Switzerland’s Fondation Beyeler, in picturesque Riehen on the outskirts of Basel, has proven to have a sharp curatorial eye. Having first opened its doors in 1997, the Renzo Piano-designed modern art museum is a haven in the village, hosting an impressive and frequently changing permanent art collection alongside contemporary retrospectives.

French artist Pierre Huyghe, known for his surreal, dystopian and often creepy works and films, may seem an offbeat choice, but his solo exhibition – his first in a Swiss museum – makes for an immersive takeover of the space.

‘With our permanent exhibition, we often like to react to the contemporary exhibitions currently showing,’ says Fondation Beyeler’s managing director, Ulrike Erbslöh, who works with the institution’s partners, such as Richard Mille, which is supporting this exhibition. ‘There is a kind of reading of the collection, where we see what works and what is relevant for the artist that also challenges visitors, because they come and ask. Since we have a comparatively small collection, we can play around with it.’

This flexibility works well for Huyghe, who resists traditional exhibition formats, focusing instead on creating atmospheric environments through works that take on a life of their own. His site-specific work for Fondation Beyeler creates uncanny worlds that encompass sound and sight.

The effect is subtle. At first glance, what appears to be an empty space is soon revealed to be humming with a dystopian form of life. We glimpse it through the holes in the walls, or feel it in exhaled breaths. A worm, curled up on the floor, slithers from one end of the room to the other, apparently at random. Clear panes of light anchoring the space steadily become misty and opaque. Throughout, Huyghe’s films, including the recent Liminals (2025), show faceless humans navigating unfamiliar realms that sit somewhere between the Earth and space.

It is all brilliantly disorientating, and made all the more so by the masters, including Monet, Picasso and Francis Bacon, who wait to greet you on your exit. ‘We want visitors to be able to just wander around,’ Erbslöh adds. ‘It gives us this possibility to not distinguish too much, but to have people experience the whole idea of our programming – having exhibitions that also refer to our collection, or have some kind of relationship [with it].’

Pierre Huyghe is at the Fondation Beyeler, with support from partner Richard Mille, until 13 September 2026

fondationbeyeler.ch

A minimalist, new virtual house design by Miami-based studio Oppenheim Architecture allows you to try-before-you-buy in an immersive experience that celebrates design and digital advances. Initiated by client Swiss frameless door and window specialists Sky-Frame, the project, which launches today (29 June 2026) explores the boundaries of digital design and virtual worlds through the practice's sophisticated aesthetic.

Take a taster tour of this virtual house by Oppenheim Architecture

The project is a subtly abstract house design - a single-level, long and linear residence clad in seamless glazing. The residence features a pared-down aesthetic (the Swiss manufacturer is famous for producing virtually frameless openings) and a sculptural timber and concrete look.

The design was developed as a somewhat 'infinite' design, conceived to allow the creativity to run wild and potential to be imagined. As a result, the house can be seen in two distinct settings - visitors can experience it in a sun-drenched Miami beach scenery, or a snowy Swiss peak, the Matterhorn in the distance.

'The brief was to create an experience that captures the essence of Sky-Frame: openness, continuity and a seamless connection between inside and outside. By collaborating with Oppenheim Architecture, we were able to explore these ideas without physical constraints and demonstrate the emotional power of architecture in an entirely new way,' says Andrea Zürcher, CMO at Sky-Frame.

'Evolving the original thinking, together with Beat and Rasem, into this virtual dream world, was a really fun experience right from the start. We enjoyed working creatively to build our own ‘dream house’, as much about the beautiful design, as the conceptual thinking - and we enjoyed the process of being the client!'

The idea is that prospective clients - customers, including contractors, designers, architects and the general public - can book an appointment for a private viewing, where they can explore the look and feel of Sky-Frame's product through Oppenheim Architecture's sleek design.

'The brief was deliberately open, which is both a gift and a discipline,' says Oppenheim Architecture's Beat Huesler. 'Sky-Frame asked us to design a house that was architecturally rigorous but not site-specific. A residence that could exist anywhere, yet feels entirely at home in each location. The only non-negotiable was the landscape: every space had to earn its relationship to the view. That is very aligned with how we at Oppenheim Architecture (OA) approach architecture more broadly. We started with two concrete planes and let everything else follow from that discipline - services hidden, structure quiet, the frame of the window becoming the frame of the world outside.'

'We value Oppenheim’s visionary architecture and their philosophical approach to light, space, and integration with the surroundings,' says Zürcher. 'When approached, they immediately understood both the challenge and the opportunity of the project. The collaboration was based on a shared perspective and mindset on architecture.'

The architects were also challenged and pleased by the project. Huesler adds: 'The freedom to design without the constraints of a real site, a real budget, or a real planning authority and then to discover that this freedom actually demanded greater discipline, not less. When you remove every practical excuse, you are left with pure architectural intention.'

'The collaboration with The Boundary also pushed us to think about how architecture is experienced sequentially, almost cinematically. Miami Beach and Zermatt - each setting asked the house to perform differently, and watching it hold its identity across all three was genuinely satisfying.'

oppenoffice.com

sky-frame.com

Imagine the Barbie Dream House was designed by an experimental Hungarian studio – the result might look something like Remise Rosa, a 2,500 sq m permanent timber complex in Zurich, conceived by Budapest-based Hello Wood.

The destination occupies a formerly abandoned railway site, breathing new life into it across three levels of open-air, year-round space comprising a restaurant, a beer garden, entertainment areas and relaxation spaces. Clad in an immediately arresting rosy pink, the structure makes no attempt to blend in – nor should it.

Behind the visual intrigue lies a rigorous technical framework. With Remise Rosa, the studio set out to demonstrate the extent of what timber can achieve in an urban environment. The entire structure is built from CLT (cross-laminated timber), chosen for its sustainability credentials – renewable, durable and well-suited to long-term urban use. Every component was manufactured to millimetre precision using CNC-based prefabrication, a process in which building elements are designed digitally and fabricated off-site before final assembly – allowing the entire complex to come together in just five months.

Hello Wood has been active in Zurich since 2019, steadily shaping its neighbourhoods through projects including Urban Surf, a timber-clad surfing venue inspired by coastal landscapes; June & Julie, a seasonal pop-up bar blending architecture with nature; and Fräulein Holle, a public installation inspired by the classic Brothers Grimm fairy tale.

But Remise Rosa represents something more. For CEO András Huszár, it is ‘the culmination of [the studio's] journey in the market – a permanent landmark where architecture is not merely the backdrop to a business, but its heart and soul’: ‘[It shows] what is possible when timber architecture meets a truly visionary business goal.’

‘People feel special when they enter Remise Rosa; it's a space designed to bring out their inner child,’ adds lead architect Balázs Szelecsényi. ‘The project proves that visionary architecture can inspire, strengthen community and also be good for business.’

The space is unabashedly photogenic, turning heads and inviting exploration, and a reminder that serious architecture and genuine joy are far from mutually exclusive.

Halle 2 Safety is a welcome slab of austere Swiss modernism, strictly shaped for function yet rich in detail and quality. Designed to house the emergency services at Payerne Air Base, a Swiss Air Force facility just south of Lake Neuchâtel, the building is described by its architects as a ‘high-performance working tool’ as well as a pleasant place to live for teams that need to live on site whilst on duty.

The project was designed by RDR architects, a firm founded in 1993 by Jacques Richter and Ignacio Dahl Rocha and initially based only in Buenos Aires. Today, it also has outposts in Madrid and Lausanne, and it was the latter team, led by Kenneth Ross, Antoine Barc, and Frédéric Comby, who have overseen the delivery of this substantial 4,000 m² complex.

Halle 2’s main function is to house the fire service and rescue units, with living accommodation alongside the hangars and garages for the base’s fire tenders and associated vehicles. The building has to provide for about 100 personnel at any one time, with all the accompanying space for logistics, training and administration in addition to temporary living spaces.

Halle 2 is an unashamedly authentic representation of the oft-quoted maxim ‘form follows function’. Long and low, with supergraphic signage that leaves no question about what happens within, the structure represents, in RDR’s words, ‘architectural restraint, environmental sustainability, and spatial quality.’

The new building brings together the functionality contained within a number of obsolete older buildings, consolidating the airbase’s needs in a single structure and follows a new Halle 3 for aircraft maintenance.

In addition to garaging and maintenance bays in the central hall, complete with high ceilings for emergency service vehicles, Halle 2 provides accommodation for the base’s Rescue Standby Unit, including command areas and living spaces. Access to the vehicles is prioritised for emergency situations, a consideration that also resulted in wide corridors and the all-important inclusion of pole access to the garage area.

The large spans are made possible by glue-laminated timber beams and steel trusses, along with concrete cores for the accommodation blocks. Internal walls are formed from rammed earth to give the structure greater environmental performance, while the whole building is swathed in a ventilated perforated aluminium envelope, with individual windows rather than expansive glazing.

This nod to the aeronautical environment also cuts down on glare for approaching aircraft. On the roof, around 1,600m² of photovoltaic panels supplement the energy requirements of the building.

‘Halle 2 constitutes a high-performance working tool designed to meet both current and future security needs of the Payerne Air Base, as well as the evolving military infrastructure and the introduction of new combat equipment,’ RDR say. The building continues the long tradition of austere but finely resolved and beautifully built Swiss infrastructure.

RDRarchitectes.com, @RDR.lausanne

Charming and quaint, the Swiss city of Basel may be modest in nature, but every June, it becomes the centre of attention for the art world, roaring to life with a sprawling exhibition of works by more than 4,000 artists from five continents, represented by some 290 galleries. A flagship cultural event, Art Basel has been operating for more than five decades, setting the blueprint for sibling fairs elsewhere that now define the art-world calendar. When not fully immersed in the art experience, participating gallerists take advantage of a city defined as much by its medieval heritage and classical modernism as by its contemporary expressions. With Art Basel 2026 taking place 18-21 June, here, five of them share their favourite cafés, bars and restaurants.

Where to eat and drink in Basel, the insiders’ guide

Casey Kaplan

Morning treat at Hotel Märthof Basel

‘I do not drink coffee, just tea, so I like to begin my days in Basel with a hot green tea on the roof of the Hotel Märthof, which looks out on the Marktplatz, where some mornings you have a bird’s-eye view of the fresh fruit vendors. That is the best place to buy strawberries.’

Hotel Märthof Basel is located at Marktgasse 19, 4001 Basel, Switzerland

Wine o’clock at Consum Weinbar

‘A glass or two of rosé from Provence in the afternoon outdoors at Consum Weinbar (across the street from Hotel Krafft) is the best spot for a break with friends and colleagues. It feels local and an escape from the art fair.’

Consum Weinbar is located at Rheingasse 19, 4058 Basel, Switzerland

Dinner at Restaurant Krafft Basel

‘I recommend the river fish en papillote while dining outdoors along the Rhine at Restaurant Krafft. You can hear the rushing river from your table, which is a nice way to unwind after a long day at the art fair.’

Restaurant Krafft Basel is located at Hotel Krafft Basel, Rheingasse 12, 4058 Basel, Switzerland

Galerie nächst St. Stephan

Morning treat at Confiserie Schiesser

‘One of my favourite coffee places is Confiserie Schiesser on the Marktplatz, a very traditional spot. As children, we all loved their famous Schoggi S pastries, and I still love them today – crispy on the outside and soft and slightly creamy on the inside. It was the usual treat that my mother would bring home for my three sisters and me on a Saturday.’

Confiserie Schiesser is located at Marktpl. 19, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

Wine o’clock at Imi Bar

‘For drinks, I recommend the Imi Bar in the Volkshaus Basel. A great place named after German artist Imi Knoebel, who designed the glass windows.’

Imi Bar is located at Rebgasse 12-14, 4058 Basel, Switzerland

Dinner at Rhyschänzli

‘Restaurant Rhyschänzli simply has wonderful cuisine: international with a touch of Swiss and a hint of Italian. During the summer, it’s lovely to sit outside on the sidewalk. Even though it’s usually very busy, the restaurant team has excellent service, and the asparagus is always a great recommendation.’

Rhyschänzli is located at Lichtstrasse 9, 4056 Basel, Switzerland

Lehmann Maupin

Morning treat at Restaurant Beyeler im Park

‘Mornings at Fondation Beyeler are magical. I always get a coffee and a croissant in the garden cafe to spend more time outdoors. When I need to have a quick breakfast meeting near the fair: Fruhling or Bru Speciality Coffee. My go-to breakfast is a flat white with oat milk, avocado and eggs.’

Restaurant Beyeler im Park is located at Fondation Beyeler, Baselstrasse 101, 4125 Riehen, Switzerland

Wine o'clock at Bar Les Trois Rois

‘An aperitivo at Bar Le Trois Rois is a ritual for the art world – a sunset drink overlooking the river, before the evening crowd walks in.’

Bar Les Trois Rois is located at Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois, Blumenrain 8, 4001 Basel, Switzerland

Dinner at Zum goldenen Fass

‘Zum goldenen Fass offers a seasonal menu, a good wine list, and a great atmosphere. All within walking distance of the fair. I eat everything, but it’s their vegetables that shine. On the nights I can’t get a last-minute reservation somewhere, Thai food at Thai Family Restaurant is always there for me.’

Zum goldenen Fass is located at Hammerstrasse 108, 4057 Basel, Switzerland

STPI

Morning treat at Confiserie Beschle - Clara

‘On the busier mornings – which are most of them during Basel week – I’ll swing by Confiserie Beschle on Clarastrasse. It’s a short walk from Messe, and there’s something grounding about starting the day with a simple latte and a croissant before the craziness starts. Simple, but it gives you the right fix from the beginning.’

Confiserie Beschle - Clara is located at Clarastrasse 4, 4058 Basel, Switzerland

Wine o’clock at Flore

‘When I need to decompress after a long day at the fair, Flore is where I end up – or simply opening a bottle of beer by the Rhine. No fuss, no scene, just warmth. There’s an ease to it that I really value during a week that can otherwise feel relentless.’

Flore is located at Klybeckstrasse 5, 4057 Basel, Switzerland

Dinner at Alchemist

‘The honest answer is our apartment. Our team normally rents an Airbnb during Basel week, and we cook Asian food for fellow gallerists and friends – we cooked Lu Rou Fan (braised pork rice) last year, for example. Those evenings are often the highlight of my week. That said, if dining out, I’d head to Alchemist for their poulet lollis or spare ribs.’

Alchemist is located at Schifflände 1, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

Xavier Hufkens

Morning treat at Konditorei-Confiserie Gilgen

‘I always enjoy starting the day with a stop at Konditorei-Confiserie Gilgen. There’s something very comforting about sitting down with a coffee and a fresh pastry before the day begins. I usually order coffee with a buttery croissant, and I never leave without taking some traditional Basel Läckerli home with me. They make the perfect gift (or late-night snack).’

Konditorei-Confiserie Gilgen is located at Spalenberg 6, 4051 Basel, Switzerland

Wine o’clock at Bar Les Trois Rois

‘The bar of the Trois Rois is probably my favourite place for a drink in Basel. The terrace overlooking the Rhine is hard to beat, especially at sunset after a long day. I usually go for a glass of wine there, although their cocktails are equally good. It has that rare mix of elegance and ease that makes you want to stay longer than planned.’

Bar Les Trois Rois is located at Grand Hotel Les Trois Rois, Blumenrain 8, 4001 Basel, Switzerland

Dinner at Restaurant Chez Donati

‘We traditionally have our team dinner at Chez Donati, which has become a ritual I really look forward to every year. It’s one of those timeless places with impeccable old-school service and a warm, familiar atmosphere. I usually order a classic pasta or a Milanese – simple, comforting, and always perfect.’

Restaurant Chez Donati is located at Hotel Stadthof, Gerbergasse 84, 4001 Basel, Switzerland

Two young men, lads, possibly teenagers, stand in the Adriatic, stacked one atop the other. The blonder of the pair wears a chain and wraps his legs over the shoulders and around the torso of his companion, who is bare chested with a tan and striped swimming shorts. ‘I asked them to start playing where the water was low, but they decided that one would sit on the other’s shoulders. It was not my idea!’ photographer Walter Pfeiffer shares of the double portrait, shot in Rimini in the 1980s. ‘I love when the people I photograph participate in the process. I like being in good company.’

At Pinacoteca Agnelli in Turin, where a major new retrospective, ‘Walter Pfeiffer. In Good Company’, has just opened, the image is blown up to movie-poster size and framed with a white border. Positioned so it’s the first standalone image visitors see upon entering the show, it makes a bold impression and, moreover, is a fitting introduction to Pfeiffer’s six-decade career (in 1984, it covered the October issue of French publication Gai Pied, once described as ‘the queen of Europe’s gay magazines’). The show’s moniker, similarly, is a strong proxy for Pfeiffer’s character. The Swiss photographer’s reputation as an enthusiastic collaborator becomes tangible at the show’s opening in Italy, where friends and admirers swarm him to say congratulations and wish him a happy birthday (he’s just turned 80).

Before you enter the show proper, a vast wall covered with pages pulled and printed from Pfeiffer’s scrapbooks provides additional context for the work that follows. It’s a practice he established in the 1960s while working at Globus department store in Zurich, where he had been hired as a window decorator following his studies at the city’s School of Arts and Crafts. ‘I was bored and had no ideas, then I started to crop images out of magazines and glue them into these notebooks,’ he recalls. ‘I don't like to look through my work, that's why I love this wall – I forgot everything, so it was again interesting for me. When we printed it as a book [2012’s Scrapbooks 1969-1985], we took only the interesting things, but here there is more to discover.’

Occupying six rooms with more than 100 images from the 1970s through to the 2020s, ‘Walter Pfeiffer. In Good Company’ highlights the broad scope of Pfeiffer’s career. In one of the smaller spaces is the series Das Auge, die Gedanken, unentwegt wandernd from 1986, featuring black and white headshots printed in strict record cover-sized squares, the portraits are situated in pairs, high up towards the ceiling. Elsewhere, colour is largely king, used to underscore the subversive vitality prevalent in the collection of still lifes, fashion images and erotic scenes. ‘Walter's very open about letting other people interpret the work,’ offers Nicola Trezzi, who, with co-curator Simon Castets, was primarily responsible for the show’s rhythm. ‘He has done so many books and exhibitions, he’s always creating a company of people that will inspire him and trigger his curiosity.’

One particular group of photographs stands out for its delicate sensibility: the portraits in Untitled (Carlo Joh), shot over several months in 1973, portray a young trans person reconfiguring their appearance through make-up and drag. Embracing Pfeiffer’s ongoing pursuit of beauty but with a faint ephemeral shadow (the teenager passed away not long after their final session), the close-ups appear visibly different from their neighbours, a condition emphasised by the large moat of white space and silver frames in which they’re presented.

‘It’s the heart of the exhibition,’ the photographer and Trezzi agree. ‘I knew I had to do this show [1974’s “Transformer: Aspects of Travesty” at Kunstmuseum Luzern], and I’d seen him before in the library of the art school,’ shares Pfeiffer of spotting his subject, later relaying the decision to leave Untitled (Carlo Joh) out of the book that accompanies the Turin exhibition: ‘The atmosphere of the series is completely different. It would have suffered if it was inserted in this energetic rollercoaster of images.’

Books – self-published since near the start of his career and, later, released with the Zurich publisher Edition Patrick Frey – have long been a vital component of the photographer’s work, and the new monograph, from Mousse Publishing, is a unique example that places text, including an essay by Trezzi, at its centre. ‘It’s the first book where I didn’t have to do anything. I always think about when I'm not here anymore, and it was like I wasn’t here. That's why I'm glad I'm in a state now, where if the company is really good, I don't have to worry,’ notes Pfeiffer, adding further weight to the show’s collaborative label. ‘In the 1970s, nobody wanted to show my work; people were not ready. That’s probably why it still looks so fresh, even after six decades, but I wanted people to see it!’

‘Walter Pfeiffer. In Good Company’ is at Pinacoteca Agnelli, Turin, until 13 September 2026

pinacoteca-agnelli.it

This pared-back photography studio in Geneva is the brainchild of local practice Sapid Studio, created for young artists Alicia Dubuis and Roman Lusser. Known as Studio 18%, it perfectly captures the duo’s aesthetics: Lusser specialises in simple yet warm portraits, while Dubuis draws inspiration from midcentury cinema and brutalist architecture for her delicate compositions that exude a sense of softness.

Take a tour of this new Geneva photography studio

Set on the ground floor of an industrial building a short drive from Geneva Airport, Studio 18% could easily just have been a warehouse like all the others found in the area, but for the efforts of Sapid Studio, a Swiss architecture and design firm co-founded by Cécile-Diama Samb and Michael Piderit.

Sapid Studio specialises in hospitality interiors, furniture design and small-scale architecture, and its output is characterised by a rigorous attention to detail, as is made apparent by its work for Studio 18%. Here, they inserted an elegant mezzanine into the large space with 8 m high ceilings, turning it into a highly functional and well thought-through studio.

For this project, Sapid Studio has focused its care and precision on lighting conditions, with the entire palette designed around the quality of light, to ensure no colours were reflected into the studio space, creating an ideal blank slate. Throughout, galvanised steel grating panels and railings play with transparency, acting as minimalist screens to obscure some details and reveal others.

‘The spaces are all envisioned with absolute flexibility in mind, to allow for a multitude of uses during photoshoots,’ explain the architects. ‘It is the subtlety of the material palette along with its elevated industrial character that provides a backdrop for creative productions to take place within.’

The sectional door opens onto a 190 sq m full production studio with a cyclorama (a curved, seamless background wall to create the illusion of an infinite space). At the front is a kitchen and a striking staircase leading to the Glulam timber and plywood mezzanine, which houses a variety of production desks, styling areas and changing rooms with built-in desks and storage.

‘Our production desks can accommodate up to three producers and offer a direct view on the cyclorama, allowing the team to follow the set while working on their laptop,’ explain the photographers. ‘The interior becomes a backdrop for production sets to come alive and become the protagonists of the space.’

Muzeum Susch is an idyllic exhibition space, situated within a medieval former monastery in the Swiss mountains. Featuring grottos and bare rock faces, the gallery is home to a series of long-running exhibitions that highlight the work of ‘overlooked or misunderstood’ artists. Its newest show homes in on Edita Schubert, the Croatian artist who made richly experimental work in the second half of the 20th century.

'She made the most amazing handbrake turns,' says curator David Crowley, of her nimble practice. The exhibition features early paintings from the 1970s that delved into Yugoslavia’s 'unexpected form of socialism', taking on a 'pop sensibility' and exploring a world of young women consumers. There are also canvases slashed by knives, expansive bitumen works, and geometric pieces that play with the heavily abstracted body. This is Schubert’s first major retrospective outside Croatia, drawn from her archive, which has been lovingly managed by Leonida Kovač since the artist’s death in 2001, at the age of 54.

While her work was guided in many ways by her own life and location, the exhibition presents Schubert as an artist who surpassed a specific time and place. 'In 2025, the work is at some distance from its original Yugoslav history and context,' says Crowley. 'There are points that engage directly with Yugoslav and Croatian history into the 1990s. But I think the work looks very resonant because of where we are here and now.' Schubert often explored the natural world, using organic materials to produce quasi-ritualistic objects whose sensitivity to nature, Crowley says, 'looks very different in 2025' as we stand on the brink of environmental collapse.

Schubert’s eclectic but rigorous conceptual approach has been compared to Hanna Wilke and Lucio Fontana, though she did not align herself with any specific group. 'She was such an independent-minded person and was very reluctant to describe her work,' says Crowley. 'She didn’t make strong declarations of being in dialogue with other artists, but it’s really evident when you look at the work.' He references her large painterly bitumen panels, which spread up to 3m wide, as a dialogue with the 1980s return to painting and the transavantgarde movement.

The artist’s anatomy training also feeds the work in unexpected ways. She worked as an illustrator at the Institute of Anatomy, watching dissections and creating training and research materials that showed exposed insides. The body would have an ongoing role in her work, through its absence rather than literal presence. A series of pieces that Crowley describes as 'hard edged geometry' communicate the human form in an abstract manner. She was 'not declaring or revealing but pointing to the body in an interesting way'.

Schubert also used knives to stab and create openings in her canvases, rejecting the formal tool of the paintbrush. In 2000, she claimed, 'I had to plunge [the] knife into the canvas, it simply got on my nerves, that taut surface on which I had to talk about something, with my brush, what’s more.' While this could be seen as a connection with her anatomical work, Crowley sees a deep irritation with her formal art training in this action: 'It was quite challenging to be an artist in the 1970s and 1980s. People were trained in very good painterly techniques, there was lots of work with models and still lifes. It was obvious she was frustrated with this training, which often produced these highly venerated male professors. That slashing of the canvas is biographical.'

Openings and thresholds would recur through her practice. Later 'horizon' works ask viewers to stand within photographic objects and adopt her viewing position, while the expanse of the bitumen pieces invite visitors to 'lose sense of the world around the work'. The show includes a series of doorways in 'striking' electric variants of blue, pink and yellow, which invite the potential of walking through without providing the physical possibility.

This show celebrates an artist unafraid to keep evolving. 'I think she was reluctant to perform in a singular channel of her own practice,' Crowley tells me. 'When she became curious about something new, she would do these incredible knight’s moves.'

Edita Schubert at Muzeum Susch until 24 May 2026

muzeumsusch.ch

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

If you’re toying with the idea of buying yourself a skiing retreat, let this be the inspiration you need. Spanish architect and designer Patricia Urquiola has turned her attention to the Swiss Alps, unveiling Maya, a collection of 17 residences and penthouses in Andermatt Reuss in the heart of Andermatt.

Maya sidesteps rustic clichés – no saccharine chalet nostalgia here – in favour of something more cosmopolitan. Set along the town’s central retail boulevard, the development comprises 14 apartments and three penthouses that fuse contemporary minimalism with tactile warmth. Urquiola’s signature is evident in the layering: gentle, earthy tones offset by moments of colour, and sculptural lighting casting a soft glow across bespoke and collectible furnishings.

Light is the protagonist here. Private loggias, enclosed by curved floor-to-ceiling glazing, frame views of mountains and woodland, while expansive windows pull the landscape in. Materiality is handled with a confident, almost sensual touch: fireplaces carved into walls of green Salvan stone; oak cabinetry and herringbone parquet underfoot; textural, authentic finishes. Urquiola nods to traditional Swiss architecture – its timber structures, intimate scale and reliance on local materials – yet recasts these references through organic forms and innovative techniques.

Colour, too, is reimagined. Rather than retreating into a predictable palette of creams and pine, Urquiola introduces rich greens, earthen browns and mineral greys – tones drawn directly from forest, rock and soil. They echo the surrounding landscape while lending the interiors depth and dynamism.

‘I think, when we talk about reinterpretation, it’s a process much like the evolution of classic designs or reinterpreted pieces of music,’ says the designer. ‘We’re not discarding the past, but rather allowing it to evolve with the tools, materials and technologies of today. In the case of the Maya residences, we honour the tradition of Alpine homes – the warmth, the natural materials and the connection to nature – while integrating modern comfort, sustainability and innovation.’

Community and sociability are central to Maya. Urquiola imagines residents as design-literate, outdoors-inclined and convivial; living spaces are therefore calibrated for gathering, dining and evenings spent recounting days on the slopes.

That ethos extends to the building’s culinary offering. The ground floor is home to IGNIV Andermatt, created in collaboration with celebrated Swiss chef Andreas Caminada, whose three Michelin stars and 19 GaultMillau points speak to a culinary ambition that mirrors the project’s design credentials.

Maya moves decisively beyond the ‘Swiss chocolate box’ cliché. Rather than leaning on nostalgia, the project demonstrates that Alpine homes can feel warm and cocooning through thoughtful, modern interplays of texture, tone and proportion.

Recreate the mood...

When we last saw artist Alexandre de Betak, he was at his new London mews atelier, where he was in the midst of preparations for his debut show during Frieze. Having stepped away from the catwalk and the production house he spent his career building, the immersive installation – made up of glowing modular light panels – marked the beginning of a new chapter for personal artistic projects.

Four months on, de Betak finds himself working with the same light panels, but in rather different surroundings in the Bernese Oberland. Here, the futuristic modules are set up alongside carefully placed mirrors inside a traditional Swiss barn, their clinical geometry at odds with rough timber walls and a structure built for storage and labour rather than contemplation. The contrast is deliberate: a rural, pre-industrial space used as a vessel for something more unexpected and contemplative.

The installation, unveiled during Maze Art Gstaad 2026, is titled Chashitsu Hikari Schürli – a nod to the conceptual bridge de Betak draws between Swiss and Japanese vernacular architecture. The chashitsu is the highly codified space of the Japanese tea ceremony; the schürli, a modest Alpine farm shed. Though culturally distant, both share an economy of means and a respect for material honesty. De Betak says he isn’t attempting to recreate either form, but rather 'abstract their underlying principles'.

The barn itself is used across two levels, with mirrors placed to fracture and extend the architecture, creating moments where space feels doubled, skewed, or harder to read. The barn’s horizontal timber slats create a steady visual rhythm, their rough lines echoed by the ribbed glow of the light panels. Snowlight filters through gaps in the structure, flattening the palette to wood, white and silver; the effect is strangely calming, as if the landscape outside has seeped into the installation itself.

Here, de Betak treats light as a building material, using it to reflect, absorb and multiply. As visitors move through the structure, the work shifts around them, destabilising depth and orientation. That impulse feels consistent with what de Betak described in London last autumn, when he spoke about leaving behind the 'objective' of the fashion event. 'When you remove the objective of the event,' he said then, 'you’re a bit more free – but you’re also lost.' In Gstaad, that sense of being unmoored becomes part of the work itself: the installation is less about producing a singular image than about heightening awareness of the space you’re standing in, and how you’re moving through it.

Nomad, the travelling showcase dedicated to collectible design and contemporary art, presented a special project titled Giorgio Armani / Unveiled as part of its winter edition in St. Moritz (12-15 February 2026).

At the heart of the project was the exhibition Through the Looking Glass: Jane Crisp and Yuta Segawa. Conceived as a focused curatorial moment within this year’s programme, the presentation staged a dialogue between contemporary craft and the domestic language of Armani/Casa – Giorgio Armani’s interior and lifestyle design universe.

Curated by Abby Bangser, founder of Object & Thing, Through the Looking Glass brought together London-based artists Jane Crisp and Yuta Segawa. The exhibition centred on craft, materiality and form, explored in relation to Armani/Casa. Highlighting practices that reinterpret traditional techniques through a contemporary lens, it created an encounter between collectible design, artisanal process and the aesthetics of modern living.

Nomad’s St. Moritz programme placed particular emphasis on the relationship between space and experience. The edition unfolded at Villa Beaulieu, the renovated villa of Klinik Gut, transformed into a temporary home for art, design and exchange. Reimagined as an intimate yet expansive exhibition space, the historic residence hosted leading galleries in art and design within a lived-in, domestic framework. The architecture acted not merely as a backdrop, but as a participant – shaping how works were encountered and relationships formed.

Custom walnut furnishings, tactile textiles and layered materials lent warmth and depth to Villa Beaulieu’s interiors, grounding them in their Alpine context while maintaining a distinctly global outlook. This year, FNA Concept conceived the restaurant, VIP room and welcome area as an immersive landscape shaped by colour, texture and curated design. A palette of deep chocolate tones and soft mint hues established a refined, nostalgic atmosphere, enriched by works developed in collaboration with Nina Yashar of Nilufar, one of the exhibitors. The edition also welcomed first-time participant Nikos Koulis, expanding Nomad’s international community.

Through its integration of design, craftsmanship and setting, this edition of Nomad reaffirmed the fair’s distinctive vision to dissolve boundaries between makers and collectors, tradition and innovation, and spaces and the objects that populate them.

High-altitude architecture and infrastructure never happen by accident. A station or shelter carved into or set atop a mountain is built with great cost and intent, not to mention seemingly insurmountable natural obstacles. Planning and transporting materials to a peak are often as impressive as the architecture itself.

Why build high-altitude architecture?

There have always been reasons to build high. Castles sought protection; monasteries, silence; sanatoriums, fresh, crisp air; temples, proximity to the gods. But today’s high-altitude structures exist resoundingly for downtime leisure. Ski resorts and skyways, bivouacs and cabins, few architects can resist designing a refuge 2,500m in the air. The Instagrammability of such buildings is a panoramic calling card for any practice. Little wonder firms like Herzog & de Meuron, Snøhetta and Zaha Hadid Architects – whose Messner Mountain Museum Corones (2015, 2,275m) is an ode in form and function to the fearless mountaineer that bears its name – have built impressive résumés of mountaintop chalets, outposts and viewing docks that are both technically challenging – wind, power, plumbing, provisions – and impossibly comfortable.

The latest news in high-altitude architecture

2026 will see another slate of remarkable high-altitude achievements, many years and even decades in the making. Featured here are a few of our favourites. What has become apparent is that the architectural bar is as high as the foundations on which these structures are built. Put simply, it is becoming increasingly harder to blow people’s minds. Cliffside-hugging capsules like Skylodge Adventure Suites (Peru, 2013, 3,000m) and OFIS Architekti’s 9.7 sq m Winter Cabin (Slovenia, 2015, 2,700m) and bivouacs like LEAPfactory’s Bivacco Gervasutti (Italy, 2011, 2,835m) and Demogo’s Bivouac Fanton (Italy, 2021, 2,600m) leave precious little room for improvement, both imaginary or real. Then again, Marcel Breuer’s Brutalist Flaine ski resort in Haute-Savoie (France, 1969, 1,600m) still solidly holds its own against all its successors. In Breuer’s view, his resort was less a piece of architecture and more of a total work of art.

7 dizzying examples of high-altitude architecture

As materials continue to improve, as well as derring-do, it appears that the age of architecture in unforgiving climates is only getting started.

Titlis Tower, Switzerland

Back in 2017, Herzog & de Meuron was tasked with creating a comprehensive master plan for Switzerland’s popular Mount Titlis summit, including renewing its mountain station from the late 1960s and repurposing a 50m transmission tower from the 1980s. In May 2026, after eight years, the first stage of the architects’ master plan, the transmission tower, opens to the public. Integrated into the tower’s existing steel structure are two intersecting, fully glazed volumes that house a restaurant, a retail shop and a storage space for snow groomers. The tower is connected by an underground tunnel to the new mountain station, which will open in 2029.

Fred Young Submillimetre Telescope (FYST), Chile

Manufactured by CPI Vertex Antennentechnik in Germany and reassembled at 5,600m on the Cerro Chajnantor in Chile's Atacama Desert, the Fred Young Submillimetre Telescope (FYST) is a remarkable feat of design and engineering. To assemble it required crews kitted out with full oxygen support and safety gear to combat both the cold and high UV (roughly four times that of sea level). Remotely operated, the entire structure demanded special reflecting paints, underground cables, double- and triple-paned windows, sealed at altitude, and robust lightning protection. When the five-storey telescope is inaugurated in April 2026, it will be the second-highest astronomical observatory in the world, second only to its nearby neighbour, the University of Tokyo Atacama Observatory (TAO). From this ideal position in the thin air, the consortium behind FYST anticipates ‘first light’ (first scientific observation) by the end of 2026.

Digitally Fabricated Bivouac

Where one architect prefers maximum visibility, others seek invisibility. This digitally fabricated bivouac by Carlo Ratti Associati falls into the latter category. A collaboration between the architects and the Salone del Mobile, the bivouac debuts as a temporary pavilion at the 2026 Winter Olympics before being airlifted to a not-yet-disclosed location. What differentiates this bivouac from others is its Saville Row fit; CRA uses 3D scans of surrounding rock formations to design a shell structure that perfectly conforms to the shape of its surroundings. Photovoltaic and air condensation systems promote self-sufficiency, while a large glass wall emits a bright glow in times of emergency or low visibility.

Schilthornbahn 20xx Project, Switzerland

Since 2022, Schilthorn Cableway Ltd (Schilthornbahn AG) has been battling both altitude and elements to revamp its cable car system between Stechelberg and Schilthorn, in Switzerland, a trajectory that ends at the legendary revolving Piz Gloria restaurant of Her Majesty's Secret Service fame (it was Blofeld's mountaintop hideout). The three-stage superloop from Stechelberg village to the summit includes high-speed Funifor systems, the world’s steepest aerial cableway with a 159.4 per cent gradient and new mountain stations along the way by Brügger Architekten. The final piece to the Schilthornbahn 20xx puzzle will be unveiled in spring 2026, when Piz Gloria reveals her brand-new copper façade and outward-extending finger docks.

Cabaña Rumi Ñahui, Peru

Completed in late 2025, this temporary shelter by Peruvian R3 Arquitectos was designed to enable comfortable living in the cold, windswept Andean landscape. The entire structure evokes suspended rocks – from the eastward-facing exterior façade to the kitchen sink inside. As with any structure built at such a height, its beauty has a performative side. Its long orientation optimises solar gain, while its faceted façade offers protection from the wind. The westward-facing reflective glass mirror façade reduces the shelter’s visual impact, but also captures the afternoon sun. This off-grid shelter includes both active and passive systems, such as high thermal mass materials and controlled ventilation, as well as a biodigester for waste management.

Europahütte, Austrian/Italian border

The brief for this compact mountain lodge in the Zillertal Alps by Modus Architects was to complement, not overshadow, the original rifugio built in 1899, and to ‘connect’ the two both aesthetically and structurally, in part to enable a panoramic terrace sheltered from the prevailing winds. Constructed almost entirely of prefabricated cross-laminated timber, both inside and out, it is the façade’s overlapping elongated hexagonal shingles that stand out, with integrated cornices and sills and windows of varying sizes, a welcome display of whimsy at 2,740m. While the new structure inevitably overshadows its mother hütte in terms of space and comfort, the upward-sweeping conical roof of the new lodge, created to maximise solar power, perfectly mirrors the old. Literally straddling Austria and Italy, the architects cleverly delineated the precise points where the border cuts through the hut through floor and ceiling jointing.

Valbione Mountain Stations and Hut, Italy

A popular Italian winter sports destination, the Ponte di Legno region is undergoing a large-scale architectural upgrade with the help of Peter Pichler Architecture. Replacing two ski lifts is a new gondola system that includes three new mountain stations, one of which is integrated into a summit hut. The structures are inspired by and pay homage to regional architecture, deploying transparent, lightweight wooden designs to minimise their visual impact on the surrounding landscape. The Italian firm’s approach to the Angelo summit station/hut is particularly telling – rather than build a hulking landmark visible from miles away, it is integrating the station into the mountain. The alpine hut that sits atop the station features a pitched roof that follows the natural slope of the landscape. With no access roads, all materials must be transported via helicopter and a temporary zip-line system built onsite. The entire project is intended to open in 2027.

There really is no place like home. Hauser & Wirth’s Artfarm – the gallery company’s hospitality arm – may operate on an international stage, but for Swiss co-founders Iwan and Manuela Wirth, its first opening on home soil feels particularly significant. Chesa Marchetta joins the group’s full-blooded portfolio of hotels, restaurants and retail, and is as transportive and singular as one would expect. For the Wirths, each project is an act of place-making: rooted in art, individuality and connection, with no two expressions ever repeating themselves.

Following the opening of The Fife Arms in Braemar in 2019, the group’s second hotel unfolds in the introspective village of Sils Maria in the Engadin Valley – a place that has long resisted the seductions of speed. The location is rich with personal and historical resonance: it’s the village Iwan frequented as a child with his father, a mountain guide and architect, and it lies three hours from Zurich, where the Wirths founded their first gallery in 1992 alongside Manuela’s mother, Ursula.

Chesa Marchetta, Sils Maria

Chesa Marchetta occupies the shell of a former restaurant and pension, owned by the Godly family for two generations since 1947. It also carries the cultural residue of its life as an artistic salon, once frequented by figures such as Gerhard Richter and Jean-Michel Basquiat. The wider Engadin Valley has long exerted a magnetic pull on artists and thinkers too, such as Giacometti, Nietzsche and Segantini, drawn by a clarity that only this landscape can offer.

The renovation of the 16th-century property, which required reconstruction from within, was entrusted to Paris-based architecture firm Laplace, also responsible for Artfarm’s Mount St Restaurant and the adjoining 18th-century listed Audley pub in Mayfair. The project unfolded over four years, guided less by formal briefing than by observation and immersion. ‘With Iwan and Manuela, there was never a brief in the conventional sense. Our work together always begins with walking,’ says Luis Laplace, principal and co-founder of the studio, which he runs with his partner, Christophe Comoy.

Laplace approached the work with a conservation instinct: to save what could be saved, and intervene only where time had left no choice. Outside, the team revived the traditional sgraffito technique, a method of revealing rather than adding, cutting through the surface to uncover the colour beneath. Indoors, historic Engadin wall paintings depicting wildlife were carefully reinstated.

Structurally, the 13-key, sylvan property comprises four interconnected buildings: the main hotel, two adjoining barns housing the food and beverage spaces, and a three-bedroom house. Staying true to the Engadin visual language was essential: an aesthetic shaped by centuries of life in the surrounding valleys. ‘A sleigh from Sils is not the same as one from Bergell. The smallest detail carries a geography,’ points out the Buenos Aires-born architect.

Regional materials – Soglio granite, reclaimed spruce, original Val Fex stone slabs – form the foundation of the project. The aim was integrity, not novelty. Guest rooms avoid pastiche, engaging instead with the subtleties of place, furnished with handpicked local antiques, and window embroideries created in collaboration with the Benedictine nuns of Kloster St Johann in Müstair. As expected, the art collection is exceptional throughout: a mix of works by Old Masters and local artists, alongside murals by Corin Sands.

The 46-cover restaurant, with a separate entrance to the hotel, is open to both guests and non-residents under the guidance of chef Davide Degiovanni. Inspired by the property’s most recent owners – sisters Maria and Christina Godly – and their ascetic, seasonal approach to cooking (they famously served just one dish a day), it celebrates the meeting of Italian and Swiss cultures and stands as the most extroverted space in the house. Degiovanni’s signature here is aromatic gnocchi with brown butter and truffle, based on his nonna’s recipe.

By contrast, the Lounge Bar, set beside reception, is designed for small, spontaneous moments. ‘It’s the place where conversations begin,’ Laplace muses. The menu distils the idea of ‘eating and drinking the mountain’: local cheeses with preserves, honey and nuts, or charcuterie with pickled mushrooms, paired with wines and spirits drawn from the surrounding region. From the cocktail list, don’t miss the Alpine Juniper: mezcal and rounded añejo tequila layered with alpine botanicals.

The ceiling here was restored in local spruce, beam by beam, following its original pattern with forensic precision. Fixtures such as a 1950s Jean Touret suspension and a 2006 chandelier by Jason Rhoades, from the epilogue of his critically acclaimed Pussy Trilogy, establish a dialogue between eras without hierarchy. There are also striking works by Louise Bourgeois, including Spider II (1995) and Janus in a Leather Jacket (1968), alongside Nicolas Party’s vibrant Landscape (2020).

It is here, Laplace admits, that he feels most connected to the project. ‘It’s the soul of the house. The emotion lies in the subtleties: an irregularity in the grain, a beam slightly bowed by time, a shaft of light that falls differently each hour. Many of these details are almost invisible, yet they are the ones that stay with you.’

Chesa Marchetta is located at Via da Marias 88, 7514 Sils im Engadin/Segl, Switzerland

A version of this story appears in the March 2026 Style Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News + now. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today

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

As temperatures plummet across Europe, indulge in a winter reverie with a tour of this chalet in the Swiss Alps. Designed by M2P Associati in collaboration with architect Matteo Tartufoli, the property offers a contemporary twist on the traditional Alpine home. It is furnished entirely by Molteni&C, and, needless to say, we’re coveting every piece.

The vision behind the design was to create a villa that feels at one with its surroundings. This is achieved, says the chalet’s owner, ‘through a careful calibration of openness and shelter’: ‘The architecture frames the surroundings through carefully positioned openings and seating spots, allowing the mountains, light and seasonal changes to become part of the experience.’

‘The restrained palette of natural materials, warm wood surfaces and soft textures echoes the tones of the Engadin environment, reinforcing a sense of calm and permanence,’ they continue. Minimalist and sophisticated interiors capture the essence of a pristine snow-covered mountain, blending purity, comfort and high-quality. ‘In selecting the objects and furnishings by Molteni&C, I was guided by the search for pieces that could be both essential in design and warm in feeling,’ adds the owner.

The living room is anchored by two ‘Paul’ sofas by Molteni&C’s creative director Vincent Van Duysen: ‘The ones placed near the arched windows echo the shape of the openings and, in their green tone, recall the colours of the mountain landscape; the others, in a soft cream shade, pair with the warm walls and the more neutral tones that I personally love.’

Elsewhere, Ron Gilad’s ‘45°’ coffee tables – geometric, light and sculptural – add a visual counterpoint, meeting with unique pieces such as a custom-made iron dining table and a straw lamp, as well as Engadine antiques personally selected by the owner.

Molteni&C’s design language extends outdoors, where the terrace becomes an open-air extension of the interiors. Yabu Pushelberg’s ‘Sway’ sofa and matching coffee tables create a relaxed lounge feel, complemented by Van Duysen’s ‘Petalo’ armchairs and their matching pouffes, ‘Fairmount’ table and ‘Boboli’ chairs. Elisa Ossino’s ‘Pantalica’ collection of daybeds, coffee tables and rugs, alongside Van Duysen’s ‘Picea’ side table, create quiet nooks in which to relax and soak in the panoramic views.

While the chalet nods to traditional Alpine architecture through its use of warm wood and stone, it doesn’t feel rustic. Instead, furnishings imbue the space with a sleek, urban sensibility. Minimalist lines meet familiar Alpine cues, producing an interior that feels both welcoming and modern.

As 2025 draws to a close, Wallpaper* begins to plan next year’s adventures. From landmark restorations and adaptive re-use projects to remote wilderness lodges and long-awaited brand debuts, these are the new hotel openings that have caught our eye: places designed to relax, retreat and explore, and destinations around which to plan your next travels. Spanning Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia, the year ahead signals a particularly rich chapter for global hospitality, where thoughtful design, cultural context and a renewed emphasis on experience sit at the heart of the world’s most compelling new stays.

The hotel openings to know for 2026

Amanvari (Baja Peninsula, Mexico)

Next year, Aman will bring its laid-back lifestyle to the East Cape of Baja California, Mexico, with the opening of Amanvari: an 18-key retreat and collection of branded residences. Elastic Architects has designed thoughtfully considered villas that blur the boundary between indoors and out, showcasing Aman’s signature tranquil aesthetic through sandy-hued interiors, layers of natural stone and tropical woods, and bespoke Mexican ceramics and artworks. The Aman Spa will continue the brand’s focus on longevity, while multiple dining venues will celebrate Italian, Japanese and local cuisine.

aman.com

Black Sand Hotel (Ölfus, Iceland)

Sitting on a peninsula in the Ölfus region, Black Sand Hotel will be the first and only beachfront boutique hotel in Iceland, offering uninterrupted ocean views and interiors shaped by the country’s raw, elemental landscape. The 70 minimalist guest rooms and nine suites feature a restrained palette and layers of natural materials, with large windows framing sweeping views of the black volcanic beach, nearby mountains, and the North Atlantic, alongside the Ölfusá River. An expansive spa will share the same outlook across the black sands, while signature restaurant ÓMUR will celebrate seasonal Nordic cuisine.

blacksandhotel.is

Capella Kyoto (Japan)

Capella has tapped Kengo Kuma and Associates alongside Singapore-based Brewin Design Office to transform a former elementary school site into its next opening, Capella Kyoto. Located in Kyoto’s historic Miyagawa-chō district, the 89-room hotel draws its design cues from the city’s traditional wooden townhouses, known as machiya, unfolding as a series of inner courtyards and pared-back spaces that weave together classical Japanese elements such as shoji screens and tokonoma alcoves, anchored by a dramatic karahafu roof in the central courtyard. Three restaurants follow the rhythm of the seasons, while the spa is rooted in Japanese bathing rituals.

capellahotels.com

Chesa Marchetta (Sils Maria, Switzerland)

Chesa Marchetta will mark one of the first openings of 2026, and the second address from Swiss gallerists Iwan and Manuela Wirth, following the opening of Scotland’s much-loved Fife Arms. Formerly a celebrated restaurant in the heart of the Swiss cultural enclave of Sils Maria, the 13-key hotel has been reimagined by Argentinian, Paris-based architect Luis Laplace, while remaining firmly rooted in gastronomy through its seasonal restaurant. Next door, a three-bedroom house will be available for those seeking a more exclusive stay.

chesamarchetta.ch

Delano Miami Beach (USA)

An icon will be reborn next year with the reopening of the Delano Miami Beach. The South Beach landmark will emerge from an extensive renovation that restores its Art Deco glamour, preserving historic features while introducing a fresh, contemporary sensibility across the 171 rooms and suites. The hotel’s famed Delano Pool remains, joined by a new wellness studio and four new restaurants and bars, including a revival of Miami’s Rose Bar: the former epicentre of Hollywood royalty and the city’s high society.

delanohotels.com

Eha (Hiiumaa Island, Estonia)

Set within a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve on the remote Estonian island of Hiiumaa, Eha is a boutique wellness retreat nestled between verdant pine forests and the Baltic Sea. Eight suites and three forest cabins are designed to blend seamlessly into the surrounding landscape, featuring minimalist interiors in soothing neutral tones. The wellness programme follows the island’s unique five-season calendar, with activities, treatments and ancient Estonian healing rituals guided by sustainable practices and the energy of each season.

eharetreat.com

Hoshinoya Nara Prison (Japan)

A former prison is an unlikely setting for a hotel, yet Nara Prison is regarded as an architectural masterpiece in Nara Prefecture and is officially recognised as an Important Cultural Property of Japan. Next year will see it reborn as Hoshinoya Nara Prison, following a sensitive restoration that respectfully fuses its Meiji-era architecture with contemporary interiors. The hotel will also house a Japanese tea salon, restaurant and dining lounge, while the neighbouring Nara Prison Museum will preserve the site’s history, bridging past and present.

hoshinoresorts.com

Nihi Rote (Rote Island, Indonesia)

The founders of Nihi Sumba will deepen their commitment to sustainable, community-led development in Indonesia next year with the opening of Nihi Rote, the brand’s second hotel, located on Rote Island in Indonesia’s Nusa Tenggara Timur province. The retreat will feature 21 handcrafted villas that blend traditional Rotenese architecture with modern comforts, continuing Nihi’s Wild Wellness philosophy through outdoor adventure programmes, organic gardens and children’s initiatives that encourage learning through discovery. The hotel will open alongside the Namo Beach Club, as well as an academy dedicated to training the next generation of hospitality professionals.

nihi.com

Orient Express Venezia (Italy)

After breathing new life into the landmark Roman hotel La Minerva, Orient Express will open its second hotel in Venice within a 15th-century noble palace. Architect Aline Asmar d’Amman has overseen the eight-year restoration, reviving the mansion’s Neo-Gothic and Baroque grandeur while creating 47 guestrooms and suites luxuriously dressed in marble, Murano glass, rich velvets and Art Deco-inspired furnishings. The most spectacular suites elevate the experience further, featuring 19th-century frescoes of the goddess Minerva, gilded salons and sweeping canal views.

orient-express.com

Public West Hollywood (USA)

After launching his latest hotel brand, Public Hotels, in New York, legendary hotelier Ian Schrager will head to the West Coast to open his second address, Public West Hollywood. Set within a landmark building on the famed Sunset Strip, the 137-key hotel has been conceived by Schrager in collaboration with British architect John Pawson. Guest rooms make a deliberately understated statement, dressed in neutral tones, while furnishings in saturated hues inject a vivid counterpoint into the all-white lobby. Facilities will include three food, beverage and entertainment destinations, a pool, and a 16,000-square-foot open-air rooftop terrace with 360-degree views across Los Angeles.

publichotels.com

Singita Elela (Okavango Delta, Botswana)

Singita will embark on a new adventure next year with its first venture into the pristine wilderness of Botswana’s Okavango Delta. Named Elela, from the Setswana word meaning ‘to flow’, the new safari retreat will comprise eight circular camps that open in all directions, blurring the boundary between indoors and out to form a respectful extension of the natural surroundings. Inside, organic materials and handcrafted furnishings celebrate local craftsmanship. Each camp will be supported by its own dedicated team – a guide, tracker and host – leading guests through the Delta and its extraordinary wildlife, including more than 400 species of birds.

singita.com

Six Senses London (UK)

Six Senses will make its UK debut next year within the former Art Deco department store The Whiteley, in the heart of London’s Bayswater. Interiors will draw on the building’s heritage, blending classical detailing and new age elements with a contemporary sensibility, including a curated collection of modern British artworks. The expansive Six Senses Spa will be a highlight, while the opening will also mark the launch of the brand’s new private members’ club, Six Senses Place.

sixsenses.com

The Standard, Lisbon (Portgual)

The Standard has tapped architect Samuel Torres de Carvalho to oversee the design of its next European address, set atop the historic College of St Francis Xavier, formerly home to the Portuguese Royal Navy Hospital for more than 200 years. The 170 guestrooms and 24 long-stay apartments are finished in a palette of calming, earthy tones, while the lobby lounge, bar and all-day dining restaurant are imbued with The Standard’s signature boldness through sculptural forms and saturated hues. Upstairs, a rooftop bar shaded by striped parasols will offer sweeping views across the terracotta rooftops of the surrounding Alfama neighbourhood.

standardhotels.com

Vestige Namibia

Vestige will venture beyond Spain for the first time next year with the launch of Xaudum, one of four planned lodges in northern Namibia. Perched atop a prehistoric sand dune within the untouched wilderness of Khaudum National Park, Xaudum’s minimalist architecture is set to make a striking impression, with daily safari drives offering sightings of elephants, antelopes and African wild dogs. Three additional lodges will follow in 2027, each conceived with an equally bold – at times futuristic – design inspired by its natural surroundings.

vestigecollection.com

Waldorf Astoria Admiralty Arch (London, UK)

Waldorf Astoria will make a grand entrance onto London’s hotel scene next year with the highly anticipated opening of Waldorf Astoria London Admiralty Arch, housed within the historic landmark originally commissioned by King Edward VII in memory of Queen Victoria. Positioned at the end of The Mall, directly opposite Buckingham Palace, the storied property has been sensitively restored and will offer 100 guest rooms and suites, restaurants overseen by celebrated chefs Clare Smyth MBE and Daniel Boulud, a state-of-the-art spa, and a presidential suite with views across Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square.

hilton.com

At once brutalist and organic, the home of architect Andrés Liesch (1927-1990) sits in what feels like an epicentre for Swiss modernism. A couple of neighbouring little streets, Doldertal, Bergstrasse and Wolfbachtobelweg, in Zurich have come to define the country’s 20th-century architecture trajectory through a series of buildings. First, seminal architecture historian and critic Sigfried Giedion commissioned Marcel Breuer to build a pair of small apartment buildings on Doldertal in 1936.

After the war, architect and ETH Zurich professor Alfred Roth built his own house only a few metres away, on Wolfbachtobelweg. His colleagues, Flora Steiger-Crawford and Rudolf Steiger, followed suit with their own house in 1959, on Doldertal. This group of important modernist works was completed during the early 1970s by the little-known Liesch, who contributed the cascading, raw concrete form of an apartment building on nearby Bergstrasse. Completed in 1972, it features his own three-floor apartment at the top.

Explore architect Andrés Liesch's modernist home

‘Andrés Liesch was one of the best architects working in the Graubünden canton from the late 1950s to the 1980s. He was very much interested in concrete architecture, which was typical in the context of the Swiss architecture discourse of that time. But he was also touched by an exhibition on Frank Lloyd Wright, which opened at Kunsthaus in Zurich in 1952,’ says Swiss architecture historian Daniel Walser, who has researched the work of Liesch extensively and has written one of the few existing academic papers on his work.

The influence of ‘Wrightian’ organic architecture played a crucial role in the development of Swiss modernism after the war. Not only Liesch, but a whole generation of architects, such as Peppo Brivio and Tita Carloni, was fascinated by the more nature-inspired sensibility of the American modernist master. Most of them worked in the mountainous landscape of Switzerland, which created a perfect background for more contextual form-finding - albeit distinctly different to Wright’s American Prairie setting.

‘My stepfather was a strong, humorous, and life-loving person. He worked with great passion and won many architectural competitions,’ says his stepdaughter Seraina Feuerstein, who works as an artist and lives in the architect’s house today. Liesch grew up in Chur, Graubünden, and studied at ETH in Zurich between 1948 and 1952 under the guidance of Hans Hofmann. He opened his own office in Chur and Zurich in 1956. ‘Hoffmann was a symbol of modern architecture in Switzerland, and some young students wanted to break out from the Swiss tradition of rationalism and minimalism and embrace new visions,’ says Walser.

Wright and his organic take were a good alternative for Liesch, who worked over his prolific career mainly on public infrastructure projects, including several schools. He designed 38 schools for this canton only. It was a time when Switzerland underwent significant redevelopment, and Liesch saw potential in it and concentrated on public competitions. ‘He had a desire to develop the Graubünden canton for the new, modern society. He wanted to be local, but also showcase to the world his country’s vernacular context and open the region to international perspectives,’ says Daniel.

In most of his work, Liesch blended Wright's influence with the geometric formalism and austerity of Le Corbusier and Swiss brutalism. Drama, expressive forms and naked concrete came together to produce volumes that captivated. This is also the case with his own house.

Although he built a lot in Chur and around that region of the Swiss countryside, he eventually decided to settle down in a more urban context. His wife, Madelaine Demarlmels, was an artist, and together they decided to build their own house in Zurich. The resulting terraced apartment building, completed in 1971, contains three large housing units. Liesch picked the last three floors for himself and created a spacious apartment for his own family there.

The architecture is based on hexagonal shapes, which Liesch had used in the past, for instance, in a residential commission, Dr Hofmann House in Uitikon in 1963. In his own home, he orchestrated an even higher degree of geometric complexity. ‘Liesch was interested in a sculptural interior and exterior space and the utilisation of existing spatial relationships.

The interior impresses with its seeming simplicity of use and spatial arrangement, yet it is geometrically highly sophisticated, and this extends from the overall typological concept to the smallest detail,’ describes Walser. The flowing, semi-open sequence of living spaces, which is in turn spatially divided through clever partitioning into dining area, living room with fireplace, and study, is influenced by Wright's Prairie and Usonian Houses. He also developed the floor plans within a functional and adaptable, hexagonal honeycomb form.

‘Since the death of my mother in 2017, the house has been inhabited by my family, and I work in her studio,’ says Feuerstein. ‘My stepfather's credo was “to grasp the spirit of the times without betraying the genius loci.” Unfortunately, he died far too early at the age of only 62, leaving a large gap in our family,’ she concludes. Her works in rich, deep green hues complement the space beautifully and contrast with the rough concrete background, fittingly bringing a fresh, 21st-century spirit into this Swiss modernist gem.

This winter, the snow-covered surroundings of Kulm Hotel St. Moritz get a jolt of colour thanks to a playful installation by German-Belgian artist Carsten Höller – a hot pink carousel. The installation is impossible to miss with its pink-tinged mirrored panels gleaming against the all-white alpine landscape.

Carsten Höller unveils ‘Pink Mirror Carousel’ at Kulm Hotel St. Moritz

Installed on the hotel’s ice rink, opposite the Kulm Country Club, Pink Mirror Carousel masquerades as a simple amusement ride. In reality, science-loving Höller has reengineered the nostalgic artefact into something more exacting. Unlike a conventional ride, which completes a rotation in seconds, this version is calibrated to turn once every two minutes, operating as a precise clock. Its upper section rotates counterclockwise, while the middle turns in the opposite direction. The point is not speed but contemplation: riders become part of the sculpture, simultaneously reflecting and reflected.

Carousels are a recurring theme throughout Höller's practice (second only to mushrooms) and function as ‘confusion machines’ that disrupt our sense of time.

‘This is a sculpture with people inside, animating the inanimate, the mechanical, the lifeless rotation, with the realness of human bodies being transported through their own biological time,' the artist explains. 'A dream machine that may disappoint children expecting to be whirled around, while rewarding those reflecting on the essence of being.'

The work follows the opening of his large-scale artwork Stockholm Slides (2025) at Moderna Museet in the Swedish capital where Höller lives and also runs Brutalisten, his one-ingredient, ‘brutalist’ restaurant.

Kulm Hotel St. Moritz is located at Via Veglia 18, 7500 St. Moritz, Switzerland

Since the late 19th century, the vertiginous Alpine village of St Moritz has been a wintering spot for the monied jet set, attracted by powder-coated slopes, dramatic vistas and palatial snow-crested hotels. So the story goes, in 1864, hotel owner Johannes Badrutt sought to find a way to fill his rooms after the British guests departed the town after summer’s end. ‘Come back and spend Christmas in St Moritz. It’s sunnier and less rainy than London,’ he said. ‘If you don’t like it, I’ll pay your travel costs. If you do, you can stay as long as you like.’ Purportedly, four guests stayed until Easter.

This week, German fashion e-retailer Mytheresa launches a new ‘concierge’ in the town, located on storied shopping street Via Serlas and drawing on the locale’s history of hospitality (it is nestled between Louis Vuitton and Dior). Titled ‘Maison Mytheresa’, the ephemeral pop-up – which runs until the end of ski season on 6 April – has a distinctly Wes Anderson flavour, drawing on the tropes of a traditional hotel, complete with red velvet curtains, tasselled room keys and cabinets of curiosities (in this case, those curiosities are new season clothes and accessories). There is even a series of ‘bell boys’, decked out in red uniforms complete with pillbox hats and the requisite white gloves. The space was designed by Studio Boum, a London-based agency known for creating some of fashion’s most transporting scenography.

Mytheresa is quick to point out that the ‘Maison’ is not a typical shop, and instead will operate more akin to a private members’ club (a partnership with Laurent-Perrier and Oona Caviar provides the suitably luxurious refreshments). So, while there are private styling appointments and visiting trunk shows – Max Mara and Aquazurra will be some of the first – there are also cookie-making classes and lessons in how to write the perfect Valentine’s message, alongside other brand activations and events. The busy programme comes from a desire to create physical experiences which match their online presence, and offer ‘an intimate escape into the Mytheresa lifestyle’.

‘Maison Mytheresa was created from our desire to craft meaningful moments with our customers – moments that go far beyond online shopping,’ Michael Kliger, CEO of LuxExperience – the parent company of Mytheresa – tells Wallpaper*. ‘We wanted to offer an experience that feels personal, playful, and genuinely inspiring. This is not a shop, but a private club – a place for people to connect, enjoy themselves, and experience Mytheresa as a place to belong to. Our mission here isn’t to sell product, but to build relationships and create memories in a beautifully curated setting.’

Mytheresa Maison is open on Via Serlas, St Moritz, until 6 April 2026.

mytheresa.com

‘The phenomenon is that this almost 100-year-old woman who lives in near isolation, apart from a few people in her team and a few friends, manages to communicate through art across all boundaries to people of all ages, all backgrounds and those who are normally are not interested in art. That is really very, very rare,' says Sam Keller, director of Fondation Beyeler in Basel, Switzerland, where a Yayoi Kusama retrospective runs until 25 January 2026.

On the show's preview day in October, co-hosted by one of the fondation’s key partners, Swiss watchmaker Richard Mille, light is bouncing around Kusama’s mirrored cube Infinity Mirrored Room – Illusion Inside the Heart, a 2025 installation positioned in the garden, while autumn leaves are reflected in the silver balls of Narcissus Garden that float around the lake at the Renzo Piano-designed gallery.

'It really is meditative watching the balls move across the pond,' says Keller of the work that was first shown guerrilla-style at the Venice Biennale in 1966. Back then, Kusama was a plucky underground star working in her adopted home of New York. It was not until 1993 that she represented Japan officially at the biennale: a milestone moment in a career and life that has made her one of the most recognised and oldest living artists in the world.

The Fondation Beyeler show is the first devoted to the artist in Switzerland and the team is expecting over half a million visitors who will marvel at the sheer range of her work, which spans from small delicate watercolours to a fully immersive installation featuring giant inflated black and yellow tentacles, entitled The Hope of the Polka Dots Buried in Infinity Will Eternally Cover the Universe (2019/2024). The dots and mirrors are delightfully discombobulating, like peering into an abyss. That sense of teetering, of reaching into the cosmos, is threaded throughout all Kusama’s unbelievably prolific output.

'I think people sense that there's a lot of integrity, authenticity in her quest. Life and art are not separate. It’s not an artist’s career, it's her life,' says Keller.

What gives this exhibition great energy is the inclusion of 130 previously unseen works in the 300-strong display. Curator Mouna Mekouar worked with the Kusama Foundation to find previously undervalued works such as etchings and a series of small luminescent watercolours featuring landscapes and flowers in bloom.

'When Kusama moved back to Japan in the early 1970s, she didn't have a lot of money and could not afford to buy good paper, so she would work with shikishi, a low-cost calligraphy paper. She did thousands of [such works], and we think it's really striking,' says Mekouar of the curation, which includes a pastel and ballpoint pen Self Portrait 1972 featuring butterflies and botanical motifs collaged into an inky black scape.

Elsewhere, you can track other recurring Kusama motifs, like the Infinity Net abstract works, which she began in New York and has continued throughout her life. Videos of her performance pieces in New York featuring her nude friends painting each other with dots are also on show alongside her fashion creations, such as a 1964 shift dress decorated with macaroni and sprayed gold. This is an artist who does not respect categories but who continually experiments in new mediums, including poetry, sculpture and fashion. Her ambition to cover the world in dots was taken to a new level with her Dots Infinity collaboration with Louis Vuitton in 2012 and 2023. (Kusama also covered Wallpaper* in dots, as a guest editor in October 2023.)

On meeting Kusama at her studio in Tokyo in 2012, at the time of her retrospective at Tate Modern, it was clear this artist is obsessed with creating, and takes to her canvases every day. As Mekouar points out, she does not work from sketches or models; her way of creating is intuitive. 'Painting was a fever born of desperation, the only way for me to go on living in this world,' Kusama once said. Viewing this show, one appreciates her vast vision and her lifelong quest to capture the exhilarated act of creation.

Yayoi Kusama at Fondation Beyeler until 25 January 2026, fondationbeyeler.ch

As a culture, we’ve always loved a good ghost. From a white sheet with black holes for eyes that haunts the pages of a children’s story book, to the Romantic and the Gothic, via spirit photography, ouija boards and Patrick Swayze, the attraction is undeniable. And why not? The question of where we go when we die, if anywhere, is knitted into the meaning of what it means to be human.

A new exhibition at the Kunstmuseum Basel is asking these questions, drawing on work created over the last 250 years for an eclectic and rich visual history. In the Western hemisphere, particularly, ghosts and the supernatural have become inextricably linked with psychology and science, and interpreted by artists, spun by political movements or become symbolic of trauma in an obsession that transcends mediums.

Why? ‘No matter if you believe they are real or not – they are fascinating,’ says Eva Reifert, curator of 19th-century and modern art at Kunstmuseum Basel. ‘They’ve changed with time, adapted to each moment, and they have always represented the shadowy aspects of our existence. Not of the light and not entirely of the darkness either, they are beings of the in-between. For the longest time, they were deeply serious – frightening and awe-inspiring, because they were so closely related to the dead and their continued presence, particularly if a debt had to be paid, or an act of violence had gone unpunished.’

Since entering the popular mainstream a century ago, ghosts have ceased to be quite so serious, becoming more of a mirror held up to the whims and fluctuations of society. Whether comical, tongue-in-cheek or lightly anxious, they are useful vessels for our fears and the unpredictability of the future.

It wasn’t always the case, though. In the late 19th century, ghosts began to fascinate when considered alongside the new field of psychology, revealing the inner lives we usually keep hidden. When photography was invented in 1830, spirit photography revealed ghosts to be poignant wisps at the edge of a frame – later, we decided they looked like us.

‘As an art historian, I’m revelling in the enormous variety of iconographic elements that have been developed to indicate their unfathomable state as beings of the beyond or in-between,’ adds Reifert. ‘Clouds, smoke, stairs, the veil and sheets, translucency, flickering lights – artists, photographers, and filmmakers have played with and thus further established these visual clues conveying the transitory nature of ghosts. The most interesting form ghosts may take, however, is actually when they look like they did in life and it’s just the atmosphere around them that’s changing. The ghost of Hamlet’s father is such an example. Horatio describes him – and this is what is then shown in paintings and prints of the scene – as looking exactly like the deceased King Hamlet, dressed in full armor: “In the same figure like the king that's dead” (Horatio, Act I, Scene I).’

Ultimately, of course, ghosts tell us more about the living than the dead. ‘Ghosts chart the depth and width of human emotion, and sometimes the moral abyss into which individual people or even entire societies can fall.’

'Visualizing the Supernatural' at Kunstmuseum Basel from 20 September 2025 – 8 March 2026, kunstmuseumbasel.ch

Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron has completed a major new headquarters building for Swiss bank Lombard Odier in the Geneva suburb of Bellevue, overlooking Lake Geneva. Named ‘One Roof’, the building brings together over 2,000 of the company’s staff from disparate sites, accommodating them in a shared hub where design centres on openness and collaboration.

The eight-storey, 170m-long building is characterised by concave glazed façades, wrapped on all sides by terraces. Cantilevered horizontal concrete slabs are balanced by slender metal vertical columns, painted white to create a sense of lightness.

Tour Herzog & de Meuron's ‘One Roof’ for Lombard Odier

The exterior’s visual grid is loosened by dynamic column placements and a gentle rhythm of projecting and pulled-back floor plates – which result in double-height interior spaces and an eye-catching cantilevered terrace swinging out from the building. The pointed corners of the structure recall stretched sails – studio partner Jacques Herzog describes the building's outside as ‘a kind of mille-feuille’, due to its light, layered and slender nature.

‘It’s not a block,’ says Christine Binswanger, Herzog & de Meuron partner in charge of the project, adding that it was important to avoid the sense of a ‘hermetic’ building – achieved by designing wraparound terraces, all accessible from the interior.

Outdoors, an elegant amphitheatre is carved into the landscape, leading down through a double-height glazed wall to an indoor auditorium. A curved concrete wall connects inside and out – a bold, sweeping architectural gesture embedded in the ground that Binswanger says evokes a ‘cave’. ‘It’s the ultimate impossibility: one slab merges with the slab below and creates this connection,’ she says.

In the lofty interior, seating accommodates over 500 people across formal and informal arrangements. The curved concrete wall defining the space sets the tone for the building’s interior architecture, where there are few straight lines.

Most striking of this approach, an almond-shaped ‘cut’ into the building results in a full-height atrium that brings natural daylight deep into the structure through a glazed roof light. What results is an arresting canyon-like space, overlooked by meeting rooms, with timber-clad walls and a concrete staircase that snakes up to the first floor.

Throughout the building, an abundance of curved walls creates a fluidity of movement and visual softness – not to mention a lack of oppressive corridors. ‘It’s about leading people through and making them curious,’ says Binswanger of the layout.

The 71,202 sq m building is arranged into zones of modulated privacy and formality, mixing open-plan, desk-based working areas with breakout and meeting rooms of different sizes, nap rooms, and spaces where leisure and collaborative work commingle. Particularly impressive are the double-height, lounge-meet-breakout spaces on the second and fifth floors, flooded with natural daylight and featuring panoramic views of the lake and mountains beyond.

Such aspects of the design, alongside amenities including a restaurant and fitness centre, reflect the desire for the building to support employee wellbeing. ‘You have to do something that makes people happy,’ says Binswanger.

Part of the building is dedicated to Lombard Odier’s client interactions. Visitors are welcomed through a dedicated lakeside entrance that leads to ‘salons’ on floors above, with luxuriously fitted-out meeting rooms. Interior designer Rodolphe Parente was appointed to design these spaces, adopting a darker and richer palette, furnishing in a domestically informed way, and crafting rooms that offer a greater sense of privacy and discretion, all vital for the bank’s clientele.

While designed around programmatic need, One Roof also centres on sustainable architecture and design, and the building is targeting BREEAM Outstanding certification. Though concrete, a high-carbon material, was used structurally for its robust resilience and high thermal mass, the architects employed recycled cement in the foundations, timber in interior fit-outs, and prioritised locally sourced materials. Outside, a verdant landscape features 160 trees, accompanied by beehives and insect hotels.

Energy efficiency was crucial for the project, which is heated and cooled using GeniLac, a system harnessing the water from Lake Geneva. Topping the building is a 750 sq m solar-panel array alongside a green roof; meanwhile, a 444-cubic-metre rainwater-collection tank facilitates water reuse. Automated sensor-based systems ensure energy is only used when it is needed, and the cantilevering floor plates shade the building’s façade, reducing solar gain, supported by automatic window shades.

Herzog & de Meuron was appointed to the project in 2017, following a competition, winning out against practices including OMA and Bjarke Ingels' BIG. Though the expected completion date was 2021, the disruptions of Covid-19 and the unexpected discovery of rare orchids on site, which had to be temporarily relocated, pushed the timeline back. Geneva-based firm Favre & Guth worked alongside Herzog & de Meuron as the executive architect.

Swiss International Air Lines (Swiss) is shaking up its long-haul experience with a full cabin redesign set to debut on its upcoming Airbus A350-900s. First stop: Boston, starting this winter. From there, the new look will gradually make its way onto the rest of the airline’s A330 and Boeing 777 fleets.

Swiss rethinks long-haul travel with new cabins

Called Swiss Senses, the overhaul brings four revamped cabin classes – Economy, Premium Economy, Business, and First – each reimagined with a more considered use of space and design language. Expect warm tones of beige, anthracite, and bordeaux throughout, alongside ambient lighting meant to help soften the edges of long-haul travel (and maybe, just maybe, keep jet lag at bay).

‘As a premium airline, we aim to continue to deliver on our quality promise through our Swiss Senses concept,’ said Heike Birlenbach, chief commercial officer at Swiss, during a presentation held at Zurich Airport’s Operation Centre. ‘All in all, Swiss Senses represents the biggest product investment in the history of our company, and a further major milestone for Swiss aviation.’

Economy and Premium Economy now offer a bit more breathing room, with wider seats and extra legroom. Premium also adds privacy screens, so you’re not eye-to-eye with your neighbour the entire flight. In-flight entertainment has been upgraded, too, with crisp 4K OLED screens and Bluetooth built-in. That means, no more crackly plastic earphones.

Meanwhile, the Business cabin has gone modular, offering five seat types to suit different travel styles. Every seat gets direct aisle access, heating and cooling, and turns into a flat bed at least two metres long – though one seat stretches to 2.2 metres, ideal for taller travellers. If you value solitude (or storage), there’s an Extra Space Seat with extra compartments, or the Business Suite, which comes with closing doors and adjustable dividers.

At the top of the range is the redesigned First Class: a pair of enclosed suites, the Single Suite (2.4 sq m) and the Suite Plus (3.7 sq m). The latter includes a double bed and its own wardrobe. On paper, Swiss Senses is built for flights over six hours long, though, all things considered, you might not want to get off.

All of Swiss’s new Airbus A350-900s will include the new Swiss Senses cabins. Flights from 1 January 2026 onwards are already bookable.

In its 45-year history, the Pritzker Prize-winning architecture studio Herzog & de Meuron has undertaken only a handful of hospitality projects. Its portfolio has instead focused on era-defining cultural institutions such as London’s Tate Modern and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. But for Les Trois Rois, arguably Basel’s most storied hotel, the architects made an exception. ‘It’s a very personal project – perhaps even egoistic,’ practice founder Jacques Herzog tells Wallpaper*. ‘I don’t live far from here, so I love to come with my wife and have a drink at the bar.’

Yet long before it became the renowned architect’s local haunt, Les Trois Rois was a city landmark. Originally established in 1681, the hotel has borne witness to centuries of European history. Napoleon rested his head here in the late 18th century. Pablo Picasso, Voltaire, James Joyce – and even Queen Elizabeth II – have all been guests. In a city defined by its confluence of borders and languages, Les Trois Rois stands as a symbol of continuity.

Wallpaper* checks in at Hotel Les Trois Rois, Basel

What’s on your doorstep?

Situated on the banks of the River Rhine – where, in summer, locals can be seen floating downstream with their belongings tucked into inflatable dry bags – Les Trois Rois occupies a privileged position in Basel’s historic centre. Many of the city’s key attractions are just a short walk away: the Messe Basel convention centre (home to Art Basel and Design Miami Basel each June), the Natural History Museum, the Museum of Cultures, and the Kunstmuseum Basel, where visitors can view masterpieces by Holbein, Picasso and Rothko – the last housed in a striking Herzog & de Meuron extension.

Who’s behind the design?

Herzog & de Meuron took a break from masterplanning tech campuses and Olympic stadiums to breathe life into the hotel, located a short stroll from its headquarters. ‘Generally, as an architect, you don’t have the opportunity to develop the whole space, down to the smallest detail,’ explains Herzog, who even handmade the ceramic tiles that clad the fireplace in the ground-floor cigar lounge. ‘But everything here was developed by us in our own workshops. It’s not something you can do all the time – it’s very time-consuming.’

Herzog & de Meuron were tasked with designing the hotel’s expansion into an adjoining former bank (that was later a tourist office) on the Rhine’s left bank. The firm reimagined each of the building’s five floors: a ground-floor restaurant and bar; a first-floor function room with retractable walls capable of producing multiple configurations; two levels of new suites, including the sprawling Les Trois Rois presidential suite; and a decadent rooftop spa.

The room to book

Spanning 240 sq m on the extension’s second floor, the new two-bedroom Les Trois Rois suite is a masterpiece of contemporary luxury. The architects created a fluid space using curtains and sliding doors in place of traditional walls. The bedrooms and ensuite bathrooms – rendered in icy whites and deep reds – radiate from a central, circular living and dining room which, when fully opened, is bathed in light from three sides. ‘We wanted the façade to be free,’ says Herzog, explaining the decision to abandon conventional interior walls. ‘It’s a hybrid between something closed and very open.’

Staying for drinks and dinner?

Herzog and his team configured the ground-floor bar and restaurant to maximise the views of the river. ‘We wanted guests to be immediately connected to the river and the city,’ explains Herzog. ‘This was the driving force.’ To achieve this, the architects raised the tables to window height via a U-shaped stage encircling the restaurant’s perimeter. At the centre, they designed a reflective chrome bar surrounded by stools upholstered in bubblegum-pink velvet.

The river’s presence continues above, where mirrored ceiling panels reflect the Rhine’s blue-green currents between carved geometric mouldings. Hanging over the bar is a vibrant installation by Swiss artists Gerda Steiner and Jörg Lenzlinger, an eclectic amalgam of found objects – fake flowers, crystals grown in their studio, animal figurines – in a veritable rainbow of colours. ‘It’s a surreal garden,’ says Herzog. ‘I like the combination of a space that’s very French and classic with these Pop Art elements.’

Though the restaurant is set to officially open later this autumn, the hotel already promises a menu of Asian fusion cuisine and an extensive cocktail list. In the meantime, guests can dine on-site at The Brasserie, which serves classic European fare, or at the three-Michelin-starred Cheval Blanc, named the best restaurant in the world in 2024.

Where to switch off

Nestled within the historic building’s mansard roof, Herzog & de Meuron have created an intimate spa inspired by Japanese onsens. ‘The space had these wooden beams, which by themselves were quite ugly,’ Herzog explains of the design. ‘So we thought to add other wooden elements so their presence was blurred. Japanese architecture is very much based on rational construction, so we let the construction become the decoration.’ Between the chocolate-toned rafters, the architects lined the walls with fragrant cedar and adobe-like finishing and designed traditional sliding paper doors for the private treatment rooms. Spanning two levels, the spa includes a sauna, steam room, and icy plunge pool on a rooftop terrace overlooking the river and the historic neighbourhood’s rooftops.

The verdict

As the most storied stay in this small Swiss city, Les Trois Rois was a landmark long before Herzog & de Meuron left their mark. But for admirers of the Swiss duo, the hotel’s new extension offers a rare opportunity to spend the night in a space they helped shape.

Hotel Les Trois Rois is located at Blumenrain 8, 4001 Basel, Switzerland.

The art world is descending on Basel once again, and there's lots to see.

Alongside the presentations at the Messeplatz, Art Basel’s new Shop is a destination in itself, featuring a coveted limited edition of 100 porcelain Labubu by artist Kasing Lung, alongside exclusive drops including FC Basel’s artist-designed jersey, a Katharina Grosse capsule collection, Thomas Bayrle’s custom raincoat, a limited edition poster by Sasha Stiles, and rare prints by Daniel Arsham and Amoako Boafo.

Across the city, Jordan Wolfson challenges perception at Fondation Beyeler, while at Kunsthalle Basel, Lebanese-artist Dala Nasser traces the layered history of the Byzantine church of St. Christopher near Kabr Hiram in Qana. At Museum Tinguely, prepare to enter the surreal at Scream Machines, with a ghost train by Rebecca Moss and Augustin Rebetez, created in an anarchic tribute to Jean Tinguely’s Crocrodome, marking the centenary of the artist’s birth. In a modest house at Bannwartweg 39, an ambitious group exhibition titled Maison Clearing, organised by C L E A R I N G (NYC & LA), brings together standout contemporary artists, including Raffaela Naldi Rossano, Nicole Coson, and Supawich Weesapen. For a more contemplative encounter, don’t miss Lenz Geerk’s solo show lautlos at Domushaus, presented by MASSIMODECARLO – a quiet meditation on colour, interiority, and emotional stillness from the Basel-born painter.

12 things to see at Art Basel

Joyce Joumaa – Galerie Eli Kerr, Art Basel Statements

Timed to blink, dim, or fade in and out, the lights in Lebanese-artist Joyce Joumaa mirror’s the rhythm of the power grids — or lack thereof — across cities in Lebanon, where entire cities rely on shared generator schedules, makeshift solar setups, and the collective knowledge of when and where electricity might flow next. She transforms repurposed circuit breaker boxes arranged across the walls, and flickers with light, sometimes dim. Inside each box, hazy inkjet prints on vellum paper flicker in front of LED lights and electronic timers, their soft glow showing intimate glimpses of life — apartment interiors, rooftops, street corners — in Tripoli and Beirut.

The urgency of Joumaa’s work lies in its ability to materialise the invisible: to show us how power shortages don’t just mean living without light, it also reshapes space and autonomy. The installation presented by Eli Kerr at Art Basel Statements builds on themes from Joumaa’s critically acclaimed presentation at the Canadian Centre for Architecture and her inclusion in the 2024 Venice Biennale central exhibition.

Thomas Bayrle – neugerriemschneider, Art Basel Parcours

Known as one of Germany’s most influential pop artists, Thomas Bayrle’s 1960’s installation Coats will take place in the Manor department store in this year's Parcours, curated by Stefanie Hessler, Director at Swiss Institute New York. Using tools like the Jacquard loom and Xerox copier, Bayrle’s six-decade practice has bridged graphic design, mass production, and political critique.

First conceived in 1967–68, Coats brings together transparent raincoats printed with his iconic repeating patterns, displayed against walls wrapped in his signature superform wallpaper.

The Parcours presentation is part of a triple showing of Bayrle’s work across Basel, including a major new tapestry and painting at neugerriemschneider’s Art Basel booth and Chairman (1972) at Basel Social Club. Bayrle’s Parcours project is a rare opportunity to experience one of his earliest experiments with form, fashion, and the politics of production, ahead of his upcoming retrospective at the Kunstahalle Frankfurt in 2026

Alia Farid – Sfeir-Semler, Art Basel Unlimited

Elsewhere, is an urgent, visually stunning act of cultural memory and resistance. Sixteen large-scale embroidered rugs, made in close collaboration with weavers in Samawa, Iraq, maps Palestinian-owned pharmacies, mosques, Arabic menus and signage in Puerto Rico. Drawn from photographs, interviews, and archival research, Farid makes visible the complex networks of migration between the Middle East and Latin America.

The rugs blend flat weaving techniques with region-specific chain stitching. Textiles become an object that document craftsmanship, and resist erasure; telling stories that institutions often fail to hold. The series of rugs are part of a long-term project tracing Arab and South Asian migration across the Caribbean and Latin America.

Known for her cross-disciplinary practice spanning film, sculpture, and textiles, Farid’s work insists on visibility and on remembering what some histories choose to forget, revealing how stories erased by the Global North endure in everyday rituals, architecture, and material culture.

Bijoux Solaires – Suns.works, Basel Social Club

Held, as it usually is, in an unlikely venue, this year's Basel Social Club takes place in a Swiss bank vault on one of the oldest streets in historic Grossbasel. In one of the vaults, Suns.works orchestrates a glittering, transhistorical assembly of artists who have worked with jewellery as a sculptural form. Bijoux Solaires brings together rare pieces by Cinzia Ruggeri, BillyBoy*Zoé Mohm, Meret Oppenheim, and Fausto Melotti, treating jewellery not as adornment but as narrative device, aesthetic experiment, and political metaphor. BillyBoy*’s Surreal Bijoux, once worn by Warhol and embedded with televisual and occult motifs, gleams alongside Ruggeri’s wearable and ornate earrings and necklaces, and Oppenheim’s mytho-feminist objects. By framing these works within the context of postmodernism, esotericism, and countercultural fashion, Suns.works proposes jewellery as a form of micro-sculpture: portable, subversive, and intimate.

Alekos Fassianos – Herald St, Art Basel

Alekos Fassianos’s figures are often likened to demigods, nearly always caught in the banal rituals of urban modernity, his characters wear suits, ride bicycles, and smoke cigarettes with the languor of epic heroes. His paintings bridge ancient iconography and contemporary life, as their flat bodies, delineated by bold lines and patterns, are stylised in a manner that it is clear to see his work from theatre sets and ceramics to furniture and poetry. Painted in vivid blues and bright reds, Fassianos is a seminal figure of postwar Greek modernism. Don't miss his paintings, which will be presented by Herald St in Art Basel, following the 2022 opening of the Alekos Fassianos Museum in Athens - housed in a building the artist designed - and the establishment of his estate, where a significant international reassessment is underway.

Katharina Grosse: CHOIR – Messeplatz Project

It will be impossible to miss the sweeping fields of pink that overtake Basel’s Messeplatz this Art Basel. A bold new commission by Katharina Grosse transforms the spacious area at the heart of what’s known as Kleinbasel in little Basel into an chromatic colour field landscape. Titled CHOIR and curated by Natalia Grabowska, curator at Serpentine in London, the project continues Grosse’s rethinking of scale, gesture, and public space, extending her ambition to, in her own words, 'paint the world.' Her tool of choice is an industrial spray gun that floods colour pigment to architecture, ground, and atmosphere alike. 'Colour becomes anarchic,' she explains. 'It allows me to fight categorisations... to turn reality into something entirely liquid.'

In CHOIR, colour becomes not merely a surface treatment but a performative act: as Grosse’s work positions colour as a carrier of sensory and spiritual intensity. Unlike her artist predecessors such as Rothko, or af Klimt who explored expansive colour fields in their work, Grosse’s colour doesn’t transcend the world, rather it overruns it. Her pink pigment seeps into the architecture of the city, refusing containment and redefining the Messeplatz as a living, liquid space to encounter. In a time when public space is increasingly commodified and surveilled, Grosse’s chromatic intervention stages an abstract but pointed reimagination of the commons, becoming a porous threshold where pigment reclaims territory.

Alexandra Metcalf – Ginny on Frederick, Art Basel Statements

Elif Saydam – Franz Kaka, Art Basel Statements

Opulently decorated doors — two authentic Art Deco toilet stall doors and one illusionistic trompe-l’oeil painting — are central to Elif Saydam’s dissonant installation with Franz Kaka at Art Basel Statements. Drawing from the visual language of Persian miniature painting and referencing texts like Jami’s Haft Awrang, the doors are framed as an allegory of capitalism’s bait-and-switch logic. Aiming to collapse the ornamental with the conceptual, Saydam is interested in Lauren Berlant’s theory of 'cruel optimism' to unmask the toxic allure of the so-called 'good life.' The doors, poised between Camp and devotional craftsmanship, are portals to nowhere, evoking both absurdist game shows and the architecture of gendered categorisation. Exit signs flicker with iconographies, erotic fragments, and veiled citations. Saydam studied at Frankfurt’s Städelschule and Montreal’s Concordia, an artistic education that has informed a practice that is as theoretically robust as it is formally seductive.

Arturo Kameya – GRIMM, Art Basel Statements

Peruvian artist, Arturo Kameya work revolves around the narratives and myths that comprise different versions of socio-political history of Peru, and at Statements, Kameya examines the use of physical education in 20th century Peru as a tool of assimilation and control, designed by elites to instill bourgeois values under the guise of national progress. The walls are painted in institutional greens and dusty ochres, evoking the worn surfaces of mid-century educational buildings. Objects, from bleachers, gym equipment, faded murals, form a kind of theatrical mise-en-scène that draws heavily on the visual codes of state-run schools across Peru: with weathered linoleum floors, peeling paint, didactic posters, and surveillance-like repetition of nationalist motifs.

In Kameya’s richly layered paintings, figures appear spectral, blurred at the edges or flattened into diagrammatic forms, and always on the verge of disappearing. Iconography drawn from personal and public archives sits alongside images of indigenous rituals and colonial allegories.

Evangeline Turner – a.SQUIRE, Liste

One of the most compelling emerging artists in London’s art scene, Evangeline Turner has quickly made a name for herself. Her paintings, presented by a.SQUIRE at Liste, splice the English pictorial tradition with surreal domestic tableaux that bristle with quiet unease. Her canvases fracture space and time; in one painting, dismembered heads hang like pendulums from a door lock. Turner’s paintings call upon a lineage stretching from early 20th-century abstraction to post-Brexit psycho-geography. Referencing Mondrian-like compositional rigidity, her work plays with perspective and moral allegory. Turner’s paintings feel haunted by their own ancestry – entangled in post-imperial disillusionment, droll humour, and theological motifs. A musician as well as a painter, she plays in a rock band, a detail that echoes the performative flair in her work. Her fusion of dandyism, absurdity, and sincerity marks her as a singular voice in the resurgence of figurative oil painting.

Rhea Dillon – Soft Opening, Art Basel Statements

Corroded and fragile, Rhea Dillon’s sculptural installation at Art Basel Statements, presented by Soft Opening, confronts the lingering aftershocks of colonialism through disfigured glassware boxed in sapele mahogany vitrines. The vitrines don’t just frame the objects, they evoke the aesthetics of museum cabinets while destabilising their authority. The result is a powerful meditation on preservation, erasure, and resistance.

Dillon is an artist, poet, and writer and builds upon a language of absence in her practice. Her sculptural forms appear weathered yet beautifully preserved, revered as a semi-reliquary in their cabinets. They are part of a history that refuses to be silenced and settled.

Rooted in Black feminist thought and Caribbean material culture, Dillon’s practice abstracts diasporic histories into minimalist, affective forms. In her acclaimed 2023 solo exhibition at Tate Britain, An Alterable Terrain, she examined how the Black female body has been encoded, commodified, and staged throughout history. In Basel, that inquiry intensified, crystallising around materials loaded with colonial memory, from glass, soil, and molasses, each a residue of trade, extraction, and displacement. Dillon’s work invites a slow, embodied encounter with the objects before you. It’s a study in how violence inscribes itself into the material world, and how that material world might still speak back.

Sacha Kanah – Clima, Liste

In Until Soon, Italian artist Sacha Kanah has created seemingly transparent forms that you might miss on first glance. Looking more closely, these are a living mold from which all life originates. The quietly immersive installation of nearly transparent sculptures that seem to float, flicker, and dissolve into space. Some are suspended mid-air, tracing invisible currents with their weightless forms; others rest on scattered children's toys.

The sculptures are made from kelp membranes shaped by the chemical and physical properties of water. This ongoing project explores how organic matter might evolve and occupy space beyond traditional ideas of permanence.

Presented at the height of their growth process, these delicate forms blur the line between material and immaterial, echoing themes of transformation, memory, and the ephemeral nature of bodies in space. Originally shown at Clima in Milan (2024) for Kanah’s solo exhibition Sleep Starts, the work continues to evolve as a meditation on the origins and future of life itself.

Art Basel runs from 19 - 22 June 2025.

Nestled in the Swiss countryside, on the cusp of Lake Geneva, is La Paisible, the soothing residence that Audrey Hepburn called home until her passing in 1993. Now, for only the second time since then, the residence is up for sale. Comprising 1,000 sq m across three levels, the building evokes story-book romance, with pastel shutters, climbing vines and a rose garden.

Inside Audrey Hepburn's Swiss home for sale

La Paisable, meaning ‘The Peaceful’ balances elegance with countryside charm through its materiality, including terracotta floors and oak parquet, and fireplaces. The 12-bedroom, eight-bathroom, Grade II-listed building is steeped in history, and was the award-winning actor’s home for 30 years.

In 2001, the main building was renovated, including the installation of a modern kitchen and an elevator. Overlooking a sweeping 16,000 sq m garden featuring century-old trees, the house is also accompanied by a heated pool, two indoor garages, and outdoor parking for up to 15 cars.

Most famously known for her role as Holly Golightly in 1961’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and Eliza Dolittle in 1964’s My Fair Lady, Hepburn decided to retreat from Hollywood in 1967, during the peak of her fame. This was to focus on raising her family and pursue a quieter life in the Swiss Alps.

It was here at La Paisable where she would host vibrant dinner parties for friends, and walk her dogs (in later life she had three Jack Russell terriers). The rose garden was gifted to her by friend Hubert de Givenchy – they met during the filming of 1954’s Sabrina, and became lifelong friends.

The property is listed with Knight Frank with an asking price of approximately $21 million. Alex Koch de Gooreynd, partner at Knight Frank, says, ‘La Paisible is nestled in the tranquil village of Tolochenaz. The home’s timeless architecture only adds to its appeal, and it’s easy to see why Audrey Hepburn adored the environment, where she enjoyed both complete privacy and breathtaking surroundings.’

The Alpina Gstaad hotel, in the town’s Oberbort neighbourhood, has been attracting the well-heeled and design-conscious since it launched in 2012. The property’s latest evolution comes in the form of Monti, whose arrival, just in time for its first summer season, brings a fresh take on Swiss alpine dining.

Peak season: Monti, Gstaad

Like the hotel itself, Monti, under the direction of executive chef Martin Göschel, operates seasonally. It’s open from mid-December to mid-March and from mid-June to mid-September – a considerably more relaxed schedule that allows the kitchen to recharge its creative juices during the off-peak seasons.

The warm yet sleek dining room is by interior architect Jakob Sprenger and creative director Antonia Crespi; their debut collaboration yields a space that cleverly interprets alpine tradition without resorting to pastiche. Meanwhile, Alexander Kellas, the designer behind the visual identities for Cipriani and Chateau Marmont, brings his distinctive touch to the menus and branding. ‘Our goal was to create an atmosphere that reflects the environment,’ say Sprenger and Crespi. This approach is evident in details such as bespoke chairs with playful elements inspired by ski swings and hand-carved wooden details that nod to regional craftsmanship.

This commitment to authenticity extends to the materials. The walls and ceiling feature 200-year-old wood reclaimed from regional farmhouses, while all the furniture is bespoke, crafted from locally sourced elm that’s grown, manufactured and finished entirely within Switzerland. Three design elements particularly distinguish Monti’s space. A 4m-long buffet table, sculpted from layered fibreglass and bronze, anchors the dining room, its organic form inspired by the surrounding landscape. Bespoke lighting fixtures combine bronze with Murano crystal or fabric shades, while sliding doors crafted from delicate, woven bronze sheets add textural contrast.

One of the restaurant’s most striking features is the bespoke carpet designed by Sprenger with an intricate motif. Depicting local flora and fauna, its abstract stamp-like patterns draw inspiration from découpage. Produced in Denmark from pure wool, Sprenger says the piece connects regional heritage with a contemporary design sensibility.

This hyper-local design approach is echoed in Göschel’s cooking, the Swiss chef artfully balancing classic French techniques with local ingredients and a farm-to-table approach. Summer guests might find alpine strawberries, garden peas, char and regional veal on the menu – a roster that will change with the seasons and local availability. ‘We use exclusively Swiss meat and fish,’ notes Göschel, who also stewards the hotel’s other intimate fine-dining venue, the eponymous Michelin-starred Martin Göschel. The chef’s cooking style favours both family-style sharing plates and classic preparations – quick searing in summer, rich braises in winter – that highlight the natural quality of ingredients. ‘I love things like ceviche and beef tartare, as well as fresh, vibrant dishes that showcase exceptional products,’ he says.

Beyond the dining room, a generous terrace offers views down across the Gstaad valley, with snow-capped glaciers and the 3,123 m Oldenhorn peak providing
a panoramic backdrop. The vista sweeps from the village below to the Wasserngrat mountain on one side and Eggli on the other – a particularly striking montage during summer’s long evenings.

After a day slicing through powder or hiking along alpine trails, Monti is the perfect place to fill up on Swiss treats. In a region that still clings to fondue pots and raclette wheels like cherished heirlooms, Göschel’s kitchen deftly navigates between reverence and reinvention – proving that even in the most traditional corners of the Alps, there’s still room for a new kind of mountain cuisine.

Monti is located at Alpinastrasse 23, 3780 Gstaad, Switzerland; thealpinagstaad.ch

A version of this article appears in the May 2025 Design Issue of Wallpaper*, available in print, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.

Architect Lisbeth Sachs (1914–2002) may be little-known outside her home country of Switzerland, but she is about to be granted a spotlight as part of this year‘s Swiss Pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale 2025. Her rich, characterful work is aptly represented in this compact home, Summer House Strauss, which was completed in 1976 and is located on the shores of Lake Hallwil (Hallwilersee), a popular holiday destination in Aesch, close to Lucerne.

The cottage was commissioned by Dr. Frank Strauss in 1964. ‘He had a practice as a dentist in Affoltern am Albis, a village about 25km from Aesch and Zürich,’ says Martin Kehrer, who married the original client‘s daughter, Berti Strauss, and now looks after the house with her. ‘He loved sailing and that‘s why he was looking to buy a plot by a lake in the area. He owned two little sailing boats and wished for a weekend house not too far from his main home. Strauss knew Sachs and thought that the architect’s sensitive and emotional approach to architecture would fit the project well.’

Enter the world of Lisbeth Sachs

Sachs, who designed and built several high-quality projects in Switzerland starting in the 1950s, was also one of the first female architects practicing in the country. She graduated in 1939, taught by architect Otto Rudolf Salvisberg at ETH, Zürich, and was one of only five women in her class. Her career kicked off with a competition win to design the Kurtheater Baden, a large theatre complex for the Canton of Aargau. She completed this project in 1952, collaborating with Otto Dorer, who came second in the competition and was assigned to her as an advisor. The resulting structure features an elegant, circular glass pavilion and several original design elements, including lighting fixtures and furniture pieces. Following this project, Sachs worked predominantly on residential architecture, interiors and exhibition displays.

Sachs was also an important and keen writer in her field. She produced pieces for key Swiss journals in her field, including Werk, which allowed her to address the global architecture scene. In her writing, she explored the work of seminal figures of her era, such as Frei Otto, and Alvar and Aino Aalto. She developed a poetic and organic approach to architecture. She argued: ‘Architecture should be a new reference to nature, a reference in a large, comprehensive sense, in which human existence and transience are included, in the feeling of an all-encompassing relationship between plants, animals, humans and stone, also between the creations of humans and nature.’

Nature is an important element in Strauss Summer House, which was nicknamed ‘Im Schilf’ (In the Reeds). ‘Originally, my wife’s father purchased about 3,000 sq m of land here, hoping to eventually create two houses, one for each of his children. But a little after the construction of this house, the area was declared a nature and wildlife reserve and it was impossible to build any more structures there. We are particularly pleased that this extraordinary summer house was also declared as an object to preserve a few years ago,’ says Kehrer.

Sachs demonstrated her take on organic architecture in the house’s lyrical arrangement of materials and shapes. A concrete base supports an octagonal wooden structure with angled forms and a sloping roof. She worked with experienced carpenters who could address her complex geometries and was very involved in the construction progress, attending her building sites frequently and supervising the fabrication of different elements. ‘I admire her ability to build such complicated wooded structures without the help of 3D computers,’ says Kehrer.

The house contains two south-facing bedrooms upstairs for the children, while to the north are two more bedrooms for the parents. The first-floor living room, with its double-height ceiling and monumental fireplace, was the family’s main gathering place. The space’s colourful compositions, made of pieces of glass and ceramic embedded into concrete, as well as its sculptural, tile-covered concrete fireplaces, are reminiscent of the artistry in the work of Swiss painter Paul Klee. In fact, Klee‘s influences on Sachs were explored in a dedicated exhibition titled Architektur mit Klee at the Zentrum Paul Klee Bern last year.

Now, this lesser-known Swiss architect is about to have a moment. Curators and architects Elena Chiavi, Kathrin Füglister, Amy Perkins and Myriam Uzor of the Annexe group were selected to represent Switzerland at the 19th Venice Architecture Biennale. In collaboration with artist Axelle Stiefel and graphic designer Emma Kouassi, they will recreate a site-specific, temporary art installation designed by Sachs for the 1958 Swiss Exhibition for Women’s Work (SAFFA) in Zürich. With this gesture, the team asks: ‘What would have happened if it was Lisbeth Sachs, not Bruno Giacometti, who had designed the Swiss Pavilion in the Giardini della Biennale di Venice?’ Their answer pays homage to Sachs’ life and work. The display will be accompanied by work by architecture historian Rahel Hartmann Schweizer, author of ‘Lisbeth Sachs – Architektin, Forscherin, Publizistin’ for gta Verlang in 2020. Thanks to this project, Sachs and her work will claim a deserved spot in the Swiss architecture discourse.

This contemporary chalet by Montalba Architects is a new design from the practice's Swiss studio – the firm splits its workload between the US and Switzerland, with offices in Santa Monica, New York and Lausanne. The project offers a mix of ultra-modern manufacturing methods and traditional craft, all wrapped up in an elegant skin that manages to be both contemporary and traditional at the same time.

Step inside this modern Swiss chalet

Unsurprisingly, the new chalet is set on a sloping site, with a view across the valley to the Grand Muveran massif, home to some of the highest peaks in the Vaud Alps. Orientated to make the most of the views, the chalet is arranged across three floors, with the ground floor notched into the hillside. A separate pitched roof carport, completed from the same materials, is set slightly higher up the hill.

The chalet consists of a pitched roof and siding made from black-stained larch slats. The façade frame is made from spruce and there’s also wood fibre board on the exterior and OSB panels inside. All has been designed to weather and patinate whilst retaining its weather protection. The timber construction was largely assembled using a series of wood panels atop a traditional masonry basement, a combination that contributed to the swift ten-month construction process.

All this sits beneath a steep pitched seamed metal roof that oversails the house as per traditional Swiss construction methods, providing shading as well as snow-proofing. Where the Gryon Chalet differs from its peers is in the treatment of the fenestration, with huge floor-to-ceiling windows on the south-facing elevation that open up the interior to the wooded foothills and snowy peaks beyond.

Describing the project as a ‘traditional Swiss chalet ... reinterpreted with a modern, abstract approach through movement and flow,’ Montalba and his team have contrasted the dark exterior with a richly crafted interior that mixes classic items of furniture with bespoke joinery and those impressive views.

Entering from the middle floor, which is level with the road access, visitors come through a hallway to arrive in a living room with a spectacular panoramic view. To the east of the sitting and dining areas is a terrace, with the kitchen anchoring the living space. On the floor above are the sleeping quarters, which include a primary suite tucked into the eaves, complete with its own balcony, along with two additional bedrooms and a bathroom.

On the lowest floor, opening directly onto the hillside, is a studio space. This has its own access and can serve as a separate dwelling. Down here there’s also storage and a small sauna. Matte varnished oak floors are used throughout, paired with dark-stained oak panels and oak veneer millwork. A touch of richness is added via the Spanish Nero Marquina marble, which is deployed to great effect in the top lit primary bathroom and the fireplace in the living room.

Local cabinet makers and carpenters were enlisted to build the joinery, including the kitchen and staircase structure, whilst the interior furnishings represent an impeccable tasteful trawl of contemporary and mid-century pieces from Europe and California. They include Ligne Roset’s Taru sofa and armchairs, Hans Wegner’s ‘Wishbone’ chairs and the ‘Noch-Ein-Tisch’ dining table by Moyard, along with the ‘Eames’ wooden stool from Herman Miller.

MontalbaArchitects.com

In partnership with Richemont

The Watches and Wonders visitor experience at Geneva’s Palexpo exhibition hall is organised with the kind of clockwork expedience that only the Swiss can deliver. Around 50,000 guests are expected during the 2025 show’s seven-day run (1-7 April), and those who arrive via Geneva airport get to stroll the delightful concourse of RSHP’s polychromatic Aile Est terminal, clear customs and immigration and then amble just 800m across a concrete bridge to the lobby of the vast Watches and Wonders show space. No taxis, no shuttle, no excess baggage required.

When all 60 watchmaking marques – among them A. Lange & Söhne, Baume & Mercier, IWC Schaffhausen, Jaeger-LeCoultre, Montblanc, Panerai, Piaget and Vacheron Constantin – have been explored, exceptional novelties perused and brand ambassadors encountered, guests simply walk back to the airport and catch an evening plane home.

As for Wallpaper* watches and jewellery editors? We prefer to make the annual pilgrimage to Geneva more of a 48-hour thing, taking time to immerse ourselves in both show and city. During a two-night stay at the old-school Hôtel Longmalle or Hôtel de la Cigogne, we’ll take time to meander the streets, visiting the galleries, museums and creative landmarks that add to the cultural cachet of the city, which is known as the cradle of horology. And we’ll eat some fine Swiss chocolate along the way.

48 hours in Geneva: what to see and do

Take in an art gallery

Just by the Cirque tram stop, in the city’s banking district, is a good place to start. A cornerstone of both Swiss and international contemporary art worlds, Wilde gallery, established by curatorial partners Barth Pralong and Sébastien Mare, is a 1,000 sq m space whose white and airy storeys incorporate La Petite Librairie, dedicated to rare books and first editions, and the chic Anouch restaurant with a kitchen helmed by Tamara Hussain, formerly of the three-Michelin-starred Clos des Sens in Annecy.
Wilde Gallery Bd Georges-Favon 19, 1204 Genève, wildegallery.ch

Buy Swiss chocolates

Every Geneva local has their favourite chocolatier but when sweet-toothed Wallpaper* is in town for wristwatch business, we head straight to Auer, on the super-smart Rue De Rive, for a box of Pavés Glacés – cubes of fine, fondant chocolate dusted with cocoa powder, inspired by Geneva’s cobblestones and first produced back in 1940, soon after the business was established. Auer, now run by the founding family’s fifth generation, remains the high-cacao-content-seekers’ destination for chocolate-covered almonds, truffles, and other delights – all specialties homemade following original recipes. The packaging is beautiful.
Auer chocolatier, Rue de Rive 4, 1204 Genève, chocolat-auer.ch

Lunch at a traditional Italian

Lunchtime in Switzerland’s first city calls for a traditional Italian. Roberto, an institution since 1945, is Geneva’s best and buzziest Italian restaurant. In the bustling, central Rive district, a crew of bow-tied waiters serves loyal regulars and savvy visitors with platters of ravioli, osso bucco and mouthwatering saltimbocca. Since founding chef Roberto Carugati, five generations of the same family have had a hand in the restaurant’s day-to-day running. Accordingly, amid the delightfully distressed mirrors and patinated, wood-panelled walls, a distinctly familial atmosphere prevails.
Roberto, 10 Rue Pierre Fatio, 1204 Genève, restaurantroberto.ch

Brush up on Le Corbusier

Some nice clean, modernist lines to admire while you are munching on pralines? The Immeuble Clarté apartment block in the Eaux Vives parklands of Geneva is one of Swiss architect Le Corbusier’s early explorations of the residential idiom. It’s also a bona fide survivor. The design and proto-modernist disciplines at play here would later go on to inform Le Corbusier’s five-point, Unité d’Habitation (‘machine for living in’) housing principle, but the 1931 modernist apartment block had to stand firm against its detractors – escaping demolition in both the 1960s and the early 1980s, before being listed as a historic monument and, eventually, inscribed as a Unesco World Heritage Site in 2016. Grab a coffee, find a bench and look up in wonder at Immeuble Clarté’s roof gardens, open-plan living spaces, pilotis, long windows and expansive façades, and decide which storey you’d like to live on.
Le Corbusier Immeuble Clarté apartment building, Rue Saint-Laurent 2-4, Geneva, sites-le-corbusier.org, fondationlecorbusier.fr

Have supper at a cosy diner

Inspired by Edward Hopper’s iconic Nighthawks painting, Geneva’s Nomos Architects converted a drab pizzeria on a modern, urban apartment-block corner, into a fashionable bar-bistro, Bombar. The Genevoise interpretation of American diner design is more tactile, spare and much happier than Hopper’s. The interior features roughly cast concrete columns, op-art floor tiles and exposed, load-bearing walls, while the bar is all corrugated iron and stainless steel countertops. Head chef Victor Freiburghaus, formerly of the three Michelin-starred Épicure at Paris’ Le Bristol hotel, recommends the 12 hours-cooked, shredded pork shoulder and the roasted butternut squash with tahini, zaatar and lightly toasted pine nuts on the side – and a call ahead to book a table for dinner. Unlike the lonely scene in Hopper’s painting, Bombar is often packed.
Bombar, Place des Augustins 3, 1205 Genève, bombar.ch

Enjoy a post-dip fondue at Bains des Pâquis

Could Bains des Pâquis, just a few metres from the magnificent Jet d’Eau fountain, be any more Geneva? The city’s ‘beach’ – actually, the Quai du Mont-Blanc jetty on Lake Geneva – is perfect for a morning plunge off the art deco board, a quiet night swim, a yoga session, or a full-moon sauna. While you towel off, order Geneva’s most delicious fondue au crémant (fondue made with sparkling wine) from the cute little refreshment stall; best consumed with bare feet dipped in the lake.
Bains des Pâquis, Quai du Mont-Blanc 30, 1201 Geneva, aubp.ch

Also recommended…

More of the best dining and drinking, plus yoga, flea market shopping and book browsing in Geneva.

Leopard Bar at Hotel d’Angleterre, https://dangleterrehotel.com/dining-and-drinks/the-leopard-bar.

Le Bologne Bistro, lebologne.com

Le Dorian brasserie, ledorian.ch

Sauvage bar and restaurant, sauvage.bar

Nagomi Japanese restaurant, nagomi-restaurant.ch

La Clémence terrace café, laclemence.ch

Kā Studio wellness and yoga, kastudio.ch

Plaine de Plainpalais flea market, geneve.com/en/companies/plaine-de-plainpalais

Librairie du Boulevard bookshop librairieduboulevard.ch and, a few doors down, second-hand bookstore/café Les Recyclables

Also read: Watches & Wonders 2025: preview Richemont’s latest innovations, on show at the Geneva watch fair

On arrival at Cabane Tortin, guests are read a list of rules. Rule #1: do not miss the last cable car up at 3.30pm. Rule #2: do not wander outside alone or unannounced after sundown. Rule #3: be mindful of the scarcity of resources at such heights. Rule #4: stay hydrated. Rule #5: leave your troubles with your gear at the door. Easily mistaken as a high-altitude riff on Fight Club, these rules are, in fact, designed to keep guests both comfortable and alive.

Reach new heights at Cabane Tortin

Teetering on a rocky outcrop over the Tortin glacier in Switzerland’s Pennine Alps, Cabane Tortin is the latest example of extreme hospitality in extremely inhospitable environments. Situated in the shadow of Mont Fort’s 3,328m summit, the minimalist ski chalet is built on the footprint of a refuge that served as a hangout of the Nendaz ski club for decades. Despite its majestic setting, it had fallen into disrepair, due in part to the difficulty of sustaining a button lift atop a forever-shifting glacier. The hut was hiding in plain sight when a Swiss industrialist skied by and saw its potential. To help transform it into an off-grid family sanctuary, he turned to a Norwegian architect with a predilection for building in severe settings.

‘It’s the most inhospitable terrain I have ever built in,’ says Snorre Stinessen. ‘It’s like Mordor in The Lord of the Rings.’ This is from an architect who works out of an Airstream trailer in Tromsø, Norway, an arctic city surrounded by high peaks and glaciers. ‘I’m used to calculating 600kg of snow per square metre, but for this, I needed twice that.’

Snow may have been the least of Stinessen’s challenges. Building a cabin at 3,000m requires navigating a short build season, shifty weather and mountain logistics that demand helicoptering up all materials. The façade’s enormous glass panes alone took a month to lift up the mountain, necessarily transported in intervals to allow for acclimatisation. At this height, winds can reach Category 3 hurricane speeds of up to 129mph; harvesting glacial runoff can only be done a few months of the year.

The design brief was to create a minimalist home that delivered a feeling of suspension, the latter feat achieved by  placing a new structure asymmetrically atop the hut’s original basement. The home comprises two volumes – a slope-facing triangular volume that houses the entrance and upstairs loft, and a rectangular volume for the living room, dining room and kitchen. It is this second cantilevered volume, with its upward tilted windows and ceiling, that provides the greatest drama, hovering over the mountain’s northern outcrop and offering unobstructed views of a few of the Alps’ most famous peaks – the Grandes Jorasses, Dôme du Goûter and Mont Blanc.

Inside, the two volumes intersect seamlessly. A large copper fireplace sits centrally in the open living space with a dining table pressed against the windows and the kitchen set into a niche. The space is kitted out with board games, books, furniture by Le Corbusier, Charles and Ray Eames and Edra, and a wide bench that runs along the entire length of the floor-to-ceiling glass façade. ‘The bench has a functionality to it, offering both a place to relax and a feeling of protection. Without it, the steep drop-off is dizzying; you could feel like you’re slipping off the mountain,’ says Stinessen.

When not being used as a family retreat, Cabane Tortin is available to book. However perfect a perch this is for mindful escape, the cabin remains a ski clubhouse at heart and is purpose-built for athletic adventure seekers. In addition to two guardians and a private chef, a stay at the chalet also includes full kit, ski passes and a Bureau des Guides de Verbier guide with an insider’s knowledge of the 4 Vallées off-piste scene. There is a helicopter pad, but it is earmarked for resupply, and the house snow vehicle is used exclusively after closing hours to remain within mountain safety regulations.

To reach the chalet, guests can either ski-tour or snowshoe up from the Col des Gentianes or ski down from the Mont Fort cable car station. First the sweat, then the champagne. As the welcoming rules indicate, lodging at 3,000m is more akin to polar exploration than to a typical family ski holiday. Severe weather events can annul reservations with little warning. Strong winds can disrupt supply chains. Altitude sickness is always a threat.

Hot showers must be taken prudently. That said, the chalet generates its own energy and heating via solar panels, batteries and pellet heaters. Water is stored in ground-level heated tanks. All doors open inwards to avoid snow-ins. Guests are kitted out with avalanche beacons, and the Bureau des Guides de Verbier guide always bivouacs on-site. Should things go awry, the property’s operating director is a specialist in crisis communication and is supported by a team in Verbier.

All told, Cabane Tortin is a luxury off-grid experience whose very existence could ignite a high-altitude luxury space race where simply arriving safe and on time is the whole point of the adventure. 

Cabane Tortin is located at Batterie le Bleusy 222, 1997 Haute-Nendaz, Switzerland; cabanetortin.com, bystinessen.com

A version of this article appears in the April 2025 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on international newsstands, on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.

Long before St. Moritz hosted the 1928 Olympic Games, this idyllic alpine village in Switzerland’s Engadine Valley was already a winter retreat. Well-to-do holidaymakers have been flocking here since the late-1800s, around the time the historic Kulm Hotel first opened its doors. More than a century later, the tradition continues, with visitors arriving in droves from December to March.

Synonymous with wealth and exclusivity, St. Moritz naturally became a hub for art and culture. Today, the town—home to fewer than 6,000 residents—boasts international galleries like Hauser & Wirth, Vito Schnabel, and Monica De Cardenas in the nearby hamlet of Zuoz. Given its deep ties to the art and design world, it was a fitting choice for Nomad, the roving showcase of art, jewellery, and collectable design, which launched its inaugural edition here in 2017.

For the first time, the Winter 2025 edition of Nomad took place in Klinik Gut, a former orthopaedic hospital in the town centre. The stripped-down interior—raw concrete floors and stark white walls—provided a dramatic contrast to the works on display. More than 40 exhibitors participated, ranging from renowned art galleries to luxury brands and emerging collectable design studios. On opening day, the space buzzed with visitors and St. Moritz locals, many hoping to find the perfect painting or sculptural chair to furnish their chalets—or simply to take in the extraordinary pieces on display.

Here are Wallpaper’s picks for best in show.

Buccellati

The Milan-based high jewellery and silverware house Buccellati drew inspiration from the Engadine mountains for its installation. Conceived by design duo david/nicholas, the space took the form of an intimate dining room. “What was interesting for us is that when you’re out all day in St. Moritz, you’re surrounded by the mountains,” said David Raffoul, one half of the pair. “So we took the risk of closing the window.” The walls were lined with silk and wool textile panels designed to evoke the shifting colours of the surrounding landscape—icy whites, deep blues, and the rich browns of dense woods. At the centre of the room stood a custom-designed, dark-stained wooden table, also custom designed by david/nicholas, showcasing several of Buccellati’s latest collections. Among them were the Cervino cutlery, crafted from deciduous stag horn, Murano-made Caviar wine glasses first designed in the 1930s, and exquisitely detailed woodland figurines from the Furry Animals collection, whose lifelike fur was handcrafted by artisans using thousands of delicate silver threads.

Rossana Orlandi

The famed Milanese design gallery Rossana Orlandi took over a series of rooms on the former clinic’s ground floor, showcasing an eclectic mix of contemporary pieces. Among the standouts were an intricately crafted bench by artist and mosaic designer Yukiko Nagai. Inlaid with pieces of Biancone marble, Venetian glass, and ceramic, the bench’s carved elements resemble the intricate patterns of delicately woven lace. Born in the Japanese city of Niigata, Nagai studied mosaic design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Ravenna—the home of Italy’s Byzantine-era mosaic-filled churches—here she developed her practice of mimicking materials like wood and textile using stone and glass, creating a dizzying trompe-l'œil effect in person.

Galleria Antonella Villanova

Amongst the array of excellent pieces in Florence-based Galleria Antonella Villanova’s Nomad showing, were the otherworldly vessels by Germany-based artist Nora Arrieta. According to Villanova, Arrieta’s work blends historical references with pop culture iconography, resulting in pieces that feel as if they should be characters in a dystopian fairy tale: misshapen cars rendered in pastel colours piled atop one another; tech-infused botanical figures sprouting QR codes; and surreal vessels with gold-plated branches growing from their lids, a fantastical chimaera of inanimate objects and living forms.

Spazio Nobile

The theme for Spazio Nobile’s Nomad exhibition was 'Shining Peaks' and the Brussels-based gallery showed up in Switzerland with a veritable mountain of new work. Amongst new pieces by Pierre Charrié, Florence Coenraets, and Marie Corbin, the 'Fauteuil Romain' seating by Benoît Maire—a multi-disciplinary artist who studied philosophy before embarking on an art practice—was a highlight. The wooden chair possessed a striking mix of colours and textures: the backrest and seat painted with washes of pink and blue; perpendicular gouged oak panels that end in lifelike feet; and a curved oak body that calls to mind a cocoon.

Micheluzzi Glass

In addition to their booth, the multi-generation glass house Micheluzzi founded by the artist Massimo Micheluzzi and run by his daughters, Elena and Margherita—provided bespoke lighting for Klinik Gut’s grand entrance staircase. Inspired by the natural wonders of the Venetian lagoon, long tendrils emerged from the sculptural chandelier, resembling a placid squid floating along the ebbing tides. Also present were the “Ghiaccio” (Ice) lamps, hanging pendant lights that look as if they were encrusted with morning frost, a nod to the frozen landscape just outside the door.

Sofia Zevi

Milan’s Sofia Zevi Gallery brought a preview of its upcoming Salone del Mobile exhibition to the alpine fair. Titled 'Pink in Italian Design', the showcase zeroed in on the use of the oft-maligned colour in mid-century design. Zevi particularly focussed on the work of the architect and designer Ico Parisi, for whom the exploration of colour was central to his practice. Highlights of the exhibition included a rare piece sourced from one of his final interior projects, a villa on the shores of Lake Como. The round, mirrored coffee table sits atop an oak base painted with a curving dash of pink around the bottom. Pieces by other designers included an Art Deco 1930s suspension lamp by Paolo Buffa, a table lamp with a pink glass shade by Tito Agnoli and a set of Venini glass picture frames whose squiggly edges look as if they could have been designed yesterday — underlining the remarkable contemporaneity of these mid-century masters’ work.

nomad-circle.com

Of all the places to show a concept car, the World Economic Forum feels like one of the most incongruous. However, the Davos unveiling of this new ultra-rugged beast from Genesis isn’t about supercar styling or unattainable luxury. Rather, the focus is on zero-emission search and rescue.

The Mountain Intervention Vehicle (MIV) Concept is a radically overhauled Genesis GV60, a svelte and luxurious EV that we rate very highly. However, in order to transform this electric executive express into something that can tackle snow and slopes.

The MIV Concept gives itself a leg up by eschewing wheels in favour of snow tracks. These flexible enhancements, set beneath a body kit with widening carbon fibre wheel arches, allow the car to traverse almost any terrain. This access-all-areas capability is bolstered by a full quota of emergency equipment, including medical supplies, warning systems and communications gear to liaise with the rest of the mountain rescue team.

In addition to the snow tracks and sports seat-equipped interior, the MIV Concept also comes with a custom heavy-duty roof rack, complete with ultra-bright worklights and a rear winching point to haul other vehicles back to safety.

Mounted in its own Alpine diorama at the AMERON Davos Swiss Mountain Resort, like an ibex in the American Museum of Natural History, the MIV Concept is actually the third in a series of concepts Genesis has presented at the WEF. Last year it showed the Genesis X Snow Speedium Concept and in 2023 it was the Genesis X Concept.

This is the first time, however, that the luxury brand has gone all-out to showcase a more humanitarian side to their business. ‘Genesis prides itself on creating safe, well-designed luxury vehicles that are audacious, progressive and distinctly Korean,’ says the company’s Chief Creative Officer, Luc Donckerwolke, ‘The GV60 MIV Concept expands this vision of comfort and care.’

Search and rescue concepts are a good way of showcasing ways in which conventional cars could potentially be uprated into more SUV-like objects – the recent Nissan Caravan Disaster Support Specification is a case in point. That’s not to say that Genesis is going to turn its flagship EV into a jacked-up off-roader specification, but it demonstrates that luxury need be no stranger to utility.

Genesis.com

In partnership with Switzerland Tourism

Whether you’re more into boreal forest-inspired paintings or tantalising textiles, plot some surefire cultural highlights into your itinerary with our pick of Switzerland’s best art exhibitions to see in 2025, at 11 of the most important Swiss art museums.

Fondation Beyeler, Riehen near Basel

‘Northern Lights’, 26 January – 25 May 2025

The northern hemisphere’s vast boreal forest is the inspiration shared by 74 landscape masterpieces, painted by artists from Scandinavia and Canada between 1888 and 1937, brought together for Fondation Beyeler’s new exhibition.

Stretching south and north of the polar circle, forming one of Earth’s largest primeval woodlands, the snowy boreal (meaning northern) forest has a magical appeal; cold, darkness and the heavenly pyrotechnics of the Northern Lights have long provided elemental drama and atmospheric mis en scène.

Focusing on a specifically Nordic way of painting, the ‘Northern Lights’ exhibition traces the development of boreal forest landscapes in modern art through selected works by Helmi Biese, Anna Boberg, Emily Carr, Prince Eugen, Gustaf Fjæstad, Akseli Gallen-Kallela, Lawren S Harris, Hilma af Klint, JEH MacDonald, Edvard Munch, Ivan Shishkin, Harald Sohlberg and Tom Thomson.

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Kunstmuseum Basel

‘Medardo Rosso – Inventing Modern Sculpture’, 29 March – 10 August 2025

Little known but highly influential, Medardo Rosso was a 1900s revolutionary. A sculptor, photographer, and master of artful staging, Rosso was both rival and role model to his contemporaries and countless artists across subsequent generations. To trace the artist’s radical, formal, material, and technical explorations, this comprehensive retrospective showcases bronze, plaster and wax sculptures, and hundreds of his photographs and drawings, alongside work by more than 50 artists from the last hundred years – among them Francis Bacon, Edgar Degas, Yayoi Kusama, Auguste Rodin, and Andy Warhol – whose concerns and technical approaches resonate with Rosso’s.

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Museum Tinguely, Basel

‘Fresh Window. The Art of Display & Display of Art’, until 11 May 2025

For decades, in storefronts and boutiques all over the world, there have been close links between art and shop window display. Marcel Duchamp designed his first shop window in 1945 for the launch of a book by André Breton in New York; Swiss artist Jean Tinguely worked as a professional window dresser in Basel; and Andy Warhol effectively launched his pop art aesthetic via a window dressing commission for the Gunther Jaeckel department store back in 1961. Flipping the medium, window displays have also featured frequently as a motif in artworks, or served as a stage for performances and installations.

This new exhibition, ‘Fresh Window. The Art of Display & Display of Art’, explores the eventful relationship between art and retail commerce, artists and shop windows, from its beginnings to the present day. Artistic interventions across stores in Basel will extend the show into public spaces.

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Zentrum Paul Klee, Bern

‘Le Corbusier. The Order of Things’, 8 February – 22 June 2025

To coincide with its 20-year anniversary, the Zentrum Paul Klee is devoting a major exhibition to the Swiss-French artist-architect Le Corbusier (1887-1965). One of the most influential protagonists of modern architecture and art, Le Corbusier tried to harness his unbridled creativity and enormous energy to reshape the world according to his ideas, to ‘order’ it and create a new living environment through functional and aesthetic architecture. Today, some of his buildings are Unesco World Heritage Sites. The exhibition is based around Le Corbusier’s three-dimensional thought and design. The prelude to the architecture is at the centre: the artistic experiment in the ‘workshop of patient research’, as Le Corbusier described his artistic work.

The permanent exhibition ‘Kosmos Klee. The Collection’ rounds up the visit with a chronological overview of Klee's artistic oeuvre through 70 works, as well as biographical material and archive items.

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Plateforme 10, Lausanne

Permanent exhibition

A 25,000 sq m art project sited on a former Lausanne locomotive repair shed, Plateforme 10 brings together the significant resources of three institutions: the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-arts de Lausanne, the Musée de Design et d'Arts Appliqués Contemporains (Mudac) and the Musée de l'Élysée, as well as the collections of the Fondation Toms Pauli and the Fondation Felix Vallotton.

Plateforme 10’s impressive, permanent exhibition, laid out chronologically over two floors, displays treasures from the local canton of Vaud’s art collections, with some 300 works dating from the 18th century to the present day. The museum’s historical collection explores major trends in post-Second World War creativity, geometric abstraction, neo-Fauvism, new media’s video and installation pieces, alongside drawings, paintings and ‘art autre’ of the second Paris School.

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MASI Lugano

‘Louisa Gagliardi’, 16 February – 20 July 2025

MASI’s 2025 exhibition programme focuses on rediscoveries, creative synergies and compelling narratives, offering a fresh exploration of Switzerland’s visual arts history and its dynamic, international trajectory.

The programme opens with an exhibition by Louisa Gagliardi, one of the most intriguing figures in Swiss contemporary art. Gagliardi’s work merges digital technology with traditional painting techniques, creating compositions rich in unexpected details that blend the familiar with the unknown. Drawing inspiration from artistic movements such as Surrealism, Metaphysics and Magical Realism, she crafts an imaginative world that reflects the transformative shifts of the post-internet era.

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Fotomuseum Winterthur

‘Poulomi Basu Phantasmagoria’, 25 October 2025 – 15 February 2026

Following an extensive renovation and redevelopment programme, Fotomuseum Winterthur will reopen in May 2025. From October 2025 the museum will present an exhibition by Indian artist Poulomi Basu. Interweaving documentary photographs and staged scenes enacted in front of fantastical backdrops, Basu creates multimedia, often large-scale installations. Here, the exhibition’s title references the 18th-century phantasmagorias that captivated audiences with projections and optical illusions. The artist also employs virtual reality, film and performance in her practice, using the activist potential of different media to champion the rights of marginalised groups.

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Museum Für Gestaltung Zürich

‘Textile Manifestos – From Bauhaus to Soft Sculpture’, 14 February – 13 July 2025

Fanciful fringes and embroideries, geometrically ordered weavings and spatial free forms; ‘Textile Manifestos – From Bauhaus to Soft Sculpture’ celebrates a graphic and colourful variety of crafted materials. Expect anonymous, provocative pieces next to well-known abstract works by the likes of America’s Sheila Hicks, and New Tapestry movement figurehead Elsi Giauque.

Surprising adjacencies of comparable perspectives from different periods emerge – a powerful commonality that includes the creative hand and a touch of magic. Quiet statements as well as the occasional activist message enhance the pulling power of these textile creations.

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Kunsthaus Zürich

‘Marina Abramović Retrospective’, until 16 February 2025

Including works from every phase of Marina Abramović’s extraordinary career, alongside iconic performances and a new, interactive piece, the Kunsthaus Zürich presents the artist’s first comprehensive retrospective in Switzerland. Abramović is known for her durational performances that explore physical and mental limits, inviting visitors to experience mindfulness and self-perception; this retrospective spans video, photography, sculpture and drawing, along with live restagings of iconic works including Imponderabilia and Luminosity. A new, interactive piece, Decompression Chamber, was designed by Abramović especially for Kunsthaus Zürich.

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Museum Rietberg, Zürich

‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’, 4 April – 17 August 2025

‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’ showcases South Korea’s vibrant and diverse popular culture. Since the late 1990s, this cultural phenomenon has made waves around the world. This exhibition explores the genesis of Hallyu and its ties to traditional Korean fine arts as well as examines global influences in pop culture, cinema, fashion, and media. Embracing K-Pop costumes, dance routines famed worldwide, unforgettable film props, and clips from music videos, beauty trends, and Korean fashion, ‘Hallyu! The Korean Wave’ is a dazzling kaleidoscope of South Korean art and cultural history. Some of the highlights that will captivate the public include works by media art pioneer Nam June Paik, a set design from the Oscar-winning film Parasite, a dance-along rendition of ‘Gangnam Style’, and the intriguing revival by South Korean pop stars of traditional hanbok garb.

Following a successful tour through London, Boston, and San Francisco, Museum Rietberg presents this spectacular exhibition in cooperation with the Victoria & Albert Museum on its only stop in Europe.

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For the last 40 years, Italian architect Antonio Citterio has been driving north out of his native Milan, bound for Switzerland’s Engadin Valley and St Moritz. The classic winter resort, beloved by British aristocracy and film stars, is where he owns a traditional Alpine farmhouse and where both his son and daughter were born. As such, Citterio’s studio (ACPV Architects Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel) was a natural choice to design the new wing of Badrutt’s Palace, St Moritz’s landmark hotel.

Badrutt’s Palace introduces the new Serlas Wing

‘I have a beautiful, very personal relationship with St Moritz, and the Palace,’ Citterio smiles, as we walk through its revolving wooden doors, which were first opened in 1896 by Caspar Badrutt. ‘It was always my place to drink something – a margarita with my family – in the afternoon.’ The new Serlas Wing heralds a new contemporary chapter for the historic hotel. ‘It’s not just a new building,’ notes Citterio, ‘it’s an opportunity to create a connection with the Palace and the centre of the village. It’s something to create life.’

The architecture studio’s chief inspiration for the project came from the surrounding peaks and the locality. ‘You have to feel the mountains, and you have to feel the materials,’ says Citterio, who has thoughtfully translated the simplicity of the traditional Engadin farmhouse, much like his own, to the Serlas Wing’s façade. ‘The buildings in this village are not palazzi. The logic of many mountain houses,’ he explains, ‘was to create windows where you need it, for the sun or the view. One of our references was the carved-in window openings of the traditional Chesa Planta house from the 16th century.’ As a result, there is an asymmetry and a casual nature to the exterior of the new wing, that belies the precise interior symmetry of its bedrooms.

The façade is built from the handsome Alpine stone, Dorato Valmalenco, which has been intelligently layered to create archways that reflect the existing arcades of the village. Inside, the Wing’s soothing spaces are softened by a mountain-inspired palette and heat-treated oak, in order to quietly prioritise the framing of their varied views. The architecture studio collaborated with Loro Piana Interiors to create bespoke fabrics for the bedrooms, including tactile felts and wool cloths, while marbles dominate the serene bathrooms.

The result is an architectural dialogue between the Serlas Wing and the original Palace; between old and new, historical and contemporary, united by the common thread of timeless luxury. Guests of both will come together to enjoy the trappings of Badrutt’s, from its cathedral-esque grand hall with views over the lake and the Wes Anderson-style breakfast room – complete with harpist – to the cavernous subterranean spa with its outdoor thermal pool and sauna cabins.

During the ski season, you are whisked off by the seamless shuttle service to the nearby Suvretta chairlift, for a leisurely few pistes in the morning – ideally under bluebird skies – before settling into a long alfresco lunch, and potentially a dance, outside at Paradiso, Badrutt’s mountain restaurant and club. Back at the hotel, you are spoilt for choice for where to dine, but the cosiest has to be Chesa Veglia. Nestled in the heart of the village, and accessed from the Serlas Wing and the Palace by a secret passage, it is a traditional mountain inn with a roaring pizza oven and a stove for fondues. Afterwards, head back to the palace for a disco in the basement at the King Social Club, where the great and good of St Moritz gather to dance til the very small hours, fuelled by Moritzinos – Badrutt’s signature cocktail made with Cointreau, fresh line and orgeat syrup.

And, although its seasoned guests may flock to St Moritz by private jet, whether for the infamous Cresta Run or its burgeoning arts scene and festivals such as Nomad, there is nothing lovelier than arriving by train through the Unesco-rated landscape. Just remember to pack some Champagne.

Badrutt’s Palace is located at Via Serlas 27, 7500 St. Moritz, Switzerland; badruttspalace.com

It’s not exactly easy to pinpoint where the Wallpaper* editors will be. From design festivals to fashion weeks and OOO adventures, there’s always something exciting on our team’s calendars. Keep reading to find out where the magazine’s staff members will be heading in the new year.

Wallpaper* editors’ 2025 getaway plans

LA: Charlotte Gunn, Director of Digital Content

‘I will look forward to my annual trip to Los Angeles to visit friends and family. I spend the year diligently plotting all the new openings I want to try on a Google Map so I am fully prepped by the time we arrive. I’m already itching to try Camelia, a French fusion restaurant which opened in Echo Park at the end of the summer. I’m also keen to see how the development of Melrose Hill has progressed since my last visit – a couple of notable galleries had moved into the area and there was a pledge to redevelop a disused retail block with new independent shops and restaurants. To get me through the long British winter, I shall be dreaming of fresh seafood at sundown from The Jolly Oyster on Ventura beach.’

Venice & Helsinki: Ellie Stathaki, Architecture & Environment Director

‘The Venice Architecture Biennale always causes a stir of excitement at the architecture desk, so my biannual visit to the Italian city in May for the vernissage is at the top of my list for 2025. I am also dreaming of a winter trip to Helsinki. I’ve always felt there’s lots to see and enjoy in the Nordic capital, and I have only scratched the surface. I have only ever been for work, so going on a long weekend in a private capacity is also on my list. The reopening of Alvar Aalto’s Finlandia Hall in January just adds to the reasons why.’

Switzerland & Budapest: Hannah Tindle, Beauty & Grooming Editor

‘I’m hoping to travel to Clinique La Prairie in Switzerland in 2025, a spa and clinic that has been running since 1931. (Previous devotees to its ‘CLP method’ include Marlene Dietrich and Greta Garbo). I also want to visit the Omorovicza spa in Budapest, another institution with a storied past, built on the Rác Thermal Bath, which dates back to the 16th century.’

Naoshima: Jason Hughes, Creative Director

‘In 2025, I’m heading back to Japan, more specifically to visit the islands of Naoshima and Teshima, which sit in the Seto Inland Sea and are easily accessible by ferry from Osaka. Famous for their art and architecture, I look forward to exploring both islands on a bicycle and seeing the works of artists Yayoi Kusama, James Turrell, Walter De Maria and Lee Ufan. I’m planning to stay at Benesse House, a museum and hotel concept, designed by renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando.’

Australia, Uzbekistan and beyond: Lauren Ho, Travel Director

‘As I live my life constantly on the road, it’s important for me to plan my trips so that I make the most of each region or destination I am in. For 2025, I will be ringing in the new year in Sydney, followed by a few weeks of checking out new hotels in Australia. In late January, I will be heading to Beijing to see the newly opened Mandarin Oriental Qianmen, the group’s newest property, which unfolds within a 600-year-old hutong complex. This will be followed by a trip to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, which I am particularly excited about, and then, I will make my way to Europe, where I plan to explore Greece’s new hotel openings, and will head from Lisbon to the islands of São Tomé and Príncipe. While luxury hotels are my passion, at least once a year I like to visit a random destination I have never been to and that most people might not have access to. Finally, by June, I hope to make my annual pilgrimage to Africa to get my safari fix.’

Malaysia: Melina Keays, Entertaining Director

‘In February, I am travelling to The Datai beach resort in Langkawi - one of my favourite destinations in the world. Langkawi is the largest of a cluster of islands off the coast of northwestern Malaysia, separated from the mainland by the Strait of Malacca. I’ve been visiting this wonderful place for decades, and it never loses its allure. Langkawi is a proper tropical paradise; awarded Geopark status by UNESCO, it offers lush rainforests, stunning mountain ranges and white sand beaches.

There are fantastic things to see and do all over the island, which is rich in history and culture, but I could easily spend all my time at The Datai resort itself. It was designed by visionary architect Kerry Hill, who was determined to honour its environment, and set high over Datai Bay. The hotel is melded into its jungle setting, and its beautiful rooms and spaces float amidst the rainforest canopy, with breathtaking views of the Andaman Sea. The food at the Datai is superb, and I am particularly looking forward to the delicious Malaysian cuisine at The Gulai House, which is to be found at the end of a candle-lit jungle trail.’

Geneva: Tianna Williams, Editorial Executive

‘For the first week of spring, I will be heading to Geneva, Switzerland, to reunite with my cousin and sister. The location of this annual reunion varies from year to year, from the rolling hills of Shropshire, the coastline of the Gower Peninsula to London’s Hyde Park. I am excited to trade the London smog for crisp Mont Blanc mountain air, warm up with soothing mugs of hot chocolate, and, if feeling brave, take a plunge in Lake Geneva.’

Madrid, Rome, Paris: Sofia de la Cruz, Travel Editor

‘I tend to be quite spontaneous with the locations I travel to, often booking trips or accepting invitations at the last minute. That said, I will begin the new year in Madrid, and a few weeks later, I have a trip planned to Rome to explore the upcoming Hotel Romeo Roma, one of Zaha Hadid’s final projects before she died in 2016. I also have a weekend in Paris scheduled, which is something I make a point to do every year. As for the rest of the year, I hope to fulfil my lifelong dream of visiting Japan.’

Shanghai: Smilian Cibic, Editorial Assistant

‘I’m travelling to Shanghai to visit my dad, who has been working there for the past five years. I’m looking forward to seeing what he’s been up to. He’s designed his own micro home apartment, which has had quite a stir in the Chinese press. We will then travel together to Jingdezhen, the porcelain capital of China and then Shenzhen, the tech capital of the world.’

For more Travel content, visit Wallpaper*’s dedicated channel

Ski season is here again, and it’s looking better than ever. The arrival of fresh snow has also brought with it the arrival of another cool new alpine retreat, which joins the recent wave of design-led properties now dotting the snowy landscapes of Europe. Here’s the Wallpaper* edit of where to ski in style.

The best alpine retreats in Europe

Le Coucou Méribel in France

The traditional wooden chalet exterior of Le Coucou blends in seamlessly with the mountainous backdrop of Méribel. Inside, French designer Pierre Yovanovitch has put a contemporary riff on the traditional Alpine style. Classic wood-panelled rooms are jazzed up with a modern palette of salmon pinks and pops of electric blue, polka dot carpets and winter white bouclé furnishings. Guests can also find a small collection of artwork dotted throughout the property, including a fresco of owls painted on the lobby ceiling by Matthieu Cossé, a stone sculpture by Ugo Rondinone from the owners’ personal collection, and hand-crafted rock engravings by Gaultier Rimbault-Joffard. Le Coucou’s location in the heart of the Three Valleys, the largest ski area in the world, offers a ton of options for snowy adventures; that is if you can drag yourself away from the spa with its two mountain-view pools and Tata Harper treatments.

Le Coucou Méribel is located at 464 route du Belvédère, 73550 Les Allues Méribel, France, lecoucoumeribel.com

The Cōmodo in Bad Gastein, Austria

Sitting high up in the spa town of Bad Gastein, The Cōmodo is housed in a historic 1881 property which has been given a new midcentury look by designers Barbara Elwardt and Piotr Wisniewski. The duo drew inspiration from 1960s modernism and Vienna’s cafe culture to create a rich palette of wine, bottle green, and retro browns complemented by layers of oak, pine and terrazzo flooring. The richly textured rooms feature a mix of organic materials, from custom wallpapers and woollen throws to vintage chairs, leather bed benches and curved tactile headboards. The surrounding valley offers plenty of ski runs whilst back at the hotel, the spa rejuvenates with treatments based around Gastein’s mineral-rich thermal waters.

The Cōmodo is located at Kaiserhofstraße 18, 5640 Bad Gastein, Austria, thecomodo.com

Experimental Chalet Val d’Isère in France

After launching its first ski hotel in Switzerland, the French Experimental Group is back on home soil with its soon-to-open second Alpine address in Val d’Isère. The trio behind the group has handed the keys once again to long-time collaborator Dorothée Meilichzon, who has put a fun twist on traditional Alpine design – think glossy ceilings in classic chalet shades of burgundy and green, fabric headboards with oversized cross stitching, and an interesting mix of wooden textures and shades in the public spaces. By day, guests have access to various ski slopes including cross-country and off-piste, and by night, the hotel’s three restaurants are complemented by the brand’s signature Experimental Cocktail Club bar for après-ski drinks.

Experimental Chalet Val d’Isère is located at rue de la Poste, 73150 Val-d’Isère, France, experimentalchaletvaldisere.com

Forestis Dolomites in Italy

Forestis Dolomites owners Stefan Hinteregger and Teresa Unterthiner tapped South Tyrolean architect Armin Sader to imagine the minimalist mountain retreat in a way that encourages guests to reconnect with nature. Sadar put Dolomite stone at the centre of the Forestis style, along with spruce wood furnishings crafted bespoke by a local carpenter. Smooth curved lines in the spa suites make a soothing space for relaxation whilst the textured walls and a heavy wooden tasting table in the wine cellar create a more rustic atmosphere that nods to the local terroir. In contrast, blonde wood brings lightness to the Garden Restaurant, complemented by natural fabrics from a weaving mill in Trentino and sweeping mountain views.

Forestis Dolomites is located at Palmschoß 22, 39042 Brixen, Dolomites, Italy, forestis.it

Hotel de Len in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

With the name ‘de len’ meaning ‘of wood’ in Ladin – a Romance language mainly spoken in the Northern Italian Dolomites by the Ladin people – it’s no surprise that Hotel de Len comes dressed from head to toe in layers of Alpine wood. Italian design team Gris+Dainese used locally sourced timber to root the hotel in the surrounding area, starting with the panels on the striking main façade. Inside, the 22 pared-back rooms have been lined with reclaimed fir and Swiss pine, both chosen not only for their style but also their natural perfume and sleep-enhancing properties. For guests who need more than just an Alpine scent to drift off, a panoramic glass-fronted spa sits on the top floor of the hotel with steam baths, salt saunas, and an outdoor rooftop Jacuzzi.

Hotel de Len is located at Via Cesare Battisti, 66, 32043 Cortina d’Ampezzo (BL), Italy, hoteldelen.it

Six Senses Crans-Montana in Switzerland

The sophisticated design of Six Senses Crans-Montana warmly welcomes guests in from the cold whilst still keeping them connected with nature. In the 78 guestrooms and suites, French interior designers AW2 put a contemporary spin on traditional cosy Swiss cabins and married together rough timber planks and soft leather and wool with modern stone-coloured wall render whilst, in the bathrooms, real stone walls were chosen as a nod to the surrounding mountainside. There’s direct ski-in and ski-out access to the Chetzeron red slope and when you’re done, refuel with piste-side dining at the hotel’s two restaurants. But in true Six Senses style the 2000 square metre spa is the heart of the hotel, where treatment rooms are imagined as mountain cabins with timber panelled walls placed around the Alpine Garden, fully landscaped with native trees and plants.

Six Senses Crans-Montana is located at Route des Téléphériques 60, 3963 Crans-Montana, Valais, Switzerland, sixsenses.com

A vast physical distance separates the birthplaces of traditional Chinese medicine and Alpine health resorts. But a new partnership between the beauty brand Herbar and the hotel Schloss Zermatt brings those two traditions together for a unique range of facial treatments at the world’s first CBD and adaptogenic spa.

Herbar’s founders Catarina Oliveira and Rui Liu met five years ago in a Berlin cafe when Liu overheard Oliveira speaking about mushroom coffee. (Oliveira has a Master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine and Liu has one in nutrition). Liu, who grew up in China and first learned about adaptogens through TCM, interjected. The two began a conversation about medicinal herbs, skin care and natural healthcare which eventually led to the development of their adaptogenic skincare line, Herbar.

Herbar’s mushroom-powered facials at the Schloss Zermatt spa

Currently comprised of four products – the ‘Face Oil’, ‘Barrier Cream’, ‘Face Serum’ and ‘Skin Pearl’ supplements – the brand harnesses the power of adaptogens in all it does. Herbar also makes the ‘Gua-Shroom’, a fungi-shaped tool for face massage crafted from materials such as feldspar, quartz, tourmaline and tiger eye stone. (From first-hand experience, my skin looked dramatically brighter and healthier after just a few days of using the Herbar ‘Face Nectar’ and ‘Barrier Cream’ and the ‘Skin Pearls’ work outside as well as inside, acting a little like caffeine pills without the crash afterwards).

So what are adaptogens? Simply put, they are a category of plants and plant-based extracts that adapt the body to physical, biological and chemical stressors. A range of them is packed into every Herbar product. These include reishi mushrooms, known as the ‘immortality mushroom’; bakuchiol, a natural alternative to retinol; the vitamin C-packed jujube date; and the tremella mushroom – which almost beat hyaluronic acid for its moisture-retaining properties – to name just a few.

Oliveira initially began studying TCM because she was fed up with the curative, as opposed to preventative, healthcare model behind most Western medicine. Hailing from Portugal, the Herbar co-founder struggled to understand why most people waited until they had an issue to get medical treatment, rather than staying in tune with the body no matter what. After spending time with her and Liu at the Schloss Zermatt, I learned that every part of the body is linked to a part of the mind. During dinner, I watched people tear up as Oliveira read their tongues – a common TCM practice – because of what she discovered. The shades, patches and cracks in a tongue can reveal a wealth of information about a person’s physical or psychological state.

For instance, a pale tongue means there is an issue with the lungs, which is also connected to grief; a yellow coating in the back of the mouth indicates issues with digestion and the necessity of getting off sugary foods or starchy foods; a cracked tongue means you need more hydration, and so on. At that same dinner, Liu told me that the easiest way to ensure you have a healthy diet is to try to eat twenty-five different foods a day. That might sound impossible, but it can be done by snacking on mixed nuts or fruit; eating a salad with a base of mixed grains and different vegetables, seeds and, of course, mushrooms.

I was also able to experience one of Herbar’s signature facial treatments at the Schloss. The spa is built around the philosophy that better health can be achieved by relaxing your mind and working your body through yoga, skiing, good food, restorative sleep and the spa’s very own range of CBD and adaptogenic treatments. Inside its doors, you can find a range of different saunas, a cooling CBD shower, a pink salt room and treatment rooms for Herbar’s facials which combine the brand’s products with techniques such as acupressure, extraction and deep tissue massage.

Included on the menu is ‘Make Me Glow’, a revitalising facial designed to bring radiance and vitality to your skin; ‘Detox & Go’, a detoxifying facial to cleanse and purify the skin; and the ‘360 Sculpting Facial’, a sculpting treatment that tones, lifts and rejuvenates.

The Schloss Zermatt spa is Herbar’s first hotel collaboration. But, if you’re unable to make it to Switzerland any time soon, I am told that there’s more to come in 2025. So watch this space.

herbar.com

schlosszermatt.swiss

Ellie Stathaki, architecture & environment director

'Lovely Los Angeles-based media consultant Meara Dally was in Europe during the US holidays this week and we had the opportunity to catch up and talk about life, architecture and upcoming projects. She also gave me an advance copy of landscape architect Walter Hood's The African Ancestors Garden: History and Memory at the International African American Museum, which is what I will be flicking through this weekend. His work is wonderful and I am looking forward to the deep dive.

Hugo Macdonald, global design director

While London’s snow turned to slush, I headed to the Swiss Alps for the weekend, where the snow lasts a bit longer. I was staying at The Brecon, a recently opened small hotel in Adelboden, beautifully designed by Amsterdam studio Nice Makers. Following the vogue for hotels that behave more like homes, The Brecon has gone further than most by including all food, drink and spa treatments in the room rate. The absence of a price on any collateral throughout one’s stay really does induce a different level of domestic relaxation. Between the mountain air and the vast beds, bedecked in brushed linen bedding, I had two of the best nights’ sleep I’ve had in a very long time.
thebrecon.com

Sofia de la Cruz, travel editor

Last week, I decided to take my taste buds on a little adventure and visited the newly opened AngloThai in Marylebone, London (recommended by Ben McCormack in our review of new London restaurants). The debut restaurant by the husband-and-wife duo John and Desiree Chantarasak represents the evolution of their namesake pop-up concept, already successful for its unique spin on Thai-British cuisine. The intimate 50-cover restaurant, designed by Thai-American designer May Redding, is dressed with traditional wooden furniture imported from Thailand and beautiful objects by Thai design studios, such as Objects From Uncle, Moonler and The Yarn Story, as well as crockery by Welsh ceramicist Matthew Jones. If dishes like Comice Pear, Candied Beetroot & Suffolk Rapeseed or Pollock Fish Balls, Sour Orange Curry & Watercress whisk you away on a flavour trip to Southeast Asia, AngloThai’s selection of European wines brings you back down to earth with their bubbly familiarity.
anglothai.co.uk

Gabriel Annouka, senior designer

Earlier this week, I visited Sprint, Milan’s independent design book fair, sprawling across Spazio Maiocchi and the neighbouring Regina Giovanna warehouse. This wasn’t your average book fair – it was a sharp, provocative playground for all things DIY and boundary-pushing. With a line-up brimming with independent publishers, zines, and emerging design studios, Sprint felt like a hotbed of bold ideas and experimental forms. Talks dived into themes like bootlegging and queer liberation through print, ensuring the air was charged with creative rebellion at every turn.

Later, I made my way to ‘Meriem Bennani: For My Best Family’ at Fondazione Prada, an entirely different kind of spectacle but no less enthralling. The artist's ‘Sole Crushing’ installation – a sensational choreography of custom flip-flops and slippers sourced from all over Morocco – was a hypnotic blend of sound and movement. Equal parts rhythmic marvel and sly cultural commentary, it unpacked Moroccan identity with a cheeky edge. Meanwhile, her accompanying film For Aicha offered a heartfelt meditation on family, motherhood, reinvention, and identity. Bennani’s signature playfulness gave way to a story that was raw, intimate, and deeply universal.

Melina Keays, entertaining director

I saw Steve Coogan in Armando Iannucci’s version of Dr Strangelove, a satire based on Stanley Kubrick’s 1964 film set in the Cold War era. Theatre can be a hit-and-miss affair, but this show’s a hit – accomplished, funny, and thoroughly entertaining, There was never the moment of wondering how long we had to go until the end (often the case for me at the theatre, I admit). Coogan is a tour de force, playing four different roles, and I particularly enjoyed Tony Jayawardena as Bakov, the Russian Ambassador.

Summer is in full swing – which means you’re either on holiday or coveting the posts of friends who are. The latest crop of design-driven new hotels is tailor-made for escapism – from Fouquet’s opening a Cycladic sanctuary to reset in between (or instead of) partying hard on the island of Mykonos to a fresh-faced boutique stay with unmistakable New England charm on Cape Cod. Also on our radar this month: Annua Signature expands its glorious grip on Mallorca, a storied Montréal stay debuts a decadent new look and a San Sebastian landmark stars in a cinematic next act.

The world’s best new hotel openings

July 2026

Fouquet’s Mykonos, Greece

Fouquet’s Mykonos expands the brand’s reach beyond its exclusive addresses in Paris, New York City, Courchevel, and Saint-Barthélemy to a Grecian jetset hotspot. Set on Paraga Beach, on the southern coast of Mykonos, the sanctuary, designed by Divercity Architects, trades clubbing for calm. Embracing a contemporary take on traditional Cycladic aesthetics, it offers sweeping views of sparkling azure waters of the Aegean Sea from its 61 breezy suites and three villas, imbued with the serenity of sun-faded neutrals, clean lines and natural materials like stone. Embracing restoration, the wellness-focused amenities include indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a spa sanctuary in partnership with Dr Barbara Sturm (think hyperbaric oxygen therapy, a flotation tank and an ice bath) and a basketball court carved directly into the rock.

Fouquet’s Mykonos is located at Paraga 0, Mykonos 846 00, Greece

Gran Hotel Margalida, Banyalbufar, Spain

Annua Signature builds on its Spanish presence with the debut of Gran Hotel Margalida, located in the village of Banyalbufar on the quieter western coast of Mallorca. Madrid-based architect Álvaro Onieva and interior designer Virginia Nieto reinvented a historic building into a contemporary escape that captures the elemental beauty and ease of the Balearics. Local materials – notably stone references the Tramuntana mountain range – hues inspired by the Mallorcan glow and vast water views set the tone for an unhurried Mediterranean holiday. Guests can float between the terraces planted with indigenous wild olive and 29 sea-facing rooms, warmed with sunny yellow accents. For an added dose of relaxation, the wellness area has an indoor pool and a light-washed wood gym that may be the chicest of all.

Gran Hotel Margalida is located at Carrer Major, 49, 07191 Banyalbufar, Illes Balears, Spain

Hoshinoya Nara Prison

Working with longtime collaborator and architect Rie Azuma, Hoshinoya Resorts has transformed the former Nara Prison – the sole survivor of architect Keijiro Yamashita's Five Great Meiji Prisons, built in 1908 by inmates – into 48 soigné suites. Each merges nine to eleven former cells, contrasting century-old red-brick masonry with contemporary finishes. The hotel’s layout mimics a hand: five cell wings radiate from a central watchtower where guards once surveyed prisoners. The former detention block now houses a Japanese-French restaurant, whilst an adjoining museum, provocatively titled ‘An Eternal Question Posed by an Iconic Prison’, asks visitors to meditate on liberty inside spaces built to deny it.

Hoshinoya Nara Prison is located at 18 Hannyajicho, Nara, 630-8102, Japan

Hôtel Nelligan, Montréal, Canada

Following a comprehensive transformation led by Corner Collection, a Montreal-based family-owned independent hospitality group, in collaboration with Atelier Zébulon Perron, the luxe redux of Hôtel Nelligan honours the heritage of existing architectural elements – including original stonework and exposed brick – while integrating refined materials to create a cohesive, elevated environment in lockstep with the past and present identity of Old Montréal. Fostering a deeper sense of place are partnerships with local artists and makers such as Lambert & Fils and St-Damase. The use of rich velvet sofas in elegantly curved shapes, deeply veined marble and warm wood infuses the interiors with character, from the 102 guest rooms to the atmospheric modern Greek restaurant and cocktail bar/music salon nestled within the old stone vaults.

Hôtel Nelligan is located at 106 Rue St-Paul Ouest, Montréal, QC H2Y 1Z3, Canada

Hotel Palacio Bellas Artes, Curio Collection by Hilton, San Sebastián, Spain

One of Spain’s earliest grand movie theatres just entered a second act as a striking hotel. Isabel López Vilalta recast the 1914 Beaux-Arts cinema as Hotel Palacio Bellas Artes, Curio Collection by Hilton, reawakening the building’s spirit and inviting an international audience to experience it anew. An audacious destination for design and gastronomy, the landmark hotel weaves rich colour, texture and subtle cinematic references into a tapestry of early film glamour and San Sebastián’s cultural heritage. The 81 rooms and suites are dressed in sumptuous shades of rose, with heavy drapery and velvet walls that nod to a theatrical past. This sense of drama carries through to the lobby bar and the highly anticipated Basque-influenced restaurant.

Hotel Palacio Bellas Artes, Curio Collection by Hilton is located at Urbieta Kalea, 61, 20006 Donostia / San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain

Shore Haven Inn, Falmouth, Massachusetts, USA

Cape Cod is one of New England’s most quintessential summer colonies, with an elite pedigree that spans the Kennedy clan and present-day polo-clad elites. But a younger, cooler, more accessible undercurrent is sweeping in. Riding this wave, Lark Hotels continues its commitment to reinvigorating tired stateside digs into hip haunts for modern-minded travellers. At the old Victorian hotel, formerly known as the Beach Breeze Inn, hydrangea-framed gardens, freshly cut lawns, white Adirondack chairs and a classic shingled exterior look like a postcard from the Cape. Boston-based Rachel Reider Interiors gave the hotel a fresh new look, anchored by a coastal palette of watery blues, soft greens and sand, complemented by textured wallcoverings, light wood and rattan accents.

Shore Haven Inn is located at 321 Shore St, Falmouth, MA 02540, United States

The Dean Munich

Irish lifestyle brand The Dean has arrived in Munich’s Westend. Set between the main station and Theresienwiese, the site of the annual Oktoberfest, the historic quarter trades its former factory past for creative studios and indie Java joints with Google and Apple offices nearby. Designer Tatjana von Stein, a Munich native, has reworked a 1970s hotel block into 281 rooms, fusing the city’s Art Nouveau roots with 1980s club culture. Glossy lacquer clashes with burr wood, velvet against polished chrome, whilst the lobby features an oversized eye motif channelling new-wave iconography. For sustenance, Ibasho opens with yellowtail hiramasa, slow-cooked pork shoulder temaco and Wagyu ribeye, and post-prandial treats are served up in four bars, including a hidden speakeasy.

The Dean Munich is located at Landsberger Str. 68, 80339 Munich, Germany

June 2026

Casa Cedo, Porto, Portugal

Porto is known for Port wine and the bridges across the Douro River, but it’s underrated when it comes to its boutique hotel scene. Casa Cedo has the potential to put the city on the design-driven hospitality map for a cohort of travellers who prioritise intimacy and curation over spectacle and scale. Daniela Franceschini, founder of Lisbon-based Quiet Studios, worked closely with local artisans and creatives – including Ayala Braidman, a ceramist based in Porto, and Portuguese visual artist Juliana Julieta – to imbue the property with character. The rich details carry from the eight rooms to the common areas: a lounge area, rooftop, private rear garden and a living/dining room that hosts special events with buzzed-about local chefs, as well as a hybrid reception and retail cabinet with ceramics, coffee, fresh flowers and Byredo fragrances.

Casa Cedo is located at R. de Cedofeita n. 334, 4050-174 Porto, Portugal

La Darbia, Chianti, Italy

A peaceful escape with access to wineries in Chianti and Florence (just a 25-minute drive away), La Darbia sits on a hilltop estate spanning 15 hectares of olive groves, meadows, and lavender fields. Restored by Studio Primatesta, the intimate retreat is the result of a meticulous renovation that preserves the 11th-century site’s original character and heritage. A contemporary spark comes through local materials – pietra serena, terracotta, travertine, and wood – and traditional craftsmanship techniques, such as intricate woodwork by Flavio Bettio, which ground its sense of place. Tucked into a trio of historic farmhouses, each of the 17 light-filled suites (four of which cater to families) is individually decorated with layered textures, while the windows frame the rolling countryside. The restaurant, led by Chef Sebastiano Pagliaro, serves seasonal Tuscan cuisine. All guests have access to two panoramic swimming pools.

La Darbia is located at Via Case Sparse (Greve), 16, 50022 Greve in Chianti, Italy

Eréma, Milos, Greece

Empiria Group arrived in Milos with the opening of Erema, a member of Design Hotels, located on the southeastern coast of the island near Provatas Beach. While the moon-like landscape may be hard to pull your gaze away from, the architecture and interiors by Athens-based ID Laboratorium, led by Stamos Hondrodimos, are equally arresting without pulling focus. The volcanic terrain lays the foundation for its sensibility and environmental consciousness. Minerals such as stone and marble, alongside sun-faded earth tones, contribute to a grounded feel. From the 41 suites, each with a private pool and panoramic terraces overlooking the Aegean Sea, to the two restaurants, the indoor and outdoor spaces flow together, an expression of the Cycladic lifestyle. The third location of Anthologist, a boutique curated by Andria Mitsakos, stocks global finds, Greek ceramics and vintage treasures.

Eréma is located at Cape Chalaka, Plaka 848 00, Greece

Faraway Sag Harbor, New York

Faraway, the hip, heritage-tinged brand from Blue Flag, with outposts in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, has expanded its reach out East. For Faraway Sag Harbor, Jenny Bukovec Studio, in collaboration with the in-house design team, gave the old Baron’s Cove a full facelift, reimagining the iconic hotel, located just a short walk from Havens Beach and Main Street, into a fresh-faced bolthole that draws on maritime history, merging a coastal palette and oceanic revival motifs. The 67 rooms and suites are clad in saturated hues and warm wood. The lobby lounge is envisioned as a hangout when not enjoying the outdoor spaces, including the covered porch, lush patio – conceived as the heart of the social scene – and outdoor pool. Guests also have access to Amalfi Coast–inspired dining at Zagara, a ground-floor bar and lounge and a gym.

Faraway Sag Harbor is located at 31 W. Water Street, Sag Harbor, NY 11963, United States

Kitirua Plains Lodge, Amboseli National Park, Kenya

Abercrombie & Kent’s return to Kenya, with the opening of Kitirua Plains Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary in Amboseli National Park, marks a full-circle moment informed by the legacy of having defined luxury safari travel in the 1960s and a clear vision for the future. Pivoting from archetypal tented camps to something more permanent, Luxury Frontiers created structures from quarried stone with sculptural roofs that nod to traditional mud-building forms and timber screening. Interiors draw directly from the surrounding dust, grasslands and wetlands. Earth tones come to life in textured clay plaster walls, green stucco, green onyx accents, locally sourced Mazeras stone and handwoven sisal ceilings. Kenyan-made furniture crafted from mango wood and African teak is complemented by woven grass artwork and raffia accessories. The sculptural spiral staircase in the main lodge, open-air boma for storytelling and meals under the stars and yoga deck are also calibrated to the landscape.

Kitirua Plains Lodge, an A&K Sanctuary is located at Amboseli National Park, Ol Tukai, Kenya

May 2026

The Baby Grand, Coronado, USA

For its second hotel venture, The Baby Grand, San Diego-based hospitality group CH Projects (the team behind the power-clash cult-favorite Lafayette Hotel in North Park) snapped up a prime perch along Orange Avenue. Once an asphalt parking lot, the 31-key boutique is poised to become Coronado’s coolest stay, steering away from the dulcet tones synonymous with SoCal style. Brooklyn studio Post Company crafted a lush aesthetic that toes the line between overgrown jungle and fantastical underwater oasis. The lobby roars with sculpted rock formations, swaying palms and private lagoons. The under-the-sea themes play out vividly in the rooms, with iridescent clamshell headboards and oversized mirrored minibars mashed up against custom leaf wallpaper and bold leopard prints. The flashy, sensorial feast carries over into dining concepts: an oyster-and-champagne bar with an ornate mosaic of sea creatures and a craggy, Greek-inspired taverna.

The Baby Grand is located at 1315 Orange Ave, Coronado, CA 92118, United States

Hotel Corduroy, Montauk, USA

Montauk, the easternmost point of Long Island and the furthest of the Hamptons towns from New York City, retains a more laid-back appeal than the buttoned-up, busier East Hampton. Hotel Corduroy – the latest venture from Blue Flag Capital, which also includes The Beachside on Nantucket – takes over the former Sunset Montauk. To convert the old motor court into a cool summer weekend escape, Ward + Gray drew on the area’s surfing heritage and its Atlantic coastal setting, grounding the project in a palette of deep green, sun-faded red and light oak. Conceived with mingling in mind, the 29-key hotel will feature outdoor gathering spaces for golden-hour cocktails and firepit stargazing, while the rooms act as sanctuaries with grasscloth wallpaper, reeded bamboo bedside tables and rattan-wrapped consoles.

Hotel Corduroy is located at 437 West Lake Drive, Montauk, NY 11954, United States

Nômade Temple Madrid, Spain

Mexican-owned Nômade brings its breezy, wellness-centric bohemian ethos to Spain’s largest city with Nômade Temple Madrid, a creativity-driven urban destination for design, culture and healing. Housed within the restored Las Letras building on Gran Vía, the hotel’s layered aesthetic, the work of Oneness, is a visual expression of its eclectic vibe – sun-faded reds, geometric prints, modular seating, bold lighting. There's a deeply entrenched spirituality, yet it’s still very socialable. The 93 rooms and two penthouses are tailored for rest; likewise, GÖN House of Healing focuses on restoration. The scene beyond the guests' quarters and wellness wing is far more happening: a 112-seat restaurant draped in natural stone, aged brass and dramatic drapery; a communal cafe softly lit with vintage-style lamps; a speakeasy and nightclub for vinyl and vivid photo opps and a lush, romantic rooftop.

Nômade Temple Madrid is located at Calle Gran Vía, 11, 28013 Madrid, Spain

Sublime Sand, Comporta, Portugal

Following the well-laid roadmap of its destination-defining older sibling, Sublime Sand captures the wild, natural ethos of Portugal’s chicest coastal enclave. The architecture by Lisbon-based Fragmentos in collaboration with Sublime Comporta’s original architect, José Charrua, harmonises with the rugged, windswept landscape of Alentejo, where umbrella pines and cork trees perfume the air and rice paddies stretch as far as the eye can see. The indoor-outdoor spaces, created by Andringa Studio, take a similar approach – drawing from the sun-faded palette of the surrounding landscape and incorporating minimalist textures, local materials like wood and stone and sculptural forms. These elements come together across the multi-bedroom villas, Beefbar, Davvero – the crowd-pleasing Italian restaurant from Sublime Lisboa – as well as the wellness facility and kids’ club.

Sublime Sand is located at Estrada Nacional (EN) 261-1, 7570-337 Muda, CCI 3954 Grândola, Portugal

Tierras Villas, Crete, Greece

A quiet departure from the thumping beats of Mykonos and the hordes swarming Santorini, Crete’s newest refuge, part of the family-owned Omicron Hotels group, focuses on heritage and halcyon. Designed by Manos Kipritidis, Tierras Villas embraces a peacefulness that’s both visual and visceral, signalling a shift in how the island is being discovered – slower, more intentionally, with a stronger orientation toward nature and an eye for aesthetics. Set against the sweeping backdrop of the Mediterranean, each of the five minimally designed villas features calming hues and organic materials such as stone and wood, along with a private pool and expansive terraces for sipping a crisp, chilled glass of Vidiano while soaking in sweeping views of the sparkling sea and blue sky.

Tierras Villas is located at Mononaftis, Ag.Pelagia, 715 00 Crete, Heraklion 715 00, Greece

April 2026

Airelles Palladio, Venezia, Italy

The first project outside France for Airelles reaffirms the French hotel group’s knack for transforming historic landmarks into richly appointed luxury retreats. Spread across impeccably restored buildings – including the church of Santa Maria della Presentazione – the property occupies the site of the late-16th-century Bauer Palladio. Architect and interior designer Christophe Tollemer conjures a Venetian fantasy, steeped in heritage and the serenity of Giudecca. A warm palette of ambers, mahogany and deep blues, along with terrazzo and marble floors, custom Fortuny chandeliers, delicate Murano glass pieces, Rubelli wall coverings and hand-selected antiques gives the impression of staying at a noble villa. The elegant effect carries through the 45 rooms and suites, three restaurants, five bars, a spa and wellness area and swimming pools.

Airelles Palladio, Venezia is located at Fondamenta Zitelle, 33, 30133 Venice, Italy

Conrad Athens The Ilisian, Greece

Like the phoenix, the regenerative bird that rises from the ashes in Greek mythology, Conrad Athens The Ilisian emerges from the remains of its predecessor: the former Hilton Athens. Occupying the redeveloped mid-century modernist landmark on Vasilissis Sofias Avenue, the 307-key hotel commemorates the building’s legacy, incorporating the original 620-square-meter marble façades by 20th-century Greek artist Yannis Moralis and exterior illumination by Eleftheria Deko, the Emmy Award-winning lighting designer behind the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The interiors by AvroKO pay tribute to the past through original furnishings pulled from the archives, which contrast with the sleek finishes and pop art of its modern revival. There are tonal rooms and suites with skyline views, nine restaurants and bars – including Athens’s first rooftop bar, reborn as Galaxy Dispensary – a spa and the largest outdoor pool in the city.

Conrad Athens The Ilisian is located at Vasilissis Sofias 46, Athina 115 28, Greece

Delano Miami Beach, USA

Delano Miami Beach isn’t a new build – the landmark property dates back to 1948, when its 14‑story tower was the tallest on the strip. Yet if you weren’t aware of its past, the slick surfaces and gleaming fixtures might belie its age. The transformation, led by Elastic, celebrates the spirit and sun-dappled lifestyle of Miami, while honouring the hotel’s legacy. The glossy pool area is flanked by umbrellas, accented with playful fringe. Rooms are bright and airy with crisp linens, light chevron wood flooring, rugs that evoke the soft sands below and large, ocean-facing windows. Gigi Rigolatto, the first-floor Italian concept designed by Hugo Toro, is a soaring oasis of striped plaster walls, intricately carved wooden panels and yellow Sienna marble.

Delano Miami Beach is located at 1685 Collins Ave, Miami Beach, FL 33139, United States

Read our full hotel review of Delano Miami Beach

Four Seasons Cartagena, Colombia

Located in Getsemaní, a vibrant neighbourhood steps from the Walled City, Four Seasons Cartagena captures the rhythm, romance and Caribbean charisma of Colombia’s most seductive city while also offering a sense of tranquillity and resort-style amenities. WATG breathed new life into a collection of historic buildings, restoring the Cloister of Saint Francis, timeworn façades, courtyards and the original Club Cartagena grand staircase. French designer François Catroux, in collaboration with Wimberly Interiors and AvroKO, shaped the interiors, which unfold in a warm embrace of old-world charm: intricate woodwork, sun-baked hues, and furnishings and textiles created by Colombian artisan Poli Mallarino. Guests can choose between colonial-style or contemporary rooms, each infused with timeless character. French studio SBM Interior Design extends the visual identity across the eight food and beverage venues, including the cocktail bar dedicated to architect Gastón Lelarge.

Four Seasons Cartagena is located at Calle 30 Media Luna 8B #8B-44, Getsemani, Cartagena 130001, Colombia

Read our full hotel review of Four Seasons Cartagena

Vestige Binidufà, Menorca, Spain

The buzz of Ibiza (thankfully) hasn’t yet reached Menorca. Nestled within an 800-hectare private estate on the island’s unspoiled northern coast, where native Minorcan cattle roam the untouched countryside, Vestige Binidufà preserves the bucolic side of the Balearics, sharing its sprawling grounds and amenities – including two restaurants, swimming pools and wellness facilities – with its hilltop sister, Vestige Son Ermità, which opened in June 2025. Shaped by the land and its history as a working farm, the in-house design studio, Vestige Estudio, restored a red-colored finca into an 11-bedroom, valley-ringed hideout that harmonises rustic farmhouse charm and serene sophistication, expressed through earthy hues, exposed wood beam ceilings, terracotta tile flooring, stone soaking tubs and antiques from the family’s collection.

Vestige Binidufà is located at Diseminado Binideufa, 18, 07750 Ferreries, Illes Balears, Spain

March 2026

1 Hotel Tokyo, Japan

Adding to Tokyo’s striking skyline, 1 Hotel Tokyo, the brand’s first seedling in Japan, is a masterclass in sustainable luxury within an urban setting, rising atop Akasaka Trust Tower. To create a biophilic oasis in one of Asia’s largest cities, Creme, in collaboration with 1 Hotel’s in-house design team, turned to nature, bringing the outdoors in through the thoughtful use of natural materials, a practice deeply rooted in both 1 Hotels’ philosophy and Japanese design. A vertical botanical installation, Oya stone and recycled timber panels greet guests in the 38th-floor lobby. Rooms are adorned with muted earthy hues, abundant greenery and floor-to-ceiling windows that flood in sunlight. The spaces feel like a breath of fresh air: a visual reset, a place to unwind above the bustle of the city.

1 Hotel Tokyo is located at 2 Chome-17-22 Akasaka, Minato City, Tokyo 107-0052, Japan

Read our full hotel review of 1 Hotel Tokyo

Fairmont Hanoi, Vietnam

Fairmont Hanoi, the brand’s first debut in Vietnam, adds a splash of modern luxury to the city’s Old Quarter. Glimmering gold and dripping in glamour, the 241-key hotel is a contemporary take on the opulence of Vietnamese tradition, poised to become a landmark in its own right. Influenced by French Colonial and Indochinese architecture, the sculpted, articulated façade, with collonaded podiums and balconies, punctuates the ever-changing cityscape. The interiors by Aston Design extend the aesthetic, while layering in elements that echo Vietnamese symbolism and the surrounding landscape, from a large-scale floral installation in the lobby to the vertical tapestry of vegetation in the courtyard. The clutch restaurants, bars and lounges serve as the social hubs, while the 3,500-square-meter spa and light wood-accented rooms channel artistry into relaxation.

Fairmont Hanoi is located at 10 Tran Nguyen Han Street, Hanoi, Vietnam

Read our full hotel review of Fairmont Hanoi

The Huntington Hotel, San Francisco, USA

San Francisco is in the midst of a renaissance, driven by new culinary and hospitality happenings, most notably the return of the Huntington Hotel. Once frequented by luminaries like Truman Capote, the storied Georgian estate helped put the city on the map. The redux – now part of Leading Hotels of the World – seeks to reclaim its cultural legacy. For hometown designer Ken Fulk, returning Nob Hill’s crown jewel to its ivy-clad glory required a grand reimagining of its accommodations, restaurant and wellness facilities, alongside a careful polishing of original plasterwork ceilings and boiserie panels. The 143 rooms and suites capture the elegance of the hotel’s heyday, enhanced by the allure of warm, muted hues and bold art. The Big Four benefited from a gracious upgrade without compromising its character, while the emblematic Nob Hill Spa once again beckons with an atrium crowned by Moorish fretwork and a heated indoor swimming pool.

The Huntington Hotel is located at 1075 California St, San Francisco, CA 94108, United States

The Lake Como Edition, Italy

Situated on Lake Como’s western shore in Cadenabbia, The Lake Como Edition balances heritage and hip, standing out among the historic landmarks of Italy’s most legendary lakeside destination. The Edition’s creative directors, Kirstin Bailey and Paul Haslhofer, in collaboration with Neri&Hu and architectural partner De.Tales, transformed a 19th-century palazzo into a modern interpretation of Italian glamour, translating the landscape – lush flora, turquoise water, pink sunsets – into a colour palette complemented by marble-faced archways and terrazzo floors. The lobby lounge is punctuated by a celadon green Sekoya marble bar and a custom Neri + Hu bauble chandelier, while the lakefront pool deck, dotted with striped umbrellas, looks ready to splash across postcards. Walnut furnishings and arched windows add character to the 148 rooms. True to the hotel’s forward-thinking ethos, there’s a state-of-the-art longevity spa for high-tech biohacking treatments and cryotherapy.

The Lake Como Edition is located at Via Regina, 41, 22011 Cadenabbia, Italy

Read our full hotel review of The Lake Como Edition

Six Senses London, UK

While most of London’s luxury hotels cluster around Mayfair and Belgravia, Six Senses London plants its flag in the heart of Bayswater. Taking cues from the building’s origins as the city’s first major department store, AvroKO looked to the heritage façade, the Great Exhibition and the streamliners of that era, weaving in modern, streamlined thinking and a soft palette that shifts the mood from retail to retreat. The residential-style rooms and suites unfold in a serene sweep of rounded forms, inky blues and warm woods. Some feature soaking tubs or glass stall showers that resemble old-school phone booths. Works by contemporary British artists complement a sculptural green bar, curved velvet seating and orb-like lighting in Whiteley’s Bar. Follow the restored circular staircase down to the basement spa, replete with a handmade porcelain petal sculpture by Ula Saniawa, a vaulted swimming pool and a biohacking recovery lounge.

Six Senses London is located at 1 Redan Pl, London W2 4SA, United Kingdom

Read our full hotel review of Six Senses London

February 2026

Alila Mayakoba, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Far removed from nightclubs and co-eds in Cancun, Alila Mayakoba shows off a more tranquil, down-to-earth side of the Riviera Maya. Huber Design Studio took a biophilic approach, celebrating the ecological beauty and deep cultural roots of the Yucatán Peninsula. Situated at the intersection of nature and culture, the five-star, adult-centric resort unfolds across mangrove-framed waterways, cenotes and the Caribbean coastline. Native, locally sourced materials – including tropical hardwoods such as tzalam, parota and rosa morada, along with stone ranging from hand-chiselled Mérida limestone to travertine – ground the design. Furniture, ceramics and henequén textiles handcrafted by Mexican artisans reinforce a sense of proximity and purpose, resulting in a retreat that feels deeply rooted in place while thoughtfully reducing its environmental footprint.

Alila Mayakoba is located at Carretera Federal Cancún-Playa del Carmen KM 298, Mexico

Ayan Zalaat, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia

Set on a 34-acre estate just outside Ulaanbaatar, Ayan Zalaat gives visitors a visually stunning and immersive introduction to Mongolian heritage. The combination of architecture led by the Mabetex Group and interior design by Fabio Friso reflect the country’s rich roots, while introducing a new echelon of glamour and grandeur to contrast its rugged surroundings. From the opulent double staircase and chandelier-studded reception to the 10 dazzling F&B concepts, it’s lavish on a considerably large-scale – but its sumptuous scene never overshadows its spirituality. The 32 rooms and suites show off bespoke furnishings, premium Mongolian wool carpets, marble bathrooms and expansive windows for soaking in the panoramic views. The property is also home to the Soma Temple and an ornately decorated Mongolian theatre, adorned with bright colours and intricate motifs, that hosts traditional throat singing (khöömii).

Ayan Zalaat is located at BZD - 11 khoroo, Ulaanbaatar 13241, Mongolia

The Newman, London, UK

Designed by the London-based studio Lind + Almond, The Newman is a new independent hotel that strikes a balance between a modern creative vision and nods to Fitzrovia's decades-long bohemian and literary heritage. Drawing inspiration from Art Deco design and the vibrant, creative spirit of the neighbourhood itself, the 81 rooms, including 16 suites, mix a soft yet warm neutral palette and geometric shapes with scene-setting art and a curated selection of books. Guests will also notice references to iconic figures such as the curves of the wood on the headboards, which recall the oversized bangles worn by British writer, heiress and political activist Nancy Cunard. Bathrooms feature bespoke tiling that echoes the façade of Gem Langham Court Hotel and sinks influenced by Shropshire House.

The Newman is located at 50 Newman St, London W1T 3EB, UK

Read our full hotel review of The Newman

The Vineta Hotel, Palm Beach, USA

The newest entrant to the posh Palm Beach scene, The Vineta Hotel, marks the first US opening for Oetker Hotels (the luxury hospitality brand behind Hotel du Cap Eden-Roc and Eden Rock - St Barths). Set on Cocoanut Row, just two blocks from Worth Avenue shopping, the elegant property revives what was previously The Chesterfield, a beloved Palm Beach hotel. Paris-based interior designer Tino Zervudachi headed the top-to-bottom renovation of the 1926 landmark, restoring iconic elements such as the distinctive Mediterranean Revival façade and leaning into its 100-year-old legacy with signature Palm Beach pastels and details like scalloped pendant lights that ooze coastal glamour. Snowbirds can expect 41 light-filled rooms, a flower-framed courtyard restaurant called Coco’s, a cocktail bar and a pool flanked by sun loungers.

The Vineta Hotel is located at 363 Cocoanut Row, Palm Beach, FL 33480, United States

White Elephant Aspen, USA

Colorado’s chicest winter hotspot welcomes a new stay aimed at the well-dressed coteries. White Elephant Aspen – the brand’s first Western outpost, joining properties in Nantucket and Palm Beach – introduces a contemporary, alpine-chic aesthetic to Aspen. The brainchild of Boston-based architectural firm EMBARC, the 54-key hotel showcases a mountainside colourway of white, cognac and charcoal, complemented by the natural textures of leather, wood and stone. Rooms and suites (some of which have crackling fireplaces) are kitted with porcelain tile, embossed headboards and oil-rubbed bronze light fixtures. The art collection boasts 125 original works, including landscapes by Alex Katz and rotating photography of nearby Maroon Bells by Bob Tabor. Guests familiar with the portfolio will appreciate the playful details, such as elephant door knockers.

White Elephant Aspen is located at 110 W Main St, Aspen, CO 81611, United States

January 2026

Andaz One Bangkok, Bangkok, Thailand

For Andaz One Bangkok, a new lifestyle hotel on historic Wireless Road, Thailand interior design firm PIA drew inspiration from the pulse of the city, from the motorbike-jammed bustling streets to the hidden alleys. Envisioned as a base for ‘curious urban travellers,’ the design and energy aim to match the exuberance of the Thai capital. Colour and texture play an important role in expressing a sense of evolution. Arches – in mirrors, hallways and windows – nod to the curved lines of the Thai mid-century movement, while pops of sunny yellow and orange, bold works by Thai female artists and traditional window grills inject character and personality. As much a place to unwind as to sip cocktails at the swank lounge or swim in the outdoor infinity pool overlooking Lumphini Park, the 244 rooms are quiet with peaceful, leafy views.

Andaz One Bangkok is located at 201 Wireless Road, Lumphini, Patumwan, 10330 Bangkok, Thailand

Chesa Marchetta, Engadin Valley, Switzerland

In 2014, Iwan and Manuela Wirth, co-founders of the international gallery Hauser & Wirth, expanded into hospitality with the creation of Artfarm and, four years later, opened The Fife Arms in Scotland. The creative powerhouse couple has done it again with Chesa Marchetta, a cosy 13-bedroom retreat in Sils Maria, a small village in Switzerland’s Engadin Valley. Reimagined by the design-oriented duo and frequent collaborator Luis Laplace, of the Paris-based interior architecture firm Laplace, the seasonal refuge comprises four historic buildings dating back to the 16th century, decorated with arven wood panelling, traditional Engadin furniture and blankets from a nearby weaving collective. As to be expected, the art collection is exceptional: a mix of works by Old Masters and local artists, alongside murals by Corin Sands. There’s also a former barn turned 46-seat restaurant, adorned with stone and an exposed wood-beam ceiling.

Chesa Marchetta is located at Via da Marias 88, 7514 Sils im Engadin/Segl, Switzerland

Read our full hotel review of Chesa Marchetta

Oculto, Mexico City, Mexico

Oculto, the latest venture from Vida Lenta – the hospitality group behind Hotel Dama in Condesa and Hotel Parián in Roma Norte – is an intimate boutique gem in Mexico City’s trendy Juárez neighbourhood. Fernanda Diaz, of Mexico City-based interior design studio Eran, conceived the hotel as both an intentional hideaway for travellers and a tribute to Mexican craftsmanship and creativity. Tucked behind an unassuming façade on Calle Versailles, the 21-room bolthole veers toward minimalism with polished concrete floors and clean lines, yet the interiors are anything but sterile. The palpable warmth comes from the thoughtful layering of locally sourced antiques and contemporary art, creating an authentic atmosphere that encourages slowing down while remaining unmistakably spirited, like CDMX itself.

Oculto is located at Calle Versalles 80, 06600 Mexico City, Mexico

Soori Penang, George Town, Malaysia

​For Soo K. Chan, ​the founder of award-winning firm​ SCDA Architects, Soori Penang​ – the follow-up to the flagship Soori Bali – is deeply personal. ​Situated in the oldest part​ of George Town, the UNESCO-designated historic heart of Penang, ​the extraordinary undertaking reinvents a​ collection of Khoo clan​ shophouses​, where the architect was born and raised, into an intimate 15-key ​luxury boutique hotel. Centuries-old craftsmanship shines, reflecting an unwavering reverence for the past, thoughtfully reinterpreted through a contemporary mindset. The generously proportioned one- to three-bedroom ​suites are imbued with heritage details, from motifs inspired by the ornate Khoo Kongsi temple to carved stone and onyx lanterns, complemented by custom-designed furniture and latticed shutters. Inner courtyards, with reflective pools and bespoke stone fountains, provide a tranquil place to unwind between excursions.

Soori Penang is located at 48 Lebuh Aceh, George Town, Penang, 10300, Malaysia

Read our full hotel review of Soori Penang

V Villas Maldives at Mirihi

International architecture and design firm Studio Gronda transformed an older resort in the South Ari Atoll into a stylish vacation paradise where tropical escapism is elevated with sun-dappled sophistication. The newly unveiled V Villas Maldives at Mirihi, debuting as part of Accor’s MGallery Collection, echoes the barefoot luxury essence of Maldivian holidays. In tune with the rhythms of island living, each of the 42 villas showcases contemporary open-air architecture, seamlessly integrating indoor and outdoor spaces. Throughout the property, guest sanctuaries are accented with timber floors, vaulted ceilings, natural textures and handcrafted furnishings. Accommodations range from overwater villas with private sun decks suspended above the lagoon to beachfront abodes shrouded by lush greenery, as well as multi-bedroom suites complete with private pools.

V Villas Maldives at Mirihi - MGallery Collection is located at Mirihi Island, 00190, Maldives

Fifteen years after taking over the kitchens of the beloved Swiss hotel Beau-Rivage Palace, and following an extensive design-centric renovation, Anne-Sophie Pic, the most Michelin-starred female chef in the world, reintroduces her restaurant Pic au Beau-Rivage Palace. The establishment, which already boasted two Michelin stars before the makeover, hopes to land a third star upon its reopening, making it the second three Michelin-starred restaurant in Lausanne.

Pic au Beau-Rivage Palace, Lausanne

Designed by French interior designer Tristan Auer, the restaurant’s interiors have been revamped to reflect Anne-Sophie Pic’s personality and cuisine. In the entrance, a cabinet of curiosities displays some of chef Pic’s most treasured memorabilia, including her notebook filled with inspirations and a photo of her grandfather, the celebrated chef André Pic.

Basked in natural light, the interior is airy, with soft hues of light pink and beige reflected in the rose-patterned carpet and the curved ash tree backdrops enveloping the booths. Drawing inspiration from chef Pic’s cuisine, Auer notes that ‘the materials are simple and sober, but behind them lies an inventiveness in gesture and implementation’.

At Pic au Beau-Rivage Palace, chef Pic serves a ‘sensitive and floral cuisine that celebrates the lake and the scents of Alpine valleys’. The menu invites diners on a culinary journey through traditional Swiss dishes and the chef’s star dishes, like her Berlingots ©ASP, stuffed with sheep’s milk cheese, embellished with saffron from the hills stretching above the city and lavender from the hotel’s greenhouse. In season, the chef works with fish from the lake, like fera or Arctic char.

But the heart of the restaurant is the bar area, tucked behind a stained-glass window, where diners are invited to taste one of the dishes from the set menu. The space was conceived together with Paz Levinson, chef Pic’s Chef Sommelier Executive, to offer a new dining experience.

‘The bar is an anchor point in the restaurant, a place for exchange, a common ground for fluid cuisine’, says chef Pic. It is the perfect stage to showcase the non-alcoholic creative beverages unique to the chef’s cuisine, like a tomato Chemex – a coffee brewed with tomato water – paired with venison served with candied tomatoes, and a chicory cocktail.

Pic au Beau-Rivage Palace is located at Chem. de Beau-Rivage 21, 1006 Lausanne, Switzerland, brp.ch

Herzog & de Meuron has completed a new Children's Hospital in Zurich – a project the studio hopes will become an important healing environment for its patients. The design, which was explored during the Royal Academy's recent Herzog & de Meuron exhibition in London, is set at the foot of the city's Burghölzli hill and contains an acute-care hospital and an adjacent research and teaching facility.

Exploring Herzog & de Meuron’s Children’s Hospital in Zurich

The architects took a holistic approach in their design, treating the various hospital elements – and the further healthcare buildings in the surrounding urban setting – as a 'miniature city'. Collaborating closely with the different stakeholders and specialists involved in the project, as well as the hospital’s users, the practice's desire was to craft a place that is functional but feels human and caring – an architecture that contributes towards healing.

'People in hospitals are often in life-threatening situations. That is an exceptional challenge not only for patients but also for relatives, carers and physicians. Ironically, hospitals all over the world and even in Switzerland are often the ugliest places. For the past 20 years, we have zeroed in on this issue, because we are convinced that architecture can contribute to the healing process; it can make a substantial difference,' says practice director Jacques Herzog.

‘Here at the Children’s Hospital, people can see for themselves how daylight coming in from outside and variations in proportion can animate and change a room, how plants and vegetation can blur the distinction between inside and outside and how materials are not just beautiful to look at but also pleasing to the touch. We designed all these things with conscious intent so that people can perceive them, sense them and ultimately feel better. Architecture can contribute to healing.’

The hospital wing features a concrete frame that spans three storeys. It is clad and extended with intricate wooden infills which blend with rich foliage, creating an environment that feels close to nature. Indeed, the scheme's landscaping was extensive and included the planting of over 250 trees.

The research element of the project is located in a cylindrical structure across five floors, with an atrium at its heart. Openness and creative exchange are encouraged inside, while the lush greenery makes its appearance here too.

As a result of the project's careful thinking, materials, construction methods and planting, both wings 'have been awarded the platinum certification of building sustainability as specified by the strict guidelines of the SGNI (Swiss Sustainable Building Council)', the architects say.

'The curved, three-storey main façade with its endearing small-scale wooden houses and variously sloped roofs offers a friendly and warm welcome to young patients and their families. The acute care hospital is organised like a town – with courtyards, streets, alleys, and squares,' says Pierre de Meuron.

'These, along with the thoughtful use of wood and carefully placed art installations, provide clear and memorable orientation, plenty of daylight, and a connection to nature. The spatial diversity, with views both inside and out, also offers spaces for children, teenagers, and their families to stay and play, as well as restful break areas for hospital staff.'

While different, the two buildings in the new Herzog & de Meuron hospital were treated as complementary, the architects stress. The overall composition feels balanced and everything is subtly and meaningfully connected – looking after the wellbeing of patients, their relatives and the employees, and fostering an environment where science can thrive.

herzogdemeuron.com

Tucked between the extensive campus of Geneva’s University Hospital and a huddle of associated medical institutions, laboratories and surgeries, the Avenue de la Roseraie is trod by few casual visitors to the Swiss city. And yet here – out of sight in a small car park – is an extraordinary structure that, situated elsewhere, would surely draw the attention of architectural students like bees to a nectar-rich flower. Horticulturalists, too, perhaps, for whom a building nicknamed La Tulipe might well incite curiosity.

Sprouting from the ground in the guise of a faceted concrete stem, the building opens up and out, like a surreal architectonic flower, shedding weight as it rises, its core supported and shielded by filigree and tapering concrete ribs. Between the ribs, sheets of candy-coloured glass add to a sense of unfamiliarity reinforced by La Tulipe’s enigmatic entrance, an anodised bronze door offering no view inside. Incised above, in capitals, it says, ‘Fondation Pour Recherches Médicales’. Hint enough. Here is a shrine to medical research to which casual visitors are not invited unless they hold the key. Inside, a lift rises through three floors, each accommodating a cluster of laboratories facing out through those delicately framed tinted window petals.

The story behind La Tulipe by Jack Vicajee Bertoli

The interior is purposeful and matter-of-fact. An idle thought that La Tulipe might make a rather special boutique hotel dissipates once you appreciate that this is a busy research centre that has worked closely with the university hospital and medical faculty ever since its completion in 1976.

Its architect, Jack Vicajee Bertoli (now 93, living partly in Geneva and partly on the Catalonian coast), insists the design is purely a matter of form following function. ‘To be a success, it had to be near, if not physically attached to, the hospital, but there was no land available, except for a very small plot on a steep slope, whereupon the idea of a more upright structure was born. It fulfilled a request.’

However, the building is far more imaginative than that, reflecting the richness of Bertoli’s upbringing and experience. Born in Mumbai in 1931, Bertoli is the son of Italian designer Fausto Piscionieri and Kitty Vicajee, an Indian Zoroastrian Parsi whose second husband, Giovanni Bertoli, was an Italian naval air officer. Mother and son lived for some years with Kitty’s sister Thelma, who was married to Franco-Indian business tycoon Jehangir Tata. Through the Tatas, Bertoli got to know Jawaharlal Nehru, first prime minister of independent India, his daughter Indira, India’s first woman prime minister, Muhammad Ali Jinnah, founder of Pakistan, and Mahatma Gandhi. Young Jack was, you might say, well-connected.

Taught by Spanish Jesuits at St Mary’s High School in Mumbai, Bertoli moved on to the International School of Geneva and then to Princeton to study architecture (Louis Kahn and Buckminster Fuller were among his teachers). Following spells in the offices of Marcel Breuer and Eero Saarinen, Bertoli then worked with the Ford Foundation in New Delhi on a new masterplan before joining Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret on the design of Chandigarh.

These creative and social strands wove themselves together when Bertoli became a Swiss citizen, setting up his own studio in Geneva. Among his early clients was Anita Pauling, an alumna of the International School, for whom he designed a house on Lake Geneva. Pauling longed to create a special building for the city. After discussing the possibilities of this with Bertoli, his wife Nelly Roch, a talented decorator and artist, and his brother-in-law, Dr Gaston Zahnd, the founder and first director of the Fondation Pour Recherches Médicales, La Tulipe was born – a distinctive building, with a scientific and social purpose, supported by an enterprising new foundation.

‘I teamed up with civil engineer Claude Huguenin,’ says Bertoli. ‘Everything was hand-drawn. We worked out the geometry and structure in discussions, on paper – no computers, then! – and using scale models in plasticine, wood and terracotta. The glass is not meant to be coloured in the way that it appears now. Originally, it was a silver-bluey-grey, but air has got inside the sealed units and changed it over time.’

La Tulipe is currently undergoing a two-phase renovation, under the guidance of Geneva architects Meier + Associés. ‘We got in touch with Jack Bertoli, which was a really enjoyable experience,’ says project architect Simon Marti. ‘He showed us drawings, photographs and documents relating to the building as originally designed and when newly opened, so we’ve been able to go through the building very carefully to establish how it should look at its best. While bringing its services up to date, we are also reinstating original details, including a bespoke handrail that had been removed from the central stair, and replacing later floor treatments and colour schemes.’

Marti continues, ‘The base of the structure is in good shape, but there is work to be done on the carbonised concrete pillars, and the glass must be replaced to meet new regulations. We are testing colours to see what’s possible, but they’ll be a shade of bluey grey. We’ll also enhance the landscaping. What you’ll see soon is the building as Jack Bertoli designed it.’ It looks like everything is coming up roses for this gorgeously-hued example of Swiss brutalism.

maa.ch

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

In partnership with Switzerland Tourism

To explore Switzerland’s design cities, architectural landscapes, myriad galleries and museums is to travel the length and breadth of a small but spectacular and remarkably varied country. For visitors with an affinity for design culture, Swiss hotels – both grand and boutique – are a natural fit of form, function, materials and experience.

We made our selection from Switzerland’s Boutique & Design Hotels and Lodgings portfolio, which offers a variety of chic city destinations, creative concepts, and luxurious mountain hideaways. Small and refined, the boutique properties are characterised by individuality, artful aesthetics, and style. A clear and resolute design language is evident across furniture concepts, architecture, and atmosphere. Enjoy.

1. Hotel Locke am Platz, Zürich

Located in Zurich’s Enge quarter, surrounded by green parkland, magnificent villas and the waters of Lake Zurich, the Locke am Platz aparthotel (whose opening Wallpaper* reported in 2023) combines Swiss riviera style with luxurious, homely touches. Studio apartment interiors are created by London design firm Tatjana von Stein (formerly Sella Concept), which chose a mix of materials – velvet, chrome, wood, and marble – for contemporary elegance. Spacious layouts include kitchenettes, fast Wi-Fi and USB connections. There are also co-working areas, a bar, and a restaurant. The FIFA Museum is just across the street.

2. Volkshaus, Basel

A Kleinbasel institution for gastronomy, hospitality and conviviality since 1925, the Volkshaus Basel was recently reimagined by local architects Herzog & de Meuron. With rooms furnished in 1920s modernist style, the hotel’s large suites have terraces and spectacular views. Significant contemporary art is in the hotel’s DNA, and the leafy inner courtyard, elegant brasserie and the Imi Bar, styled by German artist Imi Knoebel, are all popular with local cultural and creative figures alike. Volkshaus Basel is just a short walk from the Rhine promenade, the Messe exhibition centre, and the city’s many theatres and museums

3. Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa, Bern

London-based interior designer Maria Vafiadis furnished the Hotel Schweizerhof Bern & Spa with a deftly applied blend of French charm and English understatement. Luxurious touches include Lasa marble, glass mosaic, Japanese bathtubs and Bulgari products. The hotel offers 99 stylish rooms and suites, a conference centre and ballroom, a bar, a cigar lounge and a Sky Terrace with a panoramic views over Bern’s old city, a Unesco World Heritage Site.

4. Hotel Luganodante, Lugano

Modern Swiss hospitality resides in Lugano. Deploying Hotel Luganodante’s hyper-personalised pre-stay tool enables guests to select preferences including room temperature, minibar curation and even pillow choices. Book a table at Luganodante’s Flamel Bistrot for inspirational modern cuisine made from local produce (Bologna’s Rizoma Architetture has transformed a private rooftop vegetable garden), or enjoy cocktails in the Mixology Bar. A conservatory provides an alternative setting for a business meeting, while for relaxation, go to the Creative Box to play table tennis. The hotel’s parking garages are equipped with charging stations for EVs.

5. Hôtel Bristol, Geneva

An urban retreat, enveloped by the peace of the Mont-Blanc garden, Geneva’s Hôtel Bristol, originally built in 1851, was renovated in 2021 by local architecture practice TJCA. For the Bristol’s lobby, bar and reception spaces and its new, ‘Unique!’ rooms, French interior designer Annie Zéau referenced art deco to create themed concepts and colourful, luxurious suites. A visit to the hotel’s critically acclaimed Côté Square restaurant is highly recommended.

Find out more about boutique and design hotels and lodgings in Switzerland

Dr Barbara Sturm is sitting cosily in her Gstaad home when we meet over a video call. She first stepped into the 17th-century Swiss chalet two years ago and instantly fell for its Alpinus charm. ‘I immediately knew I was going to live here because the building had such a soul,’ she explains. ‘I was familiar with Gstaad during ski-season, but not during the off-season. I soon discovered that it was divine. I remember the first summer here and going mushroom hunting,’ she continues, her face lighting up at the memory.

I also note the luminosity of her complexion, unmistakable despite Zoom’s jolty picture quality. What I’m seeing here is the coveted ‘Sturm Glow’, of course, a patented effect of the German aesthetics doctor’s ‘anti-inflammatory’ approach to skin health.

Dr Sturm’s medical career began in orthopaedics. She later joined a team of Düsseldorf-based sports scientists, working to develop a cutting-edge therapy called Orthokine, which involves extracting, manipulating, and reintroducing the patient’s blood into the body to reduce joint inflammation and promote healing. By 2002, Dr Sturm had shifted her clinical research to aesthetics, putting the principles of Orthokine into regenerative skincare. Two of her world-renowned signatures include a ‘PRP’ (platelet-rich plasma therapy) facial, perhaps better known as the ‘Vampire Facial’, and the bespoke ‘MC1’ cream, a topical delivery of proteins extracted from one’s bloodstream.

2024 marks ten years since Dr Sturm launched her ubiquitous brand, with products such as ‘The Hyaluronic Serum’ now widely considered to be skincare ‘holy grails’. The most recent addition to the Sturm roster is the ‘Super Anti-Aging Dual Serum’, which launched earlier this month (September 2024). It combines the technology of ‘The Hyaluronic Serum’ with ‘skin-mimicking’ ceramides and lipids, in a dual-phase formula. Here, Dr Sturm tells Wallpaper* more about it, alongside sharing a few more anecdotes about her life in Gstaad.

Dr Barbara Sturm on the ‘Super Anti-Aging Dual Serum’

Wallpaper*: Can you tell me about why you’ve launched the ‘Super Anti-Aging Dual Serum’ and what it does?

Dr Barbara Sturm: The idea started when I was thinking about how lipids get better infused if you have hydrated skin. I designed a buttery skin essence a couple of years ago for a friend who started a skincare company. But we never ended up using it. So I had the idea to combine a hydrating phase and a lipid phase, using some of the ingredients from this essence, into one product.

At first, I was worried a dual-phase serum was too gimmicky for us. To be honest, I was actually quite sceptical altogether. But after the samples arrived and everyone on the team began to try it, they freaked out over how good it was. We all tested it out for a month and each of us saw the difference it made to the skin by the end of that period, in terms of visible age reversal. This is because of the bio-mimetic peptides we used combined with all the other incredible ingredients. I must say, it is an incredible product.

W*: How does your approach to skin health and wellness tie into your living space and environment?

DBS: I have a lot of family time here in Gstaad, which makes me happy, which brings inflammation down. Then being in nature, lying on the grass, breathing pure oxygen high in the mountains... The environment here fits perfectly into my anti-inflammatory lifestyle.

When it came to the chalet interiors, I was very spontaneous with it while staying true to the original 17th-century features. I love colour and I’m not afraid to use it. When I travel, I always go to flea markets and find random things to bring back here. I love the Marché aux Puces in Paris, and I have a lot of paintings from there hanging up. I’m working with my friend Eva Zucker who runs an independent vintage interiors business from Frankfurt. So, she has sourced all kinds of things for the house too.

W*: Do you approach the design of a Dr Barbara Sturm spa with the same spontaneity?

DBS: I work on the design for the spas with my brother. They are always based on simplicity and good quality, which speaks to the ethos of the Sturm brand. But also, they have a personal touch that relates to their location.

With the Madison Avenue spa in New York, for example, I went crazy with wallpapers to tie in with the fact it is an older townhouse. I sourced a lot of vintage pieces here too. And, like with our chalet in Gstaad, I think that sometimes works out for the best.

W*: What are your bathroom and ‘wellness’ spaces like in the chalet?

DBS: Well, my bathroom is full of Sturm products! In the basement, I have an LED bed for infrared light therapy and a pure oxygen machine, which I will use on my stationary bike. I have a PEMF mat, and also hydrogen water to drink throughout the home. I recently installed a machine that pumps hydrogen into your bathtub and I am in love with it.

W*: What are your plans for the immediate future?

DBS: I don’t see tons of patients anymore so work is focused on managing product development and marketing. But it’s easy to do a lot of this from here in Gstaad. My filming for social media, I also do from here, in the chalet bathroom. I am a 24-7 workaholic. But now that I’m over 50, I have discovered this other side of me and found more of a balance while living in Gstaad.

I think this is so important when you reach a certain age. Otherwise, you’ll lose the rest of your youth quicker than anticipated. One day you’d wake up and just not be able to get out of your chair, you know? In being here, I am living my childhood dream. I always imagined myself in an old chalet, going out to the bakery on skis or something. Fantastically, my dream came true.

Dr Barbara Sturm, ‘Super Anti-Aging Dual Serum’, £340, is available now.

drsturm.com

In Swiss resort towns such as St. Moritz or Gstaad, a common observation during high season is that the slopes can feel like a high-octane fashion show. But in Adelboden, a quiet ski town in the Bernese Alps, roughly two hours from Zurich, the only parading is done in late June, when local farmers festoon their dairy cows with floral headdresses and globe-sized bells to trot them down the main street and up a winding path to the alpine meadows where they will graze until the season’s end.

The Brecon

That said, Adelboden still has a firm grip on luxury, thanks to the recently opened The Brecon: a hotel founded by the Wales-born Grant Maunder who has been visiting the region for over 40 years and who also owns the neighbouring Cambrian Hotel. The work of Amsterdam-based firm Nicemakers, The Brecon’s design leans into a contemporary chalet aesthetic in the communal areas with warm wood wall panelling, flagstone floors hand-fitted by an artisan flown in from Wales and the classic wooden Swiss dining chairs from the hotel’s previous occupant, refinished and upholstered in mottled purple boucle fabric.

Each of the 18 rooms and four suites are subtly different, ranging in size from compact doubles to a duplex two-bedroom loft suite. The top floor ‘Village’ suite, for instance, encompasses an expansive balcony and a sitting area complete with a plush Vitra sofa, a fireplace and a small writing desk that looks onto a panoramic view of the sublime Bernese Alps across the valley.

The Brecon has cleverly positioned itself as a year-round destination. In the summer, guests can explore the region’s vast network of hiking trails or swim in the nearby glacial lakes. In the winter, skiing is the main priority: Adelboden boasts an impressive number of runs accessible from several gondolas originating from the village.

After a day on the slopes, a spa offering that includes massages and reflexology, as well as a sauna, steam room and heated outdoor pool, is available for mountain-weary legs. All meals and drinks are included in the room rate, which means an à la carte breakfast, a light lunch and a Swiss-inspired dinner, the concise menu for which changes daily, and includes dishes like wild mushroom risotto, rigatoni with tomato and mint, and an array of local cheeses, many produced by the surrounding dairy farms’ marching cows.

Find The Brecon at Dorfstrasse 88, 3715 Adelboden, Switzerland, thebrecon.com

This article appears in the October 2024 issue of Wallpaper*, available in print on newsstands from 5 September on the Wallpaper* app on Apple iOS, and to subscribers of Apple News +. Subscribe to Wallpaper* today.

French designer Cécile Barani was responsible for giving shape to Swiss audio manufacturer Goldmund’s ultra-high-end speaker systems. We spoke to Barani about her work and the influences and considerations that she has brought to bear on these highly refined components. During her studies in Monaco, then at the School of Design in Copenhagen, and finally at the Higher School of Art and Design in Saint-Étienne, Barani studied different aspects of design: object design, space design, and industrial design.

Now based in Paris, the designer has worked on urban exterior and bespoke interior furniture, always in multidisciplinary teams. ‘What interests me is working by taking the context into account, such as the place, the function, the technical constraints,’ she says.

Goldmund, a Swiss company established in 1978 to further the art of audiophile-focused manufacturing, approached the young designer to reshape its monumental series of active speaker systems. The first result of the partnership was the Gaia, a sculptural speaker formed from a stack of five aluminium boxes, housing a total of eight drivers and eight channels of amplification. The Gaia rises to a height of 2.1m, making it a true tower system, suitable for elaborate home installations with a very dedicated focus on listening.

‘The first time I met the Goldmund team, they gave me a clear and detailed brief. I sat down and listened to their then flagship product, the Apologue. Before that, I’d drafted a few ideas but once I’d listened to the speakers, I realised the direction wasn’t right,’ Barani says. The Apologue was designed by Italian artist Claudio Rotta Loria in 1987 and one of the original pairs was selected by MoMA, so the bar was set high.

For Barani, the technology determined the visual direction. ‘The sound [of the speakers] was so precise and detailed, I knew that I’d have to create a visual approach that didn’t conflict with the sound.’ The result is the Gaia speaker, which retains the signature stacked enclosures of the Apologue but distinguishes itself through its size, material assembly, and refined architectural design. Unlike the high-tech constructivist aesthetic of the Apologue, Gaia presents itself as a sophisticated, elegant column.

‘With Gaia, the objective was to create a totem-like object with no specific orientation,’ the designer explains. ‘What actually fed the project was my discussions with Goldmund’s engineers. We talked about the constraints that speaker placement made on the design and the form embodies these visually.’

Regarding the material used, Barani explains that ‘aluminum is the company's signature, so I wanted to keep it to echo their history. The challenge of this project was the assembly of the materials together to achieve clean joints and a monolithic appearance.’

Barani has also designed Goldmund’s Pulp series, a speaker that uses WiSA technology (an established wireless digital audio format). Unlike the vast and ultimately static Gaia speakers, Goldmund expects customers to want to move their Pulp speakers around, and hence they’re the company’s smallest speakers. ‘The biggest constraint was therefore the size,’ Barani says. ‘The goal was to integrate all the components into a compact enclosure with a minimal and clean design, without compromising sound quality.’

The cylindrical Pulp speakers are also formed from aluminium. Barani drew inspiration from the circular components on the Apologue, which acted as supports and junctions in the speaker’s frame. ‘Goldmund also wanted customers to have the option of using the speaker grille, which is another circular element that rotates out of the way of the drivers,’ she explains. Available in either black or grey, the pivoting textile-covered grille allows Pulp to read as a freestanding sculptural object, either on its self-contained plinth or on the separate stand.

Goldmund isn’t in the habit of releasing a deluge of new products every year, preferring to refine and upgrade speakers that are designed for a lifetime of use. Between 2023 and 2024, this was a little different, as the entire collection was completely updated, but generally speaking it has an ethos of subtly upgrading products to integrate new technology, not wholesale reinvention.

‘[In that respect], we have a shared philosophy, particularly in the longevity of products,’ notes Barani. ‘Goldmund is about quality, not quantity.’ Thanks to the designer’s capable hands, these important considerations are clearly expressed.

Goldmund Gaia and Goldmund Pulp, information at Goldmund.com, @Goldmund_official

Cécile Barani, CécileBarani.com, @Cecile_Barani

The American photographer Roe Ethridge isn’t precious about titles. For his latest exhibitions with Gagosian, recently opened in Gstaad and London (through 8 and 28 September, respectively), he made an inventory of various labels. ‘I made a list of the most prominent themes of selected images,’ he clarifies, recounting over email how he arrived at the moniker for this new pair of shows, ‘Happy Birthday Louise Parker II’. ‘First was “Louise Parker”, then “Birthday” came in at second or third, and immediately the phrase “Happy Birthday Louise Parker” came to mind. I had always imagined the portrait of her sitting in the red chair [Louise in a Chair for Double (2015)] as a picture of her at her imaginary birthday party.’

Parker, whose image is the central though not sole motif of the two shows – described by the gallery as ‘a pair of different but interconnected selections’ – has been a part of Ethridge’s orbit since the early 2010s, when she was streetcast for an editorial he was shooting. ‘She was a student of Stephen Shore at Bard college and was already aware of what I was up to as a photographer,’ he shares. ‘We never talked about it much, the collaboration has always been pretty effortless. She’s actually coming to Gstaad on 22 August, which coincides with the big Polo match [The Hublot Polo Gold Cup] in the city. We are hoping to make a picture of her with the Polo match in the background!’

Adapted from a previous show in Milan (‘Happy Birthday Louise Parker’), which opened the gallery at 10 Corso Cosmo in February 2024 and was curated by Alessandro Rabottini, the displays in Gstaad and London are typical of the photographer’s fugue approach to curating and image-making more broadly, a defining characteristic of his decades-long career, in which his work has comfortably straddled in tandem the arenas of the commercial and the personal. ‘I love the idea of the fugue as a sort of musical guide to the sequencing,’ he notes. ‘It’s like a multitude of little dialectal moments that create third things and hopefully those third things turn into chords or passages.’

In addition to those of Parker, in Gstaad and London there are portraits of friends and family members and still lifes made for brands and publications.

‘Alessandro was instrumental in the concept of the [10 Corso Como] show,’ says Ethridge, recalling the formation of the Milan installation, ‘weaving in the personal and commercial images with Louise as an iconic refrain. He and I have known each other for years. We worked together on every aspect of the show, and I think it’s a testament to working with a great curator that the show was generous in what it delivered and how it worked in the context of Corso Cosmo.’

This interest in collaboration stretches beyond his work with Parker and Rabottini, and elements of ‘Happy Birthday Louise Parker II’ were similarly shaped by his friends, suggests Ethridge. Take Louise on David’s Refrigerator (2012-20), an image of a worn print affixed at the corners with magnets: ‘My friend David Jimenez, who produced the images of Louise on Brass with me, had that invite poster of Louise on his refrigerator for ten years or so and sent me that image,’ offers the photographer. ‘I loved it so much I just enlarged the file he sent. It feels natural to me to have themes or subjects return over time, it’s something photography is particularly suited for.’

Indeed, this backstory recalls Refrigerator, 1999, a photograph of his mother’s busy fridge front originally made on assignment. It subsequently opened his 2022 monograph American Polychronic, and Ethridge has since described it as a self-portrait.

‘I love the new still life image in the Davies Street show [in London], it depicts a sort of waspy poolside scene with a Loro Piana handbag,’ he continues, highlighting Loro Piana Bag for Vanity Fair, 2024, a vivid poolside scene featuring, alongside the Italian leather and wicker bag, a beachball, cube of ice and a large shell.

‘The set and props were handled by Andy Harmon, who was also the set and prop guy for the Comme des Garçons still life and the duck for Burberry (he and I have had a long collaboration). It wasn’t until I made the big print that I realised the engraving on the little gold lock of the bag has the letters “LP”. Same as the initials of Louise Parker!’

'Happy Birthday Louise Parker II' is at Gagosian in Gstaad and London, through 8 and 28 September, respectively.

gagosian.com

Beautiful swimming pools are a major draw for those hunting for their next vacation spot. This is something high-end hotels know all too well, bringing in expert architects to design aquatic marvels that reflect each property’s aesthetic and sit harmoniously in the surrounding environment. Amidst a plethora of stunning options around the world, we have put together some of our favourite outdoor hotel pools – jump in.

15 of the best outdoor hotel pools to book now

137 Pillars Suites Bangkok

137 Pillars House is one of Chiang Mai’s most awarded hotels; its city-slick sister, on the top eight floors of a sparkling skyscraper in Bangkok, follows suit. The brand’s 18th-century heritage is kept in rocking chairs on each of the 34 suites’ private balconies, the ground-level Bangkok Trading Post café, and the handsome Jack Bain’s bar named after one of the Company’s most distinguished managers. But this is a decidedly modern escape, with walk-in wardrobes and five-fixture marble bathrooms, a spa and wellness centre offering aerial yoga and Reiki classes. Not one but two sky-high infinity pools may feel far removed from the city, but a glass floor looks dizzyingly down to the private driving ranges on the sixth-floor terrace, cleverly linking the hotel to the world below.

137 Pillars Suites Bangkok is located at 59/1 Sukhumvit 39, Khlong Tan Nuea, Watthana, Bangkok 10110, Thailand

7132 Hotel

Therme Vals was completed in 1996. Almost three decades on, Peter Zumthor’s genre-defining spa in the Swiss canton of Graubünden remains a place of pilgrimage for architecture enthusiasts the world over. Half buried in the hillside and constructed using local Valser quartzite slabs, the hotel itself was renamed 7132 Hotel under new ownership in 2012, and while the property continues to undergo changes and developments, the baths remain blissfully untouched, as ageless and enduring as the mountains around them. Carefully positioned gaps in
the ceiling and walls flood the hotel’s indoor pool with shafts of light. Upstairs, a grass-roofed outdoor
pool is complete with a sunbathing terrace.

7132 Hotel is located at Poststrasse 560, 7132 Vals, Switzerland

Amangiri

Tucked within a canyon in Utah, Amangiri’s pool could be a glimmering mirage in the heat of the dust. Fortunately, its beauty is not a figment of imagination, and the mesa-embracing pool echoes the tranquillity of the canyons. Born from the collaboration between award-winning architects Marwan Al-Sayed, Wendell Burnette, and Rick Joy, Amangiri sits low within the untouched red-rock desert landscape and is blissfully at one with its native context. Its water pavilion also offers a steam room, sauna, plunge pool and heated step pool to cool off under the western sun. The resort offers 34 contemporary suites and has a camp of 10 tented pavilions to act as a base for any mountainous expeditions.

Amangiri is located at 1 Kayenta Rd, Canyon Point, UT 84741, United States

Amankila

Amankila, which translates to ‘peaceful hill’ in Sanskrit and is extraordinarily situated on a dense hillside beneath sacred Mount Agung, has been the go-to spirit-lifting sanctuary in Eastern Bali since its opening in 1992. The resort’s distinct tiered infinity swimming pool, also the work of the late American architect and furniture designer Ed Tuttle, sees three pools cascading down to one another, akin to Bali’s terraced rice fields, that blend with the vast expanse of the blue horizon that awaits in front. The design takes inspiration from the nearby Taman Ujung water palace, which sees three large ponds connected by elegant bridges and pathways. Amankila’s large 41-meter turquoise-tiled lap pool is equally alluring, found at the sun-kissed private black-sand Beach Club and nestled amidst tall coconut palms and frangipani trees.

Amankila is located at Manggis, Karangasem Regency, Bali 80871, Indonesia

Cali Mykonos

Situated on the serene cliff front that embraces Kalafatis Beach, far away from the bustling Old Town nightlife, the whitewashed hotel Cali Mykonos draws immediate attention with its 130-metre infinity pool, which elegantly winds around to mimic a neighbouring stream’s curvature. Filled with solar-powered heating panels and fresh seawater drawn directly from the Aegean Sea, Cali’s aquatic tour-de-force furthers the hotel’s integration into the landscape – its water being equally crystalline as the private port’s below. The pool, like the hotel’s main building and villas, is the work of Athens-based architectural firm STFN Lab and combines traditional Cycladic architecture with natural landscape features. As such, it boasts natural marble and stone sourced from the original property excavation. Guests can enjoy the most natural swim alongside the pool bars, which boast mythology-inspired cocktail menus.

Cali Mykonos is located at Mykonos 846 00, Greece

Capella Ubud

Inspired by the first European settlers in Bali in the early 1800s, Capella Ubud remains true to the concept of a rainforest camp by providing 22 one-bedroom tents and a two-bedroom lodge nestled within lush forest terrain with traditional sloping rice terraces. Famed American landscape architect Bill Bensley, the creative force behind the project, ensured that no trees were cut during construction, preserving the camp as a secluded sanctuary boasting maximised jungle views. Despite each guest space featuring individual saltwater pools, Capella Ubud’s crown jewel is The Cistern, a vast amenity presenting a 360-degree panoramic view of the Keliki Valley. The pool, shaped like a rainwater reservoir, comprises marine-grade steel plates, which had to be transported manually to the site due to their 100-kilo weight.

Capella Ubud is located at Jl. RY Dalem, Keliki, Kec. Tegallalang, Kabupaten Gianyar, Bali 80561, Indonesia

La Co(o)rniche

At La Co(o)rniche, the Atlantic does most of the talking. Philippe Starck’s 2010 renovation kept the bones of a 1930s neo-Basque hunting lodge – dark timber, frescoes, old Arcachon manners – then loosened it with cabins that borrow from Cap Ferret’s oyster huts. Set between pine forest, sand and the Dune du Pilat, the hotel’s pool frames the Arcachon basin, suspending guests between water and sky.

La Co(o)rniche is located at 46 Av. Louis Gaume, 33115 La Teste-de-Buch, France

Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo

At Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo, luxury comes with topography. Set within a 1,200-hectare private reserve on Mexico’s Pacific coast, the resort is arranged along jungle, cliffs and shorelines, with 157 rooms, three cascading infinity pools and an oceanfront golf course. Architects Victor Legorreta, Mauricio Rocha and Mario Schjetnan treated the land with discipline, placing architecture along the contours 300ft above the sea. In the spa, Oaxacan red clay, volcanic stone and a found boulder turn wellness into ritual.

Four Seasons Resort Tamarindo is located at La Huerta, K, México 200 Manzana 7.5, 48898 Barra de Navidad, Jal., Mexico

Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como

The ethereal beauty of Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como, has long been perceived as infinite, much like its recently introduced heated outdoor swimming pool and sun deck, which float over the lake’s cinematic southeast shores. Designed by Swiss architecture firm Herzog & de Meuron, the 40-meter pool elegantly sits against a lower vaulted stone colonnade, featuring a dark local Cardoso sandstone finish and prefabricated steel structure that reflects the water’s cobalt-blue surface. Here, the hotel’s casual dining venue, Nami Café, offers a laid-back poolside menu of classic Italian al fresco lunches, complemented by refreshing cocktails and freshly prepared juices – all set against the original 19th-century stone arches of the building, once the home of celebrated Italian opera singer Giuditta Pasta.

Mandarin Oriental, Lago di Como is located at Via E. Caronti, 69, 22020 Blevio CO, Italy

Miramonti Boutique Hotel

The panoramic view from the Miramonti Boutique Hotel’s outdoor infinity pool is among the region’s most spectacular. From its cliff-edge perch overlooking the sleepy town of Merano, mountain chains unfold in all directions. The pool is just the first in a sequence of alfresco wellness stops. A trail winds up the hill through the pine forest, and along it guests can find a plunge pool, sauna hut, lounge chairs and, at the top, a heated pool, each with a sweeping view of the valley. Recent architectural and interior redesigns, including the guest rooms, the Onsen Pool, and the ground-floor renovations, were led by Heike Pohl and Andreas Zanier of the Merano-based firm Tara Architects

Miramonti Boutique Hotel is located at Via S. Caterina, 14, 39010 Avelengo BZ, Italy

Nekajui Peninsula Papagayo, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve

Nekajui Peninsula Papagayo, the first Ritz-Carlton Reserve in Central America, and only the eighth in the world, stretches over 570 hectares of lush cliffside, but if you gaze up towards it from the sapphire waters below, you can barely tell it’s there at all. The development of Nekajui was led by The Athens Group, who worked with architects from Gensler and 10 Design to create a property that never looks out of place in its majestic surroundings. The 107 rooms and 37 residences spread across the property all face the ocean and are reliably spacious, with even the most modestly sized Ocean Reserve rooms measuring in at 872 square feet. The infinity pool at the Nimbu Spa offers panoramic ocean views and creates the sensation of swimming in the air.

Nekajui Peninsula Papagayo, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve is located at Peninsula Papagayo, End of the 253 National Route, Provincia de Guanacaste, Liberia, 50104, Costa Rica

Our Habitas AlUla

Waking up to an impressive view takes on a new meaning at Our Habitas AlUla. Being right at the centre of Ashar Valley in Saudi Arabia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the property ensures the immense beauty of the natural world and the dramatic splendour of human creations from every angle – its swimming pool flaunting front-row views of the golden sand stretches and rocky outcrops that emerge from the desert’s expanse. Despite having been a hub of trade and cultural exchange for millennia, AlUla, often likened to an open-air museum, is a brand-new tourism destination. This is why the in-house Our Habitas design team (with the help of global firm Aedas) was tasked with creating Habitas’ distinctive social architecture, bringing guest experiences and human connections to life. Bathing in an ancient desert valley might not be on everyone’s bucket list, but after discovering this property, it certainly will be.

Our Habitas AlUla is located at QV65+RH3, Ashar Valley, AlUla 43511, Saudi Arabia

Reschio

Reschio, a 3,700-acre pastoral estate with a 1,000-year-old castle at its core, has long observed the twists and turns of history from the passage of pilgrims to world wars. Today, following a transformation by architect Count Benedikt Bolza and his wife Donna Nencia, it stands as a boutique hotel, known for its star-studded guestbook full of names of those seeking an escape from Hollywood. Located in the heart of Umbria, a region known as the ‘green heart’ of Italy, Reschio is well at home within its context. Its outdoor pool poses as a lake and seamlessly reflects the surrounding greenery, making it a tranquil spot to dip into. Opposite the old watch tower, it has been converted into a refreshing poolside bar offering tempting gelato and freshly made cocktails.

Reschio is located at Tabaccaia di Reschio, 06060 Lisciano Niccone PG, Italy

The Retreat at Blue Lagoon

Located on a private inlet of the titular lagoon, The Retreat at Blue Lagoon was designed by Basalt Architects and Design Group Italia as an extension of an earlier complex, creating a natural transition that blends a concrete superstructure the colour of dark grey lava with terrazzo, sand, water features and moss. The 62 guestrooms feature a quietly rugged mood of walnut and lava surfaces that are dressed with pieces by Antonio Citterio and Patricia Urquiola – though the marquee attraction has to be the private blue lagoon pools and spa, a subterranean pleasure dome of interlocking chambers cut into the volcanic rock that offers treatments based on the silica, algae and minerals of geothermal seawater.

The Retreat at Blue Lagoon is located at Norðurljósavegur 11, 241 Grindavík, Iceland

Le Sirenuse

The swimming pool at Le Sirenuse, a family-run boutique hotel in the beautiful coastal town of Positano, Italy, is akin to a swimming pool of dreams. In 2024, as part of the hotel’s ongoing site-specific commission series, art advisor Silka Rittson-Thomas asked Swiss artist Nicolas Party, best known for his abstract interpretations of familiar landscapes, portraits and still lifes that are both fluid and vibrant, to thoroughly transform the poolside terrace in time for the summer season. The result? An immersive and playful space where organic forms intertwine and dance underwater. Party’s work, a lively aquascape made of Bisazza mosaics – a choice instructed per the wishes of the hotel’s co-owners, Antonio and Carla Sersale, to honour Antonio’s late father’s vision – is a joyful reinterpretation of the location’s distinctive view of the sea and mountains.

Le Sirenuse is located at Via Cristoforo Colombo, 30, 84017 Positano SA, Italy

There is something about Art Basel: the world’s most anticipated international art fair, now at age 54, maintains its status as the global market tour-de-force, as well as a testing ground for what galleries, collectors, and institutions will have on their walls for the months to come. Art Basel 2024 will debut for the VIP on Tuesday 11 June, with 285 galleries occupying the soaring convention centre, Messe, in the heart of the Swiss city.

For the fair’s recently appointed director Maike Cruse, the excitement, however, starts before the show. ‘I am thrilled to see our exhibitors from all around the world unpacking their crates,’ she tells Wallpaper*. Cruse adds that the fair’s original Basel chapter – besides its also closely watched outposts in Miami, Hong Kong, and Paris – is ‘the flagship, the touch point for the international art market with the broadest overview’.

The director has a point: the six-day affair is anchored by the presentation of exhibitors lined across aisles, but spectacle spills outside the convention centre with an ambitious programming tightly customised for the city. Right outside, Messeplatz is home this year to Agnes Denes’ land art installation Honouring Wheatfield - A Confrontation (2024), which pays homage to the American conceptual artist’s seminal 1982-dated Wheatfield installation in downtown Manhattan (she also staged a wheatfield in Milan, in 2015). Come the end of summer and the wheats will be ripe for harvest.

What to see at Art Basel 2024

Basel, with its medieval charm and effortless bustle, is the main collaborator. ‘We are in a small city with a rich density of high-profile art,’ Cruse says and compares the explosive energy during the fair week to that of the vernissage of the Venice Biennale.

Art Basel’s Parcours section – curated by the Swiss Institute’s Stefanie Hessler – invites fairgoers to roam around town to encounter art inside storefronts. Stop by a pharmacy on Clarastrasse for Mendes Wood DM’s presentation of paintings, sculptures, and cut-outs by Pol Taburet. The French artist’s haunting figures don bright attire and detached expressions, fitting for the apothecary backdrop.

End your stroll at the Middle Bridge, where the journey crescendoes at the historic Merian Hotel. Here, the building façade is dressed with Kosovar artist Petrit Halilaj’s text-based installation When The Sun Goes Away We Paint The Sky, which shines nightly with the late arrival of the summer dusk. Celebrating the fair’s 30-year collaboration with UBS, the joyful constellation of stars invites visitors inside the hotel for daily panel sessions during the fair, and will continue its nocturnal beam until January 2025.

For the fans of the fair, the feast indeed starts a day early with the unveiling of the Unlimited section, curated by Giovanni Carmine of Kunst Halle Sankt Gallen, dedicated to monumental presentations which total in 70 this year. “We have art historical masterpieces as well as emerging talents,” explains Cruse. A standout is Pace Gallery’s display of Robert Frank’s career-defining photographic series The Americans. The international gallery shows the Swiss photographer’s documentation of 1950s America in its entirety with 84 black and white pictures, teasing what to expect from MoMA’s Frank retrospective this September.

The godfather of American Minimalism, Donald Judd is celebrated with a rarely-seen 1970-dated installation at Gagosian Gallery, pegged to the new show dedicated to Judd’s Swiss-made works at their Basel location. A suite of five-foot high galvanized iron panels stand eight inches away from the wall, and as a rare feat for a Judd, the work allows for configuration in each installation. Another American icon, Keith Haring anchors Gladstone Gallery’s booth with the 18-panel painting, Untitled (FDR NY) (1984). Haring created the originally 30-panel mural for the fence in New York’s Franklin D. Roosevelt East River Drive at an impressive 300-foot length. After the exuberant medley of radiant babies was removed a year following installation, its separate parts made their way into different museum shows, leading up to this largest configuration to date.

Liza Lou’s installation Security Fence (2005) does justice Unlimited experimental heft with a replica of prison fence made out of glass beads on steel and razor wire. Peril and familiarity are blended through the artist’s signature beadwork that wraps around the alarmingly isolating presence of sharp wire. Similar notions of security and discomfort are on display at Anna Uddenberg’s sleekly sexy sculpture installation Premium Economy, a riff on technology’s obsession with uber-function and the body’s odd positioning in cyber reality.

Meredith Rosen Gallery and Kraupa-Tuskany Zeidler co-present the Swedish artist’s airplane seat-inspired sculptures that place the body within the numbing discomfort of liminal spaces, such as airports or waiting rooms. The works will be activated throughout the run of the fair with a group of women performers engaging with uncanny gestures and contortions. A balance between order and mystery also lingers in Galerie Templon’s presentation of a red-hued rope and paper installation by Chiharu Shiota. Titled The Extended Line, the sanguine freestanding work speaks to the Japanese artist’s survival from cancer but also embodies a broader exploration of life lines and linearity with its hundreds of kilometers long ropes holding replicas of Shiota’s body parts.

Inside the fair, the galleries line up with their most standout materials amidst a sweet competition. Marianne Boesky Gallery opts for a group presentation with the gallery’s roster stars. Donald Moffett’s elegantly punctured off white linen painting Lot 030424 (cliff swallows, 1) (2024) pairs well with Suzanne McClelland’s erratic two-panel charcoal abstraction Rank (Billionaires) (207) which hides a list of world’s top billionaires alongside a photographic collage on its back. At another New Yorker David Nolan’s booth, look for similarly absorbing paintings of Iraqi American artist Vian Sora who uses sharp gestures and soothing hues to encapsulate social turmoil on canvas. Hauser & Wirth’s booth boasts a group exhibition with marquee names such as Frank Bowling, Mark Bradford, and George Condo—but pay attention to Woman with Packages (1987-1993), a rarely-seen Louise Bourgeois. The mysterious marble sculpture with a wooden base holds a female figure with noticeably detailed facial features, clutching a huddle of bags.

Kabinett sector which is dedicated to curated single artist presentations amidst group showings include 23 participants, such as Perrotin. While the Parisian powerhouse spares its main booth to a group show featuring gallery names such as Hernan Bas, Anna-Eva Bergman, Sophie Calle and Elmgreen & Dragset, the special section exhibits Jean-Michel Othoniel’s glass sculptures that stem from the French artist’s decade-long partnership with mathematician Aubin Arroyo and his theories on knots and reflections. Stitching and knotting claim the center stage in Tina Kim Gallery’s booth which celebrates women artists whose practices involve fiber. A standout is a group of acrylic and plastic buttons on padded canvas works by Filipina American artist Pacita Abad who is currently the subject of a lauded exhibition at MoMA PS1. For a corporal take on the subject matter, note Mira Lee’s The Liars (2021), a suspended latex, chain, and thickened silicon oil statement with spectral hints.

White Cube alludes to the gallery’s upcoming Tracey Emin show of new work this fall with a display of the artist’s 2001-dated bright-colored textile-covered appliquéd blanket Hellter Fucking Shelter. Following his first New York show in over 50 years at the gallery’s Upper East Side space past spring, Richard Hunt is represented with the creeping welded chromed steel sculpture Opposed Linear Forms (1961) from the late artist’s Metamorphosis series. Karma’s grouping includes Kathleen Ryan’s season-appropriated fruit sculptures, albeit rotten. Encrusted with stones and minerals like amazonite, magnesite, calcite, quartz, turquoise or rhodonite, Bad Melon and Bad Orange (both 2024) embody slices plunged into a crippling but beautiful decay. Process is also a thematic thread in Refik Anadol’s project with Turkish Airlines, titled Inner Portraits. The Turkish artist’s AI-generated digital painting comes on the heels of his first institutional British show, Echoes of the Earth: Living Archive, at the Serpentine Galleries, and uses raw emotional data he collected from first time travelers. Spanning their journeys from leaving home, flying, and arriving to a new destination, the participants’ emotions are translated into a malleable visual lexicon of dancing colors and forms in Anadol’s recognizable fashion.

Art Basel is open to public at Messe, 13 - 16 June 2024