In the idyllic mid-to-late ‘90s, the Internet and tech worlds were booming, people were getting rich, interiors were stylishly mod – and, taking advantage of all of the above, Wallpaper magazine became an adjective in well-to-do households. As in: “That white-on-white leather private jet interior is so Wallpaper.” The mag became synonymous with high-end design, travel, and the high life in general. Then in 2001 and after, life got anything but high, and Wallpaper – along with a bunch of luxury media products – felt a little too self-indulgent; even at times silly.

Since then, Wallpaper’s quieted down a bit – and garnered less buzz than in its beginning years – but, to its credit, it has branched out into more practical areas, like its latest pin-off: a series of “city guides,” written by Wallpaper editors and correspondents, and published by Phaidon. They’re small, candy-colored paperbacks that eschew the Fodor’s please-everyone-all-the-time comprehensive format to a briefer presentation suited to high-end, high-design-minded travelers on a short jaunt of a trip. There are 20 in all, each covering a city from Amsterdam to Tokyo, with Barcelona, London, Los Angeles, Paris, Rome, Shanghai and plenty more in between. 

The format of the little books is definitely eye-pleasing. Rather than text-heavy, it’s photography-driven, with writing corresponding to, and following, those visuals. The books are tabbed and color-coded according to categories: Landmark, Hotel, 24 Hours, Urban Life, Architour, Shopping, Sports and Spas, and Escapes. Along the way are Insider’s Guides, where hip locals tell you what’s hip and local (in the L.A. book, they profile a PR executive – c’mon guys, you could have looked a bit harder for stars, considering it’s L.A.) 

The New York book is generally well-done, with must-sees like the Brooklyn Bridge well-covered, and the Architour section is particularly interesting, where the ’30s-era McGraw-Hill Building is juxtaposed on the page next to the sleek mod LVMH Tower.

Throughout, the writing is grown-up well past Wallpaper’s early days – they’ve become a good friend, instead of the unapproachable cool kid in school. For instance, it’s particularly comforting that the hotels portion of the New York book doesn’t overlook the Four Seasons and the St. Regis, doing photographic justice to both grand hotels – a lot of “cool guides” head straight for 60 Thompson and skip the uptown grande dames. And they even write in the intro: “Unfortunately service in the boutique hotels can be patchy – it can feel that the staff have been chosen for their washboard stomachs rather than their ability to help you.” With this practical yet still luxury-loving bent, Wallpaper just might be able to keep itself a fresh contender in the competitive world of five-star frolic.

-- Stephen Milioti

Get It:

Wallpaper City Guides, $8.95, available in all major bookstores, and specialty travel/design shops.

Interior images courtesy of Wallpaper