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INTRODUCTION
Ever since my first sketch made its mark on the page, I’ve been madly in love with fashion illustration. Over the years, my passion for illustrating a Chanel dress or Dior coat has never wavered. But something else has slowly crept into my work and filled me with equal enthusiasm. This is the interior world my fashion inhabits: the rooms that are as beautiful as the clothes one wears. At first a chair appeared beside a chic woman, then a lamp, and a side table. Before I knew it, I was creating interiors that filled me with utter joy. The interiors I illustrate are much like the clothing I draw; they’re imaginary. They’re the images that swirl in my head late at night when I can’t sleep. This is what I’ve always loved about illustration: I get to create an imaginary world, a world where a woman’s YSL jumpsuit matches her drapes, perfect pets sit elegantly on sofas covered in tropical fabrics, and rooms become an extension of individual style. I love to imagine how people inhabit their personal space, where they prefer to eat and how they like to sleep, what furniture they choose and how they decorate a room. A space can say as much about a person as their clothing. This book is about celebrating both. I’ve never been interested in creating practical rooms or fashions that suit everyone. I like my interiors the way I like my fashion; over the top, eclectic and filled with drama and humour. The old saying ‘more is more’ expresses this perfectly. I hope this book is inspiring and enjoyed with a sense of fun. As Picasso once said, ‘Everything you can imagine is real.’
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10 ESSENTIAL PIECES The ultimate interior accessories
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1.
THE ECLECTIC CHAIR
There’s one in every family. The oddball that doesn’t quite go with everyone else and, ironically, that’s exactly what makes them wonderful. I believe every room needs one eclectic chair. Ideally, it should be from a different era or style to everything else in the room. The brilliance of the eclectic chair is that it breaks-up the design style of a room and gives the entire space character. It also opens up the path for other, smaller eclectic items to filter through. Over the years I have fallen in love with several eclectic chairs. The first was a velvet, buttoned, Edwardian number in pale blue, which I found in a second hand store. It was completely falling apart and looked as though it had given up on life many years ago. Despite its shortcomings, I couldn’t take my eyes off it. There was just something about it that begged me to give it one last chance. After much deliberation, I decided to have the framework repaired and the chair reupholstered. Instead of finding a similar fabric to its original and traditional style, I opted for something completely different in vivid pink tropical linen. When I first looked at the chair on completion, it looked like someone from the eighteenth century had landed at a 70s pool party. It was brilliant, unexpected and it just worked. It has never matched any of my furniture but then that’s exactly what I love about it. An eclectic chair will always sit proudly in a room, never matched and always admired.
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3.
THE PORTRAIT PIECE
Every room should have a portrait piece, if for no other reason than it’s nice to have someone else with you in the room. It could be an old oil painting of your great grandfather, or a modern photograph of a loved one, or even a portrait of a complete stranger that you were unexpectedly drawn to at the markets. I’ve been collecting portrait pieces for years. Mainly because I think that people make the most interesting subject matter in a work of art. I’ve also spent many years being commissioned to do portraits of other people, from Candace Bushnell to Michelle Obama. Of all the portraits that I own, it’s my 1970s oil painting of Sophia Loren that I cherish most. I found Sophia several years ago at an antiques market in New York. It was a chilly winter’s day and I was desperately looking for some inspiration. From the corner of my eye I spotted the portrait; it was mainly black and white with just hints of warmth in the skin tones. Her dress was a beautiful black Chantilly lace and her glossy hair fell softly around her shoulders. The frame was a little battered but that just added to its charm. All the details of the portrait were mesmerising but it was her piercing green eyes that completely captured me. Today she sits proudly on my studio wall, just as I imagined she would the day I found her. Her calm gaze fills the room with inspiration and beauty. And if nothing else, it’s nice to walk into my studio each morning and find Sophia Loren already there.
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Rooms to Swoon Over
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THE TROPICAL ESCAPE Tabatha Polama Lives: the French Riviera Loves: escaping to her private tropical villa Loathes: city air and horrible traffic Sleeps: on her deluxe hammock Dreams of: singing a duet with her cockatoo Eats: fresh fruit and walnuts for breakfast “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.” WALT D ISNEY
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Frame prints of palms in battered white frames
Stick to a colour palette of yellow-based greens and limes
THE TROPICAL ESCAPE GET THE LOOK Escape to paradise by creating your own little oasis in lush greens and tropical prints. An antique bird cage is always elegant
A vintage low-back sofa is perfect for this tropical room – try re-covering in a modern fabric for a more relaxed feel
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Choose wallpaper that makes you feel like you are on a tropical island
Every tropical room needs a cockatoo
Rich velvet fabrics work well on traditional single chairs
Chartreuse lime Lush green
Dress the part in flowing maxi dresses that feel like summer
A vintage-style chair in stripes creates a chic look that’s comfortable
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