The World of Interiors

In this issue we consider the wonders and possibilities of living with art and antiques. Frankly, I can’t imagine living without either and applaud how tastemakers such as decorator Alexia Leuschen (living in Gilded Age glamour on Fifth Avenue; page 154) and dealer/collector Louis Bofferding (with no less style in a modest flat nearby; page 130), Polly Devlin (a hoarder/collector after my own heart; page 174), and indeed Luis Barragán (whose ravishing Casa Ortega I am so proud to showcase in this issue; page 194) orchestrated their findings with such élan. And I live in awe of artists. Anh Duong (page 186) spun into my life on a pair of Sidonie Larizzi bobbin heels and a pouffe dress in the mid-1980s. She was a conduit for Christian Lacroix’s Callas-meets-Arlesienne fantasies and posed…

SIMON UPTON Irresistibly drawn to the ‘outward-goingness’ of photography and its nature of discovery, Simon rarely finds himself ‘standing in front of a blank canvas with painter’s block’. His work has been gracing the pages of The World of Interiors since 1998, almost a quarter of a century. For this issue, the long-time contributor shot the homes of Tim Smith (page 93), Louis Bofferding (page 130) and Anh Duong (page 186). MITCHELL OWENS Finding himself lacking sporting prowess or a knack for numbers, Mitchell ‘found great happiness in books’. Having been an avid reader of WoI since its first issue, Mitchell now joins the team as American editor and custodian of the Aesthete’s Library. He reflects on Alexia Leuschen’s Stanford White-designed house (page 154) and her determination not to ‘misguidedly “improve” it’. NGOC MINH…

PAPER AND TEXTILE designer Lucie Touré is casting her mind back to 2018, the year she set up her own atelier. After six years working for prestigious Parisian workshops, designing, researching and creating exquisite embroidery for prêt-à-porter and haute-couture houses such as Christian Dior, Louis Vuitton and Chanel, she wanted to explore new possibilities for her skills. Sitting in her ordered, airy studio in Paris’s 13th arrondissement, she recalls what motivated her to go it alone. ‘I wanted to continue to work with the handcraft techniques I had honed working in fashion, and not only expand into new areas, like interior design, window displays and luxury packaging, but combine them with new materials too, such as paper.’ Over the past four years, this is exactly what she has done – and…

SERGE LESAGE Under the keen eye of artistic director and designer Frédérique Lepers, Serge Lesage’s rugs marry contemporary designs with traditional hand-knotting techniques to create bespoke pieces, including the plush-wool ‘Behind, Or d’Ambre’. A plume of molten gold rises from velvet-dark smoke for an atmospheric, abstract piece that would be at home in any space. Visit sergelesage.com TAI PING The elegantly retro ‘Overview’ collection puts a slick new spin on the 1970s California-style revival. Influenced by French/American architect and decorator Elliott Barnes’s childhood memories of Los Angeles, the six rugs map the city from above – ‘WeHo’ is an aerial view over erstwhile design hot spot West Hollywood. In hand-tufted silks and wool, it’s a prime example of the masterful craftsmanship Tai Ping has perfected over 60 years. Visit taipingcarpets.com TANIA JOHNSON…

WHEN my late father turned 75, years ago now, my sisters and I threw him a dinner. The older one and her husband cleared their bedroom of furniture, painted a mural on the walls, and set up trestle tables for the evening. I was in charge of cooking. What would you most like to have, Dad, I asked him. He looked at me blankly, not mad about menus. But he didn’t want to be unhelpful either, so he had a think. ‘I know,’ he said, suddenly pleased with himself. ‘Those yellow flower things you made all summer.’ He was talking about the courgette flowers I’d picked from the garden, dredged in batter, then fried and served as they came out of the pan. ‘Those,’ he said, gaining momentum. ‘Those yellow guys…