Colourists

The White House on a remote archipelago, the only red house in Val Gardena, neoclassical beauty on the island of Syros, a minimalist chameleon carved from mountain rock, Gaudí love, a 17th-century den for sailors and rogues or how about a 70s groovy glampot that’s so juicy. 

This week, let’s talk about colour – from the polite, neutral, sit-quietly-in-the-background kind to the audacious, electric, mood-altering kind. Masters of colour create hotel scenes of magic, hideaway masterpieces, and a room a revolution. Think fever-dream castles, rebellious Rationalism, and collectiveness of Vincent Van Duysen to the audacity of Dorothy Draper.

This Sunday Edit, we talk of mother je ne sais quoi, we’re chasing peacock turquoise, electric reds and the lost language of colour – closing with crushed pomegranates in Engadin. First, hook me up, doctor…

Show Me Nothing That Looks Like Gravy…

Crushed pomegranates, firefly sunflowers, juicy clementines – inject me with an IV drip of colour, stat. The only antidote to a world that feels filled with too fake to be fake news – or should I say deep bake? This week’s jammed packed Sunday Edit takes in the hotel pitstops that marry monochrome to flamboyance and a few landmark gems in homage to feel-good colour.

I admire those who can command colour and harvest its power from muted chalks to hit-the-spot rouge. Where did my obsession with colour start? Perhaps with my fantasy lineup of other mothers – Bette Davis, wafting cigarettes and roses; Edie Sedgwick, Warhol’s chaos-dipped muse; Françoise Hardy, the ultimate French cool. The real one? Lacking a certain je ne sais quoi in the creativity department. Imagine her horror when I emerged – a pint-sized Karl Lagerfeld, a Picasso in nappies.

My granny – mercifully the antithesis of her rigid daughter – whisked me off on endless hotel-hopping adventures. Then there were the books: Hotel by Arthur Hailey, a TV hit, and the biographies of Charles Forte and César Ritz, the figurative gods of hospitality. This was the infancy of my obsession with hotels and travel, and combining these loves, I discovered ‘In the Pink’ – a book I gleefully dragged home. ‘Relax, Mother’, it was about interior design and the flamboyant genius of Dorothy Draper – who, I might add, remains an icon.

Draper was the original anti-beige warrior, the queen of punchy, unapologetic glamour. Her legacy? The Greenbrier Hotel in West Virginia – a maximalist’s playbook in mood-boosting colour. At 900 rooms strong, it's not exactly The Aficionados’ vibe, but it’s a bold statement nonetheless, and maybe we have one or two much smaller dens of vibrancy to tuck you in for the night. 

Colour isn’t just decoration – it’s a mind-bender, a mood-shifter, a silent puppet master pulling the strings of human emotion. It dictates how we feel, what we remember, and even how we act. Red gets hearts racing, blue lulls the mind and yellow fuels ideas. It’s the unspoken force that makes a hotel feel like home, a city unforgettable, a room electric, and a building stand out. This week’s lineup dives deep – from the crushed mountain stone of the Bernese Alps to Norway’s power-coded falu reds, golden yellows and sailboat whites.

Fancy a bit of 70s groove? We’ve got just the juicy glampot parked waterside on a lake in South Tyrol. Alternatively, how about waking up inside a Rationalist masterpiece – now that’s a morning worth having. Casa Al Sole in Val Gardena delivers a hit of bold crimson against Ortisei’s alpine backdrop, proving that heritage doesn’t need to be dull. Then there’s Pena Palace in Sintra – a fever dream of yellow, red, and pink towers rising from lush gardens, like a Romantic-era hallucination.

In the Netherlands, muddy silt and fog shape a gorgeous bijou retreat by Brecht Duijf and Lenneke Langenhuijsen. Meanwhile, down in Alentejo, António and Filipa have conjured an alchemy of sunlight and stone, where history and modernity hold hands.

We chase crushed raspberries and peacock turquoise in Engadin, go all glam at a neoclassical beauty on the island of Syros and marvel at the Miramonte Hotel in Bad Gastein – once a 1950s "white box on a hillside", reborn with a palette perfected by colour maestro Ernst Muthwill.

As Dorothy once demanded – 'Show Me Nothing That Looks Like Gravy.'

Extra hugs this week – I’m feeling generous. Maybe it’s the colour overdose, or maybe I’m just in a particularly philanthropic mood. Either way, take them.

Iain & Co.

Egg Custard Gold – the gorgeously cinematic image above, snapped by international photographer Sophia Hutchinson who specialises in dog photography – spot her hound above in the image, is from Nusfjord Arctic Resort & Village in Norway – check out The White House below for more. Want to know what yellow stood for in the heritage fishing villages of Norway? Norway in Colour.

The White House

Perched on Norway’s Lofoten coast, The House of Dahl (aka The White House) is the crown jewel of Nusfjord Arctic Resort. Built in 1926, this former residence of Nusfjord’s penultimate owner, Hans Grön Dahl, is now an ultra-exclusive retreat steeped in maritime history.

This white-painted clapboard house stands apart in detached, elevated distinction, unlike the rorbuer fishermen’s cabins painted in falu red, which are scattered along the harbourfront. Sleeping up to ten guests across five en-suite bedrooms, it is a retreat that balances social spaces with personal sanctuary, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the intimacy of the landscape while still enjoying the privacy of a grand residence.

Gaudí Unleashed

Casa Vicens is Gaudí unleashed—a riot of colour, pattern, and fantasy. Built in 1883, its façade collides green, red, white and yellow tiles in geometric precision. Moorish details, lush gardens, and surreal motifs blur reality, while the Hofmann Café adds the final flourish to this Barcelona masterpiece.

Sunshine Alchemy

Casa Fortunato, a private-hire retreat in Alentejo, is the passion project of architects Filipa and António. They transformed this 100-year-old villa in Alcácer do Sal into a curated mix of heritage, design and colour. Restored Portuguese tiles, timber beams and worn floors contrast with lime-washed whites, soft greens and bold accents. Interiors feature antiques, post-modernist furnishings and design icons like a burnt-orange Bellini sofa and Nimrod chairs. Outside, a mosaic of salvaged tiles enhances its playful yet sophisticated charm.

Crushed Pomegranite

Villa Flor, in the Alpine village of S-Chanf, is a bold fusion of Art Nouveau and modernism. Peacock turquoise, ochre and vivid red clash beautifully, while flea market finds meet designer pieces. Dubbed the ‘house of seven rooms,’ it’s where art, design and fearless creativity collide in Upper Engadin.

Sweet Rationalist

Casa al Sole is a striking display of Italian Rationalism, its crisp cuboid form standing bold against Val Gardena’s alpine beauty. Built in the 1930s and meticulously restored by owners Manuel and Alexandra, it stays true to its geometric roots while embracing modern refinement.

Its crimson façade and white-framed windows pop against Ortisei’s traditional skyline. Inside, heritage is stripped of excess, where raw materials and salvaged textures replace ornamentation. Precision, restraint and craftsmanship define the space, proving that true design strength lies in simplicity. Casa Al Sole is not just restored, it is redefined.

Neoclassical Chill

Aristide, a rare gem in Greece, is an eclectic design hotel in Hermoupolis' neoclassical Vaporia quarter on Syros. Once a gentry mansion, it boasts frescoes, marble balconies and high-vaulted ceilings, blending aristocratic grandeur with modern bohemia. Restored by first-time hoteliers Oana and Jasmin Aristide, it now houses antiques, contemporary design, and gallery-worthy art. Featuring works by Christy Lee Rogers and Riccardo Vecchio, plus Kartell and Sarfatti furnishings, Aristide is a luxurious retreat topped with a rooftop bar and restaurant overlooking the Aegean.

Colour of Mud

Amsterdam-based studio Belén, led by Brecht Duijf and Lenneke Langenhuijsen, designed the hotel De Durgerdam with a deep connection to its maritime past. Set in a restored 17th-century inn, its palette –marshland mud, flax, milky clouds, and sunshine ochre – reflects the shifting IJmeer light. Historic elements blend with tactile materials like tulipwood veneer and linen. Art anchors the space, featuring works by Ingo Maurer and Glenn Brown. De Durgerdam is a lakeside retreat where history, craft and design coalesce.

Paint of Bernina

Designed by Grison-based architect Gion A. Caminada, Hotel & Spa Maistra 160 in Pontresina is a modernist retreat merging minimalism with nature. Built from locally mined Bodio Nero Ticino gneiss, it reflects the alpine landscape at 1,800 metres. Caminada and owners Plattner & Plattner embraced simplicity, craftsmanship and functionality. Interiors feature terrazzo flooring with Valposchiavo jade, Swiss stone pine and furnishings from Molteni&C, Fritz Hansen, and Cassina. Colour specialist Lucrezia Zanetti and stone sculptor Christian Aubry crafted a palette inspired by the Bernina mountains.

A Candy Shop of Colour

Sintra is Portugal’s most surreal masterpiece. Just outside Lisbon, this UNESCO site is a collision of colour, history, and wild imagination. Pena Palace erupts in bold yellow, red and pink, a Romantic fever dream of towers and turrets. The National Palace of Sintra fuses Mudéjar and Manueline grandeur, while Monserrate stuns with Gothic arches and Moorish flair. Twisting tunnels, hidden grottoes and lush botanical gardens turn Sintra into a living, breathing fantasy.

Alpinist in Noir

Hotel Bühelwirt is a bold Alpine retreat, blending tradition with modernism. Designed by Alexander and Armin Pedevilla, its blackened larch façade nods to heritage while embracing contemporary lines. Inside, timber, putty greys and Ladin textiles frame cinematic mountain views. Rooted in nature, Bühelwirt merges sharp design with Alpine soul.

The 70s Glampot

Designed in 1973 by Othmar Barth, its curvaceous, marshmallow-like walls and cuboid modernity create a Slim Aarons-style lakeside dream. Reimagined by Walter Angonese, the boutique retreat stays true to its retro-chic roots, enhanced by the striking Badehaus. Inside, smooth white concrete, tangerine, vert and oxide red frame mid-century pieces, while vast geometric windows spotlight the jade-green lake. A wooden jetty, pedaloes, and paddleboards set the scene for this sun-drenched, unapologetically cool escape.

The Master of Reductive Design

Vincent Van Duysen is Belgium’s powerhouse of minimalist architecture, interiors, and product design. His work strips spaces to their core, blending restraint with raw elegance. From sculptural furniture for Molteni&C to lighting for Flos, his influence is global.

Hotel August in Antwerp epitomises his vision. A former Augustinian cloister, it has been reimagined with hushed tones, natural textures, and a reverence for its historic structure. Van Duysen’s precision preserves its soul while infusing it with quiet luxury. Understated yet commanding, his designs prove that true sophistication is not in excess but in the mastery of space, form and light.

Smooth, Glamorously Chilled

Architect Ike Ikrath transformed a 'white box on the hillside' into the iconic Miramonte Hotel. Ike preserved its 1950s essence while showcasing his love for vintage furnishings, lighting, colour blocking, and design classics.

Inside, Bertoia chairs, abstract marquetry, black-green stone flooring and herringbone parquet reflect its mid-century roots. Ike enlisted colour specialist Ernst Muthwill to refine a palette inspired by Le Corbusier’s architectural hues. The result: bleu outremer foncé, céruléen, orange, rouge vermillon cinnabar red, and ocre jaune claire play host to this Alpine escapist.