Living Etc September 2021

I took a welcome break from my house renovation to help judge the first Livingetc Style Awards recently. Sat in a room with two of our columnists, Linda Boronkay and Minnie Kemp, along with the fashion guru Lucinda Chambers, it was fascinating to hear their thoughts on what constituted style today. Style, we decided, comes from the ease in which a piece can be used to bring life to a room, a smile to anyone who views or uses it, and the way a design can get better with time. Casting our eyes over hundreds of products, we whittled it down to just over 50 that we think are the best buys you could make today – see the edit on page 29. They vary massively, covering everything from a cushion…

1 PLAYFUL CONCRETE Winner of the acclaimed ‘Don’t Move Improve’ 2021 Awards, The House Recast – a transformation of a north London townhouse by Studio Ben Allen – uses pigmented concrete in delightful ways. The floors, counters, benches and more are all cast in blue, green and rust-red hues. studiobenallen.com 2 SHOPPABLE HOTELS The design showroom of the future, the shoppable hotel feels like a trick hospitality has been missing for some time. Oakley Court in Berkshire, renovated over lockdown by tastemaker and retailer Alex Eagle, sports interiors that are quietly available to purchase during your stay, including a range of glassware, fabrics and linens, as well as artwork and vintage furniture. A weekend away has never felt more like a shopping spree. oakleycourt.co.uk 3 MATCHING TABLEWARE TO CUISINE There’s an extra layer of umami…

1 BY THE SEA These tiles are full of personality. The patterns are almost childlike in their naivety and you can’t help but fall in love with them. Blue tiles, £10 each, Maude Made 2 PLATE UP Did you know that in symbology fungi represent good fortune? This plate is so charming with its hand-painted finish. Mushrooms, €210 for a set of six, The Platera 3 GLAZED OVER The blue tableware trend continues and while I’m not a big follower of such movements I’m still enjoying a reactive glaze in a lovely deep blue hue. Deep stoneware plate, £9.99, H&M Home 4 TABLE TALK This table is naturally dyed with beetroot juice, how lovely is that? It also comes in natural and ebonised oak. Beetroot pedestal table, £550, Galvin Brothers 5 GOOD LOOKS Give me a faux bamboo anything…

THE CORE PIECE change of gear Injecting interiors with a portable layer of bold architectural appeal, the brutalist-inspired Gear side table by Kristian Sofus Hansen and Tommy Hyldahl feels like just the kind of statement piece to shake things up. Cast in a lightweight fiber concrete it’s impressive but not impractical, balancing a hefty circular table top and fluted legs with a poetic hand-painted textural finish. Gear side table, £320, Norr11 (boundconcept.com) CRUSHING ON wfh wonders Combining practicality with our penchant for scalloped details, Objects is a collection of pastel desk accessories from Katie Leamon and handmade from concrete. Items include shallow dishes, perfect for paper clips and erasers, narrow pots for pens and pencils, and wider pots, ideal for plants. Work never looked this good. From £24 (katieleamon.com) THE POWER PATTERN retro to go An elegant take…

what style means today Great design can make people happy, and over the past year creating a space that enhances and nurtures our physical and mental wellbeing has been more important than ever. From the colour of our walls to the sofa we sit on and the mug that holds our morning coffee, we’ve truly appreciated that the products we choose can have a huge effect on the way we feel. This was the thinking behind the first-ever annual Livingetc Style Awards, a way of highlighting the pieces and products that exude style, all filled with the potential to make your home a more wonderful place to live. With entries ranging from big statement items of furniture and tabletop accessories to brand-new launches and enduring classics, the edit you see here…