walls, tricking your brain into thinking sound is coming from the sides of your room or overhead in an attempt to mimic the immersive Dolby Atmos experience.

Do be careful with this, though, virtual surround sound has become very good in recent years, but it is still an illusion. If you have an open-concept living room with towering ceilings or you're missing a side wall, those sound waves have nothing to bounce off, and the 3D effect will fall flat, so a soundbar won't be worth it if you value immersive audio.

The case for the surround sound system: True immersion for audiophiles

If you want the genuine, hair-raising sensation of a helicopter actually flying over your shoulder and landing behind you, an all-in-one soundbar isn't going to cut it, even ones as good as Sonos’ Arc Ultra. You need physical speakers placed around the room to create that scale and authentic separation — and a surround sound system is worth it for achieving this.

A dedicated centre channel speaker will handle dialogue brilliantly, while separate left and right channels create a huge front soundstage. Bigger speaker cabinets and independent power sources mean you can crank up the volume without distortion, giving action movies a visceral weight. This setup also offers great longevity because it is modular, allowing you to upgrade your AV receiver or swap out bookshelf speakers over the years as your budget allows.

But there is a trade-off here, too, and that is visual clutter. There are a number of wireless surround sound options these days, but some traditional systems will require you to run wires behind walls or invest heavily in architectural in-wall and in-ceiling speakers, meaning your stylish living room can quickly turn into something resembling a teenager’s gaming den.

The hybrid compromise: A modern middle ground

Thankfully, there is a middle ground you could also consider. Over the years, audio brands have realized that many of us would love cinematic sound without turning our homes into something that resembles a tech store. And that’s where modular soundbar systems come into play.

Brands including Sonos, Sony, LG and Samsung all offer systems that feature a powerful, sleek main soundbar, but allow you to wirelessly pair that with small rear speakers and a wireless subwoofer, and LG’s options can wirelessly connect to its TVs too, thanks to Dolby Atmos FlexConnect. The result from wireless surround sound systems is authentic physical separation of sound coming from around you, without the headache of cables running across your plush rug or beautiful parquet floor to an amplifier.

It is the ultimate ‘have your cake and eat it’ scenario, but do keep in mind that you won’t be able to mix and match between brands — a Sonos soundbar won’t work with a Samsung sub, for example. At least not currently.

Verdict: Which is actually worth it?

Whether you should opt for a surround system or soundbar depends on your space, habits, and tolerance for adding black boxes and hardware to your otherwise gorgeous living room.

You should consider a standalone soundbar if you have a smaller or medium-sized living room, value a clean aesthetic above all else, and primarily want an upgrade to dialogue clarity with minimal setup fuss.

A surround system, meanwhile, is a better choice if you are building a dedicated media room, are a serious movie buff or hardcore gamer, and crucially, you are willing to invest the time and budget into planning speaker placement for audio fidelity.

For everyone else sitting in the middle of these two, a modular soundbar setup offers true immersion with physical rear channels, but with a sleek, modern, wireless footprint that respects the design of your home's interior. Just keep in mind, you’ll need to pick a brand and stick with it.

When it comes to our living spaces, many of us take great care in selecting fabrics, furniture, and color palettes to make them the best they can be. But, get to the task of choosing a soundbar to make the otherwise terrible audio on your TV better, and you’ll probably find yourself confronted with a specification sheet full of technical jargon and "must-have" features that threaten to overwhelm your minimalist sensibilities.

Manufacturers often use features to justify high price tags, but while some are essential for enhancing your movie nights, others can be safely ignored. Here are five you can overlook when you’re on the hunt for your next soundbar, and a few options that deliver beyond their spec sheets.

1. The Virtual Illusion

You might see marketing labels promising an immersive cinematic experience from a single soundbar. Each manufacturer calls it something different, but if you see the words virtual or digital mentioned, it’s suggesting that software alone can place sounds behind you.

This technique relies on tricking your brain by bouncing sound waves off your walls in order to create the effect of sound coming from different places. If your room isn't a perfect, reflective rectangle, the effect can collapse, though, while in a modern home with large rugs, soft linen sofas, or open-plan layouts, it is pretty much a non-starter.

If you’re looking for true surround sound, you really need to invest in a system that includes physical rear speakers. A high-quality 5.1 setup with actual hardware behind where you sit will always provide a more authentic sense of space than a virtual 11.1 illusion.

2. Compromised Up-Firing Atmos Drivers

Dolby Atmos is currently considered the gold standard for height effects, designed to make sound feel like it is cascading from above. To achieve this with a soundbar, manufacturers typically add small speakers to the top that are angled toward the ceiling.

Unfortunately, these drivers are usually too small and too weak to reach your ceiling with enough energy to bounce back meaningfully. Some high-end soundbars do a great job given their space limitations, but there are a number that simply deliver a slightly taller soundstage in front of you, rather than true overhead audio.

If you want a true Dolby Atmos experience, rather than poor, muddled 3D effects, ideally, you’ll want a system of separates.

3. The Hi-Res Audio Myth

You may see gold "Hi-Res Audio" badges plastered on all the marketing of the soundbar you’re considering, suggesting it is a portal to audiophile-grade studio recordings (24-bit/192kHz). But, to truly hear the difference between standard and high-resolution files, you need a very trained ear, or large, high-dynamic-range drivers and a near-perfect listening environment.

The small speaker cones packed inside many soundbars are very unlikely to be physically capable of delivering that intricate detail. If your soundbar is primarily for television and casual streaming, you can skip this feature. For critical music listening, you should be exploring a separate pair of architectural bookshelf speakers (like these Edifier ones from Amazon) rather than a single box soundbar.

4. Redundant Smart Assistants

These days, many soundbars boast built-in voice assistants, like Alexa, which effectively makes them smart speakers. But, there is a very good chance you may already have an Echo, a Google Nest, a smart hub, or a microphone in your TV remote. Adding one to the soundbar is therefore often redundant and can lead to phantom triggers, where audio is interrupted because the soundbar thought you used the voice assistant wake word.

It is better to prioritise a soundbar that excels on the audio front rather than telling you what the weather is going to be like for the afternoon. You can always add voice control via a small, unobtrusive device like an Echo Pop if you need to — and this will likely be much cheaper than the premium you’ll pay in a soundbar.

5. Input Overload

A common marketing point is to highlight a soundbar's multiple HDMI inputs, allowing you to plug all your devices directly into it. For some, this will be essential, but for many, this feature is often obsolete thanks to HDMI eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel).

A lot of modern setups will see all sources, like streaming sticks and games consoles, plugged directly into the TV’s HDMI ports. A single, discreet eARC cable then routes audio back to the soundbar, with everything kept clean and tidy by utilising the TV as the hub.

That said, you shouldn’t ignore the option for multiple inputs on a soundbar if you have an older TV that does not support eARC, or if your TV simply has an inadequate number of ports.

Soundbars to consider that deliver beyond the hype

By only choosing features you'll actually use, you're more likely to make investing in a soundbar worth it for your home. And, if you want to keep in the loop with more on the good-looking home tech front, why not sign up to the Livingetc newsletter?

The latest TVs are a far cry from what they were. They might still be large black rectangles for the most part, but they are now wafer-thin, capable of hanging flush against the wall, and some display digital art with such fidelity that they practically vanish into gallery walls. And that’s before considering the influx of lifestyle TVs like Samsung’s Frame Pro with their picture frame surrounds.

But the relentless pursuit of ultra-thin designs has created a paradox for the senses. While our eyes are treated to slender frames and superb picture quality thanks to technologies like Micro RGB and OLED, our ears are often left to suffer thin, hollow audio.

Despite the advancements in design, the laws of physics remain unchanged. To move enough air for deep bass or directional dialogue, you need depth – something a 15mm-thin TV simply cannot provide. That's where buying a soundbar comes in — but how do they stack up in 2026 against your TV's built-in speakers? Well, they're almost always going to improve how you enjoy your TV watching experience, in my opinion.

TV Speakers vs Soundbars

Some of the latest flagship TVs are pushing the boundaries when it comes to delivering better sound. That’s thanks to the use of advanced tech, from AI-enhanced processing that you’ll find across most high-end TVs nowadays, to more unique offerings like Sony’s Acoustic Surface feature that sees the screen itself vibrate to produce sound. But, internal drivers are still limited by their chassis.

Most built-in TV speakers, therefore, can’t help but produce tinny bass that relies on digital tricks to fake depth, while dialogue is frequently drowned out by background music or loud effects. Spatial audio also often feels trapped, sounding like it is coming from behind the screen rather than surrounding you.

Modern soundbars, meanwhile, use dedicated centre channels and lean on AI to help isolate speech, delivering clearer, crisper audio. In some flagship soundbars, you’ll also find up-firing drivers to bounce sound off your ceiling for better height representation.

The Extra Benefits of a Soundbar

Opting for a soundbar adds yet another black box to your TV wall, but they almost always deliver a better sound experience than your TV’s built-in speakers could ever dream of. Apart from the reasons I mentioned above, the latest soundbars have a couple of extra advantages.

Brands like Samsung, Sony, and LG no longer turn off your TV speakers when you plug in a soundbar. Instead, they use the TV’s tweeters to handle high-frequency details (like glass shattering) while the soundbar handles the meat of the audio. Each brand calls this technology something different — Samsung’s is called Q-Symphony, Sony’s is Acoustic Centre Sync, and LG’s is WOW Orchestra — and you will need to buy a soundbar from the same company to benefit, but it’s an added perk of soundbars and sticking with one brand.

Understandably, you might want a soundbar with a more aesthetically pleasing design than Samsung or Sony’s portfolios may offer, and systems like Sonos' Arc and Marshall's Heston are great options in this instance. Many of these brands also allow you to start with a single, stylish bar and wirelessly add discrete rear speakers or a separate subwoofer later, without a single cable trailing your gorgeous rug.

Soundbars also have software tuning features. Most of the higher-end models offer tuning software to automatically adjust the sound output for open floor plans or the new velvet sofa you just bought, so you’ll not only get enhanced audio compared to your TV, but one tailored to your room and all its quirks.

Some Exceptions to Consider

While most slim TVs fail to impress on the audio front, there are a couple engineered specifically for those who refuse to add more hardware to their media console.

Minimalist Soundbar Picks

If you decide that your TV’s internal speakers aren't enough, these three options are what I would say represent the pinnacle of this year’s design-led audio. For now, anyway.

Verdict: Is a soundbar worth it?

A soundbar is worth it if you value dialogue clarity and an immersive sound experience. If you find yourself constantly turning the volume up for talking and down for action scenes, your TV speakers are failing you and a soundbar will be worth its weight in gold when it comes to delivering a better sound experience.

They too have limitations, however, and while they are not as limiting as the ultra-thin flagship TVs we now have, if you’re looking for a fully immersive experience, you may need to consider a system of separates.

If your TV audio is making your ears squint and subtitles have become your one true love, here's an expert guide to choosing your ideal soundbar.

When you consider soundbars, certain brands will likely spring to mind. Sonos, Samsung, and Sony are all renowned in this space, just as JBL and Bose are for Bluetooth speakers. But while rock and roll royalty Marshall needs little introduction when it comes to amplifiers, having been the backbone of live music for decades, it is lesser known in the soundbar world. That was, at least, until the company announced its first spatial audio soundbar, the Heston 120 last year.

The Heston 120 has earned itself a solid reputation since it launched, and Marshall has now taken the lessons learned and channelled them into something more accessible. The Heston 60 is smaller, more affordable, and designed to slip neatly into living rooms that the 120 might have overwhelmed. The question is whether size really does matter or if this compact and distinctive soundbar can take on the likes of the Sonos Beam Gen 2 and its rivals.

First Impressions

You only need to take one look at the Heston 60 and one thing is immediately clear: it looks significantly better than many traditional soundbars. There are some lovely design details that make it stand out for all the right reasons, from the woven grille to the gold controls.

A soundbar's main job is to make your TV audio better, but no one wants an eye-sore taking centre stage in their living room or bedroom, and the Heston 60 makes sure that isn't the case. You'll want it on display. I had the black option in for review, but if you really want a soundbar that stands out from the pack, consider the cream colourway.

Both beautifully translate Marshall's signature aesthetic into soundbar form. The Heston 60 feels considered in a way that many rivals, stuck firmly in black rectangle territory, simply don't.

Features

Under its handsome exterior is a thoughtfully engineered speaker system delivering 5.1-channel sound: three 32mm full-range drivers fire forwards in a left/center/right configuration, with two more facing sideways at each end, passing through waveguides designed to achieve a convincing sensation of width and surround sound.

Finishing things off are two 76mm woofers, reinforced by four balanced mode radiators arranged in opposing pairs to minimize unwanted vibration. Marshall claims the total peak power output is 56 watts, while the frequency response runs from 45Hz to 20kHz.

Connectivity is pretty much covered at all bases, too. There’s no HDMI passthrough for connecting multiple devices, but you will find an HDMI 2.1 eARC port, along with USB-C and a 3.5mm analogue input. There’s also an RCA pre-out for a separate subwoofer, though if you opt for Marshall's own Heston Sub 200, you can also connect it wirelessly.

Speaking of wireless, you’ll find Wi-Fi 6, enabling features like Apple AirPlay 2, Google Cast, Spotify Connect, TIDAL Connect, and internet radio, while Bluetooth 5.3 handles everything else. The Heston 60 is also fully compatible with both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, while control is handled primarily via the Marshall app. There is no physical remote included in the box, so that’s something to keep in mind.

Style

If you've read this review from the top, you'll probably think I am starting to sound like a broken record (excuse the pun), but the Heston 60 really is one of the most attractive soundbars out there. The cream colorway will warm up a living room in a way that a matte-black bar never could, but I have a lot of love for the black finish, too.

The gold buttons and accents add character and give the Heston 60 a premium feel, while the crocodile-effect rubber on the edges and back adds texture and provides a little extra design detail to draw your attention.

The Heston 60 has a trick up its sleeve when it comes to the Marshall badge and metal control surround, too. Both are magnetic, allowing them to be repositioned depending on whether you place this soundbar flat on the surface under your TV, or wall-mount it on your TV wall.

An internal gyroscope automatically detects orientation and adjusts the sound output accordingly, so no manual configuration is required when switching between the two positions. It's a small detail, but one that reflects the attention Marshall has given to how people actually use this kind of product.

At 68 x 730 x 124mm, the Heston 60 is lovely and compact, though larger and a little more substantial than the Sonos Beam Gen 2. High-end soundbars have a habit of looking oversized beneath anything smaller than a 65-inch TV, but the Heston 60 is well-proportioned alongside a 48-inch or 55-inch screen – it's smaller than both but not uncomfortably so.

Sound Quality

The Heston 60 isn't all form and no function, though. Fire up a Dolby Atmos film or album, and you'll immediately understand what I mean. Its soundstage is considerably wider and more enveloping than its physical dimensions would suggest, with sound filling the room with ease and effects nice and precise.

Dialogue is handled with confidence, too. Voices are clear and centred, even when a soundtrack surrounds them. This can make a real difference in your viewing experience, and it's also something some rivals struggle to maintain. Tonality throughout the frequency range is natural and consistent, with plenty of detail in the midrange and above.

At the low end, the Heston 60 digs deeper and hits harder than its modest size implies. Bass is solid and controlled, transients land cleanly, and timing is tight, from sustained rumbles to sudden bangs. In some material, low-end information can seem slightly cordoned off from the rest of the frequency range, while higher frequencies can occasionally be a little harsh if you crank the volume up too much, but neither is a glaring flaw.

The one area where expectations need to be tempered is stereo music. Like many multi-driver spatial audio soundbars, the Heston 60 applies its full architecture to two-channel content, and the results are less impressive than its excellent performance with spatial audio material.

Ease of Use

Day-to-day operations are handled primarily through the Marshall app, available on iOS and Android. It's a clean, well-designed, and well-organized app, offering a five-band EQ and the ability to save custom presets so you can tune the Heston 60 to your liking. That said, the app can be sluggish at times — it can take a couple of seconds to find connected devices, and there’s currently no surround options in Marshall’s range – an area where Sonos takes the win.

The app allows for configuration of wall-mount or surface positioning, however, along with wireless subwoofer pairing, audio delay adjustment, and internet radio access.

On the Heston 60 itself, five small tactile buttons deal with input selection, play/pause, volume, and 'sound', the latter of which cycles through four preset EQ modes: Music, Movie, Night, and Voice. Only one mode can be active at a time, though, so you can’t combine Movie mode with Voice mode, for example. On Sonos, meanwhile, you can turn on night mode while also boosting dialogue.

It's a limitation worth being aware of, though the app's five-band EQ gives you the scope to build your own custom solution. The fifth button is a 'Prog' button, which can be assigned to a saved Spotify playlist or radio station – a thoughtful touch for those who like a quick-start option.

As I mentioned, there is no physical remote in the box, so the app will be your main means of control from the sofa unless you're relying on your TV remote for volume. It’s not a huge issue, but some may prefer to put their phone down when watching TV, and you can’t do that here unless you’re happy to use the on-device controls instead.

Extras

Beyond the audio performance, the Heston 60 has several noteworthy elements. Its sustainable credentials are excellent: around 75 per cent of the plastic used in its construction comes from recycled materials, there is no PVC in sight, and the grille, end caps, drivers, and circuit boards are all designed to be repairable and replaceable, which is far from standard in this field.

The magnetic design accents that allow the branding and controls to be repositioned for both orientations deserve another nod here, too, just in case you missed it when I mentioned it above. Lastly, the wall-mounting bracket is included in the box, which, like the sustainability credentials, is not common.

Is the Marshall Heston 60 worth it?

At £499, the Heston 60 sits in competitive territory, but it earns its place there. It delivers spatial audio that sounds bigger and more involved than anything else this size and price, it's built with care, and it's distinctive in a category where visual anonymity is the norm.

Yes, stereo music isn't at its finest, and the occasional sharpness in the high frequencies is worth noting. The absence of a physical remote and HDMI passthrough will matter to some buyers, too, and the inability to layer sound modes is a shame. But for a compact, characterful soundbar that takes Dolby Atmos seriously and won't look like an afterthought beneath your TV, the Heston 60 is an excellent choice.

The description sounds like bait for design enthusiasts: modernist cabins tucked in the trees. When Piaule Catskill opened in 2021 with two dozen stilted cabins spread across 50 acres in New York’s Catskills, the boutique quickly became a go-to destination for woodsy retreats from the city — the type of quiet place to start a book (and actually finish it).

And now, Piaule enters a new chapter. A collaboration with DWR (Design Within Reach) brings a three-bedroom residence into the fold, while even more coveted furnishings (from the likes of Charlotte Perriand to Louis Poulsen and Fritz Hansen) pepper the property and its refreshed suites.

It’s not a massive leap for the design hotel; the boutique and the brand share a reverence for craft and iconic design, which means it was destined to stick to the landing. Here's a look at the refreshed retreat.

Craft meets nature, in situ

The crux of the partnership, according to Piaule founders Nolan McHugh and Trevor Trevor, lies in the modernist concept of "truth to materials", a principle that shaped the hotel even before DWR came into the picture.

“It basically means using things for their best-suited purpose, and not trying to modify them to look like something else, or be something else, or do something they're not suited to doing,” explains Nolan on a crisp fall afternoon. Standing in front of the hotel’s Main House, with the Catskill Mountains rising in the distance, he rattles off a handful of examples: oak for strong furniture, glass for diffusing light, cashmere for soft surfaces.

That ethos informed the hotel’s architecture and ultimately guided every choice they made in the new partnership; with design icons and new classics in the retailer’s portfolio that align with the modernist principle, partnering with DWR wasn’t a stretch.

Of course, the concept of ‘shoppable’ hotels is nothing new to hospitality—nor to Piaule itself, which opened with its own line of home goods (like supreme waffle towels and cedar-scented soaps) alongside locally made furniture that guests could special-order. But the collaboration does take it up a notch: instead of treating the hotel like a showroom, they’ve integrated pieces into the very landscape. "The hotel’s new spaces invite guests to stay with our pieces and engage with the DWR lifestyle on an immersive, deeper level,” says Debbie Propst, President of Global Retail at MillerKnoll, DWR's parent company.

In short? Guests experience furnishings that feel integral to the setting, pieces that make sense in a hotel built to foster direct, almost meditative connections to nature.

A refreshed Main House

In the Main House, home to check-in and the hotel's restaurant, the brand's nature-first ethos is hard to miss. “For us, everything ladders back to nature, and building that connection,” says Nolan. “Furniture and the right pieces and the right design choices can enable and further that connection.”

As they refined their picks with DWR, one material was at the forefront: oak. The retreat is set within an oak forest, and the material quite literally shaped Piaule’s architecture. That gesture inspired the Main House's striking oak-clad interiors, with a shed roof that reaches toward the mountainous landscape and a wall of windows framed in the same material. To enhance the panoramic view, the common area is now furnished with pieces that wear their materials with pride.

Chief among them is the new Pawson Drift Lounge Chair, designed by the British minimalist John Pawson. Set on either side of the central wood-burning fireplace, the chair's wooden structure and leather upholstery anchor the room without demanding attention. You can’t overlook the wooden and straight-edged frame — but the wood itself nods to the forested landscape just beyond the windows.

“When you see what goes into growing something that will then turn into your sofa, or your chair, and you understand how many factors come together for that thing to come to life and exist for 50 plus years, to turn into these beautiful, straight, clear boards that you're using in furniture, it just hits harder,” says Nolan.

For Nolan and Trevor, context is everything. Orienting these pieces within an actual oak forest allows guests to appreciate the design on another level, better understanding the beauty endowed upon each piece by nature.

The new Oak House experience

Broadening Piaule’s connection to the land, Nolan and Trevor collaborated with DWR on a new three-bedroom home aptly named the Oak House. Tucked uphill on its own 20-acre parcel—completely surrounded by mature forest—the shared booking is a natural extension of the cabins, scaled for friends and family to experience the landscape together.

It may be larger than the hotel's original cabins, but the home still keeps an eagle eye on nature. Every bedroom has its own door to the outside, allowing guests to have their own one-on-one connection with the land. Inside, the interiors encourage an outward view, with oak window frames that create constant sightlines to the forest.

“For us, that means stripping away unnecessary flourishes and letting nature be the focus, opening up and modifying apertures to frame views and using a palette of all natural materials that reflect the house's surroundings,” says Nolan.

Slightly cozier than the spare cabins, the home maintains Piaule’s restrained look with a more residential feel. Oak and warm woods, of course, are everywhere you look, and the furniture selection gives Fritz Hansen its moment, with upholstered Series 7 Chairs around the dining table and PK4 Lounge Chairs in the living room; there’s an Eames lounge chair, naturally, for settling in by the fireplace and taking in the views, while a Wrensilva record console supplements nature’s soundtrack in the evenings.

Refreshed double cabins

Not to be overlooked, select Double Cabins—two bedrooms with ensuite bathrooms and a shared living room—are also updated with pieces that refresh the space while strengthening a nature-first ethos. Dark, slender and discrete Louis Poulsen AJ Floor Lamps punctuate the living rooms without overshadowing the view, while John Pawson Drift Lounge Chairs anchor the cabin with warm earth tones. Fritz Hansen’s PK4 Lounge Chairs are a clever choice in the bedrooms; with their minimalist steel frames and airy rope seats, the chairs are placed in front of windows without interrupting the view.

Other additions, like Charlotte Perriand’s 524 Tabouret Berger stool, bring another layer of narrative: the iconic design was originally inspired by alpine milking stools, making the piece entirely at home at the foot of the Catskill Mountains.

“You'll see it in everything from exterior and interior finishes, material palette, and again, the furniture selections,” adds Nolan. “Everything is about connecting with nature, whether it's conscious or subconscious.”

And if, while watching the sun set over the mountains—or catching a sight of a deer cutting through the woods—you happen to fall a Poul Kjærholm lounge or a John Pawson loveseat? Well, getting a little shopping done while you soak in the elements is nothing to complain about.

Sonos is a company probably best known for its superb multi-room speakers, which isn't all that surprising given that's what it has been excellent at offering for the last two decades. However, it's Roam range, most recently the Sonos Roam 2, showcases the more casual, 'lifestyle' side of the brand.

It wasn't until 2019 that Sonos added Bluetooth to its speakers, first in the Move that launched in September 2019 and later in the Roam that arrived in March 2021.

The company has since added Bluetooth to its non-portable speakers in the Era 100 and Era 300, as well as the Arc Ultra soundbar, but it was the Move and Roam that really put Sonos on the Bluetooth map. Both those speakers are now in their second generation, but while the Move 2 is a superb speaker, it's nowhere near as lightweight and portable as the Roam 2.

I've been reviewing consumer technology for over a decade, and I've reviewed every Sonos speaker and soundbar to launch since the Play:5 (Gen 2) in 2015. If you're looking for a Sonos speaker you can take out and about, as well as part of a Sonos multi-room setup at home, the Roam 2 is the one you'll want, but is there anything you should consider before investing? I'm giving it a thorough review, while also comparing Sonos vs Bose, as well as other portable heavyweights, like JBL.

Style

The Sonos Roam 2 is the smallest speaker in the Sonos line-up, but that's far from a criticism. Its compact build, around the same size as a 500ml bottle of water, makes it incredibly portable, so it's perfect for moving around your home, bringing to a picnic in the park, or popping in a suitcase for a holiday.

Comparing the Sonos Roam vs Move, it's significantly smaller, and it comes in more color options, too. Despite Sonos predominantly sticking to white or black only for most of its speakers — the only exceptions in the last decade being the Sonos One and HAY collaboration in 2018, the three extra colors added to the original Roam in May 2022 and the Green option of the Move 2 in 2023 — the Sonos Roam 2 arrived in five colors from launch.

All five have a matte finish that's very pleasing to the touch and the eye, along with a color-matched logo on the front. The logo element might seem like a small detail to mention, but the original Roam speaker had a white Sonos logo no matter what main color you picked, and the color-coordinated logo is much nicer from a design point of view.

The prism shape stands out from other Bluetooth speakers too, like the cylindrical JBL models and rectangular Bose options. The Roam 2 can also be positioned vertically or horizontally, featuring small silicone feet for stability when horizontal, and a silicone bottom when vertical. The top, when vertical, is also finished in silicone with physical controls that are nice and easy to operate, even when your hands are wet.

Sound Quality

Sonos didn't change the sound architecture when it updated the Roam speaker. The Roam 2, therefore, offers the same configuration as the original, but don't mistake that for a bad thing. The original was an excellent Bluetooth speaker, and this upgrade is worthy of the same attribution.

It handles the mid-range very well while still offering clear and detailed vocals, along with decent bass at the low-end, and the result is a great overall audio performance. This is a Bluetooth speaker that punches well above its weight, considering its size.

As with all Sonos speakers, you can adjust the EQ in the Sonos app when in Wi-Fi mode if you want to change the balance to your preference, and there is automatic Trueplay tuning on board to allow the Roam 2 to adapt to its environment and deliver the best possible sound without you having to do anything. For those familiar with Sonos, its traditional speakers have manual Trueplay tuning, enabling you to use your phone to tune them specifically to the room they have been placed in, but with the Roam 2 designed to move around more, the automatic element of this feature is welcomed.

The Roam 2 is surprisingly better at higher volumes than lower ones, so if you want plenty of detail inside, you might consider the Era 100 instead, which shines at lower volumes. For outside use, though, whether a garden party, BBQ, or day at the beach, the Roam 2 will hold its own. I mentioned you can opt for a horizontal or vertical orientation with the sound adapting accordingly, and while I think horizontal offers a wider soundstage, the Roam 2 is a great speaker, whatever and however you choose to listen.

Ease of Use

It's very simple to use, too, much more so than the original Roam. For the original, there was only one button on the rear of the speaker that powered it on and off, as well as allowed you to put it into Bluetooth mode. That was fine, but for the Roam 2, Sonos split that button into two, making it much more user-friendly.

It also means you can use the Roam 2 straight out of the box as a Bluetooth speaker, connecting it to your phone, tablet, or laptop as you choose, rather than having to set it up via the Sonos app. If you do use the app and set up the Roam 2 on your Wi-Fi network, however, you get a number of extra features, like Apple AirPlay support. You can add it to an existing Sonos system for multi-room audio, too, and that also means it benefits from many of the same features as a traditional Sonos speaker, such as support for over 100 music streaming services and seamless music playback via multiple speakers.

The physical controls on the Sonos Roam 2 are lovely and simple to use, with volume up and down, as well as a play/pause button. The play/pause button does a lot more than it suggests, however, not only allowing you to play and pause audio, but also skip tracks with a double press and go back a track with a triple press. If you press and hold it for five seconds (and you have other Sonos speakers), a feature called Sound Swap kicks in, which is exclusive to the Roam and Roam 2. This feature will send whatever you are listening to on the Roam 2 to the nearest Sonos speaker when you come inside.

There's also Sonos Voice Control for easy control of the Roam 2 using your voice, and this works when on Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, while Alexa is also available, but you'll need to be on Wi-Fi for that.

Battery Life

Battery life is probably the main area where the Sonos Roam 2 falls down a little compared to its rivals. It offers 10 hours of charge before it needs plugging in, which is a couple of hours less than the similarly-sized Bose SoundLink Flex and around a third of the JBL Charge 6's 28-hour battery offering.

Charging is simple through USB-C, and there is a dedicated wireless charging dock you can buy separately if you want to keep the battery of the Roam 2 topped up when it's inside your home, for example. It means you will be able to pick the Roam 2 and take it wherever you want without having to worry if it has charge in it.

Unlike the Bose SoundLink Max, you can't charge your phone via the Roam 2, and there's no indication or warning on the Roam 2 itself to tell you what percentage the battery is at. You can use Sonos Voice Control to find out, or if you have used the Sonos app for setup, you will be able to see the battery level through the app when you are at home on your Wi-Fi network. The Sonos app doesn't work when you're not, annoyingly.

Value

The Sonos Roam 2 is the cheapest Sonos speaker available, priced at £179. That makes it around £20 less than the excellent (but not portable) Sonos Era 100 and around £10 more expensive than the highly-acclaimed JBL Charge 6, so in terms of value, it's in a decent position on the whole.

You not only get a great traditional Sonos speaker with the Roam 2 when connected to Wi-Fi, but a superb-sounding portable Bluetooth speaker when you're out and about. It doesn't float, and it doesn't come with any accessories or included handles to help carry it around, but they are minor grievances in an otherwise brilliant package.

The Sonos Roam 2's sound performance is excellent for its size, it's jam-packed with features (especially when connected to Wi-Fi), and if you already have a Sonos system, it's a great, versatile addition that allows you to bring your music wherever you go.

When it comes to portable speakers, there isn't a shortage of options out there. You'll find everything from small speakers that you can slip into a pocket if you want to bring music with you on the go, to larger devices like the Sonos Move 2, designed to be moved around the home but not necessarily taken outdoors.

The Bose SoundLink Max sits somewhat in the middle of those two descriptions. It's bigger than the highly-regarded JBL Charge 6 and the Sonos Roam 2, but it's smaller than the Sonos Move 2. This Bluetooth speaker comes with an interchangeable handle, making it easy to take with you, whether that's to the bottom of your garden or the beach.

Sitting at the top of Bose's portable Bluetooth portfolio, the SoundLink Max is larger and more expensive than both the newer SoundLink Plus and the older SoundLink Flex. I've been reviewing consumer technology for over a decade, and I've seen and heard more than my fair share of Bluetooth speakers – some are superb, while others are no better than what your phone can manage. How does the Bose SoundLink Max hold up, though, and does it justify its high price tag?

Style

It depends on what you're looking for from a Bluetooth speaker as to whether the Bose SoundLink Max will fit your style and the style of your home. It's more rugged than some other Bluetooth speakers available – the handle at the top with the rope detailing being the main reason for this – but it also has soft curves and together they make for what I think is a lovely overall design.

There are three color options, comprising of Black, Blue Dusk, and Citrus Yellow, with all featuring a short color-matched handle a standard, though that handle is swappable for a longer version you can buy separately to allow you to carry the SoundLink Max over your shoulder should you wish to. Switching the handles is simple too, requiring a quick twist and pull.

Bose branding is positioned centrally and subtly on the front at the top of the main speaker grille, while the smooth and soft-to-touch silicone finish of the rest of the speaker is broken up with smaller speaker grilles on the sides.

On the rear, there is only an Aux In port and a USB-C port in the bottom right corner, while easy-to-use controls sit within a trough at the top of the speaker, next to the handle. I said at the beginning of this review that the SoundLink Max isn't small, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's a substantial speaker in both size and weight, which makes it perfect for a garden party or a trip to the beach, but less recommendable for popping into a suitcase and bringing on holiday.

Sound Quality

The Bose SoundLink Max sounds excellent, and while it's not as small as I mentioned, its sound far exceeds its size, resulting in superb overall performance. It is bass-heavy out of the box, so you might consider adjusting the EQ settings through the Bose app if you prefer more subtle bass. The EQ settings give you the option of moving a slider for Bass, Mids, and Treble, though you can also tap on the “Bass Boost”, “Bass Reducer”, “Treble Boost”, or “Treble Reducer” buttons for a quick fix.

Whatever genre of music you enjoy, however, the SoundLink Max delivers an exciting, punchy sound performance that makes it a very enjoyable speaker to listen to. There's definition in all the right places, and it offers great balance so everything from dance tracks to the voices talking on the radio sound excellent.

It's got a lot more about it than the smaller SoundLink Flex, and, comparing Sonos vs Bose, it's louder and more impressive than the Sonos Roam 2, allowing it to easily fill a room or garden in much the same way the more expensive Sonos Move 2 can.

Ease of Use

The Bose SoundLink Max is lovely and simple to use, connecting to the same Bose app as the company's soundbars and headphones. It's very easy to set up – taking a matter of minutes – and Bose has a little fun with you in the process too, recommending no less than 15 quirky name suggestions for this Bluetooth speaker as an alternative to its standard name. Earth Shaker and Thumper were particular favourites of mine.

The app also gives you access to settings like EQ adjustments, as I mentioned, and allows you to program the physical shortcut button on the top of the speaker itself, though options are a little limited here. By default, the shortcut button will switch to Aux In, and while you can change that to launch Spotify instead, there’s no option for other music streaming services like Apple Music.

The physical controls on top of the speaker, which include that shortcut button, are easy to understand and satisfying to press, though, as well as easy to press if your hands are wet. There's multi-point Bluetooth connectivity so you can connect it to a couple of devices at once, and the Aux In port means you can quickly connect other devices like a CD player or turntable.

Where the Bose SoundLink Max misses out is its lack of Wi-Fi connectivity, which means it doesn't have features like Apple's AirPlay on board, or voice control from assistants like Alexa, both of which you will find on the cheaper Sonos Roam 2. There’s also no built-in microphone, so you can’t take calls through it, though that’s not a deal breaker. You can stereo pair two SoundLink Max speakers together, and Bose has a Party Mode that will allow you to group this Bluetooth speaker with other Bose portable speakers, should you have more than one and you’re having, well, a party.

Battery Life

The Bose SoundLink Max has a battery life of 20 hours, which is more than the likes of the Bose SoundLink Flex and the Sonos Roam 2, both of which will last around 12 hours, but it's less than you'll find in the JBL Charge 6 that boasts 28 hours and the Sonos Move 2 that boasts 24 hours.

It's still a decent number of hours, however, more than enough to see you through hosting a BBQ in your garden, or a day at the beach. That 20-hour claim is pretty much on the money in use, but in case you aren't listening in one stint, the Bose SoundLink Max will tell you every time you turn it on what the battery percentage is. That's more handy than you might initially appreciate as it means you'll know when it's running a little low and might need to be topped up before you bring it anywhere. It’s worth mentioning that if you crank up the volume however, the battery will deplete faster so do keep that in mind.

The SoundLink Max is charged via the USB-C port on the rear of the speaker, and it takes around five hours to charge it from flat to full. It can also charge your phone through that port should you have it out and about and you’re struggling to find a charger.

Value

The Bose SoundLink Max is currently priced at £399.95, by far the most expensive of the portable speakers we've talked about today. That is 60% more than the JBL Charge 6, and more than double the Sonos Roam 2, however, so think about what you want from your Bluetooth speaker and whether one of those cheaper options will be sufficient.

I would also recommend taking a look at the Bose SoundLink Plus, which comes in £50 cheaper at £249.95 if you are looking for something similar to the SoundLink Max but on a tighter budget.

For a Bluetooth speaker that's big enough to fill a garden with sound and easy enough to move around without feeling like you've done a workout, though, the Bose SoundLink Max is a superb option.

In the world of 'TVs that look like art', there has been one name that has monopolized the market for some time. However, with the launch of the Canvas TV, Hisense has become a challenger that's gathering some steam.

In reviewing the Canvas TV, with its sleek, ultra-thin body, super matte screen, and minimalist wall mounting, I'm aware that these so-called 'art TVs' inhabit a slightly different space than other TVs in the market. While reviews from serious TV buffs might find picture quality and audio lacking, if you're looking to buy this style of set-up, I'd hazard a guess that, like myself, style is a more prominent factor in your choice when television shopping, as long as the model you choose delivers good enough picture and sound quality (and we'll delve into those details a bit later).

Where Hisense's Canvas becomes a serious contender for the art TV crown is the price. While it's not a 'budget' set per se, it's on the cheaper end of the scale for designer-style TVs. By comparison, the Canvas 2025 retails on Currys at some £200 cheaper than The Frame by Samsung, both in 55" sizes.

Now, this review isn't totally a Hisense vs Samsung debate; however, given that both brands have TVs occupying this niche, it makes for an easy scale of quality. However, for clarity, any comparison I'm drawing is from the 2025 Canvas vs the 2024 The Frame (with the 2025 version having a lot of new features and improvements), as these are the sets I currently have in my home.

Does Hisense's Canvas TV Look Good?

Short answer: yes. Art TVs such as Hisense's Canvas tend to be uniform in the sense they have super fine bodies that aren't much thicker than actual picture frames. It has a minimalist wall mounting, which means it doesn't stick out more than a few extra millimeters, too.

Like The Frame, the Canvas has a matte display, which means less glare and fewer reflections in the screen, a necessity for making the art display mode look as realistic as possible.

Where, with Samsung's The Frame, you have to buy its magnetic frames, called Bezels, separately, the Canvas comes with a set of its StyleFrames inside the box. It's limited to teak-effect only right now, but realistically that's the best option anyway. The Canvas also comes with feet, if you don't want to wall mount, something that The Frame only offers through a separate-to-purchase floor stand. With how thin the Canvas TV is, though, I can't help but feel a little nervous around it as a freestanding TV in this way.

Let's talk art. Canvas does have a more limited selection of artwork and doesn't benefit from the same collaborations and events that Samsung has loaded into its Art Store. However, its 300-deep collection is free, though you need to sign up to the VIDAA art collection for most of it, whereas Samsung's full collection requires an extra subscription (though there's plenty for free). The art looks great on screen, but the collection is, necessarily, going to be to everyone's taste. You can, however, add your own pictures through a USB connection, and the likes of Etsy sellers even offer packages you can purchase.

Another drawback for Hisense is that it doesn't have the same 'invisible' cable connecting The Frame to its OneConnect box. That means, if you have the Canvas on the wall, you have a thick black cable to deal with.

Does It Have Good Picture and Sound Quality?

I'd read other reviews of this TV in anticipation of trying it, that suggested the screen brightness was an issue, however, I found this to not be the case (in fact, I often dim the brightness on art TVs to make the art setting look more realistic). The Canvas is a 4K QLED with Quantum Dot Colour. The screen is bright, colorful, and high definition, though I noticed some issues with the color banding, where gradients appear as distinct steps, rather than smooth color transitions.

The Canvas supports Dolby Vision, as well as HDR10+, and for gamers, it offers 144hz refresh rate instead of 120hz, though as our TV expert Alan Martin suggests, it's only a theoretical improvement: "[you] aren’t likely to notice unless [you] hook a PC up to it, as even the priciest consoles don’t offer many 120Hz experiences.

The Ultra Matte screen might be an idea introduced for the TV's art mode, but it's a gamechanger for watching TV on a sunny day regardless, and the TV uses an RGB light sensor to adapt the screen to the room, at any time of day.

The TV also boasts 2.0.2 surround sound, which feels loud and clear. It's not the most spectacularly rich sound I've heard from a TV, but it matches up with the competition.

Is the Canvas Easy to Use?

I set up Hisense's Canvas in, honestly, under 5 minutes, using a QR code to my phone, after downloading the VIDAA app. You could also use this app to link it up to your streaming platforms, which means you don't have to spend ages trying to input your email and password using an onscreen keyboard. You can also use it to easily play music, and show photos and videos from your phone's camera roll on the screen.

The app can be used to control the TV as well, though the (solar-powered but also rechargeable) remote is easy to use. It feels responsive, and there isn't lag (something you'll find some complaints about on older The Frame models).

I didn't, I'll point out, try the wall mounting system for this TV during my testing period.

Is It Good Value?

Whether you're buying it at the full price, or picking up a brilliant deal like the one on QVC right now, it's likely to be at least a few hundred pounds cheaper than its like-for-like competitor. And while the Canvas might not stack up to The Frame in every aspect, it can do some things better.

Sounds too good to be true? As our TV expert, Luke Edwards, told me, right now Hisense TVs are particularly good value. To get a foothold in the market, the Chinese brand is undercutting competitors such as Samsung and Sony, offering great value for good technology. Basically, you're getting a beautiful TV that's (arguably) worth more than you paid for it.

If you're a brand snob, you might still want to go for The Frame, but if value for money and good looks are your main criteria, this is probably the TV for you.

Portofino — the beautiful harbor town on the Italian Riviera — cannot help but ooze romance and effortless Mediterranean glamour. And nothing captures the essence and carefree sentimentality of this storied fishing village in Liguria like Belmond's Splendido Hotel. A former 16th-century monastery, Splendido is perched on the verdant hillside of Portofino and, from its inception in 1902, has warmly welcomed the wealthy and well-traveled to bathe in the beauty of Portofino's outstanding natural landscape.

One of the best design hotels in the world, and one of the most talked-about, too, the legendary Grand Dame of the Italian Riviera is re-opening its doors this summer to reveal an extraordinary new redesign by the globally acclaimed Martin Brudnizki Design Studio. Inspired by the mood of the Ligurian landscape, the local palette of terracotta and pastel, and the glinting shards of sunlight on champagne glasses and twinkling across the sea, the revamp includes several new additions.

Respecting the distinctly Ligurian and luxury roots of the hotel, designer Martin Brudnizki explains that the studio had imagined the stay as "the private villa of a well-traveled Italian aristocrat; layered, expressive, and lovingly evolved over time."

That idea, the interiors trailblazer tells me, "helped shape every design decision, from the use of local materials to the mix of antiques and bespoke pieces. It was about creating something timeless and generous; a place that feels as though it's always been there, quietly gathering stories."

In the La Baronessa suite, antique side tables and ornate gilt headboards rest against dusky pink walls. Vintage Albissola ceramics are dotted across the suite, and heritage furnishings from local auction houses are hand-painted in the Genoese style, subtly situating La Baronessa in a very Italian sense of place. In another suite, mosaics of seahorses and shells adorn an open floor bath, and romantic botanical murals pattern the walls. Though undeniably beautiful, Brudnizki "wanted it to feel like a lived-in home, where every corner has a story and nothing feels too polished".

Splendido's extraordinary renovation is all-encompassing. Not only have rooms, suites, and restaurants been reimagined, but the Belmond hotel has opened a vibrant new bar, the Barratta Sedici, a glamorous spot for a drink whilst looking out over the Bay of Portofino, and Italy's first permanent Dior Spa, an invitation to a luxury wellness experience inspired by the Liberian countryside.

The grand re-opening of Belmond's Splendido Hotel culminates in the debut of the stunning summer palazzo Villa Beatrice, a meticulously renovated Gothic Revival and Art Nouveau architectural treasure. The exclusive private villa is a five-minute stroll from the sojourn, and offers panoramic views of the Gulf of Tigullo and private sea access.

Despite its often star-studded clientele, the Belmond hotel epitomizes the Italian art of sprezzatura. Nothing feels superficial; the establishment is one with its storied and breathtaking surroundings, its iconic pastel facade glowing pink in the setting sun, and its semi-sheer curtains filtering light across hand-painted floral frescoes.

It was the "diffused, painterly" light of Portofino that, Brudnizki recounts, guided his approach to color. Splendido is full of tones that "feel sun-worn and time-honored", he adds, honoring what was already there: the terracotta façades, the pale greens and ochres of local villas, the soft pinks of the sunset. "The palette needed to feel as though it had always belonged. Warm, romantic, and rooted in place," the designer explains further. "It was about paying homage to the local vernacular of Liguria, while still creating something rich and emotive."

The golden hour colors are beautifully speckled across the new Baratta Sedici; blonde oak, dusty blue, and rose furnishings bring warmth to the white-onyx bar and whitewashed walls hand-painted with winding pale-green vines — a nod to the hotel's luscious Jardin des Rèves. There's a romance to the dazzling bar, with its soft lighting, rich textures, and huge draping curtains.

Surrounded by the soothing greenery of Portofino's Natural Park, the Dior Spa Splendido is an indoor-outdoor living enclave on the second floor of the hotel.

Inspired by the Ligurian countryside, the spa expands upon Splendido's existing Jardin des Rèves, an al fresco treatment space nestled within the hotel's beautiful gardens. If the gardens are not soothing enough for you, you could enjoy a game of tennis on the hillside courts overlooking the sea or a dip in the saltwater swimming pool with starfish mosaic flooring.

With its thoughtful redesign, Belmond's Splendido Hotel doesn't simply reflect Portofino's natural beauty and storied past — it elevates it. Each room, suite, and space is imbued with a sense of lived-in elegance, where heritage meets quiet opulence and every detail feels both intentional and timeless.

Martin Brudnizki's vision breathes new life into a beloved icon, preserving its charm while opening a fresh chapter in its legacy. From the romantic allure of La Baronessa to the indulgent serenity of the Dior Spa, Splendido invites guests into an atmosphere that feels at once personal and cinematic — a sanctuary suspended between memory and fantasy, like entering a '50s Hollywood movie glowing with flattering lighting and old-school glamour.

As the sun sets over the Ligurian coast and the soft hues of twilight dance across Splendido's terraces, it becomes clear that this isn't just a hotel — it's a love letter to Portofino itself. And now, more than ever, its magic endures.

Book your stay at Splendido, a Belmond Hotel.

Looking for more sun-filled escapes? Follow Livingetc's Renovation Editor Faiza Saqib on her exploration of Portugal's southernmost region during her stay at Viceroy at Ombria Algarve.

Feeling the heat? Take your pick from our design-driven roundups of wine bars serving some of the best ice cream in London.

I despise being disorganized on vacation. To the point where one of the first things I do when I check into a hotel is unpack my suitcase and sort my wardrobe. But since most hotel closets are typically hanging-room only, I end up leaving my clothes in a half-open suitcase on a luggage rack for the majority of the trip.

But I recently discovered portable hanging travel shelves, and they are now at the top of my list of travel essentials. These clever organizers are perfect for folding your clothes by outfit. And the shelves make me feel like I'm at home in my hotel room.

So, before you jetset off on your summer adventures, get yourself one of these portable travel shelves and leave your wardrobe worries behind.

FAQs

What Should You Pack in Travel Shelves?

Portable hanging travel shelves are a versatile storage item. I recommend using the larger compartments to neatly pack your clothes by outfit. And you can utilize the smaller spaces for socks, delicates and cosmetics.

If you're the kind of traveler who preps first and plans second, here's our guide to the best day trips from London for art and design lovers. After all, there's nothing quite as exciting as a spontaneous getaway.

We've all been there before: you've packed your belongings ahead of a weekend getaway in your favorite carry-on suitcase, but once back home, the trolley remains there — hanging around in your house as you fail to find enough room to conceal it. But what if I told you that two of the world's most coveted design brands have just shown that luggage can double up as an unexpected interior addition, too? Problem solved, you might think, and you wouldn't be wrong. Not completely, at least.

Meet the RIMOWA Vitra collection, a meticulously crafted line that blurs the boundaries between the sleekest cabin baggage and the most futuristic of ottomans. Thanks to these wheel-equipped, suitcase-resembling stools, courtesy of German luggage manufacturer RIMOWA and Swiss furniture design house Vitra, what the brands call the "rhythm of modern life" can now be rolled straight into your home.

On the surface, RIMOWA and Vitra do not have much in common. Dig a little deeper, and you discover a shared commitment to innovation and decades of expertise processing the same durable, lightweight metal: aluminum. For Vitra, the metal crops up most notably in the mid-century Eames Aluminum Chair, whilst the material has been a RIMOWA mainstay since the brand created its first aluminum suitcase in 1937.

For the RIMOWA Vitra collaboration, the brands have jointly developed two limited-edition products: the Aluminum Stool and the Aluminum Toolbox. The aluminum components are processed at RIMOWA's historic headquarters in Cologne, whilst the textile elements are made in Vitra's factory in Weil am Rhein.

The Aluminum Stool is not the first time RIMOWA has wrapped its iconic grooved metal around some furniture. As part of the Vitra Edition 2007 collection, the house collaborated with Japanese designer Naoto Fukasawa to create the RIMOWA Aluminium Chair — a stylish, metal creation that would make a bold statement in any modern or Brutalist interior.

This summer, their synergy has led to another exclusive design. The Aluminum Stool is a multi-wheeled cube of grooved aluminum with a detachable cushion and plushly lined storage space. Lined in the sustainable material, Laser RE fabric, and complete with removable leather dividers, this mobile stool marries fashion and functionality with a sheer love of movement, staying true to the brand's origins as luxury luggage manufacturers.

"Vitra and RIMOWA are two iconic brands known for their material expertise and distinctive design," notes RIMOWA CEO Hugues Bonnet-Masimbert. "Sharing a passion for durability and craftsmanship, this collaboration perfectly embodies the essence of 'design' — where innovation and aesthetics come together."

The German-Swiss crossover has also spawned the recreation of a former Vitra design. The Aluminum Toolbox reimagines Arik Levy's 2010 Toolbox, swapping out the original recycled plastic material for RIMOWA’s renowned aluminum. Its recycled lining is a nod to the product’s sustainable beginnings, and, like the stools, each toolbox has leather accents in beige, spring green, or ice blue.

The Aluminum Stool comes in three colors (beige, spring green, and ice blue) and is released as a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, while the Aluminum Toolbox is available in the same choice of colors in a limited run of 100 pieces.

Both items are available to purchase online via RIMOWA and Vitra's websites today, and will also land in select RIMOWA flagship stores worldwide from tomorrow. In Germany, a RIMOWA Vitra 2025 installation is open in a deconstructivist Fire Station in Weil am Rhein until 27 June 2025.

Discover the full RIMOWA Vitra collection, or explore our selected picks from it below.

Suddenly got the holiday fever? Take a seat on your RIMOWA Vitra stool and dive deep into our travel trends 2025 report — our digital directory for all things conscious globetrotting. Or if you find yourself in need of more travel essentials, well, say no more and search for your next style signifier with our curated edit for the contemporary wanderer.

Imagine the ultimate British summer: sipping Pimms on manicured lawns; munching scones on a picnic before fooling around on a Badminton court until dinnertime. Now, imagine it all, just in Burberry plaid. The British design house is famed for its stylish rainproof trench, but this summer, they've turned their hand to badminton rackets, picnic blankets, and golf carts. They've even mown their signature Burberry plaid into a croquet lawn (yes, really).

The site of this Burberry-ification is the sprawling 2,000-acre estate of The Newt in Somerset, England, one of the best, and most exclusive, farm stays in the UK. For this pop-up stay, titled The British at Play, the award-winning hotel and spa has partnered with Burberry to create a custom newt-colored check that appears, rather cheekily, all over their estate.

For two months this summer, visitors may bat shuttlecocks from Burberry-branded rackets over a Burberry-emblazoned net before retiring onto a pale-green checkered sun lounger beneath a plaid-patterned parasol.

There are also hot air balloon rides offered on site — in a Burberry checkered balloon, of course — to admire from above the blanket of green Somerset fields and valleys. The ride is a nod to a hot air balloonist who flew over 1,000 kilometers in Burberry gabardine, a weatherproof textile invented by Burberry's founder, Thomas Burberry, in 1879.

A very British love of the great outdoors suffuses the experience at The Newt in Somerset. Vegetables harvested in the estate gardens are cooked into seasonal dishes in the four restaurants on site, and plants from the medieval herb garden are mixed into botanical treatments at the spa. There are garden trails, cycle routes, outdoor pools, and hedgerows filled with berries, ripe for the picking. Everything hearkens to a rosy-cheeked summer spent frolicking outside, come drizzle or shine.

The idea that clothing ought to protect the wearer, whatever the weather, and do so in style, was the founding principle of Burberry. It is only too apt, then, that the British design house, whose iconic plaid was inspired by Scottish tartan, should partner with a Georgian estate in the heart of the English countryside.

The result? Playful, luxurious, and quintessentially British. The Newt has all the right elements for a Great British getaway. A Grade II-listed residence dating back to the 18th century? Check. A sprawling green lawn ready for a spot of sport? Check. And a picnic (on a Burberry checkered blanket, naturally) of afternoon tea? Check and check.

Beyond the Burberry paraphernalia, The Newt is home to 40 individually designed rooms across two historic sites: the 17th-century manor Hadspen House, set in the heart of the estate gardens, and the Farmyard, nestled in the surrounding woodlands for a quieter, more intimate stay. Here, former servants' quarters and stables have been converted into cosy lodgings with unique design features like exposed wooden beams and original hay mangers.

The estate also hosts a series of talks and workshops across the year, including the upcoming Gather & Grow Festival in July, replete with live music, BBQs, and workshops for adults and children.

The Newt's Burberry experience, The British at Play, is open until August 18. Book your stay

As much as we hate being repetitive, this co-authored collaboration by The Newt in Somerset and Burberry, The British at Play, isn't but the latest manifestation of the rise (and rise) of resort-core. Haven't heard about it before? Just you wait.

From H&M HOME tapping New York's 'It' Creative Director Gabriella Khalil for a resort-themed lifestyle and decor drop, the Palm Heights x H&M HOME collection, to luxury stays reinventing themselves across a variety of meticulously curated experiences across fine dining, culture, and travel, experts agree: the trend is here to stay.

You can't deny, Ibiza has a lot to offer as a destination. On one side, it has the hedonistic, party island reputation. On the other, it has effervescent bohemian style and wellness philosophy to its core. However, it's also a well-trodden path for holiday-makers, and sometimes you just want to do something a little different. So, what are the best Ibiza alternatives to visit if you love the vibe of the island but want to explore?

Well, we've got some suggestions. Well, travel writer Hannah Meltzer does. And her suggestions aren't the ones you'll find on every other list of alternative destinations. There's no Mykonos, no Formentera — these destinations are a little less well-known.

What they do have, however, is the right feel, and a certain sense of style. You'll find surprisingly great design hotels there, great places to eat, and bragging rights for uncovering a hidden travel gem.

1. Biarritz, France

Californian writer Peter Viertel sojourned here in the 1950s while working on a film adaptation of Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises, bringing his surfboard with him and starting a local craze in the process. Today, surfing is part of Biarritz’s identity — you can dip a toe with a class at one of the numerous local surf schools, or simply watch the pros in action at the Grande Plage.

This part of France’s Atlantic coast is known for its relaxed atmosphere and dedication to living well, in particular when it comes to food. Enjoy the gorgeous simplicity of Basque products in the bustling Les Halles food market, where oysters and wine are on the menu just about any time of day. Be sure to stop in at Bar Jean, a hearty favorite with locals, or sample the local ‘bistronomy’ scene via Michelin-starred Les Rosiers or plant-forward Freya.

The town is a feast for the eyes, too. Contemplate the imposing Hotel du Palais, once the summer residence of Napoleon III and his wife Eugénie de Montijo, which extends between the Grande Plage to the 19th-century lighthouse. Further south, visit the Port des Pêcheurs with its charming fishing huts featuring brightly painted doors and shutters.

Where to stay? Regina Experimental Biarritz

It was a sign of Biarritz’s surging popularity when Parisian hospitality aficionados Experimental Group (which also has hotels in Venice, Ibiza, and Menorca) reopened this Grande Dame hotel in 2023. The historic Belle Epoque building has been transformed by head designer Dorothée Meilichzon along a refined nautical theme that strikes the right balance between kitsch and class.

The first contemporary art gallery in the town, Champ Lacombe, was opened by Brit gallerist Lucy Chadwick in 2021, who relocated here from New York. For art lovers there’s also the annual art festival Brouillarta that takes over the town every October.

2. Paros, Greece

To experience the ambrosial coastline, visit lively larger towns like Naoussa, with its gorgeous fishing port and distinctive island architecture, ​or opt for more secluded swimming spots like Laggeri and Ampelas. ​

The island of Paros enjoys a rich cultural history, famed since antiquity for Parian marble — the pure white type of marble of which the Venus de Milo is composed — you can visit ancient quarries in Marathi, close to the island's port Parikia.

Other inland highlights include the hillside village of Lefkés, once the capital of the island, where you’ll find centuries-old houses, charming tavernas, and a neo-Byzantine church made with the distinctive local marble.

Where to stay? Parīlio

This tranquil retreat blends typical Cycladic architecture and elevated, contemporary design and offers high-end dining and a swish holistic spa. In-house design store, Anthropologist, stocks gift-worthy textiles, jewellery and pottery.

The island is replete with cosy taverns, as well as more contemporary choices. Locals and visitors alike flock to Blue Oyster in Ampelas, Siparos in Naousa, and Thalassamou, which moves to a new location in Aliki this season.

3. Kotor Bay, Montenegro

Inviting, azure-blue water is juxtaposed with dramatic, vertiginous mountain, while rugged villages present an intriguing counterpoint to the ever more opulent glamour of the coastline’s yacht-friendly port developments.

This striking sliver of coast south of Dubrovnik has long attracted the great and powerful with its deep natural harbour and imposing topography — the Roman Empire, Byzantine Empire, Venetian Republic, Austro-Hungarian Empire, and Ottoman Empire all had sway here at different times. Today, swathes of the coastline are dedicated to the international superyacht glitterati, including the Porto Montenegro complex in Tivat and Portonovi close to Kotor and Perast; both areas bustle with high-end bars and restaurants, upscale shopping, and ample opportunities for yacht-spotting.

Complement the luxurious trappings of the new developments with historical exploration of the surrounding towns. You can walk along Kotor’s sloping medieval city wall and hike to San Giovanni Fortress, admire the Baroque architecture in Perast, and contemplate Savina Monastery in Herceg Novi. Active types will appreciate the ample opportunities for scenic biking and water sports.

Where to stay? SIRO, Boka Place

The latest addition to Montenegro’s high-end hospitality scene comes from the same parent group as the One&Only resorts. The Porto Montenegro hotel is the second opening in the SIRO brand, which is focused on wellness and restoration. The emphasis is on nutrition, fitness, and sleep, with a number of hi-tech treatments available spanning biohacking, cryotherapy, and infra-red therapy — the idea of a spa hotel taken to the next level.

The small size of the country makes day-trips very doable. Head to Lake Skadar on the Albanian border known for its tranquil waters, rich birdlife and native vineyards.

It's fair to say, heading to less-known destinations is big business right now. In fact, the biggest travel trends of 2025 eschew the path less followed, and look to unique destinations and itineraries. Yes, there's a lot to do and see in Ibiza, but there's a lot more to great travel experiences that can be found when you head to a destination where you're not so certain what you should expect.

Some of the memories I cherish most from my childhood were collected whilst spending time with my family, more often than not at an Italian seaside resort. No matter how many years have passed, there is something about those distant, sun-filled, hazy days that sticks with me just as much as sand grains would to the bottom of my feet after hours at the beach. Launching today, the Palm Heights x H&M HOME collection makes the magic of summer available to all through emotionally resonant decor and accessories crafted to inspire wanderlust, connection, and awe.

The brainchild of NYC-based, trailblazing creative director and designer Gabriella Khalil, the line draws from the nostalgia-soaked, tropical atmosphere of the luxury hotel she set up in Grand Cayman Island in 2019, Palm Heights, to embark people on a journey through time. "The resort can be the forum for memorable, joyous experiences, and our collection allows everyone to take that feeling away with them after they return home," she tells Livingetc.

A prime example of the enduring resonance of resort-core, the Palm Heights x H&M HOME collection wasn't exclusively crafted with actual hotel guests in mind. Instead, it extends the warmth, sumptuousness, and retro-fueled expression of craftsmanship that has made the tropical estate a favorite among A-listers — from cult actress Chloë Sevigny to supermodels Gigi and Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski — and one of the best design hotels in the world, to everyone keen to get a slice.

Imbued with the same 1970s' aura of Khalil's Caribbean dream escape, each piece from the collaboration "marries the hotel's energy, style, and sense of escapism with our approach to creating affordable, modern design," says H&M HOME's Head of Design & Creative, Evelina Kravaev-Söderberg.

Whether through summery travel essentials, elevated board and beach games, or sculptural interior additions, the Palm Heights-themed collection captures "the feeling of being on holiday in your home," says the resort's creative director. It could be anything as simple as "a relaxing, beautiful moment in your bathroom, feeling fantastic in your robe, or having guests come over and creating memories around a table with special glassware," Khalil adds.

To most, Palm Heights is an exclusive holiday destination. At its core, though, she continues, it's about the people that make it. That's why glassware, the designer confesses, is her favorite aspect of this collaboration: because it exemplifies the duality of the Palm Heights x H&M HOME collection as a whole. The idea of having a drink together speaks to the convivial feel of the resort, while the warm, amber glow of the pieces makes the island's palette paperback. Joyful, sunny, and elegantly simple, "I hope this collection will capture Palm Heights' spirit, helping people to switch off, be present, and come together," Khalil says.

Browse the entire Palm Heights x H&M HOME Collection, or take your pick from our curated edit below.

Discover the Palm Heights x H&M HOME Collection

Not a sandy beach type of person? Don't you worry. If you ever find yourself short of travel inspiration, just know you can count on us for an instant fill-up. From the best Airbnb alternatives for self-professed design obsessives to the leading cultural events of the year, we keep the pulse on the most anticipated events, hotel openings, and brand collaborations so you don't have to.

Whether you are struggling to find the best hotels in Venice or feel tempted by the prospect of a rural detox at one of the most stylish farm stays in the UK, the answer you are looking for is just one click away.

That the Danish capital has become one of the most sought-after destinations for design-versed tastemakers and aesthetes is no secret — so it follows that most of the best hotels in Copenhagen are for the design crowd, too.

After all, if there's a city currently setting the mood for effortlessly stylish, inspiring minimalist interiors that marry warmth, character, and a familial feel with sophistication, that's Copenhagen. With yearly festivals like 3daysofdesign, and brands like ferm LIVING, Georg Jensen, and HAY calling it home, Copenhagen is one to tick off your bucket list if you thrive as much on beautifully conceived spaces as you do on tantalizing gastronomy and an immersive cultural scene.

With forward-thinking decor impressed onto its DNA, many of its best design hotels revive the city's most distinctive buildings, from the former Royal Danish Conservatory of Music, completed in 1903, and a chimney house once used as a water pumping station, built the year before, to a Moorish-style architectural wonder sited in the lush, fantastical grounds of Tivoli Gardens, the world's second-oldest amusement park. From the picturesque stays of Indre By ("inner city") and Frederiksberg to the waterfront sojourns of Nordhavn and those lining up Vesterbro's vibrant alleys, the best hotels in Copenhagen are your entry point to the Danish capital's manifold wonders.

Whether you choose a serviced apartment or more traditional holiday rooms, one thing is certain: once you have tried the Københavner ("Copenhagener") way of life, where premium design takes center stage in people's homes, public areas, and minds, you'll struggle to unsee it.

To help you get the most out of your time in the city, I have turned to my inside knowledge of the first place I called home outside of Italy — where I lived between 2015 and 2016 and plan to return later this year — as well as to my local connections in the area to present you with an edit of accommodations that bring its soul-nurturing atmosphere indoors, and uplift you in return. Take your pick from our favorite boutique hotels in Copenhagen to mark the first step in that journey, and keep our neighborhood-specific recommendations in mind along the way to avoid missing out on its hidden gems.

1. Hotel Sanders

Tordenskjoldsgade 15, 1055 København, Denmark

A stone's throw away from the palatial Kongens Nytorv square in Copenhagen's Indre By, Hotel Sanders was imagined by ballet dancer-turned-hotelier Alexander Kølpin as a striking reflection of what the city has to offer: from a worldly-inspired understanding of design, hospitality, and cuisine to a storytelling-led approach to everyday life. Imbued with an earthy, biophilic palette of sandy hues, blood reds, and greens, Lind + Almond's interpretation of the owner's brief to make this building into one of the best hotels in Copenhagen translated into interiors that pair the elegance of Parisian-style decor with the irreverence of English eccentricity and the mid-century modern furniture focus of Scandi homeware.

Sprawling and residential, each of the 54 individually crafted rooms at Hotel Sanders stands out for its generous volumes, plush velvety fabrics, and carefully layered objects and textures. From the mismatched artworks hanging on their walls to the Art Deco lighting and the statement baths adorning some of the bedrooms, the stay "reimagines the golden age of travel through the curated home of a well-traveled Dane," the studio said of the multi-award-winning sojourn, one of the best hotels in Copenhagen for lovers of soulful decor. In the communal areas, French savoir-faire prevails, though the mood remains international thanks to the mix of locals and globe-trotters blending in at the bistro-like Sanders Kitchen and the sumptuous cocktail bar, TATA.

Book your stay at Hotel Sanders.

2. Vipp Chimney House

Scherfigsvej 6B, 2100 København, Denmark

Minutes away from the culinary, shopping, and recreational hotspots of the up-and-coming Nordhavn and Østerbro in the north-eastern side of the city, Vipp Chimney House is an invaluable alternative to the best hotels in Copenhagen, particularly for travelers wanting to experience it at the same pace as its long-term residents. A self-service hospitality concept, this 200-square-meter modern apartment, sited in a former water pumping station and complete with the towering chimney it takes its name from, was reinvented as an oasis for the contemporary traveler by the studio of Danish architect David Thulstrup. Fitted floor-to-ceiling in the finest, cutting-edge Vipp furniture, the house comprises two bedrooms, two bathrooms, and an expansive, large open-plan kitchen and living area, all bathing in natural sunlight thanks to its glassy structure. Despite the monochrome essence of its interiors, premium details like its custom terrazzo flooring, cocooning upholstery, playful arch doors, and a large terrace ensure the sojourn is rooted in Copenhagen's cult of coziness without ever feeling, either, obvious or impersonal, while the rental's proximity to Indre By (15 minutes by bike) and Nordhavn's buzzy waterfront allow for a full immersion into Danish lifestyle.

Book your stay at Vipp Chimney House.

3. 25hours Hotel Indre By

Pilestræde 65, 1112 København, Denmark

Very few of our hotel design roundups manage to get away without mention of Swedish interior design trailblazer Martin Brudnizki, and this spotlight on reservation-worthy boutique hotels in Copenhagen, I am afraid, is not one of them. Located a few minutes from the central Nørreport station and the lush Ørstedsparken, and only meters away from the Rundetaarn ("Round Tower"), one of the city's prime panoramic lookouts, 25hours Hotel Indre By is an explosion of colors, textures, and forms. Once a 19th-century porcelain factory and later repurposed as a university building, this quirky stay pays homage to its roots via 243 rooms and F&B destinations that enthrall with their vivid designs and history-charting decor.

Available in two different styles, "Passion" and "Knowledge", the suites feel inherently young. Clad in contrasting tile and textile patterns in pastel hues of blue, terracotta, acid green, and ochre, and awe-inspiring artwork, they retain Brudnizki's signature intricate style while renouncing part of its most lavish side for a Gen-Z-friendly experience. Guests without direct access to the 25hours Hotel Indre By's Secret Garden will find in shareable dishes haven NENI København, the tile-shaded rendezvous cocktail bar, and the Assembly Bar — a whimsical spot where Dark Academia decor meets Space Age design — their go-to hangouts, especially when done reveling in the peacefulness of its wellness facilities.

Book your stay at 25hours Hotel Indre By.

4. Villa Copenhagen

Tietgensgade 35, 39, 1577 København, Denmark

I first stumbled upon Villa Copenhagen, hands down one of the most imaginative restorations of an early 20th-century building I have seen so far, while researching valuable sojourns to include in this list of design-conscious boutique hotels in Copenhagen. To bring the stay to my attention was a recently published guide to the Danish capital, edited by cult homeware brand Ferm Living. To my surprise, I discovered that the Residential Suite of Villa Copenhagen, unveiled in May 2023, was created as "a celebration of travel and design" by the house itself, which filled it up with sculptural sherling seating, curated arwork, and innovative finds, adding to the plethora of reasons why interiors obsessive globetrotters should put the hotel on their radar.

Sited inside Copenhagen's former Central Post and Telegraph Head Office in a 1912, Neo-Baroque style building, Villa Copenhagen is a 5-star luxury hotel with 390 rooms and suites. Combining functionality and warmth with the essential aesthetic of contemporary Scandi design, each bedroom is as bright and spacious as it is visually enticing. Just like the Residential Suite, the Earth Suite tells a whole different story: built exclusively with recycled materials, including crushed bricks sourced directly from the site's original architecture, it boasts a terracotta color scheme accentuated by its wood and tile surfaces, with furniture by Danish sustainable manufacturer Mater. The communal areas, which include two on-site restaurants, an open-to-all courtyard bar, and an artisanal bakery, ooze Art Deco grandeur, while the heated outdoor pool — one of Copenhagen's very few — allows guests to swim while continue to soak in the urban views.

Book your stay at Villa Copenhagen.

5. Park Lane Copenhagen, a SLH Hotel

Strandvejen 203, 2900 Hellerup, Denmark

Despite the name suggesting the contrary, Park Lane Copenhagen is a newly unveiled luxury boutique hotel with premium design at its heart. Operating since January 2025, this 63-room and six-suite sojourn allows visitors to dive into a lesser-known area of the Danish capital, Hellerup, also known as "the Beverly Hills of Copenhagen", where thriving gardens, curated boutiques, and scenic private residences await. Crafted by local interior design firm &TEMPEL, the Small Luxury Hotels portfolio's new entry unfolds as a play of sumptuously rich textiles countered by dark marbles, brass accents, and sleek metallic surfaces. Bringing the largely monochromatic essence of its interiors to life is the sculptural nature of the pieces that inhabit them throughout, where mushroom-shaped lamps meet creaturesque velvet chairs, playful sconces, and crafty art, whether in the bedrooms or at the stay's moody on-site brasserie. The result is a lavish getaway that breaks with traditional Scandinavian minimalism to set a new standard for lavish Danish design.

Book your stay at Park Lane Copenhagen.

6. Nobis Hotel Copenhagen

Niels Brocks Gade 1, 1574 København, Denmark

Housed in another one of Copenhagen's beautifully preserved, historical buildings, a 5,500-square-meter landmark site once home to the Royal Danish Academy of Music, Nobis Hotel Copenhagen is perhaps the most Danish-looking of the picks featured in this curation of design-led sojourns. The palette is minimal, though eye-catching, the lines essential, while the quality of smallest detail, from the upholstery of its seating and the selected leather, rattan, and wrought iron pieces that abound in its 75 rooms to the masterful restoration of its original architectural volumes, is nothing short of exquisite. Led by one of Sweden's foremost architectural firms, Wingårdhs, the interior vision for the five-star stay was informed by the idea of "Danish classicism". Opened in 2017, its completion entailed "being delicate and respectful, emphasizing every detail of the original architecture and decor, adding superior quality natural materials such as various marbles, stone, wood and glass, with a subtle color scale, accentuated with beautiful deep greens," the studio's founder, Gert Wingårdh, said. Throughout the building, whether in Nobis Hotel's two on-site eateries and bars (NOI and The Marble Bar) or inside its sprawling suites, sea blue tones, pale parquet floors, and dense marbles alternate in a sophisticated, inspiring Neo-classicism exercise.

Book your stay at Nobis Hotel Copenhagen.

7. NH Copenhagen Grand Joanne

Vesterbrogade 9A, 1620 København, Denmark

That Grand Joanne is now part of the NH Hotels group shouldn't allow anything to think this spectacularly designed stay isn't worth an entry in this edit of the best Copenhagen hotels. While the images speak for themselves, I can assure you I have found no equal to the imaginative decor that embraces this 162-room sojourn in its entirety, making it into a not-to-be-missed stop for true design obsessives. Perfectly located just 100 meters from Copenhagen Central Station in the creative, hip district of Vesterbro, the hospitality destination, which has operated as such for nearly a century and has been unveiled to the public in its current conformation following extensive renovations in 2023, is as bohemian as it gets in the Danish capital.

Conceived by its owners as "a hub for cultural experiences, but with a hotel on top", the NH Copenhagen Grand Joanne is fitted with artful homewares, accessories, and masterpieces throughout, and particularly in line with many of the 1970s trends that have been resurfacing since the 2024 edition of Salone del Mobile in Milan — joyful decor, 'soft', chubby seating, and earthy designs. Hosting a rotating program of pop-up installations in the lobby, and DJ sets making the rooftop terrace alive come the night, it offers visitors the opportunity to enjoy Italian dining at its all-day restaurant and bar, or savor authentic Copenhagen cuisine at its on-site bodega. Complete with a picturesque courtyard and 24-hour gym access, NH Copenhagen Grand Joanne has truly got something for anyone; and if the hotel itself doesn't what you're looking for, all you have to do to find what you're after is wander outside.

Book your stay at Hotel NH Copenhagen Grand Joanne.

8. Hotel Bella Grande

Vester Voldgade 23, 1552 København V, Denmark

There is something immediately contagious about the retro-inspired feel of Hotel Bella Grande, another one of the must-know boutique hotels in Copenhagen for self-professed design addicted travelers. Just like its name reveals, the Cofoco group drew on Italy's world-influential understanding of hospitality, its invigorating power, and reliance on inspiring artistry and craftsmanship to develop a strategically located stay that brings echoes of Il Bel Paese to the Danish capital. Close to both the Tivoli amusement park, the Nationalmuseet, and the Ny Carlsberg Glyptotek, three of the city's unmissable highlights, the sojourn couples the edgy, 1970s-to-1980s furnishings of its 109 rooms and suites with the maximalist, romantic galore of its public areas, including the filmic Restaurant Donna and a sweeping terrace. Can't get enough of Hotel Bella Grande's Mediterranean lifestyle-infused ambiance? Revel in equally fantastical interiors at sibling property Hotel Coco, or find out which one of Cofoco's local-approved 18 restaurants is closest to you.

Book your stay at Hotel Bella Grande.

9. Venders Copenhagen

Nørre Voldgade 11, 1358 København, Denmark

There is a reason why, when I lived in Copenhagen, Nørreport was our preferred meeting point: equidistant from most of the city's must-see attractions, it puts its vibrancy at your fingertips, whether you're looking to enjoy a nourishing coffee break at one of its most beloved bakeries, relax in a park, or treat yourself to a window-shopping session. Overlooking the dynamic urban hub is the recently inaugurated Venders Copenhagen, one of the latest addition to the Nord Collection lifestyle portfolio, whose approach to hospitality "combines the comfort of home with the benefits of a hotel". Call me biased, but it didn't take me more than two seconds to fall for this aparthotel's design: framed within an earthy, tranquil residential setting that pairs stunningly restored coffered ceilings with welcoming, buttery or wooden surfaces, its furnishing accents — from FLOS' Achille and Piergiacomo Castiglioni chrome pendant lamp shade and HAY's Rey Chairs to its wavy and marble bust vases — immediately stand out. The fully equipped and equally iconic kitchen is another standout, making for a stress-free, self-paced exploration of the city.

Book your stay at Venders Copenhagen.

10. Hotel Ottilia

Bryggernes Plads 7, 1799 København, Denmark

If there's a leitmotif that sets numerous of the best boutique hotels in Copenhagen apart from its global competitors, it is the truly unusual locations within which these come to life. Yes, because after Vipp Chimney House's original water pumping station setup, 25hours Hotel Indre By's craftsmanship and academic past, and Villa Copenhagen's reboot of a historic post office, 4-star Hotel Ottilia injects the laid-back, detail-oriented aesthetic of Danish luxury hospitality into not one, but two of its most legendary Carlsberg City District former brewery sites. Opened in 2018, this 155-room-and-suite getaway is the ideal base to explore the nearby Frederiksberg and Vesterbo, though the real architectural standouts will come from the characteristic neighborhood the hotel calls its home. Taking over what were once two beer storage facilities of the world-famous Carlsberg brand, namely the red-brick Maltmagasinet, built in the 1880s, and the utopian-looking, 1960s Lagerkælder 3, known for its golden spheres-dotted façade, this sci-fi-esque boutique sojourn is as recognizable for its revamped industrial exterior as it is for the surprising interiors that await guests inside.

While it won't be a top choice for color-led travelers (its rooms' palette contrasts grays, blacks, and whites with very sporadical splashes of wood and plum), who'll likely find other entries on this best hotels in Copenhagen list more in line with their style, Arkitema's reinvention of these buildings exemplify the lingering power of design. Cinematic porthole windows with integrated, curved leather chairs, futuristic sculptural lighting, and James Bond-ready steel and tile bathrooms are only three of Hotel Ottilia's highlights. Whether for the choreographic neon installations that illuminate the space at night, its innovative combination of tilework, wood, and cement, or its atmospheric ancient baths, this destination will stay with you long after you leave, and even lure you into coming back.

Book your stay at Hotel Ottilia.

FAQs

How Did We Pick the Best Hotels in Copenhagen?

To land on this curated edit of boutique hotels in Copenhagen, I relied on either personal experience of specific getaways, word of mouth, or information available online on local sojourns to identify the most design-forward stays every interior enthusiast should know about when visiting the Danish capital. While the inventiveness of their decor and the way in which each of these Copenhagen hotels let the city's vibrancy through its doors were the key criteria that led to their inclusion, I also ensured that all accommodations featured above was reviewed positvely by former visitors over the last 12 months (8 stars and higher), and that its culinary, cultural, and wellness offerings met the quality standards expected by contemporary globetrotters. The compiled list of hotels in Copenhagen thus brings you Danish hospitality at its finest, and a welcoming base from which to dive into the city's animated streets.

What Is the Best Area of Copenhagen to Stay In?

Because of its petite size, Copenhagen is great to explore far and wide. Should you find yourself short on time, though, I would personally recommend staying anywhere near the sightseeing stops of its Indre By district, from the colorful canal of Nyhavn and the eye-catching, bustling-with-life Strøget square to Rosenborg Castle, Christiansborg Palace, and the Botanical Garden, to work your way outward throughout your sojourn. Hit the ornate neighborhood of Frederiksberg to revel in the city's booming coffee, baking, and viennoiserie culture like a seasoned Dane (or pick up local-approved collectibles and souvenirs at one of the many boutiques available in the area), visit Østerbro for its many museums and water-front, distinctive architecture, head to Vesterbro for a taste of its creative scene, music, and nightlife, spend a day around Christianshavn to feel the pulse of its storied bohemia, or get lost in the rising Nørrebro to mingle with Copenhagen's in the knows. In for more seaside views? Take to Amager Strand for a beach excursion, Danish style (just brace yourself for the water temperature, as it is bound to chill you to the bone).

How Many Days Is It Ideal to Visit Copenhagen?

Having lived in the outskirts of the city for 12 months, I must confess there is way more to discover in Copenhagen than meets the eye at first sight. Still, as also hinted by the name of its annual 3daysofdesign festival, half a week is sufficient to get a sense of what the Danish capital is all about and visit its foremost historical, cultural, and gastronomic sites, bonus point if you do so on a bike.

The thing with the Danish capital is, so much of its hidden trails — tucked away gems of culture, fashion, and lifestyle — only reveal themselves to those who find the courage to get around the city like a real local (read: cycling). Despite measuring only 86.39 square meters, a very humble size compared to London's 1,572, the city is dotted with soulful, fragrant viennoiserie-smelling cafés, history-spanning art collections stored within equally impressive palaces, hip street food and cocktail destinations, and higher-end, Michelin-starred ones.

All this to say that taking your pick from the Copenhagen boutique hotels listed above isn't but the beginning: the rest, you'll have to find outside. But don't worry, as we have you on our mind, and this best hotels in Copenhagen edit is a start for us, too. Keep an eye on our lifestyle pages for more inspired, design-conscious guides.

Throughout COVID-19, countless were the days I daydreamed of a thoroughly equipped, indulgent hotel suite. I wasn't the only one, I am sure. But as I look back at those uncannily monotonous months, where most weeks blended in with the previous one, and the one before that, I realize why that was the case: for nearly two years, my whole life had been reduced to the four walls of my shared rental in London. What I was after, then, wasn't — forgive the overused expression — a 'home away from home', but a place that felt nothing like it; a fantasy world, with never-ending beds, crisply fresh linens, soothing sunken baths, and evocative decor, along with an extravagant breakfast buffet to rejoice at and pick from.

Five years fast-forward and a few trips down the line, and travelers are back demanding a cozy, familiar, and relatable setting from their holiday stays, seeking destinations that nail the balance between laid-back comfort and sophistication. But what if I told you that one of the best New York design hotels, and one of the most recently inaugurated ones, too, Now Now NoHo, manages to score high on all of the above (and beyond) while welcoming travelers in 32-sqft 'sleeper cabin'-style rooms?

To habitués of The Mark Hotel and its namesake 10,000-sqft and 15-room penthouse, one of the Big Apple's most expansive vacation homes, this will sound ludicrous. For Islyn Studio's Ashley Wilkins, on the other hand, the interior designer who brought Now Now NoHo to completion, "the spatial constraints became an opportunity for intimacy and immersion".

"Designing cabins that are that small demanded creative problem-solving on every level, but that challenge was also the most exciting part of the project," she tells me in an email exchange. Rather than preventing the studio from expressing themselves as they would in larger environments, "it forced us to innovate, distill, and choreograph movement and flow with surgical precision," the founder adds.

Launched on April 1, the 180-micro-room stay couldn't have landed at a better time. Part of the Dovetail + Co award-winning portfolio, Now Now NoHo arrives at a moment when solo explorations are at an all-time high, as we anticipated would happen in our Travel Trends 2025 report earlier this year.

The quirky-chic Lower Manhattan answer to the booming capsule hotels of Tokyo, where guests sleep in Space Age-y, 'pod'-like bedrooms at a fraction of the price of more generous accommodations, as far as attention to detail goes, the bold New Yorkese hotspot has nothing to envy from the finest Japanese getaways.

But capsule hotels and all things Japanese style decor, it turns out, aren't the only ones to be trending: at the time of writing, a very quick look at Now Now NoHo's search volume reveals that some 4,400 internet surfers look it up monthly, with a spiking interest of — you read it right — +47,186% registered over the last 12 months.

Ashley, who first connected with Dovetail + Co's founder and CEO, Phil Hospod, through a mutual friend in 2019, and shares his ambition to drive hospitality forward through storytelling, considers the triumphant comeback of solo travel a symptom of the contemporary era.

"In a world saturated by overstimulation, there's a growing desire to unplug, reconnect, and move through space with intention," she explains. Within that framework, "train and solo travel represent a kind of modern-day pilgrimage — freedom, self-discovery, and nostalgia wrapped into one." It is a longing Islyn Studio made even more tangible by crafting Now Now NoHo as "both a physical and emotional journey".

Informed by the Golden Age of rail travel, the adventures and tightly grandiose volumes that shaped people's experiences of it, every corner of the hotel is envisioned "to echo that feeling of being in transit — between places, between versions of yourself, and between strangers who might just become friends," Ashley says.

Despite their humble dimensions, every room at Now Now NoHo are thoroughly engineered "sanctuaries". From custom-built furniture to integrated tech accessories, every inch of them has been considered. "Open ceilings with acoustic baffles allow air and light to circulate without sacrificing intimacy, while the public areas serve as extensions of the guest experience," the designer adds.

A minutious exercise in marrying practicality with the bohemian spirit of ultra-contemporary Art Deco, the sleeper cabins, some of which bear original mural walls by local artists, channel "the cozy anonymity of European train cars", with burnt red and cream, stripy textiles and pale wood interiors that are as essential as they are cinematic.

One detail worth noting, equally striking, 'shared, but private' bathrooms that mimic the curated feel and functionality of en-suite facilities without disrupting the sojourn's pocket-plan are available to everyone downstairs.

As for the remaining bijou, communal spaces, all champagne glazed tiling, stained glass, and sculptural design accents — Oscar Piccolo's curiously wavy Lampada Cappello table lamp being my personal favorite — they are the perfect liminal area to "spark spontaneous connection". Textured, moody, and designed for gathering, they elevate solitude and favor socialization.

Sitting where SoHo, the Lower East Side, the East Village, and the West Village converge, Now Now NoHo isn't just perfectly timely; it's also brilliantly located. Developing its vision, Ashley recounts, couldn't forego the neighborhood's reputation as "a crucible for counterculture and creativity".

In researching its history, the lives of cultural icons like John Giorno and Andy Warhol, whose contribution to The Bunker on the Bowery revolved around transforming his home into a vibrant artistic hub and archive showcasing his work as well as his contemporaries', stood out. Their dedication to fostering a community of avant-garde artists and poets, Islyn Studio's founder adds, lives on in the hotel design, "its blurred boundaries, unexpected juxtapositions, and in the invitation to connect with oneself, or others, in meaningful ways".

Transportative, otherworldly, and forward-thinking, Now Now NoHo might not meet the demands of every traveler, particularly those accustomed to sweeping sojourns. For its designer, though, "it is uniquely attuned to the rhythms of contemporary life". Rooted in the symbolism of dreams, the stay gives free rein to the subconscious, breaking with the pre-fixed patterns of routine to seamlessly invoke awe, introspection, surprise, awakening, and adventure. Because "even the smallest spaces can hold the biggest transformations".

Book your stay at Now Now NoHo.

Summary

The Frame Pro offers better picture quality and less intrusive design than The Frame, but this comes at a higher cost. The 65-inch Frame costs £1,899, while the 65-inch Frame Pro costs £200 more at £2,099. If you want a larger model, you’ll need to go with a Frame Pro, and if you want a smaller one, a regular Frame. Aside from size and picture quality, the TVs are essentially the same.

TVs provide a bit of a design conundrum. Generally, we want a big screen for full immersion with our boxsets, but the larger the screen, the more of an eyesore it becomes. In 2017, Samsung was able to square this circle with its first iteration of The Frame — a TV that looked less like technology, and more like a framed painting when not in use.

Its matte panel and ability to display art made it an instant hit with those prioritizing aesthetics above all else. But for videophiles, it historically hasn’t been the best choice, with weaker picture quality than similar TVs in the price bracket. With a number of high-profile alternatives to The Frame, Samsung is revisiting the formula with a higher-end version.

The Frame Pro is new for 2025, offering far better image quality and even less intrusive design, though you’ll pay more for the improvements. Here’s how the new The Frame Pro stacks up against the latest regular version of The Frame.

The Frame Pro vs The Frame: Pricing and Sizing

Samsung’s 2025 range of Frame TVs is spread across six sizes, with only a 65-inch screen available for both versions. At this size, the regular version costs £1,899 and the Pro model £200 more at £2,099, so it looks like Samsung puts a premium on the Pro upgrades.

Otherwise, if you want larger, you’ll need a Pro, and if you want smaller you’re looking at the regular model. The Frame can also be bought in 43-inch (£1,099), 50-inch (£1,299) and 55-inch (£1,499) sizes. The Frame Pro, meanwhile, can be had with a larger 75-inch (£2,999) or 85-inch (£3,999) panel.

The Frame Pro vs The Frame: What’s the Difference?

Choice of screen sizes aside, two key enhancements justify the price differences.

The first is the screen technology used. While The Frame has always used QLED technology, The Frame Pro upgrades to Samsung’s Neo QLED panel. This is Samsung’s branding for Mini-LED technology, an OLED alternative which provides superior brightness and far better contrast due to thousands of LED backlights capable of illuminating parts of the screen without uniformity.

There’s a small catch, however. As The Verge notes, for The Frame Pro, the Mini LEDs are all at the bottom of the display, firing upwards, rather than behind the entire display, which suggests brightness will be less tightly controlled.

Still, it should make it no contest between the regular Frame and The Frame Pro in terms of picture quality, both for watching TV programmes and enjoying artwork. That said, you can do better on that front if you’re prepared to have a more traditional-looking TV in your living room. Better still if your room isn’t too bright for OLED.

The second difference plays to the TV’s aesthetics. To keep cabling to a minimum, The Frame has sold with a One Connect Box, which puts all of your HDMI and USB connections to an external box, requiring just a single wire to your TV, tidying up things considerably.

For The Frame Pro, this is now wireless and works at a distance of up to ten metres, even with obstacles in its path (though you’ll still need a power lead to connect directly to the TV, of course).

This is obviously great for aesthetics, especially if you have an outlet behind the TV to hide the power lead, but if you ever use your TV for gaming, you might want to look elsewhere, as wireless data transfer adds input lag.

Our sister site, TechRadar, measured the Wireless One Connect Box and found it to add around 20 milliseconds at 4K 60Hz — not a huge amount, but still worse than a direct cable connection. The site does add, however, that Samsung claims The Frame Pro can hit sub-10 milliseconds with the Wireless One Connect Box at 4K 120Hz, but that couldn’t be tested at the time of writing.

The Frame Pro: Something for Aesthetically-Minded Videophiles

Size, screen quality and Wireless One Connect Box aside, the TVs are essentially the same, with the regular Frame upgraded to 144Hz this time around too. Both TVs also support Samsung’s brand new Vision AI platform [LINK], thanks to the NQ4 AI Gen3 processor powering them.

To be clear, you’re still paying a premium for aesthetics, and plenty of TVs will offer better picture quality, including Samsung’s own OLED sets. But if you want the best-looking TV with improved image quality for movie night, then The Frame Pro is almost certainly the way to go.

In the past few years, AI has moved on from being just a marketing buzzword to being an integral part of consumer technology. After introducing Galaxy AI to its high-end smartphones, Samsung has now decided it's time for its televisions to get the same treatment, with the introduction of Vision AI.

The company has just released a range of TVs with Samsung Vision AI built in, and while some of its capabilities are niche or likely to be overlooked, others could be a seriously useful addition to your living room. Yes, it seems like the best Samsung TVs to come will all be packed with this new technology, but what exactly does it do?

What Is Samsung Vision AI?

Announced at CES 2025 and available now in various Samsung TVs, Vision AI seeks to make screens aware of their surroundings to “enhance entertainment, simplify interactions and integrate into connected lifestyles.”

Why would you want your TV to be aware of its surroundings? There are several interesting use cases that Samsung has suggested, both in terms of improving how your content looks and sounds, and making its TVs the center of a connected smart home.

What Can Samsung Vision AI Do?

It’s easiest to divide this into two categories: what Samsung Vision AI can do for TV content, and how it can work with the smart home in general.

The first set is really building on what smart TVs have been doing for some time. Think analyzing the on-screen content and environmental factors to make whatever you’re watching look and sound its best. AI upscaling will enhance the on-screen resolution, while AI Sound aims to deliver crisp dialogue and immersive sound based on the acoustics of your room.

AI Motion Enhancer Pro is promoted as being especially good for sports fans. It’s capable of tracking fast-moving objects like a baseball or hockey puck, while enhancing its resolution and reducing blur in real time, making the big game easier to follow on the big screen.

But it goes beyond visual and audio upgrades with some other features that owners of recent Samsung Galaxy phones might recognize. Live Translate, for example, promises to offer real-time translated subtitles for content broadcast in a foreign language, while Click to Search allows you get instant information about what’s on screen via the remote control. Samsung’s all-too-familiar use case for this is when you recognize an actor on screen, but can’t remember their name.

If you happen to own a compatible Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 or later, you’ll even be able to use it to control the TV, by making a fist to return to the previous screen, or using pointer mode to rewind like in the video below.

Then there’s the smart home implementation. Vision AI TVs can work as a central smart home hub through Samsung’s SmartThings ecosystem, letting you control compatible smart lights, thermostats, security cameras and more.

Another interesting smart home feature is Pet and Family Care. This uses the TV’s microphone and camera (if included) to spot unexpected activity such as break-ins or your dog’s barking, immediately sending a notification to your phone. It can also apparently respond to specific situations, by dimming the lights when a child falls asleep, for example.

When not in use, you can also use your Samsung Vision AI TV as a canvas to display AI-generated art. Generative Wallpapers create wallpapers based on your prompts, so you can have something to match your mood.

The really exciting thing about all of this is that it’s just the beginning. With smart TVs connecting to the internet, there’s no reason why Samsung shouldn’t build on this feature set over time via software updates, gradually increasing what Vision AI is capable of.

What TVs have Samsung Vision AI?

It varies by region, but in the UK, Samsung lists the TVs as including Vision AI on this list, all available in multiple sizes. Below are some highlights.

The cheapest of these are the 65-inch QLEDs, which comes in starting at £949.99.

For those looking for the unbeatable picture quality provided by an OLED panel, there’s the S85F, the S90F and the S95F. The lowest priced of these is the 48-inch S90F at £1,499.99, though you can get a lot more screen bang for your buck by opting for the 55-inch S85F at £1,699.99.

If that AI upscaling has got you dreaming of 8K content, meanwhile, your options are the QN900F or the QN990F.

For those who like their TVs to moonlight as art when not in use, there are two versions of The Frame, a TV designed to blend in with your decor. The 43-inch model of The Frame LS03FA starts at £1,099.99, rising to £1,899.99 for the 65-inch model. Alternatively, those who want brighter colors, sharper contrasts and deeper blacks will look to The Frame Pro LS03FW, which starts at £2,099.99 for the 65-inch version, rising to £3,999.99 for the 85-inch model.

From the moment I shimmy out of my coat and step onto the warm tarmac in Adolfo Suárez Madrid–Barajas Airport, a stark contrast to the gloomy London weather I was shuddering through just a couple of hours prior, I am impatient to make my way to the doorstep of Brach Madrid, luxury hotel group Evok Collection's second opening outside of France.

Completed in 1922, the seven-storey edifice that houses the stay blends into the artistically traditional architectural landscape of the Gran Vía, adding to my anticipation of exploring what's within. One of the hottest, best design hotels of the moment, Brach Madrid is a sensory adventure led by tasteful interiors and waves of vibrancy, and that's clear from the start.

Ushered through the lobby and to my room, with every step I find myself more and more mesmerized by the layers of decorative inspiration that went into building this beautiful hotel. From the second I open the door to my suite, I instantly know its story lies in the details, manifesting itself to anyone curious enough to notice them.

Where History and Romantic Mod Design Intertwine

Nicole Constante, Events Manager at Brach Madrid, tells me that each room has been arranged with great intention, from the cocoon-esque hanging lights that call out your room number to the wall of accessories meant to tease each sense.

Directing my eyes to the wall facing my bed, she draws my attention to the unit anchoring the suite. With a TV at the center and a plethora of items surrounding it, you can't help but want to reach out and touch it. This isn't coincidental. "From the boxing gloves and the weights to the mini bar glassware and shaker and the musical instruments, everything has been left here for you to play with," Nicole explains. "Each room is meant to feel like a home, which is why you can pick up any of these items, fiddle with them, and even purchase them as a memento before flying back home."

Despite the initial hesitation, the anxiety of meddling with these artful accessories quickly gives way to curiosity, and before I know it, I am deep into this Madrid-inspired, immersive wunderkammer.

Letting Design Tell the Story

"Philippe Starck, who conceived the design of the stay, meant for each room to tell a story of romance, and so when you overnight in our hotel, you get to experience their love for yourself," she adds. "The map around the bed and the writing on the walls are meant to help you reflect on the passage of time and the memories they hold together."

As I look deeper, the graffiti on the walls reminds me of nostalgic etchings of wood-carved initials, with the map around the bed hinting at a treasure trove of history that weaves a tale of passion and heart. It is a narrative that expands throughout the suite, and even into its glamorous bathroom, my favorite part, where 'his' and 'her' shower wings compete with a sunken tub. Here, though, it is the ornate, lacquered, regal green statement vanity to steal the show, alongside the mirrored walls that trail their way back into the bedroom, backlighting the space.

Visitors coming to Brach Madrid for a special occasion should take their pick between the Armando, the Ernesto, and the Antonio suite — larger accommodations made to be lived in as you would in your own abode, featuring abundant living spaces that call for hotel-bound hosting, also thanks to their fully stocked mini bar.

When the Outdoors Steps In

Picture this: you're lounging in the comfort of your room, draped in one of the hotel's cushy bathrobes with a mimosa in hand, when you feel the urge to be surrounded by the picturesque local sights. At the Evok Collection's Spanish outpost, the city is only one step away and can be enjoyed from the comfort of your own private balcony, dressed top to bottom in colors, textures, and foliage that stunningly elevate the beauty of Madrid. "You can see so much of the city from here, and when the weather in Spain is playing nice, it's the perfect spot," Nicole says as we gaze at the colorful roofs that queue beyond.

Starck's quintessentially French design flair is equally tangible in the communal areas of the hotel, where magic simmering, searing, and slicing meets a kaleidoscope of textures, colors, and dazzling decor, with not a single detail left to be an afterthought.

This is the playground of chef Adam Bentalha, whose menu fashions Mediterranean flavors with subtle influences from across the map. Stepping into the restaurant is enough to feel the city quieten. As the lights dim, the focus immediately shifts to the plates swerving through the kitchen and onto the napkined tables.

Inside a Scintillating Culinary Journey

Seated in a corner, I find myself lucky enough to be at the perfect lookout point. To my left, a gorgeous bar inspired by Spanish village cafés, with shelves housing woven straw bottles of aromatic spirits and liquors. To my right, walled wine cellars with reds, whites, and rosés from the ages. Blame the Ratatouille moment that sees colorful explosions decorate the mind of my palate while dining at Brach Madrid, but I can assure you no visit to it would ever be complete without savouring Bentalha's masterful menu.

For a refreshing start, the cogollos con vinagreta de cítricos — a sucrine lettuce served with a citrus vinaigrette. Follow this with the colorful and flavorfully layered pulpo, berenjena ahumada, and sobrasada — octopus and smoked aubergine plated in a delectable sobrasada sauce. And at the top of my recommendations is a dish I will certainly return for, atún rojo con pepino, chips de ajo — soft red tuna and crunchy cucumber garnished with punchy garlic crisps.

Brach Madrid's patisserie and convivial breakfast venue is a treat for dessert lovers with a hankering for a taste of that classic French confection they do so well. An endless array of freshly baked desserts and buttery sucrine scents accessorize the shelves of the patisserie. And aside from the pain au chocolat and the impeccable croissants, I recommend savoring the Paris Brest, the Parisian Flan, or the Mont Blanc. Either stop by for a bright, sweet start to your day or reserve a pleasing dessert to complete a meal after hours. After all, there's nothing like dipping into a delicate sweet treat in the comfort of your hotel room.

A Luxurious Sanctuary of Wellness

Last but certainly not least, I had the pleasure of experiencing Brach Madrid's hospitality through La Capsule. "It's not just a spa," says Nicole, and I can see why she makes a point to distinguish the stunning wellness space that silently sits within the hotel.

Described as "half mystical and half futuristic", I'd be lying if I said this definition of La Capsule wasn't absolutely spot on. In interiors alone, the space lulls away stress and catches and keeps your attention on the impeccable style splayed across the expanse of the space. From the gold-tiled showers that are unbelievably enticing, the inviting pool that welcomes, the misty sauna room that's perfect post a visit to their intensely chic gym. And yes, I say intensely chic, because who knew workout equipment could look this good?

Not to mention, I managed to slip away from my duties studying the pace for an hour-long massage that I wished lasted longer. With a menu of scintillating essential oils, some of them paired with personalized treatments from Clarins treatments for a touch of tranquil luxury from the leading French brand. And that's not all.

If you prefer a more future-forward experience, you can experience wellness technology in the form of hyperbaric oxygen therapy, sensory isolation floating, and ice baths. Or fall back on timeless traditional holistic techniques like Chinese medicine, acupuncture, osteopathy, and cupping. Whatever your pick, there's not a chance you won't leave La Capsule without a yearning to return.

All in all, Brach Madrid is a love story of design, culture, and romance that will leave you wanting to live in the pages of this historic architectural novel, or revisit it at every chance you get.

Book your stay at Brach Madrid.

It's past 11 PM when, finished the luscious, creme fraiche-dotted chocolate marquis that wraps up my dinner at Kynd, Hampton Manor's latest restaurant opening, my partner and I make our way back to the hotel's Library Bar. Coming from the packed-with-flavor meal enjoyed at the eatery, where a casual environment defined by copper lighting, distressed brickwork, bold leather accents, and textural wood lets "small farms' brave stories" take center stage in meticulously balanced, smoky seasonal plates, I feel pleasantly full. Blame it on the wine, but filled with warmth, even. When we get to the room, tucked in a ground-floor corner of the destination's beautifully restored 19th-century Manor House, only another couple is sitting on its scalloped, coral-hued sofas, immersed in the colorful mosaic formed by the countless books and records that stack up the nearby shelves. "The bar is closing. Any final orders?", asks the bartender from behind the marble counter, only momentarily disrupting the 1970s atmosphere set by Fleetwood Mac's Rumours, which carries on playing on vinyl in the background. "If not, I'll leave you to it. Feel free to stay for as long as you please."

Located in the countryside village of Solihull, 11 kilometers southeast of Birmingham, in the West Midlands, and a couple of hours away from London by train, Hampton Manor is a five-star luxury hotel named after the Tudor Gothic-style building positioned at its heart, with three individually designed settings offering 24 suites and bedrooms. Once the family residence of Prime Minister Robert Peel's son Frederick, who built it in 1855, it served as a care home for half of the 20th century before being acquired by hoteliers Derrick and Jan Hill in the early Noughties. Part of a 45-acre estate that reveals itself to visitors over a winding lane punctuated by heavy-with-blossom cherry trees, the stay's regal façade doesn't exactly exude nonchalance. Still, the key to Hampton Manor's success, attested by the numerous accommodation and culinary accolades the destination has amassed over the years — including the Michelin Star awarded to its Grace & Savour restaurant and mentions in the Top 50 Boutique Hotels, SquareMeal, and Good Food Guide's Top 5 and 20 Restaurants in the UK lists, respectively — lies in its owners' desire to keep it real.

"We often talk about 'gravel drive' syndrome at the Manor," Creative Director and co-founder Fjona Hill, who relaunched Hampton Manor as a gastrotourism hotspot alongside her husband James in 2019, tells me. "When you come up a sweeping drive into a grand house, people can feel like they have to be on their best behavior. But that's no way to relax and have fun: true hospitality is joyful when it's richly tangible," she adds. As farm stays in the UK grow increasingly popular with their estate-to-table menus and wellness-aiding sojourns, this West Midlands retreat is carving itself a spot of its own in the industry "as a nature-inspired antidote to today's age of convenience".

As Fjona's first major venture into modern interior design, landing on a visual language that could pay homage to the location's past while laying the foundations for its future required some trial and error. Eventually, she learned that "design is best rooted in a sense of place"; that's what allows it to transcend fleeting trends. Much like a real home, "the spaces evolved gradually rather than in one fit out," explains the creative director, who drew on multiple eras to achieve a result that reflected her and her husband's artful vision for the hotel. From the moment visitors are greeted at the reception, situated in the front wing of the stay's timeless building, this is immediately palpable, with the Manor House's beautifully preserved architecture guiding them along a series of ornate stone arches interspersed with smooth wood paneling, bucolic wallpapers, plush fabrics, and sculptural, sleek contemporary accents.

"Historic places are a lesson in wonder," Fjona says. "If you look at all the intricate carvings in stone and wood around the house, and imagine that was all done by hand, it's a little breathtaking. In our hurried times, the resurgence of craft speaks of our need for balance. Of our will to rebel against the urgency of the world." To channel that spirit, she looked up to the pioneering work of British textile designer, poet, and artist William Morris and the Birmingham Set, the group of young intellectuals he joined while studying at Oxford University in the 1850s, whose politically engaged pursuit of art, literature, and social reform led to the birth of the Arts and Crafts Movement.

Kicking back against industrialization, they rejected mass production in favor of handcrafted goods built with ancestral manufacturing methods. Their story was instrumental to Hampton Manor. "Whether through food or design, we choose slow, deeply sensory craftsmanship that tells the story of our age, with William Morris prints incorporated [into the hotel's oldest arm] to bring context," Fjona says. "We didn't want a house where you felt you couldn't touch anything. Instead, the pieces we commission to local artisans are created to be experiential — beautiful, but tactile and interactive."

In Meet the Maker, a regular series of events hosted on the premises of Hampton Manor, guests are introduced to the chefs, gardeners, crafts(wo)men, and bakers that contribute to making the hotel one of a kind. The atmosphere is relaxed, intimate, inspiring, convivial. Much like you would expect of a reunion with friends you have waited for too long for. "The Maker's Table is made of Bog Oak, a rarer material for many makers, dredged up from bogs, preserved from decay for hundreds of years," Fjona says of the unruly wooden slab that acts as the initiative's main stage, brought to life by Rothschild & Bickers' lights. "We made it kitchen rather than bar height because we wanted the feel of a house party — the conversation always ends up around the kitchen island in a home!" The destination also offers cooking, baking, and gardening workshops, each conceived to share the passion for great food, sustainable agricultural practices, and creativity that drives the estate forward with its temporary residents.

If the Manor House is "the mothership, a big, warm hug that won't bat an eyelid if you curl up with your feet on the sofas (shoes off first, darling)," Hampton Manor's Creative Director recounts, "the Walled Garden is the gregarious uncle. The center of our resident experiences, and also open to the neighbourhood, it is a place where we tell all our stories and tease you into curiosity." The leafy spot is flanked at either end by gastronomic destinations.

At its front, you'll find Kynd, the exemplification of the stay's farm-to-plate ethos, inaugurated in the old Victorian furnace as an exercise in thoughtful reclamation, with big beams from Manchester locks forming the wall dividers, former horse stable doors giving structure to the bar front, and a big central table obtained from the floorboards of what was once a bank. To the back, rises Grace & Savour, its Michelin-starred, less modern rustic and more sophisticated sister, complete with five biophilic design suites that expand on its tranquil energy and soulful culinary offering. Here, an English answer to Scandinavian interiors and wabi-sabi channels a joyful quietness through Windsor chair-inspired, handmade furniture by ex-violin maker Nigel Briggs, dashes of country floral prints, and "British quirks like bobbin legs, tying down the UK aesthetic but keeping it subtle, like seasoning with salt," Fjona adds.

It is a metaphor that gets me thinking about the role that food growing and sharing can play within communities. My overnight weekend stay begins with a dinner at its newest restaurant, where a zingy Cornish crab starter, a melt-in-your-mouth main of line-caught gurnard and heartwarming potato fondant, and an earthy, chocolatey finale capture the eatery's playfully inventive approach to local cuisine. A nuanced, gradual buildup of flavors that causes me to light up, allowing me to temporarily forget about the rest, give in to the cocooning feel of Hampton Manor, and that of the panoramic Robert Peel suite I have checked into. That, in itself, speaks to the hotel's mission.

"Our goal is to plant gardens and build tables that transform the people around them," Fjona says of her hopes for the future of the concept. "One day I'd love to build a walled garden, training restaurant, and design studio in the heart of Birmingham, a city that, despite boasting the most Michelin stars in the UK outside of London, also has one of the highest food poverty rates because of the 'deserts' of access to fresh ingredients in deprived areas, which leads to obesity. Admittedly, there's not much profit in food, but it does have the power to convene and bring people closer together. We want to work out how to use that influence well to support this big conversation for our city."

Book your stay at Hampton Manor.

Obsessed with playful patterns, California's Palm Desert, and sleek 1950s furniture? Then get ready to salivate: a historic modernist masterpiece has been outfitted entirely in Paul Smith upholstered mid-century furniture — and it's yours to rent until the end of August.

Built in 1955 and designed by US architect Walter S. White, the Desert Wave House is listed as a nationally significant artistic or historic place. That's no wonder: its iconic, undulating 'desert wave' roof oozes more style than 2010s Vanessa Hudgens at Coachella.

This summer, though, the hazy property becomes the protagonist of a whole new story, stepping into the hospitality industry to compete with the world's best design hotels on decor flair.

In a triple collaborative feat, style mastermind Design Within Reach created a bespoke furniture line with British designer Paul Smith before partnering with design-loving holiday rental provider Boutique to reimagine the interior of the Desert Wave House. The result? An immersive design experience doubling as a time capsule — with a stripey twist.

Guests may lounge on Saarinen's 1946 Womb Chair or eat breakfast curled up in the 1950 Eames Moulded Plastic Side Chair, both reimagined in special editions with fabric from the Paul Smith + Maharam collection. More historically significant pieces by Knoll and Herman Miller furnish the home alongside original designs from Design Within Reach.

The architecture of the Desert Wave House provides a unique backdrop for DWR Presents: The Paul Smith Collection. "The house is composed in large part of glass, and the windows act as a prism that draws your attention to how the light of the desert changes throughout the day," Boutique Homes CEO Marc Blazer tells Livingetc.

The strength of the surrounding desert is brought into the home with a thoughtful color palette. Teal and deep green touches pick out the tones of the cacti, whilst mustard and burgundy highlights mimic the colors of shadows and sunsets over the desert. The warm palette of the stepped plaid furnishings adds texture to the smooth, wooden interior.

Lighter earth tones paired with vibrant stripes and polka dots master the art of polished style without being boring. For Omar Nobil, SVP and Creative Director of Design Within Reach, the mixture captures the character of their designer: "Like Sir Paul himself, the textiles that adorn the furniture in the home evoke joy and whimsy, but with a sharp sense of sophistication".

"Our approach to furnishing the Desert Wave House was entirely focused on creating a transportive experience for guests who are looking to escape from the reality of their daily lives. It is an oasis within the oasis of the Coachella Valley," explains Nobil.

The original owner of the Desert Wave House, cement-fortune heir and LA playboy Miles C Bates, would approve. He originally commissioned the home as an artist's studio and private getaway for friends. Now, visitors have the chance to holiday in it until 31 August 2025, immersed in the style and drama of California's desert modernism.

Book your stay at the Desert Wave House or take the holiday home with you with the Design Within Reach's Paul Smith Collection.

Mid-century masterpieces like the Desert Wave House aren't the only American destinations to be experiencing a renaissance. Across the whole of the US, younger generations of design-savvy travelers and local photographers are driving the vintage motels revival, with many legendary destinations from the Route 66 era brought back to their former glory after being forgotten for decades in Palm Springs and beyond. Dive into our recent dispatch to find out why.

Searching for more design-worthy rentals, but don't quite know where to find them? Perhaps you've missed out on our interiors-led edit to the best Airbnb alternatives — curated for holiday stays that won't go forgotten.

Once home to a 108-feet-tall, blazing bronze statue of the sun god Helios, Rhodes attracted people far and wide to bask in the burning gaze of their favorite deity. Although the so-called Colossus is no more, sun seekers still flock to bathe in the glow of Helios' golden rays, just as they did centuries ago, drawn not only to the sun but also to the island's rich culture and historic charm.

While this led to an abundance of all-inclusive, family-friendly resorts, unlike the islands of Santorini and Mykonos, which are home to some of the best design hotels in the world, Rhodes has, until recently, been somewhat lacking in true interiors-led, luxury properties. Then came Casa Cook Rhodes.

I had the pleasure of visiting Casa Cook Collective's Greek outpost for a much-needed 'get me out of London' weekend away earlier this spring. Located on the east coast of the island, a (mostly) scenic 35-minute drive from Rhodes airport, the hotel, unveiled in 2016, makes a striking first impression. Upon arrival, you're immediately met with the dramatic contrast between the hotel and its backdrop: the property itself, a collection of gleaming white, minimalist, flat-roofed buildings, typical of traditional Greek style, nestled in the wild, undulating landscape of the foothills of Mount Panagia Tsambika.

Hotel designer Remo Masala, creator of the Casa Cook brand and founder of the creative agency Vision Alphabet, says the goal was to work with the landscape rather than against it. "When we began designing Casa Cook Rhodes, the mountain shaped the brief," he says. "Our job wasn't to compete with the landscape, but to frame it. The clean linear architecture acts as a counterbalance — a deliberate juxtaposition that invites the eye to travel between structure and slope." As a result, "the buildings form a catwalk through the natural terrain, choreographing the guest’s journey".

The general vibe of the hotel is relaxed and bohemian, which is reflected in the interiors that run throughout, from the communal areas to the rooms and villas, all of which were overseen by Berlin-based studio Lambs and Lions for the group. "Many of the textures and pieces are locally crafted — timber, ceramics, woven fabrics — selected not for show, but for soul," says Remo. "Everything was chosen with intention. Walls in earthy tones that catch the sunlight. Woods that age beautifully. Linen, straw, stone — elements that feel honest and tactile."

A joy that could never get old, I had a private villa that boasted unobstructed views of the mountain, a highlight of my stay being waking up to the gentle bleating of goats nearby. Complete with its own private pool and a starfish-worthy king-sized bed, the villa itself was open-plan, with floor-to-ceiling windows on two sides, giving it a bright and spacious feel. In the bathroom, a stone shower room complete with Korres toiletries and a dual vanity stepped in for the tub.

In my humble opinion, a hotel is only as good as its continental breakfast, and Casa Cook Rhodes did not disappoint. Of course, they had the usual suspects on offer — granola, yogurt, fresh omelets, fruit, and bread — but it was the extra accoutrements you didn't know you needed (shout out to the olive tapenade) that took it to the next level. Throw in a Freddo Espresso, and you're all set for a long, hard day by the pool.

The hotel's two on-site restaurants offer extensive menus featuring traditional Greek food and European-inspired dishes, with all produce sourced and grown locally. Kitchen Club serves mezze-style plates, inspired by the local tradition of sharing and communal dining, while the poolside Olive Restaurant & Bar offers more casual options such as pizzas, sandwiches, and burgers. Personally, though, I'm still thinking about the Prawn Saganaki.

If wellness is your thing, the spa setting is nothing short of dreamy. The perfect place to unwind, it offers yet more views of the untamed landscape, making it easy to disconnect and lose yourself in the serenity of nature. Choose from a range of treatments, from full-body massages to facials using natural oils, all sourced locally, of course.

For those who get restless after more than an hour on a sun lounger, you’ll find the quaint, cobbled streets of Rhodes Old Town just a 40-minute drive away. There, you can while away the hours searching for souvenirs, indulging in every flavor of gelato, or hiring a local tour guide for Ancient Greece 101. The more adventurous need only look up, as Mount Panagia Tsambika offers guests the opportunity to hike to its summit for unparalleled views from the monastery. The hotel also features a well-equipped gym and open-air yoga classes.

As someone who's always looking to escape the everyday humdrum of city life and swap it for some stillness, Casa Cook Rhodes delivered. This sunlit haven offers a little slice of laid-back luxury, making it the perfect sanctuary for sleep and solitude — or clinking cocktails with your favorite person. I left with a full and happy belly, a well-rested mind, and a few extra freckles, which, in my book, is a great indication of a good time.

Book your stay at Casa Cook Rhodes.

An adults-only, seaside retreat, Casa Cook Rhodes was conceived as a stress-free oasis for relaxation. But if its uninterrupted immersion in nature and tantalizing culinary offerings aren't enough to sell you on the stay, don't despair: you've still landed in the right place. Explore the globe-trotting selection of slow living destinations our editors love to find another peaceful corner of the world better suited to you.

There are people who have always deemed outdoor time as crucial to their lives, and others who, with the arrival of COVID-19 lockdowns, learned about its importance the hard way. Whichever group you belong to, one thing is for sure: farm stays in the UK are trending, with more and more British travelers preferring so-called 'staycations' immersed in the wilderness of their home country to ever-popular overseas destinations.

As we explored widely in our Travel Trends 2025 Report, recent years have seen a spike in the number of people who choose rural getaways over city trips characterized by cookie-cutter itineraries, attraction hopping, and overtourism. But what is making farm stays in the UK so widely popular right now, and can design-conscious vacationers trust these holiday hotspots to have found the way to truly inspiring decor?

Selected for their ability to infuse the earthy coziness of rural estates with the genre-defying creativity, artistry, and wit of contemporary homes, the interiors of the countryside escapes listed below have an answer for it all.

1. Fowlescombe Farm, Devon

Ugborough, Ivybridge PL21 0HW

At Livingetc, we're all about bringing you the now and next in decor, but the same is true of our trend-forecasting exploration of lifestyle. So trust us when we tell you that Fowlescombe Farm, a newly opened rural retreat on the foothills of Dartmoor, Devon, is bound to shake up the countryside hospitality industry in England and beyond. A regenerative organic farm set on an estate dating from 1537, the destination was reinvented as a cozy, immersive hub for the contemporary traveler by co-owners Andrew and Alex Owens. The brainchild of two self-professed foodies, Fowlescombe Farm puts a hyper-personalizable spin on its gastronomic offering, with a daily changing menu that can either be savored at the on-site restaurant, The Refectory, readjusted to reflect your latest cravings, or enjoyed in-suite. Barbecues as well as picnics can be planned for the occasion, with the team sourcing, like in the case of the stay's wider culinary offering, the freshest ingredients directly from the farm.

Believe it or not, the interiors are equally exciting. Conceived by Swiss architecture Studio Gugger under the leadership of Caitlin Owens and Creative Director Paul Glade, Fowlescombe Farm's ten individually designed suites strike the balance between heritage and sophistication. Warm, bright, and packed with character, they exist somewhere between the meticulously balanced, wood-clad elegance of Scandinavian design and the golden hues and feel-good energy of California's desert modernism. Organic colors, textures, and artistry mold these 25-to-80-square-meter accommodations into shape, with dramatic fireplaces and mezzanines, fully equipped kitchens, and private outdoor spaces adding to the charm. While with such cocooning premises, it might be hard to even leave your room, (much) more awaits you outdoors, with the surrounding 475 acres lending themselves to wildlife walks, floristry and bread-making workshops, and breezy yoga sessions, not to mention the range of activities enjoyable by the coast.

Book your stay at Fowlescombe Farm.

2. Hampton Manor, Warwickshire

Shadowbrook Ln, Hampton in Arden, Solihull B92 0EN

There is a reason why my recent stay at Hampton Manor has remained so vividly impressed in my memory, and the 5-star luxury countryside hotel's multifaceted interiors have a lot to do with that. Spanning 45 acres of woodland and gardens, this suggestive rural getaway is easily reachable by train from London Euston, making the extreme legs of your journey completely stress-free. But back to Hampton Manor: less than two hours away from the British capital, this 1855 estate is the dream come true and creative playground of partners and co-founders James and Fjona Hill, who in 2008 set out on a journey to restore it. Over the past 17 years, the two have tuned into their shared love of arts and crafts, community, sustainable agricultural and cooking practices, and "joyful" hospitality to birth a destination that stimulates all the senses while being kind to the environment it rises within and its local inhabitants.

Today, Hampton Manor isn't just one of the best farm stays in the UK for lovers of all things decor, with accommodations varying from William Morris-inspired, vividly patterned, sprawling suites filled with views of the surrounding grounds and sited in the Manor House to zen, naturally lit wooden cabins crafted to maximize rejuvenation thanks to the handcast cements baths that serve as their centerpiece, a biophilic interior design color scheme, and their proximity to the walled garden, and vibrantly comfortable cottage rooms dotted in quirky collectibles, books, and plush textiles. Instead, this rural getaway has earned itself a reputation as a foodie haven by putting its Michelin-starred eatery, Grace & Savour, its artisanal bakery and cooking school, and Kynd, the destination's latest culinary opening, characterized by a smoky exploration of British produce, at the core of its offering. A hub for farming and gastronomy innovators, for crafts(wo)men, artists, and designers, and, more often than not, for people looking to tie the knot (Hampton Manor makes a fairytale-like location for wedding receptions), this Solihull retreat shows there's no greater luxury than coming together in support of creativity, connection, and the outdoors.

Book your stay at Hampton Manor.

3. Restaries at Paradise Farm, Suffolk

Cox Common, Halesworth IP19 8RH

More than yet another design-forward rural getaway, Restaries, the portfolio of luxury holiday stays set up in Suffolk by Gem Boner and Thom Scherdel, is a showcase of contemporary creativity that keeps artisanal expression at its heart. Nestled in the countryside of Halesworth some three hours away from London, this extraordinarily envisioned destination breathes new life into a 16th-century farm by combining an artsy approach to decor, immersion in nature, wellness, and sustainable gastronomy into a holistic hosting experience. Set amidst the thriving grounds of Paradise Farm, equally close to the nearby town, the surrounding woodland, and the sandy beaches of Suffolk, Restaries' three bookable vacation homes (Cider Store, Gate House, and Farm House) and yet-to-be-unveiled Log Store, Tack Room & Cart Lodge are all imbued with the deeply tactile feel that's made London-based Design & That studio one of my latest obsessions (learn more about founder Emma Shone-Sanders' work in our recent review of Michelin-starred restaurant Plates).

Here, every detail, from the evocative abstract art and sculpture curation down to the tranquil color scheme of the rooms and the ritual-aiding objects scattered throughout them, has been chosen as a point of contact between the craftsmen who created them and those who get to use them in these temporary homes. Animated by wildlife and complete with its own heated pool, Paradise Farm truly lives up to its moniker. With wine and spirit tastings, cooking workshops, seasonal pop-up restaurants, and rotating al fresco dinners all organized on site, and countless creatives actively contributing to this sojourn's atmosphere, the countryside has never felt more exciting.

Book your stay at Restaries at Paradise Farm.

4. The Newt in Somerset, Somerset

Hadspen, A359, Bruton BA7 7NG

There is something simply otherworldly about the 2,000-acre farm that houses The Newt in Somerset, a hotel active since 2019, as if simply entering its grounds allowed you to turn the clock back to the times of Jane Austen's novels. And yet, its interiors, curated by former Elle Decoration South Africa editor Karen Roos, who owns the estate alongside her husband, Koos Bekker, are as unexpected as those of few other farm stays in the UK, seamlessly blending rediscovered heritage with color-blocked, sculptural contemporary charm. Having Hadspen House, a 17th-century Georgian manor, at its heart, this expansive holiday stay is now home to 40 transitional-style bedrooms between the accommodations sited within its central building and those hosted in the cider orchards in the Farmyard.

Animating the destination in its entirety is a desire to let guests immerse themselves fully into its mazy gardens, shaped over time by a number of landscape designers, including Margaret and Penelope Hobhouse and Nori and Sandra Pope, and now reflecting the vision of Italo-French architect Patrice Taravella, and revel in the fruits of its working farm. A portal to the raw beauty of the natural world and its healing properties, The Newt in Somerset relies on its sweeping fields, polytunnels, and glasshouses to gather the ingredients to be assembled into delicacies ready to be served across its handful of culinary destinations, including a Golden Age of travel-inspired afternoon tea hotspot set within the restored train carriages of the Maid of Somerset and the lavish British bistrot The Botanical Rooms. As if the views weren't enough to put any worry to bed, stress relief is one booking away thanks to the hotel's expansive wellness offering, delivered across the theatrically imagined treatment rooms of its spa, fusing Asian, Middle Eastern, and Scandinavian inspirations into a soul-reviving combination.

*Membership might be required to access specific areas of the hotel and experiences. Consult the website for more information. Book your stay at The Newt in Somerset.

5. Heckfield Place, Hampshire

Heckfield Pl, Heckfield, Hook RG27 0LD

Already praised in our coverage as the home to one of the best spas in the UK, Heckfield Place is a self-sustaining Hampshire estate stay spanning 438 acres. Inaugurated in 2018 after an eight-year-long renovation, it has since been driven by a vision to "reconnect a grand English house, its Home Farm, and the local community" through standout hospitality services.

Now home to six unique F&B concepts, including the poetic Glass House, the ultimate setting for picturesque afternoon tea gatherings, the regal Dining Room, elegantly designed for a night to remember, the rustic Hearth, whose open-fire, daily changing cooking brings the simplest ingredients' nuances to the fore, and the riveting Moon Bar, Heckfield Place has the cure for the mind and the soul. Producing anything from fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers to dairy products, and also raising livestock on site, you can rest assured that everything you eat hasn't traveled for miles and miles. The 45 rooms and suites, signed by quiet luxury master Ben Thompson, nod to the estate's 18th-century origins through beautifully framed figurative artwork, restored fireplaces, and ornate cabinetry and ironwork without ever feeling outdated. Painted in organic, neutral hues, they are the perfect accommodation for a sojourn that expands on its territory's produce, awe-inspiring landscape, and restoring energy, rather than replacing its legacy with something uprootedly new.

Book your stay at Heckfield Place.

6. Soho Farmhouse, Oxfordshire

Great Tew, Chipping Norton OX7 4JS

Soho House might not be the first hospitality group to spring to mind when thinking about the best farm stays in the UK, but trust me when I say that the Oxfordshire outpost of the legendary members-only network is a one-of-a-kind wonder. Sandwiched between the picturesque Great Tew and Chipping Norton, a two-hour drive north of London, this standout rural retreat has got it all, from fantastically furnished, contemporary bedrooms, cabins, huts, and cottages clad in warm woods and rich textiles for a home-like experience and a cowshed spa that exemplifies the meaning of indoor-outdoor living to a fully equipped gym, a barn conversion dedicated to a range of wellness classes and treatments, lake-view sunken hot tubs, and four restaurants and a bakery for the bon vivants.

Needless to say, Soho House's golden glow and exceptional taste in contemporary design can be felt throughout, with each of the communal areas boasting a carefully balanced mix of Art Deco finds, mid-century modern accents, and one-off artworks and collectibles, whether placed inside or as sculptural additions to the leafy grounds. My personal favorites are the Electric Barn cinema, carved from plush red velvet and bookable for private screenings, the izakaya-style Japanese eatery Pen Yen, where Asian feel-good interiors and the firm's retro-futuristic glam collide, and the textural feel of the One-Bedroom Cabin. With plenty of activities available on-site, including boating, tennis, and horse riding, Soho Farmhouse isn't just one of the coolest rural getaways near London; it's a place to connect, try something new, and be inspired. (Curious to know why we think hotels and private members' clubs are the new museums? Dive into our recent dispatch to know more).

Book your stay at Soho Farmhouse.

7. Pennard Hill Farm, Somerset

Stickleball Ln, Shepton Mallet BA4 6UG

It takes quite an effort to steal the show from the dramatic beauty of the Mendip Hills, but with its imaginatively crafted accommodations, ranging from self-catered cocooning cottages furnished with all comforts to whimsical, floating tents placed mid-air through the thick woodland, and sun-filled dining rooms, local holiday hotspot Pennard Hill Farm immerses guests in a world of its own. An 80-acre haven minutes away from the legendary town of Glastonbury, this rural retreat makes the ideal base to reconnect with nature or recharge in the calm after an electrifying day at the festival.

Run by Pippa and Tom Godber-Ford Moore, alongside the former's father, David, Pennard Hill Farm is a family-owned business that strives to deliver a magical experience while positively contributing to the surrounding land. Besides offering some of the most inventive glamping accommodations I have come across so far, with the opportunity to shower, light a fire, and relax directly out in the woods, this countryside escape also comes with a cinematic heated indoor pool, a series of wellness treatments to choose from, and ever-changing, expansive seasonal feasts centered around live-fire cooked meat and fresh, or pickled, greens and vegetables sourced from the estate's garden.

Book your stay at Pennard Hill Farm.

8. Tillingham, East Sussex

Dew Farm Dew Lane Peasmarsh, Rye TN31 6XD

Just over an hour away from London by train in Rye, East Sussex, Tillingham is the kind of British farm stay responsible for making rural getaways not only palatable to, but also increasingly sought after by younger generations. With a quirky-cool visual identity created by studio Kellenberger-White and a design vision co-authored by RX Architects and Marian Boswall Landscape Architects, this 70-acre winery, graced by stunning views over the Tillingham River valley, the sea, and the Romney salt marshes, is your one-stop destination to scenic vineyards, orchards, and woodland, spirited accommodation, and equally exciting culinary experiences. Fusing centuries-old farming traditions and best-practice techniques with science-backed contemporary expertise, Tillingham's diverse, poly-cultural approach to agriculture is as good to the soil and the wider planet as it is to the taste buds of those who get to savor its fruits.

Led by Head Chef Brendan Eades, the restaurant of this vineyard with rooms transforms the produce of its local grounds into earthy, nourishing plates that marry simplicity with sophistication. Visually, the place, which features a shop, a bar, and a panoramic terrace, and organizes group wine tours, is just as striking, with crafty wooden surfaces brought to life by bold abstract artwork, warm industrial lighting, mismatched mid-century modern furniture, and a lofty sensibility. Meanwhile, the beautifully curated interiors of the winery's 11 double rooms, an artful exercise signed by McCully & Crane, and the two hyper-cozy luxury Bell Tents allow visitors to linger in Tillingham's multisensory offering for more than a day. With an award-winning a la carte menu, wood-fired pizzas, and natural wine galore, this East Sussex countryside hub has got all the right ingredients for a romantic, slow living stay.

Book your stay at Tillingham.

9. Sandridge Barton, Devon

Lower Well Farm, Waddeton Rd., Stoke Gabriel, Totnes TQ9 6RL

Travelers looking for the ultimate British farm experience will find their paradise on Earth at Sandridge Barton, Andrew and Jane Moon's 450-acre vineyard and winery. Located on the eastern side of the River Dart, surrounded by the fertile hilltops of England's South Devon, the site, whose farming history stretches back 1,000 years, has been at the forefront of UK wine-making since the 1960s, when the then owners Maurice and Rush Ash purchased what was once known as the Sharpham Estate and began experimenting with different types of vines.

Some 60 years fast-forward, this bucolic destination is now home to a number of bespoke experiences, including wine and cheese tastings as well as walking tours, besides offering exclusive farm stays across three self-catering holiday properties. Choose between the transitional style of the spacious Sandridge Barton House, a pastel-shaded, 6-bedroom Georgian escape punctuated by lively fabrics and sleek surfaces, and equipped with an indoor heated pool, the western decor extravaganza of the Lower Well Farmhouse, boasting characterful design accents, exposed beams, brick walls, and a spectacular garden, or the more essential Boathouse, built right on the bank of the river, and complete your sojourn with a moreish meal at the winery's own restaurant.

Book your stay at Sandridge Barton.

10. Banchory Farm, Fife

Banchory Farm, Kirkcaldy KY2 5UU

Much of the growing interest in farm stays in the UK stems from the timeless essence of these rural getaways, and Banchory Farm, a 700-acre property in Fife, eastern Scotland, captures their allure. With a history dating from the end of the 18th century, this countryside destination, crafted with care by interior designer Ali Heath, preserves the characterful, layered aesthetic of its past while providing the comforts and spaces expected by today's vacationers. Offering six different and self-catering types of accommodations, varying from atmospheric one-bedroom cottages to a dreamy farmhouse suitable for groups of up to eight, Banchory Farm makes the perfect base for a vacation in the name of unconditional relaxation.

Compared to other entries in this roundup of design-conscious farm stays in the UK, where lunch and dinner time might feel much more 'fixed', family owners Jane and Jono's immersed-in-greenery rural getaway delivers a holiday experience that can be enjoyed at your most natural pace. Formerly used to host the farm workers who worked on site, each of the bookable houses was fully reimagined into a sumptuously furnished stay that echoes the site's storied identity. If I were to choose, I would likely book quirky-cool The Dairy, where sleek floor-to-ceiling windows, brutalist stone accents, wood-paneled walls, and unpolished chrome accents render the beauty of both worlds, the city and the country. Or in either one of the dotted-in-ceramics, artsy Drinkbetween — where textural collectibles, mismatched patterns, and styles set the scene. Despite lacking an in-house eatery, your sojourn at Banchory Farm comes with multiple locally approved food, drink, and leisure recommendations, tasting, and sport experiences to take your pick from.

Jane & Jono xBook your stay at Banchory Farm.

FAQs

How Did We Pick the Best Farm Stays in the UK?

With the rise of staycations, a phenomenon arisen amid the government-mandated stasis of COVID-19, countless rural getaways near London and farm stays in the UK have opened their doors to the public as an experiential remedy to the frenzy of urban life. While each of them is credited with offering a soothing alternative to the non-stop pace of the city, and therefore makes the ultimate solution for vacationers wanting to revel in peace, only some of them boast design-forward enough interiors to be considered newsworthy by our community of decor-obsessed readers. That's why our roundup of the best farm stays in the UK has inspiring contemporary design at its heart; so that you can rest assured each of the entries mentioned in it won't simply provide relaxation and room to reconnect with the wild, but they'll be a window into imaginative modern rustic decor, too. While each of these British countryside getaways had to offer exceptional accommodation options and equally outstanding communal areas in order to be considered, this wasn't the only criterion we relied on to determine the final list.

Many of the farmhouse hotels cited above have been awarded prestigious accolades like Michelin Stars or Keys, a recognition that, attesting to their culinary excellence, also played a role in our decision, as did the range of recreational gastronomy and craftsmanship-focused activities available on site, the look and feel of their outdoor spaces, and overall creative vision. We wanted the spotlighted destinations to be a trusted, cherished institution within their community, and to play an active part in its social, food, and cultural life. When applicable, we tapped into our first-hand experience of these places to share exclusive insights into what you can expect from them and come up with our curated interiors-led edit of the best farm stays in the UK.

What Are the Most Scenic UK Areas for a Rural Retreat?

Trip-worthy countryside gems in the United Kingdom include the Lake District in England, the Scottish Highlands, the Cotswolds, and the Yorkshire Dales, with other notable areas like Cornwall, Devon, and the Peak District serving as the base for many of the best farm stays in the UK.

Seeking new balance and calm, but not into the idea of spending time out in the wilderness? Let our curation of the best spas in the UK guide you to the discovery of the best wellness escapes in the country, whether away from the city or in the heart of London, or browse our selection of best spas worldwide if you are looking to get away.

There are cities everyone should visit at least once in their life, and Venice is one of them. With a history dating back to March 25, 421, when the dedication of its first church, Rialto's San Giacomo, took place, Italy's most romantic destination has served as the protagonist of countless legends, poems, and tales, and crucial historical moments, all while retaining a special place in its citizens' minds and in the fantasy of returning, as well as prospective, visitors alike.

Playing host to the Biennale Architettura and the International Art Exhibition (also known as the Venice Biennale, May 9-November 22, 2026), the former of which has just returned to the city's Arsenale, where it will remain open to visitors through November 23, 2025), some of the world's best design hotels, and countless artisanal workshops specialized in hand-blown Murano glassware, Venice is a must-see destination for arts, crafts, and interiors enthusiasts, too. Despite its ever-growing popularity, as a northern Italian-born-and-bred lifestyle journalist, I can assure you that finding a holiday home that meets — and exceeds — expectations has become as complicated as the plots of some of the books set in the city. That's why I spent hours looking for the best hotels in Venice (or shall I say the best hotels in Venezia?), so that you can keep disappointment away while sojourning in some of its most striking palazzos.

We know what you think: traditionally, the best hotels in Venice were all about stuccos, frescoes, and gold leaf-encrusted canopy beds. Though this might still be the case of some of the entries outlined below, for us, what makes a holiday home stand out from the crowd is its ability to move one step forward, not only preserving the grandeur that has characterized this Italian pearl over the centuries, but also — and especially — laying the foundations for a new Venetian canon where its past, present, and future coexist. That's what we think each of the best hotels in Venice right now should stand for. Simply scroll below to learn more.

1. Aman Venice

Palazzo Papadopoli, Calle Tiepolo, 1364, 30125 Venezia VE, Italy

Aman hotels don't really need an introduction, nor do they need any justification as to why they have been included in a best hotels list. In a city full of grand dames, Aman Venice still manages to bring something exquisitely unique. When I visited, we arrived by boat, whisked straight from the airport to the hotel's discreet entrance on the Grand Canal, and it instantly felt like stepping into a different world. Venice will always be romantic, but this was romance Aman-style.

The building (16th-century Palazzo Papadopoli) has been masterfully renovated, blending that trademark Aman-style chic with iconic original features. Frescoes and ornate Murano glass chandeliers adorn the spaces, paired with the chicest B&B Italia furniture and minimalist detailing. The rooms are, of course, uniquely spacious. It is grand, for sure, but also intimate and serene, and a true sanctuary. The service was impeccable, too. Every need was anticipated with quiet efficiency. I traveled with my (very well-behaved) then 1-year-old and was slightly apprehensive about bringing a toddler to such a prestigious property. Still, the staff couldn't have been more accommodating. From arranging amenities to offering thoughtful gestures throughout our stay, they made us feel completely at home. The price is totally eye-watering, but the expression 'Aman Junkies' is utterly justified — I am addicted, too!

Book your stay at Aman Venice.

2. Palazzo Cristo

Campo S.S. Giovanni e Paolo, 6805A, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy

Reading this guide to the best hotels in Venice will be enough for you to realize that, more often than not, the city's sumptuous palaces have been transformed into hospitality destinations that wink at its storied tradition. But if you think you know what to expect when stepping inside one of them — opulent, Renaissance-style and, let's face it, often unaesthetic, over-the-top interiors — well, Palazzo Cristo will prove you wrong. Situated in a tranquil, more hidden-away area of the city, yet close to local iconic sites like the stacked-with-volumes Libreria Acqua Alta and the Palazzo Grimani Museum, an unmissable stop for lovers of classical art, San Marco, and Rialto, this five-star Venetian sojourn knows how to make history relevant.

The brainchild of designers Anna Covre and Frédéric Tubau de Cristo, it comprises nine sweeping suites and a three-story villa equipped with every comfort, from 24/7 concierge service and private butler, or chef, available upon request to sun-filled terraces, vertiginously tall ceilings, satin bedding, and awe-inspiring decor. Thoroughly clad in the plushest, neutral fabrics or otherwise sculpted in Carrara marble, rich woods, and travertine, Palazzo Cristo is the kind of place one can only dream of in Venice. Here, modern rustic design touches like white-washed exposed beams meet Gothic-inspired paneling and silhouettes. All is done without ever compromising on the quintessentially contemporary, beige, rose, and baby blue-tinted, playful look that makes this hotel a wonder of a stay.

Book your stay at Palazzo Cristo.

3. Il Palazzo Experimental

Fondamenta Zattere Al Ponte Lungo, 1411, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy

There is something about Il Palazzo Experimental, the namesake Parisian hospitality group's first venture in Italy, that makes it instantly recognizable. A great deal of that is, of course, down to hit French interior designer Dorothée Meilichzon's quirky-cool approach to crafting hospitality environments, which shines throughout the scheme of this 32-room-and-suite stay overlooking the Giudecca island in the southern part of the city. Opened in 2019, Il Palazzo Experimental finds its home in, you guessed it, a 16th-century building that wasn't just restored to its former glory, but turned into a whimsical fantasy land through a comforting choice of pastel hues, spirited Art Deco lighting, patchwork terrazzo floor, and Wes Anderson-esque textiles, accessories, and symmetries.

Color-blocked walls serve as the backdrop against which each of the nine room types available on site lets travelers embark on a retro-inspired journey, where arched doorways, extravagant collectibles, and complementary tones of blue lagoon, terracotta, and cherry red invite visitors to give in to a refreshing aura of play. Ristorante Adriatica, the in-house gastronomic destination, open to both locals and tourists, puts an inventive spin on traditional Italian cuisine through chef Denis Begiqi's theatrically presented, gourmet plates. The Experimental Group's beloved speakeasy concept, Experimental Cocktail Club, extends its kaleidoscopic atmosphere late into the night via a bespoke drink menu and even more striking interiors.

Book your stay at Il Palazzo Experimental.

4. Nolinski Venezia

Calle Larga XXII Marzo, 2032, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy

Visitors unfamiliar with the story behind the 5-star Nolinski Venezia, one of the very best hotels in Venice for interiors-obsessed travelers, will be taken by surprise by its uncannily immersive spaces. Set in what was once the city's stock exchange in a palatial building from 1929, the Yann Le Coadic and Alessandro Scotto holiday stay benefits from its architectural framework irreverent mixture of Art Nouveau and Liberty Style, which lets the storied mythology of the place spill into the hotel's lavishly modernist interiors. Past the ornate façade of Nolinski Venezia, which shares the spotlight with some of Italy's foremost fashion giants, a dramatically beautiful, surreal experience awaits. Bright and home-like, yet never obvious in their décor, the 43 individually crafted rooms and suites bring the allure of Venice in through panoramic windows and terraces and a style-meets-ritual approach to furnishing, incorporating anything from plush velvet and mirrored walls to mosaiced floors, evocative artworks, and wood or stone paneling.

Inside, the magic of Murano glassware spreads across the space, with countless handblown objects and staggering, iridescent chandeliers adding sophistication and a sense of familiarity to every room (we wish we had them in our home). Somehow, the communal areas are even more noteworthy. Introduced by solemn marble columns and filled with 4,000 books, the cinematic Library Bar brings artist Simon Buret's fantastical vision to life via a folkloristic ceiling mural. With the leafy, airy essence of Venetian androni ("ground floor courtyards) at its heart, Il Caffè enchants with its Mediterranean air and perfected take on feel-good Italian staples, while Palais Royal Restaurant Venezia, set within a Giorgio de Chirico-like, spectacular auditorium all arches and whimsy, allows Executive Chef Philip Chronopoulos's culinary genius to simultaneously stimulate the taste buds and the eye. Elsewhere in the building, the Ottoman treatment room and covered pool, imbued with a slight brutalist flair, step in to provide relief to the mind.

Book your stay at Nolinski Venezia.

5. The Venice Venice Hotel

Sestiere Cannaregio, 5631, 30121 Venezia VE, Italy

When Alessandro Gallo and Francesca Rinaldo, the minds behind pioneering Italian fashion brand Golden Goose, known for its highly customizable, DIY take on luxury clothing, footwear, and accessories, announced the opening of their first hospitality project, The Venice Venice Hotel, which opened in February 2022, I didn't expect it to be any less iconic than it turned out to be. After all, there is a reason why the house's flagships are among the most innovative and interactive in the whole of the country, as shown by my recent dispatch on the best Rome concept stores. Unsurprisingly, The Venice Venice Hotel takes that immersive vision into a brand new realm. A five-star luxury stay, the burgeoning hotspot, housed within a 13th-century, Venetian-Byzantine building overlooking the Grand Canal, is a mid-century modern furniture dream.

Aiming to inaugurate a new chapter in the history of Venetian life, one aspiring to what Gallo and Rinaldo have dubbed Postvenezianità ("post-Venetianness"), The Venice Venice Hotel doesn't want to be one of the best hotels in Venezia; it strives to serve as the holiday stay of the future. Rather than reintroducing conventional Venetian canons under a new light, the life and work duo have birthed a platform for a new understanding of the city to manifest through interdisciplinary art, fashion, and food activations, 45 uber-stylish rooms and suites with artworks and decor to die for, and all-encompassing, contagious storytelling. With a dynamic food offering unfolding across multiple formats and locations, and events to ignite the night, it has rapidly become a go-to for the culturally awakened crowd. And as I plan my next romantic escape, I have no doubts as to where to stay.

Book your stay at The Venice Venice Hotel.

6. Ca' di Dio

Riva Ca' di Dio, 2183, 30122 Venezia VE, Italy

Hidden in plain sight in the Castello district, with easy access to both the Biennale Architettura's main sight, the Arsenale, and the Biennale Arte itself, Ca' di Dio is one of those stays you need to experience first-hand to make sense of its grandeur. The brainchild of prolific designer Patricia Urquiola, whose layered, elegantly colorful and worldly-inspired approach to interiors is felt throughout the space, this five-star luxury destination has it all, from generously indulgent design rooms and choreographic restaurants to a peaceful reading room, a lush inner courtyard, a peace-aiding spa, and its very own vegetable garden. With an emphasis on contrasting textures and balancing shapes, Ca' di Dio feels laid-back and welcoming without ever lacking charm. Perfect for visitors interested in catching the best cultural events of the season, it is both the ultimate base for art and design-driven tourists and an address worth witnessing in its own right.

Book your stay at Ca' di Dio.

7. Violino d'Oro

P.za San Marco, 2091, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy

The key criterion in selecting the entries to include in this list of the best hotels in Venice was one: they had to respect and honor the city's multifaceted culture and artisanal tradition without feeling overly classic. This is something that avid Livingetc readers won't be surprised about, as most of our design coverage centers around the now and next in contemporary interiors and décor. Sited in the beating heart of San Marco, with the namesake square and cathedral, the Doge's Palace, and Harry's Bar all nearby, Il Violino d'Oro is a family-run hotel whose captivating reworking of classic style was undoubtedly worth a mention. A collaboration between Sara Maestrelli and her niece, Elena, this five-star sojourn is a wunderkammer for some of the finest Venetian artisanal pieces, coming adorned in intricate Murano glass creations and equally eye-catching, precious artworks. It has a private water entrance, making every guest's arrival via either vaporetto, gondola, or private taxi as iconic as it is unforgettable, and a restaurant and bar ensuring Venetian cicchetti ("bites") soul-warming delicacies, as well as, of course, drinks, are always within reach.

Book your stay at Violino d'Oro.

8. Palazzo dei Fiori

C. del Dose da Ponte, 2746, 30124 Venezia VE, Italy

Quirky, colorful, and rule-breaking, Palazzo dei Fiori isn't yet another one of the best hotels in Venice: it is a bold exercize in propelling Venetian hospitality forward. Part of the Europe-wide Room Mate Hotels group, the stay, which opened at the end of 2023 in the San Marco district, houses 16 individually designed serviced apartments, each named after a different kind of regional flower. More than just a nickname, the floral identity of every accommodation, Teresa Sapey + Partners explained, informed its colors and shapes, with "the custom furniture and textile pieces, as well as the signage for the wayfinding of the guests, all in tune with the main idea: creating a Palazzo of flowers". While perfectly located for an effortless exploration of the city, this four-star aparthotel places greater emphasis on its holiday homes as the starting point to every traveler's journey. Scattered across its private and communal areas are a series of color-block, sculptural furniture pieces whose contrasting primary colors — with electric reds, blues, and yellows as leitmotifs — occasional pastels, and creaturesque essence hint at the legacy of 1980s' Memphis design. The result is a truly outstanding, one-of-a-kind holiday stay that immerses you in the breadth of Venice's attractions while telling a story of its own, and all through design.

Book your stay at Palazzo dei Fiori.

9. iH Hotels Venezia Salute Palace

Dorsoduro, Fondamenta Fornace, 222, 30123 Venezia VE, Italy

The best hotels in Venice come in many varieties and shapes, and iH Hotels Venezia Salute Palace proves just that. More affordable than most of the entries spotlighted in this curated roundup, this three-star holiday stay isn't, in any way, less worthy of a visit. Nestled in the heart of the artsy Dorsoduro district, a teeming-with-talent creative hub dotted with prestigious art institutions, from the triumph of Venetian Renaissance masterpieces that is the Galleria dell'Accademia to the famed Peggy Guggenheim Collection, the destination has been praised for its exceptional location, flawless service, and attention to detail — whether in relation to its curated interiors or for the assistance and recommendations provided throughout the sojourn. Balancing tradition and imagination, the rooms come complete with striking wallpapers, gold-plated pendant lighting, and upholstered furniture that feel, at once, researched and cocooning. Mesmerizing wall motifs guide visitors across the building, and especially in the communal areas like the breakfast salon and wood-and-tile-drenched bar, while outdoor seating areas allow travelers to soak in the canal views of Venice right from their morning start.

Book your stay at iH Hotels Venezia Salute Palace.

10. Casa Flora

San Marco 2313, 30124 Venice, Italy

Sometimes, not even the best of the best hotels in Venice can guarantee a stress-free, fully flexible holiday stay. But where to go when the most beautiful, coveted accommodations in town aren't of help? Enter Casa Flora, Venice's thriving-in-plants, community-focused answer to traditional holiday homes. Born of a team effort that saw six students from world-leading design schools like NYC's Parsons School of Design, Milan's Domus Academy, and Venice's IUAV undertake a residency program led by architects Matteo Ghidoni, Diego Paccagnella, and Stefano Micelli in 2015, this modern industrial three-bedroom apartment can welcome up to seven guests a stone's throw away from Piazza San Marco. Embodying the city's creative potential as a whole, its interiors have become a platform for multiple artists, budding design practitioners, and emerging chefs to showcase their craft and share it with others.

Standing out for its soothing, petrol green, bordeaux, and ochre palette, as well as for the thick vegetation that brings a lived-in, animated touch to its wood and plaster volumes, Casa Flora lives up to the promise of its name by serving as a fertile ground for cultural exchange and artisanal innovation. Bathing in sunshine, comforting, and youthful, the house acts as a direct bridge between guests and Venice, facilitating cooking and crafty workshops, hosting private gastronomic catering, and even allowing people to discover what else there is to uncover in town, as well as in the nearby Burano. For a destination caught in the grip of overtourism, Casa Flora isn't just the way forward to foster valuable interactions between short-term vacationers and the city's inhabitants; it's a crash course in Venetian heritage that not only teaches you how to preserve its worth, but also shows you how to contribute to its value.

Book your stay at Casa Flora.

FAQs

How Did We Pick the Best Hotels in Venice?

Each of our hotel design stories strives to unearth the very best of contemporary interiors by presenting viewers with curated edits of some of the world's most inspiring holiday destinations. As part of that effort, this curation of the best hotels in Venice is no exception. To land on the shortlisted entries, I relied on first-hand experience of specific Venetian stays and word of mouth that attested to their décor excellence. The above inclusions are what I found to be La Serenissima's ten best accommodation options for travelers who can't renounce great taste, not even on the move. Rekindling the legacy and beauty of some of the city's most breathtaking palaces, and providing visitors the opportunity to bask in Venetian heritage from within the rooms that contributed to shaping it, these vacation homes are the perfect base to discover local landmarks and hidden trails alike. While we are yet to visit all of the spotlighted Venice hotels, and are therefore occasionally not able to comment on the quality of their services, we have kept an eye on the reviews available so far about them to ensure they met our quality standards, whether in relation to cleanliness, amenities, or gastronomic offering. This means that, when we say these are the best hotels in Venice for interiors enthusiasts, you can take our word for it. But, in many ways, their dazzling design isn't but the cherry on the cake — instead, a multisensory journey awaits.

What is the Best Area in Venice to Stay in?

While there are no right or wrong answers, as, ultimately, the best area in Venice to stay in will depend on the reasons why you chose to visit in the first place, exercising some caution while booking your sojourn can ensure you get the most out of it.

Should you be looking for central locations that allow you to walk to all main attractions without exposing you to the chaos of ever-busy Venice, I would settle for San Polo, where many of the city's most sought-after sites, from the Rialto Bridge and namesake markets to the Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, and playwright Goldoni's house, are, while also boasting authentic local life.

Dorsoduro is the ideal solution for art-oriented visitors, with the great majority of Venice's most prestigious art institutions and pop-up exhibitions coinciding with the Biennale scattered throughout it, while Cannaregio will have you experience the residential side of La Serenissima, interspersing it with luxurious boutiques and local-approved bars, restaurants, and coffee shops.

Whatever you do, avoid San Marco at all times, as its proximity to the train station makes it extremely chaotic, while undeniably bustling and beautiful. Want to try something else? Stay near the glorious Giardini della Biennale, tucked away in the tranquil Castello district, where you will uncover a different, much quieter side to Venice, and have easy access to its iconic Lido, where the Venice Film Festival takes place every year.

More than anything, this curated edit of the best hotels in Venice will show you one thing: that, no matter how historical the building that houses them, there isn't any lifestyle destination whose splendor can't be brought to even greater heights through an imaginative, albeit attentive, approach to contemporary interior design.

Need even further confirmation? Take a look at the newly opened The Six Mayfair, a state-of-the-art, wellness-meets-hospitality hub set within a spectacularly preserved, Grade II-listed townhouse.

For a resort as eminent as St. Moritz, it's surprising to see how little has changed in its hotel landscape over the past half-century. That's what makes Grace La Margna, a five-star luxury stay unveiled in August 2023, such a refreshing addition.

The first new opening here in some 50 years, the property strikes a different note. It's calmer, more modern and relaxed, and unmistakably design-led. Positioned directly opposite the train station, the hotel occupies what was once the La Margna three-star hotel, an early 20th-century Art Nouveau building that's been carefully restored and expanded into one of the best ski resort hotels in Europe.

The original architecture, all local stone and curved lines, has been paired with a striking new wing: crisp, pale, and quietly sculptural. The renovation, led by Divercity Architects and interior designer Carole Topin, achieves that rare balance between heritage and modernity.

My suite overlooked the lake and was a masterclass in elegance: muted tones, beautiful materials, and expansive windows. The bathroom was generous and spa-like.

Mornings begin with a decadent breakfast in the main restaurant space. As expected, we found heaving help-yourself tables, an expansive à-la-carte menu, and a croissant cart where guests could have their pastries complete with a filling of choice between chocolate, hazelnut, or pistachio cream.

A detail I loved: for the smallest ones, they have reimagined a children's market stall into a buffet table at their height so they can help themselves — a sign of the hotel's quietly meticulous approach.

Dinner at The View was a highlight: a Mediterranean-leaning tasting menu with light, confident flavors and a well-judged wine pairing. It's fine dining without the theater, although a tableside tiramisu did add a little flourish at the end.

On our last night, we opted for the hotel's second restaurant, Stüvetta, a more traditional Swiss affair serving fondue and other alpine classics.

The space is warm and intimate, complete with a charming striped ceiling and that nostalgic, unmistakable smell of melted cheese. We left beyond full. The hotel has a third new dining offering, the lauded Beefbar chain, which I didn't have a chance to try but is known to draw a chic local crowd.

The bar and living area is where we spent most of our time. Anchored by a roaring fire and soft velvet seating, it's a space that invites you to settle in.

The cocktail menu is presented like a deck of tarot cards, each drink tied to a character. I chose The Devil, a distilled twist on a margarita; my husband had The Hanged Man, a deeper, rum-based concoction. Both sensational.

The spa is everything you'd hope for in a five-star alpine hotel. I had a facial using products from myBlend, which left my skin noticeably brighter, and the 20-meter indoor pool was clearly a favorite among guests. There's a large relaxation area, too; quiet, well-lit, and perfect after a day on the slopes.

Service across the board was excellent. The concierge arranged ski equipment for us (the shop is on site) and a brilliant instructor, while an easy shuttle handled the short ride to the lifts — you call on the way down for more or less instant pick up.

Unusually for the area, Grace La Margna is open year-round, so while all winter sports are of course well covered, summer activities are thoughtfully catered for too, with equipment available to hire for hiking and biking.

For those arriving by train, transfers are seamless, and with such a central location, there's genuinely no need for a car.

Grace La Margna brings something new to St. Moritz: a hotel that respects its surroundings but isn't defined by them. It's for travellers who care about atmosphere as much as architecture, who seek comfort without fuss, and who appreciate the details that don't ask for attention.

Book your stay at Grace La Margna.

Few brands are more synonymous with impeccable, trend-setting design than the Cologne-based RIMOWA. It isn't a coincidence if artists, fashionistas, and celebrities worldwide have picked the lifestyle colossus, founded in 1898 by Paul Morszeck as a saddlery workshop and later grown into a cult custom-made suitcase manufacturer, as their go-to house for all things travel essentials. Primarily known for its lightweight, sleek aluminum suitcases, the unsung protagonists of countless art, couture, and design weeks globally, RIMOWA is to style obsessives what Ferrari is to lovers of racing cars.

Since 2017, the brand has been continuously pushing the boundaries of mobility through spectacularly crafted accessories that strike the balance between elegance, function, and longevity. Unveiled on April 24, the new RIMOWA Granada & Verde Collection, inspired by the vibrancy of nature and the way it shapes our greatest adventures, "captures the essence of travel, where every moment is a celebration of life itself".

Marking the release of the collection, which sees 11 of RIMOWA's all-time bestsellers, from the Essential Cabin and Check-In L cases to the iconic, portable Cross Body Bag, the beautifully practical Toiletry Pouch Trifold, and the Sliding Tote reinvented for the occasion, with Mexico-themed, color-coded stickers and charms to customize them as you like, is a cinematic Wes Anderson-esque campaign that has us daydream about the journey that will lead up to our next exploration. Because, as the house puts it, "it's not just about the destination — it's also about how you get there."

Don't get caught unprepared: take your pick from our favorite designs from the RIMOWA Granada & Verde Collection or discover it in full in store or on the brand's official site.

The RIMOWA Granada & Verde Collection — 6 Must-Haves

Looking for more packing inspiration besides the RIMOWA Granada & Verde Collection? Keep the HBO hit series' tropical atmosphere with you wherever you go with The White Lotus x AWAY Travel Collection, or find out what our favorite designers never leave behind when traveling with our monthly series, Can't Leave Without.

Bathrooms are getting a futuristic makeover, and if these products are anything to go by, the future is looking very relaxing.

Our favorite bathroom trends combine innovation with sleek, modern design, pushing the boundaries of what we can expect from a bathroom and transforming it from a place of pure functionality into the central hub of relaxation - the one room where you can truly indulge in some much-needed me time. The best bathroom tech helps you on your journey to complete relaxation, creating new possibilities for how to unwind.

"With an increased awareness of well-being, design trends have shifted towards solutions and spaces that promote relaxation and mindfulness. This shift mirrors the evolving role of the bathroom, once a utilitarian space, now seen as a sanctuary for self-care and revitalization," explains Lewis Neathey, Leader of Product Management LIXIL EMENA, and GROHE UK, "Early indications of this trend are now gaining momentum, with the bathroom being reimagined as a regenerative space – a place for immersive experiences rather than just functional use. Which means refocusing the design from mere products to luxurious experiences."

While these innovative, luxurious designs may be saved for the lucky few for now, we can expect these smart tech products to become increasingly commonplace over the upcoming years.

"As technology continues to advance at a rapid rate, we predict the ‘technology of the future’ to become commonplace within the home. As the sector expands, the cost of smart technology products will likely reduce, enabling mass consumption," says Lewis.

So, here are our top designs to look out for this year.

1. Shower Toilets

We may be slightly late to the trend with this one... but better late than never. Back in 2016, 81% of households in Japan already had smart toilets, while this style is just now becoming popular in Western countries. However, by the looks of things, we'll catch up with them in no time.

The most notable difference between smart toilets, or shower toilets, and regular European toilets is the integration of a bidet feature within the design. While a separate bidet is a popular bathroom staple in many European countries, these 'smart' designs conserve space by incorporating a cleansing water spray feature. This spray-washing detail mitigates the need for toilet paper, cutting down on additional waste and ultimately making for a more eco bathroom. They also promise a more thorough clean than you can achieve using paper.

"We expect that more and more homes will begin to future-proof their bathrooms with shower toilets, particularly as their associated hygiene benefits begin to be more widely understood," explains Lewis.

"Alongside state-of-the-art, personalised cleansing features, drying functions, and a virtually self-cleaning system, shower toilets eliminate the use of toilet paper, which allows provides additional sustainable benefits," he says.

GROHE's Sensia Pro model promises premium hygiene at an approachable price point. This remote-controlled toilet is fitted with two separate spray nozzles, designed to offer an all-encompassing clean.

2. Happiness Boosting Designs

With over 7 in 10 women stating that their mental wellbeing worsens significantly during the winter months, there's no hiding the fact that our exposure to sunlight can have serious impacts on our mental health. While we can't all move halfway across the world as soon as it gets cold out, as much as we wish we could, there are other less disruptive, more sensible ways for us to beat the winter blues now.

C.P Hart's new Sunshower is just one such design. Bringing the invigorating benefits of sunlight exposure to your bathroom, this concept allows you to recharge yourself with that Vitamin D at any time of the day, or indeed, year. So even in the deepest darkest winter, you can feel a bit of that summertime high.

This works through an infrared, low-dose UV light panel that can be installed within any new or existing shower.

"Sunshower is a clever addition to any bathroom, particularly for creating your very own home spa. Supported by scientific research, Sunshower is perfect for those wanting to nurture their physical and mental wellbeing, sports enthusiasts seeking recovery, or those simply wishing to relax after a long day," explains Yousef Mansuri, C.P. Hart's Director of Design.

Low-dose UV light exposure can help minimize the dip in Vitamin D we experience during the winter months, studies have shown, while infrared light is said to improve relaxation, and the color is best for sleep.

3. Luxury Warming Features

We're always on the hunt for ways to make your bathroom feel like a retreat. After all, after a long, hard day, we all deserve some luxurious relaxation. This is something bathroom brands seem to be increasingly aware of, with a constant stream of new innovations that bring an extra touch of comfort to your home.

We've already extolled the benefits of underfloor heating in bathrooms, and most designers consider it a necessity rather than a luxury these days. However, there are some new heating methods that are undeniably luxurious and innovative.

"Some of the best smart bathroom tech innovations I've seen include heated drawers and towel racks, smart showers and tubs, and advanced water-saving technology," comments Josh Qian, co-founder of Best Online Cabinets. "Heated drawers really elevate the comfort level, giving that cozy feeling when stepping out of the shower. It makes the bathroom feel more welcoming and luxurious," he explains.

There is no feeling more comforting than emerging from a relaxing bath to wrap yourself up in a gently warmed towel. Bringing a heated tower rack or even a heated drawer into your bathroom design allows you to make this luxury a part of your day-to-day life. Plus, smart tech means these heating solutions can be controlled with complete ease.

"Smart heating is a standout bathroom trend due to it bringing seamless comfort and serious convenience to daily routines," says Alex Wood, from Victorian Plumbing. "From heated floors to towel warmers and ambient temperature control, everything can be scheduled or adjusted via app or voice assistant. Smart sensors can also learn your habits over time, optimising energy use while keeping you cosy."

Additionally, many brands are now offering heated mirrors, also known as demister mirrors. These smart designs feature an integrated heating pad that clears any condensation from the mirror's surface, so even after the steamiest showers, you'll be greeted by a clear reflection.

4. Integrated Entertainment

When you go through the effort of designing a beautiful, relaxing spa bathroom, it's a waste to spend only 15 minutes of your day in there. We're seeing a shift towards people using their bathrooms as a space to relax and unwind, rather than just for its functionality. And what better way to turn it into a true chill-out room than throwing a TV in there?

“As bathrooms continue to evolve into spaces of retreat and restoration, we’re seeing a growing appetite for tech that supports slowing down, not speeding up," explains Hayley Bowman, Design Manager at Frontline Bathrooms.

The two times I feel the most relaxed are when reclining on my sofa, settling down to watch whatever I'm bingeing at that moment, or when sinking into a hot bath, overflowing with bubbles, so the idea of combining these two experiences couldn't be any more appealing.

"Built-in bathroom TVs are a great example of this: they turn a long soak into a proper switch-off moment, letting you unwind with a favourite film or series without ever leaving the tub. It’s wellness on your own terms - calm, personal, and a little indulgent," Hayley says.

However, there's a reason we haven't all done this already. The electrical wiring of your standard television and the nature of a bathroom are inherently incompatible.

But, as Hayley explains, "Of course, not just any TV will do. Bathrooms are high-humidity environments, so it’s essential to choose a model that’s specifically engineered for the space. That means a waterproof screen, sealed casing, and safe low-voltage operation, all of which are designed to handle steam and splashes without compromising on picture quality or style."

With these safety-increasing features, you're set to turn your bathtub into your own home cinema. Just don't be surprised if your fingers look like shriveled raisins once you finally choose to emerge.

5. Smart Control Showers

We're becoming increasingly attracted to the idea of complete personalization in our daily lives. We desire a level of thoughtful, tailor-made comfort that we never had access to before, and we're being exposed to more and more opportunities for experiencing this kind of customization.

"The concept of personalization is becoming increasingly important in bathroom and kitchen design and has been for a number of years," says Lewis, "Individuals are seeking to tailor their functional spaces to meet their unique preferences and needs."

We see this in the increase of bathroom tech with accompanying smartphone apps, allowing you to customize and control your experience from your screen. "With app and voice control, you can customise temperature, pressure, and even shower duration, creating a truly personalised experience every time," says Alex, "Many systems also track water usage in real time, helping you cut down on waste without sacrificing comfort. Plus, pre-heating features make them ideal for busy homes."

This level of personal control emphasizes the self-care aspect of your bathroom routine, making it a true wellness room, another important trend in bathroom tech.

These two trends come together in GROHE's Rainshower Aqua Pure, another addition to their luxurious Spa line. Designed to transform your bathroom to a spa, this impressive shower is fitted with a powerful filter, removing all traces of chlorine and odours, making for the most gentle water quality, great for those with sensitive skin.

With five different spray patterns in total, including Rain+, which combines water and air for a truly relaxing experience, there are numerous ways to experience this shower design. Plus, the SmartControl thermostat allows you to save your settings so you can experience your perfect shower again and again.

These smart innovations show just how much space there is for exciting change, and not just in bathrooms. We're equally as intrigued by all the developments in smart kitchen tech, where clever adjustments are making cooking easier than ever.

What better way to see the world than through the eyes of our favorite tastemakers? In Hidden Trails, we look at the places that feel most like home to our community of design insiders — wherever those might be — to help you uncover what their cities have in store for you.

With a combined social media following of over a million people, chances are Houston-based Bilal Rehman has indeed become "your favorite interior designer", as his bio jokingly reads on TikTok. Tapping into the power of the digital realm to demistify an industry known for the stiff upper lip of those who run it, the growing 25-year-old sensation carved himself a reputation as the designer of the people through his viral, engaging, and mellowly laid-back before & afters, renovation hacks, and styling advice and a-day-in-the-life videos.

At once informative and entertaining, sophisticated and playful, whether through his chrome and leather-clad, sculpturally minimalist designs or his conversational approach to the world of interiors (his breakthrough clip, titled How to make your home not look like a piece of sh*t and published in January 2023, sums it all up), Rehman has successfully unlocked the inspirational side of decor while also establishing a multimillion-dollar business along with a loyal fanbase. If his star is on the rise, though, it is largely thanks to the place he calls home.

"Houston is where I grew up, built my career and my brand, and where my family is," Rehman tells me. "This city has a raw energy — ambitious, diverse, and unapologetically bold. It's been the backdrop to my growth, both personally and professionally, and it constantly fuels my creativity." From officially launching his studio two years ago to curating spaces that challenge the norm, "Houston has given me the space to push boundaries and really become the next generation of interior design," he says. Below, Rehman tells us about the places he loves and is inspired by most.

1. Find Fresh Inspiration at Bilal Rehman Gallery and Studio

Bilal Rehman Gallery and Studio, 1740 Westheimer Rd, Houston, TX 77098, United States

"Call me biased, but I like to think of Bilal Rehman Gallery as my go-to hotspot for artistic and design inspiration. We have dedicated the past few years to sourcing unique vintage home pieces, working hard to house as many independent artists as possible — it's such a special place, and I feel thankful to have been able to create it. My team and I bounce ideas off each other all day long, and it's truly where I feel most inspired."

2. Enjoy "Theatrical" Dining at MAD

MAD, 4444 Westheimer Rd Suite C180, Houston, TX 77027, United States

"The brainchild of Barcelona-based interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán, MAD, a vibrant eatery in Houston's River Oaks District, boasts stunning decor, and the food is just as incredible. Serving Spanish-inspired dishes with a theatrical presentation, this restaurant is an experience, not just a meal."

3. Search for Fashion and Home Collectibles at The RealReal

The RealReal, 888 Westheimer Rd Suite 153, Houston, TX 77006, United States

"If it's fashion you're after, I'd stick to luxury retailer The RealReal: drenched in wood and marble and decorated with bold sculptures and paintings, the store is a beautiful destination in itself, and I love its rotating curation of garments, accessories, and objects."

4. Indulge at the Lavish, Arty Hotel Saint Augustine

Hotel Saint Augustine, 4110 Loretto Dr, Houston, TX 77006, United States

"Should you be looking for a place to stay, the newly unveiled Hotel Saint Augustine, designed by New York and Wyoming-based studio Post Company, is intimate, sophisticated, and art-filled without trying too hard. It's the kind of place where design, culture, and luxury work together effortlessly, granting visitors a memorable and elevated experience."

5. Soak in the Greenery and Recharge at Memorial Park

Memorial Park, 6501 Memorial Dr, Houston, TX 77007, United States

"After a stressful week, Memorial Park is one of my favourite spots to relax. Its winding trails weave through lush nature, creating the perfect setting for a long, refreshing walk. Plus, you're bound to see plenty of dogs, which makes it even better."

Shop Bilal Rehman's Curated Essentials

Bilal Rehman is only one of the emerging designers currently disrupting the industry from the inside. Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the Atlantic, multidisciplinary creative Bethan Laura Wood is crafting kaleidoscopic furniture pieces conceived to "uplift and reward you the more time you spend with them", as she told us on a recent studio visit.

Loved the look of Houston's Hotel Saint Augustine? Find more holiday inspiration in our hotel design section, or take your time to digest our Travel Trends 2025 Report — your cheatsheet to the ins and outs of this year's vacations, including underrated hotspots, new ways of thinking about leisure, and more.

There is a very specific patina and nostalgia-soaked palette to Milan, Italy's design and creative capital, that true culture insiders would not fail to recognize. Born in the Bel Paese and raised just over an hour away by train from there, I like to think of myself as one of them.

Desaturated, 'lived' hues of mint green, burgundy, baby blue, pink, and canary yellow very often set the tone anywhere from the most historical urban palazzos of the city of La Madonnina to the meticulously crafted rooms of the best Milan hotels. The same holds for the captivating blend of classical decor details — think lavish stuccoed walls and freshen-up, bright frescoes — playful mid-century features like eye-catching terrazzo floors, sleek sculptural furniture, and unexpected Space Age accents, and industrial rawness that shapes many of the destination's coolest design hotspots into shape.

Whether waiting for the good season to come back to catch the northern Italian gem at its finest, with its marble and terracotta-tinted façades bathed in sunlight and its bars-dotted canals abuzz with life, or daring to visit it at the peak of winter, as it dresses itself in a thin, atmospheric layer of fog, every day is the right time to plan your getaway to Milan.

To help you uncover the best design hotels and boutique stays in Milan, I have tuned into my cultural connection to and love of Milanese craftsmanship to come up with a selection of holiday homes that capture the city's retro-futuristic sophistication one lobby, restaurant, and suite at a time. Located anywhere from the innovation think tank that is the Cinque Vie district, one of the main action grounds of Milan Design Week, to Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II — the world's oldest shopping mall — these are the best hotels in Milan for travelers who settle for nothing else than the finest, most imaginative, and resounding decor.

Casa Brivio

Via Carlo Ottavio Cornaggia, 12, 20123 Milano MI, Italy

If you have visited Milan at least once in your life, you'll know many of its most spectacular residences are hidden-in-plain-sight behind unassuming doors. Located in the creative melting pot that is the city's Cinque Vie district, Casa Brivio is one of them. Designed by the trailblazing powerhouse that is Memphis Milano co-founder Matteo Thun, this holiday stay doesn't just have the look and feel of a home away from home (forgive the overused expression), but it is one.

From the trailing vegetation and quirky terrazzo flooring of its hallway to the essentially elegant, ever-contemporary 1960s, 70s, and 80s furnishings that make its 16 suites and rooms as cozy and familiar as quintessentially Milanese, Casa Brivio is the kind of place I would happily live in year-round. Inspired by pioneering local architect and designer Luigi Caccia Dominioni's Rationalism, Matteo Thun's reinvention of this 20th-century style favors artisanal excellence, geometrical lines, and contrasting textures over unnecessary frills, filling up the space with iconic designs by Italian brand Cassina. So if, like Talking Heads' David Byrne sang back in 1983, "home is where I want to be", chances are This Must Be the Place for you.

What else makes Casa Brivio one of the best Milan hotels?

Highlight: The stunning selection of artworks and Cassina furniture make Casa Brivio the ultimate daydream for Italian design obsessives.

Best for: The attention to detail and curated interiors of an ordinary hotel with the comfort of a real, and quintessentially Milanese, home.

Book your stay at Casa Brivio.

STRAF Hotel

Via S. Raffaele, 3, 20121 Milano MI, Italy

Devoted readers of our roundups on the best design exhibitions in London will recognize Vincenzo de Cotiis as one of the talents showcased by the boundary-pushing Carpenters Workshop Gallery. The in-the-know Milanese creative crowd, though, will likely associate the Gonzaga-born multidisciplinary creative with one of the coolest boutique stays in town, STRAF Hotel. Centrally located on via S. Raffaele, with most touristic attractions reachable on foot, this unexpected 4-star stay has been dubbed by some "Milan's best kept secret". Don't let its historical façade fool you. Past the red bricks and marble of STRAF Hotel's entryway, a journey through cinematic brutalist interiors awaits.

Unfolding across 61 rooms, 2 junior suites, and a suite, as well as equally outstanding communal areas, STRAF Hotel is where de Cotiis's genre-bending design approach — which straddles the realms of art and architecture — manifests in all of its theatrical essence. Rough, unfinished cement walls become the vessel where high-tech amenities and metal and brass-encrusted furniture, Pompeian red, fresco-like abstract walls, and distressed leather surfaces meet to a mesmerizing effect. A member of Design Hotels, and rightly one of the best design hotels in Milan, this one-of-a-kind getaway maintains its suspense-filled, cinematic atmosphere throughout, with a restaurant and a bar lounge boasting a wide selection of enigmatic art pieces and stunning mid-century modern furniture.

Highlight: STRAF Hotel is a masterpiece as a whole, but its sci-fi-like wellness area, carved from marble and reflective chrome, is as worthy of your attention as the rest of what's on show.

Best for: Conceptual art and collectible design lovers keen to surround themselves with their very passion.

Book your stay at STRAF Hotel.

Aethos Milan

P.za Ventiquattro Maggio, 8, 20123 Milano MI, Italy

There is something instantly contagious about the animated, worldly interiors of Aethos Milan, possibly my personal favorite from this roundup of the best hotels in Milan. A go-to choice of travelers keen to get in on the fun of the Milano da bere (read: Milanese nightlife), the stay isn't just located in the heart of the Navigli district, but it also comes complete with its own energetic hangouts (an impressively designed restaurant, an hyper-aesthetic cafe, and a hip cocktail bar, to be exact).

A winning fusion of mid-century Italian, Western, and Art Deco interior design, private members' clubs and hotel Aethos Milan's 32 rooms and suites are as eclectic as they are welcoming and uplifting. Leading the vision of this "vibey hideaway" is a commitment to exceptional craftsmanship, with countless genres and epochs all chipping in to create an immersive space. Tufted Persian rugs, brass-coated sconces, theatrical curtains, floating lighting, and imaginative artworks are all at home at Aethos Milan — and so are any creative-minded wanderers that choose it as their base to revel in Milanese fun.

What else makes Aethos Milan one of the best Milan hotels?

Highlight: The extravagant design of the ZAÏA Restaurant and Cafe and that of The Doping Bar inject playfulness into Milan cool.

Best for: Artists, designers, and creatives looking to link up.

Book your stay at Aethos Milan.

3Rooms 10 Corso Como

Corso Como, 10, 20154 Milano MI, Italy

As a die-hard fan of all things 10 Corso Como, the fashion and design destination set up by trailblazing fashion editor and publisher Carla Sozzani as an exhibition space back in 1990, which was recently acquired and completely reinvented by its new owner, Tiziana Fausti, I was amazed to find out the institution also has its very own guest bedrooms (they have the leafiest, cutest of Milanese aperitivo terraces, too). The brainchild of Sozzani herself, 3Rooms 10 Corso Como is exactly what it says it is. Still, it manages to wow you with its Space Age-y design, mismatched patterns, and daring color juxtapositions. Later revamped by American painter and sculptor Kris Ruhs in line with the 10 Corso Como striking aesthetic, this petite stay expands on the influential lifestyle phenomenon to deliver an experience at once entertaining, amusing, and inspiring.

What else makes 3Rooms 10 Corso Como one of the best Milan hotels?

Highlight: Because of the small scale of the enterprise, 3Rooms 10 Corso Como offers luxuries guests wouldn't be granted at other stays, including its trademark 'slow breakfast', which visitors can order the night before and enjoy in their suite, at the Café, or in the institution's thriving garden.

Best for: A slice of bohemia in the epicenter of Milan's lifestyle, fashion, design, and publishing scene.

Book your stay at 3Rooms 10 Corso Como.

Vico Milano

Corso Genova, 11, 20123 Milano MI, Italy

Simply looking at pictures of Vico Milano won't help you pin this glassy maze of a holiday stay down the map. With artisanal finishes and highlights sourced across Italy, Morocco, Greece, and Iran, this sojourn doesn't just stand out as one of the best hotels in Milan, but also grants you a reason to go check them all. Brilliantly conceptualized and executed by Sicilian designer Giuseppe Alito, this seven-room hideaway takes you to the discovery of Milan and beyond through shimmering glazed tiles, plush rugs, monumental chandeliers, and a covetable collection of era-defining Italian designs. Somewhere between a northern African, palatial riad and the swankiest of nostalgia-soaked Milanese lofts, Vico Milano doesn't fail to hit the spot.

What else makes Vico Milano one of the best Milan hotels?

Highlight: The spacious, alive-with-light suites nail the balance between high-end design and comfort, while the stuck-in-time, colorful upholstery and oddly shaped lighting bring additional character to the hotel's plan.

Best for: A worldwide exploration of arts and crafts and design.

Book your stay at Vico Milano.

Galleria Vik Milano

Via Silvio Pellico, 8, 20121 Milano MI, Italy

When world-acclaimed art and design dealer Nina Yashar, the founder of the iconic NILUFAR gallery in Milan, tells you there is a hotel she likes in her city, you better take note. When speaking with us for Hidden Trails, she revealed that while she doesn't have a favorite hotel in Milan, there are "a few standout places that represent the city's charm and sophistication" — Galleria Vik Milano was one of them. "Set within the iconic Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Galleria Vik Milano offers a more intimate yet equally timeless and luxurious solution than classics like Hotel Principe di Savoia, known for its elegance and impeccable service, and Carlton Hotel Baglioni, located right on the prestigious via della Spiga," Yashar told me on that occasion, adding that "each of these hotels reflects a level of care, elegance, and taste that I appreciate in Milan's vibrant landscape."

A quick look at Galleria Vik Milano's interiors will confirm what she means. Staying true to its moniker, this hotel comprises 89 individually designed rooms and suites conceived by a multidisciplinary roster of Italian and international artists, architects, and designers. Filled with priceless (quite ... literally) views of the world's oldest shopping mall and plenty of natural light, every bedroom at Galleria Vik Milano feels like a microcosm of its designer's artistic mind. Incorporating pretty much anything from wall-wide paintings, sculptures, and choreographic chandeliers to quirky wallpapers and fabric patterns into their decor, alongside Italian design staples, these accommodations are yet another hotspot on your Milan art bucket list.

What else makes Galleria Vik Milano one of the best Milan hotels?

Highlight: Sojourning within Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II is a highlight in itself, but the Mario Schifano palace gallery suite, with its pastel hues, contrasting textures, iconic furniture, and arresting artworks, is what convinced me to grant the hotel an entry.

Best for: Fans of maximalism in interior design and anyone looking for a conveniently located yet charismatic stay.

Book your stay at Galleria Vik Milano.

Casa Cipriani Milano

Via Palestro, 24, 20121 Milano MI, Italy

As Milan's first private members' club, Casa Cipriani Milano had a tough brief to nail. Tasked with reinterpreting the lavishness and charm of la Milano bene ("high-end Milan") through the lens of the most refined of British gentlemen's clubs, interior designer Michele Bönan turned to sleek, yacht-style surfaces, plush textiles, and Art Noveau decor to give the stay its raison d'etre. Rising opposite the picturesque Giardini Indro Montanelli, also known as Milan's oldest gardens, this members-only hub and design hotel impresses with its dark woods, navy blue tones, and luxurious finishes.

Imbued with a decadent feel throughout, Casa Cipriani Milano boasts 15 uniquely furnished rooms and a light-filled namesake restaurant, a Roaring Twenties-style bar, and a just as glamorous spa and fitness center infused with the same exclusive feel. One-off, intricate Murano glass chandeliers, kaleidoscopic, pastel-hued rugs, and iconic fashion photography by leading Italian image-maker Marco Glaviano fill up the communal areas in their entirety, making the hotel as much of a gastronomic destination as a craftsmanship-led one.

What else makes Casa Cipriani Milano one of the best Milan hotels?

Highlight: The bellini, one of Italy's most beloved cocktails, was invented at the original Venetian outpost of Casa Cipriani. So when you go up to the bar at the hotel, you know what to do.

Best for: A luxurious full-immersion into Italian design.

Book your stay at Casa Cipriani Milano.

Hotel VIU Milan

Via Aristotile Fioravanti, 6, 20154 Milano MI, Italy

Situated in the up-and-rising Porta Volta neighborhood, minutes away from the world-renowned destination that is 10 Corso Como, Hotel VIU Milan brings the pared-back, minimalist essence of traditional Milanese design to the forefront across 124 rooms, two food destinations helmed by Michelin-starred chef Giancarlo Morelli, and a hypnotic rooftop terrace.

A collaboration between Arassociati Studio and Nicola Gallizia, the hotel was entirely crafted styling Molteni&C custom as well as loose furniture that conveys the idea "of a private residence". Brought to life by an eye-catching selection of objects and artworks, the sinuous, color-blocked designs that inhabit Hotel VIU Milan — a brutalist framework dotted in oversized, 1980s sofas, statement lighting, and dark wooden surfaces — reunite the boundary-pushing creative visions of Italian figures like Gio Ponti and Ferruccio Laviani in a continuous dialogue between past, present, and future.

What else makes Hotel VIU Milan one of the best Milan hotels?

Highlight: The panoramic infinity pool, nestled on its rooftop, is enough to grant the stay a long-term inclusion in this roundup of the coolest Milan hotels.

Best for: Style-led professionals interested in merging business and leisure within a creatively envisioned environment that oozes Italian sophistication.

Book your stay at Hotel VIU Milan.

Crossing Manzoni

Via Gerolamo Morone, 6, 20121 Milano MI, Italy

Similarly to Casa Brivio, Crossing Manzoni will lure you into thinking Milan might well be your place thanks to its hyper-boutique concept. Sited within the brimming-with-life fashion district within walking distance from the Duomo, La Scala Opera House, and the collector trove that is via Montenapoleone, this property is home to no more than six individually crafted rooms, each conceived by co-founders Carlotta Botta and Alfio Puglisi. Occupying two floors of a traditional palazzo overlooking the family home of 18th-century Italian author Alessandro Manzoni, this intimate getaway will immerse you in the breadth of Milanese culture by rekindling its historical architecture through retro-fueled, whimsical contemporary designs. Characterized by a prevalently neutral palette of sandy tones, blacks, and muted olive greens, the atmosphere is sophisticated yet laid-back, with curated collectibles, herrinbone wooden floors, and scenic window views all contributing to making each stay unforgettable.

The first-floor rooms, divided by a naturally lit, beautiful communal area, can be booked by families and larger groups interested in using that as their holiday living room as the 'Scala' suite, which comes complete with its own kitchen. Upstairs, the concierge will assist guests with any requests, while the main public area with a kitchenette will serve as a meeting point for travelers staying in any of the other four rooms, two of which are interconnecting. My favorite part of it all, though, is how Crossing Manzoni's antique cabinetry, framed artworks, and sculptural interior accents (can I take those cloud-like shearling sofas home?) fuse mid-century Milan's timelessness with cosmopolitan flair.

What else makes Crossing Manzoni one of the best Milan hotels?

Highlight: As central as it gets in Milan, Crossing Manzoni will allow you to jump in and out of the city's frenzy as you please while serving as a stylish, cocooning refuge from the urban chaos.

Best for: Families and larger groups who need more space without wanting to renounce the polished-up, inspiring feel of the best boutique hotels in Milan and remote workers keen to combine peacefulness, comfort, and leisure.

Book your stay at Crossing Manzoni.

Portrait Milano

Corso Venezia, 11, 20121 Milano MI, Italy

It really is quite hard to pin down all of the reasons why the Lugarno Collection's Portrait Milano is one of the coolest hotels in Milan, and one of the best holiday stays for true design lovers, so I will go with its looks for a start. A jewel of Italian craftsmanship signed by Florentine architect and designer Michele Bönan, Portrait Milano is a 5-star destination that pairs traditional Italian elegance with world-class gastronomy, wellness, and lifestyle. If its 73 spacious, sun-filled, and plushly decorated suites and ancient baths-inspired Longevity Spa hint at the grandeur of the past, the hotel's spirited F&B locations — and particularly the globe-trotting, luxury dining concept Beefbar and the eccentric cocktail bar Rumore — make the stay as relevant as ever, as does its strategic location in Milan's fashion district.

What else makes Portrait Milano one of the best Milan hotels?

Highlight: Call me shallow, but Portrait Milano's in-house multibrand shopping destination, Piazza, is where the city's thought-provoking haute couture and design pulse is out in full force. Sculpted in retro-fueled mirrored walls and cool metallics, this hotel boutique is every fashionista's wonderland, thanks to the boundary-pushing selection of brands platformed by local institution Antonia and disruptive jewelry maker SO-LE studio's ethereal upcycled creations.

Best for: Fashion-driven explorers.

Book your stay at Portrait Milano.

FAQs

How Did We Pick the Best Milan Hotels?

As Livingetc's lifestyle editor, for me, thoughtful hospitality, a creative, sustainably crafted, and delicious food offering, and striking interiors are all equally crucial ingredients of a holiday well spent.

That's why, to land on the best boutique hotels in Milan, I didn't just rely on my insider knowledge of the city to bring you the stays that tick off all of the above, but I also spoke with locals tapped into its award-winning design scene to ensure my edit reflected the best and next in decor, as well as reviewing past visitors' overall satisfaction with the spotlighted getaways.

While we might not have overnighted at all of the properties mentioned in this roundup of the best hotels in Milan (not yet, that is), each of them has earned itself an entry on it for a reason — how, through time-traveling inspirations and boldly chic, innovative decor, it captures the mythology of the city as it was in its design heyday, reviving and cementing its allure for many more years to come.

Booking a stay at one of the best Milan boutique hotels isn't but the start of your design-led adventure. Check out what Articolo Studios' Nicci Kavals is taking with her to Milan Design Week 2025 in the latest installment of our Can't Leave Without column to strut around town like one of its creative trailblazers.

Light filters through the blinds onto your pillow early in the morning. Birds start singing their day away long before you get out of bed. The golden hour catches you on your way back from the office as you head to the nearest park and, before you know it, you are filled with the energy, desire to socialize, and optimism you have lacked for the past six months. With the thermometer set to hit much balmier temperatures and unbroken sunshine promised to grace the British capital for, yes, a full day, spring is more than on its way — it's here already. If the last five years in England have taught me anything at all, it's that, when that happens, you got to act fast. And so it's goodbye best London hotels, hello best day trips from London.

You have been there yourself: good weather is finally back but it has all happened too abruptly to have anything planned for you to be able to enjoy it. Suddenly, you are stuck in the city as it sheds its winter layers to come back to life, fighting your way onto overcrowded trains in a desperate attempt to reach the first patch of greenery where to give in to this totally unanticipated — yet instantly contagious — state of collective euphoria. That is, if you manage not to get trapped in the doors.

But what if I told you there is no need to sacrifice yourself for a slice of Hampstead Heath, and that I have spent time researching the best day trips from London to revel in awe-inspiring nature, art, and design? To make it all even more enticing, I might have even selected strikingly crafted restaurants and hotels to complement your outings, so that if you feel like turning your one-day excursions into weekend getaways from London, all the essential stops on the trail are already laid out. As for the actual attractions of these urban escapes, expect anything from dotted-in-sculptures, thriving gardens, and legendary artist studios to futuristically designed galleries immersed in vegetation, timeless National Trust houses, and more.

1. Henry Moore Studios & Gardens. Much Hadham, Hertfordshire

Day Trip 1

Dane Tree House, Perry Green, Much Hadham SG10 6EE

Tucked away in Much Hadham, a picturesque village nestled in the wide open spaces of England's Hertfordshire, less than a two-hour train ride from London, the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens capture the vigorousness, scope, and poetry of the modern sculpture pioneer (Castleford, 1898-Perry Green, 1986)'s work across his decades-spanning career.

Surrounded by sweeping grounds, this celebrated cultural site allows visitors to step inside the artist's former home, studios, and galleries, and familiarize themselves with the monumental, semi-abstract bronze statues he is best known for. Constellating over 70 acres of gardens and rolling fields, these sublime, softly shaped sculptures sew the gap between humans and the outdoors, much like the institution housing them does between Moore's genius and those who come here to witness it first-hand.

How to get here: By train: direct lines from London Liverpool St and Stansted Airport to Bishop's Stortford, the nearest station, or Harlow Town, which is a 20-25-minute taxi drive away. By car: 20-minute drive from M11's junction 8 and the A10.

Plan your visit to the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens. *Please note the institution is temporarily closed and scheduled to reopen on April 16

See

Not only do the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens grant you access to his many platforms for experimentation, including the-stuffed-with-sculptural-studies-and-natural-forms Bourne Maquette Studio and the wrapped-in-tapestries Aisled Barn, but it even hosts interdisciplinary exhibitions and archive explorations addressing the relationship between the artist and those who have either crossed paths or shared the spotlight with him in his lifetime.

Coinciding with the site's seasonal reopening, Encounters (April 16-November 2) offers an intimate look at the "transformative encounters between Henry Moore and the people, objects, and ideas in his orbit during his active career and beyond". Reuniting archival documentation of his exchanges with world-leading artists, architects, and culture disruptors, as well as capturing the master sculptor's interactions with his assistants, the event will restitute a nuanced portrait of Moore as both the artist and the man.

Spanning audio, visual, and plastic art, the showcase won't simply invite the audience to retrace Moore's life in sculpture, but it will actively probe his legacy through brand-new commissions from contemporary creatives, intergenerational dialogues, narrated tours, and more.

Eat

The Farmhouse at Redcoats, Redcoats Green, Hitchin SG4 7JR

With expansive green areas, multiple studios, and a whole house to explore, many travelers will want to take their time to make the most of their day trip to the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens before returning home. To those of you who aren't ready to head back to London just yet once completed the sculptural walks, I recommend indulging in a culinary feast that lives up to the bucolic atmosphere of their main attraction.

In the countryside of Hitchin, a 40-minute taxi drive from the Henry Moore park, family-owned, farm-to-table eatery The Farmhouse at Redcoats cooks up soul-nourishing delicacies from the organic produce of its grounds, with fresh seafood sourced from North Norfolk fishermen. This AA 2 Rosette restaurant reinvents British and Mediterranean staples through imaginative pairings and meticulous presentations that delight both the tastebuds and the eye. Its wood-drenched private dining rooms and pavilion are the epitome of modern rustic decor, and if you feel the atmosphere is just right, you can even spend the night.

Book your table or stay at The Farmhouse at Redcoats.

Stay

Sopwell House, Cottonmill Ln, St Albans AL1 2HQ

If you thought that great design only belongs in metropolises, and that, therefore, the world's best design hotels are all to be found in conventional destinations, the whimsical chicness of St Albans' Sopwell House will prove you wrong. This under-the-radar stay remains a 40-minute drive from the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens, and less than half an hour away from The Farmhouse at Redcoats, making an ideal overnight stop for your weekend getaways from London.

A Sparcstudio creation, this 4-star luxury retreat comes with 12 acres of peaceful gardens to get lost into, but it's what lies within it that will stick with you most. Home to an eclectic range of sophisticated furnishings and textiles, and imbued with an irreverent essence, Sopwell House's 126 guestrooms and suites give modern farmhouse the design treatment. With communal areas punctuated by 1970s interiors nods and crafty additions, a Brasserie making fine dining instantly accessible, and a paradisiac wellness center with nothing to envy from the best spas in the UK, you will regret not extending your day trips from London into an holistic, rejuvenating hideaway.

Book your stay at Sopwell House.

2. Charleston. Firle, Sussex

Day Trip 2

Firle, West Firle, Lewes BN8 6LL

Visiting Charleston, the Sussex home of 20th-century artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant, and the wider creative colony for the revolutionary circle of thinkers, authors, designers, and creatives that came to be known as the Bloomsbury Group, won't feel like any other of your previous day trips from London (it will take you about two hours to get there). Instead, particularly if, as is the case for me, art and design define your world, it will be more like entering a suspended-in-time dimension.

What was once the domestic environment and testing ground of some of the most influential cultural personalities of Britain's past century — from Bell's own sister, legendary writer Virginia Woolf, and influential art critic and painter Roger Fry to economist John Maynard Keynes — today stands pretty much untouched in its house museum configuration. Brought to life by a spectacular art collection and even more eye-catching furniture, objects, and ephemera, Charleston is a pastel-shaded dream that proves just how much our most personal spaces can mean for and reveal about us.

How to get here: By train: regular train services run from London Victoria to Lewes. By car: Charleston lies halfway between Brighton and Eastbourne, six miles east of Lewes, and clearly signposted off the A27.

Plan your visit to Charleston.

See

In its heyday, Charleston itself served as a canvas onto which artists Vanessa Bell and Duncan Grant manifested their creative vision, which straddled mediums as varied as painting, textiles, pottery, illustration, mural work, and interior and product design. It is a process documented by the house's instinctually painted walls, where abstract and figurative motifs still reside, its ornate furnishings, and its eclectic array of objects, all of which make Charleston a must-see to this day. But it doesn't end there.

Part of its rotating program of exhibitions and talks, Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour (through September 21), the largest ever dedicated to the pioneering artist, organized by Charleston in partnership with MK Gallery, gathers more than 100 pieces between canvases, textile works, furniture designs, ceramic pieces, and book covers in a long-overdue celebration of her chameleonic craft.

Meanwhile, Izumi Kato (through November 2), the Japanese multidisciplinary artist's debut institutional UK show, traces the continuum between archaic and futuristic art in a series of haunting paintings and sculptures that, reminiscent of the Bloomsbury Group's skillfulness across multiple materials as well as of its signature palette, exemplifies the movement's influential legacy. The same is tangible in San Francisco-based artist Koak's new presentation at Charleston's town center space in Lewes, The Window Set, where soft, rounded lines and vivid colors are used to render the contrasting essence of womanhood in hypnotically surreal vignettes of life heavy with emotion.

Book your tickets for Vanessa Bell: A World of Form and Colour and Izumi Kato.

Eat

Fork, 14 Station St, Lewes BN7 2DA

Could I ever let you take a day trip from London without ensuring you can fill up on food and aesthetic inspiration somewhere nearby? Of course not. Designed by Raefe Studio, Fork, a fairly recent addition to Lewes' town center, brings Japandi-style minimalism to a Grade-II listed, 2,000-square-foot Georgian shop located 15 minutes away by car from Charleston and right opposite Lewes train station.

Led by co-owner and chef Richard Falk, who cut his teeth at Notting Hill's two-Michelin-starred The Ledbury and Robin Gill's Dairy in South London, Fork's culinary offering looks as good as its interiors. Powered by a love of the finest ingredients and a flair for gastronomic innovation, this dynamic restaurant transforms locally sourced meat, vegetables, fruit, and cheeses, as well as fish from Newhaven, into mouthwatering plates you'll hardly forget.

Book your table at Fork.

Stay

Port Hotel, 11-12 Royal Parade, Eastbourne BN22 7AR. The George in Rye, 98 High St, Rye TN31 7JT

As the weather warms up, our eagerness to swap our day trips from London for more organized getaways is only bound to grow — as is our desire to be closer to the beach. Should an impromptu seaside break speak to you, then the Californian-style, sandy ambiance of Eastbourne's Port Hotel, a gem of contemporary interior design crafted by Imraan Ismail, might be right up your street.

Sited on the city's Royal Parade, this 19-bedroom stay is filled with sprawling maritime views and natural light, letting the laidback, peaceful essence of the surrounding area in through its windows. Inside, futuristic sculptural furniture, curated collectibles, terrazzo flooring, and an emphasis on shape, color, and craftsmanship prevail, with the hotel feeling like a wunderkammer for art and design-obsessed travelers. Plus, the accommodation's proximity to most local cultural attractions, including the experimental Towner Gallery, makes sojourning here even more worth it.

Book your stay at Port Hotel.

3. Packwood House & Baddesley Clinton. Solihull, Warwickshire

Day Trip 3

Packwood Ln, Solihull B94 6AT, Baddesley Clinton, Solihull B93 0DQ

Interiors-conscious travelers used to taking regular day trips from London will be familiar with the frozen-in-time charm of England's National Trust houses. Still, even compared to the ones I have managed to visit so far, Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton, two pristinely preserved manor houses dating back from the 16th and 15th centuries, respectively, are something else. The attention to detail and artistry manifested by these sites is a testament to the enduring power of craftsmanship, and their leafy outdoors are just as worthwhile as what lies within.

How to get here: By train: Hourly train services run from London Marylebone to Dorridge (1 hr 46 minutes). From there, get a taxi or a bus to Hockley Heath (6 minutes), then enjoy a scenic walk to Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton. Alternatively, you can board the Chiltern Railways service to Lapworth from London Marylebone and savor a 3-kilometer walk to the National Trust institutions, complete with picturesque canals and breathtaking countryside views.

By car (1 hr 45 to 2 hrs): Packwood House — For Packwood House: Exit the M40 at Junction 16 (Henley-in-Arden exit). From there, follow the A3400 towards Hockley Heath, then follow signs for Packwood House. The property is well-signposted from the main roads. Baddesley Clinton — Exit the M40 at Junction 15 (Warwick exit). Follow the A4141 towards Knowle and then follow signs for Baddesley Clinton. Alternatively, you can also exit at Junction 16 and follow local roads if visiting both sites on the same trip — they are only about 2 miles apart.

Plan your visit to Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton.

See

A Tudor manor house, Packwood House was originally built by the Fetherston family in the late 16th century. Inside, you will find an antique collector-worthy selection of 17th-century carved furniture, rich tapestries, and meticulously crafted interiors. Among Packwood House's highlights are its dramatic Great Hall, boasting tall, beams-detailed ceilings, cerulean blue, mythical textiles, and sumptuous wooden accents, the Long Gallery, where coffered ceilings and mesmerizing homewares lead the way into the house, and a choreographically designed garden with a lake and hypnotic woodland trails.

At Baddesley Clinton, situated minutes away on foot from the other house, a maze unfolds across secret passages concealed by medieval and Tudor lavish designs, oak-paneled rooms, a bucolic library, and the reflections cast by the site's spectacular stained-glass windows. Once the home of the Brome family, Baddesley Clinton is where Elizabethan Era England comes back to life. Imbued with the mysteries and allure of that long-gone time, thanks to its wide art collection, it is an under-the-radar landmark for painting lovers, with its tranquil gardens offering an ethereal refuge from the bustle of the city.

Eat

KYND at Hampton Manor, Shadowbrook Ln, Hampton in Arden, Solihull B92 0EN

With so much to see at Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton, we wouldn't blame you if you were starving by the end of your tour. But that's nothing to worry about: jump on a taxi to gastronomy-led estate Hampton Manor, situated a short drive away, to pamper yourself with an invigorating meal at the newly opened KYND. Led by Michelin-starred chef David Taylor, who also orchestrates the magic at the hotel's sibling fine dining destination, Grace & Savour, this ingredients-focused eatery strips it back to the essentials to celebrate British produce, heritage, and flavor in their most genuine form.

Immersed in the textural, rustic Scandinavian design of KYND, guests will get to taste produce from Hampton Manor's fruitful Walled Garden, with kilometer-zero meat cuts coming directly from the stay's rustic home. Earthy, nourishing, and visually striking, each of the plates on the restaurant's three-course menu stays true to the comfort and warming essence of British cuisine while simultaneously embodying a commitment to low-waste, farm-to-table cooking practices and a desire to evolve. Oysters are paired with mussel cream and fermented kohlrab. Flat Irons come with black garlic, miso butter, and rainbow chard while their sharable 'tipsy' cake is soaked in organic Welsh rum and topped with brown butter ice cream — you know it will be fun.

Book your table at KYND.

Do

More energetic travelers will find food for thought — whether metaphorically or literally — in Hampton Manor's interdisciplinary workshops. Whether you are keen to learn the ins and outs of pasta making, experiment with different fermentation techniques, or have a go at crafty activities like candle-making, wood carving, and gardening, the team at the estate will guide you through this and more. And if bread and butter are your, well, bread and butter, be ready to get your hands dirty and roll!

Book your workshops at Hampton Manor.

Stay

Hampton Manor, Shadowbrook Ln, Hampton in Arden, Solihull B92 0EN

One thing stopping me from organizing more day trips from London is the thought of missing out on weekend relaxation. Luckily for you, Hampton Manor is less than 15 minutes away from both Packwood House and Baddesley Clinton by car, and less than an hour and a half from the British capital by train (Euston to Coventry; Coventry to Hampton-in-Arden). With a total of 24 guest bedrooms available on-site, including a four-bedroom, whimsically decorated cottage, and two soul-regenerating restaurants to try during your stay, your weekend getaways from London have never been easier to organize.

Scattered across three areas, namely The Manor House, The Walled Garden Suites at Grace & Savour, and Manor Cottage, the accommodations range from romantically designed, farmhouse retreats plastered in floral motifs and wood to generously luxurious, eclectic suites, and playful, colorful rooms. If The Walled Garden Suites stand out for their immersive, oaky interiors and sculptural cement bathtubs, the Manor Suites, with their William Morris-inspired prints, velvet details, and retro-fueled tiled bathrooms are a masterclass in time-traveling decor (my current favorite two are the Sarah Ireland and De Mountford ones). Created with care to foster repose and contemplation, each Hampton Manor retreat is a break in the fast-pacedness of life — much like the Arts and Crafts movement that inspired the hotel.

Book your stay at Hampton Manor.

4. Yorkshire Sculpture Park. Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Day Trip 4

Yorkshire Sculpture Park, West Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG

Can't get enough of large-scale sculpture after visiting the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens? We have got you covered. At the Yorkshire Sculpture Park (YSP), reachable by both train and car within some three hours, 500 acres of greenery and over 100 monumental sculptural works and installations await. A constellation of masterpieces scattered across the rolling hills of Wakefield, the totemic bronzes and mixed-media pieces present on-site capture the breadth of experimentation of era-defining artists like Barbara Hepworth, Ai Weiwei, Andy Goldsworthy, Sophie Ryder, Daniel Arsham, Damien Hirst, and Niki de Saint Phalle besides, of course, Henry Moore himself. Once you are done exploring the grounds, step inside the YSP galleries to catch more impressive projects by some of the most thought-provoking talents of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

How to get here: By train: Direct trains from London King's Cross or London St Pancras to Wakefield Westgate (approx. 2 hrs) then a 15-minute taxi or bus ride to Barnsley. By car: Drive toward the park via the M1 (approx. 3 to 3.5 hrs), exit at Junction 38, then follow the brown tourist signs to YSP.

See

Not only does the Yorkshire Sculpture Park house some of the most extraordinary large-scale bronzes and installations ever realized, but with its program of exhibitions, it even allows you to get closer to the talents that are currently reshaping the art scene from within, with more intimate displays presented in its adjacent galleries and talks and events happening regularly on-site.

Currently, there are seven coinciding shows open at YSP. These include Alchemies, an evocative presentation dedicated to the mythology-inspired, monumental craft of London-based artist and sculptor Bharti Kher (through May 5), Elizabeth Frink's three-dimensional exploration of the link between nature and the human world, titled Natural Connection (through March 23), as well as outdoor displays of totemic sculptures by critically acclaimed artists Daniel Arsham (through March 30) and Damien Hirst (ongoing). Coming up next are a Yorkshire re-edition of Felicity Aylieff's recent Kew Gardens solo show, Expressions in Blue (April 5-September 14), made of colossal china porcelains, an uncannily beautiful, captivating installation made of woven willow branches called Into Being, crafted by Derbyshire-based artist Laura Ellen Bacon and unfolding in the venue's Chapel, and an ambitious exhibition honoring the genius of South African artist William Kentridge, The Pull of Gravity (June 28-April 19, 2026).

Plan your visit to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park.

Eat

The Weston, Bretton, Wakefield WF4 4LG

You know coming to the Yorkshire Sculpture Park for one of your day trips from London is a great idea when you realize you don't even need to book another taxi, or drive anywhere else yourself, to find an inspiring place to eat. Part of the institution's sleek visitor center and gallery, The Weston, YSP's restaurant and café blends harmoniously with the spellbinding nature of its surroundings. Featuring minimalist design by Feilden Fowles Architects, it boasts floor-to-ceiling windows, natural stone walls, and a green roof, expanding on the organic feel of the destination without disrupting the view.

Furnished with linearly beautiful, bright wood Scandinavian design pieces, the restaurant isn't just the ideal place to feel restored after a day in the park, but thanks to its expansive outdoor patio and locally sourced, breakfast and lunch menu, it will transform your brief getaway into a culinary feast.

Book your table at The Weston.

Stay

No. 1 by Guesthouse, York, 1 Clifton, York YO30 6AA

We know what you're thinking: why drive 50 minutes north all the way to the city center of York when you could be wrapping up your outing without venturing any further? While I am aware not everyone might be up for the trip, I know a quick glance at the intricately stunning, nostalgia-soaked decor of No. 1 by Guesthouse will imbue every die-hard interior obsessive with the motivation necessary to make it come true.

The work of Martin Hulbert Design, this hidden-in-plain-sight, stylish boutique hotel finds its home in a Grade II listed Regency townhouse in the beating heart of York. With 38 individually crafted bedrooms filled with all sorts of collectibles, roll-top bathtubs, and four-poster beds alongside truly outstanding transitional style decor, a weekend getaway from London has never looked better. Modern art and sculptures set the inspired atmosphere of its communal areas, comprising a characteristic restaurant and bar, while the subterranean spa, drenched in earthy, terracotta tones for a suffused ambiance, will cocoon you throughout the stay.

5. Hauser & Wirth Somerset. Bruton, Somerset

Day Trip 5

Hauser & Wirth Somerset, Durslade Farm, Dropping Ln, Bruton BA10 0NL

People who don't miss out on any of the best art and design exhibitions in London will already have Hauser & Wirth, one of the world's leading galleries, on their radar. But not even some of its most devoted visitors will have found the time to make their way to its Somerset outpost. In case you haven't done it yet, let me tell you: it is totally worth the hassle. Hosting an ever-changing calendar of exhibitions, talks, and more, Hauser & Wirth Somerset is an optimal window into the now and next in the creative world. Sited within historic farm buildings in Bruton, the gallery, which also includes a library, an education space, a restaurant, a bar, and a bookshop on top of the exhibition spaces, all designed by Laplace, as well as outdoor areas signed by Dutch garden designer Piet Oudolf, is as much of a discovery as the artworks it holds.

How to get here: By train: Train from London Paddington to Castle Cary (approx. 1 hr 40 mins) then a 15-minute taxi drive to Hauser & Wirth Somerset. By car: Take the M4 westbound toward South Wales, exit at M5 southbound (toward Exeter), continue on M5, and then take the A371 toward Bruton. Follow the signs for Hauser & Wirth Somerset from then on.

See

Similarly to the Henry Moore Studios & Gardens and the Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Hauser & Wirth Somerset too presents an ever-changing artistic offering, whether inside its galleries or outdoors. Among the unmissable appointments from this spring's program are the ongoing group show An Uncommon Thread (through April 21), which explores the potential of unconventional materials to channel deeply complex narratives that connect us all, featuring contributions from burgeoning contemporary artists like Charlotte Edey, Max Boyla, Tai Shani, and Nour Jaouda; and Niki de Saint Phalle and Jean Tinguely: Myths & Machines (May 17-February 1, 2026), a forthcoming show that portrays the unique bond between disruptive artists Niki de Saint Phalle (1930-2002) and Jean Tinguely (1925-1991), whose open-air, extravagant sculptures and amusing inventions reflect their uncompromising spirit in both life and art.

Plan your visit to Hauser & Wirth.

Eat

Da Costa at Hauser & Wirth, Durslade Farm, Dropping Ln, Bruton BA10 0NL

As an Italian-born-and-raised Lifestyle Editor with a boundless love of all things food and, particularly, nostrano food, I couldn't but mention Hauser & Wirth Somerset's in-house restaurant, Da Costa, as one of the potential highlights of these day trips from London. Characterized by the warmth and laid-back energy of traditional osterias or, even better, agriturismi (Italian farm-to-table restaurants), the eatery gets its moniker from Iwan Wirth's maternal grandfather, who, having emigrated from Northern Italy to Switzerland in the early 20th century, went on to open a small-scale, beloved restaurant known for its down-to-earth, honest fare.

With such premises, stepping inside Da Costa is bound to be a journey through space and time, with nostalgic alpine influences woven throughout its rustic decor and artworks sourced from Hauser & Wirth's star-studded roster of talents adding occasional splashes of color to the wood. Focusing on freshly grown, seasonal ingredients from Durslade Farm and the surrounding area, the restaurant is where quintessential Englishness and Italian flair collide under the bold leadership of Executive Chef Ben Orpwood.

Book your table at Da Costa.

Stay

HOLM Somerset, 28 St James's St, South Petherton TA13 5BW

In case you didn't know already, restaurants with rooms are trending, and so is the imaginatively designed HOLM Somerset — an on-the-rise gastronomic destination coupling sublime food experiences with overnight stays in one of its seven, spirited ensuite bedrooms. Located a 33-minute drive away from Hauser & Wirth's Bruton gallery in South Petherton, this quirky-chic accommodation, rising in a former high street bank from 1830, got to be one of the most imaginative contemporary getaways I have come across in a while

Against its exposed lime-plastered walls and polished concrete floors (both of which prove that brutalist interiors are, indeed, back in vogue), a number of pastel-shaded abstract compositions, sculptural mid-century furniture, and bespoke pieces handmade by local artisans absorb guests in a welcoming, inspiring atmosphere, at once comforting and unexpected. Muted, earthy tones bring the surrounding foliage in through design, as do the monikers of the bedrooms themselves, each taking the name of a different tree. Complete with lavish freestanding bathtubs or beautifully crafted walk-in showers, every suite at HOLM Somerset is a gateway to indulgent relaxation, with chef Nicholas Balfe's local agricultural heritage-inspired restaurant as the cherry on the cake.

Book your stay at HOLM Somerset.

Now that you have got five of the best day trips from London for an arty, gastronomic break covered, why not continue feeding your wanderlust by diving deep into our Travel Trends 2025 Report? Who knows what other getaway ideas that might spark.

Some 16 minutes into The Meaning of Dreams, the third episode of The White Lotus Season 3, Lochlan Ratliff, the painfully awkward, heartwarming teenager portrayed by Sam Nivola, turns to his father, Timothy (Jason Isaacs), with an iPad in his hands: "Dad look," he exclaims, aghast. "He didn't even run, he just stood there. That happened here, like the next beach over." Playing on the screen is a YouTube video that depicts a man's helpless final moments before being washed away by a tsunami that, based on the series' storyline, had previously hit the island where Lochlan, his older siblings Saxon (Patrick Schwarzenegger) and Piper (Sarah Catherine Hook), and his mother, Victoria (Parker Posey), are now vacationing off the east coast of Thailand alongside dozens of equally affluent, appearance-obsessed, and often arrogant, characters. "Do you want to keep giving us nightmares?" the latter promptly talks back. "Not really," says a mortified Lochlan. "Then put that down, please."

It's an apt reminder that not even the most lavish of the world's best design hotels — including the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui where the latest instalment of The White Lotus was largely shot, can spare spendy holidayers from nature's fury, should they find themselves in the wrong place at the wrong time. A living example of how, when stripped of glitz and glam, we all look the same to Mother Earth.

It was "the dichotomy between darkness and light, the sinister and the naturally beautiful" that helped Emmy-winning production designer Cristina Onori craft the eerily hypnotic atmosphere at the heart of season three. "Sometimes what appears gorgeous in the daytime can morph into something much more dangerous when night comes," she tells me over an email exchange. "Finding that balance was important this season, and nature is really everywhere in the design."

Towering, monkeys-inhabited coconut trees, luscious, tangled-up branches, coruscating bodies of water, and unruly wildlife both adorn and intrude into the picture-perfect wellness retreat that offers the backdrop to the mixed bag of entertainment and drama that is The White Lotus. Whether appearing in their live or sculptural form, or as timeless modern interior design additions, these elements are omnipresent across the resort's exterior and rooms, and occasionally even resurface as tropical prints on the protagonists' clothing. Such recurring references aren't coincidental: "The countless animals relate to the characters' deepest hopes and fatal flaws throughout the story," explains the production designer. "This is all inextricable from the reality of Thailand, where the wonder of the natural world finds its way into people's souls." Throughout the filming process, the surrounding environment wasn't just another prop, "but a living presence," Onori continues. "Sometimes unsettling, sometimes reassuring." The same is true of the spiritual aura that, albeit at odds with the protagonists' flamboyant lifestyle and narcissism, pervades the set in its entirety, starting with the colossal Buddha statues scattered across its hazy gardens.

For the production designer, who came off the record-smashing success of the Taormina-based The White Lotus Season 2, being confronted with a culture as multifaceted as that of Thailand made research an even more essential, and demanding, aspect of her contribution, she confesses. To render its richly intricate symbolism and aesthetic without falling victim to generalizations, Onori "aimed for a full immersion" in the Southeast Asian country. She let her first-hand sensory impressions of Thailand guide her along the journey, collecting ideas as she explored places physically before backing them up with information retrieved from multiple books and visual guides.

Despite the project's mammoth undertaking, her outsider perspective was what "allowed me and the Thai team to complement each other's approaches, ultimately crafting a design that truly represented Thailand as a whole," shares Onori. Below, the production designer tells us about how she got started in this world before delving into her greatest inspirations, her collaboration with The White Lotus director Mike White, and how she brought his Season 3 script to life through design — all in her own words.

"My first projects as an architect were in the late 80s. I was working with a big company on international commissions that, not observant of any of the geoclimatic and cultural characteristics of specific places, clashed with my values. It was an approach that made me feel as if I couldn't express myself in that field. So when some friends asked me to oversee the construction for Fantozzi alla riscossa (1990), a famous Italian comedy, I was excited to try something new. They knew I had skills in design and architecture, so they trusted me with the large-scale construction sets on stage. Because Fantozzi was a comedy, there was this wonderful element of fantasy to work with. Suddenly, I was able to lean into my sense of creativity and play, and the entire experience aligned so much more with my sensibilities, as it combined my architectural knowledge with my two passions: cinema and theater.

"The production designer gives physical form to the script, working alongside the director and following their vision. A lot of the work involves enhancing what has been written by creating and organizing the visual pieces surrounding the characters. I develop the environment where the actions take place, helping tell the story visually. This involves historical, social, and psychological research — whether based on text, literature, photography, art, or personal experience. Through close collaboration with the director and the cinematographer, we find an overall style, look, and mood for the film. First, we create mood boards to establish the overall aesthetic and tone. Then, we produce sketches and models to visualize the sets. Once approved, we oversee the construction of the sets. Afterward, in collaboration with the set decorator, we dress the sets with carefully chosen colors, furniture, textures, and details. Finally, with the prop master, we select props to bring the characters to life.

"The film that inspires me most is Ridley Scott's Blade Runner. It tells the story of a dystopian world, which is both futuristic and decayed, and the production design is a monumentally crucial piece of bringing that world to life. The design blends neon-lit advertisements, noir-inspired shadows, and layered architecture, creating a dimension that, feeling oppressive, reinforces themes of alienation and the blurred line between human and machine. These richly textured environments and the strong choice of colors (a warm yellow/orange for richer quarters and blues for the cold city streets) tell a story on their own.

"The production design for The White Lotus takes shape from a long conversation with Mike about what moods and vibes we want to bring out from the story. He shares his thoughts, feelings, and intentions for the whole project before we start to build out an idea. The country we land in guides much of my work, as I strive to represent that country's culture through design as respectfully as comprehensively. When the first scripts arrive and the characters begin to form, it helps me shape their environments and bring out their personalities and styles. This all comes together to serve the story, and many more conversations with Mike help us combine all the pieces of the design into the cohesive show you see today.

"Plants and animals became symbols and motifs this season — each group of characters in the story is represented by particular animals. In this way, the animals you see throughout the season are not just decorative. There is a clear contrast between the environment of Thailand, where nature is constantly present, and the environments the characters come from, where nature is confined to very controlled spaces. Part of the story draws strength from the fact that these characters are immersed in nature and in such close proximity to animals for what feels like the first time, which provokes various emotions in them — fear, unease, and suffocation, to name a few. The animals in the design bring out a deeper resonance in the parts of the story that call upon the natural world to propel the characters toward conflict and emotion.

"Spirituality is one of Thailand's most ancient and intrinsic aspects, and it was a large inspiration and guide through my process. While visiting so many stunning temples with Mike, we had the privilege of seeing these ancient Buddhist murals. We felt it could be interesting for The White Lotus to link each character to a specific section of those murals, creating a visual and narrative connection between the painted story and the character's journey. We placed them in the bedrooms of the characters to bring the past into the present. The Buddhist frescoes represent human archetypes — similar to Greek myths in classical Western culture, these images represent the life of Buddha, conveying the country's history and mythology while evoking universal human experiences.

"Throughout this season, the luxurious décor, artwork, and architecture lure the characters into this world of exclusive opportunity and entitlement, exposing their shallow desires and dysfunctional relationships. The selected artworks reveal hardships and cracks in the façades that these characters put up to hide themselves from one another. Their relationships become clearer through the art that follows them throughout the hotel. With Mike, we came up with specific colors for the furniture and textiles that could relate to the different groups of characters. I focused on adding dimension to the hotel rooms by using natural materials, like local teak wood, in the wooden panels and screens that stand in each of the hotel rooms, inspired by northern Thai architecture, as well as rosewood furniture and mango wooden frames and screens.

"The communal areas of each hotel room were all redesigned by contemporary artists to reinterpret Thai craftsmanship through a modern lens. Much of the furniture was designed and built for this specific project in collaboration with set decorator Letizia Santucci. In the bedrooms, benches were positioned at the foot of the beds, and additional antique furniture pieces and objects were added as references to both spirituality and Thai architecture. The Four Seasons in Koh Samui is such a prime location — being so secluded, it allowed me to highlight the privilege of the characters who have the opportunity to stay there. The luxurious furnishings of the hotel contributed to that feeling of wealth and status, while the fact that vegetation is so woven into its architecture accentuated the importance of nature in the story. The crystal clear sea and the abundant greenery were characters of their own in this season of The White Lotus.

"Because the Four Seasons didn't provide certain visual elements essential for our show, we had to expand and link additional hotels, even on different islands. Anantara Bo Phut in Samui served as our main exterior entrance and reception area, Anantara Mai Khao in Phuket as the spa, and Rosewood Phuket as the dinner restaurant. All the locations we shot in were baselines that we expanded and modified. The hotels were adapted to fit the same aesthetics, also by building new sets inside the resorts themselves to expand the world of the story, like in the case of the guard's booth. Additionally, all the bedroom spaces were reconstructed and enlarged in a soundstage in Bangkok: this allowed for greater creative and technical freedom while ensuring the look would stay true to what was filmed on location.

"Buddhism and spirituality played a large part in my design this season. While travelling all over Thailand, I was struck by the spirit houses that you can find anywhere, from homes and sidewalks to religious sites. The tradition of spirit houses dates back centuries, long before the arrival of Buddhism in Thailand, and is related to animism, the belief that spirits inhabit all elements of the natural world — mountains, trees, rivers, etc. These shrines were added into each villa in the hotel set, as they serve as a home for spirits who guard the land. It was important to me to include these spirit houses on set because the Thai characters paid close attention to them, while the hotel guests never noticed them. It further illuminated the differences between the cultures within the story.

"The color orange is also woven through the entire season. This color palette was inspired by Thai monks' robes in all their different variations, based on monks' ranking and structure. I wanted to blend past and present into a cohesive aesthetic that spoke to this country's lush cultural and artistic history, such that this color is not only decorative on the sets we built but also a spiritual element. The artworks in the hotel lobby, common rooms, suites, and bedrooms are a specific section of ancient Buddhist murals, which create a visual and narrative connection between the painted story and the character's journey. We felt it could be interesting for The White Lotus to link each character with a specific scene in the Buddhist frescoes.

"The location that best reflected the atmosphere of my design was the floating, movable island with a large statue of Buddha in the middle of a pond that we built to serve the script. Because it was so big, we definitely had to put in the work to make it come to life, but it all came together to communicate a beautiful theme of spirituality and the importance of balance — it almost became a symbol of my own experience working on this season. I felt at peace knowing that all the work we did would create a place that was both new and exciting while remaining unmistakably White Lotus.

"I am proudest of the fact that this production blended five different hotels plus stages — each with its own specific design — into one cohesive product. We had the opportunity to transform and adapt the different hotels by bringing Thai character to them and peeling away the international sheen to create the White Lotus Thailand. It was extremely important to make it a unique experience while also making it recognizable. We couldn't lose what defines the White Lotus look/style, but we also got to reinvent pieces of it. We brought all of this together by incorporating Thai architectural and decorative elements into all of our design choices while working within a fully operational hotel.

"I would like my contribution to The White Lotus to stand on its own — I don't want it to be a simple backdrop or case, but at its core, something that tells the story visually through history, symbology, shape, and color. In the same way that a musician tells a story through music and a photographer through photos, I tell a story through my design.

"My main piece of advice to aspiring production designers is: be open to working with others, collaborate, and spend as much time as you can absorbing different cultures and history, history, and history! Finding a job or experience where you can come into close contact with as many different people as you can will yield incredible results in your creativity and design in the future. It's not just about traveling or finding new countries to explore — it's really about expanding your understanding of people and the stories we share with one another. The aspiration is to be open-minded; constraining yourself will do nothing for your creative expression. Production design is an all-encompassing experience, and we can't underestimate that."

The White Lotus Season 3 is available to stream via Sky Atlantic and Now TV

Waiting for the next episode of the series to air but can't get enough of its tropical vibes? We feel the same. Thailand might seem a distant mirage to most, but The White Lotus x Away travel collection makes the Southeastern Asian paradise more collectible than ever — and at a fraction of a flight ticket price.

What better way to see the world than through the eyes of our favorite tastemakers? In Hidden Trails, we look at the places that feel most like home to our community of design insiders — wherever those might be — to help you uncover what their cities have in store for you.

It won't take you more than a quick glance at Doruk Kubilay's functional design and interior projects to realize that his practice is rooted in a firm appreciation of the past. His work, which ranges from retro-futuristic furniture pieces to immersively imaginative conceptual, retail, and residential spaces, takes shape from the encounter between bold geometrical lines, unexpected chromatic juxtapositions, and chrome or mirrored surfaces; characteristics that bring the creative closer to the radical masters of the modernist and post-modernist movements — think of names like Eileen Gray, Ettore Sottsass, and duo Garouste and Bonetti — than to the artistic sensibilities of his time.

Still, rather than simply looking back, the emerging designer painstakingly incorporates these stylistic echoes into creations that, uniting form and function, conjure compelling stories. Hailing from Istanbul, a city "where multiple civilizations converge", and since 2010 home to his Studio Lugo, Kubilay finds "countless sources of inspiration in the land where I was born," he tells me. With its rich cultural heritage, "Turkey offers a diversity of craftsmanship, local materials, textures, and narratives" — a breadth of approaches and experiences that, Kubilay explains, "continuously holds a prominent place in our design world."

A great deal of Studio Lugo's experimentation, including Anachron (Greek for "out of/against time"), a forthcoming series scheduled to land during Milan Design Week 2025 (April 7-13), strives to convey this complexity to their audience. In this project, "I observe how ethnic and local elements are reinterpreted in contemporary ways across fashion, textiles, and gastronomy, which directly influences my designs," adds Kubilay — the same he does in this insider guide to Istanbul the designer has curated for us. From the antique markets and design showrooms Kubilay visits to fuel his innovation to the Michelin-starred restaurant he is unconditionally devoted to, and his favorite weekend detour destination, read on to make the Pearl of the Bosphorus' secrets your own.

Revel in the Best of Contemporary Art at Istanbul Modern

Istanbul Modern, Kılıçali Paşa, Tophane İskele Cd. No:1/1, 34433 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

Istanbul Modern is one of my most cherished art spots in the city, and Turkey's first modern and contemporary art museum. The institution not only acts as a bridge between Turkey's artistic legacy and the world, but it also brings creative works from different geographies to Istanbul. The new museum location, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop, and sited at the same address as the old one, is a true architectural inspiration to me.

Search for Treats and Inspiration at Çukurcuma Design District

Çukurcuma Design District, Firuzağa, 34425 Beyoğlu/İstanbul, Türkiye

Located in the Beyoğlu district in the city's European side, Çukurcuma — Istanbul's design district — houses a variety of shops, including antique stores, vintage clothing boutiques, art galleries, and the stuck-in-time Museum of Innocence, based on the 2008 novel by Orhan Pamuk. It is also home to our office, Studio Lugo, giving you another reason to visit the area during your Istanbul trip.

Browse for Collectibles at Diseno and Horhor Antiques Market

Diseno, Huzur, Skyland İstanbul, Cendere Cad. No:114, 34396 Sarıyer/İstanbul, Türkiye

Horhor Antiques Market, İskenderpaşa, Kırma Tulumba Sk. No:1, 34080 Fatih/İstanbul, Türkiye

When it comes to design, Diseno is my go-to destination in Istanbul. Thanks to its unique curation and atmosphere, it is both a great shopping hotspot for our interior design projects and an invaluable source of inspiration for designers like me. Standing out for its collection of mid-century pieces, Merih Uman Gallery, part of the under-the-radar Horhor Antiques Market, is another must-know.

Enjoy a Michelin-Starred Feast at Arkestra

Arkestra, Etiler, Dilhayat Sk. No:28, 34337 Beşiktaş/İstanbul, Türkiye

Michelin-starred Arkestra is undoubtedly my favorite Istanbul restaurant. The brainchild of local designer Tayfun Mumcu, it is housed in a former residential villa from the 1960s, reinvented through dazzling retro-futuristic décor. Chef Cenk Debensason combines flavors from different cultures into a tantalizing reinterpretation of Modern European cuisine.

Take an Impromptu Weekend Trip to Bodrum

Bodrum, Muğla, Türkiye

Zai Yaşam Bodrum, Çırkan, Halide Edip Adıvar Cd. No: 7, 48400 Bodrum/Muğla, Türkiye

If you have time for a weekend detour outside of Istanbul, I recommend visiting Bodrum. Nestled on Turkey's southwest coast, it is a beautiful city with crystalline waters, chic beaches, and countless opportunities to enjoy the sea and summer to the fullest. Among its open-air spaces, Zai Yaşam Bodrum is one of my favorites. A multisensory location, it seamlessly merges gastronomy, music, cinema, theater, literature, and art. It features a modern library and hosts exhibitions, classical and jazz concerts, as well as workshops designed to cater truly unique experiences.

Studio Lugo founder Doruk Kubilay's mention of Bodrum, one of Turkey's most spectacular seaside destinations, was enough to have me daydreaming of summer.

No matter what the calendar says, it is never too early to start fantasizing about your next getaway. Haven't found the right itinerary just yet? Not to worry — our Travel Trends 2025 Report is here to fill you in on the most popular — or lesser-known — countries to visit in the year ahead, the best cultural events to catch along the way, and how to do it all responsibly.

Still in for a winter break? We can't blame you. That's why we have selected the best ski hotels in the world for interiors-obsessed globetrotters — so that you don't have to press pause on your design inspiration, but can continue diving into it even on the slopes.

Wood-drenched surfaces, checkered bedding, retro-fueled furnishings, and crackling wood stoves have long been staples of mountain getaways — destinations many travelers continue to seek precisely because of their 'stuck-in-time' atmosphere. But what if I told you that I went on a hunt for the best ski resort hotels in Europe that reinvent the coziness of traditional chalets for uncompromising design obsessives?

Gone are the days when proximity to the best ski resorts and overall comfort were the only criteria that made a winter retreat worth booking; at least for Livingetc's readers. As demonstrated by the best ski hotels in the world, today not even high altitude is stopping studios from conceiving holiday stays that capture the inventiveness of the biggest trends while also drawing inspiration from and celebrating the environment around them.

To point you in the direction of the best ski resort hotels in Europe — read those snowy havens fortunate enough to have received a state-of-the-art interior design treatment — I conducted extensive research on mountain accommodations whose rooms should be on every décor-versed globetrotter's radar this year. Whether infusing fresh flair and sophistication into the beloved après ski style or transporting you to a different dimension altogether, these are the ten European mountain escapes that passed my design check — the only ones that will make you want to trade time on the slopes to revel in their spectacular interiors.

1. Naturhotel Forsthofgut. Leogang, AUT

Hütten 2, 5771 Leogang, Austria

There is something remarkable about finding yourself surrounded by nature, and Leogang's Naturhotel Forsthofgut made that sense of wonder the ace up its sleeve. Immersed in the lush vegetation of Austria, this former forestry operation was transformed into a 5-star hotel by local architect Andreas Hallinger and interior designer Katharina Naglich. Every aspect of it, from its wood-and-glass, linear exterior to its Scandinavian design-inspired essentially cozy décor, makes the environment that houses it the only protagonist of the story. With 109 pale wood-drenched rooms blending Japanese, Alpine, and Nordic influences and three additional spacious garden suites landing later this year, this Austrian ski resort hotel oozes quiet luxury sophistication. Naturhotel Forsthofgut's regenerating vision is out in full force in the stay's 5,700 square meters waldSPA, whose panoramic saunas, heated pools, and natural swimming lake marry architectural genius with relaxation. Meanwhile, its use of renewable energy ensures that local resources and communities are protected while granting visitors a responsibly lavish sojourn.

Book your stay at Naturhotel Forsthofgut.

2. Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel. Lech, AUT

Zug 5, 6764 Lech, Austria

Zigzagy staircases, amusing porthole windows, endless mountain views, cool-kid Japanese style decor, and just as spirited printed and art collectibles: few things have felt more obvious to me than deciding to feature the Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel in this design-conscious curation of the best ski resort hotels in Europe. Beautifully embraced by the Austrian Alps, this unusual retreat houses 62 uniquely furnished rooms with a quirky, color and shape-focused Bauhaus design feel, a fully equipped spa and outdoor pool, and four gastronomic destinations. Among the most inventive food-based experiences up for grabs at Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel are the Michelin-starred, 16-19 courses culinary journey that is Chef's Table, one of its on-site eateries; and Friends and Fools, the sojourn's interdisciplinary farm, garden, culinary lab, cookery school, and creative thinktank, residing in a dedicated lounge and hosting its very own events program.

Somewhere between the set of a Wes Anderson film and an arty mountain commune, this 4-star hotel isn't yet another holiday home. It is a workshop of innovation attracting talents and their contemporary genius from across the globe, starting with that of architectural studio Dietrich Untertrifaller, who crafted its playful aesthetic, and co-owners Josef Martin Walch and Natascha Walch, the minds behind its world-class mission. Close to hiking trails and ski facilities, it is where design-driven skiers are really at.

Book your stay at Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel.

3. The Brecon. Adelboden, CH

Dorfstrasse 88, 3715 Adelboden, Switzerland

The Rote Wand Gourmet Hotel isn't the only entry on this edit of the best ski resort hotels in Europe to shy away from traditional alpine style and set brand new rules for mountain design. At Abelboden's The Brecon, an all-inclusive, 18-room and four-suite hideaway in the south of Switzerland, a sepia patina, bold furnishings, and artwork deliver a riveting, exclusive experience inspired by the stay's social heyday. Originally built in 1914, The Brecon became a coveted destination for the elite of the 1950s and 1960s — "a place where high-profilers and aspirants gathered to be seen".

To rekindle its myth, Amsterdam-based interior studio Nicemakers has turned each of its spaces, from its Art Deco design spa to its immersively furnished restaurant, into a platform for retro-fueled experimentation, with timber, stone, leather, wood, as well as patterns-filled textiles mixing seamlessly into a kaleidoscope of a stay. Offering a seasonally rotating dinner menu, afternoon tea, and cakes as part of the daily rate, The Brecon will make heading back to the hotel after hours out in the snow the highlight of your day. But it's its stunning mismatch of prints, sculptures, and whimsical furniture details that, together with the convivial, inspiring atmosphere imbuing the place, will have you return to it again, and again, and again.

Book your stay at The Brecon.

4. Grace La Margna. St Mortiz, CH

Via Serlas 5, 7500 St. Moritz, Switzerland

Be it because of its 1906 historic Art Nouveau architecture or stylishly sumptuous transitional style interiors, there is something about St. Moritz's Grace La Margna that speaks to my idealized vision of Swiss chalets. Needless to say, this was enough for me to include it in this edit of the best ski resort hotels in Europe. What's even better about it, though, is that its real-life manifestation lives up to my fantasy of it.

Originally designed by Nicolaus Hartmann, the Grace La Margna hotel was recently, and thoroughly, revamped by Divercity Architects in collaboration with interior designer Carole Topin. Comprising two interconnected wings, this mountain retreat sees past, present, and future dialogue across its communal spaces, where colossal Art Nouveau chandeliers, timeless Molteni&C furnishings, and impressively restored arched vaults set the tone for an indulgent getaway. Spacious and bright, the 74 uniquely crafted rooms are an ode to modern interior design and glamour, their peaceful scheme and organic palette feeding into the soul-lifting ambiance of the stay. Dreamy sights entertain visitors while dining at the Mediterranean The View, one of the three restaurants present on-site, luxury culinary concept Beefbar gives a gourmet take on world-inspired cuisine, while Stüvetta Moritz completes the offering with melt-in-your-mouth Swiss specialties served hot off the hob. The cherry on the cake? A 700-square-meter wellness area letting the Engadin nature inside.

Book your stay at Grace La Margna.

5. Six Senses Crans-Montana Hotel. Crans-Montana, CH

Rte des Téléphériques 60, 3963 Crans-Montana, Switzerland

Six Senses wellness-oriented resorts aren't new to our hotel design roundups, so it won't surprise you to see Six Senses Crans-Montana mentioned among the best ski resort hotels in Europe for design-obsessed globetrotters. Still, this Swiss Alps haven comes with multiple perks, all of which contribute to making it a bucket list destination for travelers looking to unwind in style. Unveiled in 2023, Six Senses Crans-Montana offers ski-in/ski-out access that will make your snow-filled getaway as troubleless as surprisingly convenient. But besides its proximity to ski lifts and immersion in the great outdoors, it is its spectacular fusion of Japanese aesthetics and avant-garde contemporary design that interiors-conscious visitors will appreciate most.

Whether staying in one of its 78 Mont Blanc-facing terrace rooms and suites or in the hyper-exclusive four-bedroom chalet, guests will be welcomed by muted natural tones, textured walls, and mid-century modern furniture that amplify the rawness of the hotel's surroundings, rather than imposing themselves on it. Culinary delights will abound at the Asian-inspired Byakko and the pan-European Wild Cabin restaurants, whereas, if it's revitalizing escapism you're after, the 2,000-square-meter spa will provide you with the answer to everyday stress, awe-inspiring views, and more immersive décor.

Book your stay at Six Senses Crans-Montana.

6. The Chedi Andermatt. Andermatt, CH

Gotthardstrasse 4, 6490 Andermatt, Switzerland

If there's one thing I have learned while curating this selection of the best ski resort hotels, it is many of the best mountain getaways in Switerzland, Austria, and beyond deliver elevated restfulness by drawing on the life-enhancing power of Oriental design and wellness practices. DENNISTON-designed, 5-star luxury hotel Chedi Andermatt is no exception. Situated in the heart of the Swiss Alps, its glamorously furnished 119 appointed rooms and suites couple panoramic views of the surrounding mountains with vaguely James Bond-esque interiors punctuated by warm wood tones, sleek surfaces, and geometric accents. Vertiginously tall ceilings, lit-up wine displays, and a 'Dark Academia' ambiance characterize the communal areas. Brought to life by eight different restaurants and bars, including the Michelin-starred The Japanese, the Chedi Andermatt is a destination in its own right, also thanks to its 2,400-square-meter spa where Alpine and Asian lifestyle merge seamlessly.

Book your stay at The Chedi Andermatt.

7. Hôtel Le Coucou Méribel. Les Allues, FR

464 Rte du Belvédère, 73550 Les Allues, France

If ski-in/ski-out access isn't enough to lure you into Hôtel Le Coucou Méribel, the whimsical décor will surely do the trick. Resting on the Belvédère in Les Allues, this creatively envisioned mountain stay quickly became the name on everyone's lips when it opened its doors to the public in December 2019, largely thanks to the Pierre Yovanovitch-authored interiors that make it a must-know. Offering a sculptural, modern twist on classic Alpine style, the artist and designer's contribution to this French ski hotel is a breath of fresh air.

Throughout the sojourn, warm colors and a contemporary collection of 160 artworks set a laidback, inspiring mood, while Yovanovitch's bespoke furniture gives the hotel an amusingly fun, 1970s twist. Drenched in terracotta paint, the entertainment continues in the bedrooms, where polka-dot carpets, frosted-glass light fittings, and Yovanovitch's sheepskin Bear chairs infuse humor into the statement mid-century modern pieces that dot their volumes. Boasting equally spellbinding aesthetics, the wellness area of the hotel, which counts a heated indoor pool as well as outdoor ones, is framed by arched niches that cocoon loungers and side tables in a hypnotizing exercise. My personal standout? The fantastical essence of Beefbar, one of the destination's on-site restaurants, where cute, cherry-red velvet banquettes, creature-like chairs, Art Deco sconces, and patterned tiles transport visitors to a world of its own.

Book your stay Hôtel Le Coucou Méribel.

8. Aman Le Mélézin. Courchevel, FR

310 Rue de Bellecôte, 73120 Courchevel, France

Much like in the case of Six Senses spas and resorts, the Aman group isn't new to our travel edits of the most spectacular stays for design obsessives. While Aman Le Mezelin, the firm's Courchevel mountain retreat, boasts slightly more classic interiors than most entries featured in this roundup, it is well worth booking for style-filled winter getaways. Located within Les Trois Vallées, the hotel offers direct access to the Bellecôte Piste, which, together with its 31 elegantly designed, panoramic rooms and suites, allow guests to make the most of the surrounding mountains and forests. Needless to say, the ski hotel will make your time away from the slopes more uplifting than ever thanks to its expansive Aman Spa, where a 14-meter indoor pool, twin Jacuzzis, a wood-paneled sauna, and a hammam decorated in Capri-stone walls will guide you along a journey through the senses. More sensory experiences await guests at Nama, the sojourn's on-site Japanese restaurant, open from morning till late at night. And if you ever feel the need to burn off some energy, the fitness center will be your ally during your stay.

Book your stay at Aman Le Mezelin.

9. FORESTIS Dolomites. Brixen, IT

Palmschoß 22, 39042 Bressanone BZ, Italy

Conceived by local design studio Asaggio as an architectural extension of the surrounding forest, Bressanone's FORESTIS Dolomites is the ideal base to soak in the scenery of the UNESCO-listed Italian mountain range. An adults-only destination, the hotel is home to 62 suites and penthouses, each bathing in neutral tones, wooden surfaces, and natural sunlight. With direct ski-in/ski-out access to the Plose ski area throughout winter, this boutique hotel is one of the best ski resort hotels in Italy for design, accessibility, and comfort, but even visitors who aren't seasoned skiers will find a reason to love it.

Perhaps it will be its on-site spa — an oasis of calm expanding across 2,000 square meters, with indoor and outdoor pools, sinuously crafted saunas and treatment rooms, and locally sourced wellness blends aimed at invigorating repose — to take the cake. Or maybe the real highlight will come from its foraging-focused "forest cuisine", which combines berries, herbs, mushrooms, and flowers into unexpectedly assembled Mediterranean delicacies, and equally outstanding cocktail bar. Whatever your reason to sleep at FORESTIS Dolomites, one thing is certain: you will always find an excuse to come back.

Book your stay at FORESTIS Dolomites.

10. Miramonti Boutique Hotel. Avelengo, IT

Via S. Caterina, 14, 39010 Avelengo BZ, Italy

Space Age design, après-ski aesthetic, and Japandi style collide at the Miramonti Boutique Hotel, a scenic getaway perched at 1,230 meters above sea level in Avelengo, Merano, Italy. From the breathtaking views filtering through its floor-to-ceiling windows to the meticulously curated interiors hand-picked by tara architekten, sleeping at this retreat in the Dolomites has nothing to envy from Asia's most sought-after mountain hideaways. If anything, they wish they had an infinity pool as dramatic as the Miramonti Boutique Hotel's, which 'floats' above the valley in a surreal architectural exercise.

Each of the 44 rooms and suites incorporates principles of biophilic design into an elevated, lavish final result, with accommodations ranging from a cinematic James Bond-themed loft and a local crafts-inspired deluxe suite complete with legacy Mössmer fabrics and lamps by South Tyrolean designer Debiasi Sandri to 1980s-like urban rooms with roof jacuzzis. The three-in-one gastronomic offering, spanning fine, local, as well as casual dining, meets guests' needs on every occasion, while the forest sauna, Japanese-inspired onsen, and relaxation house make the Miramonti Boutique Hotel a must-try for lovers of the best spas in the world.

Book your stay at Miramonti Boutique Hotel.

How Did We Pick the Best Ski Resort Hotels in Europe?

Avid Livingetc readers will be able to answer this question themselves. Still, for newcomers, it's important to stress that each and every destination that makes it into our travel edits has been largely selected based on its interior design merits. Does this mean that these holiday stays' services and overall guest experience were completely disregarded in the process? Not at all. While every sojourn mentioned in this list of the best ski resort hotels in Europe shares an intrepid approach to décor that will make it an instant favorite for interiors-led travelers, I also ensured that each entry's F&B, wellness, and activities offerings were just as noteworthy — either based on past visitors' reviews or first-hand experience. The result is a style-driven roundup of the best ski hotels in Switzerland, France, Austria, and Italy you'll check in at and never want to leave again.

You found the ultimate design-driven mountain escape while browsing the stays featured in our curation of the best ski resort hotels in Europe and even received your booking confirmation but are still unsure as to what to pack for your snowy getaway? As always, we've got you covered, for Can't Leave Without: Kate O'Hara — the latest iteration of our travel essentials column, guest-edited by the former ski racer and design insider behind American legacy studio O'Hara Interiors — is here to offer you extensive packing advice on how to make the most of your time high altitude.

The popularization of the humble but mighty air fryer has shown us all just how easy cooking can be. A lockdown trend that has stood the test of time, what's not to love about delicious food with half the effort? Luckily, the air fryer isn’t the only piece of kitchen tech here to help us out in the kitchen, we’ve curated a list of some of our favorite innovations in the food tech space.

Despite what the Instagram food influencers will have you believe, it’s a universal struggle to find the time, and the energy, to present a lovingly home-cooked meal every night of the week. If only the trad wives of TikTok knew about these innovative creations from our favorite kitchen appliance brands, their dinner could be done at double the speed, leaving them with more time to tend to their sourdough starter.

Even if you’re someone who finds great joy in the simple act of making a meal, these products will only assist you in that passion, never detracting from the experience. After all, we all know that waiting for your food to be done is the worst part of the whole process. These innovative tech products help us focus on the joy, and minimize the stress.

1. Quick Heat Ovens

The air fryer became a worldwide icon largely due to its ability to cut down cooking times in a dramatic way. While traditional, larger ovens may take up to 20 minutes to preheat, most air fryers can reach your desired temperature in under three. In an age when time is the most valuable currency, this was a major win in the air fryer's favor.

Now, though, ovens are finally catching up. For all the points air fryers scored for their time-saving capabilities, they were still dragged down by a few major flaws. Firstly, they're just too small. While their countertop size is ideal for those who live alone, households of 2+ would struggle to fit a full meal in there and forget about attempting to cook for the whole family. Their other drawback is arguably more surface, but in our opinion, just as important... they can be quite ugly. For all the elegant, modern kitchen ideas we've seen, a chunky air fryer on your marble worktop is not the final touch you're after, and you'll end up searching for ways to hide your air fryer.

Enter: quick heat ovens. These designs are elevated versions of your typical oven, boasting all the same space we've come to desire while satisfying our growing need for speed. Sophie Lane, from Miele, tells us that "quick-heat ovens and the ability to turn them on remotely are changing the way we cook. With features that speed up preheating, it’s possible to get an oven up to temperature in just a few minutes, saving precious time in a rush. And with many having remote controlling using a phone app, the oven can be turned on, or off, from anywhere, making it easy to pre-heat the oven before arriving home, or turning off a dish remotely when it's ready."

"Miele is taking quick heat ovens and remote turn on a step further with its latest tech. Miele's FoodView feature lets users keep an eye on your food via a camera in the oven, so there’s no need to open the door and risk ruining the dish," explains Sophie. "Meanwhile, Miele’s Smart Food ID uses AI to recognize the food inside and suggest the best settings, making sure every meal comes out perfectly. Add in MealSync, which helps time multiple dishes across different appliances to be ready at the same time, and you’ve got a kitchen that works smarter, not harder."

That is pretty handy and smart if you ask us.

2. Remote Turn On Ovens

You may never have thought your life would be better if your oven could connect to wifi... but we're here to confirm that it would. The GE Smart Wall Oven and other products from the brand's smart range come with their own built-in WiFi. This allows your appliances to be controlled via the Smart HQ app, giving you full control of your kitchen appliances from your phone.

This may sound a little unnecessary, and by no means are we saying that we couldn't survive without it, but there is an undeniable appeal in being able to preheat your oven while on your commute home. Or in adjusting the temperature without leaving the sofa. In fact, because GE ovens are compatible with Amazon Alexa and other voice-activated devices, you don't even need to touch a button to control your oven.

And GE isn't the only person getting on board. Smart ovens from BOSCH Series 8 Electric Pyrolytic Smart Oven can be controlled via Home Connect and, not only can you adjust the oven settings here, but the app can even suggest settings based on the dish you're making.

3. Steam Ovens

Steam ovens are another brilliant innovation in the world of kitchen tech, and are especially loved by those who value healthier cooking methods. But don't let their healthy cooking reputation fool you, the steam oven is as convenient as it is good for you, a rarity when it comes to healthier alternatives.

While regular convection ovens circulate dry heat, these versions contain a water reservoir that is used to circulate, you guessed it, steam. This method of cooking allows for all the beneficial nutrients and vitamins in your food to remain intact, unlike with traditional ovens. While the harsh heat of other methods destroys much of your meals nutritional value, steam cooking traps these minerals, vitamins and other nutritional benefits in your food, so you can reap the benefits.

However, as promised, that's far from the only benefit of cooking with steam. Steam is able to reach an extremely high temperature in record time, meaning your dinner gets finished much faster than with your regular oven.

The Bosch Series 4 Electric Steam Oven is one of the most popular versions on the market, and for good reason. The model combines conventional heat options with their Hot Air steam cooking setting. The 3D Hot Air fan promises even distribution of steam, resulting in perfectly crisp outsides, and juicy insides.

4. Multi-purpose Ovens

If you're looking for absolute optimal speed, the best results can be found when several of these speed-saving functions combine, especially when a convection oven feature is involved. Unlike conventional ovens, convection ovens include a fan and an exhaust system. This allows for a more powerful and even distribution of heat, resulting in faster cook times. The heat distribution system also ensures food is cooked more evenly, and the dry atmosphere created by this system offers superior crisping capabilities.

One of the best versions of these multi-purpose ovens comes from Smeg, with its innovative omnichef model. This powerful appliance combines convection features with steam and microwave settings. John Davies, head of marketing at Smeg, says, "With the ability to use all three cooking methods in unison, you can cook a roast chicken in just 30 minutes, making it perfect for busy households who want to make delicious home-cooked meals in less time."

With all the health benefits of steam cooking and all the time-saving benefits of convection heat, this is a real do-it-all addition to your kitchen.

"With over 150 preset programs, it automatically recommends the ideal time, temperature, and steam percentage, so all you have to do is place your food inside and enjoy a perfectly cooked meal," explains John.

These brilliant integrated ovens mean you no longer have to spend your days on the search for stylish countertop kitchen appliances, now your oven can do it all for you.

You know it's that time of the year when everything, from your daily commute and work life to unexpected rain showers, all of a sudden becomes a bit much. But if you think you are the only one left in despair by the lingering of winter, well, you are in the wrong. That's why I have spent hours researching the best ski hotels in the world for interior design-savvy getawayers — so that you could turn these last few weeks of cold weather into an opportunity to reconnect with the outdoors, blow off some steam, and, of course, soak in the surrounding views from their awe-inspiring rooms (or from their winding slopes, should you be a sporty reader).

What makes these specific stays the best design hotels for a snow-filled retreat? It's simple: not only does our edit of the best ski hotels in the world take into account the reviews and accolades these properties have garnered thanks to their hospitality services, but it even — and especially — values how these destinations incorporate the design of their premises into imaginatively crafted holiday accommodations that are as visibly spectacular as they are designed to respect, magnify, and contribute positively to the environment around them.

From the best ski hotels in the US and the chicest, design-forward chalets in Europe to futuristically envisioned winter retreats in New Zealand, get lost in our selection of the world's best ski hotels below.

1. Eriro. Ehrwald, AUT

Ehrwalder Alm 4, 6632 Ehrwald, Austria

In a world dominated by colossal hotel chains, Eriro, the ultimate boutique Alpine hideaway in the Alps, is, quite literally, a breath of fresh air, and one of the best ski hotels in Austria. Composed of nine suites only, each drenched in warm forest wood, stone, and ceramic contemporary furnishings, with sculptural shearling seating embodying its sophisticated vision of coziness, this unusual retreat makes for daydreaming.

Accessible exclusively via cable car, the hotel is nestled on Tyrol's Zugspitze peak, letting postcard views of the nearby mountains in through its floor-to-ceiling windows. The demonstration that Brutalist interiors can be both welcoming, dramatic, and inspiring, Eriro advocates for a return to simplicity in its stripped-back, carefully curated décor, where rustic touches and artful accessories unleash a sense of home. The same earthiness and devotion to the area's origins serve as the protagonists of the stay's restaurant, which reinvents seasonal Tyrolian delicacies, and the numerous slow living experiences bookable on site.

The cherry on top of the cake? Its herbalist and naturalist knowledge-inspired spa (captured in the header of this article), whose Asian influences and textural design put it in line for an entry in our edit of the world's best spas.

Book your stay at Eriro.

2. the cōmodo. Bad Gastein, AUT

Kaiserhofstraße 18, 5640 Bad Gastein, Austria

It took me no longer than two seconds to fall for the hip, playfully spirited ambiance of Bad Gastein's the cōmodo, another one of the best ski hotels in Austria for snow lovers in need of a design fix. The brainchild of weStudio's Barbara Elwardt and Piotr Wisniewski, this 70-room getaway prides itself on being "a celebration of art, wellness, and farm-to-table cuisine", and an embodiment of the electrifying essence of Bad Gastein itself, dubbed by many as "the next Berlin".

Housed within an 1881 building, the cōmodo breathes new life into its architecture thanks to its sleek 1960s mid-century modern furniture, refreshed original terrazzo floors, moody bordeaux and bottle-green color scheme, and uplifting Viennese café style references. Dotted with unique artworks and eccentric touches (the spherical Art Deco sconces? I am obsessed), it is as worth a visit for its lively interiors as it is a must for the snowy scenes that fill up its restaurant. Rooms are embellished with unique accent walls and custom-made wallpapers, while the thermal spa is wrapped in high-catching tile murals, stripy beach chairs, and pendant lighting. A joy to explore!

Book your stay at the cōmodo.

3. Caldera House. Jackson Hole, WY, US

3275 Village Dr, Teton Village, WY 83025, United States

Those of you who have read my recent exploration of the ongoing vintage motels revival know how big of a fan I am of old-style Americana. The 8-suite Caldera House, with its layered, colorful interiors, isn't just one of the best ski hotels in the world (and one of the quirkiest ski hotels in the US), but also a prime example of how retro-fueled destinations can be design-forward, too.

Expanding across six different levels, this soulful Wyoming winter getaway comes courtesy of local studio CLB Architects, whose work on the project strives to "capture the energy of a bustling ski scene at the base of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort while simultaneously creating an oasis of privacy, quiet, and calm". Inspired by the golden age of American skiing, Caldera House combines locally sourced farmer stone with a variety of wood, including cedar, white oak, and walnut, anchoring the stay in its surroundings.

Inside though, it's a perfectly balanced mixture of Western, mid-century, and modern glamour décor to prevail, with leathery couches, cow print rugs, and velvet chairs blending seamlessly with choreographic pendant chandeliers, striking prints, and paneled walls throughout the space. My personal standout? The fanciful, mountain-inspired tiled mural of its Italian restaurant Corsa, alongside its geometrically cut wooden furniture, mesmerizing floors, and mosaic-like walls.

Book your stay at Caldera House.

4. Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge. Stowe, VT, US

511 Mountain Rd, Stowe, VT 05672, United States

Not just another recently revamped American vintage motel, the Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge is also one of the best ski hotels for globetrotters with a soft spot for mid-century modern style.

Nestled on the slopes of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest mountain, in one of America's best ski resorts, Stowe, it allows vacationers to make the most of the winter months immersed in a one-of-a-kind atmosphere. Compared to other accommodations part of this edit of the best ski hotels in the world, the Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge, with its wood-paneled walls, checkered bedding, and New England style décor, is perhaps closer to your stereotypical idea of a "mountain retreat".

Still, Elder & Ash's recent refurbishing of the property has left plenty of space for authenticity. This is clear in its Tall Timbers Cottage, where hypnotic wallpapers and upholstery and brass accents add an unexpected touch to Cape Code aesthetic, as well as in its communal areas, where modern rustic, modernist, and contemporary influences collide.

Book your stay at Bluebird Cady Hill Lodge.

5. Grand Hotel Belvedere, A Beaumier Hotel. Wengen, CH

Im Gruebi 1440, 3823 Wengen BE, Switzerland

Freshly inaugurated last December, Grand Hotel Belvedere, A Beaumier Hotel has already earned itself a spot on our curated selection of the best ski hotels in the world. How can that be? Blame its whimsically beautiful, intricate interiors.

Located within the Bernese Highlands in Wengen, within close proximity of some of the best ski resorts in Switzerland, thanks to its Wes Anderson-esque, pastel-shaded Art Nouveau architecture, the stay is as magical from the outside as it is inside. Extending across two interconnected buildings, this instantly iconic destination was envisioned by local studio Complete Works, whose time-traveling, daring approach to design and architecture can be felt throughout. Here, communal areas are enriched with pastel-colored textiles in mismatched prints, upholstered seating arranged to facilitate social interaction, painted mural details, and carved wood columns that feel themselves like works of art.

Available at the property are 90 spirited rooms and suites, two restaurants adding new flair to traditional Swiss cuisine, and a soon-to-be-launched, brutalist-style spa powered by beauty trailblazer Susanne Kaufmann. A treat for all senses.

Book your stay at Grand Hotel Belvedere, A Beaumier Hotel.

6. Experimental Chalet Val d'Isère. Val-d'Isère, FR

101 Rue de la Poste, 73150 Val-d'Isère, France

If the Hedkandi music label (remember them?) did hospitality, it would be the Experimental Group. And now, with Experimental Chalet Val D’Isere, they hit the slopes. Launched at the end of 2024, this playful new hotel is the ski style reinvented — a nod to the coziness of the Alps but with flame red carpets, graphic prints, marble tops, and woven leather chairs.

Put simply, it's as cool as you'd expect for a brand that started out with a cocktail bar hidden in London's Soho, branched out to a beach club in Ibiza and now finds itself here. The hotel is a ski-in/ski-out, meaning you can be on the 300km slopes in less time than it takes to buckle your boots and clip on your lift pass.

Plus, Val d'Isère is on a glacier, which guarantees good snow, even in summer. Of course, there is a spa and a pool almost rivaling the slopes in length, but the hotel will also sort out any activity for you: ice climbing, dog sledding, even paragliding. And all in a day's work.

Book your stay at Experimental Chalet Val D’Isere.

7. Le 1550. Courchevel, FR

450 Rte des Brigues, 73120 Courchevel, France

Compared to other holiday stays, mountain retreats are known for honing in on that 'home-away-from-home' feel, but no destination channels the vibrancy and liveliness of contemporary domestic spaces quite like Courchevel's Le 1550. And if you think that makes it ordinary, just wait and see.

Nestled in the tranquil Les Brigues district, this luxurious getaway boasts equal amounts of design inspiration, history, and alpine aesthetics. Designed by Atelier Giffon and interior curator Josephine Fossey, Le 1550 transforms the building's traditional Savoyard architecture into a wunderkammer, shaped by contrasting wood, stone, and glass surfaces and adorned with just as many print, art, and homeware collectibles.

Conceived to heighten a desire for adventure and exploration, the eight-suite Le 1550 invites guests to embark on a multisensory journey unfolding across its scenic indoor swimming pool, outdoor cedarwood hot tub, and treatment rooms, as well as catering for the youngest ones with its on-site cinema and children's playroom. Part of Thibaud Elzière and Robin Michel's Iconic House portfolio, a collection of luxury rentals rooted in a love of art and modernist interiors, the stay makes the ideal nest for culture addicts keen to savor the expansive Les Trois Vallées ski area, with access to ski lifts only 100 meters away.

Book your stay at Le 1550.

8. Holmen Lofoten. Sørvågen, NO

Flathaugen 36, 8392 Sørvågen, Norway

There is something about family-run hotels that makes them immediately distinct, and Holmen Lofoten is no exception. Set up by Ingunn Rasmussen, the daughter of a fisherman, in what was once a small fishing factory complete with cabins, it is a stay steeped in local history.

Having previously accommodated several generations of fishermen, including her father, the building had fallen into decay until Rasmussen bought it to transform it into a holiday destination in 2001. Situated at the outermost edge of the Lofoten Islands, it is a space in eternal transition, as also reflected by its eclectic interiors, which blend Scandinavian design with more traditional or Western influences — and statuesque hints at the local sealife (see picture above for reference).

With 11 rooms and suites in total, each named after the fisherman who used them, it grants visitors the opportunity to discover the islands in a truly unexpected way, becoming one with their community. Head to the waves-facing restaurant to get a taste of their cuisine, or choose one of the numerous activities offered on-site to make your winter getaway into an adventure.

Book your stay at Holmen Lofoten.

9. The Lindis. Ahuriri Valley, NZ

1490 Birchwood Road, Ahuriri Valley 9412, New Zealand

Some ski hotels catch your eye because, simply, they don't look quite like anything you have ever seen before; that's what attracted me to the Lindis. Situated in New Zealand's spellbinding Ahuriri Valley, the stay's undulating pavilion, designed as the rest of the destination by Christopher Kelly, mimics the lines of the powerful natural wonders that serve as its backdrop. Bringing them in through the use of organic materials such as spotted gumwood and bluestone, as well as via its purposefully large windows, among the properties included in this list of the best ski hotels in the world, the Lindis must be the most sensational one; and not just for design and architecture aficionados, but also for lovers of the great outdoors.

Ranging from Western decor master and lodge suites complete with sweeping views of the valley to cinematic, three mirrored glass-walled pods tucked away in nature, accommodation at this New Zealand retreat is as immersive as it can get. Locally sourced food, including seasonal ingredients harvested from the lodge's own garden, complements the sojourn alongside a refined wine selection, while a variety of activities — from horseback riding and cycling to stargazing — can be booked at the concierge.

Wary of the impact the hotel can have on the Ahuriri Valley? So are its owners, which is why the lodge is powered by solar and geothermal energy, collecting rainwater and utilizing eco-friendly products to minimize harm and waste.

Book your stay at the Lindis.

10. COMO Alpina Dolomites. Dolomites, IT

Compatsch, 62/3, 39040 Alpe di Siusi BZ, Italy

A masterpiece signed by Bozen-based studio De Biasi & Comploi, from the outside, Seiser Alm's COMO Alpina Dolomites looks like a utopian, brutalist architecture exercise. Sculpted from quartzite and wood in a nod to the area's mineral-rich land, its concentric, indented exterior beautifully conceals the much softer ambiance that awaits guests inside.

Bathing in natural light and built with sustainable materials from the region, the hotel provides an elevated, chic base to explore what Val Gardena, one of the best ski resorts in Italy, has to offer, including its revitalizing après ski leisure.

Housing 60 rooms and suites either reminiscent of the simple, neutral elegance of Japanese style décor or double-drenched in electric red and blue tones, COMO Alpina Dolomites takes quiet luxury to new heights (check out the COMO Suite's reclining bathroom beds in leather and panoramic bathtub to get the full picture). With three restaurants and a stunningly designed spa available on site, it will be hard to find any reasons to step outside.

Book your stay at COMO Alpina Dolomites.

How Did We Pick the Best Ski Hotels in the World?

Every avid Livingetc reader will know the drill at this point: no travel destination is ever complete — or worth exploring — for us unless it brings authentic, contemporary interior design innovation. And that's why, in order to compile this roundup of the best ski hotels in the world, I didn't only look for mountain holiday properties whose services had been awarded accolades by trusted hospitality organizations, as well as being praised by fellow travel publications and individual customers alike, but also paid special attention to the way in which these accommodations celebrated their surroundings in their décor.

The final selection presented in this article thus includes stays that, in my opinion, are the best ski hotels in the world for globetrotters who aren't just after a place to stay, but seek a getaway whose responsibly crafted interiors successfully amplify — and blend with — the beauty of the nature around them. Needless to say, their overall guest experience won't disappoint. Still, if it is more than crackling fireplaces, snow, and ski lifts that you want from your winter break, you have landed in the right place.

We hope this curated deep dive into the best ski hotels in the world, bringing you nothing but the most aesthetic refuges from which to enjoy your time on the slopes, has given you enough options to choose from for your winter getaway. Once your holiday is confirmed, don't forget to browse our must-have travel essentials, which include packing advice on maximizing storage when heading to a cold mountain location. Still stuck for inspiration? See what our community of designers simply can't leave without when booking a vacation, whether off to balmy destinations, global art capitals, or chic winter breaks.

At a time when digital communication and ever-hectic routines are making it increasingly hard for people to disconnect from their screens, launching a holiday retreat rooted in the pursuit of community, meditation, and life's simple pleasures feels as countercultural as refreshing.

To many, this would seem like a gamble, but for nightlife entrepreneurs Mario Hertel and Thomas Heyne, the founders of Mykonos hospitality group Scorpios, investing in travelers' growing desire for arts, gastronomy, wellness, and entertainment experiences was the way to bring the ecstatic, unifying essence of clubbing into daytime — hangovers excluded. Opened last June, Scorpios Bodrum, the first property from the firm's portfolio to land outside of Greece as part of its global expansion, proves their leap of faith was well worth the challenge.

Just like the original Scorpios location, which was inaugurated on the southern shores of Mykonos in 2015 complete with a cutting-edge art program and independent music label, this recently unveiled new Bodrum hotel is many things at once. Tucked away on a tranquil peninsula in the northeastern portion of the tourist-popular Turkish destination, it isn't just home to one of the best spas in the world for design-minded globetrotters, but rather embodies "a state of being — where time slows, the senses heighten, and the boundaries between self, nature, and community dissolve," Berlin-based Lambs and Lions, the lead design studio and interiors curator behind both hotels, tell me. "More than a place, it is a rhythm, a philosophy, an evolving ritual that invites both introspection and shared experience."

This idea of journey within the journey is what, together with the stay's immersion in Agean nature, molded Scorpios Bodrum into shape, as demonstrated by its 'Ritual Space' and annexed central pavilion, known as the 'Temple'. Yes, you've read it right, temple, and the choice of words isn't accidental. While conceiving of the hospitality group, Mario and Thomas were inspired by the concept of the agora, ancient Greece's marketplace, as a hub where people from different walks of life would gather to pursue most daily activities, from grocery shopping and participating in political, intellectual, and artistic debates to engaging in religious practices at the temple. Some 344 kilometers from Athens, Scorpios Bodrum — and any of the hospitality firm's properties for that matter — reinvents the ultimate Greek rendezvous for the contemporary traveler, putting physical and mental well-being at the heart of a multisensory experience.

Within this context, its design isn't just a backdrop, but the element that makes this revamp possible. "A dialogue between Oriental influences, Brutalism, and Wabi-Sabi principles", the stay "preserves the tactile essence of Scorpios Mykonos' original design identity, characterized by a nuanced palette of muted, warm, and earthy tones, while honing in on refinement and articulation," Lambs and Lions, who completed the project in collaboration with architectural and interiors suppliers GEOMIM and Studio Mac Bride, respectively, say. Whether stepping into any of Scorpios Bodrum's 12 responsibly-developed, low-rise bungalows, its bathed-in-sunshine restaurant, terrace, and beach house, or its Asian-inspired bazaar, visitors' minds are simultaneously soothed and captivated by the powerful manifestation of artisanry — think elegant wood-drenched volumes delineated by textural surfaces, handcrafted statement pieces, flowing linen, and trailing vegetation — that brings these modern rustic décor spaces to life.

An ode to the raw beauty of Bodrum's maquis landscape, topography, and rocky grounds, as well as to its turquoise blue waters, the latest Scorpios offering seeks a "balance between uninhibited self-expression and the pursuit of introspection"; a contrast that, GEOMIM explain, reflects "our community's intrinsic duality." That's why the hotel's Ritual Space, which includes a sound healing room, watsu, and plunge pools, and a porthole windows-lit sauna alongside other soul-invigorating treatment rooms, is "where art, performance, music, and holistic rituals converge in a meaningful dialogue of presence" — to disrupt the univocal understanding of wellness, and show how it can be done better together.

Thanks to its strategic positioning on the eastern edge of the peninsula, the Ritual Space faces the sunrise and extends downward, becoming one with the landscape. This means that, as Lambs and Lions point out, its premises are ever-evolving. Sculpted by dramatic beams of light that filter through its cassette ceiling, its Temple is, like the rest of this wellness area, defined by sunshine or its absence. "An immersive environment where Brutalist architecture, nature, and atmosphere merge seamlessly, the Ritual Space seeks to evoke a sense of grounding and transcendence," say the lead design studio. This clash of worldly and spiritual, sacred and profane, is also exemplified by the multifunctionality of the Temple itself, whose Inner Gardens programming lists anything from shamanic meditation classes to live concerts and artistic residencies.

More awaits the guests outside, where, interspersed with the dense, sprawling chaparral of the region, the hotel's pool, tea bar, and event decks "symbolize a return from the inner world to the outer," effectively marking the completion of "their journey of transformation," add GEOMIM. Still, at Scorpios Bodrum, the end of a vacation is not the end, but a new beginning.

"What lingers on is not just a memory, but a shift — a recalibration toward presence, connection, and essence," Lambs and Lions say. "In a world of excess, Scorpios offers something more elusive: the luxury of whole-being and meaning."

Book your stay at Scorpios Bodrum

Name me a US film that doesn't contain a single shot of a motel with annexed neon-lit, softly flickering road signage, and I will perhaps reconsider my conviction that American pop culture and the local hospitality scene are far more intertwined than you'd think at first sight. From the falls-facing Rainbow Cabins of Henry Hathaway's Marilyn Monroe-starring, psychological thriller Niagara (1953) to the eerie Bates Motel of Alfred Hitchcock's cult horror film Psycho (1960), the saturated Portland hotels of Gus Van Sant's electrifying road movie My Own Private Idaho (1991), and the instantly recognizable lilac façade of the now-defunct Magic Castle Inn & Suites, which served as the backdrop to Sean Baker's emotional rollercoaster The Florida Project (2017), vintage motels and hotel rooms are ubiquitous in American cinematography. But their allure doesn't just belong on the small — or the big — screen. Not anymore, at least.

Over the past ten years, a renovated interest in America's mid-century heritage and holiday destinations has seen many of these iconic institutions, including some of the best Los Angeles hotels, come back to life after thorough restorations that blend a technicolored feel with the comfort of contemporary amenities.

Among such imaginatively refreshed design icons are Massachusetts' former 1960s motor lodge Tourists, general-store-turned-holiday-inn Austin Motel, Santa Fe's spirited El Rey Court, the modern rustic Camptown Catskills, and the desert modernism marvel that is Palm Springs' Ace Hotel & Swim Club.

Vintage motels aren't the only retro stays to enjoy a revival, either. Across the US, the very "fantasy getaways" and themed hotel rooms that provided amusing escapism during the post-WWII economic boom, and later lost traction to low-cost air travel, are now being rediscovered. They attract visitors with their 1950s futuristic "Googie architecture" — think boomerang-like rooflines, Space Age-inspired motifs, contrasting surfaces, and bold palettes — and equally extravagant, unexpected interiors. It is a phenomenon that's bewitching the curious and the design connoisseurs alike, as also attested by the latest edition of Modernism Week (Palm Springs, through February 23). One of the best cultural events of 2025, in our opinion anyway, its interdisciplinary celebration of mid-century culture comprises a series of appointments dedicated to the renovation — or documentation — of America's legacy motels, honeymoon resorts, and lifestyle destinations.

Still, as Marta Soligo, Director of Tourism Research & Professor of Hospitality and Sociology of Leisure at the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) reminds me, this is nothing to be surprised at. "Especially in Western countries, people frequently dream of an idealized, romanticized past, which is often a 'sanitized' version of how things were," she says. Forgetting the social or economic challenges that characterized a particular era to privilege its positive aspects, such as its cultural and artistic effervescence, continues Marta, we become captivated by destinations that remind us of that 'perfected' past — places that, "working as a time machine, invite travelers to experience it first-hand," she adds.

London-based US travel specialist, journalist, and author Zoey Goto, a long-term lover of vintage motels and all things Americana, is aware of "chasing a simpler time that probably never existed, but that's all part of the charm," she tells me on her way back from Elko, Nevada. Having visited the States regularly for most of her life, she carved a prolific writing career out of her fascination with their quirkiest idiosyncrasies and greatest musical icons, exploring the country far and wide in search of its "most exaggerated, nostalgia-soaked attractions". From sleeping in an original Cadillac in the 1950s-themed suite of Los Alamos' Victorian Mansion, complete with "a drive-in projector for watching Elvis [Presley] flicks", to sipping bubble-gum pink cocktails in the gilded-with-cherubs lounge of the Madonna Inn — "the undisputed queen of maximalist kitsch" — and spending a night in the King of Rock 'n' Roll's teenage bedroom, over the past 20-plus years, Zoey has enjoyed her fair dose of American whimsical stays. But she isn't done just yet.

"In a world that often feels too highbrow and serious, there's something liberating about leaning into the pure joy of the unapologetically over-the-top," explains the writer, who is already eyeing up The Roxbury as her next bucket list destination. Nestled in the Catskill Mountains of New York, "this former motor lodge was reimagined as a high-camp resort by a couple with a theater background," she says. To catch her attention was the Cinderella's Gown cottage, which comes "with a bathroom tucked inside a giant pumpkin" — how's that for fanciful décor?

Whether speaking from academic or personal experience, Marta and Zoey agree: rather than settling for cookie-cutter, generic hotel rooms with no real sense of place, today's tourists "increasingly look for places with a clear historical identity or branding," explains the UNLV researcher. As we discovered in our Travel Trends 2025 Report, booking accommodation is "no longer just about finding somewhere to sleep for the night," adds the journalist. "It's about buying into an experience, stepping through the door and escaping into a fabulous fantasyland." Of course, America's vintage motels, honeymoon resorts, and themed hotel rooms — with their champagne tower Jacuzzis, circular beds, and heart-shaped bathtubs — embody that spirit. And that's what has allowed them to gain new momentum as globetrotters seek more unusual, authentic ways to spend their time off.

While their bold interiors "were already serving picture-perfect backdrops decades before the dawn of social media," Zoey thinks viral travel accounts like Margaret and Corey Bienert's A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour were pivotal in fueling the recent motel renaissance. With a combined following of nearly two million people across their Instagram and TikTok channels, the married couple has put these retro gems back on the map, allowing younger travelers to discover them online for the first time.

"We started this project in 2018 to document fantasy hotels and kitschy resorts that seemed to be hidden away and quickly disappearing," Margaret and Corey, who tonight will present the book that emerged from their travels during a special event at Modernism Week (February 14), tell me. After bathing in the 7-foot-tall champagne glass of the Cove Haven Resort — the Pennsylvania, adults-only duo (then trio) of surreal honeymoon stays where they filmed their debut episode seven years ago — and catching the absurd journey on camera, the two captured hundreds of rooms nationwide. Soon, "it became clear that this wasn't just a niche interest but a larger piece of American history," say the co-founders. Published in 2023 by Artisan, Hotel Kitsch collects the stories and photos they gathered along the way, "preserving a world that might otherwise be forgotten".

"In a society that feels increasingly noisy and chaotic, where we're constantly plugged into everything happening across the globe, but disconnected from the community closest to us, a classic American motel offers something rare in its simplicity, unpretentious kitschiness, and genuine personal connection," explain the A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour creators. Small and often family-run, these getaways facilitate more direct interaction between guests and owners while also allowing you to fill up on cinematic aesthetics reminiscent of Route 66 road trips and Old Hollywood films. Forcing you out of the mundane and into a dimension of their own with their garish, flamboyant furnishings, "they aren't just services or transactions," continues the couple. "They're accessible, temporary fantasies to visit where no digital screens are ever necessary."

When I talk to Margaret and Corey ahead of their Modernism Week appearance, they reveal they are on a break from traveling and are instead focusing on "a big home remodel". Coming right on time for Valentine's Day, their newly installed — and "very own" — heart-shaped bathtub grants a second life to one of the dozen sentimental bathroom additions of the Pocono Palace Resort, the third fantasy hotel once part of the Cove Haven Resort group, which shuttered last spring after selling for nearly 18 million dollars. That the A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour co-founders will now be able to enjoy it daily following their stay at the property feels somewhat of a full-circle moment, particularly if we consider how that vacation paved the way for their widely successful series. But much like in the case of Zoey Goto, their offbeat explorations are far from finished.

"We still haven't stayed overnight at the Trixie Motel in Palm Springs, so that's definitely one of the places on our radar," they say of the Barbiecore-worthy holiday destination that, opened last autumn by American drag queen Trixie Mattel, lent its flamingo pink backdrop to a Discovery+ series of the same title as well as starring on the cover of their volume. In many ways, the Trixie Motel couldn't exist anywhere other than the Californian open-air museum that is Palm Springs. "There's undeniable magic here," says the couple. "One minute you're driving through endless desert, and the next, you find yourself in a scene straight out of a Doris Day movie, where pastel-colored classic cars blend seamlessly into the backdrop of mountain views, sparkling pools, and mid-century modern hotels."

But Margaret and Corey aren't the only contemporary creatives to have been enthralled by California's mid-century modern hotels. It was the eye-catching and mysterious essence of their neon signage that introduced image-maker Barkev Msrlyan, another one of the protagonists of this year's Modernism Week (February 16), to their world. Raised in Los Angeles, he had always nurtured a deep appreciation for its architecture, history, and landmarks. So, when these began to disappear, "I decided to dedicate myself to documenting as many of them as I possibly could," Barkev tells me. With Merch Motel, the visual archive he created as a celebration of the mid-century sites he cherishes most, which also sells souvenirs inspired by them, he strives to immortalize the vibrancy of these long-overlooked Californian icons — how "they transformed the mundane into the magnificent".

It is a mission that reminds us of the importance of protecting our cities' heritage, especially in the midst of the climate crisis. "In January, The Eaton Fire destroyed thousands of Los Angeles buildings, including entire neighborhoods, landmarked architecture, and culturally significant, centuries-old sites," Barkev, who lives in Pasadena, one of the areas affected by it, tells me. As a result, "places we never imagined would disappear were lost overnight." Among such historic locations is Sahag Mesrob, an Armenian heritage school in Altadena, which the Merch Motel founder had shot in 2022. "I'm so grateful they allowed me to tour the campus and look at all the details up close," Barkev says of his visit to the building, which was over 100 years old. "Referencing my photos, I was able to design a collection of products for the school, whose entire profits were donated to support its recovery."

Had it not been for the lack of interest of their owners, many of Palm Springs' most spectacular examples of mid-century modern architecture, too, would have been demolished come the economic downturn of the 1980s. Luckily, "the great majority of these homes were second residences, overlooked, and not worth the hassle of tearing down," travel journalist Zoey Goto tells me. This meant that when the style came back in fashion in the late 1990s, "Palm Springs was a near-perfect time capsule waiting to be unearthed". The Ocotillo Lodge, a former luxury hotel designed by pioneering architects William Krisel and Dan Saxon Palmer in 1957, is a prime example of this process, and one of the numerous legacy buildings opening up to the public during Modernism Week (February 16).

Built on the south side of the city by the Alexander Construction Company, one of the main developers active in the area at the time, the stay was crafted to accommodate prospective buyers before they moved into their newly purchased homes. Counting the Rolling Stones and the Los Angeles Lakers among its celebrity guests, it had a glamorous restaurant and an all-suite setup, with color schemes and tongue-and-groove ceilings mimicking the look of the properties all around it, "so that people could be sold on the homes even before they left their room," Ocotillo Lodge HOA's President Tony Vardaro tells me. Still, as tourism took a hit, "many great mid-century modern hotels were either razed or, like the Ocotillo Lodge, repurposed as condominiums," he explains.

Bought by an investment group in 1996, today the building houses 120 one-bedroom condo units, but since "the rooms were all suites with kitchens, no changes were necessary for the conversion," Tony adds. This recently earned the property Class 1 designation — a sign that "the building is historic and mostly unaltered", and a testament to the enduring legacy of mid-century modern architecture; its ability to create "a better way of living through design," as architect Willliam Krisel once said. This sense of optimism and possibility is out in full force at the Ocotillo Lodge. "When you sit in your open-space living area and have an unobstructed view outside onto your yard, you're at peace," explains Tony. "Our large, central common area around the legendary, keyhole-shaped pool takes the indoor-outdoor living model a step further by adding a communal element, bringing owners and guests together in a way that's rarely seen in condo complexes."

Aware of Hollywood stars' role in shaping the myth of specific American vintage hotels, I ask Tony about the rumors that see actresses Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, and Lucille Ball among the Ocotillo Lodge's visitors. Sadly, there's no way to verify them. "We have door plaques stating that certain units were the 'Marilyn Monroe Suite' and the 'Doris Day Suite', but those were marketing gimmicks," he says, adding that, admittedly, "they do make for great tales."

Sometimes great tales are enough to ignite long-lasting fascination, and photographer Isaac Jeffreys sure knows what I am hinting at. His interest in American history and pop culture emerged "when I saw an image of Elizabeth Taylor and Eddie Fisher at Grossinger’s Hotel in Liberty, NY, appear on my screen," he tells me. From there, Isaac "went down a wormhole" to find out about the hundreds of mid-century resorts that dotted the Catskills in the 20th century only to be later forgotten by the general public.

"There's something tragically poetic — and a little magical — about a whole region created for frolic and leisure being left stagnant once it fell out of fashion," he says, referring to the many glamorous mid-century theaters currently decaying in the middle of its woods. Having realized that, in one way or another, these resorts were intertwined with most people he knew across the country, the image-maker set out to photograph them at night, "illuminating these places to present the past in a unique, captivating way". Juxtaposed with archival imagery from these venues' heyday, some of these shots will be showcased during Modernism Week (February 15) in The Art of the Showroom: Theaters and Nightlife in the Catskills; an exhibition tracing the rise and fall of these dramatic marvels.

Describing their rich, lavish, and often unchanged interiors and exteriors as "some of the coolest things I have ever seen," Isaac hopes the event will prove that, "while not enough thought is given to preserving places that are physical markers of the golden age of US travel and entertainment, these resorts symbolize the birthplace of modern American comedy." Built at a time when theme, shapes, colors, and patterns ruled the design scape, even in their most desolate state, "these theaters embody my yearning for a world that wasn't as bleak as the world in the 21st century, the world I grew up in," the photographer explains.

To contemporary viewers, the sumptuous, frocks-and-frills ambiance of the theaters lensed by Isaac might seem a bit much, excessive, even. But as A Pretty Cool Hotel Tour's Margaret and Corey say, that's precisely the point: "now that so much art and design feel like they are constantly trying to prove something, kitsch is a refreshing break from the competition."

Are vintage motels, fantasy getaways, and themed hotel rooms tacky? Perhaps. Would those Catskills resort entertainment venues have fallen out of fashion anyway? It's possible. Still, taste aside, "few things spark happiness quite like the plush decadence of a shagpile carpet underfoot, or the sentimental pull of a velvet Elvis painting," author Zoey Goto tells me. "It's not just about the aesthetics that I love — it's also about the emotions that these kitschy spaces stir up from within."

Modernism Week continues across multiple venues in Palm Springs, CA, through February 23

With the winter blues now at their peak, The White Lotus x Away travel collection couldn't have arrived at a better time. Of course, every self-professed devotee of the record-smashing HBO series will know the drop was planned to coincide with the release of its much-anticipated third season, which lands on the platform and sibling streaming service MAX on February 16.

But while the gloominess of the coldest months makes every summer escape a distant, unachievable mirage, the latest collaboration between co-founders Jen Rubio and Steph Korey's American luggage brand and director Mike White's The White Lotus puts a cinematic spin on travel essentials, reminding us that our next adventure may be only weeks away — or even convincing us to book impromptu journeys just to have an excuse to style one of their co-authored, sandy creations. Am I being excessive? Maybe, but what else can you expect from a series whose Season 2 finale alone had 4.1 million US viewers glued to their screens in one day, with 752 million minutes viewed amassed in just a week? Nothing less.

Filmed across multiple locations in Thailand, including the paradisiac Four Seasons Koh Samui, The Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, and Villa Jacinta in Choeng Mon, The White Lotus Season 3 is projected to retain the glitz and glam of its first two runs, set in Hawaii and Sicily, respectively. The exclusive essence of the luxury retreats portrayed in it and the indulgent, contagious energy of its story plots is what inspired The White Lotus x Away travel collection — a nine-piece drop of timelessly beautiful luggage and accessories to take with you on your forthcoming adventures.

Launching globally today, the collaboration consists of brand-new items specifically designed with The White Lotus Season 3 in mind, like the Resort Weekender and the Poolside Tote, and celebrated Away favorites such as the brand's multi-size hardside suitcases and ever-versatile Mini Everywhere Bag. Characterized by raffia-inspired textures, luxe Saffiano leather details, and a themed interior lining complete with a custom lotus flower print, the collection — whose neutral brown tones hint at Thailand's caramel beaches — gives die-hard fans of the series a tangible taste of what the new season will be like, and another reason to travel.

The White Lotus x Away drop marks a new chapter in the collaboration between the leading lifestyle brand and the HBO colossus. "Our products were organically featured in the first two seasons, and now, with season three, we're deepening that authentic connection with a dedicated collection that celebrates bold storytelling, elevated essentials, and meaningful travel experiences," Away's VP of Integrated Marketing, Christine Gallagher, said. "More than just a hit show, the series has become a cultural phenomenon, sparking new travel trends and conversations."

Similarly, the collection was developed for travelers who seek to elevate their journeys, "blending the transformative spirit of travel with the luxury and culture that define both The White Lotus and Away". With prices starting from just $55, The White Lotus x Away carry-ons, tote bags, and packing cubes might be the closest we can get to experiencing the series' electrifying atmospheres first-hand, at least until our next travels. So what are you waiting for? Discover our favorite buys below and shop the full line on Away's website or at your nearest flagship store.

The White Lotus x Away Travel Collection

How to Watch The White Lotus Season 3

The White Lotus Season 3 will premiere on HBO and Max on February 16 at 9 PM ET/PT, and will comprise eight episodes released weekly. In the United Kingdom, the series will be available to stream via Sky Atlantic or Now TV.

With its tropics-inspired feel and buttery palette, The White Lotus x Away travel collection has got timeless aesthetics to spare, particularly if you're looking to recreate an elevated, safari-like style when on the move. Still, at Livingetc, we know how subjective style can be. And that's why we have rounded up the best carry-on luggage options for design-obsessed globetrotters — so that you can take your pick from a handful of models crafted to impress by award-winning luxury travel brands, whatever your vibe might be. From retro-fueled leathery cases to next-generation, aluminum-sculpted cabin bags, the choice is yours.

I'll be clear from the start: here at Livingetc, even the top rated wellness destinations whose tech-supported, state-of-the-art offerings guarantee endless relax and rejuvenation would fail to earn a spot in our curated edit of the best spas in the UK without equally outstanding interior design. Why is that? It's simple.

Putting contemporary décor front and center is our job, which is why our understanding of what makes the best spas worth the title may differ from that of other health and fitness enthusiasts. Though that's not to say that we don't value invigorating treatments and sci-fi-like approaches to keeping us balanced, peaceful, and in good shape...

But what we deem even more important is ingenious design's capacity to captivate, uplift, and inspire us so that we need not retreat further from the ordinary afterward. That's what our interiors-led edit of the best spas in the UK strives to do — capture the soul-nourishing combo of meticulously developed wellness practices and extraordinary, transportive décor.

Selected based on their entrancing atmosphere, attention to detail, and positive, long-lasting impressions left on our editors, design community, and readers, these are the 10 best spas in England sure to revive every die-hard interior lover — including the best spa resorts in the UK for extended, slow-paced recreation.

The Best Spas in the UK

1. Surrenne at The Emory. London, UK

Old Barrack Yard, London SW1X 7NP

If you stay at The Emory or The Berkeley in Knightsbridge, two of the best London hotels for design addicts, you'll have access to their sublime subterranean spa, Surrenne — a private members' club dedicated to longevity and wellbeing (yes, the waiting list is suitably long). Set across four floors and 2,000 square meters, Surrenne was created by super yacht designer Rémi Tessier with incredible attention to detail and the odd nod to nautical interiors. What makes it one of the best spas in the UK? Just as in The Emory's abc kitchens restaurant, the warmth of the lighting scheme and the natural materials used throughout — terrazzo for the floors, cedar for the walls, wool for the loungers — have been chosen to envelop and lull.

The 22-meter pool, with its curtained cabanas, is a wonderful place to unwind: of course, you could do laps in the bubbling blue water, enjoy the sauna and steam room, or brave the snow shower. Come the evening, you can even swim by candlelight. There are seven treatment rooms, offering everything from oxygen therapy to the signature Ashiatsu massage, while fitness devotees can attend weighted dance classes at Tracy Anderson's first UK studio (movie buffs will know her as Gwyneth Paltrow's trainer). Nutritionist Rose Ferguson curated the menu for Surrenne Café, while Alice Temperley designed the silk robes you will most definitely want to take home with you. To say it in one word, heaven.

Book your treatment at The Emory's Surrenne.

2. Eynsham Baths at Estelle Manor. Eynsham, UK

Estelle Manor, Eynsham, North Leigh, Park OX29 6PN

On a recent midweek escape to Estelle Manor, we decided to treat ourselves to its 'Thermal Journey'. I expected it to be beautiful, given the overall pedigree and quality of the hotel's facilities, but the design — a masterclass in understated opulence — truly stands out. From the main house, you wander through the woods to reach Eynsham Baths, a modern take on the Roman bathhouse, reinvented with contemporary polish. The beautiful central pool sits beneath a vaulted ceiling, framed by travertine columns and fluted stone walls. A ritualistic circuit of hot and cold pools offers the full spectrum of thermal indulgence, and we duly drifted around, convincing ourselves it was good for circulation. (It probably was.) The color palette is expectedly earthy, warm, and timeless. We didn't have a chance for a massage but nonetheless felt truly rejuvenated after — and more than ready for too many cocktails at the bar.

Book your treatment at Estelle Manor's Eynsham Baths.

3. ARC Community Spa. London, UK

Level -2, Unit 46, Minus, 1 Crossrail Pl, London E14 5AR

I had never heard of ARC Community Spa before, but I was invited to join a breathwork class and was truly surprised by the experience. The facility is absolutely beautiful — nothing like anything I have seen in the UK before. Thanks to its immersiveness, I immediately switched off my mind and entered a different zone. Paddy Cavendish, who led the class, did a fantastic job guiding us through each step of the process. It all began in the sauna, where we did breathwork exercises before splitting into three groups to take turns in the ice baths. It was my first time doing one, and I must admit it was a bit of a shock to the system, but I am planning on going back to get used to it. We then did another round in the sauna and cold baths, followed by an encore of breathwork. The atmosphere was great and very encouraging, and as far as spa design is concerned, I honestly don't think there's anything quite like it in London. I am looking forward to incorporating this into my regular health and wellness routine.

Book your treatment at ARC.

4. The Bothy by Wildsmith at Heckfield Place. Heckfield, UK

Heckfield Pl, Heckfield, Hook RG27 0LD

Part of luxury 5-star country house hotel Heckfield Place, The Bothy by Wildsmith isn't the first, or the last, spa that attempts to let the outside indoors. But owner Gerald Chan and General Manager Katherine Pye's vision for this wellness escape raises the bar for imaginative interiors even within our shortlist of the best spas in the UK. Tucked away past "a secret door of the house's original walled garden", explain the hotel's team, it was "designed to return guests to a simpler, slower time". A masterful example of minimalist interior design, the spa presents waters completely embraced by floor-to-ceiling windows and bare textural walls that beautifully frame the stay's surroundings, enhancing instead of restraining them. Spread over 17,000 square feet, The Bothy by Wildsmith offers an integrated approach to wellbeing that combines healing treatments and beauty brand Wildsmith Skin's transformative formulas with the uplifting power of immersion in nature, (re-)connecting us with ourselves, one another, and the space around us.

Book your treatment at Heckfield Place's The Bothy by Wildsmith.

5. C-Side Spa at Cowley Manor Experimental. Cowley, UK

Cowley Manor, Cowley, Cheltenham GL53 9NL

Tell me Dorothée Meilichzon has designed it, and I will travel to the furthermost end of the world to see what the Paris-based designer has come up with this time. Of course, her whimsical touch on the interiors of the Cotswolds slowcation haven that is the Cowley Manor Experimental didn't fail to deliver — and nor did its C-Side Spa. Contrasting strikingly with the layered, playfully chic, and retro-fueled décor of the stay, the wellness area at Cowley Manor Experimental captivates with its vibrant reinterpretation of brutalist interiors. Think raw cement ceilings lit up by occasional apertures, tessellated, ocean green granite walls, and a linear, infinity-style pool stretching out into the horizon. Coupled with results-driven facials and massages courtesy of luxury skincare brands OSKIA and Biologique Recherche, its inclusion in this list of the best spas in the UK was a no-brainer.

Book your treatment at Cowley Manor Experimental.

6. The Elms Hotel & Spa. Abberley, UK

Stockton Rd, Abberley, Worcester WR6 6AT

The Greenhouse Spa at the Elms Hotel is one of those places that often goes viral on social media: with its reclaimed wood barn aesthetic, and indoor-to-outdoor hot tub, its pool and spa are just a beautiful place to spend time. I only stayed for one night, but I swam (sauna-ed and steam room-ed) three times and even managed to squeeze in a facial treatment from the therapists at the spa.

I slept in one of the Coach House Suites, two-story apartments with a large bedroom and living space, and a couple of bathrooms. The vibe is modern-classic, and they were cozy, surprisingly dark, and cocooning spaces by design — something a little different from the usual light and bright spa hotel experience. Plus, each suite comes with outdoor space complete with dual bathtubs that bring the spa experience back into your room.

Book your treatment at the Elms Hotel & Spa.

7. Claridge's Spa. London, UK

Brook St, London W1K 4HR

A fan of Japanese style décor? So am I! And luckily for both of us, award-winning, Hong-Kong based designer André Fu has infused the Claridge's Spa with the sophisticated feel of Nippon minimalism, the aura of mystery of Eastern mythology, and the unparalleled artisanry that characterizes each and every one of his projects.

Crafted to "amplify emotional, physical, and spiritual wellbeing", this urban retreat from the hustle and bustle of London, sited in the storied luxury Mayfair destination, counters the frenzy of everyday life through its softly glowing lanterns, floating see-through textiles, and golden limestone and organic wood surfaces. Scentscaped thoroughly with moody incense aromas, hand-mixed herbal blends, and bespoke fragrance, the space offers the backdrop to a hypnotic experience suspended between the Orient and the East.

Book your treatment at Claridge's Spa.

8. Scarlet Spa at Scarlet Hotel. Mawgan Porth, UK

The Scarlet Hotel, Tredragon Rd, Mawgan Porth, Newquay TR8 4DQ

Ultimately, all of the best spas in the UK, and worldwide, for that matter, strive to achieve the same thing — slow us down and remind us there is a whole world out there. At Scarlet Hotel, Harrison Sutton and Bentheim took that goal literally in designing the stay's spa. Nestled on the windy, lush clifftops of Cornwall's Magwan Porth, its sauna, steam room, indoor pool, and dispersed wellness pods let you sync in with the calming sounds of crashing waves, all while being pampered by trusted health and beauty specialists. Embodying the ethos of indoor-outdoor living, the Scarlet Spa invites guests to make the most of the environment around them thanks to its natural reed outdoor pool, cedar wood sauna, and restorative steam room filled with sprawling views of the Atlantic Ocean. Tented, lantern-lit relaxation areas absorb visitors in a dimension of their own, while the hotel's Ayurveda-inspired approach to wellness makes the journey hyper-personalized with tailored treatments to match everyone's needs.

Book your treatment at the Scarlet Hotel's Spa.

9. The Spa at South Lodge. Crabtree, UK

South Lodge, Brighton Rd, Crabtree, Horsham RH13 6PS

A similar philosophy drives the Spa at South Lodge, a Sussex wellness retreat where the finest beauty formulas meet elevated, imaginative interiors by Felce & Guy Architects. Developed across 44,000 square feet and immersed in thriving vegetation, it borrows from the unpredictable shapes and contrasting textures of nature to embrace guests in wavy lines, soft furnishings, wild waters, and softly flickering light. Powered by the expertise of all-natural treatment providers Pelegrims, the Spa at South Lodge goes one step further than most of the best spas in England by integrating vine leaf extract sourced from the nearby vineyard into the experience. And what better way to get a feel of the scenic South Downs?

Book your treatment at the Spa at South Lodge.

10. Four Seasons Hampshire. Hook, UK

Dogmersfield Park, Chalky Ln, Hook RG27 8TD

Readers familiar with our hotel design roundups will know Swedish interior design trailblazer Martin Brudnizki rarely leaves without being nominated at least once in each of them, and this list of the best spas in England lives up to expectations. Situated in the estate's choreographic 18th-century stable block, a Grade II-listed building complete with its original arched gateway, gabled roof, and bell turret, the wellness haven of Four Seasons Hampshire transports guests to a stuck-in-time dimension. The journey begins as visitors make their way to it via the picturesque, glass-shaped walkway leading to the spa from the east wing of the hotel. Here, natural aromas retrieved from the Hampshire countryside, including lavender, rosemary, sage, and mint, permeate the space, imbuing it with a bucolic atmosphere where in and outdoors exist as one. At the end of the play of lights and shadows that is the stay's indoor swimming pool, a whimsical, beach life scene is portrayed in saturated tones in classic Brudnizki style in a destination whose meticulous details fascinate as much as they revitalize.

Book your treatment at Four Seasons Hampshire.

How Did We Pick the Best Spas in the UK?

As anticipated at the start of this article, the main criterion for this curation of the best spas in England was one: they had to boast one-of-a-kind, impressively crafted interiors. To land on my final selection, I turned to the projects of leading design studios as well as to local top rated holiday stays to develop a list of UK spas that are as regenerating for the body and mind as they are for the eye. After narrowing my picks down to the best 10 spas in England, I then gathered as much first-person commentary as possible on visitors' experiences, focusing on the winning blend of design and wellness that makes these UK spa resorts and day spas standout destinations.

Finding time to enjoy a wellness retreat at one of the best spas in England, or booking a stay at one of the best spa resorts in the UK, is just one way to make the most of travel this year. More intrepid, adrenaline-fueled explorers might prefer looking at the world from the speedy couches of last-generation sleeper trains. Should that be the case, you are in luck, as we have compiled a list of once-in-a-lifetime luxury train rides every self-professed traveler should tick off their bucket list.

More into hyper-personalized itineraries? Why not draw inspiration from our community of designer insiders and their local recommendations? In Hidden Trails, we follow them along their places of affection, wherever those might be — from Paris and Milan to New York and beyond.

There are cities whose energy can cast a spell on you even without visiting first-hand, and for me, New Orleans has always been synonymous with firmly reverberating jazz, bold flavors, and vibrantly contrasting, time-traveling architecture.

Founded in the spring of 1718 by the French Mississippi Company, La Nouvelle-Orléans underwent temporary Spanish rule between 1763 and 1803 before Napoleon sold it, alongside the rest of the Louisiana colony, to the US. A strategic site during the American Civil War, by 1830, one third of New Orleans' total population was enslaved. While that number was loaded against the majority of Black residents, weighing heavy on their life conditions through — and well beyond — the abolition of slavery in 1864, it also "greatly influenced its status as one of the most African cities in the western hemisphere," Anastacia Scott, Director of Educational Programming at Hermann-Grima + Gallier Historic Houses, writes of New Orleans, adding that "these contributions are ever-present through the city's celebrated culture."

Today, a fusion of Creole, French, Spanish, and American influences continues to pervade the city's buzzing-with-life streets, punctuated by ornate wrought-iron balconies and colorful wooden porches, and home to some of the best design hotels in the world. Rather than merely stopping on their surfaces, though, this converging of geographies has woven itself deep into the fabric of the mellow Big Easy, making each of the top things to do in New Orleans — from sightseeing and shopping to food tasting — into a journey through heritage.

Now in the spotlight as the host of the forthcoming Super Bowl LIX (9 February), as we anticipated in our Travel Trends 2025 Report, the Louisiana creative capital is bound to enjoy growing ferment in the days and months to come. That's why I have asked a handful of its local culture insiders to share their must do's in New Orleans, including their favorite culture, hospitality, and culinary attractions — so that you could get a taste of the very best the city has got to offer, and all in one place.

From the under-the-radar galleries behind NOLA's most thought-provoking art exhibitions and the best boutique stays to experience in town to the quirkiest, most atmospheric nightlife hangouts, catch all of the top things to do in New Orleans right now below.

See

1. Backstreet Cultural Museum

"For a taste of real New Orleans culture — the heart of soul of this vibrant city — visit the Backstreet Cultural Museum," local editorial photographer Jacqueline Marque tells me. "Here you will find collections of costumes, artifacts, and memorabilia celebrating New Orleans' African American culture, from Mardi Gras Indians to social aid, pleasure clubs, and jazz funerals. While you are there, remember the words of New Orleans-based artist Phlegm, 'Everything You Love About New Orleans Is Because of Black People.'"

1531 St Philip St, New Orleans, LA 70116, United States. Book your visit to the Backstreet Cultural Museum

2. Algiers Point

Should you be looking to escape the crowds in the French Quarter and get the best view of the city, "hop on the Canal Street ferry and ride on over to Algiers Point," she adds. "This is my neighborhood, and it is a little hidden gem in the city. To make everything even smoother, download the Le Pass app and buy a 1-day Jazzy Pass for $3, granting you unlimited rides for 24 hours. There is a walking path along the levee that gives you a beautiful view of downtown, which looks particularly lovely at sundown."

New Orleans, LA 70114, United States. Book your Jazzy Pass

3. Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden

Sited within the leafy premises of the New Orleans Museum of Art in City Park, the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden juxtaposes "a beautiful collection of international artists with breathtaking South Louisiana landscape and architectural design," local figurative painter Hayley Gaberlavage tells me. Not only is the hotspot an ideal place to gather fresh inspiration, but it is also "a great way to immerse yourself in the state's nature through over 200-years-old oak trees draped in Spanish moss," the artist says. She isn't alone in thinking the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden deserves an entry in this roundup of the best things to do in New Orleans.

"The park is my idea of a perfect afternoon spent away from the madness of the city," explains rising interior designer and NOLA native Elizabeth Menville. "Admission is free and you can view stunning works from art disruptors like French-American artist Louise Bourgeois, chameleonic African-American and Caribbean sculptor, painter, and photographer Fred Wilson, and Pop Art pioneer Robert Indiana."

1 Collins Diboll Cir, New Orleans, LA 70124, United States. Book your visit to the New Orleans Museum of Art and the Sydney and Walda Besthoff Sculpture Garden

4. New Orleans Auction Galleries (NOAG)

One of photographer Jacqueline Marque's long-term clients, the New Orleans Auction Galleries (NOAG), located in the Arts District, is one of the city's ultimate must-knows for travelers with a soft spot for all things decorating. Among "the nation's leading auction companies", it isn't just the perfect destination for "fine art, antiques, jewelry, and modern furniture browsing," as Gaberlavage notes, but the organization's 40,000-square-feet gallery, spanning two floors of NOAG's historic headquarters, also offers "a multitude of sales and special events year-round."

Lensed across some of the hottest hospitality hubs in New Orleans, Marque's spectacularly envisioned imagery for the auction house's yearly appointments, developed in collaboration with Creative Director Amelia Schussler, imbues each sale with immersive storytelling and sophistication, as manifested in the shot above.

333 St Joseph St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Book your visit to the New Orleans Auction Galleries

5. Julia Street

When it comes to art, local painter Hayley Gaberlavage has no doubts: part of New Orleans' Warehouse Arts District, Julia Street has no equal. "That's where you will find the best contemporary art galleries in the city," she says, referring to the over a dozen creative platforms embracing both its sides. Once home to storefronts, showrooms, and other industrial businesses, the road — also known as "Gallery Row" — now provides the backdrop to one of the most thought-provoking art walks you will find in town, competing with Royal and Magazine Street on the number of active art establishments.

Head here on the first Saturday night of August to discover them all during White Linen Night, an open studios event that, first launched in the 1990s, sews the gap between the local and visiting population and New Orleans' creative community through free showcases, talks, and live music and entertainment.

Julia & the surrounding area, 300-600, Julia St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Visit New Orleans' Arts District

6. Ogden Museum of Southern Art

If there's one thing I have already learnt about New Orleans, it is that it doesn't lack outlets for artistic inspiration. "Housing an amazing collection of artists from all around the American South, the Ogden Museum of Southern Art is another one of my favorite must do's in New Orleans," Gaberlavage says.

Currently, the institution is hosting a retrospective on the visual production of revolutionary image-maker Baldwin Lee. "Born in Manhattan's Chinatown, Lee is a Chinese-American photographer who went to to the American South and photographed Black communities in the 1980s," Tulane graduate and art advisor Kelly Cahn tells me, pointing to the exhibition as one of the best things to do in New Orleans right now. "This show features 50 photographs highlighting the socioeconomic divide between the African American community and the rest of the population, something that is apparent in the images. Lee's compassionate portrayal of his subjects invites viewers to engage with the everyday moments of their lives and empathize with their joys and struggles."

925 Camp St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Book your visit to the Ogden Museum of Southern Art

7. Historic New Orleans Collection

Spanning three locations in the iconic French Quarter, the Historic New Orleans Collection (HNOC) is "a free history museum, publishing house, and research center devoted to the people and places of New Orleans," Gaberlavage says. Inaugurated in 1966, the institution is on a mission to make "New Orleans and Gulf South history accessible to the public" — a goal first set by founders Kemper and Leila Williams — through rotating exhibitions, public programs, self-published books, and multimedia activations.

Delving into anything from the pitfalls of the American justice system and the legacy of the Civil Rights Movement to the fragile state of ecological Louisiana today and local sports legends' greatest wins, the HNOC prompts NOLA natives and tourists to interact with the territory's heritage, sparking collective civic engagement and paving the way for more equalitarian futures.

520 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Book your visit to the Historic New Orleans Collection

8. SIBYL

"A hidden Uptown gem of a gallery, SIBYL Gallery showcases emerging artists from all around the world," Menville says. "Their current exhibit, Polo Silk Presents: Cash Money Records from the 99'-00's, features archive photographs from New Orleans' hip-hop beginnings." Founded by Katherine Lauricella Ainsley in 2022, this under-the-radar art platform's offerings span the breadth of contemporary creative experimentation, with colossal mixed-media installations, photographic prints, and sculptures continually reshaping its interiors across both solo and group presentations.

8630 Zimpel St, New Orleans, LA 70118, United States. Visit SIBYL Gallery

Do

9. Tour the City With a Local

Founded 21 years ago, British tour operator Original Travel specializes in curating tailor-made itineraries crafted by destination experts to 77 countries worldwide, and, of course, New Orleans is no exception. Their curated itinerary to the Crescent City, the company explains, "guides you along the discovery of the birthplace of jazz, where local musician Jeremy will take you on a tour of the French Quarter. A purist at heart, Jeremy loves performing on Frenchmen Street, where the music remains authentic, sharing insights into his favorite NOLA hotspots and retracing how African music, blues, and gospel collided into jazz."

"Fellow local Gisele, a former French teacher and the director of the Franco-Louisiana Chamber of Commerce after Hurricane Katrina, focuses on the history of New Orleans and leads equally fascinating tours of the French Quarter and beyond," add the experts from Original Travel.

"With her, you will take to the offbeat neighborhoods of Faubourg Marigny, brought to life by jazz clubs, laid-back bars, and Cajun bistros, and Treme, an area emblematic of African-American history, home to the aforementioned Backstreet Cultural Museum and Algiers. The second oldest district in the city, located across the Mississippi River from the French Quarter, Algiers remains one of New Orleans' best-kept secrets. Once a holding place for slaves, before they were sold in the city, it is now an artistic haven brimming with workshops and studios."

In the Garden District, another one of the great things to see in New Orleans according to Original Travel's experts, "you will be immersed in oak-lined streets and beautiful, historic mansions," they say. "After learning about the stories behind the people who built these stately homes, you will visit the cocktail museum Sezarac House, where you will hear about the culture and traditions surrounding the iconic drink, before continuing on your NOLA explorations with thoughtful exhibits scattered across town."

Should you be after more inspiring ways to soak in the energy of New Orleans, New Orleans & Company, the official digital portal of the Big Easy's tourism industry, will brief you on anything from the best cultural events to community initiatives, gastronomic musts, and more.

Book your personalized New Orleans itinerary with Original Travel

Shop

10. Little Flea NOLA

As is the case of many of the best things to do and see in New Orleans, Little Flea NOLA is a pop-up market that bridges the gap between the local hospitality and retail scene. "Located at Lambert McGuire Design's Hotel Saint Vincent, it is the top flea market in New Orleans, reuniting the city's best vintage and antique pieces, costumes, and headpieces, alongside creations by local artists and makers in an uplifting recurring appointment," figurative artist Gaberlavage says.

1507 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Stay up to date on Little Flea NOLA's forthcoming events

11. Merchant House

"Hunting for unique souvenirs is one of my favorite parts of travel, and at Merchant House, you will find an incredible collection of hand-picked contemporary art, vintage clothing, and curated homewares you can easily shove into your carry on — trust me on this, as I have done it multiple times," interior designer Menville tells me. Gaberlavage concurs. "Nestled in the lower Garden District of New Orleans, Merchant House brings high-end antique furniture and other interior additions together under the same roof."

1150 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Browse Merchant House's online collection

12. Saint Claude Social Club

Little Flea NOLA isn't the only standout shopping destinations to be housed within one of the city's coolest design hotels. The same is true of Saint Claude Social Club, part of the must do's in New Orleans for fashion and décor addicts, which according to painter Gaberlavage, "embodies the colorful spirit of the Big Easy." Sited in the historic Columns Hotel, the shop steals the show with its "colorful collection of joyful clothing and accessories," adds photographer Marque.

3811 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115, United States. Browse Saint Claude Social Club's online collection

13. FREDA

Whenever I write about shops, like I did in my recent article on the best Rome concept stores, I always pay attention to how each of my picks exemplifies the ambiance, feel, and history of a specific destination, channeling into its collection. At FREDA, one of the top things to do in New Orleans, and certainly one of its best retail concepts, the bathing-in-sunshine energy of the Crescent City takes over the industrial frame of founder Susannah Lipsey's storefront, which presents "one-of-a-kind jewels, found treasures, clothing, and more," shares Gaberlavage.

1150 Magazine St Ste 1A, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Browse FREDA's online collection

Eat

15. Manolito

If it is food and drinks you are after, "we would highly recommend visiting Manolito," Jennie West, founder of New Orleans architecture and interiors firm Studio West, tells me. "It feels like a total hole-in-the-wall kind of spot, but is centrally located in the French Quarter, which makes it incredibly accessible. Inspired by the founder's Cuban roots, the food and beverage menu brings real authenticity and singularity to the culinary offerings."

For West, this is a particularly exciting time to visit the eatery, as her studio has only just completed an extensive interior renovation of the establishment, transforming the original 550 square-feet space with a modest mezzanine into a 2,600-square-feet full service restaurant with a courtyard: "a perfect spot to visit during the Super Bowl LIX and year round," she adds.

508 Dumaine St, New Orleans, LA 70116, United States. Book your table at Manolito

16. Mosquito Supper Club

To cite the words of painter Gaberlavage, "the Mosquito Supper Club is a true cajun restaurant celebrating the bounty of shrimpers, oyster fishermen, and crabbers." Located halfway between New Orleans' Central City and the Garden District, "it offers a communal supper experience focusing on Bayou Cuisine, the traditional food of the Louisiana bayous, which fuses French, Spanish, African, and Native American flavors."

3824 Dryades St, New Orleans, LA 70115, United States. Book your table at Mosquito Supper Club

17. N7

"Located in the Bywater neighborhood, N7 is a truly spellbinding French restaurant and wine bar," Gaberlavage says. "Hidden behind a wooden fence, it transports to you to an otherworldly and seductive atmosphere." With both outdoor and indoor seating available, "it is entirely surrounded by a beautiful, well-manicured landscape," adds the artist, with the inside winking at the whimsical essence of old-style Art Deco design: colorful stained glass windows, spherical pendant lights, and vintage framed wall art, you name it — N7 has got it all.

1117 Montegut St, New Orleans, LA 70117, United States. Book your table at N7

18. Plume

Looks are important, but when food is concerned, quality ingredients, a love of cooking, and family traditions are equally crucial, or so believes photographer Marque. "My favorite restaurant in the city, Plume is here in the point," she says. "It is a homestyle eatery focused on regional Indian cuisine, and they serve up some of the most surprising and satisfying flavor combinations I have ever eaten. My personal favorites are the Raj Kachori, Chicken Thali, Beef Nihari, and when it's on the menu, the Fish Kabiraji."

1113 Teche St, New Orleans, LA 70114, United States. Book your table at Plume

19. Barracuda

Within close proximity to Plume, "you will also find the cutest little taco stand you have ever seen," continues the image-maker. "Sited within a former Gulf gas station here in Algiers Point, it is called Barracuda, and they feed my family at least once a week." With three locations in Uptown, Algiers, and Baton Rouge, this unexpected eatery has earned itself a reputation as one of the best restaurants in New Orleans, thanks to burgeoning chef Brett Jones' moreish creations and on-the-rocks margaritas.

446 Pelican Ave, New Orleans, LA 70114, United States. Book your Barracuda order

Drink

20. Congregation Coffee

"If you're a coffee lover, be sure to stop by Eliot Guthrie-founded Congregation Coffee," local culture insider Marque says. "It is located just a couple of blocks from the ferry terminal and beloved by the neighborhood. Plus, besides selling specialty coffee blends responsibly sourced around the globe, it even features its very own gift shop, allowing resident passersby and tourists to bring the cafe's energy home with them wherever they go.

240 Pelican Ave, New Orleans, LA 70114, United States. Book your table at Congregation Coffee

21. NightBloom

"The latest Bywater cocktail bar outdid themselves on both the bar design and the menu," local wedding photographer Sarah Becker tells me. And she is in good company in thinking so: "one of my favorite spots to begin a night out, this bar is a real cool-girl haven, serving some of the best cocktails in town," interior designer Elizabeth Menville says. "Although a little off the beaten path, you are still surrounded by other local favorites like Saturn Bar and Kajun's for karaoke," she adds. The cherry on the cake? "Go as late as you can, as they are open till 2 a.m.," shares Becker.

3100 St Claude Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117, United States. Book your table at NightBloom

22. The Tell Me Bar

"Tucked a couple blocks behind the shops of Magazine Street and the bustle of Downtown New Orleans, The Tell Me Bar feels like a cinematic escape," photographer Becker says. "Whether you sit inside or outside, their natural wine collection is the best in the city," she adds. As for the entertainment, it comes with the check every Saturday and Monday night, when DJ and live sets set the place alive.

1235 St Thomas St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Book your table at The Tell Me Bar

23. Bacchanal Wine

Should you be searching for "an outdoor place to relax with locals while listening to live New Orleans musicians play daily, then Bacchanal Fine Wine & Spirits should be in your books," photographer Becker tells me. Located in the Bywater neighborhood, it is a revitalizing hideaway.

600 Poland Ave, New Orleans, LA 70117, United States. Book your table at Bacchanal Wine

24. The Carousel Bar & Lounge

The Carousel Bar & Lounge, part of the historic icon that is Hotel Monteleone, is exactly what you would expect it to be. Open since 1949, when it was first installed, this amusing nightlife destination couldn't not get a spot in this edit of the best things to do in New Orleans, and makes for unforgettable memories, too. For local students, "getting drinks at the Carousel Bar & Lounge is a must," art advisor Cahn says, looking back to her days at Tulane University. "The bar rotates, so don't put your bag on it," she warns.

214 Royal St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Book your table at The Carousel Bar & Lounge

25. Salon Salon

"When I want to want to mix food, drinks, and modern interior design inspiration, I love to meet up with friends at some of my favorite hotels in the city, many of which have served as a backdrop for the photo shoots I have done with New Orleans Auction Galleries, and boast exclusive bars, like the sexy color-drenched Salon Salon (formerly Bar Marilou)," Marque tells me. "Located in coveted boutique stay Maison Métier, it was designed by Los Angeles-based Studio Shamshiri."

544 Carondelet St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Book your table at Salon Salon

Stay

26. Hotel Saint Vincent

"Once an orphanage in the lower Garden District, Hotel Saint Vincent is a classic New Orleans architecture heaven," says artist Gaberlavage. "Visit the San Lorenzo Restaurant for the finest Italian food or head to the Paradise lounge for cocktails." But culinary suggestions abound for this storied NOLA stay, and photographer Marque suggests visiting "their French-Vietnamese Elizabeth Street Cafe for coffee, pastries, and bahn mi".

1507 Magazine St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Book your stay at Hotel Saint Vincent

27. The Chloe

Located Uptown in a 19th-century restored mansion revamped by Sara Ruffin Costello, "The Chloe is one of the most charming hotels in New Orleans," art advisor Chan says. And the perks of this boutique stay don't just end with its lavish look. Quite the contrary, "the hotel serves fantastic burgers and hosts live music programming," Marque adds. Currently, "it has a Mardi Gras-themed market that runs through March 2."

4125 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115, United States. Book your stay at The Chloe

28. Hotel Peter and Paul

When researching the best things to do and see in New Orleans, I must confess Hotel Peter and Paul was one of the first spots to get my tick of approval. Needless to say, I was relieved to hear local photographer Marque cited it among her favorite locations in town. "At the on-site Elysian Bar, you can enjoy drinks and small plates in the beautifully restored former Catholic church and school that houses the hotel today," she says, mentioning the unexpected origins of the building, dating back to 1848. Part of the Marigny neighborhood, Hotel Peter and Paul's quintessentially eclectic style reinvents timeless furnishings through a boldly contemporary interior design vision rooted in daring color, texture, and shape juxtapositions. The result speaks for itself.

2317 Burgundy St, New Orleans, LA 70117, United States. Book your stay at Hotel Peter and Paul

29. The Celestine

Another brainchild of interior designer Sara Ruffin Costello, The Celestine is a true New Orleans institution. First opened in 1791, it "seamlessly blends French, Spanish, and Afro-Caribbean influences with a hint of 1950s glamour," explain the owners. For art advisor Cahn, it isn't just stunningly designed, but is also the ideal hangout when it hosts events at night.

727 Toulouse St, New Orleans, LA 70130, United States. Book your stay at The Celestine

30. Columns

If there's a talked-about hotel in New Orleans, that's the Columns, and that's for more than a reason. "A New Orleans landmark, this hotel overlooks the famous St. Charles Avenue and Street Car," explains figurative painter Gaberlavage. "Listed on the National Park Service's National Register of Historic Places, the Columns is a spectacle as a whole, but its lush patio and sexy interiors will possibly be the real highlights of your visit; they are one of the must do's in New Orleans if you're keen to soak up some of its old-days charm."

For interior designer Menville, "the Columns embodies the perfect example of classic New Orleans architecture, with moody décor that transports you to an electric dreamscape." As a designer, she explains that the cocktails, food, and atmosphere left her inspired and hypnotized, while art advisor Cahn has the stay on her list of go-to brunch spots, making the hotel a success all around.

3811 St Charles Ave, New Orleans, LA 70115, United States. Book your stay at the Columns

Got enough of the top things to do in New Orleans on your list? Great. Follow along on our travel section to explore more guides on other world destinations.

What better way to see the world than through the eyes of our favorite tastemakers? In Hidden Trails, we look at the places that feel most like home to our community of design insiders — wherever those might be — to help you uncover what their cities have in store for you.

Sophie Lou Jacobsen's whimsical glassware, lighting, and collectibles remind me of many things, from the air of mystery in potion flasks that change color, fume, and contort in children's fairy tales to the charm of mid-century France's pop balloon glasses and the priceless preciousness of a serendipitous antique find. Perhaps that's what's making her work so resonant for industry insiders and décor enthusiasts alike — its ability to simultaneously amuse, enthrall, and inspire, to tell a story and, somehow, to defy time.

This feeling of transience — of existing between multiple moments and places —doesn't just imbue the French-American designer's creations, including the translucent vases of her Giardino Segreto collection and the Chinoiserie-inspired glass homeware series she more recently produced in collaboration with British wallpaper brand de Gournay, Tulipa. Instead, movement has defined her life as a whole.

Having grown up in the United States, Sophie Lou Jacobsen relocated to France with her family at the end of high school, spending a few years in Paris before setting off again to attend Central Saint Martins in London. But "at a certain point, New York called to me," she says. Despite not seeing herself "moving back to the US for good, I felt as though it would be a shame not to take advantage of the opportunity to live in this city at least once."

Fast-forward nine years, and Jacobsen is now just months away from being considered a 'real' New Yorker — becoming one with the place that has witnessed her growth the most. "New York has given me so much," she says of her second home. "I built my studio here, and thanks to its immense, welcoming community, I have gained a sense of self, too."

Away from family and most of her friends, the rising designer has forged new connections and embraced the city's ever-becoming essence as her own. "No matter where you are at in your life or career, you can take a certain turn and find yourself where you need to be," Jacobsen says of New York. From design exhibitions to trendy New York restaurants, these are the places she loves most.

Travel Back in Time at The Met

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028, United States

When it comes to art in New York, the answer is always The Met. It's an endless source of inspiration: you can get lost in it every time you go and discover something new, which, to me, is a reminder of how important beauty, craft, and art have been to all civilizations, and will continue to be.

Feel the Pulse of NYC's Design Community at Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery

Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery, 52 Walker St 4th floor, New York, NY 10013, United States

Jacqueline Sullivan Gallery's curation and art direction are always poetic, inventive, and refreshing, and I find it to have the most interesting and exciting design programming in the city at the moment. The openings seem to pull everyone in the design community — and beyond. I am particularly fond of Natalie Weinberger's pate de verre lighting, and their selection of historical furniture.

Feel at Home at La Cantine

La Cantine, 60 St Nicholas Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237, United States

Started as a luncheonette, this small neighborhood restaurant grew into one of the busiest cafés in the area thanks to its delicious sandwiches, salads, and warm and friendly vibe. But for me, La Cantine's dinner service menu, Sunsets, that takes the cake: made of Parisian-style sharing plates that rotate weekly based on market finds, the food is simple, moreish, and keeps coming. For all the trendy restaurants NYC has to offer, an eatery where you feel this at home, this casual, yet eat and drink so well, is harder to find than you might think.

Go in Search of Treasures Around Town

Quarters, 383 Broadway 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10013, United States
Christopher Cawley, 75 E Broadway #231, New York, NY 10002, United States
Outline, 365 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11217, United States
TANGERINE, 616 Lorimer St, Brooklyn, NY 11211, United States
NOMIA, 650 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211, United States

Quarters, the new showroom-store-restaurant by design studio In Common With, is a delight: here you can find anything from 20th-century European furniture and rare books to cutlery and coffee, all the way down to the most delicious anchovies. You can also have a bite to eat, or enjoy a glass of wine. A sight to be seen, the space is beautifully designed and topped with a large fresco on the bar ceiling, painted by Roman artist Claudio Bonuglia.

Another extremely special space, tucked under a bridge in Chinatown, is the store of antique dealer Christopher Cawley. From the tiniest of boxes to furniture, paintings, tapestries, and bronze deers, it’s a true shop of wonders. As for clothing, my go-tos are independent retailers Outline, in downtown Brooklyn, Tangerine, and NOMIA (both in Williamsburg).

Find Calm in the Outdoors

The Noguchi Museum, 9-01 33rd Rd, Astoria, NY 11106, United States
Red Hook, Brooklyn, NY 11231, United States
Sunny’s, 253 Conover St, Brooklyn, NY 11231, United States

The gardens of the Noguchi Museum — one of my favorite museums in the city — are one of the outdoor spaces I love most: they are a calm, peaceful, and meditative oasis from the hustle and bustle of the city. I also love to walk down to the very end of Red Hook, where you find yourself on the water, faced with a view of the Statue of Liberty. There, there's a perfect dive bar, Sunny's, where you can sit outside and watch the sunset.

Interested in mastering the art of entertaining amid the ongoing 70s dinner party revival, and most importantly, in doing so by learning from Sophie Lou Jacobsen herself? Dive into Livingetc Executive Editor Pip Rich's interview with the designer and find out about the easy-to-recreate style tips guaranteed to turn your next hosted event into a tasteful success.

Keen to learn more about actual taste? See how culinary artist Imogen Kwok fuses her love of art history, food, and design into edible installations the world's most celebrated fashion houses are currently fighting over to host.

It has been nearly four months since I dined at abc kitchens, the three-in-one, instantly iconic restaurant nestled on the ground floor of London's luxury hotel The Emory, across the road from leafy Hyde Park. But not even the time that has passed has been able to take away from the pleasantly hypnotic sensory overload I felt upon stepping inside.

Inaugurated last spring, the burgeoning hotspot marks the debut of French chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten's celebrated trilogy of New York eateries — abc kitchen, abcV, and abc cocina — onto the British culinary scene. A multi-award-winning restaurateur, Vongerichten is the creative powerhouse behind, and the owner of, 60 gastronomic destinations worldwide — including the eponymous two Michelin-starred restaurant Jean-Georges, one of the few to have been awarded four stars by The New York Times.

Credited with having "invented America's answer to nouvelle cuisine", as fellow chef and writer Mario Batali wrote in a 2005 article for the New York magazine, his masterfully executed, sculptural fusion of modern American, plant-based, and Latin American flavors would be enough to make abc kitchens a mandatory entry in our list of the best London restaurants — and a daily ritual for those lucky enough to sojourn at the sleekly designed, all-suite The Emory.

Still, it won't take you more than a glance at its winding 1970s-style banquette couch and shimmering cocktail bar to understand that food isn't but one side of the story at this amber-hued location; the cherry on top of the cake, to keep it within the taste realm.

From the outside, the monumental pale stone, glass, and bronze, and the white-painted steel masts and cabling of The Emory's functionalist façade — a sophisticated exercise signed, as the rest of its architecture, by RSHP's late co-founder Richard Rogers and Ivan Harbour — make knowing what lies indoors anyone's guess. But as visitors turn left past the reception of the coveted Belgravia hotel, a play of light and shapes unfolds around the corner.

When I visited the restaurant last fall, the sun had only just set on a Hyde Park covered in yellowed foliage, and the same golden glow irradiated the warm wood tones and Rosso Orobico marble of abc kitchens, casting dramatic shadows all over its mid-century modern furniture. Conceived to amplify the building's surroundings by self-taught interior designer Rémi Tessier, the space embraces diners in a chic cocooning environment where industrial-style copper pendant lights, a twinkling glass wine cave, and a wavy metallic curtain set the mood for Vongerichten's culinary explorations.

Much like his genre-bending understanding of cuisine, abc kitchens is many things at once. "It's warm, cozy, inviting, and intimate," Vongerichten tells me over an email exchange. "You're able to gaze at the park while sitting in this highly designed and lit dining room", and thanks to its wide open kitchen, positioned meters away from where guests are seated, you can even catch him and Executive Chef Ben Boeynaems at work while savoring your meal.

For the American food disruptor, who first introduced the idea of fusion cuisine to London during his tenure at The Berkeley's Vong restaurant, abc kitchens' vision wouldn't be complete without its dazzling setting. "The original three abc restaurants have been loved by New Yorkers since we opened abc kitchen in 2010," he explains. "Each one harmoniously speaks to the same ethos — an emphasis placed on community and working with local, organic ingredients — but every restaurant takes that ethos and transforms it, whether in the form of cuisine or design."

At abc kitchens, the trio of eateries is reunited under one roof for the first time in a boundaries-blurring tasting and aesthetic encounter between New York and the British capital. "From interiors to culture, food, and beyond, Londoners are very similar to New Yorkers in their preferences," Vongerichten says. "We have always wanted to combine the three abc restaurants, and in collaboration with The Emory, we felt it was the right place and time to turn this trilogy into a well-rounded experience that satisfies tastes and cravings for breakfast, lunch, and dinner."

This intermingling of inspirations is best embodied by acclaimed English artist Damien Hirst's Secret Gardens Paintings series, whose striking floral motifs add unexpected pop touches to the space. "The variety of colors and textures in his pieces speak to the range of flavors and textures you can enjoy while dining at abc kitchens," adds the chef.

Think anything from melt-in-your-mouth, sweet Orkney sea scallop tartare with shiso, kohlrabi, plum sesame, smoky crisp cabbage with roasted kabocha squash, Asian pear, and miso dressing to deliciously refreshing heirloom beet carpaccio with avocado purée, pea guacamole, crunchy tortillas, garlicky shrimps, and fragrant arroz con pollo with lemon zest and black pepper. Not forgetting the multisensory work of art that is the gold leaf-encrusted hibiscus poached pear dessert — the ultimate palate cleanser for sweet-toothed gourmands.

Thanks to its worldly, tapas-style dining experience, where the collective enjoyment of food integral to Latin American and Southern European cultures meets the meticulous precision of French and Asian cuisine, and the heartwarming nostalgia of American diners, abc kitchens transforms meals into an opportunity for connection while continuously striving to push the boundaries of gastronomic innovation.

"The goal at abc kitchens is to facilitate a fun dining experience, where guests can share different dishes and flavors together," concludes Vongerichten. "It's the way I love to eat with my friends and family, and we encourage the same for people dining at our restaurants."

Plus, if you are an interior enthusiast, the food is just the starter: head to The Emory's rooftop to discover what's for main.

Book your table at abc kitchens.

Named after the ancient Roman virtue of seriousness, dignity, and importance, Gravitas Beverly Hills, a newly unveiled private members' club strategically nestled in the Californian city's Golden Triangle, lives up to its chosen name, and then some. Born to surpass Los Angeles bon vivants' expectations of award-winning hospitality, the burgeoning destination is on a mission "to fill a void, both in Beverly Hills and the greater LA membership club scene," co-founders Seth Glassman and Brandon Steven tell me.

Long Island-born Glassman, a seasoned restaurateur with 20 years in the gastronomy industry under his belt, successfully introduced Los Angeleno culinary hotspots like BOA Steakhouse, Sushi Roku, and The Belvedere at the Peninsula Hotel in Beverly Hills, as well as launching his own Italian Steakhouse, Pistola, in 2013. Having met Brandon, a local luxury auto space entrepreneur, in LA, he moved to Wichita, Kansas, to join him on the opening of 6S Steakhouse, before borrowing from their diverse backgrounds to set up a club that "blends the high-end sophistication of New York, the relaxed vibe of Southern California, and the down-to-earth charm of the Midwest" into one seamless experience.

Reflecting the standards of quality and design innovation of the best Los Angeles hotels, "the vision was to create a space with top-notch amenities, incredible service, and a warm and welcoming feel," they explain. Think anything from Bluetooth-assisted, private booths, which grant Gravitas members the opportunity to enjoy their meals undisturbed and get servers' attention through their one-touch integrated call system, a state-of-the-art recording studio dedicated to guests' creative projects, a dazzling al fresco dining location, and stunningly crafted wine lockers.

To unlock a new level of authenticity in Gravitas Beverly Hills, Glassman and Steven leaned into its multi-city influence — something they felt "set it apart from similar offerings in the city and brought a new perspective into the game". Designed to impress by Kelly Architects, the members-only club is perfectly in tune with the interior design trends of the moment, from the 'exclusive' mood to its oxblood-tinted indoor dining room; the statement ceilings of its garden food location to the 1970s-inspired, boldly eclectic décor that brings the space to life; and the chenille banquettes of its cocooning, rose-hued loft lounge.

Informed by the cinematic myth of Beverly Hills, which lends its electrifying backdrop to films like Fatal Beauty, Pretty Woman, and Clueless, the location pairs "its timeless glamour with modern technology and the pulse of LA vibrant culture," explain the co-founders. "Rich colors and luxurious materials evoke the elegance of Hollywood's golden age while maintaining a sophisticated, contemporary style that matches the taste of the modern guest." Still, more than the design alone, it is the human relationships on offer at Gravitas Beverly Hills that make the project relevant.

"People, particularly in bustling cities like Los Angeles, are drawn to private members' clubs for their sense of community, as they provide a trusted, curated environment where members can establish meaningful connections," say Glassman and Steven. But the club wants to be more than just a space. "From a beautifully designed interior to exceptional food and drink offerings, every detail aims to inspire."

Whether it's sleek brass and leather, Art Deco interior design-style bar stools, hypnotic terrazzo surfaces, or drenched-in-marble, softly glowing rooms, Gravitas Beverly Hills doesn't hold back in its pursuit of luxuriousness. The result might not be to the liking of uncompromising minimalist interior design lovers, but that's also the point: rather than aspiring to simplicity, "the hope was for the space to embody the multifaceted feeling of the neighborhood," explain the co-founders, who describe their partnership with Kelly Architects as an enrichingly collaborative experience.

Inside, the contagious extravaganza of Beverly Hills is put front and center, starting with "the map of the city that's ornately recreated onto the floor — a design element we are especially proud of," they say. But, together with its three-state-spanning inspirations, it is the open-air roof that elevates the club to a coveted haven. Allowing guests to dine and drink indoors while enjoying fresh air and sunshine, "it is a one-of-a-kind setting people won't find anywhere else in the Golden Triangle," Glassman and Steven say.

In a world where hotels and private members' clubs are the new museums, where individuals are searching for belonging, creativity, and inspiration within the walls of their most cherished lifestyle destinations, Gravitas Beverly Hills couldn't have landed at a better time. "There is incredible momentum in Beverly Hills right now we are grateful to be part of," conclude the co-founders. "We hope to be — and will be — a place that the Beverly Hills community is proud of, excited by, and looks to as a cultural figure, and will continue to do everything we can to expand that our own incredible community in the future."

Find out more information on Gravitas Beverly Hills.

If you have spent the first four weeks of the year wondering, "what cultural events take place in 2025?", you're in luck. Spanning nine different countries and 12 cities across Europe, Asia, and the Americas, my curated edit of the most inspiring happenings in 2025 leaves only one thing left to do — get them in your diary so that they can inform your next getaway.

If it's true that passion tourism — the idea of booking holidays coinciding with cultural events we simply cannot bear to miss — is having a moment, as I discovered in drafting my Travel Trends 2025 Report, then I can only expect these 2025 events to become an integral part of some of our readers' art and design-led global itineraries. Because booking a stay at one of the best design hotels isn't enough to discover what's out there to explore this year, and these 2025 events offer an exclusive, interdisciplinary look at the future.

From Californian immersions into refined examples of mid-century architecture to the "living laboratory" of Expo 2025 Osaka, and the liberating visions gathered in the newest edition of LagosPhoto Festival, catch a glimpse into this year's zeitgeist below.

February

1. Modernism Week. Palm Springs, CA, US

Launching on February 13, the 20th-anniversary edition of Modernism Week brings an 11-day marathon of world-class mid-century modern architecture, art, interior, and landscape design to the legendary Palm Springs, California. An interdisciplinary celebration of desert modernism, the festival will see over 400 coinciding events — from guided tours of some of the most iconic local homes and explorations of the area's most culturally vibrant neighborhoods and historical landmarks to lectures, panel discussions, film screenings, and workshops to town — in what is set to be one of 2025's most memorable events for design aficionados.

Among the residences opening their doors to the public this year are the Albert Frey-designed West House, a 1954 villa formerly owned by the original Batman, actor Adam West, more recently remodeled by Michelle Boudreau Design; architect Stan Sackley and designer Steve Chase's co-authored 1970s masterpiece, The Sackley Chase Sensation; and The Goldberg residence, a 1962 mid-century jewel by William F. Cody and Arthur Elrod.

February 13-23. Various locations, Palm Springs, California, United States. Book your tickets

2. Frieze Los Angeles. Los Angeles, CA, US

Planning on attending Modernism Week? Consider booking yourself a room at one of the best Los Angeles hotels to get the most of California's February creative frenzy. Returning to Santa Monica Airport for its sixth edition, Frieze Los Angeles 2025 will bring a bespoke structure designed for the occasion by Kulapat Yantrasast's architectural studio WHY to life in a three-days-long dive into the latest in contemporary art. Reuniting more than 100 established and emerging galleries from over 20 countries, this year's fair strives to reflect "the vibrancy and diversity of Los Angeles and beyond" by centering creativity, activism, and community, explains Christine Messineo, Director of Americas at Frieze.

The large-scale artistry of Lita Albuquerque, Madeline Hollander, Greg Ito, and Ozzie Juarez will take center stage in the Art Production Fund-curated group exhibition Inside Out. Elsewhere, the Frieze Los Angeles Impact Prize, developed with the Center for Art & Advocacy, will award a previously incarcerated artist whose work attempts to shift public perception of societal criminal narratives and racial equity with a $25,000 bursary and a presentation at the fair. Meanwhile, solo shows by talents including Eamon Ore-Giron, April Bey, Patrick Eugène, and Tamara Gonzales will absorb the audience in kaleidoscopic human-divine conversations, science fiction-informed reinterpretations of Bahamian culture, Afrofuturism, and queerness, melancholic reflections on family and migration, and the striking textile traditions of Mesoamerica, respectively. My only advice? Don't miss out.

February 20-23. Santa Monica Airport, 3233 Donald Douglas Loop S, Santa Monica, CA 90405, United States. Book your tickets

March

3. TEFAF Maastricht. Maastricht, NL

The world's premier fair for fine art, antiques, and design, TEFAF Maastricht's 2025 edition will see more than 260 affluent dealers flock to the South Netherlands city from some 20 countries in a 7,000-year-long journey through art history. From legendary Old Master paintings and classical antiquities to 20th-century design, photography, and contemporary art, the evolution of human artistry is charted in its most comprehensive definition at The European Fine Art Foundation (TEFAF), which nears its 38th edition.

Among the highlights of this year's event are a one-of-a-kind micromosaic of the Roman Forum, presented by dealer Alessandra Di Castro and with an estimated price of $190,000; gallery shows by trailblazing institutions like Galerie Marcilhac, Morentz, David Gill Gallery, Friedman Benda, and Galleria Continua; and exclusive conferences on the state of the arts today led by leading industry insiders. Head to TEFAF Maastricht's website for the complete fair program.

March 15-20. MECC, Forum 100, 6229 GV Maastricht, Netherlands. Book your tickets

April

4. Milan Design Week. Milan, IT

As the world's foremost event for interiors insiders, every year the return of Milan Design Week drives around half a million international visitors to Italy's creative capital for a multisensory and intergenerational look at the very best in design. Coinciding with the acclaimed furniture fair Salone del Mobile, which will run at Rho Fiera Milano between April 8 and April 13, and Fuorisalone, the multi-location calendar of exhibitions that accompanies the event, Milan Design Week will see the city in full swing between exclusive showroom openings, public installations, panel talks, and parties spread across key artistic districts such as Brera, Durini, 5VIE, Porta Venezia, Sarpi, Tortona, and Isola.

Although much of this year's edition agenda is yet to be unveiled, I am especially looking forward to witnessing Caterina Mosca and Valerio Castelli's curatorial project MoscaPartners revive the inner cloister of Palazzo Litta through Variations (April 6-13) — a collective exhibition of site-specific works that highlight the importance of public space as a platform for constructive dialogue, inspiration, and community building. At its ninth edition, Alcova, Valentina Ciuffi and Joseph Grima's nomadic showcase of cutting-edge design, recently mentioned in Nina Yashar's guide to Milan as one of Milan Design Week's yearly standout appointments, will bring the next generation of innovators to the northern Milanese suburb of Varedo. Taking over two new locations, a former factory and a series of ancient greenhouses, besides last year's Villa Bagatti Valsecchi and Villa Borsani, the 2025 edition of Alcova Milano promises to be even more immersive and rooted in the territory than usual. Elsewhere in the city, Fabbrica del Vapore will pay homage to the chameleonic practice of Italian artist, designer, and architect Nanda Vigo in Sineddoche (April 7-13).

April 6-13. Various locations, Milan, IT. Book your tickets (Salone del Mobile)

5. Expo 2025. Osaka, JP

It has been exactly ten years since Expo 2015 Milan took place, but I still remember my visit to it as one of the most mesmerizing experiences of my teenage years. I was just 16 at the time, but wandering around its 145 national pavilions provided me with a transformative introduction to the world’s furthermost countries, their stories, heritage, and gastronomic traditions. Themed Designing Future Society for Our Lives, Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan couldn’t feel more relevant. Through its sub-themes, including Saving Lives, Empowering Lives, and Connecting Lives, this monumental showcase will shed light on viable solutions to some of today's most pressing challenges, from climate change and its implications for the international community to armed conflicts, migration, and the shift towards sustainable energy and agriculture.

Unfolding on Yumeshima, an artificial island in Osaka Bay, Expo 2025 will leverage the power of art, architecture, design, science, technology, and culture to probe new societal paths and bring visitors closer together. Conceived as a 'people's living lab', it was envisioned to serve as a testing ground for the future of humanity, removing the boundaries between individual nations to pave the way for inclusive civic engagement and innovation. Through its numerous immersive exhibitions, starting with those hosted within this edition's pavilions, cultural performances, and interactive displays, the event will simultaneously uplift, inspire, and entertain, also giving you yet another reason to visit Japan's second-largest city.

April 13-October 13. 1 Chome, Konohana Ward, Osaka, 554-0044, Japan. Book your tickets (Expo 2025)

6. Setouchi Triennale. Seto Inland Sea, JP

As if Expo 2025 wasn't enough to convince you to hop on a plane to Nippon, the latest edition of the Setouchi Triennale, a celebrated contemporary art festival held every three years on the 11 islands of the Seto Inland Sea, will dot the Japanese landscape in awe-inspiring site-specific works by local and global artists (April 18-November 9).

With over 60 participants, the triennial, whose activations will span islands and coastal areas in Kagawa, Hiroshima, Okayama, as well as other locations, seeks to cement this region's reputation as the new creative thinktank of Japan, alleviating the hardships of its past through otherworldly creations. Among the names confirmed for the forthcoming edition are Thai textile trailblazer Jakkai Siributr, South Korean installation innovator Park Ji-hyun, and Golden Lion-winning New Zealand artist Sarah Hudson.

April 18-May 25. August 1-August 31. October 3-November 9. Various locations, Seto Inland Sea, Japan. Book your tickets (Setouchi Triennale)

May

7. Biennale Architettura 2025. Venice, IT

Titled Intelligens. Natural. Artificial. Collective, the 19th edition of Venice's Biennale Architettura, one of the most anticipated events on the cultural calendar of every architecture and design amateur, engages with questions similar to the ones at the core of Osaka's forthcoming Expo. Curated by Carlo Ratti and overseen by the biennial's President, Pietrangelo Buttafuoco, the storied international exhibition, returning to Venice's Giardini and Arsenale and other locations across the city between May 10 and November 23, "will be about the built environment and the many disciplines that shape it," explain the event's organizers. While certainly keeping architecture at its heart, the new Biennale Architettura will examine its role as part of "an extended sphere that integrates art, engineering, biology, data science, social and political sciences, planetary systems sciences, and other disciplines, linking each and all of them to the materiality of urban space," add the two.

Looking at it as one of the main agents behind the skyrocketing rise of atmospheric emissions, the showcase will prompt visitors to not only reflect on the implications of human anthropization — or the man-made transformation of the natural landscape to the benefit of our industrial and societal evolution — but also to search for innovative ways of defusing the environmental emergency. This year's festival will also see the comeback of Biennale College Architettura, a coinciding exhibition dedicated to the work of students, graduate students, and emerging practitioners under 30. Its Living Lab project will bring interactive forms of intelligence to different districts of Venice, while an unparalleled submission forum, Space for Ideas, will invite collective participation in the shaping of the biennial.

May 10-November 23. Various locations, Venice, Italy. Book your tickets

June

8. Art Basel. Basel, CH

Die-hard art lovers, curators, and collectors won't need a lecture on the relevance of Art Basel. Still, if you have read this far and landed on this article in the first place, chances are you looking for the best 2025 events to inform your next move — so forgive the repetition, arty readers! Coming to Messe Basel between June 19 and June 22, the latest edition of Art Basel 2025 will reunite over 200 pioneering galleries from five continents for a total of more than 4,000 spotlighted artists. Like in the case of Art Basel Miami (December 5-7), the fair is divided into multiple sections, including Galleries, where global art institutions are presented, Feature, a curated spotlight of historical and contemporary works by acclaimed artists, Statements, dedicated to solo presentations by rising talents, and Edition, a printed matter celebration with limited-edition prints and multiples by celebrated artists and publishers. Concurrent with Art Basel 2025, the 30th edition of Liste Art Fair Basel (June 16-22), born to support younger galleries and creatives, will immerse the public in the visions of the new avant-garde, while Photo Basel (June 17-22) will chart the latest innovations in photographic art.

June 16-22. Exhibition Center Basel, Messepl. 10, 4005 Basel, Switzerland. Book your tickets (Liste Art Fair)

June 17-22. Volkshaus Basel. Rebgasse 12-14, 4058 Basel, Switzerland. Book your tickets (Photo Basel)

June 19-22. Exhibition Center Basel, Messepl. 10, 4005 Basel, Switzerland. Book your tickets (Art Basel 2025)

September

9. São Paulo Biennial. São Paulo, BR

In the 36th edition of the São Paulo Biennial, Not All Travellers Walk Roads — Of Humanity as Practice, the curatorial team comprised of Keyna Eleison, Alya Sebti, Bonaventure Soh Bejeng Ndikung, Henriette Gallus, Anna Roberta Goetz, and Thiago de Paula Souza wants us to ponder the nature of human relationships and the way we "understand and engage with each other". Titled after Afrobrazilian poet Conceição Evaristo's Da calma e do silêncio ("Of calm and silence") poem, the collective showcase will rely on contributions by 64 international and local artists to explore what it means to be human across a variety of disciplines, asking scholars, activists, and cultural practitioners to feed into the conversation.

Free to visit throughout its four-month duration, "this project not only reaffirms the Biennial's role as a space for reflection and dialogue on the most pressing issues of our time, but also demonstrates the institutional commitment of the Fundação to promoting artistic practices in a way that is accessible and relevant to diverse audiences," said Andrea Pinheiro, president of the Fundação Bienal de São Paulo. Center around three key focuses, namely rethinking the dynamics of space and time, fostering a reflective view of oneself through the perspective of others, and nurturing spaces for meetings and dialogue, the 36th São Paulo Biennial will be open up to the world and its stories also thanks to Invocations — a globetrotting program of talks, performances, and lectures landing in different locations of Marrakech (November 14-15), Guadeloupe (February 11-13), and Tokyo (April 12-13) in the months after its opening.

September 6-January 11, 2026. Ciccillo Matarazzo Pavilion, Av. Pedro Álvares Cabral, s/n - Ibirapuera, São Paulo - SP, 04094-000, Brazil. Plan your visit

October

10. Frieze London and Frieze Masters. London, UK

No roundup of the best 2025 events for culture-obsessed globetrotters would ever be complete without a reference to Frieze London and Frieze Masters. Now at their 22nd and 12th edition, respectively, the coinciding global fairs represent the perfect opportunity to dive deep into the past, present, and future of art through the experimentation of its most revolutionary protagonists. Like every year, Frieze London's interdisciplinary offering will be divided into a Focus, Editions, Galleries, and Artist-to-Artist sectors, with emerging talents, exclusively crafted prints and monographs, leading institutions, and intergenerational artistic conversations stealing the show in each of them. Meanwhile, Frieze Masters will allow visitors to travel back in time through curated showcases spotlighting some of the world's more dated art expressions, including seminal masterpieces spanning several millennia. Elsewhere in The Regent's Park, the towering installations of Frieze Sculpture (17 September-November 2) will guide passersby to an unusual, fascinating discovery of its greenery.

October 15-19. The Regent's Park, London, United Kingdom. Book your tickets

11. LagosPhoto Festival. Lagos, NG

LagosPhoto Festival, Nigeria’s premier international photography event, marks its transition to a biennial format with its 15th edition, launching October 2025. Curated by founder Azu Nwagbogu, the mind behind Benin’s inaugural national pavilion at last year’s Venice Biennale, the festival will explore the expansive theme of Incarceration, delving into the notion of confinement from a physical, intellectual, psychological, and social perspective. Platforming commissioned works from a diverse group of artists, including Beninese photographer Ishola Akpo, Californian artist Adrian L. Burrell, and Ghanaian filmmaker and image-maker Carlos Idun-Tawiah, the 2025 iteration of LagosPhoto Festival allows for deeper engagement with its overarching theme. This is made possible by the comprehensive public program that supports its exhibitions, encompassing anything from workshops and artist presentations to discussions, and land art outdoor installations. Rather than merely addressing the theme of Incarceration, the showcase channels histories of redemption and liberation through the audiovisual explorations of its championed talents.

October 27-January 23, 2026. Various locations, Lagos, Nigeria. Plan your visit

December

12. Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Kochi, IN

What better way to wrap up this list of the top 2025 events for art, design, and architecture-led explorers than traveling to another country in the world set on inspiring the global community in the months ahead? The brainchild of renowned artist Nikhil Chopra, named as the curator for this edition, the 6th Kochi-Muziris Biennale, developed in collaboration with HH Art Spaces, focalizes on the process of artmaking as the liminal place where magic happens. "For this Biennale, we look at works that are still in the making, as opposed to the industrial norm of valuing only the completed work," explains Chopra, who adds "it's important to embrace the unfinished and the process." Held across multiple venues in Kochi, including historical sites and warehouses, in the Indian region of Kerala, the collective showcase will transform the city into a playground of creative innovation in a spellbinding dialogue between painting, land art, sculpture, and traditional crafts.

12 December-31 March, 2026. X69W+8QG, Fort Kochi, Kochi, Kerala 682001, India. Plan your visit

Who said sojourning at a hotel or other traditional holiday rentals is the only way to get the most out of the top 2025 events? Staying at these Airbnb alternatives, travelers say, feels like "entering an interiors magazine", and as the judges of the next in décor, they get our tick of approval.

With properties available all over the world, they make the ultimate base for your art, design, and architecture explorations, whether heading to one of the most inspiring events in 2025 or savoring the creative atmosphere of your temporary home.