Innehållsförteckning för June 2021 från Living Etc

One minute you were skipping along, living your best life, and the next minute you were home schooling your kids in trigonometry–and not understanding any of it – while fretting over vulnerable loved ones and dangling by a thread. And that’s if you were one of the lucky people who wasn’t on the front lines. Life became a mad scramble to find ways to survive, both mentally and physically. We binge-watched Call My Agent! and Bake Off. We knitted and nattered and needlepointed. We baked and bought exercise bikes and we scrolled through Instagram for hours with a dead expression on our faces. But we also did something else, something rather momentous and fabulous: we decorated our brains out! Overnight, your home became everything! Whether a garret or a mansion,…

Welcome to the summer of Neo Deco decor, our 2021 take on the pure drama, energy and optimism of all things art deco. Think rounded and smooth corners, the clean-cut lines, the geometric patterns, the glass, the velvet… but with an edginess that’s here to stay. And it all begins with seven new paint colours we’ve created for Lick. They’re the shades we’re craving most at the moment – hues that exude excitement and joy. Ranging from the uplifting sky tones of Blue 10 and the subtle tint of red within the pastel softness of Pink 05 to the golden warmth of Yellow 03 and the dark richness of Purple 03, they’ll work together perfectly. Our palette box is meant to be played with, safe in the knowledge that whatever…

It could be called a modern dilemma. ‘The owners of this historic house wanted to transform it into a contemporary city home that reflected their passion for art, travel and fashion without diminishing any of its architectural origins,’ says Claire Delmar, creative director of Studio CD, who took on the challenge. Great lengths were taken to honour the bones of the Italianate, Victorian-era mansion in one of Sydney’s inner-city suburbs and retain as many original features as possible. Ornate plasterwork ceiling mouldings, arched doorways and marble fireplaces were all restored, along with the antique parquet flooring in the kitchen-diner/living area. With a beautiful canvas in place, Claire introduced bold contemporary furniture, covered the walls with witty and whimsical art and introduced sumptuous textiles. Her love of mixing materials – brass…

CERAMICS mark gagnon ‘Believe it or not, being an artist was the only thing I ever wanted to do,’ explains Mark Gagnon, an East Coast multidisciplinary artist who works from his studio and shop in Maryland. ‘Once, when I was living and working in Manhattan, I did a painting project that entailed making eight large murals for a midtown club and I delivered them using my bike, riding the huge canvases up the west side of the city one at a time!’ says Mark. ‘Having previously worked with paint and as an illustrator, for the last few years I have been working with paper mache as my medium of choice, using the rib vaulting technique.’ Mark describes his paper mache urns as ‘slightly absurd’ in shape and theme. ‘It’s the…

Do you remember the last time you were really touched by a piece of art or design? I get a dazzling feeling in the pit of my stomach; it’s a bit like vertigo, the sensation of being taken somewhere else that’s beyond your control. Like sitting in a small wooden canoe at the mercy of a very wide, brown, muddy river. Think the Sepik or Heart of Darkness – the beginning of a new journey and my raison d’être. In our overloaded, overstimulated world filled to the brim with content, I don’t know about you but for me, it’s getting harder to feel anything at all. Every now and again I’m back riding the wild torrents; one image will inspire an entire scheme, fabric collection or furniture design. While browsing…

IN THE GARDEN 1 Feed your plants with organic and homemade plant feeds. Especially hungry, fruiting annuals. 2 Plan ahead. Don’t forget to sow hardy winter veg now for harvests later in the year. Try sprouting broccoli, kale and chard. 3 Where you have planted out young seedlings, keep weeding little and often so the weeds don’t get a chance to do what they do best – grow fast and outcompete your seedlings. INDOORS 1 Grow microgreens on your windowsill. Try amaranth for pink sprouts. 2 Propagate houseplants from cuttings. All you need is a cutting and a glass of water – pop the cutting in and watch roots form. 3 Ensure a strong flower display from potted bulbs next year by cutting dead or dying flowers at the base…

1 THE GETAWAY Slow retreat Feeling cautiously optimistic about travel, we have our sights on Settle, a transportive collection of railway carriages, safari tents and boutique cabins set in serene Norfolk parkland with lake views. Furnished with locally sourced natural soaps, organic textiles and handmade pottery, you can then buy it all in its online shop. settlenorfolk.co.uk; settleshop.co.uk 2 THE MUST READ Homespun charm From the kitchen of acclaimed architect John Pawson and his wife Catherine, Home Farm Cooking (£35, Phaidon Press) is an inspiring collection of favourite dishes all fundamental to the couple’s home cooking and entertaining repertoire. The resulting tome speaks beautifully of simple food enjoyed in a pared-back space. 3 THE INSTAGRAM ACCOUNT Colour therapy Michelle Norris, an artist based in Atlanta, Georgia, fills our Instagram feed with bold…

united states A FOREST RETREAT, DESERT RESORT AND A BEAUTY ON THE BIG SUR – AMERICA HAS IT ALL SAVVY Mid-Century Modern A Frame Home on Six Acres Built in 1968, this impressive Hudson Valley hideaway rental is a 20th-century design lover’s dream. Stuffed with art and Danish furniture, it offers an outdoorsy break with added creature comforts. During the summer, explore the hiking trails and forests of this patch of upstate New York and come winter a spot by the fireplace guarantees a romantic evening in. Book it Sleeps six for around £250 a night, airbnb.co.uk STRETCH Parker Palm Springs Another property with mid-century leanings, the Parker is your quintessential Palm Springs compound. Think white walls, palm trees, pop art and a perfect pool all set against that unbeatable…

Nature’s bounty underpins the latest collection of prints, embroideries, weaves and papers from Jane Churchill. Taking its cue from classic pastoral scenes and the freshness of spring growth, the collection turns to the richness of the natural world for inspiration, with playful, handcrafted elements and small-scale designs complementing an overall feel of vibrant eclecticism. ‘Pretty pastels are gaining prominence,’ says design director Sarah MacGregor, ‘but, as with pattern, these colours are layered with more vibrant shades of ochre, red, dark green and cobalt blue.’ Signature decorative fabrics include densely patterned designs conjuring bold takes on the tree of life, combining brights with muted shades. Enriching these hand-blocked fabrics are intricate crewelwork and enticingly irregular geometrics. ‘We’re entering a period of celebrating a more-is-more approach to decorating homes,’ says Sarah. ‘Now…

“When it came to de Gournay director Hannah Cecil Gurney’s own living room, the brand’s Coco Coromandel paper was her choice. Inspired by Far Eastern screens in Coco Chanel’s Paris apartment, the camellias and birds are hand-painted to imitate the techniques of the Ming dynasty”…

He may be a big name in the design world but Brit-born Martyn Lawrence Bullard is as happy creating celebrity homes-Kylie Jenner, Khloe Kardashian, Cher - and high-end hotels - the newly opened Prospect in Hollywood, the iconic Colony Palms in Palm Springs – as he is working on his sister Tina’s 18th-century pub in Chislehurst, Kent (The Imperial Arms). Now LA-based and a celebrity himself thanks to TV shows like Million Dollar Decorators in the US and Hollywood Me (Channel 4) in the UK, his range of styles and eclectic yet sophisticated and inviting interiors are in demand globally. For his latest project, a modernist new build, designed by architect Juan Zapata to capture the sweeping panorama of a hill-top view in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, Martyn’s brief was…

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I love warm and sophisticated tones with strong personalities. Of course, at work, my go-to colours very much depend on the project and the period of the building. However, I have a few favourites: I currently adore terracotta shades as well as India Yellow from Farrow & Ball, and in the past I’ve used a lot of R AL 3012 Beige Red and RGB Coral Red. At home I prefer not to overuse colour as I need a neutral canvas that allows me to think. Besides, I often play with the positions of furniture, add new pieces and introduce panels of new materials, so I tend to inject colour through rugs, furniture, textiles and accessories and keep the walls and ceilings understated. I’ve used Farrow & Ball’s Dead Salmon in…

The serene space we have created to the back of this property in London is a natural extension of the house’s modern, open-plan interior. Usable space is maximised by having planters, pots and furniture on the perimeter, while the centre is used as a children’s play area. Privacy is courtesy of trellis-topped walls, which are greened up by star jasmine Trachelospermum jasminoides; Quercus ilex is used on a raised planting bed to provide a further sense of lushness and seclusion to the garden. Overall the design is modern and minimalistic in its use of materials but rich in the planting palette. A profusion of white, blue and purple flowers are used in the scheme and the garden is illuminated at night with spotlights under each tree. Having a strong ratio…

To treat a bathroom as purely functional is to miss out on the opportunity to explore noble materials and eloquent furnishings. Definitely not Humbert & Poyet’s style. The Monaco-based architects put every ounce of design know-how into the en suite of this Paris apartment, starting with the exquisite shower. ‘It is the most luxurious we’ve ever designed,’ says Emil Humbert. ‘The black metal framing adds theatre and showcases the antique French black marble interior. This stone is very special, with a jet-black base and crisp white veining. Watermark’s lacquered brass shower fittings look like jewels inside.’ Located in the fashionable Le Marais district, the apartment has an incredible facade but inside no historic details remained. Humbert & Poyet designed their own neoclassical coving and architraves to make the 4m-high ceilings extra…

EXPERT VIEW Playing with scale Robert Stilin, designer “Scale is everything – it’s critical to a scheme. If you don’t get the scale right the design will look ridiculous. To play with scale you should consider repetition, consistency and balance. You can play with scale in plan, elevation and in situ. You can visualise and tangibly move around materials and objects to create variations. I start by playing in plan and elevation, and then going to the site and sensing it personally with my eye. I rely on visceral feelings so I can create opinions on scale. Lighting is a great way to experiment with scale because it adds drama. It incorporates sculptural elements and can occupy space in interesting ways. It’s important to evaluate how the lighting or a…

CHICKEN CONFIT serves 6 1.8kg skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs (6 to 8) 1½ tbsp fine sea salt, plus more as needed 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed 1 lemon, thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves, smashed, plus 2 garlic heads, unpeeled and halved crosswise 4 fresh thyme sprigs 2 bay leaves 2 large leeks, tough outer layer and dark tops removed, halved, cleaned and cut into 2.5 cm pieces 1.2-1.4ltr extra virgin olive oil 240g green olives, such as Picholine or Lucques 1 Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with the salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl with the lemon slices, garlic cloves, thyme and bay leaves. Cover with a lid or an upside-down dinner plate. Refrigerate overnight. 2 Preheat the oven to…

THE ARCHITECT AND DESIGNER WHO BROUGHT WARMTH TO THE MODERNIST MOVEMENT Described as a ‘healer of souls’ due to the sense of wellbeing his work elicited, Alexander Girard was one of the most influential designers of the 20th century. He worked alongside the greats, such as Charles and Ray Eames and Eero Saarinen, and his take on pattern and print can still be seen in contemporary pieces by the likes of LRNCE and Sarah Sherman Samuel. Born in 1907 in New York, Girard’s work spanned the interior design of homes, restaurants, offices and aeroplanes, as well as furniture, graphics, typography and textiles. He had a fascination with folk art and gathered one of the world’s most important collections, subsequently bequeathing it to the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa…

1 UNDER COVER I can’t live without hats. This elegant bicolour piece is on my wish list for this season. Sand Capelan hat, €400, Eliurpi at Browns London 2 LIGHT UP This ceramic lamp reminds me of summer days with its straw ‘hat’ and bohemian base. Volta lamp, £525, A New Tribe 3 GLASS ART Coffee tables make or break a living room and while I’m usually cautious with glass tops this one is a spectacular design. Puddle table, £1,392, Pandora Taylor 4 BOWL OVER A recent discovery of mine is a lovely Scandi-inspired brand that sells all things home in an affordable price range. I particularly love its glazed kitchenware. Jules serving bowl, £42, Att Pynta 5 TABLE TALK I’ve got into tableware and linen a lot recently and…

Bold, colourful glamour – that’s what I wanted to create here,’ says Liz Lange, fashion designer and entrepreneur. This early-1900s home in Palm Beach, Florida, is where she and her family head for downtime and, more recently, it became a base for lockdown life. Liz bought it in 2019 and had clear ideas about its look from the get-go. ‘I didn’t want one of those all-white beach houses or a “serious” city-style decor,’ she says. Instead, this house would be as fabulously escapist as the best beach resort, a place you’d never want to leave. ‘It needed to be decorated with real glamour and confidence,’ she adds. Which made her old friend Jonathan Adler a natural choice as her collaborator. Liz and Jonathan met at Brown University in the mid-1980s…

While Gerine Ongkeko’s San Francisco home may be dripping in historic decorative plasterwork, corbels and mouldings, what goes on between the walls is a different story. The Jonathan Adler effect is in full force throughout the 106-year-old building, his design studio transforming what once were formal, functional rooms into spaces full of vitality that raise a wry smile. ‘The house is unrecognisable from when we bought it five years ago,’ says Gerine. ‘It was off-white all over: still fabulous but I wanted glam and fun.’ Who else to call but Jonathan Adler? Gerine and Jorge became fans of Jonathan’s irreverent style through visits to his Greenwich Village store in New York. After they bought this house, sonAndrew urged Gerine to get in touch. ‘I thought: “he’s not going to want…

AMERICAN DESIGN ICON WHO CHANGED THE SHAPE OF CINEMA A creative force, Tony Duquette is famed for his decadent style, vivid imagination and fantastical take on design. Living by the mantra ‘more is more’, Duquette started his career during Hollywood’s golden age, creating spectacular costumes and film sets. By his eighth decade, he was designing jewellery for Tom Ford at Gucci, with his Beverly Hills home, Dawnridge, serving as the backdrop for the brand’s ad campaigns. After catching the eye of Elsie de Wolfe in 1941, he became her protégé. His lavish interior for Hollywood’s most glamorous nightclub of the times, the Mocambo, came complete with live cockatoos in glass cages. With a style that makes Marie Antoinette look tame, Duquette was the ultimate maximalist. He not only decorated movie…

May is the month of fertility, it is the height of spring and the start of summer. The 1st of May marks the Druid festival known as Beltane. It is said the Maiden Goddess blossoms, the Green Man falls in love with her, they make love and the May Queen becomes pregnant. I love tales like this that are used to understand and connect with the natural world. Indeed, all around us the bees are pollinating blossoms that will ripen into fertile fruits. As tradition dictates, I bring in a branch of the delicate white May Tree (Hawthorn) blossom into the home to mark this festival. As a grower, this time of year can feel chaotic but you should let yourself ride the wave. Right now I’m sowing seeds like…

Through lines When filling a room with charisma, it can be tempting to go all-out with your choices, but the key to creating a cool cohesion is to find dialogue between your pieces. This space designed by Kelly Wearstler is more than just the sum of its parts – black lines run throughout the look, from the polkas on the sofa, the legs of the chairs and the grounding marble architrave. Shades of pink and turquoise echo through the space, too, in what Kelly calls, ‘a sophisticated yet playful design story’. GET THE LOOK For a similar armchair, try the Hesby Club Chair, from £4,400, Kelly Wearstler Cocooned in colour If you’ve fallen for a particular paint pigment, then forget the so-called rules and let your paintbrush run wild. Wrap…

PARVUM OPUS Whoever said bookish was boring hasn’t paid a trip to Parvum Opus. The Michigan-based craft firm’s name means ‘diminutive artistic forms’ in Latin, and its book bindings, notebooks, stationery and desk accessories are a whirl of office-based fun. Its jewel-toned marble designs, created by founder Erika Stefanutti, breathe new life into your working arrangements, a dazzle of imaginative colour that make jotting down notes a joy. Folios from $20, parvumopus.com…