schön! alive | amouage’s decision & existence

What does it mean to belong somewhere? Culture: The Leading Hotels of the World, the second title in a collaboration between The Slowdown, Monacelli, and The Leading Hotels of the World (LHW), sets out to explore just that through the subtle power of place, memory, and craft.

Curated by editor-in-chief Spencer Bailey, with a foreword by Pico Iyer, the book spans more than 80 singular destinations across six continents, each drawn from LHW’s portfolio of over 400 independent properties. These are hotels that go beyond design and service; they are custodians of local heritage, such as the Venetian glasswork at Palazzo Venart, the Mayan building traditions in Yucatán, and terracotta bricks fired just down the road at São Lourenço do Barrocal in Portugal.

Photographed by the likes of Mark Borthwick and Stefan Giftthaler, and brought to life through contributions from travel writers, editors, and cultural figures — including Sarah Arison, Stephen Fry, Deborah Needleman, and Jeanne Greenberg Rohatyn — Culture goes far beyond a visual celebration of these locations. Rather, it’s a study in atmosphere: why tulips and burnt-orange velvet feel right at De L’Europe Amsterdam, or how bamboo walking sticks and moss-covered stone paths shape the rhythm of a stay at Capella Ubud.

The book, however, deep dives into standout properties: from Royal Mansour in Marrakech to Le Sirenuse in Positano, to a conversation between Solange Azagury-Partridge and Tom Dixon at London’s Brown’s Hotel that anchors the idea of the hotel as a cultural forum.

Designed by Michael Bierut with Jena Sher, the book itself is a tactile object of desire: wrapped in Moroccan-blue fabric, stamped in silver foil, with painted edges and patterned screens inspired by Moorish motifs. It looks and feels like the kind of place it documents — elegant, but never loud about it.

As Iyer puts it: “‘Culture’ is as hard to define as ‘beauty’ or ‘taste,’ but we know it when we see it.” Culture gives readers exactly that, diving beneath the surface of glamour while offering a deeper, more considered definition of luxury.

Find out more about the second volume here.

photography. The Leading Hotels of the World
words. Gennaro Costanzo

From May 1 to 4, 2025, the PalaisPopulaire in Berlin transforms into an immersive experience celebrating art, champagne, and conscious living. During Berlin Gallery Weekend, a key event on the cultural calendar, Ruinart invites guests to explore the multifaceted world of its historic champagne house in a new way at the Ruinart Champagne & Art Bar to celebrate its 2025 artist collaboration, Julian Charrière, a Franco-Swiss artist whose work explores the intersections of time, geology, and human impact. 

Known for blending scientific research with poetic storytelling, Charrière challenges how we perceive nature — not as something separate from us, but as a force constantly shaped by human history and intervention. Conversations with Nature brings this perspective to Ruinart’s terroir, transforming the Champagne house’s deep connection to the land into an artistic dialogue that spans millennia. Conversations with Nature makes its debut in the Champagne & Art Bar, inviting viewers into a dialogue with the natural world through the lens of time and terroir. 

Ruinart’s selection of Charrière is a natural fit. The Maison has long been at the forefront of sustainability in winemaking, from regenerative viticulture to eco-designed packaging. Charrière’s work adds another layer, questioning how human activity reshapes the environment and what it means to engage with nature in a time of ecological urgency. “At the heart of my work lies the notion of encounter — an intimate dialogue with place, biome, and environment. These moments are not mere observations but exchanges, where landscape and presence intertwine, shaping one another in a quiet, reciprocal conversation,” he explains.  

The event, which occurs between May 1st to the 4th at PalaisPopulaire in Berlin, includes a carefully curated, sustainability-inspired menu offering light, à la carte dishes crafted to pair perfectly with Ruinart’s champagnes. Guests can register now to indulge — from refreshing starters to refined bites, every pairing is designed to elevate the flavours of each pour. In addition to the art, what guests can really experience is what is at the heart of Ruinart’s philosophy: a deep commitment to sustainability, evident in every aspect – from vineyard practices to packaging innovations. The newest cuvée, Ruinart Blanc Singulier, embodies this vision, reflecting both environmental mindfulness and the Maison’s iconic character. Guests can taste it by the glass and even purchase a bottle wrapped in a Furoshiki cloth as a keepsake.

Champagne’s limestone-rich soil holds traces of an ancient sea that once covered much of Europe. Forty-five million years ago, the region was submerged under the Lutetian Sea, a vast marine world whose fossilised remains still shape the land. The chalk pits (crayères) beneath Ruinart’s vineyards are ghostly echoes of this past, a reminder that landscapes are never static — they carry the memory of deep geological time. 

Charrière pays tribute to this lost ocean while reflecting on the fragile state of today’s marine ecosystems. His Conversations with Nature series includes a collection of photo lithographs capturing coral reefs — luminous, living structures that mirror the prehistoric marine forests that once thrived beneath Champagne. Using a 19th-century lithographic process, Charrière reimagines these corals through pigments sourced from locally collected limestone and crushed corals. The muted, pale tones evoke the fading vitality of these ecosystems, suggesting both the resilience of nature and its vulnerability in the face of environmental change.  

Unlike a traditional gallery exhibition, Conversations with Nature is designed as a multi-sensory experience. Through large-scale installations, geological textures, and soundscapes, Charrière invites viewers to engage with Champagne’s terroir in a way that goes beyond observation. The collaboration reinforces Ruinart’s vision of Champagne as a product of time, landscape, and human ingenuity.  

Visit Ruinart Champagne & Art Bar from May 1 – 4, 2025, 1 PM to 9 PM daily, at PalaisPopulaire, Unter den Linden 5, Berlin Mitte. Register now at ruinart.com.

photography. Alice Jacquemin, Gregoire Machavoine, Raul Cabrera
words. Gennaro Costanzo

The automotive world has long been a canvas for innovation, but CUPRA is now taking its creative vision far beyond the wheel. Enter the CUPRA Design House, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at transforming the brand’s celebrated design philosophy into a multidisciplinary hub that transcends the automotive industry. Launched during Milan Design Week 2025, the CUPRA Design House is set to challenge the boundaries of design by tapping into new realms of creativity, cutting-edge technologies, and sustainable materials. At its core, the initiative is built around three pillars: CUPRA Collection, CUPRA Collabs, and CUPRA Beyond. These pillars represent a bold vision where the boundaries of form, function, and emotional resonance collide, creating a platform for visionary partnerships across multiple creative fields.

Through the CUPRA Design House, the brand is not just creating products, but immersive, sensory experiences that push the limits of design, performance, and sustainability. The focus on CUPRA Collection will see a line of bold, functional, and sustainable products inspired by the brand’s automotive DNA. Meanwhile, CUPRA Collabs will bring together a dynamic range of like-minded brands and creatives for unique, boundary-defying partnerships. Finally, CUPRA Beyond will explore the world of experiential design, from bespoke interior concepts to unexpected collaborations in industries far beyond the automotive world.

The brand’s move into this new territory marks a pivotal moment in CUPRA’s evolution, so Schön! sat down with COO Cécilia Taïeb to discuss CUPRA’s mission to inspire and innovate, one design at a time.

Cécilia, the CUPRA Design House is described as a space where design goes beyond the automotive world. What was the moment you realised CUPRA needed its own ‘design house’ universe?

We’ve been around for seven years. Seeing the reaction of people, we were doing t-shirts and things like that. We saw this amazing reaction and realized we needed to take this further. The brand and the design around the brand are so powerful. Let’s go beyond. I remember we sat with Jorge and Francesca and said, “What can we do?” We talked about the first pillar, the essentials collection, but you don’t need a design house just for that. Then we said, let’s push the collaborations. We had collaborations, but can we make them bigger? Can we make them more “us”? Let’s find the right collaborators. Collabs are everywhere, but we said, let’s find those people where there’s a match. It’s like dating: “Can we do something cool together?” The third one was the “beyond” aspect. We’ve been contacted by companies asking, “Can you do a hotel room for us, just with the Cupra essence?” Or we did this boat, the Antonio boat, which already existed, but they said, “Can you give it a Cupra feel?” That’s the beyond part. We thought, let’s do this.

It’s also without limits because it’s something new you haven’t thought about before.

Exactly. But also, Cupra is more than an automotive brand; it’s a lifestyle brand. If you’re a lifestyle brand, do the cars, but also do something else. We’re launching in the U.S. in four years. Ultimately, my dream is for Cupra to be known as a lifestyle brand before we even enter with the cars.

You are leading the strategic and commercial development of the three Cupra Design House pillars. Which other pillars speak most to your personal creative side, and why the collaborations?

I’ve been involved in finding the right collaborations. Harper Collective is my first. It’s about creating beautiful things but with meaning. Yes, you can be fashionable, but you can be good too. We created a suitcase made from fishnets taken from the sea. It’s not trash—it’s dignified plastic. Doing that and going through an airport with a cool suitcase that also does good… that’s exactly what I want with collaborations. Always finding that extra layer of meaning that tells the full story. The next generation is all about doing good with everything they wear and how they live.

And there we come to the term “design obsession.” What does it mean to you on a day-to-day level?

It’s being obsessed with everything I see with my eyes. We always say we want to inspire the world from Barcelona. It’s in every corner of the city. Everything we craft with Cupra is done with design. Cupra is design and performance. Take performance, and everything becomes an inspiration. That’s why we call it an obsession. When I see something, I think, “That’s so Cupra.” That means we’ve created a personality for the brand.

From 3D knitted wearables to parametric lounge chairs, Cupra is diving deep into multi-sensory design. How do you balance cutting-edge tech with emotional resonance in these projects?

Tech needs to be used the right way—not in excess. You use it to create something meaningful. It’s like our cars: you use tech for safety, not to drive the car. The same goes for the products we create beyond cars. In the car, you drive it. You’re in control. The same goes for the rest. You use tech to make things beautiful or to connect with the body, like the adaptive meeting or the multifunctional vest. It’s about using technology to create something meaningful that generates emotion.

Cupra collaborations included bold partnerships with Selvedge Man and Harper Collective. What’s your secret to choosing collaborators who embody the Cupra DNA?

It’s about a match. Is there something authentic and coherent with us? Sometimes, we meet with companies, and people think it’s not commercially viable, but from the first handshake, we know. With Seb and Jaden, it was instant. Just talking to them, you could feel their excitement and love for what they do.

You could see his excitement and love for what he did, how he presented it. It was nice to see.

It’s his baby. And that’s how I speak about Cupra. It’s not fake. You can feel it or you can’t. Everything fake just doesn’t work for us. New generations don’t fall for marketing. They want authenticity, or they’re done.

Harper Collective and Cupra luggage merges sustainability with performance. Do you see eco-design as a must-have or an inspiration source?

Both. When you do something, it has to be good. It can be stylish, but it must have meaning, too. If it’s not sustainable, it’s like selling food that’s not healthy. In everything we do, we try to be as sustainable as possible. Harper Collective uses rhodium, a rare mineral with a sustainability background. Whether it’s electric cars or our design house, we don’t want to pollute. Everything has to follow that coherence. I always look for partners who aren’t necessarily the most well-known. Harper Collective is a small company, just Jaden and Seb. MAM is also small, but they have authenticity. Small brands with real personalities are pushing things.

The Cupra Capsule was one of the showstoppers. How did the concept come about, and what reaction did you hope to provoke?

The sensorial capsule is something Francesca and the design team created. She always talked about being an animal and how this animal reacts to you in the car. That’s the future of automotive. Being one with your car and adopting each other. It came from her, and when I saw it, I was amazed. This capsule senses your mood and reacts to you. It’s where we’re going with Cupra, and it’s something innovative we wanted to show the world. It’s this human-machine connection, like Jorge said—it’s almost sensual. A solid machine reacting to you and your emotions.

As COO, you’re not just shaping a brand. You’re curating experiences. What makes a design feel like Cupra to you?

Cupra is such an emotional brand. It’s all about emotions. The design we create provokes emotion, and that’s what we want to continue doing. We always want to surprise. When people ask me what we’re doing, it’s always about breaking boundaries and doing things differently, but not just for the sake of it. We’re doing it because we want to, and we never stop. When we were getting ready for Milan Design Week, we thought, “We’re never going to make it on time!” But then it comes together, and we think, “How did we do it? I don’t know, but we made it happen.”

You talk about breaking barriers and rewriting the rules. What’s the one design rule that you want to break?

Rules are meant to be broken. I remember when I started in automotive, some people said, “We need to take the picture of the car from three-quarters.” I said, “Why? Who says that?” No one cares. Let’s take it in a way that enhances the emotion of the car. It’s the same with photos at night. Some journalists would ask me to use more light. I said, “No. They look beautiful the way they are!” Rules? No rules. Rules are meant to be broken.

Your spirit has come home beyond cars. What’s next for the Cupra Design House, and where will we see it coming alive next?

That’s why we’re here today. We didn’t want to just launch the Cupra Design House. We wanted to show something tangible, something you can touch. The prototypes you saw today, they’re not prototypes; they’re going into production. The adaptive meeting will inspire our active wear collection launching in September or October. The shoes are already available. We’re also launching backpacks, and we’re creating a full collection of adaptive backpacks with MAM. Everything is happening in the next few months. The sky’s the limit. We’re hustling and continuing to push forward.

See the entire collection of CUPRA Design House at cupraofficial.com.

interview. Raoul Keil