Four must-visit shops for the discerning traveler
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Classic style in the heart of Colombo
In 1987, when Shanth Fernando – already renowned among the international connoisseurs for its elegant marriages of Dutch colonial design and contemporary Sri Lankan craftsmanship – has opened its first retail store on Colombo Flower Street, the people Locals take months to arrive and buy. Now, 35 years later, the homewares and accessories store Heaven’s Road (long since moved to a large old colonial building on Dharmapala Mawatha) is an institution. The rooms on its two floors form the best kind of treasure hunt, piled high with china and pottery, tablecloths and lampstands, lanterns, vases and picture frames. There are notebooks bound in batik and Dupioni silk, and cotton sarongs in all tones and patterns (for a more expansive – and super chic – fashion and resort edit, PR hit. , opened by Annika, daughter of Fernando, who designed many of the things on the offering, in 2013).
Stay: Fernando’s experience extends to Paradise Road Tintagel, a luxury hotel featuring 10 heritage suites. Each space is unique and curated with artwork, antiques and textiles. It’s right up there with Blakes, Amsterdam’s Seven one seven and Hotel Montefiore in Tel Aviv on our list of true originals. From around £140, Paradiseroadhotels.com
Collect it in Sydney
Jewelry and fashion designer Lucy Folk and interior designers Tamsin Johnson have been friends for many years. While both hail from Melbourne, collectively they have identified a style that is quintessentially Sydney – subtle yet no-frills, broad in their chosen influences, always in dialogue with shapes, textures and tones in the natural world. It therefore makes sense that the new Folk flagship in Sydney, opening in November, should not only be designed by Johnson, but should be located right next to Johnson’s store on William Street, which in recent years has replaced Glenmore Road is the main lifestyle artery in Paddington. If you’re a fan of Folk’s Greek-inspired kaftan dresses and scarves, or her collaborations with the likes of Luke Edward Hall and leather worker Corto Moltedo, this will be a gold mine for you. Johnson has lined the store’s ceiling with Tuareg rugs, soft ceramic wall panels, and heavily textured handcrafted wood cabinets, creating a shop-souk style that fits perfectly with the Folk aesthetic. Upstairs is a bespoke jewelry design studio and there’s also a vintage courtyard for tea or relaxation, with its own Folk library. If you like ceramic luminaires or early 20th-century French chairs, there’s plenty like them on Johnson’s side.
Stay: We’ve long thought that Hotel Ravesis has the potential to be one of the sweetest stylish little places in town; with newly refurbished rooms in cream and rattan tones and block-print textiles, that’s it for now. From around £190, hotelravesis.com
Art and design in Marrakech medina
It’s hard to hit a single address in Marrakech like the something worth the trip for a visit (certainly daring to try). But in a place that has evolved a lot in the last two decades, a relatively newcomer to the scene strikes the perfect balance between beauty parlor, tailor, art gallery and a worthy duck. love from the happy garden of the medina. Philomena Schurer Merckoll, owner of 7 rooms Riad Mena, opened Pink door in a three-room space adjacent to the riad at the end of 2019. The idea was both to incubate local talent to create exclusive designs and artworks, and to invite others from further afield. enjoy their impression of Morocco through ceramics, fashion, photography and other (Schurer Merckoll was one of the first to introduce embroidery trayamiya Tapestry by excellent French artist Louis Barthelemy). You can sit by the fountain and sip champagne while admiring an edited edition of classic and new art monographs (most of which are also quietly up for sale).
Stay: Right next door – minted two-story apartment in the Derb J’Did neighborhood of Medina, a large lush courtyard, a rooftop lounge and some of the most luxurious rooms in town. From € 150, riadmenaandbeyond.com
Knitted clothes are worth loving
Yak Khullu. Perhaps you’ve heard of it? If not, it’s on your way – this super-fine wool from yak, long-lost bison and buffalo cousins, is as soft as the softest cashmere wool, but much warmer – and 100% sustainable and cruelty-free. For more than a decade, Kim and Dechen Yeshi have been making fair trade purchases and production Khullu Their mission was in Ritoma, a remote village on the northeastern plateau of Tibet. That’s where they set up Norlha Atelier, is now believed to be the only reputable cashmere yak in the world. The final product is sold to, among others in the world luxury ensemble, Louis Vuitton and Hermès; The business employs more than 100 local artisans, most of whom are women.
Two years ago, they opened a retail store in Lhasa, displaying their own designs – not only the first shawls and shawls that caught their attention worldwide, but also their own. Designed for men, women and children to wear and play on Marylebone Street. work on the highlands. The store is located on Barkhor, in Old Lhasa; Around the city’s famous main temple, Tsuklhakhang, it was traditionally the place where merchants and pilgrims from near and far gathered to exchange goods. With richly decorated low-beam ceilings and walls alternating pine boards and deep oxblood paint, the store is comfortable and cozy, and puts Norlha’s distinctive products and stories at the heart of the show. exhibition. norlha.com
Stay: The Songtsam Hotel Collection in Tibet offers a small and thoughtful alternative to the big names. With hillside views of the Potala Palace, Songtsam Lhasa Linka’s 45 rooms are a beautiful, colorful mix of local artisan traditions, from furniture to textiles (and are equipped with oxygen generators to keep you cool. relief of acute mountain sickness). From around £115, songtsam.com