Here in Wallpaper’s native northern hemisphere, the nights are closing in and the corresponding desire to dial down all but the most urgent demands on our time grows. It’s little wonder, then, that our thoughts increasingly turn to ideas of home. Whether sanctuary or salon, short-term stopgap or ancestral abode, domicility – for those of us lucky enough to enjoy it – continues to serve as an all-purpose synonym for privacy and protection, as well as a full-service hub for relaxation, entertaining, and those joyous moments that combine the two.
It was in this spirit of familial, informal cheer that we approached Wallpaper’s December 2025 Entertaining Issue, alighting on the ingredients that make a memorable evening remarkable: expect a plethora of ideas on how you can demonstrate your socialising superpowers, complete with sparkling stemware and hand-carved fruits.
We also suggest some lively and elevating house gifts for those in search of a thoughtful thank-you, from the perfect lint roller to prestige flatware; we present some daring and debonair eveningwear for the night owl in us all; and we challenge our design critic Hugo Macdonald to elucidate on the elements that make up a truly sublime supper party, one where the demands of the guests (no more than ten, apparently) are more than met by the effortless élan of the host. Hint: if you’re no great shakes behind the stove, it’s OK to order in.
Dining out? We head for Carbone in London
Away from the hearth, we visit the new office of the Italian embassy in London, where long-time Wallpaper* collaborator Nick Vinson has envisioned a creative bridge between Italy and Britain. We also marvel at Not A Hotel’s latest reimagining of the fractional ownership market, located on a Japanese island, and check out the London outpost of Carbone, New York’s long-heralded bastion of midcentury Italian-American cuisine.
Elsewhere, we unpack the daring design of Cano House, which cantilevers over a steep slope in LA’s Mount Washington, revelling in its connections to nature. And we toast artist Maggi Hambling as she marks her 80th birthday with a new exhibition, paying a visit to her Suffolk studio.
Bill Prince
Editor-in-Chief
On the newsstand cover: Fruit carving: Nasima Khatun at Fruitima. ‘Tribus’ wallpaper in Sisal RM 1069 66, price on request, by Élitis. ‘Soleide’ coffee table, price on request, by Antonio Citterio, for Maxalto. ‘Deco Leaves’ three-tier server, £1,080, by L’Objet
The December 2025 Entertaining Issue of Wallpaper* is available in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News + from 6 November. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today
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