Innehållsförteckning för December 2020 från ELLE DECOR

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

Welcome to the Issue

ANY OTHER YEAR, AN ELLE DECOR ISSUE ON THE SUBJECT OF escapes would be about getting out into the world and relishing the perspective that travel gives us on our homes and ourselves. But this is 2020. So where do you go when you can’t go far? Quite simply, you go inward. Our December issue is a celebration of the power of interiors—and of design in general—to inspire, nurture, and delight. In these pages, we explore the ideas of sanctuary and safety, and what it means to create a “sphere of agency” at home (page 21) in a time of pandemic and protest. As always, we’re serving up doses of fantasy, too; we need every bit of glamour we can get in a year like the one we’ve experienced. Our…

2 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

Spirited Away

A BRUNCH FOR TWO Dressing the table with all the accoutrements of a favorite eatery is one way to bring high dining home. We recommend wearing jewels. BOUTIQUE HOTEL BOUDOIR Re-create resort style at home with crisp percale bedding, then cozy up with slippers and a good read. COCKTAIL HOUR ANYTIME In 2020, the special occasion for elevated drinkware is every day. IN ON THE TOWN You don’t have to brave the cold when you can keep warm on a romantic night indoors.…

3 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

Artiste in Residence

IN THE 17TH CENTURY, LOUIS XIV BEGAN funding promising young artists so that they could study in Rome, creating one of the earliest artist-in-residence programs. Since then, the French government has established an academy at the Villa Medici in Rome, Casa de Velázquez in Madrid, Villa Kujoyama in Kyoto, Japan, and smaller cultural outposts in about a dozen other places around the globe. In that grand tradition, Villa San Francisco recently opened to support French creatives in the City by the Bay. But rather than providing a monastic retreat, this residency—which is aimed at everyone from visual artists to writers and photographers—uniquely focuses on making connections, with colorful rooms that underscore that ambition. “The idea is to be outside the walls and meet with the people from many ecosystems here:…

3 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

BACK AT THE RANCH

IN 1929, THE AMERICAN MOVIE STAR WILLIAM BOYD began building a hacienda-style home on almost 150 acres of land in the Santa Monica Mountains in California. Boyd, who would soon become famous for playing the cowboy hero Hopalong Cassidy, had recently been on location in Spain shooting a movie. There, he fell in love with the local architecture and realized that the style would work equally well in the dry Malibu climate. He envisioned his house, which was completed in 1932 and overlooks Boney Mountain and the Pacific Ocean, as a place where he could detox from his Hollywood life. Nearly 50 years after Boyd’s death, the property now belongs to Alex and Sue Glasscock, who, incidentally, are continuing the actor’s vision for the site as a place to unwind…

5 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

COOL, COLLECTED

AT A MOMENT WHEN THE present is so complicated, many people are discovering joy and beauty in artifacts from the past. As technology creeps further into our lives, design buffs are finding themselves drawn to the analog opposite: antiques and vintage furnishings that reflect the craftsmanship and quality of earlier times. Joining the many trusted and veteran dealers who have long made our homes beautiful is a bright new crop of design purveyors who combine a sophisticated eye with a fashionable flair and an approach that speaks to a new generation. Whether they specialize in Georgian furniture, Bauhaus objects, or Japanese ceramics, the new vanguard is putting antiques in a fresh context. In a world where information used to be jealously guarded, today’s dealers know that comparison prices are just…

5 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

A HOUSE OF HER OWN

ANITA CALERO HAS NEVER REALLY CARED FOR conventions. In her teens, she said goodbye to a cosseted life in her hometown of Cali, Colombia, to study in Europe, where she immersed herself in both the hippie and punk countercultures of the late 1960s. In her 20s, she left the stability of her marriage to a man to explore her feelings for a woman, then moved to New York City in pursuit of her artistic dreams. “I’m the only one of my siblings who didn’t finish college,” she says. “Everyone else is married with children and grandchildren. They followed the rules. I just wanted to be Anita.” Shortly after arriving in Manhattan in the late ’70s, Calero found her calling as a prop stylist and still-life photographer. She gained notoriety for…

5 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

Lost in Space

THE DAY AF TER NEW YORK CITY shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I watched people fight over the last roll of toilet paper at a deli, and a guy I met on a dating app offered me his only bottle of hand sanitizer. After that, I didn’t leave the house. Our homes became our refuges—and our panic rooms. Designing my own escape within became a priority: I repainted my closets; I covered my kitchen in white laminate; I reupholstered my sofa in a thick sunflower-print cotton that my grandmother left behind when she moved to Florida, where she was now in a nursing home no one was allowed to enter. I sewed pillows in chartreuse velvet and painted large abstract canvases in jewel tones. I waited for seven…

4 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

Soft Landings

1 CHUBBY OTTOMAN BY MODSHOP KRSNAA MEHTA: This gives off that ’80s modernist vibe with its bright pop of color. COURTNEY McLEOD: I’d use it in a small space as a multifunctional accent piece. 21" dia. X 21" h.; $295. 1stdibs.com 2 MAH JONG BED BY ROCHE BOBOIS CM: I like the mix of fabrics. It would look great in a downtown loft. KM: This would be the ideal thing for that cozy feeling in a contemporary bedroom. 90.5" w. X 97" d. X 40" h.; from $6,565. roche-bobois.com 3 ROWAN CHAIR BY INTERIOR DEFINE KM: I love the practicality and the way in which this would make its presence felt in any home. CM: This is perfect in a pair for a starter apartment. I’m fond of the open…

2 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

Drinks on You

IF YOU’VE TURNED TO DRINK TO MUDDLE through what remains of 2020, you’re among friends. “We’re seeing clients make space for a home bar even if one didn’t exist before,” says Dallas designer Jean Liu, whose friend stuck one in a coat closet as COVID-19 descended. The standing order: a bar with all the glitz of Bemelmans at the Carlyle hotel in New York City, without the socially condensed throngs. As with a Cabernet Sauvignon, boldness wins. “It’s the perfect place to paint something bright or dark or moody that they wouldn’t have had the nerve to do otherwise,” says Liu, who has had clients request cast-pewter bar tops in recent months. New Jersey designer Beth Diana Smith concurs: “It’s important now when we’re entertaining at home that you’re giving…

3 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

SURPRISE, SURPRISE

CAPRICE IS NOT A WORD USUALLY ASSOCIATED WITH AMARO SÁNCHEZ DE MOYA. WHETHER HE’S transforming an Andalusian palacio or a chic Portuguese eco-resort, the Spanish architect and designer is known for a maximalist classicism that embraces symmetry, ordered lines, and enough sumptuous textiles to outfit a royal court or two. But when it came time to design his own pied-à-terre in the ancient city of Seville, his normal rigor was tempered with a bit of spontaneity and even whimsy. “It’s true that a taste for the classical, a certain historicism, underlines almost all of my work,” he says. “But because it was my home, I could make it a little more capricious.” It helped that he had a relatively blank slate with which to begin. After moving to Madrid, Sánchez…

5 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

DEAL WITH IT

BI-RITE STUDIO From her gallery in Brooklyn’s Greenpoint, Cat Snodgrass specializes in punchy, Popinspired 20th-century furniture and objects. Her boldly hued aesthetic is well priced and fun, like a 1980s postmodern cocktail table in pink, gray, and aqua. This year, Snodgrass also launched a colorful line of furniture and bookends. biritestudio.com MDFG Brooklyn’s MDFG (Modern Design Furniture Gallery) specializes in rare 20th-century design, from Pierre Jean-neret to Isamu Noguchi, sought after by high-end collectors. Founders Jeffrey Graetsch and Ashley Booth Klein recently moved from a smaller space to a 3,200-squarefoot storefront in Williamsburg on the ground floor of a Morris Adjmi–designed townhouse. The building’s elegant curved facade sets a perfect tone for the masterworks found within. mdfg.nyc OBJECTS IN GENERAL Marlon Orr, the former head of midcentury furniture at ABC…

1 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

RESOURCES

CONTENTS PAGES 10–12: Dress: Valentino, valentino.com. Shirt: Hermès, hermes.com. Club chair: Dune, dune-ny.com. Club chair fabric: Romo, romo.com. Benches: Christian Liaigre, liaigre.com. Benches leather: Keleen Leathers, keleenleathers.com. TRUTH IN DECORATING PAGES 36–38: Courtney McLeod, rightmeetsleftdesign.com. Krsnaa Mehta, indiacircus.com. STUDIO VISIT Amir Mortazavi, studiomortazavi.com. Villa San Francisco, villasanfrancisco.org. PAGES 42–44: Sofa: Yves Béhar, fuseproject.com. Artworks: JR, jr-art.net; Mrzyk & Moriceau, 1000dessins.com. BACK AT THE RANCH Interior design: Steven Gambrel, srgambrel.com. Landscape design: Scott Shrader, shraderdesign.com. PAGES 56–57: Chairs: Bielecky Brothers, bieleckybrothers.com. Chair cushions fabric: Janus et Cie, janusetcie.com. Table and pots: Inner Gardens, innergardens.com. PAGES 58–59: Bench and plant pots: Inner Gardens. Teak bowl: Andrianna Shamaris, andriannashamarisinc.com. Banquette fabric: Janus et Cie. Chairs fabric: Perennials, perennialsfabrics.com. Table: Groundwork, groundworkhome.com. Sofa: Dune, dune-ny.com. Sofa fabric: Cowtan & Tout, cowtan.com. Chairs fabrics: Arabel, arabelfabrics.com. Tray:…

3 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

Serenity Now

How have you spent your quarantine? BD: I’ve been locked in the house by my family. I’ve been completely isolated. But I’m enjoying the world, and there hasn’t been much change except that I watch a lot of movies—Indian comedies. They present some very unexpected intrigue. Have you somehow found an escape through isolation? BD: I turn to my subconscious. The best way is to get lost in it. When there is no destination, there is a constant discovery. It’s like going into a voluntary dream. Whether you’re locked in a room or outdoors, your focus is on something happening outside of yourself. When that happens, you’re free. In this pandemic, we are constantly thinking about things beyond our control. I think one has to become a child, so one…

3 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

Sarah Sze

When Sarah Sze had her first solo show at the Fondation Cartier in Paris, in 1999, she built her entire multimedia installation, Everything That Rises Must Converge, on-site. For “Night into Day,” her current exhibition at the same institution, the process couldn’t have been more divergent. As a result of the pandemic, Sze created her two works—a planetarium of found and pop-culture images that unfolds in immersive layers, and a pendulum that melds filmic imagery with objects—in her studio in New York. She then used live digital feeds to erect them in Paris, an approach completely in sync with the show’s focus. “The work is about being in a state between the digital and physical,” says Sze, who is known for her boundary-collapsing, site-specific pieces. “I’ve always been interested in…

2 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

Bottle Service

1 Diamante Bar Cabinet True to its name, this faceted mounted bar is a piece of statement jewelry for your wall. 71" w. X 18" d. X 71" h., price upon request. sicis.com 2 Wine Column Aside from housing an impressive 150 bottles, this LED-lit wine refrigerator is a showstopper itself in emerald green and copper. 30" w. X 24" d. X 84" h., $9,644. true-residential.com 3 Tumbler Cart Fear no spills with this sleek marble-and-brass cart: Each shelf is treated with a water-repellent oil finish. 18.5" w. X 21" d. X 36" h., price upon request. baxter.it 4 Rockstar Bar A quilted-silk backing gives this midcentury-modern silhouette a dose of glamour, while a caged bulb illuminates barware. 57" w. X 19" d. X 45" h., $6,125. busterandpunch.com 5 Fayette…

1 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE

ON THE PACIFIC COAST OF MEXICO, THERE is a rocky headland where you can watch the sun both rise and set over the ocean. The phenomenon gives a mystical aura to Punta Cometa, the bluff at the western edge of the beach town of Mazunte. Hotelier Carlos Couturier fell under the site’s spell during a trip there some 15 years ago. “I thought, This place is magic,” says Couturier, who bought land here next to a nature preserve. “It almost feels a bit spiritual.” As a founding partner of Grupo Habita, a boutique-hotel firm in Mexico known for innovative design, he was constantly on the move. Six years ago, he was finally ready to plan his ocean-view retreat. “I wanted a place a bit like a monastery and where I…

5 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

CHECKING IN?

THE WORLD OF HOSPITALITY IS often divided into two camps: the developers and the designers. And then there is the hotel magnate Barry Sternlicht, who straddles both categories. Sternl icht created W Hotels (the international “boutique” chain), 1 Hotels (an eco concept known for its residential feel), and the Baccarat Hotel (the decor incorporates crystal from the famed French brand). He is also chairman and CEO of Starwood Capital Group, a private investment firm with a focus on global real estate. But for all of Sternlicht’s entrepreneurial prowess, one of his biggest strengths has always been his superior design eye. He is an unabashed architecture and design buff, and his eye for detail is the key to his much-lauded projects. Witness the Instagram-perfect beveled-glass wall he installed in the Grand…

5 min

ELLE DECOR|December 2020

Completely Charmed

Across its collection, the jewelry brand Foundrae employs a lexicon of symbols ranging from numbers to the classical elements of nature, rendered in gold, enamel, and various stones. Clients choose icons that represent the qualities they hope to embody: A lion is meant to impart strength, for example, while metal bestows tenacity. Despite not being wearable, this trunk offers a similar talismanic power. Handmade from lacquered wood, covered in leather, and finished with brass symbols from the brand’s full array, it was inspired by a quilt-filled chest that Foundrae cofounder and creative director Beth Bugdaycay saw at the foot of her parents’ bed in her childhood home, as well as by Moroccan wedding trunks with brass designs. As Bugdaycay explains: “I wanted this trunk to be a private retreat, containing…

1 min