9 Awesome Instagrammable Desinations

Amazing Instagram Destinations

1. This tiny Polish village might be the most Instagrammable spot in Europe

Getty Images

A small village in Poland has fewer than 1,000 people, but it’s received international press as one of the most beautiful villages in Europe. That’s because the residents of Zalipie—located northeast of Krakow—have been painting their houses, churches, schools, and even their trees with bouquets of brightly colored flowers.

According to Travel + Leisure, the paintings first started in the 1800s when women in the village painted floral displays to cover up the soot caused by smoky stoves. The tradition continued and nearly every bare surface in the village has been decorated with colorful, intricate floral patterns. The practice has earned Zalipie the nickname of “The Painted Village.”

The soot-covered walls may be gone, but Zalipie now has both a museum—the farm of Felicja Curylowa—and an annual festival called the Feast of the Corpus Christi to celebrate the flower paintings.


2. SINGAPORE’S NEW MONOCHROME HOTEL IS READY TO RULE INSTAGRAM

Getty Images

Expect all your favourite minimalist Instagrammers to suddenly start holidaying in Singapore. The City in a Garden’s chicest new destination is Hotel Mono, an entirely black and white boutique hotel that needs no filter to cause a stir on your feed.

Set in six historical shop houses on Chinatown’s Mosque Street, Hotel Mono opened its doors in March 2017. Local studio Spacedge Designs opted to mix the striking modern colour palette with the building’s original Rococo windows and characteristic airwells, seamlessly interweaving the culture of traditional Singapore with the city’s urban bustle.

Each of the hotel’s 46 rooms is slightly different, due to the peculiarities of the original floor plan, but nothing about Hotel Mono feels disjointed. The high contrast monochrome theme fills every nook and cranny of the space, down to Eero Arnio’s red-lined ‘Ball’ chair that has been reupholstered in black fabric. A black metal bar loops through each room – one part graphic installation, one part light fixture and coat hanger – further tying the space together.


Are You Know?
9 Weird Movie Theaters
9 More Cool Bus Stops From Around The World
11 World's Record For Roller Coaster


3. Despite Being Denied a City Permit, the 14th Factory Found a Brilliant Way to Stay Open

Getty Images

A metallic grid outlines translucent floor panels and antique, mustard-colored furniture flanks a bed draped in sea-foam green sheets. The clapping of loafers and heels reverberates off the walls of a room that's recognizable to Stanley Kubrick fans as a re-creation of the bedroom in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

This diorama is just a small portion of the 14th Factory, a 3-acre pop-up art show occupying a warehouse in Lincoln Heights. The room, reimagined by British artist Simon Birch and KplusK Associates, is named “Barmecide Feast,” a nod to the Arabian Nights parable that suggests not everything is as it seems.

The work’s title became sort of ironic when the 14th Factory “opened” on March 11. Visitors appeared to be drifting through a carefully curated art show, but due to a regulatory snafu with the city, they were actually treading through a film production studio.

After five years of planning, the 14th Factory’s public opening was stonewalled by the city following the Oakland Ghost Ship fire that took 36 lives in December. As a result of the tragedy, the Los Angeles Department of Building and Safety halted temporary special event applications in manufacturing warehouses.

“In some ways, it’s officially not an art exhibition anymore,” Birch explains. “What it actually is is my studio and my production facility. We’re filming the process of it being built, which is ongoing because it’s continuously transforming. And we have a film permit, and we’re filming a documentary within the space about the transformation of the space, about the project. We’re able to operate quite legally because we are a documentary about an art-production facility. We’re not officially a special event.”

The film permit allows visitors to participate in the documentary while taking in the exhibit, but they are required to sign a waiver in order to join the cast. A documentary was always part of the show; however, Birch never intended the filming to be the sole point of entry.


4. Paul Smith's Pink Boutique Partners With Instagram on Rainbow Stripes for L.A. Pride

Getty Images

In collaboration with Instagram, the designer will be giving his store's exterior — a selfie Mecca for stars like Karlie Kloss and Hailee Steinfeld — a colorful makeover in support of the LGBTQ community.

It has been there since 2005, but the Paul Smith boutique on Melrose has evolved in recent years into a social media mecca, beckoning Instagrammers from around the globe to its sprawling pink exterior. "When I knew I was getting a shop in Los Angeles, I realized I had to do something with impact," says Paul Smith, who was inspired by Mexican architect Luis Barragan, known for his use of bold colors. "It's now one of the most Instagrammed buildings in California." Supermodel Karlie Kloss, YouTube star Cameron Dallas and Hailee Steinfeld are among the notable millennials who have posed there. Now THR has an exclusive peek at plans for the first major makeover of the bubble-gum backdrop.

In honor of L.A. Pride (June 5 to 11), the store's west-facing facade will be covered in rainbow stripes — a stylish reinterpretation of the rainbow flag, the international LGBTQ symbol. Instagram approached Smith with the idea for the store, which has added a parking lot attendant to manage selfie-snapping crowds, and he was keen to participate. The two companies collaborated on the design, which incorporates pink stripes as a nod to the original. (The color is so popular, it inspired a Paul Smith capsule collection called #MelrosePink, featuring swim trunks, socks and scarves.) The wall also will feature the hashtag #kindcomments, meant to encourage "kindness and compassion," says Marne Levine, COO of Instagram, which plans in the coming months to install rainbow murals in other cities, including Cleveland, London and Madrid.

As for the L.A. original, the new look was to debut May 31 at an unveiling with Eric Garcetti (referred to around Instagram HQ as "the Mayor of Instagram" for his exceedingly strong Insta-game) on hand. Alas, the look is just a temporary one, as the wall will return to its original pink once L.A. Pride season is over. "I think it will look really outstanding," says Smith. "Make the most of it while it's there!"


5. Liyuan Library: Experiencing Beijing’s Most Instagrammable Library

Getty Images

Libraries have played an integral role throughout human history as a place where knowledge is stored, protected, and passed down from generation to generation. But due to limited access and living in the age of the Internet, these houses of knowledge have mostly become obsolete.

We say mostly because there is still a certain fondness that exists for the utilitarian functions of a library, and their inherent conduciveness for learning thanks to the quiet ambiance such places possess. That’s why we decided to venture out to the village of Jiaojiehe, in the mountainous region of Huairou north of Beijing, to check out the minimalist architectural wonder known as Liyuan Library.

Built and designed in 2011 by Li Xiaodong, an architecture professor at Tsinghua University, Li saw Liyuan Library as a way to draw visitors to the surrounding forgotten village, and help promote its economic development. Since being constructed, the library has been featured in numerous architectural and international publications, not only because of its unique structural characteristics but also because of its isolated and serene location.

Using the village and its landscape as his inspiration, one of the building’s most distinct features are its use of local fruit tree branches along the roof and exterior to almost camouflage the facade with its surroundings. This decision also gives Liyuan’s interior the perfect amount of ambient lighting during the day and helps keep the glass and steel box structure relatively cool during warmer months by providing just the right amount of shade. This combination of a unique design and remote location has since turned this sleepy village outpost into a travel destination for about 400 people every weekend between mid-April to mid-October. Getting there, however, is no real easy feat.

At a 50km drive from the city center, which depending on traffic can take you up to three hours to reach, we recommend arriving as early as possible so as to cut the weekend lines, which can get painfully long. We first rode the subway to Houshayu on Line 15 befoe catching a Didi, who took us the rest of the way. It wasn’t easy to find, and we had to turn around at one point because the road Didi directed us to take was closed. It also got even more confusing because there wasn’t much cellular service as you begin to traverse up the mountain. All in all, though, the drive up these summits provided many stunning views. There were a couple of moments where you could even spot unrestored guard towers on the Great Wall that are likely to have been untouched for years due to their hard-to-reach strategic positions.

Upon entering the site, you’ll start to see a couple of signs pointing you in the way of Liyuan Library and pass a couple of small restaurants. If you arrive by car, they ask that you pay a RMB 5 parking fee. Once you get out of the car, there’s a small concession stand that can come in handy as this is your last chance to get some liquids or a quick snack before reaching the library, which is about a five-minute walk down a gravel road.

The scene is immediately impressive. The elongated box structure covered in dead tree limbs is perfectly nestled among mountains and a small pond with a greenish blue hue. The one thing that didn’t look tranquil however was the line of 30 people waiting to get into the minimalist structure. We had arrived at around 1.30pm, the library having just reopened after a two-hour lunch break. We then discovered that the library has a limited capacity of 40 people at all times. Though the restriction makes sense, it's annoying to wait given that the turnover of people leisurely flipping through pages is unlikely to proceed at any rapid pace. That's why in fact we ended up waiting for two hours just to get in. Luckily, the line was mostly in the shade, and there were plenty of places to explore while you or someone else in your party maintains that precious place in line.


6. Why You Must Go to the Most Instagrammable Place in London

Getty Images

What is millennial pink, has a "caviar man," and causes popular bloggers to burst into tears from pure joy? London's Sketch, that's what. After enjoying afternoon tea in the Wes Anderson-esque "pink room," aka the Gallery, I can attest that it is, in fact, worth the hype.

Do it for the 'gram, sure, but also for the experience — it'll literally have you tickled pink!

A few things to keep in mind before you go: it is expensive but comparable to other fancy high teas. You're paying for much more than tea (as you will see), and it's definitely a full meal. The classic afternoon tea is $72 per person, while the Champagne afternoon tea is $90 per person. Be sure to make a reservation well in advance and specify the Gallery, as there are multiple rooms with different food offerings.


7. New York’s Next Instagram Obsession Is This Bodega Made of Felt at The Standard

Getty Images

“We had a girl come in here this morning with a real red-eye hangover asking for Tylenol,” Lucy Sparrow said with a laugh yesterday as she wore a felt apron and cap. “We don’t have the real thing, but I showed her ours. She didn’t find it as funny as we did.” The 30-year-old London-based artist known for her felt sculptures was on hand to debut 8 Till Late, an installation 9 months in the making and produced in conjunction with the adjacent Standard, High Line hotel. In its first iteration, Sparrow debuted a similar storefront in 2014 located in East London entitled The Cornershop, and after much acclaim, she sought to produce it again across the pond. Now, with over $50,000 in backing from her loyal fans on Kickstarter, 8 Till Late has finally come to pass.

The concept, located just around the corner from the bustling Standard Biergarten, is a convenience store with a twist. Inside, shoppers will find all of the usual sundries stocked at your local bodega like pre-packaged deli meats, Ben & Jerry’s pints, and yes, even Tylenol, except they’re all rendered in felt. Entirely hand-sewn by Sparrow, the 9,000 items were shipped from the United Kingdom over the course of four commercial flights, and include large-scale appliances like a cash wrap and a soda fridge.


8. The Town That's So Instagrammable, It Banned Social Media To Prevent Holiday Envy

Getty Images

When you're slouched over at your desk, snowed under with a mountain of work, and multitasking like there's no tomorrow while the sun teases you through your office window, a quick peak at your social media feed is often the best medicine/form or procrastination you need to get you through the day.

However, when you scroll through Instagram to find your best friend bathing in the sun, drinking rosé on the beach at lunchtime, and showing off her enviable sun-kissed skin during a last minute 'getaway' to Ibiza, you'll undoubtedly be left with a bitter taste in your mouth.

This feeling, my friends, can be only defined in two words - holiday envy.

Some say the solution to said jealousy is to go on a digital detox, switch off your social media and vow not to return until it's cold and miserable outside. But, let's be honest, that seems even more depressing than seeing your BFF rinse #wishyouwerehere for all its worth this summer.

However, one holiday destination that's saving you from such holiday woes is Bergün, a picturesque town in Switzerland that's so beautiful, it banned photography and social media as a precaution.

No, seriously, it banned it.

Tucked away in the canton of Graubünden, the rolling hills, fairy-tale architecture and cobbled streets of the quiet town look as if they could've been plucked straight out of a Disney film.


9. This L.A. Neighbourhood Has Committed To Pink Houses Because #Instagram

Getty Images

First there were pink walls, and then pink restaurants and hotels. Now a street in a neighbourhood in L.A. has committed to the pink cause—all for the ’gram.

Three homes in the Pico neighbourhood were recently given all-pink makeovers, including the exterior, interiors, and even some of the surrounding bushes. It’s more of a bright pink than a millennial pink, but either way, you can’t miss it.

And yes, this temporary project was created just for Instagram purposes by The Mural Agency, “a company by @themostfamousartist that creates and installs ‘Instagrammable’ experiences as a service for brand partners worldwide.”

The houses are due to be demolished in a few weeks’ time, which is why The Mural Agency transformed it into an Instagrammable haven, and it’s already had thousands of visitors come through.