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

Retrospection at Paris Design Week

Anna Solomon, digital staff writer

It’s Paris Design Week, and across the city the doors of showrooms and ateliers have been thrown open, revealing brands’ 2026 collections. I spent a highly condensed day criss-crossing arrondissements and dipping in and out of studios (I comfortably hit my 10,000 steps – let’s leave it at that). Several clearly emerging design trends stood out: a growing emphasis on versatility and customisability to suit the demands of modern life (something I also observed at Feria Hábitat València back in October), alongside a sort of creeping nostalgia. From renewed interest in craft and artisanal traditions to a wave of heritage reissues, the past is very much informing the present. You can read all of my insights here.

A new voice emerges

Charlotte Gunn, director of digital content

This week I’ve been listening to ‘Not Today’, the new single from Kim Gordon’s upcoming third solo album, Play Me, out on 13 March. More melodic – dare I say poppier? – than her recent work, Gordon says of the track: ‘I started singing in a way I hadn’t sung in a long time. This other voice came out.’ Produced by Justin Raisen (who also worked on Charli XCX’s 'BRAT'), it’s a reminder that at 72, Gordon is still happily mixing things up.

A taste of home

Sofia de la Cruz, travel editor

Whenever I crave the flavours of my motherland, I head straight to one of the restaurants of José Pizarro – a Spanish expat, just like me. He has just transformed the storied Keeper’s House at the Royal Academy of Arts into a vibrant dining destination, which made the perfect excuse. Who would have thought you’d find Spanish cooking nestled among the RA’s neoclassical grandeur?

Inside, there’s a compelling dialogue between old and new, warm and convivial – prime time is undoubtedly lunch. Deep reds and burnished oranges, inspired by traditional Spanish interiors, set the tone for a menu of Iberian classics with edge: gordal olives stuffed with orange, octopus with potatoes and capers, lamb ragù over silky mash. And for dessert? Either lose yourself in the eclectic curation of art – works by Frank Bowling, Marina Abramović, David Remfry and Picasso lithographs, alongside original paintings by Eileen Cooper – or surrender to the olive oil and almond cake with sharp PX sherry compote.

A perfect pilgrimage

Anna Fixsen, US editor

On a recent visit to my UK in-laws, my husband and I hopped on a train to Winchester, England. We drank ale in a pub from 1002 AD, admired what’s supposedly the original Round Table of Arthurian legend, and took a stroll along the River Itchen. The highlight, by far, however, was a tour of the spectacular Winchester Cathedral, with its breathtaking blend of Norman, Gothic and Perpendicular Gothic architecture.

Here, you can genuflect at the grave of Jane Austen (the author just turned 250 years young), descend into the depths of a waterlogged Norman crypt – now home to a sculpture by Antony Gormley – and appreciate a host of historic oddities, from memento mori and mortuary chests filled with jumbles of royal bones to one peculiar attraction known as the ‘Holy Hole’, where pilgrims could once touch the relics of St Swithin.

Written in the stars

Bill Prince, editor-in-chief

On Thursday I took myself off to the Nomad Hotel in London’s Covent Garden for the launch of a new Poetic Collection of Zodiaque jewellery by Van Cleef & Arpels, which depicts the 12 star signs in medal form – a hand-stamped signature of the 120-year-old maison since the 1950s. The new pieces are available in white gold and on yellow gold bracelets, and their talismanic beauty was underlined by the presence of two astrologers on site, eager to reveal what our own star signs hold in store for 2026. (Of course, Wallpaper* readers already know, thanks to our 2026 design horoscope.)

A practice in motion

Ellie Stathaki, architecture & environment director

Catching up with architect Guy Hollaway and his managing partner, Alex Richards, this week, I found out about one of the studio’s biggest recent wins: the London Golf Club. Promising to be a key hospitality and sporting destination on the outskirts of London, the new and extensive Kent campus has just been awarded planning approval. Meanwhile, a wealth of schemes are about to complete or are on the drawing board at the vibrant Kent- and London-based architecture practice – including, but not limited to, a number of private residences and a personal favourite, Brompton’s new global headquarters and factory in Ashford. Looking forward to seeing more.