Design Anthology UK Issue 17 by designanthologyuk

FROM THE EDITOR

his year is shaping up to be a seminal one. With two general elections on the horizon that will determine so much of our futures on both sides of the Atlantic; ongoing war and injustice; and a feeling that the values we hold dear are being tested like never before – how do we find peace in our days? I plan to go inward, to my home, with my nearest friends and family, for rest and revival. I plan to make the most of simple pleasures – my garden, eating out, my city’s rich cultural offering – all while remembering my privilege of living in a relatively safe and peaceful place. With simple pleasures in mind, issue 17 is an ode to the cycle of the seasons: our spring/summer edition is a celebration of coming out of winter darkness into lighter days, meeting friends in beautiful settings and travelling to farflung locales. Here you will find a photo essay from the wilds of Mozambique (p44); thoughtful and immaculately detailed homes in Madrid (p54), Paris (p66) and New York (p78); new hotels and restaurants from London to Mexico (p36), and, the thing I am most excited about, a refresh of the back page, which will now hold a culture edit from established personalities and tastemakers from D/A UK’s spheres of interest. First up is London-based interior designer Linda Boronkay (p128), who opens up about her love of Jungle and the work of her creative hero, Es Devlin. We hope you enjoy our first issue of 2024. Elizabeth Choppin Editor-in-Chief

DISCOVER MODULOR WALL PANELLING SYSTEM, COVER WALK–IN CLOSET, RADIUS DOOR. DESIGN GIUSEPPE BAVUSO

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MASTHEAD

April 2024

Co-publisher & Editor-in-Chief Elizabeth Choppin elizabeth@designanthologyuk.com Co-publisher & Director of Creative Partnerships Kerstin Zumstein kerstin@designanthologyuk.com Art Director Shazia Chaudhry shazia@designanthologyuk.com Sub Editor Emily Brooks Commercial Director Rebecca Harkness rebecca@designanthologyuk.com Editorial Concept Design Frankie Yuen, Blackhill Studio Words Charlotte Abrahams, Alia Akkam, Holly Black, Emily Brooks, Giovanna Dunmall, Iwan Halstead, John Jervis, Dominic Lutyens, Nina Starr, Nicola Leigh Stewart, Kate Worthington Images Erlantz Biderbost, Edvinas Bruzas, Carl Halal, Abi Hanna, Lucy Laucht, Vincent Leroux, Wanda Martin, Charlie McKay, David Mitchell, Scarlet Page, Cat Vinton

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CONTENTS

Front cover An apartment in Chamartín, Madrid, designed by De La Villa Studio. Image by Erlantz Biderbost. See p54

Radar

Journey

Products Collections and collaborations of note

Read Delve into a selection of books on design, architecture and interiors

Hotel openings New design-centric destinations to explore across the globe

Restaurant, London Oyster bar Pearly Queen brings some lustre to the streets of Shoreditch

Hotel, Mozambique Daytrip Studio’s Iwan Halstead samples slow travel at off-grid oasis Sussurro

Philanthropy Sculptural, creative candles from some of Lebanon’s best designers, sold to benefit a Beirut hospital

Profile Maak, the boutique auction house that sets collectors’ pulses racing

Raw talent

A-nrd looked to the visual language of New York’s classic oyster bars to create east London restaurant Pearly Queen. See p24

Home 54

Madrid Formerly an office, this expressive home is now filled with adventurous art

Paris The soothing, subdued tonality of After Bach’s elegant apartment

New York City A cavernous yet comfortable loft within Tribeca’s Cast Iron House

CONTENTS

Art + Collecting

Style

Diary The most compelling art and design events for the coming months

122

102

Gallery, Cornwall Adam Weismann turns his fascination with clay into an artistic endeavour

106

Book A new monograph sheds light on the career of Chicago artist Miyoko Ito

Architecture 112

Most wanted A compilation of clothing and accessories that are beautiful, thoughtful and good

Culture Edit 128

Linda Boronkay A new feature: D/A UK asks its favourite tastemakers how they spend their down-time, from food to travel

Profile, London How Manalo & White found success in a gender-balanced workplace and a collaborative approach to projects

Material meditations Adam Weismann moves beyond using clay as a functional surface material, turning it into contemplative art. See p102

EST. 2015

LONDON - BIRMINGHAM

E XC E P T IONA L LU M I NA I R E S HANDMADE IN ENGLAND

JA DA M SA N D C O. C O M | 1 1 6 - 1 1 8 ST J O H N ST R E E T, LO N D O N

The Candle Project by House of Today. Read the full story on p28 Image by Abi Hanna

R ADAR Global design news

R ADAR / Products

Curiousa Inspired by the matt, weathered surface of seaglass, Curiousa has expanded its Wave collection to include a sandblasted finish. The colourful pendants are made from free-blown glass (ie, without using moulds, just relying on the eye of the maker), some with tassels to add an opulent finishing touch. “It’s important the pieces feel alive and even tactile,” says Curiousa’s founder Esther Patterson. “Even though I’ve designed a certain uniformity, they needed to feel instinctive, sculptural and free of constraint.” curiousa.co.uk

Kirkby Design You might know aloe vera for its sunburn-soothing qualities or as a handsome house plant, but it also has design potential as a sustainable textile. Kirkby Design’s new Aloe fabric scores an industry first by incorporating it into drapery-quality material for interiors. The plant is grown with no chemicals or fertilisers and does not require watering: after harvesting, its gel is processed then shredded and spun into yarn. Here it’s been woven with organic cotton to create a soft, sheer fabric. kirkbydesign.com

R ADAR / Products

Rose Uniacke Made from sustainably sourced burr poplar veneer, the uniquely beautiful qualities of this timber come to the fore in Rose Uniacke’s Editions collection. This desk (pictured with Uniacke’s Y chair) has a detachable top that appears to float above its twin side pedestals. A writing desk, occasional desk and side cabinet complete the collection. Every piece is hand finished with a natural oil – and, thanks to the material’s beguilingly unpredictable surface patination, every piece is unique. roseuniacke.com

Grégoire Alexandre

R ADAR / Products

Christophe Delcourt Best known for his contemporary furniture, French designer Christophe Delcourt also has a passion for textiles, with a fabric line he founded in 2018 so that his furniture and its upholstery could speak the same visual language. Subdued and tactile, each collection is designed as a complementary “set”, with lighter fabrics for curtains and cushions that can mix and match with heavier weights for upholstery. The latest drop includes Yuba (pictured), a wool and alpaca mix in a warm copper-brown. christophedelcourt.com

R ADAR / Products

Massproductions The Patch sofa is named after the lozenge-shaped “patches” that create its back rest panels. Borrowing from construction methods usually associated with mattresses, the panels feature pocket springs, thus reducing reliance on polyurethane foam. Rounded corners give the sofa a friendly disposition, while the raised seams were inspired by the base of a duffel bag. It’s pictured here inside the Iljinas house, a restored early modernist home in Kaunas, Lithuania, the town where the sofa is manufactured. massproductions.se

Sé Designed by Ini Archibong, the slender Heracles table is a refined take on a classical aesthetic, with four “pillars” rising up from a lacquered base to meet a marble top. A coffee table in two sizes, in the same style, complements this side table. Archibong’s wider collection, entitled Below The Heavens, draws on themes of mythology and spirituality, and is only Sé’s fouth since its founding in 2007; he joins previous collaborators Damien LangloisMeurinne, Jaime Hayon and Nika Zupanc. se-collections.com

R ADAR / Products

Stéphanie Coutas Treading the line between cute and contemporary, Stéphanie Coutas’ Mathilde chair invites the sitter to be cosseted within its welcoming contours. Its timber feet and armrest detail come in either light natural oak or dark high-gloss palm (described as “day” and “night” respectively), with a tactile teddybear-like bouclette fabric for comfort. Mathilde’s curves and craftsmanship reflect the wider style of the French interior designer, whose projects include Louis Vuitton Singapore and Paris’ Hôtel Phileas. stephaniecoutas.com

Design House Stockholm Exploring the relationship between strength and fragility, the Hydraulic vase is made by exerting high pressure on a stainless steel tube, which creates its elegantly rippled form at the base. The added weight at the bottom is also practical, acting as a stabiliser when the vase is full. Isa Andersson first made the piece as part of her master’s at Konstfack, Sweden’s largest art and design school; now, having been picked up for production by Design House Stockholm, it will receive a wider audience. designhousestockholm.com

Handcrafted Rugs

Rug Design: Aperture II Parchment | Photography: Beth Davis

Discover the highest artisanal luxury now ready for delivery

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R ADAR / Products

Banlan Inspired by the elegant tapering outline of a pair of chopsticks as well as traditional temple architecture, Nichetto Studio’s Sixi dining table was designed for Chinese brand Banlan. It is available in five sizes, with a round or oval top, and in three timber finishes as well as the exuberant green stone finish pictured. Nichetto Studio has also designed a series of coffee tables for Banlan called Banbu, which feature a wide disk of timber perching on slim metal legs, with varying heights so they can overlap or nest. banlan.com.cn

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La Chance Many of history’s classic chairs are made from lightweight aluminium, from the 1940s Navy chair by Emeco to Marc Newson’s 1990s experiments in aerodynamic riveted forms. Rudy Guénaire’s new Phoenix chair for French brand La Chance, featuring two curving sections fastened together in the centre of the base, represents another revival. An upholstered seat and backrest bring the comfort, with a wide variety of different fabrics available, from plains to a canivalesque Pierre Frey velvet. lachance.paris

Kalon Studios Quietly minimal LA-based furniture brand Kalon Studios’ Element bed is its first foray into working with metal on a large scale. Described as “a meditation on elemental purity,” it sits on a plinth of coolly precise brushed aluminium, with a rightangle of warm-toned Douglas fir forming the base and headboard; the piece works in 360 degrees, with the aluminium also running up the rear of the headboard. Complementary bedroom furniture in the same style is next on Kalon’s list. kalonstudios.com

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Edra Modular sofas that can create seating “landscapes” are experiencing a moment, and Francesco Binfaré’s Standard collection for Edra is a great example. It comes as a single seat or a straight two- or-threeseater sofa, but the fun happens when you add in corners and hexagonal or octagonal end-pieces to create deep, faceted shapes that can extend across a room, undulating as they go. Pillow-like, individually reclining back and armrests mould to your shape for an enveloping sense of comfort. edra.com

Garcé & Dimofski The New York-based Korean designer Minjae Kim designed these two chairs (aptly named Chair I and Chair II) for Garcé & Dimofski. Hand carved from pine, then stained and lacquered, the chair’s crafted aesthetic fits right in with Olivier Garcé and Clio Dimofski’s eye for experimental contemporary design. The studio has a gallery space in Lisbon, showing its own work as well as a curated selection of collectible vintage pieces, and it also has a presence in New York, where Garcé & Dimofski designed The Invisible Collection’s 160 sqm Upper East Side townhouse showroom.

Inês Silva

garce-dimofski.com

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Casahari This KT64 table is one of two launch products for new brand Casahari, founded by Ines Ybarra and Oliva Sartogo. It’s named for celebrated Japanese architect Kenzō Tange (the couple were inspired by his Yoyogi stadium in Tokyo) and its lacquered top is incised with swooping lines, amplifying its wider form’s dynamic curves. Look out, too, for Casahari’s other release, a geometric, two-tone table, also in high gloss, inspired by the work of Russian avantgarde artist Kazimir Malevich. casahari.com

R ADAR / Products

Valentina Piscopo’s Dubai interior design firm Kuky has launched a debut furniture collection that includes this Forte stool. Upholstered in a smart pinstriped cotton, it can work equally well as a footstool in a living space as it would as seating for a bedroom vanity desk. Piscopo was inspired by the colours and contours of the local landscape for the wider collection, which features natural materials such as raffia, hessian and timber, and unexpected details such as wavy arabescato marble handles. kuky.co

Natelee Cocks

Kuky

Nordic Knots is made in India from New Zealand wool, with densely woven loops and a 15mm-deep hand-cut pile that defines the stripes, giving each piece a thick, plush texture that is luxurious underfoot. nordicknots.com

Anders Kylberg

With its simple understated stripe, Nordic Knots’ Park rug is a favourite in its portfolio. In recognition of this, its colour choice has recently been expanded, with five punchier new shades that augment the existing softer palette: sunrise (pictured), a cheerful yellow, plus burgundy, rose, sky and camel. Each rug

Occhio store London 91– 97, Fulham Road

Occhio store Milano Corso Monforte 13

RADAR / Read

Concrete Architecture

Studio Ashby: Home, Art, Soul

by Phaidon editors with Sam Lubell and Greg Goldin (Phaidon)

by Sophie Ashby & Amy Astley (Rizzoli) Sophie Ashby’s projects have graced DA/UK’s pages since its first issue (she was also one of the magazine’s cover stars for issue 16’s fifthbirthday special), so it’s heartening to see this sumptuous monograph of her work. “Being an interior designer is really a combination of three roles: curator, collector and commissioner,” says Ashby in the introductory essay, describing her style as “happy clashing” – while the rest of the book explores how her confident, layered look plays out across many prestigious projects. That includes her own home, shared with husband Charlie Casely-Hayford (“we speak the same creative language”) and their two children, as well as a Brighton beach house, a Belgravia apartment and a Kensington townhouse.

Is there a more divisive material than concrete? There are those who slam brutalist buildings as ugly, and those who fete concrete for its “infinity of form,” as this book’s authors put it: either way, it shapes our world. It may seem like poor timing to be celebrating a material that many architects are trying to minimise for environmental reasons (the case for more sustainable concretes is lightly touched upon here) – but this is more about admiring architects’ sheer creativity. Enjoy the retro-futurism of Oscar Niemeyer’s Niterói Contemporary Art Museum; marvel at Frank Lloyd-Wright’s spiralling Guggenheim in New York; or take in the sun-blanched terraces of Aino and Alvar Aalto’s Finnish sanatorium.

RADAR / Read

Jean Prouvé

Toshio Shibata: Japan

Paris’ Galerie Patrick Seguin has become something of a guardian of the catalogue of French architect and designer Jean Prouvé, and this book updates a monograph originally published in 2007. Over two volumes and 750 pages, it covers a lot of ground, from Prouvé’s first venture into chair design (a neat folding example) to his prophetic experiments with modular demountable houses, with sketches and archive material to round things out. The text includes a biography of Prouvé by his daughter Catherine as well as essays by design historian Raymond Guidot and architectural historian Catherine Coley. On the cover, a 1955 photo shows Prouvé posing in front of the portholed front door of his home in Nancy.

Tokyo-born photographer Toshio Shibata has a unique viewpoint on his native country. His large-format works capture the intersection of the man-made and the natural in almost surreal detail: water is a recurring theme, rushing over dams and under bridges, a permanently moving force that contrasts with the industrial infrastructure that surrounds it; while net-like webs of concrete, used to stabilise hillsides, look like giant pieces of fabric thrown over the land. Photography curator and art historian Phillip Prodger provides the text that accompanies these hauntingly beautiful, sometimes strange images; he writes that Shibata’s pictures are “microcosms, in which natural and human forces engage in a symbiotic dance.”

by Patrick Seguin, Catherine Prouvé, Jean Nouvel, Renzo Piano and Raymond Guidot (Edition Galerie Patrick Seguin)

by Phillip Prodger (Prestel)

RADAR / Restaurant

Raw talent

Oyster bar Pearly Queen brings some lustre to the streets of Shoreditch

Words Kate Worthington Images Charlie McKay

Left A-nrd’s interiors were inspired by the casual vibe and art deco influences of New York’s oyster bars

n an age where restaurant-quality food can be summoned from the sofa at the touch of a button, it takes remarkable cuisine in an equally enticing setting to lure diners from the comfort of home. Recently opened seafood restaurant Pearly Queen is a prospect that’s hard to refuse. Michelin-starred chef Tom Brown (of Hackney Wick’s Cornerstone) helms the kitchen, while the interiors are by acclaimed design practice A-nrd. Founded by Alessio Nardi and Lukas Persakovas in 2015, the studio has spent the last decade bringing its magic to some of London’s buzziest eateries and bars, including Darjeeling Express, Casa do Frango and Milk Beach. For Pearly Queen, a 40-seat oyster bar in the heart of Shoreditch, there was no formal brief – Nardi says it was “an organic process” with Brown and his business partner. “There were some specific details they were keen to see – they gave us a reference of a particular wood finish they liked, which was a medium oak with a kind of vintage feel to it – but aside from that, it developed organically.” The menu and

RADAR / Restaurant

Above Left to right: Pearllike wall lights are a subtle nod to what’s on the menu; the matte limewashed walls call to mind a cloudy sky, or an oyster shell

style of dining formed the foundation of the design, and with champagne and oysters taking centre stage, the decadence of the art deco period and New York’s grandiose architecture proved a rich seam of inspiration. “We researched iconic oyster bars – I remember going to New York and seeing the Grand Central Oyster Bar and the station’s arches and that was a strong reference for Lukas and I,” says Nardi. Rather than try to find like-for-like finishes, materials and colours however, the designers tried to capture a similar mood; “I liked the feeling of walking into [the Grand Central] Oyster Bar, you feel that glamour but

it’s also quite laid back – you have counter seating, more secluded tables, group tables…it caters to every occasion. You can walk in and have half a dozen oysters while you’re waiting for a train by yourself, go on a date, or bring your family and have a seafood feast. That’s what we wanted to bring to Pearly Queen.” While there are definite nods to art deco in the lighting, bronzed-brass elements and plush chestnut leather upholstery, there’s also an emphatic east London rawness thanks to the building’s exposed industrial features – a carefully balanced contrast that “gives real soul and identity to Pearly Queen,” says Nardi,

RADAR / Restaurant

adding “I think it’s important that it reflects the neighbourhood.” The sea is alluded to in the most subtle and sophisticated of ways, including pearl-like lighting, the use of neutral Italian terrazzo with its iridescent, shell-like finish, and bar lights faintly reminiscent of jellyfish. Nardi says the inky limewashed wall effect, which brings to mind sea and sky, was deliberately more expressive than the usual application. “We did a lot of sampling with our contractor to get the right effect – it’s all handpainted and brings texture to the space.” The ground floor revolves around a dualpurpose cocktail bar and open kitchen, while a

mirrored counter-style table looks out over bustling Commercial Street. The second counter was conceived to improve the function of the layout, but as Nardi notes, “it’s very successful in creating that dynamism and theatricality in the space.” Downstairs, the mood is more intimate, with a richer colour palette, a distressed oak parquet floor, more upholstery, low-level lighting and tables tucked into recesses and nooks. There’s an open kitchen here too, “so there’s always a buzz,” says Nardi. “I think that’s key to a restaurant’s mood.” That elusive buzz is Pearly Queen’s secret ingredient – and thanks to its carefully considered design, there’s plenty of it.

Above Terrazzo-topped tables are paired with the richness and warmth of timber and chestnut leather

RADAR / Philanthropy

Burning desire

A charity project taps into Lebanon’s tradition for candle-making, turning wax into intricate sculptures, sold to benefit a Beirut hospital

fter the catastrophic 2020 explosion at the Port of Beirut tore through Lebanon’s capital, local non-profit organisation House of Today, dedicated to nurturing the contemporary Lebanese design scene, was equally keen to step into the past and instil a sense of national pride with The Candle Project. House of Today’s first fully fledged collection, overseen from curation through production, is “a push to highlight the high quality of crafts we have here,” says its co-director Charbel Abi

Azar, in this instance illuminating the country’s vast legacy of candlemaking.

Words Alia Akkam

The Candle Project, which took two years to execute, unites ten distinctive designs from notable and emerging Lebanese talents who had yet to explore paraffin wax as a medium – Aline Asmar d’Amman, Flavie Audi, Tamara Barrage, Carla Baz, David/Nicolas, Nada Debs, LimbObject, Sayar & Garibeh, Richard Yasmine and 200 Grs. The pieces were then realised at the uplifting Centre Hospitalier

Images Abi Hanna/ Carl Halal

RADAR / Philanthropy

Right Top to bottom: Aspiration by Aline Asmar d’Amman, inspired by the Our Lady of Lebanon shrine in Harissa; Tamara Barrage’s Silhouettes candle Facing page The full assemblage of candles, made at the Centre Hospitalier Beit Chabab

Beit Chabab Workshop, where patients with reduced mobility learn new skills. Sold via House of Today’s website, the candles’ proceeds support the hospital, founded as a haven for those wounded during the Lebanese Civil War. Nurturing the impactful relationship between designer and manufacturer was critical to The Candle Project’s mission. Thankfully, House of Today found the ideal partner in the workshop’s wheelchair-using leader, Roukoz Moussallem, who has been passionately turning out candles for nearly 40 years. However, the complex nature of these particular examples was not easy to achieve: “The volume, the colours, the refining that was necessary, were all challenges for him,” explains House of Today’s co-director Mattia Tebasti. “They all have irregular shapes.” It took some convincing, but Moussallem didn’t shy away from the laborious artisanal process. Instead, he constructed intricate moulds and spent two days bringing to life one candle at a time. None of the finished pieces are mere utilitarian homewares, but collectible sculptural objects in their own right, often with a personal message behind them. Asmar d’Amman’s candle is an interpretation of the Our Lady of Lebanon shrine in the village of Harissa, for example, while David/Nicolas has created an ode to multifaceted Lebanon, juxtaposing brutalist lines and rounded mountain peaks. Others are more meditative, like Audi’s eddying rocks or the ethereal, textured orb imagined by Debs. “There was no directive; the idea was for them to be free in their designs,” says Tebasti – and the results, adds Abi Azar, are one-of-a-kind works that “reflect each of their personalities”.

RADAR / Profile

Hand & heart

With the market for contemporary craft booming, Maak is the boutique auction house that sets collectors’ pulses racing

t an online auction in 2020, a vessel by ceramicist Magdalene Odundo achieved the highest price for a single work for a living potter: the estimate was £30,000-£40,000, but the hammer came down at £200,000. You can call it the pandemic effect: cash-rich collectors stuck at home, looking to make a purchase and be entertained. But for Marijke Varrall-Jones, founder of Maak, the auction house behind the sale, it was the culmination of many years of hard work nurturing a secondary market for contemporary ceramics. Varrall-Jones cut her teeth at Bonham’s, rising to become its head of contemporary ceramics; when her department closed in 2008 in the wake of the financial crisis, she set up Maak. “I didn’t have much to lose,” she says. “There wasn’t anyone else who was going to step into that void. I thought, well, why not me?” In the intervening years, ceramics have become less of a niche market, with collectors looking beyond traditional art and finding a new appreciation for handmade objects. Prices have soared. Nearly all Maak’s buyers and sellers are private individuals rather than commercial enterprises, says Varrall-Jones: “When you’re talking with people every day who are acting for themselves and are highly passionate, it creates a very different environment compared to buying and selling with an investment perspective. That’s really nice.” Sales are always oversubscribed, which means that she can carefully curate her catalogue, and she always ensures there are entry-level pieces (from £200-£300) alongside

blockbuster names. “It would be easy to focus just on those top-end makers, but we want collectors to come in at the lower end of the market and grow with us,” she says. Maak’s next auction is in May – or rather, three auctions. There will be its usual contemporary ceramics sale, plus a collectible craft sale (Maak recently made the move into non-pottery with a sale of the collection of the late Victoria, Lady de Rothschild, which included works in wood, glass and metal as well as ceramics). Finally there is something that should have Maak’s loyal buyers salivating: an estate sale of the US-based collection of the late John and Joan Shipley, containing some of ceramics’ greatest names, from Hans Coper to Lucie Rie. Do auction days still hold the same excitement? “It’s always nervewracking – more so these days, because the bidding patterns have really changed in the last couple of years,” she says. “There’s a four-day live bidding process, and we used to find that 50% of bids came in on the first day. Now, 80% come in on the last day. People keep their cards closer to their chests.” Varrall-Jones has her personal passions, too, and her last purchase was a piece by Ewen Henderson. “I’m always drawn to texture. I love seeing a potter really relishing and pushing the capabilities of the clay,” she says. She also knows why people love ceramics so much: “There’s something so intuitive about it. It’s made from the earth, and you can often feel the potter’s hand on it. Pottery is very human.”

Words Emily Brooks Portrait Scarlet Page

Facing page Top to bottom: Marijke VarrallJones (centre) and her team; the collection of Victoria, Lady de Rothschild (including these wooden vessels by Marc Ricourt and John Jordan) was sold by Maak in 2023, marking its move beyond ceramics

PARTNER CONTENT / Parla

A refined silhouette

Simple elegance and attention to detail characterise the Palm furniture collection for Parla, which is suitable for inside or out

Facing page Palm’s metal frame plays with ideas of negative space Below The Palm X chair, whose upholstery is available in designer JeanMichel Wilmotte’s deep colour palette

The equilibrium between light and shadow: the way in which form and function strike a harmonious balance to achieve effortless sophistication and practicality. This is what French architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte sought to reach through the Palm collection, co-designed with Istanbul-based premium furniture manufacturer Parla. Launched in September 2023, Palm is a series of seats, stools, daybeds and low tables built on

durable powder-coated metal frames. The collection comes in three variants – Regular, Comfort and Lounge – each characterised by their differing finishes including upholstery in Wilmotte’s signature deep colour palette, such as kraft, olive green, bordeaux, black, deep blue and carbon grey. Suitable for indoors or out, the collection is rooted in the idea of interplay, where clean, sleek lines subtly juxtapose warm, noble materials. Whether you are seeking a rich European walnut table top exuding homely comfort, or an outdoor compact laminate, Palm’s vast customisability and adaptability offers unlimited combinations for you to tailor to your needs. The collection seeks to meet the requirements and desired aesthetic of all hoping to add to their space. “Inside, outside: a new praise of the dark,” is how Jean-Michel Wilmotte describes Palm’s design and his approach to testing the typical boundaries of furniture’s placement and rhythm. Burak Öztunçman, Parla’s owner and general manager, says of the collection: “We have ensured the highest standards for durability, specific outdoor finish qualities, and for certain fabrics to be used.” Parla began its journey in design in 1910 when its first generation crafted furniture for the Ottoman royal family. Since then, the company has continued to provide a blend of traditional craftsmanship and cutting-edge technology in woodwork, metalwork and upholstery. Through the Palm collaboration, Parla combines its savoir faire, expertise of materials and in-house designers with Wilmotte’s vision to produce a refined collection that is timeless in character.

Burak Teoman

PARTNER CONTENT / Parla

150 YEARS AND STILL MAKING HISTORY THE ANNIVERSARY COLLECTION. AVAILABLE ONLY IN 2024.

Explore the Louis Poulsen collection on nest.co.uk and in the Nest showroom: The Scottish Queen, 21-24 South Street, Park Hill, Sheffield S2 5QX

PH 5 ANNIVERSARY EDITION DESIGN BY POUL HENNINGSEN LOUISPOULSEN.COM

Sussurro, Mozambique. Read the full story on p44 Image by Edvinas Bruzas

JOURNEY Distinctive destinations

JOURNEY / Openings

New hotels

Design Hotels

Unique places to stay, in destinations of note

JOURNEY / Openings

Boca de Agua, Mexico Having fallen in love with Bacalar in Mexico (just north of the border with Belize) on a backpacking trip, Rodrigo Juarez embarked on the challenging task of building his first hotel amid the region’s lush jungle. With sustainability in mind, Juarez tapped architect Frida Escobedo to create a collection of treehouse villas elevated above ground so as not to disturb the local flora and fauna, all set next to a 26-mile-long lagoon. Slatted wood facades flood each space with light, connecting guests with nature, and inside, an earthy palette of brown, green and off-white has been completed by layers of natural wood and bespoke furnishings crafted by Mexican designers and local artisans. designhotels.com

JOURNEY / Openings

Otro Oaxaca, Mexico materials are softened with an earthy colour palette and layers of tactile materials in the 16 guest rooms: think soft quilts, leather curtains and homely clay accessories, all handmade by local artisans. The below-ground spa includes a plunge pool (pictured), naturally spotlit via an open oculus above it. designhotels.com

Design Hotels

For his latest opening, Grupo Habita co-founder Carlos Couturier tapped João Boto Caeiro of local firm Root Studio to imagine Otro Oaxaca. The hotel’s brick walls and limestone rooftop nod to the historic Church of Santo Domingo de Guzmán which sits opposite, while a use of raw concrete and reclaimed wood reference the textured surfaces typical of Oaxacan architecture. These brutalist

JOURNEY / Openings

Gundari, Greece Athens design studio Block722 is behind the paredback design of Gundari, the Cycladean island of Folegandros’ first luxury five-star boutique resort. Sitting high on a cliff overlooking the Aegean, its suites and villas have been crafted from locally sourced stone in a nod to traditional Cycladic homes. Minimalist rooms are dressed with tactile natural materials that blend into the landscape and

come finished with outdoor infinity pools on the sea’s edge. To further root the hotel into the island, spa treatments combine ancient Greek rituals with Folegandros’ native herbs and tonics, complemented by a range of holistic activities such as sound baths, energy healing and yoga. gundari.com

JOURNEY / Openings

Riad Brummell Medina, Morocco In the heart of Marrakesh, an authentic 19thcentury riad has been transformed into Riad Brummell. Barcelona architect Clàudia Raurell has deftly blended original details such as wrought iron balconies, decorative wooden doors and ornamental waha o gayza ceilings with bespoke terrazzo stone flooring and traditional tadelakt walls. The hotel showcases a wealth of contemporary design pieces, from Marset’s Aura glass lamps in the five guest rooms to foldable chairs from Egon Eiermann in the breakfast room. A curation of artworks add the finishing touch, including a collection of brass and fibreglass pieces from the renowned Marrakchi brothers Rachid and Abdessamia Bargamane. riadbrummell.brummellprojects.com

JOURNEY / Openings

Sitting on the edge of Paris’ Japanese quarter, Hotel Hana brings together influences from both the surrounding neighbourhood and the 19th century’s Japonisme movement in a historic Haussmann setting. In the 26 guest rooms, designer Laura Gonzalez has complemented the cream straw walls lined with iroko with a rich palette of terracotta, mustard and prune, shown off to maximum effect in

the glossy lacquered furnishings. Printed carpets and textile-covered poufs and bolsters contrast with the minimalist backdrop. On the ground floor, Hanabi restaurant puts a Japanese twist on French classics, while in the bar, signature cocktails are served alongside a curated selection of sake. hotelhana-paris.com

Robin Le Febvre

Hotel Hana, France

JOURNEY / Openings

ROOMS Batumi, Georgia

Louisa Chalatashvili

ROOMS founder Temur Ugulava joined creative forces with in-house design studio Collective Development and interior design firm Rooms Studio to imagine the group’s fourth hotel in the Georgian Black Sea resort of Batumi. A mixture of Japanese, European and Californian influences have informed the 120 rooms: they feel decidedly retro, with wood-covered walls, Scandi-style seating

and 1970s-style prints, plus a circular bed in some suites. The muted wood and green palette continues in the public spaces, notably in the lobby bar, while the Rubber Duck restaurant takes guests even further back in time with salmon pink diner stools lined up along the stainless-steel-topped bar. roomshotels.com

Heaven & earth

Daytrip Studio’s Iwan Halstead stays at Sussurro, an off-grid oasis putting southern Mozambique on the slow travel map Words / Iwan Halstead Images / Edvinas Bruzas

JOURNEY / Mozambique

Above The bar, made from thatch and local limestone Facing page Top to bottom: Food for the open kitchen comes from local markets and fishermen; a wooden jetty stretches out into the lagoon Previous page Loungers crafted from woven coconut palm line the pool

o find true tranquil seclusion, you perhaps have to venture further afield. It is admittedly a lengthy journey to reach Sussurro, an off-grid oasis located on a tropical lagoon in southern Mozambique. Accessed by car a twohour drive from Vilankulos airport, you are led down dirt roads of rural villages and through bumpy red sand dunes, with a thrilling ride across never-ending wide beaches, dodging jubilant families of local fisherman pulling their nets ashore. The Portuguese described landing on Mozambique’s coastline as “passing into paradise,” and with breathtaking vistas of the Bazaruto Archipelago, I was quick to understand why. I was greeted by owner Adam Humphreys, who alongside his partner Sarah Birkett has gradually built Sussurro from its inception five years ago. This is where Humphreys spent his summer holidays camping with his father, and now it is the couple’s family home, complete with two miniature dachshunds. There is an air

of relaxed homeliness as I am guided past the glistening turquoise pool overlooking picturesque beach views and into one of the thatch-fringed pavilions. I am drawn to the humble and minimal stone walls that form the perimeter walls and bar counters, assembled in coral limestone sourced from nearby quarries. It is hard not to look up and admire the lofty ceilings, with their exposed coconut palmwoven makuti roofs, beautifully and skilfully crafted by Mozambican technicians. This shaded pavilion houses an open kitchen, where a perfectly formed polished concrete island and rendered shelves display a vast array of home-grown vegetables and fruits, many of which I am unable to identify. The chef asks whether I have any dietary requirements: “I eat everything,” I confirm. With a baobao bourbon sour to hand, I am lured into the second open pavilion, this one supported by hardwood simbiri poles, bracing a neatly trimmed thatch, shortened to allow

JOURNEY / Mozambique

Facing page Clockwise from top: Inside one of the simple guest bungalows; a monkey quenches its thirst at the pool; the airy library is also a showcase of local craftsmanship Below Bungalows have their own outdoor bathing facilities

the light to filtrate. The interior is formed of simple, monolithic enclosures in pale, rendered plaster, organised beneath the same thatched makuti roof. Its clean-cut minimalism feels strikingly modern in design, yet I suspect the practicality of creating airy and permeable spaces is beneficial for the warm African climate. This pavilion houses a library area, curated with traditional African furniture, ceramics, baskets and fabrics sourced from local artisans. Large clay pots and watercarrying vessels, in warm earthy tones that echo the landscape, adorn the common areas. As the sun shines, the light dapples through the palm trees and transforms the bare rendered walls into soul-stirring sanctuaries. I feel reassuringly comfortable as I take prime position on a Zanzibari day bed, mesmerised by the shimmering ocean view. Humphreys and Birkett met in their home country of Zimbabwe and their passion and commitment to create a unique and authentic

hotel project is largely attributed to the small rural community of local fishermen, who have turned their skills to carpentry and construction. The entire lodge was built with sustainability in mind and is powered by solargenerated energy; there is also a policy of zero single-use plastics. Everything on the property is either locally made or African sourced. The pool and beach loungers, and Mozambican esteiras (traditional mats used for sleeping, communal eating and portable shade) are fashioned from coconut palms, woven on site and paired with East African loomed kikoy sarong fabrics in organic colourways. The hospitality industry is constantly marginalised by machine-made factory imports, but Birkett is keen to promote local craft, and many of the wares on display are shoppable, created by female-led artisans from Mozambique and neighbouring countries. The private bungalows are equally meditative and peaceful. Bedrooms are detailed with

JOURNEY / Mozambique

Above With only six guest bungalows, peace and quiet is assured Below Many of the local crafts are for sale

Facing page The hotel sits on a remote tropical lagoon, Nhamabue, and is accessed by vehicle along the beach. Sailing in Sussurro’s own fishing boat is an essential experience during a stay

minimal refinement and intimately sheltered under the steep makuti roofs. The satiny floor screed begs for barefoot living, with a raised bed taking centre stage, dressed in a soothing palette of off-white fabric, mosquito netting and organic linens. A seductive outdoor bathtub is tempting me, but tonight my evening begins with a sunset dhow cruise on Sussurro’s private fishing boat, carved and crafted with evident precision. Humphreys explains how he bartered for the weather-beaten white sail when scouting the local markets, now hoisted proud. We pass by indigenous mangroves where they catch the crabs for the evening meals, and sail beyond to the sultry ocean, accompanied by a pod of dolphins escorting the boat to shore. As the sun sets and the dhow is shaded in sepia tones, everything has an ethereal, dream-like allure. Is it Humphreys’ draw to Mozambique from his childhood adventures that is so enchanting? It seems to make everyone feel at home.

An apartment in Paris by After Bach. Read the full story on p66 Image by Vincent Leroux

HOME Timeless spaces

Spirit of reinvention Madrid’s De La Villa Studio turns a former office into an expressive apartment filled with adventurous art Words / Giovanna Dunmall Images / Erlantz Biderbost

HOME / Madrid

hen De La Villa Studio first saw the property a young couple wanted them to refurbish in Madrid’s northern residential district of Chamartín, it was far from the spacious sophisticated apartment it had once been. “It had been turned into offices and had a long dark corridor in the centre of the space,” explains Juan Esteve, co-founder of the Madrid-based architecture and interior design practice alongside Miguel Otero and Alberto Espejo. “Most of the original residential elements had been removed and instead we found endless partition walls and small spaces for offices, archives, toilets and so on.” The studio’s first task was to return light to the space and create a home that was as open as possible so daylight could penetrate all parts of it. The apartment, which is part of an eightstorey standalone building from 1972, benefits from three facades, including one that faces south on to a wide street called Calle Alberto Alcocer. “We decided to put all the social and living areas as well as the master bedroom on that side, and the other two bedrooms and kitchen facing north,” says Esteve. The apartment came with a main entrance and a service one that goes into the kitchen. Though this service door already existed, De La Villa created a hallway in front of it so that light can penetrate from a window into the previously dark main entrance next to it; this area can be closed off if necessary with a sliding door.

house is not being used at all,” says Esteve. “Now, they think it’s been the best decision.”

Once inside the apartment, the material and colour palette is immediately evident. Natural materials such as oak and stone abound and the colours are neutral, providing a blank canvas for the art (more on that later). There are many refined touches, including the way the thresholds into each space are marked by olivillo travertine arches or sides, some fitted with concealed sliding timber doors whose ends are also clad in marble so that they almost disappear. The architects managed to talk the clients out of carving four bedrooms out of the space and created a generous three instead. “If you use up however many square metres to create an extra room that you’re never going to use, or, at least, not for years, then a part of the

Much of the furniture was made bespoke for the project, including the round and solidlooking dining table. “We wanted to make it out of marble but the client thought it was too heavy,” says Esteve. Instead it is made of a timber frame that is clad in microcement and clay, and is just one of the many realistic and sophisticated surfaces used by the designers in this project and made by A Vida, “a Spanish brand that works with new materials and creates microcement coatings for a lot of retail and hospitality spaces,” explains Esteve. The architects also used the product to great effect in the bathrooms to create a volcanic rock hue for the shower and bathtub in the master bathroom, as well as a sand finish in the other

Above In the hallway, a hidden oak door leads to a cloakroom Facing page Sliding doors recede into stonelined door frames Previous page A vibrant painting by artist Sune Christiansen hangs in the dining room

Left Travertine and onyx tables sit in front of a Tub sofa by Studio Bañón; the round chestnut sculpture on the plinth is by Tadanori Yamaguchi, sourced from Puxa Gallery

HOME / Madrid

Alcaraz and Bruno Ollé are also fairly sober chromatically and in terms of content, though the former has intriguing spots of colour. It’s a different story in the separate dining room, however. A colourful abstract piece by Danish painter Sune Christiansen, at once enigmatic and playful, sits next to the dining table. “There’s so much life that goes on around a dining table; it’s where you have dinner, lunch and parties with friends, so we wanted to bring colour into this part of the house, whereas the living room area was supposed to be more of a peaceful realm,” says Esteve. The art in the apartment was all chosen by the client in close collaboration with the architects. Art is an area that the studio is increasingly becoming knowledgeable about and getting into. It’s also a great way of getting insight into your clients, explains Esteve: “We enjoy it because it’s an area where you have a lot of dialogue with your clients and get to know them really well. I was in Barcelona for another project we have there recently, and I took our client to a gallery we work with and his reactions were amazing. You could immediately tell what he liked, what was creating an emotional response. We weren’t planning on using photography in the project but he stopped for ten minutes in front of a piece by a Korean photographer and now we are going to use photography!” bathroom. Another piece designed by the studio that stands out is the central kitchen island unit, made from slabs of honed travertine for its legs and worktop that then continue up the wall beside it.

Above Joquer’s Serene chair and Depart footstool sit on the balcony Facing page A 1970s Marcel Breuer mahogany desk, paired with a Paulo Mendes da Rocha chair from Objekto

Where the client and architects decided to buy furniture for the house, the selection was studied for maximum effect. The dramatically curved modular leather sofa in the living room, for instance, is by Madrid furniture maker Studio Bañón, and was conceived to add some contrast to all the right angles in the space. Behind the sofa, a monochromatic painting by Antonia Ferrer matches the soul of the project with its off-white and grey smoky hues, simple lines and minimalist geometric appearance. Works by up-and-coming Spanish artists Jordi

The biggest challenge here, says Esteve, was peeling back the previous distribution and layout of spaces and reconceiving the entire apartment to create a comfortable home. The abundance of structural pillars was also an issue. “When we removed all the dividing walls, it looked like a forest because there were so many columns,” he explains. The building is also unusual, he continues, in that the plumbing conduits for the floor above are located on the ceiling of the apartment below, so these elements had to be concealed within the interior walls and ceilings too. “We wanted the spaces to flow and feel like part of the architecture, not random in any way,” says Esteve. “It’s something we aim for in all our projects – a sense that the space and the surrounding architecture belong together.”

Facing page De La Villa designed the lacquered oak stools in the kitchen to complement the travertine island and shelving

Above A colour study painting by Bruno Ollé, sourced from Alzueta Gallery, hangs on the dining room wall

“We wanted the spaces to flow and feel like part of the architecture, not random in any way. It’s something we aim for in all our projects”

Facing page An amber-toned alabaster disc light sits on an oak shelf, which forms part of the custom-designed bed and linen-upholstered headboard

Above Left to right: A dressing area leads to the en suite bathroom; the monolithic microcement bath merges with its surroundings

On mute

A Parisian apartment with a subdued tonality, and a curated approach to art and design Words / Dominic Lutyens Images / Vincent Leroux

HOME / Paris

he idea of a building that engages with context – meaning one that aims to be in harmony with its surroundings – might seem to preoccupy architects more than interior designers. After all, interiors are often invisible to the outside world, which arguably makes the need to address context a less important consideration than in architecture, where new buildings with a public presence are partly judged by how successfully they blend or forge meaningful connections with their immediate environment. Yet, when interior designers are thinking about designing a new space, they are often inspired by the views through its windows, especially when looking for ways to blur the boundaries between inside and out.

afford expansive and varied views. Some of the windows extend from floor to ceiling; others flank a corridor that leads to the living spaces – a hallway, dining room, kitchen, library and sitting room – with low-level ledges, used as shelves or sills, that don’t obstruct the views. In short, the expansive, varied views through these windows, which face in two directions, have informed both the colours and materials chosen for the interior in a way that pays home to the apartment’s immediate environs. Materials selected by Balzano and Gallery JAG’s owner Jessica Berguig included green lacquer and stone – a nod to the Seine and what Balzano calls “Parisian greige” respectively. He defines the latter as an “ivory-grey coloured stone typically found on the facades of Parisian buildings”. Sure enough, along with some towering trees, such buildings can be seen through the tall windows. The window-lined corridor looks on to the Quai de l’Horloge and then to the river beyond. The Seine-inspired lacquer finish, meanwhile, applied to some window and door frames, is a rich olive green.

A good illustration of this is this one-bedroom, L-shaped apartment – an art collector’s pied à terre – on Paris’ Île de la Cité, the island on the Seine that is also home to Notre-Dame cathedral. It has been renovated and given a new look by interior design studio After Bach in collaboration with Gallery JAG, an art and design gallery (both also Paris-based). The apartment, housed in a listed 17th-century building, partly overlooks Place Dauphine, a triangular square. Rather than being a quirky variation on a conventional square, its shape appears to have been determined by its location – it stands on the island’s narrow, triangular western extremity.

Balzano and Berguig were practically given free rein by their client. Their brief was “to create a calm, relaxing, pure interior,” says Balzano, who also designs limited-edition furniture and has previously worked at Joseph Dirand Architecture. The mainly muted palette also includes sage green, mushroom, putty and white: and since these are all natural colours, they are intrinsically harmonious and soothing, and so accord with the client’s requirements.

Francesco Balzano, the founder and creative director of After Bach, points out that this project addresses context by taking inspiration from colours of familiar sights seen through the apartment’s many tall windows, which

As well as being calming, this restricted palette has a pleasingly unifying effect. This is perhaps

Facing page Reflected in an arched mirror behind the breakfast area, the living spaces are arranged as a suite of interconnecting rooms

Previous page Artwork by Camilla Reyman sits between two arched niches in the living room. The vintage chairs are by Paolo Buffa

“While alluding to iconic Parisian attributes, the apartment’s style is decidedly contemporary, not conservative”

Above A view into the study. Uniform stone sills sit under the river-facing windows, with new shutters to frame the view

Facing page A run of mirrored cabinetry, concealing the appliances, gives the illusion of more space in the narrow kitchen

HOME / Paris

particularly appealing in apartments that, like this one, have traditional cellular layouts. A broad, busy spectrum of colours in such homes could result in them feeling fragmented.

with a boldly large-scale geometric pattern; and the American composer Keith Jarrett, described by Balzano as “a minimal pianist influenced by classical music”.

Also making the space feel orderly is the aforementioned sequence of windows that form an elegant enfilade. So, too, does the corridor’s predominant colour scheme of sage green and cream. What’s more, the enfilade, effectively a sightline that recedes into the far distance, makes the corridor look very spacious. This is accentuated by all the daylight streaming through the many windows here.

While alluding to iconic Parisian attributes, the apartment’s style is decidedly contemporary, not conservative. Its original layout was preserved yet it features plenty of modernlooking interventions and features, many of them curvilinear, such as arches, an alcove and pendant lights with large, organic-looking shades, all of which soften the apartment’s rectilinear elements.

Daylight also pours into the bedroom and main bathroom, via floor-to-ceiling windows. The calm atmosphere stipulated by the client is most evident in these two rooms, thanks chiefly to their almost uniformly cream colour scheme – appropriate for rooms that are designed for rest and relaxation. A tactile sheepskin Finn Juhl chair occupies a corner of the bedroom, while the bathroom is entirely clad in off-white Belgian stone, with a monolithic bath that rises almost seamlessly out of the floor.

Some cornices (in addition to ceilings and skirting boards) were painted olive green “as a modern, minimal take on classical detailing,” says Balzano. The narrow kitchen features a run of mirrored cabinetry fronted by tall arches, amplifying the sense of space and light in this smaller room, with a breakfast seating area and built-in banquette that overlook the river. The arched cuboards give this normally utilitarian room a romantic, old-world quality, and “the idea with this was to make you forget its electrical appliances – fridge, deep freeze, and so on,” says Balzano.

References to traditional aspects of Paris aside, the apartment has been influenced by several comparatively rarefied cultural references from the worlds of music and art. Its palette also channels the colours typically found in the paintings of Polish-French artist Balthus, but not their famously controversial subject matter, Balzano assures me: “We were inspired by his work’s romantic mood and soft colours.” Two further inspirations he cites are a palazzo in Rome once owned by artist Cy Twombly, which featured a floor made of ceramic tiles

The apartment’s green and cream decor might look homogeneous and rigidly coordinated at first sight but you soon clock contemporary pieces in brighter colours, such as the ceramic stool by Floris Wubben in a shade of sherbetorange, or the cushions on the guest-room day bed, also in muted citrus tones. Even in a Paris pad that is mainly characterised by aesthetic restraint, eclecticism has crept in, giving it greater individuality.

Facing page Linen and silk walls cocoon the guest room, which features a day bed by Jacques Adnet and an elegant silk pendant

Next page After Bach sourced pieces from JAG Gallery, such as the bedroom’s Floris Wubben stool and Robsjohn-Gibbings lamp

Facing page Clockwise from top left: A Finn Juhl Penguin chair in the bedroom; a view to the spacious en suite; the bedroom’s minimal stone fireplace; Belgian stone clads the bathroom’s walls and floors

Above An inviting seating nook is nestled into the end of the hallway. The birch ply M console table is by Studio Goons

Thoughtfully elevated

A cavernously proportioned yet comfortable loft within Tribeca’s Cast Iron House Words / Nina Starr Images / David Mitchell

HOME / New York City

ew York City’s Tribeca neighbourhood had a largely industrial past until it underwent a significant metamorphosis in the 1960s, when artists began to move in, drawn to the large, open spaces and affordable rent, transforming it into a vibrant artist community. A familiar story ensued: in the 1980s and 1990s, the area saw major redevelopment and gentrification, and many of the old warehouses and factories were converted into luxury residential lofts, attracting affluent residents and celebrities. Fast-forward to today and Tribeca boasts some of the city’s most expensive real estate, characterised by its iconic cast-iron buildings, cobblestone streets, mix of historic and contemporary architecture, and upscale shopping and dining. At the corner of Franklin Street and Broadway lies one of the city’s best and most beautiful examples of cast-iron architecture, the former James White Building, completed in 1882 by respected American architect W Wheeler Smith. With its handsome neoclassical facade and abstract floral ornamentation rising six storeys, the landmark building once housed the offices of Scientific American magazine, but had always been linked to the textile trade. In its latest reincarnation, masterminded by Japanese architect Shigeru Ban, Cast Iron House is now an all-white luxury condo accommodating 11 airy lofts with 7.5m-high ceilings and vaulted windows topped by a pair of floating steel and glass penthouses. While restoring the edifice’s historic detailing, he reinvented its interior volumes, and his signature minimalist aesthetic is evident throughout the apartments, with clean lines, uncluttered layouts and a restrained colour palette enhancing the sense of space and light.

Among these lofts is a 1,300 sqm space that underwent a stunning makeover under the discerning eye of Australian-English interior designer Timothy Godbold for first-time Manhattan homeowners Inna Khidekel and Bert van der Walt. “Shigeru Ban created a very clean, chic canvas that was ideal to create a custom interior without demolishing the whole apartment,” says Godbold. “I think my work complemented his aesthetic.” He skilfully maximised the natural light streaming in through the oversized windows, accentuating the two-storey loft’s soaring ceilings and expansive proportions, creating a space that feels simultaneously grand and intimate. With a keen understanding of space, light and functionality, Godbold crafted a four-bedroom, four-bathroom space that seamlessly blends modern elegance with industrial heritage for the young couple (who work in finance) and their two children. “They came to work with me with the knowledge that I like a fair amount of creative independence and integrity when bringing my creative practice to life,” he explains. “They had a base idea of their own personal design aesthetic. However, working with me, I think clients open themselves up to a project that is fluid and alive, and that often brings about results that surprise them, and that even surprise me.” A defining feature of Godbold’s practice is his meticulous attention to detail. Rich textures, sumptuous fabrics and thoughtfully selected finishes create a sense of both luxury and warmth. “My design language is certainly centred around a great appreciation for modernist architecture and design, as well as a consistent nod to 1970s noir, sci-fi and cinematic volumes,” he says of his aesthetic

Facing page A custom-made sofa sits on a stone platform, with a chandelier by Lindsey Adelman hanging overhead Previous page In the secondary living space, a mohair velvet De Padova sofa wraps around a concrete coffee table

Facing page Artist Malcolm Hill created the work that draws the eye to the top of the apartment’s 7.5m-high walls

Above Godbold’s love of sci-fi-influenced, cinematic design is shown in the geometric plasterwork wall panels

HOME / New York City

influences. “With this, I of course married the industrialism of the architectural space, as well as some art deco elements and a series of geometric shapes to create and add texture.” Geometric forms are repeated throughout the loft, applied directly on the walls in the hallway and the two studies. They echo art deco motifs, but also a futuristic environment coupled with elements of Italian modernism. Most of the elements in the loft are custom made, including the series of stucco and marble walls in the double-height living area; and the armchairs and sculptural sectional sofa on a stone platform, which are arranged around an imposing coffee table to give a somewhat brutalist touch, with a bespoke rug outlining the furniture configurations. Hanging overhead is a 56-bulb statement chandelier in brushed brass by Lindsey Adelman, casting a soft glow and adding a touch of drama to the room shaded by diaphanous curtains spanning two floors. As the clients enjoy entertaining, Godbold designed a second living room furnished with a De Padova Alberese sofa by Piero Lissoni upholstered in Dedar mohair velvet, which wraps around a concrete Maria coffee table from Rove Concepts and a Knotted pouf by the Comerford Collection. “One example of these apartments that always gives me a headache are the structural columns,” says Godbold. To encourage flow rather than disrupting the space, he ingeniously integrated the pillar in the middle of the room to form a long oval dining table in a nod to a 1930s industrial-style table by Hans and Wassili Luckhardt and Alfons Anker, then fitted it with eight Noom Gropius CS1 chairs. A Godbold-designed monumental arched bookshelf decorated with alabaster Egyptian

pots serves as a partition between the two living spaces without blocking sightlines. In a palette of soothing hues, the master bedroom is a serene retreat, with a bed dressed in fine linens set against a commanding mohair velvet headboard and vertical grooved stucco walls. A RBS Nopal chandelier by Steven Haulenbeek – made using a unique process that renders foundry sand into threedimensional sculpture – is suspended above a Repose asymmetrical sofa designed by Adam Court of South African brand Okha, and a canyon-inspired walnut and travertine coffee table by Studio Kali featuring a U-shaped gap convenient for sliding in books and magazines. A commissioned wall relief in carved wood by French artist Etienne Moyat and a pair of Saturn planters by Sirak, which pay homage to the vessels that once adorned ancient Roman temple altars, complete the cosy corner. The alabaster light fixture commissioned from Atelier Alain Ellouz in the dressing room references the Fortress of Solitude in the 1978 Superman movie and accompanies the gold antique glass wardrobe doors and suede wall panels that Godbold custom-designed. “I have a clear design vision that comes to the forefront no matter the creative project I work on; it is my visual identity even if many projects ultimately become singular in their own way,” says Godbold. “The homeowners’ knowledge and understanding of this process gave them trust.” In this project, he has successfully translated that trust, transforming a raw industrial space into a sanctuary of style and sophistication that feels both timeless and ofthe-moment, a testament to the power of thoughtful design to elevate everyday living.

Facing page Rather than allow a structural column to become an obstruction, Godbold has worked the dining table around it

Above Left to right: Rows of arched niches divide large spaces and provide moments of repose to enjoy sculptural objects; Apparatus’ Reprise pendant hangs low over a planter

“I married the industrialism of the architectural space with some art deco elements and a series of geometric shapes to create and add texture”

Above The white oak lift doors feature a concave circle detail, picked up in the large adjacent circular mirror

Next page In the main bedroom, the strict symmetry of the bed is contrasted with an Okha sofa and a fabriclike light that is actually made from resin-bonded sand and brass

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Interior Landscape (1973) by Myoko Ito. Read the full story on p106 Image courtesy of Corbett vs. Dempsey, Chicago, IL

ART & COLLECTING A cultural review

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Agenda

Sights to behold: a calendar of shows and fairs for the coming months Words / Holly Black

The Biba Story 1964–1975, Fashion and Textile Museum, London Until 8 September

Starting as a mail-order catalogue and evolving into a sprawling seven-storey store on Kensington High Street, Biba was a shopping phenomenon like no other, grabbing 1960s youth culture with both hands. Its cutting edge, affordable style (as well as a celebrity clientele that

included Twiggy, Cher and more) set the template for destination shopping as we know it. This retrospective at the Fashion and Textile Museum takes a dive into the archives while examining the historical significance of this relatively fleeting, decade-long sensation.

Duffy Archive / Justin De Villeneuve/Iconic Images

Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett/Dietmar Katz

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Kollwitz, Städel Museum, Frankfurt Until 9 June

Featuring 110 works, this major retrospective celebrates the oeuvre of one of Germany’s greatest artists: Käthe Kollwitz. Although she worked across painting and drawing, she is best known for her dramatic and expressive prints. Her lithographs (including the 1903 female nude

pictured), woodcuts and etchings chronicled the hardship and violence that dominated her homeland at the outset of the 20th century, as well as their intersection with the intimacies of everyday life, including the distinct perspective of working-class women.

Collection of National Museum in Warsaw. Photo: Piotr Ligier / Collection Centre Pompidou, Paris, Musée national d’art moderne – Centre de création industrielle

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Angelica Kauffman, Royal Academy of Arts, London

Brancusi, Centre Pompidou, Paris

Known as the “most cultivated woman in Europe”, Angelica Kauffman blazed her own trail through the male-dominated artistic elite of the late 18th century. Her life and career are explored in an extensive survey of her work at London’s Royal Academy (of which she was only one of two founding members who were women). Expect female-dominated classical scenes alongside erudite commissions depicting wealthy patrons and fellow artists, as well as plenty of self-assured self-portraiture.

Having made his home in Paris, Romanian sculptor Constantin Brancusi bequeathed his studio to the French state upon his death in 1957; a replica of his creative enclave has resided in annexe of the Centre Pompidou for decades. Now, as the museum prepares a major renovation, these works are going on show accompanied by loans from across the world. Along with pieces made from stone and bronze (such as Danaïde, pictured, from 1913) there will be casts, drawings and film footage.

Until 30 June

Until 1 July

Courtesy of the Beryl Cook Estate © John Cook

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Beryl Cook / Tom of Finland, Studio Voltaire, London 15 May–25 August

This joyous pairing brings together two artists celebrated for their playful yet subversive depictions of largerthan-life characters. While Cook revelled in rendering curvaceous women enjoying nightclubs, cafes, hen parties and more, Tom of Finland’s subversive take on

homosexual machismo has made him a cult hero. Both found fame outside of the traditional art world in the 1970s and their work continues to delight to this day; by showing their work together, interconnected ideas about gender, sexuality, taste and class will be revealed.

Courtesy the artist and The Modern Institute/Toby Webster Ltd, Glasgow Photo: Jo Hounsome / Judy Chicago/Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY. Photo: Donald Woodman/ARS

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Alberta Whittle, Mount Stuart, Isle of Bute

Judy Chicago: Revelations, Serpentine North, London

As part of a relatively new artistic programme at this historic house on the Isle of Bute, Scottish-Barbadian artist Alberta Whittle will present a series of site-specific pieces inspired by the area’s history and landscape. The artist explores indigenous knowledge, the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade, cross-cultural exchange and the power of healing, and her work here will take the form of film, installation, performance and more.

The feminist grand dame best known for her all-female Dinner Party installation is taking over the Serpentine on the back of a successful retrospective at the New Museum in New York. As well as spanning her interrogations of gender politics and political power structures (such as In the Beginning from Birth Project, 1982, pictured), her drawings and collaborative projects concerning the immediacy of the climate crisis will be on display.

1 June–August

22 May–1 September

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Leilah Babirye: Obumu (Unity), Yorkshire Sculpture Park, Wakefield Until 8 September

This is the first solo museum show for Ugandan artist Leilah Babirye. Her star has been in the ascent following her inclusion in group shows such as the Hayward Gallery’s Strange Clay, yet her practice is not defined by ceramics. She includes the detritus of the everyday in

her works, thus reclaiming the pejorative “rubbish” terms used to describe queer individuals, particularly in the Luganda language. The results are glorious assemblages that combine wood and metalwork, glossy glazes and found objects, which can often be colossal in scale.

Courtesy of RIBA

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Tropical Modernism: Architecture and Independence, V&A, London Until 22 September

The legacy of so-called Tropical Modernism is a complicated affair. It was a movement that rose to prominence amid the dissolution of colonial rule in West Africa and India, spearheaded by British architects Jane Drew and Maxwell Fry as an optimistic aesthetic that

could define a new era of nation-building and freedom. The V&A considers the successes and failures of this utopian vision through models, photography, letters and a new half-hour film that includes an interview with pioneering Ghanaian architect John Owusu-Addo.

When We See Us, Kunstmuseum Basel

Ronald Moody: Sculpting Life, Hepworth Wakefield

Following its original presentation at Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, this show seeks to articulate the myriad ways that artists from Africa and the African diaspora have depicted the mundanity of everyday life. Looking not just within the recent renaissance of black figurative painting but back to the preceding century, it includes works by Kingsley Sambo, Wangari Mathenge, Sungi Mlengeya and Cinthia Sifa Mulanga (whose Wait Your Turn – Competitive Sisterhood from 2021 is pictured).

A proper retrospective of Ronald Moody’s work is long overdue. The Jamaican-born sculptor came to the UK in 1923 to study dentistry, but soon taught himself to carve in wood, starting a new career using an aesthetic language combining British modernism with Caribbean artistry and mythology. This show contextualises his importance within the 20th-century canon, and highlights the significance of the Caribbean Artists Movement, of which he remained a member until his death in 1984.

25 May–27 October

22 June–3 November

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Courtesy of Serge Tiroche and the Africa First Collection © Courtesy African Arty Gallery / © The Ronald Moody Trust. Photo: Tate

ART & COLLECTING / Diary

Venice Art Biennale 20 April–24 November

The curatorial theme for Venice’s biennial behemoth – “Foreigners Everywhere”, inspired by a neon artwork of the same name by Claire Fontaine (pictured) – is timely. Thousands of art-lovers will flock to the city’s purpose-made pavilions (and much more) for highlights

that include filmmaker John Akomfrah as Britain’s representative, and indigenous artist and activist Glicéria Tupinambá, who will rename Brazil’s space the Hãhãwpuá Pavilion. Inaugural pavilions will also be presented by the Republic of Benin, Ethiopia and Timor-Leste.

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ART & COLLECTING / Gallery

Material meditations

Clayworks’ Adam Weismann turns his fascination with clay into a new artistic endeavour Words / Charlotte Abrahams Images / Lucy Laucht/Cat Vinton

“T

his represents the latest form of my long relationship with clay,” says Adam Weismann. We are looking at Claymoon, a series of monumental wall panels made from hand-formed, unfired clay and held in brass and walnut frames. The colours, made from earth pigments and arranged so that they echo sedimentary layers, are soft and muted and the textures intrigue. Simultaneously geological and poetic, ancient and modern, Claymoon is an ode to clay’s elemental materiality. Weismann first encountered clay in 2001 when he and his wife, Katy Bryce, enrolled on an apprenticeship in natural building in his home state of Oregon in the US. Their training took

them to Manaccan, on Cornwall’s Lizard Peninsula, to help restore an old vicarage built from the combination of clay, straw and sand known as cob. And that was it: the couple were hooked, on both on the material and the place. Their fascination with the functional and aesthetic properties of clay eventually led Weismann and Bryce to found their studio, Clayworks, which specialises in breathable clay plaster finishes using materials dug from the Cornish earth. “Unfired clay is a naturally intelligent material,” Weismann explains. “It’s very good at absorbing excess humidity – which is useful in the south west – and it is also soulful; it’s able to almost embrace energy. Our

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Facing page A triptych made from naturally pigmented rammed clay Below Weismann’s work invites a state of “soft fascination” for the viewer

ART & COLLECTING / Gallery

mission has always been to highlight these benefits and use this very traditional, vernacular material in a modern context.” Claymoon is a further – and very personal – articulation of this mission. Bringing together the soft, timelessness of Korean moon jars and the hard modernity of brutalist architecture, it is inspired by the meditative concept of “soft fascination”. Weismann sees his panels as an aid to slowing down and finding stillness, often creating them in triptychs in which each is connected to its neighbour though a visual rise and fall effect that brings to mind the inhale and exhale of breath or the ebb and flow of the tide. “They are designed to be experienced in groups,” he says. “Each panel speaks to the next – when you see them together on the wall, you can see how they blend into each other. I feel that having that wider expansiveness helps to you reach that place of peaceful reflection.” It also helps you to fully appreciate the raw beauty of the clay. Made using either a rammed

earth shuttering technique in which the clay is packed from the top and tamped down to create the desired texture, or in layers with a trowel, the panels celebrate the imperfect irregularity of Wiesmann’s process. Look closely at some and you can see fingerprints. Clay is a universal material – at some point, all our ancestors would have lived in a building made from clay – but it is also particular. It is found below the top soil almost everywhere in Cornwall and that connection to the local environment is woven through every aspect of both Clayworks and Claymoon, from the workforce (the studio employs three graduates from Falmouth University) to the dedicated timber viewing space, Moonhouse, that Weismann built in the garden of his home. “I wanted to have a physical place that represents where Claymoon comes from and what it’s about,” he says. “For me, that’s a creative expression of my fascination with clay and it is also a point of connection with deep time, past civilisations and the earth beneath our feet.”

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Above Some artworks incorporate burnt timber within layers of clay Facing page A Claymoon piece envisaged in a restorative space that echoes the contemplative nature of the work

Gemma Galeno

ART & COLLECTING / Book

Sunrise to sunset

A new monograph sheds light on the career of underappreciated Chicago artist Miyoko Ito

eyond Chicago, where she resided for most of her life, the late JapaneseAmerican artist Miyoko Ito was virtually unknown for the enigmatic artworks that stood out from those by the Imagists of her time. But Miyoko Ito: Heart of Hearts, the first book to put her radical oeuvre in the spotlight, is an invitation to discover a post-war talent who brazenly melded minimalism, abstraction, surrealism and impressionism. San Francisco-based independent curator and author Jordan Stein has amassed the new compendium for Pre-Echo Press, an imprint belonging to artist Matt Connors. Stein aptly first encountered Ito’s name in Chicago: in 2015, hired by The Renaissance Society (the University of Chicago’s contemporary art museum) to pore over the archives and hatch an exhibition celebrating the institution’s centennial, it was during this time he visited the home of local artist John Pittman.

There, Stein was struck by the painting hanging above the sofa. “It was one of those moments that was completely electric. I had no idea who made it or where it came from, but I knew I had never seen anything that looked quite like it,” he recalls. Elusive and compelling, it appeared to morph before his eyes, from landscape to architecture to a take on plein-air. Then, he adds, “it almost turned into a person, a kind of self-portrait. At the same time, it seemed like a psychological study. It was almost a prism in that way.” That transporting composition, which graces the cover of Heart of Hearts, was Island in the Sun (1978), a fusion of soft curves, sharp horizontal brushstrokes and a rich, tropical palette. Stein learned that it was featured in the

biggest show of Ito’s career, serendipitously held at The Renaissance Society in 1980 – three years prior to her death and five after her 1974 painting Steps was represented in the Whitney Biennial – and he immediately plunged into her intriguing past.

Words Alia Akkam

Born in Berkeley, California, Ito returned there after spending part of her childhood in Japan, ultimately earning a degree at the University of California, Berkeley (the diploma arrived while she was incarcerated in an internment camp in 1942, in the aftermath of the Pearl Harbor bombing). Buoyed by her San Francisco Bay Area roots, Stein organised a small solo exhibition of her paintings at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive in 2017, followed by one at the Artists Space in New York City a year later. Despite the challenges of finding Ito’s scattered, non-inventoried works, Stein then conceived the monograph with Connors, showcasing 218 images of Ito’s creations, including the artist’s early experiments with watercolour, lithography and oil. They are paired with a 1978 interview with Ito and a 5,000-word biographical essay penned by Stein that touches upon her time at the internment camp. Strong lines are one of Ito’s hallmarks and Stein, singling out the gaps between her blocks of colours, initially wondered if the paintings had originated as drawings – which they did – because “as much as they have a coherent structure, they feel undeniably intuitive.” Ito’s equally impactful flair for juxtaposing hues, heightened through a build-up of paint layers, often has a dreamy ombré effect, fading, as Stein puts it, “like a sunrise or sunset you could just look into forever.”

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Facing page Untitled [#117], from 1973. Ito’s work from the 1970s is often characterised by neon pastels and subtle ombré colour graduation

Courtesy Karen Lennox Gallery. Photo: James Prinz

Facing page With their compartmentalised interiors, works such as Interior Presence (1971) are hard to classify as merely abstract

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Below Digitalis (1982), painted a year before the artist’s death. Ito meticulously built up layers of paint to create lavish colour saturation

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Matt’s Gallery by Manalo & White. Read the full story on p112 Image by Morgan O’Donovan

ARCHITECTURE Surveying the built environment

David Grandorge

ARCHITECTURE / Profile

Identity check

How architectural practice Manalo & White found strength and success in a gender-balanced workplace, and a collaborative approach

aming your architectural practice in imitation of an insurance firm – a swipe at the pretension of 1990s architecture – does suggest a certain reserve. So perhaps it’s unsurprising that Manalo & White spent its first five years specialising in domestic extensions, or what founder Brian Greathead calls “where the tea towels go”. Then, in 2004, a contractor recommendation kicked the practice “accidentally sideways” into factory fitouts, and from Norfolk to east London – a location better suited to the “two favourite Barrys” secreted within Manalo & White’s name, a homage to Greathead’s DJ-ing past. Further moments of serendipity over the years have left the practice entangled with an eclectic range of sectors. In 2011, a last-minute revamp of Southend’s Focal Point Gallery revealed an ability to meet the requirements and aesthetics of the contemporary art world. The hip independent Matt’s Gallery in Nine Elms, and the equally hip Towner Eastbourne, are the latest to benefit from the practice’s considerable skill in transforming nondescript spaces into flexible interiors, rich in materiality and light. Acclaim for the glamorous Mandrake – a Fitzrovia office turned ultra-stylish boutique hotel with cascading planting – led to an unexpected commission in 2019 to reconfigure student accommodation in Leeds. Manalo & White has since established itself as a go-to practice for the sector, pursuing an iterative design process that invites feedback from cleaners as well as students, and results in interiors empathetic to the needs of their often-vulnerable occupants. The practice’s growth during lockdown led to a doubling of staff and office space, spurred by

something that Greathead once viewed as a source of embarrassment – while peers engaged in “fancy new-builds,” Manalo & White was busy upgrading existing spaces. Today, retrofit expertise is hugely sought-after by a building industry struggling towards sustainability. Involving tight sites and finances, it necessitates a focus on design rigour, seeking a project’s core rather than its stylistic affectations. The approach has proved equally suited to highbudget projects, ensuring a reputation for consistent quality.

Words John Jervis

Of late, however, Manalo & White has attracted notice for something a little different. Around eight years ago, the number of women at the practice dwindled to just one. “I realised that this didn’t reflect our ethos – it was time to rethink and rebalance,” says Greathead. Despite initial challenges, the process became self-sustaining as “more interesting people” were attracted, and retained, by this inclusivity: “It became the way the practice was, rather than something that needed to be engineered.” Reflecting on working in a majority-female practice – but a male-dominated industry – associate director Lauren Li Porter says: “As a relatively young woman going to construction sites, you automatically think, ‘What is the way I can present myself that will make this group of people feel comfortable to engage with me?’ But when you come back to the office, you can shed that persona – it just feels ordinary.” The close bonds at Manalo & White don’t preclude creative friction: “One of our strengths is that we’re very good at disagreeing with each other – fiercely at times – but this friction is possible, and productive, because we enjoy working together. There’s always a baseline of respect underpinning our interactions.”

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Facing page The lushly planted Mandrake hotel in London, converted from a vacant office building

ARCHITECTURE / Profile

Facing page The practice’s current line-up (with founder Brian Greathead centre, wearing orange shirt)

One important result has been Manalo & White’s involvement in a project at the intersection of design and activism: the East End Women’s Museum in Barking. To deliver a new home for the only dedicated women’s museum in England, the practice decided to form an all-female design team with, as far as possible, only women building on site too. “As far as we can tell, this would have been unprecedented, which is ridiculous,” says Porter. “It’s one thing to have women involved in the architectural workplace, but there’s a much broader question about how women get to participate in – and are invited to participate in – the production of the built environment.” The museum is currently on hold, but a community-oriented project that has reached fruition is TACO! (Thamesmead Arts and Culture Office) – an exhibition space, radio station and cafe/bookshop at the base of a new-build block on the brutalist Thamesmead

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Estate. Faced with limitations of budget and space, architect Natalie Langridge says: “We worked hard with all parties to drill down to its essence, but also needed a sense of identity and accessibility, so the brickwork reflects the domestic interventions – little brick gates and arches – that residents made to Thamesmead’s concrete structures over the years.” With flexibility in mind, internal panels can be removed to open up the gallery into the foyer, for performances or larger exhibitions. Past growth may have seemed serendipitous, but the practice’s open approach to interacting and collaborating with diverse sectors, learning their languages and contexts, made it possible. Now, with a core team of 20, Manalo & White is an umbrella to diverse talents, confident in its combination of pragmatism and achievement, and keen to chart its own future. And, for Greathead, the current team rates as “the best that has ever worked at the practice”.

Rachel Ferriman / Marcus Quigley

Above Eastbourne’s Towner Gallery, whose ground floor was recently redesigned by Manalo & White

“One of our strengths is that we’re very good at disagreeing with each other, but this friction is possible, and productive, because we enjoy working together”

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Above The refurbishment of Southend’s Focal Point Gallery in 2011 kickstarted a slew of gallery refurbs

Below As-yet-unbuilt plans for the East End Women’s Museum, to be delivered by an all-female team

Facing page London student accommodation Unite Stratford One includes den-like rooms-within-rooms

Morgan O’Donovan / Marcus Quigley

PARTNER CONTENT / Fora

Elevating workstyles

Following flexible workspace provider Fora’s merge with TOG, new design director Guy Smith talks about cultivating the ideal office environment

Tell us about Fora’s vision and your goals as its new design director. The brand’s mission is to elevate every workstyle to ensure that people can really get the best out of how they work, however they work. For me, this means digging deeper. Understanding how and when people want to focus, collaborate or recharge is crucial. Some people need a pure white anechoic chamber with zero distraction to concentrate on work, but I will happily sit in the middle of a crowded coffee shop. We acknowledge that everyone is different, and our spaces aim to both reflect and embrace those individual needs. It’s about building out the workplace environment from the interactions we’re fostering to create a space that redefines your experience at work. What do you consider to be good design when it comes to creating an effective, flexible working environment? In an ideal world, people using our spaces won’t be aware that there is lots of thinking going into everything around them – they will just know whatever it is they do, works. It’s all about dealing with the invisible, and if we ace it no one will ever notice the pre-planning. That’s the mark of success. How does a Fora workspace differ from a typical day-to-day office? There’s a particular kind of furniture language that seems to exist in the world of the corporate office: you never see those pieces in a boutique hotel or a lovely home. We’re the opposite. If you went to ask your workforce to create a moodboard of places where they actually want

Above Fora’s design director Guy Smith, who believes that good workplace design should be all but invisible to its users

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PARTNER CONTENT / Fora

to spend time, that’s far more in tune with Fora’s place in the world.

Above Designed in partnership with Soda, Central London’s Liberty House is typical of Fora’s individual approach to design

Can you tell us about Fora’s next London launch, The Jellicoe in King’s Cross? Some buildings, when you step across the threshold, you know what the rest of the space is going to be. But what we’re trying to innovate looking onward is a much broader constellation of spaces, interactions and changes in tempo and pace. For example, at The Jellicoe, there’s an events space on the top floor and it has tremendous views across the city. A real moment can be captured up there. What do you see in Fora’s future? We have to ask ourselves how we can design buildings now that are adaptable enough to evolve and remain continually flexible in their future functionality. As people continue to work in different ways, too, Fora will concurrently aim to maintain a nurturing role in supporting all possible futures.

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Below Fora embraces every style of working, from open-plan space to meeting areas – with future adaptability in mind

bundu

handcrafted. limited edition. kaftans.

bundutextiles.com

Josephine handbag by Objets Daso. Read the full story on p124

STYLE Fashionable pursuits

Most wanted

Clothing and accessories that are thoughtful, expressive, beautiful and good

STYLE / Products

So-le Studio Maria Sole Ferragamo’s jewellery, made from the waste leather from her family’s shoe dynasty, goes from strength to strength with the release of her latest Echo collection. Delicate and sculptural – but not afraid of making a statement in either scale or colour – the new pieces include the ruffled, twotone Miniale earrings (opposite) and the Revolve

earrings (above), which come in a punchy palette of mustard, lime and bubblegum pink. According to Ferragamo, the collection represents “the duality of femininity, presenting both strong and soft sides”. Miniale earrings, £241 and Revolve earrings, £284; so-le-studio.com

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STYLE / Products

Objets Daso Pratik and Catherine Whang founded Objets Daso in 2021, with a slow-design ethos to create smallbatch accessories that put craftsmanship and attention to detail to the fore. Its Josephine bag – named after the entertainer, activist and Second World War spy Josephine Baker – has a shape that elongates the classic boxy 1950s silhouette, topped

with an elegant curved handle. Like all Objets Daso’s bags, Josephine is made in Florence from calfskin leather and features the brand’s distinctive gold-coloured circular push-fastening. A detachable strap enables it to be worn as a shoulder bag, too. £1,430; objetsdaso.com

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STYLE / Products

Cape de Coeur A cape is perfect for those in-between seasons where you’re not sure what the weather is going to do, and Vancouver-based Cape de Coeur has some chic examples that are wind, rain and snow proof. With its tailored silhouette and removable belt, The Classicist (pictured) pays homage to the trenchcoat; its designers have thought of everything, including

arm-zips that can easily be opened or closed from the inside, a removable hood and a pocket for your phone and cards. Other styles include the poncholike The Artiste, and the dramatic The Guardian, featuring a high neck and exaggerated shoulders. £1,517; capedecoeur.com

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STYLE / Products

Toogood Toogood’s clothing sees sisters Faye and Erica team up to create pieces that balance their passions, namely “Faye’s preoccupation with materiality and Erica’s audacious shape-making”. Its new collection is typical in its democratic design, comfortable for any body and often gender neutral. The muse this season is painter Philip Guston; there are surprising

hot pinks and abstract patterns, but it’s the softer Dash print that really hits the mark. A shirt, culottes and dress have been created in this soft cotton voile with tone-on-tone brushstroke-like marks. Acrobat culottes, £630, Baker dress, £880 and Draughtsman shirt, £500; t-o-o-g-o-o-d.com

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STYLE / Products

Globe-Trotter x The Vampire’s Wife A new luggage collaboration between fashion brand The Vampire’s Wife and Globe-Trotter evokes the romance of the golden age of travel. The Vampire’s Wife’s Susie Cave was inspired by a vanity case that was a wedding gift from her father to her mother, and the collection includes a carry-on case, extralarge trunk, vanity case and jewellery case. In black

or ivory leather (the former lined with spangled velvet, the latter with seductive blood-red cotton), each features traditional details that Globe-Trotter is known for, from leather trims to brass hardware. From £1,195 for a vanity case; globe-trotter.com // thevampireswife.com

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MY CULTURE EDIT

Linda Boronkay

The interior designer dances to Jungle, dines at Decimo and covets some screen time with Eileen Gray

A book that changed my life is… Several books: Atmospheres by Peter Zumthor, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, The Unfinished Palazzo by Judith Mackrell and On The Road by Jack Kerouac. My favourite podcast is… Diary of a CEO. When I’m home alone, I listen to… Jungle or Fred Again, I’m obsessed with their music, it makes me feel alive and so good in my skin. I recently went to a Jungle DJ set at Koko which was amazing. I also like to listen to jazz music when I’m home alone and feel like vibing instead of dancing. A place I’ve been recently that everyone should go is… Ulpotha, a completely magical yoga retreat in the middle of the jungle in Sri Lanka. No electricity, no power, only organic home-grown food, plus incredible yoga and breathing technique teachers, all in a stunning setting. Stay for a week here and you will emerge a changed person – in the best possible way!

The best film of all time is… It’s impossible to choose, so in no particular order: The Godfather, Out of Africa, Amadeus, The Last Emperor, In The Mood For Love, Driver, Dune and Interstellar. The restaurant I go to time and again is… Decimo at The Standard. I love the atmosphere, the music, the cocktails and the incredible views. If money was no object, I’d buy a piece of art/design by… I would buy a screen by Jean Durand or Eileen Gray. I’m obsessed with room dividers these days. An exhibition that resonated with me was… Gucci Cosmos at 180 Studio, which

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was designed by Es Devlin. While the subject of the exhibition was hugely interesting as I have a lot of respect for the Gucci brand, what was even more captivating was the production design. Es Devlin is such a clever and visionary creative – she made a series of universes you found yourself completely immersed in. Schiaparelli and Mugler at the Musée des Arts Décoratifs in Paris were incredible too. Currently I’m watching… Feud: Capote vs. The Swans. The design world needs more of… Off-screen creation with sketches and books – less algorithmic. I find online image research incredibly repetitive and predictable. We need to bring back freehand sketching and come up with original ideas. The most memorable hotel I’ve stayed in is… Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, NoMad in New York and Hotel Costes in Paris. All transportive experiences – memorable and cinematic, where all the senses come together with the aesthetic, scent, lighting, music… My creative hero is… It will be a tie between Es Devlin, Alexandre de Betak, Christopher Nolan, Daniel Roseberry, John Galliano, Denis Villeneuve and Thomas Heatherwick.

Wanda Martin

When I’m not working, I love to… Go to the theatre, to the movies or to see an inspiring exhibition. Living in London gives you access to the best shows in the world and I never get tired of its energy.

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