Workation Q1 2026

Welcome to bella Italia

Some ideas don’t happen at the desk — they happen somewhere in between. Somewhere between an internal workshop, a long conversation, a bottle of red wine and the realization that what we were really craving was more time together as a team. So, naturally, the idea for our first workation of the year was born. After a shoot in Switzerland, Pius and I picked up the girls in Bern (they didn't know where we'd take them) and made our way down to Piemonte, a place that already holds so many memories for us and somehow always feels like the right place to slow down, think clearer and create better. A huge thank you goes to our friend Yvonne from Serafina Quota (Serafina Kulturwerkstatt) for making this entire stay possible and for welcoming us with so much warmth. Staying at her place made everything feel personal from the very first second — not like a trip, but like arriving somewhere that already feels familiar. 

And yes of course we did brand the entire trip.

Day 001

started exactly how Italy should start: sun on our faces, espresso in hand, slow mornings and absolutely no rush. I mean, not gonna lie — Pius and I may or may not have opened a bottle of wine before noon. Very Italian, very on brand, very not sorry. The girls slowly got up, we had our first work blocks, onboarding, calls, internal alignment and then headed down to Dogliani, one of our absolute favourite places in Piemonte and a place we’ve been coming back to for years. Yvonne had organised a cooking workshop with Marco for us and it honestly could not have been a better first evening. Flour everywhere, hands in pasta dough, red wine flowing from the first minute, so much laughter, jokes in half-German half-English half-Italian and the kind of chaos that somehow always turns into the best memories. We learned how to make tortellini, mayonnaise from scratch and probably drank more vino than we can officially put on the website. It was loud, fun, a little messy and exactly what we needed.

Day 002

Molto Tutti aka. a little slower — for obvious reasons. Let’s just say the red wine from Marco’s cooking class was still very much part of the room. But of course, this was still a workation, so the morning belonged to actual work. Laptops open, coffees on repeat, internal topics, client calls, onboarding and the kind of focused sessions that remind us why these days matter so much. We love having this rhythm: sharp work in the morning, space for inspiration and team time afterwards.

By noon, we headed into the print workshop with Tuomo — and yes, naturally, there was wine involved here as well. Ink on our hands, glasses on the table, paper everywhere and exactly the right amount of creative chaos. The whole workshop had this raw, tactile energy we love so much. Moving away from screens and back into materials, texture and physical process always opens up something new for us. It was less “classic workshop” and much more getting inspired through actually doing, talking, laughing and yes, drinking our way through it.

After that, the day took a slightly more internal turn — and honestly, one of the most valuable parts of the entire trip. Everyone prepared and presented their own perspective on the last months: how they see themselves within the studio, how their role has evolved, where they feel stronger, what has shifted, what they want more of and where they see themselves growing next. It wasn’t some stiff corporate presentation moment — it was honest, funny, reflective and at times brutally real. Seeing everyone articulate not only what they do, but how they’ve developed within the team, what responsibility they carry and how much ownership has naturally grown, was incredibly powerful. These moments always remind us that a team isn’t built by titles, but by mindset, trust and the willingness to grow together.

And because no proper LUDWINA day ends early, the evening naturally shifted into dolce vita mode — Mediterranean breeze dress code, long dinner, more wine, more laughter and exactly the kind of conversations that somehow only happen late at night. We've ended up at Torchio, a place where we've been before and will be for sure coming back to. Food 11/10!

The rest is, luckily, history. There are unconfirmed reports that it may or may not have been my birthday that night. Allegedly, the lights went down, tanti auguri was sung at full volume and there may have been a little main character moment involved. Rumours only, of course.

Day 003

Slow breakfast, too much coffee, sun on our faces and that very specific kind of morning where everyone is a little tired but very happy about it. No rush, no pressure — just one long breakfast table, stories from the night before and the feeling that these are exactly the moments you actually remember afterwards.

After breakfast, Yvonne took us on a house tour, and honestly, for a team like ours this was pure inspiration. Seeing the spaces, the interior decisions, the way atmosphere is built through materials, details and feeling — it was one of those moments where work and inspiration naturally merge. We kept talking about mood, flow, light, texture and how much intention can live in a space. As a studio that thinks so much about visual identity and emotion, this was exactly our kind of input.

And then came the most Italian part of the entire trip: the classic Sunday lunch.

Four hours.
Multiple courses.
La mamma cooking.
More wine, obviously.

The kind of lunch where nobody looks at the time, plates just keep arriving and conversations slowly drift from client talk to life talk to completely unhinged team jokes. Honestly, this meal alone was worth the drive.

By the end of it, we were somewhere between completely full, slightly tipsy and emotionally very happy. Exactly how a workation should end.

What these days gave us was so much more than a change of scenery. It gave us time — real time together. To work, to think, to laugh, to reflect, to celebrate how far we’ve come and where we want to go next. We came back with clearer minds, stronger ideas, a whole lot of inside jokes and even more love for this team.

To Yvonne — thank you for opening your doors and making this entire stay feel so incredibly special. To the team — the girls, the goats — thank you for showing up with so much heart, humor, honesty and energy.

This week reminded us once again: what we build only works because of the people behind it.

Very, very LUDWINA.