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Vipp’s latest guesthouse: a minimalist mountain retreat in Austria

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I’m glued to coverage of the Winter Olympics at the moment and dreaming of a holiday among majestic snow-covered peaks. And Montafon Haus, the 14th addition to the growing portfolio of bookable guest accommodation from Danish design brand Vipp, would fit the bill perfectly. Perched high in the Austrian Alps, amid soaring mountains and forested slopes, it extends the company’s approach of integrating its furniture, kitchens and lighting into radically different settings. The result is a beautiful blend of minimalist Scandinavian style and local character, with lots of soul and a strong sense of place. Located in the village of Vandans, within the 39km-long Montafon Valley in Austria’s westernmost Vorarlberg region, the house dates from 1836 and passed through generations of the same family before beginning a new chapter with Vipp. The area’s centuries-old building traditions, shaped by the harsh realities of Alpine life, are evident in its thick outer walls, pitched shingle roof and...
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Synaesthesia: the unusual reason behind my love of neutral decor

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I originally published this post back in 2018, but in recent weeks I’ve seen yet more Instagram and magazine pieces pushing the idea that neutral decor is bland and soulless. So, I feel it’s time to update and reshare it – and explain why I find the continuing ‘beige is boring’ narrative so frustrating. If you’ve spent any amount of time looking through this blog, you’ll have noticed that I’m always drawn towards calming, neutral hues. There are many reasons for this: they’re timeless and elegant, they create a versatile base that works with pretty much anything, and they help turn our homes into restful sanctuaries where we can unwind from the stresses and strains of our busy lives. But there’s another factor, too, and that’s a neurological condition called synaesthesia.  If you haven’t heard of synaesthesia before, it’s where senses or cognitive pathways overlap, and the triggering of one leads to the involuntary triggering of another. It affects roughly one person in every ...
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Six ideas for minimalist, sustainable gift wrapping

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I love making gifts extra-special by wrapping them beautifully, but I’ve become increasingly aware of the environmental impact. In fact I recently read that the wrapping paper we throw away each Christmas in the UK alone could stretch to the moon and back, and that’s before you take account of the tags, ribbons and bows . In recent years I’ve been making an effort to make my own wrapping more sustainable, and I thought I’d share the various tips and tricks I’ve picked up along the way. So, here are six simple ways to create gorgeous gifts without generating loads of waste. As always I’ve focused on the kind of timeless, minimalist aesthetic that appeals to me, using examples from my own Christmas wrapping over the years and elsewhere. Choose recycled wrapping paper & natural materials Like many people, I used to assume that most wrapping paper is recyclable – but in fact many designs have foil coatings or glitter which mean they’re unsuitable and end up in landfill. Plain b...
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