A royal connection
The Cadogan, on Sloan Street, is a gorgeous hotel with a rich history that boasts a royal connection – and quite a spicy one at that. It was here that the (in)famous Lilly Langtry entertained and her favourite guest was non other than the mischievous royal Bertie himself.

As the cab works its way through traffic amid the embassies and designer shops of Chelsea you’ll spot the discreetly exclusive Cadogan standing out somewhat from a row of charming Edwardian townhouses. No grand driveways here; this understated abode is to London hotels what the Bristol is to motorcars. Once inside, you feel like you’ve stepped into a grand old home or in fact a gentleman’s club. It’s all period woodwork and finely worked mosaic tiles, so as you shut the trellis door of the lovely antique lift and make your way to your suite a sense of history and tradition comes flooding in. (more…)

In her book, Contemporary World Interiors, Susan Yelavich surveys some of the world’s most sumptuously stylish homes, resorts, commercial premises and public areas, charting the evolution of 25 years of interior design. In doing so she takes the reader on a tour of world cities―or more correctly, their interior spaces―focusing on a selection of colourful and striking designs. Rather than gloss over a few iconic references, Yelavich’s work is an in-depth study of more than 450 projects by over 400 designers and architects, from Philippe Starck, Marcel Wanders and John Pawson to Zaha Hadid, UdA, Atelier Bow-Wow and LOT-EK. (more…)

Going to spend some time in Dublin and want to do it in style? Then expect the Clarence to come up whenever you search for references to ‘Dublin’s finest hotels’. Given such overwhelming evidence, we took everyone’s word for it and booked a few nights of delicious R&R at the iconic city centre pad.

It proved a popular decision – not just with ourselves, but with virtually everyone we mentioned it to. Our taxi driver further added to a sense of anticipation that had been raised by Irish friends back home, as he drove us to the very place. “Ah, the Clarence, now that’s one of our best.” The fact that Bono and The Edge of U2 own this fine establishment naturally adds to its glamour, but you sense this is certainly not the only reason for the hotel’s fame. (more…)

Vanilla can easily be described as one of the coolest new eateries in town. Descending steps from street level you have the impression of entering a club, a sensation that is enhanced as you step into the Vanilla Lounge, the bar and lounge area that makes up the ‘vanilla flower’ as it were. Following this theme the tones are soft creams, diffused with coloured lighting that creates a wonderful blend of vodka bar cool and retro futurism. Call me crazy but the latter always gets me a little excited. No dreary standard contemporary décor here then; that interior designer was not hired for the job. (more…)

Forever associated with the classical music inspired by the waters of the Danube River that flows through its heart, and the Baroque palaces and operas built to give those immortal tunes a home of their own, Vienna is also a wonderful city in many other ways.

One might be tempted to think of the Austrian capital as an open-air museum, where waltzes play to a backdrop of elegant classical buildings and handsome couples dressed in their finery, yet even though this is one of the best preserved cities in the world Vienna is very much a vibrant, modern metropolis too.

The imperial splendour of the past is cherished, but with a quarter of Austria’s population within its agglomeration this could only be a dynamic place. Inspired perhaps by the Parisian model, Vienna’s city centre retains a pristine homogeny of classical architecture, with the modern high-rise such as that of the United Nations complex concentrated on its periphery. (more…)