The Secret Treasures Museums Don’t Display

When I take my nose out of the encyclopedic rabbit hole that is the internet long enough to read an actual book, it’s got to be for something really special. And since we have so much in common, you and I, perhaps you might be interested in the book MessyNessy will be packing for a…

Diner en Blanc – The Film about the World’s Largest Secret Dinner Party

Tonight in Paris, tens of thousands of people dressed in white, will converge at a secret location, set up miles of tables, food and champagne and dine in high spirits until midnight for the annual Diner en Blanc. It all began more than a quarter of a century ago when a group of ten thrill-seeking…

The Mysterious Dome Homes Marching into the Sea: Then & Now

For many years, these bizarre buildings on the isolated southern tip of Marco Island in Cape Romano, Florida, were a bit of a mystery. Some locals and abandoned explorers thought it might have been the community home belonging to a secret cult while other rumours went as far as claiming they had been left behind…

The Town with a Subculture of Secret Tiny Doors

In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a series of what is known as ‘fairy doors’, began popping up around the area in 2005, built into buildings, shops and restaurants and quickly acquired a cult following. Father and children’s book author, Jonathan B. Wright, believed to be behind the installation of the whimsical tiny portals, is kind of…

25 Ways You Never Knew Wallpaper Could Be So Cool

And suddenly I’m interested in Wallpaper… 1. Room with a Parisian view Shop here 2. The curator Shop here 3. Sea Breeze Shop here 4. Converted Gasoline Stop Shop here 5. Love Letters Shop here 6. Rue à Montmartre Shop here 7. Frescoes Shop…

A 1960s London Bus Back in Service (for Cocktails & Fine Dining)

This is so brilliantly British, but I’m warning you now, you probably won’t be able to finish this article without feeling an overwhelming urge to break out in your most ridiculously posh English accent. Years and years ago, restaurant critic Simon Davis bought a 1966 Routemaster from a garage in Hemel Hempstead. The double-decker London…

Lost in Time: Groovy Afghanistan

A cautionary tale of a vibrant and thriving culture lost in time, these photographs collected on a community Facebook page in Afghanistan are likely to leave you in disbelief. The country we’re so often shown today is comparable to a broken medieval society, but not so long ago, the barren landscape was dotted with stylish…

13 Things I Found on the Internet Today (Vol. XXV)

1. A Mouse house Nightlight. A DIY idea for your hallway, found on Thimble Anna 2. The Hot Tub Cinema Popping-up throughout the year in London and around the UK, tubs can be reserved to share with friends or individual tickets are sold to share with fellow hot tubbers. During the summer, Hot Tub…

Preserved Moments of Historical Sass (Vol.4)

sassy: adjective \ˈsa-sē\ impudent, lively, spirited, vigorous, distinctively smart and stylish, showing no respect for people in authority, saucy, pert, confident, chic. Students from five states smile through the gate of Ashley Hall in Charleston, South Carolina, March 1939. Photograph by Anthony Stewart from National Geographic Two Couples in Bathing Outfits c.1934 from Letters of Vintage …

The Chained Books of Zutphen

A spot of ‘book p0rn’ for you on this fine Friday, which takes us to the 16th-century chained library of Zutphen, in the east of the Netherlands. Photos by Eric Wakkel No need for a library card here, the Zutphen hasn’t updated its system for more than 550 years! Each book is fitted with a metal…