Innehållsförteckning för March 2020 från Living Etc

Years ago, I interviewed the interior designer Abigail Ahern in front of a large audience. ‘Just paint every wall black,’ she cried, to gasps from the crowd. ‘Or sludgy dark green. The more pond water-like, the better.’ It sounded pretty revolutionary – after all, this was the era when 95% of rooms were swathed in grey and more daring colour only appeared in downstairs loos. And, for many, this felt like a step too far. Back then, Abigail said that the joy of sludgy shades was that brightly jewel-toned accessories shone out when placed in front of them, and I sense this idea has now gone mainstream. For doesn’t it seem like today, in 2020, any hue can be a neutral? There is a feeling that even the strongest of…

The digital age has transformed the lives of interior designers, creating impactful new ways to imagine and communicate their vision for living. Livingetc acting executive editor Kate Burnett will be in conversation with three leading interior designers – Emma Pocock, Elnaz Namaki and Sheena Murphy – and asking them to share what this revolution means for them and their clients, and what the future holds. As we start a new decade, do we need to get ready for yet more innovation in how our homes are designed and seen? The arrival of social media and design apps have meant big changes in interiors: everything from small details to entire homes are now in the digital realm, ready to be liked and shared. Digital is democratising the design process, allowing everyone…

“Rug designer Deirdre Dyson’s latest collection was motivated by the act of looking through glass. The aim was to simulate a ‘glassy’ appearance using wool and silk. Deirdre says: ‘If I failed to achieve this, my hope was to still create exciting effects.’ We think she’s scored on all counts…”…

Designer Jen Talbot’s reinvention of this modern house is proof that the 1980s is a surprisingly rich source of inspiration. However, Jen points out, in looking back on the design process, selectivity was key. ‘The client and I were both teenagers in the 1980s, so we still had vivid memories of neon, pink squiggles and triangles. Not to mention big hair and too much eyeliner…’ But by keeping a tight focus, Jen has dipped into the decade of excess and picked out its greatest, most elegant hits. ‘I was very conscious of keeping things sophisticated,’ she says. ‘That way, the rooms will still feel relevant in the future.’ Getting into the right 1980s groove, Jen says, ‘was a fantastic challenge. It pushed me into seeing things in a different light…

BIT PARTS Get closer to the action with a table of vibrant small pieces that provide a change of scale and focus. These rounded objects pick up on the curves behind, but avoid repetition by telling their own separate story in shapes and colours. HOT SEAT This red chair needs to take the lead, so paint the set white and surround it with strong supporting players each with a colour character of their own. FAMILY DRAMA Love all your pieces equally for their shapes as well as their shades. If the shapes work together – as they do here, with an assembly of low-slung pieces – the colours will fall into line. DUAL ROLES Colours take sides here: in the blush corner, the pink-red of the pillar, chairs, stool and…

Designed for the youngest member of a family of three, this whimsical en suite benefits from the generous proportions found in traditional properties. Featuring high ceilings at approximately 3.2 metres and large picture windows, this dream-like bathroom is accessed directly via the two-year old’s bedroom. ‘My client requested that I create something that would be unique using pink colours. She wanted her daughter’s bathroom to be girlish, but not too childish,’ says Maria Kalina, from Maria Kalina Interior Design. As requested, pink has been used as a base, and diluted with subtle accents of blue in the form of the wall-mounted radiator and a freestanding bathroom cupboard. ‘The focus of the composition is a bath on the podium, which is further highlighted by the LED illumination that surrounds it,’ says…

light blues Evoking clear skies on a warm summer’s day and the startling brightness of a holiday sea, pale blue is an instant mood enhancer. Easy to live with, it’s a calming hue that is just as at home in a modern setting as it is in a period house. It’s an enduring choice that can feel calm and relaxed or vibrant and energised. Studies show that people are most productive in blue rooms, too, so it’s a clever option for a home office. whites Bright, clean and light-enhancing, there is such a wide variation in the different types of white. From soft and chalky to hard and brilliant, there’s a whole spectrum of tones in between. As a guide, for living rooms, white with a touch of yellow or…

“We can’t think of anywhere cooler to satisfy your coffee cravings than Ozone, the new artisanal coffee roasters in Bethnal Green. Whether it’s a morning meeting or catching up with friends over brunch, the airy warehouse conversion promises a moment of pause at the start of your day”…

los Angeles-based, British interior design maverick MLB has been on the list of superstar decorators since rethinking the Bel Air home of supermodel Cheryl Tiegs more than two decades ago. Since then he’s cultivated the houses of everyone from Cher to Tommy Hilfiger. We caught up to find out what’s happening in the original American oasis. First thing’s first, where should we stay? Of course I’m biased here as I have designed several hotels in the Palm Springs area, my latest being the Sands Hotel and Spa in Indian Wells (sandshotelandspa.com). Being a little outside of old Palm Springs you get to see and experience more of what the valley has to offer. Other hotspots include the Sparrows Lodge and the Parker. The table to book in advance? Birba is…

1 WEST AFRICAN FLAVOURS There’s no shortage of world-class eateries in London’s Fitzrovia, yet Akoko (opening this spring) sets itself apart via influences from Senegal, Liberia and Nigeria. Expect Jollof Rice with Steamed Mussels, Nigerian Export Guinness Bread and Bofrot (Ghanaian donuts). Across town, check out Nigerian tapas restaurant Chuku’s. 2 DO THE DOUBLE If it’s nice, use it twice. Such was our takeaway from Glossier’s London pop-up boutique, where a room featured one wacky wallpaper used in two colourways (with matchy-matchy carpet to boot). Same same, but different. 3 GEORGIA Fancy wondering the labyrinthine streets of Tbilisi, marvelling at its art nouveau district and pastel houses? Us too, and so we’re naming this relatively under-the-radar destination one-to-watch for 2020. Pack your hiking boots for Georgia’s breathtaking mountains and check…

It didn’t’ really need any work, which is why everyone thought I was crazy,’ laughs Maura McLaughlin as she describes how she decided to bathe her new home in vivid colour. The Victorian semi had been rented out for about 10 years, then decorated to sell, so the walls were magnolia, the floors were cream and the kitchen was plain white. ‘It was all fine,’ says Maura, ‘but after years of looking for the right property it wasn’t quite what I was after in the way of a home from a decorative point of view. After such a long wait, I wanted to make sure I created a house I really loved.’ Maura could see plenty of exciting possibilities in the four-storey, red-brick property that ticked so many other boxes.…

There are two sides to Scandinavian style. The first is the familiar: walls as white as fresh laundry, lashings of birch ply and sculptural lights glowing over low sofas. Then there’s the newer take that owes everything to travel and the aesthetic pluralism of social media. The pared-back, breezy spaces are still here, but instead of glacial whites or leaf greens there are moody lagoon-deep blues and velvety blacks. It’s not hard to work out which category this Oslo apartment falls into. Set on the first floor of a late 19th-century block, it’s the result of a collaboration between the owner – Per Ove, a property developer – and interior designer Hanne Gathe. Perisan entrepreneur with precise tastes who oversees every detail of his projects. ‘But making decisions on your…

rugs Adventurous little ones adore to explore tactile textures and bold colours and patterns desks Smart designs that really work wooden toys Lead them on a positive path to mindful living storage It’s never too early to instil some Kondo-style values, helped by these contemporary solutions wallpapers Oh, the places they’ll go with these wondrous coverings lamps Playful luminaries that put the fun into functional…

With their reworkings of vintage Mills & Boon book covers accompanied by witty texts that capture the preoccupations of our millennial world, The Connor Brothers burst onto the art scene in 2013. The Missouri-born twins, Franklyn and Brendan, were raised within a secretive Christian cult called ‘The Family’, running away at 16 and travelling across America on freight trains before settling in Brooklyn. Their art, they explained, came about as they tried to ‘make sense of the world’ they’d been deprived of. All pretty compelling stuff. Except that, just like a Mills & Boon romance, the story was pure fiction. The pair, Mike Snelle and James Golding, are in fact childhood friends who both share troubled pasts: Liverpool-born Mike had suffered from bouts of severe depression since childhood, while James,…

There’s no magic formula to the number of colours that comprise a palette. It’s simply about striking a balance. You can do this by creating a moodboard: this will let you experiment with different colour combinations. If you’re decorating the whole house, make a moodboard for every room. That way, you can create a cohesive look throughout. It’s up to you how much detail you put into your moodboard, but there’s no need to specify every piece of furniture or fabric. When I decorated my home, I started with the walls and layered in colour over time. This feels much less overwhelming. It also lets your home evolve gradually. I’m often asked which room I start with when I’m planning a colour scheme for a client’s home. The answer is…

TINTAGEL CASTLE I’ve always found something magical about land meeting sea – a breath of fresh air to fire the imagination. Perched high on Cornwall’s rugged north coast, Tintagel Castle (supposed birthplace of King Arthur) is an immersive swirl of romance, myths and spectacular coastline. As I climb my way between history and legend, I ponder all the stories exchanged in the wild swirling waves beneath and never fail to be enamoured by the atmospheric landscape.…

THE BIG BIRTHDAY centenary style Lo and behold, Ercol is turning 100. Yet we’re hardly surprised: with a knack for crafting elegant pieces worthy of ‘design classic’ status, the brand holds a special place in many a heart and home. Celebrations will be marked by launches, such as the Aldbury chair (pictured), and a new model of its Windsor sideboard. JUST LAUNCHED into the wild You’ve got to hand it to The Conran Shop for its ability to discover cool, overseas talent. This weighty candle from Belgian brand ONNO is influenced by the warm colours of Tanzania and its ‘spicy fragrance of sun-baked earth’. How’s that for some winter sun? Cape Ivory scented candle, £269 (conranshop.co.uk) ONE FOR THE KIDS inside story From MinaLima, the graphic design team behind the…

we know that the routes into the design world are not open to everyone; that the industry is not as diverse as the nation, and that there is work to be done on getting a good representation of the country into creative fields. So we are excited to be partnering with Habitat for an inclusivity initiative, opening doors to everyone. If you have a bright idea for a piece of furniture, some lighting or textiles, now is the chance to have it created, sold and be paid fairly for your work by Habitat, one of the UK’s leading retailers of contemporary design. We’re looking to champion new talent: people who have never had their work put into production before and who have the potential to become the next big stars…

home profile THE DESIGNER Michelle Kelly, who created a seaside home on the Suffolk coast for media couple Rob Newland and Jo Lavender and their children Ivy, 10, and Margot, seven. THE PROPERTY A late-Victorian semi with an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, plus a wet room and pantry, on the ground floor. There is a bedroom for the children and a media room in the basement, and two bedrooms and a bathroom on the first floor. my taste is for ice-cream colours, William Morris and Liberty florals – a mix that’s refreshing and unexpected but also cosy,’ says Michelle Kelly of the Suffolk seaside home she has created for media couple Rob Newland and Jo Lavender. ‘They didn’t want the usual coastal house with blue-and-white stripes. They liked…

it takes a certain amount of chutzpah to experiment this boldly with colour and texture in the home. Being an interior designer, Kim Stephen has the benefit of years of experience when it comes to trying out varying hues, but she also has a natural affinity with bold decisions. This partly comes from growing up in South Africa, where a rainbow palette is part of the fabric of life. ‘I also had a mother who owned a textiles showroom representing all the significant international labels,’ says Kim. ‘Being around that amount of texture and colour from a young age means it becomes part of you. Often the design decisions I make now are simply intuitive.’ When Kim and her family first moved to London in 2017, they weren’t necessarily looking…

SOMETHING’S AFOOT Baths are becoming increasingly leggy, which not only looks elegant but works wonders in smaller bathrooms. The Vigore from Clearwater, with its distinctive sculptured feet, is a stylish and contemporary addition to any space. Made from natural stone, it retains heat – making it energy efficient – and the soft curved design is a nod to one of the new season’s biggest trends. Mono magic If you want the look of marble without burning a hole in your pocket, Ca’ Pietra’s new Eclipse porcelain tiles are perfect for walls and floors. The monochrome design will add interest to a white kitchen or bathroom, whether it is a striking splashback or a statement floor, or you can use it with pastels or bold colour for more drama than an…

ART OF GLASS The fastest route to a joyful tabletop? Murano glassware. Reigniting its partnership with Laguna B, Campbell-Rey has released a new line of tumblers, wine glasses and champagne coupes that are convivial chic personified. Pressing matter Light switches needn’t be so serious. Katy Paty has retro-feel porcelain, while Jung has reissued its 1968 LS fittings in Le Corbusier’s iconic Les Couleurs. HIDE AND CHIC Digital innovations aren’t just making our homes smarter but opening up new ways in which to furnish them, too. A case in point is the work of Bill Amberg Studio, whose project with world-renowned creatives, including Matthew Day Jackson (pictured), has produced hides that can be digitally printed in intricate colours.…

One minute with The Connor Brothers Describe your style. It’s a mix of dark humour and philosophical insight. Our collages explore the boundaries between truth and fiction, and raise questions about how we construct meaning from experience. Inspiration? Ideas start as conversations, usually in taxi rides or at the pub. We have on-going themes that interest us, such as prison reform, addiction, mental health and the nature of reality. Tell us about the collaboration It was a fascinating process. There are literally thousands of magazines in the archives. We focussed on illustrations that had been printed using lithography; there’s something more real, visceral maybe, about this style Artists you love? James Turrell, who creates light installations – he’s a genius–and emerging German artist, Oskar Rink. Artwork display advice? Stay true…

serves 4 2 medium pork chops, trimmed and any fat removedFOR THE ADOBO MARINADE3 small ancho chillies, finely chopped or 1tsp chilli flakes½tbsp ground paprika½tbsp ground cumin1tsp ground turmeric2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped1tsp dried oregano1tbsp apple cider vinegar3tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice2tbsp runny honey2tbsp olive oil½tsp salt Once you’ve mastered the adobo mix, it will be your go-to marinade when cooking meat or fish 1 Combine all the ingredients for the adobo marinade in a bowl. Add the pork chops and mix well, making sure each pork chop is coated with the marinade. Cover and allow to marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or overnight. 2 Preheat the grill to high. Shake the marinade off the pork chops and set aside to use as a baste when…