Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been up to this week
This week saw the Wallpaper* team jet-setting to Jordan and New York; those of us left in London had to make do with being transported via the power of music at rooftop bars, live sets and hologram performances

An ABBA anniversary
Melina Keays, Entertaining Director
I went to the ABBA Arena at Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park to celebrate the third anniversary of the ABBA Voyage show. The evening was all the more thrilling because actual, real-life ABBA were there (or two of them: Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad). The concert is a technical tour de force imbued with life and joy. The digital versions of ABBA are absolutely mesmerising – you can’t take your eyes off them – and their avatars are accompanied by a live ten-piece band and a spectacular light show. We sang along with them, we danced, we marvelled at the technology, and we reflected on a breathtaking vision of the future of pop performance.
An Arabian night
Tianna Williams, Staff Writer
I have spent the last week discovering the beauty of Jordan. While it was an incredible trip packed with culture, cuisine and exploration, a highlight was staying in the Suncity Camp in Wadi Rum (a valley cut into the sandstone and granite rock in southern Jordan, also known as the Valley of the Moon). Here, you can observe unobstructed desert views, and sleep under the stars.
A sunset soirée
Anna Solomon, Digital Staff Writer
Thursday evening is ‘Live Beats and Bites’ night at Mandarin Oriental Mayfair’s ABar. This week, I ascended to the sleek rooftop haunt for cocktails and Korean and Japanese small plates from chef Akira Back. At the risk of sounding curmudgeonly, DJ Earl The Kid’s pulsating set was a little loud, but we caught up with the atmosphere after incredible pear and ricotta, fig and yuzu, and plum and pomegranate cocktails. The spicy tuna sushi, salmon crudo and foie gras brioche were also delicious, but we decided to sidestep the £84 ‘Wagyu Sando’…
A Big Apple opening
Ellie Stathaki, Architecture and Environment Director
I have had a fantastic couple of days in New York this week, and was lucky enough to be here for the launch of The Met Museum's refreshed Michael C Rockefeller Wing. The exhibits, of course, are fascinating and beautiful, and the venue is glamorous and important. But the sensitive redesign by Kulapat Yantrasast's WHY Architecture really shone too. A morning of powerful and inspiring speeches and wonderful cultural works.
Live music in a library
Sofia de la Cruz, Travel Editor
I saw my friend Hani Hooper perform his own music live for the first time at Reference Point, a library, bookshop and bar within 180 Studios, during an inspiring musical soirée organised by Brief Encounters. Set against the venue’s sleek backdrop, washed in red and blue hues, Hani (fresh off the release of his debut EP, Yes) blended genre-fluid electronic beats with pulsing cello interludes – an introspective soundscape palpitating with urgency.
Wallpaper* Newsletter
Receive our daily digest of inspiration, escapism and design stories from around the world direct to your inbox.
Anna Solomon is Wallpaper*’s Digital Staff Writer, working across all of Wallpaper.com’s core pillars, with special interests in interiors and fashion. Before joining the team in 2025, she was Senior Editor at Luxury London Magazine and Luxurylondon.co.uk, where she wrote about all things lifestyle and interviewed tastemakers such as Jimmy Choo, Michael Kors, Priya Ahluwalia, Zandra Rhodes and Ellen von Unwerth.
-
‘Designers are far more than just producers of commercial goods’: Samuel Ross on the London Design Biennale
The artistic director of the major event and founder of A-COLD-WALL* discusses the role of a designer and the future of the sector in an exclusive interview
-
Ten of the best XXL tote bags, made for carrying more than you’ll ever need
Selected by the Wallpaper* style team, these supersized tote bags and shoppers cater to our carry-everything culture, doubling as reliable travel companions
-
Community spirit, history and resilience: inside this year's Liverpool Biennale
2025's Liverpool Biennale takes the foundations of the city as its theme
-
Alexandra Metcalf creates an unsettling Victorian world in London
Alexandra Metcalf turns The Perimeter into a alternate world in exhibition, 'Gaaaaaaasp'
-
Sexual health since 1987: archival LGBTQIA+ posters on show at Studio Voltaire
A look back at how grassroots movements emphasised the need for effective sexual health for the LGBTQIA+ community with a host of playful and informative posters, now part of a London exhibition
-
Ten things to see at London Gallery Weekend
As 125 galleries across London take part from 6-8 June 2025, here are ten things not to miss, from David Hockney’s ‘Love’ series to Kayode Ojo’s look at the superficiality of taste
-
New book celebrates 100 years of New York City landmarks where LGBTQ+ history took place
Marc Zinaman’s ‘Queer Happened Here: 100 Years of NYC’s Landmark LGBTQ+ Places’ is a vital tribute to queer culture
-
Out of office: what the Wallpaper* editors have been up to this week
The Wallpaper* team enjoyed good art, food and drink this week, attending various exhibition openings and unearthing some of the best pasta and cocktails that London has to offer
-
As Photo London turns 10, seven photographers tell us the story behind their portraits
Photo London celebrates its tenth anniversary from 14–18 May 2025 at Somerset House
-
The Tate Modern is hosting a weekend of free events. Here's what to see
From 9 -12 May, check out art, attend a lecture, or get your groove on during the museum's epic Birthday Weekender
-
Artist Zumba Luzamba on the vibrant aesthetic of Congolese fashion rebels, the sapeurs
The Congolese artist takes a deep dive into a fashion subculture in his show at London's Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery. ‘I draw people in with style so that they can sit with deeper themes,’ he says