Born in Toronto in 1929, Frank Gehry moved to Los Angeles as a teenager – the city where he established his namesake architecture practice in 1962, after studying at the University of Southern California, Harvard Graduate School of Design and a brief stint in Paris. The architect, who passed away yesterday following a respiratory illness, was famed for his sculptural, curvilinear designs that appear to defy conventional geometry. In 1989, he was awarded architecture’s highest honour, The Pritzker Architecture Prize, for a body of work that was visually and materially unexpected, and respected for its ability to transform entire cities, uplift the spirits of citizens, prompt regeneration projects, and entice visitors from near and far. However, it was his Museo Guggenheim Bilbao, completed in 1997, that made Gehry a household name across the globe. Few architects can boast careers as varied, far-reaching and original, here are three projects that evidence Gehry’s lifetime of achievement.
Luma Arles, France
Gehry’s work in the small city of Arles in the south of France cements his legacy of city-shaping cultural buildings. Here, the Canadian-American architect designed Luma, an interdisciplinary art complex that pays homage to Vincent van Gogh’s “The Starry Night”, mirroring shades of the Provençal sky overhead. Opened in 2021, the tower’s twisted façade captures the ever-changing colour variations in both the sky and the rocky landscape of the nearby Alpilles mountain range. At the foot of the structure sits a glass rotunda inspired by Arles’ Roman amphitheatre, which serves as a reception area for visitors.
The result is a creative campus where artists, researchers and scientists can work together to deepen the understanding of issues related to the environment, education, human rights and culture. “We are expanding the definition of what a cultural institution can be,” Mustapha Bouhayati, CEO of Luma Arles, told Monocle at its opening. “The building has become a contemporary beacon of the Mediterranean, imbuing the city and the people of Arles with a transformative energy.”
Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, Australia
Gehry’s first and only building in Australia was for the University of Technology Sydney. The university had a long history of commissioning unremarkable (or plain ugly) structures but this work from Gehry bucked that trend. Completed in late 2014, its bold, undulating façades of folds and creases saw Sydneysiders affectionately dub the building the “squashed brown paper bag”. Such a comment, from Australians, is praise of the highest order.
The structure honours Australian-Chinese businessman and philanthropist Dr Chau Chak Wing, who put AU$20m (€11.4m) towards the AU$180m (€102.5m) project. It comprises 320,000 custom-made bricks and, in characteristic Gehry style, internal finishes include stacked timber and plenty of mirrors. The structure also interfaces beautifully with the city thanks to an entrance from The Goods Line pedestrianised walkway and a streetfront café.
Walt Disney Concert Hall, USA
This structure is a shimmering, deliberately disjointed statement in the architect’s adopted hometown. While unquestionably impressive inside – watching the resident LA Philharmonic in the modular 360-degree space is epic – the real marvel is the external façade of steel curves, akin to an LA take on the Sydney Opera House.
The project began in the late 1980s after a $50m endowment from Lillian Disney to honour her late husband. Ten years later, the building still wasn’t complete and costs had blown out to more than $265m. Happily, private donations rolled in and the concert hall (which Gehry described as a “living room for the city”) finally opened in 2003. It complements Gehry’s outstanding body of work in southern California, which includes his 1980 Spiller House in Venice and the 1978 Gehry Residence in Santa Monica.
There are a few moments in my life that I can call cultural resets. One of the most memorable was when, on a hot summer morning in May 2023, I encountered Egyptian artist Maha Maamoun’s work for the first time. Fresh out of a gruelling degree in Toronto, I had fled to Manhattan to visit the museums. At The Met, tucked into gallery 914, was Maamoun’s eight-minute video “2026” (2010), alongside her photographic series “Domestic Tourism I” (2005). It dawned on me that Egypt is a tourist spectacle, even for those of us who grew up there.
In the video, Maamoun recreates a scenario from Chris Marker’s 1962 film La Jetée, a story about a man journeying back in time in post-apocalyptic Paris. In Maamoun’s version, an actor delivers an excerpt from Mahmoud Osman’s science-fiction novel, The Revolution of 2053: The Beginning (2007). The text describes a night by the pyramids on a sanitised Giza Plateau with nothing in sight but the Grand Egyptian Museum (Gem). Initially proposed in 1992 and later formalised through an international design competition in 2002, the Gem was still under construction when Maamoun conceived “2026”. In the piece, the actor describes scenes of great wealth and food alongside images of superbly dressed expats and tourists dining leisurely. The scene is abruptly juxtaposed with deprivation, as starving children receive aid from an armoured car. I remember feeling uneasy after those eight minutes; I felt the hollowness of the museum’s spectacle on a visceral level.
In 2018, Egypt’s Ministry of Tourism launched Egypt – Experience & Invest: an initiative promoting culture as a tool for attracting visitors and investment. The campaign arrived two years before the closure of Townhouse Gallery, a vital independent contemporary-art space founded in 1998 by Canadian expat and long-time Cairo resident William Wells, who was expelled from Egypt in 2020. From a modest alleyway in downtown Cairo, Townhouse nurtured a generation of artists including Wael Shawky, now artistic director of Art Basel Qatar, and Maamoun herself.
Experience Egypt champions initiatives such as Art Cairo, Cairo Photo Week and Art d’Égypte, a cultural firm that seeks to connect Egyptian art with the world. The firm touts “a three-billion global reach, three-million exhibition views and more than 10,000 cultural conversations”. Those figures are unsurprisingly unsubstantiated. But it’s also unclear what they mean. What is a cultural conversation, exactly?
At its 2025 edition, Art d’Égypte staged a monumental show by the pyramids. The only Egyptian artist featured was ceramicist Salha El Masry, whose work, the firm says, draws from the country’s pre-dynastic past – a dazzling display, yet hardly a speck of Cairo’s dust in sight.
Art d’Égypte’s downtown satellite, the Cairo International Art District (CIAD), is in the same quarter that was once home to Townhouse. Al Ismaelia for Real Estate Development owns the spaces, whose CEO declared at CIAD’s press launch that “art has the power to transform how people see heritage.” The restored El Shorbagy building, where the selected works align perfectly with the branded wallpaper, is a remarkable example of Welsh-inspired medieval architecture. On the rooftop, visitors are invited to pose before a billboard that shouts, “AN ARTIST LIVES IN EVERYONE”.
The Gem, which finally opened on 1 November, is a colossal undertaking. After more than 20 years of planning, the mammoth institution designed by Irish firm Heneghan Peng Architects, contains more than 50,000 artefacts spanning 5,000 years of civilisation and markets itself as the largest museum in the world dedicated to ancient Egypt. Upon entry, you’re greeted by an 83-tonne sculpture of the pharaoh Ramses II that once stood in Cairo’s Ramses Square, in front of the central railway station. The Ministry of Tourism insists that the Gem will offer a wholly new experience of Egyptian heritage. During the Gem’s opening week, my social-media feeds were saturated with AI-generated content from its official accounts.
Coinciding with the Gem’s opening is the announcement of the Alexandria Biennale’s return in 2026 after a 12-year hiatus. Its wistful theme, This Too Shall Pass, focuses on environmental issues, with the entire city set to become an open exhibition space. Egypt’s culture minister has stressed that art is integral to Alexandria’s identity, and that reinstating the biennial will have a significant impact on instilling aesthetic ideals in its youth. Yet, meaningful cultural institutions in Alexandria have long struggled to stay afloat. Among them, Mass Alexandria, founded by Wael Shawky and curator Sarah Rifky, offered seminars in art history, criticism and contemporary practice from 2010 to 2012, modestly addressing Egypt’s art-education gap. Briefly revived in 2016, Mass graduated a cohort that included Marianne Fahmy and Yasmine El Meleegy, who exhibited with Cairo’s Gypsum Gallery at this year’s Frieze London.
For the past decade, state-led initiatives have been funnelling money into rebranding the nation as a global art destination – a process that often smooths over its artistic and social realities. Egypt’s most vital institutions still lie beneath the surface.
1.
The dog now sounds like she smokes 20 a day. Perhaps she does. Maybe she has a secret stash of Lucky Strike under the blanket in her bed. Or is she secreting the odd cheroot in her toy basket when I am not looking? Who knows. But the cancer that we have kept at bay for well over a year has found its way back and this time, well, it’s going to be just that – a matter of time. Still some months we think but that clock is ticking a little louder.
It means that when I pretend that Macy is speaking – a common occurrence in our house, especially when I need the other half to pay attention or just generally agree with my plan of action – I am going to have to start sounding a little less Kylie and a bit more gravelly, like Morgan Freeman. I’m up for that.
Anyway, she’s going to get very little sympathy from my family as it turns out my brother-in-law not only has cancer but is on a similar flight plan for departure. Bloody cheek of it. We had lunch with him the other day and he placed a bet with Macy that he would outlive her. I watched as she cocked her head with a look that said, “We’ll see about that.” She then got out her purse and threw down a £10 note. So now it seems that she’s gambling too. Where will her vices lead her next?
2.
There’s been a lot of medical chat this week. Brian Sommerlad, my neighbour, is one of the world’s leading cleft lip and palate surgeons. On Tuesday, he invited me and the other half to a sort of retirement party that he was having at The Art Workers’ Guild in Bloomsbury. Not only would there be wine and mince pies but he was also going to give a talk titled, “Hanging up the Scalpel: A Lifetime in Surgery”.
Brian is now in his eighties, was operating a week ago and defies any categorisation by age. Just that morning I had seen him at the gym pounding away at speed on the running machine. And it feels like most weeks I bump into him returning from a surgical trip to Iraq or Italy. He’s at the top of his game but that’s a long career and, as he clicked through a presentation covering his life’s trajectory, it was amazing to see him in Vietnam during the war, working in Syria. I have spoken to Brian a hundred times but there’s something wonderful about hearing someone just tell their story, trace their path through life.
The event was packed and after his talk people started asking questions. It was moving when they would begin by saying, “Brian, thank you, you operated on me when I was a child,” or, “I came to see you when I discovered my child was going to be born with a cleft palate”. I would have shed a tear if I wasn’t still trying to recover from all the pictures of operations (put me right off my mince pie).
Whatever happens next – few in the room seemed to believe that this was really the end of him being a surgeon – Brian will continue delivering care to people in low-income countries through the charity that he helped found, Cleft. There, I have done my bit.
3.
And to wrap up charity corner this week, how about you come along to The Monocle Christmas Market next weekend at Midori House in London. We’ll be collecting money on the door for Reporters Without Borders but, once you’ve snuck past the tin rattlers, I can promise you a world of reindeer, mulled wine, stalls packed with desirable gifts and even a portly Santa. I might even drag the dog along but just don’t let her persuade you into having a ciggie behind Santa Claus’s hut. Or to go down the bookies. That girl is losing her way.
To read more columns by Andrew Tuck, click here.
When the first edition of Design Miami took place in 2005, the fair dedicated to collectable design might have been considered, at best, a quirky sideshow to the glitzy Art Basel Miami. A space for the design industry where rare antiques mingle with contemporary pieces that do away with the restrictive adage that design is where form meets function. At worst, the fair could have been a flash-in-the-pan event in a city that has the quality of a pastel-hued tropical fever dream. Two decades later, Design Miami is now a global phenomenon that tours the world to put on showcases of the weird and wonderful in Paris, Seoul, Los Angeles, Basel and, in 2027, Dubai.
This week the fair returned to its base in Miami’s Pride Park for a final victory lap of a milestone year that will come to a close on Sunday. And it’s the biggest edition to date: more than 80 exhibitors gathered under the curatorial theme “Make. Believe”, an apt rallying cry in a city with an uninhibited disposition, where anything goes when it comes to aesthetics.
“Miami is fun, sunny, bright, tropical and energetic – and it all materialises at the fair,” Design Miami CEO Jen Roberts tells The Monocle Minute. “We see design as a tool for betterment and positive change in the world. It has been an extraordinary trajectory. Twenty years ago, there wasn’t a clear path for young designers coming out of school. Now you can be part of incubator shows, get picked up by a gallery, come to Design Miami and be commissioned for industrial projects.”
Highlights from this year’s edition include French designer Mathieu Lehanneur’s Palazzo display, where a chartreuse Familyscape sofa comes with a handbag-shaped cushion that can be unzipped to store those pesky remote controls. New York-based gallery Superhouse brought some 1980s radical optimism with its presentation, American Art Furniture: 1980-1990, featuring colourful pieces from designers including Dan Friedman, Michele Oka Doner and Pippa Garner. Italian luxury fashion house Fendi tapped Argentinian designer and artist Conie Vallese to create pieces alongside the brand’s ateliers. The result is an enticing recreation of a salotto (living room), with an artful pairing of brass flowers on chair legs and a folding screen, combined with panels of baby-blue and banana-yellow leather.
Some of the design pieces might prompt a smile. Others will make you question how far people will go to explore the limits of bad taste. But what’s sure is that the world is only now waking up to the value of collectable design, with Salone del Mobile set to enter the space at its next edition in spring 2026 and Pad drawing attention in Paris and London. The rise of collectable design has only just begun and, in hindsight, it makes perfect sense that it would take root in Miami. Carefree and self-assured, the city offers a joyful alternative to beige minimalism and the repetitive results borne out of a function-first mentality. So, unbutton your Cuban-collar shirt, grab a cocktail and make peace with the bizarre. Welcome to Miami.
Grace Charlton is Monocle’s associate editor of design and fashion. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.
Read next: Five collectable design trends for the year ahead, as seen at Design Miami
Dubai has long insisted that it’s ready to play in the global design big leagues. Now with Design Miami confirming its 2027 arrival at Alserkal, the emirate finally has the platform to prove its assertions. For the region’s designers, collectors and cultural policymakers, this isn’t just another fair – it’s a quiet but decisive recognition that the Gulf’s design ecosystem has matured.
For years, those working in the region’s collectable-design industry have argued that the audience exists – and that it’s knowledgeable, curious and growing quickly. Yet their infrastructure to showcase work at an international level has lagged. Design Miami’s expansion gives this burgeoning community the spotlight it deserves, positioning Dubai not as a satellite on the periphery but as a confident, fully-fledged node on the world’s creative circuit.
It also makes something else official: Art Dubai’s long-standing attempt to build a credible design fair has never quite landed. Despite various iterations and initiatives, the fair struggled to carve out a meaningful identity on a world scale. The arrival of a global heavyweight subtly confirms that gap and fills a vacuum that has remained open for far too long.
The ripple effects won’t stop in Dubai. Travelling design showcase Nomad Abu Dhabi, which drew strong reviews in its debut last month, will feel the pressure too. An industry leader entering the UAE inevitably raises expectations. To maintain momentum, Nomad will need to sharpen its curatorial voice, deepen its relationships with collectors and scale its ambitions.
But this shift could also be an opportunity. If schedules align, Design Miami’s gravitational pull could give Art Dubai a much-needed boost. International collectors, gallerists and press visiting the country for the fair might well spill over into the contemporary-art tents at Madinat Jumeirah.
Above all, the announcement underscores how rapidly the UAE is advancing in regional cultural diplomacy. With major museums, design districts and now a top-tier global fair landing in Alserkal, the country is building an ecosystem that Qatar and Saudi Arabia are still racing to match. For those invested in the Gulf’s creative economy, 2027 can’t come soon enough.
Read next: How Dubai Design Week has matured by focusing on perspective over scale
Central Asia has been pulled between Russian and Turkish spheres of influence for centuries but today it is increasingly gravitating towards the latter. Many countries in the region, such as Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, are in the process of swapping the Cyrillic alphabet (imposed during the Soviet era) for Latin in school textbooks and official documents so as to be more in line with Turkish.
Military co-operation is ramping up too. At the recent summit of the Organisation of Turkic States (OTS) – a multilateral body founded by Turkey that includes Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan – agreements were made to co-develop military technologies and conduct joint-military exercises with Ankara in 2026. With influence over petrochemical resources and trade routes, Turkey’s president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, is cementing his nation’s position as the regional hegemon. But drills and summits aren’t always enough. Soft power is key and now Turkish television series are also proving to be hits in Central Asian living rooms.
OTS members have agreed to set up a common television channel for the Turkic world (a collection of countries with a shared linguistic and cultural heritage that stretch from the Bosphorus to the Mongolian Steppe) – a sign that traditional broadcasting is still a powerful medium. Turkey is already using television as a diplomatic tool by selling its historical productions, which show glamourised, glossy dramas of the Ottoman Empire, to dozens of countries in the Middle East, Southeast Asia and Latin America.
Ankara’s biggest hits include The Magnificent Century, a paean to the 16th-century reign of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent, and Payitaht, which puts a falsely positive spin on the era of one of the last Ottoman sultans, Abdulhamid II. Elsewhere, TRT World is targeted at Anglophone Muslims worldwide. The English-language version of Turkey’s state-television channel presents Erdoğan as fighting back against Islamophobia in the West and supporting Palestinians against Israel.
Sharing broadcasting services for statecraft and as an alliance-building tool is a well-tested idea. The European Broadcasting Union (EBU), an alliance of public broadcasters, was launched in 1950, partly as a technical oversight body but also to promote international understanding after the Second World War. Today the EBU’s remit stretches far beyond Europe’s geographical borders, including to Azerbaijan, which won the EBU’s Eurovision Song Contest in 2011 and hosted the event a year later.
The new OTS broadcaster will have a far greater scope, including joint development of both satellite and AI technology. But the political imperative remains the same as it did for the EBU 75 years ago: to shape a common culture among states. The OTS summit in October ended with the Gebele Declaration, an agreement that outlines a vision for the Turkic world as a cultural, economic and security bloc. For viewers, the union will provide access to programming from across the vast region, including domestically produced documentaries, children’s shows and feature films.
Many of the foundations for a Turkic broadcasting union are already in place. Turkey and Azerbaijan have been co-operating bilaterally in the media sphere since 2020, when they formed a joint media platform to shape coverage of the Nagorno-Karabakh war. A Turkic radio station and song contest already exist.
But the new proposals for shared Turkic broadcasting go beyond light entertainment or propaganda, aiming to shape an evolving region’s idea of itself. Turkey hopes to foster shared norms and aspirations among communities from the Caucasus to the border of China. It is a bet that Erdoğan is making as traditional soft-power titans such as Europe and the US are pulling funding from public media. Meanwhile, Turkey’s traditional rival in the region, Russia, is distracted by war. Ankara is looking to cement itself as the major power in Central Asia in 2026. Tune in.
Hannah Lucinda Smith is Monocle’s Istanbul correspondent. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.
Collectable design is on the rise. While there’s no hard-and-fast definition of the term, it can encompass everything from bespoke contemporary pieces and limited-edition creations to rare, out-of-production works from mid-century masters. For proof of the sector’s growing popularity, you only have to look to major auction houses such as Christie’s, Phillips and Sotheby’s. In June this year they collectively reported a year-on-year increase in design sales of 62.3 per cent.
Experts suggest that this sales spike is thanks to growing budgets for interior fit-outs; institutional buying; and clearer auction records that demonstrate design’s investment value. The trend is also reflected in the rise of collectable-design events – and the mother of them all is Design Miami. Its 20th-anniversary edition is taking place in its namesake city this week, featuring 70 exhibitors from across the globe. Monocle attended the preview yesterday and picked up these industry tips from the trade floor.
1. Blur boundaries
There are plenty of parallels between the fine-art and collectable-design markets, so the two could learn from each other. At Design Miami, Roosendaal-based Mass Modern Design is presenting works by the likes of David Delthony and Studio Job, which blur these disciplinary boundaries. “It challenges our perception of daily life, transforming furniture into a medium for artistic expression,” says the gallery’s founder, Etienne Feijns. “It can provoke thought, evoke feeling and elevate the spaces that we inhabit into experiences of art itself.”
2. Find room for industry
If collectable design is focused on rare or bespoke pieces, where does that leave industrial production powerhouses? Certainly not out of the picture, according to high-end appliance specialists Gaggenau, which won a Monocle Design Award earlier this year. In Miami, the German brand is presenting its Expressive Series oven on a monolithic wall of deep-green marble. “Being present at a collectable design fair lets us engage with an audience that values objects for their cultural and material qualities,” says Gaggenau’s managing director, Peter Goetz. “It’s the right context to show off our appliances for what they truly are: thoughtfully crafted design pieces.”
3. Bring design to the people
To share the power of design with the public, the event makes an effort to bring the fun of the fair beyond the marquee with its annual commission in Miami Design District. It’s an important initiative that installs work in the civic realm. This year’s winning project by New York-based Katie Stout is called “Gargantua’s Thumb” and features sculptural benches drawn from the forms of miniature clay animal figures.
4. Lean on the past
New York-based gallery Superhouse has titled its showcase American Art Furniture: 1980-1990, a reflection on what its founder and director, Stephen Markos, says is a defining period in design history. “Many of the works on view were made in small studios, far from the mainstream industry, and they collectively defined a new American avant-garde,” says Markos. “The decade’s energy reflected broader cultural shifts; artists pushing against convention, questioning identity and using materiality as a form of rebellion.” It’s a noble brief for today’s designers.
5. Expand your horizons
In this case, to the Gulf – or at least that’s what Design Miami is doing. The fair’s CEO, Jennifer Roberts, announced a new, multi-year partnership with Dubai-based cultural organisation Alserkal. The organisation will curate a flagship fair in early 2027, reflecting the simultaneous rise of collectable design and Gulf markets.
Nic Monisse is Monocle’s design editor. For more news and analysis, subscribe to Monocle today.
Read next: Salone del Mobile launches ‘Raritas’ as collectable design booms among younger buyers
All eyes might still be on JD Vance as Trump’s heir apparent but there’s no guarantee that the current vice-president will lead the Republican ticket in 2028. Recent polling might suggest that Vance is the favourite but within the White House, a new suspect is emerging. That would be secretary of state Marco Rubio, who has quietly become the most effective player in the Trump administration.
While it is sometimes difficult to determine what Vance actually does each day, Rubio’s agenda is loud and clear – particularly as it pertains to Trump’s ambitions for Latin America. It was Rubio, back in September, who laid out the president’s brazen policy of destroying what the US believes are narcotics-laden speedboats heading from the Caribbean to the country. “Blow them up if that’s what it takes” said Rubio in fluent Spanish, referring to foreign criminal and drug-trafficking organisations during a press conference alongside the minister of foreign affairs of Ecuador in Quito. That week, the US launched the campaign of Caribbean speedboat attacks that has now claimed more than 80 lives.
Rubio’s ascent comes as Trump is losing ground with Latinos, who voted for the president in record numbers last November. Recent data from the Pew Research Center paints a gloomy picture, revealing that 70 per cent of Latinos disapprove of the way that Trump is handling his job.
The chief culprit here is Trump’s punitive immigration policy, which 65 per cent of Latinos view negatively. As a Latino and son of Cuban immigrants, Rubio makes for an obvious middleman between leery Hispanics and an aggressive administration. But this would be a thankless proposition made impossible by images of ICE officers separating Latino families. The president also puts scant stock in identity politics and its potential optics, no matter how favourable.
Instead, Trump has Rubio shuttling across the globe. In October it was to Israel to tout Trump’s fragile Gaza ceasefire, then to Asia to support his boss at the Asean summits. And, most recently, he was in Geneva and Florida to negotiate the fate of Ukraine. Back home, Rubio sits mere feet away from Vance in the West Wing when dignitaries come to town, both within touching distance of their potential kingmaker.
Whether in Washington or on the road, Rubio’s focus on foreign policy places him front and centre, while avoiding the domestic crises – from the Jeffrey Epstein saga to the government shutdown – eroding the administration’s appeal. Most meaningfully, as was the case in Ecuador, Rubio is often delivering key administration messaging directly in Spanish to populations who appreciate authentic engagement.
Though Washington-watchers are pushing a Vance-first narrative for 2028 – one which the media insists that Rubio supports – Trump’s world is nothing if not built on contradictions. Remember, no one really thought that Vance would be selected for vice-president until he was.
Still, Vance’s sheer familiarity will work against Rubio. Which is why a likelier scenario – at least among convention-minded observers – is a Vance-Rubio ticket in 2028. Such a pairing would solidify Maga’s legacy both at home and abroad, while transforming a pair of adversaries into convenient-yet-mighty allies. But this would also result in the awkward pairing of a vice-president far older and vastly more politically experienced than his president. Vance, after all, had only been US senator for two years before he assumed his current role; Rubio more than seven times that before he was sworn in as secretary of state.
With all indications that the US is about to do something in Venezuela, December might prove to be Rubio’s most diplomatic outing yet. The entire world will undoubtedly be watching, including his boss, forever testing his protégé for a still uncertain future.
David Kaufman is a writer and editor based in New York. For more opinion, analysis and insight, subscribe to Monocle today.Want more? Charlotte McDonald-Gibson knows where the Maga crowd hangs out after work and it’s not all bad. Take a look inside the raucous Butterworth’s restaurant here.
Monocle’s latest book, ‘Switzerland: The Monocle Handbook’, scales new heights to bring the country’s best bits within reach. Here, we share 25 winter experiences, from sumptuous suites to top labels, as well as the locals to meet.
1.
Hotel Olden, Gstaad
The most elegant stay
The small-world feel of Hotel Olden belies its reputation as a bon vivant hangout in the 1970s where locals would rub shoulders with the great and the good. Built in 1690, it underwent multiple transformations until it was turned into an elegant hospitality establishment in 1952. In the kitchen, Abruzzo-born chef Nico Lusi mixes Mediterranean and international recipes with southern-Italian accents, creating delights including homemade gnocchi cacio e pepe with truffle and penne alla vodka with beef pastrami.
hotelolden.com
2.
Casa Caminada, Fürstenau, Graubünden
The best gastronomic guesthouse
Fürstenau is one of those idyllic Swiss towns where life moves at a slow, deliberate pace. It’s also where chef Andreas Caminada opened his first restaurant in 2003. His three-Michelin-star establishment at Schloss Schauenstein is the jewel of the region’s gastronomic map, so having a guesthouse on the site quickly became part of the plan. He asked Bündner architect Gion A Caminada to transform two stables into a contemporary stay. The result is Casa Caminada’s 10 tasteful rooms, with a view of Fürstenau and the surrounding mountains.
casacaminada.com
3.
Michelhaus, Ernen, Valais
The perfect chalet stopover
Once a neglected chalet, Michelhaus was reimagined as a luxurious two-apartment retreat by Reto Holzer. He bought the house in 2020 and now visitors can enjoy its 400-year-old floors, a stone hearth (complete with the coat of arms of the original owners, Christen and Frena Michel), antique milking stools, cowbells and brocante paintings. Other furnishings include Carl Hansen chairs and Mies van der Rohe’s Barcelona daybed, and all beds are by Hästens. “I like the mix of old and new,” he says. “We want our guests to feel at home – relaxed, comfortable and welcomed.”
michelhaus.ch
4.
Suvretta House, St Moritz
The most striking mountain views
In 1911 hotelier Anton Bon stood at the foot of the Upper Engadine mountains and decided to build a hotel. Today this storybook castle boasts 171 lavish rooms and 10 suites. The main lobby opens into a vast columned space with large windows looking onto Lake Champfèr. The Grand Restaurant offers French fare by executive chef and St Moritz local Fabrizio Zanetti, and requires formal dress. “People ask me whether the tie rule will be around for long,” says co-general manager Peter Egli. “We say, as long as Hermès makes ties, we will keep the tradition.”
suvrettahouse.ch
5.
Grand Hotel Belvedere, Wengen, Berne
The grandest getaway
In the secluded village of Wengen in the Lauterbrunnen valley, you’ll find the Grand Hotel Belvedere. The hotel reopened in May 2025 after renovations to return it to its original belle époque splendour. “It was essential for us to adopt the Alpine construction philosophy of that era,” says Swiss architect Arnaud Christin, who spearheaded the work. There are two restaurants and two bars, each with distinct atmospheres, while the 90 state-of-the-art rooms and suites are adorned with handmade carpets and bespoke pine furniture.
beaumier.com
6.
Oxen, Küsnacht, Zürich
The best for hearty seasonal dishes
Once a traditional restaurant called Ochsen, Oxen serves fresh takes on hearty classics while being true to the spirit of the neighbourhood, near Lake Zürich. Founded by Monocle’s Tyler Brûlé and associates, it offers seasonal dishes and, for stays, seven sleeper-car-inspired guest rooms, as well as a Monocle Apartment.
oxen.ch
7.
Brasserie Bodu, Lucerne
A tasteful stop-off
French brasserie Bodu feels more like an art deco Parisian outpost than a Swiss stübli. Classics such as salad niçoise, bouillabaisse and moules-frites are served in all their Gallic splendour. But this wouldn’t be a brasserie without a well-researched wine list. Every year, its team makes a pilgrimage to Bordeaux’s vineyards.
brasseriebodu.ch
8.
Roberto, Geneva
The city staple
The generations of Genevans who return to Roberto, established in 1945, attest to the restaurant’s unwavering dedication to genuine Italian fare. Roberto Carugati wanted to create an authentic trattoria serving up the flavours of his homeland. Members of the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, which protects Italy’s culinary heritage around the world, the Carugatis are devoted to keeping the legacy of their forefathers alive. Try the tomato and basil risotto, which features Tuscan olive oil, Carnaroli rice, fresh butter and parmesan.
restaurantroberto.ch
9.
Chez Dany, Verbier
The elevated Swiss menu
Offering exceptional Swiss fare, Chez Dany sets itself apart with dishes such as smoked trout with sauce vierge and baked camembert with pear jam. Its menu crosses borders, proffering a Helvetian spin on Iberian croquetas and Milanese ossobuco. Post-meal, diners can hop on Chez Dany’s snowcat to return to Verbier.
instagram.com/chezdanyverbier
10.
Restaurant Bergführer, Sertig-Dörfli, Graubünden
The time-tested Alpine institution
In the Sertig valley is Restaurant Bergführer, a 450-year-old establishment now under chef Nina Eyer. She adds pops of spice to her dishes, balanced by deep umami and bright citrus. In Swiss style, patrons arrive by ski and even horseback.
sertigtal.ch
11.
James and Natacha Baron, Krone Säumerei am Inn, Graubünden
An irresistible spin on a historic stay
James and Natacha Baron run the historic 18-room Krone Säumerei am Inn in Upper Engadine. The couple took over the hotel in 2022 and, within three months, its restaurant, La Chavallera, was awarded a Michelin star. “We weren’t expecting such a warm welcome,” says James.
krone-lapunt.ch
12.
Gian and Florian Grundböck, Deux Frères, Zürich
The best for inventive tipples
Brothers Gian (pictured, left) and Florian Grundböck (right) founded Deux Frères with an inventive spirit and a love for a good drink. Starting with a gin based on 25 botanicals, the distillery also now makes vermouth, rosé and sparkling wines.
deuxfreresspirits.com
13.
Ini Archibong, Design by Ini
The most artfully crafted pieces
Ini Archibong is a California-born creative with Nigerian roots who moved to Switzerland in 2014, having founded his studio Design by Ini in 2010. He is known for his artfully crafted pieces, ranging from furniture to watches, for brands such as Hermès, Knoll and Sé, and his work has been displayed at galleries and museums including The Met in New York. “I came to Switzerland to study and one of the major things that I learned was the level of Swiss craftsmanship,” says Archibong. “I travelled by train all over the country meeting craftsmen.”
designbyini.com
14.
Charlatan Restodisco, Zürich
Best for a ball
At Charlatan Restodisco, haute cuisine meets the dance floor (featuring one of the largest disco balls in Europe). Established in 2022, the venue offers a mix of dishes such as lobster pasta and oysters, with drinks including the punchy Charlatan tiki (rum, pineapple, amaretto and Cointreau). It’s open from 18.00 on Wednesdays to Saturdays and the dancing starts at 22.00. “We want our guests to feel glamorous, as though they’ve stepped into a different world,” says co-owner Patrick Calame-Longjean (pictured). “It’s a combination of elegance, extravagance and effortless fun.”
restodisco.ch
15.
Apfelgold, Berne
For something fruity
Donat Berger baked his way to success by hosting schnouse every other Wednesday in his home. This Bernese pastime of sampling sweet snacks between meals developed into a business in 2012, when Apfelgold was born. The apple-shaped sign hanging above the entrance hints at the key ingredient. “When I was a kid, we had a few apple trees,” says Berger. “We took the harvest to the cider maker, who pressed the juice for us.” At Apfelgold, you can taste apple varieties as a juice, cider, non-alcoholic spritz or purée. As for baked goods, chocolate, crème brûlée and other fruit options are on offer.
apfelgold.ch
16.
Collective Bakery, Zürich
The rising star
Inside a concrete pavilion next to the headquarters of footwear and sports brand On, a team of passionate bakers prepare goodies that blend culinary traditions. Experimentation is a core value at Collective Bakery. “We bring different experiences to our work and try to exchange our knowledge and talk through every product,” says baker and owner Nino Brüllmann. You might find sweet buns with seasonal fillings, pain suisse and Japanese shokupan on the counter. Among the most popular is a flaky variation of a hand-rolled French croissant, which sells by the hundreds.
collectivebakery.ch
17.
Jucker Farm, Seegräben, Zürich
The best for farm-to-fork food
Jucker Farm’s Juckerhof site in the village of Seegräben is run by Reto Benker (pictured, on right). It’s home to a restaurant, a bakery, a farm shop, a goat-petting zoo and a pick-your-own-produce experience. The adventure farm came to fruition in the 1990s, starting with Juckerhof and a pumpkin exhibition – which still draws visitors every autumn – and has expanded to three other farm shops across Switzerland. The restaurant offers a filling breakfast and, at weekends, a big brunch buffet. The shop sells an array of produce, including condiments and fresh bread from the on-site bakery.
juckerfarm.ch
18.
Zwahlen-Hüni, Saanen, Berne
The tailored solution
“From the start, we wanted to provide customers with a special retail experience,” says Philipp Zwahlen, the third-generation owner of Zwahlen-Hüni. The boutique mainly sells German and Austrian tracht (traditional) brands but there are also cardigans by Italian label Gran Sasso and cashmere by Doriani.
zwahlenhueni.ch
19.
Lindauer, Schwyz
The trustiest sledges
“Most people going down the mountain have been overtaken by a Lindauer at some point,” says Jo Lindauer (pictured, with daughters Viola, right, and Medea), who crafts sledges at his family’s shop. Lindauer makes about 200 sledges and some 70 toboggans every year.
lindauerschlitten.ch
20.
Tessanda, Santa Maria Val Müstair, Graubünden
The best for Swiss softies
One of Switzerland’s last remaining weaving mills, Tessanda uses natural yarns such as flax and silk, mostly sourced from local traders. Every item, created using antique weaving looms, has a small label featuring the weaver’s name. Its textiles primarily focus on homeware and tableware.
tessanda.ch
21.
Ebneter & Biel, St Moritz
For handmade linen
This family-owned hand-embroidery and home-textile business has been producing quality linen since 1880, originally in Appenzell. It later set up shop in St Moritz’s Badrutt’s Palace in 1911. Today, the shop is found on the Plazza dal Mulin in central St Moritz and is run by the fourth generation – Christian and Andrea-Rita Biel. “Everything is made by hand and it’s important that we know where everything comes from,” says Christian. The siblings have chosen not to expand or hire other staff, believing that customer service is best kept in the family.
ebneter-biel.ch
22.
Tempo, Lausanne
The finest international furniture
Inspired by their travels, business partners Pablo de Pinho and Ana Deffarges set up shop in the Swiss Alps in 2017. “Lausanne was missing something,” says De Pinho. The resulting collection features items by furniture ateliers from Copenhagen to Bangalore, plus leather goods, wicker and menswear.
tempodesignstore.com
23.
Atelier Bolt, Klosters, Graubünden
The best for contemporary art
Uster-born sculptor and painter Christian Bolt has created a vibrant cultural hub, turning a cowshed into a space for his interdisciplinary work and guest showcases. Atelier Bolt lets visitors discover one of Switzerland’s most celebrated contemporary artists.
bolt.ch
24.
Kunst Museum, Winterthur, Zürich
A treasure trove of artistic masterpieces
Across the Kunst Museum’s three buildings, visitors can find masterpieces from the 17th century onwards, including works by Liotard, Monet and Van Gogh, as well as part of the Oskar Reinhart Collection. Between exhibits, you can enjoy nearby cafés and the surrounding greenery.
kmw.ch
25.
Capitole, Lausanne
A picture of elegance
Switzerland’s largest cinema evokes the golden age of film. Capitole reopened in 2024 after its third renovation since the 1920s; original art deco features were restored with both cinephiles and design lovers in mind. A 140-seat subterranean screening room now accompanies the original 724-seat auditorium.
cinematheque.ch
‘Switzerland: The Monocle Handbook’ is out now.
Chalet Sofija
Gozd Martuljek, Slovenia
Gazing at the snow-covered peaks of Slovenia’s Julian Alps from the sun-kissed terrace of Chalet Sofija is not exactly hard work. Especially for guests reclining in the heated outdoor swimming pool, gently massaged by the bubbles in the water and, perhaps, refreshed by a glass of something similarly effervescent.
If the temperature starts to drop, they can retreat to the adjacent glass-fronted sauna or unwind with a massage in the spa. But for the couple who own and run this luxury hideaway up a steep, winding road, a short drive away from the bustling Kranjska Gora ski resort, this is the culmination of a lifetime of labour.
“I like to call it a retirement project,” says Aleksandra Rass with a chuckle. “After 75 years, this is an excellent last part of my life,” confirms her partner, Svetozar Raspopovic, a renowned Ljubljana restaurateur and chef who is universally known as Pope. “Relaxing with new guests and new experiences in an excellent place on top of the mountain.”
It does rather depend on one’s definition of relaxation. The couple are very much hands-on hosts, preparing everything from breakfast made with freshly laid eggs to the sumptuous dinners featuring venison from neighbourhood hunters and cheeses from nearby farms. Raspopovic personally carves the oven-roasted rib-eye steak in front of diners, while Rass keeps guests informed about the provenance of the ingredients and offers tips for mountain hikes and road trips.
They say that Chalet Sofija is their home – and it feels like it, though an offer to help with the washing up was cheerfully rebuffed. The downstairs lounge has piles of books and magazines for leisurely perusing, while the five spacious bedrooms are named after the couple’s grandchildren. Each features an impressive, Slovenian-made Coufer sound system and a TV hidden inside a Roche Bobois console – not that you’ll want to enjoy that rather than the view.
Charles Ingvar spirits
Vienna
Swedish-born industrial designer and engineer Billy Charles Ingvar Fransson began experimenting with spirit-making in Vienna during the pandemic, producing more than 100 varieties on his kitchen stove. His brand, Charles Ingvar, was launched in 2022, first with a botanical gin with a subtle touch of liquorice, followed by a fragrant limoncello and punchy herbal liqueur Sichuan Bitter.
Produced in small batches, the spirits’ ingredients include Austrian juniper for the gin and southern Italian lemons for the limoncello, which Fransson peels by hand. “It’s like something a nonna would make at home,” he says.
The labels on the apothecary-style bottles featuring soft, colourful shapes are the work of Viennese designer Daniela Bily. As for how to use his dry gin, Fransson suggests adding it to a citrus-forward martini, a refreshing tonic after a day on the slopes.
Hotel Madrisa
Gargellen, Austria
In Austria’s Gargellen, the highest village in the Montafon valley, the mountain road ends abruptly. Just before the Schafbergbahn cable-car station, a dark wooden art nouveau façade rises proudly. Hotel Madrisa is named after the majestic 2,826-metre peak that marks the border between Vorarlberg in Austria and Graubünden in Switzerland. Built in 1906, the hotel still exudes the grandeur of early winter-sports tourism, when skiing was a pursuit of the sophisticated few.
The Rhomberg family has owned and operated the hotel since the 1930s and today, Monika Rhomberg and her children, Johanna and Paul, the third and fourth generation, continue this legacy. A painting in the rustic bar portrays the founder, Bertram Rhomberg. Each generation has left its imprint: Bertram’s wife, Midy, added a small ski lift to allow guests to ski in and out. “We have many regulars, some who once came here with their parents now return with their own children,” says Monika.
The current generations are keeping the hotel up to date. Most recently, the dining room – where guests now enjoy Alpine-inspired fine dining created by Czech chef Zdenek Cepera – has been redesigned with warm oak wood and intimate alcoves. But Johanna and Paul’s most beloved spot is the club room downstairs, where guests can let their hair down until the small hours.
