DI’s guide: new products and summer events in the Ruhr

I’m DI, founder of SteinKunstWerk. This international journal is where I can be direct: the Ruhr is not a sensible day trip from every corner of Europe. But if you live in North Rhine-Westphalia, are staying around Düsseldorf or Cologne, are travelling through western Germany, or are visiting from the Netherlands or Belgium, August offers several very good reasons to look beyond the usual city-break list.

I prefer days that are memorable without becoming a military operation. One event, one relaxed return home and enough room to change the plan if the weather, traffic or general mood says otherwise.

What do new products have to do with a day out?

I do not like articles that turn every excursion into a shopping list. A fairground does not require a matching soap, and a theatre performance does not become better because somebody has placed a vase next to it. What matters to me is the return: washing off the day, making tea or coffee and letting the pace drop before the next task begins.

Handmade ceramics for the return home

The beige KUMO cup is my quiet choice. The grey-black KUMO cup feels closer to the Ruhr’s industrial character. For tea or matcha, I would choose the handmade OCHA Mixed Clay cup.

Practical care after heat, crowds or a road trip

The new HOPERY soaps are vegan and palm-oil-free. Bergamot Mandarin is fresh, while Quince Rhubarb is fruitier. The 3-in-1 soap box is the practical part for hotels, camping, guest rooms and road trips.

A travel memory that does not look like a souvenir

The mustard-yellow DREIECK vase is small but visible. Place one printed photo beside it and the day has a place at home without turning the entire living room into a holiday archive.