The Stylemate, Issue 03|2022: Nagomi | English Edition

Stylemate

Nagomi

Perfect harmony.

When the world around us becomes more turbulent, we search for harmony and balance in the small things, within ourselves. It’s balance we need so that our own world doesn’t fall apart at the seams. In Japan, this is called “nagomi”, which refers to a holistic way of life shaped by harmony and balance.

Japanese neuroscientist Ken Mogi, who we’ve interviewed for this issue, explains how you can live a balanced life thanks to nagomi – balanced meaning that things aren’t great all of the time. Quite the opposite: in order to have balance, both extremes of an emotion or situation have to exist. To have fortune in life there must also be misfortune, for love there has to be loss, for fun there has to be work and for altruism there has to be selfishness. Zest for life, or to put it more strongly true happiness, occurs when you manage to accept all facets of life and bring them into balance.

Nagomi is a way of life that shows us what makes us more resilient, what benefits us in our relationships and every day lives. What else does us good? Discovering the world by travelling, meeting new people and interacting with them. What we need is the feeling of connectedness. Especially when so much of what’s around us is uncertain.

LIKE A DOVE

Designed by Marcel Wanders Studio, the Dove armchair from Natuzzi Italia boasts a Mediterranean style and, despite its minimal design, is a true living room statement piece. The soft leather and beautiful curves caress the skin and represent the inviting warm character of southern Italy. Natuzzi was founded as a lifestyle brand in Puglia in 1959 by Pasquale Natuzzi, and for over six decades has been a symbol of high-quality Italian design and handcrafted precision. So close your eyes and drift off mentally to Puglia from the comfort of your armchair.

natuzzi.com, Dove armchair by Marcel Wanders Studio for Natuzzi, from approx. € 5.000

Essentials

SPICE IT UP

An elegant balance between minimalism and functionality: that’s the LAGOM salt and pepper mill set by Lars Nysom. They feature a premium ceramic grinder that’s also suited to other spices and can be manually adjusted to meet the relevant requirements. The mills sit comfortably in the hand, and their beautiful colour options mean they’ll be a real eye-catcher in any kitchen and on any dining table. And it’s not just us that finds them appealing – they’ve already received the iF Design Award, the German Design Award and the Iconic Design Award in the Innovative Interior category.

larsnysom.com, LAGOM salt and pepper mill set, approx. € 37

THIS

BATHE IN NATURE

The forest is good for the body and the soul.

Inspired by the forest and its incredible properties, Alpienne developed its Waldmeister range of products for the skin and body, bursting with freshness and vitality. Applying a holistic approach, the brilliant plant power of moss, lichen, ferns, mistletoe, mushrooms and herbs has been harnessed to form a unique combination of active ingredients. In the Superstar Cream, raspberry seed oil and watercress also play their part. The 24-hour moisturiser increases the natural moisturising factor of the skin and leaves it looking glowing and fresh, plus the raspberry seed oil has an anti-inflammatory effect and reduces irritation. If you close your eyes and take a deep breath, you might even feel like you’re standing in the middle of a lush forest.

alpienne.at, Superstar Cream from the Waldmeister range, approx. € 69.90

SABOTEUR

We’re loving the simple chain bracelet from the new Elemental collection by Saboteur – a strong statement for the wrist of a strong woman. Saboteur is a collaboration between son Thomas Sabo and father Santiago, and its intention with Elemental is to contrast timeless design with a fast-paced world. As Thomas puts it: “It should be possible for our jewellery to be passed down from generation to generation. Through the Saboteur pieces, want to create an experience that lasts.” For Santiago, Saboteur is above all a way of life “that doesn’t exist yet”, he explains. “Saboteur is an attitude.” An attitude that suits strong women.

saboteur.world, Anchor bracelet, 925 sterling silver, blackened, from approx. € 320

PERSONALISED

Powder, deep snow or rock-hard slopes.

With the customised skis from ORIGINAL+, you’ll be at home on all kinds of terrain. Thanks to artificial intelligence, the Salzburg-based company will tailor their Original skis as closely as possible to your build, skiing style and technique. The mastermind behind the brand is a self-learning piece of software called ORIGO, which uses details about you to calculate your optimum ski configuration. The result promises to make you an even better skier. “Skis as a product have pretty much been maxed out – except now you can personalise the design,” says Siegfried Rumpfhuber, founder of ORIGINAL+. The “perfect” skis are available directly from the factory store in Salzburg, which is also where they’re made. original.plus, skis from approx. € 850

GOOD VIBES ONLY

Its timeless, classic design gives SOLLI tremendous retro charm. And allows this exquisite glass sphere to harmonise well with warm interior colours. Especially when it shines from the ceiling in a smoky brown tone and bathes rooms in soft light. If you prefer something more minimalist, SOLLI also comes in transparent white, creating a bright, friendly atmosphere, especially in dining rooms.

weverducre.com/en/solli approx. € 259

Thomas

SERDAR KUTUCU, AN INNOVATION EXPERT WITH AN AFFINITY FOR DESIGN, TELLS US ABOUT THE SLOW ATTITUDE TO LIFE, WHY IT’S OFTEN BEST TO GO DEEPER RATHER THAN FASTER, AND WHAT HE ASSOCIATES WITH NAGOMI.

What is the effect of discovering slowness on people?

The question is: what actually is slowness?

When we talk about the meaning of “Slow”, we’re referring to a metaphorical meaning and it’s not about speed, rather it’s about an attitude to life. Our inspiration comes from places such as the Slow Food move ment, which was founded over 30 years ago in Italy. One of the milestones was when McDonald’s was planning to open a restaurant in the historic centre of Rome and Carlo Petrini started a protest.

The protest was standing up for regionality, locality and sustainability – consciously and empathetically. Slow stands for the same things – for a more conscious life and for the consideration of the implication of our actions. Our life in the current times is a very automated process. In a constant race, a hamster wheel. Many people just don’t know any more why they’re doing what they’re doing. The philosophy behind Slow is simply to do things at the right time, to act for the long term and not find quick short-term solutions. Every person can find meaning in life if they consciously accept all the things and occurrences they’re confronted with in life – both the good and the bad. That’s how you’ll find more meaning for your own life.

What is the vision and what are the values of Slow?

Our vision is to keep pushing forward with this philosophy for living. That’s why we’re developing our own locations where you can experience it. They’re not classic hotels, they’re concepts in the form of residences, offices, studios, etc. Every one of our spaces always has a type of temple where we can preserve and share our message.

Through our architecture and design, we don’t just want to create exceptional places, we want to really bring them to life and fill them with our message. We don’t want people to have just short-term experiences – instead, we want to develop places where we can share our philosophy with other people through programmes, training and knowledge. It’s a bit like meeting up with good friends. We want to build something over the long term and that might even last forever. If you can even say that kind of thing.

What does a place need to have to fulfil your holistic requirements?

It’s important to us that the places reflect their origins. We reclaim these kinds of places either according to their original use or adapt them to suit the destination. We want to connect with the places and therefore also be immersed in the world of Slow.

In your opinion, what are people looking for and can they find it with you?

I think that people are generally looking for more meaning in life. The result of that is the quest for a certain sense of

belonging, because everyone is looking for a family beyond their family – a community, perhaps. The people in our community have various professions, various backgrounds, genders, ages. What connects them is their mindset, curiosity, values and attitude to life. Our environment is very people-oriented. Those who join our environment also want to travel the path together.

What are you working on at the moment?

What’s in development?

We’re still mostly working between Germany and Portugal. 45 minutes to the south of Lisbon, right on the Atlantic coast, we’re redeveloping a former farm with 120 hectares of land where we want to set up an organic farming civilisation. We’ve also launched a programme this year: Community Supported Agriculture (CSA), through which we can supply up to 100 families per week with vegetables, fruit and even flowers from our farm. In terms of accommodation, we’re planning 48 units, a mix of rooms, suites and cabins, and later on around 40 independent houses – with the intention that the buyers will live there all the time too. We want to build galleries, studios, concept stores and a farm shop and thereby create our own ecosystem. Yet still close to the city. That means it’s a mix of hospitality, working, tourism and private living. We have a companion site right in the city of Lisbon with a guest house. That’s our culture salon. In tandem with that, we’ve taken over a surf club with a restaurant right on São João Caparica beach. Back in Germany, we’re starting

our next big project: the creative campus in Berlin. It’s a design with overnight accommodation options, office spaces, a restaurant and community spaces.

Aside from Berlin, in the Uckermark region, we’re currently developing a small castle with 15 rooms – again, the companion site to the city. Here, we’re crafting a farmers’ collective with the intention of covering our own requirements with good produce, but also of offering it to our community in Berlin. We could then potentially also put on a regular farmer’s market.

What makes a project interesting to you?

Somehow, things tend to happen naturally because you’re not really looking for them.

I’m lucky enough to have a large, interna tional network behind me. Because of that, we receive offers and enquiries, and that results in locations and projects. But of course, you do have to get a feel for a place, as that’s the only way to really appreciate the location, the surroundings and the neighbourhood. It’s also important to us to be present in the places. At the moment, we’re not limiting ourselves to Europe, but at the beginning it was our main focus.

For us, the Slow values simply need to be brought to life and we don’t want to get lost in the big wide world.

What does Slow mean to your employees?

And to guests?

That’s a difficult question, as everyone has a subjective view and therefore interprets it individually. Some people, for example, can’t even get started with

it, but that’s fine because we know we’re proposing a niche idea. The people that are interested in it and believe in the values and the vision experience a huge amount of motivation and passion – as do our team

This issue of THE Stylemate is about nagomi, the Japanese path to harmony and zest for life. What do Slow and nagomi have in common?

Both of them are essential and important prerequisites for a good life. Harmony is nothing more than engaging empatheti cally with what’s around you, and showing consideration and responsibility.

Zest for life often comes from discovering the meaning of your own life, and that’s also what our goal is – it’s better to go deeper than to go faster.

In which moments do you experience the greatest zest for life?

I think my moments of greatest zest for life are the ones in which I can share happiness and joy with others – with my wife, with friends, but also with strangers

SLOW HAS BEEN QUIETLY UNFOLDING SINCE THE CREATION IN 2016 OF LA GRANJA IBIZA. THE TRANSFORMATION OF A DOR MANT AGRICULTURAL PLOT INTO A WORKING FARMSTEAD DEVOTED TO DISCOURSE AROUND FOOD SET THE STAGE FOR A NEW KIND OF HOSPITALITY CONCEPT. SLOW BEGAN TO ASSEMBLE A COMMUNITY OF DESIGNERS, FARMERS, WRITERS, ARTISTS, ARTISANS AND ARCHITECTS WHOSE WORK ENGAGES WITH SLOWNESS TOWARD A RESETTING OF VALUES.

SLOW HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT

INTERVIEW

KEN

“Success isn’t a prerequisite for happiness”

MOGI

KEN MOGI KNOWS WHAT MAKES PEOPLE HAPPY. FOLLOWING HIS WORLD BESTSELLING BOOK “THE LITTLE BOOK OF IKIGAI”, THE TOKYO-BASED AUTHOR HAS NOW WRITTEN ANOTHER ENTITLED “THE WAY OF NAGOMI” ABOUT THE JAPANESE PATH TO HARMONY AND ZEST FOR LIFE. DURING OUR INTERVIEW, THE ROCK STAR AMONG NEUROSCIENTISTS REVEALED WHY NOW’S THE TIME TO MOVE OVER TO THE FAR EAST LIFESTYLE, HOW WE COULD ENSURE GREATER WELL-BEING IN EVERYDAY LIFE AND WHAT HE HIMSELF GAINS FROM BALANCE.

KEN MOGI is a neuroscientist and author.

Born in Tokyo in 1962, he studied natural sciences and law in Tokyo and Cambridge, and in 2012 was the first Japanese person to give a TED Talk on the main stage.

Mogi teaches at universities and publishes texts on the topics of cognition and brain research, as well as novels, collections of essays and popular science non-fiction books.

“The Little Book of Ikigai” was released in 2017 and became a bestseller in many countries. “The Way of Nagomi” followed in 2022. Ken Mogi lives in Tokyo.

What has for centuries been deeply rooted in Japanese culture and so natural to the people who’ve grown up with it, is difficult for us to understand at first. Please can you explain in three sentences what the Japanese understand by nagomi.

Nagomi is an ancient Japanese word that describes a state of balance, harmony and well-being and is considered the ideal in Japanese philosophy on life. Nagomi is the mother of all important Japanese values such as ikigai, kintsugi, mono no aware and ichi-go ichi-e. It is at the core of the Japanese attitude to life and the best-kept secret to what Japan is all about.

Is it at all possible to transfer the concept to other cultures?

Yes, of course! Ultimately, we’re all people, regardless of our cultural or historic heritage. Nagomi is a central and universal human value.

How did you come to be communicating Japanese living concepts to the world?

As someone who’s grown up in modern Japan, I’ve learned a lot of valuable things from Western culture – at secondary school, Goethe and Nietzsche were my favourite authors. I thought maybe it was time to give something just as valuable back to the world by telling of what I believe to be the jewel in the crown of Japanese culture.

Nagomi means balance and well-being. When was the last time you felt really in harmony with yourself and with the world?

As a scientist, author and broadcaster, I have a full schedule and, just like many other people these days, I spend a lot of time in front of a screen. But when I go for a run in Tokyo, when I take a stroll through a green park, that’s when I find nagomi. I believe that getting outside and achieving balance with the spectacular natural surroundings, despite our hectic lives, would be a wonderful recipe for nagomi.

What has taken you away from the balance recently?

Sometimes I have too much to do, I try to pack too many things into a limited time frame. That’s when I lose my nagomi.

What do you do in that situation to restore balance?

try to clear my head, by going for a walk or a run, or I take a brief power nap to recover my nagomi. That supports what’s known as my resting state network in my brain – an amazing nagomi network.

Nagomi could also be perceived as a state of mind. What do you feel when you feel nagomi?

You feel that everything is in its place, all the different elements in life, everything co-exists in harmony. It’s similar to mind fulness, another concept that originally stems from Japanese Zen Buddhism.

Nagomi could be translated as “balance” or “harmony” in English.

Can you give us three tips for how to easily integrate nagomi into our lives?

First of all, if you’re pursuing a specific goal, try taking a completely different direction to get new ideas.

Secondly, try to love your enemy. Or at least try to achieve a state of nagomi with your opponent. Thirdly, be yourself and then expand your self by learning new things.

And what should your readers do first after reading your book?

would hope that first of all, they would take stock, relax and recognise that success is by no means a prerequisite for happiness. They can also achieve nagomi if they make mistakes, have weaknesses and, perhaps even more importantly, accept the flaws of the people around them.

Climate change, inflation, war: why is now a good time for a book like The Way of Nagomi?

Nagomi could have an enormous impact on today’s world because the current challenges are making it necessary to

create a balance between all of the various elements. For climate change, we would need nagomi between human actions and the environment, for example.

To counteract inflation, we would need nagomi between supply and demand.

And as difficult as it may be – we must strive for nagomi between Ukraine and Russia in order to achieve lasting peace.

Nagomi isn’t about right and wrong.

It’s about acknowledging variety regard less of whether one side is right and the other side is wrong.

What gives you hope?

That we’re all human and dreams are made of nagomi.

The Way of Nagomi by Ken Mogi is published by the DuMont publishing house.

Why it’s not just in the presence of the Yoda of all sushi masters that you need to be aware of etiquette

WHAT ARE THE CHANCES THAT YOU’RE NOT EATING SUSHI CORRECTLY?

EATING SUSHI, YOU CAN PROVE YOURSELF TO BE A REAL PRO OF JAPANESE

CAN

Have you heard of Jiro Ono? He’s 96 years old, a Japanese cultural asset and pretty much the Yoda of all sushi masters. At his counter in a Tokyo underground station, you have to hold your tongue at the table and pay a three-figure sum for a few mouthfuls. His restaurant Sukiyabashi Jiro had three Michelin stars until two years ago. Then the Michelin Guide took them away from the Jiro Ono team. Why?

It simply wasn’t possible to get a seat at the counter anymore. The hype surround ing the wise old man had reached levels of absurdity. You’ll definitely experience similar quality at other first-class sushi restaurants. Having said that, you can sense the absolute dedication with which this old man pursues perfection. And how close he must have come to achieving it in his almost 100 years of life. Anyone that’s ever had the fortune to be able to eat at his counter will know that his aura reveals itself instantly. And you’ll understand that much of what you don’t understand here has a great depth of meaning.

That’s why it’s not just important for Jiro Ono to learn the rules of Japanese etiquette. Some of the cultural differences might surprise you. The Sukiyabashi Jiro restau rant explains all of the important aspects of etiquette on their website anyway. It’s explained right at the beginning that it’s entirely acceptable to eat sushi either with your hands or with chopsticks.

But watch out: please handle the sushi as if it were made of porcelain so that it doesn’t fall apart on its way to your mouth.

Generally, nigiri and maki are traditionally eaten with the fingers, but of course that also heavily depends on the location.

If you’re handed a fresh damp cloth with the sushi, it’s totally fine to eat with your hands rather than chopsticks.

The benefit of this is that you can grip the sushi better. However, sashimi, or raw fish, is best eaten with chopsticks. Guests are also warned beforehand not to take photos of their food, and not to leave the sushi on their plate for too long, or even to cut it in half.

As a total contrast to what we’re used to on this side of the world, wasabi is not intended to be mixed with soy sauce. In fact, it is frowned upon to add wasabi to soy sauce. The correct method is to dot small amounts of wasabi onto the fish. The biggest insult to a sushi chef, however, is removing the sushi topping and eating the ingredients separately. That’s a big no-no. Cutting the sushi into pieces or tearing it apart almost makes a mockery of the chef’s hard work. Learning how to perfectly combine flavours and ingredients is part of the art of sushi preparation. And it should always be possible to easily fit sushi into your mouth.

Now we come to the right order of things. Another hot topic. Admittedly, there aren’t any rules that stipulate the specific order in which sushi should be eaten.

IT’S A SIMPLE MATTER OF RESPECT: RESPECT FOR THE FOOD, RESPECT FOR THE CHEF. THAT’S WHY THIS ETIQUETTE EXISTS, BECAUSE FOR SUSHI MASTERS, THEIR ACTIVITY ENTAILS A HIGHLY AMBITIOUS, NEVER-ENDING DEMAND ON THEIR OWN ARTISANAL CRAFT.

THE TERM SHOKUNIN DESCRIBES

Autumnal drinks

OASIS DRINK

METHODE: SHAKE & STRAIN; garnish with lime zest and the two basil leaves.

And in sushi temples like Jiro Ono’s, the master chef tells you themselves anyway –in the sequence they believe to be the best.

In rather more relaxed settings, you can of course eat your rice rolls in whichever order you like. But the Japanese aren’t famous for their fastidious food culture for nothing.

For the perfect taste experience, it’s recommended that you start with the lighter fish as they have a milder flavour.

Following that, you should move onto the pink or red fish, e.g. lean tuna.

Oilier types of fish like salmon and eel, plus prawns and fish roe are best eaten later, as their stronger flavour can overpower other types of fish. And finally, maki rolls are best eaten last because of their fresh flavour. Options with roe can work well as a light starter, but are also best eaten at the end of the meal.

HERE’S HOW IT MIGHT BE POSSIBLE TO GET A RESERVATION

The renowned restaurant with three Michelin stars in the centre of Tokyo will initially only accept bookings that can be vouched for by someone in Japan. For tourists, this means it might be best to allow the concierge at your hotel to jump this first hurdle. However, only a really great concierge will have a direct link to Sukiyabashi Jiro.

sushi-jiro.jp/dining-at-jiro

ABOUT ELEPHANT GIN

The founders of Elephant Gin made it their mission to combine their passion for African wildlife with their instinct for excellent flavour in their products.

2013, the popular Elephant London Dry Gin (45%) became the foundation of the premium brand. The range was extended with the aromatic Elephant Sloe Gin (35%), the full-bodied Elephant Strength Gin (57%) and the refreshing Elephant Orange Cocoa Gin (40%).

Each of the unique bottles of Elephant Gin is individually prepared – with handwritten labels that bear the names of elephants, clippings from African maps and an emblem with embossing. Exquisite quality, tradition, willingness to experiment and an awareness of

doing responsible, fair and meaningful business along the value chain are benchmarks that Elephant Gin has diligently stuck to since it was founded in 2013. The brand is also highly motivated to give something back to the continent that has provided it with so much inspiration: 15% of the profits from every bottle is donated to help African elephants, which are in danger of becoming extinct. Since 12 August 2022, the founders have been demonstrating this commitment via the Elephant Gin Foundation, a platform that’s wholly separate from Elephant Gin, in order to generate more awareness and donations from the proceeds of their Elephant Gin products and direct them into elephant conservation projects.

ml Elephant London Dry Gin

slices of fresh apple

METHODE: Fill a tumbler with ice cubes, pour over the gin and top up with tonic. Garnish with the apple slices.

ml premium tonic water

FRANZOBEL is an Austrian writer. He has published numerous plays, works of prose and poems. His plays have been produced in countries including Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Denmark, France, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Italy, Russia and the USA.

His great historical adventure novel “Das Floß der Medusa” (published by Zsolnay) was awarded the Bayerischer Buchpreis (Bavarian Book Award) 2017 and was on the shortlist for the German Book Prize 2017.

“I didn’t know about nagomi before but it sounds promising, although I am also a fan of wabi-sabi –the art of accepting imperfections.”

What is the right way to live? Everyone wants to be a King – balanced, calm and relaxed. But is that possible? The world is full of mice that gnaw at roots and toads that block the water to fountains. Our society is based on performance, so anyone that doesn’t work has no value. On top of that, there’s the irritat ing temptation of the world of commodities. But you don’t have to own everything in order to be considered successful or happy. If a fairy godmother were to appear and offer to grant three wishes, very few people would be able to decide which ones. Then there’s the constant angst-inducing news reports: coronavirus, war, climate change. Life is not easy. How much energy is expended just to find the best energy provider alone? But have you ever been a passenger with a new driver? Perhaps even with your own child who doesn’t listen to you? I recently had the pleasure, although it turned out to be anything but. It wasn’t that my son drove badly or got into any tricky situations, but for me, every figure at the side of the road was a potential threat because they might unexpectedly jump into the road. The oncoming traffic was a dangerous stream of enemy varia bles, and with every vehicle diving out of a side road, I died a thousand deaths and stamped on the imaginary brake pedal.

As a parent, you try to pass on to your offspring the most important rules in life so that further down the line, they can navigate safely through their own existence and not drift off course: no sweets after you’ve brushed your teeth, no TV before breakfast, help the poor and the weak, don’t harm animals. At some point, you make the shocking realisation that you now sound like your own parents. Children also quickly catch on to the fact that parents will never actually follow through on threats like “If you don’t come here right away, we’ll go home without you”. If you want to remain relaxed, you need to be able to let go, and that isn’t always easy. In the fairy tale The Devil with the Three Golden Hairs by the Brothers Grimm, there’s a ferryman who wants nothing more ardently than to no longer be a ferryman. He’s had enough of rowing back and forth, enough of the constant dropping off, ferrying, the responsibility of having to take people to the other side. This lasts until the boy with the caul reveals that he can just hand his oar over to the next passenger.

But what sounds very easy in theory is actually rather difficult in practice, as we all fear transience and being replaced. Maybe the three golden hairs on the head of the devil represent realisation, knowledge and freedom. No, there’s no correct path that will inevitably lead to a life filled with happiness. Every person is different.

But we live in a time in which everyone is a King and therefore able to pick out from the excessive amount of ferrymen the specific one that can help them. For some it’s psychoanalysis, for others it’s the Bible, the manual on etiquette or Buddhism. I didn’t know about nagomi before but it sounds promising, although I am also a fan of wabi-sabi – the art of accepting imper fections. We long for harmony, yet nothing is without flaws. Just as for every ferryman, life is also about the constant back and forth. We want to stay the course but have to fight against currents, shallows and eddies. Despite this, we have to keep crossing the water until at some point passing the oar onto the next person, and all that remains is holding onto the hope that everything has gone well. Life is no fairy tale, but those who place their trust in the right ferrymen will perhaps come across one caul or another and feel like a King – or put the oar into their hand.

The ferryman

Selection

Skiba

Photo: Hotel Oitavos

In harmony with nature

The five-star design hotel The Oitavos is situated on the most western point of the Portuguese coast, looking out over protected sand dunes, the Atlantic Ocean and the surrounding beaches. Just 25 minutes from Lisbon, the family-run hotel is part of the Sintra-Cascais Natural Park, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

THE OITAVOS Portugal / Cascais / Quinta da Marinha

Embracing the natural surroundings. Interview on page 11.

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more and more

Lifestylehotels™

PORTUGAL

SWITZERLAND

Alpenhotel Kitzbühel

Location

The Alpenhotel Kitzbühel on Lake Schwarzsee is located on the edge of a nature reserve, has its own private lake access and offers unobstructed views across the lake, forests and mountains. That comes with great responsibility. It was important not to encroach on the natural surroundings any more than necessary, so careful consideration had to be given to how the building was illuminated at night. Even the colours of the lights were agreed with entomolo gists and implemented based on their recommendations.

Architecture

Great emphasis was placed on regionality during construc tion. “Native wood was used wherever possible, be it as a structural material, for surfaces in the interior or the untreated larch that dominates the new façade. The larch will weather over time and the colour will end up closer to that of the forest,” explains architect Sebastian Mitterer from the team at Firn Architekten. “That means the building will age gracefully and become part of the natural sur roundings.” The green roofs also contribute to the overall eco look and feel.

Mobility

How does an environmentally friendly and comfortable arrival by train sound? Perfect! Kitzbühel-Schwarzsee station is only about 500 metres away on foot, but guests don’t need to walk to the hotel – thanks to the private pick-up train service, they can be collected from Kitzbühel train station for free.

Just because you didn’t bring your car doesn’t mean you have to miss out on excursions, because electric cars and bikes are available to guests so they can head off on voyages of discovery. There are also electric charging points right outside the hotel, so anyone arriving by electric means will find it easy to charge their car on the premises.

Cuisine

Natural, regional and seasonal are the three main ingredients of sustainable culinary delight at the Alpenhotel Kitzbühel. The kitchen has relied mainly on produce from local farmers for many years now, while the game comes from hunts in the Karwendel and Brandenberg Alps mountain ranges and the dairy and cheese products are sourced from the hotel’s own farm and dairy in the Zillertal valley. Top quality tastes so good!

Energy management

To ensure the suites stay cosy and warm and the infinity pool provides a comfortable temperature for bathing all year round, geothermal energy and biomass consisting of wood chips are obtained from local forest resources. Geothermal energy can also be used to cool the building, making it an environmentally friendly and effective alterna tive to air conditioning in summer.

the future

ALPENHOTEL KITZBÜHEL Austria Tyrol / Kitzbühel alpenhotel-kitzbühel.at info@alpenhotel-kitzbuehel.at

comfort in nature’s paradise.

The issue of

you’re on holiday,

that hotels like the Alpenhotel

The MAGDALENA’S made in Tyrol range of skincare products draws its power from nature. Containing vegan and regional ingredients, the products don’t just pamper guests at the Gradonna****s Mountain Resort (the home of the beauty brand), they’re also available to visitors to the magdalenas.tirol online shop.

Finding a cosmetics line is easy – finding the right products for natural beauty, on the other hand, is not. For Martha Schultz, co-owner of the Gradonna****s Mountain Resort in Kals am Großglockner, the ideal option for your skin is sustainable, vegan and contains local ingredients. As she told us while talking to THE STYLEMATE “Regionality and the exceptional quality of the products are essentials for us.” But they weren’t able to find a partner on the market that could meet their high expec tations – and that’s why they decided to launch MAGDALENA’S. Their demands when it comes to skincare products are stringent: high quality, regional, free from animal testing, organic and vegan, attributes that are as important for the four-star hotel as they are for the beauty products. “Our herbal experts worked closely with my son Lukas in 2012 to develop an innovative skincare and cosmetics range that will be loved by both men and women,” explains Schultz when discussing the origins of the brand.

REGIONAL AND HIGH QUALITY

The recipe for the products has been refined over the last few years, and manufacturing has been adapted to meet increased demand: MAGDALENA’S made in Tyrol doesn’t just impress consumers with its short transport distances, the skincare range is also made entirely by hand. And since last December, the hotel’s own range of cosmetics products has been certified organic.

“MAGDALENA’S cares for the skin of those who use it. All of the products in our exten sive range are suitable for all skin types and are fragrance-free – instead they smell of the Alps and give you a sense of the freedom of the mountains,” says pharmacist Lukas Schultz. At first, the new range was used exclusively at the resort in Kals am Großglockner, “but because demand was so high, you can now also order it from home,” adds Martha Schultz, and refers us to the website magdalenas.tirol.

The skincare range is a true family success story, and the brand name is part of that: MAGDALENA’S namesake is Martha Schultz’s niece.

Happiness at the Bergwiesenglück. Slow living. Breathtaking views. Unwinding. That’s exactly what you’ll find at the retreat in the heart of the Tyrolean Alps. Not far from Ischgl and Kappl, this boutique hotel is the ultimate haven of tranquillity. Rudolf Schuchter told us all about it.

Lifestylehotels: How did the Bergwiesen glück come to be?

Rudolf Schuchter: It started as a small private property that offered immense potential because of its stunning outlook, and it became something unexpectedly larger – the Bergwiesenglück. And from what was originally planned as a village of barns eventually became the boutique hotel that stands here today in the Tyrolean Alps. But we retained the barn aesthetic. We placed great emphasis on using natural materials like stone and recycled scrap timber – that really adds a sense of peace and cosiness, and encourages guests to unwind.

LH: What makes the Bergwiesenglück so special?

And what do guests have to say about it?

“The feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. The indulgent feel of the creams and lotions in particular, as well as the moisturising properties of the skincare and cosmetics products are always mentioned positively. We also get a lot of glowing reviews on our magdalenas.tirol online shop,” says Martha Schultz, happily. With the range of Alpine cosmetics products from the Gradonna****s Mountain Resort, the experts have created therapeutic treatments that will appeal to those who are conscious of being respectful of nature.

MAGDALENA’S – natural cosmetics that get under your skin

In the mountains,

am happy

RS: We’re far away from any urban hustle and bustle and the stresses of everyday life.

Nature, the view and the peacefulness here on the mountainside allow people to forget what day it is. You feel like you’re actually in a classic Alpine movie, with a deer really standing outside your door in the morning and the birds chirping all around. We’ve also got Hermann’s Kitchen, where there aren’t any menus – guests just order what they feel like eating.

LH: What’s the best way to unwind at your hotel?

RS: Our guests say that they already feel 80% calmer as soon as they walk in the door – at least after the eventful journey to get here. The atmosphere here is so cosy that the hotel could be full and you wouldn’t notice.

LH: Where is your favourite place to retreat to in the hotel?

RS: like sitting by our adventure barn, which we built for children. Beneath the adventure barn there is a small restaurant that we hire out to small groups, and just in front of this restaurant there is a small table – the view from up there is simply magnificent.

LH: What can everyone experience when they stay with you?

RS: We’re right next to the ski slopes and have shuttle buses to all of the other slopes in the surrounding area. People also like to bring the grandparents along with them, and they then go off on a winter hike. Coronavirus has changed travel a little, in that people prefer enjoying the peace fulness and a good bottle of wine rather than partying long into the night. At our hotel, every chalet also has its own private spa with a sauna and a hot tub so you can unwind in your own personal space. For Christmas, we’ve planned a small Tyrolean Christmas celebration with a selection of fondues and a small dessert. At New Year we’ll have a cosy meal in the evening, and then those with the stamina can ring in the New Year in our barn – with a DJ or a two-man band, and of course fireworks.

LH: What do you personally associate with slow living?

RS: think that peace is becoming more and more important in today’s world. Day in, day out, we’re bombarded with bad news and we’re looking for a place to retreat to, where we can shut ourselves away a bit. When staying here, guests can unwind and switch off – that to me is slow living. You can close your eyes, open them again and see the world in a totally different way.

BERGWIESENGLÜCK Austria / Tyrol / Paznaun bergwiesenglueck.at

private is the

happiness.

on topWinter

Lifestylehotels: I enjoy being active in winter – in what way is The Crystal VAYA Unique designed for someone like me?

Siegfried Penzenleitner: Because we’re situated right by the Festkoglbahn lift, so it doesn’t get much better in terms of ski in, ski out. We’re also located in the centre of one of the most beautiful ski resorts in Tyrol, at almost 2,000 metres, and we’re guaranteed to get snow from November until the end of April. The view of the imposing 3,000 metre peaks around you is vast. This isn’t just paradise for Alpine skiers, it’s also perfect for freeriders and cross-country skiers alike.

LH: So how important is the location to your guests in the context of making their skiing holiday as convenient as possible?

SP : We’ve thought of everything here: our guests can get from their rooms straight to the ski storage room, and from there it’s just a 50-metre walk to the Festkoglbahn lift. And all of that is underground, so it’s really only when they get to the summit that they’ll feel their first snowflakes. The short footpath also leads to a sports shop – if you still need anything for the day ahead, such as new gloves or goggles, you can go and get them without making too

much of a detour.

For the early risers, our First Line service is just the ticket. Accompanied by a ski guide, you can get onto the freshly prepared slopes even before the lifts have officially opened, then enjoy breakfast at the Hohe Mut Alm.

LH: In brief, can you give us three reasons to visit the Obergurgl ski resort?

SP : The Obergurgl/Hochgurgl ski resort boasts top-quality skiing with 112 km of the best-groomed slopes and 25 stateof-the-art lifts, and snow is guaranteed between November and the end of April – meaning there’s fun to be had on the slopes at altitudes of between 1,800 and 3,100 metres. Because we have very few day-trip skiers, the slopes are never overcrowded. There are also great places to take a break, have some skiing fun and terrific options for freeriders.

LH: Skiing, wellness and cuisine belong together – is that the case in your hotel?

SP : Absolutely! Our guests have access to a wellness area of around 2,000 m² with two indoor pools and an outdoor pool, various saunas, quiet rooms and treatment rooms for massages and cosmetic applications. There’s also a spa suite for private wellness indulgence where our guests can relax after skiing – or instead of it. Of course, I’d also like to mention the renowned Crystal cuisine, which leaves nothing to be desired. Our team of chefs give their all day after day to create culinary masterpieces for our guests. In the evening, the team serves dishes to order from the menu or surprises guests with themed evenings and much more. It’s the perfect way to round off a dreamlike day on the slopes.

LH: If don’t ski, how can I while away my time at the hotel in winter?

SP

: There are a number of ways in which to enjoy winter to the max – for example tobogganing (day and night), cross-country skiing, ice skating, snowshoeing, hiking, a carriage ride, horse riding in the arena and out in the wintry landscape, or you can improve your handicap in the indoor golf facility. And of course, a visit to the Top Mountain “Motorradmuseum” is a must.

Those who prefer their activities a little on the calmer side will be right at home in our wellness area. Here, you can enjoy one of our ESPA Signature Treatments, which will pamper you with a unique combination of powerful plant extracts, ocean-derived ingredients and essential oils. You can also take a few laps of the pool or relax in one of the quiet rooms. The Ötztal Alps remain in view at all times.

Right near the slopes, at 2,000 metres above sea level at the end of the Ötztal Valley, you’ll find The Crystal VAYA Unique in Obergurgl, just made for unforgettable days spent in the snow. This is where you can enjoy a winter holiday in maximum comfort and with never-ending options up in the clouds.

We spoke to hotel manager Siegfried Penzenleitner.

In vino veritas:

3 questions for a sommelier

Lifestylehotels: Can you give us some tips on how to choose good wine?

Marco Torrisi: You need to consider a number of elements and find the right balance. A tip for choosing a good-quality wine is evaluating the area of origin. Ask yourself: do the grapes come from a vineyard owned by the producer?

The second secret is to give priority to wines with origin marks (e.g. IGP, IGT, DOP, DOC), and to avoid buying wines that don’t have one. Finally, the last tip concerns the price: in the absence of further elements to evaluate, to be sure you’re getting a wine of average quality, it is better to buy bottles starting from an average price upwards. This is not a strict rule, as some excellent wines can cost less than you think and vice versa, but it is a parameter to be taken into consideration.

At the end of the day, however, you must always keep in mind what you want to eat with the wine. So as not to risk ruining the meal, you need to know how to combine wine with food, or at least the basic rules.

Finding the right combinations is a real art and you cannot expect to become an expert immediately as if by magic. You have to build up your own experience. So, just like everything in life, it comes down to learning by doing.

LH: How do wine and sustainability work hand in hand?

MT: Environmental sustainability is the human activity that regulates its practice according to ecological assumptions in the framework of sustainable development.

of resources is

of the discourse surrounding sustainability and is seen as the intrinsic capacity of the world to transform itself in a cyclical manner – a capacity that must be defended in order not to modify the delicate balance on earth. The sustainability of wine is man’s ability to preserve nature so that future generations can take advantage of the same quantity of resources we have available today. At Monaci, we try to preserve nature as much as possible by using as few chemicals as possible. We aim for the quality and not the beauty of the vineyard. For us, the customer who drinks wine must drink healthily.

LH: What was your favourite vintage of the past few years, and what do you like most about the wines produced at Monaci delle Terre Nere?

MT: My favourite harvest has to be the one from 2014. Our elegant wines, certified organic, are distinguished by strength, finesse and elegance, respect for the land and its product – namely, the grapes. Obsessive care of the vineyard, precisely because: “Great wines are produced from great grapes,” a phrase that summarises our philosophy. Monaci delle Terre Nere is a privileged place, the first where you can taste the wine produced from the estate’s vineyards. Several autochthonous varieties from the Etna region can be tasted at our Locanda restaurant. Nerello Mascalese and Carri cante stand out, varieties of white grapes exclusively found in Etna.

• Don’t judge the book by its cover... or the wine by its label!

• Don’t take wine too seriously.

• When choosing your wine, don’t be afraid... TAKE THE RISK!

• Don’t be fooled: picking the same variety doesn’t mean it’s the same wine.

• If there is a vine that intrigues you, explore. It is never bad!

When the stresses of day-to-day life get too much, holidays can be spent relaxing and soaking up the sun while enjoying some privacy. In line with their philosophy that “time and privacy are the new luxury”, the Meneghetti Wine Hotel & Winery provides the innovative approach of the villa concept – a private hotel just for you.

It’s calmer in Croatia

THE LOOKS

Mediterranean elegance, elements from the Istrian region and traditional architecture enriched with modern touches have been incorporated into the design of the two luxury villas created exclusively for couples – La Alta and La Bassa. Outstanding furnishings, the stylish layout of the villas and features such as a private walk-in bar provide the opportunity to create cocktails according to guests’ wishes – all in the comfort of their own villa. Meneghetti also offers nine villas with up to three bedrooms for families.

THE EXPERIENCES

Private doesn’t have to mean boring. It’s more varied than ever – from lying on a sunlounger all day in your own garden and taking a cool dip in the private pool to watching the sunset from Meneghetti’s private beach area. And if you don’t feel like leaving the villa in the evening, you can enjoy dinner in the comfort of your private space thanks to the butler service. If you start craving some outdoor experiences, Meneghetti’s Experience Ambassador is on hand to create unique memories of the Croatian region – options include island hopping, spending your day on a yacht in the Adriatic, hunting for truffles or visiting Rovinj, Pula or the medieval town of Motovun.

THE TASTY BITS

A unique dining experience is the best way to round off a lovely, relaxing holiday.

Spend the evening at a secluded location under the starry sky savouring a romantic dinner under centuries-old oak trees, with seasonal creations brought to you by the Meneghetti culinary team. If private dining isn’t for you, you can always book a table at the Meneghetti restaurant, where you will experience the modern interpretation of traditional Istrian cuisine –prepared using fresh, authentic and local ingredients chosen according to the season. For wine lovers, the Meneghetti Wine Hotel & Winery offers an exclusive tasting of its flagship wine label – a vertical collection of the best vintages of the Meneghetti Red label.

The

Right

MONACI DELLE TERRE NERE Italy / Zafferana Etnea / Sicily monacidelleterrenere.it

THE BIGGEST MISTAKES TO AVOID:

Photos: Monaci delle Terre Nere

Nestled in the Meneghetti resort and embedded in marvellous nature, surrounded by Mediter ranean vegetation and vineyards, the villas offer an atmosphere that is extremely intimate and private. However, they are still close enough to the hotel in order to provide the ultimate guest experience.

MENEGHETTI

5

place to connect to nature,

time for yourself and the things that matter.

wonders of Hotel des Horlogers

Hotel des Horlogers, nestled between hills and mountains and entirely surrounded by nature, has many stories to tell – from watchmakers to nature and time for yourself, about the important things in life and the five wonders of the region.

One: Authenticity

The hotel’s location in the Vallée de Joux, also known as the cradle of watchmaking, dates back to 1857 – when watch making was still booming and the Hotel des Horlogers was called the Hotel de France. To this day, the hotel remains a gathering place for nature lovers and watchmaking enthusi asts. And in 2022, the hotel still embodies the spirit of these watchmakers.

Two: Harmony

At the Hotel des Horlogers, the boundaries between nature and architecture are broken down to make room for harmony and to be in tune with the surroundings. The hotel is built directly into the hillside, almost merging with nature, and the same architectural style has been used to create special viewing platforms. The interior design concept was inspired by a walk through the Risoud forest, thus creating harmony inside the hotel as well in the form of wood and tree branches.

Three: Ingenuity

Hotel des Horlogers has borrowed ingenuity from the watchmakers and extends it into the architecture and even further into the guest experience. The rooms feature panoramic windows that offer a view of the entire Vallée de Joux and tempt visitors to just sit and marvel. Hotel des Horlogers is keen to protect the lakes, the forests and the mountains you can see from these panoramic windows. The hotel itself has been built using an environmentally responsible method, is completely digitised and meets the Minergie environmental requirements for energy efficiency. On the roof, guests will find 86 photovoltaic panels, and if

they’re looking for plastic during their stay, they will come away empty handed. Additionally, the hotel spa uses only the power of plants to create innovative high-tech skincare.

Four: Freedom

In the Vallée de Joux, there are no time restrictions. Here you make time for yourself and connect with the wonders of nature. And is there any better way to connect with nature than through food? Guests can slow down during dinner at Brasserie Le Gogant, where chef Emmanuel Renaut (three Michelin stars) creates dishes made from carefully chosen seasonal produce, or fruit, vegetables and aromatic plants from the hotel’s own garden. After dinner, Le Bar des Horlogers invites its guests to discover signature cocktails made with plants and trees found in the Risoud forest. The bar itself embodies the energy of resi dents and the watchmakers. If someone is craving some thing more restrained, the hotel offers wines, brewed beers and distilled spirits – all locally produced. Even the coffee beans for the morning espressos have been roasted in the Vallée de Joux and placed in biodegradable capsules.

Five: Connecting with nature

The Vallée de Joux has a lot to offer – during both summer and winter. In the snowy season, the Vallée de Joux becomes Europe’s biggest natural ice-skating rink. And if you don’t like ice skating, you can go skiing, snowshoeing, winter hiking or sledging. There’s just no end to the activities on offer. For a more historic approach, the Vallée de Joux has a lot of museums about its heritage – just in case it’s too cold outside.

Lifestylehotels: The Champalimaud family has been working on The Oitavos for 100 years and it has evolved a lot over the past century. Tell us about your hotel’s history.

Miguel M. Champalimaud: My family bought Quinta da Marinha (where The Oitavos hotel is located) in 1921 but the hotel was only built in 2010. Quinta da Marinha evolved a lot over the past century. The plot, around 1,200 hectares, was bought with the purpose of developing what my great-grandfather Carlos Champalimaud named “The Garden City”.

LH: And what was his plan for “The Garden City”?

MMC: A luxury residential and tourism destination. After buying the property in 1921, he started stabilising the dunes, planted the umbrella pine forest and secured water from the nearby Sintra mountains.

The property came with an equestrian facility that was extended and upgraded at the beginning of the 1930s. From the 20s/30s through to the late 80s, not much was developed besides some family houses.

The umbrella pine forest kept growing and a farming lifestyle took root. There was the 1929 stock exchange crash, the death of my great-grandfather in 1937, the Second World War in 1939 and the property was divided among different family members.

LH: How has it finally become The Oitavos?

MMC: Jumping ahead to 2001, we opened the Oitavos Dunes golf course to the public, then in 2004 we opened a big sports facility called the Health & Racket Club, and in 2010 we opened the hotel. Quinta da Marinha is both a physical space and a brand shared by different family and non-family members today. The Oitavos hotel and Oitavos Dunes golf course are the two “stars” of Quinta da Marinha. Right now, there are no changes or additions to the hotel planned other than continuing to provide the best experience possible for those who visit us.

LH: How would you describe The Oitavos in your own words?

MMC: The Oitavos is a place where you can disconnect 100% from your day-to-day life and create memorable moments.

LH: What can guests expect when they arrive at The Oitavos?

MMC: Guests can expect a personalised, non-branded experience throughout their stay. Guests often tell me and our team members at the hotel that at The Oitavos, you just feel special. Although the hotel is grand (142 bedrooms and suites, confer ence centre, spa), you feel like you are in a cosy ambience created by the family that manages daily operations. The Oitavos is more than a hotel, it’s a location – it’s SintraCascais Natural Park, Guincho beach, the local clients that attend it, it’s the people that work on it for you. It’s a place everyone should go at least once in their lifetime.

LH: What is your favourite place at The Oitavos?

MMC: The rooms! They’re so different yet so comfortable and spacious. Also, the outdoor pool, terrace and adjoining restaurant during spring and summer, and the indoor swimming pool, the bar and the indoor restaurant in autumn and winter.

LH: What do you like most about the hotel’s architecture?

MMC: The fact that the hotel is made mostly of steel and glass, and also the interior flex ibility with layouts and décor. Having glass from the floor to the ceiling in all areas gives you a feeling of being “sunkissed” all the time and offers great views over the ocean, sand dunes and pine trees.

Since the 1920s, the Champalimaud family’s history has been linked to a beautiful spot. Right on the Atlantic coast, just 25 minutes away from Lisbon, they have developed a design hotel boasting contemporary architecture. Miguel M. Champalimaud, Hotel Director, told us all about its history, the best places and the architecture.

Those who think a winter holiday should be spent in the mountains skiing and playing Scrabble should take a trip to Timmendorfer Strand on the Baltic Sea. It’s a place that encourages you to unwind, to enjoy yourself, to pause. By the beach. At SAND.

Me time

ENJOY YOURSELF WITH A CLEAR CONSCIENCE.

Being sustainable doesn’t mean that you can’t treat yourself to anything – and that’s the key to the SAND lifestyle hotel. Here, the guest is part of the journey, without restrictions and with plenty of space for individuality and personal comforts. You can start the day with a clear conscience with breakfast for late risers featuring homemade treats, then at lunchtime you can have a clear conscience while enjoying the fresh air on the beach, and in the evening you can have a clear conscience in the sauna on the roof terrace – stargazing included. All of that makes the indulging, switching off and unwinding remarkably straightforward.

Lifestylehotels: Can you really combine sustainability and design?

Hotel owner Marion Muller: We have sustainable design in the natural products and the life style at the hotel. So we’re not environmentalists. We’re on trend, because being sustainable doesn’t mean that you always have to put back and can’t enjoy anything anymore. We combine lifestyle with nature. Ultimately, we’re on holiday – so we have to keep things comfortable. Our eggs are organic and we use a lot of produce, make our own salads and guests are always welcome to come to us with suggestions for improvements!

LH: What does the SAND lifestyle hotel offer guests?

MM: We want to whisk guests away in a natural way. We don’t have a big spa, we just have a sauna for six people. Following the pandemic, there’s now the option to book the sauna exclusively for two people. That takes you up onto the roof terrace, and if you’re feeling brave, you can even spend the night in a sleeping basket under the light of the stars. It’s important to us that guests consciously create their experience with nature and slow down in doing so – by travelling alone, spending late evenings on the beach or going for a late-night swim in summer.

LH: What is your favourite place on the Baltic Sea coast?

MM: I love the beach, but also like heading inland. My favourite thing to do is walk around the nature reserve, enjoy the air in the forest and look out from there at the sunset.

TIMMENDORFER STRAND

Also known as a suburb of Hamburg, Timmendorfer Strand encourages people to unwind and live in the moment. After a quick drink in the pubs on the promenade, a trip to the nature reserve or a short excursion to the Christmas market in Lübeck, you can round off the day with a long walk along the beach. Because the Baltic is an inland sea, there aren’t any tides –so the water is never far away.

HAPPINESS

find happiness on

IS

ZEST FOR

Gerhardt Staufenbiel: That’s no easy question. Happiness isn’t simply a state in which you walk around cheering, it’s more like a series of momentary stories that pass us by. Happiness often comes along totally inconspicuously. One aspect of zest for life is undoubtedly when you’ve found your path and just know where it’s heading. What’s important is being on the path and not reaching the destination. That might involve many obstacles, and a lot of work. When you’ve worked something out for yourself in your life and can pass that knowledge on to others, when you’re able to share it, you could call that zest for life.

Florian Meyer: Zest for life is a phrase that’s hard to capture. For me, a big part of it is asking where am I coming from, where am I going? Because of my age, I am of course right near the start of my journey. When I was younger, happiness for me was attached to something else, such as a new video game or, when I was at school, an invitation to a party. When life is going well, you feel happy – and sometimes not. But that’s probably not the zest for life that we’re talking about here.

Staufenbiel: Naturally, we experience moments of happiness when we get a new car or iPad, but that doesn’t last long. What remains over the long term are memories of really small things or profoundly experienced moments. I still remember quite vividly a tea ceremony 40 years ago in torrential rain. Or a night on the beach in Crete: the gentle noise of the sea, the full moon, the pine trees swaying in the wind. These are the moments when you are entirely in the moment with yourself – you hear the rain on the gravel, see the moon glittering on the water, hear the wind in the pines. Profoundly experienced moments of inconspicuous things that you experience wide awake. Money comes and goes, but no one can take these kinds of memories away from you. When I think about it, I feel as though there have always been moments of incredible stillness that are indelibly burnt into my memory.

So would you say that immense happiness lies in the small things?

Meyer: That sounds like a cheesy slogan you’d find on a calendar, but yes. Happiness comes primarily from within – I feel it mostly when I’m relaxed. Gerhardt, you said it makes you happy when you’re able to teach, when you can pass on your knowledge. I’m happy when have my guitar in my hands and make music with good friends. Not everything has to be perfect in order to be happy.

Staufenbiel: Yes, it can be the really small things. When you set goals for yourself and you achieve those goals, you set another goal and the goal after that, and then you realise that you’ve actually only ever been chasing after things and never just been with yourself. That’s the point when I personally feel closest to myself, when I totally lose myself. In the really small things, like in the whistling of the kettle. It’s the small, mindful moments that stay with us.

GERHARDT

Gerhardt, do you have any tips to pass on to younger people so that they can experience zest for life?

Staufenbiel: The paths you take are often intertwined and don’t always follow a straight line. To my 20-year-old self, I would just say: “Do your thing. Make sure you aren’t swayed too much by others; make sure you find yourself.” And if you take many wrong paths and experience many fractures in your life – those things are part of you as well. And when you get older, you might say, in hindsight, that they were all necessary experiences. The Zen school of thought says to follow your own path and if you find some small flowers along the way, pick them and take them with you. And if you notice that you’ve taken the wrong path, simply take the other path where there are also flowers. But I wouldn’t say to any young person, “What you’re doing is wrong.” Everyone has to follow their own path.

Meyer: It’s often helpful to relieve young people of this pressure for everything to be perfect. We place far too much emphasis on the goal, but actually it’s the path to get there that’s most important. It’s just like you said, Gerhardt: it’s much more valuable to take a look around while you’re on the path and simply to enjoy it. To make the most of every moment. If you can do that, you might later say that, overall, you had a happy life. With lots of great memories.

FLORIAN

VERA

FOR LIFE

MUSTIQUE

To get us started, how are you both and what are you grateful for today?

Pedro and Vera: We’re doing really well and are so grateful to have been able to spend a peaceful summer surrounded by our friends and family.

How and why did you start Mustique?

Vera: We launched the brand in 2018. I had just quit my job at a start-up in London and Pedro was doing his Master’s in Business Studies. Pedro had the idea of starting his own project in the fashion industry and asked me if I wanted to join him on the adventure. The driving force behind founding the brand was our desire to have something of our own through which we could express ourselves creatively.

What is the name Mustique about? What does it mean (to you) and why did you choose it?

Vera: Mustique is the name of an island in the archipelago of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean. I have always been drawn to the island with its tropical and mysterious atmosphere, and the word itself is aesthetically appealing. It was the first name I suggested to Pedro for the brand and he liked it straight away, so we never even considered any other options.

How do you come up with new designs, prints, etc.?

Vera and Pedro: We’re asked this question a lot and it’s not an easy one to answer. Inspiration comes from all over and from everything that we surround ourselves with. We’re inspired by films, music and literature, visiting an art gallery, spending time in nature or seeing the architecture of a city for the first time. We’re inspired by our friends, many of whom are talented artists in various disciplines and who we collaborate with. I consider the collections and pieces from Mustique as a reflection of our interests and the things we love.

Nagomi is the Japanese art of living in harmony and enjoying life. Do you think you practise nagomi?

Vera and Pedro: Absolutely, and I think Mustique reflects our relaxed and happy way of viewing life.

We appreciate the simple things like spending time outside in the sunshine, enjoying good, fresh food with friends, drinking a glass of local wine, watching a good film or hearing a great song for the first time.

Thinking back to your childhood, what advice would your younger selves give your present selves in terms of nagomi (harmony and zest for life)?

Vera and Pedro: Remember that life is fleeting and that the best gift you can give yourself is moments of pure peace and joy.

And finally, what advice would you give each other in terms of nagomi?

Vera and Pedro: Carry on doing whatever makes you happy.

“REMEMBER THAT LIFE IS FLEETING.”

“IT’S MUCH MORE VALUABLE TO TAKE A LOOK AROUND WHILE YOU’RE ON THE PATH AND SIMPLY TO ENJOY IT.”

Author: Julia Rinesch

Author: Hannah Stefitz

ABOUT WEBER+WEBER

Founded in 2015 by Christian and Manuel Weber, the WEBER+WEBER fashion label is the exact opposite of fast fashion. Slow fash ion stands for high-quality and long-lasting pieces that are made using traditional Italian and Viennese tailoring techniques.

weberweber.it

Change of perspective

Emilio Tini has already done shoots for the likes of Brunello Cucinelli, Dolce & Gabbana and Gianfranco Ferré.

The Italian’s clear, unmistakeable style of photography turns the subjects in front of his camera into icons. He gets his inspiration from legendary photographers including Richard Avedon and Helmut Newton, and he’s now among the rising stars of international fashion photogra phy. His work is that of a universal talent.

Emilio Tini’s link with WEBER+WEBER is his long friendship with Christian Weber.

They both share the same idea of aesthetics.

“We keep track of what each other is doing and at the same time have grown and become more successful.

That makes me even more pleased that he still takes the time to shoot a campaign for a slow fashion brand from Austria,” says Christian Weber.

For the photoshoot, which heralds the start of autumn at WEBER+WEBER and the result of which adorns our cover, the creatives cast two exceptional models.

Age-defying model Eveline Hall is much more than just a face.

The German actress, singer and ballerina continues to surprise across a wide range of genres time and time again. Born in 1945, she is in demand the world over.

Her male counterpart Mustafa Moneir has flair: the scent designer lives in Swit zerland and only returns to his previous profession as a model for special clients. Today, he has a new passion and purpose in life: creating fragrances for hotels, restaurants, brands and artists with his MNR Studio brand based in Geneva and Cairo. In the video that accompanies the

series of photos, the two talk about a timelessness that can be found in fashion.

“When one day we don’t have money or we don’t have opportunities, you still have your style.” – Eveline Hall

Their energy in front of the camera is palpable: Eveline and Mustafa interact naturally and bring to life Emilio Tini’s strong image ideas with emotional depth. This is a critical element and is seen in the Pietà pose in particular, which the suspense of the photoshoot builds up to.

Tini

Emilio Tini

WEBER+WEBER PROVIDES LASTING VALUE, IT’S UNADAPTED – IN THE TRUEST SENSE OF THE WORD, IT’S UNSUITED. IN LINE WITH THAT, TOP PHOTOGRAPHER EMILIO TINI DREW ON A PROVOCATIVE AND CONTROVERSIAL INTERPRETATION OF THE SLOW FASHION BRAND AND CAPTURED TWO EXTRAORDINARY PERSONALITIES: AGE-DEFYING MODEL EVELINE HALL AND SCENT DESIGNER MUSTAFA MONEIR. HE DEPICTS THE CONTRAST OF OLD AND YOUNG, EXPERIENCE AND NAIVETY, AND THOSE WHO PERHAPS ALREADY HAVE NAGOMI AND THOSE WHO ARE PERHAPS ONLY JUST FINDING IT.

AUTUMN IS FINALLY HERE AND WINTER’S JUST AROUND THE CORNER. IT’S GETTING DARK EARLIER, IT’S COLD AND MISTY OUTSIDE AND WE’RE SPEND ING MORE TIME WITHIN OUR OWN FOUR WALLS. IT’S THE PERFECT TIME TO REARRANGE YOUR HOME A LITTLE, REDECORATE AND MAKE YOURSELF COMFORT ABLE – UNTIL SPRING COMES BACK AROUND, AT LEAST.

Get com

fy

MARCH

at home

Take a break with the Ripple Espresso Cups from the Form&Seek collection. They revisit geometry and textures on a small scale. Inspired by old Greek Doric columns, Ripple Espresso Cups are stackable to occupy less shelf space. The espresso cups are first 3D printed to get the exact fractals like in the 3D drawing, and in a second step they are cast in ceramic.

FIND OUT

CONFUSION

A lavish accessory for modern bathrooms

AT

designcities.net/wwtc-product/ ripple-espresso-cups/

March is a modern and sustainable approach to luxury in the home. The lavender liquid soap with organic lavender oil comes in a glass bottle and brings a pure lavender experience right into your home. It focuses on the essentials: thoroughly and gently cleaning your hands and pampering you with a hint of lavender. Paring back to the essentials is a distinc tive feature of the striking, minimalist branding.

LOLA VASE

For those who want to infuse their homes with harmony. Lola is a collection of feminine, yet playful decorative and functional vases and vessels. The pieces’ expressive shapes and graphic patterns are inspired by paper cut-outs and show art prints. Each piece has a unique bold graphic combination of shapes, making them one of a kind. Handmade and hand painted in Montréal, Canada.

cis.at/styrianproduct/march/

The terry towels and bathmats feature lines that appear to intertwine in Gordian knots, resulting in a three-di mensional effect – a sophisticated pattern of chic elegance and simplicity created for contemporary bathrooms. The collection is made of the finest cotton from the United States and Egypt, and linen from France. Confusion is a great accessory line to add a touch of luxury to your bathroom.

FIND OUT MORE AT

designcities.net/ wwtc-product/ confusion/

Confusion is a collection of bathroom textiles by designer Thomas Feichtner for the Austrian textile company Leitner Leinen.

HELSINKI

FIND OUT MORE AT

designcities.net/ wwtc-product/ lola-vase/

FIND OUT MORE AT cis.at/ styrian-product/helsinki/

This island of tranquillity will make you feel safe and cosy. The Helsinki sofas were developed by Styrian designer Georg Mähring and feature the perfect blend of refined solid wood and exquisite upholstery to create a timeless, modern eye-catcher. So it’s no surprise they won the Austrian Interior Design Award 2018.

Feminine, unique vases with an artsy touch

Sofas by ADA

Inspired

by colour

NINA GREIF-REITZENSTEIN & THE COLORFUL CREW

For her fashion brand, Nina adds brightly coloured and handmade paper art to high-quality organic t-shirts, sweaters and accessories. Nina’s designs are fresh and modern ready-to-wear pieces that people enjoy wearing. If you’d like to have her paper-based artworks themselves, you can buy those as well.

Nina has achieved what others spend a long time working towards: she’s packed all of her interests into one job. In her suitcase she’s got her fashion studies and product development for the fashion industry, art and illustration, and her many years as a stylist for films, TV and theatre. As a former Waldorf student, her love of paper emerged early on in life. At some point she asked herself: “Why don’t I print my artworks onto items of clothing that I like and wear every day?” And that’s how The Colorful Crew came about – as a result of her life experiences and various career paths that she joined together. And that’s why Nina is also incredibly happy. She takes inspiration for her designs from everywhere, wholeheartedly in keeping with her favourite phrase: “I’m inspired by all things that matter.” So above all, everything that has meaning in her life – travel, art, picture books or other artists. But if we were to talk about time periods, the sixties would definitely be her source of inspira tion – not the flower power hippies but the classic hippies. Basically, how people like her parents would have dressed every day. Other than that, she’s inspired by her own life – her family or female empowerment. Ultimately, all the things that matter to her.

THE

COLORFUL

And it’s precisely this inspiration that Nina’s currently packing into a great number of musings. Musings for The Colorful Crew. She is the creative thinker behind the brand and is currently already planning the next shoot, formalising ideas for Christmas and then the spring/summer collection after that. “That’s why I like jogging so much. I come home afterwards with loads of new ideas. Just like that. ”When we ask Nina what she associates with nagomi, the Japanese way of living in harmony and with zest for life, she is quick to answer. For her, zest for life is a condition of the heart –lightness, connectedness, her children, her friends, her partner. Feeling as if her heart is going to overflow. It might happen when she’s sitting in the car, it might happen when she’s on the phone, or it might happen when she’s reading something to her children. Simple moments that fill her heart – whatever the context may be. “And when you experience this moment of love, pride, happiness or zest for life – you have to appreciate that specific moment. When we’re stressed, these moments are easily forgotten, so then we need to pause, observe and retrieve the lovely memories.”

THE COLORFUL CREW COMPRISES NINA GREIF-REITZENSTEIN AND HER TEAM. AS THE CREATIVE BRAIN BEHIND THE BRAND, NINA TALKED TO US ABOUT HER LOVE OF PAPER AND FASHION, WHERE SHE FINDS INSPIRATION FOR HER DESIGNS AND WHAT ZEST FOR LIFE MEANS TO HER.

instagram.com/thecolorfulcrew

COLLECTIONS CREATIVE DIRECTION / STYLING: Nina Greif-Reitzenstein (Founder/Designer The Colorful Crew)

MODELS: Samuel Mair Anna von Rüden

Nina Krueger Makeup

Author: Hannah Stefitz

On art

INTERVIEW

ANDREA VON GOETZ

ANDREA VON GOETZ IS AN ART COLLECTOR. BUT THE HAMBURG NATIVE FEELS MOST COMFORTABLE WITH THE DESCRIPTION ART ACCOMPLICE BECAUSE IT HAS NO LIMITS, JUST LIKE HER WORK. WE INVITED THE ART ACCOMPLICE TO JOIN US FOR AN INTERVIEW TO TALK ABOUT ART, CLOSENESS, PASSION AND ZEST FOR LIFE.

closeness

Author:

Stefitz

Photo:

You’ve just come back from the sommer. frische.kunst festival – how was it and how are you?

I’m here again to take down the artworks. The festival took place for the twelfth time and was a huge success – high visitor numbers and very good press. For me personally, it’s been an extremely exhaust ing time – the size this year with 20 artists, the first edition of our art:badgastein art fair and two big public projects – but at the end of the day, it’s all gone really well and I’m happy with it.

What effect does art have on people?

It depends on how you engage with it and what you want from it. There are people who buy art to be inspired, meaning something happens within them perhaps on both an emotional and an intellectual level. Others buy a piece and hang it on the wall. At that point, it’s part of the décor but not really a part of you.

What was your very first piece of art and why did you choose it?

It was a very large piece by the artist Hannah Nitsch, an ink piece, which caught my eye straight away – beautiful yet rather unsettling at the same time. It’s a very special portrait of her daughter.

In your opinion, what are people looking for and can they find it with you, for example in the Collectors Room?

We’ve established a reputation of having a very good feel for new artists. Being the discoverers, you might say. And that attracts a lot of art enthusiasts.

They find great works by emerging artists in our exhibitions and maybe buy them partly in the hope that the artists will develop well on the market. Actually, that’s also worked well on our website, starting during the pandemic. We’re exhibiting just such an artist from 6 October in Hamburg – Juno Rothaug.

What are you working on at the moment?

Actually, there are more projects in Austria.

Now that my sons in Hamburg have flown the nest, I’ve got more space and flexibility. I’ve also finished another project: Alpen haus Barbara at the foot of the mountains in Alt-Böckstein, near Bad Gastein. It was originally a forge from 1750, and we’ve totally renovated it over the past few years. With the necessary feel for aesthetics, respect for tradition and of course making use of local craftsmanship, the forge has been turned into a chalet that we’re now renting out.

What makes an artist interesting to you?

When something happens when you’re looking at the artwork. It doesn’t always have to be on an intellectual level. It can also be very emotional. Sometimes, all it takes is for me to smile when I look at it and the message comes across. That was the case with Max Weiss. It doesn’t always have to be strict and academic. But the quality of the work has to be right, and when you’ve been in the art world for over 15 years, you see that quite quickly.

This issue of THE Stylemate is about nagomi, the Japanese path to harmony and zest for life. What do you associate with nagomi?

Zest for life is a priority for me, actually. And I’m lucky enough to do things, profes sionally and personally, that bring me this joy. With regard to harmony and zest for life, getting older is also a good advisor. You’ve learned that both sides are part of life and that there can be both dark and energetic. But that’s also part of life – you just have to understand it and accept it.

What is nagomi’s role in the current time?

I actually think that everyone has a role and needs to perhaps reconsider them selves and their lives a bit.

The fact that we get to live in peace for so long in this free country with so many opportunities is a real gift. It’s better than getting all six numbers on the lottery.

Perhaps it’s time to pause and give some thing back – to people who have to live on the other side. I have friends who do this to the point of self-sacrifice, and I really respect that (Be an Angel).

In which moments do you experience the greatest zest for life?

With the simple things – in nature, in the mountains, by the sea, with my dachshund, with friends and family and when I see that my sons are happy in their lives.

The word “nagomi” sounds mysterious and promising: is it the name of a Central African desert? Are the Nagomi an indig enous Amazonian tribe? Or is it the name of a newly opened celebrity restaurant in Kensington? None of these things are nagomi – or maybe somehow they are, as the three melodious syllables represent the Japanese art of achieving harmony and balance in life by incorporating opposites and conflict.

The world we live in today seems very far removed from nagomi, as there are plenty of opposites but no one far or near to balance them out. Conflict seems to

Smell the harmony

be on the rise everywhere, rifts are becom ing deeper and front lines are strength ening: war in Europe, divisions within society, battles for the allocation of gas, and in the future water and habitats. Who should be the one to patch it all up in order to restore balance and harmony to our lives?

Having said all that, has the world ever been nagomi, meaning free from conflict and worries about the future? Pandemics, war and natural disasters have always accompanied humankind, most of them perceived as unavoidable fate or punish ment from God. But as existential as the

current threats may seem, don’t feel it to be a worthwhile strategy to wait until climate change is reversed, Putin sees reason and the world’s financial system is fixed before you experience personal happiness.

In his book The Way of Nagomi: Live more harmoniously the Japanese way Japanese neuroscientist Ken Mogi even states that it’s the other way round – that the individual quest for inner peace in the Zen tradition bestowed a thousand years of stability and sustainability on his homeland.

Or to quote the big old hippie Lord Buddha: “Peace within, peace throughout!”

One of the basic principles of Zen is to be fully in the moment and to do everything with commitment, whether it’s some thing exciting like a first date or a roller coaster ride, or something as tedious as – cleaning. Sadly, I personally don’t always manage to carry out such never-ending, repetitive tasks as household chores with much enthusiasm. But luckily, there are now a number of little tools that awaken the cleaning demon in me!

As a fragrance fetishist, it’s an absolute game-changer that cleaning products are now being sold by perfume houses trust. Farewell “Citrus fresh”, “Spring awakening” and “Pink blossom” – hello “Scent of cedar”, “Haiti vetiver” and “Petitgrain”

One of the pioneers of scented fabric care products, The Laundress, was founded in 2002 by New Yorkers Gwen Whiting and Lindsey Boyd, and changed everything with its concentrates scented with sandal wood and musk and sold in minimal packaging – and they did it without vibrant swirls of colour or garish flowers on the labels.

You might wonder whether consumers who pay €35 for 500 ml of laundry detergent actually clean their homes themselves. There are also people who buy cheap detergent from pound shops not just out of aesthetic ignorance, but most likely as a matter of financial necessity. But as is so often the case when it comes to indulgence, we are talking here about an added value that’s difficult to force into rational categories. One litre of laundry detergent is enough for around 20 washes consisting of a number of different items of clothing. What’s the value of the joy of smelling a fragrance while I’m wearing the clothes? The answer, as for wine, jewellery or travel, varies from person to person.

When star perfumer Francis Kurkdjian released liquid laundry detergent and fabric softener with his popular fragrance Aqua Universalis the boundary between fine fragrance and functional fragrance gained a few more cracks. The Laundress now offers the popular Rose 31 and Santal 33 fragrances in their detergents as part of a collab with on-trend perfume house Le Labo.

Iconic Parisian niche brand bdk Parfums also sells two detergents. Edition Rose bears scents of pear and pink peppercorns in the top notes and violet and carrot seed in the base notes.

Fragrance house Diptyque has gone one step further with its La Droguerie range, whose dishwashing liquid along with a dish brush, multi-surface cleaner, leather and wood care lotion and even a scented sponge will set the hearts of clean freaks racing.

Diptyque confidently maintains that “Scenting everyday life is an art”. The development of fragrance formulas for laundry or cleaning products does actually require great expertise. While the fragrance oil in Eau de Parfum only has to be mixed with alcohol, a cleaning product consists of surfectants, water softeners, alkaline cleaning agents, enzymes, optical brighteners and preservatives – and this cocktail really doesn’t smell very nice when it’s unfragranced. Ensuring that the mixture smells pleasant in the bottle, in the washing machine, and on both wet and dry washing is a true art.

It’s the same for dishwashing liquid and multi-surface cleaners. Diptyque was aware of this challenge and continued its longstanding collaboration with perfumer Olivier Pescheux for its La Droguerie range. Sustainability also played a role in development. Refill packs are being sold for the recycled glass bottles, and the range manages mostly without any outer packaging in order to save paper and inks.

Or as Diptyque puts it: “combining the beautiful with the functional, the sensory with respect for the environment.”

The fact that cleanliness is receiving so much attention will surely also please Mr Muscle and Mr Sheen: it’s not having a gleaming house that’s the fun part, it’s the cleaning itself that brings joy. The path is the goal!

HELDER SUFFENPLAN is an independent journalist and creative consultant from Berlin, and has had a particular passion for perfumes since he was a child. With his successful 2013 launch of SCENTURY.com – the very first online mag azine for perfume storytelling –Helder has become a recognised authority in the global world of fragrance. He has been on the jury for events such as The Arts & Olfaction Awards in Los Angeles and the Prix International du Parfumeur Créateur in Paris. As a writer, he combines his passion topic of fragrances with a range of fields such as contemporary art, popular culture, literature, film and geopolitics.

scentury.com

“THE

WHICH IN THE BEST CASE ALIGNS WITH YOUR OWN, REFLECTS YOUR

Its timeless, classic design gives SOLLI tremendous retro charm. And allows this exquisite glass sphere to harmonise well with warm interior colours. Especially when it shines from the ceiling in a smoky brown tone and bathes rooms in soft light. If you prefer something more minimalist, SOLLI also comes in transparent white, creating a bright, friendly atmosphere, especially in dining rooms.

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© Kris Dekeijser