The V&A Sourcebook of Pattern and Ornament

A monthly guide to the events and exhibitions on Cabana's Radar: a global cultural bulletin and a must-read for anyone looking to keep their finger on the pulse of art and design. Read on to discover our December highlights spanning fine art, fashion, photography and craft, alongside a wealth of (festive) events to keep you inspired and merry this Winter.

Maria Speake, founder of leading UK-based studio, Retrouvius, shares images from, and insights into, an outstanding project in Umbria, an exclusive insight from her new book, Contemporary Salvage, Designing Homes from a Philosophy of Reuse.

Three industry experts, decorator Philip Hooper, joint managing director of Sibyl Colefax & John Fowler, and Brownrigg founders, George Perez-Martin and David Gibson, share an insider’s guide to collecting and living with antique objects and furniture.

At Gripsholm Castle on Lake Mälaren, centuries of monarchy are inscribed in painted ceilings, Delft-blue stoves and corridors dense with portraits. Known for its stuffed lion, the castle hides greater surprises: a theatre concealed in a turret, a chamber of abdication, and apartments that served as both sanctuary and prison. Emma Becque steps inside the 16th-century fortress.

For more than 40 years, British businesswoman Carole Bamford has championed organic farming and sustainable living through her companies, Daylesford Organic and Bamford. She talks Sophie Goodwin through the rhythms and rituals of her day, sharing the importance of the people (and animals) in her life, her dedication to the lunar cycle and recent fascination with longevity.

As he prepares to welcome art and design lovers to NOMAD ABU DHABI 2025 (19-22 November), co-founder of the art fair, Nicolas Bellavance-Lecompte, shares some of his favorite spots in the UAE capital. They include a hotel deep in the desert, an atmospheric underground bar and a gallery that's nothing short of an architectural masterclass.

Leading architect Richard Parr sits down with Camilla Frances to discuss career-defining moments – from designing the much-admired Newt in Somerset, to launching his own gallery BRINK – collecting eclectic objects, his dream (and nightmare) interiors, most memorable trips, guilty pleasures and ideal dinner party guests...

Lagos-based art patron, curator and collector, Ugoma Ebilah, shares a highly curated insider’s guide to the nonstop Nigerian capital, revealing a vibrant city full of tranquil escapes, atmospheric restaurants, and soulful corners bursting with creative energy.

British interior designer Rebecca Hughes has transformed a modest family home on England's south coast into an expanded, joyful space layered with rich colors, playful patterns and antique finds. She talks Busola Evans through the experience, from the pleasure of working with fearless clients to the decorative details of her scheme.

Although Mallorca, the largest island in the Balearic archipelago, has been enjoyed "almost to exhaustion", this green jewel off the east coast of Spain is evolving, pushing back on package holidays to protect its true soul: monasteries, citrus groves, Moorish ruins, and narrow cobbled streets. The new luxury is a return to simplicity, finds writer and photographer Sam Parkes.

Eminent Italian architect Duccio Conti Caponi sits down with Cabana to share highlights from his extraordinary life and career in design - from growing up among artists, writers and historians, to travelling the Nile and overcoming psychological burdens. Along with beautiful rooms, Duccio shares his personal achievements, greatest challenges, dream (and nightmare) interiors, guiltiest pleasures, and much more.

There is perhaps no more recognisable city on earth than Havana, writes photographer Sam Parkes, who has dreamt of visiting the Cuban capital since childhood. Resisting the urge to romanticise the city with tired cliches of 'beautiful decay' and 'crumbling beauty', Sam allows his camera, and words, to tell their own story.