Meet Chris Deal, T&W's Creative Director. Like a rare species from the deep sea, he is rarely seen in front of the camera but is essential to our ecosystem. He's the one who made T&W look so beautiful, and he oversees all our creative work to make sure we stay that way. He's clever, funny and rarely has a holiday so we asked him to share some highlights from his recent European sojourn. 

It's perhaps not the best admission with which to begin a photojournalistic travel story, but I must make a confession - I abhor a slide night like nature abhors a vacuum. Especially travel photos. Oh look another ancient monument. Another plate of exotic tucker. Another awkward selfie with some locals who were, "honestly the nicest people you could ever meet. I mean really, you just had to be there". Yes, well obviously we weren't. So if you'll excuse me, I have a sock drawer in desperate need of a tidy.

Yet here I am, tourist cap in hand, hypocritically begging you all to join me as I shuffle through this virtual carousel to share some Kodak moments from my recent trip to the land of Vespa and pizza. And for this heinous crime of double standards I plead two, wafer thin excuses: the fact that I was asked to, and the invention of Instagram.



As loyal Temple & Webster readers I'm sure Instagram has fast become yet another vital part of your hectic social media schedule. Where a relentless stream of travel snaps on Facebook can appear like an unwelcome gloat, on Instagram where the decision of viewing is thrust upon the follower, over sharing is expected if not demanded. And when you're travelling alone, sharing is an activity in which you are desperate to take part.

We all love a travelling companion for different reasons. Some take comfort in knowing that when things go wrong we'll have someone in our corner to help us sort it out. Some like to have that person to natter with, to pass the time on long haul flights and cross-country train trips. Personally, I like to have a travelling companion so I can turn to someone and say, "well, would you look at that". They force me to look at the world through more than just my eyes.

It's a great privilege to be able to jaunt about the earth, and if you're not appreciating every minute of it, you may as well have stayed at home and watched the telly. And so I thank my fantastic travelling buddy Instagram, for helping me to never take for granted the spectacular visual feast which Italia served every single day, and to have made it possible to share it with you. I hope you enjoy it, even if you are a vehement slide night loather like me.



Florence is a city of exquisite detail. Often overwhelming, always beautiful, its labyrinthine streets are as intricate as the adornments with which it is decorated. Above left is a general store that can barely contain its wares on the outside let alone in, and on the right is the magnificent Il Duomo di Firenze at arguably the best time to see it - early in the morning before the tourist hordes awake. A visual feast on both ends of the artisan spectrum.



I don't often take a photo that I feel utterly entitled to claim bragging rights over, but would you take a look at that sunset. Seriously, give it up for me! Above right is the view of Florence from the Piazza Michelangelo, across the Giardino di Boboli to the river Arno. At least that's what Google Maps told me. And no, the lens flare and the bird have not been Photoshopped in. They are but mere examples of my God-like creative skills for which Temple & Webster is famous. Or just me getting extremely lucky. Either/or. And on the left is a Vespa, for no other reason that I own one just like it, and it looked cool in the shot.



Since starting Temple & Webster and contracting the homewares disease, I was more than happy to spend an afternoon tracking down the best furniture, homewares and assorted curiosities shops in Florence. While you'd be mad to pass up Milan for interiors, there were a handful of top finds in Firenze. Top left is an incredible suede armless armchair from mid-century modern emporium Flair, top right are assorted textured pieces from the workshop of Luca.



On the left are antique doors and ornate cabinetry at the especially Italian sounding Ponziani lo Studiolo. On the right, brilliant pops of pink bird cages at Studio Dimore, totes trendy yellow wire outdoor chair at Lugarno Details, and hand-made archival lightboxes at the amazing Studio Puck. And with that dazzling interiors reportage, this post is now officially tax deductible. 



After taking in my fill of Firenze, I mustered up the courage to hire a very fast European car and drive unrecklessly on the wrong side of the road. My first stop was the picturesque town of Siena, an hour south of Florence. The above left from in the library of the Duomo di Siena, a room brimming with hand-written and illustrated biblical manuscripts, and bedazzled within an inch of its life. Those monks sure did have a fair bit of spare time on their hands. Above right is a nun with quite the opposite. In a word - sprightly. I know the lord moves in mysterious ways, but I just wish he'd get his subjects to slow down a bit when I'm trying to get them in sharp focus.



Often when travelling I can become star struck when I least expect it. The leaning tower of Pisa is one of those cultural icons that you grow up knowing of almost by osmosis. So naturally I thought, "well, I am in the area, I guess I should pop in for a butchers". I was transfixed, like I'd just seen Marlon Brando making out with the Mona Lisa. Sure it's no Burj Khalifa, but what it lacks in height it makes up for with unbeatable movie star beauty. The above left is me comedically attempting to straighten up the old girl. The above right is a snippet of the entire population of earth attempting to be a comic. You know what they say, when near Rome...



There are certain tropes of culture that transcend opinion to become fact. One is that music would be rubbish if The Beatles never existed. The other is that no one can really tell the difference between sparkling wine and champagne but we're all still willing to shell out another hundred bucks for the real thing. And the other is that Venice is the most romantic city in the world. No duh. A labyrinthine city built on an island with rivers for roads. Just the idea of it can weaken even the most cynical of knees. But what it also is, is the most over-crowded, trinket-laden, cliché-ridden tourist hellmouth ever devised. I want to say I loved it, but even that would be a romantic notion. Maybe in the winter...



But of course, what trip to Italy would be complete without attending the wedding of one of your best friends in a medieval castle on the top of a mountain with Tuscan views, sunny skies, and a luxurious pool. Ok now I am bragging. Castello di Gargonza. Just incredible. Congratulations Trevor and Nat. Please have your first year anniversary party in the Bahamas, I'm sure I'll be able to shift a few things to pop my head in. Salute.

For more, follow Chris on Instagram @crisdeal.