I n t e r i o r s i n s p i r a t i o n E m b r a c e a p r a c t i c a l t a k e o n Ve n e t i a n g r a n d e u r o r g o b a c k to black w it h a Dutch Golden A ge master piece. Col lect ion h igh lights From cof fee tables w it h character to artful armchairs. Lifest yle How to power-desk, what to cook, and so much more. F A L L
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oka.com
Do it your way
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A New Leaf
September is a month that offers a blank slate, a new beginning in the middle of the year, which is something we could all do with right now. Let’s welcome the new season with optimism. There is really nothing like spending so much time in the house to set in motion your next big interior design project – or even just to motivate you to make small improvements. I know I’ve reorganized every shelf and drawer I can find! I hope you enjoy our latest issue and find plenty of inspiration for creating a space that works for you. Here’s to a fresh start.
Sue Jones Co-Founder and Creative Director of OKA
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CON T E N T S 16 Set in Stone Step inside a livable take on Venetian grandeur.
28 Master Pieces Embrace your dark side with this all-black color scheme.
34 Calm & Collected Classic meets contemporary in this newly refurbished home.
40 Center of Attention Coffee tables packed with personality.
OK A .C OM Browse the entire OKA collection. Your new pieces could be on their way to you in just a click.
OU R S O C I A L C I RC L E For plenty of design ideas and inspiration, make sure to follow OKA on all these platforms.
Shipping Large furniture: 15% of order value + $50 surcharge per order, up to a maximum of $295. All large furniture shipments include our white glove delivery service. When your items arrive, our white glove delivery team will remove all packaging before placing them in the room of your choice. If you’re not completely satisfied, they can take your order away with them free of charge. For full shipping details, go to oka.com/us-shipping Customer Care Email us at customercare@oka.com or call 1-800-621-8309 Hours are 8 am – 6 pm CT Monday – Friday. Closed Saturday and Sunday. Misprints & Errors The pricing and other details in this catalog are valid until January 29, 2021. Although every effort is made to check accuracy, incorrect prices and other incorrect details may occasionally be printed. We regret that such incorrect prices or details cannot be honored. Returns If you decide something isn’t for you, simply return it to us within 30 days of receipt in the same condition it was received and we’ll refund the cost of the piece – no questions asked. In the rare event your OKA piece develops a manufacturing fault within six months of purchasing, we’ll replace it free of charge. For our full returns policy, see oka.com/us-returns
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44 Second Nature Organic textures provide the starting point for this warm and inviting space.
50 Adam Lippes X OKA Meet the acclaimed designer behind our latest collaboration.
54 Simply Irresistible Sabrina Ghayour dishes on her latest must-have cookbook.
58 Power Desking Vanessa Kingori, the publishing director of British Vogue, on how she gets it done.
THE LATEST NEW SEASON FURNITURE | TEXTILES | LIGHTING | DÉCOR | INSPIRATION
Set of Two Lutwidge Nested Coffee Tables Large 53”Wx32”Dx17.5”H; Small 51”Wx30”Dx16.5”H $1,495
Tortoiseshell Glass Vase Tall $110
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T H E L AT E S T
BI R D S OF A F E AT H E R Birds and feathers are traditionally associated with freedom, making them beautiful motifs to include in your interiors.
Set of Four Wild Feather Embroidered Napkins 19.5”Sq $70
Set of Four Decorative Feather Namecard Holders $50
Inside Story “I’ve always been fascinated by amulets and the way that different cultures represent good luck, whether that’s the evil eye or the scarab, which is what inspired this lamp. The Ancient Egyptians often used the beetle as a symbol in their art and we wanted to do something similar, capturing its unique shape and the shimmering quality of the shell.” Sue Jones, Co-Founder & Creative Director of OKA Scarab Table Lamp 10”Diax17.5”H $345 (seen with
Drum Cotton Shade Black 19.5”Diax11.5”H $70)
Kraak Milk Jug 4.5”Wx3.5”Dx4”H $50
WILD THING Embrace your wild side with this giant cheetah-print floor pillow, the brand-new addition to our popular Chyangra collection. Crafted from dyed goat hair, this statement piece could easily be the focal point of a room, but part of its charm is that it can also be easily cleared away when not in use.
Lark Songbird Table Lamp
Chyangra Goat Hair Floor Pillow
10”Wx5.5”Dx22”H $245
19.5”Sqx15.5”H $995
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Instant Update A new season calls for new throw pillows; it’s one of the easiest ways to refresh a room. Inspired by the abstract patterns found in nature, our new Leptoria pillow covers lend a contemporary edge to an arrangement – create the perfect backdrop with complementary block colors, like charcoal and blood orange, in rich velvet. Stonewashed Linen With Fringing Aqua 20”Sq $80 Leptoria Ink Blue 20”Sq $75 Plain Velvet Charcoal 20”Sq $70 Blood Orange 23.5”Wx14”H $65
ON THE PROWL
SOFT TOUCH Who could say no to cashmere? Tactile and comfortable, thanks to its soft fibers sourced from cashmere goats, this versatile new pillow cover is guaranteed to complement every room and be the softest thing you ever rest your head (or backside) on.
These intricately painted leopard bookends have joined our best-selling Lakadema collection. Like their feline counterparts, they’re incredibly adaptable; happy to prowl your bookshelf or any other habitat. Lakadema Leopard Bookends 6”Wx4.5”Dx8.5”H $75
Cashmere Pillow Cover 20”Sq $195
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T H E L AT E S T
BE T W E E N T H E PAGE S For bookworms, the reading nook is the most important place in the house. Here are three of our favorite ways to create one. Nostell Leaves Pillow Cover Seaweed Set of Five Pentangle Mirrored Wall Art Panels 13”Wx2.5”Dx35”H Brummundal Floor Lamp (each panel) $995 9.5”Diax54”H $495 (seen with Drum Cotton Shade Black 19.5”Diax11.5”H $70) 2. Ely Floor Pillow Granite/Lead White 27”Sqx12”H $425 Plain Linen Pillow Cover Citrine 20”Sq $55 Plain Velvet Pillow Cover Rioja | Porridge 20”Sq $70 3. Selene Velvet Armchair Charcoal 31”Wx27.5”Dx30”H $1,325 Burijji Pillow Cover Saffron/Onyx 22”Sq $90 Stack Shelves Low 27”Wx15.5”Dx28.5”H $995 1.
Green 20”Sq $75
1 An efficient use of space, and one that takes advantage of natural light, the window seat is the subject of countless readers’ fantasies. All you need is a selection of extremely comfortable pillows.
2 Multifunctional spaces are key if you live in a smaller home. It doesn’t get much more flexible than floor pillows – you can fashion a relaxing spot in the same time it takes to pick up a novel. 8 | Photographs: Gareth Hacker & Nick Pope
3 In the chillier months, there’s nothing better than a cozy corner. Layers are essential; think heavy, warm rugs, an armchair in a tactile material, such as velvet, and plenty of lamps for low mood lighting.
'Marie Antoinette with a Rose' Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun
BA D ROM A NC E
Rumored to have never worn the same thing twice, Marie Antoinette’s decadence made her one of the most controversial rulers of her time. But there is no denying she had impeccable taste; her fashion and interiors choices shaped the trends of the 18th century and beyond.
Leroux Mirror 27”Wx1”Dx54”H $1,095 Lvliang Jar $275 Stonewashed Linen Pillow Cover with Fringing Eau de Nil | Dusty Rose 20”Sq $80 Chantal Linen Armchair Off White 30.5”Wx34”Dx37.5”H $1,295 Peking TV Cabinet 35.5”Wx17.5”Dx63”H $1,795 Adam Lippes x OKA Tableware Collection 4 x Roseraie Starter Plates $195 | Roseraie Tea Cup & Saucer $60 Faux Ivory Flatware Set of 16 $115 Costellini Velvet Ottoman Air Force Blue 18.5”Diax17.5”H $325
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SHOPPING Photographs: Michael Bodiam | Styling: Imogen Frost
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AT E A S E
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Whether your style is classic or a little on the wild side, these armchairs will welcome you home at the end of the day. 5
6 OPPOSITE PAGE George Cheetah
$3,595
24”Wx28.5”Dx28”H THIS PAGE 1.
Vasa Natural
28.5”Wx31”Dx32.5”H
$995
2. George Multi 24”Wx28.5”Dx28”H $2,195 3. Crosby 32.5”W $1,050 4. Chantal x28.5”Dx27.5”H Linen Off White 30.5”Wx34”Dx37.5”H $1,295 5. Apadana Velvet Blood Orange 24”Wx28”Dx33.5”H
$895
6. Coleridge Natural 28”Wx33”D $1,650 7. Thovarton x30.5”H Ice Blue 32”Wx36”Dx39”H
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$2,595
8. Polperro 29”Wx30”Dx36”H
$1,395
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MOOD MAKERS
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These lamps set the ambience, bringing a warm glow that transforms a room into a welcoming space. THIS PAGE
1. Scarab
10”Diax7.5”H $345 (seen with Drum
Cotton Shade Black 15.5”Diax9”H 2. Herodotus 5”Sqx18”H $175 (seen with Drum Cotton Shade Black 10”Diax6”H $30) 3. Egon 10”Diax22”H $495 (seen with Drum Cotton Shade White 12”Diax6.5”H $30) 4. Wide Tortoiseshell 10”Diax13.5”H $425 (seen with Drum Cotton Shade $60)
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Black 19.5”Diax11.5”H $70) 5. Claudette Dusty Rose 51.5”Diax22”H $295 6. Bramante 5.5”Diax22.5”H $225 (seen with Drum Cotton Shade White 12”Diax6.5”H $25) 7. Morcent 9.5”Sqx19.5”H $295 (seen with
Rectangular Linen Shade Natural 14”Wx6”Dx8.5”H $45)
8. Budle 15.5”Wx4.5”Dx17.5”H $395 (seen with Rectangular Linen Shade Natural17.5”Wx11.5”Dx9.5”H $75) 9. Tamri 6.5”Diax15”H $150 (seen with Empire Linen Shade Natural 14”Diax8”H $55) Skarkos OPPOSITE PAGE 11”Diax16”H $295 (seen with
Drum Linen Shade Natural 15.5”Diax10”H $60)
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SHOPPING
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SHOPPING
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SUPPORTING ACT A stage for photographs, a makeshift desk, an anchor for artwork and decorative objects – there’s no limit to the console’s versatility.
54”Wx12”Dx30.5”H
$1,495
THIS PAGE 1. Kaishu Watered
Gray 19.5”Wx78.5”Dx33.5”H $1,795 2. Castellau 43.5”W x14”Dx32.5”H
$950 3. Merle
39.5”Wx10.5”Dx31.5”H
$950
4. Versailles 60.5”Wx15.5”D $875 5. Walden x30.5”H 58.5”Wx11”Dx33.5”H
$1,595
6. Pompidou 63.5”Wx15.5”D x32.5”H
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OPPOSITE PAGE
$695
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Photographs: Nick Pope | Styling: Sue Jones If you have ever visited Venice, it’s the spectacular Gothic architecture, the intricate stonework and floor-to-ceiling windows of the grand palazzi that draw you in. Breathtakingly beautiful, but perhaps too over-the-top for the typical home. Here, creative director and cofounder Sue Jones has taken inspiration from the city’s piani nobili to create a more pared-back look that still makes a statement. One that is designed for the everyday. “I’ve taken Venetian grandeur and made it livable,” explains Sue. “The floors and stone-effect walls are very simple – the drama comes from the height of each room.” Color is important but is used in a very restrained way. Just a splash here and there is all it takes to offset the neutral palette. “When you use accessories sparingly, it means they really shine – they’re seen in their own right. It allows your eye to be taken to each piece and you really appreciate them as design elements,” says Sue. Certain subtleties can also be acknowledged; tall lamps that echo gondola poles and pillow covers that draw on the marble from the famed I Gesuiti church. It’s a new take on minimalism; it’s focused and uncluttered but warm and comfortable. 16
Thomasin Table Lamp 6.5”Diax27”H $225 Tarsia Pillow Cover Red Garnet Cosmati Pillow Cover Shown in: Red Garnet | Ink Blue 22”Sq $90 Abbotsford 3-Seater Sofa Wide Herringbone Linen 74.5”Wx34.5”Dx30”H $2,595 Large Papavera Vase $295 Small Marylebone Coffee Table 55”Wx31.5”Dx15.5”H $1,695 23.5”Wx14”H $90
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Selene Velvet Armchair 31”Wx27.5”Dx30”H $1,325 Visby Cabinet Brummundal Floor Lamp 9.5”Diax54”H $495 (seen with Pattani Eclipse Lampshade Cabernet Red 17.5”Diax12”H $125)
OPPOSITE PAGE
17.5”Wx23.5”Dx44”H
$2,495 THIS PAGE
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Stafford Linen Chair Sand 17.5”Wx23”Dx36”H $425 Hawkley Extendable Dining Table 138”Wx53”Dx30”H (fully extended); 43.5”Wx53”Dx30”H (six leaves removed)
$5,495
Lotus Candle Holder Large $90 (seen with Pillar LED Candle Tall $25) Decorative Oak Leaf Dish $45 Laurelin Mirrored Wall Art 36”Wx1.5”D x60”H $1,795 Tortoiseshell Vase Tall $110
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Cariape Decorative Pot Shown in: Triangles $50 | Dashes $35
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Razmataz Hanging Lantern 14.5”Dia $395 Aglovale Wall Lamp 10”Wx6”Dx10”H $195 Argead Side Table 29.5”Diax30”H $625 Faux Shagreen Oval Plateau Tray Taupe $245 Cariape Decorative Pot Shown in: Triangles $50 | Dashes $35 Plain Velvet Pillow Cover Blood Orange 23.5”Wx14”H $65 Nostell Leaves Pillow Cover Charcoal 20”Sq $75 Tarma 2-Seater Sofa 54”Wx35”Dx34.5”H $2,695 Nostell Dots Pillow Cover Red Madder 20”Sq $55 Daugava Rug 8’Wx10’L $1,495
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OPPOSITE PAGE Vorto on Stand 18.5”Wx8.5”Dx27”H $245 THIS PAGE Oban Mirror Large 25”Dia $295
Perisphere Table Lamp $225 (seen with Drum Cotton Shade Black 15.5”Diax9”H $60) Kaishu Console Table Black 78.5”Wx19.5”Dx33.5”H $1,795 Fyli Vase Medium 10”Diax14”H $75
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OPPOSITE PAGE Duffy Lamp 14”Diax17.5”H
$225
(seen with Empire Linen Shade Natural 18”Diax11”H
$75) Kinoko Lamp 14”Diax13.5”H $225 (seen with Drum Cotton Shade White 22”Diax13”H $90) Hulu Lamp Gray 9”Diax20.5”H $225 (seen with Pleated Linen Shade Off White 17.5”Wx14.5”Dx12”H $95) THIS PAGE Thurstaton Decorative Ornament on Stand $95 Cariape Decorative Pot Dashes $35 | Abstract $85 | Triangles $50 Papavera Vase Large $295 |
Medium $175 | Small $125
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Guadua Tripod Floor Lamp 21.5”Wx18”Dx54”H $395 (seen with Drum Cotton Shade Black 9.5”Diax11.5”H $70) Set of Nine Dutch Tulip Framed Prints 9.5”Wx12”H $295 Nell 2.5-Seater Sofa 75.5”Wx31.5”Dx27”H $2,795 Plain Velvet Pillow Cover Shown in: Truffle | Charcoal 20”Sq $70 Burnt Orange 23.5”Wx14”H $65 Set of Three Emile Nesting Tables Large 46”Wx24”Dx18.5”H; Small $1,495 Sorin Lidded Jar Shown in: 20.5”Sqx15.5”H Short $55 | Tall $65 Decorative Oak Leaf Dish $45
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MASTER PIECES If you’ve ever been tempted to ditch your white walls and cross over to the dark side, there is one rule: be bold. Commit to the color and embrace the drama. Photographs: Damian Russell | Styling: Anders Olsson
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Drama is exactly what Anders Olsson, OKA’s head stylist, had in mind when he set about creating this statement look. “I have always loved paintings by the Dutch Masters, where rich colors and textures appear so vividly against very atmospheric, dark backgrounds. I wanted to play with this idea here,” he says. Just as in the paintings, natural light is key to help subtly bring forward the details and textures. “I also included plenty of mirrors and reflective surfaces to really help pick out the highlights and jewel tones,” explains Anders. This is part of the beauty of the look – it’s all about contrast, so, surprisingly, you don’t actually need a big space to make it work. Less is more when it comes to furniture and accessories; by virtue of being placed against black they will automatically make a statement. Are you ready to go for it?
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OPPOSITE PAGE
Luminosia Hanging Disc Lamp
17.5”Diax22.5”H $495 Stafford Velvet Dining Chair Shown in: Moss | Charcoal | Perfect Navy 17.5”Wx23”Dx36”H
$425
Petworth Extendable Dining Table ‘French Walnut’ 138”Wx53”Dx31”H (fully extended); 43.5”Wx53”Dx31”H (no leaves)
$3,295 THIS PAGE Oban Mirror Small 20.5”Dia $275 Birell Coffee Table 55”Wx31.5”Dx19.5”H $1,795 Nazca Throw Granite 75”Wx51”H $345
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THIS PAGE Sega Mirror 23.5”Wx78.5”H $895
Costellini Velvet Ottoman Perfect Matte Glass Navy 18.5”Diax17.5”H $325 Collection Short Vase $65 | Tall Vase $90 | Candle Holder $30 Sorin Lidded Jar Tall $65 | Short $55 Glass Tortoiseshell Decorative Ball 4.5”Diax4.5”H $45 OPPOSITE PAGE Claudette Wall Lamp
Soot 4.5”Wx7”Dx9”H $195 Sorrel Mirror 35.5”Wx47”H $895 Triomphe Tripod Table 17”Diax25”H $495 Ashva Rug 8’Wx10’L $1,695
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Coleridge 3-Seater Sofa Ice Blue 71.5”Wx41”Dx32.5”H $2,695 Plain Velvet Pillow Cover Shown in: Gainsborough Gray | Air Force Blue 20”Sq $70 Pattani Geometric Pillow Cover Mustard 23.5”Wx14”H $50 Cowrie Table Lamp 10”Diax11.5”H $225 (seen with Pleated Linen Shade Off White 17.5”Diax12”H $110) Set of Two Mirrored Solasta Tables Large 36”Diax16”H; Small $1,095 Large Zagora Rug 10’Wx11’L $3,995 24”Diax14”H Grisewood Lamp & Shade Gray 12”Wx8”Dx16.5”H $225 Trois Mirror 33”Wx27.5”H $495 Vasa Linen Lounge Chair Natural 28.5”Wx31”Dx32.5”H $995 Ipazi Pillow Cover 23.5”Wx14”H $60
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Classic meets contemporary in this newly refurbished south London townhouse. Photographs: Ben Anders | Styling: Bruce MacArthur
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“With this space, it’s all about the feature details: marble Victorian fireplaces, wood paneled walls, parquet flooring, the Crittall doors in the kitchen-dining room – there is so much contrast, yet everything has come together beautifully,” explains Bruce, OKA’s head of store design and visual merchandising. With striking features like these in play, it’s all about complementing them with subtle use of shape, color and detail. Clean lines offset curvaceous silhouettes; threads of color from existing pieces and architecture are picked up and gently intertwined with complementary tones in each room. It’s a quintessentially British approach: artfully mixing eras and styles to create an elegant look, but one that isn’t precious – as soon as you step inside you want to kick off your shoes and hop onto a bar stool or sink into an armchair. THIS PAGE Calabash Table Lamp Pebble 11”Diax16.5”H $195 (seen with
Pleated Linen Shade Off White 16”Diax10.5”H $110) Decorative Robin $20 Jadis Lekythos Jug $80 Trois Mirror 33”Wx27.5”H $495 Grisewood
Lamp & Shade Gray 12”Wx8”Dx16.5”H $225 Lantau Desk/Dressing Table $1,895 OPPOSITE PAGE Thomasin Floor Lamp 10”Diax49”H $350 (seen with Pattani Lampshade Mustard 17.5”Diax12”H $125) Leroux Mirror 27”Wx1”Dx54”H $1,095 Pair of Opplyst Tables Large $1,795 Duffy Table Lamp 14”Diax17.5”H 39.5”Diax16”H; Small 31.5”Diax18”H $225 (seen with Empire Linen Shade White 20”Diax11”H $75) Plain Velvet Pillow Cover Marine Blue 20”Sq $70 Vasa Linen Lounge Chair Natural 28.5”Wx31”Dx32.5”H $995 Framlingham Rug 8’Wx10’L $4,495 47”Wx19.5”Dx30.5”H
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THIS PAGE Winglefield Extendable Dining Table 187”Wx35.5”Dx29.5”H (open); 93.5”Wx35.5”Dx30.5”H (closed)
$2,995 Qinlin Vase $1,095 Yichun Decorative Cauldron $375 Washakie Velvet Chair Lake Green 19.5”Wx23”Dx38.5”H $425 Thalassia Planter $295 OPPOSITE PAGE Crosby Armchair 32.5”Wx28.5”Dx27.5”H $1,050 Labirinto Pillow Cover Gainsborough Gray 20”Sq $80 Garasu Side Table 25.5”Diax18”H $650 Papavera Vase Small 10”Diax11.5”H $125 Costellini Linen Ottoman Wide Herringbone 18.5”Diax17.5”H $325
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CE N T E R OF AT T E N T ION Few things add more personality to a room than an artfully arranged coffee table. Photographs: Ben Anders | Styling: Hannah Bort
THE BOHEMI A N Usually you would find Birell exploring the rainforest or hidden away working on her next book of poetry. But for now she’s enjoying a rare moment of calm, content to display her creative artistry at home. 40
OPPOSITE PAGE Birell Coffee Table 55”Wx31.5”Dx19.5”H
$1,795 Pair of Lakadema Leopard Candle Holders $60 Apadana Velvet Armless Chair Blood $895 THIS PAGE Locke Orange 24”Wx28”Dx33.5”H Ottoman With Drawers 40.5”Sqx17.5”H $5,395 Fyli Vase Medium 10”Diax14”H $75 Faux Shagreen Jewelry Box Taupe $495 Botero Armless Sofa Chair Natural 38”Sqx27.5”H $2,395
T H E HOL LY WO OD STA R L E T There’s no denying it; Locke has plenty of stage presence and can’t help but steal the show. With such good looks and charm, getting red carpet-ready requires little adornment. view our entire collection at oka.com | 41
THIS PAGE Hatta Coffee Table 41.5”Diax15.5”H $2,295 Dice Box & Six Dice $35 Set of Four Pulcinella Cocktail Glasses $85 Set of Four Ranelagh Tumblers $45 Costellini Velvet Ottoman Perfect Navy 18.5”Diax17.5”H $325 OPPOSITE PAGE Set of Two Garasu Nested Coffee Tables Large 41”Diax15.5”H; Small 33”Diax12”H $1,695 Set of Four Twisted Glass Tumblers Tall $30
T H E A RT DECO E N T E RTA I N E R Renowned for his unbeatable hospitality and speakeasy-style cocktail parties, Hatta wishes he had been around for the frivolity of the 1920s. 42 | view our entire collection at oka.com
T H E A RCH I T ECTS In keeping with their Scandinavian roots, the Garasus are a pair who think simple is best, safe in the knowledge that sometimes less is more. 43
Photographs: Nick Pope | Styling: Lucinda Waterhouse
Organic textures and a bold color palette combine to create a warm and welcoming home. If you’re not sure where to begin when designing a room, pick something you love and get creative. This is exactly what OKA co-founder Lucinda Waterhouse did here. “I have always loved rattan and I wanted to design a look where it takes center stage, so I created wall panels from stained rattan and bamboo,” she explains. Once you have your focal feature, take your color and style cues from it – this look is full of warm, earthy tones and natural accessories. But don’t worry about everything matching, sometimes the most unlikely combinations are the most interesting. Here, quintessentially English furniture, in the form of button-tufted ottomans and classically shaped sofas and armchairs, takes its place among Asian-inspired details and a plethora of prints. Don’t be afraid of layering pattern – the trick is to vary the scale. “Try to include a combination of delicate and bold motifs. If you use too many patterns of the same size they’ll be competing for attention, which makes it hard for the eye to focus,” says Lucinda.
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Set of Five Pentangle Mirrored Wall Art Panels 13”Wx2.5”Dx35”H (each panel) $995 Merle Side Table 21.5”Sqx24.5”H $695 Naoshima Table Lamp Bonsai Green 7”Sqx12”H $375 (seen with Pattani Lampshade Cabernet Red 17.5”Diax12”H $125) Leptoria Pillow Cover Putting Green 20”Sq $75 Locksley Pillow Cover Putting Green 23.5”Wx14”H $70 Anduin Pillow Cover Putting Green 20”Sq $75 Coleridge 3-Seater Sofa Natural 71.5”Wx41”Dx32.5”H $2,495 Wallace Coffee Table Rectangular 63”Wx35.5”Dx16”H $2,595 Tilacancha Rug 8.5’Wx10.5’L $1,995
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Nature-inspired pieces provide the perfect contrast for a traditional desk. THIS PAGE Cartama Desk 51”Wx25”Dx36.5”H
Claudette Table Lamp Dusty Rose 51.5”Diax22”H $295 Washakie Linen Chair Coral 19.5”Wx23”Dx38.5”H $425 Papavera Vase Medium $175 (seen with Faux Magnolia, Eucalyptus & Hydrangea Bunch $145) OPPOSITE PAGE Thalassia Planter $295 Thomasin Floor Lamp 10”Diax49”H $350 (seen with Pleated Linen Shade Natural 17.5”Diax12”H $110) Set of Five Pentangle Mirrored Wall Art Panels 13”Wx2.5”Dx35”H (each panel) $995 Apadana Armless Chair Blood Orange 24”Wx28”Dx33.5”H $895 $2,395
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A large sideboard provides ample space to neatly store and display china. Set of Five Pentangle Mirrored Wall Art Panels 13”Wx2.5”Dx35”H (each panel) $995
Washakie Linen Chair Coral 19.5”Wx23”Dx38.5”H $425 Wide Tortoiseshell Column Lamp 10”Diax13.5”H $425 (seen with
Pleated Linen Shade Natural 17.5”Diax12”H $110)
Talauma Candle Holder Large Gustaf Sideboard 87”Wx20”Dx36”H $3,895 Rattan Collection Closed $150
Shelf Basket $110 | Flatware Carry $80 (seen with Faux Ivory Flatware
Set of 16 $115) Adam Lippes x OKA Tableware Collection From $60 Shalba Rug 8’Wx10’L $1,695 Kraak Sugar Bowl $35 Zabiya Decorative Vase 4.5”Diax12”H $35
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A Fine Romance Acclaimed fashion designer Adam Lippes swapped dresses for dining tables to collaborate with OKA on a unique collection of tableware. Words: Aimee Farrell
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“My heart lives in England,” says Adam Lippes. As evidenced in his exuberant Brooklyn apartment and 100-acre estate near Monterey, Massachusetts, the American fashion designer has enjoyed a lifelong love affair with English style. “I don’t know where it comes from, really,” says Lippes, who has been making transatlantic trips since he was 10 years old – most recently to visit the London boutiques that purvey the eponymous label he founded in 2013. “But it started with English interiors, from [famed manor house] Chatsworth to [the Vogue photographer] Cecil Beaton’s Reddish House. These houses flow so beautifully; they’re the perfect mix of grandeur and casualness.” It’s the same easy elegance that’s at the core of Lippes’ own creative empire; running seamlessly throughout his homes and his celebrated clothing collections. “Adam is a keen collector with a very sophisticated eye – and he loves entertaining,” says OKA co-founder Sue Jones, who felt compelled to propose a project with the designer after being introduced by a mutual friend. “He came to England and we got along straight away. There was great synergy right from the start.” Although Lippes had been approached many times to collaborate with other interiors brands, before OKA, nothing felt right. “I don’t believe that things have to be expensive, but I do believe in quality,” he says. “One of the founding tenets of my label is that I don’t want to just make more stuff.” What also jived with Lippes – besides its Anglo appeal – is the fact that at OKA, “everything is created on the basis of need and love.”
“I don’t believe that things have to be expensive, but I do believe in quality.”
The son of a decorator and a lawyer (and serious art collector) Lippes grew up in Buffalo, New York. Obsessed with décor from an early age, his mother would frequently consult him in the creation of their homes; a fact, he says, that lent validity to his visual point of view right from the start.
Photographs: Nick Pope | 51
So why not become an interior designer? “I always wanted to be in fashion,” he says. After studying psychology at Cornell, and a fleeting misstep into investment banking, Lippes started out at Ralph Lauren, later joining Oscar de la Renta, where he remained for close to a decade. By 28, he was creative director, a role that included overseeing the launch of the label’s interiors collections. With their legendary homes and entertaining style, Oscar and Annette de la Renta were a seminal influence – and his first introduction to OKA. “Working there exposed me to some of the greatest houses in the world,” says Lippes. “My sense of style was given to me by my parents, but refined by Oscar.” This process of education hasn’t stopped since. In his womenswear creations, Lippes draws from the bold and daring designs of decorators such as David Hicks, Renzo Mongiardino and Billy Baldwin. “I’m very passionate about the mix – blending centuries and styles and giving everything a foundation in classicism,” he explains. “That’s how I live – and that’s how it is when you enter OKA’s stores.” And so began a fruitful exchange that has evolved, over nearly two years, into a Lippes X OKA tableware collection that includes ceramics, glassware and linen. The creative process started with a series of mood boards – a veritable menagerie of images of ceramic roosters, boars and birds, monkeys and dragonflies alongside fantastical toile de jouy fashion confections. For Jones, however, it was a series of pictures of Famille Rose plates – the Chinese export porcelain style popularized in the 18th century and characterized by its opaque decoration in shades of blush pink and crimson – that stood out. “I knew immediately that this was the way to go,” she says of the delicate ceramics that she has long avidly collected. This rich mélange of references gave rise to the centerpiece of the project, a collection of elaborately embellished bone china dinnerware that’s inhabited by butterflies, tropical birds and flora. “I wanted to create a modern rendition of Chinese export patterns,” explains Lippes, who leafed through auction catalogues and surveyed the collection at the Met for source material. It’s perhaps no surprise that the Famille Rose plates were some of the most complex to create. After Lippes conjured the design in his New York studio, OKA consultant Molly Lu charged an artist in
“I wanted to create a modern rendition of Chinese export patterns.” 52
Chaillot Dress up your everyday dining table with these white cotton napkins and placemats, adorned with an ornate Art Deco hemstitched border. 4 x Cotton Napkins 20”Sq $95 4 x Cotton Placemats 12”Sq $95
southern China with recreating the composition in watercolor on specialty rice paper, known as “Xuan paper”. After playing with the scale of the motifs and carefully adjusting the colors, the artwork was then digitally rendered by OKA’s London studio, ready to apply to the smooth and translucent fine bone china. “It’s so full of color and vibrancy,” says Lippes of the finished product, which can be mixed and matched with simpler styles. Much like Lippes’ playful runway creations, the Famille Rose ceramics effortlessly meld prettiness with practicality. “I’m a great believer in using what you have,” says Lippes. “They look as though they’re your grandmother’s finest inherited china, but they’ll go in the dishwasher.” The same is true for the crystalware, which borrows its form from a classic OKA wine glass, with a bright Lippes flourish of painted rims and dots. The decorative motifs of the Famille Rose dinnerware are also hand-embroidered on white cotton napkins. “These are not pieces that you’re going to be able to find anywhere else,” says Lippes. The OKA project certainly came at an opportune moment for the fashion designer, who’d had porcelain on his mind. He’d recently been eyeing a vast set of Chinese export dinnerware at a Dallas auction house – hunting for curios is one of the designer’s best-loved pastimes. “I was literally about to place a bid,” he says. “But now I just don’t need it.”
Roseraie Inspired by antique Famille Rose porcelain that was fashionable in Europe during the Late Baroque period, featuring a menagerie of colorful flora and fauna.
4 x Dinner Plates 10”Dia $250 4 x Starter Plates 9”Dia $195 4 x Side Plates 7”Dia $125 4 x Bowls 7.5”Dia $150
4 x Embroidered Cotton Napkins 19.5”Sq $95 Tea Cup & Saucer 6.5”Diax3”H $60
Coquille Simple yet elegant bone china plates and crystal glasses finished with a dainty teardrop border, which contrasts beautifully with the patterned designs. 4 x Dinner Plates 10”Dia $250 4 x Starter/Side Plates 8”Dia $195 4 x Bowls 7.5”Dia $150 4 x Crystal Wine Glasses Small 3.5”Diax5”H $195 | Large 3.5”Diax5.5”H $215
view our entire collection at oka.com | 53
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Simply Irresistible
FOOD
Acclaimed chef and cookbook author Sabrina Ghayour explains her multicultural food philosophy and shares a selection of delicious recipes from her latest release, Simply. Words: Clare Finney | Photographs: Matt Russell to Green Lanes for kibbeh. The fact that every night during lockdown we have eaten a different meal from a different cuisine can be attributed to her.
“So what kind of food does she cook?” my mother asked curiously, when I told her I was interviewing Sabrina Ghayour later. Like Sabrina, I was isolating with my mother for lockdown, those three interminable months when the world shuddered to a standstill. For a moment I was baffled: how did my mom not know Sabrina’s food? She’s the multi-award-winning, best-selling author of five books; a regular face on popular British television programs Sunday Brunch and Saturday Kitchen. Yet when I went to reply and sum up the dazzling array of dishes that come out of Sabrina’s kitchen, the cacophony of colors and cuisines, feelings and flavors, I struggled to find the words. “I think in Britain I will always be Persian or Middle Eastern – but I am not really your classic Middle Eastern cook,” Sabrina muses, when I put the question to her on the phone that afternoon. “I do African recipes, Asian recipes – and even my Middle Eastern recipes use ingredients that aren’t Middle Eastern.” She references a recipe in her latest book, Simply, for marinated chicken wings, marrying fish sauce, harissa and lime juice. “How do you explain that?” she laughs. “Harissa is north African, and fish sauce is Vietnamese.” Though her first book, Persiana, captured the Persian-style dishes that defined the supper clubs she had become known for, her subsequent recipes have incorporated flavors and ingredients from the globe’s four corners. “I am happy with a little bit of everything. People are welcome to label it what they like,” she replies, when I ask if she objects to being pigeonholed. “Did you like it, did you find the recipe straightforward, do you want to make it again – that’s what I care about. If the answer’s yes, then I’m happy.” Simply, which hit the bookshelves last month, is the culmination of Sabrina’s characteristic approach to cooking; it is, as the kids might say, peak Sabrina. “It’s not Middle Eastern, it’s not Eastern, it’s not Western – it is Simply Sabrina, because that is the easiest way to explain my food.” Simply is not, as I myself first thought, her answer to the slew of “simple” or “speedy” cookbooks out there, but the encapsulation of her own culinary brand. “It’s a bit exotic, tasty – and accessible,” she says. “I do have a book like [those simple cookbooks] in me, but my
Sabrina Ghayour recipes are already straightforward. I’ve already stripped most recipes back to a minimal number of ingredients. It’s hard to see how I could pare them back more.” Though the book opens with a chapter dubbed Effortless Eating, there are more involved recipes there too, such as the tangy, teasingly textured fish, okra and tamarind stew pictured. There are spiced pork wraps with a salsa of crisp green apples; a tahdig of macaroni, and what Sabrina laughingly calls a “do-it-in-your-sleep cake” of pistachio, lemon and rosemary. It’s a book as intriguing as it is inviting, one that defies all attempts at categorization, and lends itself as much to noisy, laughter-filled feasts with friends as it does a cozy night in on the sofa or a candlelit date night dinner. It is, quite simply, Sabrina. Somewhat unusually, you didn’t learn to cook from your mother or grandmother. How has being a self-taught chef shaped you? People are desperate for me to have a family recipe, and it’s particularly unusual in Persian culture – but that’s the truth. Mum wasn’t allowed into the kitchen, so she never learned and never taught me. What this did mean was that she always let me play in the kitchen, and mess around with different ingredients. I was the cook from a young age. Mum knows what good food is though; she’d drive from London to Birmingham for a curry, or from west London
You were born in Tehran and now live in Yorkshire – but you made your name teaching and running supper clubs in west London. How did that scene launch your career? I grew up in the Earls Court area of London, after we moved there when I was two. I’d been teaching cooking and doing catering in the evenings and weekends, and it was something to turn to when I lost my job in marketing. In an affluent area, expectations are high – but if you do a good job, you will never stop working, and the Persian and Jewish communities in west and north London are very word-of-mouth. When my first book, Persiana, came out, the people who bought it were the people I’d cooked for, and they spread the word. I always say that London’s dinner party crowd did my PR. What do you look for in dinnerware – and what are your top table tips? I’ve made many mistakes over the years buying fancy-pants stuff, but the best dinnerware is understated. Let the food do the talking. I love big platters in blues or greens – I’m obsessed with those two colors – and then nice, simple glassware, and some matte gold cutlery. In my culture we don’t do plated meals – it’s always a spread of dishes, and it’s nice to put those on contrasting colors so it’s popping and vibrant. What do you hope people will get out of Simply? I want to instil confidence. I don’t want people to cook my recipes, look at the book and think – mine doesn’t look like that. I want them to say, WOW, yes! One of the funniest bits of feedback I’ve ever had was from someone who said, I took a day off to tackle six of your recipes, and I was done in two hours. I said, I hope you made a drink and put your feet up. Don’t spend days in the kitchen if you don’t have to. Life is too short.
Clare Finney is Fortnum and Mason’s Food Writer of The Year. Food styling: Aya Nishimura Prop styling: Jennifer Kay
Aswathi Tablecloth, Napkins & Tote Bag Set $225 Set of Four Lavaux Goblets Crème de Menthe $65 Set of Four Mosken Glass Dinner Plates $60 Isphahan Collection Giant Charger Plate $345 | 4 x Small Dinner Plates $295 | 4 x Starter/Side Plates $225
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Fish, Okra & Tamarind Stew I dedicate this recipe to my dear friend Bryan Koh, who I first met in Singapore and who took me to some of the best places in town for local cuisine, including fish head curry. Sadly, it isn’t something we get to eat very often back home in England, so I came up with a version that we make at home and enjoy while thinking of Bryan.
SERVES 4–6 100g fresh root ginger, peeled 25g fresh turmeric, unpeeled and scrubbed 1 onion, cut into rough chunks 4 garlic cloves, peeled vegetable oil, for frying 3 cardamom pods, bashed 1 teaspoon cumin seeds 1 teaspoon fennel seeds 1 teaspoon chili f lakes 1 teaspoon ground coriander
Put the ginger, fresh turmeric, onion and garlic into a mini food processor and blend to as fine a paste as you can achieve. Place a saucepan over a medium heat, drizzle in a little vegetable oil and add the paste. Cook for 8–10 minutes until all the moisture has evaporated and the paste has mixed with the oil, ensuring it doesn’t catch. Add the dry spices and salt and pepper and stir. Add the okra and stir to coat it in the mixture, then stir in the tomatoes and tamarind paste. Pour in just enough water to cover the ingredients, cover the pan with a lid and leave to simmer over a gentle heat for 30 minutes until the sauce thickens, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. If you have a lot of liquid left in the pan, remove the lid and cook over a slightly higher heat for a few minutes until it has reduced.
300g fresh okra (or use frozen whole okra, defrosted)
Place the fish chunks on top of the stew, cover the pan with the lid and cook for 5 minutes. Remove the lid, spoon the okra and sauce over the fish and cook for another 5 minutes.
3 tomatoes, roughly diced
Serve with rice.
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon unsweetened tamarind paste 500g skinless chunky white f ish f illet, such as cod, hake or haddock, cut into 4cm chunks sea salt f lakes and generous amount of freshly ground black pepper
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Maast-o-esfenaj - Spinach & Yogurt with Walnuts
FOOD
This is a much-loved staple of Persian cuisine. Traditionally, we don’t add garlic or sumac, and walnuts may be used to garnish the top, but I like to add them to the dish for texture. This is the one dish that always surprises my students at my Persian cooking class, as yogurt is always thought of as a dip in the West, while the Persians treat it as a main event but also as a condiment that goes with or over everything, or it can be simply enjoyed on its own. SERVES 6–8 250g spinach leaves 500g thick Greek yogurt 1 large garlic clove, minced 2 generous handfuls of walnut halves, roughly chopped 2 teaspoons sumac, plus extra to garnish olive oil, for drizzling sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper flatbread, to serve
Bring a saucepan of water to boil, add the spinach and simmer for 2–3 minutes until wilted, then drain and plunge into a bowl of ice water to stop it from cooking further. Once cooled, drain well and finely chop. Put the spinach into a mixing bowl with the yogurt, garlic, walnuts (reserving some for garnish), sumac, a little drizzle of olive oil and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Mix together well. Spread the mixture out on a flat plate, then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with extra sumac and the reserved walnuts before serving.
OPPOSITE PAGE Set of Four Large Isphahan Dinner Plates $475 THIS PAGE Sorano China Collection Dinner Plate $25 | Bowl $18
Set of Four Elne Champagne Flutes Tall $60
view our entire collection at oka.com | 57
POWER DESKING: VA N E S SA K I N G O R I M B E The multi-award-winning publishing director of British Vogue on how she gets it done Pro tips on being more productive at work? - Get properly dressed and ready every day. What you wear affects your state of mind and productivity. It is very hard to nail it with a comfy pajama mindset. - Schedule in lunch breaks and exercise, otherwise it is easy to work all day without realizing and suffer loss of energy and concentration. The mental health benefits make this essential. - Love your workstation. Think of how motivated new school supplies made you feel after summer vacation – it’s time for the grown-up version of a shiny new pencil case.
enterprising and numerate, funny and charismatic which endeared her to everyone and increased the realms of possibility for her. Many successes in my life are directly because of the things she taught me. What is your personal mantra? Some you win, some you learn – every day is a school day. Any advice for someone hoping to follow in your footsteps? Be inspired by others but forge your own path. There is no fixed formula, many paths can lead to the same, or even greater, end. Your proudest to date? My son, Charles.
Best advice you’ve ever received? Whenever I complained about anything being unfair, my mother would tell me that expecting things to be fair for people like us is a sure-fire way to feel let down. Instead I should fortify myself to navigate unjust systems and to work harder than everyone else in order to thrive. She insisted that I should instead push organizations to become fairer by the time I was established. It’s sad that decades later this advice still resonates for so many people of difference, women and to me personally, there should be an equal playing field, but we know this is far from the norm. Happily, I do believe that because of recent events, protests and a new appetite for honest dialogue, many organizations have truly begun the difficult work to make things fairer for all.
achievement
To see more of Vanessa’s world, check out the highlights section of our Instagram page @oka
What would you say to your younger self? I would tell her not to change a thing; all of the cringeworthy stuff is just as valuable as all of the times she nailed it. It is all part of the path that leads you to where you are now, which is exactly where you are supposed to be. How do you find working from home? Intense. My workload has increased at least three-fold. Simultaneously, childcare responsibilities have obviously increased too. Despite this, I will look back on this time with great fondness. As a working mother, I feel incredibly lucky to have been here to see every one of my son’s key development milestones and develop an even stronger bond with him. Who has been your biggest inspiration? My grandmother. She was a woman of abundant talents and neverending optimism. She never complained and never fussed about challenges or a lack of opportunities. She left school at 14 years old to support her family but remains the smartest and most eloquent person I have ever known. She educated herself and read all of the classics, quoting them often in her cautionary tales to me. She was
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