We muse on the cultural obstacle course the festive period presents us as we seek to escape from the cold – but not without the promise of winter sun. We’ll drop into London’s Tate Modern for the Gucci-backed exhibition, ‘Electric Dreams: Art and Technology Before the Internet’, then we’ll look at Alpine fashion with outdoors manufacturer Helly Hansen, meet Turkish singer Melike Sahin and chase the winter sun with a surfing adventure in Morocco. 

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This episode is something of an ode to jewels, goldsmithing and design – but also the human urge to collect. We’ll visit the imposing and eccentric Geneva home that inspires Maison Belmont; chat to the founder of jewellery brand Annoushka about the symbolism and personal history that infuses her work; and delve into the history of Persian jewellers, Le Vian. Plus: our audio essay reflects on the power of planting trees as a gesture of remembrance and hope.

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This episode is something of an homage to autumn style: we gather in Zürich for a discussion on the seasonal wardrobe with designer Noële Nana Schaffner from sumptuous Swiss brand Nomadissem. We reflect on the creative resilience of a nation at war as we report on Ukrainian Fashion Week, hear the esoteric sounds of Portuguese musician Ana Lua Caiano and muse on the power of small talk in an audio essay about embracing the poetry of everyday conversation.    

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As crisp, golden leaves begin swirling in the air, it’s time to reboot our energy. That’s why this episode has a restorative theme: we discuss the future of dermatology with pioneering doctor Emma Craythorne, join the Sauna Social Club in London as it brings music to the hot-box and talk about the legacy of nurse Florence Nightingale. Plus: the beauty and inspiration of the colour blue.

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We dive into the heady heat of summer and journey to the remote island of Tinos to find out about its cuisine. Then: we meet Jouissance founder Cherry Cheng, who has distilled sensual stories into perfume, and we cast off to the Finnish archipelago of Turku, where summers are spent eating crayfish and taking midnight dips in the cool sea. Plus: we reflect on the aesthetics of summer tennis.

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It’s time to set sail and make for the coast. This month we stroll in the gardens of the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d’Antibes, meet hotelier Valéry Grégo in Nice and reflect on the emotional power of cartography. Plus, we discover a Portuguese fashion brand that captures the spirit of the country’s breezy, joyous summers.

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This episode reflects how early summer days are full of promise. We meet Swiss born Kia Schwaninger, whose jewellery collection is inspired by the art deco architecture of Miami, sit down with Sudanese-Dutch musician Gaidaa in Amsterdam and discuss colour and the meaning of home with purveyor and creator of paint Cassandra Ellis. Plus: historian Hiba Alobaydi explores the legacy of the Hanging Gardens of Babylon in today’s cities.

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Today we’re live in front of an audience at London Craft Week to explore the world of mindful manufacturing. Mud Talks, set at the Vitsoe shop in London’s Marylebone, brought together Mud Australia’s Shelley Simpson, Vitsoe’s managing director, Mark Adams and David Mellor’s creative director, Corin Mellor, to discuss the intricacies of how to balance enduring design with sustainable manufacturing at scale.            

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This episode is infused with the spirit of a transformative travelogue: we begin in the incredible 500-year-old Cinili Hamam in Istanbul’s Zeyrek district, reflect on the power and beauty of expansive, flat landscapes and hear tales of innovation and craftsmanship with Van Cleef & Arpels. Plus: the misplaced optimism of a Nordic spring.

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This show marks the arrival of spring with an homage to the season: we’ll find out about the art of traversing the streets of Rome with author Cynthia Zarin and pop some corks with sommelier Honey Spencer at her London restaurant Sune. Then: we sit down for an intimate chat with musician Marika Hackman and discover Julia Lasica’s lyrical homage to the tradition of ‘pysanky’ and decorating eggs.   

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