DRESSED IN NATURE’S HUES | CH78 |
MAMA BEAR HANS J. WEGNER | 1954
Carl Hansen & Søn is now relaunching the CH78 Lounge Chair affectionately known as the Mama Bear Chair, designed in 1954 by Hans J. Wegner. Handcrafted by skilled artisans, its special aesthetic character comes from the way it balances soft, rounded curves with dynamic geometries and fine details, such as the signature wooden armrests and legs. For a limited time only at a special price, the CH78 is offered in six colors in selected natural hues.
BRIGHTON: HEALS WWW.HEALS.COM | COTSWOLDS: TREACLE GEORGE WWW.TREACLEGEORGE.COM | DUBLIN: LOST WEEKEND WWW.LOSTWEEKEND.IE EDINBURGH: MOLETA MUNRO WWW.MOLETAMUNRO.COM, STUDIO ONE FURNITURE WWW.STUDIOONEFURNITURE.CO.UK | HARROGATE: CIMMERMAN WWW.CIMMERMANN.UK | LONDON: CARL HANSEN & SØN FLAGSHIPSTORE, HEALS WWW.HEALS.COM, SKANDIUM WWW.SKANDIUM.COM, THE CONRAN SHOP WWW.CONRANSHOP.CO.UK | SHEFFIELD: NEST WWW.NEST.CO.UK | SHEPTON MALLET: BEUT WWW.BEUT.CO.UK | WEST YORKSHIRE: HEALS WWW.HEALS.COM
FROM THE EDITOR
B
y the time issue 07 of Design Anthology UK hits newsstands, the hope is that England will be on its way out of a second national lockdown, and the world a step closer to bringing some of its most pressing challenges under control. These are trying, uncertain times and as such, many of our readers have once again turned inward to the sanctuary of home. With that in mind, on p34 you’ll find D/A UK’s fantasy of what bundling away from the world looks like. Dreamy light, cosy knits, board games, candles, hot drinks and furniture to sink into…these are the simple comforts to cling to when so much remains unclear. This rendering of “home” isn’t the reality for many, we understand, as circumstances shift and change around us. But spaces and objects beautifully made with care and attention have a transportive power, even in the darkest times. We hope you’ll create a version of these quiet moments for yourself as we collectively hold our breath, and wait for the world to settle down bit by bit. And when it’s safe to travel again, we suspect there will be a surge of wideeyed wanderers with a new-found appreciation for adventure. Perhaps we won’t go as far, or as often, but each experience will hold new meaning. In preparation we’ve gathered together our favourite new hotels in Europe on p42, because there’s nothing to stop us from planning ahead, is there? And finally, in keeping with D/A UK’s penchant for celebrating inspiring, successful women who never follow the pack, please don’t miss our profiles of artist and designer Faye Toogood (p126) and the creative brains behind ethical fashion label Colville, Lucinda Chambers and Molly Molloy (p146). Despite everything, there’s no shortage of creativity and originality on our shores. If anything, these difficult times have brought it into focus. Enjoy. Elizabeth Choppin Editor-in-Chief
4
1945
75TH ANNIVERSARY In the late Autumn of 1945, Finn Juhl presented the 45 Chair at the annual Cabinetmakers’ Guild Exhibition. Today, 75 years later, the chair is widely regarded as one of the most revolutionizing and iconic pieces within Danish furniture design. To celebrate its anniversary, 45 Chairs ordered from today’s date until the end of the year will be delivered with a brass anniversary plaque fitted underneath the chair.
finnjuhl.com
MASTHEAD
07
December 2020
Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Choppin elizabeth@designanthologyuk.com Art Director Shazia Chaudhry shazia@designanthologyuk.com Sub Editor Emily Brooks Commercial Director Rebecca Harkness rebecca@designanthologyuk.com Editorial Concept Design Frankie Yuen, Blackhill Studio Words Charlotte Abrahams, Emily Brooks, Nell Card, Roddy Clarke, Giovanna Dunmall, Philomena Epps, Amy Frearson, John Jervis, Nicola Leigh Stewart, Joe Lloyd, Dominic Lutyens, Charlotte Luxford, Alice Morby, Debika Ray, Ginny Weeks Images Filippo Bamberghi, Henrik Blomqvist, Helen Cathcart, Fabrizio Cicconi, Hagan Hinshaw, Ash James, Andy Liffner, Benoit Linero, Genevieve Lutkin, Charlie McKay, Simon Menges, Angus Mill, Francisco Nogueira, Mark Seelen, Philip Sinden Styling Francesca Davoli, Grace Wright
Subscribe Invest in an annual subscription to receive three issues, anywhere in the world. Visit designanthologyuk.com/ subscribe
designanthologyuk.com hello@designanthologyuk.com instagram.com/designanthology_uk facebook.com/designanthology_uk
6
Design Anthology UK is published
triannually by Astrid Media Ltd hello@astridmedia.co.uk astridmedia.co.uk
Media Sales, UK and Europe Rebecca Harkness +44 7500 949434 rebecca@designanthologyuk.com Media Sales, Italy Angelo Careddu Oberon Media srl +39 02 87 45 43 acareddu@oberonmedia.com Media Sales, US Alexi Simmons alexi@designanthologyuk.com Printer MRC Print Ltd Summit Business Centre Water Street Newcastle Under Lyme Staffordshire ST5 1HN United Kingdom Reprographics Born London 90/92 Pentonville Rd London N1 9HS United Kingdom Distributors UK newsstand MMS Ltd. Europe newsstand Export Press UK / EU complimentary Global Media Hub
Longworth from the Magnetic Edition - Photography: Andrew Bordwin.
CARPET MAKERS
Edward Fields, a House of Tai Ping brand, has been creating area rugs for legendary interiors since 1935. Available from authorized UK retailers and Tai Ping’s new London showroom at 85 Pelham Street SW7 2NJ. taiping-homeuk.com/edwardfields | edwardfields.com
CONTENTS
Front cover Design Anthology UK’s vision of cocooning home comforts. Image by Ash James. See p34
Radar
Journey
12
42
22 Read Delve into a selection of books on design, architecture and interiors
Hotel openings New design-centric destinations to explore across Europe
50
24 Read Legendary homes magazine Nest is celebrated in a new book
Hotel, The Algarve A secluded Portuguese guest house sitting behind high whitewashed walls
54
Hotel, Paris Luke Edward Hall makes bold choices for the interiors of Les Deux Gares
60
Hotel, Copenhagen The Danish capital’s former postal HQ is transformed into a landmark hotel
Products Collections and collaborations of note
26
Concept store, London Pantechnicon explores JapaneseNordic food, drink and design
28
Retail, London Sella Concept’s fashion-showroomslash-restaurant for Sister Jane
32
Q&A Andy Goodwin of design studio Fettle on two new heritage projects in Bath
34
Withdrawing rooms A hibernation-friendly edit of fashion, accessories and the finer things
8
Home 66
Rotterdam A glazed penthouse that sits on top of a mid-century former office building
80
Udine Designer Anna De Cillia’s home mixes subtle stripped-back walls and colour
92
Paris Studio Arthur Casas brings balance and calm to an 18th-century apartment
106
New York City Materiality gives this assured Brooklyn brownstone a fresh identity
CONTENTS
Art + Collecting
Style
118 Diary The most compelling art and design events for the coming months
140 Most wanted A compilation of clothes and accessories that are beautiful, thoughtful and good
126 Profile Faye Toogood takes day and night as inspiration for her new work at the National Gallery of Victoria’s Triennial
146 Profile Fashion brand Colville is for individualists everywhere
Architecture
Pioneer
132 Museum, Lausanne The Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts Lausanne, Barozzi Veiga’s monolithic new cultural edifice
152
Sir Terence Conran Celebrating the design doyen who changed the way Britain lived
136 Essay Can there be a winner in the debate between neoclassicism and modernism?
Seize the day Faye Toogood in her London studio, ahead of unveiling new work at the NGV Triennial. Image by Philip Sinden. See p126
9
SCULPTURAL LIGHTING OVAT U R E S T U D I O S .C O M
Sister Jane Townhouse. Read the full story on p28 Image by Genevieve Lutkin
R ADAR Global design news
R ADAR / Products
Brdr. Krüger The late Danish architect Nanna Ditzel designed the Arkade chair in 1983, but it was never put into production; now, thanks to Brdr. Krüger, it’s made it beyond prototype stage. The chair features arching legs made from steam-bent timber and decorative curved metal details, and is available in various finishes and metals, as well as upholstered and nonupholstered versions. Ditzel was a serial collaborator with Brdr. Krüger and her work for the manufacturer included a baby’s cradle and serving trolley. brdr-kruger.com
12
R ADAR / Products
De Sede Designer Philippe Malouin has created a new sofa and chair for Swiss leather furniture manufacturer De Sede. The DS-707 has a squashily inviting W-shaped profile when viewed from the front and pays homage to De Sede’s classic designs from the 1970s, in particular the sinuous DS-600, usually better known as the “caterpillar”. Like the DS-600, Malouin’s new sofa is similarly modular: sections can be combined to create seating of infinite length, or designs that bend at right angles. desede.ch
Bohinc Studio called Ion inspired by the rings of Jupiter, including a wall light consisting of a clear glass globe encased in a curving brass frame, and a double-arched desk light in solid and perforated brushed brass. bohincstudio.com
Philippe Fragniere
Designer Laura Bohinc has continually returned to the subject of the solar system in her work, and this Jupiter vase continues her planetary trajectory. A removable brass vessel is cradled within a 3D-milled base that comes in either white Carrara or pinktoned Rosa Portogallo marble. It’s part of a collection
13
R ADAR / Products
Tosco After working as a digital designer, Portugal’s Joana Esteves set up Tosca to reconnect with her fine-art roots, when she had always loved experimenting with materials. She has found her feet creating products from concrete, including this vase, which has a swirling marbled effect, the technique for which is Esteves’ secret. What she will say is that every vase is created all by her own hand: “I think it, draw it, make it, polish it. And each piece is unique.” DM her via Instagram for orders and enquiries. @toscostudio
La Chance Hayo Gebauer’s Penrose table is a new addition to French brand La Chance’s portfolio. The designer was inspired by mathematician Roger Penrose’s “impossible triangle” optical illusion: the table’s legs overlap, so it appears to have three, four or five of them depending on the point of view. It’s available
with either a clear or neon-pink glass top, and an ash base in a natural or multicoloured palette. Further new La Chance products include a marble bookcase by Parisian studio Atelier Cocorico. lachance.paris
14
R ADAR / Products
Maison Matisse Set up by the fourth generation of Henri Matisse’s family, Maison Matisse aims to keep the great French artist’s legacy alive via imaginative product design inspired by his work. Cristina Celestino, the latest designer to collaborate with the brand, has created a capsule collection inspired by the 1911 still-life painting IntÊrieur aux Aubergines. Her work includes this rattan Colette armchair, upholstered in a specially designed fabric, as well as a matching sofa, a folding screen, a rug and a wallpaper. maison-matisse.com
15
R ADAR / Products
Montana Colour specialist and photographer Tekla Evelina Severin has injected a playful sensibility into Danish furniture company Montana’s Free shelving system. She has proposed two new contrasting colours – Iris, a lilac, and Masala, a rust-brown (pictured) – to add to Montana’s already varied palette, which can be used together or in a monochromatic manner. Free was originally created by Danish designer Jakob Wagner in 2018 and is intended to be easily added-to or reconfigured as needs change; the new hues will be available until September 2021. montanafurniture.com
16
R ADAR / Products
17
R ADAR / Products
Sancal Void Matters is a collaboration between Spanish furniture brand Sancal and Sweden’s Note Design Studio that explores the idea of negative space. In the collection, cavities and apertures take on as much importance as solid surfaces: the Vestige table (pictured) features a blocky base with a cylindrical cut-out where it meets the top, while the Remnant and Core sofa and chair were designed as opposites, with the former a solid shape, and the latter having the same proportions but featuring a hollow base. sancal.com
Addition Studio It may be called the Invisible chair, but this seating from Australia’s Addition Studio nonetheless has a compelling presence. Its right-angled aluminium frame features a cantilevered back and a seat in clear acrylic (giving it extra powers of invisibility) or upholstered in a choice of four fabrics. The chair is
part of the Hi End collection, all designed by the brand’s founder Ryan Hanrahan, which includes chunky travertine tables, a futon-like floor-level sofa and an ethereally glowing onyx light. additionstudio.com
18
Jonas Bjerre-Poulsen
R ADAR / Products
Dinesen Its wide-plank timber flooring graces everywhere from Noma in Copenhagen to London’s Design Museum, and now Dinesen has turned its attention to a furniture collection. The work of Danish studio Design Studies, the eight pieces (including the daybed pictured) feature tabletops and bench seats that appear to float above their supporting legs, a feature inspired by the manufacturing process, when freshly cut floorboards are stacked with cubic spacers in between, allowing the air to circulate. dinesen.com
19
R ADAR / Products
The Invisible Collection With its throne-like proportions and low bolstered back, Laura Gonzalez’s lacquered Madras chair was inspired by painted Indian wooden furniture from the late 19th century. It’s part of a collection by the French interior designer available exclusively from design curator The Invisible Collection. Gonzalez’s work includes some of Paris’ most colourful and seductive interiors: a dining version of the chair features at La Gare, a restaurant in a cavernous abandoned station in the La Muette neighbourhood. theinvisiblecollection.com
20
R ADAR / Products
Lisa Allegra Moor is the latest collection from French product designer Lisa Allegra, who specialises in handmade ceramics and is the co-founder of Bcn Clay Studio in her adopted home city of Barcelona. Her new work includes three lighting designs (pictured) a coffee table, a stool and various different-sized planters, all of which have a common base of three capsule-shaped columns, giving them a visual lightness that belies the weight of the stoneware from which they are created. lisaallegra.fr
Louis Poulsen The PH Septima pendant’s tiered silhouette could only make it the work of modernist master Poul Henningsen. Now, Danish lighting manufacturer Louis Poulsen has brought back this almostforgotten design, first conceived in the 1920s and considered a precursor to Henningsen’s much more
celebrated Artichoke model, which didn’t see the light of day until some three decades later. The light features seven glass shades that alternate between clear and opaque finishes, topped with a glass dome. louispoulsen.com
21
RADAR / Read
Upstate: Living Spaces with Space to Live
Japanese Design Since 1945: A Complete Sourcebook
Do houses that have been created as an escape from the urban rat race have a certain identity? Journalist Lisa Przystup ponders this question in a book dedicated to homes whose owners moved to upstate New York (if only for every weekend) in search of room to breathe and a less hurried way of life. The 12 homes featured, photographed by Sarah Elliott and including Przystup’s own home in Delaware County, cross different styles but the overarching theme is how city-dwellers translate their style to more spacious country environs, with an emphasis on the celebration of imperfection, a delight in collecting and a love of the handmade.
Thames & Hudson’s comprehensive survey of post-war Japanese design takes in everything from the Kikkoman soy sauce bottle to the Sony Walkman and the work of contemporary titans such as Naoto Fukasawa, proof that good design is nothing if not democratic in the country. Tracing a time when mass-manufacturing took off and east and west looked to one another’s cultures for inspiration, the book focuses on beauty as well as functionality. There are essays dedicated to particular industries such as automotive and graphic design, while Masaaki Kanai, chairman of Muji’s parent company Ryohin Keikaku, provides the foreword.
by Lisa Przystup (Phaidon)
by Naomi Pollock (Thames & Hudson)
22
RADAR / Read
More Than Just a House: At Home with Collectors and Creators
Urban Geometry
With 2020 shaping up to be the year that most of us spent more time at home than they ever could have imagined, this look at how stylish people express themselves in their own space is timely. Creative director Alex Eagle has selected the homes: interior designers such as Beata Heuman feature, joined by those from the worlds of fashion (Kim Jones and Rosetta Getty) hospitality (Pellicano Hotels’ MarieLouise Scio) and business (luggage company Away’s co-founder Jen Rubio). Eagle’s own Soho loft sets the tone, where eclecticism rules and art, vintage furniture and rare books come together to create a personality-filled home.
This book focuses on Spanish photographer Andrés Gallardo Albajar’s eye for the abstract. A sumptuous architectural travelogue, it spans 20 cities across the world, from Bilbao to Seoul, and captures all kinds of details that might be lost to the casual observer: the zig-zag of a sawtooth roof under a clear blue sky; reflections in a soaring glass curtain wall in contemporary office building; Ricardo Bofill’s La Muralla Roja housing project; and the sinuous curves of Zaha Hadid’s Galaxy Soho in Beijing. These partially glimpsed views emphasise the surreal, the repetitive and the colourful in the built environment that surrounds us.
by Andrés Gallardo Albajar (Hoxton City Press)
by Alex Eagle (Rizzoli)
23
RADAR / Read
On a different page
Joseph Holtzman’s influential but short-lived Nest was an interiors magazine like no other. Its nonconformist approach is celebrated in a new book
I
n the autumn of 1997, the Baltimore-born artist Joseph Holtzman introduced the world to Nest. Dedicated to “celebrating human self-invention at home,” it was a design magazine like no other. In issue one, readers came across Raymond Donahue, a New Jersey showroom decorator who had assembled a shrine to Charlie’s Angels actor Farrah Fawcett. They encountered the Marquis of Bath’s erotic frescos on the Elizabethan walls of Longleat House; Keith Haring’s phallic wall mural in the bathroom of Manhattan’s Gay and Lesbian Community Services Centre, created in 1989;
and the egg-speckled walls of a 15-year old’s bedroom. Nest drove a bulldozer through the idea that “good design” could be something prescribed by style. The magazine featured a dazzling coterie of contributors: writers included Patti Smith and art critic David Hickey, while Nan Goldin and Catherine Opie were among the photographers. Now, Phaidon has released the suitably sumptuous The Best of Nest, edited by one of its perennial contributors, the fashion-designerturned-publisher Todd Oldham. It reprints 16
24
Words Joe Lloyd Images Courtesy of Phaidon
RADAR / Read
pages from each of Nest’s 26 issues, with commentary on each from Holtzman himself. Despite the heterogeneity of Nest’s subjects, the book is cohesive thanks to Holtzman’s design acumen. “It felt like a magazine made by someone who had never made a magazine before,” writes Oldham in his introduction. Holtzman would shape images and text into extravagant layouts: the Lanzarote residence of artist César Manrique was glimpsed through egg-shaped windows, while images of Marlene Dietrich’s New York apartment were framed by botanical illustrations. This try-it-and-see approach extended to entire issues: one came with a hole burnt through the centre, another with a metal plate that had to be recalled after readers pricked their fingers on its corners. Yet Nest was never one to pursue eccentricity for eccentricity’s sake. Many stories had what Oldham calls a “socio-anthropological” bent, tracing typologies where individuals had left
their mark on restrictive spaces: a women’s prison, Inuit igloos, Syrian conical huts, even zoo enclosures. Holtzman did not shy away from the opulent baroque or sleek modernism praised by other periodicals, but he allowed nominally prosaic places to share their pedestal. Design was something that emerged when human ingenuity shaped a space, professional designer or not, and Nest’s influence looms whenever a writer finds design outside those spaces circumscribed by the design industry. Nest fizzled fast. A Prozac-induced collapse saw Holtzman direct issue 21 from a psychiatric hospital. In June 2004, after fending off an offer from Condé Nast, Holtzman decided to close the doors: “I had no desire to let it fall into the hands of someone else,” he writes. He need not have worried: Nest would be unthinkable without him. The Best of Nest is a testament to both a seminal periodical and a lost age of print, where a single person’s whims could find expression in thick, glossy pages.
25
Facing page Buried Alive, a story from 2002 about a suburban ranch house – complete with pool – that was entirely underground Below Architect John Pawson writes about a residential project in Tunis
RADAR / Concept store, London
Shared passions
New concept store Pantechnicon tells the story of Japanese-Nordic relations through food, drink and design
Words Alice Morby Images Charlie McKay
T
he relationship between Japan and the Nordic countries can be traced as far back to the 18th century, when Swedish botanist Carl Peter Thunberg visited Japan to research its indigenous plants, before returning to his home country armed with a knowledge of the country’s ways of working. Since, similarities between the Japanese and Norse cultures have become increasingly prevalent, particularly from a cultural standpoint. Now, with physical escapism having been the stuff of dreams this year, Londoners have the chance to explore the two cultures at Pantechnicon – a concept store and dining destination in Belgravia, founded by Justin Thomas and Barry Hirst. Hirst, whose company Open House is behind a number of design-led dining destinations in London, was inspired to create the space having spent time travelling in Japan. “I noticed an absolute connection between the two cultures, and when I dug deeper, I found out that they had this long diplomatic and knowledge-sharing history,” he says. Set within the newly restored Pantechnicon building – a 19th-century storage warehouse behind a Greek-revival facade – the venture aims to celebrate Nordic and Japanese culture through contemporary craftsmanship, food and lifestyle. It spans four levels, with three retail spaces and five dining destinations.
Facing page Top to bottom: The Studio, one of Pantechnicon’s retail stores; Eldr, the second-floor restaurant, has a Nordic menu
Sachi, a 100-seat restaurant, bar and cocktail lounge set to open in 2021, will be located on the lower ground floor and will be joined by Kiosk, a takeaway serving specialities from the local food scenes of both Japan and the Nordic countries. The revered Café Kitsuné makes its
27
UK debut, welcoming guests at the building’s entrance with coffee and pastries, while on the second floor is Eldr, with a Nordic menu that showcases the country’s traditional culinary methods of pickling, foraging and cooking with fire (Eldr means “fire” in Old Norse). The building’s top floor is home to The Nordic, a bright and airy dining space and bar. Outside, a roof garden has been designed by Finnish horticulturist Taina Suonio. For the retail side of things, Hirst called on the expertise of Shu Terase, formerly of Monocle and Beams, who spent two years scouting out the best in design, fashion, lifestyle and homeware that he could find. For Terase, it was important that every object in Pantechnicon’s two stores (The Edit and The Studio), had its own story, resulting in a range of hand-picked items from secateurs to shampoo. Sakaya, a boutique Japanese bottle shop, completes the retail offering, created in collaboration with Pantechnicon’s “sake samurai” Natsuki Kikuya. While one may expect the interior design to be overtly Japanese or Nordic, the space is in no way derivative of either. Original details such as the brickwork have been restored, while colour is introduced through warm timber, leather and lush planting. Overall, Hirst and his team have created a space that feels relaxed and casual, with grandeur reserved for the neoclassical columns on the building’s facade. “I had to hold myself back because I wanted to put more in,” Hirst says. “But every time I stood back, I thought ‘oh, it’s actually quite beautiful as it is.’ After all, the focus is meant to be what we’re putting into the building.”
RADAR / Retail, London
House style
With its focus on creating an immersive brand experience, Sella Concept’s showroomslash-restaurant for fashion brand Sister Jane foretells the future of retail
W
hen Sella Concept’s Tatjana von Stein and Gayle Noonan were first introduced to the Sister Jane fashion concept store and the founder’s vision to convert an abandoned Notting Hill pub into a multi-functional townhouse, they were excited by the challenge that lay ahead. The three-storey building, situated on the edge of a railway line, was in need of a full renovation after lying dormant and falling into disrepair. This allowed Sella Concept to be more creative in its approach, applying their renowned attention to detail in creating a cohesive, yet distinct and unique, ambience to each floor. Sella Concept has also create the townhouse’s graphic identity. With Noonan focusing more on branding and packaging while von Stein looks after the interiors, this comprehensive approach has helped to ensure every facet of the design remains consistent throughout. The ground floor, which hosts a collaboration with Latin-inspired restaurant Cha Cha, alludes to the aesthetic of both brands. Featuring a warming colour scheme of burnt orange and cream, complemented with dark walnut accents, it is an inviting introduction to the design journey that takes place when moving through the building. The mix of vintage furniture, fringed Déjà Vu bar stools by Masquespacio, an overhead installation of dried flowers and Guzzini pendants create an
immersive atmosphere for diners. And, with the layout drawing the eye towards a “campaign wall” of visuals that will change with the season as Sister Jane’s new collections are released, the eclectic design reflects the vibrant culinary journey of the restaurant itself.
Words Roddy Clarke Images Genevieve Lutkin
A stairwell to the rear of the restaurant guides visitors down to a garden hideaway, accessible through the facade of an antique armoire in the wall, where they can relax outside amid an eye-catching display of garden screens, mirrored dividers and Italian carousel horses. On the first-floor are the retail spaces for Sister Jane and its alter ego brand, Ghospell. With high ceilings and large sash windows making both rooms feel lofty and bright, they provide the perfect backdrop for the playful creations of the two fashion labels. In the Sister Jane space upstairs, a veiled structure enveloped in sheer curtains takes centre stage, acting as a chapel-like installation while mannequins display dresses on a raised, carpeted platform at the rear of the room. Walnut and brass hanging rails complement the mirrored brass vintage furniture, creating vignettes to stop and admire: the clothing is displayed with an almost gallery-like reverence. In the Ghospell showroom, the use of brushed steel wall panelling, coupled with vivid mustard floor-to-ceiling velvet, brings an added sense
28
Facing page Sister Jane’s clothing is shown inside a veiled, carpeted pod in the centre of the room, with mannequins mounted on a raised platform to the rear
RADAR / Retail, London
of drama, contrasting with the smooth microcement floor that flows seamlessly up to the serving counter. Both retail spaces are served with a fully mirrored changing room, more reminiscent of an inner-city nightclub, which provides another captivating experience for the shopper. The first floor also leads diners through to an outdoor terrace overlooking the railway, perfect for al fresco lunches. The merging of uses in a space like this is representative of what the future of retail could hold. Consumers are looking to invest in experiential retail outlets where they can find more than just off-the-shelf designs. With the high street changing rapidly as we adapt to living through the pandemic, the need to offer something beyond a pure retail experience is critical in engaging new audiences. With its multiple concepts, Sister Jane is now a destination for design and food lovers alike, increasing outreach and becoming more than the sum of its parts. “Having outgrown our beautiful studio in Portobello Road, we set out to create a new home for Sister Jane,” says the company’s founder Enrico Ziglio. “We wanted to create a space that offers both an immersive journey and a great place for our team to work and create from. Our focus was to generate experiences and entertain rather than focus purely on retail.” How the interior facilitates this pays testament to the skill of Sella Concept, and the duo’s ability to make a space feel original and unique. “Retrofitting an existing space is always full of surprises, but it was a great opportunity to exercise our creative approach to problem solving,” says von Stein. “Bringing together three different brands seamlessly in one space forced us to consider how to encourage movement between each room while taking into consideration the relationship between the layout, colour palette and items within the space.” She adds that seeing it all come together has been a rewarding experience for them – but Sister Jane’s new outpost has also brought a renewed energy to the neighbourhood, showcasing again why the capital remains at the cutting-edge when it comes to design.
Above Fringed furnishings bring a playful element to the ground-floor Latininspired restaurant, Cha Cha Facing page Ghospell’s retail space is where floor-to-ceiling mustard velvet meets brushed-steel panelling
31
RADAR / Q&A
History revision
As design studio Fettle completes a restaurant, The Elder, and members’ club, The Jib Door, at Bath’s Hotel Indigo, co-founder Andy Goodwin reveals how the projects took shape As told to / Elizabeth Choppin Images / Helen Cathcart
What history did you uncover about the listed townhouses where The Elder and The Jib Door now live? What’s gone on there through the centuries? The townhouses were constructed in stages starting at the corner of Pierrepoint Street and South Parade in 1743, to the designs of the Georgian architect John Wood the Elder. It was one of the major urban developments of its day. The buildings that form the remainder of the street were built as three-storey townhouses with attic and basement levels. These were constructed by local builders using pattern books for the interior decorations. As such, each room within The Elder and The Jib Door has slight variations to the panelling details and cornices. We worked closely with the project architect and English Heritage to ensure that any repairs to the existing fabric of the building were undertaken sensitively. At a later period in the buildings’ history some of the townhouses were knocked together to form a series of hotels, removing part of their heritage when openings were formed between them and internal partitions removed. We were, however, fortunate enough to have many sections of original decoration and panelling. One of The Elder’s smaller and more intimate dining rooms, which we carefully and lovingly restored, has significant historical importance as it was relatively untouched over the years.
32
RADAR / Q&A
Did Bath’s history influence the interiors? Yes. As well as its architectural history being a huge source of inspiration, one of the central pillars of the design narrative was the city’s decadent past and the whimsical richness of “Old Bath”. We wanted to be playful with the design and also reference the city’s history as a playground for the gentry and aristocrats. How do you want people to feel when walking through the door? What do they find and how did you avoid falling into a pastiche? Our principal aim is that guests should feel comfortable. We have chosen a palette that is reflective of the colourways that would have been seen in the building originally, contrasted with some more contemporary fabrics for the furniture and accessories to ensure the design feels relevant today. We designed a number of bespoke items specifically for the project including all of the furniture and the majority of the lighting, where we have referenced traditional pieces of the period with slight twists and revisions to the details or finishes. We always pay particular attention to the layout of the room so that there are no “bad” seats and we prototype all furniture pieces to ensure that seat heights and the size and proportion of the tables work both for the guests and for the food and drinks that they are being served. Working with such treasured buildings must have posed challenges. Did regulations affect the design? We felt incredibly lucky to work in such a beautiful building. Many of the architectural features were listed, so we had to approach everything very sensitively. It made planning the design more complicated, however, we also wanted these features to stand out and allow the space to really speak for itself. So, in many ways, the greatest challenge of the project was also its greatest asset. Where did you source the artwork? Are there any interesting stories behind the pieces? The artwork has been sourced from antique fairs and local artists and includes a mixture of contemporary and traditional pieces that have
an emphasis on hunting game and Bath’s history. Mike Robinson, The Elder’s owner, has a collection of taxidermy that also features in the restaurant. It was important to all of us that the artwork came in a variety of mediums and from different time periods to reflect the design and the history of the building, while adding depth and interest to the different spaces. The charcoal animal drawings in the bar are by a favourite artist of Mike’s, Lucy Boydell. The menu is strong on locally sourced, British food. What dishes can’t be missed? Mike’s food philosophy is centred around sustainability with a focus on wild food and game. One of the dishes that most accurately portrays this philosophy must be the venison, sourced from the Bathurst Estate – we are sure that you will not be disappointed!
33
Above At The Elder, the colours were chosen to reflect the buildings’ Georgian heritage, contrasted with contemporary fabrics and accessories Facing page Animal-themed artwork includes charcoal drawings by Lucy Boydell
Withdrawing rooms
Hibernate with Design Anthology UK’s edit of fashion, accessories and the finer things, chosen with cocooning comfort in mind Images / Ash James Styling / Grace Wright
Facing page & above Wool shirt and trousers, Max Mara (maxmara.com); cashmere socks, Brora (brora.co.uk); Essential Agate rings, By Pariah (bypariah.com); Leaf backgammon set, Alexandra Llewellyn (alexandrallewellyn.com); Sequoia pouf, Frederica (fredericia.com); Collect cotton throws, &Tradition (andtradition.com)
Previous page Stretch cashmere dress, Extreme Cashmere (matches fashion.com); cashmere cardigan, Pringle Of Scotland (pringlescotland.com); gold-plated sterling silver rings, Alighieri (alighieri.co.uk); Collect candleholder and glass vase, &Tradition (as before); Out of the Dark print by Michelle Collins (kingandmcgaw.com). Bench, bowl and wall hanging, homeowner’s own
37
Facing page Wool and polyamide cape, Stella McCartney (stella mccartney.com); cashmere socks, Brora (as before); Essential Agate rings, By Pariah (as before); Puffy lounge chair, Hem (hem.com) CLK 151 porcelain cup and teapot, Kinto (twentytwentyone.com)
Model: Kat Nemcova at Milk Management. Hair and make-up: Barrie Griffith at Frank Agency using Skin Design London and Monat haircare
Below Recycled cashmere sweater and trousers, Toast (toa.st); cashmere socks, Brora (as before); gold and citrine Pomelo ring, and gold and aventurine In the Green ring, By Pariah (as before) Collect cotton throws, &Tradition (as before); Tile wool throw, Fupar Teixidors (scp.co.uk); H Drapeau cashmere blanket, Hermès (hermes.com)
38
TIFFANY bench by Homel Design Furniture // MIKADO grand table by Emotional Objects CUATRO NEGRAS hand-tufted rug by Ferreira de Sá // MINI PIETRA side table by Mamoa Design WHITE HOUSE table lamp by Porus Studio // NOBLY lounge chair & footrest by X8 Solutions Group ALBANY side table by Porus Studio // SAVOYE floor lamp by Castro Lighting Photo shoot at Casa Allen, Porto, Portugal
Associative Design ‘The Best of Portugal’ Global Showcases. Featuring an expertly curated mix of contemporary and luxury Portuguese design and innovation.
Hospedaria, The Algarve. Read the full story on p50 Image by Francisco Nogueira
JOURNEY Distinctive destinations
JOURNEY / Openings
New hotels
Unique places to stay, in destinations of note
42
JOURNEY / Openings
The Mitre, UK The first venture from new hotel group The Signet Collection has opened in a historic 17th-century building on the banks of the Thames. Originally used as ancillary accommodation for guests of King Charles II at nearby Hampton Court Palace, The Mitre has been completely reimagined by creative lead and interior designer Nicola Harding. Known for her work on the Garden House at Beaverbrook and The Rose Hotel in Deal, Harding has designed the 36 rooms and communal areas with a quirky, elegant style that is half country house, half nautical. Highlights include de Gournay wallpaper, copper bathtubs with handsome river views and handmade paper lampshades by Rosi de Ruig. mitrehamptoncourt.com
43
JOURNEY / Openings
Soho Roc House, Greece The Greek island of Mykonos is proving more fashionable than ever, and so it seems are its hotels. Sitting between the party areas of Paraga and Paradise Beach in the south of the island is the newest project from the Soho House group, Soho Roc House. Designed as a serene retreat but with the option of partying nearby, the hotel has a glorious pool with sea views alongside 45 stylish
rooms. The newly renovated interiors are in the signature Soho House style, but they maintain a distinctive Mykonian edge; features such as the traditional white exteriors and polished plaster are softened with linen fabrics, jute rugs, ceramic lamps and contemporary wall tapestries in muted tones. sohohouse.com
44
JOURNEY / Openings
Bermonds Locke, UK Home-meets-hotel brand Locke has revealed its first project since joining creative forces with design studio Holloway Li. Bermonds Locke, a 143-room hotel in Bermondsey, is a bold, inclusive space that combines co-working with studio rooms designed for short or long stays. The psychedelic experience of Joshua Tree and the Mojave Desert in California underpins the bold design narrative. On entering, a
glittering moonlit reception welcomes guests, while the metallic bar tops and wall panelling have an iridescent rainbow finish. Repurposed construction materials, such as concrete testing cubes, steel and clay bricks, act as decorative joinery and ironwork in a clever twist on sustainable design. lockeliving.com
45
JOURNEY / Openings
Hotel Wallace, France With its 1970s retro-Italian style, Hotel Wallace makes for a refreshing change to the classical tradition favoured by many Parisian hotels. This new property in the pretty 15th arrondissement has been transformed by design duo Hauvette & Madani from a roofless, derelict building to a striking 48-room boutique hotel. Maximising light through a new glass roof, the building also offers views of the Eiffel Tower from the bedrooms and a large outdoor terrace. The interiors have something of a Wes Anderson vibe, with moulded ceilings, bright orange velvet furnishings and varnished wood, while the bedrooms are further inspired by the Orient Express – think fringed lampshades, brass finishes and vintage telephones.
Cerruti Draime
hotelwallaceparis.com
46
JOURNEY / Openings
47
JOURNEY / Openings
Hotel Magdalena, USA (DLT), making this the first mass timber hotel in North America, with feature wood ceilings and exterior walkways that create a treehouse effect. Inside, the terrazzo floors and terracotta elements add a 1970s feel and expansive windows look out on to the lush grounds and pool. hotelmagdalena.com
Nick Simante
Situated right off Austin’s vibrant South Congress Avenue is Hotel Magdalena, the newest and largest hotel project from the Texas-based Bunkhouse Group. Inspired by the local countryside and early 1970s lakeside culture, architecture firm Lake Flato has created four new, distinct buildings connected by exposed elevated walkways and courtyards. They are constructed using dowel-laminated timber
48
JOURNEY / Openings
The Pig at Harlyn Bay, UK The Pig chain of hotels describes itself as “small lifestyle restaurants with rooms,” aiming to put the kitchen garden at the heart of everything it does. Its latest chapter, the Pig at Harlyn Bay, is no different. Located in an impressive 16th-century house on the north Cornish coast, a 10-minute drive from Padstow, the hotel has five acres of grounds and a large kitchen garden that dictates the contents of its
seasonal menu. In total there are just 11 bedrooms – many with sea views – as well as four charming shepherd’s huts dotted about the grounds. The rooms and communal spaces are welcoming, relaxed and eclectically styled thanks to the talented eye of co-owner and interior designer Judy Hutson. thepighotel.com
49
JOURNEY / The Algarve
Perfect seclusion
What the owners of under-the-radar Portuguese B&B Pensão Agrícola did next
A
road junction is not the obvious choice of location for a new hotel, yet Rui Liberato de Sousa and Nuno Ramos saw something special in one particular intersection that they regularly passed near Tavira, a pretty town in Portugal’s Algarve region. Bounded by three roads, this triangular plot contained a couple of handsome but run-down buildings dating back to 1917. These abandoned structures looked fairly unassuming, yet they had once been a local hotspot, home to a grocery store, post office and tavern. Liberato de Sousa and Ramos could see bags of potential. With the help of architect Luís Costa Valente – co-founder of Lisbon studio Atelier Rua, and Liberato de Sousa’s long-time friend – the pair have turned the site into a mini oasis of calm, hidden behind white walls. Simply named Hospedaria (Portuguese for “guesthouse”) this five-room hotel combines the rustic charm of the region with the kind of effortless cool you’re more likely to find in Lisbon or Porto. Their achievement is more impressive given that Ramos is an ophthalmologist, Liberato de Sousa is an engineer, and until recently neither had any experience in the hospitality industry. That all changed when, five years ago, they opened Pensão Agricola. What started out as a passion project quickly became a thriving business. Renowned for its casual style and atmosphere, this converted 1920s farmhouse is usually booked out for the entire summer. Pensão Agricola is more what you would expect of an Algarve retreat – quiet, secluded and surrounded by nothing but rural landscape.
Hospedaria’s site, only a kilometre away, could not have been more different. “People said that we were crazy,” says Ramos, “but we were in love with this plot; it was in very bad shape but it was charming and beautiful.” Rising to the challenge, Costa Valente came up with an ingenious solution. He realised that, by transforming the site into something akin to the riads of Morocco, with high walls around the outside and secluded gardens and patios in the centre, it was possible to protect guests from the sights and sounds of the road. At the same time, they could create a rich tapestry of different spaces within.
Words Amy Frearson Images Francisco Nogueira
The two original buildings have been restored, creating a series of homely living and dining spaces as well as two guest rooms. Five new self-contained structures were then added to provide the remaining three rooms and service facilities. The irregular site layout means every room has at least one private patio, in addition to the larger courtyards. “You have lots of different layers, in different scales,” explains Costa Valente. “It means you end up with little corners where people can find sanctuary.” Hospedaria’s interiors are equally complex, striking a fine balance between minimalism and eclecticism. The architectural details stay true to the traditions of the area: for instance, ceilings are covered in the bamboo canes that grow in most rivers in this part of Portugal. But almost every surface is whitewashed, creating a clean backdrop to a diverse assortment of vintage furniture, mid-century lamps, rattan rugs and contemporary artworks.
50
Facing page Lisbon architecture studio Atelier Rua created Hospedaria on an awkward plot, hiding the guesthouse behind high white walls
“You have lots of different layers, in different scales. It means you end up with little corners where people can find sanctuary�
Above The decor mixes the traditional and the minimal, with concrete floors and bamboo-cane ceilings
Facing page One of three new guest rooms, constructed away from the original buildings; each has its own patio
52
Joie de vivre Artist and designer Luke Edward Hall brings his eccentric English style to a Parisian boutique hotel Words / Nicola Leigh Stewart Images / Benoit Linero
JOURNEY / Hotel, Paris
“I
’d always had it in the back of my mind that it would be quite fun to work on a project like this, and it was my dream really to do a hotel,” says Luke Edward Hall of Hotel Les Deux Gares, the artist and designer’s first foray into the world of hotel interiors. It’s the fourth hotel in Adrien Gloaguen’s Touriste group, and when Gloaguen came across the abandoned station hotel, tucked behind a narrow doorway between Gare du Nord and Gare de l’Est, it was still wearing the faded floral wallpaper that had welcomed previous travellers. A vibrant, slightly retro aesthetic instantly came to mind for the hotel’s new look, and all he needed next was the right designer. “I went off to make some sketches but the group was very open to ideas and they didn’t really provide much of a brief,” says Hall. “That was what was really attractive about the project; I was given free rein and I worked on and designed everything, from the furniture to the stationery to the branding.” Hall has certainly taken this creative freedom to stamp his fun, theatrical sense of style on to the project and give Touriste its boldest hotel to date. Upon entering, a black and white chevron marble floor leads guests up to the original reception desk, which the designer has updated with a fresh coat of mahogany brown paint, adding a white column on either side. Antique brass tasselled keys hang on the wall behind, which has been wallpapered in an abstract pattern from London-based design house Ottoline. In the lobby’s colourful sitting room, traditional French toile de Jouy wallpaper has been contrasted with what Hall describes as “electric pea green” paint; armchairs are covered in striped pink satin; and two mismatched sofas by David Seyfried – one finished in electric blue linen and red tassels and another in daring leopard print – lounge in each corner. A vintage French railway poster for Alsace, designed by Salvador Dalí, is a reference to the hotel’s location on the corner of rue des Deux Gares and rue d’Alsace. Even the fitness room hasn’t escaped Hall’s touch, and is brightly decked out with a classic red and white checkerboard floor as well as
head-to-toe floral wallpaper from Swedish brand Svenskt Tenn. Across the street, Hall has also put his take on the classic French bistro in the form of the hotel’s restaurant, Café Les Deux Gares, where guests and locals alike can dine from morning until evening. “I wanted the design to feel like a kind of French-English mash-up,” he explains. “I really think interiors should reflect where we are, and as we’re in Paris I wanted to make sure that we included French antiques – we have the toile de Jouy wallpaper and French artwork – but the furnishings, colours and patterns are mixed with an English eye. When I think of English style I think about an eclectic approach. I also looked to the work of two of
57
Above Luke Edward Hall designed the mirror that sits above a gilt console table Facing page Guest rooms come in one of three clashing palettes, including this one with its lilac walls Previous page Striped headboards help to create a graphic look
JOURNEY / Hotel, Paris
my favourite designers, David Hicks and Madeleine Castaing; he’s English and she’s French. For example, the geometric carpets we installed in the bedrooms and corridors have a fun 1970s David Hicks feeling about them.” In the guest rooms, he has chosen one of three colour palettes – sky blue, moss green and a sugary shade of lilac – and paired each with a clashing mix of shades on the coving, ceilings and curtains. The bathrooms are another riot of colour thanks to cheerfully hued tiles crafted by The Bold Bathroom Company: think eggyolk yellow, emerald green and pastel pink walls paired with turquoise sinks and redframed mirrors. “For the bathrooms, I found an amazing company to make the pastel-coloured toilets and sinks in the UK. The Greek Key black and white tiles are from a company I’ve worked with before, Balineum, and I love them.” The larger bathrooms have the luxury of freestanding tubs and, in the top floor rooms, skylights with views over Paris. For the furnishings, Hall hunted around Paris’ marchés aux puces for antiques and designed whatever else was needed himself. “We decided to design the furniture in the bedrooms, the fringed armchairs, wardrobes and nightstands, because we needed quite a lot of these pieces,” says Luke, “but I love French Empire antiques and so I replicated some designs. Then we used real antiques and vintage pieces downstairs, a French coffee table, a French buffet and a commode in the lobby, all of which I actually found in England and had shipped over. I also designed the William Kent-inspired mirror in the foyer which sits above a 19th-century French gilt console table. It’s a bit of a mix. But that’s what I enjoy doing, mixing decades and styles to create something new and exciting.”
Above Satin armchairs against a backdrop of panelling painted in what Hall describes as “electric pea green” Facing page A French railways print by Salvador Dalí hung on toile de Jouy wallpaper
Hall’s own illustrations create the finishing touches: a red-beret-wearing gentleman hangs on the bedroom walls and a collection of quick sketches and doodles, including the Eiffel Tower and cocktail glasses, cover the small bedside lampshades. Weaving such Parisian tropes into the décor could feel uninspired, but with his easy elegance Hall pulls it off as a charming and quirky tribute to the city.
58
JOURNEY / Copenhagen
A love letter to Copenhagen Occupying a former postal service HQ, the Danish capital’s mostanticipated new hotel pays a warm tribute to the building’s past
Words Nell Card Images Andy Liffner
D
esigned in the early 20th century by the architect Heinrich Wenck, Copenhagen’s central headquarters for the Danish Post and Telegraph Company continued to function as the city’s main postal office for much of the century. Now, this vast neo-baroque building has been reborn as Villa Copenhagen, a 390room, eco-luxury hotel that gradually opened to the public this summer. Two years ago, when Universal Design Studio was appointed by Nordic Hotels and Resorts to transform the abandoned property, they found inspiration in the former usage of the site. “The whole point of this building was communication,” explains Richard McConkey, head of hospitality at Universal. “It’s right next to the city’s Central Station, so it functioned as a gateway to Europe. The idea that it’s an outward-looking building is something that runs right through our design.”
Facing page Clockwise from top: the lighting was inspired by an archive photograph; custom-designed pieces are mixed with classic Danish furniture; walnut brings a sense of warmth to the guest suites
Villa Copenhagen is the third hotel project of Universal Design Studio, the award-winning architecture and interiors firm founded by British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby (Shoreditch’s Ace Hotel was its first, followed by Stockholm’s At Six). The studio has designed 38 of the guest rooms and more than 40 suites, with the remaining rooms having been conceived by Danish designers. The courtyard, restaurants, bars and event spaces have each been assigned to different studios: Krook & Tjäder from Sweden, the
61
UK’s Goddard Littlefair and, more unusually, Shamballa Jewels, a Copenhagen-based luxury jeweller, whose work included renovating the historic boardroom. “In a project this big, there is room for several voices,” McConkey assures. The shape and scale of this complex heritage building has benefitted Universal Design Studio’s interrogative ethos. “Our approach is always about trying to create a unique response to the place: we wanted this project to be specifically for this place, and for this time,” McConkey explains. The sheer number of rooms and room types (of which there are “55 and counting”) has enabled the studio to commission numerous custom pieces. That creative process, McConkey says, is as much about looking forward as looking back. When research for the villa was underway, the team unearthed a stash of archive photography. One of the images, dated 1914, shows two men sat at a long wooden table with their backs to the photographer. A heavy glass pendant hangs above them while another wall-mounted light illuminates a set of pigeonholes. The office stretches into the distance, with row upon row of occupied desks lit by similar pendants, their wires looping across the vast ceiling. This image became the reference for Villa Copenhagen’s custom-made lighting, which has been manufactured by Flos in Italy. “We started with the heritage shape seen in the
JOURNEY / Copenhagen
image and gradually worked that into the three-armed pendant and wall-mounted lights that you’ll find in each of the rooms,” says McConkey. “I’m really interested in this idea of forgotten history,” he continues. “What we’ve done here is to weave some of the building’s history into the project, without being afraid to adapt it for today.” Custom pieces, including upholstered benches, walnut desks and oiled walnut wardrobes that come in more than 30 configurations, are layered with classic designs from a roll-call of renowned Danish names. Pieces by Finn Juhl, Ole Wanscher, Nanna Ditzel and Hans Wegner are given space alongside works from contemporary European designers such as Nick Ross, Andreas Engesvik, David Thulstrup and Jasper Morrison. “We didn't want this to become a museum of Danish design,” explains McConkey. “What’s evolved is much more of a conversation around European design.” In addition to archive imagery, McConkey drew on the works of the Danish artist Vilhelm Hammershøi. The subdued interiors he painted in the late 19th and early 20th centuries are contemporaneous with Wenck’s building and, as McConkey notes, “there is a quality of calmness and sense of refuge in those paintings that we were looking for in this project.” Villa Copenhagen had stood vacant for over a decade and most of the interiors had been stripped of period detail. Universal first reinstated architraves, cornicing and timber panelling in every room. Windows were replaced and fitted with brass handles and marble sills that encourage the soft Danish light to spread through the neutral, uncluttered rooms. “It’s not minimalism,” McConkey says of the aesthetic. “It’s really essentialism: it’s about trying to get to the core of things and stripping back some of the noise.” The building’s circulation spaces have also been refurbished: corridors, hallways and lobbies have a strong, monochromatic scheme that takes reference from period residences in the city, notably the Plessen Mansion, which was built for a retired diplomat at the beginning of
the 20th century and now serves as the Danish Medical Association’s headquarters. In contrast to the muted palette in the guest rooms, rich ribbons of heritage colour appear in each of the stairways, with aubergine, ochre and petrolblue walls helping guests to navigate the hotel. “With this project, we were trying to create a space that felt more like a grand residence than a hotel,” explains McConkey. Although the coronavirus crisis delayed the opening of Villa Copenhagen by three months, the impact of the pandemic has in some ways ratified Universal’s design approach. Indeed, the creation of a connected yet calming refuge built for longevity could be construed as eerily prescient. “This is definitely somewhere you’d happily spend a week,” McConkey concludes. “Whether through choice or not.”
62
Above In contrast to the muted palette of the guest rooms, the stairways have been painted in rich colours Facing page Looking down into the courtyard, which has a glazed roof sheltering a multifunctional events space
“What we’ve done here is to weave some of the building’s history into the project, without being afraid to adapt it for today”
63
Luv. Nordic elegance. The design of Cecilie Manz‘ bathroom series Luv combines Nordic purism and timeless, emotional elegance. Soft shapes follow a stringent geometry. The result is a new unique design language with precise, clear and fine edges. For more information visit pro.duravit.co.uk and www.duravit.co.uk.
An apartment in Udine. Read the full story on p80 Image by Fabrizio Cicconi/Living Inside
HOME Timeless spaces
On high
A glazed penthouse in Rotterdam channelling the mid-century style of the former office building that sits below it Words / Dominic Lutyens Images / Mark Seelen
HOME / Rotterdam
T
he home of architects Nanne de Ru and his wife Nolly Vos seems to mirror their ambitions. In 2005 de Ru founded his practice, Powerhouse Company, in Rotterdam; aptly named, it has since opened additional offices in Beijing, Oslo and Munich. Similarly, de Ru and Vos (who works for a different studio) broadened their horizons when they set up home in a former high-rise office block that boasts panoramic views of Rotterdam’s skyline. They initially occupied the top floor, but then made the decision to add a new, mainly glassfronted penthouse floor to create a 450 sqm duplex, which they call West399.
Designed by Dutch architect Joost Willemsen Cornelis Boks in 1965 in the mid-century modern style, 399 Westzeedijk was once the administration office of the Port of Rotterdam Authority. De Ru first rented an office space in it seven years ago, and he and Vos found themselves dreaming of living there. Even so, they faced planning restrictions. “A zoning law in Rotterdam makes it difficult to change a building from an office to a home,” says de Ru. He got the go-ahead with a proposal to restore the building and convert it into 20 apartments, with one floor reserved for office use. Despite its baldly rectilinear corporate look, 399 Westzeedijk boasts high quality materials. “It combines chic, rich materials such as mahogany used for its window frames, with cheaper ones such as concrete and travertine, as the original architect also tried to be frugal,” explains de Ru. However, the interiors were later extensively altered: the suspended ceilings that de Ru stripped out concealed original, raw-looking concrete. “There are lovely traces on the concrete revealing the history of the building, such as pencil marks indicating where walls once stood,” he says.
The couple share their home with their two sons and a daughter, aged from ten to 14, who occupy the lower floor. The penthouse level houses the adults’ bedroom and bathroom, an open-plan living room and dining room, a kitchen and music room. A spectacular helical staircase links the two levels. The duplex nods to Powerhouse’s debut project, Villa 1 in the Netherlands – a largely glazed boxy structure at ground level with another floor underground. But overall, says de Ru, West399 was “inspired by Rotterdam’s postwar architecture. The city was heavily bombed during the Second World War and rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s with a lot of flair.”
The family occupied the lower floor while the penthouse floor was constructed. “The roof wasn’t designed to support anything heavy, so we came up with a boxy structure with a loadbearing glass facade,” says de Ru. There are no columns, so the entire roof rests on the five large glass panels, a challenge both from an engineering and a construction perspective. As for living there while a new floor was built over their heads, “it was an adventure,” says de Ru. “We created miniature wooden houses on wheels, which the kids used as bedrooms.”
The family home is at 399 Westzeedijk in the neighbourhood of Delfshaven, on the north bank of the River Maas. It has views of the neighbourhood of Kop van Zuid on the other side of the river, with its mix of disused former port buildings and more recent projects, such as the bold, 44-storey mixed-use complex De Rotterdam by Rem Koolhaas’s OMA.
Facing page A helical staircase connects the new glazed penthouse level with the original top floor below. The glass facade is loadbearing, so there are no columns to spoil the view
Previous page Architect Nanne de Ru has referenced the building’s midcentury-modern roots in his new addition, including the travertineclad wall and porthole window
69
HOME / Rotterdam
These turned out to be embryonic iterations of the much bigger units created later for each child, containing a bedroom perched atop a bathroom, enclosed by ceiling-high American walnut walls, some doubling as pivoting doors. The units provide privacy but aren’t hermetically sealed, since they connect to a balcony.
surprisingly old-world, 16th-century tapestry from Flanders. De Ru and Vos wanted the rooms beyond the light-filled living room to feel cosy. “We wanted rich materials in the other spaces,” says Vos. The kitchen units are coated with a gold-tinted resin which looks warmer for catching reflections of the room’s mahogany walls and a red travertine floor.
Despite being the kids’ domain, this floor feels grown-up. There’s a dining area with chairs by Dutch designer Maarten Baas (a friend of de Ru) and a pendant light that revolves – powered by heat emitted by its lightbulbs – by fellow Dutch designer Bertjan Pot. “We sit here when the kids do their homework or when our daughter and I sew together,” says Vos. Elsewhere, a “perspectivist” sculpture of a foreshortened car by Rotterdam-based artist Ron van der Ende hangs on one wall.
The family is extraordinarily musical, as close as you could get to the Von Trapps of The Sound of Music: Vos sings, while de Ru and one of their sons plays the piano. The other son plays the drums, his sister the saxophone. They often jam together in the music room, which recalls an intimate 1960s club, with its theatrical gold curtain and American walnut-lined walls that incorporate leather-upholstered seating. The couple’s bathroom also offers a secluded, private space, with its walls and bath entirely lined with grey, striated travertine; a skylight, which they can gaze up to from the bath, provides a glimpse of the outside world.
The monumental staircase, which draws light down from the penthouse floor, accentuates the feeling of ample space. De Ru describes the generously glazed penthouse room as “abstract and dematerialised” since the main impression it creates is one of lightness and transparency. The room is sparsely if luxuriously furnished, for example with tubular steel dining chairs by Danish architect Henning Larsen. “We have two Charles and Ray Eames Lounge Chairs in caramel-coloured leather, which is rare and looks less hard than black leather,” says de Ru. These are teamed with what de Ru describes as “a brutalist coffee table,” a shag-pile rug and L-shaped sofa, all helping to recreate the atmosphere of a 1970s interior.
It’s not until the family venture on to the expansive rooftop garden that they connect fully with the outside world, however. This accommodates an artificial lawn (a real one would have been too heavy), tall grasses inspired by Dutch landscape designer Piet Oudolf, which thrive in this windy setting, and a vegetable patch. “A garden takes time to establish itself but already ours is a habitat for birds and insects,” says Vos. In fact, her and de Ru’s dream home is environmentally friendly on two counts. It has seen them reuse and restore existing architecture, while, amid the concrete and artificial turf, the new roof extension has yielded its own eco system.
By contrast, black ceiling-high joinery units clearly separate the living areas from the other rooms – and provide a dramatic backdrop for a
Previous page A terrace wraps around the glazed box, with views of the River Maas and Rotterdam’s skyline
Facing page Family jam-sessions take place in the walnut-clad music room that sits beyond the open-plan space
72
“West399 was inspired by Rotterdam’s postwar architecture. The city was heavily bombed during the Second World War and rebuilt in the 1950s and 1960s with a lot of flair”
73
Above Left to right: artificial turf has been used as a lighter alternative to the real thing; an antique Flemish tapestry contrasts with vintage and contemporary furniture Next page Left to right: the staircase acts as a conduit to throw light down to the lower floor; a pair of Eames chairs in caramel-coloured leather
Facing page A richer, moodier palette has been employed in the spaces away from the glazed box, with mahogany, gold resin cabinets and a serpentine green stone island all featuring in the kitchen
Above The master bathroom, entirely clad in travertine, enjoys total privacy
79
Distress signal
Against a backdrop of artfully stripped-back walls, this Italian apartment is confident in its colour and character Words / Giovanna Dunmall Images / Fabrizio Cicconi/Living Inside Styling / Francesca Davoli
HOME / Udine
“M
y work is all about colour and the palette I had in mind for this place was to die for, at once gritty and glamorous,” says interior designer Anna De Cillia. Last year she and her husband Michele Isola had started to renovate their airy second-floor apartment in a turn-ofthe-20th-century building in Udine, northeastern Italy, when they realised their new home had other ideas. Once the layers of paint and gunk had been removed, the original paints that had been on the walls more than a century ago emerged and, despite being subdued in tone, the tantalising array of beige with blue veins, ochre with hints of greeny brown and mottled salmon pink were textured and full of character and history – the sort of “distressed” look you might pay good money to have someone create from scratch, but that in this case were there for the taking. The main bedroom even came with an art deco border frieze and the hallway with a simple strip in a different colour that ran elegantly all the way down. The “gritty and glamorous” scheme was ditched and the pair called in a fine art conservator to restore the walls; they became the essence and underlying theme for the whole project. “They are definitely the most theatrical and beautiful element in our home,” says De Cillia. “It would have been criminal to cover them up again.”
Once the house had “spoken”, as Isola puts it, it had a knock-on effect. For the first time ever, the couple chose to leave their art collection in storage instead of hanging it on the walls. “The walls were so rich I felt no need to decorate them,” says De Cillia, who made a small exception for a collection of antique plates on the dining room wall and a tactile wall-hanging by Studiopepe for cc-tapis in the living room. “New house, new life, no paintings!” she says, laughing. She indulged her love of strong colour and pattern by channelling it into the furniture, textiles and objects and the odd flourish of wallpaper (“I know wallpapers are old news for you in the UK, but here they have recently become a big, big thing,” she says). Dotted around the various rooms are geometric carpets by cc-tapis and Ikea, second-hand and repainted wardrobes, multiple houseplants, mismatched vintage chairs, a striking green fringed raffia chandelier by Honoré Decoration in the hallway (with a red version in the living room) and countless handmade monochrome Bisazza floor tiles laid along the elegant internal corridor. “I salvaged them years ago but they were perfect for here,” says De Cillia. In the bedroom she put up a room divider to make the large space feel more intimate and covered it in a graphic Marimekko pattern that is normally only found as a textile. “I created a digital file and had it printed on paper,” she
Previous page The Udine apartment owned by Anna De Cillia and Michele Isola sits above a Renault showroom in an industrial area of the city Facing page The distressed walls being the star of the show, De Cillia and Isola decided to keep their art in storage save for a few pieces, including a wall hanging by cc-tapis
82
Above The green fringed pendant by HonorĂŠ DĂŠcoration is complemented by a red version in the living room
Facing page Monochrome Bisazza floor tiles have been laid in the hallway, punctuated by a row of vintage chairs beyond
84
HOME / Udine
says with a grin. “I don’t know why they don’t sell it as a wallpaper, they definitely should!” The couple are no strangers to moving home – on average, they have relocated every four years – but it’s something De Cillia is refreshingly philosophical about, adopting some of the Zen spirit of her husband, a tai chi and qigong instructor. “Just because you like something and are happy doesn’t mean you can’t change,” she says. “And just because you create a lovely space doesn’t mean you have to die in it!” The most recent move happened a little quicker than usual. The pair had sold their large family home a while back after their daughter and son moved out permanently, but then realised that children come back “and they bring the grandkids with them” so their downsized home was too small to host extended family in the way they would like. The new apartment also appealed because of its rather gritty location: behind the station, above a former Renault showroom for agricultural machinery and next to some disused warehouses. “It’s like living on an industrial archaeological site,” says De Cillia, “something that’s difficult to find here. Since Udine was agricultural, there was never much industry here.” Since moving last September, De Cillia has started working out of her own home more.
Not only does she have all her samples and materials to hand but it means that clients can experience her bold and colourful mix-andmatch, designer-meets-vintage style first hand. It’s an excellent calling card in a region where she admits that people can have conventional tastes. She says that “everyone dresses the same here, everyone has the same house, the same car…so when people come to see my home, they get to see something really different.” During this spring’s coronavirus lockdown, De Cillia had to wind down some of her projects as it was impossible to work without site visits, but things have picked up again. She says that it’s a combination of people buying houses because prices are low and major tax rebates being offered to anyone doing major renovation work – but there’s more to it. “When people had to stay at home for so long, many of them started to understand what worked in their home, and what didn’t,” she says. She believes lockdown has changed people profoundly.“You become aware of things – and I don’t just mean about your home – that when you are running around living a hectic life you just put to one side and choose not to think about. “Even though people may be back to only coming home in the evening, that feeling of wellbeing you get from entering a house you actually like, is, well, priceless.”
Facing page In the dining room, a collection of blue and white china plates, collected over the years from antique markets, climb up the wall
87
Above The kitchen is more industrial in its style, with stainless steel worktops, reclaimed cement floor tiles and an Artemide Tolomeo wall light
Facing page Mismatched chairs sit round the dining table; the Ultimate Bliss rug is by cc-tapis and the floor light is a Renzo Serafini prototype
88
“The walls are definitely the most theatrical and beautiful element in our home. It would have been criminal to cover them up�
89
Facing page In the bedroom, De Cillia created a digitally printed paper version of a Marimekko textile to cover a screen
Above The bathroom makes a clean break from the distressed walls elsewhere in favour of octopus wallpaper
91
In harmony Studio Arthur Casas brings calm and equilibrium to an 18th-century Parisian apartment Words / Charlotte Abrahams Images / Filippo Bamberghi
HOME / Paris
“T
he individual is the centre of architecture,” says Arthur Casas, founder of the São Paulo and New York-based practice Studio Arthur Casas. “The environments that we design and build must be living, welcoming, empathetic, flexible and full of different possibilities for interaction.” His latest project in Paris sums up this design philosophy. Open plan and quietly luxurious, it speaks less of its architectural history and more of home and family and good times. Quite a feat given how impressive that architectural history is – the apartment is part of an immaculately preserved 18th-century building and has many original characteristics of the period, including exposed wooden beams on the ceilings and “out of plumb-line” walls. Casas admits that the original structure made realising the owners’ vision of an integrated space for family life (the couple have two young children) where they could also welcome friends extremely challenging. However, he didn’t hesitate before accepting the project – he may be Brazilian, but he loves Paris: “It’s where the main 20th-century movements in both fashion and design took place, and I lived here for a brief period, 30 years ago, so I like to come back whenever possible,” he says. That connection with the French capital can be felt everywhere. There are nods to both Casas’ and his client’s Brazilian heritage – the
cushions sitting on the sofa that divides the kitchen and living spaces were painted by indigenous people from the Kayapo tribe in the Amazonas, for example – but the spirit of the place is distinctly Parisian. Much of the furniture was not only sourced in the French capital, but also created by designers based in the city. India Mahdavi’s Bishop stools and a set of chairs upholstered in fabric by Pierre Frey stand at the integrated kitchen dining table; the sofa that backgrounds those painted cushions is Christian Liaigre’s Rocco model, while the little office in the entrance hall that sits between the living and sleeping areas boasts an original Ecart chair by midcentury interior designer and architect Michel Dufet. “I think it is important to recognise the aesthetic repertoire of the city and country where a project is based,” says Casas. This is an apartment of two halves, the public and the private. The latter is home to the master suite, two children’s bedrooms and a family bathroom. The couple’s bedroom is all wool, rich black lacquer and gentle, off-white tones. Hervé Langlais’ cylindrical Fétiche side tables and some 1950s wall-mounted lamps are a neat solution to the lack of space around the bed (Casas had to accommodate doors on both sides of the room, one to the wardrobe, the other to the en-suite bathroom), but their soft forms also add to the sense that this is a cosy retreat from the outside world.
95
Previous page The apartment’s monochrome colour scheme was informed by the Richard Serra etching hung between the windows Facing page A pair of India Mahdavi Bishop stools sit at the kitchen island Next page Careful ‘zoning’ in the newly openedup kitchen-living area helps to define each space
HOME / Paris
“The aesthetic harmony of the space is guaranteed by the use of texture and a monochromatic palette – just black, white and their shades”
On the public side, Casas has managed to create the functional, convivial environment that his clients specified in the original brief by incorporating the kitchen, dining and living areas in one large, open space that encourages sociability without losing the sense of intimacy that makes the private zones of this apartment so appealing. It is a tricky line to tread and Casas’ success is down to his use of furniture, colour and materials.
bench in the kitchen, and an Ecart T1927 stool that sits between the Besnard chairs – was largely driven by the bones of the building. “We matched materials with the original exposed structure as well as other features that were here when we first saw the apartment, such as the wooden floor and the marble wall in the kitchen,” says Casas. “We wanted to respect all these textures and to combine them with our contemporary approach.”
“The furniture has been arranged to define each area and bring different characteristics to the spaces,” he explains. “For example, the two sofas [Vladimir Kagan’s curvaceous Shorty and Liaigre’s straight-edged Rocco] highlight the separation between the living area and the kitchen. The aesthetic harmony of the space is guaranteed by the use of texture and a monochromatic palette – just black, white and their shades.”
The many artworks and objects that feature in this apartment add another level of material and tonal interest. Casas worked closely with the clients to select the pieces, but the starting point for his broader scheme was an etching chosen by Casas himself. “Right from the very beginning of the project I always imagined one of [American painter] Richard Serra’s works between the windows,” he says. “When I saw Double Level II, I was enchanted. I thought it would look beautiful here and the colour helped in the decision for a predominance of white and black in the interior.”
Colour plays second fiddle to materiality here. Rich texture drawn from natural materials is everywhere, from the herringbone patterned wooden floor running through the main living space and entrance hall to the slubby upholstery on the pair of Guy Besnard lounge chairs and the silk-like smoothness of the coffee table, designed by Studio Arthur Casas. The decision to focus on wood, alongside touches of iron – which is used to frame pieces such as the oak dining table, a custom-made
Double Level II not only influenced the palette of the apartment, it also encapsulates what makes this supremely chic, contemporary interior a proper home. Casas believes that “our perception of environments happens not only with our eyes but with all our senses.” This work, like everything else he has chosen for this project, asks not simply to be looked at but to be physically experienced.
99
Facing page A stripped-back palette of creamy neutrals brings balance and calm Next page The large coffee table was designed by Studio Arthur Casas, while the Lune floor lamp is by Andrée Putman for Ecart
Facing page In a tucked-away workspace that offers greater privacy than the adjacent open-plan living room, a Michel Dufet chair sits at a midcentury Swedish desk
Above The tranquil master bedroom features vintage pieces sourced in Paris, including wall lights and a Jacques Adnet chest of drawers from Galerie Corcos
103
Next page Warm, natural timber contrasts with the use of cast iron for many of the furniture pieces, such as the custom-made bench and the table that extends from the island
Textural healing
Materiality gives this assured Brooklyn brownstone a fresh identity Words / Charlotte Luxford Images / Hagan Hinshaw
HOME / New York City
W
ith its chunky, neo-grec carvings and imposing windows and doors, from the outside this 19th-century brownstone in Brooklyn’s Clinton Hill would appear to be a handsome proposition for any prospective buyer. On the inside, however, it was an estate agent’s nightmare. Stripped of practically all of its period features after a series of botch-job renovations, it suddenly became a much harder sell, enticing only those with enough vision to see its true potential. “Honestly, it was in really rough shape,” says architect Andrea Fisk of Shapeless Studio, who worked on bringing the house up to date. “The cellar had moisture seeping in from all directions, which was something that urgently needed addressing. There had also been a spiral staircase installed into the middle of the apartment at some point, and when we took down the old ceilings, we discovered they had just cut right through the floor joists without installing a structural header to support them, which was really scary! It was like the floor in the middle of the apartment was held together with tape. I’ve never seen anything like it.” The owners enlisted the help of Fisk and her Shapeless Studio co-founder Jess Thomas Hinshaw to transform the bottom half of the townhouse into an airy open-plan apartment with two bedrooms, two bathrooms and ample space for entertaining – a key part of the brief. The upper floors were to be rented out to friends. The owners previously lived in a huge
loft in Williamsburg with wall-to-wall glazing and vast expanses of open space, and wanted to retain something of the sociable layout they had already enjoyed. “The proportions of a traditional brownstone are very different from an airy loft apartment, so one of the early struggles we had in creating the design was how to make a townhouse floorplan feel open enough to host large gatherings,” says Fisk. Shapeless Studio decided to flip the layout, relocating the kitchen and living space from the garden floor (just below ground level) to the “parlour floor” (just above street level). “The ceilings on the parlour floor are so much taller, and we wanted the entertaining spaces to benefit from that sense of grandeur,” says Fisk. “A lot of people are tempted to open up the entire parlour floor in a brownstone to avoid feeling like the floor is chopped into lots of small rooms, but that seems a bit disrespectful to the building typology. Plus the layout is awkwardly long, so opening up those spaces often creates a corridor effect and they don’t always feel the most comfortable to spend time in. We decided to maintain the room division, by installing a huge archway between the kitchen and living room, to have as much openness between the spaces as possible.” A six-month project ensued, with the studio stripping the property back to its bare bones. Almost everything had to be replaced, with new plumbing, electrics and air con installed. However, there was one shining beacon among
108
Previous page The green marble fireplace was one of house’s few original features and became a catalyst for the design scheme Facing page A newly made opening separates the kitchen and living room; the wall hanging is by Polish artist Elzbieta Knapik Next page The kitchen features a marbleclad island and zellige-tiled splashback
“We decided to install a huge archway between the kitchen and living room, to have as much openness between the spaces as possible�
109
HOME / New York City
“One of the early struggles we had was how to make a townhouse floorplan feel open enough to host large gatherings”
the wreckage and that was a glorious mossgreen marble fireplace. Originally located downstairs, it was reinstated by the architects on the parlour floor, making it the focal point of the new living space. “We just loved the green shade, and it became the inspiration for the rest of the colour scheme,” says Fisk. “We wanted to coordinate all the colours together, so that the fireplace didn’t feel like a mistake or an afterthought. The sage green kitchen cabinetry grew out of this idea, and we love how it all came together. The green cools down the warmth of the white oak joinery on the other side of the room, and it feels natural and harmonious.” This careful consideration of palette, textures and materials is what now binds everything together. An emphasis on quality craftsmanship has helped to reinstate the building’s sense of identity, creating a new narrative. “We believe very strongly that custom joinery is one of the best places to invest in a home,” says Fisk. “We often prioritise simple but unusual details, such as the oak-lined recesses in the bathroom, or the little bench seat in the kitchen, which quietly communicates that everything is tailormade for the space, without calling too much attention to it. Our studio draws very detailed joinery drawings, mapping out all the tough intersections and joints, instead of leaving it to
the builder and millworker to figure out – nothing is left to chance.” The studio has been careful to balance this precision with natural imperfection, however, gravitating towards handmade products that possess unique patinas and textures. “Since our cabinetry is so precisely engineered, it works really well against the zellige tile splashback in the kitchen, or the rough terracotta tiles on the bathroom floor. These finishes can be counterpoints to each other, so you can have a large amount of texture and imperfection without it looking sloppy,” says Fisk. “We love simple materials that have a bit of a wabi-sabi feel,” she continues. “They give you the impression of a space that is valued, but not overly precious. They also look better as they age and wear in. Since they’re already imperfect, if they get a bit stained or scratched, it becomes part of the story, not just a blemish.” The overall effect is that of effortlessness – it is neither too modern or traditional, nor too stark or too fussy. By maximising every inch of space through bespoke joinery and a carefully curated palette of materials, the space seamlessly slips into its new identity like a glove. It’s a fitting tribute to its brownstone roots, refined and elegant, yet delivering the open, airy space the young family always dreamed of.
113
Facing page Clockwise from top: In the living room, the huge mirror was sourced from a salvage yard, while the chair is Campagna’s Sit, Set; an oversized newel-post lends character to the black-painted staircase; bespoke cabinetry such as this seat in the kitchen “quietly communicates that everything is tailor-made for the space”
“We love simple materials that have a bit of a wabi-sabi feel. They give you the impression of a space that is valued, but not overly precious�
The master bedroom is at garden level, with exposed lime-washed ceiling joists and alcove shelving that makes the most of the space
114
Above Gloss tiles in the bathroom have a handmade feel, contrasting with the bath’s perfect, smooth curves
Above right The guest en-suite shower on the lower level features a graphic cement floor tile from ClĂŠ
115
Piet Raemdonck, Klein Breekwerk
@OTOMYS WWW.OTOMYS.COM INFO@OTOMYS.COM
Family Bust No 8 by Faye Toogood. Read the full story on p126 Image by Angus Mill
ART & COLLECTING A cultural review
ART & COLLECTING / Diary
Agenda
Sights to behold: a calendar of shows and fairs for the coming months Words / Philomena Epps
Moriyama–Tomatsu: Tokyo, Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris Until 28 February 2021
Located in the magnificent Hénault de Cantobre in Paris’ Marais district, the Maison Européenne de la Photographie’s winter exhibition, Moriyama–Tomatsu: Tokyo was originally programmed to correspond with the (now postponed) Tokyo Olympics. It brings together two renowned Japanese masters of photography, Daidō Moriyama and Shōmei Tōmatsu. Both artists began work on this collaboration before Tōmatsu’s death in 2012, and
it has been continued by the MEP in collaboration with his widow. With over 300 works on show, some previously unseen, Tōmatsu’s raw, intuitive, and anti-establishment style, born from the turbulence of life in post-war Japan, can be seen as a stylistic influence on the confrontational work of Moriyama. Pictured are two works from 1969: Moriyama’s Untitled, from the series Provoke #2 (above) and Tōmatsu’s Nishi–Shinjuku (opposite).
118
Daido Moriyama Photo Foundation, courtesy of Akio Nagasawa Gallery. Shomei Tomatsu – Interface
Almicheal Fraay
ART & COLLECTING / Diary
Art Rotterdam 4–7 February 2021
Contemporary fair Art Rotterdam is the anchor event for a city-wide series of exhibitions, lectures, performances and pop-up shows and other creative events, with two other fairs, OBJECT Rotterdam and Haute Photographie, taking place the same weekend. In addition to the
announcement of the NN Art Award, which highlights rising contemporary art stars in the region, another highlight is a new performance art programme, with 12 performances taking place at the fair’s off-site venue, the industrial art space AVL Mundo.
120
ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2019; Courtesy Memphis Srl. Photo: Aldo Ballo, Guido Cegani, Peter Ogilvie
ART & COLLECTING / Diary
Degas to Picasso, Pallant House Gallery, Chichester
Memphis: Plastic Field, MK Gallery, Milton Keynes
Celebrated for its collection of modern and contemporary British art, Pallant House Gallery’s latest show is centred around its less-well-known collection of international artistic figures. The exhibition spans the major modern art movements of the 20th century, with paintings, prints and drawings from Degas, Manet, Braque and Gino Severini, whose Danseuse No.5 from 1915-16 is pictured. The exhibition will also shine a light on the collectors who have bequeathed work to the museum.
Memphis: Plastic Field explores the unique and irreverent history of the early-1980s design and architectural collective Memphis Milano. Founded by Ettore Sottsass, the group’s colourful, humorous and kitsch visual language, with its use of clashing plastic laminate or haphazard graphic patterns, broke with minimalist modernism and challenged notions of good taste. The exhibition features over 150 items and reiterates how the movement changed the course of contemporary culture.
Until 18 April 2021
Until 24 April 2021
121
ART & COLLECTING / Diary
Vision & Reality: 100 Years of Contemporary Art in Wakefield, Hepworth Wakefield Until 25 April 2021
To mark 10 years occupying its David-Chipperfielddesigned gallery, Hepworth Wakefield will look back at over a century of collecting. The city’s art collection was established in the 1920s “to nurture a public understanding of contemporary art and its relation to modern life,”
a principle still followed today. At the core of Vision & Reality is a group of works by Barbara Hepworth (pictured) and Henry Moore, but the show also features previously unseen new works that were recently acquired to address historic imbalances in the collection.
122
ART & COLLECTING / Diary
Walter Price: Pearl Lines, Camden Art Centre, London 28 January–25 April 2021
Walter Price’s first major institutional presentation in the UK will be a striking new body of work that includes painting, works on paper and sculptural pieces made during a studio residency organised by Camden Art Centre in early 2020. A former member of the US Navy,
Price’s work (such as The Fate of the Animals, pictured) is often concerned with landscapes and urban environments he has encountered on his travels, meeting somewhere in the middle between abstraction and figuration, with expressionistic horizons and fields of colour.
123
Veronica Ryan: Along a Spectrum, Spike Island, Bristol
Rodin/Arp, Fondation Beyeler, Basel
In her sculptures and installations, British artist Veronica Ryan brings together a range of materials from cast plaster to more ephemeral objects such as dried flowers, fruit and feathers. Her work examines both environmental and socio-political concerns and is particularly occupied by ancestral history, personal narratives, and diaspora and displacement. This major exhibition is Ryan’s largest and most ambitious presentation in the UK to date.
Basel’s Fondation Beyeler is home to over 400 modern and contemporary paintings and sculptures. Rodin/ Arp places works by Auguste Rodin and Hans Arp into dialogue, with the former considered the founder of modern sculpture and the latter illustrating the pioneering spirit of the European avant-garde that followed. Affinities and contrasts between the two show how sculpture shifted during the modernist period.
Liverpool Biennial
Yayoi Kusama: A Retrospective, Gropius Bau, Berlin
6 February–9 May 2021
13 December 2020–16 May 2021
20 March–6 June 2021
19 March–1 August 2021
Curated by Manuela Moscoso of Mexico City’s Museo Tamayo, this 11th edition of the UK’s largest festival of contemporary visual art will explore the idea of the body “as a fluid organism that is continuously shaped by and shaping its environment”. More than 50 artists are taking part including Judy Chicago and Argentinian artist Diego Bianchi, whose WasteAfterWaste (2015) is pictured.
This blockbuster show will mark the first comprehensive overview of Japanese artist Yayoi Kusama’s work in Germany. Spanning over 275 sqm of exhibition space, the retrospective will offer an overview of her innovative practice, including new works that were made specifically for the show, and a revised version of her immersive installation, Infinity Mirror Room.
124
Courtesy the artist and Paula Cooper Gallery, New York. Photo: Steven Probert; Courtesy Fondation Beyeler. Photo: Robert Bayer; Courtesy Ota Fine Arts, Victoria Miro & David Zwirner
ART & COLLECTING / Diary
Courtesy the artist and Frieze Art Fairs Inc
ART & COLLECTING / Diary
Heather Phillipson, Tate Britain, London 22 March–10 October 2021
Heather Phillipson’s giant whipped cream sculpture The End currently occupies the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square and next year she will be creating an installation for the Duveen Galleries at the heart of Tate Britain. Phillipson is an artist and poet who works across video,
sculpture, music, and text and while not much has been revealed about the forthcoming project, it’s bound to be eclectic; pictured is 100% Other Fibres created for Frieze New York in 2016, an installation conceived as “a giant, walk-in spinal cord” full of surreal images and sounds.
125
ART & COLLECTING / Profile
Seize the day
Faye Toogood uses light – or the lack of – as a springboard for new work at the NGV Triennial
Words Alice Morby Images Philip Sinden, Angus Mill
H
aving spent decades successfully working across the fields of publishing, fashion, art and furniture design, Faye Toogood is pondering whether she would still describe herself as an outsider. “At the start [of my career], I felt isolated, and I wasn’t accepted as a designer,” she says. “I think it suited me to sit on the outside, so that I didn’t have to adhere to any rules or be judged against any others. But these days, we’re all constantly comparing ourselves to others, to the point where it’s a disabling overload. So now, when I describe myself as an outsider, I see it more as having to remove myself in order to create work.” Toogood’s latest commission comes at a time when creativity itself has had to be done in isolation. In a year when fairs and exhibitions have been cancelled, replaced with virtual offerings or empty calendars, the designer is set to bring all her creative endeavours together for the 2020 Triennial at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne, which opens in December. Toogood was asked by curator Simone LeAmon to respond to the theme of illumination, and was given the gallery’s entire 17th-century art collection to work with.
Facing page Faye Toogood in her studio. The artist and designer drew on her art history degree for her work for the NGV Triennial in Melbourne
Calling upon her degree in art history – “I already had quite a passion for Rembrandt and domestic paintings from that era” – she spent months scouring the collection for concepts and themes. Eventually she put forward a project that spoke about the absence of light across this period of art history, which would see each of the gallery’s three 17th-century rooms transformed into three immersive tableaus, Daylight, Candlelight and Moonlight. In Daylight, the room is lit with daylight bulbs
127
and filled with floral still life paintings, glassware and crystal pieces from Toogood’s own Water collection (2016). One of two sixmetre-long tapestries, specially created for the commission, will also be located in this room: the piece is made up of elements from each of the paintings, along with her own painting, recreated in stitch by master weavers in Belgium. Moonlight sees celestial drawings and etchings paired with the gallery’s selection of silverware, Toogood’s Moon pieces (2016) and a table and lamp from her most recent collection Assemblage 6 (2020). The second of the two tapestries is again presented as a collage of the works surrounding it. For Candlelight, Toogood was drawn to a late Rembrandt portrait that appeared “sketchy and almost abstract” and thus decided to fill the room with portraits that looked to have been completed in low-level light. She has also made a series of family busts, marking the first time she has worked in a purely sculptural way: “despite my work being described as sculptural, it’s always had a function,” she says. After the pandemic scuppered Toogood’s plans for all the works to be made in precious metals, she had to rethink her approach.“I was faced with the choice of not making them at all, or making them myself, so I hired a big space and for the first time in a long time I fully embraced making, using any materials I could get hold of – car paint, plaster, chicken wire, paper.” Toogood says of the show that “it is the most total work I have produced to date.” And as for the outsider complex? “The NGV project feels particularly emotional, because I finally feel as though I’ve brought myself into the room.”
“The NGV project feels particularly emotional, because I finally feel as though I’ve brought myself into the room”
Facing page Top to bottom: Night Tapestry (2020), one of two tapestries specially commissioned for the triennial; a glass version of the Roly Poly chair, first shown in 2016
Above Family Busts (2020): when the pandemic prevented Toogood’s plan of making something from precious metals, she hired a studio and created them herself
129
MusĂŠe Cantonal des Beaux-Arts Lausanne (MCBA). Read the full story on p132 Image by Simon Menges
ARCHITECTURE Surveying the built environment
ARCHITECTURE / Lausanne
Fragments of the past
Lausanne’s fine art museum follows the well-trodden path of rejuvenating industrial sites next to urban railways – and Barozzi Veiga’s building is right on track
A
s the train pulls into Lausanne station, an unfamiliar sight greets the eye. A grey, monolithic wall, 100 metres in length, stretches out alongside the railway. It is not like the other buildings that line the tracks; there are almost no windows, nor any form of decoration. But there is one detail that sticks out: standing proud of the otherwise austere facade is a century-old ornamental gable – a remnant of the site’s previous existence as a group of railway maintenance sheds. This structural remainder, which might have once seemed unremarkable, is now the centre of attention, its pleasantly arched window now offering a peek inside a grand light-filled atrium. This is the new home of the Musée Cantonal des Beaux-Arts Lausanne (MCBA), the Swiss city’s museum of fine art, designed by the acclaimed Barcelona-based architecture studio, Barozzi Veiga. It is a building that is in many ways very simple, yet it contains layers of history and complexity within its huge cuboid form. Despite being an entirely new structure, and a highly contemporary one at that, it is
laced with subtle references to the past. The second of these comes when you approach the building from the east – the outline of another gable, now demolished, is a curious addition to an otherwise unadorned brick wall.
Words Amy Frearson Images Simon Menges
“We think it is important for architecture to create memories,” says Barozzi Veiga’s cofounder, Fabrizio Barozzi. But, he points out, there’s a fine line between remembering what has gone before and allowing it to dictate the future. “We want our work to be re-elaborating the past, creating buildings that can interact with the present and future city,” he says. At a time when it is not uncommon to see new buildings being crudely constructed behind old facades, it’s a refreshing approach. Here, fragments of history help to support the site’s transformation from a place of industry into a centre of culture, rather than holding it back. A centre of culture was precisely what the city wanted. The competition brief, back in 2010, called for a masterplan for three museums – along with MCBA, the site will also house a
132
Facing page The museum's entrance projects forward from a row of slender brick piers
ARCHITECTURE / Lausanne
photography gallery, the Musée de l'Elysée, alongside the city’ s art and design museum, MUDAC. While some entrants suggested a renovation of the old sheds, Barozzi and partner Alberto Veiga felt the only way to successfully create a new city quarter would be to remove the existing buildings, making room for a new public plaza. “We believe the relationship between buildings and urban public spaces is almost more important than the buildings themselves,” says Barozzi. The resulting design locates MCBA along the edge of the site rather than the centre, allowing it to form a natural barrier between the plaza and the railway. The other two museums are being constructed at the western end of the site, in a single building designed by Portuguese studio Aires Mateus.
With this arrangement, Barozzi Veiga was able to give the MCBA’s facade a real sense of drama. Facing the plaza, a row of slender brick piers fronts the building. These serve a functional role, preventing the sun from penetrating deep into the exhibition galleries within, but they also create a striking visual effect. From afar, they completely conceal the windows, making the building appear as a hermetically sealed box. It is only as you draw closer that these glazed openings are revealed. “The vertical piers break the massiveness of the monolith and give a rhythm to the facade,” says Barozzi. The entrance is the only volume that extends beyond these piers, a hollow concrete box projecting out in front. Inside, the museum’s layout is highly rational. The entrance lines up precisely with the old
134
Above Light grey plaster walls match the terrazzo floors, giving the museum an equally monolithic presence both inside and out
ARCHITECTURE / Lausanne
gable, creating a foyer that dissects the building. The museum’s three storeys are cleverly organised around this space. On the ground floor, it sits in the middle of various facilities – the auditorium, restaurant, bookshop and a small street-facing exhibition space – and keeps them separate from staff areas. Galleries are located either side of it on the upper levels, connected by staircases on both sides. On a visual level, this triple-height space is nothing short of spectacular. Pale grey plastered walls meet a grey terrazzo floor; light gently filters in through skylights overhead, while the preserved arch window provides an eyecatching focal point, its curved profile matched by the barrel-vaulted ceiling that frames it. The same level of care has gone into the galleries. Laid out in rows, they are easy to navigate,
while a mix of north-facing skylights and blind systems ensures that daylight levels can be completely controlled. All of the functional details – wiring, power outlets, lighting fixtures – are all kept out of sight, so as not to distract from the art. The collection includes work dating back to antiquity but has a strong focus on 18th- and 19th-century paintings, when artists from Lausanne’s canton, Vaud, sought their fame in Paris and Rome. MCBA was first established in 1816 and in its 200-plus years of existence has had three homes before this one. Barozzi Veiga has somehow found a way to better them all, creating a museum that could not be more perfectly suited to the display of historic artworks. At the same time, it is a building that will never let you forget where it came from.
135
Above A monumental arched window facing the train tracks is the only remnant of the site’s former use as a series of railway sheds
ARCHITECTURE / Essay
The middle ground
The politicisation of architectural styles is nothing new, but what does today’s heightened polemic mean for tomorrow’s buildings?
I
In reality, reconstruction following the second world war proved far messier – only disjointed elements were realised, thanks to a lack of resources, vested interests, politics and, of course, nostalgia. The “new visual awareness” that Tubbs believed would lead the public to embrace modernism proved elusive. Even now, politicians and polemicists use these postwar projects as a means to attack the architectural profession, despite increasing admiration in academic and heritage circles. Debate has now coalesced around two terms. Neoclassicism – which was thrust into the foreground by the Prince of Wales’ architectural interventions in the 1980s – is now perceived as the preferred style of the “swivel-eyed right,”
136
Angelo Hornak/Alamy Stock Photo
n 1942, Penguin published a slim picture book, Living in Cities, by Ralph Tubbs, later to design the Festival of Britain’s futuristic Dome of Discovery. Its author argued that the war provided a unique opportunity to level our obsolete cities in favour of a modernist utopia of ordered terraces and apartment blocks, spacious quadrangles, raised highways and progressive institutions. Slums and suburbs were to be shunned, as were “sham Classic,” “mock Tudor,” “private profit,” “revivalism” and “nostalgia” – all epitomised, for Tubbs, by pretty much anything the Victorians ever built.
ARCHITECTURE / Essay
and often acts as a shorthand for all forms of revival architecture. Brutalism plays a similar role for postwar modernism. For some, it is Britain’s greatest architectural achievement, the welfare state made manifest; for others, its concrete hulks ruined Britain’s cityscapes at the behest of an arrogant elite. Brutalism’s detractors claim public support, citing “most hated building” polls; advocates point to a spate of coffee-table books – and the 1960s embrace of Victorian architecture – as proof that taste is cyclical, and “a change of heart is inevitable”. Whatever the truth, the current destruction of Coventry’s gentle postwar modernism suggests that any new-found affection hasn’t reached Britain’s town halls.
WWPhotography/Alamy Stock Photo
The latest twist in these urban tussles comes with the appointment of ex-banker Nicholas Boys Smith as chair of a government steering group to drive design standards in housing. Boys Smith founded the “independent research institute” Create Streets in 2013, espousing seemingly benevolent proposals that shared much with the “placemaking” championed by many architects from the 1970s onward – dense terraces, pedestrianisation, bike lanes, mixed developments, sustainability and reuse. Critics decry the organisation as a “reactionary pressure group,” pointing to links with the Conservative Party, a failure to engage with poverty’s role in the housing crisis and a focus on adding value for landowners. In pursuing an ill-defined idea of “beauty,” Create Streets does not denounce modernism, despite the frequent criticism of its planning priorities. Praise is, however, showered on the eclectic heritage architecture of the Prince of Wales’ controversial Dorset development, Poundbury. The incessant bickering in the architectural press over Create Streets is largely performative – in practice, the organisation is all but irrelevant to the situation on the ground. Its real sin is a willingness to play the role of fig leaf, assuaging the concerns of home-county voters about new housing developments. Meanwhile, the libertarian wing of the Conservative Party continues to strip power, resources and regulations from the planning system, increasing the influence of real-estate
companies over cities. Developers continue to demolish in urban centres, rebuilding high and cheap; in the suburbs, lucrative estates of tightly packed semis with brick facades and pitched roofs still dominate; while affordablehousing requirements are steadily degraded. However one feels about the architectural visions of Ralph Tubbs and his fellow modernists, their recognition that “balancesheet architecture” could not address the problems of the postwar years was vital. Then, the political will existed to bring together stakeholders – councils, ministries, professional bodies, private interests, although perhaps not communities – to confront these challenges. The same is needed now. There have always been talented architects who can square circles – today, Peter Barber is producing council houses in London with a social and architectural ethos that Tubbs would recognise, but employing engaging brick frontages that hark back to 1920s Vienna and beyond. Mikhail Riches’ award-winning housing in Norwich suggests such programmes can be successfully developed, as well as expanded, elsewhere. Even if architects will never wield the power of the 1950s, investing in their work is fundamental to cities – our failure to do so is causing damage, both social and aesthetic, that will take generations to rectify.
137
Words John Jervis
Above Poundbury in Dorset, begun in 1993, embraces a traditional style of architecture but is criticised for needless nostalgia Facing page London's National Theatre is for many the archetypal brutalist building, with ardent fans and detractors
Invest in an annual subscription to Design Anthology UK to receive three issues a year, anywhere in the world
Start your subscription designanthologyuk.com/subscribe
Colville AW20 collection. Read the full story on p146 Image by Henrik Blomqvist
STYLE Fashionable pursuits
Most wanted
Clothing, accessories and tech that are thoughtful, expressive, beautiful and good
STYLE / Products
Marfa Stance A name to add to the growing list of consciousluxury labels, Marfa Stance was launched in 2019 by designer Georgia Dant. It has a strong focus on “buildable” and flexible pieces: garments are often reversible or can adapt with the change of seasons, with components such as collars and hoods regularly added. Pictured are Marfa Stance’s take on an army
crew (opposite), with removable sleeves and collar; and a reversible trench (above). A handy online sizing guide – from “shrunken fit” to “exaggerated” – helps buyers alight on their preferred silhouette. Convertible rib crew, £695, reversible trench coat, £925; marfastance.com
141
STYLE / Products
Menu Designers Mads Sætter-Lassen and Emil Krøyer of Copenhagen-based studio Krøyer-Sætter-Lassen have created the Nimbus table mirror for Menu. Its curved cantilevered design and rotating face lend it a simplicity that makes it compatible with all manner of design schemes. Two finishes are available, polished or bronzed brass, with hand-cut
glass used for the mirror. The product is the latest addition to a series of wall mirrors of the same name that Krøyer-Sætter-Lassen had previously designed for Menu; a table lamp and bedside shelf by the studio have also been launched. €169.95; menu.as
142
STYLE / Products
Byredo Best known for its evocative unisex fragrances, Byredo has launched a make-up line in collaboration with Isamaya Ffrench. In contrast to the Swedish brand’s pared-back monochrome branding, Ffrench has embraced colour for the collection, with boldhued colour sticks that can be used on eyes, lips and cheeks, and lipsticks that include Worship Her, a
modern brown, and China Plum, an intense purple. Ffrench is one of the UK make-up industry’s most original voices, having worked for performance group Theo Adams Company before becoming creative director of Dazed Beauty in 2017. £35; byredo.com
143
STYLE / Products
Suzanne Rae Channel your inner go-go dancer with Suzanne Rae’s welt-sole boots. Made in Italy from 100% leather, the design pays attention to the details, with a centre seam, gold zip and somewhat fabulous contrasting gold lining. The New York-based readyto-wear and footwear brand celebrated its 10th birthday in 2020: designing “for the progressive and
modern individual,” Suzanne Rae Pelaez is known for putting her feminist principles front and centre in her work. So, maybe that first instruction should be, channel your inner go-go dancer, but on your own terms, unencumbered by the male gaze. $598; suzannerae.com
144
STYLE / Products
Transparent Sound Sweden’s Transparent Sound is one of the handful of companies challenging the lingering idea that speakers need to be encased in black plastic. Its new Acoustic Sculpture is made from a 3D-printed Jesmonite base, spray-finished to create a stippleeffect: the cuddly-looking form was inspired by the shape of the human ear and other organic objects
such as seashells. Bluetooth enabled, it has an output of 2x15W and wireless pairing. In an effort to combat obsolescence, all Transparent Sound’s products are modular, so new components and systems can be added as technology develops. £2,750; transpa.rent
145
STYLE / Profile
Take courage
Colville’s adventurous aesthetic is for individualists everywhere – and now it has extended its reach from fashion to homewares
Words Dominic Lutyens Images Henrik Blomqvist
A
n eye for bold design, an assured sense of colour, a love of exuberant pattern and a desire to build a real rapport with customers are key qualities of fashion and homeware label Colville. Sustainability and longevity are also key values of the brand.
organic vegetable dyes by weavers in Turkey, as well as floor mats in zingy shades created by women in Bangladesh, who are taught traditional crafts in order to provide them with jobs. The range also includes blankets with massive polka dots made at an Italian mill.
Loud and offbeat yet harmonious patterns and colour combinations are the essential hallmarks of the Milan-based label, co-founded in 2018 by Lucinda Chambers, Molly Molloy and Kristin Forss. Colville’s ensembles frequently feature upcycled garments and repurposed materials that play with proportions: a recycled trenchcoat or puffer jacket, cropped to midriff length, is transformed into a bolero jacket that looks all the shorter over a tunic-length shirt. One of its collections featured raincoats made of utilitarian yet colourful nylon sails that capitalised on the textiles’ juicily bright hues.
The idea for the homeware sprang organically. “We needed to furnish our Milan studio and couldn’t find furniture we liked,” explains Molloy. “Thanks to the amazing craftsmanship in Italy, we found a carpenter to make our desks and painted them bright colours. By chance, a Turkish woman I knew told us about the Turkish weavers who could make the shaggy rugs for us.”
Colville’s AW20 collection is typically eclectic. It features sloppy-joe jumpers with harlequinprint diamonds teamed with long, collegiate scarves with clashing stripes; silk dresses with painterly, abstract prints; and skirts made from blankets tightly cinched at the waist with belts. The colours are from the opposite side of the colour wheel: forest green with blackcurrantfool pink, or autumnal brown with cobalt blue. Facing page Blanket liner coat, zip jacket, crossbody bag, Stella high-waist trouser and Racer heel, from Colville’s AW20 collection
Collaborations are an essential part of Colville’s philosophy. For example, it sells bags woven by women in Colombia. “Selling 36 bags allows 16 women to feed their families for a month,” says Molloy. The label recently launched its first homeware line featuring multicoloured, ultra-shaggy, Yeti-on-acid rugs made using
147
It’s hard to nail down the Colville style but Chambers says it appeals to “very independent women, aged from 23 to 60, who are courageous in their dressing”. The look is not for shrinking violets. Despite being a womenswear label, it is gender-neutral (as well as anti-ageist). “A wonderful, bonkers man we know wears our dresses and handbags,” says Chambers. Colville’s clothes have a romantic, Italian quality redolent of extrovert Italian style icons such as early 20th-century heiress Marchesa Casati, who dressed in Fortuny and Paul Poiret, and fashion journalist Anna Piaggi, who mixed vintage and contemporary clothing. Colville also has a penchant for colourful florals that bring to mind Celia Birtwell’s printed fabrics fashioned into dresses by her then-husband Ossie Clark in the early 1970s. This might sound tenuous, but Colville is named after Colville Terrace near Portobello Road, the
Jenny Brough
“We try on everything we design and ask each other, ‘Would you wear this?’ And we egg eachother on, taking bolder decisions than if we were on our own”
148
STYLE / Profile
Notting Hill enclave where a young, dandyish David Hockney, Birtwell, his muse, and their boho-chic milieu hung out back then. Attired in clothes from their own label, Molloy and Chambers cut stylish figures themselves. “We try on everything we design and ask each other, ‘Would you wear this?’,” says Chambers. “And we egg eachother on, taking bolder decisions than if we were on our own.” Indeed, Colville’s out-there aesthetic reflects the taste, personalities and pedigree of its cofounders. Chambers’ oft-photographed home in Shepherd’s Bush, London, where she’s lived for over 30 years, is colourful and eccentric: its scarlet living room boasts an ultra-pop, emerald green Kartell lampshade; bookshelves that have a life of their own rambling over doorways, and fluoro-yellow candles poking out of silver candelabra. She says that her mother was a big influence on her style: “when I was growing up, she would buy wrecked houses, modernise them, then sell them. We moved house 18 times. I admired her taste. She painted the ceiling of one home black and attached white horizontal planks to it at a lower level, creating a sexy, 1970s vibe. Another house was superrococo with lots of gold and cork walls.”
Barbara Franzo
Chambers is outspoken and arty – and a legend in her industry. She joined British Vogue in 1980, and went on to become the assistant to inspirational fashion editor Grace Coddington, then fashion director. After being ousted from the magazine when Edward Enninful became editor, Chambers grabbed the headlines for an interview in fashion publication Vestoj, in which she claimed that some of the clothes featured in Vogue were “ridiculously expensive”. She is also the co-founder of Milanese label Marni, famous for its joyous, quirky prints. While there, she hired Molloy, who studied fashion at Central Saint Martins. “We needed a good designer at Marni, so I asked some stallholders on Portobello Road if they knew of any, and one recommended Molly,” says Chambers. “We met and hit it off.” (Forss, incidentally, now designs menswear, but is still in touch with Molloy and Chambers.)
Available on its own ecommerce site, as well as from Liberty in London and Matches Fashion, Colville bills itself as “anti-fast fashion” – the antithesis of the big-bucks behemoths that dominate the sector. “We do two collections a year – fewer than even medium-sized brands,” says Molloy. “Each one features upcycled clothes, which feels a good path after all our time working in fashion, hearing horror stories about companies burning clothes.” “We’re not a company selling handbags or scent to keep a huge machine going, we’re selling clothes you enjoy,” interjects Chambers, adding that Colville’s customers “want to put their money into things that mean something. They want to know that whatever they’re buying is something they love and will last.”
149
Above New homewares include blankets, throws and shaggy Turkish rugs Facing page Molly Molloy (left) and Lucinda Chambers (right), who co-founded Colville in 2018
Facing page Clockwise from top left: Draped jumper, zip-up skirt, satin trouser, blanket and pocket bag; Soufle scarf dress, Tiger Tail polo top, tube sleeves, Cylinder Arrows maxi bag and Racer heel; Tiger Tail Soufle scarf dress, upcycled trainers and Cylinder Arrows midi bag; Hairy jumper, draped skirt, tube sleeves, pocket bag and Racer heel
Above Colville’s joyfully patterned jute mats, made in Bangladesh by Maison Bengal, which works with young women to develop their traditional skills
151
PIONEER
The moderniser
Changing the way that Brits lived, ate out and shopped, Terence Conran was a cultural doyen Words / Debika Ray Image / Courtesy of The Design Museum
A
t a time when both our domestic surroundings and the food on our plates are among our primary sources of pleasure, it seems fitting to look back at the life of the visionary designer, retailer and restaurateur Sir Terence Conran, who died in September.
fashion designer Mary Quant. Most significantly, in 1964 he set up the first Habitat store on Fulham Road, with the aim of bringing well-designed objects to the mass market. In doing so, he defined the lifestyle and aesthetic of Swinging Sixties Britain, through modular shelving, clean-lined furniture, practical cookware and colourful soft furnishing, paving the way for the country to become a global centre of design. In the 1980s he became the driving force behind The Conran Shop and furniture maker Benchmark; he also founded London’s Design Museum at the tail end of the decade and championed its move from Shad Thames to Kensington in 2016.
Conran’s early experiences were formative: studying textile design at Central School of Art and Design, working on the Festival of Britain under architect Dennis Lennon, sharing a studio with artist Eduardo Paolozzi. In 1953, he opened his first restaurant, Soup Kitchen, after a trip to Paris – bringing lively and flavour-filled French food in simple surroundings to a country still at the tail-end of rationing – a precursor to later successes with restaurants such as Bibendum and Quaglino’s.
Conran spread his design philosophy via books and was recognised by multiple awards and accolades. But his most profound influence is not the one visible in the design industry and press, but in our daily lives, and the simple pleasure we derive from ordinary, beautiful objects.
Three years later, still only 25, he set up The Conran Design Group, under which he created a shop for the
152
Š Copyright 2019 Design Anthology UK All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, scanning or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except where noted. Views expressed by authors are not necessarily those of the publisher. FSC™ certification ensures that products come from well-managed forests that provide environmental, social and economic benefits.