The hot list: Animal magnetism

Celebrate nature in its purest form with these charming accessories inspired by old-school botanical illustrations.

1 Two by two

Andrew Martin’s Ark wallpaper features everything from camels to elephants and exotic birds, all sketched out in painstaking detail. Part of the company’s Museum collection, it comes in 10-metre rolls and in three different colourways: cloud, parchment and sand. We think it would make a perfect backdrop to a study or library area.

• Ark wallpaper, Dh345 per roll, Andrew Martin, DIFC

2 Explorative tapestry

Vivienne Westwood’s Adventure wall hanging was inspired by the designer’s 2001 spring/summer collection, Exploration, which, the designer says, focused on “understanding and exploring the world around you through the discovery of natural history, science and literature”. The handmade Aubusson-wool tapestry measures 125 centimetres square and is stretched across a wooden frame.

• Adventure wall hanging, Dh17,016, The Rug Company, DIFC

3 Fishy frame

This antique-looking print illustrates the internal and external features of two intriguing-looking fish. The scientific drawings are set on cream paper, with faded French and Latin text adding an extra touch of authenticity. This would make a great addition to a nautical theme — or a quirky feature in a guest bathroom.

• Antique Fish Illustrations, Dh261, www.artisanti.com

4 Flying high

We love the stark simplicity of this monochrome cushion from Sweetpea and Willow, which features four delicate butterflies, or “colourful moths”, set against a pinstripe background. Made of cotton and measuring 40 centimetres square, it would strikingly complement a neutral sofa.

• Madison Butterfly Cushion, Dh680 for a pair, www.sweetpeaandwillow.com

5 Changing colours

This wall deco from The One features a chameleon, which we will admit is something of an odd-looking creature — but that just makes this delicately drawn illustration all the more interesting to look at, in our book.

• Lizard Wall Deco, Dh299, The One stores nationwide

The Brutalist

Director: Brady Corbet

Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn

Rating: 3.5/5

Lewis Hamilton in 2018

Australia 2nd; Bahrain 3rd; China 4th; Azerbaijan 1st; Spain 1st; Monaco 3rd; Canada 5th; France 1st; Austria DNF; Britain 2nd; Germany 1st; Hungary 1st; Belgium 2nd; Italy 1st; Singapore 1st; Russia 1st; Japan 1st; United States 3rd; Mexico 4th

The currency conundrum

Russ Mould, investment director at online trading platform AJ Bell, says almost every major currency has challenges right now. “The US has a huge budget deficit, the euro faces political friction and poor growth, sterling is bogged down by Brexit, China’s renminbi is hit by debt fears while slowing Chinese growth is hurting commodity exporters like Australia and Canada.”

Most countries now actively want a weak currency to make their exports more competitive. “China seems happy to let the renminbi drift lower, the Swiss are still running quantitative easing at full tilt and central bankers everywhere are actively talking down their currencies or offering only limited support," says Mr Mould.

This is a race to the bottom, and everybody wants to be a winner.

Getting there

The flights

Emirates and Etihad fly to Johannesburg or Cape Town daily. Flights cost from about Dh3,325, with a flying time of 8hours and 15 minutes. From there, fly South African Airlines or Air Namibia to Namibia’s Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, for about Dh850. Flying time is 2 hours.

The stay

Wilderness Little Kulala offers stays from £460 (Dh2,135) per person, per night. It is one of seven Wilderness Safari lodges in Namibia; www.wilderness-safaris.com.

Skeleton Coast Safaris’ four-day adventure involves joining a very small group in a private plane, flying to some of the remotest areas in the world, with each night spent at a different camp. It costs from US$8,335.30 (Dh30,611); www.skeletoncoastsafaris.com