Anne Petersen puts an issue of “Salon” with the cover headline “The new generosity” on the back seat. On a sunny spring day, the Hamburg journalist shows us her favourite places on the German North Sea island of Sylt. We are in the new S-Class.
Before we leave, Petersen tells us the success story of “Salon”: a lifestyle and luxury magazine focusing on “hospitality, design and culture”, breaking new ground with its infectious enthusiasm. It really is “her” magazine. For “Salon” would never have become what it is, revered by more and more readers six years after its founding, without the 46-year-old.
Behind the wheel: Anne Petersen prefers to drive herself.
Advent of the S-Class experience: Mercedes-Benz models can be test-driven at the Severin’s hotel during the season.
The idea for “Salon” came out of the Gruner + Jahr publishers in 2014. Anne Petersen didn’t have to think twice when she was offered the project and given carte blanche in how to design it.
Since then, she has developed the magazine, put her own stamp on it and turned it into a high-quality media brand with charisma.
Our first stop: Petersen parks the S-Class in front of the noble Severin’s Resort & Spa. Its restaurant offers guests the greatest possible relaxation with impeccable service.
The sort of amenities that Petersen also enjoys immensely – as much as she appreciates the luxurious comfort of the S-Class. We continue past picturesque dunes to the Söl’ring Hof: a hotel, but above all the workplace of Bärbel Ring, a consummate sommelière.
The two women once crossed paths professionally. Out of this grew a friendly connection. After a short walk on the beach, we continue to the Alte Wäscherei, a boutique selling flowers and handicrafts in Kampen.
As Petersen steps out of the S-Class and walks to the Alte Wäscherei, she adjusts her sunglasses, her jacket fluttering casually in the wind. She enters the covered outdoor area of the shop.
The Alte Wäscherei shows in microcosm what is important to Petersen on a larger scale: the boutique is like a chamber of wonders, where every product has its own special quality and history.
Artfully furnished: the Galerie Herold mainly exhibits North German impressionists and expressionists.
Petersen meets Katharina Marie Herold at the Galerie Herold, one of the most prestigious art addresses on the island. Her father founded the gallery’s Hamburg branch in 1978, focusing on North German impressionists and expressionists.
Among their number are luminaries such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner and Emil Nolde.
Her impressions and inspiration fully charged, Petersen climbs back into the S-Class. She casually starts the navigation by voice control. Petersen adjusts the temperature and sets the massage function with just a few touches on the opulent touch display. The journey is now transformed into a wellness experience. Next destination: the Sansibar.
We eat at the island’s cult restaurant. Petersen recounts her history: “I grew up on a farm on the Danish border, in a house built in 1779. Beautiful china, old furniture, a vegetable garden, horses, big farm machinery, the whole lot.” Even during her childhood, her parents drove Mercedes-Benz. Her first car was also a Mercedes-Benz. For her, the name was already synonymous with timeless design, quality and status; the brand, familiarity itself.
She drove a coupé in which she and her friends travelled to Italy on holiday. This is another reason why this mother of four instantly feels completely at home in the new S-Class: “Salon” is also all about how brands and products interweave with values and personal stories. To be more precise: How does a product become synonymous with an attitude to life and an integral part of our everyday culture? Which products are worthy of elevation to this status?
Over dinner in the Sansibar, Anne Petersen talks about her first Mercedes-Benz, which she often drove to Italy when she was a student.
Completely at ease with the Mercedes-Benz brand, Petersen is at home in the new S-Class.
Petersen studied in Paris and at the German School of Journalism in Munich. She first established herself as a writer for the style section of the “Welt am Sonntag” weekly newspaper and for the Berlin pages of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung” newspaper, then as an editor at Gruner + Jahr publishers. “Salon” is considered an authentic luxury magazine. Special things command a higher price if you understand why they deserve their price tag. When you recognise their value.
“‘Salon’ is like an exciting evening,” says Petersen. “You meet interesting people and take a lot of inspiration away with you. But it’s also about moving the world forward.” Step by step, article by article: honest and indispensable – two words casually placed on the cover of the issue. Good character naturally shines through – especially in the finer details.