When La Réserve Paris opened its doors in 2015, it quickly became one of the city’s most sought-after addresses, offering a fresh take on Parisian hospitality. At a time when many of the capital’s best-known hotels were defined by their old-world grandeur and opulence, Michel Reybier instead took his cues from the intimacy and elegance of a private residence. Occupying a 19th-century Haussmann mansion tucked behind a discreet red door on Avenue Gabriel, La Réserve still feels more like an exquisitely run private home than a hotel. It’s this residential atmosphere, together with faultless service and Jacques Garcia’s richly layered interiors, that makes it as compelling today as it was ten years ago.

Wallpaper* checks in at La Réserve Paris Hotel and Spa

What's on your doorstep?

In the 8th arrondissement, between the Champs-Élysées and Faubourg Saint-Honoré, La Réserve occupies one of Paris’ most coveted addresses. Whether you’re a first-time visitor ticking off the capital’s landmarks, or a return traveller who simply wants to spend the day meandering without an agenda, the hotel is perfectly placed to explore the city on foot. The Grand Palais sits directly opposite, making it easy to drop into one of its exhibitions before wandering towards the Petit Palais, Place de la Concorde or the banks of the Seine. Avenue Montaigne’s designer boutiques and the Eiffel Tower are both within easy walking distance, but sometimes, the greatest pleasure is to spend an afternoon drifting through the surrounding streets, people watching over a glass of wine on a terrace, or settling into a neighbourhood bistro.

Who is behind the design?

Jacques Garcia’s fingerprints are unmistakable, but La Réserve is less about his usual theatrical flourishes or statement pieces. Instead, he channels the elegance of a lived-in Parisian residence, restoring original cornices and mouldings and layering the interiors with antiques, opulent fabrics, selected artworks, carved marble fireplaces, and precious woods. The result is timeless and full of character, with a level of attention that comes together to create a series of beautifully cohesive spaces, from the subtly illuminated bookshelves and embossed leather wall coverings in Le Gabriel to the handwoven silk wallpaper that envelops the bedrooms and the upholstered headboards.

The room to book

It’s hard to go wrong with any of the rooms at La Réserve Paris, but the Eiffel Presidential Suite ticks all the boxes. At 140 square metres, it’s generous in size, but it’s the flow that makes the biggest impression, where the living room connects seamlessly to the bathroom, dressing room and bedroom and then loops back, giving it the feel of a gracious Parisian apartment. French doors open onto a narrow balcony big enough for lingering breakfasts for two against Eiffel Tower views, while inside, Garcia’s richly layered interiors and luxurious marble bathrooms come together to create an elegant space you’ll find hard to leave. Even at turndown, the silk-upholstered headboard is protected with a bespoke linen cover in one of those memorable details that perfectly encapsulates La Réserve’s meticulous approach.

Staying for drinks and dinner?

One of the things La Réserve does so well is that its restaurants and bars are every bit as inviting for visitors as they are for guests staying upstairs. Le Gabriel, Jérôme Banctel’s three Michelin-starred restaurant, is the hotel’s culinary centrepiece, serving refined French cuisine through three tasting menus - Virée, Périple and Escale - that celebrate seasonal produce in a gorgeous dining room wrapped in embossed leather wall coverings.

During the warmer months, The Patio at La Pagode becomes one of the loveliest spots in the hotel for a leisurely breakfast or a caesar salad with a crisp glass of wine beneath century-old maple trees, while the Duc de Morny Library serves the same menu in cosier surroundings, where floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and deep armchairs invite lingering over an afternoon coffee. Come evening, the best space for an aperitif is Bar Le Gaspard, where the drinks menu features the hero cocktails from each of the La Réserve hotels around the world. The Golden Negroni from the Zurich property goes down a treat with the lobster club sandwich, followed by a glass of cognac in the intimate cigar lounge.

Where to switch off

After a day exploring the streets of Paris, there’s nowhere better than retreating to the Spa Nescens. Hidden away on the lower ground floor, it’s a calming space centred around a 16-metre indoor pool. There are just three treatment rooms and a menu that focuses on doing a few things expertly well, through its partnership with Swiss better-ageing specialist Nescens. Alongside facials and massage offerings like the Tesla Med Full Body Sculpt, which works on firmness, contouring and toning, there’s also a hair salon and beauty studio, making it tempting to pop in for a blow-dry before heading back upstairs for dinner.

The verdict

It’s easy to understand why La Réserve Paris remains a favourite for those in the know. Yes, the interiors are beautiful, and the location is exceptional, but it’s the intuitive service and the feeling of staying somewhere genuinely personal that sets La Réserve apart.

La Réserve Paris is located at 42 Av. Gabriel, 75008 Paris, France

When Rosewood took over Hôtel de Crillon in 2013, many were curious to see how one of Paris’ most storied palace hotels would evolve. More than a decade on, it has retained the grandeur and heritage of the original while giving it the unmistakable feel of a Rosewood. Discreet, warm and instinctively personal, the experience begins with a glass of champagne and the choice of checking in either in a private reception salon or from the comfort of your suite. That feeling carries through the rest of the stay, with staff who instinctively read their guests, whether that’s a butler who immediately checks the room temperature is to your liking, or a doorman waiting with a bottle of water after your early morning run. It’s this blend of Rosewood’s warm hospitality and one of Paris’ most iconic addresses that makes Hôtel de Crillon feel every bit as special today as it did when it reopened.

Wallpaper* checks in at Hôtel de Crillon, Paris

What’s on your doorstep?

Occupying a prime position on Place de la Concorde in the 8th arrondissement, Hôtel de Crillon puts quintessential Paris on your doorstep. Whether it’s a morning run to the Eiffel Tower, an afternoon exploring the latest exhibition at the Grand Palais or a stroll through the Jardin des Tuileries towards the Louvre, it’s easy to spend an entire day on foot. Rue Saint-Honoré, Place Vendôme and the Champs-Élysées are all close by, while some of the greatest pleasures come from ducking down a quieter side street before settling into a neighbourhood bistro for a long lunch spent watching Paris go by.

Who is behind the design?

The restoration of Hôtel de Crillon was the work of architect Richard Martinet together with interior designers Aline d’Amman, Tristan Auer and Chahan Minassian, who have given the hotel a lighter, more contemporary feel. Original details such as marble, carved stone, crystal chandeliers and gilded mouldings are balanced with contemporary furniture, carefully chosen artwork and a softer colour palette. It’s brighter than many of Paris’ palace hotels, with natural light pouring into the public spaces through a series of open-air courtyards, drawing attention to the craftsmanship throughout. The end result feels elegant and timeless, making it difficult to pick a favourite space.

The room to book

It’s hard to find fault with any of Hôtel de Crillon’s rooms, with even the entry-level rooms thoughtfully designed, and often used by butlers accompanying guests who require round-the-clock service. The Grand Premier Suite, however, strikes the sweet spot. Available with either courtyard or Rue Boissy d’Anglas views, it’s at its best first thing in the morning, when the French doors are thrown open and the sounds of Paris drift inside.

Decorated in a palette of soft greys, creams and pale blues with French oak parquet flooring, bespoke furniture and marble bathrooms, it perfectly reflects the hotel’s balance of history and modernity. If, however, you’re looking to experience one of the city’s most extraordinary hotel rooms, Karl Lagerfeld’s Les Grands Appartements deserve a look. Inspired by Versailles, the two apartments combine classical French detailing with a restrained palette of greys, marble and mirrored surfaces. Among the many standout details is a two-tonne solid Carrara marble bath, so heavy it had to be lifted through the window before being lowered into place on a block of ice, allowing it to settle gently onto the bathroom floor as the ice slowly melted.

Staying for drinks and dinner?

The best thing about Hôtel de Crillon is that its restaurants and bars feel just as much a part of Paris as they do the hotel itself. Breakfast is best enjoyed in the hotel’s leafy courtyard, where baskets of warm baguettes, generous slabs of salty French butter and an entirely à la carte menu set the tone for the day. Return later for dinner at Nonos by Paul Pairet, where the lively courtyard is one of the city’s loveliest places to dine, with standout dishes including the signature cheese soufflé, theatrically finished tableside.

The real showstopper, however, is Les Ambassadeurs Bar. Set beneath one of Paris’ most spectacular painted ceilings and surrounded by crystal chandeliers, gilded detailing and soaring windows overlooking Place de la Concorde, it’s the sort of room that, even on a balmy Paris evening, makes people choose to sit indoors rather than on a terrace. The signature cocktail menu takes inspiration from nostalgic memories, transforming everything from birthday cake to forest walks and summer barbecues into inventive drinks, while the black truffle and Comté croque is reason enough to linger for another round. Before leaving, make a detour via Butterfly Pâtisserie, where chef Matthieu Carlin’s beautifully crafted pastries provide a suitably sweet finale.

Where to switch off

Tucked beneath the hotel, the spa feels like a sanctuary from the bustle of Place de la Concorde above. At its centre is a beautiful 14m heated indoor pool, framed by pale stone, oak and softly lit alcoves that give the space a calm, residential feel rather than that of a traditional hotel spa. Alongside a sauna, steam room and fitness studio, the treatment menu combines bespoke massages and facials using Maison Caulières and EviDenS de Beauté products.

The verdict

There are grander hotels in Paris, and there are more intimate ones, but few strike the balance quite as well as Hôtel de Crillon. Beautifully restored, impeccably run, and warm with its instinctive service and relaxed atmosphere, it’s a hotel that’s just as enjoyable to return to after a day exploring the city as it is to simply spend time in.

Hôtel de Crillon is located at 6 Pl. de la Concorde, 75008 Paris, France

La Fantaisie in Paris has handed over one of its 73 rooms to the Hungarian artist Szabolcs Bozó, whose vibrant creatures and fluid, folk-inflected forms now occupy Room 607 for a nine-month residency. Running until 22 February 2027, the project continues the hotel’s ongoing artistic series, which previously saw a takeover by French contemporary artist Ben Arpéa.

Tour La Fantaisie’s Art Suite by Szabolcs Bozó

Bozó’s work has always carried the cadence of a spontaneous drawing and the nostalgia of a childhood memory. Rooted in Hungarian folk traditions and shaped by a self-taught visual language, his paintings, sculptures and installations are populated by zoomorphic figures that orbit somewhere between dream, fable and playground.

The walls of Room 607 have become an in-situ canvas, layered with works made directly for the space, while the existing artworks have been replaced entirely with pieces by Bozó. Handmade cushions and bespoke bedspreads woven with his signature animal-like motifs bring the collaboration into the soft furnishings; large-scale soft sculptures introduce a more physical sense of play; and hand-painted lampshades cast the room in a warmer, stranger glow.

A booklet for guests offers an introduction to the artist alongside the works available to purchase, while a selection of co-branded objects is also available and is exclusively sold at La Fantaisie, featuring caps, stickers, playing cards, and trays.

The Art Suite by Szabolcs Bozó spans 42 sq m, sleeps up to three guests and overlooks the hotel’s garden. It comprises a large walk-in closet, a plush bathroom with a bathtub and shower, and a sofa bed which can be turned into an additional sleeping quarter. Designed by Martin Brudnizki, La Fantaisie is already a botanical exercise in colour, pattern and exuberance, with boutique rooms, a glass-roofed restaurant, garden terrace, street-facing café, rooftop bar and spa in Paris’s 9th arrondissement.

‘Coinciding with my exhibition Antidote at Semiose, my collaboration with La Fantaisie brings together familiar elements from my studio, but also new materials, including fabric and everyday objects, allowing guests to experience my work in an even more tactile way. Paris as a location has always been close to my heart, with my first show taking place here,’ says Bozó of the opening.

La Fantaisie is located at 24 Rue Cadet, 75009 Paris, France. Rates for the Art Suite by Szabolcs Bozó start from 1,000 EUR inc. breakfast (approximately 862 GBP)

Haute Couture Week represents the rarified pinnacle of the fashion calendar, taking place each year in January and June or July in Paris. To be considered a couture house – and show as part of the official schedule – you must adhere to a series of rules set by the Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode (FHCM). Notably, garments must be made to order for clients using a dedicated couture atelier of over 15 staff and 20 technical workers, with participants showing more than 50 designs twice a year (several of fashion’s biggest names, including Chanel, Dior and Armani, have couture arms, and present during the week). The FHCM also chooses a series of guest designers to show each season, while off-schedule events take place across the city – including the presentation of high jewellery collections in showrooms in and around Place Vendôme.

Held this season from 6-9 July, the A/W 2026 edition of Haute Couture Week looks set to be defined by a pervading newness: Pierpaolo Piccioli and Duran Lantink will show their first couture collections for Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier respectively, while Olivier Theyskens – formerly of Rochas, Nina Ricci and Theory – will debut his new label, Boloria. Meanwhile at Chanel and Dior, Matthieu Blazy and Jonathan Anderson, respectively, will host their sophomore haute couture collections, after lauded debuts earlier this year. Rounding out the schedule are shows from Schiaparelli, Armani Privé, Viktor & Rolf, as well as a debut on the schedule from London-based label Standing Ground.

In anticipation, we break down all the moments to look out for at Haute Couture Week A/W 2026.

There will be debuts at Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier

On Wednesday 8 July, there will be a duo of debuts at two of haute couture’s major houses: Balenciaga and Jean Paul Gaultier. At the former, Pierpaolo Piccioli will show his first couture collection for Balenciaga, taking the mantle from Demna, who reinstated the house’s haute couture arm in 2021 (the Georgian designer’s couture collections were critically acclaimed in their subversion of the historic medium, with memorable moments comprising haute couture ‘jeans’ and runway appearances from Kim Kardashian, Nicole Kidman and Dua Lipa). Piccioli is no rookie when it comes to haute couture, though: his memorable collections for Valentino were some of the most lauded of recent times.

At Jean Paul Gaultier, Dutch designer Duran Lantink will host his first haute couture show at the house, having presented two ready-to-wear collections at Paris Fashion Week in recent seasons. Expect the unexpected from the boundary-pushing designer: his debut was a polarising take on the French house’s codes, featuring bodysuits printed with the naked body. ‘I’m trying to break free of what’s considered good taste,’ he told Wallpaper* in our March 2026 Style Issue.

As well as sophomore shows at Chanel and Dior

Last season was marked by its blockbuster debuts: there was something of a fashion arms race as Matthieu Blazy at Chanel and Jonathan Anderson at Dior showed their first couture collections (both for the houses, and personally, having previously worked at Bottega Veneta and Loewe respectively, which do not have couture offerings). Both presented different – but equally beguiling – debut collections, with Blazy striving for impossible lightness (memorably, a pair of ‘jeans’ were cut from featherweight organza) and Anderson conjuring a series of bold sculptural forms, inspired by the contours of Magdalene Odundo’s ceramics, which bloomed with floral adornment. ‘You realise that that's why we love clothing – it's this idea of the make,’ Anderson said of his first experience in the medium. ‘Couture is really a dying craft; it’s nearly instinct. There are only a few houses doing it. So in a weird way, it’s about protecting that.’

London label Standing Ground will join the schedule

The acclaimed Irish designer Michael Stewart, who started his label Standing Ground in 2022 after graduating from the Royal Academy of Art, has never been one to stick to the typical fashion schedule. In fact, he hasn’t shown on the runway since 2024, preferring instead to either present via cinematic lookbooks or simply work directly with the clients who purchase his designs. This season, Stewart will show as a guest of Haute Couture Week on the evening of Monday 6 July, a decision that tracks with the designer’s vision: his elongated, columnar silhouettes are painstakingly constructed by hand and to the wearer’s body, in an echo of the couture atelier. Winning the Savoir Faire award at the 2024 LVMH Prize, expect a continuation of his distinctive aesthetic, which marries the graceful forms of ancient standing stones with a more futuristic sensibility, where body-clinging contours and ectomorph-like protrusions have an HR Giger-esque bent.

Fendi will show in Rome

Maria Grazia Chiuri will host her first haute couture show for Fendi not in Paris – where the house has shown traditionally, and did so under previous creative director Kim Jones – but in Rome, the home city of both the designer and the house. Taking place on 9 July (many editors will fly straight from Paris to Rome for the show), it will unfold at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea – a nod to both Chiuri’s longtime collaboration with the art world, and the location of a new exhibition, ‘After, a Creative Journey. Fendi / Karl Lagerfeld 1985’. Marking just her second outing for Fendi, after a debut ready-to-wear show in Milan in February, the event will see guests move straight from show to exhibition preview, ahead of the latter’s opening to the public the next day, on 10 July.

Olivier Theyskens will reveal his new label, Boloria

The Belgian designer Olivier Theyskens, who began his eponymous label in the mid-1990s before roles at Rochas, Nina Ricci and Theory, is often seen as one of fashion’s most prodigious talents, forging a darkly romantic aesthetic that borrowed from historical costuming with an industrial edge (Madonna was an early fan, wearing a memorable corseted yellow dress for the VH1 Fashion Awards in 1998). On the eve of Haute Couture Week, 5 July, Theyskens will make his return, debuting Boloria, a new label led by the designer. Fellow Belgian Willy Vanderperre shot the teaser images for the brand, which is based in Antwerp and intriguingly funded by Weareone.world, a Belgian company that runs the Tomorrowland music festivals. What to expect? ‘[The] distinctly Belgian values – sensitivity, integrity, emotional resonance – that have always inspired Theyskens’ work and approach to fashion,’ said a statement when the news was revealed earlier this year.

A landmark Maison Martin Margiela auction will take place

For the wealthy few, Haute Couture Week is one for shopping: fashion house’s top-spending clients attend to shows to select the looks that they will purchase over a given season (they are then remade to the exact measurements of their body, and oftentimes in an edition of one). But, for those after something even rarer – or, at least, a definitive piece of fashion history – an unprecedented auction will take place on 9 July at 2pm in Paris, featuring 200 pieces from legendary Belgian designer Martin Margiela’s personal collection (known for staying entirely anonymous, he founded his highly influential eponymous house, Maison Martin Margiela in 1988, before leaving in 2009). Held in collaboration between Paris’ Maurice Auction and London’s Kerry Taylor Auctions, it will span clothing, photography and ephemera. ‘These objects are like holy relics of fashion; they’re part of a great mythology, which is a real dream for an auctioneer,’ Kerry Taylor Auctions’ Alex Baddeley told Wallpaper*.

READ: This auction sees Martin Margiela’s personal archive go on sale for the first time: ‘These are the holy relics of fashion’

‘Almost everyone said some version of “it’s about time”,’ shares Youssef El Sayed, relaying the chorus of gratitude and recognition that new retail project Jihan received in its early stages. Dreamt up by photographer Mariam El Gendy (the project’s founder and creative director; El Sayed is director of business development), Jihan is unique in positioning itself as both shop and conversation: ‘a city-to-city narrative’ that considers the emerging relationships between commerce and culture, rooted in the language of African and West Asian design. ‘There’s this sense that you can spend years building careers through international brands and institutions, but still crave a space that feels closer to home. Not necessarily geographically, but culturally and morally,’ El Sayed continues.

While El Sayed and El Gendy began collaborating in a formal capacity at university in London, the duo unofficially started sharing ideas as pre-teens in Cairo, says El Sayed. Today they operate between London and Paris, where they’ve just launched the first Jihan pop-up store in Le Marais in the 3rd arrondissement (through 2 July 2026; an e-commerce site will follow later in the summer, and a London event is planned for autumn).

Named after El Gendy’s mother, her biggest cheerleader and first best friend – ‘Mariam’s mother is also a force of fashion and a legendary shopper,’ notes El Sayed – the Jihan moniker is additionally significant in that it channels the full scope of the project, translating as ‘the universe’ in Persian and Turkish. ‘In many ways that's what we're trying to build, a world where different people, stories, and objects can exist together,’ offers El Gendy.

Paris concept store Jihan is both a ‘shop and a conversation’

‘There has always been a very specific feeling when encountering work coming out of the region – a photograph, piece of music, or object – a sense of familiarity I can't quite explain,’ she adds, recalling the project’s initial emotional genesis. The decision to launch in Paris was largely centred around the pair’s established sense of community, while El Gendy’s personal relationship with the city was also informative: growing up, her father lived between Cairo and Paris. ‘It was my first encounter with art and fashion, and looking back it influenced me more than I realised.’

‘Jihan asks people to slow down, and the pace [in Paris] resonated with me,’ El Sayed adds. ‘There are layers to what we’re doing, and Paris feels like a city that still has patience for nuance.’

For the store opening, the pair collaborated with more friends, bringing in photographer Dexter Navy for a series of campaign images and working with designer and maker Adam Gobran on the shop’s metal displays. Presenting fashion, beauty, jewellery, accessories, and home and pantry goods, the initial line-up includes Super Yaya by Rym Beydoun, Paria Farzaneh, and Cynthia Merhej’s Renaissance Renaissance, as well as Diane V, Misaj, and Kaia Olive Oil. ‘Photography taught me the importance of context and storytelling, and that things we buy are connected to people, places, histories, and communities,’ says El Gendy. ‘From the beginning, I was interested in a store becoming a platform, nurturing people, stories, and creative practices.’ With Worldy Matters then, the project’s culture programme, the space will host a film screening with Shasha Movies and an interactive reading room with Hikma.

‘At its core Jihan is a framework for gathering people. As a creative strategist, I’ve spent years helping brands understand who they are, but what interests me more is who they exist for. Who are their people? What are they contributing?’ reflects El Sayed. ‘A lot of the places we come from are often represented through nostalgia or exotification – we wanted something contemporary and nuanced. Yes, it can be kitsch, it can be chic. But it can also be intellectually rigorous, experimental and deeply current.’

For El Gendy, connection has been paramount to the experience so far. ‘Reaching out to the very people whose work has inspired and shaped our own, and being met with warmth and excitement, has been really special,’ she shares. ‘[Jihan] existed only in our heads for years, so it’s incredibly emotional, and there are so many ideas we'd love to explore. A couple of days ago, Sayed and I were talking about how most of the projects we've worked on have had an ending, whereas this is only the beginning.’

Jihan is at 6 Rue Charles-François Dupuis in Le Marais, Paris, until 2 July 2026. An e-commerce store is slated to follow.

Claude Monet, as the father of Impressionism, was obsessed with light, believing that it transformed the essence of colour as day progressed into night. He painted the same scenes in the French countryside multiple times a day, capturing their transformation and a century on from his study of how ‘envelopes’ of light and air changed our view of the world, an exhibition touching on his legacy will begin in Paris at L’ École School of Jewelry Arts dedicated to American artist Daniel Brush entitled The Art of Light and Line.

Seventy-five of Brush’s paintings, standalone and wearable sculptures will be presented, some of which have never left his New York studio in a body of work that both contemplates and celebrates the freedom of light and movement that Monet articulated in his own work. The exhibition is curated by Olivia Brush, Daniel’s lifelong muse, partner and collaborator and the writer and historian Vivienne Becker, inviting visitors to experience Brush’s vision in a symphony of materials including pure gold, steel, plastic, resin, ink, diamonds and canvas.

Daniel passed away in 2022 and during his career, he rejected the idea that art should be segmented to make it more understandable, denouncing the hierarchy that polarises fine and decorative art. 'This is not easy work,' says Olivia Brush. 'It is important for people to see and understand that an artist does not need to be bound, branded or categorised.' Key works in the exhibition are Maze, a handheld object paying homage to the Byzantine Mosaics of antiquity, Ménagerie Magnétique a selection of animals realised in Bakelite plastic created to be worn via magnets on clothing and Thinking about Monet, a compilation of hand-engraved steel sculptures created between 2015-2020 where light reflects in a dawn to dust cacophony of pinks, oranges and purples.

'Brush’s work is deeply rooted in the past and traditions yet helps us understand our contemporary world through the prism of perfection and contemplation,' notes Lise Macdonald, President of L’ École. An impressive book accompanies the show written by Olivia Brush and Becker with photographs by Carly Leigh Lapidus of his studio in different seasons, different lights and at different times of the day – as Monet might have appreciated it. Intimate portrayals of the work itself are photographed by Benjamin Chelly.

Established in 2012, L’ École with the support of Van Cleef & Arpels, to expand education around the jewellery arts, yet the relationship between Brush and the brand goes back further to the 1980’s when Philippe Arpels began collecting his paintings. In 2012 before an exhibition Brush had at the Museum of Arts and Design in New York, President and CEO of Van Cleef & Arpels, Nicolas Bos, visited Brush’s studio and from there, exhibitions in Paris, New York, Hong Kong and Tokyo followed. A synergy emerged which celebrated Brush’s singular boundary-pushing talent and which amplifies his voice today. Olivia Brush is philosophical. 'Daniel always felt he was writing visual poems – his mind, his voice, his breathing, his heartbeat. There were never any designs or pre-thinking. Never limitations.'

Daniel Brush – The Art of Light and Line runs from June 8^th – October 4^th, 2026, at L’ École School of Jewelry Arts

‘Qui est “in”? Qui est “out”?’ sang Serge Gainsbourg in his 1966 song of the same name. His lyrics immortalised the Bus Palladium as the epicentre of Paris nightlife, name-checking the ‘little guys from Liverpool’ and the explosive energy of Rue Fontaine. Opened in 1965 by 22-year-old bebop dancer James Arch, the club democratised live music by running shuttle buses to the suburbs – hence the name ‘Le Bus.’ It became, as Jane Birkin described it, a ‘mental laboratory’: a place where long-haired beatniks and suburban teenagers could rub shoulders with models and rock stars, where you could expect the unexpected, like bumping into Salvador Dalí leading a panther by a leash, say.

In spring 2026, Pigalle’s paradigmatic icon rises from the ashes, not just as a club, but as a boutique hotel. Thanks to an extensive makeover by Chapitre Six Hotels, the building has gained five new storeys, a sleek bar and restaurant and 35 vintage-inspired rooms, making it arguably the 9th arrondissement’s coolest stay.

Wallpaper* checks in at Hôtel Bus Palladium, Paris

What’s on your doorstep?

Once-gritty Pigalle has been the beating heart of Parisian nightlife since the 1800s. Though it was long a neighbourhood of ill-repute – a former red-light district where the main drag is still lined with neon sex shops and the iconic Moulin Rouge – today’s Pigalle is more chic than seedy. It is a neighbourhood in the midst of a bold transformation, and has been rapidly evolving into one of the most stylish corners of the city. To get a feel for it, head to Le Mansart, a 1950s-style café that’s permanently packed with locals and perfect for people-watching over a coffee or a beer. Fittingly for such a music-oriented stay, the Phono Museum is also on your doorstep and traces 140 years of sound recording history.

If you’re craving culture, the Musée de la Vie Romantique is a must, tucked away at the foot of Montmartre and housed in a charming green-shuttered villa. With a secret garden, a tearoom, and an impressive collection of romantic works, it captures the artistic spirit of 19th-century Paris. As for wining and dining, Pink Mamma is famous for its truffle pasta and rooftop views, Le Bon Georges offers a quintessential bistro experience, and Monkey Pigalle is a go-to for high-energy cocktails. For something more upmarket, seek out Onyx, a contemporary neo-brasserie delivering elevated French fare infused with global influences.

Who’s behind the design?

Having welcomed everyone from Jagger to The Beatles, Téléphone and Dalí, Paris-based Studio KO was tasked with reviving not just a building but a slice of musical history. Having previously tackled London’s Chiltern Firehouse and the iconic Yves Saint Lauren museum in Marrakech, the studio’s founders, Karl Fournier and Olivier Marty, are accustomed to working on sites that possess a unique sense of place. With Le Bus, they sought to balance heritage with high-end hospitality, honouring the club's long and legendary history by preserving its sensual and hedonistic atmosphere.

Though the club previously topped out at just two storeys, the duo added five floors during their four-year renovation, offering the space a new city-gazing rooftop with views to Sacré-Cœur and the Palais Garnier. Inside, the duo employed cork walls, bare ceilings and Afghan-style carpets in a nod to 1960s recording studios. The project is also overseen by artistic director, model and producer Caroline de Maigret, who chose the hotel’s signature amber-noted scent, dressed the staff in chic denim and corduroy uniforms and curated playlists which play in each room.

What are the standout design elements?

Studio KO’s rock-n-roll homage manifests long before you’ve entered your room. The club’s original red neon sign lights up the building’s new façade, which bears the imprint of the old lower-slung building, rendered in a sandy concrete mixed on-site to harmonise with the surrounding Haussmann-era stone. Inside, spaces reverberate with a dissonance that recalls the club’s storied clientele, as Velvet Goldmine-esque glamour rubs up against brutalist touches. Metal grating ceilings you’d typically find on technical runways and thick concrete walls are punctuated by Lynchian red velvet curtains and kaleidoscopic carpets.

The restaurant is arranged around a striking terrarium filled with wild ferns, and tables are lit by geometric pendant lights. Spotlights cast a theatrical glow along the corridors, illuminating witty touches such as door handles fashioned from microphone stems and vintage-style ‘On-Air’ sliders that signal either a request for service or a red ne pas déranger. Rooms lean into a 1970s style, with tulip coffee tables, salmon-pink carpets, mustard cord drapes and Bauhaus ‘SF 28’ hemisphere table lamps.

The room to book

No two rooms are alike. Entrusted to L’Œil de KO (Studio KO’s art gallery) and antiques dealer Antoine Billore, each is curated with unique artworks and vintage curiosities. Soundproofed walls, glass-enclosed bathrooms, and raw concrete ceilings remain constant, while most also feature cork-clad walls and headboards – a nod to Paris’ convalescent prodigy, Marcel Proust (the writer lined his bedroom walls with cork, combatting noise and allergy-aggravating dust), but also to 1960s recording studios. Bathrooms pop with electric blue tiling and Hollywood-style mirrors, while minibars are stocked with cocktails to mix yourself, craft beers, and an artisan selection of spirits. Which room to book depends on your priorities: if a place to lay your head is all you need, the small Supérieure is fine, though the integrated banquette and central table in my Deluxe Suite made it perfectly functional as a workspace. Those looking for a bathtub should opt for the Prestige Room, while the Suite Terrasse is the choice for those seeking outdoor access.

The headline act, however, is the Dalí Suite. At 70 sq m, it is the hotel’s largest, overlooking the street and the iconic red neon sign from its private balcony. The decor is full-throttle retro-futurism, anchored by a tangerine circular rug and a cognac leather De Sede banquette sofa that curves along its perimeter. It is a fluid, Kubrick-esque space featuring a glass-encased black marble bathroom that floats like a spaceship in the corner of the room. A Murphy bed – which can be folded away to transform the suite into a green room for touring musicians – is flanked by mirrored walls and a leopard-print headboard, and the space is peppered with midcentury design icons, from the black leather ‘Apollo’ lounge chair by Illum Wikkelsø to the brass-topped Henge ‘Galaxy’ coffee table.

Staying for drinks and dinner?

The restaurant is helmed by young Marseillais chef Valentin Raffali, a Top Chef France alum who brings an ethical, zero-waste philosophy to the table, ditching imported salmon for Basque Country trout and smoking his own bacon on-site. His eclectic, seasonal cuisine feels right at home here with inventive pairings like smoked white asparagus with Mara des Bois strawberries, pooled in a savoury chicken sauce that masterfully counteracts the fruit's sweetness. For mains, flavour-packed Gallic classics like vol-au-vent sit beside langoustine slathered in a spicy XO sauce. My dessert was a nostalgic chocolate mousse served in a vintage silver coupe and crowned with a single, lipstick-red cherry – almost too pretty to eat.

For breakfast, guests can choose a continental spread or upgrade to the Palladium option. The latter is worth it for the hash browns alone – served like thick-cut fries with a dipping sauce of creamy Gwell Breton cheese – though the pastries are also a revelation: oversized, flaky, and butter-soft, baked to perfection by Stéphanie Le Quellec.

The sustainable ambition extends to the bar, where all tonics, syrups, and cordials are made in-house. There are six signature cocktails alongside all the classics and a particularly well-considered mocktail list. The Chaussan, named after a legendary host of the original Le Bus, who ensured the club’s night-owl suburbanites got home safely, is a particular highlight: subtle, elegant, bubblegum pink and made with olive oil syrup, lemon juice, tomato liquor and basil-infused vodka. Grab a seat and on Thursday through to Saturday, live DJs spin in the restaurant, where the soundtrack is dictated by a formidable vinyl collection – half belonging to Bus Palladium’s original founder James Arch, the other to Jean-Charles Dupuy, the reigning 'King' of Parisian nightlife. Grab a seat at the bar to soak it all in, accompanied perhaps by a silver tower of pre-gig pommes frites.

Where to switch off

One doesn’t come to Le Bus to switch off, but rather to switch on. Though the rooms themselves are peaceful, the lower ground floor cranks up the volume, placing the storied concert hall at the very heart of the experience. Lionel Bensemoun, known for iconic venues like Le Baron and La Mano, acts as the head of programming, overseeing a varied roster of live acts from cabaret to film screenings, music and dance. His ambition is to foster the same sense of inclusivity as Arch did when he first opened the club, a task he deems extra important given the area’s gentrification. The layout remains faithful to the original club, but KO has added a hint of theatrics with a Persian-style carpeting covering the walls, silver lamé curtains, a smoking room decked in stainless steel and a mammoth disco ball hanging over it all.

The verdict

The eyeliner-smudged glamour of bygone days gets a second chance at Bus Palladium, a place that seems at once out of time and firmly of the present thanks to clever, sensual interiors by Studio KO. The food is inventive, the rooms are sexy and the staff are bracingly cool and brimming with joie de vivre. Given how busy it was during its opening week, I’d say the locals agree.

Hôtel Bus Palladium is located at 6 Rue Pierre Fontaine, 75009 Paris, France

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

Spring in London is without equal. This May, our editors plan to make the most of it, plotting days around alfresco interludes on the city's reopened terraces. Yet spring also stirs a desire to roam: in Oxford, the Ashmolean Museum has launched an exhibition about florals, while a quick hop to Paris promises a Pedro Almodóvar extravaganza. For those with Europe in their sights, the Venice Biennale opens to the public on 9 May. Long haul, the USA is marking its 250th anniversary this year, with no shortage of pomp and pageantry to accompany it.

At home and abroad, here is what to know about and see this month.

The exhibition: ‘In Bloom’, Ashmolean Museum

Ellie Stathaki, architecture & environment director

I am heading to Oxford this month to visit ‘In Bloom’ at the Ashmolean Museum. It's a fitting theme for May. This show explores the beauty of flowers, yes, but also their influence in many other spheres – from global trade to science and world exploration. It is a fascinating subject, and it's also designed by an exciting London-based architect, DaeWha Kang. Kang crafted the show cleverly and sustainably, reusing, in collaboration with the museum, some 85 percent of showcases from a previous show. He and his team reduced waste where possible and worked with low-impact materials throughout the displays and in the space's cafe, too. It only reinforces the exhibition's nature exploration. If you think you know about flowers, you should visit this show – and you might learn something new.

The event: Venice Biennale

Hannah Silver, art, culture, watches & jewellery editor

This month I am looking forward to being in Venice for the opening of the Art Biennale. While it runs until November, the first week is always a buzzy, busy sprint across Europe's most magical city. Discovering the pavilions in the Giardini is a great way to while away a day, but I particularly enjoy the collateral events in beautiful palazzos. If you're planning a visit, make sure to keep an eye on our guide – and don't forget to stop for a spritz and some cichetti.

The restaurant: Honey & Co

Tianna Williams, staff writer

Usually a social recluse, I am breaking out of my introverted mould and diving into the deep end of social activities this month. One of the main things I am looking forward to is spending time with my closest friend, who has jetted over from Australia. To celebrate, we are looking forward to dining at the new Honey & Co outpost in Great Portland Street. I was scouting for a dining destination that felt cosy and fresh, with no waitlist, and a menu that looked delicious without the pretence (and without breaking the bank).

A fiend for Middle Eastern cuisine, I also can’t get enough of Iranian-Iraqi cafe Logma and Palestinian restaurant Akub (don’t sleep on their breakfast!). Honey & Co ticked the boxes. A fragrant bakery by day, turned restaurant at night, its interior is simple, pared back and intimate – taking on the form of a local establishment with Mediterranean design codes. I am looking forward to tucking into its house pickle plate, the seared pork belly and candied lemon, and the honey cheesecake. It is the perfect location to enjoy a couple of glasses of wine and catch up without a time zone.

The other restaurant: Bistro Sablé

Anna Solomon, digital staff writer

I spent three years renting next to the beautiful north London enclave of Canonbury before making the inevitable trade-down to buy. So when I heard that former neighbourhood favourite Smokehouse had reinvented itself as Bistro Sablé, I had to book a visit. The pivot feels entirely sensible: barbecue trends come and go; French bistro cooking is forever.

The space, tucked inside a red-brick pub, is dressed with white tablecloths, mismatched chairs, candles, blackboards, blue-and-white tiles and artwork sourced from Parisian flea markets. It genuinely nails that elusive balance of effortlessness without trying too hard to look effortless. The prices are just as breezy: most mains are under £26, wine starts at £6 a glass, £5 negronis.

The menu is full of winners done well: escargots in a Staub pan, a Comté and cheddar soufflé, moules marinière, beef bourguignon, crème brûlée, a whole tarte Tatin for the table. There’s no need for novelty with a concept this assured.

The screening: ‘Pedro Almodóvar. Attachments’, Paris

Gabriel Annouka, art editor

As an Almodóvar-obsesionado, and someone who has watched every single moving image Pedro Almodóvar has ever made, including the questionable and misunderstood ones, I am more than willing to travel to Paris for one reason only: the Almodóvar retrospective at MK2 Bibliothèque, organised in collaboration with the Centre Pompidou. The prospect of seeing his 80s and 90s films, such as The Flower of My Secret or Kika, which remain his true masterpieces in my opinion, projected on the big screen already feels like a small cinematic pilgrimage.

The retrospective runs until 25 May 2026.

The installation: 'Alfarero del Barrio’ by Roberto Lugo, New York

Anna Fixsen, US editor

In case you missed it, America is celebrating a big birthday this year – its 250th. There’s a lot of pomp accompanying the semiquincentennial (say that five times fast!), including time capsules, parades and fireworks.

Philadelphia-based potter and artist Roberto Lugo is contributing something different to the festivities via a monumental installation in New York’s Madison Square Park. ‘Alfarero del Barrio’, Spanish for ‘village potter’, is an all-out celebration of Puerto Rican culture and heritage via a gigantic, 20-foot-tall urn and a 15-foot-tall fire hydrant, decorated with vibrant images of Puerto Rican luminaries and graffiti. Visitors will be invited to step inside the gigantic vessel, hang out for a game of dominoes, or take a selfie in front of the gigantic fire hydrant. It promises to be a playful mix of past, present and – most importantly – people. ‘During the semiquincentennial, celebrate us, all of us,’ Lugo said in a statement.

The highly atmospheric paintings and drawings of acclaimed Swedish artist Karin Mamma Andersson at once pleasure the eye while keeping it on tenterhooks; they seem to almost will the viewer to clamber inside in an attempt to unravel their intrigues. Indeed, exactly what might transpire if you found yourself roaming around one of her vast, sometimes angsty landscapes or contemplative, curious interiors seems entirely the point. As Andersson once said: ‘I guess I want people to go into the painting and not be sure what they've gotten themselves into.’

If her work builds on tensions or uncanny combinations, it brims with recurring motifs; chairs, masks, deer, dolls, classical sculpture, domestic objects, skeletons, horses, items of clothing or shoes. There are often miniature paintings within her paintings. ‘In Mamma Andersson’s paintings the order of things is often disturbed, the connection between the various parts of reality is often broken, and I think the reason many of her paintings give rise to feelings of discomfort and unease is that the door to chaos stands ajar in them,’ observes writer Karl Ove Knausgaard, whose book jackets have featured the artist’s works.

A month before the opening of a new exhibition, ‘Œuvres sur papier’ at David Zwirner Paris, which will showcase a collection of original works on paper, including aquatint, etching, painted proofs, lithograph, and woodcut, Andersson - a fizzy, generous raconteur - is in her studio in Södermalm, Stockholm. She is standing amongst several large new works in progress, the beginnings of a new series for a show in Los Angeles in 2028. Two pairs of legs - one plaster white, one tar black emerge out of the left hand side of a canvas, which also features a bright cloud hovering over an unusual, brooding bay, while a tall figurative sculpture stands tall in the opposite corner.

Behind her the word VOODOO is taped to a wall above a black and white image of ‘Hangman’, a figurative work from 2014, an iteration of which is being shown in Paris. There is a photograph of Picasso dancing, of fictional Swedish icon Pippi Longstocking, there are masks, a dartboard, vintage images from Vogue, Van Gogh portraits, an image of radishes and a sculptural self portrait made by her ex-husband Jockum Nordström.

On a nearby table sit etchings Andersson created over a two year period with intaglio print studio Atelier Tazé-Lipreau-Arai in Paris, which are called ‘Porte cle’ and reference the 2023 exhibition ‘Adieu Maria Magdalena’. One depicts an classically elegant female figure in a period outfit, holding a mirror, inspired by a image Andersson found in a fashion history book. Another is of a mountainous landscape with a still life composition in its foreground, featuring a wooden anatomical hand that resembles one sitting on her studio windowsill and which imbues the work with a certain ponderous mystery. ‘Now, when I look at them, they’re a little bit like book illustrations,’ reflects Andersson. ‘Like Alice in Wonderland.’

During the printing process, certain tests might not emerge exactly as she imagined, but instead of abandoning them, Andersson paints on them. The ‘Scenes from a Marriage’ series, part inspired by the 70s Ingmar Bergman television show and a murder reconstruction photo - some of Andersson’s earlier works revolved around crime scene photography - is a case in point. The Paris show will also include vitrines featuring reference materials and books, including those by Knausgaard, which will sit alongside their original artworks.

For Andersson, ultimately, the most important thing is that her work continually surprises her; she doesn’t know where a body of work will go when she embarks on it. ‘I don't want to have an obvious answer. It's too boring,’ she says. ‘I want something to surprise myself with a combination of colours or materials. Thick or thin paint. Shiny or dry. Things which I haven't done before.’ It is also important to work on many things simultaneously to allow paintings to connect and talk each other. ‘You can feel very strongly that some paintings are very good for each other. They give each other energy. But others can destroy each other.’

Born in 1962, in Luleå, a small city bordering the Arctic Circle in Northern Sweden - a very particular landscape which has been frequently captured in her work - Andersson initially studied sculpture, before transferring to Fine Arts at the Royal Institute of Art in Stockholm where she graduated in 1993. Drawing was Andersson’s first language. ‘I had a huge problem with reading because I didn't know I had ADHD at that time,’ she says. ‘I would read a page of a book, and would have no idea what I had just read because my head was somewhere else. At school, I would just go to the toilet, and sit there drawing.’

At 6 years old she became obsessed with cutting out images from magazines, an interest that remains. ‘I find things and put them on my wall, like a memory or notes.’ She can also be found - she says, laughing - rescuing books from the recycling or garbage. But if previously she created a picture synopsis before embarking on new work, now she plans much less. ‘My process has changed a lot in the last 5-6 years. I have a feeling to be more free now. I don't have anything to prove.’

The notion of an obvious plot in her paintings has also lessened, giving way to work centred around feelings, situations, atmospheres. By way of explanation, she remarks: ‘If you look at photos from Chornobyl today, you can see for yourself that something has happened here; even if you don't know anything about the catastrophe, you can feel it from the abandoned houses, playgrounds, and swimming pools.’

‘Adieu Maria Magdalena’ was, reveals Andersson, very much about her divorce from Nordström, and finding herself alone for the first time at almost 60 years old. Painting was the only thing she could do. Empty rooms feature multiple opened doorways or corridors, a painting of a skull hangs on a deserted wall whilst ‘The Misunderstood’ hums with the ghosts of Hammershøi and Magritte; three decapitated hands appear at the bottom of a classical interior. In ‘Quel Bordel’ a hunched figure in knickerbockers is poised in a corner of the canvas in a setting that teeters wonderfully somewhere between a landscape and a theatre set.

‘Even if I was painting a lot about the separation. I don't think I understood that when I did it. But that is always the case. When I have a distance from what I have done, I can see very clearly what it's about,’ reflects Andersson.

The artist’s obsession with dolls she likens to a freedom that has allowed her to not paint faces - she felt she had done too many in her earlier work. ‘Sometimes I can long to be like Alice Neel. Some of her portraits are so good. Or Van Gogh. Otto Dix. Egon Schiele… In one way, I want to make good portraits or [paint] human beings, but I also have a longing to be more abstract sometimes, but I know I'm never going to be abstract.’ Why? ‘Because I talk too much [laughs]. I'm too obsessed with storytelling.’

In her excellent ‘The Lost Paradise’ paintings of 2020, women with their backs toward the viewer wear sleeveless batik print tops and knee-high flat boots, one of them smokes as she walks into blackness. Andersson says these paintings are about many different things: a homage to the 1970s (music, fashion, film), to her mother who made a lot of batik clothing - ‘though it didn’t look that’ - and the boots are a nod to ABBA. She smiles before getting serious. ‘This gesture, when she is walking away to nothing, it’s about what it is to be a human being. We just continue eating fish and animals. We poison the seas. We destroy everything around us. And now it’s war in different places. How can we risk this planet?’ She pauses. ‘Because we just walk around with a cigarette, listen to music and think everything is OK. It’s me, it's you; we keep going - the show must go on.’

‘Œuvres sur papier’ runs until June 27 at David Zwirner Paris, 108, rue Vieille du Temple, 75003 Paris

'Design behaves differently when it’s placed in a real environment,' reflected Gubi CEO, Marie Kristine Schmidt ahead of today's opening of Gubi House Paris (16 April 2026). Located in a historic Parisian apartment in the city's 8th arrondissement, Gubi's third showroom space offers a picture-perfect fantasy of Parisian life, with its high ceilings, tall French windows and preserved architectural details. 'In a traditional showroom, pieces are often understood individually. In an interior, they exist in relation to light, movement, and people,' Schmidt continued.

Here in Paris, Gubi's clean-lined pieces are layered against the patina of history, in what the brand describes as 'a distinctly French' interpretation of the Gubi universe.

'Paris has always been part of the cultural landscape that Gubi operates within, but opening here now reflects a shift from presence to permanence,' Schmidt told Wallpaper*. 'It’s a city where design is not isolated; it exists in a constant dialogue with architecture, fashion and art. For Gubi, that way of thinking feels very natural. We’ve reached a point where establishing a home in Paris allows us to engage more directly with a city that continually shapes what feels contemporary. It’s less about expansion, and more about entering into that conversation with intent.'

Each room across two floors has been designed to reveal a distinct facet of contemporary living – from a more social, hotel-like living area to quieter zones for dining, working and rest, with each setting shaped by shifts in light, material and atmosphere. In the main living space, Pierre Paulin’s sculptural seating anchors a loose, conversational layout, while elsewhere pieces such as the ‘Epic’ dining table and Greta M Grossman’s ‘62 Desk’ introduce moments of gathering and focus, the collection settling into the architecture as part of an inhabited interior rather than a staged display.

The ‘showroom-as-apartment’ concept is something the brand first explored in 2024 with the opening of Gubi House London set within a Georgian townhouse on Charterhouse Square – its first dedicated location outside its hometown of Copenhagen (where the brand is housed in a sprawling waterfront industrial space). With each house, the brand seeks to interpret the collection through its local architecture and culture.

'In Paris, the apartment introduces a different intimacy, where design is inseparable from daily life and cultural rhythm,' says Schmidt. 'By working this way, we can present the collection as part of everyday living, showing how it supports social gatherings, relaxation, and work. It allows us to move beyond display and instead create an atmosphere people can step into – something closer to a lived experience than a commercial setting.'

Gubi House Paris, 1st floor, 81 rue de Monceau, 75008 Paris, France
Open by appointment only.

The beauty of a spa, beyond your leaving feeling reborn, lies in its ability to offer an escape from the noise of the world – and Hôtel Costes’ new spa does exactly that. Located in Paris’ 1st arrondissement, just steps from the vibrant Rue Saint-Honoré, the Parisian hotel’s subterranean spa has unveiled a new look defined by ambient lighting, gentle geometry, and a soothing colour palette.

Hôtel Costes unveils its new spa

The project was spearheaded by interior architecture and design studio Liaigre, which worked in close partnership with the hotel’s founder, Jean-Louis Costes. Upon entering the reinvigorated space, visitors will find a 1,000 sq m spa, featuring a 20m swimming pool, eight treatment rooms, and a fitness area.

Much like the spa’s holistic ethos – developed alongside the team from skincare specialist Augustinus Bader – the interior materiality is honest and noble, comprising a mix of travertine, smoked oak, lacquer, and liquidambar. While these materials were selected to reflect the hotel as a whole, they also unite soothing elegance and functionality in a refined balance.

The architectural framework centres on light and touch. From its entrance, set at the base of a bifurcated staircase, a marble reception desk greets visitors, while a Dolby Atmos sound system channels a calming, immersive audio landscape.

The heated swimming pool acts as an inviting lagoon – whether for laps or simply to drift in its oxygen-enriched waters. Wood daybeds and cocooned relaxation areas deepen the sense of retreat. The eight treatment rooms are designed to accommodate therapies tailored by Augustinus Bader’s specialists, set along hushed corridors to ensure privacy.

The spa is the latest chapter in a wider project initiated in 2015, when Jean-Louis Costes commissioned Christian Liaigre to redesign Hôtel Lotti and unify it with Hôtel Costes and a third property, Le Costes. Drawing on the spirit of Parisian private mansions, the design firm has sought to create an airy, loft-like environment for Hôtel Costes.

Says Christophe Caillaud, president of Liaigre: ‘We approached the redesign of the spa with the same discipline that defines Liaigre – careful attention to proportion, light, and material – ensuring the space feels calm, coherent, and true to our enduring design language.’

Hôtel Costes is located at 7 Rue de Castiglione, 75001 Paris, France

It's not every day a brand new gallery shows up at an art fair with a Jackson Pollock and a Cy Twombly for sale. But Samantha McCoy, who recently founded the Paris and New York-based gallery Argo Fine Arts, is no newcomer to the art world: Jackson Pollock was her great-uncle and her father, Jason McCoy, owned a gallery on 57th Street for more than 40 years.

'There was never a difference between work and home,' she says. 'There were always gallery dinners at at the house. There were always artists over. There were always critics. I didn't know anything else.'

This week, Argo marks its debut exhibition at the 28th edition of Art Paris, an international modern and contemporary fair set in the glorious Grand Palais.

It's been a long journey. At first, McCoy tried to carve out a different career from her family's, so studied industrial labor relations along with art history at Cornell. After university, she moved to Paris, and returned to New York two years later to work in fashion. When her father's gallery needed an extra hand, she joined him for nearly five years, until Magnum Photos hired her, which led her back to Paris. But, McCoy says, 'There was always this feeling deep down that I wanted to try working for myself.'

In the autumn of 2025 she took the leap. She named her gallery Argo after the ship upon which Jason sails in Greek mythology. For the logo, she used calligraphy designed in 1949 by another family artist, her great uncle Charles Pollock.

Declining outside investment, she opted for an 'ephemeral' gallery model. 'I tried to be realistic about what my life was and what the art world looked like, with all of these really important galleries closing,' McCoy recalls. 'I thought, I need to be true to myself; I'm between New York and Paris, and I can't afford to open a space in two places right now. Rather than real estate, I'm going to prioritise my artists and clients and collectors. I'll find a way to make that work.'

At Art Paris, McCoy is mounting a solo presentation of German artist Christiane Löhr, with a second space showcasing other artists. 'Art Paris doesn't hesitate to promote new talents long before they're recognised, or to help advance the new generation of Paris gallerists,' says the fair's director, Guillaume Piens. 'The decision of Argo Fine Arts to devote a solo show to an important figure of the German scene, who is not well known in France, won the overwhelming approval of our selection committee.'

Löhr has earned international recognition for delicate minimalist sculptures made from natural materials such as grass stalks and dandelion seeds, and organic black-and-white line drawings. One of the first pieces McCoy ever purchased was a Löhr drawing, when her father represented the artist years ago. At Art Paris, she is showing a mix of Löhr's sculptures and drawings, in dialogue with a series of Cy Twombly prints of Latin poets' names. 'Twombly has created his own visual language,' she explains, 'hearkening back to the line.'

Linear markings also characterise several works by Charles Pollock, displayed in the second space, near camera obscura photographs by the British artist Richard Learoyd (who, like Löhr, is little-known in France). A rare, early figurative landscape by Jackson Pollock comes from a private collection with 'impeccable provenance.'

Opening an art gallery is not easy, no matter who you are. It took McCoy years before finally accepting it's the right path for her. 'It's an important part of my heritage,' she says. 'I spent a lot of my youth trying to turn away from it, and proving I was worthy. The reality is, I am who I am because of my background. And I think I've built my career to a point where I don't have anything to prove anymore.'

Art Paris runs 9-12 April at the Grand Palais

The ritual of a café au lait sipped from a Haussmannian-style terrace is so ingrained within Parisian daily life that it’s taken a few years for the French capital to open up to a new crop of artisanal roasters. Refreshingly, an adventurous wave of new-gen designers hasn’t been shy to offer their take on the spatial side of what constitutes this sacred tradition. From Crosby Studios’ brutalist poetry at Café Nuances in the Marais to Uchronia’s vibrant take on traditional Korean hanok houses at Café Shin near Palais-Royal. Now it’s local architect and designer Sophie Dries to shine (quite literally) with her gleaming Quartz Café.

Inside Quartz café, Paris

Dries’ first speciality coffee shop is first and foremost an ode to the 7th arrondissement, where her studio has been based for the past six years and where, before this, she had honed her skills, including a stint at Christian Liaigre’s studio on rue de Grenelle. Like Café de Flore was once a meeting point for intellectuals, artists, and writers of the 20th century, Dries hopes Quartz Café will be that for the present-day design world, inspiring conversation and collaboration.

As its name suggests, the bijou spot reflects Dries’ affinity with the mineral world, which, alongside natural wonders, frequently informs her aesthetic and material vocabulary: pyrite used for andirons, selenite for a fragrance diffuser created with D’Orsay, gypsum candleholders... This fascination extends to the cafe’s technical side, integrating a highly advanced water filtration and remineralisation system that uses dolomite containing quartz, which releases magnesium and calcium at the end of the process.

From the outside, windows dressed in pleated café-style curtains treated with a bleach tie-dye process conceal an intimate cove-like venue defined by natural light and soft tones. Inside, a Corten steel floor perfectly complements a counter referencing the contemporary boudoir-like Octa bar, which the architect and designer presented at the Mobilier National last autumn (2025). Dries’ Styx mirror also makes a comeback, this time revisited with passementerie details. While there is no seating inside, a sleek red plywood bench awaits outside.

Spot skilled baristas wearing aprons by L/Uniform preparing drinks using utensils that continue the café’s metallic themes: cupping spoons, milk pitchers, trays, and Italian-style napkin dispensers (or portatovagliolo). Service here is accompanied by silver and Baccarat crystal accessories alongside soothing tunes transmitted from a custom sound system by Matéo Garcia.

The almost alchemistic attention to detail extends to the suppliers selected for the project. Brews are concocted using beans from local speciality coffee roaster Partisan, while matcha originates from Kyoto, via Komā. Dries also tapped catering duo Toutia to conceive pastries defined by telluric textures and mineral oxidations: cocoa sablés, date fondant, yuzu mochi, and black sesame biscuit.

Quartz Café is located at 36 Rue de Bellechasse, 75007 Paris, France

Matter and Shape 2026 returned to the Jardin des Tuileries in Paris for its third edition (6-9 March), gathering more than 70 exhibitors across furniture, objects and decorative arts. This year’s theme – scale – invited designers to consider the relationships between objects, bodies and spaces, from the monumental to the minute.

While collectible furniture and architectural lighting often dominate the fair, a number of designers turned their attention to much smaller propositions. At this scale, design thinking becomes unusually concentrated; materials, ergonomics and fabrication must resolve themselves within a few centimetres of space, sharpening every decision. Across the salon, the most intriguing works were sometimes those designed for the hand, where the smallest gestures carried the greatest precision.

Comb and mirror by Christian + Jade, presented by Aarticles

Among the smallest works at the fair were a comb and compact mirror by the Copenhagen duo Christian + Jade, presented by Aarticles. Made from silver-plated metal and polished stainless steel, the pieces have the clarity of small instruments. The comb measures 9cm × 7cm × 1cm and the mirror slightly more, at 10.5cm × 5cm × 1.5cm, dimensions that draw attention to proportion and balance across their reflective surfaces. Up close, their appeal lies in the way they reward handling and inspection, objects composed for the hand as much as for the eye.

Fred Aartun of Aarticles, the Copenhagen-based design archive and marketplace he co-founded with Kasia Sznajder, notes that the hand remains the primary point of calibration. 'The hands are not only a tool for making the objects, but also for measuring the functionality and tactility of the objects,' he says, describing the way handling determines whether an object feels resolved or slightly off.

Christian + Jade approach the scale as a form of compression. 'For us, what makes a design exciting and unique always lies in the details,' they explain. 'No matter how small or subtle, it is what gives the piece layers of complexity and characteristics. When scaling down, the objects do become a more condensed and concentrated study where we have to renegotiate and explore what detailing looks like. At this scale, the context shifts as well, from how a design piece occupies a space to how it exists in relation to the body, in a hand or a pocket.'

christianandjade.com

‘PWML3’ frame by Peter Wiesmann for Cassetta

Peter Wiesmann’s ‘PWML3’ frame, produced by Copenhagen-based brand Cassetta, is carved from boxwood and suspended on a silk cord so the small hinged case can be worn on the body or placed on display. Inside sits a photograph by Matthieu Lavanchy. The format brings the framed image away from the wall and into close proximity with the person who carries it.

For Wiesmann, this scale follows the body directly. 'The scale of the objects I design relates directly to the scale of my body,' he says. 'Being able to hold something in your hand allows you to comprehend it not only theoretically but also in a haptic and intuitive way.' Smaller objects remain mobile. They can be touched or carried, changing their environment and relation to other objects. This mobility also means they can be stored away when not in use, giving the object what he describes as 'a certain lightness and charm'.

Cecilie Nellemann of Cassetta reflects on designing at this scale; while many objects support aspects of the good life around socialising or functionality, she suggests that smaller objects also allow 'a poetic freedom'. Linked to touch and movement, these interactions can trigger what she calls 'plenitudes of perception'. 'Touch is personal and fulfilling,' she says, noting how even the small sounds of placing and turning can become part of the experience. In arrangements of smaller objects, their aesthetics and meanings can also shift in unexpected ways.

cassetta.dk

‘UFO acorn’ lamp by Simon Dupety

The French designer Simon Dupety began his ‘UFO acorn’ lamp with a single acorn shell fitted with an LED. The larger lamp is built from repeated lighting units, each a small luminous capsule set along a slender aluminium structure. At Matter and Shape, the individual element could also be handled on its own, demonstrating how the larger structure grows from a single tiny component.

Dupety describes the thinking in terms of systems. 'I feel that the smaller an object is, the more it becomes a functional system: like a paperclip, a screw, or a shirt button,' he says. Objects of that scale often contain ingenuity and play because their function must be resolved within very limited dimensions.

The project developed from this idea. The shell harvested from oak trees became the housing for the LED, bringing together what Dupety sees as two forms of serial production: one generated by nature, the other by industry. 'The very nature of a system is that it can be multiplied,' he explains. Starting with this single lighting element allowed him to construct a larger architecture of light.

'Working on the details allows to infuse poetry, especially when they are functional,' Dupety says, describing how an entire structure can depend on a small element that carries both ornament and purpose.

simondupety.com

‘Lama’ letter opener by Delfina Delettrez

Delfina Delettrez’s ‘Lama 925’ letter opener, shown as part of her ‘Objets De Vie’ collection, is made in engraved sterling silver and conceived for the hand. The form follows the gesture of opening an envelope, translating the scale and precision of jewellery into a domestic tool.

For Delettrez, designing at this scale centres the relationship between object and body. 'There is a great focus on the relationship between the object and the body, especially the hand and the gesture,' she says. With ‘Lama’, the design is not only about cutting paper but about how the object sits when it is used. Small variations in thickness or curvature can change the movement required to open a letter.

That sensitivity comes directly from her background in jewellery. 'Working at a smaller scale definitely sharpens the design process because every detail matters,' she explains. Designing ‘Lama’ meant working slightly larger than the pieces she usually makes, while maintaining the same attention to proportion and movement.

delfinadelettrez.com

‘Squeeze’ vase by Wendy Andreu

Wendy Andreu’s ‘Squeeze’ vase is a small glass vessel whose form appears compressed by hand. The piece was produced at CIRVA Marseille (International Centre for Research on Glass and Plastic Arts), where Andreu developed the object as part of her ongoing ‘Jardin mécanique’ series. In photographs by Vanni Bassetti, the vase reads as a compact volume of glass drawn inward at its centre, as if the material had briefly yielded to pressure.

For Andreu, scale shifts the design process itself. ‘While designing, scale is very important,’ she says. Materials behave differently depending on whether the object becomes jewellery, furniture or architecture; reducing the size of the piece removes many structural constraints, allowing ideas to be projected more freely.

In ‘Squeeze’, that freedom appears in the way the glass holds a moment of deformation. The form suggests a gesture applied directly to the material, preserving the impression of pressure within the finished vessel.

‘Orphée’ liqueur glass by Justine Ménard’s

Justine Ménard’s ‘Orphée’ liqueur glass approaches scale through the sensual language of the table. Hand-blown in borosilicate glass, the piece rises from a dense base into a slender bowl that seems almost weightless above it, a form that balances delicacy with a surprising sense of gravity.

The proportions draw on the codes of the digestif glass, where size compresses flavour and atmosphere; a liqueur glass holds only a small measure, yet its presence carries a particular charge at the end of a meal. Ménard frames the design through the figure of Orpheus, evoking what she describes as a poetic duality and 'the sound of the feminine'. The reference lends the glass a faintly mythological register; held lightly between the fingers, it brings ceremony to a modest quantity of liquid.

Placed alongside the other miniature works at Matter and Shape, ‘Orphée’ demonstrates how even the most modest vessel can carry an atmosphere of hospitality. Within a few centimetres of glass it holds not only a drink, but the small theatre of its serving.

justinemenard.com

See our full highlights from Matter and Shape 2026

A right turn from Rue de Sèvres onto Avenue de Saxe reveals classic Haussmann Paris: pale stone façades, wrought-iron balconies and the Eiffel Tower hovering in the distance. At the far end of the street, however, number 55 shifts the mood. A 1900 façade, sculpted with caryatids and Republican emblems, glows in a theatrical wash of red. It’s Hôtel Sax Paris – a flash of high-octane energy that’s hard to resist. The guest experience begins in The Galerie, lined with 200 mirrors and Baccarat chandeliers, before guests check into what is the debut of Hilton’s LXR Hotels & Resorts brand in France.

Wallpaper* checks in at Sax Paris, LXR Hotels & Resorts

What’s on your doorstep?

Staying in the 7th arrondissement, culture is around every corner. Fancy a cinematic stroll? The lawns of the Champ de Mars await. In search of a masterpiece? The Musée Rodin – home to The Kiss (1882) and The Thinker (1904) – and the Bourdelle Museum are both close by. Shopping? Head for Le Bon Marché, where high fashion sits alongside gourmet delicacies. And for a perfectly acceptable cliché, order a café au lait at one of the city’s most storied coffeehouses, Café de Flore.

Who is behind the design?

Owned and developed by Compagnie de Phalsbourg, Sax Paris was conceived in-house under the vision of Karine Journo. Inside the restored 1899 Neo-Gothic building, once the Ségur telephone exchange, Journo layered electric hues and whimsical gestures over a base of noble materials: Panda White marble, oak timber, Baccarat crystal and velvet.

‘Our intention was to restore a sense of majesty and revive the splendour of French architecture while fully modernising the experience,’ Journo tells Wallpaper*. Beyond the audacious interiors, a French-style garden by Studio Ravn adds a romantic counterpoint to the hotel’s château-like drama.

The room to book

Varying in shape and size, the hotel’s 118 rooms are a reflective wonderland, sporting custom-made oak furniture, cast-bronze handles, rough-hewn marble tabletops, and graphical carpeting. Mirrors were strategically fitted to some windows to capture views of the Eiffel Tower, while others overlook the inner courtyard, known as the Sax Garden. Rotating minibar monoliths, finished with a hand-chiselled texture, are stocked with favourites from Le Bon Marché’s La Grande Épicerie de Paris. Three signature suites – The Studio, The Winter Garden Suite and The Signature Suite – include bar stations equipped for mixing your own cocktails, along with complimentary chauffeur services.

Staying for drinks and dinner?

An outpost of the hard-to-book Kinugawa brand sits at the top of the hotel, where dinner is served against the backdrop of a shimmering Eiffel Tower. The plush setting – upholstered in tones of golden brown, salmon and muted orange – has quickly become one of the city’s buzziest tables. Executive chef David Maroleau dishes up Franco-Japanese creations, from gratinated clams with white miso, yuzukosho cream and panko to beef fillet with shiso Béarnaise.

Downstairs, flashy and glitzy, Sax Restaurant and Bar features a ceiling mural by street artist Sto, referencing the building’s historic République Française insignia. Order the cordon bleu with a glass of bubbles and share it beneath the twinkle of an otherworldly chandelier by Italian artist Christian Pellizzari, hand-blown in Murano.

Where to switch off

The subterranean Sax Le Club Fitness & Spa pairs Technogym equipment with a sauna, hammam and treatment rooms for massages and facials. Beyond the spa, the concierge can arrange Rive Gauche experiences – such as a private pontoon cruise on the Seine – alongside designer bicycles and personalised pet-friendly services. During warmer days, you can soak in Le Jardin’s heated outdoor pool and Jacuzzi.

The verdict

There’s no denying Sax Paris has personality. Its aesthetic may diverge from the traditional codes of Parisian five-star hospitality, but the service is every bit as polished and attentive.

Sax Paris, LXR Hotels & Resorts is located at 55 Av. de Saxe, 75007 Paris, France

'We’ve laid our foundations and there’s the idea that we’re here to stay,' Matter and Shape artistic director Dan Thawley said about the fair’s just-concluded third edition (6-9 March), whose theme was 'scale'. 'In design today,' Thawley said, 'we are always discussing collectible design and it all becomes a bit nebulous, so I wanted to think about it in a humorous way.'

But 'scale' isn’t just about the size of works, it’s also about size of production: industrial companies were showing at the fair, as well as independent designers who have a hand in every one of their pieces’ production. Storied design house Georg Jensen showed 11 reissued jewellery works by midcentury Danish and Swedish female artist-makers; Herzog and de Meuron showed their ‘Hong Kong’ stool (inspired by the benches made for Hong Kong’s M+ museum: pieces are slotted together and held in place by one wooden spike) in a special walnut and ash wood mix just for the fair; and up-and-coming French designer Sophie Taillet had her spinning-top mirrors on display at the entrance to one of the two pavilions in the Tuileries Gardens.

Verre d’Onge, a Montreal-based glassblowing business, has shown at Matter and Shape since the first edition (there are very few exhibitors who return year after year). 'The fair suits our personal tastes,' co-founder Jérémie St-Onge said. 'The clientele is the difference,' co-founder Flor Taillefer-Pérez added, citing that the fair attracts a lot of professionals (Thawley confirmed that it is mainly B2B-focused) and those who work in the creative industries. The fair’s owner, WSN, also owns fashion fair Premiere Classe, which runs during Paris Fashion Week, with tents abutting those of Matter and Shape. This year, Verre d’Onge showed glass bottles in a variety of colours, shapes and sizes. 'They’re very spontaneous forms,' St-Onge said; he let the pieces dictate their own endpoint.

There were some major changes to the fair for 2026, such as a dedicated scent section, which included Ecdysis Studio’s first artist edition of its Cave 0 perfume, created with the use of cave waters, cicada nymph skins and microbial moonmilk deposits.

Matter and Shape architecture by JA Projects

Another change for Matter and Shape was in its architecture, which this year was entrusted to JA Projects. Thawley had met the practice’s founding director Jayden Ali at Frieze Masters, and had also admired his work at the Venice Architecture Biennale in 2023, as well as at the Royal Academy of Arts’ exhibition ‘Entangled Pasts’ the year after.

'I wanted to root [the fair’s revamped design] in the context of these gardens,' Ali said, referring to the Tuileries backdrop. He was drawn to the gardens' mix of botany, commerce and civicness, and especially intrigued by the addition of mulberry trees for silk production under King Henri IV – who revised the gardens in the late 16th century. This led JA Projects to the idea of using moiré – a finish often associated with silk – and, along with Studio Hugo Blanzat, the team referenced it throughout (see top), including in a public bench between the fair’s pavilions that was regularly occupied on opening day.

'It’s about new forms of gathering,' said Ali, who also arranged the auditorium’s seating in a way to represent an arena – a nod to the riding school that used to be in that part of the gardens. Following the fair, a lot of the materials used in the pavilions’ construction will be given to an architecture school to, said Ali, 'nudge the dial towards sustainability'.

Miu Miu closed the final day of Paris Fashion Week with a star-studded cast of models for its A/W 2026 collection, which included Chloë Sevigny and Gillian Anderson.

The collection, titled ‘Mindful Intimacy’, evoked the 1990s in minimal tailoring and close-fitting bootcut pants, worn with zig-zag headbands and block heels – so it was no wonder Miu Miu tapped two icons of 90s style for the show.

Meet Miu Miu’s all-star cast for A/W 2026

Sevigny has been an official US brand ambassador for Miu Miu’s beauty line since 2025, and an unofficial muse for its ready-to-wear division for much longer. She opened the S/S 1996 show in a dusty blue pant-and-shirt set, hair closely cropped and jawline already the envy of the world. For its Resort 2019 collection – which riffed on the idea of ‘spontaneous’ dressing – Sevigny stepped out in another two piece, this time a leather peplum top and microshorts, styled insouciantly with a granny-ish floral blouse layered over her shoulders. Today, she was dressed in a three-button blazer over a mini-dress, both in fabric that graduated from black leather to brown shearling.

Sevigny’s past runway appearances include walking for Proenza Schouler and Mugler, and she has starred in numerous campaigns, from Saint Laurent to Ecco. However it is her eclectic personal style which has solidified her status as one of the world’s most enduring cool-girls, with its effortless mix of casual grunge and precisely chosen luxury.

Nor is Gillian Anderson a stranger to great style – known equally for daring red-carpet looks (such as the low-cut dress by Eduardo Lucero with thong exposed, for the 2001 Academy Awards), and her off-duty Y2K sunglasses and boyish baseball caps, she made her runway debut just last year, for Le Défilé L’Oréal Paris.

The casting of Anderson, 57, who closed the show in cream, appliqued shift dress, is part of a growing trend for luxury houses showing clothes on a more mature generation of stars. Miu Miu itself has featured the likes of Willem Dafoe, 70, and Richard E Grant, 68, in recent collections, and Burberry, SS Daley, Prada and Simone Rocha have found virality by sending out respected film and TV talent including Lesley Manville, 69, Jeff Goldblum, 73, Kyle MacLachlan, 67, Ian McKellen, 86, and Fiona Shaw, 67.

Other famous faces who walked the show were singer-songwriter Lauren Auder, multi-media artist Charlie Osborne, Anderson’s Sex Education co-star Lily Newmark, and models Kristen McMenamy and Gemma Ward.

Catch up on our live Paris Fashion Week coverage here

miumiu.com

When Nina Christen imagined the dream location for her eponymous label’s flagship store in Paris, she hoped for somewhere like Rue de la Paix. The Swiss designer, who launched Christen in 2024, describes the historic part of the city as somewhat ‘mythical’. It was an easy decision, then, when 1 Rue de la Paix became available. ‘Everything is a sign, and it’s a beautiful, significant address in itself,’ she says.

The newly opened Christen store is probably unlike anything that storied Parisian street has seen before. Its deceptively simple design favours materials like concrete and chrome, with adaptable elements that can evolve as the brand does: currently Christen’s primary offering is a collection of covetable shoes and a leather bag, with more accessories, ready-to-wear and fine jewellery planned for the not-too-distant future.

Christen opens its first Paris store

Before stepping into the spotlight with her own label in 2024, Christen honed her craft designing footwear for fashion houses like Loewe and Bottega Veneta – and continues to do so, currently holding the position of design director of shoes at Dior, working with Jonathan Anderson. (We speak the day after Dior’s A/W26 show, where she was behind the lily-pad stilettos, polka-dot pumps and other much-documented styles.)

It is under her name, though, that Christen is able to execute her own meticulous vision. This encapsulates her compellingly off-kilter shoes – think heeled sandals lined with goat shearling, or knee-high tabi boots in skin-tight leather – and everything that surrounds them, from highly considered packaging to campaigns and now physical retail. ‘I'm obsessed with concept-building around the product,’ she explains. ‘When I was imagining the whole brand, a space was always part of it. A space can valorise a product in a different way.’ The architectural plans of 1 Rue de la Paix revealed original arches that had been covered by new walls. ‘For me, it’s not about embellishing. We were able to take these walls away, so this classical arched structure would resurface, which I find extremely beautiful. It was about respecting the space rather than transforming it into something that it is not.’

For Christen, who collaborated with multi-disciplinary artist Azadeh Shladovsky on the interior architecture, the result ‘creates a dialogue between the product and the space’. ‘The collection is extremely refined, but because it is 100 per cent made by hand at every stage, there are always imperfections – to me, that is the definition of luxury. I want to show the natural beauty – that the leather is a living material that evolves with time, and it can have imperfections.’ Within the restrained, stripped-back store, Christen’s shoes exist in a sculptural yet adaptable environment. ‘To me it was important to blur the lines between furniture and the space itself. I like when things are multi-use – when something can be a bench, a table, a podium.’ Looking ahead, clothing will slot seamlessly, if unexpectedly, in too. Rather than separate changing rooms, ‘an area can be transformed into a dressing room’ with a swathe of curtains. ‘You really do feel like the whole space is yours.’

The store is an expression of Christen the brand – both now and in the future. It’s a perfect fit for the woman Christen, the designer, described to Wallpaper* in the January 2026 issue as ‘versatile and strong, embodying a classic elegance with an edge’. This flagship space only continues in that vein. ‘I love the impact of a raw space, I find it very moving. Leaving 1 Rue de la Paix completely raw, it's a radical and daring gesture. This is really what I would like the brand to be – sort of disruptive.’

christen.com

Take the contrast therapy plunge in Paris this spring, where Sant Roch, home to the largest sauna in France, has just opened its doors as the capital’s hottest (and coldest, if you follow through with the plunge pool aspect) new wellness destination. Located in the chic 1st arrondissement, just opposite the Tuileries Gardens, it is designed as an immersive, sensory haven.

Step inside Sant Roch, France's largest sauna

Sant Roch was founded by Jules and Chloé Bouscatel, a Paris-based couple in design and life, who are also behind Monday Sports Club, a fitness group that operates more than 20 boutique studios in the French capital (under the brands Punch Boxing, Dynamo and Riise).

The space, by Toronto-based Futurstudio, draws on ancient rituals and the Roman baths of Lutetia for inspiration. Spanning a generous 400 sq m across two levels (the sauna alone occupies 60 sq m), it’s characterised by contemporary luxury and grounded in materiality, with timber featuring prominently.

Artful lighting compositions, immersive playlists and aromatherapy set an atmospheric stage, and help define the transitions through the space. In addition to the areas for deep heat, for instance, are five cold plunge pools, set at a somewhat breathtaking 3°C to 8°C.

These transitions between hot and cold are at the heart of contrast therapy, a practice gaining in popularity (Wallpaper* tried out London’s first contrast therapy centre last year). The abrupt shifts in temperature are intended to trigger the widening and narrowing of blood vessels, helping to flush out metabolic waste and ease pain. It’s often used to boost circulation, reduce inflammation, and help speed up muscle recovery. Sant Roch’s makers describe the facility as ‘a place dedicated to experience, where heat and cold become tools for regeneration, grounding and deep physical release’.

Clients can opt for a self-guided or guided experience, the latter led by practitioners trained in the Sant Roch method, which combines breathwork, sound immersion, meditation and embodied movement. Collectively, the mix of treatments and techniques is intended to enable a physical and mental reset, and deep relaxation.

Neither a spa nor a conventional wellness space, Sant Roch is certainly a unique environment in which to seek ‘regeneration, grounding and deep physical release’, as the company puts it.

santroch.com

When architecture firm Maxwell and Tuke was commissioned to build The Blackpool Tower in the late 1800s, its brief from the Lancashire seaside town’s mayor was to create a near replica of the Eiffel Tower, then recently erected in Paris. Appropriately dubbed ‘The Eiffel Tower of the North’, the steel and cast-iron structure was home to a menagerie and aquarium, a ballroom and a circus, the glitz, glamour and grandeur paying homage to Parisian spectacle through British eyes. Artist David Hoyle, who grew up in Blackpool during the 1960s and 1970s, recalls regular visits to the attraction, where he would watch the likes of resident clowning duo Charlie Cairoli and Paul Freedman perform. ‘The circus was a huge influence on me,’ he says over a phone call. ‘Towards the end of the show, it would fill up with water. The clowns, Charlie in particular, used to frighten some children because of their make-up. But to me it was just amazing and out of this world.’

In 2026, another Paris-Blackpool connection has materialised for Hoyle, who now stars in a series of short videos for Mugler. The French haute couture and ready-to-wear label was founded by late iconoclast Manfred Thierry Mugler in 1974, with a debut collection titled ‘Café de Paris’. The avant-garde fashion house, which the designer and artist built to escape a reality in which he never felt he belonged, similarly became an escapist beacon for those pushing against the status quo. Among them was Hoyle, whose queer adolescence collided with the rise of Thatcherism. ‘Thierry Mugler made a big impression on me,’ he says. ‘The theatricality of the garments… You learn what a costume can do; it can change you. I mean, in your private life, you know, you might be on your knees. But put a costume on, and you’re liberated.’

Hoyle developed his signature form of satirical cabaret in the gay clubs of Manchester and London through ‘anti-drag’ character The Divine David. ‘I suppose I called myself that because I do have a belief that all of us contain some form of divinity,’ says Hoyle, also noting the influence of Bette Midler’s stage persona The Divine Miss M. ‘But it was tongue-in-cheek, really.’ Gaining a cult following, Hoyle was tapped by Channel 4 to host his own shows, The Divine David Presents (1998) and The Divine David Heals (2000), which saw him sport signature Divine David garb – appearing as though Elsie Tanner from Coronation Street had a nasty in run in with a Blackpool circus clown – and deliver surrealist social commentary against the backdrop of a psychedelic greenscreen. (Hoyle would later ‘kill off’ The Divine David at Streatham Ice Rink, in a funerary spectacle called ‘The Divine David on Ice’).

Miguel Castro Freitas, appointed Mugler’s creative director in 2025, after the departure of Casey Cadwaller, is a huge admirer of Hoyle, for ‘his wit, disruptive spirit, and glamour’. ‘[They are] aspects that are all essential to Mugler, as well,’ the Portuguese designer says in a press release for the new video series, which brings The Divine David back to life on film. ‘It was such a lovely surprise hearing from Miguel,’ Hoyle says. ‘We connected via my manager, Tim, over a Zoom call. He explained how he’d followed my work for years and vowed to collaborate with me one day, and his new role at Mugler was the perfect opportunity to make it happen.’ Hoyle was ‘given free creative rein’ over the direction of the videos, which were shot by his long-time creative partner Lee Baxter, with Manchester-based drag artist Liquorice Black responsible for ‘styling and coiffure’. ‘We were a really great local creative team,’ adds Hoyle, explaining that everything was shot in the UK’s North West. ‘I was very grateful to Mugler for allowing me to make the films there; there’s no reason why high-quality work can’t be produced outside of London,’ says Hoyle.

The final three films of the nine-part digital series drop in increments this week (23-28 February 2026). In each one, The Divine David explains ‘how to’ wear Mugler’s ‘The Wardrobe of Identities’, the brand’s pre-S/S 2026 collection, for a variety of scenarios, ranging from the commonplace to the absurd. For example, embarking on a cruise or travelling to Pluto. ‘Getting to wear those clothes… I have to say, it was incredible,’ says Hoyle, calling out the ‘butter satin’ gown featured in ‘Episode VI’ as a standout piece. ‘The script was written around the pieces in the collection, and the idea of wearing something so beautiful and exquisite to go foraging for mushrooms or to take a bus.

‘The times that we’re living in, you couldn’t make them up,’ says Hoyle. ‘I’m old enough to remember going on marches in the 1980s. And entering the 1990s, you really felt that you were going towards a more progressive future. But at the moment, we seem to have hit some sort of brick wall.’ Hoyle’s perspective on the role fashion plays during times of sociopolitical unrest is largely optimistic, however. ‘To me, fashion is a sort of antidote to evil,’ he muses. ‘I think it’s always served that purpose. It has its problems, as everything does. But I think that the fantasy of it, the escapism, the ability to play around and have a laugh, is so important. And, as with the series we’ve made with Mugler and Miguel, I find the fashion world very encouraging of creativity, allowing space to be idiosyncratic and a bit off the wall.’

Mugler A/W 2026, Freitas’ second runway collection for the house, will take place on 6 March during Paris Fashion Week. Will Hoyle be making an appearance on the FROW? ‘Oh, we need to discuss that, Nicky, but we’ll see!’ he says to Mugler’s global comms director, also on the call. ‘But it would be nice if possible, as I love Paris. There’s nothing better than sitting at a café on a boulevard somewhere, or in Montmartre. I’ve been a few times with Lee [Baxter]. We just sit together in silence and just watch all the beautiful, eccentric people go by.’

mugler.com

Across French film director Éric Rohmer’s oeuvre, the Parisian pied-à-terre emerges as a leitmotif: a vehicle for independence, mischief, and fleeting urban life. Yet the concept long predates Rohmer. In the 18th century, wealthy Europeans began maintaining modest apartments in major capitals as bases for business and social engagements.

The appeal of a home away from home endures. When Jess Levy and brothers Eric and Michael Dayan founded Highstay in 2020, they posed a simple proposition: what if five-star hotel service could be delivered within a private residence in one of Paris’s most desirable neighbourhoods?

Available for short- and long-term bookings, properties in the Highstay portfolio are dreamt up by a team of interior designers and architects and serviced by a dedicated in-house staff of house managers. Additionally, through the ‘Curated by’ collection, the group also acts as custodian of architecturally and culturally significant addresses.

This range currently comprises seven residences, from a light-filled apartment overlooking the Champs de Mars to a 650-square-metre private mansion near the Trocadéro. The most recent addition is the former Paris office of Karl Lagerfeld, the late polymath who left an indelible mark on global visual culture and even guest-edited an issue of Wallpaper* in 2009 (W*127).

Highstay unveils Saint-Germain I in Paris

Located in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, the three-storey space occupies an early 19th-century building. After its sale to a private owner in 2024, the office was transformed into an intimate, multi-level residence by French interior architect Pauline Leprince and is now open for bookings. It sits just steps from Serge Gainsbourg’s former home on Rue de Verneuil.

Throughout, minimalist and Space Age sensibilities are expressed through a restrained palette of steel and ivory. At its centre stands a dramatic curved staircase, anchored by an intricately sculpted steel bannister designed by Lagerfeld in collaboration with Australian industrial designer Marc Newson. Nearby, a Dos à Dos armchair from Leprince’s 05-FP-23 collection completes the composition.

In the living room, soaring ceilings and twin steel bookcases – also designed by Leprince – serve as sculptural focal points while referencing Lagerfeld’s well-known bibliophilia; he notoriously founded the Parisian bookshop and library 7L. Meanwhile, two fully-equipped kitchens and an intimate bar are accented with warm wood tones.

Upstairs, the master bedroom sees a bed encased within a steel capsule with integrated shelving, whilst a second, independent bedroom with its own bathroom completes the sleeping quarters. On the lower level, a wellness area with sauna and hammam awaits. Key artworks in the residence include Head in the Clouds XL by French sculptor Laurence Perratzi, Whisper Dinner Tonight by London-based Ukrainian artist Lizii Chan, and a geometric composition by French painter Jacques Daibehesse.

As part of the 'Curated by Highstay' collection, Saint-Germain I guests can opt for a bespoke ‘Karl Itinerary,’ conceived by Highstay’s dedicated concierge, tracing the couturier’s favourite Left Bank addresses, from Café de Flore to Maison du Caviar.

For bookings, visit highstay.com. The Saint-Germain I apartment is located at Rue de Verneuil, 75007 Paris, France

Perched on the upper floors of a building in Paris’s 11th arrondissement, near Père Lachaise Cemetery, this 65-square-metre apartment is a perfect example of when architecture and design converge. Recently renovated by Cyrus Ardalan, the apartment bears a distinctly architectural imprint: block-like volumes with an industrial edge are tempered by modernist influences, expressed through an open, functional layout bathed in natural light from its west-facing exposure. It is now on the market with Architecture de Collection for €840,000.

The layout is structured yet fluid, with each zone clearly defined without interrupting the overall openness. The entrance opens onto a living area that seamlessly unites lounge, dining space and office, while the kitchen is delineated by a glass-paste frame – a feature echoed in the custom-designed island and dining table, creating a cohesive visual thread.

A corridor leads to two peaceful, courtyard-facing bedrooms, followed by a shower room and separate toilet. Bespoke built-in storage is integrated throughout, preserving the apartment’s clean lines and meticulous sense of order. Even a basement cellar is included – a practical bonus in Paris.

In keeping with the modernist spirit, material exploration is another defining aspect of the project. Plywood, a signature of Ardalan’s work, plays a central role. Its warm tone – inspired by the original window frames – creates continuity from the living area through the hallway to the bedrooms.

Ardalan’s custom furniture reads as a natural extension of the architecture. In the main space, a large plywood bookshelf becomes a defining gesture, extending into a sideboard and integrated workspace. Cleverly, a 180-degree pivot door allows this unit to either open the office fully to the living area or conceal it entirely when not in use, enabling the space to adapt.

Glass paste forms another element of the apartment’s identity, introducing texture and depth while highlighting volumes and integrating drawer fronts almost invisibly. Applied to the kitchen island, dining table and shower, it contributes to the apartment’s unified, sculptural quality.

Ardalan, who established his practice in 2020, approaches architecture as a total work of art. Drawing on vernacular construction methods, minimalist modernism – particularly the work of Jean Prouvé – and mechanical systems, he is undoubtedly one to watch.

What is design’s relationship with architecture, if not a constant dialogue across eras? French interior designer Pierre‑Yves Rochon’s long-standing relationship with the Four Seasons Hotel George V in Paris wholeheartedly exemplifies this notion.

Their dialogue began ahead of the Parisian hotel’s opening in 1999 – within a landmark 1928 building – when Rochon was commissioned to conceive its palatial interiors. From the outset, his approach resisted overt modernisation, instead allowing contemporary nuance to sit within the building’s classical framework. The result was an art deco-inflected palace calibrated for modern luxury.

Yet, Rochon is not a creative who easily considers a project fully complete. Instead, his work is defined by return, revision, and long-term stewardship, a singular method evident in his work at Hôtel Ritz Paris and Hôtel de Crillon. At the George V, this approach has unfolded across decades. Its latest chapter marks the completion of a three-year renovation of all 243 rooms and suites, carried out while the hotel remained fully operational.

Tour the refreshed Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris

The ambition was precise: to shift the experience from hotel accommodation to Parisian residence. Rooms are conceived as apartments rather than suites, framed through a Haussmannian sensibility. Vestibules replace corridors; circulation is intuitive; dressing rooms borrow from couture ateliers; libraries and dining areas reinforce the domestic. Louis XVI furniture, 19th-century artworks, and contemporary pieces are layered with restraint.

‘Through this renovation, we wanted to achieve a place to inhabit, to embrace, and to cherish as a home away from home. Today, luxury is not about ostentation; it lies in the quiet quality of volumes, light, and materials,’ explains Rochon. ‘To design an interior is to tell a story; at the George V, that story is of a cultivated and timeless Paris that continues to reinvent itself.’

Rochon’s redesign was guided by four principles: domestic life structuring the plan; light treated as a material, drawn deep inside through new sightlines and French windows; technology discreetly embedded via a bespoke system developed with Henri; and craft as the constant: patinated oak Versailles parquet, Carrara marble, Baccarat crystal, textiles by Charles Burger and Dedar, Houlès trimmings, and hand-tufted rugs.

Three signature suites articulate the project most clearly. Remarkably, the renovation reduced the hotel’s key count by just one, following the creation of the Parisian Eiffel Tower Suite: a move the hotel’s general manager, Thibaut Dreg, attributes to ‘the house’s enduring impulse to reinvent itself’. Two former technical rooms with Eiffel Tower views were reimagined as a duplex suite.

At the summit, the Penthouse Suite has become the hotel’s most coveted address, with the Eiffel Tower framed across three private terraces. Its vocabulary is romantic yet controlled: a green chenille silk sofa by J Robert Scott, an ivory-lacquered circular bookcase with pearlescent floral detailing, softly patinated gold-leaf ceilings, and a boudoir-style dressing room lit by Baccarat sconces. Sculptural marble basins are offset by floral compositions by Jeff Leatham.

The Eiffel Parisian Suite adopts a more architectural, family-oriented register. A primary suite connects to two additional bedrooms, unified by a pale blue and off-white palette. Villari ceramics, Artemest vases and restored porcelain light fittings sit alongside a Calacatta Oro marble fireplace, while reception rooms open onto two enclosed, landscaped terraces furnished with black wrought-iron pieces by Hervé Baume.

By contrast, the Parisian Suite is intimate and light-driven. Classical proportions are preserved, anchored by an emerald-green lacquered bar. Works by Gérard Redoulès, antique lithographs and ceramic objects are set against a palette of sea green, ivory and light taupe, punctuated with restrained gilding.

For Rochon, the renovation fundamentally reframes the hotel as a residential address. As he puts it: ‘It’s a place to live, to make your own, to love as one would a Parisian home. It’s where classic and contemporary aesthetics converge, all while continually pushing the boundaries of modern hospitality.’

Four Seasons Hotel George V, Paris is located at 31 Av. George V, 75008 Paris, France

Tadashi Kawamata grew up in Hokkaido, Japan, where his father worked mining coal. This year, the celebrated artist is creating a permanent installation in Reims, France, where underground caverns contain champagne.

Conceived for Ruinart's 'Conversations with Nature' series, the installation comprises three artworks. One is an observatory, a wooden tower six metres high and shaped like an inverted champagne bottle, mirroring the cathedral-like chalk cellars where the company ages its wines. 'The cellar is a huge space that people can't see from the ground, so I really wanted to connect with a totally empty space, or a big kind of hole, on top,' Kawamata says. 'The people go up to the sky.'

Elsewhere, one of the artist's wood nests will cling to a corner of Ruinart's historical building, while a signature tree hut perches in the branches of a nearby tree.

Fabien Vallérian, Ruinart’s International Director of Arts & Culture, says he has had Kawamata on his wish list for years. 'For the Conversations with Nature, we look for an artist that is accessible to a large audience, but also very specific to us.'

Ruinart and Kawamata are launching the collaboration this month with an installation at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, including a tornado-shaped overhead structure inspired by the weather and the spider webs the artist noticed in the vineyards. At the same time, collectors can buy one of 20 three-litre Ruinart bottles in a wooden box Kawamata redesigned, with one corner sawed off and reconstructed from bits of wood.

Born in 1953, Kawamata did not come from a cultural milieu. He still prefers to hang out in cafés rather than museums. But he has always worked with his hands. As a child, he obsessively built little plastic fighter planes – the store-bought kits were meant to make one aeroplane, but he would find a way to build two. He wasn't scholarly, and painting seemed easy, so after high school, he applied and was accepted to the Tokyo University of Fine Arts. Tokyo impressed him with its speed and constant change, destruction and rebuilding.

At university, he discovered he was allergic to oil paint, both physically and artistically. 'I really wanted a different way to express my work, without a canvas or painting,' he says. One day after class, when he was alone, he took his easel and blank canvas and the other students' painted ones, and arranged them in the room – his first installation. The next time, he removed the canvas, leaving only the wood, his material of choice ever since.

This was the late 1970s, and few professors took any interest in what he was doing. But one did, along with some students, who pitched in to help. Kawamata started showing his work in apartments and galleries, eventually moving one installation out the window and onto the building's facade. By 1982, he was selected to represent Japan at the Venice Biennale.

Two years later, while finishing his doctorate in Tokyo, he accidentally sawed off the tips of three fingers on his left hand. He used the insurance settlement to live for a while in New York, where he exhibited at PS1, created imitation homeless shelters, hung out at CBGB and rubbed shoulders with Basquiat and Haring. 'I got so much inspiration from graffiti and street art,' he recalls.

In those early days, Kawamata built temporary, in-situ projects that he would then demolish, carting the materials elsewhere to make something new – 'like a circus.' He gravitated to wood because it was handy and inexpensive, often using scrap or vegetable crates. He was an early recycler, simply because it was practical. 'When I was working in the 1980s, nobody was talking about recycling. I was just working. Now people always say to me: 'Oh, you are like an ecologist.''

He travelled constantly, often for projects in Europe. In the early 2000s, someone offered him an apartment and atelier in Paris; tired of hotel rooms, he took it. He brought his wife over from Japan, and soon after was given a position teaching at the Ecole nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts. He has maintained studios in Paris and Tokyo ever since.

Unlike most artists of his standing, Kawamata has very few permanent assistants, and works on every piece himself. He often invites others – students, patients, local inhabitants – to collaborate in building them. A former student of his, Guillaume Sokoloff, is his right-hand man, driving him around, arranging for building permits, operating the crane when Kawamata is up a tree.

After visiting each site, the artist makes sketches and models of his ideas, though in the end his process includes a great deal of spontaneity. The results may seem haphazard, but every stick of wood is positioned precisely. His creations are both precarious-looking and invasive, exploring the tensions between construction and destruction, built and empty space, architectural grandeur and humble shelter.

He has filled in the remains of a bombed-out church in Kassel, Germany, with scaffolding; installed wooden 'favelas' in Houston; erected a tower of wooden chairs in the chapel of a Paris hospital; created a carpet of floating debris to honour the victims of the Fukushima tsunami. Visitors can walk on his footbridges, climb up his towers, take refuge in his hideaways. However, he has no pretensions of being an architect, and frequently calls upon engineers to ensure his artworks won't fall down.

Some of his themes are recurrent, such as tree huts, of which he's built more than 200 (all different), or nests, which he says represent a safe place in Japanese mythology.

Whereas Kawamata's creations were once ephemerous, now many are built to endure. He describes them as 'semi-permanent.' The wood will turn grey from the elements. Pigeons may roost in the nests. Some huts will come crashing down if and when their host trees fall. 'Everything changes,' Kawamata says. 'We cannot believe anything is permanent. We just stay together with nature.'

ruinart.com

Elegantly perched on 100 Rue du Bac in Paris is the new Kretz Real Estate physical agency in the capital. The name might sound familiar to those in the property world, or avid Netflix watchers for that matter, as the agency is at the heart of The Parisian Agency, a reality series featuring the Kretz family and the firm based in Boulogne-Billancourt.

Take a tour of Kretz Real Estate’s new office

The luxury firm reached out to interior architect and creative director Sophie Darriere of Label Experience, who designed the agency with one core principle: to create a flagship that acts as a lived-in space and reflects family life.

'Like a storybook unfolding page by page, the flagship brings to life the Kretz family’s remarkable journey in luxury real estate,' says Darriere. 'We designed a warm and inviting space, divided into multiple areas, reflecting the individual tastes and character of each family member.'

The façade is inspired by the Art Deco flair of the Kretz family’s private mansion on the outskirts of the capital. Entering through the doors, detailed with gilded brass, clients will be welcomed in the reception room, nodding to a classic Parisian café, which adjourns to the winter garden.

Darriere worked closely with Sandrine and Olivier Kretz and their four sons, Martin, Raphaël, Louis and Valentin, to make sure that each room was bespoke to them, reflecting on their own personal travels. The entrance, and small private salon for example, is an ode to the bistros that Martin Kretz adores for their vibrant energy.

Padel is another, unlikely source of inspiration. A sport loved by Raphaël Kretz, the private lounge is an elegant take on the game. Walls are in terracotta red, while the Plec steel coffee table by RS Barcelona adds texture. A Bauhaus-inspired touch is injected into the space through rounded forms and geometric lines via the Sesann leather sofa by Tacchini and the Evelina Kroon rug for Layered.

Next, journey to Barcelona, the adopted city of Louis Kretz, who delights in its carefree spirit and creativity. This is encapsulated by the sky blue ceiling and design forward furniture pieces and graphic rug by Layered.

Valentin Kretz also wanted the office to represent New York. Inside the ambience reflects the façade, with understated art deco touches. The linen-beige walls are accented by Stilnovo’s 1950s Megafono wall lights, while touches of chrome and metal furniture are placed throughout such as the USM steel storage unit in a timeless black.

The blustering seas of Normandy, where Olivier Kretz kite surfs, are referenced in the grand library lounge. With an underlying nautical theme, there are ocean blue stripes , natural lighting and an off-white bubble pendant which captures a classy seaside spirit.

Perhaps the most tranquil area of the home is the winter garden, which is nestled under a glass roof. Inspired by Sandrine Kretz’s favourite holiday destination, Brazil, there are layers of green coupled with rattan furniture, and lattice panels which feel grounded and organic.

It is in the small details that make the space feel like a home. From the custom designed bookshelf which displays novels, drawings and other trinkets and keepsakes, to the large Stanley sofa by Red Edition, which allows people to sit back and lounge, Label Experience has managed to capture each family member’s personality into an interior form which is playful, chic, and sophisticated, highlighting the family’s Parisian agency.

kretzrealestate.com
labelexperience.com

A fitting finale

Bill Prince, editor-in-chief

A rare standing ovation greeted the conclusion of Véronique Nichanian’s autumn-winter 2026/27 menswear show at Hermès last weekend – a fitting tribute to her 38 years leading the house’s men’s offer. The moment was capped by a showreel of her work over the years and a performance by one of her favourite artists, Paul Weller. It was a privilege to be present and witness the passing of the baton to Grace Wales Bonner, who shows next year. In the meantime, we bathed in a final walk defined, as ever, by the designer’s precision and elegance – a tutorial in contemporary tailoring that came with more than a flash of Véronique’s rock ’n’ roll spirit, with its inclusion of blush shearlings and high-shine crocodile suiting.

Modernism on the move

Ellie Stathaki, architecture & environment director

This week involved a bit of travel at the architecture desk. First, I visited Villa Beer, the newly reopened Viennese modernist classic by Joseph Frank and Oskar Wlach. What a treat it was to explore this rare 20th-century gem (as well as pay a visit to Hermann Czech’s beautiful miniature icon, the Kleines Café in central Vienna, where I bumped into none other than Mr Czech himself).

On Wednesday, meanwhile, I hopped on a preview tour of the upcoming Kanal-Centre Pompidou in Brussels. The Belgian capital has seen nothing like it – until November 2026, that is – when this significant (40,000 sq m) cultural destination will open, complete with an architecture centre, art galleries, public plazas, hospitality offerings and a playground by Assemble. Set in a former Citroën factory and showroom from the early 20th century, the building has been reimagined by a trio of collaborators: EM2N, noAarchitecten and Sergison Bates architects.

The project is nothing if not ambitious, and its authors are passionate about becoming an active and inclusive presence in the city’s urban realm. 'We are creating a museum where the centre of gravity won’t be the exhibitions,' said its managing director, Yves Goldstein, at a press conference held within the structure’s advanced building site. 'It will be the public space. We want to create a public space.'

A blues-beating ritual

Tianna Williams, staff writer

After what seems to be the longest January in history, I am grateful that we are inching closer to spring. Though the cold, wet months are not for the faint of heart, I have recently been trying to shift my perspective and embrace 'the cosy'. This includes journaling, sipping warm drinks and eating pastries in weather that can only be described as grim.

Central to this is a good candle (I have been thoroughly enjoying Ashley & Co’s Tui & Kahili scented candle, as well as their Coffee Date lip balm), your favourite mug (I love Nkuku), and blank pages on which to jot down your thoughts.

A world of craft

Anna Solomon, digital staff writer

A trip to Paris Design Week a couple of weeks ago yielded many beautiful destinations, but one stop has lingered: Astier de Villatte. Located on the Rue Saint-Honoré, just behind the Jardin des Tuileries, the boutique is an enchanting space devoted to ceramics, perfume and books. Astier de Villatte feels suspended in time, its old-world interior a higgledy-piggledy assemblage of objects that wouldn’t feel out of place on Diagon Alley.

The brand’s world also encompasses a letterpress printing atelier in l’Haÿ-les-Roses – one of the last in the world still printing books using lead – a publishing house and a perfume workshop. Founders Benoît Astier de Villatte and Ivan Pericoli have built its reputation almost entirely through word of mouth – relying on people who, like me, are so charmed by this shrine to craft and tradition that they can’t help but pass the story on.

A Portobello pit stop

Jamilah Rose-Roberts, social media editor

Last week, while wandering through Portobello in search of secondhand books and old cameras, the need to eat crept in slowly. Portobello has a way of doing that through all the walking and browsing. What I was craving was breakfast that felt solid and well made – somewhere I could sit, eat properly and carry on with the day.

Almost by accident, I stumbled upon Cleanse Juice Bar and Kitchen, a health café tucked neatly on the vibrant street, offering everything I was craving. The space is light-filled and unfussy, and the food leans into organic, fresh, carefully prepared ingredients.

Breakfast here feels super restorative. Vibrant bowls layered with seasonal fruit, grains and seeds arrive looking alive, with flavours that are clean and well balanced. The juices taste purposeful rather than sweetened – each one clearly built with care for the body. There is a sense that ingredients matter, that provenance is part of the pleasure. I recommend their Moroccan tea, which is delicious.

In a neighbourhood overflowing with choice, Cleanse Juice Bar and Kitchen feels dependable and consistent. If you are nearby and want a good breakfast, coffee, or buildable bowl, stop in – it is well worth it.

While the fortunes of the conventional auto show wax and wane – but mostly wane – the rearward-facing focus of Paris’ Rétromobile Show has never been in greater demand. 2026 marked the 50th anniversary of this classic car extravaganza, held at the city’s Expo Porte de Versailles (28 January – 1 February).

As well as the usual cluster of specialist restorers, high-end auction houses, memorabilia and spare-part stores, and longstanding enthusiasts’ organisations, the show featured a number of contemporary manufacturers.

The reason? Having a heritage is an important differentiator in a global car market dominated by brand-new names. The massed nameplates of China are making a substantial dent in the European car market.

Faced with bold design, new technology and unassailable prices, the old guard is fighting back by keeping one foot in the past. Peugeot was on hand to showcase the history of its soon-to-be-revived GTI nameplate, whereas Stellantis stablemate Citroën took a different tack.

Citroën’s display focused on the creativity of concept cars, highlighting the pipeline from design dreams to production reality. With eight key cars on display, dating all the way back to the 1939 Traction Avant 15-6 Cabriolet and including the recently released ELO Concept Car – making its French debut – Citroën is on a mission to reclaim its crown as both leftfield innovator and king of the mass market.

Admittedly, the pipeline analogy becomes a little more stretched in the modern era, where design and prototyping techniques allow for flights of fancy and fantasy that often go way beyond production realities.

To Citroën’s credit, some of the cars here, resplendent in their polychromatic 1980s and 1990s liveries, went on to influence key production models, although the rough and ready prototype of the 2CV, the 1939 2CV A, was more about engineering proof of concept than a statement of futuristic form.

The Traction Avant Cabriolet is one of only three prototypes, and is returning to the show after being exhibited at the very first Rétromobile in 1976. It’s joined by its 2CV A sibling, the pair making a remarkable statement about Citroën’s diversity of style in the late 1930s. Just four examples of this first series of 2CV survive.

With the ELO representing the modern day, the marque’s other concepts include the 1956 C 10, an exploration of aerodynamics in a teardrop-shaped form that wouldn’t look out of place in a Jacques Tati film.

The C 10 is starkly contrasted with Trevor Fiore's Citroën Karin, revealed at the 1980 Paris Motor Show. This brown wedge, with its three-abreast seating and pyramidal form, is perhaps the ultimate expression of 1970s-era design. Inside, the driver sits in the middle of a plushly carpeted cabin, with a multi-functional steering wheel and binnacle housing all the controls.

A few years later, Citroën was attempting to capitalise on its reputation for suspension innovation – the hydropneumatics system introduced in the legendary DS went on to define the company’s large cars for decades.

The 1988 Citroën Activa 1 marked the debut of ‘Hydractive’ suspension, which paired the original system with electronic control systems and went on to feature in the XM and Xantia models. The prototype was built by Bertone, a long-time collaborator, and was followed by 1990’s Activa 2.

The jazzy pastel hues and patterns of the Xanae mark it out as peak 1990s design. This lozenge-shaped minivan had a multifunctional interior and went on to influence the form and functionality of the original Citroën Xsara Picasso, launched in 1999.

The 2007 C-Cactus brings us practically to the modern era. The Cactus name made it to production as the C4 Cactus in 2014, sharing some of the concept’s stance and absence of conventional grille. The concept was a showcase for recycled materials, amongst other innovations, just as this decade’s Oli and ELO concepts have pointed to new manufacturing, material and layout arrangements.

‘For nearly 107 years, Citroën has continuously reinvented itself while remaining faithful to its fundamentals: meeting individual mobility needs, cultivating closeness with people, and offering comfort and design that are uniquely ours,’ Citroën’s CEO, Xavier Chardon, said before the show.

As well as bringing these models back into the public eye, the company also used Rétromobile to promote L’Aventure Citroën, a non-profit dedicated to company heritage. It’s where one goes to pick up spare parts, a Citroën toy and other merchandise, as well as engage knowledgeable restoration advice.

Citroën.com, @Citroën, Boutique-Laventure-Association.com, @CitroënHeritage, Retromobile.com

Much has been written about the contemporary relevance of haute couture, a rarefied dressmaking medium that is built on tradition and strict rules (to call yourself a couture house, you must adhere to those set out by La Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode). It remains best defined by its impossible flights of craft – each garment must be stitched entirely by hand in a process that can take hundreds of hours – and its elite cortege of clients, which numbers (by estimate) around 5,000 worldwide. ‘Couture is really a dying craft; it’s nearly extinct. There are only a few houses doing it,’ said Jonathan Anderson at his Dior couture debut this week. Such is its need for protection, he asserted, that after the show, he would open ‘Grammar of Forms’, an exhibition in the runway space allowing visitors to see his work in conversation with original designs by Christian Dior. ‘[I want] to demystify couture and inspire the next generation to ensure its future,’ he said.

The standout collections of Haute Couture Week S/S 2026

Though rarely has Haute Couture Week – which concludes in Paris today (29 January) – demanded so much attention. This was largely down to its two new custodians, Anderson at Dior and Matthieu Blazy at Chanel, both of whom would show their first couture collections during the event (their respective houses, two behemoths of Parisian style, are synonymous with haute couture, its design language filtering down to everything from ready-to-wear to cosmetics and perfume). Both seemed to shake off the weight of expectation in collections that expressed converging visions of contemporary couture – Blazy instilled everyday garments with an ethereal lightness through meticulous acts of craft (think: a hand-painted silk mousseline trompe l’oeil pair of jeans), while Anderson presented a ‘Wunderkammer’ of ideas in a bold collection full of intriguing forms and bold flourishes, from pom-pom cyclamen earrings to enormous coloured stoles.

Elsewhere, Daniel Roseberry’s latest Schiaparelli collection revelled in the joy of creation; Alessandro Michele staged a ‘peep show’ at Valentino; and at Armani Privé – in the first couture show since Giorgio Armani’s death – Silvana Armani, Mr Armani’s niece, took the reins this season in her own debut show. Here, we unpack the best shows of the week.

Schiaparelli

There is an enjoyable sense of spectacle to a Schiaparelli show, which in its 10am Monday morning spot heralds the start of Haute Couture Week. The models – who always seem to be having fun – parade around the Petit Palais in American artistic director Daniel Roseberry’s always theatrical creations, striking poses that spark nostalgia for the more outré runway shows of the 1980s (there is always good music, too: this season, the euphoric Jamie XX remix of Robyn’s ‘Dopamine’). This season, those creations spanned sculpted tops that sprouted spiking horns or enormous scorpion’s tails; sharp, wide-shouldered blazers adorned with plumes of feathers reminiscent of a bird’s wing; and delicate lace flowers that hovered and floated away from the body. There were some beautiful details besides: a flared dress in millefeuille tulle, which looked as if it had been cut away in chunks, and floating panels of degradé organza, dyed as if by bleeding ink.

Roseberry said that this season he had been inspired by a recent trip to the Sistine Chapel and Michelangelo’s famed ceiling: ‘a wild, visually rambunctious, vulnerable and romantic imagining of God, religion, faith, and the human condition’. The eclecticism of this season came from a desire to replicate the ecstatic feeling of the creative act, one that he imagined Michelangelo experiencing as he created his most well-known fresco. ‘I stopped thinking for the first time in years of how something should look, but instead about how I feel when creating it,’ he said. ‘That was it. The entire emotional heartbeat of this season became not what does it look like, but how do we feel when we make it? What a relief that was. What a revelation.’

Dior

There was a palpable anticipation in the room for Jonathan Anderson’s first couture collection for Dior, one compounded by Rihanna, whose late arrival only upped the anticipation. Under an upside-down meadow of wild cyclamen – inspired by a posy brought to him by former Dior creative director John Galliano – the collection that followed was a bold ‘Wunderkammer’ of ideas, which began with the curved form of a vase by ceramic artist Magdalene Odundo (a longtime collaborator of the designer). Her work inspired the ballooning shape of the opening gowns – constructed from ultra-lightweight silk and wire, they seemed to levitate away from the body – while the rest of the collection drew on creative mementoes, from Galliano’s posy of cyclamen (which here transformed into pom-pom earrings) to a series of found objects that became embellishment, whether historic cameo brooches or shards of meteors and fossils.

The idea, said Anderson, was for a dialogue of the past: an elevation of the precious and the rare (after all, haute couture is all about the singular and the one-off). ‘There’s this element in the show of how to upcycle things,’ he said in a preview before the show. ‘Like, how do we take something and reinvent it? Things are found, and then reassembled.’ This idea of reassembly ran throughout: sinuous bias-cut gowns recalled Galliano’s signature silhouette during his time at Dior, while a sculpted black coat, jutting out at the waistline, seemed to nod to Raf Simons’ own couture debut at the house (the Belgian designer was womenswear creative director from 2012-2015). But other pieces felt entirely Anderson’s own: inspired by nature, looks became sculptural marvels: satin protruded from the waistline of a skirt; flared gowns were constructed from delicate shards of pearlescent mother-of-pearl, while bell-shaped tops ballooned around the body to create otherworldly forms.

‘I think what is nice is that [as a team] we’re exploring – it is not about working out the idea before we start, or working out the end customer, because ultimately, we don’t know what people want,’ he says, likening the couture arm of the house to a creative ‘lab’. ‘That’s the whole point. I think the idea of designing things is to make people want something they didn’t want. If there’s one thing I’ve learnt at Dior, it’s just about putting ideas out [there].’

READ: Jonathan Anderson’s historic Dior couture debut was a bold ‘Wunderkammer’ of ideas

Chanel

Matthieu Blazy’s brief tenure at Chanel so far has seen the French-Belgian designer embrace joy and levity over the weight of history. ‘I just wanted to have fun,’ he said after his debut ready-to-wear show last October, a feeling immortalised by model Awar Odhiang’s twirling runway finale, one of the year’s most memorable fashion moments (she wore a skirt adorned with hundreds of kaleidoscopic silk feathers).

With his first haute couture show, he sought a similar feeling of lightness, staged amid a fantasy-land set of enormous mushrooms and toadstools, as well as fluttering candy-pink trees. In the collection, that lightness was physical: the opening looks saw the classic Chanel suit rendered in featherweight silk mousseline rather than its usual tweed, while trompe l’oeil silk mousseline trousers were painted to recall denim jeans (a version of the ‘2.55’ handbag was also constructed from the fabric).

He said it came from an impulse to strip it all away and attempt to get to the heart of what Chanel is: ‘What makes Chanel, Chanel? What is the essence and essentialism of the house? How do you bear its soul?’ As such, he largely eschewed the theatrical towards the simplicity of a wardrobe – these were clothes that women could actually wear – though elevated through truly extraordinary moments of craft. There was tweed that sprouted with plumes of feathers; bouncing streamers of fabric at the hems of skirts; or the final bridal look, a simple collared shirt and skirt adorned with hundreds of petal-like mother-of-pearl paillettes.

Blazy said it was an ode to what he sees as the heart of Chanel – the communion between maker and wearer. As such, each model chose something personal to be stitched into their look – from a treasured initial to a symbol of luck. ‘[I] consider this collection almost as a break,’ said Blazy. ‘Something magical, something that makes you dream, something poetic, a calm moment of quietness, almost like a Sunday morning.’

READ: At Chanel, Matthieu Blazy lets the light in with a fairytale first haute couture collection

Armani Privé

It was to be the first Armani Privé show without Giorgio Armani at the helm: this past September, he passed away aged 91 after an extraordinary 50 years in fashion. Like at the Giorgio Armani menswear show in Milan – which was helmed by longtime creative partner Leo Dell'Orco – this was a Privé collection not of divergence but of continuance, mining previous signatures of the haute couture offshoot, from sinuous crystallised gowns to Eastern influences (heavily inspired by Japan, Mr Armani saw his design vernacular as a conversation between East and West).

Away from the more high-profile debuts at Chanel and Dior, this too ushered in a new design lead: Silvana Armani, Mr Armani’s niece, took the reins this season, having worked alongside her uncle for over four decades. She titled the collection ‘Jade’, using the precious stone to inform the collection’s largely green palette, shifting from Armani-esque tailoring (for their haute couture twist, ties came in sheer organza) to gowns that flared below the waist using clever petal-inspired pleats. Look out for them on the Oscars red carpet this coming March – in their ethereal beauty, they have winner written all over them.

Valentino

Alessandro Michele prefaced his latest haute couture collection for Valentino with an ode to the house’s eponymous founder, Valentino Garavani, who passed away aged 91 last week. ‘What we do today takes place within a history not of our making, in a house long inhabited, rich with traces and gestures,’ he said in a letter distributed to guests. ‘To work within this space means accepting both its weight and its grace. It means recognising that every form exists only in relation to what made it possible, that every creative act is also an act of custody.’ (As well as Garavani, Michele also name-checked his forebears Maria Grazia Chiuri and Pierpaolo Piccioli.) Garavani’s legacy, Michele continued, was ‘an ethics of making… a practice grounded in the belief that to create is to care for, and that beauty consists in radical, patient attention to bodies and forms.’

The collection had been finalised before Garavani’s death, and was full of the gestures that made the Roman couturier’s work so enduring: a lust for the theatrical, a note of sensuality and romance, as well as more formal references, from ruffles and feathers to the bold red of the opening gown, Garavani’s favoured hue (such was its ubiquity in his work, it was deemed ‘Valentino Rosso’). The show set comprised a series of circular chambers through which models walked; guests watched through a series of peepholes opened by a butler at the start of the show (they were based on the 18th-century Kaiserpanorama, a subject of critic and philosopher Walter Benjamin’s work). It allowed pure focus on the looks themselves: an appreciation of that extraordinary act of making, undertaken by Michele in communion with the petites mains of the couture atelier. ‘Valentino’s legacy remains what it has always been,’ said Michele. ‘An idea of beauty conceived as a noble form of responsibility toward time, bodies and the world we are given to cross.’

The latest edition of Maison & Objet, Paris’ biannual homes and interiors fair, ran from 15 to 19 January 2026 at Paris Nord Villepinte, filling hall after hall with premium brands, innovative concepts and emerging talent across furniture, décor and lifestyle. The Wallpaper* team was on the ground to explore the breadth of the fair, from its headline exhibitions to an extensive programme of immersive experiences.

This edition's theme, ‘Past Reveals Future’, set the tone for a narrative celebrating the relationship between enduring craftsmanship and contemporary innovation. Here, the past was not treated as a static archive but as a living source of inspiration, continually shaping the future of design. These are our five highlights of Maison & Objet 2026.

Harry Nuriev named Designer of the Year

Russian-born architect, designer, artist and creative director Harry Nuriev was awarded Designer of the Year by Maison & Objet. He is known for his cross-disciplinary practice, which blurs the boundaries between architecture, interiors, furniture, art and fashion.

Nuriev is the founder and creative force behind Crosby Studios, a multidisciplinary practice delivering more than thirty projects annually across retail, fashion, hospitality and cultural institutions. His approach, described as ‘Transformism’, reimagines everyday objects and interiors as conceptual design and art. Operating as a ‘design anthropologist’, Nuriev offers a singular response to a world saturated with images, data and ideas.

Curatio

Returning after a successful debut, Curatio took the form of a collectible design village curated by German designer Thomas Haarmann. This gallery-style environment presented a journey through 60 works championing the ‘art of rarity’, with unique and limited-edition pieces designed for high-end interiors, restaurants, hotels and retail spaces. Haarmann’s distinctive aesthetic – balancing refined brutality with human sensitivity – shaped the narrative throughout.

Village Manufactures d’Excellence

A new addition to the fair, this space was dedicated to French savoir-faire and craftsmanship. Presented within a reimagined baroque scenography, it showcased the elegance of French artisanal excellence, with fourteen EPV-labelled houses ('Entreprises du Patrimoine Vivant', or 'Living Heritage Companies') in attendance.

In Materia

Conceived by style expert and trend forecaster Elizabeth Leriche, ‘In Materia’ offered a sensory exploration of raw materials – wood, fibre, glass, clay and stone – through unique and limited-edition works. Structured around four themes – ‘Germa’, ‘Terra’, ‘Fusio’ and ‘Crypta’ – the installation celebrated material transformation, the poetry of craftsmanship and the power of the human hand.

Outdoor Living and Eco-Materials Corner

Expanding the fair’s scope, these areas addressed the growing importance of responsible creation. ‘Outdoor Living’ reinvented exterior spaces as true extensions of the home, with 50 international brands presenting innovative lighting, furniture, pergolas and architectural solutions. Meanwhile, the 'Eco-Materials Corner' functioned as a laboratory for sustainable finishes and materials, demonstrating how environmental responsibility can coexist with contemporary design innovation.

Following a palpably quieter Pitti Uomo and Milan Fashion Week Men’s, Paris dialled up the energy with a busy few days to close out the A/W 2026 men’s season. Starting strong on Tuesday evening, proceedings got underway with a resolutely beautiful show from Auralee and a house party of sorts at Louis Vuitton, where Pharrell erected a contemporary home with glass walls, furniture and a lawn (made in collaboration with Shinji Hamauzu’s Tokyo-based architecture firm Not a Hotel) inside the brand’s foundation. Another blockbuster display followed at the Musée Rodin on Wednesday, where Jonathan Anderson presented his sophomore men’s collection for Dior. The Irish designer looked to couturier Paul Poiret for a collection which reworked codes of ‘history and affluence’, cementing his eclectic, reference-rich vision for the house.

As for the rest of the week, there was a mixture of new beginnings and momentous goodbyes. Joining the calendar for the first time was Bologna-based Magliano, who presented his Paris debut among mainstays Rick Owens, Comme des Garçons, Dries Van Noten, Issey Miyake and Sacai. Closing out the week was a swan song collection from Véronique Nichanian on Saturday evening (24 January), rounding out a 38-year tenure at the helm of Hermès’ men’s universe. She will be succeeded by British designer Grace Wales Bonner, who will present her debut for the heritage Parisian house in January next year.

Wooyoungmi

The Wooyoungmi showspace was covered in a fine layer of faux fur, giving the illusion that you were stepping onto freshly powdered snow. This season, Madame Woo began by thinking about dressing for the icy depths of winter (‘South Korean winters are cold,’ she prefaced) in a time-travelling collection which saw Edwardian double-breasted tailcoats and waistcoats edged with faux astrakhan meet more contemporary cold-weather attire, from puffer jackets lined in faux fur to elongated windbreakers. In part, Madame Woo drew inspiration from the opening of the Gyeongin railway in her native Korea, seeking to capture the magic of turn-of-the-century travel, ‘when [it] was something you dressed for, even in the freezing cold’. Here, dressing up had a playful bent: enormous beanie hats in chunky knits or faux fur teetered on models’ heads, while flashes of bold colour ran throughout. It made for a collection of satisfying juxtapositions, between modernity and tradition, function and play. JM

Hermès

Though Paris Fashion Week Men’s officially concludes this afternoon, yesterday evening’s Hermès show felt like the season’s final act. Indeed, for Véronique Nichanian, artistic director of Hermès’ men’s universe, it was to be her swan song: the concluding collection of an extraordinary 38-year-tenure at the Parisian house, one which allowed her to claim the title of the longest-working creative director of a major fashion house.

Not that Nichanian is one to dwell too long on the past. Staged at Palais Brongniart, which Napoleon I commissioned to house the Paris Stock Exchange, the designer took one last chance to hone her vision for the Parisian house’s menswear – one of timelessness and ease, whereby making a garment a pleasure to wear was paramount (silhouettes would evolve through the movement of a centimetre of fabric, while the materials which made up her collections were the result of endless experimentation and play).

Here, she once again looked towards menswear archetypes – the blouson, the parka, the peacoat and the double-breasted suit all featured in the collection – drawing on past collections to instil them with her signature ease. Fabrics, were, as ever, superlative: fluffy shearling and calf skin ran throughout, while high-shine crocodile, technical satin and a featherweight wool and silk faille added flair. ‘Everything fits together, but everything is mobile, alive, enduring, seamlessly, continuously, through a season made for a lifetime,’ she said via the collection notes.

The show closed with Nichanian taking a final lap of the runway, as the assembled guests rose to their feet for a minutes-long ovation. It was well-deserved: she is a testament that success can be achieved by pursuing pleasure and perfection over ephemeral trends. Backstage, she was asked for what advice she would give to her fellow designers. She smiled and said, ‘to slow down’. JM

READ: Inside Véronique Nichanian’s swan song runway show for Hermès

Kiko Kostadinov

There was a feeling of clarity to Kiko Kostadinov’s latest runway show, staged on the sunlit upper floor of the Grand Plateau – a former university in Paris’ 5th arrondissement – on Saturday morning. Scattered around the space were a series of Oscar Tuazon’s white-box sculptures, which Kostadinov described as ‘minimal, architectural forms’, though they also had an intriguing strangeness. What are they? What are they for? And what’s inside?

The same could be said of Kostadinov’s A/W 2026 outing: on their surface, these were clothes with a sense of uniform and simplicity (a feeling compounded in the largely monochrome looks), though – as with much of the Bulgaria-born, London-based designer’s oeuvre – beneath their surface was an intriguing use of pattern cutting to distort familiar menswear forms. ‘It is a return to the primary language of construction and material,’ he said. ‘The collection builds through sequential variation, developing fundamental cuts and silhouettes that are gradually adapted and evolved.’

This was largely achieved through a tension in the garments between a feeling of precision – sliced necklines, clean, uniform-inspired jackets, neat toggles and fastenings – and an impulse towards drapery and volume. The latter was explored in the collection’s brilliant closing looks: a series of tabard-style sweaters in vivid coloured stripes, whereby the hemline was pulled by the model all the way up and over the shoulder. With garments like these, Kostadinov said he designed them to be worn in a multitude of ways. ‘This is a collection that is happy being challenging, with an emphasis on producing clothes that actually bring something new to a wardrobe,’ he said. Jack Moss

Comme des Garçons Homme Plus

Rei Kawakubo titled her latest Comme des Garçons Homme Plus collection ‘Black Hole’, one of the small bits of information that the designer offers each season about her arcane thinking process (she instead challenges those who attend her shows to draw their own conclusions). ‘Let’s get out of the black hole,’ she elaborated, suggesting that this was her attempt to pull us out of the darkness and into the light (the finale saw models assemble on the runway en masse in all-white clothing, bolstering this tentatively hopeful mood). The visual leitmotif of this collection was a series of masks by Shin Murayama, recalling Jason Voorhees’ hockey mask from Friday the 13th (others saw Hannibal Lecter), which appeared to have been busted open to reveal models’ faces, while typically subversive tailoring had Kawakubo’s distinctive energy (silhouettes were sliced away to reveal the midriff or flared just above the waistline; others bloomed with ruffles, or patchworked with panels of black sequins). As ever, this was a pitch from Kawakubo for liberation through clothing – indeed, as one motif scrawled on the collection read, ‘my energy comes from freedom’. Long may that last. Jack Moss

Willy Chavarria

Part of the reason that American designer Willy Chavarria shifted his seasonal runway show from New York to Paris was to ‘reach more people’, he told Wallpaper* last year. ‘Moving the show to Paris as such an American brand was about having a global message – a message of humanity that’s about people in all countries,’ he said at the time. Yesterday afternoon at a vast judo dojo on the edge of Paris – marking his third runway show in the city – he made his loudest statement yet, staging an all-singing, all-dancing musical spectacular in front of 2000 guests (a large number had been invited from influencer Lyas’ ‘La Watch Party’, an initiative which invites the public to watch live-streamed runway shows in a series of community screenings; here, in a suprise gesture, they got to attend the real event).

Unfolding under a vast screen reminiscent of those at a rock concert – the designer’s name scrolled across at the show’s start – the floor had been transformed into a reimagining of a New York City intersection, complete with a gleaming Cadillac, phone boxes and bus stops, on which a cast of characters enacted a tale of love, loss and high drama. They included the Chilean-Mexican singer Mon Laferte and Puerto Rican performer Lunay as a pair of star-crossed lovers; boy band Santos Bravos, who bounded around the stage in unison, and the Italian singer-songwriter Mahmood. On the runway, a cast of over 100 models – including Julia Fox, Romeo Beckham and Goldie – walked alongside.

While the clothes occasionally came second to the spectacle, Chavarria’s design vernacular remains distinct: namely, riffs on working uniforms and sportswear, inspired by his adopted home city of New York (Chavarria was born to an Irish-American mother and Mexican-American father in Fresno, California; his collections also draw on his heritage and upbringing). The show was presented in three sections – Big Willy, a see-now-buy-now line with a streetwear focus; an Adidas collab (this season, football was an inspiration); and his eponymous Willy Chavarria – with the latter capturing a nostalgic elegance in 1950s-inflected tailoring and ladylike gowns, calling on the silhouettes of mid-century haute couture.

At the end of the show, the entire cast returned to the stage – including Chavarria himself, who wore a T-shirt that read ‘Protection is Love’. The applause was, unsurprisingly, rapturous. ‘The connection between us is powerful. We are in this together,’ he said. ‘All of us.’ Jack Moss

Junya Watanabe MAN

Presented yesterday morning in a shadowy set space lined with cafe tables, Junya Watanabe’s latest collection for his namesake label continued the legendary designer’s fascination with crafting clothes that expand the imagination. In recent seasons, this has taken the form of extrapolating garments from their original purpose to create something entirely new, often with fantastical effect. Last September, he went so far as to pile red high heels onto models’ shoulders.

Yesterday morning, however, Watanabe’s deconstructive motifs took on subtler cues. A series of impeccably dressed men, some wearing top hats, emerged from the darkness in tailored looks crafted from a mishmash of lustrous and everyday materials. The effect was a surreal Magritte-meets-Dickens elegance, with tuxedo jackets assembled from latticed leather and classic wool coats patchworked with plaid shirting. Formality was offset by a collaboration with Stüssy, which saw the skate brand’s insignia sprayed across the backs of suits and puffer jacket hoods spliced onto pinstriped tailoring. Transportive and original, he titled it ‘The Best, Dressed’. Orla Brennan

IM Men

The vaulted nave of Collège des Bernardins, a 13th-century Cistercian school, provided an atmospheric backdrop for IM Men’s third show in Paris, which was titled ‘Formless Forms’ (the Issey Miyake brand replaced Issey Miyake Homme Plissé on the schedule). Designers Sen Kawahara, Yuki Itakura and Nobutaka Kobayashi said that this season they were imagining those moments at the ‘seam of a day’, dawn and dusk, moving from the opening looks in black and white towards a kaleidoscopic finale (a section in optic white was interspersed between). ‘Moments when something begins, and when something ends,’ they elaborated.

But, as the collection’s title suggested, this was at heart a show about form: the endless possibilities of a singular piece of cloth has long been at the heart of the Issey Miyake project. The collection’s expressive silhouettes – largely cut generously, and wrapping around the body, like the scarf-inspired looks towards the end of the show – were developed through endless fabric experimentation. Like the pieces they called ‘Clay’ (presumably for the material’s malleable quality), a heat-treated ribbed knit, which allowed the team to create sculptural silhouettes around the body that would not have been able to be achieved in flat pattern-making.

Other pieces were cleverly padded – life-raft-style or crafted from Kasuri-woven fabric, where yarns are pre-dyed to make intriguing patterns once on the loom. If the processes behind each garment were complicated, the result was anything but: these were clothes which appeared to have been made with the simplest of gestures – ‘formless forms’, appearing like magic from the darkness. Jack Moss

Rick Owens

Rick Owens has never shied away from a little controversy, but this season he initially felt some hesitation around the dominant theme of his new collection – military uniforms – given the state of global current affairs. Carrying on nevertheless, the designer chose to travel down a road of ‘parody’. In a steam-filled room within the Palais de Tokyo, where the American designer has shown for over ten years, Owens’ army of goth warriors emerged through the smoke in a series of looks that twisted combat uniforms through his unmistakable codes. Silhouettes were armour-like and structured or sinuously body-hugging, crafted from protective glossy black bull leather and kevlar – a fibre used in modern combat wear that is stronger than steel – and worn with ‘grotesquely’ bloated police boots. Designed to be protective and adjustable, such as leather vests worn under detachable sleeves, these were clothes fit for battle.

Beneath the intimidating allure of Owens’ glam rock gods was the work of a global community of craftspeople. Transformable outerwear was cut from waxy cowhides tanned in Japan and made in a specialist atelier in Atsugi, performance fabrics were sourced from a third-generation Italian mill, tough insulating cabas were felted in a small workshop in Rajasthan, while shaggy shearlings and goat hides were crafted in collaboration with London designer Straytukay. And, if the gothic storylines of Owens’ world have earned him the moniker of fashion’s Prince of Darkness, his genius has always been in his balance of sentiments, always offsetting intellectual depth and beauty with humour and a touch of sleaze. Choosing to title the collection Tower – a continuation of sorts of his ‘Temple of Love’ display in Paris last season – yesterday’s display was a particularly sharp example of exactly that. It was, he said, ultimately ‘a prayer for love and hope.’ Orla Brennan

Amiri

Los Angeles native Mike Amiri has shown his collections in Paris since 2018, but this season he decided to bring a bit of the Californian hospitality he grew up with to the French capital. He invited guests to the covered market Carreau du Temple in the 3rd, where the designer had recreated a Laurel Canyon home he described as ‘a luxurious den’ complete with a careworn curation of furniture and objects. The clothes this season were also close to home, drawing upon a lexicon of West Coast influences that are close to the brand – shifting eras of music culture, the Golden Age of cinema, and the louche glamour of the art scene that settled in the city during the 1970s. Expressed in an earthy palette of burgundies, brown and teals, the overall mood was one of superstar sensuality – sinuous sheer gowns followed by nostalgic tailoring worn over barely buttoned up shirts, biker-inflected second skin leather and all-American denim worn with Western accessories and embellished knits. These were, said the designer, ‘clothes that feel like an extension of who you are,’ adding that this collection was a particularly special one, straight from ‘our reality, our heart, our home.’ Orla Brennan

Dior

Jonathan Anderson’s second menswear show for Dior began with the British designer noticing a blue plaque for the French couturier Paul Poiret on Avenue Montaigne, just outside of Dior’s spiritual home at number 30 (in 1946, Christian Dior founded the house in a four-storey hotel hôtel particulier on the street; it remains the home of the house’s haute couture atelier today). Poiret, who began his career in 1898 but would rise to prominence in the 1910s, was known for a fluid, uncorseted line, vivid fabrications and theatrical flourishes, often borrowing from world culture (such was his influence on Belle Époque fashion, he went by the nickname ‘Le Magnifique’). Having acquired a Poiret gown, Anderson fantasised about how this would look clashed with the codes of Dior: in the opening looks, Anderson presented a series of vest tops in sequinned silk, as if that gown had been sliced away at the waist, with skinny jeans (thanks to Hedi Slimane’s Dior Homme, these are part of the house’s menswear lexicon).

What followed was a collection of vivid experimentation, a continuation of his exploration of codes of ‘history and affluence’ that began in his debut, imagining a gang of ‘aristo-youths’ dashing down a Parisian street (a short film released before the show by Jessica Madavo showed just this). So there were ultra-shrunken riffs on the Bar jacket in tweed and denim; cotton polo shirts adorned with crystal epaulettes; while jackets with enormous ‘fur’ cuffs, shimmering sweaters and undone dinner suits suggested a mood of dressing up (Poiret was well-known for his fancy dress parties; bright yellow wigs added to the liberated mood). ‘For me, fashion shows are about showing ideas,’ Anderson said of the collection, which was happily without inhibitions. ‘I don’t want normality.’ Jack Moss

Lemaire

It's true that runway shows have lost much of the exuberance of decades past, which makes it all the more refreshing when a brand brings a bit of theatre back to fashion week. Inviting guests to the imposing modern opera house Opéra Bastille in Paris’s 12th arrondissement, yesterday afternoon Christophe Lemaire and his co-artistic director Sarah-Linh Tran did exactly that. The pair enlisted choreographer Nathalie Béasse to stage a piece titled ‘mine eyes’, which imagined a Fantasia-esque world where domestic objects have ‘souls’ and fabrics and colours are able to ‘speak’.

Moving through the space, some holding chairs, models brought this tableau to life dressed in looks that pushed Lemaire’s sharp codes – artful pleats, asymmetrical draping and billowing tailoring – to expressive new realms. An attention to fabrication was particularly strong this season, with ideas of illusion explored through materials that played tricks on the eye; crushed velvet that looked metallic, lacquered denim with a leather-like sheen, and coated cotton resembling dry silk. Shapeshifting took on a more literal meaning in hybrid pieces, such as quilted silk skirts that double up as capes or blankets, and the brand’s ubiquitous asymmetrical draped dresses cut in colour block dual tones. Men, meanwhile, were dressed in a wardrobe of a largely Western mood, where bootcut tailoring was layered with deerskin-style outerwear and leather boots (although a few pieces seemed to look to the east, such as mandarin jackets in supple calfskin leather.)

Continuing a surreal theme, French illustrator Roland Topor’s dark dream worlds inspired accessories, with leather bags that loosely took on the shape of buttocks and seashells. Layering so many ideas in a single collection is a gamble, but with Lemaire and Tran’s discerning execution it worked, making for one of the most memorable displays the pair have produced in some seasons. Orla Brennan

Louis Vuitton

Pharrell Williams’ latest menswear collection for Louis Vuitton was one of sartorial trickery. He called it ‘timeless’, and it was certainly rooted in the canon of menswear classics – double-breasted tailoring, gentlemanly overcoats, Harrington jackets, cableknit sweaters all featured. But, thanks to the Wonka-lik wizadry of the house of Vuitton, these were transformed through futuristic fabrications developed by the house’s atelier (in Williams’ words: ‘a wardrobe structured from lasting forms elevated through the artisanal and scientific ingenuity of Louis Vuitton’). So there were jackets that appeared to be constructed from houndstooth or herringbone tweeds, but were actually a light-reflecting technical yarn (a use of trompe l’oeil ran throughout); silk and chambray jackets with in-built thermoregulatory technology; jackets applied with crystals to appear as if the wearer had been caught in a rain shower; or simply a T-shirt crafted not from simple cotton but ultra-soft vicuña.

Williams also used the occasion to reveal Drophaus, a prefabricated home in wood and glass that sat in the centre of the showspace. Described as a ‘future living concept’, it was made in collaboration with Shinji Hamauzu’s Tokyo-based company Not a Hotel, which has created a series of architect-led vacation homes across Japan. It was another attempt to create something timeless: ‘Drophaus is my vision of the future – something that makes sense today or 20 years from now because it’s built on function, savoir-faire and real human need,’ Williams told Wallpaper*. ‘I’m not an architect. I’m a solution builder.’ Jack Moss

READ: At Louis Vuitton, Pharrell Williams reveals ‘future living concept’ designed in collaboration with Not a Hotel

Auralee

With the festivities of December a distant memory and days as short as they are bracingly cold, January can feel like a spiritual affront. Last night in Paris (20 January), a day after ‘Blue Monday’ – the most depressing day of the year – one of the menswear calendar’s most sensitive designers, Ryota Iwai of Auralee, presented an affirming shot of life amid the gloom. Asking simply ‘What makes winter joyful?’, the collection found its starting point in moments of luminosity and seasonal calm, such as the feeling of crisp morning air on the skin or the delicate way that winter sun filters through cloud lines.

In practice, this resulted in a resolutely wearable co-ed collection, crafted with a deft elegance that has long been Auralee’s DNA (last year the brand celebrated a decade of business). Seeking ease in roomy shapes, the show opened with a series of looks that played with contrasting textures of comfort – reassuring deep piles of shearling hidden inside outerwear and warming textiles of nep yarn, tweed, and cashmere, which became wrap skirts edged with fringe that resembled classic scarves. Several looks harnessed the ease of throwing on a perfect pair of jeans on a winter Sunday, while lightness came in graceful silk georgette dresses and barely-there technical layers that mixed neutral tones with shocks of primary blue, yellow, and red. Ending with a series of sturdy, dark looks of timeless chic – an enveloping midnight-black duffle coat, a simple grey merino wool set – it was, as intended, a bid for joy in deepest, darkest winter. Orla Brennan

For more updates, read our live blog from Paris Fashion Week A/W Men’s 2026, where we’re covering everything from presentations to parties.

Pharrell Williams, the creative director of Louis Vuitton’s menswear line, is a true multi-hyphenate. Designer, musician, producer – and, as of now, architect, having revealed a ‘timeless future living concept’ in the middle of his A/W 2026 runway show for the Parisian house. It was presented (on the evening of 20 January) in a specially constructed show space next to Fondation Louis Vuitton in Paris’ Bois de Boulogne, having also been teased on Instagram before the show (a series of clips showed architectural models and plans, captioned with ‘building the future’).

The building is a collaboration with Shinji Hamauzu’s Tokyo-based Not a Hotel, a company that has created a series of vacation homes across Japan, which are architect-designed and sold by fractional ownership, rather than the typical renting of rooms (‘it was important to signify that we were completely different from your regular hotel,’ Hamauzu told Wallpaper* when he was awarded a 2023 Design Award for the project). In February 2025, Williams and his close collaborator Nigo were announced as ‘investors and creative advisors’ for the company, with several projects in the works.

The building itself is titled ‘Drophaus’, named for the way it finds inspiration in a droplet of water. Compressed glass walls mimic a water drop; the effect, says Williams, is that the lines between the home and the garden are blurred (in the show set, it was surrounded by Japanese-style terraces and long grasses). He says that the living space is one of an ‘outsider’s design mindset’, which is about ‘reimagining disciplines around feeling, function and cultural relevance’.

‘I grew up around water, I’m drawn to it, I build and create my best work close to it. Drophaus is based on a water drop, so if you stand back and take the roof and the ceiling off, it’s just a drop,’ Williams tells Wallpaper*. ‘If I can’t live in water, this is the closest thing. Drophaus is my vision of the future – something that makes sense today or 20 years from now because it’s built on function, savoir-faire and real human need. I’m not an architect. I’m a solution builder.’

True to this multidisciplinary approach, Drophaus also features ‘Homework’, a new furniture series whereby each object has ‘ten per cent imperfection’ – whether in their irregular forms or undulating textured surfaces. Williams says he designed them to emphasise this as a place for living: reflecting this, the invite for the show was a pair of leather slippers imprinted with the show’s date. And, at the start of the show, a trio of models explored the home, before walking the grass-covered runway.

Scored by a live choir, the collection explored themes of timelessness: Williams said that these were pieces designed to ‘endure rather than expire’. This was largely done through fabrication: menswear archetypes – from the trench coat and the double-breasted suit to classic workwear – were reimagined through experiments in material, from ‘houndstooth’ and ‘herringbone’ that were actually reflective technical yarns to crystal embroidery designed to evoke droplets of water.

louisvuitton.com

Follow along with our Paris Fashion Week live blog for more updates.

If uniformity typically informs social housing, Renée Gailhoustet, the pioneering Algerian-French architect (1929-2023), proposed something richer.

Efficiency, and its close cousin uniformity, have long been the defining logic of modern residential architecture, translating to repeated layouts, familiar footprints and buildings designed to perform with predictability. Arguing that architecture that’s unique isn’t just for the affluent but is deserving of the masses, Gailhoustet took tailor-made spaces out of the realm of privilege and luxury and transported them into that of the wider community, famously proclaiming, 'I don’t believe in typologies. I believe in life.'

Enter the world of architect Renée Gailhoustet

Open until 21 March 2026, ‘A Thousand and One Ways of Living’, a new exhibition at London’s Architectural Association, revisits Le Liegat, Gailhoustet’s labyrinthine social housing complex located in the working-class Paris suburb of Ivry-sur-Seine. This important case study of her work was completed in 1982. It presented an unconventional vision of social housing, delivering over 1,500 unique apartments with tailor-made floor plans, all within budget – quite literally, providing more than a thousand ways to live.

Curator of the exhibition, Nichola Barrington-Leach, says: 'Gailhoustet’s philosophy is rooted in the principle that everyone, regardless of income, class or circumstance, is deserving of beauty, care and dignity.' Building on her research on Le Liegat, the show brings together drawings, spatial study models by design studio NVBL, and photographs by Sacha Trouiller and Valerie Sadoun, centring on the residents' experience, as much as the architectural craft that made it possible.

Ascending the stairs of the Architectural Association, a 1:1 paper model snakes between two exhibition rooms. Barrington-Leach explains: 'It's very hard to understand Ivry-sur-Seine without experiencing it in person, so we built a partial piece of one of the residences.' Through a medley of models, photography and installations, the exhibition conjures a range of altitudes, reminiscent of Le Liegat apartments themselves. Gentle paper doorways and openings suggested by the installation invite viewers into small, acute nooks and intimate solo views of the exhibits.

Meanwhile, an elevated platform references the raised levels featured in every Le Liegat apartment, allowing for ʻgreen terraces which had at least 40cm of soil, enough for gardens to flourish’ and meaning that trees could populate the 10,000 sq m complex. The result is a kaleidoscopic layer cake of apartments and lush vegetation. Aside from the human aspect, Barrington-Leach notes, ‘Her buildings and masterplans also became landscapes and ecologies as well as residences.’

Despite an architectural practice that consistently challenged conventions, Gailhoustet only received her first major award at the age of 88. With the architect working alongside Raymonde Laluque, the commissioning urban planner, Barrington-Leach says: 'It required two strong women for Le Liegat to happen.'

With an approach to housing that is profoundly humble, 'A Thousand and One Ways of Living' explores radical principles that cater to communities with a purposeful generosity. Where architectural form becomes secondary to a sensitive understanding of variety in lived experience and access to prime views, bespoke interiors and lush gardens are not an indication of income or status, but simply a requisite of care.

'Renée Gailhoustet: A Thousand and One Ways of Living' is on show at the Architectural Association in London until 21 March 2026

We are a team of design magpies, so everywhere we go, we search far and wide for the most exciting launches. We are also incredibly fond of contemporary design's history, so we naturally gravitate towards the brands that each year revisit historical creations and iconic pieces from the past.

At Paris Design Week last week, many of our highlights involved vintage design: from Petite Friture's momentous presentation of the brand's first ever reissue to the relaunch of historical French Maison Ecart from our friend Pierre Yovanovitch, we were spoiled for choice.

Below, we bring you our favourite furniture reissues from Paris Design Week 2026.

Best furniture reissues from Paris Design Week 2026

Petite Friture

René Herbst created the Sandows collection of furniture in 1927: the French designer, a leader of the Modern Movement, was a pioneer of steel furniture design, favouring the material for its mass-production possibilities. The collection is brought to the future by Petite Friture, the first time the French company works on historical designs, and features the Chair N°212, the Armchair featuring wooden armrests, and the Daybed N°114. Herbst's practice eschewed ornamentation in favour of clean lines, and this trio of furniture designs feature the clean graphic language of tubular frames with an intuitive use of sandows to create the seats.

Agapecasa

Agapecasa's latest reissue is the 1959 ‘Schwob’ table by Angelo Mangiarotti and Bruno Morassutti. The latest chapter in the Italian company's ongoing exploration of Mangiarotti's distinctive design universe, the table is defined by essential forms, structural precision and material honesty. Originally designed for Le Corbusier's Villa Schwob in La Chaux-de-Fonds, the table is conceived as 'a modular horizontal landscape,' and features two side handles, integrated into the structure and becoming both a recognisable design gesture as well as a functional element.

Liberty

To mark its 150th anniversary, Liberty has unveiled ‘The House of Liberty’ wallpaper collection, drawing on more than 60,000 archival designs. The collection distills the company's history into three chapters – ’Arts Club’ (1860-1875), ‘Town House’ (1875-1910) and ‘Painter’s House’ (1960-1980) – reinterpreting historic patterns for contemporary interiors. Seventeen hand-painted designs span panoramic murals, wide-width landscapes, floral trails, painterly ditsies, refined geometric and grasscloth finishes, all rooted in Liberty’s distinctive palette and textural richness. Writer: Anna Solomon

Ecart

Two years since acquiring Andrée Putmanhistorical design maison Ecart, Pierre Yovanovitch has relaunched it with an intimate presentation. The company will continue to manufacture works by some of the designers from Ecart's old catalogue, that included Jean-Michel Frank, Pierre Chareau and Eileen Gray, and for its launch, Yovanovitch chose a collection of pieces by American-Hungarian émigré Paul László. The newly-reissued pieces include an ‘Avondale’ sideboard, first produced in the 1950s, featuring a 'woven' wood veneer (pictured here).

Leleu

In Paris last week, Maison Leleu unveiled ‘Classiques Modernes’, a collection that revisits the house’s art deco heritage while embracing the freer, bolder and more feminine direction introduced by Alexia Leleu. Designs on view included the ‘Ève’, ‘Coco’ and ‘Marilyn’ chaise longues and the ‘Aglaé’ cabinet, now reinterpreted using contemporary materials, notably Dedar fabrics. The resulting dialogue between craft, materiality and modern expression feels genuinely fresh, underscoring Leleu’s ongoing reinvention of French haute décoration. Writer: Anna Solomon

Retrospection at Paris Design Week

Anna Solomon, digital staff writer

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

A new voice emerges

Charlotte Gunn, director of digital content

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

A taste of home

Sofia de la Cruz, travel editor

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

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

A perfect pilgrimage

Anna Fixsen, US editor

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

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

Written in the stars

Bill Prince, editor-in-chief

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

A practice in motion

Ellie Stathaki, architecture & environment director

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

Inside Lalique’s Paris showroom, an imposing townhouse in the 8th arrondissement, the French door panes and handles are masterful works of crystal, reflecting the maison’s meticulous attention to detail. It was here that the brains behind the operation, creative and artistic director Marc Larminaux, presented the brand’s 2026 collections during Paris Design Week.

Lalique’s central offering is ‘Air de Lalique’. Founded in 1888 by René Lalique, a passionate admirer of nature, the brand has always drawn inspiration from the natural world – and more recently, from the elements, which this collection continues to explore. It transforms the intangible into crystal, with pleats, grooves and rivulets of undulating pattern. ‘Designing around air allows us to explore lightness without fragility. It invites us to design not only forms, but sensations,’ says Larminaux.

‘Air de Lalique’ is presented in two iterations: Chapter I, available from March 2 2026, features signature pieces such as the ‘Alizé’ vase, whose colour palette evokes the warmth of a sunset, alongside limited editions in hand-applied rose gold leaf that shimmers like captured light. The collection also includes the ‘Alizé’ bowl, a wide form balanced on three feet, seemingly lifted by an invisible current.

‘Chapter II is unified by the idea of air as movement captured in crystal – whether through light, illusion or elevation,’ continues Larminaux. Launching on September 1 2026, the second iteration of ‘Air de Lalique’ centres around the ‘Alizé’ lighting collection. Each piece – portable lamps, desk lamps, table lamps, wall sconces and ceiling installations – unfolds like fabric moving in the breeze, diffusing light to create a soft, emanating glow.

2026 marks the centenary of the ‘Tourbillons' vase, once assumed to be the handiwork of René Lalique but later discovered, through archival research, to have been designed by his daughter, Suzanne Lalique Haviland, in 1926. The occasion is celebrated with a new edition finished with a coral patina. ‘Revisiting the 'Tourbillons' vase reminds us why Lalique exists: to transform nature, movement and light into crystal,’ says Larminaux.

Larminaux also introduced ‘Teddy Air’, his own personal experiment. These sweet-coloured bear sculptures appear inflated, like balloons, with pink and blue iridescent lusters suggesting a metallic sheen. ‘[They embrace] tenderness and nostalgia, while [other collections] reconnect with Lalique’s naturalistic heritage,’ says the creative director. ‘Both are legitimate expressions of the maison. Lalique has always oscillated between audacity and poetry.’

The creative director reflects on the brand’s evolving identity: ‘I hope [people] will understand that Lalique is not defined by a single era or style. It is a living maison that evolves… while remaining rooted in its values.’ In that spirit, it has ventured into artistic collaborations for the first time: the recurring ‘yawning man’ figure from the work of Chinese cynical realism artist Fang Lijun is brought to life in three dimensions using the lost-wax technique, an ancient method for crafting metal and glass objects. Unlike traditional Lalique pieces, Lijun embraces imperfections, with each head a swirling mass of bubbles and bleeding colour.

From the poetic fluidity of air captured in crystal to collaborations that blur the line between art and craft, Lalique demonstrates in its Paris presentations that true artistry lies not only in preserving tradition but in reimagining it for the future.

Paris Déco Off and Maison & Objet have descended on the city, bringing designers, buyers and industry enthusiasts to its bustling streets. Wallpaper* is on the ground, trawling for the most exciting launches and emerging trends of 2026. Below, we highlight our standout presentations across furniture, textiles, objects and more. From craft-focused fabrics to versatile seating and a distinct wealth of archival revivals, these are Wallpaper’s picks from Paris Design Week, showcasing both rising currents and the enduring craftsmanship of the city’s design houses.

A study of light at Rubelli

Rubelli’s 2026 collection, ‘Luce’ – meaning ‘light’ – takes inspiration from the behaviour of light, exploring its interaction with shape, colour and space. Marking a departure from the house’s traditional botanical motifs and fundamental geometries, ‘Luce’ treats fabric as an active participant in its environment, filtering and reflecting light in captivating ways. Silks and satins such as ‘Aurora’, ‘Ripple’ and ‘Dark Lady’ reveal luminous sheens and dynamic visual effects, while jacquards like ‘Spotlight’ introduce bold geometric patterns in intense hues. Reflecting a broader trend this year, the collection also extends outdoors, with textiles designed to capture sunlight and the shimmer of the sea.

A history lesson at L’Objet

L’Objet’s ‘Grand Tour’ collection draws on the 18th- and 19th-century tradition that saw young aristocrats travel through Europe discovering classical art, architecture and natural sciences as a cultural rite of passage. Reimagined for contemporary interiors, the collection presents dinnerware as modern souvenirs. Each piece is crafted from fine porcelain, enriched with hand-applied 24ct gold and decorated through a complex multi-layer decal process that echoes the precision of pietra dura stone inlay. Illustrated botanicals evoke semi-precious stones such as jade, lapis and carnelian, recalling the objects of curiosity once gathered by grand tour travellers. The result is striking.

More looking back at Dedar

Dedar’s 2026 collection celebrates, once again, a dialogue between contemporary design and historical references. Long drawn to figurative motifs, the house now looks to tapestry traditions, reimagined tartans and kaleidoscopic patterns inspired by the Centre Pompidou, alongside cosmic influences recalling constellations, cave paintings and hieroglyphics. The palette moves from soft pastels to vibrant hues, while textures span fluid satins and sumptuous velvets to elegant mohair and handcrafted raw silks. Across fabrics and wall coverings, the collection fuses history and modernity, abstraction and figuration.

A chandelier like no other at Baccarat

Baccarat has teamed up with designer Harry Nuriev for an exhibition at Maison Baccarat. At its centre is a radically reimagined ‘Zénith’ chandelier, integrating everyday objects – pens, bottle caps, CDs, children’s toys – into its intricate crystal form. The piece embodies Nuriev’s philosophy of ‘transformism’, repurposing objects while preserving their memory and blurring the line between art and function. The exhibition also revisits Baccarat icons, including the ‘Harcourt’ glass, carafe and ‘Sirius’ crystal ball, engraved and enamelled with words and images. This collaboration reframes crystal as both a luxury and a conceptual medium, offering unexpected perspectives on classical forms.

Glass that looks like wind-blown fabric at Lalique

Lalique’s ‘Air de Lalique’ collection explores the essence of air – its lightness, movement and transitory nature – rendered in crystal. It's presented in two chapters, the first introducing sculptures inspired by a gentle breeze, with satin-polished undulations, sunset hues and coral patinas, including the signature ‘Alizé’ vases and bowls. The second chapter reimagines pleated crystal as luminous lighting objects. Artistic director Marc Larminaux also unveiled a personal experiment, the neo-pop ‘Teddy Air’ series, whose forms convincingly evoke inflatable balloons. Beyond ‘Air de Lalique’, the house marks the centenary of Suzanne Lalique Haviland’s ‘Tourbillons’ vase with a coral reissue, and also expands into artistic collaborations – with Chinese artist Fang Lijun and the Magritte Foundation.

Elegant furniture at Leleu

Maison Leleu unveiled ‘Classiques Modernes’, a collection that revisits the house’s art deco heritage while embracing the freer, bolder and more feminine direction introduced by Alexia Leleu. Iconic designs – including the ‘Ève’, ‘Coco’ and ‘Marilyn’ chaise longues and the ‘Aglaé’ cabinet – are reinterpreted using contemporary materials, notably Dedar fabrics. The presentation is enriched by contemporary jewellery from Catherine Le Gal and a curated selection of artworks developed in collaboration with Spaceless Gallery. The resulting dialogue between craft, materiality and modern expression feels genuinely fresh, underscoring Leleu’s ongoing reinvention of French haute décoration.

Liberty opens the archive

To mark its 150th anniversary, Liberty has unveiled ‘The House of Liberty’ wallpaper collection, drawing on more than 60,000 archival designs. The collection distills the company's history into three chapters – ’Arts Club’ (1860-1875), ‘Town House’ (1875-1910) and ‘Painter’s House’ (1960-1980) – reinterpreting historic patterns for contemporary interiors. Seventeen hand-painted designs span panoramic murals, wide-width landscapes, floral trails, painterly ditsies, refined geometric and grasscloth finishes, all rooted in Liberty’s distinctive palette and textural richness.

Indoor-outdoor versatility at Ginori 1735

Ginori 1735’s ‘Domus’ capsule collection, designed by Luca Nichetto, brings together furniture, lighting and decorative objects with a fluid indoor-outdoor sensibility. Many pieces are designed to transition seamlessly between settings, reflecting a growing emphasis on versatility. Presented as a series of environments – outdoor, lounge, dining, office and café – the exhibition evokes a range of moods, from quiet contemplation to social vitality. A highlight is the ‘LaVenus’ chair, a sculptural reinterpretation of the brand’s classic armchair. Throughout the collection, Nichetto articulates a holistic vision of contemporary living that is playful, elegant and responsive to evolving lifestyles.

Silk Road-inspired textiles at Fischbacher 1819

Fischbacher 1819 unveiled the ‘Silk Road Collection’, a textile narrative inspired by the historic East-West trade routes. Drawing on the landscapes, crafts and artefacts encountered along the Silk Road, the collection translates deserts, mountains and ancient cities into rich textures, patterns and materials. Spanning upholstery, drapery, wall coverings and decorative elements, the palette moves from sun-warmed neutrals and mineral tones to the deep blues and greens of Central Asia and Persia. Sustainability is integral, with recycled and natural fibres used throughout. The result is a celebration of cultural exchange, reimagined through a contemporary lens.

An icon reimagined at Agapecasa

Agapecasa continues this year’s theme revisiting of design heritage with the re-edition of the 1959 ‘Schwob’ table by Angelo Mangiarotti and Bruno Morassutti. Defined by the essential forms, structural precision and material honesty of the 1950s, the piece was originally designed for Villa Schwob in La Chaux-de-Fonds. The table joins the broader ‘Mangiarotti Collection’ – alongside the ‘Eros’ table, ‘Tre3’ chairs, ‘Cavalletto’ system and ‘CAP53’ vases – together articulating a dialogue between historic architecture, midcentury innovation and contemporary reinterpretation.

Global craftsmanship at De Le Cuona

De Le Cuona leaned into another key theme of the week: craftsmanship. An installation featuring the short film True Luxury Takes Time accompanied a preview of the ‘Woven Earth’ collection, inspired by global landscapes ranging from Chinese rice paddies to American deserts and Incan trails. The collection explores the meticulous process of transforming natural fibres into luxurious textiles, with sculptural seating and layered fabrics inviting visitors to engage with the pieces firsthand. Through this immersive presentation, De Le Cuona underscores its commitment to heritage, sustainability and the poetry of global craft traditions.

Tactile wall coverings at Élitis

Élitis’ 2026 wallcovering collections transform walls into sensorial canvases, balancing delicacy with intensity. Crafted from silk, handmade papers, natural fibres, weaves and mineral textures, the designs draw inspiration from Japanese aesthetics, 1930s-40s modernism and volcanic landscapes. The ‘Écume’ range evokes the ocean through gesso shells, metallic jacquards and mother-of-pearl patinas. ‘Lanzarote’ translates basalt and aquamarine into textured surfaces, while ‘Madagascar Arrowroot Raw Raffia’ blends tropical fibres with luminous highlights. Élitis has created wallcoverings that are both visually striking and tactilely engaging, elevating walls into truly memorable surfaces.

Playing with light at Sahco

Sahco unveiled ‘Linger’, an upholstery and drapery collection that plays with light, illusion and texture. The fourth release from creative director Bengt Thornefors draws on a wide range of artistic influences – from Bettina Rheims’ sharp femininity to Mark Borthwick’s luminous water – with textiles moving from Lurex birds on sheer organza and rippling matte cotton to transparent twills, eel-skin-like surface and light-catching jacquards. A standout is 'Firo', a shimmering modern tartan woven in Norway. The palette stays restrained but rich, with blacks, whites, greys, greens, purples, navies, pinks and a touch of red, all presented within a grand, Berlin-inspired scenography.

Setting the scene at Nordic Knots x Marie-Anne Derville

Nordic Knots presented ‘Scène d’Intérieur’, a new interior narrative by Marie-Anne Derville. Set in a Paris apartment designed by Andrée Putman at Hôtel d’Hallwyll – once Derville’s home – the installation explores the life of a collector. The space functions as a living archive, where subtle traces – a glass by the bed, an open book, a slightly displaced chair – suggest a life in motion. Nordic Knots’ new ‘Grand’ rug colours – Emerald, Sakura and Pecan – are the focal points, layering jewel-green depth, springlike blush and a warm leather-like glow across antiques, M.A.D furniture and contemporary pieces.

A tradition reimagined at Ateliers Lison de Caunes

Artist-designer Garance Vallée was invited by Ateliers Lison de Caunes to reinterpret straw marquetry for Paris Design Week, bringing the craft into a modern era. In her first engagement with the tradition, Vallée merges the art deco legacy of André Groult with her hybrid aesthetic of geometric and organic motifs. A standout piece is a one-of-a-kind folding screen featuring trompe-l’œil effects and varied volumes, combining straw marquetry with engraved steel and aluminium by master metalworker François Pouenat. The work balances traditional craft with digital tools for a bold, transgenerational reinterpretation.

Monde Singulier x Necchi Architecture

'Ec8' is Necchi Architecture’s first furniture collection, created exclusively for Monde Singulier. Designed by Charlotte Albert and Alexis Lamesta, it reinterprets family furniture through deliberate anachronism, embracing its bourgeois roots while adding modern humour and irreverence. The collection juxtaposes matte and glossy finishes, noble and modest materials, and industrial processes with artisanal craftsmanship. Drawing on art deco and modernist references, it features rich lacquer tones – deep burgundy and green – paired with unexpected contrasts and stainless steel accents. Each piece is designed to be passed down as a family heirloom while remaining practical for everyday use.

Pierre Yovanovitch

Alongside his collection with Ecart, Pierre Yovanovitch introduced ‘Beauregard’ at Paris Design Week. Named after the historic townhouse that houses his Paris headquarters, the collection blends past and present through curved silhouettes, sculptural volumes and luminous detailing. ‘Beauregard’ comprises nine pieces – dining table, chairs, desk, three coffee tables, console, daybed and desk lamp – crafted in natural or dark-stained aerogommé chestnut. Lacquered bases in blue, brown, red or black highlight the clean lines, while brass sabots add refined accents. Each piece requires more than 50 hours of craftsmanship, with 20-30 layers of lacquer applied by master artisans.

Opulent patterns at Lelièvre

Lelièvre Paris took over La Pagoda, a historic Parisian landmark, to unveil three new collections, staged by designer Edgar Jayet. ‘Escales Lointaines’ explores travel through materials, weaving exotic landscapes with basketry-inspired textures, maritime knot geometries, botanical and Asian references and occasional metallic yarns. ‘Îles du Vent’ is the brand’s first in/outdoor line, inspired by Caribbean light, lush jungles and sunlit shores, blending tropical vibes with outdoor performance. Finally, ‘Festivités 2026 – Quenin’ revisits historical brand Quenin's heritage with bold, opulent materials and theatrical patterns, celebrating French hedonism, luxurious entertaining and the art of décor.

Bringing the outdoors in at Little Greene

Little Greene’s sixth wallpaper collection with the National Trust, ‘In the Garden’, celebrates gardens and the people who created them. The eight designs draw from formal landscapes, private plant collections and historical floral artefacts cared for by the Trust, with each pattern coordinating with Little Greene paint shades. Highlights include ‘May’s Tulip’, inspired by Arts & Crafts designer May Morris, ‘Castle Garden’, based on Sissinghurst’s iconic garden rooms, and ‘Mr Straw’s Greenhouse’, featuring a 1930s Nottinghamshire grocer’s cactus collection.

French artist Philippe Weisbecker has been exploring form, structure and object for several decades now, producing delicate artworks on subjects ranging from American trucks and Japanese water tanks to landmark buildings around the world.

Themes evolve over days, months and years, inspired by a constant desire to ‘do everything and show everything’, says Weisbecker. But whether they depict a bright orange skip or a series of complex structural beams, somehow, all manage to be simple yet insightful, capturing what is often missed out as we go about our daily lives.

Unsurprisingly, they have acquired quite a following – from New York, where Weisbecker moved in his 20s and became a sought-after illustrator for prestigious publications such as The New Yorker, to Japan, where he took part in an artist-in-residence program at Kyoto’s Villa Kujoyama and has collaborated with brands including Muji.

Combining drawings and architectural studies, his ‘Architectures’ series is now the subject of a new exhibition at Paris’ Yvon Lambert Gallery, a space designed in 2017 by Dominique Perrault for gallerists Yvon Lambert and his daughter Ève Lambert.

With ‘Architectures’, on show until 1 March, Weisbecker offers a unique perspective on the built environment, condensing complex structures into almost elemental forms to create beautiful drawings in his unique graphic language. Combining new works and earlier pieces, the result is ‘a celebration of what remains when we strip things of all that is superfluous,’ as the gallerists put it.

‘We have had the pleasure of collaborating with Philippe Weisbecker for over ten years,’ says Ève Lambert. ‘We are particularly sensitive to his work and to his deeply poetic perspective. Through his delicate approach, he brings a true sense of nobility to the everyday objects he depicts, and invites us to look anew at the world around us.’

If at first Weisbecker sought to faithfully reproduce the buildings that inspired him, he soon realised that what really interested him was ‘the skeleton of buildings, their structures, the vectors of force that organise them’. Hence a large drawing of Notre-Dame de Paris, showing the lesser-known back of the cathedral, and its semi-circle of graceful flying buttresses.

The drawing features on the exhibition’s poster and is the latest of a series depicting Parisian landmarks. 'Since our first collaboration with Philippe, we have produced posters for each of his exhibitions,’ explains Ève. ‘This body of work traces a journey through Paris: after the Cirque d’Hiver for the exhibition Élémentaires in 2018, Place des Vosges in 2020, and the Carreau du Temple in 2023, Notre-Dame was an obvious choice to illustrate the poster for Architectures.’

Other drawings show the Fulton Houses housing project in Manhattan, and various factories and warehouses – a particular favourite of the artist. ‘For someone like me, who enjoys drawing minimalism, it’s a subject of choice,’ says Weisbecker. ‘When I look at a warehouse, I like to ask myself what might be inside.”

Also featured in the exhibition are artworks inspired by electrical cabinets and vessels. The À ras-bord (‘to the brim’) series shows dark vessels in subtly different shapes, highlighting the beauty of the neck of a pot. ‘I’m drawn to emptiness and fullness, to black and white,’ explains Weisbecker. ‘In both, the mystery remains intact.’

yvon-lambert.com

It was two days before the reopening of French design gallery Ecart, and Pierre Yovanovitch was discussing with his team how to best display the swivel feature of a low-backed chair. The chair was not one of Yovanovitch's own sought-after designs, but, rather, created by the Hungarian-born American designer Paul László some 80 years ago.

Ecart International was founded by the legendary French designer Andrée Putman in 1978 to reissue important design pieces by neglected early 20th-century talents such as Jean-Michel Frank, Pierre Chareau and Eileen Gray. Yovanovitch acquired the company two years ago by buying the artisanal furniture maker D'Argentat, which then owned it. When Yovanovitch took over Ecart (he subsequently dropped 'International' from the name), the once beloved brand was, as he says, 'sleeping'.

Now he has big plans for it. 'We have an open road ahead of us to do beautiful things.’ Under his artistic direction, D'Argentat will craft every reissue as a faithful replica of the original. 'The same proportions, the same material,' he says. 'It's an homage to the designer to do exactly what they had in mind.'

A new era for Ecart

The company will continue to manufacture works by some – though not all – of the designers from Ecart's old catalogue. Yovanovitch is particularly excited about reviving other historic names from France, Italy and the United States, noting, 'I can enter the lives of designers I've always admired.' (He won't, however, produce any of his own furniture for Ecart, keeping it under the umbrella of his eponymous brand.)

László was an easy choice for Ecart's first new collection (which will be made to order). Around 25 years ago, while decorating a townhouse in Paris, Yovanovitch picked up some striking pieces by the designer at vintage galleries in Los Angeles. The Hungarian émigré had been a favourite of the Hollywood elite, with clients including Elizabeth Taylor and Ronald Reagan, and his brand of California modernism blended the formality of European modernism with the comfort and volume of American luxury lifestyle.

'After that, his name was always in my head,' recalls Yovanovitch. 'And when we wanted to relaunch Ecart, I said why we don't start with this American designer that I like? We contacted the family, and they were super enthusiastic.'

László's son, Peter, agrees. 'I think my father would be both proud and amused that some of his pieces are being recreated again. His only concern would be that the quality of the reissued pieces be kept to the same exacting standards of the original pieces. I’m very pleased that the Yovanovitch team has done such a fantastic job.'

Ecart still occupies its former Left Bank gallery space on Rue Jacob, recently renovated with an elegant (though risky!) white carpet and midcentury gold-yellow walls. Within, Yovanovitch has arranged ten newly reissued pieces by László.

A ‘Palisades’ coffee table in the gallery window has a transparent Lucite top, a solid wood base and a reflective stainless steel detail on the feet. 'It looks like nothing else,' raves Yovanovitch. An ‘Avondale’ sideboard, first produced in the 1950s, features a 'woven' wood veneer. A fabulous low ‘Wilshire’ console was originally made for screenwriter/producer Joan Harrison around 1942. And an ‘Arcadia’ armchair with an open wood frame, splayed legs and rattan seat and back is sure to please contemporary American clients with its generous proportions.

On the walls, archival photos show László's designs in California homes, along with a quote from him that's as relevant today as his furniture: 'One million dollars will not build the perfect house. You somehow can't put everything you want into it. It's largely a matter of taste, judgment and talent.'

Ecart, 18 Rue Jacob, 75006 Paris

The new year brings travel into focus. While the months ahead may herald anticipated openings, 2025 has already delivered a series of assured arrivals – hotels led by design, intent and context. From Taipei’s first luxury opening in over a decade to the long-awaited Chancery Rosewood, and a Saudi resort carved into the landscape itself, these projects stand apart. Each has a singular character, and each is worth the journey.

The best hotel openings of 2025

Capella Taipei

Long-awaited in the Taiwanese capital, Capella Taipei marked the city’s first true luxury hotel debut in over a decade. Conceived by André Fu, the hotel occupies part of a newly built glass tower by Tokyo’s Mori Building Group, unfolding as a modern urban mansion shaped by the Hong Kong-born designer’s own encounters with Taipei. The 86-room property sits in a calm, subtle palette, where bespoke fixtures and artisanal details form a sophisticated urban bolthole. Four on-site restaurants sharpen the hotel’s profile, while the dramatic Glasshouse crowns the ensemble with a three-storey bar complex. A minimalist spa, finished with beige barrel-vaulted ceilings, completes the picture with celestial, lunar-led treatments.

Capella Taipei is located at No. 139, DunHua N Rd, Songshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 105

Read our full review of Capella Taipei

The Chancery Rosewood

Once Eero Saarinen’s modernist vision of American diplomacy, the former US Embassy on Grosvenor Square re-emerged this year as The Chancery Rosewood. A sensitive restoration saw British architect Sir David Chipperfield and French interior designer Joseph Dirand recast the Grade II-listed landmark as an all-suite hotel defined by Rosewood’s high-touch hospitality. Across 144 suites, softened geometries, tactile layering, and a palette of neutrals and burnished tones create a cocooning sense of calm; a language echoed through all public spaces and the Asaya Spa. Eight restaurants and bars introduce their own unhurried atmospheres, including the first European outpost of New York institution Carbone and Japanese chef Masa Takayama’s Tobi Masa. Meanwhile, the seventh-floor Eagle Bar opens onto panoramic views across London.

The Chancery Rosewood is located at 30 Grosvenor Sq, London W1K 9AN, UK

Read our full review of The Chancery Rosewood

Desert Rock Resort

Set within Saudi Arabia’s dramatic Hejaz mountains, Desert Rock Resort rises directly from millennia-old granite. Fifty-four villas and ten suites feel almost geological. Conceived by Oppenheim Architecture, the resort doesn’t impose itself on the terrain; it yields to it. Stone quarried during construction was folded back into the architecture. Studio Paolo Ferrari brought the same reverence to the interiors, allowing the raw power of the setting to remain the focal point. Dining unfolds across Nyra’s elemental wood-fire kitchen, Mica’s forward-thinking cocktail programme, Basalt’s reassuring comfort dishes, and Wadi’s lively poolside scene. On the valley’s far edge sits the spa, built against a towering rock face.

Desert Rock Resort is located at 7GQVP67Q+5P 48561, Saudi Arabia

Read our full review of Desert Rock Resort

The Eve Hotel Sydney

The Eve Hotel Sydney arrived as a vibrant new marker on the cusp of the Central Business District. Designed as a warm brick-and-biophilic low-rise by local firm SJB, with landscape architect Daniel Baffsky and interior designer George Livissianis, the hotel balances architectural restraint with bursts of colour. The 102 rooms, hued to the Australian bush, each feature balconies overlooking shingled rooftops and greenery. On the food front, guests can choose between Bar Julius, a European-inflected lobby bar, and Lottie, the rooftop Mexican restaurant and mezcaleria. Also upstairs, the Sukabumi-tiled rooftop pool beckons, though the surrounding mix of native and exotic flora demands equal attention.

The Eve Hotel Sydney is located at 8 Baptist St, Redfern NSW 2016, Australia

Read our full review of The Eve Hotel Sydney

Few & Far Luvhondo

Husband-and-wife adventurers Jacob and Sarah Dusek introduced Few & Far Luvhondo, a safari eco-lodge offering front-row access to the raw wilderness of South Africa’s Limpopo province. Designed by Nicholas Plewman Architects in collaboration with Ohkre Collective, the lodge’s six cliff-edge suites take their sculptural cues from Africa’s most emblematic trees, notably the monumental baobabs that anchor the surrounding landscape. Nature continues indoors, where clay-toned earths, sky blues and deep greens echo the terrain. In the kitchen, chef Nhlakanipho Soxhela leads a thoughtful farm-to-table programme celebrating regional cooking. Days unfold through immersive encounters with land and culture, from daily game drives to outdoor yoga sessions or guided mindfulness practices.

Few & Far Luvhondo is located at R523, Waterpoort, 3813, South Africa

Read our full review of Few & Far Luvhondo

La Fondation

Once a parking lot, La Fondation emerged as a brutalist shell softened by warm hues and muted tones that ripple through its ten floors. Paris-based architecture firm PCA-STREAM reimagined the exterior, while New York studio Roman and Williams infused the interiors with a modern, eclectic character, accented by nods to Piet Mondrian’s De Stijl palette and geometry. Muted tones and artisanal detailing define the 58 guest rooms, and two on-site dining venues offer a mix of French classics and contemporary dishes overseen by chef Thomas Rossi. The latest opening from Groupe Galia also introduces open co-working areas, a health club with a climbing wall, a spa with a semi-Olympic pool, and a rooftop garden with views from Sacré-Cœur to the Eiffel Tower.

La Fondation is located at 40 Rue Legendre, 75017 Paris, France

Read our full review of La Fondation

Patina Osaka

With the Osaka Expo pulling global focus, Patina Osaka debuted at just the right moment. Set in a 20-storey glass tower by Jun Mitsui & Associates Inc. Architects, the property, which marked the Japan debut for the Singapore-based group, sits between the Osaka Castle and Naniwa-no-Miya-Ato Park. Tokyo-based studio Strickland shaped the interiors with crisp Japanese geometries, softened by sculptural curves and copper accents that nod to the castle. Five dining concepts anchor the hotel, fronted by P72, where Japan’s 72 micro-seasons inform dishes served beneath a dramatic timber ‘roots’ installation. The Patina Spa is the real draw, offering hyperbaric oxygen, cryotherapy and holistic treatments for a full-spectrum reset.

Patina Osaka is located at 3-91, Banba-cho, Chuo-ku, Osaka-shi, Osaka, 540-0007, Japan

Read our full review of Patina Osaka

The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien

A ten-building beach resort with plenty of swagger became The Standard’s fourth outpost in Thailand, pairing luxury with the brand’s trademark wit and creative flair. Led by the group’s global head of design, Verena Haller, alongside DIN Studio and Studio Lupine, The Standard Pattaya Na Jomtien occupies a sculptural white complex by Thai firm Onion, whose undulating curves echo their work for The Standard Bangkok and Hua Hin. Its 161 rooms, offered in seven generous configurations, feature high ceilings and sunlight-drenched spaces. Dining spans Sereia, an elegant seafood restaurant sourcing from Thailand’s eastern seaboard, and Esmé, a beach bar channelling CDMX street food. The adults-only spa, Mmhmmm, embraces the mud-bathing renaissance with a dedicated outdoor terrace for the ritual.

The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien is located at 8/12 Moo 2, Soi Na Jomtien 10, Na Jomtien, Sattahip, Chonburi 20250, Thailand

Read our full review of The Standard, Pattaya Na Jomtien

Villa Dubrovnik

Long a friend of Wallpaper,* Brazilian architect Arthur Casas and his studio led the reimagining of Villa Dubrovnik, the 1961 modernist landmark perched dramatically above the Dalmatian coast. Guided by the Croatian philosophy of fjaka –an artful devotion to unhurried living – the interiors are measured and serene, grounded in local tradition. Custom blankets and cushions, woven with patterns drawn from regional dialects, thread a quiet sense of place through all 56 rooms. Dining unfolds across moods: Restaurant Pjerin for refined dégustation or à la carte dining, Giardino for relaxed lunches, and aperitivo-worthy views at Libero Bar or the rooftop Galanto Bar. When the Adriatic sun takes its toll, the spa delivers restorative facials, massages, and exfoliating rituals.

Villa Dubrovnik is located at Ul. Vlaha Bukovca 6, 20000, Dubrovnik, Croatia

Read our full review of Villa Dubrovnik

W New York – Union Square

W Hotels’ evolution trades party-first theatrics for grown-up confidence, without losing its spark. The shift is clearest at W New York – Union Square, the global flagship, alongside newer openings in Florence and Budapest. Opened in 2000, the hotel has been reimagined by original architects Rockwell Group with a lighter, more assured hand. Its 256 rooms and suites balance scale with playfulness. On the food front, Seahorse pairs heritage and modernity with unmistakable New York ease; the high-energy Living Room (once a ballroom) serves cocktails and light bites, flowing into the laid-back Living Room Café; and upstairs, the 17th floor is home to Union Square’s only rooftop bar.

W New York – Union Square is located at 1567 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, United States

Read our full review of W New York – Union Square

What, at its essence, is a fashion boutique? It’s a space for brands to present their wares, yes – but in today’s luxury landscape, that definition feels insufficient. The most influential brands now prioritise universe-building as much as they do merchandising. Customers aren’t purchasing a garment so much as an aesthetic worldview – and the boutique becomes a tangible expression of that vision.

In 2025, this idea crystallised into a full-scale revival of fashion retail. A series of brands unveiled high-concept stores that treated fashion, art and design as a whole. JW Anderson has restyled its stores as design-driven marketplaces offering not just clothing but ceramics and other crafted objects. Extreme Cashmere introduced a boutique where the clothing nearly disappears into a domestic setting. A series of smaller stores have also emerged: like Jake’s, the Saturday-only store which sees Jake Burt, one half of London-based label Stefan Cooke, sell an ever-changing roster of weekly one-offs designed by him and his friends (pastry chef and model Louis Thompson provides the cakes).

Here, we are focusing on the store design itself: from Stone Island’s experiments with cutting-edge tech to stores-turned-galleries, these were the retail concepts that defined 2025 in fashion.

Acne Studios, Tokyo

Acne Studios’ new three-level Aoyama flagship blends minimalist architecture with playful textures. Designed by co-founder Jonny Johansson and Halleroed, the glass-lined, garage-like space is clad in pink granite and filled with vibrant furnishings by the likes of Max Lamb and Benoit Lalloz. The store remains faithful to Acne Studios’ Scandi roots, but nods to Japan through details like candy-bright ceramics by Takuro Kuwata.

READ: Step inside Acne Studios’ pink-hued Tokyo flagship: ‘fashion is supposed to be fun’

Miu Miu, London 

Miu Miu’s revamped New Bond Street store feels clean and contemporary, defined by an industrial metal grid floor, crisp lighting and bold yellow-green display cases. Upstairs, warmer touches – parquet, plush rugs and a sculptural wooden ceiling – add softness. Crucially, this space is conceived as more than a boutique; it functions as a cultural and social hub.

READ: Inside Miu Miu’s ‘proudly modern and minimal’ new London store

Longchamp, New York

The showstopper at Longchamp’s revamped New York flagship is the vivid green steel-ribbon staircase. Thomas Heatherwick returned to reimagine his 2004 design, shifting focus from theatricality to a warm ‘Parisian apartment’ feel. An opened-up upper floor, green carpeting, vintage furniture and eclectic art create a refined but lived-in atmosphere.

READ: Thomas Heatherwick revamps his New York flagship for Longchamp – 20 years after he first designed it

Extreme Cashmere, Amsterdam

At Extreme Cashmere’s Amsterdam store, opened in April, the display of garments is almost secondary to creating a home-like spirit. Plush carpets, a stainless-steel kitchen block, a ‘cashmere spa’ washing machine and curated objects encourage intimate, relaxed interaction with the brand’s sizeless, genderless pieces, which are displayed market-style.

READ: Extreme Cashmere reimagines retail with its new Amsterdam store: ‘You want to take your shoes off and stay’

Dries Van Noten, London

In March, Dries Van Noten ushered in a new era under creative director Julian Klausner, following the founder’s 2024 departure. A new London store on Hanover Square followed, housed in a former bank. The two-floor space showcases fashion and beauty amid artworks by Hockney, Man Ray and Tracey Emin, plus eclectic furniture, design pieces and a vinyl corner.

READ: Dries Van Noten’s new London store is an eclectic, art-filled haven

JW Anderson, London

Jonathan Anderson is slowly but surely steering JW Anderson towards a lifestyle focus, with stores now mixing in art, ceramics and homewares – from Akiko Hirai pieces to Charles Rennie Mackintosh stools. Gallery-style displays spotlight works by Mary Stephenson, Gwen John, Christina Kimeze, Robert Kulicke and more, underscoring a growing curatorial slant. In December, a Pimlico Road store – designed by Sanchez Benton – continued to hone this vision, seeing fashion, art and interiors converge.

READ: JW Anderson’s new London store is an inviting emporium of fashion, art and homeware

Saint Laurent, Paris

Saint Laurent’s recently opened Avenue Montaigne boutique offers a museum-like experience. Across three levels, muted rooms showcase not just garments, but furniture by Süe & Mare, Paul Poiret, Jean-Michel Frank, Charlotte Perriand and Josef Hoffmann, as well as works from the Pinault Collection, including art by Mark Bradford.

Stone Island, New York

Stone Island boldly stepped into the future with its SoHo flagship, embodying CEO Robert Triefus’ refreshed vision. Designed by AMO, the two-storey space showcases the brand’s ‘lab’ ethos of material innovation, featuring charred cork, stainless steel and immersive digital screens. A subterranean lounge with a DJ booth and bar completes the experience.

READ: With exclusive merch and a secret lounge, Stone Island’s New York flagship is all about discovery

Loewe, Paris

Loewe’s first ‘Casa Loewe’ on Avenue Montaigne evokes an art collector’s home. Colourful ceramic tiles meet marble, brass and concrete, illuminated by abundant natural light. The space is furnished with pieces by Gerrit Rietveld, George Nakashima and Isamu Noguchi, which sit alongside Loewe leatherwork, rugs inspired by John Allen and an eclectic art collection spanning Franz Erhard Walther to Domingos Tótora.

Dior, Shanghai

Christian de Portzamparc’s House of Dior boutique in Beijing is a freestanding, five-storey flagship wrapped in sculptural white resin ‘petals’ and golden glass panels. Not only does this lantern-like behemoth blend couture and architecture, it also incorporates lifestyle – home to a restaurant from Anne-Sophie Pic, OMA-designed displays, VIP salons and art-filled interiors alongside floors of fashion.

READ: Inside Christian de Portzamparc’s showstopping House of Dior Beijing: ‘sculptural, structural, alive’

Paris-based design lovers, take note: Item Idem, the French conceptual artist and collector otherwise known as Cyril Duval, is launching ‘The Holiday Market’ on Wednesday 26 November 2025. Located at 12 rue Bleue, the exhibition takes the form of an eccentric Christmas market blending art, design, rare editions and unexpected objects.

The exhibition’s window display is a playful dialogue between high and low art: Philippe Starck’s iconic garden gnomes created for Kartell sit alongside Paul McCarthy’s inflatable Brancusi Tree, whose suggestive form is imagined here as a Christmas tree.

Inside, browse and buy designs that showcase Duval’s postmodern sensibility: highlights include a monumental, colourful wardrobe by Alessandro Guerriero of Studio Alchimia; pieces from Olivetti's Synthesis 45 line, a modular furniture system by Ettore Sottsass, founder of the Memphis Group; and other Memphis Group pieces by Martine Bedin and Peter Shire.

Also featured are editions by conceptual artist Lawrence Weiner, furniture by Pierre Colleu for Starform, works by contemporary artist-designer Nik Kosmas, mirrors and editions by Superstudio, and additional 1980s Starck pieces. Brimming with collectible and iconic works, ‘The Holiday Market’ is a veritable feast for modern design enthusiasts.

In this space, Duval – who calls himself a ‘cartographer of pop culture volatility in the TikTok era’ – welcomes visitors into what he describes as a ‘polyphonic world’ and an ‘experiment in cultural and recreational retail’. The exhibition is staged with subtle irony: set in a former Auchan supermarket, a worn ‘click-and-collect’ sign hangs on the door, reflecting an art world increasingly driven by commerce. The works on display are presented as Shanzhai objects – imitations or knock-offs of well-known brands – with Duval calling the show the ‘yin to the Shanzhai Biennial’s yang’. The setup playfully implies that art can be picked up as easily as milk or eggs, poking fun at traditional art-market conventions.

‘Item Idem’ (a pun on the Latin phrase meaning ‘the same thing’) refers to both Duval’s pseudonym and his online store – which sells items like Barbara Kruger’s Performa 17 pop-up hoodies and T-shirts and MSCHF’s infamous red boot. The artist’s installations are experiments in late-stage capitalism – Yukio Mishima portraits coexisting with Karl Lagerfeld Be@rbricks – creating a world where high art collides with pop culture irreverence.

'The Holiday Market' is open from November 26 until late February 2026 at Item Idem, 12 rue Bleue, 75009 Paris

12:00 - 20:00, closed on Wednesdays and Sundays

This is the latest instalment of The Inside Story, Wallpaper’s series spotlighting intriguing, innovative and industry-leading interior design.

This transformation of a two-level, late-1990s apartment in the heart of Sydney unites two seemingly disparate influences: sun-drenched Aussie vibes and the elevated grandeur of a Parisian flat. Layered throughout are design moments oriented towards one of the home’s most enviable assets: its show-stopping view of the city skyline.

The project is the work of Dylan Farrell Design, led by New York duo Dylan and Nicolette Farrell. The 465 sq m home – comprising four bedrooms and four bathrooms – was conceived for a couple with whom the Farrells have a long-standing relationship, which afforded the creative trust needed to take bold aesthetic risks. A willingness on the part of the clients to ‘expand the budget where exceptional results were possible’ didn’t hurt either.

Dylan Farrell Design’s signature aesthetic blends modernism with ornament, precision and romance. Contemporary Australian buildings, the designers note, often lack the ‘charming patina’ of their European counterparts; thus, the intention was to create what they call a ‘transatlantic transplant’, importing the atmosphere of a classic Parisian apartment. This meant concealing modern systems within walls and ceilings, designing and casting custom architectural mouldings, and developing bespoke finishes that evoke a sense of timeworn beauty.

The colour palette is a study in tension: serene, airy neutrals interrupted by ‘unexpected and almost overwhelming moments’ of saturated colour. Sometimes the contrast plays out between rooms rather than within them: the main suite offers an almost entirely achromatic experience, while the stairwell is enveloped in vivid aqua Venetian plaster. Throughout, quiet neutrality is punctuated by deep greens and brilliant reds.

This exploration of opposites continues in the material palette. Adjacent spaces might feature dramatically different textures, such as sandblasted beside polished marble. Polished nickel fittings are set against blackened steel and hand-forged metals used for doors, shutters and lighting. Even the rustic, variegated floorboards are intentionally contrasted with the glassy smoothness of polished plaster walls.

The finished home is an intriguing fusion of austerity and glamour – a laid-back contemporary sensibility enriched by the opulence of 19th-century Paris. It’s a transformation made possible by opening up what was once a ‘rabbit warren’ of small, constricted rooms in the original building; in its place now stands an expansive, open-plan new core with a character entirely its own.

In the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, a modernist gem has come to market for €880,000. Designed in 1957 by the French architect André Wogenscky – direct collaborator and disciple of Le Corbusier – the home stands as an exceptional example of post-war modernism.

Located in Chennevières-sur-Marne, roughly 15km outside the capital, the single-storey property exemplifies the modernist architecture ideal of harmonising the built environment with nature. Set on a 220 sq m footprint, the house sits within a tranquil, green environment, withdrawn from the main road and approached via a private lane. Chennevières-sur-Marne itself offers a leafy escape from the city, close to the banks of the Marne.

Shaped in an L-plan, the house clearly delineates day and night spaces. The living wing consists of a generous living room with an alcove, a kitchen with a pantry, and a bathroom – all opening directly onto terraces and a landscaped garden. A hallway distinguished by built-in storage and its original wooden ceiling leads to the sleeping wing, which includes a master suite with a private bathroom and two further bedrooms, each with its own bath or shower room. This area also features a dressing room and an additional bathroom.

The home is an instructive case study in both the Wogenscky’s style and the modernist movement at large. The movement champions functionality, material honesty and integration with the landscape, and this home checks all the boxes. Materially, the structure blends textured concrete, brick, glass and wood, creating the modernist interplay of geometric rigour and warmth. Here Wogenscky’s personal sensibility shines through, with interior spaces shaped by subtle variations in colour, texture and atmosphere – always anchored by functional intent.

In terms of environmental integration, the property features a green roof terrace and expansive bay windows, its western exposure further amplifying natural light. The layout physically and visually binds the interior to the outdoors, with many of the spaces enjoying direct access to the terrace and garden.

Wogenscky (1916-2004), a long-time collaborator of Le Corbusier and his chief assistant from the post-war years until Le Corbusier’s death (in 1965), played a key role in France’s post-war reconstruction. Wogenscky’s body of work – spanning industrial and administrative complexes, schools, hospitals and transport infrastructure as well as private residences – combined technological innovation with site sensitivity. His career was defined by a quest for harmony between architecture and nature, guided by humanist values and a commitment to social progress.

A modernist architect to the core, Wogenscky carried forward Le Corbusier’s legacy with conviction, and this house stands as a testament to that lineage.

The André Wogenscky home is on the market for €880,000 with Architecture de Collection

The work of art and photography duo Inez van Lamsweerde and Vinoodh Matadin has defined visual culture, pushing boundaries both aesthetically and technically through their work with figures including Björk, Kate Moss, Lady Gaga, Cindy Sherman, Bill Murray and themselves.

The partners in life and art have collaborated with Chanel and Louis Vuitton, and have shot for every top fashion and culture magazine you can think of, including their series on America’s top 50 creatives for Wallpaper* in 2024. Their early adoption of digital manipulation in the Nineties put them at the forefront of portraiture at a time when experimentation with computer technology in image making was in its emergence. The result is a 40-year body of work made with the declared intention of striking a balance between the moment and timelessness and to ‘destabilise the conventional promise of photography as a purveyor of truth.’

In a preview of work in their retrospective at Kunstmuseum Den Haag opening in March 2026, ‘Can Love Be a Photograph’ ,they are showing images from the project ‘Think Love' at India Mahdavi’s Project Room #21, in Paris. This project, which opened to coincide with Paris Photo, showcases Inez & Vinoodh’s series created with the iPhone 17 in Marfa Texas.

‘Think Love’, created as part of the project ‘Joy, in 3 Parts’ is a series of portraits of couple Charles Matadin and Natalie Brumley. Curated by ex-director of photography for The New York Times Magazine Kathy Ryan, the project also featured Mickalene Thomas and Trunk Xu.

The couple were shot simply, outside with a translucent piece of red fabric, in a series that explores both the intimacy and the euphoria of romantic love and desire. The landscape plays a role in some of the images as a stirring backdrop for the young lovers.

The collaboration with iPhone is a natural progression in Inez & Vinoodh’s use of tech throughout their career, who see it as a way of pushing the boundaries of art and portrait making. In the exaggerated elements of a portrait, they create insights into their subjects or their art, extending the influence of the photograph. They were the first to start using computers to alter the human body in ways that are very normal now, and used them to heighten meaning over a mythical human physical perfection.

Having worked together since 1986, they have an intuitive way of making images, with one taking photographs and the other observing. There is no fixed role and most of their shoots take only fifteen minutes, with the duo demonstrating an apt way of gaining the trust of their subjects that means the process is very fluid, they have said.

In trying to liberate photography from the moment, they have created timeless images with both avant garde and classic qualities featuring well-known figures of recent times. In putting together the large-scale show, previewed here in Paris, they have taken chronology out of the equation, taking their work out of the order in which it was made and focusing purely on the images.

Inez and Vinoodh’s legacy as image makers is set, but they are still seeking to explore photography, its limitations and its possibilities. Here we see a taster of what’s to come in March 2026, on view in Paris until 12^th December.

'Think Love’ is on view from 13th November – 12th December 2025, India Mahdavi’s Project Room #21

theravestijngallery.com

On a quiet street in Paris near the Comédie-Française, there sat a seemingly unassuming Chinese restaurant. But despite its nondescript façade, Davé, which opened its doors in 1982, was the pinnacle of glamorous Parisian nightlife for three decades.

A roll call of celebrities from across art, music, fashion and culture were regulars – including Helmut Newton, Grace Coddington, Allen Ginsberg, Yves Saint Laurent, Francis Ford Coppola, Iggy Pop, Rei Kawakubo, Lou Reed, Yoko Ono, Madonna, Alexander McQueen and Kate Moss. They ignored the ‘Complet’ (full) sign that hung on the door to party in absolute privacy.

There every night was owner Tai ‘Davé’ Cheung, who captured it all with his Polaroid camera. How did his guests feel when he pulled it out? ‘They were delighted. With the Polaroid, they saw the result immediately – no surprises. You can’t take a bad picture of someone without them knowing,’ he says now.

Word of mouth drew in his guests, he says. ‘I liked the creatives, the designers, artists, musicians and writers, especially because they taught me things: they shared. The first ones through the door – Brion Gysin, Jean-Marie Rouart, Eduardo Arroyo, Francis Ford Coppola, Aurore Clément, Suzi Wis, Anne-Marie Deschodt, Helmut and June Newton – especially.’

Now – launching during Paris Photo 2025 – Davé’s Polaroids are the subject of a new book , A Night at Davé, conceived by Charles Morin and Boris Bergmann with Davé, which reveals what happened behind its doors. Sofia Coppola, who was a regular in the 1980s with her parents and their friends, was such a fan, she has written the book’s introduction. ‘Davé was the place to be,’ she says.

‘It wasn’t a bourgeois place,’ reflects Davé. ‘It was a place where people could be who they wanted to be.’

There's much to see – and to covet – at Paris Photo 2025 (13-16 November), the 28th edition of the event, which is back at the Grand Palais for the second year in a row. It's hosting 179 galleries from 33 countries and a rich programme that encompasses photography in all its forms, from silver gelatin to blockchain. Artistic director Anna Planas says, ‘We want to embrace the entire history of photography, from the 19th century to the most contemporary works, and to show the diversity of the medium.’

The world's most important international photography fair, Paris Photo brings together big-name galleries and smaller ones, iconic photographers and emerging artists. If you're looking for gems by Walker Evans, Berenice Abbott, Lee Friedlander, Irving Penn, Seydou Keïta, William Klein, Weegee, Sally Mann, Sebastião Salgado or Hiroshi Sugimoto, you've come to the right place.

But you'll also find lesser-known surprises, such as Marine Lanier, one of the artists in the ‘Emergence’ sector of the fair and winner of the Prix Maison Ruinart for an enchanting series called Alchimia, shot in the fields and skies of the Champagne region.

In addition to art for sale, the fair offers conversations, performances and book signings from the likes of Todd Hido and Wolfgang Tillmans. And ‘The Last Photo’ is an exhibition of works from the collection of Estrellita B Brodsky, one of the most important private collections of Latin American photography.

All of this edition's curators are women, though Planas says this was not intentional. What was deliberate is an ongoing increase in the number of female artists on display, from 20 per cent in 2018 to nearly double that percentage this year.

Upon entering, visitors come face to face with the Poggi gallery's powerful installation by Sophie Ristelhueber, the French photographer who won the prestigious Hasselblad Award in 2025. A wall nearly 40m long displays works from throughout her career, revealing the scars that war and other disasters have left on landscapes, cities and human bodies.

Steps away, at Klemm's Berlin, Truth Table, by Adrian Sauer, is a project about digital manipulation, consisting of different images (a smiley face, a palm tree, an Eiffel Tower) made up of millions of coloured pixels in various combinations.

Thierry Bigaignon has an actual darkroom on his stand, complete with a photographer: Renato D'Agostin. When a collector acquires one of his silver gelatin prints, they can meet D'Agostin, who will reprint it on the spot, to show how the development process works. Setting up his chemicals before the fair opened, the Italian photographer laughed, ‘It's going to be strange, I feel like an animal in a cage.’

Vermelho from São Paulo presents Brazil's Claudia Andujar, who has reworked her 1975 archives, attaching a yellow acrylic panel to a photo of the Volkswagen that she drove to the Venezuelan border for her work covering the Yanomami people. Rosegallery, from Santa Monica, has come back to Paris Photo after an absence of a few years with a solo show by Mexican artist Tania Franco Klein (who is also currently part of MoMA's New Photography exhibition).

Magnum Gallery is featuring vintage prints by several of its stars, including Philippe Halsman's 1948 portrait of a floating Salvador Dalí and three cats. Galerie Nathalie has Un feu by Luc Delahaye (formerly of Magnum), a photo of migrants standing around a fire, also part of Delahaye's solo show now running at the Jeu de Paume museum. Fraenkel presents a new work by artist/sound composer Christian Marclay, a grid of vinyl record sleeves and covers. Martin Parr's French-fry-eating seagull from 1996 graces the stand of Clémentine de la Feronnière. And at Galerie Suzanne Tarasieve's stand, Juergen Teller is drinking a beer while standing naked on his father's grave.

But not everything is profane. Galerie Binome is presenting dark, ghostly images from Laurence Aëgerter's series on French cathedrals and churches. Aëgerter screen-printed them with thermo-chronic ink, which undergoes a chemical reaction when sunlight hits it, revealing the image underneath. Gallery director Valérie Cazin says, ‘When this happens, the revelation is so magnificent and surprising that the spectator can only observe. It's the same magic as when an image is revealed in a darkroom. In a society where we are all hyperactive, it provokes a moment of meditation.’

The ‘Voices’ sector of the fair features two guest curators. One, Devika Singh, says she approached the theme of landscapes in different ways, ‘from documentary perspectives to more speculative and personal takes’. Works include French painter/photographer Bernard Guillot's atmospheric photos of Cairo's City of the Dead, as well as Indian photographer Gauri Gill's The Village on the Highway, a quietly political statement set against a backdrop of plastic tarpaulins.

This is the third year that the fair has a dedicated ‘Digital’ sector, curated by Nina Roehrs. It includes an installation by conceptual artist Cole Sternberg for Giga – a partnership between Unicef and the International Telecommunication Union to address digital inequalities among the world's children. Called A Garden, the project is a large cube upon which a million images of generative artwork are projected, representing a network of interconnected schools.

In a rather different vein, the digital platform TAEX is showing the Irish artist Kevin Abosch, who trains AI systems with his own images, then ‘sculpts’ them into a kind of synthetic photography. The results can be creepy, such as a white cockatoo emerging from a high-tech apparatus. Two centuries after the French inventor Nicéphore Niépce turned a camera image into the first permanent photograph, Paris Photo is still exploring what defines the art form.

Paris Photo 2025 runs 13-16 November

A hundred years ago, Paris hosted the World’s Fair of Decorative and Modern Industrial Arts. Held over 23 hectares between Concorde and Invalides, it attracted 15 million visitors and was what Musée des Arts Décoratifs curator Anne Monier Vanryb calls the Art Deco movement’s 'apogee, its official consecration'. To celebrate the centenary, the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris is holding a retrospective that includes furniture, tableware, clothing, jewellery and objets d’art.

1925: the birth of Art Deco

The idea for the 1925 fair actually came in 1911 as a way to bring France back as a leader in design. 'For centuries, France has imposed its taste on the world,' Société des Artistes Décorateurs president René Guilleré wrote in 1915. 'Today, we no longer know that we have the glory of talent of our ancestors.' At the same time, the Bauhaus and De Stijl movements were developing; France needed to stamp its own mark.

At this time, many European countries had been ravaged by WWI. France had done well from the war comparatively, and its being an empire meant that materials could be sourced from its colonies, like ivory (which Eugénie O’Kin used frequently, including a vase that was at the fair and is in the exhibition), and woods; a commode by Maurice Dufrène in the exhibition that was also first presented at the fair uses black ebony and okoume.

While the Bauhaus thought about applicable new ways of living, Art Deco aimed to make a properly social art, one that moved with the progress of industry, and not being purely ornamental. Such were the goals of the Union des Artistes Modernes, headed by architect and designer Robert Mallet-Stevens, which split from the Société des Artistes Décorateurs after it refused to give a salon space to young decorators that included Mallet-Stevens himself as well as Pierre Chareau.

The influences of Art Deco spread throughout France. New habitations built in France due to the Cornudet law enacted in 1919 (which set out urban planning guidelines) used bas-reliefs and brick-laying as decorative accents. In the US, industrial production made it popular in households, and designers from Brazil, Japan and Sweden all adapted it for their own national identity.

During this time, there were also major developments in transport. Because of military innovations, people were now able to travel by ship, and tourism as we know it now was born; commercial airlines (albeit in much smaller planes and on shorter journeys) began; car production proliferated.

Some of these were depicted as motifs on Art Deco objects, but one of the largest symbols of the movement was the renovation of the Orient Express train, which originally ran from Paris to Istanbul. After its suspension during WWI, the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits approached leading Art Deco designers René Lalique, Suzanne Lalique-Haviland and René Prou to help.

Art Deco: on view in Paris

Among the exhibition's standout features are reproductions of old Orient Express carriages that demonstrate the richness of its decoration. The carriages feature added marquetry made with precious wood (mahogany, violet wood, rosewood, ebony), glass panels, and geometric motifs.

There are sections dedicated to designers Eileen Gray and Jean-Michel Frank, as well as Pierre Chareau’s imagined office-library for the French ambassador that was made for the Société des Arts Décorators’ pavilion at the fair.

Part of the display includes furniture owned by the fashion designer Jacques Doucet, whose estate sale in 1972 was attended by Hélène Rochas, Andy Warhol, Karl Lagerfeld, Yves Saint Laurent and Pierre Bergé, and is what brought Art Deco back into vogue. With the movement being the theme of the Musée des Arts Décoratifs’ first ever summer ball, and that of the next Matter & Shape fair, held in February 2026, Art Deco is back on the forefront.

1925-2025. One Hundred Years of Art Deco is on view until 26 April 2026
usée des Arts Décoratifs, 107 Rue de Rivoli, 75001 Paris

Last week, as Design Miami Paris was drawing design collectors to the Left Bank to see Josef Hoffmann cutlery and Maria Pergay chairs, another group of creatives and journalists gathered on the Right Bank to try their hand at making mirrors. This DIY initiative was part of a new project, 'Future Classics', meant to democratise design, conceived by the British creative agency A Vibe Called Tech with the collaboration of WePresent (WeTransfer's art platform).

Charlene Prempeh, founder of A Vibe Called Tech, says that Future Classics has two goals. One is to encourage people to use their hands at a time when everything seems to be digitised. The other is to make design available to all. 'I think for a long time it's felt quite elitist. And it's such an important part of our culture. I want people to feel like it's something accessible, and the process of making helps to achieve that.'

The plan is to expand the project beyond Europe, with different local designers and a range of objects and materials. Ultimately, says Lewis Gilbert, creative director of A Vibe Called Tech, 'We want people to see these items in people's homes and go, 'where did you get that?' And when they need an extra mirror, or an extra lamp, they're like – I can actually make my own.'

The Future Classics mirror workshop

When choosing designers for each Future Classics object, the duo look for talents that share their community-based ethos. The project launched earlier this year in London with a lamp by Andu Masebo. In Paris, the test group would be making a 'T-Mirror' by Franco-Swiss designer Julie Richoz, who was on hand to help them out.

'We set out to create an object that is forgiving and doesn't need millimetric precision,' Richoz explains. Materials and tools had to be simple and readily available. 'These constraints led us to explore a certain aesthetic, a kind of radicality, which took us to this very graphic silhouette.'

And so on a rainy Thursday morning, a couple dozen people sat at tables in an industrial workspace in northern Paris, each supplied with two pieces of wood and a small selection of paints. The first step was to select the colour mix for the mirror frame, which turned out to be an enormous source of anxiety for people who think often about design but don't necessarily make it. Pastels? Mondrian? Light? Dark? An hour later, most had taken the leap (though a few were spotted regretfully painting over their bright shades with basic black).

Once the paint dried, drills and screws were handed out, to attach the boards in a T shape. The wood frame – pre-pierced with holes – was then ingeniously attached to mirrored glass with a cord (another colour choice!) that also served as a loop for hanging.

A digital toolkit for making the T-Mirror (along with each new Future Classics object) is available to download for free via WeTransfer. Richoz notes that her instructions are more of a 'protocol' than a plan, and can be adapted to whatever is around once you've understood the system.

'I think we have a different relationship with our environment when we make it ourselves. That's how things were before industrialisation,' she says. 'I love that Future Classics bridges that spirit with the possibilities of modern technology: open source, knowledge sharing, and inviting a large number of people to take part.'

With a brazen jewel heist at the Louvre and an array of impressive pyrotechnics closing the Pompidou, 2025’s Paris Art Week (embracing both Art Basel Paris and Design Miami Paris as well as events around the city) has had an electric start. The city is abuzz. The drama is haut.

Time to head over to the Bastille, perhaps, where Galerie Patrick Seguin's ‘Saint Laurent – Charlotte Perriand’ (24 October – 22 November 2025) offers a serene counterpoint. A calming breath of clean lines and fresh air amidst the chaos, here, four rare furniture designs are being reissued under the curatorial direction of Anthony Vaccarello.

Four lesser-known Charlotte Perriand designs

The exhibition opens to coincide with Art Week, but it operates at an entirely different frequency. Vaccarello, Saint Laurent’s creative director since 2016, has selected four of Perriand’s lesser-seen works – the ‘Rio de Janeiro’ bookcase (1962), the ‘Indochine Guest Armchair’ (1943), the ‘Table Mille-Feuilles’ (1963) and the monumental sofa designed for Japan’s ambassador in Paris (1967) – to be produced in limited editions. Each has been recreated from archive drawings, original models or one-off pieces, using the same species of wood, metal and cane that defined Perriand’s original vision.

The results are remarkable for their restraint. The ‘Table Mille-Feuilles’, formed from ten stacked layers of contrasting rosewood and cherry, is both sculpture and surface, lightness and density. The ‘Indochine Armchair’, conceived during Perriand’s time in Vietnam, marries industrial tubular steel with the warmth of local artisanship, an early expression of global modernism that is continually current and effortless.

And the ‘Japanese Ambassador’s Sofa’, a sweeping five-seat banquette that appears to float on its curved rosewood base, is technically furniture, but with bone structure to die for and catwalk-model poise. The Japanese Embassy in Paris helped to identify important details of the banquette to help bring it back to life in this edition.

For Vaccarello, this is about precision as much as it is about reinterpretation. His direction at Saint Laurent has often blurred the lines between fashion, art and architecture, and this project is a natural continuation of that approach. As is so often true these days, the most interesting work is that which sits between disciplines. By re-manufacturing Perriand’s furniture with the same care given to haute couture, the collaboration elevates these functional objects into studies of proportion, craft and materiality.

The dialogue also makes historical sense. Yves Saint Laurent himself collected Perriand’s work and admired her purity of line. Theirs was an aesthetic kinship, a shared understanding and an attitude. Pierre Bergé too, backed major international retrospectives of Perriand’s work.

In today’s Paris, with major institutions at a juncture and so much of the art and design world so performative, ‘Saint Laurent – Charlotte Perriand’ is comforting in its subtle celebration of endurance. Galerie Patrick Seguin, long known for its scholarly presentations of Jean Prouvé, Pierre Jeanneret and Perriand herself, provides an ideal setting in its Jean Nouvel-designed space.

In a week when the city’s creative energy tilts toward the new, ‘Saint Laurent – Charlotte Perriand’ offers a lesson in lasting modernity and a reminder that true innovation doesn’t always have to mean invention, newness or encore du drame…

‘Saint Laurent – Charlotte Perriand’ is on view until 22 November 2025
5 Rue des Taillandiers, 75011 Paris