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Within the hour, I was scooping a rather generous dollop of chestnut gelato just delivered from the best ice cream makers in London - Italian, of course (want to know where? Drop me a line).
Blame for this seduction lands firmly on the shoulders of the Matterhorn, Perfumer H, Monocle and Pantone as the triggers for my little sweet indulgence.
First up was getting my hands on the newly published Alpino newspaper hot off the stand by friends over at Monocle. If you have any affinity for the mountains, 'Berglife', style, architecture, politics, food, travel or simply enjoy reading about interesting folk from the Alps - this is your holiday companion. That done, I flicked open the MacBook to my inbox. Next up, the news from colour guru Pantone: the colour of 2024 is 13-1023 Peach Fuzz, which immediately led me to scour our hotels for the cuddle-me tone. The diva of fantastic design in Zermatt, the Hotel Beausite, would be a candidate with its combination of Belle Époque glamour and Wes-inspired palettes. I found a perfect example - the full monty, as pictured above. From here, I figuratively wandered over to the other seven Helvetia siblings in Switzerland - a trip was taking shape. A close second place in the peach rankings is a fabulous chillax den in Bolzano. Next up, news from my favourite perfumer about their latest store to open in London - which also then led me to their online shop for the 'Icons Collection', a set of their five classic eau de parfum (9 ml) perfect for travel; Bergamot, Rain Cloud, Leather, Ink and Smoke. Browsing further, I recalled that Lyn, the founder, also produced olive oils and jams - yes, a raspberry edition of her grandmother's jam infused with rose - that's two gifts sorted. Lastly, a mail from my friend Artsem in Munich, founder of wellness skin and hand gurus, Plainly, telling us about his latest collaboration with one of my interior design darlings, Stephanie Thatenhorst, who, together, have produced a gorgeous candle.
A bit of snow, a good read, perfect little gifts and eight gorgeous Swiss dens from hipness in Engelberg, crafted beauty in Vals, flamboyance in Flims, an artsy hideaway in Engadin, foodie haunt in St. Gallen, cutie in Thun, chilled eclecticism in Bergell and the diva in Zermatt.
I may need to keep the oversized knit on for a few days longer as I am about to be seduced by a chocolate gelato toasted in brioche - that darn inbox.
Peachy Hugs from London
Iain & Co.
PS: I couldn't resist looking up who created Peach Melba - a dessert of peaches and raspberry sauce with vanilla ice cream. 'It was invented in 1892 or 1893 by the French chef Auguste Escoffier at the Savoy Hotel, London, to honour the Australian soprano Nellie Melba.'
I may begin to sing again.
The new sensory pitstop for lovers of beautifully crafted scents and candles produced in handblown glass bottles and candle holders, not forgetting their flavour rarities for the pantry, including a Welsh raspberry jam made with rose water and geranium leaf. Perfumer H is proud to introduce its new flagship on Clifford Street, Mayfair. In keeping with the street’s 18th-century heritage, the store has been designed to evoke Georgian London. Carefully selected antiques will sit alongside bespoke modern pieces to reflect the eclectic romanticism of the Regency period and multi-faceted soul of Perfumer H.
Another fabulous chillax den decked in peachy tones so perfectly emits the warm, cuddle-up characteristics of Pantone's 2024 colour of the year, located in Bolzano. Remodelled over the centuries, 'Cinematic Italian' is the interior design mantra that consummately knits the restored historical elements to the nostalgia, style and flamboyance of the 1960s Italian film and design.
This Sunday, we escort you through 13 Swiss hotels and guesthouses of style that are as appetising as a box of those delights - each with a contrasting interior filling.
Perched high, this reborn majesty presides over the larch-wrapped resort of Zermatt in the Swiss canton of Valais, a design hotel that rekindles the Geist of Golden Age Alpinism.
Unapologetically vivid, this preferred pad of intellect and creativity is awash in Art Nouveau flamboyance tamed with clever 1950s-inspired design interventions. A stylishly cool home of the arts, brushed with boldness.
Off-radar and quietly bold – a mansion hideout wrapped in lush gardens, where heritage meets high design, secret cinema nights unfold, and Dry Martinis flow. Zürich’s sleekest secret, just slightly off-centre.
Rethought Gasthof Inn with a fabulous Restaurant, an upstairs private Apartment Suite by Monocle, Guest Rooms, and a Kiosk make this a popular pitstop along Zürich’s Gold Coast.
Perched above Lake Walen, Hasenberg Lodge is a reawakened 1970s chalet by architects Michelle Corrodi and Roger Zogg — a soulful private-hire retreat where design, light and Alpine poise converge.
Luxury, dismantled. BelArosa Chalet flips the Alpine script with private pools, elemental design and raw-edged beauty. Not just a hotel – an escape carved from silence and stone.
A fabulous creative fusing of two historic landmark buildings, this popular restaurant and newly created design hotel is decked in Swiss and Scandi aesthetics and crafts.
A fabulously humble basecamp of good design for kindreds of style, Brücke 49 is a collection of rooms, suites, studios and apartments in the high-in-the-mountains creative enclave of Vals.
Found high in the Alps, design hotel Maistra 160 is a soulful modernist, a deeply rooted sanctuary of diligence with a gorgeously retracted remit of interior precision and silent sophistication.
Ditch the noise. Chase altitude. High above Kandersteg, Chalet Arva is a raw, fuss-free alpine escape where wild nature rules, simplicity thrives, and adventure meets tranquility. Let the mountains pull you in.
An adults-only newly opened hotel-chalet chameleon married to a curatorial melange of mid-century nostalgia and a dialogue of soft luxury perched in altitudinous Adelboden.
Eye candy sets the tone, a decisively chilled design refuge of honeyed timbers and smooth noir accented interiors, a foodie basecamp and cabin-esque hideout for the lovers of keeping it easy, perched hillside overlooking Engelberg.
A curated style jungle of mid-century furnishings, abstract modernism and bespoke pieces is flavoured by the original pine panelling dating back to 1848 - and all this cuteness is wrapped in a canvas of wild herbs and mountain eye candy.
How do you get, in thought, from a theatrical backdrop of the UNESCO-listed lake hideaway in Switzerland and an Irish bolthole on a remote island to watching a vintage episode of The Waltons?
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Four cute bastions of style and snuggle up in the duvet sentiments for winter, none of which are in France.
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Bold, creative and inspired by the dramatics of their mountain locations - these alpine architecture pitstops are for the design enthusiast.
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The ancient Caledonian forest and its temperate pines are still in evidence and here red deer, osprey, golden eagle and the native wolf can be seen. Sea cliffs, mirror-like lochs and peaty bogs reveal more diversity from guillemots, otters and seals.
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The Pavilion Le Corbusier, located in Zurich, pays homage to an architect who was the forerunner of urban design, a pioneer of sustainability, and a leader of modernism.
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Whilst most people wisely steer clear of a crumbling abandoned building, others, thankfully, are drawn to them like a bee to nectar and instantly fall in love - for they can see a future and a purpose.
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A sculptural architect with a genius approach to concrete, Walter Maria Förderer’s Brutalist construction of churches in the 60s shows a reinvention of religious buildings that still sits at the vanguard of modernism.
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A think tank for the bold, the curious, the creators of tomorrow. Where minds collide, conversations spark, and urban life gets redefined. If you shape the future, you belong here.
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Lose yourself in the wild beauty of Oeschinensee—where glacial waters shimmer, cliffs rise like giants, and the Swiss Alps whisper secrets only the boldest travellers will hear.
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Sisters of spaghetti, sibling architects, ethical knits, dad+son chefs at a place with no menu, to the hotels created by the minimalist aesthets – the Schgagulers, the curators – the Wiesenthals, and the glampot nostalgists – the Dissertoris, and we hop over to Syros where sisters Jasmine and Oana are rewriting island style.
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Get the insider news and lowdown on what we've been up to, where we've been, and who we've met along the way. Be the first to discover new places and get the scoop on our favourites.