INSPIRATION: Berlin

Berlin is a fantastic city for inspiration. The different eras all jammed in together, the rough-and-ready mixed with the shiny-and-new.

Its concrete-and-clouds backdrop makes it extremely photogenic in black and white but actually it’s the colour and texture that I love… a shiny yellow U-bahn train against a grey and glass station… ornate red brick and etched stone… bright blue graffiti next to rusting metal.

And no one who claims an interest in design and interiors can fail to appreciate the huge importance of the Bauhaus, the influence of which pervades despite having been physically based Berlin for only one year of its fourteen year lifespan. The museum itself, designed by Walter Gropius, is one of my favourite buildings in Europe.

The boy and I went in July for a long weekend. We’d both been to Berlin before so it was the perfect opportunity to skip the sightseeing and just spend three days enjoying ourselves. Here are some of my best bits: