Seven creatives spill the secrets of Auckland, Bangkok, London, Copenhagen, Connecticut, Barcelona and the Cotswolds
Fashion designers, architects and creatives reveal where they would go to eat, drink, marvel and relax in their hometowns if the clock was ticking.
The world is our oyster again, but it is also a bit crowded and we are all out of practice when it comes to travelling. So WISH went hunting to discover some interesting locales – those slightly off the usual hit list – and reached out to the fabulous creatives who live in them to tell us what they would do in their hometowns if they had just 48 hours. Think places to stay, eat and drink, galleries to while away the afternoon in, gardens to go wandering through, or a tucked-away vintage shop to browse.
Auckland
KAREN WALKER, FASHION DESIGNER
New Zealand fashion designer Karen Walker started her label in 1981 when someone asked her to make a shirt. She was 19, and came up with a man-style shirt in a Liberty print. It was a hit, and more than 30 years later she is known for her distinctive, eclectic and very cool style, worn around the world by the likes of Lady Gaga, Madonna, Beyoncé and even British royalty. Her empire has expanded beyond clothing to homewares, footwear, jewellery and sunglasses, and gumboots.
STAY
The Hotel Britomart is one of the loveliest buildings in Auckland, and definitely the most beautifully designed and positioned hotel in town. Take one of its bikes and cycle along the waterfront cycleway in either direction to the Eastern Bays or the Harbour Bridge.
EAT AND DRINK
I would head to Orphans Kitchen in Ponsonby, which is a cool inner-city neighbourhood near the centre of Auckland. They do a great quick and easy brunch or lunch. Daily Bread is fabulous for morning coffees (as well as the bread), and has venues in Ponsonby or waterfront Britomart. European-style bistro Ortolana is in Britomart and is perfect for a chic lunch or dinner, as is Amano, an Italian restaurant with a focus on seasonal produce. Ponsonby Road Bistro for dinner.
SHOP
Head to Ponsonby for an afternoon of shopping, with my favourites being Everyday Needs (home), Search and Destroy (vintage) and Public Record (lovely Japanese homewares). Lamplight Books in Parnell is also wonderful.
SEE
Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki is one of the most fabulous galleries in the world. Tū Whenua-a-Kura/the Lighthouse is a sculpture by Michael Parekōwhai on Queens Wharf that is worth a visit. Auckland is also famous for its 50-something volcanoes and although I am far from having climbed them all myself, I am sure they are equally magnificent. My favourites are Ōhinerau/Mount Hobson, Maungakiekie/One Tree Hill, Maungauika/North Head, and of course the astonishing Rangitoto if you fancy a short boat ride. Albert Park and Pukekawa/Auckland Domain are also worth a look, especially for the Wintergarden.
VISIT
A 45-minute drive from central Auckland is the astonishing Te Henga (Bethells Beach). Plan your visit for when the Bethells Café is open and walk the entire length of the beach in either direction. There’s also a fabulous cliff walk stretching from Te Henga to Muriwai Beach (Te Henga Walkway).
www.aucklandnz.com/visit/discover/aucklands-best-parks
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Bangkok
ALBANO DAMINATO, ARCHITECT
Adelaide-born and raised Albano Daminato studied set design at Sydney’s NIDA before having a better idea and switching to architecture. He spent years working with some of Australia’s best architects before setting up his own Singapore-based studio and creating many projects, including a villa overlooking Lake Como, hotels in Bali, Thailand and Japan, and restaurants in Singapore. Daminato also designs furniture and homewares and has recently moved to Bangkok.
STAY
Park Hyatt Bangkok sits atop the pulsing shopping mall of Central Embassy. Interiors of the hotel are by Yabu Pushelberg and it is a perfectly calm place after a day out in the heat of the city. It’s also home to a very peaceful spa where you can sample the country’s famous massages. Perched on the very edge of the Chao Phraya River is the Mandarin Oriental Bangkok. There is exquisite top-level Thai service and nothing beats a sundowner cocktail on the water’s edge watching boats go by. The spa is also one of the most respected in the city.
EAT AND DRINK
Methavalai Sorndaeng does very old-school style Thai cuisine and has an interior that would make your grandmother happy. Little known to tourists, it overlooks the Democracy Monument. For a more casual dining experience, Sri Trat Restaurant and Bar in Sukhumvit 33 does rustic eastern Thai food. There has been an explosion in cafe culture recently and two favourites here are Lilou & Laliart and Yellow Lane Cafe, with its lush rear garden. I am a bit biased as my studio designed the interiors but Chanintr Craft and Cafe is a great place to spend an afternoon under the shade of the courtyard tree. I take cocktails seriously and my two most-loved places are the Bamboo Bar within the Mandarin Oriental, which is a classic Thai/Asian mood bar, and KuBar, hidden in the old town of Bangkok.
CAFES
BARS
SHOP
Visit the home of Jim Thompson, an American businessman famous for revitalising the Thai silk trade, where there is a gallery and a store where you can pick up a silk gift or two. On the weekends it’s all about the much-known Chatuchak Market but the Or Tor Kor Market is worth a look too.
SEE
Nova Contemporary Gallery has a solid stable of young and established Thai artists, and I would take a walk into the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre (BACC). Also home to a range of cafes and bookstores. My list for temple hopping is long but my most-loved ones to visit are Wat Ratchabophit and seeing the late afternoon sunlight shimmer of the stupa tiles of Wat Pho is unforgettable.
VISIT
My favourite day trip is to the ancient capital, Ayutthaya. It’s an easy 90-minute drive from downtown Bangkok and home to some of the most beautiful temple structures in Thailand. I like to take an old boat called Namthip up the winding Chao Phraya River to get there and it is best done overnight (the trip is eight hours gliding slowly on the river). You can sleep in the lower deck in rooms designed by my studio in a renovated classic old rice barge crafted in timber.
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Barcelona
ANDREW TROTTER, DESIGNER
Andrew Trotter is what you’d call a multi-disciplinarian. He was born in England and studied interior design in Australia in the 1990s, before returning to London and working in design and fashion. He opened a design store in Barcelona in 2010, started a magazine called Openhouse in 2014, and was the creative director of skincare brand Alex Carro. He has also ventured into the field of architecture, completing hotel Masseria Moroseta in Puglia in 2016, a live-work-gallery space called Numeroventi in Florence and a home, Villa Cardo, in Puglia. He lives between Barcelona and Puglia.
STAY
There is Casa Bonay, a cool hotel in the Dreta de l’Eixample neighbourhood and set in a neoclassical building dating from 1869. Hotel Brummell is a 20-room boutique hideaway in the hip and hilly Poble Sec area of the city. On the luxury front, there is the Cotton House Hotel in the centre of Barcelona.
EAT AND DRINK
Cerveseria Vasa de Oro is the best old-school bar in town. You eat at the bar, the waiters are in suits and they shout a lot. You must eat the steak with foie gras. My favourite restaurant in Barcelona is Ca l’Estevet, not too far from the Gothic quarter, also very old school, and the waiters are grumpy but it’s all show. You must try the oxtail stew, duck in orange and meatballs with squid. There is great tapas at Gelida, and for fine dining head to Bar Mut. A lovely place for lunch or afternoon tea is Bar Central Raval as it is located in a bookshop that has one of the nicest gardens in Barcelona. The best view in town is at Salts-Terrassa Bar Montjuic, where you can have a beer overlooking an Olympic pool and the whole city.
SEE
The Mies van der Rohe Pavilion is a German building designed by Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Lily Reich for the Barcelona International Expo in 1929. It is one of the most important pieces of architecture in Barcelona, a piece of perfection and a must visit. Casa Milà is my favourite Gaudi building. It is much more interesting in a brutalist way than his other more decorative work. Mercado de La Boqueria is one of the great markets of the city, where you can grab some produce for a picnic at Parc d’atraccions Tibidabo, an amusement park built in 1868 about an hour out of town that has lovely long walks and a great view of Barcelona. The Alzueta Gallery is one of the best galleries of modern art and furniture – check out the Side Gallery on Carrer de Llull for a fabulous display of modern design as art. There is also a wonderful mix of art from Catalunya at the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya.
VISIT
The Parc Natural de la Muntanya de Montserrat is a beautiful mountain range just outside of the city that has a great monastery. For a taste of the Mediterranean Sea, head to Garraf, one of the coolest beaches, 30 minutes outside Barcelona. Enjoy a paella on the beach and visit the white and green bathing cabins. Girona is a beautiful medieval town an hour’s train ride away.
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Connecticut
CRAIG BASSAM, ARCHITECT, AND SCOTT FELLOWS, CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Australian Craig Bassam studied architecture at the University of Sydney and has worked in interior design, product design and architecture. In 2003, he founded BassamFellows with his partner, American-born brand strategist Scott Fellows, to create a new type of luxury design company. Their first product, a stool inspired by a tractor seat, debuted at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in Milan that same year and was an immediate hit. The pair live in New Canaan, Connecticut.
STAY
We would stay at The Inn at GrayBarns on the Silvermine River in Norwalk. The 19th-century six-suite retreat is next to the town of New Canaan and a good place to base yourself in a country setting and to start your design-focused tour of Connecticut.
EAT
If you fancy a slice of pizza for dinner there is Dante’s, or Myuki’s next door for a great bowl of noodles (they are a husband and wife team), in New Canaan, which is your first stop if driving to Connecticut from New York City as it’s just under an hour from Manhattan. In Ridgefield, have lunch at Luc’s Cafe Bistro. Casual drinks and pub food at Uncorked back in New Canaan or a more elegant dinner on your return for the evening at the Tavern at the Inn at GrayBarns. Brunch is fabulous at Baldanza at the School House in Wilton. Do a tea tasting with the tea master at the pavilion at Grace Farms or grab a coffee and snack at the cafeteria (they grown a lot of their own produce on the property). Kids can also play a pick-up game in the sunken basketball court. In Westport, dinner is great at either The Whelk or The Cottage and there is Kneads, a bakery/ café and mill across the street which is great for a casual breakfast or lunch option.
SEE
If driving from New York City, your first stop could be the Richard Gluckman-designed art studies centre The Brant Foundation in Greenwich. They also have a polo field there and if the timing is right you could catch a match. Next stop is New Canaan and architect Phillip Johnson’s The Glass House, which was built in the 1950s as his private residence. It has been deemed a National Historic Landmark. I would highly recommend a private tour (three hours and you get to see every building, with an excellent docent to guide you). The Glass House also has a very well-curated gift store focused on modern design. In nearby Ridgefield, there is The Aldrich Contemporary Museum down the historic main street. Also close by, I would recommend an appointment to tour BassamFellows headquarters and showroom at PJB (the Philip Johnson Building 1952) to see the architect’s first commercial building [featured in WISH in 2020]. For a walk/hike in bucolic horse country there’s Baxter Preserve – the Racetrack in North Salem. Twenty minutes away is Grace Farms and its river building by SANAA architects in New Canaan.
VISIT
For a day trip, I would suggest heading to the contemporary art gallery Dia Beacon in Beacon, NY, and Magazzino Italian Art in Cold Spring, NY, about 1.5 hours’ drive from New Canaan.
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Copenhagen
New Zealand Ceramicist Franca Christophersen has been living in Copenhagen for four years after being offered a ceramic apprenticeship in mid-2018. With only a few weeks’ notice to move to the other side of the world, she jumped on a plane to Denmark and soon fell in love with the city she describes as a creative metropolis with a calm nature. The artist now runs her own small business in a ceramic workshop in the Frederiksberg district.
STAY
I recently stayed at Hotel Kanalhuset in Christianshavn for a few nights. The location is idyllic and central. Morning walks along the canal outside the newly renovated 1754 building are very picturesque and you can easily grab a cup of coffee nearby at Parterre. The hotel apartments are cosy and spacious, with all the essentials. The design is humble and makes you feel right at home. However, if your budget is slightly bigger I also recommend Hotel Sanders.
EAT AND DRINK
There is an abundance of delicious food options in Copenhagen. Breakfast is good, usually at either Apotek57 or Atelier September. But the spaces are very popular on the weekends so I visit them on weekdays. Bottega Barlie is a cosy place to enjoy a typical Danish breakfast plate. Lunch can be enjoyed at either Lille Bakery or La Banchina if the weather permits, then cycle out to Refshaleøen for an afternoon swim. Coffee is great at April coffee or Darcy’s Kaffe. My personal favourite dinner spots include Apollo Bar in Charlottenborg Palace, Italian restaurant Barabba or vegetarian bistro Baka d’busk. Lille Blå is a great natural wine bar, along with Pompette.
SEE
I really enjoy a walk among nature. Usually through Kings Park or Assistens Cemetery park in Nørrebro. I also highly recommend taking time to visit The David Collection (David’s Samling in Danish), a museum of fine collected art from around the world.
SHOP
Head to design, interiors, art and homewares shops FRAMA, Studio X and Fora Projects. Le Petit Voyeur is a great art bookshop. They are all in the same area. Nearby in the Østerbro area is art, furniture and design store Studio Oliver Gustav, which I also enjoy visiting.
VISIT
I like to drive my veteran Volvo north of Copenhagen along the coast up towards the Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, but you can hire a car through the ShareNow app or catch the train. The museum is fantastic, with various indoor exhibitions, and the grounds also feature a vast sculpture garden overlooking the seaside. On the clearest days you can see part of Sweden on the horizon. You can break up the 45-minute drive on the way with a walk around forest park and spectacular lodge Jægersborg Dyrehave, a dip in the sea, or an ice cream at the Arne Jacobsen Gas Station.
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London
JODIE FRIED, RUG DESIGNER AND ARMADILLO FOUNDER
Australian-born Jodie Fried started out as a costume designer, working on Bollywood films in India until she witnessed devastating earthquakes in 2001. Her path took a different direction when she came across traditional artisan techniques while helping communities affected by the disaster. What started as a company to support and empower women to continue to practise these skills evolved into producing luxury handwoven rugs and selling them into Australia. Fried started Armadillo with friend Sally Pottharst in 2009, and the company now employs 1500 artisans in India and has showrooms in Sydney, Los Angeles and New York. Fried recently moved with her husband Greig Fraser and children to London after living in Los Angeles for more than a decade.
STAY
There’s the relatively new guard of hotels like Dean Street Townhouse or Shoreditch House, which cater to a design-led, creative crowd and are excellent places to eat and drink. There are charming old British favourites such as the Chiltern Firehouse or Charlotte Street Hotel. For a special occasion, I love Hazlitt’s Hotel or Claridge’s, which offers truly luxurious experiences and exceptional service.
EAT AND DRINK
I always look forward to visiting restaurants Nopi and Rovi by the legendary chef and cookbook author Yotam Ottolenghi. The sister restaurants use the freshest, most delicious produce and the menus often have me dreaming of the Mediterranean. The Chiltern Firehouse and Dean Street Townhouse in Soho never let you down for a great breakfast and good coffee. Other great spots I spend a lot of time at are the North African restaurant The Barbary in Covent Garden (inspired by the Barbary Coast) and Japanese Udon noodle bar Koya, which has a few locations throughout London. The Wolseley in Mayfair does a delicious English afternoon tea.
SEE
One of the greatest joys of moving to London is finally having time to experience all the wonderful galleries here. Galleries not to be missed include the Gagosian, Tate Modern and White Cube, along with the Royal Academy of the Arts, National Portrait Gallery and Thaddeus Ropac. I love to visit the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew and Richmond Park, as well as Queen Mary’s Rose Gardens in Regent’s Park with its beautiful roses. These spots are incredible all year round but are particularly special in spring when everything is truly coming alive.
SHOP
Shopping in London is endlessly inspiring, with world-class department stores such as Liberty London on your doorstep and a treasure trove of vintage clothing at William Vintage in Marylebone. I love browsing through the shelves at John Sandoe Books, an independent store established in the 1950s that has such a beautiful sense of nostalgia. For homewares, the bespoke offerings at Another Country are fabulous, and I often find myself window shopping in Mayfair, Bond St and Knightsbridge.
VISIT
I am always enamoured of the picture-perfect villages and natural beauty of the Cotswolds [see Alex Eagle’s guide below] and New Forest. Somewhere I’ve been drawn to more recently is the Isle of Wight, a truly wild place with soaring cliffs and sandy beaches dotted with vintage beach huts.
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The Cotswolds
ALEX EAGLE, CREATIVE DIRECTOR, DESIGNER AND RETAILER
London-based Alex Eagle has changed the game in retail through her two concept spaces: Alex Eagle Studio and The Store X. Eagle opened the doors of Alex Eagle Studio in Soho in 2014, showcasing independent and ethical brands in fashion, homewares, art, jewellery, footwear and books. The creative director opened a similar concept, The Store X within Soho House in Berlin in 2015 and in Soho Farmhouse in Oxfordshire. She followed this up with The Store X 180, a platform and co-working space for ideas, culture and collaboration. Eagle is also the creative director of hotel Oakley Court in Windsor.
STAY
We have a cottage in the Cotswolds and we head there to escape from London. There is a great website, avenueproperty.com, where you can rent a beautiful property for the week or weekend.
EAT AND DRINK
The Killingworth Castle in Woodstock is a lovely classic English pub. The Swan Inn in Swinbrook does the best Sunday roast, and is in a lovely village to have a walk around after your meal. The Wild Rabbit Inn in Kingham is also fantastic, but make sure you book beforehand as it’s very popular.
SEE
The Store X at Soho Farmhouse in Chipping Norton is a favourite of mine for shopping, for obvious reasons, while Blenheim Palace is an extraordinary place to visit. It is a World Heritage-listed historical house and gardens built in 1705 and home to the 12th Duke of Marlborough and his family. The palace is a stunning example of Baroque architecture and has been in dozens of films. Woodstock Town is a beautiful Cotswolds village to wander around and check out the farmers market, and Bibury is another gorgeous town if you want the real English countryside experience. The Burford Garden Centre is also fun to have a look around and has a café and gallery.
VISIT
Windsor is an hour and a half from the Cotswolds and a great stop on the way back to London. We have our hotel there, the Oakley Court Hotel, and it is right on the banks of the River Thames. It means you can watch the rowers go by, rent a boat yourself, visit Windsor, play tennis, and do an Omakase tasting at our Japanese restaurant Akira all in the same day!