Out of office: What the Wallpaper* editors are looking forward to in July

In our monthly series, we highlight the products, places and experiences we’ve bookmarked – and that you won’t want to miss.

As Europe sizzles in the summer heat, queuing and crowds are best avoided. But that doesn’t mean your cultural calendar needs to cool off. Take your cue from our editors and drift off the beaten path – dodging the hotspots while keeping your diary rich with art, design and discovery.

Discover an Indonesian art collective, slip into a Stoke Newington dining room for Asian-fusion cooking, or immerse yourself in a new programme from cultural platform Forefront. For their summer escapes, our editors decamp to a Munich art museum, trade Mallorca for its quieter cousin Menorca, and lose themselves in the colour and chaos of Cartagena.

Stay cool, but don't stay at home.

The escape: Cartagena, Colombia

Anna Fixsen, US editor

July Fourth may mark America’s birthday (and a big one at that!) but my (British) husband and I typically celebrate by getting out of the country for our wedding anniversary. This time around, we’re making a beeline to Cartagena, Colombia, a city that’s captivated us ever since we first visited four years ago. We’ll be staying in our favourite place, Casa del Arzobispado, a gem of a hotel located in a 17th-century building in Cartagena's historic walled city, a Unesco World Heritage Site. From there, we’ll do what we do best: take in the local culture, marvel at the beauty of the Caribbean and feast on heaps of ceviche. As a lover of winged critters, I am particularly looking forward to a trek to the Aviario Nacional de Colombia, where I can’t wait to spy coastal birds like herons, pelicans and flamingos.

The art museum: Haus der Kunst, Munich

Hannah Silver, art, culture, watches & jewellery editor

I have wanted to visit the incredible Haus der Kunst in Munich for a long time, and the opening of multi-disciplinary artist Tomás Saraceno’s major exhibition later this month is the perfect excuse. Saraceno works at the intersection of art, architecture and science, and will be unveiling a major new co-commission, encompassing a permanent piece of land art, as part of the show.

The Eurotrip: Menorca

Sofia de la Cruz, travel editor

I spent so many childhood summers along the Mediterranean coast, back when I loathed the sticky humidity and the feeling of sand somehow lingering on your skin for days. Now, not so strangely, it is exactly that sensation I find myself craving. I’m looking forward to a few days by Menorca’s pristine waters, before moving on to the thrum of Ibiza’s balmy, buzzy evenings.

The event: Summer Exhibition, Royal Academy

Léa Teuscher, sub-editor

I’m looking forward to introducing my family to a fantastic London tradition: the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition. Held every year since 1769, it is the world’s oldest open submission exhibition – anyone can enter their artwork for a chance to be displayed on the great walls of the academy’s Burlington House on Piccadilly.

This year the Royal Academicians, led by Ryan Gander for this edition, have sifted through thousands of creations and selected over 1,800 artworks. The rooms are packed with every kind of art – from drawing, painting and photography to sculpture, architecture and film – made by either members of the public, emerging artists or household names. Even if you don’t buy anything, it’s great fun to play ‘guess which artwork is by a famous artist’ or count the red dots marking how many editions of the same piece have been sold. Plus, there are late openings on Fridays and Saturdays (with a gin bar and regular DJ sets).

The music: Madonna, Robyn, Wolf Alice and Joan Jett

Charlotte Gunn, director of digital content

July is a live music extravaganza in London, with this week being particularly stacked. I've been fortunate enough to have been invited to Madonna's 'Club Confessions' on Thursday night – the official launch party for her much-anticipated new album, 'Confessions II', out this Friday. I've heard a few advance songs, and guests would be wise to arrive ready to dance.

On Friday night, Robyn continues the party at The O2 for her 'Sexistential' tour – currently in my top five album releases of 2026. And on Sunday, one of Britain's best guitar bands, Wolf Alice, play their largest headline show to date in Finsbury Park along with Lykke Li, The Last Dinner Party and Rachel Chinouriri. For a slice of rock nostalgia, the inimitable Joan Jett comes to new London venue the British Airways Arc next week – her first show in the capital in 16 years.

The exhibition: 'Rakyat Pasti Menang', Taring Padi

Gabriel Annouka, art editor

I’m already circling 8 July for Indonesian art collective Taring Padi’s 'Rakyat Pasti Menang' ('The People United Will Never Be Defeated') at Ibraaz. The exhibition brings together banners, puppets, prints and archives spanning nearly thirty years of collective making, presented in the Majlis at Ibraaz, a space dedicated to meaningful dialogue and exchange.

93 Mortimer Street, London W1W 7SS
Open 8 July-22 November 2026

The restaurant: Cálong

Anna Solomon, digital staff writer

This month, I’ll be stress-testing the credibility of Cálong’s fusion of Korean and European cooking – think kimchi reimagined as French-style fritters, or roast lamb saddle with gochujang. If the buzz is to be believed, chef Joo Young Won makes the collision feel inevitable. A veteran of Michelin-starred Galvin at Windows, he’s traded the West End for a Stoke Newington dining room, bringing fine-dining technique down to earth. I’m hoping for some serious crunch on those fritters – likewise Joo’s legendary fried chicken. The grilled pork jeyuk and pan-fried hake with mushroom and seaweed dashi also sound particularly good.

It’s an intriguing concept that stops just short of fine dining – a more affordable, thoroughly worthy alternative to the tasting-menu circuit.

The platform: Forefront

Ellie Stathaki, architecture & environment director

Part of London cultural platform Forefront's activities, a new series is being launched this summer, and I am very much looking forward to visiting and meeting the initiative's co-founder, Dicle Guntas, managing director of developer HGG, in July. The new family of shows centres on pairings between architects, artists and designers, and it kicks off with newly commissioned work by architects Bureau de Change and textile artist Ptolemy Mann, curated by Venice Biennale British Pavilion curator Maria McLintock. The exhibition is free to visit and is held at 134 Forefront on Old Street. Knowing Bureau de Change co-founders Billy and Katerina's work, and learning more about Ptolemy's approach, guarantees that we are all in for a treat of colour, pattern and inventive material use.

'Intertwined', Bureau de Change x Ptolemy Mann
134 Forefront, 134 Old Street, London EC1
Open now