Out of office: The Wallpaper* editors’ picks of the week

A powerful production

Charlotte Gunn, director of digital content

Jack Rooke is a generational talent. If his multi-award-winning comedy Big Boys failed to move you to tears, the reworking of his original Edinburgh show, Good Grief, penned at age 21 in the wake of his father's death, is sure to have you reaching for the tissues. As funny as it is weep-worthy, Rooke's portrayal of grief and growing up is deserving of his many accolades. Beg, borrow or steal your way into his sold-out Soho Theatre re-run in the new year.

An homage to handcrafts

Bill Prince, editor-in-chief

On Monday, I was the guest of Hermès for a talk hosted at London’s Institut Français between the award-winning Lebanese-French architect Lina Ghotmeh and Charlotte Amelia-Brion, head of real estate for Hermès. The discussion focused on Ghotmeh’s response to a request from Hermès to design a new leather and saddlery workshop in northwestern France, at Louviers, which opened in 2023. By studying the gait of a galloping horse, her practice, LG-A, envisioned a low-rise building in hand-fired brick, punctuated by large archways that, the architect explained, required re-animating brickmaking skills lost to the construction industry. As Amelia-Brion noted, even at scale, Hermès’ commitment to creativity starts with – and in this instance wholly retains – the qualities expounded in handcrafts.

A good excuse for an ugly cry

Anna Fixsen, US editor

Amid year-end deadlines, shopping, travel and icy-cold temperatures, the holidays can be an emotional time. If you’re looking for a good excuse to sob silently in a dark room for two hours, go see Hamnet, now in theatres in the US. I met up with two of my besties this week at our favourite Brooklyn cinema to watch the flick, an adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell’s historical novel of the same name. We all knew where this Shakespearean tragedy would lead us. Hell, we even knew the ending. But we were not prepared for the masterful direction from Chloé Zhao and the heart-wrenching performances from Jessie Buckley, Paul Mescal and a positively cherubic Jacobi Jupe. Do yourself a favour and go see it this weekend.

A special showroom

Anna Solomon, digital staff writer

Just off the main thoroughfare of Notting Hill Gate, behind the façade of an elegant red-brick building, a patinated ‘HZI’ sign is the only clue to Hubert Zandberg’s world within. The interior designer recently invited industry members to his newly unveiled showroom – though it’s unlike any showroom I’ve ever seen. What Zandberg has created is more akin to an intimate salon: part living room, part working studio, part treasure-filled sanctuary. The space is densely layered with pieces from his personal collection – furniture, art and objects amassed over years and across continents. Now open by appointment, it serves as a vignette of Zandberg’s aesthetic world (see more of this in next week’s Inside Story, where I’ll be peering inside the designer’s Shoreditch flat), with each item available for purchase.

A seasonal sanctuary

Sofia de la Cruz, travel editor

Last weekend, my family and I made our annual pilgrimage through central London to see the Christmas lights. Beautiful, yes, but with the crowds in full festive force, relaxation can feel elusive. Salvation arrived just moments from Regent Street’s gilded angels, inside the Mandarin Oriental Mayfair. Lee Broom’s reimagined Christmas tree spills theatrically down the hotel’s monumental green-marble staircase, drawing you towards the Atrium restaurant, where a new menu unfolds as a sophisticated Mediterranean journey. Upstairs, Hanover Bar offers another gift for design devotees: Studio Waldemeyer’s Amadeus installation, a choreography of animated LED candles floating above the room. It’s a far more civilised way to experience London’s seasonal sparkle, preferably with one of the newly refreshed cocktails in hand. My pick: The Hanover. Plum Maker’s Mark bourbon, umeshu, vanilla Amontillado sherry, umeshu sake, maple syrup and chocolate bitters. Perfectly festive and indulgent.