Happy almost New Year to those who acknowledge the passing of time. We had an overall great year here at Leibal - Leo traveled far and wide and started Leibal’s YouTube channel to create video content for our partners, and I, Julia, found an incredible flat here in London that we are turning into a Leibal Residence and Showroom.
I’ll get into Leibal Residence a bit more in our next note - as I thought it would be interesting to explore the process of furnishing a space without an anchor so to speak, and how designing with the minimalist pieces on Leibal can also speak to my own aesthetics which I would describe as historical (and I love color - although it can be intimidating). A developing story!
Leo just got back from a trip to Copenhagen, and since he has spent over half the year traveling, he has some travel tips that have helped him survive the toughest parts. Leo is a patient man, I would say very zen, but we can all lose it sometimes, especially faced with horrendous lines at TSA, or argumentative types on airplanes.
I also wanted to shout out our top 4 interior projects our readers visited on the site. Any through lines? You’ll see below.
And finally - Room Study - in which I create a room inspired by one of my favorite interior projects on the site.
We hope you enjoy this month’s update. Keep reading for more:
Clockwise from top
Our number one most viewed interiors post of 2025 goes to Bureau Tempo & our pal Thom Fougere’s Pine Island Cottage, a minimal home located in Georgian Bay, Canada. Fougere describes the design approach as “site-specific cues that directly informed our decision making,” such as bringing the rocks from the shore to create the kitchen island. Photo by Alex Lesage. See more here.
The second is this Belgravia Apartment designed by Nice Projects, who “approached the space as archivists and editors, carefully rebuilding the apartment’s architectural sensibility through considered material choices and spatial choreography.” Photography by Jeff Hahn. A fantastic project you can check out here.
Of course Vincent Van Duysen would be part of this list, with his DH Apartment in Knokke, Belgium, which features a pared-back architectural and organic space like he does best. Photos by Piet-Albert Goethals. More here.
And number 4 spot goes to Apartment L a truly minimalist apartment located in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, designed by True Thing Design Studio. More here.
Two out of three of these projects feature Noguchi’s large overhead lamp, and all four feature light wood paneling. Add that to your 2026 vision boards!
I reviewed some of my favorite Leibal interiors of 2025, and near the top was Pink Affair, which reminded me of a stay at the Sunset Tower years ago — in a room with sheer blush drapes that made everything glow pink in the morning. Since then, I’ve been a little obsessed with how certain colors can completely change the way I feel inside a space.
A sophisticated pink is an easy color to live with: flattering, enveloping. I saw it take center stage in several major hotel renovations this year - including the beautiful new Rosewood in London (housed in the former U.S. Embassy designed by Eero Saarinen), where pink marble floors and upholstery add warmth to the monumental interiors. There’s also the rose-hued and sage-accented Templeton Gardens - where I’m currently enjoying a matcha and where Leo filmed a few months ago - and Mezzogiorno, the recently renovated Italian restaurant at Corinthia London, which leans more glamorous than cozy, but also features the same pink-and-sage palette.
But I think the real color of 2025 was what I call spice: a rich orange-leaning yellow that I have seen on velvet upholstery at the best Parisian hotels (a nice residential example here). Similarly to pink, it adds warmth and glow.
Along with Pink Affair, the interior I revisit the most is Primrose Penthouse by UNCANNY Studio. The spice is in full effect, and transforms London’s cool-toned natural lighting into something more warm and livable.
Here’s how I would bring this look home:
I would use my favorite Arcade modular sofa by Resident in Camira’s Main Line flax fabric in Perivale, configured with the armless seat separated from the rest of the sofa by PPAA’s Deflect Table.
I’d use Kalon’s Material Studies 001 chair as the accent, and (not pictured - but actually used) my favorite Carl Hansen dining chair, the OW58 T-Chair.
Is it that easy to create a stunning room like this one? No, it’s not. But it’s a good starting point!
I traveled 196 days out of the year - more or less - to write for Leibal or to film properties for our new YouTube channel. It’s been a real adventure this year. I’ve racked up the points, and the lady at the Delta lounge now knows me by name. New achievement unlocked I guess? I’m going to keep this up while I have the energy, as I really have a newfound love of filming and editing, and I feel so lucky that I get to travel the world and do it.
I thought I would offer some travel advice on what gets me from point A to B as seamlessly as possible, as well as some little tips I picked up along the way.
1. I’d rather do laundry in a different country than check my bag.
Either I have the worst luck with checked bags, or other people have immeasurably higher patience than I do. I can fit a weeks worth of clothes into a carry-on. If I’m spending more than 7 days in a place, I’ll bring half the days worth of clothes needed and do laundry halfway. I typically will either look for a wash+fold service or find an Airbnb halfway through the trip that has a washing machine.
2. I prefer Delta’s lounges over Centurion as of late, and Asia lounges over everything else.
Through my Amex Platinum, I am provided with complimentary access to Delta lounges, Centurion lounges and Priority Pass lounges. I fly mostly Delta (or SkyTeam) out of JFK and LGA, and I have found that the Delta lounges in both airports have been consistently better than the Centurion lounge - in particular, the Delta Sky Lounge out of Terminal C in LGA and the new Delta One Lounge or Delta Sky Lounge near A7 in JFK. With that said, the lounges in the United States are no comparison to the lounges throughout the Middle East or Asia, in size, quality of food, and number of amenities available.
3. I created my own set of habits to beat jet lag quickly.
When I was younger, I didn’t understand the concept of jet lag, and would let sleep, or the lack thereof, potentially ruin an entire trip. Throughout the years, I’ve tested a number of strategies to see what would work best for me, especially since I struggle to sleep on flights. To start, I always eat according to the schedule of the time zone I’m landing in. I begin this a day in advance before I fly, and make sure I remain consistent when I land. Eating according to your destination’s time zone has been proven to reset your internal clock, and has worked great for me.
Next is strategizing my sleep before arrival, and deciding if and when I should try and sleep on the plane. If I arrive after 12pm, I do not allow myself to take a nap or fall asleep that entire day until at least 9pm. If I arrive before noon, I allow myself a nap that goes until 1pm the latest. With these habits, I’m able to overcome jet lag within the first day.
4. Packing cubes save space and keep things organized.
I didn’t start using packing cubes until earlier last year, thinking that they were just an additional thing that I would have to carry, wash, and organize. I haven’t gone back since, and while they’re not as game-changing as people make them out to be, they do help with organization and keeping everything separated. The cubes themselves, once zippered, become quite compact, which adds to the space-saving portion.
The other item I always pack is the Anker 145w charging brick with multiple USB ports. It replaces the need to bring a power adapter for each of the items you would otherwise need to charge, i.e. laptop, phone, camera, etc. This allows for up to three USB-C devices to charge simultaneously. Just for comparison, the power adapter that Apple provides for the latest MacBook Pro is 140w.
5. Uber is seldom the most popular, efficient, or cheapest option in other countries.
I learned this the hard way when finding out about Grab in South East Asia, or Ola in India, and Bolt in Europe. Uber might be the go-to in the United States, but it does not have a foothold in as many locations around the world as people may think. In fact, I prefer the design and user experience of the Grab app over Uber, especially when being picked up from airports. Grab will typically have dedicated lounge seating near their pick-up locations with clear instructions both within the app and at the airport. I sometimes have no idea where I’m supposed to be going for pick up when using Uber.
6. The Amex Platinum now has a $600 fine hotels credit, a $200 Hilton credit on top of the $200 airline credit.
I spoke about my Amex card in point 2, and they recently updated some of their perks, while also increasing the yearly fee. It’s so easy to ignore their updates, but this latest offering has some value. They’re trying to push hotel bookings through their Fine Hotels + Resorts app, and are incentivizing Amex Platinum users $600 in credit to use the function ($300 bi-annually). Depending on location, it’s not difficult to find a $300/night hotel from the FHR section, which would essentially be free for the night.
7. The new AirPods 3 and the iPad Pro M chips are a deadly combo.
There’s no more etiquette on flights anymore. What better way to ignore people screaming at each other and ignoring their children than a pair of earbuds that noise-cancel better than anything else on the market. They are 50% better at noise cancellation versus the AirPods 2, which were already decent at reducing outside noise. Pair that with an iPad with pre-downloaded movies and shows, and it beats any in-seat entertainment setup.
8. Deltas Touchless ID is a game changer.
Delta’s Touchless ID requires TSA Precheck, but allows you to skip even the precheck line. Last time through JFK I saw a 45-minute TSA line and a 15-minute precheck line / CLEAR line. No one was in the Touchless ID line, and there was no need to even take out my passport or photo ID. I almost hope very few people will decide to use this because it is comical how much faster this is compared to everything else available.
9. I have a loose list of places I want to see, and I let myself wander the rest.
Traveling on a tight schedule is just a business trip without the business. My family used to travel this way, and it was never an enjoyable experience. Nothing was memorable, and it felt like a job, jumping from one location to the next. I have the privilege of traveling often, and with this newfound abundance, I stopped feeling greedy about accumulating experiences. If there’s a cozy cafe, I don’t feel bad spending hours there - or wandering the aisles of a local supermarket with no intention of buying groceries.
10. Traveling alone and traveling with people are two entirely different experiences.
Everyone should experience solo travel at least once - to learn about themselves, to stretch beyond their comfort zone, and to follow their own desires rather than others’ expectations. For me, it was learning that no one actually cares if you’re alone - that the judgment I felt while eating solo or wandering by myself existed only in my head. It is incredibly freeing to be able to enjoy your own company, and it carries through to how you travel as a companion to other people as well.
That’s it for our end of year letter! A big thank you to our Leibal readers - if you have any tips, suggestions, thoughts, whatever, just send us a reply. We’d love to hear from you.
Cheers to a New Year!
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