The new SHOPPABLE STAYS
From an 18th-century farmhouse to a converted church, these rural guesthouses are a more authentic way to try before you buy
The latest living showrooms, where guests can purchase hand-picked pieces from their stay, are pictures of pastoral charm.Danish design brand Vipp was an early adopter, shunning the identikit rooms of a branded hotel in favour of its ‘oneroom wonders’, from a sleek Copenhagen loft to a remarkable glass cabin. New fourth property Vipp Farmhouse, with its thatched roof and original beams, is nestled in a forested 1,400acre estate on Denmark’s Lolland island. It’s another chance to test-drive the firm’s high-end kitchens.
British brand Made, meanwhile, has found something of an unlikely collaborator in Dutch initiative Heilige Nachten, which converts churches into temporary holiday rentals. Filled with its newseason furniture, Made’s chosen church is the 400-year-old Kerkje 1621 in the Frisian countryside.
The brand might have to brace themselves for a slew of bookings. When Micha van Dinther and Magnus Wittbjer of Swedish design studio and web store TypeO converted the second floor of their 19th-century farmstead in the country’s Skåne region into a shoppable B&B last year, they took four months’ worth of reservations in 72 hours. They’ve since refreshed the selection of items by Sweden-based makers, which now include glassware and ceramics from designer Sizar Alexis, and a textural artwork by Ida Vikfors. What a shop window.
TYPEO’S CONVERTED FARMSTEAD TOOK FOUR MONTHS‘ WORTH OF RESERVATIONS IN 72 HOURS