Famously, David Bowie was a prolific music lover, with a huge and eclectic appetite, consuming everything from Britpop to classical, delta blues to electronica. ‘It would have been a real surprise not to be surprised by David Bowie’s tastes,’ says musician and journalist Jérôme Soligny, who together with Bowie’s lifelong friend Geoff MacCormack has delved into the subject for new book, David Bowie: Music Lover, published by ACC Art Books. ‘Music Lover highlights, particular, lesser-known artists who were crucial to David, such as Biff Rose, and some may come as a surprise to some readers.’

The book, which unites over 100 artists who had a regular slot on Bowie’s turntable, begins with Little Richard, whose tracks Bowie played on his childhood Dansette record player, and ends with Kendrick Lamar, whom Bowie listened to during the recording of Blackstar, his final album, released just two days before he died.

‘I have been friends with [record producer] Tony Visconti since the 1990s, and it was Tony himself who revealed that they had listened to this Kendrick Lamar album a great deal whilst they were working on Blackstar,’ adds Soligny. ‘For this book, and the other ones we wrote, we have made a point of not ‘putting words into David’s mouth’, so it would be presumptuous to explain why he liked this album. However, the fact that Lamar is such an adventurous artist could only have appealed to David Bowie.’

Inside David Bowie's record collection

Wallpaper*: Having known and listened to music with Bowie for so many years, what does his record collection reveal about him that perhaps his own records and public persona don’t?

Jérôme Soligny: Not much, to be honest, or a great deal – which, in the case of an artist like him, who worked in a way that was a bit like communicating vessels, amounts to the same thing. David Bowie’s music is a sort of fantastical journey, and his musical tastes inspired his work. Lou Reed’s ‘I’m Waiting for the Man’, for example, is a sort of benchmark song that inspired him to write many others. David believed that to know him was to know his music. Everything he wanted to reveal is in his songs.

Geoff MacCormack: I would say that they are one and the same.

W*: Bowie was famously restless in his musical curiosity. How did he discover new music? What did he look for in an artist?

GM: It wasn’t so much as being restless, there was always much he wanted to do with many forms of art, including music – added to which fame and the opportunity to experiment came fairly late. He was already 26 in 1973 when it all took off for him. In many ways, he was trying to catch up. I think he liked anything that had soul, not as in the genre but as in authenticity. Also, if it was quirky or strange too, well, all the better.

W*: How important was listening to music to Bowie’s creative process? Could you tell when something he was listening to was beginning to influence what he was recording?

GM: I think the reason Bowie tolerated me being around him (even taking pictures) was because I never asked him stuff, I was just there as a trusted friend. At any rate, what was happening in David’s life was completely new to us both. I can tell you he, and I, loved Black American music all our lives and would say, obviously, of course it influenced him.

I can tell you we were listening to Kraftwerk around the time of the recording of Station to Station, but I can’t tell you, absolutely, whether it influenced him or not because I didn’t ask him. I would say that what we listened to over the years or recommended to each other, together with what his musicians and other friends introduced to him and whatever he discovered by any source, it would be a given that, like any great artist, all kinds of music would seep through purposely or unconsciously.

accartbooks.com

Zaha Hadid's sudden death at the age of 65, in 2016, was a cruel blow. Having fought so hard for her ideas, she was at the height of her career and had so much more to do. It was an incalculable loss in a world that desperately needs her sense of ambition and visionary thinking. An extraordinary architect and individual, Hadid's personality and professional output are hard to disentangle, and nowhere is this more evident than in her vast archive of drawings, models, furniture, clothing and design tools.

Step inside the Zaha Hadid Foundation and its archive

Her former tutor at the Architectural Association (AA), Rem Koolhaas, famously described her as ‘a planet in her own orbit.' The phrase aptly captures the enormity of her talent and the vivid image of a person who was constantly questioning and creating, in a class of her own. With characteristic foresight, in 2013, Hadid set up the Zaha Hadid Foundation (ZHF) with three main objectives: to support the education of young people in architecture, design and related disciplines; to take care of her archive and collections and produce exhibitions; and to establish or support a permanent museum or gallery. A few months after setting up the ZHF, she bought the site of the former Design Museum at Shad Thames, next to Tower Bridge in London, for approximately £10m. Sadly, she did not live to complete her vision for a museum there, but her team at Zaha Hadid Architects moved the archives and collections to the site in the summer of 2018 to continue the archiving process.

Hadid often seemed to live in a future world, imagining a form of architecture that was well beyond our experience. Indeed, for the first decade of her career, she struggled to find a client who would commit to her bold vision. At the same time, she was a magpie with an avid interest in the world around her. She was fascinated by culture, other architects' work, and the related disciplines of fashion, design and art. She was a keen collector and shopper, who would acquire work by a fashion graduate she had spotted at their catwalk show; or buy the same shoes or garments in several colourways.

For many architects, legacy is about the buildings they leave behind rather than the rolls of drawings and models that gather dust (or the servers full of CAD files, a struggle for museums due to constant software updates). Conventionally, an architect's output becomes part of the built fabric of society, whereas in the case of Hadid, legacy is a broader and more complex subject. There is no doubt that she changed the course of architectural practice. But in the UK – the country she chose to make her home, having grown up in Iraq – her vision was not widely accepted. Despite the advances in design thinking and construction that she led, British architecture largely consists of what her long-term friend and current ZHF trustee, Archigram co-founder Peter Cook, describes as vernacular-inspired, ‘biscuit-coloured' buildings.

During her life, Hadid completed around 35 buildings, alongside pavilions, installations, and design, furniture and fashion projects. Built work includes the Vitra Fire Station (1991) in Weil am Rhein, Phaeno Science Center (2005) in Wolfsburg (both in Germany), MAXXI Museum of XXI Century Arts in Rome (2009) and the London Aquatics Centre (2012). More than 35 projects were in progress at the time of her death, including the Port Authority Building in Antwerp and the Mathematics Gallery at London's Science Museum.

Her ideas, particularly research into parametricism, virtual worlds, product design and new materials, continue to be developed by the architectural practice that now operates as ZHA. In June this year, the practice replaced her name following a court case, in which ZHA won the right to terminate the 2014 agreement that committed the company to paying six per cent of its revenue to the ZHF to continue using her name. The ruling and title change mark a new era in the practice's development. The renaming has caused controversy among many of Hadid's loyal followers, but as ZHA principal, Patrik Schumacher, says, ‘Of course, we love Zaha, and we've been working with her, the leadership and myself, for many decades, on these projects, but she's no longer with us – in spirit only – and we have a lot of new projects coming out.'

The court ruling, which came a decade after Hadid's death, also marks a new era for the ZHF under the leadership of architecture and design curator Aric Chen. Since the summer of 2025, Chen has brought a fresh wave of energy, initiating a new brand identity and website by Amsterdam-based design collective Experimental Jetset, as well as a light renovation by Studio KA of the practice's former studio, on Bowling Green Lane in Clerkenwell, which will become a public architecture centre complete with residency space and room for temporary shows and other programmes. Alongside this, the team is accelerating its work to catalogue and display Hadid's collections and archive, most of which are stored at Shad Thames.

Plans are also coming together for a major retrospective exhibition, aiming to tour Europe, Asia, the Middle East and the US. One of Chen's first moves, just a few months into the job, was to organise regular ‘Guess Who's in Town' evening events, where a mystery architect visiting London is invited to speak to an audience about their work. The sense of fun, informal debate and international glamour of these events seems an appropriate way to honour Hadid's fast-paced life, strong views and global network. Chen acknowledges that the ZHF's two properties need a lot of work, and that it will take time to plan for the future. In the meantime, his aim is for the Clerkenwell studio to provide galleries and education spaces for architectural culture, welcoming the public five days a week.

Chen has been busy creating alliances that reflect the life and work of Hadid. This autumn, to mark the relaunch of the ZHF, the team is planning a two-day, multi-venue symposium. Taking place 30-31 October (the latter being Hadid's birthday), the event will be a collaboration between the ZHF, the AA and the Serpentine, which built one of her first completed buildings, a temporary pavilion in the summer of 2000 (it was also the Serpentine's inaugural pavilion). Chen describes the planned sessions as ranging from ‘scholarship to gossip', looking at influences from the architect's early years in Baghdad and Beirut, through to her student days at the AA, her furniture and product designs, and the broader networks of clients, media and institutions in which she operated.

Over at Shad Thames, the archive is a longer-term project. The building is more than 40 years old and in a poor state of repair, with buckets positioned below the rooflights to catch rainwater drips. It is a concern that Hadid's collection – arguably one of the largest and most diverse archives ever created by an architect – is being held in such conditions. However, the team says it is undertaking improvements in order to maintain the progress of its inventory.

In Zaha Hadid: Complete Works, published by Thames & Hudson in 2004, US architect Greg Lynn, who taught alongside Hadid at Yale School of Architecture, wrote she ‘has always been at the epicentre of innovation of architectural communication, as well as having one of the strongest creative visions in our field... She combines painting, projective geometry, perspective, model building, computer renderings and smooth curvaceous geometric surfaces into the masses, interiors and structure of her buildings.'

The 2004 publication was a remarkable object in its own right – its red Perspex box contained four hardback volumes, of varying shapes and sizes, which seemed to explode from its sides. Lynn compared Hadid to the Italian Renaissance architect and stage designer Vincenzo Scamozzi and to Inigo Jones, the 17th-century architect, who also designed elaborate stage sets and costumes.

In the early years, Hadid's focus on ‘paper architecture' reinforced her drive to work in different formats, including set design. This work will be the subject of an exhibition at the ZHF in the newly renovated gallery in October. Curated jointly by Libby Sellers and ZHF's Catherine Howe, it will consider how Hadid's architectural language extended into immersive environments for contemporary dance, classical opera and pop music, and will include the Music Video Pavilion in Groningen, Netherlands (1990), which was commissioned for an urban festival promoting the fast-growing music video phenomenon, as well as a set for the Pet Shop Boys' Nightlife world tour (1999-2000).

Hadid's remarkable archive will be the subject of research, speculation and debate for years to come. Chen aims to make the material as accessible to students and scholars as possible, but he also faces a challenge. The ZHF consists of a team of 16, eight of whom are collections and research staff working their way through thousands of items, many of which have not been catalogued. Rolls of drawings are stacked up in tubes, with no detailed inventories. Part of the problem is that, although the entire archive covering the period up to 2016, including paintings, models and Hadid's fashion collection, was transferred from the practice to the ZHF in 2019, the digital transfer of the data, including provenance for objects in the collection, has been complicated.

Because of incompatibility between digital platforms, the ZHF collections and research teams are having to painstakingly retrieve information and add it to a new database. At the time of Hadid's death, the studio had inventorised and assigned unique archive collection numbers to roughly 17,000 objects. Given the scale of the archive and the resources available, many items had not been processed. Since then, the ZHF team has continued the documentation and cataloguing programme, resulting in a rough estimate of approximately 300,000 objects in the collection as a whole.

For Hadid, the collecting and archival process was of fundamental importance, and its origins reflect her holistic design vision. On a personal level, the collection includes her clothes (both those she collected for their design value and those she wore), shoes, handbags and furniture, together with her own designs for shoes, bags and jewellery. There are also folders of receipts from her clothing purchases, carefully put to one side. In her library, architecture books – many of them gifts from friends – sit alongside exhibition and building product catalogues, and copies of her favourite DVDs, including American Gigolo, which she reportedly used to watch on repeat.

Why did she keep all this stuff ? ‘I read into it a kind of sweet sentimentality,' says Chen. ‘She felt deeply about things, and people were important to her.' Many of the objects give an insight into Hadid's personality, and in particular, her playful side. For example, she is pictured on the cover of a publication accompanying her 1989 solo show at Arc en Rêve in Bordeaux, wearing an asymmetrical jacket that she had hand-painted, featuring a single ‘googly eye' tucked into one of its lower corners.

ZHA's head of exhibitions and archive Manon Janssens worked alongside Hadid for more than 20 years and formed a unique insight into her magpie-like ways. ‘The archive was at the centre of her practice. It was never considered a dead repository; it was very much alive and constantly consulted, revisited and used,' she notes. ‘Every detail was important to her, from the clothes she wore to how she lived at home and the office. She never threw anything away. The archive preserves not only the final outcomes but also the evidence of Zaha's creative thinking and development.'

Janssens joined the practice in 2003 as press officer. Hadid was much in demand as a speaker, and the pair often travelled around the world together, with Janssens preparing slides for lectures, responding to press requests and organising press conferences, such as for the Pritzker Prize ceremony at the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg in 2004. At that stage, the archive was recorded on a series of Excel spreadsheets, with items listed mainly if they had been part of exhibitions. There was no full catalogue, but Janssens recalls ‘colourful polaroids glued to boxes to show what was inside'. She says, ‘Zaha would frequently challenge me to locate models or documents at short notice, reinforcing the need for a database that was capable of tracking all things in the archive and its continual growth.'

Janssens left in 2005 for a stint at David Chipperfield Architects, but returned in 2008 to work on the practice's exhibitions, together with Zaha Hadid Design director Woody Yao, and to set up detailed catalogues of its physical and digital assets. These operated as a research tool, while also supporting the regular requests for loans and exhibitions that came from all over the world. Having visited archives at the Tate, Royal Academy, V&A and various global practices, the decision was made to build a bespoke cataloguing system that could deal with specific Hadid requests – for example, automating printing of well-designed product booklets, linking the personal archive to an iPad app, or printing shipping labels.

The bespoke catalogue is still in operation as the brain of the renamed ZHA, but the pre-2016 objects have been physically handed over to the ZHF. While it is understandable that the ZHF chose to adopt a system designed for museum collections (TMS), the bespoke digital platform itself is arguably a Hadid-designed ‘object'. Her dedication to producing such a sophisticated tool reflects the importance of exhibitions to Hadid and the meticulous way she approached them. The system was beautifully designed with graphic icons to symbolise categories of items, and even recorded the clothing Hadid had worn to particular exhibition openings. From 1981 to date, the practice participated in and organised 250 exhibitions, ranging from installations in art galleries and private residences to loans and displays at major retrospective exhibitions, such as those that took place at the Guggenheim in New York (2006), the Design Museum in London (2007), the State Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg (2015), the Palazzo Franchetti in Venice (2016) or, most recently, at the Museum of Contemporary Art and Urban Planning in Shenzhen (2026).

Hadid's creation of the ZHF and her dedication to collecting were part of her commitment to making a better world, and that vision was inseparable from design innovation. The founding document of the charity specifically states that it should ‘advance the public knowledge of modern architecture…and the parametric style.' Today, in the UK at least, parametricism – a style that was synonymous with Hadid – seems out of step with a culture that is more interested in small-scale, artisanal approaches to making buildings. So it seems fair to ask, how will the ZHF be true to Hadid, as well as being, as Chen puts it, ‘relevant to our time'?

Chen believes the notion that Hadid was futuristic is reductive: ‘It relies on a singular notion of what the future looks like,' he says. ‘Zaha was immersed in the present – she didn't think she was futuristic. She was about invention and imagination, re-envisioning spatiality and the ways we live and operate in the here and now.' He chuckles, recalling the famous quote of French philosopher Paul Valéry, ‘The trouble with our times is that the future isn't what it used to be'.

zhfoundation.com

Wallpaper’s 30th-anniversary, October 2026 Guest Editors’ Issue – with guest-edited sections by Es Devlin, Carrie Mae Weems and Palace Skateboards – is available from 3 September, in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Based in San Francisco, Nicole Hollis has created an interior design empire known for merging fine art, fashion and nature. The US400 honoree specialises in high-end residential design, including the recent interior renovation of a Mickey Muennig-designed home, while her studio also delivers sophisticated hospitality spaces for the likes of Rosewood Hotels.

With two books under her belt, an eponymous homeware collection, and a decanter and glass collaboration with tableware brand Saint Louis launching this autumn, Hollis is booked and busy.

Spending time between ‘The Golden City’ and Hawaii, Hollis injects a laid-back coastal temperament into a fast-moving industry, which permeates her hosting style. Colour-coded tablescapes, cocktail making, and a platter of ‘picky-bits’ are all essentials, presented as a 'still life on the table'. However, don’t let the intricate attention to detail fool you, as Hollis’ dream dinner party ends with dancing, wacky ice cream flavours, and a psychedelic expert. This is how we host with Nicole Hollis.

How we Host with Nicole Hollis

Wallpaper*: Are you a relaxed host and pull it all together at the last minute, or is there careful planning?

Nicole Hollis: I'm very relaxed. We just spent two months in Hawaii, and we entertain there with friends, and it's just very laid-back. There's a lot of prep that goes into making it feel less formal. My husband's very good at pre-mixing cocktails. He'll do a pre-mixed Margarita, a Negroni, or an Aperol Spritz. He's just pouring, and everyone's enjoying. We then assemble salads and charcuterie and lots of picky food, but we don't do a lot of formal sit-down dinners. A little bit of preplanning is helpful

W*: Can you cook?

NH: I can cook, but I don't cook very often. When I do, it's very classic dishes. My mother is Italian, so there are a lot of pasta dishes and chicken cacciatore. I usually try to keep it simple: grilled fish or grilled chicken. I don't really do a lot of heavy French cooking.

W*: What was the first dish you perfected to feed a group of friends or family?

NH: I love assembling food more than anything. I think that's my favourite thing. It's all visual for me. For example, I might say everything's going to be black tonight, so the charcuterie board has dark fruit like cherries. It gets out of hand sometimes. It's really about creating a still life on the table, so much so that people ask, ‘Can we touch it?’

W*: Drinks on arrival – what’s on offer?

NH: We usually start with champagne. It's always my favourite. It seems more and more friends are cocktailing than drinking wine, I've noticed. During perimenopause, a lot of the women are like, "I can't drink wine anymore," so we're all cocktailing. Tequila and vodka seem to be a big request.

We have a lot of friends who don't drink alcohol. So there's definitely a mocktail on offer. It's usually a light spritzer using fresh lime, mint, and ginger beer. Nothing too heavy, because some of the non-alcoholic spirits are just not there yet.

W* Go on and tempt us – what’s your go-to menu, from starters to afters, whether homemade or bought in?

NH: The charcuterie board would be presented upon arrival, and then we serve a big grilled or roasted salmon or our roast chicken. My husband, being English, loves a roast with potatoes in duck fat. In San Francisco, we have quite a few vegans or vegetarians. So there's usually a couple of non-meat dishes that we'll serve as well.

We're not really big dessert people. It's usually options for ice cream. We have some pretty good artisan ice cream in San Francisco, so we'll grab those unique flavours, and everyone can try. Smitten has flavours like lavender with olive oil, whiskey with cereal, and sweet corn, and all kinds of fun flavours. I like to surprise people with those.

W*: What’s on your dinner party playlist?

NH: Lots of Britpop, The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem, or we have Prince, The Cure. The Velvet Underground, The Smiths, and Björk. I think it's on the chill side, and nothing too high energy. If we feel like getting up and dancing later, there is always a dance mix on the ready – we do love it when it turns into a dance party. I think it's an excuse to blow off some steam.

W*: Who’s your dream dinner party guest?

NH: Right now, everyone's into psychedelics, so it'd be interesting to have a leading doctor in that field, like Robin Carhart-Harris, because we're all just sort of fascinated with longevity. I also love Louis Theroux. Louis Theroux and a psychedelic specialist; I'm already visualising my mushroom arrangement on the table

W*: Dish the dirt: what should a host never do?

NH: I have been to a party where the host told us what time everyone had to leave. Everyone took offence right away when the invitation arrived. It was a hard "dinner ends at this time." I'm sure there was a good reason, but a hard stop didn't feel welcoming. So I made a note of that, like, never put an end time to your dinner party.

W*: What should a guest never do?

NH: If somebody is planning dinner, and you've RSVPed saying you're coming, and then you don't show, I think that is probably the worst thing for a guest to do.

W*: What’s the secret to a successful evening?

NH: Keep the drinks flowing, the good music playing, and keep everyone engaged. Make sure people don’t break off into little groups, but stay engaged in conversation as a group is important. That's what makes it a great dinner party.

‘There is still quite a narrow visual language around men’s engagement jewellery,’ says Rachel Boston, on the eve of the launch of her collection of ten men’s rings. ‘I wanted to create something design-led and timeless, but with our own design signatures. Rings that feel substantial and masculine, where the interest comes through proportion and form rather than decoration for its own sake.’

London-based jewellery designer Boston, who has made a sculptural sensibility her own, has created wedding bands and bespoke pieces for men before, but felt now was the time to create a collection for men. ‘Relic’, encompassing ten engagement or statement rings in 18ct gold or platinum, distills ancient Roman inspirations into edgy, modern silhouettes.

‘I’ve always loved the forms and heft of Roman signet rings. There’s a sense of permanence to them; the strong proportions and sculptural band shapes have always caught my eye on museum visits,’ says Boston.

‘Roman signet rings would traditionally have been set with carved gemstones such as onyx, garnet and carnelian, but I loved the idea of taking these ancient forms and setting them with modern-cut white diamonds instead. There [seemed] something quite fitting in that combination, the permanence of these forms alongside the diamond, with all its associations with longevity and marriage. It allowed us to reference something ancient while making the pieces feel unmistakably contemporary.’

Boston considers every detail, including the way the diamonds sit in their gold bands, with several of the designs referencing a historical Roman setting technique which outlines the stone in an architectural profile. ‘The starting point was to take these recognisable ancient forms and strip them back. I wanted the historical reference to be felt rather than for the rings to look like replicas,’ Boston adds. ‘It was also about bringing in elements of our own design language. Some pieces incorporate our signature knife-edge setting, giving the metal a sharper and more angular profile around the diamond, while the white diamonds themselves bring a brightness to these heavier gold and platinum forms.

‘That contrast runs through the whole collection: weight and lightness, ancient and modern, something that could feel almost excavated but at the same time very precise. I wanted the rings to carry a sense of history without belonging to the past.’

rachelboston.co.uk

A weekend in the woods – or indeed, any kind of wilderness – has perennial appeal when it entails a stay in a contemporary or vintage cabin. The humble architectural cabin is as romanticised as it is versatile; it may adapt to different terrains, climates and levels of social battery, but its quirky, pared-back allure remains. Here, from a midcentury gem in Sonoma County to an off-grid red hut set in Irish turf and a treetop hideaway swallowed by the Ecuadorian forest, we’ve handpicked ten cabins for design lovers with a discerning eye and a fondness for a good old wooden refuge.

Book ten of the world’s best architect-designed cabin stays

Cedar + Skye, Sea Ranch Living, California, USA

Twenty-five feet separate the floor from the ceiling in Cedar + Skye’s living room – arguably an extravagant gesture in a cabin built for two. Architect Ralph Matheson designed the midcentury home within Sea Ranch, the northern Californian planned community established in the 1960s, and it now belongs to Sea Ranch Living, The Sea Ranch Lodge’s collection of 13 renovated modernist homes. Downstairs, glass walls surround a freestanding wood stove and a kitchen finished with white quartz, Italian appliances and cerulean glass. Meanwhile, the bedroom occupies an open loft, with an en-suite shower, compact workspace and a skylight trained on the treetops and night sky. Stays include access to Sea Ranch’s recreation centres, private beaches and 50-plus miles of hiking trails.

Cedar + Skye is located within Sea Ranch, Sonoma County, California, USA; rates vary by date

Cucu, WestMeath, Ireland

Cucu is the latest addition to Irish company Samsú’s roster of bijou off-grid cabins. An hour from Dublin, the 20 sq m off-grid shelter occupies 350 acres of County Westmeath countryside, its tapered red form punctured by a single circular window. Studio Bucky, led by Irish architect Alexander Buckeridge, oversaw the architecture, merging a compact timber shell with plywood walls, terracotta tiles and copper details. A custom roll-top copper bath calls for rest and relaxation, while a private sauna extends the bathing ritual outside. The analogue kit supplies a cassette player, film camera, journals, dumb phone and local map; there is also a king-sized bed, wood-burning stove and locally roasted coffee.

Cucu is located on the Meath–Westmeath border, Ireland. Rates: from €225

El Hormiguero, Mindo, Ecuador

From the road, El Hormiguero by Añanku Cabins is a charcoal-black triangle half-swallowed by the ferns of Ecuador’s Andean Chocó. Estudio 2850 and Janna Lasso Hadweh positioned the 24 sq m A-frame on nine steel legs, leaving roots and undergrowth undisturbed beneath its blackened timber, metal and glass shell. The roadside flank cleverly comprises the cabin’s services, including a semi-open shower screened by eucalyptus slats, while the south-west façade faces towards Mindo and the mountains beyond. Stairs, tables and partitions shift to accommodate different uses within the compact interior. Upstairs, a ridge skylight opens the bedroom to the sky and funnels daylight down to the lower level when fog settles over the forest. Birdwatching begins on the charred-timber balcony; waterfalls and butterfly farms are nearby, and central Mindo is a seven-minute walk away.

El Hormiguero is located in Mindo, Pichincha, Ecuador; rates vary by date

JR’s Eco Hut, Nangus, Australia

This solid, A-frame wooden structure, designed by Luke Stanley Architects and located in the rolling hills overlooking the bushlands of south-western Australia, resembles the top half of a Swiss chalet, emerging from a gravel bed. A celebration of off-grid living, the eco hut is intended as a place for dropping out and forgetting the rest of the world, a feat facilitated by panoramic views and congenial midcentury élan, thanks to Anthony Hunt Design’s luxuriously minimal treatment of its airy interior. Solar power runs the lights, gas heats the water, and cooking happens outdoors on a Weber barbecue and twin-burner stove. In winter, the wood-fired tub keeps guests outside after dark; in summer, it becomes a plunge pool. In the morning, expect cockatoos returning to roost and a regional-produce breakfast ready to cook.

JR’s Eco Hut is located at 1214 Nangus Rd, Nangus NSW 2722, Australia; rates vary by date

ÖÖD at Sûr Jumigny, France

Sûr Jumigny pairs two mirrored cabins with two rather older neighbours: a 350-year-old wine cellar and a historic dovecote. The Cave cabin has a private terrace above the cellar, while Pigeonnier turns the dovecote’s chalk-white interior into a cold post-sauna shower. Designed and built by Estonian cabin maker ÖÖD House, the structures stand in a wildflower meadow on an old manor estate at the edge of Champagne. Host Godfrey Hill led the interiors and landscape execution, marrying mirrored glass with limestone, long grass and the estate’s 19th-century buildings. Each cabin sleeps two, with a kitchenette, private terrace, sauna and outdoor shower. Naturally, champagne awaits on arrival.

ÖÖD by Sûr Jumigny, 1 Rue du Jeu de Paume, 02160 Jumigny, France; rates from: €220 per night

Pan Treetop Cabins, Finnskogen, Norway

Moominvalley appears to have taken a detour into Finnskogen, leaving three steep, black cabins among the pines. Norwegian architect Espen Surnevik also borrowed from North American A-frames and electricity pylons, raising each 40 sq m structure eight metres above the forest floor on four supports. The cabins occupy the rocky ground lightly and can be removed without leaving a permanent trace. Each sleeps four to six, with heated floors, a kitchen, fireplace and full-height glazing trained on the birch, spruce and pine outside. Elsewhere, reclaimed barn materials frame a hot tub inside the roofless House with Three Walls. Autumn days can be spent hiking, canoeing and tracking elk (or perhaps elves).

Pan Treetop Cabins is located at Gjesåsen, Åsnes, Finnskogen, Norway. Rates from: £407 per night

Scrubby Bay, New Zealand

Scattered across Banks Peninsula, a rocky Pacific headland of muscular ridges, private coves and grassy hills, Annandale’s collection of spacious villas is the work of architect Andrew Patterson of Pattersons. Of the collection, Scrubby Bay comes closest to the ideal of the New Zealand bach: the cedar-clad villa stretches along the beach, with three sea-view suites, an eight-bed bunk room, a deck with a fire pit and an outdoor spa. Arrival, naturally, is effected by helicopter or a panoramic 40-minute drive along cliff-top farm tracks.

Scrubby Bay is located at Pigeon Bay 7583, New Zealand; rates on request

Skyhawk, Vermont, USA

Skyhawk sits in the woods at the foot of Mount Ascutney, with a bike trail tracing the edge of the property. Catherine and VW Fowlkes of Fowlkes Studio redesigned the midcentury cabin as a four-bedroom retreat for eight, opening the upstairs ceiling to create a lofty gathering room. Original wall boards were reused between exposed joists; rubber floors, caged bulkhead lights and custom steel kitchen furniture add a utilitarian note. Bedrooms swap wardrobes for peg rails and open niches, while a former bedroom serves as a timber-lined boot room. Outside, new Accoya cladding is paired with a large deck, where a built-in bench screens the hot tub. There is no TV, but Mount Ascutney makes a strong case for hiking, snowshoeing and skiing.

Skyhawk is located in West Windsor, Vermont, United States. Rates from: $375 per night (two-night minimum)

Vipp Salaca River, Latvia

Vipp Salaca River arrived at its riverside plot one log at a time. The listed fisherman’s house, built in 1876, was dismantled and rebuilt on 180 stones in Salaca National Park, having once served travellers between Riga and Wolmar. Now part of Vipp’s guesthouse portfolio, the 110 sq m cabin has interiors by Julie Cloos Mølsgaard. Dark log walls and a grey-brown ceiling frame a black Vipp V1 kitchen, mirrored fireplace and open living area. Upstairs, the master bedroom – freestanding bathtub included – overlooks the room below; a twin bedroom faces the woods. A separate terrace holds a wood-fired hot tub with panoramic views. The Salaca River Valley is perfect for kayaking, salmon fishing, cross-country skiing, swimming and autumn mushroom hunting.

Vipp Salaca River is located within Salaca National Park, Latvia; rates from: €375 per night (two-night minimum)

Yamanakako 1st, Japan

Two hours from Tokyo beside Lake Yamanaka, Yamanakako 1st forms part of the Sanu 2nd Home’s nationwide network of bookable retreats. Its Bee cabins were designed by Kotaro Anzai of ADX Architects, who combined a mountain-like profile with the structural logic of a honeycomb. Digitally slit cedar bends into curved partitions around the sleeping and work areas, while a floor-to-ceiling window borrows the surrounding woodland as scenery. Domestic timber construction and raised foundations limit disturbance to the site, while vacuum glazing and substantial insulation prepare the cabin for Japan’s humid summers and snow-heavy winters. Each cabin sleeps four, and features a kitchen, workspace and terrace.

Yamanakako 1st is located at Lake Yamanaka, Yamanashi, Japan; sa-nu.com; rates vary by date

Perched on a sleepy residential road in the Vancouver neighbourhood of Kitsilano is a contemporary, cabin-like home. Designed by Canadian firm Scott and Scott Architects (past projects include a farmhouse on the country's West Coast), the house was crafted with longevity in mind, slotting neatly into its leafy plot, garnished with mature oak trees.

Step inside Kitsilano House

Much like its surrounding context – the neighbourhood is known for its outdoorsy aesthetic with streets selling activewear and outdoor gear – Kitsilano House feels suited to a grounded way of living. The design is put together with two distinct parts: the first is a more robust volume, while the other is a delicate ‘cabin’, which is under a canopy of flowering rhododendrons and magnolia trees. Much like a dainty bird's nest nestled within the branches of a sturdy tree.

The clients approached David Scott, founder of the firm, with a desire for a crafted home that would feel like a family heirloom. ‘The site of the home is a stretch of a corridor which is in transition from bungalows to taller, denser buildings,’ explains Scott. ‘Our objective was to design a home which has both a gentle strength and a form of privacy which would be generous to the neighbourhood.’

The result was a residence that offered a living and dining area within the solid-feeling concrete base. On the terrace, a series of flowering trees would create a natural screen to secure more private bedrooms on the two timber floors.

The lower floors have white walls and a western clerestory window to frame the evening sun and bring gentle light in. The living room is tucked into this north side of the house. In contrast to the walls of the street-level living spaces, the home's central core is clad in locally sourced Douglas fir boards extending upwards through the bedroom floors and down into the movie room below. A soothing atmosphere is underlined by the sounds of morning birdsong from the canopy's wild residents. Shelving is built into the walls to display the client’s ceramics, both made and collected.

Scott, who also designed Osler House, a midcentury gem in Vancouver, loves that Kitsilano House is always changing, saying, ‘On the exterior, the plants and split cedar siding and fencing are evolving each season. The joinery within the home is all solid wood, while the cabinetry tops and handrails are all finished in leather to be durable, all of which will show use and age.’

It is these small details that Scott wants to highlight, as they magnify the history of the house and the materials of the region. He notes, ‘The base of the house was formed with the boards from the small bungalow which preceded it, and the hand-split cedar boards, interior fir, and the oak tables which we made in our studio were all sourced from small mills on Vancouver Island.’

A distinct sense of calm permeates all areas at Kitsilano House. As the residence is designed to evolve with time, the shadows and light which disperse through the space add a cinematic quality. Scott concludes, ‘Vancouver has a long grey rainy season which leads to a month in the spring where the quiet streets come alive with magnolias, rhododendrons and wisteria. We wanted to make a home where the warmth of the wood is comforting during winter and which celebrates this colourful spring moment.’

scottandscott.ca

It started with an invitation – to create a birthday cake to mark our 30 years in print, as celebrated in the October 2026 issue of Wallpaper* – sent to visionaries from across the creative industries that represent Wallpaper’s universe. Those that responded included architects, fashion designers, artists, image-makers, chefs, jewellers and furniture designers, all of whom have helped define our first three decades, and who continue to inspire, excite and shape the present and future of their industries. Among them are former Design Awards judges and winners – including Patricia Urquiola, Jon Gray (Ghetto Gastro), Nifemi Marcus Bello (Nmbello Studio) and Objects of Common Interest – alongside many of the creatives who have appeared on our pages over the years, and whose stories we have been proud to tell.

We were ecstatic with the response. Over the course of several weeks, cakes in all shapes and forms flooded our inboxes – both virtual and physical. They came in the form of drawings, objects, photographs and even real, edible cakes. Some ‘bakers’ invited other creatives to join them in the making of their cakes, leading to an ever-expanding constellation of creativity that made this celebration a perfect fit for our first 30 years. Happy birthday to us – now tuck in…

Issey Miyake

Bas Smets

Patricia Urquiola

Dior

ESTÚDIO CAMPANA

Gucci

Lina Ghotmeh

Marchesi 1824

Ma Yansong

Objects of Common Interest

Norman Foster

Rick Owens

Tosin Oshinowo

Kim Gordon

Faye Toogood

Hannah Martin

Georg Jensen

Completedworks

Nmbello Studio

Massimo Vitali

Samuel Ross

Isabel + Helen

We Are Ona

Ghetto Gastro

AA Murakami

Tai Shani

Lee Broom

Patcharivipa

Marcio Kogan

Perfumer H

Wallpaper’s 30th-anniversary, October 2026 Guest Editors’ Issue – with guest-edited sections by Es Devlin, Carrie Mae Weems and Palace Skateboards – is available from 3 September, in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

The Pan-African Biennale 2026 is gearing up to launch on 7 September in Nairobi, Kenya, marking an important global milestone – the continent's first-ever dedicated architecture platform, focusing solely on the built environment of Africa. The emphasis is on creativity and thought leadership from within African countries, rather than from the outside looking in – so exhibits will share spatial stories and designs from African or diasporic studios.

What is the Pan-African Biennale 2026?

The event's inaugural curator, Somali-Italian architect Omar Degan, discussed the festival's mission, vision and scope with us a year ago, and he explained how he hopes it will grow into an important platform for discourse and experimentation in the African continent. Degan (whose past works include Arbe, a Somali café for the community in Mogadishu) worked with the Architectural Association of Kenya (AAK) and its president, architect George A Ndege, to develop the festival, which is due to open next week.

Degan is keen to create a biennale that 'belongs to all of Africa', he explained at the time.

The Pan-African Biennale 2026 theme and structure

The inaugural biennale's theme is Shifting the Center: From Fragility to Resilience. From there, the curator organised the displays around five key topics: 'Shifting the Center', 'Ecologies of Repair', 'Living Archives and Embodied Knowledge', 'Imagining Otherwise, on African futures', and 'Pan-Africanism, the Centre in Motion'.

In a break from a more country-focused approach, the show is organised by climatic zone. Degan explains: 'Practices are grouped by the conditions they actually work in, so the Sahel sits with the Sahel and the coast sits with the coast, and the national border, which was drawn elsewhere and imposed later, does not structure the room. What unifies a group is what nature established and what extraction has done to it, not what a treaty decided.

'Two practices two thousand kilometres apart and separated by four borders often share a soil, a rainfall pattern, a building material and a history of removal, and once the work is arranged that way, the shared knowledge becomes visible immediately. It also removes the comparison the pavilion model invites, where visitors move from country to country, keeping score. Here you move through conditions.'

Brief and exhibitors

There are a total of 54 exhibitors across the Pan-African Biennale 2026 – at least one practice, collective or individual per country. The responses vary, as uniformity was never the goal, the organisers explain. The point was for every nation to be represented. Kenya, as the host, is prominently represented by a group of studios who were asked to work together on a single piece.

Exhibitors were asked to bring their own work and knowledge in a way that relates to the five main themes – 'what the land is doing, what has been inherited and is still being used, what is being archived or lost, and what is being imagined next', Degan explains. They had to show 'evidence rather than image' in order to present process and information rather than focus on aesthetics and an overly curated image. 'The biennale is arguing that African spatial knowledge exists in abundance and has simply not been assembled in one place before, so the brief had to invite proof of that rather than representation of it,' Degan adds.

How were exhibitors selected?

There was no open call for participation for the inaugural Pan-African Biennale. The exhibits were selected through curatorial decisions, which were rooted in local realities and key questions that the event as a whole sought to address: climate, urbanisation, material culture, and future spatial imaginaries.

'The founding position matters here,' Degan says. 'The biennale does not operate a national pavilion model, because that model has always required a country to fund and secure its own representation, which quietly decides in advance which nations appear and which do not. Selecting from within removes that filter. This is the first time African spatial practices have convened under a single curatorial framework built from within the continent.'

Meanwhile, Africa is addressed not merely as a geography but as a range of diasporic cultures, too. As a result, the biennale is a mixture of Africa-based works and diasporic practices. 'The same reasoning produces the climatic organisation of the show,' adds the curator. 'We are grouping people by the conditions and histories they share, not by the lines on a map or the passports they hold.'

Pan-African Biennale 2026 venues

The Kenyatta International Convention Centre is the main biennale hub, hosting the opening and closing events – but the event as a whole is spread across several other venues, mostly in the Ngara district of Naibori. The spaces and activities include an evening film programme at Unseen Nairobi drawn from an international open call.

Degan's intention was to use the city as a continuous backdrop to the biennale, rather than concentrate it all in a single venue where everything unfolds internally, separate from city life.

Programming beyond the exhibits

Beyond the main show and its five topics, a wealth of public programming aims to bring the architectural debate alive and engage with visitors and the wider public. This will include five days of keynote addresses, institutional dialogues, public panels, workshops and site-based encounters. There is also the evening film programme at Unseen Nairobi, selected through an international open call.

Meanwhile, New York's Van Alen Institute has revived its Paris Prize, which has been dormant for three decades. For the biennale, it will be relaunched as the Re:Paris Prize, 'The [prize's] history is the point,' says Degan. 'From 1904 to 1997, the prize sent young architects to study at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, and its winners included William Van Alen himself. It defined architectural merit from a single Western vantage point for over a century. The relaunched prize turns that around, towards reparative and regenerative urbanism across the post-colonial world.'

The winning group will be announced in Nairobi on 10 September, allowing the chosen architects to carry out field research within the continent, 'with an emphasis on communities that have long navigated displacement and exclusion'.

The biennale's future

The Pan-African Biennale's concept is that it will move to a different African city every two years. Nairobi is just the first stop.

Access and tickets

The Pan-African Biennale 2026 will remain open to the public across its Nairobi venues, from 7 to 11 September 2026. General admission to the exhibition and the talks is free.

Tickets and venue details are available at panafricanbiennale.org

When the Wallpaper* Architects' Directory was conceived in 2000, it was built as our bespoke international index of emerging architectural talent. Now in its 25th edition, our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe (now comprising more than 500 alumni) champions the best and most exciting young studios, showcasing inspiring work with an emphasis on the residential realm.

The Wallpaper* Architects Directory 2026

This year's survey features 30 studios (in celebration of Wallpaper's 30th anniversary), which hail from Australia, Bahrain, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Ecuador, France, Ghana, Greece, Ivory Coast, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, India, Morocco, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the US and Vietnam.

Place of Work, Canada

Based in Halifax and Toronto, this young studio, founded in 2022 by Jennifer Esposito, Duncan Patterson and Will Perkins, may still be emerging, but it has a range of ongoing projects across Atlantic Canada and Ontario. It consciously picks commissions that allow it to work very closely with clients and get stuck into the details, while discussions often come back to place. ‘Not as a romantic idea, but as a physical and cultural reality,' they say. ‘Architecture requires deep listening. Climate, topography, material culture and history are forces that shape our approach.

But place doesn't mean anything without people. Architecture begins with human ritual: how people wake, gather and rest.' One of its latest works, A House in a Meadow between the Forest and the Sea, is a retreat for a retired couple on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, and the team drew from the site's conditions to elevate its proposal: ‘Light is treated as an orienting element. Clerestories bring in warmth, while north-facing openings frame views across the meadow. The architecture is shaped by site, climate and use – distinct from the landscape yet deeply tied to it.'

READ MORE HERE

placeofwork.ca

Mattaforma, USA

Founded by Lindsey Wikstrom, Mattaforma scooped the 2026 National Design Award for Emerging Designer from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum. The practice focuses on spaces centred on wellbeing, as well as environments that not only feel organic now, but also grow and adapt over time. Its Parkview Mountain House for Globizen, a city building company and community instigator, is a creative retreat on a forested hillside in Utah for writers, artists and scholars. The architects conceived the residence as a slender timber tower, with knotty cedar interiors, that reduces embodied carbon while creating the feeling of living among the trees.

READ MORE HERE

mattaforma.com

Diana Salvador, Ecuador

The landscape and a communion with nature are the biggest draws for Quito-based architect Diana Salvador, whose practice is driven by a quest for maximum efficiency, a desire for self-reliance, and a profound yearning to be able to build with her own two hands. Within this context, she adopts sustainable architecture principles, often working with eco-friendly materials and low-impact building solutions. ‘Minimising our ecological footprint within construction practices is perhaps the most genuine act of reverence toward nature and the future generations that will inhabit it,' she says.

Located amid subtropical foliage on the Galápagos island of Santa Cruz, Casa Sula is one of Salvador's key examples of respectful, sensitive building systems. The house was prefabricated in Quito over two months. Its components were then transported by sea, and the house was assembled in just 25 days. Smart passive cooling techniques were employed throughout to support the structure's bioclimatic behaviour. ‘What sets me apart is how I inhabit my role as an architect, delivering a housing solution without leaving a scar on the environment,' says Salvador.

READ MORE HERE

@diana_manzana_salvador

Ricehouse, Italy

Founded in Piedmont in 2016 by bio-ecological architect Tiziana Monterisi and Alessio Colombo, a geologist with a background in research and material innovation, Ricehouse transforms the by-products of the rice production supply chain into natural building materials for lower-impact living environments. At the end of their life cycle, the products created can be reused or returned to nature. Its single-storey house Casa LH, in Piedmont, is built using materials sourced from the rice supply chain and is conceived according to the principles of green building. Rice waste is used as insulation between the prefabricated fir panel walls, and external bamboo decking was installed for its durability. Inside, all furnishings, including the bed, table and sofa structure, were constructed from oak.

A mechanical ventilation system provides for heating and cooling, while the majority of the triple-glazed openings are located on the south elevation and feature a low-emissivity coating. A garden roof provides natural thermal regulation and filtration, and is a haven for biodiversity. Trees and plants, such as the existing wisteria, provide shading – this dies back in the winter to allow passive solar gain. The team's architectural approach is part of a wider biological and territorial system. ‘We work with materials often overlooked and transform them into building solutions with a strong environmental and cultural value,' they say. ‘What motivates us is the possibility of giving new value to a resource that is considered a waste.'

READ MORE HERE

ricehouse.it

Templeton Ford, UK

Based in London and Sussex, this studio, founded in 2025 by André and Jessica Templeton Ford, draws on vernacular architecture and craft traditions to create buildings that feel inseparable from their setting but have a distinct sense of character that enlivens everyday life. This often results in work that looks unexpected, yet as if it had always been there. Clay Rise, in Hoathly Hill, balances heritage and contemporary architectural expression by using traditional Sussex brick and a distinctive sloping roofline. The house is constructed from a prefabricated timber frame system and is embedded deep into the site, creating a slope to the rear and a dramatic curved form.

READ MORE HERE

templetonford.com

Hitotomori, Japan

Founded in 2019 in Nara, near Mount Kasuga Primeval Forest, by Yoshiaki Nagasaka, Hitotomori (a name with a dual meaning in Japanese: either ‘people and forest' or ‘one light') is located in a renovated, 140-year-old multipurpose machiya building with a small shop/café (run by Nagasaka's wife), a one-room hotel (run by the studio), and the architectural office of its small team of five people. Having worked for a large general contractor for almost 30 years, Nagasaka longed for more freedom and ‘the opportunity to pursue more creative projects in an environment where I could work closely with friends,' he says, describing his reasons for setting up his own practice. ‘This freedom is now the driving force behind my work.'

Completed in 2024, the House in Asuka is quintessentially Hitotomori. Designed over five months and built in six, the compact 65 sq m home sits on a corner site in the small village of Asuka in Nara Prefecture. It is partly screened from the two roads by a simple wooden fence, above which only the tiled roof, required by local regulations, is visible. Concrete steps set in grey gravel lead up to a small porch and the front door. Inside, the interior is kept simple, with cedar floorboards, lauan doors and bespoke furniture, painted walls, and Hitotomori's original concrete tiles forming the kitchen splashback. Nagasaka added several small loft spaces, accessible by a staggered staircase in one location and a simple ladder in another, while lighting is provided by one of Nagasaka's collaborators, New Light Pottery, with its ‘Mob 26' wall lamp used throughout the space.

READ MORE HERE

hitotomori.net

Marilia Pellegrini, Brazil

Marilia Pellegrini set up her studio in São Paulo in 2016, having learned from some of Brazil's most prominent architects. ‘Gustavo Penna taught me poetry. The sensitivity of a project begins with the pencil stroke. Rene Gonzalez, a master of composition and trained by Richard Meier, taught me that no line exists on its own. He taught me to compose. Last but not least, Arthur Casas taught me balance – colour scheme, textures and materials, harmony – between curves and straight lines.'

Conceived as the ultimate urban sanctuary, Casa das Palmeiras, located in the São Paulo enclave of Alphaville, is a low-lying, single-storey, modernist-inspired volume, slightly sunken into the terrain and engulfed in greenery from a leafy garden framed by palm trees. Behind a relatively opaque street-facing exterior, a flowing, breezy interior unfolds, where indoor and outdoor living spaces blend seamlessly. A neutral, predominantly light-coloured surface palette underlines a softness inside and out, composed of beige stone and pale wood. The project includes four bedroom suites, a guest bathroom, a gym and an expansive, open-plan living space for relaxing, cooking and entertaining.

Read more about Marilia Pellegrini

mariliapellegrini.com

Civil, Bahrain/Kuwait

Founded in 2017, Civil is the brainchild of Ali Ismail Karimi and Hamed Bukhamseen, who ask what it means to ‘produce architecture in a decidedly uncivil time.' Sited in the suburban neighbourhood of Diyar Al Muharraq in Bahrain, House with Seven Gardens inverts the ancient courtyard typology of Gulf region houses, using the space created by mandatory plot setbacks to generate a series of miniature courtyard gardens, balancing privacy traditions with contemporary building codes.

Read more about Civil

civilarchitecture.org

Goy, Singapore

The Singaporean perspective is invaluable in the work of Goy Zhenru. ‘Years of working in Southeast Asia has shaped my belief in vernacular intelligence and regional specificity,' she says. ‘I design for the equatorial climate, drawing inspiration from local traditions while interpreting them in a contemporary voice.'

Namly, in Bukit Timah, was a 1950s single-storey house with important sentimental value. The family home's seven users were in need of more space, but the building's architectural features were much loved. Adding a sympathetic extension was key to the solution. Goy's strategy integrated a newly landscaped courtyard garden with a material palette of cement, sand tiles and brickwork, referencing the original design.

Read more about Goy

goyarchitects.com

Deroche Projects, Ghana

Civic, community-centred work sits at the heart of DeRoche Projects, the Accra-based studio founded in 2022 by Glenn DeRoche. Recent completions include the Backyard Community Club, a youth-focused community and sports centre in Accra's Osu neighbourhood, with an innovative rammed-earth structure. The studio is currently developing several residential schemes, both single and multi-family housing, explored with the same experimental spirit and eco-friendly materials as all past, more public-facing works.

Its Aburi Artist Retreat, a short drive from Accra, is a residential project idyllically set within seven acres of forest overlooking the leafy Akwapim Ridge. Conceived as a family of structures, the project negotiates its site's steep level changes while remaining discreet and organically embedded into its natural surroundings. The result is a campus of six pavilions of varying sizes, connected through pathways across the landscape, designed to encourage interaction with nature. The design consists of dwellings, space for artists' residencies, a wellness pavilion, a private gallery, a padel court and a productive farm. Large glazed expanses set on deeply recessed façades ensure both effortless visual and physical connections with the outdoors and shading to support thermal comfort indoors. Meanwhile, all primary materials, craft methods and labour have been sourced from within the country.

Read more about Deroche Projects

derocheprojects.com

Studio Mehta, Kenya

Amar Mehta founded his studio in his hometown of Nairobi in 2019, ‘driven by the idea of creating work that feels rooted in Kenya while pushing contemporary design forward through thoughtful detail, local materials and collaborative thinking'. Ua House, Mehta's own home, a 120 sq m residence set among rich foliage on the Kilifi coast, blends traditional Omani and Swahili design. All set on a single level, it involves a luxurious relationship with the outdoors through the presence of numerous outdoor areas. Mehta's goal was to showcase what can be achieved by clever decisions and a hyperlocal approach.

Read more about Studio Mehta

studiomehta.com

Solar.xyz, Spain

Founded by Pablo Canga and Ana Herreros in 2022, this young studio won the COAM Emerging Award in Spain in 2024, the same year its Casa Castelar project, a refurbished house in the 19th-century Madrid Moderno enclave, was completed just outside the Spanish capital. Blending old and new to craft a 21st-century family home, the studio added thermal insulation, aerothermal solutions and cross-ventilation where necessary, reducing the house's energy consumption by more than 70 percent.

Read more about Solar.xyz

solarestudio.xyz

Nwankpa Design, USA

Founded in Southern California in 2016 by Susan Nwankpa Gillespie, this studio creates spaces rooted in bold elegance, paying particular attention to the human experience and the power of storytelling. ‘Our approach is immersive and experiential, treating space as moments in a larger narrative that unfold as you move through it,' says Nwankpa Gillespie.

In Inglewood, California, a dress owned by Nwankpa Gillespie was the source of inspiration for Textile House 2, its colourful West African prints transplanted into an architectural form, uniting bold patterns with minimalism. The façade mimics that of the neighbouring houses – two pitched gables with one framing a porch and the other a picture window. On closer inspection, exterior brick patterns take a graphic quality, as the solid black offset brick contrasts with the soft grey mortar, similar to a woven textile. Towards the rear, the house adopts a more modern language, with wider gables framing two distinct entrances to the residence's living spaces and the primary bedroom. Inside, the brick pattern continues through the flooring, allowing spaces to seamlessly flow into one another, divided only by colour and materiality.

Read more about Nwankpa Design

nwankpadesign.com

Farid Karim, UK

Farid Karim, who founded his studio in 2021 in London, gravitates towards creating spaces with ‘strong identities that emerge from close collaboration with clients, careful attention to context, and a deep engagement with materials.' The biggest influence on the studio is the relationship between architecture and craft, drawing inspiration from Art Deco and modernist interiors, and contemporary art. Karim's approach is further enhanced by an active artistic practice, with work exhibited at past Royal Academy Summer Exhibitions. This fusion of art, architecture and design informs a philosophy that values spatial experience and material expression.

Deco House, in West London, eschews the more subdued, contemporary extensions of terraced homes in favour of a bold, neo-art deco style. The design increases the original floorplan from around 100 sq m to 170 sq m, through the loft and rear ground floor addition and summer outhouse, as well as a reconfiguration of space internally. Drawing on Art Deco references, the extension plays with colour, texture and materiality, using glazed ceramic tiles, brass fixtures and timber finishes, complemented by marble worktops, to create a warm, cohesive finish. The landscape of the garden also plays a role – an existing koi pond was integrated into the design as well as a curvy summer house, used as a home office – with the entire project showcasing the studio's keen interest in ‘how materials age, how light interacts with surfaces, and how carefully considered details can enrich everyday life.'

Read more about Farid Karim

faridkarimdesign.com

Atelier KO, Benin

Osvaldo Gounon and Kemi Amede founded Atelier Ko in 2022 to help improve the architectural landscape in West Africa, and the team is inspired by local culture, materials, climate and ways of living. Benin itself is the strongest influence on their practice, but they are also driven by ‘the need to reinterpret local know-how in a contemporary way, so that our projects are not nostalgic, but anchored and relevant.' For their Maison Itan project, the restoration of a traditional Afro-Brazilian house, the façade was renovated and finished in a pink Siena earth coating. Bespoke timber joinery was employed for the columns, decking and screening, while the roof was covered in terracotta tiles that complement the façade's pink hue.

READ MORE HERE

atelier-ko.com

Moyésoa, Ivory Coast

Founded by William Tailly and Natacha Djédjé in 2024, Moyésoa translates to ‘house of happiness' in the Baoulé language, embodying an essence imbued into every aspect of their work. The studio, which will be representing Ivory Coast at the inaugural Pan-African Architecture Biennale, seeks to ‘reveal the beauty of local materials and forgotten construction knowledge while responding to contemporary ways of living.'

Its Pavilion Essoa is an eco-lodge built on the edge of a lagoon, surrounded by botanical gardens. Inspired by tropical vernacular architecture, the villa is designed around ecological and bioclimatic principles, combining modularity, self-sufficiency and contemporary design. Rammed earth walls and terracotta floors regulate indoor temperatures, while wooden screens, with removable plexiglass panels, allow for natural ventilation and thermal insulation. The villa is powered by solar panels and also features a private well for water. The architects say, ‘Instead of importing architectural languages, we reinterpret local construction traditions through modern spatial thinking, refined detailing and carefully crafted atmospheres.'

READ MORE HERE

@moyesoa

Dehli Grolimund, Switzerland

Founded by Christian Dehli and Andrea Grolimund in Zurich in 2019, this studio is driven by curiosity and a belief in architecture's afterlife. The late Japanese architect Kazuo Shinohara remains a key influence, and its reconstruction of his Umbrella House shows the studio at its most forensic. Originally built in Tokyo in 1961, it was saved from demolition and relocated to the Vitra Campus in Weil am Rhein, Germany, in 2020. The studio oversaw the reconstruction with scholarly precision, from site positioning to materials, colours, documentation and possible future uses.

READ MORE HERE

dehligrolimund.com

Othmane Bengebara Studio, Morocco

This studio was founded in 2020 by French-Moroccan architect and designer Othmane Bengebara, who has contributed to prestigious projects from royal residences to global Louis Vuitton flagship stores, under the direction of Peter Marino. Recent studio projects include the scenography for the Uzbekistan Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, and it is currently planning a private aviation facility in Morocco for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

DDAR House, in Essaouira, is a minimalist villa conceived as both a private retreat and a place for gatherings. The house is made up of interconnected spaces, a sequence of living areas and bedrooms, and each one has a distinct atmosphere and maintains a close relationship with the landscape. The restrained palette allows the architecture to sit quietly within the setting. The house also takes a sustainable approach, using passive ventilation, solar energy and water management systems.

READ MORE HERE

@othmane.bengebara

Dharq, Chile

Founded in 2019 in Santiago by Patricio Huidobro, Dharq is motivated by the question of how architecture can enable habitation in territories where infrastructure is scarce or absent. The studio is interested in how minimalist structures can organise space and climate to support daily living.

Chile's Casablanca Valley is just 30km from the Pacific Ocean, welcoming sea breezes and a refreshingly cool climate. Nestled in this coastal valley is Sliding Doors House (Casa Corredera), a single-family dwelling surrounded by pine forests and agricultural land. Dharq explores the relationship between indoor and outdoor living through the installation of 22 sliding panels. These sliding doors help regulate light, ventilation and privacy. The structure takes on a form similar to a pavilion. Its lightweight timber form is topped by a galvanised steel roof, which is suspended on concrete piers, allowing it to be raised above its context. When the panels are opened, the residence becomes an open space, fully immersed in the environment. Says Huidobro, ‘The architecture operates less as a fixed object and more as a climatic device capable of modulating transparency, air and views throughout the day.'

READ MORE HERE

dharq.cl

In Sinu, France

Founded in 2024 by Cassandre Verdier and Elena Cadouin, and based between Paris and Barbizon, In Sinu means ‘within the folds', a phrase that reflects its philosophy. ‘More than in situ, we seek to create an architecture that settles within the folds of a territory to establish a meaningful relationship between place and project.' Maison de l'Orée, nestled in woodland in Barbizon, is clad in ochre-toned timber, which mirrors the site's pine trees and foliage. Inside, the natural material palette continues with oak joinery and a sandstone fireplace. A brushed stainless steel kitchen island adds a contemporary touch, as well as reflecting both daylight and the shifting shadows of the trees.

READ MORE HERE

insinuarchitectes.com

Pensaer, UK

Based in London, and founded by Rhys Howell Owen in 2020, Pensaer (Welsh for ‘lead craftsman') focuses on a collaborative approach, working with skilled makers and craftsmen to make every space seem effortless and memorable. ‘At the start of every project, we ask clients: “What is your architecture?”,' says Howell Owen. ‘This opens up a conversation about how someone lives, what they value, what materials they are drawn to, and what kind of spaces feel right for them.' Born from a desire to create a ‘warm and welcoming' feeling for his clients, Clay House, in Peckham Rye, boasts a new extension that provides multiple pockets for putting one's feet up, as well as a muted colour palette of warm oak joinery and concrete flooring. A kitchen skylight filters light throughout the space, dappling walls with rays of sunshine.

READ MORE HERE

pensaer.london

Kaviar, India

Kasturi Wagh and Vineet Hingorani studied architecture in Mumbai, then at New York's Pratt Institute, before setting up Kaviar. From characterful Mumbai cafés to home interiors that balance personality with practicality, you won't find them following trends. Secluded upon its own peninsula, House by the Lake, in Kamshet, Maharashtra, has been imagined as a series of ‘viewing galleries' that accentuate the serenity of the water, with the architects describing it as ‘a vessel to reunite with nature'. Stone-clad walls ground the house in the landscape, with concrete and wood bringing texture to the minimalist interiors, while soaring ceilings and vast windows give an airy feel.

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@kaviar.collaborative

Local Local, Greece

Founded in Athens in 2022 by Sofia Xanthakou, after completing degrees at New York's Pratt Institute and Harvard, Local Local keeps away from transient trends, preferring to use fluidity and intuition as key tools. ‘Architecture, for me, is a rewarding, iterative journey rather than just an end product,' says Xanthakou. ‘I love the process of design, starting from an idea or rough sketch and seeing it come to life after lots of hard work, meticulous planning, and a good amount of trial and error. I've learnt not to view failure as a setback but as a necessary step in the evolution of my practice. Design isn't a linear process, and I find that so fulfilling.'

Plaka House, in the ancient Athenian neighbourhood of Plaka, is a fitting example of Xanthakou's work. The reimagining of a 19thcentury neoclassical townhouse, on a narrow stone-paved alley, draws out the area's character and the original building's features, bringing them into the 21st century. Living spaces, bedrooms, guest and staffrooms, an office and a tranquil courtyard span across two levels, clad in an almost entirely white palette across walls, ceilings and joinery. The ground level's typical Athenian terrazzo flooring was uncovered and restored, while light grey solid oak was used on the upper floor bedrooms, underlining a warmer, more private space. A rooftop terrace, offering views across the city to the Acropolis, is an added bonus.

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localocal.org

Høyer, Denmark

Thomas Høyer, who founded his studio in 2022 in Ebeltoft, Jutland, works on a variety of projects that explore architecture's relationship with nature. The studio's House in Ebeltoft project exemplifies how gentle architectural construction and a preference for organic materials can offer a result that is friendly to its natural surroundings. Placed gently on a high plateau formed of ancient glacial meltwater valleys and hills during the last ice age, this modest timber house is defined by its prominent roof with deep overhangs and a central atrium that connects users with the tree canopy and sky above.

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hoyerarkitektur.co

Exutoire, Vietnam

Founded in Oslo in 2019 by Paul-Antoine Lucas and Bui Quy Son, the now-Hanoi-based studio works across design, building, curating, teaching, writing and publishing, with subjects ranging from queer methodologies and transnormativity in public space to housing rights and collective life. They will co-curate the Luxembourg Pavilion at the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale with Céline Zimmer. Their first book, Housing, Micropolitics, and Pedagogies: Designing and Practising Collectivity, was published by Ruby Press in 2025. They are especially drawn to renovation and adaptation, treating existing buildings as evidence of social life rather than raw material for erasure.

22YB1 is Exutoire's house and studio in central Hanoi. It renovates an early-1990s tube house, the long, narrow housing type that shifted state-subsidised living to the market-oriented real estate sector following Vietnam's 1986 economic reforms. The plot is only 3m wide by 12m deep, across three and a half storeys, presenting a compact urban condition with familiar problems: darkness, poor ventilation, limited durability. Exutoire's intervention is surgical. The staircase moves from the middle to the rear; rooms open up so air and light can travel. The front façade keeps traces of the old house, while the rear is rebuilt in glass brick for ambient light. New windows and an open stairwell improve cross and stack ventilation. The material palette has a useful bluntness: granito, raw concrete, galvanised steel, corrugated metal, white paint, yellow tiles, royal blue cabinets and lacquer-red handrails.

The ground floor hosts Exutoire's studio; above, the house is arranged for non-nuclear living, guests and friends. A bas-relief on the façade marks its address and completion date, giving the renovation a civic note as well as a domestic one.

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exutoireexutoire.com

Various Associates, China

From a skatepark in Qinhuangdao to an Adidas flagship in Seoul, the work of Various Associates is indeed varied. As well as architects, the Shenzhen-based studio, co-founded by Qianyi Lin and Dongzi Yang in 2017, also employs artists, material engineers, and graphic and experience designers, resulting in spaces where architecture, art and technology are blended and experiential potential is endless.

Gong's House, in Yongjia, is designed for the families of six siblings, and its challenge was to consolidate cross-generational needs and a rural-urban divide of lifestyles. Spacious rooms are linked and layered with open connections, while natural light and countryside views flow in through the abstract composition of windows that pepper the façade.

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various-associates.com

Syn, Saudi Arabia

Founded in 2018 by Sara Alissa and Nojoud Alsudairi, Syn looks to create buildings that are contextually aware. The pair are the co-founders of saudiarchitecture.org, which aims to research and archive modernist and postmodernist buildings in Saudi Arabia, and have also established the Um Slaim collective, a critical investigation into the displacement of vernacular Najdi architecture. In Najd, traditional houses are built from mudbricks, while the roofs and doors are made from tamarisk wood. Using this as inspiration, Syn created Project Orion, comprising three villas, as a contemporary response.

Located in Riyadh, the three villas showcase how openness, light and outdoor living can coexist with seclusion. Each was carefully situated to allow in natural light, while balancing selective views. The limestone façade highlights the fortress-like silhouette, which merges into the landscape, and instead of the typical jutting-out balconies, terraces are carved into the building's mass, providing both privacy and shade. Imbued with a sense of cool sturdiness, as well as a play of shadow and light, Project Orion feels deeply rooted in place while offering a contemporary slant to the city's landscape.

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syn.sa

Fineline, New Zealand

Founded by Magdalena Garbarczyk and Mathew Hay in Aotearoa in 2021, Fineline holds to a simple principle: keep only what's necessary, choose materials that age honestly, and resist anything added for show. For its Sharlands House, in the South Island town of Nelson, the studio captures the natural rhythms of daily life without any whistles and bells. The timber-lined space creates cosy cocoons to retreat to, while the kitchen feels like a warm embrace when it glows in the late afternoon sun.

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finelinearchitecture.co.nz

MGAO, Australia

Founded in 2016 by Matt Goodman, MGAO likes to strip back complex project briefs and inject them with a minimalist simplicity. For the Olive Street Cabin, perched on a hillside in Separation Creek, Victoria, he faced a challenging client – himself. The modern fibro beach shack is designed to reinstate the character of the region's houses lost in a 2016 bushfire. A contemporary take on 1950s holiday cabins, this single-storey rectangular volume is robust and bushfire-safe, constructed from Colorbond steel, blackbutt timber, and Barestone cladding, while the back window wall frames the ocean. Every detail serves the sole purpose to enjoy the views.

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mgao.com.au

Studio Khoa Vu, US / Vietnam

Khoa Vu founded his practice in 2023. Moving towards international work sparked an interest in how spatial traditions evolve through daily life, weather, and material economies. Many of his projects begin by studying spatial heritage, such as overlooked building types and vernacular houses. ‘Working between the US and Southeast Asia offers a distinctive vantage point,' he says. ‘The studio navigates rapidly changing urban conditions while remaining attentive to vernacular intelligence and cultural continuity.'

Lunar Cavern, in Ho Chi Minh City, is a perfect example of a residence grounded in culture and climate. The studio worked alongside its musician-artist client to transform a duplex residence, using the moon and its cycles as the main source of inspiration. The interior flows with smooth, curved plastered walls, which create a cave-like atmosphere.

Inspired by the bright side of the moon, the entrance hall and living area feature dynamic double-height ceilings, arched detailing and rough-textured surfaces speckled with sunlight. Upstairs, the dark side of the moon casts its shadowy influence. Up a spiral staircase is a moody, Venetian-red studio space designed for deep thinking. The darkness offers comfort, rather than austerity, inviting creative introspection and an intimate retreat from the city. Carved openings layer light, shadow and depth while framing selective views toward the Saigon River.

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khoavu.com

Upon entering this year’s Homo Faber – the fourth edition of the biennial showcase staged on Venice’s San Giorgio Maggiore – visitors find a workshop caught in a moment of pause. Tools and materials lie scattered across benches; illuminated shelves are strewn with models, maquettes, samples and dust, as though the artisans have momentarily stepped outside. Then, from the darkness at the far end of the room, a screen flickers into life with footage of skilled hands at work. Narrated in the soothing voice of British artist and stage designer Es Devlin, the exhibition’s artistic director (and a new Wallpaper* guest editor), the film prepares us for the onward journey.

‘As you meet each piece, you're meeting a pair of hands and a body and a mind – a conduit to place, conditions, culture, weather, ideas and time,' says Devlin. 'Every object was made in a room like this, at a table covered in tools and trash, each found its form from chaos.' A door swings open and we are ushered through.

It is exactly this kind of atmospheric scene-setting – Devlin’s ability to harness light and sound to create an almost spiritual experience – for which she has become globally renowned, from stage designs for Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour and U2’s residency at the Sphere in Las Vegas to the kinetic UK Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. At Homo Faber, she follows in the footsteps of film director Luca Guadagnino and architect Nicolò Rosmarini, who directed the 2024 edition.

The biennial is produced by the Michelangelo Foundation, a Geneva-based nonprofit established in 2016 by Richemont chairman Johann Rupert and Italian cultural entrepreneur Franco Cologni. Rupert serves as its president, while his daughter Hanneli Rupert, the Foundation’s executive vice-president, has led the development of Homo Faber since 2022. Devlin’s ability to combine large-scale scenography with an emphasis on individual human stories makes her a natural choice.

Across the sequence of 15 spaces that follows, we encounter a potentially overwhelming array of more than 700 objects by over 500 makers from upwards of 70 countries. Using this year’s theme, An Island of Light, as an organising principle, Devlin has structured the exhibition around different ways of perceiving craft: maker, silhouette, material, element, process, translucency, colour and sound. By doing so, she encourages us to slow our pace and look at familiar materials and objects anew.

In An Alphabet of Objects a circular rotating structure that you can walk in and around (something of a Devlin trademark, seen this year in Milan and at Castle Howard, UK) carries more than 100 works across it shelves. Visitors can examine the objects from all angles as they slowly sail past, casting extraordinary shadows on the walls.

Further on, in Fondazione Giorgio Cini’s former 1960s swimming pool, a glowing semicircular shelf laden with rotund vessels emerges from the water like a rising moon, illuminating the darkened space. In the background, Devlin recites Jean Toomer’s Evening Song: ‘Full moon rising on the waters of my heart, / Lakes and moon and fires, / Cloine tires, / Holding her lips apart.’

Called Full Moon Rising, the display pays homage to the Korean moon jar – a centuries-old functional vessel with a moon-like silhouette made of two halves – through specially commissioned interpretations handcrafted in ceramics, paper, glass, metal and other materials displayed in two rows that run along either side of the pool. The effect is hypnotic, encouraging visitors to lose themselves in their surfaces. From the rock-like texture of Patricia Shone’s Earth Jar to the six tentacles and countless eyes of Heidi Tarver’s Moon over the Pacific, each one invites closer inspection.

In A Rooted Ascent, Devlin asked the curators to find objects made exclusively from materials that had 'started as a seed' – including wood, reeds and lacquer. What interests her is the extraordinary variety produced by human hands from this shared organic origin – from the wild, untamed form of pieces like Andrea Mancuso's Silva chair made in collaboration with master carpenter Luciano Tousco, to Heechan Kim’s staggeringly intricate #20 sculpture, in which maple veneer is bent into flawless curves and stitched with copper wire.

In An Atelier Alive guests are given the chance to see the master artisans at work. In a polished studio space surrounded by dozens of completed masterpieces, embroiderer Laura Baverstock told us about the 200 hours she spent creating a watch dial for Vacheron Constantin featuring a prowling tiger, worked in nine-carat yellow- and white-gold embroidery wire, specially developed black ceramic-coated wire and green silk. Across all three editions attended by Wallpaper*, these encounters with makers have consistently proved the exhibition’s most illuminating element.

'The main protagonists of this work are the artisans themselves, they are the rockstars for me,' Devlin stressed, and for much of the exhibition this is overwhelmingly true: their 500 portraits even constitute one of its 15 immersive installations. In some of the more visually stimulating spaces, however, the scenography occasionally threatens to eclipse the work it was designed to illuminate.

Inside the dizzyingly mirrored An Infinite Birdsong, for example, it is easy to become absorbed by the kaleidoscopic experience rather than the individual pieces of bird- and insect-inspired jewellery. It reveals the tightrope Devlin must walk throughout: how to use spectacle to command attention for craft without allowing spectacle to become the principal attraction.

In an era of artificial intelligence, algorithmic sameness and frictionless consumption, it is moving to witness the extraordinary dedication these artisans bring to their work. An Island of Light treats craft as embodied knowledge, illuminating the intimate relationship between human hands, natural materials and time – forms of intelligence that are increasingly at risk of being undervalued.

'When I was a teenager, there was a famous song by Grace Jones called “Slave to the Rhythm”,' remarked Homo Faber’s general director Alberto Cavalli at the opening. 'I’m afraid this new generation is becoming rather slave to the algorithm.' Manual skill, he argued, offers young people a means of affirming their individuality, vision and creativity.

Homo Faber is, in part, an exercise in resisting the digital trend: giving forms of specialist knowledge an international platform and demonstrating that, far from nostalgic, they remain capable of evolution. Here, makers and their work are treated with a degree of theatrical seriousness more commonly reserved for fine art.

Yet the exhibition also advances a particular conception of craft: exceptional, rarefied, exquisitely staged and frequently aligned with the luxury market. That is hardly accidental. Richemont’s maisons depend upon the proposition that hand skill, rarity, time and inherited knowledge imbue an object with value. Supporting the craft ecosystem is therefore not wholly detached philanthropy; it also protects the skills and value system upon which brands including Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpels and Vacheron Constantin rely.

This does not make Homo Faber’s mission disingenuous. Rather, it reveals the complexity – and perhaps the effectiveness – of the enterprise: cultural, philanthropic and commercial interests collide in a shared argument for the value of human making. At its best, An Island of Light makes that argument powerfully.

Homo Faber runs until 30 September 2026, Fondazione Giorgio Cini, San Giorgio Maggiore Island, Venice

homofaber.com

The latest hot ticket to arrive in London is not yet another velvety underground watering hole in the city's centre, but a chic midcentury-style salon for a creative posse. Bar Blondie sits amid the buzz of Queen’s Park’s Lonsdale Road, which has recently seen an influx of mews buildings turned into atmospheric restaurants, including Pyrá and Don’t Tell Dad.

The opening is driven not so much by the rock’n’roll associations of its name as by country-and-western influences and the artistic inclinations of award-winning sommelier Alexandra Price (most recently head of wine at Michelin-starred Plates) and Aussie restaurateur Elliot Milne (founder of Silver Tree Restaurants). The duo collaborated with architecture and design studio Macaulay Sinclair on the charming, intriguing interiors, and with Ryan Stanier, founder of The Other Art Fair, on the engrossing art curation.

Wallpaper* dines at Bar Blondie, London

The mood: Once upon a time in Queen’s Park

Queen’s Park’s rich history of influential creative residents and Lonsdale Road’s recent creative reinvention are palpable in the choices that shaped the interior. The mews’ architectural bones allowed an eccentric country-and-western theme to play alongside the leading idea: an artist’s residence. ‘We used legendary Italian director Sergio Leone, creator of some of the most culturally significant spaghetti westerns of all time, as one of our muses. The name “Blondie” comes from Clint Eastwood’s character in The Good, the Bad and the Ugly,’ says co-founder Elliot Milne.

A sleek bar in stained sapele and burl wood anchors the intimate 45-cover room; its shelves are layered with records, midcentury books, vases and lamps sourced through Vinterior. Bar-stool backrests are upholstered in Nobilis Paris’ golden, cowhide-like Velours Faon, while vintage chrome dining chairs by Gastone Rinaldi – sourced by Milne and reupholstered by Craftwood UK Interiors – sit beside plush banquettes conceived with the ease of a living-room sofa. Country-inflected prints lend the upholstery a homely, slightly raw character.

Macaulay Sinclair worked with LightOn on a scheme combining architectural fixtures with custom dim-to-warm bulbs. ‘Every western saloon has a chandelier, so we found one in Murano glass,’ Milne explains. ‘We also have Murano glass wall lights between the vintage prints.’

Designed by Tateside, the sound system plays a collection of new and second-hand vinyl curated with the help of Audio Gold in north London. Art provides another dimension to the wood-panelled walls: Lucy Robson created the tender commissioned work As Above, So Below, while original spaghetti-western posters came from At the Movies Posters in Marylebone. Among them are a limited-release 1970s Japanese poster for the Dollars Trilogy and two black-and-white photographic stills from the set of For a Few Dollars More, dated 1967.

The food: the best of both worlds

The word ‘bar’ rather undersells the kitchen. Its concise, deftly executed menu draws on head chef Alastair Walling’s background in southern French cuisine and executive chef Alexander Busca’s Italian heritage. A selection of snacks and small plates begins proceedings: Maldon oysters with champagne mignonette; thinly sliced Wagyu bresaola best paired with the house focaccia; and a cherry and pineapple tomato salad with black olive tapenade. It is an unspoken rule that you can judge a restaurant by the quality of its tomatoes. These make a persuasive case.

Handmade on-site each day, pasta acts as the backbone of the menu. Choose between creamy fazzoletti with Devon crab, chilli and lemon, or punchy paccheri alla vodka with ’nduja and pecorino. From the grill, the Provençal-inspired monkfish tail is served with mussels and samphire in a broth sharpened by peppery aïoli. Room for dessert? Don’t miss the red Mayan chocolate mousse with apricot and a gentle drizzle of olive oil.

While the cocktail list covers enduring favourites – namely the Vodka Martini and Venetian Select Spritz – the comprehensive wine list is a love letter to the arts. It opens with a section titled The Writer, celebrating Joan Didion while exploring historic and rare grape varieties, before continuing to The Actor, which champions inventive winemaking and independent producers. The Architect, a nod to Ray Eames, spans classic and contemporary styles, while The Director, inspired by Sergio Leone, spotlights iconic estates and singular cuvées.

Bar Blondie is located at 19-21 Lonsdale Rd, London NW6 6RA, United Kingdom

How would you describe what you do?

I'm a storyteller, a seeker, an instrument, a sponge. I recognise patterns that are right in front of us. At some point, I take my hands off the wheel and trust in divine providence. I tend to arrive at stories that most of us don't see any value in bringing to life.

Why do you do it?

In service of god and humanity.

Who or what inspires you?

My father.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

Skateboarding was my first love really. And the truth is, she is still with me to this day. Our relationship has changed a lot over the years, but I guess the repetitiveness of it is in line with what I do today. When you're a kid, you spend hours on end alone somewhere learning to jump on your skateboard. It's the same with storytelling. You show up and you don't mind looking stupid while doing it. Face yourself and what's right in front of you, regardless of how you feel about it. When I first found skateboarding as a kid, there was no holding back. I allowed myself to become one with it. Both my inner world and my outer world were filled with this thing that I deeply loved and wanted to keep exploring.

That's all I did. That's all my mates did. And I never questioned it. Even if my board broke and I couldn't afford a new one, I never worried about where that next board would come from. And yet it all worked out.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

It's like a childhood friend that you slowly grew apart from. He's got a big beautiful family now and you know he's doing great things in the world because the people around you tell you about him. I smile inside every time. When we reunite, everything is natural and well. Hopefully, he can still do a switch heel from time to time.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

I will never forget the first time I saw Chewy Cannon skating down Shoreditch High Street when I first moved to London.

What are you currently working on?

On a collaboration with Nike, on the Penny Hardaway shoe. We are adding trucks and wheels. Basically turning it into roller skates.

Favourite restaurant?

SoulFood, Peckham High Street.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

I understand.

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

I facilitate musical happenings. I'm a singer; the made thing is a collective experience.

Why do you do it?

I truly don't think that there's any other way.

Who or what inspires you?

I just saw a performance by choreographer and dancer Jesse Factor called The MetaMarthasis. It pulls together ideas from Martha Graham and Madonna, and it helped me feel like part of a continuum.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

Live theatre and live music got me inspired. I see now that this is a very basic form of what we do: transmit messages, through code, to people in the same room or space.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

Bold and beautiful.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

I knew it was an organisation in the process of defining its own medium.

What are you currently working on?

Songs on which the rest of the work is hung.

Favourite restaurant?

The RibCrib in Louisville, KY (now closed).

Anything you'd recommend?

KTNN Radio, the voice of the Navajo nation.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

God bless us, everyone.

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

I'm always scanning everything, looking for something that catches my eye and speaks to me. I'm not exactly sure what it is, but I know it will reveal itself sooner or later and I'll be like ‘oh! There it is!' It's part of looking for new spots to skate. It's like a sixth sense. I'm motivated right now, I'm happy with the natural flow of things lately and I have found a creative process that works for me. I feel like I'm the best version of myself and my taste has matured. I'm ready to be creative full time because making art is just something I've sprinkled into my skate career here and there. I only really make stuff when I know I have a show coming up or need to make a graphic for Palace, but I wanna start making art work regularly.

Why do you do it?

It makes me feel alive. All the work I've done is a true sign of life. Proof that I was here. To give life to an object or canvas or a skate spot and make it mean something to me and others is the thrill of it all. I think I could have a great career in the arts and make a living of it. I'm only a struggling artist if I don't make the work. When I make stuff, people seem to wanna get their hands on it. I've sold pieces to some people who have Basquiats and Warhols in their homes. My goal is to be in museums and cool books.

Who or what inspires you?

I wanna make stuff that's gonna shock people or make them go ‘wow, that's genius, that's brilliant'. I'm inspired by it all, literally every corner of life. I also just wanna have fun and kill time. Life can get stale. Making art is a nice way to spice it up. I don't care if I sell. Honestly, I'd rather keep everything I make because the things I make become objects of my affection and I just wanna be surrounded by them all forever.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

I used to love those eye spy games and colouring books. I'd rip apart my action figure toys and glue them back together in bizarre ways. In school, I was always hyped for art class. And during academic classes, I'd always get in trouble for drawing and being a class clown. I had this notebook of all these wicked things I sketched and my teacher confiscated it and had my mom come up to school for a serious talk because my teacher was concerned by the drawings, lol. And my mom was just like ‘are you kidding me?' She's always supported me skating and my art.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

I wanna know how Palace would describe their experience working with me first, lol, but yeah, basically, all the king's horses and all the king's men at Palace put me back together again. I've fallen hard in my life, being a real Humpty Dumpty, but Palace has been there to pick me up. It's been ugly, it's been beautiful. I feel lucky and I don't take it for granted anymore, and I wouldn't trade it for any other ‘job' in the world.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

I loved that they were using VHS to make their skate videos. That resonated with me because me and my brother love VHS tapes and the 90s. I knew nothing about house music or drum and bass or whatever, especially it being mixed in with skating, but then I was like ‘wow, I love the way this is making me feel adrenaline'. So when I hear a certain tune or sound similar to tracks in the vids, I'm like ‘that's Palace music'. I think A Clockwork Orange was all I knew about England at the time. I would never have guessed that London would basically become my second home and favourite place, and we'd all be travelling the world together becoming the coolest brand ever, opening shops all over the world. I just thought in the beginning, ‘ok, cool, I'm getting some free boards and cool colour block clothes with parrots embroidered on them. Everyone on the team is sound and rips'. I was still like, this isn't gonna go anywhere for me because I had no dreams and goals of becoming a pro skater and travelling. I was ready to just work some city job as a janitor or doorman and be stuck in New York for the rest of my life and skate for fun. Palace opened up the world for me. I will forever be thankful about that.

What are you currently working on?

I'm working on a never-ending poem. It's made up of things I've overheard on the streets, television, radio, my own thoughts. And I'm working on myself. I'm on a health kick and it's paying off. I'm skating and filming in New York right now. Working on my ‘retirement' part, lol. I've been shooting a lot with disposable, and I'm gonna make tons of paintings and statues.

Anything you'd recommend?

Places: Flushing Main Street, Chinatown, Little Italy, Upstate New York, Long Island, London, Korea, Japan. Books: mostly random poetry books I find, Paradise Lost, The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran, The Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, The Outsiders, A Streetcar Named Desire, the Bible but not for religious purposes. Just go to the library or a book store, pick up any book and flip through it. You might be into it. You don't know unless you try. Read more and write more. It's good for you. The brain is a muscle.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?!

I hope everybody has a good day and nobody gets hurt. Your attitude towards life and the people in it is everything. If you find yourself stuck in a tight situation, try to think of the next best thing you can do to get yourself out. If you're struggling, ask for help. Tough times come and go. Go for a walk and listen to some music. Eat something good for you. Drink water. Sleep. Take care of yourself.

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

I'd like to say I just throw stuff at the wall and see what sticks. Officially? I'm mostly a photographer, as well as a lighting director, visual merchandiser and occasional chef.

Why do you do it?

I fell into photography by accident. I started out in lighting and became really nerdy about it. I didn't properly pick up a camera until I was 20 because I was terrified I wouldn't be good enough or that I didn't understand it technically. That fear probably shaped the way I work more than anything. Instead of waiting until I felt ready, I just kept doing it anyway. I still approach shoots with that same mindset; commit to the idea and figure it out as you go. Photography can be a very solitary thing, but more often, it takes a whole village. I'm incredibly grateful that people continue to trust me to make work alongside them.

Who or what inspires you?

A lot of my inspiration comes from the people I've met along the way who have taught me what I know now. Jet, the photo studio technician at Central Saint Martins, who encouraged my geekiness about studio lighting. Raph and Lulu at Fashion East, who gave me my first photography job. I genuinely think about them every time I take a photo. Aidan Zamiri is my absolute king, legend and mentor. I don't think he realises how much I've learned just by being alongside him. He has such a clear vision, but he's also endlessly excited to experiment. And I always find myself coming back to the imagery of Hiromix, Christopher Doyle, Luis Sanchis, David Sims and Takashi Homma.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

My dad was a vinyl hoarder. He'd buy anything as long as it was a bargain. I was always rummaging through the stacks to see what he'd found, and I loved the covers. As a kid, I'd pick one record every day and display it on a shelf in my room. It could be anything, from a Russian orchestra to Dolly Parton.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

Surreal and an absolute hoot! It never feels like work. Just hanging out with friends who are hilarious and have great taste in music.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

They don't take themselves too seriously while also showing so much care and passion for what they do. Lots of love and respect.

What are you currently working on?

Trying to do more personal stuff.

Favourite restaurant?

This is the worst question to ask me. I love food. Lao Siam and Buck in Paris, Uoriki in Tokyo, Rita's in Soho, El Xampanyet and Nardi in Barcelona, Imone in New Malden, Books for Cooks in Notting Hill, Yokoya in Camden, My Old Place in Liverpool Street.

Anything you'd recommend?

Kokuho by Sang-il Lee. Tart by Slutty Chef. J Dilla's The Shining and Lafayette Afro Rock Band's Afro Funk Explosion. Victoria Peak, Hong Kong, at night.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

Laugh a lot, hang out with your friends, watch films, eat good food, stay out super late, walk where you can, look after your body, be nice to others.

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

I am a horticulturalist and nurseryman. I also work as a designer and make art. I feel that my nursery and garden is a huge installation that I am working on.

Why do you do it?

I love what I do. I became obsessed with plants about 15 years ago, and the obsession eventually led me to where I am.

Who or what inspires you?

From horticulture, James Hitchmough, Peter Korn, Cassian Schmidt, Keith Wiley, Bettina Jaugstetter, Giacomo Guzzon, Beth Chatto, Olivier Filippi. Non horticultural, David Nash, Paul Noble, Eduardo Chillida, Barry McGee. I find very specific pieces of music are a kind of a personal soundtrack to keep me inspired and I think are probably my driving influence on a daily basis to name a few – early Arvo Pärt compositions, Richard Skelton, Rachel's, early Mogwai. Harold Budd is deeply inspirational to me. Also, my wife Clare Shilland and my friend and artist Ben Branagan.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

I am completely indebted to being a teenager skateboarder in the 90s. It shaped who I am creatively and I've always done my own thing. No one really liked us and it gave me the confidence to follow my own path. London graffiti of this era was a big influence on me. The South Bank at this time, then getting sponsored by Slam City Skates and working there, above Rough Trade, and becoming heavily obsessed with music. In my late teens, I became fascinated by art in general. I saw Barry McGee (Twist) in San Francisco. The graffiti scene there was highly inspirational to me, as was Margaret Kilgallen, who was on the periphery of that scene.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

I used to sit in Lev's bedroom and we would talk about his idea. We were friends first, and it's nice to see your friends do so well, so always a pleasure to be involved.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

As I have been around since before it existed, I was just stoked for Lev (and Gareth) that it all worked out. We all grew up together, we are a tight crew.

What are you currently working on?

On quite large drought-tolerant, non-irrigated plant beds in the nursery. I've been exploring how interesting and dynamic plantings can be without irrigation, and this summer has been a testament to our changing climate. I am continuing to propagate as many interesting species as I can that are not available in the UK that I feel can be of use in coming years. Dynamic plantings are needed more than ever in our society – well-designed plant communities support social communities. I am working towards applying some of these concepts into the public realm.

Favourite restaurant?

Los Pinos in Santa Cruz, California.

Anything you'd recommend?

Tabula Rasa by Arvo Pärt. I have listened to it hundreds of time in the last year. It makes me think deeply. Also, Carson McCullers' The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

Follow your own path. Everything I have done creatively came from influence and imagination. All the things I've been involved with, especially with Palace, came from our ideas and thoughts, no moodboards.

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

I am a visual artist working across video, photography, sculpture and found objects.

Why do you do it?

Art making for me is a form of healing. My childhood was quite complicated and traumatic. I pretty much lived in a constant dissociated space and wanted to escape. Even though that space contained a lot of pain, it also gave me a lot of strength.

Who or what inspires you?

Memory Screen, Photosynthesis, Apocalypse Now, Helen Frankenthaler, decay, Bruce Conner, colour, abandoned objects, friends.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

As a teenager, I was inspired by skate videos and magazines. Videos by Mike Hill, such as Memory Screen, really impacted me. It wasn't a standard skate video with trick after trick – it was more of a visual essay, an art piece, mixing Super 8 footage with a barely recognisable skate trick shot on deteriorating VHS. It must've been so much fun to make and that pushed me to be creative.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

Effortless. Lev and Stuart have always believed in the work I do. I never felt like they had to hold my hand on solo projects. But also, on the projects we did together, there was a lot of creative freedom and room to breathe, which is extremely rare in the commercial advertising world.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

It was refreshing seeing them create a brand based on lo-fi raw skateboarding that wasn't afraid to be different. None of that dry HD 60p a pop bullshit.

What are you currently working on?

I just recently closed my first solo show, which brought a lot to the surface for me. I'm taking the time to process and understand the experience. It's actually quite exciting, and I'm looking forward to making new work.

Favourite restaurant?

Either Rubirosa (NYC) or La Brace (Cefalù).

Anything you'd recommend?

A Field Guide to Getting Lost by Rebecca Solnit; Perfect Lives store in London; Ana Mendieta at Tate Modern; Synecdoche, New York; Looking for Mushrooms by Bruce Conner; Discreet Music by Brian Eno.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

Revisit and review. Between creative periods, I review my archives, looking back at things I've collected or photographed.

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

I make music.

Why do you do it?

Idk, lol.

Who or what inspires you?

Windom Earle.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

Tim & Barry videos.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

Jokes.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

I used to have the half puffer – that was my favourite jacket.

What are you currently working on?

I made some stuff on my phone that's sounding cool.

Favourite restaurant?

There was a sushi buffet in Canada that I went to once, but I can't remember the name. Also McChina.

Anything you'd recommend?

Chouffe Cherry beer – idk if that's what it's called, but it slaps.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

Yoo, what's going on.

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

Wow, great question! Detroit-reared electronic music sound architect, sonic vanguard and time-travelling storyteller.

Why do you do it?

I do it for many reasons, but most specifically for the love of music and being able to create something new by combining two or three songs together. So if you take my mixing style, plus some genuine, honest energy from the crowd, it can create a unique Detroit vibe. Then it becomes more than a party. It becomes emotional. It becomes therapeutic, hopefully even inspiring at times. I do it to make people move, but also to educate them and give a temporary escape from everyday woes or struggles. It's me expressing myself and giving back. A live auditory love letter to and from the city that created DJ Bone.

Who or what inspires you?

My experiences growing up in Detroit, fashion, architecture, science, my wife, the future, the resoluteness of others, avant- garde artists and designers, people who undervalue me, the paranormal, dreams, silence. Musically, I was inspired by so many artists: Prince, Stevie Wonder, Luther Vandross, Donna Summer, early Motown, The Drifters, Depeche Mode, Pet Shop Boys, Brian Eno, Wally Badarou, The Electrifying Mojo, 70s and 80s soundtracks, Public Enemy, KRS-One, Nile Rodgers, Roxy Music, Jan Hammer, Thornetta Davis, Martha Jean The Queen, The Scene dance show, Parliament-Funkadelic, Michael Franks, Juan Atkins and so many more.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

I was into engineering, sports and music. I loved the science of engineering, as well as using your hands to make something. I played basketball almost EVERY day. I would apply so much science to my game through angles, rate of speed, etc. And with music, I was into more than just what songs sounded like. I was realising how certain songs and sounds could make you feel. I could tell who wrote or produced songs just by listening for a few seconds. This led me to study the creative processes behind my favourite artists.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

It's been very surreal actually, like ‘How is this happening right now?' Since the first time we worked together, it's been like family. I trust and love the Palace crew so much. Whether it's an interview or project or they want to use some of my music, I know it's going to be dope. They are so creative with it, it's crazy. They're also very genuine and humble as well. I still can't believe how generous, too, helping us the last few years by donating items as gifts for the artists who pledge their sets for Homeless Homies.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

I was never big into skateboarding, to be honest, but I've always checked out Palace's clothes as well as their Instagram. I saw some of the dopest collabs they had and I just kept checkin' them out. So when they hit me up to be involved with the Palace x Detroit Tigers, I was so hyped!!

What are you currently working on?

This year was supposed to be a lighter workload year for me, but I've been presented with a lot of great opportunities that I just couldn't turn down. I'm working on taking our DJ Bone presents Further concept to other cities. Alongside our usual dates in Amsterdam this year, we held events in Berlin, Detroit, Manchester, Antwerp, Dortmund and Eindhoven. I'm in the studio relentlessly producing, too, working on several projects at once, including a straight-up dance tracks series, a nature project for a 70s icon, a collab with a well-known Detroit producer/DJ, and a special Spatial Audio release. I'm also working on expanding our charitable activities. Since 2002, all proceeds from my labels, any releases, downloads, remix fees, etc, go directly to our Homeless Homies foundation, but I'd like to do more.

Favourite restaurant?

Originally it was Piazza Duomo in Alba, Italy. But recently we dined at Lucky Cat 22 Bishopsgate in London and it was phenomenal. So I have to call it a tie right now between these two amazing restaurants.

Anything you'd recommend?

Music: Pin Breakers by Zelooperz and Black Noi$e, The Future That Created My Past by Mark Williams, A Time And Place by Dave Angel, Lost Tapes 34 by MAW. Movies: Meta Take One, Is God Is, The Currents, Obsession, The Sheep Detectives. Places: Belle Isle (Detroit, MI), Lahaina Banyan Tree (Maui, HI), Ritz-Carlton O‘ahu, Turtle Bay (Kahuku, HI), Nusa Dua Beach (Bali), Eastern Market (Detroit, MI). Eats: Evie's Tamales (Detroit, MI), Crustacean (Beverly Hills, CA), Dulan's Soul Food Kitchen (Inglewood, CA).

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

First of all, I'm happy that there are so many people who still love to read actual print magazines. It makes sense, too, since Wallpaper* issues are collectibles. I'm very honoured to have this opportunity to be in front of their readers' eyes. It's humbling to know that I'll be in an issue of Wallpaper*. It's such a profound magazine! The writers are always at the forefront of so many things that I love – art, fashion, architecture, technology and even touching on social issues. This is bucket list territory for me to be featured, so thanks again… and huge thanks to my Palace family.

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

The best and only way to describe the things I get to do is that I have complete and utter freedom to do what I want and when I want. The dream.

Why do you do it?

I do it for the love, I do it for me, I'm selfish with it.

Who or what inspires you?

Virgil Abloh, Lev Tanju and you, Sir Stuart Hammond, you lot inspire my mental creativity on and off the board. Family friends & the haters.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

I really loved building old war planes from scratch and painting them, along with Lego. Probably my first obsession before skating. I suppose I carried the building aspect on from then.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

Forever exhilarating TS.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

Mate, there is no prior. The foot was on the gas from day dot.

What are you currently working on?

I'm working on DCV'87 and Palasonic 2. The rest is hush hush :)

Favourite restaurant?

La Famiglia, London.

Anything you'd recommend?

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle. Music by James Massiah, Babydoom, Ceehoo, John Glacier, Steven Julien, Othrwld. Art by Shawn Powers. The Game. Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

dcv87.com

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

I am a documentarian of street fashion. I'm also a photographer and publisher.

Why do you do it?

In 1985, when I was 30 years old, I decided that documenting street fashion and creating media would be my life's work. It felt like a very clear calling, and that's why I've been able to continue doing it ever since.

Who or what inspires you?

Ferdinand de Saussure, Georges Bataille, contemporary physics, contemporary art.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

Surrealism, Marcel Duchamp, Yves Klein and Man Ray. Andy Warhol felt so far ahead of his time that I couldn't really understand him.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

When I went to London, I expected to shoot digitally, but they asked if I could shoot on film instead. For Fruits, I had used a rather unusual medium-format camera, the Fujifilm GA645Wi, so I said I would be happy to shoot on film if they could provide that camera. Amazingly, they rented one for me the very next day. Because I was using ISO 100 slide film, it wasn't suitable for low light or evening conditions, so I shot with both film and digital. We photographed exactly where Lev wanted us to, but the shoot continued after sunset. Under those conditions, the digital images would technically have been much better. In the end, though, they chose to use only the film photographs. That creative decision reflects something I couldn't have achieved on my own – whether it's the British creative spirit or simply Lev's instinct. Combined with Vivienne Westwood's involvement, the styling was exceptional. The models and locations were also perfect. I think it became a wonderful piece of work, and people often compliment me on it.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

I had been aware of Palace because I often saw people carrying Palace shopping bags in Harajuku. However, their store was a little outside the area where I usually spend my time, so I had never visited it. In 2022, I was invited to London by The Face magazine to photograph Beabadoobee. While walking through Soho, I saw the Palace store and the long queue outside. I immediately felt the brand's energy and strong sense of style, and I remember thinking that it would be great to work with Palace one day. Two years later, I received an email from Palace offering me a collaboration. I was genuinely surprised.

What are you currently working on?

I'm 70 years old now, so my main focus is how to preserve what I've created over the years. For the past few years, one of my biggest projects has been making the complete digital archives of Street, Fruits and Tune available through libraries around the world. It looks like that will finally become a reality by the end of this year. My next challenge is finding ways to transform my archive into artworks and books that can endure for the future. I'd like to explore whether Fruits could become a fashion brand, and whether it's possible to create a new generation of Fruits magazine. There's also a possibility of developing a Fruits fragrance.

Favourite restaurant?

These days, I usually travel abroad alone, so I don't often go to restaurants. Instead, I love buying charcuterie, cheese, salad, fruit and wine from supermarkets or speciality shops and enjoying them in my hotel room. Earlier this year, while walking through Soho in London, I discovered a long queue outside Thai restaurant Kiln. I invited a friend and we had an unforgettable meal. In 2023 in Paris, I found an incredible charcuterie shop in the Marais called À La Ville de Rodez. I later heard it may have closed, and if that's true, I'd be very sad. Japan has many outstanding restaurants, but these days I don't eat out very often because it's difficult to maintain a balanced diet that way. As an experience, Sukiyabashi Jiro is absolutely worth visiting. I have only been once, but I still vividly remember how extraordinary it was. I was amazed that something as simple as fish on top of rice could taste that incredible. I've been to many famous sushi restaurants, but Jiro stands in a class of its own. Kyoto's long-established kaiseki restaurants are works of art in themselves. And this year, I happened to discover an eel restaurant in Gion, Kyoto, called Yondaime Kikukawa, and it was truly remarkable.

Anything you'd recommend?

Juma Densetsu (The Legend of Juma) by Waka Mizuki. If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares. The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya – just don't give up after the first episode. Aki Yashiro, Bach's Mass in B Minor, Terry Riley, Illit, and Billie Eilish.

Some of the exhibitions that have impressed me most in recent years were the Man Ray retrospective, the Paul Klee exhibition, and New York's MoMA. I also loved the Hajime Sorayama exhibition at Nanzuka in Shanghai. My greatest museum experience ever was the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, although that was back in the 1980s and the atmosphere was probably very different then.

One experience I'm especially proud of is seeing Jeff Koons' installation in ‘NY Art Now' at the Saatchi Gallery in 1987 – it has stayed with me ever since. I admire Kohei Nawa, and I'm also following Wade Guyton with great interest. I love Harajuku. It has changed a lot since the 1990s, but I still think it's the most stylish neighbourhood in the world. Molecular biology fascinates me. When I listen to Bach's Masses, I feel the presence of god. Quantum mechanics also allows me to imagine something like a divine principle. But I have a feeling that if we keep exploring the inside of cells, we may one day discover signs of god there. That said, the Japanese way of thinking about gods is quite unique.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

I think it's important to fill your mind with good visual culture. I believe that's one way to make the world a better place.

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

I'm a former pro skater who writes poems [his previous poetry collections are Out for Air (Penned in the Margins, 2022) and Good Ground (Broken Sleep Books, 2026)]. I don't think anyone's advertising for that particular job, though, unfortunately.

Why do you do it?

It's an impulse I've been responding to, with varying degrees of urgency, since I was a kid. I don't remember making a decision to start writing poems, so it's difficult to find the ‘why'. But I have learned to understand that poems are where I live and skating is who I am.

Who or what inspires you?

Real poetry and poets! Kleinzahler, Seidel, Lowell, Glück, Hofmann, Hughes, Berryman, Olds, Laird, Siobhan Walker.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

Although I was writing poetry from a young age, I wasn't really reading it until I became an undergraduate. Indie and rock music were the dominant art forms of my teen years – listening, not playing, regretfully. It was through music figures like Jim Morrison that I discovered authors like Jack Kerouac, which led to a deeper dive into Beat literature, which I've since outgrown for better or worse, and literature in general.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

I'm wrapping up a third collection manuscript, and have begun work on a new book, which feels so far like it's trying to become a novel in verse. I wonder if it will sustain itself.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

Philippe's, Los Angeles.

What are you currently working on?

I'm wrapping up a third collection manuscript, and have begun work on a new book, which feels so far like it's trying to become a novel in verse. I wonder if it will sustain itself.

Favourite restaurant?

Philippe's, Los Angeles.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

Something about the importance of the written word in print, but they've already got that covered.

• Meet the entire Palace Creative Universe

How would you describe what you do?

Jackson Technically we're music producers and composers, which entails coming up with musical ideas, developing and recording them and then presenting them in the way we, or our client, want them to be heard. It can be a very simple or a very complicated process, from gestating a tune to delivering a finalised recorded composition. There's a decent amount of creative risk and luck involved too so we can't claim we totally know what we're doing all the time, but we've been doing it together for 13 years professionally, so I guess that means we're doing something right. Luke I tell people I'm a music producer and composer, and steer clear of any mention of DJing or performance to avoid any questions.

Why do you do it?

Luke I started making music in my early teens because I loved doing it and, by process of elimination, it has become – just about – a career. Similarly, Rezzett started with us making music together for a laugh with no plan beyond that. I have a clear memory of us pissing ourselves laughing when we were making what became the first ever tune we released, Fire Bomb – which is also the first tune of ours that Palace used in a video. Jackson I've been fascinated with sound since I was a nipper and got into playing around with it creatively when I was a teenager. I'm 38 now and still think there's a lot left to sonically explore beyond the horizon. I feel lucky to think that there's a few people that wouldn't like me to stop yet. I really love what I do, whether it's in the studio or on the road playing in clubs. It's been a good ride.

Who or what inspires you?

Jackson London. The potential to fail. The potential to win! Happy hardcore. Luke. Luke Inspiration is elusive and can pop up when you least expect it, like hearing three seconds of a track in a mix that makes you immediately open up Ableton, or having a nice interaction at the post office. I have some reliable sources for emergency situations, like the Coen Brothers, or Potential Bad Boy, or my mum, or Will Bankhead, or Jackson.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

Luke I was into anything and everything, watching a lot of MTV, a lot of weird films on late-night television, listening to my older brothers' music, reading my parents' books. I found it all very exciting if I thought it was good, and I'd like to think I have continued through life in that same spirit. Jackson I was already a music studio rat at 15, which led me to messing about with tape machines and electronics. But outside of music, I've always really admired people who hone a tangible craft, whether that's welding, ceramics or skateboarding. I think there's a lot of creative parallels between those kinds of disciplines and making music.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

Jackson It almost always starts with a banging email from Stuart. He'll ask for something really specific and with not a lot of time to get it done, so we'll just smash it out until everyone's happy. Sometimes there's a bit of back and forth, but we've been working with Palace for ages and we've always been gassed on whatever project they've asked us to score – and had a lot of fun, too! Luke Refreshing, and a pleasure. A refreshing pleasure. Palace have a clear vision of what they want, but they also put a lot of trust in their collaborators, so we tend to get a couple of helpful notes back, but mostly we are met with deep enthusiasm and a ‘this is sick, send the invoice through, safe!' It makes for good fun and for good work, I think.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

Jackson The people of Palace were in my periphery since I lived in a squat in Elephant. I met Rory Milanes at some shit night at Alibi first and, after a ruckus on the dancefloor involving someone throwing a pint, we swapped numbers and this led to meeting Will Bankhead (The Trilogy Tapes) and that brought us into the fold with Lev, Stuart, Nugget and Lucien. It was really amazing to witness it – just a couple of those first T-shirts to blowing up and having a shop in Soho to seeing Rory and some other geezers I'd met at the pub go pro. Sick!

What are you currently working on?

Jackson We just put out a new 21-track album called Into the Boiling Darks so we're getting ready for live shows while finally having some time to enjoy making music for ourselves again. I've just bought a rare Polish drum machine that sounds mental and is keeping me busy when I'm not.

Favourite restaurant?

Jackson Terry's Cafe in SE1 holds a special place in my heart. Sicilia in Roppongi, Tokyo, does a banging green salad. Luke Estrela d'Ouro, Lisbon.

Anything you'd recommend?

Luke The films of Les Blank. Jackson Guy Sherwin's Optical Sound Films (1971-2007), the bar at Gambrinus, Lisbon.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

Jackson If you're reading thus far and haven't the foggiest what we do still, then go check our music out: some of it is really good. Also big up Adam Bray: he's got you for the interiors. Luke If anyone in the Finsbury Park area wants to buy a 1960s Heal's brown corduroy sofa, hit me up on Marketplace.

How would you describe what you do?

I make music.

Why do you do it?

Because I love it.

Who or what inspires you?

All ten of my siblings, my friends, people that like my music, beautiful things, hard times, good times, walking, running, daydreams, night dreams.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

I've always loved music that feels addictive. In my teens, it was pop music.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

Awesome because everybody is so nice and it was so chill. And everybody took a smoke break every five minutes.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

I always thought they were cool.

What are you currently working on?

On an album that feels really good.

Favourite restaurant?

Pagliacci's in Victoria, BC.

Anything you'd recommend?

Making iMovie slideshows. I find this is a really nice way to appreciate specific moments in your life with some photos and a nice song.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

Kindness is free.

How would you describe what you do?

Jean Cocteau once said he was a jack of all trades because everything touched him. I'd say I am a multidisciplinary artist, and that every discipline I explore expands and deepens the power of my expression.

Why do you do it?

As a child, I drew to fill the loneliness I felt while at boarding school, far away from my parents. Later, I began imagining a different way of dressing, a way of transforming what I lacked. I worked with humble materials that no one valued – mops, shower curtains, blankets, and the like. These were the materials that had protected me, so I turned them into garments. At that moment, my work became the identity manifesto of my anger, and people began to notice me. I built artistic approach on the raw power of material itself, as a forceful reclaiming of the traditional codes of elegance. It was a form of anti-fashion. I felt very close in spirit to Vivienne Westwood and Malcolm McLaren. From then on, I have lived my practice as an ongoing exploration, a journey toward art, the sacred, and the invisible. This has shaped all of my collaborations, whether with fellow artists or with the church. I am driven by a quest: to create a universe, an emotional and powerful space through which I can play a part in the movement of the world, to bring colour and hope to people living in a society that is becoming increasingly dystopian.

Who or what inspires you?

For a long time, I believed that danger and torment were the inevitable companions of inspiration. ‘Too Fast to Live, Too Young to Die', as Malcolm McLaren famously said. Rhythm, music and guitars have always been the heartbeat of my creative process, and the encounters I have had in that world have been truly magical. I have been inspired by the ghosts of the past, history itself, 19th-century English literature, the artists I've met. But what has inspired me more than anything else – and why I believe my work has reached a new level of maturity today – is love. The epic dimension of love, and the certainty that, through my creations, there is always a signal of hope. Among the defining moments of my inspiration has also been the privilege of working for the church and placing my talent at the service of my faith.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

Everything that was connected to music. When I discovered the bands from Manchester, Liverpool and London, I was no longer alone. Everything changed for me. I loved their sound, their names – The Yardbirds, The Pretty Things, The Who, and the first album covers that made their way out to the provinces. They transformed record shops into museums of contemporary art. Then, at 18, came May 1968 and the art of revolution, the posters, the aesthetics of upheaval, the smell of burning tyres, the black smoke against the most beautiful backdrop in the world: Paris.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

In the masterclasses I give, I always tell the students to form a band: the singer as communicator, the lead guitarist as creative force, the bass player as logistics, and the drummer to lead the good news. With Palace, I found my band. I have known them for a long time; they are very close-knit, a team with a very clear philosophy, a kind of excellence. Gareth and his companions often manage to surprise me. I love their choice of collaborations, from Wedgwood to Vivienne Westwood. Their journey is an epic symphony of modernity.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

I think about their community, about the Palace spirit, about this notion of universal signs that inhabit the brand and its symbols of recognition, about the dimension of a universal language. Creating images that will leave a mark on people's minds, at the heart of which a generation can recognise itself.

What are you currently working on?

I have just finished work on a book, published by Thames & Hudson, about my style and many different experiences: fashion, art, design, scenography, music, and all my collaborations with other artists.

Favourite restaurant?

La Langosteria at the Cheval Blanc hotel in Paris. But I also love culinary experiences, particularly those of We Are Ona.

Anything you'd recommend?

I am currently reading A Tale of Two Cities by Dickens. I am listening to Sleaford Mods, Ben Kidson, Baxter Dury and Erik Satie. I can't wait to see the Bayeux Tapestry in London.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

Creating means anticipating the consequences of an action, and the way in which one can influence society in a humanistic and positive dimension. The sources of inspiration that have always been mine, and my priorities – ecology, art for everyone as a social cement, total and undisciplined art – have become foundational sources of inspiration. The dogmas that once supported the institutional tent are becoming fragile. Only art and the sacred can bring people together. Like sport, they are rare and apolitical forces capable of uniting people through immersive experiences that bring us together. This is where my imagination flourishes today. This is where I find my mission, where the strength of my creativity is at its zenith – as when I created the scenography and the liturgical vestments for the reopening of Notre-Dame de Paris.

How would you describe what you do?

I'm an artist, music producer and sound curator, who also consults on soundtracking.

Why do you do it?

I love it, and it keeps choosing me back. May as well keep it pushing.

Who or what inspires you?

Prince, my fiancée, the people of Detroit, acts of resilience, esoteric shit, extraordinary human feats, travel, isolation, love.

What creative work got you excited when you were a teenager, and how does it align with what you're into now?

I think I've only ever been seriously drawn to a few creative things – mostly music and writing. I love a good arc, whether it's evolutionary or the exact opposite. Musical storytelling became addictive to me: songs turning into anthems and soundtracking people's lives. Looking back, I guess I was studying the kinds of songs I would eventually want to make myself, the ones I'm making now. As a teenager, I wanted to do something that would let me travel, meet gorgeous women, and potentially earn a big payday. As I matured, I realised I wanted to contribute to a larger artistic conversation, to create the kind of work that might uplift someone the way music uplifted me while I was growing up through harder times.

How would you describe your experience of working with Palace Skateboards?

Horrible! Hate these guys. Truly unbearable people.

What were your thoughts on Palace prior to working with them?

I didn't know much about them. My first connection was through Rory M via Will Bankhead, so when they came to town and I saw how down they were with techno and being in the scene, I thought, ‘Well! These guys have good energy'. Then, after a few brews, I figured out they skated, too, haha. So, to answer more directly, before I knew what Palace was really about, or why they were in Detroit in the first place, my thoughts were basically, ‘These guys are a good hang!'

What are you currently working on?

I'm in LA finishing the recording of my first album, hopefully out spring 2027. :)

Favourite restaurant?

That's a tough one. Off the top of my head, there's a Black-owned soul food restaurant in Azabu-Juban, Japan, called Soul Food House. I love it because it's such a little piece of home, and they do the food so well, you could easily think you were sitting at a table somewhere in the American South. Just a little respite amid the culture shock of Japan.

Anything you'd recommend?

If you get a chance to see Megalopolis, see that shit. That movie will go down as one of Francis Ford Coppola's best. Visit Michigan's Upper Peninsula sometime.

Tens of thousands of real human Wallpaper* print edition readers are out there: what is your message to them?

You get good at whatever you practise.

• Meet more of the Palace Creative Universe

Born in Portland, Oregon, in 1953, artist Carrie Mae Weems investigates traditional narratives woven into the structures of race, identity, gender and power. Early works, including the Kitchen Table series (1990), were celebrated for centring the experience of Black women. Others, appropriating daguerreotypes of enslaved people, tinting them red and adding etched text on glass, as in From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried (1995-96), challenged racial representation and questioned the authority of those who write history. Confronting memory and emphasising the importance of a dialogue remain cornerstones of Weems’ practice today. In the October 2026 issue of Wallpaper* magazine, her curated guest edit is printed on unvarnished paper in a nod to Inserts (1988), Weems’ first collaborative effort. Here she highlights work – by herself and artists she admires – that celebrates monuments, mourning, meaning and memory.

The Weight of The Frame

On May Day 1998, the Whitney Museum of American Art, at the Philip Morris HQ on Park Avenue in New York, premiered an installation of a new series by Carrie Mae Weems. During the last 15 years, Weems’ works had been in more than 50 solo exhibitions organised by museums, including the J Paul Getty Museum, Museum of Modern Art, National Museum for Women in the Arts and Walker Art Center, among others, and some of her most celebrated body of works, including Colored People, From Here I Saw What Happened and I Cried, and the Kitchen Table series, had been featured.

To some, the installation mounted at the Whitney that spring, What What When Where, was a departure for the interdisciplinary artist whose work had focused on powerful images of Black identity. But with this work, Weems had created a commentary on class, power and social engagement, while also probing constructivism, one of the 20th century’s most influential art movements.

Curator Thomas Piché Jr wrote, ‘This installation addresses questions of class and social systems but offers no single or clear reading. It also explores Weems’ relationship to art history, part of an ongoing investigation that has so far touched on artists Robert Colescott, Frida Kahlo and Willem de Kooning, among others.’

With this series, she turns her eye on the Russian constructivists, the artistic arm of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and asks us to consider whether artistic social engagement can influence individual and social development. In this theatrical assemblage of digitally reproduced photographs, banners, neon signs, and large-scale freestanding sculptures, we are placed in a terrain of unexpected associations.’

Eight years after the Whitney Museum exhibition, Weems was awarded the 2005/2006 Joseph H Hazen Rome Prize fellowship. For the nine months of her residency at the American Academy in Rome, the artist photographed herself standing in the midst of monumental structures and landscapes in and around the city. Interviewed four years later for Art21, Weems described the catalyst for what would become her Roaming series. ‘I think that architecture, in its essence, much of the fabric of it, is very much about power. If we think about a place like Rome... what one is made to feel is the power of the state in relationship to the lower subject. You are always aware that you are... a minion in relationship to this enormous edifice. The edifice of power. What is this relationship of power to you? Right? And what is your relationship to power. And how do you try, I think, to make someone aware of it?’ noted Weems. ‘The public spaces are, of course, monumental, and they’re beautiful, and the edifices are extraordinary. But I’m not confused about what they’re supposed to mean, and what they’re supposed to do.’

In September 2012, ‘Carrie Mae Weems: Three Decades of Photography and Video’ opened at the Frist Center for the Visual Arts in Nashville, Tennessee, spanning the 30 years since her 1983 survey at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC. The exhibition then travelled to the Portland Art Museum, the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Cantor Arts Center at Stanford University, before ending at the Guggenheim in New York. It was the first time a Black woman had had a retrospective at the Guggenheim – and it was Weems’ first major exhibition at any New York City museum.

While at the Guggenheim, Weems presented a three-day event, co-hosting with poet and playwright Carl Hancock Rux. For this weekend of public programming, which included architecture, dance, film, literature, music, theatre and visual arts, Weems brought together what she called an ‘all-star cast’. The Guggenheim advertised the convening as a ‘multidisciplinary performance-salon focused on contemporary cultural production by people of colour’.

However, Thomas J Lax, curator of media and performance at MoMA, astutely observed, ‘Weems organised the event as a refusal to occupy this impossible position and stand in as The Only One. Instead, she brought the rest of us into the museum with her. Weems’ convening was an assembly of interdisciplinary makers that offered a shared opportunity to create a space where “form is mapped and levels of invention are simply unpacked”. Since then, she has organised these events in other august institutions, such as The Shape of Things at the Park Avenue Armory. She has also located these ensembles within self-made sanctuaries initiated by Black artists, including Theaster Gates and Eliza Myrie’s Black Artists Retreat in Chicago, and Julie Mehretu, Paul Pfeiffer and others’ pastoral Denniston Hill residency in upstate New York. While Weems’ exhibition at the Guggenheim may have been called a first, her emphasis on the convening positions it within a long history of collective self-institutionalisation that has occurred within the Black radical tradition.’

Keeping up with her long-standing practice of leading convenings, such as Land of Broken Dreams (in conjunction with The Shape of Things) and Artist Convening at Brown Arts Institute, Weems expanded her repertoire by staging performances, including Grace Notes: Reflections for Now and, most recently, Contested Sites of Memory. In June 2016, a year after nine worshippers were killed at the Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, South Carolina, Weems debuted an original production.

Inspired by Greek tragedy Antigone, and blending live music, spoken word, dance and video, the performance investigates escalating racial tensions across the country. The performance’s title, Grace Notes, acknowledged Barack Obama’s eulogy for one of the victims, South Carolina state senator and pastor Clementa Pinckney, as well as the former president’s impromptu rendition of the Black gospel song, Amazing Grace.

‘The thing to me that is remarkable about our history, about who we are, about how we have conducted ourselves in the onslaught of history, is to maintain the core of our dignity,’ the artist commented in an Art21 interview. ‘That is really the ultimate call of grace.’

In 2024, Weems premiered Contested Sites of Memory, using the decommissioning of Confederate statues in Richmond, Virginia, as both a backdrop and focus. ‘I’ve been working around the idea of contested sites for several years now,’ she noted in an interview in Essence. ‘The performance is an opportunity to bring artists together and explore the complicated narratives surrounding monuments.’

Similar to a convening, the collaborators Weems brought together included performer Nona Hendryx, composer and trumpeter Jawwaad Taylor, band leader Craig Harris, Carl Hancock Rux, and poet and playwright Esther Armah, whose music, spoken word and vocals crystallise decades of reflection and conversation. In delivering one of the most personal and poignant moments of the performance, Weems told a story about her grandfather, Frank Weems, a tenant farmer and prominent union organiser in Arkansas, who fled to Chicago on foot after being almost beaten to death. Though he was later found alive, for years, his family and community assumed he was dead. Weems queried, ‘What happens to a man who has been celebrated in some way, but there is no monument built in his name?’ She later reprised Contested Sites of Memory at the Lincoln Center in New York, collaborating with pianist Vijay Iyer and violinist Jennifer Koh.

In 2023, Weems revisited her longtime engagement with monuments when she presented Monumental Concerns, a symposium, held at Syracuse University, exploring their role in society. There she asked, ‘How do we dialogue about these often-controversial issues and fairly address a multitude of perspectives? To what extent do we invite opposition to discussions of monument removal or displacement? When and how do these debates spill over into racial violence, and what can we do to address this reality? How do we acknowledge the emotional and nationalistic role that monuments often play while advocating for more inclusive historical framing?’

In addition to Weems, the university’s inaugural artist-in-residence at the time, the symposium brought together scholars such as Timur Hammond and Delali Kumavie, artists such as Eric Gottesman, Brandon Lazore and Hank Willis Thomas, and curators such as Hamza Walker and Melissa Yuen, along with other thinkers who explored how monuments can commemorate challenging histories and shape dominant narratives both locally and nationally. Weems also questioned what function monuments serve, suggesting they are both ‘vessel and container that can hold a certain kind of meaning, a certain kind of complexity’.

Two years later, in March 2025, she continued the Syracuse gathering with Monumental Concerns 2, a daylong symposium held at MoMA in New York. ‘As artists, we are all profoundly engaged in our mutual practices, yet the water gathers us into a single pool,’ Weems said. ‘I invite you to stand on the bridge as we consider contested sites of memory and monuments.’

As before, the symposium sought to consider the role of monuments and their contested histories in contemporary society. And again, the forum assembled artists, curators, historians and scholars, both to explore how monuments can commemorate challenging histories, and to shape dominant narratives both locally and beyond. The objective was to consider, through sustained thoughtful and respectful dialogue, what a monument is in 21st century America, and what monuments could be in the future.

Last year, commissioned by Italian banking group Intesa Sanpaolo, Weems premiered ‘Carrie Mae Weems: The Heart of the Matter’, at the Gallerie d’Italia in Turin, an exhibition organised in collaboration with New York publisher Aperture and curated by Sarah Hermanson Meister. This retrospective included Kitchen Table, Museums, and Framing the Town, alongside video installations including The Shape of Things and Leave! Leave Now! But the heart of the exhibition was Preach, an intense installation exploring religion and spirituality among Black communities across generations.

To mark its last month, in April this year, the V&A East Museum in London commissioned a film, The Long Goodbye. In it, Weems ‘traces how bodies of water, from the sweeping currents to soft tides, have shaped us, enabling transatlantic migration and continuing to impact communities from east London and beyond’. And on Juneteenth (19 June), the US holiday marking the day when enslaved Black Texans learned of the Emancipation Proclamation that freed them, Weems’ commission for the Obama Presidential Center went on public view for the first time. Celebrating Obama’s historic 2008 election win, The Cool Blue Wind is a photographic installation comprising 30 images, alongside the Obama Suite, a 40-minute piece composed by Weems, which she performed with musicians Craig Harris, Vijay Iyer, Jennifer Koh, Somi, and Jawwaad Taylor.

For the project, Weems described herself ‘as bandleader, assembling musicians and photographic collaborators across time’. But this collage of monochromatic images, printed on silver metallic paper and tinted blue, also marked a departure for her. ‘I’ve incorporated not only my own [work], but also images created by some of the great photographers of our time,’ Weems said. ‘This serves as a way to commemorate the moment and pay tribute to those who have come before us. Their contributions have widened the path so future generations are more able to focus on the future with fewer obstacles.’

Creatively, Weems shows no signs slowing down. On 4 July – the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States – her nonprofit artist collective Social Studies 101 announced a new initiative, titled 250 and Change. Employing Monumental Concerns and Contested Sites of Memory as springboards, Weems put forth a sweeping proposal to commission 50 artists, in recognition of each of the states in the union, to create 50 original ‘monuments for a future’ they would want to envisage. For the next two years, their maquettes, sculptures, paintings, scale models and sketches will be displayed in containers designed by Elizabeth Diller, co-founder of architecture firm Diller Scofidio + Renfro, travelling across the entire country on an articulated lorry. Weems’ objective is to engage a wide, diverse and inclusive cross-section of the nation’s population. The exhibition will visit local cultural institutions, museums, universities and other public spaces, and every exhibition host will benefit from bespoke programming such as lectures, screenings and media campaigns.

‘One of the wonderful things that [American writer and civil rights activist] James Baldwin talked about is that the artist is here in order to illuminate those things that we most fear, the things that we are most ashamed of,’ Weems said in an interview with curator Madeline Haddon in April. ‘We have to bring an audience into a new awareness of who we are and what we are as human beings on the planet, and how we band together in order to achieve something greater.’

When a group of international press descended on the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art this week, a common question in the discourse was 'What the hell is narrative art?' Well, when George Lucas, founder of the museum, made a surprise appearance, he set the record straight: art that tells stories.

‘For 2,000 years, the only way you could tell a story was with pictures,’ George Lucas said, referring to cave paintings that have a presence in the museum.

However, for Lucas, honouring narrative art began with illustrators like those who composed the concept art for his history-making franchise, Star Wars. But after working on this museum for nearly 20 years, the idea kept expanding even into the building itself.

Critics have already called the facility ‘one of Lucas’s fantastical creatures.’ But to Ma Yansong, architect and founder of Beijing firm MAD, the floating design tells a different story. It’s a cloud, complete with a rainstorm pouring out of the waterfall feature on the north lawn.

Beyond the architectural marvel, the museum can be a part of anyone’s narrative even without a ticket. The public green space features an amphitheater, vast gardens, and many pieces of art, including a fountain helming a statue of Yoda in the same mold as the one outside Skywalker Ranch. Except this one has Grogu, more commonly known as “Baby Yoda,” clinging tightly to his elder’s robes, a sign of how the story of Star Wars has advanced over time.

Those without tickets can then head into the Education Wing through one of the two main entrances (similar to Yansong’s design for the Hainan Science Museum), walk under a full-scale Naboo Starfighter from Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (1999), and enter the free library with three floors of bookshelves. During our visit, there were such books on display as a history of Lucas’s visual effects company, Industrial Light & Magic. Another was the complete works of Austrian painter Egon Schiele.

Across the courtyard created by the main gallery floor that connects the two entrances from four stories up is the Museum Wing, which requires a ticket. The first thing you’ll see are the three tubular elevators that look like they were pulled right out of the Death Star. Before you ride them up (which Yangsong describes as 'departing reality'), enter two theaters showing constant films throughout open hours, and there is an exhibit to the left entitled “The History of Narrative Art: Heroes, Myths, The Sacred.”

This is where the cave paintings are. George Lucas is not shy about how he borrowed from history to create Star Wars. The Cinema gallery upstairs reveals the end result. Find Anakin’s life-size pod racer in action from The Phantom Menace and the original R2-D2 seen in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977). Almost every scene is accompanied by the original illustrations by now-famous concept artists such as Ralph McQuarrie, showing the genesis of iconic sequences and characters from their initial static versions.

The rest of the galleries are grouped by interesting criteria. Some are dedicated to artists like Norman Rockwell. There are multiple iterations of his seminal piece “Triple Self Portrait.” Others are grouped by genres like fantasy, science fiction, and adventure. A bronze statue of Indiana Jones welcomes the latter.

Some galleries are based on societal elements such as school, sports, and civic life, the last of which includes anti-war propaganda going back to 1971. I was hoping to see a section on music, but my itch was scratched when I saw a photo from the Beatles' legendary Abbey Road shoot in the photography section. Oh, and Banksy has an original stencil in the mural section one floor up.

These widespread classifications demonstrate how stories told with pictures have permeated every aspect of our lives, and Tracey Bates, CEO of the Lucas Museum, hopes they will have the same effect on someone as such art had on George.

‘The most exciting part isn’t what we built. It’s what will happen once we open the doors. If this museum sparks that same imagination in even one young mind that George felt 50 years ago, it will have been well worth it.’

lucasmuseum.org

This month we publish the 330th issue of Wallpaper* – a serendipitous number as we celebrate 30 years since we launched in print, three decades ago. Much has changed since, apart from Wallpaper's predilection for presenting the world through the lens of contemporary culture, whether witnessed in groundbreaking design, architecture, fashion, beauty, art, travel, entertaining, transport or technology. Which is why we have chosen to resist the urge to look back on the occasion of a big birthday, and focus instead on the here, now and next with the help of three guest editors whose work we are delighted to be hosting in the monumental, 356-page, October 2026 issue.

Guest editor: Es Devlin

For our first guest editor, we approached Es Devlin, who also launched her creative practice 30 years ago. As a self-described ‘everythingist', the genre-defying designer has gained renown for her cross-disciplinary practice, which continues to make magic at the intersection of sculpture and installation. This autumn, the scale and scope of her work is recognised in ‘Other Worlds' at London's Design Museum, before which Devlin offers us a glimpse into the breadth and depth of her output, using the full potential of the print medium to demonstrate how her work offers moments of marvel and connection.

Read Es Devlin's Guest Edit

Guest editor: Palace Skateboards

We also handed the editorial reins to Palace Skateboards, the cult streetwear brand, founded in 2009 by Lev Tanju and Gareth Skewis, that has gone on to become a collaborative ecosystem in its own right. For their intervention, they have chosen to turn their lens towards the Palace crew – a cohort of visionary friends and muses from the worlds of skating, fashion, art, music and beyond that make up their own community of creative collaborators.

Explore the Palace Creative Universe

Guest editor: Carrie Mae Weems

The celebrated American artist Carrie Mae Weems, our third guest editor, has chosen to reflect on themes that have endured throughout her decorated career, works that have often centred on powerful images of Black identity, while providing an essential commentary on class, power and social engagement. Long fascinated with the role of monuments in relation to mourning, meaning and memory, her portfolio for Wallpaper* stunningly presages her next collaborative undertaking, titled 250 and Change, a nationwide, artist-centred project that features her and others' response to the US semiquincentennial.

Read Carrie Mae Weems's guest edit

More from Wallpaper* at 30

This month, we also accepted an invitation to tour the new home of the Zaha Hadid Foundation, in the former Design Museum building at Shad Thames, where staff are busy cataloguing a vast archive of the late, great architect's personal and professional effects, ten years on from her untimely death at the age of 65. We trust she would have approved of the 25th edition of our Architects' Directory, freshly expanded to recognise 30 new and emerging practices, all of whom join the 500-strong alumni of international talent that have featured since its launch at the start of the millennium.

Elsewhere, we drop in on an exquisite Japanese tea atelier, tucked away in the GDR-era Funkhaus building in Berlin, and explore the burgeoning appeal of audio installations as a much-needed antidote to visual overstimulation. We also mark another landmark moment – the centenary of a trailblazing timepiece, the Rolex Oyster.

As Wallpaper* enters its fourth decade, it continues to serve as a wellspring of artistic endeavour, conversation and community-building. It's a responsibility and bond that we hold very dear, and something wonderfully illustrated in the response of 30 friends, from across the creative industries, to our invitation to make us a cake. As expected, the results came in all shapes and sizes (some were actual cakes), but we are indebted to each and every one of them for marking our birthday, as we are to all those who continue to contribute to Wallpaper's success. It's a journey you can follow online at Wallpaper.com and across our social feeds, where more anniversary surprises await. Thank you for reading, and enjoy the issue.

Bill Prince
Editor-in-Chief

Wallpaper’s October 2026 Guest Editors’ Issue is available from 3 September, in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

Multi-brand fashion boutique Lang has set up shop in Los Angeles’ new format Row DTLA complex. Founded by Kayla Wong, the mission-driven retail platform showcases gender-neutral apparel from Asian-founded brands and independent talents. Local architect Paul Chan brought down the scale of the raw, post-industrial space by creating a series of theatrical vignettes staged with custom furnishings and finishes that contrast, fuse – and ultimately transcend – references to Asian and North American culture.

‘The design grew from the shared experience Kayla and I have of growing up in Hong Kong and now living in Los Angeles, carrying a sense of being between two places at once,’ Chan says. ‘Our native home became the muse but the store is not a direct recreation. It’s an assemblage of fragments and memories transformed through their encounter with our adoptive city.’

To achieve fluidity across the 1,200 sq ft storefront, the studio eschewed fixed walls in favour of a layered curtain system that, as Chan puts it, ‘plays both a practical and atmospheric role’.

Areas can be enclosed to more dramatically emphasise the products but also open up for better circulation during large gatherings.

While primarily presenting fashions, Lang also serves as an non-prescriptive cultural venue for the community, playing host to exhibitions, talks and performances. Accommodating guests at such events, a semi-circular bench is upholstered in a fabric, developed in collaboration with Los Angeles textile studio Suay that recalls the red, white and blue woven utility bags usually found at hardware stores, construction sites and street markets throughout Hong Kong.

‘Rather than using the original plastic material, we translated its familiar palette of custom tie-dyed textile that also references Southern California surf culture,’ Chan adds. ‘The result reinterprets one cultural symbol through the visual language and material practices of another.’

Above the bench, he introduced four tiers of paper lanterns painted with colloquial Cantonese sayings. The installation helps to wrap but also illuminate this impromptu stage setting.

The overall design is a study in contrasts, which the architect describes as ‘gloss and grit, opulence and improvisation'. Mahogany shelving and moiré-patterned mauve surfaces are joined by hand-brushed and reflective metallic finishes. Bespoke furnishings tie everything together.

Take handmade washi paper surfaces topping display tables throughout. Though traditional in appearance, their surfaces are actually collaged together from upcycled paper collected across Asia and Latin America, including cotton rags from southern India; banana fibre from Thailand; Amate paper made by Otomí artisans in central Mexico; and Yucatán papers that combine age-old Mayan papermaking and Japanese washi techniques.

‘For me, these tables are a metaphor for Los Angeles and its Asian American communities,’ says Chan. ‘The individual cultures do not dissolve into one another; they remain distinct while continually overlapping, borrowing and influencing each other... They suggest that identity is never singular, it is layered, assembled and continually evolving' – a perfect analogy for the design of Lang itself.

Lang is located at Row DTLA, 777 S. Alameda Street, Building M2, Suite 132, Los Angeles, CA 90021

‘To me, Seoul is more than just the familiar city I grew up in. It is a great source of pride,’ says artist Guimi You, whose dreamlike oil paintings soothingly drift between urban energy and the calm of nature. Across themes of kinship, isolation, and the dialogue between East Asian and Western artistic traditions, You renders scenes that flow and transport. Movement and stillness eloquently coexist on her canvases, giving each two-dimensional world a vivid sense of life.

Born and raised in Seoul, You spent a decade abroad – first in London, where she earned an MA in painting from London’s Royal College of Art in 2014, and later in California, which had a significant influence on her journey as an artist. This distance renewed her attachment to the city where she grew up: its cultural pulse, heritage and traditions, and the people she describes as home.

‘I feel proud of the Korean people, who are naturally accustomed to moving quickly and living with such energy and diligence, and of the many fields they have created and continue to develop,’ she tells Wallpaper*.

The Han River, which, in a way, both unites and divides Seoul, remains one of You’s greatest inspirations. ‘I believe that having such a vast river flowing through the heart of such a large metropolis is one of Seoul’s greatest treasures,’ she says. Its shifting colours and atmosphere inspired Us, on the Han River (2026), which depicts a couple crossing the water in a swan-shaped pedal boat at sunset, and is currently being presented by Lehmann Maupin at Frieze Seoul 2026 (2-5 September).

‘I especially love arriving at the river around sunset, watching the sky transform with the evening light, and staying until nightfall to experience the beautiful cityscape illuminated after dark,’ she adds. Here, You shares the places that define her hometown, from neighbourhoods lined with quaint stalls to art institutions filled with creative treasures. This is Guimi You’s Seoul.

What to see and do in Seoul, Guimi You’s tips

Where to stay

Bukchon Hanok Village

‘For international visitors coming to Korea for Frieze Seoul, I would recommend experiencing a hanok (a traditional Korean home) in Bukchon Hanok Village, a historic residential neighbourhood situated between Gyeongbokgung Palace and Changdeokgung Palace, with traditional hanok houses clustered throughout the area. It is not a neighbourhood created solely for tourism; people still live there today, which gives the area a very authentic atmosphere.’

Bukchon Hanok Village is located at Gyedong-gil, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea

Where to eat and drink

Hamgyeongdo Chapssal Sundae

‘If you’ve just arrived in Seoul and jet lag keeps you awake at night, take a taxi to Hamgyeongdo Chapssal Sundae. It’s open 24 hours, so you can go there anytime. It’s one of Seoul’s well-known restaurants for sundaeguk (blood sausage soup), and it’s been my favourite since I was a student. When you eat the meat in the soup, try dipping it in saeujeot (salted and fermented shrimp condiment).’

Hamgyeongdo Chapssal Sundae is located at 32 Songpa-daero 28-gil, Songpa District, Seoul, South Korea

Namdaemun Market

‘Namdaemun Market is always worth visiting. You can find almost anything there. If you get hungry, head to the grilled fish alley, where restaurants cook fresh fish over charcoal.’

Namdaemun Market is located at 21 Namdaemunsijang 4-gil, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

Songnidan-gil Street

‘Songnidan-gil Street is full of unique cafés and restaurants, and it’s close to Seokchon Lake, Lotte World Mall, and Lotte World Tower. It’s a good place to spend an afternoon without any particular plan.’

Baekjegobun-ro 43-gil, Songpa District, Seoul, South Korea

Starfield Coex Mall

‘If you need a meal while visiting Frieze Seoul, head down to the basement level of Starfield Coex Mall. I recommend two places: Gangnam Gyoza and Hadongkwan. At Gangnam Gyoja, order kalguksu (hand-cut noodle soup). At Hadongkwan, try gomtang, a clear beef soup that has long been enjoyed in Korea. Both are classic local dishes. If you enjoy spicy food, have them with kimchi.’

Starfield Coex Mall is located at 513 Yeongdong-daero, Gangnam District, Seoul, South Korea

What to do

MMCA Deoksugung

‘The National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art has several branches, but my favourite is the one within the grounds of Deoksugung Palace. Walking through the old palace grounds before arriving at the museum is one of the pleasures of visiting. If you’re lucky, you may also see the changing of the royal guard ceremony at the main gate of Deoksugung.’

MMCA Deoksugung is located at 99 Sejong-daero, Jung District, Seoul, South Korea

MMCA

‘At MMCA, fellow Lehmann Maupin artist Do Ho Suh is presenting his first full survey exhibition, including early pieces and new, never-before-seen works. The must-see show is on view until 9 February 2027.’

MMCA is located at 30 Samcheong-ro, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea

Where to shop

Dongmyo Flea Market

‘Dongmyo is a good place to explore if you enjoy vintage clothing, secondhand books, old records, and other unexpected finds. Browsing is half the fun, and you may discover something special at a surprising price.’

Dongmyo Flea Market is located at 102-8 Sungin-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea

Insa-dong Culture Street

‘Insa-dong is one of the best places to experience Korea’s traditional culture. If you’re interested in Korean painting, you’ll find shops selling hanji paper, brushes, ink, and other traditional materials.’

Insa-dong Culture Street, Jongno District, Seoul, South Korea

Where to detour

Jeju Island

‘If you’d like to experience another side of Korea after exploring Seoul, I hope you’ll visit Jeju Island. Many of the paintings I made last year were inspired by Jeju’s quiet atmosphere and landscapes. It’s a place I always find myself wanting to return to.’

For a place to stay, Wallpaper* suggests these elevated Jeju Island cabins by architect Byoung Cho.

When Charles M Schulz first introduced Charlie Brown to the world in October 1950, the beloved cartoon character wore a plain white T-shirt. But Schulz realised Charlie Brown was missing something. ‘He didn’t bounce off the page,’ the American cartoonist later recounted. ‘So I gave him that little jagged stripe, and he’s had it ever since.’

Clothing quickly became visual shorthand for each character in the Peanuts comic-strip universe. Sally wore polka dots; Linus had stripes and his trusty security blanket; Peppermint Patty flaunted flip-flops. Even Snoopy, the beloved beagle, first appeared with a flower tucked into his collar.

‘Snoopy in Style’, a new exhibition opening today (2 September 2026) in New York, tells the story of Peanuts and its creator through fashion. Through archival material, fashion rarities, special commissions and experiential vignettes, the show highlights Peanuts’ enduring influence on fashion and pop culture.

That starts with Schulz himself. The Minnesota-born cartoonist – ‘Sparky’, as he was known to those close to him – was always a snazzy dresser, thanks to his father (a barber) and a proclivity for sweaters, courtesy of a clothing store called the Lions Den, local to Santa Rosa where he later moved. The exhibition features a selection of some of the best, courtesy of The Charles M Schulz Museum and Research Center, including a red-and-black argyle number and a flame-stitch crewneck.

As the popularity of the strip grew, so did Peanuts’ reach. San Francisco businesswoman Connie Boucher saw opportunity in Peanuts-themed merchandise. In partnership with Schulz, Boucher helped the comic strip grow from a fixture in the ‘funnies’ into Peanuts the brand. Peanuts-themed datebooks, plush dolls, clothing and more – a plethora of which is shown in ‘Snoopy in Style’ – flooded the market. Standouts include original 1960s-era wall calendars with psychedelic graphics; a rainbow of character-themed sweatshirts; and a Boy George-lookalike Snoopy.

As the decades rolled on, so too did the Peanuts cast’s style – especially Snoopy. At various points in the strip’s five-decade run, Snoopy flaunted alter-egos and styles that drew from the disco, prepster and grunge eras – a sartorial edge that earned him the moniker ‘Joe Cool’. Snoopy still inspires today. The exhibition’s pièce de résistance is a room full of plush Snoopys and Woodstocks, reimagined by some of America’s most talented fashion designers, from Christopher John Rogers to Bode and Willy Chavarria.

Apart from a wealth of Peanuts storytelling, ‘Snoopy in Style’ features plenty of fodder for the social media set, including Instagram-friendly vignettes, a central café peppered with Peanuts-sillouette chairs, a midcentury-inspired listening room, and even a gift shop curated by Colette founder Sarah Andelman.

But the best bits are ones that surprise, including a section dedicated to Schulz’s friendship with tennis superstar and activist Billie Jean King. Both supported Title IX, a landmark federal civil rights law that prohibited sex-based discrimination in schools, which helped open the door for female athletes everywhere. Two years later, in 1974, King founded the Women’s Sports Foundation and Schulz readily agreed to be a trustee. The Peanuts gang also came along for the ride, from Peppermint Patty criticising inequities in women’s sports, to Lucy quite literally serving as a poster child for King’s foundation. (‘Thank goodness for sports,’ the famously cantankerous cartoon character quipped. ‘If they didn’t exist, I don’t know what I’d do with my tremendous natural ability.’)

Whether you pop by between matches at the US Open or Fashion Week events, ‘Snoopy in Style’ makes one thing clear: you’re a good man, Charlie Brown.

‘Snoopy in Style’ is on view from 2-26 September 2026 at 25 Little West 12th St, New York, NY 10014

When pondering the more than 50-year career of filmmaker and artist David Lynch (1946-2025), lightness is not the first thing that comes to mind. Who can forget the haunting suburban scene of Dennis Hopper breathing psychotically into a clear plastic gas mask before groping Isabella Rossellini in the ground-breaking 1980s neo-noir mystery film Blue Velvet? The human cruelty bestowed upon The Elephant Man or the bleak industrial trappings of Eraserhead – which put Lynch on the map in the late 1970s, and left an indelible mark on the industry. But the light – and creative possibility – that he discovered in Los Angeles, where he lived for over five decades, with the picturesque sprawling city and its underbelly as his muse and inspiration, undoubtedly informed his work. For Lynch, the city was ‘a feeling as much as it is a place’, according to Pace, which opens a show of his photographs at its Los Angeles gallery on 19 September.

Titled ‘David Lynch: LA’, the exhibition bridges the emotional and physical landscape between the myths and mysteries of the city and its archetypes – the ingenue, the shapeshifter, the beauty, and darkness. The artist’s blurred reality and surrealist slant in films and television projects, referred to as ‘Lynchian’, are also evident in this collection of photographs that spotlight his distinctive artistic sensibility in a medium that bridges his significant contributions to painting and film.

Lynch is credited for bringing experimentalism to mainstream media in the late 20th century, and was bestowed with a slew of prizes, including an Honorary Academy Award, a BAFTA, the Cannes Film Festival Best Director Award for Mulholland Drive (2001), and the Palm d’Or for Wild at Heart (1990), along with a Golden Globe for his 1990s television series Twin Peaks.

Lynch, born in Missoula, Montana in 1946, moved to Los Angeles in 1972 as a fellow at The American Film Institute, where he set up a studio in the stables at the Greystone Mansion campus in Beverly Hills for four years. Over the years, Lynch also worked as an animator, an author, a furniture designer, and a musician. His talents spanned directing music videos for Moby and Nine Inch Nails, and commercials for Dior, Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent. His acting roles include playing film director John Ford in Steven Spielberg's drama film The Fabelmans, in 2022.

Because of all his moving-image accolades, many film fans don’t realise that Lynch actually wanted to be a painter. Before his move to LA, he was influenced by Francis Bacon while an art student at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in Philadelphia, when he began creating short films out of a desire to effect movement in his paintings.

‘David Lynch had an incredibly rich and sustained art practice that began in childhood, continued through art school in the 1960s, and remained an essential part of his life for nearly 60 years,’ says Genevieve Day, senior director at Pace in Los Angeles.

With past exhibitions from the artist spanning other globally recognised galleries in Tokyo, London, Paris, Milan and Moscow, Lynch joined Pace in 2022, marking his debut with the solo exhibition ‘Big Bongo Night’ in New York, featuring mixed-media sculptures, paintings, and a work on paper.

Now, it felt important for Pace to honour the commitment Lynch devoted to this practice, and to have this new show take place in his chosen home since 1972. ‘This exhibition, focusing specifically on Lynch’s photo-based work, is a prelude to a much broader retrospective that LACMA is in the early stages of preparing,’ says Day.

This continues the thread of Los Angeles, which became a defining presence in Lynch’s imagination. ‘It traces the atmospheric feeling of the city through his early 1979 black and white “portraits” of the distinctive architecture of Los Angeles, to his continued study of the nude, in which the female body becomes abstracted and visually topographical,’ says Day. ‘Later, he digitally manipulated his photographs, creating a contemporary odalisque – the reclining figure of art-historical tradition. The five large-scale colour photographs of women and smoke expand on this idea of the surreal, vivid in our imagination. Each work has a distinctive quality, but together reveal Lynch’s broader vision.’

As seen in the provocative red lips with a wafting cloud of smoke, Lynch captures these images as a moment of ecstasy. In stark contrast, smoke is also seen as a plume rising from a drab 1950s-style sofa with chintz floral drapery in the background. Ironically, Lynch was a lifelong chain smoker, and, already suffering from emphysema, he died in 2025 following evacuation during the devastating Southern California wildfires that swept through the city that same year.

In the many years that Pace has been involved with Lynch and his artwork – most recently with two 2026 group exhibitions in Berlin – there are still surprises to uncover. ‘Like the best artists, there is a mystery in his work that becomes both illuminating and more confounding the more closely you look,’ says Day. ‘He was a storyteller – some images are overt, while others are much more enigmatic, leaving space for the viewer to create their own narrative.

‘I hope people come away with a deeper understanding of David Lynch as a visual artist,’ adds Day. ‘His photography was only one aspect of his immense creative practice as an artist whose vision found expression across many different mediums.’

‘David Lynch: LA ’at Pace Los Angeles, 1201 South La Brea Avenue, 19 September – 24 October 2026

pacegallery.com

Geneva Watch Days debuted in 2020 as a decentralised alternative for a pandemic world, in a ‘Phygital’ form when the halls of Palexpo stood empty. Six years on, it has become a must-visit event, and for many is seen as the industry's most collegial gathering.

Geneva Watch Days 2026 (2-6 September) spreads across the city, at the Pavilion at the Rotonde du Mont-Blanc, Hotel Beau-Rivage and the boutiques of Rue du Rhône. Last year's record of 70 brands is beaten with this year’s event, which hosts 71. Jean-Christophe Babin, Bulgari's chairman and the event's instigator and president, calls it an incubator as much as a showcase, where independents share billing with LVMH's biggest names. Run as a nonprofit by volunteers, the event offers intimate conversations with CEOs in hotel suites, symposia, breakfasts and a chronometry contest supporting Geneva's watchmaking school. From independent to big brands, here are a few watches being revealed today.

Ming 57.05 Comet

Ming marks nine years with the 57.05 Comet, a worldtimer built around a patent-pending fix for daylight saving time. An unusual design sees the usually minimal ethos replaced by stepped art deco lugs and a small centre dial that resembles early Patek Philippe world timers of the 1940s and 1950s, framed by a wide bezel. Click the outer bezel 15 degrees, and only the DST-observing cities jump forward, while the rest stay untouched. The watch has a British connection, being named after the de Havilland Comet, the first jet airliner. At its centre, a multilayered blue dial called Comet Tail shifts with the light, making this a charmingly retro take on Ming’s world of horology. Limited to 200 pieces, from CHF 6,950.

ming.watch

Bremont Terra Nova Jumping Hour

Bremont extends its Terra Nova Jumping Hour with five new pieces, headlined by an all-new 35mm case, the collection's first dress-watch scale. A rich burgundy joins the established pink as Bremont's second British colourway, offered across both the new 35mm and the original 40.5mm. It is a shrewd move by CEO David Cerrato, as the jumping hour and guichet trend remains strong, and both male and female collectors still eschew large sizes in favour of compact chic. Each version keeps the jumping hour's bold montre à guichet display and BC634 calibre, switching the hour disc in under a tenth of a second. In steel and pink, this dressy number rounds out the family with a shimmer that’ll catch the eye of many collectors.

bremont.com

Bulgari Octo Finissimo Dual Time

Spearheaded by the never-ending creativity of Fabrizio Buonamassa Stigliani, Bulgari builds its Geneva Watch Days presence around a titanium manifesto. The Octo Finissimo Dual Time marks its first outside collaboration, reworked with Vianney Halter into retrofuture territory between Jules Verne and precision engineering, and limited to 30 pieces in titanium and ten in warm pink gold.

With external displays framed by studded dive-bell-esque rings, the contrast to the clean-cut symmetry of the Finissimo is striking. The Octo Finissimo Dazzle takes the opposite route, with a case laser-engraved into a camouflage pattern. The finish draws directly from a technique used by automotive manufacturers to conceal a vehicle’s true silhouette during road testing, by wrapping its bodywork in fragmented geometric patterns that confuse the eye, blurring the boundary between Finissimo and abstract art.

bulgari.com

Zenith Chronomaster Solo Sport

Zenith strips the chronograph away from Chronomaster for the first time with the Solo Sport, giving the collecting community the simple three-hander dive watch with a 1950s vibe that has been missing from the brand catalogue. It was built to carry the El Primero's high-frequency identity without its usual stopwatch complication, and comes with a more traditional sweeping logo at 12. The 3620 calibre beats at 5Hz, in a 40mm steel case with a ceramic dive bezel, while a high-tech ceramic dial carries a repeated 45-degree Z motif. It’s a strong move from the brand, the dial pattern a graphic translation of frequency itself, finished with a shark-tooth minute track from Zenith's archive. In black, white and brown, fitted with the new Zenclasp bracelet, it will be available from CHF8,900 (£8,113).

zenith-watches.com

Renaud Tixier Monday Organica

Renaud Tixier is the result of a long collaboration between watchmaker-slash-inventor and sensei Dominique Renaud, and the artisanal skills of Julien Tixier. This year the two have completed its Organica triptych with Monday Organica Black and Bordeaux, the final two colours after last year's sold-out Blue. Its organic, almost botanical dial might look like pure art nouveau ornament, but is actually drawn from the curves of three RVI2023 calibre components. There are two evocative dials, including a grand feu enamel, notoriously hard to fire flawlessly, and the warmer tones of Bordeaux, in 5N rose gold. Seven pieces of each will be made, price on request.

dominiquerenaud.ch

Daniel Roth Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt

Daniel Roth, revived in 2023 by LV’s La Fabrique du Temps, pushes further into its Montre Objet d’Art philosophy with the Extra Plat Rose Gold Gilt. On the dial, the Roman numerals and brand name are negative shapes cut through a masking varnish, revealed as bare gold once the surrounding surface has been built up black. Beneath it all sits a pinstripe guilloché, hand-cut on a rose engine by a single artisan, with the black surface shifting with the light and housed in the brand’s signature double-ellipse case. Made from a warm 5N rose gold with a wearably slim 38.6 x 35.5mm size, it runs on the manual-winding calibre DR002. This has 143 components, 65 hours of reserve at 4Hz, and is developed by industry and Gerald Genta veterans Michel Navas and Enrico Barbasini. Priced at CHF55,000 (£50,100).

danielroth.com

Mauron Musy MU05 nO-Ring Origin

Mauron Musy marks a decade of nO-Ring, its unique and patented gasket-free sealing that holds to 300m with metal alone against sapphire. The architectural, almost industrial case, was fittingly offered in a limited collaboration with Italian architect ArturoTedeschi earlier in 2026, but the MU05 nO-Ring Origin goes back to the foundation of the brand. The charming move here is the open-worked dial, where actual fragments of founder Christophe Musy’s handwritten development notes and calculations are visible in crisp print within the dial, unedited and unresolved, and no two watches show the same scrawled theories. It’s a rare instance of an engineering brand taking us behind the scenes, and the 44mm grade-five titanium case houses the skeletonised MM01-SK calibre, visible through sapphire on both sides. All 26 watches come with a strap laser-engraved with the same handwriting, so the reasoning runs off the dial and around the wrist, marking an independent anniversary, at CHF34,000 (£29,170).

mauronmusy.com

The Aotearoa New Zealand-based practice Fineline Architecture makes it into the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2026, our latest annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios from around the world.

Who: Fineline Architecture

‘A good project should help someone live a little better while asking as little as possible of the planet to do it,’ explain architects Magdalena Garbarczyk and Mathew Hay, founders of the Aotearoa New Zealand-based practice Fineline Architecture. Since its foundation in 2021, the firm has held itself to one simple standard: keep only what's necessary, choose materials that age honestly, and resist anything added for show.

‘We're motivated by the idea that architecture has to earn its place, both for the people who use it and the ground it sits on,’ says Garbarczyk and Hay. ‘We treat every commission, regardless of scale, as a chance to test that idea again.’

The practice is rooted in its unbroken connection to place, coupled with curiosity and the desire to continue researching ideas, as Hay explains: ‘Magdalena spent nine years in academic research before returning to practice, and we've stayed intentional about keeping research inside the work rather than leaving it at the university door.

‘It shows in how we test ideas: every project has to answer three questions before it's allowed to stay as it is. Is it necessary? What happens if we take it out? Can it be less? What survives that process tends to be quieter, more honest about its materials, and built to last rather than to impress.’

The duo works a lot with natural and bio-based materials, from using raw earth as a finish to straw and timber as a structure. They continue to experiment, testing what these materials can actually do rather than treating them as decoration. ‘That research keeps steering our work toward buildings that wear their age well, instead of ones that depend on constant upkeep to look right,’ they explain.

What: Sharlands House

Nestled in the artsy town of Nelson, on New Zealand’s South Island, sits Sharlands House – a renovation project by Fineline Architecture. Here, the architects considered natural materials and light to craft a new kitchen, which is both functional yet refined, equipped with a central island to entertain around.

Other rooms that were reconfigured as part of the project are the laundry, bathroom, and connecting circulation spaces. This was achieved by moving walls to simplify movement through the home.

This new layout funnels light across the residence, which helps underline its organic material palette. Its simplicity shines through. The studio manages to capture the natural rhythms of daily life without adding unnecessary bells and whistles. The timber-lined spaces create cosy cocoons to retreat to, while the kitchen feels like a warm embrace when it glows in the late afternoon sun.

Sustainability is at the residence’s core. Solid timber and plywood were threaded throughout, chosen for durability and warmth. The whole project evokes a sense of familiarity, as if everything is as it should be. As if it has always been there.

Why: Architects Directory 2026

When the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory was conceived in 2000, it was built as our bespoke international index of emerging architectural talent. Now in its 25th edition, our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe (now comprising over 500 alumni) champions the best and most promising young studios - a snapshot of talent showcasing inspiring work from all corners of the Earth with an emphasis on the residential realm.

This year’s anniversary survey includes 30 young studios (one for each of the 30 years of Wallpaper*), from Australia, Bahrain, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Ghana, Greece, France, Ivory Coast, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, India, Morocco, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam. Welcome to the promise, ideas and exciting architecture of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2026.

finelinearchitecture.co.nz

Critical spatial practice Exutoire sees architecture as one instrument among several. Founded in Oslo in 2019 by Paul-Antoine Lucas and Bui Quy Son, the now Hanoi-based studio works across design, building, curating, teaching, writing and publishing, with an interest in social, spatial and material justice. Its subjects range from queer methodologies and trans-normativity in public space to housing rights and collective life.

Who: Exutoire

Lucas and Son are both HMONP-licensed architects in France and are pursuing Practice Research PhDs at RMIT University. They have taught at the Oslo School of Architecture and Design, TU Darmstadt, Chulalongkorn University and RMIT Vietnam, and will co-curate the Luxembourg Pavilion at the 2027 Venice Architecture Biennale with Céline Zimmer. Their first book, Housing, Micropolitics, and Pedagogies: Designing and Practicing Collectivity, was published by Ruby Press in 2025.

‘We’re driven by the idea that architecture and society intimately inform and influence each other,’ they say. In built work, that becomes a preference for what the duo call ‘straightforwardness, robustness, and fun’: minimal interventions, durable materials and room for lived reality to remain visible. They are especially drawn to renovation and adaptation, treating existing buildings as evidence of social life rather than raw material for erasure.

What: 22YB1

22YB1, completed between 2023 and 2025, is Exutoire’s house and studio in central Hanoi. It renovates an early-1990s tube house, the long, narrow housing type that evolved when state-subsidised living shifted to the market-oriented real estate sector following Vietnam's 1986 economic reforms (known as Đổi Mới). Here, the plot is only 3m wide by 12m deep, across three and a half storeys; a compact urban condition with familiar problems: darkness, poor ventilation and limited durability.

Exutoire’s intervention is surgical. The staircase moves from the middle to the rear; transverse partitions disappear; rooms open up so air and light can travel. The front façade keeps traces of the old house, while the rear is rebuilt in glass brick for ambient light. New windows and an open stairwell improve cross and stack ventilation.

The material palette has a useful bluntness: granito, raw concrete, galvanised steel, corrugated metal, white paint in different gloss levels, yellow tiles, royal blue cabinets and lacquer-red handrails. The ground floor becomes Exutoire’s studio; above, the house is arranged for non-nuclear living, guests and friends. A bas-relief on the façade marks its address and completion date, giving the renovation a civic note as well as a domestic one.

Why: Architects Directory 2026

When the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory was conceived in 2000, it was built as our bespoke international index of emerging architectural talent. Now in its 25th edition, our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe (now comprising over 500 alumni) champions the best and most promising young studios - a snapshot of talent showcasing inspiring work from all corners of the Earth with an emphasis on the residential realm.

This year’s anniversary survey includes 30 young studios (one for each of the 30 years of Wallpaper*), from Australia, Bahrain, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Ghana, Greece, France, Ivory Coast, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, India, Morocco, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam. Welcome to the promise, ideas and exciting architecture of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2026.

exutoireexutoire.com

UK housing estates and Brutalist tower blocks such as the Barbican and Trellick Tower have long divided opinion among onlookers – what is a modernist masterpiece to one person is an eyesore to another. But of course, for many whose opinions are not so often heard, they are simply a home – a backdrop to daily life. For Shawn Adams and his fellow members of POoR Collective (Power Out of Restriction), some of whom grew up on housing estates, these buildings are a source of inspiration – one the studio has channelled into a joyful new rug for British brand Floor Story.

Realised in two contrasting colourways of New Zealand wool, the flatwoven design, named 'Power', is informed by the rigorous geometry found in the plans and sections of London tower blocks. In the pattern, these vertical and horizontal elements are abstracted, hinting at the outline of a deck-access walkway or a circular column borrowed from the Barbican.

The goal, Adams says, was to translate these spatial, three-dimensional concepts into a two-dimensional medium while maintaining an optimistic aesthetic rather than creating an austere or literal architectural plan.

'It's about finding the beauty in something everyday that might ordinarily be overlooked,' says Adams, who, born and raised in south-west London, runs POoR Collective alongside Matt Harvey-Agyemang, Ben Spry, Akmaral Khassen and Larry Botchway. 'We asked, "If we were to take the stories of an estate and try and make it into a rug, what would that look like?"'

He likens the resulting designs to a palimpsest – a visual translation of the layered lives and histories of residents who live within architecture that is so frequently fetishised or derided, and who are often talked about but rarely listened to.

For POoR, which primarily works on architectural projects focused on community development and platforming young people, designing a rug was a new but natural extension of its spatial design practice. 'It’s kind of the same process in a way,' he says, 'whether it’s 2D or 3D. We sketched out ideas, gathered references and started creating and testing. I think all of us were quite aligned from the start.'

To bring the collection to life, POoR worked with Floor Story's head designer Gill Thorpe. 'I was drawn to POoR Collective's ethos of community, joy, wellbeing and their beautifully coloured graphic language,' says Thorpe. 'Power is a versatile and graphically structured flatweave, the only one in the wider collection that comes in two stock colourways. The pattern has been made with the intention of building onto the shapes instead of just scaling up or down, reflecting the inspiration of London's tower blocks.'

Made in Mirzapur, India, POoR's rugs are being showcased during London Design Festival alongside four other designs by four London-based creative practices: Coco Lom, House of Quinn, artist Lakwena Maciver and Les Keepers. Thorpe deliberately chose to work with local designers who had not designed rugs before. 'Each of the five designers has such different styles and ways of creating,' she told Wallpaper*. 'Paint, textiles, photography and mark-making were all brought into the world of rugs for the first time; it was both exciting and explorative.'

While the designers brought new energy and creativity, Thorpe provided the essential technical insights regarding material depth, weave textures and practical considerations like colour durability for high-traffic areas. The POoR team moved from hand sketches to digital drawings and finally to physical samples to understand how different fibres and colour movements would behave in person. The ability to see and touch the fibres in person, Adams says, was a vital part of the process. 'There are aspects like the movement of the weave that you can’t really capture in the same way in a drawing or on a computer screen – you have to see how it will look in person and in samples, and see how the textures will work.'

The rugs will be displayed next month at Floor Story's Shoreditch showroom, which will be transformed into a series of room sets featuring furniture from Spanish brand Sancal and curated by Trifle* Creative. The display will include all five designs – a fitting celebration of London's design talent.

For POoR Collective, the rug offers another medium through which to continue deeper conversations that have long informed its work. Housing estates are filled with overlooked design stories. Platforming them, POoR argues, is a way to challenge design hierarchies and invite marginalised voices to the table. 'With our work moving forward, we’re really looking at what power means,' says Adams. 'We want to talk about buildings, spaces and aspects of design that people don’t typically discuss. We want to shift the conversation.'

The rugs will be on display during London Design Festival, 15–18 September 2026, 10am–6pm daily; Saturday 19 September, 11am–5pm, at Floor Story, Cairo Studios, 4 Nile Street, London N1 7RF

Based in the United States, Mattaforma is a young practice joining the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2026, our newest round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios from around the world.

Who: Mattaforma

Mattaforma bridges the gap between nature and architecture, blending a research-based approach to design with a deep interest in and understanding of ecosystems and the world beyond human-made construction. Founded by Lindsey Wikstrom, who is also the author of Designing the Forest and Other Mass Timber Futures (Routledge, 2023), the practice scooped the coveted 2026 National Design Award for Emerging Designer from the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum.

The architect explains: ‘When you build with living materials, the building gives something back: cleaner air, stored carbon, a connection to the natural world that changes how people enjoy life in a space. Architecture is one of the few disciplines that can make ecological intelligence physical, tangible, livable, intimately known; and one of the few disciplines that can have an incredible impact on our carbon footprint as a species by choosing regenerative materials.’

From plant-based components to spaces centred on wellbeing and passive energy approaches, Mattaforma focuses on environments that not only feel organic now, but also grow and adapt over time. ‘I am influenced by traditional localised building practices and building science, and inspired to mix that intelligence with contemporary typologies, new definitions of nature and native-ness, and new ways of being in the world,’ says Wikstrom.

What: Parkview Mountain House

Conceived as a creative retreat within nature, Parkview Mountain House was a commission for a house that serves an artists’ residency programme for Globizen, a city building company and community instigator. Winkstrom and her team were called upon to craft a house for the business’s first-ever artist-in-residence programme, where writers, artists and scholars come, spend time and work in the forested setting of this Park City, Utah site.

The sloped site is engulfed in Wasatch firs. Within this leafy setting, the architects conceived the residence as a slender timber tower containing stacked guest rooms and communal areas. Strategically placed window boxes become extended desks, where work and natural context can converge. Knotty cedar-board interiors and a structure made of lightweight timber that reduces embodied carbon while highlighting the wooded context reinforce the feeling of living among the trees.

Why: Architects Directory 2026

When the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory was conceived in 2000, it was built as our bespoke international index of emerging architectural talent. Now in its 25th edition, our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe (now comprising over 500 alumni) champions the best and most promising young studios - a snapshot of talent showcasing inspiring work from all corners of the Earth with an emphasis on the residential realm.

This year’s anniversary survey includes 30 young studios (one for each of the 30 years of Wallpaper*), from Australia, Bahrain, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Ghana, Greece, France, Ivory Coast, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, India, Morocco, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam. Welcome to the promise, ideas and exciting architecture of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2026.

mattaforma.com

In July 2026, OMA appointed three new partners: Marianne Anthonissen, Kaveh Dabiri, and Samir Bantal. There is no doubt that with the renowned architecture firm expanding its leadership and experiencing exponential growth in the past two decades, there's a distinct ongoing transition phase unfolding at the forefront of its global operations.

Discussing OMA's evolution with its co-managing partners

We caught up with Anthonissen and existing OMA executive leader David Gianotten, who are now sharing the organisational and financial management, business strategy and global growth roles as the Dutch studio's joint managing partners. We discussed OMA's evolution – where the ground-breaking practice stands now and how it sees its future.

W*: Welcome, both. Would you like to introduce yourselves and your roles at OMA?

Marianne Anthonissen: I have been with OMA since 2016. I kept the same title up until very recently, but my role evolved quite a bit over the years. I started as the chef de bureau, where my main focus initially was to do the staffing of projects. I studied architecture in South Africa at the University of Cape Town, and then I also practised as an architect in South Africa for ten years before moving to the Netherlands. My focus is on people operations, working very closely with the architects and our support staff on how we organise things.

David Gianotten: My trajectory is very different. I started at OMA in 2009. Before that time, I had my own practice together with Bjarne Mastenbroek, called SeArch, in Amsterdam. We collaborated with Rem Koolhaas on a project, and he asked me to join OMA to take care of his operations, not only from a management side but also from a design perspective. At the time, OMA's managing partner didn't have an architectural background. When he left, I was asked by the partnership to take over the management temporarily because, apart from my architectural degree, I also have a degree in management. This soon became permanent.

I have done that for 11 years, and it recently became apparent that we have grown and also needed more input from the younger generation. It sometimes felt quite lonely to manage such a big group of people alone.

W*: How are you dividing the role between you two?

David Gianotten: I have worked very closely with Marianne for years now, and we have an established relationship. We also see that our strengths are very complementary and I would say almost overlapping, but each having our own focus. I look very much at the efficiency of the office and also the financial side of things, so let's say the management of the health of the office. Marianne really looks at the people and how the office culture could evolve.

W*: Marianne, tell me about your perspective. And also, how important do you think it is for the managing partner to also be an architect?

Marianne Anthonissen: What is very often happening in architectural practices is that architects also manage without having formal management training. So, they learn on the job. It's been surprisingly important in the role of management and organisation to have this background in architecture. It's interesting how the skills that you gain as an architect, where you're able to zoom in and out of a different scale, taking the bigger picture view and also having to take into consideration the context, the regulations, all of that, translate quite well into how you run a business. The layers and the topics are quite different, but it's been an interesting experience to see how this feeds into management.

W*: How has the business changed since you first joined OMA?

David Gianotten: Its needs have changed significantly because when I joined, I was employee number 59. We grew very rapidly in the next seven years to almost 280 and beyond. At the same time, we started working from different geographic locations. First, we only had Rotterdam and New York; then Asia came, the Middle East and Australia. So the management system had to be much more elaborate. It had to be controllable but flexible at the same time. It went from unorganised creative chaos to organised creative chaos, and I say that on purpose because I think the chaos in a company like ours means you don't restrict it, because then you become corporate.

Marianne Anthonissen: Obviously, OMA is a company that's been around for a long time, and I think one of the things that's probably remained consistent is that we respond critically to the broader environment in which we work. It's the key to how we move forward, looking at how the world is changing, as well as new technologies and new generations. How do we respond, and how do we work with what's happening in the world? How has that affected people, and what are their expectations from a work environment? All this affects how we organise ourselves.

W*: Was OMA always destined to grow? It's a firm that has always conceptually tackled the large-scale, urban growth and density. And are you planning to grow more?

David Gianotten: Although when things were thought like that [conceptually], the practice was not that big. But then no, we never thought about a number. We thought about an investment in the sense of intellectual investment. Since I joined the partnership level in the 2010s, numbers have been pretty stable, which was a conscious management decision because we want the partners involved in the creative work and growing further would make it simply almost impossible. Also, the aim is to stay with the 10 partners that we have.

We see the office not only as a project but also as a testing ground. You have ideas, you have strategies, but if the office doesn't follow, then the strategy becomes void. For us, our people are the value. Those brains coming together as one big brain – that's the office.

W*: Of course, the human element is paramount. Marianne, do you find that as attitudes to work change, maybe people's motivation also changes?

Marianne Anthonissen: Architecture is a creative endeavour, and people who work here generally are doing something they're extremely passionate about. Things change in how people balance their time, how people organise the working day and how we try and make sure there's a balance because the working culture - generally, not just in our office - has changed, and that's something that you have to respond to.

David Gianotten: We should also not forget that OMA is in an enormously luxurious position. Our name attracts people from all around the world, and we can select the best. That also means bringing in a lot of potential tension and potential competitiveness that need to be managed in the right direction. It is about finding the right balance.

W*: What lies in OMA's future? What is on your agenda, and what do you hope to achieve in the next five to ten years from now?

David Gianotten: We have always said there's only one thing we want to stay away from, and that is addiction in the negative sense of the word. We don't want to create projects that stimulate people in the wrong direction, such as casinos. We don't work in certain countries, but we always listen first to the question, no matter what the political system is, and we see how we can contribute to the dialogue. We are very proud of the fact that we can do all different typologies, and we want to do them in all sorts of different contexts. That is also how we grow our portfolio. We are now exploring more growth in the South. We constantly try to find a balance between what we already know and what we don't know yet. A good balance is: 40% exploration, 60% things we can immediately position and be relevant.

Marianne Anthonissen: I am looking forward to also building on the legacy of the company and building on what we've achieved up to now. So, this thing that we work globally, we're very diverse also culturally. We want to continue to expand on a basis that we already have; there's no giant identity shift here.

David Gianotten: I want to close by adding that I am so excited about my collaboration with Marianne on the OMA management; not because of my own eagerness to be able to share, but also because I think Marianne has a very bright mind that can add something really valuable and bring new energy to the company. For me, it is great to look forward to that energy. I hope you have felt that enthusiasm in my answers. This is a very key moment for the firm.

Marianne Anthonissen: I agree.

W*: Indeed, I have! Thank you, both.

oma.com

Humour has always been a central tenet of Christine Sun Kim’s artistic practice - and her first artist book, Deaf Material is no different. Across 400 pages, the artist presents over 600 images from her personal archive of photographs and deaf imagery found in mainstream culture, often captioned with critical but humorous anecdotes, histories, and commentaries. Yet when her work and the book’s captions are funny, it isn’t just for the giggles; it is a way of opening the work to new audiences.

'The subject of deafness can be closed and very specific,' Kim says, 'so audiences often find it difficult to relate, and they stop right there. I use humour as a tool to hold their attention, serve as an entry point, and make the work accessible,' she continues. 'It’s like memes: Unfunny memes don’t make the rounds, but funny ones do. Super funny memes circulate so well that they transfer into real life - as Halloween costumes, as mentions in movies, and as part of contemporary language. Humour has to be right enough to circulate.'

In her work, the American artist strikes that balance: It’s right enough to circulate, but critical enough to send a message.

Kim – who earlier this year was included in the Wallpaper* US 400 – is known for drawings, performances, videos, and large-scale murals that examine how societies are shaped by sound and language, often adapting forms from silent modes of communication like musical notation, infographics, and American Sign Language to reshape and translate lived experiences into visual language. With Deaf Material, she offers an array of new insights into her personhood and, more generally, Deaf and disabled cultures and histories through captioned images, divided into 24 categories, drawn from her expansive personal archive.

'I find myself asking, again and again, ‘What are deaf aesthetics, exactly?’ So I started putting hundreds of images together, loosely categorizing them, and getting a good sense of our aesthetics,' she explains of the inspiration and process for the book. 'Deaf histories are messy. They’re often erased, hearing-washed, or not fully documented. Not only that, but many archives out there haven’t been digitized. We need to make our [Deaf] histories more formal: documenting, filing, and sharing. That will force a place in human history for us.'

Some categories in the book speak to specific bodies of Kim’s artwork - such as Captions, Subtitles, and Deaf/death - while others, like Ability, Airports, and Celebrity ASL, shed light explicitly onto her personal feelings toward and experiences relating to the titular topic.

For example, in her performance Spoken on My Behalf (2019) and series of public installations Captioning the City (2021), Kim reframes closed captions as poetic, political, and emotional tools. In Deaf Material’s Captions and Subtitles sections, photos immediately make clear the gaps in how the hearing world perceives sound and deafness compared to the reality, as well as sharing histories about captioning. Atop a photo of a pamphlet titled 'How you can add words to the picture,' Kim writes a caption that explains how a television station received a number of complaints after becoming the first to air a program with opening captioning (meaning the captions were burned in and could not be turned off). This resulted in the development of closed captioning, which can be turned on and off. Other photos are of videos playing on Kim’s laptop, showing how sometimes captions are not actually captions: One reads, 'This is a captions test. This is a test. This is a capt.'. Other offer the opportunity to 'advertise your product or brand here.'

Meanwhile, in the sections Celebrity ASL and ILY, Kim’s captions explain how she feels toward the ASL sign for 'ILY' increasingly appearing in pop culture and worldwide marketing. Beneath a photo of a Japanese bag of chips featuring a cartoon hand signing 'ILY,' she writes: 'ILY has gone global. I would have loved it even more if deaf people had the same resources and access to education and employment as hearing people in their countries. ILY is being hearing-washed.' Atop an image of Hilary Clinton flashing the sign, Kim has written: 'Love over emails.'

Taken as a whole, Deaf Material is a material expansion of Kim’s overarching practice. It is not only about deafness but disability and accessibility at large, making clear that we still have a long way to go: 'As much as I don’t want to admit it, I have an insanely huge amount of anxiety and paranoia around my existence,' Kim says. 'With eugenics against deafness in full swing and disability laws weakening, I am not very optimistic about the future of the Deaf community. Putting work together like this actually helps me deal with it. Therapy, I guess?'

'Christine Sun Kim: Deaf Material' is currently available online via Primary Information. It will be available in bookstores from September 15

Nwankpa Design is a young practice that makes it into the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2026, our latest annual round-up of exciting emerging architecture studios.

Who: Nwankpa Design

Based in Southern California, Nwankpa Design creates spaces rooted in bold elegance, paying particular attention to the human experience. Since its founding in 2016, the architecture and interiors firm has taken an immersive approach, from structure to furniture and custom details.

‘Our approach is immersive and deeply experiential, treating space as moments in a larger narrative that unfold as you move through it,’ shares Susan Nwankpa Gillespie, principal architect and founder of the firm. ‘The result is environments whose depth reveals itself gradually, feeling transformative to inhabit.’

The firm specialises in creating holistic residences, intending to craft beautiful spaces. ‘At the heart of everything we do is a desire to create more beauty in the world, a beauty that is living and meaningful. We are driven by the celebration of culture, the richness of heritage, and the extraordinary possibilities that emerge when tradition meets technology. Every project is an opportunity to expand expression and connection,’ says Nwankpa Gillespie.

While beauty is the heart of a project, culture and storytelling are its foundations, as the founder notes, ‘We are endlessly inspired by the visual languages of cultural heritage, patterns, craft, and memory held in material, all reinterpreted in a contemporary vocabulary.’

What: Textile House #2

In Inglewood, California, a dress was the source of inspiration for Textile House #2. An item Nwankpa Gillespie owned, its West African textiles and colourful prints were transplanted into an architectural form, uniting minimalism with bold patterns.

Its front facade mimics that of its neighbouring environment, with two pitched gables, with one framing a porch and the other a picture window. On closer inspection, the facade is an amalgamation of texture and drama. Exterior brick patterns take on a graphic quality, as the solid black offset brick contrasts with the soft grey mortar, similar to a woven textile.

Towards the rear facade, the house adopts a more modern language, with wider gables framing two distinct entrances to the residence’s living spaces and to the primary bedroom. The interior continues the brick pattern throughout the flooring, allowing spaces to seamlessly flow into one another, divided only by colour and materiality.

Parallels are drawn between fashion and architecture through lines and materials, creating a layered relationship between them, breaking the boundaries between architecture and other creative practices.

Why: Architects Directory 2026

When the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory was conceived in 2000, it was built as our bespoke international index of emerging architectural talent. Now in its 25th edition, our annual listing of promising practices from across the globe (now comprising over 500 alumni) champions the best and most promising young studios - a snapshot of talent showcasing inspiring work from all corners of the Earth with an emphasis on the residential realm.

This year’s anniversary survey includes 30 young studios (one for each of the 30 years of Wallpaper*), from Australia, Bahrain, Benin, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Denmark, Ecuador, Ghana, Greece, France, Ivory Coast, Italy, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, India, Morocco, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Spain, Switzerland, the UK, the USA, and Vietnam. Welcome to the promise, ideas and exciting architecture of the Wallpaper* Architects’ Directory 2026.

nwankpadesign.com

For Art Smith [1917 - 1982], jewellery was an extension of sculpture, a philosophy that took shape in the sensual way his modernist pieces were worn on the body. Smith, who moved to New York City from Cuba as a toddler, studied sculpture before opening his own jewellery shop in Greenwich Village in 1946.

There, Smith established a distinctive aesthetic, drawing on an eclectic array of references, from dance to jazz and pan-African regalia, to create fluid and unique pieces. Smith delighted in unusual combinations, pairing semi precious stones with metals and wire which encircled the neck, or curled around the fingers. For Smith, rings were ‘hand decorations’ and necklaces ‘neck pieces,’ and their role was to enhance and celebrate the body.

Smith’s considerable impact is the subject of a new book paying tribute to his life and career. Revered in his lifetime - Smith made work for a rollcall of high clients, including Eleanor Roosevelt and Duke Ellington - Smith’s legacy has since established him as a definitive voice in modernist jewellery design.

‘The story of jeweller Art Smith has long radiated through the intertwined histories of American modernism and African diasporic expression, yet only in recent years have some of the most expansive contours of his life and work come into view,’ says Michelle D. Commander in the preface to Bodyworks: The Jewelry of Art Smith. ‘Smith's jewelry-fluid, organic, and unyieldingly modern-remains among the most distinctive contributions to midcentury design. But beyond the brilliance of form and the beauty of the objects lies a deeper resonance: Smith's work points to the ways Black makers have shaped the artistic landscape of the United States, often without the recognition they deserved.’

smithsonianbooks.com