The art market is notoriously convoluted and opaque. Large sums of money change hands behind closed doors, artworks enter collections before being seen publicly, often disappearing from view altogether as they enter the cultural purgatory of freeport storage. Staggering auction results can be both exciting and intimidating, implying a right and wrong way to collect art. There is no comprehensive public database to self-educate, and galleries are reluctant to offer works to newcomers. In many ways, these issues are fundamental to the exclusivity the industry thrives on. However, in recent years, there has been a push for a more accessible art market, and new tools, groups and methods of buying are helping collectors to navigate the murky waters and changing the way people acquire art today.

Art advisers

While not new, art advisers still offer the fastest entryway into the industry with access to prices and insight into the market and art history. ‘I’m looking at thousands of artworks, spending time with artists to understand their aspirations, and deciding with my clients what is best for their goals, not just for the year ahead, but for ten years ahead,’ says Amanda Schmitt, an adviser who has worked in the art world for nearly two decades. ‘Relationships are everything. When I walk into a gallery, I know the person I’m speaking with is trustworthy, and they know I am, too.’

Fairs and galleries

Fairs and galleries are a few of the traditional venues where collectors can buy art, but the methods are expanding. Online platforms like Artsy offer easy ways to collect art from vetted dealers, and some artists are connecting with buyers through social media. ‘Commissions have also become increasingly common in recent years,’ says Schmitt. ‘There is a movement to rethink what art can be, and some clients are becoming more interested in supporting an idea.’

A new take on ownership

Buyers are also changing the definition of ownership altogether. In 2022, collector Jordan Huelskamp founded Salon, a decentralised art fund where members vote on which artworks the group acquires, leveraging their individual knowledge and taste. The collection lives in the members’ homes. ‘Salon helps me rectify the tension between collecting regularly, and being opposed to sending artworks to storage,’ says Huelskamp. ‘Once the walls, nooks and crannies of your home are filled, the desire to collect does not simply go away. People collect for reasons beyond decorating homes: a desire to uplift emerging artists, to stay engaged with the art world... Salon offers another way to express our individual reasons for collecting.’ Since its launch, Salon has purchased eight works, including a painting by Sarah Crowner and a stoneware vessel by Toshiko Takaezu. The group still has the majority of its funds available, so they anticipate more acquisitions to come.

Salon uses blockchain-based smart contracts for member activities, one of the many applications of the technology. ‘NFTs are a vehicle to deliver an artwork, which can be many different things like video art, sound art, instructions for choreography, or a physical piece, and they make the transaction extremely frictionless,’ says Schmitt.

Increasing accessibility

Streamlining the industry gives collectors greater agency. In 2023, art adviser Rachel Cole launched Romulus.art, an art-tech platform that aims to fix what she viewed as outdated technologies and communications, which can lead to security risks and inefficiencies in the sale process. ‘Collectors want to understand every step, from initial interest to final purchase,’ says Cole. ‘This is especially true for new collectors unfamiliar with the industry.’ Romulus.art is currently in a beta version with more than 100 users, and will launch publicly at the beginning of 2025.

Also amplifying the push for agency and accessibility – and tapping into the social side of buying – are collector groups and museum memberships, which give access to gallery tours and events. In April 2024, art adviser Maria Vogel launched Club Rococo, a membership-based offshoot of her advisory that features studio visits, discounts to arts organisations, and a monthly newsletter. ‘Since entering the art world nearly ten years ago, I have always treated it as a space of ‘the more the merrier’,’ says Vogel.

Towards a new system

Indeed, the more the merrier might just be the future of the industry. There is, of course, more work to be done to advocate for greater transparency. But the more information is shared, the more agency buyers have in deciding how collecting art fits in with their lives. The system isn’t perfect, but what’s clear is that buyers are better equipped than ever to approach collecting in their own way. It can – and should – be as fun as it is rewarding.  

This article appears in the November 2024 issue of Wallpaper* , available in print on newsstands from 11 October, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

From Pre-Raphaelite beauties to Ziggy Stardust and Angela Chase in My So-Called Life, flaming red hair has been synonymous with rebellion and a fancifully eccentric interpretation of beauty. 

Yet all the romanticism of red hair can easily be quashed by the practicality of maintaining it. Copper and red hair dye fade much faster than their blond or brown counterparts, making daily hair maintenance its own complicated science. So with that in mind, we’ve compiled a list of products for every artificial red head to keep in their bathroom cabinet, including dry shampoos to use in-between less frequent washes, colour protecting shampoos, and hydrating hair oils.

Hair expert James Forward at Hershesons also recommends using a gloss or toner in between root touch-ups to keep the colour fresh and vibrant. Either pop into the salon for a toner every two weeks, or do it yourself at home using one of the products below. 

Pre-shampoo treatment

R + Co's Pre-Shampoo Colour Protect Masque is designed to fortify and seal in colour before washing to ensure that minimum colour is rinsed out during shampooing. In addition, it is formulated with amino acids and white oak bark to hydrate and smooth hair.  

net-a-porter.com

Colour preserving shampoos and conditioners

Alchemic shampoo conditioner in copper or red by Davines

Davines’ colour-enhancing shampoo and conditioner for red and copper tones is a great choice for maintaining colour vibrancy while simultaneously keeping hair hydrated and healthy. Leave the conditioner on for five minutes or more after shampooing to ensure you retain colour after washing. If you like your shades slightly brighter, ask your stylist to add a vibrant red or copper hair dye into the mixture for an added boost of colour. 

davines.com

Semi-permenant toner

Color + clenditioner by Keracolor

Keracolor’s color + clenditioner is a semi-permanent colour treatment that can be used in-between salon visits to maintain colour, or applied at-home to pre-bleached hair for a new wash of colour. After shampooing, leave it on for three to 20 minutes depending on how bright you want the colour to be. It is available in copper or a vibrant tomato red. 

keracolorhair.com

dpHUE’s Gloss+

Another colour booting gloss is  dpHUE’s Gloss+. Free from ammonia and peroxide, this semi-permanent treatment promises to last up to ten shampoos. Its deep conditioning base makes it especially well-suited to dry or damaged hair. Leave on for 3-20 minutes depending on desired colour richness. 

dphue.com

Dry shampoo 

Detox Dry Shampoo by We Are Paradoxx 

The fade-ability of red and copper hair means that it is best to limit washes as much as possible. We Are Paradoxx’s Detox Dry Shampoo is formulated with activated charcoal and kaolin clay to remove dirt and prevent flat, greasy hair. Sprinkle the powder formula onto the roots and shake into the scalp with fingertips. 

lookfantastic.com

Prêt-à-Powder Très Invisible by Bumble and Bumble

Those who prefer a spray-on dry shampoo can opt for Bumble and Bumble’s Prêt-à-Powder Très Invisible dry shampoo. The sprayable formula uses French pink clay to absorb oil and protect hair from UV damage, making it particularly good for coloured hair during summer months.

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Hair hydrators 

Hair Oil by Bread

Bread is a Black-owned hair care brand whose much loved Hair Oil is particularly well-suited to curly or textured hair. Apply to damp hair to moisturise post-wash or dry hair for a boost of shine between washes. The colour-safe formula is a good way to keep hair hydrated and protected from breakage caused by colouring. 

breadbeautysupply.com

Split End Seal by Oribe 

Oribe’s Split End Seal colour treatment is a powerful serum that protects against the brittle texture and damaged look of frequently coloured hair. Specifically formulated for colour treated tresses, the Split End Seal will also help hair retain colour while it moisturises. And if that wasn’t enough, it smells great too.  

cultbeauty.com

Tweed is as iconic an element of the Chanel identity as the double C logo, so it seems only fitting that the brand’s signature fabric has been reinterpreted for Chanel Beauty’s latest launch. Les 4 Ombres Tweed is a set of four new Chanel eyeshadow palettes with shades embossed with the texture of tweed and contained within a pink tweed pouch. 

To celebrate the launch, Chanel make-up artist Anna Payne shares a step-by-step guide of four looks that can be created with the Chanel Tweed eyeshadow palettes, from the neutral browns and beiges of Tweed Brun et Rose; to the golds of Tweed Cuivré; the pinks and mauves of Tweed Pourpre; and the orange and purples of Tweed Fauve.

Look 1: intense coppers and rich purples 

• This look brings warmth to the eyes using a combination of fiery brick orange and the depth of an intense aubergine brown. This palette will really make green and blue eyes pop, whilst complementing brown eyes. 
  
  
• Using the darkest of the orange tones in the Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in 03 – Tweed Fauve, map out a domed eye shape using the socket as a guide. Take this under the lower lash line connecting the two.
  
  
• Take the Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Longwear Eyeliner in 20 – Espresso, and apply to the upper and lower waterline, then using the same pencil, go right into the lashes, really massaging it between the lashes to give the eye greater intensity. Using a small domed brush and a little of the darkest shade, gently blend this to create a slightly more smoky effect. Go back in with a little of the orange shade to ensure it’s all blended.
  
  
• Taking the deep aubergine colour, sweep it right along the eye socket, creating depth. Join this to the lash line, pulling the line upwards and out to add a lifted effect to the eyes.
  
  
• Finish with some mascara and a little Chanel Rouge Allure L’Extrait in 812 on the lips.

Look 2: golden cat eyes

• Use a black waterproof liner to create definition on the top and bottom waterline of your eye. Pull the liner up and out at the edge, creating the perfect flick.
  
  
• I find that this is best created by roughly drawing the liner where you think you want it and cleaning any errors with a cotton bud. The process of dragging the product in the direction you want creates a flawless flick with minimal effort.
  
  
• Use the colours from the Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in 01 - Tweed Cuivré to create a gradient from the darkest bronze in the socket and blend down towards the lashes using the golden shades. This look will work particularly well on brown and green eyes. The golden bronzed tones will enhance the golden fleck that brown eyes often have. 
  
  
• Clean up any drop-down from the eyeshadow and complete the look using Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch. After you’ve done this, go back in with a little of the darkest shade and soften the line between the bottom waterline and where you’ve added concealer. Finish the look with mascara prevents the lashes from becoming dusty and keeps them jet black.
  
  
• For the finishing touch, strengthen the flick using Calligraphie de Chanel in 65 – Hyperblack to ensure it’s jet black, and finish with more mascara.

Look 3: subtle neutrals

• A simple wash of orange shadow is sometimes all you need. Sweep Chanel Les 4 Ombres Multi-Effect Quadra Eyeshadow in 03 – Tweed Fauve across your lids and accentuate it with a darker brown shadow in your eye crease. 
  
  
• Add a little of the golden tone from the palette to the centre of the eye to brighten and lift the look, and you’re done! Leave your lashes bare for a fresh, chic look. 

Look 4: metallic bronzes

• Start by applying a light layer of the palest brown tone within the palette. Apply slowly and look straight ahead into the mirror to map out the shape. Get the shape in with your first layer and use it as a template for all the other shades to be blended into. By looking straight ahead, you can work out how far you want to come up into the socket and what shape is most complementary to your eye.
  
  
• Now apply Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Longwear Eyeliner in 20 – Espresso into the top and bottom waterline. Really work it in between the lashes to create intensity. You don’t want a gap between the lash and the eyeshadow. Taking the darkest brown shadow in the palette on a small domed brush, smudge it into the pencil line you’ve just created, slightly lifting at the end. Remember, you are always wanting to lift the eye up and out. Adding the shadow onto the liner will help to set it.
  
  
• Next, take the darkest shade and gently build up to the edge of the eye to really add definition to the shape you have made. Again, do it all with your eye open so you see where you’re placing it.
  
  
• Go back with a fluffy brush and a little of the light brown in the palette to make sure everything is nicely blended. The trick to blending is to do it very, very lightly; almost not touching, in a circular movement.  
  
  
• Add shine to the centre of the eye with the lightest of the glittery colours in the palette. A little light reflection in the centre will really brighten the whole look.
  
  
• Always remember that you’re trying to elongate the eye, so don’t follow the socket line round and down. Make sure you’re always lifting slightly at the end, buffing up onto the brow bone to lift.
  
  
• Use a tiny bit of the lightest shade in the very corner of your eye just to enhance it further.
  
  
• Curl the lashes and add plenty of mascara, really getting into the root of your lashes. 
  
  
• Using Chanel Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch, correct any redness and blemishes in the skin and finish with a lick of Chanel Rouge Coco Baume in 914 – Natural Charm on the lips.

INFORMATION

chanel.com

The Barbican Conservatory is a botanical oasis in the heart of a brutalist behemoth, boasting 1,500 species of plants and trees housed within its concrete and glass walls. For that reason, the Barbican’s head gardener, Marta Lowcewicz, is perhaps one of the most reliable sources you could find for advice on indoor plant care. Here, she shares her definitive guide to houseplant health, covering everything from how to plant a cutting to where to find the best botanical bargains. 

Marta Lowcewicz on caring for indoor plants:

Stick to the basics

Houseplants need nutrients, light, and water. How much of each of these they need will differ from plant to plant, but if you notice that your plant, whatever it is, might not be looking too happy, try giving it more/less light or more/less water before trying anything else. It’s usually one of these!

Know your environment

There is a houseplant for everyone. Whether your home is shady, or usually in bright sunlight, whether you like it warmer or cooler, and whether you live in a humid or dryer place, there will be a plant that can thrive in this environment and researching them is easy enough. More on this later!

Try to keep to a routine (with flexibility) 

Looking after houseplants can be difficult if you’re time-poor, especially if you have a lot of them (like me… 70 and counting, and that’s a lot less than some of my Barbican Conservatory colleagues!). It doesn’t need to be difficult. Routines can be flexible when it comes to watering, repotting, or feeding, but my advice would be ‘You can delay until tomorrow, but probably don’t delay until next week’.

There is lots of advice online, if you know where to look

With the surge in interest in botany and horticulture over the last few years, the amount of information online can seem extensive. The Royal Horticultural Society website is a great place to begin. The information is simple, clear and they are very good at advising treatments for disease or pests if your plant is looking unwell, or if attempts to adjust water and light haven’t helped. Try to avoid pages with conflicting information, as well as websites based abroad – they will usually be giving advice for different planting conditions to your own.

Feeding and repotting are worthwhile

To get the best results from your houseplants, it can’t hurt to feed them. Most garden centres will sell houseplant feed, or you can order it online. Simply follow the instructions on the package. As for potting plants – this is also a good thing to get into the habit of. There are three different types, broadly speaking:

Some houseplants, like Ficuses, and shrubs, can also benefit from pruning in late winter/early spring. This will take back some foliage to keep the plant looking healthy, keeping its size under control, as well as encouraging more new growth come late spring. Always check to see whether your plant can be pruned, though, before diving in with your secateurs (or kitchen scissors!)

Plants usually come back, with the right care

If your plant is looking sad, there are lots of things that can be done to address this. Sometimes it might just be down to the time of year. Around September time, plants might be beginning to slow down, to hibernate over the winter before coming back bigger and better next year. You should expect to see plants looking a bit droopier in the autumn, but generally speaking, this is nothing to worry about. They are hardier than you might think, with the right attention and care.

Botanical bargains

If you are prepared to take your time (which is, I think, part of the enjoyment of gardening and plants), then buy small, and grow them over a number of years. You will pay a premium for plants that are already large – so bear this in mind. Growing a plant from small to large is very rewarding. The clearance shelves and sale sections of garden centres are also good places to look. Usually speaking they can be brought back to a healthy, attractive state again.

The same goes for orchids in supermarkets. I have lots of sale orchids (and their pots!) that I’ve bought over the years for under a fiver. As well as plants, you can get some absolutely incredible deals on horticultural books in charity shops. Be persistent as they won’t always be there, but older books (like a lovely Alan Titchmarsh number I have from the 1980s that cost 50p), tend to be so much more detailed and useful than any of the modern books I’ve bought over the years. They might look less coffee table-friendly but they’re worth their weight in gold!

Plant swaps

Another way to get hold of new plants is to buy a selection with some friends and swap cuttings. Just be mindful that sharing cuttings also means you might be sharing diseases or pests – so try to (sensitively) ask your friends if they are aware of anything like this before introducing them to your own collection. 

How to manage space

Once bitten by the houseplant bug, it’s very easy to begin accumulating more than you have space for. A handy way to solve this is to think about different places they can go, and different approaches. Some plants look great on the floor, and hanging plants look fantastic too – especially trailing plants. Many garden centres are now selling very nice hanging pots.

There is a plant for everyone

Finally, it’s important to say that whatever your situation, whatever your diary is like, whatever your level of knowledge, there is a plant for you – do your research, take it slowly, don’t be overwhelmed and you will have years of enjoyment and a home full of beautiful, interesting, and healthy plants. Remember, this should be fun!

INFORMATION

barbican.org.uk

For our most recent beauty story, we collaborated with photographer Lowri Cooper and make-up artist Ninni Nummela to create six beauty looks using Chanel Beauty products. The results include graphic monochromatic eyes, geometric red lips, an entire face of golden glitter, and more. Below, Nummela shares a step-by-step make-up tutorial on how to recreate each of the looks at home.

A step-by-step make-up guide to get the looks

Purple and orange eyes and cheeks 

No.1 de Chanel Revitalising Cream, £84; Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch, £51; Les Beiges Water-Fresh Blush in Deep Bronze, £42; Stylo Ombre et Contour eye pencil in Rouge Noir, £28; Ombre Première eyeshadow in Désert Rouge, £29; Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow in Tissé Camélia, £50; Le Volume de Chanel mascara in Écorces, £31; Rouge Allure L’Extrait lipstick in 812, £46. 

Step 1
Layering of colour paired with naturally radiant skin. Start by applying Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch in the areas you want to conceal: under the eyes, around the nose, on any blemishes or redness.

Step 2
To frame the eyes, smudge a coloured eye pencil along the lash lines with a layer of black mascara. Create depth and bring out the eye shape, by blending a warm apricot eyeshadow in the eye sockets.

Step 3
Apply a drop of Les Beiges Eau de Blush in Deep Apricot on the back of your hand and use a brush or your finger to first blend the pigment droplets together before applying to your cheeks. Eau de Blush gives you the most beautiful luminous finish. Apply a couple of layers to create more intensity of colour.

Step 4
Leave the lips bare with a layer of Rouge Coco baume in Dreamy White.

Phosphorescent skin and red lips

No.1 de Chanel Revitalising Cream, £84; Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch, £51; Les Beiges Bronzing Cream in Soleil Tan Bronze, £43; Baume Essentiel glow stick in Golden Light, £35; Crayon Sourcils eyebrow pencil in Noir Cendré, £23; Le Volume de Chanel mascara in Écorces, £31;Rouge Allure L’Extrait lipstick in 854, £46

Step 1
This look is all about radiance and luminosity, and is created using only cream-based products. Start by prepping the skin with No1 de Chanel Revitalising cream and blend Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch where coverage is needed. 

Step 2
To emphasise the bone structure, blend Les Beige Bronzing Cream right under the cheekbones, around the forehead and on the eyelids. To catch the light beautifully, dab some Baume Essentiel in Golden Light high on top of the cheekbones and at the centre of the eyelids.

Step 3
To frame the eyes, use a black eyebrow pencil to draw on a thin line along the top of the eyebrows.

Step 4
Stain the lips in a beautiful warm red using your fingers to apply. This will create a softer, more lived-in finish.

Geometric lips

Step 1
For ultimate hydration and glow, prep the skin using No1 de Chanel Revitalising Cream and blend Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch where coverage is needed.

Step 2
For a healthy sunkissed radiance, dab some Baume Essentiel in Golden Light high on the cheeks and finish with a wash of Ombre Premiere Laque in Lumiere on the eyelids. 

Step 3 
The defined lips are the focus of this look. Use a high-intensity, slightly glossy textured lipstick and apply the colour using a precision lip brush to get the sharp edges.

Pink and purple smudged eyes 

No.1 de Chanel Revitalising Cream, £84; Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch, £51; Les Beiges Water-Fresh Blush in Deep Apricot, £42; Baume Essentiel glow stick in Golden Light, £35; Les Beiges Eyeshadow Palette in Warm, £50; Stylo Ombre et Contour eye pencil in Rouge Noir, £28; Le Volume de Chanel mascara in Écorces, £31; Rouge Coco Baume tinted lip balm in Dreamy White, £41

Step 1
Bring out any eye colour with Chanel’s signature shade, Rouge Noir. Smudge Stylo Ombre et Contour in Rouge Noir along top and bottom lash lines with lashings of black mascara.

Step 2 
To contrast the deep red and to catch the light, blend an iridescent pink all over the eyelids, down onto the cheekbones.

Step 3 
Keep the cheeks natural with a soft flush using Les Beiges Eau de Blush in Deep Bronze.

Monochromatic and graphic eyes 

No.1 de Chanel Revitalising Cream, £84; Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch, £51; Les Beiges Water-Fresh Blush in Light Pink, £42; Signature de Chanel eyeliner in Noir, £33; Le Volume de Chanel mascara in Écorces, £31; Crayon Sourcils eyebrow pencil in Noir Cendré, £23; Rouge Coco Baume tinted lip balm in Natural Charm, £32

Step 1
This monochromatic look uses delicate lines to accentuate the eyes. To achieve fine lines and precision, use the Signature de Chanel liquid pen liner. It’s very easy to use and easy to correct with the help of a cotton bud and some makeup remover in case you make any mistakes.

Step 2
To open up the eyes and to add definition, apply two layers of Le Volume de Chanel mascara in black.

Step 3
To define the eyebrows and to create a more graphic shape, use a black eyebrow pencil such as Crayon Sourcils in Noir Cendre.

Step 4
Leave the rest of the make-up bare, with minimal base and a natural blush to contour the cheekbones.

Glittering skin

Step 1 
This is about summer skin, radiance and subtle gold shimmer. Apply the Les Beiges Illuminating Oil for face, body and hair all over the face with Ombre Premiere Laque in Lumiere blended on the eyelids.

Step 2
To make this look more wearable, I would recommend perfecting the skin with Les Beiges Water-Fresh Complexion Touch and applying the oil on top of the cheekbones and on the eyelids to catch the light.

INFORMATION

A version of this article appears in the June 2022 issue of Wallpaper*. Subscribe today!
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With air travel back in full swing, the prospect of long-haul flights is an exciting but also daunting one. To help us navigate our reintroduction to air travel, fitness expert Andrea Marcellus shares her tips for staying healthy on a long-haul trip including surprising advice on snacks (no trail mix!) and tricks for sleeping comfortably upright. 

Snacks

• Two weeks before your trip, start keeping track of foods that make you feel lean and keep your digestion regular. Stick to these foods 24-48 hours before your flight.
  
  
• On the flight, eat as cleanly as possible and avoid dried fruit, trail mix, and no-value starchy carbs the best you can. They are too calorie dense for when you are going to be sitting for a long time and can leave you feeling bloated. Also, avoid salty foods like chips or jerky. Long flights alone can cause you to retain water, so best not to add extra salt.
  
  
• Consider bringing your own snacks like apples with nut butter in squeezable packets you can eat without the need for utensils. Also small bags of grain-free granolas you can pick at instead of chips.

Stretches

• The key with any stretches is to move in and out of them rather than just hold a static stretch because your muscles are cold. Getting up and walking around for a few minutes before stretching will help.
  
  
• Try a 'figure four hip stretch': put an ankle across your opposite knee and simply pull your chest forward 4 counts and then release. Repeat 5-10 times to release your hips and lower back, then switch sides.
  
  
• Or a 'modified camel pose': sit forward on the seat, place your hands behind you, fingertips facing forward. Keeping your chin down, inhale and push down into the seat as you pull your chest to the ceiling for 4 counts. Release and repeat 5-10 times to release your chest and neck.

Sleep

• Taking magnesium about an hour before sleeping time can be helpful (and help to keep you regular).
  
  
• Put a bag under your feet to lift your knees to hip height, reducing back strain. Use the headrest flaps or a neck pillow to keep your neck in alignment. And definitely use a sleeping mask (or do what I do and wrap a sweatshirt or pashmina around your head to really create a great sleep bubble!)

The suitcase workout

Simply hold onto your raised (and locked) suitcase handle for balance and perform the following beginner moves three times:

• Reverse lunges to strengthen the quads (15 reps on each leg)
  
  
• Jumps out and in for a cardio burst (30-second intervals)
  
  
• Calf raises to work the calf muscles (30 reps)
  
  
• Narrow squats to tone and sculpt the booty and thighs (20 reps)
  
  
• Leg lifts to burn out the glutes (20 reps on each leg)

INFORMATION

andlife.com

Have you ever wanted to know what it feels like to fly? Or reunite with someone you thought you’d lost forever? Or find inspiration for your next creative project on demand? Maybe you need to learn how to lucid dream. Lucid dreaming, or the ability to consciously control your dreams while you’re in them, offers the potential to do all of that and more. Tree Carr has published three books on dreaming, teaches regular dreaming workshops at She’s Lost Control, a London-based outlet for alternative wellness, and will be leading a talk on lucid dreaming later in March, in conjunction with Tate Modern’s ‘Surrealism Beyond Borders’ exhibition (until 29 August 2022). 

Below, she breaks down the fundamental information you need to know about the practice and offers and a step-by-step guide on how to lucid dream.

Dream guide Tree Carr on how to lucid dream

What exactly is lucid dreaming? 

Lucid dreaming is an exceptional experience of consciousness within the altered state of sleep. Also known as metacognitive dreaming or conscious dreaming, it is a phenomenon that occurs at the end of REM sleep when a dreamer becomes conscious and aware that they are within the dream itself. They can then proceed to interact with their dream environment with their conscious free will. 

What is the history of lucid dreaming? 

Human beings have been lucid dreaming for thousands of years and records of it have been documented in a wide variety of cultures and belief systems throughout the historical timeline of humanity. Lucid dreaming is most known for being central to both the ancient Indian Hindu practice of yoga nidra and the Tibetan Buddhist practice of dream yoga. There are also examples of lucid dreaming in Ancient Greece: the philosopher Aristotle once wrote, ‘often when one is asleep, there is something in consciousness which declares that what then presents itself is but a dream’.

Although people have been experiencing lucid dreams for thousands of years, it was only in recent history that it was scientifically proven in a sleep lab by Dr Keith Hearne, in 1975. The neurobiological basis of lucid dreaming is unknown, but emerging evidence points to the involvement of the anterior prefrontal cortex (aPFC) and parietal cortex in the brain. 

How can lucid dreaming be used to improve or unlock creativity?

Dreaming has a long history as being a ‘muse’ to artists, musicians, mathematicians and scientists alike. There are countless examples of inventions, discoveries and moving works of art that all came through in the dream realms. The amazing potential of unlocking creative genius is amplified when a dreamer is able to become fully present and aware within the dream itself. An artist who goes lucid could ask the dream to show them a new painting, and the dream will create it. A musician could ask to hear a melody or a software designer could troubleshoot or problem-solve within the dream itself. Lucid dreaming is an incredible opportunity to interface with your unconscious potential in an organic virtual reality arena created by your consciousness.

6 steps to start lucid dreaming: 

Step 1: understand your sleep cycle

It’s really helpful to be aware of the physical and biological aspects of sleeping and dream time. Get to know the five stages of sleep, the five brain wave oscillations, and the amazing liminal realms of hypnagogia and hypnopompia. This is important groundwork as you will begin to understand the optimum times during your sleep cycle in which to help trigger lucidity within a dream. Most lucid dreamers find they will naturally wake up for about five to ten minutes just before their final REM cycle, and when they go back to sleep, they usually go lucid. You can experiment with this by setting your alarm to wake yourself up earlier than normal, then go back to sleep again. 

Step 2: improve your sleep hygiene 

Make sure you get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night, avoid electronics in bed and avoid caffeine/sleeping pills/alcohol before bed. Create an optimum space for sleep dreaming in your bedroom. If you have clutter in your room, remove it. Basically, if the objects in your bedroom have nothing to do with sleep, dreaming, or sex, then put them in another room. Let your bedroom be your dreaming sanctuary. 

Step 3:  Study your everyday environments 

Embrace self-awareness by observing, studying and analysing your day-to-day environments. This can help you create a mental habit of reality checking. By implementing more awareness in your daily life you will soon find that this carries through in your dream realms and lucidity within a dream is more likely to happen. Set goals, intentions, mantras before sleep. Perhaps it is to find your hands in your dreams, or a doorway. Perhaps it can simply be: ‘I will go lucid in my dreams.’

Step 4: Keep a dream journal 

Start a dream journal and record your dreams daily. This is the most important foundation of conscious dreaming. The more you record your dreams, the more you improve your dream memory recall and trigger more dreams. It also creates a long-view picture of your dreaming themes and helps you connect the dots of what is going on in your unconscious realms. It helps you see clearly the different genres of dreams you experience, plus it also creates a great record and proof if you are experiencing precognitive (psychic) dreams. 

Step 5: Work with some oneirogens (dreaming plants)

Make oneirogen herbs into tea and consume them before bedtime. Not only does this prepare your mind for dream time, but the herbs themselves help activate more vivid dreams and increase the potential of lucid dreaming. 

Step 6: Keep practising 

If you have a brain and a consciousness, you can experience a lucid dream and although some people experience them arbitrarily, it is definitely something you can cultivate through dedicated practice. Consciousness is a muscle that can be trained and evolved. The more conscious, aware and present you are in your waking life, then the more chance you have of becoming conscious, aware and present within a dream.

Lucid dreaming is a practice that takes daily discipline and new habits. It very rarely has an overnight success rate. This is the training of your consciousness. It’s a bit like going to the gym. You won’t achieve a six-pack after one week’s training, it takes time.

INFORMATION

sheslostcontrol.com

Port and cheese never fail to please. Our guide – informed by leading artisan cheesemonger Paxton & Whitfield – will teach you everything you need to know about curating the perfect cheese board to serve up this classic after-dinner pairing. 

Fonseca Siroco port with Lypiatt cheese 

This crisp, dry port is made from a blend of white Port grape varieties grown on the higher and cooler vineyards of the Douro Valley in Portugal. Like most traditional ports, Fonseca Siroco is made by foot-treading the grapes but these grapes are allowed to ferment for longer than most other styles of port before it is fortified. The result is a full and fruity port that pairs perfectly with the rich and mousse-like Jersey cows’ milk Lypiatt cheese from the Channel Islands. 

Fonseca Bin 27 with Manchego Villarejo cheese 

Fonseca Bin 27 ports are aged in seasoned oak vats to give them an added smoothness without sacrificing the vibrant fruit character of the grapes. The port’s full-bodied palette displays intense notes of blackberry, cassis, cherry and plums, interwoven with elements of spice. Those tart elements pair perfectly with the blanched almonds and roasted hazelnut notes of Manchego cheese. 

Fonseca Terra Prima Organic with Cremoso cheese 

Fonseca Terra Prima Organic is a pioneer of the relatively young organic port industry. It was only in 2002 that it became possible to produce port made entirely from certified organic grapes, and Fonseca was one of the first to harvest the innovation’s potential. 

The highly concentrated port has an opulent black fruit nose that pairs perfectly with the bitter edge of Cremoso ewes’ milk cheese. This Spanish cheese has a milky and creamy centre that makes it an ideal cheese board alternative for Camembert lovers. 

Paxton’s 10 Year Old Tawny with Schnebelhorn cheese

Paxton’s ‘Tawny’ port derives its name from its soft tawny brown colour, which results from ten years spent in a wooden cask. The result is a subtler port with delicate wood notes that works best with the intensely rich flavour of Schnebelhorn cheese. Made in Saint Gallen, Switzerland, this rare cheese gets its distinctive taste from milk produced by cattle grazing on high-altitude pastures. 

Paxton’s Vintage 2000 with Old Groendal cheese 

This is the crowning jewel of all ports, with a rich, full-bodied flavour that continues to develop the longer it stays in the bottle. Its big flavours mean it is best suited to blue cheeses and other strong varieties. Paxton & Whitfield recommends a cheese board pairing of Old Groendal, a Belgian cows’ milk cheese with a dense texture and Gouda-style taste.

INFORMATION

fonseca.pt

paxtonandwhitfield.com

Urban gardens, for those lucky enough to have them, are usually on the small side, meaning compromises must be reached on how the space is best used. Now, innovative companies are rethinking what is possible with landscaping solutions, thoughtful re-uses of outhouses, and clever tricks to hide children’s play equipment, creating urban gardens that everyone can enjoy.

Simple garden sets for urban garden TLC

At the coldest point of the year, motivation to show your garden some love can be low, but put the work in now and you'll reap the rewards later. The Stem, one of our favourite digital stops for hardy house plants, also has a range of handy tools. We love the clean simplicity of this gently curved set from Sophie Conran, with beech handles comfortably moulding to the shape of the hand, making gardening a pleasure.

thestem.co.uk

The design furniture increasing biodiversity

Vestre Habitats have collaborated with Arde and Rethink Studio on a range of design furniture which aims to increase biodiversity in outdoor urban environments. The pieces don't impede the natural cycles of processes such as the decomposition of dead wood, and create a habitat where fungi, insects, beetles and birds can thrive. 

vestre.com

The space-saving play equipment for children

Children's play equipment doesn't have.to be unsightly or enormous; on the contrary, it can be both be compact and elegant. Plum Play thoughtfully design children's outdoor toys from sustainable wood for toys which will endure. Children will love this pretty easel, and parents will love the small size and handy storage for brushes and paints.

plumplay.co.uk

The sustainable plant pots for elegant patios

London-based Mexican designer Arturo Soto creates beautiful pots and pedestals for bonsai trees, using gleaming recycled wood. Bonsais can be easily removed from their walnut and ply homes, making watering them effortless. Soto's brand, Memories of green, subscribes to a zero waste policy from his woodturning studio in Deptford's Cockpit Arts.

cockpitarts.com

The portable greenhouse for the green-fingered

Garden too small for a greenhouse? Try a portable one which offers no need to compromise on design. The Bramber has been crafted by designer David Le Versha, who brings an expertise in the construction of Victorian-inspired iron objects to a beautifully formed portable greenhouse. Formed from stainless steel and aluminium, each detail is carefully considered to ensure easy usability. The glass lid can be kept open in all positions, and two handles mean the greenhouse can be rolled like a wheelbarrow depending on whether your plants require sun or shade. Water them by simply raising the tilting windows.  

revised.com

Hidden trampolines to thrill children (and parents)

Most parents living with small urban gardens will know there comes a point when you must decide if you are willing to compromise precious outdoor space on unsightly trampolines. Giving the children years of joy, yes, but potentially kissing goodbye to an evening G&T in the sun – it’s a tough decision we may not have to make. Sunken Trampolines creates safe trampolines that are flush with the ground for safety purposes, but can also be hidden with a lid to match your grass – letting the space double as the perfect spot for a barbecue. ‘Both the trampoline and the lid can be made to suit the size available,’ says Sunken Trampolines’ director Angus Macwatt. ‘Putting them in the ground dramatically decreases the visual size of the trampoline. Many clients are amazed at how the large trampoline just disappears once it has been installed. Any garden can be transformed with a Sunken Trampoline no matter how small a space.’ 

sunkentrampolines.co.uk

The compact urban garden (that still has space for everyone)

Angus Thompson Design’s award-winning urban garden proves space restrictions don’t need to mean a compromise. ‘Like many town gardens, this relatively small space had to fulfil multiple roles: family garden, access to work studio, entertaining space, and place to unwind amongst beautiful, romantic planting,’ say the designers of the Oxford garden. Embracing a juxtaposition of textures – stone, glass and wood – gives the garden a wilder aesthetic that is often lost in a city space. ‘Planted to create a lush woodland-edge feel, we used cow parsley, ferns and foxgloves giving way to astrantias and late season aster divaricates in summer, creating a pleasing indulgence against the crisp, hard detailing,’ they add. 

angusthompsondesign.com

Urban gardens offering space for grown-up children

A bungalow annexe dating from the 1970s gets a sleek and useful update in this Kingston-upon-Thames garden by architect Stephen Coates. He and his wife have grown-up children, and wanted space for them to visit but without having unused and empty rooms for the rest of the time. The new annexe, doubling as a garden study, provides the ideal solution – created from prefabricated structural insulated panels and clad in Siberian Larch, it makes the most of a small garden space. 

acta.com.sg

In recent years, Veronica Viacava has divided her time between 12-hour shifts in a restaurant and studying at London’s Royal College of Art while it underwent large-scale renovation. 

Moving between these two environments left her constantly aware of the relentlessly repetitive nature of hospitality and construction work, and their common ground. Just as a waiter rarely gets to sit down and savour the food they serve, a construction worker is unlikely to inhabit the structures they build. Neither is likely to reap the fruits of their labour. 

Collecting and composing objects typical of the hospitality industry and construction sites, the Italian artist presents an alternative system in How To Do Nothing, using her camera as ‘a conscious tool that favours the disruption of the production cycle and the alienation of the worker vital to capitalism itself’. 

In her work, the ferocious production valued under late capitalism intentionally jars with the peaceful, and therefore economically useless, nature of resting objects. Albert Camus’ definition of the absurd and the Myth of Sisyphus have been important reference points. 

In the second chapter of her research, Viacava turns to the motif of the mountain (referencing the Myth of Sisyphus), working in colour. Describing this side to the work as ‘oneiric’, Vicava works with a hazy palate detached from reality and further disengages with the fast-paced harshness of life under late capitalism.

Performance, labour and stillness converge in Viacava’s practice, as she critiques then turns away from socioeconomic structures.

Alongside working in a restaurant, the Milan-based photographer is focusing on collaborative, community-orientated projects that support Italian artists.

Dream collaborator: ‘Peter Fischli & David Weiss. Within their work, they constantly reinvent and revisit the meaning of the objects they photograph; much like my work, the structures are almost child-like creations that open up new interpretations of the everyday.’

INFORMATION

veronicaviacava.com

Our Next Generation showcase of outstanding new talents appears in the January 2022 issue of Wallpaper* (W*273). Subscribe today!

If you feel like your trick-or-treating days are behind you and boisterous costume parties are not for you, then perhaps your best – but no less fun – option is to host a Halloween dinner party. Below, we share tips for making a photoshoot-worthy spread that manages to toe the line between spooky and sophisticated.

Serve up your fare on witchy tableware

This new ‘Constellation’ collection of witchy tableware from Dior is the most delightfully lavish addition to any Halloween dinner. The collection features pumpkin-shaped bowls by ceramics workshop Jean Roger, black and white crystal glasses, and plates featuring Albrecht Dürer-like illustrations of tarot card motifs by Italian artist Pietro Ruffo. 

dior.com

Cue the mood lighting

These black candleholders and matching candles from Loewe are the perfect way to cast some eerie light over your dinner table. Their liquorice scent will bring a powerfully aromatic woody smell to your dinner location, the perfect fragrant accompaniment to a Halloween gathering. 

net-a-porter.com

Create an autumnal bouquet

Decorate the table with some autumnal blooms, such as this arrangement from London-based florist Ronny Colbie. Colbie suggests gathering dahlias, chocolate cosmos, hydrangeas and proteas in yellows, dark purples and oranges to make a standout bouquet. 

ronnycolbie.com

Lalique, which recently opened a fine dining restaurant at a distillery in Scotland, can always bring drama to a table with its striking decorative designs. For a vase you’ll want to display well past Halloween, consider investing in one of the brand’s exceptional black or orange crystal vases. We’re especially fond of its ‘Mûres’ vases, a classic design that features an interlocking pattern of thorny blackberry bush stems.

harrods.com

Fashion has flirted with bag shapes both spectacularly sizable and ludicrously Lilliputian. But if recent lifestyle changes have taught us anything, it’s that our accessories should be easy to use. As a result, we’re banishing styles that have Mary Poppins-inspired dimensions or surface areas too miniscule to contain a credit card, and embracing chandbag brands that propose classic silhouettes proportioned to perfection.

We’re sizing up handbag brands creating styles with a streamlined persuasion, which nestle ergonomically under the shoulder. Some, like the Chanel ‘11.12’ bag and the Gucci ‘Jackie’, are updated brand signatures, while others, including the U-shaped Prada ‘Cleo’ and the boxy Hermès ‘Mors de Brides’ are new silhouettes. The ‘Cleo’ nods to minimalist 1990s silhouettes in the Milan label’s archive, while the horsebit-inspired closure of the ‘Mors de Brides’ nods to the Parisian maison’s equestrian heritage.

Classic bags: Cleo bag, by Prada

Nineties fans rejoice! Prada's ‘Cleo’ bag reinterprets a curved shape style from the decade of style that keeps on giving.

prada.com

Mors de Brides bag, by Hermès

The striking hardware clasp of the Parisian brand’s ‘Mors de Bride’ bag draws on its iconic equestrian heritage.

hermes.com

Caro bag, by Dior

The French label’s signature Cannage quilting complements its iconic ‘CD’ clasp in this tactile and classic creation.

dior.com

Le 5 A 7 Hobo bag, by Saint Laurent

The Parisian label’s ‘YSL’ logo is an iconic motif designed in 1961 by Cassandre. Let it nestle snugly under your shoulder.

ysl.com

Triomphe bag, by Celine

The Parisian maison’s label draws on bourgeois motifs, incorporating its signature Triomphe logo within its striking clasp.

celine.com

Roman Stud bag, by Valentino Garavani

Roman label Valentino Garavani has sized up the stud details synonymous with its accessories to striking effect.

valentino.com

Moonlight bag, by Fendi

There’s a bohemian leaning behind Fendi’s crescent-shaped shoulder bag, accentuated with tortoiseshell details and striking stitching.

fendi.com

Shoulder bag, by Salvatore Ferragamo

All hail the pared-back classic shoulder bag silhouette, demonstrated sublimely here by Florentine brand Salvatore Ferragamo.

ferragamo.com

Curve bag, by Alexander McQueen

The London brand’s curvaceous bucket bag style features an eye-catching debossed seal detail. §

alexandermcqueen.com

As the prospect of increasing freedom from pandemic-related regulations looms on the horizon, we encourage you to shrug off the ritualistic objects of restriction and indulge in pieces that err towards extravagance – for example, a Gucci suit, the trouser flamboyant in a subtle flare, the jacket sumptuous in suede and boasting golden buttons, in a head-turning colour combination of pillar box-red and mauve. Strut in style with a flamingo-pink feathered stole over the shoulder.

We agree that exuberance isn’t for the fainthearted, but freedom calls for the fanciful, and liberation for something a little louche. Paul Smith and Fendi also proposed looks that luxuriate in pink hues, the former rebelling against the linearity of lockdown with a collection that blends the style codes of past British subcultures, such as Northern soul obsessives, Mods and New Romantics, with double-breasted suits, striped knitwear and Hawaiian shirts.

Maximalist menswear: err towards extravagance for A/W 2021

Meanwhile, a dazzling way to dial up the dandy is to accessorise your outfit with some sparkle. We suggest bringing the whimsical wonder of woodland adventure to your lapel with Van Cleef & Arpels’ brooches, which crawl across the collar as colourful ladybirds and butterflies. These gleaming wonders boast bold tsavorite, emeralds and diamonds, which complement the cornflower blue of this textured Boss blazer, and are set in sleek white gold.

Remember when people said we would never stop wearing sweatpants and would simply slouch around for eternity? Think of these effusive, colourful and luxurious menswear looks as covetable contradictions.

INFORMATION

This article appears in the September 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*269), now on newsstands and available for free download

Minimalists, it’s time to rip up your reductionist rule book. Cease your streamlining, restrict your restraint and press pause on a pared-back aesthetic. Moderation has no place this season. Instead, optimism is expressed in ostentatious embellishment and kaleidoscopic colour, and excess is a signal of aesthetic excellence.

Anything goes as long as it is exuberant. This was symbolised sublimely at Prada, where co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons layered up looks with shimmering sequins, retro intarsia knits and vivid Crayola colours. The most extravagant silhouette was a wrap jacket that cocooned the body in a double layer of protective paillettes and tactile fake fur. Emilio Pucci, a label that’s synonymous with glamorous getaway locations – be it sun-drenched Capri or snow-topped Gstaad – was also in the mood for extravagance. Its feather-trimmed transparent strap dress makes an exquisite party piece for jet-set style, whatever your location.

Roaring Twenties fashion: rip up your reductionist rule book

Meanwhile, Salvatore Ferragamo was more fascinated by space travel, drawing on interstellar references for its fashionable vision of the future, which spanned Gattaca and Blade Runner. For his final collection for the house, Paul Andrew drew on the ‘Rainbow’ wedge shoe that the Florentine brand’s founder designed for Judy Garland in 1938, presenting its spectrum of colours as a symbol of hope. The collection abounded in ebullient hues, with whole ensembles imagined in monochromatic shades, including cerulean, space-age silver and lilac.

Saint Laurent, likewise, offered a nod to the past as the brand’s artistic director Anthony Vaccarello fused 1960s silhouettes, including fur-trimmed tweed miniskirts, with bright 1980s tones, like fuschia and gold. Looks were layered up with lashings of mismatched costume jewellery, like rows of rhinestones cascading from ears and chokers blooming with twinkling flowers.

INFORMATION

This article appears in the September 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*269), now on newsstands and available for free download

From the Mona Lisa to Madonna, invisible eyebrows have defined some captivating faces. While the impact is undeniable, bleaching eyebrows (and eyelashes) can easily feel like an intimidating commitment. So for those who want to create bleached eyebrows without the bleach, make-up artist Kristina Ralph Andrews is here to help. 

Ralph Andrews created the above faux-bleach look for our March 2020 issue beauty story, and its a trick she uses often in her editorial work. ‘Brows really shape the face, so it's fun to play around with removing them whilst being able to quickly bring them back,’ she says. 

Below, Ralph Andrews offers a guide on how to create the look, which can be adjusted depending on how dark or light you want your eyebrows to appear. ‘The effect of bleached brows can range from lightly sunkissed to total alien depending on how light you go. I love using bleached brows for shoots to give me a blank canvas to work with and completely transform someone’s face.’

How to bleach eyebrows without bleach

Tools

Eyebrow brush
Liquid concealer 
Translucent setting powder

Steps

• Brush brows and make sure they are clean of any product 
• Apply liquid concealer to the eyebrow hair using an eyebrow brush/disposable mascara wand, brushing through first against the hair and then following the direction of the hair to cover each strand. Do this in layers until you achieve the desired lightness. 
• Once the hair is effectively concealed clean up any edges and lightly set with a translucent powder.

Tips

• Try mixing a lighter concealer with a slightly peachy shade (under-eye concealer is best for this) to give the bleached effect.
• Try to avoid getting product onto the skin underneath the hair and focus mainly on applying product to the eyebrow hair itself.

Allowing you to conceal and reveal your brows on a whim, we’re all for this look that’s peachy without the bleachy.

Hyperpigmentation is the appearance of darker patches on skin that can occur in a variety of forms – sunspots, melasma, acne scars – and for a variety of reasons.

Ozohu Adoh started her own skincare line, Epara, as in response to her own experience with eczema-induced hyperpigmentation. The brand blends African botanicals and scientific research to treat discolouration and excessive dryness in all skin types, with a particular focus on women of colour. 

Here, Adoh talks through the causes of hyperpigmentation and offers advice on how to treat it.

What causes hyperpigmentation? 

Hyperpigmentation occurs in different ways and is caused by a variety of factors. You have melasma [blotchy brown or blue-grey spots], typically caused by hormonal changes; age spots, caused by sun exposure over time; post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, often associated with acne spots or injuries and trauma to the skin. You can also have hyperpigmentation caused by a reaction to certain drugs and as a result of some medical conditions.

What steps can we take to avoid it?

For hyperpigmentation caused by exposure to harsh elements, it makes sense to ensure you are protected against the sun as much as is practicable by using SPFs, hats and protective clothing. For people with darker skin tones, who are generally more prone to suffering from vitamin D deficiency, I believe an SPF 30 is probably adequate. 

For post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation, avoid picking acne and scabs. It is more difficult to avoid melasma, since it is hormonal and mostly temporary.

Once hyperpigmentation has appeared, what can we do to treat it? 

Some hyperpigmentation will resolve over time but you can help the process by using safe restorative cosmetic creams. There are some slightly more invasive methods of getting rid of hyperpigmentation, and this should only be done after consultation with a qualified medical practitioner.

Are there any treatments that you suggest people avoid?

I personally prefer to gently get rid of hyperpigmentation using cosmetic creams that contain natural botanical actives. I feel this gentle method works with the natural restorative cycle of the skin. I would advise that people avoid harsh and dangerous chemicals, such as high levels of hydroquinone and mercury, which are found in some products and are illegal in many countries.

What ingredients does Epara use to combat hyperpigmentation and why do they work?

Epara products are made using butters and oils sourced mainly from African botanicals with very targeted, scientifically proven actives that help address hyperpigmentation and promote hydration in the skin.

Key actives that address hyperpigmentation in Epara products are licorice root extract and plankton extract. The plankton extract, in particular, acts to address just the areas on the skin where hyperpigmentation has occurred, without changing the basal melanin levels of unaffected areas.

Do you have any advice for those who are frustrated with their hyperpigmentation and feel it is having a negative impact on their self-esteem?

Absolutely. I was that person once. First, I ask that they adopt an attitude of patience and extra tenderness towards themselves.

Second, they should educate themselves in the cause of the hyperpigmentation they have and avoid exacerbating the situation. Finally, they should look for a gentle but effective product that will help resolve it.

INFORMATION

eparaskincare.com

‘Sustainable fashion': a phrase common in today's luxury parlance. But the popularity of a term doesn't make it any easier to unpack. In fact, it makes it even more difficult to understand if a brand or retailer is operating from an environmentally-aware manufacturing perspective, or is greenwashing its production practices.

For today's conscious consumer, the buzzwords around sustainability are becoming increasingly impenetrable, from circular economy to supply chains, traceability to carbon footprint, mycelium to micro plastics, regenerated to recycled. Not forgetting the host of conscious certifications used to to label garments (BCI, GOTS, Oekeo-Tex, Cradle to Cradle to name just a few).

Here we present a checklist of how to approach shopping for clothing with a more environmentally friendly mindset, alongside the sustainable fashion brands to focus on.

Sustainable fashion: shop second-hand

Garment production is predicted to grow by 81 per cent by 2030, and as more virgin clothing is produced around the world, so more natural resources are destroyed, from over farmed landscapes caused by cotton, wool and viscose production, to the chemicals from denim manufacturing polluting water supplies. A simple way to spend more consciously? Shop second-hand, and purchase pre-loved designs which are already part of fashion's manufacturing eco-system. Think marketplaces and peer-to-peer reselling plaftorms like Gen Z favourite (90 per cent of users are under age 26) Depop, luxury menswear and sneakerhead favourite Grailed, and for men and women shopping for burgeoning and classic brands alike, France's Vestiaire Collective (whose financing round in March received a €178 million investment, backed by French luxury group Kering) and the United States' The RealReal. 

A benefit of shopping second-hand, is that brands that may appear out of reach are in fact, affordable. ‘Buying timeless luxury, especially on the secondary market, is one of the smartest things you can do because the quality and craftsmanship behind the pieces mean they can have many lives,' says Sasha Skoda, head of women's, The RealReal. ‘In the past year, the website saw a 36 per cent increase in first-time buyers purchasing high-value pieces and saw like handbags, jewellery, watches, and sneakers.' The luxury consigment retailer has also just launched ReCollection 01, a series of upycled pieces, from blazers to shirts, crafted from materials donated by brands including Balenciaga, Dries Van Noten and A-Cold-Wall*, and reworked with an Americana-inspired spin by Atelier & Repairs.

Check your carbon footprint

A considered way to shop is to consider an environmental metric, and work to reduce it. McKinsey's ‘Fashion on climate' report published in August 2020, concluded that in 2018, the sector was responsible for some 2.1 billion metric tons of greenhouse-gas (GHG) emissions, which is about 4 per cent of the global total and the same per year as the entire economies of France, Germany, and the United Kingdom combined.

San Francisco brand Allbirds, most famous for its streamlined merino wool trainers, works to reduce the carbon footprint of its manufacturing processes, and alerts consumers to the carbon number of its products. Take its Dasher performance shoe, formed from sugarcane and tree fibres, which encompasses 9 kg of carbon dioxide per pair, estimated by the brand to be nearly 30 per cent lower than the average trainer. Or its t-shirt, made from waste fibres from the shells of Canadian snow crabs, which has a footprint approximately 20 per cent lower than a standard polyester design.

Allbirds is intent on sharing its findings and innovations with the wider retail and apparel industry. Its sugarcane EVA material, used to make its SweetFoam™ soles, is used by Reebok, Timberland and Ugg and in May 2020, the label announced a revolutionary brand partnership with Adidas, to create sustainable fashion with the lowest possible carbon footprint. In celebration of Earth Day 2021, Allbirds released an open-source version of its carbon footprint calculator at FreeTheFootprint.com, to allow other labels to use its technology. Its also called on brands to be more transparent about the carbon footprint they generate during manufacturing. At the G7 summit in Cornwall in 2021, the brand also etched a pair of giant footsteps in the sand of the beach opposite its coastal location, to urge world leaders in attendance to ‘walk the walk’ when it comes to sustainability.
 
Merino wool specialist Sheep Inc., which creates unisex jumpers, cardigans, lightweight hoodies and beanies, operates from a ‘carbon negative, future positive' standpoint. The label's biodegradable and ultra-fine merino wool pieces are knitted using solar-powered, zero-waste machines, using raw fibres sourced from New Zealand sheep farms, which use regenerative farming methods. Each Sheep Inc piece features a tag that scan be scanned to reveal the provenance and carbon footprint of the design. The label also invests 5 per cent of its revenue into biodiversity projects, projects which mitigate, at minimum, ten times the CO2 impact of each sweater’s full lifecycle. 

Shop local

Another sure fire way to reduce your carbon footprint – reducing the distance that manufacturing components and finished pieces travel around the world – is to shop from brands that produce in studios and ateliers local to you.

For Spanish footwear and bags, look to Hereu, which works with artisans to create moccasins, shoulder bags and sizeable totes in natural fabrics, including Spanish full-grain calf leather. In the United Kingdom, knitwear label Hades work with a family-run wool mill Yorkshire Pennines in England, and knit their designs in Hawick Scotland, while JW Anderson's ‘Made in Britain' capsule collection features shirting and trenchcoats, created in UK-based factories. In France, mother-and-daughter brand MaisonCléo creates hand knitted designs in Lille, using deadstock threads and fabrics, while in the United States, New York brand Peter Do manufactures its designs, in the label's founding city.

Watch your water intake

According to the WWF, it takes more than 20,000 liters of water to produce just one kilogram of cotton, which roughly amounts to a single t-shirt and a pair of jeans. Dyeing, bleaching, washing: there are many manufacturing processes in denim production that require water, but a number of brands are using pioneering technology to reduce their water footprint.

At Levi's, the label's pioneering Levi’s Water Less project has seen it incorporate 20 water-saving initiatives, including using 96 per cent less water in its denim finishing process. The label also uses recycled water in its factories, including 100 per cent recycled water in its Epping plant in South Africa, and between 2017 and 2020, the cumulative amount of water its suppliers recycled grew by 40 times, for a total of more than 9 billion liters of water. Currently, Levi's produces 80 per cent of all its products using Levi’s Water Less techniques. Other brands, including Frame and Reformation, have joined with the Ellen MacArthur Foundation's The Jeans Redesign initiative, adopting its guidelines and recommendations. Frame’s Ellen MacArthur Foundation Jeans Redesign capsule collection features jeans and a jacket which are produced with water waste-reducing processes, without harmful chemicals, while Reformation's jeans offering is made from with cotto from Good Earth, the first Australia-based carbon positive cotton farm.

For other planet protecting options, look to pieces that are crafted using Econyl or regenerated nylon, a nylon substituted made using wasted ocean plastics, like fishing nets and drinking bottles. Evarae, Away That Day and Ohoy Swim all provide chic swimwear options, while Prada's Re-Nylon pieces use Econyl to update its signature sporty nylon silhouettes, from backpacks to bucket hats. The brand plans to be free of all virgin nylon in its supply chain by the end of 2021. Environmental organisation Parley for the Oceans also creates fashion pieces using ocean plastic-derived waste, including a series of woven textile pieces, due for release in autumn, designed in collaboration with innovative Dutch knitwear specialists Byborre.

Embrace environmentally-friendly fabrics

A host of incubators, brands and luxury groups are innovating around novel materials, that can be used as substitutes to materials formed from animal products and non-renewable oil-based polyesters. You may not expect your local green grocer to be a leading contender in the world of environmentally friendly fabrics, but alternatives to leather and silk, are being crafted from oranges, pineapples and apples. The mushroom is also a fungal force, and in March 2021, Stella Mccartney launched two garments, a bustier and a pair of tracksuit bottoms, using Mylo, an alternative to leather crafted using mycelium (sourced from the root system of fungi), developed by Silicon Valley materiality start-up Bolt Threads. In October 2020, Stella McCartney, luxury group Kering, Adidas and Lululemon all teamed up to make investment in the innovative company.

Luxury maison Hermès is also a fan of fungi. In March, the house released a prototype version of its classic Victoria travel bag, created using Sylvania, a lab-grown mycelium leather, created in collaboration with MycoWorks, which had been tanned in its specialist leather workshops. 

In June 2021, Gucci announced the launch of Demetra, a non-petroleum or animal-derived alernative to leather, which its team of scientists and artisans have spent two years formulating. Demetra has been used in the launch of three sneaker styles, the ‘Basket’, ‘New Ace’ and ‘Rhyton’, and Gucci plan to expand the use of Demetra within footwear and wider product categories over the coming months.

Elsewhere, other incubators are offering leather alternatives that will soon be industrialised. Natural Fiber Welding Inc, has created a substitute formed from vegetable oil, that has 40 times less carbon impact than traditional leather and 17 times less carbon impact than synthetic leather, made from plastic. All Birds is an investor. Biotech company Modern Meadow is also producing a leather alternative in its New Jersey lab, using a fermentation process involving yeast and collagen.

Pay attention to by-products

Leather is a conflicting material for many, especially those who are vegetarian. However, many ‘vegan' leathers also pose environmental problems, as they are produced using plastics. For fans of the durable and long-lasting fabrication a host of brands use leather that is ethically or organically certified, and is not used specifically for fashion production, but as a by-product of the meat industry. Leather specalist Skiim works with companies including The Sustainable Angle and the Leather Working Group to source and accredit its materials, which are used to craft timeless pieces like trenchcoats, ruffled skirts and shirts. These initiatives were implemented after model and eco-advocate Arizona Muse joined the brand as a sustainability consultant.

Opt for upcycled materials

‘For those of you who are not familiar with the production process of a garment, you have your flat fabric laid out on the table, you have your pattern pieces—your sleeve piece, your front piece and your back piece—you lay them on the fabric, you cut around your pattern piece, you get your garment pieces and you put them together, but you are left with waste fabric,' London-based designer Phoebe English explained in ‘Fixing fashion: clothing consumption and sustainability', an environmental report submitted to the UK government in February 2019. The designer is a leading pioneer in sustainability. In August 2020, she was shortlisted for the Design Museum annual Beazley ‘Designs of the Year’ exhibition, with the ‘Nothing New’ collection, which featued a quilted jacket, produced from waste from a previous fashion collection, in itself non virgin material sourced in the label's home city of London.

In the UK, consumption of new clothing is estimated to be higher than any other European country at 26.7kg per capita. However, according to the Textile Recycling Association, it has one of the highest collection rates of used clothes in the world, thanks in part to charity shop networks. Look out for a host of burgeoning brands that incorporate deadstock, waste or upcycled fabrics into their designs, from Paris' Marine Serre, whose brand is made up of 50% upcycled fabrics, London and Devon's Wright Le Chapelain, who create timeless tailoring using denim and shirting sourced through homeless charity Crisis, Dutch Duran Lantink, who works with brands and retaliers like Ellery and Browns, to splice and dice surplus stock and materials into new silhouettes. For A/W 2021, Lantink's collection film was visualised as a satirical salon show, with models sporting DIY deconstructed designs, which were auctioned off on the brand's website after it was streamed. Also slook to London's Ahluwalia and Copenhagen's Ganni, who have launched a patchwork capsule collection created from deadstock leopard print fabrics and leathers.

Analyse your ethics

Sustainable fashion isn't just about the environment, it's about shopping from an ethical perspective too, asking not just where our clothing comes from, but who it is made by. From 19-25 April, non-profit global organisation Fashion Revolution, is launching its latest campaign, #whomademyfabric, one calling upon the public to question more than 60 major brands and retailers, asking ask them to publicly disclose the processing facilities and textile mills in their global supply chains.

Fashion Revolution Week is focused around the anniversary of the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh, which saw 1,138 people and scores injured. Worldwide, the charity works to make the fashion industry and governments recognise the interconnection between human rights and rights of nature. Human rights abuses are notable in textile mills, informal workshops, tanneries, dyehouses, plantations and farms, that provide fabrics and materials for clothing. In August 2020, fast fashion retailer Boohoo, which sells dresses for as little as £4, faced a modern slavery probe, after it was revealed that workers in its Leicester garment factories in the UK, were being paid less than half the legal minimum wage.

Up the rent

Lured by a one-wear only occasion piece, bought for a wedding or black tie event, and never to be flaunted again? We suggest renting your out out ensemble instead. Clothing rental platform Rotaro, which has party dresses aplenty, plants a tree for each rental it provides and a thicket of bushes for each new brand in partners with. It also uses recycled packaging and Ozone cleaning, which has minimal environmental impact. Peer-to-peer lending service Hurr, which features a range of products from clothing to shoes, also allows customers to work out the quantatitive enviromental saving of renting an item instead of buying it. The platform has just launched a host of eye-catching jewellery pieces, from London based brand Alighieri. This includes a selection of bridal rental pieces, including embellished dresses, head pieces and veils. Elsewhere, bag rental service Cocoon, which received investment from luxury group Kering in June 2021, allows you to borrow bags from brands including Bottega Veneta, Gucci and Chanel, swapping your choice several times a month, depending on your subscription service.

Care for your clothes

Adopting eco-friendly practices at home is a simple way to operate more environmentally. Wash clothing using natural detergents in the washing machine at  30° instead of 40° and place synthetic items (think sportswear and thermal wear and pieces made from regenerated nylon) in a Guppyfriend Bag, a washing machine pouch that catches microplastics from clothing and prevents them from polluting water systems. 

For products to extend the lifetime of clothing, look to Swedish garment care company Steamery, which produces eco detergents produced in a carbon-neutral factory, alongside other tools for pepping up your clothing, from steamers to fabric shavers, clothes brushes to clothing and shoe mist. A host of repair services also ensure you can keep your favourite pieces for a lifetime, from luxury goods recovery service The Restory, to Toast, which offers repair workshops in person and online, using Sashiko, a specialist way of mending and patching clothing. 

Move towards made-to-order

According to Greenpeace, 300,000 tonnes of used clothes are burned or buried in landfill each year in the United Kingdom, and the average life span of a garment is only just over two years. One logical solution to reduce garment waste is simply to create less clothing. In a bid to prevent overproduction and create sustainable fashion, a host of innovative brands and retailers are adopting a made-to-order buying model. Traditionally associated with the world of haute couture, this means that garments are only produced after they have been ordered by a customer. 

A host of brands and retailers are excelling as made-to-order mavericks. Look to APOC Store, an innovative e-commerce marketplace to emerging artists and fashion designers, which sells according to small production runs or bespoke orders. Check out high street retailer Toast, which has introduced a made-to-order offering of craft-celebrating artisanal designs, from Ikat dresses to leather tote bags. And look to smaller labels like London-based Cawley, which specialises in easy, fabric-focused creations, from gingham dresses to upcycled patchwork jackets, and fellow Londoner Helen Kirkum, who creates spliced and diced sneakers crafted from upcycled footwear and has worked with brands including Reebok, Adidas and Casely-Hayford. 

A renewned sense of stability is returning to wedding season, and while some ceremonial restrictions are in place globally, it's clear that celebration is on the up. Dressed down for so long that you're lost in how to excel in elegance? Here we present our guide to being an impeccably dressed wedding guest, whether rocking up to a city town hall or sitting en plein air in the grounds of a castle.

Nail the dance-all-night accessory

If pandemic dressing has taught us anything, it’s that ease is essential to elegance. Shirk the stilettos in favour of a foot-friendly mid-heel, like Manolo Blahnik's leopard-print Mary-Jane pumps.

Go for gild

Riff on the Roaring Twenties with an outfit oozing ostentation. Enter Balenciaga’s golden chaimail dress, which reflects the lights of a disco ball as you get down on a dancefloor.

Upturn tradition

Turn heads with an androgynous take on wedding wear. Sport sophisticated tailoring and forget the undershirt, like Petar Petrov's subtly oversized suit jacket.

Carry a coveted accessory

Search out a small style to hold all those matrimonial essentials (hand sanitister, lipstick, face mask). The covetable quilted details of Dior's signature ‘Lady Dior’ bags will turn heads as you take your seat at the wedding service.

Turn black tie topsy turvy

Black tie dress code? Opt for a tradition-shifting pristine white tuxedo jacket with a luxurious satin lapel. Avoid red wine and colourful cocktails at all costs.

Mix and match

Sport a statement shoe

Ditch the classic Derby shoe and err away from Oxfords. Turn heads with something a little more sartorial, like Y/Project's square-toed boot with a bold block heel.

Consider no tie

Consider a more ease-fuelled silhouette and say goodbye to the tie. Fendi's sleek, lightly toned tailoring needs nothing else.

Retinol. The single most transformative ingredient in skincare proves that the fountain of youth is not actually a fountain but a cream, and it is not located at the far-flung reaches of the Earth but, rather, is available from… the internet. Still, for those who want to learn how to use retinol, questions abound.

You may be wondering how to start using retinol, what the side effects are, and what it actually does. When it comes to answering those questions, there is no one better suited to the job than Shani Darden. The Los Angeles-based facialist is the secret behind just about every glowing complexion in the city (have a Google and you’ll see what we mean) and an ardent proponent of retinol-based skincare regimes. 

Her own skincare line includes two variations of retinol, one for sensitive skin and one for less sensitive, and we think they are some of, if not the, best retinol products out there. 

Below, Darden breaks down the myths surrounding the ingredient and shares her tips on how to use retinol for acne, wrinkle reduction, and general skin improvement. 

The truth about retinol

Even cursory research into how to use retinol will reveal various horror stories about using too much, too soon – embarrassing redness, torturous itching, skin so dry it flakes off. While it is important to gradually work up to using retinol every day, Darden dismisses the concerns around extreme irritation as overblown.

‘I think that when most people are thinking of retinol, they're thinking of prescription-strength retinols. With most over-the-counter retinols that you buy at a store, it’s most likely you're not going to get irritated. It’s just pretty rare.’

Still, the best way to ensure positive results is to use retinol once a week and then progress from there. There is no single, must-follow way, simply judge how your own skin is reacting and work it out from there.

‘If you start with once a week and you build up slowly, you are able to prevent [irritation],’ says Darden. ‘When people start to freak out, I tell them just don't just use it every night. Start with once a week and feel it out. If you go slowly, you'll know when you're starting to feel a little irritated, and then you'll just stop.’ 

While on the topic of skincare myths, Darden has another, surprising insight – forgo the facial oils, she suggests. 

‘When my clients come in to get a facial, I will know when they switched to [using] oil because I can see they are so much more congested and their nose is covered in blackheads. But I also feel that, for a lot of my clients, they don't mind having blackheads. And think if [oil] feels good and your skin looks good, great – but that’s why you have blackheads.’ 

The retinol regime

Darden’s own everyday skincare regime is a good blueprint for how to use retinol and incorporate it into your own routine. 

‘My morning is: cleanse, vitamin C serum, then sunscreen. I’m very less is more, but if I want to add in a hyaluronic acid serum, I will use that after the vitamin C, and then [use] more sunscreen.’

‘At night, it’s: cleanse, toner only sometimes, then either retinol or once a week I do a peel. After that, it's eye cream, and then moisturiser. My toner is to reduce oil production, so because I don’t have an oily T-zone, I don’t use it every night. But someone who is really oily would do cleanser, toner, retinol, eye cream, moisturiser.' 

Burning questions 

For those concerned about starting retinol in summer, Darden says it’s not a problem if you are smart about your sun exposure. 

‘If I go to Hawaii, I wouldn't take my retinol with me. Even though I don’t really go in the sun, I wouldn't bother. But generally, in summer, I still use retinol,’ she says.

‘It just depends if you’re someone really careful. If you're not, and you're someone that likes to [sunbathe] and go to the beach all the time, then just don't use it. You're definitely more sensitive to the sun when you do use retinol, so you want to be careful with that, but it's definitely the best anti-ageing thing you can use other than sunscreen.'

INFORMATION
shanidarden.com

It's a bit of an understatement to say we have a soft spot for minimalism here at Wallpaper*. From architecture to design, art to fashion, we can't resist an elegantly pared-down creation. It should come as no surprise, then, that we're enthusiastic proponents of minimal beauty too. 

We welcomed the rise of ‘skinimalism’ last year, as lockdowns encouraged many to wear less make-up and favour a simplified beauty regime that placed a premium on natural, healthy skin. But how will the trend evolve as many of us begin to enter a new, post-lockdown reality? 

Below, we delve deeper into the concept, speak to trend forecasters about how it will continue to develop, and share the best products for building your own minimalist beauty routine. 

Minimalist skincare 

Founder of innovative wellness company The Nue Co, Jules Miller is a vocal supporter of less-is-more skincare. In her view, our current consumption habits are part of a destructive cycle fuelled by companies looking to sell as much as they can. 'Our current approach to skincare is fundamentally flawed,’ she says. ‘The 'shelfie' era has led us to have bathroom cabinets overflowing with products that we couldn’t possibly use within their expiry date,’ she explains, and suggests that in using a vast array of products we may be damaging our skin.

‘Dermatologists have identified the erosion of our skin barrier as the number one cause of skin issues, resulting in premature ageing, breakouts, hyperpigmentation, sensitivity and dryness. Most of these are addressed at symptom level, using a multitude of individual products,’ continues Miller.

In essence, the more products we use, she believes, the more we tend to damage our skin. The more we damage our skin, the more products we continue to buy to fix the problem. It's a vicious circle, and one The Nue Co, along with a few other brands, is hoping to end. 

The Nue Co

The Nue Co’s Barrier Culture is one of the most effective minimal skincare regimes on the market. The two-step routine features a cleanser and a moisturiser, each formulated with patented technology delivering prebiotics, probiotics and postbiotics to rebuild the skin’s microbiome (essentially, its natural balance of microbes) and protect it from external aggressors. 

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Align

Align’s only product is a hydrating oil designed to be used on face and body for people of all ages and skin types. The Oil is a simple blend of five natural ingredients- almond oil, avocado oil, rosehip oil, vitamin E, tea tree oil- and is a handy, multi-purpose stand in for the proliferation of body creams, facial moisturisers, and the like that tend to clog up bathroom shelves. 

We recommend using The Oil with a gua sha to encourage lymphatic drainage or post-shave to prevent in-grown hairs.

helloalignskin.com

Homework 

New London-based brand Homework is an all-natural fragrance and skincare brand that uses a minimal amount of ingredients to have maximal impact. Founder Stephanie Hannington-Suen has used her background in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) to develop the formulations, the most notable of which include botanical body soaks and soap bars.

Soaps like the Poppy Seed Bar use petitgrain, coriander and pink grapefruit essential oils to rejuvenate skin and poppy seeds for non-abrasive exfoliation. While the Wood Bath Soak takes a simple blend of Dead Sea and Epsom salts and uplifts it with bits of pine, Chinese cedar, ho leaf and dried nettle leaves.

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Oureme

We’re also fans of Wendy Ouriel's skincare line Oureme, which we featured in our June 2021 issue. Ouriel created the line after she developed acne in her mid-twenties and found it was only made worse by the expensive skincare she was using to remedy it. 

So, she resolved to make a skincare line of her own and used her background in extracellular matrix biology as the basis for her formulations. The tight edit of five serums can be adjusted to suit your particular skin type (oily, mature, and so on) with all configurations designed to produce transformative results. 

doverstreetparfumsmarket.com

Less

Still, ‘skinimalism’ is nothing new. Back in 2017, German skincare brand Less won a Wallpaper* Design Award for its sleek approach to skincare. Four years on, the brand still hasn't expanded beyond its original three products – two oils and a traditional Moroccan washing clay called ghassoul – proving its real dedication to the minimalist ethos. 

welcometoless.com

‘The joy of making a really good choice’

So will this trend continue past the pandemic? According to trend forecasters, the answer is yes. ‘Coming out of the pandemic, you’ll see people become a lot more frugal,’ says WGSN's head of beauty Clare Varga. ‘And by frugal, I don't mean penny-pinching, but they’ll want to know that things work, to buy something that's really effective, with proven results.

‘So the way I see skinimalism evolving is that it becomes about the joy of making a really good choice – when you buy something and you feel you're getting value for money, not because it's cheap, but because it's effective,’ continues Varga. ‘It's not just about time-saving or using fewer products, it's about that joy of making a really good, sensible decision.’

Minimal beauty

Varga and the team at WGSN predict this philosophy will extend into cosmetics with the emergence of ‘multi-hyphenate products’, or colour cosmetics that double as skincare. 

Givenchy Prisme Libre foundation 

Our favourite recent launch in this category is Givenchy’s Prisme Libre Skin-Caring foundation. Its formulated as 90 per cent skincare and 10 per cent colour-correcting make-up, meaning it doesn't clog pores and actually feels good to wear but, importantly, still offers effective coverage. 

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Merit Minimalist stick

Merit is a vegan beauty brand that aims to cut down on amount of products you consume by combing skincare and makeup. 

Products range from tinted lip oils to eye brow pomade, but the most noteworthy is hands-down The Minimalist- a ‘completion stick’ meant to replace your foundation and concealer. The bendable stick provides breathable, light-to-medium coverage and formulated with daffodil extract that helps diminish the appearance of pigmentation and dark spots.

meritbeauty.com

Dior Lip Maximiser

Dior's popular Lip Maximiser is another example of multi-hyphenate beauty. The high-shine gloss is formulated with hyaluronic acid that offers powerful hydration and noticeable plumping. 

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Sisley So Volume Mascara

Sisley Paris was one of the first cosmetics brands to use botanical essences in its formulations, so it’s no surprise that it is already ahead of the trend when it comes to multi-hyphenate beauty. Its So Volume Mascara is formulated with vitamin B5, Japanese cherry blossom extract, and castor oil intended to help strengthen lashes over time while providing voluminous everyday coverage.

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A Complexion Company

The multi-hyphenate beauty trend is also extending into the wellness category, with brands such as A Complexion Company creating a single product that promises all-around improved health. The brand uses traditional African medicinal ingredients to create its powder supplement for maintaining energy, improving focus, and reducing PMS symptoms. 

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What's good for your skin is good for the planet 

The trend for minimalist beauty is rooted in a desire for a healthy planet as much as in a desire for a healthier appearance (not to mention bank account). 

Says The Nue Co’s Jules Miller, ‘120 billion units of packaging are produced annually by the cosmetic industry, with the majority ending up in landfill. This significantly increases air pollution, [which contributes] to the erosion of the skin barrier. The cycle continues as we turn to the consumption of more products as a solution.’
 
As the beauty industry wrestles with the issue of sustainability, creating fewer products is one of the easiest, and most effective, solutions there is.

Once you have understood the how, the what and the why of man-made diamonds, a new world of jewellery options opens its doors to you. With many jewellers choosing to go down the sustainable route, jewellery created using man made diamonds can be anything from minimalist to punky, with everything in between. Below, we have compiled the options which will take you from every day to extra special occasions.

Man-made diamonds for the minimalist

Matilde plays with delicate proportions, creating subtle jewellery that reveals teasing design quirks upon second glance. The brand’s focus on using lab-grown diamonds and recycled gold mean pieces cast a warm glow, with the glimmer of diamonds adding a subtle sheen to a minimalist palette. 

matildejewellery.com

The diamond pieces to wear every day

Diamonds for every day should be subtle enough to go with everything, and comfortable enough to keep on day after day, night after night – who wants to repeatedly take jewellery on and off? London-based jewellery brand Leo & Lumi strikes the right balance between glitter and practicality with pieces that look chic layered or worn alone, with lab-grown diamonds elegantly strung onto 14ct strings of gold. 

leoandlumi.com

Korean cool meets urban adornments

Korean jewellery brand Numbering has mastered the thickly knitted chains and bold forms that characterise urban embellishment, and now a new collection, Carat: New Classic, speckles the silhouettes with sustainable and artificial diamonds made from synthetic material. Signet rings, chains and hoops take on a new elegance when given a glittering outer coat. 

numberingwebsite.com

Understated and unexpected silhouettes

Nomis crafts simple and sculptural jewellery which can be worn in unexpected ways to refresh a classic look. The encrusted ear oval, worn hooped around the whole ear, is drawn in 18ct gold and sprinkled with lab-grown diamonds for effortless elegance. 

nomis.jewelry

Carbon-negative diamonds for the sustainably-minded

Aether aims not only for carbon neutral, but for carbon negative with its sustainable diamonds that are created from air. The company removes carbon dioxide pollution from the air and uses it for its diamonds, rather than relying on fossil fuels like most other brands. The resulting pieces rethink traditional designs, with jazzily drawn ear jackets, irregularly placed stones on engagement rings and delicate ear cuffs. 

aetherdiamonds.com

From trash to treasure

Eliza Walter uses precious metals from discarded electronics for her carefully considered jewellery brand Lylie’s. Her new collection, Gathering Clouds, looks to the skies for inspiration, referencing clouds’ fluid forms in broken hoops and swirls of gold punctuated with man-made diamonds and gemstones. 

lylies.com

Man-made diamonds get punky

Laura Chavez, founder of Lark & Berry, uses only man-made diamonds for her fine and demi-fine jewellery collections, which feature sculptural shapes in 14ct gold, 18ct gold and platinum. Her collaboration with lab-grown diamond producer Diamond Foundry sets punky silhouettes into necklaces, bracelets and earrings for rock-chick cool. 

larkandberry.com 

More is most definitely more when it comes to multiple ear piercings, and an ear full of sparkling earrings will add a frisson to any look. With such a wide choice of ear jewellery available, though, a maximalist look can quickly become a little chaotic.

Luckily, jewellery brands are on hand to provide simple styling tips for those who can’t stay away from the piercer’s needle. British jewellery designers Robinson Pelham is one jewellery company who, after working closely with their customers, have spotted a gap in the market for those customers bewildered by too much choice.

The brand has an extensive ear menu, offering hoops, studs and EarWishes – removable pieces which can be dangled from any hoop - in rainbows of brightly coloured gems. Since the launch of their EarWish collection in 2015, the brand noticed customers were keen to get guidance on how to style them. ‘We can help them gain an understanding of how to wear it all,’ says Vanessa Chilton, one of the three founders of Robinson Pelham. ‘They learn how it can be versatile and how to have fun putting it all together. Our earrings adorn the face. They can brighten any look. We have been dealing with customers for 25 years and we bring experience to issues such as skin tone, ear shape, piercing positions and confidence.’

While she points out there are no rules on how you wear your earrings, she can offer tips on how to make the most of each piece, increasing visibility and comfort. ‘Earrings look best layered going up the ear, with larger things hanging from the standard lobe. Layer with alternate wide and then long charms ( if hanging from hoops). Then as the fleshy part of the ear starts running out we recommend wearing studs here. We recommend wearing our orb cuff hoops on the orbital section of the ear which requires no piercing.’ During an ear curation session with a customer, she will offer suggestions as to which piece looks best where. ‘Studs look great worn in the snug and flat and hoops can look great on the helix,’ she adds. ‘We have four different sized hoops to choose from so there is something for everyone. You can create two completely different looks by moving your collection of earrings around the ear. It is all about versatility and we always show our customers how to achieve this.’

INFORMATION
robinsonpelham.com

Bronzer – some say it’s a must-have, others say it's a menace. Knowing how to apply bronzer, it seems, is really the key. Use it well and you’ll end up with more defined contours and a healthy-looking glow. Apply with slightly less skill and you can end up looking like you just got a very splotchy suntan. 

Thankfully, Chanel’s in-house make-up artist Kay Montano has created this comprehensive guide on bronzer basics, answering your most burning bronzer questions and providing straightforward tips on how to apply it. 

Montano’s tips couldn’t be better timed, as Chanel prepares to launch new shades of its beloved Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream on 4 June.

See her advice below, and for more how-tos from Chanel make-up artists, visit our story on creating a no-make-up look using, what else, make-up, and our tutorial on applying make-up for men with Boy de Chanel. 

Bronzer: the basics 

Wallpaper*: Are there any general guidelines that work for everyone, or does it depend on face shape? 

Kay Montano: You can really add bronzer how you like; it’s a product that works for all face shapes. If you want a sun-kissed glow, it’s best to think of where the sun would hit your face from above – the cheekbones, temples, nose and chin – and blend seamlessly into the neck.

This approach will soften, rather than accentuate, the contours of the face. If you want added definition, you can use bronzer to create subtle shadows [see How to Apply Bronzer tips, below], but use the product sparingly, it’s not about changing the shape of your face.

W*: Why do you think cream bronzer is having such a moment right now?

KM: The creamy texture is far more subtle, far easier to blend, is less ‘muddy’ looking, and sits more naturally on the skin. Powders can also accentuate fine lines, ‘flatten’ the complexion and stop light bouncing off the face. Healthy skin looks alive and glowing, and most people want to replicate that.

However, powder can be useful across the T-zone to prevent shine. I rarely use powder bronzer all over, but if you do, I suggest using one that is not too much darker than your skin because it is denser in colour.

W*: Some bronzers can look orangey or ashy on skin tones: is there anything we should look for when purchasing? Especially as we now purchase so much more online?

KM: It’s important to choose a bronzer that is not too much darker than your own skin tone, and avoid the old-school, matte terracottas of the 1980s. I also like to use a peachy or rosy blush on the apples of the cheeks afterwards, as this adds a very healthy, ‘outdoorsy’ freshness to the face and helps to make bronzer look more like you’ve had an actual afternoon in the sunshine.

W*: What’s the best bronzer for light/medium/deep skin tones?

KM: I’ve always loved Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream because it’s not too dense in colour, so you have control from the beginning and can start soft and build up (minus the dry look of powder) if needed. It now comes in two shades, one medium shade and one deeper shade. We’re watching this space to see what comes next.

W*: What are some of the other versatile ways of wearing bronzer?

KM: Bronzer is great as an eyeshadow too, and it accentuates the colour of blue and green eyes.

How to apply bronzer 

• It is essential to put make-up on in good light, especially when trying something new. Natural light is the best; position your mirror where you’re able to have natural light on your face.
  
• If you are using bronzer to further define the structure of your face, start with an even complexion. Apply concealer to any under-eye circles or blemishes – you don’t need a full application of foundation to even out skin tone, but if you prefer fuller coverage, now is the time to apply your base.
  
• Then, using a soft, round, large brush, swirl the brush around and into the bronzer. Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Bronzing Cream is sheer enough to ensure that the product never goes on too densely or unevenly. If you are using another bronzer, brush onto the back of your hand to get rid of any excess colour.
  
• For defined structure, softly blend the product around the edges of your face – just above the temples, above your eyebrows, underneath your cheekbones and along your jawline. Buff what is left on the brush onto the face from the direction that the sun hits you from above – so down the bridge of your nose and just a dusting of bronzer on the apples of your cheeks. 

INFORMATION

chanel.com

Many of us have had to adjust to spending more time on a screen this past year, but forcing our eyes to make the same adjustment isn’t easy. With the amount of time we’re spending on-screen set only to increase, averaging as much as ten hours a day by 2030 according to one study, there’s no doubt our eyes will be feeling the strain. And if that wasn't bad enough, the arrival of allergy season has brought a whole host of new eye-watering irritants. 

So to those who have allergy eyes, screen fatigue, blurry vision, or any other type of ocular ache, we invite you to look through our edit of soothing remedies and gadgets. It's a sight for sore eyes. 

Dr. Hauschka's Eye Revive drops 

Whether your eyes are dry from staring at a screen all day or itchy from seasonal allergies, Dr. Hauschka's Eye Revive uses a combination of floral extracts to naturally, and quickly, alleviate irritation. Fennel seed extract, rose oil, and chamomile are blended together in these individual ampoules of droplets, which can be kept in your wallet or purse for easy relief. 

drhauschka.com

Nobel Panacea Vibrant Eye Infusion

When eye discomfort gets to be too much, it might be time to turn to a Nobel Prize-winning chemist for help. The Brilliant Vibrant Eye Infusion from Noble Panacea is formulated with caffeine, ginkgo, and oat amino acids that reduce the appearance of dark circles and puffiness often caused by airborne allergens. 

noblepanacea.com

Peep Club's Refresher Kit for Tired Eyes

Peep Club is a new brand specifically dedicated to treating the painful symptoms of dry eyes. Created by optometrists, Peep Club has pioneered a range of soothing tools. These include an infrared-powered, massaging Heated Eye Wand, a blue-light shielding Soothing Coconut Eye Balm, and gentle Reusable Bamboo Cotton Pads. 

Our favourite is the brand's Refresher Kit for Tired Eyes, which includes the heated wand, eye balm, and its latest launch, the Instant Relief Eye Spay. Formulated with wild-harvested sea buckthorn and sodium hyaluronate, or 'artificial tears,' the spray offers the instant relief tired eyes need after hours in front of the computer. 

peepclub.com

Ace & Tate's contact lenses

Anyone who's felt the frustration of cloudy glasses by caused face masks can now breath a (fog less) sigh of relief. That's because Dutch eyewear brand Ace & Tate has just released its first line of contact lens designed for irritation-free wear. The lenses come in the world’s slimmest lens sleeve for maximum sustainability and are engineered with Ace & Tate's patented Smart Touch technology to deter the transfer of bacteria or debris. 

Even better, the lens' Smart Fit technology naturally orients the lens and its biomimetic material locks in moisture, making them easy to wear on even the most sensitive of eyes. 

aceandtate.com

Loro Piana's eye mask 

Dry eyes are often caused by incomplete eyelid closure during sleep, which results in painful, irritated eyes during the day. Using a sleep mask is an easy way to ensure retention of moisture on the cornea, and there's no better option out there than Loro Piana's cashmere mask. Made from the brand's signature super soft cashmere, the mask feels so dreamy that you'll be sleeping in no time. 

loropiana.com

Kensington’s screen protector 

A screen protector is an easy way to protect both your skin and eyes from the damaging effects of blue light. Kensington’s UltraThin Magnetic Privacy Screen is the reliable bet for Mac users, who can purchase the protector from the Apple store. Not only does the screen protect the monitor from scratches and damage, but it also reduces 22% of blue light damage. 

apple.com

MZ Skin eye masks

Are luxurious relief for tired eyes. The masks contain collagen, hyaluronic acid, and seaweed to brighten dark circles and reduce puffiness, and are also infused with Nano Gold particles to improve penetration and add radiance. 

When your eye area is particularly achy, try popping these masks into the fridge for a few minutes and feel the calming cooling sensation upon application.  

mzskin.com

We’ve written at length about finding the right sunscreen for your skin type, but what about finding the right sunscreen for your hair?

Applying SPF to the top of your head might seem like a novel concept but, in fact, it should be a part of your everyday routine.

‘Sun exposure can be extremely detrimental to the condition of your hair,’ says Susannah Richardson, hairstylist and co-founder of London hair salon Butchers. ‘It can dehydrate and strip moisture from your hair cuticles leaving it dry, brittle and broken.’

Those with coloured hair should be particularly careful about UV protection. ‘Too much exposure can lighten the colour of hair, essentially its stripping the melanin (the pigment that gives your hair colour), causing your hair to look lighter,’ says Richardson.

‘If your hair is already bleached then the sun will strip the colour out even further causing the hair to break and snap off.’

Most significantly, a lack of sun protection along the scalp increases the risk of skin cancer. ‘As a physical blocker, hair does help shield the scalp from some of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays which can lead to skin cancer,’ according to The Skin Cancer Foundation.  ‘However, you need more protection than that — especially where you part your hair and if your hair is thin or you have bald spots.’

Below, we break down the best sunscreens for hair and scalp, as well as moisturising products for any healing damage that’s already been done. 

All-around sunscreen for hair 

Aveda’s water-resistant UV Defence Mist is an effective and easy way to sunscreen your hair. Simply spray over the scalp and regularly reapply as you would a normal sunscreen. The UVA/UVB filters derived from wintergreen and cinnamon bark oils help protect hair from the drying effects of the sun, while a light perfume made of pure flower and plant essences make hair smell as good as it looks. 

aveda.com

Sunscreen for coloured hair

Davines’ SU Milk range is specifically designed to protect colour treated hair from sun damage. Like all Davines products, SU Milk was formulated at the brand’s remarkable Davines Village in Parma, Italy, which is a hub for sustainable production practices practically unmatched in the beauty industry. 

The key ingredient in SU Milk is the vitamin-C rich chinotto citrus extract from local farmer Mr. Parodi’s plot in Savona, Italy. The sustainably sourced ingredient contains antioxidants that naturally nourish hair and maintain colour vibrancy. Our favourite product in the range is the spray-on SU Milk, which can be applied as a sunscreen throughout the day or left overnight as a leave-on conditioner for extra hydration. 

davines.com

Instant itch-relief for burnt scalps 

Hungarian brand Omorovicza has garnered fame for its ability to package the healing effects of Budapest’s mineral-rich thermal waters in its skincare products. Yet, its recently launched haircare line is an equally revolutionary, if often less-recognised, range of products. 

Our favourite is the brand’s Scalp Reviver. Apply a few drops of the formula to your scalp and you’ll instantly feel a refreshing tingle brought on by menthol and lemon peel. It much-welcomed relief for the uncomfortable itch of a sunburned scalp, while its moisturising ingredients ensure skin remains agitation free. Even better, the Reviver’s heavy dose of salicylic acid removes product build-up and unblocks hair follicles, making it an ultra-effective shampoo-alternative.  

omorovicza.com

Deep moisterization for damaged afro, mixed and curly hair

The eponymous hair care line of legendary stylist Charlotte Mensah offers a range of hair products specifically designed for afro/mixed and all curly hair types. For those suffering from dry scalps and sun-damaged hair, Mensah’s famed Manketti Hair Oil is the perfect fix. The oil is formulated with organic, sustainably sourced Manketti Nut and Ximenia oils that add shine, tame frizz, and nourish the scalp. 

Apply the oil to dry or wet hair before styling or rub the oil into the hairline and leave overnight for extra hydration. 

charlottemensah.com

Dual protection and treatment for sun-damaged hair

The On the Beach hair oil mist from Japanese brand Uka is compact enough to be tucked away in a beach bag but powerful enough to protect from the most damaging effects of a day spent in the sun. The mist can be used as a hair sunscreen when outside and a nourishing treatment oil at the end of the day. 

Its amino-rich formulation of acai and argan oil means that it is particularly effective at repairing water and sun-damaged tips.

pantechnicon.com

Death can be a difficult topic to discuss, and despite its inevitability we can be left feeling surprised or unprepared when confronted with it. A new book, How to Die Well, aims to change this by looking at the four stages of death, from ‘Before you Go’ and ‘Your Funeral’, to ‘Saying Goodbye’ and ‘Good Grief’.

The book, produced by life insurance company Royal London and creative agency Rankin, explores these processes through illustrations by Italian-born, Denmark-based artist, Andrea Ucini. Ucini’s understated style makes a poignant foil for the complexity of the subject matter, with his neat images drawing everyday scenes in simple linework. The muted colour palette and pure form gently subvert the mundane, with the prosaic nature of his portraits lending acceptance to death’s role in life.

In Saying Goodbye, a couple are divided by a fractured bridge. In Pets and Death, a dog rests behind his owner’s unworn coat and boots which dress an invisible profile. In Before You Go, a couple pause a bike ride to hold each other. Your Funeral depicts a solitary pianist returning to the stage for his final bow, Good Grief a woman embracing emptiness.

The illustrations are a complement to the book which, alongside practical advice from settling estates to writing a will and saying the final goodbyes, offers personal essays; including from photographer Rankin who reflects on his parents’ death. It looks into often stressful issues including palliative care, funeral poverty and assisted dying in a bid to open the conversation around death

INFORMATION

How to Die Well is available for free download at royallondon.com/how-to-die-well

andreaucini.com

A common style trick over the last 12 months has been to throw a tailored blazer over a tracksuit for a impromptu Zoom meeting, or to pop a smart layer over loungewear when nipping outside for essentials. Now that there's more opportunity to embrace elegant dressing codes, an elevating women's jacket should be the top item on your shopping list. Here we present the brands for bolstering your smarter spring mood, whether you're easing back into office life or simply sitting en plein air.

Lanvin: Hit the right buttons

Lockdown has made us more aware of life's smaller details. Lanvin's elegant double-breasted jacket accentuates the body with eye-catching mother-and-daughter motif buttons.

Paul Smith: Hot under the collar

Months at home put you in a more relaxed state of mind? Layer up in a sleek textured shirt, as demonstrated by Paul Smith's luxurious leather design, which also features a handy front pocket.

Max Mara: Coffee-break colours

The chicest way to celebrate your first coffee outdoors? Complement your cappuccino with your clothing, courtesy of Max Mara's smart, organically hued blazer. This silhouettes scores office-worthy style points, even if you're only sitting in the park.

Petar Petrov: In good sport

If you're unsure you'll ever separate yourself from sports-inspired comfort, Petar Petrov has the ease-fuelled answer. The Viennese brand's sleeveless leather anorak speaks of luxurious yet laid-back style.

Paco Rabanne: All dressed up

Glam has been perilously low on our style radar. Keen to inject some going-out inspired chic into your wardrobe? We suggest sporting Paco Rabanne's double-breasted coat as a mini dress.

Louis Vuitton: Buckle up

Bring some belted bite to your blazer with Louis Vuitton's waist-cinching buckled jacket. This silhouette has a futuristic, deconstructed silhouette, a fitting way to embrace today's new world.

Chanel: Stay in touch

Jacket, £1,950; shirt, £1,450; trousers, £950, all by Fendi. Photography: Alexandre Guirkinger. Fashion: Benoit Martinego. Originally featured in the May 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*265)

With social distancing limiting our sense of touch, tactile fabrications take on a new importance. Chanel's bouclé jacket revels in the maison's signature fabric, accentuated with beaded embellishments.

Boss: The palette cleanser

Spring calls for palette-cleansing colours. Draw attention in optic white silhouettes, like Boss' minimalist duster coat. The simplest way to avoid grass stains? Carry a picnic blanket when embarking on a sit-down sortie.

Gucci: An exotic escape

If an exotic escape feels like something of a pipe dream, let tropical prints and motifs take your fancy instead. For spring, Gucci's casual button-up jacket shows an affnity for the eye-catching pattern of snake skin.

Hermès: Make it minimal

Look to Hermès for an incredibly elevated take on 1990s minimalism. Sometimes pared-back silhouettes have the most power, as demonstrated by this zip-up leather coat, which is conceived in the finest of fabrications.

Peter Do: Utilitarian attention

For the more adventurous of dressers, consider the apron your new take on outerwear. Peter Do's version is sumptuous in its tactile finish, and should be worn to reveal a flash of flesh.

Bottega Veneta: Craft flair

A hand-crafted finish will draw attention, whether you're sitting outside on a terrace or sauntering through a city street. Bottega Veneta's denim jacket features a delicately crocheted hooded detail, fusing sportswear with sophistication. 

INFORMATION

A version of this article first appeared in the April 2021 issue of Wallpaper* (W*264) – available to download here

With at-home salons still the status quo in many parts of the world, we asked Alex Brownsell, founder of Bleach London and hair colour extraordinaire, to share some tips on DIY hair dye.

Make sure to consult her step-by-step guide before snapping on your gloves and mixing your colour to avoid any hair-dye disasters. For even more tricks on how to maintain your good work, watch the newly launched Bleach TV series on Bleach London’s Instagram. 

How to prepare

Do your research and read the instructions first, as it’s not a one-size-fits-all process. Your hair texture, length, thickness, and porosity all contribute to the final result and how long you need to leave the bleach on for.

I’d recommend using something like our Blonde Bundles which have all the products you need for each step of the process, which is bleach to life the colour, toner to even it out, and then a hydrating mask to prevent dry out.

If you have fine hair, curly hair and afro-hair or are just worried about damage, choose a bundle with Plex Bleach which lifts while strengthening and protecting with an anti-breakage additive.

A common mistake people make is forgetting to tone after bleaching. Every hair type will have a yellow or brassy hue right after bleaching, so you would colour correct this with a toner, not by leaving the bleach on for longer.

Getting creative with colours

We always mix our semi-permanent to create custom shades in salon, and this is really easy to do at home too. If a colour has a conditioning base its easier to blend, so if you want to make a pastel shade more vibrant or sheer out a colour. 

To soften a colour, mix in a reparative conditioner like our Beer Conditioner to dilute the tone. To make a pastel more vibrant, use a bold shade from the same colour family – like a hot pink with a softer rose, or an electric orange with a light peach. 

Experimenting with styles

To get two-toned hair you can either bleach the front sections of your hair that frame the face, or section the top of your hair from the ear up and try bleaching the bottom half for a ‘peek-a-boo’ effect.

You can leave the blonde to contrast with your natural colour, or go over the bleach with your choice of a semi-permanent for a really funky look. In the salon, pink and peach bits have been a really popular look this year. 

What to do if things go wrong...

Choosing a semi-permanent colour is a good option, so if you’re not 100 per cent on the final colour you can just can shampoo your hair more often and it’ll fade quickly, especially if it’s a pastel colour. 

To avoid any mistakes from the beginning and if you’re apprehensive about the overall process, there are a lot of digital tools and services to help with the at-home process and guide you through each step.

On Bleach’s website you can live chat with a salon stylist and send pictures of your hair for custom product recommendations to and get advice on the best approach.

After you buy your products, you’ll be given the option to book in for a one-to-one video call. You can choose a date and appointment time, where you’ll be joined by a Bleach stylist on a video call. They will coach you through the entire process, so you’ll be an expert in no time. 

How to upkeep

In terms of styling out roots you have a few different options. Touching up your roots at home is much easier than you think and I’d recommend doing it at the 6-8 week mark (approx. 2.5cm long). People think that leaving their hair longer between bleaching will protect it but it's actually the opposite.

You damage hair less by only ever bleaching the first few centimetres, as the heat from your scalp helps to speed up the lifting process- meaning you can leave the bleach on for less time.

If you have very dark roots and want to grow them out in a more fun or experimental way, you can apply a semi-permanent to your old bleach. It makes the dark root look less harsh and more intentional, and the colour will fade out gradually.

If you have grown out highlights or balayage, this is also really easy to blend out at home. We have a product called the ‘Root Blend Balayage Kit’ which includes a balayage board to help create that face-framing, natural placement to blend out your roots. This is a really great technique for curly hair types too as you can target individual curl strands that frame the face.

Have fun! 

INFORMATION

bleachlondon.co.uk

As life skills go, the knowledge of wine and how to pair it with food is particularly seductive, as it explores two of life’s greatest pleasures in all their sensory detail. It falls into a category of accomplishments – like learning a new language or to play a musical instrument, that many of us would like to own, and have perhaps mused on mastering during the pandemic time-at-home. Happily, expert tutors are at hand to guide you towards this attainable and rewarding goal.

67 Pall Mall, The Fine Wine Club in London’s St James’s, has launched its first book, Wine and Food: The Perfect Match – a collaboration between 67 Pall Mall’s Head of Wine, Ronan Sayburn MS, and the club’s Executive Chef, Marcus Verberne.

Master Sommelier Sayburn brings his considerable expertise (he is CEO of The Court of Master Sommeliers Europe) and clearly and comprehensively maps out the world’s great wines, and how to drink them. Grape varieties are explained; where they grow, and why they taste as they do. Once mysterious wine terms are translated, and certain myths debunked (red wine with cheese? not necessarily).

In the second section of the book, your education moves into the kitchen, where Marcus Verberne presents 100 recipes – covering various styles and continents, with Sayburn suggesting a selection of different wines to complement each one.

Verberne’s delicious creations range from simple meatballs (try pairing with a nice Chianti) to a luxurious Truffle Risotto (Dom Pérignon champagne suits this dish beautifully) Asian dishes, and how to pair wine with their attendant spices, are not forgotten, (Gewurztraminer is perfect with Thai Octopus Salad).

Wine and Food brings another dimension to the pleasure of entertaining, and the book’s format might also inspire a new tactic in the making of culinary arrangements: The next time you are considering what to cook for dinner, and then thinking about what to drink, why not do it the other way around and plan your food around your wine? This, by the way, is the approach of Ronan Sayburn, Master Sommelier.

INFORMATION

67pallmall.com

The rising use of face masks has meant that many connoisseurs of multi-hued pouts have seen lipsticks, glosses, and liners go unused for months. Rather than letting those products languish in your makeup bag, we provide some tips below on how to reinvent them for other uses across your face. 

Perhaps the most obvious second-life for lipsticks is as blush. Many brands already offer sticks and tinted oils designed for duel usage, like Rodin’s lip and cheek oil or Noto Botanics multi-bene stain. That said, you can always try getting more mileage out of your standard lipsticks by playing with the colour on your cheeks. Powdered pinks or soft corals can be dotted on either side of the nose and brushed upward towards the ears for a subtle flushed look, but reds are equally usable.

Take a note from the grande dame of style herself, Diane Vreeland, and cosmetically set your face ablaze with vibrant reds on your cheeks, temples, and ears. To achieve this, pucker your mouth and draw a red line upward along the cheekbone and brush upward with your fingertips. Then dab a bit of colour on each temple and tops of ears and gently rub into skin. 

Matte brown and nude lip colours like Pat McGrath's ‘1995' MatteTrance lipstick or Gucci's ‘Elliott Brown' shade can easily be applied to eyelids for a natural look but, here too, reds are perfect. Chanel's makeup and colour designer, Lucia Pica, has been instrumental in championing the use of red eye colour. ‘Putting red on the eyelids brightens the eyes and the complexion,’ Pica says, ‘it doesn’t make you look sick or tired… it’s very wearable and suits all eye colours.’ 

For a smoky eyeshadow look, rub the lipstick onto your hand and then apply to the eyelid with your fingertip. Or, for a more defined shape, use a soft eyeshadow brush to apply the lip colour outward from the inner ridge of the eye outward. Alternatively, go bold and draw the lip colour right onto the eye, smudging as necessary. Try running the tip of the lipstick along the bottom rim of the eye and smudging slightly with your fingertip for greater impact. 

Enhance a red eye with a matching red lip-turn-eye liner, or get experimental by adding some gold shadow along the eyelash line. Liquid lipsticks can also serve as an inventive stand-in for cream shadow and most wands work for easy application. Burberry Beauty's 'Liquid Lip Velvet' line is a perfect example of a rich matte texture that can be used on eyes or lips. With the colour complete, extra chapstick or lip moisturizer as a wax to define eyebrow shape or before applying powder. 

Have a play and see what works for you, but always be careful to try patch tests on your skin first to avoid irritation.

INFORMATION
chanel.com
notobotanics.com

In that happier alternate reality where Covid-19 had not sprout and spread, or was at least contained and quashed, the art industry’s travelling circus would this week have pitched up in New York and made a fantastic spectacle of itself. There won’t now be spectacle or socialising. There will though be a fair of sorts and, crucially for Frieze and its gallery clients, sales.

The Frieze New York team had been plotting a virtual version of the fair before the Covid-19 outbreak, a first for Frieze, and that has been smartly retooled. ‘It was meant to be a nice addition to the physical fair,’ says Loring Randolph, director of Frieze New York, ‘an opportunity for galleries to show off special projects or just pieces they couldn’t physically show. But as soon as it became clear we would have to cancel the physical Frieze New York we just changed the whole structure and how you would look at the galleries. And it was really led by the galleries.’ What was planned as side-show is now the main, indeed only, event. ‘We have essentially recreated all of the regular programming,’ Randolph says.

Frieze Viewing Room is an augmented reality replacement fair with 200 galleries able to display 30 pieces apiece. What’s on offer is not a simulacra stroll from booth to booth but virtual visitors will be able to see pieces in virtual spaces. And if they are viewing on a smartphone, digitally install a piece in their own home. 

Randolph says the virtual fair will see the same flurry and flutter of sales, just that they will happen over the phone, e-mail, Zoom or similar. And that the launch of Frieze Viewing Room has generated the same levels of excitement and pre-fair jitters. ‘Building up to this has felt almost exactly like the lead into the actual fair. There has been the same energy so I guess we must be doing something right.’

As in other areas, the Covid-19 outbreak has accelerated and amplified existing trends. There was already a push, mostly from the galleries, to make the art fairs more digitally visible and accessible. And the now digital-only fairs are also making the market more transparent. Prices and price guides will be clearly marked for most of the works in the Frieze Viewing Room, as they were at the digital version of Art Basel Hong Kong earlier in the year. This will make life a lot easier for younger and first-time collectors perhaps too intimidated to even talk prices at physical fairs. ‘It hasn’t been that easy for a newer generation of collectors trying to find things at a specific price point,’ admits Randolph. ‘But now you can easily look for works that are less than $10,000, do a search and see everything available from every gallery that's participating in the fair. And actually, I get kind of addicted to looking at it because there is just more market transparency. We made sure that the price field shows up in the thumbnail images.’

The major commercial galleries are also shifting their experiments in AR and VR from side-project to centre stage. Hauser & Wirth co-founder Iwan Wirth says he first started pushing experiments in VR two years ago. Or rather the gallery’s artists started pushing him. ‘We really started to be questioned and challenged by our artists. And then Paul McCarthy did some work with virtual reality that really blew me away. That was a real game-changer. And at the same time, Mark Bradford talked to me about VR as a tool for planning and visualising exhibitions. So last summer we created ArtLab, a kind of internal task force to look at digital innovation within the gallery.’

ArtLab set out to create a new VR tool to help artists plan shows in specific Hauser & Wirth spaces. That tool though has been smartly turned outwards to become HWVR. Its first outing is a VR exhibition at Hauser & Wirth’s Menorca art centre, a Balearic take on Hauser & Wirth Somerset which is actually still under construction and won’t open until next year. 

ArtLab Inaugural HWVR Exhibition Trailer, 'Beside Itself', Hauser & Wirth Menorca. Features Louise Bourgeois, Maman, 1999. © The Easton Foundation/VAGA at ARS, NY Courtesy Hauser & Wirth 

‘Beside Itself’, which includes virtual versions of works by Bradford, McCarthy, Louise Bourgeois, Jenny Holzer, Lorna Simpson and more, launched last week. Wirth says the gallery’s new VR platform pulls together technologies usually used in architecture, construction and video-game design, building up VR imagery on a pixel-by-pixel basis. ‘We aren’t re-inventing the wheel,’ says Wirth, ‘but we have taken three technologies to build a new wheel.’

At the end of March Oliver Miro, the son of London-based gallerist Victoria Miro, announced the launch of another ‘extended reality’ art platform tagged Vortic. Three years in development, Vortic also promises a new level of viewer experience and offers galleries the chance to create new virtual gallery spaces, or have their own 3D-scanned, and create digital versions of physical exhibitions or digital-only exhibitions. Miro says galleries will even be able to create bespoke virtual exhibitions for individual collectors. The Vortic Collect app will allow collectors an AR view of exhibitions while Vortic VR will allow for a more immersive experience using Oculus VR headsets. The technology will have its first major showcase with a Vortic-only exhibition put together by Victoria Miro and David Zwirner launching next week.

Like Wirth, Miro hopes that VR technology will eventually help galleries cut down on shipping costs. And Miro suggests his new technology is convincing enough that collectors will make serious investments on the basis of Vortic-only viewing. ‘As collectors become more comfortable with the digital viewing experience, I think they will be confident making acquisitions without seeing the artwork in person. That’s certainly the initial feedback we’ve had.’

For now, Wirth isn’t thinking of HWVR as a commercial tool, but simply as a way to take you somewhere new and different in a different way. And who doesn’t need that right now? ‘We're all increasingly frustrated with the online experience and I'm no exception. And we don't for a second believe that this will replace anything, it just adds something. It gives an indication of where we might go with this, what this tool can do. But at the moment it is just a way to try and give people some joy.’

INFORMATION

frieze.com
hauserwirth.com
victoria-miro.com

As we gaze out at the same view hour after hour, the only thing that seems to change is the position of the shadows, and the birds visiting our windowsills. A new free, digital guide conceived by Paris-based architect, designer, and birdwatcher, Antonin Yuji Maeno, gives your urban gazing some direction, by helping you tell the difference between a Blackcap and a Nuthatch.

According the Maeno, who is also the founder of architecture and design studio Cutwork, the guide is ‘an invitation to anyone to look out for the 55 urban birds that we can easily see from one’s home. It’s a window, a means to be aware of your immediate environment.' It seeks to encourage the reader to paradoxically re-engage with the outdoors while inside – a note that will ring in the minds of many who are practising social distancing or self-isolation.

Anyone who knows Maeno knows that he spends his free time at the window of his Paris apartment, bird spotting. It's an interest that influences Cutwork studio's ethos of reconnecting with nature within the interior setting. ‘For me, being an architect and observing birds is part of the same pleasure,' he writes in the self-illustrated beak bible. ‘Looking at the world and always being on the lookout for constant change – opening the senses to the immediate environment and the greater territories shared between beings. The city must once again become an environment conducive to the blossoming and nature proliferation of life. Buildings should be planted like trees to activate biodiversity in our cities.'

He continues: ‘To watch birds in the city is to learn to see again. It is not about how to see but how to deploy our perspective both in a literal and figurative sense. It is a gateway to explore what co-exists with us and the bigger ecology we are all a part of.'

Step by step, learn how to spot urban ornithological myth-makers. Did you know, for example, woodpeckers move with agility, like mice, against the bark of trees, or that the hedge sparrow (whose love life is ‘quite tumultuous’, with many extra-marital affairs) can be discerned by the delicacy of its beak?

Accessible to anyone with a window and an internet connection, Maeno's free digital guide could not be more timely – there has never has there been a better moment to take up a meditative passtime. Here's to staying indoors, and living vicariously through our flighty friends, that bless our windowsills with welcome signs of the great outside.

INFORMATION

cutworkstudio.com

During a time that keeps you inside, a careful arrangement of atmospheric tricks (perfumes, scented matches, soaps, shampoos), can conjure the natural world wherever you are. Our edit presents woodsy scents that evoke the fresh air of a forest terrain from within your own home.  

Bathing Culture’s ‘Cathedral Grove' body wash was inspired by the Redwood trees of the brand's native Northern California. A shower rinse with Bathing Culture feels like becoming a raindrop, dripping past all sorts of fir needles on the way down to the ground. Pair with Aesop’s classic shampoo and conditioner, which blend cedarwood bark and juniper berry oil for an invigorating cleanse.

From there, find the deepest, almost navy green smells of the forest—nothing light, nothing herby, or grassy and fleeting, no quieting sandalwood. Aer’s ‘Cedar', a perfume made with collected cedar scraps from a furniture factory in Virginia, is that big woods smell with a bit of bergamot spice. Take shelter in a log cabin with Byredo’s ‘Tree House' candle and its combination of cedar, bamboo, and hay. Go further off the trail, into the thicker forest of cedar, gaiac wood and tree moss with Connolly’s ‘Leather Smoke' candle.

Wind it down with Buly 1803’s ‘Sumi Hinoki' scented matches. Inspired by the pyres in ancient Japanese temples, these matches conjure up the forest at night – a little haunted and dark, a little intense and cloaked. 

There are lots of paths to devote ourselves to the world from afar and to coax ourselves to stay sheltered, take every available scent escape.

Some of the greatest graphic art was born out of necessity. For over a hundred years, using creative ways of conveying information has helped people get to the point, in good times and bad. Graphic innovation has gone hand in hand with telling important stories and spreading the word, whether it's hailing the New Deal or the birth of the welfare state, showing the way on public transport or giving out essential information about everyone's health and well-being.

Never has such a message been so important. And although everyone's worldview has shifted beyond all expectations, there are still vital messages that have to get through. Here's where you come in. Here at Wallpaper* we’re all about showcasing creativity, and supporting the community in these unprecedented times. Today, we announce the launch of our global poster design initiative – Wallpaper* Poster Campaign – to reflect the creative world’s unparalleled ability to communicate. You might want to share helpful advice on social distancing, hand washing, ideas on staying well, or maybe you simply want to share a positive message to uplift spirits.

Who will be the Abram Games of this period?

How do I get involved?

Tag your entries with #WallpaperPosterCampaign and our in-house team of editors – from a global network of home offices and kitchen tables, led by Editor-in-Chief Sarah Douglas – will hand select their favourites. Design A4 so they can be printed at home and put in windows around the world.

Not only will we re-post these on our Instagram, making sure to tag each creator, we’ll build a virtually thumbtacked poster wall here on wallpaper.com of the very best entries. And each designer will of course own all rights, we are here to showcase the designs.

In addition, one very special poster will also be featured in Wallpaper*. The new extended deadline for entries is Friday 1 May 2020.

One thing we’re sure of – creativity blossoms from adversity. Self-motivate in self-isolation, elevate craft hour with the kids, and share your designs with the world. Get creating!

Today, it seems everyone is an apprentice in the art of snapshot photography. Our tool is a phone, and our agent is social media. Thanks to a new book published by Laurence King, we get the opportunity to learn from the master. Daido Moriyama: How I Take Photographs is filled with glimpses of wisdom from the Japanese street photography forerunner, offering us rookie (and often much too prolific) iPhone-wielders a crash course in how to take snatched snaps that succeed in offering pause for thought.

Written by Japanese author Takeshi Nakamoto, in close collaboration with the artist, we journey (both geographically and otherwise) through Moriyama's creative practice. In the neatly titled first chapter ‘A Brief Guide to Snapshot Photography’, we're advised the first step is to simply ‘get outside’. But, as explained by Nakamoto, it's where to go – and where to look when you get there – that separates a good street photograph from a great one. It's here that Moriyama's famed instinct comes into play.

‘Over and over again, Moriyama pauses in his tracks and just stands there, pressing the shutter button of his camera,' writes Nakamoto, who accompanied the artist on many photography trips in researching the book. ‘Looking round, continually alert, he points the lens towards whatever catches his interest. Occasionally, he holds his camera at chest height, and just presses the shutter button, keeping it pressed down, taking one shot after another in quick succession, without bothering to look into the viewfinder.’

From Ginza to Sunamachi, Haneda Airport to Tsukudajima, the photographer's axioms unfold. We learn to observe the interaction between people at the street; to pay attention to the food on stalls and shop window displays, to ‘really look at things’, rather than taking wide abstractions, shaking off ‘concepts’, ‘themes’, and preconceived ideas. We ‘take a facsimile of the streets’.

Not your typical how-to guide, the book is a visual riot. As diverse as sweeping cityscapes, unctuous footprints in the mud, and intimate portraits of Ginza cafes. Despite the divergent themes, each image is connected by a certain wistfulness. Readers get the sense of what's just out of shot; or what's just happened – smudged moments captured from a moving car. Moriyama explains: ‘Call it a kind of melancholy – a sense of loss – that I felt about all the images I was conscious had now passed out of my grasp, and that were now behind me on the road … Something essential, something indefinable, that I was somehow letting escape – like water draining through a sieve.'

Learning from the master, we also learn about him. Born in Osaka in 1938, he began his career as an independent photographer in 1964. Soon after, in 1968 he published his first photo book Japan: A Photo Theatre, one of the first photobooks to capture the ‘rough, blurry, out of focus’ aesthetic; for which Moriyama is now known. In it, and in his subsequent library of photobook releases, the artist steers clear of preconceptions, which Nakamoto explains, is mirrored in his attitude. Moriyama has a proclivity for saying: ‘Oh come on, get real’ – perhaps the best coded advise a snapshot photographer could receive.

INFORMATION

laurenceking.com

Currently blitzing the baking industry is a maximalist cake-decorating style born in Australia. Sydney-based Katherine Sabbath and fellow antipodean bakers Don’t Tell Charles and Unbirthday Bakery are among those pushing cake-topping boundaries, while social media has taken the trend to bakers and confectioners around the world.

In London, Molly Bakes has applied the concept to milkshakes (‘freakshakes’) as well as cakes, while young independents, such as the Brighton-based Bunston Bakes, are celebrating the freshness of the new decorating style. Sometimes toppings involve recognisable sugary treats, such as KitKat bars or Kinder eggs, as well as donuts, macaroons, marshmallows, honeycomb, pretzels or brownies; while sometimes the bakers utilise carefully constructed chocolate shards in extravagant colours or textures, forming entire structures. It’s the icing on the cake.

As originally featured in the December 2016 issue of Wallpaper* (W*213)

INFORMATION

For more information, visit the Don’t Tell Charles website

The cover of our 20th anniversary issue is rather special, even if we do say so ourselves…. After all, we don't do 'normal' at Wallpaper*. To mark the momentous occasion we decided to ask one standout game-changer, Thomas Heatherwick, to do something truly outstanding with us. His cover design is a textbook example of the Heatherwick approach: a low-tech but joyous piece of paper engineering to create a simple but total transformation.

As you fold, squash and stretch your Wallpaper* Friction Cover, consider that you’re holding one of the smallest and most intricate projects to come out of the Heatherwick Studio. He thinks it’s a true return to the surprise and delight conjured up by his earliest works back in 1996; we think it represents the intersection of engineering, design and making.

Speaking of making, first you will need to order the kit required to create this kinetic cover by emailing makeyourowncover@wallpaper.com. Once it arrives, return to this page to follow the simple instructions below…

Now you're all done, why not share a picture of your finished kinetic cover with us? Send us a snap of your Wallpaper* collection (or your most prized edition) using #SubscriberSince and tagging @wallpapermag on Twitter and/or Instagram

Every year, we celebrate the changing world of bathroom design with a hefty supplement. Exploring new materials, adaptable furniture and contemporary colours, our shoot allows us to get experimental with modern sanitary spaces. For 2016, our restful restrooms are awash with mirrors, marble and a little industrial light and magic via a plethora of global bathroom design brands.

Pictured: ‘EB24’ steel door and window frame, £7,500, by Clement Windows. ‘Hollo’ side table, £385, by Amandine Chhor & Aïssa Logerot, for Petite Friture, from Harrods. ‘Urzi’ boxes, CHF229 (€207) for set, by Diiis. ‘Val’ freestanding bathtub, £2,500, by Konstantin Grcic, for Laufen. ‘Element’ close-coupled WC, £1,526; ‘Element’ bidet, £353; ‘Element’ wall-mounted bidet mixer, £165; ‘Heima’ base unit and countertop, £1,190; ‘Element’ wall-mounted basin mixers, £165 each; ’Sofia’ on-countertop basins, £260 each, all by Roca. ’Couronne 65’ mirror, £3,312, by Bisazza. ‘Gatsby 2’ tilting mirror, £873, by Devon & Devon. ‘Materials’ wallpaper in White Marble, £199 per 10m roll, by Piet Hein Eek, for NLXL. ‘Mint Frost’ paint; ‘Organic Woodland’ paint, both £28 for 2.5 litres, by Valspar. ‘Bologna’ anthracite porcelain tiles, £35 per sq m, by Mandarin Stone

Interiors: Amy Heffernan.

Named after its hometown, bathroom brand Laufen recently raised the bar for ceramics with the launch of the super refined and thin SaphirKeramik. Starting with washbasins, the range has expanded to a super sleek tub that adds sophistication to our master bathrom

Florentine brand Devon&Devon brings elegance to the space with its art deco inspired mirror that utilises both chrome and polished nickel

Honing in on the details, our en-suites embrace contemporary deep and dark hues.

Pictured left: ‘Me’ basin, £456, by Philippe Starck; ‘L-Cube’ drawer unit, £587, by Christian Werner, both for Duravit. ‘HVI’ mixer tap, £434, by Arne Jacobsen, for Vola. ‘Eco-Terr’ marble top in Bergamo Black G, from €950, by Coverings Etc. ‘Dot Line’ mirror, price on request; ‘Dot Line’ toilet brush, price on request, both by Garcia Cumini, for Agape. Amenity tray, $66, by The Good Liver. ‘Dot Line’ wood rail with accessories, price on request, by Garcia Cumini, for Agape, from West One Bathrooms. ‘Futur’ safety razor, £50, by Mekur; ebony pure badger shaving brush 100, £21; ebony shaving brush drip stand, £6, all by The Traditional Shaving Company. ‘Corner’ toilet paper holder, €139, by Decor Walther. Black toilet paper, price on request, by Renova. ‘Beauty’ vanity mirror, £252, by Apartment 8, for Schönbuch. ‘Loop O’ control panel, £38, by Vitra Global. ’Water Jewels’ wall-hung WC; soft-close seat, £188, both by Matteo Thun, for Vitra Global. ‘String Light Sphere’ lights, €410 each, by Michael Anastassiades, for Flos. ‘Gestalten’ wallpaper, £155 per sq m, by Christian Benini, for Wall & Decò, from West One Bathrooms. ‘EB24’ door and window frame; ‘Materials’ wallpaper; ‘Bologna’ tiles, all as before.

Pictured right: ‘Puchi Puchi’ face towel, £25, by Masaru Suzuki and Yoshii Towel, for Morihata, from Liberty. ‘Corner’ towel rail, €151; ‘Corner’ shelf, €173, both by Decor Walther. ‘Narciso’ vanity unit, from £5,700, by Andrea Parisio and Giuseppe Pezzano, for Ceramica Cielo, from CP Hart. ’Framed’ mirror, £415, by Anderssen & Voll, for Muuto. Fine tooth comb, $24, by Bixby Brand. ‘Nostromo’ basin mixer tap with pop-up waste, £500, by Davide Mercatali, for Fantini. ‘Corner’ magnetic soap dish, €76, by Decor Walther. ‘Sonia’ stool, £600, by Sergio Rodrigues, from Espasso. ‘Mini Glo-Ball’ wall lights, €82 each, by Jasper Morrison, for Flos. ‘Materials’ wallpaper; ‘Organic Woodland’ paint; ‘Mosa Solids’ tiles, all as before

Interiors: Amy Heffernan.

Lombardy-based brand Agape has mastered the art of minimalism with a versatile wood rail that can be adapted in multiple ways

Over to Eastern Europe and Turkish company VitrA invited Matteo Thun to create a hi-tech wall mounted WC imbued with the Italian designer’s natural style and balance.

Ceramica Cielo offer up compact washroom solutions with a smart modern Italian vanity unit that has a seamless built-in mirror and storage

Muuto’s Scandinavian mirrors structure the room with their bold curves and seemingly 3D effect

Our more spacious bathrooms are kept minimal so the warm veins of the intricate marble can stand out.

Pictured: ‘Curium 19F’ shower enclosure, £1,123, by The Shower Lab, from West One Bathrooms. ‘Landmark’ industrial concealed thermostatic shower, £3,034, by Samuel Heath. ‘Gemma’ small container, price on request, by Sebastian Herkner, for Agape. Soap dish, £20, by Bath Bazaar, from Harrods. ‘Waterscape’ bath blocks, price on request, by De Intuïtiefabriek. ‘The Double Derwent Light with Fluted Shade’, from £475, by Martin Brudnizki, for Drummonds. ‘Campiaro’ shower tray, €1,850, by Vittorio Longheu, for Pibamarmi. ‘BetteLux Shape’ standing wall-mounted mirror, £1,914, by Tesseraux & Partner, for Bette. ‘Plateau’ bathtub, €6,263, by Sebastian Herkner, for Ex.t. ‘Sleek’ bath mixer tap, €193, by Ex.t. ‘Gemma’ side table, price on request, by Sebastian Herkner, for Agape. ‘Dusted Moss 3’ Endurance+ paint, £30 for 2.5 litres, by Dulux. ‘Materials’ wallpaper, as before. ‘Origami’ radiator, price on request, by Alberto Meda, for Tubes Radiatori. ‘Mosa Solids’ floor tiles in 5102V, £45 per sq m, by Mosa

Interiors: Amy Heffernan.

Providing the heat is a room-divider-style radiator from Tubes Radiatori. Titled ’Origami’, its dynamic folding form stands free, shaping the area as you wish

The symmetry in this bathtub by German designer Sebastian Herkner for Florence-based company ex.t creates a calming effect in the already simple and fresh space

Godson Street, designed by London-based architects Edgley Design, is the latest mixed-use development to answer the question of the ultimate work/life balance

Responding to the increasing demand for live/work spaces for the capital’s entrepreneurs and creatives, London architects Edgley Design have reinterpreted the typology in a new mixed use commercial and residential development in Islington.

Completed earlier this year, the RIBA London award-winning Godson Street development in London was the outcome of a joint community venture between director of Edgley Design Jake Edgley, CKS partnership head Chris Joannou and Spaced Out Ltd director James Engel. Taking the form of a typical terrace arrangement, the new development pays homage to the Georgian properties that once inhabited the plot.

The residential element is composed of five duplexes, each of which is supplied with a slightly unusual, reversed interior programme, wrapped around the commercial units. Workspaces are sandwiched on the ground level, between the two bedrooms in the basement and living spaces nestled on the top floor.

All of the properties within the 1,015 sq m development boast ‘stripped back aesthetics’; commercial areas specifically designed for functionality and practicality, featuring polished concrete floors and raw plywood staircases.

Externally, the commercial units take the form of large concrete monolithic blocks rising from the basements and functioning as supporting ‘pedestals’ to the residential elements above. These upper spaces are wrapped in pre-patinated zinc and fitted with large glazed windows, positioned strategically on each property’s rear. A light well situated at the front ensures all interior spaces receive a healthy dose of sunlight. Meanwhile, the windows on the front facade are equipped with a metal solar mesh interlayer, conveniently protecting from unwanted views from neighbouring gardens.

In the residential element of the properties, the duplex's bedrooms are placed in the basement for privacy, while living and kitchen areas are situated on the top floor, above the commercial units

The architects chose the unusual internal arrangement – with commercial units sandwiched between residential on the top and lower levels – to ensure a healthier and more productive live/work environment

INFORMATION

For more information, visit Edgley Design’s website

Photography: Jack Hobhouse

Summer on the American east coast is largely characterised by one major migration pattern: weekly sojourns to eastern Long Island and the Hamptons. The Herzog & de Meuron-designed Parrish Art Museum, located in the town of Water Mill, takes full advantage of both weather and the crowds of the season by staging an exciting survey of site-specific art projects on water. Entitled ‘Radical Seafaring’, it is the first museum to do so; presenting a variety of experiments, journeys and installations in a range of disciplines within its stylish halls.

With work from 25 international artists and collectives on display, ‘Radical Seafaring’ represents a new mode of expression that addresses concerns such as changing weather patterns, rising sea levels and migratory changes. Andrea Grover, the Century Arts Foundation curator who organised the show, says, ‘The increasing number of works created on the water by contemporary artists is approaching the critical mass of a movement like land art. The "offshore art" projects represent a new form of expression that is especially powerful when one considers that half the world’s population live within 200 miles of a sea coast.’

The exhibition has been divided into four themes: exploration, liberation, fieldwork and speculation, which touch on the notions of self-reliance, gathering research on the environment, using waterways as a platform to build other realities and seeking out new experiences. With works by Chris Burden, Atelier Van Lieshout, Buckminster Fuller, Vik Muniz, Dennis Oppenheim and Swoon, spanning the period 1968–2016, the showcase is a poignant reminder of the world’s changing reality. 

INFORMATION

'Radical Seafaring' is on view until 24 July. For more details, visit the Parrish Art Museum's website

Photography: Jenny Gorman. Courtesy the artists and Parrish Art Museum

ADDRESS

Parrish Art Museum
279 Montauk Highway
Water Mill
New York, NY 11976

 VIEW GOOGLE MAPS 

TELEPHONE

1.631 283 2118

Can’t make it to Tokyo’s famous Tsukiji Market before it relocates? All the more reason to help this stateside Japanese-style fish market open.

It’s easy to find great butchers in New York City, but high-quality fish markets aren’t so prolific — even with the Atlantic Ocean so close by. That’s why the team behind Brooklyn’s Okonomi restaurant is Kickstarting a Japanese-style fish market selling locally sourced seafood in their home borough called Osakana ('honor your fish' in Japanese). 'Our aim is to help diversify the local food economy and revive the city’s connection with its neighboring ocean,' the team writes on the Kickstarter page. 'To do this, Osakana will not only offer a seasonal selection of local seafood for customers to purchase, but it will also provide a community space in which people can learn more about these ingredients through discussions, meals, tastings, and classes.'

The team has already found a location in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and hopes to open in July of this year if they reach their goal of $50,000, of which they’ve currently raised just over half. With twenty-seven days to go, though, the owners are pushing to hit their stretch goals. If they hit $75,000, they’ll open a six-seat ramen bar in the back of the space, while $100,000 will mean a special omakase nook for dinners pairing seafood and sashimi with Japanese whiskeys.

Want to support the market? Here are some of the reward incentives: $25 gets you the chance to be a guest recipe tester for an upcoming cookbook, $175 earns you an engraved chef’s knife and for $300 you can get a private fish butchery class from Okonomi chef Yuji Haraguchi.

This article originally appeared on Food & Wine 

When Shuzo Nagumo makes a cocktail at Mixology Laboratory (1-6-1 Yaesu, 3rd floor, Chuo-ku; 81-3-6262-3946), the process often resembles a science experiment. Mist wreathes his face as he pumps smoke into a bag encircling a martini glass. He uses a handheld compressed-gas cylinder to transform the salt on the rim of a glass into foam. A few years ago, such a modernist approach would have been considered heresy in Tokyo. Cocktail bars—epitomized by places in the Ginza district like Bar High Five—were hushed temples dedicated to pre-Prohibition American drinks. First introduced to Japan in the 1880s under Emperor Meiji, cocktail making became an obsession. And it was Tokyo’s dedication to old-school methods that helped to reignite the American cocktail renaissance of the early 2000s.

But now the city is changing tack, as upstarts like Nagumo introduce ideas and trends from abroad: spirit-specific bars, molecular approaches, indigenous ingredients, European-style trappings. The shift is due in part to a class of younger bartenders who are eager to travel, absorb influences, and adapt them for their hometown. Nagumo apprenticed in the kitchen of Nobu in London, while Gen Yamamoto, who now has a namesake bar in the Azabu-Juban district, spent seven years in the Northeast at places like David Bouley’s Brushstroke, in New York City, before returning home. He draws on his experience abroad and on the kaiseki tradition of multicourse meals for drinks featuring naruto kintoki (sweet potato) and hozuki (winter cherries).

Rogerio Igarashi, the owner of Bar Tram and Bar Trench, was one of the first in Tokyo to experiment with unorthodox styles. His bars, which opened in 2003 and 2010, respectively, have moody interiors reminiscent of New York’s speakeasystyle bars and menus with bitters, amaros, and absinthe. 'I feel that the creative approach has, at last, become accepted,' he says.

Frank Cisneros, who worked at Brooklyn’s Dram and Prime Meats, recently spent a year bartending at Tokyo’s Mandarin Oriental. He sees two reasons for the shift: First, more Japanese bartenders are entering competitions and gaining exposure to bars around the world. The popularity of Fuglen, a café and cocktail bar imported from Oslo that serves drinks blending Norwegian and Japanese elements, is a sign of the city’s eagerness to assimilate tastes. Second, Tokyo is in an internationalizing mood as it anticipates the 2020 Olympics. Visitors will soon see signs in other languages on the subways, and these newer bars are more in sync with the times. 'Japan wants to be influenced by the outside world,' Cisneros says. 'But it also has an island mentality—and the people are very proud of what they do.'

This article originally appeared on Travel + Leisure

Homelessness charity The Passage has operated since 1980 out of three adjoining buildings near London’s Victoria Station. The complex started life in 1863 as a girls’ orphanage and night school, and was expanded over the next 50 years to house workrooms, a chapel, sisters’ accommodation and more classrooms.

'The interiors had become a maze with no core flow and no orientation,' says Matt Yeoman, co-founder and a director of the London-based design and architecture practice BuckleyGrayYeoman – the firm behind the £15 million refurbishment of the charity’s main centre. 'We completely reorganised the circulation through the building, relocated and expanded the entrance and gave the principal spaces a greater sense of identity.'

The biggest architectural move was taking out a mezzanine on the lower ground floor that had been inserted in the 1950s or 60s, explains Yeoman. This brought the spaces back to their original scale and airy proportions, revealing original features such as curved arches and cornicing, and allowing daylight to flow into previously dark, dank rooms.

But the renovation project didn’t stop there. The kitchen and dining room have been entirely upgraded, a double-height winter garden with a fully glazed roof has been added and the rooftop cleared so that it can host events and a community garden for residents and clients. There are also new training and education rooms, a medical centre, a gym and a music room, as well as conference and meeting facilities (that have a separate entrance) for the use of the charity and others.

'What we wanted to do in design terms was take a non-institutional approach,' says Yeoman. 'Our concept was to bring in the work we do in the residential and hotel sector, and provide more of a domestic feel in the bedrooms.' By bedrooms he means both the 16 self-contained studio flats and the five extra bed spaces created to get women off the streets and into a safe environment. The latter feature the sort of furnishings you would associate with a stylish hotel or home: a bespoke one-piece desk and bedside table, a bed by Muji, a pendant by Zero Lighting and wall lights by Lightyears and a chair (by Hay) lined with Kvadrat textiles. 'For us it was about going beyond people’s expectations,' says Yeoman. 'And providing a hard-wearing aesthetic that would almost look better with time.'

INFORMATION

For more information, visit The Passage’s website

Photography: Dirk Lindner

ADDRESS

Passage House
1-5 Longmoore Street
London, SW1V 1JH

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

From delicate and muted minimalism to eye-popping, era-hopping fancies, here are the designers who know how to mix, match, edit, illuminate, decorate and otherwise create sublime spaces… 

To celebrate our 200th issue, we decided to take our Power 100 and transform it into a meaty, two-ton Power 200; an upscaled calibration of design achievement. Or rather 100+100 (normal disservice will be resumed next year) – including the top 20 interior designers we who time and time and again create and compose the most seductive of spaces.

Kicking off our envy-inducing line up is the work of industry legends like Christian Liaigre, Dimore Studio, David Rockwell, Stéphane Parmentier and Roman & Williams. And it wouldn’t be a Wallpaper* celebration without a nod to minimalism, precise edits and arresting ideas. For that, we turn to Dorothee Meilichzon, Peter Marino, Chahan Minassian, Joseph Dirand and Gwenael Nicolas, the latter of whom is a Fendi favourite.

We’re not all about muted colours and clean lines though. India Mahdavi injects life through vivid hues and Mathias Kiss brings an artistic perspective to the table. And then, of course, there are those dedicate themselves to the world of hospitality, making those hotels and restaurants we can’t wait to visit and can’t bear to leave… Hong Kong-based Andre Fu, Toronto’s Yabu Pushelberg and London’s go-to man Martin Brudnizki, we’re blaming (and thanking) you.

Rounding off our selection of sumptuous space makers is queen rich materials Fiona Barratt-Campbell and big budget boho guru Francis Sultana. When the day is done and we need respite from the world or a cosy hideaway we turn to Ilse Crawford, Kelly Wearstler and Rose Uniacke, naturally. Who else?

See the Power 200 in full here

INFORMATION

See the Power 200 in full

The online media explosion has given the world an unbelievable insight into the lifespan, style and exuberance of Japanese domestic architecture, a genre rich in adventurous form that shows no sign of letting up.

Across the world, the house has traditionally been the laboratory of architectural experimentation, with most, if not all, architects expected to work a domestic-scale apprenticeship before their career can progress. But the Japanese experience seems different still, both for sheer variety of stylistic and avant-garde approaches and for the relatively short lifespan of the finished product.

As a result, Japanese architecture has evolved in parallel to the Western tradition, with its domestic design often untranslatable in terms of building codes, material simplicity and planning and zoning: Japan is the Madagascar of architectural evolution.

Writer and regular Wallpaper.com contributor Cathelijne Nuijsink's new book 'How to Make a Japanese House' is part monograph, part anthropological explanation of the country's domestic design scene. Broadly divided into generations - featuring grouped works of those born in the 1950s, 60s, etc., the book includes projects by Kengo Kuma, Jun Aoki, Atelier Bow-Wow, Sou Fujimoto, TNA, Jun Igarashi, Kazuyo Seijima and many more.

Nuijsink has lived and worked in Japan for several years and is well immersed in the architectural scene. Essays are paired with 21 case studies, each of which is richly illustrated with pictures and plans and questions about the nature of the brief, the approach and the ways in which domestic space can be made to define a very individual approach to architecture.

Raw-Edges
Israeli product designers Yael Mer and Shay Alkalay (partners in life as well as work) launched their studio Raw-Edges in 2007 having met at London’s Royal College of Art. Established as part of OKAY Studio, a collective of nine designers in Stoke Newington, Raw-Edges recently moved to Stuttgart, where they continue to attract phenomenal attention worldwide with their experimental, playful approach to the design of furniture, systems and things

What are you doing in Milan this year?
We will be showing Jaws - a new, very exciting project with Established & Sons; Box - a collapsible laptop desk with Dutch manufacturer Arco; Tex, for Mutina, which is a new tile collection with a texture stolen from a textile we found; and finally Selvedge - an armchair prototype for Kvadrat’s Hallingdal 65 exhibition

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
To be truly honest, and without wanting to seem too self-centred we are really looking forward to seeing our own projects finished. We worked on all of them for long time and we won’t see the final versions before Salone. And then of course we are looking forward to meeting our friends that we haven’t seen so much of since moving to Stuttgart

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
Grom Ice Cream (try the Fior de Latte), Corso Buenos Aires, 13

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
There is a fantastic small electric shop for lighting in Corso Como with a great selection of coloured electric cables. We try to pass by and get few meters even if we don’t have specific project in mind

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Scusate, dove si trova la più gustosa pizza in città? (Excuse me, where can I find the most delicious pizza in town?)

Interview: Henrietta Thompson

Jasper Morrison
Jasper Morrison has been on the Salone circuit for longer than we can remember. The granddaddy of soulful minimalism, Morrison is the designer every other designer name checks. He has worked for all the big guns, from Vitra and Alessi to the Tate Modern.

What are you doing in Milan this year?
The biggest new project is for Kettal, the Spanish outdoor furniture company. It's a complete outdoor collection, which has been three years in the making. Then I have some continuation projects for Vitra, Alias and Maruni; a new project of cast iron cookware for the Japanese company Oigen; new pieces for Glas Italia and a sofa system for Cappellini.

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
The finished pieces!

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
I like La Collina Pistoiese on Via Amedei very much and Bar Basso [Via Plinio] of course. Hotels are more difficult, I gave up looking some years ago and found a small studio to rent.

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
A photo on the roof of the duomo?

What's the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Scusami (sorry).....

Interview: Malaika Byng

Inga Sempé
One of France’s most wanted designers, Inga Sempé set up her own studio in Paris in 2000, from where she now effortlessly juggles an international client list that includes Baccarat, Cappellini, Edra, Ligne Roset, Magis, Moustache and Wästberg, among many others

What are you doing in Milan this year?
I’m not showing a lot: some ceramics made with an historical Japanese ceramic company, Koubei-Gama, for a project called Japan Creative; and some small objects to be screwed directly onto the wall, made in Corian with Moustache - including small round shelves, a vase and a bowl

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
I look forward seeing the new lamp by Daniel Rybakken for LucePlan

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
I think in Milan, in Italy, it is quite simple - eating a simple sandwich is almost always good, it can be filled with good ingredients yet won’t be expensive. And then eating an ice cream is not expensive either, and it’s delicious

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
I love the boxes with integrated spoons for the powder sugar in every bar

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Quando entrerà in produzione? (When is this going into production?)

HT
Photograph: Kristina Hrabetova

Philippe Malouin
The fact that you can find the designs of London-based Canadian designer Philippe Malouin in such hallowed spaces as Gallery Fumi (London), Spazio Rossana Orlandi (Milan), Commissaires (Montreal), NextLevel (Paris) and Carwan (Beirut) would suggest that he is doing something very right. A glance at his sensitive, sophisticated portfolio of products and furniture would confirm the fact

What are you doing in Milan this year?
I am showing a project called ‘Intarsia & Lathe’ for Carwan gallery, in which wood is sliced into very thin baguettes, glued and assembled into intarsia patterns, then lathe-turned to create bowls, stools and tables. Everything was made in Beirut, working with local craftsmen. I am also showing a wall hanging at Plus Design Gallery for a group exhibit called ‘The Threads That Bind Us’; and a sundial at the exhibit ‘Another Terra’. I’m also showing in Kvadrat’s Hallingdal 65 exhibition

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
I’m looking forward to seeing Lake Como when I take a little time off from appointments and seeing new bits of furniture

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
I’ve rented a nice flat this year, all to myself. It’s pretty neat as it’s the first time. All the years in the past I would sleep on my friend’s places, floors and bathtubs... As for where to have a drink, I really like the garden at 10 Corso Como... And to eat, I like any traditional unfancy trattorias you can find pretty much anywhere

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
Definitely food. Olive oil, parmesan cheese and salami. I know it sounds like a cliché, but it’s so much better than anything you can find here

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Dove posso trovare il bar? (Where can I find the bar?)

HT

Kiki Van Eijk
Kiki van Eijk graduated from Design Academy Eindhoven in 2001, and in the decade that has followed, she has presented and sold her thoughtful, beautiful collections all over the world. Sharing a studio and often collaborating with her husband Joost Van Bleiswijk, her clients include Studio Edelkoort Paris, Verardo, Swarovski, MOOOI, Ahrend, HAANS and Woonic

What are you doing in Milan this year?
I have five different presentations, which I’m really looking forward to. One is eight exceptional windows for the Hermès shop at via Sant’andrea/ della Spiga. It is all inspired by their theme for this year: ‘The Gift of Time’. I’m also really curious to see the presentation of Nodus (in a beautiful building), were I am showing three new carpets. They are handknotted and made of only natural materials, representing a very natural idea - wild flowers. This type of flower, which grows in the gaps between concrete, is often underappreciated. At Superstudio Piu I have a presentation of designs for industrial glass panels by Omnidecor. At Ventura Lambrate I’m showing a kinetic object which is a collaboration with Joost for Laikingland. And last but not least there will be a small intimate presentation of my works at the Dutch consulate. So my work is spread all over the city!

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
I’m really curious to see the Nodus presentation; the carpets will be shown in a stunning religious building. I feel this must be very special

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
I guess the bar of Maarten Baas and Bas den Herder on Via Ventura 6, Ventura Lambrate!

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
Burrata! The most delicious cheese in the world. This cheese really makes your day…or even your life

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Una caffe doppio per favor! (A double coffee please!)

HT

Peter Marigold
We've long been fans of London-based Peter Marigold's sculptural approach to design - a sentiment that even a rather lively exchange with Wallpaper* staff at the 2010 Salone hasn't dimmed. The RCA graduate (tutored by Ron Arad, no less) is a man in demand. His work has been shown every from London's V&A Museum, to the Design Musuem Holon.

What are you doing at Salone this year?
For Wallpaper* Handmade, I have been teamed up with the Danish company Lindberg, who make titanium glasses. After visiting their factory I decided to make a large titanium clip-together lighting system. It’s been really great working with them. For the Japan Creative exhibition at Museo Minguzzi, I have been teamed up with the highly respected furniture company Hinoki-Kogei, who have made a beautiful interpretation of one of my designs by splitting huge logs into two. These form a large bench that has an intricate grass and wood seating cover

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
My lovely elderly aunty who I stay with. Thereafter I just want to get home to my new baby boy as soon as possible. God that’s a bit tame isn’t it?
 Oh, and the big machine installation at Gap next to the Duomo should be pretty cool...

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
After getting into a brawl in Bar Basso with [insert names] a couple of years ago, I’m not really on the drinking circuit so much anymore, though the pizza place opposite usually has a fine selection of canned beers at a fraction of the price of its packed neighbour (sorry Maurizio). To stay? Well I stay with my lovely Aunty Ruth, handily next to the Trienalle. But for anyone else I would suggest trying out Couchsurfing.org, if only for the experience. There’s all sorts of people offering spaces all over the world

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
The most incredibly beautiful, handmade fishing flies from the small fishing store next to Lambrate station. Way too beautiful to be fed to a fish for sure! I collect more and more of them each year. There’s also a really amazing electrical shop opposite Corso Como Diece. I buy ceramic insulation knobs from there, just because they are sweet

What's the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Sai chi sono io? (Do you know who I am?) To be spoken with forceful confidence when addressing to the doorman

MB

Piero Lissoni
Piero Lissoni is on a sure-shot path to being named the most prolific designer during the Salone del Mobile. This year, the Milan-based architect has designed new products for 11 separate companies, created five different installations, and is taking part in three exhibitions, and one book launch. Frankly, we’re not sure how he’s going to manage to show up to his own events. Certainly, his favourite phrase of the week comes as no surprise...

What are you doing at Salone this year?
[Lissoni provided us such a mega list, we have condensed it for you.]
I have new products and installations for Boffi, Cassina, Living Divani, Nespresso and Porro; new products for Matteograssi, Pierantonio Bonacina, Lema, Kartell, Glas Italia, Salvatori.  Then there is the ‘Piero Lissoni Behind the Scenes’ exhibition at the Teatro Nazionale, plus I am participating in Flos’ 50th anniversary, the photography show ‘Future Roots’ and I have contributed drawings for the book ‘Chef Meets Design’.

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
The last day of it

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay/ shop in Milan during Salone week?
Davide Oldani D’O Restaurant: A beautifully calm environment, with elegant country food. Via Magenta 18, Cornaredo, (near Milan)

La Latteria: A very small, family restaurant where it’s not possible to book in advance and – no matter who you are – you have to queue! They serve traditional Italian food, cooked correctly: it’s like eating in your mother’s kitchen
Via San Marco, 24

Pinacoteca Ambrosiana: Leonardo da Vinci drawings collection
Piazza Pio XI 2

Prada Shop: It’s much more traditional than the other Prada shops - and very Milanese.
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele

Radetzky: My favourite bar, for a really Italian breakfast: cappuccino, sparkling water, fresh croissants, carrot or apple tart. I enjoy reading the newspapers here, and meeting friends
Largo La Foppa, 5

120% Lino: It’s full of inspiration in terms of colour, materials and decoration
Corso Garibaldi angolo Via Marsala, 13

Libreria Utopia: The extremist and anarchic bookstore, where you can find little treasures for your mind
Via Moscova, 52

Giardini Pubblici Indro Montanelli:
I go to the park from my office with my three golden retrievers. There is a beautiful old Natural History Museum that is worth a visit
da corso Venezia a Via Palestro

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
One kilo of carnaroli rice and a pack of Italian saffron to prepare the perfect Risotto alla Milanese

What's the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Ci vediamo fra dieci minuti ( I’ll see you in 10 minutes). But it ends up with seeing each other the following day

Interview: J.J. Martin

Luca Nichetto
One of Italy’s most sought after new designers, Venetian Luca Nichetto cut his professional teeth designing glass for Murano as soon as he graduated, and it was only a few years later that he founded his own industrial and product design studio in 2006. Nichetto can also regularly be found teaching and lecturing at universities both in Italy and abroad

What are you doing in Milan this year?
This year I am presenting a wide range of different projects like furniture, lamps, wellness space and home/office accessories. Some are the result of new international collaborations with Cassina, De Padova, Petite Friture, La Chance, Discipline, Glass Idromassaggio and David Design, and some projects reaffirm previous collaborations with Foscarini, Established & Sons, Casamania, MG Lab, Gallotti & Radice and Fornasarig. There are about 20 new products - a lot of work! I have also curated the exhibition for Fornasarig, MG Lab, and the Meet in Milan Franke Kitchen Story

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
I’d like to see a bit less ‘smoke’ than last year. I mean: last year I felt that everything was fake, I had the feeling that every company was in Milan but showing nothing really new, only there because you can’t miss Milan Design week. So I saw a lot of things, but only very few were interesting. I hope to see maybe less products, but more real design and good design

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
When I’m in Milan I rent a flat for me and my team, both the Venetian and the Swedish parts of it. So I move the Studio to Milan for about 10 days. I think this is the best way to live the Salone. I have lunch wherever I am for my meetings, but during the night it’s Bar Basso. I know that every night I can find a lot of my friends/collegues there and relax after a working day with a Negroni in may hand

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
A friend of mine, Giulio Lacchetti, designed a funny object for Pandora: it’s the BYEBYEFLY fly-swatter. It’s funny because the net is the roadmap of Milan. I think this is a good souvenir of the city

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Hey, non sono un turista: non fare il giro della città per guadagnare di più! (Hey, I’m not a tourist: don’t make a tour of the city to earn more!) Use this with Milan taxi drivers during the Salone week

HT

Matali Crasset
The bob-haired French industrial designer, and former protégé of Philippe Starck, opened her own studio in 1998. Her colourful oeuvre spans everything from furniture and graphics to scenography and interior architecture.

What are you doing at Salone this year?
'Ondulations', an outdoor furniture collection in stone for Pimar; 'Doublesize', a flexible table that was designed to accompany the 'Doublesize' chairs for Danese; 'Sweet Talk and Dream', a modular piece that can be used as a small reading chair, play area or spare bed, and was designed for Campeggi; and 'Parabola', a writing desk for Galleria Luisa delle Piane, a gallery that will also present the Matali Crasset Works monograph published by Rizzoli

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
The Bistro' on via Tortona, Antica Locanda Solferino on Via Castelfidardo and the Trattoria Alla Cucina Economica on Via Francesco Guicciardini

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
Anything from the Cibo and Speck delicatessens.

What's the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Ciao (Hello)

MB

Martin Azua
Barcelona based Martin Azua is perhaps best known for his inflatable, foldable gold house, a product that spread across the internet like wild fire as soon as he launched it, and which was recently acquired for the MOMA collection in New York. But Azua’s remit extends a little further than spangly tents: he also designed medals for Barcelona’s World Swimming Championships and packaged Madrid’s recent Olympic bid too

What are you doing in Milan this year?
I will take part in the exhibition Kvadrat Hallingdal 65 exhibition, with The Puppet Chair. Also I will be presenting a collection of bentwood chairs for the Spanish firm Tagar

What are you most looking forward to seeing?
I hope to see designs that respond to a range of issues arising from the crisis. These will likely come from young designers who often provide the most interesting ideas

What would be your top tip of where to eat/drink/stay in Milan during Salone week?
I like to eat a salad in the garden of the Triennale, on via Emilio Alemagna, 6

And your top Milanese souvenir to bring back?
Some years ago I started to collect bowls, a common item to all cultures. I’ll be looking for a bowl that expresses our present time

What’s the most useful Italian phrase during Salone week?
Se non è vero, è ben trovato (Even if it’s not true, it’s well conceived). An Italian proverb

HT