Design Anthology UK Issue 12 by designanthologyuk

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Dining

Hans J. Wegner

From 1949

THE RETURN OF TRADITION

Carl Hansen & Søn celebrates Hans J. Wegner’s impressive design legacy with the reintroduction of the CH24 Wishbone Chair and CH327 table in oiled teak. Wegner often used the tropical hardwood in the 1950s and it now makes a welcome return to his furniture collection. The FSC™-certified wood displays subtle color variations that deepen over time and perfectly frame the soft silhouette of each design.

FSCTM-C135991

FROM THE EDITOR

ello! It’s been an action-packed season for design lovers, with shows and fairs back in full swing after two years of cancellations and delays. We were delighted to see so much life and enthusiasm during Milan design week and 3 Days of Design in Copenhagen, because it was a reminder of how resilient and full of ideas this industry is. There were all of the beautiful pieces by our favourite names, of course – see DA/UK’s picks on p20-23, and our shoot of new and noteworthy design on p32 – as well as brands and designers tackling serious issues around sustainability and accessibility. We loved seeing so many familiar faces out and about over spring and summer, and we’re looking forward to coming together again soon. Until then, we have a great issue for you – our 12th! In our Journey travel section we explore a former prison complex in Berlin that has been transformed into a luxury hotel (p48). Thoughts? It won’t be for everyone, we know, but repurposing buildings with a murky past and giving them a new spirit through design and good food – as long as it’s sensitively done – is something we wholeheartedly support. Further in, we profile artist Christian Ovonlen, currently showing his work in London with support from Intoart, an organisation established to help people with learning difficulties get their work seen. Ovonlen’s colourful, soulful panels tell a visual story and we’re all about it. Read more on p112. Enjoy.

Elizabeth Choppin Editor-in-Chief

MASTHEAD

September 2022

Publisher & Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Choppin elizabeth@designanthologyuk.com Art Director Shazia Chaudhry shazia@designanthologyuk.com

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Media Sales, worldwide Rebecca Harkness rebecca@designanthologyuk.com

Sub Editor Emily Brooks Commercial Director Rebecca Harkness rebecca@designanthologyuk.com Editorial Concept Design Frankie Yuen, Blackhill Studio Words Jonathan Bell, Emily Brooks, Philomena Epps, Dominic Lutyens, Ella Marshall, Karine Monié, Riya Patel, Nicola Leigh Stewart, Kerstin Zumstein Images Alun Calendar, Harry Crowder, Sergey Krasyuk, Kensington Laverne, Andrew Meredith, Mitch Payne, Elton Rocha, Felix Speller

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CONTENTS

Front cover An apartment in Almaty, Kazakhstan, which designer Elina Mussakulova has brought to life with clever space-planning and hits of colour. Image by Sergey Krasyuk. See p80

Radar

Journey

Products Collections and collaborations of note

Showroom Sister by Studio Ashby makes a new home in a Queen Anne-era school

Hotel openings New design-centric destinations to explore across the globe

Read Delve into a selection of books on design, architecture and interiors

Hotel, Berlin From lock-up to low-key boutique stay, the hotel that used to be a prison

Cultural space The design of The Africa Centre amplifies its mission to celebrate the continent’s culture and ideas

Shadow play A curated collection of new products

Shadow play Design Anthology UK sheds light on some sculptural products that have recently been launched into the world. See p32

Home 56

Barcelona A 1930s warehouse with enviable original features remodelled into a soothing oasis in the city

London Architect William Smalley reworks and extends a 1950s courtyard house

Almaty Colour, art and decorative detail create character in a Kazakhstan new-build

London Turning a dark, inefficient mews house into a model for sustainable retrofit

CONTENTS

Art + Collecting

Style

102

Diary The most compelling art and design events for the coming months

122

112

Profile A charity that puts creatives with learning disabilities on the main stage

Architecture 116

London The UK’s first all-timber office building furthers the cause for using wood in a structural manner

Most wanted A compilation of clothes and accessories that are beautiful, thoughtful and good

Pioneer 128

Gabriella Crespi The Italian designer’s enduring output shows that she was much more than just a high-society darling

On the main stage Award-winning artist Christian Ovonlen, a member of Intoart, which represents creatives with learning disabilities. See p112

Photo taken at Ordrupgaard

The Africa Centre by Freehaus and Tola Ojuolape. Read the full story on p28 Image by Felix Speller

R ADAR Global design news

R ADAR / Products

SP01 Founded in 2016, SP01 marries Australian design sass with Italian manufacturing, and for its first rug collection it has harnessed the know-how of Milanʼs CC-tapis to create a series of pieces that will look as good on the wall as on the floor. A mixture of different yarns, high and low piles and details such as fringing create a richly textured canvas, with each design available in four palettes: inky, golden, rust and bleached (pictured is Kitty). Strong geometry and art-deco-inspired motifs feature throughout. sp01design.com

R ADAR / Products

Zara Just as some Ikea design collaborations have gone on to become collectible classics, so Vincent Van Duysen’s new range for Zara must surely be set for cult status. The Belgian architect and designer has created a substantial number of pieces for the highstreet chain, all reflecting his quiet, material-led approach, with highlights that include relaxed linen-covered sofas and armchairs, blocky timber tables and Stool02 (pictured), which has a sling-like leather seat and is available in ash or natural oak. zara.com

Tekla British architect and designer John Pawson has teamed up with bedding brand Tekla to create a bed frame in oiled elm as well as a collection of complementary bedlinen. The bed’s low platform design features a hinged headrest that can be raised or lowered for bedtime reading – its simple, natural

appearance was inspired by Pawson’s own home in Oxfordshire. The soft cotton bedlinen that goes with it is typically pared-back, prioritising tactility with a custom texture of the architect’s own making. teklafabrics.com

R ADAR / Products

Schneid Studio Scalloped edges seem to be one of the motifs of the moment, lending a sense of rhythm to a piece of furniture, a rug or an accessory. For German brand Schneid Studio, which aims to make products that are both thoughtful and timeless, the undulating line represents “the evenly rising and falling tones of rhythmical structures that unite human individuals into a common collective identity” – and it has incorporated it into its Tami dining table and benches, which are available in oiled oak or larch. schneidstudio.com

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R ADAR / Products

ClassiCon Eileen Gray’s Roattino light, first designed in 1931, has been released in an off-white version by German brand ClassiCon, augmenting the original black iteration. Typically ahead of its time, Gray’s design features an S-shaped bent-steel base concealing the cabling, topped by a jaunty asymmetrical cone for the shade; a joint in the tubing allows the shade to pivot. As well as the new colour option, the latest version is dimmable, making it doubly practical, a feature that Gray would have doubtless appreciated. classicon.com

R ADAR / Products

Pierre Yovanovitch

Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt

In a sunset-like peachy-pink colour that emits a flattering glow, this Double Moon glass wall light is part of Pierre Yovanovitchʼs collection of lighting and furniture. The interior architect and designer is passionate about preserving and evolving traditional manufacturing skills in his native France, and this light is no exception, individually made using ageold glassblowing methods, ensuring that no two pieces are quite the same. A half-sized single version of the light is also available. pierreyovanovitch.com

L.Ercolani The sister brand to British furniture maker Ercol, L.Ercolani was launched in 2020 to commemorate the former's centenary, selling classic archive pieces and commissioning new work from leading names. This includes Swedish architect and designer Jonas Wagell, whose new Grade collection consists of a

two- and three-seat sofa and armchair. All of them sit on a timber base, with gently sloping arms and tailored upholstery that bring a sense of comfort and channels Wagellʼs Scandinavian minimalism. lercolani.com

R ADAR / Products

Tacchini

Andrea Ferrari

The chunky aesthetics of the 1970s are loud and clear in Tacchini’s Le Mura seating collection, a revival of designer Mario Bellini’s first-ever work, dating from 1972. The modular system consists of seven different pieces that can be arranged as single chairs, sofas or chaises, with Bellini’s distinctive deep notch and decorative buckle between the arm and seat, adding character to their otherwise monolithic appearance: “There’s a tailored-suit-like appearance to it,” says the designer, 50 years on. tacchini.it

La Chance Designer Marta Bakowski was inspired by Native American culture for La Chance’s Hopi footstool, and in particular, kachina ritualistic figures – beautifully detailed ‘dolls’ that represent the spirits of deities, ancestors, animals or natural phenomena. Its vibrant cushion-like top pays homage to the

Hopi culture’s tradition for graphic polychrome textiles. The fabric has been 3D-knitted – the same technology developed for making high-tech trainers – with embroidered details to add subtle texture. lachance.paris

R ADAR / Products

Milan design week

Some of the stand-out new launches from the revered Italian furniture fair

Ladies & Gentlemen Studio Holding its own against a tidal wave of European brands, New York Cityʼs Ladies & Gentlemen Studio chose Milan to launch its Veil lighting. The square pendant pictured is made from overlapping cotton and silk panels hanging from a timber frame, the layers of semi-opaque fabric casting some

intriguing shadows when the light is turned off, and creating a soft, warm glow when it is on. The studio worked with a fabric-pleating expert from New Yorkʼs garment district to realise the design. ladiesandgentlemenstudio.com

Tommaso Sartori

R ADAR / Products

Flos

Gebrüder Thonet Vienna

In Milan, lighting brand Flos celebrated its 60th year in business with a large standalone show and the launch of many new pieces. Almendra is one of them, a modular light designed by Patricia Urquiola, named after the Spanish for ‘almond’: each shade is a pair of fins (inspired by a nutshell split into two) that can be arranged facing up or down, fed on to straight or branching supports.

French designer India Mahdavi has brought her eye for sensuous femininity to the Loop collection for Gebrüder Thonet Vienna. Consisting of an armchair (pictured) and a two-seater sofa, Loopʼs beech arms and legs look like a squiggle on a page brought to life. Mahdaviʼs palette of colours include tone-on-tone red and yellow, contrasting green and blue, and a natural, neutral version.

flos.com

gebruederthonetvienna.com

Pierre Frey

Agape

Continuing its foray into furniture under the careful eye of artistic director Sam Baron, Pierre Freyʼs Kiss chair, footstool and side table were designed by Sebastian Bergne. With contrasting fabric and lacquered areas, its components connect in a gentle way – the same as the brush of a kiss – and look fantastic as a trio, like refined boulders strewn on an imaginary landscape.

As bathrooms have become spaces in which to spend more time, so there is a need for desirable furniture to fill them. Agapeʼs Rendez-vous bench is water resistant – it can even go outside – and made from recycled aluminium with a handwoven cork seat. It comes in three lengths as well as a wider daybed (for those days where you really don’t want to leave the bathroom and face the world).

pierrefrey.com

agapedesign.it

R ADAR / Products

3 Days of Design

Copenhagen’s annual showcase of Nordic brands yielded these new discoveries

+Halle Raw Edgesʼ Sui hybrid desk/chair for +Halle is a small-scale workstation. The London-based design studio envisaged a piece of furniture that could work in public spaces such as hotels or libraries, as a temporary perch for a laptop thatʼs also comfortable enough to be used for longer periods of time. Its

U-shaped design feels cocooning for when users are working in an open area, and the upholstered chair swivels, encouraging the sitter to change position and make use of the whole worktop area. plushalle.com

R ADAR / Products

Kristina Dam Studio

With an aesthetic that the brand describes as “sculptural minimalism”, Kristina Dam Studio is celebrating a decade in business in 2022. Simple graphic lines are one of its hallmarks, and the new Outline desk typifies its approach: with a solid oak top and drawers set into a crisply linear steel frame, it marries the natural and the industrial in one finely crafted piece.

Fusing east and west, Menuʼs Hashira lighting collection, designed by Norm Architects, has become a favourite, and this portable table light is the latest product to join the family. The thick linen shade (available in white or the raw finish pictured) stands in for the rice paper used on a traditional Japanese lantern, while the ash frame is subtly silhouetted against the light when it is turned on.

kristinadam.dk

menuspace.com

Gubi

Norr11

Pared-back enough to work in any space but characterful enough to hold its own, Gubi’s Doric coffee table is its latest collaboration with GamFratesi. Named after the simplest of the classical orders of architecture, the table’s distinguishing feature is its inwardly curving legs, a distilled detail of the top of a fluted column. It comes in either travertine or a richly veined grey limestone.

Hippo is a pleasingly plump collection of seating by Norr11 that continues to expand as it has grown in popularity. This fully upholstered chair is one of its new guises, giving it an even friendlier look than the original (whose legs are timber rather than fabric). A generously proportioned sofa – an extruded version of the upholstered chair – has also been added to the portfolio.

gubi.com

norr11.com

RADAR / Showroom

Wonder room

Sister by Studio Ashby’s new showroom is where rare architecture meets covetable contemporary design

he streets of London between Victoria and St James’s Park are not one of the capital’s design-showroom honeypots, but when a unique building became available to rent as a new studio-cum-shop, Sophie Ashby found herself unable to resist its charms. The Blewcoat School is a compact, perfectly proportioned red-brick building dating from 1709 and since dwarfed by towering glass and steel high-rises. Built as a school for the underprivileged (one of its blue-coated pupils is immortalised in a statue above the doorway), it was bought by the National Trust in 1954 and served as its shop for decades, before becoming an atelier for wedding-dress designer Ian Stewart in 2013. Ashby is its latest tenant, basing her design studio here alongside Sister by Studio Ashby, the offshoot business she founded in 2020 to bring her own furniture designs to market alongside art, accessories and other pieces that fit the firm’s eclectic, approachable aesthetic. “I have dreamt of being a shopkeeper ever since I was a child so moving into Blewcoat is in some ways a wish come true – it’s a privilege to become custodians of this magical space,”

says Ashby. This being a Grade-I listed building, the studio could only lay a light hand on the fabric, but that is no bad thing: a uniform coat of off-white paint covers the walls, classical cornices, Corinthian columns and niches of the ground floor, which is a single room with a ceiling nearly six metres in height. Products from Sister by Studio Ashby command the front of house with a series of inviting room sets, while the studio staff are tucked away behind two freestanding plywood storage units that both divide the space and provide a display area for smaller objects. Open by appointment only, the showroom will evolve as pieces are sold and new ones become available, and there will be a changing roster of ‘artists in residence’ starting with siblings Erin and Mia Chaplin. This is Sister’s first physical space and it’s definitely an advantage to be able to see, touch and use the products in real life to imagine how they would work in your own space, from taking a spin in the Beak swivel chair to admiring the trompe l’oeil paint finish on a chunky glass-topped desk. “We hope visitors find a comforting sense of home and wonder amongst the furniture and objects we have lovingly curated,” says Ashby.

Words Emily Brooks Images Kensington Laverne

Facing page With a backdrop of perfectly proportioned early-18th-century architecture, Sister by Studio Ashby’s offering mixes original pieces designed in-house with antiques, art and objects

RADAR / Read

Hay

Houses That Can Save The World

edited by Kelsey Keith (Phaidon)

by Courtenay Smith and Sean Topham (Thames & Hudson)

“Hay was born from our desire to make highquality, beautiful, practical designs for the many, not the few,” write company founders Rolf and Mette Hay in the preface of this book marking the Danish brand’s 20 years in business. Steering a path between accessibility and covetable contemporary design, Hay’s portfolio includes many enduring classics, from Oskar Zieta’s inflated-aluminium Plopp stools to Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec’s Palissade outdoor furniture. As well as a year-by-year snapshot of each collection and a chapter dedicated to how designers have used them in their projects, some of the brand’s collaborators are interviewed in the book, including the Bouroullecs, Doshi Levien and GamFratesi.

This book’s title certainly talks the talk – but it’s really just a way of saying that there is huge collective potential for residential architecture to create a more sustainable world. It’s divided into various strategies for how we might better build the houses of the future – from tried-and-tested traditional methods that have found new favour (such as working with locally sourced earth, mud or clay) to modular, prefabricated systems. Consideration is given to big questions such as rising sea levels – should we build bigger defences, or design to let the water in without causing damage? – and to democratising house-building by giving power to the homeowner. Optimism abounds within the pages of this global survey.

RADAR / Read

Faye Toogood: Drawing, Material, Sculpture, Landscape

House of Joy

One of the UK’s most revered designers is awarded her own monograph, tracing the rise of a highly successful studio that has embraced furniture, fashion, ceramics, textiles and art. It follows Faye Toogood’s methods and design ethos through four compelling visual essays that also form the book’s sub-heading – drawing, material, sculpture and landscape – documenting projects as diverse as the design of Dover Street Market’s shoe department to her ‘assemblage’ furniture collections. Readers can peek behind the front door of her and her husband’s 1960s London home and explore the designer’s deep connection with the English countryside, while specially created artwork adorns the cover and chapter openers.

Happiness-inducing interiors are the subject of this book, defined by publisher Gestalten as spaces that are full of colour, pattern and playful touches. Pop art and postmodernism are often leading influences, including Camille Walala’s instantly identifiable design DNA in a Mauritian resort and Pieces by An Aesthetic Pursuit’s technicolour rug snaking through a Maine Airbnb apartment, shown on the cover. House of Joy sets out to disprove the idea that only minimalist, neutral homes can be sophisticated – although there is the odd pocket of calm to provide balance, from a pine-clad apartment in Palma de Mallorca to a lushly planted courtyard in a Californian home (topped off with a giant disco ball, of course).

by Gestalten authors (Gestalten)

edited by Alistair O’Neill (Phaidon)

RADAR / Cultural space

Many voices

The multiple perspectives of Africa and its diaspora have been distilled into a reborn cultural centre in London’s Southwark Words / Emily Brooks Images / Felix Speller

arved from an unpromising 1960s office block south of the river, the newly opened Africa Centre presented a deceptively simple brief to architect Freehaus and interior designer Tola Ojuolape: to create the most welcoming cultural space in London. Established in the 1960s as a home-from-home for Africans in the capital, the centre’s new guise includes a restaurant (Tatale, run by rising star Akwasi Brenya-Mensa), bar, gallery and event area, while a second phase will see a learning and business incubator space on the top two floors.

It’s billed as an “embassy of optimism”, and its design helps to amplify the charity’s mission to celebrate pan-African culture and ideas. “This was a big deal for me, because it’s an homage to my background,” says Ojuolape of the project. The designer has Nigerian roots but was raised in Ireland, moving to London a decade ago to pursue her career – and it’s only in that decade that she’s re-engaged with her heritage, visiting Africa to travel and meet up with extended family, and discovering a

Below A raised ground floor area features tables by John Aldredo Harris, cork stools by South Africa’s Wild Design and Moroccan lighting by Hamimi Facing page Perforated clay bricks run around the seating in the restaurant, Tatale

RADAR / Cultural space

Right Top to bottom: woven stools by Dokter and Misses in the bar; brick flooring and lush houseplants create an indoor-outdoor look Facing page Kete Pa fabric by Chrissa Amuah, a London designer inspired by her Ghanaian heritage, covers a sofa

panoply of inspiring design along the way. The Africa Centre was the chance to bring that to a wider audience, although Ojuolape initially wrestled with how to distil the diversity of an entire continent into something coherent but not watered-down. “The unifier was the idea of working with our hands,” she says. “There’s an earthiness and a hand-made element that is celebrated on the continent that is maybe not as celebrated here. The whole concept centred around the idea of tactility and craftsmanship.” Working alongside curator Taipiwa Matsinde, Ojuolape sourced pieces including lighting from South Africa’s Mash.T Design Studio, a bespoke dark-stained timber reception design by Kenya- and UK-based Studio Propolis, Moroccan crochet lights from Hamimi and textiles from London-based Chrissa Amuah, whose work is inspired by her Ghanaian heritage. It all sits against Freehaus’ backdrop of terracotta-toned natural clay plaster interior walls – while outside, colourful chairs from Moroso’s Senegal-made M’Afrique collection stand out from the black-brick facade. A 1987 mural by Mozambican artist and poet Malangatana Ngwenya from the original Africa Centre in Covent Garden acts as a bridge between those associated with the centre’s influential past – from Desmond Tutu to Jazzie B – and the new voices of the African diaspora, of which Ojuolape is one. “I wanted to prove to myself that you can be African as well as cosmopolitan and contemporary,” she says. “It’s not about me, though: I’m just a little conduit for a generation of people who have diverse backgrounds and identities.”

Low Seat and Table One by Benni Allan/EBBA (betonbrut.co.uk); Silo table lamp, Lambert & Fils (lambertetfils.com)

Shadow play

Design Anthology UK throws some light on the products of the moment, emphasising their sculptural simplicity Images / Mitch Payne

Above Romby chair, GamFratesi for Porro (porro.com)

Facing page Plinth cube in Breccia stone, Menu (menuspace.com) Woman Arms vase and Contradictory vase, Revolution of Forms (revolutionofforms.co)

Facing page Vesper pendant in brushed silver, Lee Broom (leebroom.com)

Above Sacha chair, Resident (resident.co.nz); Sand Secrets bowls and plate, Carina Seth Andersson for Design House Stockholm (designhousestockholm. com); Tropical Landscape textile, Revolution of Forms (as before); grey plinths, stylistʼs own

Rug Design: Evolution B II | Photography: Beth Davis

Introducing Studio by Tai Ping

An exclusive prêt-à-porter range of crafted rugs 85 Pelham Street, London SW7 2NJ | london@taipingcarpets.com | taipingshop-uk.com

La Valise San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Read the full story on p44

JOURNEY Distinctive destinations

JOURNEY / Openings

New hotels

Unique places to stay, in destinations of note

JOURNEY / Openings

Cap Karoso, Indonesia Set on one of Sumba’s most idyllic stretches of sand, Cap Karoso is an eco-conscious haven created in harmony with nature. French globetrotters Fabrice and Evguenia Ivara sought ancestral approval from village heads and locals before opening the resort, and have been mindful to preserve the Indonesian culture and landscape. Rooms and villas feature floor-to-ceiling windows, open spaces and outdoor bathtubs to put nature centre stage, and sustainable features such as solar panels help to minimise environmental impact. Jakarta-based Bitte Design Studio’s interiors blend the geometric lines of wood-panelled walls and minimalist furniture with Sumbanese art and antiques. capkaroso.com

JOURNEY / Openings

SILO Basel, Switzerland As part of a project to redevelop Basel’s up-andcoming Erlenmatt Ost neighbourhood, architect Harry Gugger Studio has created Switzerland’s first boutique hostel from a former grain and cocoa bean silo. The structure has been integrated into a row of new properties comprising student housing and artists’ studios and given large porthole windows to allow daylight in without disturbing the facade;

rooms and dorms reference the building’s industrial past with sloped concrete ceilings, exposed piping and functional furniture. Pops of citrus-coloured Perspex and plenty of plants jazz up the co-working spaces and restaurant, SILO Soulfood, which serves up dishes inspired by Creole cuisine. silobasel.com

JOURNEY / Openings

RUNO Hotel, Finland In the heart of the city of Porvoo, east of Helsinki, RUNO Hotel cuts a striking figure with its warm yellow facade crowned with reliefs of Väinämöinen, a hero in Finland’s national poem Kalevala. The 1912 art nouveau landmark has been reborn as a boutique bolthole with interiors that feel both rustic and contemporary. Finnish designer Joanna Laajisto has created cocooning guest rooms dressed

in tactile materials such as oak, linen and leather. There’s a memorable sauna and spa up in the attic, while downstairs, sheepskin throws and tables crafted from 300-year-old pine flooring add a homely touch to the breakfast room and restaurant, which also showcases the talent of local artists. runohotel.com

JOURNEY / Openings

La Valise San Miguel de Allende, Mexico An unassuming red facade hides La Valise San Miguel de Allende, a tranquil retreat in the heart of the city’s historic centre. The six suites here take their design cues from Diego Rivera’s Anahuacalli Museum, which presents art and culture against a backdrop of wild nature, and have been furnished with soft neutral textiles, contemporary Mexican furniture and a smattering of fine art and artefacts. At the back of the hotel an immaculate white staircase features reliefs inspired by the feathered serpent god Quetzalcóatl, and the serene patio and pool look on to a one-of-a-kind art installation by surrealist Mexican artist Pedro Friedeberg. lavalise.com

JOURNEY / Openings

Hotel Mercedes, France liner Normandie. In the Bar du Mercedes, look out for original stained glass windows by Jacques Grüber, who worked with Patout on several of his cruise ship designs. The 40 rooms feature velvetupholstered half-moon-shaped headboards, vibrant striped carpets and deco-inspired furniture. hotelmercedesparis.com

Herve Goluza/Ed Dabney

Housed in a historic 1928 Parisian building with an original facade by architect Pierre Patout, Hotel Mercedes puts a contemporary twist on 1920s style. Designer Dorothée Delaye has taken inspiration from Miami’s sun-soaked take on art deco to revive the hotel, with a vibrant pink colour palette and gold palm tree light fittings, while nautical design details nod to Patout’s work on the transatlantic

JOURNEY / Openings

WunderLocke, Germany In creating the latest Munich outpost of aparthotel brand Locke, interior design studio Holloway Li took inspiration from artist and ex-city resident Wasily Kandinsky. Following Kandinsky’s belief that artists can reveal the natural essence of objects by connecting with their innerer klang (“inner voice”) the team sought the building’s own inner voice by stripping back the ex-office building to

reveal its raw concrete frame. To soften this urban backdrop, the original 1960s terrazzo staircase was restored and the 360 studios dressed in a palette of sea greens and blues. Timber and raffia furnishings and an abundance of plants in the common spaces reference the nearby Grünwald forest. lockeliving.com

JOURNEY / Berlin

Reformed character

Closed in 1985, a Berlin women’s prison is unexpectedly suited to a new life as a serene hotel

Words Ella Marshall Images Courtesy of Design Hotels

Facing page Guests enter Wilmina through a building that was once a courthouse, which leads to the nowlisted women’s prison complex

ermany’s capital is not lacking in surprises. In fact, despite its many districts falling victim to inevitable gentrification, hidden gems still abound and unexpected pockets remain ripe for discovery: you just need to know where to look. This is especially true in a city where a panoply of architectural styles and long-forgotten buildings disguise a breadth of secret spaces that are invisible even to the most tuned-in locals. Take Wilmina, a familyowned hotel in Charlottenburg that opened in early 2022 and is arranged across a series of former women’s prison buildings. Expanded and remodelled by Armand Grüntuch and Almut Grüntuch Ernst of Grüntuch Ernst Architekten, the historic structures have been reborn as a hub of unexpectedly calm guest rooms and flexible cultural spaces where a sense of sleepy serenity belies the site’s history. The adaptation of this previously undesirable plot into a place of leisure, which started back in 2011, anchors a new mood in this part of Berlin’s West. Rebirth has always been something this city has excelled at, and as a local practice Grüntuch Ernst has capitalised on this constant state of flux by balancing historic preservation with adaptive reuse in its wider work. “It is essential to have a respectful approach to history and original elements as they are the traces of the past,” explains Armand Grüntuch, “yet it is also important to have contemporary interventions to express the contrast to our time.” The hotel is an oasis that feels a world away from the din of Kantstrasse, Charlottenburg’s main thoroughfare. Its kerbside appeal is

muted: the facade is an ensemble of buildings fronted by an inconspicuous former courthouse, all built in 1896 by architects Adolf Bürckner and Eduard Fürstenau in a mix of Augsburger baroque and Wilhelminian styles. Behind here, though, a surprise emerges in the shape of a series of courtyards that are a portal into a 3,000 sqm site where the red-brick former prison buildings house the accommodation, cultural areas and a restaurant. All this is augmented by the distinct and unexpected presence of nature. Alongside tall trees, shrubs and hedges, climbing plants and perennial beds coalesce in the hotel’s central garden courtyard for a real sense of distance from the city. Having been left untouched over the several decades that the site remained derelict – the prison closed in 1985 – swathes of the asphalt courtyard have been renaturalised and planted with a plethora of lush greenery. It all leads into the original prison buildings, where five storeys and 44 guest rooms have been carved from a former cell wing, in which the past is clearly present in a layout where rooms are lined up along narrow galleries with wrought-iron balustrades, each one sculpted from an original cell. These nods to a sombre history are softened and balanced with contemporary interventions. A new penthouse floor and roof terrace combine clean lines with floor-to-ceiling windows and vistas of the hotel’s gardens, while the high-ceilinged ground-floor lobby marries a modern hanging light installation by Bocci with a fireplace area and furniture by Walter Knoll, Fredericia and Bolia.

JOURNEY / Berlin

It’s a far cry from the days when these now listed buildings were once used to imprison resistance fighters during the second world war and, more recently, as a set for film productions. “We converted it from a place of darkness into a place of light,” explains Grüntuch, whose transformation of this place of isolation into an inviting social environment required a handful of significant changes. In addition to the new materials applied, existing elements were also carefully reconfigured and original features maximised to great effect. The suffusion of light that infiltrates most corners of the hotel is owed in part to the enlargement of the original cell windows, which were previously situated high up on walls to cut off any visual connection between the incarcerated and the outside world. Now the updated windows – with the historical iron bars on the upper sections still intact – allow a direct view out and bathe rooms in light to complement a soft palette of soothing neutrals throughout. Mindful of the site’s layered story, the architects have preserved one cell to archive the history of the site. In new rooms, however, historical details such as the original cell doors work surprisingly well and seamlessly harmonise with the calm and serene mood that imbues the entire hotel. These poignant reminders of what was are paired with nods to nature through in-room furniture crafted from wood and the use of natural materials throughout, from Coco-Mat’s handmade beds to the framed pressed flowers that sit atop upholstered headboards. Billowing floor-to-ceiling curtains and warm fabrics counter exposed white brick walls and original glass and steel, while the fresh and minimal bathrooms outfitted in ceramic fixtures and tiles from Laufen are complemented by luxe toiletries by Frama. While the prison buildings garner attention for their shift from a once oppressive space into an atmosphere of protection, Wilmina’s public areas are collecting equal praise. Chef Sophia Rudolph’s Lovis Restaurant serves up modern German cuisine in an area that was once the prison’s yard. Grüntuch Ernst Architekten has converted it into an interior space, with large windows replacing the old gates. It is a tangible

demonstration of the practice’s seamless merger of the old and the new, with a recently added extension constructed in part from bricks salvaged from the renovation process. Everything is tied together with art curated in collaboration with Galerie Kicken and Galerie Crone, two of many partnerships that come into focus at Amtsalon, Wilmina’s space for installations, pop-ups, readings and exhibitions. Further new additions include a wellness area and a gym – finishing touches in a conversion that has managed to reverse the energy of this space in a respectful and beautiful adaptation. Almut Grüntuch Ernst sums it up perfectly: “The building has been awakened from its dormant state and – in dialogue with the existing spaces – is transformed into a lively and at the same time contemplative place.”

Above The narrow cell wing, with guest rooms leading off Facing page Grüntuch Ernst Architekten has created a sense of serenity in the interiors that belie the buildings’ former use

“We converted it from a place of darkness into a place of light”

Above Garden view rooms are more spacious than the rooms carved from cells, with the vine-covered courtyard outside the windows

Facing page Wilmina’s outside spaces are a major draw, bringing a sense of calm despite being steps from the buzz of Charlottenburg

An apartment in Almaty. Read the full story on p80 Image by Sergey Krasyuk

HOME Timeless spaces

Catalan casual

A Barcelona warehouse made into a soothing, inviting home Words / Karine Monié Images / Elton Rocha

HOME / Barcelona

hen he was a child, interior designer Noé Prades was fascinated by his father’s work in construction, often going along to building sites where he drew and made small furniture and objects, imagining the possibilities in each space. Born in Spain and based in Barcelona, Prades went on to study art and interior design, gaining experience working for renowned design studios and furniture brands before going on to launch his eponymous practice. Since then, he has crafted a singular aesthetic that combines a sense of minimalism with an eclectic essence reflected through emotional spaces. Using contrasting styles – such as classic with modern or exotic with geometric – is something that Prades particularly likes. That approach is exemplified in his latest project. When the homeowner, a young doctor, purchased this space in a quiet neighbourhood of Barcelona, it had never been in residential use. Built in 1930, the building had previously been a mechanical workshop and an old boutique, but it was a warehouse when Prades and his team were finally tasked with completely reimagining and transforming it into a home. Some of the existing walls were removed to start from scratch.

“We needed to change everything,” says the interior designer. “One of the most interesting structural changes was to lower the floors to increase the height in some of the rooms while complying with regulations to do the change of use from commercial to residential. To achieve this, we had to install reinforced concrete in all the perimeters of the floor that supported the walls, then excavate and remove the existing floor to create a new one.” During the conceptualisation process, the homeowner also asked the interior designer to preserve existing architectural elements. These included stone and brick walls, volta Catalana ceilings (typical of the area, with timber beams separated by a run of brick barrel vaults), steel details and large windows, which together give an industrial yet warm feel. “He wanted a unique and different home,” says Prades. “The original state of the space was very dark and compartmentalised, so one of the challenges during the remodelling was to open it up and fill it with natural light.” The starting point to create the new layout – spread over 93 sqm, plus a charming 16sqm private patio to the rear – was to design a large

Facing page The living room features one of Noé Prades’ own rugs for Dac Rugs, and shelving that is also made to his own design Previous page The industrial space has lent itself beautifully to residential conversion, with original vaulted ceilings and raw brickwork

HOME / Barcelona

Facing page In the dining area, the homeowner bought the vintage cabinet from his previous house, while the photograph is by Anna Malagrida Previous page The kitchen, with an island clad in terracotta tiles, was the starting point for reworking the warehouse’s layout

kitchen in the heart of the apartment where functionality and aesthetics meet. In this key room for the homeowner (who loves to cook and host guests), Prades opted for a macaúbas granite worktop because of its natural and durable characteristics, while the huge island is clad in handcrafted terracotta bricks to give a warm, organic feel. The island separates the space between the kitchen and the dining room, where a vintage cabinet – a piece that the homeowner already had – complements chairs from the 1970s and a bespoke oak table. A sliding wooden door leads to the bedroom where one of the walls is in original stone and the headboard was customised by Prades; beyond, a brick-lined bathroom connects to the patio for an outdoor/indoor atmosphere.

from traditional Mediterranean architecture while adding a sophisticated and contemporary twist, introducing raw and local materials. Throughout this home, neutral and earthy tones prevail, conveying a calm feeling. “We chose the name Elisi for this project, which means a place of peacefulness and tranquillity in Catalan,” says Prades. “It was a reference for the whole project and it helped us develop the concept; the homeowner wanted the interior to be an oasis in the middle of the city – somewhere to disconnect.”

In the living room, the large oak bookshelf on the main wall was custom designed by Prades, and he also created the jute and wool rug for Barcelona-based Dac Rugs. Two small African tables by another native brand, Azul Tierra, add an eclectic touch.

While Prades custom-designed much of the furniture for the project, there are also pieces by Menu, Gervasoni and Barcelona-based mid-century modern dealer 177 Kensington, among others. Artwork from Galeria Senda further brings the spaces to life: there are photographs by Anna Malagrida (in the dining room) and Gemma Miralda (in the bedroom), a painting by Yago Hortal (next to the kitchen) and a dog sculpture by Miguel Ángel Madrigal (in the dining room).

“We worked in shaping a bright space that creates a dialogue between inside and out, as well as a sensation of amplitude and connection between the different ambiences,” says Prades. For an authentic result, he drew inspiration

Responding to the homeowner’s wish to live in an inviting and relaxing environment focused on wellness, this serene project allowed all the existing elements to get along in harmony with the new ones in a seamless flow.

“We worked in shaping a bright space that creates a dialogue between inside and out, as well as a sensation of amplitude and connection”

Above Left to right: sliding doors divide the bedroom from the kitchen, with polished concrete floors running throughout; an open-plan shower leads on to the private patio

Next page The designer picks up the warm tones of the exposed brick and stone in his earthy colour palette

Modernism renewed

Architect William Smalley reworks a 1950s courtyard house, keeping its spirit while ensuring it is fit for purpose today Words / Jonathan Bell Images / Harry Crowder

HOME / London

ven the finest examples of mid-century modernism rarely survive the ravages of time unscathed. Although one can always admire the slender structure and expansive glazing of a post-war house, these qualities do not always translate into comfortable, economically viable places to live. Sympathetic refurbishment and restoration must tread a fine line between preserving original features and making spaces fit for the future. This 1950s house in south-west London is a classic example of a property in need of an overhaul. Built adjoining a Span estate, one of the pioneering groupings of post-war housing overseen by the architect Eric Lyons, the house occupies a plot reserved for slightly larger detached houses on the development. The single-storey courtyard house was designed by the architect Leslie Gooday in 1958 and then extended a few years later. Gooday, best known for his work on the Festival of Britain, designed several richly detailed private houses in the south east. Until the current owners acquired it, this particular example had been in the same ownership ever since it was built. Although the house is locally listed as a building of historic interest, the planners were initially sure that “no one would care” what happened to it, says architect William Smalley. However, as he recalls, “on the day that we were due to get approval, the conservation officer blocked [the project].” It turned out that not only had she not been informed of the proposal, but she was also the enthusiast who had flagged the house’s design quality in the first place. “However, when she saw our scheme she realised we were being very sympathetic, and it improved as a result,” he adds. The most substantial change is the addition of a first-floor master bedroom. “When I first

visited the house, I went up on to the flat roof to check its condition,” says the architect. “There were fantastic views across the nearby common, and I thought that these would be exactly what you’d want to wake up to.” Although the new storey – which only occupies a small percentage of the actual floorplan – was contentious, other physical alterations were shown to be in the spirit of Gooday’s original design. “We had access to his original drawings, which not only showed us that the house was completely riddled with asbestos, but that the shallow pitched roof adjoining the garden was intended to be copper, not roofing felt,” says Smalley. It was presumably omitted because of cost, but copper features in Gooday’s own house, the acclaimed Long Wall in St George’s Hill, so Smalley and his team, led by project architect Liam Andrews, had a precedent to use it on the new extension. “Copper only used to go green because of acid rain and smoke pollution,” says Smalley, “although you can get it pre-patinated, we’ve left it to weather naturally. It might never even go green.” Inside, there were substantial reconstructions of the original layout, with its two courtyards and carefully considered views through and across the house. The original windows needed to be replaced with new sapele hardwood frames and double-glazed units, the underfloor heating was also replaced and the kitchen was completely rebuilt. “The house was built very economically back in 1958,” says Smalley. “The wall and floor slabs were very thin and there was no insulation. It was incredibly inefficient by modern standards.” The new master bedroom and curved stair drum are clad in cumaru timber, with another new bedroom on the ground floor beneath it. The clients, who had also commissioned Smalley to design their previous house, have

Previous page Leslie Gooday designed the house in 1958; it has now been sensitively updated, with a new storey added

Above The courtyard layout creates an intimate setting, with trees casting dappled light inside and out

HOME / London

three young children, and the ground floor now sports three equal-sized ground floor bedrooms adjoining a playroom and family bathroom. One of the original courtyards is now a ‘play garden’, accessed and overlooked from the kitchen as well as the playroom. The extension incorporates some expressive design elements. “You can see the new staircase rising in the distance from the front door,” Smalley explains. “There’s a circular skylight above it, which intersects with the five-metretall ‘totem pole’ that acts as the centre post in the stair. It’s level with the ceiling so it looks like it is holding up the sky. It was quite an abstract move, which the clients really liked.”

Previous page Cork flooring in the kitchen channels the spirit of the original 1950s house Facing page A hand-woven textile by Catarina Riccarbona hangs in the hallway

The original main corridor was doubled in width, giving the house a more spacious feel, complete with double pivot doors that fold together in the centre of the room. “We knocked the kitchen and dining room together – they were previously linked only by a serving hatch – and took some space from the courtyard,” says Smalley. Finishes evoke the materials palette of the era, with white walls juxtaposed with rough render and cork tiles underfoot, laid in the original pattern. “We tried to get back to the thinking of the 1950s,” says the architect. “It’s a type of modernism that came via Mies and Breuer, where you get that sense of flowing space. The original owners’ daughter actually wrote us a nice email saying that her parents would have approved.” The renovation added 85 sqm to the house’s original 185 sqm floorplan and includes a new guest suite carved from the original garage space, with a birch-lined box forming a shower room. Smalley has managed to increase the sense of space in what was already an incredibly open and generous design. “You’re always looking across to foliage, no matter where you

stand – it’s just an incredibly nice house to be in,” he says. The generous wide-width corridors feel like extensions of the rooms, while the garden is ever present. “It’s like a journey to go upstairs to bed,” he says. Although some furniture came with the house, including a sofa, a headboard and a desk, the eclectic material choices ensure the renovation isn’t a straightforward homage to mid-century style. “We could make our own rules here – we decided for ourselves what the appropriate level of change was,” explains Smalley. “For example, choosing the new windows was a complicated process – they’re weren’t thin and metal but they’re still in the spirit of the house.” The new master bedroom has a cinematically proportioned window to frame those verdant views, revealed each morning by an electric blind. A white shag-pile carpet and olive-green linen used as a wallcovering completes the look. “It’s like a kind of cocoon,” says Smalley. AMLY Construction handled the build, which was Smalley’s fifth collaboration with the contractors. A one-man-band joinery specialist made the bespoke items, which include the birch ply doors, cedar-clad dressing room and the monumental sapele wood kitchen island unit. “We made many models of it,” says Smalley, noting that it was partly inspired by the Los Angeles architect Ray Kappe’s own house in Pacific Palisades, built in the 1960s. Other bespoke pieces include two wallhangings woven by textile artist Catarina Riccabona, along with bespoke Douglas fir wall lights. “The clients are slowly filling the house with furniture, but they’re taking their time,” Smalley says. “They’re content to wait and avoid it becoming a mid-century museum. They wanted everything to be done solidly and well – this is a house that’s built to last,” he adds. “It’s a very good attitude to have.”

Above The living room’s interiors echo the house’s mid-20th-century architecture, with vintage furniture sitting on a green rug from Kvadrat

Facing page Linen-wrapped walls in the bedroom are the backdrop for a CH25 chair by Carl Hansen & Søn and a Hase BL lamp by Kalmar

Above Left to right: The new curving staircase leading to the first floor, with its top-lit ‘totem pole’ running up the centre; a bespoke sapele bench designed by the architects

Facing page The master bedroom’s cinematic window captures a verdant view

“There were fantastic views across the nearby common, and I thought that these would be exactly what you’d want to wake up to”

Palette cleanser Colour, art and decorative detail create character in a Kazakhstan new-build Words / Karine Monié Images / Sergey Krasyuk

HOME / Almaty

sk any creative what inspires them, and it’s likely that they will respond with a plethora of sources – everything that surrounds them, every detail they notice, including in their daily life. Case in point: the colour scheme for this project was defined while designer Elina Mussakulova from Kazakhstan’s Sdelaemremont.kz Interior Bureau was on her way to the supermarket with her husband. “I noticed how good he looked in our beige car seat with his sky-coloured cotton shirt and pale green jeans,” Mussakulova says. “So these three tones became the palette for this apartment.”

the designer and her team prefer to start by creating a layout plan, a first step that gives the opportunity for the studio and the client explore the relationship and find out whether they speak the same language. “If everything goes right and we get along, then we move on to the end-to-end phase.” However, with such open-minded and enthusiastic homeowners, a connection was quickly made and the designer realised their collaboration had the potential to be very successful. When the designers from Sdelaemremont.kz Interior Bureau first visited the apartment, they immediately loved the high ceiling and large windows. “The space was airy and promising,” remembers Mussakulova. “There were no interior walls at all, so we had a lot of flexibility to organise the different areas.”

After moving around multiple times within Kazakhstan, the couple who live here, Erzhan and Nazym, decided to leave behind their nomadic life and settle down in Almaty, the country’s largest city. They purchased their home in a newly built three-storey building that borders a mountain river that is described by Mussakulova as “really fast and furious, but the with a very relaxing sound.”

In addition to the living room, kitchen, bedroom and bathroom, the homeowners wanted an office space, a second bathroom with a shower, and a laundry room. With windows on only one side of the building, it took the designers several weeks to define the right layout. After envisioning a few options, they came up with an uncommon idea: to make the home office adjacent to the kitchen instead of the more traditional approach of including it in a bedroom or a living room. To Mussakulova it makes sense: “That way, if one

Having found their ideal environment, the couple approached Sdelaemremont.kz Interior Bureau, asking them for a complete design solution that would help realise their dream home. “We weren’t ready to take this on because our standard process is that we never immediately sign up for a complete project with new clients,” says Mussakulova. Instead,

Facing page Graphic artwork by Evelina Kroon hangs in the dining area, alongside Gubi’s C-Chair dining chairs

Previous page The layout is arranged as an enfilade, with all the doors lining up to create sight-lines all the way through

Above The kitchen island extends to create an informal seating area, surrounded by tall bentwood stools by Ton

Facing page In the living room, the mint green paint is a custom shade, paired with an offthe-shelf blue by Sherwin-Williams

HOME / Almaty

of the homeowners needs to work, the other one can sleep or watch TV without being disturbed,” she explains.

Throughout, the combination of paint colours (a bespoke light green, and Niebla Azul, a grey-blue shade by Sherwin-Williams) creates a fresh and cheerful atmosphere. The apartment incorporates pieces of furniture and lighting by Louis Poulsen, Hay, Gubi, Fritz Hansen, 101 Copenhagen and Anthropologie, among others. Volakas marble has been used in the bathrooms and the Naturel beige paint (also by Sherwin-Williams) covers the walls of the office – while the main bedroom features Mussakulova’s favourite colour, orange. “I never really thought of using it for this type of space as it is such an energetic tone and not necessarily relaxing,” she says. “But when I came across Ferm Living’s striped wallpaper, I decided that I would use it for a bedroom one day.” Luckily, her clients agreed.

The apartment became a space arranged as an enfilade – that is, with all the rooms in a row, and sight-lines all the way through. Glazed internal doors transfer the abundance of natural light coming through the windows into all the living spaces. For Mussakulova, the doors play an important role in the design: “We decorated them with beautiful crown [mouldings], making the ceiling look even higher,” she says. Instead of being completely open, the kitchen can be closed if needed, which helps to protect the rest of the home from any cooking noises and smells. While one of the original structural columns in the apartment has been concealed within a built-in cupboard, the other was treated almost as a piece of art, by cladding it with rectangular mirrored panels. Erzhan and Nazym were not initially on board with this idea, as they feared their home would look like a Kazakh restaurant (where loadbearing columns are traditionally covered with mirrors). After some hesitation, the couple ultimately trusted Mussakulova — and they don’t regret it. “When you enter the living room, you don’t immediately notice it, but once you do you cannot take your eyes off it,” says the designer.

Convincing the couple, however, was not always easy. “They confirmed a very detailed design project, but as we moved into the realisation stage, they became hesitant about everything,” Mussakulova recalls. “I had to persuade them to move along with the original concept. Eventually everything turned out to be so beautiful, the clients couldn’t be happier.” From the colours and finishes of the materials to the furniture, all the elements were carefully considered and challenged by the inhabitants. As a result – and as a tribute to Mussakulova’s persistence – this home feels highly personal.

Facing page Carving some space off the kitchen gave the homeowners the office they needed, separated by glazed doors

“There were no interior walls at all, so we had a lot of flexibility to organise the different areas”

Above Left to right: Tones of white and beige make the bathroom one of the apartment’s more serene rooms; tall decorative doors lend grandeur and character to the new-build

Facing page Ferm Living’s Thin Lines wallpaper in orange was the starting point for the design scheme in the bedroom

Made better

The sustainable and elegantly crafted retrofit of a west London mews house Words / Dominic Lutyens Images / Andrew Meredith

HOME / London

ondon’s mews houses, historically formerly stables or garages, are often appealingly informal compared with their adjoining, streetfacing houses. Benches or copious potted plants are often casually parked outside, while garage doors painted in chirpy sunshine yellow or classic navy blue lend them oodles of charm. But they have their drawbacks – notably a dearth of light, since they often only have windows on their front facade, looking on to the mews. Surmounting this shortcoming was the biggest challenge behind the redesign of an early-19th-century west London home. The house has been remodelled by Prewett Bizley Architects (known for buildings that are energy-efficient and aesthetically pleasing in equal measure) and London interior design practice Carter Owers, founded by Hannah Carter Owers. “The main challenge was how to redesign a forward-facing, three-storey mews house that was compromised in terms of light,” says Carter Owers. The homeowners are a couple, one of whom works in fine art, with two children. “Our client with links to the art world is highly visually literate, and took a collaborative approach,” she continues. “A major consideration was an appreciation of quality in design as well as functionality. All the materials chosen were designed to last.” Plenty of storage was another requirement. Carter Owers reconfigured the ground and first-floor layouts. The kitchen, including its marble island, was moved nearer the hallway and staircase, pleasingly punctuating the area between the kitchen and the living room – a space that had felt featureless beforehand. As she puts it: “The island provides a visual anchor between the entrance and living room”.

The clients have their own art collection, and the house’s colour scheme – particularly in the hallway and living-dining space on the ground floor, and the home office doubling as a guest room and adjacent main bedroom on the first floor – were designed as a neutral backdrop for the art. By contrast, most of the furniture is new but high-end, chosen for its good looks and longevity. A key example is a mushroomcoloured, L-shaped sofa by Antonio Citterio for Flexform in the living room. The entrance hall leads to a small WC and incorporates storage for coats and shoes. The kitchen is part of the open-plan living and dining area. Adjoining the main bedroom is a dressing room and walk-in wardrobe that, says Carter Owers, act as a buffer between this and the adjacent bathroom. “I’ve always thought it’s funny to have a bathroom next to where one sleeps,” she explains. “If I can, I prefer to create a zone between the two to reduce noise and provide some psychological privacy.” The generously sized dressing room was created by borrowing space from the bedroom. Prewett Bizley was responsible for several interventions that draw light into the house from top to bottom (the top floor houses the children’s bedrooms and a bathroom). Chief among these is a sizeable skylight positioned above a new stairwell. The architects also added two new windows on the first floor, and all the windows on the second floor were enlarged. Glass partitions were another tactic to bring more daylight indoors. Light permeates the house via a glass partition with an oak frame between the hallway and living areas. Daylight also filters into the home office via an internal

Facing page An oak staircase, made by joiner Tom Graham, has been positioned in the darkest corner of the house and top-lit by a new roof opening Previous page The home office is also used a guest room, with heavy curtains that can be drawn across the glazed wall

Above In the kitchen, pale oak and dark smoked walnut have been paired with natural stone worktops

Facing page Muted tones and natural materials in the living-dining area, with a large L-shaped sofa by Flexform

“A major consideration was an appreciation of quality in design as well as functionality. All the materials chosen were designed to last”

HOME / London

window that overlooks the stairwell. Such transparency isn’t so desirable when the office is used as a guest room; to remedy that, the space boasts heavy, wall-to-wall curtains that can provide privacy and an acoustic barrier. Reinforcing the neutrality of the interior is a predominance of wood – partly chosen, says, Carter Owers, because it is “sustainable, biodegradable, warm and enveloping.” The stairwell is lined with vertically placed slats of oak, creating a boxy effect that also makes the staircase a key focal point. Oak is also used for the glazed internal partitions that link the spaces. In addition, wood was chosen as a hard-wearing, long-lasting surface: “My clients thought it was good to have durable surfaces, given they have young kids,” says Carter Owers. There are two tones of timber in the kitchen, with the addition of a smoked walnut used for the cabinetry. “I didn’t want the panelling to look too homogeneous, so, to break it up a bit, I combined it with the darker wood,” she continues.

Facing page The timber stair and screens were intended to echo the Victorian craftsmanship that the mews house’s original stables may have had

An important part of the project was ensuring that the building was energy efficient, largely guaranteed by highly effective insulation, according to Robert Prewett of Prewett Bizley: “Poorly insulated houses like this one are wellknown for being draughty in winter. Since most energy and carbon emissions are caused by heating, tackling this first is a priority in terms of sustainability. In this house, our retrofit plan comprised forming a continuous insulated layer inside by adding insulating plaster to all walls, thick roof and floor insulation and innovative vacuum-glazing for the sash windows.” The latter looks like single glazing, preserving the heritage character of

the property, yet performs much better than double glazing in terms of efficiency. Ventilation with heat recovery helps reduce heat loss even further, he adds: “This cut the heating requirement by about 75 per cent. An underfloor heating system, powered by an airsource heat pump on the roof, keeps the house at 21-22°C all winter” – in the house’s previous incarnation, rooms struggled to reach 20°C even with the boiler running full-pelt. Prewett explains how the heat pump “works like a refrigerator in reverse and strips outside air of heat and puts this energy into the water that flows in the underfloor-heating pipes. The heat pump provides 3.6 units of heating for every unit consumed, so overall, in this house, the heating saving is a whopping 95 per cent.” While practicality was a prime consideration, Carter Owers included playful elements to prevent the scheme looking austere. This is particularly obvious in the bathrooms: the main one is partially lined with grey-green cipollino marble that has a dramatic, swirling pattern redolent of a roiling ocean, while another features a buttermilk-coloured basin, and a third is clad in ceramic tiles in a dark coral shade. Quirky elements include a table with raw uneven edges, in the manner of furniture designer George Nakashima, in the hallway and a wallpaper with an ultra-pop cloud pattern in one of the children’s bedrooms. Such individual touches aren’t surprising seen in the context of the idiosyncratic, personal style often cultivated by owners of London mews houses. But in its energy efficiency and the serene, sophisticated approach taken to its interiors, this place is a cut above.

Above Linen curtains in a soft pink hang at the bedroom window; smaller works from the homeowners’ art collection adorn the walls

Facing page In the bathroom, designer Hannah Carter Owers explores a more opulent side, with cipollino marble cladding the lower walls and floor

DESIGN AND DEXTERITY.

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Yes To All by Sylvie Fleury. Read the full story on p102 Image by Pinacoteca Agnelli Turin

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

Sylvie Fleury: Turn Me On, Pinacoteca Agnelli, Turin Until 15 January 2023

Turin’s Pinacoteca Agnelli is located in the Lingotto building, the iconic concrete and glass structure that once housed Fiat’s car factory. To mark the institution’s 20th anniversary, the gallery has recently launched a refreshed exhibition programme, the first show of which is dedicated to Swiss artist Sylvie Fleury, who refers to

herself as “a punk feminist in disguise” and has blended the fields of art, cinema and fashion throughout her 30year career, exploring the relationship between art history, gender and mass culture. Expect scratched repurposed car parts, soft sculptures shaped like rockets, and Balenciaga shoes and Gucci bracelets arranged on plinths.

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Pinacoteca Agnelli Turin

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Black Chapel by Theaster Gates, Serpentine Galleries, London

ARS22: Living Encounters, Kiasma, Helsinki

The Serpentine Gallery’s annual summer pavilion has been designed this year by the Chicago-based interdisciplinary artist and social organiser Theaster Gates. Realised with the support of the architectural firm Adjaye Associates, the design of Gates’ vessel-like structure was inspired by a plethora of architectural references: the bottle kilns of Stoke-on-Trent, Rome’s Tempietto and traditional African structures such as Cameroon’s Musgum mud dwellings. In this meditative space suitable for both contemplation and community gathering, Gates has hung seven of his new tar paintings, influenced by the Rothko Chapel in Houston, Texas. A series of social events and live performances are taking place throughout the threemonth installation, culminating in a closing event.

ARS22 will be the tenth exhibition in the ARS series, which has been running since 1961 as a showcase of international contemporary art. Curators for this edition sought artists that convey shared hope and dreams for the future, specifically choosing artworks related to the environment, the economy and technology. There is also a focus on live and participatory art, while still showing a broad spectrum of painting, photography, sculpture and moving image; the Lithuanian beach-set operatic work Sun and Sea (Marina), pictured, staged at the nearby Merikaapelihalli Cable Factory, is a highlight. Special commissions include work from Russian sculptor Evgeny Antufiev, Norwegian artist Frida Orupabo and Polish choreographer and artist Alex Baczynski-Jenkins.

Until 16 October 2022

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ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Alex Da Corte: Louisiana Museum of Modern Art, Denmark Until 8 January 2023

The Louisiana Museum, on the shores of Humlebæk north of Copenhagen, is staging the most comprehensive show in Europe to date of the output of US conceptual artist Alex Da Corte. Working across sculpture, painting, video and installation, the artist’s idiosyncratic subversion of modern design, pop culture, surrealism and consumerist

imagery has led to various wild and wacky site-specific projects, with the galleries transformed by special scents and colour-saturated walls and floors. The Louisiana has also acquired 2019’s Rubber Pencil Devil (pictured), an assemblage of 57 short films viewed on special sculptural furniture and a football pitch-shaped rug.

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Courtesy of the Carolee Schneemann Foundation and Galerie Lelong & Co., Hales Gallery, and P.P.O.W, New York and © Carolee Schneemann Foundation / ARS, New York and DACS, London 2022 Photo: Erró © ADAGP, Paris and DACS, London 2022

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Carolee Schneemann: Body Politics, Barbican Art Gallery, London 8 September 2022–8 January 2023

This is the first major UK survey of the work of feminist icon and radical US artist Carolee Schneemann – and the first since her death in 2019. Her work challenged patriarchal structures, confronting issues of gender, social relations, eroticism, sexuality and violence, predominantly using her own body as a site for mark making and expression.

The show will trace Schneemann’s career from her early paintings and experimental sculptural assemblages to her pioneering work in performance, video and film and the multidisciplinary installations that followed. Rarely seen archival material including scores, sketches, scrapbooks, programmes and costumes will also be on show.

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Occhiomagico / Courtesy The Estate of Alice Neel, David Zwirner and Victoria Miro, London/Venice

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Cinzia Ruggeri, Goldsmiths Centre for Contemporary Art, London

Alice Neel, Centre Pompidou, Paris

Coming to London from the Museum of Contemporary Art of Rome, this exhibition is the first comprehensive retrospective of the visionary multidisciplinary Italian artist and fashion designer Cinzia Ruggeri, who died in 2019. A cult figure within the postmodern art and design scene in Milan, Ruggeri had her first show at Galleria del Prisma in 1960 aged 17, and was associated with the Studio Alchimia and Memphis groups in the 1970s and 1980s. In addition to displaying a wide selection of mosaics, sculptures, clothing, accessories, jewellery and glassware, the exhibition will explore her experiments with technology, incorporating liquid crystals, LED lights and kinetic movement into her garments and artworks.

Having been delayed for two years, the Centre Pompidou’s major retrospective of the great US painter Alice Neel will finally open this autumn. Born in 1900, Neel often painted intimate portraits of those marginalised within American society, and changed the course of art with regard to her presentation of the female nude. The Pompidou will highlight her political and social activism, including her role in the women’s rights movement and her Communist party membership (pictured is 1972’s Marxist Girl). Over 70 paintings and drawings will be on show, ranging from the earliest works of the late 1920s which she made in Cuba to the last paintings made a short time before her death in 1984.

8 October 2022–15 January 2023

5 October 2022–16 January 2023

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Joan Jonas, Haus der Kunst, Munich

Dineo Seshee Bopape, Pirelli HangarBicocca, Milan

This retrospective provides a survey of the US artist Joan Jonas, an influential pioneer of conceptual, performance and video art. Throughout her career, she has blended her interest in technology – often working with video and creating installations that utilise backdrops and projectors – into historic examples of visual communication, engaging with traditions such as shadow puppetry, mythology, ritualistic music and Japanese Noh theatre. Her work often uses mirrors, shadows, screens and other special effects that distort and reconfigure space. Enduring themes include environmental issues, climate change and endangered ecosystems, in addition to the narratives found in mythology, fairytales and fables.

Following her residency and exhibition at the TBA21– Academy at Ocean Space in Venice, the South African artist Dineo Seshee Bopape will open another solo exhibition in Italy at Milan’s industrial plant turned expansive contemporary art space, Pirelli HangarBicocca. Seshee Bopape’s multimedia work is characterised by her use of organic materials, primarily using soil, coal, ash and clay in the production of her complex installations, which often combine video, sculpture, sound and animation. Her work alludes to themes surrounding memory, identity and belonging, often interweaving ancestral narratives, archetypes and myths in which the female figure is particularly dominant.

9 September 2022–29 January 2023

6 October 2022–29 January 2023

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Courtesy the artist and VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn 2022. Photo: Moira Ricci / Courtesy the artist and Sfeir-Semler Gallery, Hamburg/Beirut. Photo: Maksym Bilousov & Valentina Tsymbaliuk

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Jadé Fadojutimi, The Hepworth Wakefield 16 September 2022–19 March 2023

This autumn, The Hepworth Wakefield will present an exhibition of new work by prolific young British painter Jadé Fadojutimi, who in 2019 became the youngest artist in Tate’s collection when it acquired one of her works. Fadojutimi’s vibrant, energetic paintings synthesise her diverse interests in anime, Japanese subcultures, fashion,

toys and colour, combining non-figurative and figurative elements in compositions that have a strong graphic energy. Recently, she has also worked with oil pastels (such as for 2020’s Ob-sess(h)-ion, pictured), experimenting with techniques and styles during the construction of a piece, such as scrawling and scratching into the wet oil paint.

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ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Turner Prize 2022, Tate Liverpool 20 October 2022–19 March 2023

This year marks the Turner Prize’s return to Liverpool for the first time in 15 years, with Heather Phillipson, Ingrid Pollard, Veronica Ryan and Sin Wai Kin in the running. Phillipson, known for the her whipped cream sculpture for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth, works across digital media, video, sculpture and installation; Pollard employs

portraiture photography and landscape imagery to consider Britishness and racial difference; Ryan sculpts assemblages in marble, bronze and plaster that reflect the natural world (such as 2020-21’s Infection, pictured); and Sin explores desire and the fluidity of identity and existence through media including storytelling and the moving image.

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Jala Wahid, Sophie Tappeiner, Frieze. Photo: Tim Bowditch

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Jala Wahid, BALTIC Centre of Contemporary Art, Gateshead 22 October 2022–30 April 2023

A graduate of the prestigious Royal Academy Schools programme, Kurdish-British artist Jala Wahid works across sculpture, video, sound, installation and writing. Her practice highlights the ways in which global and interregional politics have shaped Kurdish identity, examining the emotive and symbolic potential of certain

materials, music and songs. She uses the space between fiction and reality to engage with issues surrounding nationhood, migration and intergenerational connections, particularly the complexities of nationalism within a stateless people, methods of archiving and Kurdish culture as a form of self-preservation and defiance.

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ART & COLLECTING / Profile

On the main stage

Thanks to Intoart, creatives with learning disabilities such as Christian Ovonlen are becoming both more visible and critically lauded Words / Riya Patel Portrait / Alun Callender

t’s proving to be a banner year for Intoart, the radical south London based organisation representing artists with learning disabilities. This summer saw the 25-strong collective publish its first book, An Octopus with Boomerangs, and member Christian Ovonlen bring his vibrant textile art to the City for a debut solo show. Part of a prize worth £60,000 awarded by Brookfield Properties with the Crafts Council, the solo exhibition (on until 25 September) stretches across two of the real estate company’s offices, 99 Bishopsgate and Aldgate Tower. Each of the slick lobby spaces are enlivened by the artist’s joyous swathes of brightly coloured silk: the delicate fabrics, in mustard yellow, deep orange and turquoise, are hand painted with abstract figures drawn from two worlds that fascinate Ovonlen – botanical themes from nature, and theatrical motifs inspired by performance. “It’s almost more exciting for us and Christian to show his work in public rather than a commercial gallery,” says Intoart director Ella Ritchie. “It’s an opportunity for the art to have a new audience, and for the artist it’s a chance to work with a different curatorial team, with a different perspective than ours.” Ritchie has worked with a small team based in Peckham since 2000, reaching artists and partnering with networks mostly based in Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham. Expanding the organisation’s footprint is key to its aim, which is for people with learning disabilities to become “visible, equal and established artists”. This is the rationale for publishing the book, too. An Octopus with Boomerangs showcases a

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ART & COLLECTING / Profile

Right Rose and Forsythia Uniform and Pineapple Cloak by Christian Ovonlen, which blend botanical and theatrical motifs Facing page Ovonlen with one of his silk wallhangings; the artist is the winner of this year’s Brookfield Properties Craft Award

collection of 3,000 artworks, the largest body of its kind. Researchers and curators are encouraged to use it as a loaning resource, to expand and diversify their artist networks.

Intoart’s creativity also embraces craft, fashion, homeware, textiles and graphics, and it recently launched Trifle, a multidisciplinary design studio. The freedom to dip into different genres is down to the way that artists are nurtured. Ritchie describes Intoart as an “alternative art school” as much as a gallery, where education is led by the artist at their own pace. “If you’ve been to art school, you’ll know the foundation year is the best one,” she says. “We have a studio programme with a year of testing and experimenting, then a core period where artists can explore a chosen medium or research area.” There’s something defiantly celebratory about Ovonlen’s bold silks, and indeed all of the artists’ brilliantly expressive works. “Same but different” is the ethos Ritchie has adopted from Intoart artist and poet Ntiense EnoAmooquaye: members of the collective want their work to be received critically, but also acknowledged for the societal barriers they face. Intoart’s mission for parity means the works are presented on their own merit. “It’s great when someone loves the art, then reads about the artist and loves it even more,” says Ritchie. Two artists have recently been chosen for Bloomberg New Contemporaries – a career-propelling show of emerging artists that is selected blind. Validations like this, alongside Ovonlen’s recognition, give Intoart excellent reason to keep exploring new territories.

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The Black & White Building by Waugh Thistleton Architects. Read the full story on p116

ARCHITECTURE Surveying the built environment

Nature, engineered Waugh Thistletonʼs Black & White Building argues the case for more timber high-rises

hen Waugh Thistleton’s Black & White building opens this winter, it will be the first all-timber office building in the UK. The Shoreditch-based architecture practice has been spearheading the use of timber to build tall since 2003, and its latest project for The Office Group will hit the sweet spot where natural, renewable materials and modern engineering meet.

Words Riya Patel

The six-storey building on London’s Rivington Street has a strong timber core that anchors the lightweight structure in place. Around this is a frame in laminated veneer lumber (LVL), braced with cross-laminated timber (CLT) floor slabs. A delicate grid of tulipwood louvres on the facade will control solar gain, preventing overheating inside. While CLT (where sheets of timber are layered and glued to withstand long spans and heavy loads) is well known, Waugh Thistleton director Andrew Waugh says LVL is a newer innovation: “It’s basically a high-performance version, made of thin peeled layers of beech. It’s super strong, so the beams and columns can be nearly the same size as comparable steel sections. We could use the minimum amount of material for maximum structural and aesthetic benefit.” This efficient building is furthering the global cause for timber structures, exploring the scope of what can be achieved. “Every time we complete another significant timber building it really helps

Facing page The Office Group’s vision for the new space includes a roof terrace where workers can relax

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us spread the message that this is possible,” says Waugh. “Timber of course demands the attention of an experienced design team, but lots of the technical challenges are common to any building.” One such challenge was not getting permission to close a road just metres from the site. Faced with manoeuvring a 17m-long beam around a tight corner and under a bridge, the team had to make a quick redesign. Overall, creating the main components under factory conditions and bolting them together on site made for a fast, clean and accurate build. By using timber instead of the more usual concrete and steel, the project also manages to lock up an impressive 945 tonnes of carbon within its streamlined structure. The Black & White Building is named after the original structure that stood on the site (which could not be refurbished) but rather than the monochrome appearance the name implies, Waugh says the flexible office space will echo the warm, natural look of its inner structure on the inside: “We’ve created a building that is really honest and we’ll be putting lots of wood on show from the office spaces to the staircase via all the common areas too.” Most of the projects in The Office Group’s portfolio are refurbishments that draw on the existing building’s qualities to inspire the interior. With this one, there is something a little different at play: client and architect have found a way to combine innovation, function and the naturally appealing qualities of timber.

Above Large spans of timber beams mean big, uninterrupted internal spaces that are easily adapted to new uses Facing page A detail of the laminated veneer lumber frame under construction

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Ocean de Fleurs ring by Sophie Bille Brahe. Read the full story on p122

STYLE Fashionable pursuits

Most wanted

Clothing and accessories that are thoughtful, expressive, beautiful and good

STYLE / Products

Sophie Bille Brahe Danish jeweller Sophie Bille Brahe’s work is often inspired by the night sky, with diamonds and pearls dotted like constellations. For her latest collection, though, she has reworked her minimalist designs with a feminine bow, such as the Peggy Rosette necklace (opposite), while rings are designed in her signature asymmetrical style: the Grand Ensemble

Ocean has a wave-like line of diamonds, while the Ensemble Escargot features a spiral of diamonds framing a sparkling 1ct centre stone. Peggy Rosette necklace, €5,100; Grand Ensemble Ocean ring, €19,500 and Ensemble Escargot ring, price on request; sophiebillebrahe.com

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STYLE / Products

Addition Studio Even the most gym-averse person couldn’t fail to be endeared to these handsome marble dumbbells. The 1kg weights are available in beige travertine or black marble – and if you don’t want to use them to build muscle, then they would make an equally attractive paperweight or decorative accessory. They are the work of Australia’s Addition Studio, whose clean,

sculptural aesthetic is intended to create a sense of balance and a clear mind. The pared-back objects that it sells are a complement to its core business of natural beauty and fragrances, all made in Australia, from face oils to soaps, masks and scrubs. AU$109.95; additionstudio.com

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STYLE / Products

Bassike Bassike’s relaxed-fit polo knit comes in an easy blend of cotton and Merino wool, and features oversized tortoiseshell buttons to balance out its statement-making graphic check. Its bold pattern might seem unexpected for anyone who knows the Australian brand for its plainer separates such as track-pants, trenches and jersey dresses, but it’s sure

to become a cosy wardrobe staple anyway. Bassike is committed to sustainable business practices, using GOTS-certified organic cotton jersey, and nontoxic indigo dye in its Japanese denim: the brand has just achieved B-Corp status. AU$480; bassike.com

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STYLE / Products

Studio Nicholson “Every now and then, it makes sense to step back and look at the wider view,” runs the description of Studio Nicholson’s pre-fall collection, which is dedicated to slowing the pace and studying the details. The line is long and loose, with draping fabrics and seams sewn to give some slouch: there are calf-skimming coats, classic button-down shirts

and flowing shirt dresses to wear with open-toed Cube mules and contrasting ankle socks as the days turn cooler. The collection is designed as a modular wardrobe of pieces that can be mixed and matched. Hurn shirt dress, £550, and Cube open-toe mules, £350; studionicholson.com

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STYLE / Products

Valextra Travel can be a stressful business, so anything that helps takes the strain out of it can only be a good thing – and that includes a clever piece of luggage. Valextra’s holdall stands out for the fact that it unzips all the way around to lay flat for packing, and contains four separate compartments, so it’s easy to keep toiletries, clothing and other items separate

from one another. Made from calfskin leather in a classic Bordeaux shade, the bag can be carried via its top handles or a detachable strap. The black lacquered edging on the external seams is a Valextra signature, hand-painted in its Italian workshop. £3,250; valextra.com

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PIONEER

Cosmic sophistication

A century after Italian designer Gabriella Crespi was born, her bold vision finds a new audience Words / Kerstin Zumstein Image / Archivio Gabriella Crespi

s the design industry embraces the revival trend of archive designs, Gabriella Crespi’s story stands out as uniquely pertinent. The female architect – born in 1922 in Milan, when it was rare for women to pursue such a career – courageously followed her intuition rather than conventions, creating objects, jewellery and furniture that shaped the high-society taste of her time.

and Hubert de Givenchy were among the jet-set regular guests. From the enigmatic Z-Line to the sculptural Plurimi series, her furniture collections soon earned her an elite standing among 20th-century designers. Yet, at the height of her career, Crespi turned from glamorous socialite to spiritual pilgrim, moving to a small village in India to meditate and live in prolonged periods of silence, returning 20 years later to further build her design repertoire. Today, thanks to the efforts of her daughter Elisabetta, Crespi’s legacy stays alive. This year, Danish brand Gubi put a striking family of rattan lounge furniture into production that perfectly blurs the lines between indoors and out. In typical style, Crespi uses a popular material in unexpected ways, curving rattan vines into sensuous shapes. Her ability to be present in the moment and channel her energy into exquisite yet daring creations may well be a blueprint for timeless design.

Crespi created over 2,000 designs in her lifetime, with a style that was confident, eccentric and deeply personal. A striking beauty and charismatic visionary, she unified artistic flair with technical precision: her initial objects were adored and adopted by French fashion house Dior, while for Valentino she became a muse. After her divorce from an Italian aristocrat, Crespi moved to Rome, where she curated a palatial apartment to reflect her bold and eclectic style; Audrey Hepburn

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