Where To Shop In Berlin!

From trendy concept stores to eco-friendly boutiques, the German capital is buzzing. Raffaela Barker has all the details you need

- Raffaela Barker

The German capital wears its heart and history on its sleeve. Generations now have grown up in a permissive culture, where tolerance and ease of communication are seen as vital. The grandeur of Museum Island and the ornate Reichstag, the hushed elegance of wide streets lined with linden trees, the cafés with their gently groovy atmosphere, the independent shops’ radical creativity and the 24-hour raves, each have their place here. Artist Robert Montgomery’s flickering neon sign by a nameless nightclub rings true: ‘The city is wilder than you think and kinder than you think.’

ONE-STOP SHOPS

THE STORE: Occupying half the ground floor of Soho House Berlin, this is British designer Alex Eagle’s brainchild: a shop that feels like home. Home, that is, for someone creative, intelligent and grand. Everything’s for sale, from the music floating out of Phonica Records to the books, clothes, furniture and lunches. Customers are as likely to sit with a laptop and coffee at a bespoke table (for a few thousand euros, you can take home some great contemporary design) as they are to buy the eponymous Alex Eagle clothing— wardrobe staples such as fluid shirts and dresses. (www.thestores.com)