ELLE Decoration UK July 2021

from the editor

The original ‘Summer of Love’ took place in 1967, when young people travelled from across America and beyond to congregate in San Francisco. Attracted by the bold spirit of bohemia and its accompanying mood of crackling excitement and experimentation, this generation championed a new era of openness and acceptance. Summer 2021 has a similar feel to it. Like then, we’re all understandably obsessed with escape – not from the conservative social values of the early Sixties – but from more than a year of pandemic-induced turmoil and lockdown incarcerations. Our flower-power forebears used the period to celebrate the key ideas of 1960s rebellion: communal living, political decentralisation, environmental awareness and the benefits of ‘dropping out’… Interestingly, these are all issues that seem particularly pertinent to the here and now. I’d argue there’s…

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now

Outdoor PURSUITS Featuring chairs in jolly stripes and colourful plains, and furniture in punchy primary shades, The Conran Shop’s new outdoor collection is a return to quintessential summer staples. Manufactured by a traditional maker on the south coast, the simple yet smart ‘Classic Deck Chair’ is crafted from sustainably sourced merpauh, a durable hardwood, and treated with teak oil, while the sling is made from weatherproof fabric. Team with the ceramic ‘Short Mag Side Table’ by Daniel Schofield and a glass of Pimm’s for instant summer cheer. Deckchairs, £135 each; table, £495 (conranshop.co.uk). THROWING SHAPES Hailing from a long line of potters, Jonathan Openshaw was perhaps destined for clay. A love of classical ceramics was further fuelled by studies in archaeology and anthropology at the University of Cambridge, and a recent trip to…

henry holland

Had you dabbled in ceramics before? It was something that I had wanted to try for a long time, but it wasn’t until I left House of Holland that I had time to have lessons. It became a therapeutic outlet that replaced my work in fashion and I quickly fell in love with the process. I can be working on building pots for hours and not even think about my inbox. Do you make the ceramics yourself ? For the first few months I was making every piece, but then we took on some hefty orders and I had to build a team. They’re amazing – I’m working with people who are much more experienced than me in clay, but that’s what excites me. I’m learning on the job again every…

christian watson

Tell us about your background… I trained in fine cabinetmaking first in Devon, then at Robinson House Studio, near Brighton in East Sussex, where I was lucky enough to work with some of the best cabinetmakers in the world. At Robinson House they apply very traditional techniques to contemporary furniture and I discovered a huge amount about making, attention to detail, quality and patience. By learning how to make something you begin to understand why a piece is designed the way it is and what limitations the material or design has – this forces you to think creatively. What has inspired you throughout your career so far? I am definitely still on a creative journey, but my style has developed over time. My first love was art nouveau architecture, but you…

bohemian rhapsody

So synonymous is Diptyque with fragrance, it may come as a surprise to learn of the brand’s true origins, as one of the world’s first concept stores: a treasure trove of delights where elegance mingled with eccentricity. A visitor in the early days – the first store opened in Paris in 1961, so this year marks its 60th birthday – might encounter any of the following: Hindu masks, Pre-Raphaelite engravings, Welsh bedspreads, haute couture dresses by Jeanne Lanvin, and even the earliest creations of one Laura Ashley. In amongst this medley of objects – a potpourri, one might say, since this was one of the first things the store sold – were the beginnings of a fragrance empire: rare incenses and eaux de toilette by British house Penhaligon’s. Such originality was…