Design hotel Villa Copenhagen opened in the heart of the Danish capital back in 2020, and I’ve admired it from afar ever since. Not only is it stunning architecturally (it occupies the neo-Baroque former central post and telegraph building, with a 25m heated outdoor pool on its roof), but it also houses a number of very special suites decorated in collaboration with renowned brands such as &Tradition and Shamballa Jewels. When I heard that a new addition by Ferm Living was in the works, I knew we could expect great things – and judging from the just-released press images, it isn’t going ..read more

I’m always excited when Danish design brand Vipp announces a new addition to its ever-expanding portfolio of bookable one-of-a-kind accommodation options, and I’ve had the pleasure of visiting (though sadly not staying!) at one of them myself. They’ve just released details of their latest opening, and this time there’s a twist – it’s not in Scandinavia but Italy, and it’s not a permanent fixture but a pop-up hotel created to mark this year’s Salone del Mobile in Milan. The venue is Palazzo Monti, a 13th-century palace located an hour away from Milan in the city of Brescia. Founder and curato ..read more

SP34 has long been one of my favourite Copenhagen hotels – in fact I think I’ve stayed there five times over the years. So, I was happy to hear that owner Brøchner Hotels (which is also responsible for another regular haunt, Hotel Danmark) has opened a set of serviced apartments alongside the existing guest rooms. Located next door to the main hotel in the city’s Latin Quarter, the 26 apartments sit in a red-brick building dating from 1904. The whole place has been carefully renovated to bring it up to date without losing any of the period character, and the original arched windows, wrought i ..read more

Back in October my friend Becky and I spent three brilliant days exploring Antwerp on our annual girls’ getaway, and I’ve finally got around to putting together a travel guide! I’d long wanted to visit Belgium’s second city, and it certainly didn’t disappoint. It’s often dubbed ‘Europe’s capital of cool’ thanks to its fashion industry, and it’s now developing burgeoning interior-design, culinary and art scenes to match. In many respects, it reminded me of Bristol – a historic trading port that’s home to a revamped harbour area and a contemporary creative buzz. It also has a similar vibe: indu ..read more

[Advertisement – this post is based on a press stay, but all words and opinions are my own] There are hotels, and then there are hotels that are so beautifully designed that they instantly put you at ease. The Audo is one of the latter. Created by Bjarne Hansen, the founder and former CEO of Menu (which, as regular readers will know, is one of my favourite Danish design brands), it’s a serene and very stylish Copenhagen bolthole. I’d been for a brief look around when it first opened in spring 2019 and had wanted to stay overnight ever since, so when I unexpectedly ended up with a couple of fr ..read more

I’ve always found spending time in nature to be a powerful antidote to stress and anxiety. I can fully understand why the Japanese concept of forest bathing has spread around the world in recent years, and whenever I feel overwhelmed the urge to swap city bustle for tranquil woodland is strong. So, a stay among the canopy at Cuckoo’s Hideaway, a luxurious self-catering treehouse a few miles inland from Cardigan Bay in Ceredigion, Wales, was just what Chris and I needed after a busy start to autumn. A getaway in Wales wasn’t actually part of our plans for September, as we supposed to be headin ..read more

[Advertisement – this post is based on a press trip] The chance of glimpsing the Northern Lights is one of Finnish Lapland’s major draws, and there’s something enchanting and utterly captivating about them. Local Sámi legend tells of an Arctic fox dashing through the night sky so fast that its tail sparked against the tops of the fells, creating the Aurora Borealis – indeed the Finnish name for it, revontulet, literally translates as ‘fire fox’. And contrary to popular belief, it’s not only a winter phenomenon. In fact the Northern Lights are normally visible from late August right through to ..read more

[Advertisement – this post is based on a press trip. All words and opinions are my own] There are some destinations that weave their way into your soul – destinations that speak to you from the moment you arrive, and that you long to return to from the moment you leave. For me, Finnish Lapland is one such place.  I first visited in January 2020, when I journeyed to the small town of Levi, 170km above the Arctic Circle, to review recently opened Design Hotel Levi. I was instantly captivated by the snowy wilderness, the vast skies, the crisp Arctic air, the legends of the in ..read more

There’s something magical about Cornwall as a whole, but it’s the Penwith Peninsula – the far western tip of both the county and mainland England – that draws me back again and again. I can’t quite put my finger on why I love this remote, rugged corner of the UK so much. Maybe it’s the pristine beaches and dramatic cliffs. Maybe it’s the shimmering light, which has been attracting artists for centuries. Maybe it’s the postcard-pretty fishing harbours of Mousehole and St Ives, and the bustling ports of Newlyn and Penzance. Or maybe it’s the fact that I have links to the area through Cornish se ..read more

Last week I published a round-up of some of my highlights from Copenhagen’s 3 Days of Design, and I’ll be back with part two in a few days. But before that, I want to share a venue that I loved (and photographed!) so much that it had to have its own dedicated blog post: the HQ of Vipp, located in an old printing workshop in the waterfront neighbourhood of Islands Brygge. Owned by the same family since its inception in 1939, Vipp’s first product was a steel pedal bin, created by founder Holger Nielsen for his wife Marie’s hair salon and now considered an icon of Danish design. Nielsen’s daught ..read more