As we near the end of this rather turbulent year, full of changes, ups and downs and uncertainty, one thing is for sure, new habits are being formed, and a new normal is emerging, not least in our active lives.

The rise of the ‘contactless society’ was already accelerating before the coronavirus became commonplace, but COVID-19 has provided an opportunity to rethink how we live, move and meet, says Paul Smith, Head of Specification Sales at Häfele.

Gilles Darmon, Director of KLAFS at Guncast, shares his dos and don’ts of sauna installation – from the areas typically overlooked by clients and designers, to common pitfalls pre-installation.

The Estrel – Germany’s biggest hotel – is in the centre of Berlin. With 1125 rooms and suites, four restaurants, three bars, a summer garden with its own landing pier, a state-of-the-art wellness area and gym, this property offers its guests every luxury.

It probably doesn’t come as a huge surprise that whilst we’ve had to change the way we live our lives this year, our habits and comforts have changed in tandem. Escaping from the everyday for a weekend at an opulent hotel or idyllic farmhouse abruptly came to an end, and we had to seek those luxuries from our own homes.

Tastes remain eclectic as we move towards the New Year, and requests for understated and extravagant patterns remain in-demand simultaneously.