Seeking inspiration for upcoming downtime? We've done a quick survey of what the Wallpaper* team have been up this week – or are planning for the days ahead. Here are their recommendations, which cover staying in (Hannah Tindle has found the perfect autumnal nail colour, while Melina Keays is cooking up quince), dining out (Tianna Williams tried The Midland Grand in London), and hitting the trail (Ellie Stathaki’s walking architours include a zoo).
Hannah Tindle, Beauty Editor
TRY: 'This week I painted my nails with a polish from Hermès beauty’s limited edition line for autumn/winter 2024. The shade, named ‘Vert Bronze’, almost shifts in tone each time you look at your hands, appearing as a burnished brown, dark mushroom, or moss green.'
Bill Prince, Editor-in-Chief
LISTEN TO: This week I enjoyed accompanying the cover girl of Roxy Music’s Stranded album to hear their guitarist Phil Manzanera unpack his recently published memoir From Revolución To Roxy (the title alludes to Phil’s early upbringing in Latin America, where his father served as, initially a British Council worker, and later on, an airline executive). It trails a new 11-CD retrospective of Manzanera’s 50 years of work as a solo musician that includes ‘K-Scope’, sampled by Kanye West and Jay-Z for their Grammy award-winning ‘No Church in the Wild’ – a payday that, Manzanera shared, has eclipsed his earnings from his Roxy Music years.
The 11-CD box set (released 1 November) is available to pre-order at manzanera.com
Hannah Silver, Art, Watches & Jewellery Editor
WATCH: 'I'm enjoying the must-see films of 2024/5 being on my doorstep. Personal highlights / what I'm most looking forward to at BFI London Film Festival this week include Emilia Pérez (Zoe Saldana and Selena Gomez's set pieces are particularly spectacular), The Room Next Door, Night Bitch and The Apprentice.'
Melina Keays, Entertaining Director
MAKE: 'I have quince left from an entertaining shoot. They are compellingly beautiful and fragrant, but I’ve never done anything with them other than put them in still life images, so this week I’ve decided to make them into membrillo, to serve with cheese. I love an involved home cooking session, especially trying something new, so I'm excited.'
Tianna Williams, Editorial Executive
DINE: 'On Tuesday evening I had the pleasure of enjoying the decadent food on offer at The Midland Grand, which opened last year next to St Pancras and King’s Cross stations in London. The intimate space is brimming with mysterious and alluring furniture, from the thickly cushioned chairs to the spookish marine exoskeletons framed behind glass cases and the blood-red roses that garnished the mantelpiece, a gothically elegant selection the Addams family would be proud of.
The menu is crafted by head chef Charlie Crote and inspired by the grand brasseries of Paris. We started with the grand seafood platter – brimming with oysters, scallops and mussels – and pâté en croûte du jour. To follow was roast crown of duck with beetroot and figs, and the meal was rounded off with a torched Bombe Alaska. Perfect to fuel an evening of casting spells.
Bridget Downing, Executive Editor
GO: 'I’ve booked tickets for the Formula 1 Exhibition at ExCel London (with a visual identity designed by Hingston Studio; on until 31 December) as a half-term treat for a teenage F1 fan – an altogether more attainable way of fuelling his McClaren obsession than the brand's new W1 supercar, which launched last week and was described by Wallpaper* transport editor Jonathan Bell as a ‘£2m concoction of hybrid power and active aero – unsurprisingly already sold out’.
Ellie Stathaki, Architecture & Environment Director
TOUR: 'I love a relaxed, walking, mini architecture tour, and London is full of areas with a high concentration of great architecture to experience – alone, headphones on, with friends, or as a family. My immediate plans involve a walk across Stratford's Elizabeth Park, around which a couple of big museum projects are gearing up for opening in the next year or so (see our V&A East preview). There are university buildings such as UCL East Marshgate, and, of course, lots of green space and the Zaha Hadid Architects-designed aquatic centre. For something closer to the centre, the London Zoo is a firm favourite for its somewhat lesser known modernist (and beyond) architecture.'
Charlotte Gunn, Director of Digital Content
WATCH: 'On Tuesday, I attended a recording of Jools Holland (airing in six weeks’ time). Wallpaper* Guest Editor St. Vincent was the lead performer and was joined by Yannis & The Yaw (the Foals frontman's side project with the late, great Tony Allen) which took some very Foals-sounding riffs and gave them a new life with a percussion section that (just about) did Allen justice.
I was blown away by K.O.G., a Ghanaian musical force who cartwheeled his way through an incredibly lively performance of his song Don't Take My Soul.
Pauline Black also joined Jools for a chat at the piano about her new documentary, Pauline Black: A 2-Tone Story – a reminder of her pivotal role in establishing the musical movement and as a continued vital voice in Black British music.'
