unBarbie

Imagine if Eileen Gray had met Barbie? This week we highlight Brutalism Candy, Minimalist Monotones and Simplistic Hotties - meet the hotels, a Gin maker of purity, and a freestyle chef, all resisting the temptation to flirt with excess - mountaintop pads, traditionalists go cool, and 'Mutti Bianco' takes centre stage: from the Alps to the Aegean via Porto & Austria. 

Someone give that doll a tin of chalked white paint...

It's official that Barbiemania has conquered the world with the feel-good film - which I don't have an issue with as it lightens the global mood. My problem is the acidic decor; let me explain. 
 
After a long day in the London HQ, I cycled home; I poured myself a hefty glass of leftover Christmas Bas Armagnac (Santa, please add on repeat) and plopped my derrière on the oversized sofa, grabbing the remote as I slipped into place. No real agenda is sometimes fun - I began to flick through any design and interior shows. I landed on a programme called the "Barbie Dreamhouse Challenge" – in my defence, it was kind of late - the mind boggles. As you will recall last week, I love and support the curiously colourful creative process. There is nothing wrong with a splash of grown-up blush tones to brighten the scene, but Barbie-décor goes beyond what my Aunty Marjorie would class as 'an acquired taste' meaning, in her polite English, that she utterly disapproved. Fully loaded on 'Kitsch', I switched off the box, topped up on the Bas and instead reached for a fantastic book about the life of gifted talent, Eileen Gray, by Peter Adam – the perfect antidote.  I began to imagine and wondered how differently the Barbie House would have looked had Gray designed it - void of the radio-active pink? 
 
To tone things down a notch this week, in contrast, we explore the minimalist, the brutalist and those places where ‘Mutti Bianco’, AKA white paint, is the sole antagonist - there's also a link to a maverick chef who proudly has no menu – a foodie freestyler. 
 
Babs darling, order yourself a Jamie Hayon Vuelta sofa crafted by Wittmann, grab a tin of Wimborne White from Farrow & Ball and a paintbrush – it’s time for a real makeover; and no Ken, we are not talking about your Mojo Dojo Casa House. 
 
Hugs
Iain & Co.  

Meet our sweet unfussed hotel bastions and partners of tamed ornamentation that step off the treadmill of too much; these minimals are wrapped in primary palettes and bask in an orchestral realm of pure aesthetic. 

Ortisei

Cuboid, measured and precise, Casa Al Sole in Val Gardena is emblematic of the Italian Rationalism architectural style of Italy in the 20s and 30s. Renovated with precision and scrupulous attention to detail, the house is a meticulous restoration of purity and simplicity.

Mellau

Strikingly modern design and humble heritage are the trademarks of these holiday apartments in the heart of the Mellau-Damüls ski region, just 500m to the ski lifts. Centuries-old alpine craftsmanship marries sharp standout architecture – folksy Bregenzerwald style of traditional diamond-shape windows, native spruce shingles and alpine shutters. Inside, the interiors are muted in the comfort of timbers framing an epic sight of the village, the meadows or the mountain peaks.

Visperterminen

The winery of St. Jodern Kellerei in Switzerland’s beautiful Visperterminen, in the canton of Valais, has long been recognised as having the highest vineyard in Europe.

St. Jakob

Cast in a dramatic silhouette in blackened larch wood, eco-conscious and fully organic, this timbered design bastion by architects Alexander and Armin Pedevilla sits in the beauty of Italy’s stunning Valle Aurina (Ahrntal). The contemporary interiors create a retreat with timber-clad rooms of pure design simplicity, offset with putty greys, copper lighting and the soft warmth of ancient Ladin cloth in earthy greens. 

Meransen

A showstopper of a hotel located at 1415 metres above sea level in Maranza (Meransen), South Tyrol, created by Peter Pichler Architecture, takes its cue from the Dolomites panorama that surrounds it and the local vernacular architecture of the humble wooden barn. Although distinctively steering sharply away from alpine traditions of gabled houses and folksy interiors, the soft structure sits in harmony with the canvas of mountain peaks. Step inside to a clear, minimal eccentricity that pays homage to the view through intelligent design. 

Stockholm

Love the clean aesthetic and philosophy of this cult skincare brand. Lars Fredriksson was no stranger to innovative skincare when he developed Verso, a brand that was launched in 2013. Minimising skin exposure to unnecessary ingredients, Verso’s products are high quality and add easily to everyday life.

Plose

At 1850 metres, this pioneering conversion of sweet minimalist charisma in Bressanone (Brixen) South Tyrol, creates a concept-driven stay of design immersed in the mist-swirled mountain scenery of the Italian Dolomites. A low-lying minimalist profile, smoothly sculptural: tree trunk meets chiselled construct. Interiors feel wildly open and brave – panoramic windows allowing the ever-changing weather to sweep over the snow-dusted peaks, yet the use of smooth, brushed spruce wood and a roaring fire cushions its inner spaces. Sheer cinematic polish. 

Innichen

An architectural-statement, this minimalist hideaway in the Dolomites is the perfect basecamp for those who appreciate design, food, comfort and doorstep nature.

Antwerp

The master of reductive design, Belgium architect and interior designer Vincent Van Duysen is a behemoth legend of pared-back aesthetic and minimalist style over a spectrum of design disciplines, including furniture, textiles, and lighting.

Vals

This tiny mountain hamlet is home to some stunning architecture, a sort of magnet for the craft and its followers, not least those that flock to the legendary architect Peter Zumthor's famed Therme Vals - an aqueous world that brings the mountain indoors. Plus, we've got the perfect style den to crash decked in Scandi design. 

Bildstein

Minimalist interiors are concealed by the gabled heritage of this 150-year-old house of three holiday apartments which frame fabulous views across the Rhein Valley and distant Lake Constance. Located in Bildstein opposite the village church, it comes as no surprise to learn that this house was home to the Sexton. Pristine white interiors, charcoal grey and pockets of cardinal red nurture the elementary textures of spruce, oak planking, blackened steel and thick felts. The effect is alpine purism - complemented by precise architectural detailing; full-length doorways, wood-burning stoves, lacquered finishes, designer mood lighting and commissioned carpentry.