The Lamborghini Aventador SVJ Roadster is a supercar turned up to 11 February 24, 2020 What is your lottery-win dream car? In my line of work, it’s a common question at social gatherings, usually somewhere between “Should I buy a Volkswagen Golf?” (yes, probably) and before “Have you met Jeremy Clarkson?” (yes, briefly). Anyway, I’ll spare you the suspense, it’s the McLaren F1. Sadly, I need a Euromillions rollover to [...]
Last year’s attacks saw tourism to Sri Lanka all but vanish – but now it’s surging, thanks to a revived wellness industry February 21, 2020 Oil is slowly dripped onto my forehead as I lie on my back, feeling strangely relaxed. This is shirodhara, an ancient Ayurvedic treatment and part of my detox programme at Sen Wellness Sanctuary. Outside, the sound of monkeys chattering and waves crashing in the far distance add to the sense of tranquility. Our home for [...]
Working Lunch: Casa do Frango in Shoreditch is the posh Nando’s of your dreams February 21, 2020 We pick the best places to wine and dine your favourite clients. This week: Casa do Frango in Shoreditch What is it? If I were to say the words “authentic Portuguese piri-piri chicken”, chances are you’ve started salivating, like one of Pavlov’s greedy dogs, over the thought of a lovely, cheeky Nando’s. It doesn’t matter [...]
Interest in Milan is going beyond fashion week, as second home market booms in this chic ‘pocket metropolis’ February 21, 2020 This week, the world’s fashionable people descend on Milan as the city hosts the third of the four international fashion weeks. But the global crowd – and UK nationals in particular – are starting to show an interest in Italy’s second city that extends beyond the runway shows. Once known for being dull and industrial [...]
Designers Guild at 50: A joyful journey through the doyenne of design’s bold, bright creations February 21, 2020 Tricia Guild OBE doesn’t do same-y; she doesn’t do greige and she doesn’t do minimal. But looking back at the influential interior designs, fabrics, wallpapers, paints, upholstered furniture, homewares and books her company Designers Guild has produced over the past 50 years, it’s clear that what she does do, is happy. Guild conceived Designers Guild [...]
Working Lunch: Jason Atherton’s Grosvenor Square restaurant The Betterment February 17, 2020 The best places in London to wine and dine your important clients. What is it? The Betterment is not, as the name suggests, an austere Swiss wellness centre, nor is it a cool new cult you can join. It is in fact the latest restaurant by Jason Atherton, who appears to have run out of [...]
The best luxury resorts in the Alps – where to stay and where to ski February 17, 2020 Tap your ski pass, perch on our comfortable chairlift and let Morning Wire take you for a tour of the Alps’ best new (or newish) hotels. We’ve had the enviable task of spending the early part of this winter season reviewing the peaks of high-end hospitality and the black runs of flashy facilities; a blizzard [...]
Steve McQueen at Tate Modern review: Dramatic retrospective muses on what it means to be human February 14, 2020 I’m not sure anybody has perfected the art of translating video installations into blockbuster gallery retrospectives, but the Tate Modern comes pretty darned close. Having Steve McQueen as your subject helps, of course. He’s the man with the Midas touch, a Turner-prize winning artist turned Oscar-winning director. The Tate collects pieces from after his 1999 [...]
Ikebana: We tried out the Japanese art of ‘mindful’ flower arranging January 24, 2020 As Londoners wholeheartedly embrace houseplants, you might be trying to keep alive forests of greenery. But what about flowers? In our mindful age, flower arranging has finally come out of the shadows of the WI. It allows us to slow down and consider the fragrance, touch, colour and form of each stem as we design [...]
History, views of Nelson and a speakeasy: Inside the new Great Scotland Yard Hotel January 10, 2020 To kick off the new year, a visit to the new Great Scotland Yard Hotel in Whitehall is a great way to see some of the emerging trends in the London design and going out scenes. It is the latest in a series of renovations of civic buildings (police stations, town halls, courthouses) into hotels, [...]