Tom Stoppard — 1937–2025

Tom Stoppard, one of the most influential and inventive playwrights of the modern era, died on 29 November 2025 at his home in Dorset. He was 88. Born Tomáš Sträussler in 1937 in Czechoslovakia, Stoppard fled the Nazi occupation with his family as a child, eventually settling in England — a displacement that would laterContinue reading “Tom Stoppard — 1937–2025”

The Art of Walls: A History of Wallpaper and Its Contemporary Masters

Wallpaper has always been more than decoration. It is history written on walls: a medium that reflects the tastes, technologies, and aspirations of each era. From hand-painted Chinese panoramas to William Morris florals, from mid-century geometrics to today’s avant-garde designs, wallpaper has reinvented itself countless times. To trace its story is to understand how styleContinue reading “The Art of Walls: A History of Wallpaper and Its Contemporary Masters”

Monthly Picks: The Track Star Podcast

Why You Should Be Listening to The Track Star Podcast If you love music, stories behind songs, or simply want a podcast that blends insight with entertainment, The Track Star Podcast deserves a place in your rotation. I listen to it religiously. I learn something new about music every week, and it has opened myContinue reading “Monthly Picks: The Track Star Podcast”

The Brontë Family: A Furnace of Genius on the Yorkshire Moors

Introduction There are literary families, and then there are the Brontës—six children raised in a remote parsonage on the Yorkshire moors, who transformed personal grief, imaginative play, and strict Victorian constraints into novels that altered the course of English literature. Their story is not simply about genius blooming in isolation; it is about a familyContinue reading “The Brontë Family: A Furnace of Genius on the Yorkshire Moors”

Castello di Reschio: An Umbrian Dream Reborn

On a secluded estate along the border of Umbria and Tuscany, Castello di Reschio rises from the landscape like something imagined in a Renaissance fresco. Once a crumbling 10th-century fortress, the castle has been reimagined as one of Italy’s most extraordinary hotels: a place where centuries-old stone meets contemporary design, and where la dolce vitaContinue reading “Castello di Reschio: An Umbrian Dream Reborn”

“A House That Became a Photograph”: The Stahl House, Its History, and Why Its Sale Matters Now

High above the lights of Los Angeles, a thin plane of steel and glass floats over the city grid. For more than six decades, the Stahl House — better known as Case Study House #22 — has been less a private residence than an image in the collective imagination: Julius Shulman’s famous night-time photograph ofContinue reading ““A House That Became a Photograph”: The Stahl House, Its History, and Why Its Sale Matters Now”

Letter From The Editor #4

As the year edges toward its natural conclusion, we look back on 2025 with a mixture of dread and joy. Politically, the 2020s have been marked by despot-spurned wars, upheaval, and a creeping feeling that those in charge may be some of the least competent people for the job. But this blog is not aboutContinue reading “Letter From The Editor #4”

Alpine Elegance: The Best Resorts in Switzerland

Switzerland has long been a synonym for alpine perfection: snow-capped peaks, glassy lakes, Belle Époque hotels, and chalets where the firelight feels as carefully designed as the slopes outside. Today, the country is home to some of the world’s most luxurious resorts — destinations that combine wellness, gastronomy, architecture, and scenery into an experience ofContinue reading “Alpine Elegance: The Best Resorts in Switzerland”

Great Are the Myths

I’ve just finished the novel I’ve been writing since March, and it’s now out on submission. In the meantime, I wanted to share a few sample chapters with you. A quick glimpse of the book:At its simplest, Great Are the Myths is a coming-of-age story about a girl from thirteen to twenty-three — her firstContinue reading “Great Are the Myths”

Affordable Style: Inns and Guesthouses of the Scottish Highlands & Islands

The Scottish Highlands and islands are landscapes of drama — lochs shrouded in mist, heather-clad hills, and coasts where stone crofts face the sea. While luxury castles and remote lodges have their place, the real soul of the region is found in its inns, B&Bs, and croft stays. Here, hospitality is heartfelt, scenery is breathtaking,Continue reading “Affordable Style: Inns and Guesthouses of the Scottish Highlands & Islands”