Strangers at first then partners in life, Djordy van Riel (Creative Director) and Nada Hubara (Editorial Director) had been on a similar journey that had awakened them to the beauty of storytelling, lifestyle, art, and interior design. Together they started Strangers Together; a lifestyle magazine connecting a global community of like-minded people who examine life and business, through the lens of design.
“We start our days talking over coffee and breakfast. Usually, that includes some debate over the latest news stories or documentaries we watched the night before. But there’s also a review of our goals for the day, ways to divide up the work, reminders of our big vision, and where we’re headed. Our dog George is living her best life and keeping us entertained while we work from home. Collaborating has always been a dream of ours. It didn’t take long for us to realize that we both love everything about storytelling, through writing and imagery, and how it can evoke inspiration and emotions. Telling stories together through “thought-provoking” writing with a signature aesthetic, paved the way for Strangers Together; an online platform offering a new perspective on life and business, through the lens of design. The stories we publish, what they all have in common are our core values and criterion: Creative. Timeless. Craft. This general theme pervades every publication and guides us through journeys of new stories; where we can look behind the doors of inspirational businesses, workspaces, hotels, restaurants, and people from around the world. Where we meet with acclaimed brands, makers, and craftsmen creating truly unique tangible work or providing intangible services. Strangers Together will feature them from a new and unique perspective to readers of all stripes as we look for more connection and visually appealing ways to engage with the world.”
“I’ve learned how important healthy disagreements and creative conflicts are to the process. Our standards are pretty high and holding each other accountable to those standards is key to our process.”
—Nada Hubara
An intimate break from “digital” distractions
“By exploring the magazine, we wanted to evoke the same feeling you have on late warm evenings hanging out with friends, having conversations that take you across borders and let you experience a journey into the minds and stories of those around the table. The feeling of closeness, fulfillment, and excitement that remains after those magical evenings, had us trying to integrate those emotions into an experience online. Where you can get inspired and explore storytelling through our perspective, celebrating and exhibiting the pure pleasure and the calming luxury of being “offline” but on. As we work on each publication, we do push for a human-interest angle, meaning who is behind a brand? What inspired them to create it? Why do they love doing this? A lot of online magazines are generally quite focused on photography, design, and style, often leaving out the people, the stories, and the experiences that happen before an idea turns into a business, and the trials and tribulations before a product get developed. To us, that is more interesting.”
Our philosophy
“A magazine that touches on all the different facets of storytelling. Where various voices are represented from all creative fields but told through our signature aesthetic lens. It’s a visualization of our perspective on life and business which expresses the duality that is rooted in the everyday way of life. It appeals to all those who have a profound interest in design, art, travel, food, and human-interest stories. We offer inspiration starved readers a refreshingly curated read, exploring ideas and creativity with an emphasis on quality and craftsmanship. We came up with a general direction for the magazine, where everything is showcased in the same way, writing and imagery, renowned and up-and-coming, giving each feature equal value, that helps with the dialogue between the story and the reader creating a desire for people who are looking for the next pleasure.”
“Nada and I have almost juxtaposing characters, but it is in the intersection of this contrast where we find each other and define our world.”
—Djordy van Riel
Tell a friend
“Strangers Together is a brand and a point of reference in its own right. We built it from scratch, with no one to answer to in terms of having a juxtaposed name and where we carefully curate our content and collaborations. It is a raw and pure project where we naturally developed the language and identity. We hope that the magazine will not be affected by time, because it talks about unchanging and timeless attitudes and the philosophy of brands and people. Stories published months ago, we hope they remain collectible and valuable today. Individual readers can create their own curated “online library” by saving the stories and images that moved or inspired them. The goal is not making our own isolated community, but instead to provide our readers with new routes through the smaller streets that lead to somewhere interesting and alluring and help businesses tell their unique story. Along the way, we hope to create a community space where we can connect as companies, creatives, and people, and we can contribute to each other’s passion and story. But for now, we are reveling in the uniqueness that Strangers Together has to offer.”
