Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of 2025

Freediving in Dahab

Tianna Williams, staff writer

Back in November, I jumped on a jet for a spontaneous trip to Egypt, specifically the very bohemian town of Dahab, to see an old friend. The trip revolved around diving – freediving specifically – as the area is known for its water sinkhole, the ‘Blue Hole’, which is over 100 metres deep and perhaps the world's most dangerous dive site, hence its nickname the ‘Diver's Cemetery’. It filled my heart to see such a healthy reef in a world where this is now a rare find. The trip began with a quick visit to a small art festival run by local freedivers in the area, who showcased creative pieces and short films inspired by the sea. The following days were spent exploring the desert and spending most of the time in the Red Sea alongside grazing turtles, shoals of fish and vibrant corals.

A year in architecture

Ellie Stathaki, architecture & environment director

I had too many 'best moments' last year to even try to pick, but any trips I take are always up there for me. Among the places and people I visited were Bas Smets' exhibition in the striking site of LUMA Arles – a true eye-opener for how he approaches landscape architecture and the beginning of endless discussions around our relationship to nature; my first visit to the States in quite a few years, which, among other things, allowed me to attend the summer gala at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams, MA; and, of course, the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale vernissage – the biggest and busiest festival of its kind in the architecture world and always a highlight. All trips leave me feeling energised and full of excitement for the industry, but these three truly enhanced my world.

Culinary art in Bilbao

Bill Prince, editor-in-chief

My most memorable ‘OOO’ experience last year was also the shortest: a day trip to Bilbao (with a stop at the Frank Gehry-designed Guggenheim to take in the monumental Richard Serra sculptures there) for lunch at Europe’s best restaurant, Asador Etxebarri. I won’t attempt to relay the bemusement that met my announcement that I could only join my friends' weekend sojourn to the culinary capital of Europe – San Sebastian – for a fleeting appearance at the first part – but they were kind enough to keep me on the manifest, meaning I got to spend a day in the company of true bon vivants, dining on one of the most incredible set menus I’ve ever had the opportunity to experience.

As with new-school haute cuisine of this kind, it’s not about the elevated status of a world-renowned restaurant, or even the environment (spectacular as it is – Google the village if you’ve never been to this part of Spain) – but the experience: a serene yet satisfying ‘in-the-know’ vibe among its patrons that doesn’t countenance pontification or pseudery. Yes, the food was spectacular (I’ll leave it to the critics to pontificate on that part), but the most important ingredient – the memory – remains the taste of tiny, sea-fresh elvers (baby eels) that were served, and the supremely elegant way in which my companions offered their farewells as I stepped away from the table with several once-in-a-lifetime courses to go, and headed back to the airport. More fool me.

Fashion in Tokyo

Sofia de la Cruz, travel editor

When I’m not working as a travel editor, I’m often found supporting my partner’s design studio, Savvas Alexander. In 2025, a trip to Tokyo became the catalyst for a collaboration with Garden Shibuya, a platform for emerging design, culminating in a weekend-long installation and the release of a limited-run reinterpretation of the British duffle coat.

The project brought together the store team, brand supporters and curious passersby interested in process as much as product, which was very exciting to see. We work at the intersection of technology and manufacture, using laser-driven techniques to produce crisp, architectural forms in modern materials. The installation distilled this approach: a miniature laser machine set beside the outerwear number, fabric suspended to throw graphic shadows across the space. We also took the opportunity to shoot with a local group of talent, anchoring the project firmly in its Tokyo context.

The joy of slowing down

Anna Fixsen, US editor

Last year I set a goal for myself: to make time for a hobby. I’ve long enjoyed drawing (I hold a minor in studio art) but, amid high-octane New York living, my skills have gotten, well, rusty. So I signed up for a virtual botanical illustration class through the New York Botanical Garden. I figured, within a couple of sessions, I’d be well on my way to creating colourful renderings of orchids, fungi and seed pods. Not so: under the tutelage of my instructor, Scott Rawlins, we got back to basics, reacquainting ourselves with the fundamental principles of art, like line, shape, value and texture. Each week, we’d layer on a new technique, drawing everything from store-bought pears to, ultimately, a fully-rendered branch. I learned how to look – to really look – an exercise that revealed the mind-boggling amount of detail to be found in a single, delicate leaf vein. I was overjoyed to rediscover my love of drawing – and in the process learn to slow down.

A full circle moment

Anna Solomon, digital staff writer

I visited some fantastic places in 2025, mainly in the States, but one of my most meaningful experiences happened closer to home, in Edinburgh. I went to see an exhibition on Ikea textiles at the Dovecot Gallery and stayed at the lovely The Hoxton hotel, but the trip resonated particularly because I lived in Edinburgh for four years while at university. In the near-decade since graduating, I’ve visited sporadically, but returning in my capacity as a journalist – after having studied English literature here harbouring those very ambitions – felt different.

I spent an afternoon retracing old routes and revisiting favourite haunts – from places I can confidently recommend (Black Medicine Coffee, 10 to 10 in Delhi, Surgeons’ Hall Museum, the Meadows, and the cobbled passageways of Old Town), to the scruffier student spots best left unendorsed – struck by the quiet sense of having come full circle.

The trip of a lifetime

Nick Vinson, contributing editor

Last November, I visited Lebanon for the second time. We spent time in Beirut, visited the mountains in Ghineh to stay at Biet Trad – the most idyllic small guest house – went higher up to the ski zone of Faraya to visit a house that will soon appear in a magazine, journeyed to Baalbek to see the Roman ruins, and dined on the terrace of the fabled Palmyra Hotel.

Back in Beirut, we visited design studios, ate twice at the fabulous Tawlet restaurant, the charming Sô Beirut designed by Ask Deco’s Nisrine Karagula, and Em Sherif au Musée, with the best hummus I have ever tasted (the trick, apparently, is to peel the chickpeas). We shopped at the Souk El Tayeb Farmers’ Market, ate cream and Lokum from Oslo Made in Heaven, went crazy buying kilos of pistachios, walnuts and almonds, visited the Sursock Museum and the National Museum of Beirut, discovered Inaash and their fabulous Palestinian embroideries, and drank white coffee (orange blossom water tea) with couturier Maison Rabih Kayrouz. We also discovered the best reconditioned and restyled Porsche, which will appear shortly in the pages of Wallpaper*.

We are fortunate to have some extremely special Lebanese friends, who created the best schedule possible, welcomed us warmly and fed us homemade Lebanese food. I am overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of the Lebanese people, as well as their resilience. This was a trip of a lifetime – I can’t recommend it more.