The Grand Tourist with Dan Rubinstein

In the world of collectible design, Nikolai and Simon Haas have forged their own path to success by creating everything from sofas with monstrous feet and alien-looking sculptures to adorable porcelain tea sets. On this episode, Dan speaks with the Los Angeles–based brothers on their meteoric rise to fame, how Tobey Maguire and a highway accident factor into their unlikely origin story, and how they’ve emerged from the post-pandemic era wiser and more creative than ever before.

If there’s one magazine that truly sets the standard for excellence in design, it’s Architectural Digest. On this episode, Dan speaks with Amy Astley, the title’s Editor-in-Chief, about how she broke into magazines, her years at Vogue, breaking boundaries by launching its spinoff Teen Vogue, her thoughts about taste in the Instagram era, and the importance of embracing the new to stay relevant.

Designer, artist, iconoclast—Gaetano Pesce has been a creative force for more than 50 years. Celebrating his legacy in a new book, “The Complete Incoherence,” the Italian-born legend chats with Dan about the most important muses of his life, how he predicted the limited edition object, the meaning behind his imaginative work, and his absolute favorite New York restaurant.

Few jewelry houses can match the elegance and craftsmanship of Van Cleef & Arpels. On this episode, Dan speaks with the brand’s president and CEO, Nicolas Bos, from its headquarters in the heart of Paris. The pair discuss the origins of the house and its famed Mystery Set, the emergence of gender-neutral attitudes in the field, and the executive’s undying love for the film "Barbarella."

Stylists have more creative cache than ever before—now often acting as tastemakers, designers, creative directors, and even artists. On this episode, Dan speaks with three talents from the worlds of fashion, food, and interiors to discuss their inventive and unpredictable careers: Alastair McKimm, editor-in-chief of the respected fashion magazine i-D; Laila Gohar, an artist who uses food as her medium; and Colin King, a stylist for magazines like Architectural Digest and the author of the new book Arranging Things.

Designer, educator, visionary: Toshiko Mori is one of the most respected names in architecture today. On this episode, Dan and the award-winning talent and professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design (and the former chair of Harvard’s Department of Architecture) chat about her influential projects in remote regions of Senegal, breaking barriers for women in the profession, her early memories of life in Japan, and more.

All jewelry can sparkle, but the unique and often fantastical haute joaillerie by the German house of Hemmerle is a cut above. On this episode, Dan speaks with Christian and Yasmin Hemmerle, the dynamic couple and the fourth generation to run the brand from its headquarters in Munich. The trio discuss the company’s storied legacy as a supplier to the Vatican and the Bavarian court, how it elevates unusual materials, and why some Hemmerle pieces can take up to six hundred hours to create.

On this special episode sponsored by Lumens, Dan meets three extraordinary emerging talents in the field of design: South Africa's Zizipho Poswa shares her memories of the women who raised her and inspired her bronze sculptures; Mexico's Fernando Laposse explains the impact of agriculture on his materially minded works; and Belgium-based Linde Freya Tangelder chats about how she walks freely between the worlds of product and collectible design.

Since the 1970s, Alberto Alessi has been a trailblazer in the world of product design, working with a roster of all-star talents to produce legendary items for his family’s company, Alessi. On this episode, Dan speaks with Alberto about the time he partnered with Salvador Dali, his creations by the late fashion designer Virgil Abloh, and why it’s bad for designers to have a style.