Absolutely Home Summer 2017 by ABSOLUTELY Magazines

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SUMMER 2017 £4.99

FASHION AT HOME Designers turn to interiors

The urban

Garden Outdoor living in London plus plants and flowers for indoors

Mark Hix At home with the food guru

CREATURE COMFORTS

Animals are everywhere

al so

LEE BROOM, DONNA WILSON, CURIOUSA & CURIOUSA, JACKSON & LEVINE AND MORE... ABS HOME_COVER_SUMMER_17.indd 1

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Experience the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s finest handmade furniture. Kitchens, dressing rooms, libraries and wine rooms. www.mwf.com or 01380 850 007 A member of the Canburg Group

MARK WILKINSON.indd 1

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FURNITURE ALCHEMY 126 Holland Park Avenue, London W11 4UE

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SAVE SAVE UP TO TO UP 50% 50%

DESIGN DESIGN SALE

SALE

Our summer design sale is now on. Save up to 20% on our furniture and accessories to order and make unmissable savings of up to 50% on our clearance and ex-display items. Remember to book your free interior design service in-store.

Our summer design sale is now on. Save up to 20% on our furniture and accessories to order and make unmissable savings of up to 50% on ourI Guildford clearanceI Harrods and ex-display Remember to book your free Battersea Reach, Wandsworth I Finchley Road I Kingstonitems. I Notting Hill I Tottenham Court Road interior design service in-store. boconcept_absolutely_home_summer_dps_ad_06_17.indd 4 BOCONCEPT.indd 1

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At BoConcept, we offer customised, coordinated and affordable design furniture and accessories. By coordinating colours, textures and finishes, adding accessories and matching what you may already have, we can show you how it can all fit seamlessly together.

At BoConcept, we offer customised, coordinated and affordable design furniture and accessories. By coordinating colours, textures and finishes, adding accessories and matching what you may already boconcept.com have, we can show you how it can all fit seamlessly together.

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SCOURSCOUR THE THE WORLDWORLD FOR FOR THE PERFECT THE PERFECT WORK OF WORK ART.OF ART. BUY IT THEN BUY IT THEN LEAVE THE LEAVE THE REST TO REST US. TO US.

For over 40 years weFor have over specialised 40 years we in have specialised in the global transport,the storage globaland transport, installation storage and installation of unique art and antiques. of unique art and antiques. Learn more about our Learn specialist more about Wimbledon our specialist Wimbledon storage facility and associated storage facility services and today associated services today by speaking to one by of our speaking knowledgeable to one of our knowledgeable co-ordinators. Call 020 co-ordinators. 8971 4300 or Call visit 020 8971 4300 or visit cadogantate.com/art-services cadogantate.com/art-services London Paris CôteLondon d’Azur Paris Côte d’Azur New York Los Angeles New York MiamiLos Angeles Miami

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…it’s all in the detail

FREE MIXER

With every order! You will receive your KitchenAid mixer upon final payment.

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English Revival is a beautiful collection of hand made, bespoke painted and oak kitchens. Available from one of our showrooms shown overleaf, there’s an English Revival kitchen that’s just right for you. These showrooms provide FREE design and planning, with a complete installation service tailored to your own personal taste and budget.

www.merewaykitchens.co.uk Freephone 0800 028 4466 Quote ER0617 when calling

09/06/2017 10:33

A list of Mereway Kitchensâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; showrooms located in London, South East and East of the UK

SOUTH EAST Ascot APPLEWOOD KITCHENS LLP 23 Brockenhurst Road, South Ascot, Berkshire SL5 9DJ

01344 875426 www.applewoodkitchens.co.uk Bromley ALARIS LIMITED 116 High Street, Bromley, Kent BR1 1HG

0203 7714040 www.alarisavenue.co.uk Cobham KITCHENCRAFT LTD 63, Portsmouth Road, Cobham, Surrey KT11 1JU

01932 868989 www.kitchencraft-surrey.co.uk Coulsdon CHANDLERS HOME DESIGN LTD 181-183 Brighton Road,Coulsdon, Surrey, CR5 2NH

0208 6687963 www.chandlershomedesign.co.uk Dartford ALARIS LIMITED Unit 3, Schooner Court, Crossways Business Park, Dartford, Kent DA2 6NW

01224 824164 www.alarisavenue.co.uk Kingston upon Thames KITCHENCRAFT LTD 14 High Street, Kingston upon Thames, Surrey, KT1 1EY

0208 5463100 www.kitchencraft-surrey.co.uk Sunbury on Thames WENTWORTH DESIGN STUDIO LTD 13B Sunbury Cross Shopping Centre, Staines Road West, Sunbury on Thames, Surrey, TW16 7AJ

01932 918411 www.wentworthdesign.co.uk

Surbiton KITCHENCRAFT LTD

Richmond KEWSTONE LTD

The White Cottage, 99 Brigton Road, Surbiton, Surrey KT6 5NF

Arch 5, Easternside, Kew Bridge, Richmond, Surrey, TW9 3AW

0208 3907197 www.kitchencraft-surrey.co.uk

0208 9409393 www.kewstone.com

Sutton WENTWORTH STUDIOS 450 - 456 London Road, North Cheam, Sutton, Surrey, SM3 8JB 020 8641 6651 www.wentworthstudios.com

Woodford Green DBK DESIGNS

Thatcham THATCHAM KITCHEN DESIGNS LTD 44 The Broadway, Thatcham, Berkshire, RG19 3HP

01635 863853 www.thatchamkitchendesigns.co.uk Warfield APPLEWOOD KITCHENS LLP The Village, Moss End Garden Centre, Warfield, Bracknell, Berkshire, RG42 6EJ

01344 409560 www.applewoodkitchens.co.uk Woking THE SURREY KITCHEN CO Unit 2, Octimum Business Park, Forsythe Road, Woking, Surrey GU21 5SF

253 - 269, Unit 2B1 High Road, Woodford Green, Essex, IG8 9FB

0208 4980600 www.dbkdesigns.co.uk

EAST Hertford STUDIO 3 KITCHENS Unit 3, Hertford Trading Estate, Caxton Hill, Hertford, Hertfordshire, SG13 7NE

01992 586291 www.kitchenshertfordshire.net Loughton ANDERSON SINCLAIR 13a Oakwood Hill Ind Estate, Loughton, Essex, IG10 3TZ

0208 5081941 www.anderson-sinclair.co.uk

01483 215029 www.thesurreykitchencompany.co.uk

St Albans WENTWORTH KITCHENS ST ALBANS

LONDON

01727 815300 www.wentworthstalbans.co.uk

Acton WEST LONDON KITCHEN DESIGN

Upminster UPMINSTER KITCHENS & BEDROOMS

Unit 2, Lower Park Trading Estate, Park Royal Road Acton, London, W3 6XA

07949 095059 Balham KITCHEN KONCEPTS 50 Balham High Road, Balham, London, SW12 9AQ

0208 7720149 www.kitchenkoncepts.co.uk

80 Victoria Street, St Albans, Hertfordshire, AL1 3XH

161 St. Marys Lane, Upminster, Essex, RM14 3BL

01708 222250 www.upmininsterkitchensandbedrooms.co.uk Waltham Abbey HARRISONS 21 Highbridge Street, Waltham Abbey, Essex, EN9 1BZ

01992 760500

Enfield GRANITE DIRECT LTD (KITCHENS) Culver Garden Centre, Cattlegate Road, Enfield, Greater London, EN2 9DS

0208 3667333 www.granitedirect.ltd.uk

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HOME SUMMER 2017

30 DESIGN 29 CREATIVE REVIEW News from the design world

30 THE TOP TEN

All our favourite wild things

INSIDER 16 CALENDAR

Diary dates for the coming months

18 WORLD OF CLAY Creative ceramic pieces

21 IN THE NEWS

Reporting from the industry

22 MATERIAL WORLD The V&A's focus on plywood

25 MODERN LUXE

Celebrating traditional skills

34 CURIOUSA& CURIOUSA Glass talk with Esther Patterson

40 DONNA WILSON Quirky new bedlinen

HOME ABSOLUTELY

SUMMER 2017

£4.99

FASHION AT HOME Designers turn to interiors

The urban

Garden Outdoor living in London plus plants and flowers for indoors

Mark Hix At home with the food guru

CREATURE COMFORTS

Animals are everywhere

47 DESIGN LEGACY String shelving

COVER

neptune.com

48 SOUND OFF

Ruark on radio design

54 FASHION AND HOME

al so

LEE BROOM, DONNA WILSON, CURIOUSA & CURIOUSA, JACKSON & LEVINE AND MORE... ABS HOME_COVER_SUMMER_17.indd 1

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Interiors by fashion designers

68 LEE BROOM

Quizzing the designer

SUMMER 2017 HOME

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99 HOME EDITOR

Pendle Harte EDITORIAL CONTRIBUTORS

Nancy Alsop, Pearl Boyd, Helen Brown, Hannah Hopkins, Joy Montgomery COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

Shane McKay

GROUP SALES MANAGER

Craig Davies

SALES MANAGER

Rollo Dennison

ART DIRECTOR

Phil Couzens

SENIOR DESIGNER

Pawel Kuba

MID-WEIGHT DESIGNER

Rebecca Noonan

PRODUCTION MANAGER

Chris Couchman

MARKETING MANAGER

Nefeli Kritikou

FINANCE DIRECTOR

Alexandra Hvid DIRECTORS

Greg Hughes, Alexandra Hunter FINANCE DIRECTOR

Alexandra Hvid

PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

LIVING 78 GARDEN LIFE

Adorn your outdoor space

88 SWEET SMELL OF HOME The world of interior fragrance

100 INSPIRE

95 SLEEP TALK

118 AT HOME WITH HIX

99 IN THE LOUNGE

120 ROOM WITH NO VIEW

106 KITCHEN SUPPERS

130 MY STYLE

Why we should all sleep in wool Dressing for staying in

Entertaining Jackson & Levine

Touring Mark Hix's new apartment Anthony Gormley's sleep station

Paula Goodburn of Porcupine Rocks

Sherif Shaltout

For advertising enquiries please call 020 7704 0588 or email: advertising@zest-media.com Subscriptions are available simply by emailing kerry@zest-media.com. For editorial enquiries please email pendle@zest-media.com

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HOME SUMMER 2017

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FROM THE

EDITOR

ince meeting the lovely Esther Patterson, designer of beautiful blown glass lamps for her company Curiousa & Curiousa, I have become quite fixated on glass blowing. Patterson's designs update the dated shapes that mostly come out of glass workshops, so her pure orbs and satisfyingly rounded pieces are like large glass bubbles, very contemporary in feel, and they draw attention to the long-standing craft of glassblowing. So when I spotted a glass workshop on a recent weekend in Norfolk, I was keen to go and watch them at work. Watching someone blow a red hot piece of molten glass with enormous control is a very impressive thing. Anyway, this has inspired a lot of glass adoration in this issue, all of it mindful of the processes involved. As well as glass, we're featuring lots of flowers. You know it's summer when peonies start appearing everywhere – and not just on instagram. The art of floristry seems to be stepping up a gear and a flurry of brilliant online flower companies are filling our homes and offices with high quality blooms. My recent visit to the new London Flower School has left me with new insight into flower arranging – and alongside flowers, there are lots of plants in this issue, from Mark Hix's many houseplants to Petersham Nurseries's gardening tips. Here's hoping you enjoy the magazine.

6 Things we like this month

Pendle Harte p e n d l e @ z e s t - m e d i a .c o m

1 1 Iconic designs, including the Newgate clocks, at Heal's p.62 2 2 This origami dining table, also at Heal's. p.62 3 3 Villari's intricate porcelain carvings. p.25

4 Ruark's amazing radios, 4 that sound even better than they look. p.48

5 5 Lounging in silk loungewear. Why leave the house? p.99 6 6 Flower arranging. It's the new knitting, only better. p.86 7 7 Venezuelan ceramics. Well, all ceramics actually. p.18

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77-79 WESTBOURNE GROVE - W2 4UL LONDON - UK 77-79 WESTBOURNE GROVE - W2 4UL LONDON - UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 7221 5137 Tel: +44 (0) 20 7221 5137

london@devon-devon.com london@devon-devon.com FLORENCE FLORENCE NASHVILLE NASHVILLE

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· ·

CHICAGO · COPENHAGEN · HAMBURG · ISTANBUL · CHICAGO · COPENHAGEN · HAMBURG · ISTANBUL · · NICE · PADUA · PARIS · PRAGUE · ROME · SHANGHAI · NICE · PADUA · PARIS · PRAGUE · ROME · SHANGHAI

LONDON LONDON · TBILISI · TBILISI

· MILAN · · MILAN · · TEL AVIV · TEL AVIV

MUNICH · MUNICH · · WARSAW · WARSAW

NAPLES NAPLES · WIEN · WIEN

22/03/2017 15:44 22/03/2017 15:44 09/06/2017 11:22

INSIDER NEWS • PEOPLE • DESIGN • EVENTS

Calendar

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p. 16

. A World of Clay

p. 18

. News

p. 21

. Plywood at the V&A

p. 22

09/06/2017 17:39

A DATE WITH

DESIGN Art fairs & festivals for your calendar

DOODLEMANIA T h e Ex hibit ion ist H ot e l 27 June See Mr Doodle at his latest and greatest as part of The Exhibitionist Hotel’s Art Corridors programme. This innovative venture invites artists to paint the walls of the iconic hotel and create an art concept room to exhibit their work. Mr Doodle will also be showing his artworks though out the hotel as part of his Dooodlemania exhibition and Doodle corridor official launch on 27 June. 8-10 Queensbury Place, SW7; theexhibitionisthotel.com

Urban Art Fair Jose p hi n e Ave nue 8-9 July

Josephine Avenue in Brixton becomes an art fair every July, with this smaller event offering the chance to buy work direct from artists themselves. It celebrated its 15th year last year, and offers a fun atmosphere for visitors - with street food on offer and live street art being created. Josephine Avenue, SW2; urbanart.co.uk

CALIFORNIA DESIGN L o n d on D e sign Muse um Until 15 October While California’s mid-century modernism is well documented, this is the first exhibition to examine its current global reach. Picking up the story in the 1960s, the exhibition charts the journey from the counterculture to Silicon Valley’s tech culture. 224-238 Kensington High Street, W8; designmuseum.org

SUMMER 2017 HOME

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I N S I D E R | WHAT’S ON

BRITISH ART FAIR

M a l l Ga l l e ri e s 13-17 September The 20/21 British Art Fair, the only fair to specialise exclusively in Modern and Post-War British art, returns in a new home at Mall Galleries. Now, just a hop, skip and a jump from the art market hub of St James’s, the fair is supported by 33 of the UK’s leading art dealers. Its main focus lies in the excellence and variety of Modern and Post-War art, however, work from 1970 to the/ present day will also be available. The Mall, SW1; britishartfair.co.uk

GRAYSON & PERRY

Alberto Giacometti

Serp e n ti ne G alle r i e s Until 10 September One of the most astute commentators on contemporary culture, Grayson Perry's major exhibition of new work is now open at the Serpentine Gallery. Working in a variety of media such as ceramics, cast iron, bronze, printmaking and tapestry, Perry combines delicately crafted objects with scenes of contemporary life. Kensington Gardens, W2; serpentine galleries.org

Ta t e Mo d e r n Until 10 September Tate Modern chronicles the work of master sculptor Alberto Giacometti in the first UK retrospective of the artist’s work for two decades. As one of modern art’s most important players, his iconic human forms, famous for their spindly eeriness, helped redefine sculpture and figurative art. Bankside, SE1; tate.org.uk

HOUSE & GARDEN FESTIVAL OLYMPIA LONDON 21-24 JUNE

This four-day festival is the ultimate celebration of summer and stylish living houseandgardenfestival.com

MINI TERRARIUM MASTERCLASS

24 June Get your hands dirty with geofleur’s mini terrarium workshop. Using grit, charcoal, moss and more, Sophie Lee will take you from glass vessel to eco-garden with a step-by-step tutorial.

HOW TO DECORATE A ROOM

23 June Rita Konig offers advice and expertise on style, colour and how to tastefully arrange furniture, while Hatta Byng shows us how to make a room really work for you in terms of form and function.

COLOUR IN THE HOME 21 June Colour Consultant to Farrow & Ball, Joa Studholme shows us how to see colour in a new light and achieve striking results both inside and outside your home by crafting the right palette.

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LUCIA “LULU” GUINAND WEAH Venuzeula Handmade in ceramic with a unique gloss enamel paint finish, these Weahs (meaning ‘stuff ’ in Chilean) take inspiration from the classic cardboard egg carton and are made to have multiple uses – from potting plants to holding keys. Lucía “Lula” Guinand is a Chilean-Venezuelan ceramicist and designer who finds beauty in everyday items and transforms them into playful pieces of art.

Wo r l d o f

Clay HOME admires a collection of work by new ceramicists from a variety of global locations

CECILIA GUEVARA SET OF FOUR PLATES Venezuela

This set of four handmade plates from Cecilia Guevara display an expert balance between organic forms and design simplicity. The bold colours and raw earthenware tones of the pieces reveal her graphic designer background. For Cecilia, ceramics are a way of remembering that all things have their own time, timbre and rhythm.

Words E M I LY H E N S O N

The Pangea Ceramica collection from Maison Numen introduces several new designers (or makers) available to purchase from the online retailer and sourced from diverse locations worldwide, including tribal plates by Venezuelan designer Ursula D’Amico and handmade bowls by Laura de Benedetti of the Italian Ligurian coastline. Here are some highlights of the collection, ranging from playful to traditional in style maisonnumen .com

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I N S I D E R | SPOTLIGHT

The collection is a celebration of one of the oldest, most beloved art forms

DANIEL REYNOLDS CHARCOAL VASE UK Reynolds’ work melds influences from his native Venezuela with those found around his South London studio. His use of smoothed stones and a scraper fashioned from gourd follows in the footsteps of traditional potters in rural Venezuela.

CARAQUENA DE CHUAO MASKS

Venezuela Inspired by masks used in the Dancing Devils Festival held yearly during the Corpus Christi feast in Venezuela’s coastal regions, hand shaped and painted, the masks form part of a collection made by the Caraquena de Chuao workshop in Caracas.

LAURA DE BENEDETTI

1882 Ltd CROCKERY TALL VASE United Kingdom Slip-cast by Max Lamb from a hand-carved plaster model using traditional stonemason’s tools, this stunning tall vase reimagines the classical forms of fine bone china tableware. 1882 LTD brings new and innovative ideas into the ceramics craft with a mission to unite progressive design with the traditional industrial craftsmanship.

MARIELISA MÜLLER

WAVE CUPS

MAGIC MUSHROOM

Italy These elegant, understated waved bowls, cups and saucers are inspired by the colours of the Mediterranean, radiating warmth and depth. Laura de Benedetti creates work that is inspired by the vibrant, subtle colours of the Italian Ligurian coastline, focusing her art on useful, practical objects.

Venezuela This handcrafted collection takes inspiration from the famous magic mushroom; the soft curves of its fleshy body evoking sensual semi-human forms. There is a poetic aspect to using a mushroom as a vase – a symbol of plenty, fecundity but also danger and death.

MOLARTE GIALLO FIORE COFFEE SERVICE Italy Handcrafted in Imola, Italy, this vibrant coffee service forms part of Imolarte’s The ‘I Fiori’ (The Flowers) Collection, and is a gorgeous blend of traditional Chinese and classical Italian design ideal for serving any number of treats.

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One MarylebOne 1 MarylebOne rd nW1 4aQ www.madelondon-marylebone.co.uk MADE LONDON.indd 1

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I N S I D E R | NEWS

Home

TA L K What’s new in the world of interiors Compil ed by

PENDLE HARTE

F U N K Y FO LK Ikea

New advice from Barnebys auction house says never to throw away your old Ikea furniture. Pieces from the 1980s have been achieving record prices and this chair Fåtöljen (pictured) can sell for £875 today.

NORTHERN LIGHT

barnebys.co.uk

Mini Moderns

New from Mini Moderns is Moordale, depicting a landscape of rolling hills, punctuated by small towns and farms, edged with banks of Douglas Firs. It's inspired byt the designers' Yorkshire childhoods and comes in four seasonal colourways. minimoderns.com

JA Z Z S H A P E S N i n a Ku l l b e r g

Swedish designer Nina Kullberg has collaborated with London-based awardwinning artist Hormazd Narielwalla to produce two limited-edition cushions based on his artwork, titled Jazz. The pieces are named New York and Chicago. £67.95, ninakullberg.com

C H I N A LI G HT Jeremy Cole

Cole's floral-inspired bone china pieces explore the relationship between ceramics and light. This hand-made Cymbidium Ming Vase in white matt bone china with an LED light source is individually signed, with prices starting at £1,400. jeremycole.net

TILE EFFECT Biblioqeque

We love this unique and exotic collection of metallic 3D relief Art Deco porcelain tiles from Biblioteque. The two styles consist of peacock and geometric prints with silver and bronze relief on both, and they create an opulent, decadent 1930s feel. bibliotheque.co.uk

HOME SUMMER 2017

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Full scale cross section showing FPL prefabricated construction to be built for the exhibition. Patkau Architects, Ice skating shelters, Winnipeg, 2012 © Patkau Architects

Ply, ply again As the V&A’s new exhibition will reveal, plywood has been an integral material in the creation of our modern world. HOME has a preview Words P E A R L B OY D

lywood is underrated. Despite its versatility, strength and affordability, it’s often overlooked. It can be seen as cheap or unstable but in fact plywood has been used in the construction of everything from WWII aircraft to surfboards, and was an obvious choice of material for the moulding techniques developed in the 1930s as well as for new digital manufacture. The V&A’s new exhibition Plywood: Material of the Modern World seeks to show how this seemingly nondescript material has helped create the modern world. Exhibition curator Christopher Wilk says: “Plywood is such a common, everyday material that most people barely notice when it is used. One could say that it has been hidden in plain sight. Since Victorian times, it has been one of the most popular and versatile materials used in manufacturing, and by designers and architects. Today it is more popular than ever.” Opening this July, Plywood explores the near-ubiquitous material’s global impact and history from the 1850s to the present day. The exhibition brings together significant new research with new acquisitions and objects that have never before been on public display. It will take visitors through plywood’s many reputational transformations; from a cheap product that was often hidden or maligned for its inferiority to solid timber, to the material prized by midcentury modernists and by today’s flourishing maker movement. Fragments of layered board have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, but it was the advent of mass production in the nineteenth century that saw plywood’s adaptability and potential fully exploited. Used to construct everything

SUMMER 2017 HOME

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I N S I D E R | PREVIEW

SAVE THE DATE

PLYWOOD FROM 15 JULY TO 12 NOVEMBER 2017 Porter Gallery, vam.ac.uk Admission is free

Moulded plywood chair designed by Grete Jalk, 1963. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London

“plywood is such a common material that most people barely notice it” from a tube to house an experimental elevated railway in 1867 New York to hatboxes, tea chests, surfboards and skateboards, plywood has been embraced by designers, architects and engineers; each successive generation finding ever-more innovative ways to shape, mould, cut and fi x it. Coupling objects drawn from the V&A’s world class furniture, design and architecture collections with significant loans from across the globe, highlights include early experiments in plywood, such as a 1908 book printed during Ernest Shackleton’s Nimrod expedition to Antarctica and bound with plywood covers; celebrated pieces by modernist designers such as Alvar Aalto, Marcel Breuer, Grete Jalk, Robin Day and Charles and Ray Eames; and striking examples of transport design such as 1917 moulded canoe, a 1960s British racing car with plywood chassis, and some of the first ever surf and skate boards. Interspersed throughout the displays are three ‘process’ moments that mark important milestones in the evolution of plywood manufacture: the invention of the rotary veneer

Workman carrying a complete Deperdussin monocoque fuselage, Deperdussin factory, Paris, about 1912 © Musée de l’Air et2

‘Edie Stool’, birch plywood, designed by David and Joni Steiner for Open Desk, London, 2013. Photograph © Rory Gardi

cutter in the early 19th century; the advent of moulding techniques that inspired the groundbreaking forms of 1930s modernism; and plywood’s recent dominance as a material for CNC-cutting and digital manufacture. In the John Madejski Garden, a cluster of ice skating shelters designed by Patkau Architects will be on display throughout the exhibition. Visitors are invited to take a seat in the structures which are made by bending flexible plywood sheets and attaching them to a timber frame to create sculptural forms. The shelters were originally designed to sit on a frozen river in Winnipeg, Canada and the installation is supported by the American Friends of the V&A. Ruth Wassermann, head of design at exhibition sponsor made.com said: “Plywood as a material has hidden depths. Created to have more strength and reliability than solid wood, its development as a mouldable material has changed furniture design immeasurably through the 20th century, and with current moods around provenance and honesty of material, has now come into its own for its decorative properties. Plywood is integral to the soft wooden curves of Nordic design.”

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LONDON

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I N S I D E R | FOCUS

Masters of

LU XU RY Traditional craftsmanship with heritage is very much of the moment Compil ed by

PENDLE HARTE

Villari

Inspired by the Italian Baroque style, every single Villari figure is finished in the finest detail using paint based on special oils extracted from fir trees and lavender. They are enhanced with 18-carat gold and platinum, and some pieces are further embellished by applying Swarovski crystals to give them a unique shine and elegance. All Villari items are signed by the artist, Cesare Villari, as a gurantee of their authenticity, and bear the fire-impressed trademark “Porcellane Villari” . villari.it

L A LI Q U E MOSER

Luxury Bohemian crystal glass company Moser recently celebrated 160 years since its founding. To celebrate, contemporary master glassmakers joined forces with glass artists to create an anniversary collection, showing the most beautiful and stylish examples of the company's work, revived by contemporary masters. The new collection uses methods that have been used for more than 100 years. moser-glass.com

Lalique's new Muses collection comprises glass vases paying tribute to the female form, a major source of inspiration of the house since its origins. The female was both the object and the subject of René Lalique’s masterpieces. He used the female form as a means of beautification, following the example of the Renaissance artists. He often depicted women as an allegory, gracious and ethereal or voluptuous with an arresting sensuality and mysterious demeanour. lalique.com

HOME SUMMER 2017

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Princess 810mm Ox blood, Windsor Black Nickel TRV Wallpaper panels - Timorous Beasties

Bespoke cast iron radiators | Made in England | UK stores in Manchester +44 (0) 161 439 9350 London - Wimbledon Village, Chelsea +44 (0) 20 3397 7295 www.castrads.com

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DESIGN NEWS • PEOPLE • DESIGN • EVENTS

Animal magic p. 30 . Curiousa's Esther Patterson

p. 34

. Donna Wilson's new designs

p. 40

Lee’s way Lee Broom is known for lighting; he used to work in fashion; he has recently produced a range of ceramics. What next for the unstoppable designer?

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D E S I G N | NEWS

Creative

REVIEW News from the design world Compil ed by

PENDLE HARTE

BRUSH OFF I r i s H a nt v e r k

These brushes have been handmade in Stockholm since the late 1900s by visually impaired caftsmen and not much has changed over the years. They're simple and minimal, made with natural materials to last forever. skandium.com

FL AT OUT be&liv

Clever Finnish company be&liv make ingeniously stylish pieces in plywood than arrive flatpacked and easy to assemble. We are intrigued by the Halo shelf, a beautiful thredimensional piece designed for displaying small decorative items. Ours makes a lovely spot for a houseplant. £67 beandliv.com

MODEL VILLAGE Chisel & Mouse

These architectural sculptures make brilliant bookends and wonderful gifts. We're fans of Battersea Power Station and Trellick Tower, but you might prefer the Glasgow School of Art or Bauhaus Dessau. These are accurate models with lots of character. chiselandmouse.com

S E ATI N G P L A N Robin Day

The Conran Shop has launched a Special Edition 675 Chair collection, created in an exclusive collaboration with Case. This classic Robin Day design, newly upholstered in three heritage colours of Mourne Check fabric, comes in a limited edition of 150. £345, conranshop.co.uk

SOVIET STYLE Penguin

Six epic masterpieces have been beautifully re-designed for the centenary of the Russian Revolution; from the stately grandeur of War and Peace to the romance of Doctor Zhivago, there is a book to inspire every reader. £10.99; penguin.co.uk

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Creature Comforts

KINGDOM COME

Andrew Martin's Kingdom is a beautifully detailed animal design print fabric inspired by travel and adventure. It is available in a clean, crisp colour palette of stormy grey, natural, powder blue and hot pink. andrewmartin.co.uk

Animals adorn all our favourite pieces this season. Here are ten of the best wild things

TIGER TIGER

Compil ed by

PENDLE HARTE

Victoria & Abert Baths' Shropshire slipper bath looks dreamy with the Jungle Leopard Wallpaper from Silken Favours. silkenfavours.com vandabaths.com

AMAZON ADVENTURE

Amazonia is a cotton fabric that features peacocks, owls and exotic birds and looks stylish in several colourways. £90 per m; witchandwatchman.com

HOME Loves

PRETTY FLAMINGO

HUMMINGBIRD HEAVEN

Alexander McQueen's design for The Rug Company features jewel-like irridescent hummingbirds, hand woven in silk and metallic thread on an ivory pasmina background., £2,860 per sq m; therugcompany.com

A pair of flamingos is sure to cheer everyone up. Rug, £398, anthropologie.com

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D E S I G N | INSPIRATIONS

NATURE’S TABLE

Anthropologie's collaboration with Lou Rota is all vintage-inspired curves and friendly wildlife. Plates £16, anthropologie.com

BIG FIVE

Part of the Ardmore collection, Cole & Son's Matrinah is an arrangement of ornamental platters all intricately patterned with birds and animals and edged with decorative borders £80 per roll. cole-and-son.com

TOP CAT

House of Hackney's sleek Cheetah Lampstand is crafted in hand-painted porcelain with a brass frame and gold fabric chord. £495; houseofhackney.com

BUTLER BIRD

Peter the stone-look penguin is an ornament with personality. With natural colouring and texture, he is an adorable companion. £95 , grahamandgreen.co.uk

SPICE SAFARI

Jonathan Adler's Animalia salt and pepper pots enable us to season as wildly as we wish, £78; jonathanadler.com

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09/06/2017 17:32

NORDIC STYLE

LONDON

Stunning French and Swedish painted Furniture with the most Beautiful Home Accessories and Gifts

Stunning oak painted furniture on display in our beautiful South London showrooms

Chelsea

Barnes

Wimbledon Village

Fulham

Richmond

SW10 0RN 0207 351 1755

SW13 0DQ 0208 748 741 4947 1709 0208

SW19 5DX 0208 947 7960

SW6 4LT 0207 736 0803

TW10 6UA 0208 332 1337

Wimbledon Centre Court Shopping Centre (Seconds Outlet) SW19 8YA / 0208 944 2840

www.nordicstyle.com

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D E S I G N | BOOKS

BOOK

CLUB

Five of the best new interiors tomes

Words S A B R I N A N U N E Z

URBAN PIONEER With housing in high demand, anything and everything can be converted into a residential space, which is where Sara Emslie’s book comes into play. Exploring renovations and discovering how to define key elements of an urban space, Emslie brings together the old with the new in a historical context that shows how much she understands about transforming a space. Exposed brick and worn wooden panels are some of the robust features of the book, while polished light fixtures and table tops offer balance. £19.99, rylandpeters.com

MODERN VINTAGE STYLE Broken up into two parts, Emily Chalmers brings together examples of textiles, lighting and furniture before showing you how to incorporate vintage pieces into a space while simultaneously ensuring they also serve a purpose. Practicality reigns

THE SCANDINAVIAN HOME supreme in this book in Chalmers’ approach to selecting and styling interiors. Her understanding of how shapes, colours and spaces can transform a vintage piece and modernize it takes form in advice that’s easy to understand and apply. The scrapbook design of the pages further emphasizes Chalmers’ desire to communicate the importance of surrounding yourself with things you love. £19.99, rylandpeters.com

A BEAUTIFUL MESS Claire Bingham humanises a space by sharing the stories that make up the eclectic and truly lived-in homes she visits. The book looks at homes around the world and has text in both English and German. Bingham brings together everything: from modern to industrial, vintage to IKEA classics, and bold colours with muted pastels and neutrals. The images are beautiful and the interiors are anything but minimalistic, choosing organised clutter over clean lines. teneues.com

Crafted around the idea of embracing light to enlarge and enliven space, the minimalist appearance of Scandi interiors is having a massive moment. Blogger Niki Brantmark displays interiors that fit the trend, but throw an individual spin with dark walls, mismatched furniture and shelves brimming with books. Brantmark also showcases accessibility by showing that Scandi style isn’t limited to central city flats; farmhouses, mountain cabins and beach houses can also be the perfect backdrops for the clean lines and warm wooden textures essential to this design craze. £19.99, rylandpeters.com

CREATIVE LIVING COUNTRY Leave the busy city streets behind and join Chloe Grimshaw as she takes you on a journey to the spacious British countryside. Half of the book focuses on dreamy interiors that take advantage of the larger rooms offered by the country, but the other half recounts stories of hopeful career moves made by artists, architects, makers and designers. Grimshaw shows how beneficial a move from city to country can be for an artistic and creative mind, both financially and intrinsically. The book explores 25 houses across the UK and celebrates how innovatively these pioneers have worked the countryside to their advantage, proving that a London address isn’t the only aspect of success. £19.95, thameshudson.com

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Art of

GLASS Curiousa & Curiousa’s colourful glass orb lamps have captured the zeitgeist. HOME meets their innovative designer, Esther Patterson Words P E N D L E H A R T E

here is something slightly magical about them that you can’t quite describe,’ says Esther Patterson. We are in her Islington shop, surrounded by the jewel-like glass domes that make up her lighting collection. It’s hard to take your eyes off these pieces – they’re so perfectly formed, the colours so vivid, the quality of the glass so shiny that they’re almost otherworldly. Single pendants, clusters and chandeliers dangle from the ceiling creating an ethereal world of mesmerising colour. Patterson’s pieces are all hand-blown in the UK and her success story is astounding. ‘I think I hit on a niche that was about to explode,' she tells me. ‘Until a few years ago, coloured glass lighting was mostly very intricate and detailed, mostly from Murano, and I think people were ready for something else. My pieces show the beauty of glass but pared back, in more modern shapes that keep the elegance of the vintage ones.’ Britain may not be known for its glassblowing tradition and the craft has dwindled over the years, but there are scatterings of glass blowers all over the country, and a new interest in it is emerging. Curiousa’s pieces are all made in Derbyshire by a glass blower

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D E S I G N | PROFILE

with 40 years experience, because learning these techniques is something that takes a lot of time. They're simple, with none of the fussiness that often characterises blown glass, and they feel very contemporary. Patterson herself is friendly and open, with a Northern lack of pretension. The first thing she tells me is that she didn’t start out with glass. Her background is in designing and making things in lots of other materials – and she started a career in graphic design. But a need to make things meant that ‘there was always something missing’ so she kept taking classes in 'things like pottery and printing' until eventually she enrolled in a course in Decorative Arts at Nottingham Trent. ‘For me it was bliss, because the course covered everything. I had three years’ immersive experience with printing, paper, metal wood, ceramic and glass.’ Veering towards fabric and wallpaper design, she kept an interest in ceramics and was working on bone china lighting in simple shapes when her eureka moment came. ‘We spent a day with a glass blower and were invited to design something for him to blow. I thought it was incredible when a lamp that had taken me eight months to make in bone china was blown in glass in an afternoon. I loved the colour and the shapes and knew I wanted to incorporate glass into my products.’ When designing for glass blowing, Patterson sketches in a notebook then finalizes drawings in Illustrator as 2d shapes with dimensions – but as she explains: ‘the beauty of them being free-blown is that you get slight variations with each one, and I see that as a positive. Every one is individual.’ Which brings

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Exquisite • Classic • Contemporary By appointment only 0800 077 6407

SHERATONINTERIORS.CO.UK

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D E S I G N | PROFILE

She had created a roomset featuring her fabrics, wallpaper and glass lamps – and it was the lamps that caught on. Initially she would sell them from her workshop in Derbyshire, and she still does, but a presence in London is what she calls ‘the icing on the cake, really’ and her Amwell Street neighbours include Timorous Beasties and Wallace and Sewell. ‘We thought it would be interesting to see what happened if we had a space in London and it’s a lovely location.’ Though she’s enormously modest and down-to-earth about it, her story is a huge success. To graduate and have your first collection stocked at Liberty, and to be running successful business with a shop in Clerkenwell within a few years is not the typical design path. ‘It was instinctive really,’ she insists. ‘And also partly luck. If I hadn’t met the glassblower I’d probably have done something but it probably wouldn’t have been so successful.’ Curiousa and Curiousa’s beautiful glass pieces are hand-blown to order, so people can specify their exact colours, shapes and sizes – and choose from a range of light fittings and flex too. Patterson’s interest in combining materials has led to a variety of collaborations that bring wood, tassles and Swarovski crystals to the pieces – and this is something that she’s keen to expand on. Expect to see more of her. curiousa.co.uk 39 Amwell Street, EC1

us back to the skill involved. Is she tempted to learn? ‘No. I’ve tried – but I like to be good at everything I do, unfortunately, so I’d probably have to be blowing glass for 20 years first. I’ve got my skills.’ To make a similar dome or orb-shaped piece in china, several steps are involved. ‘Before you do slipcasting in bone china you make a mould, before that you make a model. Then you fire it and it might wilt in the kiln. So it takes much longer. And you can tell when things are moulded, they’re all the same.’ Free-blown glass is faster, and results are less uniform. It was at design festival Tent in 2010 that Patterson’s work was spotted by Elle Decoration and Liberty, and her business took off.

“My pieces show the beauty of glass in modern shapes that keep the elegance of the vintage ones” HOME SUMMER 2017

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BISQUE Beautiful radiators for stylish interiors

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D E S I G N | TREND

HOME Loves

JOHN LEWIS Glass water sprays, £10 each johnlewis.com

JONATHAN ADLER Glass menagerie lion vase, £128 jonathanadler.com

johnlewis.com

JONATHAN ADLER Pop glass decanters, £198; jonathanadler.com

JO DOWNS Cornish Pilchards feature bowl, £125 jodowns.com

WATERFORD 'Rebel' lead crystal decanter, £85 waterford.co.uk

TOM DIXON

LSA

Plum glass & copper ice bucket, £210 tomdixon.net

Asher tumblers, £10 each lsa-international.com

DAVEY LIGHTING Pendant light, £239 modernclassic.co.uk

g l ass act

Clear, coloured or opaque, glass is beautiful and enduringly fascinating ENGLISH ANTIQUE Glass giro doorstop, £37.50 englishantiqueglass.co.uk

By P E N D L E H A R T E

IITTALA Alvar Aalto collection vase, from £89 iittala.com

HOME SUMMER 2017

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Character Study Known for her quirky knitted creatures, Donna Wilson has designed a range of bedlinen for the Secret Linen Company. HOME quizzes the designer Words E V E H E R B E R T

HOME: Tell us about your prints for the Secret Linen Company DONNA WILSON: Blah blah was one of my first designs and has been a firm favourite ever since. It came to me one day when I was thinking of something to write. The sense of humour works in every language. The graphic pattern Scandi is inspired by Swedish folk art and my travels around Europe and Iceland. We’ve chosen a restful colour palette which feels contemporary and fresh. Menagerie is designed with children (or our inner child) in mind. I wanted to create something really playful and adventurous. It has elephants, birds, monkeys and wolves hiding in the trees, so beware!

HOME: When did you realise you had a passion for design? DW: I think it was at quite a young age, I was always drawing and making things and was always most happy with a pencil in my hand. I didn’t know what I wanted to be as a child, but I knew it was going to be something to do with art and design.

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D E S I G N | Q&A

“Being creative is a fantastic feeling. I’d recommend anyone to give it a go” HOME: Where do you find inspiration? DW: All over the place: the landscape,

music, dreams, magazines, ceramics, Scandinavian design, people. Sometimes I just see a tiny snippet of something which triggers an idea, which is then developed into a product. I recently went to a small, remote island off the coast of Newfoundland and came back feeling really inspired by its landscape of boats and houses; but normally I find inspiration everywhere: it can be a tiny piece of cloth, a picture in a book or a found object from my travels. Nature is also a big inspiration for me, particularly the plants and animals in the British countryside. HOME: How did you get to where you are now? DW: I studied Textile Design at Grays College of Art in Aberdeen and graduated in 1999. I then got a job in a knitwear company as an assistant designer for a year. After that I went back to college to do my MA at the Royal College of Art, where I

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Scandinavian inspired childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s design

www.scandiborn.co.uk Find us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook @Scandiborn

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D E S I G N | Q&A

AT H O M E WITH DONNA WILSON Wilson’s own plates adorn a wall in the kitchen

specialised in Mixed Media Textiles. I had fantastic tutors there. At the RCA I started making products and sold them in shops like Couverture and Supra Girls London. They started off as the long, leggy dolls and evolved into the slightly more disturbing knitted creatures with two heads or extra long legs, each with their very own character. The more peculiar the better for me. HOME: Which famous artists/designers do you admire or inspire you the most? DW: I like Alexander Girard, Stig Lindberg and my grandma (but she wasn’t famous). Another designer I admire is Hella Jongerius - I love the sofa she did for Vitra a long time ago with the odd buttons. I’d never seen anything like this and I love the way she uses textiles and colour a lot in her work. Her designs are clever and thoughtful and have that human element. HOME: Can you describe yourself in five

words? DW: Colourful, smiley (most of the time), messy, bendy, Scottish. HOME: What are five things you couldn’t live without? DW: A sketchbook, a stapler, music, colourful paints, the sea. HOME: How did you go about establishing your online shop? DW: I had a website pretty much straight after leaving the RCA, I felt it was important for shops and customers to see what I did. The first site was very hand-drawn and had a little animation of the creatures. I wasn’t trying to pretend I was a big company, I liked the fact that I was just starting out, was independent and could do small numbers and small quantities. The web shop took about six years to establish.

HOME: Is the crafted nature of your products as important for you as the design process? DW: Yes, definitely. When I’m making them I have to use the same process for each type but because they’re made by hand, their form varies from one to another and when we get to the stage of stitching their features on, I create a new personality every time – embroidery is like drawing with a needle and thread. The proportions and placement gives each one a different look and that’s why I enjoy making them. People have asked me why I don’t get them massproduced – it would certainly be less time consuming – but for me I think they would lose their charm, identity and oddness. HOME: What do you love most about your work? DW: Designing, and I have only recently given myself a bit of time to do this. I used to design in my own spare time, and on the back of an envelope on the bus. Being creative is a fantastic feeling, and I’d recommend anyone to give it a go. I also really enjoy making things that make people smile! HOME: Do you collect anything? I have to try very hard not to collect too many things. If I had enough space I would collect everything, as I love being surrounded by inspiring objects. I do have a shelf at home that’s got a collection of painted wooden dolls in all shapes and sizes. Some are from a trip to India, others are dolls that I’ve made, and some are lovely antique dolls with round ball heads from Japan. I love how there is a strange variation among them but that they all have nice faces.

A vintage kitchen cabinet displays glasses and mugs

In the garden: Wilson’s own cushions on a bench

Child-size – and child-like pieces

Donna Wilson eggcups – and cat

secretlinenstore.com donnawilson.com

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WALLS + FLO ORS . BATHRO OMS . HOME COLLEC TION

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BE INSPIRED From French Country House chic to elegant classical designs, our range of beautiful home furnishings and accessories combines contemporary style with timeless elegance. Our established interiors advice service will help to bring your vision to life. 125 QUEENSTOWN ROAD, LONDON SW8 3RH / WWW.DECARA-HOME.CO.UK INFO@DECARA-HOME.CO.UK / TEL: 0207 622 3388

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D E S I G N | LEGACY

ICONIC DESIGN String Shelving SWEDEN, 1949 Words K E R S T I N W I C K M A N

ertain things become timeless. This is certainly true of Swedish architect Nils Strinning’s shelf system, String, which was designed in 1949. This dainty, light shelf with its thin side panels has become one of the 20th century’s foremost design icons. The reasons are several: the thin packaging is simple and cheap to transport; the shelf is easy to assemble; the shelves can be quickly repositioned; shelves of various depths can be combined and books are held in place by the side panels; it is stable and can be extended in all directions.

Whether the wall surface is large or small, String is functional. It’s the elegant and clean-limbed side panel that gives String its character. Elegant and clean-limbed, like a slender ladder ascending the wall, the system is ingenious, variable and flexible. It’s no surprise that post-war Europeans, in their thirst for freedom, adored String. But if it hadn’t been for a competition announced by Sweden’s largest publishing house, Bonnier, in 1949, it would probably never have been put into production. Bonnier realised that if the Swedish people were to begin purchasing books, they would have to have somewhere to keep them. The shelf was to be affordable, simple to transport and easy to assemble. Just such a shelf had existed in Strinning’s imagination – so he entered, and won first prize. But String isn’t all about books. Drying dishes was a time-consuming enterprise before the days of the dishwasher; air drying is more hygienic than using a dishcloth, but a practical

Bonnier realised that if the Swedish people were to begin purchasing books, they would have to have somewhere to keep them

and orderly dish rack is required. The Elfa dish rack became Strinning’s first successful invention in 1946. Three years later, together with the producer Arne Lydmar, he solved the problem of how to coat the steel wire with plastic. Strinning is the father of the entire Elfa-system with his wire baskets which are to be found in countless wardrobes today. In Strinning, the inventor’s demand for function is combined with the aesthetician’s feeling for proportion and detail. The String system was reissued in 2005 and is available in a range colours and veneers, and is still manufactured in Malmo, Sweden. string.se

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Radio Heads HOME meets the team at Ruark, the UK’s leading design-led hifi company, to discover how audio equipment became stylish

Words P E N D L E H A R T E

t’s clear that we are all becoming more demanding. As technology changes, our domestic equipment is becoming either smaller or more attention-seeking, depending on its status, and we expect things to not only work as they should but also to look good. Aesthetics are paramount even for things that aren’t traditionally seen as design icons, including, say, dishwashers. Every gadget needs to look good as well as function flawlessly. Take hifi equipment. Though heavily designfocused from the outset, it mostly remained a niche interest, represented in geeky technical magazines rather than featured in interiors pages, for instance. During the 1980s and 1990s, domestic audio equipment went through an ugly period, with awful cheap stack systems flooding the market and replacing the traditional amp, speakers and record player arrangement. No more. Audio equipment has become smaller and more perfectly formed – as well as cleverer, and with better sound available across the board, and nowhere is this more visible than in the output of British brand Ruark. Having recently celebrated its 30th birthday, this is a brand that has been quietly gaining ground since its inception in the 1980s and it is one that captures the zeitgeist. A strong design sense, a big focus on quality, a respect for traditional craftsmanship and British industry combined with an instinctive ability to sense the future of audio make this business’s story an almost fairytale-like trajectory that shows how our homes have changed and how businesses can reinvent themselves.

“Audio equipment has become smaller and more perfectly formed” Ruark is a family affair, run by Alan O’Rourke, whose father was a cabinet maker specializing in speaker casings and set up the original company in Essex in 1986. Quite early on, they identified an issue that proved pivotal for their business. Men and women, they noted, had different priorities when buying speakers. Men would listen obsessively to the sound, rating its quality and deconstructing its components. But when they consulted their wives about large purchases for the sitting room, the women would invariably veto anything they deemed ugly. ‘It was men choosing the sound and women interested in the aesthetics,’ says O’Rourke. So design became an important concern – eclipsing the speakers, it transpired. ‘The market for speakers died, and now there are no factories left in the UK,’ he says. By the early noughties Ruark had to rethink. With little demand for their beautiful hand-crafted speakers, and no interest in craftsmanship and manufacture in the UK, their business could have died. But they hit on an idea. With the rise of digital radio, everyone needed a new unit. In 2004

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D E S I G N | TECHNOLOGY

they released the R1, a sleek and minimal speaker-like DAB and FM unit with simple controls, flawless sound and – brilliantly – an aux input. Several incarnations later, the new R1 – aptly described by the Telegraph as ‘the Aston Martin of DAB radios’ – comes with Bluetooth and a USB port but the design remains the same. O’Rourke is endlessly enthusiastic about it. ‘I spotted one in someone’s house in Through the Keyhole and got very excited,’ he says. ‘And Kate Middleton has three R1s!’ ‘We were at a recent trade show for audio in Germany and there was no representation from UK,’ says O’Rourke. Ruark’s manufacture isn’t entirely British, much as they would like it to be, because the industry just isn’t here any more. But Britain does pride itself on its designers and Ruark has become an established name in this world. A collaboration with the Design Museum is on the cards, crystallising the R1’s status as an iconic piece. Long may it live. ruarkaudio.com HOME SUMMER 2017

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Mobalpa Wimbledon 221 - 223 The Broadway, Wimbledon SW19 1SD 020 3405 6270 www.mobalpa-wimbledon.co.uk

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Mobalpa Richmond 132 - 134 Lower Mortlake Road, Richmond TW9 2JZ 020 3727 7762 www.mobalpa-richmond.co.uk

09/06/2017 10:48

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09/06/2017 10:48

THE APP ALL PARENTS NEED Download the Absolutely Education app to stay up-to-date with the latest news from the UK’s best schools

The Absolutely Education app covers every aspect of an independent education with insightful articles by leading journalists, tops tips from stellar heads and features covering the critical topics of the day. Download the app now to receive every issue before it hits stores

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D E S I G N | TREND

HUTSLY

JOHN LEWIS

Paper lampshade, £36 hutsly.com

Felt storage bucket, £18 johnlewis.com

MUUTO

HABITAT

Grain pendant, £99 rume.co.uk

Peggy cotton knitted throw, £80 habitat.co.uk

HUTSLY Gatsby drinks cabinet, £660 hutsly.com

NEPTUNE

WILD & WOLF

Winsford china, from £11 neptune.com

Illuminated globe light, £90 johnlewis.com

STHAL Arabesque bowls, £8-£100 ospreylondon.com

ROSS & BROWN Botanic print, £78 rossandbrownhome.co.uk

prett y g re e n HABITAT Maui oak longer, £70 habitat.co.uk

Emerald, mint, olive or moss – choose your favourite shade By P E N D L E H A R T E

HABITAT Bullseye embroidered round cushion, £40 habitat.co.uk

HOME SUMMER 2017

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DESIGNER ROBERTO CAVALLI

FASHION

HOUSE

Two worlds of design collide when fashion turns its hand to interiors : we explore the best high street and high-end offerings Words J OY M O N TG O M E RY

ynonymous with high octane, glossy glamour, Roberto Cavalli is the king of exotic prints and bohemian silhouettes. The brand has maintained a distinct character throughout its 40 year history and maximalism is the order of the day. Roberto Cavalli home offers all the high impact decadence of the fashion line. Drawing on different fabrics set off by a single bold print, dye or effect, this is not a look for the faint-hearted. ‘When I create a dress I want it to emphasise the femininity of a woman; and so as with designing for the home,’ Cavalli explains. The brand’s signature animal print pervades Cavalli homes’ Signature Line, alongside flashes of molten gold, while the wallpaper and linen look to the ornate frivolity of rococo style. A Cavalli home for the Cavalli woman. robertocavalli.com

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D E S I G N | FASHION

ZAR A HOME

riginating in northwest Spain, Zara is the biggest brand from the Index group, the world’s largest apparel retailer. Founded in 1974, the brand now manages up to 20 clothing collections a year and is famously known for its incredibly responsive supply chain, which ships products to stores twice a week. The result is an international brand constantly on the edge of the latest fashion trends. Zara Home launched in 2003 and won the hearts of the public with its affordable approach to homewear. Stocking pieces for every area - bedroom, bathroom, dining room and home fragrance Zara have created a platform from which interiors can be sold like ‘fast fashion’. With platforms such as Instagram and Pinterest democratising the world of interiors, there’s no doubt that this high street giant is onto something within a previously inaccessible market. zara.com

HIGH STREET Image: Zara Home La Grande Illusione by Tim Walker HOME SUMMER 2017

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HIGH STREET

FRENCH CONNECTION

ounded in 1972 by Stephen Marks, French Connection has solidified its position in the high street hall of fame. The brand become popular in the ‘90s with t-shirts emblazoned with the FCUK logo. Fast forward two decades and French Connection has positioned itself at the top end of the high street. After a short homeware run in the early noughties, the brand took a second shot at the market in 2012 with the help of Irish designer Lorraine Brennan. French Connection Home is composed of tasteful pieces, with clear nods to interiors trends - from industrial style to mid century modernism. frenchconnection.com

5 OF THE BEST INTERIORS + FA S H I O N C O L L A B O R AT I O N S ANGLEPOISE X PAUL SMITH Anglepoise® + Paul Smith fuses the iconic lamp with the style of Britain’s foremost designer. anglepoise.com

ELEY KISHIMOTO

usband and wife team Mark Eley and Wakako Kishimoto's prints have graced the world’s catwalks for decades. Founded in 1992, this eclectic fashion and design company gained prestige as a result of its first womenswear collection in the mid 90s and has continued to produce their own line ever since. Following the success of its clothing line, Kishimoto developed a variety of innovative design products, all identified by their timeless geometric prints. The brand is now known for its ability to decorate anything and everything. ‘The world has many surfaces and we as surface decorators are happy to cover these with our aesthetic’ is the manifesto the brand stands by. Its interiors line offers mid century modernity, intersected with tessellating shapes and vibrant hues. Passing trends and fads are rejected in favour of iconic prints such as chevron and houndstooth. eleykishimoto.com

IITTALA X ISSEY MIYAKE Scandinavian and Asian craftsmanship fuse in this range of high quality ceramics, glass and textiles. iittala.com

VISPRING X MISSONI As part of the Harrods Art Partners campaign, Vispring has partnered with Missoni Home to create three limited-edition beds in colourful fabrics. vispring.com

DESIGNER

HABITAT X HENRY HOLLAND Henry’s second Habitat collection is a riot of frills, florals and flair. habitat.co.uk

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BOHEMIAN Fashion brand Talitha moves into homeware with a new lifestyle store that’s possibly the most beautiful shop in the world. HOME takes a look Words P E A R L B OY D

RHAPSODY 58

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D E S I G N | LIFESTYLE

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The finest finish in interior design, intelligent construction, effortless technology and art consulting. We do it all, from design to build. Seeing is believing, come and see us in our Hyde Park showroom: 23 Craven Terrace W2 3QH

interior design | intelligent technology DSE GROUP.indd 1

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D E S I G N | LIFESTYLE

client to understand our whole world and shop it all in one place, from the Talitha collection to interiors to homeware accessories, furniture and gifts. I want women to come in and feel comfortable to try things on as if they’re at home with friends.” Shon Randhawa adds: “We are thrilled to be realising our ambitions for the business in opening our own retail space.” The space marks the first foray into bricks and mortar retail for Talitha and into lifestyle retail for Zandberg, who traditionally works with homes and has previously designed living spaces for both Talitha founders. Hubert said of the project: “It was a joy to bring to life Talitha’s rich, eclectic vision for the space their woman inhabits, with all its opulence and eccentricities. Sourcing one-of-a-kind lifestyle pieces for the space was a delightful process.”

o-founders of fashion brand Talitha Kim Hersov and Shon Randhawa have opened a new shop that extends their brand into homewwares. Working collaboratively with friend and interior designer Hubert Zandberg, they have created an innovative lifestyle experience. Designed to resemble a bedroom and living room, the space is intended as a haven for friends and clients alike. A considered curation of lifestyle and homeware items – all available for sale – fill the space, complementing the world and wardrobe of the Talitha woman. Likeminded brands including family-owned heritage textiles company Tibor and charitable craft project Madwa can be found within the space, which will continue to evolve each season to consistently offer a new experience. On exploring an alternative approach to retail, co-founder Kim Hersov said: “We were lucky enough to work with our great friend Hubert to create a space that would allow our

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100

ICONS

Heal’s has been at the forefront of British design for 125 years. To celebrate, the store has launched Heals 100, reissuing classic design pieces Words

EVE HERBERT

eal’s has been championing and commissioning emerging design talent since Ambrose Heal joined the company in 1893. In 2004 it launched the annual Heal’s Discovers collection, promoting the innovative work of new designers, including John Reeves, Anthony Dickens, Russell Pinch and Sebastian Cox, all of whose work is included in the Heal’s 100. This is a list of 100 pieces, curated by interiors specialist Magnus Englund, featuring iconic designs from names such as Charles and Ray Eames, Arne Jacobsen and Philippe Starck, as well as specially sourced vintage items and designer pieces originally brought to the UK by Heal’s in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s. There’s a democracy to the collection, too, with pieces ranging in price from £7 to £14,000. Since bringing feather mattresses to the UK from France back in 1810, Heal’s has been at the forefront of every significant design movement and future classics by emerging artists are also featured in this fascinating and informative celebration of innovative design. heals.com

RUSSELL PINCH FOR HEALS Wallace compact sofa, from £ 1,899

CHARLES & RAY EAMES Lounge chair and ottoman for Vitra, 1956, £5,230

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D E S I G N | ICONS

NEWGATE Putney wall clock, £100

ARNE JACOBSEN Fritz Hansen Egg Chair in leather, £11,908

BOCCI 14 Series Pendant, from £303

VINTAGE POSTER

Heal’s has a long tradition of using the best graphic designers available for its posters and advertising. Greiwirth designed some of the most iconic 20th century posters; they were hand-drawn and painted before then being screen-printed.

ARNE JACOBSEN FOR STELTON

EGON RISS FOR ISOKON

Cylinder line (not for sale)

The Penguin Donkey (not for sale)

KATIE WALKER FOR HEALS WINDSOR ROCKER, £2,349

HEALS Pinner four poster bed, £999

ANTHONY DICKENS FOR INNERMOST Origami dining table in black/ smoke, 2006, £1,139

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MAYFAIR LADY

PEARL BOYD: Why do you call this apartment ‘squat’? SHALINI MISRA: My vision was to create a 360 degree

Internationally recognised interior designer Shalini Misra talks HOME through her recent Mayfair residential project

view of integrating interiors with trend setters, art galleries and designers to create a unique holistic collaboration. I invited Nina Yashar of Nilufar Gallery to exhibit here, Nina had already done “squats” before in Paris and Beirut. I thought the name worked perfectly. I wanted to create a gallery space using my interiors inviting beautiful art, bespoke furniture and sculptural lighting to Squat here until it went to the right home.

Interview P E A R L B OY D PB: What was the original brief and what was the

place like when you first saw it? SM: Although the apartment had not been touched

for over 30 years I could see and feel its enormous potential and character the moment I stepped through the door. Looking past the pillar-box red bedrooms, yellow kitchen and black bathroom I could envisage the transformation and knew exactly how I wanted it to look. I fell in love with the terracotta exterior, the bright sunny reception and charm of the original features I wanted to retain. PB: What were its main attractions and defects? SM: There were many corridors, passages and

misplaced rooms. We simplified the layout and created a simple route that made sense. The entrance had no character and the ceilings were very low. We raised the ceilings by 30cm in the entrance hall and raised

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D E S I G N | FOCUS

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Absolute Home large advert 2017_Layout 1 04/01/2017 15:24 Page 1

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D E S I G N | FOCUS

and replaced the 1970 panelled ceiling in the kitchen. My attraction was the huge potential this property had – the beautiful building, exclusive location, large reception and master bedroom – it just needed spatial planning. This comes as second nature to me after so many years in the business and as a designer I’m not afraid to take risks to bring the apartment to life. I wanted to create a real mix of vintage and contemporary with the interiors – adding an element of surprise and wow factor by layering luxe materials, tactile finishes and playful proportions. PB: Tell us about the colour scheme. SM: The two other bedrooms had a playful

yet sophisticated feel. One bedroom combines painted walls with a metallic cork wallpaper and faux suede upholstered joinery doors. The other bedroom was painted light blue with striking dark blue gloss paintwork on and to above the skirting. This was topped with a delicate

‘We used metallic finishes to create a sense of drama’ gold stripe to give a crisp finish. Each room is treated uniquely with varying bespoke finishes. The master bedroom suite with a walk-in wardrobe is sleek and neutral with walls clad in linen wallpaper and soft velvet cupboard doors set alongside wood veneered media unit doors with bronze edging. The bathroom is a sumptuous combination of white marble-clad walls with a black New Portoro stone topped dark oak vanity unit and bronze accents. Illuminated mirrors suspended in bronze frames create sleek sophistication and add subtle lighting. We opted for clean white hallways and Elephants Breath in the reception room, an uplifting mid grey with a hint of Magenta, which can almost become lilac in the cooler light of west-facing rooms. PB: And there are a lot of metallic and shiny surfaces - tell us about those. We wanted to avoid bright brashy golds and opt for chrome, brass, bronze or antique gold for a more elegant refined look. The huge windows flood the rooms with natural light, we used the metallic finishes to create a sense of drama. PB: Which is your favourite room?

SM: I loved designing the room leading

from the reception. It can be used as either a media room, a third bedroom or a study for the new potential buyer. We chose to make it into a study. We carefully selected beautiful vintage furniture from Nilufar Gallery including a large vintage display cabinet from early 1950’s and a playful calligraphy rug by Martino Gamper. PB: What are you working on now? SM: We are working on a five storey office in

Mayfair, a rooftop bar in downtown Dubai, several residential projects in London and in November we will be decorating for a cause, taking up a room in Holiday House for breast cancer awareness. shalinimisra.com

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A brush with Lee HOME meets designer and multi-talent Lee Broom Words H A N N A H H O P K I N S

HOME: You studied theatre and fashion.

How did you come to be involved in the world of furniture and product design? LEE BROOM: I originally trained as an actor and was a professional child actor until I was 17 so my career path wasn’t design at all. As a child I loved design and my dad was an artist so I was always sketching and drawing when I was younger. I particularly liked architecture and also fashion. When I was 17 I entered a fashion competition called The Young Designer of The Year which was judged by Vivienne Westwood and I won. This then led to me working for her in London and Paris for around 10 months. She showed me how she was influenced by techniques of the past and made them relevant for the modern day. After that I studied at Central St Martins and to help support myself I set up a small business providing décor advice for a number of independent bars and nightclubs across London which cemented an organic move into interiors. I quickly realised product and interior design were things I really loved.

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D E S I G N | Q&A

“I love striking the balance between modernism and nostalgia”

HOME: How did you come to start your company and what was it like in the early days? LEE BROOM: Just after graduation in 2000 I was commissioned along with my friend and colleague from Central St Martins, Maki Aoki, to work on a nine-month long project for the design of what was to become London bar Nylon. After the project was nominated for the Evening Standard Bar of the Year Award, we set up an interior design practice called Makilee Design which created interiors for independent bars, clubs and restaurants across London. We did this very successfully for around four years. I had always had plans to launch my own label focusing on furniture and lighting and after Maki moved back to Japan, I launched the brand under my own name in 2007. I applied for a Princes Trust grant to help get my business started. It made me think about a business plan and strategy. I worked out of my apartment near Portobello Road at the time and launched my first collection ‘Neo Neon’ in September 2007 at the London Design Festival. HOME: What’s been your favourite project to work on and why? LEE BROOM: My recent collaboration with Wedgwood was a really interesting project to work on. The idea was for me to create a prestige range of limited edition vases using their iconic Jasperware. Jasperware isn’t something which has been touched by many designers over the years so I was really excited at the prospect of creating my own interpretation. I spent many days in the Wedgwood archive and visiting the factory in Barlaston, Stoke on Trent. It was fascinating working with the team to understand the meticulous processes and craftsmanship involved in making the pieces and it is wonderful to be a part of their history. HOME: You’ve got quite a different

aesthetic to a lot of your contemporaries. What are your key influences? LEE BROOM: Post-modernism would be a key influence. Art Deco also.

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40 Years experience “A level of service I believe goes above and beyond. Thank you Roger!” Louise, W4 • Fully qualified installation professionals • Project managed - design conception to completion • CAD (Computer Aided Design) • A proud member of the KBSA

OSBORNEINTERIORS.indd 1

Call us on: 0208 742 2236 or visit our showroom: 20 Fauconberg Road, Chiswick, London W4 3JY

www.osborne-interiors.co.uk

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D E S I G N | Q&A

HOME: Where do you find inspiration for

new designs? LEE BROOM: I’m a city boy so find a lot

of inspiration when I visit cities across the world, as well as galleries, exhibitions or fashion magazines. I also just find walking around inspires me - taking in the architecture, soaking up the street. I think the crossover between my different design disciplines, my theatre background in particular, has a subconscious influence on my work. I’m still very passionate about fashion too, even though I am no longer in that industry and I like looking at what people are wearing. I’m also inspired by materials and manufacturing techniques and how I can utilise the traditional in new and innovative ways, striking the balance between modernism and nostalgia, reimagining silhouettes and playing with form and shape. HOME: Do you have a set process for bringing a design to life? LEE BROOM: I’m never without my sketchbook so I have a library of designs which I then develop together with my design and production teams. Each aspect and development stage of creating a product gives me the opportunity to constantly evolve. We’re always experimenting with new materials and new styles in the studio which also makes it exciting for people who like my work, they never know what to expect next.

HOME: If you could have the opportunity

to work with someone from any period, , who would it be and why? LEE BROOM: It would have been great to be part of the art scene in New York in the late 70s, early 80s. Warhol, Keith Haring and Basquiat. It was a very raw time in New York City and very creative too. HOME: What’s your favourite part of the job? LEE BROOM: It is wonderful to collaborate with craftspeople who have been working with their material for decades. We try and push the capabilities of the craftspeople and their machinery as much as we can while learning all about their craft.. It is a great relationship. HOME: Which three items could you not live without? LEE BROOM: My iPhone, sketch book, pencil. HOME: What advice would give someone just starting out in design? LEE BROOM: I think different disciplines in design are more integrated now than they were when I started out ten years ago. Art, fashion, design, architecture all seems to cross over a little more than ten years ago which I feel is a positive step so my advice would be to be diverse and don’t stay within your comfort zone.

HOME: What’s your favourite colour? LEE BROOM: Black and white is a very

classic combination but also very modern. It works with any colour palette and brings a sense of edge to a space. HOME: Is there anything you haven’t

achieved professionally yet that you want to tick off? LEE BROOM: I’d love to design a hotel; I think it would encompass a lot of disciplines form by background. I’d also love to design a pop concert or theatrical production, that would be cool. We have grown rapidly as a brand over the past ten years however, there is still so much we would like to achieve and there is a lot more I would like to create as a designer. I still always feel like we have only just begun. leebroom.com

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W H E R E I N S P I R AT I O N B E G I N S

www.crucial-trading.com

The Plaza, 535 Kings Road, London SW10 0SZ

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LIVING NEWS • PEOPLE • DESIGN • EVENTS

An architect's bathroom

p. 74

. The great outdoors

p. 78

. Supper with Jackson & Levine

p. 106

Wicker men

Graham and Green’s lovely rattan pieces might look too lovely to expose to the elements, but they’re a summery addition to any room. grahamandgreen.co.uk

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INDUSTRIAL

CHIC HOME takes a tour around architect Julia Feix’s own bathroom and discovers how she co-founded her successful young practice

Words N A N CY A L S O P

hen Julia Feix moved into her apartment in a converted school in Elephant and Castle, complete with attendant beautiful proportions, she knew that she’d have her work cut out. “It was pretty grim,” she explains. “The previous owner had bought the flat as a shell and did the fit out himself. It was a pretty bad DIY job.” And of no room was this truer than the bathroom. “It was all green slate tiles and some faux-Victorian fittings. All in all, it was a bit odd. So the brief from my client (my wife, Emma) was ‘industrial chic’ – whatever that might be.” Happily Julia – along with Tarek Merlin, co –principals of their Peckham-based architectural firm, Feix and Merlin – was more than equal to the task. “We wanted to achieve an industrial look that didn’t feel at odds with the Victorian heritage of the building,” she says. “The result is a careful balance of industrial finishes, like the concrete floor and the steel/glass partition with more traditional fittings like a roll-top bath, ornate radiator and exposed riser/shower head. The fully glazed partition took a little convincing and the compromise was the installation of a curtain track along the partition, which – funnily enough – has not been used to date.” The duo chose elegant yet gratifyingly industrial Crittall windows as a partition to visually join the two spaces between the bathroom and the bedroom; hid all the plumbing in the floor build-up (you step up into the bathroom); and then finished the whole scheme in a palette of varying shades of elegant grey. “I’m a huge fan of grey,”

“We wanted to achieve an industrial look that wasn’t at odds with the Victorial heritage of the building” says Julia. “You just don’t get tired of it. In fact, there are a couple of red highlights in the bedroom: the fabric cables of the pendants. And those are the bits I’d most like to change now,” she laughs. It was she says, a pleasure to be her own client, together with Emma. “It’s always fun doing things for yourself, and thankfully we both have similar tastes so it doesn’t usually create any problems. I also like to experiment with new ideas in our own apartment and then use the outcome on other projects.” The taps, the flooring and the partition were, she explains, the most expensive elements of the scheme, and she advises anyone working on their bathrooms never to scrimp on the detail. “Always spend money on taps,” she says. “The things you touch every day need to be of the highest quality. Save money on tiles – ceramic and porcelain is hardwearing stuff, you can afford to spend less here without compromising on quality. Taste is of course a different matter…”

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L I V I N G | BATHROOMS

The duo chose Crittall windows as a partition to join the two spaces and hid all the plumbing in the floor. Apart from a couple of red highlights in the bedroom, the colour scheme is grey.

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beautiful fused glass interior pieces and bespoke architectural installations, handmade at our cornwall studio. please contact deborah.wilson@jodowns.com for commission enquiries 128 high street, ripley, surrey gu23 6ay and 136 heath road, twickenham tw1 4bn www.jodowns.com | achitecture.jodowns.com

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L I V I N G | BATHROOMS

‘We wanted to achieve an industrial look that didn’t feel at odds with the Victorian heritage of the building’

As far as Julia and Tarek are concerned, their taste has never been called into question. The pair met while working for Will Alsop, where they both stayed for over a decade. It was there that they launched their own eponymous practice, which started – entirely in keeping with their outlook and style – as a bit of fun. “We entered a competition together just for the hell of it. The brief was to design a café at the end of Deal pier. We got shortlisted and didn’t win (Niall McLaughlin did) but we came out of it having realised that we work really well together. We won the second competition we entered, one of four commissions to build the “beach hut of the 21st-century” and ours was opened 10 months later. That was the start of Feix & Merlin. We both have a similar approach to design and our tastes overlap enough to allow us to always find a solution we both love, while at the same time creating enough friction to make the design process interesting and productive.” It may have been just for fun, but that nascent foray into launching their own studio paid dividends in barely any time at all; since they started, they have been nominated as Young Architects of the Year, an accolade they were “excited and honoured” to receive. It’s not hard to fathom why they garnered such positive attention. It is, above all, Feix & Merlin’s unbridled joie de vivre that is the consistent thread that ties all their disparate work together. “We have been told that we are not like other architects, in that we design from the inside out, rather than from the outside in,” says Julia. “It’s where you live, it’s where you work, and where you play. We are interested in people’s lives and experiences and how, together, we can make them better.”

At present, they are working on a boxing gym; a private member’s club; the refurbishment and fit-out of a run of railway arches in Hackney (Henry Holland will likely be an occupant of one) and various private residential schemes. Their schedule is, then, near-dizzyingly busy and that’s just how they like it. As Julia explains, they would take on even more were it not for an insidious culture of caution that has crept into contemporary architecture. “Clients have become very risk-averse which, for small practices (read young architects), translates into a very real problem. Clients are often advised by their project managers or financiers to go with a safe pair of hands (read a grey beard) rather than to ‘risk your money’ with a young practice that might not have built a 10-storey tower, an airport, a museum, a school before. So small practices get stuck on a certain type of project size until they get ‘a break’ which allows them to leap to the next step on the ladder… that break gets harder and harder to find.” The duo considers much of their early work experience to have been formative. “Will Alsop taught me so much about the importance of telling a great story and not taking yourself too seriously,” she says. Although she equivocates about naming her favourite buildings – “Oh, I don’t think there is such a thing” – she professes to be a “huge fan of Oscar Niemeyer, and I love the work of Marcio Kogan and his StudioMK27 in Brazil.” There is a theme – or several, in fact: a sultry kind of elegance, certainly. What would be her dream project? She doesn’t miss a beat. “A beach house on a stunning coastline, please.” Sophisticate beach types take note: no one would do it better. feixandmerlin.com

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In the

GARDEN In summer, the garden becomes another room. So how to decorate it? Words

PENDLE HARTE

HABITAT.CO.UK

FLAME GRILL MORSO

Morso's stylishly crafted Ignis firepit adds a contemporary focal point to any party – and it's brilliantly portable so you can take it to the beach if you want to. Perfect for adding warmth, toasting marshmallows on or simply forming an orderly circle around, it will appeal to everyone's basic attraction to a flame. £249, morso.co.uk

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L I V I N G | OUTDOORS

INDIAN SUMMER EAST LONDON PARASOL CO These are parasols to celebrate under, handmade in colourful Indian fabrics using traditional techniques. Make an occasion out of a patch of shade. From £295, eastlondonparasols.com

STAND UP

SWEETPEA & WILLOW This stunning black and gold planter mixes contemporary style with elegant glamour. Raised from the ground by a set of black painted legs, it puts your planr on a pedestal. sweetpeaandwillow.co.uk

HANGING AROUND RAJ TENT CLUB It's not just tents and marquees at the Raj Tent Club, though they have those too. The new range of garden furniture includes lots of beautiful pieces in rattan and wrought iron with a colonical feel. We are coveting this delightful dangling chair in rattan. Fill it with cushions and just - literally hang. You could spend an entire summer that way. £250, rajtentclub.com

PLANT IT MADE

These Sanna Plant Pots feature a vibrant paint splatter that will add a fresh touch whether you place them outdoors or in. made.com

PIZZA AL FRESCO DELVITA • Outdoor cooking doesn't have to involve a barbeque. Delvita's new pizza ovens are small enough and stylish enough to fit even the smallest balcony, while heating up hot enough to cook a mean woodfired pizza in literally seconds. The ovens come with dough recipes and lots of information to help you perfect your pizza-making skills – though of course you can put meat, fish or vegetables in them too. £950, delvita.co.uk

HEALING HERB ORLA KIELY

These dinky enamel herb pots will look delightful on a window ledge – especially if you can admire them while you're washing up. black-by-design.co.uk

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L I V I N G | TREND

ANNABEL JAMES

JOHN LEWIS

William Morris enamel mug, £9.95 annabeljames.co.uk

Sunnylife ice cream tumblers, £10 johnlewis.com

scp.co.uk

LAGOON

BERRY RED

South American blue and violet double hammock, £149.90 vivalagoon.com

Butterfly jug and cups, from £25 berryred.co.uk

TOLLY MCRAE Lemon curd picnic rug and leather strap, £119 tollymcrae.co.uk

HOME Loves

JOHN LEWIS Salsa garden chair, £120 johnlewis.com

ISAK Midnattssol enamel coffee pot, £32 isak.co.uk

MY ADELE Garden vases, from £28 myadele.de

STUDIO WAWA Folding rocking chair, £298 wawa.co.uk

garde n part y Outdoor furniture and accessories galore By P E N D L E H A R T E MIAFLEUR Parisienne garden bench, £158 miafleur.com

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Patchi Silver Collection

Patchi Silver Luxury Room 4 2nd Floor at Harrods

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BOX OF DELIGHTS

Create your own summer container with advice from Petersham Nurseries’ head of horticulture Words T H O M A S B R O O M - H U G H E S 82

etersham Nurseries is celebrating summer with seasonal recipes for the garden brought to you by the Head of Horticulture, Thomas Broom - Hughes. Thomas has created a dramatic container recipe which shows how to replicate their signature planting style. It is the perfect planter recipe for small garden owners or those wanting to add a welcome splash of summer colour to window - boxes, patios and balconies. Petersham is holding a workshop on the theme of creating a cottage garden on 16 June, focusing on the informal yet distinctive style of garden that has become known as the ‘cottage garden’. You will learn how to combine fruits, vegetables and herbs with flowers to add beauty, as well as acting as a method of natural pest prevention. Tickets cost £25 at petershamnurseries.com

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L I V I N G | GARDENS

Stylish Summer Container Recipe

t Petersham Nurseries, the horticultural team mostly use perennial plants to give a natural feel. Thomas recommends using summer bedding (Annuals) for filling in smaller containers, like window boxes and small pots. Use any mix and amount of the following specimens, depending on the size of the pot, as long as it fills the entire container and commands presence . When the plants have finished flowering or when the frost hits in November, transfer the perennials to the garden border. This should leave you with sustainable, longterm results.

INGREDIENTS 1 large ( l/c L) Indian terracotta pot 35 - 38cm in diameter 1 bag ( l/c B) of multipurpose compost Liquid seaweed fertiliser CHOOSE 5 OF THE FOLLOWING

P E R E NNI AL S CROCOSMIA Emily - McKenzie RUDBECKIA Cherry - Brandy HELENIUM Moreheim Beauty or Canararia AGASTASHE Blue Fortune or Tutti Frutti SEDUM Purple Emperor DAHLIA any of the Bishop series SALVIA Love and Wishes USE AT LEAST 2 OF THE FOLLOWING

ANNUAL S

COLEUS Sunset Boulevard PETUNIA Black Mamba ANTIRRHINUM Liberty BEGONIA Non - stop Mocca

METHOD 1 Having crocks or stones at the bottom of the pot is important as it allows drainage . Using saucers underneath the pots is recommended as it ensures the plants get enough water, especially when the weather is hot . 2 Fill container with compost until two thirds full . 3 Start with the Perennials . Use the tallest first, adding it to the back of the pot (if the pot is to be placed in front of a wall or fence) otherwise arrange the plants just off centre . This helps to keep the container more natural, and stops it from looking too neat. 4 Continue to add plants using their colour as well as their heights as a guide . Trust your own creative instincts and initiative. 5 Infill using the Annuals and finish off with further Annuals placed around just one third of the edge. Don’t go for the typical all round edging - it doesn’t look natural. 6 Mulch the top of the soil with moss, available to purchase at Petersham Nurseries . It looks wonderful and helps retain moisture in the container. 7 Remember to water well, allowing water to run through the container to ensure enough is taken up by the plant. 8 Use a weekly liquid seaweed fertiliser. Shropshire fertiliser recommended .

PETERSHAM NURSERIES is a place of calm where visitors can reconnect with nature. Its food and plant philosophy, passion and creativity make it an inspirational destination that excites the senses and provokes thought . True to its ethos the team encourages a lifestyle of positive living in sharing their experience and knowledge. Petersham Nurseries Church Lane, Richmond TW10 7AB, 020 8940 5230 petershamnurseries.com

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09/06/2017 10:28

L I V I N G | PLANTS

A GREEN HOUSE No garden? Green up your indoor space with some leafy ferns. Just make sure you know a few basics first Words S O P H I E L E E

Taken from

LIVING WITH PLANTS

by Sophie Lee, published by Hardie Grant Books, £15

erns are quite easy to maintain when you know how. They can be considered to be quite needy plants, but if cared for properly, they will reward you with lush green fronds all year round. Asplenium nidus or bird’s nest fern (pictured opposite) is a great indoor plant and looks quite different to other ferns. Moisture is very important for them to thrive and grow well. The attractive, spear-like fronds should look shiny when the plant is in good health. Ferns were extremely popular during the Victorian era and large collections were grown in conservatories, in terrariums or glass cases. Their popularity waned because they were easily damaged by coal res, but when central heating came along ferns came back into favour. Most ferns are not difficult to grow, but they will not tolerate neglect; if you go on holiday for a fortnight and forget about them, they will not be happy. Their compost must never be allowed to dry out and the surrounding air needs to be kept moist. They love being in bathrooms – if you keep them elsewhere, mist with water regularly.

“Ferns will not tolerate neglect; if you go on holiday for a fortnight and forget about them, they will not be happy”

Many ferns are formed of a rosette of divided arching leaves called fronds, which unfold into a beautiful performance of foliage. These fronds are delicate and need room to develop, so when putting a fern next to the rest of your plant gang make sure they have space to grow. If any fronds die off, make sure you remove them so new ones can grow. My favourite ferns are the Nephrolepis exaltata (Boston fern) and Asparagus setaceus (aspara gus fern). The Adiantum (maidenhair fern) comes in at a sly third – however, it is not as forgiving as other ferns if you forget to water it as its leaves go very crispy very quickly. Keep ferns nice and warm, at around 16–21 °C (60–70 °F). Most people think that ferns are shade lovers, but that is not true. They love indirect light; an east- or north-facing windowsill is ideal. Ferns also love to be kept moist, so make sure you give them a regular misting. Water them from the bottom and never let the soil dry out – this does not mean you should keep the soil soggy, as waterlogging will lead to rotting; just keep the soil moist. Do not water them as much in winter as they do not drink as much water in the colder months. Most ferns are fastgrowing and will need repotting annually, but be careful not to bury any part of the fern’s stems or leaves as this could cause the plant to rot.

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Flower Power Flower arranging is therapeutic, satisfying and a source of beauty. We should all be doing more of it, as HOME discovers Words P E A R L B OY D

WAGNER KREUSCH Founder of the London Flower School

nstagram can be blamed for a lot of things. Flower arranging is one. A whole new interest in the art and craft of floristry can be traced to a glut of envy-inspiring images of beautiful arrangements that look at once effortless and perfect. A new school dedicated to flowers is offering courses for those looking to make a career in flowers as well as anyone with a more domestic interest. Founded by Wagner Kreusch, former Head Tutor at McQueens Flower School, and Helen Dyson, an experienced teacher and florist, the London Flower School will teach students the art and business of floristry. This stylish new outpost in Kings Cross takes a freehand approach. Kreusch says: ‘Arranging flowers is a therapeutic exercise and we at the London Flower School believe that to arrange beautiful flowers you need more than rules. You require a respect for nature and a desire to express yourself. Therefore, instead of floristry golden

rules, we would like to encourage you to think differently when approaching flowers for your home.’ Demonstrating how to create a mixed arrangement that looks casually asymmetrical while remaining fully contrived, Kreusch uses a clever yet simple method invented by Constance Spry that simply involves a ball of chicken wire placed into a vase. This holds the stems in place. Don’t be afraid of them, he says – bend them, cut them and move them around until your work looks right to you. Interspersing flowers with greenery adds body and creates the sense of a luxurious, bold bouquet. Good luck.

Kreusch uses a clever yet simple method invented by Constance Spry that involves rolling a ball of chicken wire into a vase

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L I V I N G | PLANTS

Trust your intuition. We all have our own way of looking at beauty. By trusting your taste and exploring your creativity, you will feel more connected to what you are doing; the result of this will surprise you.

THE ‘ANTIRULES’ OF FLORISTRY

Look around you. Nature is a constant inspiration for our team. A walk in the park or a visit to a garden can really help you get inspired. Mix that with a visit to an art gallery, The National Gallery for example, has an amazing collection of Dutch 17th Century paintings of flowers that are incredibly inspiring.

Find your own voice. The many styles of floristry that you see on Instagram right now prove that there is no right or wrong when it comes to arranging your flowers. Allow yourself to experiment and you will understand the power of this art form. londonflowerschool.com

Technique as a tool. As a flower school, we believe that technique can help you to put your ideas in to practice. Look for a floristry course that can really help you gain confidence.

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Scents & Sensibility The olfactory experience is integral to wellbeing and feeling at home. HOME investigates the world of interior fragrance Words P E N D L E H A R T E

here are lots of smells that make up a home. Some of them, of course, more pleasant than others. The smell of a summer’s day, windows open, bedlinen freshly laundered, floors and mirrors polished and bright, for instance, is a good one. Christmas, with its pine scents, log fires and mulled wine warming is another (difficult though it is to imagine at this time of year). Yesterday’s lingering fish pie, on the other hand, is not so good; neither is that slightly mildewy empty house smell that makes coming back from holiday even more grim. Logic says that if homes are susceptible to smell and smell is integral to mood, then ultimately if we are to be happy at home, the place needs to smell good. Perfumers' scents for the home create atmosphere, make people feel at home and lift spirits. The ultimate scent is reassuringly fragrant without being cloying or overbearing. In fact, you should hardly really notice it with your conscious mind – you should experience it as an abstract and visceral sense of belonging. Jo Malone MBE, founder of Jo Loves, is someone who knows about fragrance. She says this: “Scent is my absolute style essential and I immediately identify my home by the smells that I fill it with. I love very clean citrus scents at home and at the moment I’m burning my Lemongrass Layered Scented Candles in every room. I’m always discovering new ways to use scent at home and recently I have started to gently warm orange

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L I V I N G | WELLBEING

How to

Fill your home with fragrance

THE RATTAN STICKS DIFFUSER

“Homes are susceptible to smell, and smell is integral to mood, – so our homes need to be fragrant” peel in the oven and to use a few drops of my favourite fragrance in warm water to scent wooden floors.” Clean citrus scents are very much Malone’s successful trademark, while acclaimed perfume designer Azzi Glasser’s scents are heavier and more exotic. Her Perfumer's Story range of candles are suited to different rooms in a scheme that she calls ‘fragrance architecture’ – so the widely praised Black Moss candle is for the hallway or living room, ‘to create an instant wow’, while Twisted Iris ‘will make your bathroom smell like a stately home bathroom’. Victoria Cator is an interior designer who has moved into the world of fragrance and launched a line of beautiful, complex candles. She says: “If someone can say: ‘I’ve smelt this before’ when these candles are burning, then I have succeeded. I love the idea that scents can conjure up brief glimpses of the past to bring depth to the present.” There’s something poetic about describing fragrance and as Paris-based perfumer Rami Mekdashi of Lola James Harper sums up: “A home has a particular atmosphere, made up of colors, light, objects, decoration, sound, resonance, organization, proportion and, of course, smell… Fragrance is a part of the home.”

Interior designer Alessandreo Agrati invented the rattan sticks diffuser in 1990 and his brand Culti Milano is the leader in high end perfumery for the home. They even offer a bespoke service. culti.com

THE CANDLE Here's how Victoria Cator describes her Casablanca candle: ‘Laughter in the rain, opening the door to a bunch of unexpected flowers, fresh cut green stems plunged in water, elegant, exuberant and utterly chic. Fleeting yet forever.’ victoriacator.com

LE SABLIER Diptique’s new hourglass diffuser promises to be ‘time in bottle’ as it takes 60 minutes for fragrance to travel through the hourglass. Turn it over and the process starts again. diptyqueparis.com

HOME Loves THE NEBULIZING DIFFUSER The best method for diffusing pure, organic essential oil, nebulizing diffusers require neither heat nor water. So without being diluted, essential oils are atomized in a fine mist that is released into the room. organicaromas.com

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Desk

SPACE The home office should always look and feel nicer than the actual office. These decorative accessories will improve your work/life balance Words

PENDLE HARTE

WORD UP DESIGN LETTERS

Hook 2 is a wall hook featuring letters in a stylish Arne Jacobsen font that allows you to spell out your name, your beloved's name, your favourite colour, or anything that takes your fancy – and then hang your coat, your bag or anything that will help you clear your desk and your mind. Geuius. £22 each. scandinaviandesigncentre.com

OFF THE PEG BLOCK DESIGN • A wooden peg board is the

perfect addition to a busy studio, office or even a kitchen. A creative way to keep your most used items safe and on display, all Pegboards are supplied with a range of wooden pegs in a stylish midcentury palette. Hang pictures, scissors and rolls of washi tape and make creative use of bulldog clips and string to hang a huge variety of other things. £25- £55.

blockdesign.co.uk

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L I V I N G | WORK LIFE

HOME Loves

LET IT SHINE TOM DIXON • Tom Dixon's shiny surfaces extend to stationery with this copper-plated collection that spans a clever desk tidy, a weighty and angular stapler and substantial pens. Fans of architectural spaces will love them, while matching scented candles addd a feminine touch. tomdixon.net

PAPER PLAY

SARA MILLER Cheer yourself up with one of Sara Miller's beautiful prints. This Birds in a Tree magazine rack will brighten up even the dullest desk. It has a textured paper finish with gold foil and a gold metal card holder on the front. Why not arrange several in a row? saramiller.london

LOOSE LEAF KARENZA • Karenza's products are all

recycled and eco-friendly, and this tropical leaf-print range adorns everything from magazine files to box folders to adorable pen pots and even notebooks. If you have plants in your office, it'll all blend in nicely – if not, these pieces make a good alternative. karenzaandco.com

LITTLE BOXES HAY • Hay's cardboard letter

boxes are a delight to use with their beautiful paper patterns and variety of shapes and sizes. Storing your papers has never been so much fun. goodhoodstore.com

GRAPHIC GEOMETRIC KARENZA

There are few greater desk pleasures than a boxfresh notebook. Anyone who takes pleasure in stationery will love Garenza's geometric notebooks and find joy in the matching pencil cases. karenzaandco.com

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ROGER & FAY OATES

have been designing and hand producing their uniquely smart, simple and classic pure wool Venetian Flatweave rugs and runners for over twenty years. When Roger and Fay first discovered a nineteenth century flatweave fragment in the late 1980s, they set out to reintroduce and reinvent this flooring, woven in such a way as to be utterly authentic and true to the art of weaving, yet completely grounded in chic 21st century taste. Designs are originated and coloured by both Fay and Roger and the production process is run by craftsmen who finish by hand. Roger and Fay's combined eye for colour mixed with practicality and their own standards of excellence, have taken a historic flatweave from being a relatively humble floor covering to being considered today's must-have design staple for floors and stairs in this country and across Europe, Scandinavia, North America and Australia. rogeroates.com

Q&A

HOME: When did you start ‘The Edited’? ERICA DAVIS: I started my blog in 2012,

just before I had my second child. I wanted something that would fulfil me creatively during my second maternity leave – and I wanted to share things I loved, from fashion to décor.

ON THE RUN When blogger Erica Davis spotted a lime green Roger Oates runner on Pinterest, she had to have one for her stairs… Words E V E H E R B E R T

HOME: Have you always been interested in interiors as well as fashion and if not when did you first become interested? ERICA DAVIS: Yes, it has always been an absolute passion. My mum loves it too and we used to spend hours looking for wallpapers and fabrics when I was a child. I remember pouring over the Laura Ashley catalogue when I was tiny, imagining how I would have my own home one day. HOME: Describe your home, where is it, who lives there, how long have you lived there? ERICA DAVIS: We moved from a traditional Victorian house in south east London to a fairly new-build, Georgian style house on the border between Essex and Suffolk just over a year ago. It was the space, flexibility and potential that sold it to me. I live here with my husband James, and our children Charlie, 6 and Lila, 4.

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L I V I N G | HOMES

HOME: How would you describe your design style? ERICA DAVIS: I’m fairly eclectic – I love mixing old with new. I love colour and pattern and am not afraid of using them in a scheme, but I always want it to be sophisticated. My vision for this house is fun and colour – I want the kids to grow up and be inspired by their environment. HOME: Where do you find your lifestyle inspiration? ERICA DAVIS: I am a huge fan of Instagram and Pinterest and could spend hours on both. HOME: Who is your favourite designer? ERICA DAVIS: For fashion, I love the

ladylike designs of Emilia Wickstead and for interiors, the quirky cool of Kelly Wearstler. HOME: Who makes all the decorating decisions in your house? ERICA DAVIS: Me! My husband very much leaves it up to me.

HOME: Which is your favourite room in your house and why? ERICA DAVIS: Our living room because it’s the first one we tackled and I love sitting in it at various times throughout the day. The light in there is so pretty. HOME: Why did you choose a Roger Oates Design runner? Was the New Hadley Lime an immediate choice or did you deliberate between a few designs? ERICA DAVIS: The lime was an immediate choice. I had spotted an image on Pinterest which really inspired me and I was determined from that moment on to go for it. It actually inspired the colours I will use throughout the house. HOME: What’s the best compliment you have had about your runner? ERICA DAVIS: That it has inspired people to be bolder with their colour choices.

“The historic flat weave is a must-have design staple”

ERICA DAVIS

is a stylist, fashion journalist, brand consultant, and the creative force behind award-nominated blog, The Edited. She’s travelled around the world on shoots, styled books, appeared as a style expert on TV and radio and even created her own collections for high street fashion chains. Her blog is her take on style, shopping and more.

the-edited.com Instagram @erica_davies

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ENGINEERED ARCHITECTURAL ARCHITECTURAL INNOVATIONS INNOVATIONS

ARCHITECTURAL ARCHITECTURAL

Manufacturers Manufacturers&&Suppliers SuppliersofofBespoke Bespoke British BritishMade MadeArchitectural ArchitecturalMetal MetalWork Work Staircases Staircases--Balustrades Balustrades--Handrails Handrails- -Balconies Balconies Canopies Architectural Metal work Canopies - Architectural Metal work

MAKE MAKE YOUR YOUR CONCEPT CONCEPTAA REALITY REALITY Residential Residential&&Commerical CommericalInstalled Installed Throughout The UK & Abroad Throughout The UK & Abroad Visit VisitOur OurLondon LondonShowroom ShowroomororCall Call us to Discuss Your Latest Project us to Discuss Your Latest Project 11-12 Great Sutton St. 11-12 Great Sutton St. London, EC1V 0BX. London, EC1V 0BX. www.canal.eu.com www.canal.eu.com + 44 (0) 115 986 6321 + 44 (0) 115 986 6321

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L I V I N G | CRAFTSMANSHIP

Why Wool? Fleece Facts THE DUVET

herdysleep.com

Sleep quality is heavily affected by the fabrics surrounding you. HOME is converted to the power of wool Words P E N D L E H A R T E

aving a beautiful bedroom is all very well but will it actually help you sleep? Because ultimately, a good night’s sleep is the single most important thing a bedroom can offer you. And though colour schemes and aesthetics will go a long way towards creating a relaxed and conducive environment, what

you really want to think about is fabric. Everyone knows that natural fabrics are breathable and comfortable. Cotton and linen duvet covers combined with down duvets are a popular combination, but one material that is often overlooked is wool. Though it’s enormously versatile and probably the best all-round performer, it’s commonly – and mistakenly – held to be an exclusively winter thing. Not so. Wool is a fantastic material for duvets, pillows, mattress toppers and even entire mattresses. The Woolroom is dedicated to promoting the benefits of wool for sleep. Their experts say: “Wool is a natural insulator to keep you warm in winter and naturally breathable to keep you cool in summer. Wool fibre helps to keep your body at the optimal temperature zone for comfort and rest. When used in blankets, synthetic fibres, down and even cotton fibres do not breathe as well as wool, and are more likely to trap heat in your bed. Wool buffers the extreme cold or hot air on the outside, keeping your body in the ideal comfort zone.” Additionally, wool is naturally absorbent and can absorb up to 30% of its weight without feeling damp. Its ability to repel moisture also protects it from mildew and enables it to resist dust and dirt.

Handmade in their Devon workshops and something of a change from traditional plump duvets, Natural Mat’s quilted wool duvets have a much lower profile and are brilliant at regulating temperature. They are also something of a treat for those who crave simple, sleek bedding. We say: warm enough but never too warm and super cosy, wool is a good alternative to down. naturalmat.co.uk

THE MATTRESS

Herdysleep is the first mattress of its kind to combine the luxury of craftsmanship with the compact convenience of a bed-in-a-box. Traditionally tufted and finished by hand, each mattress contains an industry leading number of pocket springs of up to 6,000, topped with a cloud-like blend of cotton, cashmere and wool from local Herdwick sheep. We say: firm, breathable and comfortable, this mattress is luxurious with just the right amount of bounce. herdysleep.com

THE TOPPER

The Woolroom’s deluxe wool mattress topper claims to be the UK’s most comfortable and hypoallergenic topper, suitable for year-round use. We say: it adds a layer of softness and comfort, transforming our mattress. Toasty in winter and cool in summer, it has vastly improved our sleep quality. thewoolroom.com

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Install My Fireplace

Wood Burning Stove Specialists We specialise in the design, supplying and installation of Fireplaces, Stoves and Flue Liners around the London and South East area.

Tel: 0800 211 8627 www.installmyfireplace.co.uk

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L I V I N G | STORAGE

DRESS UP A walk-in wardrobe is many people’s dream. Absolutely talks to the experts at McCarron & Co about planning the perfect dressing room Words E V E H E R B E R T

Some people like to have their clothes arranged by colour; others according to style or purpose

ABSOLUTELY: What are the advantages

of having a dressing room? MCCARRON & CO: One of the main advantages of having a dressing room is the space that it provides, allowing you to have your clothes, shoes and accessories in a dedicated area rather than trying to contain all of these within a bedroom. This also means that the bedroom can remain decluttered and become a more calming space. Having a dedicated dressing room generally affords you a greater amount of storage so that every item has its place in a well-organised way. Also, you can tailor the room specifically for the individual or couple using it. Certainly having a dressing room can provide a sense of luxury, and as designers it can provide us with the opportunity to be creative with the layout and tailor it personally to the client’s needs.

ABS: Is it a good idea to share one or should you have one to yourself? MCC&C: This really comes down to a question of space. In an ideal world, most clients want to have their own. If the clients are able to have one each then we can tailor it to meet their individual needs. This can lead to these rooms being the most personal spaces in the home, tailoring furniture and finishes to the individual. We can keep similar themes across both dressing rooms but having your own one does allow for more self-expression which you may not have in the more sociable, open rooms in the home. Individuals will also differ in terms of how they like their clothing and accessories to be displayed which can ultimately lead to very different designs between the two dressing rooms. ABS: How should we go about arranging clothes? MCC&C: Every client is different, and we ask questions ascertain how they would like to store their clothes and accessories, how they would like to use the space, which items they need regular access to and which items will potentially be stored.

Some clients prefer to have their clothes arranged by colour, others by style or purpose, so once we understand this, we can help with the solution that meets their requirements ABS: Can you design a wardrobe for someone with lots of clothes but no idea how to store them properly? MCC&C: Yes! The key element is to allow versatility with the storage such as adjustable shelving, so that they can rearrange it if necessary, creating different apertures, moving hanging rails and so on. Clients are requesting more glass-fronted drawers, but that may come down to how tidy and organised you are, which is also relevant when it comes to deciding whether to have doors on the wardrobes themselves or to keep them open. ABS: How can you create the maximum storage out of a limited space? MCC&C: Working with a bespoke furniture company means that you can utilise every available millimetre. It is very important to consider the depth of the wardrobes as consideration needs to be made for wider garments such as jackets and suits. Recently we transformed a partition wall into a stunning floor-to-ceiling wardrobe which included a secret door to the ensuite. This provided maximum storage space in a very stylish manner. Clever lighting and mirrors should be considered very carefully to maximise the space and light. mccarronandco.com

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L I V I N G | LOUNGING

Py jama

PA RT Y Waft around at home in pyjamas, kimonos and silk robes â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and you might even blend in with your wallpaper Compil ed by

J OY M O N TG O M E RY

FLOR AL FANCY Yo l k e

Approved by trend-setters, such as Pandora Sykes, Harriet Stewart and Alex Stedman, Yolke's two-piece pyjama sets fuse traditional cuts with fashion forward prints. Designed to be worn from bed to bar (yes, literally), we're coveting the brand's pin stripes and palm prints for SS17 cool.

PRINTS PLEASE

yolke.co.uk

Holland Street

Print-lovers take note: Holland Street is your onestop-shop for personalitypacked loungewear. Perfect for those wanting a more graphic spin on traditional nightwear without comprimising on cut. Get ready to sleep in style. holland-street.com

LOV E LY L AC E Gilda & Pearl

Named after one of cinema's most intriguing femme fatales, Gilda & Pearl is the UK lingerie and sleepwear brand that delivers timelessly beautiful, hand made pieces. We love the delicate lace trimming on this silk kimono - ideal for special occasions. gildapearl.co.uk

PA I S L E Y P OW E R

Graphic Ta l e s Ta l e s o f Th r e a d

Driven by a passion for textiles and ethical manufacturing, Tales of Thread is the loungewear label with a heart. Inspired by pan-African and artisanal culture, the brand's pieces are made from soft organic cotton and silk blends. The Kente print our top pick from the collection. talesofthread.com

Longstaf f

Silk luxury loungewear beautifully made in UK using original hand painted prints, Longstaff deliver both comfortable and quirky styles for the modern woman. Channelling plenty of English eccentricity, this Royal Paisley Tunic speaks of swinging 1960s style with its eye-popping psychedelic print. longstafflongstaff.com

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The home of

BRITT, JURGEN & MASCHA The room’s layout should take into account the child’s activity preferences, just in the way that you’d plan an adult’s space based on their usage of it. Here the dressing table and a deep cushioned bench are positioned right by the window, to ensure as much natural light as possible for getting ready and dressing up and for reading. Photography Rachel Whiting

100

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L I V I N G | AT HOME

Play Rooms When designing your child’s room it’s important to incorporate their interests without losing your sense of style. Here’s how

The familly home of

ARCHITECT ARASH NOURINEJAD & ARTIST KRISTINA LYKKE TØNNESEN IN COPENHAGEN A favourite theme will always delight a child – but it’s best to make sure that you choose to express it in an impermanent fashion, so it can be updated easily and inexpensively as the child grows up. Wall stickers are a cheap, quick way of adding mural-style decoration, without the permanence. Photography Rachel Whiting

hen designing and decorating a child’s room, flexibility is key. Children’s rooms need to change and evolve as fast as the child does. From a calming nursery to a high-tech teenage hangout, the room must be adaptable, well-planned and creative. A child’s room should reflect his or her personality and preferences, while also remaining similar in style to the rest of your home, so it fits in. Involve your child in decision-making; young children can feel very upset when their room is transformed and familiar pieces in it changed, so let them make some choices to reduce the risk of their feeling unsettled. That said, your input is essential. Do not trust a four- year old to pick a scheme that he or she will still love in six months’ time, so avoid Spiderman wallpaper on every wall, as your son may prefer Batman in a few weeks, but do leave a wall free where he can hang posters or pictures, which can be swapped easily. Pick furniture that can be adapted, to accommodate a child’s ever-changing interests without compromising your own sense of style too greatly; wooden furniture that can be painted, a dressing-up box that can double as seating, a shelving unit that can be wall-mounted once the child is taller. Then have fun with inexpensive accessories like lights, wall stickers, rugs and bedding, to create a space that is both stylish and child-friendly.

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THE APP FOR TODAY’S STYLISH MAMAS Download the Absolutely Mama App to receive every issue before it hits stores

The Absolutely Mama app, updated bi-monthly with each issue of the magazine, offers the freedom to seamlessly glide between articles and features from parenting experts, top influencers and some truly inspirational mamas. Download the app to discover, learn and share the latest MAMA trends and news

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L I V I N G | AT HOME

Extract taken from

SPACE WORKS

by Caroline Clifton-Mogg, Joanna Simmons, Rebecca Tanqueray and Rebecca Winward, Ryland Peters & Small (£30.00). All photographs © Ryland Peters & Small

The home of

MAAIKE GOLDBACH IN THE NETHERLANDS Here jade green, orange and coral pop out against a whiteon-white backdrop, but some more natural shades have also been included to add some contrast and texture. The wicker chair, natural wood boxes and retro lamp all help to ground the scheme.

The home of

JEANETTE LUNDE BYFRYD.COM

Photography Katya de Grunwald

The family home of

THE DESIGNER NINA NAGEL OF BYGARZIELA.COM Toys and books have a dual purpose, as they can be used as decorative accessories too – they bring colour and character to a space. Display your child’s large picture books facing forward; picture ledges are an easy and inexpensive option for achieving this look.

In a shared bedroom it’s often a good idea to provide some kind of screen or divider to enable each child to have their own private area – this might be as simple as a curtain, or as permanent as a partition wall. In this paneled room, a matching tongue-and-groove divider is the ideal solution. Photography Catherine Gratwicke

Photography Ben Robertson

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After 8 years in the Cotswolds, Symes is now operating in London and the Home Counties. Specialising in bespoke kitchens and joinery, fine interiors and renovation works, we are dedicated to your vision of creating a beautiful home. Offering full design services, we compliment this by also providing a complete design and build option. Whether you are wishing to add a bespoke kitchen, a climbing frame in your garden or undertaking building and interior works, we will not only create the look you want, but deliver your project with the greatest attention to detail, efficiency and professionalism.

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For a complete and comprehensive tailored solution to your property needs, please contact us. info@symesinteriors.co.uk 02085422334 07917086199 www.symesinteriors.co.uk

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KITCHEN Unstoppable supper club duo Laura Jackson and Alive Levine have launched a range of textiles for Habitat. HOME caught up with them Interview H A N N A H H O P K I N S

HANNAH HOPKINS: How did you meet and start your supper clubs? JACKSON & LEVINE: We met at a jumble sale that our friend Gemma Cairney was running for Oxfam, she asked us each to run a stall. We kept finding things we thought the other would like - there were some dungarees and a cat blouse if memory serves us right. We started chatting about food on our break and decided to meet up and have lunch. We then cooked up the idea of starting a supper club. HH: Tell us about the new collection for Habitat J&L: Our first capsule collection includes the staples for dressing your dining table and kitchen. We’ve focused on creating informal, hand crafted textiles and have worked with one of Habitat’s oldest suppliers in India to create designs on a khadi base cloth. This cloth is hand-spun and hand-woven in a traditional weaving village and has a beautiful relaxed quality to it. Each piece is entirely individual - not machine uniformity – and a cool, neutral base stripe underpins the whole collection with printed botanical motifs giving a nod to the foraged herbs we use in our cooking and table decorating. HH: What’s the ethos behind your cookbook Round to Ours? J&L: We have been running supper clubs together for four years. Along the way we have learnt loads of great little cheats for cooking for big numbers, and setting the mood when people come over - so we thought we would get them all down in one place. It’s part cookbook, part interiors book, part directory for great finds. We want people to turn to it in times of entertaining need! HH: How did you decide which recipes would go in the book? J&L: We wanted the book to inspire people to get their friends over - so that meant everything had to be impressive but easy to put together. The book is full of menus that we have cooked for loved ones, that have gone down well. Great all-rounders, that can become part of your repertoire.

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L I V I N G | ENTERTAINING

Extract taken from

ROUND TO OURS by Jackson&Levine, to be published by Quadrille on 18th May, price £25

HH: What’s your favourite aspect of having people over for dinner? J&L: We love having a busy, bustling kitchen table, with all our favourite people around it, the more the merrier. The best dinners start early and end late - everyone staying well into the night is a good sign. Being at the heart of the action as the person making the food has always been a thrill for us both. HH: Which are some of your favourite go-to dishes for groups? J&L: A piece of meat slow cooked meat is always an amazing crowd pleaser - think lamb shoulder done low and slow. Serve with some dauphinoise which tastes even better if you prepare in the night before. Then just do some simple seasonal greens with lemon and black pepper.

“If you are going to the trouble of cooking a lovely meal for friends, it’s worth putting that final bit of effort in to present it in a beautiful way”

HH: Your supper clubs look so beautiful. What are your tips for throwing the perfect dinner party? J&L: If you are going to the trouble of cooking a lovely meal for friends, it’s worth putting that final bit of effort in to present it in a beautiful way. We are all about the small details - some lovely plants or flowers for the table (we get inspiration on Instagram from our florist friends @wormlondon). Pick up some large sharing platters and plates in the charity shop so you can serve some dishes banquet-style in the middle of the table and take time to think about the lighting - it makes such a difference. HH: What’s a good idea for a welcome drink? J&L: We have been making something called “rocket fuel” since the early days - it’s a very simple recipe; gin, prosecco, elderflower cordial and a slice of cucumber or grapefruit. It’s definitely an ice breaker.

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L I V I N G | ENTERTAINING

HH: What would be on your playlist? J&L: We always play tracks on the record player and encourage guests to pick up a classic in the charity shop that they can put on. Northern Soul seem to go down well so we raid Jon [Laura’s boyfriend’s] collection. HH: How does your dynamic together work in the kitchen? J&L: Laura is a Tasmanian devil - so much energy and a mean list maker. Alice likes the washing up! So in many ways a perfect combination.

“If you are going to the trouble of cooking a lovely meal for friends, it’s worth putting that final bit of effort in to present it in a beautiful way” HH: There’s a real new tribe of young, stylish female foodies out there right now. How do you stand out from the crowd? J&L: We are friends with loads of the female foodies. We saw Anna Jones today and Rosie Birkett is a great pal who we always call up for great ideas and dog walks on the Marshes. We all get together for lunches and dinners. Elly Pear comes over to visit from Bristol, Clare Lattin from Duck Soup and Claire Ptak from Violet’s bring a dish too. We also host the Young British Foodie Awards because Lily Vanilli is a friend of ours. So for us it’s not about standing out from the crowd - it’s trying to be an even bigger part of it. HH: As broadcasters you’re both used to interviewing celebrities – who is the best person you’ve interviewed? LAURA JACKSON: Snoop Dog, he wouldn’t stop talking about the Queen. ALICE LEVINE: I played Hungry Hippos with Quentin Tarantino, he’d never heard of it so took it home with him.

HH: What do you do to unwind? J&L: Cook! Seriously we find a leisurely stint in the kitchen with the radio on to be a lovely way to de-stress. Either that or watching rubbish TV. HH: Finally, where are your favourite places to eat in London? LJ: Morito - the Exmouth Market tapas bar and restaurant has always been a favourite, as is Rochelle Canteen - hidden in a garden, behind the wall of a Victorian school. AL: Duck Soup is ideal for a chilled, midweek dinner. Padella - we have always loved Tim’s restaurant Trullo, so when they opened this little sister pasta joint, we were over the moon. Try the pici, it’s phenomenal. And also Campania & Jones. We have both lived in the East End for many years, and we still love a trip to Columbia Road. Summer nights on that patch of cobbles is divine.

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L I V I N G | LIFESTYLE

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B O O K C LU B Lutyens & rubinstein Don’t know what to read next? West London’s excellent independent bookshop Lutyens & Rubinstein will send you a carefully chosen book every month. They’ll ask a few questions first to make sure that you’re not bombarded with sci-fi novels if you’re a fan of literary fiction – but the aim is to widen your reading repertoire with the help of a trusted source. £160 paperbacks, lutyensrubinstein.co.uk

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“Not for her the ubiquitous minimalist white surfaces – this is a kitchen where things happen ”

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L I V I N G | HOME COOKING

HOME COOK HOME joins Thomasina Miers in her own kitchen to talk about kitchen management, Mrs Beeton and Bake Off Words P E N D L E H A R T E

homasina Miers – Masterchef winner, founder of Wahaca, food columnist and mother of three – is not too busy to have written a new book. Well, actually she is – in fact she turned the project down four times – but being pregnant with her third and unable to sleep created a new window of nocturnal opportunity, which she saw as a chance to write. The resulting book, Home Cook, is focused on family life and the domestic kitchen, so it’s fitting that I have come to her actual home to discuss it. There’s an appealingly chaotic feel to Tommi Miers’ Kensal Rise house – toys strewn, children chattering, walls crowded with pictures and a lively, busy kitchen. Not for her the ubiquitous minimalist white surfaces; hers is a kitchen where things happen. The new book is about sharing the wisdom that she’s gathered: how to make a kitchen work even when you’re pressed for time, how to make healthy dishes for whoever’s around without feeling stressed, and how to shop properly to enable all this. ‘It’s old-fashioned

really. It definitely goes back to Mrs Beeton but I felt there was a gap in the market for a common sense approach,’ she tells me. ‘I feel that people really get their knickers in a twist about food a lot. I used to too – about eating and what to eat. But all the faddism is crazy; it’s a lot easier to feed people than you’d think. It’s just not that difficult to cook affordable, fun, healthy food, and it doesn’t take forever.’ She doesn’t look quite as relaxed as she says she is, however – and no wonder, because who can run a large business, write a column, cope with three tiny children and publicise a new book, all while being primed to throw dinner on the table for 12 unexpected guests without so much as a tiny trip to Tesco? Not to mention the huge and ongoing project she has launched with her local primary school, devising and fundraising for a vegetable garden and an outdoor classroom. She concedes that her husband thinks she does too much. But she is clearly on a mission, or a variety of missions. ‘We worry about obesity – yet we feed our children chicken nuggets and chips! And just look at the children’s yogurts

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ABSOLUTELY london

www.absolutely.london is now live

Your guide to inspirational London living From the team behind Absolutely Magazines

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L I V I N G | HOME COOKING

Extract taken from

HOME COOK by Thomasina Miers.

Published by Faber, in the supermarket! We have none of £25 h/b that. But then if we’re baking we do use sugar and butter because it should be about pleasure. If you’re mainly eating fibre and wholegrains and vegetables, then it’s fine.’ Miers complains that there’s too much neurosis around, and yet she will only buy farmers’ market milk, which she agrees sounds a bit inconsistent. ‘As a mother you do think about nutrition and our soil nutrition has plummeted. But I’m very suspicious of fads.’ As well as representing her cooking present, the book harks back to Miers’ cooking past, which is home-taught and family-oriented. ‘I grew up cooking by my mother’s side and I’ve returned to the kind of cooking we did at home.’ Her mother would buy cheap ingredients – ‘like marrow’ – because money was tight, and Tommi, who wasn’t interested in toys, or in playing with her siblings, would hang around the kitchen, developing an interest in cooking. ‘I started asking, can I cook? Because I wanted to do something more interesting with what we had, and I found it so boring eating the same things over and over

“The way I see my friends is around this kitchen table. I am very social and I love people”

again.’ At 26 she went to Ballymaloe (the Irish cookery school whose alumni includes Stevie Parle) and at 29 she won Masterchef, and after that she was slightly surprised to find herself actually in a career as a chef. ‘For a few years I felt like I should have spent years in the kitchen as an apprentice, so my food got more cheffy as I tried to prove myself.’ It’s not cheffy now, she insists – it’s simple, practical and healthy. ‘I spend money on ingredients – the kitchen is about management. I’ve always got livers for chicken liver pate and cods roe for taramasalata, and those things are cheap as chips. If I come home shattered there’s always something I can make. I’ve always got the basics.’ What would she suggest for an easy dinner party? ‘Roast chicken definitely,’ she says. 'With lots of tarragon, butter, garlic and lemon. It’s just delicious. With boiled new potatoes – and if you have time, smash them, cover them in thyme, garlic and olive oil and roast them. There’s so much anxiety about whether it’s pretty enough, exotic enough and whether there’s too much fat, but for me food is the gel that binds us all together, it’s a common love that people bond over. The way I see my friends is around this kitchen table. I am very social and I love people.’ Running Wacaha is a three days a week job, something Miers built into her contract from the start to give her space to write. She manages it all with the help of two PAs (one at home, one at work). The day before we meet, the Standard has suggested that she might be the next Bake Off presenter – is it true? I ask? ‘Not true! They came to my book launch and I’d had a few mezcals, so when they asked me about it I said yes, great idea, and of course it all got printed word for word.’ She would, however love to do Strictly, she says, if she had time. And with that, it’s time for the school pick up, and she's got to go.

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INSPIRE NEWS • PEOPLE • DESIGN • EVENTS

At home with Mark Hix

p. 118

. Anthony Gormley's Room

p. 122

. An English Country House

p. 126

Blue monday

There’s a lot of monochrome around in Habitat’s simple shapes and sleek pieces, so why not paint a wall in a striking colour to show it all off? jonathanadler.com

habitat.co.uk

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HOME WITH HIX Restaurateur Mark Hix shows us around his stylish new Bermondsey flat

Words M A R K H I X Photography T H E M O D E R N H O U S E

lived in Shoreditch for 20-odd years, as well as Notting Hill, and I wasn’t considering south London before I bought this place. My friend Richard, who’s a search agent, showed it to me on The Modern House website (themodernhouse.com), and I zipped straight over on my scooter to take a look. I said yes straight away. I didn’t even come for a second viewing because I knew I was going to redo it. Space was the main consideration, but I’ve found that Bermondsey is a really interesting area. It’s also easy to get to any of my restaurants… I nip over London Bridge to get to the Oyster & Chop House. I visit at least two of my restaurants every day but I’m not really in the kitchen any more; I’ve got lots of other things to look at, mostly overseeing the creative side. This place is my home, and I also do some work from here: writing and experimenting. I might start doing some cookery demonstrations, like I do in my Kitchen Library at the Tramshed. I worked with Tekne on the refurbishment. Originally they’re shop fitters, but they’ve fallen into doing hotels and restaurants. They did my Bankside restaurant and the one in Soho. I put them in touch with my friend Robin

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I N S P I R E | INSIGHT

“I buy a lot of stuff from junk shops and reclamation yards” Hutson, who owns The Pig Hotels, so they’ve done the last two projects for him. When Robin buys old buildings for the hotels he clears them out, and he’s given me a few salvaged things for the flat – a shower and some old Crapper loos. I designed the space, and then Tekne worked as the contractors and architects. I gave them the ideas, and they put it all on paper. We gutted the whole thing, taking it right back to the bare bricks and then played around with materials: the wine racks are made out of scaffold planks picked up from building sites around here – some we paid for and others we were given for nothing. The same with the bookcase. Because they’re old, they’ve got a bit of character. The kitchen counter is made from liquid metal. You can pour it over MDF to create curves at the edges, and you don’t get joins. Underneath are pieces of cast concrete from Retrouvius; I think they were originally columns in a mid-century office block. I wanted simple, natural oak units, something that would wear in naturally. Cooker hoods are normally so boring, so we went to a foundry

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and made a semi-industrial-looking unit that’s wrapped over the top of a normal extractor. We went back to the natural brick on the wall behind, which would have been the end wall of the original factory. The spoon on the wall is a Michael Craig Martin – it’s the cover of one of my books, The Collection. The ‘Vacancies’ neon piece is a Peter Saville art piece that he made. The fridge came from an antiques shop in Paris. It was made in the 1800s – originally they would have put a block of ice in the middle compartment to keep the whole thing cold. The refrigeration guy that I use for my restaurants converted it and made the top bit to match the bottom. It’s got different sections: dairy, wine, glasses, negroni cabinet. I buy a lot of stuff from junk shops and reclamation yards. The kitchen lights are from Trainspotters in Gloucestershire, and I’ve collected midcentury Stilnovo lights over the years. I bought the cocktail cabinet years ago at the Paul Smith shop. It had a horrible Chinese painting on the front, so I got my artist friend Mat Collishaw to make a replacement. The taxidermy mice in bell jars are by Polly Morgan, and the Bridget Riley is one of the first pieces I ever bought. There’s a shop across the road – a sort of Lithuanian shop – and they were selling what I thought

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was a mandolin, but I couldn’t work out why it was so big; it turns out it dates from 1903 and was used for slicing white cabbage. The guitar comes from an event in Lyme Regis called Guitars on the Beach. A friend of mine said, ‘If I get a Fender guitar sponsored, can you ask Tracey Emin to draw on it?’, and she did. I thought it was going to be a silent auction, but it ended up being a raffle at a pound a ticket. So I bought a thousand tickets for £1,000 to narrow the chances down! It’s signed by Paul McCartney as well. I go back to Lyme Regis maybe three weekends a month. I’m part of the local community, I suppose. I get involved in local charity work and I do a food festival, which brings quite a few people to the area. I made the garden room because the little terrace is quite small. In the summer you can open the doors up and feel like you’re inside and outside. I put the bi-fold doors in, and then got lots of crazy plants from Covent Garden. It’s a nice place to have tea in the morning. I found the old plantation chair on eBay. The artwork is by my mate Henry Hudson, who works in plasticine. That’s an Australian Moreton Bay Bug [on the ceiling]: it’s a sort of prehistoric crab. Then this is an old python skin I found rolled up in a box in a junk shop. I guess there’s a touch of the macabre,

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I N S P I R E | INSIGHT

Reproduced courtsey of THE MODERN HOUSE Visit themodernhouse.com for more home tours and interviews.

“I guess there’s a touch of the macabre, but really I thought this room was crazy enough that you could put anything in it”

but really I just thought this room was crazy enough that you could put anything in it. I’ve got a fishing and shooting cupboard here. The wallpaper is by one of the guys who works in the gallery, Tom Maryniak; he’s done a few different types of wallpaper in the loos at my Bankside restaurant. And then the wallpaper in the main bathroom is by Jake and Dinos Chapman. The photographs above the bed are by Susannah Horowitz – she was one of the winners of the Hix Award. Every time we do the award I end up buying something. And this one isn’t from the Hix Award: it’s just two flamingos with a little bird… I forget what its name is! The rooflight was already here; it was quite a weird space before, with a pool table and not much else. I like to blend mid-century stuff with scaffold planks and a bit of new. I used to live in a traditional four-storey house in Notting Hill: with a kid you end up running up and down stairs all the time. It is just so much

easier to have everything on one floor. If you forget something in the bedroom, you don’t have to go up two flights of stairs to get it. I’ve had a couple of dinner parties here. It’s great when you’ve got friends round and you’re cooking in the same space, rather than diving off to the kitchen to slurp wine. I’ve got a house in Dorset which is one of those Scandi lodges that you can just pick up and move. I’ve had it for nine years, and got planning permission to rebuild on that space, which is directly overlooking the sea. I’m going to move the lodge to a friend’s land and rent it out, and then build a two-storey wooden house. That’ll be my next project. But I’ll probably just leave this flat as it is and start collecting more stuff. I’ve already got a lot in storage, particularly lights, which I often get from the Paul Smith shop in Mayfair.

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Dark Art

Turner Prize-winner Sir Antony Gormley’s prestigious sculpture-bedroom, ROOM, is a curious place to stay for the night. HOME takes a look inside

Words C H A R LOT T E J O H N S TO N E

& Other at Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth (2009). With ROOM (2014) it was all about form and habitat. Indeed – one can bed down in its belly. There’s nothing unusual as you walk through the suite (apart from the fact that The Beaumont is a 1920s-inspired hotel and you’ve stepped back in time to the jazz age). The small but stylish living room is decorated in a soft Deco style, with creams and beiges offset by dark wooden panelling and furnishings. The bathroom is marble-clad and brilliantly white. By deliberate contrast, ROOM is not. There is nothing in there except for a king-sized bed and one window in the heights. Its function, to encapsulate the darkness and bring pure sleep to the inhabitant. Walls are the inverted cuboids and the entire room is bedecked in dark oak from Germany. Height-wise, the interior reaches 10 metres. Spatially, the room feels intimate at body level but it’s hard to ignore the vast chasm overhead, a state of comfort versus the unknown. It is at this point that the thick velvet drape is drawn behind us and we’re in a complete state of darkness.

f you watched the BBC’s Amazing Hotels earlier in the year, you may have seen one of Sir Antony Gormley’s geometrical sculptures in the foyer of Marina Bay Sands hotel. This impossibly large and seemingly delicate structure, DRIFT (2009) is a must-see if you’re in the region. But to view this, you have to travel to Singapore. So for something a little closer to home, we take a look at one of Mayfair’s luxury hotels and how Gormley has created something truly unique: a sculpture you can sleep in. It’s hard to miss the rather large robot-like figure squatting on the The Beaumont hotel’s grade II-listed façade. Three-storeys high, the sculpture consists of multiple cuboids made of welded stainless steel and looks reminiscent of a brutalist era. Commissioned by the hotel’s owners, Jeremy King and Chris Corbin, the Turner Prize-winner created this crouching form based on his own body. For a structure that would be 22 metres tall if it could stand up, that’s rather impressive. But those who know his work will affirm Gormley has always been fascinated with the human form. His highly-acclaimed projects and sculptures have included Gateshead’s Angel of the North (1998) and One

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I N S P I R E | UNUSUAL SPACES

As the minutes go by, different shapes and corners come to appear. You feel like the room is moving with you inside it. That’s exactly what Gormley wants. An attempt to ‘sculpt darkness itself’. He was aiming to confront the monumental with the most personal, intimate experience. King echoes this when he says that the fundamental purpose of a hotel is to provide a really good night’s sleep. “That’s something we focus on here,” he tells me as I mention how luxurious the beds in the superior rooms feel. “People forget that sometimes and become obsessed with things like atriums.” With that in mind, I’ve spent longer analysing and speculating over ROOM than any atrium I’ve seen. It is a spectacular display of public art against an interesting backdrop of utilitarian architecture. For a chance to experience the sculpture, keep an eye on Open House London’s website. Every year a limited number of (free) tickets are released as part of a tour around the hotel. This year’s Open House weekend takes place 16-17 September, 2017: openhouselondon.org.uk

“Its function is to encapsulate the darkness and bring pure sleep to the inhabitant”

THE BEAUMONT Brown Hart Gardens, London W1K; 020 7499 1001

ROOM is from £1,375 per night year-round; thebeaumont.com

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Country Life Beaverbrook is the ultimate English country house hotel. HOME takes a tour Words P E N D L E H A R T E

ormerly the home of Lord Beaverbrook, the past owner of the Daily Express, Beaverbrook House has a visitor’s book that reads like a Who’s Who of the 20th century. This was a site dedicated to entertaining, and Winston Churchill was a regular guest, with other visitors including Rudyard Kipling, HG Wells, Harold Macmillan and Rebecca West. It’s a beautiful Grade II-listed late Victorian neoclassical building surrounded by spectacular landscaped grounds, complete with a folly – and at just 19 miles from Piccadilly Circus, this is as close to home as a country weekend gets. Designer Susie Atkinson is the woman responsible for the hotel's stylish new look. Her Studio Atkinson has created several interiors for the Soho House group, including Babington House, the Dean Street Townhouse, Shoreditch House and the Electric, and her style is eclectic. She has a passion for natural fabrics such as heavy linens, hemp, silks, velvets, cashmere, wool – and

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I N S P I R E | HOTELS

room fully equipped tech-wise while retaining an organic feel) as well as a vegetable garden and a kitchen with grand plans. The dining room is pure joy: flooded with sunlight, there are lots of cushions and everything is in stylish shades of sage. Food is fresh, healthy and creative – and the restaurant attracts non-residents from all around. And on another note: not many hotels can offer up Sharky and George to entertain their guests’ children, but Beaverbrook has an entire hidden encampment in the woods dedicated to play, headed up by the duo behind all the kids parties that count. At 10am on a drizzly Sunday morning, our children are greeted by two enthusiastic faces, instructed to don raincoats and wellies, and whisked away to the treehouse, returning fed and happy several hours later. Which gives parents the ultimate luxury: several hours of quiet and the Sunday papers. Genius.

The dining room is pure joy, flooded with sunlight and everything in stylish shades of sage

beaverbrook.co.uk

mixing these with different textured surfaces such as wood, zinc or granite. Susie’s designs eschew the fashionable to bring a room to life with exquisite colours, contrasting textures, surprising and delightful pieces of furniture or a favourite family heirloom. The 11-bedroom Garden House is the first part of the new hotel to open. Beautifully decorated in muted shades throughout, it has a focus on plants and fresh produce, with window sills everywhere filled with pots of greenery. Adjoining rooms Lovage and Rosemary are fully equipped with shelves of vintage Penguin paperbacks and Ladybird books as well as lovely Bamford products and Apple TV in a stylish mix of the traditional and the cutting edge. This is a foodie spot and has its own cookery school (it’s a stylish and spacious

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Volunteer Jo Eaton opens the curtains in the Dining Room. The curtains are of the Evenlode design by William Morris

Learning & Volunteer Development Officer Jessica Loukaides takes a dust sheet off the bed in the bedroom, Unveiling the bedcover embroidered by May Morris

TIME

CA P S U L E Emery Walker’s house is one of the best preserved Arts & Crafts interiors in London, and it has just undergone extensive restoration. HOME pays a visit Words P E A R L B OY D

he best preserved Arts & Crafts home in Britain reopened recently after an 18 month closure for vital restoration work. Emery Walker was one of the key members of The Arts & Crafts Movement, a close friend of William Morris and father of the Private Press movement. The contents of his riverside house at 7 Hammersmith Terrace – around 6,000 items - were removed for cataloguing and conservation. This allowed vital repair work, including the replacement of the roof, to be carried out, creating a safer environment for the house’s remarkable collection. The project was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund through the Arts & Crafts Hammersmith project, a joint initiative with the William Morris Society, for which match funding has been found from charitable trusts and individual donations. The collection has now been returned to this atmospheric time capsule which is packed with Arts & Crafts treasures, including one of the largest in situ collections of Morris & Co wallpapers in the world and outstanding

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“This atmospheric time capsule is packed with Arts & Crafts treasures” textiles and embroideries. Among Walker’s many possessions are items which were created especially for, or given to him by, his close friends and colleagues, all of them leading artists of their day. These include Morris’ 17th century Library chair, Philip Webb's furniture and glass, ceramics by William de Morgan and a Burne-Jones portrait of May Morris. Other very personal possessions include a lock of Morris’ hair snipped off on his deathbed and a mould of Philip Webb’s ears. This multi-layered and eclectic mix of belongings, all with their own fascinating and personal pedigree, makes this a unique house museum, perfectly embodying the Arts & Crafts aesthetic.

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Reproduction of study of Fanny Cornforth by Dante Gabriel Rossetti being rehung in the Dining Room On William Morris wallpaper; Willow variation, with William Morris Evenlode design curtains

Extended opening hours means visitors can now step back in time on Thursdays and Saturdays when there will be three tours a day. These must be pre-booked online, as the size and fragile interiors of this Georgian terraced house makes it possible for only eight visitors to enter at a time. Visitors are accompanied by an expert guide and steward, making it a unique and intimate experience with a new exhibition space offering the chance for visitors to get close to and even handle some of the objects in the collection. The house has extended its tour season until November and launched a new and informative website. emerywalker.org.uk

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I N S P I R E | PEOPLE

My Style JESSICA MASON The founder of King’s Road African interiors boutique Porcupine Rocks shares her inspirations porcupinerocks .com WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE PIECE FROM PORCUPINE ROCKS?

I love the collection of bronze bowls handmade by Bronze Age. The rawness of their exterior mixed with the polished gold leaf inlay is eye-catching.

YOUR FAVOURITE HOLIDAY?

While I would naturally default to South Africa for a safari, I enjoy cycling around the unspoilt Ile de Re exploring the markets, long lunches, playing on the beach and laughing with family and friends.

My favourite work of art... YOUR STYLE ICON?

Definitely an object, not a person: the Le Corbusier Chaise Longue. Designed in 1928 this chair was way ahead of its time. Recently I picked one up at a flea market and reupholstered it with a skull and bones anatomy fabric from Fabric Nation.

Jacob Epstein’s last work The Rush of Green sculpture that sits at near the barracks in Hyde Park. It reminds me that London is a bustling place to live and we are lucky to be able to relax and enjoy beautiful green spaces.

Porcupine Rocks

YOUR FAVOURITE DESIGNER?

I worked with restaurateurs Corbin and King on the design and build of Colbert and Brasserie Zedel. Shayne Brady was the main designer. He has style, artistic flair and charisma and nothing is ever impossible. I like that.

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