Art Nouveau travel tips

The London-born, downtown Manhattan-based designer and art director Anna Karlin has always embraced a bit of creative tension. “I always just think everything is possible and I figure it out,” she says, having entered the interiors world as a self-taught product designer 11 years ago. Today, Karlin releases a new furniture and lighting collection that is a study in contrasts rather than bound by an overarching theme. Among nine new lighting series, the Mulberry set, made from sinuous oak bentwood and delicate horn-shaped silk shades, is evocative of Art Nouveau, while the Field headboard, upholstered in an abstract floral-patterned crewel embroidery, is a nod to Arts and Crafts. Other designs include wrought-iron chairs, lanterns made from ecru-hued fiberglass and colored marble side tables. A totemic bar cabinet, inspired by massive 18th-century Swedish wood stoves called , is clad in ceramic tiles adorned with glyphlike shapes that are a recurring motif in her work. Each piece revisits Karlin’s previous designs while experimenting with scale and material. “I’m really beginning to solidify my language,” says Karlin, who developed the collection over the past three years. “My alphabet is there, I just get to keep making new words.”

Located in a historic property in the heart of the Finnish capital, the new NH Collection Helsinki Grand Hansa offers a unique blend of rich heritage and modern hospitality.

Budapest’s plentiful thermal springs gush mineral-laden waters that are both a geological wonder and an invitation to partake in a restorative, distinctly Hungarian ritual. The City of Baths, also known for its rambunctious ruin bars, has for centuries beckoned travelers with a salve for their ailments. But beyond purported curative powers, these historic bath houses also mesmerize with a transportive Old-World ambiance—balmy pools backdropped by splendid architecture create soothing interludes in Baroque, Art Nouveau, and Renaissance-Revival settings.

Aegli Hotel, designed by architect Dimitris Kassiopoulos and being a distinctive monument of Art Nouveau, began its operations in 1938.

After being homebound for much of the last several years, the American public is now quenching its pent-up thirst for travel by taking to the roads and skies in near record numbers. Total travel spending improved to 0.9% above June 2022 levels and was up 4.7% year-to-date through June 2023 according to the U.S. Travel Association. Heading into the busy summer travel season this past June, air traveldemand increased over 11% compared to the same month last year.

Lake Como, located in the Lombardy region of Italy in the northern part of the country, is a picture-postcard Italian vacation destination. The shore of this huge lake, shaped like an upside-down Y, is dotted with charming little towns that you can spend many afternoons exploring — in between long swims in the lake’s turquoise water and sunbathing sessions under the lovely Italian sun, that is. And to make the most of your time around Lake Como, you need to find the right place to stay, whether that’s a five-star hotel on the water or a boutique hotel in one of the aforementioned little towns.

One of South America’s most cosmopolitan and culturally rich cities, Buenos Aires sits on the western bank of the River Plate, a 78-square-mile block divided into 48 barrios or neighbourhoods.

Medieval yet modern, the intriguing national capitals of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania make some of the best small-city breaks in Europe. United by geography and a common history, yet proudly unique, they combine tightly packed, picturesque old towns with first-class museums, hip neighbourhoods, stylish bars and a burgeoning food scene. As all three countries celebrate 100 years of independence in 2018, here is our first-timer's guide to the highlights of Tallinn, Rīga and Vilnius.