ELLE DECOR May 2023

Welcome to our first-ever Debuts Issue! The idea for this edition of the magazine came out of conversations Team ELLE DECOR began a year ago, after spending much of the previous winter in pandemic isolation. Last spring, we were all hungering to capture the effervescence of that optimistic “now what?” moment. We also wanted to create a platform for new talent working across interiors, object design, and more. The result of all that thinking and planning is the magazine you now hold in your hands: an all-out lovefest for emerging currents and talents in the world of design. What unites everything in these pages is a spirit of joy, irreverence, and curiosity, together with a fearlessness about working in new ways. Our cover story certainly embodies all of the above. I’ve…

CONSOLE: JOSEPH KRAMM; TABLE: BEN BLOOD…

VISIT: LITTLE ROCK PLEATS, PLEASE For a unique cultural excursion this spring, put Arkansas on your itinerary. Last month, the capital, Little Rock, saw the reopening of the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts with an impressively revitalized campus designed by Studio Gang with landscape firm SCAPE. The museum, which has undergone several expansions over its 86-year history, is now united by a breathtaking pleated roof, allowing visitors to fully experience the breadth of its permanent collection of works on paper, regional art, and more. “We realized we needed something new and exciting,” says architect Jeanne Gang of her eye-catching design. The inaugural exhibition, “Together,” will feature works by artists Elias Sime, Ryan RedCorn, LaToya Hobbs, and others. —Anna Fixsen arkmfa.org SHOP: CHARLESTON TABLE TALK With its mouth-blown glassware and floral ceramics, homewares line Juliska epitomizes gracious…

THE NEW ANTIQUARIANS Go inside the homes of a new generation of collectors and design champions in this Monacelli book by Michael Diaz-Griffith, executive director of the Design Leadership Network. ALCHEMY: THE WORLD OF DAVID ADJAYE Written by Spencer Bailey, with a preface by the famed architect, this Phaidon tome tells Adjaye’s story through his favored materials, from stone to wood to glass. JOHN PAWSON: MAKING LIFE SIMPLER Deyan Sudjic’s dive into the minimalist architect’s archives is an exquisitely illustrated Phaidon book. He explores Pawson’s designs for such clients as Bruce Chatwin, Calvin Klein, and Karl Lagerfeld. HAUTE BOHEMIANS: GREECE In the newest book in the Vendome Press series, the photographer Miguel Flores-Vianna ventures across Greece to explore beautiful homes in idyllic settings. JOIE: A PARISIAN’S GUIDE TO CELEBRATING THE GOOD LIFE American expat Ajiri Aki—doyenne of the lifestyle…

Launching an entirely new category as a heritage furniture company requires both respect for one’s roots and a vision for the future. Molteni&C’s creative director, Vincent Van Duysen, certainly had this in mind while working on the brand’s debut outdoor collection. For Van Duysen, Molteni’s extensive archives were a huge source of inspiration: An entire seating line arose from Luca Meda’s Palinfrasca sofa, originally designed in 1994, while Gio Ponti’s classic D.150.5 chaise longue and the D.154.2 armchair have been reissued with an eye to sustainability. Van Duysen also looked to contemporary designers Foster + Partners and Ron Gilad to reinterpret, respectively, the Arc dining table in a cement finish and the Panna Cotta side tables in iron and lava stone. Van Duysen’s own suite of furniture, Timeout, consists of a…

The Roman jewelry house Bulgari may be most famous for the iconic Serpenti line, which celebrated its 75th birthday this spring. But while the snake is synonymous with the brand, it does not define it. Bulgari’s new high-jewelry collection, Mediterranea, makes this point spectacularly. Inspired by the sea, from its inky depths to its frothy coastline, the collection puts the house’s affinity for colored gemstones front and center. Take for example the 76 carats of pear rubellites dangling from this collar of pavé diamonds, offset by sapphires and turquoise. To quote a certain animated mermaid: “I just don’t see how a world that makes such wonderful things could be bad.”…