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# Gentle Traveller

A new way of travelling.

## Sitemaps

- [XML Sitemap](https://www.gentletraveller.com/sitemap.xml): Contains all public & indexable URLs for this website.

## Posts

- [Andrea Trimarchi & Simone Farresin](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/formafantasma/) - For Andrea Trimarchi & Simone Farresin design becomes a way of reading the world, revealing the invisible relationships between landscapes, materials and society. Shaped by the contrasting rhythms of Milan and Lake Maggiore, each project combines quiet precision with a deep sensitivity to place, using design as a tool to better understand the environments we
- [Greem Jeong](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/greem-jeong/) - Greem Jeong employs materials commonly used in industrial contexts and transforms them into primary sculptural components. Through this material approach, she expands their aesthetic and spatial potential, challenging preconceptions and dismantling the traditional hierarchy between primary and secondary materials, often emphasizing intuition and immediacy throughout her working process. A central aspect of Jeong's practice is
- [João Bruno](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/joao-bruno/) - String by string, João Bruno weaves together the same material his mother used to make traditional Arraiolos rugs to form his own creations. Each design is made with the guiding thread of this uniquely Portuguese wool in the slow, rhythmic pace created in Bruno's studio in his birth city of Tomar, taking on new shapes
- [Sera Ülgen](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/semiha-sera-gullu-ulgen/) - Copper scrap and discarded materials are the foundation of Sera Ülgen’s creations. Using centuries-old hot enamelling techniques, she transforms recycled copper into pieces that celebrate resilience, imperfection, and transformation. Each handmade piece reflects a slow, thoughtful process and a commitment to sustainability, turning broken or forgotten materials into meaningful, wearable art. Beyond her individual practice,
- [Caterina Vrabec](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/caterina-vrabec-formaminima/) - Working with carefully selected materials and revisited production processes, Formaminima transforms craftsmanship into sculptural objects where texture, proportion and atmosphere become central elements. Each piece is developed within the local workshops and ateliers that have preserved their expertise across generations, creating a dialogue between the past and a more experimental design language. For Caterina Vrabec,
- [Sarah Schrof](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/sarah-schrof-wants-preview-before-publishing/) - Sarah Schrof is working across process-based art, spatial installation, and abstract sculpture. Her practice conceives of material as a living system, shaped through the interplay of observation, time, and transformation—organic, self-evolving movements in which repetition, layering, and physical transformation operate with equal agency. Through repetitive gestures and subtle motions, an unstable boundary emerges between object
- [Dušan Rakic](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/dusan-rakic/) - Wood speaks through its grain, cut and colour in Dušan Rakić’s marquetry works. Images are no longer applied but shaped by the material itself, allowing the surface to become both structure and meaning. While Rakić works his way inward into wood, time and composition, the veneer functions as a language that lies somewhere between drawing,
- [Alfhild Külper](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/alfhild-kulper/) - For Alfhild Külper, softness is not simply an aesthetic but a philosophy. Through layered textiles, tufting, hand embroidery and sculptural techniques, she creates tactile landscapes that explore memory, healing and emotional resilience. Working with reclaimed wool from the textile industries of India, Nepal and the Netherlands, her tapestries and installations invite touch, reflection and a
- [Wojciech Mierzwa](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/wojciech-mierzwa/) - Wojciech Mierzwa works from his apartment in Gdynia's Chwarzno district, where everyday family life blends naturally with the creative process, often at the kitchen table surrounded by sketches, samples, and materials the apartment slowly becoming an archive of prototypes and objects. He describes his practice as ten percent pure design and ninety percent organisation, spending
- [Kirsten Vikingstad Hermansson](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/kirsten-hermansson/) - Glass moves through the sculptural practice of Kirsten Vikingstad Hermansson as both material and memory. Her works emerge through an intuitive and process-driven approach that combines casting, grinding, and hot sculpting with the reuse of discarded colours sourced from European glass factories. Melted, broken down, and reassembled, the material carries visible traces of transformation, creating
- [Fabien Louvier](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/fabien-louvier/) - Claude Cartier Décoration, now led by Fabien Louvier, unfolds like a living setting, where interiors are conceived as narratives rather than simply furnished spaces. Each project emerges from a subtle interplay of materials, colours and volumes, guided by an approach that seeks harmony without ever obscuring the character of the space. Which place do you
- [Sarah Küffer](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/sarah-kuffer/) - Sarah Küffer shapes gold and silver as if they were soft, responsive matter, bending and guiding them into fluid, sculptural lines. Each piece feels caught in transition—a quiet tension between movement and stillness, where strength unfolds into something more. Her forms echo the gestures of nature and logic of architecture. Working in small series with
- [Analia Moraes](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/analia-moraes/) - Anália Moraes's practice stems from a process of listening : to the material, to living things, and to time. In her studio-laboratory, clay is not a passive medium but collaborator into which she incorporates recycled glass silica, charred oyster shells and local soil, allowing the material to assert its own identity. Her biomorphic forms draw
- [Joep van Lieshout](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/atelier-van-lieshout/) - Obsessed with systems and freedom, Joep van Lieshout has spent four decades building utopias from the ground up. From biogas installations and floating clinics to nomadic habitats and zero-footprint cities mapped in meticulous spreadsheets, every object the studio makes is at once a sculpture and a proposition, an exercise in survival dressed as art. Which
- [Annie Coggan](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/annie-coggan/) - Annie Coggan's practice unfolds through touch. Moving between furniture, textiles, architectural interventions and drawing, she transforms traditional techniques such as smocking into sculptural surfaces that reshape objects, interiors and even entire buildings. Equally informed by teaching, making and research, her work blurs the boundaries between craft and architecture, revealing how materials can soften structures, preserve
- [Marion Galtier](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/marion-galtier/) - As an art curator, Marion Galtier founded Sòler as a thoughtful response to what moves her most deeply: light, sunshine and the beauty of objects that tell a story. Through Sòler, she brings to life a selection of decorative objects with unique character—pieces that are conceived not merely as accessories, but as presences, as fragments
- [Matthias de Vogel](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/matthias-de-vogel/) - Matthias de Vogel pushes material beyond decorative convention, embracing contrast, texture, and the unexpected. His Linescapes unfold across bold geometric fields charged with colour, tension, and rhythm. Each panel emerges through an exploration of opposites, intimate and formal, traditional and invented allowing pattern and surface to converse in a visual language entirely his own. Which
- [Amélie Crépy](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/39563-2/) - Amélie is a contemporary artist working between her studio in La Colle-sur-Loup in the south of France and the UK. Her practice explores natural materials, layering, and processes of revealing and removing, where depth is built through subtle intervention rather than excess. She is particularly known for her work with oak gall ink, developed through
- [Robert Rieger](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/robert-rieger/) - Blending warm hues and classic compositions with his love for natural light, Robert's photography shows a beautifully fresh take on contemporary life. His deep interest in people, architecture, and interior design truly drives him. For Robert, they all carry distinct traits: No matter the scope of a story, he always strives to capture the true
- [Katrin Schlotterhose](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/katrin-schlotterhose/) - Katrin Schlotterhose's work sits at the intersection of science and sensuality. Working exclusively with generative AI, she turns extreme macro studies — plants, droplets, biological surfaces into images where a petal becomes a landscape and a bubble becomes a planet. Her visuals serve beauty, biotech and fragrance brands looking for something more honest than stock
- [Irina Razumovskaya](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/irina-razumovskaya/) - Something ancient and unresolved moves through the ceramic world of Irina Razumovskaya. Her sculptures crack, erode, and quietly rise again carrying female identity, cultural memory, and histories long left unspoken. Working intuitively with clay, she reclaims a material historically made by women for ritual and sacred use, pushing it into a space where decay becomes
- [Diango Hernandez](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/diango-hernandez/) - Diango Hernández's work balances structural clarity with conceptual openness. Precision and design logic meet interruption and reinterpretation, so each piece feels both constructed and uncertain. Rooted in industrial thinking yet expanded into memory, space, and narrative, his practice turns familiar forms into quiet reflections on how we build and understand the world around us. Which
- [Palacios & Penasse](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/ana-milena-hernandez-palacios-christophe-penasse/) - For Masquespacio, interior design is an opportunity to create complete worlds. Through a vibrant visual language defined by colour, geometry and narrative, founders Ana Milena Hernández Palacios and Christophe Penasse develop spaces that balance functionality with fantasy. Their work spans hospitality, commercial interiors, product design and creative direction, resulting in projects that are instantly recognisable
- [Thibaud Crivelli](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/thibaud-crivelli/) - Thibaud Crivelli is the founder of Maison Crivelli, a fragrance house built on the belief that the most memorable experiences are often the least expected. Drawing inspiration from moments of discovery, Crivelli develops perfumes that translate sensory memories into scent, weaving together texture, atmosphere and emotion. His creations challenge conventional ideas of perfumery, offering nuanced
- [Jess Fügler](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/jess-fugler/) - Moving between industrial production and handcrafting, between past cultures and contemporary creation, Jess Fügler discovers the value of the everyday and the overlooked. She takes everyday objects beyond their usual functions, allowing process and meaning to shape one another. Each piece feels both considered and alive, rooted in the domestic yet lifted beyond the ordinary.
- [Jonas Hejduk](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/jonas-hejduk/) - The core of Jonas Hejduk's work is storytelling. He creates characters, settings, and stories that develop via exhibits, interiors, and installations as opposed to creating items as standalone works. His creations frequently blend a sense of absurdity with meticulous craftsmanship, creating environments that are both familiar and yet otherworldly. Through speculative scenarios and immersive settings,
- [Daniera ter Haar & Christoph Brach](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/daniera-ter-haar-christoph-brach/) - Colour is both the method and the message in the work of Raw Color. Across textiles, photography and graphic design, Daniera ter Haar and Christoph Brach strip each project down to its essentials, letting hue, tone and saturation carry the weight. Their process is precise yet playful, seeking simplicity without coldness. They treat colour not
- [Fransje Gimbrère](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/fransje-gimbrere/) - Grimbère's work is rooted in a deep fascination for human perception and the often-overlooked dialogue between body and environment. Through research in neuroaesthetics, psychology, and sensory design, she investigates how subtle material qualities can influence emotional states and create a sense of presence. Rather than creating standalone objects, she designs elements that are carefully shaped
- [Elena Mazur](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/elena-mazur/) - Each strand of wool glides through her hands, resulting in a unique piece that bears her signature. Elena Mazur’s contemporary vision, combined with her expertise in traditional weaving techniques, leads to a completely new approach to textile art. Using only Australian merino wool, Mazur pairs thick, chunky yarns with delicate fine threads. Which place
- [Maximilian Huber & Dominic Kim](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/marbledworks-gmbh-maximilian-huber-and-dominic-kim/) - Marbledworks, founded by Maximilian Huber and Dominic Kim, approaches stone as something alive rather than fixed. Their work shifts stonemasonry away from tradition alone, turning it into a field for testing forms, textures, and unexpected typologies. Each piece begins with a close, almost tactile understanding of the material—its weight, its fractures, its journey from quarry
- [Marie Grimaud](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/marie-grimaud/) - Marie Grimaud's designs are driven by a blend of innovation and cultural tradition. Her unique creations stand out for their intrinsic harmony and balance, containing gemstones, metals, and unexpected materials like paper and wood. Grimaud utilizes her work to convey sustainable ideas, being deeply committed to ethical and slow-made art pieces. Which place do you
- [Nathan Walsh](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/nathan-walsh/) - Nathan Walsh creates his paintings from hundreds of photographic studies, drawings and perspective constructions, combining them into urban scenes that are both meticulously realistic and subtly reinterpreted. The inspiration for his work stems from his studio, which is located in a converted Welsh chapel and houses a collection of numerous historical artefacts, including stained glass
- [Ellis Mhairi Cameron](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/ellis-mhairi-cameron/) - Growing up in the Scottish Highlands, surrounded by sea and mountains, Cameron shaped her love of imperfect beauty and erosion. It was in places so steeped in history, so pristine and beautiful, that Cameron began her research into topophilia – a term used to describe a person's attachment to their surroundings, the mental, emotional and
- [Rasmus Fenhann](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/rasmus-fenhann/) - Fenhann treats his carefully selected materials with great respect and processes his pieces with painstaking precision. He is also no stranger to constantly switching between workbench and digital tools: using traditional, sometimes even almost forgotten craft techniques and combining them with high-tech processes. Blending sculptural elements with functionality is one of his strong suits. His
- [Tatjana Kovačević-Vidović](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/tatjana-kovacevic-vidovic/) - In the heart of Sarajevo, Tatjana Kovačević-Vidović breathes life into clay, carrying forward a tradition that was close to fading. Her ceramics at TAKO Studio merge the patience of heritage craft with the clarity of contemporary design, resulting in pieces that feel both timeless and deeply personal. Earthy, black and white colours, combined with harmonious,
- [Ena Mulavdic & Ebrahim Mohammadian](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/ena-mulavdic-ebrahim-mohammadian/) - Explore the profound artistic journey of ELIRD studio, where unique jewellery creations are meticulously crafted with unparalleled design prowess.
- [Ludovic Elens](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/ludovic-elens/) - In his atelier in the heart of Brussels, Ludovic Elens and his team of experienced staff create countless exquisite glasses. Playful geometric shapes are carefully combined with high-quality materials and transformed into luxurious eyewear with great attention to detail and skilful artistry. At Lunetier Ludovic clients are involved in every step of the process to
- [Anita Michaluszko & Flavia Bon](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/augmented-weaving-flavia-anita/) - Under the name ‘Augmented Weaving’, Anita Michaluszko and Flavia Bon approach textiles as something in motion—never fixed, always unfolding across physical and virtual dimensions. Their process weaves together traditional craftsmanship with digital innovation, creating materials that feel both intimate and speculative. Surfaces ripple like coded landscapes, shaped by experimentation and collaboration. Which place do you
- [Simone Doesburg](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/simone-doesburg/) - Simone Doesburg's unique artistic sensibility allows her to breathe life into materials, creating vibrant colors. Her dinnerware collection Grace of Glaze is crafted from fine porcelain and finished with gradient glazes, giving each piece a sense of depth and liveliness. All pieces are handcrafted in her studio in Amersfoort. The collection includes a variety of
- [Matéo Crémades](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/mateo-cremades/) - Self-taught, Matéo Crémades is among the few artisans in the world to master the making of parchment rosaces, the intricate ornaments once set into the soundboards of 16th- and 17th-century lutes, baroque guitars and harpsichords. Based in the medieval village of Hérisson in central France, he continues to refine and reinterpret this rare savoir-faire. Which
- [Déborah Abizanda](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/deborah-abizenda/) - Prompted by the traditional Spanish ceramics, Déborah Abizanda typically makes bespoke porcelain pieces and sculptures. Porcelain is Abizanda’s language of creation, a medium that requires precision and control. In an attempt to overcome the limitations of the material, Abizanda plays with transparency and incorporates different techniques and supplies into her processes. Which place do you
- [Jessie Derogy & Dorian Felgines](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/jessie-derogy-dorian-felgines/) - Working with ceramics, leather, wood and felt, Derogy's and Felgines' practice is rooted in collaboration. They move between material, gesture and place, shaping objects through a tactile and intuitive process. In the studio, ideas take shape through the creative process, allowing the material to guide the form. Their pieces carry traces of dialogue between hand,
- [Marta Barros](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/marta-barros/) - Knots, tension, patience. In Marta Barros’ hands, rope becomes texture, volume and quiet architecture. The Portuguese artist transforms an ancient craft into contemporary forms that soften interiors and invite touch. Working between Lisbon and the slower rhythms of the Atlantic coast, she reimagines macramé not as nostalgia, but as a living language of material, gesture
- [Marco Żebrowski](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/marco-zebrowski/) - With a keen eye for detail, Żebrowski brings together craftsmanship and creativity, placing particular emphasis on color and form. Shaped by experiences in Japan, Switzerland, and France, his creative approach explores traditional crafts across different cultures and historical periods. His works invite viewers to rediscover the beauty of simplicity, to find a sense of calm,
- [Jorge Mañes Rubio](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/jorge-manes-rubio/) - Jorge Mañes Rubio transforms the ordinary into quietly charged objects, where familiar forms take on the presence of relics or offerings. Drawing from ritual and systems of belief, his work explores how meaning, identity, and power are constructed. What first appears decorative reveals deeper layers of history and symbolism. Through an intuitive and labor-intensive process,
- [Magdalena Sophie Orland](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/magdalena-sophie-orland/) - Magdalena Sophie Orland’s work explores the intersection of traditional textile techniques and contemporary interpretation, translating diverse cultural influences into new material and visual languages. Her practice combines embroidery, screen printing and experimental processes with unconventional materials, resulting in delicate yet conceptually strong textile works that often feel both precise and tactile. Her research focuses on
- [Maria Koshenkova](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/maria-koshenkova/) - Maria Koshenkova's works draw attention to the most fundamental conditions of human existence by creating a poetic space between realism and abstraction, meaning and chaos. A space in which the brutal and macabre are balanced by an exquisite aesthetic of detail. While glass represents the human element—vulnerable, exposed and helpless—the metal or rope represents a
- [Niklas Asker](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/niklas-asker/) - Niklas Asker approaches painting as a slow, deliberate ritual—layer by layer, image by image. His process unfolds like a quiet excavation, where figures emerge and dissolve again, hovering between clarity and abstraction. In this space, painting becomes a way to access something less tangible, a visual language shaped as much by intuition as by control.
- [Laura Dominici](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/laura-dominici/) - Resting, folding, waiting, daydreaming. In Laura Dominici’s world, the smallest gestures of everyday life become material for creation. The Austrian designer transforms fleeting habits into enduring forms, revealing the quiet poetry hidden within routine. Through playful and thoughtful objects, she invites us to look again at what usually passes unnoticed. Which place do you currently
- [Madalena Telo](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/madalena-telo/) - Using clay, Madalena Telo creates unique, handmade pieces shaped by a lifelong immersion in art. Inspired by the surrounding landscapes, rocks of the mountains and coastline of the southwest Algarve. Her ceramics are poetic and sensory, born from a slow, natural process that blends textures, colours, and elements of the surrounding environment, making a mindful
- [Sérgio Rodrigues](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/sergio-rodrigues/) - The friction of fibres in the air, the bristles rising, wood shavings flying through the workshop. Just a few steps from the Palácio da Bolsa, Sérgio Rodrigues repeats the silent liturgy passed down by his father. At Escovaria de Belomonte, for four generations, the hand has shaped wood into brushes of lasting quality, sublimating the
- [Rikke Lunnemann](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/rikke-lunnemann/) - Rikke Lunnemann believes that jewellery is not just jewellery—it is a tale with a message. Without the stories behind them, they are simply precious metals and gemstones. By closely observing forms and patterns found in nature and in everyday life, her pieces echoe the objects that have inspired her. Recently, her focus has shifted to
- [Adèle Vivet](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/adele-vivet/) - Adèle Vivet works at the intersection of history and the body. Drawing on Gothic and Romanesque references, she reactivates fragments of the past through a contemporary lens. Transforming them into forms that feel both archaic and disturbingly present. Her process is rooted in research, yet what emerges is deeply personal: a shifting mythology shaped by
- [Heejo Kim](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/heejo-kim/) - In Heejo Kim’s paintings bodies speak through gesture, touch, and proximity. Identity becomes fluid, no longer fixed to recognizable markers, but held in fragile moments of relation. Drawing from ideas of decolonial love and actor-network theory, Kim explores intimacy as incomplete and asymmetrical—an ongoing negotiation rather than a closed bond. Which place do you currently
- [Åsa Lockner](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/asa-lockner/) - Fragments of earlier pieces return in Åsa Lockner’s jewellery, reassembled and layered into new forms. Ovals, drops, stones and pierced metal come together in compositions that balance between tension and harmony. Her work embraces change rather than perfection. Each piece carries traces of process and relates closely to the body, where imperfection and transformation become
- [Mae Engelgeer](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/mae-engelgeer/) - Mae Engelgeer works with textiles as a way of shaping spatial situations rather than surfaces. Color shifts through gradients, interruptions and subtle tensions. Her process is intuitive but precise, with each thread contributing to a larger rhythm. Her works do not decorate space but alter it. Woven structures become fields of perception where scale, material
- [Thijs Biersteker](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/thijs-biersteker/) - Thijs Biersteker creates immersive artworks that transform complex environmental data into experiences people can feel and understand. Through his Woven Foundation, he brings pressing issues like climate change and ocean plastic to life, turning abstract numbers into moments that resonate emotionally with audiences, from the public to policymakers. His installations merge science and artistry in
- [Hanna Barczyk](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/hanna-barczyk/) - As an illustrator Hanna Barczyk creates bold and minimalist artworks. For her signature style she combines hungarian folk art with fluid lines inspired by dance and movement. With her illustrations Barczyk transforms complex ideas into visual narratives. Which place do you currently call home and where do you work on your projects? I was born in
- [Gabriela Sagarminaga](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/gabriela-sagarminaga/) - In the work of Gabriela Sagarminaga, fibre becomes both structure and story. Drawing from ancestral basket-weaving traditions, she bends esparto grass and other natural materials into sculptural forms that feel as if they have grown rather than been constructed. What begins as a simple strand slowly unfolds into woven topographies, quiet and grounded, like fragments
- [Adam Sobota](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/adam-sobota/) - Rooted in Poland for generations, Adam Sobota’s practice moves between control and unpredictability, where clay becomes a quiet record of transformation. His works, both functional and sculptural, embrace irregularity. Surfaces carry organic traces, fractures and pores that echo time, instability and the persistence of change. Forms emerge that feel at once intentional and fragile, as
- [Georgia Hourdas](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/georgia-hourdas/) - Spectral strips of colour interweave in Georgia Hourda's paintings, forming an irregular fractal pattern between shapes and spaces, similar to a mycelium network or the swaying arms of carnation corals in the ocean. The strands are like living lines of communication, connecting and disseminating information through compact colour gradient patterns. Which place do you currently
- [Alice Walton](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/alice-walton/) - Clay shaped into complex structures that invite close attention, that is the practice of Alice Walton's work. Her sculptures are built from many individual components that come together to form labyrinth-like surfaces. Through repetitive mark making, she develops textured patterns that create movement across the ceramic forms. These detailed surfaces contrast with muted colours that
- [Aistė Stancikaitė](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/aiste-stancikaite/) - In the work of Aistė Stancikaitė, intimacy unfolds in fragments, a gloved hand, a turned shoulder, a gaze that never fully settles. She composes her paintings with meticulous care, layering tone and texture until the figures seem to hover between clarity and disappearance. Once rooted in strict monochrome, her palette now opens gently, allowing colour
- [Dejan Milenkovic](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/dejan-milenkovic/) - In the work of Dejan Milenković, wood becomes a vessel for memory and devotion, each line shaped with patience and precision. Drawing from Serbian folklore and Orthodox tradition, he carves dense patterns that seem to grow from the grain itself. Motifs from Slavic culture, sacred symbols and echoes of landscapes slowly unfold under his chisel.
- [Ahryun Lee](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/ahryun-lee/) - Colour seems to spill freely through the ceramic world of Ahryun Lee. Her objects twist, drip and bloom into playful sculptural forms that feel almost edible, as if drawn from a fantastical dessert table. Working intuitively with clay, she pushes the material beyond its traditional limits, embracing its softness, texture and unpredictability. Each piece grows
- [Anne Marie Maes](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/anne-marie-maes/) - Transforming living materials such as plants, microbes and insects into dynamic works of art lies at the heart of Anna Marie Maes’s practice. Her creations, which evolve over time and reflect a deep engagement with the non-human world, can be viewed as long-term investigations. Maes not only studies the behaviour of pollinating insects, cultivation of
- [Marc Schweizer](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/marc-schweizer/) - Working exclusively with black paper and a white background, Marc Schweitzer challenges the medium’s inherent contrast by developing a unique technique that creates the illusion of grayscale. Through the meticulous cutting of countless tiny circular shapes placed closely together, Schweitzer generates tonal depth and subtle shading that, even at close range, appears almost photographic. As
- [Stephanie Hornig](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/stephanie-hornig/) - Based in Zurich, Stephanie Hornig works at the intersection of functional design and artistic expression, creating furniture that responds directly to the realities of everyday life. This approach becomes tangible in pieces such as her desk, which can be assembled and disassembled with remarkable ease. Similarly, her foldable shelving system reduces storage to its essentials—it
- [Barbara Adamsky](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/barbara-adamsky/) - A defining aspect of Barbara Adamsky's work is her sensitivity to atmosphere and surface. Rather than focusing on literal representation, she is interested in how form can emerge through layers, texture and gesture. Her artistic language lies in her approach to materiality. She often works with multi-layered processes in which traces of earlier phases remain
- [Nicolette de Waart](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/nicolette-de-waart/) - Deeply rooted in her travel experiences and material knowledge, Nicolette de Waart creates a range of objects, from furniture and lighting to sculptural art. Her timeless pieces are both functional and expressive, always with an emphasis on durability and beauty. De Waart's sculptures attempt to reveal our vulnerability and fragility, but also our strengths and
- [Gábor Nagy](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/gabor-nagy/) - Artistically, Gabor Nagy’s work is characterized by strong influences from fine art, including painting, sculpture, fashion, architecture, and graphic design. Rather than creating traditional bouquets, he approaches floral design as a form of artistic composition. His works often emphasize bold structure, dynamic movement, contrast, texture, and innovative use of materials. Nagy’s arrangements frequently convey narrative,
- [Trinidad Davanzo & Camilo Palma](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/holder-objects/) - Holder brings together the rare, the thoughtful, and the bold, capturing the spirit of Latin American creativity in every piece and story they share. Trinidad Davanzo and Camilo Palma present works that are deeply rooted in local cultures and industries, echoing the geographical, social, and unique cultural identity of Latin America. The duo exudes a
- [Lien Velghe](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/lien-velghe/) - Through lines, volumes and materials, Lien Velghe explores paradoxes in which the rooted becomes suspended and the solid becomes delicate. These contradictions reveal the poetics of construction—the silent forces of gravity, support and suspension. In this way, she questions our “fixed” ideas and images of objects, presenting us with works that create a gentle tension
- [Fabian Tobias Reiner](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/fabian-tobias-reiner/) - A choreography of places, materials and lived experiences—that is what architecture means to Fabian Tobias Reiner. For him, wood, water and light carry stories that tell us more about the world, places and people. In his Zurich studio by the river and his office in Bregenz, Reiner also writes texts of various kinds, which also
- [Lucia Massari](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/lucia-massari/) - In Lucia Massari's works, the boundaries between image and object, surface and structure become blurry. By embracing imperfections and surprises, she playfully questions conventions. Massari has a deep appreciation for traditional techniques, which she carefully combines with a spirit of experimentation and irony. Subtle tensions and narratives are hidden in her works—everyday objects are transformed
- [Mari Koppanen](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/mari-koppanen/) - Almost all of the materials Mari Koppanen uses in her work are natural, and she produces most of the pigments herself. Natural materials, especially mushrooms, are not only part of her sustainable design philosophy, but also serve as a rich source of inspiration and symbolism in her work. Her works often combine art, science and
- [Evalie Wagner](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/evalie-wagner/) - Evalie Wagner's work moves between poetry and conceptual art, combining botanical knowledge with aesthetic sensibility and artisanal skill. Rooted in ecology and a careful attention to place, her compositions unfold as quiet but powerful metaphors: atmospheric narratives that respond to their location and open up new ways of perceiving coexistence and our relationship with our
- [Hanna‑Kaisa Korolainen](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/hanna‑kaisa-korolainen/) - What happens when Art Nouveau, Pre-Raphaelites and Japanese Edo art are combined with pop icons such as Pikachu? The results can be found in Hanna-Kaisa Korolainen's work: past and present coexist and are playfully interwoven. In her work, she moves freely between centuries and cultures, weaving together art history, crafts and contemporary sensibilities. At the
- [Sara Bologna](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/sara-bologna/) - Rituals, symbols, prehistoric graffiti, fragments of poems and grimoires: these are the sources of inspiration for Sara Bologna. Based on iconographic, semantic and historical findings, she deconstructs and reconstructs all these influences and translates them into objects using a narrative approach. Hovering between research and craft, her work transforms symbols, myths and gestures into contemporary
- [Johanna Seelemann](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/johanna-seelemann/) - Decoding everyday life and examining the objects we live with—this is probably the best way to describe Johanna Seelemann's practice. Her projects shed light on the manufacturing and use of prosaic everyday objects, trace supply chains and explore their visual and material language. The story she tells conveys ideas of substitution, adaptation and resilience, offering
- [Chris Kabel](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/chris-kabel/) - With a keen fondness for materials and natural phenomena, Chris Kabel seeks relevant design solutions that sensibly take context into account. It's an intuitive and almost poetic process—where aesthetics and design ultimately intertwine in his objects, furniture and architectural elements. Which place do you currently call home and where do you work on your projects?
- [Elsa Boch](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/elsa-boch/) - As a former textile designer Elsa Boch was used to working with textiles, fabrics and soft materials, so she immediately fell in love with clay. Its soft feel, malleability and tranquillity appealed to her. Some of her pieces almost look as if they were covered with fine fabric. Her ceramics are both delicate and rough:
- [Antrei Hartikainen](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/antrei-hartikainen/) - The alteration of nature, whether by humans or other forces such as water, runs through the works of Antrei Hartikainen. Sometimes deep furrows cut through the wood, left behind by liquid matter, other times hundreds of pine rods cover the surface of a cabinet, graphically recreating the path of rain. His works repeatedly straddle the
- [Carsten Nilsson](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/carsten-nilsson/) - Hammenhög's peaceful landscape inspires Nilsson to find comfort and creativity in the natural beauty that surrounds him. Whether it’s the delicate details of leaves or the whimsical symbols of the circus, his work reflects a harmonious connection between nature and imagination. As a woodcarver, it is essential to have equal mastery of both hands—a skill
- [Grant Harder](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/grant-harder/) - Rediscovering old places and viewing them with fresh eyes infuses Grant Harder's photographs with a distinctive warmth. His artworks often explore the interplay between humans and nature—like a child seeking shelter among rocks, cocooned in warm light. Harder's depiction of the world combines exquisite textures and harmonious shadows, while the dynamic between them conveys
- [Aurélia Bouyssonie](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/aurelia-bouyssonie/) - Between the rawness of the craft and the glamour of cinematic daydreams, Aurélia Bouyssonié's creations capture a timeless Mediterranean style. Her work is clearly influenced by a minimalist design language, where the elegance of high-quality natural materials takes centre stage. Cold metal is paired with warm brown wood bearing natural grain, and ornate tiles meet
- [Katharina Trudzinski](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/katharina-trudzinski/) - Wrapped in perfectly coordinated colours: Katharina Trudzinski's works consist of compositions of furniture fragments, street finds and scrap metal that are intended to enter into dialogue with their surroundings. The multidisciplinary artist lives in Berlin's lively Neukölln district and captures the atmosphere of different neighbourhoods, observing as they change throughout the seasons. Colour composition, rhythm,
- [Carlos Manuel Gonçalves](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/carlos-manuel-goncalves/) - Wonderfully witty and whimsical: in the world of Carlos Manuel Gonçalves, quirky figurines take on a life of their own. As reminders of his childhood, they adopt the form of imaginary creatures that once waltzed through his daydreams or turn into animals that wandered through the countryside of his childhood village in Alentejo. During the
- [Sara Ricciardi](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/sara-ricciardi/) - To Sara Ricciardi, every aesthetic stems from a specific story—but beyond that, she carries a playfulness within her that cannot help but shine through in her work. Striking colours, irony and elegance characterise her projects. As Sullivan once said, “Form follows function”. But for Ricciardi, “form follows poetry” applies even more. At the heart of
- [Matthew James Moore](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/matthew-moore/) - Matthew Moore doesn’t define himself by a signature aesthetic: his strength lies in designing the process that transforms an idea into reality. His approach can be described as “design as facilitation”—bringing together materials, people, and contexts to create objects that are both functional and quietly surprising. Rather than imposing a fixed style, he focuses on
- [Roxane Lahidji](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/roxane-lahidji/) - Roxane Lahidji approaches design as an alchemical journey, transforming humble and overlooked materials into objects full of presence and meaning. She combines traditional craft techniques with low-tech methods, shaping and sketching simultaneously, allowing form and idea to evolve together in a fluid, intuitive process. Her work reveals the hidden potential of everyday matter, turning it
- [CoCo Ree Lemery](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/coco-ree-lemery/) - Coco Ree Lemery moves through the world seeing what others might miss: For her, materials labelled as "waste" are not throwaways, but latent stories waiting to be told. The marks of their past lives shape the forms she creates. Her practice is an act of revival, where memory and matter intertwine, giving objects renewed purpose
- [Nuala O'Donovan](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/nuala-odonovan/) - Learn about Nuala O'Donovan's process of slowly constructing detailed sculptures, embracing imperfections and handcrafted patterns to express beauty.
- [Helle Trolle](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/helle-trolle/) - Helle Trolle's textiles are born out of her fascination with structures, materials and the subtleties of everyday life. Her work deals with the simple yet profound—how the sky turns blue, how rain feels on the skin, how temperature can be translated into colour—and transforms these observations into woven forms that are playful, multi-layered and multidimensional.
- [Anahita Sadighi](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/anahita-sadighi/) - Persian amphorae as vessels of cultural memory: In her latest project, “Soft Power”, Anahita Sadighi presents historical objects, floral interventions, glass installations and contemporary soundscapes as a multi-layered dialogue centring on the “Woman, Life, Freedom” movement in Iran. By means of art, music and dialogue, the works reflect transnational feminist cultures of remembrance. Through her
- [Luca Peppoloni](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/luca-peppoloni/) - ‘Rust is the memory of iron’: a phrase that sums up Peppoloni's work well. By incorporating Etruscan elements such as Giacometti, his works express memory and resemble archaeological finds. Peppoloni creates objects that satisfy the senses—exclusive pieces that stand the test of time. Through his work, he preserves ancient traditions that were already dear to
- [Melanie van der Donk](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/melanie-van-der-donk/) - After the birth of her daughter and son in the late 1990s, Melanie van der Donk decided to quit her career in theatre. Instead, she set up an art workshop for children, but the desire to become a ceramicist remained in her mind. Finally, she enrolled in a ceramics course at the University of Applied
- [Jacqueline de la Fuente](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/jacqueline-de-la-fuente/) - With the traces of her fingertips, Jacqueline de la Fuente creates decorative vases and works of art, shaping them piece by piece into unique, tactile and distinctive objects. Bold, hand-painted colours and patterns cover her pieces, transforming discarded paper and cardboard waste into beautiful and intriguing works of art that will be cherished. Inspired by
- [Dimitrih Correa](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/dimitrih-correa/) - Over the years, Dimitrih Correa has found his strongest expressive power and aesthetic identity in recycled wood, giving him the opportunity to combine artisanal techniques with refined finishes. His works, which often feature stainless steel, brass and leather, are frequently inspired by cultural narratives and symbolic references, creating a dialogue between tradition and modernity, form
- [Ana Paúl](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/ana-paul/) - In Ana Paúl's works, linear forms meet flowing curves. This is not the only duality that can be found in her creations—she contrasts natural elements with artificial ones and builds a bridge between Eastern and Western aesthetic traditions. Through this interplay of opposing forces, she achieves a sense of unified balance in her compositions. Images
- [Juliana Maurer](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/juliana-maurer/) - Inspired by natural structures such as those found in the sea or woods, Juliana Maurer creates extraordinary shapes through careful layering. What may appear to be a vase made from cut-out strips of paper is actually crafted from porcelain. This leaves the viewer wondering: is it coral? Paper? Or perhaps wood? In her latest projects,
- [Catarina Fernandes](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/catarina-fernandes/) - Fire, water, air and earth: all elements are represented in Fernandes' works. With the help of traditional craft techniques, she forges, casts, welds, grinds and polishes to transform her ideas into three-dimensional forms. Ancient civilisations and the natural world around her serve not only as a source of inspiration but also as a pool of
- [Annie Sibert](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/annie-sibert/) - For Annie Sibert, every scratch, every curve and every texture tells a story. At the heart of her work lies the reimagining of our understanding of form and function. Her creative process resembles a delicate dialogue between her hands as she discovers the subtle play of light on different surfaces and observes how materials yield
- [Theodora Chorafas](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/theodora-chorafas/) - In her Greek studio, Theodora Chorafas transforms clay into expressions of the soul, combining technical mastery with the emotional rhythm of her inner world. Her flowing forms capture subtle vibrations and reflect her belief that making ceramics is a form of therapy that allows her to shape her own emotions through the shaping of the
- [Michal Melicherčík](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/michal-melichercik/) - At the age of 7, Melicherčík carved his first knife out of wood. Years later, his passion inspired him to give up his conventional career and devote himself entirely to his craft. His first international commission, a shepherd's knife that was shipped all the way to California, marked the worldwide recognition of his craftsmanship and
- [Alejandro Cañer Labradas](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/alejandro-caner-labradas/) - In his work, Cañer Labradas deals with topics such as queer identity, sexual and political propaganda, urban eroticism, drama and cinema. For him, design is a fundamental tool with which he can manipulate and fictionalise the history of Cuba. By using digital and physical media like video art and installations, and an aesthetic that's close
- [Claire Coles](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/claire-coles/) - Inspired by Mother Nature, Coles' patterns are characterised by a subtle and ethereal quality creating a vibrant expression. Silk, gold leaves, faux leather and freehand embroidery lend her work a luxurious and textured quality. Coles' unique embroidery technique is applied to a variety of media, from fashion prints to luxury packaging. Which place do you
- [Liana Tashchyan](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/liana-tashchyan/) - Liana Tashchyan’s work is a meeting place between tradition and individuality—where centuries-old Armenian motifs find new life on supple leather. With each brushstroke, she transforms blank surfaces into stories, carrying echoes of mountains, monasteries, and winding streets. Her handbags and accessories are not just worn; they are carried like personal talismans, infused with colour, detail,
- [Jorge Saraiva](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/jorge-saraiva/) - A childhood shaped by working with ceramics—by the rhythmic turning of the potter's wheel, the earthy scent of clay, the ancient magic of fire and earth. What began as a necessity for a student to finance his studies developed into a deep passion. As Saraiva describes his mission: To shape the future as a continuation
- [Emilija Beguš](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/emilija-begus/) - Cups, vases and porcelain jewellery: In her work Beguš focuses on making everyday objects. Inspired by waves, shells and sand, she creates objects with free forms and no hard lines. Beguš is more than just an artist; she is a guardian of tradition who teaches ceramics, proving that the deepest beauty often lives quietly in
- [Wesley Sacardi](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/wesley-sacardi/) - Wesley Sacardi describes himself as an eternal learner—committed to free creativity and grounded craft. Working in solid wood, he creates pieces with visible knots, raw edges, and joinery that celebrates rather than hides its structure. Surfaces bear the grain’s natural rhythm, and marks of previous use are preserved like quiet memories. Rooted in nature, architecture,
- [Eleni Marneri & Ersi Kalozaki](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/eleni-marneri-ersi-kalozaki/) - Eleni Marneri considers jewellery a powerful symbol—a talisman, and an essential part of tradition and culture. She strongly believes jewellery is an art form that is intricately woven into daily life. She speaks of a sensory connection to her work: the crystal clarity of stones, the colors, the textures, and even the sounds of metals
- [Iben Høj](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/iben-hoj/) - From her studio near the shore in Kerteminde, Iben Høj knits space into being. Fine threads—sometimes as few as two, sometimes five—are woven into translucent forms that float, stretch, or seem to breathe with the room. Light filters through them like sea mist or dried leaf veins, revealing structures that feel both delicate and enduring.
- [Etienne Bastormagi](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/etienne-bastormagi-studio-etienne-bastormagi/) - Raised in Lebanon within an Armenian diasporic family, Etienne Bastormagi grew up in his grandfather’s stainless-steel factory—where an early connection to material and memory took root. Since founding his studio in 2016, he has developed a cross-disciplinary practice grounded in architecture, urban design, and layered narrative. His work balances contrast and continuity: brutalist forms meet
- [Sofia Caldas](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/sofia-caldas/) - When Sofia Caldas creates hats, they are more like stories—poetic objects designed to evoke memories and emotion. Based in Cascais, Portugal, she works in an old stone workshop surrounded by natural textures and unexpected inspiration. With a background in fine arts and theater set design, Sofia approaches hat-making as a form of emotional communication. Her
- [Tuulia Penttilä](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/tuulia-penttila/) - Since 1999 Tuulia Penttilä has been working in the village of Fiskars, designing small collections of sculptural furniture and objects. Her pieces are minimalist, reflective and based on care for the material. By working without colour, she lets the natural tones of her chosen materials speak for themselves, whether it's wood, stone or even eggs.
- [Tiago Pereira](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/tiago-pereira/) - Since he was a baby, Tiago Pereira has played at the feet of the greatest master he knows—his grandfather. He watched him draw and build great works of art in his own little workshop. Much has changed since then, but his grandfather's teachings live on in Pereiras' work. Together with his wife, he founded Marcenaria
- [Samuel Gassmann](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/samuel-gassmann/) - Gassmann approaches each cufflink as a small yet meaningful object, combining materials like mother-of-pearl, leather, bronze, and silver with subtle sophistication. For him, luxury lies in what is not ostentatious but thoughtfully crafted—often hiding the metalwork beneath the cuff while allowing delicate surfaces to speak for themselves. Entirely self-taught, Gassmann has mastered techniques such as
- [Simon Holpert](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/simon-holpert/) - Simon Holpert is part of a new generation of artists that redefine ceramics—not as functional objects, but as expressive sculptures. Trained as a ceramicist yet thinking like a sculptor, he treats clay as something wild and instinctive, shaped by hand through pressure and gravity. His work feels raw and necessary, resisting explanation and embracing ambiguity.
- [Ciro Timmers](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/timmers/) - Bold lines, oblique shapes: Ciro Timmers' work reveals his background in graphic design and his flair for clarity, form and atmosphere. His work spans objects and visual identities ranging from private interiors and retail environments to branding for cultural institutions and global clients. Each of his projects is developed in-house and produced locally, reflecting his
- [Anna Resei](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/anna-resei/) - Anna Resei explores the meeting point of concept and craft through her work. Rooted in classical textile techniques and shaped by a sharp, tactile approach, her designs balance abstraction with function. In her works, she combines geometric shapes and abstract textures. The often dominant color blue is reminiscent of Hamburg's proximity to the water. Her
- [Kristín Sigfríður Garðarsdóttir](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/kristin-gardarsdottir/) - At the heart of Kristín Sigfríður Garðarsdóttir’s practice is an intuitive approach to form-making, one that begins not with fixed plans but with the tactile logic of the material itself. She draws from a wide range of sources—nature, architecture, Scandinavian design, everyday life, and Japan’s 1,100-year-old ceramic tradition. Her philosophy values the journey of creation
- [Thomas Morineau Barthelemy](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/thomas-morineau-barthelemy/) - A constant dialogue between hand and material: shaped by Thomas Morineau Barthélemy's lived experience, the core of his practice is a belief in making through learning. Whether working at the scale of a building or a bowl, his designs pursue a tactile honesty, guided by the inherent qualities of materials: their weight, grain, tension, and
- [Daniel Mauceri](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/daniel-mauceri/) - In Daniel Mauceri’s hands, the Sicilian puppet becomes something far more than a figure on strings—it becomes legacy cast in metal and memory. Rooted in Syracuse’s Opera dei Pupi tradition, his creations are forged with care and precision: hammered brass, hand-painted faces, velvet cloaks. Each piece is a guardian of stories, shaped by a lineage
- [Grou Serra](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/grou-serra/) - Structure, space, proportion, material—Grou Serra returns to these four with monastic focus. In his hands, rough concrete becomes luminous, steel becomes gesture. His process is quiet and methodical: sketches distill into scale, mass is pared down to essence. Nothing is rushed. There’s no noise here—just elemental architecture that unfolds like a slow conversation. Which place
- [Riikka Peltola](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/riikka-peltola/) - Riika's work clearly reflects subtle notes of environmental consciousness: textures reminiscent of fishing nets, corals, and even fluffy undersea animals. What appears delicate – mere thread – becomes a symbol of the quiet resilience found in nature, echoing the enduring strength of plants. In her work, delicate, translucent crochet layers softly overlap, mirroring the subtle
- [Ádám Csaba Szabó](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/adam-csaba-szabo-m/) - Dark greys, deep charcoals, and subtle clay hues: Ádám Szabó’s ceramics captivate with their raw, earthy textures and muted, smoky tones that evoke natural landscapes. His surfaces often carry a rugged, organic feel, shaped by expressive wire-clay carving and high-temperature wood-firing techniques that embrace unpredictability and “errors” as part of the creative process. One of
- [Troels Flensted](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/troels-flensted/) - Drawn to what is overlooked or undervalued, Flendsted finds the potential in what others would discard. He breathes new life into forgotten techniques and humble materials. With his objects, he invites the viewer to reflect on the ways in which things are made and from what, fostering a deeper connection to material culture. Flensted's work
- [Nathanaëlle Lobjoy](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/nathanaelle-lobjoy/) - A tale of bountiful nature: Lobjoy employs paper mache to connect her drawings with sculpture, turning them into lamps and wallpapers. Through careful paper selection and intricate assembly, she crafts objects that convincingly mimic fine porcelain. Floral motifs transform into a unique calligraphy, creating arabesques of plants that adorn and illuminate interiors with the richness
- [Camille Jacobs](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/camille-jacobs/) - Drawing from nature, science, art, history and photography, Camille Jacobs creates glass vessels that are as precise as they are colourful. In her studio in Keispelt, Luxembourg, Jacobs explores abstraction and colour theory. 'My goal is to achieve a perfect harmony between form, dimension, medium and colour.' she explains. Using screen-printed layers of glass, her
- [Veronika Švábeniková](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/veronika-svabenikova/) - Like nebulae in a distant galaxy: Veronika Švábeniková interweaves the earthly with the otherworldly in her works. To create her unusual patterns, she uses her own colours and glazes – in an attempt to avoid industrially produced ones. Her patterns are transferred by dipping the vases in water covered in colour. Švábeniková's hands mould the
- [Elizabeth Kent](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/elizabeth-kent/) - Drawn to the elusive and intangible qualities of reflecive surfaces, Elizabeth Kent approaches the mirror not as a static object but as a living material – one that captures light, movement, and the viewer’s gaze. Each mirrors journey begins with traditional water-gilding techniques and the application of thin layers of gold leaves to the glass.
- [Christoph Köchert](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/christoph-kochert/) - Sapphires, diamonds, amethysts: at A. E. Köchert, precious stones are turned into skilfully decorated tiaras, earrings and necklaces. With the help of a hot flame and polishing tools, new creations are made – the work requires a good eye and an even steadier hand. As imperial and royal court and chamber jeweller, A. E. Köchert
- [Sonia Lekuona](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/sonia-lekuona/) - Dyed fibres drying in the Andalusian sun, tools hanging from whitewashed walls: Lekunoa's workshop is a vibrant space where conversation, handwork and tradition intertwine. Her practice is not only about creating objects but also about sustaining a living craft tradition. Lekuona twists, knots, and coils the coarse fiber into sculptural forms, baskets, wall pieces, and
- [Vasco Águas](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/vasco-aguas/) - A symphony of knots and fabrics: Vasco Águas narrates entire stories through his textile works. While his multi-layered composition in “Textile Landscapes” traces personal geographies, “Childhood Territories” reflects on his birthplace, childhood home and weekend escape – evoking the tactile intimacy of belonging through soft colours and flowing forms. Águas watched his grandfather melt lead
- [Christopher Riggio](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/christopher-riggio/) - Pale colours, hand-drawn lines and fading shades: Christopher Riggio's creations have an unmistakable character. From pastille boxes with handles that ripple like a drop of water on top of the lid, to bowls and mugs with contrasting glazes – there is always something unexpected. Contemporary forms, but also the history of the materials he uses,
- [Simone Falli](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/simone-falli/) - Working exclusively with natural materials like linen, wool, and cashmere, Falli crafts each piece on wooden looms he builds himself. His fabrics are tactile reflections of his surroundings—the dusty paths, soft hills, and muted tones of the Tuscan countryside. The designs are minimalist, but rich in meaning: fragments of place, woven into patterns that honor
- [Eva Brandt](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/eva-brandt/) - Deeply connected to the rugged landscape of Bornholm, Eva Brandt draws continuous inspiration from the island’s distinctive geology and her overgrown garden, now a cultivated oasis behind her home in Rønne’s old town. Also Iceland's raw landscape feeds her sensibility. Guided by intuition and a deep connection with her materials, Brandt allows the natural properties
- [Jonathan Wieme & Nina Bodenhorst](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/jonathan-wieme-nina-bodenhorst/) - At Niyona, traditional leathercraft disciplines – once separated into guilds like sheathing, saddlery, and gilding – are united under one roof. In their Brussels workshop, Jonathan Wieme and Nina Bodenhorst blend these classical techniques into a single, thoughtful practice. It’s here that centuries-old hand-stitching methods meet laser-cut inlays, and vegetable-tanned hides are sculpted into custom
- [Amélie Viaene](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/amelie-viaene/) - “A jewel is a moment of intimacy.”, says Parisian jewellery artist Amélie Viaene, whose creations are as much about emotion as they are about form. Favoring the ancient technique of wax modeling, she transforms sketches into tactile, organic pieces that resonate with personal significance. She meticulously selects precious and fine stones, paying particular attention to
- [Maria Pratas](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/maria-pratas/) - Maria Pratas' mastery lies in translating her experiences into tangible forms, deftly blending raw materials to encapsulate the intricate details, elements, textures, and memories of cherished places. Undeterred by the time constraints, she meticulously sculpts thread by thread, keeping textile fibers within constant reach. She thrives in artistic environments, imagining her creations coming to life
- [Robert Mazlo](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/robert-mazlo/) - In the quiet corners of his Beirut childhood, Robert Mazlo learnt to see the world through the lens of aesthetics: He saw the sensitive brushstrokes of his mother – a watercolour painter, and absorbed the studied gaze of his father – who has been an art dealer. But it was the workshop that aroused his
- [Mika'Ela Fisher](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/mikaela-fisher/) - Fisher’s practice is defined by a rigorous, boundary-blurring approach to visual storytelling and design. As a force of transformation, she moves like a thread through disciplines. Trained in haute couture, and sharpened on the sets of psychological thrillers – crafting each project with fierce precision. Whether behind the camera, in front of it, or at
- [Laine Berina](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/laine-berina/) - Berina works in a cosy studio – a room that once belonged to her grandmother. And perhaps that is why there is a sense of warmth in her work, like the fact that a golden heart appears after every sip or bite - hidden at the bottom of each piece. But her porcelain pieces are
- [Hristo Totsev](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/hristo-totsev/) - A new way of travelling.
- [Valdís Ólafsdóttir](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/valadis-olafsdottir/) - In her work Valdís Ólafsdóttir uses patterns, colours and textures that are deeply rooted in the harsh landscapes of Iceland. Among other things, the sharp edges of the icebergs that characterise the country's coasts also shape Ólafsdóttir's works: her ‘diamond cut’ gives her objects an irregular surface. And from time to time, Icelandic sand and
- [Ozzy Chien](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/ozzy-chien/) - With years of experience and a focus on precision, Ozzy Chien brings a distinctive touch to each piece, offering clients made-to-measure creations. What many may not realize, however, is the immense time and dedication involved in crafting his pieces. A single bag can take over 50 hours to create, from the initial design and pattern
- [Zoe Keramea](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/zoe-keramea/) - Keramea's works playfully blur the boundaries between two and three dimensions, inviting viewers into a tactile and intellectual exploration of form, surface, and space. Through her inventive techniques and interactive installations, she invites audiences to engage with her work in a deeply personal and exploratory way, turning the act of viewing into an unfolding participatory
- [Marco Bellini](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/marco-bellini/) - When Marco Bellini talks about inspiration, he immediately thinks of cave paintings: ‘What message were they trying to convey?’ For him, it was not so much about the technique, but rather about self-expression, society itself and individual spirituality. Bellini creates cult objects – he wants to evoke feelings and opportunities to deal with difficult situations:
- [Caroline Koener](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/caroline-koener/) - Caroline Koener’s creative world is stitched together by intuition, detail, and care. Based in a small village just outside Luxembourg, her work unfolds across borders and disciplines – whether she’s designing for film, theatre, or dance. Her first professional assignment involved creating 40 costume patterns for a dance performance by Helen van den Kerchove. Costumes
- [Pedro de Sousa](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/pedro-de-sousa/) - Sophisticated, multi-layered and open to interpretation, de Sousa's projects often explore themes such as memory, place and the systems that shape our lives. His works are not loud, but they take up space—in a time characterised by political uncertainty and social pressure. His installation ‘Broken fragments’ from 2022 is one example as it explores the
- [Sophie Wiking](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/sophie-wiking/) - Sophie Wiking’s path to floristry felt like the perfect fusion of all she loved: the joy of working with organic materials, the satisfaction of getting her hands dirty, and the thrill of visual creativity. During her training in Malmö, she often found herself at odds with tradition. “When explaining the spiral technique, my teacher insisted
- [Marie-Isabelle Callier](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/marie-isabelle-callier/) - With refined subjects borrowed from nature, Callier’s nostalgic artworks are able to transport us to a different reality. The strength of a tree, rustling of leaves, ephemerality of a flower, fragile petals, the moving beauty of a landscape are all a source of inspiration when it comes to painting delicate figures coated with a longing
- [Dimitar Stankov](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/dimitar-stankov/) - A new way of travelling.
- [Bit Vejle](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/karen-bit-vejle/) - Bit Vejle's unique style and technique have roots in the ancient tradition of paper cutting, originating in Chinese and other Asian cultures, as well as her native Denmark. Known for her meticulous technique and magical storytelling, Bit Vejle creates intricate paper cuttings that evoke both joy and contemplation. Psaligraphy, as Bit Vejle puts it "the
- [Jonathän Jouan](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/jonathan-jouan/) - Reluctant to be categorized, Jouan gives himself only one label: he makes things with a purpose by aiming to craft pieces that are not only beautiful to look at, but also tell a story. With the help of wood and straw marquetry he manufactures furniture and also ornamental pieces. Jouan wants people to interact with
- [Elīza Māra](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/eliza-mara/) - More than 10 years ago, in 2014, Māra rediscovered hand embroidery as a craft. Today, she dedicates herself to embroidery professionally and teaches others the craft. Her work always revolves around the Soviet heritage of her country. Influenced by her life in the Riga microdistrict of Mežciems and its blockhouses – where she has lived
- [Elisabetta Bovina & Carlo Pastore](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/elisabetta-bovina-carlo-pastore/) - Discover the eclectic and high-quality creations of this powerful duo in ceramics, jewellery, textiles, fashion, and more.
- [Laura Itkonen](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/laura-itkonen/) - Inspired by rocks and minerals, the surrounding architecture and history, Itkonen creates sculptural pieces that find their place both in exhibitions and interiors. The combination of earthy tones with poppy colours and different surface textures is characteristic for her creations. It's also no coincidence that Itkonen's pieces look so playful: She is most comfortable expressing
- [Sam Gleeson](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/sam-gleeson/) - Discover the art of knife-making and the stories behind the materials used by Sam Gleeson in crafting culinary heirloom pieces.
- [Karin Blach Nielsen](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/karin-blach-nielsen/) - Explore the bond between functionality and art in Karin's ceramic compositions, designed with care and precision in Copenhagen.
- [Signe Fensholt](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/signe-fensholt/) - Discover the serene beauty of Copenhagen's harbourside areas like Islands Brygge and Helgoland, offering a calming retreat by the sea.
- [Christopher Chetcuti](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/christopher-chetcuti/) - Discover the journey of a talented sculptor and foundry director from Malta, showcasing dedication, expertise, and a unique artistic vision.
- [Marta Afonso](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/marta-afonso/) - Afonso's grandmother once taught her how to sew – and the passion for fabrics has not faded since. The way she prints textiles today was mainly influenced by a trip to India. "I learnt the rare technique of block printing from some local artisans and use it in my work along with other manual methods
- [Lejla Nuhić & Ajla Šarić](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/lejla-nuhic-ajla-saric/) - What once began as a hobby has now developed into a well-known brand in the region. Even Beyoncé has worn their jewellery in music videos. A fact that few people outside their country know about. Šarić and Nuhić use ancient printing techniques to create minimalist, modern and graphic jewellery made from zinc and brass plates.
- [Gottfried Palatin](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/gottfried-palatin/) - What characterises Palatin's work above all is his enthusiasm for experimentation. Over the years, he has constantly tried out new haptic shapes & colour glazes. His inventiveness was also required when working on his ceramic boxes. As porcelain loses 15% of its volume during firing, it is quite a challenge to ensure that both parts
- [Krišjānis Grīnbergs](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/krisjanis-grinbergs/) - Discover the artistry of knife-making, blending unconventional materials for stunning handles that balance performance and aesthetics.
- [Leonie Yagdjoglou](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/leonie-yagdjoglou/) - In her work, Yagdjoglou focuses primarily on design and painting. While she deals with individual and collective traumas in her ‘Totems’ series, in other sculptures she uses moving elements such as screws and springs to symbolise human connections. The theme of ‘humanity’ as a whole is a recurring theme in her work. In ‘Peoplakia’ (a
- [Janne Koskela](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/janne-koskela/) - While the world around him increasingly relies on automation and digital work, Koskela uses a variety of hand tools to create truly unique pieces out of wood. Handwork and traditional methods are close to his heart – that's why he uses traditional glues and finishes to build his guitars and microphones, even though these methods
- [Antea Arizanović Mutaović & Jovana Božović](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/antea-arizanovic-mutaovic-jovana-bozovic/) - What began as a search for forgotten old objects for the home has become a new passion. The ceramicist duo uses old vintage porcelain and gives it a new, modern look. Every brushstroke is done by hand, as is the application of 24-carat gold. Sustainability plays an important role for the duo – and not
- [Ned Cantrell](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/cantrell-glass-ned-cantrell/) - Discover the meticulous art of hot-sculpting glass with Ned Cantrell, mastering the fusion of high and low culture in his unique creations.
- [Simona Janišová](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/simona-janisova/) - For Janišová, clay is not just a material she works with – it allows her to express herself and visualize her ideas. And as she molds the clay, the material shapes her artistic identity over time. Driven by her urge to explore, Janišová straddles the line between utilitarian object and sculptural art. She is not
- [Masayoshi Oya](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/masayoshi-oya/) - It was only a coincidence that led Oya to ceramics. During his time at school in Japan, he wanted to attend the woodworking class. But the teacher retired and his successor taught ceramics instead. This is how he found the passion that still inspires him today. In his studio – a former bakery – Oya
- [Nathalie Van der Massen](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/nathalie-van-der-massen/) - Sensitivity to natural materials, surfaces and technology – this is what characterises Van der Massen's work. By incorporating immaterial elements such as light, time and sound, she creates experimental and poetic designs. The exploration of new production methods and the potential of textiles as autonomous, spatial and acoustic elements in (interior) architecture is also part
- [Eero Hintsanen](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/eero-hintsanen/) - In his studio in Lahti, master goldsmith Eero Hintsanen works on his unusual pieces that redefine the craft of jewellery making. In his work, he gives the morbid a new, modern look and creates real it-pieces that nestle against the body like a second spine. His metallic moulded bones appear fragile and strong at the
- [Ammy Olofsson & Erika Kristofersson Bredberg](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/ammy-olofsson-erika-kristofersson-bredberg/) - Running an environmentally friendly glass studio is not easy: At Glasbolaget Olofsson & Kristofersson Bredberg use landfill gas from the nearby waste dump to produce the most environmentally friendly glass products possible. They also use recycled shards from the utility and art glass industry to create not only commissioned pieces for other artists, designers or
- [Pieter Stockmans & Frank Claesen](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/pieter-stockmans-frank-claesen_/) - Objects produced at Studio Pieter Stockmans are the result of a combination of traditional craftsmanship and a contemporary, experimental approach. The family business values quality, craftsmanship, love and expertise – passed down from generation to generation. Since 1987, the studio has focused on small, unique collections, all of which are handmade in the studio in
- [Carla Garcia Durlan](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/carla-garcia/) - A new way of travelling.
- [Daniel Ankarstrand](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/daniel-ankarstrand/) - Thanks to his proximity to the sea, Ankarstrand has easy access to his favourite material: salmon leather – a waste product of the Norwegian fishing industry. The leather, which comes from the North Sea and is tanned in Iceland, ends up in his studio in Stockholm, where Ankarstrand and his team of experienced artisans transform
- [Jenya Andreeva Adamova](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/jenya-andreeva-adamova/) - A new way of travelling.
- [Konstantin Achkov](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/konstantin-achkov/) - A new way of travelling.
- [Sasha Sykes](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/sasha-sykes/) - In the foothills of the Wicklow Mountains, Sasha Sykes collects flowers and leaves, which she carefully dries before coating them with layers of resin to protect their vibrant colours. The remote landscape provides her with a large bouquet – plants, flowers, algae and even fungi – from which she creates new furniture and artworks. Each

## Pages

- [Gentle Traveller](https://www.gentletraveller.com/) - Meet creatives and places shaping contemporary craft and travel: textile artists, designers, and distinctive stays featured here.
- [Legal Notice](https://www.gentletraveller.com/legal-notice/) - Gentle Traveller is published by Direktorenhaus. Direktorenhaus Editions is a publisher dedicated to creating insight, community, and understanding through art and design. From our base in Berlin, Direktorenhaus connects global audiences and supports artists through our magazines, books, exhibitions, limited-edition prints, and awards. Through our publications, we explore topics often overlooked by mainstream journalism. Direktorenhaus
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- [Gentle Traveller](https://www.gentletraveller.com/about/) - One can imagine the Gentle Traveller as a romantic wanderer: perceiving the aesthetic changes in the world, yet failing miserably to grapple with tourism and its social and environmental consequences. About The Gentle Traveller project originated from an academic research project on slow tourism and its future. In collaboration with a group of artists, designers
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- [Journal](https://www.gentletraveller.com/journal/) - Location Open location filter Continent Continent Choose continent Search continent All continents Africa Europe No matches Country Country Choose country Search country All countries Albania Germany Italy Morocco Portugal Spain No matches All Travel Writing Edith Wharton - Rabat & Salé, Morocco Rabat & Salé Leaving Tangier: To step on board a steamer in a
- [Objects](https://www.gentletraveller.com/objects/) - Location Open location filter Continent Continent Choose continent Search continent All continents No matches Country Country Choose country Search country All countries No matches
- [Destinations](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destinations/) - Location Open location filter Continent Continent Choose continent Search continent All continents Africa Asia Europe North America No matches Country Country Choose country Search country All countries Bulgaria France Greece Ireland Italy Norway Republic of Namibia Saudi Arabia South Africa Spain Sweden Ukraine United Kingdom United States of America Uzbekistan No matches Europe's birthday gift,
- [Culinary](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/) - Location Open location filter Continent Continent Choose continent Search continent All continents Europe No matches Country Country Choose country Search country All countries Germany Portugal Switzerland No matches All Restaurants & Bars Wineries Berlin, Germany Golvet A Michelin-starred restaurant on the eighth floor above Potsdamer Platz, where Berlin lies below you… Berlin, Germany Ponte 2.0
- [Portraits](https://www.gentletraveller.com/portraits/) - Location Open location filter Continent Continent Choose continent Search continent All continents Africa Asia Europe North America South America No matches Country Country Choose country Search country All countries Armenia Austria Belgium Bosnia & Herzegovina Brazil Bulgaria Canada Cuba Czech Republic Denmark England Finland France Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Japan Korea Latvia Lebanon
- [Newsletter](https://www.gentletraveller.com/newsletter/)
- [The Gentle Traveller Code of Conduct](https://www.gentletraveller.com/code-of-conduct/) - 1. The Gentle Traveller does not see places or does not do activities. He engages with places and experiences activities. 2. The Gentle Traveller does not speak loudly and does not speak where silence is required. 3. The Gentle Traveller is connected to all human beings and to nature, for this reason he always respects

## Culinary

- [Golvet](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/golvet/) - The lift opens on the eighth floor, and before the first course arrives, Berlin lies before the windows: the Philharmonie, the Victory Column, the dome of the Reichstag, the television tower behind. A star of the Guide Michelin, held without a break since 2017, hangs over the house. You step in, and the view does
- [Ponte 2.0](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/ponte-2-0/) - The evening begins before the door: a quiet corner in the Bavarian Quarter, trees swallowing the traffic two houses early. Inside waits a parlour with white tablecloths, where someone knows your name before you give it. Naples speaks through the greeting, through the pace, through the ease with which a table appears, though no one
- [Culinarium Alpinum](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/culinarium-alpinum/) - You pass through a gate in the monastery wall, and the noise of the valley drops away. A sequoia stands in the courtyard, older than most guests put together. That one of central Switzerland's most singular kitchens works behind these walls—14 GaultMillau points, once the first monastery ever to be rated—you notice only by the
- [Quinta do Vale Meão](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/quinta-do-vale-meao/) - The drive begins in the broad, dry amplitude of the Douro, where scale seems slightly altered: sky, river, stone, distance. Then the road tightens, signs become specific, the station at Pocinho appears, and the estate comes into focus. The first impression is striking for what it avoids. No staged rusticity. No decorative folklore. Instead, a
- [Quinta do Crasto](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/quinta-do-crasto/) - The approach takes its time. The road threads through schist, bends and terraces; the river appears only in fragments, like a thought still forming. Then the estate is suddenly there, not polished for effect, not staged, but carrying the calm authority of a place that has worked for a long time and no longer needs
- [Quinta do Vallado](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/quinta-do-vallado/) - The drive into Regua feels like a slow recalibration. The slopes sharpen, the schist comes forward, the sky opens. Then Vallado appears, not as a staged fantasy but as a grown place: walls, chapel, courtyards, vines, and the calm authority that only long continuity can produce. The location Only a few kilometres from the
- [Niepoort](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/niepoort/) - At Quinta de Nápoles in the Douro, Niepoort shows how a historic Port house can become fully contemporary. Heritage is not displayed here; it is kept in motion with unusual precision. The location Niepoort, at Quinta de Nápoles, sits in a landscape that does not chase effect and therefore has plenty of it. The
- [DOC](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/doc/) - You arrive at the river, not merely at an address. The building hovers lightly above the water, as if extending the first step out of the valley; inside begins a kitchen that does not illustrate the Douro but reads it. That the Michelin Guide lists the house comes as no surprise after a few minutes.
- [The Knast](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/the-knast/) - Between rough stone, barred windows and modern interiors, several courses are served with matching wines. With a bar, restaurant, art studios—and soon a boutique hotel—the former women's prison has become a cultural hub in Lichterfelde. The building: From prison to “The Knast” “Knast” is the colloquial German word for prison. And that is what the
- [Restaurant BRIKZ](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/restaurant-brikz/) - A visit to BRIKZ begins with a slight change of tempo. Outside: City West, taxis, shop windows, theatre talk, old Charlottenburg confidence. Inside: brick, low light, the sound of glass, a room that does not ask for attention yet quietly holds it. Things settle. That is why the Michelin recommendation does not read like decoration
- [To the Bone](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/to-the-bone/) - The shift begins at the door. A moment earlier: Torstrasse, traffic, pace, that slightly overwired Mitte flicker; then another tempo - low light, dark wood, linen, glass, islands of conversation. In the air: embers, herbs, roasted shells, a trace of warm fat. Not a house of trophies, more a house of controlled expectations. You notice
- [Rutz](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/rutz/) - Paying a visit to Rutz is like stepping into a science exhibition. Jars filled with the chefs' experiments catch the eye as soon as one enters the restaurant. Their love of experimentation is also evident in the colourful creations they serve their guests, from bright green spruce sugar to fiery red blossoms. Becoming a
- [Jolesch](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/jolesch/) - In a quiet street in Berlin-Kreuzberg, behind Emmaus Church, lies Jolesch. In wine-bottle green rooms and a cosy atmosphere, guests can discover classic and modern interpretations of Austrian cuisine. Authentically Austrian Upper Austrian Renate Dengg and Salzburg native Max Setrak have made a name for themselves in the restaurant industry with their establishment. From mid-November
- [Brasserie Colette](https://www.gentletraveller.com/culinary/brasserie-colette/) - If you're out and about in “old” West Berlin, the elegant part of the city between Kurfürstendamm and KaDeWe (incidentally, the largest department store on the European mainland), you'll find a culinary gem tucked away in a side street that could just as easily be found in Paris: Brasserie Colette. The high standards of its

## Destinations

- [America](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/america/) - Seen from above, the land looks different. Anyone glancing out of the window on the approach to a mid-sized American airport at first makes out no landscape, only a kind of grid: cornfields in exact squares, roads running for dozens of kilometres without a single bend, parcel boundaries drawn by surveyors who never laid eyes
- [Atlantic Coast](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/atlantic/) - In Key West, at the southernmost point of a continent fond of imagining itself boundless, a concrete post topped with a buoy marks mile zero of U.S. Route 1. A souvenir shop beside it, a queue of tourists in front. From here to Fort Kent, a small town on the Canadian border, it's roughly 2,300
- [Oslo](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/oslo/) - What visitors should see in Oslo? The question seems simple, especially when it is put to the capital's former mayor. Yet, Fabian Stang had to think for two seconds before murmuring: the surroundings. Not the Nationaltheatret. Not the museums. Not the fjord from the quays. The surroundings: the Marka, the forests, the islands, the trails.
- [Ukraine](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/ukraine/) - That is exactly why a different gaze matters: not only toward domes, historic centres and the familiar images, but toward libraries, culture palaces, railway stations, housing blocks, mosaics and that modern built world in which the country’s real life takes place. Dmytro Soloviov’s book Ukrainian Modernism, with an introduction by Owen Hatherley, opens precisely that
- [Uzbekistan](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/uzbekistan/) - To travel to Uzbekistan is not to enter an open-air museum of turquoise and clay. The country is peaceful enough to be travelled and contradictory enough to be more than a beautiful backdrop. Dariya Sirotina’s Discovering Uzbekistan takes that tension seriously. It reads the country through people, crafts, meals, teahouses and regions—through the everyday forms
- [South Africa](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/south-africa/) - South Africa is a country of contrasts—a mixture of vibrant cities, untouched nature, and cultural diversity. Lina Mallon conveys this unique blend cheerfully and enthusiastically in her book South African Style. The South African resident takes readers on a colorful journey through typically bold interiors, presenting architectural highlights, beautiful landscapes, and interesting places, from the
- [Saudi Arabia](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/saudi-arabia/) - “I have to say that I have never traveled to a country where the external perception and my personal experience on the ground differed as much as in Saudi Arabia.” Lutz Jäkel should know. The Islamic scholar and historian grew up in Istanbul, lived in Syria and Yemen for many years, and speaks Arabic. “A
- [Rome](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/rome/) - Rome is more than just a city; it is a living history book. For over two and a half millennia, the Eternal City has shaped the world: first as the political center of an empire, later as the spiritual heart of Christianity. Rome is not just about the past. It is a place where history
- [Venice](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/venice/) - There are two versions of Venice. First, the real city: authentic, layered, alive. Then the image the world has made of it. The second has long since, perhaps too long, taken the place of the first. We arrive in Venice having already seen her. We have seen her in films, on covers, in advertisements, on
- [New York](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/new-york/) - Frank Sinatra sang "New York, New York" twice. Maybe he was trying to tell us something: that there are, beneath the surface, 2 cities, 2 faces, 2 speeds inhabiting the same name. New York contradicts itself at every street corner, and it is precisely this contradiction that sets it apart. Its 2 sides, fast and
- [Barcelona](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/barcelona/) - There is a specific kind of knowledge that cannot be written down. It lives in the hands of the woman who has been fitting gloves for forty years, in the roasting master who knows by smell alone that the nuts are ready, in the candlemaker who learned the trick of the wax from the person
- [Paris](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/paris-2/) - The historic centre of Paris is, in some respects, a survivor. Neither the Prussian siege of 1870 nor the two world wars of the following century managed to leave a mark on it. Even in 1944, when the Allies bombed the region, their targets were the railway junctions of the suburbs, not the urban fabric
- [Namibia](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/namibia/) - The dress is not in a museum. It is worn in the streets of Windhoek, on the railway tracks of Swakopmund, on the slopes of the mountains of the Namib Desert. Its shape comes from an imposition: in the 19th century, German missionaries required Ovaherero women to cover their bodies according to European codes of
- [London](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/london/) - Londinium was founded in 43 CE by the Romans. The Saxons rebuilt the city under another name, from the 7th century onwards. Then came centuries of Norman, Flemish, Irish, Jewish, Bangladeshi immigration, and more. 2,000 years of superposition, and not one layer has fully disappeared beneath the next. More than a cultural trend, multiculturalism is
- [Ireland](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/ireland/) - The most decorated franchise in NBA history is called the Boston Celtics. Its logo carries a leprechaun. Its colours are green. Every year since 1962, the city of Chicago dyes its river green for St Patrick's Day. These are not anecdotes. They are the visible surface of something structural: a culture that crossed an ocean,
- [Stockholm](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/stockholm/) - When visiting Stockholm, it is worth taking your time – because this beautiful city, which consists of fourteen islands, has a lot to offer in addition to museums, parks, historic streets and buildings. It's the centre of the Swedish design scene: interior design and furniture shops like Svenskt Tenn, Design House Stockholm, Asplund, Modernity and
- [Athens](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/athens/) - Beneath the sun-drenched skies of Athens, time seems to blur between past and present amid marble ruins and shadowed colonnades. As visitors wander through this storied city, they are invited not just to see, but to feel the echoes of a civilization that once shaped the very foundations of democracy, philosophy, and art. Nowhere is
- [Sofia](https://www.gentletraveller.com/destination/sofia/) - Sofia has certainly changed a lot in its 7,000-year history. A stroll through the yellow-stone-paved city center – dotted with ancient Roman ruins and ornate examples of Byzantine, Ottoman and 20th-century European architecture – is a must. During the metro's construction, archaeologists uncovered Roman ruins that were almost 2000 years old. Back then, Sofia was

## Journals

- [Rabat & Salé](https://www.gentletraveller.com/journal/rabat-and-sale/) - The sensation is attainable by any one who will take the trouble to row out into the harbour of Algeciras and scramble onto a little black boat headed across the straits. Hardly has the rock of Gibraltar turned to cloud when one's foot is on the soil of an almost unknown Africa. Tangier, indeed, is
- [To my beloved cousin Agathe Wrede, 1821](https://www.gentletraveller.com/journal/to-my-beloved-cousin-agathe-wrede/) - I admit, Agathe, that reality is not pleasant. Its hardships, which I imagined would be so stimulating, its dangers, which I thought would be so uplifting for the soul, have already lost a good deal of the bright colours with which my imagination adorned them. »Heaven forbid!«, I hear you say, »it was indeed a
- [Kastrati, Skreli, Gruda and Hoti](https://www.gentletraveller.com/journal/kastrati-skreli-gruda-and-hoti/) - The kirijee and the two horses were waiting for us outside the town. Only now, as we mounted, did the journey truly begin for me. There is a quite particular pleasure in riding out into the unknown—a pleasure that a second journey along the same route can never again provide. Beyond the plain the high
- [In Palermo, I felt the heart of the city](https://www.gentletraveller.com/journal/in-palermo-i-felt-the-heart-of-the-city/) - In my imagination the city appeared to me like a demanding and suspicious signora. Without doubt she was aristocratic and reserved, someone who would never open the windows of her magnificent house, and who swept the dust, together with everything else, beneath a carpet that was as precious as it was worn out. Palermo, as
- [Life in Palma](https://www.gentletraveller.com/journal/life-in-palma/) - The city of Palma forms not only the commercial but also the intellectual center of the entire island. All roads lead there; nearly all country people conduct their most important business there, whether to settle financial matters, safely invest painstakingly saved money, determine the prices of agricultural products, or make purchases. Thus, many people stream
- [Palermo—a city that has changed](https://www.gentletraveller.com/journal/palermo/) - “The Ballad of Prefect Mori” “My heart breaks now that I have finished singing this true story – when I think that the Mafia has power and dishonours this honest and poor land that wants bread and work, freedom, justice, and schools. And no to the Mafia! And no to the infamous law of the
- [Boom despite little money: visual art in Lisbon](https://www.gentletraveller.com/journal/boom-despite-little-money-visual-art-in-lisbon/) - Since 2016, around a dozen new galleries have opened, and a number of international art dealers have established branches. Also since 2016, the art fair ARCOlisboa has taken place every May, and in 2018 JustLX was added as a competing event at the same time. For several years there has also been a small but

## Stays

- [Flemings Mayfair Hotel](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/flemings-london/) - The Importance of Being Earnest, Wilde's most famous comedy, served as inspiration for combining the creative atmosphere of Victorian London with modernity in the fully renovated Townhouse Suite—realised by renowned London design studio Tully Filmer. The location The Half Moon Street, where the boutique hotel is located, was developed in 1730. It was named after
- [Casa Navegna](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/casa-navegna/) - The lakeside road from Locarno to Minusio passes gardens that hide behind hedges. Between palms and dense Mediterranean greenery, a few steps from the lake, a narrow gate opens. Beyond it, a different pace begins: gravel crunches, cicadas hold their pitch, and a flat, white house waits, as it has for nearly a hundred years,
- [Belvedere Bellagio](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/belvedere-bellagio/) - The road to Bellagio curves along the shore, past villas with a view of the water. Turning off towards Pescallo, you leave the promenade's bustle for a narrow climb between gardens. Upstairs, there's no classic reception. The first thing you see is the lake, through the open terrace door. The Location Bellagio sits on
- [Otahuna Lodge](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/otahuna-lodge/) - You turn off the country road into a quiet hollow of the Port Hills, ring the bell at the gate, and the drive leads up through old trees to the mansion. Before the entrance the wide Great Lawn, beyond it the plain and, on the horizon, the Southern Alps. Inside, a fire crackles, someone takes
- [Designregio Kortrijk](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/designregio-kortrijk/) - Kortrijk lies in the west of Flanders, where the river Leie divides and forms a small island in the middle of the city: Buda. Breweries, dye houses and textile factories once stood here; today designers, students and artists work on the same island. In this repurposed industrial world, Designregio Kortrijk receives its guests. You quickly
- [Schilana 80](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/schilana-80/) - The road follows the Inn through the Lower Engadine, past Ardez, Guarda, Ftan, the valley narrowing, the slopes steepening. Ramosch sits where the valley widens again, a street village with terraced fields along its flanks. Among neighbouring houses with pale sgraffito façades, a wooden gate opens onto a courtyard that looks older than it is—or
- [Estancia El Colibrí](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/el-colibri/) - If you like, you learn the asado from Bramajo, or prepare a three-course lunch in the kitchen of La Maison, from gathering eggs to fresh pasta. Service is relaxed and familial, by the fire or out under the arcades. Alcohol is not included; everything else is.From Córdoba airport you drive an hour through open country,
- [Hirschen](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/hirschen/) - Anyone driving to Schwarzenberg arrives with a picture already in mind: shingle-clad houses, a few cows, plenty of quiet. The picture is largely accurate. Schwarzenberg is a singular place—villages with this much architectural coherence are rare. On the village square, though, the impression is briefly shaken. There stands the Hirschen, on the same spot since
- [Maison Brummell Majorelle](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/maison-brummell-majorelle/) - You leave the bustle of the medina and stand suddenly in a quiet villa street, parallel to Rue Yves Saint Laurent. Behind terrazzo walls a clay-red house rises like a modernist sandcastle. Inside: smooth stone, soft walls, a staircase that seems carved from rock. Behind the Jardin Majorelle, cacti hang over the wall. Nobody is
- [Hôtel Particulier Montmartre](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/hotel-particulier-montmartre/) - A discreet golden plaque welcomes those who know. A private alley leads guests to the hotel, hidden behind the black gate. Then, behind a wrought-iron gate, an alley opens, and suddenly the white house stands among trees, with a view of the Eiffel Tower. A piece of countryside in the middle of the city. Inside,
- [Ansitz Hohenegg](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/ansitz-hohenegg/) - The forest smells cool and dark with spruce, and you walk for a while before anything happens. Then, without warning, the light breaks through the trees, and a clearing opens like the end of a sentence. The house has stood there for almost three hundred years, in the sun, as though it had been waiting
- [The Huntington Hotel](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/the-huntington-hotel/) - Getting to Nob Hill usually means the cable car, hauling itself up California Street past Grace Cathedral until the car stops at the corner of Taylor Street. The Huntington stands right there, twelve stores of brick, a lit sign on the roof visible from half of San Francisco. Inside, it smells of freshly polished brass.
- [Waldchalets Brandnertal](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/waldchalets-brandnertal/) - The last stretch to Brand runs through a narrowing valley, ending at the valley head before the Rätikon. Anyone arriving here has long since left the main road behind. Between meadows and the dark edge of a larch forest stand the chalets, barely visible until you are almost upon them. The first impression owes little
- [Post Lech](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/post-lech/) - The drive to Lech winds upward through hairpin bends, past villages that seem to sit exactly where the valleys can still just decide to open. At the centre of the village stands a house in a strong shade of pink, arguing with the mountains and winning. The first glance keeps what the façade promises: substance,
- [Domaine de Boisbuchet](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/domaine-de-boisbuchet/) - Boisbuchet lies deep in the rural Charente, near the village of Lessac, an hour from Limoges and Angoulême. A narrow road runs through woods and fields to a 19th-century château, surrounded by meadows, a lake and the river Vienne. Among the old buildings stand pavilions of bamboo and paper. This remoteness is part of the
- [Holenberg – Home of Cabin ANNA](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/holenberg-home-of-cabin-anna/) - You leave the car at the edge and walk into the forest, past drifting sand and heath. Then, among the pines, there she stands: ANNA, a wooden cabin with a glass core, whose layers can be slid apart. No reception, no key-card beep, only birdsong and the smell of resin. You push the wall open,
- [Grand Hotel Bellevue](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/grand-hotel-bellevue/) - You come out of the din of Paddington, turn a corner, and the noise falls away. Before you lies the green Norfolk Square, framed by white stucco façades, one of them the Bellevue. Inside, a fire crackles, deep sofas, saturated orange. You are received like an old friend of the family. The city rages, but
- [Jan van Eyck Academie](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/jan-van-eyck-academie/) - The Jan van Eyck Academie stands in the centre of Maastricht, on a square of its own, the Academieplein. Behind the bright, clear façade of a 1960s building lie studios, labs and gardens. Step inside and you find an academy of a particular kind: a place for research and production, where experienced artists and designers
- [Passalacqua](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/passalacqua/) - You arrive as a guest in a private house that happens to be larger than expected. A car carries you up the switchbacks, the gate swings open, and the lake is suddenly below you, stepped into terraces. Someone is playing the piano. It smells of citrus and wet stone. The outside world goes quiet, almost
- [Le Sirenuse](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/le-sirenuse/) - You arrive in Positano the way everyone does, badly — down a road that hairpins off the mountain as if reluctant, depositing you in a town with no level ground and no intention of acquiring any. Then a discreet doorway, a few steps down, and the noise simply stops. Below you, the sea; the hotel
- [Kranich Museum & Hotel](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/kranich-museum-hotel/) - The drive leads along country roads, past fields and avenues of trees, deeper and deeper into stillness. Then a village square, a yellow manor house, a fire pond, old trees all around. Whoever arrives here has left the sea behind and chosen its hinterland instead—and comes upon something improbable: a manor house on whose upper
- [Palazzo Talìa](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/palazzo-talia/) - Through a tall wooden door you step from the street into another tempo. Past the door, a corridor, a chandelier, a planted courtyard, then the Magna Hall: a vaulted room with antique busts on plinths and a floor like a chessboard. At its centre, pastel armchairs on a carpet full of blossoms. Nobody is in
- [La Residence](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/la-residence/) - The drive does some of the work. Beyond Cape Town the landscape widens, then narrows; you turn off onto the Elandskloof Road, and the city slips off you like a coat worn too long. Plum orchards, horse paddocks, then nothing but mountain. At the end a gate, an avenue, a house in ochre under steep
- [Greenview Tornow](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/greenview-tornow/) - You drive out of Berlin, the roads emptying, the pine forests thickening. In Tornow, a village on the stream, an ensemble of six plain timber houses stands at the forest's edge. Behind the glass front waits calm, before it a terrace with a view into the green. A canoe lies by the water, grill smoke
- [Schloss Hollenegg](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/schloss-hollenegg/) - From Graz you drive southwest for barely an hour, through hills, forest and the vineyards of western Styria, until at the end of a climbing road the castle appears above the village of Hollenegg. People live and work here: the Liechtenstein family inhabits the house, and in the middle of that daily life new design
- [Cotton House Hotel](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/cotton-house-hotel/) - You step off the city's loudest axis into a mirrored entrance hall, and the traffic switches off behind you. Past it, an octagonal room and two staircases, one of marble, one from the fifties that seems to float. It smells of wood and faintly of money that no longer has to work. Welcome to the
- [Mona Athens](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/mona-athens/) - You don't find Mona; you are let in. The façade gives nothing away—a narrow lane, a red rose sprayed beside the door, a buzzer. Then an interior opens that has little to do with the silence outside: warm light, peeling walls, a sofa that looks as though it has overheard a few stories. Athens out
- [THE PIG–on the beach](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/the-pig-on-the-beach/) - The road to Studland runs through heath and narrow villages, then a yellow house appears among the trees, looking as if a child had designed it and insisted on a turret. Nobody rushes to take your bags. Inside, chandeliers over worn-in sofas, a dog, an open fire; the bay lies beyond the windows. You are
- [Brown's Hotel](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/browns-hotel/) - Step out of the car and a doorman in a top hat greets you—a small piece of theatre that promises nothing and implies everything. Albemarle Street stays quiet, almost discreet. Inside, the register shifts: low light, somewhere the touch of a piano. Spines of books line the walls, as though you had wandered by accident
- [Monsieur Didot](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/monsieur-didot-athens/) - Behind light-coloured walls and marble balconies, the neoclassical building is a quiet homage to Greek antiquity. Colourful bookshelves and old crackling fireplaces invite guests to linger over a book at the end of the evening. The view Nestled in a small side street in Athens, the windows offer a glimpse into the daily life of
- [Landet Stay](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/landet-stay-swedish-archipelago/) - Cracking branches and chirping birds: time seems to stand still in this hidden, secluded area. As the light dances on the furniture and nature takes its course, guests can sit back and enjoy the peaceful atmosphere. The view Steeped in fog: The generous glass facade offers a constantly changing view of the forest and the
- [Casa Montelongo](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/casa-montelongo/) - Formed from the bones of the old theatre and casa, Spanish architect Néstor Pérez Batista designed two units divided only by a square pool. Located in the northern town of La Oliva, the house combines elegant lines with local materials and captures the warm colours typical of the Canarian climate. The view A sleek minimalist
- [Feuer & Flamme](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/feuer-flamme/) - A place that breathes and lives its past like no other. From the outside, there are no visible traces of the former fire station. But inside, the theme of fire is very much present—translated into abstract shapes and fiery light. The view Nestled in an idyllic landscape and karst slopes, the house offers a sanctuary.
- [The Yellow House](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/the-yellow-house/) - Located on stone terraces and surrounded by abundant nature, the Yellow House offers ample space for families and groups of friends. Three single houses spread across the rocky slope allow for gatherings and relaxation. The view Straight from the living room into the water: the spacious terrace with its former irrigation tank offers a beautiful
- [The Granite House](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/granite-house/) - Built from rough stones and surrounded by nature, the Granite House offers sweeping views and an intimate, calm atmosphere. With its secluded spot in the Portuguese countryside, it has plenty of hiking trails, nearby beaches, and charming little towns like Monchique. The view Overlooking the vineyard from the top of the hill, Granite House is
- [stieg'nhaus](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/stiegnhaus/) - The design hotel is located in the incomparable mountain world of the Hochkönig region in the Salzburg province. It is a place that offers every visitor space for inner peace, relaxation, and inspiration. With only six suites, the two hotel operators, Maria and Tom Heidenreich, create an intimate atmosphere where everything revolves around the individual
- [The cōmodo](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/comodo/) - The cōmodo represents the extraordinary rebirth of the historic Habsburger Hof, which was built in 1881. In 1962, the building was demolished, rebuilt, and used as a clinic from 1985 to 2017. After standing vacant for three years, Berlin architect Barbara Elwardt acquired the building and transformed it into a modern and stylish hotel. After
- [Max Brown](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/max-brown/) - Cities are collections of living spaces: there are neighbourhoods with grand boulevards and opera houses, neighbourhoods that are home to the financial world, and also purely residential areas. And then there are the creative neighbourhoods, the places. That's where new things happen, where—often a younger generation—shapes the lifestyle of a metropolis. The 7th district in
- [Urban Nature](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/urban-nature/) - The roaring waterfall right next to the hotel sets the central theme of Urban Nature: water. No wonder: the new hotel building is a towering structure (and already an architectural icon in Bad Gastein) in the middle of the town, while the venerable Hotel Straubinger completes the ensemble in the centre. It is part of
- [The Amauris Vienna](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/the-amauris-vienna/) - The Amauris Vienna embodies everything that distinguishes a Relais & Châteaux boutique hotel: a personal touch, excellent service, and exceptional, luxurious design. The corner building, designed by renowned Austrian architects Willhelm von Flattrich and Carl Schumann, was originally used as an elegant residence. Until the end of the Habsburg monarchy, it was a popular meeting
- [Hotel MOTTO](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/hotel-motto/) - Romance meets subtle elements of punk: in the dreamy, creative world of Hotel MOTTO, a new definition of luxury is emerging. With its extraordinary attitude, an extravagant universe has been created in the middle of Mariahilfer Straße. Floral patterns and greenery run throughout the romantic hotel—interrupted by small rebellious elements. The location Located on the
- [Borgo dei Conti](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/borgo-dei-conti/) - With its ten exclusive rooms and thirty suites, the five-star luxury hotel is one of the best addresses in Umbria—just a few kilometres from Perugia and Lake Trasimeno. Here, guests can enjoy excellent cuisine, a rich wellness programme, and the lightness of the Mediterranean. The Borgo dei Conti Resort, whose historic charm immediately captivates us,
- [Kurhaus Binz](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/kurhaus-binz/) - Nevertheless, the A-ROSA Kurhaus Binz is considered one of the most popular hotels on the island of Rügen, as it combines a prime location with luxurious flair. The hotel has 137 rooms and suites, several restaurants and a café. In addition, an approx. 1,500 m² wellness area with pools and sauna facilities is part of
- [Vestige Miramar](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/vestige-miramar/) - This sea-facing gem overlooks the marina’s gently bobbing boats and the shimmering bay beyond, while the delights of Palma—sublime beaches, rich culture, vibrant art and exquisite cuisine—are just steps away. The location The storied mansion was once home to Juan Antoni Artigues, a distinguished councillor to King Carlos III. Behind its elegant façade, this impeccably
- [Son Net](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/son-net/) - A private vineyard, organic orchards and lush gardens: surrounded by abundant nature, Son Net allows the aesthetics of the 17th century to flourish once again inside. The location Perched on stone terraces and lined with tall palm trees, the hotel is located in the heart of Mallorca's countryside, yet only 20 minutes from Palma.
- [Meraki Studios](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/meraki-studios/) - Perched on a hill, the cube-shaped apartments are surrounded by a rugged but lush landscape: Meraki Studios offers its guests a slower pace and a grounded way of life. A philosophy that is also reflected in the name: In the Greek language, Meraki describes the way of doing something with care, intention and passion. Known
- [Scheune](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/die-scheune/) - Dairy cows, ponies, chickens, cats and rabbits: the old barn on the family farm embodies idyllic village life. Situated in the Bavarian foothills of the Alps, the interior of the holiday home is not what one might expect from a barn: It is a return to its roots – but with a contemporary twist. The
- [The Rock Cabins](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/the-rock-cabins/) - Set among the rolling hills of the Balaton Highlands and in the midst of tranquil nature, the Rock Cabins offer guests seclusion, relaxation and plenty of time for each other. The view A panoramic view characterises the interior of each cabin, facing the surrounding nature and away from the other houses for complete privacy. The
- [Cá na Serra](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/ca-na-serra/) - 'Here in the mountains', as the Portuguese name ‘Cá na Serra’ translates, lies a complex of three separate buildings. A former settlement has now become the center-point of the house, surrounded by 2,6 hectares of grassland with cork oaks, pines and olive trees. The view Like living works of art, the windows frame the landscape,
- [Palais Brut](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/palais-brut/) - Amidst the trees of the Brandenburg countryside lies the former GDR building, now known as Palais Brut. Rapeseed fields and lakes characterize the landscape, a setting into which the vacation home blends harmoniously. The view On the quiet outskirts of Eggersdorf, the former prefabricated house from the 1990s offers unobstructed views of nature from its
- [The Byron Dubrovnik](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/the-byron-dubrovnik/) - With its central yet quiet location, the hotel is within a stone's throw of the main sights and attractions, restaurants, nightlife and shops—offering guests direct immersion into the vibrant city life of Dubrovnik. The location As one strolls through the narrow streets of Dubrovnik, the sound of young children playing football fills the air. And
- [La Residencia](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/la-residencia/) - Mountain views, warm natural light and spacious suites: Rooms furnished with distinctive antiques and beds with natural linen await the arrival of guests. Let the holiday begin. The location Old stone houses are scattered across the rising hill, metres-high palm trees rise up into the sky. Here, between olive and citrus groves, lies
- [Palazzo Garzoni](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/palazzo-garzoni/) - Ceilings decorated with stucco and paintings, immaculate marble columns and old, ornately decorated solid wood doors: the interiors of Palazzo Garzoni are furnished with materials of the highest quality—accompanied by a service that leaves no wish unfulfilled. The location From the Palazzo's exquisite location, guests can enjoy views of the Grand Canal between St. Mark's
- [Ferien Werder](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/ferien-werder/) - Even Theodor Fontane was impressed by Werder Island, on which the holiday apartments are located. To this day, it is characterised by its history of winegrowing, lush orchards and traditional crafts—a green oasis less than an hour from Berlin. The location Ancient walls dating back to the 13th century, gardens and vineyards stretch along the
- [Goldenstern Townhouse](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/goldenstern/) - Exposed walls, stucco and painted wooden ceilings bear witness to the centuries-old history of the building that now houses the Goldenstern Townhouse. For several generations, it has been in the hands of the Rizzolli family, who continue to preserve its history to this day. The location The Goldenstern Townhouse is located near the
- [Castel Fragsburg](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/castel-fragsburg/) - Tight bends wind their way up the mountain, the distinctive red gabled roofs are visible from afar. At the top of the hill, a retreat awaits, boasting plenty of culinary and wellness delights alike. The location Encircled by a fairytale-like, expansive garden filled with the scent of rose bushes mingling with the fresh mountain
- [Bootshaus](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/bootshaus/) - On a very small plot of land in the middle of Amberg's old town, five houses, three of which are listed buildings, were converted into what is now the Bootshaus. The location The historic Boothaus is located directly on the former lifeline of the city, the River Vils. Goods such as iron were transported
- [Parkhotel Laurin](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/parkhotel-laurin/) - Over the decades, the Parkhotel Laurin has welcomed numerous famous guests. Among the first were the Austrian imperial family and the German royal family. More recently, film maker Wim Wenders, the Dalai Lama (who always had breakfast at half past four in the morning) and Patty Smith have stayed here. The location Just
- [Goldene Rose Karthaus](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/goldene-rose/) - Nestled in the rural landscape of South Tyrol, with the three-thousand-metre peaks of the Ötztal Valley and the Dolomites on the horizon, lies Hotel Goldene Rose Karthaus in the Schnalstal Valley. The location The fresh mountain air feels palpable in front of the building, while the sound of the Karthaus bells echoes through
- [Sensoria Dolomites](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/sensoria/) - Set against the picturesque backdrop of the mountains, the hotel is an alpine oasis amidst the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage site. The location Over the seasons, Sensoria's surroundings offer a relaxing, calming atmosphere. During winter, snow coats the hotel and landscape in a frosty, pleasant silence. While in summer, when the meadows are
- [Schgaguler](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/schgaguler/) - Clear, angular contours, shades of white, beige and grey: the Hotel Schgaguler is a modern interpretation of Alpine architecture. The location Behind the Schgaguler, Mount Schlern rises into the blue sky. Below the Seiser Alm, surrounded by old houses and cobblestone streets, lies a hotel with unusual architecture. With its large glass fronts and
- [vigilius](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/vigilius/) - Here at the hotel and in the heart of Mount Vigiljoch, guests can let go and simply be themselves. Surounded by people whose warm hospitality makes others happy. The location Secluded from roads, the vigilius mountain resort is located at an altitude of 1,500 metres above Lana on the Italian-Austrian border. The hotel can
- [The Charles Hotel](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/the-charles-hotel/) - Surrounded by the lush greenery of the Old Botanical Garden, The Charles Hotel is located in a quiet area of Munich. Inside, Art Deco is combined with ornate botanical elements, vibrant colours are paired with muted tones, creating a playful yet cosy atmosphere. The location Located between Karlsplatz and Königsplatz, and next to the
- [Parkhotel Mondschein](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/parkhotel-mondschein/) - When one arrives at the Parkhotel Mondschein, the first thing that catches the eye is the ivy-covered façade with its Art Nouveau balconies and white shutters. But its interior is no less impressive. The location Located in the city's oldest arcade streets, Parkhotel Mondschein is surrounded by a large park, just a few minutes'
- [Casa del Limonero](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/hotel-casa-limonero/) - Inspired by a hand-painted motif discovered during renovation work on the original 15th-century floor, the hotel's current stag logo was created. Large parts of the house's past serve as a backdrop for today's eclectic interior, which boasts treasures from all over the world. The location Just a 3-minute walk from Seville's famous cathedral and
- [La Fondation Paris](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/la-fondation-paris/) - Fans of brutalism will love the building, originally designed by Philippe Chiambaretta, even before they step inside. After years of renovation, its interior now impresses many other aesthetes as well: exposed concrete structures with brutalist accents meet large panoramic windows that bathe the rooms in warm daylight—a beautiful contrast to cold concrete. The
- [Lešić Dimitri Palace](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/lesic-dimitri-palace/) - Arriving in Korčula feels like a slow zoom: ferry, walls, pale stone, narrow lanes. Behind old portals, Lešić Dimitri Palace begins without theatre, more like stepping into a hidden town house—calm, exact, immediately interesting. The location To arrive in Korčula is to enter a harbour town that can seem almost unreal, except that it
- [Gáldu](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/galdu-hotel-spa/) - The drive to Laanila feels like a quiet correction of pace. Past Saariselka, the road empties out, the forest thickens, the light sharpens. Then Gáldu appears between the trees: not a house of grand gestures, more one of exact placement. Nothing pushes forward, nothing begs to impress. The hotel trusts that this place already has
- [Vista Verona](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/vista-verona/) - Verona is a city that does not need much introduction. Plenty of stone, plenty of history, plenty of feeling in the urban fabric. Yet in the quieter lanes it reveals its better, more exact side. That is also where Vista Verona begins. Arrival feels understated, almost casual, and precisely for that reason it stays in
- [Prestonfield House](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/prestonfield-house/) - The approach feels less like checking in than slipping sideways into another register of Edinburgh. Traffic thins, the trees close ranks, and the city’s stone rhetoric gives way to lawns, silence and a house that seems to have been waiting for candlelight rather than a key card, or even much explanation. The location Prestonfield
- [Saint James Paris](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/saint-james-paris/) - Arrival feels like a slight adjustment of perspective. Behind the gate and driveway, Paris does not disappear, but it steps back. Gravel, garden, façade, then that oddly unurban calm. You are not entering a hotel in the usual sense so much as a house with its own temperature. The first impression is not spectacle but
- [Son Blanc Menorca](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/son-blanc-menorca/) - The drive in already begins to reset the eye. The island turns drier, quieter, more exact. Stone walls, rough tracks, low trees, long light. Son Blanc does not appear as a grand arrival, more as something slowly coming into focus. You arrive with the sense that nothing here needs to push for effect. The shift
- [Castel Badia](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/castel-badia/) - The road winds upward past farmsteads, meadows and wooded slopes. Then it is simply there. Not a resort-style entrance, more a sudden presence of stone, height and history. Castel Badia does not greet guests with volume but with quiet: walls, courtyards, sightlines into the Dolomites. And with the feeling that something else is still waiting
- [The Florentin](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/the-florentin/) - Arrival begins with a small revision of the usual Frankfurt image. First traffic, glass and business; then, suddenly, another tempo: more greenery, more distance, more townhouse than urban operating system. The hotel does not turn its withdrawal into a cult, but into a form. You arrive and quickly understand that spectacle is not in charge
- [I Pini](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/i-pini/) - The road narrows, the traffic drops away, and at some point only this Tuscan topography of dust, stone and light remains. Behind pines and vines, the house appears, not theatrically, but with the quiet assurance old buildings sometimes possess. The location Agrivilla i Pini lies in Località Santa Margherita, a few minutes outside San Gimignano,
- [Klitmøller Hideaway](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/klitmoller_hideaway/) - The final stretch into Klitmøller already feels like a quiet shift: less traffic, more horizon, salt in the air. Then it appears between pines and heath. Not a house trying to impress. More one that is simply there and stands out for exactly that reason. The first impression is Nordic understatement, with poise, calm and
- [Chesa Marchetta](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/chesa-marchetta/) - The road into Sils Maria narrows the mind in the right way. Lakes flash, the valley cools, and the village appears with that Engadin mixture of stone, timber and reserve. Then Chesa Marchetta comes into view: not theatrical, not loud, simply present. Arrival here feels less like checking in than being admitted to a place
- [Experimental Marais](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/experimental-marais/) - Arrival in the Haut-Marais still works by compression: traffic loosens, façades straighten, the city suddenly remembers stone. Then a dark, composed frontage on rue du Temple, and behind it a hotel that understands the Parisian art of withholding half a second before it reveals itself. You enter, and the street noise drops as if someone
- [Castello di Vicarello](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/castello-di-vicarello/) - The final bends tighten, the road falls quiet, your phone loses ambition. Then the castle appears above woods and vines, not like scenery so much as a deliberate interruption of the ordinary. You do not simply arrive; you are eased out of the tempo of the outside world and placed in another order altogether: slower,
- [Massarelos House](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/massarelos-house/) - Porto rarely yields itself at first glance. You arrive through sloping streets, gardens and glimpses of the river, and then the city slips from motion into composure. That is exactly where Massarelos House begins: not as a grand gesture, more as a precise moment of arrival. Behind the door there is no lobby theatre, only
- [Nido de Amor](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/nido-de-amor/) - For guests arriving through a curated stay arranged by Firstclass Holidays, even the journey into Careyes tends to unfold less like a transfer and more like a gradual transition into another rhythm of life. The location Careyes sits on Jalisco's Pacific coast between Manzanillo and Puerto Vallarta. From Manzanillo airport the drive takes about
- [The EVE Hotel](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/the-eve-hotel-sydney/) - The approach via Cleveland Street still moves to the beat of traffic, then the scene shifts. Baptist Street feels quieter, more focused, almost like a clean cut in the film. Between brickwork, new addresses and an older urban fabric, The EVE opens with a calm that does not stand apart from the city, but sits
- [Vista Ostuni](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/vista-ostuni/) - The drive in changes the tempo first. Dry-stone walls, pale tracks, silver olive trees; then the palazzo appears, not as a grand statement but as a quiet find. Vista Ostuni seems to have settled into the landscape rather than landed on it. That is the first pleasure. No over-explaining, no staged arrival. Just light, air
- [Amanzoe](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/amanzoe/) - The approach moves through a landscape that has no need to advertise itself: olive groves, dusty green, sea held at a distance. Then Amanzoe appears not with drama but with control. Walls, water, shade, columns. First impression arrives less as spectacle than as carefully staged deceleration. The location Amanzoe occupies a hilltop at Agios
- [Château Voltaire](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/chateau-voltaire/) - Arriving here means entering more than a neighborhood. It is a concentration: arcades, ministries, fashion, opera, the old money of stone façades. Then the door of Château Voltaire. No grand flourish. More the pleasant sense that someone has turned the volume of Paris down by one notch. Inside, the air shifts at once: more private,
- [Hôtel de Crillon](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/hotel-de-crillon/) - Arriving at Concorde in Paris, you do not encounter a hotel so much as a stage set for the city itself. The square opens wide, almost statesmanlike; then your eye follows the arcades and there it is, calm and pale, with that discreet authority Paris grants only sparingly. You move closer. The location Getting
- [Engelwirt](https://www.gentletraveller.com/stay/engelwirt/) - The journey to Berching has something calming about it. The streets grow narrower, the gaze steadier, the architecture precise again. Then you arrive at Reichenauplatz and find yourself in front of a house that relies neither on provincial nostalgia nor on the usual design overstatement. Engelwirt appears restrained at first. That, precisely, is part of