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JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

THE ARCHITECTS MAKING ROOM FOR THE FUTURE

H E I G H T S O F P R I VA C Y

W H Y W E L I K E WA L L S A G A I N

D E S I G N M AT C H E S M A D E I N H E AV E N

B L U E P R I N T S T O PA R A D I S E , F R OM J O H A N N E S B U R G TO L.A.

1 0 WAY S T O F I N A L LY SEE THE LIGHT

PRECISION GLAMOUR O N P A R K AV E N U E

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ALISON BERGER, MASTER GLASS DESIGNER WITH THE RAIN CHANDELIER

THERE ARE PIECES THAT FURNISH A HOME AND THOSE THAT DEFINE IT Â®

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2021

An outdoor dining terrace at a vacation home in Uruguay designed by the late architect Mario Connio, page 48. The tablecloth is by Simrane; the tableware is by Astier de Villatte.

ELLE DECOR

RICARDO L ABOUGLE. FOR DETAILS, SEE RESOURCES

CONTENTS

CONTENTS The roof deck, with a view into the veranda below, of the Johannesburg home of architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, page 68.

EDITOR’S LETTER 15

POV Examining how nonWestern architecture has been overlooked. Plus: A Q&A with Sumayya Vally of Counterspace

BUILDER 33

TOOLBOX Amid the pandemic, bedrooms are embracing their role as more than just a place for shut-eye. BY TIM McKEOUGH

82 20

WHAT’S HOT The best design discoveries

RESOURCES 84

NOT FOR SALE

SHOWCASE A transﬁxing new jewelry collection from Harry Winston, inspired by the kaleidoscope 26

TRUTH IN DECORATING Designers Kimille Taylor and Vicente Wolf shed some light on the best statement ﬂoor lamps 28

SHORTLIST Dancer and choreographer Kyle Abraham shares eight things he can’t live without 30

TALENT All about Obsidian, a new virtual showhouse from the members of the Black Artists + Designers Guild. BY KELLEY CARTER

A ﬂoral archival print for your bed, revived by D. Porthault

FEATURES 40

TO BE PRECISE. Architect Michael K. Chen brings a sharp spatial ingenuity to his redo of a Manhattan family apartment. BY ALEXANDRA LANGE ARCHITECT MICHAEL K. CHEN

PRESERVING PARADISE The late Argentine architect Mario Connio built his dream house on Uruguay’s Atlantic coast. Now a California couple is maintaining his legacy. BY ANA KARINA ZATARAIN ARCHITECT MARIO CONNIO

FEAST YOUR EYES ON THIS

WHAT’S THE WORD?

NOW WHAT?

In a 16th-century Tuscan villa brimming with history, designer Hubert Zandberg assembles a rich and layered tableau.

In Johannesburg, an architect couple’s re-envisioned midcentury home makes a concrete statement.

BY NANCY HASS DESIGNER HUBERT ZANDBERG

BY MARY HOLLAND ARCHITECTS SILVIO RECH AND LESLEY CARSTENS

Residential design has always evolved during times of crisis, meeting the new demands of the moment. We asked nine architects and designers to forecast how our homes will change in the wake of COVID-19

ON THE COVER The living room of a Manhattan apartment renovated by architect Michael K. Chen. PHOTOGR APH BY MAX BURKHALTER

RAW POWER In a former Nabisco factory in downtown Los Angeles, architect Amanda Gunawan bakes sculptural simplicity into a Beaux Arts–era mold.

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EDITOR’S LETTER

CLOCK WISE FROM TOP LEFT: SIMON UPTON; ELSA YOUNG/BUREAUX; MINH T

The grand salon in a 16th-century Tuscan villa restored by Hubert Zandberg.

A bedroom in the Johannesburg home of architects Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens.

Welcome to the Issue S

E T T L I N G I N TO A N E W YE A R, W E A R E AS K I N G LOTS O F questions at ELLE DECOR . (After an experience like 2020,

who isn’t?) Some are straightforward: What’s the best way to bring light into our rooms, now forced to play double and triple duty? Some are quite literally the stuff of dreams: How can we sleep a little more soundly in 2021 (for ideas, turn to page 33), and can the stars help guide us—or, at least, offer a diversion (page 20)? Many more questions loom larger: After months of isolation and unrest, where do we go from here? And what’s the role of design in all of this? In search of answers, and inspiration, we turn to the world of architecture. For one story this month, we asked architects and designers to look into their crystal balls and predict the future (page 76). How will our homes change after the lessons of this year? No spoilers, but here’s what is clear: Design is a radical act of optimism. It requires a belief that people can work collectively to make lasting positive change, guided by a sense of purpose and an eye for beauty. In this issue, we explore both with relish: We visit architects’ own homes in Los Angeles (page 54), Johannesburg (page 68), and Uruguay (page 48); we indulge in the delights of a sharp Park Avenue apartment attuned to the needs of a family of five (page 40); and we check out a 16th-century Tuscan villa where the decor both complements and complicates its context (page 60). Finally, we ask emerging talent how design can help us become Asad Syrkett, Editor in Chief smarter and more engaged. What betelledecor@hearst.com Follow me on Instagram: @as4d ter New Year’s resolution is there? ◾ 12

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Architect Amanda Gunawan’s loft in Los Angeles.

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All That Was Left Out

JAMES WANG

WESTERN DESIGN HAS LONG IGNORED THE WORK AND INFLUENCE OF THE WIDER WORLD. NIGERIEN ARCHITECT MARIAM KAMARA LOOKS HOPEFULLY TO THE FUTURE.

The ceiling inside Mariam Kamaraâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hikma community center in Dandaji, Niger.

ELLE DECOR

POINT OF VIEW

science, before I decided to become an architect, I picked up a book by Patrick Nuttgens that confounds me to this day. It was called The Story of Architecture. Naturally, I expected it to be filled with awe-inspiring structures from all around the world, but most of it was focused on works from Western Europe and the United States. The rest of the world’s output became little more than a bonus track on a pop album. I was enraged. For a non-Westerner like me, it was profoundly humiliating. How could architecture from other continents, dating back thousands of years, be reduced to so few buildings, while Baroque churches got an entire chapter? I have kept that book all these years, since becoming an architect myself, as a reminder that history truly is written by the victor and that the standard-issue perceptions of what makes a great building must change. My parents raised me in a small town in Niger, in the middle of the Sahara desert, where it was not uncommon to walk among centuries-old adobe buildings built by guilds of expert masons. On weekends we often took day trips to the nearby mountains to look at Neolithic cave drawings and admire the ancient polished-stone tools strewn on the ground. This experience is now impossible; most of the artifacts I encountered so casually then have since been “harvested” and sold to museums around the world. At the time, it felt as though we were living in history. These formative years continue to impact my work, in spite of the fact that I received my architectural training in the United States. The callousness with which non-Western architecture and art are treated was something I would experience numerous times in magazines and at academic conferences. But this disregard was most glaring in how, as creatives, we are educated to take inspiration from precedents presented as universal masterworks that, in reality, only represent the perspectives of a small, homogenous group. What constitutes great architecture in the Western imagination is also a story about what is missing, what is being left out. I remember how baffled I was when I heard Niamey 2000, the first project I had ever developed, being assessed as a Bauhaus-style building. The real inspiration was traditional

A marketplace in Dandaji, Niger, designed by Kamara.

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Niamey 2000, a housing development codesigned by Kamara in Niger’s capital city.

Hausa architecture dating back centuries, from places like Zinder and Agadez in Niger as well as Kano in Nigeria. The fact that it might remind one of a Bauhaus building should actually trigger a whole other conversation we are reluctant to have in architecture—one about the origins of many of the design shifts that occurred in Europe during its colonial dominion over Asia and Africa. Modernism and its aesthetic were not born in a vacuum from sheer genius, any more than modern art movements of the West, like Cubism, materialized out of thin air. I often think about what could be learned from what is missing when our magazines and syllabi lean so exclusively on knowledge produced in Europe and North America. Long before the rise of European civilizations, ancient Asian, Middle Eastern, African, and South American architectures were already embedded with sophisticated solutions for addressing the challenges of their environments. Our focus on relatively recent—and often expertly edited—Western histories is at best a missed opportunity. The future presents challenges like the climate crisis, rapid urbanization, and demographic explosions for which we cannot consider real solutions until we decolonize our point of view. Until then, the decisions we make as designers will continue to be based on distorted narratives of who we think we are and what our past is. How we narrate yesterday determines how we imagine tomorrow. In this new year, it feels as though we are finally willing to listen to each other enough to seize a unique opportunity to design a future that will not be based on falsified or incomplete histories. We can choose to acknowledge the gaps and begin to fill them in so we have a chance to build a world based on something truer and, ultimately, richer. That will be the story of architecture. ◾ Mariam Kamara is the founder of the architecture firm Atelier Masomi in Niamey, Niger. In 2019, she worked with David Adjaye under the Rolex Mentor and Protégé Arts Initiative.

TOP: UNITED4DESIGN; BOT TOM: MAURICE ASCANI

HILE I WAS IN COLLEGE STUDYING COMPUTER

POINT OF VIEW

Acts of Radical Optimism ARCHITECT SUMAYYA VALLY OF COUNTERSPACE CHATS UP HER FIRM’S VERY RELEVANT DESIGN FOR THE 2021 SERPENTINE PAVILION. Your research focuses on spaces like Johannesburg’s mine dumps. What draws you to parallel worlds that aren’t at the forefront of design conversations? SV: I’m interested in ﬁnding form in overlooked things. In Joburg, where I live, the dumps were used to segregate the races during apartheid—nonwhite people lived to the south of them, in the direction that the wind blew toxic dust. I think it is something our city has inherited that we have to work through. Social issues are at the heart of both your designs and your research. How does architecture confront injustice? SV: Architecture is complicit in segregation, othering, and displacement, and Joburg is

A rendering of Counterspace’s 2020 Serpentine Pavilion in London, postponed to summer 2021.

such a profound example of this. But it can also be a force for the opposite—for bringing people together, highlighting and amplifying voices and identities through design. How does this factor into your design for the Serpentine Pavilion in London? SV: Forms are inspired by spaces of gathering and belonging for migrant and peripheral communities. It’s my hope and intent that where these forms come together, they will foster intimacy and assemblage between people from different backgrounds. You’re the ﬁrst to use almost all recycled materials in a Serpentine design. What made you take this approach? SV: The idea of “reclaim and

recycle” is implicit in the way we work in Joburg because our resources are limited. It’s almost second nature. At 30, you’re the youngest architect to have been given this prestigious commission, following in the footsteps of Jean Nouvel, Zaha Hadid, and Francis Kéré. Was that intimidating? SV: It felt like a huge privilege and almost like walking on hallowed ground, but I believed very much in working from a place of difference, and this is what I’d hoped to bring to the commission. It was intimidating, but I really just tried to focus on what we could bring from this part of the world and what we could say about architecture. How did you feel when you found

out that the 2020 Serpentine Pavilion was postponed due to the pandemic—and how has the extra year reshaped or reﬁned your vision? SV: The more I think about it, I really do believe this is for a reason. When the pavilion does open, the importance of gathering is going to have a lot more meaning. There are also themes of the pavilion, like representation and inclusivity, that have surfaced so much this year, in relation to the ruptures around the Black Lives Matter movement and some of the institutional awakenings that we’ve had, and that has allowed me to push aspects of the project much further. serpentinegalleries.org —Sarah Khan

A CLOSER LOOK

ELLE DECOR

Francis Kéré, 2017.

Jean Nouvel, 2010.

SelgasCano, 2015.

Frank Gehry, 2008.

Frida Escobedo, 2018.

Zaha Hadid, 2000.

PORTR AIT: COURTESY OF COUNTERSPACE; GALLERIES: COURTESY OF SERPENTINE GALLERIES

EVERY YEAR, A STAR TALENT IS INVITED TO CREATE A PAVILION ON THE SERPENTINE GALLERY GROUNDS IN LONDON. HERE, A SELECTION OF OUR FAVORITES FROM THE PAST.

Star Quality

INTERSTELLAR TABLETOP OBJECTS AND FURNITURE TAP INTO THE ZODIAC’S CELESTIAL ALLURE. BY VANESSA L AWRENCE PHOTOGR APH BY DON PENNY

The New York–based lifestyle brand Viso Project has collaborated with the Spanish porcelain maker Sargadelos on these graphic dinner plates. Consider a set of 12, one for each sign. 11″ dia., $90 each. visoproject.com

Styled by Laurel J. Benedum 20

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WHAT’S HOT | THE BEST DESIGN DISCOVERIES

Astronomers’ charts were the inspiration behind this brushed brass–and-glass Constellation chandelier by Tracy Glover Studio. Glover uses Italian techniques, learned from a Venetian master, to make each one-of-a-kind handblown piece in her Rhode Island studio. 54″ w. x 36″ d. x 11″ h., from $4,800. tracygloverstudio.com

NEWS FROM

The World of Design From Italy, lifestyle brand Sferra announced its acquisition of Pratesi, the legendary luxury bedding

These wool cushions from the British brand Jan Constantine employ intricate appliqués and hand embroidery to render the various zodiac signs. The covers fasten at the back with mother-of-pearl buttons. 18″ sq., shown in Leo (top) and Libra,

catering to U.S. clients. Key global markets will follow later this year. On February 20, the Museum of Modern Art in New York City will of systemic racism and how it has affected contemporary architecture. Made of mouth-blown crystal, these chalices from Moleria Locchi are etched with the symbols for each zodiac sign, surrounded by small gold stars. 3.5″ dia. x 6″ h., shown in Virgo (left) and Sagittarius, $280 each. artemest.com

ration from Diane von Furstenberg and H&M Home. The collection includes vases, candles, and blankets.

your table, Fornasetti’s handcrafted and gold-accented Astronomici bowl makes for a mesmerizing centerpiece. 11″ dia. x 4.5″ h., $551. fornasetti.com

Part of Missoni Home’s Horoscope collection, this oak-veneered plywood Oroscopo coffee table takes its cues from Chinese zodiac ﬁgurines by artist Piero Zuffi that the label’s founder, Ottavio Missoni, purchased in the 1980s. 92.5″ w. x 31.5″ d. x 8″ h., $5,522. missoni.com 22

ELLE DECOR

SHOWCASE

CLOC K WISE FROM BOT TOM LE F T:

h e W el r e

Wond

A Harry Winston necklace of rubellite, pink and yellow sapphire, amethyst, aquamarine, and diamond; a diamond and platinum high jewelry timepiece; an aquamarine, blue sapphire, rubellite, light pink sapphire, and diamond necklace, all prices upon request. Vase and bowl by Fundamental Berlin; perfume ﬂacon and trinket box by Reﬂections Copenhagen. Styled by Laurel J. Benedum

INSPIRED BY THE KALEIDOSCOPE, A TRANSFIXING NEW COLLECTION OF JEWELRY AND WATCHES MARRIES CHILDHOOD PLEASURES WITH UNDENIABLE LUXURY.

H E N T H E S C O T T I S H P H Y S I C I S T S I R D AV I D

Brewster invented the kaleidoscope in 1816, he could hardly have imagined the endless delight his design would give generations of children and adults—and even venerable jewelry brands. From the simple combination of inclined mirrors and a handful of loose objects encased in a tube, a person can create a mesmerizing array of evanescent patterns. With its latest collection of watches and jewelry inspired by the kaleidoscope, Harry Winston transforms the illusions within this everyday toy into a tangible and highly luxurious reality. The jewelry house ﬁrst explored the aes-

ELLE DECOR

PHOTOGR APH BY DON PENNY

thetic connection between a stone’s beveled facets and the ref lections in Brewster’s creation in the 1990s, when it released a gold and precious stone kaleidoscope object. In its new line, the brand offers 32 necklaces and 11 watches whose motifs capture the symmetrical pinwheels of childhood memories. Delicate cuts of diamonds, pink and yellow sapphires, aquamarines, rubellites, and other colored stones are set into circular pendants and onto the faces and cases of timepieces. Though neither changeable nor ﬂeeting like the dizzying shapes of its source material, the Winston Kaleidoscope Collection is no less dazzling, like ﬁreworks captured in mid-burst. harrywinston.com ◾

FOR DETAILS, SEE RESOURCES

BY VANESSA L AWRENCE

Mila Pendant by Matthew McCormick

TRUTH IN DECORATING

In Good Standing

DESIGNERS KIMILLE TAYLOR AND VICENTE WOLF SHED SOME LIGHT ON STATEMENT FLOOR LAMPS.

BY K ATE M C GREGOR

COLMENA BY MERVE KAHRAMAN

WINK BY MASQUESPACIO

“O” BY ARTEMIDE

TRIDENT BY ELEISH VAN BREEMS

VIC E NTE WOLF:

K T: This is so cheeky.

CHERRY BOMB 12-GLOBE BY LINDSEY ADELMAN

The shimmer of the metal would add drama to a darker space, like a den.

I can see it in an ultraclean 2001: A Space Odyssey–inspired room.

KIMILLE TAYLOR: I love

V W: A fun piece

this! It’s a really successful mix of materials. 22″ w. x 22″ d. x 50″ h.; $2,700. mervekahraman.com

V W: It’s a real attention-

getter, as sculptural as it is elegant.

K T: The ﬂexible arms are

V W: A romantic piece

with a sense of humor. It has a surreal quality.

off from a corner would create a great space to breathe in a room.

fun as well as functional. It would make for a great reading lamp. V W: I love the leather stems and the warmth of the brushed brass.

K T: Swoon! Lindsey’s done it again. This light is a piece of jewelry.

50.5″ w. x 19.5″ d. x 79″ h.; $2,112. 1stdibs.com

35.5″ dia. x 6″ d. x 36.5″ h.; $1,900 for larger size. artemide.net

9.5″ base dia. x 65″ h.; $3,200. evbantiques.com

38″ w. x 25″ d. x 95″ h.; $18,000. lindseyadelman.com

K T: The soft glow it gives

with a great ethereal quality to it.

TAYLOR PORTR AIT: MARSHA LEBEDEV BERNSTEIN; WOLF PORTR AIT: JULIEN CAPMEIL

The Hagai Vered lamp is refined, “ elegant, and sculptural. It reminds me of an Alexander Calder mobile.” VICENTE WOLF

6 7 8

If Carolina “Irving and Arne Bang had a love child, this Rose Triangle lamp would be it.

”

KIMILLE TAYLOR

POST BY MUUTO

ROSE TRIANGLE BY THE FUTURE PERFECT

DOMINIQUE BY HAGAI VERED

GLOBE COPPER BY LAURA MERONI

LANTERN BY APPARATUS

V W: So many possibilities

K T: It feels familiar yet

for this one. I’d personally use it as an accent lamp.

for reading and sipping tea at a country home.

K T: The beautiful intersection of shapes gives it the kinetic feeling of a mobile. V W: This should be used only in spots where its striking proﬁle can be seen clearly.

industrial feel of this piece. There’s more to it than meets the eye.

otherworldly; highly decorative, yet restrained. V W: It would look extraordinary in a bedroom, adding a dash of romance to the space.

16″ w. x 59″ h.; $8,125. thefutureperfect.com

27.5″ w. x 23.5″ h.; $1,500. hagaivered.com

23.5″ base dia. x 71″ h.; $3,370. artemest.com

9″ w. x 66.5″ h.; $6,700. apparatusstudio.com

K T: This is a total workhorse—clean and contemporary. Great style for a great price. V W: An ideal lamp for reading, showcasing art, and for ﬁlling the void with light in any space. 3.5″ w. x 53.5″ h.; $925. knoll.com

V W: I love the

freethinking character. You’re paying not for a lamp, but a piece of art. K T: Charming. Perfect

K T: I love the reﬁned

ELLE DECOR

SHORTLIST Kyle Abraham.

1. Muji Notebooks

I use these to write out my choreography and to-do lists. The combination of spiral and elastic band design is classy and stylish.

5. Sign o’ the Times

The more I listen to this, the more I think of how all-encompassing it is of Prince’s artistry. This album was a rebirth of his creativity.

2. Lumio Book Lamp

When this lamp is fully open, it’s like a little piece of wonder. I take it with me when I’m on tour, to have a bit of home.

3. Reverence Aromatique Hand Wash This soap is an experience. Vetiver and bergamot make a grown-andsexy scent.

Kyle Abraham THE DANCER AND IN-DEMAND CHOREOGRAPHER SHARES EIGHT THINGS THAT FAN HIS CREATIVE FLAME.

6. Fiddle-Leaf Fig

I have one in my apartment. It’s a beautiful plant. In these times, it’s nice to have a bit of life and hope in your surroundings.

4. Carhartt WIP Backpack I feel age-appropriate and cool when I wear this backpack. And the other week, I got a compliment on it from someone 20 years younger than me. 28

ELLE DECOR

In the 15 years since founding his company A.I.M, choreographer and dancer Kyle Abraham has created works that tackle police brutality (2012’s “Pavement”), mass incarceration (“Untitled America” in 2016), and masculinity (2006’s “Inventing Pookie Jenkins”). For his recent piece, “To Be Seen,” a commission for American Ballet Theatre principal dancer Calvin Royal III set to Maurice Ravel’s “Boléro” and shown as part of New York City Center’s 2020 digital Fall for Dance Festival, Abraham explored the weight of Black identity and representation. “There is an expectation that exists for a Black choreographer, especially, and ironically, in these times,” says Abraham, who describes his aesthetic— a mix of hip-hop, ballet, modern, West African, and voguing movements—as “postmodern gumbo.” “If I’m not making work addressing what is going on culturally and racially in our country, then I’m not speaking to our culture. But why can’t I make a dance about foliage? My white counterpart can.” Growing up in Pittsburgh, Abraham studied classical music. He fell for dance when, at 16, he saw the Joffrey Ballet perform to songs by Prince. “It shook me to my core,” Abraham explains. “Dance was something I couldn’t do fully in my room; I needed to go outside of my own space to really explore it.” aimbykyleabraham.org

7. West Elm Throw

There’s something about this faux-fur throw that gives me a sense of comfort. I have it on my sofa and I like to pet it.

8. The Vanishing Half My mother used to tell me stories of people in our family who passed for white. My fascination with that is what drew me into this book.

PORTR AIT: TATIANA WILLS; ALBUM COVER: © THE PRINCE ESTATE, JEFF K ATZ; PL ANT: SHUT TERSTOCK

BY VANESSA L AWRENCE

Putting cleaner water within reach. Thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

The ezH2O LivTM Built-in Filtered Water Dispenser 8QULYDOHG OWUDWLRQ IRU OHDG DQG FKORULQH UHGXFHG ZDWHU LQVWDQWO\ (OND\ FRP H]+ 2 OLY

TALENT

Picture It

A NEW VIRTUAL CONCEPT HOME FROM THE BLACK ARTISTS + DESIGNERS GUILD IS TURNING THE CLASSICAL IDEA OF A SHOWHOUSE ON ITS EAR. BY KELLEY CARTER

AU N C H I N G I N JA N UA RY, T H E O B S I D I A N V I R T UA L CO N CE P T

House will transport online visitors to the future of decor and design, with curated rooms, architecture anchored in the African diaspora, and a special focus on Black families. Conceived by the members of the Black Artists + Designers Guild pictured here, in cooperation with the magazines of Hearst’s Luxury & Design Collection (ELLE DECOR , House Beautiful, Veranda, and Town & Country), the 3D visualization will explore the ways artistry and ancestry dovetail with design. Everything about the virtual experience, including its imagined Oakland, California, location, is deliberate. The birthplace of the Black Panther Party—for whom access to quality housing was a central tenet—serves as the stage for a futuristic home set in 2025 that marries cultural touchstones with sustainability and technology. “The house is our collective story of the Black family come to life,” says Nina Cooke John, a co-architect of the project. “It is a collage of personal and collective memories we each share.” On exhibit will be a multitude of interpretations of Black family life beyond preconceptions. Some thoughtful elements throughout Obsidian—which is sponsored by international design brands like Caesarstone, Fiskars, Pottery Barn, Resource Furniture, S. Harris, Stark Carpet, and Thermador—include living quarters created with multigenerational families in mind, a contact-free area for receiving deliveries, and green walls with plants designed to ﬁlter air and lift spirits. With the use of solar power, rain harvesting, sustainable systems, and smart-home technology, the interiors will be as innovative as they are aesthetically rich. “I created reading capsules against the windows to take advantage of the views,” says Lisa Turner, who designed the concept house’s “Umoja family room.” The reading capsules serve as both functional pieces of art and furniture. “You can climb into them and connect with Bluetooth monitors and speakers that are made of ash wood, formed and manipulated to create a continuation of the ceiling design.” She also placed a modular sofa in the room to ensure that the interior would be adaptable to various family activities. An additional focus for Obsidian is on health and convalescence. Linda Allen, who designed the art studio and garden areas, says: “The future of living will also be about healing spaces that help us become our better selves.” After a year like 2020, that premise is hard to reject. badguild.info ◾

COUNTE RCLOC K WISE FROM TOP LE F T: Leyden Lewis, Nina Cooke John, Cheryl Umbles, Malene Barnett, Lisa Turner, Kelly Finley, Laura Hodges,

Danielle Fennoy, Anishka Clarke & Niya Bascom, BOA, Christina Casañas-Judd & General Judd, Everick Brown, Linda Allen, Bernadette Berry, Marie Burgos, Sheryl T. McLean, Linda Hayslett, Lynai Jones, Cheryl R. Riley, Kiyonda Powell, Nikki Klugh, Casi St. Julian & Penny Francis, and Erin Shakoor. 30

ELLE DECOR

COURTESY OF THE BL ACK ARTISTS + DESIGNERS GUILD

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Bedside Manor Charlotte, NC Gramercy Fine Linens Atlanta, GA

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INSPIR ATION FOR YOUR RENOVATION

BUILDER TOOLBOX

Where the Magic Happens WITH INCREASED TIME SPENT AT HOME, THE BEDROOM HAS EMBRACED ITS ROLE AS A PLACE FOR MUCH MORE THAN JUST SHUT-EYE.

STEPHEN KENT JOHNSON

BY TIM M C KEOUGH

The primary bedroom in a Los Angeles house designed by Studio Shamshiri. ELLE DECOR

BUILDER | TOOLBOX plants. “I add elements of green in most of these rooms,” says Chanae Richards, founder of Oloro Interiors in Philadelphia, noting that potted plants not only provide a visual reminder of nature but also remove toxins from the air. “I love a snake plant in a bedroom.” If your bedroom gets a lot of sunlight, don’t automatically order blackout shades—consider how modulating natural light in a more nuanced way can support your circadian rhythm and buoy the spirit. “You want the bedroom to be beautiful in both the morning and the evening,” says the New York City designer Dan Fink. “I like to use sheers—they glow in the morning, so you get a sense of the new day, which is a special thing to celebrate.” Artificial light is equally important. Focus on deploying a few lamps instead of blasting the room with a ceiling fixture, says Fink, and control them all with dimmers: “You want soft light at the bedside for reading, and to create a restful mood.” The goal is to make a bedroom so appealing that you’ll crave hanging out there. That’s why Studio Shamshiri increasingly adds meditation spaces to the bedrooms it designs, and Fink usually installs a small desk or settee. The pleasures of spending time in a reassuring haven aren’t lost on Kemble either. “I am definitely a creature of the bedroom,” she says, noting that it’s her favorite place for relaxing with a book or watching TV. “It’s that special zone where nobody can get to you.” ◾

INKING INTO BED AND PULLING UP A PILLOW Y

duvet has long been a satisfying way to decompress at the end of a high-pressure day. But when the pandemic upended regular life and sent anxiety levels soaring, having a bedroom that could serve as a calming retreat suddenly seemed more important than ever. With continued challenges—and new opportunities—on the horizon, doubling down on designing a bedroom that feels like a sanctuary is a sound investment. “I promised myself I would focus on bedrooms with that exact goal in mind,” says Pamela Shamshiri of the Los Angeles–based firm Studio Shamshiri. “We’ve made a change in the way we design them to pay more attention to color, because it can really affect your mood and emotions.” While the absence of color in a white room may sometimes feel relieving, it can also come across as sterile. “We’ve been using more color in very calm and muted hues,” Shamshiri says—these range from pale blues and yellows to inky shades of indigo. “It brings warmth and makes it more nurturing,” especially in projects where the studio included curved transitions from walls to ceiling to create a seamless ﬁeld of color. “Omitting corners tends to be calming,” she says. The New York City–based designer Celerie Kemble also tries to do away with severe angles in the bedroom. “I love to see curtains covering the sharp edges of the window casing,” she says. “The more you can take out the cacophony of angles, and the more draped a room is, the better.” For similar reasons, “I love wallpaper or wall upholstery because the bedroom should be set apart as a softer, enveloping space,” she says. “Wallcoverings unify the walls and make the angles recede.” For the ultimate private space, and an even more intimate nest within the larger room, she says, consider a canopy bed dressed with curtains. Plush upholstery and soothing textiles are critical in bedrooms, but another way to promote a sense of calm is with

ELLE DECOR

The primary bedroom in the Manhattan apartment of Stefan Steil and Eric Pike.

FROM TOP: NICOLE FR ANZEN; STEPHEN KENT JOHNSON

A room at the Mayﬂower Inn & Spa in Washington, Connecticut, which was recently refurbished by Celerie Kemble.

BUILDER | TOOLBOX

How to Dream Better CREATE THE ULTIMATE SANCTUARY AT HOME WITH THESE SOFT COLORS AND STRIKING ACCESSORIES.

BY L AUREL J. BENEDUM

2 5

3 1

Grecian Bust Pot

Chirp Lamp and Alarm Clock

Electric Wall Diffuser

Clare Paints

Daisy Iris Duvet

This bird-shaped marble and porcelain lamp and alarm will rouse you to the sounds of nature.

This plug-in packs a design punch while ﬁlling the room with one of nine iconic Diptyque scents.

When it comes to bedroom walls, the new neutrals are muted pastels such as (from top) Wink, OMGreen, and Good Jeans.

Swedish designer Lars Nilsson’s playful take on Hästens’s heritage check print will perk up a bed in no time ﬂat.

$200. momastore.org

$120. diptyqueparis.com

$54 per gallon. clare.com

From $100. hastens.com

Tropical leaves in a classical planter will add warmth—and a good amount of whimsy—to your inner sanctum. $42. anthropologie.com

ELLE DECOR

PROMOTION

E LLE D E C O R | LI F E

STYLE. DESIGN. CULTURE.

ELKAY: CONVENIENCE BEYOND THE KITCHEN Taking water delivery to a whole new level. Get ﬁltered, hands-free water from anywhere in your home. elkay.com/ezH2O-Liv

CITY OF TOMORROW In October, ELLE DECOR was the official media sponsor of the virtual City of Tomorrow Summit co-production by 92Y and Hundred Stories. The illuminating conversations powered by YLighting covered topics relating to the future of New York and City Life in a postpandemic World. Leading voices and visionaries were featured including CityLab’s Richard Florida in conversation with EQ Office’s Lisa Picard and SCAD interior design student Eleanor McCune introducing the Cities Beyond New York panel. To watch the summit, visit 92y.org

Image courtesy of Thomas Heatherwick Studio

Cymbidium Sconce jeremycole Timeless, porcelain lighting. Individually handcrafted by the artist. Signed and made to order from his studio in New Zealand www.jeremycole.net

STEP INSIDE

MA X BURKHALTER

WHERE ARCHITECTS LAY DOWN THEIR T SQUARES. DESIGN AND DECORATING IN CONVERSATION (AND IN CAHOOTS). PLUS, WHAT EXACTLY IS THE FUTURE OF HOME AFTER COVID-19? COME IN, FIND OUT.

The entry of a family apartment on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, reimagined by Michael K. Chen Architecture—turn the page for more. ELLE DECOR

In the entrance gallery of a Manhattan apartment renovated by architect Michael K. Chen, a Candida Höfer photograph hangs above a lacquered ﬁberglass bench by Brodie Neill. The pendants are by Jason Miller for Roll & Hill, the walls are paneled in cerused white oak, and the ﬂoor is terrazzo. OPPOSITE: A vintage Gio Ponti stool from Nilufar (one of a pair) sits in front of a custom curved mantel in gray marble, bleached walnut, and brass in the living room. A custom sconce by Christopher Kurtz (one of a pair) is embedded into the plaster wall beside the mantel. The rug is by Fernando Mastrangelo for Edward Fields, and the walls are painted in Benjamin Moore’s Metro Gray.

PRECISE.

ARCHITECT MICHAEL K. CHEN BRINGS A SHARP SPATIAL INGENUITY TO HIS REDO OF A MANHATTAN FAMILY APARTMENT. BY ALEX ANDR A L ANGE

PHOTOGR APHS BY M A X BURKHALTER ELLE DECOR

OME PEOPLE CONSIDER RENOVATIONS

to be a trial; decisions and discomfort are borne for the end result. Others consider renovations a creative act, a process that is just as much of a reward as a home tailored to your exact taste. The clients for t h i s lu x u r ious yet la id-back 4,000-square-foot, four-bedroom apartment in Manhattan’s Carnegie Hill neighborhood were f irmly in the second camp. “Together, we’ve renovated two apartments, and we built a house from the ground up on the Jersey Shore,” says the wife, a lawyer. “Our last apartment definitely leaned traditional. Our beach house was midcentury modern. Over time, we’ve become more interested in taking some design risks.” She and her husband, who works in finance, were looking for a younger designer, one who thrives on collaboration with craftspeople. “We live in a city that is filled with artists and talent and creativity, and we wanted to harness that in our home,” she says. They found their match in Michael K. Chen Architecture, a nine-year-old practice known for bold colors and bolder juxtapositions of materials, eras, and shapes. “They asked me specifically to challenge them a bit,” says Chen, which in turn was a challenge for his team, especially as they encountered a few of the clients’ unexpressed dislikes. Vintage furniture, for one. Having lived with antiques in their previous homes, they wanted this one to feel like a brand-new adventure. “Our approach is often to create tension and connection across historical eras,” Chen says. “They wanted texture and depth, but they didn’t care for vintage pieces.” Picking colors also required a lot of back-and-forth. “They would say they really love color, but they don’t like red and they don’t like green and they don’t like orange.” Chen eventually pulled the narrow but varied palette from pieces like the painting in the primary bedroom, which atypically combines sunset pinks and purples with an acid green. The close-knit family, which includes three sporty teenagers, likes to come together for gaming, movies, the World Series, and dinner every night. Chen removed most of the walls from the apartment’s 1980s renovation and created a fluid floor plan that allowed him to reinterpret some of the details that make prewar apartments so prized. The elevator opens into a cerused oak–paneled gallery, floored in hardwearing terrazzo, that feeds visitors into the living room, dining room, and den through salon-style doors, as well as offering quick access to the kitchen. Around the back, Chen placed a kid-friendly zone, with a pegboard wall for hats and coats, and drawers set to receive phones for nightly charging. Visitors can turn left toward the generous living room, outfitted in soft neutrals and brawny pieces in steel, wood, and marble, or right for the cave-like playroom, with its pebble-shaped Moroso poufs by Toshiyuki Kita. Chen and his team added depth through materials, taking the clients to stone yards and fabrication shops to choose and approve woods, marbles, metals, and wallcoverings 42

ELLE DECOR

The living room’s custom sofa and Vladimir Kagan chaise are both in fabrics by Holland & Sherry. The custom cocktail table is by Kin & Company, the games table and chairs are by Christopher Kurtz, the pendant is by Bec Brittain, and the photograph is by Lalla Essaydi. OPPOSITE: Architect Michael K. Chen.

with patina and ﬁguration. Design cues were derived from the couple’s collection of contemporary photography, including large-scale works by Edward Burtynsky, Candida Höfer, and Ralf Kaspers, now distributed throughout the apartment. “In photography and in their attitude toward furniture, they really like the evidence of craft,” Chen says. The subtle palette is visible in choices like the spectacular pink Byzantine onyx in the main bathroom, which connects to a blushing bedroom with a mauve silk carpet. Grayish blues enter in the form of hand-painted wallcoverings in the media room. T he k ids’ bath rooms feature tiles in almost-primaries of red, blue, and green. In the dining room, especially, the family’s needs and the architect’s design ambition perfectly meshed. “We wanted a

room we could use every day for dinner,” the homeowner says, “but one we could also occasionally glam up a little bit.” To that end, Chen worked with Christopher Kurtz to design a table that is both indestructible and very, very glam: an aluminum surface with a rippled edge. For family meals, it stays pushed in toward the leather-and-mohair banquette. When they entertain, the table gets pulled into the center of the room and expanded with leaves cleverly hidden in a cupboard. The chandelier pivots so that the drop can be centered over the table in either spot. In November 2019, the family moved in and has spent quarantine in situ. “We didn’t expect my husband’s work computer to be on the dining table,” the client says. “We are using it as we expected—and then some.” ◾

ABOVE: The kitchenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s custom cabinetry is by Henrybuilt, and the backsplash and counters

are in Cristallo quartzite from ABC Stone. The range is by Gaggenau, the barstools are custom, and the pendant is by John Hogan for Roll & Hill. The bowl is by MQuan Studio. 44

ELLE DECOR

RIGHT: In the dining

room, which also serves as a library, the custom table by Christopher Kurtz has an aluminum top on an oxidized cherry base and can be extended with leaves to seat up to 16 people. The vintage Osvaldo Borsani chairs are from Nilufar, the custom chandelier is by Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, and the cabinetry is in cerused oak. BE LOW: The media roomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s sectional is by Poliform, the cocktail table is custom, the pendant is by Bec Brittain for Roll & Hill, and the sconces are by Apparatus. The Gene Tepper ďŹ rewood holder is vintage, the Roman shades are from The Shade Store, and the walls are in a Porter Teleo wallcovering.

ELLE DECOR

OPPOSITE: The powder roomâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vanity, in Cassiopeia marble, has a Vola faucet in lacquered brass. The custom

mirror is by Kin & Company, the sconces are by Lindsey Adelman, and the walls are sheathed in Venetian plaster. ABOVE: In the main bedroom, the custom bed is upholstered in a Jiun Ho fabric, the 1950s Italian nightstands are from Nicholas Kilner, and the bench is in a wool jacquard from Clarence House. The sconce is by Gentner Design, the custom silk shag rug is by Tai Ping, the wallcovering is by Phillip Jeffries, and the curtains are of a silk mohair by Hiroko Takeda for Colony. For details, see Resources. ELLE DECOR

PRESERVING PARADISE THE LATE ARGENTINE ARCHITECT MARIO CONNIO BUILT HIS DREAM HOUSE ON URUGUAYâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S ATLANTIC COAST. NOW A CALIFORNIA COUPLE IS MAINTAINING HIS LEGACY WHILE ENJOYING A SEASIDE RETREAT. BY ANA K ARINA Z ATAR AIN

PRODUCED BY DAVID M. MURPHY

PHOTOGR APHS BY RICARDO L ABOUGLE

A pergola of eucalyptus poles shades the terrace of a beachfront vacation home in Punta Piedras, Uruguay, designed by its former owner, the late architect Mario Connio. The chair was locally made, and the French doors have shutters in lapacho wood. OPPOSITE: The homeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s stucco facade is topped with a traditional Uruguayan thatched roof.

ELLE DECOR

O N C E A R E M O T E G E T A W A Y, T H E

beachfront town of Punta del Este, in southern Uruguay, has met a fate similar to the world’s other ocean-facing utopias. Decades ago, private homes began to sprout along the coast, followed by small hotel developments and, eventually, the inevitable towers that rose to ﬁx their silhouettes on the horizon. A few miles away, in Punta Piedras, one residence has so far been able to retain the charm afforded by seclusion. Initially designed as a personal vacation home by the late Argentine architect Mario Connio, the house was sold more than two decades ago to a couple who use it as a retreat from their home base in San Francisco. It is a n un i mposi ng str ucture, washed in a pale ocher hue reminiscent of the sand that seems almost to engulf the project. Viewed from afar, it bears little hint of what it harbors. The home’s lavish interiors feature an array of patterns and textures; most objects were selected and arranged by Connio. “It was so spectacularly beautiful, Mario’s own house that he built for himself,” says the wife, who left the property mostly intact. Between two bookshelves, one piece—a map of South America—is her most cherished, perhaps because she herself was raised in Argentina. “We said if we couldn’t have the map, we wouldn’t buy the house,” she says with a smile, recalling their first visit. “That was where we put our foot down.” Though there is a unifying aesthetic, the mood is set by a backdrop of color—varied and muted hues of pink, green, blue, and gray. The eclectic decor consists of vintage pieces, curios procured from travels, and striking sofas upholstered in a bold pattern of white and seafoam-green stripes. Made in England, the distinctive “Connio

ABOVE: In the living room, the striped sofas and armchairs, cocktail table, and rug were all designed by Connio; the wicker chairs are from

Uruguay, and the pink stucco wall ﬁnish was matched by the architect to a bottle of sand from Petra in Jordan. The artwork along the back wall is a vintage map of South America. ABOVE RIGHT: The dining room table is topped with a Simrane tablecloth and Astier de Villatte candlesticks. OPPOSITE: Surrounded by jasmine, the pool courtyard has lapacho-wood details.

stripe” had been discontinued, but the couple convinced the manufacturer to run the pattern again, so they could reupholster. In his personal life as well as in his oeuvre, Connio favored a nonchalant sort of excess and extravagance; spaces overﬂowing with color but tempered by areas that show more restraint, in which abundance is expressed through light. “He was a devout aesthete, an extremely refined person,” recalls his friend, photographer R icardo Labougle. Having never married or had children, the architect—whose main residence was in Madrid—hosted guests often, and with pleasure. “He would cook simple meals, but always w it h good w i ne a nd somet h i ng

special—truff le oil or a beautifully arranged charcuterie board,” Labougle recalls. “Those were rituals that were always present.” The homes that architects design for themselves are often the truest expressions of their own values. Connio’s personal ﬁxations—the proportions of ancient Roman architecture, the intricate textiles of India and Morocco, nature and gardening—were especially resonant in his own homes. The house in Punta Piedras echoes its architect’s view that spaces should dictate a way of life: multiple dining areas in exteriors and interiors; a panoramic ocean view reserved for the intimacy of the primary bathroom, itself a grand space for easy lounging;

an enclosed pool area embraced by lush vines that crawl up and cascade down its surrounding columns. For the current owners, adopting the lifestyle that the house encourages has been a pleasure. “No matter where the wind is coming from, there’s always a place to be outside, where we can set up a meal,” the husband says. The couple’s time in Punta Piedras serves as a pause from the hectic ﬂow of city life: breakfasts eaten in the courtyard, afternoons lying by the pool, and evenings watching the sunset from the front deck. Most important, in normal times, Connio’s penchant for entertaining remains. “We always have people over,” the wife says. “The house is always full to the brim.” ◾ ELLE DECOR

OPPOSITE: In the main bedroom, a mosquito net hangs from a wall bracket that pivots over the antique bed. The photograph is by Vicky Aguirre. ABOVE: The main bathroom, which overlooks the ocean, has a custom daybed. BE LOW: In the guest tower, the bedâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s coverlet and the curtains

are all from Simrane. The ceiling is the underside of the thatched roof. For details, see Resources.

ELLE DECOR

RAW

POWER

IN A FORMER NABISCO FACTORY IN DOWNTOWN LOS ANGELES, ARCHITECT AMANDA GUNAWAN BAKES SCULPTURAL SIMPLICITY INTO A BEAUX ARTS–ERA INDUSTRIAL MOLD. BY VANESSA L AWRENCE PRODUCED BY INGRID ABR A MOVITCH PHOTOGR APHS BY MINH T

The living room of architect Amanda Gunawan’s loft apartment, which she designed with her ﬁrm OWIU, in a Beaux Arts former Nabisco building in Los Angeles’s Arts District. In the living area, the lounge chair and ottoman are by Charles and Ray Eames, and the sofa, large cocktail table, and side table by the window are all by CB2. The shelves display Gunawan’s collection of objects from Japan, the rug and wooden bench are by Zara, and the painting is by Fong Min Liao.

Gunawan, in a Vince dress and HermĂ¨s mules, in the guest room with her border collies Kipper (left) and Koby. The Baltic Birch cabinets and platform bed (with hidden futon) are custom. The objects on display include Match stoneware ceramics and a Kinto donabe (a Japanese clay pot). The lanterns are by Isamu Noguchi, the paintings are by Fong Min Liao, and the ďŹ&#x201A;oor is concrete.

N 19 2 5, T H E F R E N C H - B O R N , M I S S O U R I -

installed Baltic Birch flooring and built-in storage. Most crubased architect E.J. Eckel designed a brick- cially, she tore down a preexisting functional but pedestrian and-steel building in downtown Los Angeles staircase that connected the kitchen to an upstairs main as the West Coast headquarters of the bedroom and bathroom. Instead, Gunawan created a large National Biscuit Company (Nabisco). Like mezzanine for a home office and library and designed a many other former Nabisco factories dotting sculptural stairwell, in the same Baltic Birch. the country, including the Chelsea Market building in New “From the flooring all the way up, the staircase looks like York City, the Kennedy Biscuit Lofts in Cambridge, Massa- one extended fold,” she explains of her origami-like design. chusetts, and the 1000 West Washington Lofts in Chicago, She added hidden storage to the stairs’ base and left the Eckel’s seven-story cremezzanine’s timber beams ation was later converted exposed. “It has an industrial grittiness.” for another use. In 2006, Aleks Istanbullu Architects Two Isamu Noguchi lanturned the L.A. cookie facter n s ha ng f rom t hose tory into a work-live combeams, dangling above the plex known as the Biscuit dining area’s travertine Company Lofts. table and vintage Marcel For architect Amanda Breuer chairs. To the right Gu n awa n , t here cou ld is the living room, hardly be a more apt locagrounded by a white CB2 tion for setting down persofa , a n Ea mes lou nge manent roots in a city she chair and ottoman, and a has called home since movFlos light fixture whose ing there to attend the sloping wires hang like a Southern California Insticanopy. The kitchen has a tute of Architecture eight custom quartz island and pendant lights by Muuto. years ago. An alumna of “If you look at the entire M o r ph o s i s A rc h i t e c t s space, even the centerpiece (Pritzker Prize w i n ner objects don’t grab attenThom Mayne’s firm), Gunawan grew up in Singapore tion,” explains Gunawan of and cofounded OWIU stuher decorati ng M.O. dio in 2018 with Joel Wong, “Everything blends in.” a former high-school classOff the kitchen is a guest mate. OWIU stands for room where, inspired by trips to Japan during which “The Only Way Is Up,” a phrase that cheekily encapshe stayed in traditional sulates Gunawa n a nd ryokans, Gunawan built a Wong’s detailed approach custom platform storage and focus on quality, lonbed; its futon disappears ABOVE: Beneath the custom Baltic Birch staircase, built by Inflexion, when it is not in use. gevity, and future adaptand its exposed structural timber is a dining room with a travertine Since moving into the a bi l i t y. G u n a w a n h a d table, vintage Marcel Breuer chairs, and lanterns by Isamu Noguchi. always admired the Biscuit apartment last May, she Company Lofts from afar for those qualities and what she has been staying in this guest area while she retools the calls their “OG” authenticity; when a street-level corner unit main bedroom upstairs. She would like to cast a custom bed became available in 2019, she jumped at the chance to live in frame out of concrete and cover the back wall behind the a building with such time-tested infrastructure. staircase in floor-to-ceiling shelving for her ever-expanding The 1,620-square-foot open-plan apartment was previ- array of books. True to OWIU’s mission, Gunawan views ously the residence of a sound producer who had tricked it the loft as a long-term work in progress, built on the backout like a 1960s space-age portal. Gunawan stripped it down bone of history and lasting craftsmanship. “It’s a necessary into an understated space that embraces its factory roots approach,” she says. “You are constantly changing and your while appealing to her preferred Japanese and Scandinavian needs are constantly changing. You have to build things that aesthetic. She refinished the whitewashed brick walls and can change with you.” ◾

ELLE DECOR

ABOVE: In the guest bathroom, the custom sink is concrete and the walnut shelf holds Aesop liquid soap, a ďŹ&#x201A;ower arrangement by Krystal Chang Projects, and a shell soap tray from Japan. The mirror is vintage, the sconce is by West Elm, and the walls are limewashed.

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A study on the apartmentâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s mezzanine, built by InďŹ&#x201A;exion, has a vintage Marcel Breuer chair. The shelves, by Rakks, feature collections of Monocle, Kinfolk, and Frame magazines and a lamp by Dims. For details, see Resources.

FEAST YOUR EYES ON THIS

IN A 16TH-CENTURY TUSCAN VILLA BRIMMING WITH HISTORY, DESIGNER HUBERT ZANDBERG ASSEMBLES A RICH AND LAYERED TABLEAU.

BY NANCY HASS

PRODUCED BY CYNTHIA FR ANK

PHOTOGR APHS BY SIMON UPTON

In the grand salon of a 16th-century villa near Siena, Italy, designed by Hubert Zandberg, the sofas in a Mulberry velvet and bronze side tables are all custom. The white armchairs are covered in a de Le Cuona fabric, the chandeliers are Murano glass, and the artwork is by David Schnell.

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FEW YEARS AGO, A SOUTH AFRICAN

couple in their 40s living in Geneva asked Hubert Zandberg, a fellow countryman with a design and architecture practice in London, for help with a sophisticated problem. The house they had recently built, which fitted in gracefully with the Swiss city’s sleek modern residences, was feeling a bit too Brutalist. Could he make some interventions that would soften the effect, without betraying the house’s minimalist DNA? Zandberg, a self-proclaimed maximalist who has made a reputation with projects that combine historical research and a poetic, highly reﬁned sensibility, jumped at the challenge. He was intrigued by the idea of bringing warmth to a structure that was built to seem aloof. To that end, while he kept the shapes crisp, he introduced curves and textured fabrics to soften the Cubist lines. So charmed was the couple with the result that two years later when they bought a vacation house, a Tuscan estate with 10th-century origins a few miles from Siena, they knew it made elegant sense to hand the project to Zandberg; he would be in his maximalist element in the historic buildings. For the designer, working on this home enabled him to tap a geyser of knowledge from a lifetime of collecti ng ra re a nd precious objects. He mixes centuries with abandon, enabling the spaces he creates to seem as though they are an accretion of generational memories instead of reading as period pieces. And so, the socially prominent but discreet couple let him have virtually free rein over the expansive interiors of the new property. “We knew each 62

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ABOVE: In the kitchen, the table is custom and the chairs are vintage. The woven chair is from

Malawi, the pendant is from a Paris ﬂea market, and vintage cake molds hang on the wall above the sink. OPPOSITE: In a sitting room next to the study, the armchair is of a Rubelli fabric, and the Italian cocktail table and Pascal Sarfati ﬂoor lamp are both vintage. The 1960s chandelier is from Lorfords Antiques, and the set of bug plates on the wall is from a London market.

other so well by then,” Zandberg says. The structure and setting of the Tuscan house are spiritually as distant as imaginable from the Geneva property. That was the contrast the couple craved: an immersive escape from polished Geneva to a place where they could gather their large extended family for big meals accompanied by bottles of the region’s Montepulciano wines. Set in isolation amid the low rolling hills of Tuscany, the house centers on a brick watchtower from the Middle Ages. The chapel and main residence were built in the 16th century by the architect and painter Baldassarre Peruzzi, who worked with Donato Bramante and Raphael and pa i nted t he f rescoes i n t he Sa n

Giovanni chapel of the duomo in Siena . T he prev ious ow ners had re store d t he br ick ex ter ior a nd updated the plumbing and electricity, burnishing the original details; the Geneva couple wanted to carry on that respectful stewardship. “We feel we are more like custodians than owners,” says the wife. “This property is so much bigger than us.” The proportions of the house, unsurprisingly, are vast, with several large public chambers and a slew of bedrooms. As such, instead of mapping out a color plan room by room with the owners, Zandberg laid in front of them a series of hues, patterns, and textures. Once they signed off on the palette, they left it to him to distribute it.

Perhaps the most challenging space was the grand salon, an enormous beamed expanse with 16-foot ceilings. Now, the room has a Venetian aura, awash in blues and greens, effortlessly incorporating centuries-old furnishings with the contemporary art the couple collects, as well as some heirlooms inherited from their families. Lush upholstered seating that Zandberg designed is interspersed with objects he found in the world’s great ﬂea markets and shops, including Clignancourt in Paris and L’Isle sur la Sorgue in Provence. A marble mantel by the 16th-century sculptor Giovanni Antonio Paracca (Il Valsoldo) sits across from antique carved wall sconces and two works from 2016, a moody oil by the Scottish artist Kevin Harman and a 14-foot-long canvas by the German painter David Schnell. The study, crafted from a long, wide loggia off the salon, provides a vivid example of how Zandberg introduces aesthetic tension: an airy rectangle, it has an austerity that seems Florentine in its simplicity; the ceiling is hung with globe lanterns from Jamb in London instead of the more expected ornate chandeliers. Zandberg’s sense of whimsy is especially evident in the guest bedrooms. In one, a French bedroom chair covered in Fermoie fabric is juxtaposed with vintage rattan, and a French Industrial bedside table is lit with a Paul Smith Anglepoise lamp. The project, which took two years, was a prolonged exercise in balancing excess with restraint. While maximalism in the wrong hands can “topple over into cacophony,” as the designer puts it, when executed with the scientiﬁc precision in which Zandberg specializes, it provides a mellif luous bounty. “Every maximalist is a closet minimalist,” he says. “It’s like writing music. You don’t say to yourself, Wow, maybe there are too many notes in this. You ask yourself, Are these the right notes? Do they sing?” ◾ RIGHT, FROM TOP: In the salon, an antique

needlepoint ottoman is topped with a Persian tray and a mancala board, and the chandeliers are early 20th century from Lorfords Antiques. Above a custom console in the study hang two framed works by Giovanni Battista Piranesi (center) and pictures of eminent men. 64

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The custom dining table is surrounded by a mix of antique Spanish leather dining chairs and custom chairs covered in fabrics by Rubelli and Lizzo. The vintage birdcage and the framed prints (left) are from a Paris ďŹ&#x201A;ea market, the chandeliers are cast iron, and the sconces are custom. The artwork (right) is by Piranesi.

ABOVE: The custom guest bed is surrounded by a canopy

in a de Le Cuona fabric and flanked by brass-and-opaline lamps. The side table is a painted plant stand, and the portrait is from the homeowner’s collection. RIGHT: In the primary bathroom, a vintage brass trolley from a Paris ﬂea market is next to a travertine bathtub. The screen is a custom design.

LE F T: A path framed by

boxwoods leads to the fountain, which is original to the property, and a pergola covered in wisteria. The garden overlooks the Tuscan countryside and hills in the distance. OPPOSITE: In the main bedroom, the bed is a custom design, the canopy fabric is by Rubelli with a trim by Casamance, and the 18th-century bench is upholstered in a Pierre Frey fabric. The custom nightstands are topped with iron lamps from a Paris flea market. The carved sconces with porcelain flowers are French, and the vintage mirror is Italian. The walls are of a custom plaster finish, the chandelier is French, and the antique rug is Persian. For details, see Resources.

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WHAT’S THE WORD? IN JOHANNESBURG, AN ARCHITECT COUPLE’S RE-ENVISIONED MIDCENTURY HOME MAKES A CONCRETE STATEMENT. BY M ARY HOLL AND PRODUCED BY INGRID ABR A MOVITCH PHOTOGR APHS BY ELSA YOUNG/BUREAUX

RIGHT: The pool and

terrace of Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens’s house in Johannesburg. The architect couple renovated and expanded an original midcentury home designed by Eyvind Finsen. The round daybed, chairs (left), and cocktail table are all custom, the chaises are by Paola Lenti, and the Panton chairs are from Vitra. The galvanizedsteel spiral staircase leads to the upper terrace.

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XPANSIVE

VISTAS

aren’t easy to come by in Joha n nesbu rg, where houses are often tucked behind massive walls. So when Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens visited a home for sale just two doors down from their own, they were surprised to discover a sweeping panorama overlooking the city below. Perched on a ridge, the property was densely overgrown with non-native wattles and eucalyptus trees—a clue as to why the house had sat on the market for two years after the death of its elderly owner. Although they had outgrown their home, the couple, both architects, had planned to renovate and expand their former residence. But then they stumbled upon the neighboring house and that magnificent view. “It was the main drawcard,” Rech says. Their vision was to create a dwelling that would serve as an armchair for gazing out over the city, where jacarandas turn deep indigo in the spring and electric thunderstorms roll across the skyline in summer. The innovative home on the property was also a surprise. Built in the 1950s, it was designed by Eyvind Finsen, a South African architect who had taught Rech when he was studying architecture at university. Open and airy, the bungalow’s design was an anomaly for the neighborhood, the aff luent suburb of Westcliff, an enclave best known for its baronial mansions. By contrast, the Finsen house was clearly inﬂuenced by California modernists like Richard Neutra and wouldn’t have been out of place in the Hollywood Hills. Rather than demolish the brick structure, Rech and Carstens chose

RIGHT: Carstens takes in the view of

Johannesburg from her bedroom’s terrace. OPPOSITE: Rech (left), seated in a chair

by Gabriele Mucchi for Zanotta, joins his wife and daughter Luna in the living room. The leather chairs are by Gamma, and the silver storage table is by Kartell. Rech and Carstens designed and applied a sculptural concrete motif to the original ﬁreplace chimney.

instead to reimagine it. “We asked ourselves, What would the natural progression of a Palm Springs bungalow be today?” Rech says. The couple, who met while working at an architecture ﬁrm in Johannesburg, have been pioneers on the South African design scene for more than 25 years. Their firm, Silvio Rech + Lesley Carstens Adventure Architecture, has designed such award-winning properties as Angama Mara in Kenya, Miavana in Madagascar, and Jao Camp in Botswana. They themselves fancy an adventure: While working on a resort in the Seychelles, they lived on a rubber boat with their two infant children (Gio is now 24, and Luna is 19). A favorite residential project—a futuristic glass-and-concrete home on a mountainside in Cape Town—has been dubbed the “Tony Stark House” for its resemblance to Iron Man’s mansion. “Innovative architecture,” Rech notes, “is what turns us on.” Honoring Finsen’s aesthetic, the pair maintained the house’s neat geometries, re-creating the original limewashed-plaster effect on the brickwork. They also preserved original elements like the ﬁreplace, the kitchen’s stone and terrazzo tiles, and the Aga stove. But from there, they allowed themselves freedom to experiment. “With a client, you have to sell it,” Rech says. “Here we could say, ‘Let’s just do it.’ ”

BE LOW: In the lounge, the leather sofa is by Flexform, the vintage black leather chair (left) is by Joe Colombo, the cocktail table is custom, and the ďŹ&#x201A;oor lamp is by Brokis. A vintage Arne Vodder console is topped with brass sculptures from Benin, the leaf chandeliers are by Xavier Clarisse, and the artwork is by Karel Nel.

ABOVE: The kitchen’s island is ﬂamed Namibian granite, ﬁtted with a Smeg oven and Pitt cooktop. The stools are by

Houtlander, and the cylindrical vent hoods overhead are by Faber. The Aga stove and the banquette are original to the house. BE LOW: On the terrace, both the travertine table and the Le Corbusier–inspired dining chairs are custom.

A trip to Japan had sparked an interest in that country’s architectural use of concrete. Here, they chose to deploy the muscular material in abundance. The decks, made from thick slabs of cement, give the house a sharp Brutalist look. “The house is quite simple but it has some interesting lines—it has a sculptural feel,” says Rech, noting that they also looked to John Lautner and the futurist Googie style for inspiration. To furnish the interiors, they drew upon their collection of vintage pieces, incorporating a rosewood sideboard by Arne Vodder, an original Isamu Noguchi paper pendant light, and a steel sculpture by Eduardo Villa. But most of the decor was designed by Rech and Carstens and custom-made for the project, from the flamed Namibian granite kitchen island to the living room’s oak bookshelves and the pale blue daybed by the pool. While the interior and exterior have a distinctly midcentury-modern feel, the garden reflects its environment. Working with local landscape architect Dawid Klopper, the couple removed most of the non-native foliage and replaced it with indigenous plants more typical of South Africa’s veld, or grassland, like aloes and red grass. They even steam-cleaned the blackened rocks to reveal their natural orange color. “We wanted to bring back the birds,” Rech says. It’s no wonder that, pre-COVID, the couple was constantly being approached to lend their home as a setting for parties. They often did—and hope to again. “It’s fantastic!” Rech says. “It’s a party house, and it influences the way you feel about life.” ◾ ELLE DECOR

ABOVE: Rech and Carstens designed their son Gioâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s bedroom around a set of reclaimed Oregon pine beams they found in a local antiques shop.

The walls are a polycarbonate paneling that allows light to shine through. The cane chair is from Madagascar, and the side table is by Kartell. OPPOSITE: In the main bedroom, the bed is custom, the chaise is by Cassina, and the ceiling is clad in white oak. For details, see Resources.

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IN THE MONTHS SINCE COVID-19 BEGAN WREAKING HAVOC ON OUR WAY OF LIFE, IT’S BECOME CLEAR THAT THINGS MAY NOT RETURN TO THE WAY THEY WERE. AND THAT’S NOT A BAD THING. RESIDENTIAL DESIGN HAS ALWAYS EVOLVED DURING TIMES OF CRISIS, MEETING THE DEMANDS OF THE MOMENT. WE ASKED NINE ARCHITECTS AND DESIGNERS TO FORECAST HOW OUR HOMES WILL CHANGE AFTER THE DUST HAS SETTLED. PRODUCED BY CHARLES CURKIN ILLUSTR ATIONS BY LEONIE BOS

THE NEW HOME Spending more time at home with family, working and learning remotely, being more mindful of the relationship between indoors and outdoors— all of these experiences have implications for how we will design houses going forward. We should focus on use, asking more often, “What three things can happen in this room...?” People need places where they can be together with family, but also places where they can be alone to reﬂect, to learn, to recharge. —DE BOR AH BE RKE , DE AN OF THE YALE SC HOOL OF ARC HITEC TURE

In a post-COVID world, consider how life might become more multigenerational, with extended family moving in. For us that aligns with the form of collective housing known as cohousing.

There will be a return to cork walls for reduction of sound transmission. We’ll also use more efﬁcient window-glazing ﬁlms to reduce screen glare on monitors and enhance video presentations.

— JE NNY & ANDA F RE NC H , ARC H ITE C T S

— JOY MOYLE R , DE SIGNE R

COVID hasn’t so much changed but reafﬁrmed the way I think we’ll be living in the future. It let people see they can work remotely and stay in their communities. Even before, people were meeting for work outside of the ofﬁce in places like cafés. COVID is accelerating these trends. —TUR A COUSINS WILSON, ARCHITEC T

We should focus on use, asking “ more often, ‘What three things can happen in this room?’ ” DEBORAH BERKE

Architects need to invent improved typologies of houses, and housing that better responds to diverse communities of residents and their accompanying cultures and lifestyles. This must include the potential for shared spaces as well as the ability to isolate within the house compound. In addition, there needs to be greater consideration for artiﬁcial and natural ventilation and lighting strategies in order to maintain good interior air quality and mental well-being. —TOSHIKO MORI, ARC HITEC T

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WHERE WE’LL WORK With this era comes the end of partners’ desks. Often, in the past, a couple living together would share a study, but we’re seeing a shift away from that. There is now a demand for two workrooms, one to each person.

Large tables will accommodate dining and pod class instruction. Technology will continue to be implemented via smart devices throughout the home. — JOY MOYLE R

—THOMA S KLIGE RMAN, ARCHITEC T

A few well-placed doors “might save you from Zooming in your laundry room.” EMILY FARNHAM

Time spent at home must distinguish between group activities and those that require solitude. Being alone is a good thing that needs to be designed for—a place where you can work by yourself and be acoustically separated from the other activities of the house. Ideally this space will also have a door, and a window with a view outside. —DE BOR AH BE RKE

I’m as guilty as the next designer of celebrating the open ﬂoor plan for its entertaining value, but living in one giant echo chamber is certainly less appealing now, isn’t it? A few well-placed doors might save you from Zooming in your laundry room or podcasting from your closet—and might also give your children a chance to truly focus during their online lesson. —EMILY FARNHAM, ARCHITEC T

We’re installing a lot of outdoor heaters and heated ﬂoors on porches, and they can be screened. If you live in Boston, for example, doing this will extend the time you can spend outside into the colder months. These spaces could be used as places for ill family members to safely convalesce. —THOMA S KLIGE RMAN

As the distinction becomes blurred between home life and work life, we will need to design for respite and provide ways to draw boundaries around some practices. How the home is connected to the outdoors—to views, light, and air— and offers spaces to recharge will become particularly valued.

NEW PL AC ES TO REST (A N D C O N VA L E S C E )

—DE BOR AH BE RKE

In light of the discovery that the virus is airborne, the ability for a residence to smoothly transition from a collective living environment to a cluster of isolated zones becomes essential to stop transmission. New residential designs must include robust air ventilation and ﬁltration strategies to optimize indoor air quality. The need for natural ventilation and sunlight exposure also becomes an important aspect of well-being, as views to the outdoors can provide respite from relentless patterns of online work and learning. —TOSHIKO MORI

“

People are more interested now in monitoring their health.

REIULF RAMSTAD

”

We’d already observed, before the pandemic, how important well-being has become in our daily lives. People are more interested now in monitoring their health, in investing in professional services, and in devoting time to physical activity. Personal saunas and cold-water baths are very popular in most Scandinavian cities. Post-COVID, we expect to see these requests ampliﬁed.

I think a lot about humanity’s collective health. It doesn’t start or end with COVID. Our buildings and homes must be more eco-friendly. Homes should all be net-zero and buildings should emit lower amounts of carbon. We need to recycle building materials and make everything more sustainable—from appliances and lighting to sources of energy for heating and cooling. That way we can rally.

— RE IULF R AM S TAD, ARC HITEC T

—TUR A COUSINS WIL SON

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Hopefully, when the pandemic is over, what we will have learned is that we can still have meaningful connections, and that technology is coming to terms with what that looks like. We need furniture and environments that are better suited to this. We are designing experimental sculptural pieces that integrate digital media with furniture to create more purposeful and visceral virtual engagement. — JE NNY & ANDA FRE NCH

The pandemic takeaway is that garages should be planned for conversion to recreation rooms. I’ve just revisited a newconstruction project I have on the boards to make sure the required garage has everything it needs to transform it into something more essential in the future. We’ve added a few windows, created a connection to a side garden, and run future plumbing and HVAC capability to the space so that conversion will be less of an endeavor. —EMILY FARNHAM

WHERE W E ’ L L P L AY Now that it’s much more common to work from home, there must be a dedicated area of the home to conduct work, as well as a complementary area to relax. This space doesn’t need to be large, but should be separate enough that one can feel away from work while still being at home. —TOSHIKO MORI Everything you used to go out to do for exercise, you can now do at home. We’re being asked to create rooms for virtual golﬁng. The clients don’t cite COVID-19 as the reason they’re making these requests. But what’s implied is that we’re planning on being at home more. —THOMA S KLIGE RMAN 80

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Everything you “ used to go out to do for exercise you can now do at home. THOMAS KLIGERMAN

”

We’ve always thought a lot about how to shape space through light and make connections to the outdoors, but as I’ve spent more time at home, I’ve been paying more attention to acoustics and how sound ﬁlls spaces. We recently designed a house for a family of music lovers. The open living area was conceived to accommodate a grand piano, so music is at the heart of the family zone. We also designed smaller spots that can be used for practicing. —DE BOR AH BE RKE

NEW AREAS FOR CONNECTION More homes will become multigenerational. This is in part due to culture: A lot of families come from diverse traditions where generations of a family live together. There is potential for a shared backyard. You might have a triplex home, for instance, with grandparents on one level, parents on another, and children or aunts on another. And everyone gathers in the yard for activities and barbecues. —TUR A COUSINS WIL SON

A screened, well-ventilated porch can serve as an ideal dining and entertaining space. Cooking can migrate outdoors and, by extension, the kitchen becomes a social space of gathering where family and friends come together, cook together, and eat together in an informal setting. —TOSHIKO MORI

Homes will be divided into more distinct quiet and noisy zones—for entertainment, learning, and relaxation. The kitchen will continue to grow and dominate as the public space; two ovens will accommodate more home cooking. Large rooms will be multipurpose for arts and entertainment. — JOY MOYLE R

Outdoor spaces are attractive and safe for meeting with family and friends. But in some weather they might need a little nudge, like covered sitting areas and ﬁrepits. — RE IULF R AM S TAD

to grow “The kitchen willandcontinue dominate as the public space.” JOY MOYLER

RESOURCES

A beachside seating area at the Uruguay home designed by the late architect Mario Connio, page 48.

hzinteriors.com. PAGES 60–61: Sofa fabric: Mulberry, gpjbaker.com. Armchair fabric: De Le Cuona, delecuona.com. PAGES 62–63: Armchair fabric: Rubelli, rubelli.com. Chandelier: Lorfords Antiques, lorfords antiques.com. PAGES 64–65: Chandeliers: Lorfords Antiques. Dining chair fabric: Rubelli. Dining chair fabric: Lizzo, lizzo .net. PAGES 66–67: Canopy: De Le Cuona. Canopy fabric: Rubelli. Trim: Casamance, casamance .com. Bench fabric: Pierre Frey, pierrefrey.com. WHAT’S THE WORD?

TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE 4: Tablecloth: Simrane, simrane.com. Tableware: Astier de Villatte, astierdevillatte.com.

SHOWCASE PAGE 24: Crystal: Reﬂections Copenhagen, reﬂectionscopenhagen.com; Fundamental Berlin, choixhome.com.

TRUTH IN DECORATING PAGES 26–27: Kimille Taylor,

kimilletaylor.com. Vicente Wolf, vicentewolf.com. TO BE PRECISE.

Architecture: Michael K. Chen, mkca.com. PAGES 40–41: Bench: Brodie Neill, brodieneill.com. Pendant: Roll & Hill, rollandhill.com. Stool: Nilufar, nilufar.com. Rug: Edward Fields, edwardfields.com. Paint: Benjamin Moore, benjamin moore.com. PAGES 42–43: Chaise: Vladimir Kagan, vladimirkagan .com. Sofa and chaise fabric: Holland & Sherry, hollandand sherry.com. Cocktail table: Kin & Company, kinandcompany.com. Games table: Christopher Kurtz, christopherkurtz.net. Pendant: Bec Brittain, becbrittain.com. Photograph: Lalla Essaydi, lallaessaydi.com. PAGES 44–45: Cabinetry: Henrybuilt, henrybuilt.com. Countertops: ABC Stone, abcworldwidestone .com. Range: Gaggenau, gaggenau.com. Pendant: Roll & 82

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Hill. Bowl: MQuan Studio, mquan .com. Table: Christopher Kurtz. Chairs: Nilufar. Chandelier: Ladies & Gentlemen Studio, ladiesandgentlemenstudio.com. Sectional: Poliform, poliform.it. Pendant: Roll & Hill. Sconces: Apparatus, apparatusstudio.com. Shades: The Shade Store, theshadestore.com. Wallcovering: Porter Teleo, porterteleo.com. PAGES 46–47: Faucet: Vola, en.vola.com. Mirror: Kin & Company. Sconces: Lindsey Adelman, lindseyadelman.com. Bed fabric: Jiun Ho, jiunho.com. Nightstands: Nicholas Kilner, nicholaskilner.com. Bench fabric: Clarence House, clarencehouse .com. Sconce: Gentner Design, gentnerdesign.com. Rug: Tai Ping, taipingtent.com. Wallcovering: Phillip Jeffries, phillipjeffries.com. Curtains: Colony, goodcolony.com. PRESERVING PARADISE

Architecture: Mario Connio. PAGES 50–51: Tablecloth: Simrane, simrane.com. Candlesticks: Astier de Villatte, astierdevillatte.com. PAGES 52–53: Photograph: Vicky Aguirre, vickyaguirreph.com. Coverlet and curtains: Simrane. RAW POWER

Interior design and architecture: Amanda Gunawan, owiudesign.com. PAGES 54–55: Lounge chair and ottoman: Charles and Ray Eames, hermanmiller.com. Sofa, cocktail table, side table: CB2, cb2.com. Rug and bench: Zara, zarahome

.com. Painting: Fong Min Liao, fongminliao.com. PAGES 56–57: Dress: Vince, vince .com. Mules: Hermès, hermes .com. Ceramics: Match, matchstoneware.com. Donabe: Kinto, kinto-usa.com. Lanterns: Isamu Noguchi, noguchi.org. Paintings: Fong Min Liao. PAGES 58–59: Soap: Aesop, aesop .com. Flowers: Krystal Chang Projects, krystalchang.com. Sconce: West Elm, westelm.com. Shelves: Rakks, rakks.com. Lamp: Dims, dimshome.com.

NOT FOR SALE PAGE 84: Flowers: East Olivia,

FEAST YOUR EYES ON THIS

Interior design: Hubert Zandberg,

eastolivia.com. Bed: Bunny Williams, bunnywilliamshome.com.

ELLE DECOR (ISSN 1046-1957) Volume 32, Number 1, January/February 2021, is published monthly except for combined issues in January/February and Summer, by Hearst, 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019 U.S.A. Steven R. Swartz, President & Chief Executive Officer; William R. Hearst III, Chairman; Frank A. Bennack, Jr., Executive Vice Chairman; Mark E. Aldam, Chief Operating Officer. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc.: Debi Chirichella, President, Hearst Magazines Group & Treasurer; Kate Lewis, Chief Content Officer; Kristen M. O’Hara, Chief Business Officer; Catherine A. Bostron, Secretary. © 2021 by Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. All rights reserved. ELLE and ELLE DECOR are used under license from the trademark owner, Hachette Filipacchi Presse. Periodicals postage paid at N.Y., N.Y., and additional mailing offices. Canada Post International Publications mail product (Canadian distribution) sales agreement No. 40012499. Editorial and Advertising Offices: 300 West 57th Street, New York, NY 10019. Subscription prices: United States and possessions: $15 for one year. Canada: $41 for one year. All other countries: $60 for one year. Subscription Services: ELLE DECOR will, upon receipt of a complete subscription order, undertake fulﬁllment of that order so as to provide the ﬁrst copy for delivery by the Postal Service or alternate carrier within 4–6 weeks. For customer service, changes of address, and subscription orders, log on to service.elledecor.com or write to Customer Service Department, ELLE DECOR, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. From time to time, we make our subscriber list available to companies who sell goods and services by mail that we believe would interest our readers. If you would rather not receive such offers via postal mail, please send your current mailing label or exact copy to Mail Preference Service, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. You can also visit preferences.hearstmags.com to manage your preferences and opt out of receiving marketing offers by e-mail. ELLE DECOR is not responsible for unsolicited manuscripts or art. None will be returned unless accompanied by a self-addressed stamped envelope. Canadian registration number 126018209RT0001. POSTMASTER: Please send address changes to ELLE DECOR, P.O. Box 37870, Boone, IA 50037. Printed in the U.S.A.

RICARDO L ABOUGLE

Items pictured but not listed are from private collections.

Interior design and architecture: Silvio Rech and Lesley Carstens, silviorechlesleycarstens.co.za. PAGES 68–69: Chaises: Paola Lenti, paolalenti.it. Panton chairs: Vitra, vitra.com. PAGES 70–71: Chair: Zanotta, zanotta.it. Leather chairs: Gamma, gamma.it. Table: Kartell, kartell.com. PAGES 72–73: Sofa: Flexform, flexform.it. Floor lamp: Brokis, brokis.cz. Chandeliers: Xavier Clarisse, clarissedesign.com. Oven: Smeg, smegusa.com. Cooktop: Pitt Cooking, pittcooking.com. Stools: Houtlander, houtlander.co.za. Vent hoods: Faber, faberonline .com. Stove: Aga, agarangeusa .com. PAGES 74–75: Side table: Kartell. Chaise: Cassina, cassina.com.

Outstanding stories, not just hotels.

Santa Teresa Hotel Rio de Janeiro – Brazil

Hotel Molitor Paris – France

INK Hotel Amsterdam – Netherlands

Hotel des Arts Saigon – Vietnam

Hotel Muse Bangkok Langsuan – Thailand

Hotel Lindrum Melbourne – Australia

Places are more than just walls and timber, they are masonry with history. They are outstanding stories to be read and lived. The MGallery collection has over 100 hotels, each with their own unique story, expressed here as a gallery of iconic objects. Discover them all and book your stay at mgallery.com

MGALLERY. STORIES THAT STAY

NOT FOR SALE

Each month, ELLE DECOR asks an artisan to create a unique item for us. At the end of each year, these pieces are auctioned off to beneﬁt the charity of ED’s choice. This is the ﬁnal item in the 2020 cycle.

Not Your Garden Variety AN ARCHIVAL PRINT, PAINSTAKINGLY REVIVED, PAYS HOMAGE TO THE DELICATE DAISY.

Like all of the patterns for the heritage linens brand D. Porthault, this floral motif began with a story. Launched in the 1960s, Les Petites Marguerites, which translates to “the little daisies,” was made to draw on the symbolism of the daisy and its playful form. “Imagining innocence and new beginnings, Porthault’s designers infused the gentle lines of the daisy with joyful colors,” explains Beth Rigler, the director of e-commerce for the brand. This specific print, shown here in a one-of-a-kind vibrant green-and-cherry colorway, was reintroduced in 2020 in celebration of the company’s centennial. The sheet set is made of 100 percent cotton voile, a close replication of the fine batiste linen on which cofounder Madeleine Porthault first painted her designs. It is finished with a scalloped edge, a couture technique from the 1950s. A lot can shift in a century, but D. Porthault’s impeccable craftsmanship remains consistent. Says Rigler: “All of D. Porthault’s linens continue to be printed by hand with engraved screens in France. Our process has changed very little over time.” —Kate McGregor dporthault.com

Styled by Laurel J. Benedum 84

ELLE DECOR

FLOWERS BY EAST OLIVIA

PHOTOGR APH BY DON PENNY

ÂŠ2020 The Container Store Inc. 49035

LarenÂŽ Closet Design by Doniphan Moore Interiors

Schedule your free design consultation today (or try our new Virtual In-Home Design Service) at containerstore.com/custom-closets.