ELLE Decoration UK May 2022

One of the many things I love about working at ELLE Decoration is the global network we’re a part of. As I’ve mentioned before, it’s a strong and vibrant family of 25 editions across the world. From India to America, we represent the tastes, living spaces and lifestyles of practically the entire planet. As part of my role, I often interact with the editors-in-chief of our sister titles and, during the pandemic, I’ve sorely missed the opportunity to share ideas and experiences with them, to discuss what home means in our respective countries. Sonia Zabouga is one of this talented troupe, the editor-in-chief of ELLE Decoration Ukraine, who I first met four years ago at the Salone del Mobile in Milan. Softly spoken, yet strong, statuesque and supremely stylish, she represents…

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IN RAINBOWS Leather atelier Poltrona Frau has called on the kaleidoscopic style of Argentine-Spanish artist Felipe Pantone for a limited edition version of its ‘Archibald’ armchair, first designed in 2009 by Jean-Marie Massaud. Part of a year-long celebration of the brand’s 110th anniversary, Pantone’s heat map-like gradient design represents something of a radical departure for the Italian design house. Would-be collectors will have to be quick off the mark – in a nod to the occasion, there are only 110 on offer. £10,020 (poltronafrau.com). Read the room When Broste Copenhagen asked Danish designer Mette Degn to create a modular, flat-pack bookcase without a stabilising cross or static shelves, the new ‘Nobuko’ system was born. ‘I loved the challenge,’ enthuses Degn. ‘I was inspired by the strong yet bendy structure of bamboo, which is…

What’s your background? After graduating from London College of Fashion, I moved to Rome and joined Gucci as a womenswear designer before becoming an embroidery designer under [creative director] Alessandro Michele. I’ve always been interested in interior design and started to work on my brand more seriously during the first lockdown. What inspires your work? I’m influenced by antiquity, 1950s and 60s pop culture and the joyful spirit of the 70s. Almost every design has juxtaposed references: mythological creatures or ancient motifs, with colours that could nod to a vintage blouse I saw in a market. My new collection, ‘Herculaneum’, draws on the 70s Palm Beach jet-set lifestyle and the work of David Hicks and André Arbus. I believe in preserving the past but creating for the present. Tell us about your approach to…

What’s your background? I grew up in Japan with an Austrian-Japanese artisan family. I visited my grandmother in Austria for three months when I was 18, but ended up staying longer to do an apprenticeship in cabinet making. Then I moved around Europe before settling in London seven years ago and starting my own practice in 2017. What inspires your work? I’m interested in cultural differences as a result of my experience of mixed heritage. I combine and contrast elements of Japanese craftsmanship with Western techniques, but try to approach it all with humour and ambiguity, so it’s never 100% clear what an object really is. I like anything that is visually memorable and I find joy in hidden gimmicks, like magnets. How does your approach play with tradition? Understanding and processing materials with simple…

Kasthall After lead designer Gunilla Lagerhem Ullberg’s death in 2015, the team at Swedish textile brand Kasthall turned her sketches and samples for ‘January’, the third entry in her ‘Archipelago’ series, into reality. A fitting tribute to the ‘queen of rugs’. From £8,560 (kasthall.com). Emily Forgot x Floor Story Following a one-off project, Emily Forgot and east London rug dealers Floor Story have joined forces for ‘Construct’. Its three designs draw on Forgot’s blending of the boundaries between 2D and 3D, via different pile heights, colours and her signature graphic shapes. Each works on its own or can be joined together to create a larger, modular floor covering. From £750 (floorstory.co.uk). Nordic Knots x ARJÉ The notion of ‘finding home’ informs the partnership of Nordic Knots and New York lifestyle brand ARJÉ. With Swedish, Spanish…