Abandoned Paris: Surviving through Art

This weekend I spent Friday night with le boyfriend doing what any normal girl likes to do: scoping out derelict buildings. We were having a drink on the Seine in the 13th arrondissement when he remembered there was an enormous old building in the neighborhood infamously occupied by squatters. Off we went. And there it…

The Tribe That Inspired Frida Kalho

That unapologetic unibrow, the halo-crown of jet-black centre-parted flower-adorned plaits, rouged cheekbones and russet lips frame a fearless stare. Her Mexican torzal necklaces, silver filigree earrings and onyx beads you and I could only hope to collect over a lifetime of scouring obscure artisanal markets. No prizes for guessing who she is. But let’s drag…

In Defence of Clutter: The American Castle of a Renaissance Hoarder

Forget the great and gaudy Hearst Castle – why don’t they talk about Fonthill Castle? Now that’s a house worth seeing. Some might call him America’s first hoarder, but for any aspiring collector or lover of eclectic arts, Pennsylvania’s most underrated treasure is an astonishing visual treat at every turn, telling the story of a…

England’s Secret Historic Hotel Network

I don’t know what’s more astonishing– discovering so many spectacular historic buildings where ordinary people can actually spend the night, or the fact that most of them won’t cost me more than £20 per person a night … OR that it took me so long to discover the Landmark Trust. Hiding in the shadows of the mainstream…

Exploring Cairo’s Ghost Mansions

When you visit Egypt, you’re supposed to come back with photographs of the pyramids. “I didn’t find them very interesting,” says photographer Xenia Nikolskaya, “and consequently didn’t photograph them”. In 2006, Xenia had travelled to Cairo with the help of the Egyptian Embassy in Moscow, but when she returned without a single photo of a pyramid,…

Adopt an Abandoned French Chateau

So you know how I’m always telling you about these incredible chateaux left to ruin here in France? And then you ask, “why can’t someone save that place?” Well, I’ve come across something that can certainly help us try… Adopte un Château is a relatively new association dedicated entirely to saving endangered castles by working with…

Saving the Carmen House on the Seine

At approximately 1.45pm this afternoon in Paris, I received a text message from my friend who has a restaurant in the 11th arrondissement: “There’s a woman here who says she wants you to help save the Carmen House,” it read. I raised an eyebrow. My phone buzzed again. “She came in for lunch, figured out that I knew…

Take Home a Piece of the Paris Love-Locked Bridges

When the decision was made last year in Paris to remove all those thousands of love locks attached to the city’s bridges, I wondered what would become of them, assuming the worst; a swift disposal, perhaps sent straight to the foundry to be melted down for a pretty penny. Once again however, the city of Paris has surprised…

Meet the Family with the Secret Recipe for making London’s Iconic Blue Plaques

Jimi Hendrix has one. Virginia Woolf has one. So does Karl Marx. Since 1984 all the plaques have been hand made by just one family– and they’re pretty adorable… Via Huck Magazine.

The Braided Rapunzels of Africa & other Tribal Trends

My early weekday nights are typically spent wandering the depths of Pinterest. On this occasion, I found a rather hypnotising pin board called Fashion Around the World, where I discovered these incredible African Rapunzels… The hairstyle currently making you do a double-take is known as Eembuvi Braids, worn by women of the Mbalantu tribes from the Namibia. It’s…