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The Aficionados crew love nothing more than navigating through the urban jungles. A city-break is fun, educational and a foodbank for culture seekers - picked by us these design city hotels and boutique guesthouses are beyond cool, each owned by local heroes who know what being in the neighbourhood is all about, it's in their DNA. We've lined up those creatively reworked luxury Grand Dame Hotels from Zürich to NYC, we found the perfect little boutique Bed & Breakfast in Lisbon, the culture dens of Antwerp, Vienna and Gothenburg and of course the design hotels for the style aficionados from Palma to Rome.
Culture, history and poetic license escort us through the former stomping grounds of Caesars, Mozart, Chopin, Keats, Hepburn & Lord Byron. They once fell in love with these urban hubs paved with culture – strut through your hoods from history to urban street culture.
Get your 'Urbs with this travel, lifestyle & hotel line-up of living in the city.
Being tactile by nature is something that rocks our boat – so no wonder then that our love of fonts, print and paper stock is part and parcel of what defines The Aficionados.
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Travelling to Rome? Peek at this design, art and style guide to Italy's 'Eternal City', helping you browse, shop and eat all things 'La Dolce Vita'.
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A combination of country house familiarity and urban chill. A designer orchestration of salvaged pieces, crafted textiles, aged ceramics and bespoke furnishings that are housed in a traditional red-brick new build – this new luxury kid on the block gives TriBeCa the unpretentious grand hotel it so craved.
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Antwerp is one of Europe's cultural hotbeds with historical landmarks and art institutions. And while Antwerp has plenty of those – we turn our focus on the smaller-scale contemporary culture must-sees the Flemish city has to offer.
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Zurich has many striking features: the River Limmat winding through the city, historic architecture, and snow covered Alps as a picturesque backdrop. Only rarely does contemporary design get real attention in the city – and that’s usually in conjunction with events such as blickfang.
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At The Pinchuk Art Centre, Pinchuk has gathered an impressive collection of 21st century art – the largest private art centre in Central and Eastern Europe – which has made a palpable contribution to cultural participation and artistic emancipation in Ukraine.
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Lisbon, Portugal's legendary capital simply bursts with heritage, azulejo tiles, Pastéis de Nata & art - this is a design guide you can shop, see & drink.
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There couldn’t be a bigger contrast between the FIFA World Headquarters and Widder Hotel, both located in Zürich, both a design concept by Swiss architect Tilla Theus.
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A Swedish Instagram influencer born long before his time, Gothenburg’s photography icon, Hasselblad, could never have fathomed the impact he would one day have.
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Meet Lisbon's internationally acclaimed graffiti artist Diogo Machado, known for his work as Add Fuell, as he stencils tile designs onto the one and only Casa Amora, in a city full of graffiti art.
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The seductive fusion of small design hotel meets stylish townhouse belonging to an architect friend best describes what this luxury nine-suite bolthole in Lisbon’s fashionable Amoreiras quarters is all about.
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Twisted beams frame the 14th century frescos while a curatorial catalogue of designer classics delivers a modernist influence: the Widder Hotel is where medieval heritage meets Eames and Poliakoff slumbers against thick stonewalls. This is at the heart of Old Town Zurich and has both the luxury pedigree of a small Grand Dame Hotel and the eclectic charisma of a design diva.
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The fabulous boutique Hotel Julien, with its mansion-house pedigree in the heartlands of old-town Antwerp, is a self-confessed curator of the arts, designer pieces, antiques and mid-century furnishings, which adorn the handsome salons and rooms in comfy elegance.
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Definitely off-radar, ‘an insider’s boho art den’ best describes this series of lavish apartments, suites and rooms dressed in a plush melange of period styles, furnishings and artistic installations. This discrete little number is famed by writers, artists, actors and thinkers alike.
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This is without a doubt no ordinary B&B; a cool culture den of artistic flair and bohemian allure, the aptly named Casa Amora is tucked away in Lisbon’s famed creative district, Amoreiras
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The edgy contrast of an aged coaching inn where artsy installations lend an air of east-side gallery – this is a cradle of the arts and style where a bold, contemporary curatorial scene is flanked by twisted beams and heritage-thick walls.
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A former 18th-century Mallorcan palace built for a wealthy marqués merchant in 1760, is now one of Palma’s most noble Palacio's of style, renovated into a seductively glamorous grand hotel of casual luxe.
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A funky creative home to fashionistas and hipsters, trendy grandmas and urban kids - this is where generations mix with ease. Hotel Flora’s playfully light, vibrant boutique interior sees the modern designer hotel fused with Nordic confidence and a nudge of hot Brooklyn vibe.
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Bruno Bischofberger is a huge name in the art world, famous for his collections of Andy Warhol et al, is turning a factory into a spectacular complex with a dozen bespoke buildings surrounding a landscaped central plaza. We think, a must see when in Zurich.
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There are the typical Vienna to-dos for any foodie enthusiast who visits Austria’s capital city; from classic cafés to innovative restaurants to ice-cream parlours.
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The world within a Viennese coffee house is filled with so much more than just Sacher - glimpse Vienna & Austria's grand imperial past, always 'mit schlag'.
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The former cradle of the Habsburg empire, today the chic Austrian capital is the travel destination in daring design and breathtaking architecture. Go beyond Art Nouveau buildings and sleek cafe culture and you’ll find that design in Vienna is thriving.
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Set among the wide streets and historic buildings of downtown Manhattan, for decades Tribeca has been an understated artist haunt, a fusion of easy-going European charm and New York ambition. Home to the iconic Greenwich Hotel, it is an artsy shopping district with its close proximity to both the city’s romantic waterfront promenades and the heart of many creative industries giving it the feel of a separate town within a major metropolis. Truly a design-lover’s dream for inspired shopping and the perfect place to stay when in NYC.
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Once considered the “rougher cousin” to Sweden’s pristine harbour-side capital, in the last decade Gothenburg - or Göteborg to Swedes - has become the country’s west coast hot bed for all things cultural; lovingly nicknamed, “Little London”.
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Widder Bar & Kitchen is the latest foodie destination to hit Zurich, created in the infamous social hotspot, Widder Hotel. This is Zurich's best restaurant, where gourmet dining is casual, the food is delicious and the cool crowd is fab.
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The newest confection from Michelin-starred restaurateur Drew Nieporent, this sophisticated Tribeca bar and eatery fuses modern décor and fine dining with an acclaimed (and customizable) European tasting menu.
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Austria's most successful fashion designer, Helmut Lang, and his eponymous style.
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Ever wanted to know the background story about Sweden's cult brand Nudie Jeans of Gothenburg, from the way-ahead-of-its-time conception of Maria Erixon to the present day.
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Crossing Condotti is a style colony of luxury suites, lavish apartments and designer penthouse living created within 18th-century palazzo townhouse, which poignantly resides behind the Piazza di Spagna and namesake, Via Condotti, in the heart of Rome’s historic Tridente district.
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Rome's 'square colosseum', now home to fashion house Fendi's headquarters, is a historic architectural reminder of Mussolini's imprint on Italy's capital.
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A Lisbon shopping guide for those under-the-radar gems spanning fashion, antique tiles, vintage furniture, design den interiors & all things children's gifts.
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