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THE STYLE MAGAZINE FOR YOUR HOME MARCH 2017 £ 4.50

SMALL SPACES BIG IDEAS CLEVER TRICKS FOR COMPACT LIVING HINT: IT’S ALL ABOUT STOR AGE!

BEDROOM TR ENDS 14 pages of decorating inspiration Colours to linens, headboards to lighting

Vincent Van Duysen: the designer to watch

WOODEN FLOORS How to fit them and the finishes to choose

WELLBEING Combat noise pollution: rediscover the power of quiet

SASH WINDOWS All the design details you need to know

03 9 770957 894212

MARCH 2017 Style 25 Shopping This month’s wish list features affordable treats and investment buys that #EDLoves

BEDROOM TRENDS

14 pages of decorating inspiration, from our favourite bedside lights to the modern alternatives to the classic button-back headboard. Plus, the perfect on-trend colour schemes for a restful slumber

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29 News Marble pieces for every pocket, our top new online shops and why it’s time to revive the art of letter writing. Plus, celebrate the centenary of style maven Lucienne Day 41 Decorating Everything you need to know about sash windows and the definitive guide to wood flooring – from styles and finishes to how to fit it. Plus, interior designer Joanna Laajisto shares her styling tips 49 Design We investigate the baffling rise of celebrity homeware ranges and the history of the humble coffee pot. Plus, the story behind Italian superbrand Minotti and Cécile Roederer’s favourite things

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COVER IMAGE: ANDERS BERGSTEDT

ON THE COVER Create a cosy corner by swapping your bedside table for a shelf and hanging artwork above.

Turn to Bedrooms Trends for more ideas (p81).

56 The world of Vincent Van Duysen The renowned designer and architect on colour, his new collection for Molteni & C and why he’s as much Italian as he is Belgian 60 The quiet revolution Wellbeing expert Louise Chunn investigates the effects of noise pollution – and how to combat them

62 Technology A smart projector and the writing set of the future 65 Architecture Striking builds and Zac Monro on the meaning of home 68 Colour The story of how tawny went from rags to riches 72 Ahead of the curve Perfect circles and elegant curves are everywhere.

Shop the trend with our top picks

MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 11

SMALL S PA C E S 98 Box of tricks The owners of this French studio flat tell us how they mastered one-room living 106 Little gem Small spaces don’t have to be neutral – a bold hit of emerald green brings warmth and interest to this compact Danish home 114 The snug How to make use of every corner of a small home 116 The art of illusion Unique design tricks increase this Milanese property’s sense of space 124 The pocket pad How to squeeze a comfortable home into just 22 square metres 126 If you only buy one thing...

Limited space for new furniture?

Invest in a single design classic 132 Le Corbusier effect Take a leaf out of the famous architect’s book and create built-in furniture 142 The light house How to make your home feel bigger and lighter using skylights and mirrors 144 Red alert Glossy red floors pack a punch in this Parisian pied-a-terre 148 Open minded The owner of this Cape Town flat has maximised its floorplan by knocking down walls

106 Escape

Finally

156 The family nest How an ingenious mezzanine level can offer extra space and much-needed privacy

171 News Hot hotels, new restaurants and the ultimate last-minute winter retreats. Plus, your essential gardening update

158 How to live the high life Blessed with lofty ceilings but small rooms?

Build up instead of out like the owner of this Cape Town apartment

181 Live like a local Our new series seeks out hidden gems in Europe’s most popular cities. This month, weekending in Pigalle, Paris

22 Subscribe Fantastic offers for our most loyal readers 185 Stockists Love it? Here’s where to buy it 194 The last word Projects and products that #TeamED have been tackling and testing this month

THE WORLD OF ELLE DECORATION Find even more interiors inspiration online at elledecoration.co.uk and sign up to our newsletter for the best of ELLE Decoration direct to your inbox

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GREY: THE NEW NEUTR AL Think neutral, and you generally think tones of beige or taupe. And not so terribly long ago, neutral also connoted those awful ‘white-with-a-hint-of-bleurgh’ shades too. They were a way for those who knew they wanted to go beyond white, but lacked the confidence to graduate to full colour, to add a subtle touch of character to their rooms. Except they never really worked did they? Walls either looked faintly dirty, old or, if you were lucky, slightly tobacco-stained. But the point was, we were all having a go, drinking tentatively at the fountain of colour.

So where does grey sit in all this? Well, although in last month’s Trends special issue I stated quite equivocally that we’re seeing the emergence of The New Modern – all exuberance, boldness and making a statement – I’d like to also propose that grey is its close relation. Think of it as the introverted cousin, if you will. After all, sitting at the vanguard of the homes trends frontier is not a comfortable spot for everyone. Grey enables a much quieter revolution. With grey, the consumer can quite rightly applaud themselves for evolving beyond the pale, but remain secure in the knowledge that they’ve not gone overboard. In short, with grey, you’re doing something different, but not too much.

‘After all, sitting on the vanguard of the homes trends frontier is not a comfortable spot for everyone. Grey enables a much quieter revolution’

PICTURE: EMMA WEBSTER

But it’s not been a straight run to cool. The very connotation of grey has also undergone something of a seismic change over the last decade. It’s not for nothing that it used to denote the staid, boring and dull (remember those cartoons of John Major? He was always drawn as grey, with his pants over his trousers). It’s also traditionally been associated with old age and conformism. Even I used to intensely dislike it, seeing it as a sort of non-colour choice suitable only for jumpers if you really couldn’t ‘do’ black or navy. I’d certainly never have used in it my home. In our northern hemisphere light, I dismissed it as too cold, recalling concrete and car parks. As I write though, I’m sporting a grey sweater, my recently completed kitchen has glossy grey doors and, according to the fashion mags, even grey hair has become a style statement for young women. Thus, updated interpretations of grey call it the colour of wisdom, intellect and knowledge. They state that it’s dignified and carries authority. In the home, it’s a colour that also goes fantastically well with soft tones like powder pink, as well as sharp hues that give it a lift, like chartreuse. So you really can have the best of all interior worlds with grey... it’s a step up from just white, a new neutral, and still with room to add a little colour on top.

Editor-in-Chief Follow me on Twitter: @ELLEDecoMO

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T H I S MON T H ’ S CON T R I BU TOR S Instagram @hannahbort Profession Stylist Feature Ahead of the curve, p72 Interiors style I like to combine different styles, but with a strong emphasis on using natural materials and adding layers of interest with texture and colour Design hero Patricia Urquiola. She’s one of the most innovative and versatile designers of the moment Favourite city Palm Springs. It’s such a unique place – the colours, the architecture, desert modernism, it’s just fascinating Dream buy A ‘Salinas’ kitchen by Boffi

16 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK MARCH 2017

Zac Monro Twitter/Instagram @zarchitecte Profession Architect Feature Ask an architect, p66 Interiors style Pared back and friendly: what we design is the background for all the important stuff – love, life, good coffee – so we listen to the client Home I live in a 1960 ex-council house in Battersea, rendered and gutted, with a garden far too small for three children, but with a big plot behind on which we are going to build our new home Design hero Either Alison Smithson or Ray Eames, they both did so much for us when vision was needed!

Joanna Laajisto Twitter/Instagram @joannalaajisto Profession Interior designer Feature Decorator index, p45 Favourite colours I like muted colours that can be found in nature: stone greys, wood browns, fir green, granite red Perfect day I go to Lapland with my friends every winter for a long weekend. The day begins with a yoga class then a great breakfast; after that we go hiking and snow surfing, in the evening there is sauna timeand swimming in the icy lake. The day ends with a dinner and some wine

INTERVIEWS: SARAH MORGAN

Hannah Bort

PICTURE: GETTY/ROBERT HARDING

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A RT • A RCHITECTUR E • SHOPPING • DESIGN • DECOR ATING

STYLE

TURKISH DELIGHTS Ikea’s limited-edition ‘Silkeborg’ kilims are handmade using offcuts from vintage Turkish designs. Sections depicting stripes, roses and medallions, each representing a region of Anatolia, have been cleaned, sheared and their colours neutralised, before being re-dyed in modern hues. Created with Made By People, an initiative improving working conditions for weavers, they are ethical and affordable.

From £20 (£650 as pictured; ikea.com).

F O R M O R E O B J E C T S O F D E S I R E , V I S I T E L L E D E C O R AT I O N . C O . U K

Style | S H O P P I N G

WISH LIST From affordable treats to investment buys, there’s so much that #EDLoves. Here’s this month’s pick of our favourite pieces…

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PICTURES: SALVA LOPEZ, CHRISTIAN B, MARC EGGIMAN

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1 This replica of the ‘Bird and Flower’ Chinoiserie wall panel at Belvoir Castle is exquisite. Printed to order on the finest kozo (traditional oriental paper) in ‘as new’ or ‘distressed’ finishes. From£150 per square metre, Allyson McDermott Interiors (allysonmcdermott.com).

2 We love the contrast of cord and glass on the ‘Knot’ lights by Chiaramonte Marin for Brokis. From £1,295, Staffan Tollgård (tollgard.co.uk).

3 Royal Crown Derby’s ‘Oscillate’ tableware is inspired by architectural details. Plate (top), £25; plate (bottom), £90 (royalcrownderby.co.uk).

4 A limited-edition version of Antonio Citterio’s ‘Grand Repos’ chair for Vitra covered in ‘Nobile’ fabric. £3,235, Chaplins (chaplins.co.uk).

5 The marble base and bell jar-like glass shade of this table lamp are achingly on trend. £70, Debenhams (debenhams.com).

6 Available in 30 colours, this ‘Cala’ side table by Doshi Levien will suit all interiors. It can be used outdoors, too! From £550, Kettal (kettal.com).

7 Instantly embrace the brass trend with this striking and practical ‘Curva’ magazine rack. £138, AYTM (aytm.dk).

8 Unfussy and architectural in form, this sideboard by British designer Daniel Schofield is a hit. £3,650, Benchmark (benchmarkfurniture.com).

9 The ‘85 Diesel’ candle’s fragrance of saffron, leather and vinyl was created by hip American brand D.S. &Durga. £58, Liberty (liberty.co.uk).

10 The start of the year is all about organisation. Get your stuff in order stylishly with this marbled ‘Aria’ box. £29.50, Marks & Spencer (mands.com).

MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 27

Style | N E W S

NOVELTY CERAMICS Right now, the more kitsch your pottery, the better.

Try SCP for cabbage tableware by Van Verre and Design in Colour (scp.co.uk), and Trouva for cactus vases

by Serax (trouva.com).

SMART PILLOWCASES Skin Laundry’s ‘SleepCycle’ pillowcases are treated with silver-ion that claims to fight skin blemishes. Now that’s beauty sleep! £24, Liberty (liberty.co.uk) PETROL RAINBOW George Home’s amazing oil-slick-finish cutlery has us enthused once more over this fun and colourful trend. £20 for a 16-piece set (asda.com/george).

UP AND DOWN

ENTER THE STONE AGE Italian stone specialist Salvatori is renowned for its understated palette and beautifully textured finishes. Its marbles have been used in boutiques for Louis Vuitton and Giorgio Armani, and in St Regis and Intercontinental hotels. See its collection – by designers such as Kengo Kuma and John Pawson – displayed to stunning effect in its first London showroom. Created by Piero Lissoni and Milanese architect Elisa Ossino, the interior provides endless inspiration for using stone in your home. 26 Wigmore Street, London W1 (salvatori.it).

WORDS: AMY BRADFORD PICTURE: ALAMY

FOUND BY FRIENDS ‘Curated’ is the buzzword of the moment when it comes to homeware collection launches.

Creative agency Friends & Co has worked with some of the industry’s best brands, including Iittala and Wrong for Hay, so it was able to tap into some amazing talent when compiling its new edit for Selfridges. The ‘Makes for Selfridges’ range is made up of 13 products by independent British designers, including a mug (£15) and teapot (£70) featuring illustrations of chic shoppers by Charlene Mullen, beech chopping boards by Wiltshire’s Temper Studio (£90) and denim aprons with brass details (£40)

by Oliver Harvey, Manchester-based supplier of top chefs’ apparel. Flashes of Selfridges’ signature yellow run throughout (selfridges.com).

OVERSIZED KNITS We mean the kind of insanely heavy blankets you need giantsized needles to make. Finer weaves are cosier and prettier.

BLUE PLAQUE PLATES We’re in two minds about these dinner plates by Product of Your Environment and English Heritage – we love a blue plaque, but would you really want to eat off one?

CHUNKY WOODEN LEGS ON SOFAS Many a perfectly decent sofa is ruined by crude, ungainly legs that put its shape out of balance.

THAT GREEN The one that’s Pantone Colour of the Year for 2017. There are so many lovely greens, why pick the Kermit shade?

MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 29

FOUR OF THE BEST ONLINE SHOPS These little-known indie retailers deliver unique style at the click of a mouse button PORTEGO What does it sell? The best contemporary crafts from Venice and the Veneto region. Portego is named after the Venetian word for porch, a common location for exchanging goods in the city.

Best buys Lovely wood and steel ‘Self Portrait’ table mirrors made by an Italian carver (right, £197), inlaid wood and brass ‘Genesini’ coat hangers (from £193 per pair) and ‘Laguna’ tableware decorated with silk-screen decals of algae (from £45 for three dessert plates).

Log on at puntaportego.com ROUGE SHOP

B R A N D T O WAT C H G I O PAT O & C O O M B E S

We spotted the lighting collection by Cristiana Giopato and Christopher Coombes at the Decorex design show in London last September – and it was love at first sight. The Anglo-Italian husband-and-wife duo, who are based in the town of Treviso, near Venice, make use of traditional Murano glassblowing techniques to create designs that marry historical charm with modernity. Their ‘I Flauti’ range (‘Flauti LE Lilac’, inset above), for instance, is made up of colourful blown glass elements lit with custom-made LED fittings encased in simple brass rings, so there are no ugly bulbs to detract from the beauty of the glass. This style reappears in the brand’s ‘Soffio’ collection (top and left), a series of ethereal chandeliers and lamps inspired by soap bubbles. ‘Soffio’ pendant light, £890; ‘Soffio’ floor lamps, from £1,466; ‘I Flauti’ pendant light, from £1,257 (giopatocoombes.com).

What does it sell? Beautiful vintage and modern Chinese furniture. Every piece is hand-picked by owner Lei Yang on her regular buying trips to China. There’s also a bricks-and-mortar boutique in Stoke Newington, London.

Best buys The vintage fretwork kitchen cabinets (right, from £1,895) are to die for; we also love the beautifully distressed console tables and rustic wooden stools.

Log on at rouge-shop.co.uk

WRIGHT & SMITH What does it sell? Describing itself as ‘a global forum of artisans and makers – wrights and smiths!’, this website focuses on the stories of craftspeople as well as the products that they create. It stocks an original and varied mix of ceramics, textiles, art and furniture.

Best buys Batik wood tiles from China decorated using traditional wax techniques (left, £80 for six); ‘Nightingale’ pottery by Maria Jeglinska (left, from £12.27 for a side plate).

Log on at wrightandsmith.com TYPEO What does it sell? Curated by creative duo Micha van Dinther and Magnus Wittbjer, this Swedish website specialises in stylish and colourful Italian cookware and understated Japanese porcelain, as well as a line of beautiful petrified wood stools.

Best buys ‘Circa’ brass incense burner

by Cinnamon Projects (left, £141); petrified wood stool, made from Sumatran timber that is 20 million years old (above left, £474).

Log on at typeo.se

Style | N E W S

REVIVE THE ART OF LETTER WRITING It’s time to put pen to paper. Here’s everything you need to keep this time-honoured tradition alive From pigeon post to snail mail, love letters to postcards, there is no doubting the romance of penning and posting handwritten letters. Alas, in the age of email and two-second texts, letter writing is perceived as an out of date indulgence. We beg to differ!

What a written letter may lack in efficiency and economy, it makes up for in gravitas and joy. Put on proper paper, written by someone’s own hand, a word has more weight and a sentence more spark. Follow our four-step guide to stylish correspondence.

WORDS: CHARLOTTE BROOK, AMY BRADFORD PICTURES: TERENCE CHAN, FEDERICO VILLA

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THE DESKS

Molteni & C philosophically defines a desk as ‘more of a place than an object, where ideas take shape and are turned into writings or projects’.

Jasper Morrison’s latest design for the brand, ‘Ink’ (below, £4,722; molteni.it), is made from American walnut, contains LED-lit drawers with built-in sockets, and can be folded away at any moment.

However, if you wish to sit at a design classic to pen your letters, we suggest the 20th-century Danish design supremo Poul Kjaerholm’s ‘PK52 Student Desk’. A smaller version of his ‘Professor Desk’, it was designed for the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1955 and has been reissued by Carl Hansen & Søn (above, £2,210, Skandium; skandium.com).

Superbly simple, the desk’s steel frame comes in grey or black lacquer; the tabletop either Oregon pine or oak veneer. We also love the ‘Hyppolite’ desk by Florence Watine for Hartô (£695, Future & Found; futureandfound.com), a new take on the classic bureau.

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T H E S TAT I O N E RY

London-based Esme Winter’s fantastically thick-stock greetings cards (from £3 each, Twentytwentyone; twentytwentyone.com) are all printed with bold graphics that anyone would be overjoyed to receive. Want something a bit more personal? Papier’s contemporary cards (left, 90p per card; papier.com) fit the bill perfectly – add your name or address.

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THE PENS

Family-owned German fountain pen brand Lamy has just turned 50, and has a beautiful pen for every budget: from the anniversary-edition ‘Black Amber’ pen with gold nib (above left, £450) to the classic ‘Safari’ (£18; the coolest shade is Bauhaus yellow). Buy both – plus almost every other pen worth having – from choosingkeeping.com.

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T H E S TA M P S

They cost the same as regular ones, so why not dispatch your envelope with one of Royal Mail’s special stamps? 2017’s range includes ‘Songbirds’ (out 4 May) and ‘Landmark Buildings’ (out 13 July; royalmail.com).

MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 31

Style | N E W S

P A I N T E R LY P A I R I N G Two of Britain’s best-loved modern artists are celebrated in major new solo shows opening this month

THE PRIVATE COLLECTION

WORDS: AMY BRADFORD, CHARLOTTE BROOK PICTURES: RICHARD CASPOLE

Love handcrafted, truly creative design? You need to know about Michele De Lucchi’s Italian company, Produzione Privata We’ve long been admirers of Italian architect and designer Michele De Lucchi, a leading light of the Memphis movement and proud owner of the most magnificent beard in the design industry. In 1990, he founded the brand Produzione Privata as an extension of the Memphis collective. Its mission was to make experimental, handcrafted objects free from market pressures, bringing together creation and manufacture. To achieve this, De Lucchi turned his office into ‘a kind of workshop of a Renaissance artist’. We can’t help but feel that the brand’s collection deserves a bigger audience in the UK – especially as many of its designs are available through its online shop. Pieces include elegant chairs and tables, fabulous glass lighting and curious accessories, including a selection of miniature trees (£300 each) carved from the wood they depict (produzioneprivata.com).

Clockwise from top left ‘Sedia 2007’ chair. ‘Kado’ vases, from £209. ‘Tanti Saluti’ coat stand, £1,648. ‘Perseo Transparent 28’ pendant light, £478

Tate Britain’s retrospective of Bradford-born David Hockney is the largest exhibition of his work ever held: paintings, drawings and video created over the last 60 years will be on display. There are old favourites – the sunbleached 1970s Los Angeles paintings such as Pool with Two Figures, famous double portraits and the later landscapes of Yorkshire – but also rarer, delicate drawings of the outspoken artist’s nearest and dearest, including his parents, Celia Birtwell, Andy Warhol and poet WH Auden (9 February– 29 May; tate.org.uk). Hockney super-fans will also be delighted at the publication of A Bigger Book (above; Taschen, £1,750), the ‘sumosized’ tome in a limited edition of 9,000. It can be viewed in bookshops across the country, including Salt’s Mill in Hockney’s native West Yorkshire (saltsmill.org.uk).

Vanessa Bell, a key player in the bohemian Bloomsbury Group, was an accomplished painter and a product designer. A new show at Dulwich Picture Gallery exhibits her portraits (self portrait, left), still lifes and landscapes, which were influenced by her mentor John Singer Sargent.

Visitors will also gain an insight into Bell’s concept of the home as a ‘cultural safe house’, in which she encouraged inhabitants to think, act and create freely through her ceramics, fabrics and textile designs for her furniture design enterprise Omega Workshops (8 February–4 June; dulwichpicturegallery.org).

Try this Now’s the time to pimp your Ikea sofa. Bemz, the company that specialises in custom covers for Ikea seating, is now stocking 14 new ‘Linara’ linen-blend covers designed by Romo and ‘Zaragoza’ vintage velvets from Designers Guild. It’s the perfect update for tired furnishings. From £209 for an armchair cover (bemz.com).

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Style | N E W S

MARBLE PIECES FOR EVERY POCKET The trend for marble homewares shows no signs of abating. From affordable steals to blow-the-budget statement pieces, we’ve rounded up the best new designs

AFFORDABLE Marks & Spencer is a great place to get your marble fix – hot picks include the round ‘Farley’ coffee table in the Conran range (£229), and the elegant, hexagon-shaped ‘Ava’ side table (£175; mands.com). Also try Trouva for accessories from Karlsson and House Doctor, as well as Terence Woodgate’s ceiling light (£187; trouva.com).

MID-RANGE Young talents Dushyant Bansal and Priyanka Sharma – aka Raw Material – were inspired by the diverse colours and textures of western India’s desert plains when making their collection, which makes use of remnants left over when marble is processed. Tables start at £2,500, but there is also tableware from £250 a piece (studiorawmaterial.com).

SPLURGE Lapicida is the must-visit destination for high-end marble. In its latest collection there are serenely beautiful marble plates by interior designer Anouska Hempel (from £300 to £1,434 each), plus sleek, sculptural ‘Stargazer’ candlesticks and ‘Constellation’ bowls by fashion designer Lara Bohinc (from £354; lapicida.com).

Try this King & McGaw, which is trusted with framing priceless pictures belonging to the V&A and Tate galleries, has launched a bespoke framing service that allows you to create a custom surround for your artworks. They will be delivered packaged with everything you need to professionally hang a picture. From £14 (kingandmcgaw.com).

BOUTIQUE BULLETIN

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The three most stunning new design stores to visit now

WORDS: AMY BRADFORD, CHARLOTTE BROOK PICTURES: ROLAND HALBE, TOM LUDDINGTON

1 F O R N A S E T T I , M I L A N In a neoclassical building on

fashionable Corso Venezia in Milan, Fornasetti’s new shop unfolds over three floors, each a different colour. Our favourite room is the crimson salon dominated by monochrome furniture (left). The store also offers a custom-made service: in the Fornasetti Atelier, shoppers receive help with interior design projects and assistance with commissioning bespoke pieces. Corso Venezia 21/A, Milan 20121 (fornasetti.com).

2 D F S , V E N I C E No relation to the sofa retailer, this is a high-end department store owned by luxury conglomerate LVMH. Its first super-shop in Europe is in Venice. Whether you can acquire or just admire the wares from brands such as Fendi, Bulgari and Bottega Veneta, make a visit to the 800-year-old venue, which has been revitalised by architect Rem Koolhaas. Calle del Rontego dei Tedeschi, Venice 30100 (dfsgroup.com).

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3 F R E D E R I C M A L L E , PA R I S ‘Every boutique is a meeting of minds,’ says perfume pioneer Frederic Malle, who commissioned architecture practice Jakob + MacFarlane to work their magic on his new store, situated in an historic Marais building. The result? A hall of mirrors with organic plywood shapes bulging from the walls like lava: there is no artwork, pattern or colour in the décor, making the scents the stars of the show. 13 Rue Des Francs Bourgeois, Paris 75004 (fredericmalle.com).

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THE POP-UP PAD An Ecospace prefab is one of the most versatile small spaces money can buy. And now they are beautiful inside and out It’s easy to be instantly seduced by the exterior design of a concept like the Ecospace – a customisable, architecturally led prefabricated pod – and not think too much in advance about the interior. But the images shown here, shot by renowned fashion photographer Ben Benoliel, highlight just how functional and stylish an Ecospace can be.

Created by London-based IPT Architects, Ecospaces come in a variety of finishes and can be made in almost any size, from a simple garden shed to a complete holiday home. The compact building shown here is like an ultra-desirable bungalow. Clad in thermally insulating cedarwood on the outside and birch plywood on the inside, it has full-length windows, a bijou kitchen and study and a ‘crash space’ for lounging or storage tucked away on a mezzanine level. Handmade sustainable furnishings

by Adventures in Furniture and beautiful established plants from Bermondsey florist Uluntu complement Ecospaces’ use of environmentally conscious materials and manufacturing processes, demonstrating just how homely and stylish these pods can look.

Like what you see?

Ecospaces start from £9,950 and you can choose to add extra features on top, from underfloor heating and wood-burning stoves to solar panels and sedum-planted roofs. The company will take care of any planning permission and building regulation submissions that need to be made and, as most of the construction takes place off site, a simple garden room can be built, fitted out and made ready for use within five days (ecospacestudios.com).

NORDIC LIGHT Inspired by the contrast between Scandinavian winters and summers, darkness and light, Swedish-born designer Sandra Isaksson’s new collection for her label Isak features graphic designs in monochrome. The ‘Midnattssol’ (midnight sun) range includes a selection of home accessories such as coffee pots and saucepans, ceramic tableware and textiles, complemented by sustainable wood utensils and candlesticks. Our favourite pieces are the enamel cooking pots and stylish tablecloths.

From £8 for a small side plate (isak.co.uk).

REINVENTED RUGS

Isabel Webb’s ‘Colour Conversion’ rug collection features bespoke, handmade designs crafted from recycled consumer and industrial carpets. Her finds are all dyed, embroidered, tufted and sheared to reveal new layers of texture and pattern. The aim is not just to create beautiful furnishings, but also to help reduce the amount of carpet we throw away: each year, over 400,000 tonnes of the stuff is buried in landfill. Rugs from £300 (isabelwebb.tumblr.com).

Style | N E W S

DAY IN THE SPOTLIGHT

WORDS: CHARLOTTE BROOK, AMY BRADFORD PICTURES: COURTESY OF THE ROBIN AND LUCIENNE DAY FOUNDATION, JOHANSEN KARUSE, BEN BENOLIEL

2017 marks 100 years since the birth of textile pioneer Lucienne Day. She and her husband, furniture designer Robin Day, were the most celebrated couple in mid-century design. As well as bringing colour to post-war Britain in fabric form, Day was also an art teacher and a keen gardener. To honour the anniversary, The Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation (through which the couple’s daughter, Paula, protects her parents’ legacy) has organised a line-up of exhibitions and launches. Here are our highlights.

THE DEPARTMENT STORE DESIGNER The Days worked as d esign consultants to John Lewis for 25 years, from 1962–1987, and so its homewares department is paying special tribute to Lucienne by releasing a new collection of cushions (right) covered in her original textile designs (from £45 each). Also, in May, six patterns will be released as fabrics (below right: ‘Calyx’, from £75 per metre; johnlewis.com).

THE GARDENER Gardening was ‘a lifelong passion’ of Day’s, says Paula Day in the foreword to Andrew Casey’s biography Lucienne Day: In the Spirit of the Age (Antique Collectors’ Club, £30). Paula is working with mental health groups to put together an exhibition of Lucienne’s botany-inspired designs in the city’s Whitworth Art Gallery. The show is part of the campaign GROW, which promotes the link between horticulture and wellbeing. ‘Lucienne Day: A Sense of Growth’, April 11–June 11 (whitworth.manchester.ac.uk).

THE PATTERN QUEEN This is your last chance to see the breadth of Day’s design career chronicled in a photography exhibition at Arts University Bournemouth, which has been granted open access to The Robin and Lucienne Day Foundation’s archive. Snaps of Day at work in her Motcomb Street studio are on display, alongside pictures charting the making of the hand-stitched wallhangings that she dubbed ‘silk mosaics’ (above right). Until March 22 (aub.ac.uk).

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Style | N E W S

FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE It’s the 100th anniversary of the Russian Revolution. Discover its creative legacy

This Nottingham-based specialist in delicately patterned laser-cut screens has its roots in traditional lacemaking Look at the laser-cut dividing screens in the third-floor bedroom department at Harrods, or at London’s M restaurant on Victoria Street, and you might not instantly imagine that the designs were inspired by an archive of over 3,000 original lace patterns. Yet the story of Miles & Lincoln, a three-year-old Nottingham-based company that specialises in designing and manufacturing laser-cut metal screens and panels, stems from just that.

Almost 50 years ago, Lincoln Austin founded his family business, B Siegel, which designed and supplied lace to lingerie companies all over the world. As a result of the gradual decline of the UK textiles industry B Siegel closed, but after spotting some traditional wooden

Miles & Lincoln’s screens are inspired by the 3,000 lace designs in its archive fretwork screens online, Austin was reminded of the lace patterns collecting dust in the archive. He approached Richard Miles – formerly a lace designer at B Siegel and now design director at Miles & Lincoln – and with that, a brilliant new way of referencing the lace patterns was born. Of course, the original motifs are just the starting point: the pair put all their knowledge into creating new bespoke designs for clients requesting anything from geometric-style dividers and suspended ceilings to botanical-themed wall cladding and spiral staircases.

It was this design-comes-first sensibility that made Miles & Lincoln an obvious choice for the ELLE Decoration Style Consultancy’s first project: the show apartment on the penthouse floor of the Greenwich Peninsula marketing pavilion in London. Editor-in-Chief Michelle Ogundehin commissioned two sets of oyster-coloured curved screens (top) to divide the open-plan space into distinct zones. Other recent projects include dividers for a soon-toopen hotel at Tower Bridge, garden screens for a client in Mayfair and a suspended ceiling in the directors’ dining room at West Ham United Football Club (milesandlincoln.com).

From top Bespoke curved screens designed for the ELLE Decoration Style Consultancy at the Greenwich Peninsula marketing pavilion. Metal screens at the Silian Gallery, London. Original lace designs by B Siegel

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ART

‘Revolution: Russian Art 1917–1932’ at the Royal Academy (11 February–17 April) looks at the artistic aftermath of the revolution. It includes Malevich’s Suprematist paintings and Kustodiev’s political play on perspective simply titled Bolshevik (above; royalacademy.org.uk).

ARCHITECTURE

The Design Museum examines the postrevolution generation’s unrealised dreams of building the most powerful city in the world in new show ‘Imagine Moscow’ (15 March– 4 June). Urban planning and industrialisation are explored via architectural drawings, propaganda and artwork (designmuseum.org).

L I T E R AT U R E

A letter by Lenin applying to be a Reader at the British Library will be on show at the institution’s ‘Russian Revolution: Hope, Tragedy, Myths’ (28 April–29 August; bl.uk). Plus, War and Peace and five other Russian classics are being re-published with covers featuring Soviet textile designs (above; Vintage Classics, £10.99 each).

WORDS: AMY BRADFORD, CHARLOTTE BROOK PICTURE: BEN ANDERS

I N S I D E S T O RY M I L E S & L I N C O L N

Style | D E C O R A T I N G

FOUR OF THE BEST SASH WINDOW COMPANIES Best for bespoke The Sash Window Workshop Established in 1994, the firm manufactures its windows individually in its Bracknell workshop.

The team can replicate any design or pattern and make traditional windows that adhere to listed building and conservation area requirements (sashwindow.com).

Best for refurbishment Ventrolla The company’s founder Robert Tunnicliffe has developed the first sash window sealing system to eliminate draughts and rattles. He also patented a sash removal system to ease future painting, cleaning and maintenance (ventrolla.co.uk).

Best for colour Quickslide Expect to find timber sash windows in a large selection of coloured finishes, plus a colour-matching service for RAL and Farrow & Ball shades. Perfect for a twist on the classic look (quickslide.co.uk).

D E S I G N D E TA I L S

SASH WINDOWS

WORDS: CLAUDIA BAILLIE PICTURES: TOM SCOTT, BOB TAYLOR

This perenially popular window style is worth restoring. For when that’s not possible, here’s how to find new ones with traditional appeal First used in the late 17th century, and found almost everywhere from Georgian properties and Victorian terraces to rural cottages and stately homes, sash windows remain an intrinsic part of British architectural history. Consisting of two wooden panels, or ‘sashes’, that slide vertically one in front of the other, they can feature a single glass pane or a series of smaller ones, depending on the era.

Although originals can be prone to problems such as rotting, distortion, sticking and rattling, it’s always preferable to restore rather than replace; restoration being a more cost effective and less disruptive option than replacement. It’s also worth noting that original frames and sashes were made of slow-grown soft wood of a much higher quality than the timbers available today, so in most cases, even if they seem beyond repair, windows can be brought back to life. If both frames and sills are rotten, or a window has been substituted with an unattractive replica, your best option is to order a new bespoke window. Windows for period properties must be chosen carefully, and although salvage ones are available from reclamation yards, unfortunately the chances of finding one that fits an existing space are slim to none. Specialist manufacturers will have made-to-measure ranges to suit Georgian, Edwardian and Victorian homes, and most can replicate any design.

Above This beautiful arched sash window, with an elaborate design of panes, provides a beautiful focal point above the sink in ‘The Real Shaker Kitchen’ by Devol

Best for uPVC Anglian These UK-manufactured uPVC sash windows can be used in conservation areas, protected sites and buildings that have extra planning controls. They are double glazed to reduce noise and draughts, and include authentic period details (anglianhome.co.uk).

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WOODEN FLOORING: THE DEFINITIVE GUIDE Confused by the countless varieties and finishes on offer? We have all of the answers you need, from what to choose and why, to how to fit it

DOUGLAS FIR

PINE

HORNBEAM

MAPLE

LIGHT OAK

Harder than pine and with fewer knots, the pale European Douglas Fir tree can grow up to 60 metres, with a one metre diameter, making it a great option for extra-wide planks.

‘Douglas’ treated with white soap and lye, from £92 per square metre, Dinesen (dinesen.com)

This is a costeffective, ecological choice as it is a fast growing species.

But it will scratch and indent more easily than a hardwood.

‘Trapa’ bleached, with an oil finish, £82.73 per square metre, Havwoods ( havwoods.co.uk)

The natural light tone of this hardwood belies its tough nature, making this wood a great choice for high traffic floors.

‘Hornbeam’ with a hand-scraped finish, £220 per square metre, Element 7 (element7.co.uk)

European maple has more colouration (although less pattern) than its Canadian cousin, but it is softer, making it prone to movement with changes in humidity and heat.

‘Wicklow’ engineered maple by Natura, £23.50 per square metre, Flooring Supplies ( flooring supplies.co.uk)

This sustainably sourced European hardwood is very versatile. It has the added ability to withstand processes such as fuming and distressing.

‘Oak Tanza’ treated with hard wax oil, £58.52 per square metre, Ecora (ecora.co.uk)

Hardwood or softwood? Hardwoods, such as oak, walnut and teak, often have a more defined grain than softwoods like pine, beech and birch. ‘But there are technical differences too,’ says Robert Walsh, founder of wood floor specialist, Ted Todd (tedtodd.co.uk). ‘Hardwoods are deciduous, while softwoods are coniferous – this means that they have a different cell structure. Timber from deciduous trees is more durable and stable, making it ideal for flooring.

Which species? ‘Oak is by far the most common and versatile wood for flooring,’ says Walsh. Of the softwoods, harder species such as Douglas fir are preferable.

Lesser-known varieties of hardwood, like tropical Morado, are also becoming more popular. ‘When buying wood, check that it has an FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification,’ says Jeandré du Toit, sales director at Ecora (ecora.co.uk).

‘This will ensure that it has been sourced and manufactured responsibly.’

RECLAIMED OAK The fact that reclaimed oak can be re-used 300 years later, and pick up even more patina along the way, is testament to the longevity of this classic timber.

Sawn oak with natural wax, £209.47 per square metre, Urbane Living (urbaneliving.co.uk)

New or reclaimed wood? For an authentic, aged, characterful grain that may be tricky to replicate in new timber, reclaimed wood is a good and environmentally sound option for flooring. ‘Reclaimed timber is also substantially harder than virgin wood as it often comes from old-growth trees rather than first-generation forests,’ says du Toit. However, it can also be a more expensive option, because it may need to be re-sanded, finished or treated.

WORDS: ALEX KRISTAL PICTURES: HEARST STUDIO

Style | D E C O R A T I N G

BAMBOO

TEAK

MORADO

WA L N U T

OAK

WENGE

Technically, bamboo is a grass rather than a wood. But its use as wooden flooring is steadily gaining popularity. Thanks to its speedy growth it is a sustainable choice.

‘Strand’ with a matt finish, £29.95 per square metre, Simply Bamboo (simplybamboo.co.uk)

This hardwood has a uniform mid-dark tone with a typically straight grain. Its high oil content makes it particularly resistant to moisture, so it is an ideal choice for use in kitchens and bathrooms.

Teak finished with oil, from £300 per square metre, Weldon (weldon.co.uk)

A real showstopper, this South American tropical hardwood is gaining fans due to its distinctive rosewood colour and contrasting black grain.

‘Darwin’ with satin lacquer finish, £146.88 per square metre, Ted Todd (tedtodd.co.uk)

Rich tones and natural highlights mean walnut does not need to be coloured. At the softer end of the hardwood spectrum, it is prone to marks and dents, though.

‘Istoria’ engineered walnut with UV oil, from £85 per square metre, Jordan Andrews ( jordan andrews.com)

With a beautiful undulating grain and versatile finishing options (it can take any shade, from light to dark), oak is still the most common timber flooring for good reason.

‘Crown Windsor’ hand scraped and brushed with a hard wax oil finish, from £138 per square metre, Solid Floor (solidfloor.co.uk)

This exotic hardwood, hailing from equatorial Africa, is one of the hardest species of wood, making it ideal for floors with heavy foot traffic.

‘Invisible Touch’ engineered wood by Listone Giordano, £65.20 per square metre, Tutto Parquet (tuttoparquet.co.uk)

Engineered or solid wood? Engineered flooring is constructed of layers of ply that have been bonded together and finished with a top layer of solid wood. The thicker the top layer, the more like a real solid wood floor it will appear, once fitted.

Engineered wood floors are less affected by temperature and humidity, which can cause solid wood floors to expand and contract, making them a trusty option.

For this same reason, solid wood should not be laid above under-floor heating.

How do I fit it? ‘This process should always be carried out by a professional,’ recommends Walsh. They will plan the layout, taking the natural variations of the timber into consideration. Professional fitters (search ratedpeople.com) can also assess the sub-floor to ensure that it is properly prepared. Before calling in help, ensure you leave your floorboards to acclimatise to your home – a solid floor should be left on site for one to two weeks; engineered floors require under a week.

What about colour and finish? There are myriad ways in which wood can be treated, from smoking (ammonia fumes are applied to the wood, oxidising it and producing a darker colour) or thermotreating (boards are heated to a high temperature to darken them) to applying lacquer or wax. Pre-finished floors allow you to select the exact look you want.

Undecided? Picking an unfinished floor lets you test out treatments in situ, but this flexibility can mean higher costs.

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Style | D E C O R A T I N G

D E C O R AT O R I N D E X JOANNA LAAJISTO

We talk to our favourite interior designers about their work and ask them to share their styling tips

WORDS: EMMA LOVE PICTURES: MIKKO RYKÄNEN/JOANNA LAAJISTO

Who is she? A Finnish former professional snowboarder who switched to design when she felt it was time to get a ‘real job’.

Joanna Laajisto was living in California at the time and chose interiors rather than fashion design, having always been interested in both. ‘I felt I could create something more lasting in this field,’ she says. After graduating with a BA in interior architecture from the Interiors Design Institute in California, she worked for Gensler Architects in Los Angeles for five years. In 2008, she moved back to Finland and set up her own studio two years later.

What’s her style? The first thing that stands out is her muted, timeless palette, seen, for example, in the hint of blue that she used to decorate the Finlandia Caviar restaurant in Helsinki. ‘I pick colour palettes that one doesn’t get bored with too easily, and natural materials that get even better with time,’ she says. Functionality is as important as aesthetics. ‘A lot of analytical thought goes into the design concept before we start picking any colours or materials. When everything works together you don’t pay attention; if it doesn’t, you notice.’

What are her most recent projects? OX restaurant in Helsinki (2016), where Laajisto has paired red marble with mint-coloured corrugated metal walls and exposed air ventilation pipes. ‘I wanted to play with contrasts in the design, just as the chefs play with the menu,’ she says.

Elsewhere, she has used green wood-panelled walls inspired by 1940s outdoor kiosks, which can still be seen around

‘I pick colour palettes that one doesn’t get bored with too easily, and natural materials that get even better with time’ Helsinki today, at Michel restaurant (left; 2015). It also features cognachued upholstery, white marble tables and brass detailing. Other recent projects include a 1900s apartment in Lahti (main image and detail). ‘With residential projects, you’re creating a personal space, so you need to get to know clients to understand what works for them,’ she says.

What is she currently working on?

A new design concept for the European stores of an international women’s fashion brand. ‘It is very interesting to be involved in the retail industry. Our approach is to view things through the eyes of the customer.’

She says ‘After living in LA for such a long time, the mid-century modern style speaks to me, but at the same time I like the simple Scandinavian aesthetic’ ( joannalaajisto.com).

Turn over for Joanna Laajisto’s guide to working with wood ➤ MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 45

Style | D E C O R A T I N G

D E C O R AT O R I N D E X : E X P E R T A D V I C E JOANNA LAAJISTO’S INSIDER GUIDE TO WOOD

The designer tells us about the different types, finishes and design options Types of wood I tend to use lighter woods, such as oak and ash, which have a classic Scandinavian look, but are also more readily available here. I also look out for timber that is FSC certified, rather than rare tropical woods cut from the diminishing rainforests.

I use wood for wall panelling, flooring and furniture. I have also used reclaimed wood in the past: repurposing old floorboards is a great way to give wood a new life.

EIGHT TOP TIPS FOR MOVING HOUSE Having recently made a big move herself, Amy Bradford shares her step-by-step guide to packing up your property (without the stress)

Installing wood Wood continues to expand and contract when exposed to different types of humidity, so when installing wooden flooring it’s important to be mindful of this and allow enough space between the timber and the walls. Similarly, the wood in mitre joints (which is where two pieces form a corner) can crack as a result of movement, so it is worth strengthening the joint with a spline (where the grain runs across the joint). Also, make sure that the wood is properly glued together.

Solid wood vs veneer Solid wood is always my preference, because the grain looks better, but I often combine the two by making cabinet tops from solid oak and the doors from oak veneer with a plywood backing.

Wood finishes There are many to choose from, from oils and waxes to lacquer.

Oak has a stable colour naturally, but ash and softer light woods such as pine and spruce tend to yellow when exposed to light, so you need to protect them. If you are using wood in a bathroom or kitchen, it’s important to add a water-repellent lacquer.

46 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK MARCH 2017

As soon as you have decided to move house, have a good clearout. If you aren’t using something, give it to charity, list it on Ebay or employ a clearance company (the KwikSweep app is great if you live in London). The more stuff you have, the more ruthless you need to be.

Start packing non-essentials early and store them out of sight, even if you haven’t found a new property yet – it will make your life easier once a house purchase is under way.

Clearly label boxes with details of contents and which room they need to go in once you move. If a box contains fragile or heavy objects, make sure you use lots of bubble wrap and label it accordingly. Throws and cushions are handy to provide extra padding for fragile objects.

Interview at least three moving companies well before you move. They should do a site visit, assess how much stuff you have, how it needs to be wrapped, and give you a rough schedule of how long your move should take.

Check their insurance policy, and don’t be tempted to skimp on cost: it’s normal to spend over £1,000 on moving, unfortunately!

Pack a box containing passports, power leads, mugs, kettle – things you couldn’t survive without for long or that mustn’t get lost.

Keep this with you rather than your movers.

Notify utility companies, the local council, phone and internet providers and banks of your new address as soon as you have a moving date. Most will allow you to switch your details a couple of weeks before you move.

Book engineers to disconnect any lights or appliances you want to take with you. Many moving companies will reconnect washing machines in your new home, but things like gas cookers require Corgi-registered experts.

Take a break from work after your move so that you can unpack and settle in properly.

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WORDS: EMMA LOVE PICTURES: MIKKO RYHÄNEN/JOANNA LAAJISTO CREATIVE STUDIO, GETTY

‘Use timber that is FSC Sustainable options We recently designed the certified, rather than interior of Löyly (above and rare tropical woods from below), a building that is part restaurant, part public sauna diminishing rainforests’ in Helsinki. We worked with Nextimber, a company that converts waste from the plywood industry into new wood (nextimber.com). The great thing about this innovative laminated birch is that it is durable with a fresh light tone. The project was the first in Finland to earn certification from the Forest Stewardship Council.

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Style | D E S I G N

WORDS: DOMINIC LUTYENS PICTURES: FEDERICO CEDRONE, ENRICO CANO

T H E H I S T O RY O F A B R A N D M I N O T T I

This Italian powerhouse is famed for its classic yet versatile sofas, elegant neutral colour palette and use of refined materials When Alberto Minotti founded his modest furniture workshop in Meda, Italy, in 1948, he was in the right place at the right time. Postwar Italy was in the throes of widespread reconstruction, and along with an urgent demand for new housing came an equally pressing need for new furniture. The hard graft of industrious entrepreneurs such as Alberto was soon rewarded with success.

Initially producing handcrafted traditional furniture, by the 1960s Alberto had begun to espouse mass production and his firm’s popularity mushroomed.

In the late 1970s, he handed over the reins to his sons Renato and Roberto, now the company’s joint CEOs. In 1997 they astutely hired architect and designer Rodolfo Dordoni (below) to raise Minotti’s profile: he was later appointed artistic director and remains so today. The fruitful partnership has seen him design many

Minotti’s partnership with Rodolfo Dordoni has seen him design many an icon for the brand a Minotti icon and oversee the creation of other designers’ products, such as Gordon Guillaumier’s 2006 cantilevered ‘Cortina’ chair (right). He scored an early hit with his ‘Braque’ sofa (1998): sharply rectilinear yet comfortable, with plump upholstery and enormous cushions, it established a template for Minotti sofas. The ecru fabric that it was often covered in set the tone for the brand’s trademark neutral palette, too. Customers today can personalise any design by using the company’s ‘Materials Box’ – a toolkit kept in each showroom offering myriad options for finishes and colours.

Grown-up and elegant, Minotti furniture is also playful. It’s this winning mix of versatility, detail and polish that marks it out as unique (minotti.com).

Main image, from left ‘Clyfford’ coffee table; ‘Portofino’ armchair; ‘Clyfford’ console; ‘Andersen’ sofa; ‘Kitaj’ table, all designed by Rodolfo Dordoni for Minotti

FIVE MINOTTI PRODUCTS TO KNOW

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Gordon Guillaumier’s slick ‘Bellagio’ tables can be found in the foyer of the Kunstmuseum art gallery in Luzern.

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The ‘Smith’ daybed

by Rodolfo Dordoni was made for public spaces. Visit Watches of Switzerland’s Regent Street shop in London to see it.

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Dordoni’s beautifully upholstered ‘Jensen’ lounge chair has a cocooning headrest.

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The ‘Calder’ table has a stylishly simple silhouette and comes in ebony, walnut and marble options.

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Designed in 2006 by Gordon Guillaumier, the ‘Cortina’ chair has a cantilevered shape and appears in the first #EDapartment – find out more online at elledecoration.co.uk

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Style | D E S I G N

Star power The celebrity homeware range is a phenomenon that’s on the rise. But it’s rarely all it’s cracked up to be, says Amy Bradford Illustration BABETH LAFON

2016 was a funny old year. We had political calamities aplenty, improbable numbers of pop star deaths and Kanye West begging Swedish furniture store Ikea – via Twitter, natch – to let him design a bedroom collection. Once you’d recovered from the weird vision of multi-millionaire Yeezus taking a trip round Ikea in search of interiors inspiration, the idea that this collaboration might actually happen became frighteningly real. Thankfully, Ikea responded with a pitch-perfect joky tweet that seemed to deflect the threat – a spoof ‘Yeezy’ extendable bedframe referencing West’s video for his track Famous (which, in case you’ve been asleep for the past 12 months, depicted a parade of celebs lying in an enormously wide bed).

We can’t be sure we’re safe, though. Celebrity homeware ranges are everywhere and, judging by the speed with which they proliferate, they’re selling. You can buy bedlinen encrusted all over with silver sequins by Kylie Minogue at House of Fraser (imagine the pillowface; all the same, it’s one of the store’s highest-selling bedding brands). Very.co.uk offers up decidedly twee faux-Louis picture frames and ersatz crystal chandeliers as part of TV presenter Fearne Cotton’s home range. Super-blogger Zoella has been more trend-

50 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK MARCH 2017

savvy with her copper and pale-pink lifestyle collection, but we must draw a veil over Justin Timberlake’s ill-fated ‘Home Mint’ line, which sold ‘French chic’ crochet cushion covers and dispensed daily design tips on ‘melon-coloured accents’ and why you should saw old suitcases in half and turn them into shelves. (The range was unveiled in 2012, but beat a quiet retreat shortly afterwards.)

Other home collections by Myleene Klass, Anthea Turner, Cindy Crawford, Lionel Richie (yes, really – turns out he loves a bit of fine bone china and crystal glassware) and Ellen DeGeneres continue to sell. Truth be told, the Americans do this sort of thing much more slickly than us Brits: DeGeneres’ line, ‘ED By Ellen’, is a proper lifestyle range, coastal-preppy in feel, well shot and stylishly presented.

You can buy Interviews with DeGeneres, and the bedlinen publication of her book Home in 2015, reveal that she has a genuine encrusted all appreciation of design and can fairly over with silver be acquitted on the charge of just sequins by Kylie ‘slapping her name on things’ (the slur that Zoella has angrily refuted).

Minogue at But of how many stars can we say House of Fraser the same? When Kate Moss designs clothes for Topshop, we applaud her (imagine the style and business sense; but when she creates the interior of a luxury pillow-face) rental home for design company Yoo, we can’t help but wonder what her credentials are.

It’s also hard to shake the impression that very few celebrities have any real design input in these collections. If they’re simply picking bought-in items from a list and sticking their ‘brand’ on them, why should we be interested? To do anything properly, you have to do it with integrity. And really, we all know Kanye’s not sleeping on an Ikea bed, don’t we?

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T H E S T O RY O F T H E C O F F E E P O T

Our new series focuses on the fascinating history of some humble household items. And it starts with a caffeine hit Over the centuries, coffee has been made on the hob, over fires, in earthenware carafes and pressurised Italian percolators; and served everywhere from Turkish street kitchens to stately Georgian salons. Accordingly, vessels for brewing and serving it range from efficient engines to decorative status symbols. With takeaway coffee coming at an alarming environmental cost – we get through 10,000 disposable cups every two minutes in Britain, and they are not recyclable – it’s time to rediscover the pleasure of home brewing.

WORDS: CHARLOTTE BROOK PICTURES: BRITISH MUSEUM, V&A COLLECTION, PRINT COLLECTOR/GETTY, ALAMY

1 6 0 0 S DALLAH, Middle East Also known as a ‘Baghdad boiler’, this richly decorated pot was used by nomadic Bedouin people in Arab deserts, where coffee preparation symbolised hospitality and wealth. Its beak-like spout minimises sediment ending up in the cup.

1 7 0 0 S CAFÉ AU LAIT POTS, Sheffield The spout on this Georgian silver pot is set at a right-angle to its straight, turned-wood handle, making for easy pouring. The style was echoed in Robert Welch’s 1957 ‘Campden’ design, which has a matching milk jug.

1 7 6 0 PORCELAIN POT, London By now, Britain was importing around three million pounds of coffee beans per year, according to the V&A Museum. The Bow Porcelain Factory made this elaborate soft-paste porcelain design, which is strengthened with bone and ash.

1 9 2 9 FRENCH PRESS, Milan A truly European piece: with origins in France, this heat-resistant glass device with mesh filter was patented by Milanese designer Attilio Calimani in 1929. In Britain this design remains most commonly known as a cafetière.

1 9 3 0 ‘VOGUE’ COFFEE POT, Staffordshire This geometric shape by heritage Staffordshire pottery Shelley features a stylised Art Deco ‘Sunray’ pattern. The piece was a pioneering modern design in bone china.

1 9 3 3 BIALETTI ‘MOKA’ POT, Italy Patented by its designer Luigi De Ponti for Bialetti, this iconic stovetop design is a staple in Italian kitchens. Also known as a machinetta (little machine), it brews coffee by pushing pressurised boiling water up through ground coffee.

1 9 6 7 ‘CYLINDA-LINE’ COFFEE POT, Denmark Arne Jacobsen’s brushed stainlesssteel design propelled Danish tableware manufacturer Stelton to success. It is still available today, and in 2004 the company launched an update, a press-top coffee maker.

2 0 1 7 HARIO ‘COLD BREW COFFEE FILTER’ BOTTLE, Japan Join the craze for cold-brewing coffee – these bottle with built-in filters are more stylish than a takeaway cup.

To find out how to see these coffee pots and more, visit collection.vam.ac.uk and britishmuseum.org MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 53

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M Y C U LT U R A L L I F E CÉCILE ROEDERER

We ask a tastemaker what they are reading, watching, listening to and downloading Cécile Roederer co-founded the e-commerce site and shop Smallable with her husband Pierre Rochand in 2008. Smallable offers a unique range of interiors, fashion, beauty and lifestyle brands for adults and children. Its boutique opened in 2015 in Roederer’s home city of Paris (@SMALLable; en.smallable.com).

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and melancholy of his portraits. They make it clear that he was also a great sculptor – those faces look like actual masks!

My favourite places for a good night out are some of Paris’s hotel bars and restaurants.

L’Hôtel Particulier in Montmartre is a good choice to start the evening. Then I’ll go to Monsieur Bleu (1), a restaurant that has a sublime view of the Eiffel Tower. To finish the night, I like clubs where people who are older than 20 (like me!) can have fun, such as Chez Castel or David Lynch’s club-cumcinema Silencio. I love their décor.

If I had a free day in London I’d see my friends who live in Chelsea and let them show me around the area. It’s nice for me when others take the lead as this doesn’t happen to me often in my everyday life.

I also like wandering around Shoreditch, discovering the independent boutiques on Redchurch Street (3, Labour and Wait). In the evening, I’ll stop for a drink in the garden of Marylebone restaurant Chiltern Firehouse (5).

My favourite destinations include Formentera (6), one of the Balearic Islands. It’s still unspoilt with its untouched coves and allows you to disconnect from everyday worries. I also love New York and Tokyo. I like their 5 energy and all of the surprising things you discover on every street corner.

I prefer theatre or live performances to TV. It’s important for me to ‘de-digitise’ my life as I spend a lot of time in front of a screen.

I always feel that seeing live performances is like being at a party!

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WORDS: DOMINIC LUTYENS PICTURES: ALAMY, DAVID GRIMBERT

The book that’s influenced me the most is the novel The Life Before Us by Romain Gary (2; New Directions, out of print), which I read as a teenager. It’s the story of an Arab child raised by a Jewish woman and it moved me deeply. It’s a true masterpiece of humanity, intelligence and generosity.

I’m currently listening to David Bowie (4). His music has kept me company since I was a child as one of my sisters, Sophie, who’s ten years older than me, got me into listening to him. I also have a taste for sombre, sad songs and really like Nick Cave and Tindersticks – their sublime voices send shivers down my spine.

The song that makes me feel instantly happy is La Banane by French singer Philippe Katerine – even though it’s not serious, it’s poetic, as everything Katerine does is.

It’s my son’s favourite song and I love to see him laugh and dance while listening to its lyrics. Seeing your child laugh is the best way to make you happy too.

My favourite collection of poetry is Je Voudrais Pas Crever (I Wouldn’t Want to Die) by French author Boris Vian, published posthumously in 1962. It’s provocative, inspiring and addresses all the things the author would like to do before he dies. It reflects my belief that 4 we have to make the most out of life.

My favourite quote is ‘Boldness has genius, power and magic in it,’ by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. I often repeat this phrase when I feel I need to be bolder.

The last exhibition I saw was the Amedeo Modigliani exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris. I love the elegance

The world of Vincent Van Duysen The renowned architect on colour, his new collection for Molteni & C and why he’s as much Italian as he is Belgian Words AMY BRADFORD

Vincent Van Duysen has strong memories of the time his Antwerp apartment was featured in ELLE Decoration UK 20 years ago, early in his career. ‘For me, it was the start of everything,’ he says. To be told by one of the world’s foremost architects and designers that we played a small part in his rise is quite something, but when we unearth the piece in our archive (October 1996, if you’re interested; pictured above right), it proves that Van Duysen’s calm, considered style showed star quality from the beginning – ‘modernism with a soft “m”,’ we labelled it at the time.

Van Duysen – more effervescent in person than his quiet designs suggest – is now an

international star, known far beyond his native Belgium. When we meet, he is about to fly to Tokyo, where he is unveiling a store design and a new furniture collection for Molteni & C, the Italian furniture company that he has collaborated with since 2015, and of which he became creative director the following year.

With his own company, he is working on residential projects around the world and is designing his first hotel in his home town of Antwerp. His illustrious fan base includes Hollywood actress Julianne Moore (who interviewed him in 2014 for American design website Remodelista) and fashion designer Alexander Wang, with whom Van Duysen

designed a London store to reflect Wang’s passion for sporty grey-and-black simplicity.

To understand what makes Van Duysen a visionary, you have to see what makes him different. At first glance, his aesthetic seems typical of his native Belgium: earthy colours borrowed from nature in its more sombre aspect, organic materials and little to no ornamentation (Van Duysen professes a loathing of anything ostentatious, or, to use his word, ‘screamy’). But in conversation, it becomes clear that he also sees himself as part of a Milanese tradition, one where architects have respect for interiors and place as much value on the design of a single

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PICTURES: FREDERIK VERCRUYSSE, JUAN RODRIGUEZ, HEARST STUDIOS

Clockwise from above BS Residence, Zwevegem, Belgium, a farmhouse conversion that Van Duysen designed.

A collection of pots for When Objects Work (available from Haus in the UK). Van Duysen and his apartment featured in ELLE Decoration in 1996

water glass as they do on the structure of their buildings. Achille Castiglioni and Gio Ponti are among the names that he cites in this context. ‘Northern Italians are not typical Italians,’ he muses. ‘They are passionate workers, driven and focused, like me. I inherited some Mediterranean flair from my mother, who has Spanish blood, but I also have very Calvinistic northern European traits.’

After graduating from college, Van Duysen lived and worked in Milan for several years, not unlike the Flemish painters of the Renaissance – whose colour sense he so admires. ‘I went to Italy because I wanted

Van Duysen sees himself as part of a Milanese design tradition, where architects place as much value on a single glass as they do on the structure of their buildings

to learn about the art of living,’ he explains, stating that he seeks to combine ‘the very architectural with the very accessible, the very human, the very touchable.’ Italian brands like Molteni & C appreciate his ‘understated elegance’, and in turn he appreciates their timeless style and refusal to kowtow to trends.

There’s certainly a holistic feel to Van Duysen’s relationship with Molteni & C, for which he’s created advertising campaigns as well as furniture collections and store designs; he is one of a growing number of starry creative directors that big brands are employing to energise their identities. ➤ MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 57

This page, from left Alexander Wang store, London. ‘Quinten’ cabinet for Molteni & C. ‘Gaston’ chair for Poliform. ‘Oskar’ table for B&B Italia Opposite, clockwise from top Villa Necchi, Van Duysen’s current inspiration. ‘Infra-Structure’ light for Flos. ‘Paul’ sofa for Molteni & C

Van Duysen’s latest three pieces for Molteni & C allude to Flemish art: the ‘Paul’ sofa is named after painter Pieter Paul Rubens; the ‘Jan’ coffee table after Jan Van Eyck; and the ‘Quinten’ cabinet after Quinten Massys. Like many of Van Duysen’s designs, in photographs they look irreproachably tasteful, but it’s only close up that you appreciate how beautiful they are: the distinctive double seams and tapering legs of the ‘Paul’ sofa, for instance, ensure that it looks flawless from any angle; the mix of matt and glossy lacquers and metals on the ‘Quinten’ create a stealthy glamour.

Van Duysen’s palette may be pared down, but he comes alive when talking about colour.

He rhapsodises about the ‘radish pink’ and ‘oxblood red’ of new velvet editions of the ‘Paul’ sofa, and the celadon greens he saw at Milanese landmark Villa Necchi that currently inspire him. ‘I love most greens, as well as smoky greys and browns: the colours of earth,’ he says. ‘But my favourite shade right now is a bone colour – I’m doing lots of research into it.’ This is the hue that he’s used in his own Antwerp home, alongside lots of black and white, wood and stone. His softening of this colour scheme with beaten-

up antique chairs, tribal fabrics and textured rugs renders the space welcoming rather than cold. ‘For me, home is about feeling disconnected from the world; it’s about serenity, contemplation and unwinding in a warm environment with a sense of comfort, where you feel protected and safe,’ he says.

Encouragingly, Van Duysen’s commitment to these ideals isn’t just for clients with the deepest pockets: one of his current projects is a development of serviced flats for the elderly in Antwerp. That’s one retirement home we’d look forward to moving into. vincentvanduysen.com; molteni.it E D

PICTURES: KOEN VAN DAMME, ALAMY

VINCENT VAN DUYSEN

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Van Duysen’s palette may be pared down, but he comes alive when talking about colour.

He rhapsodises about the ‘oxblood red’ of new velvet editions of the ‘Paul’ sofa, and the celadon greens at Villa Necchi that currently inspire him

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The quiet revolution We all know noise pollution can be an annoyance, but could it also be doing real damage to our health? Wellbeing expert Louise Chunn investigates Illustration NICOLA REW

A washing machine pinging, a pair of foxes shrieking, a team of leaf-blowing gardeners blasting the park across the road.

The Grime Mix ringtone on a teen’s mobile in a Tube station, the revving of competing cars on a summer’s evening, the ear-splitting din of J-Lo played in a gym class labelled ‘yoga’. These were the sounds I noticed crashing into my consciousness on the days soon after ELLE Decoration asked me to write about the effects of noise on our lives.

And that’s before I remembered the sounds so ‘normal’ that I barely noticed them: planes overhead, the rumblings of trains and Tubes, the sirens, squealing tyres and grunting acceleration of traffic that is a constant roar in the background of London life.

When you get away from noise, it’s quite a shock to rediscover the power of quiet.

Only a week before I’d been in rural Italy, starting my mornings with a meditative swim and breakfast accompanied by delicate birdsong; walking down country lanes hearing only the sound of my sandals on gravel; studying religious art in the silence of a

church where even whispering was firmly discouraged. (There were more raucous times too, but you get my point.)

I felt the difference, sharply. And yet we tolerate this invasion of our minds and senses every day. We can close our eyes if we don’t want to see something, but we are forced to hear it. As Lisa Goines and Dr Louis Hagler wrote in their essay Noise Pollution: A Modern

When you get away from noise, it’s quite a shock to rediscover the power of quiet Plague: ‘Our hearing mechanisms are always “on”, even when we are asleep.’

We are living in a time of maximum connection and communication. Elements of that are good and informative. But other sides are psychologically and physically damaging. Excessive noise has been linked to high blood pressure, anxiety and hearing impairment. Exposure to significant road traffic noise, for example, increases the risk of a heart attack by 23 per cent*.

People who are more reactive to noise suffer the mental effects of stress: it can make them angry and trigger violence. The effects radiate through our lives, setting our teeth on edge, losing us sleep, grinding away at the possibility of optimum health and focused concentration.

Some of what we have to cope with is personal – one neighbour finds the dawn tuba practice charming; another flies into a rage over a full-volume TV or a dog barking.

But, in general, there is a growing sense that noise is a problem that must be addressed.

As former US surgeon general Dr William H Stewart said nearly 40 years ago, ‘Calling noise a nuisance is like calling smog an inconvenience. Noise must be considered a hazard to the health of people everywhere.’

Now, at last, people are taking action.

Poppy Szkiler grew up around the subject of sound. Her grandfather John Connell OBE was a businessman who noticed the roar of post-war industrial Britain and was not best pleased. In the tradition of the times,

*SOURCE: DEUTSCHES ARZTEBLATT INTERNATIONAL

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he wrote a letter to the Daily Telegraph asking if others shared his concern. The bulging mailbags that followed led to the establishment of the Noise Abatement Society, which led to the UK government passing the Noise Abatement Act in 1960.

Poppy’s mother, Gloria Elliott, continues to run the NAS, but Poppy has introduced a 21st-century sideline. Having dropped out of a successful acting career in search of something more meaningful, she started up Quiet Mark (quietmark.com), an assurance system for products and services – from extractor fans to aeroplanes – that are quiet, or at least make efforts not to be disruptively noisy. ‘I simply sat at the kitchen table with my mother and we designed it,’ she says.

‘Then, not knowing it wasn’t the done thing, I cold-called leaders of industry, somehow managing to get through. Before launch we had 50 global brands signed up including Dyson, John Lewis and AEG. They all loved the idea. They told me “you’ve hit oil”.’Quiet Mark lives by its principles. It’s run from

a house in Hove rather than an office in a big city, and its focus is on space and peace.

Szkiler herself builds quiet periods into her early morning and evening routines. She laughs when I ask what her telephone ringtone is: ‘A harp!’ (She actually plays the instrument, too.) Her quiet revolution is spreading with the documentary film In Pursuit of Silence, out now. Over 81 minutes, US-Chinese director Patrick Shen digs deep into the soul of silence, filming in remote places and talking to people who value absolute quiet. Szkiler became involved when Shen asked to interview her; their feelings were so aligned that she ended up as executive producer.

Among the people interviewed for the film are some who practice mindfulness meditation, a natural fit. But mindfulness doesn’t actually seek to stop the noise around us. As mindfulness expert Dr Craig Hassed has written, ‘It’s a matter of choosing what to be interested in so that the attention engages with that, and learning not to be interested in something else. We don’t have to block it out; the intrusiveness of it will recede by itself.’ Hassed has been responsible for bringing the practice into traditional medicine. In his latest book, The Mindful

Home, he devotes a whole chapter to Hearing, focusing on ‘removing the sounds we don’t need and introducing the sounds we do’.

Seeking out natural noises – water, wind, birdsong, gentle rain – whenever we can will, he says, help shift us away from default mental activity: ‘the stuff of distraction and worry, the poison we pour into our ears in the form of negative thoughts.’

But the sound that has the deepest effect on most of us is music. Whether we play it ourselves or listen to recordings or concerts, it is the sound that can calm our frazzled emotions or lift our spirits high (as long as you’ve chosen to listen to it, obviously). It can be loud and rousing or delicate and scarcely audible, but if it is music that we love, then listening to it can be as powerful and restorative as anything in the world.

Including perfect silence.

Louise Chunn is the founder of welldoing.org, an independent organisation that matches people with the best therapist for them.

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SCIENCE FICTION

FUTURE PROJECTIONS Designed by an ingenious Dutch start-up, the Beam LED light looks just like a regular bulb – it even screws into a standard E26/27 light fitting – but when paired with an app, its 60-lumens laser can project videos and stills from any Android or Apple phone.

You could, for example, cook along to a YouTube video recipe beamed onto your kitchen worktop, or adorn your dining table with your Instagram feed. Put the weather forecast onto your bedside table in the morning, or turn your bedroom into a home cinema.

It’s a fabulous way to change the mood of any interior and wow your guests. £426 for bulb; £541 with lamp (beamlabsinc.com).

Montblanc’s writing instruments have graced the world’s most elegant desks for more than 100 years. The Swiss brand’s latest innovation, the ‘Montblanc Augmented Paper Leather Writing Set’, includes a ‘Starwalker’ pen that converts anything written in the notebook into digital content.

Sketches, notes and doodles are instantly uploaded to your tablet or smartphone, to be easily shared and edited. £530 (montblanc.com).

Download now ‘Velocity’ is a premium dining app that provides well-heeled foodies with instant access to tables in top restaurants. You can peruse menus, snag a reservation and even pay the bill through the app. The reason we love it, aside from its sleek design, is that it’s integrated with Apple’s iMessage, making it a doddle to share booking info with your party. Free (velocityapp.com).

MAGIC LANTERN

Polaroid-style instant cameras are now the must-have hipster accessory, not to mention a handy way to collect moodboard inspiration. Available in a wide range of colours, the ‘Leica Sofort’ instant snapper is a luxurious twist on this unlikely tech trend, complete with flash, digital display and built-in printer. It even has a mirror on the front for framing the perfect selfie. £240 (leica-camera.com).

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WORDS: TOM BAILEY PICTURE: CEDRIC SCHANZE

I N S TA G R AT I F I C AT I O N

Sony’s ‘LSPX-S1 Glass Sound Speaker’ is both a stylish light and a high-spec sound system. The wireless speaker blends seamlessly into any interior and, in addition to filling a room with music (the vibrations of the glass help to project the sound), it includes an LED bulb that gives off a warm glow. The battery lasts four hours. £800, The Conran Shop (conranshop.co.uk).

Style | A R C H I T E C T U R E

FIRST IMPRESSIONS We take a closer look at three UK homes with exteriors that make a design statement

B A C K WAT E R N O R F O L K B Y P L AT F O R M 5 A R C H I T E C T S Set on the idyllic waterways of the Norfolk Broads, in Britain’s largest protected wetland, is a modern family home that echoes typical local boat shed architecture. The three-bedroom house, which doubles as a holiday rental, is made up of three pitched-roof sections covered in cedar wood shingles. The tiles will weather beautifully and darken to a rich brown colour, perfectly complementing the building’s waterside location (backwaternorfolk.co.uk; platform5architects.com).

COVERT HOUSE CLAPHAM, LONDON BY DSDHA

WORDS: JAMES WILLIAMS PICTURES: CHRISTOFFER RUDQUIST

‘When you’re outside looking into the building there are so many trees around that the boundary between the solid house and nature is entirely blurred,’ says Deborah Staunt, project architect and owner of Covert House. Staunt and her practice had the challenging task of creating a home that wouldn’t obscure views in a restricted conservation area. Instead of building upwards, the team created a property that sits mainly below ground. Exterior wall panels clad with mirrors are angled to bounce light into the living space. Wide rectangular light wells further brighten this subterranean home (dsdha.co.uk).

TIN HOUSE SHEPHERDS BUSH, LONDON

BY HENNING STUMMEL ARCHITECTS Nestled among traditional London brick properties, this composition of six interlinking geometric pavilions, each clad in boldly coloured steel, comes as a striking visual surprise.

The steel exterior has been covered in an eco-friendly coating called ‘GreenCoat PLX’, which originated in Scandinavia.

Made using rapeseed oil rather than petrochemicals, its use lowers the carbon footprint of the property. The unusual coating is available in 23 colours, including this beautiful earthy reddish shade, which is carried through to the interior (henningstummelarchitects.com).

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ASK AN ARCHITECT ZAC MONRO

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What inspired you to become an architect?

When I was young, I used to build shelters when we went on holiday, burrowing into hedges or using driftwood found on the beach.

I had a sense that you could do some good if you were an architect. I later found out that it was one of the hardest things to study – but when a teacher told me I wouldn’t be able to do it, I thought ‘oh yeah, I’ll show you’.

How can architects bring value to housing design? I think that the UK must be one of the only European countries where houses are regularly built without architects: everywhere else it seems obvious that you need one, but here it’s seen as a luxury. The point of an architect is twofold: to avoid mistakes, and to make sure that the end result is as good as it can be, at whatever budget. If, as an architect, you’ve designed and built hundreds of extensions for Victorian houses, then you’ll have tried many things. You can see how to solve the problems and how to deliver something truly exceptional.

What does the word ‘home’ mean to you?

For me, home is all about family. It’s where you give your kids the tools to grow. You can’t overestimate the effect that a well-designed home can have on them. It’s a lot easier to do homework in a quiet, well-ventilated space with good amounts of natural daylight.

What are you working on at the moment?

There’s some fun stuff planned for Brixton, such as the Creative Workspaces community art project (4), which includes a renovation of the Oval House Theatre (3). We’re also working on a Tooting housing project that will bring 18 new homes to the area (1).

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2 Is there a building in the world you wish you had designed? I visited Oscar Niemeyer’s Cathedral in Brasília (2) as a young man and it blew me away. He was given such freedom to do what he wanted and boy did he step up.

It demonstrates that there is something beyond just practical, beautifully lit public spaces.

‘You can’t overestimate the effect that a well-designed home can have on a family’ You’re in the practice of knocking down old buildings and starting again. Is it really necessary? Sometimes it is. Most of the time it’s down to the tax laws, as there is no VAT on new-build houses. You get to a point where you’re going to spend so much money doing an older place up, plus 20 per cent VAT, that for the same money you could build exactly what you want quickly and sustainably (Park House, 5). We get nostalgic about our Victorian housing stock but objectively, it was built to last 100 years, uses way too much energy and, without extensive work, doesn’t give us what we need now: warmth, low running costs, good light and that sense of space that lets you grow (z-m-a.co.uk).

WORDS: JAMES WILLIAMS PICTURES: JANE SWEENEY, GARETH GARDNER

Award-winning London practice Zac Monro Architects specialises in transforming traditional houses into light-filled contemporary homes. Monro is also the brains behind the architectural transformations in Channel 4 series ‘Inside Out Homes’

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TAW N Y PANTONE ® 466CP

The tan-coloured hue that went from rags to riches

WORDS: KASSIA ST CLAIR PICTURE: LINE THIT KLEIN/OLIVER GUSTAV

For much of the 14th and 15th centuries, England The idea of sartorial humility being a virtue began to gain ground in the early modern period. While the rich and and France were at war, battling over contested lands, rights and titles. This enmity did nothing, however, to powerful still spent just as lavishly on their clothes, colours stem the flow of French words and styles into the English previously overlooked for being too lowly, such as black, court. One of these adoptees was tanné, the Old French were now acceptable and even desirable. word for tan-coloured, which, in its journey across the Shades of tawny grew in popularity. Analysing wills of the period (which detail people’s belongings), tawny clothing Channel, dropped its accent and became ‘tawny’.

When it first arrived, it did not find much came second only to black. It was the colour favour. To the medieval mind, fabrics that chosen by the Duke of Rutland for his As the idea of remained close to their natural colour were livery in 1524. And, as it became sartorial humility servants’ for the poor. Those who could afford it more fashionable, subtle variants – French began to gain preferred their clothes deeply dyed with tawny, Kentish tawny, sad tawny, brown scarlets and purples, as visually distinct – sprouted like mushrooms. The ground, tawny’s tawny from the colours of filth and farmyard as colour even found royal favour: Henry VIII, popularity rose who was fond of lavishing gifts on his niece, possible. Tawny was just a little too close Lady Margaret Douglas, gave her hundreds to the animal kingdom for comfort.

By the 16th century, though, attitudes to colour had of yards of tawny silks in the last decade of his reign. And begun to change and, with them, tawny’s fortunes. Part while he, like his father, was inordinately fond of black of this was to do with improved dyeing techniques. Shades clothing, no less than 58 items in his wardrobe were tawnythat had previously been impossible to produce evenly coloured. Fashion, though, is fickle, and soon tawny began could now be created – for a price. Depending on the skill to lose ground. But, with the resurgence of hazelnut shades of the dyer (and the wealth of the customer), fabrics could in interiors, we are on the verge of a tawny renaissance. be coloured with ingredients such as weld (a sweet-smelling Paints to try ‘Tawny’, £41.50 for 2.5 litres, Edward Bulmer flowering plant that yielded a yellow dye) and walnut husks Natural Paint (edwardbulmerpaint.co.uk). ‘Mouse’s Back’, and leaves (which produced rich browns). The other £39.50 for 2.5 litres, Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com) important factor came from a different quarter: religion.

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Design emporium Heal’s is celebrating all things Italian this month. Make the most of it with our reader offer London-based retailer Heal’s has long had a reputation as a champion of British design. But as an early advocate of the Bauhaus movement and the first store to introduce mid-century modern and Scandinavian furniture, among others, to the UK, Heal’s boasts a history of showcasing international design that has been just as pioneering.

It’s a practice that continues to this day, and this month Heal’s turns the spotlight towards Europe. ‘Edizioni Italiane’ is a chance to find out more about some of Italy’s most iconic design brands, including Riva1920, Porada, Zanotta, Kartell and Moroso. Go online or in store – with an exclusive 10 per cent discount for ELLE Decoration readers, alongside a series of hands-on workshops and events, February is the month to discover the best of Italian design.

For discount, show this page in store or enter EDFEB17 at checkout online. Offer valid 2 February – 1 March. T&Cs apply*

*OFFER IS AVAILABLE ON FULL PRICE ITEMS ONLY. NOT AVAILABLE ON CLEARANCE ITEMS, LOWEST PRICE GUARANTEE, ANTIQUES, CONCESSIONS OR GIFT CARDS

TALKING ITALIAN

ELLE Decoration | P R O M O T I O N

Main image ‘Piano’ bookshelf in walnut, £6,649; ‘Newton’ table, from £3,000; ‘Glo-Ball T2’ lamp, £603, all by Riva1920 Above ‘Panna’ armchair, from £1,932’; ‘Cloud’ tables, from £540, both Moroso Below ‘Infinity’ table in walnut, from £9,141; ‘Ester’ armchair, from £1,116; ‘Atlante’ cupboard in walnut, from £3,665, all by Porada Bottom left ‘All Saints’ mirror in metallic gold, £639, Kartell. ‘Perf’ cabinet in black matte, £996, Moroso.

‘Gilda’ armchair, £3,075, Zanotta

WORKSHOPS AND EVENTS Visit Heal’s between 31 January and 19 February to discover a true flavour of Italy. Alongside its celebration of some of Italy’s finest design names, Heal’s flagship Tottenham Court Road and Westbourne Grove stores will be hosting a series of fun events – from pastamaking workshops and an Italian supper club to Campari cocktail masterclasses. Places are strictly limited, so sign up to secure your spot today.

Find out more at heals.com/events

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We’re seeing perfect circles and elegant curves everywhere this season. Gather round as we share our favourite finds

From left ‘La Lampe’ floor light by Ida Linea Hildebrand for Friends & Founders, £570, Viaduct (viaduct.co.uk). ‘Zoe’ circular rug by Paola Lenti, £1,405, The Modern Garden Company (moderngarden.co.uk). ‘Arch’ coffee table by Front, £579, Wiener GTV Design (gebruederthonetvienna.com). ‘Croche’ vessel

by Eleanor Lakelin, £2,750, Contemporary Applied Arts (caa.org.uk). ‘True Love’ chair by Busk + Hertzog for +Halle, £1,455, Coexistence (coexistence.co.uk).

‘Tall’ planter by Norm Architects for Menu, £84, Nest (nest.co.uk). ‘Bubble Rock’ sofa by Piero Lissoni, £3,070, Living Divani (livingdivani.it). ‘FALLVEL50’ rose cushion cover, £36, Tine K Home (tinekhome.com). ‘Forma’ throw, £135, AYTM (aytm.dk). ‘DECOPLAIN60’ green cushion cover, £25, Tine K Home (tinekhome.com). ‘Eberson Slate’ rug, £1,145, Designers Guild (designersguild.com). ‘Socket’ pendant light, £85; ‘Dome’ shade, £159, both Ferm Living (fermliving.com). Third Encounter print by Jasia Szerszynska, £1,200, The Modern Warehouse (themodernwarehouse.com). ‘Haring’ side table by Rodolfo Dordoni, £1,160, Minotti (minotti.com). ‘Flowerpot VP3’ table light by Verner Panton for &Tradition, £249, Monologue (monologuelondon.com). ‘Travertine TRA13’ wallpaper, £16.50 per metre, Brian Yates (brian-yates.co.uk). Wall painted in ‘Alderman 60’ emulsion, £42 for 2.5 litres, Mylands (mylands.co.uk) ➤

STYLIST’S ASSISTANTS: ANNA SHERIDAN AND ENRICO DONADELLO

Photography HEIDI LERKENFELDT Styling HANNAH BORT

Style | S H O P P I N G

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AHEAD OF THE CURVE From left ‘Sorry Giotto 3’ floor light by Catellani & Smith, £2,005, Chaplins (chaplins.co.uk). ‘Chariot’ trolley by Gam Fratesi for Casamania, from £1,432, Latin Square (info@latinsquare.co.uk). Concrete bowls by Sue Pryke, £20 each, Wild + Wood (wildandwood.co.uk). ‘Piggy’ decanter by Aldo Cibic, £275, Paola C (paolac.com).

‘Ripple’ glass, £36 for a set of four, Ferm Living (fermliving.com). ‘Groove’ rug by Paola Lenti, £3,624, The Modern Garden Company (moderngardencompany.co.uk).

‘Series 430’ chairs (two pictured) by Verner Panton for Verpan, from £500 each, Aram Store (aram.co.uk). ‘Flowerpot VP1’ pendant light by Verner Panton for &Tradition, £179, Monologue (monologuelondon.com). ‘Hulahoop’ table by Bonaldo, £2,924, Go Modern (gomodern.co.uk). ‘Scorped Ash’ textured bowl, £400; ‘Scorched Plum’ black vessel, £425, both Forest + Found (forest-and-found.com). Ceramic plate, £30, Sue Pryke (suepryke.com). ‘Knockout’ marble side table

by Ida Linea Hildebrand for Friends & Founders, £645, Viaduct (viaduct.co.uk). ‘Ripple’ carafe, £31, Ferm Living (fermliving.com). ‘Waltz’ wall hanger by Gam Fratesi, £399, Wiener GTV Design (gebruederthonetvienna.com). ‘Enigma 30524’ wallpaper, £229 per metre, Arte (arte-international.com). Walls painted in (from left) ‘Alderman 60’ emulsion, £42 for 2.5 litres, Mylands (mylands.co.uk). ‘French Grey Dark’ emulsion, £28 for 2.5 litres, Little Greene (littlegreene.com) ➤

Style | S H O P P I N G

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AHEAD OF THE CURVE From left ‘Soundwave’ acoustic panels by Christophe Pillet, £325 per panel, Offecct (offecct.com). ‘Logan’ natural oak ball, £600, Dyehouse (thedyehouse.com).

‘KG001 Rival’ chair by Konstantin Grcic for Artek, £545, Vitra (vitra.com). ‘Rewrite’ desk by Gam Fratesi, £2,024, Ligne Roset (ligne-roset.com). ‘Candide’ mobile, £107, Volta (volta.paris). ‘Bon Bonniere’ storage jar by Uh La La, £108, Stilleben (stilleben.dk). ‘Superluna’ floor light by Victor Vasilev for Oluce, £1,095, The Conran Shop (conranshop.co.uk). ‘Pilotis’ side table by Malgorzata Bany, £1,800, The New Craftsmen (thenewcraftsmen.com). White vase by Matthias Kaiser, £450, Flow Gallery (flowgallery.co.uk). ‘Gelato’ rug, £686, Linie Design (liniedesign.dk). ‘Penguin’ rocking chair by Ib Kofod Larsen for Brdr. Petersen, £1,465, The Modern Warehouse (themodernwarehouse.com). Wall painted in ‘French Grey Dark’ emulsion, £28 for 2.5 litres, Little Greene (littlegreene.com)

Style | S H O P P I N G

From left ‘Pilotis’ side table by Malgorzata Bany, £2,900 for a set of four, The New Craftsmen (thenewcraftsmen.com). Ceramic vase, £65, Sue Pryke (suepryke.com). ‘Flux’ rug by Esti Barnes, £865 per square metre, Topfloor By Esti (topfloorrugs.com). ‘Softer Than Steel’ bench by Nendo, from £1,709, Desalto (desalto.it). Soft throw, £89, Tine K Home (tinekhome.com). ‘Split’ mirror, £2,200, Lee Broom (leebroom.com). ‘Flowerpot VP1’ pendant light by Verner Panton for &Tradition, £179, Monologue (monologuelondon.com). ‘Husk’ armchair by Marc Thorpe, £1,320, Moroso (moroso.co.uk). ‘Cloud’ wooden stool by Andrei Munteanu, £660, Riva1920 (riva1920.it). ‘Blooper’ table light by Mette Schelde, £310, Please Wait To Be Seated (pleasewaittobeseated.dk). ‘Resource 369001’ wallpaper

by Eijffinger, £80 per ten-metre roll, Brian Yates (brian-yates.co.uk). Wall painted in ‘Alderman 60’ emulsion, £42 for 2.5 litres, Mylands (mylands.co.uk) E D

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GRAND DESIGNS Ground-breaking innovation meets first-class design in the latest and brightest home technology range from LG Signature Once upon a time, choosing those most fundamental items of technology for your home – the TV, refrigerator and washing machine – offered a simple choice: form or function? Not anymore. LG Signature offers three essential products that are as elegant to look at as they are brilliantly practical to use. The bespoke steel and reflective glass finish of the refrigerator, for example, is instantly covetable, but features that include hands-free opening and a door that transforms from reflective to transparent when tapped take its design to another level. Likewise the washing machine which, beneath its unique scratch-resistant surface, features two drums that allow two washes to run simultaneously. While LG Signature’s unique picture-on-glass technology means the screen of its award-winning OLED (organic light emitting diode) TV is just 2.57mm deep. Form meets function. Beautifully.

Left to right LG Signature 77-inch TV, from £19,999. LG Signature refrigerator, £5,999. LG Signature washing machine, £2,599

ELLE Decoration | P R O M O T I O N

RANKIN SHOOTS L G S I G N AT U R E To celebrate the launch of LG Signature, celebrated photographer Rankin was commissioned to bring each product’s unique features and aesthetic beauty to life.

Find out more about LG Signature at lg.com/uk/lg-signature

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TRENDS

Sourcebook | B E D R O O M S

Not sure how to update your sleep space?

Rest easy, we’ve got it covered. From contemporary lighting to the colour schemes of the moment, the following pages are packed with inspiration Words CLAUDIA BAILLIE

COSY CORNER

WORDS: ANDERS PICTURE: NAME PICTURES: BERGSTEDT NAME

Swap your bedside table for a shelf with an integrated light: this is the brass ‘90°’ design

by Frama Studio (available at The Conran Shop; conranshop.co.uk). A picture creates a focal point above, but hang it slightly off centre to make the composition feel less regimented.

The colours of both the frame and the image are complemented by the shiny brass beneath.

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LI G HTI N G Five stylish bedside lights, from dreamy pendants to simple reading lamps

PICTURES: PAUL MASSEY/HOUSE & GARDEN/CONDÉ NAST PUBLISHING LTD, FELIX FOREST/LIVING INSIDE, BRITTANY PENA, KASIA GATKOWSKA, HOLLY MARDER/AVENUELIFESTYLE.COM

First designed in 1930 by Robert Dudley Best, who was inspired by the Bauhaus movement, the iconic Bestlite lamp (bestlite.org.uk) was a favourite of Winston Churchill. Here, Johnny Holland of Hackett Holland architects (hackettholland.co.uk) uses the ‘BL5’ version as a practical bedside light.

Sourcebook | B E D R O O M S

An elegant floor light is a sophisticated alternative to a regular bedside lamp. The ‘Minipoint’ brass light by Örsjö Belysning is similar to these (available at Nest; nest.co.uk).

Make the most of generous space and high ceilings with large-scale lighting. Design studio Maison Hand (maison-hand.com) used graceful ‘Monte & Baisse’ lamps by Daniel Gallo (danielgallo.fr) in this stately French apartment.

Light from an overhead pendant can be too harsh for a bedroom. Instead, swap it for two task lights, both wired to the same central fixture. Try the ‘Bristol’ by Heal’s (heals.com) and suspend from hooks.

This gently glowing group of ‘Rituals’ suspension lights by Ludovica and Roberto Palomba for Foscarini (foscarini.com) appears to float low over a bedside table, creating a dreamy, ethereal look. ➤ MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 83

T H E G R E AT DIVIDE This apartment has separated its bedroom and en-suite bathroom using a panelled partition.

A simple way to add interest to a plain surface, panelling is a big trend in 2017 and surprisingly easy to install. If you have a at surface, the straightforward solution is to attach a wooden framework to the wall. Read how Deputy Art Director Philippe Blanchin tackled a similar project on p194.

Sourcebook | B E D R O O M S

S I M P LY S T Y L I S H

WORDS: NAME PICTURES: TOM BLACHFORD/ PICTURES: NAME HA (ARCHITECTURE), DESIREE GROENENDAL/VOSGESPARIS.COM

Incredibly chic and always stylish, a monochrome palette is an easy way to guarantee a coherent look. Here, interiors blogger Desiree of Vosgesparis.com has kept things minimal with crisp white bedding and black-and-white photography. For narrow wall shelves head to Clippings (clippings.com). For a clip-on lamp try Original BTC’s ‘Hector’ design (originalbtc.com). ➤

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COLOUR PA L E T T E S

Combining soft shades with energising hues, these five schemes will refresh any bedroom

PICTURES: JACK HOBHOUSE, LUCAS ALLEN/HOUSE & GARDEN/CONDÉ NAST PUBLISHING LTD, ARCHERINTERIORS.COM.AU, JAMES GREER (PHOTOGRAPHY), AIMEE TARULLI (STYLING), JAKE CURTIS, SERENA ELLER/VEGA MG WORDS: NAME PICTURES: NAME

Dusky duck-egg blue contrasts perfectly with warm apricot and pink in this light-filled bedroom by Dyer Grimes Architects (dyergrimesarchitects.com). For walls, try ‘Lulworth Blue’ by Farrow & Ball (farrow-ball.com) and pair with a headboard covered in Villa Nova’s ‘Atil’ velvet in ‘Caspian’, a beautiful muted pink (villanova.co.uk). The light is Marcel Wanders’ ‘Zeppelin’ design for Flos (flos.com).

Sourcebook | B E D R O O M S

Create a bedroom inspired by your favourite artwork. Australian interior stylist Aimee Tarulli at Archer Interiors takes her palette of rosy hues from the painting above the bed. For pastel linens try Volga (volgalinen.co.uk).

Greys and yellows are perfect partners. Give a stylish charcoal bedroom an instant boost with some sunny textiles. Get golden throws and cushions at Heal’s (heals.com). For a similar paint shade try ‘Dark Lead 118’ by Little Greene (littlegreene.com).

Bold colours will give even the dullest morning a boost. Try Little Greene’s ‘Mazarine’ for a similar dark blue paint colour and ‘Marigold’ for a bright orange shade (littlegreene.com).

Prevent pastel walls from looking bland by teaming them with punchy textiles, such as these sumptuous and vibrant velvet curtains. Designers Guild’s ‘Varese’ velvet in Terracotta has a similar look (designersguild.com). ➤ MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 87

SLEEP PAT T E R N S

PICTURE: ANBREY BEZUGLOV

Usually a feature found in more industrial projects, this wiring has been carefully configured to create a decorative effect, spiralling out from the light fittings and over the ceiling.

This project requires a professional – find electricians at NICEIC (niceic.com).

Sourcebook | B E D R O O M S

B U I LT TO FIT Make a small room feel more spacious with floating bedside tables that allow you to see as much of the floor as possible. Contact London-based furniture maker Barbara Genda (barbara-genda.com) for a bespoke design that will work in your room. ➤

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HEADBOARDS

A statement headboard makes a great focal point. Here are some modern options The centrepiece of this glamorous yet refined bedroom at Hotel Borgo Nuovo on the outskirts of Milan is a striking metallic bed with integrated lighting, created by interior designer Viviana Fedeli.

For a low-key luxe look rather than all-out Boogie Nights style, set metallics against a backdrop of intense, muted colours. For a similar paint shade try ‘Blue Blood’ by Paint & Paper Library (paintandpaperlibrary.com). These linens are by Society Limonta (societylimonta.com) and the lights are ‘Mantis BS4’ pendants by La Lampe Gras, available at Twentytwentyone (twentytwentyone.com).

Sourcebook | B E D R O O M S

Extend a headboard beyond the width of the bed to create a retro look. Upholstered in a jewel-like velvet such as this deep green, the result is ultra glamorous. The Headboard Workshop (theheadboardworkshop.co.uk) can make a design to your exact specifications.

Built entirely from salvaged timber, this bespoke headboard taps into the trend for reclaimed wood.

Source boards from English Salvage in the UK (englishsalvage.co.uk). A carpenter would be able to craft it for you – try The Institute of Carpenters (instituteofcarpenters.com).

PICTURES: ALESSANDRA IANNIELLO/LIVING INSIDE, WILL HORNER, ROMAIN RICARD

We love this Art Nouveau-style piece created by Dorothée Meilichzon at design agency Chzon (chzon.com). Crafted by two French artisans, its design is an homage to bentwood furniture by the likes of J&J Kohn, Thonet and Adolf Loos.

More relaxed than a classic buttoned design, this smooth and sophisticated leather headboard is given a laid-back feel with hanging loops. Handmade in Denmark by By Thornam (bythornam.com), ‘The M’ headboard is also available in textiles by Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola. ➤

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COMFORT ZONE Formerly a built-in cupboard, this alcove has been opened out and now perfectly frames the head of the bed.

Painting it a dark grey enhances the cocooning effect – for a similar colour try ‘Appleton Grey’ by Designers Guild (designersguild.com). The low-hanging light is the ‘Augustin A160’ lamp by Jieldé ( jielde.com).

Sourcebook | B E D R O O M S

R AISE YOUR PROFILE Designed by Italian architecture firm Sceg (sceg.it), this raised platform functions as a bed base and seating area, as well as featuring a built-in headboard and bedside table. To find a skilled joiner who can create a similar design, contact The Guild of Master Craftsmen (findacraftsman.com). ➤

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Sourcebook | B E D R O O M S

B E N E AT H T H E S TA R S

WORDS: ANDERS PICTURE: NAME PICTURES: HVIID NAME

Skylights running from wall to wall provide epic views in this room, which is part of the Vipp Shelter (vipp.com) – a prefabricated building designed to give dwellers an escape from city life. Recreate this look at home with the ‘Modular Skylights’ system from Velux (velux.co.uk). E D

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S M A L L S PAC E S

C L E V E R T R I C K S F O R C O M PA C T H O M E S

F O R M O R E S T Y L I S H I N T E R I O R S , V I S I T E L L E D E C O R AT I O N . C O . U K / I N S P I R AT I O N

S M A L L S P A C E S #1

BOX OF TRICKS The owners of this stylish French studio flat tell us how they have mastered one-room living Words JACKIE DALY Photography GAELLE LE BOULICAUT Production JEREMY CALLAGHAN

Photographer Gaelle Le Boulicaut and writer Jeremy Callaghan (left) followed the famous mantra ‘less is more’ when renovating their 54-square-metre studio apartment in Vannes, northwest France.

‘The place was little more than a squat when we discovered it. The walls were covered in layers of grime, and it was swamped by an awkward mezzanine floor that interrupted the natural beauty and height of the original space,’ Jeremy says. Despite this the couple instantly recognised the potential of the Haussmann-style apartment, and embarked on a six-month restoration project to return it to its former glory. The interior was stripped back, and the mezzanine removed.

‘Luckily the structure was freestanding and therefore had not damaged the walls,’ says Jeremy.

‘We then restored the original wood panelling, floorboards and magnificent four-metre-high stucco ceiling, which dates back to 1867.’

The challenge was to create a home without damaging the restored bone structure of the apartment. ‘We had to figure out a way of integrating everything necessary for an apartment without creating walls,’ says Jeremy. ‘Architect Lionel Kergot helped us with this. The bespoke furniture was his idea: it emphasises the height of the room but remains “transparent”.’ The elegant framed pieces create zones within the open-plan space and include a four-poster-style bed and a dining seat that doubles as storage.

The kitchenette has been neatly integrated into a recess, originally a cupboard that was bizarrely accessed from outside the apartment. ‘We chose handmade Zellige tiles from Morocco to frame the small space because they reflect the natural light,’ Jeremy says. The bathroom – a triangular space that’s barely five square metres in size – was particularly challenging. ‘It was essentially a black hole, as it had no windows, so we chose white marble for the walls to make it much lighter.’

Jeremy describes the design of his home as the perfect balance of classicism and modernity, and luxury and simplicity. ‘It’s a small space but it has authenticity, soul and a big personality.’ gaelleleboulicaut.com

The oak desk and ‘Gras’ lamp by DCW Éditions are wall-mounted to maximise space in the office. The necklace sculpture by Lucas Castex adds a stylish touch, as does this Norman Cherner chair (try The Conran Shop) Stockist details on p185

‘WE WHITENED THE CEILING AND THE WALLS TO MODERNISE THE SPACE. THE HANGING CHAIR IS FUN – IT ADDS TO THE RELAXED FEEL’

The ‘Nautica’ swing chair by Mut Design for Expormim and wall-mounted fireplace free up floor space. Much of the furniture is low slung to emphasise the ceiling height: the ‘Filo’ coffee table is by Paola Navone for Gervasoni. The Beni Ouarain rug is from Kulchi Stockist details on p185 ➤

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The dining room features a bespoke bench seat with concealed storage.

The marble-topped bistro table by Retegui is compact but practical, and is paired with ‘Belleville’ chairs by the Bouroullec brothers for Vitra Stockist details on p185

‘WE HAD A LOT OF THE FURNITURE CUSTOM-MADE SO THAT IT WOULD INCLUDE STORAGE, FIT DISCREETLY WITHIN THE APARTMENT, AND BE EASILY REMOVED IF NECESSARY’

The kitchenette is housed in what was an old cupboard. The compact space includes a small oven, hob, sink and fridge. Black Moroccan Zellige tiles reflect the light ➤

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‘THE BATHROOM WAS ESPECIALLY CHALLENGING. WE USED WHITE MARBLE TO BRIGHTEN THE SMALL SPACE’

The dark, windowless bathroom has been clad in white marble to create a much lighter, brighter space. The shower and taps are ‘Tara’ by Dornbracht. A black ‘Edge’ light

by Atelier Sedap hangs above a ‘Morning’ mirror by Atelier LZC Stockist details on p185

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Elegant framed furniture creates zones within the open-plan space. The bedlinen and window drapes from Maison de Vacances are simple and stylish, as are the classic Serge Mouille lamps. The marble-topped table is by Serax Stockist details on p185 E D

S M A L L S PAC E S # 2

LITTLE GEM

A pop of emerald green adds personality to the space-enhancing white palette of this Copenhagen home Words TESSA PEARSON Photography BIRGITTA WOLFGANG/SISTERS AGENCY

A D D I N TE R ES T White walls and stripped-back wooden floors conjure up an illusion of spaciousness, but can lack character. Karina has added colour and texture to her living room with a ‘Chess’ sofa

by Eilersen, re-covered in grey velvet, and a soft Berber-style rug (available from Larusi). Arne Jacobsen’s iconic ‘Egg’ chair for Vitra is paired with a vintage ship’s light (try Any Old Lights in the UK). Stockist details on p185 ➤

T

his bijou home belongs to Karina Tholstrup Hansen, owner of Danish interiors store Floor 45. She moved into the flat in this elegant 19th-century building six years ago with her French Bulldog, Harald. She only had 89 square metres to play with, but spatial constraints did not deter her from imbuing the blank canvas with strong, statement colour.

Most of Karina’s home is decorated in white, with low-slung furniture that makes the apartment appear bigger. Look through the folding doors (themselves a space-saver because, when open, they don’t take up too much of the floor) from the lounge to the dining room, however, and you see a beautiful expanse of deep emerald green. The colour is applied to just two walls, so that the dark shade doesn’t make the space feel smaller. ‘I wanted to create a warm and inviting feel, and was inspired by the 1970s style and atmosphere of a decadent members’ club,’ Karina says of her bold, exciting colour choice.

‘I WANTED TO CREATE A WARM AND INVITING FEEL, AND WAS INSPIRED

BY THE STYLE AND ATMOSPHERE OF A DECADENT 1970S MEMBERS’ CLUB’ In a small apartment, choosing and positioning storage is also key, which is why the hallway features a large floating unit that conceals clutter. Bright-white surfaces and handleless doors keep things streamlined – this is a look that also works really well in the home’s tiny kitchen and bathroom. ‘Anything you don’t want to look at every day should be hidden away,’ says Karina.

The bedroom is where Karina’s aesthetic, which she describes as ‘raw and luxurious,’ is most apparent. An oversized chandelier fills the space above the bed, which is layered with opulent velvets in rich jewel tones that match the shade used in the dining room. ‘It’s very important to me that my home has a personal feel,’ says Karina. ‘The trick is combining everything in just the right way so that it feels serene, but is also really special.’ floor45.dk

I NTO TH E FO LD Tall and elegant panelled doors divide the living room from the adjoining dining area. They fold neatly back against the walls rather than opening out into the room, to maximise all available floor space.

I N J EC T CO LO U R ‘I used the green on just two walls to avoid making the room feel too small. I chose a matt paint to create a different look to the other walls in the apartment, which have a slight sheen to them,’ says Karina. For a similar shade try ‘Tarrytown Green’ by Benjamin Moore. ‘Lily’ chairs by Arne Jacobsen (available from Aram Store) surround a compact marble-topped table designed by Karina. Above is Tom Dixon’s ‘Beat Stout’ pendant light, which complements his ‘Base’ floor light.

Stockist details on p185 ➤

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ZO N E YO U R S PAC E With no room for a separate study, a corner of the dining room has been transformed into an office. This vintage desk is teamed with an Arne Jacobsen ‘Series 7’ swivel chair. A bird sculpture from a Danish flea market and candlesticks found in the Netherlands form a simple vignette on the marble-topped side table, brought back from Bali. Looking past the office into the hallway, an Ikea ‘Besta’ storage unit is teamed with an ‘Adnet’ mirror by Jacques Adnet for Gubi. Stockist details on p185

S M A L L S PA C E I D E A S Homeowner Karina Tholstrup Hansen’s tips Use colour to add edge to a simple scheme. I wanted to create a kind of cave-like feeling in the dining room that’s instantly welcoming.

Keep furniture simple. Integrate ample storage and consider every piece carefully so that you don’t overwhelm your space.

Separate the living and dining areas, if possible.

Combining the two here would have made both spaces feel very crowded.

Create a sense of luxury by combining old and new furniture, and adding an abundance of velvet upholstery and gilt finishes.

K E E P IT S L E E K The smallest rooms in the house – the kitchen and the bathroom – feature cabinetry that is white, handleless and high gloss. This simple finish reflects light and creates a feeling of spaciousness.

The clean, white palette and open shelving enhances the airy aesthetic. Find similar kitchen and bathroom furniture at Ikea.

Stockist details on p185

M O D E R N E L E GA N C E A Dunlopillo bed has been fitted with an upholstered headboard made by the homeowner. An ornate Turkish chandelier fills the space overhead, while two simple ‘Bestlite’ wall lights by Gubi (available from Another Country) provide bedside task lighting. The silk and velvet bedspread and velvet cushions are by Floor 45. Stockist details on p185 E D

S M A L L S PAC E S # 3

THE SNUG Bespoke furniture has been made to perfectly fit every corner of this tiny Danish apartment This flat in Copenhagen’s trendy neighbourhood of Østerbro measures 83 square metres. But a lack of room was no deterrent for owners Hulda Run and Casper Hübertz Jørgensen, who have utilised every bit of space in their small home. A window seat has been designed to slot into an awkward nook in the kitchen – it’s now Casper’s favourite reading spot – and built-in cupboards and drawers ensure that there’s plenty of storage.

‘You must be able to see the possibilities of every bit of dead space,’ says Hulda. ‘It can be more expensive to have specially made furniture, but the end result is much better.’

Top Cleverly built into a small alcove, these shelves provide much-needed display space for treasured objects Right This purpose-built window seat with storage space beneath squeezes into an awkward corner of the kitchen.

It has transformed dead space into a cosy spot Opposite Half of the original wall between the kitchen and dining room has been left standing as a breakfast bar E D

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WORDS: CLARE SARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY: LINE THIT KLEIN STYLING: LINDA ELMIN

S M A L L S PAC E S # 4

Innovative design ideas and clever concealed storage make this Milan apartment feel much bigger than it is

Words KARINE MONIÉ Photography MARCO BERTOLINI/LIVING INSIDE Styling ORAZIO FABIO SAPIENZA

ocated on the second floor of an Art Deco palazzo, this 90-square-metre home is a modestly sized but typical Milanese city apartment. Fashion designer Valerio Leone, who lives here with his wife, model-turned-stylist Nastya Shershen, and their six-month-old daughter Chloe, commissioned architect Hannes Peer to renovate their bijou home. Over the course of five months, Peer reorganised the interior, designing multipurpose furniture and architectural details that distort perspective and create an illusion of spaciousness.

One of the most significant structural changes Hannes made was removing the dividing wall between the living room and the bedroom, replacing it with a multifunctional stainless-steel partition.

On the living room side it provides deep, leather seating, while on the side facing the bedroom, it houses concealed storage. The use of stainless-steel is Hannes’ homage to Gae Aulenti’s iconic Altana Palazzo Pucci apartment in Florence, which was designed in the 1970s (see below). It has visual impact, but also reflects light, increasing the sense of space. The mirrored cabinet in the living room has a similar dual purpose: it creates depth in the long, narrow room, and hides the television. In the dining room, which doubles as the couple’s workspace, the original marble-framed doorway has been cut in half to open up the dark corridor behind it. Half the doorway has been left in-situ and the door behind it is clad in mirror (see below and previous page). Viewed from afar, the doorway appears complete. Suspended from the ceiling, a Calder-inspired pendant light in oxidised aluminium (designed by Hannes) epitomises the owners’ style and personality. ‘It is definitely the most Brutalist and radical design piece we have, but I love it. It’s as uncompromising as I am when I design clothes,’ says Valerio. hannespeer.com

A RC H ITEC TU R A L A RTI FI C E The wall and the doorway have been partially cut away to open up what was a dark, cramped hallway – from afar, it looks as if the doorway is complete (see previous spread). Brass adds a decadent accent in the form of a 1970s ‘Gingobilo’ lamp by Carlo Giorgi (from Spazio 900) and a ‘Folded’ wall light by the architect.

PRINT WORKS The dining room and workspace proves that smaller homes can handle a hit of pattern.

The couple wanted an edgy look that reflects their style, so they chose ‘Fontainebleau’ wallpaper by Cole & Son: it conjures an air of romance amid the home’s Modernist design. The ‘Paracarro’ glass-and-concrete table by Giovanni Offredi for Saporiti Italia takes centre-stage.

Stockist details on p185

Valerio and Nastya’s apartment borrows various details from Italian architect and designer Gae Aulenti’s interior of the Altana Palazzo Pucci, created in 1971. The altana – which translates as ‘covered roof terrace’ – is part of the Florentine palazzo owned by the Pucci family since the 15th century, and more recently by fashion designer Emilio Pucci. Aulenti’s design featured swathes of stainless steel, used to clad walls, form shelving units and enclose a daybed. It is referenced here in the multipurpose, stainless-steel-clad dividing wall (see right).

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PICTURE: IVAN TERESTCHENKO

T H E I N S P I R AT I O N A LTA N A PA L A Z Z O P U C C I B Y G A E A U L E N T I

M ATE R I A L C H O I C ES The tall mirrored panels above the marble fireplace create the illusion of depth in this long, narrow room – and also conceal the television – while large floor tiles make the space appear bigger. The exposed brick walls (treated with a matt sealant by Mapei) contrast with the mix of smooth luxe materials, which include Breccia Verde marble, brass and stainless steel. The vintage 1970s coffee table is by Willy Rizzo (find originals on 1st Dibs). Stockist details on p185 ➤

SM A RT PA RTITI O N S The architect has replaced one wall of the living area with a multipurpose stainless-steel unit – on this side it incorporates deep leather seating and works to reflect light around the room. The cushions, made using Rubelli fabrics, add vibrancy to this comfort zone. The quirky blue ‘Pylon’ chair by Tom Dixon for Cappellini introduces a further pop of colour. The painting above (dated 1834) was found in a Milanese flea market. Stockist details on p185

LEVEL UP A low bed and chandelier work to emphasise the high ceilings: the light draws the eye up to the ceiling, while the height of the bed accentuates the distance between them. The ‘P3 Lavinia’ chair and pouf are

by Lazzarini & Pickering for Marta Sala Editions.

Stockist details on p185 ➤

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SM ALL SPACE I D E AS

The apartment’s architect Hannes Peer (below) reveals his top design tricks Conceal as much as possible. Small spaces appear even smaller when everything is on show. Use a variety of concealing tricks, from hanging curtains and textiles over doorways or open shelving to using boxes and baskets to hide clutter. Furniture with built-in storage is always a worthwhile investment.

Divide small spaces visually. Most bijou properties, such as studio apartments, require some kind of partition to make them liveable. This could be as simple as a bookshelf or a folding screen.

Create double-duty rooms. Pick your furniture carefully so that it can be used for different activities.

For example, Valerio and Nastya selected a dining table that would double as an office desk.

Be flexible. I often quote Noramay Cadena, cofounder of Make in LA, who once said: ‘Be stubborn on vision and flexible on journey.’ It is important to have a strong design concept from the outset that considers where partitions might be required, what built-in furniture is needed, and to select elements that make the most of space: from movable pieces to sliding doors or hidden storage. Then you need to be flexible to make it work.

Think tall. When installing bookcases (or any shelving for that matter), purchase something that will reach the ceiling. More shelves equates to more storage space. ‘High shelving also makes us feel less cramped,’ adds homeowner Valerio.

S H I N E I N T H E DA R K N ESS The key to making black work in a compact kitchen is to use glossy surfaces to help make the room feel larger. This ‘Arcobaleno’ kitchen, teamed with a matt black quartz worktop, is by Arrex and the splashback is Marquina marble. A Murano glass ‘Giogali’ chandelier by Angelo Mangiarotti for Vistosi (found at Spazio 900 in Milan) also catches the light. The Memphis ceramic vase by Ettore Sottsass for Societa Ceramica Toscana, Italy (try Memphis Milan) brings a touch of colour to the scheme. Stockist details on p185

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BU I LT- I N BATH RO OM Conceal storage behind mirrored panels rather than introducing pieces of furniture that can take up valuable floor space. The original mosaic walls and 1960s sanitaryware

by Gió Ponti for Ideal Standard were retained during the renovation of this room, but the architect added the Sicilian Breccia Verde marble floor by Abitare Marmo (try Decorium in the UK) for a modern twist. A ‘P3 Lavinia’ velvet pouf by Lazzarini & Pickering for Marta Sala Editions adds colour and comfort.

Stockist details on p185 E D

S M A L L S PAC E S # 5

THE POCKET PA D The stylish owner of this French apartment has packed everything she needs into just 22 square metres This Parisian studio apartment belongs to blogger Billie Blanket. With the help of architects Charlotte Albert and Alexis Lamesta, she has made the most of its three-metre-high ceilings by creating a small mezzanine level measuring 140 centimetres wide – just big enough for a double bed. This acts as Billie’s bedroom, where she sleeps beneath the blue ceiling and original cornicing. Below, the living area features a compact Ikea kitchen, a coherent inky blue and monochrome colour scheme, and clever storage tricks.

WORDS: SARAH MORGAN PHOTOGRAPHY: FABIENNE DELAFRAYE

Left and above The navy blue of the living area’s curtains is repeated on the bathroom door, the kitchen kickboard and the wall lights. The kitchen and bathroom both feature the same white tiles with black grouting; sticking to just a handful of decorating choices makes the apartment feel more streamlined Right Billie’s bedroom is on the mezzanine level above the kitchen, accessed by a ladder. She sleeps just below the original ornate plasterwork E D

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I F Y O U O N LY B U Y ONE THING… When space is at a premium, it’s important to choose your furnishings carefully. Here, we take a look at ten timeless design icons that are worthy additions to even the smallest of rooms Photography LINE THIT KLEIN Styling MICHAEL NYGAARD

‘ T H E S PA N I S H C H A I R ’ B Y B Ø R G E MOGENSEN FOR FREDERICIA Inspired by a trip to Spain in 1958, Danish designer Mogensen decided to translate the rustic chairs he discovered there into this new, modern, minimalist design. Its combination of oak and leather is practical, honest and elegant.

From £3,189, Skandium (skandium.com)

From left ‘The Spanish Chair’ by Børge Mogensen for Fredericia, from £3,189, Skandium (skandium.com). Blanket, £382, Society Limonta (societylimonta.com). ‘Panna Cotta’ side table by Ron Gilad for Molteni & C, from £740, Chaplins (chaplins.co.uk). Brass bowl, stylist’s own.‘Sip’ ceramic cup by Studio Arhoj, £18, Chase & Sorensen (chaseandsorensen.com). Pink Murano glass vase, £858, The Apartment (theapartment.dk).

‘Theodore’ table lamp (on floor), £177, Paris au Mois D’août (parisaumoisdaout.org) Stockist details on p185

‘ AT O L L O ’ TA B L E L I G H T B Y VICO MAGISTRETTI FOR OLUCE This statement piece was created in 1977 by Magistretti, the master of Italian Modernism.

It won the Compasso d’Oro award in 1979 and became a near-instant classic. Its clean geometric shape is beautifully restrained. £414, Ambiente Direct (ambientedirect.com)

From left ‘Together’ extending table by Ilse Crawford for De La Espada, £3,030, Twentytwentyone (twentytwentyone.com). ‘Simple’ small bowl, £55; plate, £35, both Astier de Villatte (astierdevillatte.com). ‘Atollo’ table light by Vico Magistretti for Oluce, from £414, Ambiente Direct (ambientedirect.com). Glass candleholder by Oyoy, £16.14, Stilleben (stilleben.dk). ‘Cafu’ vase by Holmbäcknordentoft, from £42, Georg Jensen (georgjensen.com). Bowl and scissors, stylist’s own Stockist details on p185 ➤

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‘ L C 7 ’ L E AT H E R S W I V E L C H A I R

BY LE CORBUSIER, PIERRE JEANNERET AND CHARLOTTE PERRIAND FOR CASSINA Designed in 1927 by the superstar trio, the chair is beloved for its gentle curves and a comfortable leather seat and backrest. £1,992, Aram Store (aram.co.uk)

‘ LT R ’ B L A C K O C C A S I O N A L TA B L E B Y C H A R L E S A N D R AY EAMES FOR VITRA The mid-century design duo are famous for their playful yet functional pieces. This side table was created in 1950, and the veneer top is produced in a number of different colours. £180, John Lewis ( johnlewis.com)

IF YOU ONLY BUY ONE THING… From left ‘LTR’ occasional table by Charles and Ray Eames for Vitra, £180, John Lewis (johnlewis.com). ‘Silenzio’ candle by Fornasetti, £115, Amara (amara.com). ‘Cork Family B’ stool by Jasper Morrison for Vitra, £324, Utility (utilitydesign.co.uk). White lidded jars by Uh La La, from £50 each, Stilleben (stilleben.dk). ‘LC7’ swivel chair by Le Corbusier, Pierre Jeanneret and Charlotte Perriand for Cassina, £1,992, Aram Store (aram.co.uk). ‘Mail’ pink cashmere scarf, £245, Society Limonta (societylimonta.com). One-off Berber rug, for similar try ‘Atlas’, £6,305, The Rug Company (therugcompany.com) Stockist details on p185

‘A331’ PENDANT LIGHT B Y A LVA R A A LT O F O R A RT E K Nicknamed the ‘Beehive’, this aluminium and brass light was created in 1953 for the University of Jyväskylä – Aalto designed a number of buildings on the campus.

It was put into production by Artek and is now one of his most popular pendant lights. £760, Skandium (skandium.com)

‘ S TA N D A R D ’ C H A I R B Y J E A N PROUVÉ FOR VITRA French industrial designer Prouvé created his most famous piece in 1934. The front legs are made of light steel tubing, while the back ones are much thicker: Prouvé designed it this way to reflect which parts of a chair take the most of a user’s weight. £547, Twentytwentyone (twentytwentyone.com)

From left ‘Together’ table by Ilse Crawford for De La Espada, £3,030, Twentytwentyone (twentytwentyone.com). Marble bowl, stylist’s own. ‘Nordic’ candleholder by Oy Oy, £16.95, Stilleben (stilleben.dk). Vintage vase, sourced from Beau Marche (beaumarche.dk). ‘Paper Porcelain’ vase, £109; plate, £25; espresso cup and saucer, £38; coffee cup and saucer, £50, all by Scholten & Baijings for Hay, Liberty (liberty.com). Light blue bowl, stylist’s own.

‘Victoria’ teapot by Astier de Villatte, £230, Catesbys (catesbys.co.uk). ‘A331’ pendant light by Alvar Aalto for Artek, £760, Skandium (skandium.com).

‘Standard’ chairs (two pictured) by Jean Prouvé for Vitra, £547 each, Twentytwentyone (twentytwentyone.com) Stockist details on p185 ➤

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‘ PA N T O N W I R E ’ S T O R A G E SYSTEM BY VERNER PA N T O N F O R M O N TA N A This modular storage collection is lightweight, sleek and minimalist, and the boxes can be arranged in any number of configurations. The wire structure is echoed in a number of Panton’s other famous designs, including the ‘Wire Cone’ chair and table. From £131 for a box, Twentytwentyone (twentytwentyone.com)

‘ P K 8 0 ’ D AY B E D B Y POUL KJÆRHOLM FOR FRITZ HANSEN Designed in 1957 and inspired by the Bauhaus movement, Kjærholm’s daybed is made from polished stainless steel, the industrial designer’s material of choice for many of his products.

Kjærholm was best known for teaming matt steel with high quality natural materials, especially leather. £12,906 for white leather and stainless steel, Aram Store (aram.co.uk)

IF YOU ONLY BUY ONE THING… From left ‘Copycat’ light (on floor) by Michael Anastassiades for Flos, £426, Skandium (skandium.com). ‘Panton Wire’ storage system by Verner Panton for Montana, from £131 for a box, Twentytwentyone (twentytwentyone.com). ‘Container’ glass jar by Sebastian Herkner for Pulpo, £238, Pamono (pamono.co.uk). ‘W153 Île’ light (on shelf) by Inga Sempé for Wästberg, from £165, Viaduct (viaduct.co.uk). ‘Simple’ small bowl, £55, Astier de Villatte (astierdevillatte.com). White blanket by Aiayu, £282, Stilleben (stilleben.dk). Cashmere throw, £566, Geismars (geismars.com).

‘PK80’ daybed by Poul Kjærholm for Fritz Hansen, £12,906, Aram Store (aram.co.uk). Pink cushions, stylist’s own. Red throw, £566, Geismars (geismars.com). ‘Nid’ grey throw, £382, Society Limonta (societylimonta.com). ‘524 Tabouret Berger’ stool by Charlotte Perriand for Cassina, £498, Twentytwentyone (twentytwentyone.com) Stockist details on p185

‘ S N O O P Y ’ TA B L E L I G H T

BY ACHILLE & PIER GIACOMO CASTIGLIONI FOR FLOS Paying more than a passing resemblance to its namesake, the famous hound created by cartoonist Charles Schultz, the ‘Snoopy’ lamp originated in Italy in 1967. Consisting of an enamelled black shade and a tilted marble stand, Achille and Pier Castiglioni’s design is instantly recognisable and wonderfully charming. £610, The Conran Shop (conranshop.co.uk)

‘ Q U A D E R N A’ B E N C H B Y S U P E R S T U D I O F O R Z A N O T TA Founded in 1966 by Adolfo Natalini and Cristiano Toraldo di Francia, Italian architectural firm Superstudio was part of an Italian anti-design movement and favoured pared-back geometric details over elaborate decoration.

The ‘Quaderna’ bench is a perfect example of this aesthetic. £1,970, Nest (nest.co.uk)

From left ‘Quaderna’ bench by Superstudio for Zanotta, £1,970, Nest (nest.co.uk). Pink Murano vase, £858, The Apartment (theapartment.dk). ‘Simple’ bowl, £55, Astier de Villatte (astierdevillatte.com). ‘Snoopy’ lamp by Achille & Pier Giacomo Castiglioni for Flos, £610, The Conran Shop (theconranshop.co.uk). ‘Mail’ pink scarf, £245, Society Limonta (societylimonta.com). Pink cushion, stylist’s own. One-off Berber rug, for similar try ‘Atlas’, £6,305, The Rug Company (therugcompany.com) Stockist details on p185 E D

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Working to Le Corbusier’s principles, interior architect Janette Laverrière designed the elegant mahogany-andiron banister. Beneath the stairs, a carefully planned composition of cupboards maximises storage

S M A L L S PAC E S # 6

LE CORBUSIER EFFECT Inspired by the famous architect’s clever use of built-in furniture, this apartment in Paris makes the most of every square metre Words ALI MORRIS Photography FREDERIC DUCOUT/LIVING INSIDE Production MARIO DE CASTRO

‘I AM VERY FOND OF THE DESIGN PERIOD THAT MY HOME REPRESENTS. IT’S A TIME WHEN SPACE WAS A MASTER PREOCCUPATION IN FRANCE’

arie-Charlotte Vienne’s Parisian apartment is an architectural gem that is as inspiring and modern today as when it was conceived over five decades ago. It belonged to her father, Swiss engineer Charles Vienne, who bought the 30-square-metre former painting studio in 1961. The building was short on space but full of light and, seeing its potential, Charles sought the counsel of Swiss-French architect Le Corbusier (a good friend of his mother), whose open-plan layouts and space-saving built-in storage, used to great effect in nearby buildings Villa La Roche and Villa Jeanneret (see inspiration on p138), had won great acclaim.

A meeting was set up between the two at the Cité Radieuse (Radiant City), the famous Brutalist housing block in Marseille designed by Le Corbusier in 1935. The rendezvous was fruitful, and Charles was awarded with a letter from Le Corbusier stating that he could use his conceptual ideas in the design of his new home.

One year later, under the guidance of interior architect and designer Janette Laverrière, the apartment came to life, realised in a palette of crisp white, Formica, mahogany and flashes of primary colour. Its C-shaped layout is spread across two floors, with the main living areas occupying a double-height space on the ground level. The lofty ceilings – up to five-metres in the centre of the living room – help to offset the apartment’s small footprint.

The open-plan downstairs accommodates a fireplace mounted on a terracotta-tiled wall and an alcove lined with shelves and drawers, from which a sofa bed slides out when required.

Every inch of dead space is given over to storage: the window seat (opposite the sofa bed) conceals cubby holes beneath its Mondrian-inspired leather cushions, and there are cupboards on either side of the windows. On the mezzanine level above, the kitchen is hidden behind mahogany doors and complemented by a dining table that folds out from a cupboard.

‘I am very fond of the design period that my home represents,’ says Marie-Charlotte. ‘It’s a time when space was a master preoccupation, when artists, architects and interior designers were working on the L’Esprit Nouveau. For me, less is more, and the absence of furniture fits well with my lifestyle.’ ➤ The main living area sits within a double-height space that feels light and airy. The sofa bed, seen here, slides out from beneath the drawers and tucks away neatly when not in use, to free up floor space. The shelves and concealed storage are built into the walls

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Above left The under-stair storage includes a fold-out desk, shelving and drawers, all crafted from mahogany Above right This cupboard hides the radiator. There’s more built-in storage above it Below left Concealed by comfy leather cushions in Mondrian-inspired colours, the window seat doubles up as handy storage Below right The built-in wardrobe is perfectly located beside the hideaway sofa bed in the main living space

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Three sets of windows arch over the double-height room. Homeowner Marie-Charlotte loves to paint in the bright study, where she has added an Ikea desk, a vintage stool and this ‘Signal’ task lamp by Jean-Louis Domecq for Jieldé (available from SCP) Stockist details on p185 ➤

‘FOR ME, LESS IS MORE AND THE LACK OF FURNITURE FITS WELL WITH MY LIFESTYLE’

Above and right Floor-to-ceiling mahogany doors cover the kitchen on the top floor. The upper section opens to reveal wall units (in green Formica), a pewter sink and a hob, all framed by a mosaic tile splashback. A small dining table folds out of a nearby wall unit ➤

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T H E I N S P I R AT I O N V I L L A L A R O C H E AND VILLA JEANNERET Why are these buildings so special? They are Le Corbusier’s most famous private Parisian residences.

A pair of semi-detached houses nestled in the 16th arrondissement, they exemplify the design traits of the architect – many of which have been applied to this home.

What ideas do they share with this apartment?

Concealed storage, an open-plan layout and the use of block colour. Key design features include long horizontal windows that allow light to reach every corner, and the use of reinforced concrete, which removes the need for load-bearing walls and allows the creation of open-plan interiors. For the most part, storage units were integrated fully into the architecture. Le Corbusier also introduced colour into his projects for the first time at Villa La Roche (below) – walls in shadow were painted blue, and those fully illuminated by natural light, highlighted in red.

Can I visit the villas? Yes! Originally commissioned

by Swiss banker Raoul La Roche as a gallery to display his avant-garde art collection, Villa La Roche is now open to the public as a museum, while Villa Jeanneret (commissioned by Le Corbusier’s brother Albert Jeanneret) is now home to the Le Corbusier Foundation (fondation lecorbusier.fr).

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PICTURE: OLIVIER MARTIN GAMBIER/FLC/DACS

Made-to-measure mahogany shelving and sliding interior doors maximise every inch of space. The kitchen leads into the bathroom (featuring a compact corner bath), which is enlivened by original orange glass mosaic tiles E D

Above A glazed section of floor on the second storey floods the rooms below with light and draws the eye upwards, making the ceilings appear higher. A skylight in the attic bedroom (opposite) has the same effect Opposite Bold pattern can work in small spaces. This ‘Bengal’ wallpaper by Ananbô is a beautiful focal point in the living area Stockist details on p185

S M A L L S PAC E S # 7

WORDS: CLARE SARTIN PHOTOGRAPHY: ROMAIN RICARD

THE LIGHT HOUSE Internal windows and carefully placed mirrors make this home appear bigger and brighter When architects Isabelle Juy-Lott and Matthieu Lott purchased this flat in the heart of Paris, its 35-square-metre floorplan suited them perfectly. However, the arrival of two children – Arsene (now eight) and May (five months) – made things a bit too cramped. The couple purchased the attic and a further small space above the building’s communal staircase to accommodate the new members of the family. To lighten the rooms, they built a glazed section into the floor of the second storey and placed mirrors opposite windows to bounce light around. Still only 90 square metres, this home now gives the impression of being much bigger. E D

S M A L L S PAC E S # 8

A superbly glossy ruby-red mahogany floor and luxurious brass details make a big impact in this unique Parisian pied-Ã -terre Words TRISH LORENZ Photography O AMSELLEM/ PHOTOFOYER

This pillar, which conceals wiring, has been clad in reflective brass, helping to bounce light around the apartment

The green marble and brass table, designed by architect Rodolphe Parente, was inspired by the ring worn by the dwarf in Twin Peaks.

The armchairs are 1960s designs by Gae Aulenti for Prisunic (try 1st Dibs). The floor light is also a vintage piece, by Andrée Putman Stockist details on p185

T

his apartment in the Rive Gauche, south Paris, measures only 35 square metres, but it makes up in individuality what it lacks in size. Architect Rodolphe Parente designed the interior for a 38-year-old practicing Buddhist, who lives alone, and the inspiration behind it is as idiosyncratic as the space itself. ‘I was asked to create a place evocative of the dancing dwarf’s red room in the TV series Twin Peaks,’ he says. ‘The owner is a huge fan of David Lynch and wanted an emotional and vibrant interior.’

Situated on the sixth floor of a traditional building, the apartment is a spectacle of red floors, concrete walls and glimmering brass that replaces the original period mouldings, parquet and brick.

‘Before the renovation, this space was a very typical Parisian flat, and we completely changed the atmosphere,’ says Rodolphe.

The apartment is separated into two distinct areas – the first comprises the kitchen and living room, and the second, the bedroom.

A small bathroom divides the two, acting as a visual demarcation between private and public spaces.

The unusual mix of materials were key to the success of this Parente’s design. The shiny, wet-look red mahogany floor, designed in collaboration with French wood flooring expert Oscar Ono, ➤

‘WE APPLIED TWO COATS OF COLOUR TO THE WOOD TO CREATE THE INTENSE RED SHADE, THEN ADDED A SHINY RESIN LAYER FOR A SUPER-GLOSSY EFFECT – I WANTED A WET-LOOK FLOOR’

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Built into the wall to maximise floor space, the floating concrete bookcase weighs over one tonne

runs throughout the space and is offset by the stainless-steel bathroom and brass furniture. The apartment also makes extensive use of concrete – as a finishing coat over the walls and ceiling, and also for the bookshelves and the doors of the kitchen units. The rawness of the material provides a vivid contrast to the metal accents and polished floor. ‘I like to mix traditional and modest materials with precious details, and to combine glossy and matt or patterned and minimal finishes,’ says Rodolphe.

The homeowner’s requirement for a large bookcase – difficult to accommodate in such a small space – was achieved by installing a floating concrete shelving unit that is part architectural statement, part sculpture. Building the shelving was a technical challenge as the empty bookshelves alone weigh more than a tonne – they are supported by an invisible structure built into the wall. This feature is not the only functional element in this home that makes an unexpected statement. The boxed-out pillar in the kitchen, which conceals electrical wires, has been clad in brass, turning a necessity into a focal point. It’s now one of the first things you notice when you step inside. ‘I designed it to catch the light – it’s like a little ray of sunshine,’ says Rodolphe. rodolpheparente.com E D 146 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK MARCH 2017

‘I WAS ASKED TO CREATE A PLACE EVOCATIVE OF THE DANCING DWARF’S RED ROOM IN THE TV SERIES TWIN PEAKS. THE OWNER IS A HUGE FAN OF DAVID LYNCH’

The en suite shower is clad in stainless steel, and the area that divides the bedroom from the main living room is framed by large mirrors to enhance the sense of space

S M A L L S PAC E I D E A S

Architect Rodolphe Parente’s top tips Bring creativity to your home, no matter what its size – don’t think about the proportions of the space, but about the movie you want to make!

Include hidden details that only you know about. Lining a drawer with an opulent fabric is one way to up the luxe factor in a small space.

Use mirrors to make the smallest home feel large and, if used well, infinite.

Transform functional elements by making them part of the overall décor.

Integrate beauty into daily life; in this apartment we’ve concealed utilities in a shining brass box.

S M A L L S PAC E S # 9

OPEN MINDED By knocking down walls and using genius spacesaving ideas, the owner of this Cape Town apartment has maximised his floorplan Words HANNAH BOOTH Styling SVEN ALBERDING Photography WARREN HEATH/BUREAUX.CO.ZA/LIVING INSIDE

This sofa (find similar at Sofa.com), coffee table and chair are vintage pieces. Try Tori Murphy for cushions Stockist details on p185 ➤

This wall-length unit evolves from sink and oven storage in the kitchen to shelving for books and records in the living area

The use of simple, bare bulbs ensures that the view across the open-plan space is not broken or obscured

A large rug from Superbalist in Cape Town visually separates the lounge from the dining area Stockist details on p185

‘I

wanted an open-plan space, so knew when working from home. I’m a very keen minimalist immediately what I had to do,’ says and hate clutter, so I hide just about everything.’ commercials director and editor Robert Robert’s furniture has a Scandinavian aesthetic, Nicholls. ‘Bash down some walls!’ With the and is arranged against a simple palette of bright help of his friend, architect Michael Lumby of L&L white and plywood. ‘We used a white wax to seal Architects, Robert has completely reconfigured the cabinets, so they won’t yellow at all over time,’ his 58-square-metre flat: it now accommodates he says. ‘I also painted the floors white; they melt an open living, kitchen and seamlessly into the stairway.’ dining area, a converted loft The ingenious double-turn ‘I’m a very keen bedroom and clever spacestaircase negotiates the stiff saving tricks throughout. minimalist and hate gradient to the upstairs without The front door opens straight valuable floor space. clutter, so I hide just wasting into the kitchen and dining ‘It’s like climbing a steep hill,’ area (the bathroom is to the says Robert. Plus, every one of about everything’ left), which leads into the living the steps serves as extra storage, room and on to a balcony. A storage unit runs the housing clothes and cleaning products. Up in the entire length of the wall in the space and evolves eaves of the apartment, Robert’s loft bedroom to meet the requirements of each zone: ‘It houses features built-in shelves and drawers that display washbasins, the oven and hot plates in the kitchen, his vintage camera collection and efficiently store and books, CDs, DVDs and records in the living his bedlinen and shoes. Its neat simplicity sums area,’ says Robert. ‘I even have a desk that slides up the ethos of the interior: clean, collected and out beneath the TV, allowing me to edit videos uncluttered. ikraal.co.za; l-l.co.za ➤ MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 151

This tall plywood cupboard separates the entrance from the kitchen – it acts as both storage and a partition wall, complete with coat hooks. A black Anglepoise lamp is attached to the top, providing task lighting for the kitchen

A vintage bar trolley, which the homeowner sourced from a local market, offers additional ‘moveable’ counter space in the kitchen

This ingenious double-turn staircase provides access to the bedroom in the loft without wasting valuable floor space.

Built-in cupboards add extra storage ➤

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Robert’s collection of vintage cameras have a purpose-built home above the staircase

S M A L L S PAC E I D E A S

Homeowner Robert Nicholls’ top tips Lose the walls. An open-plan layout creates the illusion of space.

Build upwards. Use any loft/attic space available, however small, as every square inch counts in a compact home.

Install a double-turn or winder staircase. Make sure it’s super-steep, and has alternating treads, to take up less space.

Storage, storage, and storage. Add under-stairs cupboards and built-in shelving units wherever you can accommodate them.

Keep surfaces clear so that your home feels larger.

Zone living areas. Use lighting or rugs to denote separate areas – it all helps to create “rooms” within one big space. E D

This bespoke built-in plywood unit runs from the bed to the stairs, acting as a bedside table and a display case all in one

Robert’s bright, open-plan home has a Scandinavian aesthetic, and is arranged against a palette of white and plywood

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S M A L L S P A C E S #1 0

T H E F A M I LY NEST Suspended above the living room, this home’s smartly segmented mezzanine level provides much-needed space and privacy The most popular way to maximise space in a home is to go openplan, but such a lack of privacy wasn’t an option for interior designer Christèle Ageorges and her growing family. She tasked architect Francois Muracciole with creating a house that could accommodate four people in 42 square metres. His solution?

A mezzanine level that’s separated into boxes, each housing a room.

This quirky layout has added 20 square metres to the property.

WORDS: SARAH MORGAN PHOTOGRAPHY: MARIE PIERRE-MOREL

Left The two sides of the mezzanine level are linked by a suspended walkway, covered in striped rugs. Shuttered openings in the walls bring a homely feel Above Situated directly beneath the walkway, the open living and dining area is bathed in light from the glass ceiling above Right The main bedroom is hidden within this charming plywood hut.

The original design creates a cosy hideaway in the family home E D

HOW TO LIVE THE HIGH LIFE

S M A L L S P A C E S #11

Can’t build out?

Build up instead.

The owner of this industrial Cape Town loft shows us how he has made the most of its generous ceiling height Words NELL CARD Photography GREG COX/ALL BUREAUX.CO.ZA/LIVING INSIDE Styling SHELLEY STREET

R

upert Smith, a designer and co-owner of South Africa’s visual merchandising school, VM Central & Olive Studio, moved from a large Victorian house to this Cape Town loft apartment in 2013.

It is located on the second floor of a converted print works in Woodstock, an up-and-coming industrial area where Rupert also has a studio. ‘I’d always dreamed of living in an industrial space,’ Rupert recalls, ‘but this one was in such a terrible state when I first saw it, I couldn’t imagine how it could work. But I took my business partner along for a second opinion and she convinced me to go for it.’

Since this first viewing, the apartment has had a complete overhaul. Rupert has exploited its six-metre-high ceilings and abundance of natural light to create a home for himself and his son, Hero (13), who stays here regularly. ‘Having moved from a large house to a small, open-plan space, the priority was to not feel claustrophobic,’ he says. To this end, Rupert employed a team of carpenters to replace the kitchen and build a third level above the existing steel mezzanine, creating a separate bedroom for Hero. The concrete floors were sealed with a layer of dark resin, and the original steel window frames and staircase were sanded and painted black. Black paint has also been applied to a selection of the walls to define spaces.

The open-plan ground floor is zoned using mismatched rugs that warm the concrete floor: there’s a worn but characterful vintage Persian carpet in the living area, and

THE OPEN-PLAN GROUND FLOOR IS ZONED USING MISMATCHED RUGS, INCLUDING A VINTAGE PERSIAN CARPET AND A STRIPED IKEA DESIGN an eye-catching striped design divides the dining area from the kitchen. Rupert’s towering steel-framed shelving unit serves as another room divider, and provides ample storage for his crockery collection. There is a lot on show, but as most of the pieces are transparent the displays do not overwhelm the space.

‘I’m a collector. I like to have pretty things around me and I have an eye for visual composition,’ says Rupert, who previously owned an interiors store in Woodstock.

‘It was the first store in Cape Town to stock taxidermy, much to everyone’s horror!’ He exercises restraint by keeping many of his possessions in storage and rotating them in and out. ‘I often get bored, which is when I start moving things around,’ he says. ‘But, it always ends up back this way. It just works for me.’ vm-central.com

M A K E IT MO N O C H ROM E ‘I start all of my interior projects with a monochrome palette, and build upon that with layers of texture. The interplay between black and white helps to visually separate the living space, but also provides a striking backdrop to my collection of plants and macabre objects.’ The rug and leather sofa are from Woodstock Vintage (try Junk Deluxe in the UK) and the walls are painted ‘Rich Matt Black’ and ‘Pure Brilliant White Matt’, both by Dulux. Stockist details on p185 160 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK MARCH 2017

A I M H I G H E R ‘The ceilings are six metres high, and I have used this height to maximise space. For example, my shelving unit (right) is three metres high, and acts as both a room divider and open storage.

On the mezzanine level above, I’ve installed sliding doors to create a walk-in closet, and to conceal the boiler, washing machine and tumble dryer. When the doors are closed, they form another white wall.’ ➤

N AT U R A L B L E N D ‘My sofa is camouflaged against the black wall behind it, making it appear to take up less space in the room. Despite the open-plan layout of the house, I have created cosy corners that are full of interest.’ Above, a sheepskin rug (try The Wool Company) adds softness and texture to a quiet reading spot. Stockist details on p185 ➤ MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 163

G E T I N TH E ZO N E ‘I am careful not to overwhelm the loft, but at the same time, I don’t want to live in a sterile, industrial environment – it’s eclectic yet unified. The rugs and tables are visual dividers that create distinct areas within the open space.’ Buy vintage glassware at Etsy, and wooden lettering [on windowsill] at The Vintage Wall.

Stockist details on p185

WO R K E V E RY SU R FAC E ‘I’ve increased storage in the kitchen by mounting cupboards and shelving on the walls, which I painted white.’ The heavy wooden workbench and marble tabletop provide an extra worksurface. For vintage benches and tables, try Original House. The stool is a Tolix design (available from Made in Design). Stockist details on p185 ➤ MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 165

CREATE A WORKSPACE ‘This vintage table is tucked in a recess beneath the mezzanine floor to create a handy home office.’

Rupert has personalised the room with a feature wall, upon which he has mounted his taxidermy parrot.

The black desk lamp clips neatly onto the table to provide task lighting that doesn’t hog space on the worktop (try Anglepoise in the UK for similar). Retrouvius sells similar vintage filing cabinets.

Stockist details on p185

GO GREEN ‘I love gardening and had a beautiful garden before I moved here, so I knew I was going to miss it. Hence, I’ve tried to create my own indoor garden. The plants lend a vibrancy and vitality to the space that reflects the area I live in.’ Find new versions of the Eames ‘RAR’ rocking chair (right) at The Conran Shop.

C U R AT E A N D C O N C E A L ‘My advice to anyone living in a small property is to plan for storage that disappears into the walls, rather than relying on bulky cupboards. There is hidden storage in my loft, including a 2.5-metre-tall unit with white sliding doors. That’s where we keep things like bedding, books and DVDs. Storage should be part of the space – it should never eat into it. That said, don’t be afraid to display the things you love: that is what makes a home.’ Find a similar school gym bench (bottom right) at Lassco, and try Ayre & Co for a selection of taxidermy and glass bell jars.

Stockist details on p185 ➤

‘I AM CAREFUL NOT TO OVERWHELM THE LOFT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME I DON’T WANT TO LIVE IN A STERILE, INDUSTRIAL ENVIRONMENT – IT’S ECLECTIC BUT UNIFIED’

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K E E P IT S I M PL E ‘The bathroom is pared back, but the black painted wall and touches of gold add luxury.’ Try online marketplace The Hoarde for antique mirrors and quirky pieces in the UK. Source vintage taps from Lassco, and similar new taps from Samuel Heath. Heads and Tails sell animals skulls. Stockist details on p185 168 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK MARCH 2017

‘I START ALL OF MY DESIGN PROJECTS WITH A MONOCHROME PALETTE, AND THEN BUILD UPON THAT WITH LAYERS OF TEXTURE’

LEVEL UP ‘Our bedrooms are on the second and third floor. I added the second mezzanine level [you can just see the access ladder here] during the renovation. I work with a team of carpenters in my studio, so I designed the new floor, and commissioned them to make it for me.’ Find bare bulb pendant lights like these at Heal’s. Buy chunky knit blankets at Etsy. Stockist details on p185 E D

HOTELS • R ESTAUR A NTS • GA R DENS • GETAWAYS

ESCAPE

HOWARD’S WAY

WORDS: MARKIE ROBSON-SCOTT

11 Howard, the latest venture from property mogul Aby Rosen, combines two of our favourite styles – New York chic and Scandi calm. Situated in the heart of SoHo, New York, it’s a 221-room haven featuring 4.5-metre-high ceilings, bleached wood panelling and brass light fittings created by hip Danish studio Space Copenhagen and architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle. The Blond Bar (pictured) – decorated in dark woods with deep-blue sofas – is a delightful place to start the evening. £246 for a double room (designhotels.com).

F O R M O R E P L A C E S T O E X P L O R E , V I S I T E L L E D E C O R AT I O N . C O . U K

Escape | N E W S

HIGH AND MIGHTY

ARLBERG 1800 The Austrian skiing village of St Anton is home to Arlberg 1800 (top), a resort-slash-cultural-quarter that has its own concert hall, art gallery and the largest ‘big bottle’ – magnums and upwards – wine cellar in the world. New for this year are 17 cosy loft-style suites that all feature open fires, Sonos music systems and Egyptian cotton sheets, not to mention saunas, ice showers and direct access to the slopes.

Thanks to the new ski lift that connects the towns of Lech, Zurs, Stuben and St Christoph with St Anton, guests have more than 340 kilometres of ski slopes on their doorstep. From £2,000 for seven nights based on six people sharing a suite (arlberg1800.at).

CHALET WEISS SPA Over in Kitzbühel in Austria, this is the ultimate luxury accommodation. With five floors and space for 14 guests, Chalet Weiss (above) is big and expensive, but its USP is the spa, which includes a pool, sauna and hammam. Daily housekeeping and a concierge come as standard, with full catering – including Champagne, dinners and homemade afternoon tea on return from the slopes – and a chauffeur service available. From £35,950 for 14 people, fully catered, for seven days ( brambleski.com).

HALB HAUS London architect Jonathan Tuckey specialises in modernising old buildings, and while he and his family were living in the Swiss Alps hamlet of Andermatt he spotted this 17th-century chalet (right), which had been partially destroyed in the 1960s (its name is German for ‘Half House’). He set about restoring it, then the family moved in. Now that it’s not their permanent home, the house is available to rent. £260 per night (urlaubsarchitektur.de).

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WORDS: CHARLOTTE BROOK PICTURES: DAVID CHURCHILL, YVES GARNEAU, JAMES BRITTAIN, FRANCIS AMIAND

Ski season is in full swing, and we’ve found three luxurious, contemporary alternatives to the traditional Swiss chalet

J O I N T H E C H E F ’ S TA B L E After holidaying at Rocca Delle Tre Contrade, a sherbet-pink hideaway in the orange grove-clad foothills of Mount Etna in Sicily, Skye Gyngell, head chef at Somerset House-based brasserie Spring, was enchanted. So much so, she is returning to the 24-person private holiday rental in 2017 to host two separate weeks of teaching, exploring the culinary landscape with up to 16 guests. There will be visits to markets, tastings of local Etna wines, demonstrations and hands-on workshops in how to make fresh pasta. From £3,876 per person based on two sharing, includes all meals (thethinkingtraveller.com).

Escape | N E W S

BELLA BRITANNIA This winter it’s easier than ever to find Italian flavour on British shores, from a new market selling authentic produce to London’s first digestivo delivery service For a taste of Turin, visit the bustling Mercato Metropolitano (top left) in south London’s Southwark, where wholesome ingredients from Piedmont are sold in a covered market surrounded by espresso bars, salumerias (charcuterie shops) and kiosks dishing up hot handmade tortellini (mercatometropolitano.co.uk).

In need of a pizza fix? Make a beeline for new pizzeria Radio Alice – named after a 1970s pirate radio station based in Bologna – the first British outpost of brothers Salvatore and Matteo Aloe. They persuaded Gail’s Bakery co-founder Emma King to help them launch the restaurant, which breaks with tradition by cooking all of its pizzas plain, only adding toppings afterwards (radioalicepizzeria.co.uk).

In other news, Soho institution Lina Stores (far left) – one of the capital’s oldest Italian delicatessens – has had a revamp that means fans can now dine in at the counter or at one of the 12 al fresco spots (linastores.co.uk).

Finally, Limoncello-loving Londoners can summon Don Staibano’s Amalfi-made liqueur to their door (staibano.com).

Book now Central London’s ritziest Art Deco restaurant, Brasserie Zedel, has launched a spring programme of evening entertainment. Live At Zedel will lure diners with performances ranging from comedy to jazz. Enjoy with a ‘Charlie Chaplin’ cocktail in hand (apricot brandy, sloe gin and fresh lime). Until June (brasseriezedel.com).

PICTURES: SARAG MONTALI, JOSHUA AKIN, DAVID WESTWOOD, MIKE BRUCE

FIT FOR A QUEEN

It’s easy to see why Queen’s House in Greenwich became known as the ‘House of Delight’. Commissioned

by King James’ wife Anne of Denmark in the 17th century for courtly entertaining, it’s extremely elegant – the architect, Inigo Jones, took inspiration from 16th-century Palladian porticos and neoclassical architecture.

Following a £3 million restoration, it is now open to the public and features over 450 works of art including canvases by Canaletto, Van Dyck and the famous Armada Portrait of Elizabeth I. Our highlight? The majestic Great Hall ( far right), which glints with golden floral motifs by Turner Prize winner Richard Wright (rmg.co.uk).

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Escape | N E W S

A TASTE OF PUGLIA

HOTEL Stay at Masseria Moroseta (top and left), a bed and breakfast, working farm and the very last word in rustic minimalism that has been designed by Barcelona-based Brit Andrew Trotter.

It now offers yoga courses, cooking classes and luxurious spa facilities (double rooms from ÂŁ80 per night; masseriamoroseta.it).

RESTAURANT If an Italian mini-break is a bit of a stretch, make a dinner reservation instead at Ostuni (below left), a new north London tavern. The interior echoes its namesake’s architecture and local traditions: walls are painted the quintessential chalky white or clad in Pugliese limestone, and old grain sieves are used as pendant light shades. Thanks to friendly staff and a menu of hearty fare such as lamb with lentils and wild garlic, and Marsala-drenched tiramisu, supper here is perfect for a dolce vita-themed staycation (ostunirestaurant.co.uk).

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WORDS: CHARLOTTE BROOK PICTURES: SALVA LOPEZ

In desperate need of a change of scene? Here are two ways to experience the charm of Ostuni, a beautiful town in south Italy

Escape | G A R D E N S

GARDENING UPDATE Spring is a gardener’s busiest time. Here’s what’s happening in the world of plants THE BOOK Amateur gardener, London resident and magazine designer Kendra Wilson’s ‘My Garden is a Car Park and Other Design Dilemmas’ (Laurence King, £12.99) is beautifully photographed and perfect for novices.

Wilson addresses problems such as ‘Worried about watering?’, and ‘Share your garden with your car?’, the dilemma which inspired the book’s title.

PICTURES: AGNESE SANVITO, JAMES WICKS, ALAMY

THE PROJECT Farmopolis started as a plant-rescue project rehoming thousands of shrubs left over from the RHS Chelsea Flower Show. A gardening hub that sits on a jetty bobbing on the Thames, it’s quite literally a farm in the metropolis. Income derives from the suggested £3 donation to visit, and a programme of events and workshops. Now this floating Eden has a new restaurant/café: the interior and menu are by Kofler & Kompanie, the team behind The Magazine restaurant at The Serpentine. Take TFL’s efficient River Bus to North Greenwich to get there and order the house fizz of prosecco, limoncello and fresh thyme, followed by Scottish salmon tabbouleh (farmopolis.com).

THE BLOG Founded by young British gardener John Tebbs, The Garden Edit is one of the best online stores for modern kit, but the website’s ‘Journal’ tab is now worth bookmarking in its own right.

It’s split into sections including Maker Profiles, the Garden Series – featuring case studies of public and private green spaces – and The Arrangement, which showcases one bouquet at a time (thegardenedit.com/blogs/journal).

PLANNING AHEAD Wish you were looking out at a garden blanketed in snowdrops? March is the month to plant them in preparation for next year!

And to enjoy wildflowers this June, sprinkle those seeds this month, too.

THE MAGAZINE ‘The Plant’ is a cool biannual that offers enthusiastic, clear advice for buying and maintaining modern plants.

Starting life in Barcelona, it is now produced between Spain and London and features edgy photography. Each issue puts a spotlight on a particular plant – the latest edition focuses on the ‘Elephant Ear’ shrub. £23 for an annual subscription (the plantmagazine.com).

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Escape | G E T A W AY

LIVE LIKE A LOCAL

PIGALLE, PARIS Our new series seeks out hidden gems in Europe’s most popular cities.

This month, we take up residence in an area dubbed ‘the Soho of the Seine’ Words CHARLOTTE BROOK

Instead of pounding the pavements from one popular landmark to the next, avoid the crowds and explore the continent’s most enticing cities like a native. Leave the Louvre until next time: for a low-key Parisian weekend, stay 20 minutes north in Pigalle.

WORDS: ALAMY PICTURE: NAME PICTURES: NAME

THE NEIGHBOURHOOD The ninth arrondissement’s former red light district, Pigalle has long been associated with ‘alternative’ scenes – from bohemian artists to the black market.

South Pigalle, aka SoPi – the quarter’s new, NYC-influenced nickname – is now well into a new groove thanks to a wave of modern designer-makers, one-off shops and tiny cocktail bars. ➤

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LIVE LIKE A LOCAL WHERE TO STAY The brilliant new creation of Valéry Grégo, a skateboarding hotelier, is Le Pigalle hotel (1). ‘We didn’t want to make a hotel that simply reflected what Pigalle is becoming, but what it was and still is. It still has grit,’ he says.

French architecture practice Festen oversaw the design and the team describe the result as being ‘collaborative, underworld, a neighbourhood hotel.’ A newspaper vendor, beer brewer, florist Muse Montmartre and bookseller Les Arpenteurs are some of the local businesses that have been collaborating with the hotel (9 rue Frochot, doubles from £109 per night; designhotels.com).

The terrifically efficient One Fine Stay lists only the chicest private homes and provides guests with a locally tuned iPhone and a discreet concierge service. Rue des Martyrs V (2) is our top pick in Pigalle (from £213 per night; onefinestay.com).

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BREAKFAST AND LUNCH Rue des Martyrs has some of the best speciality food shops in Paris. Find 57 varieties of shell-like génoise sponges at Mesdemoiselles Madeleines (3) and head to Maison Landemaine (4) for sourdough-style pain d’Antan. You’ll find superfresh sashimi at Sushi Shop (5) and boxes of mendiants – dark chocolate with pistachios, dried apricots, raisins and hazelnuts – at caramélier Henri Le Roux (6).

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WINE AND DINE Buvette Gastrothèque (7) is a slice of New York’s West Village in France.

As well as trendy fare like avocado on toast, there are plenty of traditional options – think tarte tatin sliced on an antique silver salver (28 rue Henry Monnier; buvette.com). A nightcap at the Belle Epoque-style Lulu White (8) – named after New Orleans’ 1800s demi-mondaine – where absinthe is dispatched from countertop urns, is a fine idea (12 rue Frochot; luluwhite.bar).

Escape | G E T A W AY 12

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ARTS AND CULTURE The little-known Musée de la Vie Romantique (9) is housed in the green-shuttered former home of Dutch painter Ary Scheffer, where the likes of Delacroix and Dickens used to rendezvous. Today, it exhibits romantic paintings, and the garden is wonderful for taking tea (16 Rue Chaptal; vie-romantique.paris.fr).

You’ll find modern art at Halle Saint Pierre (10), located in a light-flooded former covered market (2 rue Ronsard; hallesaintpierre.org).

SHOP Visit humming embroidery workshop Zardosi (11) to have a pillowcase monogrammed (13 rue Henry Monnier; zardosi.fr) and pick up one

of the city’s most sculptural bouquets at Debeaulieu (12), perfumer Frederic Malle’s go-to florist (30 rue Henry Monnier; debeaulieu-paris.com).

WHAT TO READ BEFORE YOU GO Best known for its quirky milkywhite ceramics, Astier de Villatte’s first foray into publishing is city guide Ma Vie À Paris, a gilt-edged tome that resembles a French novel’s unbound manuscript more than a tourist handbook, and is now available in English (£40; astierdevillatte.com). E D

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ELLE Decoration | A D D R E S S

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PICTURE: GREG COX/ALL BUREAUX.CO.ZA/LIVING INSIDE (PHOTOGRAPHY), SHELLEY STREET (STYLING). NOTE: COLOURS MAY APPEAR DIFFERENT IN PRINT. ALWAYS CHECK SWATCH CARDS

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

ST YLISH INTERIORS Create your dream living space with our inspiring collection

EDWARD BULMER NATURAL PAINT

COSY UP WITH BRITISH MADE SOFAS, SOFA BEDS AND BEDS

This Spring, Edward Bulmer Natural Paint brings your home to life with a collection of 72 beautiful and wholly natural paints. The colours work as well in modern spaces as period homes, with a palette of unique and unrivalled colours they create extraordinary depth and a response to light which synthetic paints just cannot replicate.

Call 01544 388535 or order your complimentary colour chart www.edwardbulmerpaint.co.uk

Treat yourself and your loved ones this Valentine's Day with Willow & Hall's uniquely handcrafted British furniture. For a loving and welcoming interior, choose from sophisticated sofa beds with 14cm deep mattress options, to chaises with handy storage or classic, elegant beds. All furniture is made to order by skilled craftsmen in Wiltshire with over 35 years' experience. Designs are available in over 100 different fabrics and delivered for free to most of the UK Mainland within around 4-5 weeks.

Plus, they offer 14-day free returns on all orders. Visit their London showroom, shop online at www.willowandhall.co.uk or call 0845 468 0577. Use code ELLE30317 by 30th March 2017 to save an extra 5% off prices already 30% lower than the high street.

Product featured: The Lyneham sofa/sofa bed shown in Textured Chenille Duck Egg £969 and £1,139

DAVID STUDWELL David Studwell often uses figures that are synonymous with certain eras, in particular the swinging sixties. Marilyn Monroe, Steve McQueen and Elizabeth Taylor all feature in his work evoking a strong sense of nostalgia and bringing elements of the past into the present. He has exhibited in London and also the USA, and been published.

Featured here is ‘David Bowie,’ a limited edition silk screen (56 x 45cm, £300).

Visit www.davidstudwellgallery.co.uk or email davidstudwell@hotmail.com

BOLD TUESDAY Inspired by Scandinavian design, Bold Tuesday creates uniquely aesthetic maps and prints to incite curiosity, travel, and minimalistic beauty. Each thoughtful design acts as a canvas, allowing you to bring your world to your walls and mark your travels.

Shown here, List Of Countries simplifies, beautifies, and reorganises the world by true size to invoke a fresh cosmopolitan perspective. Readers save 15% with code ELLEDECORATION. To order go to www.boldtuesday.com Offer expires March 1st 2017.

REFUNKED.COM Gorgeous pieces of effortlessly chic yet distinctive furniture made in Cumbria.

Each piece reflects your needs and is created just for you. Working with mixed materials we create contemporary furniture with an industrial vibe.

Call 07939107976 or visit www.refunked.com

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DESIGNER

TO ADVERTISE HERE, PLEASE CALL THE CLASSIFIED TEAM ON 020 3728 6260

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MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 189

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TO ADVERTISE HERE, PLEASE CALL THE CLASSIFIED TEAM ON 020 3728 6260

INTERIORS & LIGHTING

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Classifieds | A – Z FURNITURE & FURNISHINGS

view the range at: www.barnbydesign.co.uk

furniture design handmade in HAY. *Offer ends 04/04/17 See theloungeco.com for Terms and Conditions

Joseph Chair in Family Friendly Soft Chenille - Dolphin Nose £549 price when bought with a SOF £399

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www.tomschneider.co.uk *Offer ends 31.03.17. Applies to Online Shop only. Code cannot be used with any other offer.

MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 191

Classifieds | A – Z

TO ADVERTISE HERE, PLEASE CALL THE CLASSIFIED TEAM ON 020 3728 6260

DANISH FURNITURE, FLOORING & BATHROOMS

What makes an Albion bath unique?

Our exclusive bath material creates a difference you can feel.

With over 50 models available, we’ll have a size for bathrooms big or small.

Request your brochure on: 01255 831605 or go to: www.albionbathco.com

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192 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK MARCH 2017

the ALBION bath co Handmade bathrooms directly from our factory

TO ADVERTISE HERE, PLEASE CALL THE CLASSIFIED TEAM ON 020 3728 6260 FABRICS & GLASS ROOMS

Classifieds | A – Z DOOR HANDLES & GARDEN ART

beautifully hand-crafted contemporary door handles in stainless steel and solid bronze

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MARCH 2017 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK 193

THE LAST WORD At ELLE Decoration we’re all self-confessed interiors fiends. Here, we reveal our current home obsessions, plus the products and projects we’ve been testing and tackling this month TERRARIUM TIPS Three lessons #TeamED learned during a terrarium workshop with Grace & Thorn (graceandthorn.com) Layering is key Add pebbles, soil and moss (in that order!) to create an eye-catching pattern.

Make room for succulents They need space to grow and enough depth for the roots to take hold.

Finish carefully Use a paintbrush to dust the inside edges for a neat result.

Deputy Editor Ben Spriggs has been trialling Samsung’s ‘Serif ’ TV this month, and he’s smitten Proof that not all technology is ugly, the ‘Serif’, created

by French designers the Bouroullec brothers, transforms the humble gogglebox into a beautiful piece of furniture with slim legs and an integrated shelf on top – it’s a TV that you’d be proud to have on display.

Updating an old piece of furniture can be a big task.

Managing Editor Debbie Black has a shortcut…

Panelling is one of the big trends for 2017.

Deputy Art Director Philippe Blanchin tells us how he mastered the art at home I love a good DIY project, and this year I stretched my self-taught skills to their limit by panelling a bedroom.

Panelling is a great way to create interest and detail in a room. The bedroom in question is quite a large space in a Victorian farmhouse, and I decided to panel it to create a cosy feel in keeping with the house’s history. I started by fixing an MDF backboard to the wall, then worked out the design I wanted to apply on top. I had seen this design in a lookbook and thought it looked simple and achievable.

The time-consuming part was the filling and sanding between joins once all the planks had been fixed to the backboard, but I wanted a good finish, so it was worth getting it right. I’m really happy with the final result: it’s enhanced by the geometric wallpaper.

194 ELLEDECORATION.CO.UK MARCH 2017

‘When I decided to paint my old sideboard I was dreading the sanding and priming, but Annie Sloan chalk paint can be applied straight to the wood. Great coverage and the perfect colour.’